Global Policymaking Research Articles

Problems of entrepreneurship development in the Arctic: Russian and foreign experience of observing the principles of green economy

In recent years, interest in the Arctic regions has grown. Global corporations, policymakers, and research scientists became interested in the Arctic, as the climate in the Arctic regions changes and as the consequences in the global world directly or indirectly extend to all countries. The desire to understand and manage the new economic opportunities associated with the vast natural resources of the Arctic regions is common among all interested parties. However, the achievement of economic goals depends on many factors. It should be noted that among the factors facilitating economic development, we should consider important the factors of development of local communities and local entrepreneurship, and observation of the principles of green economy. In recent years, Russian and foreign Arctic research scientists have published a significant number of articles on the study of the Arctic regions and the development of entrepreneurship. The purpose of this work is to study entrepreneurship in the Arctic regions by analyzing Russian and foreign scientific publications. A common negative demographic factor for the Arctic regions is the change in the structure of the population, so the development of entrepreneurship can be considered important for the development of the Arctic regions, capable of providing livelihoods for local residents. The article considers the current conditions for entrepreneurial activity in the Arctic to determine the problems and prospects for the development of entrepreneurship in the Arctic regions from the point of view of green economy. In the article, the authors offer advice on engaging in entrepreneurial activities in the Arctic, following the principles of sustainable development and adhering to the principles of a green economy.

Are we making progress on decarbonization? A panel heterogeneous study of the long-run relationship in selected economies

This study investigates the long-run relationship between carbon emissions (CO2) and technological progress, capital intensity, GDP per capita, population, and labor productivity for 23 selected economies from 1890 to 2019. The study's originality emerges from using the most comprehensive panel time-series data available (1890–2019), adopting the most recent panel empirical modeling techniques. We use different estimation techniques fully modified ordinary least square (FMOLS), dynamic ordinary least square (DOLS), canonical cointegration regression (CCR) to evaluate whether the decarbonization process is significant and its progress comparing findings with mean-group error correction model with variable cross-sectional averages (CCEMG) for robustness. The results reported here underline that carbon emissions are slowing down, but the decarbonization process remains sluggish. Limiting factors for decarbonization are GDP per capita growth, population, capital intensity, total factor productivity, labor productivity, emissions inequality, high relative costs of renewables, economy structure (share of labor/capital intensive industries). The study results provide evidence countries with higher GDP per capita, total factor productivity growth, population growth, and increasing capital intensity drive global carbon emissions up. The findings of this study have several significant implications for global CO2 policymakers and carbon emissions reduction initiatives. It also has important implications for practitioners facing policy and technological choices toward corporate social responsibility management. This article provides new insights into empirical modeling for carbons emissions-effects under heterogeneity (endogeneity), non-stationarity, cross-sectional dependence, and unobservable technological progress effect.

Geopolitics and rare earth metals

Rare earth elements are critical in the production of consumer products, renewables, and green, industrial, and defense products. Using more than thirty years of Japanese import data, we document statistically significant relationships between geopolitics and rare earth metals. We find that the import price per unit of rare earth metals is positively related to geopolitics, while gross import values are negatively related. The negative relationship in the import value appears strongest for rare earth metals sourced from China. Given the strategic and economic significance of rare earth metals, our findings shed light on the economic implications of geopolitical tensions in the decades to come. For users of rare earth elements, an effective risk management program could add value in times of high geopolitical tension. We also highlight rare earth elements’ value as a diplomatic tool for global policymakers.

An Application of Fintech for A Modern Islamic Financial Industry: Challenges and Practical Solutions

Fintech can be defined as a digital financial service by using sophisticated technologies through software systems. This paper aims to define Fintech in an understandable definition. This study also attempts to find out the challenges of Fintech application in the modern Islamic financial industry. Then, practical solutions are recommended in this paper to address the arising current challenges to ensure the maximization of Fintech usage in a modern Islamic financial industry. This paper relies on past literature, past studies, published reports, online news, and official website portals related to the topic. The qualitative method is used for this study by reviewing the collected past literature reviews to achieve the objective of the research. Hence, the findings revealed that there are 12 challenges of Fintech application encountered by the Islamic financial industry; ; (1) Regulation framework; (2) Human resources; (3) Sharia-compliant issue; (4) Security risk; (5) High competition from Fintech Firms; (6) Clients’ and Investors’ trust; (7) Adaptation of new Fintech tools; (8) Government support; (9) Lack of IT skills by the client; (10) Lack of technology and capital venture; (11) Islamic Financial Business Model and its management; and lastly (12) Penetration of international market. Next, practical solutions are suggested for every Fintech challenge to achieve the second research objective of this paper. The practical solutions are targeted to the national and global policymakers. This paper helps to improve Fintech usage in the Islamic financial industry with the latest sophisticated technologies to be able to sustain in the market while maintaining its reputation.

