Pro-Environmental Civic Participation in the USA: The Effects of Social Media, Pro-Environmental Lifestyle and Climate Experiences

This study addresses the link between social media use and pro-environmental civic participation considering the moderating effect of social media affordances (public realm) on one hand, and lifestyle behaviors and climate change experiences (personal realm) on the other. We combine communication theory and behavioral models and using a sample of USA individuals (N = 7225) based on the American Trends Panel to predict variations in pro-environmental behavior. We show that social networks rather than information are more effective in predicting pro-environmental behavior. Moreover, a pro-environmental lifestyle as well as climate change experiences at the community level increase the likelihood for pro-environmental participation. However, affordances related to socioeconomic variations generate variations to pro-environmental civic participation. We conclude that in order to capture the depth of pro-environmental civic participation, it is necessary to theoretically and empirically bridge between private and public expressions of pro-environmental awareness.

Computational Strategy Research on the Development of Kiruna,in Sweden

In Kiruna,nearly all the residents support the migration plan in order to make LKAB able to continue the mining process.Based on current condition,a larger part of this town will be demolished by the sinking land caused by iron ore mining processing operated by LKAB.Since then,most of the buildings in the sinking district will be relocated in another district.However,the situation in Kiruna is not quite the same as when this kind of migration happens in another place.In other place,while migration happens,even if not most,a large part of the local residents will resist and fight for their house and properties.Concentrated on the ownership of different buildings and tried find the relationship between the public and private buildings to discover some issue that will help to work on the computational urban design.

The Research on the negative impact of the efficiency of the generalization performance in privatization of public utilities

Since the last century, China has carried out the reform of public utilities in the ninety time, and has achieved many positive results. The quality and efficiency of public goods supply is greatly improved. The government has changed the role of producer and provider from the past to the role of provider and regulator, which effectively promoted the development of the privatization of public utilities. However, in the achievements there has also been some problems, such as too much emphasis on efficiency to the neglect of social justice and the government＇s public responsibility ＂efficiency generalization＂ problem that requires our attention.

The research on the standard and measure of the efficiency of the generalization performance of privatization of public utilities

The transformation of the development China＇s privatization of city public utilities？ vigorously promote the government function, however, the relative monopoly administrative operation system, functions decentralized system of government regulation and legal system construction is lagging behind, can making the privatization process easily lead to the emergence of efficient generalization, must be identified and avoided. This paper presents efficient generalization of privatization of public utility of our country city in measure, and analyzes the performance efficiency of the three resulting generalization.

Estimating the Monetary Value of Hours Lost to the Nigerian Public Healthcare System When Full-Time Government Employee Doctors Engage in Dual Practice

Background: Dual Practice (DP) allows full-time public sector doctors to concurrently offer the same clinical services in the private sector. The debate against this practice seems to be largely influenced by its potential to reduce the contracted hours in the public sector and shift attention to private work. Purpose: The purpose of this secondary research is to estimate the monetary value of hours lost to the Nigerian public healthcare system when full-time government employee doctors are engaged in private practice. It attempts to quantify the amount of resource outflow from the public system due to absences and lateness arising from competition for time between the public system’s contracted hours and private practice. Methods: Sensitivity analysis in Excel 2010 was used to calculate doctors’ hourly pay in the public sector using the 2015 Consolidated Medical Salary Structure for medical and dental officers in Nigeria’s federal public service. The parameters used for the calculation were the official 40-hour working week and the average monthly gross pay of doctors on different grade levels. Hypothetical scenarios of hours lost due to absences associated with DP were created. The value of different hypothetical hour losses by the percentage of doctors assumed to engage in dual practice across all doctor grade levels was then computed. Results: The estimated annual value of hours lost from dual practice to a single public tertiary care hospital was N4,851,754 or 15,855 USD (best case scenario) and N19,407,017 or 63,422 USD (worst case scenario) for the normal routine work and N1,800,133 or 5883 USD (best case scenario) and N3,600,266 or 11,766 USD (worst case scenario) for the on-call duty. Conclusion: The government may have been paying salaries for large volumes of work not rendered in the public sector. The overall financial impact of dual practice in the Nigerian public system might be negative.

