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This article analyses the American Express travel board game Money Card (1972) as it highlights the intertwinement between the rise of a distinctive form of tourism as a modern mass industry and the expansion of the capitalist market, the primacy of the dollar, and U.S. hegemony. In a period marked by a shift from paper money to credit cards and global credit markets, American Express was the most powerful and easily identifiable symbol of the new post-war international economic order dominated by U.S. economic and political power. Placing the American Express Money Card board game within the shift from the post-war economy of reconstruction to credit expansion and neoliberalism, brings to the forefront the ways in which the game presented tourism as a ritual in celebration of capitalism. As a form of armchair travel, the board game sold tourism as a re-enchantment of the world. The article explores how the board game framed the American Express Card as fetish object, portrayed Europe as up for sale, and created a desire for the services of American Express and consumerism more generally. It shows how players were trained to use credit cards, be good consumers, and participate in the economy of the tourist industry. By advancing a capitalist tourist dreamworld, Money Card shaped perceptions of travel to Europe and created a religious illusion, offering a re-enchantment of the world through tourism and credit cards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This article describes the development and validation of a survey designed to measure the vision of European agricultural advisors towards innovation. Design/Methodology/Approach: The items of the instrument were developed based on the conceptual framework provided by the position paper for the Transformative Innovation Policy Consortium. The resulting instrument was completed by 656 advisors recruited through the network of the European Horizon 2020 i2connect project. The data was divided into two random subsets. The structure of the instrument was explored using an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) using one subset and convergent validity was tested by applying confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to the second subset. Findings: The EFA resulted in a three-factor solution. In accordance with the conceptual framework, these factors were labelled (a) linear innovation, (b) innovation systems and (c) transformative change. The CFA demonstrated an adequate fit and a satisfactory level of internal consistency. Practical implications: The instrument can assist in eliciting advisors' views on innovation, which could be used in advisors' selection and recruitment. Theoretical implications: Building on a strong conceptual basis, the paper presents a theoretically robust instrument for assessing advisors' views on different innovation models. Such assessments could in turn lead to further expand and elaborate concepts on this aspect. Originality/Value: The survey is the first instrument to include the emerging policy paradigm of transformative change and as such allows measuring the degree to which European advisors are willing to support transformative innovation policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

(1) Background: "To change the world, we must first change the way the babies are being born", said Michel Odent, the famous French obstetrician and pioneer of the "natural birth" movement. This quotable phrase has been widespread in activism campaigns, and it refers to a project for social change that goes beyond birth. Conceiving childbirth in the broader social context, it is not surprising that this emblematic quote inspires emancipatory struggles around birth. This paper results from a study of childbirth activism in different European contexts, where the author explores the emergence and modes of action of social movements advocating for the humanization of childbirth and women's rights in pregnancy and childbirth. (2) Methods: Starting from the analysis of the main characteristics of childbirth activism, in this paper the author briefly analyzes the cases of organizations from Portugal, Spain and the Netherlands, as well as a campaign promoted by the European Network of Childbirth Associations (ENCA). The author mobilizes empirical data resulting from a triangulation approach, essentially based on documentary analysis, complemented by conversations and participant observation in different settings. (3) Results: Preliminary results show how childbirth activism is contributing to the construction of alternative conceptions of birth, challenging established paradigms. (4) Conclusion: In its differences and similarities, childbirth activism assumes distinct features, but it also has the ability to adapt and promote changes, depending on the specificities of the contexts where it operates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the last decade, there have been numerous studies on the rise, characteristics, and consequences of the emergence of populist parties in Western liberal democracies. However, most analyses of European populist parties have focused on the right-wing populist parties. Although some scholars have made valuable efforts to understand left-wing populism in Europe, these studies have paid attention to their ideological-organizational idiosyncrasies or the characteristics of their electoral bases. This paper aims to fill the gap in the economic and political contexts in which Radical Left Populist Parties have achieved significant electoral results putting into practice a fsQCA analysis and examining their uneven electoral performance in Europe. Following some previous work applying QCA techniques, this paper tests the theory on the importance of economic and political factors. Findings indicate that the electoral performance of radical left populism cannot be explained in a univocal way, highlighting the crucial role of equifinality in understanding this political phenomenon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a novel financial instrument, green bonds require further research to understand their causal effects and theoretical mechanisms on sustainable development fully. This paper constructs a theoretical model that characterizes the issuance of green bonds as the extent to which social planners prioritize environmental benefits in bond markets. In this model, we define sustainable development as the geometric mean of environmental factor inputs and final production output. By maximizing consumer utility, this model elucidates the direct and non-linear relationship between green bonds and sustainable development. The paper empirically investigates this proposition using data from 19 European countries between 2018 and 2022. The results indicate that: (1) Green bonds significantly promote sustainable development. This financial instrument, designed to raise funds for environmental projects, can indeed promote sustainable development through clean and green resource allocation. (2) The promotional effect of green bonds on sustainable development increases significantly with improvements in innovation efficiency, industrialization rates, and savings rates. This finding elaborates on the conditions under which the positive impact of