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The Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems & Community Development's spring-summer 2024 issue features commentaries from the 2023 Agroecology Summit in the U.S. These commentaries challenge the dominant global industrial food system and emphasize the need for unity among progressives in the agroecology movement. The issue also includes open-call papers on various topics, such as college student food security, emergency food assistance, and agrihood development. The journal aims to promote a more equitable and resilient global food system by encouraging collaboration and finding common ground. [Extracted from the article]

India has produced several drafts of data policies. In this work, they are referred to [1] JBNSCR 2018, [2] DPDPR 2018, [3] NSAI 2018, [4] RAITF 2018, [5] PDPB 2019, [6] PRAI 2021, [7] JPCR 2021, [8] IDAUP 2022, [9] IDABNUP 2022. All of them consider Artificial Intelligence (AI) a social problem solver at the societal level, let alone an incentive for economic growth. However, these policy drafts warn of the social disruptions caused by algorithms and encourage the careful use of computational technologies in various social contexts. Hence, the emerging data society and its implications in India's social contexts demand immense social science attention, which needs to be improved in the policy drafts, primarily because they are creations of industry stakeholders, technocrats, bureaucrats, and experts from tech schools. In the larger social milieu of digital infrastructure emerging, the fundamental question is whether India's national philosophy envisioned in the Indian constitution is reflected in the policy papers. The paper enquires whether the national data policy upholds the core values dispersed through the philosophy of the Indian constitution, which, among other things, is not confined only to inclusion, diversity, rights, liberty, justice and equality. By focusing on constitutional values, the paper seeks to offer a broader and more critical understanding of India's approach to AI policy by bringing together analyses of a wide array of policy documents available in the public realm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recovery of the global economy in the aftermath of COVID-19 faces enormous challenges. Ensuring stable income growth of the population has become an important means for developing countries to ensure sustained economic development. Raising the overall income of the population is a public initiative that benefits all citizens; therefore, governments of developing countries should promote the implementation of relevant public policies and the provision of public goods to ensure that existing economic instruments can benefit the entire population. In this regard, public space, as a typical form of public good, may play an important role in promoting the benefits of existing economic policies for all residents. This paper examines how residents' use of public space contributes to their income growth through social capital. Hypotheses are tested based on an econometric analysis of 1565 questionnaires received from Chinese workers. The results show that residents' use of public space can indeed be an important way to increase their income, which is realized through the enhancement of social capital. The research presented in this paper provides a new influence variable of public space to improve residents' income. Further, it improves people's understanding of the three classical concepts—public space, social capital, and income—by establishing the logical connection and theoretical explanation of physical space, emotional space, and value space in human society. The conclusions of this paper highlight the important role of public space in urban and rural development planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerous variables are involved in determining the market capitalization and price of cryptocurrencies. So, It is impossible to ignore the feedback of each variable on the other ones. Also, Bitcoin management is challenging due to inter-dependencies and feedback between economic and social drivers. To better understand the dynamics that different variables have on Bitcoin, a system dynamics approach has been developed to investigate the complex interactions between factors related to Bitcoin and paper money and how these factors may affect the stability of Bitcoin. This paper aims to examine the impact of government support for Bitcoin in the future, news and sentiments effect on Bitcoin market price, and the future orientation of Bitcoin. For this purpose, a simulation period is considered from 2017 to 4500 days later. Moreover, In this study, policies have been designed to check the impact of policies on variables in the long term by keeping other variables constant. The results show that if governments support Bitcoin as an official trading currency in the future, the market price of Bitcoin and its trading volume will grow upward and fluctuate so that its market price will go up to about 90 thousand dollars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Across the world, artificial intelligence (AI) technologies are being more widely employed in public sector decision-making and processes as a supposedly neutral and an efficient method for optimizing delivery of services. However, the deployment of these technologies has also prompted investigation into the potentially unanticipated consequences of their introduction, to both positive and negative ends. This paper chooses to focus specifically on the relationship between gender bias and AI, exploring claims of the neutrality of such technologies and how its understanding of bias could influence policy and outcomes. Building on a rich seam of literature from both technological and sociological fields, this article constructs an original framework through which to analyse both the perpetuation and mitigation of gender biases, choosing to categorize AI technologies based on whether their input is text or images. Through the close analysis and pairing of four case studies, the paper thus unites two often disparate approaches to the investigation of bias in technology, revealing the large and varied potential for AI to echo and even amplify existing human bias, while acknowledging the important role AI itself can play in reducing or reversing these effects. The conclusion calls for further collaboration between scholars from the worlds of technology, gender studies and public policy in fully exploring algorithmic accountability as well as in accurately and transparently exploring the potential consequences of the introduction of AI technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to review the literature extensively by analysing recent work and providing a guide for models, data sets and research findings. Design/methodology/approach: This paper reviews the literature extensively by analysing recent work and providing a guide for models, data sets and research findings within the context of capital market imperfections. The authors further break down the literature into closer-in-nature categories for reader's convenience and comprehension. Finally, the authors address gaps in the existing literature and propose government policies that can tone down the potential effect of credit rationing on employment. Findings: This paper provides a map of the literature so as to help future researchers in the relevant literature and give a short insight of what has been explored so far. Originality/value: This paper is original and is the result of a thorough review of an extensive literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper tests the predictions of various conflicting theories on international trade and development by examining the impact of exporting and importing on economic level and basic needs in two developing countries of two different developing regions of the world; one in Latin America & Caribbean, and one in Sub-Saharan Africa. The two countries are Brazil and South Africa, respectively. Using fifteen-year lagged data that spanned 1984-2019, the paper finds that exporting tends to have negative and significant impact on both economic level and social basic needs in these two countries. Importing, on the other hand, was found to have positive and significant impact on economic level, and social basic needs in both countries. Implications of these findings for public policy and international trade theory development are discussed, and directions for future research are given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In light of the multiple challenges and weaknesses in the policymaking practice that have resulted in policy failures, public sector inefficiencies, and persisting ineffectiveness of public service delivery, many countries in different regions of the world have established what is known as 'policy innovation labs' (PILs), which are novel structures that gather empirical evidence to generate innovative solutions to public problems. The utilization of PILs in policymaking architecture has resulted in the enhancement of public policymaking practice and improved