Diverse Policy Research Articles

How do local governments respond to central mandate in affordable housing policy? A qualitative comparative analysis of forty-one Chinese cities

Countries in developed and developing worlds have faced growing challenges to solve affordable housing shortages for lower-income households, prompting the adoption of various types of mandates to compel local implementation of affordable housing policy. A large volume of literature has focused on whether and how such top-down mandate indeed improves local supply of affordable housing. Insufficient understanding has been provided regarding the multi-faceted nature of local strategic responses to a top-down housing mandate. This research addresses this intellectual gap with an empirical study of local strategic behavior in response to the affordable housing mandate that was announced by the central government during the Twelfth Five-Year Plan (2011–2015). Through systematic content analysis of local news reports on affordable housing from 41 Chinese cities from various provinces, we describe the multiple-dimensional characteristics of local policy actions as cities were compelled to complied with the mandate. We further employ a fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis method to investigate how top-down political pressure combines with local policy interpretation, resource mobilization capacity, and local public pressure lead to more diverse policy actions in affordable housing. This research enriches the understanding of how city governments respond to top-down housing mandate, as well as offers valuable policy implications for affordable housing policy.

In the Labyrinth of Remembrance: Historical Thinking and the Pluralism of past-interpretation

The study explores the issues of European remembrance politics and common culture of remembrance, analysing the relationship between collective memory and historiography. It points out that history is a constructed narrative that serves political ends and that national identity is closely intertwined with the national image of history. The study takes stock of the dilemmas of a common remembrance policy at the European level: the divergence of national narratives and the question of a single European identity. Finally, presents the issues of European memory culture, from the Holocaust to EU integration and migration, and makes proposals for an unbiased, diverse and common European memory policy.

Optimizing Food Diversification through Learning from Successful Implementation in Indonesia

This study examines the implementation of food consumption diversification policies in Sidoarjo district, using George C. Edwards III's theory on communication and bureaucratic structure. Employing a descriptive qualitative approach, the research utilizes primary data from field surveys and interviews, and secondary data from official sources. The findings show that 14 out of 18 sub-districts successfully implemented these policies, leading to improved and diverse food consumption patterns as measured by the Food Hope Pattern (PPH) score. Effective communication, adequate resources, strong commitment, and structured bureaucracy were key to this success. The study highlights the importance of these factors in enhancing food security and nutritional outcomes at the local level. Highlights: Effective Communication: Essential for policy success in 14 sub-districts. Resource Adequacy: Crucial human, financial, and facility resources. Structured Bureaucracy: Clear roles and processes enhance outcomes. Keywords: food diversification, food security, Sidoarjo, implementation, qualitative research

A Novel and Integrated Approach to Stakeholder Salience: Insights from the Tourism Sector in the Gilgit-Baltistan Province of Pakistan

ABSTRACT Stakeholder Salience (SS) framework is a tried and tested tool for stakeholder analysis in diverse policy settings. However, the original SS framework provides insights into whether a stakeholder possesses power, legitimacy, or urgency without indicating the level and nature of these attributes. To enrich our understanding of stakeholder salience framework, we introduce a nuanced approach by treating the three attributes as continuous variables. In doing so, we have imported and integrated various important frameworks and conceptualizations used earlier in policy analysis. Based on such an enhancement, we propose a typology of 48 stakeholders to better understand their significance, diversity, and constituents in the tourism sector of Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan. Each attribute of stakeholders' salience is dealt as a separate construct measurable along a continuum. The enhanced framework enhances our comprehension of stakeholder dynamics, enabling more nuanced insights for tailored policy interventions in the tourism sector of Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan.

Bridging the gap between diversity, equity and inclusion policy and practice: the case of disability

Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies have increasingly gained importance in recent years as companies have begun to recognise the importance of creating a more inclusive workplace. Research has shown, however, that working practices do not always reflect policies. This article uses the case of disability to investigate the challenges and facilitators of implementing DEI policies and putting them into practice. Based on 29 interviews with people working in the private sphere, the findings suggest that organisations face three main challenges in seeking to put disability-related DEI policies into practice: (i) getting people on board, (ii) gathering information, and (iii) meeting increased demand for knowledge work. Having said that, integrating policy and practice is facilitated by (a) engaging in partnerships, (b) garnering line managers’ support, and (c) fostering open communication.

