World doi: 10.3390/world7050081

Authors: Hagai Katz Benjamin Gidron

Does civil society mobilization supplement or entirely supplant the state during crises? This distinction remains theoretically significant yet empirically underdeveloped. An empirical framework based on the State-in-Society theory is applied in this study to analyze state–civil society relations in Israel following the 7 October 2023 attacks. Using qualitative interviews with 19 civil society leaders from 12 organizations conducted in January 2024, we examine the comprehensive substitution of state functions by non-state actors across security, welfare, and logistics domains. Findings reveal that protest organizations rapidly transformed into primary service providers, creating hybrid governance structures that persisted for months. Unlike government failure (dysfunction within intact institutions) or chronic state failure (gradual erosion in fragile contexts), Israel experienced “localized state failure”—a rapid, geographically constrained yet comprehensive collapse of core state functions in a high-income democracy, with immediate substitution by organized domestic civil society rather than international actors. This mobilization, based on a preexisting protest movement, demonstrates how robust civic infrastructure, even when mobilized against the government, creates latent governance capacity that can be activated during crises. The study advances the state-in-society theory, hybrid governance, and institutional resilience, offering a new perspective for distinguishing temporary dysfunction from fundamental collapse in democratic contexts.

World doi: 10.3390/world7050080

Authors: María Fernández-Hawrylak Javier González-García

Interpersonal and institutional distrust have become central concerns in debates on institutional legitimacy, particularly in contexts where education functions as a foundational arena of civic socialization. This systematic review examines how the Social Distrust Framework (IDS) articulates interpersonal distrust, institutional distrust, and structural conditions within educational systems. A total of 20 empirical studies published between 2000 and 2025 were analyzed across primary, secondary, and higher education. Searches were conducted following PRISMA 2020 guidelines across Scopus, Web of Science, ERIC, PsycINFO, Dialnet, and SciELO. Findings indicate that interpersonal distrust is associated with lower levels of perceived support, sense of belonging, and self-efficacy, while institutional distrust is linked to weaker perceptions of procedural justice, normative coherence, and school legitimacy. Structural conditions—particularly inequality and school segregation—are consistently associated with intensified distrust dynamics across contexts. The synthesis further identifies key mediating mechanisms, including academic motivation, perceived support, institutional credibility, sense of belonging, and perceived fairness (procedural justice), which translate multilevel distrust dynamics into differentiated outcomes such as academic achievement, school dropout, behavioral outcomes, student engagement, and civic participation. The Social Distrust Framework (IDS) is conceptualized as an analytical framework that explains how micro-level relational experiences are transformed into macro-level evaluations of institutional reliability. By integrating relational, institutional, and structural dimensions, the framework contributes to interdisciplinary debates on institutional legitimacy, governance, inequality, and social cohesion.

World doi: 10.3390/world7050079

Authors: Hariram Sankaran Saravanan Krishnan Sashikkumar Madurai Chidambaram

Groundwater systems in semi-arid and industrial regions are increasingly affected by climate-driven non-stationarity and anthropogenic pressure, challenging conventional forecasting approaches. This study develops and evaluates an integrated artificial intelligence framework designed to minimize piezometric head residual dispersion under non-stationary hydroclimatic conditions. The proposed methodology combines Improved Complete Ensemble Empirical Mode Decomposition with Adaptive Noise (ICEEMDAN) and Variational Mode Decomposition (VMD) with a Slime Mould Algorithm–optimized Long Short-Term Memory (SMA–LSTM) model and a CNN–LSTM architecture, which are dynamically fused using an Adaptive Weighting Model (AWM). The framework was applied to long-term groundwater level (1994–2024), groundwater quality (2017–2023), and meteorological datasets to evaluate the predictive robustness across climatic variability regimes. The proposed ensemble achieved a mean absolute error of 0.267 m, root mean square error of 0.429 m, coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.948, and Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency of 0.938, representing substantial residual reduction compared to baseline deep learning models. Residual diagnostics confirmed minimized peak deviations and stable performance under non-stationary conditions. Scenario-based simulations driven by CMIP6 climate projections indicate increasing groundwater stress under future warming trajectories, with amplified variability and declining recharge signals. These findings demonstrate that multi-stage signal decomposition coupled with metaheuristic optimization and adaptive ensemble learning significantly enhances predictive stability and residual minimization in climate-sensitive aquifer systems. The proposed framework provides a transferable, climate-resilient decision-support tool for sustainable groundwater management in industrial and semi-arid regions.

World doi: 10.3390/world7050078

Authors: Ana Luisa Martinho Susana Bernardino Paula Pereira Ana Luisa Azevdo

Volunteering is a practice that has gained significant recognition, offering a range of benefits to both society as a whole and the individuals who participate in it. In the context of people with functional diversity, the practice of volunteering activities has been found to have particular benefits, such as reducing stigma and stereotypes. Despite this recognition, the level of inclusive volunteering remains low. In light of this paradox, the objective of this study is to analyse the main perceived barriers to inclusive volunteering and the extent to which these barriers may affect its practice. To that end, a mixed methodology was employed in this study. The qualitative methodology entailed the conduction of two focus groups, comprising a diverse range of stakeholders from the field of disability in Portugal. The quantitative method involved a questionnaire targeted towards two distinct groups: (i) people with functional diversity (PwFD), and (ii) organisations working with PwFD. This approach is of particular significance given the paucity of studies focusing on the perspectives of people with functional diversity. A variety of techniques were used to analyse the data. These included content analysis for qualitative data and descriptive, bivariate and multivariate analyses for quantitative data. The content analysis revealed significant barriers relating to institutional and cultural factors, as well as personal and family factors. Subsequently, the presence of these barriers was evaluated from the perspectives of PwFD and organisations, with both groups perceiving the barriers as significant. Finally, studying the relationship between perceived barriers and volunteering revealed that organisations’ intentions towards volunteering are not constrained by the level of barriers they perceive to exist. From the perspective of PwFD, it can be seen that, although it is possible to observe the influence of some specific constraints, perceived barriers do not influence current volunteering practices or future intentions.

World doi: 10.3390/world7050077

Authors: Shay Tsaban Tal Shavit

This conceptual framework paper critically evaluates the economic, regulatory, and accounting significance of transparent reporting on investments in employee happiness, emphasizing its potential to reduce information asymmetry in capital markets. We define employee-happiness investments as deliberate organisational expenditures and management practices designed to enhance employees’ overall life satisfaction. Information asymmetry, a condition that occurs when managers possess better information than investors, poses substantial risks including market inefficiencies, misallocation of capital, and increased costs of capital. Empirical evidence consistently illustrates that employee happiness is positively correlated with enhanced firm productivity, lower risk, and improved financial performance. Despite these clear linkages, current international accounting and regulatory frameworks do not adequately capture investments in employee happiness, with International Accounting Standard 38 mandating immediate expensing rather than balance sheet recognition due to identifiability and control constraints. This treatment could exacerbate informational disparities and may potentially hinder effective investor decision-making by obscuring strategic resource allocation patterns within aggregated expense line items. Drawing on recent studies and real-world financial outcomes, the paper argues for complementary disclosure reforms mandating standardized reporting of employee-happiness investments and outcomes as a crucial step toward more informed market assessments and sustainable corporate practices.

World doi: 10.3390/world7050076

Authors: Angélica Santos Matheus Libório André Coimbra Marcos D’Angelo Petr Ekel Hasheem Mannan Heveraldo Rodrigues de Oliveira Iara Silva

Interest in child health and well-being is growing, and both are multidimensional. Composite indicators (CIs) are useful tools for analyzing their relationships. This study examines the correlation between the CI of child well-being and that of public health system performance and proposes a weighting scheme for constructing CIs. Among schemes, entropy weighting yielded the strongest correlation. Uncertainty analysis revealed that country rankings with entropy weighting are the most stable, demonstrating robust CI. Strong explanatory power indicates that the CIs correlate with GDP, validating their compatibility with a key reference variable. High discriminant power confirms that CIs provide informational diversity, helping decision-makers distinguish between countries. The analysis shows that better health system performance is associated with higher child well-being, reinforcing the role of public health systems in promoting sustainable development and child well-being.

World doi: 10.3390/world7050075

Authors: Geberew Tulu Mekonnen Leo S. F. Lin Duane Aslett Douglas M. C. Allan

Australia’s ban on social media for under-16s, introduced in December 2025, made it the first country worldwide to implement a nationwide prohibition on major platforms for adolescents. This narrative literature review compares Australia’s age-based restriction with international approaches to protecting young people from online risks. The review synthesized 26 academic studies and 15 grey literature sources (policy documents, legislation, and official reports published between 2015 and 2025). It employed Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological systems theory to examine effects across family, platform, institutional, and broader socio-legal contexts. Three key themes emerged: (A) Empirical findings on age-threshold policies remain inconclusive and context-dependent. While unregulated use relates to psychological vulnerabilities, structured and intentional engagement can promote social connection, identity exploration, and support access, especially for marginalized youth. (B) Global responses vary, favoring alternatives like parental consent, platform duty-of-care obligations, and screen-time control measures. (C) Balanced, sustainable harm reduction depends on combining parental involvement, platform accountability, and digital literacy education. Overall, while Australia’s precautionary approach addresses legitimate developmental and public health concerns, its effectiveness seems limited by enforcement challenges, risks of digital exclusion, and potential human rights issues. Bronfenbrenner’s framework underscores the need for coordinated governance across interconnected systems to lessen online harm.

World doi: 10.3390/world7050074

Authors: Virginia Larraz Ramón Reiné Olivia Barrantes

Mountain pastoralism in the Pyrenees has undergone profound transformations in recent decades, driven by socio-economic change, rural depopulation, and the adoption of new technologies. This study examines the evolution of shepherding practices in the Jacetania region of the Western Spanish Pyrenees, with a focus on the interplay between technological innovation and the preservation of traditional ecological knowledge (TEK), which includes a detailed understanding of pasture dynamics, animal behavior, and environmental conditions that guide grazing management. Drawing on interviews with experienced shepherds, and participant observation, we compared historical management of the Collarada mountain pasture—previously under continuous human supervision—with its current use under free-grazing conditions monitored via GPS. The results show a shift from continuous human oversight to technology-assisted management, with reduced labor demands, while traditional ecological knowledge remains essential for effective grazing decisions and adaptation to environmental conditions. We argue that combining modern technologies with the experiential knowledge of pastoralists offers the best pathway toward sustaining both the ecological integrity of high-altitude landscapes and the cultural continuity of pastoral traditions. These findings have the potential to generate broader impacts beyond the study area, contributing to improved ecosystem management, supporting rural livelihoods, and informing policy frameworks aimed at sustaining mountain pastoral systems.

World doi: 10.3390/world7050073

Authors: Mary Funke Olabanji Munyaradzi Chitakira

Climate change poses a significant threat to water resources and agricultural sustainability, particularly in semi-arid and socio-economically vulnerable regions such as South Africa. This review synthesizes empirical, modelling, and policy-based evidence on the impacts of climate change on water availability, crop production, and adaptation strategies in the country, drawing on approximately 162 peer-reviewed studies and institutional reports published between 2010 and 2025. The findings indicate that rising temperatures, shifting rainfall patterns, and an increasing frequency of extreme events, such as droughts and floods, are intensifying water stress and disrupting agricultural systems. Hydrological models consistently project declines in runoff, soil moisture, and streamflow, while crop simulation models predict reductions in the yields of major staple crops, including maize, wheat, and sorghum, particularly under high-emission scenarios. Although localized improvements in water availability and crop productivity may occur, these tend to be limited and highly context-specific. In response, South Africa has implemented a range of adaptation strategies, including climate-smart agriculture, water-efficient irrigation, ecosystem-based approaches, and policy-driven interventions. However, their effectiveness remains constrained by institutional fragmentation, limited financial capacity, and persistent socio-economic inequalities, particularly among smallholder farmers. The review underscores the need for integrated, inclusive, and context-specific adaptation strategies that strengthen governance, enhance the science–policy interface, and improve access to climate finance. The insights provided offer valuable guidance for advancing climate resilience in South Africa and other vulnerable regions across the Global South.

World doi: 10.3390/world7050072

Authors: Aleksandar Ignjatović Pertini Aleksandra Vujko

This study examines the relationship between AI leadership, human-centered independence, and organizational innovation processes and outcomes, challenging the prevailing assumption that leadership-driven AI adoption is inherently associated with improved performance. The research draws on a dual-structured model of AI leadership—AI-driven innovation leadership (Sun) and reflective AI governance leadership (Moon)—to examine whether these approaches are associated with human capability development and innovation performance. Data were collected from 2754 respondents across diverse organizational contexts using a structured survey. The measurement model was validated through exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, and the hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling (SEM). The results indicate that none of the proposed positive relationships are empirically supported. Neither leadership dimension shows a statistically significant relationship with human-centered independence or innovation performance, while the only statistically significant relationship is negative, indicating that human-centered independence, when not integrated with AI, is associated with lower levels of innovation outcomes. The absence of mediation and negligible explained variance further indicate the lack of an integrated structural relationship among the examined constructs. These findings challenge linear models of AI leadership by showing that the coexistence of AI-oriented leadership and human-centered capabilities does not ensure their integration. The study proposes the AI–Human Misalignment Framework as an interpretative lens, suggesting that innovation outcomes may depend on alignment rather than the mere presence of capabilities.

World doi: 10.3390/world7050071

Authors: Carlos Fernando Luna-Carlosama Francy Nelly Jiménez-García

The increasing competition for land between agriculture and electricity generation has driven the implementation agrivoltaic systems (AVSs) as a strategy aligned with Sustainable Development Goals 7 and 13. This study systematically analyzes how AVS design influences agricultural yield (AY), energy yield (EY), and overall sustainability. A systematic review was conducted following the PRISMA protocol, complemented by bibliometric analysis and an exploratory correlation analysis of design variables, productivity indicators, and environmental and economic metrics. From an initial set of 243 records, 79 studies published between 2018 and 2025 were included. The results identify general trends across heterogeneous studies, although these patterns should not be interpreted as universally applicable. Intermediate ground cover ratios (GCRs) (≈30–40%) are commonly associated with favorable trade-offs between AY and EY, often resulting in land equivalent ratios above 1.5 under specific conditions. Reported outcomes indicate that AVS can achieve increases in EY, improvements in water-use efficiency, reductions in CO2 emissions, and competitive economic performance, although these results vary depending on crop type, climate, system configuration, and PV technology. Overall, the analysis highlights GCR as a key design parameter and underscores that AVS performance depends on multivariable and context-specific design rather than universally applicable thresholds, reinforcing its potential as a sustainable agri-energy solution.

World doi: 10.3390/world7050070

Authors: Radoslav Ivančík Jiří Dušek

Security and stability constitute fundamental preconditions for long-term sustainable development. Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and the return of high-intensity interstate warfare to Europe have profoundly transformed the European security environment and challenged long-standing assumptions underpinning European integration and economic development. This article analyses the ongoing transformation of European security with particular attention to industrial resilience, the evolution of the defence technological and industrial base, and the expanding institutional role of the European Union in strengthening strategic autonomy. Using a qualitative analytical approach based on the examination of strategic documents, policy initiatives, and academic literature, the study identifies structural weaknesses in Europe’s defence-industrial system and evaluates recent institutional and financial responses aimed at enhancing resilience and sustainability. The findings demonstrate that security, industrial capacity, and institutional adaptation are increasingly interconnected, and that strengthening resilience and reducing strategic dependencies are essential conditions for Europe’s long-term sustainable development in an unstable geopolitical environment.

World doi: 10.3390/world7040069

Authors: Radoslav Ivančík Vladimír Andrassy

This article examines the geopolitical transformation of the European Union within the context of polycrisis and intensified strategic rivalry following the events of 2022. It addresses the question of whether the EU’s response to contemporary crises represents a mere temporary adjustment triggered by an emergency, or rather a more permanent reconfiguration of European integration. Methodologically, the paper employs a qualitative research design combining conceptual analysis, interdisciplinary theoretical synthesis, and document-based comparative process-tracing of selected post-2022 policy responses, including sanctions policy, energy governance, and geoeconomic industrial policy. The analysis demonstrates that the EU has not evolved into a coherent, sovereign geopolitical actor, but rather into a more strategically adaptive and selectively integrated compound polity. This transformation is characterised by differentiated institutional deepening, expanded executive coordination, and growing tensions between efficiency, legitimacy, and democratic accountability. The article contributes to debates on European integration by conceptualising its current trajectory as a hybrid adaptation to a fragmented global order.

