Government Policy Research Articles

Success and Failure in Educational Reforms: Contrasting Cases from Belize and Jamaica

The forces that affect educational reform are numerous and unpredictable. They include, for example, the fact that key leaders may leave in the midst of implementation, or funding from international aid agencies may cease. Government policy could also change in the midst of the reform’s implementation. In fact, the effectiveness of the implementation stage of the change process is critical for the success of educational reform; and yet it is at this stage that many of the problems are encountered.

The Urgency of Recognition the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in Asymmetric Decentralization in Papua and Papua Barat

Asymmetric decentralization is a special method given to certain provinces in Indonesia amidst the diversity of cultures, customs and specialties of certain regions. The central government's policy in the form of regional autonomy apparently has an impact on indigenous communities, resulting in frequent conflicts and unclear recognition of customary rights, especially in Tanah Papua. The aim of the research is to determine the importance of recognizing indigenous communities in asymmetric decentralization in Papua and West Papua. The research method used is qualitative, data was obtained by searching the literature and presented with descriptive analysis. The results of this research are that Indonesia does not yet have regulations at the "law" level that recognize the existence and rights of indigenous peoples, especially in Papua and West Papua. One of the government's admissions is that through Asymmetric Decentralization with special autonomy it still causes public dissatisfaction. Therefore, recognition of people's rights through draft laws or "laws" is very important to implement. According to the research, ratifying the Indigenous Peoples Bill is essential for strengthening the legal and policy foundation for indigenous peoples' rights fulfillment.

A predictive model for collaborative leadership in digital transformation: Does it make a difference in Oman’s e-government performance?

Purpose This paper aims to investigate the role of collaborative leadership in government digital transformation in the Sultanate of Oman. To analyze collaborative leadership, the research examines four exogenous variables: self-directed team, power-sharing, relational intelligence and agility. The endogenous variable chosen to represent Oman's e-Government performance is organizational performance. Design/methodology/approach A quantitative method was applied to gather cross-sectional data in a questionnaire survey. Using a stratified sampling technique, the data were collected from 100 information and communication technology and e-government officials who assume leadership responsibilities. Partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) examined measurement and structural models. Findings The role of collaborative leadership in the performance of government digital transformation in the Sultanate of Oman was examined in this study. Collaborative leadership was categorized into four exogenous variables: self-directed team, power-sharing, relational intelligence and agility. Oman’s e-government performance operationalized as the organizational performance was selected as the endogenous variable. The results show that the self-directed team and agility components of collaborative leadership significantly positively impacted the performance of government digital transformation in the Sultanate of Oman. Research limitations/implications The major limitation of this research was that the study covered only four collaborative leadership attributes: self-directed teams, power-sharing, relational intelligence and agility. The study should have covered building trust, commitment, emotional intelligence, vision and communication skills. Practical implications These results are important for government policy creators and decision-makers aiming to enhance government digital transformation performance by leveraging collaborative leadership. Social implications Addressing collaborative leadership in management can be done through awareness of its importance to critical decision-makers and embedding it in the organization's governance, policies and human resource career path. In particular, it is recommended that public sector leaders continuously monitor self-managing teams and teamwork practices within the organization. Originality/value The originality and contribution of the above article lie in its investigation of the role of collaborative leadership in the context of government digital transformation in the Sultanate of Oman. The study contributes to the existing literature by examining the impact of four exogenous variables, self-directed team, power-sharing, relational intelligence and agility, on collaborative leadership. Additionally, the research uses a quantitative approach and uses PLS-SEM to analyze the data. The findings highlight the significant positive impact of self-directed team and agility components of collaborative leadership on the performance of government digital transformation. These insights provide valuable implications for government policy creators and decision-makers aiming to enhance digital transformation in the public sector by effectively implementing collaborative leadership strategies.

A predictive model for collaborative leadership in digital transformation: Does it make a difference in Oman’s e-government performance?

