Simplify Research Regulations

Comparatively few people with severe mental illness are employed despite evidence that many people within this group wish to obtain, can obtain and sustain employment, and that employment can contribute to recovery. This investigation aimed to: (i) describe the current policy and service environment within which people with severe mental illness receive employment services; (ii) identify evidence-based practices that improve employment outcomes for people with severe mental illness; (iii) determine the extent to which the current Australian policy environment is consistent with the implementation of evidence-based employment services for people with severe mental illness; and (iv) identify methods and priorities for enhancing employment services for Australians with severe mental illness through implementation of evidence-based practices. Current Australian practices were identified, having reference to policy and legal documents, funding body requirements and anecdotal reports. Evidence-based employment services for people with severe mental illness were identified through examination of published reviews and the results of recent controlled trials. Current policy settings support the provision of employment services for people with severe mental illness separate from clinical services. Recent studies have identified integration of clinical and employment services as a major factor in the effectiveness of employment services. This is usually achieved through co-location of employment and mental health services. Optimal evidence-based employment services are needed by Australians with severe mental illness. Providing optimal services is a challenge in the current policy environment. Service integration may be achieved through enhanced intersectoral links between employment and mental health service providers as well as by co-locating employment specialists within a mental health care setting.

Objectives: Comparatively few people with severe mental illness are employed despite evidence that many people within this group wish to obtain, can obtain and sustain employment, and that employment can contribute to recovery. This investigation aimed to: (i) describe the current policy and service environment within which people with severe mental illness receive employment services; (ii) identify evidence-based practices that improve employment outcomes for people with severe mental illness; (iii) determine the extent to which the current Australian policy environment is consistent with the implementation of evidence-based employment services for people with severe mental illness; and (iv) identify methods and priorities for enhancing employment services for Australians with severe mental illness through implementation of evidence-based practices. Method: Current Australian practices were identified, having reference to policy and legal documents, funding body requirements and anecdotal reports. Evidence-based employment services for people with severe mental illness were identified through examination of published reviews and the results of recent controlled trials. Results: Current policy settings support the provision of employment services for people with severe mental illness separate from clinical services. Recent studies have identified integration of clinical and employment services as a major factor in the effectiveness of employment services. This is usually achieved through co-location of employment and mental health services. Conclusions: Optimal evidence-based employment services are needed by Australians with severe mental illness. Providing optimal services is a challenge in the current policy environment. Service integration may be achieved through enhanced intersectoral links between employment and mental health service providers as well as by co-locating employment specialists within a mental health care setting.

The need to feed the population growth conducts to the development of material intensive production systems in many countries. However the absence of adequate policies has adverse consequences on the environment and the performance of the agricultural and rural sectors. Benin Republic, through its Strategic Plan for Agricultural Sector Development (PSDSA) focuses on improving food and nutrition security, improving farm level income and building resilience to climate change within the Government Action Plan (PAG Bénin Révélé) 2016-2021. The aim of this study is to analyze the current agricultural policies and his link with the current environmental policies in Benin Republic. The data from Ministries and Structures in charge of Agriculture, Environment, Health and Human being were used. Reports from some international organizations such as FAO, PNUD and FIDA were also used. It is observed and planed an increase in cultivation area, all crops yields and crops production from 2016 to 2021. That will involve the more use of agricultural machinery, fertilizers and pesticides. Added to the current environment challenges, it appears the risk of soil degradation, deforestation, water and air pollution, then global impact on the environment when this plan will be implemented. It is right that some Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) are purposed for many of the actions. However, these EIA are sometime neglected and sacrificed for the profitability of agricultural production. To achieve this agricultural goal without affect the environment, the respect of the adequate law and EIA for each single activity becomes necessary.

