Rethinking regional economic resilience: Preconditions and processes shaping transformative resilience

The unpredictable impacts of sudden shocks such as the current COVID-19 pandemic or the current energy crisis accelerated by the Russia-Ukraine war have led to a renewed interest in regional economic resilience. Much of the literature focuses attention on how regional economies and industries could bounce back, that is, how they could return to their pre-shock conditions. Other scholars have proposed to construe resilience as bouncing forward to capture the mechanisms and processes that underpin positive adaptation and structural change in response to an acute crisis. In this article, we argue that both conceptualisations do not consider shocks and crises as a window of opportunity for regional economies to transform into a radically different and more desirable trajectory. We bring a new perspective into play, that is, transformative resilience which places shifts towards more sustainable pathways centre stage. This understanding of regional economic resilience acknowledges that a crisis may bring about permanent structural change and considers to what extent these transformations are to the benefit of society and the environment. This article seeks to identify in a conceptual way what factors and dynamics are vital for enhancing the transformative resilience of regions. To this end, we draw on recent insights from the debate on challenge-oriented regional innovation systems and elaborate on the role of pre-shock conditions and various core processes in building up regional transformative resilience.

How Media Literacy, Trust of Experts and Flu Vaccine Behaviors Associated with COVID-19 Vaccine Intentions.

PURPOSE: To assess how previous experiences and new information contributed to COVID-19 vaccine intentions. DESIGN: Online survey (N = 1264) with quality checks. SETTING: Cross-sectional U.S. survey fielded June 22-July 18, 2020. SAMPLE: U.S. residents 18+; quotas reflecting U.S. Census, limited to English speakers participating in internet panels. MEASURES: Media literacy for news content and sources, COVID-19 knowledge; perceived usefulness of health experts; if received flu vaccine in past 12 months; vaccine willingness scale; demographics. ANALYSIS: Structural equation modelling. RESULTS: Perceived usefulness of health experts (b = .422, P < .001) and media literacy (b = .162, P < .003) predicted most variance in vaccine intentions (R-squared=31.5%). A significant interaction (b = .163, P < .001) between knowledge (b = -.132, P = .052) and getting flu shot (b = .185, P < .001) predicted additional 3.5% of the variance in future vaccine intentions. An increase in knowledge of COVID-19 associated with a decrease in vaccine intention among those declining the flu shot. CONCLUSION: The interaction result suggests COVID-19 knowledge had a positive association with vaccine intention for flu shot recipients but a counter-productive association for those declining it. Media literacy and trust in health experts provided strong counterbalancing influences. Survey-based findings are correlational; thus, predictions are based on theory. Future research should study these relationships with panel data or experimental designs.

Sustainable Outdoor Education: Organisations Connecting Children and Young People with Nature through the Arts

There is an increasing concern regarding the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people;as a result, schools are increasingly expected to provide support, but they have few resources to do so. As such, there is a need for establishing mechanisms for supporting the health and wellbeing of children and young people that are relatively easy and cost-effective and that can be embedded within the school day to ensure sustainability. The overarching aim of our Branching Out project was to understand how successful elements from one such programme that supports children's mental health through the art-in-nature-based practice can be expanded from school-based approaches that reach small numbers of children to include whole communities. This paper reports on one strand that examined the practice of organisations offering arts and/or nature-based activities outdoors in schools, either as part of the curriculum or as an extra-curricular activity. Survey questions served as an a priori thematic framework around the characteristics of arts-in-nature activities delivered;the perceived impacts of activities;working with volunteers, teachers, and schools;and barriers to expansion and sustainability. Despite extensive searching, identifying, and recruiting relevant arts organisations was difficult;however, respondents strongly supported the notion that the arts-in-nature practice has a positive impact on children and young people's connection to nature, supports their mental health and wellbeing, and engages them with their local environment. Yet, challenges were identified in engaging teachers and schools and funding such projects, suggesting a need for a multi-professional approach to creating more sustainable and impactful practice for children, young people, and communities.

