Malaysia has retained its Tier 3 status in the 2022 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report released by the United States Department of State, underscoring the persistence of human trafficking issues despite ongoing governmental efforts. This marks the fourth instance of the country being relegated to the lowest tier, reflecting the limited efficacy of measures to address human trafficking, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. In response, the Malaysian government introduced the National Action Plan on Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP 3.0) in March 2021, aimed at bolstering mechanisms to combat human trafficking and migrant smuggling. However, these initiatives failed to yield improvements in the 2022 TIP ranking, which coincided with the reopening of international borders. Therefore, this study is aimed at examining the Malaysian government's efforts to address the pervasive challenges of human trafficking and migrant smuggling, with a specific focus on the development and implementation of NAPTIP 3.0. By analysing the mechanisms underpinning these initiatives, the paper evaluates their functional role in combating human trafficking and migrant smuggling, particularly in the post-COVID-19 context. The research is based on a comprehensive analysis of policy documents, media reports, academic literature, official statements and interviews. The findings highlight that while the Malaysian government's efforts have been constrained, they represent meaningful progress towards addressing these issues. These endeavours were recognised in June 2023, when Malaysia was upgraded to the Tier 2 Watch List in the US TIP Report, and in 2024 when the country advanced to Tier 2.

The objective of the article is to identify the relationship between corporate sustainability performance and the amount of dividend payout. The research hypothesis is that improvements in the economic, environmental, social and governance scores lead to higher dividend payments. The corporate sustainability scores are used as the primary variables in the panel regression model. The analysis is conducted for the period of 2012-2023 and the sample comprises the largest companies from the Fortune Global 500 as of 2022. Over the twelve-year research period, the overall ESG score has demonstrated a positive and statistically significant impact on the dividend payout. However, the decomposition of this aggregate score revealed that only the corporate sustainability scores in the environmental and social pillars remained positive and statistically significant. Furthermore, corporate sustainability performance stopped being statistically significant when the economic sustainability score was incorporated into the models for the seven-year research period.

As cities continue to grow, managing the increasing amount of waste has become an important concern. The study intends to assess the effects of waste generation and treatment on total resource productivity, as well as its subset, energy productivity, in European Union (EU) countries. The research employs the Driscoll-Kraay standard errors fixed effect model using panel regression. The findings reveal that waste generation impacts negatively on overall resource productivity and energy productivity. Furthermore, waste treatment also has a negative impact on resource productivity and energy productivity. These results suggest that despite the reduction in waste volumes achieved through treatment, the process may still have a negative relationship with productivity outcomes. The paper explores the underlying reasons for these findings and evaluates the status of waste generation and treatment across EU countries. Implications suggest introducing public-private partnerships to strengthen waste treatment processes, eco-tax solutions, incentives to green organizations, penalties for environmentally harmful practices, and improved data accessibility for informed decision-making. This study evaluates waste treatment techniques in the EU, focusing on the implementation of circular economy principles to promote sustainable development, increase resource productivity, and strengthen waste management frameworks.

SET50 Index Futures contract is the first and most actively traded equity index futures contract on the Thailand Futures Exchange. However, futures trading is risky and requires that investors understand factors affecting risk. Therefore, this study uses monthly data from May 2014 to December 2024 for identifying the determinants of SET50 Index Futures contract’s risk, quantified by Value at Risk (VaR). To calculate VaR of SET50 Index Futures, this study employs parametric method using EGARCH model for estimating volatility. Factors, including macroeconomic factors, futures trading activity, and underlying SET50 Index factors, are included as independent variables in a regression model. Using ordinary least squares approach, the results show that inflation rate and rate of change in exchange rate are the only macroeconomic factors affecting SET50 Index Futures contract’s VaR. In addition, volume and open interest of SET50 Index Futures as well as liquidity and past volatility of its underlying asset affect VaR. Therefore, investors and related agencies should track inflation rate and exchange rate since they are crucial factors affecting risk for SET50 Index Futures. Understanding the determinants of risk for SET50 Index Futures contract allows for better risk assessment, informed trading strategies, and more successful participation in the futures market.

The Kashmir conflict remains one of the most enduring geopolitical disputes in South Asia, symbolizing broader tensions between India and Pakistan. While existing studies have predominantly examined the issue through realist or postcolonial lenses, comparatively limited attention has been given to how evolving geopolitical discourses actively reshape national identities, legitimize power claims, and constrain pathways for conflict resolution. Employing the framework of Critical Geopolitics and qualitative discourse analysis, this study investigates how state actors, media institutions, and international bodies construct competing geopolitical imaginaries of Kashmir. It argues that these discursive practices—rooted in postcolonial legacies and reinforced by contemporary great-power rivalries—reproduce Kashmir as a symbolic arena of legitimacy, sovereignty, and existential security rather than a negotiable political space. This analysis demonstrates that entrenched discursive framings do not merely describe the conflict but actively sustain it by constraining diplomatic thinking and marginalizing local voices and alternative perspectives. By reconceptualizing Kashmir as a discursive and identity-based struggle, this study advances critical geopolitical scholarship while offering policy relevant insights. It underscores the need for discourse-sensitive and inclusive approaches that move beyond territorial fixation toward mutual recognition and cooperative security.

