In this introduction we have outlined the vital importance of the role of culture (i.e.: the cultural factor) in the field of international relations, foreign policy, and diplomacy and the professional need for cultural competence among its practitioners.

European Bachelor Physical Activity and Lifestyle Counselling (PAL(C). Lifestyle related health problems are a tremendous burden for European societies that demands a shift towards prevention and a professional to guide this process. Therefore a new bachelor program PALC was developed. A consortium …

Local governments are increasingly looking for new ways to involve citizens in policy and decision-making, for example by combining public sector data sources with data gathered by citizens. Several examples exist of data gathering where personal mobile devices act as data collectors. While these efforts …

The conservation of our heritage buildings is a European wide policy objective. Historical buildings are not only works of art, but embody an important source of local identity and form a connection to our past. Protection agencies aim to preserve historical qualities for future generations. Their work …

Marine litter is cited by UNEP as “Any persistent, manufactured or processed solid material discarded, disposed of, or abandoned in the marine and coastal environment”, and includes metal, glass, paper, cardboard, processed wood, cloth and plastic. This report focuses mainly on the plastic fraction of …

From the page of the publisher: Sustainable urban development entails integration of environmental interests into decision-making at the local level. To achieve this, higher tiers of government may compel municipalities to explicitly consider environmental objectives or even prioritize them by demanding …

The creative economy is considered to contribute to urban and regional development in several ways. In addition to the prevalent economic perspective on the creative sector as a generator of jobs and innovation, often it is also assumed to contribute to the regeneration of deprived neighbourhoods. Although …

For a successful public value strategy, the elements “public values/strategic goals”, authorizing environment” and “operational capability” should be coherently aligned. In this paper, we discuss how we have aligned these elements in the context of Open Data. We focus on the relationships between …

This book describes how policy workers and administrators of local councils and non-profit organisations can contribute to a social domain in which the people’s strengths are better utilized within the framework of the Social Support Act (Wmo). The book is built up around the three assignments a government …

International partnerships are a mechanism for supporting the academic development of occupational therapy and promoting cultural competence. This case study describes the factors that have helped to sustain a post-qualifying programme implemented by five higher education institutions in Denmark, the …