Policy Implementation Research Articles

Implementation of nature-based solutions (NbS) into conservation practices of urban built heritages in Bangladesh: challenges, possibilities, and prospects.

The preservation of rich cultural and architectural heritages in Bangladesh, alongside its diverse natural environment, is increasingly prioritized through conservation efforts. Integration of Nature-based Solutions (NbS) into these practices, leveraging existing green elements and natural landscapes for cost-effective conservation processes. This research explores the potential of Nature-based Solutions (NbS) within the heritage structures of Bangladesh, identifying feasible areas for implementation and examining the benefits beyond regular conservation process. Nature-based Solutions (NbS) not only aids in preserving heritage but also enhances sustainability in water management, promotes health, sequesters carbon, boosts biodiversity, and improves acoustic comfort. By harnessing nature's resilience, these solutions offer sustainable responses to challenges posed by climate change, urbanization, and industrialization, which also threaten heritage sites. Integrating Nature-based Solutions (NbS) requires effective implementation strategies, policy support, and community engagement to ensure success. In this research, specific study- based method was followed and implemented in some heritage sites to generate suggestive conclusions in case of implementation of Nature-based Solutions (NbS). This study aims to analyze the feasibility and suggest practical approaches for implementing Nature-based solutions (NbS) in the conservation of cultural heritages of Bangladesh, emphasizing resilience, socio-economic benefits, and the preservation of natural and built environments.

Analysis of the structure of Russian acreage within the framework of the concept of sustainable agriculture

The purpose of scientific work is a comprehensive analysis of the impact of changes in the structure of acreage and the land use system on ensuring the sustainability of the agricultural industry in Russia. The results obtained demonstrate that, despite the implementation of a number of legislative initiatives aimed at improving the efficiency and environmental orientation of agriculture, a number of unresolved problems remain in the Russian Federation that hinder the transition to a model of sustainable agricultural production. Inefficient use of land resources is a problem faced by many agricultural regions in Russia. Irrational structuring of land, unbalanced distribution of agricultural land, low efficiency of use of modern technologies and resources lead to the loss of land potential. This has a negative impact on the yield and quality of agricultural products. There may be insufficient attention to the environmental aspects of land management: conserving biodiversity, maintaining natural ecosystems, minimizing the ecological footprint of agricultural activities and applying methods that promote soil regeneration. The comprehensive improvement of land management mechanisms in the Russian Federation, taking into account the concept of sustainable agriculture, involves the development and implementation of policies aimed at stimulating sustainable agricultural practices, supporting innovative methods and technologies, as well as training and advising agricultural producers on sustainable agriculture. This approach will significantly improve land use efficiency and ensure the sustainable development of Russia's agricultural sector.

Anticipatory climate policy mix pathways: a framework for ex-ante construction and assessment applied to the road transport sector

ABSTRACT Globally, climate policy implementation is failing to deliver on the ambitions outlined in the Paris Agreement and countries’ Nationally Determined Contributions. We argue that a more strategic and anticipatory approach to policy mix design and implementation can help contribute to realizing these ambitions. Policy mixes need to co-evolve as energy transitions progress, in order to effectively target multiple transition challenges as these change over time. Accordingly, policy assessments need to both consider interactions between instruments and adopt a dynamic perspective, in terms of design logics and evaluative criteria. We highlight the need for a construction and assessment methodology for designing policy mix pathways which explicitly considers durability risks which could weaken support and lead to dismantling, and anticipatory design principles which can help mitigate these risks. Our paper addresses this gap by proposing and illustrating a novel framework for policy instrument mix pathway construction and ex-ante assessment. We identify generalizable durability challenges for effective anticipatory design: dynamic cost effectiveness, the distributive impacts and acceptance of pathways, along with fiscal and governance requirements for effective implementation. We demonstrate the value of the approach by application to the German light-duty vehicle sector transition. We construct and comparatively assess three illustrative pathways promising to deliver the German LDV sector 2030 GHG targets. The pathways differ in logic, and which of three main market dynamics driving a diffusion-stage transition they emphasize: battery electric vehicle (BEV) purchase, vehicle stock usage, and internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle scrappage. Accordingly, the pathways utilize different instrument combinations, design features and calibrations. We also assess the illustrative pathways and discuss trade-offs. We argue that this approach can help improve climate policy planning and implementation processes, and increase the likelihood attaining ambitious mitigation targets.

