Search Results (143)

Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) and Group Rapid Transit (GRT) are classes of fully automated public transport systems, where passengers can travel in small vehicles on an interconnected, grade-separated network of guideways, non-stop, from origin to destination. PRT and GRT are considered sustainable as they are low-emission and able to attract car drivers. The parameterized cost modeling framework developed in this paper has the advantage that profitability of different PRT/GRT systems can be rapidly verified in a transparent way and in function of a variety of relevant system parameters. This framework may contribute to a more transparent, rapid, and low-cost evaluation of PRT/GRT schemes for planning and decision-making purposes. The main innovation is the introduction of the “peak hour network saturation” S: the number of vehicles in circulation during peak hour divided by the maximum number of vehicles running at line speed with minimum time headways. It is an index that aggregates the main uncertainties in the planning process, namely the demand level relative to the supply level. Furthermore, a maximum S can be estimated for a PRT/GRT project, even without a detailed demand estimation. The profit per trip is analytically derived based on S and a series of more certain parameters, such as fares, capital and maintenance costs, daily demand curve, empty vehicle share, and physical properties of the system. To demonstrate the ability of the framework to analyze profitability in function of various parameters, we apply the methods to a single vehicle PRT, a platooned PRT, and a mixed PRT/GRT. The results show that PRT services with trip length proportional fares could be profitable already for $S>0.25$. The PRT capacity, profitability, and robustness to tripled infrastructure costs can be increased by vehicle platooning or GRT service during peak hours. Full article

This study examines the development of the digital economy and society in the Republic of Kazakhstan by combining international benchmarking with a context-specific national framework. It highlights the limitations of existing global indices such as DESI, NRI, and EGDI in capturing the structural and institutional dimensions of digital transformation in emerging economies. To address this gap, the study introduces a novel composite metric, the Index of Digital Economy Development (IDED), which integrates five sub-indices: infrastructure, usage, human capital, economic digitization, and transformation effectiveness. The methodology involves comparative index analysis, the construction of the IDED, and statistical validation through a public opinion survey and regression modeling. Key findings indicate that cybersecurity is a critical yet under-represented component of digital development, showing strong empirical correlations with DESI scores in benchmark countries. The results also highlight Kazakhstan’s strengths in digital public services and internet access, contrasted with weaknesses in business digitization and innovation. The proposed IDED offers a more comprehensive and policy-relevant tool for assessing digital progress in transitional economies. This study contributes to the literature by proposing a replicable index structure and providing empirical evidence for the inclusion of cybersecurity in national digital economy assessments. The aim of the study is to assess Kazakhstan’s digital economy development by addressing limitations in global measurement frameworks. Methodologically, it combines comparative index analysis, the construction of a national composite index (IDED), and statistical validation using a regional survey and regression analysis. The findings reveal both strengths and gaps in Kazakhstan’s digital landscape, particularly in cybersecurity and SME digitalization. The IDED introduces an innovative, context-sensitive framework that enhances the measurement of digital transformation in transitional economies. Full article

Agriculture 5.0 represents a shift towards a more sustainable agricultural model, integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), robotics, and blockchain technologies to enhance productivity and resource management, with an emphasis on social and environmental resilience. This article explores how the evolution of wireless technologies to sixth-generation networks (6G) can support innovation in Colombia’s agricultural sector and foster rural advancement. The study follows three main phases: search, analysis, and selection of information. In the search phase, key government policies, spectrum management strategies, and the relevant literature from 2020 to 2025 were reviewed. The analysis phase addresses challenges such as spectrum regulation and infrastructure deployment within the context of a developing country. Finally, the selection phase evaluates technological readiness and policy frameworks. Findings suggest that 6G could revolutionize Colombian agriculture by improving connectivity, enabling real-time monitoring, and facilitating precision farming, especially in rural areas with limited infrastructure. Successful 6G deployment could boost agricultural productivity, reduce socioeconomic disparities, and foster sustainable rural development, contingent on aligned public policies, infrastructure investments, and human capital development. Full article

