Policy Design Research Articles

Fostering Sustainable Development Through Women’s Entrepreneurship: Psychosocial Factors and Attitudinal Mediation in Colombian Higher Education

University female entrepreneurship has seen significant growth in Colombia in recent years. This study aimed to examine the psychosocial factors that determine the entrepreneurial intent of Colombian university women, specifically analyzing how entrepreneurial attitude mediates the relationship between these factors and the intent to engage in entrepreneurship using a structural equation modeling approach (SEM). A total of 409 university students from various higher education institutions in Colombia participated by completing an online survey. The results demonstrated that extrinsic motivation (β = 0.178 moderate intensity), family environment (β = 0.127 moderate intensity), innovation (β = 0.462 very intense), and intrinsic motivation (β = 0.117 low intensity) positively influence entrepreneurial attitude, which in turn has a significant positive effect on the intent to engage in entrepreneurship (β = 0.709 very intense). Furthermore, innovation, extrinsic motivation, family environment, and intrinsic motivation indirectly influence entrepreneurial intent through their impact on attitude. In conclusion, this study provides a deeper understanding of the psychosocial mechanisms that drive female entrepreneurship in the Colombian university context and lays the groundwork for the design of educational programs and public policies that enhance the talent and entrepreneurial aspirations of women in higher education.

Acceptability of a city-wide transport plan: A thematic analysis of written consultation responses

IntroductionPolicy intervention to reduce car use is required for environmental and health benefits. Multi-component interventions with both positive (i.e. ‘carrot’) and negative (i.e. ‘stick’) strategies are effective in promoting modal shift, but ‘stick’ strategies are less acceptable and often abandoned before implementation. This study aims to understand the arguments surrounding policy acceptability for a multi-component transport plan including both carrot and stick strategies in Cambridge, UK. MethodsA series of public consultations between 2017 and 2022 informed transport priorities and provided feedback on a range of proposals. The final public consultation sought views on detailed proposals to expand the bus network and invest in sustainable travel infrastructure funded by the implementation of a road user charge. Following the consultation, concessions were made to the plans and they were later abandoned due to a lack of political consensus. We downloaded and analysed written responses generated during the consultation to identify arguments influencing policy acceptance. ResultsFrom 115 included responses, we identified five themes: (1) support for the overall vision of the transport strategy; (2) mixed support on proposals (favouring carrots but not sticks); (3) concerns about consultation process; (4) concerns about deliverability of proposals; and (5) the effects of the scheme on transport, inequalities and economic growth. ConclusionsOur findings suggest that policy design and communication should focus on perceived effectiveness and equity and building trust among agencies ahead of policy proposals to support the effective implementation of travel policy solutions.

Design of a multi-component system-based fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle maintenance policy and its case study

At present, flight vehicle structure maintenance is undergoing a paradigm shift from preventive maintenance depending on calendar time and flight cycle to condition-based maintenance (CBM) using structural condition monitoring data. This shift is particularly relevant as unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) systems increasingly undertake aerial missions. However, unlike CBM for single components, most UAV systems consist of multiple interconnected components. Optimizing pre-flight maintenance and ensuring traceability of inspections from a system-level perspective remains challenging. This study introduces a multi-layered decision-making policy for UAV reliability and stability multi-component evaluation, enhancing service condition monitoring and maintenance evaluation. The system adopts a knowledge-driven approach to develop a comprehensive maintenance framework for multi-component UAVs. It enables detailed damage assessment, effective management, predictive capabilities, and optimization strategies. By integrating and reasoning across knowledge-based, geometric, and decision-making models, the system supports dynamic maintenance and continuous iterative enhancements. To further reduce system complexity, this paper created a risk grating evaluation system. Within the framework of individual components, decision-making rules are established to optimally determine the components needing preventive maintenance when activated by decisions from risk assessments. Additionally, a new soft failure threshold model to determine the optimal maintenance decision variables is defined. This model incorporates general knowledge of the system and subsystems, further optimizing predictive reliability and economic dependency. Finally, the effectiveness and feasibility of this policy are validated through a fixed-wing UAV maintenance case study. The results demonstrate that the proposed framework holds significant promise for maintenance management in aircraft systems.

