Many local governments conduct citizen satisfaction surveys to improve administrative management and governance. These surveys measure public opinions on government services and policies, but turning results into actionable policies can be challenging. This study analyzes these complexities and provides recommendations for utilizing citizen feedback to inform policy-making. The research focuses on data from 1,000 residents of a city in central Japan, exploring resident satisfaction with social policies. By examining public responses, the study identifies factors influencing opinions and areas needing policy adjustments. The imperfection of the method of the usual average value in processing the data of public opinion polls is substantiated, and it is suggested that, in the process of developing local development policies, focus on groups of respondents who provide more polarized answers, that is, on the “non-silent minority”. It is justified that the ratio between the ratio of Satisfied /Unsatisfied and the ratio of Important/Unimportant should be the criteria for prioritizing public management measures (a matrix approach is proposed in this article). It discusses the role of local governments in incorporating citizens’ views into decision-making and highlights instances where policies may not align with public preferences. Additionally, the study addresses the difficulties local governments face in managing competing interests and emphasizes the need for effective citizen engagement mechanisms to build trust in governance. It identifies key elements for effective governance, such as transparency, accountability, and participatory platforms, and underscores the importance of ongoing policy evaluation to meet community needs. In summary, this study offers insights into the application of citizen satisfaction surveys in policy-making, providing guidance for local governments to enhance their practices. It also notes the limitations of generalizing findings and the need for further research to support its recommendations, aiming to promote more citizen-centered governance.

Pig butchering is an escalating cybersecurity threat that exploits social engineering to build trust and execute financial fraud. The relevance of this research problem lies in the growing incidence and sophistication of these scams, which have severe financial and psychological impacts on victims. The main purpose of this research is to uncover the methods used in pig butchering scams and their impact on individuals and businesses. The research focuses on digital platforms such as social media, dating apps, and professional networking sites, chosen for their wide user bases and the ease of establishing personal connections. The study period encompasses recent developments from the past five years to capture the evolving nature of these scams. The research utilizes a qualitative literature review as its primary method, drawing on academic articles, industry reports, and case studies. The study’s statistical basis includes data from law enforcement agencies, cybersecurity firms, and victim reports. Key findings confirm the effectiveness of proactive cybersecurity measures, such as continuous education and specialized services, in mitigating pig butchering scams. The research hypothesis, stating that these measures can significantly reduce scam success rates, is supported by the data. Results indicate that enhancing cybersecurity protocols and training programs is crucial for protecting against such threats. Future research should focus on developing predictive models and integrating AI and machine learning for better detection and prevention. This study provides valuable insights for policymakers, cybersecurity professionals, and educators, highlighting the need for international cooperation and advanced technological defenses to combat this pervasive threat.

This study delves into the impact of the 2008 Global Crisis on the competition between the wholesalers and unregistered firms in Eastern European and Central Asian countries. The survey data from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and the Business Environment and Enterprise Performance (BEEPSII and BEEPSIV) conducted by the World Bank in 2008 (crisis) and 2013 (post-crisis) were utilized. The survey covers 29 countries in the region. The results of the nonparametric tests show that significantly more wholesalers experienced competition against unregistered firms in 2008 when compared to 2013. While approximately half of the wholesalers experienced informal sector competition in 2008, in 2013, only around one-third of wholesalers experienced informal sector competition. This post-crisis decline is seen for both the five Central Asian economies (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Mongolia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan) that are examined and the other transition economies. When wholesalers are classified into different categories based on size, independence from a larger firm, type of firm (partnership, sole proprietorship, etc.), gender of the owner, gender of the top manager, experience of the top manager, and having an internationally recognized quality certification, it is observed that competition against unregistered firms declined in 2013 for all types of wholesalers except for partnerships and larger firms. The results show that, on a scale of 0 to 4 (0 being no informal sector competition and 4 being very severe informal sector competition), the mean severity of competition against unregistered firms was 1.52 in 2008 and 1.18 in 2013. However, this decline in the severity of informal sector competition post-crisis is not seen for the five Central Asian economies that are examined. Also, when different firm types are examined, limited partnerships and firms that are part of a larger firm did not experience a decline in informal sector competition. To find the determinants of competition between the wholesalers and unregistered or informal firms, binary logistic regressions were used. The results show that smaller firms without an internationally recognized certification are more susceptible to informal sector competition in the Central Asian economies, whereas larger, shareholding firms are more prone to informal sector competition in the other transition economies.

