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The paper investigates factors that contribute to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) surviving major exogenous shocks. Global crises such as the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have increasingly heightened scholarly interest in post-crises responses. However, studies that compare the relative responses to external shocks and the outcomes for SMEs operating in different institutional settings are limited. We examine the relative degrees of success European and African SMEs experienced in avoiding the worst consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic.

We use the resource dependency theory (RDT) with variants of institutional theory since the RDT has been shown in practice to have greater explanatory power when used in this way. We augment our framework with a feminist theory dimension. To test our hypotheses, we apply regression analyses using cross-sectional data from the World Bank Enterprise Surveys (WBES), which include responses from private enterprises in 26 European and eight African countries. We construct our data by combining the COVID-19 follow-up surveys with relevant firm-specific characteristics from the WBES conducted in 2020–2021 using firm-specific unique IDs. After removing the firms with missing observations, the sample number of SMEs is 15,178.

Our empirical findings support the theoretically posited positive effects of innovativeness, institutional connectedness and governance capability on SMEs’ survival in the face of external shocks. Further, we confirm the importance of firm-specific characteristics (financial status, size and age) for SMEs’ survival. Female-owned SMEs are more likely to suffer during COVID-19, especially in Africa. The results are more nuanced when we consider industry specificity and heterogeneity of government support.

Our article helps answer the theoretical (and policy-relevant) question of whether SMEs that are resilient to major exogenous shocks may share certain characteristics despite operating in different institutional environments. If that is so, then it may be that lessons from one continent may have at least some relevance for the other. Our approach’s broad value lies in its capacity to test the degree to which established bodies of theory developed in the Northern Hemisphere may be deployed in Africa, well beyond the contexts which provided their initial empirical basis. This paper also contributes to the literature on the effect of environmental-change shocks on entrepreneurship performance outcomes.

The current study empirically examines the influence of state capacity on entrepreneurship.

This research draws upon the national measures of 118 countries and employs a more robust measure of state capacity.

The findings show a positive correlation between state capacity and entrepreneurship. However, the results reveal that the effect of state capacity on entrepreneurship is stronger in developing low-technology nations compared to developed high-technology nations.

When available, future research could employ more recent data to estimate the effects of state capacity on entrepreneurship. In addition to developmental and technological levels, various other factors can also be explored such as national culture and welfare regime type.

The current study enables policymakers to identify factors critical in developing state capacity. Policymakers can also have better-tailored approaches for developing targeted initiatives and establishing entrepreneurship-supportive regulative institutional arrangements.

Available literature lacks in empirically examining the influence of state capacity on entrepreneurship. The current study attempts to fill this gap.

This study aims to examine how specific regulatory indicators – such as regulatory quality, information and communications technology regulatory environment, regulation of emerging technologies, e-commerce legislation and privacy protection by law content – affect the economic outcomes, quality of life and sustainable development goals associated with future technologies, including artificial intelligence, robotics, big data analytics, cloud computing and app- and web-enabled markets.

Using Bayesian Belief Network models and Network Readiness Index 2023 data from 134 countries, this study explores the relationships between regulatory factors and various socioeconomic outcomes.

Regulatory quality and e-commerce legislation emerge as central determinants, directly or indirectly impacting economic development, societal well-being and sustainability objectives. Notably, regulatory quality is identified as a pivotal factor across all outcomes, emphasizing the critical role of effective regulatory frameworks in fostering positive outcomes.

The study relies on cross-sectional data, which restricts causal inference, and focuses on national-level data, potentially overlooking subnational variations. In addition, the use of secondary data sources introduces possible measurement errors and biases. Despite these constraints, the study offers valuable insights into regulatory strategies and their role in advancing economic and social outcomes.

The study highlights the importance of tailoring regulatory interventions to address specific needs and challenges faced by countries at different stages of development. The findings provide valuable insights for policymakers, regulatory authorities and stakeholders seeking to navigate the regulatory challenges and opportunities inherent in the era of rapid technological advancement. The study contributes to advancing the understanding of the complex interplay between regulation, technology and development outcomes in the contemporary global landscape.

This study aims to explore the relationship between the innovation capacity and performance of manufacturing firms in the Ecuadorian pharmaceutical and chemical sectors using strategic foresight analysis.

