South Asian Journal of Social Studies and Economics

Sustainable Tourism in Ecologically Fragile Landscapes of Kerala’s Western Ghats

Ann Mary Cherian — 2025-12-01

The Western Ghats, one of the most important biodiversity hotspots is the ecological backbone of Kerala and had become an enticement for nature based and heritage tourism. However, unplanned tourism, climate change etc. has compounded the region’s ecological fragility. This is a qualitative and conceptual research study based entirely on secondary data, synthesizing findings from an extensive desk-based review of academic literature, institutional reports, and official government statistics spanning 2010 to 2024.

This paper focuses on the relationship between tourism growth and environmental degradation in Kerala’s Western Ghats with special focus on the Wayanad and Idukki district. It critically examines the link between recent natural disasters- especially landslides and the tourism developments in the region. The study has argued that unregulated land-use change, specifically slope modification for construction of resorts and homestays, road expansion, and poor waste management, has intensified slope fragility and soil erosion in the study area. This activity acts as a critical exacerbating factor, amplifying the risk of catastrophic events, as evidenced by post-disaster assessments of the 2018 Idukki and the devastating 2024 Wayanad landslides. Therefore, the study concludes that tourism in the Western Ghats necessitates a paradigm shift from growth-centric to ecology-centric governance. The study suggest that this shift is achievable by integrating decentralized planning, focusing on carrying capacity limits, community participation and ecosystem restoration.

Exploring the Long-term Dynamics Between Economic Indicators and Suicide Rates in Bangladesh: An ARDL Approach

Samia Jahan — 2025-12-01

This study examines the ongoing connection between economic variables and the suicide rate in Bangladesh using the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) approach. Suicide rates continue to escalate in Bangladesh, and the present study seeks to examine the relationship between unemployment, inflation, GDP, and suicide rates over the long term. The study investigates the association between unemployment, inflation, GDP, and suicide rates from 2000 to 2021, utilizing time-series data from the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) and the World Bank. The ARDL framework reveals significant short-term and long-term effects, suggesting to the policymakers that while unemployment, inflation, and GDP have an influence, they do not solely account for the causes of suicide. This study applies an ARDL (2,2,0,2) model to depicts the short- and long-run dynamics of the variables, with the resulting F-statistic of 9.5 indicating a strong and significant relationship between unemployment, inflation, GDP, and suicide rates. The Error Correction Model (ECM) indicates that approximately 51% of the fluctuations in the suicide rate are corrected in the following period. The present investigation offers important insights for decision-makers, emphasizing the need to address economic stressors to reduce suicide rates and subsequently enhance mental well-being in low- to middle-income nations such as Bangladesh.

Integrated Tourism-Based Homestay Service Quality: A Gap Analysis in the AEWO Mulyaharja Tourism Village

Baskoro Harwindito — 2025-12-02

Aims: To identify the gaps in the quality of homestay services in the Agro Edu Wisata Organic (AEWO) area of Mulyaharja, Bogor City, against the Standard of Guesthouse Business established by the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy. In the context of Community-Based Tourism (CBT), homestays play a strategic role as accommodations that not only offer a place to stay but also cultural values and deep social interactions.

Study Design: This study is qualitative research with a case study design.

Place and Duration of Study: The research was conducted at Agro Edu Wisata Organik (AEWO) Mulyaharja, Bogor, in 2024.

Methodology: The main informants are homestay owners selected purposively based on their active involvement in managing the homestay and a minimum of one year of experience. Data were collected through semi-structured in-depth interviews based on the five dimensions of SERVQUAL (reliability, responsiveness, assurance, empathy, physical evidence) and were analyzed thematically using deductive–inductive coding processes.

Results: The main strengths of the homestays lie in the dimensions of empathy and responsiveness, reflected in warm social interactions and personalized service from the homestay owners. Conversely, weaknesses appear in the dimensions of assurance, reliability, and physical evidence, such as the absence of written Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), limited standard facilities, and minimal security guarantees for the service. Variations in service among homestays due to the lack of SOPs could potentially decrease tourist satisfaction and loyalty. These findings highlight a significant research gap related to the absence of SERVQUAL-based SOPs within community-based homestay settings, indicating the need for more structured policy interventions.

