Influence Policy Makers Research Articles

EvalPartners

In many less developed democracies Voluntary Organizations for Professional Evaluation (VOPEs) face the challenges of low demand for evaluation and the resulting low economic capacity of national evaluation communities. The VOPE model that evolved in well-developed democracies is not directly applicable under these circumstances, so a new model has to be developed. EvalPartners Initiative, launched in 2012 by the International Organization for Cooperation in Evaluation and UNICEF with support of international donors, seeks to facilitate the development of this new model by building a global community of national VOPEs able to effectively influence policy makers and public opinion to promote evaluation as the basis for evidence-based policy. EvalPartners activities include: (a) facilitation of peer-to-peer collaborations among VOPEs; (b) development of a toolkit on VOPE institutional capacity; (c) generation of new knowledge on VOPE operation; (d) promotion of enabling environment for evaluation; (e) promotion of equity-focused and gender-responsive evaluation.

Employers' Role in Cancer Prevention and Treatment—Developing Success Metrics for Use by the CEO Roundtable on Cancer

As evidence accumulates on the risk factors for cancer, it is becoming clearer that employers can play a significant role in the fight against the disease by creating a workplace conducive to lowering health risks. The CEO Roundtable on Cancer's CEO Cancer Gold Standard Program defines what companies can do to prevent cancer, detect it early, and ensure access to the best available treatments for those who are afflicted with the disease. This article describes how Johnson & Johnson incorporated the Cancer Gold Standard Program into its existing health promotion initiatives. Then, a framework is proposed that employers can use to monitor progress in cancer prevention and treatment enhancement efforts. Finally, health care eligibility, claims, and health risk assessment data are analyzed to quantify Johnson & Johnson's progress since implementation of the Cancer Gold Standard Program. Companies interested in initiating or furthering their health promotion efforts should consider joining groups such as the CEO Cancer Gold Standard. Collectively, companies have the ability to influence policy makers, payers, and the industry at large in changing behaviors and creating a culture of health and wellness in the fight against cancer.

Lessons in Media Advocacy: A Look Back at Saskatchewan's Nursing Education Debate

Nurses are encouraged to exert their influence in the realm of public policy, particularly policies related to the nursing profession, the health care system and the health of their clients. Media advocacy can be used by nursing organizations to mobilize public support on policy issues in order to influence policy makers. This article retrospectively examined the media advocacy efforts of nursing stakeholders in Saskatchewan, Canada in response to a new government policy that would have impacted educational requirements for licensure as a registered nurse (RN) in that province. Print media sources from the period January to March, 2000 were examined to determine the specific media advocacy techniques used by nursing organizations within the framework of the policy cycle. The success of nursing stakeholders in reversing the government position highlights the effectiveness of media advocacy as a tool to disseminate messages from the nursing profession in order to impact policy.

Comparison and Relative Utility of Inequality Measurements: As Applied to Scotland’s Child Dental Health

This study compared and assessed the utility of tests of inequality on a series of very large population caries datasets. National cross-sectional caries datasets for Scotland’s 5-year-olds in 1993/94 (n = 5,078); 1995/96 (n = 6,240); 1997/98 (n = 6,584); 1999/00 (n = 6,781); 2002/03 (n = 9,747); 2003/04 (n = 10,956); 2005/06 (n = 10,945) and 2007/08 (n = 12,067) were obtained. Outcomes were based on the d3mft metric (i.e. the number of decayed, missing and filled teeth). An area-based deprivation category (DepCat) measured the subjects’ socioeconomic status (SES). Simple absolute and relative inequality, Odds Ratios and the Significant Caries Index (SIC) as advocated by the World Health Organization were calculated. The measures of complex inequality applied to data were: the Slope Index of Inequality (absolute) and a variety of relative inequality tests i.e. Gini coefficient; Relative Index of Inequality; concentration curve; Koolman & Doorslaer’s transformed Concentration Index; Receiver Operator Curve and Population Attributable Risk (PAR). Additional tests used were plots of SIC deciles (SIC10) and a Scottish Caries Inequality Metric (SCIM10). Over the period, mean d3mft improved from 3.1(95%CI 3.0–3.2) to 1.9(95%CI 1.8–1.9) and d3mft = 0% from 41.1(95%CI 39.8–42.3) to 58.3(95%CI 57.8–59.7). Absolute simple and complex inequality decreased. Relative simple and complex inequality remained comparatively stable. Our results support the use of the SII and RII to measure complex absolute and relative SES inequalities alongside additional tests of complex relative inequality such as PAR and Koolman and Doorslaer’s transformed CI. The latter two have clear interpretations which may influence policy makers. Specialised dental metrics (i.e. SIC, SIC10 and SCIM10) permit the exploration of other important inequalities not determined by SES, and could be applied to many other types of disease where ranking of morbidity is possible e.g. obesity. More generally, the approaches described may be applied to study patterns of health inequality affecting worldwide populations.

