Climate migration has become a critical global issue, forcing millions of people to leave their homes due to environmental degradation, extreme weather, and slow-onset disasters like rising sea levels and prolonged droughts. In the same way as refugees fleeing war or economic crisis, climate migrants face life-threatening risks, even though their displacement is caused by environmental degradation, extreme weather, and climate-related disasters. This article explores the environmental causes of displacement, including deforestation, industrial pollution, global warming, and unsustainable farming practices, and highlights the extreme vulnerability of displaced populations in host countries, where legal protections are often limited or ambiguous. It also examines global migration patterns, particularly dangerous journeys to Europe, reviewing the international legal frameworks that protect migrants, such as refugee status and the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement. Finally, the study outlines sustainable strategies, including reducing greenhouse gas emissions, supporting these migrants in adapting to the impacts of climate change, and creating safe migration pathways, emphasizing the urgent need for global cooperation to address climate-related displacement.

ABSTRACT Since 1991, thousands of Albanians have been compelled to seek new homes in kurbet (migrant places), often navigating xenophobia, racism and structural exclusion in host countries. This sustained migration has shaped not only Albania’s recent history but also the socio-cultural and political landscapes of its destination countries. While previous research has explored the political, social and economic dimensions of Albanian migration, the cultural production emerging from these locations of mobility and displacement remains critically underexplored. This article addresses this gap by examining how Albanian migration has shaped contemporary art production, and how artistic practices, in turn, engage with the geographies of migration. Drawing on debates in cultural geography, art and migration studies, it analyses how Albanian artists of the first and second generations negotiate issues of identity, collective memory and belonging through visual practices that are both spatial and embodied. The article argues that Albanian diaspora produces invisible, affective and political geographies that often escape dominant discourses on migration.

The full-scale war and mass forced migration of Ukrainians have formed a new configuration of psychological, social and integration challenges, which are especially evident in the host countries, including the UK. The relevance of the topic is due to the need for a deeper understanding of how the combination of military experience, external institutional barriers and cultural adaptation affects the psycho-emotional state of Ukrainian migrants. The aim of the study is to study the interaction of psychological states, socio-systemic barriers and adaptive strategies of Ukrainian migrants, the object of which is the process of their psychological and social adaptation in the UK. The methodology is based on a mixed approach, combining in-depth interviews and online surveys with subsequent quantitative analysis of integral indicators and correlations. The results showed that anxiety, emotional exhaustion and sleep disturbances are the most common manifestations, the intensity of which is increased by the influence of difficulties in accessing health services, problems with renting housing, information opacity and the complexity of university or administrative procedures. It was found that social support from the Ukrainian community, regular contact with family, physical activity and structured routine are the most effective adaptive strategies, while self-regulation techniques demonstrate lower effectiveness in high-stress conditions. Correlation analysis confirmed the close relationship between psychological stressors and external barriers, as well as the positive impact of adaptive strategies on the level of subjective integration. The practical significance lies in the possibility of using the obtained data by universities, migration organizations and public services to develop more personalized support programs, optimize access to medical and information services and create conditions for more effective social integration of Ukrainian migrants in the UK.

ABSTRACT A significant number of Japanese multinational companies operate in Germany and require a skilled work force. Recruitment and training in particular, as part of human resource management, are often heavily influenced by practices from their home county. This raises the question of how assertive Japanese recruitment and training practices are within the German context, where the unique dual training system is of particular importance. This study therefore examines standardisation effects (the consistency of practices within an organisation across national borders) in recruitment and training in Japanese subsidiaries in Germany. The findings, based on 21 expert interviews, indicate a standardisation with regard to Japanese practices. The study reveals a strong influence on both recruitment and training within the companies studied, particularly in domains where German regulations and laws exert minimal influence. However, different types of standardisation effects emerge for distinct practices. The analysis suggests a classification into three types of standardisation, based on the degree of consistency between practices in the host and home countries, allowing for a more nuanced understanding of standardisation effects. These findings contribute to an extension of the theoretical foundations in this field.

