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This study analyses the relationship between a firms' growth and the educational diversity of their workforce. It differentiates itself from other studies by using two measures of human capital diversity--one for education levels and one for fields--instead of one. The results show that workers with more diverse specializations than the workforce of competitors benefit the firm's growth and extensive margin of trade. Contrastingly, above-average workforce heterogeneity in education levels does not seem to affect firms' performance. Furthermore, it is shown that the association between human capital diversity and firms' performance differs among sectors. Compared to previous studies, which concentrated on one particular industry or one measure of educational diversity, this more comprehensive approach allows reconciling some of the contradicting results. The study shows that the mixed results in existing papers can result from dissimilar impacts of various measures of human capital diversity on firm performance or its differences among sectors.

The crisis during the pandemic restrained the livelihood of women and disrupted their economic opportunities. Specifically, during the height of the lockdown, when people were restricted from going out, the livelihood of women who sold and peddled seafood products was greatly affected. This paper unfolds women's socio-demographic profile and knowledge regarding the laws for protecting women's rights in the lexis of the Republic Act No. 9710, also known as the Magna Carta of Women, and their economic condition in the informal economy during the pandemic. This descriptive mixed method quantitatively surveyed 70 women and another 10 women for the Key Informant Interviews (KIIs). The findings have shown that women in the informal economy were predominantly in the middle and late adulthood stage, married, the majority had a low level of education (i.e., elementary & high school levels) and were the breadwinners in the family. Also, the average size of each family consisted of 7 members with an average family monthly income of 7,407 pesos. The themes unearthed that informants perceived the Magna Carta of Women as unfamiliar and vague concepts, inconsistent implementation, and responsive leadership. On the other note, informants highlighted that the imagery of women in society gained parity in gender roles. It was revealed that women struggled with delayed assistance, parental obligations, prejudice, and partial treatment.

This paper presents a thorough examination of methane capture from Polish coal mines, contextualized within the framework of the European Union's (EU) climate policy objectives. Through a strategic analysis encompassing the interior of coal mines, the surrounding environment, and the macro environment, this study elucidates the complex dynamics involved in methane emissions and capture initiatives. The key findings include a declining trend in absolute methane emissions since 2008, despite fluctuations in coal extraction volumes, and a relatively stable level of methane capture exceeding 300 million m3/year since 2014. The analysis underscores the critical role of government support, both in terms of financial incentives and streamlined regulatory processes, to facilitate the integration of methane capture technologies into coal mining operations. Collaboration through partnerships and stakeholder engagement emerges as essential for overcoming resource competition and ensuring the long-term success of methane capture projects. This paper also highlights the economic and environmental opportunities presented by methane reserves, emphasizing the importance of investment in efficient extraction technologies. Despite these advancements, challenges persist, particularly regarding the low efficiency of current de-methanation technologies. Recommendations for modernization and technological innovation are proposed to enhance methane capture efficiency and utilization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to investigate the relationship between China's outward foreign direct investment (OFDI) in Central and Eastern European countries (CEECs) by assessing their impact on the economies of both the CEECs and China. By analyzing this connection, the paper seeks to gain insights into the economic dynamics and potential benefits derived from investment and trade activities between China and the countries in this region. The paper employs a regression model to examine the influence of foreign direct investment on trade with data from 2008 to 2022. The findings indicate that a one percentage point increase in China's OFDI corresponds to a 0.054 percent boost in bilateral trade between China and the 16 CEECs. In conclusion, the findings highlight a significant link between OFDI in CEECs and bilateral trade. OFDI opens up new trade opportunities and fosters economic growth in CEECs, thereby promoting the development of bilateral trade. Additionally, Chinese investment drives industrial upgrading and structural adjustments in CEECs, enhancing the competitiveness of bilateral trade. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This concept paper builds upon nascent research analyzing disability and the practice of videogame livestreaming on Twitch.tv. While a growing amount of scholarship analyzes the structure and organization of Twitch as a platform more broadly, with some attending to the platform's marginalization of women and BIPOC streamers, few studies investigate the challenges that Twitch's features and structures present to disabled streamers. This paper addresses this gap in the literature, considering the ways in which Twitch offers disabled streamers unique economic and community-building opportunities through its monetization and identity tag features while simultaneously presenting barriers to disabled streamers through these very same features. Utilizing a critical disability studies perspective and drawing upon forum posts made by disabled streamers and interviews with disabled streamers from online gaming news websites, I argue that Twitch reifies forms of neoliberal-ableism through its prioritizing of individual labour, precarious forms of monetization that necessitate cultures of overwork and 'grinding', and targeted harassment, known as hate raids, against disabled and other marginalized streamers to ultimately create a kind of integrative access where disability is tolerated but not valued. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces the Special Issue 'Minorities and Grain Trade in Early Modern Europe'. While an area's traditional supply circuits benefitted from satisfactory harvests and a stable food demand, minorities' contribution became crucial during crisis. Due to their commercial networks, facilities, and capital, minorities and their agents were able to cope with market disruption, especially when inflation and the reconfiguration of supply areas rendered 'traditional' grain merchants unable to face the emergency. The papers included in the Special Issue focus on the geographical and financial scope of legal grain-trading minorities' businesses and their degree of specialisation and analyse how political authorities' reliance on minorities to face food scarcity not only represented an economic opportunity for minorities but also contributed to shaping their relationship with public authorities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The African Growth Opportunity Act (AGOA) has been a crucial trade and development initiative, offering preferential access to qualified Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries to the United States market since its enactment in 2000. This paper presents a comprehensive review of scholarly articles and policy reports that analyze the impact of AGOA on the economic performance of SSA countries. Employing various econometric methods and data analysis techniques, researchers have investigated the effects of AGOA on trade flows, foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows, employment, economic growth, and poverty levels. The findings reveal that AGOA has positively affected the region's trade, particularly in apparel, textiles, and agriculture. However, its influence on promoting export diversification and attracting FDI is nuanced, with substantial heterogeneity among the beneficiary countries and industries within each country. While some SSA countries have experienced substantial export growth and FDI inflows, others have not fully leveraged the benefits of AGOA due to absorptive capacity constraints and governance challenges. AGOA's effectiveness in promoting broad-based employment, GDP growth, and poverty reduction remains an active area of inquiry, necessitating further research to understand the policy's sustained impact and inform future trade policy designs for SSA countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Following the mass influx of Rohingya refugees into Cox's Bazaar, Bangladesh in 2017, makeshift settlement camps in Ukhiya and Teknaf have been overburdened, leading to livelihood challenges for both Rohingya and host communities. The humanitarian crisis has had adverse effects on vulnerable populations, which include older people, persons with disabilities, adolescents, and single female household heads. Using a subset of a larger dataset on households with most vulnerable groups in both communities, we analysed the effect of the pandemic and lockdown on the livelihood of single female household (HH) heads. Methods: A cross-sectional household roster survey was designed to collect data from households with most vulnerable groups (MVGs) of host and Rohingya communities from December 2020 to March 2021; 11 host community villages and 10 Rohingya camps purposively selected as per the affiliated intervention of the project. The paper analysed quantitative and qualitative data from the sub-group of single female household heads without any income/low income. Participants were surveyed for their socio-demographic characteristics, COVID-19 experiences and knowledge, food security situation, social experiences and mental health using PHQ-2 test for depression. Results: We surveyed 432 single female HH heads. Support during the pandemic was reported to be low, with less than 50% of HHs reporting relief meeting their needs; only 36% and 15% of these HHs received rations in camps and host communities respectively. Loan facilities were mostly unavailable and there were reported insufficiencies in food consumption. Over 50% of respondents tested positive on the PHQ-2, a scale used to screen for depression. Further analyses indicates that having a chronic health issue (OR 2.2, 95% CI 1.33–3.66) was positively associated with the PHQ-2 score for Rohingya single females. For host single females, having an ill member in the HH (OR 1.46, 95% CI 1.02–2.08) and the inability to save before the pandemic (OR 1.57 95% CI 1.11–2.23) increased the odds of screening positive for depression. Conclusion: Our study findings revealed insufficiencies with economic opportunities and food security for single female-headed households, as well as a high rate of positive screening for depression amongst this population. These findings call for a more in-depth understanding of the needs of this group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Queensland Family Cohort Pilot Study follows 450 women over the course of their pregnancy and after giving birth, collecting a wealth of information on socioeconomic characteristics, health, healthcare use and biological samples. The focus of this paper is to demonstrate how these data may be used to measure inequality of opportunity, between advantaged and disadvantaged populations, for mothers, partners and babies, in terms of their mental health and use of scarce health care resources. This paper provides the foundation for future analyses when a wider Queensland study is proposed to collect data from 12,500 families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The injustices that have been visited upon racial minorities in the United States have a substantial economic legacy, both in terms of wealth disparities and resulting structural differences in economic opportunities. In response, some prominent Black scholars and policymakers have proposed a 'baby bonds' wealth-building policy. In this paper, I complement the economic justifications for this policy by examining the case for the proposal in terms of racial justice. The common justifications in the literature use a 'justice as rectification' framework, but this framework is a poor fit for the baby bonds proposal, unless we first examine the policy as a way to mitigate barriers to economic opportunity caused by persistent wealth gaps. This analysis focuses the case for baby bonds on their real selling point: a universal wealth policy can limit the intergenerational impact of injustice and misfortune of all kinds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article traces the history of Amélie de Dietrich in her role (1806 to 1855) as the head of one of the oldest family-owned businesses in Europe: the De Dietrich Company. Economic history has long given a very minor place to women entrepreneurs. Recent analyses nevertheless tend to show that women business leaders were not exceptions in the nineteenth century. This paper is a further attempt to bring women entrepreneurs – and their contribution to the industrial take-off – out of invisibility. Amélie de Dietrich took important strategic decisions to adapt the company to the new economic opportunities which arose in the first half of the nineteenth century. Her choices were decisive for the future of the company; what is more, she succeeded in restoring the familial ownership. Drawing on Amélie de Dietrich's own unpublished correspondence, this contribution examines the factors that explain her success in imposing herself as a Maître des Forges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inducing the variables that drive economic growth and development is one of the most critical task of the modern economy. All three of these components of any economy rely heavily on entrepreneurship as a catalyst for economic growth, as well as a motivation for a transition toward a market economy. Entrepreneurs leverage the power of economic opportunities, reshaping the basic economy into a resourceful one in the process by laying a stable platform for economic activities with the ability to generate development opportunities, displaying the nexus between entrepreneurship and economic development. The purpose of this paper is to determine that there are two main pillars upon which a comprehensive strategy for encouraging entrepreneurship is built: improving criteria for the entrepreneurial framework and building entrepreneurial skills, both of which are based on two distinct conceptual frameworks that connect individual actions in the macroeconomics field. Using a methodology that conducts a critical analysis of key policy priorities to improve the entrepreneurial environment through a suite of entrepreneurial concept methods outlined by the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, the key conclusions of this paper are interconnected. We need two