International Policy Research Articles

The 2022 ICSID Arbitration Rules: Modernizing International Investment Dispute Resolution

Abstract The new Arbitration Rules of the International Center for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID), which came into force on July 1, 2022, replace the previous version in force since 2006. These rules seek to make the ICSID arbitration process more efficient and responsive, while maintaining the high standards that have made ICSID a respected forum for resolving investment disputes. The new rules reflect changes in international investment law and policy over the past decade, and also aim to address shortcomings of the previous system, such as lack of transparency and efficiency. New provisions have been introduced to simplify and speed up arbitration procedures, provide greater transparency, increase the legitimacy of arbitration processes and expand access to them. The new rules reflect the expectations of ICSID and its members for more efficient and transparent resolution of investment disputes and should facilitate the further growth of international investment and trade, as well as the resolution of disputes arising in connection with these processes.

Portuguese perspectives for education and inclusion of young forced migrants through sport

ABSTRACT As migratory waves increase and get more complex, social inequalities are likely to arise due to challenges associated with cultural differences, language or lack of supportive networks. Beside international laws and guidelines, responses have been developed for supporting young forced migrants inclusion in host countries. There are suggestions in the literature that sport, if intentionally used as an educational strategy with inclusive purposes, may benefit young forced migrants, not only in terms of their well-being but it may also provide a safe and educational space that allows opportunities for dialogue, language learning and cultural awareness. It is suggested that promoting its practice may create new forms of social, human and cultural capital, leading to meaningful relationships and a sense of (new) belonging. For young forced migrants, sport may become the first motivational asset for engaging with their host community due to familiarity and a common shared language. This article explores Portuguese settlement and inclusion practitioners’ perceptions and uses of sport as an inclusive educational strategy for young forced migrants. Methodologically, the article is based on document analysis of international and national policies and semi-structured interviews with Portuguese actors linked to settlement procedures and sport. The results indicate the existence of policies that aim to protect young forced migrants and acknowledge different challenges concerning their resettlement in Europe. Despite sport being perceived as a valuable educational strategy, particularly in language learning, and an inclusive mechanism for creating a sense of (new) belonging, there are currently limited policies and guidelines in Portugal to implement educational strategies that use sport to include young forced migrants.

From responsibilities to accountabilities: school principals’ expected roles in composing inclusive schools since 1994

ABSTRACT In this paper, we examine the role of principals in making schools more inclusive, which means enabling joint learning of all students. The article draws on empirical investigations from 2700 pages of legal documents on how international policies have been handled in two particular national contexts, Germany and Norway. We regard, in particular, school principals’ responsibilities for inclusive schools. The comparative design reveals the following findings: From a historical perspective, expectations for principals to open their schools for all learners has shifted from low-stake to high-stake governance means starting with solely stating general responsibilities of principals. Since this approach has not resulted in desired outcomes like making school organisations more inclusive, responsibilities have been coupled more with accountability. With this, the work of principals has become more complex and has been coped with differently in different contexts. German principals have wide areas of responsibility in a restricted scope of action because their work is embedded in highly developed but inflexible bureaucratic structures. Norwegian principals face sole responsibility with outcome-oriented accountability and even penalties in case of not achieving certain standards. The latter approach opens schools for “more” children with varying needs but is also more challenging for principals.

An analytical framework for breast cancer public policies in Sub-Saharan Africa: results from a comprehensive literature review and an adapted policy Delphi

BackgroundBreast cancer is the leading cause of death from cancer in women and is a major public health problem worldwide. Despite the lower incidence rates of breast cancer in resource-limited settings, especially sub-Saharan Africa, there is a higher mortality rate compared to high-resource countries where the disease has a higher incidence. This makes breast cancer the second deadliest cancer in African women. These poor results reflect the weakness in public health policies. The aim of this paper is to contribute to the effective control of breast cancer by designing a framework for a comprehensive and systemic analysis of these policies in Sub-Saharan Africa.MethodsThis research is based on a literature review that adopted a systematic approach followed by a modified policy Delphi involving breast cancer experts in Sub-Saharan Africa. We included narrative reviews and systematic reviews/meta-analyses published between 2015 and 2022 as well as official documents in the analysis. We integrated the World Health Organization’s health system building blocks with Walt and Gilson’s policy analysis triangle to analyse the information collected and develop our analytical framework.ResultsA total of 22 reviews and documents were included in the study. Sixteen breast cancer experts from Sub-Saharan Africa participated in the first Delphi round, and nine participated in the second round. The different components identified for a comprehensive and systemic analysis of effective breast cancer policies can be classified into policy content divided according to the health system building blocks and related policy processes; individual, organized national and international policy stakeholders; and policy contexts.ConclusionThis study enabled the design of a framework suitable for the comprehensive and systemic analysis of breast cancer control policies in Sub-Saharan Africa. This framework can be used as a checklist for stakeholders to guide the planning, implementation and evaluation of policies and specific breast cancer control programmes at the national and facility levels.

