Acceptable Policy Research Articles

When are infection risks of blood transfusion tolerable? Towards understanding the ethical views of stakeholders in the blood supply.

Background and objectivesThe perception of transfusion‐transmitted infections (TTIs) is sensitive to various concerns besides the probability and impact of infection, and some of these concerns may be ethically relevant. This paper aims to advance thinking about blood safety policies by exploring and explaining stakeholders’ reasons to consider TTI risks tolerable or intolerable.Materials and methodsInspired by critical empirical ethics and phenomenological hermeneutics, we held interviews and focus group discussions to explore the moral experience of policymakers, hematologists, blood donors and recipients. Respondents were invited to discuss general concerns about the blood supply, to address the tolerability of TTI risks compared with other hazards and to comment on the costs of blood safety. Arguments for tolerance or intolerance towards TTI risks were analysed qualitatively.ResultsStakeholders’ views could be clustered into seven categories: (1) clinical impact; (2) probability of infection; (3) avoidability of infection; (4) cost and health benefits; (5) other consequences of safety measures; (6) non‐consequentialist ethical arguments; and (7) stakeholders’ interests. Various arguments were offered that resonate with current ethical thinking about blood safety. Assuming that resources spent on inefficient blood safety measures could be applied more beneficially elsewhere, for example, responders typically expressed tolerance towards TTI risks. Some other arguments seem novel, for instance arguments for risk intolerance based on the low probability of infection and arguments for risk tolerance if patients have a poor prognosis.ConclusionUnderstanding the moral experience of stakeholders enriches ethical debate about blood safety and prepares developing more widely acceptable policies.

Public acceptability of nudging and taxing to reduce consumption of alcohol, tobacco, and food: A population-based survey experiment

There is growing evidence for the effectiveness of choice architecture or ‘nudge’ interventions to change a range of behaviours including the consumption of alcohol, tobacco and food. Public acceptability is key to implementing these and other interventions. However, few studies have assessed public acceptability of these interventions, including the extent to which acceptability varies with the type of intervention, the target behaviour and with evidence of intervention effectiveness. These were assessed in an online study using a between-participants full factorial design with three factors: Policy (availability vs size vs labelling vs tax) x Behaviour (alcohol consumption vs tobacco use vs high-calorie snack food consumption) x Evidence communication (no message vs assertion of policy effectiveness vs assertion and quantification of policy effectiveness [e.g., a 10% change in behaviour]). Participants (N = 7058) were randomly allocated to one of the 36 groups. The primary outcome was acceptability of the policy. Acceptability differed across policy, behaviour and evidence communication (all ps < .001). Labelling was the most acceptable policy (supported by 78%) and Availability the least (47%). Tobacco use was the most acceptable behaviour to be targeted by policies (73%) compared with policies targeting Alcohol (55%) and Food (54%). Relative to the control group (60%), asserting evidence of effectiveness increased acceptability (63%); adding a quantification to this assertion did not significantly increase this further (65%). Public acceptability for nudges and taxes to improve population health varies with the behaviour targeted and the type of intervention but is generally favourable. Communicating that these policies are effective can increase support by a small but significant amount, suggesting that highlighting effectiveness could contribute to mobilising public demand for policies. While uncertainty remains about the strength of public support needed, this may help overcome political inertia and enable action on behaviours that damage population and planetary health.

Stakeholder perceptions of marine plastic waste management in the United Kingdom

Plastic pollution is a significant threat to the marine environment. The problem has become subject to increasing scientific scrutiny, media campaigning and growing public awareness. This has stimulated policy-makers to introduce changes aiming to reduce plastic consumption and production. However, in order to arrive at socially acceptable policy and behaviour change solutions, we need to better understand the diverse array of stakeholder perspectives on ocean plastic pollution, economic policy and consumption responsibilities. We employ a Q-methodological study to research key stakeholder viewpoints from ENGO, government agency, plastic manufacturer, retailer, research and citizen representatives in the UK. We find four emergent types of perspectives surrounding this topic, labelled: a) socio-cultural visibility and responsibility, b) dragons of inaction – disempowerment and defeatism, c) value-action gap, d) refuting retailer responsibility. We also identify a clear consensus that current and proposed government policy is not radical enough – the focus needs to move beyond single-product taxes and levies on disposal items (e.g. bags, coffee cups), to a deeper reflection about public awareness raising and education, defining waste responsibilities more clearly, and working to change the habits and unsustainable practices of consumers in the face of public apathy and a resistant retail environment.

