The role of financial inclusion in achieving financerelated sustainable development goals (SDGs): a cross-country analysis

Financial inclusion is critical for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Therefore, as there is a lack of extant studies linking financial inclusion to the SDGs, this present study used a panel regression model to examine the individual and combined effects of financial inclusion on the SDGs in selected countries between 2017 to 2020. As most extant studies have only examined specific SDGs individually, this present study is the first to examine the correlation between financial inclusion and finance-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The findings indicate that financial inclusion positively correlates to the 2nd, 5th, and 8th SDGs but not significantly enough to the 1st, 3rd, 9th, and 10th SDGs. A significant and positive correlation was also identified between financial inclusion and sustainable development in its entirety (finance-related SDG index). As financial inclusion may not directly affect all the SDGs, the uniqueness of this present study is that it examines seven finance-related aspects of SDGs, as outlined by the World Bank. The findings could encourage policymakers to increase efforts to raise the extent of financial inclusion to enhance the finance-related SDGs

A Longitudinal Historical Population Database in Asia. The Taiwanese Historical Household Registers Database (1906–1945)

For the past 35 years, the Taiwan Historical Household Registers Database (THHRD) has been significant for historical demographic research on Asia. In recent years, researchers have continued adding new demographic information to the database. This allows for the expansion of research on the topic of historical households in the region. However, there are still many issues to address in the field of Asian historical demography. This paper provides a brief introduction on the uses of THHRD for future research

The role of financial inclusion in achieving financerelated sustainable development goals (SDGs): a cross-country analysis

Financial inclusion is critical for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Therefore, as there is a lack of extant studies linking financial inclusion to the SDGs, this present study used a panel regression model to examine the individual and combined effects of financial inclusion on the SDGs in selected countries between 2017 to 2020. As most extant studies have only examined specific SDGs individually, this present study is the first to examine the correlation between financial inclusion and finance-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The findings indicate that financial inclusion positively correlates to the 2nd, 5th, and 8th SDGs but not significantly enough to the 1st, 3rd, 9th, and 10th SDGs. A significant and positive correlation was also identified between financial inclusion and sustainable development in its entirety (finance-related SDG index). As financial inclusion may not directly affect all the SDGs, the uniqueness of this present study is that it examines seven finance-related aspects of SDGs, as outlined by the World Bank. The findings could encourage policymakers to increase efforts to raise the extent of financial inclusion to enhance the finance-related SDGs

Forecasting of Singapore's future mortality rates : the Heligman-Pollard model and its comparison to the Lee-Carter model.

In this project, we study mortality rates and life expectancies of the Singapore population using the Heligman-Pollard model – both initial and extended versions. The evolution of the parameters of both variants of the model are obtained, analyzed and discussed to form the basis upon which the future mortality rates and life expectancies are forecasted. The forecast results are compared against actual mortality data to investigate the accuracy of the estimates. The initial variant of the Heligman-Pollard model proved to be the better of the two, providing a better fit of data to the actual mortality rates. Projected mortality rates under the initial Heligman-Pollard model for Years 2011 and 2021 is then compared against those projected using the Lee-Carter model. Evaluation of the two models found the Heligman-Pollard model more superior in generating reasonable rates of mortality. Concluding remarks are made at the end of the paper with suggestions of possible future research.BUSINES

Pitting corrosion induced on high-strength high carbon steel wire in high alkaline deaerated chloride electrolyte

Electrochemical response causing pitting corrosion of high-strength high carbon steel wire in deaerated electrolyte at pH 13.4 due to different chloride ion (Cl−) concentrations was investigated using open circuit potential, cyclic potentiodynamic polarization, and anodic potentiostatic application (APA) within the passive zone. Results showed that the higher the Cl− concentration, the more negative the corrosion potential becomes. In the high alkaline pH 13.4 without the presence of free oxygen gas the Cl− concentration could reach up to 1 M not showing pitting potential. An inverse relationship between anodic potentials (APs) and Cl− concentrations was found and the rate of corrosion within passive period was almost a constant, not influenced by the Cl− concentrations. Faraday´s law failed to predict the mass loss when active pitting corrosion occurred. Green rust and hydrogen gas were observed during active pitting corrosion under APA. Pitting corrosion mechanism in the deaerated high alkaline electrolyte was then proposed. This work deduces that in the deaerated electrolyte at pH 13.4 with the presence of Cl−, it is essential to apply the APs within the safety margin on the high-strength high carbon steel wire to avoid active pitting corrosion and hydrogen embrittlement

The heterogeneous effects of urbanisation and institutional quality on greenhouse gas emissions in Belt and Road Initiative countries.

