Current Policy Framework Research Articles

The role of the Belgian government in enhancing the integration of healthcare for Mentally Ill Offenders: an analysis of the reform plan

Background: In 2016 The Belgian government launched a Reform program to optimize and integrate care for Mentally Ill Offenders MIO. Collaboration networks get the ‘mandate’ to implement the program, adapted to locoregional contexts. This paper aims to make a plan analysis of the government reform program and tries to analyze the characteristics of the mandate. Methods: Qualitative data were collected using document analysis and semi structured interviews with policy delegates cabinet and administration and regional healthcare- and justice coordinators. Data were analyzed using a continuous comparative method, including researcher triangulation. Results: The current policy framework sets a number of guiding principles to reorganize the field and care for MIO. Key principles are the focus on integration of care of services form different sectors and organizations, reintegration of MIO into society, developing smooth patient trajectories for MIO and emptying the prisons with MIO by means of introducing new types of facilities. The responsibility to implement this is mandated to policy implementation networks per regional Court of Appeal region. The Master Plan holds no detailed rules or procedures to guide the collaboration. The plan incorporates previously established locoregional steering groups and strengthens the role of steering group coordinators to enhance collaboration. These latter are the linking-pin between locoregional activity and the policymakers. The locoregional coordinators are supervised by a national coordinator. These coordinators have to facilitate the dialogue between organizations to realize the guiding principles, facilitate a common understanding of integrated care and facilitate intersectoral patient trajectories of different types of MIO’s. Discussion: The strategy of the Reform plan is in line with recommendations in literature to tackle wicked problems. The reform plan aims at developing common goals through locoregional dialogue of intersectoral partners. It tries to guide this process by creating a structure in which formally appointed linking pin-persons play a central role. The mandate is characterized by a low level of formalization. It mainly focusses on enhancing dialogue and interaction in the hope that mutual learning will emerge. The policy framework is however not yet in the stage of promoting the idea of networks as a whole. Conclusion: The current policy framework in the Belgian field of MIO is an example of a policy network model. It aims to facilitate dialogue and interaction between different types of players and assumes that local players will have the competence to implement the integration of care. Limitations: This plan analysis is part of a larger research project performing an implementation study of the reform and emerging networks. Suggestions for further research: To develop effective mandated networks research is needed on governance mechanisms and whole networks within the characteristics of the institutional field.

Towards comprehensive sexuality education: a comparative analysis of the policy environment surrounding school-based sexuality education in Ghana, Peru, Kenya and Guatemala

ABSTRACTThe successful implementation of comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) programmes in schools depends on the development and implementation of strong policy in support of CSE. This paper offers a comparative analysis of the policy environment governing school-based CSE in four low- and middle-income countries at different stages of programme implementation: Ghana, Peru, Kenya and Guatemala. Based on an analysis of current policy and legal frameworks, key informant interviews and recent regional reviews, the analysis focuses on seven policy-related levers that contribute to successful school-based sexuality education programmes. The levers cover policy development trends; current policy and legal frameworks for sexuality education; international commitments affecting CSE policies; the various actors involved in shaping CSE; and the partnerships and coalitions of actors that influence CSE policy. Our analysis shows that all four countries benefit from a policy environment that, if properly leveraged, could lead to a stronger implementation of CSE in schools. However, each faces several key challenges that must be addressed to ensure the health and wellbeing of their young people. Latin American and African countries show notable differences in the development and evolution of their CSE policy environments, providing valuable insights for programme development and implementation.

