Policy Directions Research Articles

Preliminary Results of the Development of the European Direction of China's “Polar Silk Road” Initiative

The article discusses the results achieved by China in promoting the “Polar Silk Road” (PSR) Initiative in the Arctic. The preconditions for the development of the ideological and conceptual basis of the PSR Initiative consisted of the growing alarmism in the late 2000s around the forecasts of climate change and the volume of Arctic resources. Under these conditions, the Western thesis of an Ice-Free Arctic (wubin beiji) was developed in China’s expert community. China’s leadership changes in 2012 and Xi Jinping's promotion of new foreign policy ideas of “Belt and Road” and “community of humanity's destiny” revitalised the expert discourse, reorienting it to form within a new conceptual framework. Under these condition in 2017 the PSR Initiative was launched. As a result of the West's counteraction, and narrowing of China’s investment opportunities, the prospects for expanding the partnership within the framework of the PSR Initiative, which is still not recognized by any Arctic state, including Russia, are decreasing. Thus, Beijing's desire to focus on the implementation of two directions of China's policy in the Arctic is analysed: deepening Russia-China cooperation in the Arctic Zone of the Russian Federation and ensuring participation in dealing with issues related to the central part of the Arctic Ocean.

The Arab Dynamics of the Confusing U.S. Dilemma: the Struggle for Valuable Territories

The current stage of US policy towards the states of the Arabian Peninsula is unfolding in an extremely challenging situation that has been developing for decades. This situation is chronic and shaped by forces of various origins, generated by both internal and external impulses. The Arabian direction of US foreign policy is facing a number of challenges in the areas of regional security, economic shifts, and oil-related changes, all of which have a significant impact on the global financial and economic environment, imposing serious consequences on both Eastern and Western countries. Clearly, this trend is further complicated by the difficult demographic, economic and political situation in the region, including the ongoing conflicts in Yemen and Syria. The deterioration of relations between the Gulf States and the United States is a complex issue involving many different factors. The ongoing conflict in Yemen and the involvement of the United States in it perpetuate the situation of unresolved previous positive initiatives for Washington in this region, which hinders American foreign policy strategists from finding rational solutions to the growing problems that pose new challenges and dangers.

Sanctions as a Coercive Leverage Within ECOWAS

Over the past few years, West Africa has become one of the most turbulent regions in the world and has shocked the world community with a series of military coups. However, escalating tensions between the “rebel states” and ECOWAS have received the most attention. ECOWAS has a wide range of means to exercise pressure on its member states. One of the most powerful is sanctions, but after the recent military coup in Niger, as a result of which the Community imposed unprecedentedly harsh sanctions against the state, the situation has changed radically. The authors list factors that determined the order and reasons for the particular political and economic sanctions before the coup in Niger, analyze the events after it. The paper dwells upon mechanisms of their economic and political impact on the economy of “rebel states” and the long-run efficiency in changing their foreign policy direction. The authors conclude that the economic sanctions have had a negative impact on the sustainability of the long-term development of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, which forced them to adopt compromise transition plans. However, sanctions turn out to be inefficient in trying to change the political regime to the one desired by ECOWAS. The disintegration of the association as a result of the creation of the Alliance of Sahel States can be considered a result of the ECOWAS sanction policy.

Information‐Sharing Strategies Based on Trust Risks Under a Governmental Incentive Mechanism

ABSTRACTDue to swift shifts in market demand and variable production capacities within the chip industry, trust risks between upstream and downstream entities can readily develop, leading to challenges in information sharing. To tackle this challenge, this paper develops a two‐level evolutionary game model between vehicle manufacturers and chip suppliers. It examines the effects of government rewards and penalties, trust risks, and spillover benefits from information sharing on the strategic decisions of both parties. Furthermore, the paper investigates system evolution strategies under three distinct government policies: forced, fair, and favored. The findings show that as trust risks escalate, both entities in the supply chain tend to withhold information due to concerns over losing their unique competitive advantages. However, enhancing spillover benefits through information sharing positively impacts the mitigation of trust risks. Numerical simulations demonstrate that while a government‐forced policy with increased penalties may boost information sharing in the short term, it proves less effective over the long term. Conversely, preferred rewards and subsidies under equitable policies can significantly boost one party's readiness to share information, thus enhancing cooperation between the two parties. The paper also offers countermeasures and recommendations. For instance, it suggests that upstream and downstream enterprises should not only foster mutual trust but also vigilantly track government policy directions to develop effective information‐sharing strategies. Furthermore, government industrial policies should fully consider the actual market conditions to alleviate trust risks between upstream and downstream entities and promote information sharing among enterprises.