An evaluation of fish and invertebrate mercury concentrations in the Caribbean Region

Mercury is a ubiquitous pollutant of global concern but the threat of exposure is not homogenously distributed at local, regional, or global scales. The primary route of human exposure to mercury is through consumption of aquatic foods, which are culturally and economically important in the wider Caribbean Region, especially for Small Island Developing States (SIDS). We compiled more than 1600 samples of 108 unique species of fish and aquatic invertebrates collected between 2005 and 2023 from eleven countries or territories in the wider Caribbean Region. There was wide variability in total mercury concentrations with 55% of samples below the 0.23 µg/g wet weight (ww) guideline from the U.S. FDA/EPA (2022) for 2 or 3 weekly servings and 26% exceeding the 0.46 µg/g ww guideline consistent with adverse effects on human health from continual consumption, particularly for sensitive populations. Significant relationships were found between total mercury concentrations and taxonomic family, sampling country, fish length, and trophic level. The data analyzed here support the need for further sampling with concrete geospatial data to better understand patterns and mechanisms in mercury concentrations and allow for more informed decision making on the consumption of fish and invertebrates from the wider Caribbean Region as well as supporting efforts to evaluate the effectiveness of national, regional, and international mercury policies.

Effectiveness of Subsidy Policies on Livestock Feed and Production

Purpose: The general purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of subsidy policies on livestock feed and production. Methodology: The study adopted a desktop research methodology. Desk research refers to secondary data or that which can be collected without fieldwork. Desk research is basically involved in collecting data from existing resources hence it is often considered a low cost technique as compared to field research, as the main cost is involved in executive’s time, telephone charges and directories. Thus, the study relied on already published studies, reports and statistics. This secondary data was easily accessed through the online journals and library. Findings: The findings reveal that there exists a contextual and methodological gap relating to the effectiveness of subsidy policies on livestock feed and production. Preliminary empirical review revealed that well-targeted subsidy policies significantly enhanced the efficiency and sustainability of livestock production by stabilizing feed costs, which helped farmers maintain consistent production levels and invest in advanced technologies. These investments led to improved productivity and animal welfare, contributing to long-term agricultural sustainability. The study also highlighted the environmental benefits of subsidies promoting sustainable practices and emphasized the importance of equitable distribution to ensure smallholder and marginalized farmers benefited from these policies. This inclusive approach ensured broader economic and social development within the agricultural sector. Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: The Theory of Planned Behaviour, Resource- Based View and Institutional Theory may be used to anchor future studies on subsidy policies on livestock feed and production. The study concluded with several key recommendations. It emphasized the need for a nuanced understanding of subsidy impacts, suggesting future research should develop models incorporating economic, environmental, and social variables. Practically, it recommended enhancing subsidy programs to be more targeted and equitable, ensuring smallholder and marginalized farmers benefit fairly. The study also highlighted aligning subsidies with sustainability goals and increasing funding for agricultural innovation. International cooperation and policy harmonization were suggested to prevent market distortions and promote fair trade. Additionally, it stressed incorporating stakeholder feedback and continuous monitoring and evaluation to ensure policies remain effective and relevant. Keywords: Subsidy Policies, Livestock Feed, Livestock Production, Food Security, Economic Stability, Advanced Technologies, Precision Feeding Systems

From Aspiration to Public Policy: Imprinting UNGP-Aligned Footprints of Corporate Responsibility and Accountability into the Shifting Sands of International Arbitration Practice

