Common Good Research Articles

Effectiveness of social distancing under partial compliance of individuals

Social distancing reduces infectious disease transmission by limiting contact frequency and proximity within a community. However, compliance varies due to its impact on daily life. This paper explores the effects of compliance on social distancing effectiveness through a “social distancing game”, where community members make decisions based on personal utility. We conducted numerical experiments to evaluate how different policy settings for social distancing affect disease transmission.Our findings suggest several key points for developing effective social distancing policies. Firstly, while generally effective, overly strict policies may lead to noncompliance and reduced effectiveness. Secondly, the public health benefits of social distancing need to be balanced against social costs, emphasizing policy efficiency. Lastly, for diseases with low reinfection risk, a segmented policy exempting immune individuals could lessen both infections and socioeconomic costs.

Different Stories for Different People - Engagement with the Archaeology of HS2 Area North

The UK high-speed railway High Speed Two (HS2) will link London and the Midlands following the route of the 19th-century London and Birmingham Railway. After years of work, including the largest programme of historic environment investigation in the UK across a swathe of the landscape over a number of years, the construction stage is now in progress. The lead document for the delivery of the historic environment works is HS2's generic Written Scheme of Investigation, the Historic Environment Research and Delivery Strategy (HERDS). One of the central principles of HERDS is to derive public benefit from the historic environment works, by meeting community engagement objectives and building a legacy of knowledge and skills. This article was delivered as a paper at the European Association of Archaeologists' (EAA) conference in 2023, themed 'Weaving narratives', in an HS2 session entitled 'Different stories for different people'. It discusses some of the principles of audience and narrative development that can be transferred to other archaeological projects from the discoveries in the Midlands (HS2 Area North). Three steps are highlighted. Firstly, engage with and listen to stakeholders and community representatives early in the project lifespan, using professional expertise. Secondly, assimilate key themes and local issues, create partnerships, and identify heritage champions to support the design of activities. Thirdly, work together to deliver a range of events and activities tailored to a variety of audiences using bespoke platforms and styles. Adopting this approach, and having clearer mechanisms for measuring and evaluating the benefit of the outcomes, demonstrates worth and benefits the sector. For project legacy, the goal is to use the stories to transfer skills, information, good practice and ownership.

Privacy during pandemics: Attitudes to public use of personal data

In this paper we investigate people’s attitudes to privacy and sharing of personal data when used to help society combat a contagious disease, such as COVID-19. Through a two-wave survey, we investigate the role of personal characteristics, and the effect of information, in shaping privacy attitudes. By conducting the survey in Norway and Sweden, which adopted very different strategies to handle the COVID-19 pandemic, we analyze potential differences in privacy attitudes due to policy changes. We find that privacy concern is negatively correlated with allowing public use of personal data. Trust in the entity collecting data and collectivist preferences are positively correlated with this type of data usage. Providing more information about the public benefit of sharing personal data makes respondents more positive to the use of their data, while providing additional information about the costs associated with data sharing does not change attitudes. The analysis suggests that stating a clear purpose and benefit for the data collection makes respondents more positive about sharing. Despite very different policy approaches, we do not find any major differences in privacy attitudes between Norway and Sweden. Findings are also similar between the two survey waves, suggesting a minor role for contextual changes.

Michael J. McGrath, Acting for the Common Good: Social Justice in the Light of Catholic Social Teaching

Michael J. McGrath, <i><b>Acting for the Common Good: Social Justice in the Light of Catholic Social Teaching</b></i>

Navigating identity shifts and well-being in the entrepreneurial exit process: A comparative study of entrepreneurs nearing retirement