Impacts of natural resources and technological innovation on SDG achievement of OECD countries: how does democracy and globalization behave?

This research evaluates the roles of natural resources and technological innovation on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) achievement in the organization for economic co-operation and development (OECD) countries. The study considers the data period from 1990 to 2020 and employs robust econometric techniques. The study uses globalization and participatory democracy as control variables. Several models interacting natural resources with technological innovation, globalization and democracy are also introduced to see if they moderate the association between natural resources and sustainable development index (SDI). The study outcomes reveal that natural resources and technological innovation both positively and significantly affect SDI of these nations. Moreover, participatory democracy and globalization have also been found to support the SDI. The interaction between natural resources and democracy shows a negative impact, while the interaction between natural resources and globalization shows a positive impact on SDI. Based on these results, several policy directions are suggested to advance the SDGs in OECD nations.

SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION PATTERNS OF POVERTY AND ECONOMIC GROWTH FOR ACHIEVING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT TARGETS IN EAST JAVA PROVINCE

<p>Poverty and economic growth are still indicators of a country's success in managing its resources and population. Countries in the world have agreed to make poverty alleviation the first sustainable development priority. This article aims to look at the spatial distribution pattern of poverty and regional characteristics, as well as the pattern and structure of economic growth in city districts in East Java Province. The methods used include spatial autocorrelation analysis, regional financial capability analysis, Klassen typology, and regional characteristics analysis. Based on the pattern of poverty distribution for the period 2014 – 2023, poverty in East Java Province tends to change with the dominance of class 2 poverty. Sampang, Pamekasan and Sumenep regencies tend to experience a stable poverty pattern in Class 3. Pockets of poverty are clustered on Madura Island with a percentage poverty is above 18% and the characteristics of a low Human Development Index (HDI) value, low number of (people’s business credit (KUR) recipients, inadequate sanitation, not very high economic growth, and frequent flood disasters. As many as 65.78% of areas in East Java Province have high financial capacity, so that policy direction can be focused on poverty pocket areas with a high percentage of poverty, through increasing HDI, optimizing KUR, fulfilling adequate sanitation, increasing disaster response, and developing leading sectors. for increasing Original Regional Income (PAD) and economic growth.</p>

Optimum level of Republic of Korea copper stockpile using disruption risk model

This study evaluates the adequacy of copper stockpiles managed by the Korean government and proposes an economically optimal level from a strategic perspective. The Disruption-Risk model, a methodology that aims to maximize the net benefit of stockpiling by considering potential future demand and supply disruptions, was employed in this analysis. The analysis showed that stockpiling an additional 2400 metric tons above Korea's current target is an economically optimal strategy. Moreover, the sensitivity analysis showed that it is a rational decision for the government to engage in stockpiling activities rather than the private sector. It was found that it is essential to continuously increase and maintain stockpiles in line with Korea's evolving policy direction. The findings of this study employ statistical methods based on historical disruption data, which allows for a comparison with the prevailing approach to calculating stockpiles in Korea, which is based on demand assumptions. These findings can serve as a basis for Korea's copper stockpiling policy and can be utilized to enhance resource security in preparation for possible future scenarios.

Decades of IUCN recommendations for biocontrol of invasive pest on the Guam cycad: you can lead policy-makers to conservation proposals but you cannot make them follow

Guam’s cycad known as Cycas micronesica has been threatened by a coalition of invasive herbivore species, and the armored scale Aulacaspis yasumatsui has emerged as the primary threat. This lethal cycad pest invaded Guam in 2003, and the Species Survival Council of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) began publishing recommendations addressing protection of the cycad population in 2005. Sustained epidemic mortality caused the addition of C. micronesica to the United States Endangered Species Act in 2015. The need to establish a sustainable coalition of biological control organisms has been the constant advice throughout almost two decades of recommendations, yet the decision-makers who controlled the direction of policy and funding have not responded to the advice with success. Therefore, we describe the history of publications in which the IUCN has asserted that this singular conservation action is urgently required to save the cycad species. We then summarize contemporary recommendations to address the ongoing threats to this and other insular cycad species.

