Month: April 2024

The Polarizing Impact of Political Disinformation and Hate Speech: A Cross-country Configural Narrative

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Abstract

Information and communication technologies hold immense potential to enhance our lives and societal well-being. However, digital spaces have also emerged as a fertile ground for fake news campaigns and hate speech, aggravating polarization and posing a threat to societal harmony. Despite the fact that this dark side is acknowledged in the literature, the complexity of polarization as a phenomenon coupled with the socio-technical nature of fake news necessitates a novel approach to unravel its intricacies. In light of this sophistication, the current study employs complexity theory and a configurational approach to investigate the impact of diverse disinformation campaigns and hate speech in polarizing societies across 177 countries through a cross-country investigation. The results demonstrate the definitive role of disinformation and hate speech in polarizing societies. The findings also offer a balanced perspective on internet censorship and social media monitoring as necessary evils to combat the disinformation menace and control polarization, but suggest that such efforts may lend support to a milieu of hate speech that fuels polarization. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.

Can you be Mindful? The Effectiveness of Mindfulness-Driven Interventions in Enhancing the Digital Resilience to Fake News on COVID-19

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Abstract

This study explores the factors that influence the dissemination process of and public susceptibility to fake news amidst COVID-19. By adopting a qualitative approach that draws on 21 interviews with social media users from the standpoint of source credibility and construal level theories, our findings highlight motives of news sharers, platform features, and source credibility/relatedness as major factors influencing the dissemination of and public susceptibility to fake news. The paper further argues that public susceptibility to fake news can be mitigated by building an integrated approach that combines a tripartite strategy from an individual, institutional and platform level. For example, educating the public on digital resilience and enhancing awareness around source credibility can help individuals and institutions reflect on news authenticity and report fake news where possible. This study contributes to fake news literature by integrating concepts from information management, consumer behaviour, influencer marketing and mindfulness to propose a model to help authorities identify and understand the key factors that influence susceptibility to fake news during a public crisis such as COVID-19.

Fake news on Social Media: the Impact on Society

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Abstract

Fake news (FN) on social media (SM) rose to prominence in 2016 during the United States of America presidential election, leading people to question science, true news (TN), and societal norms. FN is increasingly affecting societal values, changing opinions on critical issues and topics as well as redefining facts, truths, and beliefs. To understand the degree to which FN has changed society and the meaning of FN, this study proposes a novel conceptual framework derived from the literature on FN, SM, and societal acceptance theory. The conceptual framework is developed into a meta-framework that analyzes survey data from 356 respondents. This study explored fuzzy set-theoretic comparative analysis; the outcomes of this research suggest that societies are split on differentiating TN from FN. The results also show splits in societal values. Overall, this study provides a new perspective on how FN on SM is disintegrating societies and replacing TN with FN.

Assessing the environmental implications of structural change in middle-income countries: introducing the structural change index

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Abstract

The climate crisis is a critical global issue that demands immediate and collective action from all stakeholders. Researchers are trying to find out the factors that cause the climate crisis and how they can be prevented. This research focuses on identifying the sources of carbon emissions, especially for countries with increasing emissions, which are the main contributors to global warming. Middle-income countries (MICs) pose more of a risk to global climate change because of their rapid industrial development and structural change, which often comes at the expense of environmental quality. This research intends to check out the influence of structural change, institutional quality, population density, and natural resource rent on environmental quality in MIC in the period 2000–2018. We employed method of moments quantile regression (MMQR) and bootstrapped simultaneous quantile regression (BSQR) estimates to obtain long-term effects. The influences of explanatory variables are not uniform across different quantiles of CO2 emissions. This implies that there are different levels of sensitivity and responsiveness to these variables among different groups of countries. The study’s conclusions demonstrate a trade-off between environmental degradation and structural changes in MIC. It has been determined that, among all the independent variables, only institutional quality has a positive effect on the environment, while economic expansion, the utilization of natural resources, and structural transformation have negative effects. As soon as possible, MICs must move to expedite structural changing and embark on an economic path that would guarantee sustainable development.

Trade Agreements, Technical Regulations, and Standards: Competitiveness Implications for Kenyan Exporters to European Union

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Abstract

The European Union imports over 22.4% of total Kenyan exports and is market to over 51.3% of Kenya’s untapped export potential. However, there is a dearth of knowledge on how trade agreements, technical regulations, and standards influence competitiveness of firms exporting to the market. This study uses customs firm-product (HS 2 digit)-destination data ranging from 2007 to 2020 to examine the competitiveness implications of trade agreements and the resultant technical regulations and standards on firms that export to the European Union. The stylized facts demonstrate that countries offering the largest preferential margin to exporting firms are the very same countries with the largest number of technical regulations and standards faced by exporters. Controlling for potential simultaneity, results from random and fixed-effects models demonstrate that higher preferential margins emanating from trade agreements are associated with increases in market power and the number of products per exporter. However, higher preferential margins emanating from trade agreements are associated with a decline in the number of exporters per product driven by internal economies of scale, specialization, product differentiation, and technological advantage among firms. Higher technical regulations are associated with improvement in market competitiveness and number of products per exporter. Higher number of standards is associated with a rise in market power, but a decline in the number of products per exporter and the number of exporters per product. The findings have policy implications to developing countries especially those within the African, Caribbean, and Pacific bloc which has an existing trading arrangement with the EU and touch on a need to strengthen domestic technical and administrative capacity to comply with existing technical regulations and standards especially among MSEs, cooperation in quality management and assurance, strengthening of institutional links for information exchange, and credit support targeting exporting MSEs which have comparative disadvantage in technology and economies of scale.