The influencing mechanism of pro-environmental behaviors in the private domain on those in the public domain

From the perspective of regulatory focus theory,the influencing mechanism of pro-environmental behaviors(PEBs)in the private domain on behaviors in the public domain were analyzed by revealing the mediating ef‐fect of the status quo maintenance and the moderating effect of the prevention focus orientation.The study re‐sults show that PEBs in the private domain significantly promote individuals’PEBs in the public domain.The status quo maintenance partially mediates the relationship between PEBs in the private and public domains.Specifically,individuals with a high-level prevention focus orientation strengthen the relationship between the PEBs in the private domain and the status quo maintenance,and that of the PEBs in the public domain.There‐fore,individuals with a high-level prevention focus will more likely engage in subsequent PEBs in the public domain after their initial PEBs in the private domain due to their increased status quo maintenance degree.Policymakers and practitioners should pay attention to the prevention-repetition effect and use the PEBs in the private domain to promote those in the public domain.

Research on public housing based on the utilities of living

This paper applies the residence utility principles to the study of public housing rent and regards that the average utility of a household determines the public housing rent level. It also suggests that the government use multi-level public housing rent to substitute for single-level in order to make the policies for public housing rent more just, equitable and effective.

The Theoretical Perspectives and Managerial Implications of the Balanced Scorecard （BSC） in the Italian Public Utilities

The present work aims to conduct a critical analysis of control systems and tools of performance assessment in local public services companies, with a particular reference to the public transport sector. The interest in this issue arises for various reasons, from the growing economic significance of the sector at a national level, measurable in terms of production value and the number of operators involved, to the spread of outsourcing policies, liberalization and privatization, and the use of the standard cost to establish the level of funding. In the field of public utilities, until a few years ago, the concept of control was intended only in a ＂bureaucratic＂ sense as the capacity to fulfill the formal obligations linked to the strong regulatory context, ignoring aspects that have become fundamental today, such as economy, efficiency, and effectiveness of management. The approach used is deductive and the study ends with the presentation of the possible implications of the use of standard cost and the presentation of an application hypothesis of a balanced scorecard （BSC） for local public transport （LPT）.

What Business Models Best Suit the Private Sector in Achieving the SDGs

Since the United Nations Sustainable development goals and the 2030 agenda were initiated in 2015,it has provided governments with a comprehensive blueprint to take action and meet the challenges of the world’s most pressing issues today.But the private sector also plays a large role in contributing to the problems highlighted in the SDGs and companies ranging from many different industries have increasingly become more involved in developing new and innovative solutions to solve the issues highlighted in the SDGs.Social and environmental accountability has been one of the areas that the private sector has been focusing its attention on.Companies in the corporate sector across all industries have adopted Environmental,Social,and Governance(ESG)regulations and targets,that aim to ensure ethical responsibility within private companies and promote transparency about their role in promoting social and environmental well-being across the world.This has allowed many companies to align their values and business models to emphasize the importance of the SDGs.Furthermore,innovative technologies are being utilized to ensure that public reports about the company’s practices are fully accountable and transparent to the public community and the overall private sector.For example,some private companies are using Natural Language Processing and Artificial Intelligence to analyze sustainable practices highlighted in the company’s ESG reports and see if they are genuine and free of greenwashing.This shows that technologies are playing a key role in promoting corporate accountability in terms of sustainability and encouraging private companies to adhere to the guidelines highlighted within the SDGs.Furthermore,private companies have adapted their business models to better promote innovations and collaboration with governments,other private companies as well as NGOs.Since the SDGs were designed to be interconnected and not siloed into their own different challenges,many companies who adopt the SDGs as a major sustainability framework will often develop partnerships and connections with other private sector groups so that they could develop new innovative solutions to meet the challenges posed by current global issues.This is especially prevalent in the clean energy sector,which aims to solve SDG 7 and SDG 13 both important in eradicating the issue of climate change.For example,the solar energy private sector has been currently collaborating with a wide range of universities and research institutions in order to develop solar panels that are more energy efficient and affordable for everyday consumers,while still allowing the private companies to generate significant returns in revenue.When private sector Industries adopt the measures highlighted in the SDGs,not only does it allow them to work with other industries to contribute to combating the world’s most pressing issues,but also maintains and improves their sources of revenue and profit.Overall,in order to meet the world’s most pressing challenges and issues,the private sector has increasingly adopted the SDGs in their business models,so that they would be able to better collaborate with others to develop innovative solutions and to bridge commitment to sustainable development throughout different industries.