Cross-site analysis of perceived ecosystem service benefits in multifunctional landscapes

Rural development policies in many Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) member countries promote sustainable landscape management with the intention of providing multiple ecosystem services (ES). Yet, it remains unclear which ES benefits are perceived in different landscapes and by different people. We present an assessment of ES benefits perceived and mapped by residents (n = 2,301) across 13 multifunctional (deep rural to peri-urban) landscapes in Europe. We identify the most intensively perceived ES benefits, their spatial patterns, and the respondent and landscape characteristics that determine ES benefit perception. We find outdoor recreation, aesthetic values and social interactions are the key ES benefits at local scales. Settlement areas are ES benefit hotspots but many benefits are also related to forests, waters and mosaic landscapes. We find some ES benefits (e.g. culture and heritage values) are spatially clustered, while many others (e.g. aesthetic values) are dispersed. ES benefit perception is linked to people’s relationship with and accessibility to a landscape. Our study discusses how a local perspective can contribute to the development of contextualized and socially acceptable policies for sustainable ES management. We also address conceptual confusion in ES framework and present argumentation regarding the links from services to benefits, and from benefits to different types of values.

Determinants of non-compliance with structural building code standards in Nigeria

This paper examines the determinants of non-compliance with structural building code standards and regulations within residential development projects in Nigeria. The study targets all stakeholders in development projects, and data were collected using stratified sampling and through the administration of 600 paper-based questionnaires to construction professionals and other stakeholders. A total of 378 valid questionnaires were utilised, representing a valid response rate of 63%. The following indicators were identified and investigated through quantitative analysis: corruption, capacity building, employment/financial strength, professional rivalry, professional vested interests, technological expertise, professional involvement in decision-making, human rights and public opinion from the earlier research in Nigeria. Using SPSS software with the Amos add-on, factor analysis and structural equation modelling were employed to investigate the data, which revealed that corruption, professional rivalry, professional vested interest and professional involvement in decision-making as a combined administrative factor were the most influential in leading to non-compliance with building code standards in residential development projects in Nigeria, followed by training and, to a lesser extent, sociological factors. In response to the findings, this study develops credible and acceptable enforcement control policy framework practices to improve the administrative and technical failure aspects of building standards and regulatory compliance in residential development projects.

Critical Condition: People Only Object to Corporate Experiments If They Object to a Condition

Why have companies faced a backlash for running experiments? Academics and pundits have argued people find corporate experimentation intrinsically objectionable. Here we investigate “experiment aversion,” finding evidence that, if anything, experiments are more acceptable than the worst policies they contain. In six studies participants evaluated the acceptability of either corporate policy changes or of experiments testing them. When all policy changes were deemed acceptable, so was the experiment, even when it involved deception, unequal outcomes, and lack of consent. When a policy change was deemed unacceptable, so was the experiment, but less so. The acceptability of an experiment hinges on its critical condition — its least acceptable policy. Experiments are not unpopular, unpopular policies are unpopular.

The Regional Tax Policy: A Review in Greece

The continuing ineffectiveness of the tax reforms in Greek economy raises concerns about the need for a meaningful restructuring of the structure of fiscal administration. Tax restructuring that enhances regional, local or European taxation by weakening government taxation can be a key factor in reforming the tax system. The degree of tax decentralization of the tax policy applied is likely to improve the fiscal order and management and, on the other hand, it can be strengthened tax revenues by enhancing tax compliance. The main purpose of this paper is to emphasize that the decentralization of taxation to a more socially acceptable regional fiscal policy can lead to an acceptable tax reform in the case of the Greek economy. A reform of the revenue management at local, regional, central and European level with a more socio-centric fiscal expenditure mix is more desirable.

