Government Legislation Research Articles

Gendered Participation in Water Governance: Implications for Successful Communitybased Water Management and Women Empowerment

This article sought to analyse the gender dimensions in communally managed water schemes in rural Uganda. Taking two rural villages as empirical referents, the study used multi-methods of data collection and a gender-based analysis to interrogate the challenges to equitable access and decision-making in rural-based water schemes. The analysis reveals that, despite the existing policy and legislative regime, access to water for women is severely constrained, and their level of decision-making in communally managed water schemes is remarkably low. The article holds that women’s participation is critical for the much-needed collective action towards community-based water governance, gender equity, and empowerment. Consequently, the barriers to sustainable water access and effective women’s participation can be addressed through significant investments in systematic water institutional reforms, targeted capacity-building initiatives, and plugging existing policy monitoring and implementation gaps at all levels. There is a need to address the policy reality gap regarding ownership of productive resources for women as a key strand towards addressing the equity challenges at different levels of water governance.

The Complexities of Cooperation Over Outer Space: Political Practice and Prospects

The formation of the political and legislative regime concerning use of outer space becomes every day more relevant. The research is intended to further expand current studies devoted to this issue by providing thorough information on the formation of the world’s first international legal framework for outer space territories use. The author examines in chronological order the regulatory and institutionalization process of the world’s first informal system that determined interaction among the participants of the space race. At the same time, this study provides a detailed analysis of the problems related to the formation of a comprehensive international regime, allowing author to make a conclusion about the ineffectiveness of the current system based on targeted international treaties and the necessity of modifying the formalisation approaches. In addition, article proposes potential scenarios for the formation of a political and legal outer space regime. The author assesses the possibility of establishing military hegemony alongside militarisation of outer space, analyses prospects for a codified peaceful co-development regime in the absence of workable space diplomacy initiatives, as well as considers the possibility of privatisation of space under free competition and the probability of preserving the current regime.

Evaluation of benefits due to adoption of enablers of unimodal road to intermodal railroad freight transportation

The adverse environmental consequences arising from road-based logistics operations have prompted stakeholders, including transport service providers, logistics managers, and shippers, to initiate a modal shift from unimodal road to intermodal railroad (IRR) freight transportation. However, the adoption pace of IRR in developing nations is slow. Modal shift enablers (MSEs) facilitate IRR adoption, while modal shift benefits (MSBs) signify favorable performance outcomes from MSEs' application. The main objective of this study is to rank the MSBs resulting from the adoption of MSEs in IRR freight transportation. This study proposes an integrated multi-criteria decision-making framework utilizing the spherical fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (SF-AHP) to evaluate MSEs' weights and the spherical fuzzy technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution (SF-TOPSIS) to rank the MSBs. The case study performed in the Indian logistics sector reveals that ‘government policies and legislation enablers’, ‘infrastructural enablers’ and ‘strategic and management enablers’ are the most significant MSEs, whereas reduction in vehicular pollution and related negative externalities as well as reduction of the freight transport costs including storage and handling charges are most crucial MSBs realized due to adoption of MSEs. A sensitivity analysis is conducted to assess the stability of the ranking. The results help decision-makers in implementing MSEs for MSBs and develop effective IRR adoption strategies. This study also promotes sustainable freight transportation and provides logistics practitioners, researchers, and policymakers with a precise, systematic, and practical decision-support tool.

Environmental Contaminants of Emerging Concern: Occurrence and Remediation

Abstract Certain contaminants are termed as emerging (Contaminants of Emerging Concern, CEC) since all aspects of these pollutants are not known and their regulation is not ununiform across the nations. The CECs include many classes of compounds that are used in various industries, plant protection chemicals, personal care products and medicines. They accumulate in waterbodies, soils, organisms including humans. They cause deleterious effects on plant animal and human health. Therefore, alternative greener synthesis of these chemicals, sustainable economic methods of waste disposal, scaling up and circular methods using sludge for removing the contaminants are innovative methods that are pursued. There are several improvements in chemical waste treatments using electro-oxidation coupled with solar energy, high performing recycled granular activated charcoal derived from biomass are few advances in the field. Similarly, use of enzymes from microbes for waste removals is a widely used technique for bioremediation. The organisms are genetically engineered to remove hazardous chemicals, dyes, and metals. Novel technologies for mining economically the precious and rare earth elements from e-waste can improve circular economy. However, there is additional need for participation of various nations in working towards greener Earth. There should be pollution awareness in local communities that can work along with Government legislations.

