Cross-sectoral Coordination Research Articles

Short Communication: Opportunities and Challenges for Early Person-Centered Care for Older Patients in Emergency Settings.

The provision of person-centered care (PCC) for older adults in emergency settings is important. This short communication explores the complexity of providing comprehensive PCC for older adults in emergency settings, based on a synthesis of existing literature and empirical data from a small-scale case study on the potential of improving patient engagement in a Danish emergency department (ED). Our findings highlight overall positive attitudes towards PCC, as patient engagement is perceived as important and feasible during the waiting hours that older patients experience. However, the key challenges include barriers in organizational structures and cross-sectoral care coordination. We conclude that staff education, optimized care coordination across sectors, and increased involvement of geriatric nurses may enhance the provision of PCC for older, complex adults in EDs. We further conclude that future research into the feasibility and effects of structured approaches for providing PCC in EDs is needed, including exploration of organizational models for PCC.

Problem framing for Australian coastal management

How we define our problems determines the solutions; yet problem framing within coastal management is rarely critiqued. Consequently, opportunities for comprehensive policy response, vital in addressing the complex challenges impacting the coast, are missed. To address this gap, we develop and apply coastal sustainability paradigms to critique 48 institutional instruments contributing to coastal management in Australia. In doing so, we uncover similarities and differences in the framing of coastal sustainability within Australian coastal management. An anthropocentric framing dominates, particularly at the local scale, prioritising humans over the environment. However, differences exist between and within jurisdictions based on sector and recency of policy reform. We also find evidence of problem-solution coupling, with some States prioritising hazard management over coastal management, through legislative backing of select instruments and sectors. The findings provide those involved in the complex system of coastal governance with the information needed to consider how the chosen framing supports or impedes public engagement and cross-scale and cross-sector coordination.

Collaborative approach for coastal and marine spatial planning in Bangka Belitung Island Province

Amendments to Law no. 27 of 2007 became Law no. 1 of 2014 concerning the Management of Coastal Areas and Small Islands has an impact on the coastal and marine spatial planning process in every region, including Bangka Belitung. This planning process requires stakeholder collaboration to carry out broader cross-sectoral coordination. Apart from being composed of more than 80% of the water area, the struggle for access and conflicts over the use of marine space also take place in a vertical and horizontal level. The dilemma of authority between levels of government and law enforcement authorities, as well as between local governments, communities, and state corporations, is a form of hierarchical conflict. Conflicts between governments at the street bureaucracy (Village) level and their citizens, or friction between pro and contra groups against marine mining are examples of horizontal conflicts. The complexity of this problem has demanded the government to be presented in a more powerful and most decisive position in the management of the coastal and marine areas of Bangka Belitung so that it does not drag on. Therefore, the government needs to formulate comprehensive resource optimization options in the coastal and marine zones. This study aims to map how a collaborative approach in coastal and marine spatial planning through Regional Regulation (Perda) Number 3 of 2020 concerning the Zoning Plan for Coastal Areas and Small Islands of the Bangka Belitung Islands Province. At least 3 dominant actors are involved and collaborate, namely the government, fishermen, and investors.

Informing national adaptation for sustainable development through spatial systems modelling

Acute climate-change hazards, such as floods or storm surges, can affect a nation’s built and natural environment assets that are critical for development and achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). To reduce the impacts of such acute climate-change hazards and safeguard development, national decision-makers require evidence on where and how hazards affect SDG achievement to better inform adaptation. Here, we develop a systems methodology that spatially models the impacts of climate-change hazards across a nation’s entire built and natural environment assets and its interdependent influences on the SDG targets to inform national adaptation. We apply our methodology in Saint Lucia through a participatory approach with decision-makers across 18 government ministries, academia, and the private sector. Results reveal that acute climate-change hazards can affect half of Saint Lucia’s assets across 22 sectors, which can influence 89% of all SDG targets. Application of our methodology provided evidence on where and how to prioritise adaptation, thereby helping to add spatial granularity to 52 measures under Saint Lucia’s National Adaptation Plan (NAP) as well as specificity on how limited capacity for cross-sectoral coordination can be directed to safeguard SDG targets. Adaptation does not necessarily imply investing in physical asset protection: results show the need to protect critical natural environments which provide important adaptation services to the built environment. As more nations develop and revise their NAPs and Nationally Determined Contributions under the Paris Agreement, strategic planning across sectors – as demonstrated in Saint Lucia – will be critical to facilitate adaptation that safeguards SDG achievement.

