Multi-stakeholder Partnerships Research Articles

CREATING A SUSTAINABLE DIGITAL BUSINESS ECOSYSTEM: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR GLOBAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

This research aims to analyze the challenges and opportunities in creating a sustainable digital business ecosystem to support inclusive global economic growth. The research method used includes collecting and analyzing various documents such as research reports, academic publications, government policies, and industry documents related to digital business ecosystems, sustainability, and global economic development. The results show that the integration between the concepts of digital business ecosystems and sustainability has a crucial role in creating a sustainable business environment. Key factors such as digital inclusion, sustainable innovation and multi-stakeholder partnerships were identified as important elements in achieving this goal. The implications of this research highlight the need for collaborative action between governments, companies, and non-governmental organizations in designing policies and business practices that support sustainable economic growth. Building a comprehensive, forward-thinking, and environmentally friendly digital business network is essential for long-term economic development that positively impacts society. Stakeholders can achieve long-term improvements that benefit future generations by prioritizing economic, social, and environmental sustainability. This research aims to build a durable digital business environment for the betterment of the world economy through its contribution to academic literature and business practice.

Food Waste Reduction in Europe: Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships Lessons for the Global South.

Food waste is a critical global issue with significant environmental, economic, and social consequences. This paper investigates the efficacy of multi-stakeholder partnerships in addressing food waste, with a specific focus on lessons learned from initiatives taken in Europe for application in the Global South. This study uses qualitative research methods, that involves review of existing literatures and a case study analysis of the initiatives taken by the International Food Waste Coalition (IFWC). This study evaluates the impact of multi-stakeholder partnerships in food waste reduction efforts. Key themes such as collaboration, measurement, innovation, and policy advocacy emerge as critical factors in multi-stakeholder partnerships’ effectiveness. By examining the strategies and outcomes of the IFWC, this paper provides insights and recommendations applicable to regions facing similar challenges. The findings contribute to ongoing discussions on food waste management and sustainable development, emphasizing the pivotal role of multi-stakeholder partnerships in promoting collaboration between different stakeholders from different sectors all around the world and driving meaningful change on a global scale.

Leveraging multistakeholder partnerships in technical, vocational education, and training

The present study examines the argument of placing greater emphasis on partnerships between stakeholders and vocational training. The current challenges of unemployment are too dire to be left to one stakeholder or country to resolve, and therefore, multistakeholder partnerships become necessary to tackle these multifaceted problems of practice across borders. The present study is necessary because there is need to illuminate the issues about partnerships for promoting innovation, industrial and infrastructural development through global and multistakeholder partnerships in technical and vocational education training. Evidence gathered from this assessment will inform the improvement of existing on-the-job training, enable institutions to scale-up successful models of partnerships and foster the development of vocational practices that are more adaptable to work ethic and the dynamic world of work.

Partnerships in Mitigating Climate Change Impacts: a Case Study of the Mera Program

This research aims to analyze partnerships in mitigating the impacts of climate change through the MERA Program in Muara Angke Wildlife Sanctuary, North Jakarta, which runs from 2018 to 2020. The method used is descriptive qualitative with data collection techniques through interviews, observations, and documentary studies. The results showed that the MERA Program successfully integrated multi-stakeholder partnerships in mangrove ecosystem restoration. The resulting positive impacts include economic benefits, treatment, natural disaster mitigation, and carbon reduction in the region. The program also significantly contributes to the achievement of various Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), such as no poverty, no hunger, decent work, economic growth, sustainability, climate action, life under water, life on land, and partnership to achieve goals. The implication of this research is the importance of strengthening partnerships in efforts to mitigate the impacts of climate change through a holistic ecosystem restoration program that involves various stakeholders. The implication of this research is the importance of strengthening partnerships in efforts to mitigate the impacts of climate change through a holistic ecosystem restoration program that involves various stakeholders.

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.

