Poverty is a major challenge caused by various situations as well as cultural, social, economic, and political interactions. Therefore, poverty alleviation programs and strategies require an integrated approach carried out in consistent and organized stages. It required the participation of all parties, both regional heads, Regional People’s Representative Assembly (RPRA) members, entrepreneurs, and other elements of society. This study aimed to investigate the effect of local spending efficiency on public welfare in Indonesia, using a quantitative and explanatory method. The analysis method used in this study is the panel data regression model. The research population in all provinces in Indonesia was 34 provinces, and a purposive sampling method was used, where a total of 26 provinces were selected. The research period is 2017–2021. The efficiency of local spending (education, health, and infrastructure) is estimated using the Stochastic Frontier Analysis (SFA) cost function approach. The results showed that the higher the efficiency of education spending, the more it will increase public welfare in Indonesia. Meanwhile, the health spending efficiency and the infrastructure spending efficiency do not affect public welfare. The implications of this study for the development of science are that the efficient allocation of education spending will be able to improve the quality of education which is a long-term solution to overcome poverty in Indonesia and for policymakers to be able to optimize education spending to achieve the expected educational goals.

This study examines the relationship between macroeconomic determinants and education levels in eight selected African oil-exporting countries (AOECs) over the period 2000–2022. Drawing on human capital theory, the paper scrutinizes the impact of factors such as income inequality, health outcome, economic growth, human development, unemployment, education expenditure, institutional quality, and energy consumption on education levels. Employing robust estimation techniques such as fixed effects (FE), random effects (RE), pooled mean group (PMG) and cross-section autoregressive distributed lag model (CS-ARDL), the study unveils vital static and dynamic interactions among these determinants and education levels. Findings reveal notable positive and significant connections between education levels and some of the variables—human capital development, institutional quality, government expenditure on education, and energy consumption, while income inequality demonstrates a consistent negative relationship. Unexpectedly, health outcomes exhibit a negative impact on education levels, warranting further investigation. Furthermore, the analysis deepens understanding of long-run and short-run relationships, highlighting, for example, the contradictory impact of gross domestic product (GDP) and unemployment on education levels in AOECs. Finally, the study recommends targeted human development programs, enhanced public investment in education, institutional reforms for good governance, and sustainable energy infrastructure development.

Air cargo transportation accounts for less than 1% of the global trade volume, yet it represents approximately 35% of the total value of goods transported, highlighting its strategic importance in trade and economic development. This study investigates the relationship between domestic air cargo transport in Brazil and key macroeconomic variables, focusing on how regional economic dynamism, logistical infrastructure, and population density impact the country’s development. Using a panel data regression model covering the period from 2000 to 2020, the study analyzes the evolution of air cargo transportation and its role in redistributing economic growth across Brazil’s regions. The findings emphasize the key factors influencing the air cargo sector and demonstrate how these factors can be leveraged to optimize public policies and business strategies. This research provides valuable insights into the relevance of air cargo transportation for regional and national development, particularly in emerging economies like Brazil, offering guidance for the formulation of strategies that promote balanced economic growth across regions.

Loans are a critical transmission channel for commercial banks as well as an important revenue source. Macroeconomic factors are not within the control of commercial banks, however, select factors are observed to have a direct impact on lending behaviour in studies around the world. This study examined the relationship between macroeconomic variables and the lending behaviour of banks in South Africa for the period ranging from 2001 to 2022. Quarterly time series data was employed using the Autoregressive Distributed Lag Model (ARDL). The empirical results of the paper revealed that there is a long-run relationship between the repurchase rate (repo rate), inflation, the real effective exchange rate (REER) and lending behaviour in South Africa. The REER and inflation were both found to have a positive relationship, whilst the repo rate had a negative relationship. In addition, Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the activity rate and sovereign credit rating (SCR) changes returned insignificant results. Overall, these findings show that select macroeconomic factors do influence lending behaviour in South Africa. Furthermore, the results suggest that monetary policy decisions have a direct influential effect on lending and the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) has implemented their policies effectively.

The role of technology in stimulating economic growth needs to be reexamined considering current heightened economic conditions of Asian developing Economies. This study conducts a comparative analysis of technology proxied by R&D expenditures alongside macroeconomic variables crucial for economic growth. Monthly time-series data from 1990 to 2019 were analyzed using a vector error correction model (VECM), revealing a significant impact of technology on the economic growth of India, Pakistan, and the Philippines. However, in the cases of Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Bangladesh, macroeconomic indicators were found more crucial to their economic growth. Results of Granger causality underlined the relationship of R&D expenditures and macroeconomic variables with GDP growth rates. Sensitivity analyses endorsed robustness of the results which highlighted the significance and originality of this study in economic growth aligned with sustainable development goals (SDGs) for developing countries.