지역관광추진조직(DMO)에 대한 이해관계자 인식 유형화 연구 - 정책설계자, 공급자, 참여자를 중심으로

As the public interest in tourism grows and travel becomes more common, local tourism is also gaining importance. In particular, revitalizing local tourism by attracting more living population has received much attention as a solution to the depopulation issue, and resultingly, policy interest and support for local tourism have also become greater. Now there are more intermediate organizations and destination management organizations (DMOs) that focus on attracting tourists and managing tourist destinations. Focusing on policy designers, suppliers, and DMO participants, this study examines and categorizes the DMO stakeholders' perceptions of DMO's roles and suggests future directions and plans for the development of Korean-style DMOs. To this end, Q-methodology, a type of factor analysis, that can objectively capture individuals' subjective views on social phenomena, was used. Results suggested that based on stakeholders' perceptions of DMO's functions and features, DMOs can be classified into the following four types: ‘local tourism leader type,' ‘governance-oriented type,' ‘marketing-oriented type,' and ‘nurture and support type., It was also found that DMOs need time to establish governance and consensus and it is important to differentiate the positioning of DMOs by region. Results further revealed that a DMO is not only a leader who manages local tourism but also an intermediate support organization focusing on governance. The empirical finding of this study can be used to set the practical directions of Korean-style DMOs and to identify, position, and foster the DMO types that fit the characteristics of different regions.

INTEGRATING CLIMATE POLICY OBJECTIVES INTO MUNICIPAL LAND POLICIES: From conceptualization to empirical evidence from Finland

AbstractUrban development ties in closely with climate change mitigation and adaptation. However, little is known about how climate policy objectives are incorporated into municipal land policies. Addressing this knowledge gap, we draw from the literature on policy integration and policy design to propose a framework for conceptualizing the ways in which policy objectives driven by climate concerns are incorporated into land policy. This framework incorporates three dimensions: 1) the alignment and prioritization of climate policy objectives in land policy; 2) the concreteness of the final integrated policy design; and 3) the commitment to promoting the objectives set through choices of policy instruments. We apply this framework to explore the level of integration in 30 highly populated municipalities in Finland. We identify three levels of climate policy objective integration within this sample, with only three municipalities demonstrating high integration. Our findings suggest that raising the level of climate policy integration into land policy may require institutional support.

Factors influencing tax compliance among e-commerce traders in Indonesia

ABSTRACT Taxation in e-commerce is crucial for countries, businesses, and consumers. Combatting tax avoidance enhances compliance and fairness. Understanding e-commerce attitudes on tax morality is vital to curb evasion. This study aims to examine the relationship between the perception of tax rate, referral group, tax knowledge, tax regulation, and perception of equity and fairness on compliance of e-commerce trade in Indonesia. Data from 433 taxpayers reveal these factors significantly impact compliance. Insights inform effective tax policy design for e-commerce dynamics, aiding governments in responsive strategies.

Slashing the surplus – how prosumers with smart metering respond to regulatory restrictions on self-consumption in Croatia

