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Contrasting the Madisonian model of democracy with Westminster style arrangements, this chapter examines how American political scientists and policymakers expressed second thoughts about the constitutional settlement of 1787 and looked towards the British political system for possible reforms to their own. In particular, it details the arguments offered by Thomas Finletter, James MacGregor Burns, and others, from the 1940s through to the early 1960s that the United States might adopt certain features of the Westminster model. The chapter analyzes their proposals and the – essentially negative – reception that they received. It concludes by addressing the failure of these proposals and the endurance of fragmented government within the United States.

The purpose of this paper is to provide an in-depth analysis of the challenges associated with using artificial intelligence (AI) in academic research and suggest various preventive measures that can be taken to address these issues and transform them into opportunities.

To develop measurement items and constructs, the authors collected 248 responses through an online survey. These responses were then used to establish the structural model and determine discriminant validity through the use of structural equation modeling with SmartPLS 4.0.9.9. Additionally, the authors used SPSS (Version 29) to create graphs and visual representations of the challenges faced and the most commonly used AI tools. These techniques allowed them to explore data and draw meaningful conclusions for future research.

This research shows that AI has a positive impact on higher education, improving learning outcomes and data security. However, issues such as plagiarism and academic integrity can destroy students. The study highlights AI’s potential in education while emphasizing the need to address challenges.

This paper emphasizes the preventive measures to tackle academic challenges and suggests enhancing academic work.

This study examines how AI can be used to personalize learning and overcome challenges in this area. It emphasizes the importance of academic institutions in promoting academic integrity and transparency to prevent plagiarism. Additionally, the study stresses the need for technology advancement and exploration of new approaches to further improve personalized learning with AI.

International trade and its effects on the environment are increasingly discussed both in academia and by policymakers. To counter negative effects of international trade on the environment, so called environmental provisions have been integrated in trade agreements aimed at businesses and economies. However, as both the intent and effectiveness of these provisions are controversial, this paper aims to provide an overview of the current state of research and identified key factors influencing their effectiveness.

The authors conduct a systematic literature review of 44 papers on the effects of environmental provisions in international trade agreements on the environmental performance of businesses, as well as economies from 1992 to mid-2024.

The integration of environmental provisions into trade agreements generally has positive effects on the environment while their effectiveness is influenced by their design and several boundary conditions. Alongside the importance of effective enforcement mechanisms, reputation concerns of businesses and lobbyism are discussed as intermediary factors in the design and impact of environmental provisions.

The insights can benefit policymakers to optimize future environmental provisions and advance the effectiveness of policies aimed at balancing the effects of trade liberalization with environmental protection.

Social sustainability is increasingly relevant for creating more sustainable trade policy while societal mechanisms seem to be an adequate tool to ensure effective enforcement of ecological provisions.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this review is the first of its kind to provide a systematic overview of the literature on the effectiveness of environmental provisions that combines the micro-level of businesses and macro-level of economies, although the importance for trade in general and environmental protection, in particular, has been recognized in the academic literature.

This study systematically reviews the role of decentralized finance (DeFi) in enhancing the quality, affordability, access and usage of financial services, specifically targeting underserved populations. The aim is to investigate DeFi’s potential in addressing financial exclusion and promoting global financial inclusion.

A systematic literature review was conducted, analyzing 67 peer-reviewed articles. The review focused on extracting actionable insights and recommendations regarding DeFi’s impact on financial inclusion.

The study reveals that DeFi, through the utilization of blockchain technology, can significantly improve accessibility, affordability and usability of financial services. By eliminating intermediaries and reducing entry barriers, DeFi platforms democratize finance and support financial inclusion on a global scale. The research identifies specific mechanisms through which DeFi can enhance financial services for marginalized communities, including decentralized lending, digital wallets and blockchain-based remittances.

The study is constrained by the current literature and data availability on DeFi’s impact on financial inclusion. Future research should explore the scalability, sustainability and long-term effects of DeFi solutions in diverse contexts.

This research uniquely contributes to the literature by examining the intersection of DeFi and financial inclusion, providing innovative approaches to overcoming financial exclusion. The study highlights DeFi’s potential to transform financial services and empower underserved populations economically.

Many individuals start a new firm each year, mainly intending to become independent or improve their financial situation. For most of them, the first years of operations mean a substantial investment of time, effort and money with highly insecure outcomes. This study aims to explore how entrepreneurs running new firms perform financially compared with the established ones and how this situation influences their well-being.

A questionnaire survey was completed in 2021 and 2022 by a representative sample of N = 1136 solo self-employed and microentrepreneurs in the Czech Republic, with dependent self-employed excluded. This study used multiple regressions for data analysis.

Early-stage entrepreneurs are less satisfied with their financial situation, have lower disposable income and report more significant financial problems than their established counterparts. The situation is even worse for the subsample of startups. However, this study also finds they do not have lower well-being than established entrepreneurs. While a worse financial situation is generally negatively related to well-being, being a startup founder moderates this link. Startup founders can maintain a good level of well-being even in financial struggles.

The results suggest that policies should focus on reducing the costs related to start-up activities. Further, policy support should not be restricted to new technological firms. Startups from all fields should be eligible to receive support, provided that they meet the milestones of their development. For entrepreneurship education, this study‘s results support action-oriented approaches that help build entrepreneurs’ self-efficacy while making them aware of cognitive biases common in entrepreneurship. This study also underscores that effectuation or lean startup approaches help entrepreneurs develop their startups efficiently and not deprive themselves of resources because of their unjustified overconfidence.

This study contributes to a better understanding of the financial situation and well-being of founders of new firms and, specifically, startups. The personal financial situation of startup founders has been a largely underexplored issue. Compared with other entrepreneurs, this study finds that startup founders are, as individuals, in the worst financial situation. Their well-being remains, however, on a comparable level with that of other entrepreneurs.

Despite a growing awareness of the gap between professional expectations and competence, there has been no comprehensive appraisal of sustainable food systems (SFS) education within dietetics and nutrition programs to date. Dietitians and nutritionists play important roles in promoting sustainability yet many perceive themselves to be inadequately trained. The purpose of this study was to explore how, and to what degree, SFS education is incorporated into accredited nutrition and dietetics programs in the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada.

A content analysis of course descriptions from program websites was conducted between 2021 and 2022. Courses were reviewed, analyzed and evaluated using a novel sustainability metric.

SFS is integrated into the education environment of some, but not all, dietetics and nutrition programs to varying degrees (no, partial and full). Partial and full integration was present in a small percentage of courses, with a larger percentage in nutrition programs. SFS education was offered more often through a single unit than a dedicated course. Twelve best practice examples of courses dedicated to SFS were identified. In the UK, their focus was nutrition and diet, contrasting food and food systems in Australia and Canada.

These findings provide insight into SFS education for professional societies, instructors and program directors. Through intentional curricular design considerations supported by this study, program leads can take small conscious reorganizational steps to integrate SFS. This study offers a sound methodology to initiate and benchmark further assessment and a novel approach for other professions looking to equip their future workforce through SFS education.