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Cities located in the Arctic often have extreme geographic and environmental contexts and unique sociopolitical and economic trajectories that, when combined with amplified effects of climate change in the region, impact future sustainable development. Well-recognized and standardized sustainable development indicator (SDI) frameworks such as ISO 37120 or UN-Habitat City Prosperity Index are often used to compare data across cities globally using comprehensive sets of indicators. While such indexes help characterize progress toward development and guide short- and long-term decision-making, they often lack relevance to specific contexts or characterize future visions of urban growth. To evaluate the extent of these deficiencies and to provide a comparative analysis of approaches to sustainable urban growth in the Arctic, this paper analyzes city planning documents for five northern cities - Anchorage (USA), Utqiagvik (USA), Reyjavik (ISL), Iqaluit, (CAN), Whitehorse, (CAN) - for goals, targets, and indicators and compare these to thematic areas and indicators defined by ISO 37120:2018 Sustainable Cities and Communities. The results confirm that although international SDI frameworks may be useful for comparative analysis of cities across diverse regions, they exclude important local factors that influence goal-oriented urban sustainability planning strategies employed in the Arctic region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to explore the best practices to institutionalize the internal quality of student assessment (SA) when a gap emerges between quality conceptualization and practice work, using Imam Abdul Rahman bin Faisal University (IAU) as a case study. Design/methodology/approach: A single-embedded case study research design chronologically presents key events of assuring and improving SA at IAU. It integrates quantitative and qualitative data to provide empirical evidence of changes in SA practices. Findings: Over three years, evident improvements in SA practices resulted in more effective internal quality assurance strategies (e.g., faculty involvement) and the achievement of performance indicators. Research limitations/implications: This study used data from informal observation and self-reports. Thus, it is suggested that future research should use in-depth (e.g. focus group) and diverse data sources from stakeholders (e.g. students) and use emerging global trends to assess SA quality. Practical implications: Involving faculty as changing agents via accountability and training in assuring and improving SA quality leads to measurable improvements. Social implications: A top-down approach alone is insufficient to assure and improve the quality of SA practices, so empowering faculty via involvement and training is inevitable. Originality/value: The quality assurance of SA described in this practice-oriented case places IAU as a leading university in the region, contributes to the external quality assurance of SA, empowers Saudi graduates to compete in the labor market as aspired in Vision 2030 and adds to the literature on quality assurance of SA in a higher education context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of the continuous degradation of the global environment, ecological restoration has become a primary task in global environmental governance. In this process, remote sensing technology, as an advanced monitoring and analysis tool, plays a key role in monitoring ecological restoration. This article reviews the application of remote sensing technology in ecological restoration monitoring. Based on a comprehensive analysis of the literature in the field of ecological remote sensing, it systematically summarizes the major in-orbit spaceborne and airborne sensors and their related products. This article further proposes a series of evaluation indicators for ecological restoration from four aspects: forests, soil, water, and the atmosphere, and elaborates on the calculation methods for these indicators. In addition, this paper also summarizes the methods for evaluating the effectiveness of ecological restoration, including subjective evaluation, objective evaluation, and comprehensive evaluation methods. Finally, we analyze the challenges faced by remote sensing technology in evaluating ecological restoration effectiveness, such as issues with the precision of indicators extraction, the limitations of spatial resolution, and the diversity of evaluation methods. This review also looks forward to future ecological restoration technologies, such as the potential applications of integrated aerospace and terrestrial remote sensing, multi-data fusion, and machine learning technologies. This study reveals the effectiveness of remote sensing technology in ecological restoration monitoring, aiming to provide efficient tools and innovative strategies for future remote sensing monitoring and assessment of ecological restoration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the development of indicators measuring attacks on education through a case study of the Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack (GCPEA). As GCPEA and its partners have brought the problem of attacks on education to the attention of global civil society, they have engaged in contestation to define attacks on education and construct indicators to track the relevant violations. These debates are significant in that indicators are a tool of global governance that shape policymaking and resource allocation. The discussion draws on the author's decade of experience working among groups focused on the protection of education, including direct involvement developing indicators on attacks on education, and on three sets of qualitative interviews. It analyses how resource limitations, organisational agendas, challenges of measurement and verification, and global power dynamics exert pressure towards a more narrow understanding of attacks on education. This limits the transformative potential of the protecting education agenda. The discussion illustrates that EiE actors must consider the ways that they measure their work in ongoing conversations about creating a decolonial and more equitable field of practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Smart Specialization policy, Europe's place-based innovation policy, is transitioning into an innovation policy for sustainability inspired by academic debate and the urgency of societal challenges. The implications in terms of policy design remain underexplored. This paper studies the policy implications of this transition on the design of monitoring indicators. First, a theoretical framework based on the literature is created. Then, monitoring indicators used in the first policy phase are summarized into categories and themes through inductive and deductive document analysis. The indicators' strengths and limitations are discussed. By highlighting how monitoring indicators need to adjust to the policy transition, this paper contributes to the literature on innovation policy and Smart Specialization. It also provides guidance to policymakers by developing a framework on indicator design and providing practical recommendations on aspects that need to be considered, captured, and analysed through the indicators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores school principals' and teachers' views of the Italian teachers' appraisal system and related indicators. In particular, the research aimed at examining the opinions of school principals and teachers regarding the domains to be considered for teacher appraisal purposes. An investigation involving 37 school principals and 868 in service teachers, from three Italian regions, is presented. The data was collected through a questionnaire and statistically analysed. Findings suggest operationalising new data sources - specifically students and parent, - is beneficial to evaluate teacher quality as a construct in data-based professional learning communities. They show different positioning: teachers seem to be really inclined to be evaluated, especially by students and parents, while school principals still seem very cautious in entrusting the teachers' appraisal to an external point of view. This paper adds to the existing research showing the perspective of a new teachers' appraisal, inspired by multi-faceted models based on multiple points of view (students, parents, not only principals) and not reduced to simplistic solutions of an accounting type. Furthermore, the study answers the call for research into teachers' appraisal as part of the professional learning actions and in view of more integrated professional leadership. