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Tourism Review

ISSN : 1660-5373

Article publication date: 23 November 2010

Despite the proliferation of the governance concept in the broader academic literature, there is little agreement on definitions, scope and what actually constitutes governance. This is arguably due to the fact that empirical research on the topic, with some exceptions, is generally limited to case studies without use of any common conceptual framework. This is certainly the case in other fields of study and is becoming increasingly obvious in tourism research also. Therefore, the purpose of the paper is to explore and synthesize the governance literature with the objective of identifying the key elements and dimensions of governance.

Design/methodology/approach

Drawing on the two “parent” bodies of literature originating in the political sciences and corporate management fields of study, the paper provides a review and synthesis of the governance concept with the objective of identifying the primary elements and factors that have been employed in studies of governance to date.

A review of 53 published governance studies identified 40 separate dimensions of governance. From this review, the six most frequently included governance dimensions were: accountability, transparency, involvement, structure, effectiveness and power.

Originality/value

A synthesis of the governance literature has not been undertaken to date, either in the tourism literature or in other fields of study, and in doing so the authors provide a basis for tourism researchers to draw on a set of comparable conceptual dimensions in future research. Comparable dimensions which can be replicated and tested in empirical research will add additional depth and rigor to studies in this field.

Political science

Ruhanen, L. , Scott, N. , Ritchie, B. and Tkaczynski, A. (2010), "Governance: a review and synthesis of the literature", Tourism Review , Vol. 65 No. 4, pp. 4-16. https://doi.org/10.1108/16605371011093836

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How boards can execute governance reviews to improve performance

Adopt a strategic governance review for better board effectiveness, improved leadership, and performance aligned with your mission.

Governance is crucial for enhancing corporate performance and maintaining stakeholder trust. To improve performance, boards must execute effective governance reviews that serve as opportunities to assess and refine the company's mission, stakeholder priorities, resources, and strategies. By transforming standard governance reviews into ongoing strategic exercises aligned with critical board work, board members and executive leadership can foster a shared vision, improve performance metrics, and enhance adaptability.

Here are some methods for conducting governance reviews:

Define performance and governance: Boards must establish a clear understanding of corporate performance and governance, along with accurate data, to effectively assess and improve their company's performance.
Conduct the governance review to enhance board and executive effectiveness: Implement improvements in roles, responsibilities, and qualifications to strengthen leadership and overall corporate performance.
Expand the governance review to improve performance: The review agenda should focus on how the governance program enables appropriate oversight and execution of the company's mission, stakeholder priorities, and performance goals to drive growth and success.
Recognize the payoff: By shifting the governance review from a mere compliance exercise to a strategic tool, boards can promote constructive stakeholder engagement and improved corporate performance.

Learn more about how to strengthen your governance and better position your organization for long-term growth. Download our paper, How boards can execute governance reviews to improve performance.

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Four Keys To Effective Governance Reviews

Rich Fields and Jeff Stein

While there are important legal issues that need to be evaluated as part of a governance review, the process should be broader than just compliance and risk mitigation. When done well, these reviews help optimize how a company functions at its highest level and build trust with shareholders and other important stakeholders.

As many companies prepare for their own annual governance reviews, here are four keys to effective processes for public companies to consider:

1. Know Your Stakeholders

Many clients will begin a governance review by asking us to determine if there have been any changes in proxy advisory policy that should lead to changes in company policy. While proxy advisors are an important and influential constituency, companies must cast their nets wider and also track the voting and engagement guidelines for their major shareholders to determine if any changes to governance policies are worthy of consideration.

For example, in recent years, major shareholders have changed their overboarding standards, requested companies devote more time to corporate culture and requested more voluntary sustainability reporting. Companies should consider these requests and, when appropriate, make policy changes that often require minor amendments to several governance documents and policies.

2. Read the Room

Major shareholders are not always on the front lines of governance changes. Tracking the broader market for emerging trends can help a company stay ahead of issues, which is why we always recommend companies review the proxy season for emerging trends each year.

Companies reviewing the 2020 proxy season would notice that the average level of director support has been trending down; digging further, they would see that investors are more willing to withhold support when a company is out of step with their preferences on a growing number of issues. They would also see high levels of support for shareholder rights proposals, such as written consent rights or for special meeting rights with modest thresholds. This knowledge can start a conversation about the pros and cons of different governance policies, and better equip company leaders to respond to shareholder questions about these subjects.

3. Regularly Review Key Documents

As part of the annual committee evaluation process, most companies review the committee charters each year. Do not stop there. There are many other important governance documents that should be reviewed regularly. While company-specific circumstances may affect the ideal frequency of review for any particular document, every few years a company should review each of the following:

◊ Articles of Incorporation ◊ Bylaws ◊ Committee Charters

◊ Corporate Governance Guidelines

◊ Board and Committee Calendars

◊ Clawback / Recoupment Policy

◊ Codes of Business Conduct / Ethics

◊ D&O Questionnaire

◊ Independence Standards

◊ Insider Trading Policy ◊Disclosure (Reg FD) Policy

◊ Management Disclosure Committee Charter

◊ Internal Audit Charter

◊ Delegation and Reservation of Authorities Policies

◊ Related Party Transactions Policy

For most of these documents most of the time, tweaks will be minor. Occasionally, though, the review will prompt a company to amend a document to conform to new requirements, to memorialize any changes to current practice (e.g., a committee newly responsible for oversight of a given area) or to fix any issues that have arisen since the document was last evaluated. The regular review will also provide the company an opportunity to incorporate any changes prompted by new stakeholder demands or evolving standards of good governance discussed earlier.

4. Discuss What Is and Is Not Working

For most companies, the annual corporate governance review should go beyond the review of governance documents to consider how governance is functioning “in the real world.” Those leading a governance review must have discussions with board members and others to confirm that the company is following the procedures mandated by the documents and to get a more complete perspective on what is and is not working.

Board member experience and perspective can be invaluable when updating some of the governance documents, particularly the charters, governance guidelines and board and committee calendars. The perspectives of senior executives who work with the board on governance issues and the lawyers who are called to interpret and apply some of these governance policies are also important to consider. Input from officers who support the finance, human resources, compensation, sustainability, strategy, risk management and other important functions may also be valuable.

In our experience, it is best when the annual board and committee evaluation occurs as part of the governance review, and not separate from it.

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Corporate governance and national institutions: A review and emerging research agenda

Perspectives
Published: 24 March 2012
Volume 30 , pages 965–986, ( 2013 )

Cite this article

Igor Filatotchev 1 , 2 ,
Gregory Jackson 3 &
Chizu Nakajima 1

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We present a critique of corporate governance research grounded in agency theory and propose that cross-national comparison of corporate governance should consider how the nature and extent of agency relationships differ across different institutional contexts. Building on prior governance studies grounded in sociology and organizational theory we argue that performance outcomes of boards of directors, ownership concentration, and executive incentives may differ depending on the legal system and institutional characteristics in a specific country. Institutions may also affect the extent of complimentarity/substitution among different firm-level governance practices producing patterned variations in firm-level governance mechanisms. Our discussion suggests that researchers need to develop more holistic, institutionally embedded governance framework to analyze organizational outcomes of various governance practices.

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Corporate governance: what we know and what we don’t know

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Published: 03 September 2024

Evaluating coupling coordination between urban smart performance and low-carbon level in China’s pilot cities with mixed methods

Xiongwei Zhu 1 ,
Dezhi Li 1 , 2 ,
Shenghua Zhou 1 ,
Shiyao Zhu 3 &
Lugang Yu 1

Scientific Reports volume 14 , Article number: 20461 ( 2024 ) Cite this article

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Climate-change adaptation
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Sustainability

The construction models of smart cities and low-carbon cities are crucial for advancing global urbanization, enhancing urban governance, and addressing major urban challenges. Despite significant advancements in smart and low-carbon city research, a consensus on their coupling coordination remains elusive. This study employs mixed-method research, combining qualitative and quantitative analyses, to investigate the coupling coordination between urban smart performance (SCP) and low-carbon level (LCL) across 52 typical smart and low-carbon pilot cities in China. Independent evaluation models for SCP and LCL qualitatively assess the current state of smart and low-carbon city construction. Additionally, an Entropy–TOPSIS–Pearson correlation–Coupling coordination degree (ETPC) analysis model quantitatively examines their relationship. The results reveal that smart city initiatives in China significantly outperform low-carbon city development, with notable disparities in SCP and LCL between eastern, non-resource-based, and central cities versus western, resource-dependent, and peripheral cities. A strong positive correlation exists between urban SCP and overall LCL, with significant correlations in management, society, and economy, and moderate to weak correlations in environmental quality and culture. As SCP levels improve, the coupling coordination degree between the urban SCP and LCL systems also increases, driven primarily by economic, management, and societal factors. Conversely, the subsystems of low-carbon culture and environmental quality show poorer integration. Based on these findings, this study proposes an evaluation system for smart and low-carbon coupling coordination development, outlining pathways for future development from the perspective of urban complex systems.

An empirical analysis of the coupling and coordinated development of new urbanization and ecological welfare performance in China’s Chengdu–Chongqing economic circle

Decomposing the comprehensive efficiency of major cities into divisions on governance, ICT and sustainability: network slack-based measure model

Impact of urban spatial structure elements on carbon emissions efficiency in growing megacities: the case of Chengdu

Introduction.

Cities, as centers of population and economy, play crucial roles in cultural exchange, social integration, transportation, communication, and disaster response in modern societal development 1 , 2 . According to the United Nations Human Settlements program’s “2022 World Cities Report”, as of 2021, the global urbanization rate has reached 56%, and it is projected that by 2050, an additional 2.2 billion people will live in cities, increasing the urbanization rate to 68% 3 . North America and European countries are approaching urbanization saturation, with little fluctuation expected, while urbanization in Asia and Africa will accelerate notably 4 . Particularly in China, the world’s second-largest economy, as of 2022, the urbanization rate is only 64.7%, ranking 96th globally, indicating significant potential for growth compared to developed countries like the USA and the UK 5 . The Chinese government places high importance on urbanization development. It was clearly stated in the “2020 State Council Government Work Report” that new urbanization is a key measure for achieving China’s modernization. Moreover, in the “14th Five-Year Plan (2021–2025) and the Long-Range Objectives Through the Year 2035”, detailed strategies are outlined for optimizing the urban layout and promoting urban–rural integration, among other policies to advance urbanization 6 . However, urbanization, as a process of continuous concentration of population and industrial elements in cities, while bringing opportunities for economic growth and social development, also presents a series of challenges such as environmental pressure, resource constraints, and increased demand for services 7 , 8 .

In 2008, the American company IBM introduced the concept of a “Smart Planet”, which garnered widespread attention globally 9 . The concept of a smart city, as a specific application within this framework, aims to enhance urban management and service efficiency through the integration and innovative application of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), thereby improving the quality of life for residents, optimizing resource use, reducing environmental impact, and promoting economic development and social progress 10 , 11 . Currently, the smart city construction model is seen as one of the effective means to advance global urbanization, improve urban governance, and solve major urban issues 12 . In 2009, IBM released the “Smart Planet: Winning in China” plan, outlining China’s five major thematic tasks in constructing a “Smart Planet” (sustainable economic development, corporate competitiveness, energy efficiency, environmental protection, and social harmony) 13 . The construction of smart cities, as a key measure to achieve these thematic tasks, has received significant attention from the Chinese government. In 2014, the Chinese government elevated smart city construction to a “national strategy”, considering it a cornerstone of China’s future economic and urban development strategies. By 2016, over 500 Chinese cities had initiated or announced smart city pilot construction plans, accounting for nearly half of all such projects planned or underway globally 14 . In recent years, with the continuous release of policy benefits related to smart city construction in China and substantial capital investment, China has become a leader in driving global smart city initiatives 15 . However, an undeniable fact is that while smart city construction models promote economic development and improve the quality of life for residents, the new infrastructure supporting the operation of smart cities, such as big data centers, 5G shared base stations, and Beidou ground-based augmentation stations, result in substantial energy consumption and significant carbon emissions 16 . Research shows that in 2018, the total electricity consumption of data centers in China supporting IT infrastructure reached 160.9 billion kilowatt-hours, exceeding the total electricity consumption of Shanghai for that year and accounting for about 2% of China’s total electricity consumption, with carbon emissions nearing 100 million tons 17 . The Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) predicts that by 2035, the total electricity consumption of China’s data centers and 5G base stations will reach 695.1–782 billion kilowatt-hours, accounting for 5–7% of China’s total electricity consumption, with total carbon emissions reaching 230–310 million tons 18 .