Purpose This paper aims to investigate the role of collaborative leadership in government digital transformation in the Sultanate of Oman. To analyze collaborative leadership, the research examines four exogenous variables: self-directed team, power-sharing, relational intelligence and agility. The endogenous variable chosen to represent Oman's e-Government performance is organizational performance. Design/methodology/approach A quantitative method was applied to gather cross-sectional data in a questionnaire survey. Using a stratified sampling technique, the data were collected from 100 information and communication technology and e-government officials who assume leadership responsibilities. Partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) examined measurement and structural models. Findings The role of collaborative leadership in the performance of government digital transformation in the Sultanate of Oman was examined in this study. Collaborative leadership was categorized into four exogenous variables: self-directed team, power-sharing, relational intelligence and agility. Oman’s e-government performance operationalized as the organizational performance was selected as the endogenous variable. The results show that the self-directed team and agility components of collaborative leadership significantly positively impacted the performance of government digital transformation in the Sultanate of Oman. Research limitations/implications The major limitation of this research was that the study covered only four collaborative leadership attributes: self-directed teams, power-sharing, relational intelligence and agility. The study should have covered building trust, commitment, emotional intelligence, vision and communication skills. Practical implications These results are important for government policy creators and decision-makers aiming to enhance government digital transformation performance by leveraging collaborative leadership. Social implications Addressing collaborative leadership in management can be done through awareness of its importance to critical decision-makers and embedding it in the organization's governance, policies and human resource career path. In particular, it is recommended that public sector leaders continuously monitor self-managing teams and teamwork practices within the organization. Originality/value The originality and contribution of the above article lie in its investigation of the role of collaborative leadership in the context of government digital transformation in the Sultanate of Oman. The study contributes to the existing literature by examining the impact of four exogenous variables, self-directed team, power-sharing, relational intelligence and agility, on collaborative leadership. Additionally, the research uses a quantitative approach and uses PLS-SEM to analyze the data. The findings highlight the significant positive impact of self-directed team and agility components of collaborative leadership on the performance of government digital transformation. These insights provide valuable implications for government policy creators and decision-makers aiming to enhance digital transformation in the public sector by effectively implementing collaborative leadership strategies.

Improving the drinking water supply system in the capital of Tomia Timur Subdistrict, Tomia Island, Wakatobi Regency

This research aims to improve the Municipal Drinking Water Supply System (SPAM IKK) in East Tomia, Wakatobi Regency, using a combined method approach and involving 76 participants. The findings indicate that water services in East Tomia adhere to the 4K principles (Quantity, Quality, Continuity, and Accessibility), with an increase in water volume despite some distribution challenges. Water quality remains high due to regular testing, and continuous service is ensured through ongoing maintenance, making the service accessibility for the community. Strategic improvements over the next 5-10 years include the implementation of solar-powered pumps, expansion of storage infrastructure, and enhancement of the distribution system to improve efficiency and sustainability. Recommendations include infrastructure upgrades, adoption of green technology, consistent quality checks, and support from proactive local government policies.

The effect of quarantine policy on pollution emission and the usage of private transportation in urban areas

Governmental policies, regulations, and responses to the pandemic can benefit from a better understanding of people's resulting behaviours before, during, and after COVID-19. To avoid the inelasticity and subjectivity of survey datasets, several studies have already used some objective variables like air pollutants to estimate the potential impacts of COVID-19 on the urban transportation system. However, the usage of reactant gases and a narrow time scale might weaken the results somehow. Here, both the objective passenger volume of public transport and the concentration of private traffic emitted black carbon (BC) from 2018 to 2023 were collected/calculated to decipher the potential relationship between public and private traffic during the COVID-19 period. Our results indicated that the commuting patterns of citizens show significant (p < 0.01) different patterns before, during, and after the pandemic. To be specific, public transportation showed a significant (p < 0.01) positive correlation with private transportation before the pandemic. This public transportation was significantly (p < 0.01) affected by the outbreaks of COVID-19, showing a significant (p < 0.01) negative correlation with private transportation. Such impacts of the virus and governmental policy would affect the long-term behaviour of individuals and even affect public transportation usage after the pandemic. Our results also indicated that such behaviour was mainly linked to the governmental restriction policy and would soon be neglected after the cancellation of the restriction policy in China.