The field of tourism economics has consistently attracted big attention from scholars across various countries. Tourism is inherently linked to economic aspects. Concurrently, Indonesia has relocated its Ibu Kota Negara/National Capital City, now named “IKN”, from Jakarta to East Kalimantan. In addition to extensive public infrastructure development, the Indonesian government is also working to revitalize the tourism sector in IKN. To assess the economic feasibility of this sector, an in-depth study is necessary. This research aims to examine labor absorption, tourist visits, and economic growth as indicators of successful tourism economic performance. It also analyzes the variables that influence these indicators, including (1) wages, (2) occupancy rates, (3) room rates, (4) food and beverage facilities, (5) inflation, (6) hotel and lodging taxes, (7) restaurant and eating-house taxes, and (8) investment. The regression testing method employs Ordinary Least Squares (OLS). According to the data analyzed from 2013 to 2024, the authors identified three main points: First, tourist visits and inflation have positive and significant impacts on labor absorption. Second, labor absorption, wages, occupancy rates, economic growth, and investment positively and significantly influence tourist visits. Third, tourist visits, room rates, food and beverage facilities, and inflation have positive and significant effects on economic growth. The implications of this research can be enlightening for regulators and future initiatives. This is particularly important for guiding further empirical investigations and policy planning aimed at accelerating economic development in the tourism sector. Full article

Background: Digital health, especially in Primary Health Care (PHC), has been expanding rapidly, encompassing various technologies to improve care. This study aims to evaluate the integration of digital technologies in PHC, identifying barriers and facilitators in a Brazilian capital in an urban context. Methods: A survey with a questionnaire based on a validated model was used, involving physicians and nurses from Basic Health Units. The analysis included descriptive statistics and association tests in the SPSS software, with a significance level of 5%. Results: The findings show the presence of computers and the use of e-SUS/Electronic Citizen Record in all units, highlighting WhatsApp^®, telephone calls, and other digital media as the main used tools. It was observed that there was limited digital infrastructure, a lack of adequate training for professionals or specific protocols for the organization of digital actions and statistical associations with the performance of digital health actions. Conclusions: It is recommended to strengthen policies for professional qualification and investments in infrastructure, aiming at the continuity and improvement of the use of Information and Communication Technologies in PHC. These findings offer comparable insights for similar contexts in Brazil in urban PHC settings and countries with equivalent socioeconomic contexts and analogous public health systems. Full article

Background: Economic logistics in fire and rescue services is a critical determinant of operational readiness, fiscal sustainability, and resilience to large-scale emergencies. Despite its strategic importance, logistics remains under-researched in Central and Eastern European contexts, where legacy governance structures and EU-funded modernization coexist with systemic inefficiencies. This study focuses on the Slovak Fire and Rescue Service (HaZZ) as a case to explore how economic logistics systems can be restructured for greater performance and value. Objective: The objective of this paper was to evaluate the structure, performance, and reform potential of the logistics system supporting HaZZ, with a focus on procurement efficiency, lifecycle costing, digital integration, and alignment with EU civil protection standards. Methods: A mixed-methods design was applied, comprising the following: (1) Institutional analysis of governance, budgeting, and legal mandates based on semi-structured expert interviews with HaZZ and the Ministry of Interior officers (n = 12); (2) comparative benchmarking with Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, and the Netherlands; (3) financial analysis of national logistics expenditures (2019–2023) using Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) principles, completed with the visualization of cost trends and procurement price variance through original heat maps and time-series graphs. Results: The key findings are as follows: (1) HaZZ operates a formally centralized but practically fragmented logistics model across 51 district units, lacking national coordination mechanisms and digital infrastructure; (2) Maintenance costs have risen by 42% between 2019 and 2023 despite increasing capital investment due to insufficient lifecycle planning and asset heterogeneity; (3) Price variance for identical equipment categories across regions exceeds 30%, highlighting the inefficiencies in decentralized procurement; (4) Slovakia lacks a national Logistics Information System (LIS), unlike peer countries which have deployed integrated digital platforms (e.g., CELIS in the Czech Republic); (5) Benchmarking reveals high-impact practices in centralized procurement, lifecycle-based contracting, regional logistics hubs, and performance accountability—particularly in Austria and the Netherlands. Impacts: Four high-impact, feasible reforms were proposed: (1) Establishment of a centralized procurement framework; (2) national LIS deployment to unify inventory and asset tracking; (3) adoption of lifecycle-based and performance-based contracting models; (4) development of regional logistics hubs using underutilized infrastructure. This study is among the first to provide an integrated economic and institutional analysis of the Fire and Rescue Service logistics in a post-socialist EU member state. It offers a structured, transferable reform roadmap grounded in comparative evidence and adapted to Slovakia’s hybrid governance model. The research bridges gaps between modernization policy, procurement law, and digital public administration in the context of emergency services. Full article

