As Saudi Arabia embarks upon a transformative economic journey under the umbrella of its Vision 2030 and National Transformation Plan, the Saudi government plans to implement various initiatives to engage the private sector in meeting new national development goals, including the provision of 1600 schools through the public-private partnership (PPP) route. This article provides an international outlook and review of the use of PPPs to deliver school infrastructure and analyzes Saudi Arabia’s potential to implement this promising program. Effective use of the PPP model can guarantee the timely provision of schools and other infrastructure projects that could fulfill the vision of Saudi Arabia’s political leadership, potentially serving as a catalyst and blueprint for other Gulf states. The case study argues that, while Saudi Arabia’s schools’ program enjoys significant political support, its government needs simultaneously to pursue the parallel objective of developing the necessary institutional, legal, regulatory, and supervisory frameworks essential for successful PPP projects globally. The article concludes with recommendations to mitigate existing challenges and foster the involvement of the private sector in education sector development.

This research seeks to identify the value of a few common factors determining the speed of economic growth in Baltic states and analyzes their impact in detail on Latvia’s lagging. Latvia’s economic starting point after regaining independence because of the collapse of the Soviet Union was at least comparable to its neighbors. Still, after the implementation of liberal reforms towards a free market’ economy and 20 years of operation as an EU full member, Latvia is lagging in growth, prosperity, and innovation. Within the analysis, this scientific paper pays special attention to the three less discussed factors, namely, the impact of post-Soviet mind-set effects as a part of local innovation culture, lasting since regaining independence in 1991; the importance of the availability of talent pull, its density, diversity, and accessibility; and readiness and capability to capture external knowledge and technology adoption. The overall approach is the systemic assessment of the national innovation system and/or innovation ecosystem, trying to understand the differences between these two models. Research is performed by analysis of the performance of the local innovation ecosystem in connection with export- and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) policies. The authors present a novel method for visually representing economic growth and its application in analyzing process development within transitional economic nations. The study uses an analytical and synthetical literature review. It offers a new GDP data visualization method useful for monitoring economic development and forecasting potential economic crises—the outcomes from aggregative literature analysis in a consolidated concept are provided for required talent policy proposals. The post-Soviet mindset is seen as a heritage and devious underdog that has left incredibly diverse consequences on today’s society, power structures, economic growth potential, and the emergence of healthy, well-managed, and sustainable innovation ecosystems. The post-Soviet mindset is a seemingly hidden and, at the same time, an intriguing factor that has a significant impact on the desire to make and implement the right decisions related to innovation, education, and other policies promoting business development. The key outcome of the article is that sociocultural aspects and differences in innovation culture led to a slow-down of Latvia’s economic growth compared to Estonia’s and Lithuania’s slightly more successful economic reforms.

This study examined socio-economic factors affecting Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSME) e-commerce adoption, focusing on gender, income, and education. Using the 2022 National Socio-Economic Survey (Susenas) data, a logistic regression model was employed to analyze key determinants of e-commerce utilization. Additionally, an online survey of 550 MSMEs across 29 provinces was conducted to assess the impact of digitalization on business performance. In comparison, an offline study of 42 MSMEs with low digital adoption provided insights into the barriers hindering digital transformation. A natural experiment was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of behavioral interventions in promoting the adoption of e-payments and e-commerce. The main contribution of this study lies in integrating large-scale national survey data with experimental approaches to provide a deeper understanding of digital adoption among MSMEs. Unlike previous studies focusing solely on socio-economic determinants, this research incorporated a digital nudging experiment to examine how targeted incentives influenced e-commerce participation. The findings revealed that digital transformation significantly enhanced MSME performance, particularly in turnover, product volume, customer base, and worker productivity. Socio-economic factors such as gender, household head status, and social media access significantly influenced digital adoption decisions. Behavioral nudging proved effective in increasing MSME participation in e-commerce. Although this study was limited to Susenas 2022 data and survey responses, it bridges a critical research gap by linking socio-economic factors with behavioral interventions in MSME digitalization. The findings offer key insights for policymakers in formulating evidence-based strategies to drive MSME digital transformation and e-commerce growth in Indonesia.

The research addresses the importance of ethics in public administration, focusing on public servants in the municipality of Rionegro, Colombia. Ethics is presented as an essential element to promote transparency and combat corruption in public management. Despite the fact that the 1991 Constitution establishes ethical principles, their application in practice remains a challenge, with a high level of immorality in public service. The study highlights the diversity of professional profiles in public servants, which hinders consistent ethical management. In addition, it mentions that many civil servants lack political training and understanding of the importance of their role, which contributes to corruption. Ethics, according to the authors, is a key tool for strengthening institutions and regaining public trust. The research evaluated the impact of a professional ethics training program on public servants, finding significant improvements in their ethical knowledge and behavior. It concludes that, although ethics will not solve all corruption problems, it is an indispensable component for strengthening accountability and justice in public administration. It underscores the need to implement continuous training programs that promote ethical values as part of a strategy to improve efficiency and transparency in public institutions.

The study’s objective is to identify the challenges and limitations faced by the current vocational education system in preparing graduates in the era of the industrial revolution in the evolving job market in Tangerang, Indonesia. The study primarily examines vocational high schools and adopts a quantitative and quasi-experimental research approach, using control groups to conduct pre- and posttests. The experimental group experiences demonstrations, whereas the control group receives explanations. Instructors employ a blend of demonstration and explanation techniques to explain equipment operation before allowing students to engage in vocational training. The study, led by students in various engineering fields, evaluates technical competencies, work ethics, and foundational knowledge using tests and observations. Job preparation is assessed using the minimal completeness criteria (MCC), which focuses on the importance of proper knowledge, attitudes, and skills. The results indicate that vocational teachers have the potential to play a pivotal role in introducing cutting-edge, technology-based teaching methods, therefore enabling students to make well-informed decisions about their careers. This research enhances vocational education by incorporating practical skills and attitudes with academic knowledge, effectively addressing the changing requirements of the work market.

This study examines the compliance between the accounting standard for Property, Plant and Equipment (PPE) and accountants’ practices in terms of disclosure and measurement, in order to determine its levels and drivers. Based on the assumption that a higher level of compliance is associated with a higher quality of the accounting information system, compliance indices are proposed and econometric regressions are used to analyze the determinants of this accounting compliance for Portuguese firms. The empirical evidence shows that compliance is not high, and that it tends to be higher for disclosing rather than for measuring. Moreover, the results suggest that firm size has a positive impact on compliance, both for measurement and disclosure, consistent with larger firms being subject to greater scrutiny. Liquidity, on the other hand, tends to have a negative effect on compliance, as more liquid firms are less dependent on external financing. Furthermore, while leverage tends to have a positive effect on measurement compliance, profitability has no effect on accounting compliance. Therefore, this study adds evidence straight from the perceptions of practitioners who interpret and apply accounting standards and then influence the quality of financial reporting, providing valuable insights that have the potential to affect confidence in firms.