Decision Agenda Research Articles

Historical and relative dominance of the convention on biological diversity agenda: a case analysis of decisions and recommendations

In contrast to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) gives developing countries greater bargaining power owing to their abundant natural resources. CBD negotiations tend to be increasingly dominated by agendas related to the CBD’s third objective: benefit sharing. The first and core objective of CBD is biodiversity conservation, but it is often neglected in favor of benefit sharing. To verify this tendency, this study used topic modeling to analyze the recommendations of the subsidiary bodies and decisions made by the Conference of the Parties (COP) over the past 30 years. The study identified the ten most frequently discussed agenda, then determined the relative dominant agenda between the COP and subsidiary bodies. By categorizing the negotiation agendas into strategic decision agendas and operational conservation agendas based on the level of the meeting which the agenda dominated, this study offers a new framework that can be used to understand how strategic and operational factors interact in CBD negotiations. The findings show that biodiversity conservation, the first objective of CBD, is no longer dominant, at least during negotiations. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first comprehensive investigation of all documents generated during CBD negotiations since its inception.

Scaling up policy entrepreneurship strategies from the local to the national level: the unlikely rise of basic income from agenda universe to decision agenda

ABSTRACT Introducing Universal Basic Income (UBI) at the official agenda-setting is rare, although not a completely unlikely occurrence. Although policy entrepreneurs can strongly push this agenda, whether their efforts are successful depends on their specific strategies as well as the contextual institutional features where their actions take place. This study aims to investigate why UBI proposals have risen to the point of becoming a national-level presidential pledge in South Korea during the 2022 elections. Using the theoretical frame of Multiple Streams Approach (MSA) in agenda-setting, we identify three levels of scaling up in agenda-setting relevance, ranging from the ‘agenda universe’ to the ‘decision agenda’. We argue that policy entrepreneurs at the local policy level have an advantage in navigating the institutional settings with innovative, change-triggering ideas, but that on a larger, national-level scale, and with higher complexity of the policy field, their initially successful strategies might suffer setbacks. Our analysis shows that a progressive presidential candidate made shrewd use of the institutional bureaucratic settings offered by local governments in policy innovation. However, as the political arena shifts from the local to the national stage, the personal initiative of the policy entrepreneur might not suffice in scaling up policy innovations.

Why don’t people care about women? Women’s sport on the decision-making agenda in Brazil based on stakeholder’s perspective

ABSTRACT This study aimed at assessing why women’s sport is not included in the Brazilian decision-making agenda, in addition to show some alternatives to overcome this condition. Six female sport stakeholders were interviewed. The interviews were carried out in 2022, transcribed and analysed by using Bardin’s Content Analysis (2011). It was concluded that women’s sport does not enter the decision-making agenda due to the fact that it is not considered a political problem and because there are no women’s political movements in Brazil. As alternatives, it is essential to have representativeness of women in sport, especially in leadership positions, visibility on the topic, and to create policies, plans and projects aimed at women’s sport.

Agenda setting, framing and wage theft in Australia

ABSTRACT Over the past decade the problem of wage theft has burst onto the Australian policymaking scene, seemingly out of nowhere. Its meteoric rise, from a largely unrecognised issue to the broad public agenda, then onto the narrower governmental and decision agendas of state and federal governments, was a major feat in policy advocacy. It stands as a particularly outstanding example of the power of framing to change the salience and esteem of an issue. By tracing the journey of the wage theft issue through the different spheres of public and governmental attention, this research illuminates under-studied aspects of the re-framing and agenda-setting artforms and advances the study of advocacy group interventions in policy conflicts.

Urban Greening as a Response to Climate-Related Heat Risk: A Social–Geographical Review

With the increasing intensity, frequency and duration of heat waves, adaptation measures are becoming increasingly relevant and are moving up the agenda of decision-makers. In particular, urban areas require effective solutions due to the urban heat island effect and the increasing number of urban dwellers, including highly vulnerable social groups, such as people with low income or who lack access to public areas. However, despite there being strong agreement about the relevance of urban greening as an adaptation measure, there is still a limited understanding of where such measures should be implemented and for whom they are potentially accessible and beneficial. Through a systematic scoping review of the academic literature, this paper shows critical regional and methodological research gaps in mainstream adaptation research, including a bias towards Asian and European cities, and a lack of assessments of the socio-economic context and the accessibility of urban greening structures. Addressing the spatial issues of urban greening is of great importance for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, given the ongoing urbanisation trends and projected increase in heat risk.

