This study examines the role of the Corporate Social Responsibility Committee (CSRC) in the adoption of strategic Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) projects that surpass regulatory requirements and basic stakeholder expectations. Our results demonstrate that the establishment of CSRCs enhances all strategic CSR mechanisms, particularly business reputation, stakeholder interaction, risk mitigation, and innovation. Additionally, strategic CSR practices exhibit a strong correlation with CSRC attributes and organizational characteristics. Specifically, the size of the CSRC is positively associated with all dimensions of strategic CSR. Furthermore, CEO membership is likely to impede risk mitigation and innovation capacity, whereas board chair membership enhances business reputation, stakeholder communication, and innovation potential. In terms of gender diversity, female CSRC members show a greater concern for business reputation and associated risks. Regarding committee functioning, increased meeting frequency has the potential to enhance various aspects of strategic CSR.

The paper is motivated by the growth of the electronic payments system and its relevance in enhancing the banking industry's earnings. Consequently, the paper examines the causal relationship between the electronic payments system and the banking industry's returns in Nigeria. The paper offers some important contributions to the literature involving the use of an approach that allows for data-driven identification of the change points in the electronic payments system and the banking industry's returns nexus. The paper discovered three important findings. First, the causal relationship between the electronic payments system and the banking industry's returns in Nigeria changes with time changes. Second, there is evidence of causality between the electronic payments system and returns on assets and equity, however, the causality was more evident under the recursive window. Third, the causal relationship was more evident in some specific periods such as 2020Q4, all quarters of 2015 to 2016, and 2020 to the end of 2023. The paper recommends that policymakers should revisit and reinvigorate the specific cashless policies instituted in 2012-2016 that aided higher returns to the banking industry. Similarly, the Central Bank of Nigeria and other banking industry players should intensify efforts to encourage the use of electronic payments due to their usefulness and ability to enhance the banking industry's earnings.

This study employs empirical analysis using an econometric model that examines the interdependence among environmental degradation, exports, and economic development with energy use. It also provides an environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) for selected South Asian economies utilizing time-series data. The findings reveal a long-term, stable equilibrium link between energy demand and pollution. There exists a positive relationship between structural factors and pollution. Moreover, this study constructs a model of exports and pollution from an interdependent perspective. The three perspectives are tested: the scale and structure of energy consumption considering the twin constraints of export-trade and pollution, and the scale of pollution in export-trade constraint. These results show that the increase in energy use leads to higher CO2 emissions amidst export volume. However, in the presence of income, the scale of effect lowers a little. The analysis also supports the presence of Kuznets curve for south-Asian economies. The results imply substantial scope for development in the energy use and pollution structure within South Asia's current export trade process. This development can be attained by regulating energy use and enhancing system efficacy without necessitating changes to the scale effect or structural effect.

Electricity price volatility in developing economies, particularly Nigeria, presents a significant challenge to sustainable development. In this paper, we examine the macroeconomic drivers of electricity prices (ELP) in Nigeria based on annual data spanning 1980-2022 and the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) procedure. Our model estimates the long-run and short-run impacts of population growth (PG), economic growth (GDP), crude oil price (COPR), and electricity consumption (ELC) on electricity prices (ELP). The empirical findings reveal a positive and long-run effect of PG on ELP, indicating that rising demand from a growing population increases electricity prices. In the short-run, ELC surprisingly co-moved with ELP, which may be attributable to price-sensitive demand within specific consumer segments or periods. Furthermore, GDP and COPR exert positive effects on ELP, indicating that economic growth drives energy consumption and prices, and the cost-driven impact of fossil fuel dependence in electricity generation. These findings shed light on the complex interplay of demographic, economic, and energy market-related forces driving electricity prices in Nigeria. Therefore, the paper proposes some policy suggestions based on the empirical findings.

The relation between fund flows and returns in the Australian ETF industry is assessed in this study. Daily data from 43 equity ETFs over the period 2019-2023 are used. The main research objective is to accentuate whether past returns can predict future fund flows and in what way and vice versa. According to the results of the applied regression analysis, past flows and past returns can predict to some extent concurrent flows. This is also the case about concurrent returns. However, in both cases, the results are not unanimous and depend on the specification of the applied regression model.

The objective of this study is to explore the link between the financial sector, macroeconomic fluctuations, and sustainable energy production in South Asia. It evaluates existing research, identifies gaps, and suggests future directions. The study emphasizes the need to understand how economic activities influence the environment and how environmental factors impact economic and financial outcomes. It also examines financial market responses to understand the manifestation of economic and environmental factors, using data from Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka spanning 1987 to 2022. The results show that investment in green energy is essential for developing countries. The study suggests that the relationship between the region's stock market, GDP, carbon emissions, and green energy is complex, with a negative response to domestic credit indicating potential obstacles to investment, such as policy barriers or insufficient incentives. Mixed responses highlight the need for credit directed towards sustainable projects. Variations in responses across economic indicators may indicate policy challenges or structural issues, necessitating a reassessment of government policies to incentivize sustainable investments and promote green technology adoption. These results imply that policymakers should precisely assess the environmental ramifications of economic growth and stock market activities. This presents an opportunity to craft policies that guide investments toward cleaner technologies and industries, aligning economic growth with sustainable practices. Policymakers and financial institutions should explore ways to incentivize green energy investments and promote sustainable economic growth.