• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.9-15
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• 2020

This paper investigates how economic freedom affected firm investment in Vietnam. In the globalization decade, economic freedom has been an important policy to support economic development in Vietnam. Improvements in economic freedom, such as capital freedom and domestic credit freedom, allow firms to access external finance more easily, so that the firm's investment depends less on internal cash flow. In a developing country, on the drawbacks, many small and medium firms likely have more challenges if the government would not give any subsidies. The higher level of freedom may exacerbate the financing constraints of less competitive firms. We analyze unique firm-level data from 2006 to 2016, which includes listed firms on two major stock exchanges and unlisted firms in the Unlisted Public Company Market. The article also considers how economic freedom affects small firms and large firms differently. Our results show that capital freedom and domestic credit freedom played an important role in investments for Vietnamese firms. However, we cannot find evidence that overall economic freedom relaxed the financial constraints on firms. Additionally, we suggest that small firms likely gain more advantage in access to external finance than do larger firms when the government removes restrictions from capital movement and the domestic credit market.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.25-43
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• 2022

Purpose - This study is to investigate the direct and moderating effect of intangible variable like economic freedom to facilitating factors on FDI(foreign direct investment) inflows and the difference of facilitating factors by the stage of economic development. Design/methodology/approach - Fixed-effect panel regression analysis with 19-year macro economic data from 2000 to 2019 including economic freedom index from Fraser Institute in 13 developed and 15 developing countries was used. Research implications or Originality - In analysis of direct effect of 5 sectors in economic freedom, the influence of economic freedom was shown weaker than other macro economic factors on FDI inflows, which indicates that actual development of economic factors are more important. The effect of economic freedom on FDI inflows at the stage of economic development differed. In developed countries, human capital, GDP, export, free trade and regulation affected FDI inflows in decreasing order, as did human capital, GDP, consumption expenditure, export, investment expenditure, government expenditure, free trade and sound money in developing countries. In analysis of moderating effect of economic freedom, a domestic and international market size, a flexible labor market which can provide a cheaper good human resources and government expenditures for improving social infrastructure under free economic environment facilitated FDI inflows. However, the statistical significance of moderating effect on export was not shown, which indicates that economic freedom policy itself without actual improvement of exports could not attract FDI inflows.

• Journal of the Korea Society for Simulation
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.19-26
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• 2012

In this paper, we study the relationship between FDI(Foreign Direct Investment) and economic growth in Kazakhstan. For this research, we, first, investigate the factors that affect FDI infow to Kazakhstan since its independence and determine the degree of their influence. Second, we study the impact of FDI per capita on GDP per capita. To achieve these goals, an empirical study is conducted with 18 years data from 1992 to 2009 from World Bank Database. Data are analyzed using multiple linear regression, time series analysis and Granger causality test. The results show that the determinant of FDI is GDP and economic freedom index in Kazakhstan. Economic growth is affected by FDI, too. Specially, FDI is positively related to GDP and economic freedom index. FDI per capita's impact on GDP per capita is 30.4 dollars increase in GDP per capita by one dollar increase in FDI per capital inflow. The results provides useful information for policy makers to improve obtaining large amount of investments and facilitate economic growth.

• The Research Journal of the Costume Culture
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.371-383
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• 1994

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the freedom in dress and the behavior on clothing selections for a group of female college students. Through this study, the following were found: 1. A significant relationship was found between the freedom in dress and the behavior on clothing selections. 2. There was a significant relationship between clothing selection abilities and clothing satisfaction determinants. 3. There was a significant relationship between practicality and freedom in dress. 4. The revel of the freedom in dress among the Free dresser groups turned out to have a profound relation with the fashion, while that among the Less free dresser groups had a correlation with the economic exhibitionism.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.643-655
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• 2021

This study investigated the effect of the Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia (AIM) microfinancing on the economic, social, and household empowerment of women borrowers in Malaysia. The study used a quantitative approach based on primary data. For this study, the participants comprised 384 AIM borrowers from Terengganu, Kelantan, and Pahang in the east coast region of Malaysia. Purposive stratified random sampling was used as well as the Krejcie and Morgan method to count the number of samples. Descriptive statistics and the Women Empowerment Index (WEI) were used in the analysis. The study findings reveal that AIM microfinancing affects the economic, social, and household empowerment of women borrowers in Malaysia. However, in comparing the three categories, women enjoyed more freedom in social and household decision-making than in economic decision-making. The present study recommends policies for the successful and effective operation of microfinance programs by providing the necessary guidelines for the control of AIM loan for women borrowers; increasing income-generating activities, sufficient access of credit, and proper education for the borrowers; and giving economic freedom of choice with necessary skill training policymaking options for the government and NGOs with the aim to improve the total household income and empowerment of the microcredit borrowers in Malaysia.

