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As part of a randomized controlled trial conducted in Myanmar between 2016 and 2019, we explore the performance of a maternal cash transfer program across villages assigned to different models of delivery (by government health workers vs loan agents of a non-governmental organization) and identify key factors of success. Measures include enrolment inclusion and exclusion errors, failures in payment delivery to enrolled beneficiaries (whether beneficiaries received any transfer, fraction of benefits received and whether there were delays and underpayment of benefit amounts) and whether beneficiaries remained in the program beyond eligibility. We find that women in villages where government health workers delivered cash transfers received on average two additional monthly transfers, were 19.7% more likely to receive payments on time and in-full and were 14.6% less likely to stay in the program beyond eligibility. With respect to the primary health objective of the program—child nutrition—we find that children whose mother received cash by government health workers were less likely to be chronically malnourished compared to those whose mother received cash by loan agents. Overall, the delivery of cash transfers to mothers of young children by government health workers outperforms the delivery by loan agents in rural Myanmar. Qualitative evidence suggests two key factors of success: (1) trusted presence and past interactions with targeted beneficiaries and complementarities between government health workers' expertise and the program; and (2) performance incentives based on specific health objectives along with top-down monitoring. We cannot exclude that other incentives or intrinsic motivation also played a role. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Animal Conservation is the property of Wiley-Blackwell 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.)

Scholars and policymakers widely view identity as a key driver of African citizens' political engagement. In doing so, however, they have emphasized ethnicity and largely sidelined other identities, including gender, local origin, shared residency, and partisanship. In this paper, we explore which identities drive political engagement and why they do so. We employ an original survey experiment that includes various identities and other incentives that may drive citizens' participation around Zambia's 2021 national elections. We find that partisanship most influences individuals' stated willingness to campaign for a candidate or meet with an MP, while ethnicity and social incentives play less significant roles. Finally, we explore the mechanisms underpinning these results and find that citizens anticipate sanctions if they fail to support a co-partisan but not a co-ethnic candidate. These findings have important implications for understanding political engagement and democratic development throughout the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ethnic defection has been identified as a potential game changer in conflicts. However, the factors that enable this process require further study. One factor that has been often overlooked is that of social identity and, more particularly, identity leadership. Ethnic defection is a social as much as it is a political process. Incumbents who can utilize this element may be more successful in encouraging a continuous and more persistent process of ethnic defection. A particularly useful tool for counterinsurgency (COIN) leaders to function as identity leaders is that of militias. Traditionally perceived in the literature as ad hoc outcomes of defection, this article demonstrates how militia recruitment can serve as a platform for recruiters to serve as identity leaders and create among recruits a distinct sense of identity that further distances them from other group members and strengthens their group identity. Success in enabling this group categorization could pave the way for more defectors to switch to the government side in a way less relevant than material incentives. The article illustrates this process by employing the case of Israel's recruitment of Shi'a defectors into pro‐Israel militias in South Lebanon and the Security Belt during the 1980s and 1990s. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Engineering Management / Gongcheng Guanli Xuebao is the property of Journal of Engineering Management Editorial Office 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.)

Copyright of Journal of Engineering Management / Gongcheng Guanli Xuebao is the property of Journal of Engineering Management Editorial Office 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.)

Despite the prevalence of nonroutine analytical team tasks in modern economies, little is understood regarding how incentives influence performance in these tasks. In a series of field experiments involving more than 5,000 participants, we investigate how incentives alter behavior in teams working on such a task. We document a positive effect of bonus incentives on performance, even among teams with strong intrinsic motivation. Bonuses also transform team organization by enhancing the demand for leadership. Exogenously increasing teams' demand for leadership results in performance improvements comparable to those seen with bonus incentives, rendering it as a likely mediator of incentive effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Consensus mechanism (CM) is the heart and soul of blockchain, for it allows nodes in a blockchain network to reach an agreement on the state of system execution. Among the CMs, the right for constructing the next new block is regarded as the most important one since it is required for the blockchain to grow so that transaction data can be recorded in it. Proof-of-work (PoW) is an efficient CM since it allows all the nodes to participate equally in the competition for the right. However, high energy consumption makes PoW less desirable for applications. Moreover, application-oriented blockchains should employ CMs that could reflect some main characteristics of the applications to facilitate the development of other mechanisms, such as the incentive mechanisms. Proof-of-contribution (PoC) is an effective, application-oriented CM since the right for constructing the next new block is determined by contributions made by the nodes and the node that has accumulated the highest contribution value (CV) gets the right. PoC is a general-purpose CM since the behavior of nodes can be characterized in the form of contributions. However, the deterministic nature of PoC as the result of ranking nodes based on CVs may lower efficiency since nodes could fail to function due to network delay, node failure or node's simply dropping out of the network. This paper proposes to design highly effective and efficient CMs by integrating PoC with PoW, which we refer to as PoCW. In PoCW, nodes compete for the right for constructing the next new block based on PoW after being assigned different difficulty values (DVs) based on the ranking of their CVs. Since assigning DVs strictly according to the ranking of CVs would make PoCW resemble PoC while assigning the same DV to all the nodes would make PoCW the same as PoW, PoCW could be designed as a class of CMs through applying different DV assignment strategies to meet the effectiveness and efficiency requirements of a variety of applications. We can further apply the same principle at finer levels of granularity by dynamically grouping nodes along the ranking of CVs and then applying different DV assignment strategies to different groups. The paper will first describe a generic PoCW without involving node grouping and then present the design