The chapter identifies the main determinants of FDI and the factors that constitute the main obstacles to foreign investment attractiveness in a region affected by economic and political instability and even conflict and where investors may face a multitude of political, economic, and security risks. The sample includes 14 Arab countries over the period of 2003-2017. To determine the factors that explain the probability of attracting investment inflows in MENA countries, the study uses a multiple regression model to estimate data in a time series. The authors also use the World Bank's governance indicators to assess the quality of the Arab institutional framework. The results of the panel data estimates through three different regressions reveal that macroeconomic instability combined with political instability constitutes an obstacle to investment. On practical implications, the study suggests that, in general, economic managers should take some economic policy measures to reduce or mitigate risks to encourage foreign investors to invest in MENA countries.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to study the impact of economic factors on foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows into Asian region before and after the COVID-19 pandemic.Design/methodology/approachThe study used the generalized method of moments (GMM) technique to examine the impact of economic growth, domestic investment and trade openness on FDI in the Asian region, in two periods from 1996 to 2018 and from 2019 to 2020.FindingsIn the pre-COVID-19 period, the estimated result shows that the economic growth, domestic investment, imports and exports positively impact FDI. In the post-COVID-19 period, the FDI is influenced by the strength of the economic characteristics of the region. The main findings indicate that economic growth has a positive and significant effect on FDI inflows into Asia. The findings also show that the economic resilience to attract FDI in Asia is significantly affected by economic growth and positively affected by trade openness and government responses during the pandemic.Originality/valueThe study suggests the Asian governments increasing the domestic investment and improving the quality of trade openness.

This article analyzes the complexity of the linkages between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and firm performance in Morocco and to decompose this complexity through a bidirectional sense of causality. Using data surveyed from 74 Moroccan listed firms, we conduct an econometric modeling to measure this relationship bilaterally and to investigate the underlying factors behind this association. The empirical study proves the existence of a positive association between CSR and firm performance in both directions in the Moroccan context and suggests that the more social enterprises are, the more they achieve better financial results. The mutual linkage between social and financial aspects allows us to draw some managerial implications and set up further research directions.

The purpose of this chapter is to analyze the effect of FinTech and political incertitude on economic growth through a multiple regression. Thus, the authors employ the method of generalized least square (GLS) with panel data. The sample concerns 21 African countries during (2001-2014-2017). The authors use a wide range of measures from Global Findex Database 2017, the World Bank platform, the World Bank national accounts data, and the OECD National Accounts data files base in the context of Africa. Empirical results show that FinTech is a driver of economic growth unless it is actively used in a developed digital infrastructure. In fact, the authors prove that, when financial technologies are used in both transactions (receive and made digital payment), they significantly contribute to the economic cycle. Passive use like simple consumption actions are not a significant lever for the economy. The principal contribution is to highlight that the active use of financial innovations and not passive one and the developed digital infrastructure do promote economic growth in African countries.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the dynamic relationship between 19 pandemic and government actions, such as governmental response index and economic support packages.Design/methodology/approachThe authors use a panel dataset of 10 American and Latin countries for the period spanning from January 2020 to April 2021 to analyze the effect of government actions on stock market returns. The authors provide robust test results that improve the understanding of the impact of the pandemic on stock market indices through the break-up structure method and the new measure of Covid-19 extracted from Narayan et al. (2021) study.FindingsEmpirical results show the harmful effect of the corona virus on stock prices, hence the risk adverse behavior of investors. On the other hand, the quantitative approach reveals that the positive impact of government actions is degraded during Covid-19.Originality/valueThis article highlight that government actions may be effective in reducing new infections but could generate perverse economic impact through increasing uncertainty. The authors conclude that the adjustment of macroeconomic factors and the integration of financial news improve the forecasting performance of the model based on health news.