Systems Thinking and Group Concept Mapping for Classification of Marketing Techniques in Mobility Plans

Due to the increasing urbanization of the global population, policymakers and academia have shifted their attention toward mobility plans and inquiries on how to best design and implement them. Hence, in order to introduce meaningful and lasting mobility plans, coordination and addressing the needs of a wide number of stakeholders are required. Reaching such a broad target audience may appear challenging for policymakers; nonetheless, the employment of appropriate marketing techniques can make the different stakeholders aware of the problems at stake and inform them about the available solutions. However, the question of which marketing technique to use in order to increase the probability of success for the mobility plan still remains. The purpose of the current paper is to propose a hybrid method that can assist policymakers in categorizing the marketing techniques towards the sustainable urban mobility plan’s steps, with the combination of Systems Thinking and modified Group Concept Mapping. The paper concludes with a series of recommendations to policymakers on which marketing technique appears to be the most appropriate under different conditions. The novelties of the paper are the combination of the two methodologies and the practical recommendations that could be useful by policymakers. Moreover, the paper illustrates an example of how to structure and more efficiently use evidence-based policies.

"Digital global health diplomacy" for climate change and human security in the Anthropocene.

The COVID-19 pandemic has now affected everyone, threatening every aspect of our well-being with over 617597680 confirmed cases, including 6532705 deaths globally. The context of the Anthropocene is the backdrop for the novel, interlinked, systemic, and global threats. Anthropocene is a term proposed to designate the era in which human beings have become predominant drivers of planetary change, drastically altering the planet's biosphere. The concept of global health diplomacy (GHD), which connects the domains of health and international relations, has a critical role in advancing human security. Thus, there is a need for new forms of diplomacy, which is critically important in this complex intermestic and interdependent Anthropocene era, where globalization has inevitably linked nations and population health. This paper introduces, analyzes, and attempts to define "Digital Global Health Diplomacy" (DGHD), which has gained great momentum during this COVID-19 pandemic with concurrent health and human security threats. The application of digital formats to the existing traditional structures for dialogue has become a more popular tool recently. Furthermore, digital means are being used during the COVID-19 pandemic to share the health diplomacy discourse at subnational, supranational, international, regional, and global platforms. DGHD reminds us again of the criticality of this multidisciplinary concept involving the contributions of diplomats, global health specialists, digital technology experts, economists, trade specialists, international law, political scientists, etc., in the global policymaking process. If used effectively by trained global health diplomats through innovative digital platforms, DGHD has a great scope of delivering results faster and has more reach than the traditional approach.

Prevalence estimates of trafficking in persons using statistical definitions: a cross-sectional high-risk community survey in Cape Town, South Africa

ObjectivesCurrent research on trafficking in persons (TIP) relies heavily on legal and prosecutorial definitions. A public health approach has called for population-level assessment; however, identification of TIP victims lacks a...

Vaccine equity in COVID-19: a meta-narrative review

The topic of inequitable vaccine distribution has been widely discussed by academics, journalists and policy-makers in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, research into perceptions of vaccine equity has...

Critical findings of the sixth assessment report (AR6) of working Group I of the intergovernmental panel on climate change (IPCC) for global climate change policymaking a summary for policymakers (SPM) analysis

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to assess how intergovernmental panel on climate change’s (IPCC’s) sixth assessment report of Working Group I (WGI), a Summary for Policymakers (SPM), has evaluated the current climate change situation. The author uses the qualitative content analysis (QCA) method (i.e. summative content analysis [SCA]) to identify critical points of the SPM.Design/methodology/approachTo better understand the WGI report and its SPM, the author uses the thematic analysis, often called the QCA method. This study takes more steps and uses one of the main qualitative content analysis approaches (i.e. SCA). Therefore, QCA (SCA) can help the author count the occurrence of certain words using computer-assisted qualitative data analysis software that quantifies the words in the data. This process helps the author to understand codes and patterns (e.g. the concept in the results section).FindingsInterestingly, the AR6 says more about adaptation for policy makers in sections C (Climate information for risk assessment) and D (Mitigation of future climate change) than in sections A and D. Finally, this study concludes that the IPCC WGI SPM has addressed evidence on global climate change policymaking for SPMa, SPMd (mitigation-based strategies and mitigation policy [MP]) and SPMb, SPMc (adaptation policy and adaptation-based strategy).Research limitations/implicationsFirst, this study refers only to the contribution of WGI, a SPM. The findings of this study do not necessarily provide a full understanding of what the AR6 WGI SPM says about climate change. It points out that the QDA Miner software and Voyant tool do not include all variables and examples where mitigation and adaptation-based strategies are discussed. The guidance for coding is based on the approved version of IPCC AR6 WGI SPM. The final limitation is that the relatedness of key words (e.g. confidence, high and warming) is sometimes ambiguous; even experts may disagree on how the words are linked to form a concept. Thus, this method works at the keyword level. A more intelligent method would use more meaningful information than keywords.Originality/valueThis study used qualitative data analysis (SCA) to explore what was said about climate change in four sections of the IPCC AR6 WGI SPM, which may influence current and future global climate change policymaking.

