Issue #2 (Volume 9 2025)

In the context of digital transformation, the education sector needs innovative solutions to ensure continuity and quality of the learning process amidst contemporary challenges. One solution is using cloud technologies, which allow for the virtualization and replication of key institutional processes, from academic programs to campus operations. In this regard, this article aims to identify the challenges associated with the concept of cloud universities and their impact on the resilience of higher education. A science mapping analysis is conducted based on the most relevant scientific papers indexed in the international Scopus database from 2000 to 2024 using Scopus and SciVal built-in tools and the Science Mapping Analysis Tool. The results show a significant increase in the number of studies, especially within the fields of Computer Science and Social Sciences, dedicated to the use of cloud services and technology in education, with a growing focus on “digital twins”. The application of science mapping tools revealed key trends in research development, which evolved from the development and optimization of cloud infrastructure and difficulties of technological usage and the adoption of new technologies by users to the deep integration of various technologies into the educational process, exploring their reception by students and teachers, as well as the effectiveness of these initiatives. The analysis identified key challenges cloud universities face, such as the need for reliable technical infrastructure, adherence to cybersecurity standards, preparing educators and students for working with new technologies, financial costs of implementing cloud technologies, and ensuring academic integrity.

Acknowledgments
The publication was part of the Erasmus+ project “Disaster Resilience in Higher Education Systems via a Cloud University Model” (project number 2O24-1-AT01-KA220-HED-000249632).

Promoting effective personal finance practices is crucial for individuals’ long-term financial well-being. Financial education equips people with the knowledge and skills to make informed decisions and achieve financial stability. This study investigates the relationship between financial education and personal finance among residents of Lima, Peru, a context characterized by limited financial inclusion and low literacy levels. The research followed a quantitative, cross-sectional, and correlational design. A validated questionnaire was administered to a random sample of 456 individuals aged 18 to 65 during March and April 2024. The survey focused on financial management, use of credit, planned consumption, and investment and savings. Spearman’s rho correlation was employed due to the non-normal distribution of the data. The results revealed a strong positive correlation between overall financial education and personal finances (Rho = 0.726, p < 0.001). Notably, the dimension of investment and savings showed the highest correlation with personal finance (Rho = 0.745), followed by credit use (Rho = 0.642), financial management (Rho = 0.518), and planned consumption (Rho = 0.458). These findings highlight the relevance of financial education in fostering responsible economic behavior and financial stability, particularly in emerging economies. The study underscores the need for comprehensive financial education programs to enhance citizens’ capacity to manage their resources effectively and mitigate risks such as over-indebtedness and lack of savings. Future research should investigate additional socioeconomic variables and the long-term impact of targeted financial education initiatives.

Type of the article: Reflexive Preface

The proliferation of unethical scientific consulting practices, particularly in post-Soviet contexts, poses significant threats to academic integrity by transforming legitimate knowledge transfer services into commercialized systems that fabricate academic outputs to meet formal performance metrics rather than supporting genuine research efforts. This study aims to analyze and classify different forms of scientific consulting based on their ethical alignment and function within academic systems, introducing the concept of “scientific consulting mills” as a comprehensive framework for understanding these distorted practices. The study employs qualitative content analysis of Ukrainian and international sources, bibliometric review, and a conceptual typology approach, including a Ukrainian academic landscape case study and a color-coded classification model categorizing service providers based on transparency, legality, and ethical compliance. The analysis reveals that growing demand for formal academic indicators fuels the rise of scientific consulting mills that exploit systemic weaknesses in academic evaluation systems. These mills commodify academic achievements and decouple performance metrics from genuine research contributions, offering services ranging from legitimate professional support to fraudulent activities. The paper includes a case study of the Ukrainian academic landscape, complemented by a classification model (“color-coded” types of scientific consulting) that categorizes service providers and practices based on transparency, legality, and ethical compliance. The proposed “scientific consulting mills” concept offers a broader categorization than existing frameworks, such as paper mills, encompassing diverse services that breach academic ethics while masquerading as legitimate consultancy. This concept provides critical insights for combating academic misconduct.

