The social economy is a significant component of any economy, which generates economic and social benefits. In Latvia, however, there is no common understanding of the concept of a social economy and the economic actors. The aim is to examine the nature and challenges of the social economy concept in Latvia by giving insight into the historical evolution and nature of a social economy, challenges of defining a social economy and description of the actors of the social economy in Latvia. The study used monographic and descriptive methods, synthesis and deduction for information gathering, logical systematization and classification, as well as statistical analysis to describe the actors of social economy in Latvia. To obtain in-depth information about concept of social economy in Latvia, expert interviews were conducted. The research specifies social economy actors in Latvia context: associations, foundations, cooperatives and social enterprises. Social economy is an important part of economy, yet it is not fully assessed. In 2023 in Latvia, 27305 organizations operated in the social economy, and their number tended to increase in recent years. Most of the social economy actors (88%) represented associations. The social economy actors operate in different fields, yet the main ones were arts, entertainment and recreation (5144), real estate operations (3593) and agriculture, forestry and fishing (1108). However, the classification of associations and foundations by kind of activity does not provide accurate information, as many organizations have not indicated their field of activity or have specified “other services”.

Starting the cultivation of beech stands in Latvia is a solution for improving the adaptability of Latvia forests, and the offer of valuable roundwood assortments in our country will also diversify the opportunities of forest industry companies. In order to achieve these goals, it is necessary to adapt beech restoration methods that would be successfully applied in Latvia conditions. In order to be able to start growing beech in Latvia on a significant scale, it is necessary to create a planting material production technology that will allow to provide high-quality reproductive material suitable for local conditions. Anticipating that the future climate in Latvia will be suitable for the growth of beech stands, early planting of genetically high-quality seedlings obtained from mother trees selected in the selection process will increase the value of future stands and reduce the long-term risks associated with climate change in the selection of renewable/planted species.

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.

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.

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.

Tan spot is an economically important disease of wheat in Latvia, but there is still insufficient information about its causal agent’s Pyrenophora tritici-repentis diversity in Latvia. The aim of this study was to evaluate the disease phenotype in the field and the possible presence of necrotrophic effectors Ptr ToxA, Ptr ToxB and Ptr ToxC in the P. tritici-repentis population in Latvia. Typical differential wheat lines ‘Glenlea’, ‘6B662’, ‘6B365’ and ‘Salamouni’ were evaluated under the field conditions in 2023 in the central part of Latvia. The highest tan spot severity was observed during the flowering stage with no significant difference between wheat genotypes. During the experiment, the typical disease phenotypes corresponding to all three known effectors were noted. Additionally, typical tan spot symptoms were determined on the resistant cultivar ‘Salamouni’, confirming the presence of new, currently uncharacterised effectors that are not compatible with the existing race model. Future studies should focus on searching for new effectors and further characterising known necrotrophic effectors, as knowledge about P. tritici-repentis and wheat interaction is still incomplete.

The hypothesis of the doctoral thesis: the assessment of the factors contributing to women’s unemployment in Latvia will contribute to the development of more effective measures and scenarios to promote women’s inclusion in the labour market. The aim of the doctoral thesis: to assess the factors affecting women’s unemployment in Latvia and to develop recommendations for promoting women’s employment. To achieve the aim, the following specific research tasks were set: 1) to analyse the scientific literature on the theoretical framework and guidelines of unemployment, models of unemployment analysis, women’s unemployment, historical aspects of women’s unemployment and social inclusion of women in the labour market; 2) to assess Latvian and EU legal and policy planning documents on legal protection of the unemployed and promotion of women’s employment; 3) to analyse factors related to women’s employment, to understand the causes of women’s unemployment, to find out the experience of other European countries in reducing unemployment and to calculate the losses of unemployed women; 4) to analyse trends in female unemployment and instruments to reduce female unemployment in Latvia, based on information from surveys of women and experts; 5) to find out the opinion of experts in the field on the possibility of women entering the labour market and, on this basis, to develop scenarios for promoting women’s employment in Latvia. In order to achieve the objective, the study is structured in five chapters with subchapters. Chapter 1 of the thesis summarises the theoretical background of women’s unemployment, presents models of unemployment analysis in a historical context, identifies factors affecting women’s unemployment, examines women’s social inclusion in the labour market, and analyses unemployment trends in a regional context. Chapter 2 assesses the legal, strategic and policy frameworks for the protection of the unemployed on the basis of Latvian and international documents. Chapter 3 examines labour market and unemployment trends for women in Latvia. It examines the strategies used by European countries to promote women’s employment and calculates the economic losses incurred by Latvia as a result of women’s unemployment. Chapter 4 assesses the factors affecting women’s unemployment in Latvia using data from unemployment surveys. This chapter also analyses the effectiveness of current employment measures and identifies possible areas for policy improvement. Chapter 5 analyses the integration of women into the Latvian labour market based on expert assessments. Based on the results of the studies, scenarios for the inclusion of women in the labour market in Latvia are developed. The doctoral thesis ends with the main conclusions, the main results of the research, as well as the problems and proposals for their solution.

