The relevance of this study is determined by the need to analyze Hungary’s foreign policy strategy in Central Asia in the context of its effort to combine economic pragmatism, cultural diplomacy, and strategic autonomy. The aim of the research was to identify the key directions, mechanisms, and instruments of Hungary’s policy in the contemporary Central Asian region. The methodology included content analysis of official documents and intergovernmental agreements, case studies of strategic projects, comparative analysis of foreign policy approaches, and a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) assessment of policy effectiveness. The findings show that Hungary has developed an institutionalized system of bilateral and multilateral relations with key Central Asian states, creating a stable legal and organizational framework for cooperation. Economic, energy, and infrastructure initiatives have become the primary tools for achieving foreign policy objectives. Balancing European Union membership with an autonomous eastern orientation has allowed Hungary to act as a mediator between Europe and Central Asia. At the same time, limited resources and competition with major international actors constrain the scope and sustainability of this policy. The results indicate that the Keleti Nyitás strategy has supported Hungary’s institutional presence in Central Asia, although its long-term sustainability remains constrained by limited resources, personalized political leadership, and uneven economic outcomes. The analytical framework developed in the study may be adapted for comparative examination of how small European states combine economic diplomacy, multilateral participation, cultural positioning, and strategic autonomy in their external regional policies. The practical significance of the study lies in its use as an analytical tool for assessing the institutional sustainability, coordination mechanisms, and economic grounding of bilateral and multilateral initiatives involving small states. The study’s original contribution is the development of an analytical model that interprets Hungary’s Central Asian policy as a combination of functional multilateralism, economic diplomacy, cultural identification, and strategic autonomy.
The purpose of this study was to analyze the transformation of family relations in global and Central Asian contexts. The research combined an examination of global trends with a comparative analysis of legal and ritual practices in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Kyrgyzstan. It was based on legislative acts, normative documents, international statistics, and ethnographic materials, integrating legal, demographic, and cultural perspectives. The findings show that polygyny historically dominated most societies but gradually gave way to monogamy as the dominant legal model in many modern states. Signs of the second demographic transition (SDT) were identified, including delayed marriages, increased cohabitation, and an increase in births outside registered marriage. While the family remains a key institution for transmitting values, its structure and functions have been significantly reshaped by urbanization, migration, and population ageing. In Central Asia, civil marriage registration is required for legal spousal status, although religious and traditional practices remain influential. Cultural features persist across the region: symbolic bride price and betashar in Kazakhstan, the regulatory role of the mahalla in Uzbekistan, legal limits on wedding ceremonies in Tajikistan, the prestige function of kalym in Turkmenistan, and legal tensions between civil and religious marriage in Kyrgyzstan. The study also finds that gender equality remains incomplete, with patriarchal norms persisting despite women’s growing public role and state efforts to reduce violence. The results can inform culturally sensitive family policies that combine civil-legal protection with kinship, mahalla-based, religious, and intergenerational mechanisms of support.
This article examines the relationship between youth agency and structural precarity in contemporary European labor markets, with particular attention to its implications for social and community inequalities. Drawing on harmonized Eurostat data, the study adopts a multiscalar quantitative approach combining longitudinal (2009–2025), cross-national, and regional analyses. Structural precarity is operationalized through a composite Structural Precarity Index (SPI), while youth agency is proxied by self-employment, interpreted cautiously as an ambivalent form of economic participation. The findings indicate that youth precarity is persistent and structurally embedded, with stable cross-national disparities and a pronounced North–South divide. The relationship between self-employment and precarity appears nonlinear, suggesting adaptive strategies rather than opportunity-driven trajectories. Within-country analysis further reveals significant territorial inequalities, highlighting the place-dependent nature of youth transitions. The study advances a relational understanding of agency and emphasizes how structural precarity shapes not only individual pathways but also broader patterns of community inequality and social cohesion.
