Search Results (67)

In alignment with global educational trends, Australia has adopted a pluralistic approach to initial teacher education (ITE), encompassing traditional university-based programs, employment-integrated models and vocational training routes. This diversification of pathways has emerged as a strategic response to persistent workforce challenges, including chronic shortages, uneven distribution of qualified educators, and limited demographic diversity within the profession. Rather than supplanting conventional ITE models, these alternative pathways serve as complementary options, broadening access and enhancing system responsiveness to evolving societal and educational needs. The rise in non-traditional routes represents a deliberate response to the well-documented global teacher shortage, frequently examined in comparative educational research. Central to their design is a restructuring of traditional program elements, particularly duration and delivery methods, to facilitate more flexible and context-sensitive forms of teacher preparation. Such approaches often create opportunities for individuals who may be excluded from conventional pathways due to socioeconomic constraints, geographic isolation, or non-linear career trajectories. Significantly, the diversity introduced by alternative entry candidates has the potential to enrich school learning environments. These educators often bring a wide range of prior experiences, disciplinary knowledge, and cultural perspectives, contributing to more inclusive and representative teaching practices. The implications for student learning are substantial, particularly in disadvantaged communities where culturally and professionally diverse teachers may enhance engagement and academic outcomes. From a policy perspective, the development of flexible, multifaceted teacher education pathways constitutes a critical component of a sustainable workforce strategy. As demand for qualified teachers intensifies, especially in STEM disciplines and in rural, regional and remote areas, the role of alternative pathways is likely to become increasingly pivotal in achieving broader goals of equity, quality and innovation in teacher preparation. Full article

Urban and regional ecosystems are increasingly challenged by the compounded effects of climate change and intensive land use. In this study, a predictive assessment framework for ecosystem resilience in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region was developed by integrating multi-source remote sensing data, with the aim of quantitatively evaluating the coupled effects of climate change and land use change on future ecosystem resilience. In the first stage of the study, the SD-PLUS coupled modeling framework was employed to simulate land use patterns for the years 2030 and 2060 under three representative combinations of Shared Socioeconomic Pathways and Representative Concentration Pathways (SSP1-2.6, SSP2-4.5, and SSP5-8.5). Building upon these simulations, ecosystem resilience was comprehensively evaluated and predicted on the basis of three key attributes: resistance, adaptability, and recovery. This enabled a quantitative investigation of the spatio-temporal dynamics of ecosystem resilience under each scenario. The results reveal the following: (1) Temporally, ecosystem resilience exhibited a staged pattern of change. From 2020 to 2030, an increasing trend was observed only under the SSP1-2.6 scenario, whereas, from 2030 to 2060, resilience generally increased in all scenarios. (2) In terms of scenario comparison, ecosystem resilience typically followed a gradient pattern of SSP1-2.6 > SSP2-4.5 > SSP5-8.5. However, in 2060, a notable reversal occurred, with the highest resilience recorded under the SSP5-8.5 scenario. (3) Spatially, areas with high ecosystem resilience were primarily distributed in mountainous regions, while the southeastern plains and coastal zones consistently exhibited lower resilience levels. The results indicate that climate and land use changes jointly influence ecosystem resilience. Rainfall and temperature, as key climate drivers, not only affect land use dynamics but also play a crucial role in regulating ecosystem services and ecological processes. Under extreme scenarios such as SSP5-8.5, these factors may trigger nonlinear responses in ecosystem resilience. Meanwhile, land use restructuring further shapes resilience patterns by altering landscape configurations and recovery mechanisms. Our findings highlight the role of climate and land use in reshaping ecological structure, function, and services. This study offers scientific support for assessing and managing regional ecosystem resilience and informs adaptive urban governance in the face of future climate and land use uncertainty, promotes the sustainable development of ecosystems, and expands the applicability of remote sensing in dynamic ecological monitoring and predictive analysis. Full article