World doi: 10.3390/world7040068

Authors: Jozef Kubás Zuzana Štofková Marián Hrubizna Ivan Buday Katarína Petrlová Alexandra Trličiková Zuzana Podhorská

This article deals with the attitudes of residents of the border village of Ubľa toward the arrival of foreign nationals in the Slovak Republic, with a particular focus on individuals who left Ukraine because of the international armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine. The aim of this research is to assess the impact of this migratory movement on the perceived quality of life of local inhabitants living near the border crossing and to identify potential measures for improvement. This study is based on a review of the current state of the issue in both national and international contexts, serving as a theoretical foundation for the empirical part of this study. This study was conducted using the Computer-Assisted Web Interviewing (CAWI) method to examine residents’ attitudes toward foreign nationals in general, toward arrivals from Ukraine specifically, and toward the management of the crisis declared in 2022 in response to their arrival. Data were analyzed using descriptive and analytical statistics. The results indicate significant differences in respondents’ attitudes depending on their level of education, with university-educated respondents being approximately twice as likely to express more positive attitudes toward the arrival of foreign nationals and refugees from Ukraine compared to respondents with secondary education, who tended to hold more negative views.

World doi: 10.3390/world7040067

Authors: Badrea Al-Oraini

This study examines how Saudi consumers evaluate the commodification of cultural symbols in fashion amid intensified heritage branding and symbolic market expansion. It addresses a gap in the literature on internal cultural commodification, where tensions surrounding authenticity, legitimacy, and commercialization emerge within the same cultural community rather than across clearly separate cultural groups. Drawing on a culturally grounded application of the Theory of Planned Behavior and related literature on consumer ethnocentrism and moral evaluation, the study investigates how perceived authenticity, perceived cultural appropriation, ethical sense, and consumer ethnocentrism shape attitudes toward cultural commodification and purchase intention in the Saudi fashion context. Data were collected through an Arabic-language questionnaire-based survey of Saudi consumers (N = 552) using a non-probability purposive sampling approach. The measurement model employed reflective scales adapted from prior literature and was assessed for reliability and validity. To strengthen methodological rigor, the analysis also considered common method bias diagnostics. The proposed relationships were tested using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) with bootstrapping. The findings indicate that perceived authenticity is positively associated with attitudes toward cultural commodification and relates to purchase intention primarily through attitudes. Perceived cultural appropriation is negatively associated with both attitudes and purchase intention, suggesting both a direct deterrent effect and an indirect pathway via attitudes. Consumer ethnocentrism shows a negative association with purchase intention and a weaker negative association with attitudes, while its moderating role appears statistically significant but limited in magnitude. Ethical sense displays a more complex pattern, combining negative indirect effects through evaluative pathways with a positive direct association with intention, consistent with qualified rather than purely restrictive participation in symbolic consumption. The study contributes to the literature by clarifying how consumer responses to heritage-based fashion commercialization are shaped by representational, ethical, and normative evaluations in a non-Western setting. Practically, it suggests that fashion brands operating in Saudi heritage markets should manage authenticity claims, symbolic legitimacy, and appropriation risk with greater cultural and ethical sensitivity.

World doi: 10.3390/world7040066

Authors: Joel Wainwright Jakub Majmurek

Here, Jakub Majmurek interviews Joel Wainwright about the geopolitics of climate change [...]

World doi: 10.3390/world7040065

Authors: Stylianos Papathanassopoulos Sara Cannizzaro Andrea Miconi

Previous research has shown that the less people trust the media, the less they trust the European Union, but considerations about how trust in new media and trust in traditional media may differently influence trust in European political institutions have remained scarce. Using Eurobarometer data and a methodology combining factor analysis and logistic regression, we find that that trust in new media has a stronger positive association to political trust in the European Union than trust in traditional media. We also consider moderating factors and find that trust in traditional media has a positive association with trust in European institutions via the moderating effects of age, trust in national government, and positive judgments of the European economy, while trust in new media is positively associated with trust in the EU via trust in national governments and the perception of media bias. These findings illustrate the complex interplay between the national character of trust in traditional media and the social-capital-regenerating affordances of trust in new media. Future research exploring the influence of media trust on trust in the European Union should account more clearly for the two distinct types of media trust highlighted in this investigation.

World doi: 10.3390/world7040064

Authors: Oksana Liashenko Olena Mykhailovska Bogdan Adamyk Liudmyla Ladonko Grygoriy Starchenko Anastasiia Duka Maksym Urakin

This study examines whether economic diplomacy—proxied by KOF-based indicators of political globalisation and economic policy openness—is associated with multidimensional sustainable development (SD) across 208 countries over the period 2000–2023. Using two-way fixed-effects panel models with Driscoll–Kraay standard errors, complemented by instrumental-variable and dynamic panel checks, we find a positive but modest within-country association between diplomatic embeddedness and Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) performance. The association is driven primarily by political globalisation—reflecting diplomatic networks, international organisation membership, and treaty engagement—rather than trade policy openness. De facto integration exhibits stronger links to SDG outcomes than de jure policy indicators. The relationship is concave, with diminishing marginal returns beyond a diplomacy proxy value of approximately 60. A latent-class framework identifies two institutional archetypes: the association is more pronounced and robust under stronger governance (71 countries), while it attenuates under weaker governance (85 countries). Goal-level estimates reveal systematic trade-offs—gains in inequality reduction (SDG 10) and innovation (SDG 9) alongside adverse associations with climate outcomes (SDG 13)—and a structural breakpoint around 2017 consistent with the onset of slowbalisation. The results suggest that diplomacy can support SD, but its payoff depends on governance capacity and the management of cross-goal externalities.

World doi: 10.3390/world7040063

Authors: Rsha Ali Alghafes

Environmental sustainability has emerged as a strategic requirement of those organizations that want to remain competitive in the long run, but most companies continue to adopt green human resource management (GHRM) practices and organizational change initiatives individually, thus restraining their potential transformation. This paper constructs and confirms a combined approach of how the fit between GHRM practices and adaptive change management processes results in high performance in sustainable innovation. In this study, 83 organizations from both the manufacturing and service sectors were selected using a purposive sampling method, to ensure diversity across developed and developing countries and varying levels of GHRM integration (low, moderate, and high). The sample was chosen to represent a broad spectrum of sustainability maturity levels, allowing for a comprehensive analysis of how GHRM practices influence green product, process, and business model innovation. This selection, alongside 30 peer-reviewed studies published between 2020 and 2025, underpins the conceptual framework used to activate change preparedness and link GHRM dimensions with innovation outcomes. I demonstrate that organizations with a high GHRM–change management fit have much higher levels of innovation performance—both in terms of the number of green product innovations (485%) and more sustainable performance improvement (90.5 on average)—than low-integration organizations. Findings also reveal that leadership commitment, employee engagement, organizational learning, and systemic reinforcement are key mediating processes that enhance the effect of GHRM activities. Temporal trajectory analysis demonstrates that integrated organizations go through deployment, consolidation, and optimization phases, as well as increasing returns to performance, with an accelerating trend of 36 months. This paper is important in management research as it fills in gaps in the literature, providing an explanation of how human resource practices facilitate organizational change at the system level. In practice, this study offers evidence-based recommendations to managers who want to establish sustainability-oriented innovation capability by implementing a coordinated GHRM and adaptive change management approach.

World doi: 10.3390/world7040062

Authors: Mohd Khairi Ismail Muhamad Zahid Muhamad Muhammad Nooraiman Zailani Sharmila Thinagar Nur Ilyana Ismarau Tajuddin

Malaysia’s aspiration to attain high-income status necessitates not only economic growth but also a deeper understanding of poverty that goes beyond financial indicators. The Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) for Malaysia is designed to be comprehensive, considering a wide range of factors relevant to the diverse population of the country. Unlike traditional income-based approaches, our study goes beyond money to capture how poverty affects households across multiple dimensions. The MPI reveals important insights that standard measures often miss—showing which families struggle with education, health, housing, or digital access, not just income. Therefore, this study aims to enhance the Multidimensional Poverty Index for the Malaysian context by identifying and incorporating new dimensions and indicators to better capture the complexity of poverty in the country based on an empirical study in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The MPI represents a significant advancement, offering a multidimensional framework for poverty measurement. Based on results in Kuala Lumpur, 38.7% of households were found to be multidimensionally poor. This means that nearly 4 out of every 10 households in this study experienced deprivations in multiple basic needs, not just income. Household size also significantly influences the risk of multidimensional poverty, with households of more than six members being over three times more likely to be poor, primarily due to higher dependency ratios and greater consumption burdens.

World doi: 10.3390/world7040061

Authors: Vera Lazanaki Evdokia Tsoni Kleanthis Katsaros

Organizations increasingly invest in sustainability, yet limited knowledge exists regarding the psychological and leadership mechanisms through which Green Human Resource Management (GHRM) fosters employees’ green innovative behavior. This study addresses this scientific problem by examining how GHRM relates to green innovation through sequential psychological processes and under which leadership conditions these relationships become stronger. Using multi-source data from 300 employee–supervisor dyads across three industries in the Greek private sector, the study tests a serial mediation model linking GHRM to green innovative behavior through psychological safety and work engagement, as well as the moderating role of Green Transformational Leadership (GTL). Structural equation modelling supports all hypothesized associations: GHRM is positively related to psychological safety, which predicts work engagement, which in turn strongly predicts green innovative behavior. GTL strengthens the relationship between GHRM and psychological safety, resulting in a stronger indirect effect on green innovation. The findings provide an integrative understanding of how HR systems, psychological conditions, and leadership jointly support employee-driven environmental innovation.

World doi: 10.3390/world7040060

Authors: Edgar Quispe-Mamani Neysmy Carin Cutimbo-Churata Fermin Francisco Chaiña-Chura Vilma Luz Aparicio-Salas Zoraida Loaiza-Ortiz Zaida Janet Mendoza-Choque Raquel Alvarez-Siguayro Eutropia Medina-Ortíz

This study examines female microenterprise entrepreneurship in the city of Juliaca, Peru, as a response to structural conditions of poverty, informality, and limited inclusion in public policies. The research aims to understand and interpret the dynamics of women-led entrepreneurship and its relationship with sustainable local socioeconomic development. A qualitative methodological approach based on an interpretive phenomenological design was adopted. Data was collected through in-depth interviews, direct observation, and document analysis with sixteen microentrepreneurs selected through purposive and snowball sampling. The findings reveal that intrinsic motivations (resilience, leadership, and self-fulfillment) and extrinsic motivations (economic independence, access to financing, and education) are key factors in the entrepreneurial process. In addition, entrepreneurial social capital, expressed through family, community, and institutional networks, plays a strategic role in the sustainability of businesses. The results also show that women entrepreneurs actively and significantly contribute to sustainable local socioeconomic development by strengthening local development ecosystems, generating employment, and promoting socially, fiscally, and ethically responsible practices. Despite their role as agents of change and transformation, women entrepreneurs continue to face structural barriers, highlighting the need for public policies with territorial and gender-sensitive approaches to strengthen their impact and sustainability.

World doi: 10.3390/world7040059

Authors: Melchor Gómez García Derlis Cáceres Troche Moussa Boumadan Roberto Soto-Varela

The accelerated expansion of artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping economic systems, labour markets and democratic life, giving rise to hybrid human–AI societies. In this context, education becomes a strategic arena for enabling sustainable and socially just transitions within the Fourth Industrial Revolution. This article examines how digital competence can be reconceptualized to prepare future citizens and educators for these emerging societal configurations, with particular attention to the Ibero-American context. A conceptual framework is proposed that integrates algorithmic literacy, critical data awareness, AI ethics, human–AI collaboration skills, and civic and socio-emotional capacities as core dimensions of “next-decade” digital competence. Methodologically, the study combines three complementary approaches: (a) a structured review of interdisciplinary literature on AI, digital competence and sustainability; (b) an analysis of international and regional policy documents and competence frameworks relevant to Ibero-America; and (c) selected empirical insights drawn from the first author’s doctoral research on digital competence and AI use in teacher education. The findings reveal significant tensions between rapid AI adoption and persistent structural inequalities in the Global South, while identifying key leverage points for aligning teacher education, public policy and institutional strategies with the Sustainable Development Goals. The proposed framework aims to support policymakers, universities and international organizations in fostering inclusive and sustainable AI-driven social change while mitigating new forms of exclusion and dependency.

World doi: 10.3390/world7040058

Authors: Lien Pham

This paper examines the impacts of climate-related hazards on water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) access and practices in rural Cambodia using a Vulnerability–Exposure–Adaptive Capacity (VEAC) framework. Drawing on survey data with 423 households and 96 local authorities across five climate-vulnerable provinces in rural Cambodia, the study integrates household experiences with perspectives from village, commune, and district authorities responsible for local WASH planning and service delivery. The analysis distinguishes exposure to floods and droughts from underlying socio-economic and environmental vulnerabilities in WASH access and use, and from the social, economic, and geographic determinants shaping adaptive capacity. The findings show that while exposure to climate hazards is geographically patterned, similar levels of exposure do not produce uniform WASH outcomes. Flood impacts on hygiene, sanitation, and health are mediated by village environmental conditions and household economic status, while drought impacts and responses reflect broader locational factors alongside income insecurity and social marginalisation, including disability, older age, and female-headed households. Although awareness of climate risks and adaptative WASH options is relatively high, uptake of adaptation measures remains uneven. Adaptive capacity is constrained less by knowledge deficits than by structural and economic barriers, resulting in short-term coping rather than sustained adaptation. Overall, the study demonstrates that climate-related WASH vulnerability is shaped more by socio-economic vulnerability and mismatches in adaptive capacity across household and authority scales than by hazard exposure alone.

World doi: 10.3390/world7040057

Authors: Howard Moskowitz Arthur Kover Stephen D. Rappaport Sharon Wingert Dipak Paul

The study uses the emerging science of Mind Genomics to study the prevalence of extremist thought in random samples of online research panel participants, first with 212 respondents in August 2021, and then with another group of 200 respondents in August 2025. The two studies presented each respondent with a unique set of 24 vignettes, comprising 2–4 statements that could be construed as extremist (e.g., Vaccines are a way for the government to control people). Respondents rated the likelihood that either they, their family, or both agreed with the statements in the vignette or disagreed with the statements in the vignette. The respondents were deconstructed by regression modeling and clustering to show the prevalence of agreement with the statements across different types of people (age, gender, political leaning, year) and across mind-sets. The data suggest that respondents easily differentiated the statements and that the distribution of responses to extremist statements did not dramatically change when President Trump succeeded President Biden. The approach is presented as a new way to investigate sensitive topics by creating sets of test stimuli, answers to which cannot be “gamed”. Given all the news and near-news circulating in the fragmented media, this research offers a clear, if complex, view of attitudes and any changes which may have occurred between the Biden and second Trump administrations.

World doi: 10.3390/world7040056

Authors: Gita Bhushal Pankaj Lal

Regional trade liberalization via preferential agreements increasingly shapes economic outcomes in small open economies embedded in overlapping regional frameworks. This study evaluates the short-run economy-wide effects of tariff and non-tariff measure (NTM) reforms under the South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA) and the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) using a Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) model calibrated to the GTAP 10 database. Gravity-based estimates of ad valorem equivalents (AVEs) of NTMs are integrated into the CGE framework, enabling explicit modeling of regulatory barriers alongside tariff reductions. Policy simulations examine scenarios involving a 90 percent tariff cut and a 50 percent NTM reduction, applied individually and jointly, under a short-run closure with fixed factor endowments and a trade balance for Nepal. Results indicate that combined liberalization yields positive macroeconomic adjustments, with real GDP rising by about one percent and exports increasing by over 14 percent, driven primarily by the manufacturing sector, particularly textiles, while agricultural responses vary by exposure to NTMs. These findings provide policy-relevant evidence on the relative effectiveness of tariff and regulatory reforms, informing strategies for deeper regional integration and enhanced competitiveness in small, structurally constrained economies.

