Government-led Initiatives Research Articles

Results from Viet Nam's 2022 report card on physical activity for children and youth

Background/ObjectiveThe Active Healthy Kids 2022 Viet Nam Report Card provides an evidence-based assessment of 10 indicators of community and government-led initiatives that impact the physical activity levels of children and youth in Vietnam. MethodsA systematic framework developed by the Active Healthy Kids Global Alliance was used. Each indicator: Overall Physical Activity, Organized Sport Participation, Active Play, Active Transportation, Sedentary Behaviors, Physical Fitness, Family and Peers, School, Community and Environment, and Government, and a new indicator: Obesity was assessed against predefined benchmarks. EBSCOhost databases and Google Scholar were searched for relevant academic and grey literature (e.g., government reports) respectively to inform indicator grading. ResultsThe School indicator received the highest grade ‘A’, followed by the Government indicator which was graded as ‘B-’. Three indicators (Sedentary Behaviors, Family and Peers, Community and Environment) received ‘C’ grades. Active Transportation was graded ‘D+’. Overall Physical Activity received the lowest grade of ‘F’. Organized Sport and Physical Activity, Active Play, and Physical Fitness were not graded due to lack of data. Obesity was graded B-. ConclusionsThis is the first physical activity report card for children and adolescents in Viet Nam. Evidence suggests that Vietnamese children and adolescents have low physical activity levels and high levels of sedentary behaviors. Initiatives to promote physical activity in children predominantly focus on promoting physical education in schools. Increased community-based programs promoting physical activity outside of school settings are required. Future research should address the surveillance gap in Organized Sport and Physical Activity, Active Play, and Physical Fitness.

Necessary Support or Unexpected Inhibitor: Government-led Initiatives in Entrepreneurial Ecosystems

Recently, entrepreneurial ecosystems have become a trending topic for entrepreneurship scholars and regional policymakers worldwide. Aiming at developing their regional economies, politicians are keen to building a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem. While there is a consensus that policymakers play essential roles in early evolutionary stages of entrepreneurial ecosystems, the literature on entrepreneurial ecosystems offers limited knowledge about how government-led ecosystem-building initiatives influence the emergence and long-term development of entrepreneurial ecosystems. To address this research gap, this study conceptualizes entrepreneurial ecosystems as meta-organizations and explores how ecosystem-building initiatives by public organizations influence power dynamics within the ecosystem and how it changes the meta-organizational strategic aims and evolutionary path of the system. By analyzing two entrepreneurial ecosystems, this study reveals how activities of government agencies in entrepreneurial ecosystems shape their governance structure and impact their evolution.

MHealth learning tool for skilled birth attendants: scaling the Safe Delivery App in India

BackgroundOne of the main drivers of maternal and newborn mortality and morbidity in India is a lack of quality of care in health facilities. Inadequate competencies of health workers, insufficient...

A new nation brand strategy? Global Ireland 2025 and the UN Security Council campaign

Abstract This article seeks to add to the growing body of research into government-led nation branding initiatives by examining a specific case study as the driver of a new nation brand strategy for Ireland. Drawing on interviews with senior government officials, policy advisors and brand marketing executives, the author examines the ‘Global Ireland 2025’ initiative and Ireland’s campaign to win a UN Security Council seat. The findings indicate that some important building blocks of a new nation brand initiative have been put in place, most notably around government policy, leadership and resources. But in the absence of meaningful citizen and stakeholder engagement, the author questions the authenticity of the new nation brand strategy. This article argues that without meaningful collaboration, Global Ireland 2025 risks losing the opportunity to be more than just another promotional exercise.

Moving Prevention of Gambling Harm Upstream: Opportunities in Social Policy and Research

This article analyses the specificities of the policymaking and research communities to explain why policies to prevent gambling disorder and other gambling-related harms have seen little change over the last two decades. Although existing knowledge on these issues suggests the implementation of prevention interventions based on public health perspectives, there are few government-led initiatives that adopt broad approaches beyond those advocated by the Responsible Gambling perspective. This situation would be influenced by two communities of actors with distinct professional cultures: policy makers face general incompatibilities with prevention policies, which are complex and go beyond political timeframes; gambling researchers, in turn, operate in fields dominated by approaches oriented towards measuring gambling disorder and with little interest in structural issues. To address this situation, the text advocates emphasising socio-economic inequalities related to gambling by the research field and improving science communication strategies as a means of influencing action to reduce the overall negative consequences of gambling.

