Nowadays, when the economic development of countries is more and more influenced by knowledge-based, innovative entrepreneurship, particular attention is paid to the application and protection of intellectual property. Enterprises can acquire intellectual property rights in various ways externally and such rights can also be generated by enterprises internally: they launch and subsequently produce new or improved products and services (research and development) and ensure the protection of intellectually intensive products (patents, trademarks, computer software, etc.). Thus, it is important to study the valuation and accounting of intellectual property rights. The aim of the research is, on the basis of the studies of intellectual property rights accounting policy in Latvia, to identify the shortcomings related to the valuation and accounting of intellectual property rights and to develop recommendations for their elimination. The following research tasks are subject to the aim: to study IPRs concept, regulatory framework and statistical data, to valuate accounting policy for IPRs; to identify shortcomings related to the valuation and accounting of IPRs; to develop recommendations for the elimination of identified shortcomings. The results of research enable to draw a conclusion that the requirements of the laws and regulations of Latvia do not prevent from the capitalization of intellectual property rights as intangible assets; however, it is necessary to revise and improve some requirements. In the conclusion of research, the authors have elaborated recommendations for the elimination of identified shortcomings.

Digital progress in the European Union is a catalyst for economic development. The COVID-19 pandemic significantly accelerated the pace of digitalization, thereby creating not only challenges for the European Union but also new opportunities for economic development in Europe. The present research focuses on an analysis of digital economy and society index scores for Latvia and Lithuania, comparing the performance of both countries with the European Union average. The research aims to identify the critical areas that hinder digital progress in Latvia and Lithuania. Accordingly, the digital economy and society index was analysed for the period from 2018 to 2023. The empirical part of the research includes a sociological survey, and the survey data were analysed in order to identify population needs for and experience in using digital technologies in Latvia and Lithuania. The survey involved 146 respondents. The research results allowed us to identify the critical areas for Latvia and Lithuania to focus on for further digital progress. Latvia and Lithuania both show high scores, well above the EU average, in the ‘digital public servicesʼ component, indicating that both countries have a high level of e-government users and widespread access to digital public services. The results of the sociological survey further confirm this, showing that a large majority of 84.25% of respondents in both Latvia and Lithuania use digital solutions in their daily lives.

Covid-19 has affected the whole economy of Latvia, leading to various social and economic problems in the country. Social economy actors applying an innovative approach to solving social problems could make a significant contribution to improvement in social life, especially during the Covid-19 crisis and the post-crisis by supplying various services and products, helping the state to solve gaps that it cannot cope with without the help of the private or non-governmental sector. The research aims to describe the challenges faced by social economy actors in Latvia during Covid-19 and their responses to the crisis. The research employed case study analysis to describe the responses of 9 social economy organizations to mitigate the consequences of the crisis. The research found that Covid-19 had a negative impact on the performance of social economy actors faced by financial, organizational, social and psychological challenges, which overall did not significantly differ from those faced by other market actors in the particular situation. To solve the current problems in society and ensure their self-existence, social economy actors implemented an innovating strategy that focused on three priorities: new digital experiences, products and services in response to changes in customer behaviours and needs; development of new offers for a new or the current target group; new partnerships both within and outside the industry.

Cooperation and financial stability of agricultural companies, especially small and medium ones, is very significant for the development of agricultural sector. In Latvia, cooperatives represent different sizes and industries: dairy, grain, fruit and vegetable, forest, agricultural services and home production. The research aim is to assess financial distress in agricultural cooperatives in Latvia by applying the prevention system indicators. The evaluation of financial indicators is based on the methodology developed by Deutscher Raiffeisenverband e.V. (DRV) – the leading association of agricultural and food industry cooperatives and cooperative-oriented companies in Germany. This system prescribes reporting and monitoring requirements for cooperatives to perform the preventive case analysis to ensure a successful operation of a cooperative or to prevent financial problems, if any. Therefore, financial indicators of cooperatives in Latvia were analysed adapting the DRV analysis methodology to the situation of Latvia to identify cooperatives requiring support to ensure viability. The evaluation of cooperatives by the number of employees, assets, sales and other financial indicators convincingly demonstrates that the largest and most financially strong cooperatives in Latvia operate in the grain sector, followed by the dairy sector. The assessment of financial distress reports that 10 out of 51 analysed cooperatives experience risk of operation. The most common threat to a cooperative in Latvia is related to its equity; however, it is recommended to evaluate this indicator in line with other indicators, for example, changes in equity in recent years and length of a cooperative’s operation.

Social protection for families with children is one of the priorities Latvia has highlighted in its strategic planning documents. Moreover, the priority being advanced for several planning periods indicates on the necessity to improve social security and foster the birth rate in the country. The research aim is to develop priority scenarios for possible improvement of social protection for families with children in Latvia. The authors put forward four scenarios for the improvement of social protection for families with children in Latvia, of which the experts in the field recognised the replacement of the personal income tax relief for children with a larger family state benefit as the priority. This would ensure fairer support for all families with children, including those on low incomes. Also, increasing the minimum wage and reducing the shadow economy would improve the social protection of families with children. Evaluating the criteria of population interests, the experts recognised the increase of family social security as more important than the increase in the number of children in the family, as the increase of social protection would contribute to the increase in the number of children in families thereof.

