Abstract This review aimed to explore the integration of Quantum Computing (QC) with Artificial Intelligence (AI) subsets such as Machine Learning (ML) and Deep Learning (DL), addressing the computational demands posed by the exponential growth of visual data. It identifies key challenges such as interdisciplinary complexity, lack of standard benchmarks, scalability, integration barriers, and the theoretical-practical gap in quantum applications. The review systematically examines existing literature on the application of quantum algorithms in areas including image processing, Natural Language Processing (NLP), Transfer Learning (TL), Federated Learning (FL), networking, cybersecurity and the finance sector. It highlights the usage of quantum principles like superposition and entanglement to accelerate computations, optimize models, and enhance data security in ML/DL frameworks. Findings indicate that integrating QC with ML/DL offers faster convergence, improved optimization, secure decentralized learning, and efficient handling of large-scale and complex data. Specific improvements are observed in TL and FL approaches, NLP accuracy, cryptographic robustness, and performance in medical diagnostics and autonomous systems. QC holds transformative potential in enhancing ML/DL capabilities across domains. Despite existing challenges such as error mitigation and integration complexity, its combination with classical learning methods opens new frontiers for research in AI-driven sectors. Future studies should focus on bridging theoretical and application-level gaps while creating standardized evaluation frameworks.
Open access
Quantum Computing Algorithms and Architecture
Big Data and Digital Economy
Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare and Education
The programmable economy lacks a universal computational layer capable of interpreting, translating, verifying, and simulating the mathematical and cryptographic operations that underpin digital assets. Existing tools are fragmented: wallet software provides only rudimentary transaction signing, portfolio trackers offer aggregated views without evidence, and specialized calculators address isolated problems. No general-purpose, cryptographically verifiable, language-native computational environment exists for digital value. KHOTOR is designed to fill this gap. It is a universal, deterministic runtime that interprets the anti-entropic linguistic protocol Kryptophon, transforms plain-language queries into executable computational expressions, and performs multi-domain financial mathematics across asset conversion, transaction analysis, decentralized finance, tokenomics simulation, cryptographic proof generation, and risk assessment. Every output carries an epistemic classification — verified, observed, inferred, simulated, or uncertain — and can be exported as a Gamma-Proof: a cryptographically signed, independently verifiable artifact. This paper presents the complete KHOTOR architecture: a ten-layer computational engine, a formal abstract machine for Kryptophon evaluation, a tiered adoption model that makes the programmable economy accessible to non-technical users while creating a new domain of expertise for professionals, and a product family spanning a public cloud API, a web platform, a handheld consumer device, and integration with dedicated hardware instruments. All components are designed around a single governing principle: every calculation shows its work, every output carries a truth label, and no inference is ever presented as fact.
Sibelle Torres Vilaça, Alexandre Aleixo, Juliana A. Vianna
The biodiversity crisis is accelerating, with recent IUCN Red List confirming multiple recent species extinctions (IUCN, 2025). Of the 17 megadiverse countries, which account for ~70% of Earth's biodiversity, 15 are part of the Global South. Most of the habitat and biodiversity loss is concentrated in nine of the megadiverse countries. Generating knowledge for all life on Earth is fundamental for bending the curve of biodiversity loss, and genomics has recently emerged as an important component in conservation biology. Mapping and understanding genome-wide variation can help estimate important biological variables essential for species conservation, understanding adaptation to climate change, and predicting populations' long-term resilience (Vilaça et al., 2024).Genome sequencing has ramped up in the last decade as the costs drop and technology advances (Wetterstrand et al, 2025). The Earth BioGenome Project (EBP) is capitalizing on this in its aim to sequencing the genomes of all known eukaryotic species. The lead article by Blaxter et al., (2025) paves the way for Phase II of the EBP, which aims to sequence reference genomes for 150,000 species throughout the tree of life. With an estimated cost of US$ 1.1 billion (US$4.42 billion for all 3 phases) Phase II will bring important developments in technology for data production and processing, while establishing sequencing centers worldwide. Although these accomplishments are set to change the way we do biodiversity genomics research globally, we believe that major challenges need to be overcome for the project to accomplish its goals and truly reach equitable partnerships and effective engagement with the Global South. Bringing our significant experience as researchers involved in EBP-affiliated initiatives based in South America, we address potential blockers for Phase II in the Global South in sequencing infrastructure and technology, funding sources, enabling equitable global participation, and engaging government and policy makers.Sequencing life on Earth requires global participation, especially in biodiversity-rich regions. A solution proposed by Blaxter et al., (2025) involves the creation of decentralized laboratories (gBox) established at 25 regional nodes. This model is based on the approach used in outbreak response for pathogen detection like COVID-19. While laboratories for rapid response to disease outbreaks require a Biosecurity Level 3/4, the general infrastructure (Affara et al., 2021) is typically simpler in terms of equipment than the laboratories required for sequencing reference genomes. In our experience, maintaining sequencers in countries where few or no other similar equipment is available is challenging due to the lack