Search Results (662)

The global construction industry faces persistent challenges of low productivity and labor shortages, positioning Off-Site Construction (OSC) as a critical solution. However, standardized industrialization indices for objectively evaluating OSC adoption remain underdeveloped, particularly in emerging markets. This study aims to identify a benchmark policy model and derive design principles for future indices. Specifically, this study focuses on ‘policy-driven markets’ where strong government intervention is essential for initial ecosystem formation, excluding mature market-driven economies where the ecosystem is already established (e.g., USA, Sweden, Japan). To identify an optimal benchmark, a comparative assessment was conducted on five institutional frameworks across four countries (UK, Malaysia, Singapore, and China). Notably, within China, Hong Kong SAR was analyzed as a distinct regulatory jurisdiction separate from Mainland China due to its unique construction governance system. This assessment was based on five key policy dimensions: Legal Mandate, Scope, Indicator Composition, Enforcement Mechanism, and Sustainability. The analysis identified Singapore’s ‘Buildability Score’ as the most comprehensive model in terms of systemic completeness and practical efficacy. A virtual project simulation demonstrated that the scoring system functions as a powerful regulatory mechanism, effectively driving the adoption of standardized, dry-process, and modularized high-productivity methods from the earliest design stages. While Singapore’s system serves as an effective policy tool for OSC proliferation, it exhibits clear limitations regarding reduced architectural design flexibility and insufficient sustainability integration. Consequently, future industrialization indices must evolve to balance productivity with architectural design diversity and integrate sustainability criteria while reflecting specific regional construction ecosystems. Full article

Background: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of disability but one of the least recognized health problems in the world, affecting up to 69 million people annually. The associated lifelong disability in survivors, the loss of economic productivity, and being a risk factor for dementia consume 0.5% of global economic activity. Yet TBI is still largely invisible in national surveillance systems and not well represented in chronic disease frameworks. Consequently, governments are not equipped to provide proportional financing of acute care and long-term care of survivors, nor to build health care systems and resources for improving outcomes of TBI through policy frameworks targeting prevention, treatment, and equitable access. Objective: This commentary aims to provide a comprehensive picture of the global effort to formally recognize TBI as a notifiable and chronic condition, including the justifications for recognition, the formation of an international coalition of stakeholders, and the strategic plan for resolution at WHA79 of the World Health Assembly, one of the first concerted multinational efforts that occurred as a side event during the 78th World Health Assembly (WHA78) in May 2025. Methods: This commentary integrates information from epidemiological studies, global registries, and testimonies from people with lived experience of TBI. We analyze these data to develop policy needs and corresponding initiatives to address key needs. These include coordinated efforts to advocate change, such as technical briefings, consultations with stakeholders, and storytelling led by survivors, all of which informed and formed a part of the WHA78 side event. Our efforts have garnered wide, multi-sector support. Results: The WHA78 side event showed that ministries of health, neurosurgical, neurological, and rehabilitation societies, academic researchers, WHO representatives, and survivors all unprecedentedly support the recognition of the importance of TBI, facilitating national policies for its prevention and treatment via standardized surveillance. More than 30 non-governmental groups officially supported the campaign. A sponsoring member state made a public commitment to co-sponsor a WHA resolution, which set the stage for ongoing diplomatic progress and engagement across regions. Conclusion: To improve global brain health equity, access to long-term care, and the resilience of health systems, it is important to recognize TBI as a notifiable and chronic condition. A dedicated WHA resolution would make TBI a part of global health governance, making sure that it is counted, tracked, and dealt with as quickly and comprehensively as possible. It is both a technical necessity and a moral duty to help survivors and families and fight for justice in global health systems. Full article

Quantum technology, a critical 21st-century strategic frontier science, has been a key technological competition between China and the U.S. This study employs natural language processing (NLP) techniques and a technology analytical framework to analyze the quantum technology policies of both countries. While the U.S. emphasized free-market innovation and global technological leadership on quantum technology from 2018 to 2024, China prioritized government-led development and socioeconomic stability. Moreover, the Chinese government adopts a systematic top-down approach characterized by government planning and direct intervention. However, the U.S. fosters innovation through market mechanisms and industry-academia collaboration. U.S. policies have gradually shifted from pure technological innovation to national security considerations. On the other hand, China has moved from breakthrough research to industrial deployment and application. These policy differences reflect distinct political systems and governance models, which may also resonate with their respective cultural traditions and philosophical foundations. Our findings fill a critical gap in comparative quantum technology policy research, offering significant insights for policymakers, researchers, and international stakeholders. Full article

