This paper offers an overview of circular economy strategies applied to the aquaculture sector. The growing challenges imposed on the sector by the strategies of the Green Deal impose new growth strategies in the name of sustainability. The scalability of these strategies is increasingly hampered by regulatory voids and by the absence of a universally accepted assessment method for measuring the impacts of current aquaculture systems. More than ever, a review of knowledge in the circular economy field is required to comprehend where the aquaculture sector is heading, and in order to make the required transition. The present review proposes a bibliometric analysis, a network analysis and a content analysis, which highlight a very new and expanding field of research. The studies were firstly analyzed from a micro (animal metabolism) to a macro perspective (policies, markets and society), emphasizing where research is still lacking. Furthermore, a second level of classification concerns the type of circularity approach proposed for the aquaculture system, which can be divided into open-loop or closed-loop strategies. Regarding the open-loop-related studies, the focus of the evaluation is devoted to the different bioeconomic values of the circularity strategies proposed for the biological flows entering and exiting the aquaculture system. The literature review offered insights into the identification of research threads that are developing around the aquaculture sector.

In recent years, agriculture has increasingly faced shocks related to climate change, pathogen outbreaks, and geopolitical instability, highlighting the need for sustainable regeneration strategies. This study develops an innovative Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) framework that integrates the Delphi method, the Analytic Network Process (ANP), and the Aggregated Decision-Making (ADAM) method—the first application of this combination in the context of agricultural regeneration. The framework was applied to the Apulia region (Italy), heavily affected by the Xylella fastidiosa epidemic, and evaluated alternative crops across 30 economic, environmental, and socio-cultural sub-criteria. Results indicate that carob, walnut, and pistachio outperform other options by combining strong economic viability, climate resilience, and cultural compatibility. To mitigate the risks of monoculture, crop diversification strategies based on high-ranked alternatives are recommended. Sensitivity analysis confirmed the robustness of results, and the framework demonstrates high scalability, offering a transparent tool for policymakers in regions facing similar agricultural crises.

Rapid urbanization poses significant challenges, making the development of smart cities a strategic imperative to foster sustainable economic growth and enhance urban competitiveness. Measurement and evaluation tools are useful ways to set goals and monitor the cities’ progress toward smartness. There are few studies that examine the results achieved in the Italian context. This study introduces a robust multidimensional framework for evaluating the smartness of Italian cities, by providing the user with a step-by-step approach. The framework is composed of five stages: (i) a comprehensive literature review to develop a holistic understanding of smart cities and identify the criteria of the Multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) process; (ii) the selection of indicators that serve as sub-criteria within the MCDM framework; (iii) weight assignment to each indicator by convening a panel of stakeholders and using the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP); (iv) normalization, assessment, and aggregation of results, producing final scores to rank cities based on their smartness levels, using the Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) method; (v) sensitivity analysis to confirm the stability and validity of the obtained results. Indicator data are collected from the 21 Italian regional capital cities. Application of the framework has returned meaningful results, highlighting significant disparities between the sampled cities. The model provides policy makers, urban planners and researchers with a comprehensive and scalable tool to measure urban intelligence, identifying strengths and potential areas for urban improvement. This study is a key contribution to the ongoing efforts to transform urban environments into smarter, more efficient spaces that improve the well-being of citizens.

Nowadays, urban ecosystems require major transformations aimed at addressing the current challenges of urbanization. In recent decades, policy makers have increasingly turned their attention to the smart city paradigm, recognizing its potential to promote positive changes. The smart city, through the conscious use of technologies and sustainability principles, allows for urban development. The scientific literature on smart cities as catalysts of public value continues to develop rapidly and there is a need to systematize its knowledge structure. Through a three-phase methodological approach, combining bibliometric, network and content analyses, this study provides a systematic review of the scientific literature in this field. The bibliometric results showed that public value is experiencing an evolutionary trend in smart cities, representing a challenging research topic for scholars. Network analysis of keyword co-occurrences identified five different clusters of related topics in the analyzed field. Content analysis revealed a strong focus on stakeholder engagement as a lever to co-create public value and a greater emphasis on social equity over technological innovation and environmental protection. Furthermore, it was observed that although environmental concerns were prioritized during the policy planning phase, their importance steadily decreased as the operational phases progressed.

The Cohesion Policy (CP) plays a crucial role in reducing disparities among EU Member States, facilitated by the distribution of European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIFs). Maximizing the impact of these financial resources requires robust administrative performance throughout the fund management cycle. However, such performance varies considerably across European countries and may be shaped by a range of institutional and technological factors. A comprehensive investigation is required to identify their determinants and potential levers for improvement. This study aims (1) to assess and compare the performance of EU Member States in managing ESIFs during the 2014–2020 programming period and (2) to investigate the role of e-government and broader institutional factors in shaping such performance. A three-step methodological strategy was adopted. Three performance indicators were constructed to evaluate countries’ capacity to commit, absorb, and implement funds. Then, a cluster analysis was applied to classify countries according to their performance. Finally, an econometric analysis was carried out to identify the impact of digitalization and institutional variables in shaping performance. Findings demonstrated diverse strengths and weaknesses across the fund management cycle among EU Member States. They indicated that digitalization alone does not improve performance, whereas institutional factors emerge as key drivers of efficiency, particularly during the spending and implementation stages. This research contributes to a more realistic view of the mechanisms that drive the effectiveness of CP. Understanding how digitalization and institutional quality combine to determine outcomes is essential for designing more equitable and sustainable European policies.