green bonds on sustainable development is enhanced. (3) Green bonds only promote sustainable development when a country's factor endowment structure reaches a specific threshold. Beyond this threshold, as the factor endowment structure becomes very high, the country's sustainable development gains sufficient momentum, diminishing the role of green bonds. This finding suggests that the positive impact of green bonds on sustainable development is contingent upon certain properties reflecting the economic basis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Invasive plant species can impede the establishment and growth of native plants and affect several ecosystem properties. These properties include soil cover, nutrient cycling, fire regimes, and hydrology. Controlling invasive plants is therefore a necessary, but usually expensive, step in restoring an ecosystem. The sustainability of materials with an emphasis on the use of local resources plays an important role in the circular economy. The use of alternative fibers from invasive plants promotes local production in smaller paper mills that offer the protection of local species and the reduction of waste and invasive plants. A synthesis of the literature is needed to understand the various impacts of invasive plants and their practical control in the context of papermaking applications and to identify associated knowledge gaps. To improve our understanding of the practical application of invasive species in the paper industry, we reviewed the existing literature on invasive plant species in the area of fiber production, printability, coating solution production, dyes, and extracts, and collected information on the major invasive plant species in Europe and the methods used for various applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, policymakers and academics have shown interest in understanding how universities could drive regional innovation. Universities are not solely focusing on research and education as their primary missions but are also asked to participate in the development of their regions. This has compelled universities to forge what is called a third mission, encompassing all social and economic activities of universities. Several attempts have been made to evaluate this concept, aiming to highlight the evolving role of universities and their relevance to policy and society. In this vein, this paper showcases existing attempts that aim to measure the impact of the third mission in European universities. This study consists of a systematic literature review studying journal articles published between 2001 and 2021. The purpose of this paper is to enumerate the existing measurements of the third mission and identify the different tensions related to it. This study shows that the literature encompasses three approaches for assessing the third mission. First, some studies incorporated the third mission into the overall evaluation of university performance. Second, other investigations aimed to capture this concept as a whole. Finally, several studies evaluated individual dimensions of the third mission independently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper seeks to analyze the development of rural tourism in Europe and the tourist specifics of countries with renowned destinations, focusing on the impact of COVID-19 from 2019 to 2022 and its influence on tourism trends. By utilizing data and documentation from the pandemic period, we aim to identify emerging trends in Europe and evaluate the sector's ability to recover to pre-pandemic levels. The analysis and conclusions are inevitably shaped by the COVID-19 pandemic period, with its effects compared against specified parameters. The statistical analysis, utilizing specific indices, shows that the pandemic had a negative impact on tourism activities, resulting in significant declines and underscoring the sector's vulnerability during crises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sport for development (SFD) has become an increasingly well-defined field of academic inquiry, and numerous related theories have emerged. Existing theories have however been critcised for their lack of interdisciplinary engagement, lack of connection to specific outcome areas and challenges translating to practice. These issues are especially evident concerning the linkages between sport and social cohesion. Sport has been prominently positioned as a vehicle to promote social cohesion, yet the term remains vaguely defined and programme practices are underreported. The following paper seeks to address this by presenting a conceptual framework linking common practices, mechanisms and social cohesion outcomes. Findings from literature and previous work are contextualised against existing theories, allowing practices to be connected to mechanisms and specific social cohesion outcomes. In turn, this framework can help provide practical guidance to implementers, support programme design, and identify areas for future development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the social structure of individual autonomy in Europe. Drawing on the capability approach and human empowerment theory, it investigates how individuals' sense of autonomy is structured by individual means and conversion factors as well as economic, cultural, and institutional context conditions. Using data from the European Social Survey and the European Quality of Life Survey, these relationships are analyzed for 107,070 individuals in 18 European countries and four points in time between 2006 and 2016. Multilevel analyses reveal financial security, health, and social connectedness as the most important drivers of individuals' sense of autonomy. On the macro level, national wealth, civil liberties, and an emancipative value climate are all found to be positively linked to individuals' sense of autonomy, albeit weakly. Considering the value individuals attach to leading an autonomous life and the beneficial effects autonomy has been shown to have on people's well-being, these findings shed first light on the unequal distribution of autonomy and autonomy resources on the individual and macro levels. Concluding, the paper highlights the potential for future research and policy implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A non-negligible proportion of children in Europe live in multifamily households that include other adults beyond their parents: around 4% live with their grandparents and a further 7% with their adult siblings. In this paper, we investigate the extent to which living in these two household types protects children against deprivation and we provide tests of the relationship between the intrahousehold sharing of resources and children's deprivation. We find that although most children in multifamily households face significantly higher deprivation risks than children in nuclear households this largely reflects the selection into co-residence of families facing financial difficulties rather than arising from an incomplete sharing of resources. We further show that co-residence with grandparents protects a large share of children against deprivation (i.e. they would face higher deprivation risk if they lived only with their parents) while co-residence with adult siblings has more mixed effects across countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heritage and culture tourism involve features that commemorate a valued past. Mining heritage tourism allows visitors to experience the past, guided by former mining landscapes and engaging interactively with material artifacts. This paper introduces the CoalHeritage European project, focusing on the promotion of coal mining heritage through the production and design of the European Visual Map Journal (EVMJ). The EVMJ is a user-friendly, web-based, interactive storytelling platform that supports the transfer of industrial and geoheritage from former coal mining areas. It aims to collect and disseminate heritage assets from post-mining coal areas, informing stakeholders and promoting these sites as tourist destinations. To further enhance public awareness, several ESRI StoryMaps web apps are being created to highlight specific features of each case study across Europe. The aim of this work is to introduce coal mining heritage as a new term, present the coal heritage platform and its importance for disseminating coal heritage aspects to the public, describe the methodology used for its design, and provide a brief overview of its evolving content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Europe accounts for 51% of international tourist arrivals and the tourism industry provides about 10% of workplaces in Europe. Tourism will be impacted by climate change in a diverse number of ways. At the same time, tourism is also a significant contributor of greenhouse gas emissions. The aim of this article is, therefore, to provide an assessment of climate and carbon risks for the European tourism industry based on a systematic literature review. Climate risk is the dominant category with 313 papers (74%), while 110 papers (26%) were on carbon risks. The following gaps were identified: geographical gaps, especially in countries of the former Soviet Union and former Yugoslavia; a lack of coherent studies on national tourism's and its sub-sectors' emissions; research addressing how climate policies might affect tourism demand; assessments of the integrated carbon and climate risks; lack of evidence on the link between tourism climate indicators and tourism demand; lack of climate change and tourism studies addressing policy and institutional tools for adaptation and implementation of adaptation measures in destinations; and research on rising sea levels and coastal erosion and its impacts on tourism destinations and demand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper engages with the relationship between dissident European mayors and the migrant solidarity movement in Europe after 2015. With the case study of the coalition "From the Sea to the City", I examine how its members institutionalise mayors' dissent at a transnational level through the International Alliance of Safe Harbours. Employing primary empirical data, the study finds that coalition members create a political sequence in four ways: developing a storyline and setting up a broad coalition of migrant solidarity; referencing mayors' disruptive acts; nurturing counter‐imaginaries; and laying the foundation for further action towards transforming the instituted order of European migration politics. To conceptualise the empirical findings, I draw on concepts of political organisation. In this vein, the paper calls for an assessment of movement politics that goes beyond the belief that local disruptions will suffice to set in motion a progressive transformation of European migration politics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For thousands of years, mortar-based materials — including bedding mortars, plaster floors, internal wall plasters, external wall renders and stuccos, and concrete — have been key construction materials in many cultures throughout the world. This paper gives an overview and examples of the use and development of mortar-based materials in cultures across the Middle East, Europe, Asia, and Mesoamerica, prior to the development of hydraulic cements in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The blocking phenomenon has received considerable attention from many researchers due to its impact on weather and human life. This paper aims to provide a new blocking definition with applicability to observations. The daily National Centers for Environmental Prediction/National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCEP/NCAR) reanalysis data for the Northern Hemisphere of geopotential height at a level of 500 hPa during the summer season of 2010 was used in this study. Additionally, observations for several meteorological variables over the Northern Hemisphere, including Europe, through that period were collected and analyzed. By applying the new blocking definition over the Northern Hemisphere, three blocking events persisted over Europe for a duration of 5, 17 and 36 days. The exact total days of blocking events that persisted over Europe was 58 days in the summer of 2010. Moreover, during the blocking events in the summer of 2010 abnormal weather conditions, extremely hot, dry and increased pressure over Europe observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The performance of tax administrations (TAs) is usually described as their capacity to complete activities with the minimum of resources engaged. Accordingly, tax administration performance is a multifaceted phenomenon, and measuring and benchmarking its performance against other countries or regions remains a puzzle for researchers and practitioners. This paper introduces a new approach for measuring tax administration performance using the Composite I-Distance Indicator (CIDI) based on 11 individual performance measures from 35 European tax administrations over two consecutive years (2018–2019). For the given scores of tax administrations, we conducted a correlation analysis with (a) tax evasion loss and (b) the fiscal deficit of countries in which these tax administrations operate, aiming to assess the strength of the statistical relationship between these variables. The study highlights Denmark and the Netherlands as exemplary models for tax administration, with "Revenue Collection" being identified as a crucial driver of excellence and "Operational Performance" (such as "e-filing" and "on-time filing") forming critical aspects of TA efficiency. Also, the study finds a negative correlation between tax avoidance and tax administration performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In light of recently accelerating global warming, the changes in vegetation trends are vital for the monitoring of the dynamics of both whole ecosystems and individual species. Detecting changes within the time series of specific forest ecosystems or species is very important in the context of assessing their vulnerability to climate change and other negative phenomena. Hence, the aim of this paper was to identify the trend change points and periods of greening and browning in multi-annual time series of the normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI) and enhanced vegetation index (EVI) of four main forest-forming tree species in the temperate zone: pine, spruce, oak and beech. The research was conducted over the last two decades (2002–2022), and was based on vegetation indices data derived