Engage Policy Makers Research Articles

Orientation towards environmental sustainability in European family versus nonfamily firms: the role of policymaker engagement and incentives

ABSTRACT This study contributes to the debate on family business environmental sustainability by investigating the environmental orientation of family versus nonfamily firms. We study whether family business status affects (i) the extent of environmental orientation, i.e. the number of incentives set for environmental sustainability activities, contingent upon firms’ engagement with policymakers, and (ii) how firms’ environmental orientation unfolds, considering the types and beneficiaries of the incentives. To do so, we build on behavioural theories in family business, along with the literature on firm non-market strategies and responses to institutional pressure. Data on 162 European manufacturing firms from the Carbon Disclosure Project and the Orbis database are collected. Our results show that family firms have a higher degree of environmental orientation than nonfamily firms. However, when they engage with policymakers, the family firm–environmental orientation relationship weakens. Regarding the types and beneficiaries of the incentives, family firms are more likely to provide monetary incentives and to be more inclusive in their incentive systems than nonfamily firms are.

Perceptions of Pre-Service Technical Teachers on the Teaching and Learning Activities in Teacher Instructor Colleges of Uganda

Understanding perceptions about the teaching and learning activities has implications on the way teacher training programs can be improved and influences trainers’ motivation. The aim of the study was to examine pre-service technical teachers’ perceptions of the teaching and learning activities in teacher-instructor colleges in Uganda. The following research questions guided the study; “Is the time allocated for the teaching and learning activities adequate; how is the tutoring conducted; are the pre-service teachers satisfied with the assignments given; do the pre-service teachers trust the teaching and learning process and are the pre-service teachers satisfied with the equipment and materials used for training? The study adopted across sectional survey design. Data was collected from 168 pre-service technical teachers using a researcher-constructed questionnaire. The data gathered was analysed using SPSS and presented as descriptive statistics. The findings revealed that time for teaching and learning; tutoring (organization of training), and assignments given were adequate; pre-service technical teachers trusted the teaching and learning process; however, they observed that the equipment and materials were inadequate for training. It was therefore recommended that the government increase the budget for technical teacher instructor institutions; lobbying for funds through; private partnerships, companies, international donor agencies, tax rebates, fellowships, and research grants to purchase adequate training equipment and engage policy makers to create mechanisms for responding to constant technology advancement for technical teacher instructor training institutions to cope

Mapping the policy space of public consultations: evidence from the European Union

ABSTRACT Public consultations strengthen the informational advantage and policy legitimacy of bureaucracies by allowing them to collect and aggregate information on stakeholder preferences. How well consultations perform this function depends on the dimensional structure and complexity of the policy spaces describing them. Building on the research on spatial models of politics, we derive a set of expectations about the dimensional structure and policy content of consultation policy spaces. We assess our argument empirically by analysing 42 consultations organised by the European Commission via online surveys across all policy areas. Using Specific Multiple Correspondence Analysis (SMCA) we find that more than 70% of the analysed consultations present low-dimensional policy spaces characterised by one or two main dimensions, although some also display a three-dimensional space. The substantive content of policy dimensions is consultation-specific and varies greatly across events. Most dimensions capture stakeholder alignments with respect to policy instruments, and only a few with respect to the orientation of the policy regime. The unveiled consultation policy spaces reflect a regulatory model of stakeholder engagement in policymaking. Our findings underscore the challenges and opportunities of information provision, preference aggregation and the identification of stable majority equilibria in the context of public consultations and bureaucratic policymaking.

Prospective policy analysis-a critical interpretive synthesis review.

