Chatbot technologies are proliferating across financial inclusion ecosystems in emerging markets, yet existing theories struggle to explain why relatively simple conversational systems sometimes achieve more inclusive outcomes than technologically sophisticated digital financial services. This paper argues that chatbot-enabled inclusion depends less on technological sophistication than on reducing psychological access barriers through conversational interfaces embedded within supportive ecosystem conditions.The study adopts an inductive Gioia methodology based on six elite interviews with C-level executives of chatbot-focused fintech providers operating across Africa and the Global South, complemented by document reviews and product demonstrations. Cross-case comparison reveals that conversational interfaces reshape the social conditions of financial interaction, while ecosystem conditions determine whether exploratory engagement converts into formal participation.The paper advances the construct of psychological access: the reduction of demand-side social inhibition through conversational interaction that transforms formal institutional encounters into socially safer exploratory exchanges. The analysis further identifies two provider-level mechanisms that shape whether psychological access translates into formal inclusion: deliberate technological downgrading, through which providers calibrate simplicity to the absorptive capacity of underserved users, and operational burden absorption, through which providers compensate for institutional readiness gaps.The paper contributes to research on financial inclusion, digital innovation, and emerging-market ecosystems by reframing exclusion as not only infrastructural or cognitive, but also interactional in character.

We examine whether all three roles of universities (education, research and development, and collaboration with industry for knowledge transfer) are essential for a country’s innovation relative to other countries and its peers. The study employs OLS and path analysis to determine the significant indicators affecting the global innovation score of 131 countries, with details for each quartile of countries (by income). The study used expenses on education, government funding of secondary education, tertiary enrolment, graduates in science and technology, number of researchers, expenditures on R&D, university ranking, and university–industry collaborations as the eight explanatory variables, proxies for the three roles. At a global level, the findings reveal that a country’s innovation rank is based on all these three roles but only six of the explanatory variables. An income quartile-wise analysis indicates that innovation scores may not include the three functions. The negative impact of primary and secondary education is significant only for upper-middle-income countries. Knowledge transfer influences innovation scores mainly in very high-income countries. Within low-middle-income countries, primarily tertiary enrolment (education) affects the innovation score. Therefore, the study recommends that policymakers who seek to improve their country’s innovation scores should look at what their peer group countries are doing.

The study examines the antecedents of entrepreneurship and intrapreneur-ship in 54 countries and finds similarities in six out of eight variables consid-ered. Regression analysis reveals that entrepreneurship is influenced directly and positively by employment and the control of corruption and negatively by tertiary enrolment and innovation. Intrapreneurship is influenced directly and positively by per capita income. The analysis of developed and devel-oping countries reveals that some antecedents of entrepreneurship and intra-preneurship are similar (employment and corruption), others are different (income, education, and innovation), and even the direction may be dif-ferent (inequality). Some factors we analyzed had no significant direct rela-tionship to entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship (economic freedom and ease of doing business). Mediation analysis reveals that entrepreneurship is influenced negatively by income inequality and economic freedom and posi-tively by the ease of doing business through per capita income and control of corruption, respectively. In contrast, tertiary enrolment influences intrapre-neurship positively but indirectly.

Financial services providers have the funds to finance climate change, and new entrepreneurs would like to join this effort. They need ideas on what fintechs can do to make money yet be sustainable. The research purpose of this study is to explore what fintechs are doing in this field of climate change and what theoretical and policy implications can be gained. This exploratory study uses a multiple case study method, using secondary sources of information. The sample includes five big fintechs and twelve green fintechs. The study finds that large fintech firms are diverse in the extent of their reporting and the issues that they are tackling, but they all report on their Scope 1 and Scope 2 impacts, and most report on Scope 3. Smaller dedicated green fintechs in the sample are grouped into those that offer to crowdfund green projects, those that track the impact of green projects or other firms or individuals, payment firms that invest directly into green projects, and those that provide a platform for peer-to-peer trading of renewable energy. The exploration is relevant to theories and concepts, including product differentiation and enhancement, disruptive innovation, collaborative ecosystems, and environmental and social impacts. Using lateral thinking, microfinance, and work-sharing research can stimulate reflection on developing more inclusive and advanced green fintech offerings. A few directions for future research in this field have been provided for those interested in impact measurement, strategic management, business models, risk management, or innovation theories.

