Business Federation Research Articles

Max headroom: making time and space for Welsh manufacturing SMEs to flourish.

The Welsh manufacturing sector has undergone significant change over the last decade, with new technologies, greater promotion of the circular economy by policymakers, and a competitive environment affected by Brexit, covid and energy price rises, all impacting the business landscape. Consequently, Welsh manufacturing businesses, the vast majority of which are micro, small, or medium-sized enterprises, face issues concerning supply chains, training and skills, innovation, finance, infrastructure, and sustainability. This report summarises a recent study conducted by Swansea University, on behalf of the Federation of Small Businesses (Pickernell et al 2023). The research investigated the issues faced by Welsh small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and identified short-term problems with energy and infrastructure, and difficulties recruiting sufficient qualified staff, as well as a lack of Welsh-based suppliers for many of the resources Welsh SMEs required. The research also highlighted the gap between short-term pressures and long-term vision, but that bridging that gap would allow Welsh manufacturing businesses to place themselves on a more resilient footing, build skills and employment and prepare for future opportunities.

Business power, right-wing populism, and noisy politics: lessons from Brexit and Swiss referendums

This article contributes to debates on business power, noisy politics, and right-wing populism. The populist right weakens strategies of quiet politics, which many suggest has led to a steep decline of business power. I challenge this view and argue that a combination of innovative strategies and ample financial resources allow business associations to exercise power in this environment. Drawing on new empirical evidence, the article makes three central contributions. First, I suggest that the failure of Remain business advocacy in the 2016 Brexit referendum resulted from the constraints of administrative legislation (the PPERA), weaknesses in campaigning strategies, and the CBI leadership’s decision to not register as a campaign organization. Second, while my regression analysis provides some support for Culpepper’s quiet politics argument, the Swiss business federation Economiesuisse has won 90% of the referendum campaigns it has led, including many referendums with high issue salience against right-wing populists. Third, Economiesuisse shows that business strategies of ‘loud voice’ can be successful. With money and innovative public-facing campaigning strategies, business organizations can win in noisy environments and against right-wing populists.

Projected Health Outcomes Associated With 3 US Supreme Court Decisions in 2022 on COVID-19 Workplace Protections, Handgun-Carry Restrictions, and Abortion Rights

Several recent US Supreme Court rulings have drawn criticism from the medical community, but their health consequences have not been quantitatively evaluated. To model health outcomes associated with 3 Supreme Court rulings in 2022 that invalidated workplace COVID-19 vaccine or mask-and-test requirements, voided state handgun-carry restrictions, and revoked the constitutional right to abortion. This decision analytical modeling study estimated outcomes associated with 3 Supreme Court rulings in 2022: (1) National Federation of Independent Business v Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), which invalidated COVID-19 workplace protections; (2) New York State Rifle and Pistol Association Inc v Bruen, Superintendent of New York State Police (Bruen), which voided state laws restricting handgun carry; and (3) Dobbs v Jackson Women's Health Organization (Dobbs), which revoked the constitutional right to abortion. Data analysis was performed from July 1, 2022, to April 7, 2023. For the OSHA ruling, multiple data sources were used to calculate deaths attributable to COVID-19 among unvaccinated workers from January 4 to May 28, 2022, and the share of these deaths that would have been prevented by the voided protections. To model the Bruen decision, published estimates of the consequences of right-to-carry laws were applied to 2020 firearm-related deaths (and injuries) in 7 affected jurisdictions. For the Dobbs ruling, the model assessed unwanted pregnancy continuations, resulting from the change in distance to the closest abortion facility, and then excess deaths (and peripartum complications) from forcing these unwanted pregnancies to term. The decision model projected that the OSHA decision was associated with 1402 additional COVID-19 deaths (and 22 830 hospitalizations) in early 2022. In addition, the model projected that 152 additional firearm-related deaths (and 377 nonfatal injuries) annually will result from the Bruen decision. Finally, the model projected that 30 440 fewer abortions will occur annually due to current abortion bans stemming from Dobbs, with 76 612 fewer abortions if states at high risk for such bans also were to ban the procedure; these bans will be associated with an estimated 6 to 15 additional pregnancy-related deaths each year, respectively, and hundreds of additional cases of peripartum morbidity. These findings suggest that outcomes from 3 Supreme Court decisions in 2022 could lead to substantial harms to public health, including nearly 3000 excess deaths (and possibly many more) over a decade.