A Guideline for Local Elderly Policy Development in Thailand

In previous local elder policy research, most studies were fragmented with only some subjects or some steps in the policy process and attention to the local policy process not included explicitly. This article aims to analyze Thai local elderly policy formulation, implementation and evaluation and to propose guidelines for Thai local elderly policy development. This was a qualitative study. Data were collected using in-depth interviews with 40 key informants from 5 local case studies and 8 national organizations, as well as observations and documentary studies. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis and analytic induction. For the policy content dimensions, the guidelines of policy content development of the case studies aim to make senior citizens happy, self-sufficient, and physically and mentally healthy. The means to achieve this are comprised of the following:1) an economic, career, and income stability dimension; 2) a health dimension; and 3) a social dimension. For the policy process dimensions, the guideline of policy formulation comprises of the following: the related national policy dimension, including developing the mindset of policy actors, developing the content of policies with clarity that is up-to-date and congruent with key agreements or related principles, and developing a participation process and communication of the policy. The local policy dimension is locally aged society strategic planning based on strategic management and objectives and key results (OKRs) derived from the results of data analysis, integration of public policy theory, resource-based view in strategic management theory, and objective and key results to reduce the limitations of the public policy theory and model. This comprises developing policy actors’ mindsets, competencies, and motivations, collecting information, creating participation for analyzing and formulating direction, and making local elderly society strategic plans. The guidelines of policy implementation comprise the following: creating knowledge and understanding, organizing a central organization, implementing a strategic plan, formulating strategies for implementing and integrating amicable coordination of networks, seeking and allocating tangible and intangible resources, developing competencies of local government personnel, network partners, and target groups, creating and developing a culture supporting the aged society, and creating internal and external motivation. The guidelines of policy evaluation comprise the following: the development of the evaluation competency, the growth and ethical mindset, and the development of a participatory local policy evaluation system. Based on the results of this study, the guidelines focus on the intangible resources, the internal motivation, the mindset of policy actors, the coordination and strength of networks, and the upper-level policy factors.

A qualitative exploration of policy interventions to improve the health-related quality of life of people living with HIV AIDS and co-morbidities of hypertension and/or diabetes in Ghana.

The intersection of infectious diseases, such as HIV, with chronic conditions like hypertension and diabetes poses a significant challenge in global health. While advancements in antiretroviral therapy have transformed HIV into a manageable chronic condition, a growing number of individuals with HIV now grapple with coexisting non-communicable diseases, impacting their Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL). Despite strides in HIV care, there is a notable policy gap that undermines efforts to address HIV-associated co-morbidities, particularly hypertension and diabetes, especially efforts to improve access, early detection, and ultimately HRQoL for individuals with HIV and co-morbidities. This study seeks to explore policy interventions aimed at improving the quality of life of HIV patients with hypertension or diabetes. The study utilized a qualitative descriptive design to explore the experiences and perspectives of healthcare professionals and support staff regarding policy interventions for managing HIV patients with hypertension and/or diabetes co-morbidities in three regions of Ghana. The research was conducted in the Upper West, Ashanti, and Greater Accra regions among 11 participants, chosen purposively from professions involved in HIV patient care to understand their views on the implementation of policy interventions to HRQoL for individuals with HIV and co-morbidities. In-depth interviews were conducted face-to-face and tape-recorded. Thematic analysis approach was used to analyze the data. The study involved 11 participants from three regions with varied years of experience. Implemented policies that potentially improve the HRQoL for individuals with HIV and co-morbidities involve support groups, home visits, provision of free drugs, and counselling. Barriers to policy implementation included non-adherence to medication, stigma, cost of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) medications, accessibility issues to NCDs services, lack of interest or understanding among implementers, and high staff turnover. Facilitators encompassed in-service training, guidelines in common platforms, knowledge sharing, external resources, regular check-ups, and motivational packages for patients. Individuals with HIV and comorbidities face complex challenges impacting their HRQoL, including emotional and financial dimensions. The study identifies critical policies and barriers, underscoring the need for tailored, patient-centered approaches. Facilitators like in-service training and regular check-ups offer actionable insights for effective policy implementation, emphasizing improved health outcomes for those with comorbid conditions. The study recommends integrated care approach and adherence support programs that address the unique challenges faced by people living with HIV.

