Sustainable Socio-economic Development Research Articles

Impartial policymakers prefer to impose carbon pricing to capping, especially when combined with offsets

Sustainable socio-economic development requires a global reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. We utilize an incentivized experiment to map the preferences of ‘policymakers’ over climate actions of ‘decision-makers’. Our design guarantees that these preferences are unaffected by selfish motives such as a concern about being re-elected or an unwillingness to pay for the greater good. Few of our impartial policymakers choose interventions that leave the autonomy of decision-makers' completely untouched. The choice patterns of those who intervene suggest that policymakers care not only about minimizing emissions, but also about how emissions are reduced. Policymakers strongly prefer pricing policies over capping emissions, and among the pricing policies, they prefer those that include voluntary carbon offsets, even if this leaves considerable scope for decision-makers to selfishly emit CO2. The reason is that policymakers expect decision-makers to voluntarily offset some of their emissions at their own cost, and believe that this would eventually improve the outcome in terms of both emissions and the decision-makers' profit relative to a standard carbon pricing policy (without offsetting). Our decision-making data confirm this expectation.

High-quality human resources in sustainable socio-economic development in Vietnam

High-quality human resources in sustainable socio-economic development in Vietnam

Современные виды корпоративной отчетности: их содержание и принципы формирования

New conceptual approaches in the context of sustainable socio-economic development of society predetermined the processes of evolution of corporate reporting and the introduction of new types of reporting into management practice. The information preferences of individual groups of interested users suggest different target orientations of corporate reports. The lack of unity in approaches to understanding the essence of corporate reporting has led to interest in studying the diversity of its types. Purpose of the work: research and systematization of approaches to the content of corporate reporting and its components, their target orientation and principles of formation, classification of reports in the corporate reporting system. Methods and results of the study: using a systematic approach and general scientific methods of cognition, analysis, synthesis and generalization, approaches to understanding the essence of corporate reporting are systematized, the constituent elements of the corporate reporting system are identified, trends in the development of corporate reporting and its regulatory regulation are considered, types of corporate reports are determined according to the target directions and principles of their formation.

IntiGIS-Local: A Geospatial Approach to Assessing Rural Electrification Alternatives for Sustainable Socio-Economic Development in Isolated Communities—A Case Study of Guasasa, Cuba

Rural electrification is a crucial step for the socio-economic development of isolated communities. Decentralized power generation, typically more favorable for renewable energies, requires an accurate analysis of the different electrification options, whose convenience depends on multiple factors. The application of Geographical Information Systems (GISs) to energy planning allows the assessment at a local level, considering the variability and demand distribution of spatial resources. This work introduces IntiGIS-local, a GIS-based model implemented in the ArcGIS environment, designed to calculate the levelized energy cost (LEC) for different electrification options. The model allows the comparison between three power generation alternatives: solar system, diesel generator set and solar–diesel hybrid system. Configurations are adjustable through input variables, with a special focus on the confrontation between individual systems and microgrids. The objective is to provide an adequate groundwork for developing a decision-making tool to assess diverse rural electrification options in future studies. The model IntiGIS-local is tested in the case study of the Guasasa community (Cuba).

Analysis of the Spatiotemporal Changes in Cropland Occupation and Supplementation Area in the Pearl River Delta and Their Impacts on Carbon Storage

