Multi-stakeholder Collaboration Research Articles

Local recycling and reuse of concrete and soil: The societal impact of double-loop learning from circular urban transformation projects

The article presents certain findings from a large European research and development project aiming to generate societal impact through multi-stakeholder collaboration based on circular economy principles in the built environment. In the project, eight apartment buildings were demolished, and recycled aggregate concrete was used to cast the foundation for a new city hall being constructed nearby. Additionally, excavated soil from the construction of the city hall was transported to the urban development site where apartment buildings had been demolished, and the excavated soil was used in the terrain for the new urban development in the area. The local reuse of excavated soil significantly reduced transport volumes as the soil would otherwise have been transported long distances out of the city. The primary impact of the project was the direct environmental effects associated with the local concrete and soil recycling. The secondary impacts were linked to improved coordination and management of circular construction projects in the municipality through knowledge and competences being developed during the project (single-loop learning). Finally, the project also created awareness in the municipal organisation about strategic and organisational changes needed to facilitate future circular construction projects (double-loop learning).

Policy Model of Thematic Village Development Based Pentahelix in Realizing Sustainable Development Goals

This research aims to explore the policy model of thematic village development based on the pentahelix approach and its implementation in East Java, Indonesia. By examining the concept of pentahelix and its integration into thematic village development, the study discusses the role of each stakeholder in advancing villages towards sustainable goals. The research adopts a policy research approach, utilizing a mix-method (qualitative and quantitative) analysis. Data collection involves macro-level analysis through documents and interviews with government officials, and micro-level analysis focusing on village-level policy implementation through document studies, interviews, and observations. Data analysis follows the Miles, Huberman, and Saldana model, ensuring data validity through triangulation. The study delineates the stages of the policy model, including agenda setting, formulation, implementation, and evaluation. Agenda setting highlights the transition from addressing underdeveloped villages to empowering them. Formulation involves collaborative efforts among various stakeholders, leading to comprehensive policy plans. Implementation includes financial support allocation and technical assistance, ensuring transparency and collaboration across sectors. Evaluation assesses the policy's impact on achieving Sustainable Development Goals, demonstrating positive outcomes such as increased village autonomy and awareness of development indices. This research contributes to understanding the implementation of the pentahelix-based thematic village development model in East Java, providing insights into collaborative policy formulation and its impact on sustainable development goals. The findings offer practical implications for policymakers, emphasizing the importance of multi-stakeholder collaboration in addressing complex societal challenges.

Paediatric airway foreign-body removal equipment availability in sub-Saharan Africa

Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), home to over 1 billion people, has only one paediatric otolaryngology fellowship program and nine fellowship-trained paediatric Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery (OHNS) specialists covering seven countries. Seven of these specialists estimated an average of 40+ patients per month are in need of critical surgical airway management in their respective countries and that 2–25 deaths per year (mainly paediatric) occur in their country from lack of access to foreign body removal equipment. Investing in paediatric airway infrastructure and capacity would largely benefit the health system in SSA, where the current lack of equipment alone leads to unmeasured morbidity and mortality. As a region of the world with the largest paediatric populations, sub-Saharan Africa’s need is all the more pressing given the disproportionately low number of medical specialists, institutions and resources. Collaborative approaches in procurement and maintenance of high-quality, cost-effective equipment are crucially desirable factors in both low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and high-income countries (HICs). We, as the Global OHNS Initiative, urge for multi-stakeholder engagement and collaboration to forge lasting change.

Navigating agricultural nonpoint source pollution governance: A social network analysis of best management practices in central Pennsylvania.