The Current State of Using the Factors Affecting the Digitalization of Tourism in the Regions

In the regions, the current state of using the factors affecting the digitization of the tourism sector is developing at different levels. In this topic, the main factors such as the availability of technological infrastructure, the possibilities of using digital services and online platforms, the digital skills of personnel, the introduction of electronic payment systems, and the use of digital marketing and advertising tools are analyzed. Also, the implementation of the state policy and regulatory framework at a different level by region, attention to security and privacy is also important. In order to improve the current situation, it is emphasized the need to develop technological infrastructure, provide personnel with digital knowledge, and use state programs more widely. In these processes, digitization of the tourism sector is considered as the main factor serving economic development.

An Input–Output Analysis for the Economic Potential of a New Convergence Industry: A Focus on the Autonomous Vehicle Sector in South Korea

While it is crucial to grasp the economic potential in emerging convergence industries in order to develop effective policies and strategies for digital transformation, evaluating the potential is still challenging. This study develops a novel input–output model suitable for analyzing the economic potentials of subsectors in a new convergence industry. Furthermore, this research quantitatively assessed the economic potential of three sectors—components, vehicles, and services—within the autonomous vehicle industry in South Korea using the method newly proposed by this study and contrasted the results with those obtained from a traditional approach. It is found that the experimental approach introduced in this study can capture both the inter-sectoral relationships within the emerging convergence industry and its fundamental characteristics related to other sectors. As an empirical result, the autonomous vehicle service sector is found to drive the highest level of increase in production and labor for other industries. The vehicle sector has relatively high forward and backward-linkage effects, functioning as both supply and demand across the value chain of the autonomous vehicle industry. It also shows that the components sector has a relatively higher ripple effect on industries related to the infrastructure of autonomous vehicles, such as maintenance and energy fields. To rapidly establish an autonomous vehicle ecosystem and enhance its economic impact at the national level, it is essential to develop a “Soft Power” corresponding service sector. Consequently, the implementation of supportive and market-driven policies in this area is imperative.

How Does China’s Carbon Emissions Trading Policy Affect the Financing of High-Carbon Enterprises?

Evaluating the impact of carbon emissions trading (CET) policy on the operations and development of high-carbon enterprises is of great practical importance in a context where policy-makers aim to balance steady growth and reduce carbon emissions. Based on the panel data of A-share listed enterprises, this paper comprehensively employs the difference-in-differences (DID) and the difference-in-differences based propensity score matching (PSM-DID) methods to investigate the impact of China’s CET policy on the financing constraints and financing ability of high-carbon enterprises. The results indicate that: first, the level of financing constraints of high-carbon enterprises in China has significantly increased with the implementation of the CET policy from 2012 to 2019. Second, the impact shows significant heterogeneity in various industries, carbon markets, and the characteristics of enterprises. Third, the CET policy reduces the long-term debt financing ability of high-carbon enterprises by 22.26 percent during the sample period, but it has no significant impact on short-term debt financing ability. JEL Classification: C33, D92, G32, Q43, Q58

Does industrial agglomeration curb corporate carbon emissions? A perspective of financial constraints