Has the pandemic exacerbated alcohol harm?

Men have always been at greater risk of harm than women from alcohol use, but the pandemic may have exacerbated the problem. Healthcare professionals can support public health colleagues in calling for government‐led initiatives to tackle alcohol availability.

The study of e-waste management awareness among students of UiTM Seremban 3

This research aims to learn about university students' knowledge, and attitudes about the existence, danger, and management of e-waste, one of the world's fastest-rising concerns in our country. It also tried to evaluate whether the students' current e-waste management practices conformed with current government policies. Six (6) of the Bachelor Degree of Environmental Administration students' awareness about e-waste management in Malaysia was evaluated using an open-ended interview research technique. The respondents' knowledge, attitude, and practice in e-waste management were assessed using thematic analysis. Overall, students' understanding of e-waste management was relatively low. The findings indicate that students need a broader understanding of e-waste management. Educational and government-led initiatives to improve e-waste management should be provided.

THE STUDY OF E-WASTE MANAGEMENT AWARENESS AMONG STUDENTS OF UITM SEREMBAN 3

This research aims to learn about university students' knowledge, and attitudes about the existence, danger, and management of e-waste, one of the world's fastest-rising concerns in our country. It also tried to evaluate whether the students' current e-waste management practices conformed with current government policies. Six (6) of the Bachelor Degree of Environmental Administration students' awareness about e-waste management in Malaysia was evaluated using an open-ended interview research technique. The respondents' knowledge, attitude, and practice in e-waste management were assessed using thematic analysis. Overall, students' understanding of e-waste management was relatively low. The findings indicate that students need a broader understanding of e-waste management. Educational and government-led initiatives to improve e-waste management should be provided.

The Private Sector Role as a Key Supporting Stakeholder towards Circular Economy in the Built Environment: A Scientometric and Content Analysis

The United Nations (UN) 2030 Agenda, borne from the most inclusive policy dialogue ever, emphasized partnerships built upon collaboration to achieve sustainable goals, as documented in SDG17. However, the building and construction sector has been experiencing sustainability issues, leading to several traditional government-led initiatives in the built environment. The private sector is critical to achieving the sustainable development goals (SDGs) and the 2030 Agenda by interacting with societies, governments, and other actors for a circular built environment. The circular economy (CE) is a paradigm that is becoming increasingly popular to drive the movement to sustainability, requiring the partnership of the private sector to be implemented successfully. However, the application of CE initiatives in the private sector engagement has received less attention. Recognizing the interaction of multiple parties’ influence on the uptake of a CE, this study thus seeks to examine the participation of the private sector in the CE in the built environment using a mixed review approach (scientometric and content analysis). The findings reveal that the private sector faces barriers in terms of financial and economic, institutional and technological, and political and regulatory factors. This research also identified areas for greater private sector involvement in CE initiatives in the built environment, such as resource reduction, sharing, and the adaptive reuse of existing buildings.

What Are the Key Issues in the Development of Effective Poverty Alleviation Policies and Their Implementation in China’s South West Regions?

In this paper we examine, against the background of the government’s poverty alleviation agenda, issues that influence (negatively or positively) the widespread adoption of entrepreneurial initiatives by farmers, foresters, fisherman and others that could contribute to defeating poverty. We summarize trends in poverty levels, the inequality ‘gap’ and touch on government-led initiatives. These include inputs to modernize farm equipment, to provide start-up capital to returning entrepreneurial migrant workers and to foster digital marketing of locally produced (but in demand) commodities.

Editorial: will the future be sustainable or just 'greenwash' printed in organic ink on sustainably-sourced glossy brochures?