Analyzing the determinants of the load capacity factor in OECD countries: Evidence from advanced quantile panel data methods

Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is one of the crucial matter on the agenda of decision makers in Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries. The SDGs include many broad environmental goals, such as pollution of air, water, and soil, and the protection of natural resources to combat this pollution. To achieve these goals, carbon emissions and ecological footprint analyzes provide some guidance, but neglect the supply side of nature. The load capacity factor makes it possible to analyze biocapacity (the supply side of nature) and ecological footprint simultaneously to assess whether countries are exceeding the sustainability limit and what factors are influencing that limit. To address this issue and provide a comprehensive environmental assessment of OECD countries, this study examines the influence of human capital, income, natural resources, urbanization, and renewable energy on the load capacity factor for 26 OECD countries over the period 1980–2018. For this purpose, the study uses the newly developed quantile common correlated effects mean group (QMG) estimator and investigates the load capacity curve (LCC) hypothesis. Our results suggest that there is a U-shaped link between income and environmental quality and the LCC hypothesis is valid. The QMG estimator results show that human capital, resource rent, and renewable energy improve the load capacity factor, but urbanization adversely affects environmental quality. The overall results highlight the ecological role of renewable energy, resource rent, and human capital in achieving the SDGs of OECD countries, such as transitioning to a low-carbon economy and reducing water pollution.

Environmental sustainability in Swiss sports federations – A case study on agenda setting, policy formulation and decision making processes

Environmental sustainability in Swiss sports federations – A case study on agenda setting, policy formulation and decision making processes

Sustainability of Taiwanese SME Family Businesses in the Succession Decision-Making Agenda

SME family businesses play a vital role in the world economy as a recognized sustainable contributor to economic growth. Aged owners of Taiwan’s family businesses have become the biggest problem; because of the dramatically changing technology and business environment, many family businesses are faced with an inheritance crisis. This study tries to identify what the priority of influential factors is for the leader’s decision-making of succession. Based on the stakeholder, upper echelons, stewardship, and agency theories, we summarized 27 crucial factors derived from four dimensions (individual, interpersonal, organizational, and the environmental) after reviewing the relevant literature. This study was based on multilevel research and a multidisciplinary perspective. After using the Delphi method and decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) method, we applied the importance–performance analysis (IPA) to determine the key factor priority. The results are important for strengthening family business theory and identifying the conditions that best promote the future growth and sustainability of family businesses.

PP17 Is the PriTec Tool Useful In The Identification Of Disruptive Healthcare Technologies?

IntroductionA disruptive technology has been defined as an innovation that completely changes the way things are done. Early identification of potential disruptive health technologies has become a key point in the agenda of decision makers and health technology assessment (HTA) bodies. The PriTec tool is an automatically executable web application that was developed in 2009 by the Galician HTA Agency to facilitate decision-making regarding the selection of technologies for post-launch observation. The tool has been updated to allow scoring and ranking of technologies before their introduction into the healthcare portfolio. The aim of this work was to propose a framework for assessing the usefulness of the PriTec tool in relation to identifying possible disruptive innovations.MethodsTo evaluate the applicability of the PriTec tool for distinguishing disruptive from non-disruptive innovations, we selected a few examples from prior acknowledged disruptive and non-disruptive innovations. These technologies were scored against the predefined criteria and the results were compared and analyzed globally and by type of domain. The PriTec tool assesses six domains of technologies: clinical condition, comparative effectiveness and safety, economic impact, implementation consequences, and dissemination speed.ResultsDisruptive technologies (e.g., transcatheter aortic valve implantation or point-of-care tests) had higher weighted global scores than non-disruptive technologies. In the domain analysis, the scores for implementation consequences were higher for disruptive than for non-disruptive technologies. Both types of technologies had similar scores in the other domains.ConclusionsThe PriTec tool seems to be useful for identifying potential disruptive technologies through its implementation domain. Further validation strategies are required to confirm the tool’s applicability and to improve its accuracy in the field of health disruption. The tool could be used by governments, horizon scanning organizations, and HTA organizations to promote the evidence-based detection of disruptive technologies in clinical practice. However, it is advisable that the tool be further tested and validated in other contexts.

