Different Types Of Agreements Research Articles

Sexual Agreement Discussions Among Adolescent Sexual Minority Men in the USA.

Nearly two-thirds of new HIV infections are attributed to primary partners, necessitating a greater understanding of relationship context of HIV transmission among sexual minority men. Sexual agreements, which are the explicit decisions couples make about sexual behaviors allowed inside and outside of their relationship, have been primarily studied among adult sexual minority men. Little work has sought to understand how adolescent sexual minority men utilize and navigate sexual agreement conversations. In this qualitative study, we explored adolescent sexual minority men's motivations for having these conversations, how they define different types of agreements (e.g., monogamous, non-monogamous), and the topics most commonly discussed in their conversations. We conducted thematic analysis of in-depth interviews with 30 partnered, HIV-negative, adolescent sexual minority men ages 15-19years. Participants reported similar reasons, definitions, and desires for creating sexual agreements as those reported in the adult literature. Novel to this population was the influence of stigma and heterosexism on the participants' choice of sexual agreement type. Like adult sexual minority men, participants used sexual agreement conversations to respond to life events; however, the adolescents in our sample, when talking with their partners, led with the context of developmentally specific events such as leaving for college or attending a school dance. Those with more relationship experience often described having intentional, explicit sexual agreement conversations. Study findings suggest that content focused on sexual agreements is important for HIV prevention interventions designed with adolescent sexual minority men, especially young men who have less relationship experiences.

The strategic role of adaptation in international environmental agreements

This paper investigates the impact of the timing of adaptation on the stability of international environmental agreements (IEAs) for different levels of cooperation. This issue is addressed by solving a three-stage coalition formation game in a Nash-Cournot setting. In the first stage, countries decide non-cooperatively on their participation in an IEA. Then, depending on the timing, countries decide on adaptation and emissions in the second and third stage. The game is solved for three levels of cooperation. Countries can either cooperate on emissions (emission agreement), on adaptation (adaptation agreement), or both actions (complete agreement). When emissions are chosen first, this extension to an emission–adaptation game is a generalization of the pure emission game. However, when adaptation is chosen first, the grand coalition is stable, provided that countries sign a complete agreement. With partial cooperation, stable coalitions are small. The results establish a connection between the strategic role of adaptation, the levels of adaptation of non-signatories and signatories for the different types of agreements and the participation in an IEA. Moreover, the results indicate that the grand coalition is stable even when it significantly enhances net benefits.

KEPASTIAN HUKUM TERHADAP PEROLEHAN HAK ATAS TANAH DAN BANGUNAN SEHUBUNGAN DENGAN PERALIHAN DARI OBJEK SEWA GUNA USAHA MENJADI SEWA BELI

Land is a basic human need that is used for various activities. Article 28h paragraph (1) of the 1945 Constitution recognizes the right of everyone to live in prosperity and live in a good environment. Article 33 paragraph (3) of the 1945 Constitution affirms the right of the Indonesian nation to natural resources. The agreement is legally binding on all parties and provides certainty for the resolution of disputes. There are different types of agreements, including lease and purchase.A lease agreement involves an option right for a tenant to purchase goods or extend a lease. There are problems related to the transition of leasing objects into leases that come to litigation. The formulation used in this study is how the process of leasing turned into lease purchase in terms of applicable laws and regulations? And what about legal certainty on the acquisition of land and building rights that change from lease to lease? The theory used in this study is the theory of legal certainty according to Jan Michael Otto. The method used in this study with the type of normative juridical research in the form of legal material literature or secondary data with sources of primary, secondary and tertiary legal materials. The research approach that used the approach of legislation, conceptual, analytical and case and collection techniques of legal material is done by identifying and inventorying the rules of positive law, literature books, journals and other sources of legal materials. For legal material analysis techniques carried out with the interpretation of grammatical and systematic laws. The results showed that the context of the transition from leasing to lease purchase, it can be seen that this process involves various parties with agreements that regulate their rights and obligations. Legal certainty in the transition from leasing to lease purchase is a principle that provides clarity and certainty for all parties involved in this transaction. This transition involves a change in the legal status of the right of lease to the right of ownership, which has a significant legal impact. Therefore, the consent and agreement of all parties involved is very important. Special legal regulations are needed regarding the transition from leasing to lease purchase. This regulation should set out in detail the processes, requirements, rights and obligations involved in this transition, so that all parties have clear guidelines