policy performance. Notwithstanding the increasing amount of evidence demonstrating the effectiveness of PILs in policymaking, this paper observes a very slow uptake of the idea in Sub-Saharan Africa. The paper relies on a qualitative desktop review to analyze the preparedness of countries in Sub-Saharan Africa to successfully establish functional and sustainable PILs. The results of the review show that the current African innovation landscape is not quite ready for the establishment of PILs. This is mostly because of the potential complications arising from the inflexibility of the traditional Weberian bureaucratic model in African countries, which limits receptivity to PIL structures and their modus operandi. In addition, there are observable capacity challenges emanating from the limited financial resources to undertake R&D. The paper concludes that the take-off of PILs remains contingent upon the strength of political will in supporting the whole idea financially, materially, and otherwise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses the Canadian government’s foreign and security policy responses to Russian disinformation in the context of the Russo-Ukrainian war. It asks whether, how, and why the government has securitised the “crisis of Russian disinformation.” The paper first briefly reviews literature on the Copenhagen’s School’s “securitisation” theory and how it has been used to explain responses to other crises. It then adopts the framework to contextualise the Canadian federal government’s official rhetoric, and then to categorise government policies and actions. The sources consulted include government actors’ reports and stated intentions and policies from 2022 to 2024. Adopting a securitisation framework reveals that Russian disinformation has been rhetorically securitised by government actors as an existential threat to national security and democratic integrity which requires urgent action. Within a context of cascading risks, the government has taken a range of distinct yet reinforcing policies and actions, some more comprehensive than others. The paper argues that together this “pervasive rhetorical securitisation” and “ad hoc practical securitisation” comprise the Canadian government’s ongoing process of partial securitisation. This process is legitimising different methods of governance: security and warfare communications (to address threats to national defence and security), democratic resilience (to address threats to democracy), and, most controversially, blocking and sanctioning (to signal discontent to the Russian regime). The analysis further reveals that each approach has different benefits and limits. The paper concludes that the securitisation process is incomplete compared to the government's rhetoric, with no over-arching organisation or strategy. It outlines implications for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper explores the impact of digital transformation (DT) on new business creation in the case of European Union member states over the period 2015-2020 by employing several econometric techniques such as Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) and quantile regression (QR). The results of OLS regression indicate a positive and significant link between DT and entrepreneurial activity. However, the quantile regression results highlight a parameter heterogeneity in the effect of DT on entrepreneurial activity. Furthermore, the magnitude of the impact is greater at the higher size quantiles of the new business density distribution. Overall, the empirical findings highlight the key role of DT in developing public policies aimed to spur entrepreneurial activity. Thus, this paper brings significant contributions to the extant literature on the macro determinants of firm creation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent economic instability has heightened the need for companies to be aware of the threats in their internal and external environments and the impact these have on their performance capacity. Thus, this paper aims to identify the most impactful factors on the performance of small and medium-sized enterprises engaged in manufacturing activities in Romania, by conducting empirical questionnaire-based research, resulting in a database with primary data to be processed. A 5-point Likert scale was used to determine the frequency of occurrence and intensity of impact of the selected factors, the level of criticality of these factors being calculated using the mean value method. The results highlight the prevalence of external factors among the top critical factors, those with the most significant impact on the performance being the high cost of raw materials, lack of professionals and specialists, fluctuations in market demand, fluctuations in government policies and legislative regulations. The usefulness of the results obtained lies in the fact that they create a risk or criticality profile of the analyzed production sector, which makes it possible to address its critical points with the most optimal solutions in the given context, on the part of both management and government, thus ensuring increased performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to investigate how embedding accounting techniques of cost and budgeting within the Australian National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) potentially perpetuates colonial practices for Australian First Nations people living in remote areas. Further, the paper aims to explore how accounting might help to integrate the unique modes of accountability First Nations people have over disability care into the NDIS funding system. Ultimately, the aim is to discern whether accounting practices can be mobilised as a means to decolonising the NDIS framework. Design/methodology/approach: This study uses a qualitative methodology to analyse public hearings from the Australian Disability Royal Commission. Drawing on Bhabha's (1994) concept of the "third space", this study investigates how accounting techniques can be used to potentially decolonise the NDIS. This study also borrows Bhabha's (1994) concept of the third space to explore the potential for decolonising the NDIS through accounting techniques. Findings: Findings show that the accounting techniques pertaining to funding and costs embedded within the NDIS contribute to displacing and disconnecting First Nations people from their cultural practices and ways of life. Further, the analysis reveals that the NDIS funding system could help to decolonise the NDIS space if it were modified to incorporate First Nations' perspectives on accountability for disability care. Originality/value: The case of the NDIS exposes glimpses of colonisation in contemporary Australia, where Western institutional and economic systems dominate over the structure and authority of the practice. In this paper, this study demonstrates that the accounting system used by the NDIS plays a role in marginalising First Nations people. However, accounting, as a technology of negotiation, could also be mobilised to enhance accountability for disability care outcomes and pave the way for decolonising public policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study offers a comprehensive insight into the realms of economic fraud and risk management, underscoring the necessity of adaptability to evolving technologies and shifts in financial market dynamics. Through the application of bibliometric methodologies, this study meticulously maps the relevant literature, delineating influential works, notable authors, collaborative networks, and emerging trends. It reviews key research contributions within the field, alongside reputable journals and institutions engaged in academic research. The examination highlights the logical, conceptual, and social interconnections that define the landscape of economic fraud and associated risks, elucidating how these findings inform the understanding, mitigating, and combating of the risk of fraud. Our bibliometric analysis methodology is grounded in the utilization of the Scopus database, employing rigorous filtering and extraction processes to obtain a substantial corpus of pertinent articles. Through a fusion of performance analysis and science mapping, our investigation elucidates central themes and visually represents the interrelationships between studies. Our research outcomes underscore the frequency of paper publications across diverse regions, with particular emphasis on the predominant scientific output from the US and China. Additionally, trends in academic citations are identified, indicative of the significant impact of papers on academic research and the formulation of public policies. By means of bibliometric analysis, this study not only consolidates existing knowledge but also catalyzes the exploration of future research trajectories, emphasizing the imperative of addressing these issues with heightened scientific rigor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Environmental & Social Management Journal / Revista de Gestão Social e Ambiental is the property of Environmental & Social Management Journal 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.)

