Search Results (2,536)

Geopolitical risk (GPR) poses a significant obstacle to the achievement of sustainable development goals, yet its nuanced impact on the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance of multinational enterprises (MNEs) remains insufficiently examined. This study explores the influence of GPR on ESG performance by utilizing a comprehensive dataset of 12,699 subsidiaries of Chinese MNEs. The empirical results reveal an inverted U-shaped relationship between GPR and ESG performance: at moderate levels of geopolitical risk, firms tend to proactively improve their ESG practices as a risk management strategy. However, as GPR intensifies beyond a certain threshold, this approach loses its effectiveness, leading to deteriorating ESG outcomes. Further investigation uncovers the moderating roles of firm-specific advantages (FSAs) and country-specific advantages (CSAs). Robust FSAs equip firms with a greater capacity to uphold ESG standards under rising geopolitical uncertainty, while high CSAs strengthen subsidiaries’ incentives to engage in ESG activities to buffer against external political threats. Subgroup analyses demonstrate that service-oriented MNEs, state-owned enterprises, and subsidiaries operating in high-income countries are particularly susceptible to the negative consequences of heightened GPR. By shedding light on the complex interplay between geopolitical risk and corporate sustainability, this study extends the ESG literature and provides practical implications for researchers, corporate strategists, and policymakers aiming to foster resilient and responsible global business operations. Full article

Persons with disabilities (PWDs) face disproportionate risks during humanitarian crises, yet their inclusion in aid delivery remains limited. To address this, the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) introduced the Guidelines on the Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in Humanitarian Action in 2019. The IASC guidelines provide a global framework for mainstreaming disability inclusion. This exploratory study examines how these guidelines are applied in Borno State, Northeastern Nigeria, a region marked by protracted conflict, displacement and insecurity. Using a qualitative phenomenological approach, data were gathered through in-depth interviews from 20 humanitarian practitioners and supplemented with secondary sources. Thematic analysis revealed that while organisations adopted strategies such as data disaggregation, door-to-door outreach and local committee representation, implementation was inconsistent and constrained by cultural beliefs about disability, political interference, population displacement and weak monitoring standards. The findings also highlighted that although the IASC Guidelines are good in principle, the guidelines require context-specific adaptation, stronger organisational commitment and active inclusive engagement with PWDs and their representative organisations. The study recommends incorporating disability inclusion through mandatory organisational policies, dedicated funding, community-based advocacy and improved data systems to ensure that humanitarian responses are both inclusive and sustainable. Full article

Indonesia has articulated ambitious green economy objectives through frameworks such as the Low Carbon Development Initiative (LCDI). Despite this ambition, a critical research gap exists. The weak ‘green political capabilities’ of policymakers—defined as their ability to navigate political processes, build coalitions, and translate technical knowledge into viable policy—hinder effective agenda-setting and implementation. This study addresses this deficit by identifying strategic points of entry for enhancing these capabilities to strengthen a more sustainable economic transition. Employing a mixed-methods approach guided by the UNDP Capacity Assessment Framework, this research gathered data from 170 stakeholders via workshops, focus group discussions, and surveys. The analysis identifies four principal entry points: (1) internal institutional development, (2) accreditation processes, (3) bureaucratic reform, and (4) external partnerships. Critically, ordinal regression reveals which actors most significantly influence capacity development priorities. Governmental/legislative institutions (Estimate = 1.855, p < 0.010) and the private sector (Estimate = 3.173, p < 0.020) exert a significant positive influence on advancing the green economy agenda. Conversely, competencies such as policy strengthening exhibit a significant negative correlation (Estimate = −3.467, p < 0.000), which indicates a concentration of need among institutions with substantial capacity gaps. The study’s key contribution is a framework for systematically integrating green competencies into national accreditation standards and bureaucratic reforms, providing a clear pathway to transform entry points into effective levers for enhancing the state’s green political capabilities. Full article

Motivated by the ethical implications of gender diversity on boards, this study examines the effect of female directors on symbolic green innovation disclosure and substantive green innovation disclosure. The study defines substantive green innovation disclosure as environmentally oriented innovation that produces tangible value creation, evidenced through its positive effect on firm value, distinguishing it from symbolic green innovation that serves rent-seeking or legitimacy purposes. Using a sample of Indonesian manufacturing firms from 2021 to 2023, the research tests the model separately for politically and nonpolitically connected firms to capture the moderating role of political embeddedness. The results reveal that in nonpolitically connected firms, female directors do not significantly affect green innovation disclosure; however, substantive green innovation positively influences firm value, confirming its genuine strategic and ethical impact. In contrast, in politically connected firms, female directors negatively affect green innovation disclosure, and green innovation fails to improve firm value—indicating that political influence turns sustainability efforts into symbolic compliance rather than authentic environmental innovation. These findings extend upper-echelon and legitimacy theories by showing that in patriarchal cultural background, female directors’ ethical orientation negatively affects symbolic green innovation disclosure but do not affect substantive green innovation disclosure. Full article