With the diffusion of prosumerism, where households act both as producers and consumers of energy, policy makers must strike a balance between encouraging microgeneration and regulating this new prosumer segment on the energy market. However, effective policy implementation depends on prosumers’ behavioural reactions. This paper provides evidence on the interplay between digital real-time information and regulation of self-consumption for rooftop photovoltaics (PV) in Croatia. Croatian households that produce more annual electricity than they consume are automatically re-classified as renewable traders, which means additional administrative duties and less favorable tax treatment. This creates perverse incentives to reduce PV generation or increase energy consumption by year-end. We document the behavioural reactions to this policy design, indicating that energy production and consumption are highly elastic regarding regulatory incentives, but only if these incentives are made transparent and accessible with timely information. We collected two survey waves (n = 54 and n = 80) and smart meter data (n = 39), which illustrate the behavioural reaction before and after year-end. According to the survey wave before year-end, almost half of the participants considered curtailing their PV output. According to the smart meter data, a sizable share did indeed take action by shutting down PV production or by powering additional devices to reduce the surplus near year-end. In a second survey wave in the new year, prosumers provide ex-post insights on the specific measures taken to reduce surplus. We discuss research insights regarding the transparency and control offered by metering feedback, and how this can influence household behaviour within regulatory frameworks.

Beyond the Average: Machine Learning for Personalized Causal Inference in Econometrics

In the realm of econometrics, the estimation of average treatment effects (ATE) has traditionally dominated causal inference, often oversimplifying the complex, heterogeneous nature of individual responses to interventions. This study introduces a nuanced approach, "Beyond the Average: Personalized Causal Inference in Econometrics with Machine Learning, " which leverages advanced machine learning (ML) algorithms to shift the focus towards personalized causal effects (PCE), thereby uncovering the variability in treatment effects across individuals. Utilizing a synthetic dataset designed to reflect realistic economic behaviors and responses, we employed Gradient Boosting Machines (GBM) and Causal Forests among other ML techniques to estimate conditional average treatment effects (CATE), providing insights into the heterogeneity of treatment impacts. Our methodology encompassed comprehensive data preprocessing, feature selection based on economic theory and ML insights, and rigorous model validation processes. The results reveal significant heterogeneity in treatment effects, challenging the conventional reliance on ATE and highlighting the importance of considering individual characteristics in policy design and evaluation. Specifically, younger individuals and those with lower income and education levels exhibited markedly different responses to the financial literacy intervention, suggesting that personalized approaches could significantly enhance the effectiveness of such programs. This study not only demonstrates the feasibility and value of applying ML to econometric analysis for personalized causal inference but also lays the groundwork for future research aimed at integrating these methodologies into practical policy - making. By moving beyond the average and embracing the complexity of individual differences, econometric analysis can offer more targeted, effective, and equitable solutions to societal challenges.

Preferences for sustainable intensification: Do agricultural interventions matter? Plot-level evidence from Senegal

To what extent do agricultural support programs that promote modern intensification shape farmers’ incentives to adopt sustainable agricultural management practices? We answer this question by examining the effects of receiving input subsidies and agricultural extension services on Senegalese smallholder farmers’ preferences for crop diversification, crop rotation, rotational grazing, fallowing, and mulching crop residues. The empirical investigation is based on the 2020/2021 Annual Agricultural Survey (AAS) and uses two identification strategies: selection on observables and the Abadie-Imbens matching approach to account for differences in farmers’ socio-economic backgrounds and biophysical characteristics of plots and the likelihood of benefiting from input subsidies and agricultural extension services. We find heterogeneous responses to extension services and input subsidies. In particular, we find that receiving agricultural extension services is associated with a higher likelihood of adopting crop rotation, rotational grazing and fallow. On the other hand, the effect of receiving fertiliser subsidies is significantly negative for these three practices. The results also indicate that receiving extension services is associated with a lower likelihood of adopting crop diversification, and receiving seed subsidies is associated with a higher likelihood of mulching crop residues. As international research and development organizations consider sustainable intensification as a means to effectively address soil degradation and achieve greater agricultural productivity in sub-Saharan Africa, our findings call for the design of agricultural policies to support smallholder agriculture that take into account unintended consequences in terms of disincentives for the adoption of sustainable agricultural practices.