Performance for Environmental Sustainability in Uganda: A Collective Community Engagement Approach through Theatre for Development

With the rapid economic development and population growth in Uganda, people have neglected the protection of the ecological environment to satisfy the pursuit of material life. This article discusses an ongoing Theatre for Development (TfD) project in which I explore through a Practice as Research (PaR) methodology the significance of community engagement and collective learning through TfD in pursuing environmental sustainability goals in Kigorobya, Hoima District–Bunyoro sub-region, Uganda. The ongoing work investigates how multi-stakeholder partnership and participation of people achieved in TfD can foster sustainable use of environmental resources. The practice-based research project is predicated on the notion that achieving environmental sustainability requires concerted collective community action. Consequently, to achieve ownership of environmental issues, all stakeholders in the community need to be mobilized and engaged in a collective effort to achieve a safe and habitable environment. The project interrogates: to what extent can TfD be posited as a process of achieving a plenitude of praxis and reflection on the deep-seated issues pertaining to environment sustainability?

Indicator accountability or policy shrinking? Multistakeholder partnerships in reviews of the sustainable development goals

AbstractThe Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with their 169 targets and 231 indicators epitomise the trend of global governance by numbers. This article suggests the notion of a global “indicator reporting trajectory” that is shaped by three main elements: the politics of indicators, a reporting infrastructure and indicator advocacy. I propose that indicator reporting trajectories may result either in policy shrinking or in indicator accountability. The idea of an indicatory reporting trajectory is empirically illustrated with the case of indicators on multistakeholder partnerships of SDG 17. High expectations are put on such partnerships to accelerate SDG realization, but they face several accountability challenges. The analysis shows how indicators that capture globally agreed (but contested) goals can silently disappear due to a lack of data and measurability during long follow‐up processes. I argue that there is a great risk for policy shrinking with regard to multistakeholder partnerships under SDG 17 and that this has implications for accountability and, in the end, for the realization of the 2030 Agenda.

Top ten research priorities for alcohol use disorder and alcohol-related liver disease: results of a multistakeholder research priority setting partnership

Top ten research priorities for alcohol use disorder and alcohol-related liver disease: results of a multistakeholder research priority setting partnership

Food systems transformation in Zimbabwe

The usefulness of participatory monitoring and evaluation (PM&E) in food systems transformation in Africa remains poorly explored. JOSEPH TINARWO, VAIN JARBANDHAN and AARAM GWIZA explain how PM&E is designed to measure programme effectiveness and is geared towards promoting programme ownership, empowering beneficiaries, enhancing transparency and accountability, and improving the projects and programmes. However, they caution that the effectiveness of PM&E in food system transformation requires adequate budgetary support, rolling capacity-building initiatives, multistakeholder partnerships, policy integration, and indigenous knowledge-sharing and learning practices.

Carbon and ecosystem service markets in rangelands and grazing systems are a wicked problem: multi-stakeholder partnership or roundtable as a vehicle forward?

Although the concepts of carbon and ecosystem service markets gained traction in the literature in the early 1990s, they have only recently (since the early 2000s) become a reality in Australia. The past decade has seen the appearance of markets for carbon sequestration (and avoiding land-clearing), most of which have occurred in rangeland environments. There has been research in recent decades focusing on the barriers and opportunities for the uptake of such carbon and ecosystem service markets at the landholder level. However, there is limited research into how the policy, institutional and governance arrangements may be affecting the effective and efficient development of cohesive carbon and ecosystem service markets in the Australian rangelands that could result in genuine and enduring environmental, social and community outcomes. Using in-depth interviews with 34 diverse stakeholders, we identified many inter-related themes that provided clear insight into aspects of these markets in Australia. Complexity was the most prominent and overarching theme. The markets operate on multiple levels across state, national and international jurisdictions, leading to confusion for landholders and other stakeholders. The type and number of groups and stakeholders in these systems add to the perceived complexity, with convoluted lines of responsibility, jurisdictional appropriateness, regulation, financial investment, and oversight. There is currently a lack of transparency within these markets, resulting in reduced trust and engagement. We deduce that carbon and ecosystem services markets are, in fact, a wicked policy problem, but have not yet been framed as such. We suggest a multi-stakeholder partnership or roundtable approach be used to tackle the symptoms of the wicked problem associated with carbon and eco-system service markets, which may help in reducing some of the complexities, perverse outcomes and stakeholder trust issues identified in this research.

