Institutional Challenges Research Articles

Legal Tug-of-War: The Institutional Challenges of the Domestic Prosecution of War Crimes in Ukraine

This article navigates the complexities of domestic prosecution of war crimes in Ukraine following Russia's invasion in February 2022. The unprecedented scale of atrocities has presented significant challenges to domestic prosecutors and judges in addressing the multifaceted legal landscape. The research aims to provide a nuanced understanding of various actors' roles, responsibilities, and investigations within Ukraine's national legal and judicial system.
 The article offers a comprehensive overview of the infrastructure of domestic criminal prosecution, emphasising the pivotal role played by the national legal and judicial system. It explores the accountability, methods, and investigations associated with war crimes and outlines the general challenges that Ukraine's domestic judicial prosecution system faces.
 The research unravels the intricacies of Ukraine's domestic criminal justice system and illustrates its multifaceted responsibilities and functions. By highlighting the critical role of the national legal and judicial system, the article identifies challenges that underscore the complexity of prosecuting war crimes domestically.
 The analysis reveals crucial aspects of prosecuting war crimes in Ukraine. Hurdles in navigating the legal terrain, collecting and preserving evidence, securing credible witnesses, and overcoming jurisdictional barriers underscore the need for bolstering investigative capacities and fostering international cooperation. The identified challenges highlight the imperative for enhanced training and capacity-building initiatives within the legal and judicial sectors. The overarching challenge lies in promoting a systemic shift in the legal culture, emphasising accountability for international crimes. Addressing these challenges requires a multi-faceted approach involving legal reforms, capacity-building, international collaboration, and a cultural shift towards recognising the significance of prosecuting international crimes. Ukraine can effectively pursue justice for such egregious crimes through a comprehensive strategy.

Revisiting the Turkish-Israeli alliance of the 1990s

ABSTRACT The Turkish-Israeli ‘honeymoon’ of the 1990s has been explained by different concepts such as alliance, strategic partnership, or cooperation and friendship, with these concepts often used interchangeably. As a corollary of the Turkish official narrative, which is based on a national security approach, certain explanations were offered in justification of the close relationship, including shared traditional democratic culture and secular character, as well as conducive international atmosphere. According to this construction, Turkey had no option but to align with Israel. On the other hand, while the ‘honeymoon’ was often seen as a foreign policy issue directly affected by the military bureaucracy, negative discourses against Israel in domestic politics, and institutional challenges in the Turkish state structure were often ignored. By way of filling this lacuna, the present article evaluates the impact of domestic factors, including the capital-owning class, lobbies, and institutional changes in the Turkish security apparatus on Turkish-Israeli relations.

Embedding Research-led Urban Experiments? Institutional Capacities and Challenges in Mundane Planning Settings

Embedding Research-led Urban Experiments? Institutional Capacities and Challenges in Mundane Planning Settings

SO MANY STAKEHOLDERS, SO MANY CONTRACTS!

Abstract Elder financial fraud is a growing challenge for adult protective services (APS), financial institutions, and state and federal law enforcement agencies that seek effective interventions to protect older adults from continued financial loss. One solution is temporary account holds that prevent suspicious withdrawals from an older or vulnerable adult’s account while investigation and additional interventions are put in place. With funding from the Administration for Community Living, this project seeks to understand the outcomes of temporary account holds on elder safety and financial autonomy in Minnesota. We first worked to improve communication between APS and other Minnesota state agencies to ensure that cases are properly referred and that protection activities are coordinated to achieve the best outcomes for the older adult. Like most collaborative research projects that involve university researchers and state agencies, significant legal agreements were necessary. Multiple subawards and cost share agreements were drafted, data use agreements were created, and IRB approvals from multiple entities were sought. In this presentation, Dr. DeLiema will share lessons learned about how researchers can better prepare for the administrative burden and delayed starts associated with completing these legal administrative processes. She will describe common areas of conflict and competing interests between state agencies and universities around data privacy and ownership, strategies for finding common ground, and possible workarounds to fulfill project aims. Dr. DeLiema will also highlight how to “pitch” a collaboration to community stakeholders using a value proposition that outlines the benefits of the project to the stakeholder.