Acknowledgments
This study was funded by the European Union grant “NextGenerationEU through the Recovery and Resilience Plan for Slovakia” (No. 09I03-03-V01-00130).

Type of the article: Research Article

This study investigates the impact of faculty knowledge sharing on faculty performance, emphasizing the mediating role of job satisfaction within Egyptian universities. A quantitative, cross-sectional survey was conducted between September and October 2024, targeting 600 faculty members – both master’s and doctoral degree holders – across 48 public and private universities in various Egyptian regions. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire and analyzed with SPSS (version 27) and R software. Analytical methods included correlation analysis, multiple regression, and mediation analysis using bootstrapping techniques. The findings revealed that knowledge sharing significantly influences faculty performance (R² = 63.50%) and has a strong positive effect on job satisfaction (R² = 71.57%). Moreover, job satisfaction positively affects faculty performance (R² = 76.04%). The mediation model further confirmed that job satisfaction partially mediates the relationship between knowledge sharing and performance, with the overall model explaining 82.30% of the variance. These results highlight the importance of peer-based knowledge exchange in enhancing both job satisfaction and faculty performance. The study recommends that academic institutions adopt strategies that support collaborative knowledge practices and foster workplace satisfaction to drive performance improvement among faculty members.

Type of the article: Research Article

Support for the education system is a strategic measure that ensures the long-term development and growth of a country’s economy. Increased funding in this area enables the training of qualified specialists who can adapt to the challenges of the modern economy. In this regard, the purpose of this study is to assess the impact of government spending on education to generate highly intelligent human capital on economic growth in Kazakhstan from 2009 to 2023 using the least squares method, which includes components of government spending on education, as well as the GLS random effects model, which is used to determine the reliability of results. The results show a strong relationship between economic growth and government spending on secondary technical education (0.2393), a moderate relationship between higher education spending (0.0423) and economic development, and a weak relationship between primary education (–0.0050) and economic growth. Thus, a 1-point increase in expenditures for secondary technical education may lead to a 0.2393% increase in GRP, and a 1-point increase in government spending on higher education will lead to a 0.0423% increase in GRP. However, a significant share of government spending is on basic primary education (58%). Based on this, the financing of the education system requires a shift in the financing vector, with a greater focus on higher and secondary technical education, to achieve a more significant impact on economic development.

Acknowledgments
This research is supported by the Science Committee of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan (AP19680246 “Building up highly intelligent human resources in the conditions of digitalization of the economy of Kazakhstan: problems and prospects”, 2023–2025).

Type of the article: Research Article

Innovation in educational processes is a key factor for student satisfaction, as it guarantees quality, academic retention, and institutional competitiveness in higher education. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of innovation in educational processes on student satisfaction in higher education institutions in Ecuador. A quantitative approach was used, with a non-experimental, cross-sectional, and explanatory design. The sample consisted of 388 university students from Guayaquil, one of the largest cities in Ecuador, who completed a structured, online, Likert-scale questionnaire after providing their informed consent between September and October 2024. Innovation in educational processes was conceptualized through two core dimensions: structure and process management. Student satisfaction was analyzed through three dimensions: trust and security, tangible elements, and motivation to participate. To ensure the validity and reliability of the constructs, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses supported by structural equation modeling (SEM) were conducted using SPSS version 26 and AMOS version 22. The results showed that process structure had a significant effect on trust and security (β = 0.65, p < 0.001), tangible elements (β = 0.37, p < 0.001), and motivation (β = 0.77, p < 0.001). Similarly, process management significantly influenced trust and security (β = 0.65, p < 0.001), tangible elements (β = 0.62, p < 0.001), and motivation (β = 0.72, p < 0.001). In conclusion, innovation strategies in educational processes substantially affect student satisfaction, highlighting the importance of effective and progressive academic management in Ecuadorian higher education.

