Regional Resilience Research Articles

Technological barriers to creating regional resilience in digital platform‐based firms: Compound of performance sensitivity analysis and BIRCH algorithm

AbstractEntrepreneurial ventures face various problems contributing to the regional resilience of their districts. Among such firms are digital platform‐based businesses that could have exponential impacts—indeed, if they succeed in overcoming the barriers. Thus, this study aims to identify the major technological barriers to creating regional resilience in Iran's innovation districts. This study uses the analytical hierarchy process method and an unsupervised machine learning algorithm, as well as the Delphi technique. Online panel surveys are conducted to collect data from experts in the field of online social platforms. The findings show that digital literacy barriers and cultural barriers are the criteria with the uppermost and lowermost importance. Performance sensitivity analysis illustrates that considering the C1 and C4 criteria, the Digikala platform is more resistant to technological barriers compared to other platforms. Furthermore, based on C2 and C3 criteria, it can be stated that the Snapp platform reveals better resistance than the other platforms. The importance‐performance matrix also shows that all platforms need more attention in terms of performance. Besides, the results of the BIRCH analysis show that the present model's accuracy is 88%. Meanwhile, outputs show that experts are divided into four groups or four different thoughts.

Assessment of tourism socio-ecological system resilience in arid areas: A case study of Xinjiang, China

Arid regions hold a prominent position as global tourist destination. However, their ecological fragility and sensitivity to economic and social factors make them more susceptible to various disruptive elements, thereby exacerbating the instability of the tourism socio-ecological system. Consequently, there has been a growing focus on tourism socio-ecological system resilience (TSESR) in arid regions. This study has developed a scientific and universally applicable assessment framework to evaluate TSESR in arid regions, considering the system's process mechanisms and dimensions. The framework encompasses four key domains: resistance, recovery, adaptation, and renewal, further divided into twelve criterion layers. This study conducted a case study in 14 prefecture-level units in Xinjiang, China, from 2010 to 2020. An improved TOPSIS model, Gini coefficient, Kernel density estimation, and Obstacle degree model were employed to investigate the levels, spatiotemporal variations, and obstacle factors of TSESR. The research findings indicate that during the study period, the resilience levels of the 14 prefecture-level cities exhibited an overall upward trend with fluctuations. There are notable spatial disparities, yet these disparities are diminishing. Furthermore, factors such as resource endowment, market potential, economic foundation, industrial environment, and human capital represented common obstacles, while unique regional impediments also existed. The TSESR assessment index system can scientifically and comprehensively evaluate resilience levels, offering an adaptive indicators framework for arid regions. It promotes the development of a resilient tourism socio-ecological system, thereby achieving sustainable tourism development.

Green infrastructure for ecosystem resilience

Green infrastructure for ecosystem resilience Mita Drius and Luana Silveri from the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, explain fostering green infrastructure for ecosystem resilience in Alpine regions. The FRACTAL model, we hear, is a bottom-up all-round approach. In the last century, human population growth and industrial development have led to the depletion of natural resources, ecosystem degradation, and a worrying change in global climatic conditions. Habitat and ecosystem fragmentation due to land use change is recognised as one of the most striking threats to biodiversity. Fragmentation of habitats alters species’ normal life cycle and ecology by preventing them from reaching their migration and dispersal destinations.

Regional resilience during COVID-19: evidence from Colombian exporting clusters

ABSTRACT This study characterises the geography of Colombian exporters and their response to the COVID-19 crisis. We define exporting clusters within departments using bipartite network analysis and community detection tools. The methodology empirically detects product communities – groups of products that are strongly related – which are compared with an alternative taxonomy of industrial clusters, and clusters exporting firms by considering their exports within these taxonomies. We define these groups of specialised firms localised in departments as exporting clusters. We then examine whether belonging to an exporting cluster can enhance firms’ trade margins. We find that clusters do not automatically improve firms’ trade margins and that there are differences in how firms react to a crisis within clusters. Our analysis contributes to regional studies by shedding light on the potential of exporters’ agglomerations to navigate and recover from crises and outlining critical firm characteristics that can strengthen regional resilience.