A Review of Transport Policies in Support of Climate Actions in Asian Cities and Countries

Asia is one of the continents that is the most affected by the impacts of climate change. Asian countries need to take climate actions and mitigate emissions from the urban passenger transport sector. Despite some progress in improving urban mobility in Asian cities, greenhouse gas emissions from the transport sector continue to rise. Policy makers who are responsible for managing mobilities must play a major role in decarbonizing the transport sector. In this context, this paper reviews the efforts of selected Asian countries and cities towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the urban transport sector. It will analyze their pledges in the Nationally Determined Contributions submitted to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and will review their relevant transport sector strategies, policies, and practices. It will also look at trends in transport sector emissions and air pollution in different cities, including the short-term impacts of COVID-19. Lastly, it reviews governance issues and the roles that institutions should play to implement polices to decarbonize transport. Based on this analysis, this paper offers policy suggestions to accelerate actions, enhance cross-sectoral coordination, and move towards carbon neutrality in the transport sector in Asia.

Ensuring Universal Access to Modern Energy Services in Times of Pandemic Related Disruptions: Legal Challenges and Potential Responses


 
 
 
 The significant disruptions to global energy markets across the world, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, has shown that without robust law and governance frameworks to mitigate and manage pandemic-related disruptions to energy supply, global efforts to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals may be stifled.
 This article examines legal and governance aspects of designing and implementing disaster risk reduction and resilience (DRRR) frameworks to ensure the security of energy supply in times of pandemic related disruptions. Various legal and institutional challenges that arise with extant DRRR frameworks, such as weak conceptualization of pandemic related risks in extant legislation; preexisting patterns of uneven energy access; gaps in data collection and sharing with respect to pandemic risks; inadequate cross-sectoral coordination amongst institutional actors, and resource limitations are examined in order to identify the ways in which an integrative legal framework on disaster management and resilience planning can help close these gaps.
 The study suggests that clear and comprehensive legislation that recalibrate the scope of energy disruptions and improves data collection and cross-sectoral knowledge sharing by relevant institutional actors are significant steps towards protecting the integrity and resilience of modern energy systems in times of disruptive events such as pandemics.
 
 
 

WATER, ENERGY AND FOOD NEXUS INTERVENTIONS: IMPLICATIONS FOR THE ACHIEVEMENT OF THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS IN MALAWI

Malawi faces mounting challenges in meeting the growing demand for food, water, and energy to satisfy the needs of a rapidly growing population. Relying on secondary data, the paper argues that while the existing policy initiatives have increased food production to a certain extent, the demand for water and energy has also increased, leading to degradation of the resource base, and contributing to an increase in water-related diseases. Poor sectoral coordination and institutional fragmentation have triggered the unsustainable use of resources and threatened the long-term sustainability of food, water, and energy security in the country, posing challenges to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the country. Consequently, this paper substantiates that a nexus approach can enhance understanding of the interconnectedness of the sectors and strengthen coordination among them. However, it requires a major shift in the decision-making process towards taking a holistic view, and development of institutional mechanisms to coordinate the actions of diverse actors and strengthen complementarities and synergies among the three sectors. The framework for cross-sectoral coordination and managing the nexus challenges is also suggested.

