The signing of RCEP has created new opportunities for the development of China's export trade, and international logistics capacity is an important factor affecting the conduct of international trade. This paper qualitatively describes and analyzes the LPI index and its sub-indicators of RCEP member countries, and empirically investigates the impact of logistics performance level on China's export trade through an extended gravity model. The study shows that there are large differences in logistics performance levels among RCEP member countries, especially in South Asia, where the quality of logistics infrastructure and customs efficiency are the most lagging behind, which are the key factors pulling down the logistics performance index; the signing of RCEP has effectively promoted China's foreign trade level, but there are great differences in export amounts to different countries, and the logistics performance levels of importing countries and China's export trade are significant positive correlation, the improvement of logistics performance is conducive to promoting China's export trade to RCEP member countries, and from the viewpoint of logistics links, the role of logistics infrastructure quality is the strongest, and the influence of cargo transportation timeliness is the weakest.

Industrial policy is the government’s guidance and intervention in industrial development to achieve economic and social goals, and it seeks to steer the direction of industrial development, facilitate industrial structure upgrades, and improve social welfare. Based on panel data on 31 provinces in China from 2011 to 2022, this study examines the effects of industrial promotion from China’s Five-Year Plans on corporate innovation performance using a difference-in-differences (DID) model. The study findings indicate that industrial promotion from China’s Five-Year Plans promotes corporate innovation performance, and the basic conclusion remains robust when changing how firms’ innovation is measured, removing provincial policy interference, excluding the four municipalities in China, and utilizing the PSM-DID model. Moreover, this paper explores how industrial promotion influences firms’ innovation performance. The mechanism analysis reveals that industrial promotion from China’s Five-Year Plans encourages firms’ innovation through tax incentives, government subsidies, and credit support. In addition, heterogeneity tests find that industrial promotion has a more significant effect on corporate innovation among small-scale firms and firms operating in highly competitive industries and regions characterized by high marketization. The empirical findings presented provide evidence for enhancing corporate innovation performance through industry promotion in China’s Five-Year Plans and offer insights that can refine the formulation of Five-Year Plans.

Grain trade plays a critical role in global grain security and the balance of grain supply and demand across countries. As globalization progresses, the complexity and diversity of grain trade have become increasingly prominent. Its significance extends beyond the economic sphere, directly impacting social stability and international relations. The dynamic development of grain trade is influenced by a variety of factors, including climate change, international economic policies, technological advancements, and geopolitics. At the same time, the complexity of global grain supply chains, the uncertainty of international trade policies, and the frequent occurrence of extreme climate events pose significant challenges to the smooth operation of grain trade. In recent years, there has been growing attention in the international community on how to achieve the sustainable development of grain trade by optimizing policies, strengthening international cooperation, and promoting technological innovation. This study systematically reviews the existing literature on grain trade, providing a comprehensive summary of the research landscape, covering factors influencing grain trade, development trends, supply chain management, and risk management. The goal is to provide a systematic analysis and insights for both academics and policymakers, as well as directions and references for future research. Additionally, the study explores how grain trade has maintained resilience amid global crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change, and offers strategic recommendations for achieving global grain security. This research aims to further promote the sustainable development of grain trade systems and provide strong support for global grain security and socioeconomic stability.

Based on the behavioral theory of the firm, we investigate the impact of performance negative feedback on R&D efficiency. The results show that when performance falls below aspirations, firms pay more attention to R&D projects with high R&D efficiency to get rid of the operating pressure, reputation pressure and resource constraints caused by the decline in performance. This effect may be influenced by institutional differences. In the case of negative feedback, a good regional institutional environment is conducive to the improvement of R&D efficiency, while a weak regional institutional environment weakens this effect. Specifically, the higher the degree of IPR enforcement and financial market development, as well as the lower the degree of local government intervention, the more inclined firms are to increase R&D efficiency. The findings provide insights into understanding R&D efficiency improvement in the context of emerging markets.

Risk management strategies protect the company as a whole as well as employees from unexpected financial impacts. As is the case in personal finance, preparing for certain scenarios helps confront any difficulties the company may face and allows it to get out of this predicament. For any project to be successful, it must be determined how the agency implementing the project will deal with potential risks so that it can identify, mitigate or avoid problems when it needs to do so. Successful project managers realize the importance of risk management, because achieving project objectives depends on planning, preparation, results and evaluation that contribute to achieving strategic objectives, especially sustainable development of communities. To ensure the success of your project, determine how you will handle potential risks so that you can identify, mitigate, or avoid problems when you need to do so.

