The Human Development Index, which accounts for both net foreign income and the total value of goods and services generated domestically, illustrates how income becomes less significant as Gross National Income (GNI) rises by using the logarithm of income. South Africa ranks 109th out of 189 countries in the Human Development Index (HDI) within the Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) economic bloc, raising long-term sustainability concerns. The study explores the relationship between economic, demography, policy indicators and human development in South Africa. South Africa’s unique status as a developing country within the BRICS economic group, alongside its lengthy history of racial discrimination, calls for a sophisticated approach to understanding Human Development. Existing research considered economic, demography, policy indicators independently; the gap of understanding their interconnection and long-term effects in the South African contexts exists. The study addresses the gap by using Autoregressive-Distributed Lag (ARDL) approach to investigate the short-term and the long-term relationship between economic, demography, policy indicators and human development in South Africa. By discovering these links, the study hopes to provide useful insights for policymakers seeking to promote sustainable human development in South Africa. The findings indicate that growth in GDP is a key factor in the HDI since it shows that there are more financial resources available for human development. By discovering these links, the study hopes to provide useful insights for policymakers seeking to promote sustainable human development in South Africa.

This article discusses one of the problems of using digital technologies, namely the complexity of assessing the effectiveness of their implementation. Since the use of digital twins at the enterprises of the fuel and energy complex (FEC) has recently become relevant, the authors have chosen the digital twins technology for consideration in this article. For the successful implementation of digital technologies, the authors propose a system of evaluation indicators that will measure the effectiveness of Digital Twins implementation and determine the benefits obtained. The advantages of digital twins include improved management and monitoring, optimization of production processes, prediction of equipment failures, as well as reduced maintenance costs and increased overall efficiency of FEC systems. As a methodological basis for the study, authors use the system of balanced indicators proposed by R. Kaplan and D. Norton, which served as the basis for the development of a set of performance indicators of the fuel and energy complex enterprise with the introduction of digital twins. As a result of the study, a list of indicators for monitoring the effectiveness of digital twins implementation was determined. The study identifies performance indicators for digital twin implementation, with future research aimed at quantitative assessments. The enterprise can implement a digital twin system with a WACC of 10.99%, payback period of 8.06 years, IRR exceeding the discount rate by 9.07%, a 3.5% reduction in harmful emissions, and a 2.5% efficiency increase.

Management and efficiency have a fundamental impact on the performance of public hospitals, as well as on their philanthropic mission. Various studies have shown that the financial weaknesses of these entities affect the planning, setting of goals and objectives, monitoring, evaluation and feedback necessary to improve health systems and guarantee accessibility as an inalienable right. This study aims to analyze the management and efficiency of third-level and/or high-complexity hospitals in Colombia, through a statistical model that uses financial analysis and key performance indicators (KPIs) such as ROA, ROE and EBITDA. A non-experimental cross-sectional design is used, with an analytical-synthetic, documentary, exploratory and descriptive approach. The results show financial deficiencies in the hospitals evaluated; hence it is recommended to make adjustments in the operating cycle to increase efficiency rates. In addition, the use of the KPIs ROA and ROE under adjusted models is suggested for a more precise analysis of the financial ratios, since these adequately explain the variability of each indicator and are appropriate to evaluate hospital management and efficiency, but not in EBITDA ratio, hence the latter is not recommended to evaluate hospital efficiency reliably. This study provides relevant information for public health policy makers, hospital managers and researchers, in order to promote the efficiency and improvement of health services.

Border cities face significant challenges due to political, environmental, and social issues. Strong urban governance can help resolve many of these problems, but it requires identifying practical factors specific to each city’s location. This study aimed to assess the state of urban governance in Paveh, a border city with a population of 25,771 people. The research used both primary data collection (through a questionnaire) and secondary data sources (local and national databases and documents). The study randomly selected 379 households from Paveh’s population and determined a reliability value of 0.913 using the Cochrane procedure. To assess Paveh’s urban governance, eight criteria were used: participatory, rule-of-law compliance, transparency, responsiveness, consensus-oriented, equitable and inclusive, effective and efficient, and accountability. The findings revealed that Paveh’s urban governance, particularly in the dimensions of transparency and participation, is in an unfavorable situation.

Despite the efforts of public institutions and government spending, progress on the SDGs is mixed at the midpoint of the 2030 timeframe-some targets are off track and some have even regressed. ICT-related indicators, on the other hand, stand out for their strong progress. The author notes this progress, but questions its relationship to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. He argues that the growth in internet and mobile network penetration is due to the economic characteristics of communications development. The objectives of the article are to review the impact of the ICT sector on economic growth, to consider the role of government spending in the development of this sector in the context of fostering the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, and to identify the prerequisites for significant progress towards SDG targets in communications. Achievement of these objectives will make it possible to determine whether this progress is a consequence of targeted efforts to achieve the SDGs, or whether, in accordance with the author’s hypothesis, it is based on the specifics of the ICT sector’s development, allowing for the accelerated spread of mobile communications and the Internet, which is reflected in the SDG indicators.