Socioeconomic Evaluation of Einkorn Wheat Production

Today, economic shocks, negative effects of climate change, and the crises that directly affect human health, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, have shown that food security is always important for every country, regardless of its development status. With the introduction of the concept of healthy food along with adequate food, people have begun to change the criteria they look for when they eat. The demand for wheat-related products, which constitute the raw material of one of the most basic nutrients for human beings, has changed within this structure. It can be said that einkorn, emmer, and spelt wheats, which are known as the ancestors of wheat, come to the fore more today, especially when the demand for the products produced from wheat landraces is getting to increase. The fact that the products obtained from these wheats, which are important in terms of genetic resources, are healthier and more nutritious than the products obtained from commercial wheats is one of the main reasons for this interest. There are important initiatives in the production and commercialization of hulled wheat-based products in many countries in the world. It is seen that the products obtained from emmer and einkorn wheats are offered to the market, especially in Europe, as well as in countries such as Turkiye and the production is supported by the states, NGOs, and private sector. The products obtained from this type of wheats are finding more and more place day by day in different systems such as geographical indication and organic agriculture. For this reason, wheat landraces are of great importance as a genetic resource, and their sociological and economic aspects need to be evaluated in their conservation and sustainable use. In this study, the socioeconomic evaluation of einkorn wheat has been done and the results of a case study on Iza wheat, an einkorn wheat from Turkiye, have been presented. As a result of the study, it has been shown that economic sustainability is important in the protection and sustainability of this type of wheat, and it needs start-up support at the starting point. When these are provided, it has been revealed that the production of such wheat can become widespread both in organic agriculture and in the geographical indication system, and this type of wheat can be used as a development tool in local economic development by transforming it into value-added products. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022.

Fiscal policies for economic sustainability in COVID-19: what do subnational governments in Brazil and Colombia reveal?

This research aims to compare public governance response measures regarding the fiscal policies adopted by subnational governments for economic sustainability in Brazil and Colombia in the face of the Covid-19 crisis. Data collection was performed on 92 government websites from 27 Brazilian states and 33 Colombian departments (subnational governments). Through exploratory qualitative analysis, fiscal policies were studied between 2020 and 2021, instituted by laws and decrees. Categorized into two strands: (i) laws supporting the maintenance of economic sustainability and (ii) tax incentives. The main results indicated that in a short time government needed to create methods and tools to adapt to the context of social isolation and revealed fiscal policies to support small businesses. In Brazil, governments have implemented actions: supporting vulnerable people, self-employed entrepreneurs, small businesses, such as granting financial credit. In addition to tax incentives, there was exemption, postponement and payment in installments. In Colombia, a line of credit was granted to support the liquidity of all companies in the tourism sector, the incentives were granted through tax exemptions, except for the tourism and air transport sectors. As much as the incentives launched were aimed at minimizing the impacts of the pandemic and maintaining part of the revenue collected by governments, for both countries the need for tax reform was evident. It should be noted that Colombia started processing the tax reform project in 2021 and on November 4, 2023, it was approved by both legislative houses, and is in the final drafting process. This article theoretically contributes to the expansion of studies that assess economic sustainability and public governance in developing countries in the face of relevant economic crises.Alternate :Esta pesquisa tem como objetivo comparar as medidas de resposta de governança pública referentes as políticas fiscais adotadas pelos governos subnacionais para a sustentabilidade econômica no Brasil e na Colômbia frente à crise da Covid-19. A coleta de dados foi realiza em 92 websites governamentais de 27 de estados brasileiros e 33 de departamentos colombianos (governos subnacionais). Por meio da análise qualitativa exploratória foram estudadas as políticas fiscais, entre 2020 e 2021, instituídas por leis e decretos. Categorizados em duas vertentes: (i) as leis de apoio à manutenção da sustentabilidade econômica e (ii) os incentivos fiscais. Os principais resultados indicaram que em pouco tempo os governos precisaram criar métodos e ferramentas para se adaptar ao contexto de isolamento social e revelaram políticas fiscais de apoio aos pequenos negócios. No Brasil, os governos têm implementado ações: apoiar pessoas vulneráveis, empreendedores autônomos, pequenos negócios, como concessões de crédito financeiro. Além dos incentivos fiscais, houve isenção, postergação e parcelamento de impostos. Na Colômbia, foi concedida uma linha de crédito para apoiar a liquidez de todas as empresas do setor de turismo, os incentivos foram concedidos por meio de isenções fiscais, exceto para os setores de turismo e transporte aéreo. Por mais que os incentivos lançados visassem minimizar os impactos da pandemia e manter parte da receita arrecadada pelos governos, para ambos os países a necessidade de uma reforma tributária ficou evidenciado. Cabendo destacar que a Colômbia iniciou a tramitação do projeto de reforma tributária em 2021 e no dia 04 de novembro de 2023, foi aprovado pelas duas casas legislativas, estando em processo de redação final. Esse artigo contribui teoricamente para a expansão de estudos que avaliam a sustentabilidade econômica e a governança pública em países em desenvolvimento diante crises econômicas relevantes.