Role of economic, and social parameters affecting life satisfaction and happiness during pre and post Covid era: a study with Marx's perspective

A cognitive, objective, and subjective evaluation of the judgment of one's perspective of looking at life defines as life satisfaction and happiness. There is a strong association between life satisfaction, joy, and external parameters, including environmental and socioeconomic factors and green innovation technologies. Marx's theory on life satisfaction provides an exciting insight and defines that economic resources are necessary to live comfortably. The core objective of this paper is to examine the effects of contributing parameters concerning life satisfaction and happiness (LSH) in China from 2005 to 2020. For this purpose, data collected for the dependent variable collect World Happiness Index and World Bank official website. Nine independent variables related to LSH discuss freedom to make life choices (FMLC);GDP growth;Social contribution (SC);Employment rate (ER);Social support (SS);Innovation and development (ID);Life expectancy (LE);Coverage of social safety (CSS);High qualification (HQ). The maximum LSH value is 5.77, with a mean value of 5.13. The highest coefficient correlation value with LSH is CO2, with a positive correlation coefficient value of 0.80, followed by GDPG, with a negative coefficient value of 0.80. PC1 explains 76.74% of results, whereas MLR produces 0.91 R2 (p-value: 0.093, Residual standard error: 0.181). There is a need to understand correlates and determinants in further detail to set up a framework that enables policy-makers to incorporate well-being and life satisfaction measures in carving new public policies. © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Resilience of Environmental and Social Stocks under Stress: Lessons from the COVID‐19 Pandemic

This paper examines whether environmental and social (ES) activities affect the resiliency of firms during the COVID‐19 crisis. We study a sample of 330 firms operating in five developed countries: Canada, France, Japan, the UK and the US. Our analysis shows that US firms with a high ES ranking experienced a significantly lower stock price range volatility during the Covid stock market rundown of February‐March 2020. Such findings also hold for Japanese firms but only later on after the introduction of government support. In terms of returns, compared to their peers with a low ES ranking, Japanese and UK stock prices with a high ES ranking suffered more during and after the market rundown. For other countries, we do not find significant differences in stock price behavior based on ES ratings. Our findings suggest that engaging with ES activities is not associated with a better or worse performance during crisis times, which has important implications for investors and managers.

Can sustainable practices protect investors during financial market instability? A multi-sector analysis during the COVID-19 pandemic

Purpose: The aim of this study is to analyse the relationship between firms' sustainable practices and corporate financial performance during the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, this study aims to analyse the effect of sustainable practices on firms' stock returns during and after the first COVID-19 pandemic emergency. Design/methodology/approach: A quantitative study was conducted to determine the impact of sustainable practices on firms' stock returns, using a sample of 1,418 European listed firms. In particular, we tested the effect of environmental (E) and social (S) scores, providing a multi-sectoral analysis in order to consider sector specificities. Findings: The empirical outcomes indicate the existence of a negative (weak) or null relationship between sustainable practices and stock returns, failing to provide evidence that these practices are able to protect shareholders value during times of crisis. Practical implications: The results obtained made it possible to highlight significant implications for investors and practitioners. They may have particular attention in evaluating firm's sustainable practices trying to understand more precisely the value that such practices can have for the company and its shareholders. Originality/value: This article is part of the stream of studies that analysed the impact of sustainable practices on stock returns during a period of crisis in order to contribute to filling the gap due to the lack of consensus and the mixed results in the literature. © 2022, Emerald Publishing Limited.

Engaging in Sustainable Consumption: Exploring the Influence of Environmental Attitudes, Values, Personal Norms, and Perceived Responsibility

This study explores the links between environmental attitudes and values, personal norms, perceived responsibility, pro-environmental and prosocial engagement in sustainable consumption, and sustainable consumption behavior. Data was collected by surveying 904 Lithuanians through non-random quota sampling. Empirical research reveals that internal factors, such as environmental attitudes, values, personal norms, and perceived responsibility, have a positive direct effect on engagement with sustainable consumption. In addition, the findings indicate that pro-environmental and prosocial engagement to act as a mediator in enhancing the impact on sustainable consumer behavior. The results of this study expand the understanding of the engagement phenomena and how it can assist in shifting to sustainable consumer behavior in the Lithuanian context. Opportunities to encourage sustainable consumption behavior are presented for marketers and policy makers.

Pandemic management requires exposure science.