National policy on health of the elderly person in the light of the steps of the public policy cycleand national health research

Aging has repercussions in several sectors, demanding the formulation of public policies and constant reflection on the subject. The objective was to understand the National Health Policy for Elderly People – PNSPI based on the Public Policy Cycle, proposed by Raeder (2014) with the Monitoring and Evaluation of Actions stage analyzed with data from the National Health Survey – PNS 2013. It is an exploratory descriptive study with an analysis of a theoretical framework based on the Public Policy Cycle. In the Perception and Definition of Problems stage, the Brazilian population aging in condition of social and gender inequality was highlighted. In the Formation of the Decision-making Agenda, several governmental priorities were marked by the demand for quality care for the elderly. In the Formation of Programs, plans and actions were verified with a view to active and healthy aging. In the Policy Implementation stage, which converts political intentions into concrete ones, it was found that there is still a way to go. In the Monitoring and Evaluation of Actions, it was found that, even after 07 years of the implementation of the PNSPI, the prevalence of elderly people with functional difficulties is high. It is concluded that the PNSPI covers all stages of the cycle of public policies in a cohesive and coherent way, however, alone it was not able to significantly change the epidemiological scenario of the elderly. It is necessary to restart the stages of the cycle with a view to strengthening the proposals of national and regional policy and development regarding to active and healthy aging.

Coping with policy errors in an era of chronic socio-environmental crises

Since large-scale environmental disruptions have become chronic, policymakers need to consider the long-term consequences of urgent crisis decisions. We develop design principles for a decision platform addressing strategic environmental crisis management, by which we mean coordinated decisions during an environmental urgency that are sensitive to long-term path dependencies and policy errors. To enhance critical questioning of formal doctrines, the decision platform includes policymakers and sectoral experts as equal participants. The agenda for decisionmaking is structured around future scenarios to encourage the participants to imagine alternative ways of framing the decision problem. The agenda also discourages defensive heuristics with which decision-makers attempt to preserve their short-term reputation. The design principles for strategic environmental crisis management are based on urban experimentation. The barrier of implementation for similar experiments in other contexts is low because they assume no major overhaul in existing administration

Political violence: why conflicts can result from sub-Saharan African socioeconomic conditions

PurposeThis study investigates the extent to which, and in what ways and capacities, the incidence of adverse economic conditions burdening the masses, on the macro-level, increases the propensity for the generation of political instability/violence.Design/methodology/approachDrawing on data from a cross-section of 25 Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries for the period 2005–2019, fixed effects (FE) and generalized method of moments (GMM) estimations are used to determine the nature and significance of the independent variable (economic condition), complemented by three control variables, on the dependent WGI-defined variable political stability scored on the basis of a continuum from −2.5 (most unstable) to +2.5 (most stable). For the link between political instability and socioeconomic conditions, the study employs a construct derived from frustration-aggression and relative deprivation theory.FindingsThe study links socioeconomic adversity to political instability in the context of SSA. In addition, larger populated countries exhibit a greater propensity to political instability than smaller populated countries. In contrast, foreign direct investment (FDI) appears to have no real effect, positive or negative, on political stability.Practical implicationsPoor living conditions seem to be strongly associated with a high risk of political violence in SSA. To buoy socioeconomic status, poverty alleviation needs be elevated into a key initiative in the decision-making agenda, at all levels of governance, with real targeted strides achieved in terms of enhancement of the standard of living of the masses. In addition, policies that control population need to be inaugurated hand-in-hand with welfare measures and a more equitable balancing of the distribution of resources in the society.Originality/valueGiven the high regional incidence of civil strife and violence, combined with a dearth of research of an empirical nature on political risk in SSA, this study provides a largely ignored and useful context on SSA apart from studies on the incidence of violence that consider the developing countries as a monolithic whole.