The Status of the Operational Debris Mitigation Systems Regulatory Policy: Current Issues and Future Perspectives

A strong and dynamic technological progress in the space sector is shaping a new set of rules, apting primarily to the preservation of the space environment and the savage exploitation of its resources. When focusing on what can be considered the greatest challenge of this still young century, the space debris issue, one cannot refrain from questioning whether such fast-moving technical and technological progress has a solid match in the current legal, policy and political framework: do they go hand in hand, or is the second structurally incapable of keeping up with the rapidly evolving nature of the first? The paper will involve a deep analysis and legal and policy issues for future operational debris mitigation systems, essential step to draft a set of specific rules, agreed at national and international level, for a governance and regulation framework. What is lacked is a soft law instrument, internationally agreed, that can enforce such decisions on States’ behalf, for the sake of the sustainability and ongoing security of the space environment. These aspects are very sensitive and they involve constraints in relation to the national sovereignty and to the identification of “commercial” actors that could invest and operate in these domains. The maritime law can offer some frame of reference to solve this issue. Specifically, the international law of salvage in high seas, as outlined in the International Convention on Salvage, IMO 1989, may establish a similar regime, in space, for abandoned spacecraft with. In this regard, the pivotal role of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in setting a regulation for the Active Debris Removal missions (ADR), in the years to come, should not be underplayed. Since this agency is in charge of promoting and coordinating the definition of technical standards, as well as of assigning satellite orbits, it might be able to establish itself as the referral organization for the issuing of finally binding space debris mitigation rules. It is crucial to have an institution capable of maintaining the balance (both technical and political) between multiple stakeholders, and security and environmental constraints. So much of the future of space activities will depend on how those rules will succeed in limiting the growing amount of floating debris in space.

Community resilience and narratives of community empowerment in Scotland

Abstract The concept of resilience is now routinely put forward by both policymakers and social activists as a way for communities to use and develop their resources and respond positively to change, including decarbonization to address climate change. The extent to which a community is able to utilize all its resources depends on the extent to which it feels empowered to take action and is a major determinant of its resilience. A narrative of community empowerment has recently emerged from Scottish Government, driven in part by the situation in Scotland, in which a skewed pattern of landownership and distant structure of ‘local’ democracy combine to disempower communities by disconnecting them from local resources and local representative democracy. Recent Scottish legislation appears to provide new opportunities for community groups to gain control of local assets, become more financially sustainable, undertake climate-related mitigation actions and overcome some of the current local democratic deficit. At the same time, an increasingly well-organized and networked community sector and some within the Scottish Government are actively exploring new ways to enable public participation and deliver public services. This paper analyses the current Scottish policy framework and aspirations for community empowerment and, through interviews with stakeholders, assesses the potential, this may provide for communities to become truly resilient and to actively engage with transformational change.

Intellectual disability and complex support needs: human rights perspective for policy and practice

ABSTRACTPeople with intellectual disability and complex support needs challenge human rights in the current disability policy and practice framework in Australia. With the implementation of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) in Australia, it is pivotal to understand how human rights can offer a framework for understanding these challenges. There are complex issues and challenges in operationalising support for the human rights of people with intellectual disability. Their experience is characterised by overlapping and compounding forms of discrimination, abuse and vulnerability in their social and systemic interactions. This article uses qualitative content analysis to describe and articulate disadvantages and challenges of this group, and maps this onto the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and current policies and practices in Australia. The article concludes that utilising human rights instruments helps to recognise the multiple disadvantages faced by people with intellectual disability and complex support needs and focus on the specific areas that need to be addressed in policy and practice.

The housing market: challenges and policy responses

This article summarises the long-run decline in housing affordability in England and suggests this is substantially attributable to shortfalls in housing supply. Public attitudes to housing have become increasingly pro-development in recent years and the current policy framework – summarised in the article – seeks to provide a comprehensive and rounded response to the challenges facing the housing market.

Solar PV policy framework of Indian States: Overview, pitfalls, challenges, and improvements

India is blessed with tremendous potential for PV energy production, however, tapping it is possible with meticulous planning and defining a policy framework. In the last five years, the solar industries in the country have started blooming rapidly with the implementation of solar policy by sixteen states. Revision of the state policies is needed as the country aims to achieve 100 GWp of solar capacity by the year 2022. Improvising the state policy depends mostly on factors such as estimated PV energy potential of the region, availability of useful wasteland, and implementation cost. The study reviews and discusses the pitfalls of current solar policy framework of sixteen states identify the challenges of the sector for achieving the targets. A case study of Odisha is elaborated on how to apply the new methods to incorporate abovementioned factors and revise state policy for betterment.