of specialized and timely maintenance. The reliance on imported reagents from the Global North can further undermine efforts because of common cold-chain failures that often lead to reagents not arriving at their destination with the required integrity for optimal use (Vilaça et al., 2024). The current limitations in technology, maintenance, importing reagents, and keeping sample integrity are important obstacles that need to be overcome for the gBox model to work in countries without a tradition in genomic sequencing.Securing adequate funding remains a key issue. During the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, rapid funding availability by governments and the private sector allowed investments of USD$9.2 billion in vaccine development (Tortorice et al., 2024) generating trillions in social, health, economic revenue. The same model is needed for biodiversity. With an estimated global cost of €14 trillion in ecosystem services associated with biodiversity loss until 2050 (ten Brink et al., 2009), this loss will bring severe impacts on health, economy and social well-being. Unfortunately, this sense of urgency is not yet instilled in funding priorities and financial investments. In our experience, this is a general pattern of biodiversity-related science funding, as both the Chilean and Brazilian governments have invested in large facilities for astronomy and physics (Catanzaro et al., 2014;Angelo, 2017). Environmental expenditures by governments decrease in times of recession with some countries failing to include biodiversity agendas in their post-COVID economy recovery packages (McElwee et al., 2020). Because reference genomic libraries are key for supporting the monitoring of endangered species and developing local bioeconomy initiatives, wider investments focused on biodiversity knowledge are necessary for its conservation and recovery. The creation of a global public-private co-funding mechanism similar to the recently established Tropical Forests Forever Facility (TFFF) -aimed at compensating financially countries that commit to preserving their tropical forests (https://www.wri.org/insights/financing-nature-conservation-tropical-forest-forever-facility) -could be explored as an alternative to support sequencing efforts in megadiverse countries. Under such a co-funding mechanism, Global South countries would find mechanisms for matching at least some percentage of the external funding that is brought into the country for biodiversity genomics in several alternative ways.We view this as an important step to root perennial biodiversity initiatives in their Global South countries' own territories. These mechanisms could include institutional commitments (e.g., integration into national biodiversity and bioeconomy agendas) and recurrent budget lines supporting the development of local biological collections, biobanks, and molecular biology laboratories, in addition to genomics expertise.Achieving the goals of Phase II of the EBP will require more than advances in sequencing technologies and expanded reference databases; it will require structural changes that enable equitable global participation and governance. Researchers based in megadiverse countries cannot be relegated to sample providers (Vilaça et al., 2024), but need to be embedded in decision-making, generate data locally, and contribute as skilled personnel.Therefore, it is important that EBP-Phase II -in addition to direct efforts to reference genome sequencing proper -also include the training of local researchers in genome sequencing, assembly, curation, and annotation to overcome the capacitation gap in genomics found nowadays in Global South countries.First, the involvement of Global South scientists within the EBP must extend to decision-making and leadership roles that reflect the contribution of the communities within megadiverse countries. Other critical roles include setting local priorities in terms of species to be sequenced and linking locally generated genomes with national research, development, and innovation agendas, as done in the Genomics of Brazilian Biodiversity (GBB) consortium (Vilaça et al., 2024;Povill et al., 2025). Recently, Latin American countries started organizing an EBP node (Red de Genomas Neotropicales -BioGenomas) with country representatives sharing experiences, realities and local models for sequencing projects with reduced financing support. Brazil and Chile began coordinating meetings with scientists from Argentina, Colombia, and Mexico. Since then, Argentina has set the first framework for a national biodiversity genomics consortium. In our model, organizing under nationwide initiatives, followed by a larger network is the first step to ensure that regional and local realities are represented and considered. Other approaches can also be used as models, like the African BioGenome Project, which started as a continent-wide initiative.Second, the feasibility of decentralized sequencing infrastructure-such as the proposed gBox-must be carefully evaluated within the context of countries facing recurrent challenges in importing reagents, maintaining equipment, and ensuring reliable cold-chain delivery. These barriers remain major bottlenecks that cannot be overlooked when deploying high-throughput sequencing technology globally. The establishment of the proposed US$0.5 billion Foundational Impact Fund (FIF) in Phase II is therefore essential. By focusing support on capacity development and long-term infrastructure in the Global South, the FIF could catalyze sustainable growth in biodiversity genomics rather than short-term or project-bound grants. Decentralized funding models, unconstrained from politically-bound research agendas are crucial for the EBP hubs to dictate research direction considering local aspects. In this way, we can focus on local solutions to solve global problems.In many Global South countries, the acquisition of reagents is hindered by persistent failures in maintaining the required cold chain during importation, customs delays, and the lack of reliable distributor networks. These issues lead to frequent reagent degradation and increased costs that slow down or halt genomic workflows. There is a pressing need for supply chains that support room temperature reagents to preserve, high-quality samples.Legal uncertainties, the