The moral entrepreneurship of anti‐khat campaigners in Sweden – a critical discourse analysis

PurposeThis article aims to analyse the discourse about khat in the Swedish newspaper media and to present the concept of moral entrepreneurship as a useful analytical tool for understanding mobilisation against khat use in the Somali diaspora.Design/methodology/approachThe material analysed consists of daily newspaper articles about khat published between 1986 and 2012. The method of analysis is inspired by the critical discourse analysis framework developed by Norman Fairclough. Drawing on Howard S. Becker's concept of moral entrepreneur, the article focuses on anti‐khat campaigners who speak out against khat in the media. These are often representatives from Somali voluntary associations or organisations, who sometimes employ moral entrepreneurship. The article discusses these actors' role in framing khat use as a tangible threat to the Somali community in Sweden.FindingsWhen employing moral entrepreneurship, anti‐khat campaigners spread a certain type of knowledge about khat that is presented to the general public via the media. The key issues that repeatedly are of concern are how khat destroys Somali families and how the use might spread to other groups. In this manner khat use is constructed as a threat to Somali social cohesion. The knowledge produced could potentially influence policy makers to introduce stricter punishments for possession, sale and use of khat, thereby possibly increasing stigma and marginalisation in relation to the Somali immigrant community.Originality/valueThe literature about khat has pointed to the centrality of Somali organisations mobilising against khat in the diaspora. This article presents moral entrepreneurship as a theoretical tool to further the understanding of the mobilisation against khat and its use.

Addressing Solar-PV Power Generation: Commercialization Assessment for the US Energy Market

Solar-Photovoltaic (PV) utility power is more expensive to producecompared with conventional sources. Current utility power purchaseagreement policies discourage private investment because far futurecash flow does not add to asset value. This article presents an overviewof a study that assesses the commercialization of PV power generationin the US energy market. Data analysis substantiates that for PV powerto be competitive with conventional power plants, much lower discountrates are required during the first half of the PV utility lifecycle, afterwhich solar PV will have a much lower cost due to a drastic reductionin the cost of capital. Additionally, the levelized cost of energy analysisfor a longer lifecycle indicates that the utility scale solar PV cost gap canbe bridged. Therefore, this article aims to influence policy makers to in-troduce long-term power purchase agreements, taking into account theavoided costs due to the unevaluated quality of long life at anticipatedlow operating costs. Furthermore, simulations reveal that the proposedsolar PV self-financing program may be a viable alternative to the cur-rent government subsidy that lacks an inflow of cash to offset the out-flow of subsidy payments. Finally, we present selective strategies thatcan help drive the commercialization of PV power generation in the USenergy market.