Most policy analysis methods and approaches are applied retrospectively. As a result, there have been calls for more documentation of the political-economy factors central to health care reforms in real-time. We sought to highlight the methods and previous applications of prospective policy analysis (PPA) in the literature to document purposeful use of PPA and reflect on opportunities and drawbacks. We used a critical interpretive synthesis (CIS) approach as our initial scoping revealed that PPA is inconsistently defined in the literature. While we found several examples of PPA, all were researcher-led, most were published recently and few described mechanisms for engagement in the policy process. In addition, methods used were often summarily described and reported on relatively short prospective time horizons. Most of the studies stemmed from high-income countries and, across our sample, did not always clearly outline the rationale for a PPA and how this analysis was conceptualized. That only about one-fifth of the articles explicitly defined PPA underscores the fact that researchers and practitioners conducting PPA should better document their intent and reflect on key elements essential for PPA. Despite a wide recognition that policy processes are dynamic and ideally require multifaceted and longitudinal examination, the PPA approach is not currently frequently documented in the literature. However, the few articles reported in this paper might overestimate gaps in PPA applications. More likely, researchers are embedded in policy processes prospectively but do not necessarily write their articles from that perspective, and analyses led by non-academics might not make their way into the published literature. Future research should feature examples of testing and refining the proposed framework, as well as designing and reporting on PPA. Even when policy-maker engagement might not be feasible, real-time policy monitoring might have value in and of itself.

Methods and measures to evaluate the impact of participatory model building on public policymakers: a scoping review protocol

IntroductionPublic policymakers are increasingly engaged in participatory model building processes, such as group model building. Understanding the impacts of policymaker participation in these processes on policymakers is important given that...

10.I. Skills building seminar: A seat at the table: Engaging patients and citizens in public health policy-making

Abstract Patient and citizen engagement is an essential element of effective healthcare delivery and policy-making, leading towards patient-centred care and improving health outcomes. An important shift is taking place from paternalistic and deficit models towards a more participatory approach. Notably, patients provide valuable input on the ethics, acceptability, trustworthiness and effectiveness of policy initiatives based on their preferences, values and experiences. This is particularly relevant in the area of cancer prevention and treatment, where patient and citizen involvement plays an important part in the European Beating Cancer Plan (EBCP) and EU4Health programme. Cancer care is a societal challenge that raises many issues such as reimbursement of and timely access to prevention, diagnosis and treatment, the use of genomic data, behaviour modification, surveillance, data protection, the integration of therapeutics and research. This challenge is relevant for the population as a whole as everyone is vulnerable to the disease and everyone is impacted by screening, immunization, and preventative initiatives. As such, there is a need for a long-term plan to systematically and actively involve patients and citizens in policy and decision-making. The Belgian Cancer Centre of Sciensano is organising a workshop to improve patient and citizen engagement in policy-making. In this emerging field, no clear quality standards, accepted methods or even recommendations for when to involve certain publics on what topics exist. This workshop will offer an overview of the current state of play and provide practical tools and recommendations for future implementation. During the workshop, participants will learn about the theoretical background, practical implications and potential benefits of public engagement. The workshop will focus on three types of engagement (large scale, targeted and structural), offer concrete examples and discuss risks and benefits of different methodological approaches. In the second part of the workshop, a hypothetical citizen engagement project about the implementation of risk-stratified cancer prevention will be designed, using a co-creative approach involving all participants. The participants will be guided through the process of formulating appropriate questions, setting up a suitable design and preparing implementation of outcomes. Key messages • Engagement of patients and citizens is a crucial component of efficient healthcare delivery and policy development. • The booming field of patient and citizen engagement offers a lot of different methods and strategies. It is important to use the appropriate tool in all circumstances. Speakers/Panelists Wannes Van Hoof Sciensano, Brussels, Belgium Louise Mathieu Sciensano, Brussels, Belgium

6.I. Workshop: Assessing health system resilience to future shocks: a new tool for policy making

Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of health system resilience, the ability of a health system to prepare for, manage and learn from a shock. Other recent adverse events, such as economic crises, conflict, migration and extreme weather have demonstrated how a wide range of shocks can challenge health systems. Health systems vary in their ability to respond to shocks and other challenges, mitigate adverse impacts, and learn from previous experience. While emergency preparedness and planning is a well established component of health system governance in many countries, no methodology currently exists to systematically test the resilience of a health system to a broad range of shocks. In this workshop, the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies (OBS) and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) share learnings from an ongoing project with the European Commission (EC) to help EU Member States assess and understand the resilience of their health system to a wide range of future shocks. The resilience testing methodology draws on two conceptual frameworks: the Health System Performance Assessment Framework for Universal Health Coverage (HSPA Framework for UHC) and the Shock Cycle. A specific shock scenario is chosen from a broad range of possible shocks to hypothetically challenge a given health system to its limits. This highlights key structural strengths and weaknesses of the health system. The country-led process culminates in a resilience test workshop that brings together policy makers, civil servants and other relevant experts. The test day is supported by an expert facilitator and research team, who provide background knowledge and structure the test day. Results of the resilience test include an understanding of the health system strengths and vulnerabilities specific to the shock. The test day may also anticipate spill-overs effects to other health system functions, and contribute towards a participatory approach to improve preparedness going forward. The objectives of the workshop are to: - present the new methodology for resilience testing; - showcase country examples that have piloted the methodology; - engage workshop participants in discussion towards a common approach to health system resilience strengthening. The workshop consists of presentations (40 minutes) and audience interaction (20 minutes). The presentations will cover the methodology, pilot countries’ experience, and an EU view of the resilience testing process. The audience interaction will consist of moderated discussion with an element of a digital feedback and Q&A (if settings allow). Discussion will reflect on usability, potential adaptations to suit various national settings, and operationalisation for policy makers so that countries can prepare more systematically for future shocks and long-term challenges. Key messages • Resilience testing is a novel and systematic method to engage policy makers, understand health system vulnerabilities and identify weaknesses requiring action. • Country-led pilots show that shock scenarios can be employed to reveal structural vulnerabilities, which can be addressed to enhance health system resilience.

A library of climate adaptation measures in agriculture and their economic assessment

The objective of this study is to present the CAMBIA library, created by ARPAE, which collects more than 100 measures of adaptation of the agricultural sector to climate change, together with their evaluation, developed by CREA PB, in terms of costs and benefits to encourage their adoption by Italian farmers. The study was conducted as part of the LIFE ADA project, which aims to improve the resilience of the agricultural sector by providing farmers with knowledge and tools to adapt to climate change. Users’ adaptive capacity will be enhanced by the ADA web tool, which will include the CAMBIA library and cost-benefit assessment of measures, and will be used to define adaptation plans at both farm and supply chain levels. This is an innovative tool that offers the possibility to consult and compare a set of climate change adaptation measures, together with the cost/benefit assessment related to their adoption so as to help farmers make an informed choice of the measures best suited to their farm reality. In addition, such a tool could encourage the engagement of policymakers and practitioners in their promotion, further fostering farmers’ engagement in adopting climate change adaptation and resilience measures based on their possible cost-effectiveness.

Providers' Understanding of Cancer Aetiology and Supportive Features for Indigenous Palliative Cancer Care Service Provision in Kenya.

Palliative care is a fundamental component of providing people-centred health services to cancer patients. However, the primary pillars of indigenous palliative care such as provider understanding of cancer, its aetiology, and features are undocumented. We sought to understand Traditional Health Providers (THPs) understanding of cancer aetiology, and the functional features that support indigenous palliative cancer care service provision in Kenya. The study used a mixed methods cross-sectional design. A semi-structured questionnaire was administered to 193 THPs, who self-reported to manage cancer patients. The findings were enriched and validated through member checking in 6 focus group discussions and five journey mapping in-depth interviews. Despite diversity in culture and experience among the indigenous providers in Kenya, their description of cancer etiology and their management practices and primary goal were similar. Cancer was consistently described as a deadly life-deforming disease by 61.1% of THPs (n = 118/193) and attributed to chemicals and toxins in the body 41.5% (n = 80). The indigenous palliative-care system was reported to be characterized by five tiered levels of care, diversity in expertise and experience, shared and consultative process (60%) and family involvement in medical decision (59.5%). Herbal regimen (60.1%) was found to be the cornerstone of informal palliative care blended with nutrition management 78.2% (n = 151), lifestyle changes 63.7% (n = 123) and counseling services 55.9% (n = 108). Payments for service were arbitrarily made in cash or in kind. The features of indigenous palliative care services are informed by the providers' distinctive cultural terms and descriptions of cancer and cancer aetiology. Shared and consultative protocols, regimen exchange, referral to cascaded care, and caregiver involvement were all important palliative-care clues to saving and enhancing lives. The features provide context for development of indigenous palliative care framework, engagement of policy makers, and promotion of culturally-inclusive indigenous palliative care model for adoption.