The Chesapeake Bay watershed is representative of governance challenges relating to agricultural nonpoint source pollution and, more generally, of sustainable resources governance in complex multi-actor settings. We assess information flows around Best Management Practices (BMPs) undertaken by dairy farmers in central Pennsylvania, a subregion of the watershed. We apply a mixed-method approach, combining Social Network Analysis, the analysis of BMP-messaging (i.e. information source, flow, and their influences), and qualitative content analysis of stakeholders' interviews. Key strategic actors were identified through network centrality measures such as degree of node, betweenness centrality, and clustering coefficient. The perceived influence/credibility (by farmers) of BMP-messages and their source, allowed for the identification of strategic entry points for BMP-messages diffusion. Finally, the inductive coding process of stakeholders' interviews revealed major hindrances and opportunities for BMPs adoption. We demonstrate how improved targeting of policy interventions for BMPs uptake may be achieved, by better distributing entry-points across stakeholders. Our results reveal governance gaps and opportunities, on which we draw to provide insights for better tailored policy interventions. We propose strategies to optimize the coverage of policy mixes and the dissemination of BMP-messages by building on network diversity and actors' complementarities, and by targeting intervention towards specific BMPs and actors. We suggest that (i) conservation incentives could target supply chain actors as conservation intermediaries; (ii) compliance-control of manure management planning could be conducted by accredited private certifiers; (iii) policy should focus on incentivizing inter-farmers interaction (e.g. farmers' mobility, training, knowledge-exchange, and engagement in multi-stakeholders collaboration) via financial or non-pecuniary compensation; (iv) collective incentives could help better coordinate conservation efforts at the landscape or (sub-)watershed scale; (v) all relevant stakeholders (including farmers) should be concerted and included in the discussion, proposition, co-design and decision process of policy, in order to take their respective interests and responsibilities into account.

Standing the test of COVID-19: charting the new frontiers of medicine

The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated research and innovation across numerous fields of medicine. It emphasized how disease concepts must reflect dynamic and heterogeneous interrelationships between physical characteristics, genetics, co-morbidities, environmental exposures, and socioeconomic determinants of health throughout life. This article explores how scientists and other stakeholders must collaborate in novel, interdisciplinary ways at these new frontiers of medicine, focusing on communicable diseases, precision/personalized medicine, systems medicine, and data science. The pandemic highlighted the critical protective role of vaccines against current and emerging threats. Radical efficiency gains in vaccine development (through mRNA technologies, public and private investment, and regulatory measures) must be leveraged in the future together with continued innovation in the area of monoclonal antibodies, novel antimicrobials, and multisectoral, international action against communicable diseases. Inter-individual heterogeneity in the pathophysiology of COVID-19 prompted the development of targeted therapeutics. Beyond COVID-19, medicine will become increasingly personalized via advanced omics-based technologies and systems biology—for example targeting the role of the gut microbiome and specific mechanisms underlying immunoinflammatory diseases and genetic conditions. Modeling proved critical to strengthening risk assessment and supporting COVID-19 decision-making. Advanced computational analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) may help integrate epidemic modeling, clinical features, genomics, immune factors, microbiome data, and other anthropometric measures into a “systems medicine” approach. The pandemic also accelerated digital medicine, giving telehealth and digital therapeutics critical roles in health system resilience and patient care. New research methods employed during COVID-19, including decentralized trials, could benefit evidence generation and decision-making more widely. In conclusion, the future of medicine will be shaped by interdisciplinary multistakeholder collaborations that address complex molecular, clinical, and social interrelationships, fostering precision medicine while improving public health. Open science, innovative partnerships, and patient-centricity will be key to success.

Роль природоохранного паспорта в оценке уровня экологизации хозяйственной деятельности

The article presents the theoretical foundations, methodological peculiarities and practical experience of organizing ecological certification in Russia. It examines the key documents regulating its implementation and draws on legislative and normative-legal documents, scientific publications, and information and statistical data from various official regional sources. Despite being voluntary in the Russian legal framework, ecological certification is mandatory for certain organizations. For instance, the Rules for the Organization of Tourism and Recreation in the Central Ecological Zone of the Baikal Natural Territory prescribe that accommodation facilities within it must provide environmental passports to relevant authorities. A provisional structure of such a document is provided. It is revealed that it can be utilized to assess the level of greening of economic activities of tourist enterprises, including those located in territories with special regimes of nature management. Moving forward, efforts to enhance the implementation of environmental passportization should focus on strengthening regulatory mechanisms, enhancing institutional capacity, and fostering multi-stakeholder collaboration. Through concerted action, Russia can advance its environmental agenda and contribute to global efforts to achieve sustainability and biodiversity conservation.

