In recent years, the rapid development of technologies such as virtual reality, augmented reality, and mixed reality, along with the significant increase in publications related to the Metaverse, demonstrates a sustained growth in interest in this field. Some scholars have already performed bibliometric analyses of this emerging field. However, previous analyses have not been comprehensive due to limitations such as the volume of literature, particularly lacking in co-citation analysis, which is crucial for understanding the interconnectedness and impact of research works. In this study, we used the Web of Science as a database to search for topics related to the Metaverse from 1995 to 2023. Subsequently, we employed CiteSpace for co-citation network analysis to supplement previous research. Through our analysis at the journal, author, and literature levels, we identified core journals and key authors in the Metaverse field. We discovered that Extended Reality (XR), education, user privacy, and terminologies related to the Metaverse are significant research themes within the field. This study provides clear and actionable research directions for future papers in the Metaverse field.

This paper uses Public Choice analysis to examine the case for and experience with Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs). A PPP is a contractual platform which connects a governmental body and a private entity. The goal is to provide a public sector program, service, or asset that would normally be provided exclusively by a public sector entity. This paper focuses on PPPs in developed countries, but it also draws on studies of PPPs in developing countries. The economics literature generally defines PPPs as long-term contractual arrangements between a public authority (local or central government) and a private supplier for the delivery of services. The private sector supplier takes responsibility for building infrastructure components, securing financing of the investment, and then managing and maintaining this facility.

However, in addition to those formed through contracts, PPPs may take other forms such as those developed in response to tax subvention or coercion, as in the case of regulatory mandates. A key element of PPP is that the private partner takes on a significant portion of the risk through a schedule of specified remuneration, contingency payments, and provision for dispute resolution. PPPs typically are long-term arrangements and involve large corporations on the private side, but may also be limited to specific phases of a project.

The types of PPPs discussed in this paper exclude arrangements which may result from government mandates such as the statutory emission mandates imposed on automobile manufacturers and industrial facilities (e.g., power plants). It also excludes PPP-like organizations resulting from US section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, which provides tax subsidies for certain public charities, scientific research organizations, and organizations whose goals are to prevent cruelty to animals or erect public monuments at no expense to the government. This paper concludes that an array of Public Choice tools are applicable to understanding the emergence, success, or failure of PPPs. Several short case studies are provided to illustrate the practicalities of PPPs. 

The contradiction between the ability of forestry that provides high-quality and abundant forestry products and good ecological services, and the demand for high-quality and diversified forestry products and service in order to meet the people’s rapid growing, has become the main contradiction faced by forestry development in new era. Since the area of forest resources in China is restricted by the expansion space, expanding the effective supply of forestry must mainly depends on the improvement of the quality and structure of forestry resources. Therefore, the focus of promoting forestry development is to comprehensively improve the level of forest management in the new era. Based on the analysis of the causes for the low level of forest management, it is proposed that forestry development in the new era should focus on the positively stimulating and strengthening the human capital development, etc., which come from the current following aspects: innovating forest management theory and model, clarifying the relationship between government and market.

Chinese municipalities have developed a large stock of capital assets during a period of rapid growth and urbanization, but have yet to modernize asset management practices. Cities face challenges such as premature decline of fixed assets and spiking liabilities related to operating and maintaining assets. This paper evaluates the asset management practices in three selected small cities and towns in China, using a benchmarking assessment tool followed by an in-depth field assessment. The paper finds that overall performance is below half the international benchmark for good practice in all three cities. Management practices are considerably more advanced for land than for buildings and infrastructure. Key deficiencies in data availability and reporting, governance, capacity, and financial management indicate increased risks for local government finance and the delivery of public services. For small cities and towns where public revenues are often uncertain and limited, urban public services will be at risk of deterioration unless good asset management practices are put in place. The paper recommends strategic actions for upper and lower levels of government, to advance local asset management practices and facilitate the reform agenda.

Purpose: This article explores the adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Human Resource Management (HRM) in the UAE, focusing on the critical challenges of fairness, bias, and privacy in recruitment processes. The study aims to understand how AI is transforming HR practices in the UAE, highlighting the issues of bias and privacy while examining real-world applications of AI in recruitment, employee engagement, talent management, and learning and development. Methodology: Through case study methodology, detailed insights are gathered from these companies to understand real-world applications of AI in HRM. A comparative analysis is conducted, comparing AI-driven HRM practices in UAE-based organizations with international examples to highlight global trends and best practices. Findings: The research reveals that while AI holds significant potential to streamline HR functions such as recruitment, onboarding, performance monitoring, and talent management, it also discusses challenges and strategies companies face and develop in integrating AI into their HRM processes, reflecting the broader context of AI adoption in the UAE’s HR landscape. Originality: This paper contributes to the growing body of literature on AI in HRM by focusing on the unique context of the UAE, a rapidly developing market with a highly diverse workforce. It highlights the specific challenges and opportunities faced by organizations in the UAE when implementing AI in HRM, particularly regarding fairness, bias, and data privacy.