UNPACKING THE ROLE OF POLITICAL-WILL IN DIGITAL BUSINESS ECOSYSTEM DEVELOPMENT FOR SOCIOECONOMIC BENEFITS

As digital technology transforms many organisational alliances, new collaborative networks such as digital business ecosystems have emerged. In digital business ecosystems, participants leverage technological innovations to develop capabilities for value co-creation. Despite the growing number of studies, there is lack of research on how political-will facilitates development of digital business ecosystems. Therefore, this study develops a framework to explicate the role of political-will in the development of digital business ecosystems to achieve socioeconomic benefits. The findings show that political-will leads to provision of resources and legislative support as well as formulation of strategic initiatives required at the birth, expansion and maturity phases of digital business ecosystems to generate socioeconomic benefits such as (1) reduced corruption, (2) improved operational processes, (3) increased government revenue, (4) reduced bureaucracy and (5) improved transparency, fairness and accountability

Understanding Immigrant Entrepreneurship: A Home-country Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Perspective

Purpose – Given the importance of immigration and immigrant entrepreneurs in advanced economies, the authors take an entrepreneurial ecosystem perspective to study the home-country benefits possessed by immigrant entrepreneurs and how home-country entrepreneurial ecosystem factors affect immigrant entrepreneurial motivations, activities and outcomes. Design/methodology/approach – This conceptual research paper follows McGaghie, Bordage and Shea’s (2001) four-step new theory creation process, which suggests that new theories can be created through facts extraction from the extant literature. Findings – The authors propose that although immigrant entrepreneurs are unable to take full benefit of the host-country entrepreneurial ecosystem due to blocked mobility, they do have capabilities to access and use their home-country entrepreneurial resources and opportunities. The authors further propose that homecountry entrepreneurial capital can be systemically analyzed through the framework of the entrepreneurial ecosystem. The results imply that immigrant entrepreneurship as a social and economic phenomenon can be studied more holistically from both host- and home-country perspectives compared to the traditional research boundary of the host-country only. Research limitations/implications – The research focuses on the identification of home-country effects on immigrant entrepreneurship through the lens of the entrepreneurial ecosystem. Testable propositions provide directions for future empirical research on the field of immigrant entrepreneurship from a home-country perspective. The research concludes that a holistic immigrant entrepreneurship study should consider dual (host- and home-country) entrepreneurial ecosystems. Practical implications – Immigrant entrepreneurs benefit from both host- and home-country entrepreneurial ecosystems. This paper suggests co-effects of dual entrepreneurial ecosystems lead to a high rate of entrepreneurship and business success within some immigrant groups. Policymakers can increase economic activities by developing and deploying programs to encourage immigrants to embed in host- and home-country entrepreneurial ecosystems. Originality/value – Based on the framework of the entrepreneurial ecosystem, this paper brings a novel perspective to examining home-country effects on immigrant entrepreneurship. It theoretically conceptualizes that immigrants have higher entrepreneurship rates than native-born populations because they have access to extra home-country entrepreneurial capital

