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This article analyses the American Express travel board game Money Card (1972) as it highlights the intertwinement between the rise of a distinctive form of tourism as a modern mass industry and the expansion of the capitalist market, the primacy of the dollar, and U.S. hegemony. In a period marked by a shift from paper money to credit cards and global credit markets, American Express was the most powerful and easily identifiable symbol of the new post-war international economic order dominated by U.S. economic and political power. Placing the American Express Money Card board game within the shift from the post-war economy of reconstruction to credit expansion and neoliberalism, brings to the forefront the ways in which the game presented tourism as a ritual in celebration of capitalism. As a form of armchair travel, the board game sold tourism as a re-enchantment of the world. The article explores how the board game framed the American Express Card as fetish object, portrayed Europe as up for sale, and created a desire for the services of American Express and consumerism more generally. It shows how players were trained to use credit cards, be good consumers, and participate in the economy of the tourist industry. By advancing a capitalist tourist dreamworld, Money Card shaped perceptions of travel to Europe and created a religious illusion, offering a re-enchantment of the world through tourism and credit cards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Democracy is considered to be the ideal foundation of societies today. In a democratic society, news media play a highly relevant role as avenues by which public and political powers can interact with society and facilitate civic participation. The public’s perception of the news media’s reputation is a crucial factor for enhancing trust and citizen engagement. This article presents a study of the reputation of the media (paper press, digital press, radio and television) in ten European countries: Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. A quantitative method was applied to the results of a survey conducted to determine the reputation of news media among a sample of the informed population in those countries (1,000 residents of legal age who used media at least two or three times a week). The concept of reputation is thereby characterized in its association with the media, identifying its integrating attributes and assessing its incidence in each type of medium. The results indicate that, although television is the most widely used medium, the printed press enjoys a higher reputation in most of the countries studied, being seen as having the attributes of credibility and informative rigor. This study provides a detailed analysis of the scores given to media reputation attributes in the considered countries. It also offers a ranking of the media with the highest reputation in the countries examined, as well as a description of the reputational position of each medium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is based on longitudinal ethnographic work among Bulgarian migrant women who work as live‐in caregivers and domestic workers in Italian households and explores the analytical potential of place and place making for transmigration literature by conceptualizing the co‐production of place with subjectivities. Such approach sensitizes to mundane practices of care and belonging, which actively create migratory lives of meaning. Drawing on Deleuze's concept of the fold as subjectivity and Clifford's notion of dwelling‐in‐travelling, I propose the term 'dwelling‐in‐folds' – and its mechanism 'folding place' – in order to make sense of temporary migrants' experience of place(s) that foregrounds their ability to connect and reconcile fractures and discontinuities, particularly when doing transnational motherhood. In doing so, the paper folds place empirically – showing how 'dwelling‐in‐folds' is achieved and unfolds place analytically – demonstrating the potential of this concept for sociology and transmigration studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed life in Europe and globally. The pandemic affects both individuals and the broader society across many domains, including physical and psychological health, the economy and general welfare. The measures taken to counteract the pandemic have significantly altered daily life and, along with the threat of contracting the coronavirus and uncertainties surrounding future developments, created a complex system of stressors with a negative impact on public mental health. This paper aims to outline the ESTSS strategy to address mental health issues related to COVID-19 and focuses on (1) trauma-informed policies, (2) capacity building, (3) collaborative research and (4) knowledge-exchange. To facilitate implementation of a trauma-informed approach and appropriate measures, ESTSS has developed a toolkit of recommendations on mental health and psychosocial assistance to be provided during the different phases of crisis and its aftermath. To promote capacity building, ESTSS offers a certification programme based on a curriculum in psychotraumatology and corresponding on-line training to the European community of mental health professionals. To assure evidence-based approaches and methods tailored to current circumstances, ESTSS has initiated a pan-European research project with international cooperation aimed at studying the mental health consequences of the pandemic, with a focus on psychological trauma and other stress-related reactions. To foster knowledge-exchange, the European Journal of Psychotraumatology (EJPT), the official journal of ESTSS, is publishing a special issue on COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This introduction provides the theoretical context of the Special Issue on Literacy Development in Regional Collateral Languages of Europe and an overview of the papers in the collection. For this end, it first discusses contemporary perceptions of the terms ‘literacy’ and ‘literacies’. These go far beyond traditional understandings, even though expressing one's thoughts through writing texts and meaning-making through reading are still at the core of literacies. Then, readers are introduced to the concept and the ideological contexts of ‘regional collateral languages’: These are varieties which are, on the one hand, structurally and ideologically closely related, or ‘collateral’, to major languages, often the main languages of nation states. On the other hand, they are deeply rooted in their regions; the paper therefore argues that they deserve specific attention along the lines of other efforts to maintain and develop autochthonous varieties. Finally, the introduction summarises the papers which focus on Scots in Scotland, Low German in Germany, Csángo in Romania, Silesian, Masurian, and Kashubian in Poland, Võro in Estonian, and Latgalian in Latvia, before identifying common denominators of the case studies and possible topics for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper critically examines the Silicon Shield argument, which suggests that Taiwan's semiconductor industry deters Chinese aggression due to global reliance. The main argument is that this narrative lacks rigorous academic grounding and serves more as a hopeful story than a credible deterrent. By analyzing the concept under the backdrop of grand theories in international relations, the paper addresses a gap in understanding the security implications of Taiwan's semiconductor industry. It concludes that the Silicon Shield is largely a hopeful narrative. This research provides a foundation for further empirical studies and encourages academic discourse on Taiwan’s security dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to share and proclaim the activities and outputs of the