International Journal of Euro-Mediterranean Studies
The International Journal of Euro-Mediterranean Studies (IJEMS) is an open-access peer-reviewed journal for the study of the Euro-Mediterranean region. It aims to promote engagement with the realities and ideas in the Euro-Mediterranean region, thereby developing scholarly capital and improving intercultural understanding among scholars. It publishes articles on contemporary affairs or past aspects using a variety of methodologies and approaches, representing the full geographical range wherever it is published.
Building Resilient Futures: Innovation, Sustainability, and Transformation Across the Euro-Mediterranean
Copyright (c) 2026 Jaka Vadnjal, Jihene Nouairi https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
Indigenous Languages and Sustainable Language Maintenance: The Case of Tamazight in Morocco
Language and culture are two sides of the same coin. On the one hand, language is considered the most vital component in maintaining an ethnic group’s identity; on the other hand, languages provide access to speech communities’ invisible past and ancestral homeland. In the case of Tamazight in Morocco, this language variety has become a major focus within the Moroccan linguistic landscape. The latter has witnessed a significant series of innovative societal and institutional measures that actively contribute to the process of language sustainability. This paper examines the interrelatedness of language policy and language sustainability, taking Tamazight in Morocco as a case study. It also seeks to shed light on the comprehensive strategies employed by the country to ensure the revitalization and maintenance of indigenous varieties, particularly Tamazight. This investigation is based on concrete data represented in a collection of Amazigh oral narratives gathered by the author. The project involves documenting and transliterating these narratives into five foreign languages to make this oral heritage accessible to international audiences and transmissible across generations. The case of Tamazight demonstrates that language sustainability requires a holistic approach combining linguistic and political measures. From a political perspective, this includes legal recognition, expansion of language-use domains, and educational integration. At the linguistic level, maximizing public visibility requires systematic documentation of oral traditions accompanied by written transcription. Together, these initiatives can support the legitimization and standardization of indigenous languages and facilitate their integration into public, educational, and official domains. Such a situation is expected to create a healthy and enduring relationship between the Amazigh population and their mother-tongue.
Copyright (c) 2026 Polona Oblak https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
Developing Local EFL Teaching Platforms in Algerian Higher Education: A SWOT Analysis of the El@n Erasmus+ CBHE Project at the University of Tlemcen
The digital transformation of higher education has fundamentally reshaped the teaching and learning of foreign languages, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic. In Algeria, the EL@N Erasmus+ Capacity Building in Higher Education (CBHE) project was one of the central drivers of this transformation, aiming to strengthen universities’ capacity for online and blended learning at the level of language centres. This paper analyses the feasibility of developing a local English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teaching platform at the University of Tlemcen through a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) framework. Nine EFL teachers and the director of the Language Centre (CEIL) were interviewed, and questionnaires were completed by twenty-five students. Rogers’s (2003) Diffusion of Innovation model – specifically the attributes of compatibility, complexity, and observability -- guided the interpretation of the findings. Results reveal strong institutional enthusiasm and alignment with national policy but persistent weaknesses in training and infrastructure. The final discussion highlights practical implications for Algerian universities seeking sustainable e-learning networks and locally responsive platforms.
Copyright (c) 2026 Youcef Messaoudi https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
Copyright (c) 2025 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
Historical Evolution of Water Management in Liguria: From Agricultural Landscapes to Coastal Gardens
Liguria is an Italian region on the Mediterranean, consisting of a narrow hilly arc overlooking the sea, with the Magra River being the only watercourse of significant flow. Despite its limited territorial extent scarce surface water, Liguria has always been a land of considerable agricultural diversity. Historically, water use was shaped by the contrast between the communal management of public resources and the individualism associated with private properties. This study examines the transformation of an arid landscape arid terrain into fertile land through sustainable water management management practices. The construction of terraces on steep slopes for cultivation, as well as the building along with the development of canals and cisterns for the ingenious use of water, are well documented through extensive historical records and cartography. Coastal agricultural systems, such as those in the Cinque Terre and Chiavari, offer emblematic examples of water management. In noble estates, water played a key examples of water management. In noble estates, water played a key role not only in sustainingMediterranean vegetation through elaborate hydraulic systems but also in maintaining productive agricultural areas. Liguria’s centuries-old expertise in water management provides valuable insights for addressing contemporary challenges. Integrating traditional practices with technological innovation may offer sustainable solutions for the future.