absence of standardized national frameworks, and administrative bottlenecks further constrain access and sharing of biological samples. Creating and supporting existing local biodiversity biobanks, possibly associated with natural history collections, is also important for access to high-quality well-documented samples for genome sequencing. Addressing these challenges requires coordinated technological advances, policy development and long-term engagement with keystone local institutions.Third, a critical step toward enabling equitable participation in EBP's Phase II is transforming how political leaders and policymakers engage with biodiversity science. They must recognize that the biodiversity crisis is as urgent as climate change or future pandemics, and that delaying action will have profound consequences. The ongoing discussions in international policy like the Convention for Biological Diversity highlight a timely opportunity: biodiversity genomics must be integrated into global and national environmental agendas as a strategic tool for conservation, climate adaptation, and sustainable development.Genomic resources are not only essential for monitoring and protecting biodiversity, they also underpin emerging bioeconomy value chains, biotechnological innovation, and preparedness for future biological emergencies.Importantly, national public policies for genetic-resource protection-including implementation of the Nagoya Protocol and emerging approaches to Digital Sequence Information (DSI) benefit sharing-are key to enabling local sequencing and ensuring that local researchers remain central. Countries need legislation that not only regulates the use of genetic resources but also actively encourages and funds local sequencing, capacity development, and equitable scientific leadership. This will enable Global South researchers and governments to play active roles in international agreements, boosting their confidence in becoming equitable partners in biodiversity genomics initiatives, rather than adopting a defensive attitude to avoid any undue use of the countries' genomic resources.As biodiversity loss accelerates, investments in biodiversity genomics should not depend solely on academic enthusiasm; they must be recognized as essential national and global priorities, with clear economic, health, and societal implications. To realize this vision, policymakers should no longer be considered as "stakeholders". They must become active partners in the co-creation of genomic initiatives (see Vilaça et al. 2024). Co-designing strategies with governments ensures that genomic data are incorporated into national priorities, that legal frameworks evolve in tandem with scientific advances, and that investments in infrastructure and capacity remain stable across political cycles. This shift is especially critical for megadiverse countries, where genomic knowledge can directly inform sustainable resource management, climate resilience, and health surveillance systems. By integrating scientific, political, and community perspectives, the EBP Phase II can become not only a global sequencing effort but a transformative movement toward a more inclusive, resilient, and strategically valuable model of biodiversity science.Author contribution
Local government institutions (LGIs) are widely recognized as the cornerstone of democratic governance and sustainable local development. In Bangladesh, Union Parishads, Municipalities (Pourashavas), Upazila Parishads, Zila Parishads, and City Corporations play a vital role in delivering public services, promoting participatory governance, and fostering socio-economic development. Despite significant progress in decentralization, the financial autonomy of local governments remains limited due to excessive dependence on central government transfers and grants. The inadequate mobilization of own-source revenue (OSR) restricts the capacity of LGIs to finance infrastructure, maintain essential public services, and respond effectively to local development needs. This conceptual paper examines the relationship between strengthening local government institutions and improving own-source revenue mobilization in Bangladesh. Drawing upon theories of fiscal decentralization, public financial management, and good governance, the paper argues that sustainable local development requires financially autonomous local governments capable of generating, managing, and utilizing local revenues efficiently and transparently. The study identifies key institutional, legal, administrative, technological, and political constraints affecting local revenue collection while proposing policy options to enhance fiscal capacity. The paper further emphasizes that digital transformation, improved tax administration, citizen participation, institutional accountability, and fiscal transparency can significantly strengthen local revenue systems. Effective utilization of locally generated revenue not only improves service delivery but also reinforces public trust and democratic accountability. The findings contribute to the growing literature on decentralization and local public finance by providing a conceptual framework for strengthening local government finance in Bangladesh.
This paper introduces Automated Institutional Discovery (AID), a novel computational framework that conceptualizes economic institutional design as a high-dimensional combinatorial search problem. Traditional institutional design relies heavily on human intuition, historical evolution, or analytically constrained mechanism design, which often fails in complex, adaptive multi-agent environments. AID transcends these limitations by framing institutions as tuples i = (r_1, r_2, ..., r_K) within an expansive institutional space and utilizing advanced search and optimization algorithms to discover configurations that maximize global objective functions F(i). By combining multi-agent simulation modeling with metaheuristic search strategies, AID evaluates allocative efficiency, incentive compatibility, resilience, and distributional equity without requiring empirical laboratory experiments. The framework establishes a paradigm shift from manual rule-making to automated machine discovery, offering robust applications for digital economies, decentralized finance, and economic governance.
