Using a qualitative research methodology and explanatory approach to collect data, we assessed whether the Beijing Consensus diplomacy in Africa is a promoter or threat to Africa’s pathway to sustainable development. The collected data were analysed using document and content analysis techniques. Analysis of the data revealed that the Beijing Consensus diplomacy in Africa is a positive initiative that has created a win-win situation, promoting sustainable development. The Beijing Consensus is opposed to the Washington Consensus, which influenced a win-lose situation that has deepened poverty, making Africa unable to move towards achieving sustainable development. The study found that China’s resource-for-development approach has similarities with pre-colonial Africa’s barter trade approach, which Africans practised in the entire continent. The analysis showed that applying the Beijing Consensus diplomacy to Africa has led to economic growth and development. The results showed that China’s Belt Road Initiative has transformed Africa, changing the continent from poverty to economic productivity, as road infrastructure is associated with economic growth and development. Moreover, it was evident from the analysis that without an African continental foreign policy rooted in continental sovereignty with transparent terms and conditions, Africa’s current benefits from China’s investments would lead to poverty instead of sustainable development. A continental foreign policy would create an African Consensus, which would act on behalf of the entire continent. This African Consensus diplomacy would thus become a continental foreign policy defining Africa globally. However, as it stands, the Beijing Consensus diplomacy is a promoter of sustainable development, but this promotion would not last long without African Consensus diplomacy. The study recommends that Africa should establish a continental foreign policy with African Consensus diplomacy to enable the continent to have one standard foreign policy and goal when trading with China and any other external world.

The northern territories of Russia need high-quality strategic digital changes in the structure of the regional economy. Digitalization and the introduction of digital technologies in the medium term will be able to transform economic relations in the old industrial and raw materials regions of the North, improve the quality of life of local communities. The growth of digital inequality among the regions under study leads to disproportions in their socio-economic development. The purpose of this study is to develop and test a methodology for assessing the level of development of the digital infrastructure of the Russian northern regions, including classification of an indicators system for each level of digital infrastructure, calculation of an integral index and typology of the territories under study. The objects of the study were 13 northern regions of the Russian Federation, the entire territory of which is classified as regions of the Extreme North and equivalent areas. The methodology made it possible to determine the level of technical, technological and personnel readiness of the northern regions for digitalization, to identify regions with the best solutions at each level of digital infrastructure development. The analysis of the results in dynamics helped to assess the effectiveness of regional policy for managing digitalization processes. As a result, the authors came to the conclusion that increasing the competitiveness of northern regions in the era of rapid digitalization is possible through investments in human capital and the creation of a network of scientific and technological clusters. The presented approach to assessing the development of individual levels and elements of digital infrastructure will allow for the diagnosis of priority needs of territories under study in the field of digitalization. The results of the study can form the basis for regional policy in the field of sustainable digital development of Russia.

This study aims to develop a robust prioritization model for municipal projects in the Holy Metropolitan Municipality (Makkah) to address the challenges of aligning short-term and long-term objectives. The research explores How multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) techniques can prioritize municipal projects effectively while ensuring alignment with strategic goals and local needs. The methodology employs the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and exploratory factor analysis (EFA) to ensure methodological rigor and data adequacy. Data were collected from key stakeholders, including municipal planners and community representatives, to enhance transparency and reliability. The model’s validity was assessed through latent factor analysis, confirming the relevance of identified criteria and factors. Results indicate that flood prevention projects are the highest priority (0.4246), followed by road projects (0.3532), park construction (0.1026), utility projects (0.0776), and digital transformation (0.0416). The study highlights that certain factors are critical for evaluating and prioritizing municipal projects. “Capacity and Demand” emerged as the most influential factor (0.5643), followed by “Strategic Alignment” (0.2013), “Project Interdependence” (0.1088), “Increasing Investment” (0.0950), and “Risk” (0.0306). These findings are significant as they offer a structured, data-driven approach to decision-making aligned with Saudi Vision 2030. The proposed model optimizes resource allocation and project selection, representing a pioneering effort to develop the first prioritization framework specifically tailored to Makkah’s unique municipal needs. Notably, this is the first study to establish a prioritization method specifically for Makkah’s municipal projects, providing valuable contributions to the field.

This study aims to explore the urban resilience strategies and public service innovations approaches adopted by the Shanghai Government in response to COVID-19 pandemic. The study utilized a combination of primary and secondary data sources, such as government reports, policy documents, and interviews with important individuals involved in the matter. The current research focused on qualitative data and examined the different aspects resilience, including infrastructure, economy, society, ecology, and organizations. The findings indicate that infrastructure resilience plays a crucial role in maintaining the stability and dependability of essential public facilities, achieved through online education and intelligent transportation systems. Implementing rigorous waste management and pollution control measures with a focus on ecological resilience has significantly promoted environmentally sustainable development. Shanghai city has achieved economic resilience by stabilizing its finances and providing support to businesses through investments in research, technology and education. Shanghai city has enhanced its organizational resilience by fostering collaboration across several sectors, bolstering emergency management tactics and enhancing policy execution.

The carbon footprint, which measures greenhouse gas emissions, is a good environmental indicator for choosing the best sustainable mode of transportation. The available emission factors depend heavily on the calculation methodology and are hardly comparable. The minimum and maximum scenarios are one way of making the results comparable. The best sustainable passenger transport modes between Rijeka and Split were investigated and compared by calculating the minimum and maximum available emission factors. The study aims to select the best sustainable mode of transport on the chosen route and to support the decision-making process regarding the electrification of the Lika railroad, which partially connects the two cities. In the minimum scenario, ferry transport without vehicles was the best choice when the transportation time factor was not relevant, and electric rail transport when it was. In the maximum scenario, the electric train and the ferry with vehicles were equally good choices. Road transportation between cities was not competitive at all. The comparison of the carbon footprint based on minimum and maximum scenarios gives a clear insight into the ratio of greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles in passenger transport. It supports the electrification of the Lika railroad as the best sustainable transport solution on the route studied.

Since the systematic approach of the processes and their interactions, the aim is to establish the configuration of a construction project for the housing of the Weenhayek indigenous people. Applied from the theoretical research of various authors on a group of methodologies, phases and tools for project management, through rational scientific methods, such as descriptive, analytical, comparative, analytical-synthetic, inductive-deductive, historical-logical, analogies, modeling, systemic-structural-functional, systematization; and empirical methods, such as interpretivism that involves inductive, qualitative, phenomenological and transversal research, and the interview technique; the way in which the implementation processes are organized, interacted and structured is established. This reveals an alternative for the detailed configuration of a construction project for Weenhayek houses, based on phases, activities, actions and work tasks with characteristics in accordance with the needs of the project.