In recent years, the “dual carbon” issue has become a major focus of the international community. Changes in land use driven by anthropogenic activities have a profound impact on ecosystem structure and carbon cycling. This study quantitatively assesses the spatiotemporal changes in cropland occupation and supplementation in the Pearl River Delta from 2000 to 2020 using the InVEST model, analyzing the spatial clustering of carbon storage changes caused by variations in cropland area. The PLUS model was employed to simulate land-use patterns and the spatial distribution of carbon storage in four future development scenarios. The results indicate the following: (1) From 2000 to 2020, the net change rate of cropland area in the Pearl River Delta was −0.81%, with a decrease of 16.49 km2 in cropland area, primarily converted to built-up land and forest land. (2) Carbon storage in the Pearl River Delta exhibited a pattern of lower values in the center and higher values in the periphery. The terrestrial ecosystem carbon storage in the Pearl River Delta was 534.62 × 106 t in 2000, 518.60 × 106 t in 2010, and 512.57 × 106 t in 2020, showing an overall decreasing trend. The conversion of cropland and forest land was the main reason for the decline in total regional carbon storage. (3) The area of carbon sequestration lost due to cropland occupation was significantly greater than the area of carbon loss compensated by new cropland, indicating an imbalance in the quality of cropland occupation and supplementation as a crucial factor contributing to regional carbon loss. (4) Under the ecological priority scenario, the expansion of built-up land and the reduction in ecological land such as cropland and forest land were effectively controlled, resulting in the minimal loss of carbon storage. The soil organic carbon pool of cropland is the most active carbon pool in terrestrial ecosystems and has a significant impact on carbon storage. Clarifying the relationship between “cropland protection measures–land use changes–ecosystem carbon storage” will improve cropland protection policies, provide references for regional carbon sequestration enhancement, and support sustainable socio-economic development.

Paradigm Shift to Higher-Quality Education Based on the SDG: A Framework for Reforms in Teacher education Programs

Purpose: This study aims to systematically analyze previous studies on teacher education reforms to facilitate a paradigm shift in Teacher Education, aligning with the mission of Bulacan State University to produce highly competent, ethical, and service-oriented professionals contributing to sustainable socio-economic growth and development. Theoretical reference: Grounded in Transformative Learning Theory, which posits that education should lead to profound changes in perspectives and practices through critical reflection, experiential learning, and transformative experiences. Method: The research utilized a qualitative method, specifically employing a systematic review of literature and content analysis techniques. The systematic literature review involved collating, reviewing, and assessing a body of literature using pre-specified and standardized techniques, while content analysis measured and evaluated the nature, meanings, and relationships of specific terms, themes, and concepts. Results and Conclusion: The results highlighted the necessity for developing an institutional culture within the teacher education program, including establishing norms, practices, and standards across various teacher education subjects, assessing activities, and continuously monitoring and supervising all activities, with corrective action against practices that violate prescribed norms and standards. The study's findings suggest that reforms in teacher education should focus on creating a robust institutional culture that upholds high standards and practices, enhancing the effectiveness of teacher education programs and better preparing educators to contribute to socio-economic development. Implications of research: This research provides a comprehensive framework for reforming teacher education programs by emphasizing the importance of institutional culture and transformative learning, offering valuable insights for Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) aiming to improve the quality of their teacher education programs and align them with broader socio-economic goals. Originality/value: The study offers valuable insights for HEIs aiming to improve the quality of their teacher education programs and align them with broader socio-economic goals, thereby contributing to sustainable socio-economic growth and development.

Monthly climate prediction using deep convolutional neural network and long short-term memory

Climate change affects plant growth, food production, ecosystems, sustainable socio-economic development, and human health. The different artificial intelligence models are proposed to simulate climate parameters of Jinan city in China, include artificial neural network (ANN), recurrent NN (RNN), long short-term memory neural network (LSTM), deep convolutional NN (CNN), and CNN-LSTM. These models are used to forecast six climatic factors on a monthly ahead. The climate data for 72 years (1 January 1951–31 December 2022) used in this study include monthly average atmospheric temperature, extreme minimum atmospheric temperature, extreme maximum atmospheric temperature, precipitation, average relative humidity, and sunlight hours. The time series of 12 month delayed data are used as input signals to the models. The efficiency of the proposed models are examined utilizing diverse evaluation criteria namely mean absolute error, root mean square error (RMSE), and correlation coefficient (R). The modeling result inherits that the proposed hybrid CNN-LSTM model achieves a greater accuracy than other compared models. The hybrid CNN-LSTM model significantly reduces the forecasting error compared to the models for the one month time step ahead. For instance, the RMSE values of the ANN, RNN, LSTM, CNN, and CNN-LSTM models for monthly average atmospheric temperature in the forecasting stage are 2.0669, 1.4416, 1.3482, 0.8015 and 0.6292 °C, respectively. The findings of climate simulations shows the potential of CNN-LSTM models to improve climate forecasting. Climate prediction will contribute to meteorological disaster prevention and reduction, as well as flood control and drought resistance.

