Evaluating the Impacts of Infrastructural Investments in the US on State and Local Tax Revenues

Impact of the USA - Iran Conflict on Global Supply Chains

The outbreak of armed conflict between the United States and Iran, commencing on February 28, 2026 with coordinated US–Israeli airstrikes codenamed Operation Epic Fury, has precipitated the most significant disruption to global supply chains since the COVID-19 pandemic and the 1970s oil crisis. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz - a 34-kilometre chokepoint through which approximately 20 million barrels of oil per day and critical commodity volumes flow - has unleashed cascading shocks across energy, agriculture, advanced technology, and financial markets. This paper provides a comprehensive empirical analysis of those disruptions, assessing impacts on energy markets (Brent crude surging from $71 to $126/bbl), fertilizer supply chains (urea prices up 50%), helium and semiconductor manufacturing (one-third of global helium supply disrupted), shipping logistics (freight rates up 50%, transit times extended by 10–20 days), and broader macroeconomic indicators. The paper evaluates near-term sectoral vulnerabilities, examines disproportionate regional exposure with particular attention to Asia and South Asia, and presents three forward scenarios - ceasefire stabilization, escalation, and frozen conflict. This study aims to concludes with policy recommendations for supply chain resilience, strategic reserve reform, and multilateral risk governance.

UNDERSTANDING THE DECLINE OF DUNZO: A CASE STUDY OF INTERNAL STRATEGIC AND OPERATIONAL FAILURES

This study examines the decline of Dunzo, a pioneering hyperlocal delivery platform in India, from a strategic, operational, supply chain, and financial perspective. Founded in 2015 as a WhatsApp-based concierge service, Dunzo rapidly evolved into a technology-driven platform catering to urban consumers' demand for convenience and last-mile delivery. However, the emergence of quick commerce (q-commerce), characterized by ultra-fast deliveries and infrastructure-intensive models, significantly altered industry dynamics and posed new challenges for early entrants. The research adopts a descriptive and analytical approach based entirely on secondary data sources, including academic journals, industry reports, MCA financial filings, and expert analyses. It explores how Dunzo's transition from an asset-light hyperlocal model to an asset-heavy quick-commerce framework created operational inefficiencies and severe financial strain. Verified financial data from MCA filings (FY2018–FY2023) reveals that Dunzo was never profitable in any single year of its operation. Over six years, the company earned a cumulative revenue of approximately ₹333 crore while accumulating losses of over ₹3,023 crore losing roughly ₹9 for every ₹1 earned on average. In FY2023 alone, losses reached ₹1,801 crore against revenue of just ₹226 crore, with total expenses of ₹2,054 crore. The study highlights key issues such as overexpansion, rising supply chain complexities, unsustainable cost structures, and inability to match the scale and speed of well-funded competitors like Blinkit, Swiggy Instamart, and Zepto. The findings reveal that Dunzo's decline was primarily driven by strategic misalignment, poor execution, and a complete failure to achieve unit-level profitability at any stage of its growth. The study concludes that technological innovation and market demand alone are insufficient for long-term success; firms must align growth with operational efficiency, financial discipline, and supply chain integration. The research offers valuable managerial insights for emerging hyperlocal and quick-commerce firms on balancing scalability, cost control, and competitive positioning in a capital-intensive environment.

Effects of Road Infrastructure Investments on the Local Economic Dynamics of Paraíba

Regulatory and Institutional Review: Electrification in Indonesia’s Frontier, Outermost, and Underdeveloped (3T) Regions

Government of Indonesia sets an ambitious target of 100% of electrification ratio by 2029 to support inclusive economic growth. However, despite a reported national electrification ratio of 99.83%, Frontier, Outermost, and Underdeveloped (3T) regions continue to suffer from unreliable service and frequent asset abandonment. This study investigates the institutional and regulatory root causes of these disparities. Using a qualitative institutional analysis combining regulatory review, stakeholder mapping through a RACI (Responsible, Accountable, Consult, and Informed) framework, and comparative policy synthesis, we identify a fundamental “Accountability Paradox” in the current governance structure. The analysis reveals that the separation of mandates between the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources as the regulator, the Ministry of Finance as the financier, and PLN as the operator creates a vacuum of accountability for long-term sustainability, particularly for off-grid systems. Furthermore, while the institutional and regulatory framework disperses funding responsibility across multiple levels of government, resulting in fragmented financing arrangements, state-centric subsidy mechanisms create financial asymmetries that constrain private and community participation. To address these structural inefficiencies, this paper proposes the establishment of a dedicated Public Service Agency (BLU) for 3T Energy. The proposed institution functions as a centralised orchestrator to integrate electrification programs, financing mechanisms, and performance-based incentives, thereby shifting the national electrification paradigm from connectivity toward sustainable service quality.

Operational Costs at the Rio Grande Port Complex (RS, Brazil): An Analysis of the Influence of Climatic Variables

This paper estimates the operational effects and opportunity costs of weather-induced stoppages at the Rio Grande Port Complex, Brazil, over the period 2020–2024. The empirical strategy combines operation-level port microdata from ANTAQ with meteorological information from INMET and identifies causal effects through a two-step design based on Entropy Balancing and Weighted Least Squares with HC3 robust standard errors. The estimates show economically relevant and statistically significant increases in waiting-to-berth time, operation time, and total port stay after climate-related stoppages, with stronger effects at public terminals. The results also reveal marked heterogeneity across cargo segments. Over the full sample period, cumulative opportunity costs are estimated at US$ 5.39 million for General Cargo and US$ 7.60 million for Solid Bulk, reflecting distinct exposure profiles and differences in berth allocation. Beyond direct monetary losses, the evidence indicates persistent losses in effective port capacity associated with adverse weather conditions. These findings support the adoption of real-time meteorological monitoring, segment-specific contingency protocols, and resilient infrastructure investments to reduce delays, mitigate economic losses, and strengthen climate adaptation in port logistics.

Revenue Generation and Infrastructural Development in Taraba State

The study examined the impact of revenue generation on infrastructural development in Taraba state. The study employed descriptive survey and expost facto research design using secondary data to collected data from the Office of the Accountant General of Taraba State; Ministry of Finance; Taraba State Board of Internal Revenue (TSBIR, 2024); CBN Statistical bulletin, and National Bureau of Statistics (NBS 2024) from 2009-2023. The effect was examined using Dynamic Ordinary Least Square (DOLS) regression technique. The result revealed that federal statutory allocation, Grants, loan and internally generated revenue had positive and insignificant impact on infrastructural development in Taraba State while loans had negative and statistically significant in this analysis. Therefore, the study recommended that the Taraba State Government should increase and improve social amenities with judicious use of federal allocation to the State. This will boost the revenue base of the State and enable the State government strategically plan and allocate scarce resources to infrastructural development, addition, the state government should ensure judicious use of IGR to rehabitate and upgrade roads linking local government areas across the state and motorable roads for agricultural activities, more to that, government should avoid securing loans for personal use or elephant projects in Taraba State but for the maintaining of infrastructural development in State. More attention should be given to capital spending as against administrative and recurrent expenditure. This measure will ensure the effectiveness of the State’s fiscal policy for infrastructural development in Taraba State.