This study investigates the impact of inventor CEOs on firm performance using a manually collected database of firms' inventors. Our findings reveal that, on average, firms with inventor CEOs experience a one- and two-percentage-point increase in ROA and ROE, respectively, compared to firms with noninventor CEOs. To address potential endogeneity issues, we employ turnover analysis, an instrumental variable approach, and propensity score matching. The estimation results suggest that inventor CEOs significantly enhance firm performance by fostering innovation and total factor productivity. This research contributes novel evidence on the relationship between inventor CEOs and firm performance.

The policy of ethnic equality and solidarity aims to narrow the ethnic gap and develop harmoniously. At the level of higher education, it should promote the equity of ethnic education. This paper uses the administrative data of undergraduate students from 2008 to 2015 in a liberal arts university in southwest China to study the differences, causes and dynamic trends in the scores of college students from different nationalities. The results show that compared with Han students, the average GPA of ethnic minority students is 0.13 points lower (equivalent to 0.23 and 0.3 standard deviations of the scores of ethnic minority and Han students), the fourth grade scores are 0.28 standard deviations lower, and 7.3% lower. This difference is more significant in the western region, especially in Xinjiang, Yunnan, Hubei and other provinces inhabited by ethnic minorities; Kazak and uygur are the nationalities with the biggest gap with han students; The difference between girls is more significant than that between boys. The "peer effect" and cultural distance between roommates are important reasons for this difference. Further analysis shows that although the ethnic differences in academic performance are gradually expanding, the growth rate tends to converge. The above conclusions are helpful to clarify the object and time of making national higher education policy, and also have important reference significance for primary and secondary education.

Occupying a preeminent position as the globe’s most extensive economic corridor, the Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB) serves as a crucial aquifer for 800 million individuals and harbors almost 50% of the country's paramount water-intensive contaminant producers. The ecological efficiency of these producers within the belt has increasingly come under scholarly scrutiny. Leveraging data from 2004-2012 encompassing 725 such manufacturers and employing the DEA-Malmquist index methodology, this research delineates the eco-efficiency trajectories of these water-centric pollutant producers, shedding light on their spatial-temporal dynamics across the expansive Yangtze Economic Belt. The results are as follows: (1) there’s a discernible enhancement in the eco-efficiency (ML) of these manufacturers situated within the YREB, predominantly propelled by technological change (TC) and shifts in technical efficiency change (TEC); (2) From a spatial perspective, notable disparities emerge in both technological change (TC) and technical efficiency change (TEC) among the belt’s upper, middle, and lower tiers. Intriguingly, the hierarchy for TC and TEC descends as follows: Lower > Upper > Middle; (3) Examining the spatial evolution nuances, 2004 witnessed eco-efficiency distributions ranking from Upper > Middle > Lower. Fast forward to 2012, a marked reconfiguration appears with a distribution pattern of Middle > Lower > Upper.

The COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc on economies everywhere, affecting everything from supply chain networks to international trade as a direct result of the increased vulnerability of more nations and the disruption of the activities of key traders. This research study examines how COVID-19 affected the supply chain on a worldwide and regional scale, as well as the systemic policy and economic steps governments and businesses took to rebound and maintain resilience. COVID-19 has had a significant influence, prompting governments and businesses to take steps to fortify their operations and businesses against disruptions, highlight the necessity for resilience in supply chains and emphasize the importance of managing risk. The supply value chain is at risk from the prolonged implementation of COVID-19 trade measures like border closure, export restrictions, and import sanctions. Many businesses are transitioning from a "recovery mode" to a resilient and sustainable mode" and are beginning to plan for the future. The study suggests that corporate and government leaders should prioritize proactive and adaptable policy, economic, and structural adjustment. This research will be useful to policymakers and industry leaders in their efforts to lessen the effect of COVID-19 on the global supply chain by enforcing governmental, economic, and business reforms built on resilient supply chains and mitigating economic risks during tough times.

