Crime is more than just a sociological and psychological phenomenon. The economic effects of any criminal activity are intriguing and vice versa. This paper attempts to profile crime scenario in Pakistan in the socio-economic context at aggregated and disaggregated level. Three crime supply models have been constructed using formal econometric techniques i.e., aggregated crime, crime against person and crime against property. These models depict the various socioeconomic variables effecting different crimes. The paper also captures the deterrence effect but on a very limited scale using police strength as proxy. The paper has drawn many conclusions indicating effects of social and economic injustices making people choose illegal activities over lawful ways of earnings and the role of government to intervene and promote socio-economic equity. Government should introduce effective social security programs to create more jobs and to minimize income inequalities. Policing and effective justice system is key to control crime.

The cutting-edge development known as FinTech is now fast replacing traditional financial services all over the world. Despite that, UAE consumers are still not embracing FinTech services at the expected rate. This study hence suggests expanded research based on the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) to deeply examine the obstacles preventing consumers from using FinTech services. This research utilised an exploratory sequential mixed-method approach. Preliminary semi-structured interviews involving ten banking experts were undertaken to explore the barriers preventing consumers from using FinTech services. To get additional empirical support for the research concept, the study sequentially examined numerous components using a quantitative cross-sectional online survey involving 332 bank customers. The qualitative investigation highlighted six new barriers that consumers face when using FinTech. Through quantitative data analysis, the preliminary qualitative findings were largely verified. As far as the authors are concerned, this inquiry is the first to put forth a thorough model that takes into account organisational, technological, individual, and environmental aspects for addressing the problem of low FinTech usage. By incorporating several new factors, this study also expands the UTAUT. Additionally, it is one of the first studies to examine FinTech adoption employing a mixed-approach methodology.

Purpose This study aims to examine the impact of sponsors and democratic government on the flipping activity of initial public offerings (IPOs). Design/methodology/approach Based on the sample of 95 IPOs listed on the Pakistan Stock Exchange between January 2000 and December 2019, this study used multiple cross-sectional regression to examine the relationship between sponsors and democratic government on flipping activity. Findings The findings indicate a significant negative association between sponsors and the flipping activity of IPOs. Sponsor(s) signal quality by trying to share accurate information about company values. As a result, the confidence of rational investors in the company’s future prospectus increases and they hold their shares for future gains, which reduces the flipping activity. Also, democratic government, along with sponsors' participation, provides investors with liquidity immediately after listing. Practical limitations/implications The findings of this study have implications for investors as they may assist them make informed decisions about whether or not to invest in an IPO with high sponsor(s) ownership. In addition, issuers should consider the disclosure of sponsor information(s) as such information may directly affect the first day’s trading volumes. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first research study that explores the correlation between sponsors and democratic government and flipping activity of IPO. This study is important for investors and issuers.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of privatized initial public offerings (IPOs) on flipping activity in the Pakistan IPO market. Design/methodology/approach This study sampled 95 IPOs listed on the Pakistan stock exchange over the period of 2000 to 2019. The ordinary least square technique and quantile regression were used to examine the impact of privatized IPO on flipping activity. Findings The present study finds that privatization affects flipping activity and creates a quality signal in Pakistan’s IPO market. The findings of this study also show that privatized IPOs were subjected to high levels of flipping activity compared to non-privatized IPOs. Additionally, investors’ demand has been found to moderate the relationship between privatized IPOs and flipping activity in Pakistan’s IPO market. Research limitations/implications Based on the fact that the sample consists of a combination of privatized and non-privatized IPOs, the results provide valuable insight into factors that may lead to unusual trading behavior/flipping during the first day of listing. Originality/value Despite several studies on events (e.g. short- and long-term price performance) around IPO, there is little evidence on how privatized IPOs affect flipping activity, which is a high volume of trading immediately after listing.

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