Decentralized Finance (DeFi) refers to an open financial ecosystem built on blockchain technology that does not require the participation of centralized institutions. The technology and operational mechanisms it employs represent a significant "paradigm mismatch" with the current financial regulatory framework. This paper examines the comprehensive impact of DeFi on existing financial regulation from multiple perspectives, including the blurring of regulatory authority and a lack of accountability; the difficulty in identifying regulatory targets and the ambiguity in determining their nature; the ineffectiveness of regulatory rules and the absence of relevant provisions; overlapping jurisdictions, and difficulties in enforcement. Through a comparative study of regulatory experiences in the United States, Europe, and other regions, this paper proposes solutions such as shifting the existing regulatory philosophy toward functional regulation, embedding compliance requirements into the underlying technology at the institutional level, and strengthening international cooperation at the operational level, while also discussing the specific context in China. This paper identifies a threefold paradigm mismatch between decentralized finance and traditional financial regulation, giving rise to multiple regulatory challenges such as difficulties in holding entities accountable, ambiguity in defining regulatory targets, ineffective regulatory rules, and obstacles to cross-border enforcement. A comparison of regulatory practices in the U.S. and Europe reveals that it is difficult for any single country to independently manage the risks associated with globalized DeFi.
Biometric authentication offers enhanced usability for digital payments, but traditional centralized architectures suffer from single points of failure. While blockchain integration promises decentralized trust, existing solutions often store biometric helper data (e.g., fuzzy commitments) directly on-chain. We demonstrate that such transparency, even in permissioned settings, exposes low-entropy biometric inputs to offline brute-force attacks and identity-linkage risks if the immutable ledger is accessed by malicious nodes. To resolve this transparency–privacy paradox, we propose a threshold-based decentralized authentication framework. Unlike prior works, our protocol keeps all sensitive Biometric-Enhanced Key Derivation (BEKD) tokens entirely off-chain, using the blockchain solely for freshness enforcement. We provide a game-based security analysis of brute-force resistance, unforgeability, and unlinkability. Our experimental results demonstrate that our scheme’s gas cost is acceptable, offering a robust solution for self-sovereign biometric identity.
Autonomous multi-agent systems powered by Large Language Models (LLMs) are increasingly deployed in high-frequency algorithmic trading, decentralized finance (DeFi), and complex financial decision-making workflows. However, existing multi-agent interaction architectures rely heavily on implicit semantic trust: context passing between upstream and downstream agents occurs via unauthenticated, unstructured natural language or JSON payloads. This design creates critical vulnerabilities, exposing systems to indirect prompt injection, context tampering, system prompt spoofing, and multi-turn cascade poisoning. When an upstream agent ingests malicious external data, adversarial payloads can propagate through the inter-agent execution graph, bypassing single-agent perimeter guardrails and hijacking downstream financial execution logic. To resolve these vulnerabilities, we introduce AgentShield-Crypto, a zero-trust cryptographic framework for multi-agent LLM trading pipelines. AgentShield-Crypto enforces the Know-Your-Agent (KYA) protocol, replacing probabilistic natural language filters with deterministic cryptographic state boundaries. Under KYA, every agent's identity, static system prompt hash H(S_i), temporal liveness timestamp t_i, and output payload M_i are encapsulated into cryptographically signed state envelopes (E_i) using HMAC-SHA256. Inter-agent communication channels are guarded by Inline Cascading Anomaly Firewalls (ICAF), which evaluate verification predicates before allowing state transitions into downstream context windows. We construct and release AgentInject-Bench v1.0, an empirical benchmark comprising 7,000 test vectors spanning direct prompt injections, indirect context hijacking, multi-turn cascade poisoning, system prompt spoofing, and clean financial market baselines across GPT-4o, Claude 3.5 Sonnet, and Llama-3-70B-Instruct. Empirical evaluation demonstrates that AgentShield-Crypto achieves a 100.00% Defense Mitigation Rate (DMR) with a 0.00% False Positive Rate (FPR), completely eliminating multi-hop context hijacking while incurring sub-millisecond per-message execution latency (0.382 ms).
