Industry Interest Groups Research Articles

The rise of multi-stakeholderism, the power of ultra-processed food corporations, and the implications for global food governance: a network analysis

AbstractThe rise of multi-stakeholder institutions (MIs) involving the ultra-processed food (UPF) industry has raised concerns among food and public health scholars, especially with regards to enhancing the legitimacy and influence of transnational food corporations in global food governance (GFG) spaces. However, few studies have investigated the governance composition and characteristics of MIs involving the UPF industry, nor considered the implications for organizing global responses to UPFs and other major food systems challenges. We address this gap by conducting a network analysis to map global MIs involving the UPF industry, drawing data from web sources, company reports, business and market research databases, and academic and grey literature. We identified 45 such global food system MIs. Of these, executives from the UPF industry or affiliated interest groups held almost half (n = 263, or 43.8%) of the total 601 board seat positions. Executives from a small number of corporations, especially Unilever (n = 20), Nestlé (n = 17), PepsiCo Inc (n = 14), and The Coca-Cola Company (n = 13) held the most board seat positions, indicating centrality to the network. Board seats of these MIs are dominated by executives from transnational corporations (n = 431, or 71.7%), high-income countries (n = 495, or 82.4%), and four countries (United States, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and the Netherlands) (n = 350, or 58.2%) in particular. This study shows that MIs involving the UPF industry privilege the interests of corporations located near exclusively in the Global North, draw legitimacy through affiliations with multi-lateral agencies, civil society groups and research institutions, and represent diverse corporate interests involved in UPF supply chains. Corporate-anchored multi-stakeholderism, as a form of GFG governance, raises challenges for achieving food systems transformation, including the control and reduction of UPFs in human diets.

Conceptualizing the European military-civilian-industrial complex: the need for a helicopter perspective

ABSTRACTIn his 1961 farewell address, US President Eisenhower coined the term “military-industrial complex,” referring to the coalescing of military, industrial, and political interest groups. In contemporary Europe, the military-industrial complex is arguably transforming into a complex with a noteworthy commercial civilian dimension, blurring traditional military and arms-focused understandings of European defence and security. Our emphasis on an added corporate civilian component captures the expansion of defence and security beyond the traditional military domain. Coalescing of industry and politics is observed in Europe, blurring the military-civilian divide, technologically as well as in organization and governance, particularly through public-private partnerships. Eisenhower, himself a decorated WWII general, warned of how the US military-industrial complex could lead to “disastrous use of misplaced power.” Rather than reiterating such a conclusion in the European context, our paper examines how the European military-civilian-industrial complex is emerging, looking at how elite participants shape the public-private structure of the complex, and specifically how policies on dual-use and emerging technologies influence developments in Europe. The focus herein is on novel actors, characteristics, and the European Union and charts out defining conceptual features of the defence and security industry in Europe.

Effect of Campaign Contributions on Legislator Behavior: Intra–Dairy Industry Interest Group Competition

Effect of Campaign Contributions on Legislator Behavior: Intra–Dairy Industry Interest Group Competition

Advocacy strategies of industry and environmental interest groups in oil and gas policy debates

This article analyses the preferred advocacy strategies of industry representatives and environmentalists in the conflict over oil and gas drilling in the state of Colorado. Environmental policy, social movement and nonprofit literatures describe the advocacy strategies of those seeking to influence policy. While early work assumed that actors with greater resources rely on inside tactics and those with fewer resources rely on outside tactics, more recent studies suggest that policy actors use an array of tactics. To build on recent research and improve our understanding of strategic decisions, this study examines the role that venues play in policy actors’ perceptions of the effectiveness of their advocacy tactics. Specifically, this research compares self-reported strategy effectiveness among members of the oil and gas industry with representatives of environmental groups, and asks whether effectiveness is moderated by perceptions of venue viability. Data derive from two waves of surveys of oil and gas policy actors in Colorado. Results hold implications for stakeholder engagement and suggest that venue perception is relevant to strategy effectiveness, but only within regulatory venues. In this way, the article makes a clear contribution to the interest group literature as well as the environmental policy subsystem literature.