SQEAIR: an Improved Infectious Disease Dynamics Model

The Covid-19 pandemic poses a significant threat to human health and life. Timely and accurate prediction of the epidemic’s trajectory is crucial for devising effective prevention and control strategies. Traditional infectious disease models may not capture the complexity of modern epidemics, especially when governments implement diverse policies. Drawing from China’s epidemic prevention strategies and Covid-19 transmission characteristics, this study introduces two distinct categories quarantined cases and asymptomatic cases to enhance the traditional SEIR model in depicting disease dynamics. To address the intricate nature of prevention and control efforts, the quarantined cases are further segmented into three subgroups: exposed quarantined, asymptomatic quarantined, and infected quarantined cases. Consequently, a novel SQEAIR model is proposed to model the dynamics of Covid-19. Evaluation metrics such as the Akaike information criterion (AIC) and Absolute Percentage Error (MAE) are employed to assess the efficacy and accuracy of both the newly proposed and traditional models. By fitting the models to the number of infected cases in Shanghai (March to May 2022) and Guangzhou (November 2022), it was observed that the SQEAIR model exhibited a lower AIC value compared to the SEIR model, indicating superior fitting accuracy for Covid-19 infections. Moreover, the high accuracy of the SQEAIR model enabled precise predictions of confirmed cases in Guangzhou. Leveraging the SQEAIR model, various parameters were tested to simulate the impact of different influencing factors, enabling the evaluation of defense strategies. These findings underscore the effectiveness of key epidemic control measures, such as quarantining exposed cases, in enhancing public health and promoting awareness of personal protection.

Tourism as an Opportunity or the Danger of Saturation for the Historical Coastal Towns

In the era of urbanization, small towns confront challenges in sustaining and preserving their essence and population. Historical towns have discovered their potential in tourism development, yet this opportunity often escalates into overtourism, particularly in renowned cruising destinations. This paper focuses on examples of coastal historical towns dependent on tourism revenue and faced with an excessive influx of tourists in the Mediterranean Region. The objective is to examine various cases across diverse geographical, cultural, and policy contexts to evaluate their success in achieving a balance between economic development and genius loci. This analysis seeks to identify the factors that contributed to the attainment of this equilibrium. Therefore, we selected case studies throughout the Mediterranean coast—from Saint Paul de Vence and Èze at the Azure Coast, Dubrovnik and Kotor in the Adriatic Sea, to Nafplio and Monemvasia in the Aegean Sea. The selected examples range from towns that are almost entirely depopulated to those that are suffocating from the influx of tourists. Observations on the spot and review of policies led us to the conclusion that the geography of the area and cultural values represent comparative (dis)advantages that can be influenced and shaped by policies from the time of the pre-tourist phase to the phase of overtourism. Even though the success of an early policy and the effects of investments aligned with it might be uncertain, pre-tourist policies turn out to be the most successful when it comes to balanced tourist-resident development. Determination of authorities to not only see economic benefit but also genius loci and quality of life of residents is crucial, too.

Reflection on the Policy of General and Vocational Diversion in Senior High Schools in China

In senior high school, general education and vocational education advocate "roughly equal" in enrollment scale, which is the consistent policy of separating general education from vocational education in China in recent 40 years. In view of this policy, the author makes a rational analysis from three dimensions: educational equity, social development and personal development. In order to promote the all-round development of people and the sustainable development of society, the proportion of general posts should be determined according to local conditions; Distribute according to reason, adjust educational resources and improve the quality of running schools; According to the situation, the combination of general education and vocational education, and the construction of smooth educational channels, this paper puts forward some suggestions on the diversion of general education and vocational education.

Intercultural Cities: Enriching Australian Multiculturalism?

ABSTRACT Since its inception in 2008, the Council of Europe’s Intercultural Cities program (ICC) has been gaining traction in increasingly diverse parts of the world. In 2017 and 2018 respectively, the City of Ballarat and the City of Melton became the first Australian cities to join the network. This ‘intercultural turn’ in local government signals a significant development in Australian diversity policy. To date, however, it has received limited scholarly attention. To help address this gap, this paper draws on interviews and focus groups with the architects of the intercultural turn to investigate the policy motivations that propelled it and the policy shifts that it brought about. The paper also engages with policy and theoretical debates about the nature and scope of interculturalism as an approach to diversity policy that may transcend some of the limitations of multiculturalism. Ultimately, the paper argues that interculturalism offers a valuable contribution to Australia’s multicultural policy framework, but that combining the two perspectives may be more complicated than prevailing views suggest.

Global Inequalities in Access and Success in Higher Education

Despite its pivotal importance, the fundamental right to higher education remains far from universal, with inequalities in access to and success in higher education observed in almost all countries around the world. This article highlights some of the key inequalities that impede equitable access and success in higher education and outlines the diverse policy initiatives implemented by governments worldwide in their attempt to tackle this global challenge. It underscores the importance of elevating this issue as a global policy priority through collaborative, data-driven, innovative and comprehensive approaches.

