Search Results (70)

Municipal smart city programs remain hampered by conceptual fragmentation and the absence of validated, context-specific maturity assessments. We develop the Smart Municipality Maturity Model (SMMM) via a design-science process, synthesizing 183 publications and adapting a practitioner-oriented self-assessment with 99 binary items across ten dimensions. Validation proceeded in four stages: expert review, industry validation, a pilot with 24 municipalities, and a large-scale rollout to 1136 municipalities. The five-level model yields comparable maturity scores and reveals a structural capability gap—governance and strategy outpace foundational technical capacities, especially digital infrastructure and data management. Maturity rises with municipality size, yet leadership, partnerships, and innovation culture act as moderators. The SMMM represents one of the first empirically validated, large-scale maturity assessments tailored to municipal administrations, providing a robust analytical basis for diagnosing capability gaps at scale. Its architecture directly supports municipal policy by translating conceptual smart city ambitions into measurable, comparable operational capacities and by enabling more targeted, evidence-driven interventions. The SMMM provides a low-burden instrument for self-assessment, peer benchmarking, and evidence-based policy design. Closing the identified capability gap requires capability-first investment and more explicit integration of cybersecurity and data privacy in future models and municipal practice. Full article

This study investigates the demographic transformation of Spain’s settlement system from 2000 to the present, driven by intersecting forces of rural depopulation, metropolitan concentration, immigration, and welfare-state dynamics. Building on an integrated theoretical framework that combines Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, demographic accounting, territorial carrying capacity, and spatial centrality, the research aims to (1) identify the mechanisms governing population redistribution across Spanish municipalities, and (2) simulate future demographic trajectories under current policy regimes. Key findings reveal that all net population growth since 2000 stems exclusively from immigration and its demographic sequelae, while the native Spanish cohort has experienced a net decline of 5.5 million due to negative natural change. The analysis further uncovers a self-reinforcing “demographic trap,” wherein welfare eligibility tied to household size incentivizes higher fertility among economically vulnerable immigrant groups, even as native families delay childbearing due to economic precarity. These dynamics are accelerating a process of “territorial transmutation,” projected to culminate in a shift in de facto governance by 2045. The study concludes that immigration alone cannot reverse rural depopulation or ensure fiscal sustainability without structural reforms to welfare design, territorial incentives, and demographic foresight. Full article

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

Local governance has been found to be an important determinant of individuals’ subjective well-being (SWB) in cross-municipality studies in Europe and Asia. In addition, previous literature suggests that increasing access to determinants of SWB provides lesser SWB benefit to racial minorities compared to white people in the United States (U.S.). Given this context, we ask the following: (1) does good local governance improve SWB in the U.S.? and (2) does good local governance improve SWB for Black and Hispanic people equally compared to white people? To answer these questions, we examine Chicago, Illinois, the third-largest city in the U.S. with substantial Black and Hispanic populations. We model local governance, our independent variable, as the number of weeks for the municipality to respond to pothole service requests reported to the city’s non-emergency services system. Our dependent variable was life satisfaction, measured by the Cantril Ladder. Covariates included self-reported health problems, lack of money for food, sex, age, age-squared, and marital status. Neighborhood race/ethnicity was tested as a moderator of the primary relationships. We estimated linear regression models with and without race × governance interactions. Our findings demonstrate that local governance is an important determinant of SWB, but that it benefits SWB in white neighborhoods more than in Black/Hispanic neighborhoods. Full article

The aim of this article is to present the social–ecological system (SES) as a unit of analysis for sustainable water management under conditions of anthropogenic pressure in Poland. In the face of accelerating climate change and growing human impacts, Polish water systems are exposed to increasing ecological stress and to material and immaterial losses affecting local communities. The SES approach provides an integrative analytical framework that links ecological and social components, enabling a holistic view of adaptive and governance processes at multiple spatial scales, from municipalities to areas that transcend administrative boundaries. Methodologically, this study triangulates three complementary approaches to strengthen explanatory inference. This conceptual SES review defines the analytical categories used in the paper, the bibliometric mapping (Scopus database with VOSviewer) identifies dominant research streams and underexplored themes, and the qualitative Polish case studies operationalize these categories to diagnose mechanisms, feedbacks, and governance vulnerabilities under anthropogenic pressure. The bibliometric analysis identifies the main research streams at the intersection of SES, water management and sustainable development, revealing thematic clusters related to climate change adaptation, environmental governance, ecosystem services and hydrological extremes. The case studies - the 2024 flood, the 2022 ecological disaster in the Odra River, and water deficits associated with lignite opencast mining in Eastern Wielkopolska - illustrate how anthropogenic pressure and climate-related hazards interact within local SES and expose governance gaps. Particular attention is paid to attitudes and social participation, understood as configurations of behaviors, knowledge and emotions that shape decision-making in local self-government, especially at the municipal level. This study argues that an SES-based perspective can contribute to building the resilience of water systems, improving the integration of ecological and social dimensions and supporting more sustainable water management in Poland. Full article