The vulnerabilities of critical infrastructure and other disruptive events expose urban communities to severe risks. Public–private partnership (PPP) is an intensive cooperation between public and private actors with enhanced and more innovative services and policy outputs that can be achieved in building urban community resilience. Considering the potential of building urban community resilience through PPP, there is a need to assess the performance of using PPP in urban community resilience building. This study aims to develop a model for assessing the performance outcome for building urban community resilience through PPP. A questionnaire survey was conducted with experienced practitioners globally. The fuzzy synthetic evaluation method was used to develop an evaluation tool that could be used to objectively assess performance outcomes of PPP in urban community resilience building. The tool consists of five critical assessment indicators with defined coefficients: “Resilient urban community physical capital (0.270)”, “Well-developed community stakeholder engagement and training policies” (0.215), “Strong urban community disaster resilience PPP policy” (0.202), “Restriction and preservation” (0.197), “Existence of effective urban disaster risks database and PPP communication plan” (0.116). This performance assessment model can be used as a baseline for measuring the performance of PPP in urban community resilience building. Full article

This study examines the impact of inward foreign direct investment (FDI) on economic growth in South and Southeast Asia from 2006 to 2022, using a comprehensive panel dataset and multiple econometric techniques. The baseline estimation employs Feasible Generalized Least Squares (FGLS), with robustness checks using Fixed Effects with Driscoll–Kraay standard errors, the Common Correlated Effects Mean Group (CCEMG) estimator, and Two-Stage Least Squares (2SLS). The results consistently show that FDI and Gross Capital Formation (GCF) significantly promote growth, while the Human Capital Index (HCI), Trade Openness (TO), and Inflation (I) have limited or adverse effects. Government spending (GS) is negatively associated with growth, suggesting inefficiencies in public resource allocation. The findings underscore the importance of enhancing absorptive capacity through investments in education, institutional quality, and trade facilitation. Policy recommendations include adopting performance-based budgeting and independent audits, drawing on Malaysia’s anti-corruption and audit reforms. To address the weak impact of human capital, this study advocates for expanding public–private partnerships in technical and vocational education, modelled on Singapore’s SkillsFuture initiative. Additionally, digital investment platforms like Indonesia’s Online Single Submission (OSS) system and infrastructure upgrades are recommended to reduce trade costs and improve the investment climate. Finally, the study calls for deeper regional integration through harmonized investment regulations under the ASEAN Comprehensive Investment Agreement (ACIA) and the development of cross-border special economic zones (SEZs). These recommendations are grounded in empirical evidence and tailored to the region’s structural characteristics, offering actionable insights for policy-makers. Full article