Reflection on sustainable economic models, such as the civil economy, has led to the development of alternative food supply chains grounded in ethical values and practices. From this perspective, the Food Village model was proposed to meet stakeholders’ needs, overcome the limitations of Alternative Food Networks, and scale up. In this study, a Discrete Choice Experiment on hypothetical Food Village participation scenarios was combined with the Portrait Values Questionnaire to analyse preferences for the model’s attributes in relation to personal values. The results indicate that consumers appreciate the ethical and territorial characteristics of Food Village, such as local and organic products and cooperative governance, as long as convenience is guaranteed (product variety, flexible hours). Furthermore, they prefer moderate forms of participation, while excessively burdensome involvement reduces their willingness to participate. Individual values influence preferences: values of “self-transcendence” and conservation are associated with greater willingness, while those of “self-affirmation” correlate with lower adherence to Food Village. This evidence suggests implications for policy and scalability: initiatives like Food Village, if supported by public incentives and flexible participatory schemes, can contribute to more sustainable food systems at scale. Full article

This study investigates the institutional transformations within Indonesia’s research ecosystem, focusing on the impacts of the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) establishment and the subsequent Work From Office (WFO) policy on the Association of Indonesian Researchers (PPI). The research aims to evaluate these impacts and propose an adaptive institutional revitalization model. Employing a mixed-methods approach, a total of 150 online questionnaires were distributed across 21 regional branches of PPI between February and March 2025. Of these, 87 were completed and valid for analysis, representing a 58% response rate. Findings reveal that the WFO policy has led to a significant decline in member participation, coordination difficulties across regions, and weakened collaboration with local partners such as regional governments and universities. A SWOT analysis of three revitalization options—full agglomeration, bounded agglomeration, and non-BRIN integration—identified a hybrid model as the most adaptive and widely supported alternative (41.5%). This hybrid model combines selective structural efficiency with inclusive membership expansion, aiming to preserve regional identity, enhance collaboration, and strengthen organizational legitimacy. The study offers key insights for developing adaptive governance frameworks rooted in epistemic justice, digital accountability, and cross-sectoral collaboration, applicable to professional organizations navigating decentralization and institutional disruption. The proposed hybrid model serves as a strategic reference for achieving organizational resilience and fostering a more inclusive national innovation ecosystem. Full article

Chronic diseases disproportionately impact Indigenous peoples in Australia, with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) representing leading causes of morbidity and mortality. Despite evidence supporting community-based exercise interventions for T2DM management, no culturally adapted programs utilizing wearable technology have been co-designed specifically with Indigenous Australian communities. This study protocol aims to determine if wearable-based exercise interventions can effectively prevent CVD development and manage T2DM progression in Indigenous Australians through culturally safe, community-led approaches. The PrIDE study protocol describes a mixed-methods translational research design incorporating Indigenous and Western methodologies across three phases: (1) co-designing culturally adapted exercise programs and assessment tools, (2) implementing interventions with wearable monitoring, and (3) conducting evaluation and scale-up assessment. Sixty-four Indigenous Australian adults with T2DM will be recruited across remote, rural/regional sites to self-select into either individual or group exercise programs using the Withings ScanWatch 2. Primary outcomes include cardiovascular risk factors, physical fitness, and health self-efficacy measured using culturally adapted tools. Indigenous governance structures will ensure cultural safety and community ownership throughout. The PrIDE protocol presents a novel approach to improving health equity while advancing understanding of wearable technology integration in Indigenous healthcare, informing future larger-scale trials and policy development. Full article