Economic Sustainability, Management, and Strategies: Analysis of the football clubs of the southern region in the 2022 Brazilian Championship

Soccer is the most popular sport in the world and moves significant amounts of money. Besides the results on the field, the search for information regarding the economic sustainability of soccer clubs is growing. Therefore, clubs must be transparent and publish their financial statements according to the established rules. Through them, it is possible to calculate the economic and financial indicators, measuring the financial situation of the entity. Thus, this research aims to analyze the main economic and financial indicators of the clubs in the South Region, participants of the series A and B of the Brazilian Championship 2022. For this, a bibliographic and documental research was carried out with a qualitative approach, in order to acquire the theoretical basis about the theme. After that, data was collected through the financial statements published by the clubs, for the years 2017 to 2021 to enable the calculation of liquidity indicators, profitability and indebtedness. The results found were organized in tables, facilitating the process of understanding and analysis. It was observed, among other things, low liquidity ratios and high dependence on third-party capital to maintain operational activity. It was also possible to note the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on its results. Regarding the information related to the economic sustainability of the analyzed clubs it can be concluded that, although there is a small evolution of the indicators, the financial situation of the clubs is delicate and needs attention from their management and their fans.

The Consequences of COVID-19 Disruption on Sustainable Economy in the Top 30 High-Tech Innovative Countries.

This study aims to investigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the innovation index, Gross Domestic Product (GDP), high technology exports, and human development (HDI) in the world's leading 30 high-tech innovative countries. Using grey relational analysis models, the association between COVID-19 and other economic development indices was investigated. The model selects the country least affected by the pandemic from the top 30 innovative countries through a conservative (maximin) method based on grey association values. Data was collected from World Bank databases and analyzed to compare pre- and post-COVID-19 periods (2019, 2020). The outcomes of this study provide essential recommendations for industries and decision-makers with suitable action plans to preserve economic systems from further harm caused by the global COVID-19 outbreak. The ultimate goal is to boost the innovation index, GDP, high-tech exports, and HDI of high-tech economies and pave the way for a sustainable economy. To the author's knowledge, this is the first study to develop a multidimensional framework to assess COVID-19's impact on the sustainable economy of top 30 high-tech innovative countries, and to conduct a comparative analysis to identify the strong and weak effects of COVID-19 on sustainable economic growth.

Relationship sustainability-store equity across segments of retail customers

PurposeThe study of sustainability in retail has experienced an exponential interest in recent years as a result of greater awareness on the part of consumers of the negative effects of the current way of producing and consuming on society and the environment. This work examines the heterogeneous evaluation based on behavioural variables in retail trade and how consumer perceptions towards sustainable practices implemented in stores can influence the overall store equity.Design/methodology/approachThe authors propose a theoretical model based on the literature, tested through a mixed regression model in a sample of 510 customers of food retail establishments.FindingsThe dimensions of sustainability are postulated as driving forces of brand equity towards the retail establishment. Specifically, social sustainability shows a greater impact on consumer perception, being the main factor in the development of the store's brand equity. Furthermore, the analysis of unobserved heterogeneity identifies three latent classes in which the effects of perceptions on sustainable retail activities vary across consumer segments.Originality/valueThe study analyses in a single model the effect of sustainability dimensions on store equity from the consumer's perspective, analysing the differences between these relationships as a consequence of the unobserved heterogeneity of consumers.

