The COVID-19 pandemic highlights the importance of information and communications technology (ICT) not only for the economy but also for human well-being. However, the investment gap in ICT infrastructure has been growing and is expected to reach more than $30 billion by 2040. We argue that one...

One of the main challenges in low-income Asia and the Pacific countries is users' willingness to pay for water services. In contrast, investors and private operators in the water sector prefer a high rate of return. This has often led to the failure of public-private partnerships for water...

This paper examines the current landscape of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investing by focusing on environment. We analyze the discrepancies in ESG scoring methodologies among different rating agencies and demonstrate how these inconsistencies can lead to distorted investment...

High-speed rail (HSR) is not a "sufficient condition" but a "necessary condition" for regional development. Understanding how to use HSR for regional development is essential. Japan's Shinkansen (bullet train) has a 50-year history, and Japan has long attempted to utilize Shinkansen for regional...

A robust and efficient tax administration in a modern tax system requires effective tax policies and legislation. Policy frameworks should cover all aspects of tax administration and include the essential processes of capturing, processing, analyzing, and responding to information provided by...

Investment in infrastructure is essential for promoting economic growth, and while countries in Asia have enjoyed higher rates of gross domestic product growth in recent years, the region remains severely deficient in the scale and quality of sustainable infrastructure. Moreover, population...

State-owned enterprises (SOEs) play a key role in the economy of many countries. They are usually thought to be in charge of increasing social welfare. At the same time, their relatively low performance poses several problems, including slowing down economic growth. This effect is especially...

The purpose of this paper is to empirically investigate the relationship between ownership identity and the performance of firms in terms of profitability and solvency. Using cross-sectional data covering over 25,000 firms worldwide and by employing various empirical methods, we find robust...

The Great East Japan Earthquake (GEJE) and Fukushima nuclear disaster that occurred in 2011 gave a sharp reminder to Japan's energy security to reconsider the reduction of nuclear power dependence with a better energy mix. We use a recursive CGE model based on Japan's renewable energy...

The privatizations of Japanese National Railways (JNR) and Japan Post (JP) have been one of the biggest reforms for state-owned enterprises (SOEs). Since the beginning of the privatization processes in 1987 for JNR and 2007 for JP respectively, the outcomes of these reforms have been reflected...