Cooperative Agreement Research Articles

Inter-agency coordination and digital platform regulation: lessons from the Whatsapp case in Brazil

ABSTRACT This article examines the drivers and obstacles behind the first large-scale cross-agency coordination in digital platform regulation in Brazil. Drawing on elite semi-structured interviews and document analysis, it investigates how the Brazilian National Data Protection Authority (ANPD) and other federal agencies worked together to scrutinize the legal implications of WhatsApp’s privacy policy and terms of service changes announced in January 2021, including concerns regarding transparency, legitimate interest, and consent. The study reveals that while formal institutional arrangements such as cooperation agreements existed, informal factors like personal relationships played a significant role in facilitating coordination. However, capacity and autonomy issues within the involved bodies hindered more substantive coordination and may explain divergences in the interpretation of data protection legislation. The findings emphasize the importance of enhancing mechanisms for inter-agency coordination in digital platform regulation, especially considering capacity and autonomy issues within and across regulatory ecosystems, offering insights to other jurisdictions, particularly for developing countries facing public governance constraints similar to those experienced in Brazil.

Easier signed than done: natural resource sharing in the shadow of conflict on the Korean peninsula

ABSTRACT While North and South Korea are technically at war, they have attempted to share transboundary resources, including water and fisheries. However, their efforts have never translated into the implementation of cooperation on the ground. This study examines why they consent to cooperation on resource sharing yet fail to implement it. By tracing inter-Korean high-level talks and cooperation efforts from 2000 to 2019, we argue that implementing cooperation agreements has not been successful because of the (mis)alignment of incentives between the two Koreas. We highlight how broader interstate political relations can inhibit further implementing the cooperation in sharing natural resources.

Environmental awareness of university students in Colombia

The objective of this article was to evaluate the level of environmental awareness of university students in a peripheral region of southern Colombia. Environmental awareness was approached as a multidimensional variable consisting of cognitive, emotional, and behavioral dimensions. The study was quantitative, approached from the deductive method and descriptive type. The study population corresponded to young university students, and a non-probabilistic convenience sampling was used. For the environmental awareness variable, an instrument was developed with a Likert-type scale based on multiple research studies. The sample consisted of 527 university students. The reliability of the study was evaluated with Cronbach's alpha and composite reliability, while validity was analyzed with mean variance explained and confirmatory factor analysis, being in all cases satisfactory. As a result, modest levels of environmental awareness were evidenced in all dimensions, which is particularly worrying as most of the young people surveyed were between 18 and 25 years old, indicating low interest, knowledge, and availability for environmental issues among future professionals of the South Colombian region. The results were in line with certain results found in similar research reported in the literature. Nevertheless, the situation is worrisome because young students are the new generation of citizens. Acknowledgment This article was written within the framework of the Special Cooperation Agreement No. 230 of 2023 signed between the Universidad Surcolombiana and the Corporación Autónoma Regional del Alto Magdalena CAM in the project “Implementation of the SENDICAM Science Center as a strategy for the recognition, conservation and social appropriation of the natural heritage in the central and southern area of the department of Huila” BPIN 2021000100425.

Optimizing Interhospital Transfers in Orthopedics and Trauma Surgery: Challenges, Insights, and Proposals for Standardized Care in Germany

Background: Germany’s high density of under-equipped hospitals and anticipated surge in orthopedic and trauma surgery-related diseases by 2030, combined with personnel shortages, are expected to increase patient transfers between hospitals, an issue that urgently needs standardized protocols. Despite some existing cooperative agreements, such as between joint-replacement centers or within the Trauma Network DGU®, these measures do not adequately address the full range of patient-transfer cases, including those due to a lack of specialization or staff shortages, resulting in delayed treatment and potential health risks. This study aims to dissect the intricacies of interhospital transfers in orthopedics and trauma surgery across Germany, focusing on understanding the underlying reasons for transfers, comparing the operational structures of small and large hospitals, and laying the groundwork for future standardized protocols to enhance patient care. Material and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in the form of an online survey via SoSci Survey, which was directed at orthopedic surgeons and trauma surgeons working in hospitals in Germany. The 22-question survey gathered information on participants’ clinic roles, departmental details, transfer processes, frequent diagnoses, perceptions of transfer quality, and improvement areas. The survey was sent to orthopedic and trauma surgeons in Germany by the specialist society. The data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics to ensure a comprehensive insight into interhospital transfer practices. Results: The study involved 152 participants from various hospital ranks and located in different hospital sizes and types across rural and urban areas. A significant difference was observed between the care structures of basic/regular care and central/maximum care hospitals, especially regarding the available facilities and specialties. These findings suggest improvements such as better patient documentation, increased digital communication, optimized patient distribution, and standardization of transfer requests, among others. Conclusions: This study highlights the urgent need for improved protocols and resource allocation to eliminate inequalities in transfers between hospitals in orthopedics and trauma surgery in Germany.

