Search Results (16)

Under China’s ‘Dual Carbon’ strategy, the power sector plays a central role in achieving carbon neutrality. This study develops a bi-level game-optimization model involving the government, power producers, and technology suppliers to explore the dynamic coordination between shadow carbon pricing and emission trajectories. The upper-level model, guided by the government, focuses on minimizing total costs, including emission reduction costs, technological investments, and operational costs, by dynamically adjusting emission targets and shadow carbon prices. The lower-level model employs evolutionary game theory to simulate the adaptive behaviors and strategic interactions among power producers, regulatory authorities, and technology suppliers. Three representative uncertainty scenarios, disruptive technological breakthroughs, major policy interventions, and international geopolitical shifts, are incorporated to evaluate system robustness. Simulation results indicate that an optimistic scenario is characterized by rapid technological advancement and strong policy incentives. Conversely, under a pessimistic scenario with sluggish technology development and weak regulatory frameworks, there are substantially higher transition costs. This research uniquely contributes by explicitly modeling dynamic feedback between policy and stakeholder behavior under multiple uncertainties, highlighting the critical roles of innovation-driven strategies and proactive policy interventions in shaping effective, resilient, and cost-efficient carbon pricing and low-carbon transition pathways in the power sector. Full article

The ports and shipping industry is crucial in the global supply chain. Amid complex market and geopolitical dynamics, strengthening stakeholder collaboration becomes imperative to enhance maritime supply chain profit. Therefore, we develop a three-stage game model consisting of a port operator and a shipping company. We consider the impact of upgrading port facilities with advanced technology on the logistic decisions of the shipping company. In the first stage, the port decides whether to invest in upgrades, while the shipping company chooses one-way or two-way logistics. In subsequent stages, the port sets cargo handling charges, and the shipping company determines the freight rate. Equilibria under decentralized and centralized decision frameworks are derived. The equilibrium results show that market size has a significant effect on the shipping company’s choice. Specifically, the shipping company prefers two-way logistics when the market size is moderate, while one-way logistics is preferred when the market size is large or small. In addition, based on the fixed costs associated with port facility upgrades and two-way logistics, it is found that there exist three possible equilibria. Moreover, further analysis suggests that collaboration between the two parties, under appropriate financial conditions, can result in mutually beneficial outcomes. Our findings highlight the critical role of port–shipping company collaboration in enhancing operational efficiency and achieving greater mutual benefits. Full article

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) emphasize enhancing agricultural productivity sustainably and strengthening the resilience of agricultural systems amidst rising economic uncertainties, escalating climate change risks, and geopolitical tensions. Amidst these challenges, the relentless progress of digital and information technologies heralds the digital economy as a potential game-changer for agricultural productivity. In 2023, the scale of China’s digital economy reached 7.64 trillion US dollars, accounting for 42.8% of China’s GDP, with the contribution of digital economy growth to GDP growth reaching 66.45%. As a nascent yet formidable force in the global economy, the digital economy is reshaping industries worldwide, particularly the agricultural sector. Food security and sustainability could potentially be affected by the digital economy, while agricultural productivity is a crucial element of food security and sustainability. The primary objective of this study is to investigate the extent to which the digital economy (DE) contributes to agricultural technical efficiency (ATE) in the context of China and to explore the mechanisms through which this impact is mediated and the implications for regional disparities. This study delves into the Chinese context, examining the empirical evidence of how the DE bolsters ATE utilizing provincial panel data. Key findings reveal the following: (1) DE exerts a significant and positive impact on ATE, demonstrating robust effects. (2) Marketization acts as a pivotal mediation mechanism in transmitting the positive influence of DE on ATE. (3) DE fosters convergence in ATE, narrowing regional disparities. Based on these insights, we propose strategic recommendations to mitigate agricultural production risks in agricultural productivity and propel food security and sustainability in China. Full article