international project 'SOS Climate Waterfront', which was carried out interdisciplinary with the support of the European Commission's Horizon 2020 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) within the framework of the Research and Innovation Staff Exchange Program (RISE) between 2019 and 2023. The project aimed to address the issues of waterfront cities facing climate change in Europe and create a common sense in problem solving. It sought to bring together not only the universities and the academics seeking adaptation and contribution in combating climate change but also relevant NGO’s, municipalities, professionals, citizens, and all related stakeholders interested in the subject. Specialist representatives of partner institutions with diverse backgrounds in the project formed mixed working groups. They developed proposals aimed at increasing the resilience of the selected European waterfront cities to climate change in nine different one-month period workshops held in Rome (2), Gdansk (2), Stockholm (1), Thessaloniki (2), and Lisbon (2). These proposals were then presented to relevant stakeholders through various conferences within the project scope. The paper discusses the objectives and scope of the project, as well as the proposals developed and refined during each workshop focusing on climate change, the activities carried out, and the project output books. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

(1) Background: "To change the world, we must first change the way the babies are being born", said Michel Odent, the famous French obstetrician and pioneer of the "natural birth" movement. This quotable phrase has been widespread in activism campaigns, and it refers to a project for social change that goes beyond birth. Conceiving childbirth in the broader social context, it is not surprising that this emblematic quote inspires emancipatory struggles around birth. This paper results from a study of childbirth activism in different European contexts, where the author explores the emergence and modes of action of social movements advocating for the humanization of childbirth and women's rights in pregnancy and childbirth. (2) Methods: Starting from the analysis of the main characteristics of childbirth activism, in this paper the author briefly analyzes the cases of organizations from Portugal, Spain and the Netherlands, as well as a campaign promoted by the European Network of Childbirth Associations (ENCA). The author mobilizes empirical data resulting from a triangulation approach, essentially based on documentary analysis, complemented by conversations and participant observation in different settings. (3) Results: Preliminary results show how childbirth activism is contributing to the construction of alternative conceptions of birth, challenging established paradigms. (4) Conclusion: In its differences and similarities, childbirth activism assumes distinct features, but it also has the ability to adapt and promote changes, depending on the specificities of the contexts where it operates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Europe accounts for 51% of international tourist arrivals and the tourism industry provides about 10% of workplaces in Europe. Tourism will be impacted by climate change in a diverse number of ways. At the same time, tourism is also a significant contributor of greenhouse gas emissions. The aim of this article is, therefore, to provide an assessment of climate and carbon risks for the European tourism industry based on a systematic literature review. Climate risk is the dominant category with 313 papers (74%), while 110 papers (26%) were on carbon risks. The following gaps were identified: geographical gaps, especially in countries of the former Soviet Union and former Yugoslavia; a lack of coherent studies on national tourism's and its sub-sectors' emissions; research addressing how climate policies might affect tourism demand; assessments of the integrated carbon and climate risks; lack of evidence on the link between tourism climate indicators and tourism demand; lack of climate change and tourism studies addressing policy and institutional tools for adaptation and implementation of adaptation measures in destinations; and research on rising sea levels and coastal erosion and its impacts on tourism destinations and demand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a novel financial instrument, green bonds require further research to understand their causal effects and theoretical mechanisms on sustainable development fully. This paper constructs a theoretical model that characterizes the issuance of green bonds as the extent to which social planners prioritize environmental benefits in bond markets. In this model, we define sustainable development as the geometric mean of environmental factor inputs and final production output. By maximizing consumer utility, this model elucidates the direct and non-linear relationship between green bonds and sustainable development. The paper empirically investigates this proposition using data from 19 European countries between 2018 and 2022. The results indicate that: (1) Green bonds significantly promote sustainable development. This financial instrument, designed to raise funds for environmental projects, can indeed promote sustainable development through clean and green resource allocation. (2) The promotional effect of green bonds on sustainable development increases significantly with improvements in innovation efficiency, industrialization rates, and savings rates. This finding elaborates on the conditions under which the positive impact of green bonds on sustainable development is enhanced. (3) Green bonds only promote sustainable development when a country's factor endowment structure reaches a specific threshold. Beyond this threshold, as the factor endowment structure becomes very high, the country's sustainable development gains sufficient momentum, diminishing the role of green bonds. This finding suggests that the positive impact of green bonds on sustainable development is contingent upon certain properties reflecting the economic basis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper engages with the relationship between dissident European mayors and the migrant solidarity movement in Europe after 2015. With the case study of the coalition "From the Sea to the City", I examine how its members institutionalise mayors' dissent at a transnational level through the International Alliance of Safe Harbours. Employing primary empirical data, the study finds that coalition members create a political sequence in four ways: developing a storyline and setting up a broad coalition of migrant solidarity; referencing mayors' disruptive acts; nurturing counter‐imaginaries; and laying the foundation for further action towards transforming the instituted order of European migration politics. To conceptualise the empirical findings, I draw on concepts of political organisation. In this vein, the paper calls for an assessment of movement politics that goes beyond the belief that local disruptions will suffice to set in motion a progressive transformation of European migration politics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the last decade, there have been numerous studies on the rise, characteristics, and consequences of the emergence of populist parties in Western liberal democracies. However, most analyses of European populist parties have focused on the right-wing populist parties. Although some scholars have made valuable efforts to understand left-wing populism in Europe, these studies have paid attention to their ideological-organizational idiosyncrasies or the characteristics of their electoral bases. This paper aims to fill the gap in the economic and political contexts in which Radical Left Populist Parties have achieved significant electoral results