of a general PoCW through applying an example node grouping method to demonstrate the feasibility of PoCW as a general-purpose CM for blockchain-based applications. Experiments were also conducted to demonstrate the effectiveness and the efficiency of PoCW as well as its advantages over comparable CMs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Based on the perspectives of social capital, image motivation and motivation affordances, this paper explores the direct and moderation effects of different kinds of motivations (i.e. relationship-based motivation, community-based motivation and individual-based motivation) on users' continuous knowledge contributions in social question and answer (Q&A) communities. Design/methodology/approach: The authors collect the panel data of 10,193 users from a popular social Q&A community in China. Then, a negative binomial regression model is adopted to analyze the collected data. Findings: The paper demonstrates that social learning, peer recognition and knowledge seeking positively affect users' continuous contribution behaviors. However, the results also show that social exposure has the opposite effect. In addition, self-presentation is found to moderate the influence of social factors on users' continuous use behaviors, while the moderation effect of motivation affordances has no significance. Originality/value: First, this study develops a comprehensive motivation framework that helps gain deeper insights into the underlying mechanism of knowledge contribution in social Q&A communities. Second, this study conducts panel data analysis to capture the impacts of motivations over time, rather than intentions at a fixed time point. Third, the findings can help operators of social Q&A communities to optimize community norms and incentive mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study applied a synthetic control method (SCM) to investigate the impacts of state electric vehicle purchase incentives implemented in the United States between 2011 and 2018. The goal was to develop a model to replicate the impacts of PEV (plug-in electric vehicle) incentives on vehicle sales given the socio-economic characteristics of the treatment states. The goodness-of-fit between trajectories reproduced by SCM and the corresponding treatment region provides a clear means of visualizing the effectiveness of the model and results. For example, the results show that Georgia income tax credits appear to have induced 17,000 BEV (battery electric vehicle) sales between January 2011 and July 2015. The SCM analysis was also applied to other states, showing that the SCM methodology can represent PEV sales in many states in the United States. Accordingly, the modeling results suggest that incentives implemented in some U.S. states were effective in promoting PEV sales. The study also concluded that the SCM with a weighting factor between 0 and 1 (i.e., extrapolation avoided) may not be the approach of a choice for the states whose demographic/economic attributes significantly deviate from the control regions, or the states that implement "unique" programs, because there are insufficient system data for counterfactual analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How do performance incentives impact subjective experiences of mental effort? Incentives may offset the costs of effort expenditure, resulting in reduced feelings of effort. Or they could lead to an increase in effort expenditure and a corresponding increase in feelings of effort. We tested the influence of incentives on experiences of effort, fatigue, and affect in a series of four experiments (N = 894). Participants completed a mentally challenging task (an n-back task) under conditions of a monetary incentive for good performance or no incentive, manipulated in both within-subjects and between-subjects experimental designs. Results revealed that incentives increased feelings of mental effort, especially in within-subjects designs. Incentives also increased pleasant affect and reduced fatigue, especially in between-subjects designs. One implication of these findings is that incentives for good performance increase mental effort and task engagement without increasing aversive affective states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mobile crowdsensing (MCS) utilizes the mobility of participating users and relies on the sensing ability of user devices to complete high-quality sensing tasks with limited cost. Designing an incentive mechanism that maximizes revenue for both service provider and users while ensuring the quality of sensing data and preserving users' privacy remains a challenge in many scenarios. In this paper, we try to design an privacy-preserving incentive scheme based on DRL and Stackelberg game model which is dedicated to MCS. The proposed incentive mechanism is based on a two-stage Stackelberg game, in which the service provider is the leader and the user devices are the followers. We construct the relationship between user devices as a non-cooperative game and prove the existence and uniqueness of Nash equilibrium (NE) in this game. Considering the cost and quality of sensing data, we use the reputation constraint mechanism as the evaluation standard of data quality, and include sensing cost as indicator. Different from the traditional NE derivation method, we adopt deep reinforcement learning (DRL) approach (called PPO-DSIM) to derive NE and the optimal sensing strategy while protecting the user's private information. Numerical simulation results show the convergence and effectiveness of the PPO-DSIM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green development has gradually become the main theme of the current world economic development. Green transformation development and cracking the contradiction between ecology and economy need to build an effective ecological capital operation system and mechanism to support, encourage the effective operation of regional ecological capital, promote the appreciation and preservation of ecological capital, and escort the operation. This paper constructs a four-in-one regional ecological capital operation mechanism system, in which the "accumulation mechanism" is the prerequisite, the "conversion mechanism" is the key link, the "compensation mechanism" is an important supplement, and the "incentive mechanism" is the safeguard measure, which aims to ensure the smooth progress of the construction of beautiful China in the new era and realize the socialist modern power. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article notes that after the Republic of Azerbaijan gained independence, reforms began in the country aimed at protecting human rights at the highest level and establishing these rights. In modern times, people's labor activity is associated with the use of complex production tools and means. Protection of an employee's right to labor protection is quite multifaceted. The main guarantee of economic security is the constant, planned improvement of labor protection in production. The use of new mechanisms and incentive tools in the field of employee motivation is becoming an important requirement of our time. If just a few decades ago, employee motivation focused on increasing wages and financial security, now these factors alone cannot be considered sufficient for the effective organization of staff work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The design of government subsidies is essential in supporting collaborative innovation and promoting sustainable development in R&D networks. This study explores the influence of different government subsidy strategies designed for R&D networks on inter-enterprise knowledge transfer. Drawing upon evolutionary