Entrepreneurs in their 50s and beyond face significant identity shifts and well-being challenges as they transition out of the businesses they have built. Grounded in Super’s career-development framework and utilizing the Eisenhardt Method for case study analysis, this research explores the entrepreneurial exit process during the maturity and decline stages. With an average business tenure of 11 years, these entrepreneurs encounter emotional and practical hurdles, such as health concerns, financial pressures, and shifting priorities. The study highlights valuing identity diversification and social support in easing the transition, revealing that financial success alone does not guarantee positive post-exit well-being. Gender differences show women prioritize sustainability and family, while men focus on growth and professional identity. These insights underscore the need for early exit planning and holistic support for successful entrepreneurial succession and retirement strategies. JEL CLASSIFICATION: L26: Entrepreneurship; D91: Intertemporal Household Choice; Life Cycle Models and Saving; M14: Corporate Culture; Diversity; Social Responsibility; J14: Economics of the Elderly; Economics of the Handicapped; Non-labor Market Discrimination; I31: General Welfare, Well-being

Artificial Intelligence Chatbots in Action: Optimizing Benefits Enrollment in Public Administration

This article examines the implementation of artificial intelligence-powered chatbots in public sector benefits enrollment processes, focusing on their potential to streamline operations, enhance user experience, and reduce administrative burdens. Through a comprehensive analysis of case studies in healthcare and social security benefits programs, we demonstrate that chatbots can significantly improve efficiency, accuracy, and accessibility in enrollment procedures. Our findings indicate a 30-40% reduction in processing times and a marked increase in application completion rates. However, challenges related to data privacy, system integration, and user acceptance persist. This article contributes to the growing body of literature on digital transformation in public administration by providing empirical evidence of chatbots' effectiveness in benefits enrollment. We conclude that while chatbots offer promising solutions to longstanding issues in public sector service delivery, their successful implementation requires careful consideration of technical, ethical, and user-centric factors. Our study has important implications for policymakers and public administrators seeking to leverage AI technologies to enhance public service efficiency and accessibility

Role of Dual GIP and GLP-1 Receptor Agonist, Tirzepatide in the Management of Weight Loss; A Systematic Review.

The eventuality of tirzepatide, a binary GIP and GLP- 1 receptor agonist, as a treatment for rotundity and metabolic diseases is addressed in this comprehensive review. A definition of tirzepatide is that it is an implicit intervention for rotundity, given its effectualness per the cure-dependent effect. Beyond the beneficial effects on body weight loss, tirzepatide also brings about an improvement in lipid biographies and insulin perceptivity, in harmony with binary receptor activation. Assaying data from seven phases 3 trials, it's constantly shown that tirizepatide reduces body weight in a significant and clinically meaningful way for a variety of party biographies and lengths of time. The drug's effect was supported by its favorable safety profile, which shows low prevalence rates of common adverse goods. Its efficacy in the management of type 2 diabetes is supported by relative evaluations, underscoring the inevitability of its breakthrough as a therapeutic volition. Treatment individualization is key, as evidenced by the tailor-made response proposed by group analysis based on birth BMI. The efficacy, safety, and demand for personalized treatment plans of tirzepatide are each supported in recommendations for clinical practice. Tirzepatide's eventuality as a long-term strategy for habitual rotundity is corroborated by long-term follow-up studies that show sustained weight loss. Indeed with these encouraging results, further study and clinical experience are demanded to completely comprehend the safety, optimal integration, and long-term effectiveness of tirzepatide in a multiplicity of patient populations.

United States v. Jones: Big Brother and the "Common Good" versus the Fourth Amendment and Your Right to Privacy

United States v. Jones: Big Brother and the "Common Good" versus the Fourth Amendment and Your Right to Privacy

Common goods, cities, territories: processes for the reactivation of disused public assets

The research outlined in the paper aims to define tools and protocols to guide the functional reactivation of a disused public complex into an educational hub, in line with the objectives of a regional programme for funding and activating urban and social regeneration actions. Within this framework, the reconsideration of large historic containers becomes an opportunity to enhance social and educational services in the context. The research aims to define guidelines and programmatic, meta-design, and design directions for the integration of new functions and the consequent reactivation of the area, reintegrating it into the network of identity-based “common goods” of the city.

