Limited access to energy in rural areas undermines the quality of life and hinders the short-term economic growth in a community. It is therefore essential to identify the evolution of technological tools, the social factors, and the current development in the forms of energy commercialization. Using a bibliometric approach and systematic review, this study aimed to conduct case studies in rural communities that implemented decentralized and sustainable energy systems. The methodology involved: i) A bibliometric analysis under the mapping of co-occurrence by keywords and trend topics using scientific databases like Scopus and Web of Science (WoS); ii) The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) method; and iii) A systematic review using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT). A total of 259 articles from rural communities were analyzed from year 1979 to 2024 to prove that biomass, prevailing throughout history, is the most feasible source of energy generated during implementation; the analysis also provided a better understanding of its utilization mechanisms. Bioenergy accounted for 36% of the scientific contribution, primarily out of its widespread availability and the diversity of methods for harnessing energy from this resource. The energy transition of the last two decades was reflected in renewable energy sources (29%), energy mix (18%), and solar energy (9%), relegating conventional energy to only 2%. This study discovered that the research areas of hydropower and wind energy were influenced by the feasibility and social acceptability of their respective projects. Meanwhile, the use of blockchain, exerting an impact on the traceability of decentralized energy trading, advocated a proposal for change in current markets to strengthen the sustainability of projects, streamline processes, and back up information. To sum up, this study examined the utilization and implementation of renewable energy in decentralized energy projects, thereby contributing to energy autonomy and optimized resource utilization.
There was incomplete literature on the threshold effect of interest rates on investment, particularly investment by source of capital. This study investigated key macroeconomic factors, such as lending interest rates, inflation, exchange rates, growth in gross domestic product (GDP) and money supply, together with their impact on the proliferation in public capital, private capital, foreign direct investment, and total investment in Vietnam. Threshold regression (TR) was applied to analyze secondary data spanning from year 1996 to 2022; it was discovered that the threshold of interest rate was significant only for the public investment model across four funding sources. Although the threshold test of interest rates was not statistically significant for three of the funding sources, the threshold values of interest rate influenced investment in ownership ranked from low to high, i.e., foreign direct investment, public investment, total investment, and lastly private investment. The gap in the literature and the findings in this study highlighted the response of investment with different ownership to macroeconomic changes, especially in emerging economies like Vietnam. The results illustrated that lending interest rates and inflation negatively impacted private investment, which was subject to the effect of monetary tightening. However, these factors had minimal effects on total investment and foreign direct investment. Public investment and foreign direct investment are primarily influenced by fiscal policies. As regards private investment, it reacts more strongly to changes in exchange rate than foreign direct investment; policy adjustments are therefore recommended to weather the periods of economic instability and high interest rates.
Climate change poses severe challenges to small-scale fisheries, which require critical adaptation strategies. This study developed a model of climate change adaptation among small-scale fishermen in Bengkulu Province, Indonesia, using a framework that links poverty, livelihood vulnerability, and adaptive capacity. This study contributes novel empirical evidence on how these factors interact to shape adaptive behavior in small-scale fisheries within a developing country context. Data was collected from a survey of 700 fishing households selected by quota sampling. The direct and indirect relationships among socioeconomic variables and adaptation strategies were examined using path analysis in Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) and Analysis of Moment Structures (AMOS). The findings revealed that poverty had a significantly adverse effect on the adaptive capacity of fishermen, limiting their capability to respond effectively to climate stressors. Consequently, a majority of fishermen relied on low-cost and easily implemented strategies, such as adjusting fishing times and shifting fishing grounds. Fishing experience, vessel capacity, fishing distance, and the type of fishing gear, in contrast, showed significantly positive effects on adaptation. These results underscore that economic constraints weaken adaptive capacity, while technical assets and practical knowledge enhance resilience. The policy implications highlighted the imperative to strengthen fishermen’s institutions, update fleets, establish cooperatives, diversify fishing gear, and provide accessible digital climate information services. Such governmental interventions are crucial for enhancing adaptive capacity, supporting the sustainable management of fisheries, and improving the economic resilience of coastal communities.
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