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With an emphasis on the mediating role of relational psychological contracts, this study sets out to investigate the structural connection between perceived organizational support (POS), service quality (SERVQ), and customer satisfaction (CS). Using descriptive and inferential statistics, we tested the heuristic model for the relationship using data from 394 clients at selected banks in Nigeria. It was found that both perceived organizational support and service quality significantly affected customer satisfaction, with the former serving as a predictor of the latter. In addition, a positive and statistically significant influence of the relational psychological contract was found in the connection between “POS” and CS, and perceived organizational support and SERVQ. In addition, it was determined that banks must maintain all required standards in gaining customers by continually providing a higher degree of service to keep clients satisfied. The structural nexus between the identified variables stood out as a novel idea with a heuristic model depicted for business practitioners and society’s opportunities.

The research aims to analyze the differences between male and female employment in Turkey between 2007 and 2022. In this process, various variables are taken into account and the results are supported by TUIK (Turkish Statistical Institute) data. In this study, panel data of TUIK for the years 2007-2022 were used as the methodology. These data were analyzed using SPSS 22 and E-Views programs using Correlation, Anova, Independent Samples t test, Man-Whitney u test and Regression tests. At the end of the analysis, it was seen that there is a high degree of correlation between female and male employment and that there is a high level of difference in terms of employment in all female age groups. According to the regression analysis results, female employment grows by 0.28 units per year, while male employment grows by 0.11 units per year. This shows that female employment has been rising faster than male employment in recent years.

The main goals of the study were to examine how transformational leadership affected organizational citizenship behavior, worker productivity, and employee job satisfaction in Indonesian Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprise (SME) settings. The study used a quantitative technique and included 295 people as samples. Since Indonesia is a multi-cultural nation, responses were gathered from employees in multiple cities. Data was gathered via online and print surveys and was then analyzed using SPSS 23 and Smart PLS Software. The findings of this study point to a clear, positive, and substantial relationship between transformational leadership and worker job satisfaction, organizational citizenship behavior, and work performance. Additionally, to job satisfaction and organizational citizenship, it has been shown that employee job performance is somewhat mediated by employee behavior. This is the first paper in the setting of Indonesian SMEs that looks at the impact of transformational leadership on employee job performance after job satisfaction and organizational citizenship behavior.

The paper analyses the determinants of green development in the Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries pointing out the influence of the sophistication of productive structure and exported goods (economic complexity). The study uses OECD data regarding green development, World Bank Indicators, World Penn Table Data, and MIT Harvard data covering the period of 1996 to 2020, in a heterogeneous panel approach. Fully Modified Ordinary Least Squares (FMOLS) and Dynamic Ordinary Least Squares (DOLS) models are estimated in order to express the influence on green development of the economic complexity index, KOF globalization index, renewable energy consumption, human capital index, and a constructed institutional quality index (computed by using the Principal Component Analysis based on data from World Governance Indicators). All considered variables have a validated statistical influence on green growth in both models. The Dumitrescu-Hurlin causality test revealed a bidirectional causal relationship between institutional quality and green growth and unidirectional ones from economic complexity, human capital and renewable energy to green development and from green development to globalization. Policy implications are also provided.

The automotive industry is widely considered to be crucial for the economy, as it reflects economic development in general. Despite interest in financial performance, few studies have considered paying attention to the ownership structure among stockholders. Hence, the study aims to find out how the degree of ownership concentration, measured through the independence indicator of the Bureau van Dijk, is reflected in the financial management of companies in the automotive industry among selected European countries. The generalized method of moments (GMM) technique is widely used while investigating panel data with a short estimating period, i.e. nine years annually in this case. However, this study reveals that, without deploying techniques, subsequently introduced a modified version of GMM estimators with panel data by providing an implementation using Stata statistical software. Otherwise, these particular econometric tools to analyze a dynamic panel can often give false significant estimates. Overall, liquidity seems to be significant in the case of firms with less concentrated ownership, whereas companies with a major owner are affected more by selected macroeconomic variables.

This paper investigates the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the functioning of the Regional Administrative Courts (TAR) in Italy. For this purpose, we constructed two databases covering the period from 2018 to 2021, gathering macroeconomic and microeconomic data from the TARs of the Italian regions (NUTS-2). Despite the brevity of the period, the availability of data allows us to perform a comprehensive analysis with econometric models for micro and macro data. Empirical findings suggest the existence of two-fold and simultaneous effects of COVID-19 on the efficiency of administrative courts: on one hand, the advent of COVID-19 has led to the reorganisation of courts and related-activities, prolonging the duration of administrative disputes. On the other hand, COVID-19 has introduced measures to limit face-to-face activities, such as holding hearings in person, and adopting information and communications technologies (ICTs) to prosecute judicial activities. This measure proved beneficial to the proper functioning of the Italian TARs by reducing the duration of administrative proceedings. Policy implications indicate that the digitalisation of administrative procedures, not only during COVID-19, is crucial for enhancing the promptness of the administrative disputes of the Italian TARs.

This paper analyses the regional economic impacts of COVID-19 in Ireland. The results show regional labour market impacts were related to pre-existing economic structures rather than infection rates. Drivers of the employment shock were found to be regional specialisms in tourism focused sectors. Cushions were provided by regional specialisms in agriculture, healthcare and the knowledge intensive service sectors. For more rural regions that appeared more resilient to the labour market shock, cushions were likely provided by employment in slower growth potential sectors. During the recovery phase, these cushions can become anchors contributing to regional divergence. Consequently, some regions less severely impacted by the pandemic shock may, in fact, face more difficult structural challenges in the longer term. The pandemic has thus exacerbated pre-existing structural issues that are likely related to the observed regional economic divergence and findings of regional development traps since the recovery from the previous recessionary period of the 2010s. The broad implication is that that the regional recovery from the pandemic will not be based purely on short term COVID-19 exposure. In general terms, regional policy should look beyond the initial pandemic shocks to the key underlying development issues. A central point here is that there are no quick transformational fixes rather long-term structural imbalances need to be met. The key policy challenge, in the Irish case, is to avoid the trend from the previous economic crisis of regional divergence during the recovery phase.