game theory, it examines how impact is contingent upon enterprises' risk attitudes and reputation effects. The results indicate that when enterprises exhibit homogeneous risk attitudes, government subsidy policies encouraging risk-seeking behaviors can effectively enhance the knowledge-transferring level. When enterprises possess heterogeneous risk attitudes, a greater diversity of risk attitudes leads to a more conducive environment for knowledge transfer. Incorporating a rigorous reputation tolerance into the design of government subsidies in R&D networks can effectively elevate knowledge transfer. Therefore, policymakers can design tailored government subsidies and incentive mechanisms grounded in enterprises' risk attitudes and reputation effects. This study provides theoretical and policy implications for designing government subsidies and collaboration in R&D networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since social media such as Facebook and X (formerly known as Twitter) have permeated various aspects of daily life, people have strong incentives to influence information dissemination on these platforms and differentiate their content from the fierce competition. Existing dissemination strategies typically employ marketing techniques, such as seeking publicity through renowned actors or targeted advertising placements. Despite their various forms, most simply spread information to strengthen user impressions without conducting formal analyses of specific influence enhancement. And coupled with high costs, most fall short of expectations. To this end, we ingeniously formulate the task of social media dissemination as poisoning attacks, which influence specified content's dissemination among target users by intervening in some users' social media behaviors (including retweeting, following, and profile modifying). Correspondingly, we propose a novel poisoning attack, Influence-based Social Media Attack (ISMA) to generate discrete poisoning behaviors, which is difficult to achieve with existing attacks. In ISMA, we first contribute an efficient influence evaluator to quantify the spread influence of poisoning behaviors. Based on the estimated influence, we then present an imperceptible hierarchical selector and a profile modification method ProMix to select influential behaviors to poison. Notably, our attack is driven by custom attack objectives, which allows one to flexibly design different optimization goals to change the information flow, which could solve the blindness of existing influence maximization methods. Besides, behaviors such as retweeting are gentle and simple to implement. These properties make our attack more cost-effective and practical. Extensive experiments on two large-scale real-world datasets demonstrate the superiority of our method as it significantly outperforms baselines, and additionally, the proposed evaluator's analysis of user influence provides new insights for influence maximization on social media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cooperative research and development (R&D) has emerged as a highly effective strategy for enterprises to enhance their R&D efficiency and ease resource bottlenecks. However, these collaborations between enterprises are often difficult because of many variables. Given this, we use the quantum game to investigate the incentive mechanism for forming cooperative R&D strategic alliances between enterprises. First, we established a stag hunt game model based on cooperative R&D and independent R&D, then expanded the classical strategy to the quantum strategy space, discussed the strategic characteristics of whether to consider state entanglement, and finally conducted a case study to verify the effectiveness of the model. The results show that in the non-entangled scenario or non-quantum scenario; it is difficult to achieve the Pareto optimal result that both sides are in full cooperation because the full-effort one needs to bear the risk of betrayal by the on-effort one. However, in a maximally entangled quantum game, the risk incurred by the defector is borne by himself rather than the cooperator, so both parties will adopt a complete cooperative R&D strategy to achieve a win–win situation. Based on these findings, we establish three incentive mechanisms: information sharing, performance evaluation, and responsibility constraint, which provide theoretical guidance for the formation and stability of an enterprise cooperative R&D strategic alliance. Furthermore, we can extend our research to other fields, including the issues of multilateral cooperation between major powers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the environmental and socioeconomic challenges associated with monoculture rubber plantations, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) emphasized the importance of utilizing and protecting crop diversity for sustainable development of rubber industry in Thailand. However, the adoption of such technology remains relatively low that makes rubber crop diversity highly controversy in Thailand. Based on data collected from 2,159 rubber households between 2012 and 2014, this study aims to investigate the impacts of crop diversity adoption on the net income of rubber farmers in Thailand by using propensity score matching models. The findings reveal that adopting rubber crop diversity has a statistically significant negative effect on rubber farmers' net income. Specifically, those engaged in rubber crop diversity experience a lower net income per person ranging from − 11,785.29 baht to -10,887.21 baht comparing their counterparts practicing monoculture rubber farming. Furthermore, such significant negative effects are exclusively observed among smallholders and rubber farmers in southern regions. Given the implementation of rubber crop diversity system usually grants environmental benefits to the local eco-systems as positive externalities without market rewards, it is imperative to provide additional incentives and support mechanisms to steam up wider adoption of rubber crop diversity for ensuring long-term sustainability of rubber industry in Thailand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The engineering general contracting mode is an advanced engineering transaction mode, and design optimization is one of the important driving forces for vigorously promoting the general contracting mode. The application proportion of the general contracting mode in infrastructure projects is not high, the number of successful projects is not large, and the implementation effect is not ideal. One of the main reasons is that the design optimization theory and practice of international standard general contracting projects cannot adapt to the general contracting projects in the Chinese context, making local general contracting projects face huge challenges such as low enthusiasm for design optimization from all parties and unsatisfactory design optimization effects. Therefore, under the premise of bounded rationality, when the owner adopts control methods of different intensities, an evolutionary game study on the selection of design optimization strategies between the design and construction parties is carried out, and stability control strategies are proposed through case experiments and simulations. The research results indicate the following: firstly, the design optimization of general contracting projects in the Chinese context is feasible, but it depends on the distribution ratio of benefits obtained from the design optimization. Compared with general civil construction general contracting projects, the design optimization allocation ratio of industrial construction general contracting projects is more significant; secondly, the