Ancient Hydrologic Systems and Water Management in the Mediterranean Region
Copyright (c) 2025 Patrizia Burlando https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
Heritage at Risk: Documenting and Valorising Ice-Houses in Mountain Territories
Throughout history, people have always faced challenges in the collection and distribution of water in its various forms. The collection and transportation of ice, in particular, posed significant difficulties. Since antiquity ice storage and distribution systems, such as ice-houses, have been employed worldwide. Mediterranean countries have, over time, developed extensive ice storage and distribution networks. Snow was collected at high altitudes and stored in mountain ice-houses, while artificial lakes were constructed specially for ice production. Icehouses belonged to two main categories: those strategically located near production areas, serving as summer storage facilities, and those situated in villages on the plains, where ice was stored after purchase. Today, ice-houses risk being forgotten. While a few of them are still used, for example for aging wine, most have long been abandoned, lost to memory, or fallen into disrepair. Only a very small number of ice-houses, such as the Madonnina ice-house in the Ecomuseum of the Pistoia Mountain, are currently being protected and enhanced as part of the local built heritage. This contribution aims to raise awareness of the heritage value of ice-houses to foster their preservation and promote their enhancement. This can be achieved through the systematic documentation of ice-houses and of the systems historically employed for ice preservation, thereby ensuring the long-term conservation and effective appreciation of these structures.
Copyright (c) 2025 Manuela Mattone, Silvia Rescic, Giulia Formato, Fabio Fratini https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
Water Management and Land Defense: Roman Artificial Lake Emissaries
This paper compares hydraulic works constructed during the Roman period for the managing of the waters of several lakes in central Italy that lack natural outlet. The lakes of Albano and Nemi, both located in the southeast of Rome – in the Castelli Romani Park – and the basin of Lake Fucino in Abruzzo (which no longer exist due to its complete drainage in the 19th century) present notable similarities: each featured an artificial outlet created through the excavation of underground tunnels, extending several kilometers in lenght. The primary objective of these works was to regulate water levels and prevent flooding in the surrounding lowland areas. By examining different construction phases and building techniques used, through the analysis of bibliographic sources and direct observation of the structures and their contexts, this study identifies both similarities and differences among the various cases. The research aims to raise awareness of these engineering works, which are of significant architectural, historical, and landscape value. Their preservation poses considerable challenges for enhancement and future use, owing to the complexity of the structures and the multidisciplinary nature of the research required.
Copyright (c) 2025 Laura Palmieri del Beato, Carla Bartolomucci, Simonetta Ciranna https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
From Open Courtyards to Enclosed Sanctuaries: A Methodological Approach to the Assessment of Ablution Spaces in Marrakech’s Religious Complexes
This study explores the architectural and functional evolution of ablution spaces in the historic mosques of Marrakech, from the 12th century to the present day. Focusing on mosques from the Almoravid to Saadian periods, it examines how these spaces transitioned from open-air communal water features to enclosed, technologically advanced environments. By comparing the design and functionality of ablution spaces across different eras, the research highlights the interplay between theological principles and architectural adaptations. The study collects detailed spatial and structural data through on-site photography and 3D scanning, creating high-resolution models of these spaces. This material is analyzed to assess the condition of ablution areas, their integration within mosque layouts, and the balance between historical authenticity and modern functional needs. The findings aim to identify urgent preservation priorities and propose restoration strategies, contributing to improved water-related heritage management within Islamic architecture. Ultimately, this study provides valuable insights into preserving traditional elements of Islamic architecture while adapting them to contemporary demands, ensuring that their historical and cultural significance remains intact.