Narratives and expert information in agenda‐setting: Experimental evidence on state legislator engagement with artificial intelligence policy

AbstractAre narratives as influential in gaining the attention of policymakers as expert information, including for complex, technical policy domains such as artificial intelligence (AI) policy? This pre‐registered study uses a field experiment to evaluate legislator responsiveness to policy entrepreneur outreach. In partnership with a leading AI think tank, we send more than 7300 U.S. state legislative offices emails about AI policy containing an influence strategy (providing a narrative, expert information, or the organization's background), along with a prominent issue frame about AI (emphasizing technological competition or ethical implications). To assess engagement, we measure link clicks to further resources and webinar registration and attendance. Although AI policy is a highly technical domain, we find that narratives are just as effective as expert information in engaging legislators. Compared to control, expert information and narratives led to 28 and 34 percent increases in policymaker engagement, respectively. Furthermore, higher legislature professionalism and lower state‐level prior AI experience are associated with greater engagement with both narratives and expert information. Finally, we find that policymakers are equally engaged by an ethical framing of AI policy as they are with an economic one. The findings advance efforts to bridge scholarship on policy narratives, policy entrepreneurship, and agenda‐setting.

Application of human biomonitoring data to support policy development, raise awareness and environmental public health protection among countries within the HBM4EU project

Most countries have acknowledged the importance of assessing and quantifying their population's internal exposure from chemicals in air, water, soil, food and other consumer products due to the potential health and economic impact. Human biomonitoring (HBM) is a valuable tool which can be used to quantify such exposures and effects. Results from HBM studies can also contribute to improving public health by providing evidence of individuals' internal chemical exposure as well as data to understand the burden of disease and associated costs thereby stimulating the development and implementation of evidence-based policy. To have a holistic view on HBM data utilisation, a multi-case research approach was used to explore the use of HBM data to support national chemical regulations, protect public health and raise awareness among countries participating in the HBM4EU project. The Human Biomonitoring for Europe (HBM4EU) Initiative (https://www.hbm4eu.eu/) is a collaborative effort involving 30 countries, the European Environment Agency (EEA) and the European Commission (contracting authority) to harmonise procedures across Europe and advance research into the understanding of the health impacts of environmental chemical exposure. One of the aims of the project was to use HBM data to support evidence based chemical policy and make this information timely and directly available for policy makers and all partners. The main data source for this article was the narratives collected from 27 countries within the HBM4EU project. The countries (self-selection) were grouped into 3 categories in terms of HBM data usage either for public awareness, policy support or for the establishment HBM programme. Narratives were analysed/summarised using guidelines and templates that focused on ministries involved in or advocating for HBM; steps required to engage policy makers; barriers, drivers and opportunities in developing a HBM programme. The narratives reported the use of HBM data either for raising awareness or addressing environmental/public health issues and policy development. The ministries of Health and Environment were reported to be the most prominent entities advocating for HBM, the involvement of several authorities/institutions in the national hubs was also cited to create an avenue to interact, discuss and gain the attention of policy makers. Participating in European projects and the general population interest in HBM studies were seen as drivers and opportunities in developing HBM programmes. A key barrier that was cited by countries for establishing and sustaining national HBM programmes was funding which is mainly due to the high costs associated with the collection and chemical analysis of human samples. Although challenges and barriers still exist, most countries within Europe were already conversant with the benefits and opportunities of HBM. This article offers important insights into factors associated with the utilisation of HBM data for policy support and public awareness.

The time is now to start evaluating biomarkers in the clinic.

The time is now to start evaluating biomarkers in the clinic.

