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The concept of energy security is recognized as a complex and highly context-dependent phenomenon, necessitating the development of diverse indicators for its measurement. While numerous studies examined composite energy security indicators and frameworks from various angles, including inconsistencies, measurement challenges, and methodological limitations, there exists a gap in the scientific literature concerning the evaluation of these indicators in terms of sustainability. Given the inherent connection between energy security and sustainable development goals, this study analysed and ranked composite energy security indicators and frameworks based on their integrity using the Bellagio Sustainability Assessment and Measurement Principles. In this assessment, 40 different composite indicators developed and used in recent years were selected and evaluated by an expert survey for ranking purposes. The results indicate that many energy security indicator sets are insufficient in capturing the entirety of changes in the energy market, economy, policy, international trade, and other external factors. Nevertheless, the abundance and variety of energy security assessment frameworks in the literature, coupled with the consideration of various dimensions, underscore the prevalence of an interdisciplinary approach to the problem. This underscores the understanding that energy security extends beyond only accessibility and affordability of energy resources. The findings of this research provide valuable insights for both the improvement of existing indicators and the development of new frameworks. • A systematic literature review is carried out based on SALSA. • Bellagio STAMP principles are applied for the analysis of integrity. • 40 indicators from 140 papers are considered. • Six out of 40 indicators appear as those of very high integrity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Financial development and energy consumption are expected to exert a significant effect on CO 2 emission changes. However, there remains a research gap in optimizing pathways to carbon peaking under financial and energy drivers. This paper constructs a novel model covering finance and energy consumption using the generalized Divisia Index (GDI) method. The GDI allows to quantify the drivers behind the CO 2 emission change in China during 2005–2020. Furthermore, it combines a Monte Carlo simulation with scenario analysis to forecast the path of CO 2 emissions during 2021–2030. The results demonstrate that energy structure and carbon factor remain the principal drivers for CO 2 emission growth in China. Thus, it is still pivotal to optimize energy saving and carbon reduction policies. Financial energy saving has enormous potential for reducing CO 2 emissions over time, even though the immediate influence on CO 2 emission is not significant. China has a substantial probability of reaching the peaking target in 2026 under the technology breakthrough scenario, whereas in the other two scenarios the target cannot be achieved. • The main factor in mitigating CO 2 emissions is the carbon intensity of financial development. • Energy consumption and carbon factor are essential factors to the increase in CO 2 emissions. • Energy intensity of financial development presents a strong potential for emission reductions. • Peaking targets will be achieved by 2030 only under the technology breakthrough scenario. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the share of renewable energy increases in the energy-mix, tracking energy intensity (EI) dynamics and determinants thereof is a significant issue of energy economics related to power resilience. Previous decomposition studies have hardly evaluated the effects of absolute factors on the intensity indicator such as EI. The present study proposes a novel generalized Divisia index (GDI) model for intensity factor decomposition and combined it with Tapio index. The case of China's power sector during 2000–2020 is considered. The results suggest that the complexity of EI reduction is increasing from 2006 to 2010 to 2016–2020 though the period of 2000–2020 witnessed the improvement of energy efficiency, and the provincial EI exhibits a distribution trend of "high in the north and low in the south, high in the east and low in the west". The decomposition results indicate that the energy consumption is the single factor responsible for EI increase, whereas energy structure and technology are the major forces contributing to EI mitigation. The power output and energy consumption exhibit decoupling status from EI in most provinces, but the decoupling situation was not stable and the difficulty of decoupling increases since 2016–2020. • The energy intensity trends and renewable energy penetration are analyzed. • The generalized Divisia index is applied for the decomposition analysis. • The major sources of dynamics in the energy and emission intensity are quantified. • The policy recommendations are derived. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes MULTIMOORA-IFN2 technique for multi-criteria decision making MCDM). The proposed approach involves information fusion which allows considering information expressed in both crisp and fuzzy variables. What is more, we introduce the aggregation of the different parts of MULTIMOORA which makes the technique more operational, especially in case of large-scale applications. The empirical example considers the case of energy storage technology selection. The sensitivity of the results obtained by applying MUTIMOORA-IFN2 is checked in two ways. The weighting is adjusted to ascertain whether the changes in the importance of the criteria impact the ranks of the energy storage technologies. Further on, the results obtained by applying MULTIMOORA-IFN2 are compared to those obtained by employing TOPSIS and VIKOR methods. • The MULTIMOORA approach for intuitionistic fuzzy sets is revised. • Intuitionistic fuzzy sets