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Climate change presents a pressing challenge to regional development, impacting economies, environments, and societies across the globe. Europe, with its diverse regions and commitment to sustainability, serves as a unique case study for exploring the integration of climate change strategies into regional policy and planning. The purpose of this study is to analyze the integration of climate change strategies into policy and planning for regional development in Europe, especially in Greece. Data was collected from 270 environmental experts across Greece using a questionnaire. The results highlight the significance of regional economic growth (gross regional product), infrastructure quality, educational attainment, and a conducive business environment as key measures of regional development. Opportunities arising from climate change strategy integration are explored, revealing economic benefits, environmental opportunities, social enhancements, and technological advancements. These opportunities not only mitigate climate change’s adverse impacts but also foster innovation, economic growth, and community resilience. Successful integration can position regions as global leaders in sustainability and innovation. Correlation and regression analyses reveal that opportunities for integration and common climate change strategies positively influence regional development, while barriers exhibit a counterintuitive positive relationship. However, several barriers hinder integration efforts, including institutional fragmentation, resource constraints, conflicting political and economic priorities, and insufficient stakeholder engagement. This study sheds light on the intricate relationship between climate change, policy integration, and regional development in Greece. It supports the potential for regions to drive sustainability and innovation while navigating the challenges of climate change, ultimately contributing to a more resilient and prosperous future.

This comparative study focuses on the barriers to social and economic inclusion, as well as the integration and coping strategies of Arab and Moldovan migrants in Romania. We explored the integration barriers they face, the main individual and societal aspects that lead to their resilience, and their self-perception of vulnerability, by carrying out 35 psychosocial interviews and four focus groups with young migrants (aged 18 to 29), belonging to the two different subgroups (of Arab and Moldovan origins, respectively). The comparative analysis revealed that migrants from Arab countries face harsher integration barriers compared to Moldovan migrants, they have a more severe self-perceived vulnerability, and their integration may be a longer and more complex process. Results showed that mastery of the language and the network of acquaintances play an indispensable role in inclusion. Moldovans integrate more easily than Arabs, thanks to their fluency in Romanian, the native language shared with the majority local population, the geographical and cultural proximity to the country of destination, and the larger personal network. We highlight the need for improving integration policies for young migrants, tailoring them to the specific problems and barriers that migrants are facing.

In the context of continuous innovations in information and communication technology (ICT) and its impact on higher education, this study explored the integration of instructional technology (IT) by university lecturers in pre-service secondary school teacher education programs in Zimbabwe. Specifically, the study examined how lecturers integrate IT into their instruction, and the constraints they face. Twenty-one lecturers in the colleges of education at three universities participated. The data collection methods used are questionnaires, interviews and analysis of documents. Analysis of data was inductive, employing Miles and Huberman's interactive data analysis model. Findings show that lecturers' computer proficiency and competencies were at the basic level in Internet usage, with little confidence shown in basic productivity software skills and in IT integration tasks and processes. The lecturers' integration of IT was at the Entry and Adoption stages. Institutional support was characterized by poor availability and access to appropriate technological tools by both lecturers and students, and in the context of a hyper-inflationary operating environment, constraints ranged from lack of institutional funding, to the absence of an IT integration policy framework, and the lack of appropriate initial and continuous staff development. This study is part of the nucleus of instructional technology research in the Zimbabwean context. It is hoped that insights gleaned will influence policy, practice and future research. From a global perspective, this study will add to the limited knowledge and literature on instructional technology integration in \"developing\" and/or low-income countries like Zimbabwe.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to contribute an Australian perspective to the debate on health system integration by identifying some key Australian challenges to integration, policy responses to enhance integration and potential insights from these for international policy makers, researchers and practitioners. Design/methodology/approach – Drawing on the systems theory concept of entropy, the authors contend that there exist factors that contribute to system fragmentation. Whilst policy responses to these challenges are contextual, there are generalisable features worth exploring internationally. Findings – The authors suggest that recognition of inherent system-based barriers is an important initial stage in moving towards integration. Whilst process and people factors are important contributors to integration, the political will to move in this direction is a necessary dynamic to energise the system through appropriate funding, incentives and governance structures. Originality/value – The paper provides a fresh Australian perspective to the international discourse on barriers and opportunities to enhance health system integration.