Adaption solutions for improved climate change resilience

Adaption solutions for improved climate change resilience Patricia Carbonell, RESIST Communication Contact at REVOLVE – Communicating Sustainability, discusses adaptation solutions for improved climate change resilience in European regions. Europe must undertake transformative adaptation to become more resilient to the climate crisis. In the ethos of leaving no region behind, the EU-funded project RESIST focuses on co-developing climate solutions, innovations and technologies in four experienced regions in collaboration with eight less climate-resilient areas of Europe.

The foundational economy and the economic resilience of Czech and Slovak regions during four recessions

In this paper, the authors analyze the relationships between the foundational economy and the economic resilience of Czech and Slovak regions during four different waves of economic recession. The effects of specialization in the material and providential foundational economies, the automotive industry, and business services on short-term regional resistance measured by relative unemployment changes were tested during the global economic crisis (“the Great Recession”), the austerity crisis, the Covid-19 pandemic, and the Russo-Ukrainian War. The association between current and past recessions and the type of regions (old industrial, rural) and regional resilience were also examined. Spatial lag regression models showed that regional economic resilience patterns varied significantly from one economic shock to another. The effects of the foundational economy were weaker than expected and non-significant in case of the material foundational economy.

Financial Shocks and Deep Fundamentals: The Relationship Between Regional Resilience and Exposure to Financial Crisis

Financial Shocks and Deep Fundamentals: The Relationship Between Regional Resilience and Exposure to Financial Crisis

Research on the Coupling Coordination Degree of Tourism Economy and Regional Resilience and Its Obstacle Degree Factors Based on the Obstacle Degree Model

Research on the Coupling Coordination Degree of Tourism Economy and Regional Resilience and Its Obstacle Degree Factors Based on the Obstacle Degree Model

Technological Diversification and Resilience of European Metropolitan Regions

Technological Diversification and Resilience of European Metropolitan Regions

Динамика промышленного производства регионов: оценка резилиентности реакции на внешние ограничения

The Russian economy is at the centre of destabilising events. The article assesses the resilience of responses of industrial production to external constraints. Long – and short-term regional responses were examined using the methods of estimation of trend and cyclical components of production volume changes, construction of phase dynamics models (sectoral and cross-sectoral tracers) of relevant and prospective specialisation areas, assessment of the resilience of industrial regions based on the indicators of long-term, short-term and prospective dynamics. Analysis of particular resilience indicators demonstrated regional differences in production indices before and after destabilising events, duration of the recovery period, degree of reaching the pre-shock level, presence or absence of stabilising industries, etc. Three levels of production resilience were distinguished: elastic response characterises regions that managed to reach the pre-shock level; super-elastic response indicates compensatory recovery and positive post-shock growth; plastic response means negative consequences after the normalisation of events. The paper analysed export-oriented single-industry metallurgical regions using official statistics on industrial production indices for 2006–2021. As a result, their resilience profiles were differentiated: the research noted a negative impact and slowdown in economic growth in Chelyabinsk and Sverdlovsk oblasts, as well as a positive reaction in Vologda and Lipetsk oblasts. Additionally, it was revealed that stabilising industries with counter-phase dynamics are present in Vologda and Lipetsk oblasts and absent in Sverdlovsk and Chelyabinsk oblasts. According on the identified levels of production resilience, targets and tools of regional industrial policy were determined. Regions with plastic responses to external constraints require support for prospective specialisations. In regions with elastic and super-elastic responses, it is necessary to implement strategies and policy measures for the stabilisation of development through economic diversification.

