Abstract This article focuses on Maslow’s theory of hierarchy of needs, which has been criticized for lacking scientific evidence towards an effective municipal infrastructure management system. To ameliorate this, we contend that 21st-century management is not limited to the cardinal direction of motivation from the bottom hierarchy to the top hierarchy, as indicated by Maslow. We also argue that Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory did not take cognizance of innovations and situational advancements embedded in societal dynamism. Our argument is located within the principles of the interpretive paradigm. This paradigm enables us to analyze the deficiencies inherent in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs within the 21st-century needs assessment perspective and re-establish the necessity for the novel motivation needs theory to cater for the changing world. In doing this, we engaged conceptual analysis as a method of analyzing or making sense of perceived complex concepts towards meaning-making. We conclude that an inclusive infrastructure needs assessment must be geared towards a reformed approach of people’s satisfaction, which informs the necessity to reconstruct Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory. The needs satisfaction of the populace or community should be of prime importance, in addition to ensuring that people’s satisfaction is met towards enhancing and promoting socio-economic growth and development.

Abstract Inequity in infrastructure distribution and social injustice’s effects on Ethiopia’s efforts to build a democratic society are examined in this essay. By ensuring fair access to infrastructure, justice, and economic opportunity, those who strive for social justice aim to redistribute resources in order to increase the well-being of individuals, communities, and the nine regional states. The effects that social inequity and injustice of access to infrastructure have on Ethiopia’s efforts to develop a democratic society were the focus of the study. Time series analysis using principal component analysis (PCA) and composite infrastructure index (CII), as well as structural equation modeling–partial least squares (SEM-PLS), were necessary to investigate this issue scientifically. This study also used in-depth interviews and focus group discussions to support the quantitative approach. The research study finds that public infrastructure investments have failed or have been disrupted, negatively impacting state- and nation-building processes of Ethiopia. The findings of this research also offer theories of coordination, equity, and infrastructure equity that would enable equitable infrastructure access as a just and significant component of nation-building processes using democratic federalism. Furthermore, this contributes to both knowledge and methodology. As a result, indigenous state capability is required to assure infrastructure equity and social justice, as well as to implement the state-nation nested set of policies that should almost always be a precondition for effective state- and nation-building processes across Ethiopia’s regional states.

Abstract In the past decade, the capital city of Doha of the State of Qatar has experienced rapid urban expansion and other changes due to globalization, which has caused (i) the loss of a compact urban pattern, (ii) landscape fragmentation, and (iii) deficiency of green spaces. Therefore, as envisioned by Qatar National Vision 2030 (QNV-2030), the State of Qatar plans to invest substantial funds into the urban regeneration of the built environment, along with the development of large areas of public parks as a means of promoting more sustainable urban development and enhancing city residents’ well-being. Accessibility contributes to the usability of public facilities on the part of the neighborhood community, thus enhancing city dwellers’ well-being. Nonetheless, the authors argue, the urban network along Doha’s Corniche promenade, the dominant open public space and the spine of the city, lacks connectivity at various scales of space. Therefore, this research study aimed to assess the existing conditions of Doha’s Corniche and recommend strategies for implementing its integration into the newly emerging city’s urban fabric. The findings, revealed through a network-analysis investigation based on graph theory, allowed us to generate a framework for shaping open public spaces, promoting higher living standards through a green network system planned at the city scale. The proposed framework addresses social-ecological challenges of distinctive open public spaces and helps define an approach for (i) tailoring the accessibility of open public spaces to their surroundings, and (ii) enhancing city dwellers’ well-being.

Abstract The study examined the socio-demographic factors affecting access to and utilization of social welfare services in Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, Nigeria. Quantitative and qualitative approaches were adopted to select 570 respondents from the study area. Probability and non-probability sampling techniques were adopted in the selection of communities, and respondents. The quantitative data were analyzed using frequency distribution tables and percentages, while chi-square statistic was used to determine the relationship between socio-demographic variables and access to and utilization of social welfare services. The qualitative data were analyzed in themes as a complement to the quantitative data. This study reveals that although all the respondents reported knowing available social welfare services, 44.3% reported not having access to existing social services due to factors connected to serendipity variables, such as terrain condition, ethnicity and knowing someone in government. Therefore, the study recommends that the government and other stakeholders should push for the massive delivery of much-needed social welfare services to address the issue of welfare service deficit across the nation, irrespective of the ethnic group and whether the community is connected to the government of the day or not, primarily in rural areas.