Labor exploitation remains a persistent yet underexamined feature of capitalist organizations, increasingly normalized through routine managerial practices under neoliberalism. While scholarship in management and employment relations has largely concentrated on overt and legally prohibited forms of exploitation—such as forced labor, child labor, and human trafficking—less attention has been paid to everyday exploitative dynamics embedded in ordinary firms. Drawing on critical management, business ethics, and employment relations, this study examines labor exploitation in large and medium-sized companies in Peru across three dimensions of employment relations: wages, working time, and workload. Based on fifty-three semi-structured interviews with workers from six industries, the findings reveal both explicit and subtle forms of exploitation. Specifically, the findings identify wage exploitation through inadequate compensation and wage theft, time exploitation through uncompensated overtime and the intrusion into personal life, and workload exploitation through tasks that exceed contractual limits. The study also identifies organizational mechanisms that reproduce and reinforce exploitative conditions, alongside workers’ strategies of resistance. By conceptualizing labor exploitation as a routine organizational phenomenon rather than an exceptional or illegal practice, this study contributes to critical management and employment relations scholarship while offering practical implications for labor regulation, organizational governance, worker well-being, and debates surrounding employment precarity and social inequality.
This study aims to map the needs, perceptions, and readiness of students, lecturers, and the community regarding the implementation of community-based learning (CBL) as a foundation for civic pedagogy in Indonesian higher education. This study uses a mixed approach, involving 350 students as survey respondents and in-depth interviews with seven lecturers and seven community representatives. The results show that although students are in great need of contextual learning relevant to social issues, the majority of them have never been formally involved in CBL. Lecturers identified structural challenges and pedagogical limitations as the main obstacles to implementation, while the community emphasized the importance of fair and sustainable involvement as learning partners. Furthermore, findings from the Indonesian context indicate that CBL has the potential to strengthen critical pedagogical collaboration between universities and communities. One example of CBL is its relevance in addressing global challenges such as deforestation and climate change. This study highlights the need for systemic integration of CBL into the curriculum, capacity building for lecturers, and the development of a collaborative ecosystem that is responsive to local and environmental needs in order to increase citizen participation and the relevance of higher education in sustainable community development.
The COVID-19 pandemic caused unprecedented labor market disruptions worldwide, with young workers expected to suffer long-term economic scarring due to job instability and a lack of experience. However, empirical evidence on income recovery among youth in developing countries, particularly in Vietnam, remains scarce. This study addresses this gap by examining whether young Vietnamese workers have experienced lasting income scars or achieved a resilient recovery after the pandemic. Using nationally representative data from the Vietnam Labour Force Survey (LFS) for 2019 and 2022, the study applies a difference-in-differences (DiD) approach to estimate the causal effect of the pandemic and recovery policies on income disparities between young workers (aged 15–24) and prime-age workers (aged 25–54). The findings reveal no persistent economic scarring among young workers. On the contrary, youth income increased by approximately 5%–7% compared to older cohorts after the pandemic. The recovery is heterogeneous: female youth experienced stronger gains (7.9% vs. 2.6% for males), rural youth recovered faster than urban youth, and workers with vocational or intermediate education achieved the highest income growth. These results highlight the effectiveness of Vietnam’s post-pandemic recovery programs, including vocational training, employment subsidies, and digital skills initiatives, in fostering youth resilience. The study concludes that young Vietnamese workers have not only overcome the short-term income losses from COVID-19 but have also become key drivers of inclusive and sustainable recovery in the post-pandemic economy.