Promoting green utilization of cultivated land is the key to balancing resource use and ecological capacity. However, its working mechanisms are still unclear. This study attempts to address this empirical research gap through a three-stage cyclic system (Input-State-Output). It employed the PEST framework (Politics, Economy, Society, Technology) to identify external drivers. Using advanced methods, including the Super-SBM model, Dagum Gini coefficient, and Kernel density estimation, this paper mapped the spatiotemporal drivers of China’s green utilization efficiency of cultivated land (GUECL) between 2000 and 2020. The results indicate that despite some variation, the GUECL exhibited a distinct upward tendency over the study period. Spatially, efficiency was highest in northeastern China, while eastern and western China indicated moderate efficiency, and it was the lowest in central China. Regional differences generally narrowed, with trans-variation remaining the primary source of differences. External drivers varied across regions. At the national level, fiscal support and the R&D staff reduced GUECL, while economic growth increased it. In contrast, at the regional level, environmental regulation helped in western China, while income disparity boosted it in central China. Moreover, farm size and machinery use promoted GUECL in the eastern, central, and northeastern China, while cropping intensity and farmer education had positive effects in the central and eastern regions. This study provides a scientific foundation for developing region-specific strategies to promote the green utilization of cultivated land. It provides a valuable Chinese case for global research on sustainable land use. Full article

This paper critically explores Kṛṣṇanāṭṭam, a Sanskrit ritual dance-theater tradition from Kerala, as a product of socio-political and religious transformations in early modern South India. Conceived in the mid-17th century by the Zamorin King Mānavēda, author of the Sanskrit text Kṛṣṇagīti, Kṛṣṇanāṭṭam was both a devotional offering to Lord Kṛṣṇa and a strategic expression of ritual sovereignty. Rooted in Kṛṣṇa bhakti (devotion), the tradition reflects how religious performance was mobilized to assert political legitimacy, particularly amid rivalry with regional powers such as Travancore. The Guruvayur Sri Krishna Temple, situated in the Malabar region of northern Kerala and central to the performance of Kṛṣṇanāṭṭam, emerged as a vital sacred space where royal patronage, ritual authority, and caste hierarchy intersected. The performance’s exclusivity restricted to Hindu audiences within temple premises reinforced patterns of spatial control and caste-based exclusion. Institutional support codified the tradition, sustaining it across generations within a narrow sociocultural framework. With the decline of Zamorin rule and the onset of colonialism, Kṛṣṇanāṭṭam faced structural disruptions. Colonial interventions in temple administration, landholding, and religious patronage weakened its ritual foundations. Guruvayur’s transformation into a public devotional center reflected wider shifts in ritual ecology and sacred geography under colonial modernity. In both the colonial and postcolonial periods, Kṛṣṇanāṭṭam struggled to survive, nearly facing extinction before its revival under the Guruvayur temple’s custodianship. By examining Kṛṣṇa devotion, royal ambition, caste dynamics, and colonial transformation, this paper offers a critical lens on Kerala’s evolving religious and cultural landscapes. Full article

Global economic developments are currently facing economic fluctuations and the climate change crisis, which demand a development approach that integrates growth with environmental sustainability. Although participation in Global Value Chains (GVCs) has become the backbone of the global economy, many countries, including Indonesia and most ASEAN countries, are still in upstream positions with high carbon intensity and low added value. This condition hinders sustainable economic growth and contributes to increased global emissions. This study aims to analyze how the position of the industrial sector in the GVCs can drive sustainable green economic growth. Using data from five ASEAN countries for the 2010–2023 period, this study employed the Generalized Method of Moments (GMMs) dynamic panel model to address the issues of endogeneity and individual heterogeneity. The results show that movements to upstream positions in GVCs, FDI, and political stability have a significant and positive impact on green economic growth. These findings highlight the need for tailored policies to encourage the development of green industries and improve global competitiveness. Full article

Climate change, driven largely by increasing atmospheric CO₂ from fossil fuel combustion and soil carbon losses caused by unsustainable land use, threatens agricultural productivity and ecosystem services. Viticulture, developed mostly in Mediterranean and temperate regions, is particularly vulnerable by rising temperatures, decreasing precipitation, and soil degradation. Nevertheless, vineyards also offer opportunities to mitigate climate change by increasing soil organic carbon (SOC) and plant biomass. This review analyzes current scientific evidence on the impact of soil management practices in vineyards. Implementing strategies such as the use of cover crops, organic amendments, the incorporation of pruning residues, and reduced tillage can significantly contribute to carbon sequestration and soil health. Sequestration rates vary widely, from 2.8 to more than 11 Mg CO₂ ha⁻¹ year⁻¹, depending on climate, soil type, and practices used. Average carbon sequestration rates for crops with minimum or reduced tillage range between 2.5 and 5 Mg CO₂ ha⁻¹ year⁻¹, increasing to 7 and 7.5 Mg CO₂ ha⁻¹ year⁻¹ when organic fertilizers are used. Uncertainties in the economic balance, initial costs, and weak political incentives hinder the adoption of sustainable agricultural strategies, highlighting the need for further research into expanding their application. These strategies also improve microbial activity, nutrient cycling, and resilience to abiotic stresses. Tailoring integrated approaches to local environmental conditions is essential to moving toward sustainable, resilient, and climate-responsible viticulture. Full article