Editorial:will the future be sustainable or just 'greenwash' printed in organic ink on sustainably-sourced glossy brochures? Daniel Blackburn, Editor and Declan Owens, Guest Editor The COP26 talks were a failure: a 'parade of inaction, false solutions and greenwash from rich governments and corporations'. But the event was not meaningless and heralded also a 'historic moment of growth in power and solidarity for the climate justice movement' This will ultimately play a critical role to overcome what remains of the suspicion of 'middle class' environmentalists by a working class cynical that their jobs and lives are being 'recklessly' pushed aside. De-industrialisation is not a new idea for many in Europe and North America, and their experience of it the first time around was not encouraging. And yet history is repeating, as Adrian Kane and Yvonne O'Callaghan observe small towns across the Irish midlands that are beginning 'to resemble the North of England's bleak post-industrial wastelands', as a local fossil fuel industry there is run down. There have been 'expensive government-led initiatives' to mitigate job losses but our contributors report the case of a nation-wide company displacing a local established business after receiving a grant from the local funding pool, seemingly the opposite of what would be intended. Huw Beynon and Ray Hudson remind us of just how bleak the impact was when the State failed to make any or sufficient provision to deal with the aftermath of the coal industry closures in the UK. Meanwhile, there are still many complaining about China and India's reliance on coal, though increasing recognition that over time it is the West that has contributed massively more to climate emissions. How can unions representing workers in these industries find agreement with climate activists? Sindhu Menon finds India's mining union leaders concerned for the future of workers with non-transferable skills who live on land that is degraded for farming and where water is scarce. Mine closure here means job losses, 'starvation', and 'disaster' for the coal belt economy. Georgia Montague-Nelson explains that livestock production also contributes 'over one-third of all human caused greenhouse gas emissions'. A set of trade union proposals for the sector developed by the IUF and GLI demonstrates a real potential for engagement with climate activists around shared ideas about decentralisation and redistribution and reducing the size of supply chains and the role of giant global corporations in livestock and agriculture. David Bacon shares with us a small selection of his photography collection documenting the lives and working conditions of fruit-pickers left their former homes in Mexico to avoid already 'devastating' climate impacts there, but are now facing increasingly aggressive heat under a changing climate in their adopted US. Sean McManus from the IAFF represents another group of workers who face the burning heat head-on. McManus describes how Canada's notoriously cold climate is now increasingly juxtaposed with extraordinary peaks of heat during summer that can surpass even the highest ever temperatures recorded in the Nevada desert. Firefighters are dealing with novel climate effects at first hand, including more ferocious wildfires but also torrential rains and flooding. Every time they respond to such a disaster, firefighters 'see very plainly whether there are adequate front line resources or not'. Returning to industrial and energy questions, Diana Junquera Curiel investigates crucial industrial and technological aspects of a sustainable future, looking at battery and solar production, but tracing concerns through these new industries' supply chains leads us straight to the Xinjiang region of China, where forced labour allegations are raised with regard to its solar panel production facilities. As if to underscore trade union concerns that industrial workers might ultimately be short¬changed by the transition to a sustainable future, trade unionists in the UK were stunned weeks ago when a major ferry company informed its staff by recorded video message (with no prior notice) that their jobs had ended and they would be escorted from their vessels. Professor Keith Ewing finds 'no shortage of international standards', but a lack of actually legally enforceable rights. It is the massive double standard between the glossy proclamation and the lack of any protection in...

Understanding barriers to immunisation against vaccine-preventable diseases in Pacific people in New Zealand, Aotearoa: an integrative review.

Introduction Pacific people have an increased risk of hospitalisation if barriers to immunisation against vaccine-preventable diseases are not reduced. This research sought to determine what is known about the barriers to immunisations in Pacific people living in New Zealand and identify ways to reduce these barriers and inform health care. Aim To identify the barriers to immunisation for Pasifika and to identify ways to reduce these barriers and inform health care. Methods An integrative review was undertaken with databases searched for articles published between February 2021 and May 2021. The review follows the five-stage process of problem formulation; literature search; evaluation of data; data analysis and interpretation; and presentation of the results through discussion. Results Twelve studies were included. Three themes were identified: Deprivation, Health Literacy (which covered understanding the importance of immunisation programmes, attitudes and beliefs and communication), and access to health care (including communication accessibility to health professionals and physical access). Discussion This review has identified that barriers such as level of deprivation strongly influences immunisation uptake in Pacific people. The significance of government-led initiatives was shown to improve the rates of immunisation of Pacific children. Pacific people's awareness of immunisation programmes and government campaigns are encouraged to incorporate ethnic-specific strategies in addressing barriers, such as bringing vaccinations to where Pacific people frequent, including churches, community hubs, and venues that parents can easily access.