The emergence of dupe bags on Indonesian social media reflects a shift in the meanings attached to digital consumer behavior. Imitation designs inspired by iconic luxury bags are increasingly framed by users as a means of expressing self-identity, financial pragmatism, and alternative forms of positioning within a global brand-dominated consumer culture. Across posts on Instagram and TikTok, dupe bags are depicted through visual displays that emphasize affordability, everyday lifestyles, and local pride. This study employs a qualitative descriptive approach within the framework of Stuart Hall’s theory of representation and Michel Foucault’s concept of discourse. Data were collected from social media content produced by local brands such as Sincerely Sea and Kaynn and analyzed using visual semiotic and critical discourse analyses. The results show that consumers actively construct symbolic meanings through digital aesthetics, which reconfigure prevailing notions of luxury and authenticity. Additionally, platform restrictions on the term “dupe” on TikTok encourage users to develop alternative communicative strategies, such as using substitute terms or providing meaning indirectly through images and visual narratives. These dynamics indicate that dupe bags not only function as consumer goods but also serve as symbolic sites within the negotiation of meaning between global brand norms and local user creativity. Within Indonesian digital culture, dupe bags operate as symbolic sites where values, identities, and forms of cultural belonging are continuously negotiated.
Indonesia’s tropical forests play a strategic role in mitigating global climate change, yet their integration into Indonesia’s carbon market remains legally uncertain, particularly regarding carbon rights and institutional coherence. This study aims to analyze the extent to which the forestry sector is legally integrated into Indonesia’s carbon market framework following the enactment of Presidential Regulation No. 110 of 2025 (Perpres 110/2025). This study uses a normative juridical method with a legislative, conceptual, and comparative approach. The carbon market is positioned as a legal governance system involving cross-sectoral interactions, not merely an economic instrument. The objects of study include Perpres 110/2025, Perpres 98/2021, Law No. 32 of 2009 concerning Environmental Protection and Management, Law No. 41 of 1999 concerning Forestry, and related technical regulations. The results of the study show that Presidential Regulation 110/2025 presents normative progress through the clarity of the carbon trading scheme, the strengthening of MRV (measurement, reporting, and verification) standards, and the regulation of benefit-sharing. However, there are still significant legal loopholes, particularly regarding certainty of carbon rights, law enforcement mechanisms, dispute resolution, and protection of indigenous and local communities. This study concludes that the sustainability of the forestry carbon market in Indonesia is highly dependent on stronger legal harmonization, institutional strengthening, and the application of environmental justice principles, particularly the need to establish clear and enforceable carbon rights as the most critical unresolved legal issue.
This study examines the housing challenges faced by international graduate students in Italy, drawing on ethnographic methods and the author’s personal experience as a form of autoethnography. Data were collected through field notes, informal interviews, and document analysis over a one-year period. Findings reveal that students often confront financial and logistical barriers, including multi-month deposits, agent fees, inflexible leases, and discrimination. Moreover, language barriers and unclear academic timelines exacerbate these challenges. While offering temporary relief, short-term rental platforms like Airbnb and Booking.com have reduced access to affordable housing and driven up competition. As a result, international students are frequently pushed into overpriced or unsuitable accommodations. This article argues that universities and policymakers should establish formal housing options, increase transparency in lease terms, and better align academic calendars with local rental markets. These measures would help address the housing needs of a growing but often overlooked population of international students studying abroad.
This study examined the psychological factors influencing beverage consumption behavior among Nigerians, focusing on 862 individuals employed in government ministries in Enugu. The study implemented the most stringent methodological processes, using the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, the Big Five Personality Inventory, and consumer behavior measures created for the study. The study’s results were based on key psychological factors, as outlined by hierarchical regression analysis. Self-esteem was a significant predictor of consumers’ preference of beverage (β = .10 ; p <.01) as well as consumers’ patronage (β = .09; p < .01). With respect to personality dimensions, of the Big five Personality inventory, agreeableness was most significantly associated with consumer preference (β = .07; p < .05) and consumer patronage (β =.08; p < .05). In addition, openness to experience of new beverages was demonstrated to have a strong predictive power for consumer preference. This was demonstrated by consumer preference (β = .23; p < .01) as well as consumer patronage (β = .07; p < .01). Although peer influence was expected to have strong predictive relationships with consumer behavior, as it forms the basis of most theories on consumer behavior, it was found to have no predictive relationships. The same applies to the personality traits of extraversion, conscientiousness, and neuroticism. These findings suggest that marketing strategies in Nigeria, a developing market, should prioritize psychological profiling over social influence factors when targeting mature consumer segments. Future cross-national studies are necessary to ascertain broader relevance.