Wastewater reuse

Water scarcity and water pollution are some of the crucial issues that must be addressed within local and global perspectives. One of the ways to reduce the impact of water scarcity and to minimizine water pollution is to expand water and wastewater reuse. The local conditions including regulations, institutions, financial mechanisms, availability of local technology and stakeholder participation have a great influence on the decisions for wastewater reuse. The increasing awareness of food safety and the influence of the countries which import food are influencing policy makers and agriculturists to improve the standards of wastewater reuse in agriculture. The environmental awareness of consumers has been putting pressure on the producers (industries) to opt for environmentally sound technologies including those which conserve water and reduce the level of pollution. It may be observed that we have to move forwards to implement strategies and plans for wastewater reuse. However, their success and sustainability will depend on political will, public awareness and active support from national and international agencies to create favorable environment for the promotion of environmentally sustainable technologies. Wastewater treatment has a long history, especially in agriculture, but also in industry and households. Poor quality of wastewater can pose a significant risk to the health of farmers and users of agricultural products. The World Health Organization (WHO) is working on a project for the reuse of wastewater in agriculture. To reduce effects of human activities to the minimum, it is necessary to provide such technical and technological solutions that would on the one hand ensure complying with the existing regulations and legislation, and on the other hand provide economically viable systems as seen through investments and operating costs.

Addressing Solar-PV Power Generation: Commercialization Assessment for the US Energy Market

ABSTRACT Solar-Photovoltaic (PV) utility power is more expensive to produce compared with conventional sources. Current utility power purchase agreement policies discourage private investment because far future cash flow does not add to asset value. This article presents an overview of a study that assesses the commercialization of PV power generation in the US energy market. Data analysis substantiates that for PV power to be competitive with conventional power plants, much lower discount rates are required during the first half of the PV utility lifecycle, after which solar PV will have a much lower cost due to a drastic reduction in the cost of capital. Additionally, the levelized cost of energy analysis for a longer lifecycle indicates that the utility scale solar PV cost gap can be bridged. Therefore, this article aims to influence policy makers to introduce long-term power purchase agreements, taking into account the avoided costs due to the unevaluated quality of long life at anticipated low operat...

Institutional conditions and political capabilities: An examination of Airline reactions to 9/11

Governments and their agents can both facilitate and constrain organizational wealth creation. Whilst heterogeneously distributed valuable political resources allow a firm to develop capabilities to gain competitive advantage, less attention has been devoted to the conditions that impact the development of political capabilities in varying institutional contexts. This qualitative, inductive study examines the development and application of political capabilities in five European national airline carriers within an institutional context requiring reactive political strategies to influence policy makers, i.e. avoiding security costs from 9/11. We contribute to capability theory and practice studies by showing how senior management teams develop political capabilities in institutional contexts exhibiting increased uncertainty. We argue that while the senior management’s attention to specific political processes can create valuable political capabilities, this value creation is moderated by the nature of the institutional environment and its barriers.

The Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland: individual visits and investigations can effect system change

PurposeThe experience of the individual patient can be an important driver in improving care. This paper seeks to outline the way the Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland (MWCS) uses individual cases to influence policy makers and service providers.Design/methodology/approachThrough visiting people, monitoring the use of mental health legislation, giving advice and conducting investigations, the MWCS has concrete examples of influencing significant change. Specific examples demonstrate how this has been achieved.FindingsWith regard to visits: findings from individual visits have resulted in action to improve services and preserve individual rights; in monitoring: services have used monitoring data to change service provision in order to comply with legislation; in investigations: high profile investigations into abuse have resulted in new protective legislation; with regard to advice: collection of advice on difficult legal/ethical/treatment dilemmas have resulted in improved practice guidance.Research limitations/implicationsIndividual case examples are not necessarily indicative of general populations. Many factors result in improvement. Actions by the MWCS are not necessarily the only factor.Practical implicationsAn organisation that focuses on safeguarding individuals can use its influence to effect service improvement.Social implicationsBringing individual matters to the attention of policy makers has resulted in legislative and policy change.Originality/valueOther jurisdictions may wish to consider the value of the Scottish model that is highlighted in the paper.