Comparative analysis of residential building decarbonization policies in major economies: insights from the EU, China, and India

The global building sector, responsible for over 30% of CO2 emissions, necessitates urgent decarbonization efforts. This paper examines residential building decarbonization policies in three major economies—the European Union (EU), China, and India. It provides an overview of diverse policies through policy landscape analysis and delves into the design specifics with a detailed policy intensity analysis of building energy codes, information disclosure, and financial incentives in each region. Our findings reveal a diverse mix of policies targeting residential building decarbonization in all three regions. While the EU and China have long-established diverse policy instruments, India's building energy efficiency policies are relatively recent and limited. Detailed analyses of building energy codes, information disclosure, and financial incentives expose variations in ambition, scope, and implementation, even with shared policy instruments. Significant advancements in building energy codes, particularly in stringency and compliance checks, are evident in the EU and China. Conversely, India faces a notable obstacle with limited adoption of residential building energy codes, impacting its journey towards net-zero. The EU leads in building energy labelling policies, while China and India encounter various challenges hindering widespread implementation. Financial incentives across the three regions predominantly take the form of subsidies, potentially straining public budgets. The study concludes with reflections on the pressing need for future research extending beyond the operational phase of buildings.

Government subsidies and corporate environmental, social and governance performance: Evidence from companies of China

AbstractEnvironmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance is crucial for companies to attain sustainable development, which is a key reference for assessing the value and growth potential of a company. Government subsidies can provide incentives for companies to prioritize environmental preservation, meet their social duties, and improve their governance performance. This paper empirically examines the effects and mechanisms of government subsidies on corporate ESG performance, using an Ologit multiple ordered regression model based on data from Chinese listed companies. We find that not only do total government subsidies significantly improve firms' ESG performance, but both environmental and non‐environmental subsidies also have the similar effect, albeit with different impact mechanisms. The analysis of the mechanism suggests that government subsidies can enhance corporate ESG performance by promoting green innovation, alleviating financing constraints, increasing charitable donations, and attracting social attention. This paper holds significant practical value as it presents empirical findings as a basis for reforming China's subsidy policies, showcasing the actual impact of diverse subsidy policies and the heterogeneity.

A decentralized path planning model based on deep reinforcement learning

The escalating usage of automated guided vehicles (AGVs) on a grand scale accentuates the scalability limitations inherent in traditional, centrally-controlled path planning algorithms. Addressing this challenge, we introduce a pioneering decentralized path planning model, DPPDRL, built upon the foundations of deep reinforcement learning. Drawing inspiration from human path planning and dynamic coupling techniques, DPPDRL imbues AGVs with the autonomy to independently dictate and dynamically adapt their paths in real time. Notably, DPPDRL champions the adoption of diverse policies, thereby facilitating efficient collision avoidance and exploration of potential routes. Simulation-based evidence substantiates critical findings, including remarkable improvements in training speed and scalability, heightened adaptability to environmental variations and agent number changes, and applicability across any number of AGVs, provided a reasonable task distribution. However, DPPDRL's performance becomes limited when tasks are densely concentrated. Addressing this issue through task distribution and hierarchical reinforcement learning is a promising direction for future research. These findings underscore the transformative potential of DPPDRL in managing extensive, dynamic AGV operations.

The misperception of organizational racial progress toward diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Despite a checkered racial history, people in the United States generally believe the nation has made steady, incremental progress toward achieving racial equality. In this article, we investigate whether this U.S. racial progress narrative will extend to how the workforce views the effectiveness of organizational efforts surrounding diversity, equity, and inclusion. Across three studies (N = 1,776), we test whether Black and White U.S. workers overestimate organizational racial progress in executive representation. We also examine whether these misperceptions, surrounding organizational progress, drive misunderstandings regarding the relative ineffectiveness of common organizational diversity policies. Overall, we find evidence that U.S. workers largely overestimate organizational racial progress, believe that organizational progress will naturally improve over time, and that these misperceptions of organizational racial progress may drive beliefs in the effectiveness of diversity, equity, and inclusion policies. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Research Design with Weighted Lotteries in School Choice

Centralized admissions are an integral part of parental school choice programs. Most districts use a version of the deferred acceptance algorithm to assign applicants to schools. Centralized admissions produce data with quasi-experimental variation in student assignment that is integral in program evaluation. Recent developments in research design consider the basic version of the deferred acceptance algorithm. However, most districts adapt advanced versions of the deferred acceptance algorithm to implement their diversity policy in admissions, such as favoring applicants from disadvantaged backgrounds in lottery tie-breaking. We develop research design for data from the deferred acceptance algorithm with weighted lotteries.

Supply Disruptions and Fiscal Stimulus: Transmission through Global Value Chains

We study the impact of demand and supply factors on bottlenecks and inflation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Initial policy interventions, from lockdowns to fiscal stimuli, triggered shifts in consumer spending and supply chain disruptions. The reopening of economies normalized consumption patterns, but attributing bottlenecks to specific factors remains challenging due to diverse policy responses. This paper empirically integrates fiscal spending, mobility measures, and supply constraints to analyze interconnected factors influencing bottlenecks and inflation internationally. We find an important role played by fiscal shocks and the international propagation of demand and supply forces in shaping bottlenecks and inflation dynamics.

