Competent Government Research Articles

Identification Of Accountability With Competence, Community Participation And Information Technology In The Village Of Langkat District

This study aims to examine the effect of village government competence, community participation and utilization of information technology on accountability in villages in the Langkat Regency area. This research design is associative quantitative research. Data collection using a questionnaire with 244 respondents consisting of Planning, Budgeting, Administration, Reporting and Data Compilation in 47 villages in the Langkat Regency area. This research uses the SEM-Partial Least Square (PLS) approach. PLS is a component or variant-based Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) equation model. The results of this study indicate that the competence of village government, community participation and utilization of information technology have a positive effect on the accountability of village financial management. The implications of the results of this study prove that village financial accountability can be identified by factors of village government competence, community participation and the use of information technology that is adopted effectively and on target.

The impact of the coronavirus pandemic on support for the SNP and Scottish independence

ABSTRACT The retrospective model of voting holds that parties are elected based on their perceived competence in government and punished for incompetence. This theory is complicated in contexts of multilevel governance as it requires attributing responsibility to a particular party in a particular level of government. This paper tests the extent to which this model explains public opinion in a multilevel context (Scotland) on a high-stakes valence issue (the coronavirus pandemic). Using British Election Study Internet Panel data from 2019 to 2021, it assesses how the public responded to the perceived competence of the Scottish Government and British Government. The results find that for each Government those voters who rated their handling of the pandemic more highly increased their liking of the governing party and its leader. Further, those voters who thought a Government had performed well were more likely to switch towards supporting the party in power, but this depended on how much they previously liked that party. Similarly, increases in support for Scottish independence from the UK came from those voters who not only judged the Scottish Government to have handled the pandemic well, but also previously liked the SNP prior to the pandemic.

Exploring the Singapore general population's trust in COVID-19 information from different sources and its association with perceived risk of infection during the pandemic.

The degree of public trust in the government's competence is crucial in preventing the spread of misinformation and reducing psychological distress during a pandemic. The study aimed to (i) explore the trust in COVID-19 information from different sources and trust in the ability of the World Health Organization (WHO), government departments and related institutions in handling the epidemic in Singapore and (ii) its association with perceived risk of infection among Singapore residents. A total of 1,129 participants (aged 21 and above) were recruited from a cross-sectional study examining the well-being and resilience of Singapore's population between May 2020 to June 2021. Trust in COVID-19 information from different sources was measured on a 10-point scale and an ordinal 7-point scale was used for perceived risk of infection. Descriptive statistics and multivariate logistic regression model were conducted. 85.5% reported high trust in COVID-19 information from the government and their ability in handling the pandemic. Participants also reported high trust in COVID-19 information from local public health or infectious disease experts (84.4%) and traditional media (77.2%). Low trust in the ability of government departments and related institutions was associated with higher future (1 month) perceived risk of infection (OR: 5.7, 95% CI 1.02-32.45) and low trust in social media was associated with higher current perceived risk of infection (OR: 2.4, 95% CI 1.09-5.24). The present study provided insight on the level of trust on COVID-19 information from different sources and its associated perceived risks of infection. Future qualitative studies are recommended to facilitate better understanding of public trust and identify strategies for how it can be effectively addressed to support future public health responses.

Exploring the role of regulation in urban citizenship practices: looking at Swiss and Turkish cities

ABSTRACT ‘Urban citizenship’ connotes to statuses and practices centred around the relationship between a locality and (all) individuals present or residing within its territory. This alternative imagination of citizenship (as opposed to formal nation-state citizenship) is based on a presumption of belonging for persons present/resident in the locality (ius domicii) and includes those typically excluded by the nation-state, in a radical vision of equality and non-discrimination. But domestic legal competences of local governments vary significantly across jurisdictions. This article, based on field research in Turkey and Switzerland, explores what role such domestic competences, or the regulation of local governments, plays in facilitating, encouraging, discouraging or obstructing local governments’ engagement with radically inclusive urban citizenship practices. First operationalising the concept of ‘regulation’ and establishing Turkey and Switzerland as low- and high-regulation country contexts respectively, this article identifies four ways in which regulation shapes urban citizenship practices of local governments: (a) by shaping local governments’ perception on their own autonomy; (b) by influencing whether local governments engage in legally foreseen or extra-legal practices; (c) by informing whether and how much local governments categorise different groups of rights-holders and; (d) by affecting which scales these urban citizenship practices are exercised in (upwards, downwards, horizontal).

