Journal of International Economics and Management

1-23

Authors: Huu Thang Nguyen

Do countries consume more electricity as they become richer? This study uses an instrumental variables approach to investigate the connection between electricity consumption and economic growth. With panel data of 32 countries spanning the period of 1996-2014, two potential instruments, which are an oil price shock as the main focus and past saving rates, are used for estimation. Controlling for country and time-fixed effects, the estimation results show no evidence of unidirectional causality runs from national income to electricity consumption.

47-65

Authors: Doan Duc Manh, Nguyen Dac Hieu

The study aims to identify and analyze the impact of the European Union - Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) on Vietnam’s exports of agricultural products. The secondary data from the World Bank and the SMART model under two scenarios are applied. The simulations suggest that the tariff elimination would result in a significant increase in Vietnam’s agricultural exports. The exported value of fish products from Vietnam shows the highest increase. In one scenario, as the European Union (EU) lowers the tariff to other competing countries, Vietnam’s exports of agricultural products exhibit minor reductions compared to the other scenario. Through examining the slight reduction and the revealed comparative advantage of Vietnam, it is found that crustaceans, mollusks, and other aquatic invertebrates are among the agricultural export products of Vietnam that potentially take the most advantage from the EVFTA.

91-108

Authors: Nguyen Thi Thanh Huyen, Suzuki Aya

Disease outbreaks are considered the root of drug overuse and the main reason for crop failure in the Mekong Delta. Shrimp cooperatives appear to be a promising solution to struggle with the problem because the cooperative model has been proven to be successful in many sectors such as agriculture, industry, and services. This study examines the effectiveness of a shrimp cooperative in terms of information sharing and price reduction. We employ the propensity score matching method (PSM) to do the analysis, based on the data collected from 256 households in nine communes in the Phu Tan district, Ca Mau province for 2016 and 2017. The study finds limited benefits for farmers who participate in shrimp cooperatives. It further explains why many farmers withdrew after a time. Although shrimp cooperatives have a significant effect on exchanging information related to prohibited substances, shrimp cooperative participants withhold shrimp prices. In addition, we find that the probability of participating in a shrimp cooperative is higher in households with older age or more educated household heads. Moreover, if the farmer has undergone training, the probability of participating in a shrimp cooperative increases.

128-148

Authors: Tran Thi Hien, Tran Thu Huong

This study explores corporate sustainability reporting in Vietnam, whether it is evolutionary or revolutionary. The study centers on answering the questions of the patterns of sustainability reports (SRs) and the level of conformity in the SRs of these companies to the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) framework. Five big publicly listed companies in Vietnam have been selected for the case study. The content analysis method was applied for the data analysis. The findings indicate that four aspects are contributing to the evolution in sustainability reporting practices in those five companies. These include the nascent application of the GRI framework, the use of external assurance, the reporting models, and the incorporation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals into the reporting process.