CHAIMAA EL HAMDANI, Jamaa LAMKIES, Zakaria ELMEKHLOUFI, Mohammed Kehel
Résumé : Objectif : Cet article examine dans quelle mesure le contrôle de gestion territorial peut servir de levier de résilience et d'agilité organisationnelles dans les collectivités territoriales marocaines, dans un contexte de contraintes budgétaires et institutionnelles. Malgré l'abondance des travaux sur le pilotage de la performance publique, la résilience et l'agilité organisationnelles, la littérature n'offre à ce jour aucune articulation systématique entre contrôle de gestion territorial, résilience et agilité dans les collectivités locales marocaines ; combler précisément cette lacune constitue l'objet du présent article. Méthodologie : Il s'agit d'un article conceptuel (conceptual paper) fondé sur une revue narrative de la littérature indexée dans Scopus et sur une analyse documentaire des réformes institutionnelles marocaines (Constitution de 2011, loi organique relative aux lois de finances de 2015), complétée par une grille d'analyse comparative public-privé destinée à identifier les pratiques de gestion transférables. Apports : L'article formule des propositions théoriques, et non des résultats empiriques, selon lesquelles le contrôle de gestion territorial peut renforcer la résilience et l'agilité par l'alignement stratégique, les systèmes de mesure de la performance, les mécanismes d'apprentissage organisationnel et les processus décisionnels adaptatifs. L'analyse conceptuelle met en évidence un écart de maturité significatif entre les dispositifs de contrôle de gestion des secteurs privé et public, tout en montrant que le cadre constitutionnel de 2011 et la réforme budgétaire de 2015 offrent des conditions favorables à une gouvernance territoriale plus agile. Trois facteurs critiques de succès sont dégagés de la littérature : l'alignement stratégique du contrôle de gestion avec les objectifs de développement local, l'investissement dans le capital humain et les infrastructures numériques, et une hybridation progressive et sélective des outils privés adaptée aux valeurs du service public. Implications : L'étude propose aux décideurs territoriaux des recommandations hiérarchisées selon leur horizon de mise en œuvre et identifie des pistes de validation empirique du modèle proposé. Originalité : La contribution de l'article réside dans l'intégration, au sein d'un cadre analytique unifié, de trois corpus jusque-là juxtaposés, appliquée au contexte des collectivités territoriales marocaines et transposable avec prudence à des contextes de décentralisation comparables. Mots clés : Contrôle de gestion territorial, résilience organisationnelle, agilité organisationnelle, collectivités territoriales, Nouveau management public, Maroc. Classification JEL : H70, H83, L38, M48 Type du papier : Recherche Théorique Abstract : Purpose: This paper examines the extent to which territorial management control can serve as a lever for organizational resilience and agility in Moroccan local governments facing budgetary and institutional constraints. Despite a growing body of literature on public sector performance management, organizational resilience, and organizational agility, no systematic articulation between territorial management control, resilience, and agility has been proposed for Moroccan local governments; addressing this precise gap constitutes the purpose of this study. Design/methodology/approach: The article is a conceptual paper based on a narrative review of Scopus-indexed literature and a documentary analysis of Moroccan institutional reforms (2011 Constitution, 2015 Organic Law on Finance Laws). A comparative public-private analytical grid is used to identify transferable management practices. Findings: The study derives theoretical propositions rather than empirical results. It suggests that territorial management control may enhance resilience and agility through strategic alignment, performance measurement systems, organizational learning mechanisms, and adaptive decision-making processes. The conceptual analysis points to a significant maturity gap between private and public sector management control systems, while indicating that the 2011 Constitution and the 2015 budget reform provide enabling conditions for more agile territorial governance. Three critical success factors are inferred from the literature: strategic alignment of management control with local development objectives, investment in human capital and digital infrastructure, and progressive, selective hybridization of private-sector tools adapted to public service values. Originality/value: The contribution of the paper lies in integrating three previously separate bodies of literature within a unified analytical framework applied to Moroccan local governments, with cautious transferability to comparable decentralizing contexts. Practical implications: The study offers local decision-makers recommendations prioritized by implementation horizon and identifies avenues for future empirical validation of the proposed model. Keywords: Territorial management control, organizational resilience, organizational agility, local government, New Public Management, Morocco. JEL Classification: H70, H83, L38, M48 Paper type: Theoretical Research
Abstract: The evolution of monetary systems has transformed human civilization from simple barter exchanges to sophisticated digital financial ecosystems powered by blockchain technology. This review examines how barter systems evolved into con-temporary virtual currencies across history and assesses how cryptocurrencies fit into the circular economy. The study explores the shortcomings of conventional monetary systems and looks at how decentralized, transparent, and effective forms of economic transaction have been made possible by digital currencies like Bitcoin. Additionally, the study examines how blockchain technology might be used to support waste reduction, sustainability, resource efficiency, and transparent supply chain management. The study also assesses the difficulties posed by virtual currencies, such as market volatility, cybersecurity threats, regulatory ambiguity, and environmental issues pertaining to cryptocurrency mining. The review identifies significant research gaps and future prospects for incorporating virtual currencies into sustainable economic systems by synthesizing the body of existing work. The results indicate that through openness, decentralization, and technological innovation, blockchain-enabled financial systems have a great deal of potential to promote circular economy goals. Keywords: Virtual Currency, Cryptocurrency, Bitcoin, Blockchain, Circular Economy, Sustainable Finance, Digital Economy, Decentralization, Green Finance, FinTech, Supply Chain Management
Winnie Kasoma-Pele, Ojongetakah Enokenwa Baa, Thato Mabele, Dennis Choruma
This report presents findings from the April 2026 Training of Trainers (ToT) and Mechanization Awareness Meetings held under the CGIAR Scaling for Impact (S4I) Program in Zambia. These activities supported the Inclusive Mechanization through Rural Entrepreneurship and Financial Innovation Solution Track by strengthening the capacity of extension staff and partners and raising awareness of an inclusive Mechanization Service Provider (MSP) model among smallholder farmers and prospective service providers. The report examines how these field activities helped identify opportunities and constraints in the enabling environment for scaling climate-smart mechanization, with particular attention to women, youth, and persons with disabilities. Key findings highlight strong stakeholder interest in mechanization services, the importance of decentralized capacity building, and the need for improved access to affordable finance, business incubation, after-sales support, and stronger institutional partnerships. The report demonstrates that successful mechanization scaling depends not only on appropriate technologies but also on supportive policy, market, institutional, and social systems. It concludes with recommendations to strengthen inclusive recruitment, financing mechanisms, extension systems, and multi-stakeholder collaboration to support responsible scaling and sustainable mechanization service delivery in Zambia.