Marriage is a long-standing social institution that is often perceived as a source of personal fulfilment for couples and a marker of familial pride. Traditionally, marriage has been framed as an exchange in which husbands assume the role of economic provider, while wives take responsibility for domestic labor. However, contemporary economic pressures and shifting gender expectations have increasingly drawn women, including in Indonesia, into the workforce, reshaping how individuals evaluate readiness for marriage. This quantitative study aims to explore the extent to which gender provides unique interaction patterns between economic stability and individual marriage intention. A total of 134 participants (Mage = 26.35; SD = 5.15) completed an online survey. The findings indicate that perceived economic stability significantly predicts marriage intention among single men. Additionally, age emerged as the strongest predictor of marriage intention for men, whereas educational attainment was the strongest predictor for women. Overall, the study highlights that men’s marriage intentions remain closely tied to their sense of economic readiness, whereas women’s intentions may be shaped by different developmental considerations.
This research project analyzes news transmission in Thai communities during the COVID-19 pandemic in order to offer recommendations that may lead to greater levels of trust in the dissemination of communication during times of future destabilization. The research team used mixed-methods to gather information on news related to COVID-19 and the role of Thai people in spreading those news stories. The purposively-selected sample consisted of members of the Thai public and Village Health Volunteers (VHV) in urban and rural communities. Data was collected through questionnaires, in-depth interviews, and group discussions. The results show that fake news disseminated during the COVID-19 outbreak from March 2020 to July 2021 can be classified into seven categories. The general population consumed news and information from online channels, although most tended to only follow subjects of personal interest. Most people spread news to relatives, close friends, and colleagues, with some sharing stories publicly on their social media accounts. The main reasons for spreading news were the perceived benefits to the recipients and the trust in reliable news sources. Factors affecting news transmission and decision-making were both external and internal. The results lead to discussions about the nature of news transmission in the age of the internet and public understanding of internet privacy.
This study examines competency-based human resource development for rural area management in Indonesia’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 8 implementation context. Using a qualitative case study approach in Kanigara Rural Area, Wonosobo Regency, we conducted in-depth interviews with twenty-five key stakeholders, including Inter-Village Cooperation Agency (BKAD) representatives, village-owned enterprise managers, local government officials, and community leaders, complemented by participant observations and document analysis from March to August 2025. Findings reveal systematic competency deficiencies across managerial, technical, and sociocultural dimensions that fundamentally constrain sustainable rural development. Critical gaps include strategic planning inadequacies, inter-organizational coordination weaknesses, limited digital literacy, insufficient collaborative governance skills, and absent risk management capabilities. The study demonstrates that competency deficits arise from institutional misalignments between standardized capacity-building frameworks designed for urban bureaucratic contexts and complex rural development requirements, rather than merely insufficient training resources. These misalignments are particularly evident in multifunctional rural areas requiring dual conservation-development mandates. We propose a comprehensive competency development framework integrating technical skills, managerial capabilities, and sociocultural competencies (SQ) through sustained accompaniment processes responsive to multifunctional rural contexts and SDG 8 imperatives. The framework emphasizes context-specific interventions that facilitate continuous learning, intersectoral collaboration, and adaptive capacity while addressing institutional barriers typical of Indonesian local governance structures.
