This study scrutinizes the allocation of financial aid for climate change adaptation from OECD/DAC donors, focusing on its effectiveness in supporting developing countries. With growing concerns over climate risks, the emphasis on green development as a means of adaptation is increasing. The research explores whether climate adaptation finance is efficiently allocated and what factors influence OECD/DAC donor decisions. It examines bilateral official development assistance in the climate sector from 2010 to 2021, incorporating climate vulnerability and adaptation indices from the ND-GAIN Country Index and the IMF Climate Risk Index. A panel double hurdle model is used to analyze the factors influencing the financial allocations of 41,400 samples across 115 recipient countries from 30 donors, distinguishing between the decision to select a country and the determination of the aid amount. The study unveils four critical findings. Firstly, donors weigh a more comprehensive range of factors when deciding on aid amounts than when selecting recipient countries. Secondly, climate vulnerability is significantly relevant in the allocation stage, but climate aid distribution does not consistently match countries with high vulnerability. Thirdly, discerning the impact of socio-economic vulnerabilities on resource allocation, apart from climate vulnerability, is challenging. Lastly, donor countries’ economic and diplomatic interests play a significant role in climate development cooperation. As a policy implication, OECD/DAC donor countries should consider establishing differentiated allocation mechanisms in climate-oriented development cooperation to achieve the objectives of climate-resilient development.

This paper provides a disaster resilience-based approach. For the definition of the approach, a three-step method (definition of components, analysis of the resilience pillars and definitions of resilience-based actions) has been followed. To validate the approach, an application scenario for mitigating the COVID-19 pandemic is provided in the paper. The proposed approach contributes to stimulating the co-responsibility quadruple helix of actors in the implementation of actions for disaster management. Moreover, the approach is adaptable and flexible, as it can be used to manage different kinds of disasters, adjusting or changing itself to meet specific needs.

Infrastructure development policies have been criticised for lacking a deliberate pro-gender and pro-informal sector orientation. Since African economies are dual enclaves, with the traditional and informal sectors female-dominated, failure to have gendered infrastructure development planning and investment exacerbates gender inequality. The paper examines the effect of the infrastructure development index, the size of the informal economy, and the level of economic development on gender inequality. The paper applies the panel autoregressive distributed lag method to data on the gender inequality index, infrastructure development index, GDP per capita, and size of the informal sector for the period 2005–2018. The sample consists of 44 African countries. The research established that the infrastructure development index, its sub-indices, GDP per capita, and the size of the informal sector are crucial dynamics that governments need to consider carefully when formulating development policies to reduce gender inequality. The research found that investment in infrastructure in general, transport infrastructure, and energy infrastructure reduces gender inequality. infrastructure development has gender inequality increasing effects in some countries and gender inequality reducing effects in others. The pattern suggests that at the continental level a Kuznets-type patten in the relationship between gender inequality and infrastructure development, gender inequality and size of informal sector, and gender inequality and GDP per capita exists. Some countries are in the region where changes in these covariates positively correlate with gender inequality, while others are in the region where further increases in the covariates reduce gender inequality.

The increase in energy consumption is closely linked to environmental pollution. Healthcare spending has increased significantly in recent years in all countries, especially after the pandemic. The link between healthcare spending, greenhouse gas emissions and gross domestic product has led many researchers to use modelling techniques to assess this relationship. For this purpose, this paper analyzes the relationship between per capita healthcare expenditure, per capita gross domestic product and per capita greenhouse gas emissions in the 27 EU countries for the period 2000 to 2020 using Error Correction Westerlund, and Westerlund and Edgerton Lagrange Multiplier (LM) bootstrap panel cointegration test. The estimation of model coefficients was carried out using the Augmented Mean Group (AMG) method adopted by Eberhardt and Teal, when there is heterogeneity and cross-sectional dependence in cross-sectional units. In addition, Dumitrescu and Hurlin test has been used to detect causality. The findings of the study showed that in the long run, per capita emissions of greenhouse gases have a negative effect on per capita health expenditure, except from the case of Greece, Lithuania, Luxembourg and Latvia. On the other hand, long-term individual co-integration factors of GDP per capita have a positively strong impact on health expenditure per capita in all EU countries. Finally, Dumitrescu and Urlin’s causality results reveal a significant one-way causality relationship from GDP per capita and CO₂ emissions per capita to healthcare expenditure per capita for all EU countries.

This study aims to analyze how public debt influences economic growth in Kosovo, using quarterly data from Q1 2008 to Q4 2022 and employing the generalized method of moments (GMM). The research reveals that there is a negative relationship between public debt and economic growth when other factors such as trade openness, total investment, current account balance, and primary balance are considered. Furthermore, the findings confirm an inverted “U-shaped” relationship between public debt and economic growth, indicating that the optimal debt level is between 27.75% and 36.2% of GDP.

Amid the relentless grip of the COVID-19 pandemic, sustainability has emerged as a paramount concern across global economies. As businesses grapple with unprecedented challenges, the imperative for sustainable practices in corporate finance becomes increasingly evident. Throughout this crisis, companies have faced staggering financial strains, with diminished turnovers and escalating operational costs pushing many to the brink of collapse. In response, governments worldwide have provided vital support, albeit often insufficient, underscoring the necessity for sustainable mechanisms of intervention. Central to this discourse is an examination of how companies have adapted their financing policies amidst the pandemic’s tumult. Government-backed credit facilities have served as a critical lifeline for numerous businesses, emphasizing the need for sustainable financial instruments readily deployable in times of crisis. Concurrently, moratoriums on existing credit obligations have offered temporary relief, albeit with looming concerns regarding heightened corporate indebtedness. Moreover, the pandemic’s aftermath has witnessed a pronounced uptick in corporate borrowing, compounded by surging interest rates. This confluence underscores the exigency for companies to adopt sustainable financial strategies, mindful not only of short-term exigencies but also the enduring ramifications on financial stability. In navigating these challenges, a holistic approach to sustainability is imperative. Governments must ensure robust support mechanisms, while companies must proactively seek sustainable financing solutions. Concurrently, stakeholders must meticulously weigh the long-term repercussions of financial policy adjustments, thereby fortifying corporate resilience against future crises while safeguarding the stability of the global economy. In essence, the COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the critical imperative for sustainability in corporate finance. By heeding this call and embracing sustainable practices, businesses can navigate crises with greater resilience, ensuring not only their survival but also the enduring stability of the economic landscape.

Purpose: The major objective of this study is to measure the impact of various attributes, such as social attraction, physical attraction, and task attraction on para-social relationships. The study also seeks to measure how the para-social relationship mediates the association between the three attributes (above-mentioned) on perceived credibility and informational influence, and consumers’ intention to purchase banking products. Study design/methodology: PLS-SEM has been used as it is believed to be most suited for the study due to the multivariate non-normality in the data, and the small sample size. Data has been collected using the 5-point Likert scale from approximately 151 respondents, who were selected using the non-random sampling method based on purposive sampling coupled with convenience-based sampling. The data was collected from January 2023 to August 2023. Findings: Largely, the findings reveal that both social and physical attractions do have a positive impact on the para-social relationship, further leading to perceived credibility and informational influence. Notably, this perceived credibility and informational influence lead to consumers’ intentions to purchase banking products, albeit with the use of artificial intelligence-based chatbots and digital assistants. Originality: This is possibly among the first-ever studies extending the para-social theory for purchasing banking products and services using artificial intelligence-based chatbots and virtual assistants.