Understanding social innovation in refugee integration: actors, practices, politics in Europe

The so-called ‘refugee crisis’ marked a crucial juncture in migration governance across Europe. Policy-makers and local communities face the challenge of receiving and integrating migrants (often in extremely vulnerable conditions) in a context of poor governance arrangements and rising skepticism, or even hostility. In the light of such a complex scenario, this special issue explores social innovation as a promising approach to refugee integration. Socially innovative practices are indeed based on the active engagement of policy-makers and assorted stakeholders—including target groups through co-creation. In the realm of asylum policies, social innovation can thus facilitate the meeting of refugees’ needs as well as the benevolence of receiving communities, ultimately strengthening social cohesion in regions of settlement. Families hosting migrants at home, community-based cooperatives, and self-managed social spaces are all instances of socially innovative practices that are often initiated by non-state actors but that might be upscaled and transformed into fully fledged public policies—especially by policy-makers at the local and regional levels. The special issue will focus on labor, housing, and social integration of refugees (especially in the stages after their first reception) in the context of Central European cities and regions. The purpose is to develop conceptual tools for evaluating and designing socially innovative practices that might ultimately improve the social innovation capacity of local and regional governments. As the ‘social innovation’ concept risks to be ambiguous, the special issue will also allow researchers to develop a set of empirically grounded indicators for measuring social innovation capacity—especially based on the analysis of best practices that can be upscaled and replicated through mutual learning.

Enhancing nurses' involvement in policy making: A qualitative study of nurse leaders.

Nurses can play a valuable role in not only the implementation but development of general and health policies. However, evidence indicates limited involvement of nurses in politics and general health policy making owing to individual, interpersonal, and systematic barriers. Strategies are required to increase nurses' participation and engagement in policymaking. However, no studies explored the perspective of nurse leaders in policy making roles and how to improve nurses' involvement in policy making. To explore strategies to enhance nurses' involvement in policy making from the perspective of nurse leaders. A qualitative descriptive study was conducted. Semistructured interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of 11 nurse leaders with at least one year of experience in policy making. Data were analyzed using a thematic analysis approach. The COREQ guidelines were followed for reporting. Five themes were generated: strategically revisit and implement educational approaches, becoming transformative leaders, improving social image of nurses, developing triadic partnerships, and empowering nurses through reflective and supportive mechanisms. Nurses' involvement in policymaking can be enhanced by implementing grassroots-level educational strategies, managerial-level empowerment efforts, and social mechanisms focused on improving the social image of nursing. Self and professional role empowerment through education, increasing awareness, and improving the social image of nursing can boost nurses' involvement in policymaking. Nurse leaders, national and global nursing associations, and nursing regulatory bodies should collaborate with associations of nursing colleges to design nurse policymaking competencies framework and contextually tailored strategies to enhance nurses' engagement in policymaking.

The governance of antimicrobial resistance in Brazil: Challenges for developing and implementing a one health agenda

ABSTRACT This article explores stakeholders’ perceptions of the challenges for developing a One Health agenda to tackle antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in Brazil, including the development and implementation of the Brazilian National Action Plan (BR-NAP). The data originate from 27 interviews conducted with human, environmental, and animal health stakeholders, including academics, managers, and policymakers involved in developing the BR-NAP. Through thematic analysis, we identified three interconnected themes: governance, the health system, and technical and scientific challenges. The findings draw particular attention to failures in the agenda-setting process, revealed by interviewees strongly emphasising that AMR is not considered a policy priority in Brazil. The lack of political will and awareness of the clinical, social, and economic impacts of AMR are considered the main impediments to the agenda’s progress. The joint work across disciplines and ministries must be reinforced through policymaker engagement and better environmental sector integration. The agenda must include sustainable governance structures less affected by political winds. Policies should be designed jointly with state and local governments to create strategies to engage communities and improve their translation into effective implementation.

The African Health Initiative's Role in Advancing the Use of Embedded Implementation Research for Health Systems Strengthening.

<h3>Key Messages</h3> The embedded implementation research (EIR) approach involves engaging policy makers and decision makers at each stage from the design to the dissemination of research and increases the likelihood of the use of research evidence to better inform policy and management decisions. The African Health Initiative is an example of a public enterprise that has demonstrated success in developing domestic research capacity and strengthening health systems in sub-Saharan Africa by integrating the EIR approach into its projects. Further efforts and investments are needed to increase the sustainability and scalability of the EIR approach to improve the performance of national health systems.

