Corruptive intention and anti-citizenship behavior: A study of the impact of workplace dissatisfaction among personnel in the Cameroonian public health care sector

Abstract. This study focuses on the sociocognitive processes that generally affect actors in the public administration and undermine their values, ethics, and the sense of providing a free and equitable public service, as recognized in administrative bureaucracies. We started with the following research question: What are the direct underlying determinants of corruptible behavior among public health personnel? Through a dual analysis of correlation and mediation using structural equation modeling, a confirmatory figure was presented, demonstrating the mediating effect (Hayes, 2018) of workplace distress on Corruptive Behavioral Intention (CBI) on one hand, and Organizational Citizenship Behavior (OCB) on the other.Keywords. Corruptive intention; Anti-citizenship behavior;  Workplace distress; Public health personnel.JEL. F13; F14; Q54

Innovation Failure: Typologies for appropriate R&D management

Abstract. In markets having innovation-based competition and market turbulence, one of the fundamental problems is the high risk of failure in new innovation projects that generates negative effects on firm performance and related competitive advantage. In the field of strategic and innovation management, a vital aspect is the categorization and explanation of different failure types in innovation model and how their role can slow down or spur technological advances. The study confronts this problem here by developing a taxonomy to categorize different failures in innovation projects for technology analysis of the stages and sources of innovation failures in order to sustain strategic management to improve organizational processes in goal setting and achieving. The development of this framework is due to the lack in current literature of the innovation management of a categorization that describes the different typologies of failure in innovation projects that occur in the model of innovation. This theoretical gap generates difficulties both to communicate the specific types of innovation failure and provide fruitful feedbacks for improving strategic change in markets. Three basic types of failure in innovation projects are proposed: a) achieving-goal failure; b) planning process failure; c) execution failure. Case study research verifies proposed taxonomy in practical contexts, revealing that pharmaceutical sector is prone mainly to achieving-goal failure in innovation projects, whereas aerospace and aircraft industries are affected mainly by planning process and/or execution failure in innovative projects. This study conceives that proposed taxonomy can be used to: (1) describe what categories of failure are in-process and which are out-of-process in innovation model designed, and (2) detect the pivot stage in which failure in innovation project can origin to understand potential and current sources. The failure of innovation projects reveals the temporary bounded rationality and limits of people and organizations to solve problems in complex environments. Hence, this study seeks to provide a general theoretical framework, supported by a case study research, which may guide R&D managers, designers, analysts, etc. when a failure occurs in innovation processes  to strengthen strategic management with best practices on how to better direct organizational efforts to manage failures properly, by reducing negative effects and improving the re-design of new goal-setting  directed to maintain the strategies of firm in the right direction to pursuing competitive advantage in turbulent markets.Keywords. Innovation Failure, Failure Analysis, Innovation project, Innovation Design, Goal Failure, Monitoring, R&D Management, Task Choice, Failure Management, Organizational learning.JEL. D81, G32, O31, O32, O33

Global assessment of climate change and trade on food security

Abstract. The rise in global trade has led to improvements in the standard of living and lifted many out of poverty, but not all countries have been able to fully integrate into the world trading system due to lack of resources. Access to food supplies is critical for those with inadequate access to food for sustainable consumption. The evolving trade dynamics and climate change will result in winners and losers for the global food system, with some regions experiencing double exposure to economic and climate-related shocks and stressors. Trade openness can significantly reduce vulnerabilities and enhance food security, if necessary, infrastructure is in place. Although global trade can play a crucial role in ensuring that the global food system adapts to a changing climate, this potential will only be realized if trade is managed to maximize the benefits of broadened access to new markets and minimize the risks of increased exposure to international competition and market volatility. For regions like Africa, enhanced transportation networks, combined with greater national reserves of cash and enhanced social safety nets, could reduce the impact of double exposure on food security.Keywords. International trade; Food security; Climate change.JEL. F13; F14; Q54

Coalition government or federalism? The relationship between policy distance and institutional design