This paper explores the location determinants of coworking spaces (CSs) in the Chinese capital of Beijing, thus filling the gap in the literature about CS location in urban China. The study applies a count data model (CDM) to the data collected in 2022 to answer three research questions: (1) Where are CSs located and what are the location determinants? (2) How does Beijing’s urban structure affect CS location determinants? (3) What role do creative industry specialisation, variety, government facilities and incentives play in CS location? The findings reveal that CSs in Beijing – most of them promoted by public authorities – tend to cluster in the central city where there is a high diversity of knowledge-intensive and creative industries. The semi-polycentric urban structure of Beijing affects the location of CSs by creating localised activity hubs. Furthermore, the study finds evidence that creative industry specialisation and variety are crucial factors in CS location. In addition, government facilities and incentives play a key role in driving their locations.

Cities are the frontiers of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted in the United Nations 2030 Agenda. Although quantitative methods have been applied to assess cities’ sustainability progress, knowledge gaps exist in the differences between inland and coastal cities’ performance and their internal variations against common standards. Using the Voronoi-based kaleidoscope diagram embedded in two circular plots, the article visualises the overall sustainability progress of China’s inland and coastal cities in economy, society, biosphere and partnership. By measuring overall progress with circular length and individual scores with kaleidoscope area size, triple inland-coastal gaps and trifold intracoastal inequalities were highlighted, as well as city types characterised by economy-society balance and land–sea relation. References for implementing sustainable development transformations for coastal cities were derived, along with the circular-kaleidoscope diagram’s potential for checking the pulse of cities’ performances in further uses and finishing the circle.

The study of agency has received increasing attention in recent years. The focus on change processes at the micro-level has brought new insights into the field of regional development. However, in debates about change and regional development, agents and leaders themselves have received far less attention than agency as a process. We provide an analytical model to show how political leaders and their leadership act as drivers of change through what we call actor properties (i.e., knowledge, networks and resources). We discuss how actor properties interact with the institutional context in which leaders operate and the various transitions from a political leader's legitimacy to the legacy of their political action. Empirical investigations of two peripheral regions in Italy and Norway illustrate how political leaders act as agents of change in geographical areas characterised by different socioeconomic and institutional contexts.

This research aimed to identify the principal factors predicting social welfare and inequality in the neighbourhoods of Madrid city. A comprehensive dataset representing various socioeconomic metrics of Madrid’s neighbourhoods is analysed utilising different linear regression models and the XGBoost machine learning algorithm. The findings indicate that demographic variables play a crucial role in shaping social welfare and inequality in Madrid's neighbourhoods, with the percentage of women, and the percentage of children under 14 years old and adults over 65 years old being the most important variables for predicting social welfare and inequality in the studied neighbourhoods. Contrary to expectations, the average net income per household does not emerge as a significant predictor. Policymakers and urban planners should consider these factors to ensure equitable development and welfare distribution. The low impact of average net income per household on social welfare and inequality observed in this study should be regarded with some caution, but our findings certainly underline the need for a deeper understanding of socioeconomic dynamics in urban settings.

Counterurban migration is known to be driven by lifestyle motivations, in which employment considerations are more of an enabling factor than a driver. In this paper, the self-reported motives, along with labour-market and lifestyle outcomes, of counterurban migration are investigated. The focus is on trade-offs between work-related and lifestyle-related amenities for different subgroups based on recent survey data in Sweden collected from families with children in 2018–2019 who left metropolitan regions. The key results indicate that, overall, counterurban movers are satisfied with their decision and the majority cite the importance of lifestyle amenities over work-related amenities. Our conclusion is that, besides voluntary trade-offs, counterurban migration does not necessarily pose a trade-off between labour-market and lifestyle-related amenities since, to a large extent, individuals reported better outcomes in both areas. This study makes two contributions. Firstly, the data considers self-reported outcomes, including labour-market outcomes beyond income and lifestyle outcomes. Secondly, we explore individual characteristics of counterurban migrants in relation to post-migration outcomes in different destinations.

Entrepreneurial ecosystem (EE) is a novel perspective to analyse the interplay between support systems and businesses in regions. Simultaneously, universities have been playing increasingly important roles in entrepreneurship, fostering economic growth both through the wider regional economy (RE) and their own university EEs (UEEs). Entrepreneurs in residence (EiRs), chosen by universities as exemplar entrepreneurs, therefore provide potentially important conduits between the regional economy, UEEs and entrepreneurs, leading us to explore how and why do EiRs and universities interact in relation to entrepreneurial ecosystems to enhance the regional economy? Our qualitative study of a UK university case, conducted in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic which severely impacted many businesses’ access to resources, gives a particular temporal context to this research. It identifies accessing resources, building legitimacy and undertaking bridging activities as the three highest-level dimensions characterising EiR–university interactions, which have relevance for both the UEE and regional economy more widely, offering a framework for future EiR programmes. This study contributes to the regional entrepreneurship and EE literature, by examining the role of regional universities as anchor tenants and catalysts of entrepreneurial growth and resilience within regions, and calls for further research into the evolution of EiR–university interactions in different institutional contexts.

This article explores the question of the integration ability of peripheral regions into innovation-led growth. While previous research has suggested that peripheral regions may be at a disadvantage, recent studies have argued that there may be potential benefits to their integration into the innovation process. This article offers a different approach for the examination of this controversy. First, it uses knowledge-based occupations as a measure of innovation activity (instead of types of activities such as startups, high-tech activities or services). Second, it considers innovation advance under two perspectives: demand (as measured by types of occupations installed in a region) and supply (as measured by types of occupations of the resident labour force). We use regression analysis to compare trends in the last two decades in Israel.Although findings indicate a process of adaptation of both periphery and centre to the innovation trend (in terms of increasing relative growth of high-level occupations), both in terms of supply and demand, steady gaps between the growth coefficients lead to a process of degradation of the periphery: lower increase of skills in the periphery and lower adaptation of demand to increasing skills. This results in a higher commuting rate (or migration) of skilled workers from the periphery, a substantial relative concentration of blue-collar occupations and an increasing supply of unskilled workers to the centre.The prevention or attenuation of such a process requires the consideration of policy measures regarding the prevailing ecosystem factors.

Based on two case studies in Germany, this study disentangles development traps by focusing on the role of narratives and imaginaries in peripheral regions. Drawing on 43 interviews and two focus groups, it shows how regions move towards development traps despite putative new opportunities through green transitions. The study highlights different narrative dimensions and how they serve as indicators for regional development trajectories. It expands the understanding of development traps and peripheral regions by showing how stories and imaginaries held by key actors materialise and become regional realities and calls for more place sensitivity.

When COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) struck Spain, it caused a multidimensional crisis that sparked countless debates on its health, social and political implications. Drawing on the literature on multilevel crisis management and federalism, this paper focuses on the impact of the pandemic on the Spanish intergovernmental relations between 2020 and 2022. This research demonstrates that several intergovernmental coordination and cooperation mechanisms were activated or reactivated at the political and technical levels. This change improved joint decision-making and strengthened the system’s own capacity to cope with future crises. In particular, this article shows how and to what extent the health crisis broke down the existing logic of discretionary collaboration and increased coherence among regional governments by strengthening the role of central ministries. Three movements have been observed and measured consisting in a growing institutionalisation, coordination and cross-sectoral logic of action. Consequently, we conclude that intergovernmental relations in Spain have been strengthened by the pandemic under the leadership of central ministries. The Spanish intergovernmental system has demonstrated its capacity to adapt to external shocks and its learning ability.

Benchmarking has been deemed useful for the study of regional competitiveness and innovation and is quickly expanding. The aim of this work is the formulation and validation of a method to select the right regions to compare. The proposed method is of general application and can therefore be used by any region across the world wishing to benchmark against others in the field of competitiveness and innovation. This method is carried out in two successive stages. In the first stage, regions with higher innovation and competitiveness than the region under study are identified. In the second, a subset of regions with a resource base similar to the one under study is selected, which makes them suitable for the comparison. The method is validated by applying it to a European region. The results show the validity and robustness of the proposed method.

The primary purpose of this paper is to call for more research on the competencies needed to promote sustainable urban development. Our premise is that sustainable urban development does not occur without transcending differing interests and identifying novel ways to collaborate across organisational and institutional boundaries. Relatedly, sustainable urban development calls for mobilisation and pooling of scattered assets. Therefore, sustainable urban development calls for enhanced competencies that significantly differ from the traditional capabilities valued in public administration. This premise leads us to determine what competencies are needed to support sustainable urban development and to ask how fragmented capabilities can be pooled to serve the common purpose. Sustainable urban development necessitates transformative system change, dependent on diverse stakeholders, relying on many actors’ knowledge and capabilities instead of a few selected actors’ expertise. To achieve a systemic perspective, we need to be able to group the capabilities and competencies; otherwise. We propose a conceptual framework drawing on insights from public administration, management studies, organisation studies, and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) that might allow us to move from individual capabilities to shared competencies and collective learning processes, thus adding analytical leverage to our efforts to strengthen the competencies embedded in systems but held by individuals. For analytical purposes, we adopt the concept of the competence set. It is geared toward identifying how different capabilities of many actors could be integrated at a systemic level so that a set would serve both the entire urban system and the actors embedded in it.

ABSTRACTThis article applies a modified perspective of inclusive growth in order to understand the diversity of communities within a remote and predominantly rural region of northern Europe. A transdisciplinary process co-constructed an enhanced and regionally appropriate framework of inclusive growth, which recognised the importance of evaluating the concept as multidimensional and affected by the uneven contexts of physical geography and connectivity, and social characteristics, which influence development potential and community resilience, and which extend the relevance of inclusive growth to rural places. Operationalisation of this framework was achieved at the local level through quantitative multivariate analysis, which identified underlying dimensions of inclusive growth ‘performance’ representing interactions of broad economic outcomes and variation in geographical and social contexts, and then clusters of locations with similar characteristics. The evidence of multidimensional and geographical inequalities from this analysis was evaluated using a spatial justice perspective, enhancing the applicability of an inclusive growth framing as a means of understanding the wellbeing economy and rural diversity. Conceptually, the regionally-sensitive understanding of inclusive growth performance builds on and develops existing broader framings of inclusive growth. To avoid leaving places behind, policies which seek to achieve inclusive growth should recognise and adapt to nuanced and localised inequalities.

ABSTRACTThis article examines how trust between the regional government and its citizens contributes to the embodiment of participatory policymaking at the provincial level and impacts regional development. Different from previous studies on trust, which focused primarily on quantitative approaches and thereby left the social-political context out, this study employs a qualitative approach to present more profound findings and contextual aspects that reflect actors’ trust. The context is the existence of a local political dynasty that dominates the political, bureaucratic and business arenas. It also captures a regional development paradox in which a province is persistently underprivileged among well-developed adjacent regions. Primary data collection involves in-depth interviews with selected business actors, academics, NGOs and high-, middle- and low-ranking government officials at the provincial level. The findings reveal a lack of trust between the regional government and citizens, which explains poor participation in policymaking hence sluggish regional development. Each actor seems to lack the necessary competence, integrity and benevolence to cooperate in regional policymaking. These findings also fill a theoretical gap left by previous studies on trust which have primarily focused on citizen trust in government. At the same time, this article also pays more attention to government trust in citizens, which remains understudied.

ABSTRACTNeighbourhood commercial centres (NCC) are dynamic hubs that provide essential goods, promote community bonds and drive economic growth. Despite numerous studies on shopping behaviour, there remains a notable gap in understanding how transportation and shopping centre-related factors collectively shape the attractiveness of the NCCs, especially in developing countries like India. This research aims to understand why some NCCs outperform others in terms of attractiveness. This study proposes the neighbourhood commercial centre attractiveness index (NCCAI), which is developed by collecting 455 samples from 13 NCCs with the help of a primary survey to understand how different factors influence the attractiveness of NCCs in the Indian planned city context. The study used principal component analysis (PCA) and identified five major components that significantly contribute to NCC’s attractiveness. Further, the weightage of the components was determined through two distinct approaches: one based on PCA results and the other utilising the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) with expert opinion data. Finally, the more reliable weights from these two methodologies were selected using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). The NCCAI can help urban planners, store owners and retail managers, providing data-driven insights to enhance overall NCC attractiveness. The decomposable nature of NCCAI allows for component score breakdown, enabling planners and policymakers to allocate resources strategically.