Financial Well-Being in the United States: The Roles of Financial Literacy and Financial Stress

This paper examines the role of financial stress in explaining the relationship between financial literacy and financial well-being among individuals in the United States. The 2018 FINRA National Financial Capability Study dataset is used for the empirical analyses of this study. The results found that financial literacy was positively associated with financial well-being. The study also found that the association between financial literacy and financial well-being was mediated by perceived financial stress experienced by individuals. Additionally, the results from the moderated mediation model showed that while financial stress mediated the association between financial literacy and financial well-being, the association between financial stress and financial well-being was moderated by financial literacy. Financial education was positively associated with financial literacy in this study. The broader implications of the main findings of this study for individuals' sustainable financial well-being are presented for policymakers, financial educators, and financial counselors and planners.

Material flow and economic cost analysis of the Italian artisan bread production before and during the Russia-Ukraine conflict

The Russia-Ukraine conflict represents a humanitarian crisis and causes several socio-economic consequences, being Russia a key supplier of energy and food commodities. After a few weeks of war, the prices of the essential goods, already increased due to the COVID-19 pandemic crisis, have continued to boost. The present research applies the material flow analysis to assess the sustainability of the artisan bread production, comparing a baseline and a war scenario, before and during the aforementioned conflict, and estimates the economic costs associated with natural and energy resources. The analysis is based on primary data collected through semi-structured interviews among nine artisan bakeries and secondary data collected before and during the conflict. The economic assessment, which is applied to enhance the environmental management of sociometabolic systems, is conducted on the entire artisan bread produced in Italy in 2021 and the system boundaries consider a cradle-to-gate approach. The highest upsurge in input costs has been estimated in electricity (+400%), N fertilizer (+233%) and K2O (+152%). The average input cost variation has been evaluated at +232%. Possible opportunities to support production costs include the adoption of an alternative bread recipe, which reduces the supply of impacting resources without affecting the quality of the finished product, as well as the introduction of structural interventions to lower energy costs. The research could help both artisan bakers, to better manage resources, waste and related impacts under the economic and the environmental perspective, and public authorities, to define appropriate strategies to sustain the bread sector. Last, the research provides scholars with an original analysis of the economic costs in the artisan bread production, highlighting its suitability to evaluate the supply chain sustainability from cradle to gate. © 2023 Elsevier Inc.

Being near the action: bed and breakfast and guesthouse entrepreneurs and the hosting of black South African domestic tourists in the Cape Town townships

This article examines how black female bed and breakfast (B&B) and guesthouse entrepreneurs in the black townships of Cape Town, South Africa were providing accommodations to black South African domestic tourists that allowed these tourists to ‘be near the action' in the townships. ‘Being near the action' refers to being able to conveniently attend various life-cycle events, such as weddings, funerals, and circumcision celebrations that involve friends and/or family, or engage in work, business, and other activities in the townships. This research contributes to tourism mobilities studies by explaining how these entrepreneurs impacted and were being impacted by domestic tourism and how the social spaces or ‘moorings' of the entrepreneurs' accommodations produced and reproduced social and cultural life. In addition, this study provides an understanding of tourism in Africa, and specifically domestic tourism in South Africa, related to the discretionary mobilities of a growing population of middle-class black South Africans. For this study, data was collected through semi-structured interviews conducted with black female B&Bs and guesthouse entrepreneurs in the townships of Langa, Gugulethu, and Khayelitsha. The article also includes a discussion of the possible implications of the COVID-19 pandemic's halting of travel mobilities on the economic sustainability of these entrepreneurs. © 2022 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

COVID-19 and Public Health Spending; Effects on the Economic Sustainability of the Spanish Private Healthcare System.

This research analyzes the influence of COVID-19 and public health spending policies on the economic sustainability of Spanish private hospitals. Moreover, it explores the relationship between public health spending policies and the spread of COVID-19 in Spain. Private health care is an understudied sector, yet it is fundamental to the health of citizens. Moreover, the economic causes linked to the spread of the pandemic have not yet been clearly established. Therefore, this work covers a gap in the literature. Private hospital profitability was analyzed by applying ordinary least squares and panel data regressions on financial and macroeconomic data for the period 2017-2020. The spread of COVID-19 was examined by means of cluster and component analysis. The results show that the COVID-19 pandemic negatively affected the economic sustainability of Spanish private hospitals, which was also influenced by public health spending. In turn, the spread of the pandemic was mainly related to population density, but was also influenced by public health spending and the gross domestic product of the region. Therefore, policymakers must consider that it is essential to make adequate investments in the healthcare system to cope with pandemics such as COVID-19. In addition, managers can see how corporate social responsibility is a valuable strategy for maintaining hospital profitability.