The Religious Courts’ Authority To Adjudicate Disputes Based On Principal Agreements And Security Agreements Due To Different Choice Of Law

A Sharia Banking Agreement is often secured by the Deed Granting Mortgage. These two agreements are different types and have different burden of proof. However, the existence of Sharia Banking Agreements as principal agreements is not often secured by the choice of law under Deed Granting Mortgage. This research will elevate the position of the legal burden of proof between Sharia Banking Agreements and Deeds of Granting Mortgage along with the legal consequences due to different legal choices between the Sharia Banking Agreement and Deed Granting Mortgage based on a study of Court Decision No.499/Pdt.G/2021/PA YK in the Religious Court of Yogyakarta. This research applied a normative approach with the literature study method based on the court decision and regulation as primary legal materials and used secondary legal materials including books, journals, and other legal works that are related to the topic. From this research obtained that between Sharia Banking Agreement and the Deed Granting Mortgage that secures have different types of agreements and the different burden of proof. Although Deed Granting Mortgage is an additional agreement it must secure the principal agreement which is Sharia Banking Mortgage. Based on Court Decision No.499/Pdt.G/2021/PA YK, whereas the Deed Granting Mortgage regulated on the authority of the District Court in the event of a dispute but because the principal agreement is Sharia Banking Agreement, it has authority from Religious Court to examine and settle disputes.

Trust and incentives for transboundary groundwater cooperation

International transboundary aquifers provide important water supplies to over 150 countries. Long-term sustainability of these aquifers requires transboundary cooperation and yet only a select few (1%) transboundary aquifers are regulated by a treaty. To better understand the incentives that allow treaties to emerge, we develop a two-player game theoretic model that couples groundwater behavior and economic incentives to represent the social dilemma of transboundary aquifer cooperation. The game incorporates economic incentives and hydrogeological features and highlights the importance of trust to evaluate the benefits and risks of a treaty. We demonstrate the ability of the game to reproduce key features of cooperation in the Genevese aquifer, which is governed by the longest-running and most collaborative transboundary aquifer treaty on record. We analyze the comparative statics of the game to explore the role of groundwater connectivity, alternative water supply, water demand, and trust on the emergence of transboundary treaties. The solution space highlights how economic incentives for cooperation are greatest when the value of water is commensurate with the cost of groundwater abstraction. Cooperation requires high trust in situations characterized by water abundance or scarcity. The model results further indicate how two different types of agreements are likely to emerge. Treaties that limit how much is being pumped have greater potential when countries have access to an alternative water source, whereas treaties that restrict where the aquifer is being exploited have greater potential in water-scarce regions with emerging concerns over groundwater depletion. In addition to helping explain the emergence of existing treaties, this framework offers potential to identify aquifers that may be amenable to cooperation.

Analysing the Welfare Impacts of an RTA Between China and Nigeria

Regional trade agreement is a tool for economic integration between two or more nations. It takes several forms and there exists different types of agreements depending of its purpose. Just like any trade blocks it has advantages and shortfalls especially if the trading partners are not natural partners. Regional Trade Agreements (otherwise known as RTA) yield welfare benefits in form of consumer surplus, trade creation, revenue and income to the trading partners This paper analyses the welfare impacts of a possible RTA between Nigeria and China. There is huge trade flow between the two countries The major commodities traded and covered in this paper include fuels, machineries and transport. equipment and chemicals. Using data sourced mainly from the World Integrated Trade Solutions (Comtrade, WTO/IDB, WTO/CTS) the paper uses descriptive statistics in measuring the welfare impacts of the agreement The paper reveals that Nigeria possess a Revealed Comparative Advantage (RCA) of export of fuels to China while China possess an RCA of textile, clothing and foot wears export. Its further reveals that if the two economies could focus on trade in the goods with highest RCA, trade will be created and welfare achieved. More so, the RTA leads to deep economic integration. The paper recommends Nigeria and China should hasten the signing of RTA agreement for mutual benefits.