Can government environmental policy harmonize environmental protection with economic output? We explore this issue from the perspective of forestry eco-efficiency, using China's National Ecological Civilization Pilot Zone Policy (NECP), an environmental policy promulgated by the government of China, as the subject of this study. The study introduces forestry eco-efficiency as an indicator to assess the balance between economic development in the forestry sector and environmental conservation. The indicator, grounded in sustainable development theory, employs a super-efficiency SBM model that includes undesirable outputs to evaluate efficiency. Additionally, we empirically analyze the impact of NECP on forestry eco-efficiency by using the difference-in-difference (DID) model with provincial panel data from 2011 to 2020. Ultimately, we analyze the effects of spatial spillover by employing the spatial Durbin model (SDM). Our study yields the following conclusions. (1) In this paper, through hotspot clustering analysis, forestry eco-efficiency in each province is categorized into three categories: effective, semi-effective and ineffective. Our findings suggest that China's average forestry eco-efficiency falls into the ineffective category, highlighting the need to optimize resource allocation within the sector. (2) NECP significantly enhances forestry eco-efficiency, with robust findings across various stability tests. Thus, implementing government environmental policies can have a multiplier effect on forestry, i.e., it can synergize its economic development with environmental protection. (3) In provinces with a strong ecological foundation, the NECP significantly enhances forestry eco-efficiency. However, in other provinces, the improvement is only moderate. Furthermore, while the NECP has a substantial positive impact in the eastern region, it has yet to show a discernible effect in other regions. (4) The positive impacts of NECP implementation on forestry eco-efficiency have spatial spillover effects due to demonstration effects and comparative advantages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document is a special issue of the Nonprofit Policy Forum journal, featuring papers from the October 2022 Symposium on Public Policy for Nonprofits. The symposium focused on nonprofit workforce challenges and policy interventions to address these challenges. The issue includes a research article, two commentaries, a policy brief, and a book review. The papers discuss topics such as nonprofit staff burnout, inclusive diversity practices, the negative effects of neoliberalism on nonprofits, and the challenges faced by frontline nonprofit workers. The book review examines a new model of advocacy in international politics. The journal invites readers to attend the 2024 Nonprofit Public Policy Symposium. [Extracted from the article]

The paper introduces the analysis results over a selected number of small-scale farms in the Western Romanian agriculture, more precisely in the counties of Arad and Timis. The purpose of the investigation is linked to the assessment of need for advisory services input in solving the problems of the farmers, particularly for the ones operating in small farms. Analysing the returned answers in connection with the fields of interest or needed expertise, accounting for the forms of mutual or directional help, compiling any forms of advice inputs, including the specialised structures other than public in absence of a function Farm Advisory Service allow the development of a structured image in terms of current problems, the way of solving and the interactions among the farmers inside or outside their communities. The quantified findings can serve as base for a public policy recommendation in the field of farm advisory as part of the Agriculture Knowledge and Innovation System. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes and defends the counter-hegemonic methods applied to the investigation of a high-profile national policy for Early Education and Care (ECCE) in Ireland. The policy, the Access and Inclusion Model (AIM) seeks to ensure the full inclusion and meaningful participation of children with disabilities in mainstream, state funded ECCE. It makes a significant contribution to data and debate on how research about inclusion can become inclusion in the context of policy evaluation. The design of the policy evaluation included surveys, in depth interviews and qualitative case studies of pre-schools and children supported by AIM which were deliberately designed to be counter-hegemonic through the recruitment of practitioners as co-researchers (as expert representatives within a feminised workforce), and the use of a participative method of elicitation that sough the perspectives and lived experiences of inclusion among fourteen children supported by AIM. This method was multi-modal mapping. With a focus on these counter-hegemonic elements, the paper poses questions about how the approach was counterhegemonic in terms of its theoretical underpinning, practical approach, and outcomes. Thematic analysis of the data collected by practitioner researchers for the child case studies showed that the approach did achieve counter-hegemony through the achievement of redistribution, representation, and recognition in both the enactment of the research, and in the reporting of children's lived experience in the study as a whole. However, the extent of counter-hegemony achieved was limited when practitioner researchers were unable to deploy the multi-modal mapping method because of limited time, or because the child was not a speaker of English or was as yet, non-speaking. In a context where policy makers have a preference for positivist and rationalist approaches to evaluating the impact of policies, we assert that research about policies for inclusion, should be enacted as inclusion and social justice through the deliberate deployment of participatory and counter-hegemonic methods. We also assert that multi-modal mapping holds particular promise for researching the lived experience of inclusion and participation from the perspective of children and argue that more work needs to be done on developing these methods so that they are effective with all children, including those who are non-speaking. Finally, we posit that Fraser's triune model of social justice can be applied as a benchmark for designing and evaluating counter-hegemonic modii and outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article titled "Recommendations for Further Reading" provides a list of articles that may be useful for teachers of undergraduate economics and also covers topics of broader cultural interest. The recommended readings include surveys on the first 25 years of the euro, housing affordability crisis policies, the limitations of randomized controlled trials in criminal legal interventions, the economic impact of engaging in world markets, stylized facts about inflation shocks, trends in central bank independence, and the impact of professional sports franchises on local economies. The article aims to provide diverse perspectives and insights for library patrons conducting research on these specific topics. It also includes several different articles and lectures on various topics, such as the impact of sports-related spending on local economies, the potential effects of a basic income on job quality and wages, symposiums on zoning and poverty, and the importance of writing quality in academic research papers. Additionally, there is an article that explores the history of economic ornithology and how birds were valued for their impact on agriculture. [Extracted from the article]