Copyright (c) 2025 Khaoula Admou, Hajar Moussanif, Mounsif Ibnoussina https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
Sacred Wells: Pagan Survivals and Christian Worship
This study examines the relationship between the pagan cult of water and Christian architecture in Italy, with a particular focus on the survival of sacred sites such as ritual wells, which were either integrated into churches during the Middle Ages or served as focal points for the construction of Christian buildings. In pagan traditions, natural elements were imbued with sacred significance, later reinterpreted and adapted to align with Christian beliefs. Archival records attest to the persistence of ancient rituals well into the Middle Ages, as well as the Church’s efforts to suppress superstitions associated with the pagan world. Over time, these beliefs underwent a process of transformation: wells once dedicated to pagan deities were frequently repurposed for the veneration of Christian saints. In some instances, these structures were either replaced or reinterpreted within a new religious framework while preserving their symbolic and spiritual significance. Even today, certain aspects of ancient customs endure through popular folklore, contributing to the preservation of historical memory and intangible cultural heritage. Through an analysis of historical sources, architectural evidence, and liturgical practices, this study explores the continuity of pagan worship sites during the Middle Ages, emphasizing the central role of water. As a spiritual element common to diverse religious traditions, water played a crucial role in ensuring the survival of pre-Christian sacred structures, fostering continuity between ancient and emerging forms of spirituality.
Copyright (c) 2025 Alessandra Panicco https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
Tracing Conflict Through Canals: An Archaeological Perspective on Water Management in Cerdanya and Sierra Nevada
Water resource management has long shaped the social construction of space in both its material and jurisdictional dimensions, making Cerdanya and Sierra Nevada particularly interesting case studies of irrigation societies. The sharing of water (through artefacts, practices, and actions) emerges as a key factor in ensuring continuity despite the jurisdictional conflicts documented historically. Revisiting the debate on collective resources, this study highlights the positive role of conflict as a mechanism for regulating access and examines the contribution of objects to the persistence and transformation of resource use. Objects such as canals are not passive infrastructures but active devices through which water is distributed, social relations are mobilised and maintenance becomes a collective practice. The article explores how the maintenance and use of conduits shaped the social life of groups engaged in irrigation, and how these practices are reflected in negotiation mechanisms documented in disputes over access rights. Drawing on case studies from Barranco de la Poqueira (Sierra Nevada) and Ribeira d’Eyne (Cerdanya), carried out by the Laboratory of Environmental Archaeology and History, the contribution examines the links between material infrastructures, resource sharing, and community structures, and assesses how sustainability depends on the interplay of conflict, solidarity, and collective maintenance.