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: How to evaluate the social impact of social innovation has emerged as an important question posed by academics, organizations, and policymakers in recent years. One reason for this is the increasing concern with the social impact of different types of organizations and social practices, particularly in response to a recognition of the urgency of developing more inclusive economies and societies. To find an answer to this question, this research seeks to investigate the state-of-the-art in terms of social innovation impact measurement, drawing on both scientific literature and practitioner literature. Originality/value: This research discusses the challenges posed by measuring the impact of social innovation initiatives and how these measurements may change the assessment process. The analysis finds that methodologies for measuring social innovation have mainly been undertaken in Europe, where these initiatives are largely addressed. Design/methodology/approach: This paper adopted a qualitative research approach based on the scoping review method. This method is widely used to identify emergent topics in scientific literature, aiming to identify implications for research and decision-making. The research was developed based on different steps to obtain information about the social impact measurement indicators and their overall contribution to the advancement of social innovation. Findings: The results also confirmed the lack of social innovation frameworks, methodologies, and tools capable of measuring the social impact of social innovations. Furthermore, a set of barriers in this field was identified, which can be used to channel better upcoming academic research on developing social impact indicators for social innovation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban areas generate more than 70% of the world's climate change emissions, mainly CO2, produced by the combustion of fossil fuels. Climate change is increasing cities' exposure to climate hazards, such as heat waves or floods. Therefore, there is a need to improve risk management with the inclusion of climate resilience in urban policy design. Despite improved urban climate monitoring, there are still relatively few scientific publications on climate change adaptation in urban areas. Adaptation to climate change is not achieved through specific action, but rather through the adoption and continuous implementation of adaptation actions such as housing rehabilitation, green space management and protection measures for vulnerable groups. This variety of actions makes it difficult not only to identify different indicators, but also to use common benchmarks. Considering the role of municipalities in adapting to climate change, it is crucial to identify adaptation indicators that serve as a basis for decision making, as well as evaluation methods that allow the effectiveness of planned and implemented measures in municipalities. It can be used to determine which measures increase the level of adaptation or lead to poor adaptation. Therefore, monitoring indicators makes it possible to evaluate the effectiveness of the measures, in addition to formulating new ones. This paper includes a literature review of existing index designed to address climate hazards and mitigate their impacts in urban areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adaptation tracking is crucial for understanding progress in responding to climate change impacts across space and time. However, adaptation tracking is constrained by the lack of agreement on how to measure adaptation. While there has been significant focus on government plans and other documented adaptation as the basis for adaptation tracking, emerging literature also advocates for inclusive approaches that consider multiple experiences and priorities when designing and using adaptation tracking indicators. However, little literature empirically investigates the specifics of what this integrated approach is or what it could achieve. We address this gap using a thematic analysis of 48 focus group discussions and of government policies to compare the perspectives of livestock keepers and governments in Eastern Africa on climate risks and adaptation in livestock systems. The results show considerable similarities in how they perceive climatic hazards, impacts, adaptation strategies, goals, and adaptive capacities, highlighting elements that could be recognized as relevant by both sets of stakeholders. However, the differences underscore the value of an integrated approach as it supports the recognition of variations in climate risks and adaptation options across contexts as well as capturing diverse effects of adaptation across scales. Insights from this paper contribute to discussions on developing integrated adaptation tracking frameworks that take into account the contextual nature of climate hazards, impacts, adaptation strategies, adaptive capacities, and adaptation goals. Governments and livestock keepers perceive climate hazards, impacts, adaptation strategies, adaptive capacity, and adaptation goals in largely similar ways. Differences in governmental and livestock keeper perspectives provide the basis for integrating them in the development of adaptation tracking indicators. Drawing on multiple experiences, priorities, and knowledges could support more effective tracking of adaptation progress by considering the various scales and contexts within which adaptation occurs. Integration requires an adaptation tracking framework that utilizes core indicators that have broader relevance and additional ones that address the context-specificity of climate hazards, impacts, adaptive capacities, adaptation strategies, and adaptation goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the greatest challenges of our time is monitoring the rapid environmental changes taking place worldwide at both local and global scales. This requires easy-to-use and ready-to-implement tools and services to monitor and quantify aspects of bio- and geodiversity change and the impact of land use intensification using freely available and global remotely sensed data, and to derive remotely sensed indicators. Currently, there are no services for quantifying both raster- and vector-based indicators in a "compact tool". Therefore, the main innovation of ESIS/Imalys is having a remote sensing (RS) tool that allows for RS data processing, data management, and continuous and discrete quantification and derivation of RS indicators in one tool. With the ESIS/Imalys project (Ecosystem Integrity Remote Sensing—Modelling and Service Tool), we try to present environmental indicators on a clearly defined and reproducible basis. The Imalys software library generates the RS indicators and remote sensing products defined for ESIS. This paper provides an overview of the functionality of the Imalys software library. An overview of the technical background of the implementation of the Imalys library, data formats and the user interfaces is given. Examples of RS-based indicators derived using the Imalys tool at pixel level and at zone level (vector level) are presented. Furthermore, the advantages and disadvantages of the Imalys tool are discussed in detail in order to better assess the value of Imalys for users and developers. The applicability of the indicators will be demonstrated through three ecological applications, namely: (1) monitoring landscape diversity, (2) monitoring landscape structure and landscape fragmentation, and (3) monitoring land use intensity and its impact on ecosystem functions. Despite the integration of large amounts of data, Imalys can run on any PC, as the processing and derivation of indicators has been greatly optimised. The Imalys source code is freely available and is hosted and maintained under an open source license. Complete documentation of all methods, functions and derived indicators can be found in the freely available Imalys manual. The user-friendliness of Imalys, despite the integration of a large amount of RS data, makes it another important tool for ecological research, modelling and application for the monitoring and derivation of ecosystem indicators from local to global scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global energy demand, water demand, and raw materials extraction are major challenges for society as population grows. While a traditional linear economy approach leads to depletion of finite resources, damage to the Earth's ecosystems, and adverse impacts on human health, a paradigm shift toward implementation of circular economy principles is paramount to the reversal of world resources' exhaustion. The wastewater, or "used water," sector can contribute to offsetting resource scarcity challenges by adopting circular economy principles to recover and reintroduce recovered resources into the economy. Transitioning to a circular economy model requires monitoring and tracking progress via metrics in the form of indicators. In this paper, a bibliometric analysis followed by a systematic literature