ABSTRACTDuring the pandemic, our needs and expectations of our housing stock rapidly expanded to cope with demands of lockdowns, working from home and restricted access to other neighbourhoods. Empirical studies over the last few years indicate how concepts such as multifunctionality, responsiveness, social connectivity and localisation became critical. In many cases, the pandemic deepened existing housing-related inequities. Households already struggling with lower incomes found themselves contending with even more challenges: constrained spaces, inadequate heating and the noise of neighbours. Given the strong link between housing and health, there is an urgent need to understand the ability of our current housing stock to meet the demands of such ‘shocks’. Of particular importance is the concept of resilience in housing systems. Resilience has become ubiquitous in policy discourse but is underdeveloped and undertheorised. We thus use actor-network theory (ANT) concepts to develop a multi-level conceptualisation of resilience, arguing that ‘housing resilience’ unfolds on five levels: resilience within an individual dwelling, within housing supply, within the housing supply chain, between dwellings and communities and between dwellings and the natural environment. We then demonstrated the robustness of this conceptualisation by mobilising it as a lens for an analysis, starting with 11 state-level housing policies in Australia. We selected the ‘best practice’ housing policy with the most extensive reference to resilience. We then evidenced how our multi-level conceptualisation allows us to identify critical gaps even in this ‘exemplar’ housing policy, interrogate its structure and prioritise future action plans.

ABSTRACTCittaslow emerged as a response to globalisation's devastating effects, particularly to small cities’ local economies and the fast-paced and homogenised lifestyle in urban areas. Cittaslow has been promoting a local development approach based on a community's way of life. However, the present literature on Cittaslow mainly focuses on tourism and destination development. The concept of Cittaslow itself appears to have become a global brand for small cities. Considering this, the paper aims to extend current knowledge of Cittaslow. The main research goal of this paper is to examine the extent to which Cittaslow provides a sustainable urban development policy. For the investigation, qualitative research is structured using the requirement of excellence. Cittaslow policies are evaluated based on sustainable urban development. Two cities from different countries are selected to compare these policies in diverse planning contexts. Field studies and interviews were conducted in two small cities: Abbiategrasso, a neighbouring city of Milan and Seferihisar, located within the Izmir Metropolitan Region. The findings indicate that Cittaslow policies focus on sustainable development. However, there are various complex issues in the related official documents. In both cities, interviews indicate numerous initiatives to implement Cittaslow policies and improve their quality of life. Seferihisar encountered difficulties because of its recognition as a designated ‘slow city’ brand. Without a comprehensive planning strategy, Cittaslow cities may risk jeopardising their unique local way of life. The main focus is to provide recommendations for enhancing current Cittaslow policies.

ABSTRACTIn developing countries the most marginalised and disadvantaged people are in rural, remote and regional areas and social enterprises in these areas – rural social enterprises (RSEs) – have been identified as key development actors in this context. However, their impacts are rarely rigorously measured. Our study fills this gap by measuring an RSE’s social impact in a developing country. A smallholder farmers’ survey (n = 1021) is utilised in a propensity score-based method which allowed us to generate counterfactual and estimate outcomes between members and non-members of an RSE. This method was complemented by a stakeholder focus group discussion. Predictors of participation and social impacts of the RSE are identified besides an evaluation of its interventions. Results generate implications for social enterprise practitioners, supporters and policymakers interested in applying RSEs as local and regional development actors as well as researchers involved in social impact measurement.

ABSTRACTThe COVID-19 pandemic has brought about a significant impact on people's lives, both in terms of health and socioeconomic aspects. The pandemic has led to a shift in the work environment, with a massive increase in the number of people working from home due to movement restrictions. In this study, we analyse data from two waves (2019 and 2020) of the Swiss Labour Force Survey to investigate the prevalence of working from home in Switzerland before and during the pandemic. The study has two aims: to identify the characteristics of Swiss teleworkers during the pandemic and to determine if there is a gender gap in working from home. The findings reveal that highly educated workers with children in high-level occupations are more likely to telework. However, there is a gender gap in teleworking in some sectors, since part-time workers, who are mostly women (74 percent), are less likely to work from home than full-time workers.

ABSTRACTIn the period after the 2008 financial crisis, the European Union and Brazil experienced, respectively, periods of regional divergence and convergence. The research developed in these two territories brings new evidence on the importance of non-territorial policies, that worked as indirect regional policy, for these trajectories. In the case of the EU, (direct) regional policy was not strong enough to counteract more non-territorial policies that acted in favour of divergence. In the case of Brazil, the absence of a relevant direct regional policy did not prevent convergence, since the government adopted a set of non-territorial sectoral policies that functioned as indirect regional policy. This is particularly relevant in the current European context, where prolonged social and economic stagnation or decline in many regions has been the source of discontent that is expressed electorally.

ABSTRACTThe frequency and severity of major disruptions (e.g., disasters, epidemics/pandemics) are increasing, significantly impacting business survival in regional areas. Using the dynamic capabilities approach, this paper reports on the recovery pathways and resilience of Australian regional businesses during the recent COVID-19 pandemic. A case study approach is adopted to explore the capabilities through which regional businesses can plan for, recover from, and develop strategies for building resilience. Using the data from 18 semi-structured interviews with business owners operating in different industry sectors and a web-based forum with 10 key stakeholders in regional South Australia, a dynamic capabilities resilience framework is developed. Results suggest that the dynamic capabilities approach during crises can become integral to the long-term business recovery of regional Australian businesses. By revealing both the determinants of business survival and the constraints regional businesses face during major crises, the study contributes information that businesses, government and non-government agencies that support them can use to develop effective recovery pathways, which is central to the future sustainability of regional Australia.

ABSTRACTThis paper tests how the patterns of residential property values in the Australian state New South Wales changed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Between 2019 and 2021, property values became relatively high in medium-sized towns and cities, suggesting those locations became more attractive. In its capital and largest city Sydney, the premium on proximity to the central business district (CBD), where employment is heavily concentrated, decreased after 2019 and that decrease persisted beyond the end of pandemic measures. The premium in Sydney on proximity to the beach has increased, but on a trajectory consistent with an existing trend. The decreased premium on proximity to the CBD since 2019 appears to have initially been related to the value of access via public transport, but then also to the value of access by car. The findings suggest shifts in regional development and urban form that could have implications for how cities are planned and developed.