The article aims to discuss the phenomenon known as “diversity dishonesty” (term “smoke and mirrors” was coined by Stacey Morin as a metaphor of diversity dishonesty). Diversity dishonesty is defined as encapsulating a complex scenario wherein organizations outwardly portray a façade of commitment to genuine and quantifiable progress concerning diversity initiatives, while in practice, they manifest insincerity and disingenuousness. In recent years, diversity dishonesty has garnered substantial scholarly attention, particularly within organizational dynamics. This phenomenon is characterized by a superficial and performative engagement with diversity, creating the illusion of progress and dedication while failing to bring about substantive and meaningful transformations in diversity and inclusivity. The article presents the results of systematic literature review of peer-reviewed journals that analyzed diversity dishonesty in the organization, examine diversity dishonesty in organizations, to reveal a complex interplay of psychological, social, and organizational factors. Search engines provided by Marymount University Library and such resources as: ABI/INFORM Collection, Business Source Complete (EBSCO Host), Google Scholar, JSTOR and ProQuest Research Library were used. The research introduces an infinity loop framework that leverages accountability and transparency in conjunction with stakeholder theory. The article examines the following symptoms of diversity dishonesty within an organization: pluralistic ignorance, exclusion, othering, erosion of trust and morale, inconsistency between promotional material and lived experience, limited representation in leadership, microaggression, and tokenism. The article examines the following cascade of consequences of diversity dishonesty within an organization: legal risk, reputational damage, and stifled innovation and creativity. By shedding light on the intricacies of this phenomenon, this article offers valuable insights for organizations aiming to move beyond performative diversity efforts and genuinely foster diverse, equitable, and inclusive environments.

Developing an effective entrepreneurial ecosystem is viewed as a regional economic development approach that focuses on developing supportive circumstances that encourage the startup’s success. This study aims to investigate the impact of the entrepreneurial ecosystem on startups’ success and the variables that could play a mediating role in the relationship between entrepreneurial ecosystem and startups’ success. The research is based on face-to-face and online semi-structured interviews (the interview guide consisted of 9 open-ended questions) from second quarter of 2023 until the end of the third quarter of 2023 (the data collection phase was closed after meeting the criteria of data saturation). The participants were selected via purposeful sampling technique (20 owners or managers of startup companies including IT, customer service, food, transportation, etc. in Egypt). Thematic and content analysis is done by using NVivo software. From the analysis of the interviews, four themes are developed, and each theme consists of several codes. The first theme is the entrepreneurial ecosystem, with codes: competence development, education and training, enterprising culture and leadership, financial support, government policies and regulations, market openness, and intermediary services. The second theme is entrepreneurial characteristics, with codes: self-efficacy, entrepreneurial attitude, entrepreneurial intention, and entrepreneurial innovation. The third theme is entrepreneurial challenges, with codes: fierce competition, failure to plan and unrealistic expectations, knowledge and skills gaps, and ineffective marketing. The fourth theme is startup success, with codes: productivity, financial performance, and competitive advantage. This study found, that some elements are unimportant for startup’s ecosystem: government programs and support, commercial and professional infrastructure for entrepreneurs, and access to physical infrastructure for entrepreneurship. At the same time, the study confirmed that education and training, enterprising culture and leadership, financial support, government policies and regulations, and market openness are unimportant for startup’s ecosystem. Moreover, it is found that such elements as competence development and intermediate services should be additionally included in the ecosystem. From this study, the model that investigates the relationship between the entrepreneurial ecosystem and startup success was developed. Finally, some recommendations provided to decision-makers and current and future research.

The COVID-19 mobility restrictions, including workplace closures, introduced by national governments led to disruption of social and economic life including job loss. With the job loss, the victims may encounter social and economic threats which can prompt them to show less support for the government that introduced the workplace closures which led to their job loss. Thus, this study investigates whether job loss resulting from COVID-19 prompts COVID-19 anti-cohesive attitudes (dissatisfaction with government’s response to COVID-19, and COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs) in Europe; and whether strictness of workplace closures moderates the first proposition. The focus is on Europe because the degree of job loss and workplace closures vary between countries. With some COVID-19 items from the round 10 data of the European Social Survey conducted between 2021 and 2023, and independent context indices, the propositions are tested using a mixed model having about 142 groups and 25000 observations. The model formula has COVID-19 anti-cohesive attitudes as the response variable, COVID-19 job loss as the predictor variable at individual level, while COVID-19 workplace closures is the context variable. The findings support the hypotheses: COVID-19 job losers (compared to COVID-19 job keepers) are about 20percent more likely to show anti-cohesive attitudes; also, COVID-19 anti-cohesive attitudes are more predominant among COVID-19 job losers where workplace closures are very strict compared to where workplace closures are low. These findings are useful for policy makers in future pandemic management. Also, scientists may find the results useful for research on socioeconomic threats, public policy and cohesive attitudes.