COVID-19 was first detected in Wuhan, China, on 8.12.2019, and WHO announced it a pandemic on 11.3.2020. No vaccines or medical cures against COVID-19 were available in the first corona year. Instead, different combinations of generic non-pharmaceutical interventions - to slow down the spread of infections via exposure restrictions to 'flatten the curve' so that it would not overburden the health care systems, or to suppress the virus to extinction - were applied with varying levels of strictness, duration and success in the Pacific and North Atlantic regions. Due to an old misconception, almost all public health authorities dismissed the possibility that the virus would be transmitted via air. Opportunities to reduce the inhalation exposure - such as wearing effective FFP2/N95 respirators, improving ventilation and indoor air cleaning - were missed, and instead, hands were washed and surfaces disinfected. The fact that aerosols were acknowledged as the main route of COVID-19 transmission in 2021 opened avenues for more efficient and socially less disruptive exposure and risk reduction policies that are discussed and evaluated here, demonstrating that indoor air and exposure sciences are crucial for successful management of pandemics. To effectively apply environmental and personal exposure mitigation measures, exposure science needs to target the human-to-human exposure pathways of the virus.

Business alignment for the “Decade of Action”

The SDGs and Paris Climate Agreement, taken together, constitute the best hope for charting a new course for the world’s politics and economics, to produce “the future we want.” This paper briefly explores the central environmental, social, and economic challenges;the pathways to sustainability;and the central role of companies in achieving our global goals. We are facing four very deep and interconnected global environmental crises: human-induced climate change, unsustainable land use, mega-pollution, and increased frequency and intensity of pandemic zoonotic diseases. At the same time, we face massive social crises, including increasing inequality. There are six necessary SDG Transformations that each requires a major change in the organization of societal, political, and economic activities – which delineates also the critical role of business. The paper specifies four key questions that companies and their stakeholders can ask to effectively align with the "Decade of Action" needed to achieve the SDG ambitions.

Effects of chlorine particle concentration on the human airway.

For COVID-19, chlorine has lately been utilised as a home disinfectant. Given that chlorine is hazardous to the human airway, the current research investigates the effects of chlorine mass fraction and droplet size on the human airway. The effects are investigated at chlorine mass ratios of 2% (24 ppm), 10% (120 ppm), 15% (180 ppm), and 20% (240 ppm), as well as chlorine particle diameters of 10 nm, 20 nm, 30 nm, and 50 nm, and three inhalation rates (15 l/min, 30 l/min, and 60 l/min). The results reveal that when the chlorine mass fraction is 2% and the inhalation rate is low, the chlorine volume fraction decreases. Furthermore, at 2% chlorine and a rapid breathing rate, chlorine particles are accelerated to escape into the lungs.

Self-medication in hospitalized patients with COVID-19: A cross-sectional study in northern Peru.

Introduction: This study aimed to identify factors associated with self-medication in patients with COVID-19. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using medical records of patients with COVID-19 who self-medicated before admission to a hospital in Piura, Peru. Prevalence ratios and 95% confidence intervals were estimated using generalized linear models with Poisson distribution family, log link function, and robust variance. Results: Out of 301 patients, 165 (54.8%) self-medicated before hospital admission, being more frequent self-medication with ivermectin (85.5%) and azithromycin (71.5%). The frequency of self-medication in those aged between 30-59 years was 2.53-fold higher than in those between 18-29 years. Male patients, dyslipidemia, smoking, and hepatic steatosis were associated with self-medication. Clinical characteristics associated with self-medication were fever, cough, headache, anosmia, dysgeusia, nausea/vomiting, and gastroesophageal reflux. Conclusions: A high frequency of self-medication before hospital admission was observed in Peruvian patients with COVID-19, mainly of drugs without proven efficacy.

Resilience of Environmental and Social Stocks under Stress: Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic

This paper examines whether environmental and social (ES) activities affect the resiliency of firms during the COVID-19 crisis. We study a sample of 330 firms operating in five developed countries: Canada, France, Japan, the UK and the US. Our analysis shows that US firms with a high ES ranking experienced a significantly lower stock price range volatility during the Covid stock market rundown of February-March 2020. Such findings also hold for Japanese firms but only later on after the introduction of government support. In terms of returns, compared to their peers with a low ES ranking, Japanese and UK stock prices with a high ES ranking suffered more during and after the market rundown. For other countries, we do not find significant differences in stock price behavior based on ES ratings. Our findings suggest that engaging with ES activities is not associated with a better or worse performance during crisis times, which has important implications for investors and managers.