The investigation deals with covering stages of decentralization reform in Novokalynivska United Territorial Community (UTC) and indicating strengths and weaknesses after the first stage of the policy implementation. The history of the formation of the city of Novy Kalyniv in the Sambir region from the first information to the present is covered. The influence of decentralization policy on local self–government bodies has been studied. Studies of individual settlements are relevant and necessary since the history of each country begins with the formation and development of the smallest villages, towns, from which began their journey historians, politicians, writers, artists, etc. Such studies provide a deeper insight into the historical past of Ukraine, to understand the essence of the process of state formation, and to cover in minute detail the life of the Ukrainian people in different historical periods and in different aspects: social, economic, cultural and religious. The Ukrainian vision of local problems through the prism of global ones attaches special value to this type of research. Historical local lore is one of the most important branches in the history of Ukraine, as differences in traditions, dialects, attitudes to new challenges (decentralization policy) become the foundation for understanding Ukrainian history. A priori, the implementation of decentralization policy will strengthen the legal, organizational, and material capacity of the newly formed territorial communities in compliance with the principles and provisions of the European Charter of Local Self–Government, accessibility of public services, creating favorable conditions for education. However, in practice, based on Novokalynivska UTC, the implementation of these mechanisms by local authorities is half done. It is all connected with the old methods of making important decisions for the community, ignorance of local authorities, ignoring the requests of the UTC population, poor communication between local authorities and residents of Novokalynivska UTC. The priority task for the implementation of all concepts of decentralization policy is to communicate between the government and the population, to understand the main tasks of decentralization, and to finance problematic areas of local importance.
Yescha Nuradisa Ekarachmi Danandjojo, Samira Ramezani, Johan Woltjer
Multiple land rights holders and layered land rights structures create fundamental challenges for implementing land-based financing methods such as land value capture (LVC). In a decentralized governance system, overlapping land rights and fragmented planning complicate coordination and limit the effectiveness of LVC for financing transport infrastructure development. This study examines how different rights holders contribute to implementing land value capture within a layered land rights and multi-level governance system in Indonesia, using the Jakarta Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) project as a case study. In Indonesia’s decentralized system, multiple levels of government apply different planning tools to regulate land use and development, complicating coordination between planning, land rights, and LVC mechanisms. Qualitative data from semi-structured interviews and policy analysis show that overlapping land rights and fragmented regulations create legal and administrative uncertainty. This uncertainty acts as a barrier to cross-governmental coordination and private stakeholder engagement, both of which are necessary for a workable LVC framework. Although a formal LVC framework exists, unclear rules on which rights holders should contribute, combined with complex administrative procedures, limit its practical use. This study contributes to the LVC literature by linking instruments to specific land rights holders and by extending the bundle-of-rights perspective. It explains why LVC remains underutilized in contexts with layered land rights and decentralized governance. The findings highlight the need for policy reforms to clarify contribution obligations, improve coordination across governance levels, and simplify the administrative process.