Security Issues with Mobile IT: A Narrative Review of Bring Your Own Device (BYOD).

The use of employee-owned mobile devices such as smart phones, tablets, laptops, etc., to access business enterprise content or networks otherwise referred to as of ‘Bring Your Own Device’ (BYOD) has further made the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of organizations’ data become insecure, and prone to breaches and fraudulent activities. In this study, the authors explored a narrative review that focuses on the theoretical underpinnings of vast works of literature that revealed significant information on the conceptual framework, existing systems that adopt BYOD security, analysis, and synthesis of prior research. Using some keywords “BYOD system security”, “BYOD security threats”, “cyber-attacks and security”, etc., an electronic database search extracted peer-reviewed articles from the last five years. The thematic analysis of fifty-one articles retrieved revealed that breaches and fraudulent activities exist with the use of BYOD that may be perpetrated against organization’s data, intentionally or maliciously. Good policies and guidelines on the use of BYOD coupled with good formulation and communication of same, should be adhered to avert some forms of security breaches. There is the need to preserve user’s privacy, organizations’ data confidentiality, integrity, and availability, and secure same in the devices of employees using their own devices to process corporate and personal data, by using acceptable and effective BYOD Policy and Mobile Device Management Solution (MDMS). This may increase mutual trust and BYOD adoption rate, new innovations and influence that can positively impact the organizations and their employees. Keyword: BYOD, security threats, password, cyber-attacks and security, Information security. DOI : 10.7176/JIEA/8-1-07

Political Effectiveness, Negative Externalities, and the Ethics of Economic Sanctions

AbstractAs part of the roundtable “Economic Sanctions and Their Consequences,” this essay discusses whether economic sanctions are morally acceptable policy tools. It notes that both conventional and targeted sanctions not only often fail to achieve their stated objectives but also bring about significant negative externalities in target countries. Economic dislocation and increases in political instability instigated by sanctions disproportionately affect the well-being of opposition groups and marginalized segments of society, while target elites and their support base remain insulated from the intended costs of foreign pressure. Sanctions might also incentivize target governments to use repressive means to consolidate their rule and weaken the opposition. Given these serious shortcomings, I argue that sanctions are ethically problematic tools of foreign policy. Nonetheless, this does not mean that sanctions should be rejected outright, as there might be cases where sanctions are the only viable option, and they might work effectively under certain circumstances. Rather, the essay suggests that policymakers should apply more caution in considering the use of sanctions given their low probability of success, and should be more concerned with the delicate balance between political gain and civilian pain before levying sanctions, whether comprehensive or targeted.

REPRESENTATIVE BUREAUCRACY IN NIGERIA PUBLIC SERVICE AND THE PROBLEM OF SUSTAINABLE NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT: ISSUES AND POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS

The term representative bureaucracy is not exclusively related to the Nigeria administrative system, it has gained popularity and become acceptable public policy in most heterogeneous societies globally, especially in the area of recruitment as well as promotion of personnel in public institutions. The principle arise in Nigeria out of the need to ameliorate the prevalent ethnic conflicts, arising out of the competition over the control of political power, government appointments and employment as well as admission into federal universities in Nigeria. This study attempt to examine the impact of this policy in Nigeria public service on sustainable national development with data mostly generated from the secondary source, to analyze the relationship between the two variables. Using the Marxist political economy theory as its framework of analysis, this study argues that the brand of representative bureaucracy practiced in Nigeria public service is hostile to sustainable national development. It however, recommends that there is need to revert to merit system instead of ethnic representation in employment into Nigeria public service as well as the federal universities since it is evident that the present arrangement has failed in all ramifications and has arrested any form of sustainable national development

The EU as a securitising agent? Testing the model, advancing the literature

EU actorness even in turbulent times has been re-affirmed by a largely overlooked phenomenon – namely, the emergence of the EU as an agent of collective securitisation. The fundamental claim of securitisation theory is that threat emergence and management are shaped by the actions of a securitising agent that explicitly links together the social construction of the threat with socially acceptable governance or policy measures. This concluding piece of the Special Issue proceeds from the twin assumptions that securitisation is possible within the EU space and that securitisation affects the nature and modalities of EU security governance across different policy domains. The concept of collective securitisation which frames these assumptions thus broadens our understanding of the EU as a security actor. Summarising the main findings of the Special Issue, the article first revisits the case-study evidence and then offers reflections on how collective securitisation relates to securitisation theory more broadly.

