Journals Published by Vilnius Tech
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Efficiency and regional divergence in China’s poverty reduction (SDG 1) and decent work and economic growth (SDG 8)
Full text linkAddressing regional disparities while pursuing sustainable development has become a critical policy challenge. This study develops a meta parallel two-stage dynamic range directional measure (RDM) directional distance function (DDF) data envelopment analysis (DEA) model to evaluate the efficiency of poverty reduction (SDG 1) and decent work and economic growth (SDG 8) across 30 provinces in China. Given uneven regional development, the provinces are grouped into eastern, central, and western regions, and kernel density estimation is employed to examine the spatial and temporal evolution of efficiency. The results indicate that: (1) The overall efficiency is moderate, with an average score of 0.67, highest in the eastern region, followed by the western, and lowest in the central region. (2) The efficiency of SDG 8 (0.93) significantly exceeds that of SDG 1 (0.87), while the regional ranking remains consistent with the overall efficiency. (3) The technology gap among the three regions shows dynamic changes: the western region has overtaken the eastern region to become the most advanced. In contrast, the central region continues to lag, and its gap with the other regions is steadily widening.
First pubished online 29 October 202
DEA-based composite index for innovation-integrated human development performance assessment of countries
Full text linkThe Human Development Index (HDI) introduced by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) offers a unique quantitative measure that encompasses advancements in three fundamental aspects of human development: health, education, and living standards. However, focusing on only three dimensions when evaluating human development performance of countries is not adequate in today’s digital world. This study proposes a data envelopment analysis (DEA)-based composite index to provide an innovation-integrated human development performance assessment tool for countries. The novel two-stage common-weight DEA-based approach proposed in here is applied in a case study examining the performance assessment of European Union (EU) countries. The first stage of the developed methodology consists of solving the novel commonweight DEA-based approach with HDI indicators as the outputs and the Gini coefficient as the input. At the second stage, innovation-based indicators from World Bank database are used to evaluate innovation efficiency of EU countries. The composite index that yields the complete ranking of EU countries in terms of innovation-integrated human development performance is computed as the product of the efficiency scores resulting from these two stages. The rankings produced by the proposed approach are compared with the HDI rankings as well as the results obtained from various common-weight DEA-based models.
First published online 27 November 202
The creativity of Iban sub-ethnic group of Dayak people community in maintaining and preserving customary forests in Sungai Utik Hamlet, Batu Lintang Village, Kapuas Hulu Regency, West Borneo
Full text linkThis study aims to analyze the creativity of the Iban sub-ethnic group of Dayak people community in Sungai Utik Hamlet, Batu Lintang Village, Kapuas Hulu Regency, West Borneo, in maintaining and preserving customary forests from the perspective of Earth ethics theory and Weberian social actions. The research model used community-based participatory research which consists of four phases, namely: 1) building basic principles and concepts of the research; 2) research planning; 3) information collection and analysis; and 4) action on findings. The results of the research showed that the community has creativity in managing customary forests, by communities while maintaining integrity, stability, and beauty. The motives for social actions to preserve customary forests were viewed from Max Weber’s theory, namely: 1) traditional actions – communities want to preserve customary forests for generations; 2) effective actions – customary forests were believed to be blood, breath, and considered as the father and mother of the community; 3) instrumental rationality – it can be seen that the central, regional, and traditional heads and Iban sub-ethnic group of Dayak people community strongly support the process of implementing customary forest management traditions; and 4) rationality of values – indigenous peoples had obtained an example of knowledge of integrity, stability, and beauty in customary forest management from their ancestors. Research findings show that the Iban sub-ethnic group of Dayak people community has a genius local concept in customary forest management. Knowledge and values applied in the creativity of customary forest management become an example of life values that are very meaningful and useful for indigenous peoples in understanding forest ecology. Future research still needs to increase creativity in customary forest management
The creative processes in the cities: the case of Turkish literature
Full text linkUtilizing a four-stage model of the creative process, this article explores the creative process of experiencing and representing the city in a selection of modern Turkish literature and illuminates how the creative process aligns with and informs writings on the Turkish city. The analysis is focused on the inspiration, dreaming, reflecting, and imagining procedures of the creative process incumbent upon writing the Turkish city; concepts that condition stages of creativity. This paper’s approach is in significant part a response to the theoretical problem of how the author situates the Turkish city, particularly regarding the capital Ankara, that is understood in the context of singularity and Istanbul, that is situated within a multiplicity of realities. This Ankara–Istanbul relationship is further referenced in the context of a discourse that is centered on the novel idea of an intersection of four tracts or a double chiasm. Several writers are referenced, especially the Turkish authors Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar, Elif Shafak, and Orhan Pamuk
Can self-determination motive predict creative thinking among university students?