This study analyzes the impact of global geopolitical changes on new/renewable energy (NRE) policies and their roles in enhancing national energy security, elevating international stature, and influencing the global energy market. Using game theory, it reveals how NRE policies promote technological innovation, diversify energy supply, and strengthen international collaboration, thus advancing the global energy system towards a low-carbon transition and improving international energy governance. NRE policies significantly enhance national energy security by reducing dependency on single energy sources, facilitate the global shift to low-carbon energy, and intensify international cooperation. The effectiveness of these policies in driving energy transformation is notable, and they are expected to remain crucial for global energy security and sustainable transition. Recommendations include strengthening the stability and security of energy supply chains through enhanced oversight, increasing investment in R&D and innovation to reduce costs, fostering international cooperation for better policy coordination, and implementing diversified energy policies to encourage the adoption of NRE. These measures will address challenges from global geopolitical dynamics and drive the global energy system towards sustainability and efficiency. Full article

The global geopolitical landscape is characterized by the rise of new powers and a shift toward multipolarity. This study examines the impact of multipolarity on international cooperation using an iterated game theory approach, particularly the classic prisoner’s dilemma, extended to a multiplayer setting. This effort can be regarded as a preliminary study of hypothetical optimal global cooperation. The main hypothesis is that an increase in the number of large countries in the international system will lead to higher levels of cooperation. Our simulation approach confirmed this. Our findings extend to the conclusion that multipolarity, under appropriate cultural and value systems, can foster new economic development and fair competition. Furthermore, we emphasize the importance of evolving strategies and cooperative dynamics in a multipolar world, contributing to discussions on foreign economic policy integration, sustainability, and managing vulnerabilities among great powers. The study underscores the necessity of strategic frameworks and international institutions in promoting global stability and cooperation amidst the complexities of multipolarity. Full article

As globalization deepens, factors such as the COVID-19 pandemic and geopolitical tensions have intricately complexified supply chain risks, underscoring the escalating significance of adept risk management. This study elucidates the evolution, pivotal research foci, and emergent trends in supply chain risk management over the past two decades through a multifaceted lens. Utilizing bibliometric tools CiteSpace and HistCite, we dissected the historical contours, dynamic topics, and novel trends within this domain. Our findings reveal a sustained fervor in research activity, marked by extensive scientific collaboration over the past 20 years. Distinct research hotspots have surfaced intermittently, featuring 20 domains, 62 keywords, and 60 citation bursts. Keyword clustering identified seven nascent research subfields, including stochastic planning, game theory, and risk management strategies. Furthermore, reference clustering pinpointed five contemporary focal areas: robust optimization, supply chain resilience, blockchain technology, supply chain finance, and Industry 4.0. This review delineates the scholarly landscape from 2004 to 2023, uncovering the latest research hotspots and developmental trajectories in supply chain risk management through a bibliometric analysis. Full article

Geopolitical conflicts and power games among major nations present substantial challenges to cross-border trade and global economic development; however, the existing literature has paid limited attention to the role of geopolitical risk in agricultural exports, especially the underlying macroimpact mechanisms from the perspective of agricultural land. This paper utilizes China’s agricultural export data spanning 1995–2020 to empirically investigate the influence of geopolitical risk on China’s agricultural exports and unveil its specific internal mechanisms. The findings reveal that China’s agricultural exports are negatively affected when its trading partners are exposed to geopolitical risk. Notably, trading partners’ agricultural land is instrumental in mitigating the adverse effects of geopolitical risk on China’s agricultural exports. Moreover, a heterogeneity analysis shows that the impact of geopolitical risk on China’s agricultural exports is more significant in non-Belt and Road countries than in Belt and Road countries. Given China’s status as one of the world’s major agricultural exporting nations, the results of this study hold significant importance in proactively addressing and alleviating the impact of geopolitical risks on both Chinese and global agricultural exports. Full article