Abstract Endorsed more than a decade ago by the UN Human Rights Council, the UN Guiding Principles for Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) articulate the responsibilities of States and corporations for human rights. Since then, the issue of corporate responsibility for human rights, and also the environment, and how it ought to be recognized and enforced, has attracted increasing attention. In more recent years, States have promulgated a flurried storm of ESG regulations requiring disclosure of human rights or climate risks or mandating human rights due diligence across global supply chain networks, intensified their transition to greener economies, and continued to negotiate treaties infused with dreams of more sustainable investment and development. Against this backdrop, in October 2023, a UN Special Rapporteur presented a report that condemned the international arbitration system for prioritizing the protection of corporate property rights over the protection of international human rights and the environment. In tracing the development of a ‘soft law’ aspiration of corporate responsibility to inscriptions into ‘hard law’ international investment law treaty instruments and then considering how those inscriptions have been interpreted and applied by tribunals, this article finds that despite the nascent recognition of corporate responsibility for human rights and the environment, the enforcement of accountability for that responsibility in international arbitral practice is currently misaligned with the UNGPs and with other fundamental tenets of international law. This article subsequently explores the opportunity, and implications, for imprinting stronger footprints of responsibility and accountability in international arbitral practice, including through the potential recognition of new international public policy upholding corporate responsibility for human rights and the environment, and in doing so, highlights the need for greater cross-industry, multidisciplinary and multilateral dialogue on an issue of not only global significance, but with global impact.

Implementasi kebijakan pengawasan kearsipan internal pada Badan Meteorologi, Klimatologi, dan Geofisika(BMKG)

Archives are records of activities and events made and received by an agency that are useful as a monitoring tool and source of information. To protect the archives, archival supervision activities are carried out in accordance with PerANRI No. 6/2019 concerning Archival Supervision. BMKG is one of the LPNKs that has carried out internal archival supervision activities since 2019. The implementation of internal archival supervision at BMKG needs to be carried out to keep Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics data and administrative data well managed and maintained. Using the policy implementation theory model from Van Horn, Van Meter, and Grindle which includes policy standards and objectives, resources, inter-organizational relationships, attitudes, characteristics of implementing agents, social and political conditions, and types of benefits. Using qualitative research with a descriptive approach. The results showed that the implementation of the internal archival supervision policy still has limited archival human resources and financial resources, and not all work units have carried out archival supervision so that MKG observation data has not been saved. Some of the inhibiting factors are inadequate human resources, limited funds, and a work culture that is less concerned about archives.

The Rights of Women with Disabilities at Work in Islamic Countries the United Arab Emirates as an example

The research emphasizes the significance of advocating for the rights of women with disabilities in the workplace and their contribution toward achieving holistic economic development in all Islamic countries. It examines the discriminatory obstacles these women face in exercising their right to work equally. It also discusses international initiatives related to protecting women with disabilities and improving their integration and opportunities for economic empowerment. This research employs a descriptive-analytic methodology to gather and subsequently describe, analyze, and interpret various aspects of women with disabilities' rights at work, as well as the international efforts and UAE policies for promoting those rights. The research concludes the importance of the steps taken by the UAE government toward empowering women with disabilities in the workplace. The United Arab Emirates represents a great model for other Islamic and non-Islamic countries to follow in their dedication to advancing the rights of women with disabilities.

A Review of Energy Security in The Face of Climate Security: Matching the Country Priorities with International Policies

A Review of Energy Security in The Face of Climate Security: Matching the Country Priorities with International Policies

No Agent in the Machine: Being Trustworthy and Responsible about AI

Many recent AI policies have been structured under labels that follow a particular trend: national or international guidelines, policies or regulations, such as the EU’s and USA’s ‘Trustworthy AI’ and China’s and India’s adoption of ‘Responsible AI’, use a label that follows the recipe of [agentially loaded notion + ‘AI’]. A result of this branding, even if implicit, is to encourage the application by laypeople of these agentially loaded notions to the AI technologies themselves. Yet, these notions are appropriate only when applied to agents, which current AI technologies are not; and the concern is that this misapplication creates an incentive to inappropriately attribute trustworthiness or responsibility to AI technologies. We endeavour to show that we have good reason to avoid any general AI policy that uses agentially loaded labelling. We suggest labelling these policies not in terms of some qualification of AI, but rather in terms of our approach to the technology and its wider development and use context – focusing on being trustworthy and responsible about AI, rather than on trustworthy or responsible AI.

The International Institute of the Middle Classes in the Early Twentieth Century: Economic Policies, Theoretical Models, and Action Plans

In the context of the recent debate on the role played by economists, international organisations, and epistemic communities in the development of new theoretical models and international economic policies, this paper aims to explore the contribution made by the International Institute of the Middle Classes. Such an organisation identified economic policy and analysis as the key to dealing with the social conflict that arose in Europe in the 1800s and 1900s. In addition to confirming the importance played by cooperation in the building of a new European order that could prevent social conflict, the exchange of ideas that occurred during the Congresses held by the Institute in different European cities in the early 1900s brought attention to the issue of social policies aimed at the middle classes. This would become crucial in the logic underlying the Italian welfare state, with the Bismarckian model providing the perfect liberal solution.

