Minh-Phuong Thi Duong

This short commentary explores the gap between participation and actual influence in natural resource governance. It argues that participatory processes often fall short of redistributing power, as decision-making authority remains unevenly distributed. Using insights from existing literature and the Uncertainty–Absurdity Mutuality (UAM) framework, the article reflects on the tensions between participatory ideals and institutional practices. It suggests that empowerment, rather than participation alone, is key to enabling more meaningful engagement and influence.

Community-based ecotourism has been explored as a way to connect conservation and development, though experiences vary across different settings. Existing evidence suggests that cultural values, ecological awareness, and governance may be as relevant as financial incentives in shaping outcomes. The Nature Quotient framework may provide a useful perspective for examining these dynamics, but further work is needed to understand how CBT interacts with both livelihoods and forest protection in forest-dependent communities.

Satire uses humor, irony, or exaggeration to highlight societal issues, encouraging readers to reflect on their beliefs and values. This article explores how satire in literature, through Granular Interaction Thinking Theory (GITT), might influence thinking over time. By examining three books from different cultures—Animal Farm (UK), Laugh or Lament (Turkey), and Wild Wise Weird (Vietnam)—the article looks at how satire can encourage questioning of accepted ideas and promote reflection. The findings suggest that satire may gradually shape personal and social values. The paper also suggests that GITT could be a helpful tool for linking literary analysis with psychological insights, providing potential approaches for studying cultural understanding and education.

Background: School meal programs are not only government initiatives but also community-driven efforts. Aiming to combat food insecurity among school-aged children effectively, these programs are executed in conjunction with food bank initiatives. Various community groups play a crucial role in the success of both food security initiatives. There is a need to improve community engagement to successfully link school meal programs with food banks to build program synergy, combating food insecurity through a two-sided approach. Aim: This study aims to examine community engagement in school meals program by analyzing its purposeful focus on creating jobs and income-generating opportunities for different community groups, i.e., youths, women, and others. Methods: The Bayesian Mindsponge Framework, combining the reasoning strengths of Mindsponge theory and inference advantages of Bayesian analysis, was employed on a dataset of 126 government representatives who manage large-scale school meal programs in 126 different countries. Results: Findings showed that the school meals program’s purposeful focus on creating jobs and income-generating opportunities for women in the community was positively associated with community engagement, thereby supporting the linkage between the programs and food banks. In contrast, providing jobs and income-generating opportunities for youths and other community groups had an ambiguous association with community engagement in school meal programs. Conclusions: Findings underscore the importance of creating jobs and income-generating opportunities for women to improve community engagement in school meal programs. Formulating strategies that empower woman’s entrepreneurship may foster their involvement and engagement in school meal programs, promising to successfully link these programs with food bank initiatives among implementing countries.

Background: The feeding modalities used in school meal programs—such as breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, and take-home rations—are influenced by various factors, including supply chain constraints and technical challenges in food distribution. The methods of supply sourcing, whether through domestic or foreign food reserves via in-kind donations or purchases, play a critical role in shaping the feeding options provided. Aim: This study aims to examine the association between supply-sourcing strategies, i.e., domestic and foreign in-kind donations and national-international purchases, with the feeding modalities applied in school meal programs. Methods: The Bayesian Mindsponge Framework, combining the reasoning strengths of Mindsponge Theory and inference advantages of Bayesian analysis, was employed on a dataset of government representatives who manage large-scale school meal programs across 126 countries. Results: The findings revealed that sourcing supplies through in-kind donations from neighboring or distant countries showed a highly reliable negative association with the feeding modalities of school meal programs, while those from the national bodies showed an ambiguous relationship. The purchasing methods—whether domestic or foreign—tended to exhibit positive associations with feeding modalities, though these associations were only weakly reliable. Conclusions: The findings reveal substantial rooms to improve the effectiveness of supply purchasing strategies in enhancing school meal program feeding modalities. Further research is needed to examine the impact of sourcing supplies through domestic in-kind donations on feeding outcomes. Additionally, developing strategic plans to optimize the use of in-kind donations from international organizations is strongly recommended to avoid its negative consequences and further enhance program effectiveness.