The society has changed its habits, and public demand requires a more extensive offer of environmentally friendly goods and services on the market, including more products of plant origin. New plant-based products continuously appear on the market. As competition in the segment of plant-based beverages intensifies, brands are forced into differentiating their products by including elements of sustainable marketing in their marketing materials to induce consumers into making purchase decisions and purchases. This study aims to find out which sustainable marketing elements contribute to consumer decisions to purchase and consume plant-based beverages. The article presents the results and trends based on the 1st stage of the study – a pilot survey and structured in-depth expert interviews. The pilot survey identified the key sustainable marketing elements in consumer decisions to purchase plant-based beverages: product availability at food supermarkets; advertising at point of sale indicating price discounts; healthy product composition and raw materials; convenient in-store placement, price discounts and natural raw materials, etc. Based on the results of the pilot survey, there were changes made in the consumer questionnaire, and the 2nd stage of the study – a survey of the Latvian population to find out the complex factors affecting consumer buying decisions – was launched in February 2024.

One of the main objectives for the Baltic Sea regions is the harmonisation of the economic development and environmental sustainability. The identification of knowledge-intensive bioeconomy as one of the primary fields of the strategy for smart specialization (RIS3) in Latvia indicates the transition to sustainable and climate neutral approach for the development of Latvia. The strategy aims to promote a more sustainable and efficient use of natural resources, to create high added value, to promote coordination of export and economic interests with environmental protection. This is a multi-faceted and complex process. A scientifically sound approach is needed to develop the most appropriate solutions. The article examines algae biomass as a potential for renewable resources in the agriculture of Latvia in the context of sustainability. The research is aimed at exploring the potential of the Baltic Sea algae as a sustainable agricultural resource in Latvia, focusing on its impact on cultivated plants during the study. The potential is being assessed by conducting a practical study in two stages. The results of the study confirm the potential use of Baltic Sea algae as an agricultural resource in Latvia, which requires further evaluation of the effect of the liquid digestate fraction on crop green mass to determine its potential applicability in agriculture using algal biomass.

One of the main factors thanks to which the Ukrainian economy withstood the powerful beginning of the full-scale military invasion of Russia and has been maintaining courage for more than two years, is the high level of social initiatives of business and self-awareness of Ukrainian society. Agricultural companies not only protect their business, but also continue to work to support the army, their workers, communities and vulnerable population. The article analyses the features of the implementation of corporate social responsibility as a modern business strategy. The specifics of corporate social responsibility practices of agricultural companies have been established, which is aimed at: socio-psychological and financial support for company employees; ensuring the defence capability of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and related structures; humanitarian assistance to internally displaced persons and vulnerable populations; support of territorial communities in the regions of presence. New directions of CSR, the emergence of which was a direct consequence of the war, have been identified and systematized. It has been established that these include: additional emergency leaves; military leaves with retention of compensation; regular emotional check-ins in teams; ‘Ukraine firstʼ case, ‘National Identityʼ case, ‘Ukraine Culture Codeʼ case. It was determined that the essence of these new cases is meaningful national education, support of national identity, raising the level of awareness of Ukrainian cultural heritage and debunking myths about ‘Sovietʼ Ukraine. Furthermore, it was established that the emergence of such practices is connected with a clear understanding of Ukrainian society about the need to rebuild the state after the victory.

Newly constructed buildings are subject to stricter requirements – the building must not harm the environment, they must be energetically and economically efficient, comfortable, ecological, etc. One such green energy-saving idea is green roofs and walls of buildings. The purpose of this study is to determine the dynamics of rainwater runoff under real natural conditions, in a typical green roof construction, compared to runoff from a roof covered with bituminous tiles. The study was conducted in the year 2022–2023 by installing two 1 m² stands, which are affected by real climatic conditions. One stand was covered with traditional bituminous tiles, but the other was covered with a ‘green roof’ coating. Meteorological data were obtained from the Kaunas City meteorological station. During the first months of observation, it was possible to record the tendency that rainwater runoff is slow in the case of a green roof, but it continues even after the intense rain has ended. Analyzing the data, it was found during the research that the regression coefficients are very small in assessing the relationship between average daily temperatures and runoff in individual months, R2 – 0.0453 to 0.0553. The study showed that under certain meteorological conditions, a green roof can accumulate up to 35–45 percent more water than a roof covered with bituminous tiles. This means that the water is accumulated and then slowly drains into the rain collection systems.

In Lithuania, as well as throughout Europe, the areas of natural meadows and pastures are gradually decreasing due to the intensification of agriculture, leading to the ploughing of meadows and the consequent loss of valuable biodiversity, a crucial component of the landscape. The problems associated with meadow and pasture reduction is essential for informed decision-making, sustainable land management, the conservation of biodiversity and ecosystem services. Various methods, including comparative, analytical, statistical, and logical analysis, were employed in the investigation. The comparative study employed information from the Land Fund of the Republic of Lithuania covering the period from 2003 to 2023. The article also analyses the reasons and perspectives of the decrease in meadow and natural pasture areas. In 2023, meadows and natural pastures in the Republic of Lithuania covered 362,351.79 ha, constituting 5.55% of the countryʼs territory. From 2003 to 2023, the total area of meadows and natural pastures decreased by 135,439.55 hectares or 27.21%. From 2003 to 2023, in nine out of ten Lithuanian counties, the areas of meadows and pastures decreased. The most significant loss of these areas occurred in Siauliai County (36,828.33 ha or 59.02%), while the least loss was in Klaipeda County (141.05 ha or 0.34%). The decrease in meadow and natural pasture areas can be attributed to various factors: changes in land use, urbanization, climate change and other influencing factors. The area of meadows and pastures in Lithuania should increase by 87,000 hectares, and meadows and pastures in country would cover an area of 449,351.79 ha or 6.88% of the total area of the Republic of Lithuania.