Fearing Food: The Influence of Risk Perceptions on Public Preferences for Uniform and Centralized Risk Regulation

Public opinion features prominently in policy research because it sets bounds on the definition of policy problems and acceptable policy solutions. We contend that public opinion is also important for setting bounds on the level of government at which policy hazards are regulated by shaping preferences for uniformity of regulation and, relatedly, preferences for centralization. We offer a theoretical argument for why risk creates pressures for uniform standards and examine the extent to which preferences for uniformity and centralization are the product of fairly stable individual‐level predispositions (e.g. partisanship and ideology) versus more fluid attitudes like perceptions of risk, which vary in response to crises, new information, and issue framing. We test our argument using survey data in the policy domain of food safety and find that individuals who anticipate greater risk from food‐borne illness prefer more uniform food safety regulation, which translates into preferences for federal‐level policymaking. Our results imply that contextual circumstances and strategic communications that influence risk perceptions can create not only generalized public demand for more regulatory policy but specific demand for uniform, centralized regulation.

The tendency of public’s attitudes to evaluate urban congestion charging policy in Asian megacity perspective: Case a study in Jakarta, Indonesia

Urban congestion charging (CC) is regarded as a potentially powerful instrument aimed at changing road users’ travel behavior and achieving efficient infrastructure use. Yet, at the same time, implementing this policy is not easy. There are thoughtful barriers to the pursuit of the CC implementation. The public is skeptical about such a policy, so public rejection arises mainly among car users. The acceptability of a CC reflects public’s attitudes towards the scheme and public support is regarded as a prerequisite. Understanding this is crucial to any investigation of what might improve public acceptability. Given an absence of studies from the perspective of Asian megacities, a comprehensive stated choice (SC) survey is conducted in Jakarta, where CC scheme has been introduced and remain under consideration as a way to mitigate acute traffic congestion. A multiple-indicators multiple-causes (MIMIC) approach is applied to investigate causal paths among psychological determinants that representing public’s attitudes and their strength from psychological perspectives. Statistical findings depict that a CC acceptance can be influenced and explained by an individual’s psychological motivations such as perceived effectiveness and awareness of the proposed scheme. Psychological motivations including “awareness of the city’s environment” and “awareness of the problem of cars in society” appear to be the most important direct determinants leading to recognition of the effects of a CC scheme and they are indirect determinants of policy acceptance. Furthermore, the car-dependent society is seen as part of the problem in Jakarta, and people who are dependent on the car are more likely to understand that an effective policy is needed to address this problem. We found that people had explicitly mentioned “awareness of city’s environment” and “awareness of problem car in society” as the two most popular reasons for supporting the CC. Additionally, path analysis result on the effect of specific measure “trust in government policy” on the correct and acceptable policy has revealed a positive determinant. These indicate the important role of current government performance for achieving acceptability for CC proposal. Public marketing campaigns to promote CC are strongly recommended to focus on providing the public with credible and specific information related to perceived effectiveness and awareness (less congestion and a better environment).

Does public consultation encourage social participation?

PurposeSocial participation or public participation is a mechanism that aims to enable decision makers to understand the real needs of society and to promote more appropriate and acceptable public policies. The purpose of this paper is to analyze, through Douglasian Cultural Theory, the public-consultation mechanism, and to what extent it encourages the participation of people with different points of view in the formulation of public policies.Design/methodology/approachThis research paper uses theoretical propositions from Douglasian Cultural Theory to investigate the process of public consultation adopted by the Brazilian National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) in the formulation of public policies for Brazil’s health sector.FindingsThe results contribute to the findings of previous studies, i.e., that social participation is unequal, and that some points of view are dominant in policy formulation. This indicates that public managers should seek mechanisms of participation that promote more inclusive and pluralistic public participation.Research limitations/implicationsThe main limitations of this study are the subjectivity inherent in the classification of “voices” in Douglasian Cultural Theory, the small number of contributions analyzed and the absence of some unpublished data.Originality/valueThe analysis contributes to the literature by supporting some and rejecting other propositions of Douglasian Cultural Theory, as well as indicating possible potential from this theory through public administration in the evaluation of mechanisms of social participation.