mixed control method of strong control and weak control is the optimal choice for the owner of the general contracting project; and thirdly, there are multiple evolutionary stable points, and mechanism design or incentive measures should be used to guide owners to choose weak control strategies, while design and construction parties should choose their design optimization strategies. The research results provide a reference for owners to determine the proportion and scheme of design optimization allocation, and for construction parties to determine design optimization strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relationship between halo effect and cross-regional commercialisation of technology in universities is a very important issue that has not been answered theoretically. Based on signal theory and information asymmetry theory, universities with different reputations have their scope of influence and competitive advantages, and studying the cross-regional commercialisation of technology under the political border effect is worthwhile. Given the panel data of universities directly under the Ministry of Education, the relationship between the cross-regional commercialisation of universities and their reputation is non-linear, that is, the reputation mechanism plays a prominent role after breaking the province boundary. Specifically, high-reputation universities have higher technology transfer advantages in interprovince commercialisation, whereas relatively low-reputation ones perform better in intraprovince commercialisation. Moreover, improving research quality can compensate for the disadvantage of low-reputation universities in cross-regional technology transfer, whereas government incentive policies can retain more research results from high-reputation universities locally. Our study provides theoretical guidance for the optimization and adjustment of science and technology achievement transfer policies in China, especially for promoting science and technology achievement transfer, as well as providing practical references for retaining high-quality science and technology achievements in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies a multi-task tournament in which each agent undertakes two tasks. Agents' efforts on one of the tasks create externalities on the performances of other competing agents. We discuss the design of an optimal tournament to achieve a social optimum in the presence of such externalities. In particular, we show that the traditional single-prized tournament is unable to elicit a social optimum, while a task-specific, multi-prized tournament proposed in this paper can achieve a socially optimal outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Research on the effect of executive equity incentives is equivocal. Based on agency theory, some scholars take the convergence of interest logic to highlight the benefits of executive equity incentives. In contrast, others adopt the entrenchment logic to emphasize the increased agency costs. This study attempts to reconcile the debate on executive equity incentives and integrates the opposing views to unveil how executive equity incentives impact corporate social responsibility (CSR) performance. Design/methodology/approach: Using the panel dataset of Chinese A-share listed firms from 2006 to 2022, this study integrates the convergence of interest and entrenchment logic to examine how executive equity incentives affect CSR performance. Findings: We find that the relationship between executive equity incentives and CSR performance follows an inverted U-shaped form. According to the convergence of interest logic, executive equity incentives reduce agency costs when allocating resources to engage in CSR activities and enable firms to increase their CSR investments, ultimately realizing increased CSR performance. After a threshold, however, the accumulation of extensive equity incentives causes the entrenchment effect, resulting in declined CSR performance. Our empirical results also shed new light on its contingent perspective – the inverted U-shaped relationship is attenuated when firms' stock liquidity is high. Originality/value: This study attempts to reconcile the debate on executive equity incentives and integrates the opposing views to unveil the inverted U-shaped relationship between executive equity incentives and CSR performance. Our study opens promising avenues for further research on corporate governance and CSR strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Arid Land Geography is the property of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology & Geography 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.)

Background: This study aims to examine the impact of different healthcare payment systems, specifically salary and fee-for-service (FFS) models, on service provision, patient welfare, and quality of care. The influence of payment models on healthcare delivery and patient outcomes, as well as how these models affect doctors' decision-making based on patients' insurance coverage, is not well understood. Methods: A medically framed real-effort task experiment was conducted. This study compared two payment systems: salary and FFS models. Key outcomes measured included the level of service provision, patient welfare, and quality of care. The analysis focused on how financial incentives and patient insurance coverage influenced healthcare decisions. Results: This study found overtreatment in FFS models and undertreatment in salary-based models. Healthcare decisions are significantly influenced by financial incentives and patient needs. Specifically, in FFS models, decisions are driven by self-interest, while in salary models, they are guided by patient needs. Within the FFS model, insurance coverage affects doctors' decisions and patients' benefits. Insured patients often receive unnecessary or incorrect procedures, indicating a supply-side moral hazard. Conclusions: Financial incentives and patient insurance coverage significantly influence healthcare decisions, with FFS models promoting self-interested decision-making and salary models focusing more on patient needs. This study contributes to the literature on supply-side moral hazard to health economics studies that use laboratory experiments to model medical decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Collaborative edge intelligence, a distributed computing paradigm, refers to a system where multiple edge devices work together to process data and perform distributed machine learning (DML) tasks locally. Decentralized Internet of Things (IoT) devices share knowledge and resources to improve the quality of service (QoS) of the system with reduced reliance on centralized cloud infrastructure. However, the paradigm is vulnerable to free-riding attacks, where some devices benefit from the collective intelligence without contributing their fair share, potentially disincentivizing collaboration and undermining the system's effectiveness. Moreover, data collected from heterogeneous IoT devices may contain biased information that decreases the prediction accuracy of DML models. To address these challenges, we propose a novel incentive mechanism that relies on time-dependent blockchain records and multi-access edge computing (MEC). We formulate the QoS problem as an unbounded multiple knapsack problem at the network edge. Furthermore, a decentralized valuation protocol is introduced atop blockchain to incentivize contributors and disincentivize free-riders. To improve model prediction accuracy within latency requirements, a data scheduling algorithm is given based on a curriculum learning framework. Based on our computer simulations using heterogeneous datasets, we