Perspectives on Global Development and Technology最新文献

This research investigates Oman’s international tourism predictors within a coherent gravity modelling framework. International visitor arrival data for 2007 to 2015 involving Oman’s forty-eight main visitor origin countries are incorporated in the balanced panel estimation empirical phase that tests several gravity model specifications. The estimation procedure includes standard gravity variables and controls for several hypothesized influences. The findings provide strong evidence that the economic sizes of visitor recipient and origin countries, the distance between Oman and visitor origin countries, humidity, quality of accommodation, and common religion are statistically significant predictors. Surprisingly, while relevant, Oman’s cultural attractions (museums, forts, and castles) and the extent of human freedom are statistically insignificant. These findings are unique as they focus on the importance of factors determining Oman’s tourism within a cohesive and inclusive modelling framework. Policymakers can target the abovementioned variables to facilitate investments and propel tourism.

The study addresses a significant gap in the literature by investigating the relationship between microinsurance and financial inclusion in Tanzania, mainly focusing on the role of digital financial services. Although some literature and knowledge exist that explain microinsurance and financial inclusion, what remains unexplained in terms of contribution to knowledge is the specific nuances or mechanisms through which digital financial services facilitate access to microinsurance and how microinsurance contributes to financial inclusion. This research bridges this gap to some extent. While other studies mention that digital financial services have opened doors for low-income individuals to access microinsurance and that microinsurance has promoted financial inclusion by offering affordable products, they do not delve into the specific mechanisms or strategies employed to achieve these outcomes. To bridge the gap, the research gathered data through in-depth unstructured interviews, and thematic analysis was employed for data analysis. The study’s findings suggest that digital financial services play a significant role in shaping microinsurance opportunities in Tanzania, mainly by providing access to low-income and financially excluded individuals. These findings underscore the positive impact of microinsurance services on financial inclusion, emphasizing the importance of accessible and affordable financial services for marginalized individuals. Moreover, the principle of risk mutualization has been used to provide the theoretical underpinning of the study, and it extends beyond financial transactions to include building awareness and understanding of microinsurance and risk management.

The arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic has triggered numerous changes in our lives. Digital tools have made it possible to continue with the development of tasks or activities of multiple kinds. This fact has not bypassed the elderly who often find themselves in a situation of inequality caused by the generational digital divide. Using a mixed methodology combining quantitative and qualitative techniques, this study aims to understand and analyze how this situation has influenced the use of ICT s and social networks by the elderly. The research participants are 415 students from the University of Experience of a Spanish university aged 55–84 years old. The results obtained show changes in the way participants relate to technology since the beginning of the pandemic in terms of time and purpose. It also highlights the need to take measures to combat the generational digital divide, a problem that older people recognize as their own.

Using six widely accepted indicators, this study compares the progress made in financial inclusion in Nigeria, Sub-Saharan Africa, and the rest of the World, with a view to deducing lessons that each entity can improve upon. We find that Nigeria outperformed Sub-Saharan Africa in three indicators of financial inclusion while Sub-Saharan Africa did better than Nigeria in one metric. Nigeria and Sub-Saharan Africa exceeded the world average in informal borrowings. We also constructed an index of financial inclusion and found that financial institution account ownership, formal borrowing, informal borrowing, and debit or credit card ownership are significant positive determinants of the financial inclusion index. These findings indicate that policymakers in Nigeria and Sub-Saharan Africa have significant room for improving their financial inclusion standings towards the global average. We make recommendations on the aspects where policymakers can place their focus in pursuit of this goal.

The advent of COVID-19 continues to present social and biomedical challenges that this article endeavors to explore through a systematic critical review of the literature. The article has also benefited from the researchers’ intuition and experiences they have acquired from investigating trends of SARS-CoV-2 virus dynamics. It has also benefited from engaging in informal conversations with researchers and lay people interested in addressing the myriad challenges posed by COVID-19. Findings have generated the following thematic discussions: stigma and stigmatization surrounding the disease, skewed global response, gender disparity, human rights dynamics, vaccine dynamics and dilemmas, and poverty associated with coronavirus advent. The article concludes by recognizing both biomedical and socioeconomic implications and the emerging social disparities and unequal access to pharmacotherapeutics.

The purpose of this research is to know the cyberthreat faced by Indonesian society and understand how the government responds towards this threat. This study employs two types of data. The first came from the literature for building the theoretical linkage, and the second came from an online survey of 328 respondents about cyberthreats that they experience, as well as the respondents’ perception regarding the government’s response. The results were then analyzed systematically along with the literature review analysis. The results show that 64 percent of Indonesian respondents have modest knowledge in terms of cyberthreats and regulations made for it. There are three main arguments for this condition. First, low level of knowledge in cyberthreat within the society. Second, Indonesian people unprepared to face the cyberthreat surrounding their daily life. Third, an inadequate Indonesian government response to prevent and tackle the cyberthreat.