Journal of Economic Development, Innovation and Policy
Journal of Economic Development, Innovation and Policy is a peer-reviewed journal dedicated to exploring the intersection of economic growth, technological advancements, and policy innovations. The journal provides a platform for researchers, policymakers, and industry experts to share insights on sustainable development, industrial transformation, and global economic trends. It welcomes original research, case studies, and reviews that contribute to the understanding of economic dynamics and innovative strategies shaping the future.
Agricultural Value Addition and Structural Transformation in a Developing Agrarian Economy: Evidence from Bihar, India
Agricultural value addition and structural transformation are central to sustainable rural development in developing agrarian economies. Although Bihar remains predominantly dependent on agriculture, existing studies have focused mainly on production growth, technological change, or public investment, with limited attention to the interrelationships among Agricultural Gross Value Added (AGVA), structural transformation, and the production-side sources of agricultural growth. This study addresses this gap by examining the evolution of agricultural value addition and structural transformation in Bihar during 2000–2024. The analysis integrates structural composition analysis, production-decomposition techniques, and Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression using time-series data obtained from the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), Government of India, and the Directorate of Economics and Statistics, Government of Bihar. The findings reveal that agriculture's share in Gross State Value Added declined substantially during the study period, while a large proportion of the workforce continued to depend on agriculture, indicating persistent structural imbalance. Crop production remained the principal contributor to AGVA, although the contributions of livestock, fisheries, and horticulture increased gradually, reflecting emerging diversification. Production-decomposition analysis shows that yield improvement consistently replaced cultivated area expansion as the principal driver of agricultural growth, while econometric results confirm that crop production remains the strongest determinant of AGVA, with fruit production making a significant positive contribution to agricultural value creation. The findings suggest that Bihar's future agricultural transformation will depend on productivity enhancement, diversification towards higher-value enterprises, stronger value-chain integration, and climate-resilient production systems, supported by expanded rural non-farm employment and agro-processing. By integrating structural analysis, production-decomposition, and econometric modelling within a unified analytical framework, the study provides a practical approach for evaluating value-led agricultural development and structural transformation in developing agrarian economies.
Copyright (c) 2026 Jitendra Kumar Sinha (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Entrepreneurial Ecosystems in GCC and North Africa: ESG Digital Nexus Abstract
This study investigates how institutional structures, resource capacities, entrepreneurial orientation, digital transformation readiness, and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) integration shape the development of entrepreneurial ecosystems in North Africa and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. It applies the ESG–Digital Nexus perspective to explain differences in ecosystem maturity, innovation capacity, and sustainability-driven entrepreneurship across regions. A qualitative descriptive comparative design was used, relying on secondary data from peer-reviewed journal articles, policy reports, and institutional publications published between 2018 and 2025. The analysis covers Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, and Algeria in North Africa, and compares them with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Oman in the GCC. Thematic comparative analysis was conducted using an integrated framework that combines Institutional Theory, the Resource-Based View (RBV), and the Entrepreneurial Orientation Model (EOM). The findings show clear disparities between the two regions, with GCC countries demonstrating stronger institutional quality, more advanced digital infrastructure, greater access to entrepreneurial finance, higher ESG integration, and more innovation-oriented entrepreneurial cultures. In contrast, North African ecosystems face challenges such as institutional fragmentation, limited financing options, uneven digital readiness, and weaker ESG institutionalization. Overall, the results suggest that entrepreneurial ecosystem performance is driven by the interaction of governance quality, resource availability, entrepreneurial behavior, digital transformation capacity, and sustainability-oriented policies rather than economic resources alone. However, the study is limited by its reliance on secondary qualitative data, which restricts firm-level insights and real-time assessment, and by differences in data availability and reporting standards across countries that may affect comparability. The findings imply that policymakers should focus on strengthening institutional quality, expanding access to entrepreneurial finance, accelerating digital infrastructure development, and embedding ESG principles into entrepreneurship support systems to improve ecosystem competitiveness and sustainability. This study contributes to the literature by integrating Institutional Theory, RBV, and EOM within the ESG–Digital Nexus framework and applying it to a cross-regional comparison of entrepreneurial ecosystems in North Africa and the GCC.