As municipalities increasingly adopt artificial intelligence (AI) and generative AI (GenAI) to automate self-service technologies (SSTs), concerns related to fairness, transparency, accountability, and citizen trust have become central to sustainable public-sector governance. While existing studies emphasize either AI adoption or high-level ethical principles, limited empirical research explains how governance mechanisms translate into user-level outcomes in municipal services, particularly in the context of emerging GenAI capabilities. This study addresses this gap by examining how governance antecedents and system design attributes shape user satisfaction, trust, and perceived fairness in AI-enabled municipal SSTs in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). A mixed-methods research design was employed, combining a comparative analysis of international and UAE AI governance frameworks with semi-structured interviews (n = 16) and a survey of municipal employees and service users (n = 272). Qualitative findings reveal persistent concerns regarding data privacy, fairness, explainability, and the absence of standardized municipal-level accountability instruments. Quantitative analysis shows that perceived helpfulness significantly increases user satisfaction, while perceived fairness strongly predicts continued usage intentions. In contrast, system responsiveness exhibits a negative association with satisfaction, highlighting an expectation–performance gap in automated service delivery. Based on these findings, the study proposes a governance–implementation–outcomes model that operationalizes ethical AI principles into measurable governance and service-design mechanisms. Unlike prior adoption-focused or purely normative frameworks, this model empirically links governance instrumentation to citizen-centered outcomes, offering practical guidance for inclusive and sustainable AI and GenAI deployment in municipal self-service systems. The findings contribute to debates on sustainable digital governance by demonstrating how ethically governed AI systems can reinforce public trust, service equity, and long-term institutional resilience. Full article

Intergovernmental transfers play a crucial role in shaping the fiscal position of local governments, especially in countries where municipalities, such as those in Poland, exhibit a high dependence on central funding. Recent reforms and the increasing reliance on discretionary revenues transferred from the central budget have motivated a closer examination of how these instruments influence local fiscal sustainability. This article analyses how different types of transfers—general subsidies and targeted grants—affect the fiscal sustainability of Polish municipalities across several dimensions, including autonomy, solvency, efficiency and economic resilience. Using panel data, five sets of models test the crowding-out effect, developmental impact, pro-cyclicality, fiscal discipline, and fiscal replacement mechanisms. Results show that general subsidies crowd out local tax revenues, particularly in less developed municipalities, while targeted grants strengthen the tax base in rural areas. Transfers have mixed effects: targeted grants strongly stimulate investment and support local development but tend to increase debt; general subsidies weaken local tax capacity and reduce fiscal autonomy, although they improve short-term fiscal discipline. In municipalities with limited fiscal independence, transfers act as short-term compensatory tools, fostering dependence on state aid rather than self-reliance. A macroeconomic crowding-out effect also appears, as higher transfers reduce private sector resources. Regarding fiscal discipline, equalization and compensatory subsidies decrease debt levels, whereas targeted grants can raise debt in urban municipalities with co-financing obligations. General subsidies show fiscal replacement effects, substituting local revenue sources. The findings provide insights for designing transfer systems that balance financial support with incentives for local autonomy and sustainable development. Full article