Fintech framing financial ecologies : conceptual and policy-related implications

CEL: Finansowe ekologie (FE) stanowią formy koordynacji nastawione na podaż usług finansowych oraz skoncentrowane na określonym terytorium. Obecnie, formy te podlegają transformacji pod wpływem technologii finansowych (Fintech). Idea FE jest istotna pod względem społecznym i ekonomicznym, gdyż zwraca uwagę na segmenty rynku słabo obsługiwane przez rynki finansowe lub z nich wykluczone. FE stanowią platformy łączące branże oraz podmioty z publicznego i prywatnego sektora. Jednocześnie, finansowe ekologie pozostają na wczesnym etapie rozwoju jako koncepcja i przedmiot badań empirycznych. Słabo zbadane pozostają wpływ Fintech na ekosystemy finansowe oraz związane z tym implikacje dla polityki gospodarczej. W odpowiedzi na teoretyczne i praktyczne znaczenie oraz wczesny etap badań nad transformacją FE pod wpływem Fintech, artykuł ma na celu określenie, w jaki sposób Fintech kształtują FE oraz wskazanie związanych z tym implikacji koncepcyjnych oraz dotyczących polityki gospodarczej. METODYKA: Podejście badawcze odwołuje się do zasad spójności koncepcji oraz rekonstrukcji koncepcji. Zastosowano metodę systematycznego przeglądu literatury 48 publikacji, wyselekcjonowanych z baz Scopus i WoS. WYNIKI: Zanalizowano główne elementy koncepcji FE oraz perspektywy teoretyczne pokrewne wobec tej idei. FE stanowią element innych ekosystemów zorientowanych na wyniki a zarazem koncentrowanych na określonym terytorium. Mogą być także traktowane jako niezależne zjawisko i przedmiot badań. Wskazano, że idea FE podlega rozwojowi pod wpływem Fintech w zakresie wszystkich elementów tworzących to zjawisko. Sformułowano zestaw założeń co do wynikających z tej transformacji konsekwencji dla rozumienia zjawiska finansowych ekosystemów i dla polityki gospodarczej. IMPLIKACJE: Wyniki systematycznego przeglądu literatury są istotne dla rozwoju podstaw teoretycznych oraz badań empirycznych nad FE. Mogą także sprzyjać integracji środowiska naukowego wokół rozwoju i akumulacji wiedzy w tej dziedzinie. Mimo standaryzacji wywołanej innowacjami technologicznymi, dostępność, użyteczność oraz efekty ekosystemów finansowych zależą od kontekstów geograficznych, które różnią się pod względem społeczno-ekonomicznym i instytucjonalnym. ORYGINALNOŚĆ I WARTOŚĆ: Artykuł pogłębia rozumienie FE jako form koordynacji usług finansowych, opartych na innowacjach technologicznych oraz zorientowanych na terytorialne projekty i społeczności lokalne. Usystematyzowano główne element koncepcji FE oraz relacje z pokrewnymi ideami sieciowej współpracy dla rozwoju społeczno-gospodarczego. Określono zestaw założeń i wskazano obszary przyszłych badań nad zjawiskiem FE.PURPOSE: Financial ecologies (FEs) are place-based governance forms of financial services provision, currently undergoing a transformation through financial technologies (Fintech). The idea of FEs is socially and economically relevant, since they reach toward underserved or excluded market segments and intermediate for territorial development across industries and sectors of private and public entities. At the same time, the FE remains at the early stage of conceptualization and empirical corroborations, in particular regarding how Fintech affects its core elements and related policy implications. In response to the theoretical and practical relevance, and early stage of theorizing the recent Fintech developments in the FE, this article aims to identify how Fintech frame FEs and to propose the resulting conceptual and policy-related implications. METHODOLOGY: To frame the FE concept, we used the methodological lens of construct clarity principles and the concept reconstruction. The research method includes a systematic literature review of 48 publications selected from Scopus and WoS databases. FINDINGS: We have analyzed the concept of FE according to its major elements and related concepts. The FE remains at the intersection of other outcome-oriented ecosystems that focus on territories, but it can also be treated as an independent phenomenon and research object. The idea of FE has been shaped by Fintech-driven developments in all its constituent elements with conceptual and policy consequences formulated as a set of propositions. IMPLICATIONS: The findings are relevant for future theory development and empirical corroborations of the FE. They can also enhance the integration of research communities of practice to accumulate knowledge. Despite standardization brought about by technological innovations, the availability, usefulness, and effects of financial ecosystems depend on the multiscalar spatial contexts that differ in socio-economic and institutional dimensions. ORIGINALITY AND VALUE: First, the article frames the understanding of FE as financial services governance based on technological advancements and focused on territorial projects and communities. Second, the FE concept was clarified according to major properties and relationships to other adjacent ideas of spatial networking for socioeconomic development. Third, propositions and research areas were formulated for further investigations

Blockchain and gender digital inequalities in Africa: A critical afrofemtric analysis