Application of rules or policies in the ECB? Legal and institutional challenges impacting the climate transition

Application of rules or policies in the ECB? Legal and institutional challenges impacting the climate transition

An Analysis of Fairness and Quality Issues in Online Assessment at Higher Education in Pakistan

Remote assessment during pandemic Covid-19 had remained a big challenge for higher education institutions (Cooper & Tschobotko, 2020). Many issues related to fairness and quality in particular needed to be resolved (UNESCO, 2020). The study, thus, attempted to address in detail, quality and fairness issues associated with online formative and summative assessment at higher education. The study opted for a questionnaire including fixed-choice items as well as extended response questions. Undergraduate students (n=323) from higher education were population of the study. Quantitative data of students were analyzed through mean scores, percentages, t-test and ANOVA, whereas extended responses of students were analyzed through thematic analysis. Results revealed that online assessment at higher education seemed to be unsatisfactory whether related to fairness and quality in formative assessment as well as summative assessment. Formative assessments lacked in quality in terms of low quality assessments for students’ knowledge and practical skills; and unfair in terms of biasness and unfair award of marks. Online summative assessments lacked in quality test-construction, exacerbated by security and cheating threats. Other than that, teachers lacked in methodology, punctuality and teaching with responsibility during online education. Also, it was found that females were more sufferers of online assessment as compared to male students. Overall, online formative assessment and summative assessment whether in terms of fairness and/or quality had been unsatisfactory and many issues related to fairness and quality remained untouched which have serious implications in online education leading to face to face education and assessment system at large.

Blockchain Technology in Lands Registration: A Systematic Literature Review

Blockchain technology (BT) is increasingly important in digital government as a means of efficient information management, decision making and an instrument for reform. This study presents a systematic review of BT's potential and application in land registration within low-income countries. The study uncovers diverse approaches to BT implementation that are influenced by local conditions and government structures. The study reveals that while there is a burgeoning interest in this field, actual implementations remain limited. The key barriers include resistance from government officials and a lack of local BT skills. Public blockchains have shown a high tendency for adoption, indicating a shift towards more transparent relationships between governments and citizens. The Hyperledger Fabric platform emerges as a popular choice due to its ability to provide secure, scalable, and robust solutions. However, there is a lack of clarity regarding the consensus mechanisms used, indicating a potential gap in current research practices. The study recommends an incremental approach to BT implementation, starting with non-threatening, transparent processes that could be expanded as part of broader government reform programs. Despite the potential of BT to revolutionize land registration systems and democratize tracking, it also poses a threat to existing power structures. Therefore, more robust empirical research is needed to evaluate the impacts and navigate the associated sociotechnical, legal, and institutional challenges. The study also proposes the establishment of a BT collaborative network among low-income countries to leverage shared experiences and develop a common framework for implementation. In the single instance where it was implemented in Georgia, public trust in government was restored. The study contributes to understanding how BT can be effectively harnessed to improve land registration systems in low-income countries.

Challenges in Connecting The Elements of Sectoral System of Innovation for Developing Electric Vehicle Industry in Indonesia

<p>This article discusses industrial development on EV di Indonesia, viewed from<strong> </strong>Sectoral system of innovation (SSI) perspective. The objective of this study is to map challenges in connecting the elements of SSI for developing EV industry. The method of study is a desk research, where the information input relies on secondary sources, consisting of statistical data, official documents and scientific references. This study found eight challenges to develop EV industry. The institutional challenges include: i. fiscal programs are still less effective to promote industrial collaboration on EV innovation with universities and R&D institutions; ii. Local content target is still difficult to fulfill; iii. unreadiness of local industry to be involved in the EV supply chain; and iv. Slow consumer response towards EV program incentives. On the knowledge and technology challenges are: i) the quality and standards of EVs from domestic R&D are still inadequate for commercial scale; and ii. potential investors have not shown adequate interest in local EV development. The demand challenges are: i. the plan to make Indonesia as EV hub in ASEAN region is far from reality due to lack of investors; and ii. the lack of ECS accessibility is a barrier to the domestic EV market.</p><p> </p>Keywords: electric vehicle, sectoral system of innovation, institutions, knowledge and technology, demand

EXPLORING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT AND WORKPLACE DEVIANCE IN EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS

Employee involvement and its effect on organizational behavior have recently become a popular topic of inquiry. Many researchers have investigated the potential for enhancing employee attitudes, proactive contributions, and organizational performance. Concurrently, there has been increasing concern regarding workplace deviance, which includes behaviors that violate established norms. The emotional commitment and enthusiasm that define employee engagement are linked to job characteristics and organizational justice. These aspects bolster engagement within academic establishments, leading to a rise in job fulfillment and productivity. Conversely, workplace deviance, which encompasses production and interpersonal deviant behaviors, poses a significant challenge for educational institutions. Previous studies have revealed a negative correlation between employee engagement and workplace deviance, highlighting the potential of engaged employees to promote ethical principles and reduce deviant behaviors. Promoting organizational justice and fairness can further contribute to this positive relationship. This paper proposes a theoretical framework that utilizes questionnaires to evaluate employee engagement, job characteristics, organizational justice, and workplace deviance. The study targets employees with diverse roles within higher educational institutions, employing convenience sampling to elucidate the relationships between these constructs. The outcomes of this research can guide higher educational institutions in optimizing strategies for fostering employee engagement, enhancing organizational justice, and mitigating workplace deviance. Tailored interventions that address specific job characteristics and fairness perceptions can be designed to create a more harmonious and productive work environment. Policymakers and administrators can also benefit from evidence-based policy development to promote engagement and address deviant behaviors within educational institutions. In conclusion, this conceptual paper emphasizes the importance of understanding the dynamics between employee engagement, job characteristics, organizational justice, and workplace deviance in higher educational institutions. It provides a foundation for further empirical research and offers practical insights to stakeholders in the field of education, contributing to a more conducive and prosperous educational environment.

The psychological contract and staff retention among South African higher education employees: The influence of socio-demographics

Orientation: The global skills crisis, ‘the great resignation’, and technological advancements have impacted the higher education (HE) sector in South Africa. Staff retention is at risk because of the specialised skills sought by institutions, making employment relationships and skill retention top priorities.Research purpose: The aim of this study was to explore the influence of socio-demographic differences on the relationship between psychological contract preferences and staff retention among South African HE employees.Motivation for the study: High staff turnover in South African HE sector and inability to retain crucial skilled employees pose challenges for HE institutions (HEIs) in a complex and diverse environment.Research approach/design and method: A cross-sectional quantitative survey was conducted on a purposively selected population of full-time employees, both academic and administrative, with a final random sample of participants (N = 493) employed in an open-distance HEI in South Africa. Inferential statistics, specifically tests for significant mean differences, were performed.Main findings: Higher education employees from different race, gender, age, job level and tenure groups differ considerably in terms of their psychological contract preferences and their satisfaction with organisational retention practices.Practical/managerial implications: Interventions for HE staff retention should prioritise strengthening diverse employees’ psychological contracts, meeting their needs, and ensuring fulfilment of promises and commitments in the employment relationship.Contribution/value-add: This paper’s unique contribution lies in the new insight it provides into the psychological contract and retention-related preferences of diverse employees in the South African HE context.

Student Emotions and Engagement: Enacting Humanizing Pedagogy in Higher Education

Student engagement in higher education has been a topic of discussion for decades, as student engagement directly indexes student retention, achievement, and career development. While previous research emphasizes the importance of effective teaching practices to increase student engagement in higher education, faculty and staff report institutional and professional challenges to increase interactions with students. This study highlights cases of successful teacher-student relationships that engendered positive student emotions and advanced student engagement in higher education settings. Using the thank-you note messages provided by students in a Thank-a-Teacher initiative, data were analyzed qualitatively through the theoretical principles of humanizing pedagogy (del Carmen Salazar, 2013). The findings indicate that the enactment of humanizing pedagogy through conveying emotions and forming positive teacher-student relationships made a meaningful impact on student motivation, engagement, and growth. Implications for the transformation and liberation of higher education through affect-driven pedagogy are discussed.

Understanding institutional and policy challenges in China’s coal transition: Insights from the case of Chongqing

<p>China’s efforts and decisions to phase out coal will shape global endeavors in addressing climate change in the upcoming decades. This study investigates the action logic and interactions among different stakeholders, including the central government, local government, coal enterprises, and mine workers, in the case of Chongqing to gain valuable insights into existing institutional and policy challenges. Our results demonstrate that: First, the provincial government is the key to managing and implementing the local coal transitions, its motivation for coal transition, however, may not always align with the nation’s overall priorities. This highlights the need for a top-down coal transition policy to address the mismatched incentives among various participants. Second, Chongqing’s successful experience in maintaining economic development and whole employment demonstrates the possibility of adopting a rapid coal closure in places with similar resource endowments and industrial structures. Chongqing’s collaborative approach to transferring social responsibilities to local governments also serves as a valuable model that may apply to others’ contexts. Lastly, it is crucial to make context-based policy adjustments and establish an integrated and independent governance system when pursuing a rapid, efficient, and safe coal phase-out.</p>