In 2022, global energy-related CO 2 emissions increased by 0.9%, reaching a record high of over 36.8 Gt. Concurrently, atmospheric CO 2 concentrations continued to rise, averaging 417.06 parts per million, marking the eleventh consecutive year with an increase exceeding 2 ppm 19 . According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the global surface temperature in September 2023 was 1.44 °C higher than the twentieth century average, setting a new historical record 20 . The continuous rise in global temperatures has led to frequent occurrences of disastrous events such as extreme heat, torrential rains, floods, forest fires, and hurricanes in recent years, causing significant loss of life and property damage 21 . World Health Organization (WHO) data indicates that in 2022, there were at least 29 weather disaster events globally causing billions of dollars in losses, with approximately 61,672 deaths in Europe due to heatwave-related causes 22 . As global climate issues become increasingly severe, the call for global carbon emission reduction is growing louder. Cities, as highly concentrated areas of population and economic activities, according to the Global Report by the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), consume 60–80% of the global energy and contribute to over 75% of global CO 2 emissions 23 . As the largest global emitter of carbon, China’s CO 2 emissions in 2022 accounted for 27% of the global total 24 . Given China’s influence in the global economy, technological innovation, and international cooperation, international organizations and global climate policies generally believe that China’s efforts in carbon reduction are crucial to achieving the global 1.5 °C climate goal 25 . In recent years, the Chinese government has actively promoted the construction of low-carbon pilot cities. To date, three batches of low-carbon pilot cities have been implemented in China, bringing the total number of such cities to 81 26 .

However, the report “China’s Digital Infrastructure Decarburization Path: Data Centers and 5G Carbon Reduction Potential and Challenges (2020–2035)” indicates that compared to peak carbon emissions expected around 2025 in key sectors like steel, building materials, and non-ferrous metals in China, the “lock-in effect” of carbon emissions from digital infrastructure poses a significant challenge to achieving China’s peak carbon and carbon neutrality goals 27 , 28 , 29 . Given the urgency of global climate change, it raises the question of the correlation between smart cities and low-carbon cities: is it positive, negative, or non-existent? Should the pace of smart city development be slowed to achieve sustainable urban development goals, considering the significant carbon dioxide emissions resulting from current technological choices, social habits, and policy frameworks? To address these practical issues, it is first essential to conduct an objective and accurate assessment of urban SCP and LCL. However, due to the complexity and diversity of urban carbon emissions sources, current measurement and estimation techniques fail to capture all emission types. This limitation hampers the ability to obtain comprehensive, accurate, and timely city-level carbon emission data 30 , 31 . To address this challenge, this paper decomposes smart cities and low-carbon cities into their interdependent and interactive subsystems (i.e., economic, political, cultural, social, and ecological) viewed through the lens of urban complex systems. It then develops evaluation models for both city types and conducts empirical analyses in 52 representative Chinese pilot cities. Based on these analyses, the paper elucidates the coupling coordination degree between SCP and LCL and proposes a specific pathway for their coordinated development.

This paper is therefore structured as follows: “ Literature review ” section offers an overview of the relevant literature, laying the foundation for the introduction of SCP and LCL. Subsequently, SCP and LCL are identified clearly, and measurement based on a mixed method for the coupling coordination degree is established in “ Methodology ” section, followed by a case demonstration for the introduced method in “ Results ” section and the demonstration results analysis in “ Discussions and implications ” section. Finally, “ Conclusions ” section summarizes the study’s main findings and contributions, discusses its limitations, and suggests directions for future research.

Literature review

Evaluation of smart city: contents, methods, and subjects.

The evaluation of smart cities is a central research area within the smart city development field. Developing standardized evaluation criteria serves the dual purpose of defining smart city development boundaries and scientifically measuring its effectiveness. This, in turn, facilitates the achievement of development goals centered on evaluation-driven construction, improvement, and management 32 . We conducted data collection on “smart city*” AND “evaluation”, resulting in the selection of 82 articles. This involved an extensive search of the Wos Core Collection database for articles published in the period from January 2019 to January 2024.

To facilitate a clearer understanding for readers of current research on smart city evaluation, we have categorized it by evaluation contents , evaluation methods , and evaluation subjects .

Cluster1-evaluation contents (what to evaluate), including smart city evaluation dimensions and indicators. By analyzing the article content, it’s clear that most smart city evaluation approaches align with six core dimensions: economy, quality of life, governance, people, mobility, and environment 13 , 15 . Centered around these six dimensions, international organizations (ISO, ETSI, UN, and ITU) and scholars have established various sets of smart city evaluation indicators, considering the interdependencies among urban economic, environmental, and social factors, all in alignment with the goals of sustainable urban development 32 , 33 , 34 . Notably, Sharifi 35 compiled a comprehensive list of indicators incorporating a wide range of assessment schemes. This list not only covers the scope of the evaluation indicators (project/community/city) and their data types (primary/secondary) but also considers the stages of smart city development (planning/operation) and stakeholder involvement 36 . Subsequent research predominantly utilizes the same criteria as Sharifi 35 to identify indicator sets, taking into account the specific needs of each city and defining the spatial and temporal scales of the indicator sets 37 .

Cluster 2-evaluation methods (How to evaluate) , including smart city evaluation methods and tools. Research in this field focuses on three main areas: identifying evaluation indicators for smart cities, computing composite index, and developing evaluation models 38 , 39 . Methods for indicator identification mainly include literature review, case studies, brainstorming, the Delphi method, and data-driven techniques 40 , 41 . The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) is commonly used for calculating composite indices, yet it faces issues like subjective biases and data size limitations 42 . Alternative methods, such as the Analytical Network Process (ANP) and the Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL), are used to address these drawbacks by simulating inter-indicator interactions. Additionally, techniques like Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) are applied for indicator weighting. Finally, smart city evaluation models are constructed to aggregate various dimensions and indicators into a unified score, facilitating project comparison and ranking, and highlighting areas needing improvement 43 , 44 .

Cluster 3-evaluation subjects (Who performs the evaluation) , including smart city stakeholders and participants. Smart city evaluations involve various stakeholders and participants. These complex processes see each entity, including government agencies, international organizations, academic institutions, industry sectors, and NGOs, contributing to the smart cities’ planning, development, and management 45 , 46 . Key organizations in this realm are the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), International Telecommunication Union (ITU), United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), Smart Cities Council, European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT Urban Mobility), and World Council on City Data (WCCD). Additionally, numerous countries have established their own smart city evaluation standards to direct and review smart city progress 11 . Notable examples are the “One New York: The Plan for a Strong and Just City” in the USA, the “BSI PAS 180” in the UK, Singapore's “Smart Nation Initiative”, and China’s “National New-type Smart City Evaluation Indicator System”.

Evaluation of low-carbon city: contents, methods, and subjects

As more countries integrate low-carbon city development into their national strategies and plans, conducting scientific evaluations of cities’ current low-carbon development levels to encourage them to adopt corresponding measures for improvement has become a key strategy in advancing cities towards a low-carbon future 47 . In the Wos Core Collection database, we conducted a search for studies spanning January 2018 to January 2023 with “low-carbon city*” AND “evaluation” as keywords, subsequently identifying 98 pertinent articles through two rounds of screening.

This section, maintaining the research framework of “ Evaluation of smart city: contents, methods, and subjects ” section ( evaluation contents, methods, and subjects ), organizes low-carbon city research to enable comparison with smart city evaluations.

Cluster 1-evaluation contents (what to evaluate), including low-carbon city evaluation systems, dimensions, and indicators. Current research focusing on low-carbon cities primarily spans six key domains: urban low-carbon scale, energy, behavior, policy, mobility, and carbon sinks. The evaluation dimensions for low-carbon cities are mainly divided into two types: single-criterion systems concentrating on specific low-carbon aspects (such as low-carbon economy, low-carbon energy, etc.), and comprehensive multi-criteria systems assessing the overall urban low-carbon development 48 , 49 . Compared to single-criterion evaluation systems, comprehensive and multi-criteria evaluation systems are increasingly gaining attention from scholars. These scholars share the view that low-carbon city construction is a diverse, dynamic, interconnected process that requires comprehensive consideration of various urban aspects, including economy, society, and environment, and involves coordinating the actions of different stakeholders to achieve sustainable urban development 50 , 51 . Additionally, international institutions and many national governments have also published low-carbon city evaluation frameworks from the perspective of comprehensive and multi-criteria evaluation systems. The most notable examples include the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development, which set 30 indicators from four dimensions: social, environmental, economic, and institutional, to evaluate the level of urban low-carbon development. The Chinese Academy of Social Sciences proposed the “China Low Carbon City Indicator System”, covering 8 dimensions such as economy, energy, facilities, and 25 specific indicators including energy intensity, per capita carbon emissions, and forest coverage rate.

Cluster 2-evaluation methods (How to evaluate) , including low-carbon city evaluation methods and tools. Firstly, identifying evaluation indicators as the initial step in constructing a low-carbon city evaluation model, current research methods not only include traditional methods like literature review and expert interviews but also increasingly involve scholars using dynamic perspectives based on urban complex systems, applying models like DPSR (Driving forces-Pressures-State-Response), STIRPA (Stochastic Impacts by Regression on Population, Affluence, and Technology), the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC), and STEEP (Social, Technological, Economic, Ecological, and Political) for indicator identification 52 , 53 . Secondly, weighting evaluation indicators, an essential part of model construction, typically involves methods like subjective weighting (expert scoring, Delphi method, AHP) 54 , objective weighting (PCA, Entropy weight method, variance analysis), and combined weighting (DEA) 55 . Each method has its characteristics and suitable scenarios and should be selected according to specific circumstances. Additionally, quantitative assessment of regional carbon emissions using methods like carbon footprint analysis, baseline emission comparison, and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is also becoming a research focus 56 .

Cluster 3-evaluation subjects (Who performs the evaluation) , including low-carbon city stakeholders and participants. The evaluation of low-carbon cities also involves multiple stakeholders (government, enterprises, residents, etc.) 57 . Among them, international organizations like the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), the International Energy Agency (IEA), and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) have played significant roles in establishing low-carbon city evaluation standards and promoting global low-carbon city development. Additionally, due to economic, policy, and perception factors, current low-carbon city construction relies primarily on government financial input, with social capital and public participation in low-carbon city construction noticeably lacking 58 . Therefore, how to enhance the awareness of enterprises and residents as main actors in low-carbon city construction has become a current research focus.

Coupling coordination analysis between SCP and LCL

Smart cities and low-carbon cities, as important urban development models for the future, have seen an increasing focus on their interrelation by scholars in recent years, becoming an emerging research hotspot in the field. In the Wos Core Collection database, we searched for studies from January 2018 to January 2024 using the keywords “smart city*” “low-carbon city*” “correlation analysis” “coupling coordination analysis” and “urban sustainability”. After two rounds of screening, 24 related studies were selected for analysis.

From the perspective of research results, the current research conclusions about the correlation between low-carbon cities and smart cities primarily include two main points: (i) SCP and LCL cannot achieve coupling coordination development. Some scholars argue that SCP and LCL differ in their focus: SCP emphasizes urban technological and economic development, while LCL focuses more on urban ecological construction 17 . Particularly, De Jong identified 12 urban development concepts, including smart city, low-carbon city, eco-city, and green city. He believes that a clear distinction must be made in the conceptual definition of these types of cities to more accurately guide future urban planning 59 . Furthermore, some scholars argue that the relationship between SMC and LCC is negatively correlated. Deakin believes that the direct environmental benefits of IoT technology are insufficient to achieve urban sustainability goals 60 . Barr et al. argue that the logic of smart cities often leads city administrations to prioritize superficial changes and promote individual behavioral shifts, detracting from the crucial task of reconfiguring urban infrastructure for low-carbon lifestyles 61 , 62 . (ii) SCP and LCL can achieve coupling coordination development. Some scholars believe there is a positive correlation between SCP and LCL, with SCP potentially promoting the development of LCL. Specifically, the intelligent systems built by SCP can effectively match urban energy supply and demand, reducing urban carbon emissions, such as through smart grids and intelligent transportation networks 18 . It is worth noting that most of the studies on the coupling coordination relationship between urban SCP and LCL are based on perspectives of individual urban subsystems such as technology, economy, management, industrial structure, and society. They lack a comprehensive consideration of the city as a complex system 59 , 61 , 63 .

From the perspective of research methodologies, coupling coordination analysis is a fundamental statistical approach for examining relationships between two or more variables. This analysis typically employs techniques such as Pearson’s correlation coefficient, Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient, Kendall’s tau, partial correlation, point-biserial correlation, and multiple correlations. Each technique offers unique insights into the nature and strength of the interdependencies among variables 61 . The selection of an appropriate method depends on the data type (continuous, ordinal, or categorical), its distribution (e.g., normal distribution), and the specific objectives of the research.