putting into practice a fsQCA analysis and examining their uneven electoral performance in Europe. Following some previous work applying QCA techniques, this paper tests the theory on the importance of economic and political factors. Findings indicate that the electoral performance of radical left populism cannot be explained in a univocal way, highlighting the crucial role of equifinality in understanding this political phenomenon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The European & Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP), like many other research funders, requires its grantees to make papers available via open access (OA). This article investigates the effect of publishing in OA journals and international collaboration within and between European and sub-Saharan African countries on citation impact and likelihood of falling into the top 1% and top 10% most cited papers in poverty-related disease (PRD) research. Methods: Disease-specific research publications were identified in the Web of Science™ and MEDLINE using Medical Subject Heading (MeSH) terms. Data on the open accessibility of scientific literature were derived from 1science oaFindr. Publication data, including relative citation counts, were extracted for 2003–2015. Regression models were applied to quantify the relationship between relative citations and presence in the 1% and top 10% most cited papers versus OA and international collaboration. Results: The results show that since 2003 papers on PRDs have become increasingly available in OA. Among all PRD areas, malaria research is most frequently published in OA and in international collaboration. The adjusted regression analyses show that holding other factors constant, publishing research in OA and in international collaboration has a significant and meaningful citation advantage over non-OA or non-international collaborative research. Publishing papers as part of a European-wide or European- sub-Saharan African collaboration increases research impact. In contrast, such collaboration advantage is not observed for research output involving sub-Saharan Africa only which seems to decrease research impact. Conclusions: Our results indicate that there is a real, measurable citation advantage for publishing PRD research in OA and international collaboration. However, the international collaboration advantage seems to be region-specific with increased research impact for European-wide and European-sub-Saharan African collaborations but a decrease in research impact of collaborations confined to sub-Saharan African research institutions. Further research is required to further verify this finding and to understand the underlying factors related to this observed decrease in research impact. To target future research capacity building activities in sub-Saharan Africa it is important to assess whether the observed decreased impact reflects the scientific competencies and geographic distribution of individual researchers or institutional-, national- or funder-specific research requirements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quantifying the impact of a scholarly paper is of great significance, yet the effect of geographical distance of cited papers has not been explored. In this paper, we examine 30,596 papers published in Physical Review C, and identify the relationship between citations and geographical distances between author affiliations. Subsequently, a relative citation weight is applied to assess the impact of a scholarly paper. A higher-order weighted quantum PageRank algorithm is also developed to address the behavior of multiple step citation flow. Capturing the citation dynamics with higher-order dependencies reveals the actual impact of papers, including necessary self-citations that are sometimes excluded in prior studies. Quantum PageRank is utilized in this paper to help differentiating nodes whose PageRank values are identical. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the last two decades the web expansion from web of things to web of thought presents a real provocation for governments across societies to achieve citizens' expectations. The transition from e-government to digital government from reactive to proactive service delivery mechanisms is one of the governments main challenges worldwide. The aim of this paper is to analyse the readiness of governments across Europe for the transition from the traditional e-government to digital government. In the paper the digital government is analyzed comparatively with the e-government and focusing on the main differences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The subject of this paper is the hypotheses and theories purposed at explaining the divergence between Europe and the world, which emerged with global imperialism in the last five hundred years and became evident with the Industrial Revolution. This subject was revived with Kenneth Pomeranz's work The Great Divergence, published in 2000, and continued under the title The Great Divergence. In this paper, major studies on the subject are presented and a general evaluation is made in the conclusion section. Hypotheses on the subject are discussed in this article by classifying them under the headings of natural factors and cultural-institutional factors. It cannot be said that the subject of the Great Divergence, for which hundreds of books and thousands of articles have been produced, has been able to reach a satisfactory explanation. For this, first of all, the disconnection between economic history and economic theory must be eliminated. However, it is also imperative to abandon Eurocentric explanations that have permeated the social sciences. An important problem seen in some of the hypotheses on the subject is that the conditions for falsification are not determined. This situation reduces the scientific value of the relevant studies by eliminating testability. One-dimensional or reductionist explanations do not allow the phenomenon to be understood. Therefore, a satisfactory explanation must take into account natural and cultural factors together. The multitude of factors that led to the Great Divergence have dragged the issue into an inextricable confusion. Therefore, it is necessary to determine a hierarchy or degree of importance among the factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research has asked whether European integration leads to the formation of a new kind of 'transnational class' or 'elite' in and around the European institutions in Brussels. This paper focuses instead on intra‐group distinctions and symbolic boundaries between EU professionals from different countries. Drawing on Bourdieu's notion of language as a marker of distinction, it argues that language continues to be a resource for symbolic boundary making. Empirically, this paper builds on in‐depth interviews with officials of the European Commission, who are at the heart of an emerging transnational elite of EU professionals. It shows that while Commission officials are multilingual and use multilingualism to construct themselves as a transnational group, intra‐group symbolic boundaries continue to be drawn based on competence in the Commission's two main working languages, English and French. Overall, this paper points out the overlooked importance of language differences for transnational professionals' symbolic boundary making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the connection between climate change and energy security in Europe and provides empirical evidence that these issues are the two faces of the same coin. Using a panel of 39 European countries during the period 1980–2020, the empirical analysis presented in this paper indicates that increasing the share of nuclear, renewables, and other nonhydrocarbon energy and improving energy efficiency could lead to a significant