We analyze environmental laws and regulations enacted by 125 countries from 1990 to 2021. An examination of the legislation dynamics yields four principal observations. First, countries with a higher degree of development tend to enact more environmental legislation than less developed countries. Second, parliamentary systems are associated with a higher number of environmental regulations compared to presidential systems. Third, legal origin seems to be related to legislation dynamics. Systems of English legal origin generate less new environmental legislation than any other legal family. Fourth, our estimates point out that ruling parties have strong incentives to slow down the dynamics of environmental laws and regulations one year prior to the legislative elections. However, high levels of government effectiveness seem to favor the modernization of environmental legislation in developed countries and parliamentary systems.

This study measures the relative importance of the determinants of the intentions to use autonomous vehicles. We hypothesize that the intention to use is influenced by perceived usefulness and perceived ease and that the perceived usefulness will be determined by driving pleasure and psychological ownership. The perceived risk may also negatively affect the intention to use autonomous vehicles. We also hypothesize that an external variable, public transportation, will too influence psychological ownership and the intention to use. We integrate this in a modified Technological Acceptance model. We use an online questionnaire to collect data. Based on our sample, we find that public transportation availability is not related to the intention to use and that psychological ownership is not associated with perceived ease of use. The significant direct relationships are that intention to use autonomous vehicles is influenced positively by psychological ownership, perceived usefulness, and perceived ease of use, and negatively by psychological driving pleasure and perceived risk. The primary recommendations for manufacturers of vehicles would be to indicate that the autonomous vehicle is not risky or that its risk is considerably less than that of a human-driven vehicle.

Highlights• Macro-equity refers to issuing shares in a country to offset the stress of debt.• Macro-equity will offer the incentive to follow Keynesian fiscal policies• Macro-equity may result in political entrepreneurship that reduces corruption and inequalities.• Impact and ESG investors may influence green investments.AbstractThis paper develops the proposal to use macro-equity (issuing of shares in a country) to finance public expenditure. This will allow the high indebtedness of countries to be offset by equity, thus reducing stress and risk. The governance of a country by smart investors may lead to better growth, more productive infrastructural investments, and lower inequalities. Appropriate incentives to government heads may lead to political entrepreneurship and lower corruption. The rise of impact investment and socially responsible investment may also lead to a better focus on renewable energies and greener environments.

Innovation-focused education and research have been identified as critical contributors to enhancing the innovative behaviour of individuals, organisations, and economies. Therefore, Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) embrace innovations to transform teaching, research, and knowledge transfer that impact economic and social objectives. The research objective of this study is to shed light on India’s needs for its higher education and innovation policies to develop faster growth and provide lessons on what it is doing right. For this, we study the gaps in the two policies: Science, Technology, and Innovation Policy (STIP) and National Educational Policies (NEP) applicable to HEIs. This study uses content analysis of the policies, with two experts’ opinions on the evolution of the policies. It finds that the Indian government has consciously striven to adopt new developments, urgently needing to improve infrastructural facilities for knowledge-driven innovation. Yet, fostering private industry’s role in innovation has not been adequate. The study concluded that policymakers need to collaborate with all the players for focused education and research, resulting in responsible innovation.

There are isolated streams of research in spiritual capital, spiritual leadership, and community leadership. We put together these three notions and indicate that taken together, a spiritual leader with a community leadership style can use his spiritual capital to boost both the social and financial performance of the organization and reduce risk. We document a case where a Hindu non-profit organization is more resilient compared to the other top Indian firms which are for-profit organisations. This challenges the popular belief that creating sustainable organizations with social impact requires a purely business logic. This case study reports the results of interviews with the top management of the organization explaining how religion is related to management inputs, the social business model, and financial performance outcomes. We add to the meager literature on Hinduism in social business leadership. We generate five propositions that expand the extant theoretical conceptualization of community leadership with a case example from a non-profit Hindu spiritual leadership domain. They serve as lessons that managers can reflect on while working with their community and building trust.