Appraisal of policy measures at the beginning of a pandemic: Empirical evidence from the first four months and 12 months of the COVID-19 pandemic

PurposeThe rapid spread of the COVID-19 pandemic upended societies across the world, with billions forced into lockdowns. As countries contemplated instating and rolling back lockdown measures, and considered the impact of pandemic fatigue on policy measures, and furthermore to prepare for the improved management of future pandemics, this study examines the effectiveness of policy measures in limiting the spread of infections and fatalities.Design/methodology/approachThe methodological approach in the study centres on a fixed effects panel regression analysis and employs the COVID-19 Government Response Stringency Index, which comprises eight containment measures and three health campaigns, with progressive degrees of stringency, in order to investigate the efficacy of government policies.FindingsFindings suggest that some government policies were effective at reducing implicit mortality rates, infection cases and fatalities during the first four months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Solid stringency measures to reduce mortality rates include public gathering restrictions on more than 100 attendees, and international travel limits for developed countries and islands. Fatalities can further be reduced through the closing of public transport, whereas infection cases also experience benefits from public information campaigns. Comparable results are observed in a robustness test across 12 months.Originality/valueSome non-pharmaceutical policies are shown to be more effective than others at reducing the spread of infections, fatalities and mortality rates, and support policymakers to manage future pandemics more effectively.

Competitiveness of Sri Lankan Tea in the International Market: A Trade Flow Analysis

For more than 150 years, Sri Lanka has had a significant influence on the world market for tea. Sri Lanka is one of the world's top producers and exporters of tea. However, Sri Lanka's tea industry encounters a number of challenges due to internal and external market conditions, including governmental regulations, rising labour costs, and supply chain disruptions. These challenges can affect the competitiveness of Sri Lanka’s tea exports in the global market. Therefore, it is important to understand how the competitiveness of Sri Lankan tea exports in the global tea market changed over time. The specific objectives of the study were to examine the relative contribution of Sri Lanka’s tea exports to the international market and to assess the level of competitiveness of Sri Lanka’s tea exports. Based on the positivist research philosophy and quantitative approach, this study adopted four indexes to assess the level of competition. These indices include export market share (MS), export unit price (EUP), revealed comparative advantage (RCA), and revealed trade advantage (RTA). The study's findings demonstrated that while the export unit price exhibited an upward trend, Sri Lanka's market share in the world tea market has decreased over time. According to the findings of the RCA and RTA indices, Sri Lanka's competitiveness in terms of international tea exports has continuously decreased. Kenya, on the other hand, has witnessed a rise in tea export competition, while China and India have seen a decline in tea export competition. This study emphasizes the need for implementing efficient production methods in order to provide Sri Lankan tea to the global market at a lower price. Additionally, government policies ought to focus on offering technical assistance to boost productivity in the Sri Lankan tea industry.

Competitiveness of Sri Lankan Tea in the International Market: A Trade Flow Analysis

For more than 150 years, Sri Lanka has had a significant influence on the world market for tea. Sri Lanka is one of the world's top producers and exporters of tea. However, Sri Lanka's tea industry encounters a number of challenges due to internal and external market conditions, including governmental regulations, rising labour costs, and supply chain disruptions. These challenges can affect the competitiveness of Sri Lanka’s tea exports in the global market. Therefore, it is important to understand how the competitiveness of Sri Lankan tea exports in the global tea market changed over time. The specific objectives of the study were to examine the relative contribution of Sri Lanka’s tea exports to the international market and to assess the level of competitiveness of Sri Lanka’s tea exports. Based on the positivist research philosophy and quantitative approach, this study adopted four indexes to assess the level of competition. These indices include export market share (MS), export unit price (EUP), revealed comparative advantage (RCA), and revealed trade advantage (RTA). The study's findings demonstrated that while the export unit price exhibited an upward trend, Sri Lanka's market share in the world tea market has decreased over time. According to the findings of the RCA and RTA indices, Sri Lanka's competitiveness in terms of international tea exports has continuously decreased. Kenya, on the other hand, has witnessed a rise in tea export competition, while China and India have seen a decline in tea export competition. This study emphasizes the need for implementing efficient production methods in order to provide Sri Lankan tea to the global market at a lower price. Additionally, government policies ought to focus on offering technical assistance to boost productivity in the Sri Lankan tea industry.