Background: In the context of mental health research, co-production involves people with lived expertise, those with professional or academic expertise, and people with both of these perspectives collaborating to design and actualize research initiatives. In the literature, two dominant perspectives on co-production emerge. The first is in support of co-production, pointing to the transformative value of co-production for those involved, the quality of services developed through this process, as well as to broader system-level impacts (e.g. influencing changes in health system decision making, care practices, government policies, etc.). The second stance expresses scepticism about the capacity of co-production to engender genuine collaboration given the deeply ingrained power imbalances in the systems in which we operate. While some scholars have explored the intersections of these two perspectives, this body of literature remains limited. Main text: This paper contributes to the literature base by exploring the nuances of co-production in health research. Using our mental health participatory action research project as a case example, we explore the nuances of co-production through four key values that we embraced: Navigating power relations together Multi-directional learning Slow and steady wins the race Connecting through vulnerability Conclusions: By sharing these values and associated principles and practices, we invite readers to consider the complexities of co-production and explore how our experiences may inform their practice of co-production. Despite the inherent complexity of co-production, we contend that pursuing authentic and equitable collaborations is integral to shaping a more just and inclusive future in mental health research and the mental health system at large. Plain Language Summary: Background: In the context of mental health research, co-production is a process where people with lived experiences, those with academic or professional experience, and people with both of these perspectives collaborate to design and actualize research initiatives. In the literature, there are two main opinions about co-production. The first opinion is that co-production is beneficial for those involved, improves the quality of services, and can also have impacts at higher system levels (e.g. influencing changes in health system decision making, care practices, government policies, etc.). The second opinion is doubtful that co-production has the ability to foster authentic collaboration because of the differences in power between academic and health systems. Even though some scholars have looked at both opinions, there is not a lot of research on this. Main Text: This paper contributes to the literature base exploring the nuances of co-production in health research. Using our mental health participatory action research project as a case example, we explore the nuances of co-production through four key values that we embraced: Navigating power relations together Multi-directional learning Slow and steady wins the race Connecting through vulnerability Conclusions: By sharing these values and associated principles and practices, we invite readers to consider the complexities of co-production and explore how our process may inform their engagement with co-production. We argue that pursuing authentic collaborations is key to shaping a more just and inclusive future in mental health research and the mental health system at large. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the first results of the application of an innovative methodology for the development of a walkability overall index for urban street infrastructure, aimed at the application of urban design techniques to improve the urban form and its use by pedestrians. The general objective of the research is to identify the performance of the current city walkable network, to structure public policies and strategies consistent with it aimed at rebalancing settlements and infrastructure, and above all at the development of active mobility. The methodology defined integrates three approaches on walkability analysis: geometric–morphological, proximity, and sociality. In this paper, the analysis process related to the geometric–morphological component and partly to that of proximity will be described. It will be applied to the case study of the city of L'Aquila (Italy), a city undergoing reconstruction after the 2009 earthquake. From the first results of the application of the methodology to the case study, it emerges that the urban area analyzed is not capable of hosting walkable infrastructures unless urban design interventions are aimed at structuring an efficient network of pedestrian paths. In the future development of the study, it is expected to conclude the analysis of the proximity and social components, the other two groups of analysis considerations for walkability, which will complete the experimentation of the general methodology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the role of environmental consequences, perceived barriers, policy interventions, public opinions, and knowledge and awareness in using electric vehicles (EVs). We collected 506 responses about their intention to use the EVs to develop our hypothesis. This study uses knowledge and awareness of the EVs as mediating variables towards adopting the EVs and consumers' residences as moderating variables. It also introduces several control variables in this proposed research model to measure the effect on the intention to use the EVs. In this research study, we test the importance‐performance map analysis and check Cohen's f2 to identify a better output. The measurement and structural equation