Yes / Smart cities employ information and communication technologies to improve: the quality of life for its citizens, the local economy, transport, traffic management, environment, and interaction with government. Due to the relevance of smart cities (also referred using other related terms such as Digital City, Information City, Intelligent City, Knowledge-based City, Ubiquitous City, Wired City) to various stakeholders and the benefits and challenges associated with its implementation, the concept of smart cities has attracted significant attention from researchers within multiple fields, including information systems. This study provides a valuable synthesis of the relevant literature by analysing and discussing the key findings from existing research on issues related to smart cities from an Information Systems perspective. The research analysed and discussed in this study focuses on number of aspects of smart cities: smart mobility, smart living, smart environment, smart citizens, smart government, and smart architecture as well as related technologies and concepts. The discussion also focusses on the alignment of smart cities with the UN sustainable development goals. This comprehensive review offers critical insight to the key underlying research themes within smart cities, highlighting the limitations of current developments and potential future directions.

Yes / The economic and social impact of covid-19 pandemic both on developing and developed countries has been significant. In addition to the impact of the pandemic, the current Ukraine war has also led to severe supply chain disruptions leading to a sharp increase in food and commodity prices globally. Due to a combination of external shocks and the impact of the pandemic global economic growth is expected to slow down from 6.1% in 2021 to 3.2% in 2022 and further to 2.7% in 2023 (IMF 2022). The above factors have led to a sharp increase in government expenditure constraining both developed and developing countries' fiscal capacity. This has further implications for the achievement of SDGs especially for low-income countries. The challenge for developing countries in the current scenario is to mobilise adequate resources both from domestic and international sources, not just for the achievement of SDGs as such, but also to sustain the livelihoods, health, and welfare of people. This special issue aims to examine some of these issues in the context of developing countries.

No / This book demonstrates how the capability approach to human development can contribute to the realisation of the 2015 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The capability approach dictates that success should not be measured by economic indicators, but by people leading meaningful, free, fulfilled, happy or satisfied lives. Drawing from a range of disciplinary perspectives, this book argues that it is vital that the focus for the SDGs should shift to benefiting the most vulnerable. Case studies from across Asia, Africa, Latin America (global south), and the USA, UK, and Australia (global north) consider how the capability approach can contribute as a practical framework to achieving the SDGs’ ambitions for social, economic, political, and legal progress. Drawing on insights from a range of disciplines, this book will be of interest to researchers and practitioners from law, politics, international relations, criminology, international development, sociology, public policy, area studies and others.

No / This paper seeks to demonstrate how capability approach can be used as a framework for an active rule of law and good governance to reduce or eliminate mob justice practices to create a peaceful society for sustainable development in Africa. Thus, by adopting the capability approach, and the use of the rule of law and good governance to create peace for achieving sustainable development goals (SDG 16). This will also help provide access to justice including to the poor and most vulnerable. The chapter focuses on Africa, by using Ghana as a case study.

Yes / The central aim of this chapter is to describe the policy and practice of affirmative action measures. It synthesizes findings from published studies and highlights the rationale, drivers, benefits, beneficiaries, effectiveness, and impacts of affirmative action policies and practices in different countries. The chapter will discuss the possible lessons from these studies and highlight the link between affirmative action policies and practices and contributions to achieving target 5 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).

Corporate Social Responsibility är ett gemensamt koncept som idag fokuserar på hur organisationer förväntas gå utöver ekonomiska resultat och samklang. Företag väljer att frivilligt tillämpa FN:s Sustainable Development Goals för att upprätthålla hållbarhetsrapporter för att framstå som mer legitima och använda hållbarhetsrapporter som konkurrensfördel. Syftet med studien är att jämföra hållarhetsrapportering av SDG i Volkswagen, Volvo och Peugeot samt jämföra utvecklingen av rapporteringen mellan respektive bilföretag under perioden 2014–2017. För att jämföra SDG-rapporteringen mellan och inom företagen genomfördes en textanalys som sedan kvantifierades. Den teoretiska referensramen utgår från hållbarhetsrapportering, frivillig SDG tillämpning och relevanta teorier. Empirin består av data från textanalysen. Utifrån den insamlade empirin jämfördes utvecklingen som skett mellan år 2014 och 2017. Uppsatsen mynnar ut i en slutsats där företag inom samma bransch tenderar att bli mer likartade för att uppnå legitimitet, vilket kan leda till ett greenwashing-beteende där företag skapar hållbara uttalanden utan verkliga ingripanden. Studien är en grund för fortsatt forskning kring fenomenet greenwashing i bilindustrin och dess SDG-rapportering. / The aim of the study is to study the development of SDG's sustainability reporting in Volkswagen, Volvo and Peugeot, and compare the development of reporting between respective automobile companies during the period 2014-2017. In order to compare the SDG reporting between and within the companies, a text analysis was carried out which was then quantified. The theoretical frame of reference is based on sustainability reporting, voluntary SDG application and relevant theories. The empirical evidence consists of data from the text analysis. Based on the collected empirical data, the development was compared between 2014 and 2017. The paper ends in a conclusion where companies within the same industry tend to be more similar to achieve legitimacy, which might lead to greenwashing behavior in which companies create sustainable statements without real interventions. The study is a basis for continued research on the phenomenon of greenwashing in the automobile industry and its SDG reporting.