Purchasing behavior in rural areas for food products during the COVID-19 pandemic

Introduction: Most previous studies have investigated consumer purchasing behavior for food products in urban areas during the COVID-19 pandemic. In contrast, the present study is one of the very few to investigate consumer purchasing behavior for food products within rural areas. Methods: To this end, research was conducted in Sicily taking as a case study a rural municipality whose population was subjected to a lockdown regime to contain the spread of the virus. The choice of carrying out the research in a rural rather than an urban area contributed to the emergence of new aspects concerning consumer behavior in rural areas during the COVID-19 emergency. Results and discussion: The research reveals that the amount of money spent on food purchases, as well as the amount of food purchased, increased during the lockdown. In general, the research shows that COVID-19 impacted the purchasing behavior of consumers in rural areas even though they showed a high resilience and adaptation to the health emergency situation caused by the pandemic. Copyright © 2022 Pappalardo, Selvaggi, Pittalà and Bellia.

The effect of tourism village development project on economic sustainability through tourism villages based on natural and cultural potentials

Tourism village development projects have become attractive to the community during the Covid 19 Pandemic and after. This condition is caused by many people in urban areas who wish to travel to natural and indigenous cultural destinations. Tourism village development is a process that emphasizes ways to develop or advance tourist villages. Village green tourism development projects through natural and cultural destinations are expected to provide sustainable village economic sustainability. The distribution of questionnaires to obtain the potential for village tourism development was determined by the project team that will develop in identifying, assigned consultants and key people from local villages, including leaders with a total of 46 respondents. Data processing looks at the relationship between village economic sustainability and village economic sustainability through natural and cultural tourism potential using partial least squares. The data processing results show that the village tourism development project has a positive effect on nature tourism potential, cultural tourism potential, and village economic sustainability by increasing the welfare of local communities. The nature tourism potential of the village, which has attractive mountains and a reliable source of agricultural products, is capable of impacting the local community's interest. Cultural tourism potential owned by the village with attractive tourist performances on a regular and well-scheduled basis and the ability of the village to show dance performances that reveal their identity can impact the village's economic sustainability. The village green tourism development project is set in the finalization stage of project planning by considering the project completion time.(c) 2023 Growing Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Determinants of the Likelihood of Tourist Spending in Cultural Micro-Destinations: Type, Timing, and Distance of the Activity as Predictors

Although tourism expenditure has long been a pertinent topic in studies dealing with cultural tourism, its importance in recent years has become even more marked due to the consequences of low-cost tourism that many destinations are suffering. This need has been further aggravated by the impact of the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic. Now, the only sustainable means of increasing destination revenue is to generate greater financial profitability of tourism-related activities, as opposed to increasing tourist volumes. The present study analyzes the determinants of the likelihood of tourist spending in an urban-cultural destination whose economic sustainability is being threatened by low-cost tourism. To this end, all the tourism activities of the sample (672 in total) were recorded in real time during the stay via a purpose-designed mobile application. Given the nested structure of the sample, multilevel modeling was used: the characteristics of the different tourism activities were used as predictor variables, while characteristics of the tourist were used as control variables. Regarding the former, the results suggest that spending is more likely at the beginning of the stay and in relation to non-cultural tourism activities (restaurants, shopping, transport, etc.). An interaction effect between activity location and timing (beginning vs. end of stay) was also demonstrated: at the beginning of the stay, the greater likelihood of spending was related to services or attractions outside the city center;and, toward the end, spending patterns become more static, based close to the city center. The aim is to explain the probability of tourist expenditure at each spending opportunity, thus contributing to the current knowledge of total tourist spending. Knowledge of tourist expenditure patterns is a prerequisite for raising profitability-per-tourist when increasing visitor volumes is not an option.

A review on perceptions of the COVID-19 vaccine passports: A problem solver or a problem maker?