The United States confronts significant challenges within the water and wastewater sectors. According to the American Water Works Association (AWWA), a capital investment of $1.3 trillion is necessary for the repair and replacement of water infrastructures in the United States over the next 25 years. As alternative delivery methods are new in the water and wastewater sectors, the utility owners lack expertise and experience in executing these delivery methods. Thus, it is important to investigate the critical success items and factors of Design-Build (DB) methods, thereby ensuring that projects are completed within scheduled timeframes and budgets with better quality. To address this need, the present study undertakes a comprehensive literature review to identify the critical success factors associated with DB methods. Subsequently, a survey is conducted among both public and private utility owners to rank these items. The study identifies top critical success items related to completing projects within schedule and budget. Through principal component analysis, five budget- and schedule-related critical success factors were extracted. The outcomes of this study are the top critical success items and factors, thereby providing valuable insights for water and wastewater utility owners to focus on these items and factors intensively and help them execute the projects with great success. Full article

Sustainable development combines economic, social, and environmental aspects in pursuit of long-term stability and prosperity. Entrepreneurship plays a key role in achieving these goals, and the green economy is becoming an important part of the transformation into a more sustainable future. Companies that apply the principles of the green economy contribute to regional development and better use of territorial capital. In the process of development, the regional economy faces growing local needs, changes in the quality of life and climate, and shrinking natural resources. The answer to the problems of the region can be a green economy and entrepreneurship. This article aims to analyze and assess the spatial variation of pre-entrepreneurship in poviats in Poland in the context of the green economy. The study aims to understand how different local factors influence the development of pre-entrepreneurship in the conditions of green transformation. In addition, the paper will attempt to identify spatial disparities in the implementation of green economy initiatives. The CRITIC-TOPSIS method was used to construct the synthetic measure. The results of the analysis are presented for the years 2010, 2013, 2014, and 2021. The measure of synthetic entrepreneurship ranged from 0.24 to 0.48 in 2010 and 0.24 to 0.52 in 2021, the measure of the green economy: 0.35–0.54 and 0.34–0.57. Individual elements of the territorial capital ofthepoviats determine their ability to function. Natural resources are important factors in the process of development and the transition toward a green economy. They affect the standard of living, the social situation, public safety, and the quality of the environment. Supporting less developed regions in entrepreneurship and the green economy through dedicated infrastructure and innovation programmes should be a key action. Local governments should promote investment in green technologies and sustainable infrastructure to reduce disparities between regions. Full article

As global digital transformation accelerates alongside the “dual carbon” goal, understanding how the digital economy can drive the green transformation of traditional energy systems is critical to overcoming resource and environmental constraints. This study examines the impact of digital economy attention on Green Total Factor Energy Efficiency (GTFEE) using panel data from 275 Chinese prefecture-level cities between 2011 and 2022. Three main findings emerged. First, an increase in attention to the digital economy significantly enhances GTFEE, serving as a key driver of improved energy efficiency. Specifically, a one-standard-deviation increase in attention raises GTFEE by 0.276 standard deviations. Second, this effect operates through two pathways: (1) digital technology advancements, such as higher internet penetration; (2) human capital accumulation, reflected in a greater college student ratio; and (3) green innovation, measured by a rise in green patents. Third, regional heterogeneity is evident, with stronger positive effects in eastern and coastal cities, while high-carbon-intensity regions exhibit a suppressed impact. These results underscore the importance of public engagement in digitalization to optimize energy systems. Policymakers should adopt region-specific strategies, such as boosting digital infrastructure in low-carbon areas and supporting structural reforms in high-carbon regions. This study expands our understanding of the digital economy’s role in enhancing energy efficiency and offers policy guidance for the green energy transition. Full article