Background International students frequently look for programmes that are not offered in their home countries in order to pursue high-quality education, cultural exposure, professional prospects and personal development while studying abroad. Understanding attachment styles enables people to better comprehend local norms and values, facilitating easier social interactions and minimising misunderstandings, even though adjusting to the host country might be difficult. Purpose The present study aimed to explore the relationship between attachment styles and sociocultural adaptation among international students in the host country. The study’s specific goal was to comprehend how different attachment styles affect international students’ adjustment to new cultural customs, social norms and values. Methods The study included 240 international students (male = 120 and female = 120) enrolled in various universities and educational institutions in Varanasi City, Uttar Pradesh, through purposive sampling. Participants were selected between the ages of 19 and 35 years. The Attachment Style Questionnaire (ASQ) and Revised Sociocultural Adaptation Scale (SCAS-R) were used in data collection. Results The findings show that secure attachment style increased sociocultural adaptation, whereas insecure attachment styles decreased it among international students in the host country. A secure attachment style offers consolation, confidence and strong social bonds, all of which significantly enhance international students’ sociocultural adaptation in India. Conclusion Social integration of international students may be greatly aided by planning inclusive cultural activities that promote engagement, lower social barriers and create a friendly atmosphere. Educational institutions may foster cross-cultural understanding and improve the overall campus experience for both domestic and international students by giving priority to such efforts.

ABSTRACT Entrepreneurship represents a potential pathway for refugees’ social and economic integration, yet existing research provides limited insight into the roles of entrepreneurial dispositions and perceptions of host-country institutions in shaping refugees’ readiness to initiate start-up activities. Drawing on survey data from Ukrainian refugees in Sweden (n = 92), this study examines the effects of individual-level entrepreneurial orientation dimensions (risk-taking, innovativeness, and proactivity) and crisis-response capacities (resilience and crisis self-efficacy) on entrepreneurial readiness. We further investigate whether these relationships are contingent on refugees’ perceptions of the regulatory, cognitive, and normative institutional environments in their host country. Our results reveal that risk-taking and innovativeness are positively associated with readiness, whereas crisis self-efficacy has a negative effect and may be redirected towards managing post-displacement life demands and adaptation challenges. Institutional perceptions play a conditioning role, with cognitive and normative environments enabling the expression of innovativeness, while regulatory and normative contexts weaken the effect of resilience on readiness. By showing how entrepreneurial dispositions are selectively activated under forced displacement and shaped by institutional conditions, our study extends entrepreneurship theory to refugee contexts and offers practical guidance for designing support initiatives that better align refugees’ individual capacities with institutional conditions.

Introduction Pregnant immigrant women and birthing people face unique challenges in accessing and navigating healthcare systems in their host countries. In the United Kingdom, these barriers can lead to delayed care, missed appointments, and poorer maternal and neonatal outcomes. This protocol outlines a comprehensive methodology for investigating these barriers and developing solution-focused approaches to address them. Methods This cross-sectional, mixed-methods study will recruit 100–150 pregnant immigrant women from antenatal clinics, postnatal wards, and community settings associated with the Princess Royal University Hospital and other King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust facilities. Study Registration: King’s College audit committee (Registration number #625, date 03 June 2025). Data will be collected using a structured questionnaire covering demographics, language and communication barriers, healthcare access and experiences, and satisfaction with services. Quantitative data will be analyzed using descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and logistic regression, while qualitative responses will undergo thematic analysis. Analysis This study aims to identify the prevalence and nature of barriers to maternity care among immigrant women, examine associations between demographic factors and specific barriers, and develop practical recommendations for healthcare providers and policymakers. The findings will inform targeted interventions to enhance accessibility, cultural sensitivity, and overall quality of maternity services for this vulnerable population. By adopting a solution-focused approach, this study will move beyond problem identification to actionable recommendations, contributing to the development of more inclusive and responsive maternity services for immigrant women in the UK and potentially other countries with similar healthcare systems.

