Journals Published by Vilnius Tech
Not a member yet
12596 research outputs found
Sort by
Can government R&D expenditure promote innovation? New evidence from 37 OECD countries
Get PDFThis research employs a fixed effect model to empirically estimate panel data from 37 OECD countries spanning 2000 to 2021, revisiting the influence of government R&D expenditure on innovation within the theory of marginal diminishing effect. Results reveal a significant positive effect of government R&D expenditure on national innovation capacity, and this influence remains robust under robustness checks. Then, quantile regression uncovers a nuanced pattern, indicating that as a country’s innovation capacity strengthens, the stimulative effect of government R&D expenditure initially rises and subsequently declines. Additionally, incorporating lags of the independent variable at different periods affirms the time lag effect of government R&D expenditure on national innovation capacity. Deeper scrutiny using two fixed effect models including interaction terms reveals a multifaceted mechanism, where government R&D expenditure fosters innovation by promoting bank credit, yet simultaneously suppresses innovation by hindering non-governmental R&D intensity. Lastly, heterogeneity analysis affirms that government efficiency, democracy, ruling party ideology, political stability, and economic freedom moderate the link between government R&D expenditure and national innovation capacity. These insights offer new references for governments to promote innovation.
First published online 23 October 202
Technology innovation and carbon efficiency in Africa: what is the role of digitalization and digital inclusive finance?
Get PDFImproving carbon efficiency and mitigating carbon emissions is fundamental to sustainable development and the well-being of human society. Yet, no study highlighted and identified the drivers of carbon efficiency in Africa. Specifically, an empirical study on the role of technological innovation (GTI), digitalization, and digital inclusive finance (DIF) in improving carbon efficiency (CEE) in Africa is rare. To fill this gap, this study investigates the synergistic impact of green technological innovation (GTI), digitalization, and digital inclusive finance (DIF) on improving carbon efficiency (CEE) from the African perspective. A meta-frontier slack-based environmental polluting technology and mixed integervalued data envelopment analysis (DEA) is framed to gauge the carbon efficiency across oil-endowment and non-oil-endowment African countries from 2010 to 2019. The results indicate that only a few African countries appeared to be operating at efficient production levels. The bootstrapped regression results indicated an invented U-shaped nexus is established between carbon efficiency and African economic development via the extended stochastic impacts by regression on population, affluence, and technology (STIRPAT) framework. Internet usage and mobile cellular subscriptions as components of digitalization positively improve Africa’s carbon efficiency. Mobile money transaction innovation (i.e., active mobile money agents per 1000 km2) as a dimension of digital inclusive finance conserves Africa’s environmental efficiency. Green technological innovations did not drive carbon efficiency significantly in Africa and the two groups. Based on the empirical findings, pragmatic policy strategies are further discussed to boost carbon efficiency and mitigate environmental degradation in Africa
A grey-based hybrid decision support framework for assessing the Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) sustainable performance: a case study of BIST-listed banks
Get PDFThe present research has been designed to address two significant gaps in the existing literature pertaining to the banking industry. Firstly, it presents a set of criteria derived from the Refinitiv database for the evaluation of ESG sustainability performance. Secondly, it puts forward a novel methodological framework that is both novel and noteworthy in the MCGDM field. This framework employs a grey-based multi-criteria group decision-making (MCGDM) technique with Bonferroni aggregation to comparatively analyze banks’ ESG sustainable performance. The developed methodology uses extended versions of three very recent methods, like the Modified Standard Deviation (MSD), Symmetry Point of Criterion (SPC), and Simple Ranking Process (SRP), based on the utilization of interval grey numbers. The Bonferroni aggregation operator is utilized for the aggregation of the experts’ evaluations concerning the alternatives based on the selected criteria. A real-life case study on seven publicly traded banks in the Borsa Istanbul Sustainability Index is conducted with the aid of five experts. The research results imply that among the three main ESG dimensions, environmental management practices emerged as the most important factor influencing banks’ sustainable performance. This finding also signals that banks that adopt sound environmental management practices into their business models may gain a competitive edge over their competitors in terms of environmental regulations, resilience to environmental risks, and achieving high performance and stability. Finally, the model’s validity is checked via comparison and sensitivity assessments. The outcomes of the two-stage validation analysis corroborate the robustness and dependability of the suggested grey MCGDM model