This paper investigates the impact of industrial agglomeration on corporate carbon emissions in China. We measure the extent of industrial agglomeration utilizing distance-based continuous spatial measurement, differentiating between the quantity and scale of agglomeration. Using a panel of 7895 firm-year observations from 2007 to 2019, our findings indicate that regional industrial agglomeration contributes to a reduction in carbon emissions for firms located within those regions. Specifically, this reduction is primarily achieved through the alleviation of corporate financial constraints. We demonstrate that industrial agglomeration facilitates firms in accessing informal finance (e.g., trade credit) more effectively than formal finance (e.g., bank loans). Additionally, we find that the effect of industrial agglomeration on reducing carbon emissions is more pronounced for firms with higher environmental responsibility, while it is diminished in regions with greater marketization. The carbon reduction effect is also more significant for heavily polluting firms and those situated in areas with stricter environmental regulations. Furthermore, our study reveals that the implementation of green credit policies may weaken the carbon reduction effect of agglomeration by limiting access to financial resources. The robustness of our main results is confirmed through the Bartik-IV test and other robustness checks. Taken together, our findings suggest that industrial agglomeration can effectively lower corporate carbon emissions by easing financial constraints, offering valuable insights into strategies for enhancing corporate environmental performance.

Global, regional, and national impact of air pollution on stroke burden: changing landscape from 1990 to 2021

BackgroundExposure to air pollution contributes to cardiovascular disease-related deaths and morbidity, including stroke. However, few studies have examined the global stroke burden linked to air pollution. This study aimed to evaluate the global stroke morbidity and mortality associated with air pollution from 1990 to 2021.MethodWith the Global Burden of Disease Study (GBD) 2021, the numbers, and age-standardized rates (ASRs) of deaths and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) for air pollution-related stroke were reported globally. Further subgroup analyses were conducted by age, sex, region and country, and stroke subtypes. A linear regression model explored global temporal trends and a cluster analysis examined temporal trends across GBD regions. To predict trends until 2040, the age-period-cohort (APC) model and the Bayesian age-period-cohort (BAPC) model were applied.ResultsIn 2021, there were 1,989,686 (95% uncertainty interval [95% UI], 1,530,479-2,493,238) deaths and 44,962,167 (95% UI, 35,020,339 − 55,467,024) DALYs due to air pollution-related stroke. The ASRs increased with age, peaking generally over 85 years. Males, the Central African region, and Guinea-Bissau showed higher stroke burdens Intracerebral hemorrhage was the most lethal subtype, with an ASR of 11.69 (95% UI 8.94–14.69) for deaths and 276.93 (95% UI 212.21-344.36) for DALYs. From 1990 to 2021, the crude number of deaths and DALYs increased by 13.4% and 6.3%, respectively, for the global stroke burden but showed a declining trend when age-standardized. Most GBD regions in Asia and Africa experienced an increasing stroke burden linked to air pollution, while Europe and America showed a decreasing trend. Predictions indicated a gradual reduction in ASRs, with higher rates in males from 2020 to 2040.ConclusionsThe global stroke burden associated with air pollution remained significant despite a decreasing trend until 2021. Although future predictions suggested a reduction, the crude counts for stroke burden remained substantial, with significant regional disparities. This warranted the implementation of public health policies and ongoing efforts.

Имплементация международно-правовых норм об ответственности за экоцид в российском уголовном праве

The article reveals the concept of "implementation" based on the study of international legal doctrine. The correlation of this concept with such types of "penetration" of international norms into the domestic sphere as transformation, incorporation, reception,etc. is shown. Special attention is paid to ecocide as a result of the implementation of international law in the norm of responsibility for this crime in the Russian criminal law. It has been established that the process of implementing the norms of international law on ecocide is complicated by many problems, the main of which are: a) a large number, diversity and intensive dynamics of relevant international norms; b) the choice of optimal ways of implementation; c) maintaining a balance between the law and policy. The State, as the main (primary) subject of international law and a monopolist in the development and implementation of criminal policy, fully possesses the means to resolve these problems.

From ban to balance: How agricultural climate policies reshape rural asset allocation?

