The economics and philosophy of globalization

The economics and philosophy of Globalization are generally not discussed together. This paper assesses the claims of economic prosperity through economic integration in the backdrop of cultural, political and social value system implications of Globalization. This debate becomes important when we see a major part of developing world still struggling with impoverishment while cheerleaders of Globalization already claim a success story out of increased integration of developed and developing economies post 1980s.Globalization, Macroeconomic Policy, Economic Integration, Postmodernism

The Role of Sustainability Practices in Improving Corporate and Sustainability Innovation Performance of the Petroleum Companies of Pakistan

The purpose of this research is to investigate and analyze the vital role of sustainability practices encompassing eco efficiency linked, employee or ethics centered and integrative procedures for enlightening corporate performance and guaranteeing greater sustainable innovation performance. This is achieved by upholding and maintaining EEA trait resilience that comprises engineering, ecological and adaptive facets of resilience. On the basis of tentative assumptions derived through a Triple Bottom Line (3BL) of oil and gas companies, Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) with SMART PLS has been used to perform path analysis for testing these hypotheses. The sample in the envisioned study with cross-sectional study design contains primary or empirical data obtained from the managers of petroleum companies in Lahore, Pakistan. With respect to the current study’s context, it can be established that sustainability or socially responsible practices are the ultimate supporting and ancillary beings of petroleum based organizations needed to gratify ecological, engineering and adaptability (EEA) resilience and assist these companies to achieve long term goals pertaining to corporate value, effectiveness and efficacy with augmented heights of sustainable innovation performance. This study features and emphasizes the true value of sustainability based on the premise of Institutional Theory and resilience or bounciness of oil and gas companies momentous of Systems Theory based texts. The findings reveal that higher sustainable innovation enactment and enhancement in corporate level performance of these petroleum companies can be sustained and endured in continuity by fetching resilience in adaptiveness, ecosystem protection and engineering processes through installing distinguished ethics, employee and integration centered sustainability and actions in operations.&nbsp

Quantum Organizations with Islamic Way Forward

Firstly, this paper describes a phenomenon of transnational organization and general condition of world and ‘man in the world’. For developing a comprehensive framework, it presents authentic literature review beginning from modernity to post modernity using the hermeneutic-interpretivism research tradition to show the similarities between modernism and post modernism. By revealing the missing link in the quantum paradigm of ralph Kilmann (scholar of quantum organization) on one hand, it develops the possibility of reviving revealed knowledge back into the main frame knowledge of organization theory, on the other hand. By raising and addressing the question of how can the revealed knowledge addresses the current economic dilemma, the paper describes the three lenses available used to understand natural world, socio economic world and behavioral world in Newtonian verses quantum assumptions on organization theory   along with their implications. For cross fertilization of ideas and better understanding of God, cosmos and human it presents an alternative of Islamic way forward suggested by scholarly views from East and West. To further substantiate, it presents the stunning insights from the renowned wisdom traditions (pragmatic civilizations) to highlight why religions matter to show (the levels of reality and levels of selfhood as well as relationship between Necessity being and contingent being), responding the situation of power and domination prevalent in organizing world by suggesting historical/civilizational ethical mode and adopting psycho, spiritual-pragmatic approach with holistic world view (Big picture)

Economics, education and religion: Can Western theories be generalized across religions?

Abstract. Some of the recent empirical studies relate economic growth and prosperity with religion. This paper raises the question that if economic systems are based on individualism and selfishness, can they be related with religion? The paper also finds that the Secularization hypothesis of Western Modernity is still valid for Western cultures, Judaism and Christianity but its application is highly unlikely in case of the third monotheist religion Islam. The paper expounds the causes of this proposition keeping in view the historical, religious and economic perspectives of Islam. Keywords. Religion, Economics, Education, Monotheist religions, Secularization hypothesis.JEL. A10

The economics and philosophy of globalization

The economics and philosophy of Globalization are generally not discussed together. This paper assesses the claims of economic prosperity through economic integration in the backdrop of cultural, political and social value system implications of Globalization. This debate becomes important when we see a major part of developing world still struggling with impoverishment while cheerleaders of Globalization already claim a success story out of increased integration of developed and developing economies post 1980s

Economics, education and religion: can western theories be generalized across religions?