Spatiotemporal characteristics and driving mechanisms of land-use transitions and landscape patterns in response to ecological restoration projects: A case study of mountainous areas in Guizhou, Southwest China

With the acceleration of urbanization and industrialization, the land-use mode in mountainous areas has changed significantly, causing serious ecological destruction. Therefore, improving the efficiency of land-resource use in mountainous areas and enhancing ecological protection are important issues. This study focuses on typical mountainous areas in Guizhou Province to explore their significance not only for ecological restoration but also for sustainable socioeconomic development. In this study, we integrated the framework of the interaction between land-use transitions and landscape patterns and employed Spearman's rank correlation coefficient and a spatial bivariate model to reveal the spatiotemporal heterogeneity of landscape patterns and land-use transitions. The results showed that for 1990–2020, the cultivated, forest, and grassland areas decreased by −1353.66, −749.98 and − 541.72 km2 respectively, whereas the water area, urban, and other construction land increased by 799.69, 542.62, and 1230.90 km2, respectively. Moreover, the cultivated land areas converted into urban and other construction land were 358.03 and 661.77 km2 respectively, and the grassland areas converted into forest and other construction land were 3550.08 and 277.32 km2, respectively. Different land-use transitions presented rapid expansion and contraction characteristics, resulting in an increase in overall patch fragmentation, a decrease in uniformity, and an increase in irregular patches, which enhanced the spatial heterogeneity of diversity and complexity. Finally, the land-use transition effects on landscape patterns were primarily elevation, slope, and primary road facility factors. In-depth research on land-use transitional evolution and its impact on landscape patterns has important theoretical and practical value for formulating land-management policies and promoting sustainable development in mountainous areas.

A system dynamics modelling assessment of water-energy-food resource demand futures at the city scale: Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo

Understanding future demands of water, energy, and food (WEF) resources is essential to achieve sustainable management of these resources. Based on a survey of 90 households, this study provides an analysis of household water, energy, and food security for the city of Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo, where there is a lack of any such assessment. Water supply is largely unimproved. Electricity supply is fairly reliable in some parts of the city, but not others. Most residents rely on charcoal burning for food preparation. Dietary Diversity Scores are low indicating stable, but low food security. Data collected were used to develop an integrated WEF system dynamics model that was applied to simulate household-level resource demand. To assess future resources demand, four scenarios developed by the Global Scenario Group were simulated. Findings reveal that the 'Great Transition' scenario exerts lower impact on resources demand, representing the most likely trajectory to achieve sustainable socio-economic development and management. However, achieving the conditions required for a ‘Great Transition’ could be challenging in Goma, which is characterised by low incomes, poor access to resources, and the threat of armed conflict. To achieve greater efficiency in resources utilisation and to prepare for the future, a number of recommendations are made, including energy supply diversification, altered agricultural practices to diversify diets, and expansion and improvement of water supply infrastructure. This work provides a basis for similar assessments in DRC and central Africa, highlighting the need for integrated resources management and assessment for regional opportunities toward sustainable development.

Rural Communities and Cooperative Societies: A Community-based Alternative for Sustainable Socio Economic Development in Nigeria

The worsening socioeconomic situation of the country has threatened the socioeconomic development of rural communities, necessitating a socioeconomic alternative that will be responsive to rural needs and stimulate sustainable socioeconomic growth. Cooperative societies are alternative strategies that can foster socioeconomic growth at rural levels, thus building on the spirit of cooperation that is domiciled in the rural areas. Cooperative society is a voluntary association of individuals who come together to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations. These societies are based on the principles of self-help, democracy, self-responsibility, equality, equity and solidarity. If effectively utilized, cooperatives are vehicles that can bring about sustainable socio-economic development in rural communities especially in times of worsening economic situations. This paper explores cooperative societies as a vehicle that can bring about the needed socioeconomic development in rural areas through, creation of jobs, raising capital for business and alleviation of poverty. The paper adopts the sustainable development theory as its theoretical underpinning. The study found that cooperatives are instrumental in the sustainability of livelihood in rural communities through the provision of credit facilities, assisting small businesses to stay profitable, creation of employment etc. The paper recommends rural dwellers should be adequately sensitized on the importance of cooperatives and should be encouraged to associate with cooperatives so as to derive benefits of cooperatives which can in turn bring about sustainable development.