Environmental regulation on climate risk for promoting sustainable development is an important research topic that requires further attention. In response to the increasing awareness of agricultural climate and environmental protection, the implementation of the straw burning ban policy has been adopted in China. To gain a deeper understanding of the implications and effectiveness of the straw burning ban policy on rural households assets allocation behaviors, and this study utilizes China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) during 2010 to 2018 and employs the Difference-in-Differences (DID) estimation strategy to identify the causal effect. Accordingly, we draw several empirical findings. First, the straw burning ban policy has a significant impact on the assets allocation behaviors of rural households, leading to an increase in both risk and non-risk assets. Specifically, a preference for risky investments strongly exist following the occurrence of the straw burning shock. Second, we reveal significant reductions in the number of farmers and farming production costs, including expenses related to irrigation, seeds, and land usage. Conversely, we observe a significant increase in land renting and farmer machinery leasing activities. These effects are found to change the income patterns and thus affect household assets allocation behaviors. Third, the straw burning ban policy has a significant decline impact on household expenditures, specifically in total and housing expenditures, while welfare expenditure shows a positive increase as the preventive motivation. Finally, rural households affected by straw burning ban policy are significantly induced to increase allocation in short-term saving and non-financing assets, as well as in financing fixed-assets and financial investments.

Key Risk-Factors Contributing to Cardiovascular Disease: Lifestyle Modifications to Improve Cardiovascular Health

Cardiovascular disease is a preventable public health issue. The aim of this review is to identify modifiable risk-factors for cardiovascular disease and recommend lifestyle modification to prevent cardiovascular disease. PubMed, ScienceDirect, SAGE, Google Scholar, World Health Organisation websites, as well as public and community health textbooks, were hand searched and academic resources which are relevant for this review were selected for inclusion. Cardiovascular disease is leading cause of deaths in all continents of the world. While deaths from cardiovascular disease is increasing in Africa and Asia, it is decreasing in Australia and fluctuating in the USA. Premature deaths from cardiovascular disease are preeminent across middle income countries in Europe compared with high income countries. Cardiovascular disease is higher in rural areas of South America compared with urban areas. Trends in lifestyle patterns, including physical inactivity, smoking behaviour, and diets contribute to cardiovascular disease-prone conditions. Prevention includes health promotion activities that facilitate healthy living across life course and limit the initial onset of cardiovascular disease. Investment in prevention is the critical sustainable solution for the cardiovascular disease epidemic. Adopting WHO existing policies within individual countries in Africa, Asia, and middle-income countries in Europe, and ensuring robust implementation of such policies across life course and from different layers of sectors such as education and workplaces would have wider impacts in reducing risk and cardiovascular disease burden in the respective continents. Government of countries with worsening cardiovascular events should also increase health financing and focus on strengthening primary health care services for prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease.

Statistical Support for Federal and Regional Decisions on the Well-Being Standard

Modern Russia is going through difficult trials and as a state, as a civil society, it is in search of new ideas, meanings and goals for further development. Therefore, a more mature approach to the implementation of social policy is needed both at the federal, regional and local levels. This approach can become a standard of well-being. The general idea of the welfare standard implies equal access of citizens to public goods in any locality of the country. At the moment, programs are being implemented in a number of regions of Russia that can be called components of the well-being standard, but no universal concept has been created that would describe this standard. The authors of the study offer their vision of the standard of well-being and show that the process of its creation requires the efforts of the scientific community and active discussion. The result of the implementation of the well-being standard may be a gradual solution to the accumulated problems that concern Russian citizens. The study presents the successful experience of the regions, as well as analyzes the most common difficulties that hinder the successful implementation of state social projects and the development of individual regions. In the course of the study, it was proposed to supplement the federal standard with regional standards of well-being due to the specifics of a particular region.