Do Chinese secondary schools develop global citizens?

ABSTRACT This paper examines the nature of global citizenship education in Chinese secondary schools by investigating what kind of global citizens these institutions try to develop in the twenty-first century. Drawing on qualitative data from six high schools in China, the study reveals a distinctive Chinese perspective shaping the understanding of global citizenship. Educators purposefully harmonise the attributes of global citizens with cultural and traditional values inherent to the Chinese context, actively seeking common ground while adhering to national government policies. The research underscores a deliberate effort to connect global citizenship with the necessity of adapting to international competition and China’s role in world leadership. Furthermore, notable variations emerge among schools in their conceptualisations of developing global citizens, reflecting diverse expectations aligned with the different strata of students within China’s highly centralised education system. This exploration provides insights into the nuanced nature of global citizenship education in Chinese secondary schools.

Can the UK Deliver Zero Carbon Ready Homes by 2050?

Climate change presents one of the most significant challenges facing the world in the 21st century. In 2019, the UK became the first major economy to pass laws to end its contribution to the world’s greenhouse gas emissions; parliament passed legislation requiring the UK government to achieve its carbon neutrality commitment by 2050. This will require all industries, including the housing sector, which currently contributes around 14% of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions, to reduce their carbon emission contribution. One of the ways in which the housing sector plans to accomplish this is through delivering new zero carbon ready homes by 2050, at the latest. This study makes an innovative contribution to advancing the field of carbon neutral construction through its identification of the barriers to the UK in regards to their ability to deliver zero carbon homes (ZCH) and the provision of potential recommendations to overcome these barriers. To achieve this, a mixed-review method is used, combining a qualitative systematic analysis and a quantitative bibliometric approach. Several key barriers were identified and assigned to following key themes: legislative, socio-cultural, economic, financial, skills and knowledge, technical, industrial, environmental, and procurement factors. Legislative obstacles were found to be a primary barrier due to a lack of certainty, clarity, and clear definitions, as well as the removal and excess of government policies. Significantly, the findings reveal the under-researched impact of recent disruptive events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, Brexit, and economic factors in the UK, opening up novel avenues for exploring their implications. Overall, this study advances industry understanding and highlights innovative directions necessary to propel the sector towards realizing the UK’s legally-binding 2050 net zero target through the development of zero carbon ready homes.

Contrasting Affective responses and the Politics of the Energy Transition: Impact of the War in Ukraine on the Colombian Coal Industry

This piece explores the effects of the war in Ukraine on Colombia's coal industry and the contrasting affective responses of different actors. The stark contrast between environmental and Indigenous activists' anger and the industry representatives' optimism about the revival of coal exports evidences the tension between the climate policies of the current Colombian government and the longstanding pattern of export‐led economies in Latin America, a path difficult to break. Nonetheless, the situation enables a space to discuss how a ‘just transition’ would look for regions dependent on coal and, importantly, when that transition will be.

Contrasting Affective responses and the Politics of the Energy Transition: Impact of the War in Ukraine on the Colombian Coal Industry

This piece explores the effects of the war in Ukraine on Colombia's coal industry and the contrasting affective responses of different actors. The stark contrast between environmental and Indigenous activists' anger and the industry representatives' optimism about the revival of coal exports evidences the tension between the climate policies of the current Colombian government and the longstanding pattern of export‐led economies in Latin America, a path difficult to break. Nonetheless, the situation enables a space to discuss how a ‘just transition’ would look for regions dependent on coal and, importantly, when that transition will be.