distinct pillars as a consistent set. Considered by the policy for the following reasons: First of all, entrepreneurs do not respond to the demands of the current framework and adapt to the approach, regardless of whether they use their knowledge and motivating elements to turn their business ideas into lucrative chances. Second, entrepreneurial conduct may always be measured by individuals and their entrepreneurial spirit, knowledge, and objectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: While the growth of emerging technologies like Blockchain has created significant market opportunities and economic incentives for firms, it is valuable for both researchers and practitioners to understand their creation mechanisms. This paper aims to discuss the aforementioned objective. Design/methodology/approach: Based on the knowledge search perspective, this study examines the impact of search boundary on innovation novelty and quality. Additionally, innovation targets, namely R&D innovation and application innovation, are proposed as the moderator of the knowledge search effect. Using a combination of machine learning algorithms such as natural language processing and classification models, the authors propose new methods to measure the identified concepts. Findings: The empirical results of 3,614 Blockchain patents indicate that search boundary enhances both innovation novelty and innovation quality. For R&D innovation, the positive impact of search boundary on innovation quality is enhanced, whereas for application innovation, the positive effect of search boundary on innovation novelty is improved. Originality/value: This study mainly contributes to the growing literature on emerging technologies by describing their creation mechanisms. Specifically, the exploration of R&D and application taxonomy enriches researchers' understanding of knowledge search in the context of Blockchain invention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the current post-crisis context, the relationship between the environment, climate changes and economic development is of real interest for the community, for the authorities and the business environment. Climate change has a relevant impact in terms of the fact that it affects the development of the economy and also creates imbalances at the ecological level. Definitely, identifying solutions to climate change that help policy-makers and private companies achieve growth goals and reduce environmental impact has become a sine qua non. The implementation of green investments by the private business environment is imperative for the economy and the green growth strategy. Restructuring the economy is an important step to overcome the post-crisis impasse and combat the harmful effects of climate change. In this regard, the paper aims to highlight the potential benefits of the transition to a green economy in terms of sustainable development and the emergence of the circular economy concept, in which the use of a product as much as possible is promoted, and when it reaches the end of its life, the materials of which it is composed are recycled and put back into use, being able to be used again and again, thus creating an added value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Canadian Geographer is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Indigenous peoples are increasingly important players in the management and use of land and natural landscapes, bound in spiritual and traditional practices that endure and pre-date colonisation. This also extends to the aspirations that Indigenous traditional owners may have to generate income from land and to sustain business and employment opportunities that enable reinvestment in local communities. The paper draws from a study undertaken while the authors were at the Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) that involved 13 countries. It presents a framework to compare Indigenous land governance, to activate economic development opportunities across different legal and institutional contexts. The three-part typology allows us to assess the level of autonomy granted to Indigenous groups by law and identify key governance and regulatory instruments that they can employ to protect their cultural practices and activate commercial potential from land and waters. Varying autonomy levels can co-exist within a same country, since Indigenous groups may have different rights, aspirations, and capabilities. The typology allows us to conduct comparative analyses around progress and learnings that can support the self-determination of Indigenous peoples and promote regional well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We live in a world in crisis. These crises are experienced globally, regionally, by individual States and mostly by individuals themselves. Despite our differences, we are all united by crisis. However, adopting a regional outlook, this paper focuses on Europe, which, like much of the rest of the world, has in recent times been buffeted by multiple crises ranging from the financial and economic crisis that begun in 2008, to the climate change crisis, to the migrant and refugee crisis, to the Brexit crisis, to the COVID-19 pandemic that has rocked the entire globe. In times of crisis, it is commonplace to turn to legal and institutional frameworks in the hopes of finding some reprieve. Within Europe, one such institution is the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR). This Court, also known as the Strasbourg court, was established in 1959 under Article 19 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). Despite its primarily Civil and Political Rights (CPRs) mandate, the ECtHR has in numerous cases proven to be fertile ground for planting the seeds of Economic and Social Rights (ESRs) protection which is/was inevitable, given the widely accepted indivisible, interdependent and interrelated nature of all human rights, whether CPRs or ESRs. The ECtHR explicates that "the Convention is a living instrument which [...] must be interpreted in the light of present-day conditions." In the present day conditions of numerous crises that have only exacerbated the already precarious conditions of numerous vulnerable rightsholders in the family of European States, the question then becomes what jurisprudential trends, prospects and pitfalls exist for the ECtHR in its dynamic interpretation of the ECHR to include ESRs. In seeking answers to this question, this paper analyzes the ESRs jurisprudence of the ECtHR with the intention of illuminating how the Court has, and ought to utilize its institutional role as an enforcer of human rights in general and ESRs in particular in the quest to mitigate the effects on rightsholders, of the crises being experienced within Europe. At the heart of this inquiry lies the assertion that in line with the ECtHR's ESRs jurisprudence thus far, which evinces a willingness on the part of the Court to vindicate ESRs in order to bring these rights to life for the vulnerable rightsholders who need them the most, the myriad crises currently plaguing Europe continue to create opportunities for the ECtHR to craft a principled and consistent ESRs jurisprudence while simultaneously respecting the margin of appreciation enjoyed by the respective European States. This paper does not analyze State responses under Article 15 of the ECHR, which specifically allows the High Contracting Parties to derogate from their obligations under the Convention in times of war or other public emergency threatening the life of the nation. Rather, the analysis will be restricted to the ESRs jurisprudence of the ECtHR in times of the specific crises outlined below and where the States in question have not made an Article 15 derogation. The paper will proceed in three parts. Part A will give a brief overview of how the ECtHR has vindicated ESRs through its interpretation of the primarily CPRs found in the ECHR. Part B will thereafter briefly analyze three specific crises that have shaped the more recent ESRs jurisprudence of the Court: the financial and economic crisis, the migrant and refugee crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic. Finally, Part C will offer some tentative recommendations on the way forward, arguing that while some progress has been made by the ECtHR in centering ESRs as a very necessary part of its response to contemporary European and global crises, the battle is far from won. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper reviews the impact that COVID-19 has had on the ambitions of countries to meet the Paris Accord of reducing emissions to keep global temperature increases to below 2 ºC in this century. It notes that as nations recover from the crises, if no additional measures are taken, emissions of greenhouse gases will rise again and return to their old pathway as they did after previous crises. The paper proposes actions in the short and medium terms to build back differently this time and help meet the global climate challenge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we propose a host–parasitoid model with a Holling type-II functional response and incorporate harvest effort. The Holling type-II response leads to saturation in parasitized hosts, creating a potential economic harvesting opportunity. To address overexploitation risks, we integrate a harvest effort function, determining an optimal threshold to prevent depletion. We explore model dynamics and bifurcations, including co-dimension one behaviors such as flip and Neimark–Sacker bifurcations, we provide numerical examples for validation. Our suggested difference-algebraic model, compared to continuous-time models, exhibits rich dynamics within the Nicholson–Bailey host–parasitoid framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Monasteries, especially Benedictine monasteries, have developed a close relationship with nature based on a respect for creation and a goal of self-sufficiency. There seems to be an elective affinity between monasticism and ecologism. Since the second half of the 20th century, monasteries have been engaging in ecological practices, and in many cases have been pioneers in these practices in their region. How can the role of monasteries in ecology be explained? To what extent is the ecology practiced by monasteries different from that of society? And what developments can we observe in this field over the last 20 years? After presenting the background of the elective affinity between monasticism and ecologism, I will explore the practices that monastics put in place to act sustainably for the protection of the environment. The last part of the paper deals with the shift from respect for creation to ecologism in the vocabulary monastics use today and to what extent we can speak of a charismatic ecologism. This article is based on field inquiries conducted in monastic communities in six countries in Europe and four countries in Africa between 2004 and 2019. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over time, China has emerged as one of the leading economic partners in Central Asia. After the disintegration of the USSR, China spread its influence and replenished the power vacuum left. The five Central Asian states embraced a partnership with the Belt and Road Initiative. Economic and connectivity opportunities were prioritized. However, these states faced socio-economic and political challenges during the pandemic due to weak internal structures. In the post-Covid era, China's presence in the region has once again spurred due to their dependence on Beijing. The paper will examine the Chinese footprint in Central Asia through border and trade relations, Xinjiang politics, and BRI policy. Second, implications of the economic, geopolitical, and social order after the pandemic. Third, how Central Asia is rebuilding itself from the domestic crisis, dependency theory will be used to investigate the multifaceted relations. The attempt is to answer if the Chinese presence brings sustainable development or increases dependence. The study shall conclude that Chinese presence requires a redefinition of the 'status quo, sovereignty, and development? beyond economic interaction and cooperation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper makes a novel contribution by turning an 'asset' lens onto social and technical innovation in the context of the small-scale generation of renewable energy. The authors draw on learning from an international project that aimed to develop innovative technologies for the micro generation of energy using wastes and residues. Variations on innovation that cut across the social and technical are introduced. It is noted that although emanating from different traditions, a common theme is emphasis on a distributed knowledge base in which the roles of innovator, producer and consumer overlap or merge. This implies that the (social) innovation process is also one of co-creation. The authors borrow from international development studies the Sustainable Livelihood Analysis (SLA) framework, which is usually used for working with poor households to foreground strengths and resources rather than needs and deficits. To illustrate the utility of SLA for social innovation at local and community level, findings are presented from UK fieldwork on socio economic barriers and opportunities aff ecting the feasibility of new community energy generation and enterprise options. The importance and the fragility of human assets are highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When we measure countries' socioeconomic development, the standalone National Income approach does not to reflect well-being of the citizens. An analysis of a country's welfare should consider the combination of different aspects such as economic indicators, environmental and resource productivity, and economic opportunities. In the light of these discussions, the concept of green growth arose as a contemporary approach to reframe the mainstream growth model and to re-evaluate many of the investment decisions in meeting agricultural, energy and water needs and the resource demands of economic development. This paper evaluates the green growth performance of OECD countries by applying the I-distance method by integrating the economic, social, and environmental aspects of countries' performances simultaneously. Using multivariate I-distance approach, selected green growth indicators and numerous different variables have been synthesized into one value. According to our analysis, Sweden, Luxemburg, Norway and Denmark occupy the top places by their outstanding green performance. On the other hand, Mexico, Poland and Greece are placed at the bottom as a consequence of their relatively weak environmental performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ostracism, or exclusion by peers, has been practiced since ancient times as a severe form of punishment against transgressors of laws or social norms. The purpose of this paper is to offer a comprehensive analysis on how ostracism affects behavior and the functioning of a social group. We present data from a laboratory experiment, in which participants face a social dilemma on how to allocate limited resources between a productive activity and theft, and are given the opportunity to exclude members of their