review was conducted on available circular economy indicators in the used water treatment sector. Over 200 indicators were categorized into three impact categories: environmental, social, and economic to identify gaps in the existing literature. Results showed that less than 50% of the available circularity indicators are applied in the used water sector and environmental indicators represent the highest percentage among the potential applicable indicators. Research gaps in the circular economy literature in relation to used water treatment systems were identified and future research directions discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article is devoted to the study of strategic marketing roles within the context of dynamic markets. It examines the methods and approaches that enterprises can use to achieve competitive advantages in these circumstances. The paper highlights the importance of strategic marketing in the context of modern business and explores adaptive approaches to the development of marketing strategies. Furthermore, the authors analyze the results of three key innovation rankings, the Global Innovation Index (GII), the European Innovation Scoreboard (EIS), and The Bloomberg Innovation Index, to identify the shortcomings and prospects of Ukraine's innovative development. The paper presents the dynamics of changes in the share of creative goods, works, and services in the total volume of shipped goods. The authors identify drawbacks and prospects for innovative development based on the current state of Ukraine's economy. In addition, the article analyzes the general trends in market dynamics, the impact of technological innovations on the business environment, the spread of globalization in the modern world, and how these factors affect strategic marketing. Particular attention is paid to trend analysis and forecasting methods, as well as the importance of innovation in strategic marketing. The research provides examples of successful implementation of innovative strategies in various business sectors. The authors present the prospects for innovative development in Ukraine. These prospects offer many opportunities for further growth and competitiveness on a global scale. The statistical evaluation of the research results showed the reproducibility and reliability of the data obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of the paper is to apply the theoretical principles of performance evaluation in local public administration to the practical work of Ilfov County Council. To achieve this objective, the theoretical aspects necessary for the case study are presented. The concepts of efficiency, effectiveness and economy in the public sector, the factors influencing these concepts, and their control and evaluation are analysed in the paper. Performance management is presented at both general and specific levels. Indicators are used to measure the performance of a public service. Performance indicators are useful tools for decision-makers and officials involved in public policy-making in central government, as they give them a detailed (and closeup) picture of the existing situation and allow them to adapt their initiatives to the realities of the moment and set feasible and measurable targets. The stages of the decision-making process are presented, as well as the analysis of the performance of the local public administration activity within the Ilfov County Council from the point of view of the theoretical aspects presented above. To this end, the Council's strategic objectives, the decisions taken to achieve the objectives and the way in which they are achieved in both quantitative and qualitative terms are presented. The paper is based on a study of public administration legislation and on articles and treatises. The type of research is APPLIED, and in terms of objectives it is a DESCRIPTIVE RESEARCH. Considering that I will use efficiency, time and qualitative and quantitative indicators, the research will be PLURIDISCIPLINARY but equally QUANTITY TYPE RESEARCH. As the data analyzed will reflect the evolution of the indicators in view, we will have a DIACRONIC RESEARCH located at the international level, being at the same time a DOCUMENTARY research. In view of the considerations set out above, the theme chosen for the research is very topical. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the sustainability characteristics of 12 tourist destinations from around the world to determine whether these destinations have made concrete efforts in balancing the four pillars of sustainability: environmental, economic, social-cultural, and institutional. The paper identifies areas of improvement to abet these destinations facilitate their progress towards achieving sustainability. A three-step approach to destination sustainability assessment was employed: i) development of a sustainability assessment matrix; ii) selecting case studies to illustrate current on the ground sustainability practices; and iii) sustainability performance assessment of the selected destinations. Based on secondary information, the assessment developed and applied a six-scale sustainability performance rating, ranging between −1 to + 1 with − 0.75 to −1 indicating an unsatisfactory, and +0.75 to + 1 indicating a satisfactory performance. Results indicate to the presence of a broad range of sustainability characteristics across geographically diverse locations. Based on the results, six main implications are discussed: i) necessary trade-offs on sustainability considerations; ii) conditionality of sustainability; iii) importance of grassroots engagement and community-led tourism activities; iv) significance of participatory and effective policy preparation and implementation; v) insights on opportunities of active learning and sharing for meeting sustainability objectives; and vi) lessons for mass tourism experiences. We emphasize the need for strategic efforts in balancing sustainability approaches in tourism practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The importance of sustainable agricultural development has started to be acknowledged in Romania as well, following the identification of various pollution sources and the restrictions affecting industrial and agricultural pollution, from both economic and ecological perspectives. Sustainable development signifies the necessity of raising awareness about environmental protection and educating the population, and this aspect is mirrored in the evolution of communal policies in recent years. These policies have transitioned from an approach based on constraints and sanctions to a higher level of flexibility, grounded in incentives. The purpose of this paper is to provide recommendations for enhancing the existing policy by evaluating economic incentives aimed at encouraging farmers to adopt sustainable farming systems. These systems should support a viable, sustainable agriculture capable of employing the latest technologies, leading to profitability, efficiency, and economic and organizational consolidation. In recent times, Romania has come to appreciate the critical role that sustainable agricultural practices play in safeguarding both the environment and the economy. The acknowledgment of various pollution sources, encompassing both industrial and agricultural sectors, has prompted a reevaluation of traditional practices in favor of more environmentally conscious approaches. Sustainable agriculture is essential to meet the world's growing food demand while mitigating environmental challenges. To achieve this balance, efficient management of key factors in agriculture is imperative. This paper explores optimal management approaches for several critical factors in sustainable agriculture, including soil health, water resources, biodiversity, and pest control. The integration of innovative techniques, precision agriculture, and policy support is vital for achieving sustainability goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this introduction to the special issue, we identify the key tensions underpinning the challenge of developing indicators of sustainable tourism, and use the papers submitted to the special issue to exemplify these tensions. The paper questions why it is that we need to measure sustainable tourism, the risk of becoming too focussed on measurement itself and losing sight of what is really important to sustainability. We consider who it is that should be undertaking the measurement of sustainable tourism and offer evidence of the way that societal power can be rebalanced by the kind of research inclusivity that controlling data collection brings. Determining the spatial boundaries has been a long-held tension between wanting data specificity and achieving wider comparability and engagement from policy makers and other stakeholders, while technological and methodological advances may allow