The Circular Economy (CE) concept has been recognized as the core strategy that can support sustainable business through technological innovation that enables CE transition by focusing on resource savings. This case study conducts research on business strategy in achieving CE transition in an agroindustry company, by performing SWOT analysis to assess internal and external factors. The SWOT model provides valuable results that an effective strategy could maximize strengths and opportunities, minimize weaknesses and threats in business by boosting circularity on business-critical factors. The CE adoption by agroindustry company mostly focuses on efficient organic waste management, energy-efficient production, and production process. This study case reveals that while technology plays a significant role in advancing CE, there is still a significant need to pay attention to the social aspect in supporting the creation of worker-owned cooperatives by creating space for employee involvement in finding innovations and adopting technology in business transition into CE process. Social innovation through the involvement of employees by sharing CE vision, synergizing and optimizing internal potential, and building up the green innovation culture has created an internal conducive climate to put CE principle into practice. Further result shows that a labor-intensive company’s business strategy prioritizes employment and job security over maximizing profits, which directly leads to the economic welfare and social protection of the business operation that makes an inclusive business.

Providing and using energy efficiently is hampered by concerns about the environment and the unpredictability of fossil fuel prices and quantities. To address these issues, energy planning is a crucial tool. The aim of the study was to prioritize renewable energy options for use in Mae Sariang’s microgrid using an analytical hierarchy process (AHP) to produce electricity. A prioritization exercise involved the use of questionnaire surveys to involve five expert groups with varying backgrounds in Thailand’s renewable energy sector. We looked at five primary criteria. The following four combinations were suggested: (1) Grid + Battery Energy Storage System (BESS); (2) Grid + BESS + Solar Photovoltaic (PV); (3) Grid + Diesel Generator (DG) + PV; and (4) Grid + DG + Hydro + PV. To meet demand for electricity, each option has the capacity to produce at least 6 MW of power. The findings indicated that production (24.7%) is the most significant criterion, closely followed by economics (24.2%), technology (18.5%), social and environmental (18.1%), and structure (14.5%). Option II is strongly advised in terms of economic and structural criteria, while option I has a considerable advantage in terms of production criteria and the impact on society and the environment. The preferences of options I, IV, and III were ranked, with option II being the most preferred choice out of the four.

This paper provides a concise historical analysis of the political economy of privatization in Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia from the 1980s to 2007, a period that witnessed the emergence of privatization as a primary policy tool to reform the public sector. The paper examines the influence of political history, macroeconomic considerations, and International Development Agencies (IDAs) on the early privatization processes in these North African countries. Despite shared developmental trajectories, internal and external factors had a significant impact on the outcomes of economic liberalization. The paper aims to answer the following key questions: What were the underlying political-economic factors driving privatization, and how successful was it in achieving the promised economic growth? Through a focused analysis of each country’s contextual factors, privatization processes, and outcomes, the paper contributes valuable insights into the nuanced dynamics shaping privatization in developing countries.

In recent years, how farmers leverage social capital to improve their well-being has become a crucial question in post-poverty alleviation China. This study assessed the impact of ‘linking social capital’ on farmers’ well-being, as mediated by self-efficacy. The study was conducted using data collected from 443 randomly selected farmers from two villages in Guizhou Province, China. The Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Model (PLS-SEM) was employed to analyze the proposed relationships in the study. The results indicate that linking social capital, when mediated by self-efficacy, positively impacted farmers’ well-being. This suggests that policymakers and implementers exercising hierarchical power in social improvement programs in disadvantaged provinces, such as Guizhou, should take full advantage of linking social capital to effectively improve farmers’ well-being. In doing so, the study concludes, they should consider the positive role farmers’ self-efficacy can play in the process.

Cocoa is important for the economy and rural development of Ghana. However, small-scale cocoa production is the leading agricultural product driver of deforestation in Ghana. Uncertain tree tenure disincentivizes farmers to retain and nurture trees on their farms. There is therefore the call for structures that promote tree retention and management within cocoa farming. We examined tenure barriers and governance for tree resources on cocoa farms. Data was collected from 200 cocoa farmers from two regions using multistage sampling technique. Information was gathered on tree ownership and fate of tree resources on cocoa farms, tree felling permit acquisition and associated challenges and illegal logging and compensation payments on cocoa farms. Results suggest 62.2% of farmers own trees on their farms. However, these farmers may or may not have ownership rights over the trees depending on the ownership of their farmlands. More than half of the farmers indicated they require felling permits to harvest trees on their farms, indicative of the awareness of established tree harvesting procedures. Seventy percent of the farmers have never experienced illegal logging on their farms. There is however the need to educate the remaining 30% on their rights and build their compensation negotiation powers for destructions to their cocoa crops. This study has highlighted ownership and governance issues with cocoa farming and it is important for the sustainability of on-farm tree resources and Ghana’s forest at large.

Most researchers have recognized the importance of tourism for economic growth and have concluded that the growth of tourism can also affect the economic and socio-cultural development of society. Our study proves that this relationship can exist, as there is a very strong relationship between tourism and economic development, especially in GDP, which challenges the concept of tourism as an engine of economic development for developing countries such as Kosovo. Our results show that the relationship between GDP growth and tourism development has a bilateral and positive long-term causality. But the low level of tourism development in Kosovo during the years of the study (2010–2022), analyzed according to the Robuts model, shows that in our country during these 12 years the increase in GDP has influenced the development of tourism and not vice versa.