Do the export reactions to exchange rate and exchange rate volatility differ depending on technology intensity? New evidences from the panel SVAR analysis

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Abstract

This paper investigates the impact of exchange rate and exchange rate volatility on export performance by considering technological classification in addition to total exports. The study utilizes a panel SVAR methodology introduced by Pedroni P (2013) Structural panel vars. Econometrics 1(2):180–206. and analyzes panel data covering 58 countries and 48 quarters from the period of 2010Q1 to 2021Q4. Although the results suggest no precise evidence that exchange rate and exchange rate volatility shocks affect total export volumes, they exhibit heterogeneity across countries and vary in terms of technological density. Countries that have more flexible exchange rate policies and use large volumes of imported materials to produce export products demonstrate, on average, higher sensitivity to exchange rate volatility. Additionally, as the share of exports crossing more than one country border in total exports increases, the exposure of export to exchange rate volatility also rises. Countries described as commodity exporters and large energy consumers tend to be less responsive to exchange rate levels in their exports.

Socioeconomic Inequalities and Ethnic Discrimination in COVID-19 Outcomes: the Case of Mexico

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Abstract

In Mexico, Indigenous people were hospitalised and killed by COVID-19 at a disproportionate rate compared to the non-Indigenous population. The main factors contributing to this were poor health conditions and impoverished social and economic circumstances within the country. The objective of this study is to examine the extent to which ethnic disparities are attributable to processes of structural discrimination and further explore the factors that exacerbate or mitigate them. Using administrative public data on COVID-19 and Census information, this study uses the Oaxaca-Blinder decomposition method to examine the extent to which disparities are illegitimate and signal discrimination against Indigenous people. The results show that although ethnic disparities were mainly attributable to observable differences in individual and contextual characteristics, 22.8% (p < 0.001) of the ethnic gap in hospitalisations, 17.5% in early deaths and 16.4% in overall deaths remained unexplained and could potentially indicate systemic discrimination. These findings highlight that pre-existing and longstanding illegitimate disparities against Indigenous people jeopardise the capacity of multi-ethnic countries to achieve social justice in health.

Violence and trauma encountered by Rohingya women fleeing to Malaysia: a qualitative study

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Abstract

Rohingya women are doubly marginalized owing to their ethnicity and gender. Therefore, this study aims to describe the unique experiences of violence faced by Rohingya women who fled Myanmar and Bangladesh to seek asylum in Malaysia before, during, and after their transit. Primary data were collected from 33 participants comprising Rohingya women refugees and asylum seekers, medical social workers, medical officials, volunteer workers/activists, refugee organization officers, and a mental health care provider. Thematic analysis was used to identify the patterns in and relationships between the concepts in the collected data. Rohingya women were exposed to various forms of violence and trauma by various groups of men, including those from their own community, throughout their journey to and in Malaysia. The lack of recognition of refugees and asylum seekers in Malaysia prevents them from having mainstream or legal access to jobs, education, and healthcare, and this predicament compounds their suffering from violence, especially for women and girls. Rohingya women and girls in Malaysia need better access to healthcare, resources, and support to identify and address violence, which has a significant impact on their health.

Phytochemistry, pharmacology, and medical uses of Oldenlandia (family Rubaceae): a review

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Abstract

The Oldenlandia genus comprises approximately 240 species of plants, yet only a limited number of these have been investigated for their chemical composition and medicinal properties. These species contain a wide range of compounds such as iridoids, anthraquinones, triterpenes, phytosterols, flavonoids, anthocyanidins, vitamins, essential oils, phenolic acids, and coumarins. These diverse phytochemical profiles underscore the pharmacological potential of Oldenlandia plants for various medical purposes. Among other chemical constituents, ursolic acid stands out as the most important active compound in Oldenlandia, owing to its proven anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and hepatoprotective properties. The evaluation of Oldenlandia’s pharmacological prospects indicates that the holistic utilization of the entire plant yields the most significant effects. Oldenlandia diffusa showcases anticancer and anti-inflammatory capabilities attributed to its varying constituents. Across a broad spectrum of pharmacological capacities, anticancer research predominates, constituting the majority of medical uses. Oldenlandia diffusa emerges as a standout for its remarkable anticancer effects against diverse malignancies. Antioxidant applications follow, with O. corymbosa demonstrating potent antioxidant properties alongside O. umbellata and O. diffusa. Subsequent priority lies in anti-inflammatory studies, wherein O. diffusa exhibits noteworthy efficacy, trailed by O. corymbosa also takes the lead in antimicrobial activity, with O. umbellata as a strong contender. Additional investigation is essential to ascertain the relative significance of these species in various pharmacological applications. This comprehensive assessment underscores the multifaceted potential of Oldenlandia as a versatile herbal resource, offering diverse pharmacological capacities. The call for sustained exploration and research remains essential to unlock the full extent of Oldenlandia’s medicinal benefits.