World doi: 10.3390/world7040055

Authors: Ana Marija Alfirević Iva Klepić Umihana Umihanić Bukvić Nikša Alfirević

Digital maturity (DM) has emerged as a popular concept for explaining how higher education institutions (HEIs) develop digitally supported academic teaching and learning, research, administration, and community outreach (third mission). However, DM is often framed as a technical problem of adopting information and communication technologies (ICTs), infrastructure, and tool deployment. In this paper, we conceptualize DM as an organizational capability that enables HEIs to align digital tools with strategy, governance, and teaching. Building on entrepreneurial orientation (EO) research, we argue that EO is an antecedent of digital maturity, but that this relationship cannot be realized without a change-supportive organizational culture. We develop a conceptual model in which EO is positively associated with DM, both directly and indirectly through the change-ready organizational culture, and present propositions for future empirical research. We provide a preliminary qualitative evaluation of the model through in-depth interviews with stakeholders in a single, digitally advanced university case from the Southeast Europe (SEE) region. Based on the thematic analysis, we identify patterns suggesting that CRC links EO and DM in this case. We use the findings to refine construct boundaries and show possible mechanisms; assessing generalizable effects is left to future quantitative studies on larger national and regional samples.

World doi: 10.3390/world7040054

Authors: Petar Bojović Aleksandra Vujko Martina Arsić

Living history tourism is traditionally framed through heritage preservation and educational interpretation, yet the mechanisms translating visitor motivation into behavioral intention remain insufficiently theorized. This study develops and empirically tests an integrated structural model combining escape motives, experiential immersion, authenticity construction, educational enrichment, and behavioral intention within a unified framework. Data were collected from 1066 visitors at Skansen (Sweden) between March 2025 and March 2026 using an on-site, self-administered questionnaire with voluntary participation. The sample included domestic and international visitors, predominantly aged 18–44, with high educational attainment. Structural equation modeling was applied. The results show that detachment-oriented motives strongly activate experiential immersion, which emerges as the central mechanism in the model. Immersion significantly strengthens perceptions of historical authenticity and represents the dominant predictor of behavioral intention, while educational motives exert a weaker but significant effect. Mediation analysis confirms that the influence of escape operates indirectly through immersion. The findings indicate that living history tourism functions primarily as an experiential environment enabling temporary disengagement from routine pressures. Although often framed as an educational domain, the results suggest that experiential engagement outweighs cognitive motives in shaping visitor behavior.

World doi: 10.3390/world7040053

Authors: Oksana Liashenko Dmytro Harapko Olena Mykhailovska Ihor Chornodid Nadiia Pysarenko Dmytro Horban

Global progress towards the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) remains critically off track, with current trends indicating that only 17% of targets will be met by the deadline. As sustainability transitions increasingly depend on regional and institutional capacity, understanding heterogeneous transition pathways and resilience across territorial contexts is essential. This study investigates whether observed divergence in SDG performance reflects temporary setbacks or persistent structural regimes characterised by distinct institutional and technological configurations. Using panel data from over 160 countries (2019–2024), we employ annual latent class analysis to identify hidden structures in SDG performance across 15 goals, introducing intertemporal volatility as a dimension of development dynamics. We complement this with ordered logistic regression to examine structural determinants of regime membership, including governance quality, digital infrastructure, health investment, and macroeconomic indicators. Our analysis identifies three temporally stable development regimes—lagging, transitional, and leading—with fewer than 15% of countries transitioning between classes over the observation period. ANOVA results reveal that internet access and government effectiveness exhibit the most substantial between-regime differences. Ordered logit models indicate that governance quality and digital connectivity are the strongest correlates of regime membership (government effectiveness: β = 0.943, p < 0.001; internet penetration: β = 0.049, p < 0.001), whereas short-term GDP growth exerts negligible influence (p > 0.10). These findings challenge assumptions of linear convergence in sustainable development and provide a data-driven framework for evaluating transition dynamics across diverse territorial contexts. The results suggest that achieving the SDGs requires that deep structural constraints be addressed—particularly digital divides and institutional quality—through regionally targeted policy design rather than relying solely on incremental adjustments or economic growth. The identified regimes provide a basis for place-based targeting by distinguishing contexts where governance and digital capacity constraints are binding.

World doi: 10.3390/world7040052

Authors: Tranoulidis Apostolos

Environmental protection and the reduction of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are central priorities within European climate policy. This study analyses and forecasts annual CO2 emissions in Greece using a univariate time-series framework. Annual data from 1960 to 2024, sourced from Our World in Data, enable the analysis to capture both the historical expansion of emissions and the recent decarbonization phase of the Greek energy system. Using the Box–Jenkins methodology, multiple ARIMA specifications were evaluated based on information criteria and diagnostic tests. To examine the stationarity properties of the series, the Augmented Dickey–Fuller (ADF) unit root test is applied. The findings indicate that the ARIMA (1,1,1) model most accurately represents the stochastic dynamics of the emissions series. The estimated autoregressive and moving-average coefficients, 0.9404 and −0.7165, respectively, are statistically significant at the 1% level. Residual diagnostics confirm the absence of serial correlation, approximate normality, and no significant heteroskedasticity. Forecast evaluation for the 2020–2024 holdout period demonstrates satisfactory predictive performance, with a mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) of approximately 6%. Dynamic forecasts for 2025 to 2030 indicate a gradual decline in national CO2 emissions, reaching an estimated 45.5 million tonnes by 2030. Overall, the study demonstrates that parsimonious ARIMA models offer a transparent and empirically reliable benchmark for national emissions forecasting. These models provide a reproducible tool for monitoring climate policy outcomes and for supporting evidence-based environmental decision-making. This study contributes to the environmental forecasting literature by providing an updated, diagnostically rigorous univariate benchmark model for Greece’s CO2 emissions that encompasses both the pre- and post-decarbonization phases of the national energy transition.

World doi: 10.3390/world7040051

Authors: Goran Lalić Dragana Trifunović

This paper examines the role of institutional quality in shaping income convergence across European economies over the period 2004–2023. While previous studies frequently assume either linear institutional effects or strong regime-dependent threshold dynamics, this study evaluates whether institutional conditions fundamentally alter the speed of convergence. Using a fixed-effects panel framework with a spline-based specification and an endogenously determined institutional breakpoint, this analysis allows the convergence coefficient to vary across institutional regimes. The results confirm the presence of conditional convergence in the full sample and across regional subgroups. Although an estimated institutional breakpoint marginally improves model fit, formal Wald and bootstrap-based threshold tests do not provide strong evidence of a structural break in the convergence parameter. The speed of convergence remains broadly stable across institutional regimes, suggesting that institutional quality does not function as a binary activation threshold. Instead, institutions appear to operate as conditioning factors influencing the stability and robustness of convergence dynamics rather than triggering discrete regime shifts. Regional estimations reveal heterogeneity in institutional dispersion and growth volatility, particularly in the Western Balkans, yet without fundamental alterations in convergence mechanisms. The findings contribute to the literature by reframing the institutional–convergence nexus toward a moderated nonlinear interpretation, emphasizing structural conditioning rather than regime-dependent convergence.

World doi: 10.3390/world7030050

Authors: Maria C Tavares Andres Ramos

Given the aggregated potential impact of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs), this study analyzes the disclosure of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) among companies located in the municipality in Portugal, awarded the ‘SMEs Excellence’ certification by the Institute for the Support of Small and Medium Enterprises (IAPMEI) in 2022. Given the limited empirical evidence on SDG disclosure among high-performing, non-listed SMEs in Portugal, the study adopts a hybrid exploratory–descriptive research design to provide new empirical insights on the sustainability disclosure practices of firms holding this certification. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire administered to 51 ‘SMEs Excellence’ located in the municipality of Águeda, district of Aveiro, yielding 24 responses. The findings are interpreted through the lenses of stakeholder, legitimacy, and signaling theories. Results indicate that only 42% of the companies recognize the importance of the SDGs, prioritizing decent work, innovation, and responsible consumption (SDGs 8, 9, and 12). However, only 12.5% formally disclose their SDG engagement. The main barriers to disclosure include limited institutional support, time constraints, and insufficient knowledge. Among firms that do disclose SDG-related initiatives, the primary motivations are image enhancement and stakeholder recognition. Respondents also highlight the importance of financial incentives, examples of best practices from other companies, and targeted training as key factors in supporting and expanding SDG disclosure among SMEs. This study contributes to the literature by providing one of the first empirical analyses of SDG disclosure among financially robust SMEs in Portugal, highlighting how stakeholder pressure, legitimacy concerns, and signaling incentives shape disclosure behavior.

World doi: 10.3390/world7030049

Authors: Md Tanvir Miah Raiyan Raiyan Ayad Khalid Almaimani Khan Rubayet Rahaman

Urban areas in arid environments are increasingly affected by the urban heat island (UHI) effect, which intensifies thermal stress, disrupts ecological balance, and poses challenges for sustainable urban development. Understanding and predicting spatiotemporal variations in land surface temperature (LST) and land use dynamics is therefore critical for effective urban planning. This study develops a predictive framework for Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, using long-term Landsat time series data (1993–2023) and deep learning models to evaluate urban thermal patterns via the Urban Thermal Field Variation Index (UTFVI). Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) with six hidden layers for LST and seven for UTFVI forecast future trends up to 2043. The results indicate that urban areas expanded by 521.62 km2, increasing from 8.73% to 19.56% between 1993 and 2023, and are projected to reach 1509.40 km2 (25.28%) by 2043, while vegetation coverage declined from 0.771% to 0.674%. The highest average summer LST increased from 56.73 °C in 1993 to 59.89 °C in 2023 and is predicted to rise to 60.79 °C by 2033 and 61.52 °C by 2043. Winter temperatures exhibited a comparable upward trend, rising from 30.75 °C to 32.33 °C in 2023 and projected to reach 34.48 °C by 2043. UTFVI analysis revealed a substantial expansion of weak thermal field zones, which covered 2778 km2 in 2023 and are expected to reach 3018.44 km2 (57%) by winter 2043, accompanied by a marked contraction of strong thermal field areas. The ANN models achieved a high predictive performance, with RMSE values of 0.759 (summer) and 0.789 (winter) for UTFVI and correlation coefficients of 0.91 and 0.89, respectively. Projections further indicate that, by 2043, approximately 39.31% of the study area will experience summer temperatures between 48 °C and 53 °C, compared to 5.59% in 2023. These findings highlight the accelerating interaction between urban growth and thermal intensification in arid cities. The proposed modeling framework provides a robust decision-support tool for urban planners and policymakers to mitigate UHI impacts and promote climate-resilient and sustainable urban development.

World doi: 10.3390/world7030048

Authors: Fernando Mata Maria Rosário Marques

Animal welfare has become an increasingly prominent attribute in global food markets, embedded within sustainability narratives, quality claims, and ethical branding strategies. However, the proliferation of animal welfare claims has not always been matched by equivalent improvements in on-farm welfare outcomes. This paper conceptualises animal welfare washing (AWW) as a systemic phenomenon in animal-based supply chains, whereby welfare narratives, standards, and certifications create the appearance of ethical production without delivering measurable improvements in animal welfare. Drawing on the interdisciplinary literature from animal welfare science, sustainability studies, trade governance, and food policy, this conceptual essay examines how AWW emerges from the interaction of industrial farming systems, fragmented public and private regulations, trade incentives, and information asymmetries. The analysis shows that AWW undermines ethical commitments to animals, regulatory credibility, and food quality governance. Welfare claims frequently operate as credence-based quality signals, despite weak links to verifiable welfare outcomes. Together, these conditions enable symbolic compliance and regulatory arbitrage across global value chains. As a result, genuinely higher-welfare producers face distorted competition, while consumers encounter diminishing trust in sustainability labels. It is argued that addressing AWW requires a shift toward outcome-based measurable welfare standards, stronger enforcement, improved integration with food quality regulation, and trade-compatible governance frameworks that reward performance rather than symbolic claims. By situating AWW within broader sustainability and trade dynamics, this paper advances debates on ethical food governance.

World doi: 10.3390/world7030047

Authors: Said Omar Díaz Ortega María Eufemia Pérez-Flores Juana Yolanda López-Cruz Isidro Morales García Silvia Nuria Jurado Celis

The milpa (a traditional Mesoamerican agricultural system) constitutes a dynamic space with a great diversity of agro-food and sociocultural resources. The objective of this study was to evaluate the milpa’s contribution to food self-sufficiency and to document perceptions of its attributes and cultural significance in San Felipe Tejalápam, Oaxaca. Using a mixed-methods design that included food frequency questionnaires, 24 h dietary recalls (n = 50), and semi-structured interviews (n = 12), the percentage of adequacy (PA) and the symbolic perception of the milpa were analyzed. The results indicate that milpa foods are important for local nutrition, providing significantly higher percentages of adequacy (p ≤ 0.05) for carbohydrates (63.72%), fiber (69.72%), and iron (77.22%). However, the system proved insufficient in energy (42.35%), protein (32.38%), vitamin C (2.69%), vitamin E (0.17%), and potassium (11.14%) compared to external food sources. From a cultural perspective, the milpa was identified as a pillar of community identity. Participants highlighted its culinary properties, health benefits, and its role as a driver of economic and food self-sufficiency. It is concluded that the milpa not only satisfies key nutritional needs but also preserves ancestral knowledge and strengthens the social fabric of the population.

World doi: 10.3390/world7030046

Authors: Oluwaseun Adeyemi Tracy Chippendale Gbenga Ogedegbe Joshua Chodosh Dowin Boatright

Background: Care partners play a critical role in supporting physical activity among older adults. This study assesses how care partners’ attitudes to and engagement in physical activity relate to their perceived benefits of physical activity for older adults. Methods: For this cross-sectional study, 305 care partners completed validated surveys on the perceived benefits of physical activities among older adults (outcome), attitudes towards, and practices of physical activities (predictors). For all three surveys, higher scores indicate greater perceived benefit, more positive attitudes, and greater engagement in physical activities. We assessed the relationship between the predictor and outcome variables using multivariable quantile regression models adjusted for sociodemographic, caregiving, and health-related covariates. We reported the adjusted median difference (aMD) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results: The population was predominantly young adults (18–34 years, 58%), female (53%), who had been providing caregiving services for three or more years (43%). The median perceived physical activity benefit for older adults, personal attitude toward physical activity, and physical activity practice scale scores were 60.0 (52.0–66.0), 29.0 (25.0–33.0), and 33.0 (28.0–39.0), respectively. After adjusting for covariates, a unit increase in both attitude towards physical activity (aMD: 1.14; 95% CI: 0.96–1.33) and physical activity practice (aMD: 0.60; 95% CI: 0.45–0.75) was associated with increased median score of perceived benefit of physical activity among older adults. Conclusions: Care partners with positive attitudes and greater engagement in their personal physical activity perceive physical activities as beneficial for older adults.

World doi: 10.3390/world7030045

Authors: Manuel Galiñanes Leo Klinkers

Global environmental governance has expanded significantly, yet it remains politically inadequate to address planetary crises in the Anthropocene. Despite the proliferation of multilateral environmental agreements, governance arrangements continue to suffer from fragmentation, weak authority, limited accountability, and a sovereignty-bound logic that constrains collective action. This article critically examines these limitations through an assessment of polycentric and Nested Systemic Governance approaches. While nested governance can reduce fragmentation and enhance participation, it remains dependent on voluntarism and lacks the political authority and democratic anchoring required for durable coordination. Drawing on debates in environmental politics and global governance, the article advances a longer-term institutional perspective that conceptualises a gradual evolution toward a federative framework combining multilevel participation with enforceable authority and democratic legitimacy.