From an extensive literature review, the fundamental variables related to manufacturing firms’ innovation for better performance were identified. Six hypotheses and actions were proposed related to financing, economic resources, capacities and research and development. Several scenarios were tested through foresight methodology to determine the more appropriate to be implemented by manufacturing firms over the next five years.

Scenario 01, where all the hypotheses resulted positive, has a 15.3% probability of occurrence. The results offer a relevant understanding of the behavior of the variables proposed as strategic actions for the sector.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, foresight methodology is applied for the first time to analyze the manufacturing sector in Ecuador. The authors propose a plan of action from the strategic scenario identified in this study, supporting the development of the industrial sectors under study.

This remastered analysis focuses on the impact of entrepreneurial interventions in higher education institutions (HEI), particularly in social entrepreneurship. The study evaluated the effectiveness of such interventions through a pre-and post-test approach, examining various skill sets in students. The primary goal was to analyze the influence of entrepreneurial training programs on students' competencies in social entrepreneurship by analyzing changes in personal behavior, leadership, innovation, social value and management skills before and after the educational interventions.

The study employed a quasi-experimental design, analyzing pre-and post-test results in three distinct social entrepreneurship training experiences. The sample consisted of 304 participants, providing a comprehensive view of the impact of these interventions.

The main findings were: (1) Educational interventions in social entrepreneurship must emphasize strategies for self-awareness, emotional intelligence and personal development improvement. The analysis revealed significant improvements in these areas, indicating that targeted strategies in these domains are essential for enhancing the effectiveness of social entrepreneurship education. (2) The impact of educational interventions on these capabilities can be effectively evaluated using machine learning methods such as ordinary least squares (OLS) regression. This approach allows for the inclusion of variables such as gender, age or location, providing a comprehensive assessment of the interventions' impact. (3) The interventions were particularly effective in improving students' innovation and leadership competencies. The analysis demonstrated substantial enhancements in these areas, underscoring the success of the interventions in developing these critical skills. (4) The study highlighted the need for a more focused approach in future interventions, emphasizing the importance of management, social value and personal skills. Additionally, it pointed out the necessity of developing and utilizing appropriate tools to create and evaluate these interventions effectively.

The study provides insights into improving educational interventions in social entrepreneurship to better develop essential skills in students.

This research introduces a significant approach to educational interventions for educational communities and decision-makers by demonstrating the effectiveness of entrepreneurial training for competencies in innovation and leadership, which are crucial for societal and economic development.

In this chapter, I explored how queer language teachers promote queer language pedagogy through exercising their agency in their language classrooms. I asked the question, “How do queer language teachers exercise their authority and autonomy to make their language teaching practices gender-inclusive”? To answer this, data were gathered from interviews and classroom observations of queer language teachers. Based on the data, queer language teachers exercised their agency by establishing clear guidelines for a respectful learning environment, creating a gender-inclusive classroom, creating engaging and tailored activities for students, and promoting critical thinking on social issues. Thus, queer language teachers create a respectful classroom environment by outlining clear guidelines to promote inclusivity and support. They use all gender-inclusive role-playing activities to challenge discrimination against queer people and encourage collaboration. Although these queer teachers also faced challenges, we can say that the activities they employed in their language classrooms demonstrate their ability to shape a more gender-inclusive and socially aware queer language pedagogy. Also defined in this chapter, queer teacher agency is the ability and autonomy of queer language teachers to express their identities and integrate these identities into their teaching practices, particularly in promoting queer language pedagogy. Such queer teacher agency is a critical component in challenging and reshaping normative systems within language pedagogy to create a more inclusive atmosphere for all students, especially those who share similar identities with their teachers.

This study aims to explore whether corporate governance mechanisms affect environmental, social and governance (ESG) disclosure by firms across countries. It investigates whether board cultural diversity affects ESG disclosure.

The proposed methodology draws on multidimensional scaling as a multivariate assessment tool to evaluate and prioritize the effect of corporate governance on environmental, social and governance disclosure. This study uses a cross-country sample of 672 listed firms located in 40 countries for the period between 2014 and 2022. We used a panel regression to test the hypotheses. Moreover, we conducted a two-stage least squares regression analysis as an additional robustness check.

The results show that companies can have high-quality ESG disclosure when they have good corporate governance. Interestingly, this study found that board composition and some criteria of corporate social responsibility (CSR) positively affect ESG disclosure for firms.

