This open access book offers the first thorough analysis of the role of civil defense in NATO security discourse and development over the years, pinpointing critical junctures and historical events. Its novel contribution is the analysis of NATO's adoption and implementation of resilience as policy, a strategic concept, and later as a new body, the resilience committee. It explores how resilience shapes the role of civil defense and becomes a natural part of national defense and international security, and provides new insights into the knowledge of this contested concept and its adaptability once it enters a security discourse.

In terms of policy implications, one of the book's key contributions is its careful examination of the intricate roles ascribed by civil administration, civil society, market actors, and the broader populace. By explicitly addressing the social and political dynamics that have shaped NATO both historically and in the present day, it aims to ignite vital conversations around the implications of military alliances on democracy, accountability, and their influence over the internal political affairs of member states. This sheds light on the interconnectedness of these elements and encourages readers to critically reflect on the power structures at play and their far-reaching effects.

Why has multilateral peacebuilding in conflict-ridden states emerged as a depoliticized practice that rarely engages with local actors and agendas? And why has depoliticization persisted despite continued criticisms? Claiming Impartiality offers an innovative answer to the puzzling persistence of depoliticization in post-war peacebuilding that focuses on the institutional mandates, interests, and practices of those international and bilateral organizations that design and implement most peacebuilding interventions.

Drawing on and expanding a Bourdieusian field perspective, the book examines international organizations as actors in multiple fields of global governance. Using the case studies of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Timor-Leste, it traces the emergence and transformation of peacebuilding practices by leading international and bilateral organizations during the first two decades of the field's existence. The organizational lens highlights the tensions that exist between the objectives of simultaneously acting as a peacebuilding organization and as a peacekeeping, humanitarian, or development organization whose practices are to varying degrees committed to observing the twin principles of impartiality and neutrality. By thinking through these sometimes contradictory roles, the book offers new insights into how these organizations sideline questions of political agency in favor of expanding their influence into related fields of global governance. Claiming Impartiality discusses the future of peacebuilding and explores avenues for addressing political challenges to peace itself.

With a keen attention to how culture and elite conflict shape politics, The Great Separation upends deterministic understandings of the Chinese Cultural Revolution and the market reforms that followed. This ambitious posthumous volume by sociologist Xiaohong Xu turns the existing scholarship on China's "neoliberalism" on its head by demonstrating that the effort to separate mass politics from economic policy had its origins well before the Reform and Opening-up era.

Over the course of the Cultural Revolution, unfolding factional dynamics and interpretive struggles enabled Chairman Mao and his radical colleagues to mobilize workers to advance their own political goals while neutralizing the masses' economic demands, symbolically separating the political from the economic. This set the stage for a more thoroughgoing depoliticization of the economy after 1989, when China faced challenges from students and workers whose economic grievances had rapidly morphed into political demands for democracy. The result was what Xu calls ordoeconomism: an ideology that valorizes economic development, rejects mass politics, and views the state as the apolitical guardian of the economy. As Xu demonstrates, while ordoeconomism may share some affinities with neoliberalism, it is a distinctively Chinese approach that must be understood on its own terms.

This book offers a comprehensive and accessible introduction to risk management in financial institutions, with a strong focus on contemporary challenges such as market volatility, liquidity pressures, and financial technology. By integrating traditional banking risks with emerging challenges, the book supports both students and professionals seeking accessible insights into banking risk, regulation, and modern financial practice.

The book begins by outlining the structure and functioning of financial markets and institutions, before moving into key areas of risk measurement, including interest rate, market, and liquidity risk. It then explores emerging themes such as fintech and operational risk. The later chapters focus on practical risk management tools, including capital adequacy, derivatives, securitisation, and prudential regulation across major economies.

European Union policy on rural development and EU research programmes aim to help rural areas of the EU meet the wide range of economic, environmental and social challenges of the 21st Century. However, the challenges facing rural areas of Europe, and their people, remain significant and highly affected by the crises of our current era. This contributed volume comprises 12 research studies, exploring the intersection of research, policy and innovation strategy across the diverse rural regions of the Europe Union.

Conducted in different countries, these studies point to the challenges that lie at the heart of strategic planning in public policy. The book ultimately supports an EU vision for future rural development, digitalisation, sustainability planning and innovation strategy. It is not only a source of data on the problems faced by local communities in different European countries, but offers suggestions for practical use of bottom-up and multiactor perspective for policy-making, business development and community engagement at local, regional and national level. It will be of great interest to scholars and students of rural development, innovation strategy, the agricultural sector and EU policy.