The Nigeria Government Engagement with the Private Health Sector

In Nigeria, the healthcare sector is divided into primary health which is under the local government’s authority that oversees the Primary Health centers, secondary health which is under the supervision of the State Ministry of Health in charge of the State General Hospitals that cater to primary and secondary healthcare. Tertiary health is supervised by the Federal Ministry of Health that oversees the Federal Medical Centres, the Teaching Hospitals, and Specialist Training Centres. Not to be excluded from Nigeria’s healthcare system are the private clinics and the public-private partnership. The funding for healthcare systems is mainly budgetary allocations from the government. This systemic review was done using secondary literature, policy documents, peer-reviewed literature, and national newspapers, collected using search engines such as Google Scholar, PubMed, and Medline. The review was done over 2-month period from February-April 2024. The literature was arranged in order of relevance and the literature not used was kept aside. The World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended that 11% of a country’s budget be allocated to health. African countries that make up the African Union (AU) recommended that 15% of each member African country’s yearly budget should be committed to providing healthcare services to her citizens. Unfortunately, Nigeria has yet to attain either the WHO target or the AU target while committing an average, of 6% of her budgetary allocation to health. On the other hand, her neighbouring West African country Ghana, has met the average of 15% recommended by AU. The improved National Health Insurance Authority and the government’s partnership with the private health sector in Public-Private Partnership (PPP) is hoped and would improve access to affordable healthcare in general and oral healthcare in particular.

The Future of Cloud Computing: Benefits and Challenges

The purpose of this paper is to provide a better knowledge of the cloud computing as well as to suggest relevant research paths in this growing field. Also, we will go through the future benefits of cloud computing and the upcoming possible challenges we will have. Intext Cloud, performance, cloud computing, architecture, scale-up, and big data are all terms used in this context. Cloud computing offers a wide range of architectural configurations, including the number of processors, memory, and nodes. Cloud computing has already changed the way we store, process, and access data, and it is expected to continue to have a significant impact on the future of information technology. Cloud computing enables organizations to scale their IT resources up or down quickly and easily, without the need for costly hardware upgrades. This can help organizations to respond more quickly to changing business needs and market conditions. By moving IT resources to the cloud, organizations can reduce their IT infrastructure costs and improve their operational efficiency. Cloud computing also allows organizations to pay only for the resources they use, rather than investing in expensive hardware and software licenses. Cloud providers invest heavily in security and compliance measures, which can help to protect organizations from cyber threats and ensure regulatory compliance. Cloud computing provides a scalable platform for AI and machine learning applications, enabling organizations to build and deploy these technologies more easily and cost-effectively. A task, an application, and its input can take up to 20 times longer or cost 10 times more than optimal. Cloud products’ ready adaptability has resulted in a paradigm change. Previously, an application was optimized for a specific cluster;however, in the cloud, the architectural configuration is tuned for the workload. The evolution of cloud computing from the era of mainframes and dumb terminals has been significant, but there are still many advancements to come. As we look towards the future, IT leaders and the companies they serve will face increasingly complex challenges in order to stay competitive in a constantly evolving cloud computing landscape. Additionally, it will be crucial to remain compliant with existing regulations as well as new regulations that may emerge in the future. It is safe to say that the next decade of cloud computing will be just as dramatic as the last where many internet services are becoming cloud-based, and huge enterprises will struggle to fund physical infrastructure. Cloud computing is significantly used in business innovation and because of its agility and adaptability, cloud technology enables new ways of working, operating, and running a business. The service enables users to access files and applications stored in the cloud from anywhere, removing the requirement for users to be always physically close to actual hardware. Cloud computing makes the connection available from anywhere because they are kept on a network of hosted computers that carry data over the internet. Cloud computing has shown to be advantageous to both consumers and corporations. To be more specific, the cloud has altered our way of life. Overall, cloud computing is likely to continue to play a significant role in the future of IT, enabling organizations to become more agile, efficient, and innovative in the face of rapid technological change. This is likely to drive further innovation in AI and machine learning in the coming years.

The Pursuit of Unhappiness:The Ground Theory to Explain Why People Choose to Be Unhappy Rather Than Happy

This article presents a ground theory to explain why some individuals choose to be unhappy rather than happy,supported by empirical data collected from a sample of 750 professionals in Greece’s public and private sectors.We begin by reviewing the existing literature on happiness and well-being,highlighting the debate between hedonic and eudaimonic perspectives.We then introduce our research questions and rationale,and describe our methods,sample,and psychometric tools used to measure happiness and other variables of interest.Our results indicate that various factors,including cultural influences,past experiences,and personal values,contribute to individuals’pursuit of unhappiness.We conclude with a thorough discussion of our results and their implications for future research and interventions aimed at promoting well-being.