As a great practice of building a community of shared future for mankind, the Belt and Road Initiative is facing geopolitical risk brought by great power games, regional conflicts and terrorism. It is an important mission of geopolitical research to scientifically deal with the geopolitical risk along the Belt and Road. This study systematically constructs the geopolitical risk assessment index system and analyzes the spatiotemporal evolution, obstacle factors and risk types of geopolitical risk of countries along the Belt and Road by using the entropy weight TOPSIS model, obstacle degree model and minimum variance method. The research results showed that: (1) From 2005 to 2020, the polarization of geopolitical risk in countries along the Belt and Road was very significant, and the overall trend of geopolitical risk tended to deteriorate. (2) The Middle East and Eastern Europe were the most important geopolitical risk zones along the Belt and Road, and Afghanistan, Iraq, Russia and Ukraine were the main high geopolitical risk centers, with significant risk spillover effects from these centers. (3) Terrorism and close relations with the United States were the most important obstacle factors for geopolitical risk in countries along the Belt and Road, and military intervention politics, trade dependence degree and foreign debt burden were important obstacle factors for geopolitical risk in countries along the Belt and Road. (4) Geopolitical risk along the Belt and Road can be divided into sovereign risk dominant type, sovereign and military risk dominant type, sovereign and major power intervention risk dominant type, and sovereign and military and major power intervention risk jointly dominated type, among which sovereign and military and major power intervention risk jointly dominated type was the most important geopolitical risk type. In order to scientifically deal with geopolitical risk in countries along the Belt and Road, it is necessary to strengthen geopolitical risk awareness, pay attention to the dominant geopolitical risk factors, strengthen the control of regional geopolitical risk spillover and formulate reasonable risk prevention and control scheme based on geopolitical risk types. Full article

Under the influence of economic globalization, the internationalization trend of energy security issues has become increasingly prominent. This paper adopts the natural discontinuity grading method to classify the energy security status of 102 countries into five categories: Best, Better, Good, Poor and Worse types; reveals the dynamic evolution characteristics and main formation mechanisms of world energy security; and puts forward the game focus of future energy geopolitics. The results show that: (1) during 1995–2019, global energy security presents local turbulence and an overall “J” shaped trend; (2) the global energy security pattern coincides with the international geopolitical order. The countries with the “Best” energy security are found in Western Europe and North America while the countries with “Poor” or “Worse” energy security are located in Asia and the less developed regions of Africa; (3) the main reason why developed economies have better energy security is due to their high energy use efficiency, while developing countries lag behind mainly because of their lower innovation capacity, lower productivity and lower disposable income; and (4) the global energy security landscape is expected to be affected by the changing US–China relationship, coercive energy transition and the uncertainty of the political environment. Full article

Industrial growth and development are among the integral components of economic development in developing countries such as Iran. Markazi province in the central part of Iran is one of the most prone areas for industrial progress due to its geopolitical location, proximity to the capital and major cities, and access via Iran’s western corridor. Over the last few decades, the concentration of major industries in combination with a lack of environmental safeguards have led to major environmental concerns, such that the province’s industrial development faces serious challenges going forward. This paper analyzes how to resolve these challenges through strategic analysis of stakeholder interactions using a Graph Model for Conflict Resolution, i.e., a non-cooperative model of game theory. Results indicate that, from a strategic point of view, the main cause of the conflict is over physical industrial land development in Markazi province by way of rationality and organizational benefits from stakeholders. It was shown that the insistence from the Industry and Mining Organization on industrial development and the Department of Environment on the preservation of natural resources and the environment, on the one hand, and the prevention of their further destruction, on the other, have made it difficult to find a cooperative solution. The findings further unveiled that in a non-cooperative scenario (i.e., the current situation), the equilibrium point of the conflict is status 16 (i.e., among the 18 situations) and no unilateral progression from either party can be detected. Via the equilibrium point, if the current preferences of the parties cannot be resolved, the conflict will remain at a deadlock leaving the environment at risk of further degradation. Full article

Given the in-depth advancement of the “Belt and Road” initiative, cooperation among countries along the initiative is increasing. The strategic maritime transport passage is closely related to the interests of relevant countries. The games between countries along important transport passages in terms of the pursuit of geopolitical rights and interests occur frequently. This paper establishes an evolutionary game model of the strategic maritime transport passages taking the Strait of Hormuz as an example and explores the game of the countries on both sides of the strait. By analysing their behaviour and possible strategies, the evolutionary stable strategy for each country is obtained. Recommendations are made to aid with the relevant rights and interests of related countries. Full article