Rural areas are experiencing significant changes in socio-economic and spatial patterns, and research on the characteristics of rural restructuring is conducive to the planning of rural revitalization. However, few studies have focused on the changes in regional development imbalances in the process of rural restructuring. This study aims to explore whether rural restructuring mitigates or exacerbates existing regional disparities, and to assess the degree of coordination among economic, social, and spatial restructuring dimensions. In this study, the evolution of spatio-temporal patterns and divergence characteristics of unevenly developed regions in the process of rural restructuring from 2010 to 2020 were investigated by using the TOPSIS (Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution) model and the coupled coordination model. We found the following: (1) The level of rural development has increased significantly and the overall pattern has not changed. Meanwhile, the degree of regional imbalance has deepened, evolving from a low level of disequilibrium to a pattern of high levels but more pronounced spatial polarization. (2) The impacts of different dimensions of rural restructuring on regional imbalance are not consistent, and the social and spatial dimensions are significantly more unbalanced than the economic dimension. (3) The analysis of the driving mechanism shows that there are significant spatial and temporal differences between a variety of driving factors, the strength of their role, positive and negative have evolved in stages, and the transition from a government-led to a market-driven trend is gradually obvious. In the future, rural planning should pay more attention to resource inputs in the social and spatial dimensions, and improve the equilibrium of the social and spatial dimensions, which is more conducive to mitigating the trend of regional polarization. Full article

Facilitating industrial restructuring and modernization plays a pivotal role in realizing China’s dual-carbon objectives (carbon peaking and carbon neutrality) and advancing sustainable socioeconomic progress. Leveraging panel data from 30 provincial-level administrative units (2005–2022) and adopting the Spatial Durbin Model, this research investigates how industrial structure upgrading influences carbon emission intensity within the framework of a unified national market, while elucidating its operational mechanisms. The key findings include the following: (1) Provincial carbon emission intensity demonstrates pronounced “high-high” and “low-low” spatial agglomeration during the study period. Industrial restructuring exhibits marked carbon abatement effects, accompanied by discernible cross-regional spillover benefits. (2) Industrial structure upgrading can reduce carbon emission levels by promoting the technology diffusion effect, while the competitive demonstration effect of digitalization has not yet manifested. (3) The establishment of an integrated national market enhances the capacity of industrial upgrading to suppress carbon emission intensity. (4) The emission-reducing impacts of industrial restructuring manifest heterogeneous patterns across regions and temporal phases: In Eastern China, industrial upgrading paradoxically elevates emission intensity. Central-western regions experience significant emission reductions. Temporally, the relationship follows an inverted U-shaped trajectory. These insights underscore the necessity for policymakers to refine industrial modernization strategies, expedite nationwide market integration mechanisms, and cultivate region-specific green transition roadmaps. Full article

The real estate sector is steadily moving towards zero-emission buildings, driven by EU policies to achieve near-zero energy (NZEB) buildings by 2050. In Italy, more than 70% of residential buildings fall into the lower energy classes, and this mainly affects low-income households. As a result, the decarbonisation of the real estate sector presents both technical and socio-economic obstacles. Building on these premises, this study introduces the Retrofit Optimization Problem (ROP), a methodological framework adapted from the Multidimensional Knapsack Problem (MdKP). This method is used in this study to conduct a qualitative analysis of accessibility to retrofit between different socio-economic groups, integrating constraints to simulate restructuring capacity based on different incomes. The results show significant disparities: although many retrofit strategies can meet regulatory energy performance targets, only a small number are financially sustainable for low-income households. In addition, interventions with the greatest environmental impact remain inaccessible to vulnerable groups. These preliminary results highlight important equity issues in the energy transition, indicating the need for specific and income-sensitive policies to prevent decarbonisation efforts from exacerbating social inequalities or increasing the risk of assets being stranded in the housing market. Full article