for more progress to be made in addressing the weaknesses of measuring sustainable tourism. The paper questions whether indicators have led to any significant policy change, or whether the changes that have come are the result of indicators serving to create more sustainably literate stakeholders, more informed discussions and so a climate more receptive to taking decisions in support of a more sustainable tourism industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the age of the digital revolution, many cities around the world have made significant investments in planning and implementing smart city initiatives to address the issues of climate change and urbanisation. Concurrently, numerous attempts have been made to evaluate the performance and outcomes of these initiatives. In this study, a static and dynamic ranking of 33 selected cities for the period 2005–2019 is provided using dynamic factor analysis. In this comparative study, cities are evaluated and ranked on various smart drivers including technology, community, infrastructure, community, and governance to identify the best (and worst) smart city and to highlight the changes in smartness over the last 15 years. The results show that urban smartness has changed significantly over the past 15 years, but the smartness of most individual cities in the study has either steadily improved or remained constant. Further, smart practices vary significantly across cities, with Frankfurt, Washington, Munich, Los Angeles, and New York City showing relatively strong urban smartness, compared to the poor performance of Bratislava, Warsaw, and Prague. The findings of this study can serve as an empirical basis for identifying specific strengths and weaknesses of cities and as a knowledge-based decision-making tool for policymakers and metropolitan leaders in selecting policies that can improve the growth and performance of smart cities. The paper recommends several proposals to steer the efforts of policymakers and the private and public sectors towards more effective and efficient strategic planning and implementation of smart city initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the dairy sector, the economic efficiency issues have a complex causality and are essential for the future and continuity of these activities. The objective of this paper is to evaluate the average level of technical-economic indicators in dairy cow, sheep and goat farms, at the country level, based on the estimates regarding different categories of expenses and the average prices on the free market, at the level of the year 2023 and using formulas in economic specialty literature. Thus, depending on the efficiency level of the farm, possible scenarios for varying technical-economic indicators were simulated, obtaining different results regarding the profitability of the farms, with positive or negative values. Thus, for an average level of 6000 l of milk/cow and a price of 2 RON/l, the rate of net income with subsidies was -4.26%. In sheep milk, for a production of 60 liters/head and 5 RON/liter, the above indicator was -2.77%, and in goat milk, at 270 liters/head and 4,5 RON/liter, the rate of net income with subsidies was 13.05%. Indicators that may vary refer to the level of milk production, the price of milk at the producer, the value of secondary production (calf/lamb/kid/manure capitalized on the market), or the allocation of different levels of fixed or variable expenses. The application by farmers of some scenarios of increase or decrease in the level of different technical-economic indicators constitutes an important managerial tool for the planning process of production activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The livestock sectors, including goats breeding, face currently economic difficulties and a low level of specialization and integration of productions, in a challenging world. The objective of the paper is to evaluate the degree of economic vulnerability of different goat farms, based on the calculation of technical-economic indicators. The material studied is a sample of 33 goat farms of different sizes, from different regions of Romania, between 15.0 and 476.7 heads/farm (average size for the years 2017-2019), falling into the following categories: 3% subsistence farms, 27.3% semisubsistence farms, 12.1% small farms, 57.6% medium farms. The goat breeds from the farms under study are Carpatina, Alba de Banat, as well as highly productive breeds, such as French Alpine and Saanen and their crossbreeds with Romanian breeds. The research results indicated that the mountain area would be the most vulnerable from an economic point of view in raising dairy goats. Also, the farms that are part of the smallest size segments, under 100 heads, have the highest degree of economic vulnerability and fail to adapt quickly to changes in the economic environment. In this context, the analysis of technical-economic indicators highlights the characteristics of the processes and becomes an important tool in their assessment, in adopting decisions and transforming the economic reality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy sustainability indicators are essential for evaluating and measuring energy systems' environmental, social, and economic impact. These indicators can be used to assess the sustainability of different energy sources, such as renewable or fossil fuels, as well as the performance of energy systems in various regions or countries. The goal of this paper is to propose a new energy sustainability index based on fuzzy logic for the Amazon region. The fuzzy inference system enabled the operationalization of subjective sustainability concepts, resulting in a final index that can evaluate the performance of the states in the Legal Amazon and compare them to each other. The results indicated that Mato Grosso had the highest ranking, followed by Tocantins, Amapá, Roraima, Rondônia, Pará, Acre, Maranhão, and Amazonas in the last position. These findings demonstrate that the selected indicators and the final index are effective tools for evaluating the energy sustainability of the Amazon region and can aid public managers in making decisions and proposing sustainable regional development policies for the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainability rating systems for the built environment involve a multitude of indicators that are based on different types of data. This work capitalizes on an existing multicriteria assessment method and supporting decision-making tool at building and neighbourhood scale, to develop an enhanced method and tool at city scale. The main sustainability issues at building and city scales include site and infrastructure, energy and resources consumption, environmental loadings, climate change, environmental quality, water, waste, transportation, services, social aspects, economy and governance. Approximately 300 indicators distributed among the different scales are used to describe and quantify the various facets of sustainability. Specifically, the building scale includes a pool of 80 indicators of which 17 are key performance indicators (KPIs), the neighbourhood scale has 133 indicators of which 14 are KPIs and the city scale has a total of 99 indicators of which 10 are KPIs that were new additions to the existing method. The emphasis in this paper is given on elaborating the key performance indicators for cities and demonstrating their applicability through a case study. The common method and tools provide a flexible assessment system for local authorities and stakeholders to develop and assess sustainability plans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Children consistently exposed to positive, stimulating environments, including their spatial neighbourhood, experience foundations for ongoing optimal development. Recognition of the neighbourhood as a mechanism to enhance wellbeing is reflected in the United Nation's New Urban Agenda. Through a series of innovations and advancements, this paper aims to describe a spatial indicators' framework, the Neighbourhood Early Childhood Development Framework. Once tested, it can be used to assess and monitor urban neighbourhoods for their ability to equitably support early childhood development. Eight domains were included in the framework: Early childcare and education services, family-friendly destinations, food outlets, housing, public open space, public transport, traffic, and walkability. Overall, 44 indicators were conceptualised for calculation at the smallest appropriate geographical scale available (i.e. a child's home address). Different scales of analysis were chosen to represent a child's local neighbourhood in an urban setting. The Framework supports commitment to action in the New Urban Agenda through improved measurement, monitoring, and research capabilities, alongside provision of tools to support