Formation of the national concept of transitive justice

The scientific article is devoted to researching the concept of transit justice and clarifying its significance for Ukraine. The concept of transitive justice is very relevant, which is connected with the spread of internal and interstate conflicts. It is noted that the national model of transitive justice is relatively new for domestic legal practice, therefore the understanding of its essence and the development of mechanisms is still at the initial stage. It is emphasized that transitive justice involves a set of measures aimed at overcoming the consequences of war and occupation and developing mechanisms that will prevent the recurrence of conflicts in the future. The concept of transitive justice is used by states that are transitioning from a state of conflict and occupation to a state of peace, it does not contain universal formulas for all states. Attention is focused on the fact that under modern conditions in Ukraine, the directions of transitive justice are implemented situationally, unsystematically and do not have proper legal consolidation. The international experience of the implementation of the mentioned concept, taking into account the Ukrainian realities, should be defined as useful. Recognition of the supremacy of international law and the tendency to increase the role of non-judicial mechanisms in the justice system will provide an opportunity to use non-judicial mechanisms in order to strengthen sustainable peace. Implementation of the principles of transitive justice affects the development of the legal system of Ukraine and should ensure its stabilization, creation of conditions for its modernization and sustainable development. At the same time, it is stated that it is necessary to carry out a lot of work to establish the reasons for which the war is taking place, to find out what happened directly during the armed conflict. It should be understood that the end of the war is not just the return of the occupied territories under the jurisdiction of Ukraine, but the beginning of a difficult path to resolve the consequences of the conflict and search for a compromise. It is emphasized that there is a real need to implement the model of transitive justice, as an important tool for resolving the military conflict and the main direction of state legal policy, in the conditions of Russia’s armed aggression against Ukraine.

Bridging Healthcare and Community: A Systematic Review of the Role and Impact of Medical Social Workers in Patient-Centered Care

Medical social workers play a pivotal role in bridging the gap between healthcare systems and communities, addressing the social determinants of health, and promoting patient-centered care. This systematic review explores the scope, contributions, and impact of medical social workers in enhancing healthcare delivery and patient outcomes. A comprehensive search of peer-reviewed literature from 2016 onward identified key areas where medical social workers improve care, including patient advocacy, psychosocial support, care coordination, and reducing health disparities. Findings highlight their role in improving patient satisfaction, reducing hospital readmissions, and enhancing quality of life. However, challenges such as limited resources and systemic healthcare barriers remain significant. This review underscores the importance of integrating medical social workers into multidisciplinary healthcare teams to improve holistic care and suggests policy and research directions to strengthen their contributions.

Media articulation and the stabilisation of teacher policies in Chile

ABSTRACT This article explores the ideological articulation and stabilisation of educational reforms aimed at shaping teachers’ work in Chile. Focusing on teacher policies as an articulation through which state political projects are advanced, the article contributes to enhancing the cultural and structural dimensions of neoliberalism. More specifically, it builds from the tools of Corpus Linguistics and Critical Discourse Analysis to trace ideational sediments through which hegemonic projects have been articulated in two major national media conglomerates between 1978 and 2020. The study shows how, in the context of Chilean teacher policy, two ideological sediments intimately connected have shaped structural developments over the last four decades, and it contends that analysing ideological and cultural articulations in media is crucial for comprehending policy settlements. The conclusion emphasises the need to carefully consider these influences when envisioning new directions in teacher policies and underscores the strength of the still ongoing neoliberal agenda.

Legal Policy of Pretrial Arrangements in Criminal Procedure Law in Indonesia by the Constitutional Court

This research examines the legal policy direction of pretrial arrangements in Indonesia's criminal procedure law, focusing on Constitutional Court Decisions Number 21/PUU-XII/2014, 102/PUU-XIII/2015, and 66/PUU-XVI/2018. These decisions have significantly shaped the evolution of pretrial provisions, ensuring alignment with constitutional principles of justice, legal certainty, human rights protection, and simple, fast, low-cost justice. Through normative legal research employing statutory, conceptual, and case-based approaches, the study analyzes how the Constitutional Court's rulings address ambiguities in existing norms, enhance judicial oversight, and strengthen the protection of suspects' rights. Findings indicate that the Constitutional Court’s decisions aim to refine pretrial norms by expanding judicial authority, clarifying procedural ambiguities, and balancing human rights protection with efficient judicial processes. The research underscores the role of legal politics in harmonizing criminal procedural law with evolving societal and legal demands, offering insights for further reforms to uphold justice and human dignity. Future research could explore comparative analyses, implementation challenges, and the integration of digital technologies to enhance the efficiency and equity of pretrial systems.

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.

