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This research examines the impact of the National Rural E-commerce Comprehensive Demonstration Project (NRECDP) on poverty reduction and income growth in rural China.

The study develops a theoretical framework, which considers the role of geographical, technological, institutional and cultural factors for the e-commerce poverty alleviation (e-CPA) model. Empirically, this study applies the difference-in-differences (DID) model and the event study approach to evaluate the effectiveness of NRECDP on the basis of large-scale county-level and household-level panel data spanning 2010 to 2020.

The study found that the NRECDP, as a government-led, information and communication technology (ICT)-enabled, market-based program, has led to a significant increase in per capita output of primary industry employees, as well as in the disposable income of rural residents, especially those in national-level poverty-stricken (NP) counties. The interventions of the NRECDP achieved these positive outcomes through transportation and Internet infrastructure improvement, ICT adoption and human capital accumulation in impoverished towns and villages in remote rural areas. These effects are larger in the eastern region of China, followed by the central region, whereas the weakest effects were found in the western region. However, we found little evidence of the NRECDP increasing household developmental expenditure.

The study findings have important practical and policy implications for rural e-commerce development and self-sustained poverty alleviation solutions. The research revealed the significance of government NRECDP interventions for increasing rural income, reducing living costs, and empowering the rural population in its multiple social roles, namely, as consumers, producers, employees and microentrepreneurs. The local cultural context may also play a role in ICT adoption and entrepreneurship cultivation with a downstream effect on the effectiveness of e-CPA practices. Policymakers would need to ensure a supportive entrepreneur-friendly environment for rural e-commerce development and continue implementing progressive policies for poverty alleviation.

This study explores poverty alleviation issues in China by developing for the first time a multi-faceted framework that is subsequently tested by both county-level and household-level large-scale observations. Also, it is the first study to provide nationwide empirical evidence on the effectiveness of e-CPA in narrowing down the spatial and digital divides in China. In addition to the impact of geography, technology and governmental support, this study also sheds light on the role of culture in the adoption and diffusion of digital technologies and as a source of local entrepreneurial opportunities.

This paper aims to discuss the scholarship over the past 30 years on what used to be called Melanesian warfare or “tribal fighting” and is termed in this paper “intergroup conflict” in the Highlands of Papua New Guinea. The paper categorises the drivers of intergroup conflict that make up the landscape for conflict in the Highlands. It starts with cultural factors and the understandings about conflict that have long been used to explain such violence, then adds newer factors. It argues that while the individual existence of each driver is important, far more important is the way in which they interact with each other in reinforcing feedback loops that propel the actors involved towards violence.

The paper is based on a thorough review of the scholarly and grey literature on the topic, drawing from the fields of anthropology, criminology, political science, law, justice and peacebuilding.

The overall finding of the paper is that the nature of intergroup conflict, its scale and dynamics, has changed considerably over the past 30 years, most prominently in the entanglement of the state with local-level conflicts. This has significantly affected the nature of intergroup conflict today, deepening the attractors towards violence and conflict, while weakening the ability of existing state and non-state systems to prevent it. The picture that emerges is one in which the interconnectivity of factors promoting violence has intensified, the rate of change is accelerating and levels of violence are amplified.

This paper is an original work.

This study aims to examine the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) to advance sustainability practices in universities, focusing on stakeholder perceptions and factors influencing the successful implementation of AI-driven initiatives.

Using a quantitative approach, a survey was administered to 539 university stakeholders (faculty, staff and students) from universities in Saudi Arabia. The survey measured awareness, perceived effectiveness and the importance of AI applications in energy management, waste reduction, transportation optimization and conservation.

Stakeholders exhibited moderate familiarity with AI for sustainability, with perceptions varying significantly by gender, university role and awareness level. Positive correlations were found between awareness and perceptions of AI’s effectiveness and importance. Transportation, energy efficiency and waste management emerged as key areas for AI application. Challenges identified include ethical concerns, financial constraints and infrastructure needs.

This research provides novel insights into integrating AI into university sustainability strategies. It highlights stakeholder perspectives, identifies priority areas for AI application and offers practical recommendations for enhancing AI-driven sustainability. The study emphasizes interdisciplinary collaboration and policy development to ensure ethical and effective AI use in higher education.

This paper aims to synthesise the literature addressing opportunities for intervention and peacemaking in the Highlands of Papua New Guinea (PNG). It shows that peacebuilding in PNG is actively practised in a variety of different forms and by a range of actors. It relies heavily on local champions and coalitions working together with “bits of the state” in inventive but, ultimately, highly vulnerable ways. It argues that the way forward is to better understand how the multiple resources in and beyond the state can be networked more effectively to engineer peace at many different levels, from the clan to the nation state.

The paper is based on a thorough review of the scholarly and grey literature concerning peacebuilding and conflict resolution in PNG over the past 30 years.

The key insight is that peacemaking and non-violence interventions in PNG need to be understood as requiring three different categories of treatment: quick, short interventions; ongoing, slow peacebuilding; and development of community wellness to preventatively stave off violence through increased community cohesion.