Background and Objective. Research plays an important role in generating new knowledge that could improve health outcomes when translated into action. As such, there must exist a supportive research policy environment that facilitates the provision of necessary resources and sustainably ensures an appropriate number of skilled researchers buttressed by institutions. These, in turn, are envisioned to provide facilities, information systems, financial grants, and avenues for career development and collaboration. This study aims to analyze factors in the current policy environment that makes health research possible in the Philippines.
 Methods. Qualitative exploratory design was used to characterize the Philippine health research environment. Guided by Adamchak's framework on policy environment, a content review of 39 policy documents (1991 to 2018) by the four core agencies of the Philippine National Health Research System was conducted. Seven elements of the policy environment were described.
 Results. The policies analyzed in this study mainly addressed the legal, political, cultural, economic, and ecological elements of the policy environment. Policies that support the demographic and technological elements are lacking, in that these leave out details that are essential for capacity building and use of research output. A cross-cutting effort to resolve gaps may be necessary.
 Conclusion. Several factors continuously affect the environment in which policy is developed. There is room for improvement in terms of showcasing the government’s regulatory quality and independence from political pressure. Equal attention must also be paid to human capital development, innovation partnerships, and mechanisms to improve knowledge impact, absorption, and utilization.

Central to New Labour's ambition to transform public policy and public services was the development of joined-up government'. This article considers the experience of joining-up' at the local level, through one programme of reform, the ‘local government modernisation agenda’ (LGMA). Drawing on published research from evaluations of the LGMA this article argues that three key strategies for joining-up' locally are evident in the policies of the LGMA: empowerment, endorsement and enticement. Each strategy contains a particular vision of joined-up' local governance and what should shape it. However in practice each strategy was diluted, undermined or challenged by the existence of alternative perspectives. The article proposes that there are powerful undercurrents within the policy environment that help explain these tensions, in particular the desire of some interests to maintain prevailing central-local relations. It also highlights cross-currents that might have a greater impact on the potential for realising joined-up' local governance such as the comprehensive performance assessment. The article concludes with some reflections on which strategy is most likely to be effective in the current policy and political environment and examines the ‘fit’ of newer policy instruments such as Local Area Agreements with this proposed strategy.

This article demonstrates that prospects for emission reduction are not realistic under the current policy environment, and China is unlikely to take on commitments in the near future. The major determinants of and actors involved in China's climate change policy are discussed, relating these to China's stance in global climate change negotiations. Energy is seen as the key to economic development and is one of the main causes for China's unwillingness to take on emission reduction commitments. Vulnerability to climate change is an emerging issue in China, and could contribute to elevating the climate change issue on China's domestic agenda in the future. Global climate change is still seen as a remote matter by the country's policy makers, and remains a foreign-policy issue. International pressure has not been able to change Beijing's stance of no commitments, although China is now an active participant in the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), which has become a way to apply an international mechanism on domestic problems and one of the channels that China itself prefers to use in its climate-change efforts. Key words: China, environmental protection-East Asia, sustainable development Introduction China is a key country in the international climate regime for two reasons. First, it is important in the global climate-change game due to its status as the world's second largest emitter of greenhouse gases after the United States. China's emissions are increasing steadily. Second, its status and influence in the G-77 of Third World states give it prominence in climate negotiations. As the world's largest developing country with an influential voice in the United Nations, China is set to play an important role in leading the developing world in the future climate regime. How then will China contribute to efforts to reduce global emissions? When will it take on emission reduction commitments under the Kyoto Protocol? In recent years, some optimism has been detected as China has engaged in dialogue in the negotiations. 1 Beijing's stance has, however, not changed: It still holds that the developed countries must take the main responsibility for past greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, I argue in this article that China is unlikely to take on commitments in the near future. I will demonstrate that prospects for emission reduction are not realistic under the current policy environment for several reasons. Moreover, the article discusses whether China is likely to leave the Kyoto Protocol altogether and pursue other alternative channels to reduce its emissions.2 I begin by analyzing the reasons why China continues to resist mandatory reductions-i.e., the major determinants for China's climate change policy-relating these to the country's stance in the global climate change negotiations. The article discusses the main actors involved in and responsible for China's climate change policy, and how their dominance influences China's climate change policy. China's climate policy is determined by both domestic and international considerations. Key domestic interests in this regard are economic development, energy issues, and perceived vulnerability. Understanding the domestic factors of China's climate policy has the potential to enhance and lead to more productive negotiations. China's stance in international negotiations is also influenced by foreign policy, where major issues are sovereignty, equity, and international image. The country's international standing and its wish to be seen as a respected member of the international community are important factors. These international and domestic issues will be discussed in the sections below. We will see how developments relate to both domestic and international climate policy by examining China's involvement in the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). China is expected to become a major recipient of CDM investments. Due to the country's coal-based energy, there is great potential for projects in energy efficiency, energy conservation, fuel switching, and renewable energy. …