Models of contractual behavior in the context of sectoral markets theory

Methods. The study of models of contractual behavior of economic entities is based on the theoretical and methodological foundations of neo-institutional theory, namely: the theory of the firm, transaction costs, the theory of organizations. Specific methods being used in the study were the following: logical-and-historical method – while analyzing the evolution of views on the process of contracting; general and specific – while highlighting the specifics of different types of agreements; classification – while creating a typology of contracts. Results. The study of the evolution of contract theory as a component of modern theory of industry markets is conducted. The factors that determine the existence of various forms of contracting are identified. Particular attention is paid to the consideration of such factor as specific assets, its impact on the formation of the bargaining power of contracting parties is shown. The specific features of classical, neoclassical contracts and the contract of relations, which is a form of implicit contracts, are highlighted. The role of informal norms in concluding a contract of relations is demonstrated. The process of concluding a contract, which defines the rights and obligations of the parties, as well as measures for liability for non-fulfillment of obligations, is considered in terms of transaction costs and, in particular, opportunistic behavior. Novelty. On the basis of the generalization of theoretical statements of the theory of contracts, the directions of solving the problem of choosing the optimal method of contracting by a firm operating in a market environment are outlined. Practical value. Typology of contracts, as well as analysis of models of contractual behavior, which depends on the choice of a particular type of agreement, allow making effective management decisions at the level of a particular firm, as well as reducing society's transaction costs at the level of national economy.

Types of Contractual Obligations with the Participation of the State of Ukraine

It is established that the state of Ukraine can be a party to civil agreements. It is determined that agreements with the participation of the state of Ukraine are mostly bilateral, paid, can be both real and consensual, and are concluded in writing. At the same time, the state of Ukraine cannot be a party to public contracts, and therefore is not a party to the contract of retail sale, rental agreement, household contract, bank deposit, etc. In the vast majority of cases, agreements with the participation of the state of Ukraine are mixed, as they contain elements of different types of agreements. The legal framework on the types of agreements in which the state of Ukraine may be a party is analyzed, and the methods underlying the division are identified. Thus, according to the method of concluding agreements with the participation of the state of Ukraine are divided into: concluded at the auction and accession agreements. According to the obligation to conclude agreements with the participation of the state of Ukraine, they are obligatory and voluntary. According to the method of fixing the terms of the contract they are standard and model contracts. By main areas of application the agreements can be fuel and energy; defensive (military); banking, etc. By territory of action the agreements are divided into domestic and foreign. The article provides a general description of each type of agreement with the participation of the state of Ukraine. In particular, the following subject classification of agreements with the participation of the state of Ukraine was introduced: agreements on transfer of property to ownership; agreements on the transfer of property for temporary possession and use; agreements for the performance of works and provision of services. Thus, agreements with the participation of the state of Ukraine on the transfer of property to ownership are a contract of sale and gift. In this case, contracts of sale may be concluded in the form of contracts for the purchase, redemption, supply, contracting of agricultural products. A lease agreement and a loan are included to the agreements with the participation of the state of Ukraine on the transfer of property into temporary possession and use. Agreements with the participation of the state of Ukraine on the performance of works and provision of services include a concession agreement, production sharing agreements, joint venture agreement, storage agreements, commission instructions, property management, as well as credit, loan. It is investigated that the state of Ukraine cannot be a party to the contract of supply of electric or other resources through the connected network, rent, lifetime maintenance, some lease agreements, insurance contract, agreements on disposition of intellectual property rights, etc.