A water quality prediction approach for the Downstream and Delta of Dongjiang River Basin under the joint effects of water intakes, pollution sources, and climate change

Water quality prediction is an important means for scientific water environment management and early warning measures. However, its reliability is often restricted by the uncertainties of parameters and pollution sources. Previous methods for resolving these uncertainties still have shortcomings due to low computational efficiency and incomplete coverage of mechanisms. With insufficient data, they also overlooked revealing the comprehensive impact of water intakes, pollution sources, and climate change on water quality in river networks. Insight understanding migration law and the main driving mechanisms under these factors is crucial for water resources and sustainable socioeconomic development. Here, we developed an efficient multi-scenario ensemble water quality prediction (MEWQP) approach to address the deficiency. The Downstream and Delta of Dongjiang River Basin was the demonstrative case. Firstly, we developed multiple parameters and pollution sources inverse estimation method by incorporating the Water Quality Analysis Simulation Program (WASP), general likelihood uncertainty estimation, and inverse methods to improve accuracy. Secondly, the Markov-Chain was used to predict flows affected by climate change. Thirdly, 60 scenarios were analyzed to quantify the impacts of multiple factors on water quality including 5-day biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5), ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N), and dissolved oxygen (DO), and identify an optimized scheme of water intakes. Results show that: (1) WASP has good performance for BOD5, NH3-N, and DO with Mean Absolute Relative Error of 5.87%, 9.19%, and 15.25%, respectively; (2) pollution sources have the greatest impact, followed by extreme climate and intakes. Their combined impacts are greater than individuals; (3) under non-water intakes DO can be improved by 31%, also offset the impact of climate change by 16%; (4) the optimized scheme of intakes could improve DO by 6%. Therefore, decision-makers should simultaneously adjust water intake and reduce pollution sources to obtain high-quality water resources.

Assessment of the Factors Affecting the National ICT Broadband Backbone (NICTBB) Systems Restoration Time

This study investigates the factors affecting the prolonged system restoration time when national ICT broadband backbone (NICTBB) services are affected by breakdown incidents. NICTBB is the government-owned backbone infrastructure constructed nationally by the Republic of Tanzania to increase the usage of ICT for equitable and sustainable socio-economic development and accelerate poverty reduction. This study utilised a mixture of exploratory and descriptive study approaches. The sample size determination was executed using purposing and simple random sampling, thus involving 289 respondents. The data reliability test was undertaken. It was followed by factor analysis, analysis of variances (ANOVA), linear regression analysis, and confirmed with confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) using IBM SPSS Amos 28 to test the model fitness. The study revealed that the maintenance centres are few and sparsely located, and the distance from maintenance centres increases travelling time, resulting in increased time to restore services. Some factors affecting the restoration time include initial infrastructure design not trenching to locate points of cut, absence of dedicated vehicles standby for NICTBB restoration, retirements of experienced and well-trained staff leaving behind untrained personnel for maintenance activities, and insufficient funds for maintenance. Lastly, power equipment is not looked upon as sometimes the services are down due to commercial power cuts, tripped circuit breakers, and batteries not being charged. Some recommendations include having proper maintenance processes, having enough restoration resources at all maintenance centres, and maintaining proper communication.

THE EFFECT OF PANDEMICS AND EPIDEMICS ON SOCIO-ECONOMIC RIGHTS AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: LESSONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR AFRICA

The recent COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of socio-economic rights and sustainable development not only in Africa but globally. This article discusses the relationship between socio-economic rights and sustainable development. This is followed by a discussion on the impact of pandemics and epidemics on socio-economic rights and the significant effect they can have on the realisation and enjoyment of such rights. Focusing on Africa, the discussion turns to the impact of pandemics and epidemics on sustainable development before looking at the lessons learned from such pandemics and epidemics. Because the recommendations flow from the lessons, these are discussed together. The main recommendation is that a human rights-based approach should be adopted not only in sustainable development but also in any post-pandemic recovery efforts and programmes. Other recommendations include building resilient health systems, addressing the root causes of poverty and inequality, prioritising investment in digital technologies and improving social protection systems, among others.