The effect of nature-based landscape design on human health and well-being: a thematic synthesis
Get PDFPopulation growth, high-density living situations, and rapid urbanization lead to environmental change that affects ecosystems, human behavior, and well-being. To design health-promoting urban landscapes, it is necessary to conduct more detailed studies of landscape features. However, there is a lack of review articles discussing specific approaches and factors of landscape design for human well-being in evidence-based landscape research. Therefore, this review aims to explore the research trends and future studies’ direction by adopting a thematic analysis approach. Using ATLAS.ti 23 software, we analyzed 40 literature articles on landscape design and human well-being published between 2018 and 2022. The article attribute findings show the research trends on the topic. Six main themes emerged from the subsequent qualitative analysis: (1) Human-nature Interactions, (2) Health-promoting Design, (3) Integrative Strategies, (4) Landscape Intervention, (5) Perceptions and Restorativeness, and (6) Sustainability. The resulting framework serves to guide landscape designers, urban planners, and researchers to improve the effectiveness of public social, physical, and mental health with feasible measures and design approaches
Regeneration and characterization of spent bleaching earth: recycling in the corn oil bleaching process
Get PDFThe spent bleaching earth (SBE) is a solid waste from the edible oil refining industry which generates soil contamination was successfully recycled after deoiling through an extraction process using different organic solvents, followed by heat treatment. In the current study, the effects of factors, such as solvent to (SBE) ratio [1:1–5:1], temperature [20–40 °C], and stirring time [30–60 min] on the efficiency of extracted oil were investigated by maceration method. Characterization analyses (SEM, XRD, XRFA and TGA) were carried out to compare the characteristics of samples. The best oil extraction efficiency was obtained at the highest level of solvent to (SBE) ratio (MR = 5) at 30 °C temperature and at the 45 minutes stirring time this condition led to 72.82% oil extraction yield. The corn oil bleaching efficiency using the SBE treated at optimal condition and heated at 400 °C was improved to 84.75%
Spatial-temporal evolution of land ecological health and influencing factors in China\u27s ecological civilization pilot area
Get PDFIt is crucial to assess the land ecosystem health (LEH) in China’s national pilot zones (NPZ) for ecological conservation and identify the primary factors that impact it. This is crucial for developing China’s ecological civilization and fostering sustainable, eco-friendly economic development. The study utilizes the pressure-state-response (PSR) and environment-economy-society (EES) model, relying on the panel data of 11 cities of Jiangxi in the NPZ for ecological conservation from 2005 to 2020, measuring the LEH in the national ecological civilization pilot zone using the comprehensive index evaluation method. The main contribution of this study is to optimize the land ecological health index system, construct an improved PSR-NES theoretical model that is more suitable for NPZ, reveal the spatial and temporal evolution characteristics of LEH in NPZ from the city scale, and refine the key driving factors. Results show that (1) The LEH exhibited a general shift from a state of “less healthy” level to the “healthier” level; (2) Differences in LEH evolution in different cities. The overall trend of “north to south and east to west” is gradually improving. (3) Urbanization has a strong role in the promotion of LEH, and economic development shows a significant dampening effect
Changes in land use conflict and zoning optimization in rapidly developing mountainous cities: a case study of Guiyang, China
Get PDFMountainous cities, influenced by complex human activities and terrain, face severe land use conflict issues. However, the spatiotemporal characteristics of land use conflict changes and the scientific questions regarding their management in rapidly developing mountainous cities remain unresolved. Therefore, Guiyang, a typical mountainous city in China, was chosen as the study area. With the support of ArcGIS technology, this research analyzed land use conflict changes and conducted zoning optimization. The study reveals a rapid intensification of land use conflicts, with high conflict areas increasing by 369%, while moderate, general, and low conflict areas declined. The conflict between production and living spaces is the predominant one, expanding by 385%. Additionally, high conflict areas between production and ecological spaces rose by 760%. Integrating land suitability, conflict, and functional differences in zoning optimization enhances core functions, mitigates conflicts, and guides land use management. The results are valuable for optimizing land use patterns and promoting healthy urban development in mountainous cities