The Influence of Surrounding Ground Floor Facilities on the Use of Privately Owned Public Spaces in Seoul

Seoul’s privately owned public space (POPS) initiative has achieved quantitative success since its introduction in the early 1990s. However, POPSs have been frequently criticized for failing to correspond with the urban context in which they are created and are thus often underused. Association between surrounding urban context and the use of POPS is acknowledged, but specific elements of the urban context associated with the use of POPS and the extent of association are unclear. In this study, the relationship between constituent elements of 48 POPSs including the surrounding ground floor facility use and the use of those spaces in Seoul’s central business district was measured by multiple regression analysis. The results present empirical evidence of a substantial relationship between assembly, mercantile, and business facilities on ground floors of surrounding buildings and the use of POPS. As the surrounding ground floor facility use showed an overriding relationship with the use of POPS that possibly overshadowed the influence of secondary determinants, the 48 POPSs were divided into two groups: those surrounded by commercial facilities and those surrounded by business facilities. The use of POPSs surrounded by commercial facilities was associated with additional variables including the proximity to transit stations and crosswalks. Models using the sample of POPSs surrounded by business facilities were not statistically significant. Based on these results, this paper emphasizes the importance of creating POPSs in connection with desirable surrounding facilities. This study also suggests that anticipation of the usage patterns of POPSs and establishment of guidelines supporting those patterns may be viable by investigating preexisting urban contexts.

Emerging Challenges in the Completion of Construction Projects through Public Private Partnerships: Empirical Literature Review

The process of engaging private sector in the provision of public infrastructure can improve economic value in service delivery and enable the government to utilize the capabilities and expertise held by private sector. This has a positive impact on the public in terms of improving their well-being. This literature review attempts to compare the challenges encountered in implementation of PPP projects across the world, with a view to determining cross cutting challenges and recommendations for developing countries. A literature review was conducted for empirical studies focusing on construction projects. The studies are reviewed by analyzing the methodology used and conclusions made to identify the geographical study area, Public Private Partnership project financing model, emerging challenges and recommendation for future project management. The literature search was based on four keywords: construction projects, completion of construction projects, public private partnership, challenges in construction projects. Thus, a total of 11 empirical studies were identified for review in Europe, Asia and Africa. The review revealed that most risk factors affecting project completion can be categorized as human and organizational factors and unknown geotechnical conditions that were not known beforehand. Specifically, project owners’ interference was also attributable to delays with the delays having significant implications for project execution. Risks have great impact on the performance of construction projects because they affect their quality, time and cost. The general remedy to such potential risk factors is adoption of reliable prediction mechanisms which would estimate those factors using a probabilistic model that does not rely on expert judgments as they tend to be unreliable.

Legal Regulation of Public-Private Partnership in the Republic of Macedonia

This paper deals with a very important issue,which concerns the possibility of establishing a public-private partnership(PPP),through which link is made between the public and the private sector,for the benefit of both sectors,which is a very important opportunity for the realization of different infrastructure projects,and of course tourism facilities can be created in this form.Particular attention is given to the legal regulation of this issue in the Republic of Macedonia.It is mainly expressed through the provisions of the Law on PPP,which makes a clear distinction between the public and the private partner.Public partner is a legal entity that gives an agreement for the establishment of a public private partnership.Private Partner is a domestic or foreign legal entity or natural person or consortium with whom the public partner concludes an agreement for a PPP.

Theory of Risk in Conventional Public Finance and Islamic Finance

The research objective of the article is to extend the theoretical basis of risk management in the public and Islamic finance. The author hypothesizes that the existing theories of finance, the public choice theory, and the concept of New Public Management create insufficient conditions for risk management in the public finance sector entities and associated international structures of public-private partnership. As shown by the experience of recent years, the theory of financial markets as regards its operators has not yet developed a widely accepted model of risk management. In addition, the public choice theory and the concept of New Public Management do not fully illustrate the essence of risk management in the public sector, especially in capital structures where a private entity （Islamic investor） partners a public one. In Islamic finance, Sharia complaint instruments cannot be based on gharar, which is usually translated as risk, deception, delusion, and excessive uncertainty. The research methods mostly used in the article are analysis and critique of scientific literature with respect to risk of operation of public entities and risk in Islamic finance as well as public-private partnerships. The basic conclusion is that the adopted interpretations of risk in selected theories of conventional finance and the foundations of Islamic economy indicate that joint projects related to infrastructure are feasible.

