Facilitate Policy Change Research Articles

No one left to cope alone (NOLA): protocol for the development of a postdiagnostic intervention to support people newly diagnosed with dementia

IntroductionReceiving a diagnosis of dementia is a seminal moment in many people’s lives. It can be associated with anger and grief for both the person with dementia and their network....

To rule or not to rule? The policy process of the excise tax on sugar-sweetened beverages in Indonesia

PurposeThe rising incidence of non-communicable diseases and sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) consumption in Indonesia is a concern to the central government. However, the excise tax policy proposal for SSBs, introduced by the Minister of Finance in a 2020 meeting with the Parliament, remains unapproved until 2023. This study analyzes the process and factors influencing stakeholders in managing the implementation of the excise tax policy on SSBs in Indonesia.Design/methodology/approachThis research is based on Kingdon’s Multiple Streams Theory (MST), focusing on the problem, policy and politics streams. It employs a qualitative design and combines a literature review and in-depth interviews in data collection. Interviews were conducted with policymakers, civil servants, senior representatives from nongovernmental health and consumer organizations, trade associations and academics in nutrition, health and taxation.FindingsWe identified that policy entrepreneurs have not succeeded in aligning the policy with the ideology of decision-makers and broader government goals. Therefore, the Parliament has not ratified the SSB excise tax policy until 2023. The effectiveness of interventions is expected to be the primary driver of policy adoption. Despite the complexity of this policy process, we conclude that implementing some reinforcing strategies may be necessary to facilitate policy change. In the Indonesian context, other actors who proactively manage potential criticism from multiple stakeholders are needed. The power of the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs is expected to navigate political complexities and interests among stakeholders. Support for adopting the SSB excise tax policy will likely rise when framing policy alternatives aligns with decision-makers values, involves coordination between ministries, and has a broad public appeal.Originality/valueDespite the constitutional mandate to regulate levies through legislation, there is no research on policy processes in Indonesia, specifically regarding levies and taxes. Examining the Indonesian institutional context in which a policy process takes place may improve the understanding of the many components of MST under unique conditions, providing insights into the specific factors that drive policy change in certain cases.

Investigating and evaluating the impact of COVID-19 and post-COVID-19 response measures on construction projects in Iraq

Abstract. At the end of 2019, the whole world was exposed to a major health crisis, which the Coronavirus, which went out of the control of all countries, including Iraq, The negative impact of the coronavirus pandemic continues to this day on the construction industry sector in Iraq. This research aims to study and find the most common risk factors for the Coronavirus crisis and analyze them using the descriptive analysis method (HEAT MAP), in addition to identifying, analyzing and evaluating response procedures after Covid-19 by finding the relative importance index (RII). The factors of the Covid-19 crisis were extracted and the most common different response procedures were found from the archives of (24) completed construction projects in the projects of the University of Kufa, Karbala and Babylon. The current practice and the possibility of occurrence of risk factors, their severity and the possibility of their occurrence were diagnosed by conducting interviews accompanied by an open questionnaire with (15) Iraqi experts concerned with construction project management and then directing a detailed closed questionnaire to (140) others. All the results obtained were subjected to statistical tests to verify their validity, and the results showed the presence of (37) factors related to the Coronavirus, with the identification of their characteristics and the most affected project objectives, as well as the most affected contracting parties. When using the (HEAT MAP) method, it was found that the group of political risk factors is dominant and that the most harmful factors are the curfew and changes in the current government policies followed to combat the epidemic, curfew decisions and changes in the current government policies followed to combat the epidemic, political division, conflicting decisions, and the absence of plans and preparation for such crises. The delay in state funding for funded projects in the Middle Euphrates due to strict measures in the Middle Euphrates by the government that has existing projects was the most harmful. When applying (RII) to find the most important response measures, it was holding regular working sessions to discuss COVID-19 policies and response mechanisms, imposing a state of emergency due to the Corona virus as a force majeure, and finally cooperating with regulatory bodies to facilitate policy changes as well as enhancing scientific advice. Through this study, the project reached many conclusions and recommendations that would reduce or mitigate the impact of the Corona pandemic or any future events on the objectives of any construction project.