This study adds to the existing body of accounting knowledge in several dimensions. Indeed, to the best of our knowledge, this is one of the few studies that investigate the effect of corporate governance on the environmental, social and governance disclosure of firms across 40 countries. This study also has important implications for the board of directors’ characteristics and CSR, which strive to improve the index of ESG disclosure.

Damage of engineering structures is a nonlinear evolutionary process that spans across both material and structural levels, from mesoscale to macroscale. This paper aims to provide a comprehensive review of damage analysis methods at both the material and structural levels.

This study provides an overview of multiscale damage analysis of engineering structures, including its definition and significance. Current status of damage analysis at both material and structural levels is investigated, by reviewing damage models and prediction methods from single-scale to multiscale perspectives. The discussion of prediction methods includes both model-based simulation approaches and data-driven techniques, emphasizing their roles and applications. Finally, summarize the main findings and discuss potential future research directions in this field.

In the material level, damage research primarily focuses on the degradation of material properties at the macroscale using continuum damage mechanics (CDM). In contrast, at the mesoscale, damage research involves analyzing material behavior in the meso-structural domain, focusing on defects like microcracks and void growth. In structural-level damage analysis, the macroscale is typically divided into component and structural scales. The component scale examines damage progression in individual structural elements, such as beams and columns, often using detailed finite element or mesoscale models. The structural scale evaluates the global behavior of the entire structure, typically using simplified models like beam or shell elements.

To achieve realistic simulations, it is essential to include as many mesoscale details as possible. However, this results in significant computational demands. To balance accuracy and efficiency, multiscale methods are employed. These methods are categorized into hierarchical approaches, where different scales are processed sequentially, and concurrent approaches, where multiple scales are solved simultaneously to capture complex interactions across scales.

This study aims to reexamine the moderating role of human capital on the effect of extended financial inclusion (FI) for entrepreneurship, using data from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor for a sample of 42 countries from 2006 to 2017.

This study distinguished between actual and perceived human capital. Actual human capital was measured through formal education while perceived human capital was captured by self-perceived capabilities for business start-ups. The moderating role of human capital was captured by the interaction terms between FI and human capital to investigate how the effects of FI on entrepreneurship vary with levels of human capital. The estimation used the panel-corrected standard error estimators and the two-step system generalized method of moments estimators.

Higher levels of formal education decrease the positive effect of extended FI on entrepreneurial activities. Individuals with high levels of self-capability do not leverage FI for entrepreneurial activities as much as those with lower levels of perceived capability. The results are robust to different estimation methods and different forms of actual human capital.

Both financial and human capital matter for new business formation worldwide. The findings suggest that FI policies must account for the decreasing effect in response to high levels of human capital. Future research should explore different measures of entrepreneurial performance, various types of entrepreneurship and entrepreneurship across gender groups to gain deeper insights into strategies for promoting entrepreneurship.

Education strategies should focus on specific types of education, such as entrepreneurship education with financial literacy, rather than traditional academic curriculum, to foster entrepreneurship knowledge, skills and creativity. Likewise, entrepreneurship support schemes should aim to nurture and share appropriate levels of self-efficacy, avoiding excessively high self-efficacy, which is deleterious to the benefits of FI for entrepreneurial activities.

This study offers novel evidence of the decreasing effects of FI on entrepreneurial activities in response to increased actual and perceived human capital.

To analyse the reasons for acceptance and rejection of insect consumption among urban Mexican consumers based on their perceptions and levels of food neophobia and neophilia.

A questionnaire was distributed online to 415 people. The Food Neophobia Scale was used, measured on a four-point Likert scale, and consumers were grouped according to their level of neophobia. The Free Word Association technique was used to determine participants’ perceptions of “edible insects”, and the words obtained were categorised according to synonyms. The Chi-square test per cell made it possible to determine the statistical significance of each group in relation to the categories and was confirmed by a correspondence analysis. The economic aspects of the groups were analysed using the Chi-square and the Z-test with the Bonferroni method.

Three groups of consumers have been identified: neophilic, intermediate and neophobic. Participants mentioned 1,235 words, which were grouped into 16 categories. For neophilics, edible insects are a familiar product; intermediates are curious and neophobics are afraid of consumption.

The paper contributes to the analysis of the aspects that influence the acceptance and rejection of insect consumption among urban consumers by considering the degree of food neophobia and the participants’ perceptions.