With the rapid development of Internet and digital technology, China’s media industry has been developing rapidly in this context, but at the same time, it also exposed some practical problems such as the shortage of funds. The effective integration with the capital market is the future development trend. Therefore, this paper establishes the research on the integration development mode of China’s media industry and capital market. This paper makes an in-depth study on the current media industry and capital market. Through this study, it is believed that the current media industry in China has reached the bottleneck of development, and the shortage of funds has restricted the sustainable development of enterprises. The capital market is also optimistic about the market prospect of media industry, but it is subject to the current open policy and market environment. In view of this situation, this paper analyzes the structure of the media industry and the main forms of the extra industry capital entering the media industry. It is believed that the biggest reason for the media industry’s demand for capital comes from the fact that many media enterprises have changed from the original public institutions into self-financing enterprises without the financial support of the government. In this paper, combined with the main characteristics of China’s media industry, as well as the current capital market environment, integrated with advanced financial management concepts, put forward the development of media financing mode with Chinese characteristics, which makes up for the shortcomings of the current media financing mode.

IntroductionThe aim of this review is to provide the first consolidation of the policy environment surrounding alcohol-related societal harm in India giving researchers and policy-makers a clearer base for future...

Globally, data on stillbirth is limited. A call to action has been issued to governments to address the data gap by strengthening national policies and strategies to drive urgent action on stillbirth reduction. This study aims to understand the policy environment for stillbirths to advance stillbirth recording and reporting in data systems. A systematic three-step process (survey tool examination, identifying relevant study questions, and reviewing country responses to the survey and national documents) was taken to review country responses to the global 2018-2019 World Health Organization (WHO) Reproductive, Maternal, Neonatal, Child and Adolescent Health (RMNCAH) Policy Survey. Policy Survey responses were reviewed to identify if and how stillbirths were included in national documents. This paper uses descriptive analyses to identify and describe the relationship between multiple variables. Responses from 155 countries to the survey were analysed, and over 800 national policy documents submitted by countries in English reviewed. Fewer than one-fifth of countries have an established stillbirth rate (SBR) target, with higher percentages reported for under-5 (71.0%) and neonatal mortality (68.5%). Two-thirds (65.8%) of countries reported a national maternal death review panel. Less than half (43.9%) of countries have a national policy that requires stillbirths to be reviewed. Two-thirds of countries have a national policy requiring review of neonatal deaths. WHO websites and national health statistics reports are the common data sources for stillbirth estimates. Countries that are signatories to global initiatives on stillbirth reduction have established national targets. Globally, nearly all countries (94.8%) have a national policy that requires every death to be registered. However, 45.5% of reviewed national policy documents made mention of registering stillbirths. Only 5 countries had national policy documents recommending training of health workers in filling out death certificates using the International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-10 for stillbirths. The current policy environment in countries is not supportive for identifying stillbirths and recording causes of death. This is likely to contribute to slow progress in stillbirth reduction. The paper proposes policy recommendations to make every baby count.

Community-based natural resource management (CBNRM) is presented as an alternative to conventional, top-down approaches to natural resource governance. It entails local, place-based projects, programs, and policies that have the goal of advancing healthy environments and human communities. CBNRM promises Jeffersonian ideals of civil society—local citizens participating in democratic decision making to create and maintain robust communities. Implementing CBNRM requires different institutions and organizational structures than those created during the rise of the administrative state. Watershed councils are a particularly pertinent example of CBNRM in practice. What are the issues facing watershed councils in a policy environment that places significant expectations and responsibilities on such entities? Drawing from a larger study of Oregon's watershed councils, this article explores some of the institutional and organizational realities of watershed councils in the current policy environment.