evidence-based and interdisciplinary policy and practitioner decision-making. Once tested with child outcomes, it can inform more precise, evidence-based place-based interventions, while offering the potential to reduce childhood developmental inequities at scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The evaluation of scientific journals poses challenges owing to the existence of various impact measures. This is because journal ranking is a multidimensional construct that may not be assessed effectively using a single metric such as an impact factor. A few studies have proposed an ensemble of metrics to prevent the bias induced by an individual metric. In this study, a multi-metric journal ranking method based on the standardized average index (SA index) was adopted to develop an extended standardized average index (ESA index). The ESA index utilizes six metrics: the CiteScore, Source Normalized Impact per Paper (SNIP), SCImago Journal Rank (SJR), Hirsh index (H-index), Eigenfactor Score, and Journal Impact Factor from three well-known databases (Scopus, SCImago Journal & Country Rank, and Web of Science). Experiments were conducted in two computer science subject areas: (1) artificial intelligence and (2) computer vision and pattern recognition. Comparing the results of the multi-metric-based journal ranking system with the SA index, it was demonstrated that the multi-metric ESA index exhibited high correlation with all other indicators and significantly outperformed the SA index. To further evaluate the performance of the model and determine the aggregate impact of bibliometric indices with the ESA index, we employed unsupervised machine learning techniques such as clustering coupled with principal component analysis (PCA) and t-distributed stochastic neighbor embedding (t-SNE). These techniques were utilized to measure the clustering impact of various bibliometric indicators on both the complete set of bibliometric features and the reduced set of features. Furthermore, the results of the ESA index were compared with those of other ranking systems, including the internationally recognized Scopus, SJR, and HEC Journal Recognition System (HJRS) used in Pakistan. These comparisons demonstrated that the multi-metric-based ESA index can serve as a valuable reference for publishers, journal editors, researchers, policymakers, librarians, and practitioners in journal selection, decision making, and professional assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the current state of the social impact measurement (SIM) field to better understand common practices in measuring the post-intervention social impact of a program or project and to identify strategies to improve measurement in practice. This study employed a systematic literature review. Articles were manually coded deductively and inductively in NVivo to complete a descriptive and thematic analysis of the literature. The thematic analysis provided an in-depth understanding of the SIM field. We found that similarities existed across the definitions of social impact (e.g., environmental impact is part of social impact). Additionally, social return on investment (SROI) is the most common measurement model and theory of change was identified as a core concept across SIM literature. Strategies are presented for practitioners to consider when measuring social impact, including: (i) engage stakeholders throughout the process, (ii) mobilize existing operational data, (iii) increase measurement capacity, and (iv) use both qualitative and quantitative data. This study reveals the nuances of SIM based on academic literature published across the globe over the span of a decade. It places emphasis on the post-intervention stage and identifies strategies to improve the application of measurement models in practice. Lastly, it outlines future research directions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Low Carbon City (LCC) concept has been introduced previously in Malaysian urban development and practice. Through the Low Carbon Cities Framework (LCCF), the Malaysian government has accordingly delineated local authorities' targets for achieving zero carbon status. However, to achieve smooth governance of LCC delivery, it is essential to ensure that institutional approaches are well-practised and administered. Nevertheless, what are the key elements that can be a guide for LCC governance in local government? Thus, this paper aims to establish the indicators applicable to LCC in governance and practice at local government. This study, therefore, employed a qualitative method with a purposive sampling approach, using the technique of in-depth interviews consisting of three (3) local authorities practising low carbon efforts, and also employed thematic analysis for secondary data. This study showed that LCC governance could be operative considering several important indicators for practice. The findings found that the LCC indicators are substantial for the local authority in delivering LCC initiatives, as well as the challenges faced by the local government in restructuring the institutional framework to achieve better governance practices. The study outcome, therefore, can be a reference to local government when implementing LCC initiatives through a better governance approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since 2000, girls' education has been an increasingly high-profile concern in international development policy. At the same time, there has been a trend towards the greater production and reliance on quantitative data, indicators and targets in national and international education policy. Scholars have raised concerns about the rise of 'performance-based' approaches to accountability in education, and potential counterproductive effects of this for social justice and equality. However, few studies have explored how this trend plays out in practice within international organisations, particularly in relation to the heightened focus on girls' education. This paper explores the implications of the increasing reliance on quantitative measures for policy actors and draws on a set of interviews with key stakeholders working in organisations concerned with gender and education to explore their divergent understandings of accountability processes. The paper concludes by reflecting on the prospects for a transformative approach to measuring gender equality and girls' education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reflects on leadership shown in Venda, Southern Africa to protect the lungs of the planet and draws out key themes on the way Indigenous wisdom — underpinned by a sense of the sacred and the profane – expressed in solidarity with nature - are vital for protecting forests. It explores indigenous wisdom on their kinship with organic and inorganic sacred totems (plants, animals and features of the landscape) which are protected through relationships that inform governance. The ongoing community of practice and related projects make a case for standing together to address climate change. The paper was developed as part of a University of South Africa project together with the named authors. Mphatheleni Makaulule has developed an a priori and a posteriori approach to Ecosystemic governance that resonates with the work of Wangari Maathai. Makaulule's leadership in Venda that is discussed with fellow project members who are exploring how the agendas for COP 26 could be attained by fostering law informed by Bateson's concept an "ecology of mind – which means an understanding of human beings' place within living systems and our need for both education and laws to protect ecosystems such as forests (which are the lungs of the world) and the water systems (which are the life blood of all living systems). The governance approach in Venda emphasised the need to think in terms of our relationships with all living systems. The idea of extending a sense of solidarity to others is explored deeply with Makaulule and colleagues by considering similar approaches in other places, such as the Amazon where Makaulule spent time learning from shamanic leaders, Ghana (where Akwasi Achemfuor has undertaken research), Northern Territory and South Australia (where McIntyre was mentored by Peter Turner and Olive Veverbrants). The paper also refers to the work of Widianingsih based on an in-depth discussion on the Kasepuhan Ciptagelar community in West Java that has also been protecting the forests for more than 300 years. The authors explore whether attributing personhood to nature, could be regarded as limiting a notion of mystical and pragmatic recognition of interbeing or even a form of colonising the notion of interbeing? We suggest that a community of practice approach (Wenger, 1999, Wenger et al., 2009) to support learning organisations and communities could support two-way education to enable cross cultural, cross