Exploring the ecological security evaluation of water resources in the Yangtze River Basin under the background of ecological sustainable development

The Yangtze River (hereafter referred to as the YZR), the largest river in China, is of paramount importance for ensuring water resource security. The Yangtze River Basin (hereafter referred to as the YRB) is one of the most densely populated areas in China, and complex human activities have a significant impact on the ecological security of water resources. Therefore, this paper employs theories related to ecological population evolution and the Driving Force-Pressure-State-Impact-Response (DPSIR) model to construct an indicator system for the ecological security of water resources in the YRB. The report evaluates the ecological security status of water resources in each province of the YRB from 2010 to 2019, clarifies the development trend of its water resource ecological security, and proposes corresponding strategies for regional ecological security and coordinated economic development. According to the results of the ecological population evolution competition model, the overall indicator of the ecological security of water resources in the YRB continues to improve, with the safety level increasing annually. Maintaining sound management of water resources in the YRB is crucial for sustainable socioeconomic development. To further promote the ecological security of water resources in the YRB and the coordinated development of the regional economy, this paper proposes policy suggestions such as promoting the continuous advancement of sustainable development projects, actively adjusting industrial structure, continuously enhancing public environmental awareness, and actively participating in international ecological construction and seeking cooperation among multiple departments.

РАЗВИТИЕ НАУЧНОГО НАПРАВЛЕНИЯ В ОБЛАСТИ ПРЕДУПРЕЖДЕНИЯ ЧРЕЗВЫЧАЙНЫХ СИТУАЦИЙ ЭКОЛОГИЧЕСКОГО ХАРАКТЕРА

Substantiates the strategy for the development of a promising scientific area of activity of the All-Russian research institute for civil defense and emergency situations of EMERCOM of Russia (Federal center for science and high technologies) in the field of preventing the environmental consequences of emergencies, ensuring environmental safety, in terms of the activities of EMERCOM of Russia. The development of a new interdisciplinary field of research into interrelated problems of ensuring the safety of life of the population, the state of human protection from emergencies, monitoring and forecasting their environmentally adverse consequences is becoming particularly relevant in a complex geopolitical situation, the reduction of reserves of uncontaminated natural resources, and the ever-increasing technospheric impact on the natural environment. The novelty of the approaches proposed by the authors lies in a new format for studying the processes of environmental hazard from the standpoint of preventing its occurrence at the stage and in the sources of origin. The purpose of this study was to develop new conceptual approaches, the main activities of a scientific institution in the interdisciplinary subject area of monitoring, forecasting the state of protection of the population, the natural environment, territories from threats of natural and man-made emergencies in terms of preventing dangerous environmental and related consequences. One of the applied tasks of the work was to substantiate the formation of one of the first joint dissertation councils in Russia in the scientific specialty «Environmental safety». According to the authors of the article, the development of scientific research within the framework of the work of the new dissertation council will serve as a powerful impetus to the intensification of research activities in the relevant field of knowledge aimed at ensuring the safety, favorable conditions of Russian citizens, protection and preservation of the natural environment, ensuring sustainable socio-economic development of the Russian Federation.

Нейросетевой кластерный анализ устойчивого развития экономики регионов Российской Федерации в аспекте принципов ESG

The sustainable development of the innovative economy in the regions of the Russian Federation is researched. From this position, the changes in the commissioning of capacities for the protection of water resources and atmospheric air from pollution, as well as the renewal of forests in Russia for the period 2017–2022 are presented. Taking into account the importance of responsible investment, investments in fixed assets aimed at environmental protection and rational use of natural resources of the Russian Federation in 2022 are given. The relevance of the research is due to the progress in the achievements of science and technology, as well as the existing strong competition. This requires the promotion of creative concepts in the management of sustainable socio-economic development of Russia. Such concepts may be based on consideration of ESG criteria: Environment — environment, Social — social development, Governance — corporate governance. In order to reduce the heterogeneity of the socio-ecological development of Russia, the multifactorial task of strategic management on the formation of a methodology based on ESG principles is analyzed. The authors propose a promising and productive method for solving multifactorial problems — neural network cluster analysis using information technology. It allowed us to distribute the regions of the Russian Federation into six cluster formations characterized by different levels of development in the perspective of ESG features according to a set of 11 indicators. The structure of clusters detailing the entry of Russian regions into them is given. The average values of the studied indicators of sustainable innovative development of the regional economy in each of the clusters and in the whole country are shown. It follows from the results of the work that the management’s focus on the synthesis of ESG principles and the productivity of responsible investment will become important components in the formation of strategies for the innovative development of the Russian economy. This will be one of the key factors in strengthening the economic security of the Russian Federation.