When Expertise Is Not Enough: Explaining the European Commission's Non‐success in the Integration of Public Sector Accounting

AbstractThe European Commission crucially relies on expertise and advice to fulfil its focal role in drafting policies. For this reason, it maintains numerous expert groups. When handling technical complex cases, expert groups engage in deliberative supranationalist problem‐solving that is driven by logic and knowledge. Based on the Commission's policy initiative to develop European Public Sector Accounting Standards (EPSAS) for the integration of European Union member states' government accounting practices, this study investigates how and under what conditions policy incentives translate via expert group deliberations into draft policies. Drawing on policy design literature and using process tracing, this study finds that pre‐existing policy instruments or design choices on higher order policy elements could lead to challenges in achieving the integrity and superiority of solutions at the level of calibration and street‐level requirements, thus failing to produce the necessary expert consensus.

Carbon footprint distributions of lithium-ion batteries and their materials

Lithium-ion batteries are pivotal in climate change mitigation. While their own carbon footprint raises concerns, existing studies are scattered, hard to compare and largely overlook the relevance of battery materials. Here, we go beyond traditional carbon footprint analysis and develop a cost-based approach, estimating emission curves for battery materials lithium, nickel and cobalt, based on mining cost data. Combining the emission curves with regionalised battery production announcements, we present carbon footprint distributions (5th, 50th, and 95th percentiles) for lithium-ion batteries with nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC811, 8-1-1 ratio; 59, 74 and 115 kgCO2 kWh−1) and lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP; 54, 62, 69 kgCO2 kWh−1) cathodes. Our findings reveal the dominating impact of material sourcing over production location, with nickel and lithium identified as major contributors to the carbon footprint and its variance. This research moves the field forward by offering a nuanced understanding of battery carbon footprints, aiding in the design of decarbonisation policies and strategies.

A comparative analysis of car fleet efficiency evolution in Europe and Australia insights on policy influence

Regulators worldwide introduce measures to improve energy consumption and reduce greenhouse emissions of road vehicles. The present study focuses on the impacts of passenger car carbon dioxide (CO2) and fuel efficiency measures, attempting to evaluate their effectiveness using vehicle and fleet modelling. To obtain a robust counterfactual result, two regions are compared as a case study: the European Union (EU), where CO2 emissions have been regulated for over fifteen years, and Australia, a region that recently introduced such a policy element. The average difference in the certified CO2 emissions of new cars registered in the two regions increased from 50 g/km in 2018 to 60 g/km in 2021 due to accelerated electrification in the EU. To demonstrate the importance of mandatory targets, a sensitivity analysis of the 2020 EU registrations showed that lower by one-third sales of zero and low-emission vehicles (Z-L-EVs) would have resulted in seven out of ten manufacturer pools failing to meet the 2020 target of 95 g/km. The simulation framework was validated against certified values of 2021 registrations and was subsequently used to calculate real-world fleet performance to quantify the actual emissions savings. The real-world CO2 emissions in the registered fleets for 2021 were estimated to be 143 g/km and 204 g/km, for the EU and Australia, respectively. With these results as a reference, the share of ZEVs required to meet the targets set in both regions is calculated: 51% of the new registrations in 2030 in the EU for achieving 49.5 g/km, and 60% in Australia for recently set target of 58 g/km for 2029. The respective calculated average fleet-wide real-world tailpipe CO2 emissions were estimated to be 66 g/km (EU) and 77 g/km (Australia). As a last step, the study discusses the application of similar tools and analysis in the design of future policies.

Mental Health and Work: A Systematic Review of the Concept

Background: The association between mental health and work has led to multiple meanings and definitions, leading to generalizations and equivalences that do not always reflect similar meanings. Objectives/Methods: To map and analyze the definitions of mental health related to work in the literature and identify the professional practices arising, a systematic review was carried out following PRISMA 2020 guidelines. Six databases were selected for consultation, which was carried out in March 2023. Results: From the search, 26 articles were selected and most of them do not define the concept of mental health, nor the influence of work on mental health–illness processes. Few articles report working conditions and the professional environment as generators of stress. Even if these conditions exist, the studies highlight that individuals already had previous personality traits that made them susceptible to disorders. Conclusions: Failure to adopt clear theoretical–methodological references regarding the concept of mental health and its relationship with work weakens the field and professional practice. Moreover, the literature does not point to changes in work or indicate possibilities for returning to assisted/ compatible work, vocational reorientation, or other means of overcoming the problem within work and organizations, with significant impacts on the design of public policies in the field.

