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Reflecting the moral theorisation of bribery as a negative phenomenon, bribery has been widely shown to have a deleterious impact at the national level on economic development and growth. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate whether it is also the case at the firm level that bribery has negative impacts on firm performance. Until now, the few studies conducted in individual nations and regions have produced mixed results. Here, therefore, a more comprehensive evaluation of the relationship between bribery and firm performance is undertaken across the developing world.

To do so, World Bank Enterprise Survey data on 106,805 enterprises across 132 developing countries is used to provide a firm-level analysis of the relationship between bribery and firm performance.

The finding is that bribery enhances firm performance. Firms asserting that it is necessary for enterprises like theirs to give gifts or payments to public officials in order to get things done have 13.9 per cent higher average annual sales growth rates and 48 per cent higher annual productivity growth rates, after controlling for other determinants of firm performance.

Given that engaging in bribery at the firm level results in higher firm performance, despite bribery having an overall detrimental negative impact at the country level, public authorities will need to develop measures to alter not only the cost-benefit ratio confronting individual enterprises but also the institutional deficiencies that result in the prevalence of bribery.

This is the first firm-level evaluation of the relationship between bribery and firm performance across the developing world.

Entrepreneurship research in the context of developing countries has typically investigated the ways in which culture, politics or economic institutions prohibit or enable entrepreneurial activities using macro-level surveys and deductive designs. In contrast, the purpose of this paper is to take a micro-institutional perspective to study these three institutions influencing entrepreneurial activities in such a context.

The analysis is based on inductive, qualitative field data from a challenging institutional environment, Tanzania. This includes two focus groups, one with experts and one with entrepreneurs; and 24 individual interviews with entrepreneurs.

Entrepreneurial activities in Tanzania are not constrained only by bureaucracy and arbitrary enforcement, access to capital, competition and consumer spending, but also by language barriers, negative media portrayals and gender disparity. In their favour, recent trade policy, opening up of borders and changing gender relations, has led to more opportunities, but just as important are traditional festivals, marital gift-giving and familial support. Entrepreneurs respond to institutional constraints in many creative ways, including undertaking entrepreneurial strategies, developing inner strength, joining associations, giving back to communities and skilfully managing relations with authorities.

The fine-grained discussion of the findings of this study specifically contributes to theory by illustrating the constraining and enabling role of under-represented institutions, such as festivals and marriages, as well as entrepreneurial creative responses that define everyday entrepreneurial life in a developing country.

This study aims to illustrate the potential of the many centuries-old universities buildings, in European cities, in a historical, architectural, aesthetic and symbolic dimension to diversify and differentiate urban tourist destinations supply.

This is a qualitative study supported by the analysis of public and classified documents, for which the main source is based on webography, and by conducting interviews.

The deficit of cultural tours, in the dimension of built heritage, is identified as one of the weaknesses of the city of Porto, as tourist destination, to be overcome. The interviewees are unanimous in recognizing the cultural, architectural and aesthetic impact of the historic buildings of the University of Porto, and most of them strongly agree with the integration of this legacy into the tourist offer of the city. The strategic sense of the heritage is emphasized, because of its location in charismatic areas of the city. The practice of effective networking, however, falls short of what is required to achieve ambitious and consistent objectives.

The practice of effective networking, however, falls short of what is required to achieve ambitious and consistent objectives.

Emphasis is placed on the cities’ built heritage as a type of heritage that defines their uniqueness. The dissemination of cultural itineraries, which allows tourists and the community itself a broader and deeper cultural knowledge, contributes to the effective understanding of historic cities’ tourism. Given the scarcity of studies on the relationship between historic university buildings and tourism, the relevance of research focuses on highlighting the contribution of these cultural elements, through a network-based dynamic, to urban tourism destinations’ attractiveness. In particular, the University of Porto's potential for the integration of structured tourism products that contribute to the diversification and differentiation of the city of Porto as a destination is illustrated.

The purpose of this study is to delve into societal stigma surrounding severe mental disorders and intellectual disabilities, emphasizing gender differences and students’ proximity influence.

Involving 572 Spanish master’s students, this nonexperimental study categorizes participants based on contact frequency, using Goratu and CAEE questionnaires to measure stigma.

Gender-based stigma differences are absent; however, increased contact correlates with lower stigma levels. Notably, greater closeness is associated with more positive attitudes toward intellectual disability, resulting in diminished stigma toward severe mental disorders.

This research sheds light on the pervasive stigma faced by individuals with intellectual disabilities and severe mental disorders among postgraduate university students. Notably, the recognition of widespread stigma among individuals with higher education highlights a more significant societal problem. The findings underscore the urgent need for targeted interventions, especially in higher education contexts, to enhance understanding and reduce societal bias.

By identifying factors influencing stigma and emphasizing the importance of contact in fostering empathy, the study lays the groundwork for informed socioeducational strategies. These strategies have the potential to promote inclusivity, challenge stereotypes and contribute to the well-being and social integration of those affected by intellectual disabilities and severe mental disorders.

The findings highlight the efficacy of direct contact in reducing stigma and underscore the necessity for nuanced understanding. The study suggests fostering positive attitudes through increased contact can combat prejudice and promote social inclusion. Nevertheless, further research is crucial to explore factors influencing stigma reduction and design comprehensive socioeducational interventions addressing diverse cultural proficiencies. This study contributes valuable insights for mitigating stigma, fostering inclusivity and informing future interventions.

This paper aims to identify alternatives for citizens to get out of the bubble when interacting with the information provided by the internet through search engines. This situation arises because there is extensive ignorance about the way search engines operate and the way advanced search algorithms operate, both situations based on the specific segmentation of the public, which creates difficulties in obtaining vast information that allows the contrast and development of diverse perspectives, which do not necessarily lead to the use of critical thinking.

To achieve this contribution, a documentary-type investigation was carried out based on the review of the scientific literature on the subject, and the nature of this investigation, due to its purpose, being descriptive. The study takes as document selection criteria those original articles whose content relevance is linked to the purposes of this research proposal, published in scientific databases (SciELO, RedAlyC, Dialnet, ScienceDirect, WoS and Scopus) mostly between the years 2018 and 2023, in Spanish and English, that described the impact of bubble filters on full access to information and data privacy, for which the topics were addressed: internet search algorithms, bubble filters, search engines, privacy policies in search engines and management of personal data.

At the beginning, this paper clarifies the concepts of search algorithms on the Internet, bubble filters, search engines and privacy policies in search engines, which made it possible to identify alternatives that would allow the user to face the silent reality of the algorithms and avoid the bias in the information that the algorithm provides, in addition, the need to generate algorithmic literacy mechanisms, training in the use of metasearch engines and education in algorithms is proposed, with which citizens can exercise critical thinking in the way they interact on the internet.

This is a theoretical proposal, in which various inferences are made from theoretical knowledge without fieldwork.

It is considered a document of important value in the training processes of librarians and information professionals in the training of users and in the ways of interaction with technology.