A Study on Impact of Diversity and Inclusion of Different Industries

The significance of diversity and inclusivity in many industries has become a crucial field of research, mirroring the dynamic socio-cultural environment and its relationship to corporate operations. The goal of this project is to investigate the complex effects of diversity and inclusion policies in a variety of industries, including technology, finance, healthcare, and education. Acknowledging diversity in viewpoints, experiences, and cognitive styles in addition to gender, ethnicity, and age, the study explores how promoting inclusivity stimulates creativity, improves decision-making, and eventually propels organizational performance.

Non Penal Policy to Reduce The Rate of Narcotics Crime Through a Double Track System

This research will analyze the problems contained in the implementation of the double track system for narcotics crimes using Lawrence M. Friedman's legal system theory. The author uses normative legal research with a conceptual approach and deductive method accompanied by supporting data to produce a comprehensive and critical analysis to answer the problem. The purpose of this research is to find problems in the use of the double track system in narcotics crimes using Friedman's legal system theory, this is done because in Friedman's legal system theory will divide through three aspects, namely legal substance, legal structure, and legal culture in narcotics crimes. Based on the results of the research, the legal substance problem in narcotics crime is the existence of strict liability which can cause overcriminalization so that depenalization, decriminalization, and diversion policies are needed in the Narcotics Law. In addition, there is a tendency for judges in deciding narcotics cases to only use imprisonment without accompanying it with rehabilitation. In the legal structure, there are problems in the form of a lack of drug rehabilitation facilities, the strong retributive influence so that imprisonment is the main answer in dealing with problems, abuse of power committed by law enforcers, and imprisonment which is a criminogenic factor for narcotics crimes. While the problems in legal culture are stigmatization by the community, the need for confidentiality of identity, the influence of the surrounding environment, and the level of education and employment affect the incidence of drug crimes.

Certainty of implementation of assessor’s office mandates: The case of Jolo Municipal Government

Philippine local governments (LGUs) rely on real property tax (RPT), however its implementation varies. This study evaluates Jolo, Sulu's real property tax system as perceived by municipal government personnel. Purposive sampling yielded 100 employee-respondent survey responses. Study findings: Jolo Municipal Government employee-respondents illustrate a gender gap. Employee-respondents have a positive perception of the Assessor's Office and its mandates, rating it agree in all three areas: Timeliness of Property Assessment, Accuracy of Property Valuation, and Customer Satisfaction. However, the study also shows that the length of service affects employee-respondents' perception of the Assessor's Office depending on their work experience, specifically those with under 10 years of service and those with 21-30 years, or vice versa; and the analysis of correlations among sub-categories under the extent of office mandate implementation shows significant correlation between office performance aspects. There are strong positive relationships between property assessment timeliness, valuation correctness, and client satisfaction. This study advises: Jolo Municipal Government may a gender study of its workforce and implement local government gender equality and diversity policy. Jolo Municipal Government may offer training, mentoring, or scholarships to employees with higher education or longer service to improve their skills and abilities. The Jolo Municipal Government may regularly survey and consult property owners and other stakeholders to improve assessment services and processes. Mixed methods study may examine how the Assessor's Office requirements affect the Jolo Municipal Government's economic, social, and environmental consequences from property owners and other stakeholders.

Effects of workplace incivility and workload on nurses' work attitude: The mediating effect of burnout.

The study's aim was to examine how workplace incivility and workload influence nurses' work attitudes (turnover intention, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment) using the stress-strain-outcome framework. There is a lack of comprehensive research on the combined effects of workplace incivility and workload on nurses' work attitudes. Two workplace stressors, incivility and workload, were hypothesized to lead to burnout, which in turn influences nurses' work attitudes. A cross-sectional, descriptive correlational study was conducted. Survey data were collected from 1,255 direct care nurses with a minimum of 6 months' nursing experiences in 34 general hospitals across Korea. Structural equation modeling was used to test the hypothesized model. This study is reported using the STROBE checklist. As hypothesized, both workplace incivility and workload increased burnout. Heightened burnout correlated with increased turnover intention, lowered job satisfaction, and reduced organizational commitment. While workplace incivility impacted these outcomes both directly and indirectly via its effect on burnout, workload influenced the outcomes solely through burnout. The study's findings are based on one, nonrandomized sample of nurses working at South Korean hospitals. Despite such study limitations, the study findings support the adverse impact of two workplace stressors on burnout and nurses' work attitudes. Evidence-informed interventions for both workplace stressors include training programs, clear policy guidelines, open communication channels, and supportive work environments. Zero tolerance and equity, diversity and inclusivity policies to promote workplace civility must be enforced. Workload needs to be patient-centered, ensuring a "fit" between patient needs and nurse staffing.