Megacity regions mark a transformative phase of urbanisation, in which interconnected cities undergo land-use and land-cover change (LUCC) that extends beyond administrative boundaries. However, the drivers of cross-boundary LUCC remain insufficiently examined, particularly before the top-down regional integration. The Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) provides a clear empirical case, having experienced cross-boundary LUCC prior to its formal designation as a megacity region in 2018. This study builds a Landsat-derived LUCC and driver dataset for the GBA. Global and local spatial autocorrelation (Moran’s I and LISA) are used to characterise spatial structure and clustering, and geographically weighted regression identifies the socio-economic and environmental determinants of built-up expansion over 1980–2018, spanning the pre-reform decade and the post-1990 land-transfer era. Findings reveal that: (1) LUCC in the GBA already exhibited a cross-border, spatially networked expansion pattern before formal regional integration policies at the national level, with built-up area growth extending beyond core cities into decentralised urban nodes. Two prominent cross-border cores and one cross-administrative core emerged, suggesting that regional integration was co-led by market forces and local governments before an institutional framework was established. (2) Although the GBA showed a clear trend towards integrated development, urban expansion was highly uneven. Such spatial disparities were mainly driven by varying socioeconomic and natural factors, including gross domestic product, population growth, real estate investment, water resource proximity, and infrastructure development. These findings enhance understanding of megacity-region dynamics and offer insights from the GBA for cross-border urbanisation and sustainable spatial governance. Full article

The Chinese government has promoted intelligent, green, and integrated transformation to advance sustainable manufacturing. Central to this strategy is the Service-Oriented Manufacturing Demonstration (SOMD) policy, which aims to deepen manufacturing-service integration. However, its regional spillovers and transmission mechanisms remain unclear. Using China’s county-level panel data from 2015 to 2023, we exploit the staggered national rollout of the SOMD policy as a quasi-natural experiment, employing a staggered difference-in-differences (DID) design. We find that the policy significantly increases both the number and share of new manufacturing firms among total business entries by fostering diversified agglomeration of producer services and reducing manufacturers’ operational costs. This effect is highly context-dependent and occurs only when new producer service firms constitute 60% to 98% of all new service entrants. Moreover, we identify a sustainability trade-off, as it stimulates regional economic activity through manufacturing entry but suppresses overall business formation. These findings suggest that achieving balanced sustainable manufacturing requires moving beyond narrow sectoral growth targets toward fostering an integrated industrial ecosystem that strengthens both manufacturing resilience and service-sector dynamism. Full article

In recent years, many locales featuring therapeutic landscapes have seen a rise in health tourism. Existing scholarship tends to either concentrate on specific types of landscape or analyze human emotional experiences separately, often overlooking how therapeutic landscape experiences arise from interactions among human and non-human actors. This study focuses on the relationship between tourists and non-human actors (plants such as rice and lotus leaves, etc.) through immersive interaction. This research is built on critical plant theory and draws on a case study of Xixiang Rural Garden, Erlang Town, China, to examine the co-evolution of therapeutic landscape experience and health tourism and its inherent dynamism. Utilizing qualitative methods, data were collected between October 2024 and September 2025 through participatory observation, semi-structured interviews, and policy document analysis, involving diverse stakeholders, including local government officials, project designers, villagers, and tourists. From a micro-level empirical perspective, the study examines the co-evolution of therapeutic landscape experiences and health tourism and its underlying dynamics. The results show that visitors’ therapeutic experiences deepen through a cyclical process of “therapeutic spatial practices–relational negotiations–experiential transformation.” Key mechanisms driving this process include plant agency, cross-cultural dialogue, and multisensory engagement, which collectively facilitate the transition from initial sensory perceptions to deeper ecological awareness and multispecies relations. Based on micro-level empirical analysis, this study offers concrete policy insights for local governments seeking to promote the sustainable development of therapeutic tourism. In response to practical challenges, specific pathways are proposed: constructing plant-led symbiotic environments, establishing multisensory activity mechanisms, and adopting community-driven management models. These recommendations provide practical guidance for enhancing therapeutic landscape experiences and promoting the sustainable advancement of rural health tourism. Full article

This paper examines the role of institutional logics in shaping heritage-led urban regeneration across fifteen adaptive reuse projects of former tobacco factories in Europe. By categorizing managing authorities into public, private, and community-led actors, the study interprets regeneration outcomes, such as community participation, tourism growth, and crime reduction, through the lens of institutional theory. The analysis reveals that each authority type operates under distinct logics: regulative (public), market-driven (private), and normative (community), which significantly influence the depth and type of impact achieved. Through a comparative framework and empirical indicators, the paper highlights how institutional arrangements affect not only project design but also questions of inclusion, identity, and sustainability. Findings challenge simplistic binaries of top-down versus bottom-up governance and offer a more nuanced understanding of how urban heritage can serve divergent values. The paper concludes with implications for urban policy and future research on hybrid and participatory models of heritage governance. Full article