Centralized governance frameworks in developing economies frequently generate a fundamental tension between national policy coherence and the operational responsiveness required by diverse local labor markets. In Laos, this tension is acutely manifest within the administration of Vocational Education (VE), where provincial and district authorities bear expanding implementation responsibilities without commensurate transfers of fiscal authority, administrative capacity, or technical expertise. This study critically examines the administration models operationalized within local VE governance in Laos, identifies the structural constraints limiting their effectiveness, and proposes an evidence-grounded five-component governance reform framework. Employing a sequential explanatory mixed-methods design, the study integrates quantitative survey data from 781 stakeholders across all provinces, comprising local government officials, VE administrators, educators, and industry representatives, with semi-structured qualitative interviews and systematic policy document analysis. Quantitative findings reveal that administrative model typology (centralized, decentralized, hybrid) accounts for less than 2% of the variance in perceived governance effectiveness, whereas process-level governance qualities, institutional autonomy, stakeholder participation, decentralization depth, and resource adequacy jointly account for 56% of the variance in perceived suitability. Public-Private Partnership (PPP) strength emerges as the strongest predictor of institutional effectiveness. Qualitative findings illuminate the mechanisms underlying these patterns: local authorities function as pragmatic brokers, navigating structural rigidities through informal networks and discretionary project-based initiatives that remain institutionally unsustainable and inequitably distributed. The study identifies a centralization-responsiveness paradox wherein ceremonially adopted decentralization policies coexist with functionally centralized operations, generating accountability ambiguities and inequitable governance costs. Grounded analytically in institutional theory, decentralization theory, and human capital theory, the proposed framework integrates reconstituted multi-level governance architecture, institutionalized demand-side engagement, equitable financing, systematic capacity development, and rigorous performance accountability. Implications are discussed for policymakers, development partners, and VE administrators in comparable transitional economies.
Confirmations of the ZBCN Report, and promises from a relatively new centralized private company trying to justify its existence in decentralized finance.
Autonomous artificial intelligence agents increasingly act across decentralized systems, yet existing authorization models provide limited mechanisms for constraining delegated authority, proving policy compliance, and assigning accountability for machine-initiated actions. This paper presents a policy-enforced identity and accountability framework for cryptographic governance of autonomous AI agents. The proposed architecture binds each agent to a verifiable decentralized identity, machine-readable authorization policies, delegated capability constraints, and tamper-evident action records. Before an action is executed, the framework evaluates identity validity, policy scope, contextual conditions, delegation depth, expiration, and revocation status. Approved actions generate cryptographically verifiable receipts that link the agent, authorizing principal, applicable policy, execution context, and resulting state transition without requiring disclosure of unnecessary sensitive information. The framework also supports attenuated delegation, enabling subordinate agents to receive narrower permissions than their parent agents while preventing privilege amplification. A formal threat model evaluates impersonation, policy substitution, replay attacks, unauthorized delegation, audit-log manipulation, and compromised agent behavior. Security analysis indicates that the architecture strengthens provenance, non-repudiation, least-privilege enforcement, and post-execution auditability across heterogeneous decentralized environments. The proposed approach provides a foundation for governing autonomous agents in blockchain networks, distributed applications, machine-to-machine systems, and multi-agent infrastructures where conventional access control is insufficient. It shifts AI governance from trust-based supervision toward verifiable, policy-bound, and cryptographically accountable execution.
As the blockchain and decentralized finance (DeFi) ecosystems continue to expand and mature, rug pull scams involving meme coins are occurring with increasing frequency, posing a threat to the security of investors' assets and the healthy development of the industry. Rug Pull scams are characterized by extremely low deployment costs, covert execution, rapid fund transfers, and high detection difficulty. Traditional manual reviews or fixed rules struggle to meet real-time early warning requirements, and existing detection methods generally suffer from issues such as a single feature dimension, inadequate handling of class imbalance, and weak model generalization and interpretability. To address these shortcomings, this paper focuses on the detection of Ethereum-based rug pull scams. First, we clarify their definitions, types, and harm mechanisms, and construct a multi-dimensional feature system based on dimensions such as malicious smart contract design, on-chain transaction anomalies, liquidity manipulation, and social media disclosures. Next, using the "Second Uncle Coin"(token symbol: BOBU) case as an example, we reconstruct the attack process and derive quantitative detection metrics. Subsequently, a risk detection model based on a Multi-Layer Perceptron (MLP) is designed. We employ a combined strategy of SMOTE oversampling and Focal Loss to address the issue of sample imbalance, dynamically search for optimal thresholds to balance precision and recall, and incorporate gradient pruning and early stopping to enhance training stability. Experiments show that the model achieves an accuracy of 0.927, an F1 score of 0.787, and an AUC-ROC of 0.952 on the test set, outperforming traditional methods. Finally, a visualizable web-based detection system is developed using the Flask framework, enabling batch risk assessment, high-risk ranking display, and result export functions.