Type of the article: Research Article

This paper explores how Russia uses the international academic sphere, including scientific papers, scientometric databases, international publishers, and international organizations, as a propaganda tool to legitimize its appropriation of Ukrainian territories and Ukrainian academic institutions there. To do this, a bibliometric analysis was used. The results showed that thousands of academic papers published in 2014–2024 in peer-reviewed journals by Russian academicians marked Ukrainian territories as those referring and affiliated with the Russian Federation. The same is true for the case of editorial boards of international journals, where Ukrainian cities were incorrectly marked as part of the Russian Federation. Quite often, those organizations that provide affiliations in the occupied territories of Ukraine are not even legitimate: they were created by Russia using the captured Ukrainian scientific infrastructure and often named similarly or the same as the existing Ukrainian institutions-in-exile. It is important that the international scientific community put an end to this misuse of its resources. The study findings highlighted the importance and urgency of coordinated actions from academic journals, publishing platforms, and scientometric databases towards vigilant oversight of the content they host and accountability of the authors to prevent the dissemination, indexing, or promotion of Russian narratives and propaganda related to the appropriation of the Ukrainian territories.

Acknowledgment
Alex Plastun gratefully acknowledges financial support provided by Volkswagen Foundation, Ref.: 9C853, Project “Sustaining Ukrainian Scholarship”, hosted by New Europe College.

Type of the article: Research Article

Understanding the alignment between public interest and academic research is increasingly relevant in the context of global sustainability challenges. This study aims to investigate the relationship between societal attention, as measured by Google Trends, and scholarly output on renewable energy and the shadow economy. Using bibliometric data from Scopus and Web of Science alongside global Google Trends data from 2004 to 2025, the analysis employed Pearson and Spearman correlation coefficients, Granger causality, and distance correlation to assess the strength, direction, and form of association between public search trends and academic activity. The results reveal a significant Granger-causal relationship from public searches on “renewable energy” to academic publications, with F-statistics above 5.2 (p < 0.01), and strong positive correlations (Pearson r = 0.72; Spearman ρ = 0.69; distance correlation = 0.63). In contrast, the terms “informal economy” and “feed-in tariff” demonstrated weak or inconsistent associations, with correlations below 0.25 and statistically insignificant causality tests (p > 0.1). Cross-country comparisons further highlighted uneven alignment, with India showing high search intensity (Google Trends index > 75) but relatively low publication volume (< 2% of global output). At the same time, South Africa displayed closer coherence, with both indicators moving in tandem (r ≈ 0.61). These findings underscore scholarly research’s partial and asymmetric responsiveness to public demand, varying significantly by topic and geographic context. Moreover, while Google Trends offers robust signals of societal interest, disparities in digital access and literacy reduce its universality, pointing to critical underexplored research gaps with direct policy relevance.

Acknowledgment
This study was prepared as part of the project supported by the National Scholarship Programme of the Slovak Republic, the project 101127491-EnergyS4UA-ERASMUS-JMO2023-HEI-TCH-RSCH. Views and opinions expressed are, however, those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Education and Culture Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them. This research was funded by the grants VEGA 1/0689/23 “Sustainable growth and the geopolitics of resilience in the context of crisis prevention” and VEGA 1/0254/25 “Artificial Intelligence and FDI-invested Business Service Centers: Selected Macroeconomic and Corporate Aspects”.

Type of the article: Research Article

The migration of highly skilled workers and its impact on productivity, competitiveness, and innovative development is becoming an increasingly relevant area of scientific research in the context of rapid digitalization of the economy. In this regard, the article aims to explore the relationship between the migration of highly skilled workers and digital economy development (using the example of EU countries). The study was conducted using correlation analysis and parametric data analysis methods, based on EU countries’ statistics on the migration of highly skilled workers, macroeconomic digitalization indicators, and the adoption of digital technologies at the business level. The results confirm that highly skilled migrants positively affect aggregate indicators of economic digitalization: correlation coefficients with the Global Digitalization Index and the DiGiX Digital Index are 0.735 and 0.692, respectively, and are statistically significant. At the company level, a significant influence of highly skilled migrants on the use of specific digital technologies in EU companies was confirmed. In particular, there is a strong correlation between the “Foreign Highly Skilled Personnel” indicator from the IMD World Talent Ranking 2024 and digital intensity indicators (level of application of key business-related digital technologies), as well as business activity in using big data analytics technologies: the correlation coefficients are 0.770 and 0.689, respectively, and are statistically significant. The proposed approach to analyzing the relationship between highly skilled worker migration and the digital development outcomes of companies and host countries can be used to develop and adjust knowledge and human resource productivity management strategies at both the micro- and macroeconomic levels.

