The study aims to assess the association among religiosity, financial inclusion (FI), the entrepreneurial ecosystem (EES) and entrepreneurial venturing (EV) across 37 countries. The data for the study are retrieved from the World Value Survey (WVS), the Global Financial Inclusion Survey, and the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) database. To analyse the data and test the research hypotheses, the Partial Least Squared- Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) technique is used in this study. The analysis indicates that religiosity has a negative and significant association with FI, a negative and non-significant association with EES, and a positive and significant association with EV. Further, FI indicates a significant and positive association with EES. Similarly, EES also shows a significant and positive association with EV. Thus, countries with high religiosity levels are less likely to have FI, less likely to create EES, and more likely to positively change the EV. Whereas, FI is more likely to create a conducive EES and a positive EV. The analysis provides valuable insights to policymakers, financial institutions, religious entities, and entrepreneurs into the implications of religiosity and FI for entrepreneurship, thereby creating a favourable environment for entrepreneurship development. This study analyses the nexus among religiosity, FI, and entrepreneurship, which has not been investigated previously.

This study examines the convergence hypothesis of the maternal mortality rate (MMR), which posits that countries with higher MMR are converging with the lower MMR countries, using UNICEF data from 2000 to 2017. Specifically, this study examines two types of convergence. First, it examines stochastic conditional convergence in MMR by testing the stationarity property of regional MMR gaps relative to global MMR. Specifically, the MMR gap is defined as the difference between a region's maternal mortality rate and the world MMR. If this gap is stationary, shocks to maternal mortality are temporary, and the region exhibits stochastic conditional convergence towards the global MMR. Conversely, a non-stationary MMR gap indicates persistent divergence. Stationarity test results indicate no convergence, except in Sub-Saharan Africa and Eastern and Southern Africa. Secondly, this study aims to investigate the club convergence, which refers to the phenomenon where countries do not all converge to a single steady state but rather form distinct 'convergence clubs'. The Phillips & Sul [Transition Modelling and Econometric Convergence Tests. Econometrica. 2007;75:1771-1855. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-0262.2007.00811.x] approach is applied to examine club convergence. The results show no evidence of overall convergence for the full sample; rather, two convergence clubs are noted. Our findings suggest that the African region needs stronger health systems to maintain low MMR levels.

The debate surrounding the impact of environmental policy stringency (EPS) on growth-environment dynamics remains unsettled, generating more heat than light. Given this backdrop, this study investigates the impact of EPS on the growth-environment nexus through the lens of the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) framework for BRICS nations from 1990 to 2021. By incorporating EPS into a growth-environment relationship, the study explores the impact of EPS on the shape, turning points, and phase length of the aggregate ecological footprint (EF)-based EKC, as well as its effects on each disaggregated EF. Based on the panel cointegration and PMG-ARDL, the study reveals that EPS not only reshapes the inverted N-shaped aggregate EF-based EKC by changing its turning points and narrowing the degradation phase but also significantly reduces each disaggregated EF. Additionally, the outcomes identify the presence of inverted-N and N-shaped EKC for cropland and grazing land footprints, respectively, underscoring EKC's heterogeneous and footprint-specific nature. Moreover, the study emphasizes the pivotal role of EPS in regulating environmental degradation and promoting environmental sustainability by implementing footprint-specific policies in these nations.

Purpose This study aims to identify the key determinants of Entrepreneurial Intention (EI) among homemakers using the theory of planned behaviour (TPB). Homemakers, who are often women, are primarily responsible for creating and managing domestic responsibilities within the household. However, as attitudes towards work among homemakers continue to evolve, it is imperative to understand their EIs. Design/methodology/approach This study utilises data from 643 respondents in India, collected through the Adult Population Survey of the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM), and applies the TPB. Descriptive statistics, chi-square test, factor analysis and logistic regression techniques are used to analyse the data. Findings About 11% of homemakers have indicated their intention to start an entrepreneurial venture. The marginal effect indicates that attitude towards entrepreneurship (ATE) does not determine EI among homemakers, implying that perceived opportunity and self-efficacy are influenced by household responsibilities. Subjective Norms (SN) surrounding a behaviour indicate a significant and positive influence on EI, while Perceived Behavioural Control (PBC), indicating the ease or difficulty of performing a specific behaviour, has a significant and negative influence on EI. These results suggest that family and societal support are crucial for homemakers’ engagement in entrepreneurial activities. Furthermore, educated homemakers are more inclined towards entrepreneurship, while homemakers from higher-income families are discouraged from starting a business. Practical implications Considering that homemakers have great potential to contribute to the economy, this study provides unique policy insights for promoting entrepreneurship among homemakers. Therefore, this study makes a significant contribution to the existing body of knowledge on entrepreneurship. Originality/value There is limited literature on factors affecting EI among homemakers globally. To the best of the author’s knowledge, this is among the first empirical studies focusing specifically on homemakers in India, based on a large sample and nationally representative GEM data.