Comprehensive Analysis of the Use of Web-GIS for Natural Hazard Management: A Systematic Review

This systematic review aims to synthesise Web-GIS evidence for managing natural hazards to share state-of-the-art practices and policies. A comprehensive search in SCOPUS, among other databases, identified 1775 articles published between 2014 and 2023. Following a selection process based on the PRISMA model, 65 articles met the inclusion criteria. The analysis revealed a growing trend over the past decade, with most research concentrated in the last three years. Eight crucial subtopics within the Web-GIS domain have emerged: Integrated Spatial Analysis and Modelling, Technologies and Infrastructure, Visualisation and User Interface Design, Decision Support Systems, Real-time Monitoring and Early Warning, Disaster Recovery and Resilience, Citizen and Social Media Integration, and Multi-Stakeholder Collaboration. A substantial contribution of the literature has been identified in Decision Support Systems and Integrated Spatial Analysis, reflecting their vital role in strategising and predicting hazard impacts. Furthermore, a geographical distribution analysis revealed significant Web-GIS applications in countries like Italy and China, alongside a deficit in low- and middle-income countries. It also highlights potential gaps in hazard studies, including the need to prioritise heatwave management in the face of climate change. This research calls for policymakers and practitioners to leverage evidence-informed decision making and foster community collaboration for enhanced natural disaster resilience.

Multistakeholder Participation, Collaboration, and Networking in Disaster Risk Reduction and Pandemic Management: Insights and Future Policy Framework

The natural and manmade disasters impact a society with loss of assets and human lives. Disasters leavepeople in vulnerable conditions and an overall economic slowdown is observed. The impact of disasters is highly complex and multidimensional in nature. It becomes imperative to handle the complexity of issues with comprehensive approach. Managing disasters effectively is one of the important challenges any government faces when it tries to be prepared with appropriate mitigation, rescue, and relief strategies. The unexpected nature and urgency related to Disaster Risk Reduction makes it important and relevant to involvemultistakeholders. This will help to bring down the severity and impact of the disaster on human lives and losses. Disaster Risk Reductionrequires meticulous planning and sharing of the responsibility among multistakeholders through networking so as to bring down the severity and minimize the negative impact of a disaster. Many research studies have suggested the multistakeholder approach in addressing the disasters. There are several gaps such as inefficiency of vertical management to deal the issues, involvement of multiple stakeholders, and lack of local public supportfor disaster. This paper, considering the case of COVID-19 as a pandemic and disaster, discusses the importance of multistakeholder participation. The paper presents an extensive review of the papers on the relevance ofparticipation of multistakeholdersin Disaster Risk Reduction and explores the scope and challenges involved and suggests policies to address the disasters, which utilizes Multistakeholder Participation.

Promoting sustainable smallholder farming via multistakeholder collaboration

Transforming smallholder farms is critical to global food security and environmental sustainability. The science and technology backyard (STB) platform has proved to be a viable approach in China. However, STB has traditionally focused on empowering smallholder farmers by transferring knowledge, and wide-scale adoption of more sustainable practices and technologies remains a challenge. Here, we report on a long-term project focused on technology scale-up for smallholder farmers by expanding and upgrading the original STB platform (STB 2.0). We created a formalized and standardized process by which to engage and collaborate with farmers, including integrating their feedback via equal dialogues in the process of designing and promoting technologies. Based on 288 site-year of field trials in three regions in the North China Plain over 5 y, we find that technologies cocreated through this process were more easily accepted by farmers and increased their crop yields and nitrogen factor productivity by 7.2% and 28.1% in wheat production and by 11.4% and 27.0% in maize production, respectively. In promoting these technologies more broadly, we created a "one-stop" multistakeholder program involving local government agencies, enterprises, universities, and farmers. The program was shown to be much more effective than the traditional extension methods applied at the STB, yielding substantial environmental and economic benefits. Our study contributes an important case study for technology scale-up for smallholder agriculture. The STB 2.0 platform being explored emphasizes equal dialogue with farmers, multistakeholder collaboration, and long-term investment. These lessons may provide value for the global smallholder research and practitioners.