Peatlands are among the most carbon-dense ecosystems on Earth, playing a crucial role in climate change mitigation by reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. As naturebased climate solutions, their restoration is particularly vital for achieving near-term climate goals (2030–2050). The European Union has set an ambitious target to restore 70% of drained peatlands by 2050, with at least 50% rewetted. The Baltic countries, including Latvia, are significant contributors to GHG emissions from degraded peatlands within the EU. In Latvia, peatlands cover approximately 10% of the land area, with 0.4% (from total area of Latvia) actively used for peat extraction. Balancing environmental and socioeconomic considerations is essential for meeting climate and biodiversity objectives in peatland recultivation. In Latvia, peat extraction companies are obligated by mining licenses to plan post-extraction recultivation, which may involve converting areas into water bodies, forests, or restored natural peatlands. A key factor influencing the success of these efforts is groundwater management, as water dynamics are critical for peatland restoration. This study focuses on groundwater level fluctuations in a 16.4-hectare extracted peatland in Central Latvia. Six groundwater monitoring wells equipped with TD-Diver loggers were installed to assess water level changes. While the monitoring is ongoing, the first year of data reveals significant groundwater fluctuations, indicating the necessity for active hydrological management. Long-term monitoring will continue, with particular interest in the comparison of groundwater conditions before and after the implementation of recultivation measures. Our findings highlight the importance of stabilizing water levels for the successful restoration of peatland ecosystems.

In addition to the basic resources of the bioeconomy, the soil and its sustainable use and management is a highly important precondition for the development of the national economy of Latvia. Land resource management policy in Latvia is closely related to international development trends, determined by land management policy and international cooperation projects. Therefore, it is very important to promote and strengthen the capacity of administrative, financial resources, infrastructure, academic and research capacity, as well as to identify the lack of data and the priority need for new knowledge with the aim to improve recommendations based on scientific knowledge for the creation of sustainable soil use policy both in Europe and at the regional level. This envisages several important further activities in Latvia: acquisition, transfer and dissemination of soil research knowledge; cooperation within and between interdisciplinary research involving stakeholders related to the use of soil and land resources in order to expand soil research activities and ensure the integration of research results in the sustainable use and management of soil resources (e.g. development of decision support tools); to support the implementation of fundamental and applied soil research by ensuring the sustainable use of soil resources; the integration of the topics of soil, its use and protection in the programs of educational institutions in Latvia.

Latvia is one of the largest exporters of pellets in Europe, and at the same time share of biofuel in energy production in Latvia is also one of the largest between the developed countries. Rapid increase of biofuel production and export raises questions about sustainability of forest sector and contribution of the forest biofuel produced in Latvia to the greenhouse gas (GHG) balance in Europe. Sustainability of forest biofuel is broadly discussed issue in Baltic states; particularly, due to continuous increase of production and export of wood pellets. GHG mitigation potential of the forest biofuel is one of the sustainability aspects surrounded by multiple speculations, which has to be addressed by comprehensive comparison of GHG fluxes due to production and use of forest biofuel and substituted fossil fuel. Assessment of the GHG mitigation potential of forest biofuel is complex process requiring multiple activity data and assumptions. Particular complexity of calculation is determined by the need to use harmonized approach for the whole calculation period. The assessment of the climate change mitigation in this study is based on the methods applied in National GHG inventory and literature data on GHG emissions due to production and delivery of substituted fossil fuel and forest biomass including demolition wood. According to the study results substitution effect of the forest biofuel in Latvia continuously increases since 2000, mainly due to export of biofuel, reaching 14323 Gg CO2 eq. in 2020 (by 30% more than the net GHG emissions in Latvia in 2019). Electricity production in pellet factories, in spite of major reduction of GHG emissions in the production process, has minor role in the total substitution effect.