A World Lifted off Its Hinges: The Social Impact of World War I on Hungary

As was true virtually everywhere, World War I brought about significant social changes in Hungary. As a consequence of the wartime mobilization of the economy, the relationship between employers and workers in industry was transformed, as was the relationship between owners of different sizes of estates and farms and agricultural workers in rural areas. In both spheres, groups emerged which were much better organized than before. Some of them were capable of coordinated political action, and the balance of power between them changed rapidly over time. The wartime government tried to ensure continuous coordination and reconciliation of interests between the various ownership and labor groups in agriculture and industry, but it ultimately failed. Beyond the military defeat, this failure was the primary determining factor of the events of 1918–19 in Hungary. By analyzing the group dynamics of wartime society and the wartime economy in Hungary, this paper seeks to outline the social and historical background of the political struggles that came in the wake of the war. It ventures two core contentions. First, the emergence of various agricultural and industrial interest groups and their coordination with one another and with the government in the aftermath of the war constituted mechanisms of integration that had not existed before the war. As a result, the diverse socio-professional groups in Hungary became more integrated into one society within the framework of the state. The second finding contention is that the counterrevolutionary regime that took over in late 1919 was more successful than previous governments had been in establishing a balance between the different groups of owners and workers and learning from previous experience, and this was why it was able, ultimately, to consolidate its hold on power.

Industry Insights on Consumer Receptivity to Aquaculture Products in the Retail Marketplace: Considerations for Increasing Seafood Intake

Abstract Objectives Americans consistently fail to meet dietary guidelines for seafood intake. Efforts are needed to increase consumption, especially of sustainable seafood that can be supplied by domestic aquaculture. However, consumer receptivity to aquaculture products is mixed. The objective of this study was to elicit industry perspectives regarding influences on consumer purchases of aquaculture products. Methods Key informant interviews (n = 12) were conducted in late 2020 with U.S. salmon, shrimp, and oyster producers, marketers, and industry interest groups. Participants were recruited via snowball sampling. Virtual interviews were conducted by a trained moderator and assistant moderator/notetaker using a semi-structured interview guide. Qualitative data analysis included a thematic review of interview recordings and notes, with key concepts coded according to a priori themes derived from the literature. Results Interviews yielded important insights into consumer receptivity to aquaculture products. Participants believe that outdated misperceptions of aquaculture persist, noting that despite advances in domestic aquaculture production practices to comply with U.S. standards, some consumers perceive aquaculture as environmentally detrimental and unsustainable. Further, participants believe negative attitudes toward genetically modified organisms, corn and soy-based feeds, antibiotics, and chemicals are misplaced, yet contribute to hesitancy among some consumers. Industry opinions on what is important to consumers reflect strong valuation of seafood quality, freshness, local harvest, and sustainability. Participants suggest product labeling efforts be developed accordingly, and that innovative marketing strategies be undertaken, such as aquaculture product promotion through “know your farmer” campaigns, chef education initiatives, and home delivery programs. Conclusions For domestic aquaculture products to have a meaningful impact on U.S. seafood intake, positive consumer receptivity is key. Industry perspectives will inform marketing and educational efforts toward addressing consumer hesitancy to purchase aquaculture products by resolving misguided concerns, with important implications for consumer health and sustainability of the domestic seafood supply. Funding Sources United States Department of Agriculture.

Actors (Media policy/ Meta journalism)

Actors (Media policy/ Meta journalism)

Return to work and cancer: Perspectives of occupational therapists.

Progress in the early detection, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer has translated into more people in Australia living with and beyond cancer. Therefore, there is a larger number of people returning to work following cancer treatment while managing ongoing symptoms of cancer, and side effects of treatment. The purpose of this study was to explore the facilitators and barriers for return to work for someone with cancer, from the perspective of occupational therapists. This study used a qualitative descriptive design. Participants were recruited via key contacts within the industry and relevant interest groups, and included eight occupational therapists with experience supporting someone with cancer to return to work. Data were collected in semi-structured in-depth Interviews which were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analysed thematically. Two main themes were developed; expectations of the cancer experience versus reality, and vulnerability during return to work. Occupational therapists perceived that the person with cancer, employers, family members, co-workers, and society underestimate the impact of ongoing cancer symptoms on return to work. Return to work was challenging as survivors face unexpected challenges due to ongoing fatigue, cognitive difficulties, or psychological factors. Fear of relapse, concerns regarding disclosure affecting how people with cancer are perceived at work, and worries of leaving the high levels of professional support during treatment, also affected return to work. Findings from this study may contribute to occupational therapists and people with cancer setting realistic expectations for the return to work experience. Furthermore, it may provide support for occupational therapists to work more effectively with their clients to facilitate a smoother transition back to work as a cancer survivor.

