Prof. Ikerne Del Valle Erkiaga (p)

This paper contributes to the literature on the local approach to fisheries governance with a comprehensive and integral procedure to address local fishing community profiles, using local level fishing, socioeconomic, tourism, demographic and geographical data from official statistics sources; and covering the entire process, from the identification of FC, going through the description of the full ecosystem of FC using key variables from the local fishing profiling, up to the prioritization of FC, so as to identify those with the strongest linkage to the fisheries and their increasing connection to tourism, whether as a complementary or as a substitute activity for fishing.
The paper pursues four interrelated objectives; 1) to identify and describe the ecosystem of Spanish fishing communities (FC); 2) to prioritize FC so as to determine how fishy they are; 3) to characterize the hard core or top FC by means of the ranking resulting from prioritization, and a local level set of geographic, demographic, socioeconomic and tourism indicators; 4) To measure the tourist appeal of FC (compared to a control group identified with coastal non-fishing communities.
(1) requires the adoption of a quantifiable definition of FC, the collection of a set of local level indicators and proper descriptive tools to describe the local fishing ecosystem. At this stage, we are taking advantage of concentration, leadership and inequality indices to analyse the distribution of key fishing related inputs and regional diversity among FC (Shorrocks, 1980; Shorrocks et al.,1984). To address (2) we focus on composite indices (CI). We are adopting the benefit of the doubt approach (BoD) (Melyn and Moesen, 1991; Cherchye et al, 2007). Specifically, we are using the robust m-version of the directional distance function model (Zanella et al, 2015; Rogge et al, 2017; Fusco et al., 2021) to allow for the accommodation of desirable (DI) and undesirable inputs (UI) in the generation of CI, and their related scores. Once FC have been prioritized, (3) we will focus on the subsample of the Top FC to address how the true and unquestionable Spanish FC are. To address (4), and mainly due to its robustness to outliers, we will use quartile regression (QR) (Koenker y Bassett (1978), Koenker y Hallock (2001) Koenker (2005) and bootstrapping (He y Mu, 2002; Kocherginsky, et al., 2004).
The article focuses on Spanish fishing communities. The indicators and procedures can be easily exported to other ecosystems, regions, or countries in the world.

Dr. Iyad Snunu (p)

The ongoing process of urbanization in Arab localities—typically driven by self-built housing and the encroachment of expanding built-up areas into surrounding agricultural land—has substantially transformed these settlements demographically, physically, and economically. This process has also altered the local economic base, shifting it from agriculture toward non-agricultural employment. The objective of this study is to examine the perceptions of farmers and key stakeholders regarding the urban–agricultural interface, to identify the barriers they face, and to understand the survival strategies adopted by agricultural households. In addition, the study presents updated and reliable data on the current state of agriculture and agricultural households in the context of urban expansion in two case-study localities: Baka al-Gharbiyye and Jatt.
To address these issues, in-depth interviews were conducted with local officials and farm owners in the urbanizing localities. The interviews aimed to capture the pressures exerted by urban expansion on agricultural land, as well as the existence of economic, social, local, institutional, and national barriers to sustainable agricultural development. The interviews served two main purposes. First, they enabled the identification of general characteristics of agricultural households in the two study sites, including age, gender, education, secondary occupations, and average household income. Second, they provided insights into the key characteristics of agricultural activity, such as the type of farming, land resources, and patterns of agricultural land use. The underlying assumption of this study is that, from the farmers’ perspective, agriculture remains an important source of income for the households they represent and that it may remain viable even under increasing urbanization pressures.

Professor Joana Costa (p)

Local governments are central players in the entrepreneurial ecosystem. Through their policy practices, institutional support, and digitalization strategies, they will influence entrepreneurial endeavors. Development is inherently uneven across territories, and local authorities can combine budgeting and digitalization strategies to foster growth and raise local resilience. Digital governance plays a critical role in enhancing institutional transparency, efficiency, and responsiveness. The digital shift in governance fosters local resilience, thereby enhancing local communities' ability to absorb, adapt to, and recover from systemic shocks.
The intertwinement between locally grounded e-governance and budget strategies with resilience strategies creates adaptive governance structures; this proximity framework enables real-time responses, decentralized coordination, and equitable service delivery. This symbiosis is essential for managing the multidimensional challenges and complex problems that local communities are facing at present across ecological, digital, social, and economic dimensions.
Portugal faces an increasing rural-urban divide, manifested by uneven access to services, digital infrastructure, and economic opportunities, which exacerbates regional disparities and hinders inclusive development. The countryside is experiencing progressive desertification, driven by population decline, land abandonment, and climate stress, threatening ecological balance and regional sustainability. This fragmentation further erodes the ability to recover from exogenous shocks.
We propose a quantitative analysis of the importance of digital maturity along with public economic investments in improving local community resilience. The econometric estimations cover the 308 Portuguese municipalities, gathering indicators on municipal digital maturity, municipal spending, policy tools environmental performance, and the demographic and social dimensions of sustainability, as well as economic indicators on income generation and welfare. The effect of these actions towards the rural divide is also evaluated using the Governmental taxonomy of rural and urban municipalities to determine whether these dimensions operate similarly in both contexts.
Empirical results show that engagement in local government digital strategies benefits communities. Also, the results support the idea that rural communities can benefit even more from this new paradigm, which may help mitigate the divide. Also, the combination of budgeting strategies targeting investment with digitalization further enhances the ability to recover.
Local governance is proven to be a determinant player, which by policy mixes will promote resilience in their communities, accelerating the pace of recovery and promoting sustained paths of growth.

Dr. Servet Karaca (p), PhD Student Derya Eroğlu Karaca

Mersin is a significant region in Turkey, noted for its rich natural resources and agricultural diversity. The region's favorable climatic and natural conditions facilitate the cultivation of a wide array of agricultural products. This study aims to support local agricultural production, strengthen rural development, and ensure economic sustainability by exploring the potential of "Institutional Cultural Districts." The research focuses on increasing agricultural production capacity and achieving economic sustainability within Mersin.
Cultural districts are socioeconomic experiences that blend localization with unique cultural products. Research indicates that such districts positively affect local economic development. The concept of "cultural districts" emerged in the 1980s and has been effective in enhancing local development and income growth while revitalizing artistic and cultural resources.
Walter Santagata categorizes local culture utilization into four groups: Industrial Cultural Districts, Institutional Cultural Districts, Museum Cultural Districts, and Metropolitan Cultural Districts. Institutional Cultural Districts improve their competitive advantage through government support and shared commercial branding, enabling local producers to protect their products and support production activities. These districts promote market-oriented incentives that sustain local development and provide legal protection for high-quality product development.
Mersin, recognized for its high agricultural potential, is also home to geographical indication products like Anamur Banana, which have the potential for national and international market recognition. This study employs a two-stage methodology. The first stage involves using geographical information systems to map and analyze the areas where these products are cultivated. The second stage consists of surveys and interviews with local farmers to gain insights into agricultural production processes.
This research will help identify Mersin's agricultural potential and the possible locations for Institutional Cultural Districts. Implementing these districts is expected to enhance local production and encourage rural development. The case of Mersin can serve as a model for other regions in Turkey, providing valuable data for economic development policies.
In conclusion, the findings from this study will significantly contribute to understanding the potential of Institutional Cultural Districts in Mersin, offering an innovative model for boosting agricultural production. Thus, Mersin's example not only inspires other regions but also provides essential input for developing national agricultural policies.