The article provides critical analysis of the new Strategy of spatial development of the Russian Federation up to 2030 with the forecast up to 2036 in view of evolution of federal relations and provisions of the institutional theory. Topicality of the research is envisaged by the necessity to comprehend the fact whether the present document in the absence of certain strategies of federative relations can perform the coordinating role in stimulating economic selfdevelopment in regions. The goal of the research is to identify systemic contradictions between declared targets of spatial development and real conditions and mechanisms of governing included in strategic documents. Principle conclusions of the research demonstrate a deep paradox of today’s Russian regional policy: in spite of the declared rejection of the idea of equal development and transition to rhetoric of differentiated approach and resource concentration the effective Strategy does not put forward any withdrawal from the model of controlled asymmetry but reproduces centralized vertical logics of governing. The key institutional gap is successive denial of the important role of institutions of in-regional level, i.e. city agglomerations and strong centers of population, which are recognized as objective reality but are not provided with real power and finance authorities. Tools being introduced, such as common lists of strong centers of population and geo-strategic territories, as well as the digital platform of governing are analyzed as mechanisms of increasing administrative priority fixing from above and tools of vertical supervision but not as the basis of decentralization and providing regions with authorities. The author shows increasing non-coordination in the system of strategic planning. As priority lines in restructuring the article proposes adoption of the federal law about regional development securing the real status of institutions on in-regional level; drastic change in inter-budget relations to raise region independence and restore on the federal level the common center of responsibility for coordination of spatial policy. The research contributed to the discussion about the necessity to elaborate complex strategy of federative relations and showed that without such a document and re-distribution of real power and resources any spatial strategy will not be able to resolve key institutional paradoxes.
Haytham A. Sheerah, Ahmed Arafa, Mansour A. Alfaya, Ashraf B AlDerbas · 10 authors
Problem: Traditional epidemiological surveillance methods are often limited by delays in reporting and fragmented data systems. Saudi Arabia faces additional public health challenges from mass gatherings during Hajj and Umrah, an increasing burden of noncommunicable diseases and rapid urbanization, highlighting the need for investing in digital epidemiology. Approach: Saudi Arabia has accelerated digital transformation in health care through Vision 2030 initiatives. The strategies include health information exchange platforms, analytics driven by artificial intelligence, telemedicine services and digital monitoring systems used during Hajj. We review current initiatives to invest in digital epidemiology in Saudi Arabia, implementation challenges and policy priorities. Local setting: Saudi Arabia's health system operates under a predominantly public model. The health ministry is the main provider, regulator and finance provider of most health-care services. Health-care coverage is nearly universal, with citizens receiving services free of charge through the public system. Ongoing reforms aim to gradually decentralize certain functions. Relevant changes: The initiatives under Vision 2030 have supported disease surveillance, data integration and public health response capacities. Existing digital health reforms have created a foundation for integrating digital epidemiology into routine public health practice. However, challenges remain, including fragmented interoperability between institutions, workforce shortages, unequal digital access, and concerns about data governance, privacy and algorithmic bias. Lessons learnt: Saudi Arabia's experience suggests that digital epidemiology is more effective when integrated within broader digital health reforms. Successful implementation requires not only digital infrastructure, but also workforce development, ethical governance, transparency and mechanisms for integrating digital data into public health decision-making.
This chapter explores the transformative potential of blockchain and artificial intelligence (AI) in revolutionizing green finance. It begins by examining the role of digital transformation in driving sustainable financial practices, highlighting the integration of blockchain and AI. The chapter delves into blockchain's applications in enhancing transparency, traceability, and security within green finance, particularly through smart contracts and decentralized finance solutions. It further discusses AI's contributions to improving risk assessment, ESG evaluation, and combating greenwashing. The synergies between blockchain and AI are explored, showing how their combined use optimizes sustainability-focused investments. Additionally, the chapter addresses regulatory and ethical considerations surrounding these technologies. Finally, it discusses emerging trends and opportunities in green finance, providing insights into the future of sustainable financial systems driven by technological innovation.
The development of madrasahs and Islamic boarding schools in Indonesia has increasingly required policy approaches capable of balancing educational modernization with the preservation of Islamic traditions. However, limited studies have examined this development from the perspective of Charles E. Lindblom's incrementalism theory. This study aimed to analyze how incremental policy characterizes the contemporary development of madrasahs and Islamic boarding schools and to identify the factors influencing the incremental policy process within these Islamic educational institutions. The research employed a qualitative library research design using official government policy documents, scholarly books, peer-reviewed journal articles, and other relevant academic publications as primary data sources. Data were analyzed through qualitative content analysis involving data reduction, thematic categorization, interpretation, and source triangulation. The findings reveal that the development of madrasahs and Islamic boarding schools consistently follows an incremental policy trajectory characterized by gradual improvements in educational regulations, curriculum and learning systems, teacher professional development, institutional governance, and educational financing. The study also demonstrates that institutional leadership, organizational capacity, government support, educational decentralization, socio-cultural values, political commitment, bureaucratic coordination, digital transformation, and globalization collectively influence the continuity of incremental policy development. These findings confirm the continued relevance of Lindblom's incrementalism theory in explaining policy change within Islamic education and suggest that gradual policy adaptation provides an effective mechanism for maintaining institutional stability while encouraging sustainable educational innovation. The study contributes to both public policy and Islamic education literature by offering a comprehensive conceptual understanding of incremental policy development in contemporary Islamic educational institutions.