DOI: 10.3897/brics-econ.7.e138473

Authors: Palesa Lefatsa, Gabila Nubong

Abstract: This study investigates the interconnections between financial development, economic growth, and energy consumption within the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region between 1980 and 2023. Using the Panel Autoregressive Distributed Lag (PARDL) model alongside Dumitrescu and Hurlin (2012) causality tests, the research provides new insights into the dynamics of these variables. The study reveals a significant positive correlation between financial development, economic growth, and energy consumption. The key finding is the negative relationship between energy consumption and urbanization, while no significant linkage is found between energy consumption and industrialization. The Granger causality test reveals a unidirectional causal link between financial development, urbanization, and energy consumption, and a bidirectional relationship between economic growth and energy consumption. These findings contribute to existing literature by offering a more nuanced understanding of the region’s energy consumption dynamics compared to previous studies that have often presented inconclusive or context-specific results. This study extends previous research by examining the unique economic and energy challenges faced by the SADC countries, providing fresh evidence for policymakers focused on integrating financial sector development with sustainable energy policies. The study suggests that investing in renewable energy and expanding electricity access, especially in rural areas, could enhance both urbanization and financial sector growth, fostering broader economic development. The diagnostic checks affirm the robustness and reliability of the model, ensuring the validity of the findings.

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DOI: 10.3897/brics-econ.7.e162186

Authors: Vladislav Vertogradov

Abstract: This paper explores the development of competition in the Russian marketplace sector from 2016 to 2024. To assess market power and differences between major companies, the study uses Data Insight ratings, which include online sales volume, number of orders, and average order value. These indicators enabled the construction of a strength–variety (SV) matrix that integrates the Herfindhal–Hirschmann Index and the Linde Index. Drawing on Russian and international literature, this paper identifies four groups of factors underlying marketplace competitive advantages: pricing strategy, logistics, marketing and technological innovation. It then compares major market players, namely Wildberries, Ozon, Megamarket, AliExpress Russia, Yandex Market and Magnit Market, with respect to each of these factors. In the medium term, the combination of advanced technological solutions and flexible delivery services is expected to be the primary competitive axis, which suggests further research into the impact of digital transformation on market-share dynamics.

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DOI: 10.3897/brics-econ.6.e141289

Authors: Sipho Mbatha

Abstract: Clothing, textiles, leather, and footwear (CTLF) sector of South Africa has been a priority sector for the government for almost two decades. However, the CTLF sector has not been able to achieve the reindustrialisation levels envisaged by the government and other stakeholders. It is therefore necessary to explore the possibilities of gaining competitive advantage and also understand the challenges facing the sectoral systems of innovation that impede the development of the CTLF sector in South Africa. Through the triple helix theory of innovation and Porter’s diamond model of competitive advantage, this review paper looks at the CTLF sectors of two BRICS nations, Brazil and South Africa, in an attempt to determine the factors that could jump-start the competitive development of the South African CTLF sector. This paper outlines proposals for improving the sectoral systems of innovation in South Africa’s CTLF industry, which should help it gain competitive advantage. It also makes a scholarly contribution to designing strategies that could be used to enhance collaboration among the BRICS nations.

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DOI: 10.3897/brics-econ.6.e145277

Authors: Diana Mikhajlenko, Natalia Kononkova

Abstract: This paper examines the sharing economy as an advanced model of interaction between economic agents that helps them mitigate resource constraints and rapidly meet producers’ and consumers’ needs in the face of new challenges. We found the benefits of collaborative consumption, or sharing, to be largely determined by the level of trust in society, development of technological base and adaptation of legal framework to digital transformation of the national economy. Based on the evidence from Russia and Brazil, we classify the factors that determine the sharing economy development and identify effective instruments of regulating sharing relations. The results indicate that regulatory “sandboxes” appear to be most appropriate as they allow participants to test innovations of substantial public importance that lie outside the scope of existing legislative norms.

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DOI: 10.3897/brics-econ.4.e112810

Authors: Elena Sharko, Dariya Bashkova

Abstract: The streaming music service is one of the most important elements of digital ecosystems. Subscriptions, pre-orders, and in-app track purchases are extremely valuable for developers of streaming services, who are interested in promoting them among users. Previous studies do not contain comparative analyses of consumer behaviour of music streaming services for users in different countries. The purpose of the study is to compare the factors of choice of Russian users and users from China. The study consists of in-depth interviews with Russian service employees, followed by a quantitative survey that helps to identify the main factors of choosing a music streaming service. We discovered differences in the significance of factors for Russian and Chinese users. Logistic regression analysis allowed us to identify a variety of choice factors with different significance for customers who use the service; in order to succeed, ecosystems including music streaming services should immerse themselves in the particularities of consumer behaviour in a certain country, taking into account the uniqueness of the music market.

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DOI: 10.3897/brics-econ.3.e98753

Authors: Alina Steblyanskaya, Sergey Bobylev, Yan Jun

Abstract: -

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DOI: 10.3897/brics-econ.3.e97857

Authors: Ekaterina Buzulukova, Alina Kobets

Abstract: The mobile games industry has become one of the most popular areas of mobile application development over the past five years. In-app purchases (IAP) are extremely valuable for developers/publishers, and they are interested in promoting them to users. However, previous research revealed differences between drivers of IAP for users from various countries. Authors compare drivers of Russian players and other emerging countries users. The design of the study consists of in-depth interviews with Russian users, followed by a quantitative survey that helps to identify the main drivers of in-app purchases. We found differences in the significance and the list of the drivers for Russian players. Cluster analysis allowed us to identify diverse segments with different priorities, so to be successful, game developers should dive into the peculiarities of the behavior of players in a particular country.

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DOI: 10.3897/brics-econ.3.e81036

Authors: Yannis Katsoulacos

Abstract: The appropriate choice of legal standards (LSs) in antitrust enforcement, that is, decision procedures or decision rules that provide the basis for how potentially anticompetitive conduct must be assessed in order to decide whether there is liability or not, has been hotly debated for many years. The debate has gained in intensity in recent years as a result of the concerns expressed by a significant number of academics and policy makers in many countries about the antitrust treatment of major platforms. Relying on recent developments in the literature on the choice of LSs, this article shows that the adoption of presumption-based LSs, that is, LSs that are closer to Per Se than to Effects-Based in developing jurisdictions, and the standards that would be optimal in developed jurisdictions, is consistent with the principles of minimising the costs of decision errors, and also leads to lower enforcement costs. The standards that would be optimal in developed jurisdictions, is consistent with the principles of minimising the costs of decision errors, and also leads to lower enforcement costs.

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