Purpose This study aims to examine whether natural resource rents are associated with greater or lower political stability in fragile and conflict-affected economies, and tests the rule of law as the institutional condition that conditions this association. The aim is to clarify when resource wealth becomes a source of stability rather than conflict. Design/methodology/approach The sample draws on 45 economies from the World Bank Fragile and Conflict-Affected Situations list over 2008–2023, forming an unbalanced panel whose estimation sample reduces to 32 countries after listwise deletion. Fixed-effects regression with Driscoll-Kraay standard errors addresses cross-sectional dependence, and a specification with a lagged dependent variable captures the persistence of political stability. Marginal associations across the observed institutional range, together with the rule-of-law value at which the sign of the rents association reverses, are reported alongside the interaction estimate. Findings Resource rents alone show no significant association with political stability, whereas the rule of law shows a strong direct association and a positive interaction with resource rents. The marginal association between rents and stability is negative across most of the observed institutional range. It turns positive only above a rule-of-law score of about −0.48, which lies roughly 0.85 standard deviations above the sample mean, so the stabilizing configuration applies to a minority of the fragile economies studied. Political stability also displays marked persistence over time. Originality/value The study refines the institutional resource-curse literature by showing that the rule of law is the binding condition under which resource rents support stability in fragile states. Circular diplomacy is retained as a forward-looking governance agenda whose feasibility rests on the legal conditions identified here, not as a mechanism tested in the present design.
Purpose Traditionally, circular economy research has focused mostly on policy, technology and institutional factors, with minimal understanding of how entrepreneurial behaviour is translated into firm-level capabilities that enable circular economy practices (CEC). This study aims to examine how entrepreneurial grit drives CEC through green entrepreneurial bricolage (GEB) and frugal innovation capabilities (FICs) within the Industry 5.0 (I5.0) context. Design/methodology/approach The theoretical framework is underpinned by self-regulation and dynamic capabilities theories. A survey of 219 entrepreneurial manufacturing firms operating in Malaysia was conducted. A hybrid structural equation modeling (SEM)–artificial neural network (ANN) approach was used. Findings The SEM outcomes demonstrate that entrepreneurial grit strengthens GEB and FIC, which subsequently enhance CEC. The model explains 50.8% of the variance in CEC, while the ANN outcomes exhibit that FIC is the strongest predictor of CEC, followed by perseverance and GEB. Originality/value The present study advances circular economy research by understanding CEC from a behavioural capability perspective. It demonstrates how entrepreneurial grit is practically successful when converted into GEB and FIC. The findings also suggest that small and medium enterprises should emphasize frugal innovation and resource recombination as practical paths for circular transformation in I5.0.
Purpose This study aims to address an explicit gap in the literature on climate finance in conflict contexts. This research examines global and regional climate financing laws, incorporating gender and refugee status considering the case of Western Sahara, a non-self-governing territory (NSGT) pending decolonisation. Design/methodology/approach This study uses a qualitative that applies critical content analysis to 30 global and regional (African) climate finance instruments. The analytical lens drew on regulatory ecology (laws) and critical public policy analysis, based on which systematic manual coding was conducted, recording both the presence and form of normative treatment, enabling cross-instrument comparison and the detection of structural regularities. Findings Climate finance laws insufficiently address the intersection of gender, refugee status and conflict, configuring a structural gap between normative discourse and institutional architecture. Although laws and policies proclaim principles of equity, differentiated responsibility and human rights, the institutional architecture systematically reproduces exclusions in conflict contexts, particularly among refugee populations and gender inequalities. Research limitations/implications This study focuses exclusively on law (hard and soft law) and does not analyse technical documents specific to climate finance mechanisms or the other dimensions of regulatory ecology. While recognising their importance and interdependence, this work proposes an advance in theoretical debates on climate finance in conflict-affected and colonially unresolved contexts, leaving the door open for continued exploration through empirical works examining the other dimensions of regulatory ecology. Originality/value The paper addresses an original and underexplored topic by examining climate finance, gender, refugee status and non-self-governing territory status through the case of Western Sahara.
Purpose This study explores the perceived macro-, meso- and micro-level enabling factors for sustainable business models aimed at preventing and reducing food waste in stable and crisis-affected contexts and examines the potential pathways through which these models may support economic recovery, environmental sustainability and social development. Design/methodology/approach The methodology adopts a comparative, quantitative survey-based approach, drawing on two complementary questionnaires conducted in Europe and Latin America with key stakeholders across the food system. Findings Micro- and macro-level factors are important in both contexts, while meso-level factors become particularly relevant in fragile and crisis-affected environments. In these settings, elements such as stakeholder engagement, coordination with public institutions and the establishment of formal agreements are perceived by stakeholders as especially important, suggesting potential pathways toward economic inclusion, social cohesion and long-term sustainable development. Originality/value This study offers a novel multi-level comparison of food loss and waste prevention and reduction sustainable business models across stable and fragile contexts, linking macro-, meso- and micro-level factors to resilience and inclusive socio-economic development. It further identifies perceived pathways through which these models may strengthen local capacities, support inclusive economic recovery and foster long-term socio-economic stability.
Purpose Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly embedded in organizational processes, challenging established assumptions about decision-making in project environments. Prior research has predominantly conceptualized AI either as a decision-support tool or as a substitute for human judgment, thereby overlooking the socio-technical complexity through which decisions are constituted. Thus, existing literature offers limited insight into decision-making in AI-enabled public sector contexts. This study aims to address this limitation by problematizing the theoretical foundations of project decision-making in AI-enabled public sector contexts. Design/methodology/approach Drawing on a mixed-methods design, the study analyses 80 public-sector projects and 240 decision episodes across Kosovo, Albania, North Macedonia and Montenegro, complemented by 48 semi-structured interviews conducted across the four transition-economy countries. Findings The findings suggest that AI does not function as a deterministic decision-maker but is enacted through ongoing interactions between human actors, institutional structures and algorithmic systems. Three interrelated mechanisms are identified: (i) hybrid rationality, reflecting the interplay between computational inference and contextual judgment; (ii) institutionally embedded distributed agency, capturing the asymmetric distribution of analytical influence, interpretive authority, decision authority and formal accountability across human and algorithmic actors; and (iii) algorithmic mediation, through which AI structures information flows and temporal dynamics of decision processes. Originality/value This study contributes to project management and organizational decision-making research by developing augmented project decision-making (APDM) as an empirically grounded, mechanism-based integration of previously fragmented perspectives on AI-enabled decision-making. It explains the asymmetric distribution of analytical influence, authority and accountability across human and algorithmic actors, moving beyond human-centric, tool-based and technologically deterministic accounts of AI-enabled decision-making.