Online medical education: determinants and development prospects with reference to Indian institutions

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present an initial discussion on issues related to imparting medical education through the e‐learning mode in India.Design/methodology/approachThe approach takes the form of the authors' observations as well as reflections on discussions with medical practitioners.FindingsOnline medical education has the potential to address the issue of shortage of medical professionals in India. This study provides insights into the receptiveness of the faculty members regarding the paradigm shift from traditional classroom to online learning environment. It describes the apprehensions, the hurdles and the probable way forward to aid e‐learning in medical education. The discussion can influence policy makers with regard to required accreditation systems for offering and acceptance of online degrees. It can also aid the cause of increasing the doctor‐population ratio, which may lower the deficiency of skilled professionals in the rural regions, thereby ensuring the availability of quality medical education and service to all strata of society at affordable options.Originality/valueThis paper draws on the knowledge, experiences and insights of medical practitioners and trainers in India who regularly interact with faculty, administrators, students and policy makers. As an initial work in this crucial area, the paper raises several questions and identifies areas in need of immediate examination.

What’s Love Got to Do with It?

What’s Love Got to Do with It?

Exercise and Type 2 diabetes: the metabolic benefits and challenges

SUMMARY Regular exercise is known to decrease the risk of all-cause mortality, improve insulin sensitivity and decrease blood glucose in patients with Type 2 diabetes. These improvements have been associated with increased skeletal muscle glucose disposal and a decreased hepatic glucose production. In recent times exercise has been linked to improved cognitive function and a reduced risk of dementia. In addition, the changes in hepatic gene expression are very rapid and suggest a direct impact of exercise. Therefore, the benefits of exercise may be more wide ranging than previously believed. Despite the known benefits it has been a challenge to influence policy makers to incorporate exercise into the management of Type 2 diabetes. This is partly owing to a lack of randomized controlled trials to determine the optimal exercise prescription and the variability in study design. In order to affect an increase in daily physical activity there is a need to develop new screening and monitoring tools to provide i...

Conversations with Arne Duncan: Offering advice on educator evaluations

The national push for new teacher evaluations is real; educators should not miss this opportunity to influence policy makers with solid evidence.

Stock demand curves and TARP returns

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to determine if the US Treasury's at‐the‐market sales of 5.27 billion Citigroup shares in 2010 drove down the banks' share price. It attempts to use the evidence of Citigroup's stock returns to accept or reject competing hypotheses of larger stock sales.Design/methodology/approachThe paper uses a geometric Brownian motion model to test if there were abnormal returns at various points in the US Treasury's highly publicized stock sale that lasted from 26 April to 6 December 2010.FindingsThere was a weakly significant drop in the stock price at the announcement of the sale and a weakly significant rise in the stock price just after it ended. This is evidence that the demand curve for the stock had a negative slope.Practical implicationsThe evidence from this study will influence policy makers and investors in the upcoming privatizations of large bailed‐out firms such as American International Group, Ally Financial, Chrysler, and General Motors. The evidence indicates that slow at‐the‐market sales may temporarily depress stock prices more than quicker, underwritten secondary offerings. Patient investors may experience modest abnormal returns from providing liquidity to the US Treasury as it privatizes its holdings.Originality/valueThis is the only paper to study the stock price impacts of the US Treasury's liquidation of its 27 percent stake in Citigroup in 2010. Because the stock sales were delegated to a third party and highly publicized, unlike most other large stock sales, the Citigroup privatization is an unprecedented opportunity to test if the demand curve for common stocks is perfectly elastic.

S3.5 Scaling up novel biomedical HIV prevention strategies: evidence for action

Randomised controlled trial results can provide the scientific rationale for implementing new biomedical HIV prevention strategies but are not sufficient. Generalisability of trial findings, good participatory trial conduct, acceptability studies,...