ABSTRACT Since the launch of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, infrastructural development in the Global South has attracted sustained scholarly attention. The majority of existing studies focus on material hard infrastructure, leaving cultural infrastructure comparatively under-examined and frequently subsumed under soft power or cultural diplomacy. The paper addresses this gap by examining gifts of museums, stadiums, and theatres by Asian donors as forms of cultural aid, with particular attention to China’s large-scale cultural projects in Africa. It introduces the concept of shared prestige and argues that these projects operate simultaneously as material assets and symbolic resources that redistribute visibility, status, and civilisational narratives between financing and host partners. Drawing on Maussian gift theory, Yang’s notion of renqing, and Qin Yaqing’s relational theory, the paper shows how cultural infrastructures function within moral economies of reciprocity while enabling host countries to pursue political and cultural agendas within evolving South-South aid frameworks.

Discrimination by welfare bureaucrats in host countries poses significant administrative burdens for mobile European Union citizens’ social rights in practice. However, the relative importance of applicants’ identity and perceived effort therein is understudied. Combining discrimination and behavioral theory, we investigate how nationality and perceived effort affect bureaucratic discrimination. A choice-based conjoint survey experiment presents 2403 bureaucrats in Switzerland, Denmark, Ireland, and Spain with fictional information requests from French and Bulgarian citizens. The results of the experiment show that bureaucrats—particularly administrators with antimigration and right-wing attitudes—favor French citizens over Bulgarians. Preferential treatment was strongest for applicants whose language fluency and job-seeking activities indicate integration efforts. Bureaucratic discrimination is much more about what EU citizens do than who they are.

Purpose This study aims to investigate how a firm’s engagement in foreign direct investments (FDIs) affects the firm’s audit outcomes. Design/methodology/approach Using project-level FDI information from Orbis provided by the Bureau van Dijk, the authors use OLS and probit regressions in their empirical analyses. They also undertake instrumental variable regressions using natural disaster shocks in destination countries, identified using the EM-DAT database administered by the Center for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters, to address potential endogeneity issues and establish causal inferences. Findings The authors find that firms that announce FDI, engage in a larger number of FDI projects, or undertake more intensive FDI engagements incur higher audit fees. The authors also find that FDI-active firms exhibit a higher likelihood of receiving going-concern audit opinions when they engage in FDI activities or their FDI engagements are more intensive. These findings suggest that auditors recognize elevated audit risks arising from the complexity and uncertainty associated with FDI activities. Further analysis indicates that country-level corruption influences how FDI engagement affects auditors’ risk assessments, highlighting the role of both project attributes and host country attributes. Originality/value The findings of this study suggest that not only does a firm’s FDI facilitate the firm’s strategic business objectives but FDI also has significant implications for its financial reporting environment and audit outcomes.

Limited attention has been given to ethnic-racial identity (ERI) development beyond emerging adulthood, which is a critical gap identified in the Lifespan Model of ERI. Previous research suggests that age of arrival in a host country may shape one's overall exposure to sociocultural contexts. The adaptation process can also be stressful, particularly as immigrants often navigate challenges related to "fitting in" and the perception of being seen as outsiders. These experiences could trigger various ERI trajectories at a later stage of life (e.g., during adulthood). Using a three-wave longitudinal data set of 596 Mexican-born mothers, three independent growth mixture models were estimated to identify variations in trajectory patterns of ERI exploration, resolution, and centrality. For exploration and resolution, high-stable and low-increasing trajectories were found. For centrality, high-mild decline and low-increasing trajectories were found. Associations between age of arrival, acculturative stressors (i.e., feeling like a misfit and foreigner stress), and trajectory patterns were examined, controlling for age, income, and education at Wave 1. Results showed that greater feelings of misfit at Wave 1 predicted a higher likelihood of belonging to the high-stable exploration and high-mild decline centrality groups, versus belonging to the low-increasing groups. These findings add to our understanding of the Lifespan Model of ERI by showing that ERI evolves beyond emerging adulthood. This study highlights the role of ongoing acculturative stress in shaping identity development, with potential clinical implications for psychological and sociocultural adaptation in adult immigrants. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Migration is a complex global phenomenon, with millions of people relocating each year driven by various social or personal reasons. Among them, refugees and asylum seekers form a particularly vulnerable subgroup, often forced to escape conflicts, persecution or life-threatening conditions. Most mental health assessment tools, originally developed in high-income countries and validated primarily in Western populations, may lack the cultural validity needed for this demographic. The primary objective is to systematically review and synthesise the psychometric properties and cultural validity of mental health assessment tools validated for refugees and asylum seekers. Secondary objectives are to (a) identify the range of mental health symptoms these tools assess and (b) describe the geographical coverage in terms of the regions of origin and host countries where tools have been validated. Reported in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020 guidelines, the review will conduct searches across different databases (ie, MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science Core Collection, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, PsycINFO, Global Index Medicus, CINAHL and Scopus), from inception to January 2025, with no restrictions on language. We will include validation, adaptation or diagnostic accuracy studies, as well as any other study design that reports at least one psychometric property of a mental health assessment tool. Two pairs of reviewers will screen, extract and appraise each study independently. Methodological quality will be assessed with the COSMIN (COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments) Risk-of-Bias checklist for measurement studies and QUADAS-2 (Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies-2) for diagnostic accuracy studies; the certainty of the evidence per property will be graded using the COSMIN-GRADE (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation) approach. Narrative synthesis will be performed for all properties; where appropriate, meta-analyses will pool Cronbach's α (Fisher-Z), intraclass correlations and sensitivity/specificity estimates using random-effects models. Inconsistency will be explored with subgroup analyses and meta-regressions; publication bias will be investigated with funnel plots and Egger's test when ≥10 studies are available. Ethical approval is not required for this systematic review, as no empirical data will be collected. Results will be disseminated through a peer-reviewed publication in a scientific journal and presented at relevant conferences. CRD42024510901.