This article presents findings from an exploratory study aimed to address the social inequalities and vulnerability of migrant Indigenous women agricultural workers from Mexico by focusing on the work conditions imposed by agroindustry. We seek to contextualize perceptions and experiences of migrant Indigenous women agricultural workers in relation to their work and health conditions. Seen as a process, labor conditions articulate several factors, such as hiring practices and forms of payment linked to the restructuring of horticultural production, and fluctuations in demand from the North American market for these export products. Utilizing a qualitative design with group interviews, our research specifically aimed to explore how work requirements and conditions relate to the health and well-being of women Mixtec agricultural workers who work in farms in two locations in the southern Central Coast region of California. Given the dismal political and economic context for migrant agricultural workers, the history of exploitative workplace conditions, and poor health indicators within this community, we sought to obtain a clearer picture of the well-being and health-related challenges of this marginalized migrant population.
We analyze the factors influencing financial inclusion (FI) among vulnerable populations in Mexico, aiming to inform equitable public policy. Despite its portrayal as a tool for poverty reduction, substantial disparities persist in FI access and use, particularly in countries like Mexico. We employed a descriptive, quantitative, cross-sectional design. We analyzed data from the 2024 National Survey on Financial Inclusion (ENIF). A composite FI Index was constructed using principal component analysis (PCA) and categorized with latent class analysis (LCA). We used linear regression models to analyze the main factors associated with FI for the general population and the identified vulnerable groups: women, older adults, remittance recipients, and Indigenous language speakers. Results show significant inequalities. Around 32% of Mexican adults had low FI in 2024. Indigenous language speakers, and women exhibited high probabilities of low FI. Higher FI was positively associated with educational attainment, employment, being male, older age, household headship, union status, and receiving remittances. Conversely, speaking an Indigenous language and rural residence consistently linked to lower FI. We conclude that Mexico’s FI challenges stem from structural issues like informality, discrimination, and inadequate financial education. Current policies often prioritize financial system profitability. Effective FI demands differentiated, context-sensitive policies focusing on consumer protection, financial education, and tailored products to genuinely reduce inequality.
This pilot study explores how educated Sicilians (aged 23–33) perceive their region’s socio-economic development, express resilience, and position themselves regarding social and political change. Set within the broader context of Southern Italy’s persistent marginalization, the research addresses how regional identity, justice beliefs, and intergenerational value transmission shape individual perspectives. Through eight semi-structured interviews, this pilot phase of a larger mixed-methods research employs thematic analysis to uncover how participants navigate the tension between attachment to Sicily and perceived systemic limitations. Findings reveal a complex emotional landscape: while participants express strong cultural and emotional bonds with Sicily, they simultaneously confront frustration, disillusionment, and limited opportunities. Justice beliefs are often marked by skepticism, with institutions viewed as opaque and nepotistic, undermining perceptions of meritocracy. Resilience is expressed both through creative adaptation—such as entrepreneurship or migration—as well as strategies of withdrawal or reduced expectations. Family influence emerges as both a stabilizing force and a source of constraint, transmitting cautious attitudes and emotional obligations that shape life choices. This study concludes that young Sicilians demonstrate a form of “situated agency,” where aspirations and critique are shaped by emotional, familial, and structural constraint. The results offer insights into how youth in peripheral regions understand justice, opportunity, and change—not as abstract ideals, but as lived contradictions. These qualitative insights will inform the design of a subsequent quantitative survey to assess broader trends and validate emerging themes.
The Heian period (794–1185) was a flourishing and transformative era in Japanese history marked by the unparalleled development of culture, art, and literature that defined Japan’s classical age. This article explores the influence of the Fujiwara clan’s political dominance, the rise of the samurai class, and the profound impact of Heian literature, with particular focus on The Tale of Genji and The Pillow Book. It further investigates how political power and artistic refinement coexisted to create a uniquely Japanese cultural identity. The study looks at the aesthetic ideals of mono-no-aware, which were based on the belief that life and beauty are fleeting, ideas that shaped the art and culture of the time. The impact of Buddhism and Shintoism on Heian civilization is examined, emphasizing the syncretic religious milieu that influenced both spiritual and cultural behaviors. The study also looks at the role of women in the intellectual and literary life of the time, focusing on how female writers like Murasaki Shikibu and Sei Shonagon made important contributions. By analyzing these cultural, political, and social forces, the study illustrates how the Heian period represented the zenith of Japan’s classical civilization and established the groundwork for Japan’s contemporary cultural identity. The enduring impact of the era is seen in modern Japanese arts, literature, and philosophy, where themes of transience and beauty persist.