Fostering tolerance and inclusiveness in multicultural societies is increasingly vital, particularly in educational settings. Understanding the impact of parental involvement and school events on students’ attitudes toward these values is essential for promoting social cohesion and preparing future generations for an interconnected world. This study applies Bayesian Mindsponge Framework (BMF) analytics to a representative dataset of 2,069 primary, secondary, and high school students across Vietnam. It explores how parental discussions and participation in multicultural school events influence students’ attitudes toward tolerance and inclusiveness. The findings indicate that parental discussions about collaboration with individuals holding diverse perspectives, as well as participation in multicultural events, are positively associated with students’ tolerant attitudes. Furthermore, parental discussions about cultures and histories of different countries, collaboration skills, and conflict resolution skills are positively linked to students’ inclusiveness. The study highlights that while multicultural school events provide valuable opportunities for students to engage with diverse cultures and broaden their perspectives, consistent parental involvement through meaningful discussions is likely critical for reinforcing inclusive values. A collaborative approach between schools and parents can more effectively nurture tolerance and inclusiveness among students. Future research could examine the long-term effects of these interactions and identify specific activities that most effectively foster inclusive attitudes

Satire has long been a powerful way to encourage critical thinking, urging readers to reflect on the moral, political, and social forces that shape their world. By mixing humor with critique, satirical writing not only makes us laugh but also invites deeper reflection on human nature, social values, and how society is organized. This style of writing pushes readers to question the values and social norms we've long accepted without thought, as well as the societal structures we often take for granted.

Nghệ thuật châm biếm từ lâu được sử dụng như là một công cụ mạnh mẽ để thúc đẩy tư duy phản biện, khuyến khích người đọc suy ngẫm về các giá trị đạo đức, yếu tố chính trị và xã hội định hình thế giới của họ. Bằng cách kết hợp sự hài hước với tính phê phán, lối viết châm biếm không chỉ tạo ra tiếng cười mà còn khơi gợi những suy nghĩ sâu sắc hơn về bản chất con người, các giá trị xã hội và cách thức quản lý xã hội. Cách viết này khuyến khích người đọc suy nghĩ và đặt câu hỏi về những giá trị và quy ước xã hội vốn đã được chấp nhận một cách mặc nhiên, cũng như những cấu trúc xã hội mà lâu nay chúng ta coi là đương nhiên và không cần bàn cãi.

Background: The feeding modalities applied in countries with school meal programs are varied because these are shaped not only by the national commitments to alleviate food insecurity among children but also by resource availability from national and international agencies. In terms of financial resources, the USA plays a consistent role in providing donations, grants, loans, and loan guarantee programs to support global school feeding. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) oversees these funding sources for international school meal programs. Aim: This study aims to examine the moderating effect of USDA funding on the relationship between supply purchasing methods and feeding modalities among countries implementing school meal programs. Methods: The Bayesian Mindsponge Framework, combining the reasoning strengths of Mindsponge Theory and inference advantages of Bayesian analysis, was employed on a dataset of 126 government representatives who manage large-scale school meal programs in 126 different countries. Results: The findings indicated that USDA funding has the potential to positively moderate the relationship between foreign supply purchases and the feeding modalities of school meal programs. However, the direct association between foreign purchases and feeding modalities was unclear. Conversely, while USDA funding was found to have a negative moderation effect on the relationship between domestic supply purchases and feeding modalities, it is these domestic purchases that show potential for positively influencing the feeding modalities. Conclusions: Findings underscore the importance of supporting the World Bank and World Food Programme’s recommendation to rely more on local resources and capacities for developing long-term and sustainable school meal programs. Further exploration of the impact of foreign supply purchases on feeding modalities is needed. Formulating strategic plans to better leverage USDA funding for enhancing domestic supply purchases is highly recommended.