The study concerns the relationship between health and geopolitics in the United Kingdom (UK). To demonstrate this relationship, we examined the subject and tone of articles published in the popular media (on the example of tabloid the Daily Mail) in 2006–2020 concerning health and medical care, and the health and health care practice of Eastern European immigrants belonging to and not belonging to the European Union (EU). There was an increase in media criticism of the behaviour of immigrants in the years 2014–2017, in the period around the referendum in favour of the UK leaving the EU (Brexit). Attention was drawn to the media’s use of a Belief in a Zero-Sum Game (BZSG) narrative at that time. On both sides, “hosts” and the “guests”, a progressive anomy process was observed, degrading the behaviour of individuals and social groups. Full article

Oil-and-gas networks are systems of pumps and pipelines that are exposed to heterogeneous threats. Accordingly, hardening strategies against malicious attacks are needed in today’s geopolitical climate. In this paper, a tri-level leader–follower–operator game is established for determining the optimal fortification tactics to protect the critical assets considering the petroleum firm limited resources. We additionally consider defender options beyond outright fortification including tactics often adapted in the fog of war, such as deception. These are mathematically modeled under shared cognition concepts. The proposed model assumes a trial-and-error learning process to gradually discover effective defense strategies. These strategies may include a network defender projecting false information in the media or on the front lines to deceive the aggressor. The resulting mixed-integer nonlinear programming problem is decomposed into a master problem associated with deception and sub-problem as response strategies. A column-and-constraint generation solution duly takes into account the defender–operator and attacker–operator interactions. Further, linearization techniques are applied to reformulate the problem into a mixed-integer linear problem. Our studies performed on the part of the Iraq oil-and-gas network and computational results verified that the deception concept is much more effective than fortification, where the cost of attackers damages diminished significantly without substantial resources commitment on the part of the defender. Full article

In Germany, 93% of young people between the ages of 10 and 18 play video games daily. Political geography, in particular popular geopolitics, have found that video games can help to establish and develop people’s understanding of geopolitics. Consequently, this affects geography education, providing both challenges and opportunities for teaching. Geography teaching is an integral part of political education as students need to understand how boundaries and territories create spaces with regards to social power and become the object of political conflict. Reflection plays a central role in understanding and deconstructing such spatial constructions. In this article, we examine representations and concepts of borders in digital strategy games and the perception and reflection of these by the players. The results provide an outlook on the potential and the challenges of digital strategy games for political education in geography lessons in secondary schools as well as for teacher training at universities. For this reason, possible approaches for education and training will be outlined on the basis of the results. Full article

What do a bionic supersoldier, space stations and religious fanaticism have in common? They are all vital elements of the plot in Halo, a series of first-person shooter games developed by Bungie and published by Microsoft Games. One of the interesting things about Halo is that the developers made use of quite a number of religious images and themes, especially from the Christian tradition. In modern Western society, science and religion are often portrayed as polar opposites, and Halo appears to reaffirm this narrative. Yet it might still be interesting to look at how exactly this animosity is portrayed, and to see whether there is more to it. This paper is an inquiry into the significance of religious imagery and themes in Halo, as well as an attempt to place the game in the broader context of the geopolitical situation of its time. In short, this article is going to be a case study of how the relationship between science and religion can be explored through the medium of video games. For an overview of the current debate on how science and religion relate to one another in academia, I am going to look at the works of American physicist and scholar of religion Ian Barbour, American paleontologist and historian of science Stephen Gould, and British ethologist and evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins. To justify the academic study of videogames I will be drawing from the writings of Dutch cultural theologian Frank Bosman. The analysis itself will consist of a summary of the game’s main story, its portrayal of religion on the one hand and its depiction of science on the other, and its representation of how these two fields relate to one another. In the conclusion, finally, I will connect the dots between the different parts of the analysis and provide an answer to the main question. Full article