Addressing the safety of new food sources and production systems.

New food sources and production systems (NFPS) are garnering much attention, driven by international trade, changing consumer preferences, potential sustainability benefits, and innovations in climate-resilient food production systems. However, NFPS can introduce new challenges for food safety agencies and food manufacturers. Most food safety hazards linked to new foods have been identified in traditional foods. However, there can be some food safety challenges that are unique to new foods. New food ingredients, inputs, and processes can introduce unexpected contaminants. To realize the full potential of NFPS, there is a need for stakeholders from governments, the food industry, and the research community to collectively work to address and communicate the safety of NFPS products. This review outlines known food safety hazards associated with select NFPS products on the market, namely, plant-derived proteins, seaweeds, jellyfish, insects, microbial proteins, as well asfoods derived from cell-based food production, precision fermentation, vertical farming, and 3D food printing. We identify common elements in emerging NFPS regulatory frameworks in various countries/regions. Furthermore, we highlight current efforts in harmonization of terminologies, use of recent scientific tools to fill in food safety knowledge gaps, and international multi-stakeholder collaborations to tackle safety challenges. Although there cannot be a one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to the regulatory oversight for ensuring the safety of NFPS, there is a need to develop consensus-based structured protocols or workflows among stakeholders to facilitate comprehensive, robust, and internationally harmonized approaches. These efforts increase consumers' confidence in the safety of new foods and contribute toward fair practices in the international trade of such foods.

Enriching Soil Organic Carbon for Sustainable Agriculture, Food Security, and Health

Amidst a growing global population and climate change challenges, this paper examines the vital role of soil organic carbon (SOC) in sustainable agriculture. Enriching SOC enhances soil fertility, crop productivity, and carbon sequestration, mitigating climate impacts. Prioritizing SOC improves soil structure, water retention, and nutrient availability, raising crop quality. Methodologically, the study combines normative juridical analysis with a qualitative literature review. Results highlight SOC's importance in fostering resilient agriculture and food security despite coordination challenges in policy formulation. Recommendations include incentivizing SOC-enhancing practices, investing in awareness, and fostering multi-stakeholder collaboration. Prioritizing SOC enriches agricultural policies, ensuring sustainable practices, food security, and human well-being, offering a pathway to resilient agriculture and a sustainable future.

Evaluation of collaborative water governance in the Cinambo Sub-watershed, Bandung City (case study: Wetland Park Cisurupan)

The “Wetland Park Cisurupan” Retention Area development program is one of the multi-stakeholder collaboration programs in the Cinambo Sub-watershed initiated by Bandung City Public Works Agency. This retention area is expected to reduce water runoff to Gedebage Sub-Region. Collaborative governance efforts carried out at Wetland Park Cisurupan need to be evaluated to serve as lessons for stakeholders and as follow-up recommendations. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the extent to which the Cisurupan Wetland Park development program in the context of the cinambo sub-watershed has implemented the principles of collaborative water governance. To achieve this goal, this research uses qualitative descriptive methods. Data processing uses data sourced from primary data, namely observation, interviews, collecting big data from social media in the form of WhatsApp chat groups “Cisurupan Temporer”, “Strategic plan Cisurupan”, and “Cisurupan 4 october” as well as Instagram posts with the hashtag #wetlandparkcisurupan, interviews, then secondary data from government agencies and the internet. Based on the measurement of 23 indicators of collaborative water governance in the sub-watershed, it can be concluded that the Wetland Park Cisurupan program is sufficient to meet the principles of collaborative water governance in the sub-watershed. Communication between stakeholders in this collaboration, which is seen from WhatsApp and Instagram, is considered effective for coordination, increasing public participation, and avoiding latent conflicts becoming manifest by being open to the collaboration process. Facilitative leadership is one of the keys to consistency in collaborative governance.