Regulatory Capture and the Dynamics of Interventionism: The Case of Power Utilities in Quebec and Ontario to 1944

To what extent are the outcomes of economic regulation intended and desired by its proponents? To address this question, we combine Stigler’s theory of regulatory capture with the Austrian theory of the dynamics of interventionism. We reframe Stigler’s theory of regulatory capture as an analytical starting point for a dynamic theory of interventionism, one which accounts for the unintended consequences that emerge from regulation, even if the origins of such regulation were designed to benefit a particular industry or special interest group. Therefore, we argue that regulatory capture is not necessarily inconsistent with a dynamic theory of intervention. We illustrate this theoretical point by applying it to an econometric case study of electric utility regulation and its nationalization in both Ontario and Quebec in the early 20th century, resulting in unintended and undesirable consequences that deviated from the interests of the regulation’s intended beneficiaries.

Industry Politicization and Interest Group Campaign Contribution Strategies

In this article we develop a new theory that interest group donation behavior will vary based on the politicization of industries that a particular group works in. With this theory, we develop a new empirical measure of industry politicization using mentions of contributor industry and partisan keywords in newspapers in the United States from 1999 to 2014. We show using a difference-in-differences model that as industry politicization increases, the likelihood of a political action committee (PAC) using an access-oriented donation strategy decreases and the likelihood of a PAC using an ideologically oriented donation strategy increases. Our results indicate that there is significant variation across interest groups that is often ignored when considering PACs’ donation strategies as parts of broad subgroups. Furthermore, these results illuminate the policy areas in which interest groups seek access to the legislative process via strategically placed campaign contributions.

Political economy of free trade agreements in China, Japan, and South Korea: sectoral politics of the FTA wave, 1998–2016

AbstractThe aim of this study is to analyze the different impacts of the determinants of free trade agreements (FTAs) based on the stage of the FTA discussions. By disaggregating the FTA formation process into four stages, this study finds that the influence of industry interest groups has a positive impact on FTA formation in the first stage, when two countries initiate the discussion by establishing a joint study. In contrast, it has a negative impact in the last stage, when signed FTAs need to be ratified in order to enter into force. Political institutions emphasized in the existing studies are likely to be significant in the initial stages, but lose their significance as the process moves forward. The findings of this study collectively support the hypothesis that a given FTA is the result of sectoral politics where interests and the power of industries have a significant influence on trade policy decision-making.

Preface

Rapid urbanization has led to vast advancement in various technologies that improve the lives of human beings. If not properly managed, the process involved in making and using these technologies would contribute to immense waste and pollutant generation worldwide. Thus, innovative solutions that promote efficient consumption of energy, materials and resources as well as responsible production and usage of technologies are needed in order to build green and sustainable cities.In succession to our first initiative in 2017 (CENVIRON 2017), the School of Environmental Engineering, Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP) has come back with the 2nd International Conference on Civil and Environmental Engineering (CENVIRON 2019), themed as “Emerging Technologies Towards Sustainable Environment: From Theory to Practice”. The theme addresses the complexity of sustainable issues and challenges related to civil and environmental engineering with an interdisciplinary approach.CENVIRON 2019 has successfully created a platform for researchers, academics, government and industrial representatives, corporate organisations and interest groups worldwide to discuss latest ideas and research progress related to the theme, covering wide areas of civil and environmental engineering research, in both theoretical and practical aspects. The academic output of CENVIRON 2019 is gathered here in IOP: Earth and Environmental Sciences for the benefit of all.The Organizing Committee would like to express our warmest gratitude to all Authors of the conference publications for their effort to put ideas and research progress into writings, and active engagement in the scientific sessions during the conference, and not to forget, the Reviewers for their reliable contribution in evaluating all entrusted scientific papers.On behalf of the Organizing Committee Chairman, Dr Ayu Wazira Azhari 2nd International Conference on Civil and Environmental Engineering (CENVIRON2019) Date: 20th-21st November 2019 Venue: Resorts World Langkawi, Langkawi (Malaysia) Website: https://cenviron.unimap.edu.my/index.php/cenviron2019/List of confrence photograph are available in this pdf.

The China–Japan–Korea Trilateral Free Trade Agreement: Why Did Trade Negotiations Stall?

