Comparative Public Policy Analysis Research Articles

A Comparative Analysis of Public Policies on Vaccination

Halk sağlığı açısından acil durumlara sebep olan bulaşıcı hastalık salgını gibi felaketler hem milyonlarca insanın ölümüne hem de sosyal, politik ve ekonomik sistemlerin dengesinin bozulmasına neden olabilmektedir. Bu duruma en güncel örnek COVID-19 salgınıdır. Bu sebeple çalışma, kamu politikası uygulama örneği olarak COVID-19 salgını başta olmak üzere çeşitli salgınları ve aşı ile önlenebilir hastalıkları kontrol altına almaya yönelik geliştirilen kitlesel aşı politikalarının tasarım ve uygulama aşamalarını incelemiştir. Genel olarak tıp alanının inceleme konusu olan aşılama politikalarına kamu politikası açısından bir bakış sunularak bu politikaların çok-disiplinli bir bakış açısıyla ele alınması hedeflenmiştir. Bu doğrultuda özellikle aşılama politikalarını başarısız kılan etkenler hakkındaki ikincil veriler toplanmış ve bu veriler ışığında, gelecekteki aşılama politikalarının daha etkin yürütülmesine katkı sağlayabileceği düşünülen birtakım öneriler sunulmuştur. Bu öneriler; 1- Aşı kampanyalarına daha fazla önem verilmesi, 2- Karar verme süreçlerinin geliştirilmesi ve hızlandırılması, 3- Şeffaflığın ön planda tutulması, 4- Dengeli aşılama politikaları oluşturulması, 5- Yeni teknolojilere yeterli bütçe ayrılması, 6- Aşı uygulamalarında denetimlerin artırılması, 7- Halkın güveninin kazanılması, 8- Sağlık çalışanları ve diğer paydaşlar ile iş birliği yapılması, 9- Ebeveynlere ve bakıcılara özel eğitimler düzenlenmesi, 10- Bilgi eksikliği ile mücadele edilmesi, 11- Kitle iletişim araçlarının doğru ve etkin kullanılması, olarak özetlenebilir.

Sustainable Development: Comparative analysis of public policies regarding foreign trade and the HDI in Brazil, Chile and Mexico

El presente artículo brinda un análisis sobre los acuerdos comerciales y el IDH de los países de México, Brasil y Chile con el objetivo de asociar las políticas públicas en materia de comercio exterior con el desarrollo sustentable. Para ello el artículo se organiza de la siguiente manera: primero, se hace referencia a un contexto global de la administración pública. Luego se elabora un marco conceptual y referencial para conocerlos diferentes enfoques asociados a las políticas públicas y el desarrollo sustentable. Así mismo, se detalla el entorno económico de cada uno de los países. A partir de ello, se utiliza el método de políticas públicas comparadas para analizar y comparar los tratados de libre comercio y el IDH de cada uno. Los resultados muestran a Chile como el país con mayor número de suscripciones de ACR, pero también el país con la menor cantidad de promedio PIB en dólares

Taking women on boards: a comparative analysis of public policies in higher education

ABSTRACT There is growing interest in the underlying mechanisms affecting female leaders in Higher Education (HE). This article compares four countries – Germany, Norway, Poland and Sweden to identify key structural conditions (enablers and barriers) for female representation in academia by studying the regulative framework of government policy. Two research questions are guiding the analysis: first, what (if any) policy instruments are chosen to increase the number of female leaders in HE? Second, to what extent does this choice of instruments mirror either sectorial logic (HE) or national policy styles? The empirical results of the article show that while processes of policy diffusion are observable at the sectoral level, gender equality policies and instrument choice differ considerably in the four countries under consideration. The article thus concludes that national policy styles need to be understood as enabling and disabling policy factors for gender equality in HE shaping the process of translating diffused models decisively.

Comparative Public Policy Analysis: Shortcomings, Pitfalls, and Avenues for the Future

Comparative public policy is a blooming research area. It also suffers from some curious blind spots. In this paper we discuss four of these: (1) the obsession with covariance, which means that important phenomena are ignored; (2) the lack of agency, which leads to underwhelming explanatory models; (3) the unclear universe of cases, which means the inferential value of theories and the empirical results are unclear; and (4) the focus on outputs, even though most theories contain strong assumptions about the political process leading to certain outputs. Following this discussion, we then outline how a closer integration of policy process theories may be fruitful for future research.

Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic in Chile, Colombia, and Peru from a children's rights perspectiveResposta à pandemia de COVID-19 no Chile, Colômbia e Peru com foco nos direitos da criança

RESUMENObjetivo.Describir las estrategias que fueron establecidas por Chile, Colombia y Perú durante el primer año de la pandemia por COVID-19 y compararlas desde el enfoque de derechos de la niñez.Métodos.Se realizó un estudio cualitativo de análisis comparado de políticas públicas, tomando como eje siete categorías construidas por el Capítulo Latinoamericano de la International-Society-for-Social-Pediatrics-and-Child-Health a partir de la Convención de Derechos de la Niñez (CDN). La selección de los documentos de los países se realizó por conveniencia y su análisis en diálogos deliberativos.Resultados.Se revisaron 173 documentos de los tres países. Destaca como convergencia la priorización de la prevención de la transmisión comunitaria del virus, por sobre la promoción del ejercicio de derechos de la niñez, la falta de participación de niños, niñas y adolescentes (NNA) en el proceso de elaboración de las políticas públicas, y la falta de avance en el reconocimiento y protección del ejercicio de todos sus derechos. No hubo mayores divergencias más allá de brechas de desigualdad identificadas con base a la realidad de cada país.Conclusión.La pandemia ha afectado el funcionamiento de los sistemas económicos, sociales, de salud, educación, medioambiente y gobernanza de estos tres países. Si bien este estudio muestra un avance en la inclusión del enfoque de derechos de NNA en las políticas formuladas, su comprensión como sujetos sociales y políticos titulares de derecho podría permitir la construcción de alternativas colectivas que garanticen la salud y el bienestar para todas las personas en el curso de vida.

Comparing the regulation and incentivization of e-cigarettes across 97 countries

E-cigarette use continues to increase globally despite uncertainty regarding their long-term health impacts and around their effectiveness for tobacco smoking cessation. This uncertainty creates unique challenges for governments as they attempt to optimally regulate and positively or negatively incentivize these products in a way that maximizes the public's health. Current approaches to e-cigarette regulation and incentivization fall within a spectrum of options ranging from a singular focus on health protection, whereby policies intend to prevent the dangers of e-cigarettes, to a singular focus on using e-cigarettes for harm reduction, whereby policies intend to reduce the more harmful effects of smoking tobacco. Regulation options include prohibition, component ban, and regulation as medicinal products, poisons, tobacco products, consumer products, and/or unique products. Incentivization options include taxation, subsidization, and providing a financial reward. Through comparative public policy analysis, this study describes, compares and assesses the variety of approaches that 97 countries have taken to regulate and incentivize e-cigarettes. The goal is to inform future decisions by governments on how they approach the public health challenge posed by e-cigarettes, building on a nuanced understanding of the complexities of this challenge and what other jurisdictions have already implemented and learned.

Comparative Public Policy Analysis of COVID-19 as a Naturally Occurring Experiment

This collection presents an effort to draw on the COVID-19 global pandemic, as a rare “naturally occurring experiment”, to advance the comparative public policy scholarship and disseminate knowledge on international policy approaches to this extreme crisis situation. From a comparative lens, these articles reveal how factors such as partisan politics, intergovernmental relationships, culture, and state capacity shape crisis policy responses in contrast to normal policymaking. This collection also provides important lesson drawing: national–local coordination, social safety nets, and a well-organized sector of community workers are all part of a society’s capacity and resilience in a time of crisis.

