Izmir University

This study investigates how internal governance design supports credible ESG performance by distinguishing between Incentive and Oversight Architectures. Using 13,993 firm-year observations of US nonfinancial firms from 2018 to 2024, we estimate fixed effects and two-step system GMM models. Results indicate sustainability-linked incentives, CSR committees, committee independence, and board gender diversity are positively associated with ESG performance, whereas CEO duality is negatively related. Pillar-level analyses show governance scores reflect structural compliance, while environmental and social scores depend on combined incentives and resource-rich oversight. Industry analyses validate incentives and independence as consistent drivers. Carbon intensity moderates the relationship between committee independence and ESG performance. Restricted stock units specifically improve ESG outcomes. Overall, stronger sustainability outcomes are more likely when Incentive and Oversight Architectures operate as a bundle. Credible ESG performance requires aligning incentive structures with independent oversight, offering insights for policymakers seeking to foster substantive sustainability.

This paper examines how profit relates to ecological footprint intensity and how the link is shaped by artificial intelligence capability and education quality. We analyze 53,081 firm year observations from 15 innovation-leading economies during 2003-2022 using system GMM. The findings reveal that (i) profitability is associated with lower footprint intensity (ii) artificial intelligence capability is associated with higher footprint intensity and weakens the footprint-reducing effect of profitability, while education quality is associated with lower intensity and strengthens that channel, (iii) the joint effect of profitability, AI capability, and education quality increases footprint intensity. The findings speak to responsible production and climate action agendas. The study findings indicate that the interactions between profitability, artificial intelligence capability, and education quality have a multi-layered structure in terms of environmental sustainability. In line with sustainable development goals, recommendations focus on subjecting artificial intelligence investments to mandatory environmental impact assessments, and aligning education systems with sustainable production and environmental responsibility awareness.

BACKGROUND:Chemotherapy-induced thrombocytopenia (CIT) is a common complication of chemotherapy that is associated with bleeding, reduced relative dose intensity, and potentially worse outcomes. No widely available therapies are approved for CIT. METHODS:We conducted a phase 3, international, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial involving patients with persistent CIT (platelet count, ≤85×109 per liter on trial day 1) who were receiving oxaliplatin-based multiagent cytotoxic chemotherapy for gastrointestinal cancers. Patients were randomly assigned in a 2:1 ratio to receive romiplostim or placebo for three chemotherapy cycles. The primary end point was the absence of CIT-induced modifications of the chemotherapy dose (reduction, delay, omission, or discontinuation) in both the second and third chemotherapy cycles. RESULTS:Of the 165 patients who underwent randomization (109 in the romiplostim group and 56 in the placebo group), 75% had colorectal cancer, 13% had gastroesophageal cancer, and 12% had pancreatic cancer; 72% of the patients in the romiplostim group and 61% of those in the placebo group had stage 4 disease. The percentage of patients with no CIT-induced modifications of the chemotherapy dose was 84% (92 of 109 patients) with romiplostim and 36% (20 of 56 patients) with placebo, which corresponded to an odds ratio of 10.16 (95% confidence interval [CI], 4.44 to 23.72; P<0.001) and a risk ratio of 2.77 (95% CI, 1.78 to 4.30; P<0.001). Adverse events of grade 3 or higher occurred in 37% of the patients who received romiplostim and in 22% of those who received placebo, which primarily reflected chemotherapy effects. Adverse events that were considered by the investigator to be related to romiplostim or placebo occurred in 12% of patients who received romiplostim and in 7% who received placebo, with the most frequent being nausea (2% in each group) and headache (2% in the romiplostim group); none were serious or led to death or discontinuation of romiplostim, placebo, or chemotherapy. Thromboembolic events occurred in 2% of patients who received romiplostim and in no patients who received placebo. CONCLUSIONS:In this phase 3, placebo-controlled trial, romiplostim was efficacious in treating CIT. (Funded by Amgen and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority; RECITE ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT03362177.).

PurposeThis study investigates how telework intensity relates to employee well-being across 36 European countries. Drawing on the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model and Conservation of Resources (COR) theory, the paper examines whether workplace characteristics such as support, autonomy, and work-life balance act as pathways or moderators that condition telework outcomes.Design/methodology/approachUsing the 2021 European Working Conditions Survey (EWCS), the analysis covers over 30,000 employees. Baseline regressions estimate the average association between telework intensity and multiple indicators of mental health and well-being, including depression risk, burnout, and overall well-being. Extended models incorporate interaction terms between teleworkability and organisational factors, including managerial support, decision-making autonomy, work-life balance, within a recursive mixed-process framework to assess both mediating and moderating effects.FindingsResults indicate that telework's effects are contingent rather than universal. While teleworkable jobs with high social interaction reduce physical burnout, jobs with low interaction are associated with higher depression and emotional exhaustion. Work-life balance, autonomy, and managerial support emerge as critical resources that buffer negative effects and enhance positive outcomes, whereas high demands such as tight deadlines and emotional strain consistently undermine well-being.Social implicationsThe findings highlight the need for organisations and policymakers to design telework arrangements that extend beyond access to remote work, ensuring supportive environments, balanced workloads, and resource-rich job design to safeguard employee well-being.Originality/valueBy integrating JD-R, COR, and boundary theory, the study moves beyond binary evaluations of telework to provide a comprehensive, multi-level analysis of how digital work interacts with organisational contexts to shape employee well-being.

This study examines the relationship between military spending, economic growth, and gender inequality in Middle East and North Africa (MENA) countries. Military spending may stimulate short-term growth through aggregate demand but undermine long-term growth by diverting resources from productive sectors. It may also exacerbate gender inequality by crowding out social expenditures that disproportionately benefit women. As a result, military spending can affect economic growth both directly and indirectly through its impact on gender inequality. Despite the importance of this channel, the trivariate relationship among military spending, gender inequality, and growth remains underexplored. Focusing on 19 MENA countries over 1990-2018 and using the Gender Inequality Index, this study provides new evidence on the direct and indirect effects of military spending on economic growth.JEL Classification: H56, J16, O47