Acknowledgment
This study is funded by the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine under the project “Higher education in the conditions of war and post-war recovery: Determinants of development to overcome threats to the restoration of human capital” (State registration number 0124U000351).

Type of the article: Research Article

In the rapidly evolving digital landscape, faculty members in higher education face rising issues linked to digital fatigue. The present study investigates the impact of Digital Fatigue and Psychological Safety on Faculty Retention, examining the mediating role of Employee Advocacy Behavior and the moderating effect of Green HR Practices. A survey was conducted using a structured questionnaire during the period January-February 2025, collecting 454 responses from faculty members of private higher education institutions offering undergraduate and postgraduate programs in the educational hub of Southern Karnataka state, India. These “emerging clusters” were chosen because they have increased digitization, internet penetration, and a strong cultural legacy, all of which are expected to drive faculties away from traditional teaching methods. The mediation and moderation were analyzed utilizing confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to check the model fit and Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) to test hypothetical relationships. The study reveals that Digital Fatigue affects Employee Advocacy and Faculty Retention, while Psychological Safety enhances both (β = 0.475; β = 0.238). Employee Advocacy mediates these effects, strengthening retention outcomes. Further, Green HR Practices significantly enhance retention (β = 0.444) and moderate the effects of Digital Fatigue (β = 0.188) and Psychological Safety (β = 0.224), highlighting their role in mitigating fatigue and strengthening institutional commitment. This study highlights the importance of policymakers and institutional leaders to position faculty retention as a strategic priority and thereby ensure educators receive the necessary support to thrive in an ever-advancing digital existence with high expectations.

Type of the article: Research Article

With the outbreak of war in eastern Ukraine in 2014 and especially after Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, many Ukrainian universities underwent forced relocation. This phenomenon remains underexplored in both national and international academic literature, despite its profound consequences for Ukraine’s higher education system. This study aims to identify the spatial-temporal trajectories of relocated universities in Ukraine, to typologize models of adaptation, and to formulate lessons based on empirical analysis. Methodologically, the study relies on mapping, monitoring data on the institutional capacity development of relocated Ukrainian universities, case studies, and an analysis of legislation and regulatory documents. The study examines relocation trajectories of 35 higher education institutions, drawing on multiple data sources collected between 2014 and 2025. Two waves of relocation were recorded: the first (2014–2016) involved 14 universities, and the second (2022–2024) included 21. Most relocated universities are state-owned (24 out of 35), although the share of private institutions increased during the second wave. The study provides the first spatial-temporal mapping of relocated Ukrainian HEIs, reconstructing their movement across regions and over time and identifying recurrent adaptation patterns. The study concludes that relocation is not only a physical transfer but also an institutional transformation. It requires, even prior to the actual move, the development of an indicative action plan, followed by a rethinking of staffing models, the establishment of distance learning as a dominant mode, the provision of state and local support policies, a targeted focus on international cooperation, regulatory recognition of non-standard network models, and differentiated financing instruments.

Acknowledgments
The authors sincerely thank all those who supported this research within the framework of the project “Institutional capacity building of relocated universities: monitoring study and recommendations for improvement in national scale”. The authors would like to thank Tetiana Zaporozhets, Maksym Folomieiev, Viktoriia Rudyk, Serhii Melnyk, Dariia Ivashchenko, and Olena Tupakhina for their valuable support in data collection, expert evaluation, and insightful discussions. We are also grateful for the partial support of the research conducted by Yana Sychikova and Ihor Lyman, provided in the framework of a state budget project “Ukrainian universities in new realities: the impact of the war and mechanisms for preserving the scientific and personnel potential of training specialists in high-tech industries”. Finally, the authors would like to express their deepest gratitude to all Ukrainian defenders, whose courage and resilience made it possible to complete and publish this work.