The article develops an analytical framework for explaining the (non)return of Ukrainian war migrants in relation to their life plans after 2022. It aims to systematise and reconcile approaches at different levels of analysis, allowing decisions on returning or remaining abroad to be interpreted as socially embedded and dynamic processes. At the macro level, the paper considers neoclassical economic models, the dual labour market theory, and world-systems approaches that reveal how structural imbalances, labour demand, legal regimes, and global inequalities shape the space of opportunities for migration trajectories. Particular attention is paid to the institutional dimension, which directly influences Ukrainians’ strategies of legalisation, integration, or potential return. At the meso level, the article analyses social capital, migration network, and cumulative causation theories: networks lower the costs and risks of mobility, facilitate access to housing and employment in host countries, and simultaneously generate “return capital” through sustained ties with Ukraine. The balance between transnational and homeland ties determines whether the intention to stay abroad strengthens or the conditions for reintegration emerge. At the micro level, the study integrates rational choice and behavioural approaches, including bounded rationality, “push–pull” theory, life course theory, and the new economics of labour migration. It shows that initial departures under coercion and information scarcity align partly with bounded rationality, while subsequent (non)return decisions increasingly rely on comparative assessments of economic, legal, and social prospects, as well as safety and family circumstances. The article critically engages with the aspirations–capabilities framework, emphasising methodological ambiguities in measuring aspirations, the gap between declared intentions and actual behaviour, and the contextual variability of what constitutes a “capability” to return. It proposes an integrated approach combining rational choice logic (with bounded rationality), institutional theory, and social capital theory with the selective application of the aspirations–capabilities model. The resulting framework provides a coherent theoretical instrument for further research, enabling (non)return to be viewed as a socially constructed, multilevel, and temporally variable strategy that emerges at the intersection of institutional regimes, network configurations, and individual aspirations.

This study aims to focus on the narratives of women who were forced to migrate from Kuwait to Pakistan in August 1992 and explore their psychosocial challenges and the impact on their mental health and well-being. The research questions were: What type of problems did immigrant women faced during forced migration and describe their psychological and social experiences after coming to another place? How do forced migrant women adapt to another culture in their bodies, their skin, their clothes and their language? Narrative Research Design (Creswell, 2013) was employed to understand the stories of women who migrated from Kuwait and five participants were recruited for In-depth Interviews. Semi structured interviews were conducted to collect data and later analyzed through thematic narrative analysis. In conclusion, the journey of these forced migrants started from a luxurious life and ended with struggles to adjust in their host countries after surviving constant threat of rape and abduction. Recommendations include further research specifically regarding the aftermath of forced migrant’s journey.