Unravelling institutional work patterns: Planning offshore wind farms in contested space

Offshore wind farms (OWF) are considered important for a timely energy transition. However, offshore space is governed by sector-specific institutional frameworks representing various and sometimes conflicting interests. Therefore, institutional change towards improved cooperation and coordination between various stakeholders, their interests and alternative institutional frameworks is necessary. Institutional work is used as an analytical lens to explore patterns resulting from the interplay between different forms of institutional work by actors over time. Data was collected through participatory observation of the Dutch North Sea Dialogues (NSD) and focused on balancing interest in the context of multi-use of OFW. Institutional change in this case relied mostly on a highly subtle interplay between forms of creating and maintaining work that result in incremental changes to existing practices. Sustainability transitions could benefit from institutional harmonization as a pathway to institutional change for improved cross-sectoral coordination and cooperation.

Mathematical model of the feedback between global supply chain disruption and COVID-19 dynamics

The pandemic of COVID-19 has become one of the greatest threats to human health, causing severe disruptions in the global supply chain, and compromising health care delivery worldwide. Although government authorities sought to contain the spread of SARS-CoV-2, by restricting travel and in-person activities, failure to deploy time-sensitive strategies in ramping-up of critical resource production exacerbated the outbreak. Here, we developed a mathematical model to analyze the effects of the interaction between supply chain disruption and infectious disease dynamics using coupled production and disease networks built on global data. Analysis of the supply chain model suggests that time-sensitive containment strategies could be created to balance objectives in pandemic control and economic losses, leading to a spatiotemporal separation of infection peaks that alleviates the societal impact of the disease. A lean resource allocation strategy can reduce the impact of supply chain shortages from 11.91 to 1.11% in North America. Our model highlights the importance of cross-sectoral coordination and region-wise collaboration to optimally contain a pandemic and provides a framework that could advance the containment and model-based decision making for future pandemics.

A Framework for Integration of Smart and Sustainable Energy Systems in Urban Planning Processes of Low-Income Developing Countries: Afghanistan Case

Population growth and city expansion in developing countries require traditional urban planning practices to be transformed in order to tackle climate change and follow Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) agendas. Almost every expert in the urban sector believes that future cities should be sustainable, smart, and environmentally friendly, where energy is one of the most critical factors to achieve these goals. They also agree that smart and sustainable energy provision for cities requires a comprehensive and responsive legal and policy framework to be in place at the national level. However, this research’s findings reveal a lack of such frameworks for this group of countries. Considering the challenges and unique nature of Low-Income-Developing (LID) countries, there should be a framework based on the realities in these countries. In this research, key challenges of urban and energy sectors of LID countries, specifically Afghanistan, are identified, and a framework for the integration of sustainable and smart energy in the urban planning processes for LID countries is proposed. To make it easily replicable and adaptable for LID countries, the proposed framework is studied and analyzed around Afghanistan’s urban and energy sectors. This is one of the few frameworks of its kind for LID economies to the best of the authors’ knowledge. This framework lays a solid foundation for sustainable and smart energy integration in the urban planning process of developing countries. This study highlights that sustainable and smart energy systems could ensure climate change mitigation and economic growth enhancement but require close cross-sectoral coordination and policy maker’s commitments and involvement. This research will help many existing and emerging cities in the LID countries’ worldwide use and benefit from the proposed framework in their urban planning processes. It also enables policymakers, urban planners and designers, municipalities leadership, and other stakeholders of the urban, energy, and environment sectors to work together and make smart and rational decisions for the future of their cities and lead them towards smart and sustainable cities.