• Journal of Korea Trade
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.47-60
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• 2023

Purpose - This paper assesses the trade potential and efficiency of Korea and China in the aquatic products trade. Trade efficiency and potential are the main factors that affect the growth of a country's trade. In this study, a time-varying stochastic frontier trade gravity model was constructed to analyze the trade potential and efficiency between Korea and China. By integrating the results of trade theory and empirical analysis, measures and suggestions were proposed to encourage the release of trade potential of fish exports between Korea and China. Design/methodology - In this paper, GDP per capita instead of economic size was chosen as an explanatory variable, and population size and relative distance were selected as explanatory variables to measure trade potential. For trade non-efficiency terms, regional organizations, political factors, and economic factors were mainly considered, and variables such as free trade agreements, political stability, regulatory quality, government efficiency, currency freedom, investment freedom, financial freedom, and trade freedom were selected. Panel data for South Korea and 14 aquatic products trading partners (including China) from 2002 to 2020 were used in the empirical analysis. Findings - In the past 19 years, South Korea's export trade potential of aquatic products to China has never been lower than 70%. It was above 90% from 2006 to 2018, and has been at a high level for a long time. This shows that China's aquatic product market has large potential for development. Originality/value - This study examines the effectiveness and potential of South Korea's exports of aquatic items to China in a methodical and comprehensive empirical manner. The evaluation of the export trade potential of South Korea's aquatic goods to China is more precise when the effects of regional organization, political, and economic variables are taken into account in the trade non-efficiency term of the stochastic frontier gravity model. At the same time, we propose to increase the scale of South Korea's aquatic products trade from the perspective of China's demand. This issue of trade studies is underexplored both empirically and in theory, although the issue has long been important to Korean and world trade.

• Korea Petroleum Association Journal
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• no.3 s.193
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• pp.74-75
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• 1997

이 자료는 1997년 1월 10일 미국 헤리티지 재단 (Heritage Foundation) 과 The Wall Street Journal지가 공동으로 발간한 『The 1997 Index of Economic Freedom』의 주요내용을 요약ㆍ정리한 것임. <편집자 주>

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.8 no.8
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• pp.335-343
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• 2021

This paper investigates the effect of institutional quality on FDI inflows by using FDI outflows from Asian countries from 2009 to 2017. We used the FDI data from five major Asian economies, which are South Korea, China, Japan, Singapore, and Hong Kong. The gravity model was used to examine the effect of institutional quality on FDI flows. The regression model considers several independent variables, and we select the most appropriate variables by using the Bayesian Model Averaging (BMA) estimator. We have shown that foreign direct investment from Asian countries depends on the size of home and the partner countries, geographical distance, trade interaction between two countries, economic freedom, labor supply, tariff rate, and capacity of the government. The results of different estimation techniques emphasize that multinational enterprises prefer to invest in those countries which have a higher income, which shows the evidence for Lucas's paradox. The results also show that economic freedom and control of corruption have a positive impact on FDI inwards. The regression results show that better institutional quality in host countries encourages more FDIs from Asian economies. It suggests that the state should control corruption and create a free economic environment to attract FDIs.

• International Commerce and Information Review
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.121-138
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• 2014

China and Korea have interacted with each other for 20 years since 1992 when China and Korea established diplomatic relations. During this period, the trade and investment between two countries have increased rapidly. In addition to the enhancement of economic cooperation and the expansion of personal exchange, the relationship between two countries was upgraded to mutual strategic cooperative relationship in 2008 from the 1 friendly and cooperative relations and the economic exchange and cooperation were largely expanded. In this paper, the current situation and characteristics of the trade between China and Korea were figured out. In order to find out the development direction of China and Korea trade, through empirical analysis, the correlation of decisive factors that influence the trade amount of these two countries were analyzed. In terms of dependent variables for the empirical analysis, the trade amount between China and Korea was considered. While the GDP of these countries, the direct investment amount of two countries and the openness of external trade of these countries were considered as independent variables. The degree of economic freedom of these countries was set as policy variable. According to the analysis results, when the GDP of China and Korea is getting higher, there is positive influence on the trade amount of China and Korea. It is showed that the direct investment of Korea has positive influence on the trade amount of China and Korea. Meanwhile, there is negative influence of China's direct investment on the trade amount. When the degree of freedom of these countries is getting higher, the influence of trade amount was showed significantly. Furthermore, when the economic freedom of these countries is getting higher, the insignificant things about trade amount of China and Korea were extracted as insignificant.

• Cross-Cultural Studies
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• v.32
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• pp.63-79
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• 2013

Tar Baby, Toni Morrison's fourth novel re examines the problem that black characters face in negotiatiating a place for themselves within a dominant culture, with respect to their own history and culture. The novel critiques the dominant socio economic and commodifying cultural space from which the black woman seems to have no escape. Jadine is a colonized subject, for as a fashion model she has surrendered to an aesthetics of commodification, and as a student of art history, she has internalized the capitalist ethic of the white culture industry. Though she has ensured her freedom, Morrison's critique of her separation from her family and culture is unmistakable. Interwoven with her narrative is Son's predicament, the stereotype of a black racist and her 'lover'. The novel ends with him at the crossroads of culture, yet signaling his passage to freedom through resistance. The paper arguments how Toni Morrison has envisioned the welfare of African American community by reconstructing the role of new black generation, as represented by Jadine and Son, whose new journey towards their self fulfillment just not only bring their personal freedom but also regenerates African American community by resisting dominant commodifying cultural.