Copyright (c) 2025 Anna Maria Stagno, Ylenia Paciotti, Giulia Bizzarri, José Maria Martín Civantos, José Abellán Santisteban https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
Ancient Systems for Hydric Management and Social Implications
Copyright (c) 2025 Daniela Pittaluga https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
Interconnected Challenges and Shared Futures in the Euro-Mediterranean Region
Copyright (c) 2025 Jaka Vadnjal, Jihene Nouairi https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
The Trust Portfolio framework: A Systematic Literature Review of Trust-Building Strategies for Overcoming Credibility Gaps in Early-Stage Social Entrepreneurship
Social entrepreneurs in resource-scarce environments face significant credibility gaps that impede stakeholder support and social impact. Unlike their conventional counterparts, they must establish dual legitimacy for both their business model and social mission while managing resource constraints. Their focus on high external social value often deters investors and talent, while the dual mission creates institutional ambiguity, intensifying competition for scarce resources. This paper examines how social entrepreneurs use trust-building strategies to overcome these early-stage credibility gaps. Integrating insights from signaling, institutional, social capital, and bricolage theories, we conceptualize trust as multi-layered, encompassing inter-organizational and institutional dimensions. We conducted a systematic literature review of 109 papers, primarily indexed in Scopus, to synthesize theoretical frameworks and empirical evidence, and to identify, synthesize, and analyze existing evidence on trust-building strategies in social entrepreneurship. Our analytical approach employs thematic synthesis, drawing on established principles of both meta-ethnography and grounded theory. It identifies key strategies: local embedding, visible frugal prototypes, strategic signaling (via third-party endorsements), transparent measurement, and impression management. These operate through mechanisms such as transferred reputation, demonstrated competence, external validation, accountability signals, and stakeholder sense-giving, often leveraging social capital. Institutional trust can, in some cases, substitute for interorganizational trust in resource acquisition. Through this SLR, we conclude that effective trust-building requires a multi-modal approach, blending pragmatic impact demonstration with strategic relationship-building. Entrepreneurs must sequence these efforts, prioritizing relational legitimacy early on, followed by market legitimacy during growth, while ensuring consistency across all stakeholder communications to maintain organizational stability.
Copyright (c) 2026 Oualid Benalla, Abderrahman Messaoudi https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
Is NATO Enough? Slovenia’s Blind Spot and the Path to Autonomy Between Strategic Redundancy and Neutrality
This study assesses Slovenia's security strategy through the lens of its NATO membership, with particular focus on whether continued alignment with NATO remains the most appropriate option. By examining official strategic documents, academic literature and case studies of neutral European countries, it highlights the lack of contingency planning outside the NATO framework. The analysis considers the legal, political, and geographical dimensions of security guarantees, the risks of entanglement in allied conflicts, and the potential benefits of a more autonomous strategic position. Against the backdrop of a broader reconfiguration of transatlantic relations and ongoing debates on the EU’s strategic autonomy, the article identifies both the opportunities and vulnerabilities of Slovenia's current approach by exploring possible scenarios ranging from maintaining the status quo to pursuing neutrality. The findings suggest the need to actively consider ‘Plan B’ options and to invest in strategic redundancy within an increasingly unpredictable global landscape, with the aim of safeguarding national interests. This argument is relevant not only for Slovenia but also for other countries in comparable geopolitical situations, such as the Czech Republic and North Macedonia.
Copyright (c) 2026 Luka Juri https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
Fostering Blue Sustainability and Innovation
The aim of this paper is to present a theoretical blue economy innovation model and, based on recent project data and previous research, to identify the key educational success factors underpinning sustainable blue economy entrepreneurship and innovation training. Based on previous studies concerning factors that increase the willingness to become an entrepreneur, we apply a qualitative research approach to develop the theoretical foundations relating to factors that influence both business managers and students to co-create and innovate within the blue economy. Our observations are based on both successful and less successful EU projects carried out in the Baltic Sea region. The issue of innovation and educational factors affecting positive outcomes in practice is highly complex. Based on our observations, we have developed a blue economy innovation model, which we utilise to analyse blue economy projects. The results indicate that the common factors underpinning the most resilient blue economy projects are: (1) access to financing, (2) a motivated team leader, and (3) knowledge of resilient and sustainable solutions. We identify a need for further research into how to foster both students and managers who are aware of sustainable development. One possible way forward is to incorporate some of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) into every university course. The novelty of this paper lies in the theoretical framework relating to factors that influence individual choices concerning sustainable blue entrepreneurship and potential blue economy innovations.