In summary, although existing research has made significant contributions to the independent evaluation and advancement of smart cities and low-carbon cities, including their relevant construction content, main actors, as well as some specific measures such as empowering cities with data intelligence for low-carbon economic development and transitioning industrial structure to low-carbon, there are still some important knowledge gaps. On the one hand, current research primarily analyzes the coupling coordination relationship between urban SCP and LCL from the micro-perspective of individual urban subsystems such as economic and energy systems. This approach lacks a macroscopic perspective from the complex urban system, which is detrimental to the comprehensive development of cities 60 , 64 , 65 . On the other hand, current studies often only conduct basic qualitative comparisons of the relationship between the development levels of urban SCP and LCL from a quantitative or qualitative perspective. They lack a comprehensive analytical approach that integrates both qualitative and quantitative analyses for further exploration of the coupling coordination relationship between urban SCP and LCL. This shortfall hinders the sustainable development of cities.

To fill these knowledge gaps, this study employs a mixed-methods approach, combining qualitative and quantitative analyses, to examine the model of coupling coordination between urban SCP and LCL. It also develops recommendations to enhance this coupling coordination, aiming to support sustainable development goals. Furthermore, this research selects 52 typical low-carbon and smart pilot cities in China as case studies, ensuring both scientific validity and practical applicability of the findings. Additionally, to enhance the logical coherence and readability of this study, we posit that a coupling coordination relationship exists between urban SCP and LCL and thus propose Hypothesis 1 .

Hypothesis 1

There is a substantial degree of coupling coordination between the overall urban system’s SCP and LCL, yet there are disparities in this coordination degree among the subsystems of economy, society, politics, culture, and ecology.

Methodology

Research framework.

The construction of low-carbon and smart cities, as key pathways to urban sustainability, necessitates examining their interplay and fostering their collaborative development for achieving sustainability goals 66 . This research employs a sequential framework, including Conceptual, Data, Analysis, and Decision-making Layers, to methodically explore the coupling coordination relationship between SCP and LCL, with the framework illustrated in Fig. 1 .

Research framework.

Firstly , in the Conceptual Layer, this study aligns with the United Nations’ objectives for sustainable cities, encompassing economic growth, social equity, better life conditions, and improved urban environments. Integrating these with China’s “Five-Sphere Integrated Plan (economy, politics, culture, society, and ecological environment construction)” for urban development, the research dissects the components of smart city systems (such as information infrastructure, information security, public welfare services) and low-carbon city systems (including low-carbon construction, transportation, and industry), with the aim to collect indicators. Secondly , in the Data Layer, this research develops smart city and low-carbon city evaluation systems, grounded in national standards and official statistics, to qualitatively examine the correlation between SCP and LCL from a macro perspective. Thirdly, in the Analysis Layer, this study selects 52 cities, both smart and low-carbon pilot cities in China, as samples for quantitative analysis. The process involves standardizing indicators, scoring and ranking the cities based on their smart performance and low-carbon levels, followed by employing Pearson’s correlation coefficient and coupling coordination degree model to scientifically analyze the correlation between SCP and LCL. Finally, in the Decision-making Layer, the study examines the coupling coordination relationship between urban smart performance, the overall low-carbon level, and the low-carbon level across five dimensions, which is key for us to test Hypothesis 1 . It also formulates development paths for the coupling coordination of smart and low-carbon cities.

SCP index system construction

Since the concept of smart cities was introduced in 2008, many national governments have established smart city evaluation standards. Due to varying national conditions, SCP evaluation indicators differ across countries. As the sample cities in this study are Chinese smart pilot cities, the selection of SCP evaluation indicators primarily references relevant Chinese national standards. As a global pioneer in smart city development, China released the “Evaluation indicators for new-type smart cities (GB/T 33356-2016)” in 2016 and revised it in 2022. This national standard, with its evaluative indicators, clearly defines the key construction content and development direction of new smart cities, aiming to specifically enhance the effectiveness and level of smart city construction, gaining significant recognition within the industry.

This study, grounded in the concept of a city’s “Five-in-One” sustainable development, is guided by three principles of “Inclusive well-being & Ecological harmony”, “Digital space & Physical space”, and “New IT technologies & Comprehensive services”. It also adheres to the “people-oriented concept” and adopts an “urban complex dynamic perspective” in the process of smart city construction. Additionally, it follows the principle of “similar attributes of evaluation objects”. Based on these foundations, the study establishes three criteria for selecting evaluation indicators, including scientific, coordination, and representation. Drawing on the Chinese government’s smart city evaluation standards and utilizing a literature review methodology, this research constructs an SCP evaluation indicator system for cities, as detailed in Supplementary Appendix Table A1 . The SCP index system includes six primary indicators, including smart public service (SPE), precise governance (PG), information infrastructure (II), digital economy (DE), innovative development environment (IDE), and citizen satisfaction (SCS). It also features 24 secondary indicators, such as traffic information services, grassroots smart governance, and spatio-temporal information platforms. Importantly, to explore the correlation between smart cities and low-carbon cities more effectively, the study deliberately omits “Internet + Green Ecology” related indicators from the smart city evaluation system. To ensure the accuracy and representativeness of these indicators, they were validated through expert consultation, public participation, and comprehensive statistical methods.

LCL index system construction

Current international organizations and academic perspectives on low-carbon city evaluation systems are predominantly based on the urban complex systems approach, considering the interplay and interaction of aspects such as low-carbon society, economy, and technology. Consistent with the principles for selecting SCP evaluation indicators, the choice of LCL evaluation indicators in this study primarily adheres to relevant Chinese national standards and related literature.

As a proactive practitioner in global low-carbon city development, in 2021, the Chinese government released the “Sustainable Cities and Communities—Guides for low-carbon development evaluation (GB/T 41152-2021)”. This national standard evaluates the level of urban low-carbon development, clarifying the key directions for such development, and serves as a current guide for low-carbon city construction in China. Thus, this study, grounded in the “Five-in-One” sustainable urban development framework and guided by the principles of “carbon reduction & pollution reduction”, “green economic growth”, and “enhanced carbon sequestration capacity”, combines the previously established principles of scientific, coordination, and representative for selecting evaluation indicators. It establishes an LCL index system based on the Chinese government’s evaluation standards and relevant literature. Specifically, the LCL evaluation index system constructed in this study includes five primary indicators, including low-carbon economic (LCE), low-carbon society (LCS), low-carbon environmental quality (LCEQ), low-carbon management (LCM), and low-carbon culture (LCC), as well as 22 secondary indicators such as energy consumption per unit of GDP and carbon emission intensity, as shown in Supplementary Appendix Table A2 . Similarly, to ensure the accuracy and representativeness of the indicators, the specific indicators were validated through expert consultation, public participation, and comprehensive statistical methods.

Analysis model construction

In this study, an Entropy-TOPSIS-Pearson correlation-Coupling coordination degree (ETPC) analysis model is constructed to quantitatively analyze the coupling coordination relationship between Urban SCP and LCL. The entropy method is first applied for objective weighting of evaluation indices, ensuring data objectivity and reducing subjective bias, thus enhancing the model’s accuracy and fairness. Next, the TOPSIS method is used to rank sample cities based on their smart performance and low-carbon levels, providing a straightforward and intuitive ranking mechanism. The Pearson correlation method then examines the correlation between SCP and LCL, offering data-driven insights into the dynamic relationships between these variables. Finally, the coupling coordination model calculates the degree of coordination between SCP and LCL, providing a theoretical basis for subsequent enhancement pathways and policy recommendations. The ETPC model constructed in this study has several advantages and complementarities, allowing for a comprehensive analysis and evaluation of the research question from various perspectives. Additionally, the ETPC model can be broadly applied to other multidimensional evaluation and decision analysis issues, such as the coupling coordination between various public health interventions and community health levels, and the comprehensive effects of different economic policies on regional economic development and environmental impact. Specific analysis steps are outlined as follows.

Step 1: Conduct the data normalization process.

where x ij and y ij represent respectively the original and standardized value for the indicator j in referring to the sample case i ( i = 1,2,3,…, m; j = 1,2,3,…, n ), max (x j ) and min (x j ) denote respectively the largest and smallest value among all m samples for the indicator j , P ij represents the value proportion of indicator j in the sample case i to the summation value of the indicator from all cases.

Step 2: Calculate the weight and measure the comprehensive level based on entropy method.

The entropy weight method, an objective approach deriving weights from sample characteristics, mitigates expert bias, enhancing the objectivity and credibility of indicator weighting 67 . This study employs this method, determining weights through the calculation of each indicator’s information entropy, and measure the comprehensive level of the subsystem.

where m is the total number of sample cases, ${e}_{j}$ demonstrates the entropy value of the j indicator and ${\omega }_{j}$ denotes the weight of indicator j , and V represent the comprehensive level.

Step 3: Conduct a ranking of evaluation objects based on TOPSIS method.

A key limitation of the entropy method is its tendency to neglect the significance of indicators. The TOPSIS method, addressing this issue, is an ideal-solution-based ranking technique that aids in multi-objective decision-making among finite options 68 . In this approach, the study first determines positive and negative ideal solutions, measures each objective’s distance to these ideals, and subsequently ranks the subjects by the proximity of each objective to the ideal solution.

where ${ V}^{+}$ and ${V}^{-}$ respectively represent the best ideal solution and the worst ideal solution, ${D}_{i}^{+}$ and ${D}_{i}^{-}$ represent the distances from the objective to the positive and negative ideal solutions, respectively. ${C}_{i}$ indicates the closeness of the evaluation objective to the optimal solution, with ${C}_{i}\in \left[\text{0,1}\right]$ . A larger ${C}_{i}$ value suggests stronger smart and low-carbon development capabilities of the sample city.

Step 4: Analyze the correlation based on Pearson correlation method.

The Pearson correlation method is commonly used to measure the correlation coefficient between two continuous random variables, thereby assessing the degree of correlation between them 69 . In this study, based on the results from Steps 1–3, two sets of data are obtained representing the smart development level and low-carbon development level of sample cities, $A:\left\{{A}_{1},{A}_{2},\dots ,{A}_{n}\right\}$ and $B:\left\{{B}_{1},{B}_{2},\dots ,{B}_{n}\right\}$ . The overall means and covariance of both data sets are calculated, resulting in the Pearson correlation coefficient between the two variables.

where ${A}_{i}$ and ${B}_{i}$ respectively represent the SCP and LCL of sample cities. $E\left(A\right)$ and $E\left(B\right)$ are the overall means of the two data sets, ${\sigma }_{A}\text{ and }{\sigma }_{B}$ are their respective standard deviations, $cov(A,B)$ is the covariance, and ${\rho }_{AB}$ is the Pearson correlation coefficient. When the correlation coefficient approaches 0, the relationship weakens, as it nears − 1 or + 1, the correlation strengthens.

Step 5: Analyze the coupling coordination degree based on the coupling coordination model.

The coupling coordination degree characterizes the level of interaction between different systems and serves as a scientific model for measuring the coordinated development level of multiple subsystems or elements 70 . This study has developed a model to measure the coupling coordination degree between two systems.

where C defines the coupling degree, ${f}_{1}$ and ${f}_{2}$ are the evaluation values of SCP and LCL respectively. CPD represents the coupling coordination degree. $\alpha$ , $\beta$ are the coefficient to be determined, indicating the importance of the systems. This study assumes that each system is equally important. Thus $\alpha =\beta =1/2.$

In this study, building upon the framework established by a preceding study, a classification system for the coupling coordination degree was developed. This system delineates the various types of coupling-coordinated development among SCP, LCL, LCS, LCM, LCEQ, and LCC. Current research on the division of coupling coordination degree intervals often uses an average distribution within the [0, 1] range 70 . However, due to the large sample size and the wide distribution range of coupling coordination degrees in this study, we have categorized these types into ten distinct levels based on their rank, as detailed in Table 1 .