This study examines whether overall organizational climate (OC) and its five dimensions are positively associated with job satisfaction (JS) in a municipal administration. We conducted a cross-sectional, non-experimental, correlational survey using validated Likert-type instruments for OC (26 items; five dimensions) and JS (14 items), applying distribution-aware, non-parametric analyses (Shapiro–Wilk, Spearman’s ρ, two-sided p-values). The municipal workforce comprised N ≈ 143 employees (context frame); inferential estimates are reported for the OGAF analytic sub-sample (n = 35). OC was positively associated with JS. At the dimension level, communication and supervision aligned closely with JS, alongside self-realization; working conditions and job involvement showed positive but comparatively smaller associations. Findings translate into a decision-oriented lever map for HR in local government: institutionalize transparent two-way communication, develop coaching-oriented supervision, enhance job design for self-realization, and address salient working-condition gaps. Scope of inference is limited to the analytic sample reported. Future research should re-estimate the full frame and across units to improve generalizability. Full article

This scoping review study examines seven governments and some non-governmental organisations’ youth development mechanisms in response to drug and alcohol abuse among their youth. This scoping review, including sources from 39 studies and 16 government or organisational reports, are reviewed to investigate youth development measures to mitigate drug and alcohol abuse. This study revealed that youth development mechanisms, such as outreach youth work, digital youth work, and detached youth work, lead to significant changes in risky behaviours. The study further revealed that non-governmental organisations play a critical role in solving drug- and alcohol-related challenges among youth by deterring local merchants from selling drugs and alcohol to underage customers and by strictly regulating their promotion and advertising. Effective mechanisms to develop self-efficacy, purpose, and meaning in life among youth are needed. This study also highlights the need for a joint effort between government departments, local municipalities, non-governmental youth-focused organisations, and schools to come up with effective youth work strategies. This study concludes by proposing the establishment of a Southern African Development Community (SADC) Youth Work Association and the professionalisation of youth work in the region. This will ensure that intervention programmes are implemented by professional youth workers who have the skills and knowledge to work with vulnerable young people. Full article

The transition to a circular economy (CE) is crucial to sustainable development, necessitating tailored assessment tools to measure circularity at various levels. Recent studies assessing the CE at the municipal level by using statistical data have highlighted the challenge of comparing indicators of differently populated and resourced areas. With existing methodologies, there remains a need for comprehensive approaches that integrate both qualitative and quantitative data to ensure fair and meaningful comparisons. In 2024, Latvia developed and conducted the first CE index at the municipal level. It was based on a self-assessment from municipal governments and citizens, with results calculated into a single index value and four category indices. By applying a mixed methods statistical analysis, this research aimed to compare CE performance, measured by the CE index, and selected socioeconomic and environmental variables between 7 cities and 36 counties or rural municipalities of Latvia. The research concluded that the CE performance is significantly shaped by socioeconomic and spatial factors, with population density and unemployment emerging as consistent predictors. Urban municipalities generally performed better, emphasizing the need for tailored, context-specific CE strategies. Full article

Rural tourism has emerged as an efficient strategy for rural revitalization while having various impacts on rural governance. Previous studies predominantly focused on the social implications of rural tourism and its impact on institutional arrangements while neglecting the influence of rural tourism on collective action in rural governance. This study employed a social–ecological system (SES) framework to investigate the influence of rural tourism on rural collective action, utilizing survey data from 22 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the central government), 178 villages, and 3282 rural households across China. The findings revealed that rural tourism exerted a positive influence on collective action, primarily through labor force reflow mechanisms. Specifically, the leadership of village cadres had a moderating role in enhancing this positive correlation. Further analysis revealed significant heterogeneity in tourism governance effects: non-plain regions and villages with medium to low economic development levels exhibited substantial improvements in collective action, whereas plain areas and economically advanced villages may manifest potentially negative impacts. Theoretically, this study contributes to elucidating tourism-driven self-governance mechanisms by applying the SES framework, thereby transcending the traditional dualistic debate between state-market and development-governance paradigms. Practically, we propose institutional designs that embed collective action mechanisms into the coupled synergistic development of rural tourism and community governance, thereby activating endogenous motivations for rural self-governance. Full article