The Impact of BOD Characteristics considering the Rules of the Egyptian Corporate Governance Guide on the Financial Performance of Egyptian Companies: A Case Study on Industrial Sector’s Companies

The current study aimed to reveal the impact of the characteristics of the board of directors, which were (the number of non-executive directors – the number of board members – the number of board meetings) on the financial performance in Egyptian joint-stock companies in the industrial sector by measuring (return on assets – return on equity – return on sales – earnings per share). The study adopted the descriptive analytical approach based on analyzing data obtained from (5) companies listed on the Egyptian Stock Exchange in official databases during the period from (2018-2022), and the study used a linear regression model to analyze financial data as a statistical method. This study concluded many results as follows: There is no statistically significant impact at the significance level (0.05) of the characteristics of the board of directors in light of the rules of the Egyptian Guide to Corporate Governance on the financial performance of Egyptian joint-stock companies in the industrial sector. There is no statistically significant impact at the significance level (0.05) of the characteristics of the board of directors on the return on assets considering the rules of the Egyptian Guide to Corporate Governance. There is no statistically significant impact at the significance level (0.05) of the characteristics of the board of directors on return on equity considering the rules of the Egyptian Guide to Corporate Governance. There is no statistically significant impact at the significance level (0.05) of the characteristics of the board of directors on return on sales considering the rules of the Egyptian Guide to Corporate Governance. There is no statistically significant impact at the significance level (0.05) of the characteristics of the board of directors on earnings per share considering the rules of the Egyptian Guide to Corporate Governance. The study recommended several recommendations, the most important of which are issuing a more stringent application of corporate governance legislation and activating the board of directors’ supervisory responsibility over management’s performance and behavior in managing the company’s financial operations by government and regulatory agencies. Keywords: BOD Characteristics – Corporate Governance Guide – Financial Performance

The Impact of BOD Characteristics considering the Rules of the Egyptian Corporate Governance Guide on the Financial Performance of Egyptian Companies: A Case Study on Industrial Sector’s Companies

The current study aimed to reveal the impact of the characteristics of the board of directors, which were (the number of non-executive directors – the number of board members – the number of board meetings) on the financial performance in Egyptian joint-stock companies in the industrial sector by measuring (return on assets – return on equity – return on sales – earnings per share). The study adopted the descriptive analytical approach based on analyzing data obtained from (5) companies listed on the Egyptian Stock Exchange in official databases during the period from (2018-2022), and the study used a linear regression model to analyze financial data as a statistical method. This study concluded many results as follows: There is no statistically significant impact at the significance level (0.05) of the characteristics of the board of directors in light of the rules of the Egyptian Guide to Corporate Governance on the financial performance of Egyptian joint-stock companies in the industrial sector. There is no statistically significant impact at the significance level (0.05) of the characteristics of the board of directors on the return on assets considering the rules of the Egyptian Guide to Corporate Governance. There is no statistically significant impact at the significance level (0.05) of the characteristics of the board of directors on return on equity considering the rules of the Egyptian Guide to Corporate Governance. There is no statistically significant impact at the significance level (0.05) of the characteristics of the board of directors on return on sales considering the rules of the Egyptian Guide to Corporate Governance. There is no statistically significant impact at the significance level (0.05) of the characteristics of the board of directors on earnings per share considering the rules of the Egyptian Guide to Corporate Governance. The study recommended several recommendations, the most important of which are issuing a more stringent application of corporate governance legislation and activating the board of directors’ supervisory responsibility over management’s performance and behavior in managing the company’s financial operations by government and regulatory agencies. Keywords: BOD Characteristics – Corporate Governance Guide – Financial Performance

Shangyu Tiaoli and the Study of Qing Central Government Legislative Agendas

Abstract: This article highlights a source from the Qing dynasty, published under various titles such as Shangyu tiaoli, Buyuan tiaozou, Gebuyuan tiaolice, and others, and describes its significance and usefulness for the study of Qing history. These publications are official compilations of regulations and legislations from the Qing government that were printed by various provincial governments since the early Qianlong reign to the end of the dynasty. They provide an alternative source for government documents that are sometimes missing from other official compilations such as the Veritable Records and the Shangyu dang. They also preserve elements of inter-agency communication that are routinely excised from these other official compilations, thus offering the historian a useful addition to the repository of sources that one could consult for various topics.