Bu çalışmanın amacı, Twitter kullanıcılarının aşı pasaportlarına yönelik yaklaşımlarını anlamak, bu yaklaşımların nedenlerini açıklamak ve bu yaklaşımlar ile sürdürülebilirlik arasındaki ilişkiyi ortaya koymaktır. Çalışmada bu amaçlara ulaşmak adına NVivo 12 programı ile 56 farklı hashtag'den 104 binden fazla tweet ve retweet elde edilmiştir. Bu verilerin analizi tümevarımsal analiz yöntemiyle gerçekleştirilmiştir. Araştırma sonuçlarına göre zorunlu aşı pasaportlarına yönelik üç temel görüş bulunmaktadır. Bunlar;aşı pasaportlarını tamamiyle destekleyenler, aşı pasaportlarını tamamiyle reddedenler ve bu pasaportların zorunlu olmasını reddedenlerdir. Aşı pasaportlarını tamamiyle destekleyenler;aşıların insan sağlığına olumlu etkisi, sosyal yaşama geri dönme arzusu ve ekonomiyi yeniden canlandırma isteğiyle bu yaklaşımı sergilemektedir. Aşı pasaportlarını tamamiyle reddedenler ve bu pasaportların zorunlu olmasını reddedenler ise aşı tereddüdü, eşitlik ve ayrımcılık kaygıları, özgürlük endişeleri ve yeni bir dünya düzeni yaratıldığına dair inançlar nedeniyle bu yaklaşımları sergilemektedir. Araştırmadaki önemli sonuçlardan biri de sürdürülebilirlikle ilgilidir. Bu sonuca göre aşı pasaportlarını destekleyenler ekonomik ve sosyal sürdürülebilirlik üzerinde dururken;desteklemeyenler sosyal sürdürülebilirlik boyutunu reddederek bu uygulamaların zorunlu olmasının nedenini tümüyle ekonomik sürdürülebilirlikle ilişkilendirmektedir. Onlara göre hükümetler, otoriteler ve büyük ticari işletmeler karlılığı halk sağlığının üzerinde tutmaktadır.Alternate : The study aims to understand the approaches of Twitter users toward vaccination passports, explain the reasons for these approaches, and reveal the relationship between these approaches and sustainability. More than 104 thousand tweets and retweets from 56 different hashtags were obtained with the NVivo 12 program to achieve these goals. The analysis of these data was carried out with the inductive analysis method. According to the research results, there are three basic views on compulsory vaccination passports. These;Those who fully support vaccination passports, reject vaccination passports altogether, and reject mandatory passports. Those who fully support their vaccination passports;demonstrate this approach with the positive effect of vaccines on human health, the desire to return to social life, and the desire to revive the economy. Those who reject vaccination passports entirely and those who refuse to make these passports compulsory exhibit these approaches because of their vaccine hesitation, concerns about equality and discrimination, concerns about freedom, and the belief that new world order has been created. One of the actual results of the research is related to sustainability. According to this result, while those who support vaccination passports focus on economic and social sustainability, those who accept the social sustainability dimension associate the reason why these practices are compulsory with economic sustainability. According to them, governments, authorities and large commercial enterprises place profitability above public health.

Being near the action: bed and breakfast and guesthouse entrepreneurs and the hosting of black South African domestic tourists in the Cape Town townships

This article examines how black female bed and breakfast (B&B) and guesthouse entrepreneurs in the black townships of Cape Town, South Africa were providing accommodations to black South African domestic tourists that allowed these tourists to ‘be near the action’ in the townships. ‘Being near the action’ refers to being able to conveniently attend various life-cycle events, such as weddings, funerals, and circumcision celebrations that involve friends and/or family, or engage in work, business, and other activities in the townships. This research contributes to tourism mobilities studies by explaining how these entrepreneurs impacted and were being impacted by domestic tourism and how the social spaces or ‘moorings’ of the entrepreneurs’ accommodations produced and reproduced social and cultural life. In addition, this study provides an understanding of tourism in Africa, and specifically domestic tourism in South Africa, related to the discretionary mobilities of a growing population of middle-class black South Africans. For this study, data was collected through semi-structured interviews conducted with black female B&Bs and guesthouse entrepreneurs in the townships of Langa, Gugulethu, and Khayelitsha. The article also includes a discussion of the possible implications of the COVID-19 pandemic’s halting of travel mobilities on the economic sustainability of these entrepreneurs. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Mobilities is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

A Comparative Analysis of the Economic Sustainability of Cultural Work in the UK since the COVID-19 Pandemic and Examination of Universal Basic Income as a Solution for Cultural Workers

The COVID-19 pandemic and related lockdowns across the world have greatly affected an already vulnerable cultural economy and the structural precarity of many cultural workers. After documenting the impacts of the pandemic in the cultural sector and the effectiveness of governmental responses in the UK and in Europe, the article focuses on the visual arts and explores calls for reforms of the cultural economy. While the UK government’s recovery plan went against the country’s cultural policy tradition due to the plan’s interventionist and financially generous nature, it disproportionally benefitted organisations rather than individuals working in the sector, especially in England. The study, conducted on visual arts workers in the UK, shows that many were unable to access these financial recovery schemes and fell through the cracks of the complex criteria set for these funds. This article informs the current debate on measures that are potentially more economically sustainable and wellbeing protective than those currently in place for cultural workers, such as Universal Basic Income. Its applicability is explored with reference to the historic French and recent Irish examples.