A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF CONTAMINATED RIPARIAN ZONE FOR ECO LANDSCAPE DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY

The transition between terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems has been known as Riparian Zone. The riparian zone is where generally water flows rarely stagnant, which river is an intermediate plateu. Conversely, rivers, stream or lakes water flows can be stagnant in common situation. Svejcar in his article stated that as transition, riparian zone tends to have characteristics of both upland and aquatics ecosystems. Water contamination brings the effect on reforming the environment degradation whether they are directly or indirectly discharged into water bodies without adequate treatment. Various notable water rehabilitation projects in leading countries led to their substantial economic returns for many aspects by the government-led initiatives. Nature-inclusive solution has been heavily concerned for the mega projects. In which ecological landscape design can provide the ecosystem services to balance the engineering driven restoration projects. To include, the best practice management requires extended understanding of the pattern in order to allow optimum evaluation of the process relationship. This research is conducted by an explanatory method where writer observe the relevant writings and theory to evaluate riparian areas with support on both primary and secondary data. A comparison table has been conducted to determine the most optimum approach has done by three different cities in two big countries. They are Siak River, Riau, Indonesia between Citarum River in Bandung and Yangtze River in China. This comparison will explain the elements observe among the three rivers and follow by the explanatory theory that has been conducted, a best practice management for landscape design to be evaluate.

Teachers’ concerns about integrating information and communication technologies in the classrooms

Teachers in developing countries are facing increasing social and political pressure to use Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) to improve the access to and the quality of education available to young people. This is a core part of several government-led initiatives to attain the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 4-quality education. While there is no shortage of ICT, the adoption for actual use in the classroom is often a hurdle for teachers, due to various concerns they harbour. This research study used the Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM) to assess the stages of concern of 340 Nigerian teachers about adopting and integrating ICT in the classroom. The findings indicated that teachers’ concerns were most intense in the awareness, management and information stages respectively, and lowest at the collaborative and consequence levels. Further examination of the results also shows a significant relationship between the stages of concern and teachers’ personal attributes like teaching experience, age and the class level they teach. These findings provide practical insights into how to better create effective teacher professional development interventions, to assist teachers in adopting and integrating ICT, to enhance the learning experience of young people within the classroom.

Have parents’ views on using community pharmacy services for children in the UK changed over the past ten years?

In recent years, many government-led initiatives in the UK have been introduced to expand the services provided by community pharmacy (CP) to the public, including for children and young people. The aim of this review is to provide an insight into parents’ and young people’s perspectives on using CP services for child-related matters. A […]

A Scoping Review on Air Quality Monitoring, Policy and Health in West African Cities.

Ambient air pollution is a global health threat that causes severe mortality and morbidity from respiratory, cardiovascular, and other diseases. Its impact is especially concerning in cities; as the urban population increases, especially in low- and middle-income countries, large populations risk suffering from these health effects. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) comprises 15 West African countries, in which many cities are currently experiencing fast growth and industrialization. However, government-led initiatives in air quality monitoring are scarce in ECOWAS countries, which makes it difficult to effectively control and regulate air quality and subsequent health issues. A scoping study was performed following the Arksey and O’Malley methodological framework in order to assess the precise status of air quality monitoring, related policy, and legislation in this region. Scientific databases and gray literature searches were conducted, and the results were contrasted through expert consultations. It was found that only two ECOWAS countries monitor air quality, and most countries have insufficient legislation in place. Public health surveillance data in relation to air quality data is largely unavailable. In order to address this, improved air quality surveillance, stricter and better-enforced regulations, regional cooperation, and further research are strongly suggested for ECOWAS.

Treatment Coverage and Drug Expenditure in Hepatitis C Patients From 2013 to 2019: A Journey of Improving Treatment Accessibility in Malaysia Through Government-led Initiatives

Background: Hepatitis C is a public health threat, affecting approximately 1.9% of the Malaysian population. Objectives: This study demonstrates how a series of initiatives taken by the Ministry of Health (MOH) of Malaysia have impacted the treatment coverage and drug expenditure for hepatitis C patients since 2013, the year in which the first direct-acting antiviral (DAA) was introduced in public health institutions. Methods: The data were obtained from all the 144 hospitals and 33 primary healthcare centers throughout the country, which were identified to have offered the pharmacological treatment to hepatitis C patients over the last seven years. Results: The total number of hepatitis C patients treated each year was shown to increase by more than 10 times, reaching 3,116 in 2019. However, the drug expenditure for hepatitis C relative to the overall health expenditure did not significantly increase over time (P = 0.094). The use of DAAs was once limited by its exorbitant cost. A remarkable elevation in the number of patients receiving the treatment only took place as of 2016, particularly following the engagement of the MOH in endeavors driven by non-profit organizations to enhance the accessibility of DAAs and the issuance of a compulsory license to sofosbuvir. Conclusions: Timely decisions of the MOH and the judicious use of policy tools were shown to have transformed the landscape of hepatitis C management in Malaysia without considerably raising the budgetary pressure. Yet, continuous efforts to massively upscale the screening and treatment of the disease are warranted going forward.