identify two critical factors for enhancing the QoS in collaborative edge intelligence systems: (1) mitigating the impact of information loss and free-riders via decentralized data valuation and (2) optimizing the marginal utility of individual data samples by adaptive data scheduling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Federated learning (FL) is a prominent paradigm of 6G edge intelligence (EI), which mitigates privacy breaches and high communication pressure caused by conventional centralized model training in the artificial intelligence of things (AIoT). The execution of multimodal federated perception (MFP) services comprises three sub-processes, including sensing-based multimodal data generation, communication-based model transmission, and computing-based model training, ultimately competitive on available underlying multi-domain physical resources such as time, frequency, and computing power. How to reasonably coordinate the multi-domain resources scheduling among sensing, communication, and computing, therefore, is vital to the MFP networks. To address the above issues, this article explores service-oriented resource management with integrated sensing, communication, and computing (ISCC). Specifically, employing the incentive mechanism of the MFP service market, the resources management problem is defined as a social welfare maximization problem, where the concept of "expanding resources" and "reducing costs" is used to enhance learning performance gain and reduce resource costs. Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed resource scheduling mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

: Social control mechanisms are important for addressing drug abuse issues, not only to prevent drug use, but also to support individuals on their path to recovery. Therefore, this article discusses the mechanism of social control in dealing with the phenomenon of drug abuse, as well as aiding users in their journey towards recovery in Malaysia. This study employs a qualitative and content analysis approach, utilising data from various sources, including journals, articles, and book chapters. The discussion of the study found that social control mechanisms and incentives can support long-term recovery and prevent relapse when social control agents play a significant role. In this regard, persuasive and coercive social control, as mechanisms, and sanction, as well as incentives, as instruments, are often used to promote positive behaviour in alignment with societal values and norms. These are enforced by social control agents such as friends, family, community, law enforcement, legislative systems, and social service agencies. These agents work collaboratively to encourage recovery and prevent relapse. Hence, this article contributes to a better understanding of the potential of social control as a mechanism to support recovery from drug abuse in Malaysia. It also emphasizes the importance of a robust support system in helping individuals maintain positive behaviours and avoid relapse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In some developed countries with lower union density, bargaining coverage becomes almost universal through the extension of a collective agreement beyond union members to non-unionised employees. However, such extensions are criticised for creating a negative incentive for union membership, undermining the independence of unions vis-a-vis the state and distorting competition in the market. The current study presents a moderated mediation analysis to examine the relationship between union density and bargaining coverage through the bargaining level, using data from the OECD/AIAS's ICTWSS. Empirical results confirm that the extension has a positive moderated mediation impact on the link between union density and bargaining coverage with an indirect effect of bargaining level. Also, the conditional direct effect of the extension negatively interacts with the association between union density and bargaining coverage, while the conditional indirect effect of the extension positively moderates their relationship through the centralised bargaining level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: This work provides an overview of the incentives used for plasma donation in Europe and beyond. The overview can provide new ideas to blood establishments. Materials and Methods: We conducted a systematic online search of incentives used and asked national experts to validate the data across all European Union countries as well as other European and non‐European countries. We categorized the data into level of incentive (using the Nuffield Council on Bioethics' rungs [2011]) and country. Results: We analysed more than 490 organizations across 26 countries. Our findings reveal different incentives used in these countries. Snacks and pre‐donation health checks are commonly provided. In addition, loyalty programmes, small gifts, vouchers, lotteries, travel compensations and time off from work extend the strategic incentive portfolio. Only seven countries offer financial compensation ranging from the equivalent of 10–35€ for European countries. In countries with a decentralized model, where more than one organization collects plasma, we observe that more diversified incentive strategies are generally used, including monetary and non‐monetary incentives. In countries with a centralized model, where only one organization is allowed to collect plasma, financial compensation is usually not offered. Centralized plasma collection without financial compensation relies on a wider range of non‐monetary incentives than with financial compensation. Conclusion: The country group analysis offers valuable insights into the relationship between incentive strategies and the prevailing centralized versus decentralized plasma collection model. This overview provides a broader understanding of incentives used by blood establishments and offers avenues for future practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Consensus plays a crucial role in blockchain technology, with the deleted proof of stake (DPoS) consensus mechanism commonly utilized in both public and hybrid chains. However, the current DPoS mechanism faces challenges such as low node engagement in voting and potential security risks posed by malicious nodes. In response, we propose the DL-DPoS (deep link–delegated proof of stake) mechanism, which builds upon the DPoS framework. The DL-DPoS incorporates the LINK incentive mechanism to encourage inactive nodes to participate in voting and leader selection. Furthermore, a comprehensive credit scoring system based on wealth, performance, and stability is introduced to enhance the security of elected nodes. The verification process is optimized to involve all nodes except the leader node, and mechanisms are in place to handle malicious attacks by degrading or removing offending nodes and redistributing their responsibilities to the LINK group. Performance testing of the DL-DPoS mechanism, conducted through blockchain simulation tests using the GO language, shows a 23% increase in throughput compared to DPoS, with over 95% node participation and improved distribution of rights and equity. These results indicate the enhanced performance, security, and stability of the DL-DPoS consensus mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Blockchain for local communities are blockchain-based applications that support the participation of people in the social and economic life of their local community. These applications leverage tokenization to enable socioeconomic processes involving transactions of values where community members take part actively and intentionally. In this field, mechanisms that regulate