Unraveling the nexus: Exploring Malaysia's research trends in advancing UN SDG 1

This study examines Malaysia's poverty rate with respect to SDG poverty reduction targets, the specific policies and programmes implemented to address poverty within the SDGs' framework, and the challenges and obstacles faced by Malaysia in achieving SDG poverty reduction targets. Despite Malaysia's significant achievements in reducing the aggregate poverty rate from 8.9% in 1995 to 1.7% in 2012, the country still faces poverty pockets in rural areas, specific states or regions, ethnic groups, and urban areas. These figures underscore the importance of targeted spatial planning and policy implementation to eradicate poverty effectively. Utilising a bibliometric analysis of the SCOPUS database, this study identifies key indicators of poverty in Malaysia based on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Furthermore, Malaysia's alignment with SDG Poverty Reduction Targets comprises its poverty eradication programme, which has successfully reduced the incidence of poverty from 49.3% in 1970 to 8.7% in 1995 and then to 0.4% in 2016. Despite this overall reduction in poverty, the reality of relative poverty and the poverty gap is increasing, indicating the need for a more comprehensive approach to address poverty and inequality. The Malaysian government has prioritised the provision of employment opportunities, household income, infrastructure, and facilities. However, challenges remain in identifying the infrastructure and facilities capable of providing maximum services for all levels of society, particularly in rural areas. The bibliometric analysis highlights the expanding sphere of SDG poverty reduction research in Malaysia, which reflects the country's intricate socio-economic landscape, particularly after the COVID-19 pandemic. Increasing academic output and impressive citation metrics indicate a strong scholarly interest in addressing poverty through various approaches. However, the emerging nature of this field warrants further exploration of the socio-legal and political factors that impact poverty alleviation. By focusing on the local context and incorporating grey literature into research, discussions can be enhanced, enriching the applicability of poverty reduction strategies and contributing to global sustainable development discourses.

The Analysis of Stunting Implementation Policy in Tegal Regency

Tegal is a regency with the highest stunting prevalence in toddlers in Central Java with a percentage of 22.3% in 2022. Currently, the regency has become the prioritized locus of stunting intervention in Indonesia. Tegal regency government issued the Regent Rule of Tegal Number 4 in the Year 2023 about the Communication Strategy of Behavioral Changes in Lowering Stunting Prevalence in 2023 - 2026 as the prevention and effort of decreasing the stunting rate. This research revealed the implementation of stunting prevention policy in Tegal by applying the exploratory implementation model of George Edward III, Marilee S. Grindle, and Mazmanian & Sabatier based on the triangular perspective of policy analysis. This descriptive qualitative research describes a variable orally from the respondents and the doers by observing them. The researchers collected the data by interviewing, documenting, and promoting the literature study. The researchers also interviewed the Health Agency of Tegal and Public Health Care of Kedungbanteng district. The results showed that the applied policy met the regulation in terms of local government and local apparatus organization, OPD, with collaboration and effort to realize inter-sectoral cooperation from regency to village levels. The concrete step in preventing stunting includes the provision of nutritionist teams at Kedungbanteg Public Health Care and the establishment of a police center to prevent stunting prevalence. The results were - gaining the top 99 awards of Public Service Innovation in 2023 by the Ministry of State Apparatus Utilization and Bureaucratic Reform. However, the researchers found hindrances in distributing stunting prevention at most pubic health care units in Tegal. They had not applied the concrete steps and had to improve the human resources by joining training for the cadres so they could use the measuring tool of stunting for toddlers.

The Impact of COVID-19 Restrictions on Reports of Domestic Violence Against Women in the Context of a Middle-Income Country: The Case of Belo Horizonte, Brazil.

The city of Belo Horizonte is a state capital in Brazil with 2.7 million people. The city is remarkable for its stubbornly high and stable levels of domestic violence, and for having implemented very restrictive responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. Using 260 weeks of data between 2017 and 2021, we used an Interrupted Time Series model to estimate the effect of the restrictive orders and their subsequent relief on reports of domestic violence against women. Results show that restrictive orders had a large and negative immediate impact on reports of domestic violence against women, which was immediately followed by a gradual increase towards their original level. The subsequent relief had no impact, as the series had already resumed its earlier trend by the time restrictions ended. We engage with theory and extant research from middle-income countries to consider why reports declined and why this decline was momentary. Findings contrast with research in high-income countries, which generally found increases in reports of domestic violence after implementing pandemic-related restrictions. However, results align with a single other study in Mexico, a medium-income country similar to Brazil. In light of our data's context and literature, we considered that reports of domestic violence may have declined not necessarily because of a reduction in actual incidents, but because the restrictions may have exacerbated the isolation of women in vulnerable domestic arrangements, limiting their ability to report their victimization. A stable trend in reports of domestic violence against women, which resumed even after a global pandemic, suggests that current policies have been ineffective and that addressing domestic violence requires a better understanding of related issues and evidence-based strategies. Our study also highlights the importance of considering the consequences of hastily implemented policies during a crisis. While necessary, such policies can inadvertently exacerbate issues such as social isolation.

