The key global trends in higher education are digital transformation, AI, internationalization, a focus on results and cost-effectiveness, and the negative demographic situation. The above-mentioned global trends in higher education in Ukraine are further amplified and superimposed on national specifics and the war, which cause difficulties in implementing offline education in some regions, suppression of motivation for higher education due to the population’s psycho-emotional state, and a lack of funding and grants in education. The challenge is to overcome the large gap between political educational trends (digitalization, introduction of competitive and operational financing of Ukrainian universities, public openness and accountability, internationalization) and the institutional and financial capabilities of Ukrainian universities. The purpose of this article is to identify key actions in higher education policy that will combine global trends and Ukrainian realities to enhance the sustainability, quality, and financial independence of higher education institutions. The article identifies the main global trends in financing, management, governance, and the assessment of education quality, and develops the key measures most relevant to Ukraine in the context of war and future reconstruction. Higher education policies are coordinated taking into account regional asymmetries, demographic decline and new competencies. The article summarizes a systematic review of scientific publications and policy documents on the main trends in the management, financing, and quality assurance of higher education worldwide, and attempts to combine global practices with local needs. Based on the analysis, a conceptual 4R-Model was proposed to reconcile global trends with Ukrainian realities and outline four key areas of higher education development. The 4R model, formed on the basis of research into global trends and analysis of the main challenges of modern higher education, can be used as a basis for developing a long-term strategy for sustainable recovery and development of the nation’s intellectual potential in the field of higher education and used in decision-making by state bodies, international institutions, and universities. Harmonization of global trends with Ukrainian realities allows synergy achieving sustainable development.

This empirical study examines the potential of a CBT-informed self-care curriculum as an approach to sustainable teacher education in the preparation of pre-service early childhood teachers. Rather than treating self-care as a peripheral or purely personal issue, the study conceptualizes it as part of the developmental foundation that may support future teachers’ health, professional efficacy, and long-term commitment to the profession. Within this framework, the study investigates the effects of a self-care curriculum on pre-service early childhood teachers’ self-care, perceived health, self-efficacy, and goal commitment. Participants were 268 pre-service early childhood teachers who completed pre- and post-intervention surveys. The curriculum drew on principles of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and integrated self-care lectures, cognitive restructuring, reflective writing, class discussion, and health-related knowledge learning. The results showed significant pre-post improvements in self-care, perceived health, and self-efficacy. Path analysis further indicated that self-care was positively associated with perceived health, self-efficacy, and goal commitment, and indirectly related to goal commitment through perceived health and self-efficacy. By linking self-care with both well-being-related and professional-development outcomes, this study contributes to the literature on sustainable teacher education in three ways. It positions self-care as a meaningful curricular concern in pre-service teacher preparation, applies a CBT-informed framework to early childhood teacher education, and provides empirical evidence that strengthening pre-service teachers’ internal resources may support more sustainable professional development before workforce entry. The findings suggest that structured self-care education may be a promising direction for fostering healthier, more efficacious, and more committed future teachers in early childhood education.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is widely discussed as a productivity tool, yet empirical research rarely theorizes AI as a boundary condition that alters whether, and how strongly, digital-era management practices translate into employee and organizational outcomes. Drawing on socio-technical systems theory and emerging views of algorithmic agency, we argue that AI maturity - distinct from digital integration because it reflects the extent to which predictive and generative AI are embedded in workflows, coordination routines, decision support, and planning - amplifies the effectiveness of digital-nomad-oriented management practices. We test this AI accelerator effect using a cross-regional survey dataset (N = 372) of employees and managers recruited through digital-nomad communities and collaborating organizations across China, the United States, and Europe. Hierarchical regression models with heteroskedasticity-robust standard errors show that AI maturity strengthens the positive association between DRISA practices and employee engagement. AI maturity also conditions the performance consequences of spatial flexibility: simple slopes indicate that spatial flexibility is performance-reducing when AI maturity is low but performance-enhancing when AI maturity is high. These results reposition AI maturity as a coordination capability that changes the marginal returns to autonomy- and flexibility-oriented work designs, while clarifying its conceptual distinctiveness from broader digital integration and underscoring that sustainable digitally flexible work depends on adequate coordination capacity.

The governance of sex work remains a highly contested domain within public policy, fundamentally impacting sustainable social development and public health. This study presents a comparative synthesis of twenty-first-century sex work governance models through documentary research and a systematic literature review (2001–2025). A comparative analysis of models in New Zealand, the Netherlands, Germany, and Sweden reveal that successful policy outcomes depend less on mere statutory legalization and more on collaborative governance, human rights infrastructure, and mitigating the intentions-realities gap. To systematically evaluate national capacity for policy transitions, this article conceptualizes the Sex Work Policy Reform Readiness Index (SPRRI). Developed utilizing OECD composite indicator methodologies, the SPRRI encompasses five non-compensatory dimensions: Rule of law, gender equality, public health infrastructure, civil society participation, and policy maturity. Initial conceptual testing across six nations confirms the index’s diagnostic validity in predicting the efficacy of reform. Ultimately, this article posits that the SPRRI is not merely a methodological tool, but a crucial “public policy innovation”. It facilitates a paradigm shift from evidence-resistant policymaking toward data-driven governance, serving as a fundamental foundation for achieving sustainable development goals, fostering equitable societies, and tangibly advancing health-oriented outcomes.

Mangrove ecosystems are an important source of ecological benefits and support livelihoods at the coastline, but the governance systems often cannot compromise conservation and socio-economic requirements. This systematic review looks at the way the scientific literature relates the relationships between mangrove conservation and local livelihoods and governance, especially adaptive governance frameworks. Bibliometric mapping and qualitative synthesis were used to analyze 45 Web of Science Core Collection studies that focused on governance. The results show that it is a rapidly developing and interdisciplinary area, yet one that is thematically lopsided. Whereas there is a well-researched understanding of ecological processes, ecosystem services and livelihood outcomes, there is no adequate integration of their governance aspects which includes power relations, institutional coordination and adaptive learning. Though conservation-livelihood trade-offs are generally recognized, there are not effectively dealt with by effective institutional mechanisms. New financial strategies such as blue carbon risk enhancing the existing inequalities with weak governance frameworks. It is pointed out in the review that a paradigm shift is required in the form of switching to adaptive governance that directly controls trade-offs, fair sharing of costs and benefits and responsive to changing socio-ecological dynamics.