from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). To this end, several research approaches, including calculating the linear trends in the moving periods and BEAST algorithm, were adapted. A pattern of browning then greening then constant was detected for coniferous species, mostly pine. In turn, for broadleaved species, namely oak and beech, a pattern of greening then constant was identified, without the initial phase of browning. The main trend change points seem to be ca. 2006 and ca. 2015 for coniferous species and solely around 2015 for deciduous ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study assesses 24 European Union countries in terms of food security in 2021. In this paper, we develop a composite food security index considering various weights of indicators. The data were obtained from the FAOSTAT and Eurostat databases. The weights of 10 input indicators were estimated using a principal component analysis-based factor analysis model. The results showed that the harmonised index of consumer prices -- food had the greatest impact on the food security index, while the impact of median equivalised net income and moderate or severe food insecurity had the lowest impact. Ireland achieved the highest ranking according to the Food Security Index. Bulgaria experienced the most unfavourable situation among EU countries. Slovakia ranked 22nd out of 24 countries due to its lowest protein supply, including animal-derived proteins. As part of the analysis, our research compared the food security index with the official Global Food Security Index. The Spearman's rank correlation coefficient of 0.84 indicated a robust correlation between the two indexes. Consequently, this newly developed Food Security Index is appropriate for assessing the food security status of European Union countries. Furthermore, it broadens the assessment of food security by including countries that are not in the commonly used Global Food Security Index (GFSI). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Geographic atrophy is an eye disease that greatly interferes with the daily lives of patients and their families, posing a serious threat to the aging European demographic. Over the past 30 months, this initiative has assembled leading experts in the field of ophthalmology to share insights on the necessary policy steps that need to be taken to overcome this challenge on an EU-wide scale. Through analyzing best practices in Germany, Italy, France, and Spain, this consensus paper sets out a series of policy recommendations, which, if implemented, could greatly benefit all individuals affected by geographic atrophy. Amongst other features, these countries have provided valuable examples of awareness campaigns and an overall commitment to inclusive and comprehensive policies. The policy recommendations emerging from this paper include the adoption of comprehensive screening programs, retinal disease screening in the EU Driving License Directive, the development of a white paper at the European Commission, and the creation of Council recommendations on eye health screening. Given the significant improvements made at the national level throughout the EU, countries will require unitary support at the European level to further develop their policies and successfully address the burden of geographic atrophy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The perpetual attention towards tourism market segmentation remains a significant issue. Scholars and practitioners alike face a formidable task in tackling this issue, given its reflection of the dynamic and varied needs of tourists, influencing their purchasing choices and holiday concepts. To that end, the author endeavors to delineate various approaches to market segmentation within the travel industry focusing on individual movement patterns. The paper aims to explore and elucidate the prevailing trends in European tourist movement geography drawing from an extensive survey of news articles and the author's own observations and discoveries. In addition to delineating the predominant tourism segments of mass tourism and independent travel, this paper contributes further insights by highlighting contemporary market strategies, notably focusing on emerging segments such as LGBTG+ tourism, "Adults only" accommodations, and effective management strategies for online platforms like TripAdvisor and similar entities. The information foundation of thisA study is derived from curated sources including specialized online publications, official websites of Bulgarian and European tourism entities, perspectives from industry stakeholders, press communiqués from hotel chains and tour operators, alongside the author's experiential insights and findings. The research methodology encompasses a range of scientific methods, each serving distinct purposes and offering inherent value. Among the employed methods are observation, synthesis, and analysis, as well as geographical approaches, systematization, reviews of specialized online articles, sociological investigations and others. Following the current tourism trends in Europe moving from west to east, a detailed systematization of various market segments was produced highlighting their advantages and disadvantages as well as a parallel between mass tourism and independent travel. Special attention was paid to the advent of new hospitality models-sharing communities, vacation ownership, serviced apartments, co-living, co-working, the specifics of niche markets-culinary experience, ornithology, railway backpackers, and the use and inclusion of latest trends and strategies-LGBTQ+, artificial intelligence and inclusion of handicapped people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to analyze papers that have been published in the Journal of European Real Estate Research since its inception in 2008. Design/methodology/approach: The author analyzes papers published from 2008 to 2019 in the Journal of European Real Estate Research by authors' country of affiliation, by country of study and by theme. Findings: The Journal of European Real Estate Research publishes papers from scholars from an increasing number of countries, in particular in Central and Eastern Europe. Papers that provide a comparative analysis of countries constitute the largest category of contributions. The three most popular themes remain housing, valuation and investment/portfolio management. However, the dynamics of the three categories differ notably. Originality/value: This paper provides for a clearer understanding of key dimensions of real estate research in Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper investigates the existence of an optimal point of the cash conversion cycle (CCC) and its components, which minimizes firms’ stock risk. Methodology: This study applies fixed effect models to a sample of firms listed in Euronext exchanges, from 2011 to 2019. Stock risk is proxied by the standard deviation of stock returns. The quadratic function of the CCC and its components (days sales outstanding – DSO, days sales inventory – DSI, and days payable outstanding – DPO) is applied to capture an optimal point of the working capital management (WCM). Results: Results show the existence of a U-shaped relation between WCM and stock risk, suggesting the existence of an optimal CCC and DSI point that