Non-labor income is a crucial factor influencing time allocation, and prior studies have primarily concentrated on the linear association between non-labor income and labor hours. Utilizing micro-survey data from the CFPS in 2018 and 2020 and employing the panel threshold model, this paper empirically identifies a double threshold with the wage rate as the threshold variable. This finding reveals a non-linear relationship between non-labor income and labor hours. The two thresholds categorize the relationship into three intervals. In the first interval, non-labor income significantly promotes labor hours, while in the second and third intervals, non-labor income significantly decreases labor hours, exhibiting slightly varying degrees of influence. In general, the relationship between non-labor income and labor hours demonstrates an irregular inverted U-shaped pattern. Upon dividing the workers in the sample into three groups based on the two thresholds, it is observed that wage rates exhibit a positive correlation with non-labor income.

The No.1 document of the Central Government of China has been on the theme of "agriculture, rural areas and farmers" for nearly ten years, placing the solution of "agriculture, rural areas and farmers" at the forefront of the Chinese government's work. Located in the Central Plains, Henan Province in China is one of the major agricultural provinces in China and plays an extremely important role in the field of agricultural production in China. This paper uses an empirical approach and the DEA-Malquist model to study the efficiency of rural public financial inputs to rural revitalisation in Henan Province. The results show that due to different levels of regional economic development, the efficiency of rural public finance investment in Henan Province in promoting rural revitalisation varies, and there is a phenomenon of unreasonable allocation of funds. At the same time, the region's agricultural base also has a greater impact on the efficiency of financial investment. Therefore, Henan Province should adjust measures according to the different regional economic levels and agricultural bases to improve the efficiency of the use of fiscal funds.

The issue of food security has become a global challenge, and it is therefore crucial to seek measures to ensure food security. As an emerging economic model, the digital economy is regarded as the most effective tool for the modernization of agricultural development. As a large food-producing country, China faces serious problems of agricultural non-point source pollution and food loss and waste. The purpose of this study is to explore the impact of digital village construction on food security. We measure the level of digital village construction and food security by entropy method and use the spatial Durbin model to analyze them. In this paper, we found that digital village construction facilitates food security not only in the region but also in neighboring regions. In addition, we found that the promotion effect is significant in main grain producing regions, while the opposite result is found in non-main grain producing regions. We hold that the application of the digital economy in the countryside has played an obvious role in promoting food security in main grain producing provinces, and provides important experimental evidence for reference to ensure food security in the future.

This study investigated the response of currency outside the banking system to the rise in the use of the e-payment outlets in Nigeria. The study is motivated by the recent rise in the use of e-payment systems and their likely tendency to reduce the currency outside the banking system. Using monthly series over the period from 2012M12 to 2022M12, the study applied the VAR model. The study found that currency outside the banking system responded negatively to shocks in the three e-payment channels included in the study, even though such responses were short-lived. The study equally revealed that while bank reserves responded positively to shocks in e-bills payment only in period one, its response to shocks in both NIP and POS was positive up to periods six and eight, respectively. These outcomes found support in the results of the variance decomposition. On grounds of the findings, the study concludes that the e-payment system led to a reduction in the currency outside the banking system with the likely implication of causing much liquidity in the banking system. It is the view of the study that the monetary authorities should encourage the use of the e-payment systems in order to reduce the currency outside the banking system, but should monitor the various e-payment channels to avoid financial instability.

Public diplomacy is a significant factor in promoting policy communication, people-to-people bonds, and the protection of foreign assets between two nations, but there is little research on the economic worth of public diplomacy. Python was used to crawl the daily search frequency of "China", "African countries", and related terms to construct the heat index of China-Africa public diplomacy during 2011-2019, and a two-way fixed effect model was developed to examine the impact of public diplomacy on China’s outward foreign direct investment (OFDI) in Africa. The empirical results show that public diplomacy has a considerable favorable effect on China’s OFDI in Africa, and after a series of robustness tests, the basic conclusion still holds. Heterogeneity tests show the investment promotion effect of public diplomacy is more pronounced in sub-Saharan Africa and that the promotion mechanism exhibits the characteristics of poverty alleviation and risk aversion. In addition, the promotion effect of public diplomacy on China’s OFDI becomes greater as time goes on. In terms of impact mechanisms, public diplomacy may promote OFDI by enhancing financing capacity and improving national governance. The research conclusion has policy implications for promoting China-Africa public diplomacy and investment cooperation in the new era.