This study explores the intersection between commuting patterns, income levels, and housing preferences within Jakarta’s metropolitan context to reinterpret the concept of Unitary Urbanism as a framework for inclusive housing integration. The research uses a quantitative approach through a questionnaire involving 450 respondents aged 20 to 39, supported by stratified random sampling. Findings reveal that private-sector employees dominate the urban workforce (50.2%), with 57% commuting across municipal boundaries, reflecting the persistent spatial mismatch between residential and employment zones. Conversely, civil servants and state-owned enterprise employees exhibit shorter commuting times and spatial proximity to their workplaces, signifying locational stability. Housing preferences are strongly mediated by income: middle-income groups (IDR 5–15 million) demonstrate sensitivity to affordability and proximity to mass transit, while high-income individuals gravitate toward central districts with premium amenities. Respondents overwhelmingly expressed optimism toward integrated vertical housing—particularly two-bedroom units atop public facilities—highlighting the significance of accessibility, spatial adequacy, and social inclusion. The study contextualizes these empirical patterns through spatial preference mapping and commuter narrative cartography, visualizing how income, mobility, and housing choices coalesce into a lived expression of Unitary Urbanism in Jakarta’s complex urban fabric. The findings conclude that reimagining public housing within transport-oriented and multifunctional public infrastructures can bridge the conceptual divide between the ideals of Unitary Urbanism and Indonesia’s fragmented urban realities, promoting affordable, equitable, and socially cohesive metropolitan living
This longitudinal case study examines a five-year health and wellness intervention (2019 through 2024), aimed at providing health and wellness programing to Head Start (HS) teachers in Louisiana. HS teachers and assistant teachers varied yearly but averaged 150 participants annually, with some fluctuations. The program featured in-service training, virtual stress-management sessions, weekly wellness emails, and in-person “Wellness Retreats,” providing mindfulness strategies, resources, and nutrition/exercise guidance tailored to teachers’ needs. Annual assessments varied depending on interventions but emphasized teacher feedback on health awareness, engagement, and specific health status metrics. This original article offers a comprehensive overview of the five-year intervention, synthesizing some previously published annual data into a replicable model. Qualitative analysis of feedback and health risk trends informed adaptive interventions. Teachers reported heightened health awareness and engagement over five years. Key chronic illness risks were identified and addressed through customized support. Virtual and email outreach maintained a health-focused culture despite pandemic challenges. This study demonstrates the value of flexible, teacher-centered wellness programs. It provides a replicable framework for educational settings to enhance staff wellbeing in high-stress contexts.
Effective public health leadership is necessary to sustain vision, culture, and necessary health promotion amongst communities and societies. Leadership that is committed to social justice and epistemic freedom enhances the capacity for innovative direction, fostering the development of additional leaders. The COVID-19 experience revealed the need for open and transparent communication from effective leadership that empowers citizens to knowledge and informed collaboration. This qualitative study demonstrates how public health leaders implemented initiatives using multidisciplinary approaches to embolden middle managers from three South African provinces. Facilitators conducted training sessions covering human rights, health ethics, and gender-based violence (GBV), highlighting the impact of these areas on public health leadership. The findings indicate that meticulous public health leadership requires activism aimed at addressing imbalances and social injustices. The trainees maintained that it was critical that middle managers in districts should lead transformative health systems that can improve the community well-being. The study concludes that meaningful public health leadership relies on collaborative approaches that prioritize training to develop communities and sustain visionary leadership.