Purpose This paper empirically analyses the nexus between religiosity, corruption and sustainable development across 52 countries. Design/methodology/approach The data were retrieved from the World Value Survey (WVS) for religiosity and corruption, and the Sustainable Development Index (SDI) proposed by Hickel (2020) has been used for the analysis. Partial least squares – structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) has been used to analyse the data and evaluate the research hypotheses. Findings The PLS-SEM analysis depicts a positive and significant impact of religiosity on corruption, implying that countries with high religiosity are likely to have high levels of corruption. However, religiosity has a significant and negative impact on the sustainable development index. Similarly, corruption also negatively and significantly impacts sustainable development across countries. Practical implications The study results provide insights on considering religiosity while devising a policy for anti-corruption and sustainable development that covers social, economic and ecological dimensions. Originality/value This study provides empirical knowledge by considering religiosity, corruption and sustainable development together. Peer review The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/IJSE-01-2025-0083

This paper analyses the determinants of firm’s decision towards workforce layoffs during the COVID-19 outbreak in India. The study is based on the World Bank Enterprise Survey data of 9367 firms. Simple analysis tools such as the chi-square test and regression estimates are utilised to analyse the data. The analysis indicates that 9.2

This paper analyses the digital ecosystem (DES), entrepreneurial ecosystem (EES) and economic development (ED) indicators as key determinants of digital technology entrepreneurship (DTE) across the globe. The correlation matrix depicts an important relationship between DTE, DES, EES and ED. Further, the partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) results show that DES and EES have a favourable and significant influence on the establishment of digital technology entrepreneurship (DTE) globally. However, the ED, though, has a positive and significant impact on EES and DES, not directly impacting DTE. The study is useful to various stakeholders such as entrepreneurs, funding agencies, policymakers and researchers in their decision-making process.

Purpose This paper aims to analyze the nature, magnitude and determinants of access to food among rural households in India during the COVID-19 pandemic. Design/methodology/approach The study is based on the World Bank’s Rural Impact Survey, which has documented the shocks of COVID-19 among 2,787 rural households across six states in India. The chi-square test and binary logistics regression have been used to analyze the data. Findings About 49.7 % of rural households have reported the incidence of food inaccessibility and shortage, and the majority of them reported a reduction in food intake during the COVID-19 outbreak. However, the magnitude of food accessibility varied across the states and the sociodemographic characteristics of the households. Furthermore, regression analysis indicates that family size, social category and occupation as sociodemographic variables and membership in self-help groups, wage employment under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act and Cash transfer under Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi and Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana as institutional support factors have a significant effect on access to food among rural households. Practical implications The findings of the study have far-reaching policy implications for developing an effective food distribution system in crisis situations like the COVID-19 outbreak. The study also provides directions for extending the research on determinants of access to food during crisis. Originality/value The study is based on a large survey data from the rural households in India and provides empirical evidence on access to food faced by rural communities during the COVID-19 lockdown.

PurposeThis article aims at analysing the factors influencing the adoption of green economy practices across different sizes of firms in India.Design/methodology/approachThis study is based on the World Bank Enterprise Survey 2022, covering 9,376 firms in India. The Poisson Count Regression Model has been used to analyse the factors affecting the adoption of green economy practices.FindingsAbout 83 % of firms reported adopting at least one green practice in their business related to energy conservation, water management, pollution control and waste management and recycling. Research results reveal a significant association between the size of the firm and adoption of green economy practices. The impact of enterprise characteristics varies by firm size. For instance, female ownership positively affects adoption in large firms but negatively in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). However, lean operations, research and development (R&D) spending and international quality certification positively influence green practices adoption for both SMEs and large firms. Perceived business obstacles show similar implications on green practices adoption by size of firms except access to finance, business licencing, tax rate and law and order affect SMEs while labour regulations, tax administration and political instability affect large firms.Practical implicationsThis paper suggests implications for strengthening the adoption of green economy practices across firm sizes and provides opportunities for future research.Originality/valueThis study is based on a unique dataset derived from the World Bank Enterprise Survey 2022, which has included green economy indicators for the first time.Peer reviewThe peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/IJSE-11-2023-0918.