If we cooperate together, we intervene together: Defense cooperation agreements and support to conflict parties

As governments increasingly turn to defense cooperation agreements (DCAs) to institutionalize defense relations, there is little scholarly knowledge of the impact of these agreements in civil wars. Are DCA partners more likely to militarily intervene in civil conflicts together compared with countries without DCAs? While studies show that formal alliance commitments impact the likelihood of parties participating in foreign interventions, DCAs have received little attention in the literature even though DCAs between partner states are signed frequently and subject to change. This study argues that partners in DCAs are likely to provide external military support to the same conflict parties. Our theoretical model suggests that DCAs provide an arena for socialization where governments and military organizations that are DCA partners have repeated interactions. As a result of socialization, their foreign policy goals increasingly align, including their approach to military intervention in foreign conflicts. With access to similar weapons material, military training, and information, DCAs facilitate joint interventions between partner states. Examining the probability of intervention in civil conflicts during the period of 1980–2009, we find that countries that are DCA partners are more likely to provide military assistance to the same warring parties compared with countries without DCAs.

Discontent in the world city of Singapore

A burgeoning literature on ‘left behind’ places has emerged that captures the backlash against globalisation and highlights the locales that lag world cities. This paper integrates the ‘left behind’ and world cities literatures through the lens of discontent in the context of Singapore, using sentiment analysis and topic modelling as well as interviews with local professionals to unpack the multidimensional aspects of discontent. Focusing on the Singapore–India Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement that spurred discontent directed at foreign Indian professionals, we show that the worlding generated by transnational flows has accentuated intra-urban inequality through racialisation and spatialisation of financial business and suburban residential hubs. Discontent from intra-urban inequality unsettles years of efforts by the state to cultivate cosmopolitan spaces aimed at reducing social exclusion and difference in the world city of Singapore.

Legal Cooperation of Kazakhstan with the BRICS Countries on the Production and Operation of Medical Electric Vehicles with Artificial Intelligence Technologies

This scientific article is devoted to the study and analysis of legal relations between the Republic of Kazakhstan and the BRICS countries in the field of the production and operation of medical electric vehicles with artificial intelligence technologies. Particular attention is paid to legislative measures that promote the formation and development of a new industrial sector, such as the production of medical electric vehicles with artificial intelligence technologies. The research uses a number of methods, including studying empirical data, comparative legal analysis, synthesis, generalization, and scientific forecasting. The article proposes legislative measures to solve the problems facing the medical electrical machinebuilding industry and the unmanned medical electric vehicle industry, as well as the difficulties of integrating automation and digitalization into the production process of transportation plants in Kazakhstan and the BRICS countries. In the order of forecasting, the authors propose the adoption of several laws that are relevant to the issue under consideration. These proposals include the signing of new international cooperation agreements between Kazakhstan and the BRICS countries aimed at the introduction of digitalization at machine-building plants in Kazakhstan for the production of medical electric vehicles equipped with artificial intelligence technologies.

Die wirtschaftlichen Folgen des Brexits

Abstract The United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union (Brexit) has negatively affected its economic performance in the years after the 2016 referendum. A growing literature on the short-run effects of Brexit has documented that UK economic activity has been affected through a mix of uncertainty and anticipation effects. This literature has shown that UK GDP and investment have been negatively affected and inflation has increased as a consequence of the outcome of the referendum. Comparatively little is known about the effects of the UK’s subsequent exit from the single market and customs union in January 2021, but existing research has documented negative effects on UK trade, in particular UK imports from the European Union. But whether this will lead to subsequent further declines in UK GDP remains to be seen and will also depend on future EU-UK efforts to reduce the trade barriers created by the trade and cooperation agreement (TCA) of 2020.

