COVID-19 has presented considerable challenges to fiscal budget allocations in developing countries, significantly affecting decisions regarding number of investments in the transport sector where precise resource allocation is required. Elucidating the long-term relationship between public transport investment and economic growth might enable policymaker to effectively make a decision in regard to those budget allocation. Our paper then utilizes Thailand as a case study to analyze the effects on economic growth in a developing country context. The study employs Cointegration and Vector Error Correction Model (VECM) techniques to account for long-term correlations among explanatory variables during 1991–2019. The statistical findings reveal a significantly positive correlation between transport investment and economic growth by indicating an increase of 0.937 in economic growth for every one-percent increment in transport investment (S.D. = 0.024, p < 0.05). This emphasizes the potential of expanding the transport investment to recover Thailand’s economy. Furthermore, in terms of short-term adjustments, our results indicate that transport investment can significantly mitigate the negative impact of external shocks by 0.98 percent (p < 0.05). These findings assist policymakers in better managing national budget allocations in the post-Covid-19 period, allowing them to estimate the duration of crowding-out effects induced by shocks more effectively.

Demographic policy is one of the key tasks of almost any state at the present time. It correlates with the solution of pressing problems in the economic and social spheres, directly depends on the state of healthcare, education, migration policy and other factors and directly affects the socio-economic development of both individual regions and the country as a whole. Many Russian and foreign researchers believe that demographic indicators very accurately reflect the socio-economic and political situation of the state. The relevance of the study is due to the fact that for the progressive socio-economic development of any country, positive demographic dynamics are necessary. The main sign of the negative demographic situation that has developed in modern Russia and a number of countries, primarily European, is the growing scale of depopulation (population extinction). The purpose of this work was to analyze the existing demographic policy of Russia and compare demographic trends in Russia and other countries. The work uses methods of statistical data analysis, comparison of statistical indicators of fertility, mortality, natural population decline, migration, marriage rates in Russia and the Republic of Srpska, methods of retrospective analysis, research of the institutional environment created by the action of state and national programs “Demography”, “Providing accessible and comfortable housing and public services for citizens of the Russian Federation”, “Strategy of socio-economic development for the period until 2024”, Presidential decrees, etc. Research has shown that despite measures taken to overcome the demographic crisis, Russia’s population continues to decline. According to the Federal State Statistics Service of the Russian Federation (Rosstat), as of 1 January 2023, 146.45 million people lived in Russia. By 1 January 2046, according to a Rosstat forecast published in October 2023 the country’s population will decrease to 138.77 million people. To solve demographic problems in the Russian Federation, a national project “Demography” was developed and approved. The government has allocated more than 3 trillion rubles for its implementation. However, it is not possible to completely overcome the negative trend. The authors proposed a number of economic and ideological measures within the framework of agglomeration, migration, and family support policies that can be used within the framework of socio-economic development strategies and national programs aimed at overcoming the demographic crisis.

Women’s financial literacy and financial inclusion have gained prominence in recent years. Despite progress, knowledge and access to finance remain common barriers for women, especially in emerging economies. Globally, domestic and economic violence has been recognized as a relevant social concern from a gender perspective. In this context, financial literacy and financial inclusion are considered to play a key role in reducing violence against women by empowering them with the necessary knowledge to manage their financial resources and make informed decisions. This study aims to evaluate the determinants that influence Peruvian female university students’ financial literacy and financial inclusion. To this end, a theoretical behavioral model is proposed, and a survey is applied to 427 female university students. The results are analyzed using a Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Model (PLS-SEM). The results validate all the proposed hypotheses and highlight significant relationships between financial literacy and women’s financial inclusion. A relevant relationship between financial attitude and financial behavior is also observed, as well as the influence of financial behavior and financial self-efficacy on financial literacy. The results also reveal that women feel capable of making important financial decisions for themselves and consider that financial literacy could help reduce gender-based violence. Based on these findings, theoretical and practical implications are raised. It highlights the proposal of a theoretical model based on antecedents, statistically validated in a sample of women in Peru, which lays the foundation for understanding financial literacy and financial inclusion in the Latin American region.

Although infrastructure is widely recognized as a key ingredient in a country’s economic success, many issues surrounding infrastructurespending are not well understood. This paper explores six themes: the returns to infrastructure; the role of the private sector; the evaluation and delivery of infrastructure in practice; the nature of network industries, pricing and regulation; political economy considerations of infrastructure provision; and infrastructure in developing countries. This paper aims to provide insights into many of these questions, drawing on the existing literature.

Intra-regional trade serves as a key growth engine for East Asian economies. Accompanying the rapid growth of bilateral and intra-regional trade ties, the East Asian economies are becoming increasingly connected and interdependent. Infrastructure connectivity plays a crucial role in bridging different areas of the East Asian region and enabling them to reap the full socioeconomic benefits of economic cooperation and integration. Nevertheless, further improvement of infrastructure in the region faces major challenges due to the lack of effective mechanisms for coordination and dialogue on regional integration through funding infrastructure projects, as well as the serious trust deficit among member states that has arisen from the on-going territorial and historical disputes.