First Nations children remain dramatically over-represented in Australia’s Out-of-Home Care (OOHC) system, particularly in New South Wales (NSW), which continues to report the highest numbers nationally. This narrative review, grounded in a relational First Nations Standpoint Theory and decolonising research paradigms, to critically examine the systemic, structural, and historical factors contributing to these disproportionalities. Drawing on interdisciplinary evidence across law, criminology, education, health, governance studies, and public policy, the analysis centres Indigenous-authored scholarship and contemporary empirical literature, including grey literature, inquiries, and community-led reports. Findings reveal that the OOHC system reproduces the colonial logics that historically drove the Stolen Generations. Macro-level structural drivers—including systemic racism, Indigenous data injustice, entrenched poverty and deprivation, intergenerational trauma, and Westernised governance frameworks—continue to shape child protection policies and practices. Micro-level drivers such as parental supports, mental health distress, substance misuse, family violence, and the criminalisation of children in care (“crossover children”) must be understood as direct consequences of structural inequality rather than as isolated individual risk factors. Current placement and permanency orders in NSW further compound cultural disconnection, with ongoing failures to implement the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Placement Principle (ATSICPP). Contemporary cultural rights and Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property (ICIP) frameworks highlight the urgency of restoring Indigenous authority in decision-making processes. The literature consistently demonstrates that cultural continuity, kinship networks, and ACCO-led models are sort to produce stronger long-term outcomes for children. The review concludes that genuine transformation requires a systemic shift toward Indigenous-led governance, community-controlled service delivery, data sovereignty, and legislative reform that embeds cultural rights and self-determination. Without acknowledging the structural drivers and redistributing genuine power and authority, the state risks perpetuating a cycle of removal that mirrors earlier assimilationist policies. Strengthening First Peoples governance and cultural authority is therefore essential to creating pathways for First Nations children to live safely, remain connected to family and kin, and thrive in culture. Full article

Fuels constitute one of the most strategically significant categories of goods in the global economy. In many countries, including Poland, fuel prices are determined not only by global market dynamics but also by domestic fiscal instruments such as excise taxes, value-added tax (VAT), and fuel surcharges. The primary objective of this study is therefore to assess the extent to which tax burdens and profit margins shape diesel prices in Poland, thereby providing a deeper understanding of the market’s sensitivity to fiscal interventions and the pricing strategies adopted by fuel companies. The analysis draws on weekly data for the period 2006–2025, encompassing crude oil prices, wholesale and retail diesel prices, and relevant tax components (VAT, excise tax, and fuel surcharges). Methodologically, the study employs the Bai–Perron breakpoint test alongside correlation and comparative methods. The findings indicate that changes in indirect taxation and the fuel surcharge in Poland were predominantly upward and incremental, exerting only limited immediate effects on wholesale and retail fuel prices. This pattern was particularly evident outside of periods of acute geopolitical shocks, such as the 2022 war in Ukraine, when government interventions aimed to mitigate sudden price surges. Moreover, analysis of PKN Orlen’s margin dynamics shows that the company remained consistently profitable, with the highest processing margins observed following the reduction of the VAT rate, highlighting the interplay between fiscal policy and corporate pricing behavior. An exception occurred in 2022, when political involvement led to negative retail margins despite a reduction in VAT, a policy decision intended to mitigate sharp increases in fuel prices. The evidence suggests that petrochemical companies have greater capacity to affect prices through adjustments to wholesale margins than to retail margins. The study also underscores the critical role of fiscal policy in protecting households from fuel price volatility. It also demonstrates that carefully designed adjustments to taxation and other fiscal instruments can meaningfully influence market outcomes and corporate profitability, thereby highlighting their importance in broader economic stabilization efforts. Full article