Direct indicators of social distancing effectiveness in COVID-19 outbreak stages: a correlational analysis of case contacts and population mobility in Korea.

The effectiveness of social distancing during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has been evaluated using the magnitude of changes in population mobility. This study aimed to investigate a direct indicator-namely, the number of close contacts per patient with confirmed COVID-19. From week 7, 2020 to week 43, 2021, population movement changes were calculated from the data of two Korean telecommunication companies and Google in accordance with social distancing stringency levels. Data on confirmed cases and their close contacts among residents of Gyeonggi Province, Korea were combined at each stage. Pearson correlation analysis was conducted to compare the movement data with the change in the number of contacts for each confirmed case calculated by stratification according to age group. The reference value of the population movement data was set using the value before mid-February 2020, considering each data's characteristics. In the age group of 18 or younger, the number of close contacts per confirmed case decreased or increased when the stringency level was strengthened or relaxed, respectively. In adults, the correlation was relatively low, with no correlation between the change in the number of close contacts per confirmed case and the change in population movement after the commencement of vaccination for adults. The effectiveness of governmental social distancing policies against COVID-19 can be evaluated using the number of close contacts per confirmed case as a direct indicator, especially for each age group. Such an analysis can facilitate policy changes for specific groups.

An organisational approach to meta-governance: structuring reforms through organisational (re-)engineering

This article outlines an organisation theory approach to meta-governance by illustrating how public organisations may organise policy change and reform by (re-)designing organisational choice-architectures. First, it outlines an organisational approach to meta-governance and, second, it offers an illustrative case of meta-governance by examining how public innovation processes are shaped by organisational designs. Two arguments are proposed: (i) first, that public meta-governance is an accessible tool for facilitating policy change, and (ii) second, that meta-governance may be systematically biased by organisational structuring. Examining conditions for meta-governance is important since governments experience frequent criticism of existing inefficient organisational arrangements and calls for major reforms of the state. The contribution of this article is to suggest how an organisational approach to meta-governance might both explain meta-governance and make it practically relevant for solving societal challenges in the future.

Responding to Food Insecurity and Community Crises through Food Policy Council Partnerships in a Rural Setting.

Food insecurity is a constant struggle for many communities and food needs are often amplified during times of crisis. The objective of this article is to describe the progress in our community food policy council partnership by presenting the elements of success in facilitating policy change and programs that have helped our community in rural Pennsylvania respond to a variety of challenges, including the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) crisis. We also critically examine ongoing challenges and implications for our work. The elements that have contributed to sustaining our collective work include having a common agenda; collaboration; maintaining independent but mutually supporting member organizational goals; valuing those who are most impacted; and continuous communication. By applying these elements of partnership, the council remains focused on healthy food access, particularly during this COVID-19 crisis and ongoing food-related inequities.

Driving Legislators' Policy Preferences: Constituent Commutes and Gas Taxes

Understanding differential policy costs across constituencies, and how they link to legislators' policy preferences, can facilitate policy changes that solve pressing problems. We examine the role of policy costs on constituents by studying legislator support for taxing gasoline. Analysis of survey responses from US state legislators, as well as of their voting records, shows that legislators whose constituents would be most affected by an increased gas tax—those whose constituents have longer commutes—are more likely to oppose higher gas taxes. Separately estimating the impact of time spent driving to work versus using public transit shows that the effect of commute times comes from those who have long drives, not from those who ride public transit, highlighting how the policy costs to constituents is a major driver in legislators' considerations. We finish the article by discussing the implications of our findings for combating climate change and for understanding policy feedbacks.