Abstract Public works (PWs) in Jordan seek to deliver public services that contribute to socio-economic growth and service provision. A clear framework for initiating PWs investments is lacking in Jordan to meet the required level of development of the country. This work sought to develop a framework for delivering the right PWs investments. The study found that there are several steps that need to be followed to deliver a desired project’s objectives. The study employed a qualitative method using semi-structured interviews. Besides the interviews, the document analysis approach was used and an extensive literature review was conducted. Experts in Jordan regarding PWs development were selected to participate in this study of developing a framework for the initiation of PWs investments. The study found that the framework should involve different steps and measures. They are integrated together to create a framework reflecting international practices in the context of Jordan.

Abstract Universities play a key role in university-industry-government interactions and are important in innovation ecosystem studies. Universities are also expected to engage with industries and governments and contribute to economic development. In the age of artificial intelligence (AI), governments have introduced relevant policies regarding the AI-enabled innovation ecosystem in universities. Previous studies have not focused on the provision of a dynamic capabilities perspective on such an ecosystem based on policy analysis. This research work takes China as a case and provides a framework of AI-enabled dynamic capabilities to guide how universities should manage this based on China’s AI policy analysis. Drawing on two main concepts, which are the innovation ecosystem and dynamic capabilities, we analyzed the importance of the AI-enabled innovation ecosystem in universities with governance regulations, shedding light on the theoretical framework that is simultaneously analytical and normative, practical, and policy-relevant. We conducted a text analysis of policy instruments to illustrate the specificities of the AI innovation ecosystem in China’s universities. This allowed us to address the complexity of emerging environments of innovation and draw meaningful conclusions. The results show the broad adoption of AI in a favorable context, where talents and governance are boosting the advance of such an ecosystem in China’s universities.

Abstract This study aimed to analyze government policies in education during the Covid-19 pandemic and how teachers exercised discretion in dealing with limitations in policy implementation. This research work used the desk review method to obtain data on government policies in the field of education during the Covid-19 pandemic. In addition, interviews were conducted to determine the discretion taken in implementing the learning-from-home policy. There were three learning models during the pandemic: face-to-face learning in turns (shifts), online learning, and home visits. Online learning policies did not work well at the pandemic’s beginning due to limited infrastructure and human resources. To overcome various limitations, the government provided internet quota assistance and curriculum adjustments and improved online learning infrastructure. The discretion taken by the teachers in implementing the learning-from-home policy was very dependent on the student’s condition and the availability of the internet network. The practical implication of this research is that street-level bureaucrats need to pay attention to discretionary standards when deciding to provide satisfaction to the people they serve.

Abstract Due to the lack of clear regulation of management accounting at the state level in Russia, the authors conducted a study based on an analysis of information sources, an expert survey on their reliability, and a case method, which resulted in a reporting form compiled for the production process of an agro-industrial enterprise (grain products) as part of inter-organizational company cooperation. The developed management reporting system (composed of eight consecutive stages: standard reports, specialized reports, itemized query reports, notification reports, statistical reports, prognostic reports, modeling results reports, and process optimization reports), on one hand, allows solving a set of tasks to increase the competitiveness of Russian agro-industrial enterprises within the framework of inter-organizational management accounting. On the other hand, the introduction of ESG principles into the management reporting system (calculation of the environmental (E) index, which assesses the company’s impact on the natural ecosystem and covers emissions and efficient use of natural resources in the agricultural production process) increases the level of control and minimizes the risks of an unfair approach of individual partners to environmental issues.

Abstract The work provides the contributions of an empirical study recently carried out by the University of Valencia (Spain) in collaboration with the Generalitat Valenciana (Regional Government). The work is mainly based on a qualitative methodology using in-depth interviews open to experts in the field (specifically 13) and on the presentations of renowned speakers at the 12th Economy Week of Alzira (Valencia), to which a content analysis was applied. Based on the results obtained and the multidisciplinary academic literature (labour relations, sociology, public administration and social responsibility), the debate concerns the feasibility of public administrations establishing, among their contracts for the procurement of works, services and supplies, some clauses that seek to ensure legal compliance in socio-labour matters of subcontracted companies with their workers. This question raises a new vision of a topic of current relevance and is a clear commitment to improvement of the health of organisations that would also affect labour relations.

Abstract The US Infrastructure Investment and Job Act (IIJA), also commonly referred to as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill, passed in 2021, has drawn international attention. It aims to help to rebuild US infrastructure, including transportation networks, broadband, water, power and energy, environmental protection and public works projects. An estimated $1.2 trillion in total funding over ten years will be allocated. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill is the largest funding bill for US infrastructure in the recent history of the United States. This review article will specifically discuss funding allocations for roads and bridges, power and grids, broadband, water infrastructure, airports, environmental protection, ports, Western water infrastructure, electric vehicle charging stations and electric school buses in the new spending of the Infrastructure Investment and Job Act and why these investments are urgently necessary. This article will also briefly discuss the views of think tank experts, the public policy perspectives, the impact on domestic and global arenas of the new spending in the IIJA, and the public policy implications.