Influence of Project and Affected Local Community Interests Level on Social Conflicts in Indonesian Infrastructure Projects

Poor economic growth due to Covid-19 pandemic in the last two years has resulted in a decline in indicators of public welfare. The construction industry sector also experienced a severe decline in productivity;thus, adjustments had to be made to survive the crisis situation. In addition, environmental problems due to development activities also threaten the lives and incomes of people who depend on natural products. These conditions encourage the escalation of interests that affect infrastructure projects in Indonesia. This study aimed to predict the influence of project and affected local community's interests on infrastructure projects social conflicts. Data were obtained by questionnaire from 68 project managers as respondents and analyzed using PLS-SEM. The findings of this study are that the influence of affected community is more dominant than that of project interests on project social conflicts. This shows the important role of communities in the concept of sustainable development with environmental and social perspectives. The results of this study will be useful in drafting the concept of an integrated and standardized environmental and social safeguard framework. To achieve an appropriate framework, further research is needed to examine the framework concept as a moderation of the relationship between interests and project social conflicts. © 2022 Materials and Energy Research Center. All rights reserved.

Indonesian Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining-A Narrative Literature Review.

Indonesia is host to a long history of gold mining and is responsible for a significant contribution to world gold production. This is true not only with regard to large gold mining companies but also to small-scale mining groups comprised of people and enterprises that participate in the gold industry of Indonesia. More than two thousand gold mining locations exist in present day Indonesia. Artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) sites are spread out across thirty provinces in Indonesia, and have provided work opportunities and income for more than two million people. However, the majority of ASGM activities use rudimentary technologies that have serious impacts upon the environment, public health, and miners' safety, which in turn generate socio-economic impacts for people residing around the mine sites. Moreover, many ASGMs are not licensed and operate illegally, meaning that they are immune to governmental regulation, and do not provide income to the regions and states via taxes. The possibility for more prudent management of ASGM operations could become a reality with the involvement and cooperation of all relevant parties, especially communities, local government, police, and NGOs.

Eco-Capabilities as a Pathway to Wellbeing and Sustainability

Eco-Capabilities is an AHRC funded project situated at the intersection of three issues: a concern with children’s wellbeing;their disconnect with the environment;and a lack of engagement with arts in school curricula. It builds on Amartya Sen’s work on human capabilities as a proxy for wellbeing, developing the term eco-capabilities to describe how children define what they feel they need to live a fully good human life through environmental sustainability, social justice and future economic wellbeing. A total of 101 children aged 7–10 from schools in highly deprived areas participated in eight full days of arts in nature practice. The study drew on arts based research methods, participatory observations, interviews and focus groups with artists, teachers and children. Findings suggest that arts in nature practice contributed towards eight (eco-)capabilities: autonomy;bodily integrity and safety;individuality;mental and emotional wellbeing;relationality: human/nonhuman relations;senses and imagination;and spirituality. This was facilitated through four pedagogical elements: extended and repeated arts in nature sessions;embodiment and engaging children affectively through the senses;‘slowliness’, which envelops children with time and space to (re)connect;and thoughtful practice, which facilitates emotional expression. We suggest that, through these elements, arts in nature practice supports children’s wellbeing, and guides them towards a more entangled relationship with nature and a clearer understanding of themselves as part of it, thereby motivating them to take better care of it.

Creating a sense of community and space for subjectification in an online course on sustainability education during times of physical distancing

Purpose>This study aims to demonstrate which course elements were responsible for community building, fostering subjectification and learning for being in an online course on environmental and sustainability education (ESE) during the COVID-19 pandemic and physical distancing.Design/methodology/approach>The study investigates a graduate-level course on Environmental Education for Sustainable Living that due to COVID-19 had to be taught mainly online. A retrospective analysis was conducted when the facilitators reflected on why the course, against expectations, appeared to have affected so many students in such a meaningful and profound way as shown by their personal reflections and the course evaluation. Methodologically, this study can be described as explorative and interpretative, although it was complemented by a standardised empirical analytical end-of course evaluation.Findings>Within the context of this study, sense of community is linked to and facilitated by the online learning environment and the educators’ and students’ roles throughout the course. This study found that interaction and inclusion can be augmented by a hybrid educational design and supported by the mutual efforts of educators and students. Reflective tasks and discussions most prominently evoked subjectification. The encouragement of students to see themselves as central subjects and the inclusion of creative tasks supported both personal exploration and sense of community.Originality/value>This study provides educational institutions teaching online with valuable information regarding course elements that foster subjectification and create a sense of community. This is particularly of interest for the design of online ESE emphasising learning for being and more relational approaches towards teaching and learning.