Copyright (c) 2026 Anders Kjellman, Magnus Lindberg https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
Does Informality Deter Investment? An Empirical Analysis of FDI and the Informal Economy in EU and Candidate Countries
This study examines the relationship between the size of the informal economy and foreign direct investment (FDI) flows in EU member states and EU candidate countries in the Western Balkans, as part of the wider Mediterranean region. The analysis' central hypothesis is that informality deters FDI, owing to factors ranging from institutional quality to unfair competition. Using data for the period 1996–2020 and employing Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) and Fixed Effects (FE) estimations, our results indicate that a larger informal economy significantly reduces FDI inflows and outflows only in non-EU countries, with no statistically significant relationship found for EU member states. This finding persists even after controlling for institutional quality, suggesting that the documented impact of the informal economy on FDI is not mainly through institutional weakness but rather through other underlying market distortions that prevail in highly informal markets. These insights underline the need for future research to examine more closely how informality affects market conditions and investment behaviour.
Copyright (c) 2025 Bernard Dosti, Arlind Maze https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
International Dimension of Critical Infrastructure Resilience: Challenges of the Mediterranean Security Environment
The resilience of critical infrastructure (CI) has emerged as a defining challenge of the 21st century, accompanied by a growing recognition of its international and cross-border dimensions. Nowhere is this more evident than in the Mediterranean region, a region characterised by its strategic position at the crossroads of Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, its climatic vulnerability, and its socio-political diversity. This article explores the international dimension of CI resilience with a particular focus on the challenges and opportunities presented by the Mediterranean basin. The Mediterranean faces a convergence of threats that test the robustness and adaptability of infrastructures upon which societies depend. Climate-related hazards such as heatwaves, droughts, wildfires, and flooding increasingly disrupt energy, water, and transport systems. At the same time, cyber-physical threats associated with the digitalisation of energy grids, telecommunications networks, and maritime transport systems expose the region to sophisticated cyberattacks and cascading failures. These risks are further compounded by geopolitical instability, with conflicts, irregular migration flows, and the security of energy transit routes placing significant strain in national systems and cross-border cooperation. Drawing on European policy frameworks such as the CER Directive, the NIS2 Directive, the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, and the EU Strategy for Critical Infrastructure Resilience – as well as preparatory steps undertaken within the EU project ENDURANCE – this article argues that resilience in the Mediterranean requires both strategic integration and operational pragmatism. The analysis highlights the inadequacy of siloed, state-centric approaches and emphasises the need for cross-sectoral, cross-border, and community-level engagement. Case studies focusing on energy interconnectors, port infrastructures, and urban coastal resilience illustrate the interconnected vulnerabilities, as well as the opportunities for shared resilience building. The article concludes that enhancing CI resilience in the Mediterranean is not only a regional imperative but also a cornerstone of Europe's broader security and stability. It calls for harmonised strategies, stronger public-private partnerships, and innovative tools such as Digital Twins and regional stress-testing exercises, all embedded within a long-term vision of international cooperation.
Copyright (c) 2025 Denis Čaleta https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
Scan to GIS Methodologies for the Multi-Scalar Representation of Water Landscapes
This paper outlines a research methodology for the digital representation of amphibious landscapes in the Po Valley. The management of water resources has accompanied the history of settlement systems in northern Italy since the earliest times. Canalisation and hydraulic elements have transformed the appearance of the territory, qualifying the image and identity of different cultures. In the Ticino region, the system of irrigation infrastructure originated with Roman plain drainage and reached a more organic systemisation through the studies of Leonardo da Vinci. This cultural dimension plays a central role in defining the identity of the territory, characterised by a rich natural environment and a substantial hydraulic heritage which, abandoned following industrialisation, now requires recovery and safeguarding. To represent this complexity, the drawer must transform the complexity of relationships into an ordered network of signs. For this reason, the research proposes a step-by-step methodology, progressing from integrated survey to mesh-nurbs modelling, followed by an expeditious census, and culminating in a 3D GIS environment. This multiscalar model constitutes a unique dynamic organism in which geometries are associated with specific datasets. Through the use of 3D GIS, the research aims to facilitate knowledge of the landscape and support its management by making explicit the relationships between elements and by defining new strategies to raise awareness of the water heritage.