Introduction: The informal food sector in Kisumu City, largely run by women informal food vendors, plays a crucial role in the urban food system. However, these female-led businesses faced disproportionate risks stemming from COVID-19-related policies, exacerbating gendered vulnerabilities. This paper explores the gender gaps of post-pandemic recovery strategies and their implications for resilience, recovery, and sustainability of women-led informal food businesses. Methods: This cross-sectional study was guided by the Intersectionality-Based Policy Analysis (IBPA) framework. In collaboration with the Pamoja Community-Based Organization, we employed qualitative methods grounded in community-based participatory approaches. Data were collected through key informant interviews (n = 20), depth interviews (n = 20), focus group discussions (n = 40), and a review of policy documents (n = 2). Data was analyzed guided by the eight principles of the IBPA framework alongside Braun and Clarke’s six-phased thematic analysis approach. Results: Findings indicated that power dynamics in the formulation of post-pandemic policies and top-down implementation approaches excluded women informal food vendors from meaningfully participating in policy processes. For example, female vendors were excluded from the recovery priorities as the strategies adopted had limited to no targeted gender-responsive interventions. As such, women informal food vendors faced several challenges during recovery, including limited government support, barriers to accessing credit facilities, heightened household and unpaid care work, gender-based violence, sexual exploitation, and insecurity. The female vendors employed both individual agency and collective action to facilitate recovery. Discussion: Gender-responsive COVID-19 policies were critical to addressing the disproportionate impact of the pandemic on women-led informal food businesses. Moving forward, a comprehensive understanding of existing sociocultural inequalities is crucial for designing post-pandemic strategies that are gender-inclusive and promote equitable recovery. Such an approach would enhance women informal food vendors’ resilience to emergencies and their contribution to urban household food security and livelihood. Full article

In recent years, China has made strong national commitments to waste reduction and circular economy, including the implementation of mandatory municipal solid waste separation policies and the rollout of zero-waste city initiatives. These efforts represent a strategic shift toward systemic environmental governance. However, the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020—and the subsequent implementation of the country’s stringent zero-COVID policy—led to an abrupt disruption of these programs. Under this policy, strict lockdowns, quarantine of both confirmed and suspected cases, and city-wide containment became top priorities, sidelining environmental initiatives such as waste separation and sustainable waste infrastructure development. This study investigates how Chinese residents’ motivations for waste separation evolved across three key phases: pre-pandemic, during the zero-COVID enforcement period, and post-pandemic recovery. Grounded in the Theory of Planned Behavior and pro-environmental behavior theory, we developed an extended model incorporating pandemic-related social, psychological, and policy variables. Based on 526 valid questionnaire responses collected in late 2023 in Shanghai, we conducted structural equation modeling and repeated-measures analysis. Findings reveal a significant shift from externally driven compliance—reliant on governmental enforcement and service provision—to internally motivated behavior based on environmental values and personal efficacy. This transition was most evident after the pandemic, suggesting the potential for sustained pro-environmental habits despite weakened policy enforcement. Our findings underscore the importance of strengthening internal drivers in environmental governance, especially under conditions where policy continuity is vulnerable to systemic shocks such as public health emergencies. Full article

Background: Climate change is increasingly altering the distribution and burden of infectious diseases in Sub-Saharan Africa, where ecological diversity, fragile health systems, and widespread poverty heighten vulnerability. The One Health approach, which integrates human, animal, and environmental health, provides a useful framework for addressing these climate-sensitive health challenges; its application in the region remains limited. Methods: This review was conducted in accordance with PRISMA-ScR guidelines and synthesized evidence from 30 peer-reviewed studies published between 2019 and 2025, identified through PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library. Results: Studies consistently showed that rising temperatures, altered rainfall patterns, and extreme weather events shifted malaria transmission into highland zones, modified schistosomiasis risk through changes in snail habitats, and drove diarrheal outbreaks following flooding. While One Health initiatives such as Ghana’s Climate-Smart One Health framework and university-led programmes in East Africa demonstrated promise, their impact remained constrained by donor dependence, institutional silos, and limited policy integration. Conclusions: To enhance climate resilience, national strategies need to integrate climate-informed surveillance, predictive modelling, and One Health governance. Future research should extend beyond malaria and schistosomiasis, incorporate longitudinal data, and establish standardized metrics for assessing One Health interventions. Full article