are applied for information fusion. • Energy storage technologies are assessed. • Technical, economic, and environmental criteria are considered. • Different scenarios are assumed for robustness analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing population and economic growth in Europe and the world are leading to growing demand for food, livestock feed, and energy, and consequently to growing negative impacts on the environment and climate change. Tensions and price fluctuations in international material supply chains have recently become an even greater challenge. As for biomass, its availability is limited due to land, water, human, and financial resources as well as the environmental boundaries. Therefore, efficiency of biomass use is becoming increasingly important; it is crucial to develop and apply integrated assessment frameworks for tracking progress in resource use efficiency that would allow comparing the efficiency of biomass and non-biomass use. This paper embarks on the analysis of biomass and non-biomass resource use in selected European countries over 2010–2019. The index decomposition analysis model is set up to decompose the changes in biomass consumption with respect to intensive and extensive drivers. Resource use efficiency is then assessed via the non-parametric frontier, taking into account the other inputs (labour and capital). The results suggest that biomass efficiency is higher than that of non-biomass materials. The efficiency scores suggest that further decoupling of domestic material consumption and economic growth is needed. • The biomass and non-biomass material consumption is assessed in the European economies. • The index decomposition analysis is used to factorize the changes in the biomass use. • The Data Envelopment Analysis is applied to identify performance gaps. • The intermediate consumption efficiency is much higher than that for the material use. • The improved use of biomass and non-biomass resources is crucial for the European economies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Achieving carbon neutrality is crucial for the global economy to ensure sustainable development. Quantitative approaches are needed to track the emissions and determinants thereof. The Generalized Divisia Index (GDI) has received wide attention to quantify major factors driving CO 2 emissions. However, there has been no research on the application of GDI to decompose the relative variables, such as Aggregate Carbon Intensity (ACI). What is more, GDI has not been applied for spatial decomposition. To address these gaps, the present study constructs temporal-spatial GDI models to decompose the dynamics in ACI of thermal electricity generation. The case of China during 2000–2019 is considered. The results suggest that East, Central, and Northwest regions contributed to the mitigation of national ACI, whereas North and Northeast lagged behind. The temporal decomposition results imply that CO 2 emissions is the major factor causing ACI increase, whereas energy-mix promotes reduction in ACI. Energy consumption can be decoupled from ACI, but it is cumbersome to decouple CO 2 emission and electricity production from ACI. The spatial decomposition results indicate that CO 2 emission and energy consumption induce spatial differences to the highest extent. • The paper develops the Generalized Divisia Index approach. • Decomposition of the relative variable is described. • The aggregate carbon intensity is decomposed for thermal power generation. • The spatial decomposition is presented for the case of China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Consequent to increasing higher education attainment and the expansion of higher education institutions, many countries have embarked on assessing discipline efficiency to track performance, promote competition, and ensure reasonable resource allocation. Therefore, measuring scientific-research efficiency is a crucial part of evaluating a discipline's development. This paper proposes the three-stage multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) non-radial super-efficiency data envelopment analysis (NRSDEA) method with bootstrapping to study a discipline's scientific research efficiency from the university-level perspective. To ensure robust analysis, the proposed model incorporates the contextual variables describing the external environment and the random error. The data envelopment analysis (DEA) model is a non-oriented one. The three-stage DEA approach is applied, including contextual variables such as economic growth, innovation, infrastructure, and the natural environment. In addition, the bootstrap method is applied to correct for measurement errors. Finally, the research efficiency measurement of the statistics discipline at Chinese universities is taken as an example to verify the method's validity. • A three-stage multi-criteria decision making based NRSDEA method is proposed. • Research Efficiency of the Statistics Discipline is assessed measured. • The influence of environmental factors and random noise are eliminated by bootstrapping. • The disciplinary perspective is considered to seek for the unique features of statistical research efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Operationalization of the telemedicine services is considered from a multi-criteria perspective. • The Pythagorean fuzzy sets are applied to allow for uncertainty. • The SERVQUAL approach and the aggregation operators are used to measure the utility. • The social network concept allows gauging the trust degree among the experts. • The case of China is considered as an empirical case. Telemedicine is an effective way to address the excessive concentration of quality medical resources. Telemedicine platforms provide users with diversified high-quality medical and health services. These issues are topical in the context of the recent pandemic and the resulting socioeconomic transformations. In order to meet the multilevel and personalised