Community-Based Drug Rehabilitation Clients’ Motivation, Satisfaction and the Factors Affecting their Completion of the Rehabilitation and Aftercare Program: A Convergent Mixed Methods Study

This study examined treatment motivation, clientele satisfaction, and the factors affecting enrollment and completion in community-based drug rehabilitation and aftercare programs in the Philippines. A convergent mixed methods research design was employed using a survey and qualitative focus group discussions. Both on-going and completed clients had high level of internal motivation towards treatment and were highly satisfied with the program. Clients reported internal and external factors influenced their completion of the rehabilitation program while their satisfaction determined the areas that require necessary improvements. Aside from internal and external motivation, the general structure of the program, competence of facilitators, government and community support, and complementary intervention serve as influential factors.

Partisanship in a Pandemic: Biased Voter Assessments of Past and Present Government Performance

AbstractAccountability relies on voters accurately evaluating government performance in addressing the important issues of the day. This requirement arguably applies to an even greater extent when addressing fundamental societal crises. However, partisanship can bias evaluations, with government partisans perceiving outcomes more favorably, or attributing less responsibility for bad outcomes. We examine partisan motivated reasoning in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic crisis, using panel data and a survey experiment of over 6000 respondents in which vignettes prime respondents about the UK government’s successes and failures in tackling the pandemic. We also propose a novel extension of the partisan bias thesis: partisans arrive at biased judgements of government competence by recalling the past performance of the government differently, according to whether or not their favored party held power at that time. We find that even in the relatively consensual partisan context of the UK’s response to Covid-19, where both major parties endorsed both lockdown and vaccination programs, there is evidence of both current and recall partisan biases: Opposition partisans are more likely to blame the government for negative outcomes and less likely to recall positive aspects of the government’s recent and past performance unless prompted to do so. Our findings have implications for understanding the limits of democratic accountability under crisis conditions.

중･고등학생의 참여자치역량 실태 분석: 개인 및 학교 요인의 차이를 중심으로

This study aimed to examine the level of Participatory Governance Competence among middle and high school students in Seoul, and to explore the differences in competence levels according to individual-level and school-level factors. To achieve this, a mixed-methods approach combining quantitative analysis using surveys and statistical analysis, and qualitative approach through FGI was conducted. The main variables were selected as ‘gender’ and ‘parents’ level of concern for social issues’ as individual factors, and ‘innovative school status’ as a school factor. The findings of this study are as follows. First, the Participatory Governance Competence of students scored above 3.5 out of 5 for all factors, but the school-level ‘autonomy’ and the societal-level ‘public interest and solidarity’ factors were relatively low. Second, there were differences in students’ competence levels depending on the ‘innovative school status’. In general, cognitive factors scored higher among regular school students, while normative factors scored higher among innovative school students. Third, there were differences in competence among students depending on gender or parents’ level of concern for social issues, confirming the need for efforts in school education. Based on these results, the following policy implications are proposed. First, there is a need to transform from ‘administratively existing student councils’ to ‘student councils with guaranteed substantive participation’. Second, schools need to regularize opportunities for student participation and feedback on decision-making to enhance students’ efficacy.

A Hybrid Model for Fitness Influencer Competency Evaluation Framework

Fitness influencers are an emerging profession in recent years. At present, the main research on fitness influencers focuses on their personal traits, professional knowledge and skills, and course content, while there is still a large research gap on the social media marketing strategies of fitness influencers, how they interact with fans, and the reasons for their influence on fans. There is a lack of a comprehensive evaluation framework for fitness influencer research, and there is no clear research on what competencies are required to become a qualified fitness influencer. Therefore, it has become an important issue to establish a comprehensive fitness influencer competency evaluation. In this study, a hybrid model of fitness influencer competency evaluation framework was developed based on government competency standards and expert knowledge using the Multiple Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) model perspective. This evaluation should expand to include the principles of sustainable development, emphasizing the influencers’ role in advocating for environmental responsibility, social equity, and economic viability within the fitness industry. First, the study developed 21 criteria in six dimensions of fitness influencer competencies through a literature survey and interviews with several experts. The 21 criteria resonate with many of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being), SDG 4 (Quality Education), SDG 5 (Gender Equality), SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities), and SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities). The Bayesian Best-Worst Method (Bayesian BWM) was used to generate the best group weights for fitness influencer competencies. Then, a modified Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to the Ideal Solution Based on Aspiration Level (modified TOPSIS-AL) was applied to evaluate the performance ranking of major fitness influencers in Taiwan by integrating the concept of the aspiration level. The results of the study revealed that behavioral standards were the most important dimension, emphasizing the need for fitness influencers to establish a comprehensive set of norms for their own behavioral standards. The top five criteria for fitness influencers’ competencies were self-review, punctuality and prudence, creativity, rapport and motivation, and the need to conform to one’s body image. The performance ranking was used to compare the evaluated subjects to the desired level to obtain a basis for improvement. This study effectively identifies key fitness industry competency indicators and refines business performance through the management implications proposed in this study to facilitate the development of the fitness industry.