Conceptual framework for global protection against technology-enabled violence against women and girls

Technology-enabled violence against women and girls has emerged as a significant and complex issue in today's digital age. This form of violence, which includes cyberstalking, online harassment, and the non-consensual sharing of intimate images, poses serious threats to the safety, privacy, and well-being of women and girls worldwide. Addressing this issue requires a comprehensive and coordinated response that integrates legal, technological, and social interventions. This concept paper proposes a conceptual framework for global protection against technology-enabled violence against women and girls. The framework is based on a thorough review of existing literature, research, and best practices in the field, and aims to provide a roadmap for stakeholders to develop effective strategies and interventions to prevent and address this form of violence. The framework consists of the Legal Dimension which focuses on the legal frameworks and mechanisms needed to prevent and address technology-enabled violence against women and girls. It includes an analysis of existing laws and regulations, as well as recommendations for strengthening legal protections and ensuring accountability for perpetrators. The Technological Dimension explores the role of technology in both perpetrating and preventing violence against women and girls. It includes an examination of technological solutions, such as digital security tools and platforms, as well as ethical considerations related to technology development and use. The Social Dimension examines the social and cultural factors that contribute to technology-enabled violence against women and girls. It includes an analysis of gender norms, power dynamics, and social media dynamics that influence the prevalence and impact of this form of violence. The framework also includes strategies for implementing its recommendations at the global level, including advocacy efforts, capacity-building initiatives, and partnerships with governments, civil society organizations, and the private sector. It emphasizes the importance of multi-stakeholder collaboration in addressing this complex issue. Overall, the conceptual framework for global protection against technology-enabled violence against women and girls aims to provide a comprehensive and holistic approach to addressing this pressing global challenge. We hope that this framework will serve as a valuable resource for stakeholders working to create a safer and more inclusive digital environment for women and girls worldwide.

Co-Production in the Urban Setting: Fostering Definitional and Conceptual Clarity Through Comparative Research

Co-production is a concept which is increasingly popular in the planning field to refer to multi-stakeholder collaboration and partnership with citizens. However, the existing literature suggests that the rapid growth of the concept has resulted in ambiguity about its meaning. Given that the concept has a potential in planning research and practice, the thematic issue aims to present studies that use comparative approaches as a way to sharpen the understanding of co-production. The issue includes one commentary and six articles with empirical evidence from various countries across the world. The editorial provides overarching context and introduces each contribution of the issue.

Building the Framework for Sustainable Tourism in Príncipe Island

Like many other Small Island Developing States, São Tomé and Príncipe’s economy faces major weaknesses and constraints. These challenges are especially marked on the island of Príncipe, owing to its small size and double insularity. In recent decades, tourism, driven by international investment, has become a strategic sector for territorial development. This study assesses the suitability of this exogenous model and explores the feasibility of adopting a progressive change to a more community-centered tourism development model. Extensive fieldwork and multi-stakeholder collaboration have highlighted the need for a holistic, multi-dimensional strategy to secure this change. Such a strategy would prioritize local skills enhancement, infrastructure improvement, better governance and the diversification of tourism products and experiences. The gradual shift to a more endogenous approach in tourism development aims to strengthen sustainability across its multiple dimensions, ensuring more substantial and direct benefits for the local community and adding value to tourist services and experiences.