Type of the article: Research Article

Amid growing global challenges such as technological change and socio-economic uncertainty, fostering youth creativity has become vital for sustainable development. In Ukraine, open science provides a promising pathway to develop key competences like creativity, critical thinking, and collaboration, essential for navigating ongoing social and educational transformation. This study aims to investigate the relationship between Ukrainian young people's engagement with open science practices and their creative development across academic disciplines and educational levels. Drawing on data from a nationwide survey of 2,250 Ukrainian university students (Bachelor, Master, and Ph.D.), this study applies non-parametric methods to analyze how young people engage with open science. The results show that engagement with open science practices among Ukrainian students varies significantly by both level of education and field of study. Ph.D. students report the highest frequency of participation (median = 4.0 on a 5-point scale), significantly more than Bachelor's and Master's students (Kruskal-Wallis χ² = 44.92, p < 0.001). They also rate mentorship and collaborative research as more effective for creativity (e.g., mentorship: p = 0.00008 between Bachelor and Master levels). Disciplinary differences are most evident in the perceived effectiveness of webinars (χ² = 31.69, p = 0.0002) and collaborative research (χ² = 23.34, p = 0.0055), with students from engineering and life sciences showing the highest appreciation. These differentiated patterns confirm that the creative development potential of open science is powerfully shaped by students’ academic stage and disciplinary background.

Acknowledgment
This research was funded by the grant VEGA 1/0271/23 “Sustainable renewal of spa tourism in the Slovak Republic in the context of the impacts of civilisation crises”. This research was also prepared as part of projects 0124U000545 and ERASMUS-JMO-2022-HEI-TCH-RSCH-101085198.

Type of the article: Research Article

Scientific productivity is one of the key benchmarks to evaluate the development of a country in terms of innovation potential and competitiveness in the global academic environment. This study investigates the impact of key factors such as faculty workload and satisfaction, career dynamics, institutional environment, and research funding on publication performance. The methodology is based on system dynamics (SD), a simulation approach that assesses the dynamic impact of multiple factors on the publication performance. The approach combines causal-loop analysis, stock-and-flow diagrams, sensitivity testing, and Monte Carlo simulations, with Kazakhstan serving as a case country. The data on the factors, including from the global literature and statistics from Kazakhstan, were simulated to forecast publication performance and research output through 2030. Sensitivity analysis identified six dominant factors affecting the number of researchers: average wage growth rate, Ph.D. growth rate, average author tenure, normal workload, job satisfaction, and productivity rate. In contrast, the number of publications was most influenced by the research expenditure per paper, government investment growth rate, and private sector investment growth rate. The study findings from Kazakhstan can serve as “lessons learned” and assist researchers and policymakers working in the science policy and evaluation area in identifying high-impact factors and formulating more effective strategies to enhance the scientific knowledge creation of a country.

Acknowledgments
This paper has been funded by the Science Committee MSHE RK (Grant “Modernization of the quality assurance system of higher education in Kazakhstan based on digitalization: development of approaches, mechanisms and information base” BR24992974).

Type of the article: Research Article

This study aims to forecast how the relocation of Indonesia’s new capital to East Kalimantan will impact regional economic development, labor market dynamics, and vocational education readiness. Employing an integrated system dynamics and foresight methodology, the study models the interdependencies among economic transformation, industrial shifts, and future workforce requirements. The analysis combines qualitative foresight data, gathered through in-depth interviews and focus group discussions with 66 key stakeholders (16 government and education policymakers, 30 leaders of large industries, and 20 SME representatives), with system modeling to simulate long-term trends and policy impacts. The simulation results indicate a significant structural transition from a resource-based economy to a service-oriented and low-carbon economic model, leading to a sharp projected increase in labor demand across green and digital-intensive sectors. These projections underscore the urgent need for a vocational education system that is more adaptive, technologically relevant, and environmentally aligned. However, anticipated challenges such as persistent skill mismatches, inadequate stakeholder engagement in policy design, and outdated curricula may hinder vocational institutions from effectively responding to emerging labor market demands. This study highlights the strategic importance of modernizing vocational education and establishing stronger collaborative frameworks among government, industry, and educational institutions. By forecasting workforce readiness under multiple development scenarios, the research provides actionable insights to support evidence-based policymaking and the creation of a resilient, future-oriented innovation ecosystem in East Kalimantan.