HARNESSING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS PROTECTION: ADVANCING SUSTAINABLE PLASTIC WASTE RECYCLING IN NIGERIA

This paper explores the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies with human rights considerations in plastic waste recycling, focusing on the context of Nigeria. Using an explanatory design and a basic review of the literature, it examines how AI can enhance human rights protection among workers in plastic waste recycling firms. The paper emphasizes the role of government policies and regulations in ensuring human rights protection, the need for ethical guidelines for AI use, and the potential of AI to improve worker safety and reduce environmental pollution in recycling facilities. Key recommendations for future research include enhancing AI capabilities for waste sorting, integrating Internet of Things (IoT) devices for real-time monitoring, and prioritizing ethics in AI development. Collaboration between stakeholders is identified as crucial, with multi-stakeholder partnerships and policy coherence essential for the effective implementation of AI technologies in plastic waste recycling. In conclusion, integrating AI with human rights considerations in plastic waste recycling is pivotal for enhancing efficiency, reducing pollution, and ensuring sustainable waste management practices. This paper contributes to the growing body of literature on AI and human rights in waste management, offering insights for policymakers, industry stakeholders, and researchers in Nigeria and beyond.

Multistakeholder partnership in implementing cage fish culture as a livelihood venture for rural youth: A case study in Kerala State, south India

Rural development is a process of implementing location-specific sustainable modelsutilising ecosystem services with participation of local people. Ezhikkara is a coastalvillage surrounded by brackishwater creeks and Pokkali paddy-shrimp fields located inParavur Taluk of Ernakulam District, Kerala, south India. To address the employment issuesamong rural youth, Ernakulam Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) of ICAR-Central Marine FisheriesResearch Institute (ICAR-CMFRI), initiated cage fish culture in the Veerampuzha public waterbody in association with Pallikkal Service Cooperative Bank (PSCB). Local youth were trainedin the technical aspects of cage fish culture and the bank provided financial support forimplementing cage fish farming. The fish produced were marketed directly to the customersthrough farmgate markets. Farmers sold live fish directly at the farm gate by attractingconsumers through advertisements floated by the KVK. They were sufficiently educated tofix uniform pricing to avoid farmer-farmer competition in direct marketing. An online fishdelivery mechanism by pre-bookings through a mobile application was also established.The cage fish culture got wide acceptance among the rural youth as an alternate incomesource. The main challenges faced during the implementation of cage fish culture wasthe presence of invasive black mussel (Mytella strigata), annual flooding and the massiveaccumulation of weed plant Eichhornia crassipes. This experience unravels the requirementof continuous technical backstopping for marginalised communities to successfullyimplement technology-based farming models as alternate livelihood sources. Keywords:Asian seabass, Aquaculture, Cage fish culture, Live fish, Marketing

Integrated Care Systems in England: Progress towards forming new multi-stakeholder partnerships to develop quality.

Background: Health and social care services in England have been restructured to 42 Integrated Care Systems (ICS). ICSs are responsible for delivering integrated services in their local area to prevent illness; identify and treat illness effectively; and provide support to improve quality of life for people with long-term illness or disability. Under the umbrella of ICSs, previously siloed organisations need to work together to deliver quality care. This study aimed to understand how these new ways of working impact on the development of their quality agenda.
 Methods: Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with senior representatives in demographically and geographically diverse ICS. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed in NVivo using a thematic framework approach. Two Patient and Public Involvement team members contributed to the study design and data analysis. The study is conducted at two points in time; the data reported here is the baseline collected shortly (November 2021 to May 2022) before the ICSs’ formal constitution in July 2022.
 Results: Sixty interviews across four ICSs were conducted with senior representatives (e.g. ICS CEO, chief nurse, quality leads, director of social services, director of public health, the public and local communities). Across all ICSs, progress had been made with creating ICS specific committees, with new roles created and leaders appointed, and new partnerships emerging. Positive learning on collaborating with diverse partners had occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic and through previous local initiatives to integrate services. In two ICSs, there was less history of such collaborative work and their new partnerships were emerging more slowly. 
 Generally, it was agreed that strong leadership, supported by broad and effective system partnerships, was essential to develop the ICSs’ structure and to deliver quality. Key partners to support the leadership were senior partners in acute hospital trusts, primary care, social care, public health, Healthwatch (the health and social care champion for service users), voluntary services, and patient representatives. 
 Some concerns were raised that made collaborations more challenging, including differences in language and work culture between the key partners, and health dominating the quality agenda. Overall, it was felt that social care, public health and voluntary services were heard less. They were being consulted, but rarely had leadership roles and leaders from these communities often felt that they were not equal partners. Most participants highlighted the importance of consulting patients and the public and acknowledged that this was not done effectively yet with too few people, who lacked diversity, consulted; and an overreliance on Healthwatch. 
 Discussion: This restructure of the health and social care system shows that new partnerships can be formed between previously siloed organisations but that these take time to develop. In particular, organisations or people who have traditionally been less consulted such as social care, public health, and patients and the public still need to become more equal partners in developing the quality agenda. Follow up interviews will bring greater clarity on how this restructure will maintain and promote quality across services. 