From Policy Design to Implementation: Research Methods and Practical Evaluation of Beijing’s Three-Child Policy

From Policy Design to Implementation: Research Methods and Practical Evaluation of Beijing’s Three-Child Policy

Gone with the wind: a structural decomposition of carbon emissions in Portugal

Understanding the driving forces underlying greenhouse gas emissions is vital for the design of climate and environmental policies aimed at promoting sustainable development and human well-being. In particular, we focus on Portugal where a striking reduction of carbon emissions has been observed in just a few years. We perform a structural decomposition analysis over the last two decades allowing to unveil the main drivers underlying the evolution of carbon emissions. We find that the investment on renewable energy sources, namely wind, has been key for a successful transition to a cleaner economy. The impact has been felt both on the reduction of carbon intensity as well as on the increase of energy efficiency in power generation. We also find that such benign evolution was partly counterbalanced by the increase of the contribution of final demand to carbon emissions despite being attenuated with the COVID-19 pandemic.

The cost of readmissions in hospitals: the case of the Spanish public hospitals

BackgroundIn this paper, we propose a novel model that allows us to understand the effect of hospital readmissions on technology and costs. To do this, we consider that hospitals may experience heterogeneous discharges: on the one hand, discharges corresponding to patients who have completed their healing process in hospital and, on the other hand, discharges resulting from patients who have been discharged too early and are therefore required to be readmitted to hospital. In the first case, discharges involve more resources; in the second case, the patient returns implying an additional use of resources. In tandem, two new issues arise which need to be addressed: a) Does a trade-off exist between the decision to discharge at the finalisation of fully completed treatment or the decision to discharge taken at an earlier stage; b) Readmissions may prove endogenous and if so, their econometric treatment must be considered in order to obtain unbiased results. Our study contributes to the literature by proposing a novel model which estimates the marginal cost of readmissions, thus allowing us to understand the effect of readmission on technology and hospital costs.MethodsTo resolve the foregoing concerns, this paper proposes a theoretical and empirical model based on the dual theory, which combines cost and input-oriented distance functions to obtain the marginal cost of readmissions. Our empirical application uses a panel of Spanish public hospitals observed over the period 2002–2016.ResultsResults indicate that the treatment required by a patient who is readmitted proves more expensive than keeping the patient under observation for a few extra days in order to achieve a definitive discharge. Moreover, this additional cost follows an increasing temporal trend, especially in times of expansion when the availability of resources is greater.ConclusionsGiven that the results indicate that readmissions imply an additional cost for the hospital system, they must be contained. In fact, readmission rates are a significant component of current hospital sector activity improvement strategies. Therefore, knowing the cost which readmission implies is relevant for the design of policies that seek to penalize those hospitals with high readmission rates.

Making the Grade: Policy Design and Effects of Information about Government Performance

AbstractIncreasingly, governments report on public service quality, which has the potential to inform evaluations of performance that underlie voters’ opinions and behaviors. We argue these policies have important effects that go beyond informing voters. Specifically, we contend that the format in which policymakers choose to report information will steer the direction of opinion by exacerbating or mitigating biases in information processing. Using the case of school accountability systems in the United States and a variety of experimental and observational approaches, we find that letter grade systems for rating public school performance, as opposed to other reporting formats, exacerbate negativity bias. Public opinion proves more responsive to negative information than to positive information in letter grade systems than in alternate formats. Policymakers, then, do not simply inform public opinion; rather, their decisions about how to present information shape the interpretations that voters ultimately draw from the information provided.