Purpose This study aims to analyse the factors affecting the adoption of energy efficiency measures (EEMs), like energy conservation and management, heating and cooling improvements and improvements to lighting systems across business enterprises. Design/methodology/approach Analytical techniques such as descriptive statistics, chi-square test and logistic regression with marginal effect have been used on the World Bank Enterprise Survey 2022 data covering 9,374 firms in India to make the necessary inferences. Findings Analysis indicates that about 79.7 % firms have reported the adoption of at least one EEM. The chi-square statistics show that medium manufacturing firms with higher age, having female ownership, belonging to bigger cities, spending on R&D, taking credit from financial institutions and having international quality certification are comparatively more associated with EEM adoption. Further, the analysis of marginal effect indicates that enterprise characteristics such as age, size, ownership, lean operations, spending on R&D, availing credit and certification significantly impact the adoption of EEMs. Similarly, firms with higher capacity utilisation and facing business obstacles such as access to resources, regulations and externalities have significantly influenced the adoption of EEMs. Practical implications This study provides insights to firms in devising strategies and managing factors affecting the adoption of each element of EEM for enhancing efficiency and encouraging green economy practices. Originality/value Considering energy conservation and efficiency as an area of concern among the firms and the availability of limited comprehensive empirical investigation, this study provides unique theoretical and practical contributions.

Air pollution control has emerged as one of the key concerns of recent times and business firms are one of the significant stakeholders in deteriorating the quality of the natural environment. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the factors affecting the adoption of air pollution control measures across firms and contribute to the existing knowledge on pollution control among firms in the context of an emerging market. The analysis shows a significant association between enterprise characteristics and the adoption of air pollution control measures and about 44.3 percent firms have reported the adoption of air pollution control measures. Further, the marginal effect analysis indicates that firms older in age, larger in size and having shareholders’ equity are more likely to adopt air pollution control measures. Similarly, firms practising lean operations, investing in research & development, availing bank credit, having quality certification and having better capacity utilisation are more likely to adopt air pollution control measures. Finally, firms perceiving obstacles related to business licensing & permits, tax administration, political instability, and business closure due to COVID-19 outbreak are more likely to adopt air pollution control measures. Our study provides useful implications for managers, policymakers and researchers for encouraging air pollution control technologies across business firms. The study also motivates undertaking future research on pollution control measures across various sectors of the economy.

This research article examines causal relationships between three most important factors of economic growth, i.e., foreign direct investment (FDI), technology gap, and employment in India. First, the study explores the relationship of FDI with technology gap. Consequently, the study strives to understand the effect of technology transfer through FDI on the level of employment and self-employment/entrepreneurship while considering the role of trade liberalization in the FDI–technology–employment relationship. The modified Wald test of Toda and Yamamoto (1995) has been applied for the study. The major finding of the study is that the state of technology in India is acting as a driving force behind FDI, which, in turn, is pushing the agenda of trade liberalization. Therefore, FDI and trade openness are becoming the key influencers for employment generation in industries and also inducing self-employment and entrepreneurship across various sectors of the economy. A direct two-way relationship has also been found between technology and employment (employment in industrial sector and the self-employed people/entrepreneurs) in India. This implies that technology is a motivating factor behind the present scenario of trade markets in India. This article provides good policy insights for developing strategies toward technology transfer, investments, and employment creation.