Copyright (c) 2025 Silvia La Placa, Sandro Parrinello https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
Container Storage Optimization in the Mediterranean Port: The Case of Algeria
Efficient management of storage areas in container terminals is a major strategic challenge for modern seaports. This paper focuses on optimizing container storage, with the primary objective of reducing reshuffles (or unproductive movements), defined as additional movements of containers located at the top of a container stack that block access to another container beneath that needs to be retrieved. Reducing these movements not only improves operational performance but also helps lower the energy consumption of handling equipment, thereby enhancing the environmental sustainability of port infrastructure. We propose an original mathematical formulation of the Container Storage Problem (CSP) that considers the departure dates of the top two levels of each container stack in order to anticipate and reduce the number of reshuffles. Since the problem is NP-hard, we develop a hybrid solution approach that combines exact solution methods for small instances with a metaheuristic based on simulated annealing for larger, more complex instances. Our method is tested on a real case study involving the Algerian port of Ghazaouet, located on the southern shore of the Mediterranean sea, which serves as a key hub in Euro-Mediterranean trade. The experimental results show that the proposed simulated annealing algorithm is capable of producing high-quality solutions within very reasonable computation times.
Copyright (c) 2026 Mustapha Anwar Brahami, Amina Ouhoud, Ikram Kouider https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
Enhancing Intercultural Competence through Collaborative OnlineInternational Learning: A Case Studyfrom Albania and Lithuania
This paper contains a case study of the Faculty of Economy, University of Tirana (FEUT) and Kauno Kolegija's use of Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) in Lithuania. The program lasted five weeks in late 2024. Students collaborated across borders on virtual platforms and undertook assignments that were integrated into both institutions' curricula. The study used a mixed-methods approach involving pre- and post-surveys and qualitative introspection. It examines the effects of COIL on students' intercultural skills, online collaboration, and teamwork in international groups. The results show that COIL enhances students' sensitivity to cultural differences, increases their confidence when collaborating with peers from other countries, and improves online communication and problem-solving skills. The research also highlights the potential of COIL to offer inclusive and sustainable alternatives to classical physical mobility. By presenting an applied model of virtual collaboration, this study contributes to the existing literature on the internationalization of higher education through online teaching modalities.
Collaborative online international learning (COIL)
Copyright (c) 2025 Anisa Kume, Fatma Jaupi, Saulius Tvirbutas https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
Differentiated Integration and the Common Security and Defence Policy: Two Case Studies – MED7/MED9 and the Visegrad Four
The aim of this paper is to analyse the various forms of differentiated integration and to map the geopolitical intentions of two clearly identified groups of European Union Member States: those in Southern Europe (MED7 and MED9) and those in Central and Eastern Europe (the Visegrad Group), within the framework of permanent structured cooperation (PESCO). In the literature, differentiated integration is described in several ways. Terms such as core Europe, Europe à la carte, two-speed Europe or multi-speed Europe, enhanced cooperation, and variable geometry integration are commonly used. Although these terms are often treated as synonyms, these expressions refer to distinct forms of differentiated integration. This study focuses on two case studies of regional groupings within the EU. The central research question is how PESCO can facilitate differentiated integration in these subregional forms of cooperation and what types of differentiated integration emerge as a result. This paper does not assess the effectiveness of PESCO itself but instead examines statistical data concerning membership and leadership roles held by Member States. The research is based on official statements and publications relating to Member State collaboration, EU documents, and data published on the official PESCO website.
Copyright (c) 2025 Anna Molnár, Anna Urbanovics https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Sustainability, Development,and Culture in the Mediterranean and Beyond
Copyright (c) 2025 Jaka Vadnjal https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
Economic Integration of Mediterranean States
Times of economic crisis are an opportunity for greater integration of the markets of the Mediterranean countries. The chosen method makes it possible to confirm this hypothesis. Unfortunately, this cannot be realized without greater, comprehensive institutional connectivity within he economic space. The greatest role in this can be played by the major members of the Mediterranean basin, which are very important to global trade and through which the effects of major crises are also transmitted most significantly to the economic space of the Mediterranean basin.
