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This paper aims to offer a reflective discussion of carers who may be experiencing or at risk of abuse or harm in their caring role. Furthermore, it makes some suggestions about how carers could be better protected in the future. Grounded in a practitioner’s reflection of working with a single family, this paper goes on to explore the extent to which carers at risk of harm are recognised and supported by social work and allied professionals.

The approach to this paper is a reflective analysis, using the Gibbs’ (1988) reflective cycle. This study explores the practice experiences of an early career adult-focussed statutory social worker in England.

This paper has identified some of the impact in which the current social care climate is having on carers at risk of or experiencing abuse and harm. Such impact includes individuals who may not clearly meet the threshold criteria under Section 41(1) of the Care Act 2014. In addition, the use of specialist teams to complete carer assessments may be deskilling social workers and impacting holistic and person-centred outcomes for carers.

This paper intends to open discussion regarding under-researched and the often under-acknowledged issue of carers at risk of abuse and harm. The practical and ethical aspects of this issue are also rarely discussed, something this paper aims to do. This paper combines the reflective experiences and perspectives of the author, alongside literature to support depth and evidence within discussions. Some of the views may resonate, others may spark debate, both of which is needed for meaningful change.

The aim of this study is to investigate how educational researchers work together with practitioners in practical research projects.

Mixed-method.

Our findings suggest that researchers recognize their own limitations as well as those of practitioners and policy makers and learn from collaboration, but that they lack ideas on what activities they can undertake to overcome limitations. Furthermore, educational researchers emphasize the importance of continuous and systematic organized exchange with educational practitioners. We discuss the needs and challenges of educational researchers interacting with educational practitioners during their research.

We believe that sustainable research and practice partnerships (RPPs) provide a more effective platform for collaboration between researchers and practitioners. This is because long-term engagement in cross-boundary work within these partnerships promotes the development of new knowledge, routines and methods, thereby improving educational practice. Unfortunately, there are few RPPs in Germany (the context of the researchers interviewed). Consequently, it is critical that funding policies, particularly outside the United States, provide greater support for RPPs and the necessary resources for these partnerships. Even if funding for RPPs is not always possible, our research suggests that short-term collaborative agreements in research-practice projects are preferable to relying on informal transfer channels.

Despite politicians sometimes playing an active agentic role in firms’ resource dependency and in the outcomes of corporate political activity (CPA), there is limited research on the supply-side dynamics of political markets and the contingent role of normative institutions. This study aims to examine the relationship between managerial regulatory engagement (MRE) − a type of CPA − and access to bank finance, and how this relationship is moderated by country-level religiosity and religion policy regime.

Using data from over 37,000 firms in 43 sub-Saharan African countries and drawing on resource dependency and institutional theories, the authors deploy robust and sophisticated statistical analyses to test their hypotheses.

This study finds that MRE has a positive impact on access to bank finance. This effect is stronger in countries with more formal religion restriction where morality does not inhibit politicians’ discriminatory behaviour. However, this effect is weakened in countries where high levels of religiosity and more formal religion support curtail amoral rent provision.

These findings shed light on how firms’ use of CPA to manage resource dependency is affected by the influence of institutional religiosity on the agency of politicians. This study offers important theoretical contributions to the literature and generate useful implications for managers and policymakers.

This study outlines the challenges faced by Filipino SPED educators during the COVID-19 pandemic. The shift to online teaching, unreliable internet connections and lack of resources have caused significant stress and anxiety. Balancing professional responsibilities with personal roles has led to emotional and physical exhaustion. SPED educators have shown resilience and dedication to their students, seeking support and developing new routines. The study brings out the need for more comprehensive support for SPED educators, considering both their professional duties and personal well-being. Future research could provide deeper insights into the long-term effects of the pandemic on these educators.

This study qualitatively investigates how Filipino SPED educators perceive their roles during the pandemic, focusing on how their professional identities shape their mental and physical health. Using interpretative phenomenological analysis (Smith and Osborn, 2003; Smith et al., 2009; Noon, 2018), it explores daily practices, challenges and the meaning derived from their work. This method, drawing from phenomenology and hermeneutics, examines how individuals make sense of their experiences within their personal and social worlds (Larkin and Thompson, 2011), emphasizing specific meanings over broad generalizations.

The pandemic has spotlit the need for better support systems for Filipino SPED educators (Quizana and Espiritu, 2023). They rely on family, friends and colleagues for emotional and practical support, sharing teaching materials and developing new routines to manage stress and anxiety (Mendoza, 2022). Hermeneutic analysis shows a deep connection between their professional roles and their mental and physical health. Their identities as educators, caregivers and advocates are intertwined with their sense of purpose. The challenges they face emphasize the need for access to healthcare, reliable internet and emotional support to sustain their well-being.

One significant limitation of this study is its cross-sectional nature, capturing a snapshot of SPED educators’ experiences during a specific period of the pandemic. This approach does not account for changes over time, which could provide a more comprehensive understanding of how their challenges and coping mechanisms evolved. Longitudinal studies could offer deeper insights into the long-term impacts of the pandemic on their professional and personal lives. Nonetheless, our findings provide important insights into the relationship between physical and mental health, the impact of the pandemic on professional and personal lives and the meaning derived from their roles.