Racism as a Public Health Crisis: A Qualitative Case Series of Public Health Responses in the Washington, DC/Maryland/Virginia Area

Background The recent growing awareness of racism as a public health crisis has been hailed as a step in the right direction to addressing racial health disparities. However, the contemporary nature of these declarations and the diversity of responses pose important challenges. Objective: To evaluate whether declaring racism a public health crisis is mere rhetoric or a true catalyst for change. Materials &amp; Methods Four public health officials in the Washington, DC/Maryland/Virginia area were recruited to participate in a series of in-depth interviews. Collected interview data were subsequently analyzed qualitatively for common themes. Results Participants across interviews emphasized the importance of naming and defining racism and characterized racism as an upstream root of racial health disparities. Participants described public health as a framework for achieving health equity by building trust with the community and collaborating with non–health sector partners. Local health agencies have examined new strategies to address health disparities, such as increased hiring into health equity initiatives, expansion of community and non–health sector involvement, and internal workplace inclusivity and unconscious bias training. Future challenges to progress include lack of control over policy as well as funding, staffing, and time constraints. Conclusions The results of this study indicate a shared understanding among participants regarding the influence of racism on disparate health care delivery and medical outcomes. In their efforts to improve health equity, local health agencies have implemented a variety of strategies, but progress remains incremental. Further, without the engagement of policymakers, non–health sector partners, and the community, public health organizations face substantial obstacles in their efforts to dismantle structural racism.

Governing Open Ocean and Fish Carbon: Perspectives and Opportunities

Marine life plays a vital role in the ocean’s biological pump by sequestering and mediating fluxes of carbon to the deep sea and sea floor. The roles that fish and other marine vertebrates play in the biological pump are increasingly attracting scientific and policy attention. In this paper, we investigated the interest in and possibilities for the international governance of open ocean and fish carbon ecosystem services. We used semi-structured interviews with representatives from environmental non-governmental organisations (ENGOs), policy makers, and policy experts, along with an exploratory review of grey and peer-reviewed literature to: 1) trace the pathway of important milestones, key actors, and their strategies to influence governance of ocean carbon, and, 2) investigate which frameworks might be used to govern open ocean and fish carbon. Strategies of key actors to direct attention to open ocean and fish carbon included collaborating with scientists, organising side events at climate and biodiversity negotiations and seminars to engage policy makers, as well as educational campaigns directed to the public and policy makers about the co-benefits of open ocean and fish carbon. While we found a strong focus of ENGO activities related to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, we also found strong opposition against active governance of open ocean and fish carbon by key Intergovernmental actors in this forum. Opposition stems from a lack of scientific information on how long open ocean and fish carbon is stored, difficulties in attributing carbon flows with individual countries mitigation actions, and fewer perceived co-benefits (e.g. coastal protection in the case of coastal blue carbon) for coastal communities. More viable routes for the future governance of open ocean and fish carbon may lie in international fisheries management and in current negotiations of a treaty for biodiversity conservation in the high seas.

50th Anniversary of TPRC—Research Conference on Communications, Information and Internet Policy: Looking Ahead to the Next 50 Years

50th Anniversary of TPRC—Research Conference on Communications, Information and Internet Policy: Looking Ahead to the Next 50 Years

Police use of facial recognition technology: The potential for engaging the public through co-constructed policy-making

In the face of rapid technological development of investigative technologies, broader and more meaningful public engagement in policy-making is paramount. In this article, we identify police procurement and use of facial recognition technology (FRT) as a key example of the need for public input to avoid undermining trust in law enforcement. Specifically, public engagement should be incorporated into police decisions regarding the acquisition, use, and assessment of the effectiveness of FRT, via an oversight framework that incorporates citizen stakeholders. Genuine public engagement requires sufficient and accurate information to be openly available at the outset, and the public must be able to dialogue and discuss their perspectives and ideas with others. The approach outlined in this article could serve as a model for addressing policy development barriers that often arise in relation to privacy invasive technologies and their uses by police.