This book highlights the interdisciplinary nature of entrepreneurship in today's rapidly changing global landscape. Written by leading scholars and industry experts, it examines how ethnicity shapes entrepreneurial practices among indigenous communities in Namibia. Drawing on diverse theoretical frameworks and real-world insights from local leaders, it offers a unique cultural perspective on entrepreneurship.

The volume explores how indigenous entrepreneurs balance modern economic demands with deep-rooted cultural values, while addressing the challenges and opportunities they face. By foregrounding authentic voices, it contributes to a deeper understanding of indigenous entrepreneurship. This book is an essential resource for researchers, students, practitioners, and communities interested in indigenous business and development.

This book, the second volume of The Synergistic Effect of Sustainable Business Practices on Human Capital and Economic Performance, extends the research and insights of the first volume by focusing on the intersection of human capital development, economic performance, and sustainable business strategy. In an era of rapid technological advancement, shifting workforce expectations, and intensified ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) imperatives, organizations face the challenge of integrating sustainability not only into operational practices but also into the management and development of their human assets. This volume explores how strategic workforce management, employee engagement, and organizational learning contribute to sustainable economic outcomes at the firm, industry, and national levels. The book will covers theoretical frameworks linking sustainability, human capital, and economic performance, research Findings on the role of human resources in achieving sustainability-driven competitive advantage, case studies from diverse industries and geographies illustrating best practices in integrating HR strategy with sustainability objectives, policy implications for governments and international agencies in promoting sustainable and inclusive economic growth and future-oriented discussions on the Future of Work, workforce digitalization, and the skills required in a sustainable economy.

By combining perspectives from economics, human resource management, and sustainability science, this volume will serves as a valuable reference for academics, practitioners, and policymakers seeking to understand and leverage the synergies between people and profit in driving sustainable corporate performance.

This book focuses on the innovative startup ecosystem within universities which combines research and practice from emerging and transitioning economies, offering a comprehensive look at how universities, governments, and communities co-create robust entrepreneurial ecosystems. With a special focus on Southeast Asia and Africa, the book explores how academic institutions can become launchpads for entrepreneurial ventures, especially in contexts where resources are limited but innovation is thriving. Spanning diverse themes such as regulatory challenges, incubation models, funding gaps, technology transfer, and regional development, this book includes empirical case studies and critical reflections that unpack the enabling and inhibiting factors shaping university-driven entrepreneurship. From Jakarta's slum-based MSME incubation models to encrypted funding platforms in the digital age and from policy governance in South Africa to market access frameworks in Cambodia, each chapter offers grounded insights with global relevance.

What distinguishes this work is its interdisciplinary and practice-oriented approach, combining policy analysis, grassroots documentation, institutional theory, and field-based strategies. It presents an accessible yet scholarly lens through which stakeholders such as academics, policymakers, ecosystem builders, and startup founders can explore how innovation ecosystems can be cultivated even in low-resource settings. The reader will benefit from a comparative perspective on what works in diverse institutional and cultural contexts and from actionable insights into designing inclusive and resilient innovation systems. The book aims to inspire universities and policymakers to reimagine their role as knowledge producers and strategic actors driving local development, youth empowerment, and sustainable entrepreneurship.

This proceedings volume offers the latest developments in information and communication technologies (ICTs) in the tourism and hospitality industry. Feature papers presented at the International Federation of IT and Travel & Tourism (IFITT)'s 33rd Annual ENTER International e-Tourism Conference held in Breda, The Netherlands, this book demonstrates the breadth and maturity of contemporary eTourism research with strong focus on AI including large language models (LLMs), GenAI as a research instrument, AI-driven personalization, and the ethical implications of automation. The volume further emphasizes digital ecosystems and governance, with research on smart destinations, digital distribution, blockchain adoption, ICT lifecycles in tourism SMEs, and city metrics.

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) continue to revolutionize travel, tourism, and hospitality. Over 30+ years, the ENTER eTourism conference has been at the forefront of providing insight on the use and impact of new technologies for travel, tourism and hospitality practitioners and researchers. However, the rapid development and deployment of new developments, including generative AI (GenAI), service robotics, IoT, and Extended Realities (XR) technologies, among others, call for a rapid and careful reassessment of ICT in tourism, particularly including ethical and societal considerations.