Acknowledgments
This research has been funded by the Indonesia Endowment Fund for Education Agency (LPDP) in 2024. We extend our sincere gratitude to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, as well as the Directorate General of Vocational Education through the Directorate of Partnerships and Alignment of the Business and Industrial World (Mitrasdudi), for their valuable support. Furthermore, we would like to express our appreciation to the Regional Government of East Kalimantan Province for their continuous assistance and cooperation.

Type of the article: Research Article

The voice of the customer, trust, value, and Customer Relationship Management are essential in improving educational service quality. However, assessing their impacts remains difficult due to the intangible nature of educational service delivery and parents’ rising expectations. Lebanese schools, especially in urban areas such as Akkar, often overlook the negative effects of these factors on relationships with parents as decision makers, leading to a perceived gap between promises and actual experiences. This article aims to evaluate the influence of a customer’s voice on educational service quality through the mediating roles of perceived trust, perceived value, and customer relationship management. A quantitative method with a deductive approach was employed, using a questionnaire administered to parents of students enrolled in French and English private schools in Akkar, North Lebanon. Data collection was cross-sectional and concluded on November 30, 2024. The sample consisted of 390 participants, selected through simple random sampling after securing the school managers’ consent for data collection. Hypotheses were tested using Structural Equation Modeling. The study confirmed that a customer’s voice has a direct statistical effect (β = 0.083) on educational service quality and an indirect effect through perceived value (β = 0.021) and customer relationship management (p < 0.001), except for perceived trust. Parents perceive institutional responsiveness and cost-benefit optimization as crucial indicators of quality. Trust seems to function through autonomous mechanisms that are independent of formal feedback processes. The findings emphasize that schools can enhance service quality by establishing systematic feedback systems, refining CRM strategies, and leveraging perceived value to close the gap between expectations and actual experiences.

Type of the article: Research Article

This study investigates the determinants of technology business incubator (TBI) performance in Indonesia using the Resource-Based View (RBV) framework. Startups play a vital role in fostering innovation, yet their sustainability is often challenged by weak managerial capacity, limited access to finance, and fragile networks. Business incubators are designed to mitigate these barriers by providing infrastructure, mentoring, and strategic connections, but their performance varies widely. This research aims to identify which internal and external resources most strongly influence incubator outcomes in the Indonesian context. A quantitative design was employed, with data collected from 100 incubators across government, university, and private institutions. Structured questionnaires were administered to incubator leaders and managers, and responses were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The constructs examined included infrastructure, networking, incubator capabilities, and linkages with universities, with measurement validity and reliability confirmed through composite reliability, average variance extracted (AVE), and discriminant validity tests. The findings show that networking (β = 0.417, p = 0.001) and infrastructure (β = 0.342, p = 0.012) have significant positive effects on incubator performance. In contrast, incubator capabilities (β = 0.162, p = 0.119) and linkages with universities (β = 0.087, p = 0.263) were statistically insignificant, indicating these resources may not directly enhance performance in the current Indonesian setting. The study contributes theoretically by reaffirming RBV as a robust framework for explaining incubator success in emerging economies. Practically, it highlights the priority of investing in strong networks and quality infrastructure to strengthen incubators and accelerate the growth of Indonesia’s startup ecosystem.

