Asia-Pacific Journal of Regional Science最新文献

This article analyzes the clustering potentials of organized industrial zones (OIZs) in Türkiye. Studies related to cluster identification first identify the related industries and then analyze the spatial agglomerations of the related industries. To define the clustering potential of OIZs, first the related industries are identified using an input–output table showing the inter-industry trade relations and a formula is suggested to calculate the clustering potential coefficient. This coefficient is an original contribution to the literature. Also, this study is the first to analyze all OIZs in Türkiye using clustering potentials. Of the 347 organized industrial zones in Türkiye, 193 were analyzed. The results show the OIZs are agglomerated in specific regions and the OIZs located in populous and industrialized regions have higher occupancy rates. Also, OIZs clustering potential varies with production type. Specialized OIZs have a greater potential than mixed OIZs. Also, OIZs with greater clustering potential do not agglomerate but are spread across the country.

Gender Based Political Violence Against Women (GBPVAW) is one main form of political discrimination. It violently affects women, obstructs social justice (economic redistribution, sociocultural recognition and political representation) for all and hinders parity democracy. In April 2020, the federal law of GBPVAW was approved in Mexico. From September 7th, 2020 until June 6th, 2021, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the biggest and most complex electoral process in Mexico took place, including 95 million registered voters with 21,368 elected positions in dispute and elections in almost half of the states that make up the republic. For the first time in history, gender parity was established by a strict quota system at municipal, state and federal levels. This exacerbated all forms of political violence, political violence against women and gender-based political violence against women. GBPVAW is one of the least researched emerging topics in the social sciences and is mostly absent in regional science debates. This article presents the results of an in-depth study, encompassing a research team of 26 academics, primarily developed and led by the presenting author. Results of a triangulated multidisciplinary research model with a transversal social justice and regional lens includes historical and juridical harmonization indicators, the creation of two quantitative regional indexes, qualitative indicators resulting from over 150 in-depth interviews of experts and female politicians, socio-digital media and a resilience study. Regarding the Mexican case study, the Reform Decree of April 13th, 2020 typifying GBPVAW is celebrated, providing the country with the second most advanced legislation worldwide. However, this research documented that there are still multiple areas of opportunity linked to affirmative action, substantive equality and transversal parity.

Anthropogenic activities and climatic variations continue to aggravate desertification in the drylands of the world. This study is aimed to explore the perceptions of local residents in the drylands of Bahawalpur, Rahim Yar Khan and Rajanpur districts, lying in the drylands of South Punjab, regarding the impacts of desertification on humans, finances, animals and the environment of the study area. In addition, we explored possible relations between these impacts and adaptive capacity of the local population. Primary data was collected from 399 respondents in a survey conducted during Feb–July 2019 using disproportionate stratified random sampling techniques. The Rajanpur District suffered the most in terms of human and environmental impacts, while Rahim Yar Khan experienced the lowest financial and human impacts, but most severe livestock impacts due to desertification. We also found that increases in water scarcity of surface water bodies and decline in groundwater levels, along with an increase in unemployment and delayed repayment of loans, all led to reduced adaptive capacity of the respondents. These results are helpful for policy makers to plan desertification control policies, that are region specific and focus on the main impacts being faced by each district.

Presence of corruption in a system is always a path breaker for transparent distribution of public services in the economy. Therefore, controlling corruption is a high priority for progress of a country’s growth. The main objective of this study was to empirically examine the impacts of financial inclusion on control of corruption in selected upper-middle and lower-middle income countries. Using cross-country annual data from 2004 to 2018, the study applied fixed effect, random effect, panel corrected standard errors, feasible general least square and 2SLS (two-stage least-squares regression) models to evaluate the impacts of financial inclusion on control of corruption across all samples from upper-middle and lower-middle income countries. The results from the upper-middle income (UMI) countries demonstrated that a basic level of financial inclusion has no impact on the control of corruption, whereas higher intensification of financial inclusion beyond the basic level positively impacts it. Similarly, the findings from lower-middle-income (LMI) countries indicated that financial inclusion up to a certain threshold level helps to control corruption, whereas financial inclusion above the threshold level negatively impacts the control of corruption. These empirical findings suggest that in the overall sample, financial inclusion plays an important role to control corruption.