Good practice guidelines aim to show quality in home nursing care

Nursing in the home must be of high-quality to be effective, acceptable and support policy intentions.

Demographic Factors as a Catalyst for the Retention of Academic Staff: A Case Study of Three Universities in Sub - Saharan Africa

The aim of the study was to determine the effect that demographic factors such as age, gender, marital status and education, as well as factors such as years of experience, income, academic rank, country of origin and area of specialisation have on academic staff working in the higher education sector in Sub Saharan Africa . A survey approach was adopted as the main data collection tool and data was collected from three public Universities - University of KwaZulu- Natal (UKZN), Addis Ababa University (AAU) and Haramaya University (HU). The first university is located in South Africa and the last two universities are situated in Ethiopia. The survey was employed as a research design. A self- administered survey questionnaire consisting of both demographic variables (age, tenure, educational level, academic rank, employment status, marital status, average income level, and fields of specialisation) and six item turnover intentions or intentions to stay variables (measured a five -point Likert Scale in which 1= Strongly Disagree; 2= Disagree; 3= Neither Agree Nor Disagree; 4= Agree and 5= Strongly Disagree) were completed by 596 respondents selected by means of the stratified sampling method. The data was analysed using the Statistical Package of the Social Sciences(SPSS) software packages version 24. Both descriptive (frequencies, mean and standard deviation) and inferential (one-way-ANOVA) statistics were applied to examine the effect of the various demographic and other factors on the academic staff members’ intentions to depart from or remain at the three universities. The study revealed that the effect of these factors on the academic staff’s intention to depart or remain varied across the three universities . The study concluded that age, educational level, rank, employment status, marital status and area of specialisation were significant at HU but not at UKZN, where none of these factors were found to be significant predictors of a staff member’s intention to depart from the university. The findings of this study will enable higher education leaders and human resource practitioners in general, but Ethiopian institutions in particular, to design an acceptable human resource strategy and policy, tailored to address diversity and overcome the temptations of “one- size - fits - all” retention strategies.

From Integrated to Integrative: Delivering on the Paris Agreement

In pursuit of the drastic transformations necessary for effectively responding to climate change, the Paris Agreement stresses the need to design and implement sustainable, robust, and socially acceptable policy pathways in a globally coordinated and cooperative manner. For decades, the scientific community has been carrying out quantitative modelling exercises in support of climate policy design, primarily by means of energy systems and integrated assessment modelling frameworks. Here, we describe in detail the context of a hitherto ineffective scientific contribution to policymaking, highlight the available means to formulate a new paradigm that overcomes existing and emerging challenges, and ultimately call for change. In particular, we argue that individual modelling exercises alone widen the gap between formal representation and real-life context in which decisions are taken, and investigate major criticisms to which formalised modelling frameworks are subject. We essentially highlight the importance of employing diverse modelling ensembles, placing the human factor at the core of all modelling processes, and enhancing the robustness of model-driven policy prescriptions through decision support systems. These altogether compose a truly integrative approach to supporting the design of effective climate policy and sustainable transitions and, therefore, strengthen the modelling–policymaking interface.

High frequency of bladder cancer after nephroureterectomy: justification for adjuvant intravesical treatment?

