Susana Sobral, João Ricardo Catarino and Alexandre Morais Nunes

https://doi.org/10.54175/hsustain5010006

Sustainable development requires legitimate coordination of cross-sector trade-offs across environmental limits, social needs, and long-term economic viability. Because the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) relies on multi-actor arrangements, collaborative governance (CG) design features may condition ... Read More ... Read More Sustainable development requires legitimate coordination of cross-sector trade-offs across environmental limits, social needs, and long-term economic viability. Because the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) relies on multi-actor arrangements, collaborative governance (CG) design features may condition whether participation translates into joint decision-making. CG emerges from these dynamic strategies to produce public products and services with multiple stakeholders, aligning and integrating the various parties’ ambitions. Given the ongoing discussion on SDGs, marked by the complexity and interdependence of actors, innovative, collaborative solutions are needed to achieve the desired goals. This necessity is further underscored by introducing a goal related to partnerships and collaboration: “Partnerships for Development” (Goal 17), demonstrating that collaboration is a crucial element for sustainable development and the implementation of the SDGs and the 2030 Agenda. Thus, this study aims to explore how CG supports strategies to implement the SDGs. To this end, through content analysis, we examine four initiatives involving public and private actors related to the implementation of the SDGs in Portugal. We aim to analyze whether these meet the criteria of CG and the various dimensions anticipated for its process. Only one initiative meets the criteria for CG, and Portugal still needs an established collaborative governance arrangement for implementing the SDGs. Therefore, it is necessary to invest in collaborative arrangements initiated by public organizations that allow for participation in decision-making and greater consensus-building, preserving a real contribution to public policy and a better understanding of the impacts and benefits of collaboration. It is also necessary to discuss the need for metagovernance structures for sustainable development. ... « or Access Full Article

Waleed Mugahed Al-Rahmi

https://doi.org/10.54175/hsustain4040019

Aivars Spilbergs, Biruta Dzērve, Sandra Ozoliņa, Gunta Innuse-Breidaka, Tatjana Mavrenko, Laima Čable, Agnese Vincēviča, Biruta Sloka, Ginta Tora and Kristīne Liepiņa

https://doi.org/10.54175/hsustain4040017

This study examines the primary risks associated with using generative artificial intelligence (GAI) in social science research and proposes a framework for higher education institutions to effectively manage these risks. As universities increasingly integrate GAI into ... Read More ... Read More This study examines the primary risks associated with using generative artificial intelligence (GAI) in social science research and proposes a framework for higher education institutions to effectively manage these risks. As universities increasingly integrate GAI into teaching, research, and administration, concerns around intellectual property, academic integrity, data privacy, and ethical use have intensified. This paper explores the adequacy of current legal frameworks in addressing these challenges, drawing on recent legal analyses and institutional practices. Survey data reveal statistically significant differences in perceptions of the need for GAI guidelines based on respondents’ age, education level, field of study, research experience, and geographic region. The findings underscore the urgency of developing adaptive, risk-based policies that support responsible integration of GAI while safeguarding academic standards. The study concludes by proposing guiding principles for a dynamic legal framework that balances innovation with accountability. These recommendations aim to support sustainable and ethical GAI adoption in higher education institutions and contribute to the broader discourse on responsible AI governance in academia. ... « or Access Full Article

Jesús Huerta de Soto, Antonio Sánchez-Bayón and Philipp Bagus

https://doi.org/10.54175/hsustain4040013

This paper reviews the efficiency and sustainability of the management model during the COVID-19 crisis and beyond. There is a comparison between the centralized bureaucratic management versus the agile market alternative or spontaneous and flexible social ... Read More ... Read More This paper reviews the efficiency and sustainability of the management model during the COVID-19 crisis and beyond. There is a comparison between the centralized bureaucratic management versus the agile market alternative or spontaneous and flexible social coordination. This is a study of Political Economy, Management, and Health Economics from the perspective of Austrian economics, with special attention to the Spanish case. The analysis is based on Mises theorem about the impossibility of economic calculation under centralized coactive systems, and other economic principles. In this context, we also pay attention to collateral problems of the centralized and coactive management. Finally, we propose a solution based on dynamic efficiency and the constitutions of wellbeing economics based on digitalization. ... « or Access Full Article