The impact of the European Union on health systems is described in different ways, ranging from a pervasive influence to minimal involvement. This dissertation explored the influence of the European Union on health systems from a small state perspective, using Malta as a case study. Results showed that health system Europeanisation is viewed positively where there is a high level of policy alignment between the EU and national policy objectives coupled with EU support to counteract lack of capacity in the small state. Small states are often exposed to problems arising from a new policy environment more rapidly and more harshly than other states. In the current policy environment where health is not an obvious priority on the EU agenda, small states may play an important role in shaping future EU policy on health systems.

Deep interventions for a sustainable transport future

With the increasing legislation restricting health care access for transgender and nonbinary (trans) populations in recent years, there has been limited research on how awareness of and concerns about legislative restrictions and protections influence mental health outcomes. To examine whether awareness of and concerns about the current policy environment regarding trans individuals are associated with depression and anxiety symptoms among trans adults. This study uses cross-sectional data collected between March and April 2023 from the Washington Priority Assessment in Trans Health (PATH) Project, an online study designed by, with, and for trans communities. All participants were trans adults, aged 18 years or older, living in Washington state. Awareness and concerns about the antitrans policy environment. The primary outcomes were depression and anxiety symptoms, assessed via the Patient Health Questionnaire-4. A series of multivariable regression models was used to assess the association between awareness and concerns about the antitrans policy environment and depression and anxiety symptoms. Models were adjusted for covariates, including demographics, social marginalization, and health care experiences. A total of 797 participants (653 women [81.93%]; 455 aged 18-29 years [57.09%]) were included. The majority screened positive for current depression (689 individuals [86.45%]) and anxiety (686 individuals [86.07%]) symptoms. Trans individuals who were concerned or worried about their rights being taken away (vs not) had significantly higher odds of current depression symptoms (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.66; 95% CI, 1.08-2.54), as well as current anxiety symptoms (aOR, 2.67; 95% CI, 1.63-4.36). Those who knew (vs did not know) about state-level protective legislation had significantly lower odds of current depression symptoms (aOR, 0.44; 95% CI, 0.28-0.67), as well as current anxiety symptoms (aOR, 0.11; 95% CI, 0.04-0.25). When examining interaction effect estimates, trans individuals who correctly knew about the protective policies and were not worried about having their rights taken away reported the lowest odds of depression and anxiety. The findings of this cross-sectional study are consistent with research elucidating the negative mental health consequences of policies limiting health care access and provide insights into informing policies and interventions that target trans populations' worsened mental health outcomes as a result of antitrans legislation.

This paper reviews the changing policy environment as regards credit for development in rural Bangladesh. The experiences of a range of both successful and failed formal credit interventions in rural areas are employed to reflect upon the adequacy of the currently dominant analytical approach, (Rural Financial Markets) to credit for development. The importance for the rural poor of the quality of access to credit is stressed and the political economy of access is examined. Nevertheless, the ‘Rural Financial Market’ analysis has directed recent credit policy shifts in Bangladesh, and the paper moves on to consider the implications of this for development organisations/projects seeking to work with the formal banking system. A typology of the forms of relationship between projects and the banking system is introduced and a case study of proposals for a line of credit for a production and employment generation programme is presented. This case study seeks to explore the possibilities of restructuring the access situation with respect to formal credit given the current policy environment. The paper concludes by raising some of the broader consequences of the policy changes for the rural development strategies in Bangladesh.

With additional training and qualification, nurses in several countries are recognised as independent professionals. Evidence from several countries shows that capacitating nurses to practise independently could contribute to better health outcomes. Recently, the idea of nurses practising independently has been gaining momentum in Indian health policy circles as well, and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is contemplating the introduction of nurse practitioners (NPs) in primary healthcare. We briefly assess the policy environment for the role of NPs in India. We argue for the need to conceptualise health stewardship anew, keeping the nursing profession in mind, within the currently doctor-centred health system in India. We argue that, in the current policy environment, conditions for independent nursing practice or for the introduction of a robust NP in primary healthcare do not yet exist.