Fostering an “eco-surplus culture” that promotes conservation and restoration is important for reestablishing the bond between humans and nature. Aligning human activity with ecological health through education, conservation, and community involvement is vital for promoting sustainable practices. Such a cultural transformation is essential for creating a more resilient future, one that recognizes our interconnectedness with the environment and prioritizes the health of our planet for generations to come.

Tourism education plays a key role in shaping students’ engagement with sustainability by providing them with the knowledge and skills to address environmental challenges and encouraging them to promote sustainable practices in the industry. This study explores how four years of tourism education at Prince of Songkla University in Phuket, Thailand, influence students’ knowledge, attitudes, and intentions toward sustainability. Despite gaining theoretical knowledge of sustainability principles, the findings reveal a decline in students’ willingness to adopt environmental sustainability practices as their years of education increase. This may reflect a disconnect between classroom lessons and practical application, potentially due to limited practical learning experiences and the prevalent “eco-deficit culture” within the tourism industry, which often prioritizes profit over environmental responsibility. As a result, students may filter out information regarding environmental sustainability despite their sustainability education at the university. To support long-term engagement in sustainability, the paper recommends revising curricula to include more experiential learning opportunities, interdisciplinary collaboration, and stronger partnerships with industry stakeholders.

In the last decade, the cases of breast and cervical cancer have been positioned at the top rank of cancer statistics worldwide. Consequently, many husbands become family caregivers (FCGs) and get the burden of cancer caregiving. Being blind and incompetent, they need supportive care from healthcare professionals (HCPs). To support them, HCPs provide various healthcare information to meet their needs. Further, their demand for a specific type of healthcare information may reflect their need for emotional support from the HCPs to reduce the burden. This study aims to examine the predictors of the need for emotional support among FCGs of female cancer patients by analyzing the demanded healthcare information. The mindsponge theory was used in conceptual development and interpretation. Bayesian Mindsponge Framework (BMF) analytics were used for statistical analysis on a dataset of 48 husbands and 12 significant others in five congested communities of Surabaya, Indonesia. Results showed that among the six types of healthcare information, the demanded cancer-specific information and information on cancer physical needs significantly predict the need for emotional support among respondents. Meanwhile, FCGs with a higher demand for information on alternative therapies are less likely to need emotional support. Other types of information have ambiguous effects on the need for emotional support. This study reveals that the demanded cancer-specific information, e.g., cancer prognosis or likely outcome, and information on cancer physical needs must be prioritized in information disclosure to meet the needs for emotional support among FCGs of female cancer patients.

Community and stakeholder support for marine and coastal ecosystem conservation policies is crucial. However, extant multinational studies on climate change-related factors that constrain stakeholders’ willingness to protect the ocean are limited. Therefore, the dataset from 709 marine stakeholders across 42 countries, part of the MaCoBioS project funded by the European Commission, was analyzed using the Bayesian Mindsponge Framework (BMF) method to fill the knowledge gap. The findings reveal that for individuals who think society is doing too much to address climate change, new technologies can solve climate change. Responses to climate change can damage the country’s economy and might not be productive in supporting actions protecting the ocean. Based on the study results, we recommend policymakers raise awareness among individuals engaged in marine and coastal ecosystems about the crucial role of marine protection in combating climate change, taking into account the limitations of technology in solving climate change problems and the inadequacy of current efforts. The findings also provide insights for enhancing the effectiveness of awareness and knowledge-raising campaigns, conservation programs, and eco-surplus culture-building agenda.

A recent report revealed a staggering 61% drop in the market value of carbon offsets, attributed to adverse findings from both the scientific community and the media. These findings have raised concerns about the effectiveness of carbon credit projects, leading investors to reduce their involvement or withdraw completely, thereby substantially decreasing the market’s overall value [1,2]. This reluctance among buyers is fueled by escalating skepticism about the actual environmental impact of these projects and concerns over potential “greenwashing,” where companies misleadingly present their environmental practices as more eco-friendly than they are.