Common values for common goods: a circular regeneration model for active citizenship

Regenerating cultural heritage implies adopting a systemic and multi-scalar approach capable of considering the characteristics and flows of relations between the different components of the system. The regeneration project can be a circular strategy to reconnect people and places, generating and regenerating material and immaterial values of cultural heritage as a ‘common good’. The research proposes a circular and participatory regeneration model, validated through an evaluative framework. It supports decision-making and assesses the multidimensional impacts of reuse, redevelopment, maintenance and management practices of the commons, at all stages of the recovery project, and with respect to emerging instances and criteria adopted in existing policies.

Open Science in Agricultural Economics

Abstract We provide a ‘big picture’ of what Open Science is and what benefits, limitations, and risks it entails for agricultural economists. We show that Open Science comprises various aspects, such as, the accessibility of science, transparency of scientific processes, open and FAIR research data and code, and openness in teaching and education. We identify potential benefits of Open Science for individual researchers and the public, as well as adoption barriers. We highlight that public benefits of a wide-spread uptake of Open Science practices still remain unexplored. We share best practice examples for key aspects of agricultural economic research, i.e., primary data collection and analysis, optimization and simulation models, use of replication packages and an Open Science Community. Assessing the author guidelines of twelve Agricultural Economics journals for their Open Science practices, we find that data citation and transparency are considered important in many journals already, whereas replication, pre-registration or results-blind review are encouraged but rarely enforced. It also becomes evident that the journals differ in terms of how strictly they enforce their open-science guidelines. We close by providing recommendations for researchers, journal editors, policy makers, universities, research institutes and funding agencies to better align public benefits with private incentives.

Constitucionalismo transformador y derecho internacional de inversionesTransformative constitutionalism and international investment law

Abstract International investment law faces five core legitimacy challenges: the state-dependency challenge, the human and constitutional rights challenge, the equality challenge, the standard of protection challenge, and the investor state dispute settlement system challenge. This article endorses the claim that constitutional courts can contribute to the solution of those legitimacy challenges when they exercise the power to review the constitutionality of international investment treaties. From a transformative perspective, constitutional courts of host states can: (i) create public deliberation and raise awareness concerning the legitimacy challenges of international investment law; (ii) grant equal treatment to national and foreign investors; (iii) require governments to negotiate less open-textured provisions in international investment treaties; (iv) safeguard the protection of human and constitutional rights, and other common goods; and (v) raise due process, predictability, transparency, and proportionality standards concerning the investor state dispute settlement system. These judicial undertakings can strengthen the bargaining power of host executive branch authorities in the negotiation of international investment treaties and can narrow down the space of discretion of international investment arbitral tribunals. Both outcomes could render international investment treatises’ creation and enforcement more legitimate.

Architecture, public clients, common goods

Architecture, public clients, common goods

From Economics of the Welfare to Economics for the “Common Goods”: the contribution of Jean Tirole

From Economics of the Welfare to Economics for the “Common Goods”: the contribution of Jean Tirole

Insights into Decapod Sentience: Applying the General Welfare Index (GWI) for Whiteleg Shrimp (Penaeus vannamei—Boone, 1931) Reared in Aquaculture Grow-Out Ponds

The rapid growth of shrimp farming, particularly of Penaeus vannamei, accounts for about 80% of the global production of farmed shrimp and involves the cultivation of approximately 383 to 977 billion individuals annually, which highlights the urgent need to address the ethical and technical implications of raising potentially sentient beings. This study builds on the state-of-the-art assessment of sentience, consciousness, stress, distress, nociception, pain perception, and welfare to adapt the General Welfare Index (GWI) for farmed shrimp. The GWI is a quantitative index developed by our research group to measure the degree of welfare in aquaculture, and it has been previously applied to grass carp and tilapia. Using the PRISMA methodology and the creation of a hypothetical shrimp farm, the GWI, with 31 specific and measurable indicators across various welfare domains, is adapted to P. vannamei, offering a comprehensive assessment framework. The inclusion of quantitative welfare indicators promises to improve living conditions in alignment with legislation adopted on decapods’ sentience and contemporary scientific advances.

