Search Results (240)

Opportunities for citizens to become prosumers have grown rapidly with renewable energy (RE) technologies reaching grid parity. The European Union’s ability to harness this potential depends on empowering energy citizens, fostering active engagement, and overcoming resistance to RE deployment. European energy law introduced “renewable self-consumers” and “active customers” with rights to consume, sell, store, and share RE, alongside rights for citizens collectively organised in energy communities. This article explores conditions for inclusive citizen engagement and empowerment within the RE system. Building on an ownership- and governance-oriented approach, we further develop the concept of energy citizenship, focusing on three elements: conditions for successful engagement, individual versus collective (financial) participation, and the role of public (co-)ownership in fostering inclusion. The analysis is supported by 82 semi-structured interviews, corroborating our theoretical lens. Findings show that participation, especially of vulnerable consumers, relies on an intact “engagement chain,” while energy communities remain an underused instrument for inclusion. Institutional environments enabling municipalities and public entities to act as pace-making (co-)owners are identified as key. Complementing the market and the State, civil society holds important potential to enhance engagement. Inspired by the 2017 European Pillar of Social Rights, we propose a corresponding “European Pillar of Energy Rights.” Full article

Leadership speeches delivered within the United Nations and UNESCO play an active role in shaping global policy discourse. As widely circulated texts, they influence how policymakers understand sustainability, responsibility, and education by defining global challenges, allocating responsibility, and communicating shared priorities. This study examines how these concepts are articulated in selected leadership speeches delivered between 2022 and 2025. The analysis adopts a pragmatic framing approach informed by non-linear pragmatic theory. It focuses on six interrelated dimensions: problem definition, causal responsibility, treatment responsibility, value framing, future-oriented framing, and education-specific framing. The findings show that sustainability is consistently framed as a complex ethical challenge linked to climate change, social inequality, and global injustice. Responsibility is presented as shared but uneven, with greater obligations assigned to high-income countries, international institutions, and education systems. Education is addressed both directly, through references to curriculum reform, teacher preparation, and higher education leadership, and indirectly as a means of supporting climate resilience, ethical technological development, and global citizenship. Overall, the study demonstrates that leadership speeches function as influential discursive sites through which sustainability narratives are advanced and priorities for Education for Sustainable Development are communicated, highlighting the value of pragmatic framing for research on international sustainability communication. Full article

Recently, young people’s historical and cultural awareness has been increasingly described as fragmented and disengaged, particularly in the context of rapid social change and “liquid modernity”. Drawing on Clio, the Muse of History, as a metaphor for historical knowledge and memory, this study addresses this challenge by examining how heritage education and history didactics can be reimagined through digital transformation within tourism and educational training programmes. Based on an action research project conducted during the academic year 2022–2023 at the Polytechnic Institute of Viana do Castelo (Portugal), we combine a mixed-methods approach with surveys (n = 65) and co-creation workshops (n = 6) inspired by the Finnish Demola model. The research was presented at the INVTUR conference (2024), reinforcing its international relevance and applicability to global debates on heritage, tourism and education. The results indicate that higher education students (mainly from Tourism and Education degrees) show a low level of historical consciousness and limited cultural consumption habits, despite broad access to digital tools and cultural opportunities. However, the co-creation process revealed innovative ways of reconnecting young people with cultural identity and history, particularly through digital storytelling, gamification and virtual heritage experiences. Results show that 68% of participants report low engagement in cultural activities and that less than one-third visit museums or heritage sites regularly. These findings suggest that digital heritage pedagogies can strengthen historical awareness and contribute to more sustainable and culturally rooted forms of education and tourism. The paper concludes by proposing a framework for integrating digital transformation, heritage education, and history didactics in tourism curricula, highlighting implications for policy, pedagogy and cultural sustainability. It also underscores the urgency of rethinking digital heritage pedagogies to strengthen historical awareness and foster a renewed sense of cultural citizenship. Full article