reduction in carbon emissions and improve energy security throughout Europe. Accordingly, policies and reforms aimed at shifting away from hydrocarbons and increasing energy efficiency in distribution and consumption are key to mitigating climate change, reducing energy dependence, and minimizing exposure to energy price volatility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contests between individuals over resources may be costly in terms of both time and energy expended and the risk of injury. Signals of status, or ‘status badges’, are thought to have evolved to minimize these costs by providing information about an individual’s fighting ability or resource-holding potential (RHP) at the start of a contest. Studies on recently established North American populations of the paper wasp Polistes dominulus have demonstrated the existence of a status badge, in the form of black clypeal patterns, and have shown that rivals attend to these patterns during competitive interactions. However, observational data from studies in this wasp’s native European range have failed to demonstrate a strong link between clypeal patterning and RHP. We undertook the first direct test of status signalling in a European population of P. dominulus, by testing receiver responses to clypeal pattern manipulations in a competitive foraging context. We found no evidence that individuals assessed rivals using the clypeal ‘badge’. We discuss possible reasons for variation in signal use between the American and European populations, including genetic drift and environmental effects of the development and transmission of the signal. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Introduction: The total demand for freight transport in Europe has increased significantly in recent decades, but most of it has been handled by road transport. To fulfil the modal shift targets set in the EU White Paper 2011, it will be necessary to double rail's market share from today's 18 %, by 2050. Translating this into reality means rail will have to handle 3 to 4 times the cargo volume it does today. With this in mind, the paper develops a vision of an efficient rail freight system in 2050. Methodology: To achieve the above objective, the research applies literature survey and group discussion methodology and applying a system approach. Keeping on board the EU Transport White Paper 2011 modal shift targets, as well as future freight demand and customer requirements, the current research attempts to answer the following three critical questions: Results: The authors find that the service quality can be improved by better planning, application of appropriate ICT-systems and adoption of an integrated supply chain approach. A more customer-orientated service can also be achieved by further deregulation of rail. There is also an urgent need for a faster implementation of Rail Freight Corridors (RFC). As well as liner trains, future rail freight services should be offering end-point trains, with semi/ fully automated loading/unloading equipment in hub-terminals, as well as terminals at sidings to improve the availability of intermodal operation. Conclusion: To offer a competitive price and reliable service, a reduction in operating costs will be vital by implementing a number of measures, including operation of heavier and longer trains, wider loading gauge, higher average speed, and better utilisation of wagon space and all assets. This will bring increased capacity, as well as better timetable planning, signalling systems and infrastructure improvements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The second European Consensus Workshop on Education in Periodontology was commissioned, as a result of the changes in the discipline and the advances in educational methods/technology, to update the 2009 Consensus report of the first European Federation of Periodontology (EFP) Workshop on the same topic that was jointly authored by the Association for Dental Education in Europe. Aim: To identify and propose changes necessary in periodontal education at three levels, namely undergraduate, specialist and continuing professional development (CPD), with respect to learning outcomes, competencies and methods of learning/training and evaluation. Methods: Four working groups (WGs) considered education in periodontology at the undergraduate, specialist and CPD levels, and education methods. Four commissioned position papers, one per WG, summarized the relevant information. Workshop participants gathered at an in‐person consensus meeting to discuss the individual reviews, and this consensus report summarizes the conclusions. Results: The learning outcomes for undergraduate and specialist education in periodontology have been updated, and a proposal for learning outcomes for CPD programmes was made. Learning/teaching/training and evaluation methods were proposed for each level of education, which included face‐to‐face, virtual and blended learning methods. Conclusion: Developments in oral/dental medicine and in contemporary educational technologies have been translated into updated learning outcomes and learning/teaching/ training/evaluation methods relevant to education in periodontology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ability to predict changes in the right tail of daily precipitation distributions over short time periods, as well as the probability of clustering extreme values, is critical for current risk management. In the present study, we apply the well-established metric average value-at-risk (AVaR) for the first time within the field of climatology. We also investigate the evolution of the return level (RL) and the extremal index (EI), which we refer to as risk measures. In the case of precipitation processes, a rise in the first two and a reduction in the third may result in increased hazards. These methods were applied to the new data on the daily sum of precipitation from the region of Upper Vistula in Poland from 1951 to 2020 to analyze the dynamics of changes across time. We found that AVaR and RL have the smallest values for the middle of the analyzed period (years 1971–2010), while EI has a maximal value around 1963–92. Both the beginning and the end of the investigated period are characterized by more extreme and clustered precipitation events. Furthermore, this paper includes some recommendations for the tools used to compute the measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to analyse the social selectivity of internal movers in six European countries, by examining the influence of education and social origin on the likelihood of moving. The study, using ShareLife data, reveals country-specific variations in social selectivity. France and Poland show a skilled selection of internal movers, where education is the primary factor affecting the likelihood of moving, with no additional effect of social origin. In Germany and Sweden, internal movers are selected based on their social origin as well as education, but this double selection differs between the two countries, with a boosting scenario in Germany and a systematic effect of social origin in Sweden, regardless of educational level. Finally, in Spain and Italy, the social selectivity of movers is less evident. Overall, the study highlights the importance of considering the interplay of education and social origin in understanding the social selectivity of internal movers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The crises of climate change and biodiversity loss have pushed the aim for increasing the resilience of forest ecosystems high on the agenda of foresters and policymakers. At the same time, synergistic opportunities for restoring forests and biodiversity are emerging to safeguard these ecosystems. Naturalness is a key characteristic of forest ecosystems, which should be considered when estimating benchmarks for