The Industrialists: How the National Association of Manufacturers Shaped American Capitalism

The Industrialists: How the National Association of Manufacturers Shaped American Capitalism

Success and failure of the voluntary action plan: Disaggregated sector decomposition analysis of energy-related CO2 emissions in Japan

To accomplish the goal of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, the Japanese Business Federation (JBF) has implemented the voluntary action plan (VAP), which includes the unique feature of not penalizing industrial organizations for failing to meet the CO2 emissions or energy consumption reduction targets. This study evaluates the role of the VAP in emission reduction by analyzing highly disaggregated data of 197 sectors from 1980 to 2015 using the logarithmic mean Divisia index (LMDI) method. The results indicate that the increase in CO2 emissions among Japanese industries is mainly caused by the increase in indirect CO2 emissions. Moreover, the energy consumption structure has progressively shifted from fossil fuels to electricity. The decomposition analysis highlights two key points. (1) The VAP is ineffective in reducing emissions in sectors with low market concentration. (2) Energy intensity targets of the VAP does not lead to a significant reduction in CO2 emissions. Thus, this study concludes that the contribution of the VAP in reducing CO2 emissions is limited. Evidence from our research suggests four directions for future policy design and implications.

Corporate Policy, Male Breadwinners, and Their Family Care in Aging Japan

A rapidly emerging set of carers are men who combine care for older relatives with employment. In Japan, a 2015 government initiative aimed at reforming work to make employment and care compatible by 2020 failed to reduce the approximately 100,000 annually quitting employment mainly due to care for older relatives. This paper aims to evaluate the initiative’s limited impact through a multilevel understanding of the roll-out of the family care policy. Stakeholder views, based on 32 interviews including with employers, the Japanese Business Federation, local care providers and NPOs, are juxtaposed with the perspectives of employed male family carers drawn from 37 qualitative in-depth narrative interviews complemented by participant observation in the Tokyo area in 2019. The ethnographic fieldwork evidences informants’ diverse engagement with care for older relatives underpinned by strongly held cultural views of care provision being a ‘private’ issue, which contrasts with government attempts to make family care a ‘social’ issue by broadening stakeholder participation. Further, corporates tend to have tacit reluctance to transform working practices to accommodate care. Thus, employed men’s devotion to work competes with the culturally embedded notion that carers should be committed to care provision. In conclusion, such a disjuncture is a major factor in the government initiative’s failure. Although cultural values and meanings in policy evaluation theories are often neglected, this research points to the significance of ongoing (re)construction of the socio-cultural notions congruent with social policy enablement.

Transparency in nursing home services before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain

The objective of the article is to analyze transparency in the provision of nursing home services towards beneficiaries. To do this, we identify three policy dimensions and their specific elements, what allow us to assess transparency in the implementation of these services. The article develops and empirically tests an analytical framework to assess the transparency of elderly care services in Spain. On the one hand, we examine the extent to which nursing home service providers (both public and private) are obliged to supply information about their performance. We analyze the formal obligations for both public and private facilities in the seventeen autonomous communities (ACs). On the other hand, we examine the content of the messages posted on Twitter by the three biggest business associations of the sector in Spain, namely, Business Federation of Assistance for Dependents (Federación Empresarial de la Dependencia), Association of Dependency Services Companies (Asociación de Empresas de Servicios para la Dependencia), and Business Circle of Caring for People (Círculo Empresarial de Atención a las Personas), in order to determine whether transparency is a concern for the industry regardless of the regulatory requirements faced by direct service providers.

Preterm birth and foetal-neonatal death rates associated with the Affordable Care Act Medicaid expansion (2014-19).