World doi: 10.3390/world7030044

Authors: Nikša Alfirević Željko Mateljak Slađana Pavlinović Mršić Mirela Mabić

Extant literature captures the benefits and risks concerning young adults’ use of digital technologies and platforms, but it does not unilaterally recognize the drivers of problematic digital behavior. Those drivers might differ across dimensions of young adults’ digital lives, their socioeconomic backgrounds, and other demographic determinants. In this study, we analyze the determinants of addictive digital behavior of economics and business students from a Southeast European (SEE) sample of 372 participants. We measure digital addictive behavior regarding Internet use, with a focus on mobile phones, using established psychological scales. Our results show that age is generally associated with lower problematic digital behavior (significant in the full sample), while female students report higher PRIUSS-3 scores than male students. Higher ICT proficiency is associated with lower PRIUSS-3 and MPPUS-10 scores. Daily screen time is associated with higher MPPUS-10 scores, but it does not significantly predict PRIUSS-3 in the multivariable model. The empirical results can be used to frame the higher education policies and targeted interventions in the SEE region.

World doi: 10.3390/world7030043

Authors: Diana Šateikiene Juliana Kovalevskaja

Warehouses are energy-intensive nodes in a logistics chain and critical hotspots for decarbonization efforts. Digitalization and Industry 4.0 technologies are increasingly promoted as enablers of greener warehousing; however, environmental benefits are often implied rather than empirically quantified. This study examines how digitalization, automation, and robotization support the implementation of green logistics principles in warehousing operations. The research combines a scientific literature review and document content analysis with semi-structured interviews with company managers and logistics professionals. The results indicate that implementing a warehouse management system (Vision Equinox), integrating information systems, and adopting RFID technology reduce paper-based processes, improve picking accuracy and internal routing, shorten loading and unloading times, and may decrease the risk of human error. Consequently, these technologies enable more efficient resource use and can contribute to lower energy consumption and a reduced environmental footprint associated with warehouse activities. The study concludes that digital technologies already serve as a systematic enabler of green logistics within the organization; however, their environmental benefits have not yet been quantified. Future research should therefore focus on measuring changes in energy use and CO2 emissions under different warehousing scenarios.

World doi: 10.3390/world7030042

Authors: Panagiota-Kyriaki Revelou Athanasia Manthati Eriada Canaj Eleni Gogou Anthimia Batrinou Irini F. Strati

Household food waste constitutes a major sustainability challenge with worldwide implications. In the current study, an online survey (N = 252) was developed to explore how routine food management practices in Greek households influence food waste. The survey was combined with a Social Practice Theory (SPT) framework and an exploratory high-school educational intervention (N = 27) with app-based diary tracking. Under the context of SPT, indices for meanings (MNG), competencies (CPT) and materiality (MAT) were constructed, along with a Food Waste Frequency (FWF) index. Respondents were highly willing to follow educational advice (87.3%) but more moderately open to using a food-tracking app (48.1%). FWF index results (M = 2.01, SD = 0.64) suggested that household food waste was present but not established as a daily routine of the participants. Pearson’s correlations and hierarchical regression of SPT indices and FWF showed that MNG were the main predictor of household FWF (R2 = 0.38), with CPT providing a marginal contribution. Also, a positive correlation (r = 0.619, p < 0.01) was observed between FWF and MNG. The results from the food waste tracking app showed that legumes (14.6%), vegetable peel (14.6%), and meat (12.5%) were the most frequently discarded food categories and that 56.3% of the discarded food was used for animal feed. However, a decrease in the use of the application was observed after the second week. The results highlight the need for prevention policies that focus on practice configurations (i.e., MNG, CPT, and MAT). The current study operationalizes key SPT elements as measurable indices for quantitative analysis on these practice-based aspects.

World doi: 10.3390/world7030041

Authors: Durgham Darwazeh Amelia Clarke Jeffrey Wilson

Despite the growing body of literature on pro-environmental behavior (PEB) across various domains, a systematic review that synthesizes the application of theoretical frameworks to examine the internal and external factors influencing PEB within the hospitality domain remains noticeably absent. Therefore, this study aims to examine the progress of the current literature in exploring the concept of PEB by answering three primary questions: (1) How has PEB been defined in the hospitality literature? (2) What theories have various authors adopted? (3) What future research recommendations have been identified in the literature? A total of 104 peer-reviewed articles were analyzed using thematic analysis. The analysis indicated that the view of employee-focused studies on the definition of PEB has changed to be conceptualized through the lens of workplace–environmental citizenship, while the current guest-focused studies have acknowledged the psychological effect of hotel guests on their engagement in environmental practices. Traditional theories, such as the theory of planned behavior and socially oriented theories, remain dominant, and most studies recommend future research to integrate constructional and psychological factors to expand current research models. Overall, this review can serve as a useful tool for future studies to identify the right definition and theoretical lens. Additionally, the review calls for the use of diverse frameworks to deepen our understanding of how PEB unfolds within hospitality settings.

World doi: 10.3390/world7030040

Authors: Adrián Oliver-Esteban Raúl Romero-Calcerrada

Depopulation threatens livelihoods, services, and cultural landscapes. In the scientific literature, tourism is frequently discussed as a potential lever in depopulation contexts, yet reported demographic outcomes vary widely across settings. We conducted a PRISMA-informed systematic review of Web of Science and Scopus (1993–2025), identifying 268 articles that were coded using a hybrid bibliometric–narrative approach into thematic axes and reported effect directions (positive, neutral, negative). Reported outcomes are heterogeneous and conditional rather than uniform. Tourism is associated with positive demographic trajectories, primarily where it is embedded in diversified local economies, supported by strong social capital, and integrated into coordinated governance and planning frameworks; negative or neutral outcomes recur under tourism monoculture, strong seasonality, housing pressure, and weak territorial regulation. Keyword co-occurrence and narrative analyses identify three dominant thematic clusters (rural development, spatial–cultural transformation, and sustainability) structured around depopulation as the central conceptual node. The geography of knowledge production further indicates a strong European concentration, particularly in Southern Europe, where tourism is explicitly framed as a policy response to demographic decline, while non-European research adopts more analytical and sectoral perspectives. Overall, this review shows that tourism functions as a contingent territorial lever rather than a universal remedy: its demographic associations depend on institutional, spatial, and socio-economic configurations. By systematically organizing fragmented evidence, the study clarifies when tourism is reported to support demographic stabilization, and when it is reported to have no effect or to coincide with continued decline, providing a clearer analytical basis for future comparative research and context-sensitive territorial policy design.

World doi: 10.3390/world7030039

Authors: Cristina García Fernández

In the context of rapid advancements in artificial intelligence, smart villages are increasingly recognized as a promising strategy to address challenges associated with excessive urban concentration. However, the key factor driving demographic shifts toward rural areas is the strengthening of social capacities linked to governance and inter-territorial collaboration between municipalities and cities. Promoting robust urban-rural socio-cultural relationships and participatory frameworks is therefore essential, yet these elements remain underemphasized in the institutional design of smart regions, despite their critical role in fostering territorial cohesion. This research examines the dimensions of the Smart Village concept within the European policy framework, using the specific challenges and strategic responses of the Spanish case as a primary reference point. It aims to assess how smart rural development can help reduce disparities between rural and urban areas by considering core rural challenges, including demographic imbalances, intensified climate impacts, deteriorating infrastructure, and a lack of digital skills, that currently limit the sustainability of rural communities, particularly in countries with widely dispersed populations like Spain.

World doi: 10.3390/world7030038

Authors: Fatemeh Behfar Roger Miralles-Jori Yolanda Pérez-Albert

Public green spaces play a critical role in fostering social cohesion in rapidly industrializing cities. However, empirical research on how urban residents in non-Western contexts perceive, evaluate and use these spaces remains limited, particularly in Islamic industrial cities with distinct cultural practices and urban development patterns. This study examines determinants of visitor satisfaction in Coastal Park, Asaluyeh, a rapidly industrializing Persian Gulf city. The city’s industrial character, marked by acute green space scarcity and demographic imbalances due to workforce migration, provides a distinctive context for examining urban park dynamics in Iran’s petrochemical industrial zones. Using structured questionnaires and systematic field observations, we assess factors influencing park satisfaction and the role of the park in facilitating community bonds. Results reveal that vegetation quality shows the strongest association with visitor satisfaction (r = 0.45, p < 0.001), surpassing demographic characteristics in explanatory power. The park predominantly serves group-based activities, with family gatherings representing the dominant form of social interaction, reflecting cultural preferences for communal recreation. Significant disparities emerge across men and women in satisfaction levels and usage patterns. Temporal concentration during weekend evenings is driven by extreme daytime heat, while transportation barriers limit equitable access. Statistical analyses indicate weak correlations between demographic variables and satisfaction, underscoring the primacy of experiential factors in shaping visitor perceptions. The findings provide evidence-based recommendations for culturally sensitive park design in industrial Islamic cities, emphasizing the need for infrastructure, amenities, and improved public transport connectivity to ensure equitable access across diverse demographic groups.

World doi: 10.3390/world7030037

Authors: Fahim Sufi Sumaiya Islam A K M Iftekharul Islam Asif Bin Ali Mohammad Abdul Jabber

The July 2024 uprising in Bangladesh highlighted the growing importance of social media in transforming widespread grievances into coordinated civic mobilisation, yet empirical understanding of how grievances, access to platforms, networked connectivity, and global consciousness jointly shape mobilisation remains limited, particularly in Global South contexts. This study addresses this gap by systematically examining the mechanisms through which these factors interact to influence digital mobilisation during the Bangladeshi uprising. Using survey data collected from 260 university students who constituted a central mobilisation cohort, the study operationalises grievances, access, connectivity, global consciousness, and digital mobilisation as composite constructs and analyses them through an integrated quantitative framework. Reliability analysis confirms internal consistency of the constructs, while principal component analysis validates their latent structure. Standardised regression modelling demonstrates that connectivity within online communities and global consciousness are the most influential predictors of mobilisation, together explaining approximately 45% of the variance in mobilisation outcomes, whereas access to platforms and grievances play smaller enabling roles. Unsupervised clustering further reveals two graded mobilisation profiles rather than a sharply polarised divide. Substantively, a one standard deviation increase in connectivity and global consciousness is associated with an average increase of approximately 0.6 on a 5-point mobilisation scale, corresponding to a marked shift from passive to active participation. By quantifying how network embeddedness and transnational framing amplify mobilisation, this study advances theories of connective action and provides empirically grounded insight into the dynamics of digitally mediated collective action in contemporary protest movements.

World doi: 10.3390/world7030036

Authors: Augustina Asih Rumanti Muhammad Almaududi Pulungan Mohammad Deni Akbar Artamevia Salsabila Rizaldi Mia Amelia Ibnu Zulkarnain Ishfahan Dzilalin Nuha

Tourism Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in underdeveloped regions play a crucial role in driving local economic development and sustaining the tourism ecosystem. Yet they face limitations in innovation capacity and organizational performance. This study aims to develop and test a green innovation model to improve MSME organizational performance and strengthen the tourism ecosystem in East Sumba Regency, Indonesia. This study employed a quantitative approach, collecting data through questionnaires from tourism MSMEs, which were analyzed using Partial Least Squares–Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The results indicate that green innovation, represented by product value, technology, networking, marketing, and market demand, is positively and significantly associated with organizational performance, which, in turn, is positively associated with perceived ecosystem performance, as reflected in productivity and resilience. These findings support the view that the relationship between green innovation and perceived tourism ecosystem performance operates indirectly and is dependent on strengthening the operational and financial performance of MSMEs. The novelty of this study lies in integrating the empirical PLS-SEM model with an implementation approach, including the development of training modules and the digitalization of learning, in the context of 3T regions (Frontier, Outermost, and Underdeveloped). The limitations of this study include the use of data from a single time period; further research is recommended to use multi-period data to capture the dynamics of change better.

World doi: 10.3390/world7030035

Authors: Greta Mockevičienė Mindaugas Butkus

The European Union (EU) seeks to reduce regional disparities and foster economic growth through substantial financial support to its member states. However, the effectiveness of this support on regional convergence remains ambiguous. This study employs a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) of 33 articles (2012–2024) to evaluate the impact of EU funding on regional convergence and identify gaps in the literature. Findings indicate that convergence effects are often treated as spillovers or conflated with general economic growth. The review highlights the need for more nuanced analyses of specific instruments, such as the European Social Fund (ESF), particularly regarding their effects on unemployment, education, social inclusion, and public services. Research remains concentrated at the NUTS-2 level, neglecting smaller NUTS-3 regions. Future studies should disaggregate fund assessments, incorporate interaction terms between funds and target areas, and focus on specific regional outcomes to better understand the mechanisms driving convergence beyond aggregate spending effects.

World doi: 10.3390/world7030034

Authors: Sezgin Tunca Mausam Budhathoki

Denmark is internationally recognized for its stringent pesticide regulatory and monitoring regime, yet it remains unclear how sustained media attention has shaped the discursive feasibility of pesticide-free farming (PFF) as a scalable transition pathway. This study analyses the construction of PFF as a policy issue in Danish news media using 453 newspaper articles (2000–2025). Using a discursive-institutionalist framework, the analysis integrates quantitative text-analytic methods with qualitative contextual interpretation. The results show that media visibility does not translate into an expanded articulation of feasible transition pathways. Coverage is structured primarily around solution-oriented and regulatory debates, yet many solution narratives remain conditional and incremental, while health-related concerns, everyday farming practices, and livelihood dimensions remain marginal and weakly integrated. Government authorities, farming organizations, and industry actors occupy the communicative core of the discourse, whereas NGOs, consumers, and public health actors remain peripheral. Media attention peaks around regulatory debates but fails to generate cumulative discursive momentum toward integrated and scalable transition pathways. The study suggests that media narratives play a constitutive role in shaping the publicly articulated feasibility of pesticide-free agricultural transitions, highlighting the importance of plural, health-integrated, and practice-oriented media discourse.

World doi: 10.3390/world7030033

Authors: Sydney Nkhoma Mwayi Mambosasa Victor Limbe Steven Dunga Joseph Mahuka Lughano Mwalughali

This research examined the long-run effect of climate change on food security in Malawi, Madagascar, Mozambique and Zimbabwe using the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) model. The study used nine variables for quantitative analysis using data for the four countries from the World Bank spanning from 2000 to 2023, using two models. The results were validated using the pooled mean group (PMG) estimator. The results from model 1 show that environmental temperature, fertiliser consumption, credit access, age dependency ratio, urbanisation and land size significantly affect the percentage of crop yields. The model 2 results show that all the aforementioned factors, including cereal temperature and yields, have an effect on the prevalence of malnutrition, which was a proxy for food security in this study. Furthermore, the study used the Granger causality test to indicate a unidirectional causality direction from both models’ independent variables to dependent variables. From the econometric analysis conducted, the findings highlight the urgent need for targeted interventions, such as promoting climate-resilient agriculture, expanding access to credit and social protection policies, to enhance nutritional well-being and improve resilience to climate shocks.

World doi: 10.3390/world7030032

Authors: Apostolis Gkikas Ioannis Salmon

This article examines the role of Human Resource Management (HRM) in shaping employees’ green behaviour and its contribution to organisational environmental performance through an original bibliometric analysis of the international literature. The analysis is based on 105 scientific publications retrieved from the Scopus database for the period 2009–2025. Bibliometric techniques were applied using Bibliometrix and VOSviewer to map publication trends, co-authorship networks, thematic clusters, and the maturity of research themes. The results indicate a strong increase in research output after 2019, combined with high levels of international collaboration and a geographical concentration of studies in Asian economies. Keyword co-occurrence analysis identifies Green Human Resource Management (GHRM) and organisational environmental performance as the core conceptual pillars of the field, while employees’ green behaviour emerges as a key mediating mechanism linking HR practices to environmental outcomes. Thematic mapping based on centrality and density suggests that the field has entered a phase of theoretical consolidation, with emerging research directions focusing on behavioural, strategic, and social dimensions of sustainability. Overall, the study provides a structured overview of the GHRM research landscape and highlights important gaps related to causal mechanisms, economic performance, and cross-sectoral and cross-country evidence. The findings also indicate that sectoral applications beyond tourism and hospitality, cross-country comparative studies, and the integration of economic performance indicators with GHRM remain underexplored, highlighting specific directions for future research. The study adopts a bibliometric research design and does not aim to provide a systematic review of empirical findings.