Characterization of Interventions to Reduce the Frequency of Critical Medication Doses Missed or Delayed During Perioperative and Unit-to-unit Patient Transfers.

When medication administration record (MAR) "hold" capability is enabled in the electronic health record (EHR) during patient transfers, medication doses appear as "held" rather than due. We sought to quantify the incidence of delayed and missed doses of critical medications during MAR hold periods and to implement and evaluate interdisciplinary efforts and technical interventions to reduce missed medication doses during these periods. A list of critical medications was identified. MAR data were collected in patients with at least 1 critical medication dose due during the MAR hold period. MAR times were used to determine if delayed doses or missed doses occurred. Our interventions included: (1) implementation of a patient list indicator to retrospectively identify recently "held" medication doses, and (2) a report for operating room pharmacists to prospectively identify upcoming doses and ensure they were administered on time. Pre- and post-intervention period data were compared using a chi-squared test. During the pre-intervention study period, there were 1044 instances of delayed or missed doses during MAR hold. Most MAR times evaluated were on MAR hold during perioperative patient transfers. Delayed, missed, and multiple missed doses were defined in accordance with internal medication administration policies. There was no significant difference in the incidence of delayed and missed doses (69% vs 66%, P = .31), however, there was a significant reduction in the number of critical medication doses missed multiple times (0.8% vs 6.7%, P < .001) and all missed doses (35% vs 42%, P = .05) between the pre- and post-intervention period. As demonstrated across in both the pre- and post-intervention period of our study, MAR hold is commonly associated with dose delays and missed doses, which has potential negative consequences on patient outcomes. Future considerations will include implementation of a best practice alert (BPA) that directs users to a MAR tab highlighting doses held during transfers.

‘Gaming’ in the English primary school: ‘do whatever you need to do to make your data look good’

ABSTRACT In an international policy environment of intensified high-stakes accountability, pupil assessment data are an invaluable commodity and critical indicator of both school and teacher effectiveness. Teachers’ engagement with pupil data and the associated experiences of increased accountability are of great consequence, and highly contentious for perceptions and experiences of policy. In the context of the English primary school, this paper explores the progressively tactical nature of teachers’ enactment of assessment policy, and the impetus to ‘make the data look good’. It draws upon an empirical study of rich qualitative data from 42 interviews with 22 primary teachers employed in the South-East of England. The findings add to an evolving field about ‘gaming’, and particular consequences for teacher identity are discussed. The paper further advances insights about teachers’ experiences of ‘in-school assessment’ as pertinent for understanding gaming. It locates the pupil progress meeting as an iteration of teacher accountability and performativity, and particular site of contestation, and a specific contribution to knowledge in this regard.

Re-energizing health literacy in Wales: a testbed for health, education and prosperity for all.

A growing body of evidence demonstrates the importance of enhancing health literacy for improved health outcomes, self-reported health, lower health services use and disease prevention. Importantly, improving health literacy has great potential to reduce health inequities and inequalities. The World Health Organization (WHO) has identified health literacy as a global priority, viewing it as a right and a fundamental competency necessary to function within modern society. Building health literacy foundations should begin in early childhood, including focus within educational frameworks and school curricula. The WHO advocate for governments to embed it as an explicit goal. In response, it has received significant international policy and strategy focus, in addition to the development of country-level action plans. In Wales, UK, it was identified as a priority in 2010, but despite wider developments spanning health and social care, well-being, economy and education policy, growth in health literacy has stalled since. Optimizing health literacy would act as an indirect enabler to a range of Welsh policies and strategies. A promising avenue for strengthening the health literacy of current and future generations is through ongoing significant national education reforms and the introduction of the new Curriculum for Wales. One of four overarching purposes of this curriculum is healthy, confident individuals, and health and well-being constitutes one of six statutory curriculum areas. Tracking the impact of this on children and young people's health literacy offers opportunities for Wales to model and gain traction as a national-scale health literacy policy testbed. This requires re-energizing health literacy as a national priority.