An effective response to the socio-environmental crisis requires the education of critical citizens, capable of articulating local action with collective socio-political engagement. Teachers occupy a central position in educating for Environmental Citizenship (EC), yet in-service professional development models in this area remain scarce. Within a Design-Based Research framework, this article discusses the expert evaluation of a training prototype. 32 experts—comprising EC researchers, TPD researchers, and specialist teachers—responded to a qualitative questionnaire regarding the model’s design. Data underwent inductive content analysis, with categories emerging directly from the responses. While results strongly validate the prototype’s structure, crucial recommendations emerged for its improvement. Pedagogically, experts suggested focusing on structuring methodologies like Problem-Based Learning and Case Studies to avoid fragmentation. Conceptually, they highlighted the need to deepen critical theoretical foundations and incorporate explicit training in activism and communication skills, enriched by ethical considerations. These findings inform the redesign of a model whose implementation aims to reduce the gap between ecological awareness and transformative civic action, preparing teachers to foster genuine agency in their students. Full article

This study advances the reconceptualization of Open municipal markets (OMMs) as networked ecosystems that connect food producers, vendors and citizenship across rural and urban contexts, sustaining short food supply chains and reinforcing territorial resilience through the interplay of mobility and embeddedness. Aimed at understanding OMMs as components of a broader, networked and adaptable food ecosystem, the research introduces a new methodology that builds on existing scholarship framing markets as relational and mobile spaces. It contributes to the literature by integrating these perspectives into an ecosystemic lens. By applying a mobility-based approach, the research shifts attention from static views of markets to their dynamic and circulatory nature, highlighting their role in fostering more sustainable and socially rooted food systems. Focusing on 105 OMMs in the Province of Girona (Spain), the research combines spatial analysis and data analysis of 300 surveys completed by 300 stallholders to examine how mobility practices shape market dynamics. The paper provides a new methodology of market stallholders and types of markets as well as four key indicators (recurrence, variety, closeness and rootedness) to assess stallholder activity and territorial embeddedness. These findings reveal that stallholders, particularly producers, connect rural production with urban consumption through flexible and multi-scalar circuits. The paper advocates for ecosystem-based urban food planning that harnesses stallholder mobility to strengthen territorial cohesion and food sovereignty, positioning OMMs as strategic public facilities for resilient and socially responsible food systems. Full article

This study examines how online gamification for environmental protection influences university students’ organisational citizenship behaviour toward the environment (OCBE). Grounded in the Cognitive Affective Personality System (CAPS) theory, it investigates how environmental responsibility and environmental passion jointly mediate this relationship through cognitive and affective pathways. Using a dual-mediation framework and survey data from university students engaged with online environmental gamification platforms, the study evaluates both the direct and indirect effects of gamification on OCBE. The results indicate that gamification positively predicts OCBE, operating not only through a direct effect but also through indirect effects via strengthened environmental responsibility and heightened environmental passion. These findings provide empirical evidence for the dual cognitive affective mechanism underlying OCBE. By applying CAPS theory to a digital behavioural context, this research identifies gamification as an effective contextual trigger for pro-environmental organisational behaviour. The study contributes to the sustainable behaviour literature by clarifying how digital gamified environments can foster continuous engagement and offers practical guidance for universities and platform designers to promote students’ participation in green initiatives through the co-activation of responsibility and passion. Full article

The present study explores the role of food as a symbolic, material, and relational device in identity construction and community processes. This study draws on a qualitative case study of a community-based social restaurant located in a mid-sized city in central-northern Italy. The initiative’s objective is to promote the social and labor inclusion of migrant women through training and experiential programs. The research, conducted over a period of nine months from October 2024 to June 2025, was based on a participatory qualitative design, which integrated semi-structured interviews, ecological maps, photointervention, world café, and affective cartography, involving 35 participants including operators, trainees, local community members, and politicians. The results demonstrate the multifaceted role of food practices at the restaurant, which serve to strengthen internal relationships, regulate community life, construct intercultural narratives, and establish spaces of recognition and agency for the women involved. Moreover, the restaurant has been shown to have the capacity to influence the broader social representations of migration in the urban context, thereby promoting processes of cohesion and belonging. It is evident that food-related activities manifest as quotidian micro-political practices, which have the capacity to subvert stereotypes, recognize frequently unseen abilities, and generate new forms of inclusive citizenship. The present study underscores the transformative capacity of initiatives that employ food practices as innovative instruments for fostering empowerment; well-being; and social participation; through the third element of food. The limitations and future prospects of the present situation are discussed; with particular reference to the need to ensure continuity and institutional sustainability for similar experiences. Full article