the functioning of blockchains need to be redirected towards collaborative and social purposes that often differ from the logics on which mainstream cryptocurrencies are based. In order to redesign these mechanisms, sound examination of their system of tokenization and of dynamics of their token economy is required. This paper provides an exploratory review of token economy elements found within cases of blockchain for local community economies, which is an under-explored domain in the relevant literature. The analysis considers 9 projects for systems that incentivize or reward participation, or implement community currency schemes. The dimensions analyzed encompass the type of goals and communities, the blockchains adopted, and token economy design aspects such as: token types, their distribution and incentive mechanisms, the associated platform/wallet functionalities, and the project governance models. We have observed a variety of combinations of these elements being used to facilitate new forms of value circulation. However, there is a tension between the aspiration to introduce transformative systems and the need to ensure the stability of the economic framework. The highly experimental nature of these initiatives requires continuous monitoring of their emergence and development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Typical adolescent diets do not meet current dietary recommendations. There is a need to address these dietary patterns to reduce the risk of obesity and other diet-related diseases. Schools provide an opportune setting to do so, as students consume a substantial proportion of their daily dietary intake whilst at school. There is a developing evidence base on the use of choice architecture (food choice cues) to promote healthy eating in school contexts. It is necessary to understand the acceptability and feasibility of implementing such interventions. We aimed to explore these factors from the perspectives of secondary school caterers. Methods: We conducted qualitative interviews with caterers from secondary schools across the West Midlands, UK and national/regional catering representatives. A semi-structured topic guide and visual aid were used to guide interviews. Interviews were recorded and transcribed. Framework analysis was conducted in NVivo v12. Results: Twelve participants took part. Seven themes were identified and grouped into three categories: Acceptability (Suitability; Salient cues; Student engagement), Barriers (Catering decision drivers; Limits of influence), and Enablers (Perceived role; Opportunities). Caterers considered healthy food cues to be suited to adolescents as they require minimal reflective motivation. Salient cues included enhancing the placement, presentation and portability of healthy items, improving the dining environment and focusing pricing/incentive strategies on increased quantity. Student engagement was considered important. Some catering decision drivers conflicted with healthy food cues, and many felt that their role in healthy eating was limited due to the overwhelming influence of external food environments, adolescent resistance, and features of the secondary school canteen setting e.g. short duration of lunchtime, lack of space. However, caterers appeared motivated to implement healthy food cues and identified key opportunities for implementation, including integration into whole-school approaches to healthy eating. Conclusions: Interventions using healthy food cues appeared acceptable to secondary school caterers, key potential implementers of these strategies. Future interventions could incorporate strategies relating to placement, presentation and pricing to prompt healthy selections, and actions to engage the student body and improve the dining environment. Evaluations should consider potential impacts upon food purchasing, consumption and waste to address caterers' concerns about these issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Foco (Interdisciplinary Studies Journal) is the property of Revista Foco 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.)

Introduction: Approximately 70% of diarrheal cases in Kenya are attributed to ingestion of contaminated food and water and costs an estimated $ 1 billion USD due to morbidity and cost of treatment. This study aimed to assess the levels of microbiological contamination of meat sold in selected butcheries in Nairobi and the handling practices of butcher shop attendants. Methods: A cross-sectional study design was used during which 200 meat samples were collected, and meat handling practices were observed. Total coliforms and Escherichia coli were enumerated using 3M™ Petrifilm® count plates. Additionally, quantification of tetracycline- and cefotaxime-resistant Enterobacteriaceae was done on agar plates containing the respective antibiotics. Bacterial species were confirmed by Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization-Time of Flight mass spectrometry. Results and discussion: Seventy two percent and 84% of the samples had E. coli and total coliforms respectively above the acceptable regulatory limits (i.e. E. coli >100 CFU/g, Total coliforms >361 CFU/g,) respectively as per the Kenya Bureau of Standards South African microbiological standards the European Union. Enterobacteriaceae resistant to tetracycline and cefotaxime were detected in 35% and 9.5% of the samples respectively. Eighty-five percent of the butcher shop attendants neither washed their hands before nor after handling the meat, 91% handled money while selling meat concurrently, and 99% did not wear gloves while handling meat. These poor meat handling practices coupled with the presence of microbial loads above the regulatory acceptable limits imply an increased risk of foodborne illness to consumers. Therefore, there is an urgent need for education of butcher shop attendants on appropriate handling of meat, highlighting the importance of good hygienic practices and their relationship to food safety, and provision of incentives for behavior change. This study is important and serves to inform policymakers in the identification of key control points for designing meat safety intervention(s). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As globalization accelerates and technology advances, the education and transmission of architectural heritage face new challenges and opportunities. Mobile augmented reality (MAR) technology offers innovative means for presenting and educating about architectural heritage, enhancing user experiences and interactivity through the overlay of virtual information. This study explores the application of MAR in architectural heritage education, examining its potential to enhance educational outcomes, increase user engagement, and foster awareness of heritage conservation. While the technology has been widely explored in other educational fields, its application in architectural heritage remains insufficient, particularly in the design of collaborative tasks, assessment of user satisfaction, and implementation of incentive mechanisms. This paper encompasses three research components: a detailed description of collaborative tasks in architectural heritage education using MAR, the development of a satisfaction model to evaluate the effectiveness of these tasks, and the construction of an educational collaboration incentive mechanism. Through this study, the paper not only enriches the application of MAR in cultural heritage conservation but also provides theoretical and empirical support for future related studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Española de Sociología is the property of Federacion Espanola de Sociologia 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.)