Losing concentration? Lessons from a Swedish aid policy reform

Sweden is one of the donor countries that signed on to the Paris Agenda, which among other things advocated reducing aid dispersion. It also adopted its own geographical concentration policy in 2007. My empirical analysis shows that Sweden managed to achieve this goal only for two years following the reform and that the episode was followed by backsliding. Moreover, its current aid policy framework barely mentions the topic. I argue that a major reason was the failure to institutionalise the policy. This left it vulnerable to the regular politics of aid, which tend to generate both geographic and thematic spread. Reduced peer pressure as the international community has moved away from the Paris Agenda might also have contributed. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

The case against price-level targeting

As the Fed begins to wrestle with how to stimulate growth in the next economic downturn in an environment of low interest rates, a number of possible changes in its policy framework are being entertained. One in particular that has gained considerable support is price-level targeting, based on the view that this approach would tend to move inflation and nominal interest rates up late in the business cycle, yielding more room for rate cuts when the downturn ensues. We outline the inherent difficulties involved in controlling the level of inflation under the current inflation-targeting regime. We then argue that requiring the Fed to meet the more stringent objective of a price-level target could introduce significantly greater volatility into output growth—potentially worsening economic downturns—than is the case under the current policy framework. We also consider a preferred course of action that adds a bit more flexibility to the current framework, at least for the near to the medium term, and how the Fed might deal with the next recession.

PHP22 - Towards IRP Common Ground: To What Extent are European Countries Aligned in How they use International Reference Pricing?

The EURopean Integrated Price Information Database (EURIPID), a collaboration among European countries focused on exchange of drug pricing data, is seeking to define best practice in international reference pricing (IRP). The group is looking to publish guidance by July 2018 promoting a coordinated approach to IRP. In considering the likelihood a distinctly European form of IRP gains traction, the present analysis explores the extent to which countries in the region possess common ground in their respective IRP policy frameworks. Between January and July 2017, a review of all pharmaceutical pricing regulations was conducted across 62 countries known to be practicing IRP. In addition, in-depth qualitative interviews were completed with payers, policymakers and pharmaceutical industry members in countries where ambiguities were identified. A semi-quantitative analysis was conducted to understand the extent to which countries exhibit alignment across aspects of IRP policy, both globally and within Europe. The European picture is generally reflective of the global one. For multiple discrete aspects of IRP policy, there is no clear majority in the number of countries choosing among particular policy options, such as among the choices for nature of the price benchmark, size of the reference basket, or frequency of re-referencing. The results indicate there is considerable diversity across European countries with regards to current IRP policy frameworks, diversity on par with the global picture. This extent of variation suggests that countries may struggle, at regional European level, to abide by a common set of principles, as the variation undoubtedly reflects divergent economic and political circumstances.

From Exploitation to Equity: Building Native-Owned Renewable Energy Generation in Indian Country

Indian country contains abundant renewable energy resources, and harnessing such resources is vitally important for national climate change mitigation efforts. Shifting the electric grid towards wind and solar generation also carries local environmental and health benefits, increases energy independence, and serves national security interests. For willing tribes, renewable energy development offers an opportunity for job growth and income base expansion. But if that development is to serve all parties: tribes, states, and the nation, then the current policy framework must change. If it does not change, policymakers risk continuing the long history of exploitative resource development on reservations. This article examines how legal structures impede utility-scale renewable energy development in Indian country and limit tribal self-determination. At the beginning of the Obama Administration, with increased national interest in climate change, commentators seized upon the potential of renewable energy to increase tribal sovereignty, improve Native economies, and provide greater access to electricity. Following years of false starts, legal scholars asked why the clean energy revolution was passing by Indian country and identified obstacles that slowed the growth of renewables. Despite such obstacles, by the end of 2017, a few large projects were operational. This paper examines how those projects succeeded within the current framework. The working installations serve as a rebuke to decades of abusive resource extraction arrangements and dirty fossil fuel power plants, which have produced severe health impacts and environmental degradation on Indian lands. But they also show how the existing legal and policy frameworks compel tribes committed to renewable energy development into certain arrangements, which then place constraints upon tribal sovereignty and limit the potential benefits to the tribe. Part I explains U.S. electricity law and renewable energy potential in Indian country. Part II addresses how the current legal and policy frameworks underpinning projects impede the widespread adoption of renewable energy in Indian country. Part III covers recent successes and failures, in order to draw functional lessons for parties interested in pursuing wind and solar projects within the existing framework. Part IV recommends policy and legal reforms that would increase tribal ownership of renewable energy projects while benefiting tribes, states, and the country as a whole. In particular, recommended reforms include providing mechanisms that promote self-determination through tribal project ownership, increasing federal financial support mechanisms, changes to current electricity regulations, and amending federal and state tax regimes to avoid stifling development in Indian country. Citation: From Exploitation to Equity: Building Native-owned Renewable Energy Generation in Indian Country, 43 Wm. & Mary Envtl. L. & Pol'y Rev. __ (forthcoming February 2019)