The United Kingdom has had a series of unsuccessful attempts at securing land value capture in 1909, 1947, 1967, and 1975. The 1909 land duties would have taxed increases in land values irrespective of the source. The latter three combined public bodies, acquiring development land with levies on developers. For them, value uplift was limited to that arising from the granting of planning consent. None of the measures were fully implemented and were reversed by incoming governments. One of the key problems with value capture policies has been the lack of political consensus. Since 1979, consensus has developed around the use of three types of value capture instruments. Development corporations have been created for the regeneration of local areas by acquiring development land and improving it. Local authorities have been able to use planning obligations and community infrastructure levies to oblige developers to mitigate externalities. Governments have made it clear that these are not to be used as value capture devices and therefore are really applications of the polluter pays principle. Thirdly, there are national taxes that fall on increases in the value of land, namely, business rates, stamp duty land tax, capital gains tax, and inheritance tax. Full article

This paper examines the financial health risks that private sector water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) businesses in rural Vietnam face. It investigates the challenges faced by water operators and sanitation suppliers involved in donor-funded development projects aimed at supporting poor and vulnerable households. Through surveys and focus group discussions with 15 suppliers who worked in public–private partnerships, this research examines the financial risk factors affecting water and sanitation suppliers and their impact on financial viability through two case studies. For water operators, the risks primarily involve infrastructure management, operational costs, and revenue instability. In the sanitation sector, risks center around fluctuating material prices, limited business expansion capital, and household affordability. This study highlights the dual role of government and donor subsidies, which enhance service accessibility but potentially distort market dynamics. It also underscores the need for targeted financial and policy interventions, including better access to microfinance, regulatory improvements, and human resource development. The findings aim to inform strategies for government, donors, and private sector actors in similar WASH development contexts to enhance financial sustainability, ensuring inclusive WASH services in underserved areas. This paper contributes to policy discussions by proposing mechanisms to balance public–private collaboration while fostering market resilience and equitable access to WASH services in emerging economies similar to that of Vietnam. Full article

Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is crucial for addressing global environmental challenges. SDG 13 calls for urgent climate action, while SDG 7 promotes sustainable energy. These objectives are particularly relevant to China, where transport-related CO₂ emissions continue to rise due to urbanization, industrial growth, and increasing energy demand. This study examines the impact of economic governance, population aging, human capital, financial innovation, GDP growth, and energy transition on China’s transport-related CO₂ emissions, using quarterly data from 2006Q1 to 2018Q4. The Method of Moments Quantile Regression (MMQR) is applied to analyze heterogeneous effects across different emission levels. The findings reveal that economic governance (ECOG), energy transition (ENT), and human capital (HI) significantly reduce transport CO₂ emissions (TCO_2E) by enhancing institutional effectiveness and promoting clean energy adoption. In contrast, population aging (POPAGE), financial innovation (FI), and GDP contribute to higher emissions by increasing energy consumption and private transport dependency. These insights highlight the need for stronger governance frameworks, sustainable financial policies, and increased investment in renewable energy. Policymakers should strengthen environmental regulations, expand green financing initiatives, and enhance public transport infrastructure to align with SDGs 7 and 13. By implementing these strategies, China can make significant progress toward reducing transport emissions, achieving carbon neutrality, and ensuring long-term sustainability. Full article

Astana, Kazakhstan’s capital city since 1997, gained from substantial public investment, achieving relatively low poverty, high income, and broad access to social services. Implementation of the state infrastructure programs, which were aligned with China’s 2013 Belt and Road Initiative, allowed Astana to become a transport hub, attract people, and improve housing conditions. However, our analysis indicates that Astana’s construction boom resulted in intensive use of financial and natural resources. Moreover, the loss of green and blue lands, accelerated during the implementation of the state infrastructure programs, raises concerns about the environmental impacts of infrastructure spending. As a result, our study highlights the importance of further research and broader stakeholder engagement for bringing Astana’s development path into closer alignment with the principles of sustainability. Specifically, Astana’s stakeholders should adhere to best practices of urban ecosystem preservation, managing sprawl, and efficient use of resources. Finally, integrating green and blue infrastructure in setting targets, allocating funding, and monitoring, improving, and reporting on traditional infrastructure initiatives becomes increasingly important for sustainable urban development. Full article