Governing Through Gridlock: Bill Composition under Divided Government

AbstractWhat is the effect of divided government on issue attention in state legislatures? Much of the research on divided government examines how it affects the enactment of significant legislation but does not consider other effects on legislative behavior. In this article, I propose a new theory of the relationship between divided government and legislative activity. Regardless of partisan control, reelection-minded legislators face pressure to deliver benefits to voters, yet divided government can make substantive policy change difficult. As a result of these competing pressures, under divided government legislators increasingly turn their focus to bills that benefit their local constituents, which are seen as easier to enact and allow them to engage in advertising, credit claiming, and position taking. Consistent with this theory, I find that under divided government, legislators introduce bills at the same rate, but the type of legislation introduced shifts away from statewide policy changes and towards district-specific legislation.

Air Pollution Crisis Across Europe: The European Courts, the Governments, the Citizens and the Persistent Ineffectiveness of EU Law

Abstract Air pollution stands among the most serious environmental problems across Europe leading to grave negative health impacts and numerous premature deaths. Poor air quality has been subject to a comprehensive regulatory framework at EU level since mid-eighties. However, its implementation is still fraught with significant systematic and consistent difficulties. Against this backdrop, after a brief presentation of the main enforcement challenges of the current EU air quality legislative regime, emphasis will be placed on the latest policy and legislative developments in the field, which aspire to tackle the existing ineffectiveness and enforcement gaps. Next, the spotlight will be focused on the air pollution crisis through the lens of human rights, in the wake of the recent judgment by the ECtHR Pavlov and Others v. Russia. Lastly, an attempt will be made to approach the concept of citizen science mechanisms as a possibly useful toolbox to address air pollution crisis.

Does democracy matter in banking performance? Exploring the linkage between democracy, economic freedom and banking performance in the European Union member states

AbstractLiterature on the effects of socio‐political factors and the quality of political‐economic institutions on banking performance is scarce and mixed. To contribute to this literature, this study analyzes whether democracy and economic freedom affect the banking sector in European Union member countries. We provide empirical evidence of the influence of democracy and economic freedom on banking performance using a sample of 27 countries from 2001 to 2020, and accounting‐based return on assets (ROA) and return on equity (ROE) as performance measures. A dynamic model (system GMM) was used to address issues such as heteroscedasticity, serial correlation, and endogeneity. These findings indicate that democracy is positively associated with banking performance, whereas economic freedom negatively affects it in the sample countries. Additionally, this study adds to the growing literature on the relationship between control variables (macroeconomic determinants, bank‐specific factors, or a country's legislative regime) and banking performance. This study is practically valuable for managers, investors, stakeholders, policymakers, and academicians.

Suspicious activity reporting in the United Kingdom and the United States: statutory obligations of auditors and optimal harvesting of information

PurposeThis study aims to evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of auditor mandatory suspicious activity reporting versus the exercise of professional judgement in the anti-money laundering regimes of the UK and the USA.Design/methodology/approachThe research draws upon the following sources. Firstly, statistics provided by the UK National Crime Agency, 2019 (NCA) regarding suspicious activity report (SAR) filing rates. Secondly, anti-money laundering legislation in the USA and UK. Thirdly, statements made in the political domain in the USA, particularly those which raised constitutional concerns during the progress of the Patriot Act 2001. Finally, statements and recommendations by a UK Parliamentary Commission enquiring into the effectiveness of the suspicious activity reporting regime.FindingsThe UK reporting regime does not accommodate professional judgement, resulting in the filing of SARs with limited intelligence value. This contrasts with discretionary reporting in the USA: voluntary reporting guides and influences auditor behaviour rather than mandating it. Defensive filing by UK auditors (defence to anti-money launderings [DAMLs]) has increased in recent years but the number of SARs filed has declined.Originality/valueThe study evaluates auditor behavioural responses to legislative regimes which mandate or alternatively accommodate discretion in the reporting suspicion of money laundering. Consideration of constitutional and judicial activism in this context is a novel contribution to the literature. For its theoretical framework the study uses Foucault’s concept of discipline of the self to evaluate auditor behaviour under both regimes.