Mechanisms and tools for stimulating innovative activities of business entities in the context of import substitution

The presented study defines the goal of increasing the innovative activity of business entities, the basis of which is the development of innovative activity, reducing the negative economic consequences of the innovative policy of unfriendly countries, focusing domestic organizations and enterprises on the intensification of production. The analysis of the indicators of innovative activity, reflecting the lack of its development, is carried out, the features of increasing innovative activity are identified, its components are disclosed and methods for its definition are presented, the existing tools for intensifying innovative activity are studied. The main provisions of the new draft law ”On Technological Policy” are proposed, designed to eliminate the gap between science and production, with the existing practice of technology transfer, planned for adoption in September 2024, allowing for the implementation of a new direction of state policy - innovative policy for the development of technological sovereignty. The provisions (main tools) for stimulating the innovative activity of business entities are presented: increasing profits, reducing production costs of enterprises from the introduction of innovations and, on their basis, increasing the added value of manufactured products.

Pathways into Computing Fields by Florida’s Community College Students: An Intersectional Descriptive Analysis

ABSTRACT While it is well understood that gender and racial stratification in computing fields continues to exist, we too often approach this workforce problem from a deficit perspective and look to typical sites (where status quo norms are reproduced) to investigate potential solutions. Using an intersectional descriptive analysis on state administrative data on Florida state colleges, we prioritize centering the academic journeys of Asian, Black, Indigenous, Latina/e/o/x, and Multiracial community college women and men, addressing the often-overlooked effects of holding multiple marginalized identities in quantitative research. Analytic results from this study suggest that women of color completed high school computing courses significantly less often than men. Further, our findings reveal that these disparities in high school computing coursetaking were even greater among those who enrolled in Advanced Placement Computer Science. Employing an intersectional approach enabled this study to dive into these and other nuanced effects. Implications offer directions for future research, practice, and policy that may enhance efforts to broaden participation in computing in high school and among community college students.

Measuring the Impact of oil Revenues on Monetary Policy Tools in Iraq for the Period (2003-2023)

Monetary policy is the axis around which various economic policies revolve, despite their different intellectual approaches, due to its direct impact that overlaps with all economic aspects of society. Monetary policy gains its strength from controlling money, as the latter is the axis in employing specific resources to satisfy scarce needs, meaning that money is the essence of the economy, and other economic concepts are only reflections of it. Production is money that depends on the interaction of desire with ability, saving is money, investment is money, and even economic problems are money. Poverty is nothing but its scarcity, wealth is nothing but its abundance, and the absence of justice is nothing but its absence in distribution. However, this straight direction of monetary policy is exposed to many challenges that reflect a trend from a means of achieving economic prosperity to a tool for deepening economic backwardness, and the reflection of rentier behavior is one of them, and even the most important in particular. Therefore, to create a clear picture of the adverse impact of oil rents, we must stop at the station of rentier effects on quantitative tools, to know the level of influence or not, so that this standard model is the basic starting point for moving towards developing quantitative tools for monetary policy in the Iraqi economy after describing the levels of rentier reflection on the indirect tools of monetary policy in its two aspects, the general aggregate and the specialized detailed.

France in the EU Economic System: The Peerless Second

France and Germany have historically played pivotal roles in formulating and advancing the economic policy of the European Union. The conceptual frameworks of German ordoliberalism and French dirigisme underpin the dual foundations of European economic integration. The United Kingdom’s departure from the EU has reconfigured the composition of the Union’s core, amplifying Germany’s significance. This shift simultaneously elevates the Franco-German partnership while rendering France’s position within the Union increasingly contingent upon its tangible economic strength. This article seeks to examine the evolving role of France within the EU’s economic architecture, identify critical long-term trends, and forecast possible realignments in the balance of power within EU economic governance. The analysis includes an overview of France’s intellectual and executive contributions to European economic and monetary policies, followed by a comparative assessment of international statistical data, emphasizing GDP dynamics, demographic trends, per capita income, trade balance, and R&D investment.The findings reveal that, despite being the EU’s second-largest economy, France has exerted a disproportionate influence on the Union’s economic governance, surpassing that of any other member state. French representation in the upper echelons of EU economic and financial policymaking has been unmatched. In the contemporary geopolitical landscape, French dirigisme is experiencing a resurgence of relevance.Nevertheless, France’s share of the EU’s overall GDP has been progressively declining, even as its demographic contribution to the Union has grown. With respect to per capita income, France ranks 10th among EU member states, marking the lowest position among the core economies. The aftermath of the global financial crisis and the eurozone debt crisis has led to a significant erosion of France’s international competitiveness. Should these trends persist, projections indicate that France’s GDP per capita will fall below the EU average by the end of the decade, potentially signaling a shift from core to semi-peripheral status. This development would exacerbate the asymmetry within the Franco-German axis, complicating efforts to recalibrate EU economic governance and policy direction.