group by means of majority voting. Our main treatment features an environment with heterogeneity in productivity within groups, thus creating inequalities in economic opportunities and income. We find that exclusion is an effective form of punishment and decreases theft by excluded members once they are re-admitted into the group. However, it also leads to some retaliation by low-productivity members. A particularly worrisome aspect of exclusion is that punished group members are stigmatized and have a higher probability of facing exclusion again. We discuss implications of our findings for penal systems and their capacity to rehabilitate prisoners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many workers face challenges in suburban areas when commuting to the urban areas from home to work. Public transportation is a fundamental component of efficient transportation in urban areas. Efficient transportation will increase economic opportunity, accessibility, and social development. This paper explored the characteristics of commuting behavior of the workers in the Klang Valley who commute to work in Kuala Lumpur, including their choice of transportation modes and the challenges they faced in traveling from home to work. This study engaged a mixed methodology where data were collected from 709 respondents voluntarily. The survey was initiated in December 2020 and lasted for six months. The respondents were approached through voluntary face-to-face and electronic means. Interviews were conducted with 14 key informants in April 2021 with workers from various backgrounds who commute to work every day. The interviews were done one-on-one. The result showed that the likelihood of choosing public transport over driving privately owned car was unfavorable where most individuals stated that the public transportation was insufficient; they had to take more than one modes to reach their workplace, and the facilities provided were insufficient for them to choose public transportation for commuting to work. These results shown that the urban workers in Kuala Lumpur preferred to drive to work rather than using public vehicles. This shows that Malaysians, especially in urban areas such as Kuala Lumpur, are not ready to adapt to SDG 11. Therefore, the government needs to create more initiatives to encourage the use of public transport. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The gender pay gap is a significant obstacle to achieving gender equality and sustainable development around the world. The purpose of this research is to explore the gender pay gap and its impact on gender equality and sustainable development. By examining the causes and consequences of the pay gap, the study aims to raise awareness of this issue and its effects on women's empowerment and economic growth. This research will involve the analysis of specialized literature, the findings will be used to develop a framework of best practices to overcome the challenges faced by women. The research seeks to provide recommendations that can support efforts to bridge the gender pay gap. This paper represents a comprehensive synthesis of existing literature examining the gender pay gap. By analyzing areas of research that have been more fully explored and those that require further investigation, this study suggests avenues for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the accelerating likelihood of environmental catastrophes which have negative impacts on levels of investment and economic development, particularly along coastal regions and in agricultural sectors, the cost of living is expected to significantly rise throughout the coming decades. In order to make appropriate decisions and implement sensible policy, it is necessary to evaluate the expenses associated with potential natural disasters. The evaluation process will employ national development programs and models for estimating financial losses associated with disasters that have previously been established within the Sendai Framework 2030. Environmental disasters have disproportionate effects on wellbeing and economic opportunities for the people of Azerbaijan. Therefore, it is necessary to implement preemptive protocols to mitigate the negative effects of future disasters. A multidimensional approach is needed when managing potential consequences, especially during the post-conflict reconstruction and rehabilitation period in the country. Therefore, in this paper, Azerbaijan’s risk profile, procedures for creating a national disaster risk reduction program, and the realization of adaptive actions are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite extensive literature on the socio-cultural services of urban open spaces, the role of food-producing spaces has not received sufficient attention. This hampers advocacy for preserving and growing urban agricultural activities, often dismissed on justifications that their contributions to overall food supply are negligible. To understand how the social benefits of urban agriculture have been measured, we conducted a systematic review of 272 peer-reviewed publications, which drew on insights from urban agriculture sites in 57 different countries. Through content analysis, we investigated socio-cultural benefits in four spheres: engaged and cohesive communities, health and well-being, economic opportunities, and education. The analysis revealed growth in research on the social impacts of gardens and farms, with most studies measuring the effects on community cohesion and engagement, followed by increased availability and consumption of fruits and vegetables associated with reduced food insecurity and better health. Fewer studies assessed the impact of urban farming on educational and economic outcomes. Quantifying the multiple ways in which urban agriculture provides benefits to people will empower planners and the private sector to justify future investments. These findings are also informative for research theorizing cities as socio-ecological systems and broader efforts to measure the benefits of urban agriculture, in its many forms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Foster care provides substitute living arrangements to protect maltreated children. The practice is remarkably common: it is estimated that 5 percent of children in the United States are placed in foster care at some point during childhood. This paper describes the main tradeoffs in child welfare policy and provides background on policy and practice most in need of rigorous evidence. Trends include efforts to prevent foster care on the demand side and to improve foster home recruitment on the supply side. With increasing data availability and a growing interest in evidence-based practices, there are opportunities for economic research to inform policies that protect vulnerable children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Buildings account for a large portion of the total energy use in the US; therefore, improving the operation of typical variable-air-volume (VAV) systems in buildings can provide a tremendous economic opportunity. ASHRAE Guideline 36 recommends a resetting strategy for supply air temperature (SAT) for VAV systems based on outside air temperature. However, this strategy may not produce optimal performance, particularly when simultaneous cooling and heating occurs in zones. In addition, there is no strategy recommended in the Guideline to reset the zone minimum airflow set point in a single-duct VAV terminal unit with reheat, although this setpoint has a great impact on zone reheat requirements and ventilation efficiency. Thus, this paper introduces new strategies to reset