Financial performance and capital structure dynamics of the high-tech startups in the Baltic region
Get PDFThis study examines young fast growing technology startup companies in Baltic region. Employing unique datasets of startups financial accounting data from Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia comparative and correlation analysis between growth, profitability and financial leverage indicators reflects how lifecycle stages influence startups profitability and capital structure. By analysing the development patterns of innovative products, investment phases, and capital structures, the research aims to uncover the strategic choices made by startups at different stages of their lifecycle and the implications of these choices on their financial performance. By comparing startups with other control groups in hi-tech and traditional industries research provides empirical evidence on the unique developmental trajectories of startups which enhances the strategic decision-making capabilities of investors and policymakers by providing a deeper, empirically grounded understanding of how startups differ from other sectors in terms of growth, profitability, and capital structure dynamic
Exploration of social dimensions of sustainable behavior
Get PDFAs climate change and inequality spur interest in sustainable lifestyles, insufficient attention focuses on the social dimension encompassing equity and wellbeing-oriented conduct. Limited measurements capture facets like frugality, sufficiency, and altruism, obscuring motivational nuances. Addressing persistent gaps, this exploratory sequential mixed-methods research developed and validated a multidimensional scale assessing components of individual social sustainability behavior. The initial qualitative generation of 167 items from established surveys enabled breadth. An expert review panel then evaluated content validity quantitatively through statistical relevance ratings and qualitatively via open-ended feedback on gaps and terminology issues to refine facets. Analyses informed iterative adjustments, resulting in a 45-item pool demonstrating sound psychometric properties. Quantitative techniques found strong internal reliability (α >.80) and confirmed dimensionality in distributing items across volunteering, charitable giving, conscious consumption, lifestyle simplicity, equity promotion, and community building sub-scales. Confirmatory factor analysis met thresholds for acceptable model fit. Qualitative inputs crucially enhanced practical resonance and specificity. Findings provide initial evidence of a valid, generalizable measurement of the social sustainability domain, encompassing cooperative civic engagement, frugality, and lifestyle moderation behaviors on the individual level. The parsimonious instrument promises utility for research and community initiatives advancing this complementary sustainability facet. Practical implications and scholarly contributions are discussed
IFRS convergence and international trade: evidence from comparison of Türkiye and European Union
Get PDFThe congruence of accounting standards with high-quality financial data constitutes a cornerstone of the institutional frameworks of modern economies. The adoption of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) facilitates greater transparency and comparability in financial reporting, enabling more effective allocation of resources and capital. This process enhances the stability of financial systems, improves corporate governance, and supports integration into global economic framework. This study seeks to address the following research questions: (1) How does the adoption of IFRS by Turkey influence its trade flows with the EU? (2) How do income disparities between Türkiye and EU member states interact with IFRS adoption to affect bilateral trade? (3) What is the macroeconomic importance of IFRS adoption to Türkiye’s overall trade balance? Through answering these questions, this research intends to contribute to filling an important gap in literature. The results of this research; First, IFRS adoption by Turkey reflects an immense positive impact both on exports and imports, with exports bearing more impact. This research draws attention to IFRS adoption’s role in promoting financial transparency, optimizing bilateral flows, and minimizing trade deficit in Turkey. Second, how IFRS adoption interacts with disparities in per capita income tells us more about trade behavior. Third, macroeconomic consequences of IFRS adoption are reflected in how IFRS adoption decreases Turkey’s trade deficit. The results indicate that IFRS adoption encourages exports more than imports, which points to IFRS adoption acting as an instrument to raise competitiveness and overall Turkish trade balance. This finding answers the third research question, which draws attention to how instrumental IFRS adoption is to frame trade policy and economic integration