Transition towards urban system integration and benchmarking of an urban area to accelerate mitigation towards net-zero targets

Strengthening capacity for cross-sectoral coordination has a crucial role in enabling ambitious climate mitigation. This research work integrates the Sustainable Development of Energy, Water and Environment Systems Index into a policy framework with three main components to compare possibilities for improving urban system performance. Tiers of integration are defined and compared with the index results for more transformative action. The levels range from unintegrated urban sectors and emerging integration, including those with urban land use and spatial planning, to advanced integration across the urban system. The case study is based on a municipality that is benchmarked to receive an index score of 27.783, placing the urban area in rank 79 among 120 other cities. The measures in the existing action plan are compared with opportunities that would support the municipality in reaching higher tiers of urban integration in the future. Policy learning from other urban areas to which the index is applied is foreseen to support collective action in addressing synergistic opportunities for mitigation. The results have implications on considering urban system integration in the transition to net-zero targets, missions for climate-neutral cities, and the realization of 100% renewable energy systems.

The Swedish climate policy framework as a means for climate policy integration: an assessment

ABSTRACT Has the Swedish Climate Policy Framework – including the new Swedish Climate Act – adopted in June 2017, been conducive to advancing climate mitigation, and if so, to what extent and in which aspects? Although Sweden is often described as a frontrunner in climate work, several evaluations prior to the adoption of the Climate Policy Framework and the Climate Act concluded that Swedish climate policy has suffered from both implementation and monitoring deficits, as well as from the fact that climate goals and strategies were non-legally binding. Taken together, such deficits make the stable, long-term prioritizing of climate mitigation over other sector policies increasingly difficult, thus limiting the possibilities to reach future targets. This article focuses on three dimensions of climate policy integration – assessing policy processes, outputs and outcomes – with the aim to analyse political developments and policy outcomes in Sweden after the implementation of the Climate Policy Framework and the Climate Act. The results of a comprehensive set of interviews with policy experts and high-level decision-makers show that the framework is believed to have had important effects, mainly in terms of changing both policy language, cross-sector coordination, and increasing the prioritization of the climate issue. Thus the study (1) contributes to a better theoretical and empirical understanding of Climate Change Acts as instruments for climate policy integration; (2) paves the way for future comparative studies; and (3) presents important practical lessons for policy makers on the effects of legal mechanisms to achieve climate mitigation. Key policy insights Climate Acts provide a legal framework for governmental climate activities. A comprehensive framework including three dimensions of climate policy integration – assessing process, output and outcome, should be used to evaluate Climate Act effects. The Swedish Climate Policy Framework and Climate Act has induced a weak type of climate policy integration, showing effects on climate policy debate, coordination, policy measure implementation and policy support. The framework sends strong signals of political will to address climate change, but the non-inclusion of targets and instruments in the Swedish Climate Act is causing debate and insecurity regarding what policy instruments will be implemented

Concept of Emergency Health Infrastructure Provision in Minimizing the Impact of Earthquakes

Surabaya City has the potential for an earthquake of 6.5 SR. Based on the previous research, the level of emergency health infrastructure readiness in Surabaya City is 0-34%. It was reported that due to the unpreparedness of the health infrastructure during the Lombok Earthquake (2018), 1,477 injured victims did not get proper treatment. Therefore, this research is aimed to formulate the concept of providing emergency health infrastructure to reduce the earthquake risk. This research is qualitative research type with two methods of analysis, particularly content analysis and triangulation. Content analysis was utilized to identify criteria for providing emergency health infrastructure. Meanwhile, triangulation was utilized to formulate the concept of providing emergency health infrastructure. The results of this study are 32 criteria in the provision of emergency health infrastructure. From these criteria, the concept of providing emergency health infrastructure was formed, divided into three disaster phases: 1) Mitigation, 2) Preparedness, and 3) Response. In the mitigation phase, the concept focuses on procuring medical supplies, increasing the competence of health workers, and mapping potential emergency care at the disaster site. In the preparedness phase, the concept focuses on cross-sectoral coordination for activating the emergency care unit in a disaster site, synchronizing the availability of medical equipment, and establishing a health team. Meanwhile, in the emergency response phase, the concept focuses on mobilizing the required medical equipment and health workers, also optimizing health services based on health standards.