Some of the recent empirical studies relate economic growth and prosperity with religion. This paper raises the question that if economic systems are based on individualism and selfishness, can they be related with religion? The paper also finds that the Secularization hypothesis of Western Modernity is still valid for Western cultures, Judaism and Christianity but its application is highly unlikely in case of the third monotheist religion Islam. The paper expounds the causes of this proposition keeping in view the historical, religious and economic perspectives of Islam

The economics and philosophy of globalization

Abstract. The economics and philosophy of Globalization are generally not discussed together. This paper assesses the claims of economic prosperity through economic integration in the backdrop of cultural, political and social value system implications of Globalization. This debate becomes important when we see a major part of developing world still struggling with impoverishment while cheerleaders of Globalization already claim a success story out of increased integration of developed and developing economies post 1980s.Keywords. Globalization, Macroeconomic policy, Economic integration, Postmodernism.JEL. F15, F36, F60

Burden of disease scenarios for 204 countries and territories, 2022–2050: a forecasting analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

Background: Future trends in disease burden and drivers of health are of great interest to policy makers and the public at large. This information can be used for policy and long-term health investment, planning, and prioritisation. We have expanded and improved upon previous forecasts produced as part of the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) and provide a reference forecast (the most likely future), and alternative scenarios assessing disease burden trajectories if selected sets of risk factors were eliminated from current levels by 2050. Methods: Using forecasts of major drivers of health such as the Socio-demographic Index (SDI; a composite measure of lag-distributed income per capita, mean years of education, and total fertility under 25 years of age) and the full set of risk factor exposures captured by GBD, we provide cause-specific forecasts of mortality, years of life lost (YLLs), years lived with disability (YLDs), and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) by age and sex from 2022 to 2050 for 204 countries and territories, 21 GBD regions, seven super-regions, and the world. All analyses were done at the cause-specific level so that only risk factors deemed causal by the GBD comparative risk assessment influenced future trajectories of mortality for each disease. Cause-specific mortality was modelled using mixed-effects models with SDI and time as the main covariates, and the combined impact of causal risk factors as an offset in the model. At the all-cause mortality level, we captured unexplained variation by modelling residuals with an autoregressive integrated moving average model with drift attenuation. These all-cause forecasts constrained the cause-specific forecasts at successively deeper levels of the GBD cause hierarchy using cascading mortality models, thus ensuring a robust estimate of cause-specific mortality. For non-fatal measures (eg, low back pain), incidence and prevalence were forecasted from mixed-effects models with SDI as the main covariate, and YLDs were computed from the resulting prevalence forecasts and average disability weights from GBD. Alternative future scenarios were constructed by replacing appropriate reference trajectories for risk factors with hypothetical trajectories of gradual elimination of risk factor exposure from current levels to 2050. The scenarios were constructed from various sets of risk factors: environmental risks (Safer Environment scenario), risks associated with communicable, maternal, neonatal, and nutritional diseases (CMNNs; Improved Childhood Nutrition and Vaccination scenario), risks associated with major non-communicable diseases (NCDs; Improved Behavioural and Metabolic Risks scenario), and the combined effects of these three scenarios. Using the Shared Socioeconomic Pathways climate scenarios SSP2-4.5 as reference and SSP1-1.9 as an optimistic alternative in the Safer Environment scenario, we accounted for climate change impact on health by using the most recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change temperature forecasts and published trajectories of ambient air pollution for the same two scenarios. Life expectancy and healthy life expectancy were computed using standard methods. The forecasting framework includes computing the age-sex-specific future population for each location and separately for each scenario. 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs) for each individual future estimate were derived from the 2·5th and 97·5th percentiles of distributions generated from propagating 500 draws through the multistage computational pipeline. Findings: In the reference scenario forecast, global and super-regional life expectancy increased from 2022 to 2050, but improvement was at a slower pace than in the three decades preceding the COVID-19 pandemic (beginning in 2020). Gains in future life expectancy were forecasted to be greatest in super-regions with comparatively low life expectancies (such as sub-Saharan Africa) compared with super-regions with higher life expectancies (such as the high-income super-region), leading to a trend towards convergence in life expectancy across locations between now and 2050. At the super-region level, forecasted healthy life expectancy patterns were similar to those of life expectancies. Forecasts for the reference scenario found that health will improve in the coming decades, with all-cause age-standardised DALY rates decreasing in every GBD super-region. The total DALY burden measured in counts, however, will increase in every super-region, largely a function of population ageing and growth. We also forecasted that both DALY counts and age-standardised DALY rates will continue to shift from CMNNs to NCDs, with the most pronounced shifts occurring in sub-Saharan Africa (60·1% [95% UI 56·8–63·1] of DALYs were from CMNNs in 2022 compared with 35·8% [31·0–45·0] in 2050) and south Asia (31·7% [29·2–34·1] to 15·5% [13·7–17·5]). This shift is reflected in the leading global causes of DALYs, with the top four causes in 2050 being ischaemic heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, compared with 2022, with ischaemic heart disease, neonatal disorders, stroke, and lower respiratory infections at the top. The global proportion of DALYs due to YLDs likewise increased from 33·8% (27·4–40·3) to 41·1% (33·9–48·1) from 2022 to 2050, demonstrating an important shift in overall disease burden towards morbidity and away from premature death. The largest shift of this kind was forecasted for sub-Saharan Africa, from 20·1% (15·6–25·3) of DALYs due to YLDs in 2022 to 35·6% (26·5–43·0) in 2050. In the assessment of alternative future scenarios, the combined effects of the scenarios (Safer Environment, Improved Childhood Nutrition and Vaccination, and Improved Behavioural and Metabolic Risks scenarios) demonstrated an important decrease in the global burden of DALYs in 2050 of 15·4% (13·5–17·5) compared with the reference scenario, with decreases across super-regions ranging from 10·4% (9·7–11·3) in the high-income super-region to 23·9% (20·7–27·3) in north Africa and the Middle East. The Safer Environment scenario had its largest decrease in sub-Saharan Africa (5·2% [3·5–6·8]), the Improved Behavioural and Metabolic Risks scenario in north Africa and the Middle East (23·2% [20·2–26·5]), and the Improved Nutrition and Vaccination scenario in sub-Saharan Africa (2·0% [–0·6 to 3·6]). Interpretation: Globally, life expectancy and age-standardised disease burden were forecasted to improve between 2022 and 2050, with the majority of the burden continuing to shift from CMNNs to NCDs. That said, continued progress on reducing the CMNN disease burden will be dependent on maintaining investment in and policy emphasis on CMNN disease prevention and treatment. Mostly due to growth and ageing of populations, the number of deaths and DALYs due to all causes combined will generally increase. By constructing alternative future scenarios wherein certain risk exposures are eliminated by 2050, we have shown that opportunities exist to substantially improve health outcomes in the future through concerted efforts to prevent exposure to well established risk factors and to expand access to key health interventions

