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While international historians and policy practitioners regularly highlight the utility of multilateral diplomacy as a quintessential “strategy of the weak,” International Relations (IR) scholars have generally downplayed the impact of diplomatic choices. The tools within IR theory to assess the impact of diplomacy remain underdeveloped, contributing to an inability to account for a highly proximate source of international influence. This article argues for a theoretical reengagement with the subject of multilateral diplomacy and, using insights from Social Network Analysis, develops a Diplomatic Impact Framework. Building on the novel concept of replaceability, the article contributes theoretically to the literature on diplomacy, as well as on small and middle powers. This framework captures the fundamentally relational character of diplomacy, isolating analytically this form of structural power from the influence conferred by superior material or institutional resources. Drawing extensively on a multinational collection of diplomatic documents and first-hand accounts, this multidisciplinary article probes the plausibility of the framework through a detailed comparative case study of Canada’s diplomatic influence at the United Nations General Assembly throughout two international security crises: the Korean War and the Suez Crisis.

Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, migrant populations remained under-immunized due to limited access to health care, language barriers, and vaccine hesitancy. The USAID-funded MOMENTUM Routine Immunization Transformation and Equity project supported the government in collaborating with various local health and non-health partners to identify and vaccinate migrants. This case study examines the roles of project partners and the strategies each entity implemented to increase COVID-19 vaccine uptake among migrants, as well as the perceptions regarding the effectiveness of these strategies. Methods: We designed a qualitative explanatory case study guided by the Behavioral and Social Drivers framework and RE-AIM implementation science frameworks. We conducted 31 focus group discussions and 50 in-depth interviews with migrants, project partners, community leaders, and government stakeholders in Tamil Nadu and Punjab. Results: In both states, partnerships with health departments, private employers, and community-based organizations were essential for identifying and vaccinating un- and under-vaccinated migrant groups. In Tamil Nadu, collaboration with the Department of Labor and mobile medical units facilitated vaccination camps at construction sites. In Punjab, religious institutions organized sessions at places of worship, and the Border Security Force enabled health workers to reach migrants living near the border. In both states, key strategies—involving influencers to discuss the importance of vaccine safety and value, bringing vaccination services to migrants’ workplaces and homes at flexible times and mandating workplace vaccination to encourage vaccination—shifted perceptions towards vaccination and increased vaccine uptake among migrants. Conclusions: The strategies and partnerships identified in this study highlight the broader implications for future public health interventions, demonstrating that collaboration with the private sector and faith-based organizations can enhance routine immunization efforts, particularly when localized to organizations that understand community needs and can address specific barriers and motivators.

This study investigates the agri-food sector, food trade, and food availability (as a component of food security) within the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO), emphasizing the critical importance of agriculture across its member states. This significance is particularly pronounced in less industrialized countries such as Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Afghanistan. The rationale behind this research stems from the observation that food trade and food security issues in the ECO region remain insufficiently addressed in the academic literature. Given the strategic geographical position of ECO countries—at the intersection of Europe, Asia, and the Middle East—these states possess considerable potential to function as vital trade hubs. The present study addresses this research gap by offering conceptual insights and empirical data relevant to the region’s policymakers, traders, and other stakeholders. Methodologically, the research integrates both qualitative and quantitative approaches. On the qualitative side, it includes historical and documentary analysis concerning ECO’s evolution and its agri-food sector’s development. Quantitatively, the study employs a regression model to examine the moderating effect of food imports on the relationship between food exports and food availability across member states. The results indicate a significant interaction effect: food imports moderate the negative association between exports and domestic food availability. Drawing on these findings, the paper formulates a set of policy recommendations to enhance agricultural trade strategies and strengthen food security in ECO countries.