This research delves into the temporal dynamics of a nation's pursuit of a targeted GDP per capita level, employing five different survival machine learning models, remarkably Deep Learning algorithm (DeepSurv) and Survival Random Forest. This nuanced perspective moves beyond static evaluations, providing a comprehensive understanding of the developmental processes shaping economic trajectories over time. The economic implications underscore the intricate balance required between calculated risk-taking and strategic vulnerability mitigation. These findings guide policymakers in formulating resilient economic strategies for sustained development and growth amid the complexities inherent in contemporary economic landscapes.

This paper investigates the impact of new quality productivity on corporate innovation, and empirically analyzes it using A-share data from 2012-2022. New quality productivity, which includes emerging industries, future industries and digital transformation of traditional industries, has a significant positive effect on corporate innovation. The study shows that new quality productivity promotes innovation by enhancing innovation incentives and improving ESG performance. Improvements in the institutional environment can enhance its role in promoting innovation. It is recommended to enhance new quality productivity, stimulate innovation in SMEs, focus on ESG performance and develop differentiated strategies to support sustained innovation in corporate technology.

Influenced by traditional notions of solidarity, when a province’s planning can be highly aligned with that of the central government, the province is perceived to be more collective and thus able to receive financial or resource favors from the central government. This consistency, as is often the case, reflected in doing the same thing as the central government. This situation may lead governors to ignore local economic performance and thus reduce regional innovation efficiency, as in the case of China’s Great Leap Forward. Likewise, it is possible to get better resources (energy or capital) by demonstrating managerial submissiveness, thus improving the regional innovation efficiency. Therefore, to verify the relationship between imitative governance and regional innovation efficiency, we collected relevant data from 31 major provincial administrative units in China, calculated the degree of imitative governance between provincial government work reports and central government work reports through text similarity, as well as utilized the SBM-DEA model to evaluate regional innovation efficiency. Meanwhile, we provide a new explanation of the phenomenon from the perspective of resource inclination. Finally, the empirical results show that imitative governance promotes local innovation efficiency and is moderated by resource inclination.

This paper aims to investigate the impact of political promotion on the productivity of manufacturing firms using the database of Chinese industrial enterprises from 1998 to 2007. We found that the political promotion of officials had a negative impact on manufacturing firm productivity, and this impact varied according to the characteristics of officials and enterprises. In addition, there was an age "ceiling effect" among Chinese municipal officials. Further research showed that the regional level of rule of law mitigated the negative effect of political promotion on the productivity of manufacturing firms. Finally, this paper makes policy recommendations for improving the promotion mechanism of officials, enhancing regional legalization, and transforming government functions.

The digital economy exerts both positive and negative influences on urban sustainable development, yet there is a notable gap in the existing research concerning its impact on energy intensity and the underlying mechanisms. this study pioneers the investigation of a nonlinear relationship between the digital economy and energy intensity, revealing a significant inverted U-shaped relationship. Specifically, we observe a noteworthy reduction in energy intensity when the digital economy index surpasses 0.286. Our empirical findings indicate that the digital economy not only directly influences energy intensity but also exerts an indirect impact through initiatives such as the promotion of green innovation and the agglomeration of high-tech industries. Importantly, the promotional effects of the digital economy exhibit heterogeneity with respect to geographical location, resource endowment, and urban scale. This paper contributes to the theoretical understanding of information technology in urban green development by analyzing the mechanisms of the digital economy at the urban level and its intricate impact on energy intensity.

The long-term low level of residents' property income is not only detrimental to the wealth accumulation of farmers, but also aggravates the urban-rural income imbalance. This paper uses an empirical approach to explore the mechanism of digital literacy's impact on farm households' property income. The main findings of this paper are as follows: (1) Digital literacy and its sub-dimensions can significantly increase the level of farmers' property income, with the strongest contribution of digital information acquisition literacy. (2) Digital literacy has a greater boosting effect on the property income of farm households with low education level heads, low physical capital households, and villages with better economic development. (3) Digital literacy increases the property income of farm households mainly through expanding social capital and improving risk preferences. The innovation of this paper is to construct a digital literacy evaluation index system based on a micro perspective that fits the behavioral characteristics of farmers, and reveal the impact and mechanism of digital literacy and its sub-dimensions on farmers' property income. This study expands the theoretical research related to digital literacy and farmers' property income, and provides a scientific basis for the choice of strategies to enhance the digital literacy of the majority of farmers, which is important for promoting wealth accumulation of farmers and achieving common prosperity.