This study shows that SPED educators need more support to handle their challenging roles, especially during the pandemic. Improving access to healthcare, reliable internet and emotional support is essential for their mental and physical well-being. Schools and policymakers should work to create strong support networks, provide mental health resources and ensure good internet access for online teaching. Recognizing how their professional roles affect their well-being can help shape policies and practices that create a supportive environment, allowing educators to manage their responsibilities better and stay dedicated to their students.

This study reveals the need for better support for SPED educators, who are vital in helping students with special needs succeed. Improved healthcare, mental health resources and reliable internet can help educators manage their many responsibilities more effectively. More robust support systems can reduce their stress and anxiety, benefiting both them and their students. Policymakers and communities must recognize the importance of SPED educators and collaborate to create a more supportive environment, emphasizing the value of their work in promoting inclusive and equitable education.

This study offers a fresh perspective by using hermeneutic phenomenology to investigate the experiences of SPED educators during the COVID-19 pandemic. It uncovers how the shift to remote learning affected their mental and physical health in ways that remote learning impacted their mental and physical health, bridging gaps between theoretical models and real-world practices. Focusing on the real-life challenges SPED teachers faced and how they coped, the study provides valuable insights for improving support and practices in special education. These findings have practical implications, enlightening the reader on how to better support SPED educators and students during crisis conditions, thereby improving the quality of special education.

This paper aims to examine income convergence among the Euro members from 1995 to 2021.

This study uses Phillips and Sul’s test (2007, 2009) extended by Lyncker and Thoennessen’s (2017) algorithm jointly with β and σ  – convergence analysis and a traditional growth equation.

This analysis identifies three clubs of countries in terms of gross domestic product (GDP) per capita with notable disparities between and within them, which implies that the theory of optimal currency areas has not been fulfilled.

These results rule out the core/periphery divide as presented in the literature to date. Finally, by estimating an endogenous economic growth model, this study finds the primary factors underpinning the differences between the three stationary states: labor productivity, physical and human capital, investment and international trade.

The complexity of contemporary societal challenges in emerging countries reanimates the necessity of collective action to resolve them. What is required is system change, namely, transformations in policy, practice, power relationships, market dynamics and social customs that underlie social and environmental issues. Technological innovations, paired with intentional social changes, might play a transformative role in this effort. This paper aims to investigate the relationship between the adoption of technologies in social enterprises (SEs) and their contribution to achieving system change. It also addresses the effects of their hybrid nature on this relationship.

The analysis relied on data collected through a survey of the global population of Ashoka fellows, which is largely based in emerging economies. Three models were developed concerning different pathways to achieve system change identified in the theoretical framework. These were tested using Probit regressions.

The investigation confirms that technology can support SEs in navigating complex pathways to achieve system change rather than merely enabling linear scaling operational strategies. The pursuit of economic value creation, in conjunction with a social mission, decreases the ability of SEs to achieve system change. This is because the scaling paths which hardly create revenues are neglected.

The study conceptualises a multifaceted model of system change. It tests the framework empirically to show that SEs can adopt technologies to unleash complex system change processes to generate societal impact, on top of merely demonstrating linear approaches to scaling or replication. The paper questions the capacity of SEs to facilitate system change without appropriate financial support and the inherent tensions between hybridity and the depth of system change dynamics.

This study aims to examine whether and how the presence of co-opted directors (directors appointed after the incumbent CEO) influences corporate climate risk disclosure.

This study comprehensively analyses 2,975 firm-year observations of US-listed companies, using ordinary least squares with industry and year-fixed effects. To confirm the reliability of the study results, the authors used several techniques, including propensity score matching, to address potential issues with functional form misspecification, analysed a subset of companies where co-option persisted over two consecutive years to mitigate concerns regarding reverse causality and difference-in-differences estimation, using the cheif executive officer’s (CEO’s) sudden death as an exogenous shock to board co-option to mitigate endogeneity concerns.

The findings indicate that the presence of a large number of co-opted directors negatively influences corporate climate risk disclosure. Mediation analysis suggests that managerial risk-taking partially mediates this negative association. Moderation analyses show that the negative impact of co-opted directors on climate risk disclosure is more pronounced in firms with greater linguistic obfuscation, limited external monitoring and in environmentally sensitive industries. Moreover, co-opted directors intentionally withhold or obscure the disclosure of transition climate risks more than physical climate risks.

This research has important implications for policymakers, regulators and corporate governance practitioners in designing board structures by highlighting the adverse impact of co-opted directors in contexts with lax regulatory enforcement and managerial discretion. The authors caution against relying on such directors for providing climate-related risk disclosures, especially in companies with poor external monitors and based in environmental sensitivities, as their placement can significantly undermine transparency and accountability.

This study adds to the existing body of knowledge by highlighting the previously unexplored phenomenon of intentional obscurity in disclosing climate risks by co-opted directors. This research provides novel insights into the interplay between board composition, managerial risk-taking behaviour and climate risk disclosure. The findings of this study have significant implications for policymakers, regulators and corporate governance experts, and may prompt a re-evaluation of strategies for improving climate risk disclosure practices.