Search Results (671)

This study examines how territorial peripherality and regional entrepreneurial ecosystem quality shape the growth trajectories of Italian university spin-offs, with a specific focus on internal areas. Combining firm-level data from NETVAL and AIDA with territorial indicators from the Italian Strategy for Inner Areas (SNAI) and ISTAT, we construct a panel of 655 university spin-offs observed between 2018 and 2022. Two composite indicators capture provincial peripherality and regional ecosystem quality. Using mixed-effects models, we analyse their effects on revenue and employment growth. Results show that stronger regional ecosystems support employment growth overall and significantly amplify revenue growth for spin-offs located in internal areas, partially compensating for structural territorial disadvantages. The findings highlight the importance of place-based ecosystem policies and the strategic role of universities in fostering knowledge-based development and proxy indicators of territorial resilience in peripheral regions. Full article

Labor market forecasting relies heavily on economic time-series data, often overlooking the “health–wealth” gradient that links population health to workforce participation. This study develops a machine learning framework integrating non-traditional health and social metrics to predict state-level employment density. Methods: We constructed a multi-source longitudinal dataset (2014–2024) by aggregating county-level Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) data with County Health Rankings to the state level. Using a time-aware split to evaluate performance across the COVID-19 structural break, we compared LASSO, Random Forest, and regularized XGBoost models, employing SHAP values for interpretability. Results: The tuned, regularized XGBoost model achieved strong out-of-sample performance (Test $R^2$ = 0.800). A leakage-safe stacked Ridge ensemble yielded comparable performance (Test $R^2$ = 0.827), while preserving the interpretability of the underlying tree model used for SHAP analysis. Full article

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. Full article

To identify the emission reduction potential and policy synergies of Tokyo’s road passenger and urban road freight transport under the “carbon neutrality target,” this paper constructs an assessment framework for megacities. First, based on macroeconomic socioeconomic variables (population, GDP, road length, and employment), regression equations are used to predict traffic turnover for different modes of transport from 2021 to 2050. Then, the prediction results are imported into the LEAP (Long-range Energy Alternatives Planning) model. By adjusting three policy levers—vehicle technology substitution (ZEV: EV/FCEV), energy intensity improvement, and upstream electricity and hydrogen supply decarbonization—a “single-factor vs. multi-factor (policy synergy)” scenario matrix is designed for comparison. The results show that the emission reduction potential of a single measure is limited; upstream decarbonization yields the greatest independent emission reduction effect, while the emission reduction effect of deploying zero-emission vehicles and improving energy efficiency alone is small. In the most ambitious composite scenario, emissions will decrease by approximately 83% by 2050 compared to the baseline scenario, with cumulative emissions decreasing by over 35%. Emissions from rail and taxis will approach zero, while buses and freight will remain the primary residual sources. This indicates that achieving net zero emissions in the transportation sector requires not only accelerated ZEV penetration but also the simultaneous decarbonization of electricity and hydrogen, as well as policy timing design oriented towards fleet replacement cycles. The integrated modeling and scenario analysis presented in this paper provide quantifiable evidence for the formulation of a medium- to long-term emissions reduction roadmap and the optimization of policy mix in Tokyo’s transportation sector. Full article

Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) remain one of the most persistent occupational health challenges in the U.S. construction industry, where physically demanding tasks such as heavy lifting, kneeling, and working in awkward postures contribute to elevated injury rates. This study aims to identify significant job-related determinants of MSDs in construction-sector occupations. By integrating publicly available datasets from the Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII) and the Occupational Information Network (O*NET) datasets, a stepwise multiple regression analysis was conducted on 344 occupation-condition observations representing 86 construction occupations, yielding a final model that explained 49% of the variance. Ten significant predictors of MSD events were identified and classified as either risk amplifiers or mitigators. Amplifiers included factors such as exposure to noise, disease, hazardous conditions, and time pressure, all of which heightened MSD risk, while mitigators—such as reduced cramped-space exposure and regulated work environments—were associated with lower risk. MSDs resulting from sprains, strains, or tears accounted for 62.8% of all cases, frequently leading to days away from work (36.3%) or job restrictions (26.5%). The findings underscore that ergonomic risk in construction extends beyond physical strain to include scheduling, equipment design, and work organization. These results provide actionable insights for employers and safety professionals to redesign tools, optimize task rotation, and implement realistic work pacing strategies, ultimately reducing MSD incidence and improving productivity in this high-risk sector. Full article