As China’s regional development enters a critical stage of population redistribution and urban transformation, the impact of population mobility on regional demographic structures and urban functional restructuring has become increasingly prominent. Against this backdrop of accelerating Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei integration, cities of varying types have been confronted with growing complexity in demographic transitions and socioeconomic stratification during their processes of absorbing or exporting populations. This study employed microdata from the National Bureau of Statistics to construct migration flow matrices and utilized a decomposition quantification approach to explore the impact of internal migration on the population structure and quality in 13 cities within the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region. The findings indicated that, while Beijing has achieved some success in population control, it overall exhibits a “large inflow and large outflow” pattern. Langfang has attracted a large number of highly educated individuals and male migrants under the spillover effect from Beijing. Shijiazhuang’s population attractiveness has increased, yet the outflow of highly educated individuals remains unmitigated. Meanwhile, the internal migrant structures in industrial cities such as Tianjin and Tangshan have undergone significant changes following the industrial transformation. Cities in the passive outflow area and agricultural transformation area have experienced siphoning effects, but they face different potential risks due to their unique characteristics. This study further enriches the understanding of the impact mechanisms underlying domestic population mobility and provides differentiated policy references for cities to reconcile their development objectives with demographic realities. Full article

The rapid pace of technological advancement presents cities with emerging socio-economic and environmental challenges. Drastic climate change threatens the viability of biologically comfortable environments, compelling urban areas to adapt to new conditions. This adaptation necessitates the implementation of various strategies to maintain the population’s well-being, including mitigating climate change effects, which are characterized by rising average temperatures and prolonged droughts. Addressing critical issues such as water scarcity and extreme temperatures—particularly in Mediterranean regions, where summer temperatures can reach 48–50 °C—requires substantial energy consumption, which must be met through clean energy sources to reduce carbon emissions. Decarbonization efforts must be accompanied by the restructuring of urban green spaces, the expansion of peri-urban parks, and large-scale reforestation to enhance carbon sequestration. These measures, combined with the adoption of clean energy, would mitigate the impact of elevated CO₂ concentrations. In urban areas, the restructuring of green spaces should prioritize biodiversity through the use of native, water-efficient species while avoiding non-native, potentially invasive plants. Furthermore, societal engagement is essential in achieving these objectives, with the education system playing a pivotal role in fostering environmental awareness and promoting collective action. Full article

An in-depth understanding of the impact of green innovation on the urban–rural income gap is essential for developing countries seeking to address urban–rural imbalances and promote sustainable economic development. This study focuses on China, utilizing provincial panel data from 2007 to 2022, and employs the two-way fixed effects model, the mediating effects model, and the moderating effects model. The study’s key findings are: (1) Green innovation positively reduces the urban–rural income gap. Specifically, the regression results indicate that a one-unit increase in green innovation corresponds to a 0.017-unit reduction in the urban–rural income gap. (2) The heterogeneity analysis reveals that the effect of green innovation on the urban–rural income gap is more pronounced in regions with higher levels of economic development, in non-food-producing areas, and when green utility patents are adopted. Additionally, green innovation narrows the urban–rural income gap predominantly in high-skill regions. (3) Examining the influencing mechanism confirms that green innovation reduces the urban–rural income gap by promoting population urbanization, eco-urbanization, labor force restructuring, and mitigating wage income inequality. (4) The moderating effects analysis indicates that environmental pollution exacerbates the impact of green innovation on the urban–rural income gap; specifically, higher levels of environmental pollution amplify the effect of green innovation in reducing the gap. These findings offer valuable insights for addressing urban–rural income inequality and fostering sustainable socio-economic development in developing countries. Full article

