Environmental, Society, and Governance (ESG) investments have become increasingly popular in recent years, and, at the same time, many rating agencies provide ESG scores for each company. This means that the ESG investment model may have moved from the traditional two-factor model of risk-return to a three-factor model adding an ESG component to it. This paper highlights the potential for distortion of asset allocation through the shift from traditional risk-return considerations to ESG score considerations. This is equally true for green bonds, resulting in the potential for asset allocation to be distorted by green bond criteria. Furthermore, we show that imposing a net carbon tax on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is a measure to correct this distortion in asset allocation and make asset allocation more risk-return based, in addressing global environmental issues.

This paper explores the methods and policies that could enhance the financial connectivity between Europe and Asia in infrastructure investments. We argue that if Asian governments agree to enter into a long-term repayment commitment with a share of spillover tax revenues of public infrastructure projects under a regulatory framework, it could attract European long-term institutional funds in Asia's infrastructure projects. This approach will reduce divergence in infrastructure between the two regions and encourage regional connectivity. With some empirical evidence, this paper highlights the operational risks and methods of sharing spillover revenue for infrastructure projects.

This study is the first attempt to investigate the patterns of imports and exports between the Russian Federation and East/Southeast Asian economies, namely, the People's Republic of China; Hong Kong, China; Macau, China; Japan; the Republic of Korea; Mongolia; Cambodia; Lao People's Democratic Republic; Brunei; Indonesia; Malaysia; Myanmar; the Philippines; Singapore; Thailand; and Vietnam. To this end, a panel gravity trade model with series from 2001 to 2017 is provided to estimate the gravity variables in our models. The results reveal that GDP and income are more important in the export pattern from the Russian Federation to the East Asian region, meaning that the economic size and the income of the population in East Asian economies are more important in this pattern than other variables. Moreover, Russia's export pattern with the East Asian region follows the Heckscher–Ohlin hypothesis, while Russia's import pattern with this region is in line with the Linder hypothesis.

This paper proposes replacing the present Basel capital requirement with a new counter-cyclical measure. Optimally, (i) the Basel capital requirement ratio should depend on various economic factors such as the cyclical stage of GDP, credit growth, stock prices, interest rates, and land prices—hence, avoiding the expansion of bank loans during a boom period and a credit crunch during a sluggish period; (ii) the Basel minimum capital requirement rule should be different from country to country since the economic structures and the behavior of banks are different; and (iii) cross-border bank operation should follow the minimum capital requirement ratio where bank lending activities occur rather than the origin of the source of funds.

This paper discusses the Liberal Democratic Party's (LDP) ability to maintain a majority of seats in the Diet after WWII by focusing on the role of public investment. The paper discusses three periods, namely, (i) the high-growth period (1950 to 1985), (ii) the asset bubble period (1986 to 1990), and (iii) the period of economic downturn after the bubble (post 1990). During the high-growth period, government investment had a strong positive output effect and it increased the tax revenue in the medium and long run. The high rate of private capital formation boosted growth and tax revenue even further. During the asset bubble period of the late 1980s, Japanese tax revenue increased due to high asset and property prices, and growth stayed high because of strong aggregate demand. The Japanese economy experienced slower growth after the asset bubble burst. The LDP continued its high-spending policy by issuing Japanese government bonds (JGB) to finance the deficits but has not been able to revive growth to previous levels. Accumulated government debt now amounts to 180 percent of GDP and it will be difficult to issue any more JGB. Fiscal policy in post-bubble Japan no longer fulfilled the stability conditions that were identified by Blinder and Solow (1974).

This paper uses linear and nonlinear neural network regime-switching (NNRS) models to decipher the message in Japanese deflation dynamics and thus identify the channels through which Japan's economy can escape its deflationary spiral. The NNRS model is superior to a linear model with respect to in-sample specification tests and out-of-sample forecasting accuracy. The most important variables affecting inflation are interest rates and the output gap. Given the zero lower bound on interest rates, it will be most effective to end Japan's deflationary cycle with policies that reverse the output gap by stimulating investment.

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the effectiveness of capital controls and fixed exchange rates in improving economic welfare. We apply Malaysian data to our theoretical model and derive the following results for the period of our estimation. High exchange rate volatility negatively affects Malaysian net exports and real GDP. By stabilizing the exchange rate and recovering monetary policy autonomy, capital controls and fixed exchange rates can lead to lower values of loss functions. This beneficial effect is stronger, the more open the Malaysian economy.

Japan has reached the limits of conventional macroeconomic policies. Lowering interest rates will not stimulate the economy because widespread excess capacity has made private investment insensitive to interest rate changes. Increasing government expenditure in the usual way will have small effects because it will take the form of unproductive investment in the rural areas. Cutting taxes will not increase consumption because workers are concerned about job security and future pension and medical benefits. Expanding the monetary base will not induce banks to increase investment loans because the proportion of nonper-forming loans in their portfolios is growing because of the prolonged economic stagnation. In order for sustained economic recovery to occur in Japan, the government must change the makeup and regional allocation of public investments, resolve the problem of nonperforming loans in the banking system, improve the corporate governance and operations of the banks, and strengthen the international competitiveness of domestically oriented companies in the agriculture, construction, and service industries.