Volume 23 Number 3, September – December 2021

The list of authors and titles 2021

Volume 23 Number 3, September – December 2021

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND THE COST OF THE CAPITAL OF THE COMPANIES LISTED ON THE NIGERIAN STOCK EXCHANGE

Nyore Sandra Ofogbe, Chidiebere Nnamani, Chika Anastesia Anisiuba and Charity Nkeiru Ezuwore-Obodoekwe

This study is aimed at analyzing the influence of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) on the Cost of the Capital (CoC) of the companies quoted on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE). The annual panel data of the 32 companies quoted on the NSE pertaining to the period from 2005 to 2019, were judgmentally selected. The Thomson Reuthers Index was used as the measure for CSR, whereas the Cost of Equity (CoE) and the Cost of Debt (CoD) were used as the measure for CoC. The findings revealed the existence of a positive/negative nonsignificant relationship, on the one hand, and a positive/negative significant relationship as well, on the other, between CSR and CoC. The results obtained are supportive of the findings found in scholars’ works, especially those in the developed countries in which this aspect has extensively been explored. To conclude, the companies that spend on CSR have a better chance of accessing capital at a better and low cost. Based absolutely on the findings, the researcher advocates that investment should incessantly be made in the issues concerning CSR, given the fact that, if consistently made, such investment may ease access to funds at a reduced cost.

Volume 23 Number 3, September – December 2021

TRADE FACILITATION PERFORMANCE INFLUENCES ON ASEAN TRADE FLOWS

Anh Thu Nguyen1 and Thi Mai Thanh Tran2

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) considers trade facilitation as a driving force in forming a single market and a single production base. This paper constructs an ASEAN scorecard for measuring the performance of trade facilitation strategic plans by ASEAN member states. Next, a structural gravity model is used in the paper in order to estimate the trade facilitation performance influence on ASEAN trade flows. The fact that the indicator of easing Nontariff Barriers (NTBs) and institutional coordination, on the one hand, and the ASEAN member states’ engagement indicator, on the other, had the highest enforcement scores in ASEAN in the period 2017-2019. Those two indicators also exert the biggest influence on ASEAN trade flows, especially ASEAN extra-regional trade.

Volume 23 Number 3, September – December 2021

PEER-TO-PEER LENDING, FINANCIAL BOOTSTRAPPING AND GOVERNMENT SUPPORT: THE ROLE OF INNOVATION MEDIATION ON MSME PERFORMANCE

Maria Rio Rita, Yeterina Widi Nugrahanti and Ari Budi Kristanto

This study aims to examine whether Peer-to-Peer (P2P) lending, financial bootstrapping and government support affect the performance of Micro, Small, and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) by adding a mediating variable in the form of innovation. Innovation mediation is expected to be able to optimize the influence of government funding and incentives towards improving business performance. This study used an SEM-PLS analysis technique. The study samples were the MSMEs located in the city of Salatiga – Central Java, Indonesia. The results showed that P2P lending and financial bootstrapping had a positive effect on business performance and innovation. While government support had a positive effect on innovation, on the one hand, it had no effect on business performance, on the other. Innovation itself is proven to have an influence on business performance. This study also finds that innovation mediates the effect of P2P lending on business performance, facilitates the effect of financial bootstrapping on business performance and reconciles the effect of government support on business performance.

Volume 23 Number 3, September – December 2021

EMPLOYEE AUTONOMY AND ENGAGEMENT IN THE DIGITAL AGE: THE MODERATING ROLE OF REMOTE WORKING

Aleksandra Bošković

In the digitalization era, traditional organizational success factors have been called into question, so it is necessary to reconsider the established work patterns and find new ways to create sustainable value. Given the fact that, as bearers of knowledge, people are the key drivers of value, it is important to explore possible ways to improve their potential. The research study carried out in this paper is aimed showing that autonomy contributes to the development of employee engagement in the digital environment, especially so in remote working conditions. In that sense, the concept of employee engagement was explained, as a state of high vigor, dedication and absorption. Possible ways to improve engagement through increasing autonomy are pointed out as well. The empirical research has confirmed that autonomy has a positive effect on vigor and dedication as the engagement dimensions. The impact autonomy exerts on vigor is stronger in the employees working remotely in comparison with those who do not work remotely.

Volume 23 Number 3, September – December 2021

TAXATION AND ECONOMIC GROWTH: A REGRESSION ANALYSIS BASED ON A NEW CLASSIFICATION

Lich Khac Hoang1, Binh Tan Cao2, Kim My Le2 and Dung Thi Thuy Nguyen2

This paper examines the impact of taxes on the economic growth based on classifying countries by GDP per capita and a tax burden. The Partitioning Around Medoids (PAM) technique is used because it is not too sensitive to outliers. Through this multicriteria classification technique, the Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) is employed to analyze the data of the three groups consisting of 63 countries from 2003 to 2017. The results show that most taxes have a positive impact on economic growth in poor countries (Group 1). Interestingly, taxes on goods and services promote economic growth in rich countries (Group 3), rather than having a negative effect, as is concluded by some previous studies. Specially, while the property tax has a negative effect on economic growth in rich countries, its impact is significantly positive in poor countries.

Volume 23 Number 3, September – December 2021

FISCAL DECENTRALIZATION AND LOCAL PUBLIC INVESTMENT POLICY IN THE REPUBLIC OF SERBIA

Saša Ranđelović1 and Svetlana Vukanović2

This paper analyses the level of fiscal decentralization and structural characteristics of local public finances in Republic of Serbia with focus on local public investments. Share of central government expenditures in consolidated government spending of 83%, indicates relatively high degree of fiscal centralization. In spite of significant rise in local public revenues in the last decade public investments remained low – amounting to 1% of GDP, which is significantly below EU and Central and Eastern Europe average (1.4 and 1.5% GDP, respectively). Our results indicate large variation in relative size of public investments across LSGs. Most local public investments are focused on roads maintenance administrative infrastructure, while investments in environment and education are low. To tackle local disparities in terms of quality of local infrastructure and to foster economic convergence, development of planning and implementation capacities and introduction of systemic incentives for local public investments should be considered.
e investicija i uvođenje sistemskih podsticaja za lokalne javne investicije.

Volume 23 Number 3, September – December 2021

Editorial 2021 (3)

Vlastimir Leković

Issue 3 Volume 23 Year 2021 of the Economic Horizons scientific journal contains four original scientific and two review papers, the Subject Matter Index of the Papers and the Overview of the Authors and the Titles of all the contributions published in the Journal in the year 2021. Simultaneously, as a result of the continued endeavor of the Editorial Board of the Journal to increase the Internationality Index of the Authors while improving the quality of the papers published in it, be advised of the fact that Volume 23 Year 2021 of the Economic Horizons has published a total of 12 scientific papers written by the authors from abroad (Mexico, Nigeria, India, South Korea, Poland, Sudan, Vietnam and Indonesia), which accounts for the two-thirds (actually 66.67 per cent) of the total number of the published scientific papers in the Journal in the year 2021.