Copyright (c) 2026 Samantha Raed (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Reimagining Democracy in the Arab World: From Liberal Form to Social Justice
This article critically examines the applicability of Western liberal democracy in Arab and Global South contexts, arguing that its procedural emphasis often fails to produce substantive outcomes in terms of justice, inclusion, and redistribution. Drawing on a qualitative multi-case comparative design, the study analyses five Arab countries, Jordan, Lebanon, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, and Tunisia, using Critical Discourse Analysis and comparative political economy. The findings reveal that democratic practices in these contexts remain largely formalistic, centred on elections and consultative institutions that rarely translate into meaningful shifts in power or wealth distribution. Instead, political systems tend to reproduce elite dominance through electoral recycling, performance legitimacy, and controlled public discourse. A key finding is the persistent absence of social justice as a governing principle, which weakens public trust and reduces democracy to symbolic participation. Marginalized groups, including women, youth, and minorities, are frequently included in political rhetoric but excluded from meaningful decision-making, reinforcing structural inequality. The study also identifies a significant mismatch between imported liberal democratic models and local socio-cultural realities characterized by collectivist norms and embedded identities. In response, the article proposes an alternative framework of “solidarity democracy,” grounded in social justice, collective empowerment, and culturally embedded governance. This model connects political rights with economic equity through practical mechanisms such as empowered local councils, participatory budgeting, citizen assemblies, transparency systems, accountability mechanisms, and institutional protections for marginalized groups. The study concludes that democracy in the Arab world should be reimagined not as an imported institutional template, but as an endogenous project rooted in local histories, cultural values, and social needs.
Copyright (c) 2026 Raed Atef (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Why Entrepreneurs Fail to Promote Regional Development: The Case of the Shantou Special Economic Zone
Regions with a higsh density of well-organized, capital-abundant entrepreneurs do not always experience developmental leaps. Frequently, they fall into economic stagnation, structural rigidity, and institutional lock-in. This paper addresses the interactive dilemma between entrepreneurial collectives and local development. It explores why highly organized business groups often fail to drive local prosperity. Using a typological framework of Chaoshan merchants and Shantou, the research reveals a striking paradox. The organizational capacity of these entrepreneurs yields positive externalities in open markets like Singapore and Hong Kong. However, in Shantou, where market openness is constrained, this same organizational advantage drives market closure and institutional sclerosis. The core of this paradox lies in the institutional interaction between entrepreneurial collectives and local markets. Under conditions of ambiguous state-market boundaries, homogeneous economic structures, and weak rule of law, entrepreneurs' strong organizational capacity degenerates into a catalyst for rent-seeking and market exclusion. On the contrary, the global success of Chaoshan merchants stems from enduring historical capital accumulation and robust social capital networks bound by clan culture and dialect. Yet, upon their return to the relatively closed and opaquely governed Shantou market, these exact social advantages trigger market failure. Ultimately, this study proposes a generalizable theoretical proposition: the developmental utility of entrepreneurial collectives is fundamentally contingent upon the local market mechanisms and institutional environment.
Copyright (c) 2026 Minghui Chen (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Adaptive Green Subsidy Design Under Carbon Border Adjustments—A Stochastic Stackelberg Differential Game with Bayesian Learning About Foreign Compliance Standards, with Application to Indian Manufacturing Exports
The European Union’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism imposes a levy on the embedded emissions of imports in covered sectors. Verification rules, the trajectory of the foreign carbon price, and the embedded emissions reference are still moving targets that exporting economies cannot perfectly forecast. Developing economies that export to the European Union face a strategic question with operational consequences. Should the home government subsidise emissions abatement at home so that domestic exporters preserve market access without paying the levy abroad, and if so, how should the subsidy schedule respond to learning about how the levy itself will evolve. We pose the problem as a continuous time Stackelberg differential game between a government and a continuum of heterogeneous exporting firms. The government holds a Bayesian prior over the path of the foreign carbon price and updates the prior as new policy signals arrive. Firms differ in baseline emissions intensity and choose abatement investment to maximize expected discounted profit. We prove existence and uniqueness of the firm best response, characterize it through a three-region threshold rule that distinguishes firms that abate fully, firms that target the embedded emissions reference exactly, and firms that abate partially while paying a residual levy. We then derive the optimal subsidy schedule as a function of the government’s posterior belief and demonstrate that the schedule is increasing in the posterior expected foreign carbon price and convex in the posterior variance, which produces a precautionary subsidy channel. A numerical study calibrated to Indian steel exports to the European Union shows that adaptive subsidies recover most of the welfare loss caused by border exposure when the prior on foreign standards is reasonably informative, and roughly half of the loss under a diffuse prior. Static policies, computed under a point estimate of the foreign carbon price, leave substantial welfare on the table because they cannot respond to posterior shifts. The framework speaks to industrial policy design in any open economy whose export structure is exposed to unilaterally evolving foreign environmental standards.