Students as informal leaders in deliberate acts of inclusion

ABSTRACT This article focuses on the importance of highlighting students’ role as informal leaders and their efforts to take on active roles in decision-making processes. Students’ involvement in such roles entails an imperative process for the development of school inclusion. Contemporary literature has repeatedly focused on the multiple roles student voices play in, and the ways they impact on, the processes of school change and improvement. However, the ways in which students themselves interpret their roles as informal leaders, through the initiatives they take on, have not been explored, especially in environments characterised by cultural pluralism. Our research examines the ways in which thirty-six students from four Greek secondary schools with a highly-diverse cultural profile undertake deliberate acts to develop into equal co-producers of a new pedagogical decision-making agenda reinforcing inclusion. The results of our research bear multiple implications for both the levels of educational policy and school practices.

A window into youth and family policy: State policymaker views on polarization and research utilization.

Psychologists are known for using science to influence public policymaking on criminal justice, education, health, and other specific policies. Little is known, however, about what commonalities exist across youth and family policies and, in particular, how prevalent polarization and research utilization are in political decisions. In response, this article examines how youth and family policies are positioned on the decision-making agenda and who advances them from an overlooked point of view, that of state legislators. Semistructured qualitative interviews inquired about research use, partisan polarization, and strategies for effectively advancing youth/family policies with 123 legislators; 24 legislators nominated by colleagues as exemplar champions of youth and family issues; and 13 key informants. Policymakers report youth and families are a population deserving of support. This widely shared value premise makes some policies to support youth and families less partisan. In addition, policymakers report that research can sometimes be more important for youth and family issues, particularly evidence on economic feasibility. Despite the importance of research, policymakers express concerns about its objectivity, conflicting results, and source credibility. Compared with colleagues, Youth and Family Champions are committed to a higher purpose; knowledgeable on policy issues and political maneuvers; and skilled in listening, earning colleagues' trust, and building relationships with colleagues and external stakeholders. For connecting research and policy, the article suggests that researchers could attract the attention of policymakers by illustrating their studies with a compelling story that places a human face on the issue and portrays the pragmatic significance of the findings. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Sustainability and risk – a review of energy security

Evidence is growing for the effects of using fossil fuels on the climate and of environmental degradation caused by excessive resource extraction. As a result of these challenges, and with gathering uncertainty in the geopolitical sphere, the topic of energy security is climbing the agenda of decision-makers around the world. Individual nations as well as supranational blocs have assessed their energy security status using indicator sets, indices, and frameworks taking account of their reliance on different fuels, their general economic position, policies on energy pricing, access to renewables, international relations, and so on. However, few of these attempts are reported as making an impact on policy. The main difficulties are uncertainty of what energy security involves, poor handling of risk, and a lack of methodological rigour and consistency in the development of frameworks for selection of indicators and metrics. There are similarities between energy security and sustainability, and we suggest that improvements in assessing energy security can be made by learning from established and robust sustainability assessment methods. Future research should be directed at developing broader and more robust methodological analyses of actual risks in energy systems using methods from risk analysis research. Both supply chain risk and systemic risk are under-researched topics, with potentially serious consequences for long-term energy security.

Researching, Monitoring, and Managing: Immigration Policy Work in Canada

ABSTRACT Based on interviews with bureaucrats involved in policy work at the Canadian immigration department, this article describes how their work may have influenced the content of policies between 2006 and 2015. In dialogue with historical accounts of bureaucratic immigration policy making in Canada and with concepts from the study of policy work, the findings highlight the importance of maintenance tasks (research, monitoring, and stakeholder management) and identify two pathways of bureaucratic influence: bringing problems to the agendas of decision makers and formulating solutions based on expertise. These results show that bureaucratic influence and the activities of a generally pro-immigration bureaucracy should be further explored as a contributor to Canadian immigration exceptionalism. They also shed a different light on patterns of immigration policymaking during the successive terms of the Canadian Conservative government (2005–2015).