Modeling long-term impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and oil price declines on Gulf oil economies.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been detrimental on hydrocarbon-overdependent Gulf states. The effects of the unprecedented oil price declines and substantial COVID-relief packages on Gulf economies are critical, as they can become enduring and foundational if the energy transitions accelerate to meet the Paris Agreement targets. Thus, this study assesses the impacts of the pandemic on the long-term economic sustainability of Gulf economies, using illustrations from Kuwait using the economy-wide WAFRA Applied General Equilibrium (WAFRAGE) Model applied to Kuwait (WAFRAGE-KWT Model). The simulation results indicate that post-pandemic, the economic resiliency of these states has significantly waned, primarily because the pandemic hit during a state of weakened economic resilience following the 2014 oil price collapse and subsequent government response. Although COVID-relief packages appeared in the form of counter-cyclical fiscal policy, Gulf states are unable to realize this policy's full potential benefits. They are incapable of being truly counter-cyclical under their current economic structure and the consumption-based nature of the COVID-relief packages, which protect oligopolistic firms' profits and reduce production, non-oil exports, and economic efficiency. The eroded fiscal and economic resiliency also threatens Gulf states' ability to weather energy transitions. The implication of the findings is that long-term sustainability requires immediate phased implementation of economic and energy reforms.

The Past, Present and Future Direction of Government-Supported Active Aging Initiatives in Japan: A Work in Progress

Active aging programs are seen as an important strategy for the long-term sustainability of Japan given population aging and fertility decline trends. This paper reviews Japan’s commitment to active aging initiatives since the 1960s with a focus on the development of senior clubs, welfare centers for the elderly and senior colleges. The changing patterns of their popularity are discussed in relation to the increased options available today and the changes taking place in the family structure with both a macro historical review and a case study to demonstrate how programs have been implemented with national and local funding support. A description of the U.S. experience is used to demonstrate the comparative level of commitment that Japan has made to support healthy aging. The recrafting of the active aging motif as shogai gen’eki, with its emphasis on continued employment, may suggest a redirection of the preferred role of Japan’s older adults in the future

First Wave of COVID-19 Pandemic in Italy: Data and Evidence.

INTRODUCTION: Unexpectedly, Italy was the first Western country to face COVID-19 outbreak, but promptly it was the first one to adopt stringent procedures to stem the spread of infection. The objective of this study was to describe the epidemiological situation and comorbidities in Italy, in addition to containment measures and health system and social protection strengthening ones applied in this country. METHODS: Available population data were collected, managed, and analysed from the daily reports on COVID-19 published every day, from 1 February to 8 June 2020. RESULTS: Lombardia, a northern region of Italy, is considered the epicentre for the wave of the infection with the first diagnosed case, but in a few weeks other regions were involved (with Piemonte, Emilia-Romagna, and Veneto covering more than 70% of the Italian total cases). In the European context, after 3 months of containing measures of the sanitary emergency, Italy is the fourth country for the number of total positive cases (with 235,278 total case as at 8 June 2020), after Russia, the United Kingdom, and Spain, whereas it is the second for the number of deaths (with 33,964 deaths as at 8 June 2020), only after the United Kingdom. Regarding incidence, the curve of daily new cases shows an increasing trend up to 22 March 2020 with 6557 new daily cases and then a decreasing trend up to 280 as at 8 June. This turnaround can be explained by the application of national lockdown starting from 9 March and by the following 14 days of incubation of infection. Profiles of subjects at major risk of poor prognosis and death for COVID-19 are elderly (mean age of 80 years) and with three or more comorbidities. These characteristics can partially explain the high lethality rate for coronavirus observed in Italy, which is the European country with the highest share of elderly. In addition, other possible explanations of this high lethality are differences in testing policies among countries that influence the number of asymptomatic or pauci-symptomatic patients diagnosed as coronavirus positive, together with differences in definition and in the way of recording deaths for coronavirus. In the absence of a vaccine, severe nonpharmaceutical interventions (NPIs), including national lockdown, quarantine, social distancing, and use of facial masks, have been applied with success to reduce the virus spread and the burden on the National Health System. In addition to these stringent containment measures to fight the pandemic, other policies have been adopted searching to ensure economic sustainability, social safety, and stability. CONCLUSION: Italy was the first Western country with a wide spread of COVID-19, but it was the first one to introduce containment restrictions, tightening them week by week and subjecting the 60 million people living in the country to unprecedented limitations. Many measurements have been adopted by the government, such as lockdown during the early stages of infection and subsequent social distancing and wearing face masks in public areas. Italians were compliant with all the measures ordered by the government and their discipline reflected in the COVID numbers: the curve of daily new cases after a peak at the end of March now shows a consistent decreasing trend up. In this phase of current reduction of virus diffusion, it is crucial to accommodate the need to continue protecting citizens from the risk of infection with the undeferrable, although gradual, restart of the economic and social system. This new scenario requires an active collaboration among all the actors: statutory bodies, employers, civil society, and the third sector.