An evaluation of the Victorian Salt Reduction Partnership\u2019s advocacy strategy for policy change

BackgroundPublic health advocacy strategies facilitate policy change by bringing key health issues to the forefront of public and political discourse, influencing decision-makers and public opinion, and increasing policy demand. The Victorian Salt Reduction Partnership (VSRP) was established in 2014 in response to inadequate government action to improve population diets in Australia. This study aimed to evaluate the success of the VSRP’s advocacy strategy in achieving policy change.MethodsDocumentation of VSRP activities and outputs were collected, and semi-structured interviews conducted as part of a comprehensive process evaluation. For this study, the Kotter Plus 10-step public health advocacy evaluation framework was used to guide data extraction, analysis, and synthesis.ResultsA sense of urgency for salt reduction was generated by producing evidence and outlining the potential impact of a state-based salt reduction programme. This enabled the creation of a coalition with diverse skills and expertise, which facilitated the development of an innovative and collaborative advocacy action plan. A clear change vision was established, but communication of the vision to decision-makers was lacking, which reduced the impact of the programme as decision-makers were not provided with a clear incentive for policy change. As a result, while programme outputs were achieved, these did not translate to achieving broader strategic goals during a limited-term intervention in a political climate unconcerned with salt.ConclusionsThe Kotter Plus 10-step framework was a useful tool for evaluating the success of the VSRP advocacy strategy. The framework enabled the identification of key strengths, including the creation of the guiding coalition, and areas where efforts could be improved in future similar strategies, such as effective communication within partnerships and to decision-makers, to better influence policy and improve public health impact.

Policy processes leading to the adoption of 'Jamie's Ministry of Food' programme in Victoria, Australia.

This study investigated the policy processes related to the 2012 adoption of the Jamie's Ministry of Food programme by the Victorian Government in Australia. The aim was to provide insight into obesity prevention policy change processes to help strengthen future health promotion action. State-level government policy processes were examined through key informant interviews and a review of relevant documentation. Data were analysed using the Multiple Streams Theory and the Advocacy Coalition Framework in order to understand influences on relevant policy processes and strategies used by policy advocates to facilitate policy adoption. We found that policy adoption was facilitated by dedicated national funding for preventive health at that time, the relatively small number of stakeholders involved in the policy development process and the anticipated support for the programme by the general public due to the association with celebrity chef, Jamie Oliver. We identified that policy brokers aligned the policy with decision-maker ideologies and broader government objectives, and proactively managed potential criticisms. Evidence of intervention effectiveness was not a major driver of policy adoption. We conclude that, iven the complexity of policy processes for obesity prevention, multiple, reinforcing strategies are likely to be needed to facilitate policy change. Support for the adoption of obesity prevention policies is likely to increase when framing of policy options aligns with decision-maker values and has broad public appeal.

Europe's Farm to Fork Strategy and Its Commitment to Biotechnology and Organic Farming: Conflicting or Complementary Goals?

The European Commission's Farm to Fork (F2F) strategy, under the European Green Deal, acknowledges that innovative techniques, including biotechnology, may play a role in increasing sustainability. At the same time, organic farming will be promoted, and at least 25% of the EU's agricultural land shall be under organic farming by 2030. How can both biotechnology and organic farming be developed and promoted simultaneously to contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)? We illustrate that achieving the SDGs benefits from the inclusion of recent innovations in biotechnology in organic farming. This requires a change in the law. Otherwise, the planned increase of organic production in the F2F strategy may result in less sustainable, not more sustainable, food systems.

(Same)‐sex in the city: Urbanisation and LGBTI rights expansion

AbstractDespite the notable successes of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) activism in the region, individual European countries have varied considerably in the extent and speed with which they have adopted legislation to recognise the rights of their LGBTI citizens. Scholars have often turned to modernisation theory to explain these variable outcomes and argue that high levels of national wealth are an important factor in the success of LGBTI movements. Although the correlation between modernity, economic development and tolerance of LGBTI lifestyles is often treated as a truism in the literature, scholars have paid less attention to the precise mechanisms by which the complex processes associated with modernisation facilitate policy change. Drawing on the classic works of both modernisation theory and gay and lesbian history, we examine a less explored route by which modernisation leads to the expansion of LGBTI rights. Specifically, we posit that urbanisation facilitates the adoption of rights policies by strengthening LGBTI movements and enhancing their political effectiveness. To test this proposition, we use event history analysis and an original dataset that contains measures for institutional, cultural, economic and movement variables, as well as measures of urbanisation in 44 European countries between 1980 and 2015. Our findings support the contention that urbanisation has a strong effect on the formation of LGBTI movement organisations as well as the speed with which European states adopt both same‐sex union and anti‐discrimination legislation. The relationship between urbanisation and rights expansion persists even after controlling for a country's level of wealth, religious adherence and the influence of European institutions and norms.