Selection of sample cities and data collection

The Chinese government has prioritized the development of smart and low-carbon cities. Since 2010, it has launched 290 smart city pilots and 81 low-carbon city pilots across various regions, reflecting different levels of development, resource allocations, and operational foundations. To maintain the scientific integrity of our study, we established stringent criteria for selecting sample cities: (i) each city must be concurrently identified as both a smart and a low-carbon city pilot, and (ii) their government agencies must have issued data on key performance indicators for these initiatives. Following these criteria, our research has ultimately selected 52 cities as samples, as detailed in Fig. 2 . It is noteworthy that these 52 typical case cities are almost all provincial capitals in China, mostly located within the Yangtze River Delta, Pearl River Delta, Jingjinji (Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei), and Western Triangle economic regions. Additionally, according to the “Globalization and World Cities Research Network (GaWC) World Cities Roster 2022 (GaWC2022)”, these cities are ranked within the top 200 globally. Therefore, given the scope of this research, these case cities offer significant representativeness and can serve as valuable models for promoting development in other urban areas. The data for this paper were sourced from the “China Low-Carbon Yearbook (2010–2023)”, the “China Environmental Statistics Yearbook (2010–2023)”, and low-carbon city data published by the governments of the sample cities. Additionally, this study addressed any missing data by averaging the data from adjacent years and applying exponential smoothing.

52 sample cities and their geographic locations.

Weighting values between evaluation indicators

The entropy weighting values between the 20 indicators of SCP and the 19 indicators of LCL are calculated by applying the data described in “ Weighting values between evaluation indicators ” section to formula ( 1 )–( 5 ), and the results are shown in Supplementary Appendix Tables A3 and A4 . Specifically, within the SCP evaluation framework, SPE and II are assigned the highest weights, while LCS and LCM are allocated the highest weights within the LCL evaluation framework. Conversely, SCS and LCC have attributed the lowest weights in their respective contexts.

Evaluation of SCP and LCL in sample cities

Utilizing the data from “ Selection of sample cities and data collection ” section and the weighting values derived in “ Weighting values between evaluation indicators ” section, we can determine the SCP and LCL of sample cities using the TOPSIS method, as outlined in formulas ( 6 )–( 9 ). The results are illustrated in Supplementary Appendix Table A5 and Fig. 3 . In this study, the value of the closeness coefficient (C i ) is used to indicate the relative closeness of a particular sample city to the negative ideal point 71 . The negative ideal point represents the worst solution of the ideal, where the individual attribute values reach their worst in each alternative. Therefore, a larger value of closeness indicates better smart city performance or a lower carbon level of a sample city 72 . C LCL and C SCP respectively represent the low-carbon level closeness coefficient and the smart city performance closeness coefficient. In referring to Supplementary Appendix Table A5 , the best three cities of SCP are Shenzhen, Shanghai, and Hangzhou, whilst the worst three cities are Yan’an, Jincheng, and Xining. Furthermore, Chengdu, Qingdao, and Beijing are the best there low-carbon level performers. Whilst Jincheng, Urumqi, and Huhehaote are the three worst.

TOPSIS-based analysis of SCP with LCL in 52 sample cities.

In referencing Fig. 3 , this study considers SCP data of sample cities as the control variable and ranks them in ascending order based on TOPSIS results. We then examine changes in LCL data to ascertain the correlation between these variables, yielding two key research conclusions: on one hand, analysis of 52 sample cities demonstrates a general ascending trend in both SCP and LCL data curves. This trend suggests a positive correlation between these two parameters. On the other hand, the LCL data, in contrast to the consistent rise in SCP, exhibits notable fluctuations and wider dispersion. This indicates that the positive correlation between SCP and LCL, while present, is not markedly robust.

Correlation results of SCP and LCL in sample cities

Correlation analysis of urban SCP and overall-LCL. This analysis employs the closeness coefficient (C i ) to assess SCP and overall-LCL in sample cities for Hypothesis 1 in Eqs. ( 10 ) and ( 11 ). The results are presented in Table 2 . Additionally, a linear regression analysis is conducted to determine the presence and magnitude of the relationship between SCP and LCL in these cities, as shown in Fig. 4 .

The scatter and regression of SCP and LCL: ( A ) SCP & Overall-LCL; ( B ) SCP & LCM; ( C ) SCP & LCS; ( D ) SCP & LCE; ( E ) SCP & LCQE; ( F ) SCP & LCC.

Considering the closeness coefficient range, correlation is categorized into five levels: very weak ( $\left|{\rho }_{AB}\right|<0$ .1), weak ( $0.1\le \left|{\rho }_{AB}\right|<0$ .3), moderate ( $0.3\le \left|{\rho }_{AB}\right|<0$ .5), strong ( $0.5\le \left|{\rho }_{AB}\right|<0$ .7), and very strong ( $0.7\le \left|{\rho }_{AB}\right|<1.0$ ) 73 . Table 1 indicates a strong positive correlation between SCP and overall LCL. Linear regression analysis in Fig. 4 A demonstrates a significant correlation between SCP and urban LCL ( R 2 = 0.42, p < 0.001), with notable differences exist among cities, consistent with Hypothesis 1 .

Correlation analysis of SCP and each low-carbon dimension. Pearson correlation analysis effectively measures the strength of linear relationships between two variables, but it does not identify causal relationships between them. To address this limitation and explore the interaction between the two variables, this study sets and solves the closeness coefficient for each low-carbon dimension, which are low-carbon economy (C LCE ), low-carbon society (C LCS ), low-carbon environmental quality (C LCEQ ), low-carbon management (C LCM ), and low-carbon culture (C LCC ). It then calculates the correlation analysis results for SCP and each low-carbon dimension for Hypothesis 1 , as shown in Table 1 . Furthermore, the results of the linear regression analysis are presented in Fig. 4 .

In detail, strong correlations exist between SCP and LCM, LCS, and LCEQ. The correlation is moderate with LCE and weak with LCC. Furthermore, linear regression analysis shows that the links between SCP and low-carbon levels across five dimensions are significant with minimal variance. Cities with higher SCP typically show higher values in LCM ( R 2 = 0.38, p = 0.000), LCS ( R 2 = 0.35, p = 0.000), and LCE ( R 2 = 0.32, p = 0.000) as depicted in Fig. 4 B–D. However, this trend is less pronounced in LCEQ ( R 2 = 0.17, p = 0.000) and LCC ( R 2 = 0.06, p = 0.001), which exhibit greater dispersion as shown in Fig. 4 E,F. The lower R 2 values for LCEQ and LCC compared to other dimensions suggest a greater influence of factors not included in the model. Furthermore, to ensure the credibility and reliability of the research findings, this study conducted a sensitivity analysis by identifying and removing outliers from the sample dataset using the Z-score method, in addition to the previously mentioned Pearson correlation analysis. The Pearson correlation coefficient for the original dataset of city SCP and LCL is 0.65, with a significant P-value. After removing the outliers, the Pearson correlation coefficient is 0.61, and the P-value remained significant. Therefore, the correlation between city SCP and LCL proposed in Research Hypothesis 1 is robust.

Coupling coordination degree of SCP and LCL in sample cities

The degree of coupling coordination comprehensively considers multiple aspects of urban complex systems, including economic, social, and environmental dimensions. By systematically evaluating the coordinated development level of urban SCP and LCL, this approach enables the analysis of the coupling and coordination relationships between SCP and LCL, as well as among various subsystems such as LCM, LCS, LCE, LCEQ, and LCC. This reveals the dynamic interactions and causality between SCP and LCL within urban complex systems. The coupling coordination degrees of SCP and LCL, along with their subsystems, in 52 typical smart and low-carbon pilot cities in China, are illustrated in Fig. 5 .

Coupled coordination degree of SCP and LCL, LCS, LCEQ, LCE, LCM, LCC.

Characteristics of objective changes in the coupled coordination degree between SCP and LCL. Based on the coupling coordination model and Eqs. ( 12 ) to ( 14 ), the coupling coordination degree of the urban complex system in SCP and LCL regions is calculated for Hypothesis 1 , as illustrated in Fig. 5 .

From the holistic perspective of urban complex systems, as the level of urban SCP continuously improves, the coupling coordination degree between SCP and LCL among 52 pilot cities in China shows an upward trend. This indicates that as the functional indices of urban SCP and LCL both strengthen, their interaction and coordination also enhance. Among these, Jincheng has the lowest coupled coordination degree at 0.5201, while Beijing boasts the highest at 0.8622. Within the 52 pilot cities, 5.78% exhibit a barely coupling coordination level, 51.93% display a primary coupling coordination level, 25% achieve an intermediate coupling coordination level, and 17.31% reach a good coupling coordination level. Moreover, the average coupling coordination degree of the 52 pilot cities is 0.598, suggesting that the SCP and LCL of the pilot cities can achieve coupled coordinated development.

Characteristics of objective changes in the coupled coordination degree among SCP, LCM, LCS, LCE, LCEQ, and LCC for Hypothesis 1 are illustrated in Fig. 5 .

From the perspective of urban subsystems, the coupling coordination degrees of LCS & SCP, LCE & SCP, and LCM & SCP all exhibit characteristics of steady fluctuations with an upward trend, while the coupling coordination degree of LCC & SCP shows greater volatility in its upward trend. The coupling coordination degree of LCEQ & SCP demonstrates a trend of initially rising and then declining. Furthermore, the average values of the coupling coordination degrees for LCS & SCP, LCE & SCP, LCM & SCP, LCEQ & SCP, and LCC & SCP are 0.478, 0.761, 0.779, 0.710, and 0.485, respectively. Among these, the pilot cities’ subsystems of LCE, LCM, and LCEQ with SCP exhibit an intermediate level of coupling coordination, while the coupling coordination degrees of LCS and LCC with SCP are on the verge of a dysfunctional recession. This indicates that the causal relationships between urban SCP and the subsystems of urban LCM, LCS, LCE, LCEQ, and LCC vary. Overall, Hypothesis 1 holds true both from the perspective of the city's overall system and from the perspective of its various subsystems.

Discussions and implications

Relationship between scp and lcl of different cities.

Considering the evaluation results of the urban SCP and LCL, four grades of the overall points can be classified, namely, excellent (0.7–1.0), average (0.5–0.7), below average (0.4–0.5), and poor (0–0.4). Subsequently, the sample cities in Supplementary Appendix Table A5 were classified based on these gradations. In the sample, cities with excellent SCP constitute 9.62%, about double the proportion with excellent LCL. Cities with average SCP account for 48.08%, whereas those at average LCL represent only 26.92%. Notably, cities with poor LCL comprise 26.92%, nearly triple the rate of those with poor SCP. The findings suggest that China’s SCP currently outperforms its low-carbon city initiatives, largely attributable to the rapid advancement of the Internet and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in recent years. What’s more, Fig. 4 illustrates that urban SCP significantly positively influences the urban LCL, though substantial variations exist among different cities. The relevant types can be summarized into the following four categories.

Quadrant I-high SCP and high LCL, including only six cities (Shenzhen, Shanghai, Beijing, Ningbo, Xiamen, and Qingdao). These cities are not only among China’s earliest smart city pilots but also recent focus areas for the government’s “Carbon Peak Pioneer Cities” initiative. By actively exploring innovative models, systems, and technologies for smart and low-carbon co-development, these cities provide valuable practical experiences for others. For instance, Shenzhen has developed a multi-level, multi-component greenhouse gas monitoring network and technology system for “carbon flux, carbon concentration, carbon emissions”, while Ningbo has constructed a “smart zero-carbon” comprehensive demonstration port area.

Quadrant II-poor SCP and poor LCL, numerous cities in Fig. 4 A, such as Jincheng, Lhasa, and Urumqi, exhibit poor SCP and LCL. Despite China having the most smart and low-carbon city pilots globally, its development level in these areas still lags significantly behind typical developed countries. While China’s infrastructure like networking and computing power has reached a certain scale, issues persist with insufficient integration and intensity in infrastructure construction and operation, as well as problems with aging infrastructure and low levels of intelligence. Furthermore, although China’s low-carbon pilot cities have made positive progress in promoting low-carbon development, most still have incomplete carbon emission statistical systems and inadequate operational mechanisms, leading to generally poor overall low-carbon development levels.

Quadrant III-high LCL but poor SCP, such as Kunming, Xining, and Guiyang. These cities possess resources conducive to low-carbon development, such as Kunming and Guiyang with their rich forest carbon sinks, and Xining with abundant clean energy sources like solar and wind power. However, they are mostly situated in China’s central and southwest areas with underdeveloped physical and economic conditions. Leveraging their abundant low-carbon resources, and utilizing big data and IoT technology, achieving sustainable green economic growth through carbon credits and trading markets, as well as green finance, represents a significant future development direction for these cities.

Quadrant IV-high SCP but poor LCL, including Suzhou, and Jinhua Zhongshan, decoupling economic development from carbon emissions presents a significant development challenge for these cities. Specifically, for Suzhou, one of the world’s largest industrial cities, the main challenge is achieving decarburization in the energy sector and transitioning high-emission manufacturing industries to low-carbon alternatives.