Though rapid escalating urbanization has a positive effect on economic growth and employment, its impacts on health outcomes need to be analyzed. Using panel quantile regression models: the present study examined the impact of urbanization on health outcomes by considering 204 countries from 1960 to 2021. We measured urbanization by considering three proxy variables; total urban population, percentage of the urban population, and percentage of the population living in million-plus agglomerations. Overall estimated results suggested a negative effect on the fertility rate and a positive impact on life expectancy at birth due to urbanization. A mixed impact of urbanization was perceived on the infant mortality rate. Urbanization quality and management variables such as percentage of the urban population having access to clean fuel and technologies for cooking, electricity, basic drinking water, sanitation services, and hand washing facilities showed an asymmetric impact on health outcomes. The study additionally deployed feasible generalized least square (FGLS) and bias corrected least square dummy variable (LSDV) regressions to confirm the robustness of outcomes. The Granger causality test indicated that the relationship between urbanization and health outcomes is bidirectional. The panel cointegration test suggested that there is a long-run relationship between them. Order logit regression results suggested that the impact of urbanization on health outcomes may vary with the different stages of development a country is experiencing. The results indicate that well managed urbanization is beneficial for achieving higher health outcomes. Most importantly, developing countries are yet to promote and manage urbanization from this perspective, thus urgent attention is needed. Finally, we suggest appropriate policies for sustainable urbanization to achieve higher health outcomes in the world.

Bangladesh is a country recognized as “ground zero” in terms of vulnerability due to human-induced climate change, for which it bears the brunt of extreme climatic events. In addition, the number of extreme events is disconcertingly increasing nowadays and, jeopardizing its people, particularly in the southern (cyclone-prone), north-western (drought-prone), and east-northern and central (flood-prone) regions by causing instability and a reduction in sources of income for households, which in turn affects household expenditures. To this end, our study sought to determine the nexus between extreme climatic events and household welfare. For this, we adopted pooled OLS (Ordinary Least Square), fixed effects, and random effects models using three (2011–2012, 2015, and 2018–2019) wave nationally representative data sets of the Bangladesh Integrated Household Survey (BIHS) from rural Bangladesh. The results revealed that climate extremes affect household well-being. Superficially, the fixed effects model (most efficient) showed that climatic extremes led to a 3% decrease in average household expenditures. Moreover, negative coefficients were found for household food and non-food expenditures. Therefore, we propose several policy changes as part of adaptation and mitigation strategies to counter the negative impacts of extreme climate events. These include–income diversification through the creation of off-farm income generating activities (IGAs), an emphasis on sustained technology innovations under the changing climatic conditions, and variety development to tailor solutions to regions suffering from increased saline, droughts, and floods.

The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically changed urban life, and it can be said that the time is at hand when cities and rural areas should promote symbiotic projects. These projects are diverse and include medical conditions, socioeconomic activities, working conditions, information technology, food conditions, culture as well as education. According to previous studies, medical conditions are excellent, but well-being of the mental health of people in developed countries is higher in rural areas than in urban areas. Meanwhile, developing countries tend to have higher levels of well-being in urban life, while rural areas have lower levels of well-being and mental health, because of a focus on lagging economic activities and vulnerability in medical care. Preliminary interviews in Bali, Indonesia, the author's study area, revealed no livelihood change in subsistence farming villages during the COVID-19 disaster indicating no effects by the pandemic. Meanwhile, urban residents faced difficulties obtaining food due to the government curfew and halt in economic activities. Most workers lost their jobs and suffered hardships in the tourism industry. With this situation, the conditions are slightly different from the previous studies in developing countries mentioned above. Previous studies did not reveal any mental health and well-being assessment for life in the rural areas of developing countries during the corona disaster. This study aimed to clarify the reality of urban and rural well-being during the Corona Disaster in a developing country, namely Bali. The hypothesis is that in Bali, Indonesia, a developing country, the level of well-being under the corona disaster is higher for rural residents than for urban residents. Six groups were surveyed with 71 questions from the survey items of previous studies including the World Happiness Report conducted worldwide, WHR2020, AHI and The Oxford Happiness Survey. Face Sheet, Mental Health, Anxiety, Happiness, Good things due to corona, and Corona infection control behaviors were included. The questionnaire was categorical to allow for a quantitative analysis and began in September 2021. I collected 280 samples from two villages, each in rural and urban areas of Bali, and analyzed the results with simple cross-tabulations and a difference of means, factor analysis, multiple regression analysis and structural analysis of covariance. The analyses revealed a tendency toward inward self-loneliness in the urban areas and outward anxiety about one's surroundings in the rural areas. Under the corona disaster, subjects in rural areas stayed optimistic about external stress, in contrast to those in urban areas, who became inwardly oriented and negative. This point does not imply that well-being is higher among rural people, but it suggests that they are more mentally stress-tolerant because they are more likely to positively view the situation. Although the hypothesis was not proven, life in rural areas, wh