BackgroundBladder recurrence after nephroureterectomy (NU) is common. However, there is no acceptable policy of adjuvant intravesical treatment after NU.ObjectiveTo assess the rate of bladder recurrence following NU and to identify the high-risk subgroups that may become candidates for adjuvant intravesical therapy after NU.Patients and methodsNinety-one patients (mean age 66.4 years) underwent NU. High-grade (HG) tumors were found in 63 patients and low-grade (LG) tumors in 28. Median follow-up was 72 months. The risk of bladder recurrence was assessed by uni- and multivariate analyses of patient and tumor characteristics.ResultsBladder recurrence developed in 38 patients (41.8%) after a median period of 11 months. Among these, 25 patients with HG upper tract urothelial carcinoma (39.7%) and 13 patients with LG upper tract urothelial carcinoma (46.4%) developed recurrence. HG bladder recurrence developed in 24 patients (63.2%) and LG recurrence developed in 14 patients (36.8%). Stages pTa, pT1, pT2, or higher bladder recurrence developed in 26 (68.4%), 7 (18.4%), and 4 patients (10.5%), respectively, and pure pTis developed in 1 patient. On uni- and multivariate analyses, the risk of bladder recurrence was independent of any clinicopathologic characteristics.ConclusionHigh rate and short time interval of bladder recurrence after NU were found, with no specific subgroup of patients with increased risk. These findings support prescribing adjuvant intravesical therapy to all patients after NU.

Actual problems of formation priority directions of state regulation in agriculture

The problems of agriculture state regulation in Ukraine are analyzed. The Approaches to the implementation of state regulatory influence on economic entities, including extreme positions – from non-interference policy to strengthening direct administrative influence on economic entities are compared. The neglect of the need for state influence on economic processes, the use of «shock therapy» in the hope that all problems will be solved by market leverage, which operate automatically in the first half of 90 years of the last century, only exacerbated these problems. Due to the significant number of influencing factors the direction of the state regulatory policy, universal approaches to its development and implementation can not be offered. Therefore, it is unacceptable to use borrowed in foreign publications schemes of state regulation. The international obligations of Ukraine in the process of gaining membership in the WTO and concluding an agreement on the association of Ukraine with the EU can not be the arguments of such application. These agreements regulate only the obligations regarding integration processes, and internal problems are solved by the development of an acceptable regulatory policy. Taking into account the fact that the regulatory influence on economic entities has levers of the market mechanism, in particular the price, the state influence of the agricultural management bodies is proposed to direct the formation of the infrastructure of the agrarian market, the main function of which is market generation of prices and their stabilization. All the ways of state regulation prices of agricultural products that were used in Ukraine after 1991 were unsuccessful. The indexation prices was offset by the increase in the cost price of products in the conditions of high inflation, the neutralization of the negative influence of inflationary processes was completely neutralized, but it increased the burden on the state budget and weakened the implementation of the prices of regulatory and stimulating functions. Limitations on the level of profitability to calculate the mass of profit included in the price, limited monopoly influence on the price of certain structures, provided access to socially significant food products. However, the continued limitation of profitability prompted an increase in current costs, as well as a reduction in production volumes, its deficit and the subsequent rapid rise in prices. Acceptable is the direct state support of the formation and development integrated formations, in which prices are agreed without government intervention and products are competitive on the domestic and foreign markets.

The downsides of industry-funded development of new therapeutics

Clinical trials are a series of studies that help evaluate the safety and efficacy of a newly discovered drug. Although government funds around 80% of basic research to discover new drugs, it does not sponsor clinical trials at a competent level. Most of the trials are financially supported by pharmaceutical companies which arecertainly a worthwhile contribution to drug discovery, but it also influences the outcome of a clinical trial by ensuring acceptable government policies. Studies revealed that industries often practice selective reporting where unfavorable results are concealed, and positive outcomes are over-published, thereby misleading policies and future research. These downsides can be countered by utilizing funds that are totally devoid of industrial interference. It was reported that medical practitioners widely accept results from government-funded research studies and degrade the integrity of industry-funded clinical trials. Government-funded clinical trials virtually result in flawless conclusions which are extensively accepted and employed in conducting future research. Unlike industry-funded research work, government-funded trials emphasize on the need of the hour and deliver a quality result which is witnessed by the emergence of 93 Nobel Prize winners through the National Institutes of Health funded research work. A survey study revealed that 68% of respondents endorsed for doubling government funds for drug development. Utilizing standard methodologies from health economics such as cost-effective analysis and health technology assessment and public–private collaborations can be a solution for several developing and underdeveloped countries which cannot afford to sponsor drug research on its own.