ABSTRACTBuilding on the literature underscoring the importance of lending relationships and the role of banks’ structural and organisational features in favouring firms’ access to credit, we investigate the effect of branch closures on firms’ birth rates in the Italian local credit markets in 2000–2020. Despite the potential relevance, the implications of de-branching activity have received modest attention from scholars thus far. By employing various measures of branch closures and econometric methodologies, we find that the de-branching process negatively affects the establishment of new firms, and this detrimental impact appears stronger as the closures involve older branches. The results also show that our main findings seem ascribable to the closures carried out by large/medium-sized banks. As a policy implication, our work suggests that – although driven by technological transformations and banks’ necessity to rationalise costs – authorities should consider the potential negative consequences that bank de-branching may entail for new business creation.

ABSTRACTAcademic discussions have frequently examined the interrelation between regional employment growth and firm locations. Two growth patterns emerge: employment growth induced through new firm locations or vice versa, where firms locate in areas experiencing employment supply growth. The specific causal relationship responsible for regional employment growth in Germany remains uncertain. In the German context, however, more research is needed to identify contributors to employment growth, as most existing studies rely on highly aggregated data or focus on specific case studies. This paper aims to approach this subject by using a uniquely matched dataset of firm locations and the individual employment of 480 multi-locational firms in the knowledge economy and comparing it to total employment in Germany. We assume that a change in knowledge-intensive firms’ employment may affect regional employment growth. The study uses longitudinal historical employment data at the functional urban area (FUA) level from 1999 to 2019, aggregated to knowledge-intensive high-tech and advanced producer services (APS) sectors. The analysis employs aggregated and individual Granger causality tests, evaluating the relationship between employment in knowledge-intensive sectors and overall employment change. Results are spatialised using GIS to provide evidence of where the Granger causalities occur at the FUA level in Germany. Findings indicate that, in general, knowledge-intensive employment growth Granger causes total employment growth in a few economically more active FUAs. In contrast, for a greater number of FUAs, total employment Granger causes knowledge-intensive employment.

ABSTRACTAgainst the backdrop of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the Welsh and Basque Governments in 2018, this article introduces a multiscalar and transdisciplinary social sciences action research framework that emerged from a workshop held in May 2023. The workshop engaged stakeholders from both sides and is part of the broader ongoing project. This project seeks to address the main research question, ‘How do small nations cooperate?’ through the exploration of transregional cooperation and mutual learning between Wales and the Basque Country. The structure of the article is as follows: First, it commences with an introduction defining ‘small nations’, presenting the main research question, articulating two related aims, outlining three primary methodological goals and providing a broad context for these two small nations within the framework of their MoU. Second, following a brief description of each small nation, the article concurrently develops the action research methodological framework while analysing findings stemming from workshop discussions between stakeholders of Wales and the Basque Country. They addressed three intertwined territorial scale challenges: Macro, examined through devolution and fiscal federalism perspectives; Meso, explored through social innovations in urban spaces in Cardiff (SPARK) and Bilbao (ASFabrik); and Micro, investigated through grassroots innovations. Finally, the article concludes with an action research and policy agenda. It suggests one operational research question per territorial scale as the conclusion of this article, offering a response to the main research question. The conclusion acknowledges limitations and outlines future research and policy pathways for this ongoing project.

ABSTRACTThe rapid surge in large-scale land acquisitions (LSLAs) has been triggered by the convergence of food, financial and environmental crises in the late 2000s. Since the 2008 commodity price spike, several Asian countries have become preferential targets for LSLAs carried out by foreign companies and governments. The rising interest in Asian farmlands and natural resources arose in a complex set of political transitions and socioeconomic dynamics that have shaped the whole continent in the last decades. This study relies on a dataset built on different data sources, from 2003 to 2021 for a total of 14,724 million hectares involved in LSLAs in Asia. The southeastern region is the most targeted one, with Indonesia and the Philippines as the principal host countries. The main investors are intraregional and, especially in private or stock-exchange listed companies, are from China and Malaysia, who intend to produce palm oil or rubber. Results partially confirm the initial hypothesis, showing that the endowment of land and water resources in host countries is positively related to the amount of land acquired. Findings also show that investors are looking for free market areas, with low trade barriers and low fiscal pressure, where the protection of workers’ rights is lower than that in their homeland.

ABSTRACTThis paper meshes 1.7 million housing transactions across three US states (Iowa, Minnesota and Texas) between 2015 and 2021 with data on broadband infrastructure to evaluate the impact of fibre broadband availability on home prices. This was a period of dramatic fibre growth in these states: prior to 2019, fibre was only available to roughly 24% of the houses sold but rose to 54% in later years. A traditional hedonic pricing model that includes a wide array of housing characteristics and census block group-level fixed effects estimates the fibre premium at around 1% in all three states for the full 2105–2021 period. The fibre premium was higher in the earlier part of this period, likely reflecting its novelty during that time. A more rigorous instrumental variable approach estimates the fibre premium at 2% in Minnesota and 9% in Texas. A conservative national estimate of the increase in housing value from deploying ubiquitous fibre is $36 billion.

ABSTRACTNumerous studies have revealed that high-speed railways (HSRs) can efficiently reduce transportation costs for firms and therefore bring more business capacities to firms in regions with HSR services. This paper aims to adopt the difference-in-difference (DID) and PSM (propensity score matching) DID methods to examine the HSR’s causal effects on business costs. The author finds that business costs are significantly reduced due to the operation of HSR lines. Besides, private firms and firms in the secondary and tertiary sectors would experience more reductions of business costs encouraged by the HSR than state-owned and agricultural firms. The placebo test and parallel trend test have proved the feasibility of this study. Finally, this paper provides policy suggestions that the construction of HSR lines needs to be encouraged in order to promote the higher efficiency of business operations for firms and more-balanced spatial business developments in China.

ABSTRACTLatin American nations are highly urbanised around a small number of megacities that account for the majority of these nations’ productivity and population. Scholars of urban planning and economics argue these cities may be overly large, leading to environmental, transportation and housing issues that depress growth and increase economic inequality. We use fine-grained satellite data from 1992–2018 to document urban concentration in Latin America. We argue political decentralisation creates incentives to distribute urban populations more evenly throughout the territory. Our results demonstrate a strong empirical relationship between political decentralisation and lower urban concentration. We link our findings to literature on economic geography, political institutions and urbanisation, with broader implications for the politics of economic growth.