Copyright (c) 2026 Janardan Behera (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Rethinking Sustainable Tourism in Vietnam: From Green Growth to Social Transformation
Sustainable tourism in Vietnam has often been framed through green growth, environmental protection, and destination competitiveness. While these priorities remain important, they are insufficient for addressing the social tensions generated by rapid tourism development, including unequal benefit distribution, symbolic community participation, heritage commodification, labor vulnerability, digitally mediated tourist behavior, and fragmented governance. This article rethinks sustainable tourism in Vietnam through the lens of social transformation. Drawing on a conceptual qualitative approach that combines directed literature review, academic discourse analysis, and interpretive synthesis, the study develops the ISTTF. The framework consists of five interrelated dimensions: community transformation, heritage transformation, behavioral transformation, educational transformation, and governance transformation. Rather than presenting these dimensions as separate themes, the ISTTF conceptualizes them as relational processes through which tourism reshapes agency, memory, norms, capacity, and institutional coordination within destination systems. The article argues that sustainable tourism should not be understood only as environmental management or green economic growth, but as a broader process of social restructuring involving justice, cultural legitimacy, responsible behavior, adaptive learning, and collaborative governance. By clarifying the theoretical distinction between green growth and social transformation, the study contributes to sustainable tourism scholarship and offers a context-sensitive framework for Vietnam and other emerging destinations facing similar tensions between tourism growth, sustainability, and social justice.
Copyright (c) 2026 Nguyen Tan Thanh, Pham Duc Toan (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Why Does Christmas Feel Sadder Over Time? An Economic—Relational Theory of the Christmas Paradox in Developing Societies
Despite rising income and material abundance, many individuals report declining happiness during Christmas (Pasko), particularly in developing societies. This paper addresses this paradox by proposing the GAMAW–GAPOH Model (Pasko Paradox Model), a culturally grounded economic framework that reconceptualizes festive well-being as a balance between relational capital (GAMAW) and burdens and losses (GAPOH) rather than as an outcome of consumption alone. Departing from neoclassical utility theory, the model formally integrates social presence, cognitive burdens, and accumulated relational loss into a multidimensional utility function. Pasko Utility (PU) is specified as where denotes consumption, relational connectedness, cognitive burdens, and accumulated relational loss, with parameter restrictions and . To operationalize festive well-being, the study introduces a normalized Pasko Contentment Index (PCI): bounded between 0 and 1. Using 384 individuals from Lagonoy Gulf, Philippines, results show that while consumption increases monotonically across income groups, both PU and PCI peak at middle-income levels and decline sharply at higher income brackets. This decline is driven by weakened relational connectedness and rising work-related burdens and accumulated losses, which outweigh the diminishing marginal utility of increased consumption. Individuals in the highest income group exhibit the lowest PCI despite the highest festive spending. The findings demonstrate that Christmas functions as a relational public good, not a private consumption good. Festive well-being depends primarily on who is present, the weight of adult burdens, and the loss of important relationships, rather than on income or spending alone. The GAMAW–GAPOH Model thus offers a culturally sensitive and analytically rigorous explanation for declining festive happiness amid economic progress.
Copyright (c) 2026 Emmanuel A. Onsay (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Analysis of Key Audit Matters (KAM) and Cash Flow Pattern on Financial Distress
Economic downturns can reduce a firm’s ability to sustain operations and meet its financial obligations. In this context, key audit matter (KAM) disclosures and cash flow patterns may provide useful signals of financial distress. This study examines their impact on firms in the consumer cyclical and non-cyclical sectors in 2022. The results show that entity-level KAM disclosures are positively associated with financial distress, suggesting that broader audit risks reflect underlying firm conditions, while stronger cash flow patterns reduce their likelihood. This study contributes to the literature by jointly examining KAM disclosure levels and cash flow patterns, offering new evidence on their roles in assessing financial distress.