Introduction: Informal markets play a crucial role in providing fresh and nutritious foods for people in low and middle-income countries. However, the safety of food sold in these markets remains a major concern, contributing to a high burden of foodborne illnesses. Methods: This study was designed to analyze stakeholder perceptions of food safety in selected informal public markets in Kenya. Eight focus group discussions and 15 key informant interviews were conducted. In addition, two workshops were held to validate the findings. Results and discussion: We found that consumers and vendors confounded food quality, especially freshness, with safety, and paid more attention to appearance and physical qualities than food safety. Information (such as branding and expiry dates) and heuristic cues (such as the flow of buyers and the presence of flies) were used to assess food safety. Meat was perceived as the food most likely to cause disease. Chemical hazards in fresh produce and aflatoxins in maize were mentioned as priority hazards by both vendors and consumers. Stakeholders more knowledgeable about food safety considered microbial hazards as a top priority. Although diarrheal diseases were reported to be prevalent in the communities, these were often thought to be the result of agri-chemical residues in fresh produce or the consumption of high-fat foods, and not commonly linked to bacteria in food. Gaps identified during the interviews included poor infrastructure, inadequate food safety knowledge, insufficient or prohibitive policies, insufficient political will, and poor food safetyrelated practices. There were few mentions of lack of motivation or incentives for behavior change, or insufficient consumer demand for food safety. To fill the gaps, several opportunities were discussed, including contextualizing policies and regulations, investing in infrastructure, capacity building, and training, and promoting involvement and collaboration among various stakeholders. Conclusion: This study has highlighted gaps and misperceptions that need to be addressed through proper knowledge and awareness to effectively combat foodborne disease challenges. Behavioral change approaches to improve food safety are recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on person–vocation fit and self-determination theory, we explored the role of the autonomous and controlled motivation in the relationship between overqualification perception and employee voice. The sample consisted of 251 employees from different enterprises in China (female = 52.6%; mean age = 29.74 years, SD = 7.28 years; bachelor's degree or above = 84.9%). Path analysis and bootstrap tests were conducted to test all hypotheses simultaneously. Employees with perceived overqualification will inhibit autonomous motivation and stimulate controlled motivation, and the mediating effect of these two motivations together reduces their voice behaviour. The findings increase our understanding of ways to enhance employees work enthusiasm by using diversified incentive strategies to accurately touch different motivations of employees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aims to demonstrate the evaluation of an incentive scheme to encourage pregnant people to set a quit-smoking date. Design/methodology/approach: The paper outlines a collaborative approach, working with pregnant people, clinicians, tobacco dependency practitioners and academics to gain insights into their perspectives and experiences. Quantitative and qualitative data were analysed. Findings: The incentive scheme and appropriate support from clinicians have been shown to encourage pregnant people to set a quit date. The tobacco dependency practitioners helped remove barriers, such as the perception of the stigmatisation of smoking when pregnant. The practitioners also helped pregnant people make informed decisions to support successful behaviour change. The impact of the scheme resulted in improved infant health indicators. The scheme's evaluation also supported establishing stakeholder knowledge exchange and learning processes. Research limitations/implications: This is a single-site study among a relatively small group of people designed to achieve a specific evaluation objective. Caution in generalising to wider settings should be exercised. Practical implications: This study highlights the efficacy of an incentive scheme, complemented with support from clinicians, and the significance of knowledge exchange and collaboration between stakeholders in health care with significance in similar settings. Originality/value: The paper details the incentive scheme input, actions, output, outcomes and impact involving a wider range of stakeholders, including the emotional consequences for participants, clinicians and academics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The investment and development of tourism resources projects in rural tourism destinations is a specific form of rural industrial integration and development for local governments to carry out rural revitalization. The introduction of social capital to the countryside is an important source of rural tourism capital investment. Due to information asymmetry and inconsistent interest goals, there is a contradiction between efforts and supervision between local governments and leading enterprises with principal-agent relationship. Starting from Chongqing rural tourism destinations, this paper analyzes the Nash equilibrium under different comparisons of operating income and additional costs brought by enterprise efforts by constructing a static game model. Combined with the principal-agent theory, an incentive mechanism considering the uncertainty of efforts and the inability to effectively supervise is constructed. The research shows that under the condition of satisfying the incentive compatibility constraints and participation constraints, it can encourage enterprises to work hard at a high level, and can also effectively encourage enterprises to consciously choose the optimal level of effort expected by the government, so as to achieve the coordination of the interests of enterprises and the government. This paper introduces the research perspective of principal-agent game to explore the relationship between the level of enterprise efforts and government supervision and incentive, and also proposes to introduce an incentive mechanism of intelligent governance based on blockchain to alleviate the principal-agent relationship between government and enterprises. The research findings have important theoretical and practical significance for revealing how to achieve the incentive constraints of the coordination of the interests of tourism leading enterprises and the government. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global environmental concerns and resource scarcity are driving the growth in sales of electric vehicles (EVs). Reusing and recycling retired batteries from EVs has significant economic value and reduces the environmental burden. Rising raw material prices have intensified competition among recyclers; in particular, recyclers without corporate social responsibility (CSR) have been added. These observations lead to a game-theoretical model consisting of three players: a battery manufacturer, a recycler with CSR and a recycler without CSR (non-CSR). The non-CSR recycler enjoys a cost advantage over the CSR recycler, but may not be considered by the consumers with high environmental awareness (CEA). We explore the incentive strategies for CSR recyclers outperform, and how the equilibrium is affected by the recyclers' Stackelberg game. Results show that (1) the deposit- refund is the most profitable strategy for all members and the whole supply chain if raw material price rises high enough; otherwise, a contract strategy should be adopted. (2) Improving CEA and echelon utilization ratio is more conducive to the implementation of revenue-sharing contract. In addition, increasing CEA contributed to CSR recycler collects more retired batteries instead of non-CSR recycler. (3) Stackelberg game between recyclers may hurt supply chain. However, CSR recycler may benefit from the non-CSR recycler-led Stackelberg game. Our work provides the basis of incentive strategies for different participants in the closed-loop supply chain of retired batteries, in particular, to encourage retired batteries flow to CSR recyclers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper considers the "main