Structural Model of Community Social Capital for Enhancing Rural Communities Adaptation against the COVID-19 Pandemic: Empirical Evidence from Pujon Kidul Tourism Village, Malang Regency, Indonesia

Pujon Kidul Village, Pujon District, Malang Regency, is an area with tourism potential that has been developed since 2017 with the concept of agricultural tourism. Throughout the development of tourism villages, Pujon Kidul Village has succeeded in accelerating economic growth and providing jobs for the community. However, during the COVID-19 pandemic, tourism villages have been severely affected, leading to the temporary closure of tourist attractions and community businesses. This research aimed to identify what indicators form social capital variables and the relationship between social capital variables and community adaptation patterns in dealing with pandemics in the study location. This was quantitative research with confirmatory factor analysis to determine the indicators of forming social capital and structural equation modeling analysis to determine the relationship between the variables. Based on the findings, it is known that trust in forming a social network is 0.468. Furthermore, the social network forms community actions of 0.046 and influences community resilience by 0.007. Therefore, good social capital will make it easier for the community to participate in collective action as a form of caring for each other during the pandemic. This action also influences the community to survive in a pandemic crisis, thus creating an adaptation pattern for the Pujon Kidul Tourism Village community in facing a pandemic.

Factors in enhancing environmental governance for marine plastic litter abatement in Manila, the Philippines: A combined structural equation modeling and DPSIR framework.

This empirical study examines the factors enhancing environmental governance for marine plastic litter abatement in Manila, the Philippines. We use a combined covariance-based hybrid structural equation modeling (SEM) and DPSIR framework, with data collected via an online survey from 456 barangays in Manila, the Philippines. The survey was processed and analyzed using a combined model, validated through interviews and focused group discussions. With Higher-Order Model good internal consistency (0.917) and achieved measures of CFI (0.992), RMSEA (0.036), and SRMR (0.019), the findings revealed that environmental governance (COVID-19 waste), community participation, socio-economic factors, and solution measures have positively affected marine plastic litter (MPL) abatement. Notwithstanding, environmental governance (SWM policies and guidelines) has a negative impact on MPL abatement. There is, however, no link between waste infrastructure and MPL abatement. The findings provide significant perspectives in Manila to enhance environmental governance for MPL abatement. This paper presents policy-actions implications drawn from DPSIR-SEM.

Microfiber releasing into urban rivers from face masks during COVID-19.

Face masks play a crucial protective role in preventing the spread of coronavirus disease during the COVID-19 pandemic, but the improper disposal of used face masks also causes an emerging environmental problem, such as microplastic contamination. Here, the aim was to evaluate the improper disposal of used face masks and, subsequently, the potential contribution to microplastic contamination in urban rivers. First, we investigated the occurrence of discarded face masks in Qing River through continuously one-month collection on-site, and the disposable masks with a density of (8.28 ± 4.21) × 10-5 items/m2 with varying degrees of wear and tear were found. Next, the microfibers shedding from two popular types of new disposable masks were tested. The results showed that 50.33 ± 18.50 items/mask of microfibers, ranging from 301 µm to 467 µm in size, were released from the disposal face mask after immersion in ultrapure water for 24-h. It was significantly higher than the KN95 respirator of 31.33 ± 0.57 items/mask, ranging from 273 µm to 441 µm. Besides C and O elements only found in new face masks, some potentially toxic elements were also detected on the surface of discarded face masks, indicating that various environmental contaminations are easy to adsorb on the surface of discarded face masks. The results implied that these discarded face masks in an aquatic environment are emerging sources of microfibers and could act as transport vectors for contaminants, which would aggravate the present microplastic contamination. In conclusion, these findings were expected to raise public awareness of the proper disposal of used face masks to prevent microplastic contamination and the spread of COVID-19 in the environment.

Improving nonprofit succession management for leadership continuity: A shared leadership approach

The topic of nonprofit succession management has gained increasing research attention in recent years. However, the organizational implementation rate of succession management is often low – and even where present, may be mere “lip service.” Previous studies in the field mostly focus on the role of boards or executive directors in succession management. Grounded in shared leadership theory, this study takes a broader perspective, and stresses the shared responsibilities among boards, executive directors/division executives, and human resource (HR) professionals within the succession management process. As such, the study's framework comprises three components: shared leadership, the succession management process, and nonprofit leadership continuity as an outcome variable. The results of a large online survey in Germany (N = 1020) show that only 12.3% of responding nonprofit organizations in Germany practice tripartite shared leadership in succession management. However, applying partial least squares analysis indicates, for example, a positive relationship of shared leadership behavior among boards, executive directors/division executives, and HR professionals with the likelihood of a systematic succession management process, as well as nonprofit leadership continuity. Reflecting on our findings and current threats to nonprofits, such as COVID-19, we conclude by offering practical implications for nonprofit decision-makers and for academia. Among other things, we argue that nonprofit practice should push for more (tripartite) shared leadership to improve succession management and leadership continuity. © 2022 The Authors. Nonprofit Management & Leadership published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.