Copyright (c) 2026 Nurhastuty Kesumo Wardhani, Lewis Liu, Sylvia Khan (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
The Impact of Digital Marketing on Consumer Purchase Behavior
This study examines how digital marketing components influence consumer buying behavior in e-commerce, with perceived enjoyment as a mediator. Key factors such as content marketing, consumer trust, online shopping experience, and product pricing were analyzed using a structured questionnaire from 200 online shoppers. IBM SPSS and PLS-SEM were employed for data analysis. Results show that content marketing and consumer trust enhance perceived enjoyment, which in turn drives purchase behavior, while product pricing and shopping experience have weak direct effects. Perceived enjoyment mediates the relationship between digital marketing and buying behavior. The findings provide practical insights for businesses to improve consumer engagement and highlight the importance of emotional factors in e-commerce.
Copyright (c) 2026 Roya Anvari, Kehinde Musa, Rokhsareh Mobarhan (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Urbanisation with a Human Face: Lessons from Chinese Eco-Cities for Climate-Resilient Planning in Lilongwe, Malawi
Rapid urbanisation across sub-Saharan Africa presents both opportunities and challenges, with cities like Lilongwe in Malawi struggling to accommodate population growth while addressing climate vulnerability and infrastructure deficits. This paper examines the transferability of Chinese eco-city principles, particularly the Sponge City Programme and green infrastructure approaches, to the Malawian urban context. Drawing on constructivist theories of policy diffusion and South-South cooperation, the study employs qualitative comparative policy analysis to assess the institutional, financial, and governance conditions shaping eco-urbanism in both countries. The study draws on recent scholarship on community-based flood adaptation in informal settlements to contextualise Lilongwe’s vulnerability within broader Global South patterns. The study finds that while Chinese eco-city models offer valuable technical innovations, their direct transplantation to Lilongwe is constrained by fundamental differences in institutional capacity, fiscal resources, urban governance structures, and land tenure systems. However, specific principles, including community-led green infrastructure, multi-functional public space design, and incremental retrofitting approaches, demonstrate potential for adaptation through what we term “Vernacular Eco-Urbanism.” This concept refers to the contextual integration of global best practices with local knowledge systems, institutional capabilities, and existing urban fabrics; prioritising function over form, incremental over comprehensive implementation, and participatory over technocratic decision-making. The paper contributes to decolonising urban studies by challenging unidirectional North-South policy transfer frameworks and proposing a more holistic approach to South-South urban learning that centres local agency and institutional realities.
Copyright (c) 2026 Qiao Luo, Jani Grey Kasunda (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
The Digital Silk Road in a Cash-Limited Society: A Critical Analysis of Chinese Fintech Expansion and its Impact on Financial Sovereignty in Malawi
China’s Digital Silk Road (DSR) promises to bridge profound financial inclusion gaps in cash-limited societies like Malawi, yet its implications for financial sovereignty remain critically underexamined. This article employs a qualitative case study methodology, framed by global governance and development economics perspectives, to analyze the expansion of Chinese fintech in Malawi. The findings reveal that Malawi’s structural vulnerabilities create a permissive environment for the adoption of integrated Chinese digital ecosystems. This process initiates a form of technological integration characterized by path dependence through technological lock-in, which creates high switching costs that constrain future options, and the transfer of financial data to servers outside national jurisdiction (data externalization), limiting domestic governance capacity. These dynamics reflect contemporary core-periphery dynamics in the digital economy. Concurrently, the DSR serves as a tool of infrastructural power, defined as the ability to project influence by controlling the critical networks on which other states depend, thereby extending China’s geopolitical leverage by integrating its technology into the heart of Malawi’s financial system. The study concludes that the DSR, while offering developmental benefits, simultaneously presents challenges to financial sovereignty by creating structural dependencies that may constrain Malawi’s policy autonomy and embed external strategic interests within its economic governance framework. It underscores the necessity for strategic digital governance to navigate the sovereignty-technology trade-off, which is a universal challenge for developing nations navigating digital integration. By framing the DSR through platform capitalism and global governance perspectives, this study contributes to understanding technological statecraft in the Global South and offers empirically grounded analysis to inform policy development.