Economic, pro-social and pro-environmental factors influencing participation in an incentive-based conservation program in Bolivia

• Economic, pro-social and pro-environmental factors can influence household participation in forest conservation programs. • Owning property titles, having large forested land, agricultural equipment and off-farm incomes favour participation. • Social networks, compliance with social norms of reciprocity, and a lack of trust in public institutions may increase participation. • Awareness of environmental problems and perception of the gains associated with conservation may increase participation. • Feeling some individual responsibility for environmental issues may increase participation in more restrictive agreements. The effectiveness of incentive-based conservation programs depends on how they influence and interact with multiple motivations of the participants. Here, we studied an incentive-based program for forest conservation in Bolivia – called “Reciprocal Watershared Agreements” – that mixes material compensations with pro-social and pro-environmental motivations as a way to reduce crowding-out of intrinsic motivations and to increase participation. Based on a sample of 470 households who were offered the program, we studied household characteristics that influenced (i) the probability of participation in the program, (ii) the intensity of the participation, measured as the area allocated in the agreement, and (iii) the modality of participation, measured as the probability of participation in the different types of agreements. We found that owning property titles, having large forested land with low conservation opportunity cost, agricultural equipment and off-farm incomes seem to favour participation. In addition, the probability of participation increases with some pro-social factors, such as a deeper or older integration into social networks, and greater compliance to social norms of reciprocity. We also found that a lack of trust in public institutions can increase both the likelihood and the intensity of participation, as can certain pro-environmental factors, such as awareness of environmental problems, knowledge about potential solutions to solve them and perception of the gains associated with the conservation of ecosystem services. Finally, we found that feeling some individual responsibility for environmental issues and some difficulty in performing pro-environmental options may increase participation into more restrictive agreements. Our results thus highlight the factors that could increase uptake and factors on which programs might focus in order to have a greater impact on pro-environmental behaviours. They also suggest that incentive-based program can be designed to take advantage of pro-social and pro-environmental motivations as strongly as of economic ones.

Energy and reserve strategic offers in regional electricity markets: A complementarity approach

Trade between electric power systems is driven by price differences in the corresponding electricity markets. When cross-border trading involves two or more markets, a regional electricity market could be put in place with different types of agreements and regulations. These cross-border exchanges could imply higher economic welfare for each zone (e.g. country) and a re-distribution of the consumers’ surpluses, producers’ profits and congestion rents within each zone, hindering regional integration. However, a zonal operator (i.e. national operator or system operator —that we introduce in this work) could capture social economic-welfare derived from cross-border trading through managing energy-and-reserve strategic offers to be submitted to the regional electricity market. With this in mind, a zonal “strategic” operator, using the proposed model in this paper, could modify zonal generators’ offers in the process when they are informed to the regional market. This model is implemented through a bilevel programming problem, where, the upper-level optimization problem seeks the zonal social-welfare maximization of a single zone by means of managing producer’s offers, subject to the regional social-welfare maximization, that is represented in the lower-level problem. Energy and reserve market prices and dispatches are obtained through a centralized coordination scheme for regional market-clearing in coherence with welfare optimization. Using KKT conditions, this bilevel model is reduced to a mixed-integer linear programming problem which may be solved using a standard branch-and-cut algorithm. Results from an illustrative example and a case study are hereby reported and analyzed.

Senate Treatment of Select International Agreements, 2013–2018

When I finished reading Julian Nyarko's “Giving the Treaty a Purpose: Comparing the Durability of Treaties and Executive Agreements,” I found my mind wandering through memories of the more than five years I spent working on Capitol Hill as Counsel for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC)—a role that often required me to figure out how best to preserve the constitutional prerogatives of Congress in the face of the various types of international agreements the executive branch produced. This essay recounts my impressions of how the Senate handled different agreements in the 2013–2018 timeframe—Article II treaties, the Paris Climate Agreement, and the Iran Nuclear Agreement. Unlike Professor Nyarko's ambitious and impressive work to categorize and statistically analyze the durability of Article II treaties and executive agreements—which I applaud and find useful—this essay is modest in purpose. I contend that how Congress handles different types of agreements is largely a product of specific political dynamics—including political ownership, policy entrepreneurism, and electoral risk—that can be unpredictable. Because of these dynamics, the differences that Nyarko reveals regarding the durability of Article II treaties and executive agreements are unlikely to produce a significant change in official practice.