Analysis of The Core Industry Determination of Cassava-Based Industrial Clusters Development in Jember Regency

The cassava-based industry is an industry that processes cassava into various processed products. Development of cassava-based industry in Jember Regency can be carried out through a cluster approach. The cluster approach is a geographic concentration of interrelated and collaborating companies, involving suppliers of goods, service providers, core industries, related industries, and institutions. This research aims to determine the potential core industry of cassava-based industrial cluster development in Jember Regency. Analysis of the core industry of cassava-based industrial cluster development in Jember Regency was carried out using the AHP (Analytical Hierarchy Process) method. The research stages start from analysis, hierarchical structure, and AHP method to obtain core industry priorities. The research results show that the type of cassava-based industry that has the highest alternative weight is the tape industry with a weight of 0.415. The tape industry is the core industry with the most potential because in terms of 6 criteria, namely: the number of industries, market reach, production capacity, raw material potential, government policy, and access to investor funding, the tape industry has the highest weight. Based on this, the tape industry was chosen to be the core industry of cassava-based industrial cluster development in Jember Regency.

Social Impact of Governmental Policies on Property Rights in Albania in the Spirit of ECtHR Jurisprudence

Social Impact of Governmental Policies on Property Rights in Albania in the Spirit of ECtHR Jurisprudence

A Risky Business? Climate Change and Meat Reduction in Aotearoa New Zealand. A Media Framing Analysis

ABSTRACT The reduction of red meat in high-income countries is an impactful climate action and necessary to balance the projected growth of meat consumption in middle-income countries. Aotearoa New Zealand (herein Aotearoa) is a high-income country with elevated per capita greenhouse gas emissions. This research presents a media framing analysis of 58 news media stories on meat reduction as a climate action. It illuminates how arguments are constructed rhetorically and debates about meat reduction made convincing. Within Aotearoa media, a “risk” frame has been adopted for both pro meat reduction and anti-meat reduction positions. Arguments favoring reduction considered the risks of meat consumption to both human health and ecological systems. Arguments against meat reduction focused on risks to humans, relying on nutritional science to support claims. Both positions emphasized individual action and responsibility, presenting dietary “choice” as the foremost way to manage risk. In doing so, structural changes such as government policy change or food regulation were de-emphasized.

Brexit and the fintech revolution in Europe: lessons from the Bulgarian digital finance sector

Purpose This paper aims to investigate the drivers of the resilience of the fintech sector in emerging Europe (EU) by analyzing the performance of 128 Bulgarian fintech companies in the period around the Referendum for Brexit in 2016. The Referendum was followed by a rapid growth of the Bulgarian fintech sector at a moment when venture capital funding was limited, which challenged firms to improve their fundamentals. Design/methodology/approach This empirical paper uses descriptive and panel data analysis based on the firm balance sheet and income statement data at the annual level. Findings The results show that larger and better-capitalized firms, which outsource their non-core activities and focus on their main competitive strengths, tend to have higher operating income and profit. The authors also find positive real-economy effects as these companies hire more actively to maintain growth. The results are primarily driven by the post-Brexit period of 2016–2019 when the authors find a tighter link between performance and firm fundamentals. These results have important managerial and policy implications and provide interesting directions for future research. Practical implications The findings have important management and policy implications. The authors argue that the flexibility of the Bulgarian fintech cluster, including the practice of Bulgarian fintech startups to outsource non-core activities; the readiness of universities to open new master programs to address firm demand for skilled labor and the startup-friendly environment in the main cluster hotspot, Sofia, has contributed to the resilience of the sector and can explain the drivers behind our findings. Fintech firms are very efficient in utilizing external services to foster their performance and growth, which may suggest that public policies that provide financial support for cloud services and outsourcing for startups during downturns or crises may improve economic growth and may have positive externalities for the supporting sectors that provide these services. Originality/value This paper fulfills an identified need to study the drivers of Fintech performance to identify best practices for managerial actions during economic or political crises, as well as government policy recommendations. To the best of the authors knowledge, this is one of the first empirical academic studies that examine the impact of Brexit on the European Fintech sector and real economy. The identified managerial strategies for ensuring regional resilience to economic crises and political shocks can be applied in various settings within and outside the EU.

