This study investigated the relationship between telecommunications development, trade openness and economic growth in South Africa. It determined explicitly if telecommunications development and trade openness directly impact economic growth or whether telecommunications strengthen or weaken the link between trade openness and economic growth using the ARDL bounds test methodology. The findings reveal that both telecommunications development indicators and trade openness significantly and positively impact South Africa’s GDP in the short and long terms. The study also found that control variables like internet usage and gross fixed capital formation significantly and positively influence GDP. Conversely, inflation was found to consistently affect GDP negatively and significantly. The findings from the ARDL cointegration analysis affirm a long-run economic relationship between the independent variables and GDP. The study also established that telecommunications development slightly distorts trade in the foreign trade-GDP nexus in South Africa. Despite this, the negative interaction effect is not substantial enough to overshadow the positive impact of trade openness on economic growth. From a policy perspective, the study recommends that South African policymakers prioritise enhancing local goods’ competitiveness in global markets and reducing trade barriers. It also advocates for improving the accessibility and affordability of telecommunications technologies to foster economic development.

South Korea has experienced rapid economic development since the 1960s. However, pronounced regional disparities have concurrently emerged. Amid the escalating regional inequalities and persistent demographic challenges characterized by low fertility rates, regional decline has become a pressing issue. Therefore, the feasibility of expanding transportation networks as a countermeasure to regional decline has been proposed. This study utilizes the synthetic control method and spatial difference-in-differences methodologies to assess the impact of the 2017 opening of Seoul–Yangyang Expressway on economic development and population inflow within Hongcheon-gun, Inje-gun, and Yangyang-gun. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of highway development as a policy instrument to mitigate regional decline. Findings from the synthetic control method analysis suggest a positive impact of the opening of the expressway on Hongcheon-gun’s Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP) in 2018, as well as Yangyang-gun’s net migration rates from 2017 to 2019. Conversely, the spatial difference-in-differences analysis, designed to identify spillover effects, reveals negative impacts of the highway on the GRDP and net migration rates of adjacent regions. Consequently, although targeted transportation infrastructure development in key non Seoul Metropolitan cities may contribute to ameliorating regional imbalances, results indicate that such measures alone are unlikely to suffice in attracting population to small- and medium-sized cities outside the Seoul Metropolitan Area.

This article measures the performance of listed commercial banks in Vietnam and identifies factors influencing their efficiency. The study follows a two-stage approach: (i) In the first stage, scale efficiency scores from 2016 to 2022 are assessed using the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) method; (ii) In the second stage, Tobit regression analyzes internal factors, macroeconomic conditions, and the impact of Covid-19. Key findings show that internal factors such as return on assets positively affect efficiency, while the ratio of equity to total capital has a negative and statistically significant impact. Bank size positively influences efficiency scores. Macroeconomic factors, including economic growth and inflation, were statistically insignificant. However, the Covid-19 pandemic had a significant negative effect on bank efficiency.

This study aims to develop a robust prioritization model for municipal projects in the Holy Metropolitan Municipality (Makkah) to address the challenges of aligning short-term and long-term objectives. The research explores How multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) techniques can prioritize municipal projects effectively while ensuring alignment with strategic goals and local needs. The methodology employs the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and exploratory factor analysis (EFA) to ensure methodological rigor and data adequacy. Data were collected from key stakeholders, including municipal planners and community representatives, to enhance transparency and reliability. The model’s validity was assessed through latent factor analysis, confirming the relevance of identified criteria and factors. Results indicate that flood prevention projects are the highest priority (0.4246), followed by road projects (0.3532), park construction (0.1026), utility projects (0.0776), and digital transformation (0.0416). The study highlights that certain factors are critical for evaluating and prioritizing municipal projects. “Capacity and Demand” emerged as the most influential factor (0.5643), followed by “Strategic Alignment” (0.2013), “Project Interdependence” (0.1088), “Increasing Investment” (0.0950), and “Risk” (0.0306). These findings are significant as they offer a structured, data-driven approach to decision-making aligned with Saudi Vision 2030. The proposed model optimizes resource allocation and project selection, representing a pioneering effort to develop the first prioritization framework specifically tailored to Makkah’s unique municipal needs. Notably, this is the first study to establish a prioritization method specifically for Makkah’s municipal projects, providing valuable contributions to the field.

One of the most frequently debated subjects in international forums is economic growth, which is regarded as a global priority. Consequently, researchers have turned their attention from conventional economic growth at a single average coefficient to divisible economic growth at levels of its value. Although the existing literature has discussed several determinants of economic growth, our article contributes to examining the sources of economic growth in African countries during the generations of reforms from 1990 to 2019 and in the context of economic vulnerability. The variables used in the analysis are gross domestic product, trade openness, financial development, and economic vulnerability. The study uses a quantile regression econometric model to examine these variables at different stages of reform. Quantile regression (QR) estimates for quantiles 0.05 to 0.95 showed mixed results: financial development is favorable to African economic growth at all quantile levels. However, economic vulnerability is a major impediment to economic growth at all quantile levels. In addition, it was found that a high degree of trade openness has a detrimental effect on African economic growth from quantile 0.5 of the dependent variable. Finally, another important result proves that financial development is a remedy for decision-makers against economic vulnerability.

Regardless of the importance of accreditation and the role faculty play in a such process, not much attention was given to those in dental colleges This study aimed to explore faculty perceptions of accreditation in the College of Dental Medicine and its impact, the challenges that hinder their involvement in accreditation, and countermeasures to mitigate these barriers using a convergent mixed methods approach. The interviewees were faculty who hold administrative positions (purposeful sample). The remaining faculty were invited for the survey using convenience sampling. Quantitative data were analyzed by Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests at 0.05 significance. A consensus was achieved on the positive impact of accreditation with an emphasis on the collective responsibility of faculty for the entire process. Yet their involvement was not duly recognized in teaching load, promotion, and incentives. Quality Improvement and Sustainability Tools and Benchmarking were identified as common themes for the value of accreditation to institutions and faculty. Global ranking and credibility as well as seamless service were key themes for institutional accreditation, while education tools and guidance or unifying tools were central themes for faculty. Regarding the challenges, five themes were recognized: Lack of Resources, Rigorous Process, Communication Lapse, Overwhelming Workload, and Leadership Style and Working Environment. To mitigate these challenges, Providing Enough Resources and Leadership Style and Working Environment were the identified themes. This research endeavors to achieve a better understanding of faculty perceptions to ease a process that requires commitment, resources, and readiness to change.