The rise of urbanisation in Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) countries that contribute to the disruption of the ecosystem, which would affect global sustainability, is a pressing concern. This study provides new evidence of the impact of urbanisation and institutional quality on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the selected 48 BRI countries from the years 1984 to 2017. The models of this study are inferred by using panel regression model and panel quantile regression model to meet the objectives of our study as it contemplates unobserved country heterogeneity. From the panel regression model, the findings indicate that although urbanisation in BRI supports the 'life effect' hypothesis that could dampen the environment quality, this effect could be reduced through better institutional quality. Using the quantile regression method, this study concludes that one-size-fits-all strategies to reduce GHG emissions in countries with different GHG emissions levels are improbable to achieve success for all. Hence, GHG emissions control procedures should be adjusted differently across high-emission, middle-emission and low-emission countries. Based on these results, this study provides novel intuitions for policymakers to wisely plan the urbanisation blueprints to eradicate unplanned urbanisation and improve institutional quality in meeting pollution mitigation goals

The cubicle deconstructed : simple visual enclosure improves perseverance

The design of an office can affect productivity and work performance. Though social distraction (acoustic and visual distractions from other co-workers) certainly impacts performance, the effects of the spatial characteristics of the office environment per se are less known. We tested visual enclosure by simply adding a cubicle partition around a desk, and show in two studies that even this minor change improves perseverance, a central function underlying many job tasks. A third study suggests that this effect is likely caused by adjusting the allocation of mental effort depending on the environment, with larger spaces requiring a greater effort allocation. These findings suggest that environmental characteristics affect human performance by influencing the effort allocated to various tasks (effort allocation hypothesis) rather than by activating concepts related to enclosure (semantic priming). Overall, we suggest that visual enclosure in itself could be beneficial in tasks requiring perseverance.Ministry of National Development (MND)National Research Foundation (NRF)Published versionThis research is supported in part by the Singapore Ministry of National Development and the National Research Foundation, Prime Minister’s Office under the Land and Liveability National Innovation Challenge (L2 NIC) Research Programme (L2 NIC Award No. L2NICCFP1-2013-2)

White- and blue- collar workers' responses towards underground workspaces

Modern technologies have enabled the development of high quality work environments in underground spaces (UGS).Yet, the fundamental issue of whether UGS are suitable for people intensive functions, such as office or manual work, is largely not well understood. Here, we examine whether full-time white collar (office [WCW]) and blue collar (mostly manual [BCW]) workers of UGS have different responses to critical organizational variables when compared to similar workers of aboveground spaces (AGS). Location (underground vs. aboveground) affected neither job satisfaction (overall) nor satisfaction with physical environment (overall, lighting, air quality, temperature, humidity, noise or surrounding greenery). BCW, regardless of location, reported lower satisfaction with temperature, humidity and noise but scored higher in overall job satisfaction. BCW perceived the UGS as more safe and calm; moreover, perceived confinement decreased with age, suggesting that older (or more experienced) workers are less negatively oriented towards working in UGS. These results suggest that assigning UGS to people-intensive functions (manual or office) might be a viable opportunity

The importance of air quality for underground spaces : an international survey of public attitudes

Space is a resource that is constantly being depleted, especially in mega-cities. Underground workspaces (UGS) are increasingly being included in urban plans and have emerged as a realistic and essential component of vertical cities. While progress had been made on the engineering aspects associated with the development of high-quality UGS, public attitudes towards UGS as work environment (i.e. concerns public has on the design of UGS) are relatively unknown. Here, we present the first large-scale study examining preferences and attitudes towards UGS, surveying close to 2,000 participants from four cities in three continents (Singapore, Shanghai, London and Montreal). Contrary to some anecdotal or qualitative beliefs, air quality (and not lack of windows) is the major concern of prospective occupants. Windows, temperature and lighting emerged as additional key architectural features for UGS. Importantly, early adopters (i.e. individuals more willing to accept UGS and thus more likely to be the first occupants) across all cities prioritised air quality. Present results suggest that (perceived) air quality is a key architectural feature for UGS that needs to be communicated to prospective occupants as this will improve their attitudes and views towards UGS. This study highlights the importance of indoor air quality for the public.Ministry of National Development (MND)National Research Foundation (NRF)Accepted versionThis research is supported in part by the Singapore Ministry of National Development and the National Research Foundation, Prime Minister’s Office under the Land and Liveability National Innovation Challenge (L2 NIC) Research Programme (L2 NIC Award No L2 NIC FP1-2013-2)