With the steady of new-type urbanization, the urban–rural income gap has become an increasingly prominent issue in China. Nevertheless, limited attention has been paid to the spatial relationships among new-type urbanization, industrial structure upgrading, and farmers’ income in Northeast China. Taking Northeast China as the research area, this study constructs a multidimensional evaluation index for new-type urbanization and employs data panels spanning 34 regional areas spanning the years from 2012 to 2023. The Statistical Durbin Model is used to examine both the direct and spatial spillover effects of new-type urbanization on farmers’ income, while the mediating role of industrial structure upgrading is further explored. The empirical findings indicate that: (1) cities with relatively higher farmers’ income levels and more advanced new-type urbanization are mainly concentrated in Liaoning Province; (2) new-type urbanization significantly contributes to the growth of farmers’ income; (3) new-type urbanization exerts positive spatial spillover effects on farmers’ income in surrounding regions; (4) industrial structure upgrading serves as an important transmission channel through which new-type urbanization enhances farmers’ income; and (5) among the control variables, fiscal support for agriculture and the degree of agricultural economic growth exerts large beneficial influence on farmers’ income. These results provide empirical and theoretical support for promoting new-type urbanization as an effective approach to narrowing the urban–rural income gap and increasing farmers’ earnings. Accordingly, policy efforts should focus on accelerating the advancement of new-type urbanization in Northeast China, strengthening infrastructure development and the provision of public services, optimising industrial structures to enhance employment absorption capacity, expanding farmers’ income sources, and fostering coordinated and sustainable urban–rural development across the region. Full article

This article explores how female entrepreneurs construct and negotiate entrepreneurial identities across socialist, transition, and post-socialist periods in Slovenia. Drawing on feminist, post-structuralist, and identity-theory perspectives, we ask what determines women’s entrepreneurial identities and how multiple roles and changing institutions shape them. Using a qualitative multiple-case design, we analyze 15 information-rich cases selected through purposive sampling and based on in-depth semi-structured interviews and supporting documents. Qualitative content analysis and cross-case comparison identified patterns within and across the three periods. Results show that women’s motives combine economic, autonomy, and mission-driven goals; that entrepreneurial identity is closely intertwined with motherhood, partnership, and community roles; and that evolving ecosystems offer increasing but still fragmented support. Identity work intensifies at transitions between employment and entrepreneurship and when growth ambitions confront care responsibilities. We conclude that female entrepreneurial identities in Slovenia are historically and institutionally embedded and that gender-integrative, context-sensitive ecosystem measures are needed to support diverse entrepreneurial pathways and long-term, socially responsible growth. Full article

With the deep integration of digital technology and the tourism industry, the transformation of the spatial form of smart tourism destinations and the research on their system structure have become the focus. This study adopts a mixed research approach, taking villages in the mountainous areas of southeastern China as examples, and collects empirical data through semi-structured interviews, participant observation and literature collection. This study draws on structuralist location theory to construct a four-dimensional spatial analysis model of natural environment, production economy, social norms and cultural values and incorporates a historical perspective to make up for the limitations of this theory in explaining regional dynamic changes caused by the lack of a time dimension. This study finds that digital tourism provides external resources such as the consumer market, tourism capital and information technology prompting the reconfiguration of the rural internal system. By absorbing external resources and upgrading traditional industries, rural areas have formed a more diversified, inclusive, and dynamically balanced spatial form. Furthermore, phenomena such as villagers’ relocation, e-commerce employment and local tea-growing knowledge indicate that certain predicaments still exist in the construction of digital tourism. This research can provide practical references for the development and spatial optimization of rural digital tourism. Full article

Employment promotion and employment realization are the core and fundamental problems in the resettlement of land-expropriated farmers transferred to citizens. To solve this problem, it is necessary to clarify the key factors and mechanisms that affect the employment behavior of “farmers to citizens” workers. Taking the labor force from land-expropriated “farmers to citizens” in the construction of Beijing city sub-center as the research object, this paper utilizes Logistic ISM to determine the key factors affecting the employment behavior of the labor force when changing from rural to urban, as well as the internal logical relationship and hierarchical structure among the influencing factors. The results show that only 40% of the migrant workers in the sample have achieved employment, while 69% of the unemployed population have a willingness to work but are limited by age, skills, and family factors. The logistic regression model identifies that the employment behavior of land-expropriated farmers is significantly affected by 10 factors, including gender, age, work experience, hobbies, employment demand, expenditure change, employment difficulty cognition, government training, policy satisfaction and social security. Among them, ISM further reveals that these factors form a three-level hierarchical mechanism of “structure–cognition–behavior”; gender, social security and policy satisfaction are the deep-root factors, and the intermediate factors, such as hobbies and government training, affect employment demand, employment difficulty cognition and other surface factors, and ultimately affect the employment behavior of land-expropriated “farmers to citizens”. Based on this, it is proposed to start from four aspects: differentiated employment guidance, policy transmission optimization, service efficiency improvement, and industrial driving, to systematically promote the realization of more comprehensive and stable employment for the rural-to-residential population, and provide institutional guarantees and practical paths for their sustainable livelihoods. Full article