Energy transition in a developing economy: Challenges, prospects and policy considerations

Energy transition as a process of decarbonizing energy systems is considered a key mitigation strategy in the global effort to curb rising temperatures stemming from greenhouse gases. The main challenge with the energy transition process has to do with the social, economic, political and technological capacities of a country to undertake this transition process for which developing countries globally are lagging behind. The purpose of this study is the present a policy discussion paper looking at the pertinent social, economic and institutional challenges that developing countries need to consider in its energy transition process. As a case study, the paper also looked at the economy of Guyana, a country that is experiencing an oil and gas boom and also has committed to developing a low carbon development strategy. The paper implemented a narrative literature review and constructed the case study for Guyana utilizing secondary information on policy positions and directives for the energy sector in Guyana. Several pertinent issues within developing countries were identified including centralized and state dominated markets, poor infrastructure to support the transition process, availability of technology, energy justice and energy bullying and a lack of policies that foster community energy systems, energy sensitization and energy investments. These issues also reverberated with Guyana with policy recommendations emphasizing on collective actions needed to address the policy needs of developing countries in their transition process. The issues identified within the policy discussion of this paper can be used by policy makers globally as a potential framework for identifying the research gaps and priority areas to channel resources and technical skills to enhance the energy transition process in developing countries.

Unravelling the Premises of Power Sharing, Democratic Ideals and Nation-Building and its Institutional Challenges

This paper explores nation-building as a complex term, highlighting its ambiguity and historical growth. Nation-building is described as a societal process that happens gradually and is impacted by political, technological, and economic shifts. For a new state to be legitimate, citizens must actively shape a shared political will. This is the central idea. Power-sharing is a contentious and potentially pacifying practise that is being studied in nations where identity groups are divided. The study emphasises the significance of institutional design as political violence around the world increases. For long-term stability, nation-building is important because it fosters a unified identity, frequently via education. Problems, however, lead to critical questions about its suitability, especially in light of the democratic peace paradigm, and they end with a variety of factors to take into account for successful nation-building initiatives.

A tale of four studios: Evolving planning and architecture education towards mixed modality in a post-pandemic world

AbstractThe COVID-19 pandemic imposed urgent challenges for educational institutions. The sudden shift from on-site teaching to online distance learning offered the possibility to examine new settings of the studio, a core element of planning and architecture education. Although the pandemic is now over, online learning has secured a fixed place in university education, and consequently, educational institutions need to reconsider studio education based on the lessons learned during the pandemic. Through studying four studios taught at Aalto University, Finland, in 2020 and 2021, this article examines student-teacher experiences, and proposes opportunities for evolving studio education. The findings show that distance learning has in general sustained the objectives of studio education. However, challenges remain especially regarding the social aspects of learning. The degree of success of online teaching varied greatly depending on the tasks and the orientation of the studio (design or strategy). Technological aids and devices also had an influence on fulfilling the pedagogical objectives of learning. Professional socialization was highly affected by the online environment both in design and planning studios and the architectural representation witnessed difficulties specifically in design studios. To evolve the studio setting, the article suggests a mixed modality model supporting the social dimension of studio teaching by combining on-site and online learning activities to enrich the learning process. Such a model can harmonize the intended learning objectives and activities with the teaching methods and modality, thus improving the social dimension of studio teaching.

The fair and acceptable implementation of carbon market in Indonesia

In the 27th Conference of the Parties (CoP), many countries committed to net zero pledges to reduce carbon emissions, including Indonesia’s pledge to achieve net zero by 2060 through raise target of Enhanced Nationally Determined Contribution (E-NDC) by 2030. These ambitious goals require significant financing and technical support. However, as a developing country, Indonesia must balance its sustainability efforts with its need for affordable and sufficient energy sources to support economic growth. This paper examines the effectiveness of policy measures in reducing carbon emissions and promoting climate change mitigation. Through a comprehensive review of existing literature, this paper assesses the implementation of carbon economic value in Indonesia in terms of their potential economic impacts, political feasibility and legal and institutional challenges. The paper analyses the interactions between these policy instruments and evaluates the benefits and challenges of combining different policy measures in promoting climate change mitigation. This paper highlights the importance of a comprehensive and coordinated approach to addressing climate change and provides valuable insights for policymakers in designing effective policy measures that facilitate the transition to a low carbon economy.