What’s more, as illustrated in Fig. 5 , the degree of interaction between SCP and LCL across the 52 pilot cities in China positively impacts the balanced and comprehensive performance of these cities. This, in turn, fosters the coordinated development of urban systems as a whole. Moreover, the continual increase in the coupled coordination degree between SCP and LCL with the enhancement of SCP in pilot cities indicates that smart city construction contributes to urban low-carbon development. Future urban development in China should fully leverage the industrial upgrading effect, carbon sequestration effect, and energy utilization effect of smart city construction. However, the increasing slope of the SCP & LCL coupled coordination degree curve in Fig. 5 suggests significant regional differences in the level of SCP & LCL coupled coordination development across Chinese cities. Smart city construction has a more pronounced decarburization effect in central and western cities, southern cities, non-environmentally focused cities, and resource-based cities, with cities in the northwest showing notably poorer levels of SCP & LCL coupled coordination development. This serves as a warning for future urban development in China.

Relationships between SCP and LCL in each urban subsystem

The relationship between urban SCP and LCL across five dimensions is illustrated in Fig. 4 B–F. There is a strong positive correlation between SCP and LCM, LCS, and LCE, while a moderate correlation is observed with LCEQ, and a weak correlation with LCC. Furthermore, the degree of coupling coordination between SCP and subsystems such as LCS, LCEQ, LCE, LCM, and LCC is examined in Fig. 5 . The results of the coupling coordination vividly illustrate the synergistic interactions and developmental harmony between urban SCP and various systems.

Among these, the coupling coordination degree curve fluctuation between SCP & LCM is stable, situated at an intermediate coupling coordination level, indicating the dominant role of the Chinese government in the construction of smart cities and low-carbon cities, as well as the effectiveness of policy implementation. However, this also suggests that in promoting urban smart and low-carbon construction, China faces the risk of adopting “one-size-fits-all” mandatory policies, neglecting to advance construction in phases with emphasis, tailored to the city's resource endowment and economic development status. The coupling coordination degree curve changes between SCP&LCE and SCP&LCL show the highest degree of fit, indicating that low-carbon economic development brought about by digital empowerment and upgrading of the urban industrial structure is a key driving factor for promoting the coupled coordination development of urban smart and low-carbon initiatives. Transforming traditional industrial structures and pursuing low-carbon upgrades of the economic structure present challenges for urban development in China today. The coupled coordination degree of SCP & LCS is on the verge of a dysfunctional recession, highlighting the imbalance in the development between China's SCP and LCS, especially in terms of new infrastructure construction, such as smart transportation and logistics facilities, smart energy systems, smart environmental resources facilities, etc. The current construction of new infrastructure in China is far from meeting the living needs of the broad masses of people.

It is noteworthy that with the continuous improvement of the SCP in sample cities, the coupling performance degree between SCP and LCEQ exhibits two phases: an initial stage of synergistic enhancement followed by a stage of diminished synergy. In the early phase of synergistic development, the SCP and LCEQ systems of cities, driven by shared goals of sustainable urban development, strategy adjustments, resource sharing, and technological progress, facilitated effective collaboration and integration between systems. However, upon reaching a certain stage, intensified resource competition, declining management efficiency, and environmental changes led to internal system fatigue, resulting in weakened synergy. This indicates that once the technological effects generated by smart city construction reach a certain level, it becomes crucial to enhance the city's capacity for autonomous innovation. Addressing the bottleneck issues of core technologies and transforming the development mode of smart low-carbon technology from “imitative innovation” represent significant breakthroughs for further promoting the coupled coordination of SCP and LCEQ in China’s future.

Moreover, as the SCP of sample cities continuously improves, the coupled coordination degree between SCP and LCC shows two phases: initial stable fluctuations and subsequent rapid growth. The turning point in the curve change occurs at a coupled coordination degree of 0.6, denoted as the primary coupling coordination point. Among these, the low-carbon awareness rate of urban residents, as a key indicator of LCC, shows that the majority of urban residents in China are still in the cognitive awakening stage regarding low-carbon consciousness. At this stage, residents begin to recognize the severity of climate change and environmental degradation, along with the importance of smart low-carbon lifestyles in mitigating these issues. The government continuously promotes this awareness through media reports, educational activities, official propaganda, and community initiatives. As residents gain a deeper understanding of the issues, their attitudes shift from initial indifference or skepticism to a stronger identification with and support for the values and concepts of smart low-carbon living. This shift encourages residents to experiment with new smart low-carbon lifestyles, gradually finding suitable smart low-carbon behavioral patterns that become habitual. Ultimately, when smart low-carbon lifestyles are fully internalized as part of residents’ values, they not only practice smart low-carbon living at the individual level but also actively participate in promoting society’s smart low-carbon construction. Therefore, this study posits that the emergence of the coupled coordination degree turning point between SCP and LCC is not only a process of individual behavioral change but also a reflection of social and cultural transformation. This process is time-consuming and influenced by multiple factors, including policy guidance, economic incentives, educational dissemination, and the social atmosphere.

Implications for promoting coupling coordination development between urban SCP and LCL

Low-carbon and smartness are vital features of modern, sustainable urban development and key supports for it. This study posits that urban low-carbon and smart development should not be disjointed but rather synergistic and complementary. To better achieve sustainable urban development goals, a model should be constructed with “low-carbon” as the cornerstone of sustainable development and “smartness” as the technological assurance for low-carbon growth. Specifically, this study proposes the “urban smart low-carbon co-development model”, which entails a deep integration of intelligent technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT) and big data with urban construction, governance services, and economic development. This model leverages digitalization to facilitate decarburization, thereby achieving urban sustainable development goals such as energy-efficient and green urbanization, ecological and livable environments, and streamlined governance services.

Furthermore, to better coordinate smart development with low-carbon city construction, enhance low-carbon city building through digitalization, and explore exemplary practices and models of smart low-carbon city construction, this study finds it necessary to establish an evaluation system for smart and low-carbon urban co-development. Therefore, based on the aforementioned urban SCP and LCL evaluation indicator system, this study initially conducted a literature review of past research, selecting 5 primary indicators and 20 secondary indicators from 48 articles to evaluate the degree of coupling coordination development between urban SCP and LCL. Subsequently, the Delphi method was employed to finalize the list of evaluation indicators, with 10 experts from various regions and diverse backgrounds in China refining the list and determining the weights of each indicator, as shown in Supplementary Appendix Table A6 . The final Smart Low-Carbon City Coupling Coordination Development Evaluation Indicator System, as presented in Table 3 , comprises 5 primary indicators and 18 secondary indicators. This evaluation system aims to emphasize the utilization of next-generation information technologies such as 5G, artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and blockchain to expand urban green ecological spaces, strengthen ecological environment governance, and enhance the level of intelligent urban governance, meeting the development needs of smart low-carbon cities.

The policy implications from the analysis results suggest that actions should be taken by government departments in China to reduce the uneven performance between urban SCP and LCL across various cities. These actions include, for example: Firstly, guiding the innovative development of urban SCP and LCL through policies, such as enhancing government digital services and administrative platforms, continuously promoting the development of emerging industries and the upgrading of traditional industries, and actively promoting green energy technologies. Secondly, categorizing and advancing the coordinated development of smart and low-carbon cities—comprehensive development should be pursued simultaneously in large cities in eastern and central China, while in smaller cities in western China, priorities should include enhancing urban innovation capabilities and improving infrastructure to lay a solid foundation for the coupled coordination of urban SCP and LCL. Thirdly, constructing a multi-stakeholder governance system to maximize the leading role of the government, the main role of enterprises, and the active participation of residents. By fostering a positive social atmosphere and cultural attributes, this will enhance the sense of participation and achievement among different social groups, creating a sustainable development model for urban SCP and LCL coordination. Lastly, emphasizing the development of SCP and LCL coordination in county-level cities is crucial. While large Chinese cities have already begun to form a pattern of coordinated SCP and LCL development, county-level cities, though with weaker infrastructures, possess tremendous potential. Focusing on low-carbon production, circulation, and consumption, and strengthening smart and low-carbon constructions in county-level cities will be a vital task for future urban development in China.

Conclusions

The global urbanization process brings opportunities for economic growth and social development, but also presents a series of challenges, such as environmental pressures and resource constraints 3 . The evaluation of urban SCP and LCL creates a link between the policy-making in urban resources environment management and the objectives of sustainable development goals (SDGs 11.4, 11.6, and 11.b) at the city level 74 . Currently, there is no unified consensus on the coupling coordination development between urban SCP and LCL. This study proposes a method combining qualitative and quantitative analysis from the perspective of urban complex systems to analyze the coupling coordination relationship between SCP and LCL. This new method clearly interprets a strong positive correlation between urban smart performance and the overall low-carbon level. Specifically, there are strong correlations between SMC and LCM, LCS, and LCE, with a moderate correlation to LCQE and a weak correlation with LCC. Several innovative insights for this method are highlighted: (i) sustainable development based on SCP and LCL assessment; (ii) emphasizing the “people-centric” concept in urban development; (iii) analyzing from the perspective of urban complex systems.

This study selected 52 typical smart and low-carbon pilot cities in China as sample cities to analyze the coupled coordination relationship between urban SCP and LCL. And the main findings from this analysis can be summarized as follows: (i) smart city initiatives outperform low-carbon city development, with notable differences in SCP and LCL effectiveness across eastern, central, and non-resource-based cities versus western, peripheral, and resource-dependent ones in China. (ii) A strong positive link between urban SCP and low-carbon levels, especially between SCP and LCM, LCS, and LCE, with moderate and weak correlations to LCEQ and LCC, respectively. (iii) An increasing urban SCP levels enhance the coupling coordination within the urban SCP and LCL system. SCP & LCE, SCP & LCM, and SCP & LCS subsystems align well with the overall system, driving the coupled coordination of urban SCP and LCL. In contrast, SCP & LCC and SCP & LCEQ have lesser alignment, affected by factors like technology, policy, economic incentives, education, and societal attitudes. Based on the evaluation results, this study posits that the development of urban low-carbon and smart initiatives should not be disjointed but rather synergistic and complementary. This study constructs an evaluation indicator system for the co-development of smart low-carbon cities aimed at better guiding the future coupling coordination development of smart and low-carbon cities.

The novelty of this study not only addresses the practical dilemma of obtaining comprehensive, accurate, and timely urban-level carbon emission data, a challenge due to existing measurement and estimation technologies being unable to capture all types of carbon emissions, but also assesses the urban SCP and LCL. Simultaneously, by combining qualitative and quantitative analysis methods, it fills the research gap on the nature of the coupled coordination relationship between urban SCP and LCL. Moreover, from the perspective of urban complex systems, this study dissects the urban low-carbon level into LCC, LC, LCE, LCEQ, and LCS, exploring their respective coupled coordination relationships with SCP. This clarifies the impact mechanism between SCP and LCL, providing a theoretical basis for smart low-carbon city co-development. The limitations of the study are also appreciated. Firstly, the study only selected a sample of cities in China, and the limited number of samples may not fully substantiate the research conclusions. Secondly, the indicator system constructed by this study is still not perfect, leading to certain inaccuracies in the evaluation results. In this regard, future studies are recommended to conduct a more comprehensive comparison analysis on the coupled coordination relationship between SCP and LCL at city, regional, and national levels, which would be beneficial in better guiding the practice of urban sustainability.

Data availability

All data generated or analysed during this study are included in this published article [and its Supplementary Information files].

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Xiongwei Zhu, Dezhi Li, Shenghua Zhou & Lugang Yu

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Zhu, X., Li, D., Zhou, S. et al. Evaluating coupling coordination between urban smart performance and low-carbon level in China’s pilot cities with mixed methods. Sci Rep 14 , 20461 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-68417-4

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Asus Vivobook S 15 review: new chip in a throwback laptop

“The Asus Vivobook S15 is the best large-display Copilot+ laptop so far in an old-school form factor.”

Reasonably affordable
Very good OLED display
Surprisingly fast
Excellent battery life
Old-school 16:9 display
Keyboard isn't great

Microsoft’s Copilot+ PC initiative is focused first on support for AI with faster neural processing units (NPUs). Copilot+ was first introduced on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X chipsets running Windows on Arm, promising better efficiency than Intel with good performance. So far, the results have been mixed but mostly positive — with Apple’s Arm-based M3 laptops retaining their superior battery life even while being a bit slower.

Specs and configurations

Keyboard and touchpad, connectivity and webcam, performance, battery life, display and audio, a reasonably priced copilot+ laptop if you want a larger display.

The Asus Vivobook S 15 is another Qualcomm-based Copilot+ PC, coming in an old-school 16:9 aspect ratio for a wider laptop. It’s fast and gets good battery life, and it’s reasonably priced. If you’re OK with the trend-bucking display, then it’s a reasonable alternative in a 15-inch laptop meeting the CoPilot+ specifications.