Background: Hypertension is the biggest contributor to the global burden of disease, and has a big impact on low-to middle-income countries. Nurses are important actors in disease prevention and health promotion which is typically used to prevent hypertension. Vietnam is a middle-income country with elaborate hypertension problems. Aim: The aim of this study is to explore nurses´ experiences of working with hypertension (HT) prevention in Vietnam.  Method: This is a qualitative study using semi-structured interviews and content analysis. Result: Challenges, methods and perceptions from the experiences of working as a nurse with HT prevention were identified. Lack of equipment, methods and funds, and to help the patient change bad habits were the main challenges. Conclusion: Nurses in Vietnam experience many challenges in their work to prevent HT. The challenges include lack of education, resources and difficulties to help people change behaviour. Few opportunities were perceived by the nurses. Further research is needed to explore the situation of nurses working with HT prevention, and what needs to be done on different levels to facilitate their work.

Launched as post-2015 development framework for the world, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), popularly known as Global Goals, are based on the premise of ‘leaving no one behind.’ The campaign aims to translate the high awareness levels of people to an increased pressure on governments for delivering on SDGs. Drawing on the theoretical framework of development communication; this study ascertains if the campaign is reaching the stated audience. By analyzing creative choices in designing messages and the media channels used to reach ‘everyone’, the research examines the media narrative of Global Goals. This thesis contributes to development studies and international communication, and highlights the biased logics of development planning. The supplemental files include ‘We the People’ film, an African crowd sourced song to ‘tell everybody’, the fundraiser video featuring Chiwetel Ejiofor, the remake of Spice Girl’s ‘Wannabe’ song and a video that shows the statistics of gender equality.

Liberia, Africa's oldest democracy, has made several efforts in becoming a developed economy and ending poverty, but these efforts have been hampered by lack of appropriate financing mechanisms to achieve this goal. The most recent challenge which was the purpose of this study was to understand how Liberia can finance and achieve the sustainable development goals adopted by the United Nations in September 2015. Despite substantial external aid, Liberia was only able to meet 3 out of the 8 Millennium Development Goals, and more than 60% of the population remain extremely poor. The main research question was to understand what policy shifts are need for Liberia to finance its post-2015 development goals. Using Kingdon's multiple streams theory as the lens, a qualitative case study design was used to analyze literature, public reports, government reports, and the loosely-structured interviews of 15 purposefully-selected participants. The interview data were coded and categorized for thematic analysis. Results reveal that Liberia needs to make a policy shift in key areas including domestic resource mobilization, natural resource governance, combating corruption, strengthening the justice system, strengthening capacity for policy processes, and improving political leadership. The positive social change implication of this study includes recommendations for policymakers, the Ministry of Finance, and the donor community to strengthen domestic resource mobilization and undertake pro-poor tax reforms in order to reduce aid dependence, support Liberia's long-term plan to eradicate extreme poverty and become a middle-income country by 2030.

This paper assesses the relevance of social investment in relation to the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), targets, and indicators. The research question is: How could social investment support the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals? The thesis conceptualises social investment, sustainable development, and sustainability, before turning to the issue of how social investment could enhance its impact by focusing on areas of policy that it has not considered typically. This thesis goes beyond addressing the SDGs themselves to consider other issues that shall arguably be significant in relation to achievement of the 2030 Agenda, such as the contentious matter of limits to growth. The thesis includes a content analysis of the global indicator framework for the 2030 Agenda, based upon social investment-related search terms and focused reading of particular examples from the social investment literature. The first part of the analysis suggests that social investment in its current form can contribute towards Goal 4 on quality education and Goal 8 on decent work and economic growth; and to a somewhat lesser extent towards Goal 1 on no poverty, Goal 5 on gender equality, and Goal 10 on reduced inequalities. The analysis considers subsequently further SDGs that social investment could ultimately support. While recognising the value of social investment as understood usually for policymaking to achieve the SDGs, the concluding section suggests that a broadened version of social investment could strengthen policy relevance.