This paper examines the religious-sociological implications and characteristics of Buddhist environmentalism as articulated in the annual peace proposals of Daisaku Ikeda, founder of Soka Gakkai International (SGI). Leading the lay Buddhist organization established in Guam, USA, in 1975, Ikeda has emphasized the principle of dependent origination and promoted active civic engagement with environmental movements. In the Korean context, a key theoretical question from a religious-sociological perspective is how Ikeda’s environmental ideas have influenced the religious identity of Korea SGI (KSGI) members and contributed to the organization’s growth. Considering that it was not until the 1990s that Buddhist environmentalism in Korea began to move beyond its association with Marxist class struggle and incorporate ecological thought, it is noteworthy that KSGI had already been disseminating Ikeda’s Buddhist environmentalism since the 1970s, fostering an understanding of humanity, nature, and the world from a holistic perspective. This paper concludes that Ikeda’s ideas provided KSGI members with a new Buddhist philosophical and social framework through which to internalize the peaceful coexistence of human and non-human life, grounded in the Buddhist conceptualization of the greater self and global citizenship. Full article

This study examines the emergence of cryptocurrency-enabled democracy (c-democracy) through an analysis of blockchain-based prediction markets during South Korea’s 2024 presidential impeachment crisis. Using a mixed-methods approach, namely network analysis, discourse analysis, and statistical validation, we identify transnational communities engaging in Korean politics beyond citizenship boundaries. Findings reveal a discourse–betting disconnect, where expressive, playful discourse coexists with serious financial stakes, reflecting hybrid motivations for participation. We also observe playful activism and transnational community formation that transcend geographical limits. These results highlight c-democracy as a novel form of political engagement that extends, but also complicates, traditional e-democracy frameworks. Full article

This study presents the HISTOESE (History Education for Sustainable Environments) Model, an empirically grounded and practice-based framework for cultural heritage education and sustainability. Developed through a qualitative, design-based research approach, it analyzes a longitudinal corpus of 50 master’s dissertations and supervised teaching reports (2008–2025) from the Polytechnic Institute of Viana do Castelo, Portugal. Although the empirical basis derives from teacher education, the HISTOESE model fosters school–community partnerships that indirectly support cultural tourism and sustainable, place-based recovery. Using inductive thematic analysis, the study traced how project-based learning (PBL) activities mobilised local heritage, community collaboration, and sustainable pedagogical practices. Three key findings emerged: (1) local-context pedagogies strengthened children’s historical consciousness and heritage literacy; (2) inclusive, low-cost and upcycling strategies fostered community participation; and (3) partnerships with museums, tourism offices, and cultural associations generated visible cultural events that reinforced post-COVID resilience. The HISTOESE framework synthesises these insights into four interrelated pillars—Proximity and Contextualization, Inclusive and Sustainable Practices, Recognition and Valorisation and Active Citizenship and Collaboration—providing a transferable model for teacher education and community-based cultural sustainability. Practical implications concern curriculum design, heritage–tourism interfaces, and collaborative strategies for sustainable development. Full article

This study investigates the relationship between students’ political engagement, civic knowledge, socioeconomic status, gender, and digital media use and their pro-environmental attitudes and behaviors in Denmark, Sweden, Spain, and Romania. To do this, we use data from the International Civic and Citizenship Study (ICCS:22) and employ hierarchical level modeling. We found that students with higher civic knowledge and greater confidence in their ability to be active citizens were more likely to report both pro-environmental behaviors and positive attitudes in every country studied. Socioeconomic status also showed positive links with environmental engagement. Digital media use was linked to more pro-environmental behaviors in all countries, but to less positive attitudes in Spain. These results demonstrate the need for context-specific strategies that teach students how to engage collectively towards a more sustainable future. Full article

