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Due to significant differences between urban and rural areas in terms of geographical environment, building scale, resident culture, social organization and other aspects, the post-disaster recovery and reconstruction models for both exhibit substantial variation. This study identifies critical strategic issues that must be addressed in housing reconstruction in the context of different social structures of urban–rural “integration” and urban–rural “dualization” to achieve the goal of “building back better” in the future.

By taking the experience of the 5.12 Wenchuan earthquake and the Taiwan 9.21 earthquake as a reference, this study provides a thematic analysis and systematic summary of the entire process of post-disaster housing reconstruction.

A successful housing reconstruction process should actively engage disaster-affected populations through participatory institutional design. Providing a diverse housing reconstruction model can coordinate the interests of the government, the market and affected individuals, promoting harmony of residential, productive and ecological functions. However, it can also lead to the division of existing communities.

This research relies on existing literature, government publications, academic studies and news reports, which may carry inherent biases or omissions. Future research can benefit from conducting more extensive and long-term post-reconstruction surveys to assess the sustained impact of recovery efforts while also considering additional data sources to ensure comprehensive and unbiased analyses.

With the support of post-disaster reconstruction policies, diverse changes in land use can lead to urban and rural spatial pattern reform and sustainable regional development, providing a reference for formulating optimal strategies.

This study carries significant societal implications by addressing critical strategic issues in housing reconstruction within varying urban–rural social structures. It highlights the importance of engaging affected populations through participatory design and harmonizing government, market and individual interests. The research introduces strategies for activating rural construction land quotas and creating new funding sources, promoting sustainable regional development. Its findings contribute to post-disaster reconstruction models, offering valuable insights for policymakers and stakeholders, ultimately leading to more effective and inclusive recovery efforts and benefiting disaster-prone areas worldwide.

This research primarily investigates the market circulation patterns of urban and rural land under different social structures, delves into the strategies for sources of housing reconstruction funding, along with an assessment of their effectiveness.

This paper aims to explore the psychological, emotional and equity implications of compulsory acquisition, evaluate the adequacy of compensation in mitigating those consequences and assess the sustainability of cash compensation for future generations.

A case study approach was operationalised to investigate the experiences of 40 project-affected persons (PAPs) four years after a compulsory acquisition project in Ghana’s New Akrade-Mpakadan region for the construction of a railway line. These perspectives were analysed through descriptive statistics and thematic analyses using the NVivo software. Figures and a holistic framework were adopted to report the identified issues.

Overall, only 25% of PAPs received formal communication prior to the acquisition, and only 10.3% have been fully compensated four years later. Despite the acquiring body initiating the marking of properties and compensation assessment in 2019, no payments were made until 2021. This induced emotional responses of distress, loss, uncertainty, stress and sadness, which was further exacerbated by feelings of hopelessness because there was no platform to voice concerns or pursue arbitration. Although PAPs were only offered compensation in the form of single monetary payments, a third would have preferred re-settlement.

By exploring the emotional and psychological effects of compulsory land acquisition, the study adds a new dimension to understanding its consequences. This may spark more interest, debate and discourse amongst researchers and policymakers and lead to the creation or enhancement of existing policy and legal measures to address the needs of PAPs in compulsory acquisition projects in developing countries.

The financial consequences of eminent domain are well documented, but this study explored the psychological, emotional and equity implications of the practice under conditions of weak regulatory frameworks. The adequacy of single lump-sum compensations was also explored to highlight preferred alternatives to ensure fairness for generations unborn.

When Cambodia's long civil war ended in the late 1990s, land on the former frontlines in the northwest was officially closed for resettlement. However, spontaneous resettlement occurred as land was informally claimed by demobilized soldiers, returnees from refugee camps and the landless poor. These areas were often heavily littered with the explosive remnants of war, and landmines and unexploded ordnance (UXO) wounded and killed numerous post-war settlers.

This study is based upon data collected in 2009 in three villages in Sdao commune in Battambang province. Ethnographic research methods were used to conduct the research, including participant observation, semi-structured interviews and demographic mapping.

The article illustrates how the desire to farm and the prospect of acquiring land rights drove resettlement into a hazardous place. The study demonstrates that this resettlement occurred when the Cambodian state and the international humanitarian sector failed to provide durable policy solutions for vulnerable post-war populations. An ethnographic example is provided of a woman attempting to live in precarious terrain. Her family and others expressed a need to risk occupancy in order to secure land, food and futures for their children.

These findings may assist policymakers working on the complex disasters posed by conflicts in recognizing the polyvalent and overlapping vulnerabilities of populations needing resettlement.

This study employs Stein Rokkan's methodological approach to analyse state formation in the Greater Middle East. It develops a conceptual framework distinguishing colonial, populist and democratic pacts, suitable for analysis of state formation and nation-building through to the present period. The framework relies on historical institutionalism. The methodology, however, is Rokkan's. The initial conceptual analysis also specifies differences between European and the Middle Eastern state formation processes. It is followed by a brief and selective discussion of historical preconditions. Next, the method of plotting singular cases into conceptual-typological maps is applied to 20 cases in the Greater Middle East (including Afghanistan, Iran and Turkey). For reasons of space, the empirical analysis is limited to the colonial period (1870s to the end of World War 1). Three typologies are combined into one conceptual-typological map of this period. The vertical left-hand axis provides a composite typology that clarifies cultural-territorial preconditions. The horizontal axis specifies transformations of the region's agrarian class structures since the mid-19th century reforms. The right-hand vertical axis provides a four-layered typology of processes of external intervention. A final section presents selected comparative case reconstructions. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first time such a Rokkan-style conceptual-typological map has been constructed for a non-European region.