AGREEMENTS ON ALTERNATIVE METHODS OF SETTLEMENT OF THE CONFLICTS: CHARACTERISTIC OF MAIN TYPES AND PREREQUISITES OF THEIR DEMAND

In the conditions of advanced civil society there are different conflicts demanding their fast professional permission with preservation of the friendly relations between the arguing parties on the basis of an adaptive loyal algorithm of permission. Permission of the legal conflicts is traditional, protection of the rights of citizens and the organizations, the state and public interests is carried out by means of justice. At the same time the appeal to a judicial form of protection of the right is not always required and it is expedient for the business environment, especially concerning those conflicts which arise in the sphere of the civil relations. At such to circumstances conflicting parties even more often began to address alternative methods of settlement of the arising conflicts and to conclude the relevant agreements. Search of optimum model of the agreement and the corresponding alternative method of settlement of the conflict is an important practical question for which solution the corresponding theoretical developments are necessary. The main objective of article consists in the analysis of intrinsic characteristics of different types of agreements on alternative methods of settlement of the conflicts as enshrined in the domestic legislation (agreement on mediation, arbitration agreement, agreement on a claim order of settlement of disputes), not found in it reflection and based only on the created law-enforcement practice (agreement on a negotiating order, agreement on med-arb, agreement on mini-court) and identification on their basis of the factors influencing the choice of conflicting parties. The theoretical basis of a research was made by works of the Russian and foreign researchers in which separate agreements on alternative methods of settlement of the conflicts are considered (Chotsanov, 2012:77-84; Inshakova, Kazachenok 2013:66-71; Inshakova, Nikolyukin, Alekseev, 2012:176, etc.). The methodological basis of the real research is formed by general scientific methods among which dialectic, inductive, deductive, synthesis, the analysis, generalization, etc. and also private science methods (interpretative, legallistic, etc.). As a result of the carried-out analysis the features of the analysed types of agreements on alternative methods of settlement of the conflicts following are revealed from existence or lack of their standard regulation. Besides, with the author it is emphasized that a number of similarities among which there is an existence of the third neutral party, a condition about confidentiality, ways and an order of the conclusion, etc. are inherent in all considered agreements regardless of this fact. Following the results of the conducted research the author allocated two groups of the factors influencing the choice of the concrete agreement for the conclusion by conflicting parties: objective (not depending on will of the parties) and subjective (the choice of the agreement for the conclusion is based on will of the parties).

Adaptive Pathways: Possible Next Steps for Payers in Preparation for Their Potential Implementation.

Medicines receiving a conditional marketing authorization through Medicines Adaptive Pathways to Patients (MAPPs) will be a challenge for payers. The “introduction” of MAPPs is already seen by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) as a fait accompli, with payers not consulted or involved. However, once medicines are approved through MAPPs, they will be evaluated for funding by payers through different activities. These include Health Technology Assessment (HTA) with often immature clinical data and high uncertainty, financial considerations, and negotiations through different types of agreements, which can require monitoring post launch. Payers have experience with new medicines approved through conditional approval, and the fact that MAPPs present additional challenges is a concern from their perspective. There may be some activities where payers can collaborate. The final decisions on whether to reimburse a new medicine via MAPPs will have more variation than for medicines licensed via conventional processes. This is due not only to increasing uncertainty associated with medicines authorized through MAPPs but also differences in legal frameworks between member states. Moreover, if the financial and side-effect burden from the period of conditional approval until granting full marketing authorization is shifted to the post-authorization phase, payers may have to bear such burdens. Collection of robust data during routine clinical use is challenging along with high prices for new medicines during data collection. This paper presents the concept of MAPPs and possible challenges. Concerns and potential ways forward are discussed and a number of recommendations are presented from the perspective of payers.