Conclusion: Managerially, this study recommends the development of culturally grounded SOPs rooted in local values, supported by training and capacity-building from local governments and higher education institutions to ensure consistent service quality and enhance the competitiveness of tourism villages. This step aims to improve the consistency of service quality and the competitive edge of homestays sustainably, without compromising the local community's cultural uniqueness.

Abusive Supervision and Turnover Intention in Higher Education: Exploring the Role of Emotional Exhaustion and Resilience

Subarna Sarker — 2025-12-02

Purpose: This study examines the impact of abusive supervision on turnover intention among faculty members at private universities in Bangladesh. It examines emotional exhaustion as a mediator and employee resilience as a moderator. By using Affective Events Theory (AET) and Conservation of Resources Theory (COR), this study addresses the scarcity of research on the dark side of leadership in South Asian higher education, particularly using AET and COR together, and exploring the combined mediation and moderation model in this context.

Design/Methodology/Approach: Data were collected from 319 faculty members at private universities in Bangladesh. SPSS v27 and AMOS v24 were used to analyze the relationships among abusive supervision, emotional exhaustion, resilience, and turnover intention.

Findings: The results reveal that abusive supervision significantly increases turnover intention (β = 0.376, p < 0.01) and emotional exhaustion (β = 0.559, p < 0.01). Emotional exhaustion was found to mediate the relationship between abusive supervision and turnover intention, with a significant positive indirect effect (β = 0.141, p < 0.01). Furthermore, employee resilience was found to significantly weaken the positive association between emotional exhaustion and turnover intention (β = -0.159, p < 0.01).

Practical implications: The study underscores the need to address abusive supervisory behaviors to reduce turnover intention. It highlights the importance of leadership development and resilience-building initiatives to improve faculty retention and organizational well-being.

Originality/Value: This study contributes to the limited literature on abusive supervision in South Asia and emphasizes the protective role of resilience in mitigating its negative outcomes. It provides valuable insights for improving faculty retention and leadership practices in higher education.

Exploring Tourists’ Characteristics and Motivation in Cultural Tourism: Evidence from Taman Mini Indonesia Indah

Nicko Gana Saputra — 2025-12-04

This study aims to identify and analyze the characteristics and motivations of tourists visiting Taman Mini Indonesia Indah (TMII), focusing on demographic, geographic, psychographic, and travel pattern dimensions, as well as the dominant motivational factors influencing their visit. A quantitative descriptive research design was used, and the research was conducted during the on-site survey period from April to June 2025 at Taman Mini Indonesia Indah (TMII), Jakarta, Indonesia. Data were collected through structured questionnaires distributed to 100 respondents who met the criteria of being at least 17 years old and having spent a minimum of two hours at TMII. A 5-point Likert scale was used to measure motivational attributes. The sampling technique applied was stratified random sampling to reflect the heterogeneity of TMII visitors and to enhance the representativeness of the sample. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, including frequency distributions, percentages, and mean scores, were used to analyze visitor profiles and motivation patterns. The results show that 58% of visitors are young adults aged 20–30, with students (42%) and private employees (27%) forming the dominant occupational groups. Geographically, most visitors come from Jakarta (34%) and West Java (20%). The majority (70%) use private vehicles, 81% visit on weekends, and the typical length of visit ranges from 1 to 2 hours. Motivational results indicate that hedonic enjoyment, memory-making, relaxation, novelty-seeking, and information-seeking are the strongest drivers influencing visits, while social expansion is the least influential. The motivational pattern reflects a combination of push factors (internal needs for enjoyment, relaxation, novelty) and pull factors (TMII’s cultural attractions). This study contributes to tourism research by strengthening the understanding of motivational patterns in cultural theme parks and offering comparative value for similar destinations in the region.