This study is considered one of the few studies that attempted to explore the relationship between exports and foreign direct investment in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The study aims to determine the nature of the relationship between exports and foreign direct investment in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia during the period between (1990–2023). Employing Ender’s methodology using cointegration and error correction model. The study also relies on data on Saudi exports and foreign direct investment inflows from the World Bank databases. The results indicate the existence of Cointegration between foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows and the Saudi exports in the period (1990–2023), as for the causal relationship between the two variables, the results showed the causal relation between exports and FDI inflows from the direction of exports only, which means that Saudi exports cause FDI inflows in Saudi Arabia, and the study recommends giving more incentives to attract foreign investors in different sector rather than oil sector, besides improving the logistical services which is vital to any investment attraction strategy.

The global COVID-19 crisis has precipitated an economic downturn in many countries, subsequently raising concerns about the potential challenges faced by marginalized populations, such as refugees, in accessing essential healthcare, hygiene facilities, and critical health information and safety guidelines within the context of Jordan. Consequently, it is of paramount importance to investigate and evaluate the specific economic hurdles related to COVID-19 that refugees are encountering. This inquiry will serve as a valuable foundation for shaping public health interventions aimed at containing the virus’s spread and guiding policymakers on strategies to enhance the well-being of refugees in Jordan. This paper offers a comprehensive examination of Syrian refugees in Jordan, including an analysis of the policies implemented by Jordan concerning Syrian refugees in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, the report assesses whether international assistance, both through bilateral and multilateral channels, can mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on Jordan’s capacity to continue hosting Syrian refugees. It also delves into the economic consequences of COVID-19, covering aspects such as poverty, education, the health sector budget, healthcare accessibility, essential needs, livelihoods, the labor market, and food security among Syrian refugees in Jordan.

This paper examines the relationship between renewable energy (RE) generation, economic factors, infrastructure, and governance quality in ASEAN countries. Based on the Fixed Effects regression model on panel data spanning the years 2002–2021, results demonstrate that domestic capital investment, foreign direct investment, governance effectiveness, and crude oil price exhibit an inverse yet significant relationship with RE generation. An increase in those factors will lead to a decline in RE generation. Meanwhile, economic growth and infrastructure have a positive relationship, which implies that these factors act as stimulants for RE generation in the region. Hence, it is advisable to prioritise policies that foster economic growth, including offering tax breaks specifically for RE projects. Additionally, it’s crucial to streamline governance processes to facilitate infrastructure conducive to RE generation, along with investing in RE infrastructure. This could be achieved by establishing one-stop centres for consolidating permitting processes, which would streamline the often-bureaucratic process. However, given the extensive time period covered, future research should examine the short-term relationship between the variables to address any potential temporal trends between the factors and RE generation.

This study examines how Artificial Intelligence (AI) enhances Sharia compliance within Islamic Financial Institutions (IFIs) by improving operational efficiency, ensuring transparency, and addressing ethical and technical challenges. A quantitative survey across five Saudi regions resulted in 450 validated responses, analyzed using descriptive statistics, ANOVA, and regression models. The findings reveal that while AI significantly enhances transparency and compliance processes, its impact on operational efficiency is limited. Key barriers include high implementation costs, insufficient structured Sharia datasets, and integration complexities. Regional and professional differences further underscore the need for tailored adoption strategies. It introduces a novel framework integrating ethical governance, Sharia compliance, and operational scalability, addressing critical gaps in the literature. It offers actionable recommendations for AI adoption in Islamic finance and contributes to the global discourse on ethical AI practices. However, the Saudi-specific focus highlights regional dynamics that may limit broader applicability. Future research could extend these findings through cross-regional comparisons to validate and refine the proposed framework. By fostering transparency and ethical governance, AI integration aligns Islamic finance with socio-economic goals, enhancing stakeholder trust and financial inclusivity. The study emphasizes the need for targeted AI training, the development of structured Sharia datasets, and scalable solutions to overcome adoption challenges.

The year of 2024 marked the twelfth anniversary of the cooperative mechanism between China and Central and Eastern European countries (China-CEEC). China has repeatedly affirmed its willingness to implement the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development and the sustainable development goals (SDGs), which created many opportunities to enhance the cooperation of the two sides. The paper exemplified some cases in the process of the cooperation, which were rarely discussed previously as normally it was dominated by the large-scale investment project. The cases of the climate change and ocean issues were perceived as a package of holistic EU-China relations that demonstrates the commitments from both sides to deal with SDG 13 and SDG 14. A qualitative method of the policy-circle evaluation and the goal-setting in the global governance was applied in the paper. The findings affirm that the current China-CEEC cooperation scheme is still carrying on both opportunities and challenges and affected by various internal and external factors.

The Science and Technology Innovation Center holds a pivotal position in the national science and technology innovation system, and a scientific evaluation of the “Sci-tech Innovation Center” will guide its construction direction. This study found the advantages and disadvantages of the four cities through comparison; Hence improvement suggestions were proposed for the weaknesses of the four cities. There are two main paths for the government to drive technology innovation: STI (Science and Technology Innovation) mode and DUI (Doing, Using, Interacting) mode. With the aid of the evaluation index system of the Sci-tech Innovation Center, this article uses fuzzy sets, rough sets and fuzzy dynamic clustering methods to comprehensively evaluate the effects of driving technology innovation in the four cities of Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Guangzhou. The results found that Shenzhen has a significant effect in DUI, and Beijing has a significant effect in STI. The choice of path is related to the abundance of innovation resources.