Parametric Optimization of Circular Elevated Water Tanks Under Various Capacities and Seismic Conditions

The elevated water tank comprises important structural elements which includes slabs, beams, columns, and footings, facilitating the transfer of loads amongst these contributors and subsequently to the subgrade of the soil. This paper goals is to comprehensively analyze the structural behaviours exhibited by elevated water tanks underneath various loading conditions. The behaviours of multiplied water tanks variety underneath various styles of loadings, inclusive of dead, live, and seismic loads, that are comprehensively analyzed. This paper primarily aims to conduct a hydrostatic evaluation of circular water tanks and emphasizes the necessity of a parametric study. To obtain this goal, 2, 2.5, and 3 lakh litters of tanks are being considered for the analysis which are all examined underneath area III seismic situations whilst keeping a normal height and varying diameters during the simulation. The examination focuses on carrying out a comparative evaluation of critical structural parameters, such as moment, maximum displacement, and maximum base shear. By means of analysing those parameters across various tank capacities, precious insights into the structural reaction of circular elevated water tanks under seismic loading conditions are gained. Those findings contribute to enhancing the design and overall performance of such structures, enhancing their resilience and protection in earthquake-susceptible regions.

A Phenomenological Study of the Lived Experiences of Fishermen about the Climate Change in Panabo City

Climate change has emerged as a crucial worldwide concern affecting a wide range of sectors, and coastal communities in particular face special challenges due to their reliance on marine resources. The purpose of this phenomenological study is to investigate the lived experiences of fishermen in Panabo City, a coastal town in the Philippines, with regard to the consequences of climate change on their livelihoods and way of life. The study investigates fishermen’s resilience and efforts to seek other livelihood options in the face of climate uncertainty. Participants emphasize the importance of better assistance and interventions from government agencies, non-governmental organizations, and other stakeholders in order to develop adaptive capacity and foster community resilience. Six participants were interviewed in depth, and the data was recorded. Thematic analysis was employed in analyzing the data. The findings of this study highlight the urgent need for increased environmental awareness among fishermen in Panabo City. This study contributes to the broader discourse on climate resilience and community adaptation in coastal regions by examining fishermen’s lived experiences in the context of climate change.

Региональные особенности российских компаний-«газелей» в пандемию

In the context of global turbulence, the Russian national economy needs positive economic practices of resilience and subsequent development. This need is even greater in regional economies, where a few relatively small growth points, including high-growth firms (HGFs, ‘gazelles’), can become drivers for the entire region. The study analyses the performance of high-growing firms and their impact on regional resilience during the acute phase of the global economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic (2020–2021). A sample of 11,940 firms (including 403 HGFs) in Sverdlovsk, Vologda, Kurgan, Lipetsk, Orenburg, Chelyabinsk regions, Krasnoyarsk krai and the Republic of Bashkortostan was examined. The research uses such approaches as estimation of the shares of HGFs by number and output and assessment of correlation using the nonparametric method of Spearman’s coefficient. The share of HGFs in the sample as a whole and for each region is consistent with global trends (2-4 %). The industrial structure of high-growth firms differs across regions, meaning that HGFs manifest themselves individually in various regions. ‘Gazelles’ demonstrated a greater ability to preserve jobs during the pandemic in most regions of the sample. For example, while an average employment growth rate was 2 % in 2020, this figure was 25 % for HGFs in Krasnoyarsk krai and Sverdlovsk oblast. During economic recession, ‘gazelles’ positively affect regional resilience in such activities as transport and storage, wholesale and retail trade, and mining. The result is the opposite for manufacturing: a larger share of high-growth companies was characteristic of regions with slower output growth rates for this type of activity in 2020–2121. The findings can be used to substantiate the significance of developing and implementing government support programmes for HGFs at the federal and regional levels.

Economic Resilience of Polish Regions and its Determinants in the Period of Covid-19 Pandemic

The aim of the research was to identify, based on available literature, factors determining the level of economic resilience of Polish regions and then verify whether they actually contributed to a more effective amortization of the demand and supply shock caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The thesis was put forward that regions with a diversified and competitive production and employment structure experienced the negative effects of the economic slowdown to a lesser extent in the initial period of the pandemic and built their production potential faster in the following years. Based on the results obtained, the relationship between the level of diversification of the production structure and the economic resilience of the studied regions was not confirmed. On the other hand, it was noticed that voivodeships with a competitive production structure were more likely to experience a decline in the growth rate of GDP per capuita in the year of the outbreak of the pandemic. At the same time, in subsequent periods they returned to a relatively dynamic path of economic growth more quickly.