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) or Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 represented a significant expansion of insurance coverage and regulatory reform.1 While initially mandatory, the June 2012 Supreme Court ruling in ‘National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius’ established this reform as elective and state-dependent.2 Since 2012, 39 states (and the District of Columbia) have adopted the ACA expanded reform. The ACA expansion increased eligibility for adults with income up to 138% the federal poverty level (FPL).3 In addition, coverage of children had previously varied by state and by age groups, and under the ACA expansion, children ≤18 were covered up to 138% FPL as well. Medicaid currently provides coverage for 40–50% of all pregnancies under a 200% FPL requirement, yet 65% of women subsequently lost postpartum coverage and preventative care.4 The ACA provisions allow for greater coverage of women prior to pregnancy and postpartum, which has resulted in a 28% reduction in insurance churning among low-income women.5 In addition, the rate of uninsured adults in states, which did not adopt the ACA expansion, is twice that of ACA-expanded states.6

Transforming the Dynamics of Climate Politics in Japan: Business’ Response to Securitization

In 2020, Japan suddenly changed course and made carbon neutrality its intermediate target. In an attempt to understand this drastic policy change, this article analyzes the effects of climate security discourses on the perception of the Japanese business community, which holds the pivotal position in Japan’s climate policy. It particularly focuses on the effect of securitization on the source–impact asymmetry, one of the intrinsic features identified as a major obstacle to effective climate governance. From this standpoint, the article measures the extent to which the issue of climate change has been securitized in Japan, and also the extent to which the Japanese business community has come to share the securitizers’ sense of exigency. In so doing, this article employs the text-mining method called KH Coder to analyze relevant government documents as well as statements issued by Keidanren (also known as Japan Business Federation). The analysis shows that the Ministry of the Environment together with other governmental actors has collectively securitized the issue within the context of Japanese society, but that its impact on industry has been indirect, pointing to the complexity of its causal impact.

“So, Sue Me:” Medical Professionals Should Support Title VI Civil Rights Law Improvements as Part of their Anti-racism Work

“So, Sue Me:” Medical Professionals Should Support Title VI Civil Rights Law Improvements as Part of their Anti-racism Work

Supreme Court Strikes Down Third Challenge to Affordable Care Act

Supreme Court Strikes Down Third Challenge to Affordable Care Act

The dissociations of John Roberts: National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius and the discontents of judicial supremacy

The Supreme Court of the United States often finds itself at the center of political controversies due to the increased judicialization of value and policy matters. These controversies threaten the Court’s legitimacy, inducing the justices to defend their independence to perform the institution’s raison d’être. This dilemma is exemplified in legal challenges to the Affordable Care Act after the U.S. Congress, in 2018, eliminated the tax penalty that was essential to the Court’s rationale for upholding the mandate in a prior case. By interrogating the dissociative reasoning of Chief Justice Roberts’ controlling opinion in National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius (2012), I argue that the opinion and its uptake in subsequent challenges epitomize the discontents of judicial supremacy and the ultimate inconstancy of judicially-driven political change. Evaluation of this case contributes to understanding of the practices of legal argumentation and theories of dissociation.

News and Reports: Singapore Business Federation Partners with United Overseas Bank and Keppel Land to Assist Singapore Businesses in Overseas Ventures

News and Reports: Singapore Business Federation Partners with United Overseas Bank and Keppel Land to Assist Singapore Businesses in Overseas Ventures

Latinos’ Knowledge of the Supreme Court

AbstractThere is convincing evidence that Americans have high, stable levels of knowledge about the Supreme Court. Yet, this conclusion masks variance in political knowledge associated with ethnicity. Using data from surveys of Latinos and non-Latinos fielded before and after the Supreme Court’s rulings in Arizona v. United States and National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius, we find Latinos know less about the Court than other Americans. However, Latinos’ knowledge of the Court increased significantly between the surveys, while others’ Supreme Court knowledge did not. We discuss the implications of this result for the Supreme Court’s legitimacy and civic education policy.

The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) from the Small Business Perspective: Did the PPP Help Alleviate Financial and Economic Constraints?