Challenges of Big Data Technology in Aviation Management

Traditional data systems fall short of processing Big Data since high volume of information collected to create successful business opportunities requires high performance computer programs including AI tools or processors. Deep flakes fabricate recordings, videos and images in a manner that misrepresent the receiver of the information regarding an event that in reality never took place. Processing Big Data safely for Aviation industry’s benefit requires dedicated legislative regimes to improve predictability in decision making at the market place. Placing reliance on Big Data technology surely helps aviation industry to overcome various troubles related to air operations with ease. This paper attempts to explore the benefits of Big Data technology for the aviation industry. Readers would probably find a point of reference to eradicate major obstacles of Big Data technology that is hampering growth and technical innovations for the aviation industry. Furthermore, readers would be exposed to discussions regarding lack of technical knowledge or skill to exploit Big Data technology directly affects airline’s infrastructure. The paper recommends suggestions to vanquish the identified issues for the aviation industry.

The advantages and challenges associated with the Government's legislation for the aesthetics sector in England

Regulation of the aesthetic sector is long overdue. Aesthetic nurses are standing on the threshold of a new era for aesthetic practice — they have been handed a ‘golden egg’ of opportunity, but many remain fearful that they may drop it

Cumhuriyetin 100. Yılında Kent ve Yönetişimi Sürdürülebilir Kalkınma Açısından Yeniden Düşünmek

This study analyses the relationship between cities, governance, and sustainable development. It emphasizes the importance of local governments in providing effective services and contributing to development. The study examines the concepts of city, urbanization, and sustainable development and the relationship between them. The impact of urbanization on economic growth and demographic changes is emphasized and discussed. The study employs a qualitative methodology and includes a development-based content analysis of local government legislation in Türkiye. The study also emphasizes the role of metropolitan governments in urban development and the need for development-oriented legislation and concludes with the suggestion that the legislation regulating local government institutions should be redesigned to prioritize economic development and sustainable practices.

The moral problems brought by the development of artificial intelligence

With the rapid development of Artificial intelligence (AI), the rapid development of AI also brings many new problems. Among them, the ethical and moral issues brought by AI have attracted people's attention. Due to the rapid renewal of artificial intelligence, many moral problems that have never been envisaged have also emerged. To avoid such problems and provide solutions for the future, this paper mainly analyzes the possible moral and ethical problems brought by artificial intelligence in the future, and adopted solutions and the results after adopting solutions. The research data are taken from published research, reports, government legislation, etc. This research believes that AI should comply with the current moral principles and be released after having solutions that can solve possible moral and ethical problems.

‘Nobody Is Proud of Soft Dollars’: the Impact of MiFID II on US Financial Markets

Abstract Scholars and policy makers have long debated whether securities firms should be allowed to bundle the cost of execution services with the cost of research. Investor advocates condemn the practice whereas industry representatives defend it. In 2018, as part of the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive II (MiFID II) legislative regime, the EU forced the unbundling of commission charges, diverging from US legal standards which still allow ‘soft dollar’ payments for research. The EU’s unbundling regime has challenged global financial services firms, which must now comply with conflicting rules across national boundaries. For more than five years, the US Securities and Exchange Commission provided temporary no-action relief to facilitate compliance with MiFID II, but that relief expired in July 2023, presenting an opportunity to reconsider the impact of MiFID II’s unbundling regime and its implications for US regulators and investors. While this article takes a critical view of soft dollar practices, the story of MiFID II presents contested issues of policy analysis as the agency costs inherent in bundled commissions could be offset by the public benefits of additional research. Unbundling also offers a noteworthy example of an innovation in capital markets regulation flowing from Europe to the United States rather than the other way around.