Copyright (c) 2026 Jani Grey Kasunda (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Working Capital Management and Triple Bottom Line Sustainability: Empirical Evidence from Microenterprises
This study examines the influence of working capital management (WCM) practices on the sustainability of microenterprises in the central business district of Goa, Camarines Sur, Philippines. Using a causal–explanatory research design, data were collected from 139 randomly selected microenterprises through structured survey questionnaires with high reliability (Cronbach’s α = 0.91). Descriptive statistics, weighted mean, and ordinal regression analysis were employed to analyze the economic profile, WCM practices, and sustainability across economic, social, and environmental dimensions. Results show that 57% of enterprises operate in the service sector, 41% have capitalization of Php50,000 or below, 42% are operating for 0–3 years, and 66% employ only 0–3 workers, indicating the dominance of small-scale and resource-constrained businesses. In terms of liquidity practices, 53% reported a net cash conversion cycle of 0–10 days, 81% collected receivables within 10 days, 65% turned over inventory within 10 days, and 74% settled payables within 10 days, reflecting relatively efficient short-term financial management. Overall WCM practices were rated High (mean = 3.90), particularly cash management (4.24) and inventory management (4.33). Microenterprises also demonstrated high sustainability levels, with economic sustainability (3.88), social sustainability (4.09), and environmental sustainability (4.31), yielding an overall mean of 4.12. Ordinal regression results indicate that WCM explains 30.78% of the variability in sustainability (Pseudo R² = 0.3078; LR χ² = 98.33; p < 0.001). While overall WCM did not exhibit a statistically significant aggregate effect, specific practices, including cash budgeting, inventory control techniques, and timely bill payments, showed significant contributions to sustainability.
Copyright (c) 2026 May Delfino, Vanessa Barcillano, Emmanuel A. Onsay (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Development and Evolution of Organizational Dynamic Capabilities during Digital-Intelligence Transformation—A Case Study of AiScholar
Amidst the boom of the digital economy across the globe, one question confronts both scholars and practitioners alike: how can organisations build dynamic capabilities to achieve a successful digital-intelligence transformation? In the present work, an interpretive longitudinal case study on AiScholar, a one-stop scientific research service (SRS) platform, is performed based on the dynamic capabilities theory to investigate its decade-long journey of digital-intelligence transformation. It is revealed that successful transformation relies on a phased evolution of organizational capabilities from “operational optimization”, “integration & reconfiguration”, to “ecosystem empowerment”, with strict path dependency between each phase. Moreover, this phased evolution is driven by a dynamic combination of four mechanisms—strategic consensus guidance, experimental learning, knowledge codification, and ecosystem synergy. The integrated “phase-capability-mechanism” model proposed here unveils the intrinsic drivers of digital-intelligence transformation from a micro-process perspective, extends the application of the dynamic capabilities theory to research on digital-intelligence transformation, and provides strategic insights into the capability-building of knowledge-intensive service providers.
Copyright (c) 2025 He Wan, Bin Xie (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Innovation Pathways and Organizational Adaptation Mechanism of Scientific Research Services in Digital-Intelligence Transformation—A Case Study of AiScholar
Amidst the deep fusion of global digitalization and intelligentization, the scientific research service (SRS) sector is undergoing a profound paradigm shift. Based on the socio-technical systems (STS) theory, a longitudinal single-case study on AiScholar, a one-stop SRS platform, is conducted here to trace its decade-long digital-intelligence transformation journey. It is revealed that AiScholar’s evolution has progressed through three distinct but sequential stages: informationization-based foundation-laying, digitalization-driven development, and intelligentization-led advancement, each characterized by its unique technological foci, organizational challenges, and value creation logics. It is also found that the successful transformation of AiScholar relies not only on its continuous improvement of technological strength, but, more critically, on its dynamic adaptation between its technological subsystem and social subsystem (involving organizational architecture, cultural cognition, and the external environment). Through contextualized “consensus-building” governance, data-driven organizational culture reshaping, and “internal-external” dual-loop synergy, AiScholar has navigated the inherent tensions during its decade-long journey of transformation. Finally, an integrated model of phased progression and multi-dimensional synergy is constructed to provide a theoretical framework and managerial insights for similar enterprises to navigate their journey of digital-intelligence transformation.