Do business bailouts help alleviate recipient firms’ financial and economic constraints, are effects strongest for the primary targets of the bailouts, and are effects temporary or long-lasting? We address these questions for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) small business bailout during COVID-19. We analyze survey responses from small business owners for almost a year from the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) and Small Business Administration (SBA) data on PPP loans. Results suggest PPP loans significantly alleviated constraints, primarily for targeted firms – those in the most COVID-19-impacted industries, smaller firms, and firms in lower-income counties – but effects are temporary.

日本の気候変動対策におけるプライベート・ガバナンス : 経団連「自主行動計画」の作動メカニズム

日本の気候変動対策におけるプライベート・ガバナンス : 経団連「自主行動計画」の作動メカニズム

The Affordable Care Act 10 Years In: What Nursing Leaders Should Know

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) introduced wide-ranging health care reforms but faces many challenges. This article reviews 6 key points for today’s nurse leader on the law’s 10th anniversary: a renewed legal battle is on its way to the Supreme Court; 27 million people still lack coverage, partly due to nonexpansion of Medicaid in 15 states; Medicaid waivers provide coverage for some low-income people but leave many people out; value-based purchasing has allocated billions of dollars in rewards and penalties; ACA Marketplace plans are not always affordable, but premiums are stabilizing; and the 2020 elections could result in dramatic consequences for health care reform.

The engagement of home-based businesses in the digital economy

This paper explores the engagement of home-based businesses in digital trading, measured as proportion of their sales from buying and selling services and products online of all their sales. Findings are drawn from a sample of 994 Small- and Medium-Sized Businesses that are members of the Federation of Small Businesses in Scotland. Multivariate findings show that home-based businesses are associated with high proportions of online sales supporting the view of home-based businesses as ‘online’ businesses. However, quantitatively, the overall transformational effects of digital technologies on the nature and processes of entrepreneurship are rather small as the vast majority of home-based businesses, like SMEs that are not home-based, trade offline. Online business models represent a very small proportion of the home-based business sector. Home-based businesses in rural areas do not make greater use of e-commerce. The findings add to the critical literature on the transformative nature of digital entrepreneurship and the emerging home-based business literature that question whether the role of digital technologies and online marketplaces for home-based businesses are being exaggerated, particularly in rural economies.

Shifting threats and rhetoric: how Republican governors framed Medicaid expansion.

The 2012 Supreme Court decision in National Federation of Independent Business v Sebelius gave states the option to adopt the Medicaid expansion as part of the Affordable Care Act. Many states, especially those under Republican control, have since grappled with their decision to implement the expansion. We conduct a comparative analysis of how Republican governors framed their stance on the Medicaid expansion. We analyze public statements on the Medicaid expansion published in two major in-state newspapers from all Republican governors from June 2012 through June 2018. In total we collected, coded and analyzed 3277 statements from 66 newspapers. Several key themes emerge from our analysis. While every Republican governor used oppositional framing as part of their rhetorical response to the Medicaid expansion, the policy had a destabilizing effect on the previously unified opposition to health reform. We find that Republican framing split after the results of the 2012 election and that overall Republican governors shifted towards more supportive framing prior to the 2016 presidential election. Republican governors transformed how they framed their stance towards Medicaid expansion after Donald Trump was elected in 2016, with both supportive and oppositional moral-based framing of expansion increasing. These findings inform how policymakers use rhetoric to support their stance on controversial policies in a hyper-partisan and polarized political environment.

Closing The Medicaid Coverage Gap: Options For Reform.

Eight years after the US Supreme Court's landmark decision in National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius, more than two million of the nation's poorest working-age adults continue to feel its effects. These are the people who, because of the decision, remain without a pathway to affordable health insurance coverage because they live in a state that has not expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Closing the coverage gap created by NFIB v. Sebelius represents the ACA's most pressing piece of unfinished business. Several options, which vary in cost and political complexity, exist for closing the gap in ways that respect the ACA's pluralistic approach to insurance coverage while adhering to constitutional principles. These considerations must be balanced against the urgency of the problem and the fact that, constitutionally speaking, Medicaid alone can no longer guarantee a national remedy to the fundamental issue of health insurance inequality for the poorest Americans.