Investigations on mixed agreement: polite plurals, hybrid nouns and coordinate structures

This article investigates complex agreement patterns with the polite plural pronoun vi and so-called ‘hybrid nouns’ in Serbian. I show how many curious agreement phenomena are to a great extent determined by the inability of an agreement target to simultaneously agree with an exclusively semantic and an exclusively formal φ-feature of an agreement controller. Consequently, in some cases (e.g., the polite plural pronoun vi) masculine emerges as the default gender value, as a result of an independently motivated mechanism. I argue that an analysis based on these two factors allows for wider empirical coverage than the analysis developed in Wechsler and Hahm (2011) and Wechsler (2011) based on an Agreement Marking Principle. I also discuss the so-called ‘different pronoun hypothesis’, which Wechsler and Hahm (2011) propose to explain different types of agreement triggered by the polite plural pronoun. In light of some new facts, however, I argue that the ‘different adjective hypothesis’ in fact might be on the right track. Along the way, I also develop an analysis of gender agreement with coordinated phrases consisting of singular number conjuncts and suggest that gender in Serbian should be represented in terms of binary features [±masculine] and [±feminine].

The dynamics of coalition formation – A multilateral bargaining experiment with free timing of moves

We experimentally investigate behavior in a finitely repeated coalition formation game played in continuous time. Subjects interact in groups of three, bargaining over the distribution of payments which occur at regular time intervals. During a given interval, payments occur if and only if a majority is in agreement about their allocation. Aside from these rules, we purposefully impose little structure on the bargaining process. We investigate the frequency and stability of different types of agreements, as well as transitions between them. Two-thirds of payments involve divisions where one player receives nothing, almost half of which are equal splits of the entire surplus between two players. The most stable division is the three-way equal split. Transitions between agreements are frequent and are generally consistent with myopic payoff maximization, in the sense that subjects do not accept short-term losses. We also find that transitions between coalitions are not Markovian. In particular, players more often forgo short-term gains in order to remain in a coalition if it has proven stable in the past.

Экономическая интеграция: уроки для постсоветского пространства

Authors examine economic effects of regional integration in the emerging markets, impact of globalization on economic integration and existing models of economic integration in different regions of the world in order to distinguish key characteristics of efficient model of integration at the post-Soviet space. In particular, authors distinguish the significance of various static and dynamic effects of economic integration for emerging markets and make a conclusion on the rising importance of dynamic effects. It is proved that positive economic effects of integration could be more evident for the emerging markets than for the developed ones. On the basis of a detailed analysis of specific features of economic integration projects in different regions of the world, a conclusion is drawn on key importance for emerging markets of such formats of economic integration that directly contribute to economic development (infrastructure development projects, creation of growth poles, formation of scientific and technological potential, etc.). In the context of globalization the strengthening of cooperation in investment sphere, the implementation of integration projects on financial markets, the creation of common defensive mechanisms against external shocks are of particular significance for economic integration processes. Basing on the undertaken analysis, the main principles of efficient model of integration in the Eurasian Economic Union are outlined and the key terms of realization of this model are defined. First of all, an efficient model of integration in the Eurasian Economic Union should be formed in contest of interaction between this union, at the one hand, and European and Asian integration centers, at the other hand. Then, integration mechanisms should extend beyond traditional schemes of integration and include different types of agreements (on preferential investment, financial integration and cooperation), sectoral cooperation projects, common policies, etc. Formation of single humanitarian, scientific and innovation environment should become the key element of the integration model of the Eurasian Economic Union. Acknowledgements. The article has been supported by a grant of the Russian Fund for Humanities.Project No. 13-33-11120.

Regional agreements in international environmental politics

Global agreements to mitigate climate change, conserve biodiversity, or combat desertification typically take center stage in scholarly discussions about international environmental politics. Even though the United Nations Environment Programme reported 10 years ago that regional agreements make up two-thirds of all international treaties, regional cooperation has by comparison either received scant attention or been conceptually and empirically lumped together with global treaties. This lack of knowledge about the historical and current scope of regional governance is a serious obstacle to understanding the architecture of global environmental governance and to overcoming current bottlenecks in international environmental cooperation. In response, we report on the outcome of a descriptive analysis that complements the most comprehensive database on international environmental agreements (iea.uoregon.edu) with variables for analysis at the regional level. We introduce a multidimensional typology of regional agreements based on contiguous/noncontiguous agreement membership, contiguous/noncontiguous spatial ambit, and whether membership and ambit are adjoining and/or coextensive. We discuss the theoretical and empirical relevance of the different types of agreements and the nature and prevalence of special cases. Given the previous lack of research in this area, our primary purpose is to present a systematic account of regional environmental governance, leaving causal analysis to our own and others’ future research. Our analysis, nevertheless, helps us to identify a number of knowledge gaps and analytical directions in the conclusion.