The structural factor of regional economic stability in Russia during the coronacrisis period

Relevance. The coronavirus pandemic has lead to one of the most serious crises in the global economy. The significant disparities between Russian regions influenced the levels of morbidity and their strategies of containing the crisis. Research objective. The aim of this paper is to identify the factors of regional development which, during the pandemic and in the post-pandemic period, affected and will affect the economic stability of Russian regions. Materials and Methods. The research is based on the Rosstat data, industry reviews, materials from analytical and consulting firms, Russian and international research literature. The research methodology is based on the structuralist approach and the provisions of the new structural economics put forward by J. Lin. The methods of comparative, statistical, and structural analysis were also used. Results. The most significant factors in regional economic development are the structure of the economy and the quality of public administration at the national and regional levels. The high-tech sector in the structure of a regional economy plays a pivotal role in ensuring its stability in the times of crisis. The study shows the need for a transition to independent national value chains. It is also necessary to develop a long-term national strategy aimed at stimulating the structural transformation of regional economies. Conclusions. The study has demonstrated the importance of the two key factors in shaping the regions’ responses to the pandemic and the speed of their recovery-the structure of regional economy and the role of the government. These factors should be taken into account by the Strategy of the State Regional Industrial Policy. © Romanova, O.A., Ponomareva, A.O., 2021.

Three pillars of sustainability in the wake of COVID-19: A systematic review and future research agenda for sustainable development.

The COVID-19 pandemic has immensely impacted the economic, social, and environmental pillars of sustainability in human lives. Due to the scholars' increasing interest in responding to the urgent call for action against the pandemic, the literature of sustainability research considering COVID-19 consequences is very fragmented. Therefore, a comprehensive review of the COVID-19 implications for sustainability practices is still lacking. This research aims to analyze the effects of COVID-19 on the triple bottom line (TBL) of sustainability to support the future sustainable development agenda. To achieve that, the following research questions are addressed by conducting a systematic literature review: (i) what is the current status of research on the TBL of sustainability considering COVID-19 implications? (ii) how does COVID-19 affect the TBL of sustainability? and (iii) what are the potential research gaps and future research avenues for sustainable development post COVID-19? The results manifest the major implications of the COVID-19 outbreak for the triple sustainability pillars and the sustainable development agenda from the economic, social, and environmental points of view. The key findings provide inclusive insights for governments, authorities, practitioners, and policy-makers to alleviate the pandemic's negative impacts on sustainable development and to realize the sustainability transition opportunities post COVID-19. Finally, five research directions for sustainable development corresponding to the United Nations' sustainable development goals (SDGs) post COVID-19 are provided, as follows: (1) sustainability action plan considering COVID-19 implications: refining sustainability goals and targets and developing measurement framework; (2) making the most of sustainability transition opportunities in the wake of COVID-19: focus on SDG 12 and SDG 9; (3) innovative solutions for economic resilience towards sustainability post COVID-19: focus on SDG 1, SDG 8, and SDG 17; (4) in-depth analysis of the COVID-19 long-term effects on social sustainability: focus on SDG 4, SDG 5, and SDG 10; and (5) expanding quantitative research to harmonize the COVID-19-related sustainability research.