The strategic role of owners in firm growth: Contextualizing ownership competence in private firms

AbstractResearch SummaryWe integrate the emerging literature on the strategic role of firm owners in firms' value creation with Penrosean growth theory to investigate how and under what conditions two experience‐based competences among owners—matching competence and governance competence—influence firm growth. Employing a longitudinal sample of 2509 owner‐managed German firms, we find a positive relationship between owners' experience‐based competences and firm growth. Further, we find that in family firms, the positive relationship between owners' experience‐based governance competence and firm growth is weaker and that both experience‐based competences matter more in younger firms compared with older firms. Our findings make important contributions to research on strategic ownership and Penrosean growth theory.Managerial SummaryIn our study, we show that two competences of owner–managers are important for the growth of their firms: their matching competence, which is the ability to theorize about valuable resource configurations and cognitively envision a path to implement them, and their governance competence, which is the ability to create effective governance arrangements to align incentives within a firm. Our results suggest that it is challenging for owner–managers from family firms to leverage their governance competence to achieve growth, which could potentially be resolved by instituting governance mechanisms that prevent nepotism. We also show that owner–managers' competences are particularly important in the early years of their firms when no standardized processes are in place.

Accessible environment in municipalities of the Russian Federation

The subject. This article discusses the main issues related to the competence of local governments in the field of providing an accessible environment for the disabled.Methodology. The paper analyzes the federal legislation regulating the powers of local self-government bodies in the field of providing an accessible environment for the disabled, and discusses the essence of these powers.Main results, scope of application. The powers of local self-government bodies in the field of providing an accessible environment for the disabled should be considered, first of all, as the powers of the owner.At the same time, the powers of the owner are not the only powers of local governments in this area. Local self-government bodies participate in activities to ensure that disabled people living on the territory of the relevant municipalities have equal opportunities with other citizens in the exercise of their rights and freedoms provided for by the Constitution of the Russian Federation. Based on this, local self-government bodies should participate in providing an accessible environment for disabled people not only on municipal property, but also on the territory of the municipality as a whole, together with state authorities and organizations.The second group of powers of local self-government bodies in the field of providing an accessible environment for the disabled can include: (1) the powers of local self-government bodies, which are implemented by them when granting local self-government bodies separate state powers in the field of providing an accessible environment for the disabled; (2) the powers of local self-government bodies, which are implemented by them jointly with the state authorities of the subjects of the Russian Federation at the expense of subsidies from the regional budget as part of the implementation of measures of the state programs of the subjects of the Russian Federation on the accessible environment; (3) the powers of local self-government bodies to participate, together with public organizations of disabled people, in the work on certification of priority facilities and services in priority areas of life of disabled people and other low-mobility groups of the population, carried out by state authorities of the subjects of the Russian Federation.Conclusions. When considering the issue of the essence of the powers of local self-government bodies in the field of providing an accessible environment for the disabled, based on the analysis of the practice of the Russian Constitutional Court and the Supreme Court, it was revealed that by their nature these powers, as a rule, are neither separate state powers transferred to local self-government bodies for implementation, nor their own powers of local self-government bodies to address issues of local importance.