Introduction. The article is devoted to the study of the effectiveness of digital communication of the governorʼs corps with the society. This problem attracts the attention of many scholars, but there are very few works with empirical verification of the models proposed by various research authors, and there is a lack of substantiation and scientific understanding of the objective assessment of the effectiveness of digital dialog. The purpose of the study is to analyze and compare the effectiveness of digital communication of regional heads of the Central Federal District on the basis of empirical data and identify its strengths and weaknesses Materials and Methods. To assess the effectiveness of digital communication of regional heads with the population, a study was conducted, which included 2 stages. At the first stage of the research the responsiveness of the authorities to the needs of the population was assessed by means of an online survey. The second stage of the research was realized through monitoring of social networks of the heads of regions of the Central Federal District. The tasks of the second stage included the search for answers to the questions about the popularity of regional policy among the population, about the compliance of the information agenda of the regional heads with the needs articulated in the regional social media, as well as about the effectiveness of response to certain problematic situations arising on the ground. Results. One fifth of respondents addressed to the heads of regions via social networks with complaints and suggestions. About half of the respondents found it difficult to assess their satisfaction with the request sent. Almost a third of respondents expressed satisfaction with the response of the governorʼs services. Respondents assessed the work of governors with a predominance of positive assessments on the scales of openness and efficiency, as well as effectiveness. At the same time, according to the profile of citizensʼ assessments, the work of the governorʼs corps is conducted more according to its own agenda (rather than based on the problems of ordinary people), it is often performed in an ostentatious manner and with elements of imitation of activity. Discussion and Conclusion. The results obtained allow us to attribute involvement in modern online communications, the ability to establish constant and effective feedback with the population to one of the most important competencies of the governor. The analysis shows that these qualities have so far fallen out of the personal priorities of some regional leaders. The practical significance of the study lies in the possibility of using the results of a comparative assessment of the constructiveness of online communication of governors of the regions of the Central Federal District with the population, weaknesses and potential of such a dialog.

Introduction. The issue of interaction between the government and the population has long been actively discussed in the scientific literature, since the degree of involvement of the population in the management of the region and the municipality shows the level of democracy of society. The government and the population are relatively independent communities with their own interests, which may not coincide, the alienation of the population from management generates corruption and dictatorship of the government. The scientific problem is the development of mechanisms for involving the population to participate in the management of the territory and strengthening the motivation of officials of regional and municipal authorities to interact with the population. One of the ways to solve this problem is to improve the mechanisms and forms of interaction. The purpose of the article is to investigate the extent of the spread of new forms of electronic interaction between the government and the population and to assess them. Materials and Methods. Analytical materials of research on the subject, key legal acts regulating the process of interaction between the government and the population were selected and summarized. The method of analyzing statistical data presented on the official websites of the Government of the Sverdlovsk Region and the Administration of the municipal formation of the city of Yekaterinburg was used. The indicators for 10 years (from 2013 to 2023) on the number of citizens’ appeals and their forms, as well as reports of the election commission of the Sverdlovsk region on remote voting, are analyzed. Results. The tendency of the predominance of electronic forms of interaction over written appeals and personal meetings of citizens with government representatives has been revealed. Electronic forms are replacing classical forms (voting in elections at polling stations) and are becoming an integral part of new processes such as proactive budgeting. Electronic forms facilitate the interaction process in terms of saving money and time, but at the same time they also generate new challenges (increasing formalism, susceptibility to technical failures, distrust of technology, etc.). Discussion and Conclusion. It is noted that the new forms of electronic interaction are a big step forward, the transition from the practice of simply informing the population to the direct involvement of citizens in the management and distribution of budgetary funds. Great expectations are placed on the new electronic forms; it is assumed that they will increase the activity of the population. However, along with the obvious advantages, they give rise to new problems that require further study and implementation in the practice of interaction between the authorities and the population.

Introduction. Gender inequality in the workplace is not a new phenomenon, yet gender differences in working conditions and womenʼs involvement in the workplace are poorly understood. Women are often discriminated against in the workplace and their working conditions and wages are substandard. On their own, they are not always able to improve their working and social life and achieve better protection at work. This study aims to explore the working conditions and risks faced by migrant women working in one of the oldest and largest STM textile factories in Jammu and Kashmir, India. Materials and Methods. The purposive sample consisted of 240 migrant women from the STM textile factory. They were interviewed in four work colonies and outer residential areas through a series of interviews. The study utilizes mixed methods ‒ quantitative and qualitative. Observation, interview series were used to quantify the data and provide detailed qualitative information. Results. It was found that there were cases of injuries at work reported by the migrant women workers at CTM. Only in a few of the serious cases employees were monetarily compensated. Not all employees are provided with the essential protection kits for dealing with the hazardous chemicals and toxins therefore poor health, ailments and sores, fatigue, cramps were majorly reported by the respondents. Discrimination on the basis of gender, conditions of harassment, physical violence and other workplace hazards to mental, emotional, and physical health were reported by the migrant women workers. Discussion and Conclusion. The authors concluded that migrant women continue to work in hazardous conditions, putting their health at risk and becoming victims of exploitation. The findings underscore the need for inclusive policies and interventions, as well as a reassessment of existing labour practices, to address issues that contribute to the vulnerability of migrant workers. The article's contributions will be useful to regional authorities, labour and women's rights advocates who are interested in addressing the specific challenges of this vulnerable group. This empirical study may benefit scholars interested in the topics of gender, migration, and working conditions.