This paper aims at analysing the level of awareness of the symptoms and the methods of protection from COVID‐19 based on the Rural Impact Survey of the World Bank, collected from 5200 households belonging to six states in India that is, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh. Data has been analysed using chi‐square test and regression analysis. Results of the analysis indicate that about 70.8% rural households are aware of the symptom of coronavirus, and 81.9% are aware of the preventive measures for controlling the spread of COVID‐19. Analysis indicates a significant association between awareness level on symptoms and prevention of COVID‐19 and socio‐demographics and location. The study further analyses the key determinants of awareness of COVID‐19 symptoms and preventive measures using the logistics regression model, indicating that age, gender, education, income, poverty status, access to information, cash relief and medical services are the determining factors of health awareness on COVID‐19 pandemic among rural households in India. Considering the importance of self‐protecting measures in fighting the pandemic, this paper highlights the importance of strengthening public awareness for containing the spread of the COVID‐19 pandemic.

The present research aims at analyzing the determinants of trade in forest products across BRICS and EU nations by using forest cover as one of the determining factors. For this purpose, a gravity model has been utilized for the country panel of BRICS and EU from 1996 to 2020. Five product categories corresponding to the forest trade (at HS-2 level) have been considered for the analysis. Further, Poisson pseudo maximum likelihood method has been used to estimate the gravity model. The study found that the forest cover of the trading nations from BRICS and EU has affected bilateral exports of primary wood products, wood pulp products, and related items significantly. The control variables included in the gravity model have resonated the results of existing literature. The study provides good policy insights on promoting trade in forest products by adopting appropriate forest conservation policies and other interventions that can help countries in increasing their respective forest covers.

This paper aims at analyzing the research productivity and scientific knowledge discovery of the COVID-19 pandemic in agriculture using a bibliometric analysis approach. A total of 1514 research papers indexed in the Scopus database, covering a period of 2020 to 2022, are processed using VOSviewer and R-Studio software. The analysis of research productivity indicates that the number of research publications on COVID-19 and agriculture has exponentially increased globally, and about 80% of the research papers have been published in the top 10 countries led by the USA, India, and China. The countries are increasingly collaborating in undertaking research on COVID-19 and agriculture. Furthermore, major journals and articles with citations have been extracted to analyze the leading publication avenues and focused areas of research. The science mapping is done using co-occurrence and thematic map. With the help of co-occurrence analysis, six clusters are identified depicting major research themes, i.e., COVID-19 and agricultural supply chain disruption, COVID-19 and human health issues and coping strategies, COVID-19 and non-human and animal health, COVID-19 pandemic and environment and pollution, COVID-19 and healthcare and treatment, and COVID-19 and food nutrition from dairy and meat products. The thematic map analysis identifies potential research areas such as mental health, anxiety, and depression in the agricultural system, which may help in setting future research agenda and help devising policy supports for managing the agriculture sector better during crisis. The paper also highlights the theoretical and practical implications.

This study investigates the demographic, social and economic factors as key determinants of green toilet adoption among rural households in India. The Rural Impact Survey data of the World Bank have been used for this study, covering 2731 rural households from Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh. The chi-square test and regression analysis with marginal estimate have been used to analyze the data. Result of the analysis indicates that about 36.2 percent surveyed rural households have reported access to green toilets having proper effluent discharge systems as per the environmental norms. Further, there is a significant association between the adoption of green toilets and demographic, social and economic characteristics of rural households. Finally, the regression analysis indicates that a number of demographic, social and economic factors i.e., age, education, income, social category, access to information, access to drinking water, and asset ownership have a significant marginal effect on the adoption of green toilets in rural India. Considering the importance of ensuring total sanitation and commitment under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations for eradicating open defecation for all by 2030 in the country, the results of the study provide useful policy directions for enhancing the adoption of green toilets among the rural households in India.

This paper aims at synthesizing the scientific research on coal fly ash and agriculture using bibliometric analysis. The research on fly ash and agriculture has grown at 6.7% annually during 1973-2022, where much attention has been received after 2007. The number of publications on coal fly ash and agriculture reached above 100 in the year 2010, which further increased to 299 by 2020. The research productivity has been assessed as the most influential countries, journals, and documents in terms of a number of publications and citations on fly ash and agriculture. India is the most productive country in terms of knowledge on coal fly ash and agriculture with 38% of the global publications, while Environmental Science and Pollution Research is the leading journal with 19 publications. The article on assessing the impact of fly ash incorporation in soil systems by Pandey and Singh (2010), having 349 citations with 26.85 citations per year is one of the leading publications globally. Further, science mapping has been conducted to comprehend the current research focus and discover the emerging themes for future research. The finding of the thematic map based on the level of development and importance indicate that FA can be effectively explored as soil-additive for improved physical, chemical and biological properties and enhanced plant nutrients. The findings provide several aspects of fly ash and suggest future research directions to study the potential of using coal fly ash in agriculture to gain an agronomic advantage.