Targeted poverty alleviation promotes sustainable socio-economic and ecological development in China's poor areas

Ending extreme poverty and achieving sustainable development by 2030 poses a significant challenge for developing countries. In the past decade, China has pioneered the Targeted Poverty Alleviation (TPA) strategy and implemented a range of anti-poverty programs, aiming to reconcile poverty reduction with environmental restoration. However, the effectiveness of the TPA strategy in facilitating sustainable development in the poor areas of China (PAC) remains unclear. Drawing on a perspective of systems, this study compiles a panel dataset of 832 nationally designated poverty-stricken counties in China from 2013 to 2020 and employ the coupling coordination degree model to examine the coupling and coordination relationships among economic, social, and environmental systems in the PAC. We find that during the TPA period, the socioeconomic level developed rapidly, while the environmental quality was slightly improved in the PAC. The TPA strategy promotes the coordinated development of social, economic, and ecological systems in the PAC, shifting the relationship between human and environment from imbalance to coordination. Our findings underscore the necessity for the Chinese government to persist in its environmental restoration efforts in the PAC to guarantee a sustained development progress.

The analysis of sources on the methodology of demographic transition and impact on the sustainable socio-economic development of the country

The relevance of the study of the methodology of demographic transition lies in its significance for understanding and analyzing population dynamics, the challenges of an aging society, changes in fertility, mortality and migration, as well as assessing the impact on the sustainable socio-economic development of the country. This study has important practical significance for the development of policies for national population management, social protection and health care, as well as for forecasting trends in the development of society and its sustainability in the long term. The purpose of the study is to analyze various sources devoted to the methodology of demographic transition, including from the standpoint of influence on the sustainable development of the state. The authors seek to identify the main approaches used in research on this topic, evaluate their effectiveness and identify the most significant results obtained in this area. The research methodology includes a systematic review of the literature and analysis of various sources devoted to the methodology of demographic transition, on the basis of which five main approaches are formed, their drivers and mechanisms are identified, and recommendations for further research in this area are offered. The authors discuss current trends that researchers are facing, and also highlight promising directions for future research on the impact of demographic transition methodology on the sustainable development of the country.

Return Migration and Reintegration in Serbia: Are All Returnees the Same?

The Republic of Serbia is traditionally a country of emigration, especially since the 1960s. As a result of this emigration, return migration has become an increasingly intensive migratory process in the 21st century. This study aims to examine the factors behind return migration, as well as to explore the characteristics of the reintegration process in Serbia, including the sustainability of return. This paper is based on a survey (N = 172) and interviews (N = 20) conducted with return migrants in Serbia. The research findings point to the diversity of the return migration factors, among which a longing for the country of origin is singled out as the most important. Regarding the reintegration process, this study highlights several differences that are apparent between retired returnees on the one hand and other returnees (students, employed, unemployed) on the other. The results show that the satisfaction with quality of life upon return is higher among older returnees and that the satisfaction with quality of life decreases as the respondents’ level of education increases. It is also found that the sustainability of return is connected to the life satisfaction and that respondents who plan to migrate again are the least satisfied with the quality of life compared to those who plan to stay and those who have not decided yet. This paper provides insights into some of the critical elements of the return migration and reintegration process in Serbia. Since return migrants can contribute to sustainable socio-economic development due to their human, social and financial capital, this study may be of relevance to the development of strategies and the implementation of policies in the domain of migration governance.

Promoting Traditional Cultural Values for Sustainable Socio-Economic Development: An Assessment from a Policy Perspective

Promoting Traditional Cultural Values for Sustainable Socio-Economic Development: An Assessment from a Policy Perspective