Microfinance is the provision of financial services to disadvantaged people and the financially excluded, often with a social mission of poverty alleviation and women empowerment. There are many different forms of microfinance institutions (MFIs): for-profit, not-for-profit and state-owned, all of which use different strategies to improve socio-economic status of their clients. The objective of this paper is to examine the alternative strategies of MFIs in Nepal. Primary data was collected through structured questionnaires from 240 women clients of three MFIs. Parametric and non-parametric tests, and exploratory factor analysis have been applied for analysis. The results show that MFIs have different segmentation strategies for their clients, focusing on income levels, total consumption and the number of children. Surprisingly, it was found that the private MFI was reaching poorer people than other MFIs. Our results show that MFIs look at total consumption expenditure rather than total income. Private MFIs target different activities for giving loans compared to government-owned MFIs. The communication strategy of the MFIs is different since the clients of government-owned MFI are better educated and are more likely to read the newspaper. The exploratory factor analysis shows that respondents perceived poverty alleviation and empowerment. The most influencing factors are related to an increase in consumption expenditure, followed by an increase in capital expenditure.

La transformation numérique accélère le développement de l'intelligence artificielle, qui à son tour accélère la transformation numérique, ainsi imprégnant la société de manière irréversible.L'intégration de l'intelligence artificielle dans le fonctionnement des entreprises et son utilisation dans toute la vie sociétale pose la question des risques probables liés.Cet article présente l'avènement de l'intelligence artificielle et analyse plusieurs risques liés à l'innovation incrémentale et disruptive pour la vie sociétale.Il propose une discussion sur les avantages et les points d'attentions à prendre en compte dans cette transition numérique.ABSTRACT.Digital transformation is accelerating the development of artificial intelligence, which in turn is accelerating digital transformation, thus irreversibly permeating society.The integration of artificial intelligence in the functioning of companies and its use throughout all societal life raises the question of the probable associated risks.This article presents the advent of artificial intelligence and analyzes several risks related to incremental and disruptive innovation with regards to societal life.It discusses the advantages and areas that must be taken into account concerning this digital transition.

Based on a qualitative single case study with eight interviews, this study lays the foundation for literature on the motivation for transforming from a quasi-governmental entity to a social business. The context of this case study is a spin off of business schools from the French chambers of commerce and industry. This spin off was encouraged by enabling legislation that allowed assets specific to business schools to be transferred without taxes and fees if they adopted this legal business form. This case study is on the Burgundy School of Business, one of the seven schools that have adopted the regime. The school is also a member of the Principles of Responsible Management in Education. This case study suggests that the motivation for adopting a social business form could be institutional rather than personal. International rankings influence country legislation and business form adoption in a competitive industry. This case also discusses why the school has intentionally decided not to go for a digital transformation of its core business model. This case leads to theoretical propositions that consider the conditions under which public sector enterprises may spin off units as social businesses focused on their beneficiaries, and the control mechanisms that need to be instituted by the parent enterprise.

The concept of reverse innovation can be defined on a spectrum ranging from narrow to broad. We look at the broad concept, which indicates that an innovation travels successfully from a developing country to a developed country. A few authors have indicated that microcredit is a reverse innovation. However, credit by itself is not an innovation, nor is lending to the poor. The essential feature of modern-day microcredit in developing countries is that it acts as a social innovation, using group lending, being primarily directed towards women and creating financially stable institutions. We do not find evidence that any of these features have been adopted by a developed country’s microfinance institutions (MFIs) in a sustainable manner. We consider that only the use of the words ‘microfinance’ and 'microcredit' have been adopted by developed countries to further the corporate image, and researchers should be aware that ‘microfinance’ holds different connotations in different regions.

Based on a qualitative single case study with eight interviews, this study lays the foundation for literature on the motivation of transforming from a quasi-governmental entity to a social business. The context of this case study is the spinoff of business schools from the French chambers of commerce and industry. This spinoff was encouraged by enabling legislation that allowed assets specific to business schools to be transferred without taxes and fees if they adopt this legal business form. This case study is on the Burgundy School of Business, one of the seven schools that have adopted the regime. Unlike the other schools, it has opened its capital to shareholders other than the Chambers of Commerce and Industry. The School is also a member of Principles of Responsible Management in Education, indicating that it has a desire to go into societal issues beyond mere lip service to a regime. The case study suggests that the motivation for adopting a social business form could be institutional rather than personal. International rankings influence country legislation and business form adoption in a competitive industry.