manufacturer-supplier" model in collaborative cooperation among firms which requires the leader to invest significant resources and bear huge risks. However, few scholars simultaneously consider innovation risks and incentive issues under the model. We construct a Stackelberg game incentive model with different cost-sharing ratios under the risk of technological innovation. We characterize the equilibrium of the model and highlight the key role played by the main manufacturer and supplier. The results are as follows: (a) Main manufacturer can implement the cost-sharing incentive strategy under certain conditions, which is, its profit coefficient is greater than 0.75 times that of supplier and the cost-sharing ratios expected coefficient is greater than the minimum threshold. (b) The optimal cost-sharing ratio is directly proportional to the profit coefficient of the main manufacturer, inversely proportional to that of the supplier, and shows an inverted U-shape function with the probability of successful technological innovation. (c)This strategy can motivate suppliers to invest more resources, reduce the investment of the main manufacturer, simultaneously increase the profits of the main manufacturer and supplier in the certain ranges of innovation success probability and profit coefficients, with significant incentive effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on a transnational dual-channel supply chain consisting of the domestic manufacturer and retailer, this paper constructs four models, namely, the without tariff model, the tariff model, the retailer's strategic inputs model, and the manufacturer's compensation model, to investigate the impact of the tariff imposing on supply chain decisions, the effect of the retailer's strategic inputs to hedge against tariffs, and the incentive effect of the manufacturer's compensation. The results show that the tariff imposed by the foreign government leads to higher product prices and lower sales volumes, resulting in welfare losses for foreign consumers. When the domestic retailer makes strategic inputs, the prices of products in the foreign market decrease and the sales volumes increase, which increases the profits of the domestic retailer and manufacturer and improves the welfare of foreign consumers. The equilibrium solutions of the models also show that the manufacturer has an incentive to compensate the retailer for its strategic inputs; when the manufacturer compensates for the retailer's strategic inputs, the profit of the retailer and the manufacturer will be improved again, and thus, the whole supply chain will achieve Pareto improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Technology Economics is the property of Chinese Society of Technology Economics 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.)

Copyright of Journal of Technology Economics is the property of Chinese Society of Technology Economics 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.)

Cooperation is essential for the survival of human society. Understanding the nature of cooperation and its underlying mechanisms is crucial for studying human behavior. This paper investigates the impact of leadership on public cooperation by employing repeated sequential public goods games, as well as by examining whether leading by example (through rewards and punishments) can promote cooperation and organizational success. The leaders were assigned randomly and were given the authority to reward or punish. As a result, (1) the leaders showed a strong tendency toward reciprocity by punishing free riders and rewarding cooperators at their own expense, which enhanced the intrinsic motivation for others to follow their example; and (2) both rewards and punishments were effective in promoting cooperation, but punishment was more effective in sustaining a high level of collaboration. Additionally, leaders preferred using rewards and were more reluctant to use punishments. These findings are crucial for creating organizational structures that foster cooperation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a result of the research, the author states the following: 1) the traditional approach to judicial proceedings, where the main thing is the definition of «right» and «wrong», is not always able to effectively resolve conflicts and satisfy the interests of the parties; 2) the court in the civil process must be interested in finding a peaceful settlement of the dispute and encouraging the parties to do so; 3) if the court applies forceful resolution of the dispute without attempts to prevent it, this indicates shortcomings in the justice system and failure to fulfill its functions to the full extent; 4) a peaceful settlement of the dispute with the participation of a mediator (conciliator) is indeed more desirable than simply issuing a court decision; 5) the reconciliation of the parties should be considered as a priority goal of court proceedings, and the resolution of the case on the merits - as an additional one, which is resorted to if reconciliation is impossible; 6) the role of the court in conciliation should not be limited to information. At the same time, certain problems of the practical application of the court reconciliation procedure provided for by the Civil Procedure Code of Ukraine in civil proceedings are presented: 1) there is an urgent need for judges to master special communication techniques and mediation skills. This requires systematic training programs for judges and the allocation of time for such training despite the workload in the courts; 2) established stereotypes regarding the role of the court as a dispute resolution body, rather than reconciliation of the parties, really create a psychological barrier to the perception of a settlement procedure with the participation of a judge. It is necessary to more actively promote the ideas of peaceful settlement in society; 3) low awareness of citizens about the benefits of conciliation procedures requires more information and explanatory work on the part of the judicial system and lawyers. The initiative of judges in offering settlement can help; 4) the fears of judges regarding the additional burden due to the settlement procedure are justified. It is necessary to provide appropriate incentives and conditions for its successful application; 5) emphasis on the legal knowledge of the judge as an advantage compared to the mediator is debatable. Psychological preparation and mediation skills are critical for reconciliation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of China Population Resources & Environment is the property of Shandong Normal University 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.)

Copyright of China Population Resources & Environment is the property of Shandong Normal University 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.)

In the management of national parks, the principal–agent relationship is key to efficient and effective management. Based on multi-task principal–agent theory, this study examines the dual functions of central government incentives and guidance and the objectives of local National Park Administration offices in environmental conservation and reasonable resource utilization. First, this study constructs a multi-task principal–agent model for central and local governments within the national park management system and identifies effective contractual mechanisms. Second, this study examines the relationship between the intensity of central government incentives and the ecological conservation atmosphere coefficient. Third, by integrating the three stages of national park management system advancement, this study explores the central government's incentive strategies at different stages. The findings indicate that local governments receive limited ecological conservation support, underscoring the need for long-term central government incentives. The findings also confirm that the effective management of national parks by local governments can only be achieved by eliminating external uncertainties, reducing the variable costs of innovative advancements, and controlling risk aversion in local National Park Administration processes. In addition, this study includes empirical data for sensitivity analyses to understand the robustness of the model under different scenarios. This study offers valuable insights and practical suggestions for enhancing national park management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]