The goal of the article is to determine which components of sustainable and smart development of urban areas are the most important for the economy of a city. For this, regression, cluster and discriminant analysis are applied, using the data of the ranking positions of 180 cities of the world according to the Cities in Motion Index (CIMI) and its components for 2022. The Stata and Statgraphics 19 software packages are used for the calculations. The statistical significance of the input data is confirmed using descriptive statistics, and the normality of the data distribution was determined according to the Shapiro-Wilk test. A regression analysis (based on the least squares method) of the influence of the integral value of CIMI and its components (Human capital, Social cohesion, Environment, Governance, Urban planning, International profile, Technology, Mobility and Transportation) on its first component – Economy, is carried out. It testifies that only four indicators have a statistically significant impact: Cities in Motion, Environment, Urban planning, and International profile. Multiple regression, constructed using the strict screening procedure, confirms these findings; and discriminant analysis proves that the regression equation coefficients is used to predict the Economy variable. Analysis of Spearman’s and Kendall’s correlation matrices prove a close relationship between the Economy, Human capital, Governance, and Cities in motion; direct dependence between Cities in motion and such indicators as Technology, Urban planning, and International profile; average direct connection between Economy, Social cohesion and Mobility and transportation. Cluster analysis using the k-means method in the R Studio software environment made it possible to distinguish eight clusters of cities according to their ranking positions in relation to various parameters of the CIMI index (their number was calculated according to the Sturgess formula, and the optimality of their number is confirmed by the agglomeration scheme according to the Ward method). For the cities of the first cluster (17 cities, 9.44% of the total number analyzed, mostly world capitals), Cities in motion has the greatest impact on the Economy component, while Mobility and Transportation has a lesser impact; for the cities of the second cluster (23 cities, 12.78%, mostly large cities of the United States and China) it is Technology that has the greatest impact; for cities of the third cluster (35 cities, 19.44%, primarily powerful regional centers)it is Cities in motion, International profile, Mobility and transportation, Social cohesion, and Urban planning; for clusters four (9 cities, 5%) and five (6 cities, 3.33%), the regressions are not significant, so these clusters require further study for each city separately; for the cities of the sixth cluster (33 cities, 18, 33%, mostly developed European cities) the most important are Cities In motion, Environment, Governance, Mobility and transportation, Social cohesion, and Urban planning; for the cities of the seventh cluster (10 cities, 5.56%) – Human capital, Social cohesion, and Technology; for cities in the eighth cluster (47 cities, 26.11%, mostly cities facing economic obstacles to their development) – Cities in motion, Environment, Technology, and Urban planning. The discriminant analysis shows that the Environment indicator has the greatest impact on the division of clusters into groups.

In the 21st century, various socio-economic crises have revealed that traditional economic science and (neo)classical thinking are unable to explain all the complexity of current economic problems, therefore the application of more complex and non-trivial economic concepts is gaining relevance. In addition to behavioral and evolutionary economic thinking, models of quantum economics have been developed in recent years, which allow solving economic problems, using mainly quantum thinking and the principles of quantum physics, in particular particle-wave dualism, the principle of uncertainty, the absence of a subject-object distinction, superposition and confusion. The article addresses 3 research questions (RQ). According to RQ1, the paper finds that quantum economics research is dominated by the following topics: quantum economics, quantum finance, quantum decision making, and quantum game theory. According to these four thematic descriptors, the article carries out a systematic modern review of scientific works in the period from 1978 to 2022 (if only 50 works were published in 1978-1999, then in 2000-2022 already 3430), with an emphasis on the most cited (Google Scholar) English-language journal articles. The analysis showed that articles on this topic are published mainly in journals of a non-economic profile, that the peaks of publication activity occur at times of powerful socio-economic upheavals (for example, the dot.com bubble, the substandard/financial crisis, the European debt crisis, the coronavirus pandemic, etc.). In accordance with RQ2, the article defines the key characteristics of the quantum economic model: in contrast to neoclassical economics (based on mechanistic classical physics, is rational and deterministic, with the help of the invisible hand of the market it leads to a stable equilibrium), the quantum approach, on the contrary, considers the economy as more complex, empirically oriented, uncertain, probabilistic, superpositional, as an archetypal example of a quantum social system that has its own versions of duality, measurement, and entanglement. According to RQ 3, the article determines to what extent quantum economics can update (neo)classical economics (integration of new ontological premises into economic thinking, more experimental and practical approach, connection between the concept of entanglement and sustainable development, management of financial risks based on the concept of quantum probability, rethinking the concept of randomness by quantum probability, introduction of quantum money, equilibrium using quantum games, etc.).