health needs of users, optimise the management process of a telemedicine platform and rationally allocate medical resources, it is necessary to conduct scientific evaluations of telemedicine platforms. Therefore, this paper proposes a multi-criteria evaluation framework based on the interval value confidence induced Pythagorean fuzzy ordered hybrid weighted integration (CIPFOHW) operator and social network. To improve the fusion efficiency of user evaluation information and confidence level, the CIPFOHW operator is proposed. At the same time, since the trust relationship between users of the telemedicine platform influence the evaluation, the trust transfer network between users is given. In addition, based on SERVQUAL method, a five-dimension evaluation framework for telemedicine platforms is put forward. Finally, an applied case with five typical patients is used to verify the effectiveness of the method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to investigate the relationship between sustainability and resilience concepts in agriculture. First, we discuss the theoretical preliminaries related to the definition of these two concepts. Indeed, the literature considers sustainability as a proxy for resilience and vice versa in the context of agriculture. Intuitively, one may expect that sustainability and resilience are positively correlated. Second, we challenge these insights by embarking on empirical analysis directed at the Northern European countries (Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania and Sweden) that are member states of the European Union. The criteria describing sustainability and economic resilience are identified for the empirical analysis. Third, the criteria decision making is applied to derive the composite indicators. The contemporaneous correlation between the composite indicators of sustainability and economic resilience is rather weak across the analyzed countries. However, the correlation increases in case the first-order differences of the composite indicators are considered. Therefore, economic resilience indicators cannot be replaced by sustainability-related ones and economic resilience should be taken as an additional facet of the economic sustainability when developing composite indicators. • The indicators identifying agricultural sustainability and resilience are established. • The multi-criteria approach is taken for aggregation. • The case of the Northern Europe is considered. • The direct relationship between agricultural sustainability and economic resilience is observed. • The complementarity of the two notions is observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The choice of the energy storage technology involves multiple criteria that need to be simultaneously considered in the energy planning process. The development of sustainable energy system requires to take into account not only technical characteristics of storage technologies but also to pursue sustainability issues. The paper aims to perform not-site-specific sustainability assessment of the main types of energy storage technologies (mechanical, chemical, electrochemical and thermal) based on the developed advanced multi-criteria technique. The paper follows the vein of the coordinated Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) and extends it to the interval environment. A geometric integer programming model is introduced to identify the interval for the degree of coordination. The proposed method is, therefore, able to handle uncertainty and coordinate performance of the alternatives with respect to multiple criteria. Sustainability assessment of energy storage technologies is performed based on the most important technological, economic, environmental and social criteria. The results showed that the most sustainable energy storage technologies are mechanical and thermal ones (utility scores range in between 1 and 0.75). The remaining technologies exhibit utility scores of 0.69 at most. The least appealing options are electrochemical storage technologies. • The energy storage systems are compared. • Economic, environmental, social and technical criteria are considered. • The interval-valued analysis is carried out. • The coordination degree is proposed for the interval data. • A more comprehensive analysis is possible due to the revised model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Renewable heating technologies are prioritized • Multiple criteria analysis is carried out • The BWM-WASPAS-IN framework is proposed • The wood pellet boilers and solar heating are the most attractive This paper proposes a multi-criteria decision framework for promotion of the heating systems based on the renewable energy sources. The objective and subjective data are taken into consideration by the virtue of the relevant quantitative techniques. The paper integrates the Best-Worst method (BWM) and modifies the Weighted Aggregated Sum Product Assessment (WASPAS) method. The BWM is utilized for eliciting the weights of the criteria during the expert survey. We apply the interval-normalized WASPAS for the multi-criteria ranking of the heating technologies. Thus, the uncertainty is taken into consideration. The empirical application deals with the case of Lithuania where modernization of the heating system is rather important in order to reduce energy poverty and increase the quality of life. Three heating technologies (i.e. heat pumps, solar heating and wood pellet boilers) are assessed through the expert survey and multi-criteria evaluation methods. The multi-criteria analysis suggests wood pellet boilers and solar heating dominate the heat pumps in terms of the overall utility and could be promoted as the most suitable renewable heating technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A set of indicators for assessing sustainability of the heating sector at national level is developed. • MCDA performed by applying the TOPSIS approach. • Comparative assessment of heating sector