Die ökonomische Bedeutung des Brexits

Abstract On January 1, 2021, Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) left the EU single market and customs union. Although the Trade and Cooperation Agreement between the UK and EU ensures that no tariffs or quotas are to be imposed on traded goods, there are still numerous non-tariff barriers to trade. These added a significant layer of trade complexity that did not exist pre-Brexit and it was thus inevitable that there would be ramifications for the UK economy. Carefully judging this impact is a complicated task, however, as a counterfactual must be used: how would the UK economy have fared if it were still in the EU? This difficulty is exacerbated by two other highly significant events affecting the UK economy at the same time, namely the Covid-19 pandemic and the Ukraine war. Disentangling Brexit from all this and deciding what is and is not a Brexit effect makes the evaluation thereof difficult. Nevertheless, there have been a number of studies published that have attempted such a task. UK-EU trade is widely judged to have taken a significant hit due to Brexit, with smaller firms producing a limited range of products being affected the most. The consensus view is that Brexit has also had a negative impact on UK investment levels and GDP, with the latter judged to be approximately 6 % lower than if the UK had stayed in the EU. In the long run, the UK economy may benefit from more skilled foreign labour due to the post-Brexit immigration rules. Nevertheless, any positive effects are likely to be outweighed by the non-tariff barriers in UK-EU trade, acting as a deterrent in exploiting comparative advantage and widely seen as being the main drag on UK productivity.

The content of teaching law students to compile international legal documents during the integrated course

Importance. The integrated approach (subject-language integrated learning) creates methodological conditions for the formation of students in non-linguistic areas of training within the framework of an integrated course of two types of competencies simultaneously: foreign language communicative competence and professional competencies. The content of teaching foreign-language oral and written speech to law students is traditionally focused on Russian legislation. At the same time, graduates of the state legal profile in the course of their professional activities face the need to compile international legal documents. However, the selection of the content of teaching law students to compile international legal documents during the integrated course in a professional foreign language is not the subject of a separate study. In this regard, the purpose of the study is to select the content of teaching law students to compile international legal documents.Research Methods. The research is conducted on the basis of studying and summarizing materials of methodological works on the use of a foreign language for special purposes and subject-language integrated learning in teaching students of the field of Law, published in scientific journals of the Higher Attestation Commission of the Russian Federation’s list (K1, K2), as well as other scientific sources: monographs and textbooks on legal English.Results and Discussion. The content of teaching law students to compile international legal documents has been developed, including: a) claims and complaints to international organizations; b) bilateral agreements between two states; c) cooperation agreements between a state body of the Russian Federation and a state body of a foreign state; d) statements of claim, claims and petitions in protecting the interests of an organization (or public legal entities) in foreign courts; e) agreements on cooperation between domestic and foreign legal entities; f) purchase and sale and lease agreements with non-residents of foreign countries; g) import contracts.Conclusions. The relevance of the research lies in the content selection of teaching law students to compile international legal documents. The results obtained can be used in the development of curricula and educational materials for an integrated course for law students.

Подготовка и развитие стратегических талантов в Кузбассе

Talent development is a strategic priority of talent management. It engages youth in the implementation of various strategies at different levels. The Kemerovo Region (Kuzbass) has created an entire ecosystem that raises young strategists. Kuzbass Governor Sergei Tsivilev set up the Department or Regional and Industrial Strategizing. Its goal is to promote the strategic guidelines stipulated in long-term plans of regional development, as well as to provide the region with strategic human resources. The Department is a joint project between the Lomonosov Moscow State University and the Kemerovo State University. The cooperation agreement was signed on November 7, 2019. In 2020, the Kemerovo State University launched a Master’s Degree program in Economic and Financial Strategy. Along with the Moscow State University and The National University of Science and Technology (MISiS), the Kemerovo State University became one of the three domestic institutions that were the first to start training specialists in strategizing. Professor Vladimir Kvint’s School of Young Strategists is an international academic project that identifies strategically gifted children and develops their strategic thinking. The Kemerovo Region is the current leader in the number of schools that participate in Vladimir Kvint’s School of Young Strategists.

Context‐related mechanisms of policy sustainability: Governance reform of the protected areas in Lombardy

AbstractThe management of protected areas has been recognised as a particularly complex policy field, with many interacting actors and frequent conflicts. How policies survive potential or actual conflict is a matter of policy sustainability; policy manipulation can modify the roles and perceptions of policy actors to achieve outcomes closer to the desired ones—at least, desired by the enacting coalitions. The article investigates the governance reform of protected areas in Lombardy, Italy, focusing on the dynamics of policy sustainability amidst conflict and opposition. It examines how the Lombardy Region's 2016 reform aimed to consolidate the management of protected areas under the umbrella of regional park authorities. Despite the reform's ultimate goals appeared unquestioned, it encountered significant resistance from local administrations. The analysis focused on the context features (pre‐existence of local cooperation agreements, and salience of the protected area), and mechanisms (reputation, and loss aversion) in place at local level. Their combination appears able to explain the varied outcomes of the reform, ranging from failure to partial success.

