JOURNAL OF SMART ECONOMIC GROWTH

COORDINATES OF PUBLIC PROCUREMENT CONTRACTS IN ROMANIA

Violeta Popa — 2025-12-26

This article provides an overview of the evolution of public procurement procedures on the Electronic Public Procurement System (SEAP) used in Romania over the last ten years, identifying the trend and the patterns in their structure. The research method used is the analysis of secondary data from statistical reports on public procurement procedures carried out within the SEAP electronic platform in Romania, collected from the official website of the National Agency for Public Procurement (ANAP). According to the results obtained, public spending has increased significantly in recent years. This evolution in the growth rate of budgetary expenditure has caused large budget deficits, which have raised numerous problems in attracting the funds needed to cover expenditure.

THE RESPONSE OF NET EXPORTS TO IMPORT TAXES

Christopher Warburton — 2025-12-26

This paper evaluates the hypothesis that there is an insignificant relationship between net exports (NX) and import tariffs. By analyzing the relationship between import tariffs and NX for 78 countries from 1970 to 2024, I find that there is a negative and significant relationship between import tariffs and net exports for a global sample and a sample that excludes Africa, Europe, and Latin America and the Caribbean. Two empirical methods are utilized to deal with intellectual uncertainties about data adequacy and parameter estimates: (i) a frequentist regression model that is less suitable for sampling adequacy and stable parameter estimates, and (ii) a Bayesian alternative for credible intervals and sampling adequacy. The paper finds that scatter plots have the potential of generating credible economic misperceptions by diachronic transmissions. The paper concludes that the hypothesis fails to provide general theoretical appeal.

THE IMPACT OF BLUE ECONOMY EXPENDITURE ON TAX REVENUE IN MAURITIUS

Fidel Nunoofio — 2025-12-26

In the the past few years, the Mauritian government has prioritised the development of the blue economy, launching initiatives to establish a robust maritime industry and the dedication of a ministry to handle the activities of the blue economy. In spite of these efforts, financing remains a significant hurdle to expansion with strategic plans put in place, and numerous conferences held to identify workable solutions. With this background, the study sought to assess the impact of the expenditure of blue economy on tax revenue in Mauritius for the period commencing 2016 and ending 2024. A quantitative analytical framework was employed, using the pooled least squares estimation regression model. It has been noted that the pooled least squares estimation regression model may be limitation to the study and not fully account for time dynamics. In future research, panel or time series models such as fixed effects and Autoregressive Distributed Lag model could be adopted because of their robust nature. Also, the analysis could be disaggregated into sub-sectors such as fisheries, shipping, aquaculture and ocean energy. The empirical results revealed that the nature of the nexus between each of the independent variable and the dependent variable. The impact of the expenditure on tax revenue showed a significant positive relationship and some of the variables and negative relationship for other variables. The details have been presented in the body of the article. As a result of the research findings, it was recommended among others that, access to financial resources to targeted groups in the blue economy like small-scale fishers and aquaculture operators is essential for achieving sustainable blue economy at a reduced cost. The development of specialised financial instruments, such as low-interest loans and micro-finance can enhance the growth of the sector and minimise the dependence on revenue from the central government.

FISCAL POLICY IN ROMANIA, BETWEEN LEGALITY AND SOCIAL RESPONSABILITY. ON THE NON-RETROACTIVITY OF FISCAL MEASURES/LAWS AND THE IMAGE OF THE GOVERNMENT

Poțincu Laura — 2025-12-24

Laws "function" on the territory of Romania and must be known and observed by individuals or organizations operating on the Romanian market The "life" of normative acts lasts, in time, from the moment they come into force until the moment they cease to be in force. The only ones that are established in the Romanian legal mechanism, through Romanian legislation, and are also stated in the Romanian Constitution, are the immediate effects of the normative act, i.e. a normative act produces effects from the moment of its entry into force. The provisions of the normative act must not and cannot be known and observed by citizens and organizations before the entry into force of this act, i.e. the respective normative act does not retroactively apply in time, before its entry into force. The provisions of the normative act must not and cannot be respected by citizens and organizations after the expiry of the respective normative act, i.e. the normative act in question does not have ultra-active effects in time, after its expiry. In Romania, one notes an implementation of the requirements of social responsibility also in the management strategies of business operators. The next step in the evolution of social responsibility is currently finding these requirements in the activity of public institutions in Romania, in a socially responsible management. A socially responsible management at the level of the highest public institutions in Romania, would have created trust in the image of the Romanian Government and would have had a positive impact, both regarding the stakeholder citizens, and before the European/international stakeholder forums, in order to obtain various financing/support.

IMPACT OF FUEL SUBSIDY REMOVAL ON THE COST OF LIVING IN NIGERIA

Oluseye Ajuwon — 2026-01-04

The removal of fuel subsidies has significantly exacerbated inflationary pressures in Nigeria. According to the National Bureau of Statistics (2024), Nigeria’s headline inflation rose from 28.9% in December 2023 to 29.9% in January 2024. It continued its upward trajectory, reaching 34.19% by June 2024, marking the seventh consecutive monthly increase and the highest level recorded in nearly two decades. This inflationary trend has been largely driven by rising fuel and food prices, coupled with currency depreciation, and has deepened the cost-of-living crisis. This study aims to simulate the impact of removing the petrol subsidy, as reflected in the increase in PMS prices, on Nigeria’s inflation trajectory. We hypothesize that the removal of petroleum subsidies does not generate inflationary pressures and test this hypothesis using the innovative Dynamic Simulated Autoregressive Distributed Lag (DS-ARDL) framework. The outcome of the study shows that fuel-subsidy removal has a significant impact on the cost of living and inflation level in Nigeria, indicating that as 1 unit of subsidy removal increases, the cost of living and inflation level increase by 73.8%. The government should therefore carefully consider the impact of removing fuel subsidies on citizens and provide palliatives and other welfare-enhancing initiatives to cushion the effect on individuals, households, and firms.