Whoever Has Will be Given More: The Effect of Performance Information on Frontline Employees’ Support for Managerial Policy Initiatives

AbstractResearch has demonstrated how policy changes are bound to fail without the support of frontline employees. This study examines how performance information influences frontline employees’ support for managerial policy initiatives. We develop hypotheses stating that the exposure to positive and negative organizational performance scores compared to average scores increases frontline employees’ support for managerial policy initiatives and thus facilitate policy change. To test our hypotheses, we conduct a survey experiment on more than 1,500 social caseworkers working in Danish employment agencies. The results show that while the provision of positive organizational scores increases caseworkers’ support for managerial policy initiatives, there is no direct effect following the exposure of negative performance scores. However, additional exploratory analysis reveals that the caseworkers’ experienced work pressure moderates the effect of positive and negative performance information. Specifically, caseworkers that experience a high work pressure are more inclined to support managerial policy initiatives following positive and negative performance scores. Furthermore, the explorative analysis indicates that the caseworkers tend to ignore negative performance information, which strongly suggests that poor performance scores trigger identity-protective cognition. Overall, the study advances our understanding of the link between performance information and support of policy changes on the frontline of public services by showing how different performance scores influence employees’ support for managerial policy initiatives.

Constraints of hierarchy on meso-actors’ agency: evidence from Vietnam’s educational language policy reform

ABSTRACT This paper contributes to recent discussions of levels of agency in Language Policy and Planning (LPP) research. It specifically aims to understand the role and importance of meso-level actors as arbiters of policy implementation. It argues that, whilst understanding of both macro- and micro-agency has grown over the past decade, little is understood about the experience of meso-level agents. The paper seeks to address this by focussing on the LPP context in Vietnam; in particular, the implementation of the 2008 National Foreign Languages Project 2020. It explores the undertheorised and yet important socio-cultural context in which educational LPP takes place. Contrary to previous research which found that language policy arbiters can, in some cases, possess a disproportionate amount of power, this paper shows how Governments and institutions can act to limit rather than empower meso-level agents. The thematic analysis focuses on how meso-level agents perceive their role and the extent to which the setting in which they work impacts on their capacity to act. The paper argues that lack of information and support for meso-level agents participating in language policy implementation significantly constrains their ability to facilitate policy change.

When do performance assessments influence policy behavior? Micro-evidence from the 2014 Reform Efforts Survey

Sovereign governments, multilateral institutions, and non-governmental organizations have created a wide array of tools to assess the policy performance of developing countries, including conditional aid and debt relief programs, blacklists, watch lists, performance-based organizational accession procedures, cross-country benchmarking exercises, and country-specific diagnostics. Scholars and policymakers generally agree that these types of performance assessments can influence the policy priorities and actions of public sector decision-makers in low-income and middle-income countries. However, there is little systematic evidence about the specific conditions under which performance assessments instigate changes in policy behavior. There is also a lack of understanding about the causal mechanisms through which different types of performance assessments facilitate policy changes. We seek to close this evidence gap by leveraging a survey of 1784 government officials that provides comparative data on the agenda-setting influence and reform design influence of more than 100 performance assessments in 123 low-income and middle-income countries. Using a multilevel linear model that accounts for the hierarchical structure of the survey data, we find robust evidence that performance assessments yield greater policy influence when they make an explicit comparison of government performance across countries and allow assessed governments to participate in the assessment process. This pattern is consistent with the theoretical argument that policymakers carefully weigh the credibility signaling benefits and policy autonomy costs of addressing performance assessment requirements.