Interventional Cooperative Agreement Program (SSA)

Interventional Cooperative Agreement Program (SSA)

Development of Obligation Tracking System for Internationally Controlled Items in Accordance with Bilateral Nuclear Cooperation Agreements

A Bilateral Nuclear Cooperation Agreement serves as a means to promote effective and universal cooperation while simultaneously guaranteeing overall nuclear nonproliferation. This agreement is legally binding and establishes a significant nuclear relationship between the two countries with strategic, economic, technological, and political aspects. It serves to meet the needs for industrial cooperation on both sides while also reinforcing the principles of nuclear transparency and nonproliferation. Additionally, the agreements are established and defined differently depending on the specific situation, taking into account the country and the type of cooperation. Authorities that sign such agreements must efficiently manage and control the entire process, considering practical aspects. At the implementation level, items subject to the bilateral nuclear cooperation agreement, also known as “Obligated items,” are internationally controlled items that require inventory management and tracking from import to export, including retransfer. The Republic of Korea mandates the management of internationally regulated items, including nuclear materials, in its domestic law. However, the management procedures became more complex following the revision of the Korea-United States Nuclear Cooperation Agreement in 2015, leading to various issues at the field level related to obligated item management. Consequently, a system called the Obligation Tracking System (OTS) for internationally controlled items was developed to strengthen and streamline the scheme, providing necessary information to both Korean regulators and nuclear licensees in a timely manner. This paper explains how the OTS was developed to efficiently fulfill all related obligations imposed on the items subject to the agreement. The main functions of the OTS include (1) establishing a database of obligated items, (2) monitoring items and linking related regulatory information, and (3) generating annual reports.

Correction to: Evaluating Japan’s defense cooperation agreements and their transformative potential: upgrading strategic partnerships with Australia and the UK

Correction to: Evaluating Japan’s defense cooperation agreements and their transformative potential: upgrading strategic partnerships with Australia and the UK

531 Transforming a Pilot Grant Program to Advance Clinical & Translational Science

OBJECTIVES/GOALS: A new mandate for Clinical & Translational Science Award (CTSA) Programs is for pilot grant funding to support clinical and translational science (CTS) projects that study challenges in the translational research pipeline. This pivot requires new structures and supports to help investigators design and implement high-quality CTS projects. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: The Michigan Institute for Clinical & Health Research (MICHR) at the University of Michigan (U-M) has launched two rounds of pilot funding since March 2023. Faculty and staff across U-M’s three campuses, community members, and those at collaborating institutions and hospitals were eligible to apply. New pre-award supports included a CTS project framework; a recorded webinar that educated about CTS and the funding opportunity; office hours to provide tailored project feedback; a letter of intent to screen for alignment with CTS; and reviewer training for academic and community reviewers. Funded projects operate like 'mini cooperative agreements”, with MICHR experts partnering with awardees to refine evaluation plans, prepare work products, advise on dissemination, and navigate emergent challenges. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: The first round of funding was launched in the absence of pre-award supports; ten applications we received from faculty proposing translational research rather than CTS. We quickly re-released the FOA, expanding eligibility to staff. We received nine applications, ultimately funding four staff and one faculty studying operational challenges in translation and helping them create robust evaluation plans. We piloted the pre-award supports in our second round, with 40 individuals viewing our webinar and 11 attending office hours. Those who watched the webinar before attending office hours better understood how to embed CTS questions within their programs of research. We recently received 19 letters of intent, addressing both operational and scientific challenges, with 16 eligible to submit applications. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE: Education and personalized feedback seem to elicit a higher yield of CTS projects. Staff are already adept at solving operational challenges, so the pre-award supports were most critical for faculty accustomed to writing traditional translational research proposals. Staff have most benefited from guidance in evaluation and dissemination.