Introduction. In multi-ethnic regions, which include the North Caucasus and the South of Russia in general, reducing the risks of identity conflict, in particular the conflictogenic potential of ethnic identity, is one of the priority tasks of public administration. The object of this policy, first of all, is the youth of the region, from whose ranks the activists of protest movements are recruited. This situation requires monitoring the social well-being of young people in the context of the combination of all-Russian and ethno-confessional identity. The aim of the study is to identify conflictogenic risks arising in the process of sociocultural interaction in multi-ethnic youth communities of border regions. Materials and Methods. The empirical basis of the research state of social identity of youth in the North Caucasus was the results of surveys conducted by the authors in March – April 2022 and 2023 among students of regional universities. It was assumed that the aggravation of the geopolitical situation and a special military operation acted as a trigger for the transformation of the social identity of youth, which has a different trajectory for groups of youth representing the peoples of the North Caucasus and Russians living in the region. An emotional assessment of closeness with communities of different taxonomic series made it possible to establish the significance of all-Russian identity in comparison with ethnic, regional and confessional ones. Results. A comparative analysis of the collected material indicates that the most significant consolidating values and symbols that unite the youth of the region are the common state and state symbols. By choosing these values, as well as the values of Russian culture and the general historical past, young people who consider themselves to be the peoples of the North Caucasus have come closer to the value profile of Russian youth in the region. In the consciousness of Russian youth, there is a growth in sociocultural values, the significance of which in their ideas has approached all-Russian civil and political values. There continues to be a trend aimed at sociocultural integration and erasing ethnocultural differences among the youth of the groups under consideration. Discussion and Conclusion. All-Russian and ethnic identities among young people living in the region are complementary, not competitive. The challenges the country faces are viewed by them as personal and socially significant. This trend is becoming a significant factor that reduces the conflict-generating risks of ethnocultural foundations of identity in youth communities of the North Caucasus. Scientific results will contribute to the understanding of sociocultural threats and risks of conflict in multiethnic youth communities of frontier regions, and will be useful to the scientific community and government authorities.

Introduction. The risks of destabilization of the ethno-political and ethno-confessional situation in the North Caucasus, active migration processes, as well as traditional for this macro-region socio-economic problems and issues of inter-ethnic relations actualize the state policy of identity at the level of regions and the country as a whole. One of the mechanisms for strengthening the Russian national identity is regional branding. The purpose of the study is to analyze the perceptions of the region's uniqueness, values, levels of identity of the population of Adygea, Kabardino-Balkaria and Dagestan, to find common meanings and values for the regions, which, reflected in brands, are included in the state identity policy, strengthening its national level. Materials and Methods. Empirical materials include quantitative data from a mass survey conducted in October-November 2023 in Adygea, Kabardino-Balkaria and Dagestan, and qualitative (non-standardized interviews with experts). The methodological design is based on the use of an interdisciplinary approach and comparative analysis of cases from the three regions. This allowed us to identify common and special features in determining the potential of branding to strengthen the Russian national identity, based on the principle of triangulation. Results. The peculiarities and key characteristics of the regions under study have been identified. It was found that there is no integral established brand of the region in them, but the sources of its formation are obvious - the residents' perceptions of the uniqueness of the region and the markers by which the residents identify themselves with it. In Adygea and Kabardino-Balkaria it is a high level of comfort with the preservation of ethnic traditions, in Dagestan it is the significant role of religion and ethnic traditions, active orientation of residents to entrepreneurial activity. Discussions and Conclusions. Regional identity is formed around unique unifying features ‒ the value of preserving ethnic traditions and good-neighborly relations, the absence of interethnic conflicts, identification markers common to the three regions (attitude to the native land, nature, territory, the value of cultural traditions, language). The reliance on these values in the process of branding the regions provides a link to national identity through the meanings and values common to all regions. The obtained results may be of interest to regional authorities and contribute to the inclusion of regional branding tasks in the policy of strengthening national identity.

Introduction. Assessment of urbanized areas in terms of their sustainable development and rational use of resource and environmental potential remains the most demanded in modern conditions, because in certain cases it opens up opportunities for preventive management of anthropogenically disturbed areas. The aim of the study is to rank single-industry towns by a number of indicators by means of multifactor analysis of socio-economic indicators of single-industry towns and using systemic and fractal approaches. Materials and Methods. The study was carried out on the basis of a multifactor analysis of socio-economic indicators of single-industry towns, using systemic and fractal approaches. Existing methods for assessing the socio-economic sustainable development of a region and developing integrated regional indicators are analyzed. The authors' methodology was used, which can be considered as the development of existing methods and the development of new methods for indicating and ranking socio-economic processes from the point of view of their sustainability. Results. A new methodology for socio-economic assessment and ranking of single-industry towns has been developed based on multifactor analysis of fractal indicators of their life support: social, economic, resource and environmental. Using the proposed methodology, single-industry towns of the Arkhangelsk Region were ranked according to an integrated fractal indicator of classes of socio-economic processes that indicate the quality of life support of the single-industry towns under consideration, potential risks and the sustainability of their development. Discussion and Conclusion. The developed methodology verifies and complements the existing criteria for transferring single-industry towns from one category to another. It allows, by introducing certain indicators, to assess the sustainability of the socio-economic development of single-industry towns and the possibility of diversifying their economies, and is also a useful practical tool for federal, regional and municipal institutions specializing in managing the development of territories.

Introduction. The article highlights the problem of accessibility of education (primary, secondary, higher) and income inequality in Central African countries. The purpose of the study is to present and analyze international static data that show the difficult situation with access to education in the following countries: Cameroon, Chad, Central African Republic, Congo, Gabon. The data obtained are necessary for the development of practical solutions for effective assistance to the population of countries in obtaining affordable education by different social strata of the population. Materials and Methods. Official documents and scientific sources were analyzed and synthesized. The search for relevant data was conducted using various databases, including UNdata, Academic Search Complete, Web of Science Core Collection, Education Source, E-Journals, ERIC, Google, Google Scholar, Springer, etc. mainly for the last 5 years. Special attention in the analysis was paid to the search of official information with the data of international organizations UNESCO and the World Bank. Results. In Central African countries (Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Congo and Gabon), the income gap between the richest and poorest is very wide. In Cameroon and Gabon, the income gap between rich and poor is not as wide as in Chad, Congo and Central African Republic, so primary education levels in these two countries remain higher than in other countries. It was found that in Central Africa there was a sharp decrease in the number of students in higher education institutions between 2010 and 2014. One of the reasons (a distinctive feature) of the low coverage of higher education in Central Africa has been identified – the lack of material support for a larger number of the population and, as a result, minimal accessibility of higher education for the younger generation. The study proves that at this economic stage of development, Cameroon and Gabon are leaders in the field of education in Central African countries. Discussion and Conclusion. Affordable education is necessary to reduce poverty and improve economic growth, but the high cost of education combined with limited access to it leaves many children uneducated. The findings from the study of education access in Central African countries raise the issue of education for the majority of the population, with a view to developing possible ways to economically and politically revise the leadership's approach to better assist the countriesʼ populations. The article will be useful for specialists in the field of education in different countries, as well as for sociologists, culturologists, economists, and politicians.