World doi: 10.3390/world7020031

Authors: Emilio Martínez-Redecillas José Enrique Moral-García Jairo Casado-Montilla José Luis Solas-Martínez

This article conceptualizes active tourism as a strategy for promoting physical activity (PA) among children and adolescents and examines the literature that has analyzed its different modalities and their application across diverse settings and contexts. A systematic review (2015–2025) was conducted in accordance with PRISMA 2020, with searches performed in PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science. Predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied, alongside rigorous screening procedures and methodological quality assessment. Twelve studies were included, covering experiential and knowledge-oriented modalities implemented in curricular, extracurricular, family, and community contexts. The results show that active tourism increases PA frequency, duration, and intensity, and enhances physical fitness indicators as well as psychosocial variables (intrinsic motivation, enjoyment, autonomy, and competence). Experiential modalities and rural/natural environments predominate, generally yielding stronger effects than urban or mixed settings; however, these latter contexts broaden reach and equity by integrating activities into daily routines. Conceptual heterogeneity and the scarcity of longitudinal studies limit the estimation of sustained effects and the comparison across modalities. At present, active tourism emerges as a transversal approach to promoting meaningful PA in children and adolescents, integrating movement, learning, and well-being. Comparative and longitudinal designs capable of quantifying dose–response patterns by modality and setting are recommended, as well as policies that strengthen school–family–community linkages to enhance adherence and reduce inequalities in access to active opportunities.

World doi: 10.3390/world7020030

Authors: Martina Arsić Ivana Brdar Aleksandra Vujko

This study examines how artificial intelligence (AI) contributes to contemporary processes of authenticity evaluation by functioning as a multimodal diagnostic cue in consumer decision-making. Drawing on survey data collected from 468 visitors at Terra Madre Salone del Gusto in Turin, Italy, the study tests a structural model comprising five latent constructs: Authenticity Trust, Perceived AI Usefulness and Diagnosticity, Multimodal Value, User Engagement, and Behavioural Intentions. The findings indicate that heritage-based and institutional authenticity cues remain foundational in consumers’ evaluations, but are increasingly associated with interaction with AI-supported information perceived as credible and diagnostically informative. Multimodal inputs—particularly the integration of textual, visual, and auditory narratives—are positively associated with perceived multimodal value and user engagement within AI-supported evaluation. Experiential enjoyment during interaction with the AI system is positively associated with behavioural intentions to adopt AI-supported evaluation tools, while behavioural intentions encompass both adoption readiness and a stated willingness to pay a premium for products perceived as authentic. Although the use of a convenience sample limits generalisability, the results highlight the broader potential of multimodal AI systems to enhance perceived diagnostic clarity and evaluative confidence in complex cultural and consumer environments. Conceptually, the study advances the notion of augmented authenticity, defined as a hybrid evaluative process in which tradition-based trust mechanisms are interpreted in relation to perceived AI diagnosticity and multimodal coherence. By situating AI within culturally embedded processes of meaning-making rather than purely instrumental evaluation, the findings contribute to interdisciplinary debates on technology-supported trust processes, consumer judgement, and the societal implications of AI-supported decision-making.

World doi: 10.3390/world7020029

Authors: Taryn Barry Daniel S. Mason

Environmental sustainability (ES) has increasingly become a core focus of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) due to institutional pressures as well as the threat of climate change. Since the IOC continues to urge candidature cities to underscore ES in the bidding and planning process by asking more elaborate questions in the Candidature Questionnaire, it remains unclear how winning cities have adapted their bids to demonstrate their accountability to win the rights to host an ES Games. One approach to better understanding the discourse candidature cities use in their ES plans is to study how bid committees employ Aristotle’s rhetorical appeals—ethos (credibility), pathos (emotion), and logos (logic). To do so, this qualitative case study analyzed winning candidature files of the Summer and Winter Olympic Games (N = 16) from 1992 to present day. The results revealed one distinct rhetorical appeal, ethos, emerged more than the others that underscored the value of highlighting credibility in ES contexts. One of the most interesting findings of the study is that ethos-based arguments depend greatly on existing governance infrastructures, policies, certifications, and previous experience, external to the IOC governance process. This is a significant finding because it shows the paradox of embedded agency, while also highlighting how establishing credibility is more important to cities than merely promising results.

World doi: 10.3390/world7020028

Authors: Hugo Rodríguez Reséndiz Hugo Moreno Reyes

University–employer alliances have expanded as a strategy to foster innovation, employability, and knowledge transfer; however, their growth often results in instrumental arrangements oriented toward short-term metrics (agreements, hours, deliverables) that weaken curricular transformation and Social Responsibility. This article proposes a governance architecture to design and audit sustainable Collaborative Education, understood as a technologically mediated multi-actor network organized by a shared principle of Social Responsibility. The method operates in two moves: (i) a conceptual ordering that uses the substance–accidents distinction and a formative telos to subordinate organizational and technological means to the educational purpose; and (ii) the translation of concepts into decision domains (who decides, with what evidence, under what risks, and with what safeguards), positioning Technological Mediation as governance infrastructure rather than a neutral support. The proposal delivers three managerial outputs: (a) a hierarchy of seven support entities (metaphysical question, Social Responsibility, projects and strategies, institutional management, institutional development, stakeholders, and benefits); (b) governance principles (primacy of purpose, multi-actor accountability, justifiable distribution of benefits and risks, and deliberative traceability); and (c) a compact matrix and checklist applicable through document auditing and platform design review, without requiring field data collection. Taken together, the framework shows how employer-side corporate governance can align incentives, rules of evidence, and data use to enable co-responsibility and avoid capture, strengthening the sustainability of collaboration over time across organizational contexts.

World doi: 10.3390/world7020027

Authors: Fernando Mata Gustavo Paixão

Recent and forthcoming bans on confinement systems for farmed animals highlight the growing societal and policy emphasis on improving welfare. In the United Kingdom, the proposed prohibition of enriched cages for laying hens represents a major step beyond existing European Union standards, reflecting both scientific evidence and public concern over the limitations of cage-based systems. While such reforms are indicative of farmed animal welfare gains domestically, experience from the EU ban on conventional cages indicates a critical policy gap: the absence of mechanisms to retire and decommission obsolete infrastructure allows housing systems to be resold or exported, potentially perpetuating welfare issues elsewhere. Similar patterns have emerged in pork production, where gestation and farrowing crates have been inconsistently phased out in different regions of the world, illustrating the broader consequences of neglecting infrastructure lifecycle management. This perspective is based on welfare reforms incorporating decommissioning of equipment to align ethical intent with material outcomes. Decommissioning approaches lead to incentivising or mandating the permanent removal of banned pork production physical infrastructure, mitigating economic risks for producers, and reducing cross-border exacerbation of welfare issues. Coordinated implementation across national, regional, and global locals is essential to maximise the pig welfare effectiveness of reforms. By integrating decommissioning provisions, policymakers can ensure that animal welfare improvements are substantive, credible, and globally effective.

World doi: 10.3390/world7020026

Authors: Daiva Stanelytė Aleksas Narščius

Low-voltage grids are undergoing rapid change as rooftop photovoltaics, electric vehicles and other distributed energy resources increase their share of demand. Without new local control, these trends risk more frequent voltage problems and costly reinforcement, which can slow affordable and just energy transitions. This article proposes a MATLAB/Simulink methodology for designing and comparing PID and Mamdani fuzzy volt–var controllers implemented at a single PV inverter in a radial low-voltage feeder. The feeder model aggregates residential demand, two PV units, a small wind unit, battery storage and an EV charging event; controller performance is assessed using time-domain simulations and scalar indices of overshoot, undershoot, settling time, time outside a ±5% voltage band, and reactive power usage. In the studied high-PV scenario, both controllers maintain acceptable voltage quality with limited overshoot and short settling times, while the fuzzy controller yields smoother transients at the expense of slightly higher but still modest reactive power adjustments. The results illustrate how accessible digital tools can help system operators and regulators explore local volt–var strategies that increase renewable hosting capacity and power quality compliance without immediate grid reinforcement, thereby supporting sustainable electrification in the context of the fourth industrial revolution.

World doi: 10.3390/world7020025

Authors: Mordechai Chaziza Carmela Lutmar

This study analyzes how the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan has converted structural vulnerability into diplomatic capital through the strategic practice of niche diplomacy. Despite its limited material power, Jordan has emerged as a resilient middle power that leverages credibility, moderation, and institutional resilience to sustain its influence in a turbulent regional environment. Focusing on three interrelated domains—regional mediation, water diplomacy, and refugee governance—the article demonstrates how Amman transforms constraints into strategic assets. By institutionalizing trust-based mediation, reframing water scarcity as a platform for cooperative innovation, and integrating humanitarian commitments into foreign policy, Jordan exemplifies the fusion of moral authority with pragmatic statecraft. The analysis contributes to middle-power theory by illustrating how small states can redefine influence through specialization, normative entrepreneurship, and consistent engagement. Ultimately, Jordan’s experience shows that in a fragmented Middle East, stability and credibility constitute enduring sources of diplomatic power.

World doi: 10.3390/world7020024

Authors: Veena P. Saraswathy Biju Terrence Umaru Kargbo Timothy B. Palmer

Climate change is transforming industrial systems globally, both by exposing them to increasing environmental risks and by positioning them as key players in worldwide mitigation and adaptation efforts. This study offers a comprehensive review of how research at the climate–industry interface has developed over the past thirty years. Using a dual-method approach that combines a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) with bibliometric analysis, we examine 2458 publications from Scopus and Web of Science and visualize the field’s conceptual structure using the Thematic–Conceptual–Map (TCM) framework. Our results identify five main research themes: (1) integration of adaptation and mitigation; (2) spatial technologies and remote sensing; (3) urban heat and industrial resilience; (4) fundamental adaptation and climate resilience; and (5) connecting vulnerability with adaptive capacity. While mitigation and energy transition are predominant in industry-focused climate research, significantly fewer studies explore how industrial transformation relates to socio-ecological resilience and biodiversity conservation. This gap highlights the need for frameworks that connect decarbonization efforts with ecological preservation. By synthesizing these thematic trends, our study places industrial research at the forefront of shaping low-carbon, climate-resilient futures and offers a valuable knowledge base for scholars, practitioners, and policymakers working to integrate technology, governance, and sustainability within industrial systems.

World doi: 10.3390/world7020023

Authors: Dolores Gallardo-Vázquez Cristina Nuevo-Gallardo José Alberto Becerra-Mejías Juan Vega-Cervera

Sustainability has become a central pillar of public policy and higher education, with university students playing a key role both as recipients of knowledge and as agents of change toward more responsible practices. Existing literature shows that students’ attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors related to sustainability are shaped by multiple explanatory factors; however, prior research has often addressed these factors in isolation, resulting in a fragmented understanding of how sustainability is constructed within the university context. Students’ engagement with sustainability emerges from the interaction of several interconnected dimensions, including conceptual clarity, everyday lifestyle practices, academic experiences, institutional environments, and sustainability-related training. This study provides a descriptive and exploratory empirical overview of the dimensions that shape university students’ understanding of sustainability, enabling the identification of patterns, trends, and key influences on attitudes, intentions, and sustainable behaviors. Data were collected from a sample of university students in Spain using a structured questionnaire designed to capture perceptions, behaviors, and experiences related to sustainability. The data were analyzed using quantitative descriptive techniques. The findings reveal distinct sustainability dimensions and highlight the interplay between conceptual understanding, educational experiences, institutional initiatives, and lifestyle practices in shaping students’ engagement with sustainability. By offering a comprehensive, non-manipulative empirical perspective, the study lays the groundwork for the development of more effective educational and university management strategies aimed at strengthening student commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals. Beyond its descriptive contribution, the study proposes an integrated conceptual model of sustainable education that brings together conceptual, attitudinal, educational, and institutional dimensions from the students’ perspective. This holistic framework provides actionable guidance for universities seeking to adapt curricula, pedagogical approaches, and institutional initiatives to foster more coherent, inclusive, and effective sustainability education.

World doi: 10.3390/world7020022

Authors: Rebecca Morgenstern Brenner Bashiru Koroma Sonny S. Patel

This paper examines the critical role of youth engagement in building urban climate resilience in secondary cities of West Africa, with a specific focus on Bo City, Sierra Leone. As one of the world’s most climate-vulnerable countries, Sierra Leone faces significant challenges exacerbated in urban environments where infrastructure gaps, rapid population growth, climate migration, and limited resources intersect with intensifying climate impacts (rising temperature, extreme weather events, rising sea levels, and socio-economic health impacts). We describe a pathway to invest in the adaptive capacity of this community by developing and implementing a Youth Climate Science Hub designed to inform and empower secondary school students as future climate leaders. Drawing on theories of social–ecological resilience and transformative education, we analyze how youth-centered approaches can bridge the knowledge–action gap in urban climate adaptation. The initiative represents an innovative practice-based example for building resilience in secondary cities expected to receive climate migrants while demonstrating the power of youth mobilization in creating locally appropriate climate solutions.

World doi: 10.3390/world7020021

Authors: Riaz-ul-haque Mian Yen-Khang Nguyen-Tran

Visual Impression in Architectural Space (VIAS) plays a central role in user response to environments, yet designer-controlled spatial variables often produce uncertain perceptual outcomes across cultural contexts. This study develops a multi-modal framework integrating VIAS theory, spatial documentation, and sentiment-aware NLP to evaluate temporary event spaces. Using a monthly market in Matsue, Japan as a case study, we introduce (1) systematic documentation of controlled spatial variables (layout, visibility, advertising strategy, (2) culturally balanced datasets comprising native Japanese and international participants across onsite, video, and virtual interviews, and (3) an adaptive sentiment-weighted keyword extraction algorithm suppressing interviewer bias and verbosity imbalance. Results demonstrate systematic modality effects: onsite participants exhibit festive atmosphere bias (+18% positive sentiment vs. video), while remote modalities elicit balanced critique of signage clarity and missing amenities. Cross-linguistic analysis reveals native participants emphasize holistic atmosphere, whereas international participants identify discrete focal points. The adaptive algorithm reduces verbosity-driven score inflation by 45%, enabling fair cross-participant comparison. By integrating spatial variable documentation with sentiment-weighted linguistic patterns, this framework provides a replicable methodology for validating architectural intent through computational analysis, offering evidence-based guidance for inclusive event space design.

World doi: 10.3390/world7020020

Authors: José P. Vega-Camarena Luis Brito-Castillo Jaime Edzael Mendivil-Mendoza Alejandro García-Ramírez Martina Hilda Gracia-Valenzuela Felipe de Jesús Reynaga-Franco

Sonora state in Mexico, leads the nation in wheat production affected by various hydrometeorological phenomena, which can result in considerable economic losses. This research evaluates the potential relationship between emergency or disaster declarations associated with hydrometeorological events and wheat production from 2000 to 2024 in the Yaqui Valley aquifer in Sonora. This region alone contributed 51.6% of the total production value of Sonora in 2024. The results indicate that the issuance of declarations is consistent with losses and decreased wheat yields, resulting in a significant negative correlation (between r = 0.13 and r = 0.58) between the two variables. A total of 101 declarations were reported, with heavy rains being the primary cause at 44.6%. The municipality most affected was Guaymas, with 33 declarations from a total of 85. Additionally, 972 hectares were damaged in areas where declarations were issued, compared to 174 hectares damaged in areas where no declaration was made. These results provide a quantitative basis for the disaster risk diagnosis of wheat production in the Yaqui Valley, suggesting that the lack of records and timely information on hydrometeorological contingencies may result in a lack of awareness of the disruptive phenomenon, causing inconsistency between the failure to issue a disaster declaration and damaged areas, thereby increasing the vulnerability of the affected areas.

