This study investigates the impact of various educational and social factors on the digital skills of vocational education and training (VET) students, emphasizing the significance of continuous skill development in the digital age. Utilizing structural equation modeling (SEM), the paper analyzes data from 382 adult VET students in Greece, examining the effects of Erasmus program participation, daily computer use, educational platforms, and social network engagement on digital competencies. The findings reveal that participation in Erasmus programs and the use of educational platforms significantly enhance students’ digital skills, highlighting the value of international experiences and digital learning tools in VET. Conversely, daily computer use alone does not significantly impact digital skills, suggesting that structured and purposeful digital tool integration is essential for skill development. The study also underscores the positive role of social networks in improving content management skills, advocating for their strategic use in educational settings. These results demonstrate the need for targeted digital literacy initiatives within VET programs to prepare students for modern labor market demands. The research contributes to the theoretical understanding of digital skill acquisition and offers practical insights for educators and policymakers to enhance VET curricula, fostering economic and social progress through improved digital literacy.

The following paper assesses the relationship between electricity consumption, economic growth, environmental pollution, and Information and Communications Technology (ICT) development in Kazakhstan. Using the structural equation method, the study analyzes panel data gathered across various regions of Kazakhstan between 2014 and 2022. The data were sourced from official records of the Bureau of National Statistics of Kazakhstan and include all regions of Kazakhstan. The chosen timeframe includes the period from 2014, which marked a significant drop in oil prices that impacted the overall economic situation in the country, to 2022. The main hypotheses of the study relate to the impact of electricity consumption on economic growth, ICT, and environmental sustainability, as well as ICT’s role in economic development and environmental impact. The results show electricity consumption’s positive effect on economic growth and ICT development while also revealing an increase in pollutant emissions (emissions of liquid and gaseous pollutants) with economic growth and electricity consumption. The development of ICT in Kazakhstan has been revealed to not have a direct effect on reducing pollutant emissions into the environment, raising important questions about how technology can be leveraged to mitigate environmental impact, whether current technological advancements are sufficient to address environmental challenges, and what specific measures are needed to enhance the environmental benefits of ICT. There is a clear necessity to integrate sustainable practices and technologies to achieve balanced development. These results offer important insights into the relationships among electricity consumption, technology, economic development, and environmental issues. They underscore the complexity and multidimensionality of these interactions and suggest directions for future research, especially in the context of finding sustainable solutions for balanced development.

From the perspective of the corporate life cycle, this study investigates the transmission mechanism of ‘technological innovation-financing constraints-carbon emission reduction’ in energy companies using panel data and mediating models, focusing on listed energy companies from 2014 to 2020. It explores the stage characteristics of this mechanism during different life cycle phases and conducts heterogeneity tests across industries and regions. The results reveal that technological innovation positively influences carbon emission reduction in energy enterprises, demonstrating significant life cycle stage characteristics, specifically more pronounced in mature companies than in growing or declining companies. Financing constraints play a mediating role between technological innovation and carbon reduction, but this is only effective during the growth and maturity stages. Further research shows that the impact of technological innovation on carbon emission reduction and the mediating role of financing constraints exhibit heterogeneity across different stages of the life cycle, industries, and regions. The conclusions of this paper provide references for energy companies in planning rational emission reduction strategies and for government departments in policy-making.

Cross-border ecological cooperation is always a challenging issue. Ecological cooperation in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area has its own uniqueness as it is cross-border cooperation under “One Country, Two Systems”, which is different from multinational cooperation or regional collaboration within one country. This paper analyses the cooperation documents of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao, official reports and academic literature, and then summarises the unique pattern of ecological cooperation in the Greater Bay Area under “One Country, Two Systems”. It outlines four characteristics: different priorities in ecological management of each side, case by base cooperation, government-dominated cooperation with low public participation, and huge institutional gap between three sides. This article also identifies several problems and causes: lack of common ecological targets for each side and effective cross-border regulative measures, cumbersome coordination in cross-border cooperation. Finally, four feasible recommendations have been put forwarded: creating new institutional arrangements under the context of “One Country, Two Systems”, establishing the efficient decision-making platform for the inter-city cooperation, introducing the market-based resource allocation, and encouraging public participation in ecological monitoring.

This study examines the development and influence of the international anti-corruption regime, utilizing Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) to dissect the discursive practices that shape perceptions of corruption and the strategies employed to combat it. Our analysis reveals how Western institutional entrepreneurs play a pivotal role in defining corruption predominantly as bribery and governance failures, underpinned by a neoliberal ideology that prescribes societal norms and identifies corrupt practices. By exploring the mechanisms through which this ideology is propagated, the research enriches institutional entrepreneurship theory and highlights the neoliberal foundations of current anti-corruption efforts. This study not only enhances our understanding of the institutional frameworks that govern anti-corruption discourse but also demonstrates how discourse legitimizes certain ideologies while marginalizing others. The findings offer practical tools for altering power dynamics, promoting equitable participation, and addressing the imbalanced North-South power relations. By challenging established perspectives, this research contributes to transformative discourse and action, offering new pathways for understanding and combating corruption. These insights have significant theoretical and practical implications for improving the effectiveness of corruption prevention and counteraction strategies globally.