Nuclear energy development self-management concept to support national energy security and national defense (case study: commercial NPP plans in the West Kalimantan region)

Indonesia’s energy consumption is still increasing, including in the West Kalimantan Region, by 8.2% growth in electricity customers. During this time, West Kalimantan still fulfilling its energy needs in imports around 30% of energy supply (200 MW) from Sarawak, Malaysia. This condition can weaken national energy security and national sovereignty because it has not independently met its energy needs from domestic sources. At the same time, the potential for local energy sources in West Kalimantan is to get uranium deposits of 45,730 tons, which are nuclear fuel. Qualitative Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) research method to find the concept of self-management based on 4A (Availability, Affordability, Acceptability, Accessibility) + 1S (Sustainability). The results of the self-management concept obtained by integrating aspects: (1) Accessibility and Acceptability in the form of priorities for improving top-down and bottom-up cross-sectoral coordination management systems, namely the central and regional governments in the development of nuclear power plants with the involvement of local communities from the beginning of planning; (2) Affordability of making technical designs by BATAN with SMR (Small Modular Reactor) technology in the construction of commercial-scale nuclear power plants in terms of the availability of local resources as nuclear raw materials.

Managing Cross-Sectoral Coordination in Accelerating the Sustainable Development Agenda

Managing Cross-Sectoral Coordination in Accelerating the Sustainable Development Agenda

Improving Policy Coordination Across the Water, Energy, and Food, Sectors in South Asia: A Framework

Land, water, and energy resources are coming under unprecedented pressure owing to growing populations, urbanization, industrialization, and changing lifestyles, food habits, and climate. Generally, sectoral approaches are taken to address these challenges that overlook the close linkages between the water, energy and food sectors and resultant cross-sectoral implications. The result is an uncoordinated and unsustainable use of resources that increasingly threatens water, energy, and food securities in many parts of the world. To enhance sustainability in resource use, the use of water-energy-food nexus (WEF) approach has been advocated in recent years. Despite its conceptual appeals, the practical application of this approach in government planning and decision making has remained limited in part due to lack of an appropriate framework to operationalize the concept as a planning and decision-making tool. This paper suggests a framework for operationalizing the nexus concept in planning and decision-making, using South Asia as an example. The framework outlines four steps to evaluate and prioritize nexus issues to improve cross-sectoral planning and coordination using three broad criteria to assess the impact of actions in one sector on another: synergies (co-benefits), trade-offs (externalities), and neutrality. A cross-sectoral coordination body provides the institutional mechanism for ensuring coordination of policy and action. The four steps are: (a) harmonizing policy goals, (b) identifying interactions and critical connections between these sectors in an integrated manner, (c) assessing compatibility of nexus objectives and policy instruments, and (d) screening programs, projects, and investments against nexus goals. The framework is expected to help governments in coordinating the actions of diverse actors across the water, energy and food sectors and designing policies and programs that address trade-offs, while increasing production sustainably, conserving natural resources, and enhancing -water-energy-food nexus outcomes.

The added value of using the HEPA PAT for physical activity policy monitoring: a four-country comparison

BackgroundPublic policy is increasingly recognized as an important component of physical activity promotion. This paper reports on the current status of physical activity policy development and implementation in four European countries based on the Health-Enhancing Physical Activity Policy Audit Tool (HEPA PAT) developed by WHO. It compares the findings to previous studies and discusses the general utility of this tool and its unique features in relation to other instruments.MethodsThe study was conducted as part of the Policy Evaluation Network (www.jpi-pen.eu) in Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands and Poland. Data collection built upon information obtained via the EU Physical Activity Monitoring Framework survey, additional desk research and expert opinion. Data analysis employed Howlett’s policy cycle framework to map and compare national physical activity policies in the four countries.ResultsIn all countries under study, policy agenda-setting is influenced by prevalence data from national health monitoring systems, and the sport and/or health sector takes the lead in policy formulation. Key policy documents were located mainly in the health sector but also in sport, urban design and transport. Physical activity programmes implemented to meet policy objectives usually cover a broad range of target groups, but currently only a small selection of major policies are evaluated for effectiveness. National experts made several suggestions to other countries wishing to establish physical activity policies, e.g. regarding cross-sectoral support and coordination, comprehensive national action plans, and monitoring/surveillance.ConclusionsThis study provides a detailed overview of physical activity policies in the four countries. Results show that national governments are already very active in the field but that there is room for improvement in a number of areas, e.g. regarding the contribution of sectors beyond sport and health. Using the HEPA PAT simultaneously in four countries also showed that procedures and timelines have to be adapted to national contexts. Overall, the instrument can make an important contribution to understanding and informing physical activity policy, especially when used as an add-on to regular monitoring tools like the EU HEPA Monitoring Framework.