Emotional Labor in Everyday Resilience: Class-Based Experiences of Navigating Unemployment Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic in the U.S.

During the COVID-19 global health crisis, institutions, policymakers, and academics alike have called for practicing resilience to overcome its ongoing disruptions. This paper contributes a comparative study of the job search experiences of working-class and upper-middle-class job seekers, particularly in relation to their resilience practices during the pandemic. Drawing from in-depth interviews with 12 working-class and 11 upper-middle-class job seekers in the U.S., we unpack challenges resulting from both the pandemic and unemployment and job seekers' novel practices of navigating these challenges in their everyday disrupted life. Job seekers' ongoing negotiation with their resources, situations, and surroundings gives practical meanings to building everyday resilience, which we theorize as an ongoing process of becoming resilient. While job seekers across classes experienced similar challenges, working-class job seekers took on additional emotional labor in their everyday resilience due to their limited experience in the digital job search space, competition with higher-degree holding job seekers applying for the same jobs, limited social support networks, and at times, isolation. By foregrounding the uneven distribution of emotional labor in realizing the promise of resilience along class lines, this work cautions against the romanticization of resilience and calls for a more critical and nuanced understanding of resilience in CSCW.

Use of Machine Learning in Air Pollution Research: A Bibliographic Perspective

This research is an attempt to examine the recent status and development of scientific studies on the use of machine learning algorithms to model air pollution challenges. This study uses the Web of Science database as a primary search engine and covers over 900 highly peer-reviewed articles in the period 1990–2022. Papers published on these topics were evaluated using the VOSViewer and biblioshiny software to identify and visualize significant authors, key trends, nations, research publications, and journals working on these issues. The findings show that research grew exponentially after 2012. Based on the survey, “particulate matter” is the highly occurring keyword, followed by “prediction”. Papers published by Chinese researchers have garnered the most citations (2421), followed by papers published in the United States of America (2256), and England (722). This study assists scholars, professionals, and global policymakers in understanding the current status of the research contribution on “air pollution and machine learning” as well as identifying the relevant areas for future research.

Making blind spots visible: the lack of race-conscious research and data in public and global health

Abstract In Continental Europe, race-conscious research and data (RCRD) is not adequately deployed in support of policy-making and social change to tackle health disparities. One reason is a lack of national data systems based on race in many countries, another is that researchers or policymakers are unaccustomed to taking them into account. One consequence of this for public and global health is the adoption and implementation of policies that are ostensibly race-neutral but which in fact reproduce “methodological whiteness” (Bhambra, 2017) and create or exacerbate racial health inequities. Calls to decolonise public health recognize the importance of RCRD, yet race or ethnicity as a variable in research continues to be seen as a contentious issue for a number of reasons. First, while some researchers see it as a valuable tool for addressing health inequalities or the impact of institutionalized and systemic racism on racialized/ethnic minority groups, others oppose its use on the ground that it can lead to stigmatization or racial stereotyping. Second, RCRD is often seen as too difficult to implement in practice, due to challenges of finding appropriate approaches to conceptualisation, operationalisation, data (non)collection, and interpretation. Third, many researchers fear that the use of race and ethnicity in research may be instrumentalized against minorities in ways that are sometimes difficult to anticipate. This project aims to contribute to addressing this, by building expertise for RCRD and creating a knowledge network and community of practice for researchers working in Public and Global Health in Continental Europe. The project begins by examining how RCRD is used at the Institute of Tropical Medicine Antwerp, which is located in Belgium, Europe but has research collaborations on other continents. It then continues with a scoping review on the use of RCRD to address racial and ethnic health disparities more generally across Europe. Key messages • Race-conscious research and data are lacking in public and global health research and policy-making, leading to racial health disparities. • Need to develop expertise and a network of researchers in race-conscious research and data in Europe.