This study is aimed at studying the main factors that determine the process of accelerating economic growth in countries located in East Asia, the Middle East and North Africa between 1996 and 2019. The sample of countries included: Algeria; Bahrain; China; Egypt, Arab Republic; Hong Kong; Indonesia; Iraq; Japan; Jordan; Korea, Republic of; Kuwait; Malaysia; Mauritania; Morocco; Philippines; Qatar; Saudi Arabia; Singapore; Sudan; Thailand; Tunisia; United Arab Emirates; Yemen. The research is based on the methodology of Haussmann, Pritchett and Rodrik (2005), according to which 3 criteria of accelerated economic growth are used: 1) to characterize the process of acceleration itself growth of GDP per capita by 2%; 2) to characterize cases of rapid growth – annual growth rates for eight years are more than 3.5%; 3) to characterize the achievement of sustainable acceleration GDP per capita is greater than the highest level after the onset of the acceleration phase. As the main determinants of accelerated economic growth, the characteristics of institutional quality (the rule of law, control of corruption and the quality of regulation), factors of accumulation (the share of gross accumulation of fixed capital in GDP and characteristics of human capital through the measurement of the duration of education and the profitability of education), the openness of trade ( share of trade to GDP) and natural resources (share of revenues from natural resources to GDP). The research was carried out using Probit, Logit and Tobit models. Logit and Probit modeling made it possible to assess the impact on the acceleration of economic growth: changes in human capital as insignificantly positive; trade openness – as a minor positive, changes in natural resources as a significant positive, increase in the share of investment in GDP – as the largest positive. An increase in institutional quality does not lead to an increase in the chances of the studied countries (the rule of law index has a slight positive effect, the corruption control index has a slight negative effect, the only positive effect that deserves attention concerns the regulation quality index). The results of Tobit modeling demonstrate a statistically significant positive impact of institutional quality, regulatory quality, rule of law, investment and natural resources on the acceleration of economic growth. Thus, the acceleration of economic growth observed in the countries of East Asia, the Middle East and North Africa is a direct result of successful policies aimed at improving institutional quality, promoting investment and harnessing the positive impact of natural resources.

Social norms are an essential determinant of conformity in decision-making, a powerful nudge for helping people adopt prosocial behavior. Informing people that most of their peers behave virtuously encourages them to improve their own behavior. Nevertheless, social norm mechanisms are efficient if the proportion of people who already act prosocially is sufficient, otherwise, the norm can lead to a ”boomerang effect” namely, this induces a person who acts prosocially to abandon her previous choice since she is informed that the majority does not support her prosocial behavior. The purpose of this paper is to develop a new norm that can be efficient even when implemented in behaviors practiced by a minority of people, by contrast to current social norm nudges. In our experiment, we create a new type of feedback that includes descriptive and injunctive norms and then observe whether they are more effective than standard social norm feedback. This new feedback, named ”Norm From The Top”, provides information based on the most altruistic people in the population. The experiment was run online due to the sanitary conditions in 2021. 203 participants were recruited from Cirano (Montreal, Quebec). Cirano is an interuniversity center, multidisciplinary and intersectoral. The sample comprises 120 women and 83 men (Average age = 37.2; SD = 10.5). In the experiment, participants were randomly exposed to a social norm that elicited prosocial behavior from other participants, and we observed whether the group exposed to the Norm From The Top increased their prosocial behavior compared to the other groups. Specifically, participants were asked whether they were willing to complete surveys without compensation. This study found that this norm acted as an effective nudge, increasing the average decision regarding prosocial behavior and addressing the boomerang effect issue. The Norm From The Top sets a high reference point compared to the standard norm and does not induce a reduction of contributions higher than this reference point. In contrast, the standard norm does not have a significant effect due to the boomerang effect and leads to a concentration of the contributions towards the average, resulting in an inefficient nudge in this context. These results show the potential of the Norm From The Top enforcement to promote low-practiced prosocial behaviors, thereby increasing the range of prosocial behaviors that social norm nudges can reinforce. Applying this norm to different types of prosocial behaviors in field experiments would allow for observing its impact on actual behaviors and assessing the external validity of this new instrument before making it available to policymakers.