Strategic Shifts in the GCC: Institutional Pathways Toward Economic Integration
This study investigates how strategic priorities within the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have evolved toward deeper economic integration. Triggered by Britain’s withdrawal from the Persian Gulf and the emergence of sovereign Arab states, the GCC was formed to manage shared regional interests through cooperative mechanisms. The research addresses the question: How has the GCC transitioned from basic coordination to institutionalized economic convergence? Using a multi-method approach descriptive, causal-explanatory, structural, procedural, and agent-based the study analyzes institutional transformations across member states. Findings reveal a shift from initial coordination to transnational economic interdependence, positioning the GCC as a maturing platform for regional integration. The study contributes to integration theory by mapping the institutional logic behind the Council’s evolving strategies.
Copyright (c) 2025 Mohammadreza Mohammadi (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Economic Development and Electoral Behaviour Among Tribal Communities in Madhya Pradesh: Analysing Livelihood-Driven Political Participation
India’s vibrant democracy is shaped by the participation of its diverse communities, among which tribal populations hold a distinctive socio-political identity. In Madhya Pradesh, tribal communities constitute approximately 21% of the total population (as per Census 2011), making them a significant electoral force. Communities such as the Bhils, Gonds, Baigas, Sahariyas, and Korkus not only preserve rich cultural traditions but also exhibit unique patterns of political behaviour. This study focuses on examining the voting behaviour of tribal communities in Madhya Pradesh with respect to their participation trends, influencing factors, and the methods of political mobilisation employed by various actors. The research explores how variables such as education, economic conditions, media exposure, traditional leadership, and government welfare schemes shape the electoral preferences of tribal voters. It also seeks to investigate whether tribal voters are increasingly engaging in issue-based voting (focused on land rights, displacement, employment, etc.) or if identity-based affiliations still dominate their political choices. The study employs a mixed-method approach, combining both qualitative and quantitative tools. Data collection involved structured interviews, field surveys, and the analysis of electoral data from tribal-dominated districts such as Jhabua, Dindori, and Mandla. Additionally, the research investigates the role of political parties, NGOs, local institutions, and community leaders in the political mobilisation of tribal electorates. Preliminary findings suggest that tribal voters are gradually moving beyond traditional voting patterns and are becoming more conscious of development-related issues, rights, and representation. However, barriers such as illiteracy, poverty, and limited political awareness still pose challenges. Furthermore, political campaigns often fail to effectively align with the real needs and aspirations of tribal communities, resulting in mistrust and disengagement in some areas. This research offers important insights into the evolving nature of tribal political consciousness, contributing to a broader understanding of democratic inclusion in India. By focusing on the tribal vote in Madhya Pradesh, the study aims to inform more responsive electoral strategies and inclusive policy frameworks that acknowledge the agency and voice of marginalised communities within the democratic process.
Copyright (c) 2025 Anived Mishra, Sadhna Pandey, Sandeep Tripathi (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Multi-Dimensional Analysis and Trend Prediction of China’s Scientific Research Service Industry using the PEST Model
As China pushes ahead with its innovation-driven development initiatives against the backdrop of growing shifts in the global innovation landscape, its scientific research service (SRS) sector has grown from its infancy towards maturity. With increased interactions between China and other countries in scientific research, China’s SRS industry transitions from an input-driven model of development towards one centered on building an innovation ecosystem. In this study, the PEST model is employed to examine the political, economic, social, and technological impacts on the construction of an innovation ecosystem in China’s SRS industry, provide a glimpse into the current dynamics of this industry, and unveil the causes for problems within. Some recommendations are proposed to improve this innovation ecosystem. The research here aims to lay a foundation for developing an independent and controllable innovation ecosystem for research support service and provide a decision-making basis for research support service providers in China.