Application of Drones in Humanitarian Relief: A Review of State of Art and Recent Advances and Recommendations

With the advent of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), known as drones, their deployment in various sectors, especially in humanitarian relief, has witnessed considerable attention. Despite the growing number of studies highlighting the potential of drones, there remains a discernible research gap in consolidating the lessons learned, challenges faced, and regulations governing their usage, particularly in the United States. The aim of this study is to provide a comprehensive examination of drone deployment in humanitarian relief through a systematic literature review. By outlining the state of the art of studies and practices of the application of drones for humanitarian relief and healthcare support, and analyzing case studies and regulations, this paper presents a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis and offers a clear picture of the current state of drone application in relief efforts. Results indicate that while drones offer unique advantages, such as accessibility to hard-to-reach areas and rapid response, they also face challenges relating to regulatory restrictions, privacy concerns, and logistical limitations. Based on the analysis, this paper concludes with a set of recommendations for the effective employment of drones, including fostering multi-stakeholder partnerships and streamlining the approval process for emergency drone flights. This study emphasizes the need for collaborative regulatory frameworks and best practices to maximize the potential of drone technology in aiding those in distress.

The war on drugs: how multi-stakeholder partnerships contribute to sustainable development in the Golden Triangle region

The war on drugs: how multi-stakeholder partnerships contribute to sustainable development in the Golden Triangle region

Value Co-Creation Process in Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships: The Case of Hakka Heritage Tourism in Taiwan

The purpose of this study is to explore how multi-stakeholder co-create collective value in a local context. Moreover, we aim to examine what barriers between the participators and what mechanisms could reduce these barriers, and then induce the local value. This paper presents a collaborative project that the university implemented in Jia-dong, a township of Pingtung county in Taiwan. Jia-dong is a traditional Hakka cluster with rich and historical elements. The purpose of collaborative project is to integrate Jia-dong’s developmental factors and help to create local value. This case study demonstrates that different stake-holder motivations and their ability to provide resources, differences are observed in the value creation activities and mechanisms at three stages: mobilization, expansion, and stabilization. This paper contrib-utes in two aspects: first, it highlights the evolution of collaborative rela-tionships among stakeholders during the process of value co-creation, and second, it provides a deep understanding of the role of value co-creation mechanisms is deeply understood while collaborative barriers derive from developing the local tourism.

Curriculum and Community with Research, Action and Service (CCBALwRAS), a Pedagogical Shift for Social Change

The article presents the replicable model of Curriculum and Community Based Academic Learning with Research, Action and Service (CCBALwRAS) through a framework of ‘2 Cs’, the ‘curriculum’ and the ‘community’. It puts forth a support strategy for participatory community-based interventions by formally inducting higher education institutions (HEIs) to achieve long-term sustainable, workable solutions for local communities. The study is based on a multi-stakeholder partnership, facilitated through partnerships between the HEI, committed faculty–student participation and civil society, executed between 2015 and 2020. The article draws from the execution and actual field experience of the partnership, along with qualitative data from the evaluation and assessment of the programme delivered. Given that the model developed is based on the experiences of a private fee-dependent HEI in a metro city, the study does not take into consideration infrastructural and resource constraints of other HEIs. The article focuses on the role of HEIs as fulfilling dual responsibilities of knowledge creation and dissemination while addressing socioeconomic, developmental and environmental needs within their immediate communities. The resultant pedagogical shift and the model proposed is an effective solution for equity, capacity building and civic-mindedness, which will nurture socially aware and critically conscious global citizens.

