Demographic policy is one of the key tasks of almost any state at the present time. It correlates with the solution of pressing problems in the economic and social spheres, directly depends on the state of healthcare, education, migration policy and other factors and directly affects the socio-economic development of both individual regions and the country as a whole. Many Russian and foreign researchers believe that demographic indicators very accurately reflect the socio-economic and political situation of the state. The relevance of the study is due to the fact that for the progressive socio-economic development of any country, positive demographic dynamics are necessary. The main sign of the negative demographic situation that has developed in modern Russia and a number of countries, primarily European, is the growing scale of depopulation (population extinction). The purpose of this work was to analyze the existing demographic policy of Russia and compare demographic trends in Russia and other countries. The work uses methods of statistical data analysis, comparison of statistical indicators of fertility, mortality, natural population decline, migration, marriage rates in Russia and the Republic of Srpska, methods of retrospective analysis, research of the institutional environment created by the action of state and national programs “Demography”, “Providing accessible and comfortable housing and public services for citizens of the Russian Federation”, “Strategy of socio-economic development for the period until 2024”, Presidential decrees, etc. Research has shown that despite measures taken to overcome the demographic crisis, Russia’s population continues to decline. According to the Federal State Statistics Service of the Russian Federation (Rosstat), as of 1 January 2023, 146.45 million people lived in Russia. By 1 January 2046, according to a Rosstat forecast published in October 2023 the country’s population will decrease to 138.77 million people. To solve demographic problems in the Russian Federation, a national project “Demography” was developed and approved. The government has allocated more than 3 trillion rubles for its implementation. However, it is not possible to completely overcome the negative trend. The authors proposed a number of economic and ideological measures within the framework of agglomeration, migration, and family support policies that can be used within the framework of socio-economic development strategies and national programs aimed at overcoming the demographic crisis.

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) can be viewed as the aftermath of the Millennial Development Goals (MDGs). This is due to the fact that the seventeen (17) SDGs are designed to continue the work expected to have been done by the MDGs. In other words, the failure of the MDGs to eradicate poverty birthed the SDGs. However, the SDGs seem not to be achieving the desired result. This has led to the projection for the need for a decade of action. In the African context, the questions of why the MDGs failed and the SDGs tend to be failing are yet to be asked. By projection, if the questions are not asked and answers are not provided, the projection of the decade of action may also fail. Hence, the reason for this conceptual paper which was targeted at exploring the possibility of considering the Africanization of the SDGs as remedy to ensuring sustainable development in the African continent. Different relevant sources were identified, reviewed and analysed. The findings from the reviewed and analysed sources showed among others that for Africanization of the SDGs to be a reality and practicable, glocalization must be embraced. Meanwhile, there will be need to question the use of Eurocentric curricula in African institutions of learning.

The purpose of the article is to present the current situation in the rail freight transport in Thailand and the direction of changes in this area. Firstly, Thailand statistics in volume of freight transport by rail and modal share of freight transport have been presented. Afterwards, problems and obstacles in railway operational practices and in using rail transport services have been identified to improve railway system in Thailand and the outcome was assessed in terms of railway capacity and utilization. The findings were used to outline the direction of changes in rail freight transport. The results show that the rail transport capacity in double-track would increase by 48% (at present by 15.5% and as plan by 30%) and the ratio by rail transport to total freight transport would increase from at present by 1.87% to 10% in 2037.

Purpose: This research aims to investigate the impact of technological challenges, including techno-overload, techno-complexity, and techno-insecurity, on employee job satisfaction within the banking sector of Saudi Arabia. Additionally, the study examines the mediating roles of supervisor support and job clarity in buffering the effects of technological challenges on job satisfaction. Method: The study employs a quantitative research design, utilizing an online questionnaire to collect data from banking employees in Saudi Arabia. The sample size of 135 participants was determined using the rule of thumb technique. Random sampling was utilized to ensure representativeness. Data analysis was conducted using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) to explore the relationships between technological challenges, supervisor support, job clarity, and employee job satisfaction. Findings: The findings of the study reveal a significant negative impact of techno-overload, techno-complexity, and techno-insecurity on employee job satisfaction within the banking sector of Saudi Arabia. Moreover, supervisor support and job clarity were found to mediate these relationships, highlighting their importance in mitigating the adverse effects of technological challenges on job satisfaction. Originality/Significance: This research contributes to the existing body of knowledge by providing empirical evidence on the relationships between technological challenges, supervisor support, job clarity, and employee job satisfaction within the specific context of Saudi Arabian banks. The findings have significant implications for organizational leaders and managers in developing evidence-based strategies to manage technological challenges and promote employee well-being in the banking sector of Saudi Arabia.

Although various actors have examined the user acceptance of e-government developments, less attention has so far devoted to the relationship between attitudes of certain commuter groups against digital technologies and their intention to engage in productive time-use by mobile devices. This paper aims to fill this gap by establishing an overall framework which focuses on Hungarian commuters’ attitudes toward e-government applications as well as their possible demands of developing them. Relying on a representative questionnaire survey conducted in Hungary in March and April 2020, the data were examined by a machine learning and correlations to identify the factors, attitudes and demands that influence the use of mobile devices during frequent commuting. The paper argues that the regularity of commuting in rural areas, as well as the higher levels of qualification and employment status in cities show a more positive, technophile attitude to new ICT and mobile technologies that strengthen the demands for digital development, with special regard to optimising e-government applications for certain types of commuting groups. One of the main limitations of this study is that results suggest a picture of the commuters in a narrow timeframe. The findings suggest that developing e-government applications is necessary and desirable from both of the supply and demand sides. Based on prior scholarly knowledge, no research has ever analysed these correlations in Hungary where commuters are among the European citizens who spend extensive time with commuting.

The need for forest products, agricultural expansion, and dependency on biomass for the household energy source has largely influenced Ethiopia’s forest resources. Consequently, the country lost its forest resources to less than 6% until the millennium. In this study, quantitative and qualitative historical data analysis was employed to understand the socioeconomic benefits of large dam construction to Ethiopia and downstream countries. Moreover, remotely sensed data was also used to analyze the trends of vegetation cover change in the Nile catchment since the commencement of the dam; focusing on areas where there are high settlement and urban areas. It was identified that Ethiopia has one of the lowest electricity consumption per capita in Africa; about 91% of the source of household energy supply depends on fuelwood today and more than 55.7% of the population does not have access to electricity. The normalized difference vegetation index result shows an increment of vegetation area in the Nile catchment and a reduction of no vegetation area from 2011–2021 by 37.1%; which is directly related to the protection of the dam catchment for its sustainability in the last decade. The hydroelectric dam construction has prospects of multi-benefit to Ethiopia and downstream countries either through the direct benefit of hydropower energy production, related socioeconomic values, and reducing risks of destructive flood from Ethiopian highlands. Generally, it explains the reason why to not say ‘No’ to the reservoir as it is an ever more vital tool for fulfilling growing energy demand and supporting ecological stability.