modelling results show that the environmental consequences are a stronger predictor of intention and policy interventions. The findings suggest that government policies can also have an attractive position in the EV segment. In addition, knowledge and awareness mediate the adoption of the EVs. Perceived barriers do not influence consumers to use an EV in India. We test the moderating role of residence with our construct and find a partial moderation role with policy intervention and public opinion. We introduce three self‐created constructs, i.e., intention to use, knowledge, and public opinion. Public opinion for the EVs supports consumers' intention to use, and knowledge also plays a significant role in using EVs. These newly added constructs will be essential to manufacturers and policymakers while promoting EVs. Also, environmental consequences and policy interventions emerge as significant factors of user behaviour. The paper highlights the critical predictors of consumers' intention to use the EVs. Thus, it helps society, policymakers, and managers formulate and implement schemes to boost EV purchasing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Policy research aims to provide evidence to inform government policy decisions about health and social care. Engaging and involving the public and patients in this work is widely recognised as essential. Research funders prioritise equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in patient and public involvement and engagement (PPIE), but people who are most likely to experience poor outcomes are also those least likely to be involved in research. This paper describes our experience of setting out to understand how to overcome barriers to EDI in PPIE in the research carried out by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Policy Research Unit in Maternal and Neonatal Health and Care (PRU-MNHC), in a PPIE consultation project we called The Listening Series. Methods: We convened five video-recorded online discussion groups involving 20 individuals advocating for groups who are under-represented in our research. Those taking part included people working with Black and Asian women and families, young parents, those from socially deprived backgrounds, and women and families with physical and learning disabilities. Discussions focussed on practical solutions to addressing challenges to people being excluded, and how to improve EDI in our research. Learning and reflection: Five key themes were identified: 'build trust'; 'involve us from the beginning'; 'show us impact'; 'use clear, appropriate and inclusive communication'; and 'imagine life in our shoes'. We used the learning to create a guidance document for researchers and an accompanying 15-minute film. We also took practical steps to embed the learning strategically by expanding our Task Group for PPIE in the PRU-MNHC to include four Listening Series invitees with a remit to champion EDI in our research and ensure that it is embedded in our PPIE activities. We continue to reflect on and work to address the associated challenges. Conclusions: The Listening Series helped us rethink our processes for inclusion to go beyond traditional methods of involvement and engagement. The themes identified pose challenges that require time, resource and empathic engagement from researchers to be meaningfully resolved. This has implications for policy makers and research funders who need to consider this in their processes. Plain English Summary: What we know: It is important that health care researchers involve patients and the public from a wide range of social and ethnic backgrounds in research, but we know that this often does not happen. We are a group of researchers and patient/public representatives, working in research to improve care for pregnant women and babies. We wanted to find out how to involve people from more diverse backgrounds in our research. What we did: We organised five online discussion groups with 20 people working with Black and Asian families, young parents, those from socially deprived backgrounds and parents with physical or learning disabilities. We asked them what we should do to involve a wider range of people in our research. We called this The Listening Series. We summarised the most important things people said in a written guide for researchers and a short film. We then asked people who had been invited to take part in The Listening Series to join us to develop new ways of working together. What we learned: The five themes we identified were: 'build trust'; 'involve us from the beginning'; 'show us impact'; 'use clear, appropriate and inclusive communication'; and 'imagine life in our shoes'. In summary, researchers need to take the time to build trusting relationships with patients and the public; actively listening and learning from them. This can be challenging for researchers and patient representatives. Research funders need to allow time and money for this to happen in a meaningful way. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Industrial land is essential for supply-side structural reforms, particularly in the Chengdu–Chongqing area, Western China's most densely populated and industrially robust region. This area, a pivotal hub linking Southwest China with South Asia and Southeast Asia, is critical for the national strategic layout and regional economic restructuring. Despite its substantial industrial foundation as an old industrial base, internal developmental stagnation has led to an irrational industrial land use structure. This paper analyzed land transaction data from the China Land Market Network (2010–2021) using methods such as kernel density estimation, the standard deviation ellipse method, and Global Moran's I index. The analysis focuses on the spatiotemporal evolution of industrial land marketization and its driving factors in 44 cities within the Chengdu–Chongqing economic circle. The findings aim to enhance the strategic implementation of national policies and regional economic optimization, suggesting intensified development efforts in key cities and promoting integrated growth in potential areas like Suining and Ziyang to foster a conducive environment for high-quality regional development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Environmental & Social Management Journal / Revista de Gestão Social e Ambiental is the property of Environmental & Social Management Journal 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.)

Copyright of Environmental & Social Management Journal / Revista de Gestão Social e Ambiental is the property of Environmental & Social Management Journal 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.)