Post-disaster rapid recovery and reconstruction, along with the evaluation of these efforts, are crucial for affected areas. They not only facilitate the swift repair of vulnerable systems but also reflect whether the recovery work has enhanced regional coordinated development. This is vital for achieving sustainable development post-reconstruction. This study addresses two main questions: (1) How effective were the recovery and reconstruction efforts in Mianyang, Deyang, and Guangyuan post-Wenchuan earthquake from a socio-economic–ecological system perspective? (2) What are the temporal and spatial changes in the Coordinated Development Index (CDI) of key affected counties? By constructing a framework to assess post-disaster coordinated development, this study utilized the entropy weight method and mean-variance method for the comprehensive weighting of evaluation indicators. The gray system prediction model G(1,1) was used to forecast the coordinated development levels of the three cities from 2019 to 2025. The findings reveal the following: (1) From 2005 to 2018, the CDI of Deyang, Guangyuan, and Mianyang showed a significant upward trend. Post-earthquake reconstruction measures like land planning and ecological restoration notably enhanced regional resilience and promoted coordinated development among social, economic, and ecological systems. (2) Despite overall success in reconstruction, disparities in development levels persist among Mianyang, Deyang, and Guangyuan. Predictions suggest that Deyang, Mianyang, and Guangyuan will achieve high-quality coordinated development in the next 5, 2, and 1 years, respectively. (3) Although significant achievements have been made through industrial restructuring, land reuse planning, and ecological restoration, more precise disaster prevention and mitigation strategies are needed to foster coordinated development among social, economic, and ecological systems. In summary, this study evaluates the post-disaster recovery effects in the hardest-hit areas of the Wenchuan earthquake and forecasts future development, providing a reference for similar post-disaster reconstruction areas in assessing and predicting coordinated development. Full article

This study explores the motivations and constraints of Iranian women entrepreneurs within a restrictive socioeconomic and cultural landscape. It adopts a qualitative approach and utilizes semi-structured interviews to investigate the complex interplay between financial limitations, gender biases, and regulatory challenges entrepreneurs face. These findings underscore the importance of resilience, adaptability, and creativity for entrepreneurial success. Women entrepreneurs in Iran adopt incremental growth strategies, utilize digital platforms for market access, and cultivate informal networks to manage risks and scale their ventures. They also creatively integrate family responsibilities into their business models, highlighting the cultural shaping of their entrepreneurial activities. The concept of regulatory adaptation was introduced to illustrate how entrepreneurs restructure their operations to comply with stringent government regulations while sustaining growth. The emotional burden of navigating these hurdles is also evident, emphasizing the need for support mechanisms that address mental health and well-being. Policy implications are discussed, and enhancements in financial access, gender equality, digital entrepreneurship, and mental health support for women entrepreneurs are recommended. This study contributes to the entrepreneurship theory by understanding how sociocultural contexts influence women’s entrepreneurial activities and resilience strategies. Full article

At present, China is the world’s largest carbon emitter and has also made significant efforts in energy conservation and emission reduction. This study utilized the EDGAR dataset of remote-sensing image inversion to investigate the spatial heterogeneity and clustering patterns of carbon emissions across 2184 counties in China through a data-driven approach. By analyzing the impact of socioeconomic factors on carbon emissions with the Spatial Clustering Autoregressive Panel (SCARP) model, significant regional variations were uncovered. The results reveal significant differences in carbon emission drivers between resource-dependent regions and economically developed areas. For instance, regions with heavy industries, such as Inner Mongolia and Xinjiang, exhibit higher carbon emissions, underscoring the need for policies focused on industrial restructuring and clean energy adoption. In contrast, economically advanced regions such as the Yangtze River Delta and Pearl River Delta show slower emission growth, indicating the potential for further reductions through green technology innovations and energy efficiency improvements. These findings highlight the necessity of regionally tailored carbon reduction strategies, offering policymakers a precise framework to address the specific socioeconomic and industrial characteristics of different regions in China. Full article

This paper explores the intricate relationships among the evolution of the international political economy, the dynamics of business ecosystems, and the transformations in entrepreneurship within the European energy sector, with a specific emphasis on Greece, particularly the less developed region of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace. The aim is to understand how geopolitical, economic, and technological dynamics interact across macro-, meso-, and microlevels, especially within the context of the ongoing global energy transition. A multi-method approach is employed, including interviews with 16 experts, a survey of 89 energy firms, and eight in-depth interviews with microfirm owners. A key finding is that an integrated and evolutionary macro–meso–micro framework is essential for understanding and addressing the complex dynamics across various sectors, especially in the energy sector. The study highlights the need for targeted support for smaller firms through a restructured energy policy to foster local entrepreneurship and innovation. It further emphasizes that understanding the evolution of the global energy system and its components is crucial for addressing sustainability in environmental and socioeconomic terms, as the emerging model of energy production and consumption is directly tied to the reshaping of socioeconomic development models in the new globalization. Full article