The Nature and Role of Regional Agreements in International Environmental Politics: Mapping Agreements, Outlining Future Research

Global agreements to mitigate climate change, conserve biodiversity or combat desertifica‐ tion typically take center stage in scholarly discussions about international environmental politics. Even though the United Nations Environment Programme reported ten years ago that regional agreements make up two‐thirds of all international treaties, regional coopera‐ tion has by comparison either received scant attention or been conceptually and empirically lumped together with global treaties. This lack of knowledge about the historical and cur‐ rent scope of regional governance is a serious obstacle to understanding the architecture of global environmental governance and to overcoming current bottlenecks in international environmental cooperation. In response, we report on the outcome of an analysis that com‐ plements the most comprehensive database on international environmental agreements (iea.uoregon.edu) with variables for analysis at the regional level. We introduce a multidi‐ mensional typology of regional agreements based on contiguous/noncontiguous agreement membership, contiguous/noncontiguous spatial ambit, and whether membership and ambit are adjoining and/or coextensive. We discuss the theoretical and empirical relevance of the different types of agreements and the nature and prevalence of special cases. Given the pre‐ vious lack of research in this area, our primary purpose is to present a systematic account of regional environmental governance, leaving causal analysis to our own and others’ future re‐ search. We identify a number of knowledge gaps and analytical directions in the conclusion.

The role of negotiating tools in the environmental policy mix instruments: determinants and effects of the Environmental Agreement

Abstract The Environmental Agreement (EA) is a policy instruments to address the need to protect and improve environmental quality. From a legal point of view, the EA represents different types of agreement, which are mainly based on a contractual agreement between an individual and a third party to improve environmental performance To contribute to the current debate on this topic, our research paper aims, through a quantitative analysis, to answer the questions on how effective a stringent environmental agreement is in terms of a facility's environmental performance and what the role of stakeholders is on its impact on production activities. The econometric analysis shows that the impact of the environmental agreement on production activities significantly improves the facilities' environmental performance and that it is influenced by several external influence groups.

Repeated locomotion scoring of a sow herd to measure lameness: consistency over time, the effect of sow characteristics and inter-observer reliability

AbstractInvestigating variability of scores between different observers, between animals and over time aids the design of valid sampling methodologies for measuring animal welfare. Locomotion scores (0 to 5 scale) were collected: i) from 154 sows in one herd, using three to five observers each time, and scoring sows on up to ten occasions over a 19-month period; and ii) for 123 of these sows, locomotion scoring also took place prior to farrowing and at weaning. The distribution of scores was highly skewed towards low scores (0: 84.8%, 1: 9.5%, 2:4.0%, 3+: 1.7%). Sows showed moderate consistency in their scores over time and later parity sows had higher scores, but there was no effect of stage in the reproductive cycle (days pregnant, pre-farrowing, post-weaning). This suggests that infrequent visits to a farm (eg annual) might provide an accurate estimate of the extent of lameness if a representative range of parities was sampled, although a larger study of more farms would be required to investigate this. The three different types of agreement between observers (absolute differences, matching and association) were assessed as follows: i) analysis of absolute differences between observers showed that the farm manager scored lower than researchers/technicians; ii) exact matching approaches suggested fair or good agreement — agreement was poorest for mild gait abnormalities (score 1 ‘stiff’), and agreement improved if scores were combined into ‘sound’ (0-1) and ‘lame’ (2-5) categories; and iii) measures of association suggested moderate agreement. Inter-observer reliability improved over time until the 5th scoring event. To improve inter-observer agreement, observer training/practice and the use of fewer categories are recommended, and inter-observer agreement should be checked regularly.