Assessing the potential for CO2 storage in saline aquifers in Brazil: Challenges and Opportunities

AbstractThis study underscores the critical role of carbon capture and storage (CCS) in mitigating greenhouse gas emissions and addresses the potential for CCS projects in saline aquifers in Brazil, one of the world's largest carbon emitters. The country's ability to adopt CCS is significantly influenced by the availability of data related to regional CO2 storage potential and identifying suitable geological framework for CO2 injection. While oil and gas reservoirs have traditionally been prioritized, saline aquifers represent an underexplored and potentially higher capacity storage option. Despite Brazil's 31 sedimentary basins, the data quantity and availability for these contexts remain insufficient for advanced studies on the geological storage of CO2 considering saline aquifers. An initial study was conducted indicating five potential targets in the Paraná and Potiguar Basins for geological storage in saline aquifers based on available public data, mainly drilling data. This review reveals substantial challenges related to the evaluation of Brazil's CO2 storage capacity, such as the lack of modern seismic studies, the absence of a regulatory framework for CO2 storage, and insufficient investment in new well exploration. These challenges necessitate multistakeholder collaboration, the development of a supportive regulatory environment, and investment in extensive site characterization campaigns. Addressing these barriers is fundamental to realizing the country's CCS potential and contributing to global decarbonization efforts. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Evaluating the Role of Sustainable Leadership and Technology Integration in Enhancing the Environmental and Social Responsibility of the UAE Banking Sector

This paper analyzes the role of sustainable leadership and technology integration in increasing the environmental and social responsibility of the UAE banking sector. Banks are prominent agents in creating sustainability through their financing activities and processes. Sustainable leadership is more than pursuing profit motives; it includes moral and inclusive decision-making for positive environmental and social impact. Sustainable leadership and enabling technologies contribute to a bank's sustainability indicators. A qualitative literature review combined the scholarly views in this field. Twenty recent peer-reviewed papers were thematically analyzed. This revealed how sustainable bank leaders adopt collaborative approaches involving stakeholders in creating sustainability solutions. Their values-based leadership focuses on long-term impacts and integrating environmental and social factors in bank strategies. Sustainability technologies like AI, big data and blockchain offer tools to implement these strategies. The analysis found that technology aids sustainable leaders in improving banks' eco-efficiency, reducing emissions, managing risks, increasing renewable financing and enabling financial inclusion. This enhances their environmental and social responsibility. Stakeholders like customers, employees and investors generally favour such sustainability integration. However, concerns exist around potential tradeoffs, profitability impacts and the depth of banks' commitment. The review also uncovered implementation challenges, including costs, data deficiencies, staff capabilities and cultural change. Smaller banks significantly lag more prominent entities. Radical strategic realignment rather than incremental changes is required. Public policy plays a crucial role through reporting requirements, emission limits and support frameworks. The limitations of this qualitative synthesis point to future research directions. Statistical meta-analyses could increase the generalizability of findings. Surveys and interviews with experts would provide rich primary data. Comparative analyses of technologies and leadership styles driving the most robust sustainability results would reveal best practices. Longitudinal studies can elucidate the evolution of banks' sustainability approaches over time. In-depth case studies of smaller banks would uncover constraints and potential solutions for mainstreaming sustainability. Action research pilots can test mechanisms to instil sustainable leadership thinking. Policy analyses can identify regulatory measures to accelerate progress. In conclusion, sustainable leadership and technology integration are essential enablers, but not guarantees, of elevating bank sustainability. Realizing their transformative potential requires bank leaders to move from rhetoric to resolute, broad-based action. This necessitates radical strategic reorientation, not just incremental improvements. Multi-stakeholder collaboration is vital, alongside supportive public policies and ongoing research. Sustainable leadership and technologies must remain central in catalyzing a systemic transition towards responsible banking aligned with urgent sustainability imperatives.

Data Governance in AI - Enabled Healthcare Systems: A Case of the Project Nightingale

The study investigates data governance challenges within AI-enabled healthcare systems, focusing on Project Nightingale as a case study to elucidate the complexities of balancing technological advancements with patient privacy and trust. Utilizing a survey methodology, data were collected from 843 healthcare service users employing a structured questionnaire designed to measure perceptions of AI in healthcare, trust in healthcare providers, concerns about data privacy, and the impact of regulatory frameworks on the adoption of AI technologies. The reliability of the survey instrument was confirmed with a Cronbach's Alpha of 0.81, indicating high internal consistency. The multiple regression analysis revealed significant findings: a positive relationship between the awareness of technological projects and trust in healthcare providers, countered by a negative impact of privacy concerns on trust. Additionally, familiarity with and perceived effectiveness of regulatory frameworks were positively correlated with trust in data, while perceptions of regulatory constraints and data governance issues were identified as significant barriers to the effective adoption of AI technologies in healthcare. The study highlights the critical need for enhanced transparency, public awareness, and robust data governance frameworks to navigate the ethical and privacy concerns associated with AI in healthcare. The study recommends adopting flexible, principle-based regulatory approaches and fostering multi-stakeholder collaboration to ensure the ethical deployment of AI technologies that prioritize patient welfare and trust.