Estrategias etnográficas para un encuadre innovador del COVID-19

Se aborda el problema del COVID-19, partiendo del concepto de sindemia y desde la perspectiva teórica y metodológica de una Etnografía Aplicada orientada a identificar factores que originan y/o modelan cambios en la vida cotidiana a micro escala, enfocando en facilitadores o barreras que dificultan el acceso a los recursos para el bienestar, la salud y la subsistencia. Nos interesa visibilizar procesos novedosos de cooperación y articulación social que reconocen a los actores e instituciones comprometidos en la atención y resolución de problemas en contextos locales. En este desarrollo se reconocen las demandas y necesidades específicas de los grupos vulnerables -personas con enfermedades preexistentes, personas mayores de 60 años, trabajadores esenciales de la salud, familias con personas COVID-19 positivos, entre otros-. Al respecto nos preocupa evaluar las dificultades que presentan diferentes sectores para resolver problemas cotidianos, como el acceso a servicios de salud y cuidado, teniendo en cuenta las redes de apoyo y las estrategias comunitarias locales.
 Los objetivos que guiaron el proceso para abordar el problema del COVI-19 se fundamentan en la articulación de la investigación, extensión y transferencia. Estos objetivos aportan a la revisión de conceptos y enfoques desde la obtención de datos propios, resultando en el desarrollo de estrategias innovadoras. Nuestro desarrollo busca contribuir al fortalecimiento de las capacidades municipales y provinciales para el abordaje de la sindemia de COVID-19, a través de la construcción de herramientas, modelos y bases de datos sobre los efectos en la salud y el bienestar de diferentes sectores de la población local.
 Nuestro desarrollo consiste en la generación de un Observatorio COVID-19, basado en el registro y sistematización de datos mixtos, el diseño de instrumentos, la construcción de bases de datos, y la modelización. El proyecto busca crear un Observatorio sobre COVID-19 con el objetivo de relevar y transferir información novedosa sobre las redes personales, las perspectivas y experiencias de pacientes y trabajadores de salud, la circulación de recursos que contribuyan al cuidado y apoyo a grupos de vulnerables y situación de aislamiento por COVID-19 en el Gran La Plata. Los productos a desarrollar son un conjunto de herramientas para cumplir con los objetivos de relevar y transferir información novedosa sobre las redes personales, las perspectivas y experiencias de pacientes y trabajadores de salud, la circulación de recursos que contribuyan al cuidado y apoyo a grupos de vulnerables y la situación de aislamiento por COVID-19 en el Gran La Plata. Los productos son seis y se presentan a continuación:
 Producto 1: Herramienta para una recolección estandarizada de datos de actores y relaciones en el contexto de prácticas cotidianas: de los *casos positivos de COVID-19, y de *recursos esenciales para el sostén cotidiano o red de apoyo y capital social; y *grupos vulnerables.
 Producto 2: Herramienta de relevamiento de datos sobre perspectivas y experiencias de los trabajadores de salud, investigadores y tomadores de decisiones.
 Producto 3: Herramienta de relevamiento de datos sobre perspectivas y experiencias cotidianas de las Personas Mayores en primera persona y las representaciones de otros integrantes de las unidades domésticas, especialmente de niños y niñas.
 Producto 4: Modelo de análisis reticular de COVID-19 basado en una selección de casos que incluya el cálculo del tamaño promedio de una red personal de los casos confirmados y de sus contactos estrechos, en muestras al azar. Así como la elaboración de materiales visuales gráficos que representen la dinámica de los contagios, en contexto.
 Producto 5: Base de datos y elaboración de cartografía temática de casos COVID-19 positivos y sus vínculos de contactos directos, incluyendo ubicación georeferenciada.
 Producto 6: Base de datos con información cuali-cuantitativa sobre políticas, guías e instrumentos de gestión local y de los otros países participantes. Análisis comparativo de políticas públicas.
 Los productos obtenidos de esta propuesta podrán ser transferidos a profesionales de servicios e instituciones públicas, a gestores y tomadores de decisiones en políticas en salud, y a los referentes territoriales e institucionales en el AMBA. Consideramos que las innovaciones sociales que proponemos satisfacen simultáneamente las necesidades concretas de los grupos vulnerables, creando nuevas relaciones o colaboraciones sociales. Esto introduce cambios a nivel micro y macro estructurales, involucrando a las personas y sus comunidades de referencia e influyendo a nivel de las instituciones públicas y privadas, en sentido amplio.

Promotion Tournament, Labor Market Tightening and Pension Generosity: A Comparative Public Policy Analysis of Pension System for Urban Workers in China (1997–2013)

This article conducts a comparative public policy analysis of China’s generous urban worker basic pension system. It is commonly believed that Chinese local governments, which are motived by office-seeking incentives under decentralization, may foster economic growth at the expense of citizens’ social rights and thus “promotion tournament competition” comes into being. This article challenges this view by arguing that such competition can increase the generosity of social programs such as public pensions, especially in the condition of labor scarcity. This argument is supported by time-series cross-section analysis of 31 Chinese provincial units (1997–2013) using a novel indicator of the intensity of inter-locality competition. When the labor market tightens, workers can leave a locality to seek better compensation. Motivated by the promotion tournament competition to develop the local economy, which requires the issue of labor shortage to be addressed, local governments then provide generous local pension schemes to retain workers. Operating in a macroeconomic climate of labor scarcity, promotion tournament competition becomes an unlikely catalyst for welfare expansion in China.

