This study analyzes the role of innovation in the development of smart cities in Latin America. It focuses on how emerging technologies and sustainable strategies are being integrated into urban planning and urban development. In this sense, this study seeks to contribute to the smart city literature by answering the following research questions: (i) To what extent smart city innovative initiatives have been addressed in Latin America? and (ii) To what extent scholars have addressed sustainable innovation strategies in the smart city literature? To this end, this is the first comprehensive bibliometric analysis of smart city research in Latin America, with a structured and systematized review of the available literature. This methodological approach allows cluster visualization and detailed analysis of inter-node relationships using the VOSViewer software. The research comprises 4 stages: (a) search criteria; (b) selection of documents; (c) software and data extraction; and (d) analysis of results and trends. Results indicate that studies on the Latin America region began to develop in 2012, with Brazil as a leader in this field and the tourism sector as the most relevant. Nevertheless, strong international collaboration was identified in co-authoring studies, underscoring a cooperative approach to solving common urban problems. The most active research area is technological innovation and sustainability, with focus on solutions for urban mobility, quality of life and smart governance. Finally, this work underlines the need to continue exploring the integration of technology in urban development, suggesting an agenda to guide future research to evaluate the sustainability and long-term impacts of smart city initiatives in Latin America. From the policy perspective, smart city initiatives need to be human-centered to boost smart solutions adoption and to guarantee long term local impacts.

In Urban development, diversity respect is needed to prioritize and balance the urban development design for sustainable eco-city development. As a result, this research aimed to investigate the causal factor pathways of social network factors influencing sustainable eco-city development in the northeastern region of Thailand through a quantitative research approach. With the aim to survey insightful information, the analysis unit was conducted at the individual level with three hundred and eighty-three (383) samplings in Khon Kaen and Udon Thani provinces, including univariate analysis and multivariate analysis, using path analysis and multiple linear regression. The study results indicated that two pathways of social network factors influencing sustainable eco-city development were indirect influence factors. The indirect influence factor consists of information exchange, benefits exchange in the network, and members’ role in the social network. Additionally, the study revealed that the pathway has influences through social network types and the economic and social dimensions of sustainable cities (R² = 0.330). Therefore, this study concluded that sustainable eco-city development should be implemented through community networks and economic and social network development for environmental development through social network types.

Entrepreneurial resilience in regions is essential for enabling the entrepreneurial ecosystem to overcome natural disasters, catastrophes, wars, and various crisis situations it may face. However, this phenomenon has been underexplored in the literature despite its critical importance for business development, and consequently, for social progress. Therefore, the objective of this article is to conduct a systematic literature review to identify the antecedents of regional entrepreneurial resilience in situations of adversity. To achieve this goal, a qualitative, descriptive research approach was employed. Specifically, a systematic literature review was carried out following the PRISMA method, which included a total of 231 scientific articles retrieved from high impact journals. Of these, only 12% (27 documents) focused on regional entrepreneurial resilience. Five key antecedents of regional entrepreneurial resilience were identified: action orientation, the region’s historical precedents, opportunity exploitation, collaboration, resources, and preparedness. Additionally, it is suggested that future research should focus on understanding the impact of crises, identifying agile response models to crises, defining roles for each member of the entrepreneurial ecosystem to achieve economic recovery in regions, and analyzing the design of public policies that contribute to overcoming adversity. The study concludes that when a region is resilient, it is more likely to overcome crises and adversity.

Young people are a traditional risk group for radicalization and involvement in protest and extremist activities. The relevance of this topic is due to the growing threat of youth radicalization, the expansion of the activities of extremist organizations, and the need to organize high-quality preventive work in educational organizations at various levels. The article provides an overview of research on the topic under consideration and also presents the results of a series of surveys in general educational institutions and organizations of secondary vocational education (n = 11,052), universities (n = 3966) located in the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation. The results of the study on aspects of students’ ideas about extremism are presented in terms of assessing their own knowledge about extremism, the presence/absence of radically minded people around them, determining the degree of threat from the activities of extremist groups for themselves and their social environment, and identifying approaches to preventing the growth of extremism in society. Conclusions are drawn about the need to improve preventive work models in educational organizations towards a targeted (group) approach.

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 explores the role of arts management in regional economic development within major Chinese cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen. Cultural organizations—such as museums, theaters, and galleries—contribute significantly to local economies through tourism, job creation, and the enhancement of cultural branding. Using a qualitative approach, 18 semi-structured interviews with arts managers and policymakers selected based on their influential roles in cultural organizations across these cities. The interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis, which identified key themes including the economic impact of cultural organizations, the influence of government policies, challenges in arts management, and the role of cultural tourism in fostering regional growth. The findings reveal that while government policies play a pivotal role in supporting cultural organizations, providing crucial funding, tax incentives, and infrastructure development, concerns remain about the long-term sustainability of funding due to shifting political and economic priorities. Additionally, arts managers face challenges related to balancing artistic goals with financial viability, particularly as the sector becomes increasingly competitive and technology-dependent. Key challenges identified include securing stable funding sources, adapting to digital technologies, talent retention, and maintaining artistic integrity amid commercial pressures. The study highlights the need for diversified funding models such as public-private partnerships and alternative revenue streams and suggests further exploration into the role of smaller cultural organizations in rural regions to promote inclusive regional development. Practical recommendations include developing strategies to enhance financial sustainability, investing in digital capabilities, and formulating policies that provide long-term support for the cultural sector. Overall, the research contributes to a better understanding of how effective arts management can drive regional economic development and offers practical recommendations for strengthening the sustainability of China’s cultural sector.