World doi: 10.3390/world7020019

Authors: Lucia Briamonte Domenica Ricciardi Michela Ascani Maria Assunta D’Oronzio

The environmental and social crises affecting global agri-food systems highlight the need for a profound transformation of production models and their territorial relations. In this context, agroecology, understood as science, practice, and movement, has emerged as a paradigm capable of integrating ecological sustainability, social equity, and community participation. Within this framework, the work carried out by CREA in the AgrEcoMed project (new agroecological approach for soil fertility and biodiversity restoration to improve economic and social resilience of Mediterranean farming systems), funded by the PRIMA programme, investigates agroecology as a social and political process of territorial regeneration. This process is grounded in co-design with local stakeholders, collective learning, and the construction of multi-actor networks for agroecology in the Mediterranean. The Manifesto functions as a tool for participatory governance and value convergence, aiming to consolidate a shared vision for the Mediterranean agroecological transition. The article examines, through an analysis of the existing literature, the role of agroecological networks and empirically examines the function of the collective co-creation of the Manifesto as a tool for social innovation. The methodology is based on a participatory action-research approach that used local focus groups, World Café, and thematic analysis to identify the needs of the companies involved. The results highlight the formation of a multi-actor network currently comprising around 90 members and confirm the effectiveness of the Manifesto as a boundary object for horizontal governance. This demonstrates how sustainability can emerge from dialogue, cooperation, and the co-production of knowledge among local actors.

World doi: 10.3390/world7020018

Authors: Michał Pietrzak

The global space economy, valued at approximately USD 400–630 billion (depending on definitional scope), is projected to expand rapidly, crossing USD 1 trillion as early as 2032 and reaching up to about USD 1.8 trillion by 2035. This growth has been driven by a surge (a roughly twelvefold increase) in satellite launches over the past decade, transforming Earth’s orbits into an increasingly congested domain plagued by space debris. The proliferation of space junk poses an escalating threat to orbital sustainability, yet effective governance mechanisms remain limited. This paper examines why conventional solutions for managing common-pool resources (command-and-control regulation, Pigouvian taxes, private property rights, allocation of tradable permits, and horizontal governance regimes) are not fully effective or are difficult to implement in addressing the orbital debris problem. Using a system dynamics perspective, the study qualitatively maps hypothesized feedback mechanisms shaping orbital expansion and space debris accumulation. It suggests that, under the assumed causal structure, reinforcing growth loops associated with geopolitical rivalry and commercial cost reductions linked to the New Space paradigm currently dominate over delayed balancing effects arising from the finite nature of orbital space, whose regenerative capacity is progressively degraded. There exists a threshold of exploitation beyond which orbital space effectively behaves as a non-renewable resource. The analysis suggests that, without binding international coordination, meaningful intervention may require the occurrence of a catalyzing crisis—e.g., a localized cascade of orbital object collisions that could transform stakeholder perceptions and enables active debris removal deployment.

World doi: 10.3390/world7020017

Authors: Dwayne Shorlon Renville Netra Chhetri Linda Francois Bunnel Bernard Neha Chhetri

The growing prominence of inclusive development reflects persistent dissatisfaction with traditional growth-centric paradigms that failed to integrate social equity and environmental sustainability. However, the literature discourse of inclusive development lacks systematic analyses of its theoretical and conceptual structures. This paper presents a bibliometric analysis of inclusive development, mapping its intellectual structure, research dynamics, and scholarly contributions. Using bibliographic data from the Scopus and analytical tools including R version 4.5.1 and VOSviewer version 1.6.19, we assess the publication trends and citation patterns. The term first appeared in 1995, emerged slowly, and saw an exponential increase in publications around 2015, coinciding with the Sustainable Development Goals. There are 1871 publications (302 were published in 2024), with over 4500 scholars across 143 countries, publishing in over 1000 sources. The results feature prolific and influential authors, sources, countries, larger geographic regions, and publications. We find disparities among countries, anomalies between influential and prolific contributors, and hints of distinct author groupings. Findings suggest scholars and practitioners risk forming skewed conceptualizations of inclusive development without a clear understanding of the field’s structure. This paper provides such structure, highlighting the value of periodic assessments in consolidating theoretical coherence, strengthening cross-constituency scholarship, and advancing inclusive development’s role in sustainability science.

World doi: 10.3390/world7010016

Authors: Edosa Getachew Taera Maria Fekete Farkas Zoltán Bujdosó Zoltán Lakner

This study examines how corporate social responsibility (CSR) influences sustainable finance outcomes (SFO) in the Ethiopian Insurance industry through environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practices and institutional challenges (IC). Using covariance-based structural equation modelling (CB-SEM) with data collected from a primary survey, the results show that CSR has both a direct and an indirect positive effect on SFO through ESG. However, the adoption of ESG practices also tends to increase institutional challenges, which in turn negatively influences SFO. This interaction produces a competitive partial mediation effect. The serial mediation path CSR–ESG–IC–SFO is found to be negative, suggesting that enabling and constraining forces operate simultaneously. From a theoretical point of view, the study combines stakeholder, legitimacy, and institutional theories to explain this competitive mediation within a less-studied Sub-Saharan African (SSA) frontier market. On the practical side, the findings highlight the importance of establishing ESG disclosure standards, investing in capacity building, and strengthening governance systems to reduce institutional frictions and make CSR a stronger driver of sustainable finance.

World doi: 10.3390/world7010015

Authors: Yohanes Tesemie Gishen Ping Yin

This study examines the relationship between perceived employee environmental, social, and governance (ESG) behavior and consumer meaningfulness by exploring the mediating role of moral elevation and perceived authenticity, as well as the moderating role of consumers’ skepticism. The study draws upon the integration of self-determination theory and social cognitive theory. Prior research has often neglected the outcomes of interaction between employee behaviors and consumer perceptions. Th study used a sequential explanatory research design to understand the observable perceived ESG behaviors of the employees and the psychological outcomes of the consumers. The study involved 390 consumers from five-star hotels in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The data was gathered through a survey and analyzed using a structural equation model via the Smart-PLS tool. The interview data were collected from 16 frontline employees of five-star hotels and analyzed through thematic analysis. The quantitative results confirmed perceived employee ESG behavior is positively and significantly associated with consumers’ sense of meaningfulness, moral elevation, and perceived authenticity. Additionally, moral elevation and perceived authenticity significantly mediate the link between perceived employee ESG behavior and consumer sense of meaningfulness. Furthermore, consumer ESG skepticism negatively moderates the link between employee ESG behavior and both moral elevation and perceived authenticity. The qualitative study indicated that internal motivation of the company predicts employee behaviors, promoting voluntary actions to build consumers’ meaningfulness. The study advances theories and suggests implications for policymakers and managers regarding ESG behaviors among employees and the way consumers perceive them.

World doi: 10.3390/world7010014

Authors: Sofia Galeotti Veronica Manganiello Luca Cacchiarelli Chiara Perelli Michela Baldi Raffaella Zucaro

This study investigates a water–energy investment in the Consorzio di Bonifica della Romagna Occidentale (Northern Italy) over the period 2015–2022, analysing how integrated irrigation and energy infrastructures can support agricultural resilience. In this area, pressurised irrigation systems are increasingly replacing traditional gravity-fed networks, enabling precise water distribution. However, their energy intensity raises operational costs and exposure to volatile electricity prices. To address these challenges, the research evaluates the coupling of pressurised irrigation with floating photovoltaic (PV) systems on irrigation reservoirs. Using plot-level economic data for vineyards and orchards, the analysis shows that, although pressurised systems entail higher costs in terms of Relative Water Cost (RWC) and Economic Water Productivity Ratio (EWPR), integrating them with PV production significantly improves economic performance. The findings show an average reduction in RWC of 1.44% for vineyards and 5.52% for orchards, and an average increase in EWPR of 38.51 units for vineyards and 24.81 units for orchards. This suggests that combining efficient irrigation systems with renewable energy could represent a viable pathway toward more sustainable water management. Policy implications may concern incentives for joint water–energy investments, adjustments to zero-injection rules, and broader reforms in agricultural, energy, and environmental policies.

World doi: 10.3390/world7010013

Authors: Pedro Guerreiro Martorano Carlos Simões Pereira Lucietta Guerreiro Martorano Leila Sheila Silva Lisboa Nelson Ken Narusawa Nakakoji Carlos Emílio Rocha-Pereira Carlos Tadeu dos Santos Dias João Fernandes da Silva-Júnior

The Amazon Deforestation Arc remains a critical region for environmental governance, where land-use strategies must consider distinct legal and institutional frameworks across the Amazon and Cerrado biomes. This study applies the Potential Productivity Model (M3P), a theoretical radiation-based framework, to estimate the upper physiological limits of sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.) productivity on degraded pastures within the Arc of Deforestation. The model integrates satellite-derived solar radiation with climatic variables to quantify potential productivity under optimal biophysical conditions, providing an objective benchmark for planning-oriented bioenergy assessments. Estimated potential yields range from 153 to 178 t·ha−1·yr−1, consistent with global reference values reported for sugarcane in high-radiation environments and relevant for informing public policies such as Brazil’s Agroecological Zoning of Sugarcane. The results demonstrate that agroclimatic potential alone is insufficient to guide land-use decisions. While degraded pastures associated with the Cerrado biome may accommodate sugarcane cultivation as part of productive land recovery strategies, areas belonging to the Amazon biome require priority actions focused on ecological restoration through agroforestry and integrated crop–livestock–forest systems. Overall, the M3P model offers a scalable and scientifically grounded decision-support framework for strategic planning in environmentally sensitive tropical regions.

World doi: 10.3390/world7010012

Authors: Evangelos Tsiaras Stergios Tampekis Costas Gavrilakis

The authors would like to make the following corrections about the published paper [...]

World doi: 10.3390/world7010011

Authors: Darko B. Vukovic Lubov Spitsina Vladislav Spitsin Ivan Lyzin Moinak Maiti

This study examines the influence of a firm’s digital footprint (organic and paid traffic) on its performance, assessing a sample of 151 Russian firms between 2017 and 2020. It shows a curvilinear association between a firm’s digital footprints (organic and paid) and its performance that varies across industries, moderated by the firm’s size and age. The study finds that organic and paid traffic have a diverse impact on firm performance. The impact of paid traffic is more complex and critical to understand. To gain full benefits from a digital footprint, firms need to innovate and utilize their resources strategically. The study findings are highly useful for other emerging markets that operate under a highly regulated, fragmented, and restricted environment.

World doi: 10.3390/world7010010

Authors: Ljiljana Mihajlović Dragan Petrović Danijela Vukoičić Miroljub Milinčić Nikola Milentijević

Agricultural land represents a fundamental production resource and one of the key factors of ecological and economic stability in rural and peri-urban areas. In the municipality of Grocka, the impacts of urbanization, demographic decline, and changes in the agrarian production structure have led to spatial degradation and reduced economic sustainability. To assess the current state and potential of agriculture at the settlement level, a multi-criteria analysis (MCA) integrated with Geographic Information Systems (GIS) was applied. The analysis encompassed demographic, production, environmental, and spatial indicators, normalized using the min–max scaling method and aggregated through a weighted sum. Criteria weights were defined based on a combination of literature review and expert judgment. The results reveal spatial variations in the level of sustainability and enable the identification of priority zones for agro-economic improvement, areas of moderate stability, and spaces suitable for developing sustainable agricultural models. Sensitivity testing (±20% variation in weights) confirmed the robustness of the results. The identified zones and proposed measures aim to revitalize degraded areas, preserve permanent crops, and strengthen production and institutional capacities. The applied methodological framework can serve as a tool for planning and policymaking in sustainable agricultural development, particularly in peri-urban contexts.

World doi: 10.3390/world7010009

Authors: Dimitrios P. Reklitis Nikolaos T. Giannakopoulos Marina C. Terzi Damianos P. Sakas Maria Salamoura Christina Konstantinidou Konstantopoulou

In an era where environmental consciousness increasingly shapes consumer behaviour, the tourism industry faces the dual challenge of promoting destinations while ensuring ecological sustainability. This study explores how web analytics and big data can be leveraged to enhance the visibility and attractiveness of eco-friendly destinations. Building upon digital marketing and sustainability frameworks, the authors develop a data-driven methodology that integrates website performance metrics, search behaviour patterns, and social media engagement indicators. After data collection, statistical and content analyses were implemented, followed by a Fuzzy Cognitive Map (FCM) to visualise the interrelationships between online user behaviour, environmental awareness, and destination appeal.

World doi: 10.3390/world7010008

Authors: Stavros P. Migkos Androniki Katarachia Polytimi M. Farmaki

This study investigates thermal stress and energy-related anxiety as lived, multidimensional manifestations of energy poverty in Western Macedonia, Greece, a coal phase-out region undergoing just transition. Using a 261-household survey, we construct a thermal stress index from four Likert-type items capturing seasonal thermal adequacy, energy anxiety, and restricted use of rooms. High thermal stress is defined as the upper quartile of the index. Descriptive results indicate that high thermal stress affects 27.2% of households, exceeding a 20% threshold, while energy-related anxiety and restricted room use are widespread. We then estimate logistic regression models to examine whether vulnerability characteristics (disability-related thermal/electric needs, single parenthood, dependent children, benefit receipt, elderly presence), financial stress indicators (arrears, energy debt, frequent forced reductions in consumption), and socio-economic controls (income, employment, tenure, age, gender) predict high thermal stress. Adjusted models show that vulnerability markers do not retain statistically independent associations once controls are included. In contrast, tenure and energy-related financial stress are significantly associated with the probability of high thermal stress. The findings highlight the importance of measurement choices and suggest that experiential indicators capture energy-poverty dynamics that are not reducible to income-based targeting, with implications for just-transition policy design and energy justice.

World doi: 10.3390/world7010007

Authors: Cristian Pîrvulescu

This paper conceptualizes institutional resilience as a core condition of democratic sustainability in post-transition Europe. Building on neo-institutionalist approaches and recent scholarship on democratic resilience, we argue that democracies endure when three capacities align: policy coherence, procedural legitimacy, and civic/monitory participation. Using a comparative, theory-guided design, we analyze Romania, Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia (2007–2025), triangulating V-Dem/Eurostat indicators with documentary evidence (EU Rule of Law reports, CEPEJ) and interpretive analysis. Romania illustrates “reactive resilience” anchored in judicial independence and civic vigilance; Slovakia shows “restorative resilience” after corruption scandals; Poland exhibits “societal compensatory resilience,” where civic mobilization offsets institutional regression; Hungary demonstrates “instrumental resilience without democracy,” combining administrative capacity with normative decay. We integrate these findings into a three-dimensional model—institutional, normative, and communicative—showing how feedback loops convert crisis into learning. The paper concludes that sustainable democracy depends less on constitutional design alone and more on the institutionalization of learning: redundant veto points, impartial procedures that generate trust, and a monitory public sphere that sustains continuous accountability. For EU policy, the shift from conditionality to capacity (e.g., RRF) can foster endogenous resilience when supranational norms are domestically internalized rather than externally imposed.

World doi: 10.3390/world7010006

Authors: Chibuike Chiedozie Ibebuchi Itohan-Osa Abu

Urban tree canopy is increasingly recognized as a health-protective form of green infrastructure, yet its distribution remains uneven across socioeconomically stratified neighborhoods. This study quantifies fine-scale tree-canopy inequity across Census Block Groups (CBGs) in Baltimore and examines associations with socioeconomic deprivation and modeled pollution-related cancer risk. We integrated (i) 2023 US Forest Service canopy estimates aggregated to CBGs, (ii) Area Deprivation Index (ADI) national and state ranks, (iii) American Community Survey 5-year population counts, and (iv) EPA NATA/HAPs cancer-risk estimates aggregated to CBGs using population-weighted means. Associations were assessed using Spearman correlations and visualized with LOESS smoothers. Canopy was negatively associated with ADI national and state ranks (ρ = −0.509 and −0.503), explaining 29–31% of canopy variation. Population-weighted canopy declined from 47–51% in the least deprived decile to 13–15% in the most deprived (3.4–4.1× disparity). Beyond socioeconomic gradients, overall distributional inequity was quantified using a population-weighted Tree Canopy Inequality Index (TCI; weighted Gini), yielding TCI = 0.312, indicating substantial inequality. The population-weighted Atkinson index rose sharply under increasing inequality aversion (A0.5 = 0.084; A2 = 0.402), revealing extreme canopy deficits concentrated among the most disadvantaged neighborhoods. Canopy was also negatively associated with modeled cancer risk (ρ = −0.363). We constructed a Triple Burden Index integrating canopy deficit, deprivation, and cancer risk, identifying spatially clustered high-burden neighborhoods that collectively house over 86,000 residents. These findings demonstrate that canopy inequity in Baltimore is structurally concentrated and support equity-targeted greening and sustained maintenance strategies guided by distributional justice metrics.