Estimated attribution of the RFS program on soybean biodiesel in the U.S. using the bioenergy scenario model

Biofuels are supported by various governmental policies in the U.S. and globally as an alternative transportation fuel for environmental, geopolitical, and economic reasons. Much debate surrounds the effectiveness of these policies as well as the overall net environmental effect of increased biofuels use. In the U.S., recent studies have shown that the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) Program, overall, may not have been the leading driver of the ethanol industry from 2005 to 2020, contrary to common perception. Similar scrutiny has not been applied to biodiesel. This study uses the Bioenergy Scenario Model, a well-vetted system dynamics model, to retrospectively apportion historical biodiesel production between the RFS Program and other potentially influential drivers, such as the economics of biodiesel vs. diesel, the Biodiesel Tax Credit (BTC), California's Low Carbon Fuel Standard, and other factors. From 2002 to 2020 about 36% of biodiesel production can be attributed to the RFS Program, 35% to the BTC, and the rest to other factors. Thus, the overall effect of the RFS Program appears much larger on biodiesel than on corn ethanol. The finding that the same policy may have very disparate effects on different biofuels helps inform the design of future policies on biofuels.

Social network analysis for identifying the significant drivers of off-site construction adoption in Egypt

PurposeRapid urbanization and the shortcomings of traditional construction methods motivate construction professionals to explore faster and more sustainable approaches such as off-site construction (OSC). Thus, the purpose of this paper is to identify the drivers influencing OSC adoption and to explore the key drivers of its widespread adoption in Egypt.Design/methodology/approachA comprehensive global literature review was performed initially to develop an up-to-date list of OSC adoption drivers, which was confirmed in the Egyptian context through a pilot study. Then, social network analysis (SNA) was utilized to determine the most influential drivers as well as shortlist them to construct the final questionnaire survey. A total of 57 stakeholders in the Egyptian construction industry responded. Lastly, the relative importance index (RII) was calculated to rank the drivers, revealing the key drivers.FindingsThe results revealed that higher productivity, improving project quality control, shortening construction time, improving product quality and improving supervision and inspection are the top five drivers. On the contrary, government policies and regulations is the least significant driver.Originality/valueThis research contributes to the body of knowledge by introducing a comprehensive, up-to-date list of drivers, which helps the stakeholders gain a better understanding of the driving enablers of adopting OSC generally and helps Egyptian stakeholders make more informed decisions about its implementation specifically.

Assuring the Sustainability and Growth of Small and Medium-Sized Manufacturing Enterprises in Botswana: An Exploratory Study

This paper explored the factors that impact the sustainability and growth of small and medium-sized manufacturing enterprises in Botswana. A self-administered structured questionnaire was used to survey 348 owners/managers of small and medium-sized manufacturing enterprises (SMEs) in the South Eastern District of Botswana. Descriptive and inferential statistics were generated from the gathered data using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (IBM SPSS Version 27.0). findings revealed that entrepreneurial factors, firm-specific factors and exogenous factors impacted the growth and sustainability of manufacturing firms in Botswana. In addition, government policies and guidelines, innovation and creativity, human capital development, access to finance, financial management skills and managerial skills were also confirmed as significantly contributing to the growth and sustainability of manufacturing small and medium-sized enterprises in Botswana. Key recommendations derived from these findings include the need for policymakers in the government of Botswana and private sector partners to upskill owners/managers of manufacturing enterprises on business planning, financial management, financial literacy, quality management, and market research skills. Furthermore, efforts should be accelerated to promote products manufactured in Botswana to regional and global markets.