	13.88 inches x 8.93 inches x 0.58 – 0.63 inches
	3.13 pounds
	Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus X1P-42-100 Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus X1P-64-100 Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite X1E-78-100
	Qualcomm Adreno
	16GB 32GB
	15.6-inch 16:9 3K (2880 x 1620) OLED, 120Hz
	512GB SSD 1TB SSD
	No
	2 x USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 2 x USB4 1 x HDMI 2.1 1 x 3.5mm audio jack 1 x microSD card reader
	Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4
	1080p with infrared camera for Windows 11 Hello facial recognition
	Windows 11 on Arm
	70 watt-hour
	$1,100+

There are currently two configurations of the Vivobook S 15, starting at $1,100 for a Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus chipset, 16GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD, and a 15.6-inch 3K OLED display. For $1,300 list (on sale for the same $1,100), you get a Snapdragon X Elite chipset and a 1TB SSD.

That’s a fair price for a well-equipped 15-inch laptop, and it’s similar in price to most of the new Microsoft CoPilot+ PC laptops. It’s about $100 more than the Dell Inspiron 14 Plus 7441 with the same Snapdragon X Plus chipset that doesn’t have an OLED display. The Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge is considerably more expensive, costing at least $1,500 for a Snapdragon X Elite and a 16-inch 3K OLED display, so at least $300 more.

The Vivobook is within the Asus midrange laptop lineup, as opposed to the more premium Zenbook lineup — although that’s not always reflected in pricing. The very good Zenbook 14 Q425 , for example, can be had for well under $1,000. Sometimes, Vivobooks provide better performance at lower prices. So, it’s hard to pigeonhole the Vivobook S 15.

The reason I bring that up is because one thing I immediately noticed was that the Vivobook doesn’t feel as premium as most Zenbooks I’ve reviewed. In particular, the lid is quite bendable, and there’s some give in the chassis and keyboard deck. Zenbooks tend to be more rock-solid. It falls a bit behind some other Copilot+ PC laptops like the Inspiron 14 Plus 7441, the HP OmniBook X , and the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x .

Aesthetically, the Vivobook S 15 follows suit with so many other recent laptops with very simple lines, single color way (in this case, all black), and little or no chrome. As with almost all laptops today, the Vivobook is attractive enough but plays it safe. The Yoga Slim 7x has more character, while the Inspiron 14 Plus is even more nondescript. To say the Vivobook S 15 looks just OK seems fair.

It’s reasonably thin and light, in line with most Copilot+ laptops. In fact, it’s almost identical to the Inspiron 14 Plus. But it’s larger, obviously, given the 15.6-inch display and larger top and bottom display bezels (the sides are quite thin). And the Vivobook S 15 looks very old-school thanks to the 16:9 display aspect ratio that makes it seem wider and more rectangular (because it is). I rarely review a laptop that’s not 16:10 or 3:2, and so the Vivobook takes me back a bit.

The keyboard has large keycaps and enough, taking up most of the available space on the wide keyboard deck. The numeric keypad, which is becoming anachronistic, is quite small and so the Vivobook leverages its wider chassis for a keyboard that’s comfortable to use. My biggest problem with it is that the switches are a bit loose and felt sort of wobbly to me. They also weren’t as snappy as some, making it feel a bit mushy. Every other Copilot+ laptop I’ve reviewed has a better keyboard.

The touchpad was large enough and its buttons were reasonably quiet. I’d rate it as similar to most mechanical touchpads I’ve reviewed lately, but more and more laptops are moving to the vastly superior haptic touchpads. Maybe it’s all about price points, but only the Dell XPS 13 9345 has a haptic version among Copilot+ laptops I’ve reviewed.

The Vivobook S 15 has solid connectivity, with a mix of modern and legacy ports. Given the Qualcomm chipset, we’re seeing USB4 and not Intel’s Thunderbolt 4, but the two protocols are similar in speed and capabilities. Then there’s a microSD card reader, which some laptops have been skipping — although I always prefer a full-size slot. Wireless connectivity is fully up-to-date with the latest Wi-Fi 7.

The webcam is 1080p, which has become the new standard, and there’s an infrared camera for Windows 11 Hello facial recognition. The fast NPU with up to 45 tera operations per second (TOPS) exceeds the Copilot+ specification of 40 TOPS, and right now it supports Copilot+ features like enhanced Microsoft Studio Effects, Live Captions, and Cocreator . The controversial Recall feature, which was the standout when the Copilot+ PC initiative was announced, remains on hold. Asus also includes a host of utilities that might use the NPU to some extent, but it’s hard to quantify at this point.

According to the Asus website, Vivobook S 15 is supposed to equip either a Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus X1P-64-100 or the Snapdragon X Elite X1E-78-100. However, my review unit arrived with the Snapdragon X Plus X1P-42-100, a newer model that’s been slipstreamed into the Snapdragon X Plus lineup. That’s the slowest Snapdragon X chipset, with eight cores running at 3.4GHz. That’s per various online sources and not from Qualcomm’s site, which doesn’t yet list this model. It compares to the Snapdragon X Plus X1P-64-100 that we’ve reviewed, which features 10 cores running at 3.4GHz. Neither chipset has the dual-core boost of the faster Snapdragon X Elite chipsets. The X1P-42-100 also has the slowest Adreno GPU running at 1.7 teraflops (TFLOPS), behind the 3.8 or 4.6 TFLOPS of the faster chipsets.

Surprisingly, the Vivobook S 15 was much faster than the Inspiron 14 Plus with the theoretically faster Snapdragon X Plus chipset. The Vivobook was almost as fast as some Snapdragon X Elite machines. So that’s hard to understand. We do see, though, the impact of the slower Adreno GPU in the 3DMark Wild Life Extreme benchmark.

That means the Vivobook S 15 will be very fast for productivity tasks, but it will be even slower than the already-slow Snapdragon X laptops for gaming and creative tasks. The choice of chipsets is an odd one for a laptop with a large OLED display that will be attractive to anyone wanting to use the laptop for photo or video editing.

One thing we can’t yet determine is how well the Vivobook S 15 — or any other Copilot+ laptop — will perform at running AI tasks. The on-board NPU is fast as far as NPUs go, but those are generally intended for running AI on-device and more efficiently. Discrete GPUs remain much faster. The challenge, though, is in how to benchmark AI performance. Current tools aren’t quite there yet, leaving us scratching our heads.


(Snapdragon X1P-42-100 / Adreno)	108 / 724	2,417 / 11,319	3,216
(Snapdragon X1P-64-100 / Adreno)	108 / 419	2,451 / 8,744	6,457
(Snapdragon X1E-78-100 /Adreno)	101 / 749	2,377 / 13,490	6,165
(Snapdragon X1E-80-100 / Adreno)	121 / 921	2,805 / 14,511	6,397
(Core Ultra 7 155H / Intel Arc)	96 / 658	2,109 / 11,134	6,667
(Core Ultra 5 125H / Intel Arc)	90 / 284	2,144 / 7,871	N/A
(Snapdragon X1E-80-100 / Adreno)	105 / 826	2,388 / 13,215	5,880
(Snapdragon X1E-84-100 / Adreno)	126 / 766	2,957 / 15,358	7,153
(M3)	141 / 601	3,102 / 12,078	8,098

I’ve included a bunch of comparison laptops here, because perhaps the most important aspect of the Qualcomm chipsets is that they’re Arm-based and thus promise better efficiency than previous Intel and AMD chipsets. As we can see, that’s largely true — although the Intel laptops I’ve included here have better-than-average battery life for the Intel Meteor Lake platform. Most Intel laptops get around eight hours in web browsing and around 12 hours of video looping.

The Vivobook S 15 fits the pattern, getting very good battery life in web browsing and even better in video looping. At the same time, it’s also clear that as you push the Qualcomm laptops harder, their relative efficiency drops off. That’s demonstrated when running the demanding Cinebench 2024 multi-core test, although the Vivobook does reasonably well. The Apple MacBook Air M3 remains the most efficient laptop, especially with more demanding tasks.


(Snapdragon X1P-64-100)	13 hours, 10 minutes	16 hours, 19 minutes	2 hours, 47 minutes
(Snapdragon X1P-64-100)	10 hours, 9 minutes	19 hours, 28 minutes	2 hours, 25 minutes
(Snapdragon X Elite X1E-80-100)	12 hours, 29 minutes	22 hours, 9 minutes	1 hour, 37 minutes
(Core Ultra 7 155H)	12 hours, 14 minutes	19 hours, 35 minutes	1 hour, 27 minutes
(Snapdragon X Elite X1E-78-100)	13 hours, 37 minutes	22 hours, 4 minutes	1 hour, 52 minutes
(Snapdragon X Elite X1E-78-100)	12 hours, 5 minutes	17 hours, 3 minutes	1 hour, 52 minutes
(Snapdragon X1E-80-100)	14 hours, 21 minutes	22 hours, 39 minutes	N/A
(Snapdragon X1E-84-100)	12 hours, 31 minutes	14 hours, 33 minutes	N/A
(Core Ultra 7 155H)	12 hours, 25 minutes	18 hours, 1 minute	N/A
(Apple M3)	19 hours, 38 minutes	19 hours, 39 minutes	3 hours, 27 minutes

As mentioned above, the Vivobook S 15 has a wider 16:9 display, which has pretty much given way completely to the taller 16:10. If you want to watch video without black borders, then you’ll like the OLED display. Of course, most people also want to get work done, and that’s why taller displays have become almost universal.

I can’t complain about the OLED panel’s quality, though. I have yet to review a laptop with an OLED display that was anything less than awesome. The Vivobook’s display didn’t disappoint. It was very bright at 415 nits with the usual perfect black and an excellent contrast ratio of 28,230:1. Colors were typically wide at 100% of sRGB, 97% of AdobeRGB, and 100% of DCI-P3, and color accuracy was just a hair above excellent at a Delta-E of 1.13.

You’ll love this display, especially if you watch a lot of video.

Audio was just OK, with two downward-firing speakers. Use headphones or an external speakers for anything more than YouTube videos.

Most Copilot+ laptops have been 14 inches or smaller, leaving out those looking for a larger display. There’s a compromise in the 16:9 aspect ratio, so anyone who wants the best productivity experience will be disappointed. It’s great for media consumption, though.

Performance is surprisingly good given the slower Snapdragon X Plus chipset, while battery life is good but not nearly the best. And the price is reasonably attractive, but again, not a standout. But for now, it’s the most attractive Qualcomm machine that’s larger than 14 inches.

Editors’ Recommendations

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With IFA 2024 set to begin this week, the first announcements and teasers are already here, including a slew of new Intel Lunar Lake mobile processors -- and those CPUs might appear in some unexpected devices. One of those devices might be a new gaming handheld, and this time, it's from a manufacturer that hasn't ventured into that market before: Acer. According to a teaser on X (formerly Twitter), Acer is working on some exciting new releases, and although the announcement is fairly cryptic, one of those products looks like a handheld.

Predator Gaming, an Acer account, dropped a little hint about its upcoming lineup, which will be unveiled on September 4. It's nothing more than a couple of silhouettes, but that's enough to get the speculation flowing. One of the silhouettes is clearly an Acer laptop, but there's also a different product, half of which is obstructed.

Microsoft confirmed at IFA 2024 that its slate of Copilot+ features are coming to AMD and Intel laptops later this year. In a blog post, Microsoft revealed that AMD and Intel PCs that meet the minimum Copilot+ requirements will receive the AI features in November through free Windows 11 updates.

The inclusion of AMD and Intel has been up in the air since Microsoft released Copilot+ laptops exclusively with Qualcomm CPUs earlier this year. Although AMD and Intel held strong that the AI features would be available on Ryzen AI 300 and Lunar Lake CPUs, respectively, neither company would provide a definitive time frame.

The Lenovo ThinkPad is one of the best workplace laptops on the market, and Lenovo is constantly improving the inner workings of this workhorse PC. From one year to the next, there’s never a shortage of ThinkPad innovations, and multiple generations of this fantastic laptop have led to some genuinely incredible Lenovo ThinkPad deals. As a matter of fact, we came across an excellent promo while looking through Lenovo laptop deals earlier today.

Right now, you’ll be able to purchase the Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 2 Mobile Workstation for $3,800 directly through the manufacturer. At full price, this model goes for $6,850. This is considered a “doorbuster” sale, and we’d say that a $3,000 discount earns Lenovo the right to use the term.

Top 10 data governance tools for 2024

While artificial intelligence and big data steal the spotlight, a less glamorous but equally crucial discipline is quietly shaping the future of business: data governance.