Background/Objectives: The establishment of strong prenatal bonding is a key determinant of perinatal well-being, influencing maternal psychological adaptation and infant development. Numerous studies have examined risk factors and psychopathology during pregnancy, but limited research has explored the role of positive psychological constructs, such as positive mental health (PMH). This study aimed to assess whether anxiety mediates the relationship between PMH and the quality of prenatal bonding. Methods: A total of 90 pregnant women participated. PMH was assessed using the Abbreviated Positive Mental Health Questionnaire; anxiety using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale; and prenatal bonding using the Prenatal Assessment Scale for Pregnant Women (EVAP). A simple mediation model was tested, with anxiety as a mediator between PMH (predictor) and prenatal bonding (outcome), controlling the analysis for previous miscarriages, relationship stability, high-risk pregnancy, and employment. Results: The model revealed partial mediation (F = 16.617, p < 0.001). Higher PMH was associated with lower anxiety (B = −0.297, SE = 0.062, p < 0.001) and stronger prenatal bonding (B = 0.777, SE = 0.091, p < 0.001). Interestingly, anxiety emerged as an adaptive response, which could improve maternal sensitivity and communication with the unborn child (B = 0.316, SE = 0.145, p = 0.032). The model explained 56% of the variance in prenatal bonding, even after accounting for relevant covariates. Conclusions: These findings underscore the importance of considering contextual and psychosocial factors when assessing the role of emotions such as anxiety during pregnancy. Rather than being inherently maladaptive, anxiety may play a functional role in facilitating maternal engagement with the baby, especially when grounded in PMH. Given the limited research, our findings support the integration of positive psychology frameworks into perinatal health interventions. Full article

The construction of New Energy Demonstration Cities (NEDC) represents a crucial policy initiative in advancing China’s energy transition and serves as an institutional innovation to promote inclusive green growth (IGG) at the urban level. Based on panel data for 278 prefecture-level cities in China from 2011 to 2021, this study employs a double machine learning model to identify the causal impact of the NEDC on IGG and to further explore the underlying mechanisms. The empirical results show that the policy significantly enhances IGG overall. However, the positive effects are mainly observed in non-resource-based and non-old industrial cities, while the impacts in resource-based and old industrial cities are statistically insignificant. This finding indicates that structural constraints such as the resource curse and Dutch disease remain evident in these regions. Mechanism analysis reveals that the NEDC promotes IGG primarily through technological innovation and employment creation, forming a chained mediating pathway of ‘NEDC → technological innovation → employment creation → IGG.’ This study enriches the literature on the economic effects of energy reform pilot policies and provides empirical evidence and policy insights for achieving IGG goals in both China and other countries. Full article

Introduction/Objectives: In the context of Spain’s persistently high job insecurity and evolving labor market, understanding how individuals sustain career engagement is critical. This study aimed to adapt and validate the Career Commitment Scale (CCS) for use in the Spanish population and examine its relationship with career adaptability, mental health, and stress across different age groups. Methods: Using a sample of 418 participants, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses confirmed the CCS’s original three-factor structure, career identity, planning, and resilience, with satisfactory fit indices and strong reliability. Criterion-related validity was supported through significant positive correlations with career adaptability and negative associations with depression, anxiety, and stress. Test–retest analysis over a three-month interval showed moderate-to-strong temporal stability. Result: CFA confirmed the factor structure. A moderation analysis revealed that stress moderated the relationship between age and career resilience: older individuals demonstrated higher resilience under low stress conditions, but this benefit diminished under high stress exposure. Conclusions: These findings highlight the relevance of career commitment as a multidimensional construct closely linked to mental well-being and adaptive functioning in uncertain labor markets. The validated CCS provides a reliable tool for research and practice, offering new insights into how career motivation interacts with age and psychological stress across the lifespan. This validation has meaningful implications for organizational practices, career counseling, and public policy, as career commitment can buffer against Spain’s chronic unemployment and job precarity—particularly for younger workers and those in non-standard employment. Full article