Artificial Intelligence & the Capacity for Discrimination: The Imperative Need for Frameworks, Diverse Teams & Human Accountability

The increasing integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in various industries has led to concerns about how these systems can perpetuate discrimination, particularly in fields like employment, healthcare, and public policy. Multiple academic and business perspectives on AI discrimination, focusing on the need for global policy coordination and ethical oversight to mitigate biased outcomes, ask for our technical innovators to create contingencies that will better protect humanity’s experience with AI’s ever-expanding reach. Central to the key constructs such as biased datasets, algorithmic transparency, and the global governance of AI systems can function as a harmful drawback to these systems. Without adequate data governance and transparency, AI systems can perpetuate discrimination. AI's ability to discriminate stems primarily from biased data and the opacity of machine learning models, necessitating proactive research and policy implementation on a global scale. These frameworks must transcend the limitations of the experiences or perspectives of their programmers to ensure that AI innovations are ethically sound and that their use in global organizations adheres to principles of fairness and accountability. This synthesis will explore how these articles advocate for comprehensive, continuous monitoring of AI systems and policies that address both local and international concerns, offering a roadmap for organizations to innovate responsibly while mitigating the risks of AI-driven discrimination.

SEAs for seas: Strategic environmental assessment for more strategic and environmentally-oriented marine spatial planning processes

The foreseen, and already ongoing, substantial increase in offshore renewable energy and corresponding infrastructures urges policymakers and scholars to carefully consider corresponding long-term environmental effects on the marine environment. Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) is becoming a standard tool for Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) processes for enabling planners to develop more sustainable marine spatial plans. To explore how SEA can contribute to a more strategic and environmentally-oriented MSP practice, four SEA processes from four North Sea countries are examined, building on available SEA documents and semi-structured interviews. The results show that SEAs for MSP can take an exploratory or appraisal-oriented approach. Adopting an exploratory approach can open up comparatively more opportunities for SEA to contribute to MSP than an adopting an appraisal-oriented approach, but it requires an early initiation of the SEA within the larger planning process. Still, it does not imply that there is one single best method. Rather, the institutional context establishes the conditions for SEA processes to contribute to MSP practice. Particularly, the political pressures and prior sectoral policymaking for offshore renewable energy restrict what can be included in the scope of an SEA. Also, the limited knowledge on the larger dynamics of the marine environment complicate the assessment of transboundary and cumulative effects. Therefore, as future research continues working towards a robust scientific knowledge base on the marine environment, it is crucial that scholars and policymakers collaborate on a structural basis to bridge the gap between science and policy implementation.

Mental Health and Suicide Risk Among High School Students and Protective Factors - Youth Risk Behavior Survey, United States, 2023.

Adolescent mental health and suicide risk remain substantial public health concerns. High pre-COVID rates of poor mental health and suicide-related behaviors have continued to rise, highlighting the need to identify factors that might foster positive mental health outcomes and reduce suicide-related behaviors at population levels. Using CDC's 2023 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, CDC analyzed the prevalence of mental health and suicide risk indicators and their associations with individual-, family-, and school- or community-level protective factors. Prevalence estimates were calculated for each of the mental health and suicide risk indicators by demographic characteristic. Prevalence ratios adjusted for sex, sexual identity, grade, and race and ethnicity were calculated to examine the association between protective factors and mental health and suicide risk indicators. Overall, 39.7% of students experienced persistent feelings of sadness and hopelessness, 28.5% experienced poor mental health, 20.4% seriously considered attempting suicide, and 9.5% had attempted suicide. Mental health and suicide risk indicators differed by sex, sexual identity, grade, and race and ethnicity. All protective factors were associated with lower prevalence of one or more risk indicators. Findings from this report can serve as a foundation for the advancement of research on protective factors and for the development and implementation of programs, practices, and policies that protect and promote mental health and emotional well-being among youth.