Copyright (c) 2025 Fengjie Cen, Fangjian Liu, Qianqian Wang (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
The Role of Nanopesticide Formulations in Agricultural Bioeconomy
The reckless use of conventional pesticide formulations leads to many problems on the environment. So, using new approach in pesticide formulation production can be reduced these harmful effects. Furthermore using this approach can be reduced the cost of pesticide production, improving the pesticide properties and increase the national income especially, in developing countries. This strategy can be called the bioeconomy. The bioeconomy expression means the use of new biological resources sustainably to obtain the food, energy and industrial goods. Nanopesticide formulations are the new trend in pesticide production that can be decreased the production cost of pesticide, decreases environmental pollution and increases the potency of pesticides against target pests. With this strategy, it is possible to use one-tenth the amount of pesticides to achieve the same effect as with the traditional quantity. Therefore, this strategy is very important for the economies of developing countries. This approach aims to achieve maximum output with minimal resources.
Copyright (c) 2025 Al-kazafy Hassan Sabry, Zakaria Abdelhalim Attia (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
The Narmada Valley Project: Displacement, Development, and the Dilemma of Social Justice
The Narmada Valley Project, one of India’s largest river valley initiatives, aims to provide irrigation, electricity, and economic growth through dams like the Sardar Sarovar Dam. However, the relocation of over two lakh people, mainly from rural and triSbal communities, has led to significant human costs. Although constitutional guarantees and the 2013 Land Acquisition Act exist, rehabilitation efforts remain inadequate and inconsistent. This study adopts a qualitative and doctrinal approach, drawing upon statutory frameworks, landmark judicial decisions, environmental assessments, and civil society narratives to critically examine the legal and social consequences of the project. Through the lens of key legal cases, including Narmada Bachao Andolan v. Union of India, and stakeholder perspectives, the paper critiques the contradiction between state-led development imperatives and constitutional rights.
Copyright (c) 2025 NAVIN KUMAR (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
India’s Changing Diet: Millets, Processed Foods, and the Nutrition Crisis
Background: India’s dietary landscape has shifted markedly over the past decade, marked by a decline in traditional staples and a rapid rise in ultra-processed food (UPF) consumption. While policy-driven efforts have attempted to revive millets for their nutritional and ecological benefits, these initiatives face stiff competition from the growing demand for convenience-based, energy-dense foods. Methods: This study employed a mixed-methods approach, drawing on nationally representative datasets (NSSO, CNNS, NFHS, IFPRI) and qualitative literature from academic, policy, and limited media sources. Quantitative analysis tracked trends in cereal and UPF consumption, nutrition indicators (stunting, overweight), and household food expenditure (2011–2025). Thematic coding of qualitative data explored consumer behavior, policy interventions, and regional disparities. Results: Between 2015 and 2023, household spending on UPFs nearly doubled from 6.5% to 12%, while per capita millet consumption rose modestly from 2.1 kg/year to 3.3 kg/year. Despite these gains, child stunting remains high at 35.5%, and adult overweight rates have nearly doubled, particularly in urban areas. Only 28% of adults meet dietary diversity guidelines, and added sugar intake among children far exceeds WHO recommendations. Discussion: Urbanization, income growth, and changing lifestyles are accelerating India’s nutrition transition. While millet promotion policies show some promise, especially in states with supportive procurement and public distribution systems, barriers such as price, taste, and culinary unfamiliarity hinder broader adoption. In contrast, UPFs benefit from aggressive marketing and accessibility. The resulting double burden of malnutrition underscores the need for coordinated, multisectoral interventions. Conclusion: India’s food system is at a crossroads. Combating the dual challenge of undernutrition and diet-related non-communicable diseases demands robust regulatory action (e.g., sugar taxes), increased investment in nutrition education, and expanded support for traditional, climate-resilient crops like millets.