In today's environment, achieving sustainable development goals is an important component for any state. In this regard, finding new opportunities to improve the situation in the context of this situation remains relevant. The purpose of this study was to find an opportunity to use Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) criteria in companies where water management is an important part of their operations. The main methods used were formal legal and forecasting. The paper describes in some detail the role of ESG criteria in achieving various development goals of the country, namely economic, social and environmental ones. The use of this approach also helps to attract more investments for enterprises and, therefore, ensure its more rapid development. In addition, the study emphasized the high role of water management in Azerbaijan, which is why the implementation of ESG criteria is particularly important in the country. The study also showed that there is a global trend towards the formation of a legislative framework in countries aimed at mandatory use of ESG criteria for reporting by enterprises. However, this kind of governance is not actively developed in Azerbaijan. In this regard, the paper describes some recommendations on the formation and implementation of this kind of state policy. In addition, the paper formulates recommendations on how companies should use the implemented ESG criteria and how they should be formed on the basis of international standards. The results obtained in the study form an idea of the implementation of ESG criteria both in general and in the context of water management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Achieving exceptional financial performance is a primary goal for every management team due to its importance in establishing a solid firm structure and facilitating growth. However, several factors consistently hinder the attainment of this objective, resulting in adverse effects on a firm's performance and financial success. Therefore, this study aims to analyze scholarly publications to understand relevant factors influencing the financial performance of firms in the manufacturing industry. Using keywords in the Scopus database, we identified a total of 808 papers published between 1987 and 2022, and ultimately selected 289 for further analysis based on predetermined criteria. The selected literature was then analyzed in two different ways. First, we discerned the crucial factors affecting the financial performance of manufacturing firms. Our systematic review revealed that organizational characteristics (e.g., CSR practices, strategy, board characteristics, innovation & technology, information, decision-making and communication, and environmental and sustainability practices) play a more significant role in determining the financial performance of a firm than external factors (e.g., market economic parameters, government policies & support, and competition). Second, we employed VOSViewer software to dissect the selected publications, including the creation of bibliometric co-word maps and the examination of bibliographic coupling among journals. The results yielded valuable insights into leading nations, notable journals, noteworthy studies, trending keywords, and prominent publications in this field. Moreover, our research emphasizes the multifaceted nature of financial performance-related factors, offering useful insights for future studies exploring the interplay between factors and the performance of manufacturing firms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Research with young people (YP) is ethically challenging and bound in a complex maze of issues relating to power, voice and representation. Such sensitivities mean that the challenges raised in researching marginalised YP are often hard to navigate. This paper reports on research carried out with YP to explore links between mental health, school exclusion and involvement in criminal gangs. It aims to provide a practical guide to negotiating some of the methodological and ethical challenges experienced. Method: In‐depth interviews conducted with 28 YP (aged 14–24 years) who were gang involved or seen to be at risk of gang involvement. Research was conducted in youth clubs, alternative provision and youth justice settings. Results: Observations/Reflections We reflect on how navigating ethics can create barriers to involving YP as primary informants in research. We consider why it is important to overcome these hurdles and how public engagement work with recognised gatekeepers and the use of creative interview methods can facilitate meaningful encounters, where YP feel able to share valuable insights into their lives. Conclusion: Alongside a number of specific learning points, the paper reflects on theories behind research with YP, including the need for recognition of power imbalances and reflexivity. It concludes with thoughts on the practical realities of achieving meaningful participation or an 'authentic voice' with marginalised groups and the importance of this in informing policy and practice. Patient or Public Contribution: The focus of this work was to collect experiences of YP who are recognised as gang‐involved or at risk of being so, with a view to informing health and education policies. The scoping study for the project involved extensive public engagement work with YP exploring and trialling suitable methods of accessing, recruiting and ultimately interviewing this target group. This is central to the discussion within the body of the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This paper aims to investigate government policy intervention for mitigating the impacts of COVID-19 on small and medium enterprises (SMEs). This paper has utilized a methodology comprising of bibliometrics, network, and content analyses on 831 documents extracted from the Scopus database to explore the extant literature on this domain. A systematic literature review has also been performed to propose the government policy intervention during the crisis framework. The analysis and review discerned that government policy interventions yielding the greatest success display a pronounced industry focus, regardless of a country's economic context. Notably efficacious interventions encompass government support for market access and promotion, regulatory flexibility, wage subsidies, supply chain bolstering, sustainable long-term support, training and development, digitization aid, and industry-specific access to credit and capital. Collaborative efforts between governments and financial institutions also proved instrumental in expediting SME recovery. Furthermore, initiatives like knowledge-sharing, capacity-building, digitalization of SMEs, and crisis management training played pivotal roles in ensuring SME survival during the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper has also provided guidelines for future research direction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stance information has a significant influence on market strategy, government policy, and public opinion. Users differ not only in their polarity but also in the degree to which they take a stand. The traditional classification of stances is quite simple and cannot fully depict the diversity of stances. At the same time, traditional approaches ignore user sentiment features when expressing their stances. As a result, this paper develops a multi-stance detection model by fusing sentiment features. First, a five-category stance indicator system is built based on the LDA model, then sentiment features are extracted from the reviews using the sentiment lexicon, and finally, stance detection is implemented using a hybrid neural network model. The experiment shows that the proposed method can classify stances into five categories and perform stance detection more accurately. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public debt is a key issue for government institutions, both because of the amount of its revenues, which partly compensate for the possible shortfall in tax collection, and because it is an essential instrument of fiscal policy for the government. This paper reviews the literature on the determinants of public debt in order to identify the explanatory variables of public debt according to the main theoretical and empirical studies. This work will support policy makers who have to obtain financial resources to cover essential and very necessary expenditures nowadays, such as health, education, or infrastructure investment, by controlling debt levels and fiscal pressure. The main policy implication we can derive from these results is that governments should use some of these instruments to reduce general government debt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Systematic reviews play a crucial role in evidence-based practices as they consolidate research findings to inform decision-making. However, it is essential to assess the quality of systematic reviews to prevent biased or inaccurate conclusions. This paper underscores the importance of adhering to recognized guidelines, such as the PRISMA statement and Cochrane Handbook. These recommendations advocate for systematic approaches and emphasize the documentation of critical components, including the search strategy and study selection. A thorough evaluation of methodologies, research quality, and overall evidence strength is essential during the appraisal process. Identifying potential sources of bias and review limitations, such as selective reporting or trial heterogeneity, is facilitated by tools like the Cochrane Risk of Bias and the AMSTAR 2 checklist. The assessment of included studies emphasizes formulating clear research questions and employing appropriate search strategies to construct robust reviews. Relevance and bias reduction are ensured through meticulous selection of inclusion and exclusion