An efficient bank is more robust to shocks, fosters competitiveness, and promotes stability of the financial system. This study estimates Ethiopia’s commercial banks’ level of efficiency and its determinants during the period 2014–2020. Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA), Malmquist DEA, and Tobit regression were employed to analyze the data. The result indicated that the average efficiency score of banks in the constant returns to scale (CRS), variable returns to scale (VRS), and scale efficiency (SE) models were 95.5%, 99.85%, and 96.95% , respectively. Furthermore, in the VRS model, a state bank is more efficient than private banks. During the study period, the Total Factor Productivity (TFP) of Banks improved by 1%. According to the Tobit model, the efficiency of banks grows with an increment in the number of branches, bank size, and credit risk. However, when, liquidity risk and the log of the fixed asset increase, bank efficiency will decrease. The level of capitalization, log of GDP, and inflation, on the other hand, do not influence bank efficiency. Therefore, banks should pay close attention to aspects that influence technical efficiency.

In the economic growth of a country, the banking sector plays a significant role (Alam, Rabbani, Tausif, & Abey, 2021). The overall objective of the study is to investigate the financial performance of commercial banks in emerging markets. The study tried to see the impact of governance, exchange rate volatility, trade openness, and internet access on the financial performance of commercial banks in Ethiopia during the years from 2014 to 2019. The study employed a random-effects model using balanced panel data. The result indicated that composite governance index, trade openness, and internet access have a positive and statistically significant effect on the financial performance of commercial banks as measured by their return on assets. However, the exchange rate volatility has a negative and statistically significant effect on the financial performance of commercial banks. On the other hand, the result of bank-specific variables considered in the study such as profit margin, asset utilization, net interest margin, overhead efficiency, and numbers of branches have a positive and statistically significant effect on the financial performance of commercial banks. Contrarily, the equity multiplier ratio has a negative and significant effect on the financial performance of commercial banks

The overall objective of the study is to investigate the impact of governance on financial development in Sub-Saharan African countries. To achieve the stated objective, the study employed balanced data of 43 Sub-Saharan African countries during the year 2002 to 2018. To analyze the data, the study used both the fixed and random effect estimation approaches and explored the relationship between the three dimensions of governance and three pillars of financial development in Sub-Saharan African countries. The study also applied the Principal Component Analysis (PCA) to create indexes for the political, economic, and institutional dimensions of governance taking the six world governance indicators. The overall findings of the study indicate that the political, economic, and overall governance composite index has a positive and significant impact on the overall financial developments of sub-Saharan African countries. The development of financial institutions in the region is influenced significantly and positively by political, institutional, and overall governance. In addition, the economic dimension of governance has had a significant and positive impact on the development of the financial markets in sub-Saharan Africa. Furthermore, trade openness, real interest rate, inflation, real GDP, and access to electricity are all major macroeconomic predictors of financial development, according to the study. As a result, all aspects of governance quality in the Sub-Saharan African countries must be improved. This can be achieved by policies aimed at strengthening voice and accountability, political stability, government effectiveness, regulatory quality, rule of law, corruption control, and overall macroeconomic reform.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of civil liberties, global health security, median age and population size on the spread of COVID-19 across the globe.Design/methodology/approach: This study was done by taking data from 166 different countries from the Economist Intelligence Unit, European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, World Bank, Johns Hopkins University and United Nations Population Division (UNPD). After conducting all the necessary standard econometric tests, the study was analyzed using the ordinary least squares (OLS) regression.Findings: The finding of the study indicated that COVID-19 tests per million people (LTT/PM), Population Size (LPOP), Civil Liberty Index (CLI) are statistically significant and positively affect the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases; on the other hand, the Health Security Index (HSI) negatively affects the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases.Practical implications: In emergency circumstances, the government ought to have a special responsibility to align civil rights with the protection of public health cautiously. However, measures to restrict civil liberties must be proportionate.Originality/value: Besides other variables, the study included and considered civil liberties as a significant factor to affect the spread of COVID-19, which is a new contribution to the existing body of knowledge in the field.