disciplinary and transnational learning to support steps towards wellbeing through sharing our understanding of interbeing in dialogue, it became clear that transcendence through totemism, dreams and shamanistic rituals support a sense of oneness with nature, relationality as well as a sense of awe, solidarity and responsibility for others which is being increasingly recognised in the arts and sciences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the strengthening of the public awareness of food safety and environmental protection, functional food packaging materials have received widespread attention. Nanofibers are considered as promising packaging materials due to their unique one-dimensional structure (high aspect ratio, large specific surface area) and functional advantages. Electrospinning, as a commonly used simple and efficient method for preparing nanofibers, can obtain nanofibers with different structures such as aligned, core-shell, and porous structures by modifying the devices and adjusting the process parameters. The selection of raw materials and structural design of nanofibers can endow food packaging with different functions, including antimicrobial activity, antioxidation, ultraviolet protection, and response to pH. This paper aims to provide a comprehensive review of the application of electrospun nanofibers in functional food packaging. Advances in electrospinning technology and electrospun materials used for food packaging are introduced. Moreover, the progress and development prospects of electrospun nanofibers in functional food packaging are highlighted. Meanwhile, the application of functional packaging based on nanofibers in different foods is discussed in detail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Positive welfare represents an expansion of the traditional animal welfare understanding that animal welfare is defined by minimizing negative experiences such as stress, pain, suffering, and disease. Positive welfare as a concept shifts the narrative from just reducing negative experiences to intentionally providing animals with increased opportunities to have positive experiences and feelings. The concept, although around for several decades, is in its infancy in terms of developing ways of assessing positive welfare on farms. Therefore, the adoption of practices that promote opportunities for positive welfare and experiences faces challenges, especially in monitoring continuous improvement at the farm level. The most apparent challenge is the lack of validated indicators to characterize a full spectrum of positive welfare experiences and feelings for farm animals. Assessing positive welfare in extensively reared animals such as sheep may pose additional practical challenges too. Using an iterative approach, this critical review aims to explore the extent to which positive welfare interventions and indicators are positioned and have been developed within the literature on sheep welfare. This paper critiques existing literature in terms of potential indicators for current and future research and characterizes the practicality and suitability of these indicators for on-farm welfare assessments. Finally, potential aspects of positive welfare for sheep are highlighted so that they may guide future research and practical implementation on farms. The concept of positive welfare is an expansion of the traditional understanding that animal welfare is defined by minimizing stress, pain, suffering, and disease. Positive welfare shifts the animal welfare narrative from a focus on reducing negative experiences to proactively providing animals with opportunities to have positive experiences and feelings. The concept, although around for several decades, is in its infancy in terms of developing ways of assessing positive welfare on farms, especially in extensive systems, and there are challenges in the adoption of positive welfare practices and the monitoring of continuous improvement at the farm level. Using an iterative approach, this critical review aims to explore the extent to which positive welfare interventions and indicators are positioned and have been developed within the animal welfare literature for sheep. This paper critiques existing positive welfare indicators, such as choices in food and the physical environment, conspecific social synchronization, maternal bonds, intergenerational knowledge transfer, positive human–animal relationships, etc., as currently assessed by the 'good life framework'. It also reviews the characteristics of scientific measures for (positive) affective states in the current sheep literature and their potential contribution to understanding positive welfare states in sheep. In conclusion, this paper provides recommendations for future research regarding sheep welfare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper contributes to an emerging discussion about transformative enterprises, which are increasingly seen as change agents in sustainability transformations. Some scholars have hitherto described them as pioneering enterprises that strive for fundamental changes towards sustainability at different scales. Economic geography has, however, so far glossed over a micro‐perspective on such enterprises. In this paper, we define transformative enterprises in detail by systematically identifying and elaborating their characteristics and actions. We ask: What operationalizable characteristics that refer to transformative enterprises are discussed in the literature? How can we define transformative enterprises? Starting from a comprehensive literature review, we identify nine key dimensions of transformative enterprises that we specify with a set of indicators, and we then synthesize our finding with a definition. With this contribution, we further develop the concept of transformative enterprise in economic geography and show how it complements current conceptualizations of firm‐level agency and system‐level agency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the issue of authenticity of digital evidence in the ICC. While some types of digital evidence have been used at the ICC, some challenges persist. ICC Chambers have used old methods of verifying the authenticity of physical documents to analyze pieces of digital evidence. These practices do not fully grasp the issue of authenticity in relation to a piece of digital evidence, which may require specific practices and technologies. This paper discusses how ICC judges can update its practices in order to address such issue. With an ever-growing use of digital evidence in its courtroom, it is essential for ICC Judges to develop solid practices that allow them to fully examine the authenticity of a piece of digital evidence. This paper claims that such adaptations may require capacity-building for judges, as well as changes in the evidence management system and in the ICC legal framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As drone technology advances, the potential for illicit criminal exploitation of these unmanned capabilities has been escalating. There has been an ever-growing concern about the peril posed by a drone attack delivering a biological payload into a vulnerable terrorist target. To achieve a more realistic understanding of this threat and to enhance existing national security arrangements to this scenario, this paper attempts to provide a novel approach for counter policies and procedures for the prevention, preparedness and response. With this in mind, criminal activities attempting to conduct a bioattack by means of an UAV are insightfully scrutinized. To do this, the phases of perpetration provide the basis for this discussion. In each phase of commission, the potential threat indicators of malevolent non-state actor activities are identified and accordingly, the most effective countermeasures designed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to analyse the roles sustainable tourism indicators (STIs) play in policy making processes at destination level through a three-dimensional framework: 1) instrumental (direct use of information for decision-making), 2) conceptual (awareness raising) and 3) symbolic (legitimate decisions). The European Tourism Indicator System (ETIS) is taken as a reference system as the only common framework developed by the European Commission to measure and monitor tourism sustainability. Our empirical research follows a three-step approach. Firstly, we analysed ETIS to investigate its potential to be linked to tourism policy. Secondly, we took Zuid Limburg, the Netherlands as a case study, to assess the role of ETIS pilot implementation at the destination. Finally, we performed a comparative analysis of 11 destinations that have tested ETIS, to better frame the weight of the indicator roles in local policy making processes. We conclude that so far the STIs developed within ETIS have had limited