Launched in 2013, the China–Japan–Korea Free Trade Agreement (CJKFTA) negotiations have slowed in recent years. The three countries have convened at 14 rounds of negotiations but failed to make any substantial breakthrough. A number of previous studies have presented a crisis‐driven approach in explaining the progress of the CJKFTA, and argue that the accomplished China–Korea Free Trade Agreement (CKFTA) will accelerate the CJKFTA negotiation. This study questions optimism over the CJKFTA, and investigates the reasons for the stalemate of ongoing negotiations. It does so by considering three sets of factors that have stalled the negotiation – economic interdependence, domestic politics, and industry interest groups – in addition to international politics/national FTA policies. First, the trilateral economic interdependence shows a downward trend in recent years and has weakened the necessity of having a trilateral FTA. Second, domestic sectoral interests remain highly divergent over a potential CJKFTA; opposition from loser groups in Japan remains strong, and the majority of the Korean business world still regard the utility of an accomplished CKFTA more highly than an accomplished CJKFTA. Finally, the three countries have failed to narrow the gaps during past negotiations because no party views the CJKFTA as a top priority, nor wishes to take the leadership. China does not want a high‐level CJKFTA; Japan's lack of political incentive and Korea's cautious “wait and see” stance have also led to a stalemate of the negotiations. In consequence, this article delivers a relatively pessimistic vision for the CJKFTA negotiation in the near future.

Leveraging ambitions and barriers: Glasgow universities and the 2014 Commonwealth Games

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate why and how universities in the Glasgow region sought to leverage the 2014 Commonwealth Games to achieve their own benefits.Design/methodology/approachAn in-depth qualitative case study, utilising documentary evidence and in-depth interviews, was employed to examine how Glasgow universities leveraged the Games, and the outcomes they sought.FindingsUniversities sought to leverage the 2014 Commonwealth Games to garner a range of benefits, including increased brand awareness, student and staff development opportunities, new or improved infrastructure, and strengthened stakeholder relationships. Leveraging strategies included developing relationships with other Games’ stakeholders to establish and participate in collaborations, committees, and research consortia, hosting ancillary events, and hosting teams on training camps. However, data revealed substantial barriers to effective leveraging, such as insufficient resourcing and lack of leadership, and consequently several interviewees conveyed a sense of missed opportunities.Practical implicationsThe results can inform universities located in host regions about the opportunities and challenges to strategically leveraging an event. Also, if event organisations understand the leveraging ambitions of event stakeholders, such as universities, they can better facilitate and manage their relationships with such stakeholders to maximise event benefits in the host region.Originality/valueThis research considers the leveraging activities of a previously un-researched event stakeholder group (universities) that have the potential to deliver benefits that reach students, staff, and industry interest groups in event host communities. The knowledge contributed could aid universities in future event host regions to strategically leverage to maximise the benefits of major sport events.

Maximizing Community Voices to Address Health Inequities: How the Law Hinders and Helps.

This paper highlights the need to apply an equity lens when assessing the impact of preemption and related legal doctrines on community health. Community autonomy to set and pursue public health priorities is an essential part of achieving health equity. Unfortunately, the priorities of organized industry interest groups often conflict with health equity goals. These groups have a history of successfully using law to limit community autonomy to pursue public health measures, most notably through preemption and related legal doctrines. We examine this phenomenon using two examples. First, we look at dental association efforts to block the spread of dental therapists in Indian Country. Native dental therapists have been improving the oral health of native people in Alaska for over a decade; yet the national and state dental associations have sought with mixed success to leverage state and federal laws to hinder other tribal governments from utilizing these providers. We compare these efforts with a restaurant association-led movement to limit what municipal governments can do to address food-based health inequities, focusing on a "model" ALEC bill that started in Ohio. Finally, we discuss how municipalities and Tribes are fighting back and continuing to pursue health equity for their communities.

Who drives China's renewable energy policies? Understanding the role of industrial corporations

This paper investigates the rise of a policy community in China's renewable energy sectors. After a decade of spectacular expansion of wind and solar energy industries, a PC that comprises both government and industrial actors is taking shape in China. The main finding of this research is that influential corporations, such as leading wind turbine and solar panel manufacturers or state-owned electricity utility companies, have played an important role in the renewable energy policy process by framing the strategic preferences and policy priority, and by negotiating and coordinating with state actors at both central and local level. Therefore, in China's climate governance domain, instead of a traditional perception of a state-led governance mode in which state officers are often believed to be the only crucial actors to steer climate-related policies, this study reveals that the government's autonomy in the policy process is increasingly constrained by the rising industrial interest groups who possess considerable resources and institutional power in China's renewable energy policy subsystem.

Asbestos: Socio-legal and Scientific Controversies and Unsound Science in the Context of the Worldwide Asbestos Tragedy - Lessons to be Learned.