Indigenous knowledge on development and management of shallow dug wells of Dodoma Municipality in Tanzania

Dodoma city, central Tanzania, seats in a semi-arid region of East Africa with limited rains and surface water resources. Consequently, the area largely depends on shallow and deep aquifers for its freshwater needs. Owing to harsh climatic conditions, chronic lack of year-round surface water bodies and, limited development of water distribution infrastructures, over year’s local people have nurtured, developed and, passed on important indigenous knowledge (IK) on exploiting and managing shallow aquifers (SAs). However, there is no clear documented administrative plans for the SAs and the roles of IK, which is widely practised in developing SDWs and managing SAs, are not properly documented. This study intended to assess the extent of shallow dug wells (SDWs) utilization and contribution of IK on management of SAs of indigenous people of Dodoma Municipality. The methods followed include critical field observations, measurements and, focus group discussions done during both the dry season (Sep.–Oct. 2013) and wet season (Dec. 2013–Feb. 2014). The results show that SDWs occur widely in the city, particularly in the suburbs, where they often serve as the only sources of freshwater and heavily dependent by the populace. It is clear that there is rich IK on management of SAs including on groundwater exploration, digging, water allocation, pricing, and even on water quality and, water treatment skills. The aforementioned IK clearly contribute to water sufficiency to the populace and general management of groundwater such as enhancing recharge mechanisms where about 1% of local rainfall is recharged through a network of SDWs compared to ~ 5–10% that is naturally being recharged by rainfall through the vadose zone. Thus, as much as the current policy framework and groundwater managers do not recognize the roles of IK and contributions of SDWs as key water sources, it is clear that IK contributes to the groundwater management and SDWs already support large part of the society. While it is globally appreciated that vital skills on SDWs management are vanishing, local people in Dodoma still retain them and should, therefore, be preserved. It is further recommended that IK are strengthened, improved and most importantly, incorporated in the local water resources management plans that already advocate on integrated approaches but which clearly ignores the IK and the local people’s efforts to explore and manage water resource, particularly SAs.

Efforts for a Circular Economy in China: A Comprehensive Review of Policies

SummaryCircular economy concepts, practices, and policies are increasingly drawing attention as important means for the pursuit of sustainable development. This article uses a conceptual framework to catalogue and investigate policy efforts for the circular economy in China. Based on the framework, policy prototypes and specific examples are identified: resource‐oriented, production‐oriented, waste, and use‐oriented and life cycle policies. A comprehensive review of 280 related policies shows that China has a long history of resource‐oriented policies and implemented production‐oriented policies very quickly after the year 2000. China's policies toward the circular economy became more comprehensive through time, with a broad engagement of government agencies, an extensive and progressive coverage of recycling opportunities, production initiatives across multiple scales, and use of different policy instruments. The continuous progress has been driven by proactive state actors and their learning from the international society. The current policy framework, however, is concerned more with the means rather than the ends of the circular economy, and relies too much on direct subsidies and other financial incentives. Policy making can be improved by more explicit consideration of the whole production life cycle and use of market‐based policy design.

