Purpose Waqf (Islamic endowment) in the form of cash is important to address the problem of developing idle waqf lands. Although there are various existing models of cash waqf, there is still a need for innovative cash waqf models. This paper aims to offer an alternative mode of financing for developing idle waqf lands using the concepts of cooperatives and waqf. Design/methodology/approach The present study first evaluates relevant literature on financing issues faced by waqf institutions in developing idle waqf lands as well as existing models of cash waqf. Based on the prevailing gap in cash waqf models, the study proposes a hybrid model of cooperative-waqf to finance idle waqf lands in Malaysia. Findings The proposed model is unique owing to the new dimension of membership being embedded into the waqf project. It considers donors as members of the waqf project, which is funded through the cash waqf collected, and thus, donors are given the privilege to receive benefits from the commercialised projects that are developed on the waqf lands. The existing models of cash waqf use traditional methods in which donors merely contribute cash waqf without any awareness of how the contributions are utilised. Usually, this problem occurs due to the lack of reciprocal communication between cash waqf donors and waqf institutions. Research limitations/implications The present study examines the case of waqf land development in the context of Malaysia only. Secondly, the paper does not contain any empirical analysis, and the development of the paper is based on existing literature that discusses various models of cash waqf practised in Muslim-majority and -minority countries. Future research can conduct surveys of donors and other stakeholders on the practicality of the model. Practical implications It is expected that the proposed cooperative-waqf model will be able to create a synchronised relationship between cash waqf donors and waqf institutions and hence boost participation in developing waqf lands. Originality/value The present study adds to the existing literature in the area of waqf and cash waqf models, especially the application of this instrument in the context of Malaysia. It also offers a new hybrid model to the State Islamic Religious Councils (SIRCs) – Malaysia’s sole trustee of waqf assets management – such that the implementation of the proposed model could boost the collection of cash waqf in developing commercial projects on idle waqf lands.

This study investigated the effects of energy consumption (ENY) based on fossil fuels and alternative energy with hydroelectricity as its proxy upon pollution, aside from ascertaining if the correlation between income and pollution determined the presence of Environmental Kuznets curve (EKC). In addition, the functions of foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows and trade openness (TO) were probed into so as to generate more precise outcomes of EKC hypothesis. Hence, in order to fulfil the objectives outlined in this study, the Bound estimation method was utilized to examine three developing nations of the Association of South East Asian Nation (ASEAN), which are Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand. The main finding of interest retrieved from this paper refers to the EKC hypothesis reflective of Malaysia and Thailand. It was discovered that hydroelectricity favourably lowered the release of carbon emissions in the case of Malaysia, while it insignificantly influenced environmental degradation for Indonesia and Thailand. On the other hand, as anticipated, per capita energy use displayed a significant long-run effect in raising the levels of carbon emission in Indonesia and Thailand. Meanwhile, the FDI inflows seemed to improve the environmental quality only in Malaysia, while deepening in TO among ASEAN-3 nations appeared to successfully minimize issues related to environmental degradation in these countries.

We investigated the travel behavior of the elderly in two United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization UNESCO Heritage Cities in Malaysia, George Town and Malacca, to assess the commonalities and differences in the mobility of the elderly and to analyze the factors influencing the mobility of the elderly. We relied upon a one-day travel diary where the elderly recorded their trip information including trip category, mode of travel, and distance travelled. A total of 455 travel diaries were completed and analyzed using descriptive analysis and Poisson estimation with the number of trips as the dependent variable. We found that the elderly in both cities recorded no more than five trips per day, travelled mostly within a distance of five kilometers, and chose private transportation as their preferred mode of transportation. Factors statistically significantly influencing the elderly’s trip frequency included location (city), education level, private vehicle ownership, health condition, and engagement in exercise. Findings from this study suggest that authorities need to strategize transportation planning to encourage mobility among the elderly without compromising the heritage status of both cities.

Purpose Amongst the major concerns of sub-Sahara Africa are the rising external debt and poor performances in governance. This paper aims to lend a voice to the relevance of governance on the relationship between external debt and economic growth in selected five sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries. Design/methodology/approach Using available data from the World Governance and Development Indicators, between 1996 and 2016, the study uses the fully-modified OLS technique after establishing the absence of unit root and existence of long-run relationship amongst the variables of the model. Findings The findings confirm a non-linear relationship between external debt and economic with a positive net effect of $5.05 increase in economic performance for a US$ rise in external debt. While the index of governance depicts a negative association with economic growth, the indicators show mixed results. The interaction effect of external debt and governance on economic performance explain that improved governance quality reduces its negative effect on economic performance by US$1.288 (with a total effect of –4.180 + 1.288*EXDBT); it equally enhances the (net) positive impact of external debt by US$1.288 (with a total effect 5.05 + 1.288*IQ). Practical implications The governments of the selected countries are, therefore, advised to seek other means of financing their expenditure while curbing financial mismanagement and its long-term impacts on growth. Also, governance infrastructures should be improved to restore both domestic and foreign investors’ confidence so that more private capitals may be attracted in lieu of excessive borrowings. Originality/value The research is the first to comprehensively examine the nexus between external debt, governance and economic growth in the selected countries, given their external debt position in SSA. This includes examining the impacts of each of the governance indicators and the comprehensive index of governance on growth. Furthermore, the study adds to the literature by examining the interaction effects of external debt and governance on economic growth of these countries. This gives both the partial and total estimates of the effects of external debt and governance on economic growth in the countries under consideration.

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