In primary schools, the benefits of incorporating technology in curricula have been addressed by several studies; however, technology integration as experienced by teachers is often overlooked. Teachers’ lack of confidence teaching STEM and technology subjects, their lack of appropriate preparation along with unclear curricula frameworks in technology education, and the ambiguity of the definition of technology education have scarcely been discussed in the literature. This study explored teachers’ experiences with the current integration of technology and identified challenges to the integration of technology and areas where support is needed. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data and were analyzed using content analysis. Content knowledge, proper training, and professional development programs on the integration of technology along with the need for clear and unanimous curricula standards have been perceived as important factors in the integration of technology education. Participants also acknowledged the need for the establishment of teaching communities wherein they can learn from one another. Our study discusses implications for research and practice and provides a knowledge base for the establishment of well-structured professional development courses based on teacher needs.

This research considers the role that participating in conscript service has for individuals with a migrant background in overcoming barriers to labour market integration. According to previous studies, these barriers include discrimination, previous qualifications not being recognised and a lack of language skills, networks and information. The study is based on 24 interviews conducted with individuals with a migrant background who have performed conscript service in Finland. The research takes place in the context of conscription and mandatory conscript service among male citizens. The findings indicate that conscript service may have some direct and indirect beneficial outcomes for labour market integration. Direct labour market outcomes are particularly related to qualifications acquired during service, which can be directly applied in the civilian labour market. Indirect outcomes are associated with acculturation, such as learning the language and becoming familiar with the host society’s culture and norms. Performing conscript service also facilitates the establishment of social networks, especially with native-born youngsters. Furthermore, conscript service is perceived to have the potential to elevate conscripts’ status in the eyes of potential Finnish employers. As a result, completing conscript service enhances location-specific human capital, and therefore, it can potentially improve labour market integration outcomes.

Objective The aim of this review was to examine the migration motives, the barriers to and facilitators of integration of international dental graduates, compared with nurses and doctors in the United Kingdom. Methods Electronic databases Ovid MEDLINE, EMBASE, PubMed, Web of Knowledge and OECD publications were systematically searched for English language publications from January 2000 to January 2017. A total of 31 qualitative studies were selected and quality appraised and meta-synthesis of the qualitative data was carried out using framework synthesis. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were applied to present the findings. Results There were no studies on migration motives and one study on integration experiences of international dentists in the UK. The nursing literature had the highest volume and quality of evidence on nursing workforce, whilst there was limited literature on international doctors in the UK. Migration of health professionals to the UK is determined by personal and professional factors, together with source country-specific and UK drivers. Active recruitment, post graduate training and financial gain act as strong common macro, meso and micro drivers that perpetuate migration into the UK, but the extent to which each of these drivers influence nurses’ and doctors’ migration is different. Integration experiences for international nurses and doctors differed based on their source country experiences and the work environment they entered. Nurses reported a wider knowledge and skills gap, more multi-level discrimination and less career progression compared to the doctors. The migrants’ integration experiences depend on their cultural awareness, discrimination exposure, English language and communication skills, social and professional support networks, social integration and personal attributes. Conclusion Migration of international health professionals is motivated by macro, meso and micro drivers at the international, national, professional and personal levels. The UK has strong common macro pull factors which attract nurses, doctors and dentists and may impact on the effectiveness of policies to restrict their migration. The integration experiences of nurses and doctors differ and further research is required to understand the integration experiences of dentists, in order to retain these professionals by tailoring policies to each of these professions.

This chapter contains sections titled: EU Projects for Roma in Slovakia The Historic Construction of the “Gypsy” Between Paternalism and Marginalization The Reproduction of the “Gypsy Image” in Slovakia and EU‐Financed Projects Conclusion References

Despite the promise of technology in education, many practicing teachers face several challenges when trying to effectively integrate technology into their classroom instruction. Additionally, while national statistics cite a remarkable improvement in access to computer technology tools in schools, teacher surveys show consistent declines in the use and integration of computer technology to enhance student learning. This article reports on primary technology integration barriers that mathematics teachers identified when using technology in their classrooms. Suggestions to overcome some of these barriers are also provided.

Institutional investors who commit to integrating environmental, social and governance (ESG) aspects into investment decisions require ESG data of sufficient quality. However, concerns have risen over a lack of quality in ESG data, as outlined by the Global Reporting Initiative. The lack of quality in ESG data deters institutional investors from using the data for investment decisions. This study outlines the ESG data reporting process and explores where in the process quality concerns emerge. Semi-structured interviews are applied with professionals involved in ESG data analysis and reporting of listed companies, a rating agency and institutional investors. The results show that current barriers to using ESG data include a lack of materiality, accuracy and reliability. Interviewees agree that access to data collected by governmental institutions is lacking, and that companies’ purchase of carbon credits raise questions about the reliability of ESG data. Companies hold contrasting views to the institutional investors on the useability of the data they disclose. The results enhance our understanding of the common and contrasting concerns about the lack of quality in ESG data. The results can be used as guide for companies, investors and regulators for actions to mitigate barriers related to the lack of quality in ESG reporting.