The design of an eco-tax on tourism waste for sustainable destinations, based on environmental efficiency and spatial dependence

This paper analyzes environmental efficiency in the tourism sector, considering the joint production of desirable (overnight stays) and undesirable (tourism waste) outputs while addressing spatial dependence among destinations. Employing the enhanced hyperbolic distance function methodology, we integrate stochastic frontier analyses and spatial econometric techniques. The study investigates the 41 tourist areas of Spain between 2000 and 2019, and the results obtained reveal that they operate with a high average efficiency level and exhibit diminishing returns to scale. A significant contribution of this study, besides providing a useful reference for the design of policies to support destinations with efficiency gaps, is the estimation of shadow prices for waste in terms of overnight stays. This enables the calculation of a different ecotax for each tourist zone, providing valuable insights into the formulation of effective tourism policies that can guide policymakers in designing sustainable development strategies. The results obtained indicate that the most popular Spanish destinations, such as the Canary Islands and several coastal areas around the Mediterranean, should implement higher ecotaxes ranging from 3.3 to 6 euros per overnight stay. Additionally, calculating the shadow prices of tourism waste generated by each visitor can contribute to raising their environmental awareness.

Policy formulation and actor roles in the expanded Kenyan free maternity policy (Linda Mama): A policy analysis.

In 2013, Kenya implemented free maternity services, later expanded in 2016 into the 'Linda Mama' policy to provide essential health services for pregnant women. This study explored the policy formulation background, processes, content, and actors' roles in formulation and implementation. Using a convergent parallel mixed-methods case study design, we reviewed documents and conducted in-depth interviews with national stakeholders, county officials, and healthcare workers. We applied a theoretical framework capturing the background and context, processes, content, and actors. The study spanned national, county, and facility levels within Kenya's health system. Data were audio-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using a framework thematic approach. Findings showed that political imperatives and global and national goals shaped the expanded policy, drawing on previous learnings. Actor power played a crucial role in shaping policy direction, reflecting their interests and capacity to influence decisions. The policy aimed to improve coverage and administrative efficiency, with NHIF becoming the primary purchaser of services to ensure sustainability and address legal challenges. The policy design, marked by conflicts and time pressures, required a collaborative approach to reconcile design and costing differences. Despite differing interests, discussions and dialogues were essential for leadership and conflict management, culminating in key policy documents. A committee was established for stakeholders to freely discuss and debate the policy design, enabling relevant players to devise solutions and fostering joint commitment for implementation. Government officials, development partners, and representatives significantly influenced policy formulation. Beneficiary representatives had limited awareness of public participation opportunities. National and county actors supported achieving audit, research, financing, and strategic operational goals crucial for policy implementation. In conclusion, this study highlights the continued significance of policy analysis frameworks and theories in understanding the complex nature of policy development. These findings offer valuable insights for countries designing or redesigning healthcare policies and provide relevant information to academic communities.

Understanding of income and race disparities in hurricane evacuation is contingent upon study case and design

As hurricanes become more frequent and destructive, understanding evacuation decision-making is crucial to refining disaster response strategies. Several studies have explored how socioeconomic characteristics such as income and race impact evacuation behavior. Most of these studies focus on a single hurricane event with the geographic extent limited to one or two states, each using a distinct study design, making them difficult to compare. This raises the question of whether findings from isolated cases can be generalized across different hurricane scenarios and geographical settings under a similar study design and consistent parameter definitions. To address this gap, in this study, we conduct a comparative analysis to understand income and racial disparity across multiple hurricane events. The results indicate that, even with a consistent study design, disparities in evacuation among different socioeconomic groups vary on a case-by-case basis. Furthermore, we show that the study design significantly impacts the observed trends within a single case. This highlights the importance of avoiding generalized conclusions based on limited case studies. It further emphasizes how flawed study designs may fail to capture the complexities of real-world behaviors, thereby leading to suboptimal or ineffective policy recommendations or designs.