Droughts, as one of the costliest weather-related disasters, have been and will continue to be part of the common human experience. However, insufficient endeavors have been made to explore drought–society interactions in different natural and sociocultural contexts. In light of this, the present study focused on Germany and the Jing-Jin-Ji Region (China), which are dominated by marine climate and monsoon climate, respectively, and examined the similarities and differences among six extreme drought events that occurred at different episodes of the transformation from agrarian to modern societies over the last 2 centuries. Based on area-specific reconstructions of dry–wet indices and multilingual written documents, a comparable profile of each event was first created under a common impact–response structural framework that encompassed five drought categories and five response attributes. Then, cross-event comparisons were conducted, highlighting the stable and dynamic elements of drought effects/impacts and social response patterns. It was found that (1) abnormally dry and hot conditions, vegetation damage, unsatisfactory crop performance, insufficient river flow, food insecurity, and social instability were effects and impacts independent of climate systems and were well documented by different societies regardless of severity. (2) Despite distinct socio-environmental contexts and different disaster relief modes (e.g., top-down or bottom-up), maintaining or restoring the supply–demand balance of goods was an underlying logic of drought mitigation shared by different societies. Under this logic, actions often focused on the socioeconomic systems in drought-stricken areas, and the participation of governments was common due to the need for organization and coordination. (3) The diversification of documented drought impacts on socioeconomic systems was observed in both study areas as society developed, owing to increasingly complicated economic sectors and the wider range of social concerns. (4) In recent droughts, both study areas have averted survival-threatening food insecurity through early interventions in agricultural production, multiple remedies after harvest failure, and efficient resource distribution at the national or larger scale. However, current responses have not been enough to eliminate the threat of compound drought–heatwave events to individual survival with regard to water security (i.e., insufficient drinking water) and health (i.e., heat-related deaths). The results not only provided empirical evidence of the climate–environment–society nexus that goes beyond period-specific experiences but also demonstrated the feasibility of documentary-based cross-regional comparisons in spite of linguistic differences.

Amid Lebanon's multifaceted economic crisis, this paper explores the intricate dynamics between political patronage networks and financial stability. Grounded in the theoretical frameworks of New Institutional Economics (NIE) and Project Management (PM), the study delves into how entrenched political elites and patronage networks have shaped Lebanon's financial system, exacerbating vulnerabilities and perpetuating the ongoing crisis. Utilizing qualitative methods including in-depth interviews, document analysis, and case studies, the research illuminates the pivotal role of political actors and their vested interests in economic policies and financial institutions. The findings reveal systemic governance failures, crony capitalism, and institutional decay as underlying causes of Lebanon's economic stress. In response, the paper proposes a comprehensive framework for governance reform that integrates insights from NIE and PM, emphasizing structured planning, accountability mechanisms, and institutional strengthening. The purpose of this study is not only to contribute to a nuanced understanding of Lebanon's challenges but also to offer actionable insights for policymakers, academics, and stakeholders to address the root causes of the crisis and pave the way for sustainable economic recovery and revitalization.

Rent regulation has a significant impact on tenant–landlord relations and the overall functioning of the private rented sector. Different forms of rent regulation—in relation to rent levels, rent increases, security of tenure, etc.—also affect the quality, the social composition and, ultimately, the size of the private rented sector. Together they affect the character of much urban regeneration and renewal. The introduction in Portugal of more flexible rent regimes that aimed to gradually replace open-ended tenancies with freely negotiated contracts led researchers to classify the country as a free market system. In this paper, by using a mixed methods approach that combined desk-based research with census data and in-depth interviews, we test the) classification of Portugal’s rented sector as a free market against empirical evidence and examine the impacts of the main rent regulation regimes on social sustainability-oriented urban regeneration. Our results show that open-ended contracts, which were signed before the 1990s, still account for a significant part of the private rented sector, thus the classification of Portugal’s rent regulation regime as a free-market system does not capture the country’s most significant features. This is particularly evident in inner-city Lisbon, where various extreme rent regimes (in terms of contract duration, tenant security and prices) coexist, giving rise to tensions between housing quality and demographic shifts that threaten the overall social sustainability of the city.