Advances in the technological sphere are synergistic with society’s progression. Technological innovations result in social realities, and these correspondingly remodel technologies to reconcile their functions and values with society’s needs. The birth of blockchain ushered in euphoric pronouncements about its disruptive potentialities for low-resourced societies. While dominant discourses frame it as a tool for enabling grassroots participation in socioeconomic activities, they ignore the societal embeddedness of innovations. A central premise of this study is that the modalities of blockchain’s adoption reflect, and to an extent cement, the inequitable gender power dynamics of its context. Drawing on principles of gender justice from my original critical theory afrofemtrism, technofeminism, and the social construction of technology, I examined the adoption of blockchain technologies in Ghana and its engagement with gender digital inequalities. My empirical data is from 33 qualitative interviews with participants in the blockchain economy. I found that investing and trading in cryptocurrency are the principal blockchain activities in Ghana. This evinces the perception of low entry barriers without needing specialized education. Additionally, participants are overwhelmingly male, and the women in the space navigate a complex existence of relegation and comity. Their presence in this male-dominated space opens them to ridicule, and yet they benefit from better transactional opportunities as people perceive them to be more trustworthy than the average man. Blockchain could engender financial emancipation for women and other marginalized social groups. However, conditions like the compound effect of inhibiting familial, societal, and cultural socialization on gendered interests and progression undercut these affordances. Blockchain in itself is, therefore, not a panacea. Interventions for social change must include gender justice-conscious policymaking, as well as nationwide conscientization of the underpinnings of gender digital disparities. This study’s findings are integral to advancing studies in gender disparities in a sociotechnical arena. It also contributes to knowledge emanating from the Global South, particularly regarding emerging technology

The role of knowledge maps in sub-national climate change policymaking and governance

Generar y difundir conocimientos específicos sobre el cambio climático es fundamental para los formuladores de políticas subnacionales. Les permite abordar las particularidades regionales, equilibrar las políticas de mitigación y adaptación y ofrecer una gobernanza transparente. En este artículo, mostramos cómo se pueden utilizar los mapas de conocimiento en este esfuerzo. Examinamos un estudio de caso en Galicia, una región de España con una estrategia de cambio climático recientemente aprobada, donde las características físicas, geográficas y socioeconómicas dan forma al conocimiento científico específico de la región. La metodología práctica utilizada en este estudio se puede generalizar para ayudar a otros gobiernos subnacionales a adaptar sus acciones locales a los marcos de políticas generales diseñados por iniciativas nacionales e internacionales. Por lo tanto, nuestro trabajo ilustra cómo los investigadores y los formuladores de políticas subnacionales pueden colaborar para identificar y priorizar áreas de conocimiento clave para enfrentar los desafíos regionales planteados por el cambio climático. Además, nuestro trabajo puede descubrir desequilibrios en el conjunto de conocimientos sobre mitigación y adaptación que podrían generar sesgos en la formulación de políticas. Finalmente, mostramos cómo un mapa de conocimiento puede guiar a los formuladores de políticas en la asignación de recursos públicos para apoyar la investigación de una manera significativa e impactante, dependiendo de la demanda de la investigación y los desafíos derivados del cambio climático.Generating and disseminating specific climate change knowledge is critical for sub-national policymakers. It allows them to address regional particularities, balance mitigation and adaptation policies, and deliver transparent governance. In this paper, we show how knowledge maps can be used in this endeavour. We examined a case study in Galicia, a region in Spain with a recently approved climate change strategy, where physical, geographic and socio-economic features shape region-specific scientific knowledge. The practical methodology used in this study can be generalized to aid other sub-national governments in adapting their local actions to the general policy frameworks designed by national and international initiatives. Therefore, our work illustrates how sub-national policymakers and researchers can collaborate to identify and prioritize key knowledge areas to face the regional challenges posed by climate change. Furthermore, our work can uncover imbalances in the body of knowledge on mitigation and adaptation that could lead to biases in policymaking. Finally, we show how a knowledge map can guide policymakers in allocating public resources to support research in a meaningful and impactful way, depending on the demand for the research and the challenges stemming from climate change.Agencia Estatal de Investigación | Ref. PID2019-106677GB-100Xunta de Galicia | Ref. ED431C 2018/4