The Indonesian palm oil industry faces enduring social, environmental, and sustainability challenges stemming from rapid expansion over the past decade. Although technologies exist to enhance productivity and balance economic and ecological goals, adoption among smallholders remains limited. This study explores how rural communities respond to the climate crisis and how social and environmental justice is distributed within palm oil-producing regions in Indonesia. Using an exploratory qualitative design grounded in a collective social change perspective, data were collected through observations and document studies to examine institutional dynamics influencing smallholder behavior. The analysis applies institutional logic to understand smallholder attitudes toward sustainability and innovation, and institutional context to assess constraints such as limited access to land, credit, and technical resources. Findings reveal that structural barriers—including corruption, weak legal certainty, and social exclusion—impede innovation and reinforce inequality. This study contributes theoretically by integrating eco-colonialism, intersectionality, and political ecology frameworks to advance understanding of socio-ecological justice in palm oil governance. It highlights how gender, ethnicity, and class shape access to resources, vulnerability, and resilience, emphasizing that environmental issues are embedded in broader power structures rooted in colonial legacies and neoliberal policies. Practically, the research calls for community-centered, participatory policies that recognize customary land rights, institutionalize transparent licensing and FPIC processes, and strengthen smallholder capacity through ISPO-aligned training. These measures can foster inclusive governance, mitigate conflict, and enhance sustainability, contributing to more equitable and resilient palm oil supply chains. Full article

Aquatic product value-added trade constitutes a vital component of agricultural food security. Particularly in developing coastal nations, aquatic products serve as the backbone of the agricultural sector. However, illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing activities not only disrupt the global marine aquatic products value chain but also accelerate the degradation of marine ecosystems and the depletion of marine resources, posing severe challenges to sustainable fisheries and environmental governance. In 2022, the World Trade Organization reached a consensus on fisheries subsidy negotiations, while regional agreements such as the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement (USMCA) and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) incorporated fisheries into relevant provisions under environmental rules. This indicates that high-standard environmental trade agreements are emerging as crucial tools for cross-border fisheries governance. This study employs open economy theory and a deep text protocol database to conduct an empirical analysis of the impact of high-standard bilateral environmental provisions on the interconnections within the aquatic products value chain. Findings reveal that environmental provisions significantly strengthen these linkages by lowering market access barriers, promoting technology spillovers, and reinforcing horizontal and vertical labor division. Heterogeneity analysis further shows that the extent of these effects varies with trade provisions, political distance, and network position. These insights offer new perspectives for seafood exports and upstream–downstream coordination in aquatic products, providing policy implications for regions seeking to enhance their value chain advantages. Full article

This article presents the findings of a literature review and an empirical bibliometric analysis aimed at identifying green research perspectives within the energy sector of the Visegrád Group countries (Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia). These perspectives reflect key scientific directions related to Sustainable Development (SD), environmental protection, and social responsibility. In this context, the theoretical principles of SD are translated into practical strategies, innovations, and solutions that support long-term economic growth while respecting ecological limits and social needs. Such themes frequently appear as dominant keywords in academic publications, underscoring their growing importance in energy research. The study pursued two main and complementary research objectives. The first was to identify green research perspectives prevalent within the energy sector of the Visegrád region. The second was to determine whether, and how, existing scientific publications address the topic of green jobs in this specific regional and sectoral context. The analysis led to the classification of five thematic categories: (1) green economy and finance, (2) green policies and strategies, (3) green energy and its sources, (4) green technology, and (5) green transport. These areas, when examined collectively, reveal important synergies that could support the creation of green jobs. Among the publications analyzed, green energy emerged as the most frequently addressed topic. However, the study found a lack of direct focus on green jobs, indicating that this subject—arising from the intersection of several research areas—represents a promising direction for future studies. In addition to these five categories, the study also identified several emerging green research directions within the Visegrád energy sector. These include: the development of green hydrogen technologies, the greening of the gas sector, the integration of prosumers into energy systems, the societal and political acceptance of nuclear energy, the role of green public transport in accelerating the energy transition, and the formulation of just transition policies. These themes highlight both technological opportunities and socio-political challenges that must be addressed to ensure a comprehensive and inclusive green transformation in the region. Full article