World doi: 10.3390/world7010005

Authors: María de los Ángeles Aguirre Landa Karen Watkins Fassler Jorge Adalberto López Gutiérrez

This study analyzes the relationship between family control and the internationalization of family firms in Mexico. Grounded in the resource-based view and socioemotional wealth theory, it addresses the theoretical problem of how familiness and governance mechanisms influence strategic decisions in emerging markets. Based on 326 observations of family businesses (51) listed on the Mexican Stock Exchange (BMV) from 2009 to 2016, and using a probit regression model, five hypotheses are tested regarding the effects of family directors, board independence, CEO duality, tenure, and ownership concentration on internationalization. The results show that board independence and chair tenure foster internationalization, while ownership concentration and family directors discourage it. The findings contribute to understanding the need for governance reforms that promote more independence and leadership stability to foment internationalization strategies among family businesses in emerging markets.

World doi: 10.3390/world7010004

Authors: Vuk Mirčetić Aleksandra Vujko Martina Arsić Darjan Karabašević Svetlana Vukotić

This study investigates how next-generation digital infrastructures—terahertz (THz) communication and AI-driven network orchestration—shape perceived service quality, luxury perception, and loyalty within the context of luxury hospitality. An empirical survey was conducted among 693 guests at Torre Melina Gran Meliá (Barcelona) between June 2024 and June 2025. Using a refined 38-item Likert-scale instrument, a three-factor structure was validated: (F1) Network Performance (speed, stability, coverage, seamless roaming, and multi-device reliability), (F2) Luxury Perception (modernity, innovation, and brand image), and (F3) Service Loyalty (satisfaction, return intentions, recommendations, and willingness to pay a premium). The results reveal that superior network performance functions both practically and symbolically. Functionally, it enables uninterrupted video calls, smooth streaming, low-latency gaming, and reliable multi-device usage—now considered essential utilities for contemporary travelers. Symbolically, high-performing and intelligently managed connectivity conveys technological leadership and exclusivity, thereby enhancing the hotel’s luxury image. Collectively, these effects create a “virtuous cycle” in which technical excellence reinforces perceptions of luxury, which in turn amplifies satisfaction and loyalty behaviors. From a managerial perspective, advanced connectivity should be viewed as a strategic investment and brand differentiator rather than a cost center. THz-ready, AI-orchestrated networks support personalization, dynamic bandwidth allocation (i.e., real-time adjustment of network capacity in response to fluctuating user demand), and monetizable premium service tiers, directly strengthening guest retention and brand equity. Ultimately, next-generation connectivity emerges not as an ancillary amenity but as a defining pillar of luxury hospitality in the emerging 6G era.

World doi: 10.3390/world7010003

Authors: Valentina-Mariana Manoiu Mihnea-Stefan Costache Miruna-Amalia Nica

The Russo–Ukrainian conflict (RUC) escalated on 24 February 2022 with Russia’s large-scale military operation in Ukraine. Our review aims to present the impact of the RUC on Ukrainian water resources and infrastructure. Its primary objective was to analyze 61 relevant papers, selected and screened according to the PRISMA methodology, concerning changes in inland and marine water quality, employing diverse scientific and analytical methods, and technical tools. Key recurring themes included “Ukraine”, “Russian-Ukrainian War”, and “Ecocide”. Beyond assessing the environmental consequences of destroyed treatment plants, supply systems, and sewerage units, as the secondary objective, the review introduces the concept of “aquacide”—the deliberate or incidental destruction and contamination of water infrastructures and resources during military operations. The most severe cases were documented in southern and eastern Ukraine, with the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam standing out as the most widely reported “aquacide”. Finally, the review highlights the critical role of satellite imagery and remote sensing as the most effective tools in monitoring water quality and infrastructures under wartime conditions, when in situ observations and measurements are often impossible.

World doi: 10.3390/world7010002

Authors: Olha Kovalchuk Kateryna Berezka Larysa Zomchak Roman Ivanytskyy

This study identifies key determinants shaping countries’ Sustainable Development Goals performance and develops classification models for predicting country group membership based on the SDG Index. The research addresses the urgent need to optimize development policies amid limited resources and the approaching 2030 Agenda deadline. Using data from 154 countries (2024), the analysis reveals that key SDG determinants are fundamentally method-dependent: discriminant analysis identified Goals 10, 6, 15, and 5 as most influential for differentiating countries by SDGI level, while Random Forest identified Goals 4, 9, and 2 as the most important predictors. This divergence reflects fundamentally different analytical perspectives—linear contributions to group separation versus complex nonlinear interactions and synergies between goals—with critical policy implications for prioritization strategies. Correlation analysis demonstrates that sustainable development dynamics operate differently across development stages: high-development countries show strongest associations with technological advancement and institutional capacity, while low-development countries exhibit compensation effects where basic infrastructure provision occurs alongside lagging human capital development. The discriminant model achieved 94.08% overall accuracy with perfect classification for extreme SDGI categories, while the Random Forest model provides complementary insights into interactive pathways. The scientific contribution lies in demonstrating that perceived variable importance depends on analytical framework rather than representing objective reality, and in providing validated classification tools for rapid assessment in data-limited contexts. These findings offer actionable guidance for evidence-based resource allocation and policy prioritization in the critical final years of SDG implementation.

World doi: 10.3390/world7010001

Authors: Efstathios Loupas George Zafeiropoulos Aristotelis Martinis Magdalini Mallinou Aikaterini Kouveli

This study attempts to analyze the environmental knowledge, attitudes and behaviors of secondary school teachers, as well as the factors influencing these dimensions. It also investigates the extent to which teachers prioritize Environmental Education (Ε.Ε.) within their courses. A mixed-methods approach was used, incorporating both quantitative and qualitative modes of inquiry. Two hundred and seventy questionnaire respondents took part in the research. The responses obtained from the questionnaires were analyzed using both statistical and thematic methods. Data triangulation was applied to enhance the validity and reliability of the findings. The analysis revealed that secondary school teachers have an overall good level of environmental knowledge, although they lack some details. Teachers also exhibited positive attitudes and behaviors toward environmental issues. Significant correlations were found between environmental attitudes and behaviors, as well as between environmental knowledge and behaviors. The implementation of E.E. by secondary school teachers was characterized by a strong influence of the curriculum. Teachers reported integrating E.E. primarily through their own pro-environmental practices, particularly in relation to waste management. The main restrictions that prevent secondary school teachers from including E.E. are time constraints and the negative feedback they receive. Regarding the support offered to teachers in relation to E.E., secondary school teachers reported that existing teacher education programs are predominantly theoretical, with insufficient emphasis on practical applications. Based on these findings, this research proposes suggestions for restructuring teacher training programs to incorporate more applied components that better support the integration of E.E. into classroom practice. Furthermore, the study aims to investigate secondary students at the secondary educational stage, and their knowledge and attitudes towards the environment using different variables. Employing a descriptive survey model, data were collected from a sample of 270 secondary school teachers using the ‘Environmental Knowledge Test’ and ‘Environmental Attitude Scale’. The results indicated that teachers’ environmental knowledge and attitudes towards the environment did not significantly differ by gender. Finally, the study concludes with several recommendations derived from these results.

World doi: 10.3390/world6040168

Authors: Pablo Tenoch Rodriguez-Gonzalez Alejandro Orozco-Calvillo Sinue Arnulfo Tovar-Ortiz Elvia Ruiz-Beltrán Héctor Antonio Olmos-Guerrero

Socio-ecological systems (SESs) exhibit nonlinear feedback across environmental, social, and economic processes, requiring integrative analytical tools capable of representing such coupled dynamics. This study presents a quantitative framework that integrates a compartmental model of a global human–ecosystem with two complementary optimization approaches (Fisher Information (FI) and Multi-Objective Optimization (MOO)) to evaluate policy strategies for sustainability. The model represents biophysical and socio-economic interactions across 15 compartments, incorporating feedback loops between greenhouse gas (GHG) accumulation, temperature anomalies, and trophic–economic dynamics. Six policy-relevant decision variables were selected (wild plant mortality, sectoral prices (agriculture, livestock, and industry), base wages, and resource productivity) and optimized under temporal (25-year) and magnitude (±10%) constraints to ensure policy realism. FI-based optimization enhances system stability, whereas the MOO framework balances environmental, social, and economic objectives using the Ideal Point Method. Both approaches prevent the systemic collapse observed in the baseline scenario. The FI and MOO strategies reduce terminal global temperature by 11.4% and 15.0%, respectively, relative to the baseline (35 °C → 31.0 °C under FI; 35 °C → 29.7 °C under MOO). Resource-use efficiency, measured through the resource requirement coefficient (λ), improves by 8–10% under MOO (0.6767 → 0.6090) and by 6–7% under FI (0.6668 → 0.6262). These outcomes offer actionable guidance for long-term climate policy at national and international scales. The MOO framework provided the most balanced outcomes, enhancing environmental and social performance while maintaining economic viability. Overall, the integration of optimization and information-theoretic approaches within SES models can support evidence-based public policy design, offering actionable pathways toward resilient, efficient, and equitable sustainability transitions.

World doi: 10.3390/world6040167

Authors: Puthearath Chan

Our world is rapidly urbanizing, while 2.5 billion people are projected to shift from rural to urban areas by 2050, with close to 90% occurring in Asia and Africa. In Southeast Asia, particularly, the Phnom Penh capital city of Cambodia is experiencing this rapid urbanization, facing significant challenges in improving the quality of urban life and achieving social sustainability. Hence, this research aims to assess this capital on social sustainability dimensions to find out the strong and weak points of its 14 districts in order to reveal the improvement potential. The research developed and applied an urban social sustainability index based on national development priorities, SDG11, the New Urban Agenda, and other SDGs that related to human wellbeing and social inclusiveness. The AHP was used to prioritize indicators to develop a priority index, while the standard score was used to apply the index to assess the 14 districts of Phnom Penh. The data for this index application were sourced from Phnom Penh’s commune database. The results showed that the highest-scoring district for urban social sustainability was Chamkarmon, followed by Boeng Keng Kang and Doun Penh. The findings revealed that Prek Pnov was weak in income generation and welfare, while Kamboul was weak in gender inclusion compared to other districts. Prampir Makara was strong, and Sen Sok was weak in resilience to vulnerability. Boeng Keng Kang was strong in welfare and sanitation, while Kamboul was weak in sanitation. Doun Penh was strong, and Mean Chey was weak in water supply.

World doi: 10.3390/world6040166

Authors: Dan Alexandru Mitrea Constantin Viorel Marian Rareş Alexandru Manolescu

In many jurisdictions, property registration and transfers remain constrained by inefficient, paper-based processes that depend on multiple intermediaries and bureaucratic approvals. This paper proposes a decentralized, blockchain-based property platform designed to streamline these processes using Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) and artificial intelligence (AI) agents to modernize public-sector asset management. The work addresses the persistent inefficiencies of paper-based property registration and ownership transfer by embedding legal and administrative logic within smart contracts and automating compliance through an intelligent conversational interface. The system was implemented using Ethereum-based ERC-721 standards, React for the user interface, and Langfuse-powered AI integration for guided user interaction. The pilot implementation presents secure, transparent, and auditable property-transfer transactions executed entirely on-chain, while hybrid IPFS-based storage and decentralized identifiers preserve privacy and legal validity. Comparative analysis against existing national initiatives indicates that the proposed architecture delivers decentralization, citizen control, and interoperability without compromising regulatory requirements. The system reduces bureaucratic overhead, simplifies transaction workflows, and lowers user error risk, thereby strengthening accountability and public trust. Overall, the paper outlines a viable foundation for legally aligned, AI-assisted digital property registries and offers a policy-oriented roadmap for integrating blockchain-enabled systems into public-sector governance infrastructures.

World doi: 10.3390/world6040165

Authors: Silvia Martin-Imholz Erna Karalija Dannie O’Brien Corina Moya-Falcón Priscila Velázquez-Ortuño Tania Montoto-Martínez

This review explores the intersection of gender, geography, and sustainability by examining the role of women in the blue economy across Europe’s Outermost Regions (ORs). Despite growing recognition of the blue economy’s role in sustainable development, there is limited understanding of how women participate in these sectors at the geographic periphery of the European Union. Using publicly available data from Eurostat, INSEE, ISTAC, and other national portals, we analyze employment patterns through a gender lens, supported by qualitative insights from case studies in regions such as the Azores, Réunion, and Guadeloupe. Due to the scarcity of disaggregated blue economy data, general labor force participation is used as a proxy, highlighting both opportunities and visibility gaps. Theoretically grounded in feminist political ecology and intersectionality, the review identifies key barriers, including data invisibility, occupational segregation, and structural inequalities, as well as resilience enablers such as women-led enterprises and policy interventions. We conclude with targeted recommendations for research, policy, and practice to support inclusive blue economies in ORs, emphasizing the need for better data systems and gender-sensitive coastal development strategies.

World doi: 10.3390/world6040164

Authors: Jorge Mario Becoche Mosquera Diego Jesús Macías Pinto

Riparian ecosystems provide key ecosystem services, yet their degradation is accelerating under growing human pressures. This study performs a systematic and bibliometric assessment to identify global trends in riparian restoration, specifying three objectives: (i) analyze the temporal evolution of scientific production, (ii) evaluate geographical patterns and North–South asymmetries, and (iii) identify dominant restoration approaches and research gaps. A total of 322 documents (1984–2025) were analyzed using productivity indicators, Lotka-based authorship patterns, co-authorship networks, keyword co-occurrence, and a logistic growth model fitted to annual publication counts, combined with descriptive statistics. Annual scientific output showed a steady 4% growth, while 78.2% of studies were led by institutions in the Global North, mainly in North America (39.1%), Europe (17.8%), and Asia (18.5%), highlighting geographical biases and limited representation of tropical regions. Restoration efforts were centered on natural regeneration and tree planting, with less emphasis on cultural ecosystem services and community participation. Despite scientific advances, challenges persist in adopting adaptive and socio-ecologically grounded approaches, especially in underrepresented regions. Strengthening science–policy links, promoting interdisciplinary collaborations, and expanding community involvement are essential to enhance riparian resilience and sustainability. We call for co-creation processes that integrate traditional knowledge and position local communities as partners in restoration efforts.

World doi: 10.3390/world6040163

Authors: Patrick Mbullo Owuor Silvia Achieng Odhiambo Wicklife Odhiambo Orero Elizabeth Opiyo Onyango

Sustainable livelihoods remain a vital part of health and can significantly influence overall health outcomes. In sub-Saharan Africa, where HIV continues to affect household economic stability, small-scale but sustainable livelihood interventions have proven essential for economically vulnerable families. These economic empowerment initiatives, mainly funded by non-governmental organizations, are common across the region. Despite their important role in shaping health outcomes, there is a limited understanding of the theoretical frameworks that guide their implementation and results, especially among households affected by HIV. Using qualitative methods, we applied Pierre Bourdieu’s theory of capital to better understand how livelihood projects are implemented among young adults living with HIV in Kisumu. Our findings indicate that livelihood interventions need more than just economic capital to be successful. Social and cultural capital, for example, help overcome barriers like stigma and foster a sense of belonging, while economic capital enables start-up activities and knowledge sharing that support livelihoods. The insights from this study are important for guiding resource allocation toward economic development and social asset building as ways to leverage different types of capital.