Bridging the gap between visionary research and practical implementation to foster resilient tourism systems that serve businesses, communities, and the planet, this book is valuable to scholars, researchers, students, and practitioners in tourism and hospitality.

From Risk to Resilience challenges how decisions are made in an era defined not only by climate disruption, but by systemic uncertainty. Traditional risk models rely on historical data and stable assumptions. Yet across infrastructure, financial markets, and national systems, these foundations are breaking down, creating a widening gap between modeled risk and real-world uncertainty.

Sharron L. McPherson introduces The Resilience Method (TM), a decision-grade framework that enables governments, investors, and infrastructure leaders to assess whether systems, assets, and communities will remain viable over time. Moving beyond risk mitigation, she reframes resilience as a strategic discipline for operating under uncertainty.Drawing on three decades of experience across finance, law, and policy, and fieldwork across five continents, she connects complex risk signals to real-world decisions. This is a practical framework for navigating volatility, allocating capital with greater confidence, and building systems that endure.

This book celebrates the remarkable contributions of Dr Keiko Koda, a leader in second language (L2) acquisition and reading development, who retired from Carnegie Mellon University in 2024. The chapters in this volume explore recent theoretical developments and practical applications in L2 reading research from a cross-linguistic perspective. The book addresses a wide range of issues in L2 reading among diverse learner populations, including young multilingual learners from both low- and middle-income countries and post-industrial nations. It also focuses on various types of learners in different educational settings worldwide, such as foreign language learners, heritage language learners, and dual language learners. Topics covered include meta-analyses, innovative applications of theory in pedagogy, and the design of assessment tools. Collectively, these contributions have the potential to significantly advance both theoretical frameworks and practical approaches in the field. This book is useful for researchers, educators, graduate students, and multilingual education specialists interested in theoretical and practical advancements in second language reading and cross-linguistic transfer.

This book offers an original guide to teaching English grammar to secondary multilingual learners through school genres and crosslinguistic classroom practice. It brings a descriptive approach to English grammar into secondary classrooms, showing how grammar choices shape meaning, clarity, cohesion, stance, and audience understanding. Part I introduces key resources in English grammar, including word classes, phrases, clauses, information packaging, and cohesion. Part II applies these resources to descriptive, narrative, expository, argumentative, persuasive, procedural, reflective, dialogue, monologue, and digital genres. The chapters use mentor passages, annotation routines, classroom tasks, feedback prompts, and teacher resources to support purposeful grammar teaching. Rather than treating grammar as error correction, the book frames learner language as evidence for inquiry and revision. It helps pre-service and in-service teachers connect descriptive grammar, crosslinguistic awareness, and inclusive language pedagogy to everyday classroom decisions.

With the ongoing development of immersive technologies, growing degrees of design flexibility, and integrated communicative tools, the metaverse presents new possibilities for facilitating language learning opportunities through meaningful social interactions. As the metaverse is still emerging, the edited volume identifies the key elements of metaverse-based language learning and teaching by placing them in the context of established theories and practices in second language acquisition. It also presents metaverse platforms and tools, and provides examples of how they might be used in the field of English Language Education.

The volume is divided into four parts (Foundations, Practical Applications, Socio-Emotional, Ethical and Sustainable Dimensions, and Future Directions), consisting of 13 internationally contributed chapters that address various aspects of the metaverse-based language teaching and learning. The volume provides valuable insights for language educators, researchers, and learners, and aims to enrich the language learning and teaching landscape in an increasingly digital world.

Islampolitik: The Role of Islam in Modern-State Building examines the interrelationship between Islam and state-building in global modernity. Synthesizing scholarship from the fields of sociology, political science, history, religious studies, Middle East, and Islamic studies, this book brings together theories from both below (subjectivities) and above (governance) into one comprehensive resource.

Islampolitik investigates how modern states draw on religion, specifically Islam, when creating templates for subjectivity formation of individuals and communities as part of their broader governance strategies. The book provides a needed challenge to the long-held perception amongst scholars of governance and modernity: namely that Islam is a source of pre-modern rationales creating obstacles to modern governance and state maintenance processes. The book provides empirical insights into the connection between global modernity and modern frames for identity construction.