A Rural Scope of Practice for Pharmacists

Introduction : Too few medical graduates opt to become general practitioners or family physicians, particularly in rural areas. Predicted to worsen in the next decade as current practitioners retire, to meet health needs it will be essential to make the best use of all available health professionals. Building on existing collaboration and with better use of technology, community pharmacists have the skills and knowledge to provide expanded services. A ‘rural’ scope of practice for pharmacists, allowing more autonomous practice, could improve health provision and pharmacist retention in rural areas. Objective : To show how pharmacists could better meet the health needs of rural New Zealanders by providing accessible, safe and affordable care in line with New Zealand’s health strategies. Targeted population : Policy makers, health providers or funders, pharmacists and other health professionals practising in rural or provincial areas. Exemplified by the author’s experience as a community pharmacist in Greymouth, a provincial town on the West Coast of New Zealand’s South Island. Highlights : There is a high reliance on locums due to the shortage of medical practitioners in rural areas. A lack of continuity of care has been associated with increased hospital admissions. Community pharmacists are highly accessible with a quarter of New Zealand’s population visiting a pharmacy every month. Comparisons are drawn with changes in scopes of practice for New Zealand health professionals and developments in expanded pharmacist services in other jurisdictions; the United Kingdom and Canada. There is potential for pharmacists to work more collaboratively with better integration, using technology to build on existing collegial relationships. A role between the current ‘pharmacist’ and ‘pharmacist prescriber’ scopes of practice would allow more autonomous practice by pharmacists in rural or hard to staff areas. Using existing linkages with university rural outposts could give pharmacists additional training and a transferable qualification while improving health care provision. Various solutions are offered, to improve services available from rural pharmacists, including creating a vocational scope in rural pharmacy. A ‘rural’ scope of practice, not available to urban pharmacists, fits with New Zealand’s current health policy framework which encourages team work and top of scope practice. Transferability : Rural scopes of practice apply in some medical and nursing fields. Expanded scopes of practice for pharmacists have been successful in other jurisdictions. Rural scopes of practice could be applied to pharmacists and other allied health professionals practising in rural or high needs areas. Conclusions : Experience elsewhere shows pharmacists can use their skills to do more for patient care. Where offered, these services are safe, effective and well received by patients while improving pharmacist job satisfaction. They reduce presentations to medical practices or emergency departments, leading to better use of resources. By providing a richer professional environment, a rural scope of practice for pharmacists could incentivise relocation to areas difficult to staff.

An attempt to assess the monetary value of carbon absorbed in the Polish forest sector

Abstract Forests and forest management play a vital role in capture and storage of carbon dioxide, which contributes to mitigation of climate change. Forests are not only a natural carbon sink. Proper forest management can enhance biomass production, providing wood to be converted into e.g. construction timber, paper and furniture as well as wood fuels and, as a result, considerably enlarge this carbon sink. Poland, being a party of the Climate Convention and Kyoto Protocol and a member of the EU is obliged to provide yearly reports on carbon emissions and sequestration, including the Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF) sector, of which forestry is the leading constituent. Forests, with the sequestration rate at a level of 3.93 t CO2·ha−1 form practically the only important carbon sink in the LULUCF category. Unfortunately the LULUCF sector has not been yet included in the current climate policy framework. The purpose of the study was an attempt to estimate the hypothetical value of carbon stored in forestry, resulting from the reported quantities of the emitted and sequestered carbon. The calculations were based on figures included in the National Inventory Report for Poland, reported yearly to the Secretariat of the Climate Convention. Among the forestry carbon sources/sinks, reported annually, the sequestration resulting from forest management significantly exceeds the net sequestration from afforestation/deforestation activities. Average data from recent years show that forest management is a net CO2 sink, with 12 Mt CO2·y−1 (above the forest management reference level, FMRL), and when combined with the carbon pool change resulting from afforestation/deforestation activities, it can be regarded as a net carbon sink sequestering nearly 15 Mt CO2·y−1. That value, when multiplied by the price of carbon emission allowance (e.g. EUA), could be a source of over 80 mill Euros per year, if used as a commodity on the emissions market. Due to high price volatility of CO2 emission allowances, the calculated profits are hypothetical, and the EU Emissions Trading System does not include forestry. These potential gains can become realistic after the LULUCF sector has been included in the emissions trading system.