With European regulators imposing fines of up to 17.29 million pounds for data mismanagement, it’s clear that data governance is not just a compliance checkbox. It’s a strategic investment that can empower your organization with a tangible return on investment.

The growing importance of data governance has fueled innovation in tools and technologies that help organizations manage their data effectively. These tools ensure data quality, security, compliance, and informed decision-making.

What is Data Governance?

Data governance is the exercise of decision-making and authority over data-related matters. It establishes a framework of roles, policies, standards, and processes to ensure data is used effectively and efficiently throughout an organization. This framework, a key component of a robust cyber resilience framework , helps organizations manage their data assets to achieve strategic goals, mitigate risks, and comply with regulations.

Key components of data governance include:

Data Ownership: Clearly defining who is responsible for specific data assets, ensuring accountability and proper management.
Data Stewardship: Assigning individuals or teams to oversee data assets’ quality, accuracy, and security.
Data Quality: Implementing processes to ensure data is accurate, complete, consistent, and reliable.
Data Security: Protecting data from unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction, which can be significantly enhanced by implementing a zero-trust architecture .
Data Privacy: Safeguarding personal and sensitive information in compliance with privacy regulations.

Effective data governance leads to better data quality, lower costs, improved compliance, and stronger decision-making. Here are the major perks:

Improved Data Quality: Ensuring accurate and reliable data leads to better decision-making.
Reduced Operational Costs: Streamlining data processes and eliminating redundancies.
Enhanced Regulatory Compliance: Meeting data protection and privacy requirements.
Increased Trust in Data-Driven Decision-Making: Building confidence in the accuracy and reliability of data insights. This trust can be further solidified by utilizing suitable data discovery tools to uncover hidden patterns and insights within your data.

However, organizations often face challenges in implementing data governance, such as:

Lack of Resources: Insufficient budget or personnel for data governance initiatives.
Lack of Awareness: Limited understanding of the importance of data governance and its benefits.
Resistance to Change: Difficulty overcoming organizational inertia and resistance to new processes.

Despite these challenges, the benefits of data governance far outweigh the costs. By investing in data governance tools and practices, organizations can unlock the full potential of their data assets, which can be further enhanced by adopting a multi-cloud architecture for improved scalability, flexibility, and resilience.

Why You Need Data Governance Tools

Data governance tools are essential for organizations seeking to effectively manage their data assets, especially those involved in complex cyber-physical systems , and overcome the inherent challenges of data governance. These tools provide a centralized platform for defining, implementing, and enforcing data policies, standards, and procedures, helping to mitigate issues like misconfigurations, risky permissions, and data breaches, which are especially prevalent in organizations that rely on SaaS applications. Adhering to SaaS security best practices is crucial to ensure these tools’ effective and secure use.

Key features of data governance tools include:

Data Discovery: Identifying and classifying sensitive data across various systems and repositories.
Data Lineage: Tracking the origin, movement, and transformation of data throughout its lifecycle.
Data Cataloging: Creating a centralized inventory of data assets, including metadata, definitions, and relationships.
Data Quality Management: Monitoring and improving data accuracy, completeness, and consistency.
Data Access Control: Managing and enforcing access permissions to sensitive data based on roles and responsibilities, which can be further enhanced with passwordless authentication mechanisms.
Data Privacy Management: Ensuring compliance with privacy regulations and protecting personal information.

By leveraging these features, organizations can reap numerous benefits, including:

Improved Data Visibility: Gaining a comprehensive understanding of their data landscape, enabling better decision-making.
Enhanced Data Quality: Ensuring data is accurate, reliable, and trustworthy, leading to more informed insights.
Increased Data Security: Protecting sensitive data from unauthorized access and misuse, including safeguarding secrets.
Streamlined Compliance: Meeting regulatory requirements and industry standards more efficiently.
Better Decision-Making: Making data-driven decisions confidently based on accurate and reliable information.

Across all industries, these tools play a crucial role in risk assessment by identifying and mitigating potential data security and privacy threats. For example, in healthcare, these tools can ensure the privacy and security of patient data, while in finance, they can help organizations comply with financial regulations and prevent fraud.

Top 10 Data Governance Tools for 2024

Information’s sheer volume and complexity are skyrocketing, and the right tools can make the difference between thriving and merely surviving. To help you navigate this intricate terrain, we’ve curated a list of the top 10 data governance tools poised to impact 2024 significantly.

Consent Management

These tools empower organizations to manage user consent for data collection and processing proactively, streamlining compliance with privacy regulations like GDPR and CCPA. They offer customizable consent banners, granular consent options, and detailed consent logs to enhance transparency and build user trust.

1. OneTrust

OneTrust is a comprehensive privacy management platform that offers a wide range of features, including consent management, data mapping, and privacy impact assessments. Organizations can build trust with customers and stakeholders by demonstrating a commitment to data privacy.

Main features:

Cookie consent management
Universal Consent & Preference Management
Consent Lifecycle Management
Mobile App Consent Management

Large enterprises with complex data privacy needs.

14-day free trial available.

Review: “OneTrust privacy and sync enables us to measure the cybersecurity risk and requirements time to time and we do not have to measure it manually. The upside of it is trends that we get to see and filter out our requirements for a security practice without compromising our privacy.” – G2 Review .

2. CookiePro

CookiePro is a cookie consent management solution that helps websites comply with cookie laws and regulations. It provides customizable banners, consent logs, and analytics to track user preferences.

Consent logging and reporting
Customizable consent banners
Geolocation targeting
Cookie scanning and categorization

Small to medium-sized businesses looking for a simple and affordable cookie consent solution.

Free demo available.

Review: “ CookiePro is by far the best Cookie Tracking solution that we have tried. It has amazing privacy management options.” – G2 Review .

Code Security

These tools are designed to proactively identify and address security weaknesses within code, safeguarding against data breaches and upholding the overall integrity of software applications. Code security tools often employ static and dynamic analysis techniques to scan code for potential vulnerabilities, such as hardcoded secrets, injection flaws, and cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities. By detecting and rectifying these issues early in the development process, organizations can significantly reduce the risk of security incidents and ensure the reliability of their software.

3. SpectralOps

SpectralOps is a code security solution that helps organizations identify and fix security vulnerabilities in their codebase. It uses a combination of static and dynamic analysis to scan code for potential issues, such as hardcoded secrets, injection flaws, and cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities.

Scans code for security vulnerabilities
Provides actionable remediation advice
Integrates with popular development tools
Supports multiple programming languages

Organizations that develop software applications and want to ensure their code is secure.

Free to start.

Review: “It helps us with fixing open code and key security issues in public and private repo. I like the daily scan of all our repositories. It helps us to fix important security issues in the code. Also, the support team is very good.” – Capterra Review .

Cynomi is a virtual CISO platform that helps organizations improve their cybersecurity posture. It provides a range of features, including risk assessments , vulnerability management, and incident response. Cynomi also offers a virtual CISO service, which provides organizations access to experienced cybersecurity professionals.

Virtual CISO platform
Risk assessments
Vulnerability management
Incident response

Mid-sized Managed Service Providers (MSPs) and Managed Security Service Providers (MSSPs), particularly those focused on security or expanding into the cybersecurity market.

Request a demo to start.

Review: “The details and information given across every security domain provides both direction and current vulnerabilities. Cynomi then gives you the mitigation plan to fix issues. – G2 Review .

Cloud Infrastructure/Data Tracing Solutions/Observability:

Cloud infrastructure and data tracing tools provide organizations with a comprehensive view of their cloud infrastructure, enabling them to track data movement, identify potential bottlenecks, and optimize resource allocation. By monitoring data flows and gaining insights into their data landscape, organizations can make informed decisions about their cloud infrastructure, improve efficiency, and enhance security.

5. Control Plane

Control Plane is a hybrid cloud platform that empowers organizations to optimize costs, simplify cloud management, and enhance observability and security. It offers features to accelerate deployments and ensure scalability while maintaining a strong security posture.

Identity and access management (IAM)
Privileged access management (PAM)
Cloud security posture management (CSPM)
Cloud infrastructure entitlement management (CIEM)

Organizations seeking to optimize their cloud infrastructure costs, streamline management processes, and fortify their cloud security measures.

Review: “Each of my engineers probably saves 30% of their time by using Control Plane. DevOps tasks that used to take us 5 days we can now do in 1 day, so it allows us to focus on our application rather than our infrastructure.” Customer Review .

6. Lightrun

Lightrun is a developer observability platform that helps organizations troubleshoot and debug applications in production with features like distributed tracing, log aggregation, and metrics monitoring. It also offers a cloud-based solution for easy adoption. Lightrun aims to bridge the observability gap and empower developers to solve production issues quickly and efficiently without disrupting their workflow.

Distributed tracing
Log aggregation
Metrics monitoring
Cloud-based solution

Organizations that develop and operate applications in production and want to improve their troubleshooting and debugging capabilities.

Book a demo to enquire about pricing.

Review: “Its ability to seamlessly integrate with IntelliJ, allowing for real-time debugging without disrupting the workflow. The snapshot feature is particularly powerful, enabling me to pinpoint issues in complex, multi-service environments with ease and efficiency. This significantly accelerates the debugging process and enhances overall productivity.” G2 Review .

Claroty is a cybersecurity platform that helps organizations protect their industrial control systems (ICS) and operational technology (OT) environments. It provides various features, including asset discovery, vulnerability management, threat detection, and incident response. Claroty also offers a managed security service that provides organizations with 24/7 monitoring and support.

Asset discovery
Threat detection

Organizations that operate industrial control systems (ICS) and operational technology (OT) environments and want to protect them from cyberattacks.

Free trial available.

Review: “claroty is very good for cyber security. It solves critical problems like it detects real-time issues or vulnerability and after detecting the problem it helps us to take required actions to prevent any risk.” – G2 Review .

Data Mapping Solutions

These tools help organizations understand how data flows through their systems, enabling them to identify potential bottlenecks, redundancies, and security risks.

8. Informatica

Informatica is a leading provider of data integration and management solutions. Its data governance tool helps organizations define, implement, and enforce data policies and standards. It also provides data lineage, quality, and security features.

Data governance
Data lineage
Data quality
Data security

Large enterprises with complex data management needs.

Contact Informatica for pricing.

Review: “It makes it very easy to build cloud-native-data pipelines which, in turn, can be used for artificial intelligence, Machine learning, and other analytics. Provides a secure way to protect the organisation data.Convenient and user friendly.“ – G2 Review .

Denodo is a data virtualization platform that provides a unified view of data from disparate sources. It allows organizations to access and query data without physically replicating it. Denodo also offers data governance, security, and performance features.

Data virtualization
Data performance

Organizations need to access and query data from multiple sources without replicating it.

Contact Denodo for pricing.

Review: “I appreciate Denodo’s flexibility in connecting to various data sources, including databases, cloud services, and big data platforms. The ability to create virtual data views without physically moving data allows for increased agility in responding to changing business requirements.” – Capterra Review .

More Than Just Compliance, It’s Your Competitive Edge

Effective data governance requires a holistic approach, a cultural shift towards valuing data, and a commitment to continuous improvement. Data governance can become a competitive advantage with the right tools and mindset.

As you embark on your data governance journey, remember that every line of code is a potential entry point for those seeking to exploit your valuable data. By securing your codebase against vulnerabilities, you’re not just mitigating risk but securing your most valuable assets.

Don’t leave your codebase exposed – start your free Spectral account today and fortify your data governance strategy.

7 Phishing Awareness Training Methods You Should Know

Modern cybercriminals aren’t just after your average employee. They’re targeting DevOps engineers – the gatekeepers of critical infrastructure and valuable data. 90% of data breaches start

What is DSPM (Data Security Posture Management) & Do You Need It?

Knowledge is power. Power is money. In the context of information systems and applications, knowledge is ingested, processed, and used as data. Data theft or loss

9 Top Cloud Threat Detection (CTR) Tools

Targeted attacks in cloud security are on the rise, hitting businesses big and small. This surge in threats puts developers like you in a crucial position.