Copyright (c) 2025 Mayadhar Sethy, Sandhya R Mahapatro (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Assessing Growth Volatility and Land Use Change in India: A 21st Century Perspective Based on Annual Growth Rate Analysis
This study analyses the evolving dynamics and sustainability challenges of land use change in India during the 21st century, using Annual Growth Rate (AGR) and Average Annual Growth Rate (AAGR) metrics derived from authoritative secondary data. Rapid urbanization, demographic pressure, and industrialization are driving significant shifts in land use, with far-reaching implications for food security, ecological stability, and inclusive development. The results reveal marked spatial and temporal variability across land use categories. Expansion of non-agricultural land, while reflecting structural transformation, often occurs at the expense of fertile agricultural land and ecologically sensitive zones. Forest areas and common property resources exhibit erratic trends, underscoring the weakness of conservation enforcement. Stagnation in net sown area and volatility in cropping intensity point to difficulties in sustaining agricultural output without expanding cultivated land. Additionally, frequent fluctuations in reporting areas expose institutional weaknesses in land data governance, especially in less-resourced states. Crucially, the study finds that land use growth lacks uniformity, and persistent volatility exacerbates fragmentation, degradation, and marginalization, particularly for smallholder farmers. This instability underscores the urgency of transitioning toward integrated and sustainable land use governance. Policy recommendations emphasize the need for a paradigm shift from horizontal land expansion to vertical intensification and ecological regeneration. Key measures include the adoption of agroecological restoration practices, the promotion of agroforestry and Silvopasture Systems, the implementation of stricter urban zoning regulations, the enhancement of land monitoring through real-time GIS tools, and support for productivity-led agriculture. In sum, India’s current land use trajectory reflects a departure from traditional agrarian models toward more diverse but environmentally contentious practices. Achieving long-term sustainability will require adaptive, inclusive, and ecologically balanced land governance that aligns development imperatives with conservation goals.
Copyright (c) 2025 Jitendra Kumar Sinha (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Macroeconomic Shifts and Structural Transformation in Indian Agriculture: A Policy-Oriented Perspective
Agriculture remains a vital source of livelihood and an enduring pillar of India’s socio-economic and cultural foundation. This study investigates the macroeconomic determinants of agricultural productivity in India using annual time series secondary data for the period 2000–2024. Employing advanced econometric techniques, including the Auto Regressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) model and the bounds testing approach to co-integration, the study examines both the short-run dynamics and long-run equilibrium relationships between agricultural productivity and key macroeconomic variables. Empirical findings indicate that the inflation rate and interest rate are positively associated with agricultural productivity, suggesting that moderate inflation and credit expansion may incentivize agricultural investment. Conversely, GDP growth, exchange rate depreciation, population growth, gross capital formation, gross domestic savings, public expenditure, export value, and foreign direct investment (FDI) exhibit a negative relationship with the agricultural productivity ratio during the study period. The study recommends a comprehensive policy framework focusing on: (i) strengthening rural infrastructure and agricultural technology adoption; (ii) enhancing social sector spending, particularly in education and health; (iii) implementing population control measures; (iv) promoting agricultural exports through a competitive exchange rate regime; (v) improving access to affordable credit for farmers; (vi) incentivizing domestic savings and productive investment through tax and subsidy reforms; and (vii) fostering greater public-private partnerships and attracting targeted FDI in the agricultural sector. These measures are critical to unlocking productivity gains and ensuring the long-term sustainability of Indian agriculture within a transforming macroeconomic environment.
Copyright (c) 2025 Journal of Economic Development, Innovation and Policy https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Agricultural Value Addition and Economic Linkages in Bihar (2000-2024): An Empirical Analysis of Growth Dynamics
This study critically examines the structural dynamics and economic significance of agricultural production in Bihar, with a focused assessment of its contribution to Gross Value Added (GVA). Utilizing a robust dataset covering the period 2000 to 2024, the research applies descriptive statistics and multiple linear regression analyses to quantify the relative contributions of key agricultural sub-sectors. The Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) method is employed to identify the principal determinants of agricultural growth, while a growth accounting framework decomposes sectoral expansion into drivers such as area expansion, yield improvements, technological advancement, and price effects. Empirical findings reaffirm the pivotal role of agriculture in Bihar’s economic structure, with crop cultivation and livestock rearing emerging as the dominant contributors to agricultural GVA. The analysis highlights that diversification towards high-value crops and the adoption of modern technologies serve as significant catalysts for sustained sectoral growth. Additionally, indicators of agricultural intensification—such as fertilizer use per hectare, gross capital formation, and cropping intensity—are shown to exert a strong influence on productivity trends and developmental outcomes. The study emphasizes the necessity of transitioning to resource-efficient, technology-enabled agricultural systems to enhance productivity and maximize economic returns. Accordingly, it recommends targeted policy interventions, including strategic investments in high-potential sub-sectors, promotion of integrated farming systems, and systematic efforts to improve livestock productivity. These measures are deemed essential for fostering long-term agricultural growth and bolstering Bihar’s overall economic resilience.