This study looked at the potential applications of geographic information systems (GIS) and remote sensing (RS) for inclusive community development and participation, sustainable tourism, and rural community-based natural resource management (CBNRM) in sub-Saharan Africa and other rural areas worldwide.

To evaluate resource management systems for rural tourism and the environment in Africa and abroad. The study makes use of reviews of relevant literature and documents, and while linking applications for sustainable tourism and local community empowerment with CBNRM and GIS, vital content was manually analyzed.

The study shows a potential affinity between agricultural and tourism businesses that GIS in line with the CBNRM conception can strengthen. In many rural and underdeveloped regions of the continent, this highlights the need for a credible and varied tourism strategy to develop and empower the relevant communities.

Most agricultural communities in Africa are located in low-income regions. Such areas are rich in natural wildlife and have popular tourist destinations. A mix of regional community development initiatives can be built using GIS, sustainable tourism, CBNRM, and community-based tourism (CBT).

South Africa had formally introduced a policy of inflation targeting (IT) in February 2000. By December 2001, the governor of the South African Reserve Bank, after reading the latest statistics, was concerned with the disappointing economic data. Economic activity had slowed drastically, to the point that the country appeared to be heading for a recession. The gloomy statistics forced the governor to consider whether the country had pursued the right policy. Persistently high unemployment, one legacy of the apartheid era, meant that South Africa did not have the luxury of waiting for new policies to bear fruit. With the inflation forecast to exceed the mandated target, the governor would have to tighten monetary policy, which would further restrict investment. Was it is time for South Africa to change course?

This chapter aims to estimate the impact of the use of an innovative cultivation method on the social, economic and environmental aspects in the French region Aix-en-Provence, by using the survey data for 200 heterogeneous vegetable producers (organic and conventional). It distinguishes three types of producers in the French region Aix-en-Provence. First, conventional producers (n = 100) who used a high level of mechanization, better access to water, high yield, high labor costs. Second, certified organic producers (n = 70) who used organic technologies such as biotechnology and rotation, low yield, high organic product price compared to conventional products, a family workforce and high transport. Third, noncertified organic producers (n = 30) have used the same technologies as certified organic producers, while they sell their products at the same price as conventional products. Labor is the member of the family. These noncertified farms are marked by high operating and transport costs and low yield compared to conventional producers or certified organic producers. The results show that this cultivation method has a positive effect on the environmental aspect, however a negative one on the social and economic aspect.

Integrated reporting enhances the meaningfulness of non-financial information, but whether this enhancement is progressive or regressive from a sustainability perspective is unknown. This study aims to examine the influence of the Integrated Reporting (<IR>) Framework on the disclosure of financial- and impact-material sustainability-related information in integrated reports.

Using a disclosure index constructed from the Global Reporting Initiative’s G4 Guidelines and UN Sustainable Development Goals, the authors content analysed integrated reports of 40 companies from the International Integrated Reporting Council’s Pilot Programme Business Network published between 2015 and 2017. The content analysis distinguished between financial- and impact-material sustainability-related information.

The extent of sustainability-related disclosures in integrated reports remained more or less constant over the study period. Impact-material disclosures were more prominent than financial material ones. Impact-material disclosures mainly related to environmental aspects, while labour practices-related disclosures were predominantly financially material. The balance between financially- and impact-material sustainability-related disclosures varied based on factors such as industry environmental sensitivity and country-specific characteristics, such as the country’s legal system and development status.

The paper presents a unique disclosure index to distinguish between financially- and impact-material sustainability-related disclosures. Researchers can use this disclosure index to critically examine the nature of sustainability-related disclosure in corporate reports.

This study offers an in-depth understanding of the influence of non-financial reporting frameworks, such as the <IR> Framework that uses a financial materiality perspective, on sustainability reporting. The findings reveal that the practical implementation of the <IR> Framework resulted in sustainability reporting outcomes that deviated from theoretical expectations. Exploring the materiality concept that underscores sustainability-related disclosures by companies using the <IR> Framework is useful for predicting the effects of adopting the Sustainability Disclosure Standards issued by the International Sustainability Standards Board, which also emphasises financial materiality.

Despite an emphasis on financial materiality in the <IR> Framework, companies continue to offer substantial impact-material information, implying the potential for companies to balance both financial and broader societal concerns in their reporting.

While prior research has delved into the practices of regulated integrated reporting, especially in the unique context of South Africa, this study focuses on voluntary adoption, attributing observed practices to intrinsic company motivations. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, it is the first study to explicitly explore the nature of materiality in sustainability-related disclosure. The research also introduces a nuanced understanding of contextual factors influencing sustainability reporting.

It was to investigate whether gender diversity – gender balance – within political municipal government teams affected the municipal indebtedness. Government ideology, the gender of the mayor and the wealth of the municipal environment were considered as moderators.

We used GMM estimators on two dynamic models and a sample of 144 Spanish municipalities with more than 50,000 inhabitants for the period 2013–2022.

Gender diversity within government teams reduces the municipal debt. Furthermore, the government right-wing ideology and the female gender of the mayor are robust moderators of the effects of the gender diversity within government teams on institutional indebtedness.

The differences in financial autonomy and powers to apply public policies by municipalities in the different countries, as well as some differential aspects within the right-wing ideological spectrum, may condition our findings. Within relational demography, gender diversity impacts municipal performance, opening the way to explore other relations in future research.

The tendency to implement legislation to try to achieve high gender balances within political decision-making bodies generates higher gender diversity, and our research shows that it leads to a better financial performance, a matter of transcendental importance for EU, credit rating agencies, and lenders.

This study provides new knowledge about the effect of gender within political decision-making bodies on municipal budgetary management. It is the first research analysing the impact of gender balance in the strict sense within decision-making bodies on municipal indebtedness.