Nursing technicians' professional training in patient safety: A mixed-methods study.

to analyze nursing technicians' training in patient safety. a convergent parallel mixed-methods study, where qualitative and quantitative elements were concomitantly implemented and equally prioritized, carried out in three technical colleges linked to a federal public institution in the Brazilian Northeast region. In the qualitative phase, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 24 professors and thematic analysis was applied. In the quantitative study, of the survey type, an instrument was used to screen terms about patient safety with 84 students. The results were combined during the general data interpretation, which was based on the Patient Safety Curricular Guide. two thematic categories emerged: The professors' understanding about the theme of patient safety in nursing technicians' training; and Application and projection of the teaching of patient safety in nursing technicians' training. In the quantitative study, among the 46 screening terms, their identification in the theoretical-practical context predominated in Courses A and C, totaling 36 (78.3%) and 25 (54.3%), respectively. Theoretical teaching stood out in Course B, with 26 terms (56.5%). professional training of Nursing Technician students has a technical focus and does not fully contemplate patient safety issues in the teaching-learning process and, thus, constitutes a challenge for training institutions and professors alike.

Wielokulturowość w perspektywie uczniów edukacji wczesnoszkolnej w Polsce i Islandii

In recent years, Poland has witnessed a gradual increase of foreign cultures, which is inextricably linked to a new challenge for educational institutions. On the one hand, schools have to face the influx of students for whom the Polish language and culture is not their mother tongue; on the other hand, they have to prepare Polish students for encounters with elements of culture other than their own, i.e. language, customs, traditions or religion. The article presents the results of a Polish-Icelandic research project, the aim of which was to learn the views of students of early childhood education on multiculturalism. Quantitative (diagnostic survey) and qualitative (content analysis) methods were used in the research. The research group consisted of 141 students, 71 from Poland and 70 from Iceland. The research was conducted from June 2022 to March 2023. The results showed that both the place of residence and the educational experience (Iceland has successfully applied systemic solutions to the integration of foreigners for many years) have a significant impact on how students understand and define multiculturalism. Of interest to the researchers were the analyses showing that, regardless of their place of residence, children of early school age are characterised by an open attitude towards intercultural contacts. Early school children are curious about other cultures, they want to exchange experiences and develop their knowledge in the field of intercultural education.

Maintaining the Quality of the Institution by Implementing the Education Services Mix

Nowadays, the challenges for educational institutions are starting to increase in competition, so that there are many educational institutions offering services. An educational institution must be able to maintain quality so as to market the institution, maintain the value of its existence or existence. Various interesting events occur when implementing education, when accepting new prospective students, people are now starting to be smart in choosing educational institutions for their sons/daughters. The institution must have a good image in view. To create a brand image for educational institutions, an appropriate marketing strategy for educational services is needed, namely the 7P marketing theory. The elements of the educational services marketing mix consist of seven educational services marketing tools, which are also known as 7p; Product, Price, Place, Promotion, People, Physical Evidence, Process, Field of analysis; school environment, school products and services, customers or stakeholders, and school competitors. School competitive strategy; 1. Reduction of education costs, 2. Quality of education. 3. Educational innovation strategy.

STUDY OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP CHALLENGES USING DELPHI METHOD IN AFGHANISTAN (CASE STUDY: BALKH PROVINCE)

Entrepreneurship, according to Schumpeter, is the motor of economic development without which no country can achieve economic development. Today, no one can deny the importance of entrepreneurship, and countries are attempting to promote economic development and job creation by passing policies that affect entrepreneurship development. Afghanistan, being one of the countries suffering from unemployment and economic growth, and entrepreneurship can provide the possibility of making more job and economic development through promoting and growing businesses. This study is also aimed to explore the challenges of entrepreneurs in the context of Afghanistan's Balkh region from the perspective of entrepreneurs. The research data was gathered from the target population, which includes people involved in entrepreneurship, business innovation, and government-related departments. The list of challenges in developing countries that are acquainted with the context of Afghanistan was prepared and discussed with the target population based on the research background and literature review. The research methodology used in this study was qualitative research using the Delphi method. The researchers analyzed qualitative data to determine true obstacles, problems, and possibilities for entrepreneurship in the context of Balkh province. According to the research findings, the main challenges faced by entrepreneurs in Balkh province of Afghanistan are policy challenges on a macro scale, financial and economic challenges, Educational and lack of professional skilled human resource challenges, policy and institutional dimension challenges, lack of appropriate infrastructure, and international support and issues are the main challenges faced by entrepreneurs in Balkh province of Afghanistan.