"Enhancing Rural Integration into European Agriculture: Rediscovering Sustainable Agri-Food in Romania Dealu Mare region, Romania "

One of the factors that threatens the sustainability of rural areas is the hegemonic agro-industrial model with obvious environmental and social impacts which dramatically limits rural life. The study draws attention to the opportunities offered by alternative agri-food systems based on agroecology and food sovereignty as cultural heritage to support sustainable local development. The results of the study demonstrate how the recovery and promotion of traditional ecological knowledge can help increase the capacity of socio-ecological systems to cope with shocks and disruptions and maintain long-term resilience. At the same time, agro-ecological practises allow collective identities to emerge around characteristics of rural space, strengthening local life, focusing on the coevolution of the society-ecosystem of local identity. The case study analyzed in Romania counties shows that rural areas play a critical role in economic and social cohesion, in the resilience of regions and in the contribution of countless services in various local ecosystems, including food production, to their consolidation socio-economic prosperity, the ability to innovate, to achieve a sustainable and inclusive social economy. The types of policies promoted by Romania conceive agro-ecological practices as an intangible collective heritage with a significant potential for transformation towards local sustainability.

METHODOLOGY FOR REGIONAL DETAILS OF THE ECONOMIC RESILIENCE INDEX

Within the framework of this article, the author continued analytical work on developing a methodology for
 statistical assessment and analysis of economic resilience indices, in particular, a methodology for regional detailing of
 the economic resilience index was developed. The implementation of methodological provisions is based on solving two
 interrelated problems. The first – accounting task – is aimed at creating a step-by-step algorithm for assessing the index
 for territories at the subnational level. The second - analytical task - is an information and analytical tool for assessing
 the contribution of economic resilience of regions to the index for the country as a whole.

Measurement of cultivated land ecosystem resilience in black soil region of Northeast China under the background of cultivated land protection policy in China: Case study of Qiqihar City

Scientific understanding and measurement of cultivated ecosystem resilience is crucial for the protection of cultivated land represented by black soil and the sustainable development of cultivated land ecosystem. In this study, we took Qiqihar, a typical black soil region, as the study area and divided the cultivated land ecosystem into two subsystems, black soil ecology and human socioeconomic. And we constructed a “policy background - generation process - system composition” measurement element screening model (PGSM) to establish the subsystem index systems. Cultivated land ecosystem resilience in 2020 was measured by the Pressure-State-Response (PSR) model and the multiscale fusion model. The results showed that the resilience of the black soil ecological subsystem (54.27) in Qiqihar is higher than that of the socioeconomic subsystem (49.01), and their spatial distribution trends were opposite. The overall resilience of cultivated land ecosystem was moderately low (51.64) but spatially heterogeneous. Cultivated land resource endowment and human activities pressure had the greatest impact on the subsystem. Socioeconomic input was the primary problem in regional resilience. Based on these findings, we made suggestions for cultivated land protection in black soil regions. This study contributes to the scientific and comprehensive measurement of the cultivated land ecosystem resilience and provides reference for sustainable management of black soil systems in China and globally.

Investigating climate adaptation in semi-arid pastoral social-ecological system: A case in Hulun Buir, China

Covering 15% of the Earth's land surface and home to 14% of the global population, semi-arid pastoral regions are characterized by high climatic variability and ecological vulnerability. Inner Mongolia, especially, is one of the regions that are most affected by climate change. In this study, we develop an integrated GIS and agent-based model of semi-arid pastoral social-ecological system (SAPSES) to simulate system responses to various policy and climate situations, using the traditional pastoral areas in Inner Mongolia, China, as a demonstration. Three herdsmen's adaptation strategy experiments and three adaptation policy experiments are designed, each of which is stress-tested under three climate scenarios SSP1-2.6, SSP2-4.5 and SSP3-7.0 to simulate the policy-climate interactive effects on SAPSES. The results show that, under SSP1-2.6 scenario, it is more conducive to sustainable livelihood of pastoral households, improving economic benefits and reducing ecological risks. While under SSP2-4.5 and SSP3-7.0 scenarios, purchasing forage is not an effective way for herdsmen to adapt to climate disasters, which causes grassland degradation, increase ecological risk and reduce economic benefits of SAPSES. For assessing the adaptation policies, herdsman suffers the severest ecological loss and the highest bankruptcy rate under policy experiment a. Privatization, undergoes the medium ecological loss and medium bankruptcy rate under policy experiment b. Privatization with carrying capacity control and subsidy, and experiences the smallest loss and the lowest bankruptcy rate under policy experiment c. Common property management with carrying capacity control and subsidy. The results help inform more robust policy for building climate resilience in semi-arid grassland regions.