Abstract. This study theorises the political system after the introduction of democracy through one mechanism: federalism and coalition government. This study shows that if a stable ruling party can be constituted by a coalition government without a federal system, then either the coalition government is maintained or a single party runs the state government as the ruling party, without devolving as much power to the regions as in a federal system. However, if there is a strong opposition party and the ruling party cannot be expected to have sufficient policy effectiveness, and if the opposition is strong enough in some regions to be the opposition party in the national government but the ruling party in the regions if federalism is introduced, then both the ruling party and the opposition party will benefit from federalism. Incentives then arise for both the ruling party and the opposition to reduce the powers of the state as a state and increase the powers of local government. Institutional designers choose whether to introduce federalism or to constitute a coalition government as a way of optimising investment for policy by the parties as well as the balance between policy distance between parties and the size of the parties.Keywords. Coalition governments; Federalism, Policy distance, Relation-specific investment.JEL. P26; P48; L38

Covid-19 in society between 2020 (without vaccinations) and 2021 (with vaccinations): A case study

Abstract. This study develops a comparative analysis of the effects of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) between April-June 2020 (without vaccinations) and April-June 2021 (with vaccinations) in Italy. The findings reveal that the dynamics of COVID-19 is declining because of its seasonality that reduce the effects in summer season. Hence, this study provides critical lessons that could be of benefit to countries for crisis management of pandemic diseases, showing how seasonality can reduce the diffusion of airborne disease of novel viral agents in summer.Keywords. Pandemic diseases; Coronavirus; Vaccines; Vaccination campaigns; Health systems; Climate;  Seasonality.JEL. C52; L25; M14

A brief perspective on globalization

The purpose of this paper is to examine globalization from a variety of perspectives relevant to the present day and time. We first examine what is globalization in present day context, then we examine the importance of financial flows from globalization. We further examine into how digitization is taking place across the globe and the consequences that it brings. We also look at the consequences of globalization on the environment and finally we come to the discussion of the importance of globalization in present day times and especially in regards to the Covid-19 pandemic. Is prudence in terms of globalization a better path rather than irrational exuberance.? Is stability better than volatility?Keywords. Globalization; Finance; Digitization; Environment; Sustainability; Covid-19; Public Health.JEL. C52; L25; M14

Front Matter

Front Matte

Measuring performance of countries to face covid-19 threat and the role of low population and high level of helthcare expenditure to mitigate negative effects

Abstract. The goal of study is to suggest the Index of resilience that detects which countries have had the best performance to reduce mortality related to COVID-19 pandemic and the Index of preparedness that assesses performance of countries to support COVID-19 vaccinations. The sample under study is European countries having a similar socioeconomic system. Results show that Iceland, Norway and Finland have a higher performance of resilience, reducing mortality in society, likely because a smaller size of population, whereas Belgium and Czech Republic the lowest performance. Instead, The UK has the highest performance to rollout vaccinations, driven by a high level of healthcare expenditure and the discovery and production of one of the COVID-19 vaccines.  However, results suggest that manifold countries have low pandemic preparedness and several biological security weaknesses that have to be improved with and effective  planning of crisis management for pandemic threats.Keywords. Covid-19, Coronavirus infections, Crisis management, COVID-19 Mortality, Vaccination plans, Pandemic preparedness, Pandemic Responses, Healthcare expenditure, Population.JEL. M15

The relation between timing of vaccinations and levels of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in society: When to roll out vaccination to minimize infections?

This study analyzes the relations between doses administrated of vaccines for Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) and confirmed cases from March to May 2021 to find out the optimal level of doses administrated per 100 inhabitants, which can lead to a reduction in the diffusion of COVID-19 cases.  Findings reveal that a delay of vaccination in population, it moves up the optimal value of doses administrated per 100 inhabitants from 58.5 to more than 86 per 100 people, with consequential damages and long-run deterioration of socioeconomic systems. This study suggests that the optimal policy to pandemic threats is the early, rapid, nationally vaccination rollout for an effective reduction of the spread of infectious disease that reduces negative effects in society.Keywords. Pandemics; Vaccines; Vaccinations; Infection control; Health Planning;  Crisis management; Policy responses.JEL. C52; L25; M14

Technology ethics

Abstract. Technology ethics is a topic at the frontier of the modern day development. Mostly because due to the fact that our our reliance on technology increases as we become more accustomed to the pace of technological development. Hence, it is important for us understand the ethical implications that arise with these advances. Therefore, this article provides an introduction and foundation for technology ethics, data protection and artificial intelligence.Keywords. IT ethics, Data protection, AI, GDPR.JEL. H20, E40, M15