In a majority of the existing research on entrepreneurship start-up, entry “cost”, “time”, and “procedures” were analyzed as the primary barriers against a greater rate of new business start-ups. We examine whether the country differences in the start-up barriers existing in 2003...

The purpose of this paper is to examine the transition of economic freedom indexes themselves among countries in the world instead of their economic effect. The three central questions of this study are: Do economic freedom sub-indexes converge? Do some sub-indexes of economic freedom display...

This study examines the dynamic change in the regional e-commerce transactions divides in China from 2013 to 2019 using convergence analysis methods. We use population-adjusted annual e-commerce transaction data from 31 provinces. These provinces are categorized into the three varying levels of...

An estimated 804,000 suicide deaths occurred in 2012, representing an annual global age-standardized suicide ratio of 11.4 per 100,000 populations. Suicide ratios are not distributed evenly across people or places, varying by income level, gender, and age. Changes in suicide ratios over time...

Countries through the world have experienced increased globalization over the last several decades facilitated by reduced cost of transportation and communication and more recently by more rapid deployment of information technologies. However, a globalization gap exists dividing those countries...

Terrestrial protected areas are an important tool for biodiversity conservation. Recent expansion of terrestrial projection areas is such that fifty countries have already reached or exceeded the 17% target to be realized by 2020. This research examines whether countries with low level of...

Marine Protected Areas are central to conservation in oceans and seas and serve as protected areas for fish populations. The rapid growth of Marine Protected Areas has been guided by several leading countries in recent years. This research examines whether countries with low level of protection...

Using yearly nitrogen dioxide pollution measures in parts per billion for 179 countries during 1979 to 2011, this research examines whether the convergence process of catch-ups has taken place among countries in both total as well as in multiple subgroups of countries. All four income subgroups...