Implementation of Tuberculosis and Human Immune-Deficiency Virus Programs Collaborative Services in Public-Private Mix Direct Observed Therapy Short Course Facilities in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: Cross Sectional Facility Based Mixed Method

Background: Ethiopia is one of the countries with the highest Human Immune-deficiency Virus (HIV) and Tuberculosis (TB) infection rates in the world. To improve TB/HIV Programs outcomes through Public Private Partnership Mix (PPM) approach was in place since 2006. But the status of its implementation has never been assessed. Methods: In this cross sectional study we employed mixed methods;we interviewed 272 tuberculosis patients, reviewed their records, and facilitated six in-depth interviews and four focus group discussions. The survey was conducted from January through March 2014 in Addis Ababa. Result: Among the interviewees 51.5% were males and the mean age was (32.7 ± SD 12.4) years. PPM facilities were offering HIV counseling for all TB patients;whereas 87.5% of TB patients have received HIV testing services. The TB/HIV co-infection rate was 45.4%. And only 72.2% TB/HIV patients were enrolled into chronic disease care services, 64.8% were put on Cotrimoxazol Preventive Therapy (CPT) and 50% were put on standard highly active anti-retro viral therapy (HAART) services. All PPM facilities don’t have IPT (Isoniazid Prophylaxis Therapy). The TB/HIV collaborative services strongly linked with the public health sector which was documented by developing inclusive work plan which create access to supplies and conducting joint supportive supervisions. However, the majorities of PPM facilities don’t have Multi-Disciplinary Team and lacks some essential supplies. The predictor for uptake of CPT were: being females TB patients was 86% lower than their counter part males (AOR = 0.14;95% CI = 0.04 - 0.92 P = 0.002), patients who has attended their TB/HIV care at private for the profit facilities were 84% lower than those attend in private not for profit facilities (AOR = 0.16;95% CI = 0.49 - 0.55, P = 0.003). Conclusions: The TB/HIV collaborative services at program level are stronger but only half of patients didn’t get the comprehensive TB/HIV collaborative services to achieve recommended quality of care. Strengthening the services and ensuring the availability of essential supplies was highly recommended.

Liberals, Communitarians, Republicans and the Intervention of the State in the Private Sphere

The aim of this paper is to discuss whether the increasing intervention of the state in the private sphere-as is evidenced in labor laws, consumer rights, bioethics, and Internet crimes-is compatible with the liberal ideal of neutrality, or, on the contrary, whether it can be seen as a turning point towards the position of communitarian or republican authors, for whom the state must endorse a substantive good. Such a turning point could lead to a reformulation of the public and private spheres, and of course, raise questions over which values justify which kinds of intervention. This paper will cover these debates in three parts： First, by presenting briefly the history of the liberal conception of rights, I will try to show that, from a starting point based mostly on individual protection, the liberal tradition has become more interventionist, which can be seen through the notion of ＂claim rights.＂ Departing from John Rawls＇s work, I will argue that this notion allows for some level of intervention, without betraying liberal neutrality. Subsequently, I will discuss the difference between this kind of intervention and the ones proclaimed by communitarians and republicans authors： The former will be illustrated by Michael Sandel＇s criticism of Rawls in Liberalism and the Limits of Justice, and the later by Richard Dagger＇s position in Civic Virtues, Citizenship, and Republican Liberalism. Finally, in the third part, we＇ll discuss whether liberal principles can be harmonized with the republican and communitarian focus on civic virtues and good life.

The Public Private Partnership （PPP） as a Solution During the Period of Transformation of the Medical Services Market in Poland

The public private partnership （PPP） has functioned worldwide for more than 40 years now, and in different countries, it is developing at different speeds with varying degrees of success. The purpose of this article is to emphasize some standards of the PPP, in particular, within health services area which would guarantee a successful transformation process within the medical services market in Poland, and thus an appropriate division of financial and market risks among the public sectors, including local government sector and private partners within the health services area. Certainly, proper transformation solutions within that industry would significantly contribute to the stabilization of the local government＇s finance sector and higher resistance to the global financial crisis.

Problems and Countermeasures of Bike-Sharing System in China Based on the theory of Public Goods

Under the new normal of China’s economic development,bike-sharing,a new product of the“Internet+”era,opens the door to a novel lifestyle for the society,and is in the stage of rapid development.Nevertheless,with the explosive growth of the number of bicycles,some new problems gradually come out,such as disorderly parking,serious damage and waste of resources,which in turn restrict its further development.Based on the theory of public goods,this article studies the quasi-public goods attributes and problems of bike-sharing,as well as provides feasible measures for its long-term development,so as to realize the co-governance and sharing among enterprises,consumers and government.