Hoda Mansour

The classical labour supply theory and the theory of allocation of time have discussed time allocation decisions between work and leisure and their utility outcome. In recent studies, happiness is discussed as a component in the utility function. In this paper, we examine the three-way relationship between work, leisure, and happiness. We use an Ordered Logistic model to analyse data from the World Values Survey (WVS) for the years 2001, 2008, 2012 and 2018 for Egypt. Our results suggest that higher importance assigned to work is associated with higher levels of happiness, and higher importance assigned to leisure over work is associated with lower levels of happiness. The study provides a host of alternative specifications using subsamples of the original sample. The study concludes that the contribution of work to the happiness of individuals is linked to cultural and social attributes of the Egyptian society rather than material outcomes.

PurposeThis paper aims to assess whether the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has encouraged governments to take actions towards fostering digital means of payments and financial transactions to stimulate economic activities and achieve higher financial inclusion.Design/methodology/approachUsing a logit model, this paper tests the impact of the level of income and GDP per capita, government effectiveness, digital adoption, number of commercial banks and the pandemic-related closure of business and stores due to full lockdowns on governments’ policy response regarding digital means of payments.FindingsThe author finds that low- and lower-middle-income countries had significantly responded to the surged need for digital means of payment during the pandemic compared to the upper-middle-income and high-income countries. The author also finds that government effectiveness and the number of commercial banks were predictors of government policy response, while the full lockdown...

We analyze the elements determining the sustainability of nautical tourism in selected Mediterranean countries (Croatia, Slovenia, Greece, Italy and Turkey). The purpose of our research is to investigate the main obstacles to greater application of renewable energy sources (RES) as the basis for the sustainability of nautical tourism. The obtained results provide valuable information that can help companies and policy makers choose appropriate strategies to achieve the EU 2030 sustainability goals in this sector. Our survey among charter companies was conducted during 2018 on a sample of 51 respondents. We conclude that there is a serious lack of knowledge among nautical tourism respondents regarding the availability of financial instruments from EU funds intended for increasing energy efficiency and adoption of RES. Respondents were familiar with general measures to reduce energy costs but are not familiar with the measures and opportunities provided by available European funds. Ou...