resilience and biodiversity conservation. The naturalness of forest ecosystems is highly dependent on the intensity of human activity, as different levels of management intensity can change the original traits of forest ecosystems. This paper presents an archetypal typology of forest ecosystems, describing the association between management and naturalness. Both features are represented as gradients covering the full spectrum observed in European forests. The array of forest ecosystem archetypes was verified using case studies across Europe. The typology provides useful information for setting targets for resilience and restoration of forest ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The new defence policy of the European Union (EU) is forcing the defence industry in Europe to adjust its strategies, especially since the invasion of Ukraine. Both the European Commission and the European Defence Agency (EDA) are pushing for a European Defence Technological and Industrial Base (EDTIB), taking account of factors that include the fragmentation of supply chains, the significant efficiency gains that can be made and the prospect of greater EU strategic autonomy. In the industrial field, particularly in the area of technology, it will change the shape of the European defence industry. But what direction will this new industry take? Will national oligopolies be reinforced at the same time as other European oligopolies emerge? Drawing on an empirical analysis based on interviews with experts, this paper focuses on Spain as a case study and explores the repercussions it will have on the country's defence industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the role of both internal and external co‐inventor networks in regional diversification. The impact of co‐inventor networks on regional technological diversification is tested for a data set containing 1,495,699 patents in 643 technologies in 290 European regions at the NUTS‐2 level, between 1987 and 2016. Our results show that both internal co‐inventor network connectivity and external co‐inventor network linkages could benefit regional technology entry and prevent regional technology exit. However, too inwardly oriented or outwardly connected co‐inventor networks would hamper patent production. Regarding regional diversification, we find that both internal and external co‐inventor networks could facilitate the entry of related technologies and restrain the exit of complex technologies. This paper contributes to the literature by initiating the integration of the complexity dimension into analysing the role of co‐inventor networks in regional diversification. This research bears significant policy implications for the advancement of Smart Specialization Strategy in the European Union. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cluster policies have been implemented for many years across Europe. Within an evolutionary perspective, industrial development policies need to be updated, and adapted to respond to new changing scenarios, challenges and demands of the social and economic community. It is the case of the challenges raised by climate change and the recent international summits and agreements (e.g. 2016 Paris Agreement or the recent COP27 in Sharm-el-Sheikh) or by exogenous shocks to supply and demand due to present international crises. This is the focus of this paper that analyses the evolution of cluster policies and identifies a specific gap that could and should be addressed soon. The policy literature thoroughly examines several areas that cluster policy should target to respond to the afore-mentioned challenges. However, one component is not adequately considered. This is the social capital linked to the important migration waves that have modified the social spectrum of European economies and have produced a strong impact on the way industry clusters function. Specific actions are required to address these important transformations and to restore the 'social embeddedness of economic action' and the social capital that ignites the competitive capacity of clusters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A unique property of the Paleolithic record is the possibility to observe human societies in large areas and over long periods of time. At these large spatial and temporal scales, a number of interesting phenomena can be observed, such as dynamics in the distribution of populations in relation to equally large-scale environmental patterns. In this paper, we focus on phenological patterns of vegetation and discuss their explanatory potential for differences in site densities in different periods and parts of Europe. In particular, we present a case-transferable approach to diachronically estimate the timing of the vegetation period and resulting phenological gradients. We discuss results for two complementary case studies. First, we look at the Aurignacian in Western and Central Europe, a period of dynamic population dispersal in a topographically heterogeneous region. Second, we focus on the Middle and Late Upper Paleolithic in the East European Plain, a period after the arrival of anatomically modern humans in a topographically rather uniform area. We visualize phenological trajectories and boundaries otherwise invisible in the archaeological record with certain explanatory potential for the observed archaeological patterns. Importantly, we do not intend to reconstruct specific plant communities or dispersal routes of animals or humans. Rather, we aim at highlighting gradients which in themselves and on small temporal scales might be comparatively weak, but over the course of millennia may potentially influence the distribution of animal biomass and human populations by biasing the aggregate of at times opposing actions of individuals towards particular directions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Oral health professional (OHP) education is likely to vary across Europe in accordance with an EU directive that is open to broad interpretation. It is not clear how OHP curricula are structured or delivered across Europe. The objectives of Part 2 of this paper series are: (i) to provide an overview of common practices in curriculum structure, the availability of facilities, staffing (faculty) and quality assurance processes and (ii) to consider how the existing programme structures align to stakeholder guidance documents. Methods: A total of 27 questions from a 91‐item questionnaire were used for this manuscript. The questionnaire was developed following the Delphi method to establish consensus from a group of experts. Members of the research team and colleagues from other countries in Europe completed a multi‐step piloting process. An online data hub was created to allow the respondents to be data controllers and respond to the questionnaire. ADEE member schools (n = 144) were invited to provide data. Results: Totally, 71 institutions from 25 European countries provided data between June 2021 and April 2023, which represents a response rate of 49.3% of ADEE members. Data on curriculum approaches, teaching methods, integration of topics of interest, clinical education, staff–student ratios, access to facilities and new technologies, teaching staff (faculty) and quality assurance processes are presented for Primary Dental Degree Programmes. Conclusion: To the best of our knowledge, this series of papers are the first attempts to provide a comprehensive overview of OHP education in Europe. Results showed that the majority of European dental programmes are engaged in providing innovative and scientifically grounded education in order to develop quality future OHPs. Nevertheless, significant variability in the delivery of clinical education across the European OHP schools was notable in this dataset. A comprehensive view of the state of OHP education in Europe is not yet available but