Ecotourism and Its Role in Sustainable Development of Nepal

Ecotourism helps in environmental protection, wildlife conservation, poverty alleviation and socio-economic development. It affects environmental, social and economic components of the community and the whole country. It has different forms which are named according to the preference of the country. Developed as well as developing countries , such as Nepal, are promoting ecotourism for sustainable development of the nation. Different methodologies are applied throughout the world by different researchers for assessing ecotourism. This chapter focuses on review of ecotourism researches throughout the world. It has both positive and negative impacts on environmental, social and economic aspects of the country. Due to the high rate of beneficial impacts, it is helping in the overall development of the community, country and the whole world. There is need of cooperation among different stakeholders, training of ecotourism to tourism entrepreneurs and appropriate management policy for sustainable implementation of ecotourism projects

International System Change Compass: The Global Implications of Achieving the European Green Deal

The interconnected crises of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution cannot wait for humans to spend years discussing solutions, policies, and institutions. National and international systems have to change faster, which means redefining the goals that governments set themselves and the ways that everyone works to reach those goals.The International System Change Compass sets out the scope of the change needed. On their own, emissions reductions through incremental efficiency gains will lead to disaster. Minor changes within the current economic system won't solve the resource crisis; they won't solve the biodiversity crisis; and they won't address fundamental injustices across the world and within societies. Only a holistic approach toward system change that addresses the impact of Europe's resource usage and overall consumption footprint can achieve the inclusive transition needed to save our planet and provide a fair future for us all

Measuring internet activity: a (selective) review of methods and metrics

Two Decades after the birth of the World Wide Web, more than two billion people around the world are Internet users. The digital landscape is littered with hints that the affordances of digital communications are being leveraged to transform life in profound and important ways. The reach and influence of digitally mediated activity grow by the day and touch upon all aspects of life, from health, education, and commerce to religion and governance. This trend demands that we seek answers to the biggest questions about how digitally mediated communication changes society and the role of different policies in helping or hindering the beneficial aspects of these changes. Yet despite the profusion of data the digital age has brought upon us—we now have access to a flood of information about the movements, relationships, purchasing decisions, interests, and intimate thoughts of people around the world—the distance between the great questions of the digital age and our understanding of the impact of digital communications on society remains large. A number of ongoing policy questions have emerged that beg for better empirical data and analyses upon which to base wider and more insightful perspectives on the mechanics of social, economic, and political life online. This paper seeks to describe the conceptual and practical impediments to measuring and understanding digital activity and highlights a sample of the many efforts to fill the gap between our incomplete understanding of digital life and the formidable policy questions related to developing a vibrant and healthy Internet that serves the public interest and contributes to human wellbeing. Our primary focus is on efforts to measure Internet activity, as we believe obtaining robust, accurate data is a necessary and valuable first step that will lead us closer to answering the vitally important questions of the digital realm. Even this step is challenging: the Internet is difficult to measure and monitor, and there is no simple aggregate measure of Internet activity—no GDP, no HDI. In the following section we present a framework for assessing efforts to document digital activity. The next three sections offer a summary and description of many of the ongoing projects that document digital activity, with two final sections devoted to discussion and conclusions