How host country fintech levels affect cross-border M&A by Chinese companies

ABSTRACT Türkiye has become a major crossroads for numerous diaspora communities, serving as a space of transnational mobility, refuge, and activism. Among these groups, the Yemeni community remains one of the least examined, despite its steady growth as a multifaceted group. Due to the civil conflict that began in 2014, many Yemenis have left the country, and temporarily or permanently settled abroad. This study seeks to widen the lens of diaspora scholarship by encouraging approaches that capture the varied and regionally dispersed modes of mobilization that such communities pursue. The article asks: How does the Yemeni diaspora in Türkiye mobilize politically and socially, and what opportunities and challenges does the host country context present? To address this, the research draws on an extensive review of publicly available material supplemented by semi-structured interviews with Yemeni residents in Türkiye. The discussion unfolds in three parts: (1) an outline of the community’s development, and early organizational efforts; (2) an analysis of their evolving forms of collective action; and (3) a trace of how Yemeni actors engage with Türkiye’s political environment and subtly contribute to policy debates affecting both their country of origin and their place of residence.

ABSTRACT This article introduces the concept of “imported criminalisation” within the broader context of diaspora-related conflicts. “Criminalisation” refers to repressive political measures targeting a group, such as an ethnic minority, through legal means. “Imported criminalisation” occurs when a host country adopts the securitisation and criminalisation standards of the country of origin against a diaspora. By examining the Trilateral Memorandum between Turkey, Sweden, and Finland regarding NATO accession, the article explores its impact on the Kurdish diaspora in the Nordic countries. Imported criminalisation, as a part of conflict transportation and transnational repression, affects the host society by altering legal standards and creating a grey area of discretionary judgement, fostering uncertainty and fear. The article also discusses some of the negative impacts of the Memorandum on Swedish and Finnish societies and their responses, before reviewing the main changes in the Kurdish diaspora’s mobilisation in the two countries.

The conflict in Ukraine has led to the displacement of millions of children and their mothers, posing an unprecedented challenge to host countries such as Spain. The aim of this paper is to analyse the perceptions of refugee children and their mothers of Ukrainian origin on the social and educational factors that influence their reception process in the Spanish education system. A qualitative approach was adopted, with 26 participants, 13 mothers and 13 children aged between 8 and 15 years. The results obtained were classified inductively into three categories of analysis: barriers to educational inclusion, facilitators of educational inclusion and suggestions for improving this process. As a strength, the commitment of the actors involved was demonstrated by an unprecedented protective response. However, significant barriers were identified in relation to language immersion, the attention and understanding of teachers and classmates, the workload of the school and the invisibility of their circumstances and needs, which compromised the process of welcoming refugee minors. In conclusion, all social and educational agents should contribute to an effective response to the migration paradigm, for which it is essential to guarantee the fulfilment of the right to quality education for all minors.

Editorial: Voices across borders: navigating linguistic and cultural landscapes for LGBTQ+ migrants in host countries

High-speed railway diplomacy is an integral component of China’s Belt and Road Initiative and a major subject in the study of China’s diplomacy. The Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway and the China-Thailand Railway(which is also called the Sino Thai Railway) are important representatives of China’s railway diplomacy in Southeast Asia. Against the backdrop of the “Belt and Road” Initiative, this paper aims to explore the differences in the effectiveness of high-speed rail diplomacy between China and different countries as well as the underlying reasons by conducting an in-depth analysis of the cases of the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway and the China-Thailand Railway, employing qualitative and comparative analysis research methods. It also dissects the characteristics of China’s high-speed rail diplomacy model and strategies. This analysis demonstrates that China’s high-speed railway diplomacy is not a uniform strategy; instead, the approaches adopted are contingent on the host country’s specific conditions, including its state capacity, political regime and negotiation strategies. This study summarizes a current railway diplomacy model in China based on existing data, which includes “Technology Export, Standard Export, and Diplomatic Maintenance”. The proposed model not only contributes to the theoretical framework of China’s infrastructure diplomacy but also offers valuable insights for the future trajectory of its railway diplomacy.