instrumental and symbolic use, while their conceptual role, related to the social learning process resulting from their implementation, can be considered a pre-condition for other roles to emerge. Moreover, the indicators' role within policy making is closely linked to the specific governance context, influencing and being influenced by it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is a first attempt to propose a multidimensional study of overtourism and undertourism in Majorca, a Spanish island and one of the world's leading mass tourist destinations. The study was conducted before and after the pandemic started through a survey to local stakeholders. They were asked for their perceptions of overtourism and undertourism, what problems these phenomena generate, which sustainability indicator might be used to measure each problem, and, lastly, what solutions they suggest. Three main dimensions were taken (economy and demography, culture, and ecology) to classify the problems, sustainability indicators, and solutions. The main conclusion is the stakeholders' consensus that both situations are the outcome of an economy based on a tourism monoculture and they view the stoppage brought about by the pandemic as being an opportunity to restructure the current tourism model, mainly by tackling labor conditions, the wellbeing of local residents, and ecological resilience. The sustainability indicators proposed by the respondents could contribute to the establishment of a monitoring system of the problems generated by overtourism and undertourism. Most of these indicators are available in official statistics, but there are others that need to be developed ad hoc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper is based on territorial intelligence (TI) and its application to the sustainability of tourist destinations. The TI focus is viewed as being suited to dealing with the problems of tourist destinations, as well as the integrating nature of different aspects of their reality. The aim of this research is to design a System of Smart Coastal Destination Indicators (SD-Coast) that allows the level achieved by a destination to be measured and a comparison in time and space to be made. The selected study scope comprises 14 destinations on the Spanish Mediterranean coast. The tool proposed for the evaluation of territorial intelligence in coastal destinations is based on the generation of standards that enable the measurement and explanation of variables to be clearly delineated. For this purpose, 30 indicators are considered, covered by six dimensions (Smart Governance, Smart Environment, Universal Access, Smart Business, Smart Technology and Smart Innovation). What most coastal destinations have in common is specialisation in technological advances and the respective application of these advances to long-term sustainability. Yet the municipalities in question are far from being considered a shining example in terms of accessibility or governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the challenges that were encountered during the collection of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) indicators for water (SDG 6), energy (SDG 7), and food (SDG 2) security in northern Canada. Our findings indicate only 49% of indicator data were publicly available, while 21% had to be calculated using alternative sources or methods, 18% had to be replaced with proxy indicators for which data were available, and 12% of indicators were deemed unavailable entirely. The most common types of data challenges were associated with completeness, timeliness, and granularity. Given the current challenges faced by residents of northern Canada, with their livelihoods closely intertwined with the accessibility and availability of water, energy and food (WEF) resources, a comprehensive plan for data collection, storage, and management of WEF-related SDGs is required to advance WEF security from an aspirational to a transformative policy agenda. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Theoretically, much skepticism has emerged insofar as the translation of SDG framework at local level is concerned. Comparatively, much less has been done to investigate the empirical reality of this discourse. Using case study exploration technique situated in two urban areas of India – Mumbai and Sitamarhi, this paper explicates how key contentions of the debate manifest at the ground level. Reflections from Mumbai show that SDG's reliance on targets and indicators masks extreme inequality underlying so-called 'extraordinary' achievements in reducing child stunting. Despite its transformatory claims the operationalization of SDG framework adopts a narrow view on inequality and bypasses related structural processes. At the same time, preoccupation with numbers and targets while implementing nutrition programmes for SDG two in the town of Sitamarhi, distorts the reality and diverts priorities away from systemic issues like infrastructural and institutional gaps. SDG framework's continued engagement with indicators, targets and numbers, indeed hides multiple axes of inequality in nutrition outcomes, creates fallacious claims of successes and therefore, closes the window for potential improvement. Eventually, both Mumbai and Sitamarhi, despite their development contrast, are faced with similar question – what structural and institutional transformation, must precede the operationalization of SDG two? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces a novel non-linear weighting model to evaluate the different aspects of infrastructure. In this regard, three approaches are presented to compute the percents of infrastructure indicators, namely analytical hierarchy process, Shannon entropy and fuzzy set theory. A unified weighting model is then proposed to aggregate the weighting vectors obtained from the three approaches. The developed model is designed to model the feedback of the experts, actual condition of the infrastructure and encountered uncertainties. Results highlighted that water has the highest relative importance with 52.65% followed by electricity with 34.12% while telecommunication has the least relative importance with 2.69%. To apply a more practical sense to the proposed framework, a sample assessment of the Lebanese city of Tripoli's civil infrastructure was carried out in this paper. The developed model is expected to support planners and policymakers with a platform that enables them to efficiently evaluate the infrastructure's condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpouse of this paper was to highlight the morpho-productive indicators of Aubrac and Aberdeen Angus cattle breeds exploited in Romania. Data were collected from a number of 40 cattle, following the weaning weight (age of 7 months) and the average daily gain increase of the animals, which benefited from similar exploitation conditions. Also, based on the results obtained, a statistical interpretation was performed. At the age of 7 months, an average body weight of 216.6 kg was observed in Aubrac cattle, with an average daily gain increase of 912 g/day, while in Aberdeen Angus cattle an average body weight of 184.3 kg was observed, the animals recorded an average daily gain increase of 799 g/day. In conclusion, in the case of both breeds of cattle, the satisfactory parameters specific to the breeds of meat were highlighted, but making a comparison we can appreciate that the results observed in the Aubrac breed are superior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modern agriculture poses new challenges related to the increase of the need of sustainable development of the agrarian sector, and rural territories, respectively. The use of large amounts of chemical preparations in agriculture inevitably hides a number of possibilities for dangers, both for all mankind and for the natural environment. The main goal of this article is to analyze and evaluate the current state of use of pesticides and fertilizers in Bulgaria, as part of the agro-ecological indicators affecting the climate and natural ecosystems. As a result from the research carried out we found that the levels of pesticide use in Bulgaria are below the average, but the last years are marked by a tendency for gradual increase of the areas of the used quantities of nitrogen fertilizers, manure and organic fertilizer, and a deficit in the Phosphorous balance in soil was noted. We need lowering of the degree of ecological risks related to use of pesticides and fertilizers in Bulgaria. This way the results will be multiplied for achieving higher level of economic, social and ecological sustainability in the development of individual rural territories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the politics of creating and calibrating monetary poverty indicators in Jordan using interviews with policy-shapers and documentary analysis. It