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This research was conducted to study the effect of economic integration in the ECOWAS region on the trade relations between memberstates as well as their respective economic growth. To this end, data on seven ECOWAS countries were analyzed using panel-OLS estimation technique to ascertain how economic integration in the region has impacted trade and economic growth in the participating countries. Key findings revealed that intra-regional trade is still low, despite the existence of numerous trading blocs. Specifically, poverty rates are still high and Real Gross Domestic Product (RGDP) does not seem to be positively influenced by economic integration in the region. Many social, economic, and political challenges contribute to the inability of the ECOWAS bloc to promote intraregional trade and economic growth among its members. It is therefore the opinion of the study that addressing these hindrances would amplify the positive effects of the regional bloc towards enhancing intra-ECOWAS trade and economic growth.

Paul Atanda Orebiyi & Usen James (2021). Economic Integration and the Promotion of Trade and Economic Growth in Ecowas: A Cross Country Analysis, 1990-2018. Journal of International Economics and Finance. 1(2), 1-24

The main goal of this study is to analyze how remittance affects households in the Sylhet division in terms of socioeconomic growth. It has also focused on how the use of remittances has caused significant changes in their household lifestyle. In the economies of small and developing countries, remittances play a vital role. It refers to money that is sent or exchanged by a group of individuals. Expats’ contributions have a variety of effects on a region’s economic growth, including lowering unemployment, alleviating poverty, and rising foreign exchange reserves. Remittance fighters of this division are good examples of community growth. A survey of 50 (fifty) households was conducted in three Upazillas in the greater Sylhet, namely Beanibazar, Golapganj, and Baralekha. Similarly, qualitative data is also gathered to investigate remittance earners’ contributions and their position in improving their household’s status. People from Sylhet are traveling overseas for a variety of reasons, according to the report, including improving poor economic conditions, unemployment, and migration. It is estimated that one in every thirty people in the area has worked abroad, mostly in the United Kingdom. As a consequence, remittances and the people who send them play a crucial role in the socioeconomic development of the people in the study area. Migrants have sent back millions of dollars, which have been used for a variety of purposes, including housing, schooling, and health care facilities and services. The elimination of poverty has already helped those families and society. The study also reveals that receiving a huge amount of remittance from abroad has brought visible changes in the lifestyle of Sylheti people.

Keywords: Remittance, Households, Remittance fighter, Socio-economic Condition

Mohammad Samiul Islam, Noyon Chandra Sarker & S.M. Hasan Zakirul Islam (2021). Socio-Economic Development through Remittance-Earning Population: A Case Study of Sylhet Region. Journal of International Economics and Finance. 1(2), 25-43

The main objective of this study is to analyses the effect of government expenditure on infrastructure on economic growth in Nigeria for the period 1986 to 2018. This study employed annual time –series data and employed the Fully Modified Ordinary Least Squares (FMOLS) estimation techniques. The results revealed that governments’ expenditure on education and infrastructure have positive and significant effects on economic growth in Nigeria. Specifically, a unit per cent increase in expenditure on education and infrastructure will bring about 1049.956 and 296.6 per cent increase in economic growth in Nigeria. The coefficient of government spending on defense is negatively related and statistically significant at 5% level to economic growth, while expenditure on health is negative and statistically not significant, implying that government has not put sufficient funds on the health sector of Nigerian in line with the requirement of international organizations. The study concludes that economic growth is strongly influenced by education and infrastructure in Nigeria. The study, therefore, recommended that Nigeria government should increase her spending on defense, education, health, and infrastructure because they represent critical sectors of economy that require enhanced funding for robust economic growth in Nigeria.

Keywords: Government expenditure, Infrastructure, Economic growth, Fully Modified Least Square.

Aladejana, S. Aliu, & Akanbi, Mojisola Mercy (2021). Government Expenditure on Infrastructure on Economic Growth in Nigeria. Journal of International Economics and Finance. 1(2), 45-61

Literature depicts Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) play a dominating role in improving the economic status of a country, especially in developing countries. However, access to credit is a major problem which SMEs face worldwide. The problem of financing is dealt by offering of different financial products like bank loan, line of credit by the banks to the SMEs. As marketing communicates the potential clients about the products and services, it is crucial to understand SMEs viewpoint towards marketing financial products. Hence, the present study attempts to capture the perspectives (i.e., benefits and associated risks) of people associated with SMEs and SMEs’ owners towards the marketing of financial products in a developing country like Bangladesh.

Keywords: Bangladesh, SME, Financial Product, Credit.

Kirti Singh Dahiya, Abdul Kader Nazmul, Mahmud Habib Zaman & Shuvashish Roy (2021). Understanding the Perception of Bangladeshi SMES towards Marketing of Financial Products. Journal of International Economics and Finance. 1(2), 63-79

In the globalised world economy, international migration is essential for the individual as well as national skill development and income growth. The causes and consequences of sizable migration among the OECD countries, which enjoy reasonable growth rates with high standards of living and low unemployment rates, are to be understood in the changing global demographic and economic scenario. This paper estimates the effects of push and pull factors of migration in 11 OECD countries for 15 years from 2002 to 2016 applying the panel data regression methods and specification tests for model fitness. The estimated results show that GDP is a significant pull factor and the unemployment rate is a strong push factor of migration. While high GDP in the origin country discourages migration, high GDP in the destination country has a positive effect on migration. The unemployment rate in the origin country directly influences migration while the same in the destination country is inversely related to the number of out-migrants in the home country. The distance between two countries affects migration negatively, and the origin and destination population size influences the number of outgoing migrants directly.

Keywords: OECD, migration, GDP, unemployment, determinants, panel regression.

T. Lakshmanasamy (2021). International Migration in OECD Countries: Panel Econometric Analysis of the Determinants. Journal of International Economics and Finance. 1(2), 81-98.