World doi: 10.3390/world6040162

Authors: Nikša Alfirević Darija Ivandić Vidović Damir Piplica

Using survey data from five countries in the Southeast Europe (SEE) region, we examine the factors that contribute to the green career intention. As expected, the prior pro-environmental orientation, as measured by the New Ecological Paradigm scale, is associated with green career intention. In addition, there is also a significant association between prior volunteering and the observed career plans. Other factors, including gender, age, study level, social background, and work-related experiences, did not prove to be empirically significant predictors in this context. There is an interesting, but insignificant, tendency among SEE business students at higher study levels to choose green careers; however, seemingly important career determinants, such as work experience, managerial experience, and entrepreneurial experience, do not appear to matter at all. The examined model explains only a small portion of the variation in career intentions, indicating that a wealth of factors remain to be accounted for in future research. We conclude the study with a discussion of implications for business education in the SEE region and offer recommendations for fostering ESG talent in emerging economies.

World doi: 10.3390/world6040161

Authors: Carmen Elena Stoenoiu Lorentz Jäntschi

Transformations in HEIs (Higher Education Institutions) in recent years have positioned education alongside research, development, and innovation, creating the necessary framework for achieving a positive impact on society and economies. A Principal Factor Analysis was employed using 19 variables from eight Eastern European countries over a three-year period (2022–2024). The six main factors are noted with F1 (innovation and collaboration in R&D), F2 (performance and investment in academic research), F3 (advanced technological production and talent influx), F4 (evolution over time/systemic progress), F5 (cluster development), and F6 (investment in education). These explain over 83% of the total variance, ensuring a robust representation of the original data. The results of the analysis show, in some countries, strengths in specific areas (e.g., EE in innovation, CZ in academic research, and SK in high-tech manufacturing). Meanwhile, a general trend of decreasing scores at the systemic progress level can be observed in most nations, suggesting a slowdown in the overall development momentum. At the same time, significant volatility was observed in cluster development (F5) and investment in education (F6) across the sample. These findings provide a condensed, multidimensional framework for comparative analysis and policy formulation, highlighting specific strengths and vulnerabilities in the regional innovation landscape.

World doi: 10.3390/world6040160

Authors: Keisuke Kokubun

This study investigates the challenges faced by small- and medium-sized manufacturing enterprises (SMEs) as they attempt to respond to decarbonization demands and expand into renewable-energy markets. Drawing on three waves of free-response surveys conducted between 2021 and 2024, and applying the KJ qualitative synthesis method, the analysis identifies multi-layered constraints across financial, technological, human resource, organizational, and institutional domains. The findings show that the central difficulty for SMEs lies in reconciling exploration—the pursuit of new technologies and business opportunities—with exploitation—the need to maintain and improve existing operations. External stakeholder pressure frequently accelerates this tension, compelling SMEs to initiate environmental actions even when internal capabilities remain insufficient. Based on the emergent patterns, the study develops an “Exploration–Exploitation Support Matrix,” providing a practical framework for policymakers to design coordinated support measures. The study contributes to the integration of eco-innovation, absorptive capacity, and ambidextrous management theories and offers actionable insights for promoting sustainable SME transitions.

World doi: 10.3390/world6040159

Authors: Thoko Mayekiso Kanayo Ogujiuba Lethabo Maponya

The creative economy includes the processes involved in producing, sharing, and using goods and services that depend on creativity, cultural understanding, entrepreneurship, and intellectual property as essential factors for economic value. This study examines the impact of digital infrastructure, artificial intelligence (AI), and innovation capabilities on the performance of South Africa’s creative economy from 1999 to 2023. It uses the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) model and incorporates patent activity, ICT-related trade, and creative sector variables to analyse the short-term and long-term relationships. The findings suggest that digital trade and sector maturity significantly increase intellectual property revenues, while patent activities show minimal effect, and funding factors face measurement challenges. Persistent digital divides, reflected in uneven ICT adoption, limit equitable participation and business prospects. These results highlight the challenges and systemic obstacles faced by creative entrepreneurs. Policy suggestions emphasise targeted support for commercialising intellectual property, wider access to affordable digital infrastructure, and creating AI-focused creative hubs to strengthen South Africa’s role in the global creative economy.

World doi: 10.3390/world6040158

Authors: Christian Esteva-Burgos Janire Salazar Begoña Vendrell-Simón Josep Maria Gili Maurici Ruiz-Pérez

Coastality, the degree to which a place or community is functionally, spatially, or symbolically oriented toward the ocean, has received limited attention in Ocean Literacy research. This study introduces perceived coastality as a youth-centered construct and develops the Coastality Gap Index (CGI), a spatial indicator measuring the divergence between students’ coastal-inland identity and their actual geographic proximity to the sea. A mixed-methods design was applied to data from 645 students aged 10–17 across 11 schools in five municipalities in Mallorca (Spain). The questionnaire explored emotional, cognitive, and experiential connections to the ocean, while K-means clustering identified perceptual profiles and GIS analysis examined their spatial distribution. Five distinct profiles emerged, ranging from students who perceive themselves as coastal with strong ocean ties, to others who live near the coast yet exhibit limited awareness or connection. The CGI revealed that 14 of 29 population centers studied were inland-oriented despite coastal proximity, with values ranging from −0.07 to +0.72. Notable disconnects occurred in municipalities like Manacor (CGI = 0.41) and Artà (CGI = 0.34), where majority of students identified as “inland” despite living within 13 km of the coast, well within the EU’s 20 km coastal belt definition. The perceptual typology and spatial indicator provide a transferable framework for rethinking blue education strategies and designing context-sensitive Ocean Literacy interventions that account for symbolic as well as geographic dimensions of marine identity.

World doi: 10.3390/world6040157

Authors: Mmamudi Anna Makhafola Clarissa Marcelle Naidoo Nqobile Monate Mkolo

This study provides a bibliometric analysis of African COVID-19 research outputs from 2019 to 2025, exploring trends in original research articles, citation performance, funding patterns, partnership networks, thematic areas, and alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Metadata retrieved from Web of Science™ and Scopus were examined utilizing statistical software (GraphPad Prism version 10.2.3), bibliometric mapping, and collaboration network visualization. Africa produced 14,561 original research articles (a global research output of 2.8%), with South Africa and Egypt accounting for 44.72% of original research articles. Research output and citation peaked in the year 2022 and declined from the year 2023, with the domination of medicine and associated health sciences areas, aligned with SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-Being), demonstrating 54.4% of the research outputs. Notwithstanding various funding sources, less correlation occurred between original research articles and funding levels, underscoring the necessity for reinforced institutional capacity. Moreover, intra-African collaboration remained partial, with South Africa being at the forefront of cross-country collaboration. The findings unravel improvement and persevering gaps in African COVID-19 research, underlining the significance of impartial capacity building, diversified into under-represented SDGs, for instance SDG 14 (Life Below Water) and SDG 7 (Clean Energy), and purpose-built policy frameworks to strengthen pandemic preparedness and multidisciplinary resilience.

World doi: 10.3390/world6040156

Authors: Fan Jia André van Stel Ying Zhang

We investigate the impact of a country’s population happiness level and happiness inequality on the level of entrepreneurship engagement pursued by individual entrepreneurs in that country. Entrepreneurship engagement broadly captures ambitions of entrepreneurs. It is measured along two dimensions: vertical-scaling entrepreneurship (newness-focused scale-up entrepreneurship) and horizontal-scaling entrepreneurship (expansion-focused scale-out entrepreneurship). Adopting the lens of supply and demand theory and occupational choice theory, we argue that a country’s happiness and happiness inequality levels are differently related to these two dimensions. We employ a sample of 71,964 early-stage (nascent or new) entrepreneurs from 79 countries, using the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor dataset. We construct new ordinal scales to measure individuals’ engagement levels in vertical-scaling and horizontal-scaling entrepreneurship. Country-level happiness and happiness inequality data are drawn from the Gallup World Poll (GWP) database. We estimate a pooled ordered logit model to explain individual engagement levels in vertical- and horizontal-scaling entrepreneurship. Explanatory variables include the two country-level happiness indicators plus a set of control variables. We find that country-level happiness significantly increases the likelihood of entrepreneurs within that country to pursue high-end entrepreneurship on the vertical-scaling dimension. At the same time, it decreases the likelihood that they will pursue high-end entrepreneurship on the horizontal-scaling dimension. On the contrary, country happiness inequality increases the likelihood of entrepreneurs’ pursuit of high-end entrepreneurship on the horizontal-scaling dimension while decreasing the likelihood of their pursuit of high-end entrepreneurship on the vertical-scaling dimension. In short, population happiness pushes entrepreneurs toward innovativeness but away from expansion, while happiness inequality does the opposite. This study contributes to the literature on psychological entrepreneurship by bringing the contextual influence of happiness into the dialog of entrepreneurship engagement. Our study also contributes to the high-quality entrepreneurship dialog by decoupling the growth perspective into two dimensions of entrepreneurship: vertical scaling and horizontal scaling.

World doi: 10.3390/world6040155

Authors: Alejandro Silva-Cortés Jorge L. Gallego Heidy Rodríguez-Ramos Sergio Botero-Botero Iván Alonso Montoya-Restrepo

The adoption of telework increased as a sustainable strategy after the COVID-19 pandemic. However, its impact on transportation and energy consumption are controversial, emphasizing the need for context-specific analysis. This research developed a System Dynamics (SD) simulation that integrated the generalized Bass Diffusion Model (BDM) and Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to analyze telework diffusion in organizations and its influence on transport-related CO2 emissions and energy consumption in Colombia. Internal conditions, particularly managerial attitudes and perceptions of telework performance, play a crucial role in the adoption rate. Telework adoption follows a weak S-curve pattern primarily driven by internal dynamics rather than external pressures, lagging behind the projections set by public policies and global trends. Simulations based on government data for the period 2012–2022 indicated that the number of teleworkers could reach 1.61 million by 2032, resulting in annual energy savings of approximately 1.5% and a 2% reduction in transport-related CO2 emissions. Sustained governmental tracking of sectoral adoption and including records of household energy use will support sensitivity analysis and strengthen model robustness. The integrated SD, TAM, and BDM modeling approach identified critical factors to boost telework adoption and its environmental benefits, providing insights for sustainable organizational strategies and public policies.

World doi: 10.3390/world6040154

Authors: Viktoria Apostolova Luca Simeone Linda Nhu Laursen

Within the circular economy, repair is increasingly recognised as a crucial yet underexplored strategy that extends product lifespans and reduces waste. Service design offers approaches to support this transition by addressing technical, social, and systemic dimensions. This review aimed to synthesise how service design contributes to repair practices and identify research gaps. Following PRISMA 2020 guidelines, we systematically searched Scopus and Web of Science, applied inclusion criteria focusing on service design and repair within the circular economy, and conducted multi-step screening and snowballing. From 132 initial records, 73 studies were included (journal articles, conference papers, book chapters). Thematic synthesis identified three areas: micro-level interactions between producers, products, and users (e.g., motivations, trust, communication); meso-level tools, frameworks, and platforms enhancing accessibility and efficiency; and macro-level societal transformation through regulations, standards, and communities. Results highlight service design’s potential to foster systemic change by integrating environmental, social, and economic aspects, while also revealing notable research gaps related to the limited engagement of repairers, policymakers, and cross-level collaboration. Compared to previous studies, this review contributes a novel integrated framework linking micro-, meso-, and macro-level dimensions of repair within the circular economy, offering both conceptual insights and actionable directions for practitioners and policymakers. The study is limited by language constraints and the lack of a formal bias evaluation. All reviewed materials are publicly accessible on OSF. This research was conducted without external financial support.

World doi: 10.3390/world6040153

Authors: Yu-Min Wei

A design science framework integrates sustainability into business development across sectors. The framework embeds sustainability, reflected in environmental, social, and governance (ESG) dimensions, within a structured process that links drivers, evaluation components, and outcome indicators. Six principles guide its structure: clarity, integration, adaptability, stakeholder engagement, performance feedback, and scoring consistency. Researchers applied the framework in energy, engineering, and agribusiness cases. Case results show how the framework improves opportunity selection, identifies capability gaps, strengthens prioritization, and structures stakeholder input without adding complexity. Findings confirm that incorporating sustainability factors during the initial stage of business development changes decision patterns, aligns projects with long-term goals, and increases transparency in portfolio planning. This design science approach moves sustainability and its ESG dimensions from a reporting concern to a central element of strategic evaluation and growth planning. Organizations gain a practical structure to align opportunity development with resilience, learning capacity, and sustainability outcomes. In addition, the framework provides a foundation for adaptation, digital tool development, and longitudinal feedback cycles as firms integrate sustainability and ESG dimensions within uncertain policy, market, and stakeholder environments.

World doi: 10.3390/world6040152

Authors: Diego Vergara Antonio del Bosque Eduardo García-Sardón Pablo Fernández-Arias

Over the 21st century, the confluence between engineering and universal accessibility has emerged as a key research domain, reflecting the growing awareness of the importance of inclusive layout in technological innovation. Despite the growing number of studies on sustainability and inclusion, there is still a lack of comprehensive analyses exploring how engineering contributes to universal accessibility within the framework of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. This study addresses this gap by providing the first large-scale mapping of research trends, collaborations, and thematic evolution in this field. The present bibliometric analysis examines the evolution of engineering research in relation to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, stressing its role in encouraging universal accessibility. Through a systematic review of scholarly works produced over the last twenty years, this study uncovers dominant issues, evolving research fronts, and the global relevance of engineering-based approaches to improve accessibility for persons with disabilities. Analyzing citation dynamics, publication trajectories, and institutional involvement, this study underlines the contribution of engineering to building inclusive societies and ensuring equitable access to technology and infrastructure. Discoveries underscore that cross-sector collaboration and technological innovation are essential to overcoming accessibility challenges among disfavored populations, directly advancing SDG 10 on reducing disparities and SDG 11 on sustainable urban development.

World doi: 10.3390/world6040151

Authors: Massourou Tidjani Alassan Assani Seidou Christophe Iwaka Abdel Raouf Adjib Agballa-Belrou Maximilien Azalou Erick Virgile Bertrand Azando Jacob Yabi Ibrahim Alkoiret Traore

Conflicts between farmers and herders are a persistent challenge in Sudanian and Sudano-Guinean zones of Benin, largely driven by competition over access to pastoral resources. This study aimed to characterize the prevalence, causes, and typology of such conflicts and to assess their implications for the sedentarization of cattle farming systems. Data were collected from 480 livestock farms across four municipalities (Materi and Gogounou in the Sudanian zone; Tchaourou and Djougou in the Sudano-Guinean zone) through surveys, mapping, and herd productivity assessments. Multiple Correspondence Factorial Analysis was used to classify the conflict types. The results revealed that 52.29% of herders had experienced conflicts, with a higher incidence in the Sudano-Guinean zone (36.88%). Four main categories of conflict were identified: (i) blows and injuries to people and animals (38.64%), (ii) displacement of herders and their farms (34.26%), (iii) property damage and animal slaughter (15.13%), and (iv) violent verbal altercations and animal poisoning (11.97%). These findings indicate that recurrent conflicts are accelerating the shift from transhumance towards sedentarization, underscoring the need for tailored conflict management strategies and sustainable livestock policies.

World doi: 10.3390/world6040150

Authors: Constantinos Challoumis Nikolaos Eriotis Dimitrios Vasiliou

This study investigates the influence of pressure groups on the structure of the Greek economy, emphasizing their function as intermediaries between civil society and policymaking institutions. The significance of this research lies in revealing how organized interests—operating in an environment of informal and weakly regulated lobbying—shape sectoral dynamics and policy outcomes. The central hypothesis is that sectors represented by strong and well-organized pressure groups, such as manufacturing, tourism, and public administration, exhibit higher and more stable shares of Gross Value Added (GVA) due to their lobbying capacity and institutional access. To test this hypothesis, the paper integrates qualitative institutional analysis with a quantitative econometric model based on sectoral data from 2013 to 2023. The descriptive results indicate patterns consistent with the hypothesis that organized pressure groups are associated with sectoral resilience and performance. Nevertheless, the findings also suggest that excessive or unregulated influence may distort economic allocation and weaken transparency. The study concludes that establishing clearer oversight and accountability mechanisms is essential to ensure that the role of pressure groups supports democratic integrity and balanced economic development.