the O‐Health‐Edu data hub provides a means for all education providers in Europe to contribute data to reach this goal. It is anticipated that the data hub will be updated and built upon over time to continually establish a clearer picture of the state of OHP education in Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the influence of lack of control, a diffuse attitude closely associated with emotions, on support for radical populist parties of the left and right. Lack of control is the perception of not having control over one's own life. Although this is not political per se, it is hypothesized that underlying emotions and associated feelings shape political preferences. We argue that as populist parties offer a clear distinction between in – and out-group and promise order, less complexity, as well as economic protection for ordinary people, they have a greater appeal to such citizens. In doing so, the paper tests three hypotheses. The findings of two cross-country analyses carried out with data of the European Values Study 2017 lend empirical support for the theoretical arguments made. The two pooled analyses of 12 radical right populist parties and six radical left populist parties yield that lack of control increases support for radical populist parties of both the left and the right. An examination of interaction effects suggests that sensing a lack of control tends to have a reinforcing effect on voters with nativist attitudes in support of RRPP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Geographic atrophy is an eye disease that greatly interferes with the daily lives of patients and their families, posing a serious threat to the aging European demographic. Over the past 30 months, this initiative has assembled leading experts in the field of ophthalmology to share insights on the necessary policy steps that need to be taken to overcome this challenge on an EU-wide scale. Through analyzing best practices in Germany, Italy, France, and Spain, this consensus paper sets out a series of policy recommendations, which, if implemented, could greatly benefit all individuals affected by geographic atrophy. Amongst other features, these countries have provided valuable examples of awareness campaigns and an overall commitment to inclusive and comprehensive policies. The policy recommendations emerging from this paper include the adoption of comprehensive screening programs, retinal disease screening in the EU Driving License Directive, the development of a white paper at the European Commission, and the creation of Council recommendations on eye health screening. Given the significant improvements made at the national level throughout the EU, countries will require unitary support at the European level to further develop their policies and successfully address the burden of geographic atrophy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper seeks to analyze the development of rural tourism in Europe and the tourist specifics of countries with renowned destinations, focusing on the impact of COVID-19 from 2019 to 2022 and its influence on tourism trends. By utilizing data and documentation from the pandemic period, we aim to identify emerging trends in Europe and evaluate the sector's ability to recover to pre-pandemic levels. The analysis and conclusions are inevitably shaped by the COVID-19 pandemic period, with its effects compared against specified parameters. The statistical analysis, utilizing specific indices, shows that the pandemic had a negative impact on tourism activities, resulting in significant declines and underscoring the sector's vulnerability during crises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The critique of planning and new proposals to reform the English planning system and "rethink planning from first principles" have led to the introduction of rules-based principles into what is regarded as the paradigm of a discretionary planning system, culminating in a recent White Paper, which it is claimed will create a faster and better planning system than the existing discretionary approach. But are these proposals based on an oversimplified understanding of the differences between discretionary and regulatory models, neglecting, for example, the negotiation between stakeholders and the flexibility which also exists in regulatory planning systems? Our contribution will review some of the recent changes of the English planning system and reflect on experiences with zoning in European countries to bust the myth that the planning reform claims to address: the possibility to combine faster decision making with better place making and less interference from local planning authorities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates which countries are seen as leaders in combatting AMR in Europe, and why they are seen as leaders. We do this by testing the explanatory capacity of three models specifying features of leaders attractive to followers. They are (1) performance, (2) power and (3) common interests. We use data from a survey among experts in the AMR field in 29 European countries, along with empirical indicators, to measure the three models. Our findings show that only eight of the 29 European countries are seen as leaders and that Denmark, Sweden and the Netherlands are considered the three top AMR leaders in Europe. Denmark is the top leader in the animal sector and Sweden in the human sector. We also find demand for several possible types of leadership and followership in the AMR problem. Performance explains the leading role of the top three countries, as they all score low on indicators of the severity of AMR. Power and influence explain why France, Germany and the UK are seen as AMR leaders. We also find support for the role of common interests. This factor may explain why neighbouring countries are often seen as leaders in AMR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Do basic administrative arrangements in the national public sector affect the prevalence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), and if so, how? AMR, one of humanity's most pressing challenges according to the World Health Organization, is typically caused by factors inherent to the natural sciences. In this paper, however, we investigate the indirect causal effect of politics and administration on the management of AMR. In a mixed-methodological approach drawing on a panel regression combined with 46 semi-structured interviews with senior bureaucrats and experts from all member states of the European Union (EU), we derive four distinct clusters of countries in AMR governance. The analysis shows that politico-administrative arrangements in the EU follow a north-to-south and east-to-west pattern in the prevalence of AMR. We apply institutional theories of path dependency and administrative autonomy to explain such 'worlds' of AMR governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In his 1681 Discours sur l'histoire universelle, Bossuet declared that Christianity provided the organizing thread of history, and anything that was not guided by it was irrelevant. Nine years later, in Locke's Essay Concerning Human Understanding, travel reports provided the primary source of information, above all in their demonstration of the extent of moral diversity. During the Enlightenment, reports of thoroughly "alien" worlds, notably the New World and China, began to be treated as offering wholly unprecedented perspectives on the world and our place in it. The paper surveys how interpretation of the reports changed radically between their original appearance in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries and when subjected to new templates of understanding in the Enlightenment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractThe potential of seaweed as a renewable resource is becoming increasingly recognized by diverse