Many cities have integrated health co-benefits into their climate plans to address cost concerns and build multi-stakeholder support for resilient, net-zero transitions. While some studies have demonstrated that cities vary in how much they link health and climate, few have examined why this is the case. This study fills this gap by using 16 negative binomial regression models to test whether three sets of independent variables—(1) plan attributes, (2) politics, and (3) demographics—are correlated with two different measures of climate–health integration for 50 large cities in the United States. The modeling suggests that plan age is consistently associated with deeper forms of integration (links between key sectoral actions and related health–environmental and social benefits), while plan type (adaptation/mitigation-focused versus integrated) is related to shallower health references. Associations between climate–health integration and the liberal leanings of a city’s population find support in more than half the models; other political and demographic variables lack discernible or predicted relationships with health integration for most models. The study concludes that linking mitigation–adaptation actions can bring more attention to health, but regularly updating urban climate plans is the key to deepening the integration required for a sustainable future. Full article

This study reconceptualizes resilience by centering marginalized teachers’ agentic resistance as a critical pathway to wellbeing. Using critical qualitative inquiry, we conducted in-depth interviews with 17 U.S. teachers who identified with marginalized racial, gender, and/or sexual identities to explore how they resist structural oppression and sustain their professional and personal identities. Findings revealed that resistance emerged in various ways, including inclusive curriculum design, confrontation with colleagues or administrators, embodied identity expression, and support drawn from contexts and resources for resistance. These resources included social movements and ancestors’ legacies, demonstrating that resistance is not merely individual coping but a collective, identity-affirming practice. We argue that resilience must be reframed to include intentional and proactive resistance, which enables marginalized teachers to challenge oppressive school structures, promote educational equity, and sustain their own flourishing. This study offers a critical framework that shifts resilience from passive endurance to politically engaged practice, emphasizing the need for institutional supports that empower marginalized teachers to resist, persist, and thrive in inequitable educational systems. Full article

Air pollution is one of the major global environmental challenges, particularly in urban and industrial areas, where multiple sources emit pollutants that compromise air quality and threaten human health. This study aims to analyze the effects of air pollution on the health of vulnerable urban populations, emphasizing monitoring techniques for key pollutants and comparing national and international air quality standards through a literature review. It also discusses the implications of these pollutants considering the 2030 Agenda, highlighting environmental education as a strategy for pollution mitigation, public awareness, and strengthening air quality policies. A qualitative and descriptive methodology was adopted, based on national and international research publications between 2005 and 2023, using databases such as PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, LILACS, and Google Scholar, with descriptors including “Air Pollution,” “Industrialization,” “Public Health,” and “Environmental Education.” The results indicate that industrial and transportation activities are the main sources of air pollution, contributing to an increase in cases of asthma, lung cancer, and cardiovascular diseases, as well as negatively impacting ecosystems and the economy. Even when pollutant levels comply with legal standards, vulnerable populations experience higher morbidity and mortality rates, highlighting the need for more stringent protection policies. Comparisons between the standards of the World Health Organization (WHO), the European Union (EU), the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the National Council for the Environment (CONAMA) reveal significant disparities in exposure limits. The WHO and the EU, aligned with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 3 and 13, advocate for stricter limits, while EPA and CONAMA regulations remain less stringent. This gap emphasizes the importance of internationally harmonized, evidence-based, and equitable air quality policies. Combating air pollution requires an integrated approach that combines stricter regulations, continuous monitoring, emissions control strategies, and environmental education. Promoting environmental awareness among children and young people can encourage behavioral changes and civic engagement. Environmental education, along with political and social responsibility, remains a fundamental path to mitigating health impacts and promoting sustainable development, in line with the 2030 Agenda. Full article

This systematic review examines how translanguaging has been integrated into educational assessment, a domain historically dominated by monolingual norms. Drawing on 33 empirical studies published between 2012 and 2023, we employed an inductive–deductive coding approach to analyze how translanguaging is enacted across assessment types and its implications for teaching, learning, and equity. The literature was concentrated in North America. Findings reveal affordances of translanguaging assessments including more authentic demonstrations of knowledge, deepen content learning, affirm multilingual identities, and reduce linguistic anxiety and challenges including perceptions of illegitimacy, systemic policy constraints, and resource inequities. We argue that translanguaging provides a transformative framework for reimagining assessment as a socially just practice that validates multilingual repertoires. To capture the varied engagements with equity, we conceptualize translanguaging assessment as an epistemological and political stance along a spectrum of justice. The spectrum ranges from access and inclusion to structural transformation to highlight how scholars frame translanguaging within assessment as descriptive practice, pedagogical equity, political resistance, and systemic reimagining. We call for more geographically diverse and methodologically varied research to sustain translanguaging’s impact and inform systemic change. Full article