Faith & reason: a synthesis in Pakistani society

The basic objectives of this paper are to build a general level of understanding towards the need for synthesizing and harmonizing religious, scientific and philosophical thoughts as they are developed and practiced in Pakistan or in other words, bringing the Islamic and western incliners close to each other and also in outlining some practical methodological ways through which this process of integration can be put on track leading towards a forward looking and modern Pakistani society while retaining its core and basic fabric of faith and religion. The paper has three sections, the first section highlights the needs and reasons for synthesis in relation to various segments of our society and also point out the potential adverse consequences of not undertaking and building an integrative view. The second section suggests some ways, measures and methods of achieving the above mentioned thought of integration across the society and focuses on some of the collective and institutional level endeavors and commitments required to actualize this integration. The third section of this paper issues some warnings regarding the process of integration and its possible undesirable repercussions on the society, in light of some of the earlier such attempts. The research draws some practical steps which need to be undertaken in the Pakistani society for creating a synthesis between Faith and Reason

Influence of workplace incivility on counterproductive work behavior: Mediating role of emotional exhaustion, organizational cynicism and the moderating role of psychological capital

Drawing on conservation of resources (COR) theory, this study investigates association of workplace incivility (WI) with counterproductive work behavior (CPWB) of banking employees in Pakistan. In addition, mediating role of emotional exhaustion (EE), organizational cynicism (OCY) and moderating role of psychological capital (Psy-Cap) were also examined. A structured questionnaire was used to obtain data from 215 banking employees of Lahore, Pakistan after applying stratified random sampling. Data was analyzed applying mediation / moderation regression using Hayes Process Macro in SPSS 21. Findings reveal that workplace incivility has significant and positive association with CPWB. While, emotional exhaustion and cynicism partially mediate positive association between WI and CPWB. Moreover, psychological capital in interaction with WI has significant moderating impact and weakens the positive association between WI and CPWB. Study findings are useful for practitioners because our results reveal moderating role of Psy-Cap as coping mechanism on association of WI and CPWB. Management can benefit from the buffering effect of Psy-Cap to help and train employees dealing with uncivil conducts and reduce CPWBs at workplace