Determinants of citizens' intention to engage in government-led electronic participation initiatives through Facebook

The research work on understanding whether citizens will readily accept to engage with governments in e-participation initiatives through social media remains limited. Therefore, this study investigates the factors that are influencing citizens' intention to engage in government-led e-Participation initiatives through Facebook. To that end, the study proposes and validates a citizen-centric acceptance model. The proposed model extends the model primarily established on the theory of planned behavior, by incorporating additional factors that emerged from relevant literature. The research data were collected from a survey of 400 Facebook users in Jordan using a probability sample technique. The results revealed that the factors with the most significant influence on citizens' intention to engage in government-led e-participation initiatives through Facebook are: the citizens' attitude, participation efficacy, and perceived behavior control. Subjective norms and perceived value, however, have no direct effect on citizens' intention to engage in government-led e-participation initiatives through Facebook. Furthermore, the results showed that the citizens' attitude is primarily determined by participation efficacy, perceived usefulness and compatibility of Facebook, and perceived value. In contrast, the factors perceived ease of use of Facebook, citizens' trust in government, and citizens' trust in Facebook, have no significant impact on citizens' attitude. These factors have rarely been empirically tested in the context of e-participation. Consequently, this study paves the way towards a better understanding of the important factors that influence citizens' intention to participate, which, in turn, will inform the design and implementation of e-participation initiatives.

Application of the Health Technology Assessment in Korean Traditional Medicines.

Background: South Korea is the first Asian country to adopt health technology assessment (HTA) as a tool to support decision-making concerning pricing and reimbursement of drugs in 2007. Korean traditional medicines have been continuously marginalized in the modern paradigm of evidence-based medicine. To nurture Korean medicines, clinical practice guidelines for Korean medicines have been developed through government-led initiatives, and HTAs have been applied for the National Health Insurance coverage of Korean medicines. In this study, 27 diseases were selected for analyzing the evidence development of both clinical and economic values of Korean medicines. Methods: To investigate the status quo in application of HTA in Korean medicines, reports on the cost-effectiveness analysis project comprising 27 Korean medical interventions were reviewed. Results: All the selected studies were trial-based economic appraisals and their effectiveness was estimated with a subjective judgment tool, such as the quality of life measurement or visual analog scale. This study reconfirmed the limitations of Korean medicines, which included a short observation period, nonrandomized controlled trials, small sample size, subjective assessment for efficacy, selection bias, large uncertainty, and lack of evidence. Conclusions: Priorities should be placed on establishing the clinical evidence of Korean medicines, which will serve as the base for expanding the health coverage of Korean medicines and improving satisfaction and reliability of oriental medicines in Korea's health care system. Furthermore, the need to nurture the institutional environment in which both oriental and Western medicines can collaborate in Korea should be emphasized.

From “Government to Governance”? A Systematic Literature Review of Research for Urban Green Infrastructure Management in Latin America

The concept of Urban Green Infrastructure (UGI) has emerged in response to the need to highlight and ensure access to the multifunctional benefits of green spaces in changing cityscapes. Recent literature reviews around UGI have focused on environmental benefits and services, and the management of these spaces has been comparatively neglected. In addition to this, the core conceptual and practical research around UGI management has been produced in the Global North, and far less research has been generated in Latin America, despite the contextual challenges and opportunities brought by this rapidly urbanizing and diverse region. In response, this trilingual systematic review asks: What are the research trends in terms of topics, and case studies that characterize UGI management research in Latin America? Which management types are the focuses of this research? A total of 47 publications, found through Scopus, Web of Science and SciELO, were subjected to both quantitative and qualitative assessment. The research was both geographically concentrated and predominantly recent. Government-led initiatives made up the highest proportion of the research, and more than half of the publications described local government as the principle actor in the management of the UGI studied. Community-run initiatives were consistent across the temporal span of the articles found, and their established presence was supported by the qualitative review. Findings also revealed a directional push towards governance practices, but significant obstacles in the form of: weak local government; divisions driven by a lack of context-sensitive approaches to informal settlements and socioeconomic segregation, and a management discourse that jarred with urban practices by indigenous communities. Through demonstrating the contribution of existing literature on UGI management in Latin America, this review highlights the need for further published research on the region.