Type of the article: Research Article

The study analyzes how academic excellence is conceptualized within Kazakhstani universities, focusing on two key internal stakeholder groups: faculty members and administrative staff. While academic excellence has become a global priority, little empirical evidence exists on how it is interpreted in emerging higher education systems. The paper addresses this gap by examining the Kazakhstani case, where government-led excellence initiatives are still in their early stages. A quota-based survey was conducted across 42 universities, producing weighted responses from 832 faculty and 155 administrators. Quantitative data were processed with IBM SPSS Statistics 25, employing descriptive statistics, Welch’s t-test, and two-way ANOVA to compare perceptions between the groups. Despite a broad consensus on the multidimensional nature of academic excellence (positive agreement averaged > 94%), the results reveal consistent differences in their interpretation of core parameters. Of the 32 indicators tested, only four showed no statistically significant difference between faculty and administrators: faculty numbers (p = 0.246), academic reputation and stakeholder recognition (p = 0.701), graduate employability and employer satisfaction (p = 0.106), and student enrollment (p = 0.588). Overall, administrators assigned systematically higher importance to institutional characteristics, enabling components, and barriers across all thematic blocks. Consistent with the conceptual framework integrating institutional and stakeholder perspectives, these patterns indicate that external policy pressures and role-specific responsibilities shape interpretations of excellence. These findings provide a data-driven basis for designing initiatives that couple system-level reforms with participatory governance and co-created metrics, thereby improving the translation of policy into practice.

Acknowledgment
This research was funded by the Science Committee of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan (Grant No. BR21882373).

Type of the article: Research Article

This study investigates the influence of institutional and individual factors on lecturer quality within Vietnamese public universities under the AUN-QA framework. A quantitative cross-sectional survey was conducted with 310 full-time lecturers from five universities in Vietnam between January and March 2025. The study assessed seven factors: pedagogical competence, professional competence, technological competence, professional development policy, human resource management policy, organizational culture, and facilities, using validated Likert-scale instruments. The results reveal that all seven factors significantly affect lecturer quality, with pedagogical competence and human resource management policy being the strongest predictors. Specifically, pedagogical competence (β = 0.358, p < 0.001) and human resource management policy (β = 0.229, p < 0.001) contributed most to improving lecturer performance. These findings suggest that enhancing teaching capabilities and supporting lecturers through effective human resource management policies are crucial for improving academic quality. The study also highlights the importance of aligning institutional support systems and strategic policies to meet AUN-QA standards. Practical implications are provided for policy reform and institutional capacity-building, aiming to foster continuous improvement in higher education quality in Southeast Asia.

Type of the article: Research Article

The global recovery from recent economic, health, and geopolitical crises, including the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia–Ukraine war, increasingly depends on how economies mobilize human capital, migration, and financial flows. This article examines how human capital and its reallocation through migration and remittances, under different institutional conditions and economic system types, relate to configurations of human capital, net migration, political stability, and remittances that support sustained post-crisis economic recovery. Using a panel of 73 economies from 2010 to 2023, the empirical strategy combines descriptive rankings, multiple linear regression (MLR), and decision-tree classification, with an 80/20 split of the sample, primarily drawing on the WDI. Descriptive patterns highlight large asymmetries in both migration and growth: some advanced and emerging economies combine sizeable net migration inflows with robust GDP growth, whereas conflict-affected and fragile states, including the Syrian Arab Republic, Yemen, and Ukraine, experience substantial net outflows alongside persistent output losses. However, regression results indicate that differences in human capital primarily drive cross-country variation in post-crisis growth: HCI is the only statistically significant predictor, while net migration, political stability, and remittances display small and insignificant linear effects (R² ≈ 0.15; adjusted R² ≈ 0.10; n = 73). DTC reveals complex, non-linear relationships between migration, human capital, financial flows, and economic recovery, with outcomes concentrated in economies that combine higher skills and sizable remittances with stable institutions, effectively converting them into productive human capital.

Acknowledgments
The research was carried out with funds from the budget of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine on the topic of the research project "Modeling educational transformations in wartime to preserve the intellectual capital and innovative potential of Ukraine" (0123U100114).