Impact Of Policy Actions Research Articles

Eighty-six EU policy options for reducing imported deforestation

Eighty-six EU policy options for reducing imported deforestation

Social determinants of health and local government: understanding and uptake of ideas in two Australian states

Objective:To examine the awareness and perceptions of local government staff about the social determinants of health (SDoH) and health inequity and use of these ideas to shape policy and practice. Methods:96 staff at 17 councils in South Australia or New South Wales responded to questions in a pilot online survey concerning: sources of knowledge about, familiarity with the evidence on, attitudes towards, and uses of ideas about the social determinants of health. Eight of 68 SA councils and 16 of 152 NSW councils were randomly selected stratified by state and metropolitan status. Differences between states and metropolitan/non‐metropolitan status were explored. Results:The majority of respondents (88.4%) reported some familiarity with ideas about the broad determinants of health and 90% agreed that the impact of policy action on health determinants should be considered in all major government policy and planning initiatives. Research articles, government/professional reports, and professional contacts were rated as important sources of knowledge about the social determinants of health. Conclusion:Resources need to be dedicated to systematic research on practical implementation of interventions on social determinants of health inequities and towards providing staff with more practical information about interventions and tools to evaluate those interventions. Implications:The findings suggest there is support for action addressing the social determinants of health in local government. The findings extend similar research regarding SDoH and government in NZ and Canada to Australian local government.

The impact of policy actions and future energy prices on the cost-optimal development of the energy system in Norway and Sweden

This paper studies the effects of policy actions on the energy systems in Norway and Sweden, including a nuclear shutdown, a cancelation of restricted hydropower and an expansion of export capacity to Europe. This study apply a stochastic TIMES model that considers the short-term uncertainty in electricity supply and value the flexibility of hydro reservoirs. It is the first time this approach is used to quantify the effects of these policy actions on cost-optimal investments and operations. To consider the uncertainty of the energy market, we analyse the policy actions under four different price developments for biomass, fossil fuels and electricity. The results demonstrate that our stochastic approach provides different model decisions compared to the traditional deterministic approach. Further, we show that the future role of the large hydro reservoirs in Norway and Sweden depends both on the adopted policy actions and on future energy prices, and that the policy actions have a significant impact on the development of the energy system. This insight is valuable when considering the development and management of the hydro reservoirs. It is also valuable for other European countries so that they can evaluate the interplay of the hydro reservoirs with other energy storage options.

Mortgage Payment Problem Development and Recovery: A Joint Probability Model Approach

The existing literature on mortgage default and foreclosure largely examines the development of mortgage problems (the first stage) and the possibility of recovery from such problems (the second stage) separately. Such studies may provide an incomplete picture of the development and possible resolution of mortgage problems. This paper uses the proprietary geo-coded version of the Panel Study of Income Dynamics from 2009 through 2013 to implement a different type of probability model. Three transitional probability equations are estimated: the likelihood of homeowners developing mortgage payment problems, the likelihood that those who develop such problems move to resolve their problems, and the conditional probability that those who develop such problems and don’t move will recover from them by other means. The coefficients from all three are combined to calculate the joint (state) probability of households having mortgage problems from which they will not recover. The analysis contains a number of unique results: changes in the mortgage front-end ratio are shown to have a substantial influence on both developing a mortgage problem and its resolution for those who do not move, 2) prior foreclosures are determined to affect the development of current mortgage problems, and 3) out-of-pocket medical expenses are found to influence both mortgage problem development and recovery. Also, the impact of policy actions are considered across several at-risk demographic groups. This experiment demonstrates that by improving the financial and mortgage characteristics, and the education level of households that actually develop mortgage problems, their predicted probability of developing mortgage problems that cannot be resolved could be reduced substantially.