How states engage in and exercise power in global health: Indonesian and Japanese engagement in the conceptualization of Sustainable Development Goal 3

While long overlooked, power is central to understand how actors engage in global health policymaking. We reviewed how the Japanese and Indonesian governments exerted power and engaged in global health diplomacy during negotiations to conceptualize the post-2015 Sustainable Development Goal for health (SDG3). We conducted deliberative policy analysis including semi-structured, in-depth, interviews with more than 71 policymakers, which we analyzed adapting Barnett and Duvall's power framework. We find that both Japan and Indonesia exerted non-material power (institutional, productive and structural power) to advance largely domestic political interests. Japan's government mainly exerted institutional power, leveraging relationships within the World Bank and the World Health Organization, whereas Indonesia's government focused on structural power, with its president serving as co-chair of the UN Secretary-General's High-Level Post-2015 Panel. Our analysis suggests that the ways in which states engage in global health diplomacy is shaped by the relationship between different intra-state institutions, particularly the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Health, and is further determined by broader foreign policy and diplomatic priorities. We find that the decline of states' influence is over-stated: states continue to exercise significant power in global health diplomacy, pursuing domestic political imperatives and strategies to improve population health. As states expand their global health engagement, researchers should seek to better understand how states participate in an increasingly crowded and contested global health field.

Volatility spillovers between Turkish energy stocks and fossil fuel energy commodities based on time and frequency domain approaches

In this paper, we investigate the volatility spillovers among major energy stocks, the electricity index, and fossil fuel energy commodities (crude oil, natural gas, and coal) using firm-level data in an emerging market, Turkey over the period July 18, 2006–December 31, 2021, which covers important economic events worldwide. To do this, we employ Diebold and Yilmaz's (2012) approach to examine both time-varying and invarying volatility spillovers among markets. Our findings reveal that Turkish energy stocks and the fossil fuel energy markets have high interdependencies, which are significantly affected by global political, financial, and extreme events. The volatility spillovers among markets during the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020 exceeded the 2008 global financial crisis. We also examine the volatility connectedness between markets based on frequency domain using various frequency bands (short term, medium term, long term). To do so, we adopt Barunik and Krehlik’s (2018) approach and find that the highest performance is recorded in the long horizon compared to short and medium horizons, implying that the impact of volatility spillover transmission from one market to others is persistent (long-lasting) in the Turkish market. Finally, we discuss policy implications for global investors and policymakers based on our results.

Artisanal and Small‐Scale Mining and the Sustainable Development Goals: Why Nobody Cares

This paper reflects broadly on how artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) can contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It is argued that overall, the sector will not contribute in any meaningful way towards the SDGs by 2030. Moreover, it is also maintained that ASM will not contribute towards sustainable development more widely in the future. This is because nobody really cares enough about the sector for a number of reasons which the paper outlines. In respect of global policymaking priorities, the impacts of ASM pale in comparison in terms of size and impacts to other much more immediate global social and environmental concerns. Moreover, ASM is a symptom of limited socioeconomic development and not an activity that has proven itself likely to contribute to improved socioeconomic conditions. This makes it an unappealing prospect for global, longer term sustainable development approaches. These higher-level issues percolate down to the national level, where the sector’s negative associations, the complexities of attempting to manage it, and a notable bias towards the easy funds from large-scale extractive industries, combine to make it an easy issue to overlook or avoid altogether. In terms of supply chains that link ASM with the rest of the world, the vast percentage of those buying metals and minerals extracted by artisanal operators have repeatedly proven that they have next to no qualms about the conditions under which they were produced.

Voluntary standards and the SDGs: Mapping public-private complementarities for sustainable development

To strengthen global sustainability governance, academics and policymakers have called for a better integration of private governance with public policy instruments. Surprisingly, however, systematic research on the state of such public-private complementarities in the field of sustainable development is lacking. With a focus on voluntary sustainability standards and the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, this article addresses this research gap. It uses a novel dataset of 232 voluntary standards to examine how their policies and organizational processes interact with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals and their targets. We identify significant public-private complementarities, but also areas of institutional disconnect. We further explore how the creation of institutional linkages in this issue area is driven by instrumental, managerial, and normative concerns and develop an agenda for future research. This includes research on whether and how intensifying public-private interactions at the transnational level translate into tangible impacts for sustainable development on the ground.