Research on the Coupling and Synergistic Development of Corporate ESG Performance and OFDI

The demand for corporate green governance competence has significantly increased in the international market in recent years, with the disclosure of corporate ESG information emerging as a crucial public concern. This study employs a coupling coordination degree model to investigate the mutually beneficial relationship between corporate ESG factors and OFDI in the Shanghai and Shenzhen A-share markets. The findings reveal: (1) a strong level of coupling coordination between corporate ESG performance and OFDI development, (2) a growth pattern in the interconnected coordination between corporate ESG performance and OFDI during 2010-2012, followed by a decline in 2012-2016, and subsequent recovery post-2016, and (3) a coupling coordination degree pattern of “East Central > West > Northeast”. This paper introduces three innovations: firstly, it extends beyond previous research by examining the relationship between ESG and OFDI bidirectionally; secondly, it utilizes the physical capacity coupling coordination degree model to assess the synergy level between corporate ESG performance and OFDI; and finally, it discusses the evolution mechanism and spatial distribution characteristics of the coupling coordination degree between corporate ESG performance and OFDI.

Public Governance in the Context of Global Turbulence: Risk-Reflexive Approach

The article examines methodological trends and combinations in the discourse of political strategic management of dangers and threats under the conditions of the new specific type of risk society formation, which is qualitatively different from the classical version of the ‘risk society’. In this study, using a risk-reflexive approach, authors propose a research route to analyze the transformation of public governance and enlighten the main directions of social behaviour strategies modeling, designing tools for prevention and reducing negative effects of emerging risks. Based on the analysis of the ‘Giddens paradox’ and the concept of ‘organized irresponsibility’ by U.Beck, the problems of the efficiency of public governance institutions in ensuring security and preventing threats are considered. The authors’ attention is focused on analyzing the hierarchy of ways to justify the acceptability of risk and the subjects of risk management. Approaches to the classification of types of power used by subjects of public risk management are investigated. In this regard, the article identifies three mechanisms for the formation of risk-reflexivity (forced, imitative, normative). A theoretical perspective is presented for considering informational, strategic, institutional, motivational and simulation risk reflections in public governance process. Special attention is paid to the main forms of public governance competencies in political risk management, especially in the context of digital transformation, which opens up new opportunities for information impact and cognitive programming of risk perception.

Canadian Law Between the Wars

Examined through a legal prism, Canada is an officially bilingual federal state with a bi-juridical legal system based, for the most part, on the traditions of British common law as it has evolved over the years. But in Quebec, the private law is civil law, contained in a Civil Code, derived from the laws established in what was New France. Canadian public law is essentially British. The current Head of State is King Charles III, Head of the Commonwealth. Canada’s constitution sets forth, inter alia, the jurisdictional competence of the federal government and that of the provinces and territories. Over the course of the more than 150 years since Confederation, the respective governments have engaged in much litigation, testing the limits of their respective legislative powers. Beginning in the early years of the twentieth century, an increasing volume of legislation developed as Canada progressed from its colonial status to a fully autonomous state with full control of both its domestic and foreign affairs. The scope and volume of legislation increased substantially in the lead-up to the Second World War (and thereafter) as governments, in their respective spheres, sought to create a legal environment that was attentive to a broader range of social issues. The existence of a federal state complicated the development and enactment of policies that produce the same outcomes throughout the country, since the constitution confers legislative jurisdiction on the provinces regarding property and civil rights. Much effort is expended in intergovernmental negotiations, leading to achievement of substantially harmonised results.

Core Governance Competencies for Successful Operational Leadership: Implications for Integrating Care for Older People