Collaborating on the Edge of Failure: Frame Alignment Across Multiple Interaction Arenas in Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships

Collaborating on the Edge of Failure: Frame Alignment Across Multiple Interaction Arenas in Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships

Unfolding COVID-19 vaccine communication campaigns in China's neighborhoods: a qualitative study of stakeholders' narratives.

The Chinese state has recently implemented the COVID-19 Vaccine Communication Campaign (CVCC) to counter vaccine hesitancy. Nonetheless, the extant literature that examines COVID-19 vaccine acceptance has less represented COVID-19 vaccine communication efforts. To address this lacuna, we qualitatively explored how CVCCs were organized in Chinese communities by investigating 54 Chinese stakeholders. This study indicates that the CVCC was sustained by top-down political pressure. CVCCs' components involve ideological education among politically affiliated health workers, expanding health worker networks, training health workers, implementing media promotion, communicating with residents using persuasive and explanatory techniques, encouraging multistakeholder partnerships, and using public opinion-steered and coercive approaches. While CVCCs significantly enhanced COVID-19 vaccine acceptance, lacking open communication, stigmatizing vaccine refusers, insufficient stakeholder collaboration, and low trust in the COVID-19 vaccination program (CVP) eroded the validity of CVCCs. To promote the continuity of CVCCs in China, CVCC performers are expected to conduct open and inclusive communication with residents. Furthermore, CVP planers should create robust partnerships among health workers by ensuring their agreements on strategies for implementing CVCCs and optimize COVID-19 immunization service provision to depoliticize CVPs. Our study will not only deepen global audiences' understanding of CVCCs in authoritarian China but also offer potential neighborhood-level solutions for implementing local and global public health communication efforts.

Natural-resources-seeking FDI and employment opportunities in developing countries: a temporal perspective

PurposeThis study aims to analyze the short-, medium- and long-term impacts of natural-resources-seeking foreign direct investment (FDI) in the form of foreign multinational enterprise (MNE) land acquisitions on agricultural labor productivity in developing countries. The authors analyze if these land acquisitions disrupt fair and decent rural labor productivity or if the investments provide opportunities for improvement and growth. The influence of different country characteristics, such as economic development levels and governmental protection for the rural population, are acknowledged.Design/methodology/approachThe study analyzes 570 land acquisitions across 90 countries between 2000 and 2015 via a generalized least squares regression. It distinguishes short- and long-term implications and the moderating role of a country’s economic development level and government effectiveness in implementing government protection.FindingsThe results suggest that natural resource-seeking FDI harms agricultural labor productivity in the short term. However, this impact turns positive in the long term as labor markets adjust to the initial disruptions that result from land acquisitions. A country’s economic development level mitigates the negative short-term impacts, indicating the possibility of finding alternative job opportunities in economically stronger countries. Government effectiveness does have no influence, presumably as the rural population in which the investment is partaking is in many developing countries, not the focus of governmental protectionism.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings provide interesting insights into the impact of MNEs on developing countries and particularly their rural areas that are heavily dependent on natural resources. The authors identify implications on employment opportunities in the agricultural sector in these countries, which are negative in the short term but turn positive in the long term.Practical implicationsMoreover, the findings also have utility for policymakers. The sale of land to foreign MNEs is not a passive process – indeed, developing country governments have an active hand in constructing purchase contracts. Local governments could organize multistakeholder partnerships between MNEs, domestic businesses and communities to promote cooperation for access to technology and innovation and capacity-building to support employment opportunities.Social implicationsThe authors urge MNE managers to establish new partnerships to ease transitions and mitigate the negative impacts of land acquisitions on agricultural employment opportunities in the short term. These partnerships could emphasize worker retraining and skills upgrading for MNE-owned land, developing new financing schemes and sharing of technology and market opportunities for surrounding small-holder farmers (World Bank, 2018). MNE managers could also adopt wildlife-friendly farming and agroecological intensification practices to mitigate the negative impacts on local ecosystems and biodiversity (Tscharntke et al., 2012).Originality/valueThe authors contribute to the debate on the positive and negative impact of FDI on developing countries, particularly considering temporality and the rural environment in which the FDI is partaking.