Policy and political consequences of mandatory climate impact assessments: an explorative study of German cities and municipalities

ABSTRACT Since May 2019, several German cities and municipalities have declared a ‘climate emergency’, an action which makes climate impact assessments mandatory for all projects or policy proposals. How have the processes in the local governments changed in response to the emergency status? How have the processes in the city and municipal councils changed? And how, if at all, has the relationship between elected politicians (who make up the city and municipal councils) and bureaucrats (who make up the local government) changed? Based on 13 interviews carried out with representatives of city and municipal councils and local governments, we show, first, that local governments expect a higher workload and to spend more time on cross-sectoral coordination and cooperation. Second, the issue of climate change is now part of the political agenda in the local councils. Third, the administrative actors are now in a stronger position vis-à-vis the political ones as they can de facto veto projects or policies. Overall, we conclude that local-level climate politics has changed following the declaration of the emergency status; however, the design of the corresponding policies has not changed to reflect the cross-sectoral character of responses to climate change.

Optimizing the Utilization of Genetic Resources of Indonesian Native Freshwater Fish

Indonesia has a long story in the documentation of the richness of fish genetic resources. Identifying and documenting the diversity of fish species showing the country has around 1700 species. However, Fishbase records only 1258 species (10% contribution to the world) indicating around unrecorded 442 species (26%) in the site. Significant pressures on fish genetic resources and its habitat, small new species documentation/loss of existing species, a decreasing percentage of species at the global level, and un-optimal utilization seems to be essential issues. To deal with these issues, the re-inventory of Indonesia's freshwater fish genetic resources needs to be conducted with concern on unrecorded data in FishBase and threatened species. The government needs to increase awareness on establishing fisheries status through the implementation of the Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management (EAFM) for better fisheries management programs. Improvement of preservation and utilization programs for potential native fish species is also essential to provide alternatives species for aquaculture development and its conservation and the last is habitat rehabilitation through nature reserves empowers rules and strengthens regulation. To achieve action plan targets, cross-sectoral coordination is needed in which institutions involved in policy authority, scientific authority, and management authority must synchronize their programs and actions.

Drug Safety Governance: Framework and Development Path

Objective: The necessity of shifting from management to governance of drug safety has gained a wide consensus in both academic and practical circles, but how to act and develop has not been adequately discussed and become a key issue that needs to be addressed nowadays. This article combines the theoretical essence of governance to establish an analytical framework of “initial conditions-joint action-governance effectiveness” based on governance theory to analyze and explain the connotation and mechanism of cross-sector cooperative governance of drug safety. Methods: The essence of governance lies in the creation of joint action capabilities through cross-sector cooperation, as well as the construction of a national drug safety governance action framework of “3 stages + 1 incubation period”. This article analyzes the connotation of each stage and possible problems or obstacles. Results: Three deep-seated challenges stem from the lack of information sharing, resource action sharing, and power sharing. Conclusion: In order to improve the modernization construction of China’s drug safety governance system and capacity, it is recommended to continuously improve Chinese drug safety governance in terms of governance norms, communication mechanisms, capacity development, and cross-sector coordination based on a holistic perspective.