Considering the two-way influence of water ecology and industrial structure, decompose and quantify the water ecological rigidity constraints into water environment constraints and water resources constraints, construct the evaluation system based on the theoretical framework of PSR, and analyze the spatio-temporal evolution characteristics of water ecological rigidity constraints of the Yangtze River Economic Belt from 2010 to 2021 by using the entropy weighting method, the method of catastrophe progression, and the kernel density estimation. Then, putting forward the types of zoning in the Yangtze River Economic Zone through K-means algorithm analysis to explore the rigid constraints of water ecology to force the path of industrial structure adjustment. The results indicate that: (1) the water ecological rigidity constraints show a decreasing trend, and the decreasing amplitude is upstream > downstream > midstream; (2) the water ecological rigidity constraints generally show the characteristic of “gradually decreasing from east to west”, and the degree of regional differences first decreases, then increases, and then decreases again; (3) it can be divided into six types, and the zoning results gradually change from the concentration in the medium-high type and high-high type to the concentration in the low-low type and medium-low type, and the rigidity constraint of water ecology is obviously improved. In light of the findings, the Yangtze River Economic Belt is divided into five types of development regions and further discusses that the industrial restructuring in different zones has different influencing effects on the regional socio-economic development, which provides suggestions for differentiated paths of water ecological protection and industrial restructuring. Full article

Urban and rural relations are important for the sustainable development of a nation or region. Urban and rural integration (URI), as a conceptual framework and strategic tool for managing urban–rural relations, is supposed to play a role in linking urban and rural socio-economic systems to promote the two-way flow of resources, facilitate spatial restructuring and functional transformation, enhance resource allocation efficiency, and shorten the gap between urban and rural areas. This article takes agriculture technological innovation in China as an example, and discuss whether and how URI can promote agricultural technological innovation (ATI). Based on a dataset of 288 prefecture-level cities spanning the years from 1999 to 2018, this article analyzes the mechanism and effect of URI on the development of ATI by using the negative binomial regression model and other models based on measuring the level of URI in the municipal area. The main conclusions are as follows. (1) URI positively promotes the development of ATI and exhibits significant heterogeneity across various dimensions, regions, and agricultural production areas. (2) The mechanism analysis shows that governance systems and mature markets positively moderate the impact of URI on promoting ATI, which also exhibits heterogeneous characteristics across various regions. (3) The impact of URI on the development of ATI exhibits a double threshold effect, and its marginal impact on the development of ATI increases with the deepening of URI. Moreover, the threshold effect of URI demonstrates significant heterogeneity. In central and urban areas, after surpassing the threshold value, the influence of URI on agricultural technological innovation becomes greater. Therefore, it is crucial to continuously deepen the development of URI, smooth the channels of factor flow, enhance resource sharing, break down the urban and rural barriers, and create a new engine for ATI development. Full article

Health disparities in urologic oncology, particularly in prostate, bladder, kidney, and testicular cancers, significantly impact patient outcomes across different demographic groups. This narrative review aims to investigate the extent and drivers of these disparities, focusing on the influence of race, socioeconomic status, and geographic location on diagnosis, treatment, and survival outcomes. We conducted a comprehensive review of the existing literature and analyzed data from national cancer databases to identify patterns of inequity. Our findings reveal that minority populations, individuals with lower socioeconomic status, and those residing in underserved areas are less likely to receive timely and guideline-based care, leading to worse outcomes. This review underscores the urgent need for targeted interventions, including policy reforms, health system restructuring, enhanced community outreach, and increased funding for disparity-focused research, to ensure equitable access to high-quality oncologic care. Addressing these disparities is crucial for improving cancer outcomes and achieving health equity in urologic oncology. Full article