Introduction. The interstate transit of the Northern Black Sea ‒ Azov region, which took place under the conditions of the armed conflict, was associated with a large-scale geodemographic and socio-economic transformation of regional societies. The aim of the study is to investigate the available demographic resources and production potential of the Cherson and Zaporozhye Regions, to determine the most likely directions of their economic dynamics. Materials and Methods. The analytical and empirical base of the study, in addition to scientific sources, included collections of statistics, as well as media publications documenting the demographic and economic dynamics of the studied regions in 2022–2023. The methodological basis was a systematic approach that allowed combining the methods used in demography, social and economic geography with elements of structural-functional approach and discourse analysis of information obtained from media publications. Results. It was found that during the spring and summer of 2022, there was a significant decrease in the available population of both areas as a result of outmigration. Moreover, the losses of the urban population were higher than those of the rural population. The maximum population losses were suffered by the Dnieper cities and the settlement network of the frontline zone of the Zaporozhye Region. In both areas, the age structure of the population has significantly deformed (a significant increase in the proportion of elderly and old people), the shortage of specialists in the main areas of socio-economic activity has sharply worsened. It is recorded that in 2022–2023 the only major sphere of economic life that continued to function on a scale comparable to peacetime was agricultural production and related segments of industry (primarily food). Discussion and Conclusion. Demographic and socio-economic prospects for the development of both regions will largely be determined by the further dynamics of the armed conflict. The prolongation of its active stage will accelerate the process of reducing the local population due to outflow, and in the economic sphere will contribute to the deepening of agricultural (and more broadly – Agro-industrial) specialization of regional economic complexes. A stable truce will allow to diversify the directions of economic growth, first of all, to activate a number of industrial clusters, the tourist and recreational complex, the sphere of transport and logistics. The results of the study can be used in the development and detailing of plans for the socio-economic development of new territories.

Introduction. Assessing the volume and structure of trade, particularly in multimodal transportation, is a challenging task, especially when the aim of such an assessment is to identify bottlenecks and remove them. Methodological approaches for solving such problems can vary significantly and include rather complex techniques such as object-oriented programming and network models, allowing to reflect the discrete character of tradeflow. Nevertheless, considering the significant role of international transportation infrastructure in the modern global economy, solving this problem appears relevant and has practical significance. The purpose of this study is to develop a methodology for a discrete, high-frequency evaluation of the volume of goods transit along the Trans-Caspian corridor of the International “North-South” Transport Corridor, whereas the objective is the trade volume along this route. Materials and Methods. The methodology of this work consists of two components – data processing and analysis and model construction, based on the standard dynamic model. The first component is necessary due to the limited character of data on goods transported via the International “North-South” Transport Corridor. In the second part of the study, the corridor is divided into several sections and the changes in the turnover for each section are analyzed using the dynamic standard method. Results. The barriers to the development of the Trans-Caspian Corridor and the interests of participants in its operation are assessed. A toolkit for evaluating the performance of the corridor is created, considering the bottle neck in the transportation of goods via Iran. Statistical data are processed, and problematic times and sections of the corridor are identified. Recommendations on the development of the Trans-Caspian and international transport corridors in modern conditions are formulated. Discussion and Conclusion. The main results and conclusions of this study include the authorsʼ system for monitoring and regulating the flow of goods along the corridor; identifying imbalances in the operation of the Trans-Caspian Corridor and International “North-South” Transport Corridor as a system; and possible solutions to align these imbalances. Recommendations for the development of the Trans-Caspian corridor and the International “North-South” Transport Corridor in modern conditions. This study has practical implications for logistics companies, financial institutions, Russian exporters, and authorities of economic blocs.

Introduction. The article studies patent activity in the regions of Russia. The relevance of the research in this area is determined by the importance of the innovation component in economic growth, as well as by the established targets in the Concept of Technological Development of the Russian Federation for the period up to 2030. The aim of the study is to identify possible types and directions of patent policy for different groups of Russian regions on the basis of patent activity factors. Materials and Methods. The empirical material for the analysis includes data from the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the Federal State Statistics Service (FSSS) for 2012‒2021. We use linear regression to identify the key factors affecting the patent activity of the regions. The method of hierarchical clustering allowed us to identify groups of regions according to their patent activity. Results. The linear regression showed the statistically significant dependence of regional patent activity on I-activity level of organizations, the number of active fixed broadband Internet subscribers per 100 population and the average of internal costs for research and development per 1 organization in the region. The hierarchical clustering distinguished 5 clusters of regions: “The Leader”, “Innovation centers”, “Regions of high manufacturability”, “Old R&D regions” and “Regions-outsiders”. The authors also formulate definitions of the regional patent policy and the national patent policy and present typologies of state patent policy. Discussions and Conclusions. Based on empirical and theoretical analysis, recommendations on further directions for the development of active patent policies were given to groups of regions. The results of the study can be applied in the development and implementation of scientific and technological regional development strategies, and will also be useful to specialists and government officials involved in regulating patent activity in the regions.

This study investigates the contradictions within European values and the challenges to social inclusivity, advocating for a broader perspective that recognises diverse historical and cultural contexts. It critiques Eurocentrism and explores alternative views such as Islam, Afrocentrism, and Ubuntu, proposing a more inclusive framework for global human rights and values, as well as research on social-economic development.

This article focuses on the most evident effects of COVID-19 influenced by the elements of the regional economic landscape, emphasizing the importance of shock and crisis management plans. Algeria could benefit from revitalizing the construction of the North African bloc and enhancing cooperation in the Maghreb. The main objective of this work is to identify the most urgent challenges related to the socio-economic impact of COVID-19 on the regional economic landscape, and the economic integration of Algeria highlights the importance of shock and crisis management plans.

In recent years, the competition for economic dominance globally has led developed economies increasingly to focus on outward foreign direct investment (FDI) and exports to other developing nations. However, there has been a notable research gap, with most studies concentrating on assessing the significance of FDI and trade openness in developing countries, while less attention has been paid to developed countries. This study explores the relationship between FDI and trade openness with economic growth in six developed economies.

The aim of the research was to identify and assess the professional problems of women who hold managerial positions. In addition, factors influencing the female style of management were identified and the level of discrimination against women as well as the level of gender equality in Poland and in the European Union was assessed, using the gender equality index.

The study examined the loan repayment behavior of beneficiary farmers in Primary Agricultural Cooperative Societies in the State of Haryana, India.