stakeholders in Europe. Currently, several initiatives are working on accelerating the development of the European algae industry. Seaweed cultivation can be an important cornerstone in developing EU aquaculture and achieving the European Green Deal. An expert working group was selected and established in February 2021 by the European knowledge brokering mechanism Eklipse. This group was tasked to explore and map the current state of knowledge regarding ecosystem services (ES) provided by seaweed cultivation, including knowledge gaps, constraints, potential negative impacts and tradeoffs. The study was based on the Delphi process and a Quick Scoping Review (QSR). The results of each method showed differences in constraints, negative impacts and knowledge gaps, revealing the need for better communication and collaboration between the involved stakeholders. Both methods identified the following six ES provided by seaweed cultivation: (i) provisioning food, (ii) provisioning hydrocolloids and feed, (iii) regulating water quality, (iv) provisioning habitats, (v) provisioning of nurseries and (vi) regulating climate. Nevertheless, the specific ES identified differed between seaweed taxa. In addition, both methods highlighted also potential negative environmental impacts (e.g., wider ecosystem effects), technological constraints and knowledge gaps (e.g., production). The identified knowledge gaps and constraints were further discussed and prioritized with stakeholders in a workshop in Brussels. This workshop identified the structural research needs for future investigations, including: improved knowledge of environmental impacts; better management of genetic diversity and clear definitions of legal frameworks to support the development of the EU initiative on seaweed sustainable use. This paper summarizes the findings of the investigations of the expert group and future challenges for seaweed cultivation under current and near-future climatic scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the adoption of brutalism in the work of Israeli landscape architects. Since the 1960s, Brutalism made its way from Europe to Israel by leading architects at the time. In parallel, landscape architects also considered Brutalism appropriate to the young state, and the use of concrete as a cheap and readily available construction material. They demonstrated creativity by constructing plazas, outdoor housing complexes, playgrounds and parks, essentially laying a cement carpet across the landscape. The absence of a well-established local outdoor material tradition, coupled with climatic and maintenance considerations, encouraged the burgeoning prominence of outdoor Brutalism in Israel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent decades, radical right-wing parties have gained significant prominence in Europe, attracting considerable academic attention. The electoral support for these parties has been linked to ideological principles such as nativism, authoritarianism, and populism. However, the connection between populist attitudes and voting for the radical right has been insufficiently addressed, either due to the lack of available empirical material or because populism has been taken for granted within this party family. To fill this gap this paper analyses the role of populist attitudes in the electoral support for the radical right in five West European countries (France, Spain, Italy, Portugal, and Germany). The results reveal that, with the exception of Italy, populist attitudes play a significant role in the explanation of voting for the radical right. They also confirm the importance of nationalism in general and nativist attitudes in particular. By contrast, other orientations play a minor and often inconsistent across-countries role in the decision to vote for the radical right. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In light of recently accelerating global warming, the changes in vegetation trends are vital for the monitoring of the dynamics of both whole ecosystems and individual species. Detecting changes within the time series of specific forest ecosystems or species is very important in the context of assessing their vulnerability to climate change and other negative phenomena. Hence, the aim of this paper was to identify the trend change points and periods of greening and browning in multi-annual time series of the normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI) and enhanced vegetation index (EVI) of four main forest-forming tree species in the temperate zone: pine, spruce, oak and beech. The research was conducted over the last two decades (2002–2022), and was based on vegetation indices data derived from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). To this end, several research approaches, including calculating the linear trends in the moving periods and BEAST algorithm, were adapted. A pattern of browning then greening then constant was detected for coniferous species, mostly pine. In turn, for broadleaved species, namely oak and beech, a pattern of greening then constant was identified, without the initial phase of browning. The main trend change points seem to be ca. 2006 and ca. 2015 for coniferous species and solely around 2015 for deciduous ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: The importation of rabid animals poses a continual threat to rabies freedom in the European Union (EU). Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the European Commission eased the rules on companion animal importations for Ukrainian refugees through derogations to the EU Pet Travel Scheme (EU PETS). As Ukraine remains endemic for canine rabies, this paper aimed to quantitatively assess whether the change in regulations affected the risk of rabies introduction to the EU. Method and Results: Transmission pathways for both EU PETS and derogations to this scheme were considered, as well as the scenarios of 100% compliance and reduced compliance within both schemes. Stochastic modelling was performed via a Monte Carlo simulation to calculate the median and 95% confidence intervals of the annual risk of rabies entry and the years between rabies entries into the EU. Following 100% compliance, the derogation scheme posed a significantly lower risk at a value of 3.63 × 10−3 (CI 95% 1.18 × 10−3–9.34 × 10−3) rabies entries per year in comparison to EU PETS where the risk was 4.25 × 10−2 (CI 95% 1.44 × 10−2–9.81 × 10−2). Despite a significantly lower risk as compared to EU PETS under 100% compliance, the derogation scheme was more sensitive to a reduction in compliance which resulted in a 74‐fold increase in risk. Given this, even under reduced compliance, the annual risk remained lower under the derogation scheme, although this was not statistically significant. Conclusion: The findings of this study suggest that a 4‐month period of quarantine, as modelled for the derogation scenario, could reduce the annual risk of rabies entry. This scheme may present a viable solution for the management of companion animal influxes in future crises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The housing independence of young adults has become more complex and uncertain in Europe over the last decades. Previous research suggests that patterns of independent living and housing demand have become more differentiated and socially stratified, especially since the Great Financial Crisis (GFC). The decline in homeownership and the availability of social housing has been accompanied by an increase in private renting and shared accommodation. Moreover, young adults have increasingly relied on their parents for both material and non material support to overcome constraints and achieve independent living. This paper examines how the relationship between parental background and both young adults' leaving home, and their first housing tenure changed