Science, engineering, and technology in the policy process for mitigating natural–societal risk

AbstractIncreased societal risks due to the anthropogenic degradation of natural systems often require public policy action to mitigate. For example, increased skin cancer risks associated with anthropogenic stratospheric ozone depletion led to public policies limiting the emission of many ozone‐depleting substances. Natural–societal system interaction is complex and often requires expert knowledge and technology to develop effective and sustainable societal risk mitigation policies. However, available knowledge and technology are not always successful in increasing policy makers' attention to or understanding of these risks. The current work uses a system dynamics model of a feedback system that describes the stratospheric ozone depletion case to identify high leverage points for domain experts to influence policy makers in addressing risks posed by changes in a natural system. Model analysis suggests that the rate at which policy makers' attention to natural system risk is increased has a significant influence on the development of knowledge and technology and the ability of policy makers to mitigate societal risks. Copyright © 2011 System Dynamics Society.

Arctic Council Arctic Marine Shipping Assessment (AMSA)

ABSTRACT The Arctic Marine Shipping Assessment (AMSA) Report, including its recommendations, was approved by the Arctic Council Ministers in April 2009 and is the culmination of four years of work completed under the leadership of the the Council's working group on Protection of the Arctic Marine Environment (PAME). The overall scope of the AMSA focuses on ships and their infrastructure needs and impacts in the Arctic Ocean. AMSA was led by three countries, Canada, Finland and the United States and included data and expertise from all the Arctic States, the Permanent Participants and the global maritime industry. The focus of the AMSA is on marine safety and marine environmental protection, which is consistent with the Arctic Council's mandates of environmental protection and sustainable development. AMSA consists of an extensive shipping activity database; nine chapters followed by findings and recommendations intended to influence policy makers and future Arctic planning. AMSA identifies 17 recommendati...

Ecologically based rodent management in Africa: potential and challenges

Rodent management in agriculture remains a major challenge in developing countries where resource-poor farmers are ill equipped to deal with pest species. It is compounded by unpredictable outbreaks, late control actions, lack of/or inadequate expert interventions, expensive rodenticides and other factors. Ecologically based rodent management (EBRM) is recommended as the way forward for rodent management in Africa. EBRM relies on understanding the ecology of pest species and formulating this knowledge into management programs. The present paper evaluates the potential for establishing EBRM in Africa and the challenges that have to be overcome to implement it. The major constraints for establishing EBRM in Africa include the absence of key studies on the taxonomy and ecology of rodents, inadequate research on EBRM, lack of knowledge by farmers on available technologies and agricultural policies that are unfavourable. The development of EBRM and its success in Asia is a strong encouragement to African scientists to develop similar management strategies for the most important pest species such as the multimammate rats, Mastomys natalensis. EBRM initiatives such as the Development of Ecologically Based Rodent Management for the Southern Africa Region (ECORAT) project undertook studies on e.g. rodent ecology, taxonomy, knowledge, attitude and practices and rodent–human interactions in rural agricultural communities. Through this project, EBRM interventions were introduced in Tanzania, Swaziland and Namibia to provide solutions to local rodent-pest problems. Intervention actions including community-based intensive trapping of rodents, habitat manipulation and sanitary measures demonstrated that the impacts of rodents on communities could be drastically reduced. EBRM programs in Africa must address how to change attitudes of target communities, building scientific capacity, implanting rodent-management skills by translating the developed technologies and strategies into simple understandable and easy-to-implement actions and influencing policy makers to accept the concepts and practices to be introduced. Further, we need to demonstrate that EBRM is economically feasible and sustainable and that through community participation, EBRM will become deeply rooted in those communities.

Corporate Political Strategizing in the European Union during the 2007–10 Recession: An Exploratory Study

Using original data collected from a survey of Brussels-based Government Affairs Managers (GAMs) in May and June 2010, we explore the political actions of firms in the European Union during the 2007–10 financial crisis. Findings suggest that the financial constraints imposed by the crisis had a significant impact on whether GAMs entered into short-term or long-term relationships with policy makers and whether they engaged in individual or collective action. Significant crosscountry differences were also observed between the political objectives pursued by firms, their propensity to engage in collective political action, and the tactics they use to influence policy makers. Taken together, these findings challenge institutional explanations of EU lobbying, which suggest that the EU system of policy making provides powerful incentives for firms to adopt specific lobbying behaviours in order to gain a seat at the EU policy-making table.