sustainability in selected North European countries is performed. • Nordic Countries are the highest ranked in the assessment. Decarbonization of heating sector is an important part of the global low carbon energy transition, and an essential step towards implementing climate change mitigation commitments as this sector accounts for 40–50 % of global energy consumption and is one of the main sources of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In addition, this sector is sensitive in terms of energy vulnerability and energy poverty. The aim of this paper is to develop a set of indicators and evaluation tool for assessing sustainability of the heating sector at national level and to apply developed methodology for comparative assessment in selected North European countries. The set of indicators developed address concept of sustainability in holistic way and could also be applied universally to compare the European Union (EU) countries and to track the achievements of measures taken at the EU level and in national energy strategies and plans. Multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) performed by applying the Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) and four scenarios of heating sector sustainability assessment revealed that three Nordic Countries are the highest ranked according to all sustainability assessment scenarios. These countries can be the cases of the best practice in the heating sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improving green innovation efficiency (GIE) is crucial for attaining sustainability in China's stage of high-quality development. However, there is a paucity of research on the roles of and links among the government and market in GIE. This study bridges this research gap by unifying marketization, local government competition, and GIE into one empirical framework. First, we extend a super-efficiency Ray slacks-based measure model to evaluate provincial GIE in China during 1997–2018 and then analyze its evolution of spatial-temporal dynamics. Subsequently, marketization, local government competition, and GIE are incorporated into a nest of spatial panel models to address the endogeneity concerns resulting from model misspecification and omitted variables. The empirical results show that China's GIE at the national level is only 0.4813, and above 80% of provinces are far from reaching the green innovation frontier. Moreover, the observed imbalance in GIE between regions continues to worsen; notably, this coincides with the emergence of a pattern under which the gap between the north and south is widening. Furthermore, the seven spatial panel models assessed in this study reveal that local government competition not only has a direct inhibitory effect on GIE, but also indirectly impedes the corresponding promotional effect of marketization. This finding provides new evidence supporting the "grabbing hand of government" view and sheds light on the behaviors of the market and government in green innovation development. [Display omitted] • Data envelopment analysis applied for evaluation of green innovation efficiency (GIE). • Extended super-efficiency ray slacks-based model is used. • Evolution of spatial-temporal dynamics in China from 1997 to 2018 was addressed. • Marketization, competition and GIE are incorporated into a nest of spatial panel model. • Provides understanding of market behavior and the government in the green innovation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The indicators of energy poverty are compared. • The comparison is based on the Bellagio STAMP principles. • 71 (composite) indicators are assessed. • The best-performing indicators are identified. This paper provides a systematic review and assessment of the existing (composite) indicators for measuring energy poverty (EP). A total of 71 (composite) indicators have been identified for evaluating EP. The systematic literature review integrates the Search, Appraisal, Synthesis and Analysis (SALSA) framework, Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement under PSALSAR (Protocol, Search, Appraisal, Synthesis, Analysis and Report) framework. The framework of Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome, and Context (PICOC) is also applied to set the scope of the research. The identified (composite) indicators are assessed based on the Bellagio Sustainability Assessment and Measurement (STAMP) principles. Therefore, recommendations for the practical use of EP indicators are proposed in the article. Structural EP Vulnerability Index, Fuel Poverty Index, and Energy Vulnerability Composite Index are identified as indicators corresponding to the Bellagio STAMP principles to the highest possible extent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As an important part of modern service, international tourism has created possibilities for employment and improvement in the balance of payments in receiving countries. This has also strengthened the degree of economic dependence among regions. In the context of international economic diversification, industrial integration, and globalization, the development of a domestic international tourism industry for a given country is inevitably affected by the performance of foreign economies. Therefore, the relationship between economic growth and tourism development has always been of primary interest in tourism economics. In order to study the dynamic relationship between regional economic growth and international tourism revenue along the Belt and Road Initiative, this study examines the annual country-level data from 1995 to 2017. A global vector autoregressive model (GVAR) is estimated, along with the impulse response and variance decomposition, to explain the interaction effect between China and other regions. The impulse response analysis shows that local economic growth has significant shock and spillover effects on international tourism revenue in the other regions, but these effects are heterogeneous across