Ethical AI in practice: Balancing technological advancements with human values

In an era where artificial intelligence (AI) increasingly intersects with every facet of human life, the imperative for ethical AI has never been more pronounced. This paper delves into the complex interplay between technological advancements in AI and the overarching human values that guide societal norms. The background of the study establishes the urgency of addressing ethical challenges inherent in AI, such as privacy, bias, and accountability, within the broader context of regulatory and policy frameworks. Aiming to critically evaluate the integration and effectiveness of ethical principles in AI applications, the paper navigates through a qualitative analysis, employing theoretical frameworks to dissect the ethical dimensions of AI. The scope encompasses a diverse range of topics, including global trends in ethical AI development, the impact of AI on human rights and personal freedoms, and the analysis of bias and fairness in AI algorithms. Real-world case studies provide insights into the successes and failures of ethical AI implementation, while the role of public perception and trust in AI adoption is scrutinized. The main conclusions reveal a dynamic global landscape of ethical AI, emphasizing the need for robust ethical frameworks and proactive strategies to mitigate biases and ensure equitable outcomes. Recommendations advocate for clear ethical guidelines, integration of ethics in AI development, transparency, accountability, multi-stakeholder collaboration, public engagement, and continuous ethical evaluation. The study concludes that balancing technological innovation with ethical constraints is crucial for the responsible development of AI. It underscores the importance of ethical vigilance, ensuring AI aligns with societal values and individual rights.

Cross-jurisdictional disaster preparedness: A Nigeria-USA data-analytical approach

Disasters pose significant challenges globally, demanding effective preparedness strategies to mitigate their impact. This study proposes a novel approach to disaster preparedness through cross-jurisdictional collaboration between Nigeria and the United States, leveraging data analytics for enhanced readiness. Nigeria, with its vulnerability to various disasters, and the United States, known for its advanced disaster management systems, offer a unique opportunity for mutual learning and collaboration. This research aims to bridge the gap in disaster preparedness between these two countries by employing a data-driven analytical framework. Through the collection, analysis, and comparison of disaster-related data from both nations, this approach seeks to identify commonalities, differences, and best practices in disaster preparedness strategies. By leveraging the strengths of both countries, such as Nigeria's community resilience and the USA's technological advancements, this approach aims to develop comprehensive disaster preparedness models tailored to the specific needs and contexts of each jurisdiction. Key components of this approach include data collection from various sources, including historical disaster records, socio-economic indicators, infrastructure data, and community resilience metrics. Advanced analytical techniques, such as machine learning algorithms and spatial analysis, will be employed to identify patterns, assess vulnerabilities, and predict potential disaster scenarios. The findings will inform the development of targeted preparedness strategies, including early warning systems, evacuation plans, resource allocation, and capacity building initiatives. Furthermore, this research emphasizes the importance of multi-stakeholder collaboration and knowledge exchange in disaster preparedness. By involving government agencies, non-governmental organizations, academic institutions, and local communities from both Nigeria and the USA, this approach aims to foster a holistic and inclusive preparedness framework. Ultimately, this study seeks to contribute to the global discourse on disaster risk reduction by demonstrating the effectiveness of cross-jurisdictional collaboration and data-driven approaches in enhancing disaster preparedness. By leveraging the strengths and experiences of Nigeria and the USA, this research aims to develop scalable and adaptable models that can be applied in diverse contexts to build resilience and mitigate the impact of disasters.