Tangerang City is characterized by its dense residential, commercial, and industrial activities and strategic proximity to Jakarta. This study aims to evaluate the strategic planning and implementation of innovative city initiatives in Tangerang, Indonesia, focusing on integrating blockchain, Internet of Things (IoT) big data technologies and innovation in urban development. This study has employed explanatory survey data from a structured questionnaire distributed to a diverse Tangerang community sample, including users and non-users of the “Smart City Tangerang Live” application. The survey was conducted for 2-months March to April 2022, included 71 and the sample included individuals across 13 districts, utilizing cluster sampling to ensure representativeness. The findings reveal a positive community response towards the smart city initiatives, with significant Engagement and interaction with the “Tangerang Live” application. However, technology access and usage disparities among different community segments were noted. The study highlights the critical role of intelligent technologies in transforming urban infrastructure and services, improving the quality of life, and fostering sustainable urban development in Tangerang. The implications of this study are multifaceted. For urban planners and policymakers, the results underscore the importance of strategic planning in innovative city development, emphasizing the need for inclusive and accessible technological solutions. The study also suggests potential areas for improvement in community engagement and public awareness campaigns to promote the adoption and efficient use of smart technologies.

Against the backdrop of anti-globalization rhetoric, this paper summarizes our joint book entitled Going Beyond Aid (Lin and Wang, 2017a) and discusses the prospects for development finance in the broad context of Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Based on the New Structural Economics (Lin, 2010; 2011), here we focus on China’s demonstrated comparative advantages in infrastructure, e.g. in hydropower and high-speed railways (HSR). In addition, long-term orientation (LTO) and patient capital are latent comparative advantages that many Asian economies possess, and are critical for the Belt and Road Initiative. Only if these comparative advantages are utilized can these economies cooperate to potentially achieve win-win.

The food and beverage sector played a big part in contributing to the economic growth in Malaysia hence there was a major increase in the numbers of restaurants opening up for businesses. This study therefore examines factors with the aims of ensuring a sustainable development in full-service restaurants in West Malaysia. The results of this study have made a substantial contribution to restaurant owner’s’ comprehension of the fundamental components that underlie customer satisfaction and loyalty. By examining the moderating effect of the customer’s gender in full-service restaurants in West Malaysia, the objective of this study was to ascertain the relationships between the three variables (quality of the food served at the restaurant, service quality, and environment), as well as the degree to which each attribute was able to relate to diner satisfaction. The underpinning theory for this study was the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). Quantitative methods according to descriptive research and convenience sample strategy were utilized in this cross-sectional study. Questionnaires were distributed to 264 respondents through various online platforms such as WhatsApp, Telegram, Facebook, and email. Data collection was evaluated using the Statistical Program for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 27. In order to examine the connection between the three factors and diner’s satisfaction, various tests such as the multiple regression analysis, One-way ANOVA and Beta Coefficient test were carried out. The findings gave current restaurant owners and potential restaurant owners an overview of the different attributes influencing diner’s satisfaction at full-service restaurants in West Malaysia and also the extent of the moderating effect of diner’s gender had on each attribute. The outcome of this paper is expected to provide a sustainable growth in this industry.

This article is devoted to studying the principles of the relationship between democracy and demoethics as tools for transforming the sustainable development of society. The study is based on the assumption that the effective functioning of democracy is associated with such social phenomena as elections and electoral behavior. The study examined electoral behavior and surveyed members of society about the qualities of candidates to which they pay special attention. An analysis of qualitative and quantitative data demonstrating the democratic foundations of elections of members of society was conducted, and an analysis of the choice of voters in the extraordinary elections of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan by region was conducted. In this study, Bayesian network modeling is experimentally applied to formalize the problem of identifying and analyzing the behavior of virtuous personality traits. A sociological survey of public opinion was conducted using the questionnaire method with the participation of 826 people from all regions of Kazakhstan from May to June 2023. A questionnaire was used to collect data, the main purpose of which was to compare attitudes and find out what values are considered important for people, what norms of behavior are considered acceptable, and to understand what values and norms prevail in society. It is concluded that the concept of demoethics promotes a positive transformation of humanity and helps to form a new leader of virtue, a ruler of the city, capable of making ethical rational decisions that can ensure a balance between the economic, social, and environmental needs of humanity.

The purpose of the article is to examine the changes in cross-border cooperation between Vietnam and China as a result of the development and connectivity of cross-border infrastructure between the two countries. This article is based on a mixed-methods study that includes desk research and surveys. The article explains how the two countries’ approaches to border shifted from ‘barrier’ to the border of ‘connectivity’. Accordingly, the article examines the changes in border management cooperation between the two countries, which serves as a vital basis for cross-border development cooperation. Furthermore, the article examines the perceptions of the two countries regarding the development and connectivity of cross-border infrastructure for comprehensive cooperation between the two countries and beyond. At the same time, the article examines how the two countries promote the development and connectivity of cross-border infrastructure, both hard and soft. The article also examined some initial results and some issues facing the two countries. The paper concludes with some findings. In particular, the article concludes that increased border connectivity will encourage cross-border cooperation and integration between the two countries and help to alleviate security concerns. Although the two countries have made efforts to open their borders, in the transition from a border of ‘barriers’ to a border of ‘connectivity’ remain partly to Vietnamese people’s memories of the 1979 Sino-Vietnamese border war, as well as the impact of the two countries’ unresolved South China Sea disputes. However, Vietnam also tries to promote cross-border cooperation within a controllable level.