This report explores the macro-economic and public finance implications of natural disasters, including the role of information and mechanisms for risk spreading, and drawing in particular on evidence from Bangladesh, Dominica and Malawi.Major natural disasters can have severe negative short-run economic and budgetary impacts. Disasters also appear to have adverse longer-term consequences for economic growth, development and poverty reduction. However, negative impacts are not inevitable: sensitivity to natural hazards is determined by a complex, dynamic set of influences. Vulnerability can shift rapidly, especially in countries experiencing economic transformation - rapid growth, urbanization, and related technical and social changes. The report concludes that in order to stem the rising cost of natural disasters globally, hazard risk management concerns need to be integrated into longer-term national investment policies and development strategies and appropriately reflected in the allocation of financial resources, including medium-term financial planning. The generation and dissemination of quality, reliable scientific information should be supported as part of this process. In addition, assessment of the economic and financial impacts of disasters should be extended to include a full reassessment 18 to 24 months after an event, generating vital information on the nature of impacts and underlying causal factors.

This study is a comprehensive systematic review and bibliometric analysis of audit research in the public sector, focusing on publications from 2010 to 2024. By the PRISMA approach, the research then examines 902 articles from Web of Science and Scopus databases to identify critical issues, methodological trends, and emerging themes in public sector auditing. The analysis then visualized by Python and Matlab apps reveals a significant shift towards sustainability, corporate social responsibility, and governance in audit research, with these topics garnering the highest citation counts. Content analysis, surveys, and case studies emerge as the dominant research methodologies. This study discovered and identified relevant research clusters, including auditing and CSR, sustainability reporting, and public sector accounting. Emerging important issues include the impact of technical improvements on audit methods, the incorporation of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) considerations into auditing frameworks, and the difficulties in maintaining auditor independence and objectivity. This study identifies possible gaps in audit areas such as auditing cybersecurity, cultural influences on global audit procedures, and the adaptation of audit methodology to emergencies like the COVID-19 epidemic. This review adds to the field by synthesizing current knowledge, identifying research trends, and proposing future directions for audit research in the public sector, emphasizing the need of interdisciplinary methods to addressing complex difficulties in modern auditing procedures.  

Abstract Prescription Produce Programs (PPPs) are increasingly being used to address food insecurity and healthy diets. Yet, limited evidence exists on the effectiveness of integrating lifestyle counseling within a PPP to promote dietary and health behaviors. To describe the implementation of a 6- or 12-week PPP integrating lifestyle counseling to low-income adults. The PPP was implemented as part of a wellness and care coordination program and included: (i) a screening for social needs, (ii) PPP health education and lifestyle counseling visits, and (iii) distribution of produce. We conducted a pre- and post-descriptive analysis. We also reported a case study illustrating the PPP implementation and a Strengths/Weaknesses/Opportunities/Threats analysis. Fifty-three participants (85% Black American, 64% female, mean age: 66 years) completed the PPP. Food insecurity scores significantly decreased between pre- and post-enrollment in the PPP (P = .002). Compared with pre-enrollment, participants who completed the PPP reported an increase in the frequency of fruits and vegetables intake (χ2 = 12.6, P = .006). A majority of the participants (77%) reported setting and achieving at least one health-related goal by the end of the program. A strength of the PPP included the long-standing relationship with community partners. Weaknesses included the survey burden, the need for additional personnel, and the need for a sustained funding source. Integrating lifestyle counseling within a PPP can promote food security and a healthy diet. Future research is warranted using rigorous research methods, including randomization and a comparison group. A program designed to provide healthy fruits and vegetables to communities with limited access to healthy food was successfully implemented through an academic-community partnership. Lay Summary Prescription Produce Programs (PPPs) are programs designed to help provide healthy fruits and vegetables to individuals who have limited access to healthy food. PPPs have been increasingly implemented in the clinical setting, due to the clear links between diet and several chronic medical conditions. In this study, we describe the implementation of a 6- or 12-week PPP to assess the immediate needs of individuals as well as provide goal setting and health education to support healthy behaviors. We evaluated the strengths and weaknesses of conducting the PPP and looked at health outcomes for individuals who participated in the PPP. We found that the partnerships with community members and organizations were a strength of the PPP and identified future areas for improvement, including reducing the number of surveys we asked participants to complete, increasing personnel for running the PPP, and identifying a sustainable funding source for the PPP. We also found that on average, individuals who participated in the PPP had greater food security by the end of the program. At the end of the program, the participants reported a higher frequency of fruit and vegetable consumption and felt more self-sufficient in being able to do so.