during the GFC in different European housing contexts. Using longitudinal data from EU-SILC (2008–2018), the results show that parental background still plays a significant stratifying role in the housing independence of young adults from the pre – to the post-crisis period, particularly in terms of first tenure status rather than home-leaving. The influence of the housing context on both housing market opportunities and the role of parents in young adults' independence shapes the shift from co-residence with parents to living independently in either homeownership or rented accommodation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The European migration control regime claims to strife for ‘orderly’ and safe conditions of migration, yet systematically generates the opposite. This paper explores the role of informality in creating solutions to enable control and produce order in the European migration control regime by examining two areas of border policy characterised by high degrees of regulation and contestation : the implementation of the Dublin III Regulation (2013) and transnational negotiations over readmission agreements between European states and deportable people’s assumed countries of origin. We focus on Sweden and Switzerland, two countries perceived as having high degrees of ‘formality’ in their migration control regimes, and draw on ethnographic material generated between 2015 and 2018 in Swiss and Swedish migration control agencies. We demonstrate the central role of informality in making formal regulations 'work'. The Dublin Regulation necessitates tacit toleration of informality to be enforced, and readmission agreements rely on informal, transnational politics that neither follow migration law nor respectthe rights and lives of people on the move. The article underscores the importance of debunking the myth of an ‘orderly’ migration control regime, informality is what makes European migration control ‘work’, often to the detriment of people on the move. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents an update of forensic accounting of the numbers and demographics of migrants found deceased in the Evros region of Greece in the years from 2015–22. Compared to data from 2000–14, this update reflects the mounting number of border‐related deaths in the region, as well as the changing demographic trends associated with the migrants who perish crossing the Greek‐Turkish border. Specifically, the paper documents a broadening of locations from which migrants originate, the increasing diversity of migrant death locations, and a shift in the leading causes of death. It contains important forensic accounting of the unique humanitarian crisis occurring along the Greek‐Turkish land border while also providing an additional context for the global migration crisis. The data presented here offer insights into other forensic stakeholders impacted by the global migration crisis, with respect to what factors contribute to and detract from identification rates, and can help stakeholders make informed policy decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Europe, gambling policy is conditioned by different administrative levels, including national authorities and the EU, as well as institutions of the European Economic Area (EEA). The legal framework of the EU/EEA requires Member States to pursue evidence‐based policy. The current scoping review focuses on what kind of policy research is available on gambling in the European context to support evidence‐based policy. We searched three scientific databases for research literature on gambling regulation and policy in the European context. The final sample consists of 88 papers. We analysed the corpus with Term Frequency‐Inverse Document Frequency mapping, and, narratively, by applying the policy cycle phases (agenda‐setting, formulation, adoption, implementation, and evaluation). Overall, the results show that gambling policy research is a growing field in Europe, and the policy cycle describes the available literature amply. The largest part of the existing research concerns the evaluation phase, while the formulation and implementation phases are under‐represented. The findings are discussed in terms of the main outcomes, as well as in terms of the gaps in the existing research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Data have become a vital device of border governance and security. Recent scholarship on the datafication of borders and migration at the intersection of science and technology studies and critical security studies has privileged concepts attuned to messiness, contingency, and friction such as data assemblages and infrastructures. This paper proposes to revisit and expand the analytical vocabulary of script analysis to understand what comes to count as data, what forms of data come to matter and how "drawing data together" reconfigures power and agency at Europe's borders. Empirically, we analyze controversies about the practices of asylum decision-making and age assessment in Greece. We show that agency of "users" is unequally distributed through anticipations of subscription and dis-inscription, while asylum seekers are conscripted within security scripts that restrict their agency. Moreover, as a multiplicity of inscriptions are produced, migrants' claims can be disqualified through circumscriptions of data and ascriptions of expertise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research has shown that elected officials are more responsive to the opinions of high-income citizens than to those of middle and working-class citizens in the United States. This is often explained by the fact that economic elites make campaign contributions to political elites, leading to decision-making that aligns with the preferences of the affluent. This paper examines the opinion-policy link in Swedish politics, where campaign contributions are relatively low. Despite this, the study finds that high-income citizens still receive the most policy responsiveness. Three alternative possible explanations are discussed. Do high-income citizens receive more responsiveness because (a) they are better able to put issues on the political agenda, (b) because they are easier to satisfy and prefer 'cheaper' symbolic policy reforms, while low-income citizens prefer more costly policies or (c) because the status quo bias works to the advantage of high-income citizens? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study assesses 24 European Union countries in terms of food security in 2021. In this paper, we develop a composite food security index considering various weights of indicators. The data were obtained from the FAOSTAT and Eurostat databases. The weights of 10 input indicators were estimated using a principal component analysis-based factor analysis model. The results showed that the harmonised index of consumer prices -- food had the greatest impact on the food security index, while the impact of median equivalised net income and moderate or severe food insecurity had the lowest impact. Ireland achieved the highest ranking according to the Food Security Index. Bulgaria experienced the most unfavourable situation among EU countries. Slovakia ranked 22nd out of 24 countries due to its lowest protein supply, including animal-derived proteins. As part of the analysis, our research compared the food security index with the official Global Food Security Index. The Spearman's rank correlation coefficient of 0.84 indicated a robust correlation between the two indexes. Consequently, this newly developed Food Security Index is appropriate for assessing the food security status of European Union countries. Furthermore, it broadens the assessment of food security by including countries that are not in the commonly used Global Food Security Index (GFSI). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]