both the SAT and zone minimum airflow rate set points to improve the efficiency of typical VAV systems. The strategies were tested under various conditions through experiments performed in fully instrumented VAV systems located in the HVAC lab at the University of Cincinnati. The experiments were conducted on a chilled-water VAV system that serves three controlled zones with hot-water reheat VAV boxes controlled by a typical commercial BACnet web-based building automation system BAS. The simulation studies were performed using the building energy simulation software EnergyPlus to evaluate the strategies at a larger scale in various locations. The simulation results show that the proposed resetting strategies can provide fan energy savings between 1.6% and 5.7% and heating load savings between 7.7% to 33.7%, depending on the location. The laboratory testing shows that the proposed strategies can provide stable control performance in actual systems as well as achieving the anticipated reheat and fan energy savings. The result offers significant improvements that can be implemented in the Guideline for single-duct VAV system operation and control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Arctic Ocean is undergoing rapid change: sea ice is being lost, waters are warming, coastlines are eroding, species are moving into new areas, and more. This paper explores the many ways that a changing Arctic Ocean affects societies in the Arctic and around the world. In the Arctic, Indigenous Peoples are again seeing their food security threatened and cultural continuity in danger of disruption. Resource development is increasing as is interest in tourism and possibilities for trans-Arctic maritime trade, creating new opportunities and also new stresses. Beyond the Arctic, changes in sea ice affect mid-latitude weather, and Arctic economic opportunities may re-shape commodities and transportation markets. Rising interest in the Arctic is also raising geopolitical tensions about the region. What happens next depends in large part on the choices made within and beyond the Arctic concerning global climate change and industrial policies and Arctic ecosystems and cultures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Positive reception from the public is essential as Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte tries to rally support for a constitutional amendment transitioning the country's unitary government into a federal one--a move requiring political and structural shifts that have never garnered support in Philippine history. This paper, in investigating the rhetorical strategies of a popular and populist public figure, asks the question: how did President Rodrigo Duterte respond to and recreate rhetorical situations in persuading the Filipino public to support his federal proposal? Using Lloyd Bitzer's rhetorical situation, the analysis explains how Duterte's public utterances reveal his careful, conscious, and crucial choices of which social issues to highlight in order to persuade his audience. Aside from reiterating his intent not to extend his presidential term, his rhetoric underscores three exigences: (1) poor governance structure mandated by the current setup, (2) unending conflict in the Mindanao region, and (3) unfair economic opportunities for countryside municipalities and provinces. In his attempt to influence the audience's realities, his speeches focused on the injustices that audiences in Mindanao experience and the promise of federalism as the only solution. But the main constraint proved to be persistent - the Filipino audience had doubts in any constitutional amendment, as reflected in public polls. Duterte's rhetorical strategy failed to persuade the general population about the urgency, necessity, and the benefits of his federal proposal. This failure is due to the rhetorical situation--a lack of identification towards a common vision and a tradition of dissent against any amendment of the constitution. In this case, the rhetorical situation exceeded his presidential rhetoric. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista de Derecho Privado (0123-4366) is the property of Universidad Externado de Colombia, Departmento de Derecho Civil and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Integration into global value chains (GVCs) provides opportunities for economic development, but the extent and nature of these opportunities differ across countries. The economic impact of a country's participation in GVCs can be modified by domestic institutional arrangements in a variety of ways depending on the types of GVCs. Most recent empirical and correlational studies assume that causality leads to economic growth through the participation of GVCs and institutions, but an inverse relationship between them is also feasible and only a few studies have analyzed this possibility. Using a large panel data set of sixty countries from 2000 to 2016, this paper contributes to closing these gaps using instrumental variable analysis as an empirical strategy. Key findings include that GDP per capita is positively affected by participation in GVCs and that this effect is greater when such participation is accompanied by institutional facilitation. These findings suggest that participation in GVCs accompanied by well-functioning domestic institutions can be highly effective in enhancing countries' economic growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, incidents of forced migration, human trafficking and cross-border prostitution are interpreted as negative consequences of globalization. Data for this paper are taken from Chika Unigwe's novel, On Black Sisters' Street, which privileges a state of heightened feminization of migration for clearly exploitative intention(s). The novel reinforces the capacity of literature to implicate the globalization of economic opportunities, which has been identified as one of the factors responsible for forced migration and the trafficking of vulnerable women into crossborder prostitution. Thus, the novel privileges vulnerability as a major condition for trapping disadvantaged women into the intricate web of sexual enslavement, exploitation, bodily harm, and sometimes brutal death. The paper concludes that the condition of vulnerability, push/pull factors, and the socio-economic problems created by globalization in disadvantaged countries must be addressed, to deprive vices such as human trafficking and cross-border prostitution virile recruiting grounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Economic growth incorporating women's participation opens many economic opportunities for women which not only upgrade women's status in society but also make growth more inclusive. Improved condition and position of women in society play an important role in developing women along with enhancing their economic role. Besides explaining the significant role of women in an economy. This paper also throws some light on the need for good governance to enhance their economic role. In this context to evaluate the effect of the development of women on inclusive growth panel data models named the Fixed-Effect and Random-Effect Models have been used. Moreover, the models of White, Rogers, and Driscoll-Kraay estimators are also applied for robustness considering the three selected South Asian countries for the period between 2000-2021. The study finds that developing women play an influential role in inclusive growth and this relationship becomes more significant in the presence of good governance. Thus, it has been recommended that there should be a special focus on government policies towards women's