Characterizing the spatio-temporal distribution, detection, and prediction of aerosol atmospheric rivers on a global scale

Aerosol Atmospheric Rivers (AARs) are elongated and narrow regions that carry high concentrations of aerosols (tiny particles suspended in the atmosphere) across large distances, exerting effects on both air quality and human health (Chakraborty et al., 2021, 2022). Monitoring and modeling these aerosols present distinct challenges due to their dynamic nature and complex interactions within the atmosphere. In this context, the present study detects and predicts the AARs using MERRA-2 reanalysis datasets with their seasonal climatology of key aerosol species, including Black Carbon (BC), Dust (DU), Organic Carbon (OC), Sea Salt (SS), and Sulphates (SU). The study employs an innovative Integrated Aerosol Transport (IAT) based AAR algorithm from 2015 to 2022. A total count of 44,020 BC AARs, 13,280 DU AARs, 21,599 OC AARs, 17,925 SS AARs, and 31,437 SU AARs were detected globally. The seasonal climatology of BC and OC AARs intensifies in areas such as the Amazon rainforest and Congo during AMJJAS (April–September) due to forest fires. Similarly, DU AARs are more frequent in regions near the Saharan desert, primarily around the equator during AMJJAS. SS AARs tend to predominate over the oceans, while SU AARs are predominantly found in the northern hemisphere, primarily due to higher anthropogenic emissions. Furthermore, convolutional autoencoder-based models were developed for key aerosol species, strengthening predictive accuracy by effectively capturing complex data relationships and delivering precise predictions for the last 5-time frames. During validation, the model evaluation parameters for image prediction such as the Structural Similarity Index ranged from 0.86 to 0.94, Peak Signal-to-Noise Ratio fluctuated between 1.14 and 42.25 dB, Root Mean Square Error varied from 2.39 to 296.4 mg/(m-sec), and Mean Square Error fell within the range of 1.55–17.22 mg/(m-sec). These collectively reflect image closeness, quality, dissimilarity, and accuracy in AAR prediction. This study demonstrates the effectiveness of advanced machine and deep learning models in predicting AARs, offering the potential for advanced forecasting and enhancing resilience in high-aerosol concentration regions.

Coastal Vulnerability Assessment of Thrace Peninsula: Implications for Climate Change and Sea Level Rise

This study evaluates the susceptibility of the coastal regions on the Thrace Peninsula to sea-level rise (SLR) and the corresponding vulnerability to climate change. To achieve this, a high-resolution digital elevation model with a 5 m granularity was used to apply the Coastal Vulnerability Index, adjusted for region-specific coastal sensitivity factors. Various global mean sea-level rise scenarios were examined for the near-term (2020–2050), mid-term (2050–2100), and long-term (2100–2300) to assess the impact of SLR. The examination of the immediate consequences of SLR on coastal areas included the analysis of land cover characteristics in the near-term. Results indicate that the Thrace Peninsula is highly susceptible to natural and socio-economic hazards caused by SLR. The concentration of population and socio-economic activities in coastal regions is a primary contributing factor to this vulnerability. In addition, hydrodynamic models are used to enhance understanding of the effects of SLR. The study reveals limited preparedness for planned adaptations to SLR in the region. The data highlight the crucial necessity for policymakers, researchers, and stakeholders to collaborate in executing strategic interventions and proactive initiatives. Upholding the ecological, economic, and societal welfare of the Thrace Peninsula, as well as comparable areas, necessitates addressing both the vulnerability and resilience of immediate coastal regions.