Journal of Social Economics Research

Trust and satisfaction towards loyalty business mediated with relationship quality with a turbulent environment in East Java sugar cane farmers B2B sector

Budi Utami — 2025-01-24

This paper discusses the effects of trustworthiness, business loyalty (BL), perseverance, and relationship quality (RQ) on environmental volatility (ET). Assessment of a Likert-scale survey questionnaire was conducted to analyze the average value for each item, indicator, and variable in a descriptive manner. Data collection was done via a manual sample survey. Analyzed data using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) on Smart PLS (partial least squares) 3.0. The study's findings indicate that while it has both a short- and long-term impact on loyalist business operations, it has a greater impact on long-term business operations with high-quality connections and short-term business operations with a fluctuating environment. The research findings demonstrate a direct correlation between trustworthiness and the quality of business-to-business and loyalty relationships. This is a result of the sugarcane farmer's relatively low level of trustworthiness when it comes to consistently reporting the results to the sugar plant; this is caused by the relatively low quality of the partnership.

The role of social safety nets for poverty reduction in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Abdulrahaman A Albahouth — 2025-02-13

The purpose of this research paper is to assess the potential role of social safety nets (SSNs) in poverty reduction in Saudi Arabia, which has received less attention in the empirical literature. Specifically, the paper explores the influence of the “Unemployment Insurance Law (SANED)” on poverty reduction. Credible sources provide quarterly data for the period from 2016 to 2023. The study used the “Autoregressive Distributed Lag Modeling (ARDL)” approach for assessing the short-run and long-run impacts of SANED on poverty reduction. Our results show that the SANED program has significantly contributed to poverty reduction in Saudi Arabia, and its influence is evident both in the short- and the long-run. The estimated model also indicated that higher unemployment rates lead to higher poverty rates, while higher government spending and greater trade openness effectively contributed to reducing poverty burdens. Our results carry significant implications, providing valuable insights to effectively address poverty and enhance economic stability in Saudi Arabia. Therefore, we expect the current study's results to significantly benefit Saudi Arabia's policymakers. Consequently, they could formulate and implement appropriate policies to effectively address the problem of poverty.

Intention to participate in voluntary social insurance in an emerging economy: An examination based on extended theory of planned behavior

Hung Van Vu — 2025-02-13

The study aimed to assess factors influencing the intention to participate in voluntary social insurance among informal sector workers in Vietnam, an emerging economy in Southeast Asia. Primary data collected from 460 respondents was used for SEM analysis. The study showed that two parts of the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) model—attitude and perceived behavioral control—make people more likely to sign up for voluntary social insurance. Government incentive policies, appropriateness, affordability, and perceived difficulties during the COVID-19 pandemic also predict the intention to participate. The research findings rejected the role of subjective norms in influencing the intention to participate. This research has identified factors affecting intention to subscribe to voluntary insurance among independent laborers in an emerging market like Vietnam, where there used to be larger proportion of formal workers who had to follow mandatory social insurance. Based on the revealed impact factors, policymakers and labor-related authority officials may have insights into how to encourage more informal workers to purchase voluntary insurance. This is particularly critical in a context where the majority of the population, especially independent laborers, are not used to subscribing to insurance in general if not required.