Dynamics of policy change in authoritarian countries: a multiple-case study on China

AbstractUsing evidence from China, this study proposes the conflict expansion model to explore how pressure for policy change can build up to overcome resisting force and stimulate a response from decisionmakers in an authoritarian context. Tracing the policy change processes of four national policies, this study finds that the social pressure mobilised by media reports focused on specific events is a major force for facilitating policy change in China. However, owing to institutional constraints, the influences of societal actors are sporadic, incident-based and varied by population. The policy change process is protracted and difficult when it encounters resistance from state actors who have multiple institutional access channels for influencing the decision-making process. The power distribution between the facilitating and resisting forces determines whether policy change proceeds quickly or arduously.

Adaptive co-management in the Vietnamese Mekong Delta: examining the interface between flood management and adaptation

The rural landscapes of the Vietnamese Mekong Delta have undergone a dramatic change, where flood management and adaptation are at the forefront. This article investigates how these synergies facilitate policy change. Drawing on qualitative information from the literature, focus group discussions, and interviews, the article argues that there are confrontational but complementary effects between them, which evolve towards adaptive co-management. Collaborative learning between local governments and farmers enables shared understanding of water management drawbacks, leading to policy change. The article recommends that more attention be given to this approach to guide strategic water policy development in the region.

Awareness, Analysis, Engagement: Critical Consciousness Through Foster Youth Advisory Board Participation

Foster youth advisory boards provide child welfare-involved young people a forum through which to impact the policies, programs, and services that govern their care. In addition to facilitating policy change, these boards may also enable participating youth to cultivate a deeper understanding of themselves and their worlds. The present study utilized a strengths-based, critical consciousness framework to describe the ways in which 15 foster youth advisory board members in a single state reflect on, analyze, and respond to their socio-political worlds. To this end, the author aims to describe youth advisory board processes, while attempting to answer the question, “How does critical consciousness manifest through foster youth advisory board participation?” Emergent themes are organized around the existing dimensions of critical consciousness. Implications for policy, practice, and future research are discussed.

Standards for arsenic in drinking water: Implications for policy in Mexico.

Global concern about arsenic in drinking water and its link to numerous diseases make translation of evidence-based research into national policy a priority. Delays in establishing a maximum contaminant level (MCL) to preserve health have increased the burden of disease and caused substantial and avoidable loss of life. The current Mexican MCL for arsenic in drinking water is 25μg/l (2.5 times higher than the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendation from 1993). Mexico's struggles to set its arsenic MCL offer a compelling example of shortcomings in environmental health policy. We explore factors that might facilitate policy change in Mexico: scientific evidence, risk communication and public access to information, economic and technological resources, and politics. To raise awareness of the health, societal, and economic implications of arsenic contamination of drinking water in Mexico, we suggest action steps for attaining environmental policy change and better protect population health.

A Comparison of Tobacco Policy in the UK and Japan: If the Scientific Evidence is Identical, Why is There a Major Difference in Policy?

Tobacco policy in the UK and Japan has diverged markedly. In the 1980s, both countries oversaw regimes with minimal economic and regulatory policies. Now the UK has become one of the most, and Japan one of the least, controlled (advanced industrial) states. These developments are puzzling to public health scholars who give primary explanatory weight to scientific evidence and a vague notion of “political will”, because policy makers possessed the same evidence on the harms of tobacco, and made the same international commitment to comprehensive tobacco control. Instead, we identify the role of a mutually reinforcing dynamic in policy environments, facilitating policy change in the UK but not Japan: policy makers accepted the scientific evidence, framed tobacco as a public health epidemic, placed health departments at the heart of policy, formed networks with public health groups and excluded tobacco companies, and accentuated socio-economic conditions supportive of tobacco control. This dynamic helps explain why the UK became more likely to select each tobacco policy control instrument during a series of “windows of opportunity”. Such analysis, generated by policy theory, is crucial to contemporary science/practitioner debates on the politics of “evidence-based policy making”: the evidence does not speak for itself, and practitioners need to know how to use it effectively in policy environments.