regions and do not always show positive cyclical synchronization. Results of the variance decomposition show that China's economic growth has increasingly contributed to international tourism revenue in other regions, and that the interdependence of countries' tourism demand has become stronger. Therefore, countries along the Belt and Road Initiative should strengthen their economic cooperation, reduce barriers to tourism trade, and dynamically adjust the regulatory policies of the international tourism industry. Additionally, these countries should jointly promote the interactive development of regional economies and the international tourism industry. • The Belt and Road initiative is considered. • International tourism revenue is analyzed. • Global VAR is applied for 36 countries. • Determinants and outcomes of international tourism are identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Gender-wise differences in the perceptions of young farmers. • The measures of the Common Agricultural Policy. • Development of farms and the use of advisory services. • The results show gender equality in Lithuanian agriculture. The agriculture in Eastern Europe has seen a number of economic and social transitions. This research examines the gender inequality in agriculture by taking the case of an Eastern European country – Lithuania – as an example. The questionnaire survey was employed in order to check the existence of gender inequality. The study focuses on the young farmers as they are more likely to implement innovations and shape the future agricultural activities. The demand for advisory services and participation in the Common Agricultural Policy measures were used to compare the activities and perceptions of men and women young farmers. We found that there are no significant differences in participation of support measures and demand for advisory services across the genders. This suggests Lithuanian agricultural sector is equally beneficial for men and women young farmers. Given the differences in the educational background, a positive effect is anticipated if women were more empowered in Lithuanian agriculture. Women's participation in agriculture could increase environmental awareness, propensity to innovate and economic resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The effects of the young farmer payments scheme in Lithuania are analysed. • Larger farms engaged in livestock production tend to participate in the young farmer support schemes. • The young farmers are reluctant to receive advisory services on environmental protection. • Diversification of the farming activities should receive more attention in the support schemes for the young farmers. The present study examines the influence of young farmers' support system including both direct payments for young farmers and rural development measures initiatives under the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) on the sustainability of rural regions. The intentions and decisions taken by young farmers in Lithuania are analysed within the rural sustainability concept. The empirical analysis relies on the questionnaire survey. In order to disentangle the possible effects of the CAP support on the farming sustainability (as it is perceived by the young farmers), we consider payments for farm establishment and expansion along with support for advisory services. The results show that young farmers' support system under the CAP has the strongest perceived effect on income support in Lithuania without significant differences across different groups of farmers. The effect on investments is significantly lower for crop farms if opposed to the other farming types. Still, the results also indicate that environmental awareness of Lithuanian farmers is rather low as the demand for such advisory services appeared to be relatively low. The relatively high demand for advisory services on the business plan preparation suggests low levels of business administration and marketing skills among the young farmers, which indicates the need for development of the social dimension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We consider the prospects for development of the bioeconomy sector in the EU. • The land biocapacity, land footprint and agricultural value added are considered. • Almost all of the EU countries show increasing footprint-to-biocapacity ratios. • Absolute decoupling between production-based land footprint and agricultural value added is observed in Denmark. Bioeconomy comprises a novel approach towards economic development in the European Union (EU). Its development should be confined by the planetary boundaries (biocapacity). We integrate the land footprint approach related to production and land biocapacity to assess the trends in capacity and productivity of bioeconomy in the EU countries throughout 1997–2013. Results show that the level of production-based land footprint and land biocapacity vary across the EU countries. However, Belgium is the sole case where production-based land footprint exceeds land biocapacity. The highest possibilities for development of the bioeconomy sector are observed for Slovenia, Croatia, Romania and Slovakia. Meanwhile, Estonia, Denmark and the United Kingdom have almost achieved the level of land biocapacity. Considering the catch up growth rate, almost all of the EU countries (with exception of Greece, France, Italy and Romania) show increasing footprint-to-biocapacity ratios with the highest values for Estonia and Latvia. The significant absolute decoupling between production-based land footprint and agricultural value added is observed in Denmark. Meanwhile, Italy, Lithuania and Spain show relative decoupling. Thus, these countries should pay particular attention to productivity improvements in forestry and agriculture. This study contributes to setting the targets for bioeconomy policy that can support the sustainable and efficient use of biological resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]