Full text linkCreative thinking is considered as one of the important mental processes in success in life in general and in the university, as it plays an important role in the development and progress of societies in all fields, especially considering the scientific and technological revolution and the great acceleration in all areas of life. The progress and development of societies can be measured by the level of their individuals’ possession of thinking skills in general and creative thinking. There are many variables that can play an important role in creative thinking, one of these factors is the motivation of self-determination. The current study aimed to reveal the predictive ability of self-determination of creative thinking and whether there are statistically significant differences in them due to gender and college. The sample of the study consisted of 367 university students in Jordan who were selected by the cluster random method. To achieve the objectives of the study, two measures of self-determination motivation and creative thinking scale were used. The results showed that the level of creative thinking among the study sample was low in all dimensions of the scale, and there were no statistically significant differences in creative thinking attributed to gender, except for flexibility in which males outperformed females in a statistically significant way, and there were no differences due to the college variable. The results also indicated that self-determination predicts creative thinking among university students
Development of a visual tool for natural disaster risk assessment for the communities of the Republic of Georgia
Full text linkThe National Risk Index, developed by us, provides a relative measurement of national-level natural hazard risk across communities. The risk is defined as the potential for adverse impact from a natural hazard. Local and national authorities require information on the frequency and impact of hazardous events that have occurred or may occur in the future as a basis for risk-informed planning. Generally, most local authorities do not have the technical expertise to develop tools for this, and therefore, it is important to provide national-scale platforms for disaster risk assessment. This paper presents a national multi-hazard risk profiling platform for administrative units within Georgia, located in the Caucasus. The risk calculation is based on a method that uses historical disasters and their frequencies of hazardous phenomena such as landslides, floods, and earthquakes. We calculate the risk for the communities of Georgia. Most methods require detailed data from different sources to calculate risk, and data availability and quality are one of the main challenges in this type of work. This problem is particularly evident in developing countries, where there are limited resources to collect and analyze data quality. Our method is original because it allows for risk calculation, risk assessment, and online visualization of data based only on disasters, recorded in the country’s territory. The interactive map can be used as a visual tool for disaster risk assessment by the parties concerned as well as decision-makers
Contemporary designs in historic context: Eleftheria square in Cyprus as a bridge between new and the old
Full text linkContemporary design within a historical context is a special topic of architectural conservation that needs considerations. New designs should be reversible and compatible with existing; however it needs to be legible and distinguishable as well. Creating the compatibility between new and the old is a challenging process. The originality of the heritage should be preserved while adding another layer and value to the heritage.
The international preservation standards and charters provide guideline for contemporary designs in historical settings. The aim of the study is to examine the selected field study by following these principles. Eleftheria square in Cyprus that is designed by Zaha Hadid Architects is the main study area of the paper.
Eleftheria square is a public space located in Nicosia, Southern Cyprus that design has recently completed. It includes design of a moat, which is located next to the historic city walls and designing a bridge that connect the historic part of the city with the new development area. Although the project brought a new life to the neglected part of the city, the design approaches of the project should be examined through conservation principles. Within the scope of the study, the completed project has been examined through preservation principles, which is suggested in selected standards and charters
The importance and effects of colors in accommodation units for homeless people
Full text linkDesigning accommodation for homeless people requires a specific approach based on analysis, based on knowledge of the mental and physical condition of a person, their needs, and demands. The color of the living space can play an important role in a person’s social inclusion, a faster and more continuous return of a person to a full life. The research aimed to verify how much the preferences for the use of color in the interior match among the homeless people and to draw recommendations for the color application. The theoretical analysis deals with the influence of architecture on our senses. Special attention is paid to the effects of sunlight, especially on the visible light spectrum, the originator of color vision. In the research methodology, the article defines the target group of homeless people using social service accommodation and data collection procedures. The results and discussion provide an overview of color preferences among respondents and the interpretation of findings. It has been shown that homeless people form a relatively homogeneous group for which it is possible to define general color selection requirements and to set key recommendations for the application of color schemes in social services accommodation units
Multi-criteria analysis of the Baltic banks from client attraction and profit generation perspectives
Full text linkThe economic and regulatory environment banks operate in poses challenges in regard to different facets of sustainability and requires proper managerial and technological innovations. Bank performance can be analysed from various viewpoints. Therefore, it is important to develop comprehensive frameworks for assessment of banking performance. The paper develops a twostage approach for measuring banking performance from the client attraction and profit generation perspectives. The multi-criteria framework involving three multi-criteria decision-making methods is developed to ensure robustness of the results. The empirical research deals with the 17 commercial banks operating in the three Baltic States. This case is interesting as it covers a low-interest-rate environment. While Lithuanian banks excelled in the client attraction perspective, the results for 2017–2021 suggest that they should focus on the improvement of performance in this regard and profit generation if compared to banks operating in Latvia and Estonia
Should we be wary of using artificial intelligence-based big data management in social research?
Full text linkThis study examines the future role of artificial intelligence (AI) in transforming research processes within the social sciences, focusing on how AI may redefine researchers\u27 responsibilities and potentially replace human participants in certain types of studies. Employing the Delphi method, the study collects expert opinions to evaluate both facilitating factors and barriers to the integration of AI into scientific research. Key findings indicate that while technological advancements – such as open-access data and the integration of AI with existing research tools – support the growing role of AI, significant challenges remain. These include the difficulty of verifying AI-generated information and concerns regarding authenticity in AI-driven research. Social factors, particularly the risk of excessive reliance on AI leading to diminished originality, emerged as critical barriers. In contrast, economic considerations, such as declining development costs, were viewed as less influential. The study’s practical implications include the need for robust ethical guidelines and enhanced AI training for researchers. By offering original insights into the evolving intersection of AI and social science research, this study highlights both the transformative potential of AI and the urgent need for its responsible integration to preserve research integrity and reliability