education, health, and political representation to make economic growth more inclusive by enhancing their economic role through their development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper used a new source of information (ESRU-EMOVI NL) to estimate, for the first time, the lower limit of unequal opportunities in a federal state in Mexico. Using the former criterion concerning unequal opportunities, a lower threshold indicated 35% inequality in economic resources in the state. As at the national level, the main contributors to unequal opportunities in the state are unequal economic resources by origin and parental education. However, in contrast to what has been observed, for the country as a whole, inequalities associated with people's skin tone account for 5% of observed unequal opportunities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The subject of transnational migrant governance is even more important when migration involves groups who are excluded and marginalized in the country of residence as well as in the country of origin. This is especially the case for indigenous Mexican migrants who have no full citizenship and no economic opportunities in Mexico and who are illegal and socially discriminated against in the United States. Therefore, the central question addressed by this paper is how indigenous migrants actually face these challenges and whether they organize and construct their own community governance as an answer to social exclusion and marginalization in ways which go beyond conventional "state" or "market" forms of organisation. Based on data collected from ethnographic research in Los Angeles, I argue that indigenous migrants from Mexico's southern state of Oaxaca build their own governance structures through a well institutionalized community based on a diverse network of migrant organizations, which open up wide transnational sociocultural and political spaces that connect their urban community in Los Angeles with their rural communities back in Oaxaca. Here, in contrast to other migrant groups, they apply their traditional indigenous community governance approaches, called usos y costumbres and tequio y cargo, as a means of sustaining identity and belonging, sharing social and economic capital and securing an independent toehold in the host nation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the impact of the automotive sector on the regional development of the Mexican lowlands region of Bajío. The staggered adoption of synthetic control methodology was used, considering the establishment of new automotive assembly plants in the states of the Bajío region between 2007 and 2014. It is estimated that for each new job created in automotive companies, an average of five additional jobs were created in the Bajío states, 78% outside the manufacturing sector. In addition, by promoting more significant economic opportunities, working poverty was reduced by an average of 10.5 percentage points. Finally, evidence was found that, in 2018, high school enrollment increased by 3%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water enables health, education, and economic well‐being opportunities for humanity. Access to basic water and sanitation services, freshwater variability, and water storage are some of the dimensions that may impact on human development worldwide. Yet few studies quantitatively explore the relationship between water and human development. This study uses a statistical approach to quantify the Water‐Human Development relation in a global sample, both in terms of correlation and causality between variables. Correlation is established using a multiple linear regression approach, while causality is explored by implementing the multi‐spatial convergent cross mapping technique. Our study finds strong interdependence between water‐related variables and human development globally. Access to water services positively influences the Human Development Index (HDI), seasonal variability of freshwater resources restricts it, and large water storage is not significant. The analysis is robust between 2000 and 2017, and implies that a 1% increment in a country's HDI is associated with a 1.3%–3.2% increment in water and sanitation access. Causal analyses show strong coupling, suggesting positive feedback between access to water services and HDI that could be exploited. Reaching Sustainable Development Goal 6 requires closing the water and sanitation access gaps while addressing freshwater variability challenges. This will result in global human development benefits. Plain Language Summary: This research explores the relation between water dimensions and human development across the world. To do so we used publicly available global datasets of international organizations in the period between 2000 and 2017. Statistical tools were used to determine the strength and causality in the relation between water and development. We found that access to drinking water and sanitation services are deeply interrelated with human development. However, heavily marked dry and wet seasons represent a significant threat for human development. Interestingly, we also encounter that neither the density of large water reservoirs in a country nor the amount of stored water per person in a country affect human development in a significant way. Our results evidence that raising a country's water and sanitation coverage by around 2% is tied to a 1% increase of human development in the long run. More efforts are needed to prevent the negative effects of floods and droughts in countries with high water variability. Evidence shows that to have access to water rather than just store it represents the most benefit for people across the globe. Therefore, to prioritize access to basic water services will bring long term benefits for human development worldwide. Key Points: Human development is correlated to access to water services and freshwater variability, yet not statistically linked to large water storageWater variables are long‐term predictors of human development (2000–2017)Causality analyses indicate that water and human development are mutually interdependent [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Small commercial buildings, or those comprising less than 50,000 square feet of floor area, represent 94% of U.S commercial buildings by count and consume approximately 8% of the nation's primary energy; as such, they represent a largely unexploited opportunity for energy savings. Small commercial buildings also represent a large economic market—the National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS) estimated the small commercial retrofit market at USD 35.6 billion. Despite the prominence of small commercial buildings and the economic opportunity for energy retrofits, many energy efficiency programs focus on large commercial buildings, and create efficiency solutions that do not meet the needs of the small commercial market. This paper presents an analysis of 34 small commercial case study projects that implemented energy efficiency retrofits. This paper contributes to the existing building retrofit body of knowledge in the following ways: (1) it identifies the decision criteria used by small commercial building stakeholders that decided to complete an energy retrofit; (2) it identifies the most commonly implemented efficiency measures in small commercial buildings, and discusses why this is the case; and (3) it provides empirical evidence about the efficacy of installing single energy efficiency measures (EEMs) compared to packages of EEMs in small commercial buildings by reporting verified energy savings. To the authors' knowledge, this paper is the first to catalog decision criteria and energy savings for the existing small commercial buildings market, and this research illustrates that small commercial building decision-makers seem most motivated to retrofit their spaces by energy cost savings and operational concerns. Furthermore, small commercial building decision-makers opted to implement single-system retrofits in fifteen (15) of the thirty-four cases studied. Finally, this research documents the improved savings, in the small commercial buildings market, associated with a more integrated package of EEMs compared to a single-system approach, achieving approximately 10% energy savings for a single-system approach and more than 20% energy savings for integrated approaches. These savings translate to CO2 savings of 1,324,000 kgCO2/year to 2,647,000 kgCO2/year, respectively, assuming small commercial buildings are retrofit at a rate of 0.95% of the stock annually. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of International Journal of Organizations / Revista Internacional de Organizaciones (RIO) is the property of Analisi Social i Organitzativa grup de recerca and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The bright future of any society is always associated with its upcoming generation. Children are the future prosperity of any nation as they are productive workers of tomorrow. The main objective of this study is to estimate the opportunities available for children under age of 5 years and their mothers for different regions of Pakistan and Bangladesh. The core idea of this study is to access and compare Pakistan with Bangladesh as it was previously a poor and struggling part of it. Data of this study are gathered from Bangladesh Demographic Health Survey and Pakistan Demographic Health Survey for the year 2017–18. The overall comparison of Pakistan and Bangladesh had put Pakistan in a situation where it lagged in every aspect of health-related facilities provided to its citizen. Governments should focus on providing economic opportunities, Health, education, and nutrition to enhance regional and area-level living standards. Further, rural areas should be more focused, especially by the Government of Pakistan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The global shift toward next-generation energy systems is propelled by the urgent need to combat climate change and the dwindling supply of fossil fuels. This review explores the intricate challenges and opportunities for transitioning to sustainable renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, and hydrogen. This transition economically challenges traditional energy sectors while fostering new industries, promoting job growth, and sustainable economic development. The transition to renewable energy demands social equity, ensuring universal access to affordable energy, and considering community impact. The environmental benefits include a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and a lesser ecological footprint. This study highlights the rapid growth of the global wind power market, which is projected to increase from $112.23 billion in 2022 to $278.43 billion by 2030, with a compound annual growth rate of 13.67%. In addition, the demand for hydrogen is expected to increase, significantly impacting the market with potential cost reductions and making it a critical renewable energy source owing to its affordability and zero emissions. By 2028, renewables are predicted to account for 42% of global electricity generation, with significant contributions from wind and solar photovoltaic (PV) technology, particularly in China, the European Union, the United States, and India. These developments signify a global commitment to diversifying energy sources, reducing emissions, and moving toward cleaner and more sustainable energy solutions. This review offers stakeholders the insights required to smoothly transition to sustainable energy, setting the stage for a resilient future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, a combination of natural and human factors has led to the lack of cost-effective production, resulting in the downturn of traditional animal husbandry (DTLH) in rural regions. This research aims to investigate the factors contributing to the DTLH in indigenous communities in northwestern Iran. The statistical population consisted of pastoralists residing in the villages of Namin-Ardabil, Iran. The research method employed was descriptive-analytical, and a questionnaire was used as the data collection tool. The sample size was determined by selecting approximately 5–10% of households in each village, preferably the household head. Friedman's test was utilized to prioritize the most significant factors influencing DTLH. The findings reveals that the most crucial economic criteria contributing to the DTLH were "the high cost of providing inputs and fodder required for livestock (mean rank = 11.12)," "more economic opportunities and access to well-paying employment opportunities in the city (mean rank = 8.99)", and "low profit from livestock farming in the rangeland (mean rank = 10.60)". Moreover, the most important social criteria were "uncertainty regarding the future well-being of children and the social and economic situation in the village (mean rank = 14.12)", "motivation for academic and career development in urban areas (mean rank = 14.10)", and "access to specialized and professional training opportunities in cities (mean rank = 13.80)". Furthermore, the most crucial ecological criteria impacting the DTLH were "drought" (mean ran = 7.96)" and "non-implementation of range management plans and grazing permits" (mean rank = 6.07)". In general, the results indicated that the ecological criteria had the highest impact on the DTLH, followed by social and economic criteria, with values of 41.1%, 34.6%, and 24.29%, respectively. Overall, understanding the challenges faced by traditional livestock husbandry and identifying the factors contributing to its decline is crucial for developing effective strategies to support and sustain this industry in rural areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With globalisation and international trade, remittances and migration significantly influence economic activities, yet their impact on tourism income and gender-specific employment remains under-researched. This study uses autoregressive distributed lags and Granger causality to examine the effects of remittances and migration on tourism income and employment in South Africa. Three models are established as follows: for aggregate employment, male employment, and female employment, each with equations for tourism income and employment. Key findings from this study indicate that remittances significantly drive tourism income in both the short and long run across all models. Conversely, employment negatively impacts tourism income, hinting at sectoral trade-offs. Migration positively affects tourism income in the short run for male and aggregate models but is insignificant for female employment. Remittances boost male employment in both the short and long run, whereas their impact on female employment is significant only in the long run. Causality analysis shows a bidirectional relationship among employment indicators, with unidirectional causality from remittances to migration and from migration to income. This study recommends policies to support remittance inflows and their productive use in tourism, along with targeted interventions to reduce gender disparities in employment and promote equitable economic opportunities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]