criteria. Accurate data synthesis, including appropriate data extraction and analysis, is necessary for drawing reliable conclusions. Meta-analysis, a statistical method for aggregating trial findings, improves the precision of treatment impact estimates. Systematic reviews should consider crucial factors such as addressing biases, disclosing conflicts of interest, and acknowledging review and methodological limitations. This paper aims to enhance the reliability of systematic reviews, ultimately improving decisionmaking in healthcare, public policy, and other domains. It provides academics, practitioners, and policymakers with a comprehensive understanding of the evaluation process, empowering them to make well-informed decisions based on robust data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainable development goals are increasingly discussed today, so this paper investigates the interdependent relationships between economic, social and environmental factors within the European Union Member States. The study explores how GDP per capita, purchasing power, official support for development, poverty and social exclusion indicators, perceived health status, educational attainment, and environmental practices such as recycling rates, circular use of materials and net greenhouse gas emissions interact with each other. The results show overall positive trends between socio-economic development and environmental performance and show how stronger economies are largely conducive to improvements in social and environmental domains. However, the study also reveals important exceptions, highlighting the crucial role of effective national policies and resource management. By identifying and discussing these complex interrelationships, the paper contributes to a deeper understanding of how economic progress can be aligned with social progress and environmental responsibility, providing valuable insights for public policymaking in the European Union. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research paper explores the Hindutva ideology of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) by analysing its implications for Pakistan. BJP’s ascension to power led the Hindu Nationalist government to implement the Hindutva ideological rhetoric. With a substantial Muslim population living in India and rivalry with Pakistan, such policies have significant implications for the Indian Muslim community as well as for Pakistan. These Hindutva-driven policies have not only raised concern regarding minorities' rights in India, affecting Kashmiri Muslims but also raising security challenges for Pakistan. In the past decade, the legislative and executive bodies have been actively engaged in promoting this ideology, as evidenced by the amendment of national citizenship law, growing riots against Muslims, and the Indian government's policy towards Pakistan. By analysing the recent minorities-related events, this paper seeks to assess the impact of the policies of the BJP government towards the Indian Muslim community and its interaction with Pakistan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses why higher education professors are not retiring in due time and how economic programmes play a role in such a decision. We discuss public policies of higher education institutions to understand 1) why labour ageing occurs and 2) the challenges faced by professors and institutions. Our discussion focuses on showing how a series of policies and organisation-led rules can condition practices, thus contributing to labour ageing, by discussing the case of a country: Mexico. Due to public and university policies, labour ageing presents a challenge for university education. In that case, these policies must be accompanied by training processes for the lifelong productivity of professors. This paper shows the need to reevaluate practices to constantly address labour ageing in design academia, so that it might evolve and remain up-to-date with emerging trends and technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document is an editorial published in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science. The purpose of the editorial is to evaluate the quality of contemporary marine science and its influence on regulation and government policy in the marine environment. The authors express concern about whether the most appropriate science is being used to guide regulation and policy effectively. The editorial discusses various papers that cover topics such as offshore renewables, marine archaeology, fisheries, and ballast-water treatment, highlighting the need for updated policies and regulations based on rigorous and evidence-based scientific research. The authors emphasize the important role that marine science plays in informing and guiding marine policy and practice for sustainable development and management. [Extracted from the article]

Introduction: In the current background of global economic slowdown, the traditional reliance on one regulatory instrument or the unilateral consideration of the effectiveness of one regulatory policy in policy formulation is no longer sufficient to cope with the increasingly complex contradictions between environmental protection and economic development. In the construction of a modernized environmental governance system, it has become an inevitable choice to achieve synergy between various environmental regulations. In China, the citizens' environmental supervision campaign that gradually emerged in 2006 and the local carbon trading pilots that started in 2013, as typical representatives of informal and formal environmental regulation respectively, provide vivid and realistic materials for our study. Methods: Using econometric models and microdata from listed Chinese firms from 2009 to 2020, we analyze the profound logic and internal mechanism by which this synergistic governance effect of environmental regulation affects the economic society and the development pattern of firms. Results and discussion: The study found that: (1) the synergistic effect of the carbon trading policy and citizens' environmental supervision can significantly promote the transition of enterprises to a sustainable development model, especially paying attention to the role of citizens' environmental supervision in this process. (2) The regional development level, cost transfer capability, and political connection can make the synergy of the two environmental regulations vary across firms. (3) The synergistic effect of environmental regulation promotes the behavior of enterprises in line with the requirements of sustainable development by influencing enterprises' R&D and innovation investment, resource allocation efficiency, and sustainable development awareness. (4) A favorable regional rule of law environment and moderate media attention can effectively increase the intensity of citizens' environmental supervision, and at the same time strengthen the effectiveness of synergistic governance of environmental regulation in the transformation and development of enterprises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we develop a two-level supply chain model with low carbon emissions for defective deteriorating items under learning in fuzzy environment by using the double inspection process. Carbon emissions are a major issue for the environment and human life when they come from many sources like different kinds of factories, firms, and industries. The burning of diesel and petrol during the supply of items through transportation is also responsible for carbon emissions. When any company, firm, or industry supplies their items through a supply chain by using of transportation in the regular mode, then a lot of carbon units are emitted from the burning of petrol and diesel, etc., which affects the supply chain. Carbon emissions can be controlled by using different kinds of policies issued by the government of a country, and lots of companies have implemented these policies to control carbon emissions. When a seller delivers a demanded lot size to the buyer, as per demand, and the lot size has some defective items, as per consideration, the demand rate is uncertain in nature. The buyer inspects the received whole lot and divides it into two categories of defective and no defective deteriorating items, as well as immediately selling at different price. The fuzzy concept nullifies the uncertain nature of the demand rate. This paper covers two models, assuming two conditions of quality screening under learning in fuzzy environment: (i) the buyer shows the quality screening and (ii) the quality inspection becomes the seller's responsibility. The carbon footprint from the transporting and warehousing the deteriorating items is also assumed. The aim of this study is to minimize the whole inventory cost for supply chains with respect to lot size and the number of orders per production cycle. Jointly optimizing the delivery lot size and number of orders per production cycle will minimize the whole fuzzy inventory cost for the supply chain and also reduce the carbon emissions. We take two numerical approaches with authentic data (from the literature reviews) for the justification of the proposed model 1 and model 2. Sensitivity observations, managerial insights, applications of these proposed models, and future scope are also included in this paper, which is more beneficial for firms, the industrial sector, and especially for online markets. The impact of the most effective parameters, like learning effect, fuzzy parameter, carbon emissions parameter, and inventory cost are shown in this study and had a positive effect on the total inventory cost for the supply chain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Copyright of Revista Didasc@lia: Didáctica y Educación is the property of Universitaria de Las Tunas, Centro de Estudios de Didactica 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.)