Pakistan's Approach to Countering Violent Extremism (CVE): Reframing the Policy Framework for Peacebuilding and Development Strategies

ABSTRACTCountering violent extremism (CVE) is one of the central focuses of the government of Pakistan. This article examines the current CVE policy framework and questions the existing paradigm of CVE policies in Pakistan. The article employs R. Kim Cragin's model of “resisting violent extremism” to suggest the need for a paradigm change in Pakistan's CVE policy framework, especially after the launch of another military operation in 2017. After a decade of security-centric counterterrorism policies, such a change requires balancing security-, development-, and prevention-centric policies in order to redefine Pakistan's policy framework.

Resilience Concept in Indonesian Small Town Development and Planning: a Case of Lasem, Central Java

Rapid urbanization in developing countries has brought some unprecedented consequences in economic, social, and most notably environmental aspects. Many cities have to be dealing with the challenges of vulnerability as the risk of disasters increases. In responding to the challenges, the concept of urban resilience has been applied as an important part of the current development policies in many countries. In Indonesia, the current spatial policy framework has underlined the importance of integrating vulnerability and environmental carrying capacity into spatial planning document. However, attention has been mostly given to metropolitan or large urban areas. This policy imbalance has put aside the problems faced by smaller urban areas or small cities, although the growing importance of small urban areas or cities is widely understood. In fact, the problems faced by small cities are not less important compared to that of large cities or metropolitan regions, especially those which are in coastal regions. This research aims at analysing how the development and planning of small cities in coastal areas considers the resilience concept. This research applied qualitative methods based on content analysis of planning documents and secondary data. This study selected Lasem, a small urban area in eastern coastal region of Central Java with some 50,000 population, as a case. This research found that the current spatial policy framework is lacking in integrating vulnerability and resilience dimension in the policy and development processes. The research recommended some key important factors to be integrated in the future urban development model.

,,Normative description and linguistic standardization in the current linguistic policy framework - documents and reality

,,Normative description and linguistic standardization in the current linguistic policy framework - documents and reality

A mediapark in Brussels? The media industry and its regional dynamics

This synopsis analyses from a media cluster perspective the characteristics of the media industry in Brussels and assesses the implications for the major policy intervention of the Brussels Capital Region in this industry: the mediapark.brussels, a 10-year urban and property development project at Reyers around the existing site of the public broadcasting companies VRT and RTBF. Our research results shed light on several clustering configurations in the Brussels media industry, highlight the diversity of the media workforce, and offer an overview of different models and activities of worker communities. The current policy framework for the mediapark.brussels project is outlined. The insights gained are used to assess the possible strategies for the project, considering that in Belgium, the media are a competence of the Communities and not of the Government of the Brussels Capital Region. We discuss the tension that manifests itself in the development of mediapark.brussels: tension between an urban and a cultural development, tension between local and international perspective, and tension between a wide-spectrum and a specialised media cluster.

The Role of Heads of Department in the Professional Development of Educators: A Distributed Leadership Perspective

ABSTRACTThe qualitative study reported on was, undertaken from a distributed leadership perspective, and was an attempt to provide understanding of how heads of department (HoDs) develop educators within the organisational context of different schools and subject departments. The findings are related to the current policy framework for professional development in South African schools. Two fee-paying and two non-fee-paying schools were selected and interviews were conducted with HoDs from single subject (unitary) and multi-subject (federal or confederate) departments in each school. The data was transcribed, coded, analysed and related to the research question. The findings confirmed that HoDs are a key link between principals and the educators in their classrooms. This supports the view that HoDs have formal responsibilities and accountabilities and they wield a horizontal and a vertical influence. Recommendations are made to improve professional development practice by HoDs in particular and in the education system in general.