minimizes stock risk Originality: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first paper that explores the existence of an optimal CCC point and also an optimal point of its components (DSO, DSI, and DPO), which minimizes stock risk. This paper is also the first to assess the impact of WCM on stock risk of firms listed in European stock exchanges. The results are also relevant to managers, shareholders, and investors since they demonstrate that firms can minimize the risk of their stocks by practicing an optimal WCM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As automation challenges labour markets across Europe, research in political science is pointing towards the socially corrosive link between such technological change and political dissatisfaction. In this paper, I extend this research agenda by looking at the relation between automation risk and incumbent support in 20 European countries between 2012 and 2018. I find strong support for the notion that workers with substantial exposure to automation risk are more likely to reject governments at the ballot box. Importantly, however, these findings indicate that this anti-incumbent voting is less prevalent among theoretically at-risk workers who enjoy some level of protection, in the form of permanent contracts, co-determination rights or higher educational attainment. As such, this paper argues that technological occupation risk should be seen as feeding into broader labour market risks faced by voters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Raumforschung und Raumordnung is the property of Oekom Verlag GmbH 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 abstract 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 abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Purpose: This paper investigates the logistics management in the e-grocery sector. It contrasts the key issues faced by practitioners and the topics addressed in the academic literature, to identify potential misalignments between research and practice and propose avenues for future efforts. Design/methodology/approach: This work adopts a twofold methodological approach. From an academic perspective, a systematic literature review (SLR) is performed to define the topics addressed so far by scholars when analysing e-grocery logistics. From a managerial perspective, a Delphi study is accomplished to identify the most significant issues faced by logistics practitioners in the e-grocery context and the associated significance. Findings: The study develops a conceptual framework, identifying and mapping the 9 main logistics challenges for e-grocery along 4 clusters, in the light of a logistics-related revision of the SCOR model: distribution network design (area to be served, infrastructures), order fulfilment process (picking, order storage, consolidation, delivery), logistics-related choices from other domains (product range, stock-out management) and automation. These elements are discussed along three dimensions: criticalities, basic and advanced/automation-based solutions. Finally, the main gaps are identified – in terms of both under-investigated topics (order storage and stock-out management) and investigated topics needing further research (picking and automation) – and research questions and hypotheses are outlined. Originality/value: This paper provides a threefold contribution, revolving around the developed framework. First, it investigates the state of the art about e-grocery logistics, classifying the addressed themes. Second, it explores the main issues e-grocery introduces for logistics practitioners. Third, it contrasts the two outcomes, identifying the misalignment between research and practice, and accordingly, proposing research directions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on the Italian multiword expression fuga dei cervelli (en. 'brain drain'), used since the 1960s and, nowadays, pivot of an ideologically oriented storytelling. This work aims to shed some light, in particular, on the following points: frequency evolution (in comparison to English, French, Spanish and German synonimes); lexical integration strategies and paths; transformations (variants, derived collocations, parodic reformulations, etc.); used synonimes; referential scope (who fugge 'runs away' from where?); conclusions are dedicated to outline future steps of the research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Investigaciones Turisticas is the property of Investigaciones Turisticas 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 abstract 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 abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper explores the relationship between working capital management (WCM) strategies and business performance during the COVID-19 crisis. Data from 1,067 non-financial European firms from 33 countries distributed across 6 economic sectors in the period from 2015 to 2021, feed Ordinary Least Squares model (OLS), robust and quantile pooled regression. COVID-19 crisis seems to have negatively influenced only median-low-range performance firms in Europe, showing that crisis coming from productive capacity hibernation do not impact nor impose tough slow recovery, transversal to all firms, as occurred on other financial crises. As for WCM, only median-top-range performance firms had significant statistical evidence for negative impact, that become positive for median-range performance firms during COVID-19. For Eurozone firms, there was an additional positive influence of the WCM on performance during COVID-19. Median-range performance firms seems to benefit from conservative WCM strategies mitigating firms' performance negative effect raised by COVID-19 crisis. Relation between COVID-19 and WCM seems to be sensitive to different levels of firms' performance and to different business' economic sector. Contrary to knowledge on WCM, performance and financial crises in Europe, for COVID-19 alike crises, performance benefits from higher cash conversion cycles and thus encourage conservative WCM strategies. Liquidity should not be pushed by adopting aggressive WCM strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As towering wooden edifices (≥8 stories) become a rapidly expanding and promising field, they provide substantial environmental and economic advantages throughout their entire lifespans, leading to their increasing popularity, especially in the European context. Similar to various other construction forms, spatial efficiency is a vital design criterion in timber buildings to guarantee the viability of a project. Currently, there is no thorough study on spatial efficiency in these towers in Europe, which is home to the majority of the world's timber towers. This paper examined data from 56 cases to improve comprehension of the planning factors affecting space efficiency in these buildings. The main findings showed that the average space efficiency across the analyzed examples was documented at 82%, with deviations spanning from 70% to 90%, the average core area to gross floor area (GFA) ratio was determined to be 11%, ranging from 4% to 21%, and no substantial difference was noted in the impact of core arrangements on space efficiency, and parallel findings were observed for forms and construction materials. This article aspires