Agua, contaminación y su manejo en la Región Norte de México: el caso del Río Sonora

This paper describes the formulation of the decision agenda of “Río Sonora” Trust (FRS)’s Technical Committee (TC), established in 2014 to compensate for the damage caused by Buenavista del Cobre Company’s copper leach spill in the Sonora River Basin. The Multiple Streams Approach (MSA) (Kingdon, 2014) was used to analyze the participation and criteria for technical feasibility and the anticipation of future limitations of the alternatives discussed by the FRS’ Technical Committee. The analysis showed that the approved alternatives were formulated and implemented by hidden participants and characterized by their high visibility, low compliance with the technical feasibility criteria, and long-term costs aversion. The results contribute to the understanding of the MSA virtues for the analysis of the remediation of environmental disasters agenda.

A Phased Approach for preparation and organization of human biomonitoring studies.

Human biomonitoring (HBM) studies like other epidemiological studies are costly and time-consuming. They require the administration of questionnaires and collection of biological samples, putting substantial burden on the participants which may result in low participation rates. The growing importance of HBM studies in epidemiology, exposure assessment and risk assessment underline the importance of optimizing study planning, designing and implementation thus minimizing the above-mentioned difficulties. Based on frameworks from survey design and fieldwork preparation of the European Joint Program HBM4EU, the German Environment Surveys and the COPHES/DEMOCOPHES twin projects combined with elements of project management strategies, a Phased Approach has been developed, introducing a step-by-step guideline for the development of epidemiological studies. The Phased Approach splits the process of developing a study into six phases: Phase 0 (Scoping and Planning): All aspects that are necessary to conduct a study are compiled and put on the agenda for decision-making. Phase 1 (Preparation and Testing): Instruments (e.g. questionnaires), materials (e.g. guidelines, information), and ethics and data management issues, needing thorough preparation and testing before a study can start. Phase 2 (Initiation): Organization and acquisition of necessary equipment and engaging and training personnel. Phase 3 (Implementation): All procedures that require temporal proximity to the start date of fieldwork, such as obtaining contact information of invitees. Phase 4 (Fieldwork and Analysis): Involvement of participants and chemical analysis of the collected samples. Phase 5 (Results and Evaluation): Final procedures leading to closure of the project, such as providing and communicating results. The separation of the planning and conduct of human biomonitoring studies into different phases creates the basis for a structured procedure and facilitates a step-by-step approach reducing costs, warranting high participation rates and increasing quality of conduct. Emphasis is put on a comprehensive scoping phase ensuring high quality of the study design, which is indispensable for reliable results.

An international foresight reflection on entrepreneurial pathways for higher education institutions

Recent decades have seen many countries reforming their higher education systems, affecting the mission and governance of higher education institutions (HEIs). HEIs are now expected to produce entrepreneurial capital and to be catalysts for regional economic and societal development, taking on significant roles in entrepreneurial ecosystems. Hence, this article addresses entrepreneurial ecosystem stakeholders’ preoccupation with and interest in the role of HEIs in the future and assesses the opportunities and risks associated with HEIs pursuing entrepreneurial pathways. The authors propose five future scenarios, which they term ‘worldwide’, ‘transdisciplinary’, ‘adaptive learning’, ‘blended’ and ‘ecosystem’. These scenarios demonstrate that internationalization, digital transformation, collaborative networks and co-creation processes are key drivers of the advancement of higher education and provide guidance for HEIs and policymakers on the framing of decision-making agendas related to possible entrepreneurial pathways. Based on experts’ assessments, the authors consider the transdisciplinary and blended scenarios to be the most auspicious.

Modelo de apoio à decisão para identificação e priorização de ações socioambientais

A natureza competitiva dos mercados com foco em questões puramente econômicas, ainda que seja condição necessária para permanecer competindo em algum setor da indústria, não é mais condição suficiente. Os aspectos sociais e ambientais passaram a fazer parte da agenda estratégica dos tomadores de decisão e têm sido incorporados ao escopo de objetivos que norteiam as decisões corporativas. Neste sentido, o presente artigo propôs a aplicação da metodologia Value Focused Thinking (VFT) em conjunto com o método de apoio à decisão PROMETHEE II para identificação e priorização de ações socioambientais em contexto organizacional. A metodologia utilizada possui natureza qualitativa e quantitativa, baseando-se em aplicações do campo da Pesquisa Operacional. Por fim, com a intenção de validar o modelo proposto, um estudo de caso é apresentado como objeto de investigação.