Supply chain coordination: the application of consignment and zero wholesale price contracts under customized cap-and-trade and consumers' environmental awareness

PurposeWithin a framework of supply chain (SC) coordination, this paper analyzes a green SC consisting of a retailer and a manufacturer, under government incentives and legislations and the consumer environmental awareness. To mitigate carbon emissions and promote the sustainability of the SC, a customized carbon emission trading mechanism is developed.Design/methodology/approachA game-theoretical decision model formulated determines the optimal sustainability level and the optimal quota of carbon credit from the ceiling capacity set by the government. In order to coordinate the SC and optimize environmental decisions, a novel combination of consignment and zero wholesale price contracts is proposed.FindingsAnalytical and numerical analyses conducted highlight that the proposed contract generates a Pareto improvement for both channel members, boosts the profit of the green SC, enhances the sustainability level of the channel and contributes to a reduction in the requested carbon emission credit by the manufacturer.Social implicationsWith the proposed mechanism, governments can protect their industries and, more importantly, comply with European Union (EU) rules on annually reducing emission ceilings allocated to industries.Originality/valueDifferent from previous studies on cap-and-trade strategies, the proposed mechanism enables companies to select lower emission quota/allowances than the maximum amount set by the government, and in return, companies can benefit from several incentive strategies of the government.

Beyond the Quota: Unravelling Legislative Dynamics and Public Sentiment on Women's Reservation"

“Achieving the aim of equal involvement of men and women in decision-making will establish a balance that greater accurately describes the makeup of society, which is required to improve democratization and encourage its effective functioning. The goals of fairness, outcomes, and security cannot be attained without the active engagement of women and the adoption of women's viewpoints at all phases of decision-making." The Women's Reservations Bill is a critical piece of government legislation having the potential to alter the foundation of Indian democracy. It has always sparked intense arguments both inside and outside of Parliament. Its supporters argue that the Bill is vital for woman's active engagement with politics. Opponents believe that reserve would mainly benefit women from aristocratic groups, exacerbating the suffering of those with limited resources and underprivileged. The Women's Reservation law, also known as the Constitutional Amendments (108th Amendment) Bill, is an ongoing law in India that intends to reserve 33% of all seats in the Lok Sabha, India's Lower House of Parliament, and the state legislatures for women. This essay investigates gender inequalities in legislative decision-making in the context of the gender quotas. I utilize two empirical methodologies to randomize parliamentarians' gender and sentiments analysis to discover legislative issues in the French Assembly from 2001 to 2017. It might even go one step further and investigate the current state of support for policies on each issue, for example, by using analysing sentiment methods or embedding models to calculate the distance across a piece of text and the material of interest.

Managing marine resources sustainably – Ecological, societal and governance connectivity, coherence and equivalence in complex marine transboundary regions

This overview proposes a novel typology of characteristics required to ensure that marine assessment and management is connected, coherent and/or equivalent across boundaries, both within or between national and international jurisdictions. This defines the types of connectivity, coherence nature and equivalences with their relevance and examples in a marine transboundary context. It indicates the way of identifying impediments to be addressed to ensure that the management across marine boundaries is sustainable and adequate, and it also gives examples of the way of overcoming those barriers. The typology covers natural environmental, governance (policies, politics, administration and legislation), economic and management regimes. It encompasses sector (e.g. fishing, navigation, etc.) and their activity-, pressures-, effects- and management response-footprints and Maritime Spatial Planning and Marine Protected Area-designation. This links monitoring, assessment and reporting across boundaries and within the physico-chemical and ecological realms and in marine conservation across boundaries. Finally, it shows connectivity, coherence and equivalence should reflect wider societal and cultural aspects as well as governance approaches, principles and outcomes in adjacent countries (States) and regions. These aspects are summarised by analysing the so-called 10-tenets for sustainable and successful marine management. Although this typology is developed largely from a European and North America perspective, it is proposed here for validating with examples in other areas worldwide.

Responding to ‘image-based domestic abuse’

This paper questions whether the law is equipped to respond to the range of behaviours that characterise domestic abuse, especially those behaviours that are associated with coercion and control and, in particular, the disclosure of private sexual images to this end. A willingness to recognise notions of intimate terrorism and coercive control as an integral part of this gendered harm has now been embedded in our legislative regime through the enactment of s.76 Serious Crime Act. Alongside, s.33 Criminal Justice and Courts Act 2015 has criminalised so-called ‘revenge porn’ through prohibiting the disclosure of intimate sexual images. In this paper, I argue that neither of these offences truly reflect the experiences of women and both involve barriers to justice. In particular, I argue that, where coercion and the disclosure of private sexual images/threats to disclose the same, or other demeaning images coincide, the legal framework is particularly ill-equipped to respond.