Purpose This paper aims at analysing the socio-economic characteristics, mobile phone ownership and banking behaviour as key determinants of digital financial inclusion in India. Design/methodology/approach This study is based on the Global Findex Survey of the World Bank covering 3,000 adult individuals in India. Simple statistical tools such as descriptive statistics, chi-square test and regression analysis with a marginal effect have been used for the data analysis. Findings About 35.2% of respondents have reported using digital financial services in the country. There is a significant association between the socio-economic profiles of individuals with the adoption of digital financial services in terms of gender, age, education, occupation and income. The marginal effect indicates that socio-economic factors, mobile phone ownership and banking behaviour of individuals towards borrowings and savings have indicated significant influence on digital financial inclusion. The analysis depicts that male with higher age, education, working status and higher income are more likely to adopt digital financial services. Further, individuals with mobile phone ownership and utilising banking in terms of borrowings and savings are more likely to adopt digital financial services. Practical implications As digital banking services have emerged as a preferred channel for financial service delivery, this study provides timely insights on developing user driven-strategies for promoting digital financial services. Originality/value Socio-economic characteristics, mobile phone ownership and banking behaviour are critical determinants of financial inclusion, so assessing its implications in the era of digitisation becomes imperative. Peer review The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/IJSE-10-2022-0673 .

Purpose This paper aims at examining the factors affecting entrepreneurial intention (EI) among the rural adult population in India using the social cognitive theory (SCT). Design/methodology/approach This study is based on the Adult Population Survey of the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor of 2017, covering 1,397 rural respondents from India. The data has been analysed using simple techniques such as Chi-square statistics, correlation and logistics regression. Findings About 16% of the rural adults have reported EI in India. A significant relationship emerged between the demographics of rural adults with and without intention towards entrepreneurship. Finally, the regression model representing two components of the SCT, that is, confidence towards entrepreneurship and outcome expectations from entrepreneurship, showed a significant impact on EI among the rural population when controlled by family size and working status. Practical implications This paper provides insights on factors affecting EI among rural adults, which can help in developing a policy framework for promoting new ventures among rural entrepreneurs. The result of the analysis indicates that the rural population need to be imparted the necessary skills to gain confidence in entrepreneurship, which should be aligned with the outcome expectations of the entrepreneurs. Originality/value This piece of research can be valuable for different stakeholders in adopting inclusive entrepreneurial initiatives. Moreover, entrepreneurship in rural areas has not gained much attention among scholars, and this study is intended to provide future research motivation.

PurposeThis paper aims at measuring the factors affecting early-stage entrepreneurial activity by opportunity vs necessity motives in India using theory of planned behaviour.Design/methodology/approachThe study is based on the Adult Population Survey (APS) of Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM), covering 4,165 respondents in 2018. The data has been analysed using descriptive statistics, chi-square test, analysis of variance and logistics regression. The theory of planned behaviour has been used to identify the determinants of early-stage entrepreneurial activity by opportunity vs necessity motives.FindingsAbout 13.1% of the respondents reported early-stage entrepreneurial activity, of which opportunity motives were reported by 6.5% respondents, necessity motives by 5.4% respondents and the remaining 1.2% respondents reported other motives. Further, the mean difference in early-stage entrepreneurial activities by motives shows the domination of opportunity-driven entrepreneurial activities. Finally, marginal effects of all determining variables and three components of the theory of planned behaviour, i.e. attitude towards entrepreneurship (ATE), perceived subjective norm (PSN) and perceived behavioural control (PBC), have been estimated on opportunity vs necessity motives of early-stage entrepreneurial activities.Practical implicationsThis paper contributes theoretically and practically to the existing body of knowledge by predicting the factors affecting opportunity vs necessity motives of early-stage entrepreneurial activities by applying the theory of planned behaviour. Considering the current focus of the government on promoting entrepreneurship, this piece of research can be valuable in adopting a motive-based approach in implementing entrepreneurial initiatives.Originality/valueThis paper provides unique insights into developing a policy framework for promoting new ventures based on the perceived motives of the entrepreneurs.