Estimation of the healthcare waste generation during COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh.

COVID-19 pandemic-borne wastes imposed a severe threat to human lives as well as the total environment. Improper handling of these wastes increases the possibility of future transmission. Therefore, immediate actions are required from both local and international authorities to mitigate the amount of waste generation and ensure proper disposal of these wastes, especially for low-income and developing countries where solid waste management is challenging. In this study, an attempt is made to estimate healthcare waste generated during the COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh. This study includes infected, ICU, deceased, isolated and quarantined patients as the primary sources of medical waste. Results showed that COVID-19 medical waste from these patients was 658.08 tons in March 2020 and increased to 16,164.74 tons in April 2021. A top portion of these wastes was generated from infected and quarantined patients. Based on survey data, approximate daily usage of face masks and hand gloves is also determined. Probable waste generation from COVID-19 confirmatory tests and vaccination has been simulated. Finally, several guidelines are provided to ensure the country's proper disposal and management of COVID-related wastes.

Changing air pollution and CO2 emissions during the COVID-19 pandemic: Lesson learned and future equity concerns of post-COVID recovery.

COVID-19 is a severe acute respiratory syndrome caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. The COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns and quarantines have led to significant industrial slowdowns among the world's major emitters of air pollutants, with resulting decreases to air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions in nations such as China, India and US, deemed to be major sources of global CO2 emissions, as well. However, there are major concerns that these decreases in atmospheric pollution can be hampered as economies are reactivated. Historically, countries have weakened environmental legislations following economic slowdown to encourage renewed economic growth. Such a policy response now will likely have disproportionate impacts on global Indigenous people and marginalized groups within countries, who have already faced disproportionate impacts from COVID-19 and environmental pollution. Our "new normal" remain nimble enough to allow us to fine-tune our interventions, research tools and solutions-oriented research to quickly enough to stay ahead of the pandemic trajectory in the face of air pollution and climate change. Societal and behavioral changes to reduce these anthropogenic cumulative stressors should be advocated, while prioritizing the public health of marginalized groups around the world, promoting new approaches to champion environmental health along with educational programs addressed to the population. Bold government decisions can restart economies while pre-empting future inequities and committing to environmental protection in an era of COVID-19 and global change.

Multivariate Analysis of Risk Factors of the COVID-19 Pandemic in the Community of Madrid, Spain.

It has been more than one year since Chinese authorities identified a deadly new strain of coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2. Since then, the scientific work regarding the transmission risk factors of COVID-19 has been intense. The relationship between COVID-19 and environmental conditions is becoming an increasingly popular research topic. Based on the findings of the early research, we focused on the community of Madrid, Spain, which is one of the world's most significant pandemic hotspots. We employed different multivariate statistical analyses, including principal component analysis, analysis of variance, clustering, and linear regression models. Principal component analysis was employed in order to reduce the number of risk factors down to three new components that explained 71% of the original variance. Cluster analysis was used to delimit the territory of Madrid according to these new risk components. An ANOVA test revealed different incidence rates between the territories delimited by the previously identified components. Finally, a set of linear models was applied to demonstrate how environmental factors present a greater influence on COVID-19 infections than socioeconomic dimensions. This type of local research provides valuable information that could help societies become more resilient in the face of future pandemics.

Risk of Environmental Exposure to H7N9 Influenza Virus via Airborne and Surface Routes in a Live Poultry Market in Hebei, China.

Environmental transmission of viruses to humans has become an early warning for potential epidemic outbreaks, such as SARS-CoV-2 and influenza virus outbreaks. Recently, an H7N9 virus, A/environment/Hebei/621/2019 (H7N9), was isolated by environmental swabs from a live poultry market in Hebei, China. We found that this isolate could be transmitted by direct contact and aerosol in mammals. More importantly, after 5 passages in mice, the virus acquired two adaptive mutations, PB1-H115Q and B2-E627K, exhibiting increased virulence and aerosol transmissibility. These results suggest that this H7N9 virus might potentially be transmitted between humans through environmental or airborne routes.