Research to policy: Enabling oak woodland restoration

are encouraged to report it via a dedicated CISR website. More information on this pest and the invasion can be found at http:// cisr.ucr.edu/palmarum.html. There’s currently no public funding for monitoring or con- trolling the weevil, however. Federal support likely won’t be available until the adoption of the next Farm Bill, currently slated for 2018. Hoddle is also applying for funding through the CDFA Specialty Crop grant program, and plans to apply for re- search funding from UC Agriculture and Natural Resources. While Hoddle radiates positive energy, he’s also distinctly realistic about the prospects for eradicating the South American palm weevil, given the large population in Tijuana, its flying ability, and the extent of the invasion already in the San Diego area. In the future, he said, control strategies may turn to de- fending selected, high-value trees using systemic insecticides that can kill weevil larvae. In Spain, he said, where the red palm weevil — native to Southeast Asia and a close relative of the South American palm weevil — are well-established, orna- mental Canary Island date palms in public areas are commonly fitted with showerhead-type applicators that douse a tree with insecticide every few months. c — Jim Downing Research news Research to policy: Enabling oak woodland restoration C Yana Valachovic UC and UCCE research on the impact of conifer encroachment helped facilitate policy changes that make it easier for California landowners to remove conifers from oak woodlands. alifornia black oak and Oregon white oak woodlands throughout California have been shrinking due to decades of conifer encroach- ment, which has led to a loss of wildlife habitat, biodi- versity and grazing land. Many years of fire suppression have created condi- tions that enable conifers to invade oak woodlands. Slowing the process of encroachment is difficult, as trees need to be removed manually, which is expen- sive. Additionally, landowners have been hindered in removing confers from oak woodlands by California’s Forest Practice Rules, which require that owners re- plant conifer trees after harvesting trees even when the goal is to promote oak restoration. A collection of policy changes adopted last year make it significantly easier for California landown- ers to manage this type of conifer encroachment. AB 1958, authored by Assemblymember Jim Wood (D-Healdsburg), removes permitting hurdles for re- moving small-diameter conifers from oak woodlands on a 7-year pilot-test basis starting January 1, 2018. Separately, the state Board of Forestry established a new timber-harvest rule for oak woodland restoration projects, effective January 2017, that allows landown- ers to remove conifers that have encroached on Oregon white and California black oak woodlands. “AB 1958, developed with the expertise of UC Cooperative 22 CALIFORNIA AGRICULTURE • VOLUME 71, NUMBER 1 Extension, allows private land owners to manage their land and preserve these valuable oak habitats,” said Wood. “It’s a great step forward in responsibly man- aging our environment.” UC Cooperative Extension (UCCE) worked directly with the Board of Forestry, the California legislature and interested stakeholders to facilitate these changes. UCCE also helped establish the scientific basis for the new rules by documenting the degree and nature of the encroachment in a three-year study completed in 2016. Under a UC Agriculture and Natural Resources competitive grant, UCCE Humboldt County director and forest advisor Yana Valachovic led a broad team of researchers that included area fire advisor Lenya Quinn-Davidson, UC Berkeley–based specialists Rick Standiford and Maggi Kelly and professor Matthew Potts, along with private landowners and collabora- tors from Humboldt State University and government agencies. “This is an exciting time for oaks and it has been great to help create science-based policy,” said Valachovic. “I am grateful for UC’s support. This much-needed scientific assessment has helped to de- velop awareness of these important habitat types in need of restoration.” The team evaluated the impact and extent of Douglas-fir encroachment in 10 oak sites across Humboldt and Mendocino counties, and documented the age structure and tree health of these oak stands. The team learned that most of the encroachment be- gan after 1940 and that the oaks are much older than the Douglas-fir trees. The researchers also studied factors that influenced encroachment, such as cli- mate and moisture, and mapped oak woodlands and compared them to historic photos. The data collected directly informed and gave confidence to the policy- makers working on the rule changes. c —Debbie Thompson