Public works, urban development, common goods

The role taken by public works requires us to use them to address the need to govern the complexity of the contemporary city, focusing its development and physical transformations on shared goals. The combination of urban regeneration and public works finds an outlet in intervention strategies for the quality of public space, public buildings, and architecture of civic value. In order to make public works an opportunity for shared regeneration, planning actions should aim at framing individual works within a broader strategic vision, dealing with the management of services (cultural, educational, social) to involve communities and stakeholders in organising urban enhancement methods. The construction of the ‘public city’ oriented to the common good should constitute a continuous path that allows neither pauses nor retreats. It should activate decision-making and governance processes that enhance citizens’ participation and develop synergies with private subjects, focusing on the social dynamics of the world of work, dwelling and culture.

Pursuing the Common Good

Pursuing the Common Good

Global aspirations of Chinese universities: towards a world-centred tianxia (all under heaven) imaginary of global higher education?

AbstractThis article explores the global aspirations of Chinese universities by examining the Chinese scholarly conceptualisation of guoji yingxiangli (literally meaning international influence) and its connection to the world-centred idea of tianxia. We interviewed 22 Chinese experts in education and conducted a documentary analysis of relevant Chinese academic publications. Findings show that there is no English equivalence of the Chinese term guoji yingxiangli of universities, which encompasses two aspects: the intrinsic capacity of universities and their external reputation and relations. Chinese universities’ agential pursuit of guoji yingxiangli embodies their commitment to both national ambitions and global common good. The study then argues that the world-centred tianxia imaginary, characterised by interdependency, reciprocity, and diversity, is more effective in explaining the higher education practices and relations in China and globally than methodological globalism or nationalism. It also highlights the need for further research and critical reflections on the tianxia imaginary while calling for reciprocal collaboration, diverse and mutual development, and the production of global common goods among worldwide universities.

Unfinished works in Sardinia: deepening knowledge of in between public buildings

Unfinished public works question us about their possible future, while contradicting every dimension of sustainability: social, economic, and environmental, just like abandoned building stock. The proposed methodology investigates unfinished works beyond the mere economic data of the national registry by helping to define a ranking of interventions according to social utility, state of degradation and obsolescence resulting from non-use and non-completion. The ranking serves as the initial step towards implementations concerning the related costs and environmental impacts. The goal is to make the most of material and economic resources currently tied up in unfinished public works, and to give them back to society as valuable common goods.

Legal Problems Of Building On Waqf Land Belonging To Other People Based On Law Number 41 Of 2004 Concerning Waqf (Case Study Of Decision Number 21/PDT.G/2021/PN/BNA)

Legal Problems of Erecting Buildings on Waqf Land Owned by Others Based on Law Number 41 of 2004 concerning Waqf (Case Study of Decision Number 21/Pdt.G/2021/PN/BNA) Waqf land is a form of giving movable or immovable property for the benefit of worship and general welfare by Muslims. And the purpose of waqf procurement should not be changed in any form to deny the pledge of the waqf deed itself. The normative research method is used in this study to study the social and moral values of the community about changes in the function of waqf land without permission from the waqf and the Indonesian waqf body. This research uses several data collection results from a collection of legislation, Government Regulations, books, doctrines, documents and various other secondary legal sources. The results of the study stated that: 1) in this case, the erection of buildings that should not be allowed was only decided to dismantle the fence because it had cost a considerable amount. 2) in the legal considerations of the judge in the decision of case Number 21/Pdt.G/2021/PN/Bna, it is not appropriate because it tends to lean towards the elements of justice and legal certainty so that the element of usefulness is ignored and denies the fulfillment of obligations contained in article 5 of Law Number 48 of 2009 concerning the power of judges