Copyright (c) 2025 Janez Fabijan, Jaka Vadnjal, Draško Veselinovič https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
Flood Hazard Assessment and Risk Management in Dar Belamri: A Hydrological and Hydraulic Approach for Effective Urban Development and Slum Reduction
Dar Belamri is considered one of the emerging centers in the Sidi Slimane region, but it suffers from the spread of slums in the center, especially in the Ouled Abdel Sadek area, part of which is located on the edge of a cliff near scattered quarries, in addition to the Fajr area, which is located near the Beht River. What distinguishes these areas is that they are located in a natural flood zone, which requires proactive management of these risks by local planners and decision-makers. This study provides a flood risk assessment tool that is adapted to the conditions of these specific areas. The methodology combines flood frequency and flood impacts using a hydrological and hydraulic approach. This approach uses a hydrological model to analyze the spatio-temporal evolution of hydraulic properties (such as flow rate, velocity, water height, and inundated areas) during design flood events, while assessing the effects of hydraulic developments on flow dynamics. The study focuses on two main watercourses, Wadi Beht and Wadi Oum El Zein. Comprehensive topographic surveys provided detailed morphological data, allowing for accurate hydraulic simulation of floods at different return periods. This helped accurately identify flood zones and contributed decisively to the delineation of areas suitable for urbanization and construction, thus producing a flood risk map. It is a crucial tool for targeted flood risk management and mitigation efforts, ultimately supporting the development of a final urban suitability map and, through it, identifying appropriate solutions for informal housing and avoiding various risks in the center of Dar Belamri, with the potential for application across other high-risk areas.
Copyright (c) 2025 Rachid Dahmani, Fatehi Altalqi, Amine Belmzoukia , Adil Echchelh , Said Chakiri , Mohammed Benammi , Abderrahmane Aït Fora https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
Organizational Effectiveness in Emerging Markets: Insights from Macedonian SMEs
Although organizational effectiveness has been extensively studied in~developed countries, there is a lack of empirical data from emerging economies -- particularly among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Previous research has often focused on individual determinants (such stress or turnover) without integrating objective financial indicators with subjective HR-related concerns. This study addresses that gap by examining key determinants of organizational effectiveness in Macedonian SMEs, including absenteeism, stress, job satisfaction, turnover, and financial performance metrics such as return on equity (ROE) and return on assets (ROA). The study is grounded in social exchange theory (Organ 1977) and organizational effectiveness frameworks (Quinn and Rohrbaugh 1983; Zammuto 1984), which illustrate how objective financial indicators and subjective HR-related factors interact to influence SME effectiveness in emerging markets. The findings are based on survey data collected from 408 respondents across 30 Macedonian SMEs. A survey methodology was chosen for its ability to systematically gather employee perceptions and experiences from a representative sample of SMEs. The constructs were operationalized using established measures (e.g. COPSOQ II, ASQ, MOAQ-JSS), allowing for reliable assessment of psychosocial and organizational variables. The findings indicate that, compared to employees, leaders report significantly higher levels of both stress and job satisfaction. Although there are no gender differences in job satisfaction or intentions to leave, women report higher levels of workplace stress than men. Age-based evaluations show that employees aged 55 and older have higher absenteeism rates than those in the mid-career group, while younger employees report significantly higher intentions to leave. The lack of SME reporting has led to inconsistent financial metrics, highlighting the need for standardized transparency procedures in emerging economies. The study underscores the need for targeted HR strategies to enhance job satisfaction, reduce turnover, and foster a positive work environment. To provide a~more comprehensive view of organizational success in emerging markets, future research should place greater emphasis on incorporating financial performance metrics.
Copyright (c) 2025 Ivona Mileva https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0