Decoding Patent Procedures: International Protocols and Innovation Protection in Georgia

This investigation explores the complex processes of obtaining patent rights, concentrating on Georgia’s changing environment and compliance with global accords. A significant turning point in the country’s dedication to preserving intellectual breakthroughs has been reached with the founding of the National Intellectual Property Center of Georgia, or “Sakpatenti”. From the difficulties faced by its forerunner, “Patentcenter”, to the extensive patent statute, Georgia’s path demonstrates its commitment to upholding international standards. The discourse adeptly navigates the difficulties in acquiring patent rights, highlighting the impact of the Paris Convention and the technical nuances delineated in the Patent Cooperation Agreement. Examining Georgian innovators’ ability to seek patent rights through an international application—thereby expediting cross-border processes—is an important component. The connection between patent systems globally is evident in the global procedure’s ability to facilitate the protection of inventions. In conclusion, the procedures outlined grant exclusive rights and ensure the balance between innovators’ rights and public knowledge dissemination. Georgia’s harmonization with international norms underscores its commitment to fostering innovation and contributing to the global knowledge economy. The exploration of patent procedures reflects the dynamic nature of intellectual property systems in the face of technological advancements and international cooperation.

Penerapan Model Public Service Integrated dalam Mal Pelayanan Publik Huma Betang Kota Palangka Raya

The Public Service Mall is the government's effort to improve the quality of the bureaucratic system, with the aim of providing satisfaction to the community through providing services in one location. This Public Service Mall aims to help the community and provide convenience in managing business administration. The aim of this research is to explain the implementation of the Palangkaraya City Public Service Mall, namely Huma Betang. The research method used in this research is descriptive qualitative. Data collection techniques use interviews, observation and documentation. The results of this research show that the Huma Betang Public Service Mall, Palangka Raya City is included in the yellow zone category at 71.64%. The Ombudsman of the Republic of Indonesia assessed a series of structured steps starting with the preparation of a Memorandum of Understanding and Cooperation Agreement. Next there is the formation and design of service tenants, information systems, management and registration, monitoring and evaluation. In the context of managing complaints and input, as well as coordination and regular meetings between agencies or tenants, this mechanism becomes a solid foundation for the delivery of integrated services. The service mechanism process not only includes the operational stage but also includes information related to service costs. Internal aspects such as allocation of operational funds and management of human resources. External factors such as the construction of the MPP main building and collaboration with related agencies are expected to provide solutions to the problems faced.

Pengembangan Kapasitas Kelembagaan Desa Tangguh Bencana (Destana) di Kabupaten Magelang

Development of institutional capacity in disaster management in Magelang Regency through the Disaster Resilient Village (Destana). The number of disasters that occurred in Magelang Regency in 2022 was 624 disaster events consisting of strong winds or tornadoes, landslides, house fires, forest or land fires, floods and volcanoes. The aim of this research is to analyze the Institutional Capacity Development Policy through Disaster Resilient Villages (Destana) in Magelang Regency. The research methodology uses qualitative methods with data collection techniques through observation, interviews and documentation. The research results found that institutional strengthening in the Destana program was achieved by establishing a Village Disaster Risk Reduction Forum (PRB). This forum has been formed since 2015 and is called "Ing Sasmita Response Forum (FORTIS)". Fortis consists of representatives from the community, government, vulnerable groups and representatives from women. Fortis has 30 members with 10 women (33%). Furthermore, strengthening institutions by forming a Volunteer Team (Disaster Preparedness Team) with volunteer team members coming from members of the PRB forum and volunteers. Apart from that, the Magelang Regency government also strengthened institutions by collaborating between institutions and areas closest to the border. However, this collaboration does not yet have a cooperation agreement (MoU) agreed upon by both parties, so it is not yet binding on the parties involved in disaster management

KEMITRAAN KONSERVASI DI TAMAN HUTAN RAYA WAN ABDUL RACHMAN, PROVINSI LAMPUNG: FAKTOR-FAKTOR PENDUKUNG DAN PENGHAMBATNYA

The conservation partnership is one of the government's efforts to harmonize the ecological, social and economic benefits of forests. This study aims to examine the factors supporting and inhibiting conservation partnerships in the Wan Abdul Rachman Forest Park. This study uses a qualitative approach. Data was collected by means of in-depth interviews and observations. The data obtained were then analyzed to determine the supporting and inhibiting factors of conservation partnerships. The results show that the supporting factors for conservation partnerships in Wan Abdul Rachman Forest Park are clear regulations, provision of productive seeds, sources of community income, diversification of non-timber forest products, improvement of community welfare, adequate capacity of human resources from managers. good. The inhibiting factors are low public understanding, lack of public trust, inadequate facilities and infrastructure, limited number of human resources from managers, lack of financial support from the government. It is necessary to carry out the intensity of socialization and assistance carried out by the manager of the Wan Abdul Rachman Grand Forest Park to the community in a sustainable manner aimed at increasing public understanding regarding conservation partnerships. Communities who have not partnered are expected to take the opportunity to enter into a cooperation agreement before there is a change in policy in the conservation area.