Money and sustainability: Transitioning to an ecological monetary system

A profound transformation of our monetary paradigm is urgently needed. To re-think, re-imagine, and re-design our monetary system is of critical priority if we want to have a chance at sustainability. The current dominant monetary-banking-financial system is inherently, and by design, a source and a force of unsustainability lying at the core of our economies and societies. It's a system actively contributing to ecological degradation, socio-political crises, and economic instability, uncertainty, and alienation. But there are alternatives and these must be given the spotlight. Not tweaks or reforms to the system, but radical shifts in how we deal, use, relate to, and feel regarding money. The societal challenge we must embrace is rapidly transitioning our monetary reality into a purposeful ecological monetary ecosystem aligned with the regeneration of our planet and all life in it. This Doctoral thesis contributes to the emergence and development of a new monetary paradigm with planet and people at its core. The research is intrinsically transdisciplinary and based on mixed-methods. Different methodologies were used, combining qualitative with quantitative methods and more passive research with more action-oriented transformative research, including field visits, interviews with practioners, and direct interaction with local and regional complementary currency experiments. By combining a transdisciplinary literature review with an action-research approach this thesis offers novel insights into the transition process to an ecological monetary ecosystem. A set of regenerative principles and priorities for monetary reform that would enable us to root money back into the real economy, coherent with the laws of physics and aligned with an ecology of life is offered. Moreover, a model for a multi-currency ecosystem is explored and presented at the end of this thesis. The implications of such a fundamental revolution in the core design of our increasingly monetized economies could potentially put us back on track and re-align our socio-economic and political system with our climate agreements, our SDG and our intentions for peace and prosperity.Uma profunda transformação do nosso paradigma monetário é urgentemente necessária. Re-pensar, re-imaginar, e re-desenhar o nosso sistema monetário é uma prioridade societal crítica se quisermos garantir a nossa sustentabilidade. O actual sistema monetário-bancário-financeiro dominante é inerentemente, e por design, uma fonte e uma força de insustentabilidade que se encontra no cerne das nossas economias e sociedades. É um sistema que contribui activamente para a degradação ecológica, crises sócio-políticas, e para a instabilidade, incerteza e alienação económica. Mas existem alternativas e estas têm de ser objecto de atenção especial. Não ajustamentos ou "reformas" ao sistema, mas mudanças radicais na forma como lidamos, utilizamos, nos relacionamos e sentimos em relação ao dinheiro. O desafio social que temos de abraçar é a rápida transição das nossas realidades monetárias para um ecossistema propositadamente alinhado com a regeneração do nosso planeta e de toda a vida. Esta tese de doutoramento contribui para a emergência e desenvolvimento de um novo paradigma monetário com o planeta e as pessoas no seu âmago. A investigação é intrinsecamente transdisciplinar e baseada numa abordagem de métodos mistos. Foram utilizadas diferentes metodologias, combinando métodos qualitativos com métodos quantitativos, e investigação mais passiva com investigação transformadora mais orientada para a acção, incluindo visitas de campo, entrevistas e interacção directa com experiências de moedas complementares locais e regionais. Ao combinar uma revisão transdisciplinar da literatura, com uma abordagem de investigaçãoacção, esta tese oferece novas ideias e concepções sobre o processo de transição para um ecossistema monetário ecológico. É oferecido um conjunto de princípios regenerativos e prioridades para a reforma monetária que nos permitiria enraizar o dinheiro de volta à economia real, coerente com as leis da física e alinhado com uma ecologia da vida. No final da tese é ainda explorado e apresentado um modelo para um ecosistema monetário com base na co-existência de múltiplos circuitos monetários. As implicações de uma tal revolução no nosso sistema monetário e no centro das nossas economias, cada vez mais monetizadas, poderão ser potenciadoras de uma transição para um novo caminho societal, alinhado com os nossos acordos climáticos, os nossos ODS e as nossas intenções de paz e prosperidade

BEYOND THE BINARY: EVALUATING THE COMPLEXITIES OF AI REGULATION IN THE U.S.

This thesis explores the potential complex interactions between artificial intelligence (AI) and democracy, highlighting the need for the ethical use of AI and strong regulation to address possible adverse consequences for society and democracy. The research employs a comparative analytical framework, examining legislative texts, policy papers, and cultural studies literature to compare the United States (U.S.) and the European Union (EU). The thesis asserts that the EU’s approach is a beneficial template for the U.S. in constructing an AI regulatory framework at the federal level. An ideal framework should include ethical protections, encourage openness, and facilitate innovation, all while cultivating public confidence and promoting international cooperation on AI governance principles. The thesis argues that by conforming to international norms and recognizing culture’s impact on policy, the U.S. may improve its ethical practices in the AI field and maintain its position as a worldwide leader in technology.Distribution Statement A. Approved for public release: Distribution is unlimited.Civilian, Department of Homeland Securit