Larry Dwyer

https://doi.org/10.54175/hsustain4030012

Across the social sciences, wellbeing measures are being developed to cover a more comprehensive picture of factors contributing to quality of life. However, ongoing neglect of the wellbeing outcomes of tourism activity has restricted the relevance ... Read More ... Read More Across the social sciences, wellbeing measures are being developed to cover a more comprehensive picture of factors contributing to quality of life. However, ongoing neglect of the wellbeing outcomes of tourism activity has restricted the relevance of much tourism research, practice and policymaking globally. These include failure to recognise human wellbeing as the primary aim of any industrial development, including tourism; adherence to a superficial conception of the nature of wellbeing and its measures; a failure to acknowledge that human wellbeing, beyond “needs”, is an essential component of sustainable development; tourism stakeholder adherence to a primarily static, rather than dynamic conception of sustainability; failure to distinguish between “weak” and “strong” sustainability; uncritical adoption of a pro-growth mindset that is steadily depleting and degrading the resources and the wellbeing of life on the planet; failure to incorporate wellbeing outcomes into tourism business mission statements; and failure to treat seriously the need for tourism degrowth at least for some sectors of the industry. To address such failures, tourism decisionmakers must incorporate stakeholder wellbeing outcomes into conceptual analysis, empirical research and policy assessment. ... « or Access Full Article

Samson Toye Abiodun and Mehmet Recai Uygur

https://doi.org/10.54175/hsustain4030010

This research investigates the role of line managers in encouraging prosocial behavior that improves sustainability at the individual level in organizations. Based on a meta-analysis of the last ten years of research literature consisting of 15 ... Read More ... Read More This research investigates the role of line managers in encouraging prosocial behavior that improves sustainability at the individual level in organizations. Based on a meta-analysis of the last ten years of research literature consisting of 15 studies, it underlines the impact of transformational, servant, and inclusive leadership on the level of trust, emotional commitment, and shared purpose within the organization. Its emergent culture and internal climates strengthened leadership’s impact on fostering prosocial behavior. Benefits include enhanced employee well-being, improved productivity, and heightened engagement. This study highlights the emotionally responsive leadership and the appreciation of organizational culture needed to perpetuate prosocial behavior, offering actionable insights for leadership and organizational transformation. This study approaches sustainability from a social perspective, framing “individual sustainability”  as the employee’s ongoing capacity for well-being and interpersonal engagement within the organization. ... « or Access Full Article

Enrique Javier Díez Gutiérrez, Luisa María García Salas, Sara Aguilar Moya, Kelly Romero Acosta, Antonio Pérez Robles, José Jesús Trujillo Vargas, Ignacio Perlado Lamo de Espinosa and Luis Miguel Mateos Toro

https://doi.org/10.54175/hsustain4020007

Phoenix Eskridge-Aldama, Aden Stern, Anna Vaughn and Diana Stuart

https://doi.org/10.54175/hsustain4020005

As global temperatures continue to rise, those in favor of rapid climate mitigation face critical questions regarding maintaining current levels of economic growth. On a global scale, there remains a clear positive correlation between economic growth ... Read More ... Read More As global temperatures continue to rise, those in favor of rapid climate mitigation face critical questions regarding maintaining current levels of economic growth. On a global scale, there remains a clear positive correlation between economic growth and carbon emissions, leading many climate scientists to call for a move away from a growth-focused economy. In this article, we draw from recent research to compare possible outcomes in terms of social well-being and climate mitigation for green growth and degrowth pathways. Green growth aims to maintain economic growth while reducing carbon emissions. Degrowth calls for a purposeful contraction of economic growth in wealthy countries. Drawing from recent studies, we compile evidence to compare these pathways and assess how each of these key strategies is evaluated and framed in the literature. We find that research indicates clear differences between these pathways in terms of mitigation potential and risks to human welfare, and we call for future research on specific topics related to a degrowth transition. Additionally, we identify issues of feasibility as primary concerns within both paradigms. ... « or Access Full Article

Michael Tarrant, Mikell Gleason, Steven Boyd and Tony Wellington

https://doi.org/10.54175/hsustain4010001

We adopt a normative model of crowd tolerance (expressed as a willingness to support more or fewer tourists) as a proxy for overtourism. Consistent with Social Exchange Theory, it is proposed that a person will perceive ... Read More ... Read More We adopt a normative model of crowd tolerance (expressed as a willingness to support more or fewer tourists) as a proxy for overtourism. Consistent with Social Exchange Theory, it is proposed that a person will perceive the impacts of tourism at a destination as positive or negative depending on the extent to which they view visitor levels as under or over a threshold that they expect or support (i.e., their norms or tolerance level). A total of 420 residents and 1048 visitors completed a survey interview in the tourist shire of Noosa between 2022 and 2024. Results show that residents and visitors differed significantly on many of the perceived tourism impacts, with long-term residents less favorable to the positive impacts than visitors. There was broad consensus across both residents and tourists, and the highest level of agreement, with negative impacts (especially that tourism contributes to traffic and parking congestion, and higher prices). The lowest levels of agreement with positive tourism impacts were found for “over tourists” (respondents who supported a fewer number of tourists). Implications for sustainable destination management are discussed in the context of the Quadruple Bottom Line, including efforts that enable tourism communities to grow well using a guardianship ethos and collective action of Gifts and Gains. ... « or Access Full Article