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Economics and business journals focus on publishing papers coming from the fields of applied economics, corporate finance, financial investments, markets, institutions, industrial organization, international trade, marketing and similar.
Business and Economics
Abstract
This paper, using the OECD DAC's ODA (Official Development Assistance) database and UN Comtrade's trade data, empirically demonstrates that donor countries can utilize development aid as an instrument to build stable trade relationships and expand trade with recipient countries by strategically directing aid to targeted recipients. The empirical results indicate that a bilateral donor-recipient pair is more likely to establish a stable trade relationship and experience greater growth in bilateral trade flows than in the absence of such aid. The effects of aid on trade stability persist across various settings: whether the trade type is export or import, whether the traded goods are final or intermediate, and whether the aid is provided as loans or grants. The impacts of aid on fostering bilateral trade growth are also significant. Particularly, concessional loans are far more effective than grants in promoting donor-recipient trade growth, especially in stimulating the recipient's imports from the donor. These findings suggest that donor countries can leverage development aid as a strategic measure to mitigate the risk of global supply chain disruptions and secure overseas export markets during external trade shocks, such as the global financial crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Abstract
The green transformation of oil and gas companies is necessary to tackle climate change. Most of the green transformation related activities have been launched since the Paris Agreement was ratified. The main purpose of this article is to highlight how oil and gas companies handle the pressure of shifting their fossil fuel-based portfolio by analyzing their divestment trends. In our sample, six large, medium, and small oil and gas companies – Shell Royal Dutch (UK-based), British Petroleum (UK-based), OMV (Austrian), PKN Orlen (Polish), Neste (Finnish) and Orsted (Danish) – are assessed regarding the maturity of their green transition via the lens of their divestment figures between 2017 and 2022. The biggest leaps in green transition have been taken by small companies with the support of their governments. The majority of the divested portfolios were purchased by companies outside of the European Union (EU). This research offers a significant contribution to the literature on green energy transition, focusing on the divestments trends of oil and gas companies.
Abstract
The paper employs a cross-sectional data set comprising the main dimensions of the European Union's International Digital Economy and Society Index (I-DESI) and utilises grouping methods based on objective weights to evaluate the relative digital readiness of Hungary and other Central and Eastern European (CEE) member states of the EU. The objective was not to establish a total ordering (ranking) of the countries in the data set, but rather to identify the most appropriate means of grouping the CEE countries into homogeneous units, utilising multivariate statistical and decision-theoretical techniques (tiered DEA, partially ordered sets and clustering). Despite the disparate methodologies employed, the findings are consistent in that the CEE countries (including Hungary) exhibit a general resemblance to one another and demonstrate comparatively lower levels of digital readiness than Northern and Western European countries. The notable exception is Estonia, which exhibits a distinctive level of digital advancement.
