Journal of Human-Social Nexus

This study empirically investigates the relationship between blockchain technology and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and their combined impact on financial development in 27 OECD countries from 2010 to 2022. Employing 2-step system GMM to control for endogeneity, unobserved heterogeneity, and machine learning techniques, we analyze their effects on overall Financial Development (FD), Financial Institutions Depth (FID), and Financial Markets Depth (FMD). Our findings reveal that blockchain adoption significantly enhances all three dimensions of the financial system by fostering efficiency, transparency, and security. Conversely, while FDI independently contributes to the depth of financial institutions and markets, its interaction with blockchain exhibits a significant negative moderating effect. This suggests a "crowding-out" phenomenon, where high levels of FDI may dampen the positive contributions of domestic blockchain innovation. These results underscore the necessity for nuanced policymaking that strategically promotes blockchain integration while managing the composition and impact of FDI inflows to optimize financial system development in advanced economies. Full article

This study investigates how governance quality influences citizens’ trust and access to justice, and how these factors, in turn, affect social resilience and shape the human–social nexus in urban societies. Data were collected from 490 respondents through a structured survey. The study employed Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) to examine both measurement and structural models, ensuring reliability, validity, and robustness of the results. The findings reveal that better governance quality strengthens citizens’ trust in public institutions and improves access to justice, which together enhance social resilience. Moreover, governance quality, citizens’ trust, access to justice, and social resilience all significantly contribute to the overall human–social nexus, with social resilience mediating several important relationships. These results highlight the central role of transparent, accountable governance and fair legal systems in fostering trust, resilience, and societal cohesion in contemporary urban contexts. The study contributes to the literature by providing empirical evidence on the mechanisms through which governance quality, citizens’ trust, access to justice, and social resilience promote community cohesion and a stronger human–social nexus. It also offers practical policy insights, emphasizing the need for integrated strategies that combine institutional reform, citizen engagement, and community resilience initiatives to enhance social cohesion and adaptive capacity. The findings are particularly relevant for policymakers, urban planners, and social development practitioners seeking to improve societal well-being in rapidly urbanizing environments. Full article

Banking stability is a critical component of financial systems, particularly in the context of increasing global integration and technological advancements. This study investigates the impact of corporate bond issuance and financial development on banking stability in OECD countries from 2010 to 2022, with a focus on the mediating roles of Fintech and Big Data. Utilizing a combination of panel data regression and 2 step System GMM techniques, we find that corporate bond issuance and financial development significantly enhance banking stability, particularly in developed economies. However, the impact varies across different economic and technological contexts, with Big Data emerging as a significant mediator, while Fintech shows a more limited role. These findings suggest that policymakers should tailor financial and technological policies to the specific conditions of their economies, promoting corporate bond markets and financial development while leveraging technological innovations to enhance banking stability. Future research should explore these dynamics in non-OECD countries and over longer periods. Full article

In this study, I examine the relationship between foreign direct investment (FDI) and environmental efficiency in OECD countries, emphasizing the moderating role of green finance over the period 2010–2022. Using advanced econometric approaches, including Tobit, PCSE, FGLS, and two-step GMM estimations, the results consistently indicate that FDI exerts a significant negative effect on environmental efficiency. In contrast, green finance contributes positively to environmental performance, although the level of significance varies across models. Importantly, the interaction between FDI and green finance is positive and statistically significant, highlighting the crucial role of green finance in offsetting the environmental drawbacks associated with FDI inflows. The analysis further reveals that factors such as urbanization, industrialization, trade openness, and natural resource management influence environmental efficiency to varying degrees. The findings underscore the need for policymakers to strengthen green finance initiatives and environmental governance so that FDI attraction supports, rather than undermines, sustainable development objectives in OECD economies. Full article

Non-performing loans (NPLs) represent a critical challenge to financial stability across nine emerging economies in Asia and Africa, where rapid credit growth, macroeconomic, and institutional volatility reinforce systemic risks. This study investigates the determinants of NPLs by employing a novel hybrid methodology integrating Panel ARDL estimation to identify long-run equilibrium, short-run relationships along with checking robustness through Fixed Effect and Random effect, and SHAP (SHapley Additive exPlanations) machine learning analysis for predictive feature importance and non-linear insights, moving beyond traditional approaches. Our findings reveal a complex interplay of factors, with distinct regional patterns. In Asia, NPLs are primarily driven by trend-following credit expansion and inflationary pressures, consistent with the Financial Accelerator mechanism. In Africa, macroeconomic instability, particularly high interest rates, and weak institutional frameworks are the dominant predictors, aligning with Institutional and Credit Rationing theories. The SHAP analysis corroborates these results, identifying bank credit and domestic credit as top global predictors, while highlighting regional asymmetries: inflation and regulatory quality are paramount in Asia, whereas interest rates and macroeconomic shocks generate higher predictive variance in Africa. Based on these insights, we propose distinct policy frameworks:Asia requires countercyclical credit regulations and sector-sensitive capital distribution, while Africa needs institutional reforms focused on collateral registries and interest rate stabilization, with simulations indicating potential NPL reductions. Our research emphasizes that NPLs are a macro-institutional challenge, necessitating integrated, region-specific strategies for financial stability. Full article