Eight to fifteen per cent of lung cancer cases and nearly all mesothelioma cases are caused by asbestos. Problems in compensation issues ensue from strict legal requirements for eligibility and regulations of the statutory accident insurance institution pertaining to eligibility for occupational disease benefits. The latter include the unscientific requirement for set numbers of asbestos bodies or fibers to be found in lung tissue in order to "prove" disease causation if lung specimen are available. Although the validity of such evidence has been discredited by independent scientists, it is still used as evidence by an influential US pathology department. Frequently, epidemiological evidence regarding causal relationships and exposure histories is also often being ignored by insurance-affiliated medical experts.Similar misleading arguments are currently being used in newly industrialized countries where white asbestos - which is carcinogenic and fibrogenic like other asbestos types - is efficiently promoted as being less harmful. As a result, asbestos use is increasing in some of these countries. Behind the worldwide asbestos tragedy, a well-designed strategy orchestrated by certain transnational or multinational industrial interest groups can be perceived.Beyond the asbestos tragedy their covert plan is motivated by economic interests and discounts the ensuing damage to health and the impact of the diseases they create on public health systems.

Interpreting long-term energy scenarios and the role of bioenergy in Germany

Defining the long-term development of Germany׳s energy sector, has been the subject of a series of studies carried out by governmental, industrial and independent interest groups. These studies play a significant role in energy political debate for understanding the long-term role of bioenergy in the national energy system. However, a deep insight and critical assessment of these studies is necessary to increase their transparency and traceability for policy and research. This article aims to provide with information for better understanding energy scenarios and to interpret the expectations of the role that bioenergy can play in 2050.Firstly, 18 long-term energy scenarios were selected based on defined criteria, and analyzed in details in terms of their goals, methods, data used and obtained results. Furthermore, four specific bioenergy-related indicators were selected to carry out a quantitative analysis and interpretation across the selected studies. The results for the four indicators show a high uncertainty and a wide range of potential bioenergy development futures in Germany by 2050 – e.g. the sustainable domestic biomass potential ranges from 350 to 1700PJ, the share of biomass in final energy consumption lies between 5 and 28% – principally due to the different key questions and methods and heterogeneous driving forces.The study provides with recommendations for energy scenario users for quality measures (e.g. traceability and transparency of methods and data) and contextualization of the results

Adverse outcome pathways: From research to regulation scientific workshop report

An adverse outcome pathway (AOP) helps to organize existing knowledge on chemical mode of action, starting with a molecular initiating event such as receptor binding, continuing through key events, and ending with an adverse outcome such as reproductive impairment. AOPs can help identify knowledge gaps where more research is needed to understand the underlying mechanisms, aid in chemical hazard characterization, and guide the development of new testing approaches that use fewer or no animals. A September 2014 workshop in Bethesda, Maryland considered how the AOP concept could improve regulatory assessments of chemical toxicity. Scientists from 21 countries, representing industry, academia, regulatory agencies, and special interest groups, attended the workshop, titled Adverse Outcome Pathways: From Research to Regulation. Workshop plenary presentations were followed by breakout sessions that considered regulatory acceptance of AOPs and AOP-based tools, criteria for building confidence in an AOP for regulatory use, and requirements to build quantitative AOPs and AOP networks. Discussions during the closing session emphasized a need to increase transparent and inclusive collaboration, especially with disciplines outside of toxicology. Additionally, to increase impact, working groups should be established to systematically prioritize and develop AOPs. Multiple collaborative projects and follow-up activities resulted from the workshop.

The mathematics problem: the construction of a market-led education discourse in the Republic of Ireland

Educational change in the neoliberal state is permeated by the effects of forces from outside the field of education itself. The process of governmentality welcomes, indeed demands, the participation of those non-state actors valorised by neoliberalism as well as government agencies dedicated to the advancement of such groups. Inevitably, the concerns of such organisations become central to how the state sees education. This article traces the assembly of national and international agents from industry, business and special interest groups around the concept of ‘knowledge economy’. It treats this assemblage as an apparatus (dispositif), examining how the construction of an economic problem is brought to bear on the demand for educational change, and how this construction of the problem is used to shape public opinion in order to prepare the public for a radical change of direction. Confining itself to the reform of mathematics education introduced in the Republic of Ireland in 2010, this article traces the emergence of a mathematics discourse focused on market-led education. It interrogates the construction of ‘the mathematics problem’ or ‘crisis in maths’ and argues that the discourse of the present construction is economic in nature, centring as it does on human capital production and market-led reform.