The starting point is the presence of a widespread feeling of political confrontation and division among Spanish citizens. This is compounded by dissatisfaction with and distrust in a system that is perceived by many as elitist and out of touch with real needs. Several factors related to this perception of politics are explained and quantified. On the one hand, there are economic elements, such as the stagnation of GDP per capita, the persistence of a relatively high at-risk-of-poverty rate, and the rates of material deprivation. And in all these elements, a significant territorial inequality can be observed. There are significant differences between Spain, France and Germany over the period considered. On the other hand, political factors determine much of the public debate in Spain: Historical memory and the Spanish Civil War, as well as the terrorism of ETA and other terrorist groups. The emergence of new parties is analyzed, especially VOX. Finally, the enormous difficulty of finding a territorial structure of political power that would bring together the consensus of most political forces. It is necessary to find formulas for fiscal federalism that will make it possible to move away from the current decentralization of spending without the Autonomous Communities having their own tax capacity. This study concludes by pointing out the relevance of all these problems and the need to find solutions through democratic debate and deliberation with agreements.

The primary objective of this research is to investigate how non-financial incentives impact employee motivation within the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) operating in Saudi Arabia. Employing a positivist research approach, we employed a carefully crafted survey to collect data from 365 employees employed by SMEs situated in Jeddah. The study explores various aspects, including the most common non-monetary motivators, the interplay between non-monetary and monetary incentives, and the effects of non-financial incentives on employee engagement, job satisfaction, and commitment. The results of the study indicate that employees working in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Saudi Arabia place a significant emphasis on a good work environment, recognition, possibilities for personal and professional development, and career growth as prevalent non-monetary motivators. Additionally, the research illustrates a notable difference in the perceived efficacy of non-financial and financial incentives, whereby non-financial incentives are seen to have an equal, if not greater, impact on both motivation and work satisfaction. Moreover, the study reveals robust positive correlations between non-financial incentives and employee outcomes, underscoring the significance of these incentives in augmenting work satisfaction, job engagement, and commitment. The consequences of employee motivation are influenced by control factors, which have diverse influences, highlighting the complex nature of this phenomenon.

This study aims to empirically analyze the impact of budget allocation by the Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information (KISTI) on national research competitiveness, thereby reassessing the value of investing in research infrastructure within a knowledge-based society. In the 21st century, research and development (R&D) have emerged as a pivotal element of national competitiveness, underlining the increasing importance of investments aimed at constructing and enhancing research infrastructure. However, empirical studies examining the causal relationship between research infrastructure investment and national research competitiveness are still notably scarce. Accordingly, this research endeavors to systematically delineate the effect of research infrastructure investment, with a focus on KISTI’s budget allocation, on enhancing national R&D outcomes. To achieve this, the structural relationship between KISTI’s budget, national R&D budget, and various academic and industrial performance indicators was analyzed using multiple regression and simple regression analysis. In particular, by demonstrating the mechanism through which the budget management of research support organizations like KISTI contributes to strengthening national research competitiveness, this study aims to shed new light on the strategic value of research infrastructure investment in a knowledge-based society. Furthermore, these findings are expected to provide valuable evidence for the formulation of national R&D policies in Korea and the strategic planning of budget operations for research support organizations. Through strategic investment of limited budgets, this could enhance the efficiency of national R&D investments and contribute to strengthening the capacity for scientific and technological innovation required in a knowledge-based society.

Professional judgments in business valuation should be based on persuasive comparative data and conclusive empirical studies. However, these judgments are frequently made without these conditions, causing professional skepticism. An appraiser should explain in detail what was done to get the market value because valuation is the initial crucial step in the investment decision process. In socially responsible investment schemes, an appraiser has a fiduciary duty and a vital role in protecting the public from fraud and the risk of asset value destruction. Professional skepticism is essential to direct the appraiser’s judgment towards independent valuation for the public interest, assisting in evaluating the relevance and reliability of information, especially relating to social, environmental, and ethical issues. This paper studies the business valuation process from a behavioral finance perspective in the United States and Indonesia, aiming to tweak business valuation practices, identify biases, and mitigate them to ensure the market value does not shift far from fairness opinion. The case study explores experiences from the professional role-learning process. The results highlight the need for an appraisal protocol in business valuation, improvements in the discount for lack of marketability application, and these findings are pertinent to business appraisers and regulators. Recommendations include enhancing the clarity of professional judgments and the integration of recent empirical studies into practice.

The history of organic polymers is a remarkable journey from the discovery of natural materials like rubber and silk to the development of sophisticated synthetic polymers that have transformed industries and modern life. This comprehensive review article presents a detailed account of the evolution of organic polymers. It begins with the early uses of natural polymers and explores key breakthroughs, including the invention of Bakelite, nylon, and neoprene. The theoretical foundations of polymer science, laid by Hermann Staudinger, are discussed, and the post-war surge in polymer development is examined, including the introduction of polyethylene, polypropylene, and PVC. Notable advances in polymer chemistry, such as isotactic polypropylene and silicone polymers, are highlighted. The article also delves into the development of high-performance polymers like Kevlar and carbon-based materials, offering insights into their applications. Moreover, it discusses the current trends in polymer science, emphasizing sustainability and biodegradability. As the world continues to rely on polymers for numerous applications, this review provides a historical perspective and a glimpse into the future of organic polymers, where innovations are expected to shape various aspects of technology, healthcare, and environmental protection.

Monitoring marine biodiversity is a challenge in some vulnerable and difficult-to-access habitats, such as underwater caves. Underwater caves are a great focus of biodiversity, concentrating a large number of species in their environment. However, most of the sessile species that live on the rocky walls are very vulnerable, and they are often threatened by different pressures. The use of these spaces as a destination for recreational divers can cause different impacts on the benthic habitat. In this work, we propose a methodology based on video recordings of cave walls and image analysis with deep learning algorithms to estimate the spatial density of structuring species in a study area. We propose a combination of automatic frame overlap detection, estimation of the actual extent of surface cover, and semantic segmentation of the main 10 species of corals and sponges to obtain species density maps. These maps can be the data source for monitoring biodiversity over time. In this paper, we analyzed the performance of three different semantic segmentation algorithms and backbones for this task and found that the Mask R-CNN model with the Xception101 backbone achieves the best accuracy, with an average segmentation accuracy of 82%.