Rationale: Although, there has been significant academic focus on organisational leadership development, limited attention given to the pragmatic application of governance competencies to support sustainable quality healthcare within an ever-evolving governance framework.
 Context: The current restructuring, of the Irish community healthcare system, lacks clear strategic direction, operational engagement, and collective commitment, from clinical and operational managers. This suggests an opportunity to consider pragmatic strategic leadership development opportunities with a priority focus on governance. Although, governance structures have been established in some integrated care areas for older people areas e.g., integrated discharge planning structures, broader more inclusive processes are required to build on existing informal professional and managerial networks, to fulfil the required core functions.
 Aims: The study aimed to identify a governance competence framework to support operational-based governance leadership of integrated care for older persons (ICPOP) in Dublin South Kildare West Wicklow Community Healthcare area (DSKWW-CH). It also aimed to generate practical pathways to accelerate the adoption of a governance competence framework, relating to operational leadership that can be utilised to navigate the evolving integrated care funding and legislative environment.
 Methodology: Two data collection tools were utilised: an online survey of individuals employed as operational leaders (n=30) of an integrated care team for older person countrywide and a focus group with senior managers within older person services (n=15), with either local or national engagement with integrated care work. A mixed methodology approach adopted utilising both qualitative and quantitative processes, including a comparative analysis of the survey and focus group findings. This provided rich descriptive context based on a pragmatic paradigm, underpinning the validity of the governance competence framework applied as locally applicable.
 Results: The sampled population evidenced knowledge-based competence, self-awareness of competence gaps, and transformational leadership behaviours aligned with the proposed governance competence framework. Five key themes emerged: 1. the importance of a clear strategic intent; 2. governance competence gap analysis to underpin team development activities; 3. structure redesign to reduce organisational barriers and challenges; 4. establishment of a safe accountability working culture and; 4. the use of systems for performance evaluation.
 Conclusion: The adoption of the proposed six-factor governance competency framework can successfully support operational leadership of an integrated care teams for older persons. This framework promotes self-awareness of competence gaps and the application of transformation leadership behaviours.

The circular economy growth machine: A critical perspective on “post‐growth” and “pro‐growth” circularity approaches

AbstractThis forum article contributes to the prospering debate in the circular economy (CE) community discussing whether—and to what extent—the CE is reconcilable with economic growth. Within this discourse about a functional CE, there exist two contesting perspectives. One argues in favor of pro‐growth circularity, the other in favor of post‐growth circularity. The aim of this article is to develop a line of argumentation that helps in reconciliating the two seemingly antagonistic perspectives. Toward that end, this article applies the method of “practical syllogism” that is well known in moral philosophy, since it can enlighten how normative and positive arguments can be structured to enable the formulation of well‐justified moral conclusions. With the help of this interdisciplinary impulse, the article aims at detecting logical errors in current reasoning and fostering discursive learning processes. The ensuing arguments provide vital implications on the macro level by highlighting four critical elements to facilitate a CE transition, namely an intensive growth trajectory, an internalization of negative externalities through creating (missing) markets, an institutional encouragement of spreading positive externalities, and a diffusion of rents from innovation to society by taking the profit motive into service for enabling sustainability goals. Complementarily, the article provides implications on the micro level by highlighting the necessity to develop supplementary management competencies, namely governance competence to realize argumentative clarification and governance competence to (re‐)configurate institutional structures. This article may serve as an incubator to ease new ways of thinking into academia and practice.

Competing on competence: the issue profiles of mainstream parties in Western Europe

Despite a more volatile electoral landscape and in many countries also the electoral rise of niche parties, major mainstream parties continue to define the major political alternatives that citizens in Western Europe face when it comes to government alternatives. However, the voluminous literature on party competition in Western Europe mostly takes niche parties as the starting point to understand the consequences of the changing electoral landscape and also to understand the issue strategies of major mainstream parties. These parties should come to the centerstage. They pursue a common competence strategy which leads them to focus particularly on macroeconomics, health care, and education where they can document government competence to large parts of the electorate. This implies an increased overall similarity in their issue profiles. These findings are based on CAP coded party manifestos from seven countries since the early 1980s.

Health and quality of life development plan: from theory to practice

Abstract In 2019, a decentralization process in Portugal transferred health governance competencies and autonomy from central to municipal level. Despite empowering local authorities to shape health policies and strategic partnerships, municipalities turned to academia for public health planning expertise. This work depicts how the National School of Public Health devised a Health and Quality of Life Development Plan for one such municipality. A two-stage approach was used. Firstly, a comprehensive overview of population health status and determinants was produced. It involved analysing local and national legal frameworks and worldwide strategic literature; assessing sociodemographic, economic, environmental and health indicators; questioning residents and key stakeholders; and city council and local health authorities working sessions. Secondly, detailed strategies were laid out to address specific health needs and determinants. It involved analysing similar municipal plans; selecting priority health actions; and designing evidence-based interventions with target, timeline, estimated resources and outcomes measures. The authors built and applied a public health planning methodology, resulting in a profound health diagnosis. Public and stakeholder scrutiny ensured prioritization of key action areas and effective working pathways in strategic planning were introduced. Furthermore, evidence-based actions adapted to local capacity, budget and resources were presented. Outputs range from health literacy sessions in schools to contingency plans for public health emergencies. Health governance responsibilities’ redefinition evidenced a knowledge gap and drove the need to consult academia to develop evidence-based health policies. By creating this methodology, the authors defined strategic pillars and tailored operational recommendations for municipalities, which rely on ongoing indicator monitoring and, ultimately aim to improve population health through concerted efforts. Key messages • The decentralization of health competencies granted local autonomy in shaping health policies. To support decision and policy-making, a comprehensive tool for health diagnosis assessment was designed. • The need for a concerted local action with definition of territorialized development strategies, highlights the value of a deep connection between decision-makers and academia as a consulting entity.