highlights the significance of these dynamics for conceptualizing governance and statehood in the Middle East. I argue that poverty indicators have served a dual purpose: they have functioned as a tool of state legibility, seeking to enable governments to act on poverty and increase accountability. At the same time, opacity in their production has made it possible to shirk responsibility for worsening socio-economic situations. The combination has helped to reproduce the state as a distinct entity that should, at least in principle, be able to tackle socio-economic inequalities. By empirically and conceptually highlighting the intertwinement between transparency and opacity, the article not only contributes a new perspective to debates around governance through indicators, but also to de-exceptionalizing the Middle East in discussions on the globalized politics of development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Goran Wall's "exergy, ecology, and democracy - concepts of a vital society or a proposal for an exergy tax" has come a long way since its presentation in 1992. Wall has extended the thermodynamics to the sustainability analysis of economic, environmental and societal models. The authors of this paper aim to discuss Wall's intuitions in today's scenario. Governments are assuming increasing measures against climate change and toward sustainability. However, these measures do not affect the concentration of GHG and global heating. It is an evident failure from a thermodynamic point of view. The economic indicators used by governments to measure the progress toward UN. Sustainability development goals and the Paris agreement reveal a scarce consistency. One of the most used is "domestic material consumption". It accounts for the mass balance of the materials entering or exiting a national economic system. However, it lacks consistency and delivers insufficient information because it neglects the impacts of import-export. As Wall shows, more effective and consistent indicators are necessary to account for sustainability. The most relevant is exergy, which has been presented and discussed widely. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to present the results of a study to examine, determine and propose the optimal approach to develop impact assessment indicators for the UK Web Archive. Design/methodology/approach: The paper analyses the existing literature on impact assessment frameworks for digital resources and the types of impact in related fields to set an approach to develop an impact assessment plan. Primarily drawing from the Balanced Value Impact Model, the approach consists of three stages: context setting, indicator development and indicator evaluation. Findings: The development of a set of potential impact assessment indicators for the UK Web Archive shows not only an optimal approach for the development but also recommendations for web archiving organisations. Research limitations/implications: The research did not carry out follow-up interviews regarding the feedback from UK Web Archive's staff. Adoption of the new set of indicators will further this development. Practical implications: The staff's duties influence their prioritisation of the indicators, so discussions among partners will be helpful in recognising different perceptions, unnoticed strengths and potential values. A progressive accumulation of assessment and improvements from the current state and small regular evaluations will be also helpful to demonstrate the impact and value to the stakeholders in the future. Originality/value: This paper proposes a set of 13 potential indicators for the UK Web Archive of which functionality was checked against set quality criteria and tested through semi-structured interviews and survey submissions with the UK Web Archive staff members. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the concept of "empowerment" varies depending on the context or circumstances with different meanings and terminologies by different researchers the methods for systematically measuring empowerment differs. Multiple important instruments are constructed to monitor progress towards gender equality and women's empowerment at a regional and global scale. The paper will highlight particularly on the approaches developed by UNDP like gender-related development index (GDI), women's empowerment index (WEI) etc. with special focus on pros and cons of each methodology. Although many studies and discussions around empowerment are commonly limited to activities like "economic", "social" and "political" forms of empowerment. Therefore it sometimes also requires interventions that are beyond survey and are more holistic that explores other dimensions that have practical implications for to women's empowerment. The paper also reflects on some different kinds of non-survey instruments that can be useful for measuring women's empowerment with their pros and cons. Most of the non-survey instruments described in this paper can generate both quantitative and qualitative data and have many uses including the evaluation of a development programme. Like our survey questionnaires, we can also pretest our non-survey instruments extensively with people who are alike to respondents in our study, so that the logistic work could be easy to conduct and understandable by the researchers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Whilst the economic costs and benefits of mega-events to host cities and countries are well documented, the evaluation and nature of the social impacts of such events are less clear. Although these social impacts typically include education and skills, destination branding, social cohesion, environmental sustainability and sport development, there is currently a lack of consensus on their measurement and focus upon both benefits and costs. In an evolved mega-event landscape which must align with political, social and cultural priorities, sports governing bodies, industry partners, residents and governments are increasingly concerned with qualitative impacts. Accordingly, through a systematic review of the existing literature, this paper assesses the current state of knowledge of the social costs and benefits of mega-events, including how they are identified, defined and measured, highlighting a need for further research to fully understand the social impacts of mega-events. To our knowledge, this is the first review to examine mega-event social impact evaluation, and we therefore provide a useful evidence-based guide to mega-event stakeholders in determining cases for host bids, event planning and related legacy evaluation. Our review culminates in a research agenda, providing practical guidance for future mega-event assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Decision-makers must possess rapid assessment tools to evaluate the vulnerability of the transport sector in light of the disastersupport function. Earlier vulnerability assessment models were often prone to subjectivity in quantifying and determining transport vulnerabilities. The present paper examines the macro-environment to select factors affecting transport sector vulnerabilities. A total of 30 criteria and indicators are chosen within five factors, namely Social, Technological, Environmental, Economic and Political (STEEP), to assess the macro-level vulnerability assessment taking the flood-prone State of Perlis in Malaysia as a case study. Owing to the inherent advantages of eliminating subjective and qualitative aspects, catastrophe theory is applied to obtain multiple assessment indices defining vulnerabilities and relative importance. The results obtained using the catastrophe assessment system based on STEEP factors reveal high transport vulnerability values for social factors, followed by economic, political, environmental and technical factors. Results show that among the social factors, gender, age, and income play a significant role in defining vulnerability. Other than social factors affecting transport vulnerability, the economic condition of the state, land use distribution, political attitude and the role of civic society were also found to have significant influence. Findings suggest that the immobility of the mass population and the unavailability of sufficient infrastructure and technology are the major factors of high vulnerability. The present research urges the policymakers to focus on areas such as transport systems more usable for the elderly, promoting gender equality in the transport sector and planning better transport accessibility, particularly for low-income population, that can help to improve their effective mobility and make transport system more affordable to all. The developed assessment model is simple and operational, giving decision-makers an alternative approach to assess transport vulnerabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]