to provide architectural designers with essential perspectives, assisting and directing them in the conception and realization of upcoming ventures both across Europe and internationally in this domain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the connection between climate change and energy security in Europe and provides empirical evidence that these issues are the two faces of the same coin. Using a panel of 39 European countries during the period 1980–2020, the empirical analysis presented in this paper indicates that increasing the share of nuclear, renewables, and other nonhydrocarbon energy and improving energy efficiency could lead to a significant reduction in carbon emissions and improve energy security throughout Europe. Accordingly, policies and reforms aimed at shifting away from hydrocarbons and increasing energy efficiency in distribution and consumption are key to mitigating climate change, reducing energy dependence, and minimizing exposure to energy price volatility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research has asked whether European integration leads to the formation of a new kind of 'transnational class' or 'elite' in and around the European institutions in Brussels. This paper focuses instead on intra‐group distinctions and symbolic boundaries between EU professionals from different countries. Drawing on Bourdieu's notion of language as a marker of distinction, it argues that language continues to be a resource for symbolic boundary making. Empirically, this paper builds on in‐depth interviews with officials of the European Commission, who are at the heart of an emerging transnational elite of EU professionals. It shows that while Commission officials are multilingual and use multilingualism to construct themselves as a transnational group, intra‐group symbolic boundaries continue to be drawn based on competence in the Commission's two main working languages, English and French. Overall, this paper points out the overlooked importance of language differences for transnational professionals' symbolic boundary making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Landscape, as an essential component of quality of life for humans all over the world, is undergoing a period of rapid and profound changes, mainly due to such phenomena as climate challenges and social crises. Landscape Architects, more than ever, are expected to play a significant role in responding to current environmental and social challenges. Although many claim that Landscape Architecture is the profession of the 21st century, it is still struggling to gain proper recognition worldwide and in Europe. In the meantime, numerous legal instruments have been developed to facilitate the regulation of various professions in Europe. This paper aims to map the status and factors affecting the regulation process across Europe and investigate the role of legislation and legal recognition regarding Landscape Architect's services, their professional title, and mobility. In order to achieve such goals, a short literature overview of the most recent and relevant research of mapping the profession and studies undertaken by IFLA Europe was performed as well as a collection of data for the survey and the composition of a questionnaire that was sent to all Delegates of the National Associations. The results were compiled into separate documents for the regulated and non-regulated countries. They present the specificities of the profession that constitute the basis for its regulation, the importance of the legal recognition of the profession for a stronger professional environment for Landscape Architects, and the catalyst role of legislation determining professional recognition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a comprehensive survey of recent literature on European energy system modeling and analysis with special focus on grid development. Spanning the years from 2013 to 2023, we analyze 59 selected articles, organizing them by geographical scope, grid expansion strategies, research focus, and methodology. Additionally, we provide an overview of established and recurring frameworks, including ELMOD, EMPIRE, AnyMOD, LIMES, TIMES, FlexPlan, PyPSA, REMix, and Balmorel. Further, we elaborate on the recent trends in research and modeling. Based on our observations, we propose avenues for future research. For instance, considering recent changes in the geopolitical environment, we suggest shifting the geographical research focus from the North Sea region to the Central and Eastern European regions. Other suggestions include investigating grid development under imperfect market competition, merging the study of grid development with sector coupling, and increasing the focus on blue hydrogen, which appear to not receive much focus, as opposed to green hydrogen. Overall, this work may serve as a useful resource for newcomers to grid-related research and a practical guide for seasoned researchers in the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies on immigrant fertility typically compare immigrants and natives or different migrant groups at the same destination but rarely immigrants of the same origins in different destination countries. In this paper, we look at immigrants from multiple origins in multiple destination countries simultaneously, using the European Union Labour Force Survey to compare female immigrants from ten areas of origin in eight destination countries in Europe. Our results indicate a strong origin effect. However, they also suggest that when women migrate to a context where the fertility norm is different from that in their origin, they adjust their behaviors accordingly, which indicates that policy and normative context play an important role in shaping migrants' fertility. From a policy perspective, this is important because it suggests that the fertility of immigrant women, who are exposed to different norms and normative contexts, can resemble that of native women at the destination. Our findings contribute to strengthening the role of destination in shaping fertility behavior and highlighting the importance of looking at all the possible combinations of immigrants coming from and going to different fertility regimes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research background: Internal business factors are vital to how a company achieves its goals. The present study of internal drivers of pharmaceutical company performance is very insightful, as it has the potential to boost further competitiveness, it may allow health authority personnel to have guidelines to make strategic decisions, as well as inspire investor confidence, ensure regulatory compliance and performance benchmarking, and support talent acquisition and retention. In addition, it can identify the important internal factors that need to receive more priority. Purpose of the article: The European pharmaceutical industry is currently facing multiple challenges. This paper aims to map the relative relationships among the internal factors that influence the business performance of pharmaceutical companies in Europe by using the DEMATEL approach. Method: There are two phases of the present study, an extensive literature review and the use of the decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) technique. To identify