This study examines the transformative impact of the Special Zones of Social Interest (AEIS-1) implemented in Diadema, São Paulo, in 1994, as an innovative urban policy tool in Brazil. Rooted in the principle of the social function of property established in the 1988 Federal Constitution, the research analyzes the development of social interest housing projects (HISs) led by housing movement associations. The study adopts a mixed-methods approach, combining primary data from local housing associations and the municipal government with geospatial analysis. The results reveal that between 1996 and 2013, over 20 LHISs were successfully established, directly benefiting approximately 2000 low-income families. These projects utilized a self-construction model financed entirely by families, overcoming the lack of public investment. The findings highlight the critical role of housing associations in organizing, planning, and implementing urban housing initiatives. This model not only addressed housing deficits but also fostered community resilience and inclusivity. By demonstrating how grassroots organizations can drive urban transformation, this research underscores the potential of participatory practices in advancing spatial justice and the right to the city. The Diadema case offers valuable insights for cities facing similar challenges, advocating for equitable and democratic urban development strategies. Full article

Self-sovereign identity (SSI) is an emerging model for digital identity management that empowers individuals to control their credentials without reliance on centralized authorities. This work presents YouGovern, a blockchain-based SSI system deployed on Binance Smart Chain (BSC) and compliant with W3C Decentralized Identifier (DID) standards. The architecture includes smart contracts for access control, decentralized storage using the Inter Planetary File System (IPFS), and long-term persistence via Web3.Storage. YouGovern enables users to register, share, and revoke identities while preserving privacy and auditability. The system supports role-based permissions, verifiable claims, and cryptographic key rotation. Performance was evaluated using Ganache and Hardhat under controlled stress tests, measuring transaction latency, throughput, and gas efficiency. Results indicate an average DID registration latency of 0.94 s and a peak throughput of 12.5 transactions per second. Compared to existing SSI systems like Sovrin and uPort, YouGovern offers improved revocation handling, lower operational costs, and seamless integration with decentralized storage. The system is designed for portability and real-world deployment in academic, municipal, or governmental settings. Full article

This article presents objective air quality conditions in a residential area of Lodz in Poland (East–Central Europe) in comparison to the subjective opinions of local residents regarding air pollution. The article focuses on the housing estate in Widzew East, in the vicinity of which is located a municipal thermal power plant (CHP power plant—local designation EC4). The aim of this study was to obtain information on the subjective assessment of air quality in the selected area and further compare it with the actual state. It was assumed that what is factual does not coincide with what the residents perceive. Discrepancies in the subjective assessment of air quality and the actual state can have significant consequences. These include the omission of personal protection and prevention, implemented at the household level and thus exposing oneself to unnecessary exposure, inadequate targeting of public action, e.g., protests against alleged rather than actual hazards, and inappropriate targeting of policies at the local government level. This view grows out of the traditions of social geography and the geography of perception. The social surveys were conducted in 2022—a self-administered questionnaire and unstructured interview in 2023. They revealed relatively low interest among the residents in air quality. The analyses also showed that the residents associated air pollution more with smog, and hence with car traffic and individual heating systems in single-family homes, than with the thermal power plant operating in close proximity. On the other hand, objective measures of air pollution showed that emissions from the thermal CHP power plant had a direct negative effect on air quality in the housing estate. The theoretical and methodological framework of socio-spatial analysis is set by behavioral geography and geography of perception. Full article

Effective municipal solid waste (MSW) management is crucial for urban sustainability, especially in fast-growing cities, like Hangzhou, China. This study examines residents’ willingness to pay (WTP) for the following five key MSW measures: differentiated waste charging, smart recycling points, on-site organic waste recovery, volunteer-based waste sorting supervision, and a community self-governance fund. Based on a survey of 521 residents across 13 districts, we use logistic and interval regression models to identify factors influencing WTP and payment amounts. Key findings include the following: Higher-income and more educated residents prefer cost-efficient, technology-driven solutions, like smart recycling and differentiated charging. Newcomers (≤5 years of residence) show higher WTP and greater sensitivity to environmental information, highlighting the need for targeted outreach. Providing explicit environmental benefits (e.g., waste reduction, increased recycling) significantly boosts WTP rates and payment levels. Community characteristics matter—residents in high-density areas favor waste charging, while those in older neighborhoods support volunteer programs and self-governance funds. Policy implications center on targeted outreach, transparent fee structures, and incentive programs to foster public trust and enhance participation. Although MSW management in Hangzhou remains predominantly government-led, select collaboration with private enterprises (e.g., in specialized recycling services) may offer additional efficiency gains. By aligning these measures with localized preferences and demographic patterns, Hangzhou—and other quickly urbanizing regions—can develop robust and inclusive MSW systems that contribute to broader sustainable development objectives. Full article