In the face of environmental degradation, social inequality, and technological change—acknowledged as defining challenges of the 21st century—Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) lead educational innovation, integrate sustainability as a transformative axis, and act as key actors in global responses. This study develops and validates a conceptual model that advances the goals of Society 5.0 through the integration of sustainability-oriented STEAM education and AI ethics as strategic drivers of a human-centered, socially inclusive, and technologically relevant learning ecosystem. The model rests on multidisciplinary and project-based learning and active engagement with society and industry. Its validation followed a Design Science Research approach supported by expert interviews, the Sustainable Classroom implementation, and international benchmarking with higher education cases from Indonesia, the United Kingdom, Australia, Uruguay, and the European Union. The combination of the constant comparison method of grounded theory with abductive reasoning ensured theoretical coherence and practical consistency. Triangulation across interviews, classroom implementation, and international cases reinforced robustness, while theoretical saturation, cross-validation, and reflexive safeguards strengthened credibility, controlled bias, and secured data management. Findings confirm that the ethical integration of advanced technologies strengthens citizenship, ecological literacy, and institutional innovation, and establishes a replicable and scalable framework that reorients higher education toward sustainability, ethics, and digital equity, positioning it as a cornerstone of education for Society 5.0 and as a global benchmark for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Full article

This study examines how employees’ perceptions of environmental (E), social (S), and governance (G) activities shape organizational commitment (OC), organizational identification (OI), and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) in IT manufacturing firms. We further examine whether generational cohort membership moderates the relationship between ESG and OCB, comparing the MZ generation (Millennials, born 1981 to 1996; Generation Z, born 1997 to 2012) with the older generation. Using survey data from 374 employees across four Korean IT manufacturers and structural equation modeling, we find that S and G positively predict OC; E negatively predicts OC. G positively predicts OI, whereas E negatively predicts OI, and S is not significant. Both OC and OI positively predict OCB and mediate ESG→OCB links (OC mediates E, S, G; OI mediates E and G). Multi-group analysis shows a stronger G→OCB path for the MZ cohort than for the older cohort. In summary, the empirical analysis results of this study are expected to be helpful to executives and managers of IT manufacturing companies that are conducting or promoting ESG activities. Full article

This paper explores ways to use AI for active learning strategies so that students in higher education may perceive generative artificial intelligence (generative AI) as a collaborative partner in their learning experience. This study proposes AI can help advance educational sustainability when students read texts on critical posthumanism, reflect on the philosophical and ontological paradigms through which the human has been understood, and discuss the collaborative relationship between humans and AI using literary texts. By analyzing AI-collaborated writing assignments, student questionnaires, and peer evaluations, this study concludes there are three learning types based on the different levels of students’ perceived difficulties: a cognitive learner, who focuses on AI’s functional aspects such as information retrieval; a metacognitive learner, who engages with generative AI in a two-way communication; and an affective learner, who strictly differentiates the human from the nonhuman and claims reciprocity in human–AI communication to be impossible. This study utilizes a mixed-methods approach by integrating quantitative analysis of the student questionnaires and qualitative analysis of the writing assignments. The findings of the study will serve as a valuable resource for researchers and educators committed to fostering future-oriented citizenship through collaboration between humans and generative AI in higher education. Full article

This qualitative study investigates how local project managers interpret the concept of participation when implementing participatory processes under the Emilia-Romagna (Italy) regional framework. Drawing on 41 in-depth interviews with project managers and key personnel from participatory initiatives funded between 2020 and 2024, the research examines how these actors interpret the concept of participation and how their views align with regional objectives. Thematic analysis reveals that participation is widely viewed as a process of shared responsibility, co-decision, empowerment, and active citizenship. Participants described participation as both a political and relational act, involving co-responsibility, information exchange, and commitment to the common good. While many embraced a transformative vision of participation, others highlighted institutional constraints and the risk of participation being reduced to rhetoric. Additionally, gendered differences emerged in the way participants framed participation, with women emphasizing relational and care-based dimensions, and men focusing more on agency and power. The findings suggest that participation, when meaningfully enacted, is seen as a driver of democratic engagement and institutional trust, but it requires a sustained effort to go beyond procedures and enable genuine collaboration between institutions and citizens. Full article