The paper is the basis of original research.

Human and artificial intelligence has often been examined through competitive and oppositional lenses, which may no longer suffice in modern digital and knowledge-based societies. This paper advocates for a holistic perspective by integrating human and artificial intelligence within the conceptual framework of intellectual capital (IC).

Employing a deductive approach rooted in systems theory, this study reinterprets established dimensions of IC for the era of artificial intelligence.

Drawing inspiration from the Information Variety Model and the 4C Curve Model, both developed within the research framework of the Viable Systems Approach, a conceptual framework is proposed to transcend fragmented perspectives. It aims to provide researchers and practitioners with a comprehensive understanding of human–artificial intelligence relations within the realm of IC.

This paper contributes to the ongoing discourse on the potential evolution of IC in the era of artificial intelligence by presenting a multidisciplinary framework that challenges reductionist perspectives. It underscores the importance of systems thinking in reframing, analyzing and discussing key dimensions of IC in the context of the artificial intelligence era.

This study investigates the influence of paradoxical leadership on employee transformative learning in higher education institutions (HEIs). Based on paradox theory, this research examines how a paradoxical mindset mediates this relationship and explores the moderating role of employees’ moral values in developing a paradoxical mindset and fostering transformative learning.

The research adopted a quantitative approach. In three phases, data were collected from 411 randomly selected faculty members of HEIs in Pakistan to assess their perceptions of paradoxical leadership, followers’ paradoxical mindset, moral values and transformative learning outcomes. Structural equation modeling was employed for analysis in AMOS26.

The findings reveal paradoxical leadership’s positive and significant impact on transformative learning, mediated by developing a paradoxical mindset. Moral values positively moderate the relationship between paradoxical leadership and developing a paradoxical mindset. However, the moderating effect of moral values on the link between a paradoxical mindset and transformative learning was insignificant.

The study suggests that organizations, particularly HEIs, should cultivate paradoxical leadership to navigate inherent tensions and contradictions, fostering an environment conducive to transformative learning. Developing a paradoxical mindset among employees is crucial for enhancing adaptability and learning, with moral values playing a pivotal role in amplifying the effectiveness of paradoxical leadership.

This study contributes to the literature by providing empirical evidence on the mechanism through which paradoxical leadership influences transformative learning. It extends paradox theory to the context of transformative learning, highlighting the importance of cognitive and ethical dimensions in leadership and learning processes within HEIs.

This chapter introduces the Compassionate Positive Applied Strengths-based Solutions (COMPASS) model, a new framework designed to guide practitioners and people in criminal and forensic psychology. It begins by outlining the aims and objectives of the model and then details each of its components. This chapter also discusses the model's practical implications, providing examples and suggestions for working with individuals who have offended. The model emphasises a holistic approach, considering the past, present and future in relation to four key areas of capital: human, social, justice and community.

Motivated by the constant daily emerging social challenges worldwide, this special issue analyzes how entrepreneurship becomes a mechanism for social change under different institutional settings. A brief reference to the content of each of the articles included in this special issue is presented.

Institutional theory at the macro, meso and individual levels is utilized to further comprehend the inherent complexities involved in the entrepreneurship–society nexus. A brief literature analysis is offered for the different research questions that framed the current special issue.

By exploring the extant research and the articles collected in this special issue, we find that social, sustainable, immigrant and ethnic entrepreneurship, among others, emerge as a response to exclusion and market failures. However, we also observe that other forms of entrepreneurship, such as opportunity-driven, self-employment, senior, etc. transcend economic purposes to pursue societal outcomes.

Our results serve to inform scholars, policymakers and practitioners about the importance of integrating and coordinating actors and elements in national, regional, university and community ecosystems to guarantee entrepreneurial activities that bring inclusion and social solutions as a natural mission and action.

Our paper offers insights into how to bridge entrepreneurship and society. This stems from the institutional analysis of entrepreneurship as a catalyst for personal realization, industrial development, economic growth and social inclusion.

To propose a new investment-income valuation model by real options approach (ROA) for old community renewal (OCR) projects, which could help the government attract private capital's participation.

The new model is proposed by identifying the types of options private capital has in the OCR project, selecting the option model most suitable for private capital investment decisions, improving the valuation model through the triangular fuzzy numbers to take into account the uncertainty and flexibility, and demonstrating the feasibility of the calculation model through an actual OCR project case.

The new model can valuate OCR projects more accurately based on considering uncertainty and flexibility, compared with conventional methods that often underestimate the value of OCR projects.

The investment-income of OCR projects shall be re-valuated from the lens of real options, which could help reveal more real benefits beyond the capital growth of OCR projects, enable the government to attract private capital's investment in OCR, and alleviate government fiscal pressure.

The proposed OCR-oriented investment-income valuation model systematically analyzes the applicability of real option value (ROV) to OCR projects, innovatively integrates the ROV and the net present value (NPV) as expanded net present value (ENPV), and accurately evaluate real benefits in comparison with existing models. Furthermore, the newly proposed model holds the potential to be transferred to various social welfare projects as a tool to attract private capital's participation.