Of Rating and Ranking in the Comparison of Fiscal Institutions

Comparing countries’ institutional features is a highly judgmental exercise, prone to a number of methodological flaws. But in spite of the difficulties, rating and ranking countries and institutions has been gaining popularity. These comparisons are often based on synthetic indicators that tend to confuse normative aspects (what a government should do) with efficiency/effectiveness arguments (how governments perform). Because of their centrality in determining governments’ capacity to deliver efficiently and effectively goods and services while maintaining macro-economic stability, this paper argues that comparative public policy analysis requires a sounder theoretical framework than the one being offered by the existing synthetic indicators. This case is made by analyzing two indices of fiscal rules developed by the European Commission (EC) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and showing how they are prone to a normative or best-practice bias, thus ignoring essential contextual factors. The paper thus concludes that the next generation of indicators will have to minimize the use of normative-based best practices and help devise better metrics, with emphasis shifted onto contextual functionality and actual implementation rather than on the effect of announcement, so that substance can prevail over form.

Comparative Analysis of Public Policies and Best Practices of Transparency in Ecuador 2004-2014

The American States during the 2000s adopted several principles in the area of ​​transparency and access to information. To achieve change their practices has been necessary to develop the respective institutional frameworks and implement actions to ensure their effectiveness in a digital age, which in turn has increased the demand for information from the citizens. In Ecuador, from May 2004, it has Organic Law of Transparency and Access to Public Informatio; in February 2007 declared as a State policy the combat against corruption in public administration, and in 2008 with the new Constitution of the Republic, the Function of Transparency and Social Control, among others, is created to protect the exercise and enforcement of rights, prevent and combat corruption and to promote and encourage citizen participation. This is a case study about Ecuador for the period 2004-2014, which analyzes the progress and degree of coherence between the rules and instruments developed and actions implemented from the State Institutions, regarding transparency in public administration. It identifies best practices and contrasts with the results obtained in international measurements. It was used a qualitative and documentary analysis, with a scheme based on a diachronic comparison. Two phases were determined, taking into account as relevant aspect the Constitutional changes, and these as a essential context for the public actions and the institutional changes made. The identification of best practices is made on the basis of an analysis and valuation in binary form, being mainly: technical instruments homologated, technological systems of varying complexity, creation of public spaces for citizen participation, community spaces, inclusive regulations, codes of ethics, accessibility and training. It is evident that as the institutional framework is developed and the mechanisms and tools of government transparency are strengthened, the perception of corruption decreased slightly. The research efforts subsequent to this article may focus on outcomes in terms of the sustainability of good practices and its relation with the perception of corruption.

A New Way to Compare Horizontal Connections of Policy Sectors: “Coupling” of Actors, Institutions and Policies

This paper proposes an innovative framework to compare the coordination of policy sectors in an encompassing way. Building on recent contributions to the literature, this paper proposes a typology to analyze the coordination of policy sectors from a comparative perspective. To this end, the paper adapts Karl Weick’s concept of coupling to the comparative analysis of public policies, particularly to horizontal relations of policy sectors. The paper argues that it is possible to distinguish four forms of sectoral coupling: tight coupling, loose coupling, de-coupling and non-coupling. In order to demonstrate the usefulness of this typology for empirical research, the paper applies coupling to analyze the relations of the healthcare and public health sectors. To conclude, the paper discusses the possibilities and limits of the typology, and suggests other examples the approach could be transferred to.

Can International Relations and Comparative Politics Be Policy Relevant? Theory and Methods for Incorporating Political Context

How might one bring international relations (IR) and comparative politics (CP) observations into the public policy (PP) literature's predominant intellectual framing of policy, in which the normal analytical unit is a specific policy sector or type of regulatory institution? This article offers a practical framework to incorporate IR and CP directly into PP analyses. We present theory and methods for composing carefully structured, multiyear, analytical policy sector histories, suitable for international and comparative PP analysis, particularly when the research goal implies policy sector comparisons across wide variations of geography, culture, income, or historical epoch. Concretely, we propose two models, called the Leader State Framework in the case of international policy and the Varieties of Political Regimes Approach for policy at the national level, which should help policy analysts utilize important observations related to our disciplines’ understanding of the diverse host political systems within which policy sectors are embedded.Related Articles Glen, Carol M. 2014. “” Politics & Policy 42 (): 635‐657. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com.libproxy.library.wmich.edu/doi/10.1111/polp.12093/abstract Khodr, Hiba, and Isabella Ruble. 2013. “.” Politics & Policy 41 (): 656–689. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/polp.12033/full Related Media . 2015. “Davos 2015 ‐ Forum Debate: A Multipolar World?” January 23. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjGD_qFgPhE . 2013. “Argentina Debt: What Is the pari passu saga?” April 10. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGPfHrPQY6Y . 2014. “Why U.S. and China Agreed on Climate Change Action.” November 12. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmdyYgBtHSo

Degrees of Sectorial Coupling: Towards a Better Understanding of Horizontal Relations of Policy Sectors

This paper proposes an innovative framework to compare the coordination of policy sectors in an encompassing way. Building on recent contributions to the literature, this paper proposes a typology to analyze the coordination of policy sectors from a comparative perspective. For this end, the paper adapts the concept of coupling by Karl Weick to the comparative analysis of public policies, particularly to horizontal relations of policy sectors. The paper argues that it is possible to distinguish four forms of sectoral coupling: Tight coupling, loose coupling, de-coupling and non-coupling. In order to demonstrate the usefulness of this typology for empirical research, the paper applies coupling to analyze the relations of the health care and public health sectors. To conclude, the paper discusses the possibilities and limits of the typology, and suggests other examples the approach could be transferred to.

Comparative analysis of public policies in open access models in Latin America. Brazil and Argentina cases

This article presents public policies for open access models in Argentina and Brazil, two countries that have pioneered the subject in Latin America. The methodology used is comparative documentation, whereby the legal and political frameworks of open access systems are contrasted, paying special attention to the education, science, culture and government sectors. The main conclusion is that, in spite of technological and legal difficulties, public policies provide accessible information and quality knowledge.

Les politiques de soutien à l'industrie vidéoludique

Cet article offre une analyse comparative des politiques publiques de soutien, à l’industrie des jeux vidéo. Il souligne la forte implication de certains gouvernements (Canada, Corée du Sud) et la relative faiblesse des initiatives européennes dans le domaine, à l’exception de quelques États membres comme la France ou les pays nordiques et des initiatives de la Commission européenne.

Prostitution Policy Reform and the Causal Role of Ideas: A Comparative Study of Policymaking in the Nordic Countries

In this study, we focus on the causal role of ideas for understanding how proponents of a given prostitution policy reform are able to secure support from policymakers. Over the past decade, the use of an ideational approach has shifted from the margins to the mainstream in comparative public policy analysis. Ideational approaches emphasize how policy entrepreneurs are able to portray desired reforms as being consistent with broader ideational frameworks held by key decision makers. Thus, by carefully studying how actors use ideas to achieve policy change, the ideational approach is an advance over approaches that have chiefly focused on the strategic resources held by actors within varying institutional contexts. Given that a central feature of the prostitution policy reform process in all four settings has been exceptionally heated national debates in which societal norms, expert knowledge and cultural values have figured prominently, we argue that an ideational approach is particularly fruitful for analyzing cross-Nordic variation in policy outcomes.

Urban passenger transport in the United States and Europe: a comparative analysis of public policies

This is the second part of a two‐part series that examines recent developments in urban passenger transport in the United States and Europe, focusing on the roles and impacts of the public sector as these have varied by country and over time. The first part of the series described public policies for roadway systems and private car use, whereas this second part concentrates on public transport. After a review of demand and supply trends, the article evaluates government policies in terms of public vs private ownership and operation, public regulation, financing responsibility by government level, types and amounts of subsidy, and impacts of ownership, regulation, and financing arrangements on costs and productivity. This second part concludes with an overall comparison between Europe and the United States, and considers how Europeans and Americans might learn from each other's successes and mistakes in order to improve transport policies.

Urban passenger transport in the United States and Europe: a comparative analysis of public policies

This two-part article describes recent developments in urban passenger transport in the USA and Europe, focusing on the different roles and impacts of the public sector as these have varied by country and over time. The first part of the two-part series examines public policies for roadway systems and automobile transport, whereas the second part concentrates on public transport. After a review of demand and supply trends, the article evaluates government policies in terms of public versus private ownership and operation of transport systems, public regulation, financing responsibility by government level, types and amounts of subsidy, and impacts of ownership, regulation and financing arrangements on costs and productivity. Emphasis is on comparative analysis of the current situation and emerging developments, but historical trends are reviewed as background. (A)

Is expenditure enough? On the nature of the dependent variable in comparative public policy analysis

(1994). Is expenditure enough? On the nature of the dependent variable in comparative public policy analysis. The Journal of Commonwealth & Comparative Politics: Vol. 32, No. 3, pp. 349-363.