The research examines how digital inclusive finance reshapes the rural labor market using an auditable index system and an interpretable learning pipeline. We construct a four-pillar framework for the rural labor market covering labor behavior, labor structure, security and fairness, and sustainability, and compute county-level scores with an Attribute Hierarchy Model plus Fuzzy Comprehensive Evaluation (AHM–FCE). Using data for 58 counties in Jiangsu from 2014 to 2023, we estimate nonlinear links from overall and sub-dimensional digital finance to labor market outcomes with a random forest optimized by Particle Swarm Optimization plus Genetic Algorithm (PSO-GA-RF). Theoretical contribution: we provide a measurement-based bridge from digital inclusive finance to rural labor markets by aligning access, usage, and service quality with the four pillars of the rural labor market index, which yields testable county level predictions on participation, job quality, equity, and persistence of gains. Maps show heterogeneity, with higher behavior scores, lagging sustainability, and a north–south gradient. Empirically, stronger digital finance is associated with higher non-agricultural employment, better job quality, narrower urban–rural gaps, and stronger protection mechanisms, with larger effects where rural population shares and policy support are higher. Findings are robust to variable transforms, bandwidth choices, and tuning. Full article

University Dual Training is constructed at the intersection of academic and professional spheres, shaping a complex and multifaceted educational model. The aim of this study is to analyze the media representation of University Dual Training within the Spanish higher education landscape. The analysis focused on news articles published in the digital press of Spanish universities between 2021 and 2025. Following the methodological principles of a systematic review, a total of 81 news items (comprising 747 lexical segments) were identified and categorized 60 from 25 public universities and 21 from 7 private institutions. Data analysis, supported by the MAXQDA 24 software, enabled the identification of trends in the use of keywords, temporal evolution, and prevailing themes, along with the degree of relevance attributed to this training modality. The findings reveal an institutional tendency in media dissemination centred on promoting University Dual Training as a pathway for educational innovation, highlighting experiences and collaborations with companies, and projecting a discourse in which universities present themselves as committed to this modality. The study concludes that digital university newspapers convey the relevance and impact of University Dual Training as a modality that brings together diverse stakeholders, creating a space of collaboration and shared responsibility that strengthens student training and employability. Full article

The intensifying global warming and the increasing frequency of extreme weather events have created an urgent need for targeted resilience building in mountainous villages. This study focuses on three typical villages in the Hengduan Mountains region. From the perspective of individual villagers, a disaster resilience evaluation index system was constructed, encompassing four dimensions: disaster prevention capacity, disaster resistance capacity, disaster relief capacity, and recovery capacity. Using the entropy method and a village disaster resilience assessment model, the disaster resilience levels of each village were quantitatively evaluated. The results indicate the following: (1) Disaster resistance capacity is the key factor constraining the disaster resilience level of mountain villages. (2) The overall disaster resilience of mountain villages is at a medium level, with minor differences among villages. (3) Significant disparities exist in capacity dimensions across villages: Qina Village demonstrates the strongest disaster resistance capacity, while Xiamachang Village excels in disaster prevention capacity but shows relative weakness in recovery capacity. (4) Household material endowment has a significant positive impact on disaster prevention, resistance, relief, and recovery capacities, while individual self-rescue capability and individual–government collaboration capacity also significantly enhance disaster prevention, resistance, and relief capacities. We propose the following: Leveraging the rural revitalization strategy as a pivotal point, this approach promotes the diversified development of the village economy. It facilitates the increase in villagers’ income through the implementation of employment skill training programs, thereby strengthening household material foundations to enhance individual disaster resilience. By relying on the mass monitoring and mass prevention mechanism and a disaster information sharing platform, real-time exchange of disaster situation information is achieved, which enhances communication and collaboration between villagers and the government, consequently improving the synergistic efficiency between individuals and governmental bodies. Simultaneously, a villager-centered disaster prevention system is constructed. Through measures such as disaster prevention publicity and practical disaster response drills, villagers’ awareness of disasters and their capabilities for self and mutual rescue are elevated, ultimately strengthening the overall disaster resilience of rural areas in the Hengduan Mountains region. Full article