the key internal drivers and their cause-and-effect relationship with pharmaceutical company performance in Europe, data from experts were obtained using the predesigned DEMATEL questionnaire. Findings & value added: The extensive literature review from the Web of Science and Scopus databases found that seven internal factors are very demanding in the case of European pharmaceutical business performance. The main elements that have the highest impact on pharmaceutical business performance in Europe are human resources competencies, the information system, technological competitiveness, and the patent system. However, financial profitability, research and development competencies, alliances with other companies, and supply chain management are the factors that are affected more by other factors. The study is the first attempt to identify the internal business performance of the pharmaceutical sector in Europe by working with pragmatic and perceptive decisions from pharmaceutical stakeholders in Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we provide integrative description (morphological and genetic) of the new eutardigrade species Mesobiotus mandalorisp. nov. from central Poland, found during research on the vertical distribution of Tardigrada in the Czerniejewskie Forests. Mesobiotus mandalorisp. nov. belongs to the harmsworthi group, but it differs from the members of this group in some morphometric characters of the bucco-pharyngeal apparatus, claws and/or eggs. Morphologically, Meb. mandalorisp. nov. is most similar to Meb. pseudocoronatus, but it differs from it by a larger bare egg diameter and smaller number of egg processes on egg circumference. Morphometrical data were supported by results of comparative genetic analysis of four molecular markers: 18S rRNA, 28S rRNA, ITS2 and COI. According to COI the new species is most similar to Meb. skorackii with the genetic distance of 21.1%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic sparked radical changes in the way life was lived around the globe. With the rapid reduction in human mobility, short-term environmental improvements were seen across the world. Work and social routines were altered, and political action to reduce case numbers seemed to open a window of opportunity for socio-environmental change in a post-pandemic world. Inspired by conversations around the "COVID-19 Anthropause," this paper probes the lived experiences and reflections that emerged in the pandemic pause. Three years after the onset of the pandemic, many initial environmental gains have been limited. Nonetheless, the COVID-19 Anthropause has brought human–environment relations into new light, sparking introspection and forms of broader social critique surrounding what kinds of socio-political courage and structural change is necessary to achieve new post-pandemic realities. Our research shows the heterogeneity of experiences of the Anthropause, highlighting the ways that uncritical engagement with the concept can obscure overlapping structural inequalities, and reinforce harmful binaries around the presence and absence of humans in nature. Drawing on longitudinal, qualitative data from Latin America and Europe, we enrich debates over the implications of the pandemic for human–environment relations and underscore the need to attend to radical forms of difference amid any global environmental concept. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of economic instruments within environmental policy has become a challenging topic for policymakers, governments and scholars. Environmental taxes have emerged as a prevailing preference in developed countries to promote sustainability. Recently, a particular focus has been given to waste generation and disposal, shifting the attention from greenhouse gases to another important source of environmental pollution. This paper investigates the effect of national environmental taxes and policies on industrial waste. A fixed effects model is used for 34 countries across Europe from 2004 to 2022. The results suggest that environmental taxes and energy policies reduce industrial (hazardous and non-hazardous) waste. However, environmental tax reforms should take into consideration the deterioration in environmental quality, the increase in economic costs and undesirable social consequences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Immigrant minority (IM) languages have a significant presence in certain European regions. Nonetheless, these languages are not usually included in the school curriculum. This paper aims to analyse the studies published between 2010 and 2020 considering IM languages in multilingual European education contexts. The method included a search of academic papers published in the databases ERIC, Web of Science and Scopus, which yielded 42 studies. The studies were analysed by considering (1) the demographic characteristics of the countries where the studies were conducted, (2) the sociolinguistic or psycholinguistic focus of the papers in relation to the European country, and (3) the characteristics of the bi-multilingual education programme including IM languages. The results indicate that (1) the demographic characteristics of the country are not strictly related to the number of studies published, (2) most studies have a sociolinguistic approach even though many studies analyse both sociolinguistic and psycholinguistic factors, and (3) only seven multilingual education programmes including IM languages were described in these papers. We conclude that there is a lack of research focusing on IM languages in educational settings and discuss how addressing these gaps could create opportunities for building equitable multilingual communities in Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In times of crisis, journalism's own history needs to be reflected upon, both from within and from outside the newsroom. This paper attempts both. From a scientific perspective, we examined the process of the digitalization of journalism and then asked journalists from different generations to reflect on this process. Based on data gathered from these semi-structured interviews with German journalists, our paper presents their evaluation on the evolution from analog to digital journalism—from retired male reporters who wrote most of their articles on typewriters to young female data journalists. The interviews with journalists—including local newspaper reporters, public broadcasting services and news magazines' editors, freelancers and former German Democratic Republic (GDR) journalists—are part of a larger funded research project on German journalism. Their analysis reveals a common problematization of the growing pace of news production and the hybridization of media formats. The qualitative data confirm data from quantitative surveys on journalism and can help international journalism research to get an in-depth understanding on how journalists perceive the changes over the last decades in their trade. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to examine potential diversification benefits between Eurozone (i.e. EURO STOXX 50) and key Asia markets: HSI (Hong Kong), KOSPI (South Korea), NIKKEI 225 (Japan) and TSEC (Taiwan). The sample covers the period from 04-01-2008 to 19-10-2023 in daily frequency. Design/methodology/approach: The empirical investigation is based on the wavelet coherence analysis, which is a localized correlation coefficient in the time and frequency domain. Findings: The results provide evidence that long-term diversification benefits exist between EURO STOXX and NIKKEI, EURO STOXX and KOSPI (after 2015) and there are signs for the pair and EURO STOXX-TSEC (after 2014). During the short term, there are signs of diversification benefits during the sample period. However, during the medium term, the diversification benefits seem to diminish. Originality/value: These results have crucial implications for investors regarding the benefits of international portfolio diversification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Oral health professional (OHP) education is likely to vary across Europe in accordance with an EU directive that is open to broad interpretation. It is not clear how OHP curricula are structured or delivered across Europe. The objectives of Part 2 of this paper series are: (i) to provide an overview of common practices in curriculum structure, the availability of facilities, staffing (faculty) and quality assurance processes and (ii) to consider how the existing programme structures align to stakeholder guidance documents. Methods: A total of 27 questions from a 91‐item questionnaire were used for this manuscript. The questionnaire was developed following the Delphi method to establish consensus from a group of experts. Members of the research team and colleagues from other countries in Europe completed a multi‐step piloting process. An online data hub was created to allow the respondents to be data controllers and respond to the questionnaire. ADEE member schools (n = 144) were invited to provide data. Results: Totally, 71 institutions from 25 European countries provided data between June 2021 and April 2023, which represents a response rate of 49.3% of ADEE members. Data on curriculum approaches, teaching methods, integration of topics of interest, clinical education, staff–student ratios, access to facilities and new technologies, teaching staff (faculty) and quality assurance processes are presented for Primary Dental Degree Programmes. Conclusion: To the best of our knowledge, this series of papers are the first attempts to provide a comprehensive overview of OHP education in Europe. Results showed that the majority of European dental programmes are engaged in providing innovative and scientifically grounded education in order to develop quality future OHPs. Nevertheless, significant variability in the delivery of clinical education across the European OHP schools was notable in this dataset. A comprehensive view of the state of OHP education in Europe is not yet available but the O‐Health‐Edu data hub provides a means for all education providers in Europe to contribute data to reach this goal. It is anticipated that the data hub will be updated and built upon over time to continually establish a clearer picture of the state of OHP education in Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim was to describe biomedical retractions and analyse those retracted in 2000–2021 due to research misconduct among authors affiliated with European institutions. A cross-sectional study was conducted, using Retraction Watch database, Journal Citation Reports and PubMed as data sources. Biomedical original papers, reviews, case reports and letters with at least one author affiliated with an European institution retracted between 01/01/2000 and 30/06/2021 were included. We characterized rates over time and conducted an analysis on the 4 countries with the highest number of retractions: Germany, United Kingdom, Italy and Spain. 2069 publications were identified. Retraction rates increased from 10.7 to 44.8 per 100,000 publications between 2000 and 2020. Research misconduct accounted for most retractions (66.8%). The reasons for misconduct-related retractions shifted over time, ranging from problems of copyright and authorship in 2000 (2.5 per 100,000 publications) to duplication in 2020 (8.6 per 100,000 publications). In 2020, the main reason was fabrication and falsification in the United Kingdom (6.2 per 100,000 publications) and duplication in Spain (13.2 per 100,000 publications).Retractions of papers by authors affiliated with European institutions are increasing and are primarily due to research misconduct. The type of misconduct has changed over time and differ between European countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper attempts to present the intellectual legacy of Albert Wesselski (Vienna, 1871–Prague, 1939), a partly forgotten great figure of literary and textual folkloristic comparatistics of the first half of the 20th century, and argues for his timeliness. While he also played an important role as a literary mediator and translator (e.g. translations and interpretations of Boccaccio and Dante, translations of medieval Italian, French and Flemish folklore texts), he was primarily concerned with questions of the origins of European and Asian fairy tales, the problem of the processes of transmission and genre theory. He presented the transnational and transcontinental connections between individual (fairy-tale) texts in his reflections, which were based on his exceptional erudition and knowledge of the material. His views on the essentially literary origins of fairytale material were disputed by many in his day, but at least some of them now seem to be confirmed. His comparative method can be an inspiration for those working with folklore and literary texts, both here and now. The present paper attempts to provide a sketchy overview of the early stages of Wesselski’s oeuvre and to inspire further reflection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to examine the influence of religious backgrounds and religiosity on three dimensions of household finance (the decision to hold secured debt, the likelihood of being in a state of financial distress and the likelihood of being in a state of financial well-being) across a large sample of European countries. Design/methodology/approach: The study uses data from the European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC) data set, spanning from 2004 to 2018. The authors conduct regression analysis to examine the relationship between religion and household financial choices. Findings: The study finds that belonging to a predominantly Catholic or Orthodox (Protestant) country is negatively (positively) associated with the likelihood of holding a mortgage. Belonging to a mostly Catholic (Protestant) country is negatively (positively) associated with the likelihood of being in a state of financial distress. Belonging to a predominantly Catholic (Protestant) country is positively (negatively) associated with the likelihood of being in a state of financial well-being. These relationships remain robust after controlling for a large number of demographic and economic variables. Originality/value: In this paper, the authors analyze for the first time the impact of religion on household finance in a wide range of European countries. It is also the first time that the EU-SILC database, which aggregates data on more than three million European households, is used for the study of this topic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]