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Open access
Published: 03 September 2024

Conflict and fragmented public health emergency management system in Tigray region of Northern Ethiopia: A double burden to accommodate resilient and advanced public health emergency management. A commentary review for policy-makers and a call to action

Kiros Fenta Ajemu 1 ,
Tsegay Hadgu 1 ,
Gebremichael Gebreegziabher 1 ,
Brhane Ayele 1 ,
Hailay Gebretnsae 1 ,
Abraham Aregay Desta 1 &
Hayelom Kahsay 1

Health Research Policy and Systems volume 22 , Article number: 121 ( 2024 ) Cite this article

Metrics details

An estimated 2.5 million people have been internally and externally displaced in the Tigray region of northern Ethiopia in conflict and post-conflict settings. This induced a loss of access to basic and essential healthcare services. The situation was overwhelming, causing service inaccessibility, inadequate health facilities, unstable security to access the services, shortage of supplies and drugs, and medical equipment’s in the region. The regional public health emergency management is one service delivery set up for the critically ill. It is characterized by weak emergency management capacities, poor coordination and integration. In addition, the system falls in to two independent sectors in the Tigray Health Bureau (THB), Tigray Health Research Institute (THRI). This leads to a fragmented system, an unclear leadership and governance role and a poor service delivery setup and tracking mechanism. The situation leads to resource duplication and poor business practice. Indeed, this type of service delivery setup secures personal and professional interest more than community interest. The situation exacerbated the occurrence of recurrent outbreaks in the region, with, for instance, zoonotic diseases (anthrax and rabies), acute watery diarrhoea, measles, malaria, yellow fever, and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) approaching to their level of epidemic. Moreover, they will spike as an epidemic in the future. All these circumstances made it evident that the system need reform to adhere with legal global, national, and regional frameworks, guidelines and proclamations. The system should have one service delivery set up at regional level. It must fall into regional public health institutes (PHIs) to adhere its service packages to the current advancements. Furthermore, integrated effort need from program implementers, relevant stakeholders and policy-makers should be committed and work together in the review and reform process.

Peer Review reports

Armed conflict affected health and healthcare systems in the various war zones of Tigray [ 1 ]. The war, which was started in November 2020, caused a considerable number of casualties. More than 80% of health facilities in the region were either fully or partially damaged by the war. An estimated 2.5 million people were internally and externally displaced and left without access to essential healthcare services [ 3 ]. Besides, it has destroyed PHEM leadership and its service packages [ 2 , 4 ]. So far, district-, health-facility- and community-level emergency management systems have been poorly implemented [ 2 , 3 ]. Resources are insufficient for emergency preparedness and response in which medical equipment, drugs, vaccines and other medical equipment has been out of stock since the start of the war due to the complete siege. The existing paper-based and electronic (e-PHEM) health information system has been lost and rendered non-functional [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]. Fragmented PHEM service packages into two independent sectors, the lack of sufficiently developed regional capacities, poor coordination and integration, unclear leadership and governance role, poor service adherence to modern advancements of public health emergency management according to the “Health Security Agenda” has put additional strain on the poor healthcare system due to the conflict. Due to the true numbers of cases of epidemic-prone disease such as measles, malaria, zoonotic disease, yellow fever, acute watery diarrhoea and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are likely to arise or worsen, but this has been targeted to the elimination phase in late December 2020 before the conflict [ 5 ]. Modelling shows that the range of outbreaks will spike over the coming years if the predetermined challenges have not yet been reached [ 6 ]. The study aimed to provide a commentary on conflict and fragmented PHEM system as a double burden to advance public health emergency management system in the Tigray region, Northern Ethiopia.

The world needs strong and resilient health security capacity to save lives and stop outbreaks at their source [ 7 ]. The emergence and re-emergence of new pathogens, complexity nature of the disease, new risk factors, ease of spread of infectious disease, weak management of the port of entries (POEs) for infectious disease and ongoing conflicts raised political and economic concerns worldwide. The recent estimate of the Ebola outbreak in 2014 indicated that it cost 53 billion dollars USD. In addition, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic will cost about 6 trillion dollars USD [ 7 , 8 ].

The Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA), as a concern to public health emergency management (PHEM) advancement, framed 14 technical areas [ 7 , 8 ]. These were antimicrobial resistance (AMR), zoonotic disease, bio-safety, bio-security, bioterrorism strengthening laboratory systems and networks, real-time surveillance, rapid response, workforce development, emergency operation centres and linking public health with law and enforcement [ 7 ]. Besides, strong public health emergency management required clear leadership, authorization and governance role. The emergency management (EM) service packages such as surveillance and disease intelligence, preparedness and response, laboratory system and networks, information system and public health research should be integrated into one funnel for timely emergency notification and response [ 10 ].

Despite the effort in place, there are still challenges in forecasting emergencies before the incident in which the system lacks sufficiently developed national capacities, is poorly coordinated and integrated, demonstrates unclear leadership and governance role, and has a poor tracking mechanism in one structure – process – personnel [ 9 , 10 ]. This resulted in effort duplication, wasted resources (poor business practice), lack of clear leadership and accountability, and slower response times to public health emergencies. This reality was what happened in western African countries such as Guinea, Siera-llione and Liberia, in which the system was fragmented and inefficient to accommodate sound emergency management [ 10 ].

The international community is starting to promote public health institutes (PHIs) to overcome such challenges and limitations [ 9 , 10 ]. Likewise, Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Africa conducts a literature review in African Union member states to assess the role, leadership and core activities of emergency management. Of the 55 African Union Member States, 40 (72.7%) participated in the assessment. Among these, 12 reported being fully established, 17 indicated that they were at an advanced-stage, 6 had started the process and 5 reported not having a plan. Among the fully established and advanced-stage national public health institutes (NPHIs), 17 (58.6%) are autonomous and semiautonomous, 3 (10.3%) are a network of institutions and 9 (31%) are structured as departments under the Ministries of Health. The most common functions of the NPHIs are research (26), surveillance and disease intelligence (24), epidemic preparedness and response (24), workforce development (19), public health informatics (15) and health promotion (10) [ 11 ]. Countries that have the ability to integrate their emergency management system through their established public health institutes mount a more effective response, as illustrated by experiences in Guinea Bissau and Nigeria [ 7 ].

The current public health emergency management (PHEM) platform in Tigray’s healthcare system is poorly implemented, lacking timely outbreak notification, detection and response and dealing with a high number of patients needing care during emergencies. The system lacks a clear leader ship, authorization, and governance role of emergency management in which it is organized into two independent sectors [Tigray Health Research Institute (THRI), and Tigray Regional Health Bureau (TRHB)]. Moreover, the systems do not integrate and collaborate on units of service packages in which early warning, preparedness, response and recovery are not clearly outlined within the system. The region is at high risk of infectious diseases, in which its emergency management (EM) system lacks integrated active laboratory surveillance systems for priority zoonotic diseases, as regularly occurs in animal and human laboratory networks in which laboratory professionals lack the capacity for anti-microbial resistance (AMR). The system lacks the local capacity for confirmation such that a sample of priority infectious disease in the region (polio, measles) is being delivered to the national laboratory in Addis Ababa [ 12 ]. This resulted in high turnaround time for result communication that resulted in a delay in outbreak response. The situation has exacerbated the occurrence of water borne, vector borne and zoonotic diseases such malaria, acute watery diarrhoea, rabies, anthrax, measles and eye conjunctivitis [ 4 ]. Modelling showed that emergencies will spike over the coming years unless the system is made sound and organized in its appropriate service delivery setup [ 8 , 10 ]. Currently, the epidemic-prone infectious diseases such as measles, malaria, common zoonotic disease (anthrax and rabies), yellow fever, acute watery diarrhoea, and the current COVID-19 pandemic approaching to the level of their epidemicity in the region. Most of the epidemic-prone diseases were targeted at the elimination phase in the late December, 2020 before the conflict [ 8 ]. Despite this, things are now worsening due to the double burden of the conflict and fragmented PHEM system. The modern principle of emergency management and the implication of the International Health Regulation (IHR-2005) is not clearly reflected in the system. It lacks integration of public health research, an advanced laboratory system and network, and capacity-building, considered to be a critical approach. Particular emphasis was not given to risk management, impact analysis and risk-based preparedness [ 8 , 13 ]. Even though common zoonotic diseases have been in their high peak in the region, the emergency management system is poorly integrated with regional reference and veterinary laboratories such that veterinary professionals are not sensitized to and trained on integrated emergency management mainly on common zoonotic disease. Major hazards such as food safety, bioterrorism, radiological, nuclear and chemical threats are not included in the system during emergency management preparedness [ 12 ].

Ethiopia adopted the Field Epidemiology Training Program (EFETP) to improve leadership and advancement within public health emergency management (PHEM). It mainly focuses on contributing to research activities on priority public health emergency problems, strengthening laboratory participation in surveillance and field investigations and improving communications and networking of public health practitioners and researchers in the country and throughout the region, in which field epidemiologists spent more than 72% of their work in to conduct research to capacitate risk analysis and management [ 14 ]. The Ethiopian Ministry of Health (MOH) accommodates the advancement and integrates the emergency management system in the national public health institute (NPHI). In reality, the regional states in Ethiopia (Amhara regional state, Oromya, Sidama, SNNRP, Dire-Dawa, Harari, Benishangule, and Afar) integrate the system into their established regional public health institutes (RPHIs) [ 15 ]. However, the Tigray emergency management system fragmented into independent sectors in Tigray Health Research Institute(THRI) and Tigray Regional Health Bureau (TRHB), which resulted in effort duplication, wasted resource (poor business practice), lack of clear leadership and accountability and slower response times to public health emergencies. In response to these, the regional government of Tigray set a proclamation number (PN: 265/2007E.C) in the Regional House of Peoples’ Representatives (RHPR) to organize the emergency management system in the established regional public health institute. The institute has a mission to excel public health emergency management in the region that aimed to accommodate new advancements of emergency management based on global and national frameworks [ 16 ]. However, the regional Health Bureau management bodies and program leaders are not willing to integrate the system in its recommended place service of delivery. This has violated the legal framework that accommodates modern PHEM advancement as the regional government’s strategic mission.

Conclusions

The current disease advancement, change in community lifestyle and fragile healthcare system are unable to respond to episodes with the existing emergency management system. The continued war and fragmented PHEM system in the region have induced a gruesome scenario in which to advance modern emergency management in the Health Security Agenda [Global Health Action (GSA) targeted for timely emergency response] and to secure community interest for the people of Tigray. The current emergency management indicates that there will be further surges of cases of epidemic-prone disease in the future and imposes further pressure on the weak healthcare systems. The poorly implemented PHEM system highlights the need for the global community, partners and stakeholders to further work together to support Tigray’s weak public health emergency management system, which will enable it to standardize its leadership and governance, units of service packages and appropriate place of service delivery. These need integrated and urgent resolution to overcome the challenges and to establish sound and resilient public health emergency management system. Therefore, the PHEM system needs to be integrated into a regional Public Health Research Institute (PHI) named “Tigray Health Research Institute (THRI)”, established by legal regional framework [Proclamation Number (PN): 265/2007 E.C] in the region based on the global and regional frameworks and recommendations for its advancement. The regional proclamation also recommends that the PHEM system be in a regional public health institute. Therefore, national and regional policy-makers should be responsible for urgent action for the reform to proceed.

Availability of data and materials

Not applicable.

Abbreviations

Public Health Emergency Management

Global Health Action

Tigray Health Research Institute

Public health institutes

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Acknowledgements

We would like to acknowledge emergency mangers and epidemiologist, program leaders and partners for reviewing the document and technical support to adhere the review process to global, international, and national recommendations and framework.

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Tigray Health Research Institute, Tigray, Ethiopia

Kiros Fenta Ajemu, Tsegay Hadgu, Gebremichael Gebreegziabher, Brhane Ayele, Hailay Gebretnsae, Abraham Aregay Desta & Hayelom Kahsay

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K.F.: Generated the concept, designed the review process and methodology, drafted the manuscript, wrote the manuscript and continuously revised the manuscript. T.H.: Drafted and reviewed the manuscript. G.G.: Drafted and reviewed the manuscript. B.A.: Reviewed the manuscript. H.G.: Reviewed the manuscript. A.A.: Reviewed the manuscript. H.K.: Drafted and reviewed the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Kiros Fenta Ajemu or Brhane Ayele .

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The stakeholders such as Tigray Health Bureau and Tigray Health Research Institute gave a letter of recommendation. These evidences make this work free from conflict of interest.

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All authors strictly participated in designing and a continuous review process. Stakeholders such as Tigray Health Bureau and Tigray Health Research Institute gave as letter of recommendation.

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Ajemu, K.F., Hadgu, T., Gebreegziabher, G. et al. Conflict and fragmented public health emergency management system in Tigray region of Northern Ethiopia: A double burden to accommodate resilient and advanced public health emergency management. A commentary review for policy-makers and a call to action. Health Res Policy Sys 22 , 121 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12961-024-01176-w

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Received : 19 May 2023

Accepted : 28 June 2024

Published : 03 September 2024

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1186/s12961-024-01176-w

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Conflict and Health
Public health emergency management
Northern Ethiopia
Conflict and post-conflict settings

Health Research Policy and Systems

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