The transition towards low-carbon, digitalised energy systems has heightened the importance of understanding how institutional environments shape entrepreneurial activity and investment in the energy sector. This study aims to assess the role of economic freedom and its subcomponents in shaping cross-country differences in the creation and financing of green and digital energy start-ups, with a focus on non-linear institutional effects and stage-specific investment dynamics. The analysis is based on a cross-country panel dataset combining start-up and funding data from the International Energy Agency with institutional indicators from the Fraser Institute, using two-way fixed effects models with Driscoll–Kraay standard errors and quadratic specifications. The results show that economic freedom has a weak, mostly negative effect on start-up formation, with coefficients of approximately −0.157 for green start-ups and −0.185 for digital start-ups. In contrast, its impact on financing is strong and consistently negative, with coefficients ranging from −5.2 to −5.6 across early- and later-stage funding models. Significant non-linear effects are identified for later-stage digital funding, with an inverted U-shaped relationship, a turning point of approximately 5.35. Subindex results indicate that trade freedom and sound money drive negative effects, while legal institutions exhibit threshold effects at approximately 7.6–8.6.

The aim of this paper is to verify the effect of moon phases (lunar effect) on the main indices of the Warsaw Stock Exchange (WSE) in 2020-2024. In these years was possible to indicate periods of increased market volatility. It provides the basis for undertaking considerations on the possibility for observing existing dependencies on the global stock markets. Using the quotations of four main WSE indices (WIG, WIG20, mWIG40, sWIG80), daily logarithmic returns were calculated in two event windows: one-day (t0), and three-day, covering one session day before and one after a specific moon phase (t-1-t+1). Based on 39 qualified new and full moons, medians of the returns differing significantly from zero were observed on the day of the new moon for all the analysed WSE indices. Moreover, the values of returns were average higher than zero on days adjacent to the new moon. However, no statistical significance was found for the median value of the returns on full moon days (except in one case, sWIG80). It is worth underlining that this research is one of the first attempts to verify the effect of moon phases in the current era of increased volatility of financial instruments on world markets in relation to the financial instrument listed on the WSE.

This article examines the challenges of promoting human rights in Southeast Asia. It focuses on the limited effectiveness of the regional human rights regime, which is influenced by ASEAN leaders’ strong emphasis on state sovereignty and the uneven adoption of democratic governance among member states. The study aims is to identify the factors that hinder the promotion of human rights within ASEAN and to analyze the relationship between the levels of democracy and prioritization of human rights in the region. Using a qualitative research approach, the study analyzes the development of human rights cooperation in ASEAN through the lens of Regime Theory in International Relations. The findings indicate that the promotion of human rights in Southeast Asia is constrained by fragile political commitment among ASEAN leaders and by significant variations in democratic governance across member states. These differences shape national priorities and influence the extent to which human rights norms are internalized within the regional framework. The study concludes that the effectiveness of human rights promotion in ASEAN is closely linked to the level of democratic development among member states. The findings highlight important implications for regional policy-making and underscore the need to address the tension between sovereignty norms and human rights commitments in order to strengthen the institutionalization of the regional human rights regime.

This research explores the relationship between foreign aid and the GDP in V20 countries from 2006 to 2019 using a panel data analysis. It assesses how foreign aid, specifically the Official Development Assistance (ODA) impacts the GDP; with trade, remittances, population, and foreign direct investment (FDI) as control variables. The study utilizes pooled Ordinary Least Squares (OLS), random effects, and fixed effects models, along with Hausman specification and the Business Process Lifecycle Management (BPLM) tests to ensure robust results. The findings indicate that the ODA negatively affects the GDP, whereas trade, remittances, population, and FDI positively contribute to economic growth. This suggests that foreign aid might not always promote growth in the V20 countries, possibly due to inefficient allocation or misuse of resources. Conversely, the positive effects of the other variables highlight their importance in driving economic progress in these vulnerable nations. The study concludes that foreign aid may hamper growth if not properly managed and recommends directing the foreign aid towards productive sectors such as agriculture, human capital development, and infrastructure. Policymakers are urged to focus aid on areas that foster sustainable development, reduce dependency on external funding, and stimulate domestic growth. Additionally, creating favorable conditions for FDI, trade, and remittances is crucial to support the long-term economic growth of the V20 countries.

Just and favorable conditions of work (JFCW) are essential components of labor rights. These include remuneration, fair wages, reasonable working hours, and a healthy and safe environment. Thus, the right to such conditions guarantees a minimum standard for all workers as the concept promotes just and fair labor practices at worksites. This concept gained international recognition when the United Nations (UN) and its specialized agency, the International Labor Organization (ILO), acknowledged it as part of their key principles and even as a fundamental human right. Nevertheless, the idea may appear overly idealistic for some countries due to differing economic and social backgrounds. This article aims to discuss the legal framework and conditions of employment in Pakistan using international instruments, particularly the UN Declaration of Human Rights and relevant ILO conventions as benchmarks. The article highlights common violations of the right to JFCW at the workplace in Pakistan and analyses the legal framework, current implementation, and enforcement mechanism. The study adopts qualitative, socio-legal, doctrinal, and comparative approaches. In light of its findings, the study recommends improvement in terms of law reform and implementation to better protect and promote the right to JFCW for workers in Pakistan. The gap between Pakistan's labor conditions and international standards provides a foundation for guiding future policy reforms that seek to align national practices with global labor rights instruments.