Navigating the Technological Tug-of-war: European Think Tanks’ Perspectives on the China–US Tech Competition

The China–US Tech Competition has become a focal point of current international research. In the context of this technological competition, Europe faces the challenge of determining its positioning. As a significant force influencing European policy direction, the perspectives of European think tanks on the China–US technology competition deserve considerable attention from the academic and policy communities. This study examines research findings from eight prominent European think tanks as the sample and employs literature analysis approach to interpret the origins, impacts and prospects of the China–US technology competition from the viewpoint of European think tanks. Additionally, the study assesses Europe’s policy orientation within this technological rivalry. The research indicates that European think tanks are dedicated to providing comprehensive and objective information and recommendations to European decision-makers. Overall, European think tanks adopt a relatively neutral stance on the China–US technology competition, which may reflect certain resistance to the United States’ efforts to create a technological coalition against China by courting Europe. Looking ahead, it is crucial to further investigate the perspectives of European think tanks on the China–US technology competition in order to promote a clearer positioning of Europe’s role and responsibilities within this intense competition. Additionally, conducting research from a third-party perspective will help us gain a comprehensive understanding of the global impact of the China–US technology competition and Europe’s position and role in this context.

Ecological and economic effects of green financing

Currently, all three components of sustainable development at all levels are becoming increasingly important to ensure the existence and development of states. This article is devoted to green finance, linking economic and environmental aspects of development. Green financing is a policy direction to reduce negative environmental externalities and attract investment in new technologies, which has become widespread in recent years; green bonds are one of its most important instruments. To assess the impact of issuing green bonds on the environmental component, represented by the equivalent of carbon monoxide emissions, the article was the first to apply a matching procedure to evaluate company data obtained using the Refinitiv database. The authors showed a model specification that supports the hypothesis that the issuance of green bonds has an impact on reducing carbon monoxide equivalent emissions in the long term, but the results of the logarithmic specification of this model turned out to be unstable. From the calculations presented in the article it follows, that despite the fact that the effect of issuing green bonds does not have an immediate impact on the company’s environmental performance, but in the long run it can improve their performance. It helps to raise environmental rating of companies and, in turn, can help attract investments for the development of technologies and infrastructure that ensure technological independence, the use of promising energy sources, the best available technologies, and the transport greening.

Exploring encounters and prodigies of Islamic banks in non-Muslim states: towards enhancing regulatory frameworks of Islamic banking system

Purpose The primary aim of this study is to explore challenges and prospects of Islamic banking system in non-Muslim states to foster regulatory frameworks of the system. Design/methodology/approach Content analysis as an integral part of qualitative research was used. Secondary data through the exploration of cursory literature was taken into consideration. Findings The findings identified three prime challenges, namely, regulatory, operational and institutional, which are impeding the smooth activities and performances of Islamic banks in using innovative Islamic products and services that can favourably compete with products and services of conventional banking system in non-Muslim states. In addition, strengthening the adoption and performance of Islamic banking in non-Muslim states can efficiently and effectively address the identified and multifarious regulatory, operational and institutional challenges to achieve financial inclusion and overall economic growth. Research limitations/implications Challenges encountered and prodigies or potentials of operating Islamic banking system by most of non-Muslim countries remains a pivotal aspect that needs research attention in the recent. Practical implications Nonetheless, the limitation of this study is that the study relies on the use of secondary data. However, it has provided a substantial direction for future studies in empirically exploring the variables of this study. Social implications Indeed, 19th century was a remarkable turning point in the development and expansion of Islamic banking system in the Muslim world. Many predominant Muslim countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh, Pakistan, among others have been efficiently and effectively operating Islamic banking system within the framework of Islamic legal provisions. Many non-Muslim countries such as Australia, the UK, USA, etc., have also adopted Islamic banking system. Originality/value It is noted that policy directions of the study among others should address the regulatory frameworks that is Shari’ah-compliant in the operation of Islamic banking system in non-Muslim states. It is therefore suggested that the policymakers, Islamic financial experts and regulators should use the innovation that could bring competitiveness into the operation of Islamic banking system in non-Muslim states.