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The growing concern about climate change necessitates the development of models for long-term measurements of the sustainability performance. The Global Reporting Initiative suggests a framework for sustainability reporting. This study intends to fill two gaps in the existing literature. On the one hand, it assesses the Global Reports Initiative's impact on academics. This article, on the other hand, will compare public policies aimed at a Global Reporting Initiative in rich and developing countries from 1999 to 2020. The above research utilizes bibliometric analysis via Biblioshiny and the Scopus publications database, as well as an online interface for Bibliometrix analysis. For studying the Global Reports Initiative literature, this method offers a viable alternative to traditional bibliometric analysis. This is one of the first studies to use a computer approach to examine the literary paths of the Global Reporting Initiative issue. Among the findings we can mention that, the most GRI inquiries were distributed by the "Journal of Cleaner Production." The most useful GRI creators are Clarkson PM., Azapagic A., and Milne MJ. The findings of this paper suggest that the composition of the GRI addresses one of the keys to global monetary advancement, particularly in developing countries, for the foreseeable future. Our paper indicates that the Global Reporting Initiative principles have a strong potential to handle these connected issues in managing and maintaining the environment by adapting developed-country experiences to developing-country challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic raised the salience of Healthcare Waste Management (HCWM). Various studies have shown that the level of HCWM in lower-middle-income countries falls below international standards and global best practice, indicating that the national policy on HCWM is either nonexistent or has not been embedded in practice. The renewed salience affords an opportunity to revisit, update and embed the national policy on HCWM. In seizing this opportunity, the elemental thinking must change from a linear model to the complex adaptive model that takes account of the interrelationships and contextual factors that could impede or facilitate implementation of the policy. These complexities account for the 'policy-implementation gap' associated with policy failure. This paper presents a framework that could be applied in developing, implementing, and monitoring the national HCWM policy in a lower-middle-income country. The integrative framework, identified by the acronym RADICAL, comprises the following domains in an integrated grid: Raise awareness; Apply formal quality improvement methods; Design for quality and safety: Involve stakeholders; Collect and Analyse pertinent data; Learn from shared experience. The pertinence of each domain to HCWM is described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainable smart cities (SSCs) target decarbonisation by optimising energy consumption through the emerging capabilities of technology. Nevertheless, the energy consumption behaviour of end users has the potential to compromise the effectiveness of technological interventions, reflecting the importance of active social engagement in realising decarbonisation goals. Although extensive research exists on energy consumption behaviour, little is known about how technology engagement affects it, the nature of these technologies, and their role in SSC. The paper aims to identify, categorise, and investigate the smart technologies that impact household energy consumption behaviours and their integration into the larger SSC system. Following a systematic review of 60 articles from the Scopus database (2013–2023), the study found 45 smart technologies cited, with 49% affecting efficiency behaviour and 51% affecting curtailment behaviour. While these technologies inform the city administration level in the SSC framework, the role of end users remains unclear, suggesting a technocratic approach. The study proposes the Sustainable Smart City Network to facilitate a grassroots approach, identifying five key domains: government policies, smart technology adoption, smart technology engagement, smart city infrastructure, and urban sustainability. The study provides an original contribution to knowledge by unveiling the key technologies affecting energy consumption behaviour and outlining the pragmatic requirements for achieving decarbonisation through a grassroots approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the GLocal dataset is to enable research in international development that requires both global scope and local precision. Leveraging modern geospatial analysis tools, we process a diverse array of sources to provide researchers with a growing set of economic, demographic, ecological and socio-political variables for geographic units relevant to public policy. We provide separate data files for different levels of administrative and periodic aggregation, along with ad-hoc files with more detailed information on specific topics. In this data descriptor paper, we discuss both our data processing methodologies and validation pipelines, and provide a short case study to illustrate the research potential of the dataset. We also introduce a simple web app, glocal.streamlit.app, which offers a user-friendly interface for exploring and visualizing the dataset. Given the growing number of public and granular sources of relevance for international development research, we hope to continue adding features and expand the GLocal dataset in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This Special Issue is based on a selection of papers initially presented at the conference on "Resilience and the Third Sector" (Institute of Public Sector Accounting Research, University of Edinburgh, November 2022). The third sector is pervasive in most societies and makes a distinctive and widely‐recognized contribution to the public good by building social capital, frequently affording a foundation for social cohesiveness. However, it is a fragile sector that is significantly affected by crises (the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune). These have the potential to curtail the capacity of third‐sector organizations (TSOs) to deliver societal benefits and, in the most extreme cases, even threaten their survival. Given this, the resilience of TSOs (albeit this term has multiple layers and manifold meanings) is critical. This paper explores a range of connotations linked to third‐sector resilience and explores contemporary evidence (including the papers in this Special Issue) as to how the sector identifies, manages, and learns from crises. In addition, it provides a brief outline research agenda as a basis for encouraging researchers to focus on resilience in TSOs and enhance knowledge. It is argued that more rigorous, evidence‐based research of this nature has the potential to positively influence practice in the sector, as well as policy formulation by government and others who steer TSOs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]