Regarding the theory of demarcation of competences of local executive bodies and local self-government bodies

The article is devoted to the coverage of certain theoretical issues regarding the delimitation of the competences of local public authorities. Attention is focused on revealing the terminological features of the category’s «competence», «powers», «functions» of executive power bodies and local self-government bodies. The author focuses attention on certain features of the demarcation of competences of local executive bodies and local self government bodies.It is stated that the development of local self-government as a direct form of manifestation of public activity of the population and a free, democratic way of organizing public power is an integral part of administrative reform in Ukraine and state building in general. It was determined that the very question of delimitation of competences is quite problematic, because it is practically impossible to delimit the functions of bodies that carry out a single administrative activity (public authority) on the ground. First of all, because local state administrations and local self government bodies perform a kind of general management function, they face a common task - the implementation of the most effective management of territories. The implementation of this task requires both management centers to have such functions as regulatory and managerial, communicative, control, informational, normative, organizational and institutional and a number of others.It is argued to take as a basis the principle of control, which should be carried out in such a way that the degree of intervention of the controlling body is proportionate to the importance of the interests that this intervention should protect when delineating the competences of local self-government bodies and local state authorities.It was determined that the current state of demarcation of competences between local executive bodies and local self-government bodies in Ukraine is not in a very good condition, which is due to some problems, namely: the incompleteness of the administrative reform; inheritance of a centralized model of public administration; the imperfection of the current legislation in the field of local public authorities, which leads to numerous conflicts in the delimitation of competence between local executive bodies and local self-government bodies. It is emphasized that the current stage of administrative reform and local self-government reform is aimed at legislative improvement and strengthening of the legislative framework in the sphere of public authority in Ukraine.

How Government Efficiency Shapes Political Trust: Evidence from the Case of Brexit

Abstract Government competence in delivering outcomes is often regarded as foundational to political trust. However, in this article, a different competence dynamic is proposed; specifically, whether political trust is related to government efficiency in achieving promised policy objectives. This article argues that when policy objectives are polarizing, the effect of efficiency on political trust is conditional on whether individuals support or oppose the objective. Using the case of Brexit, where the promised policy objective of leaving the European Union was polarizing, it is hypothesized that Leave voters relative to Remain voters became more trusting in cases of efficiency and less trusting in cases of inefficiency. The predictions are supported through a difference-in-differences analysis of unique real-world data over time from the British Election Study. The findings have important implications for our understanding of Brexit and also inform how political trust relates to government competence in the case of polarizing political issues.

The devil is in the details: entrenching human rights protections in the UK’s devolved nations

In states with multilevel governance systems, such as the United Kingdom (UK), human rights are subject to variable gradations of implementation based on the political will and the legal competence of the subnational governments to implement international law. Entrenching rights through incorporation secures domestic enforcement, which, in turn, paves the way for proactive human rights culture change and guards against human rights regression. This article examines the future of increasing human rights protections in the devolved nations of the UK in the wake of the Incorporation Reference decision. First, the article reflects on the opportunity to entrench international human rights protections through incorporation as one form of implementation. Next, Scotland’s path to increasing implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) will be presented, including an examination of the key features of the UNCRC (Incorporation) (Scotland) Bill. These features are then juxtaposed against the challenges raised in the Incorporation Reference case. International law is the lens through which the analysis is delivered, aligning with UN human rights treaty body guidance and focused on delivering human rights in national settings. Finally, the article argues that, despite the difficulty posed by the interpretation of devolved legal competence delivered in the Incorporation Reference judgment, from the perspective of international law, there remains a great opportunity to entrench human rights in the devolved nations through incorporation legislation and other measures that respect, protect and fulfil human rights.