Techno-economic assessment of bioenergy potential on marginal croplands in the U.S. southeast

As global policymaking is moving toward the development of alternative energy sources, the role of renewable energy has unequivocally become a viable and immediate alternative to fossil fuels. This research analyzes how well an energy policy can integrate land resources including marginal lands for cultivating cellulosic biomass to produce biofuel. An economic model is developed to assess the levelized production costs of bioenergy on marginal croplands in nine southeastern U.S. states. These levelized costs are obtained in the range of $2.60–4.66 per gallon, depending on the capacity size of the biorefinery and the efficiency of conversion from feedstock to biofuels. Sensitivity analysis suggests that feedstock conversion rates can affect biofuel production costs. The production cost is competitive when compared to the current gasoline price of $3.70–4.10 in the southeastern region. Bioethanol derived from cellulosic biomass helps ease the current shortage of renewable fuels. It is essential to implement a comprehensive energy policy to address job opportunities for the agriculture sector, market economy for bioenergy production, and the integration of marginal lands for the transportation sector to achieve full electrification.

Impact of ineffective measures on the increasing land degradation in a monsoon‐dominated region of India: Issues and policy implications

AbstractLand degradation is a phenomenon that affects many environment, including drylands, resulting in a long‐term decline in ecosystems and productivity loss in agriculture. Asia has the highest ranked position in land degradation, followed by Africa and Europe, respectively. In more than 100 countries, 2.6 billion people are suffering from land degradation, and more than 33% of the Earth's land surface is under desertification. Various natural causes are drought, tsunami, earthquake, fire, flood, etc., while anthropogenic causes are land degradation through land clearance, overgrazing, planting of unsuitable species, wrong agricultural practices, inappropriate irrigation schemes, urban sprawl, and pollution from industries. The implications and effects of land degradation have reduced the productivity of agricultural land, damaged basic resources and ecosystem functions, and caused biodiversity losses. The main aim of this study is to identify the impact of ineffective measures on land degradation in a monsoon dominated region of India. In our this study, we have applied the Indian soil erosion model to predict soil erosion due to the implementation of structural and non‐structural measures. Our study finally found non‐structural measures effective for the health of the soil. Implementation of sustainable agriculture practices can reduce environmental effects without affecting productivity. This research we hope will be beneficial to local and global policymakers and those developing regulations to manage the land degradation process.

Geodiversity, Geoheritage and Geoconservation: A Global Perspective

Abstract In recent decades, the growing awareness and necessity of dealing with geodiversity and geoheritage has drawn the attention of the global geoscientific community to conserving and safeguarding it. As a result, the global initiatives, reinforced by the efforts of the regional and local geological communities, have led to a paradigm shift in how geodiversity (diverse geological elements) and geoheritage (geological heritage) are perceived. The efforts and actions of some nations in conserving geodiversity and geoheritage have been exemplary, while others are still in a nascent stage and a few still need to awaken. The concepts of geodiversity, geoparks, geoheritage, and geoconservation are the fruits of the efforts of many global and regional organizations. The collective efforts of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Global Geoparks Network (GGN), and the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) have brought the attention of the global geoscientific community, policymakers and governments of almost all nations to ponder the issues of geodiversity and geoheritage. These globally recognised organisations have been at the forefront and their initiatives have permitted the conservation of some significant geological heritage and have demonstrated that they can pave a new path for more sustainable development. These organisations have worked in tandem for the past few decades and have been successful in identifying and designating some of the outstanding and geologically significant sites/geosites as ‘Natural World Heritage Sites’, ‘UNESCO Global Geoparks’. The novel ideas and statutes defining global designation criteria and protocols by these organisations are there to enthuse and encourage earth scientists, policymakers, the public, and governments of all nations to frame their own national and local statutes for the identification and conservation of outstanding national geoheritage and to further integrate them with the international organisations for global designations.

Introduction to the special section: Histories of Global Health in Africa.

Global health is a multidisciplinary field, yet rarely productively incorporates historical knowledge. Local historical processes, interactions with past biomedical campaigns, and dynamic ecological narratives shape how disease outbreaks, health crises, and international interventions are received and remembered. The residues and afterlives of past interactions influence contemporary understandings. We argue for a broadening of the types of knowledge that are integrated into global health research, interventions, and policymaking by paying attention to project afterlives and better integrating forms of vernacular knowledge. Recognizing, understanding, respecting, and incorporating this knowledge is critical to the efficacy of global health-related interventions and the resulting outcomes.