청소년의 인공지능 및 디지털 윤리 문제와 교육방안 고찰

Objectives This study aims to shed light on the ethical issues of artificial intelligence and digital technologies that youth face in their daily lives in modern society, focusing on IoT and generative AI, and to examine educational ap-proaches for youth regarding these issues. Methods To achieve this, we investigated the digital ethics issues faced by teenagers through a literature review of domestic and international academic papers, policy reports, and news articles, as well as case studies from ed-ucational settings in Korea and abroad. Based on these findings, we examined student education and policy measures to address teenagers' digital ethics issues. Results The ethical issues related to different types of IoT usage are associated with the various IoT devices used by youth, and since domestic educational cases are insufficient, education needs to focus on issues such as per-sonal information protection, data security, surveillance and privacy infringement through IoT devices. Regarding generative AI, particularly language models, key concerns include AI bias, generation and dissemination of mis-information, and personal information protection issues. It was found that educational materials for youth and teachers are being developed by metropolitan and provincial offices of education in South Korea and overseas non-profit foundations. Conclusions AI and digital ethics education should go beyond mere prohibition and control, focusing on developing students' ability to make proper judgments voluntarily. Education for youth is needed on issues such as copyright of AI-generated content, and misuse and abuse of data.

Connecting leaders and employees' affective commitment: a multilevel analysis

PurposeThis research aims to identify whether leaders' affective organizational commitment influences employees' affective commitment to both the leader and the organization. Additionally, the study explores the role of employees' emotional awareness in shaping these relationships.Design/methodology/approachExamining a sample of 154 leaders and 249 employees in multinational companies, this study adopts a multilevel approach.FindingsThe results reveal a positive influence between the two foci of commitment (leaders and organization) at both the leader and employee levels. Furthermore, it confirms that employees' emotional awareness plays a positive role in the commitment process.Practical implicationsThis research highlights the significance of implementing internal policies and measures that consider the various foci of commitment. To foster employees' commitment, it is crucial to establish a robust alignment between human resources management and leaders.Originality/valueThis study delves into the exploration of two commitment foci to deepen our comprehension of the directional relationship between them in the workplace. More specifically, our research scrutinizes the impact of leaders' affective organizational commitment on employees' affective commitment to the organization, while also analyzing its reciprocal influence on employees' affective commitment toward their leaders.

국가간 과학기술 협력에 관한 법률의 제정과 국제공동연구개발 활성화

The Bill on Science and Technology Cooperation between Countries has been introduced in the National Assembly to establish a legal basis for establishing and promoting international joint research policies, such as conducting innovative basic research through free and diverse collaboration with researchers from around the world. The bill aims to provide the basic principles and directions for S&amp;T cooperation between countries necessary to promote the development of domestic S&amp;T and strengthen national competitiveness, and to lay the foundation for a strong S&amp;T nation by activating S&amp;T cooperation between countries. Korea's growth has been achieved through a catch-up S&amp;T system, and now it is time to transform into a leading S&amp;T system, and international cooperation is a key factor for the transition to a leading system. Therefore, the purpose of the bill, which aims to solidify the legislative basis for promoting international cooperation in S&amp;T, is of paramount importance. Given the importance of the bill, it is highly likely that the government will take the initiative to propose it again. In order to improve the bill, this article examines the main contents of the current bill, complements it, and suggests additional contents to be included.

Can energy aid drive greener economic growth? A global evidence.

As a bilateral or multilateral international policy, foreign aid has the potential to contribute to economic growth in recipient countries, but the impact on green growth, especially aid flows to the energy sector, is unclear. Existing studies have paid little attention to the actual effects of whether energy aid is effective in raising green total factor productivity (GTFP) in recipient countries. To fill this gap, this study investigates the dynamic impact of energy aid on GTFP in recipient countries using balanced panel data for 92 countries from 2002 to 2019, and the study also examines potential sectoral heterogeneity and impact mechanisms. The results show that energy aid can effectively contribute to improving GTFP in recipient countries, but this scale effect varies significantly by aid type, revealing sectoral heterogeneity in the impact of energy aid. In addition, energy aid can indirectly enhance GTFP in recipient countries by promoting financial development, optimizing energy mix, and improving energy efficiency. Both government quality and human capital have a positive moderating effect on the energy aid-GTFP relationship. These findings reveal an important mechanism for energy aid to contribute to green economic growth and provide theoretical support and a practical basis for the formulation of more targeted aid policies.

COLLABORATIVE EFFORTS IN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY WITHIN HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS INSIGHTS AND REFLECTIONS

In today's era of extensive international integration, collaboration in the realm of education and science and technology is undeniably essential within higher education establishments. Specifically, both bilateral and multilateral cooperative efforts in science and technology are being increasingly highlighted and encouraged in various forms. This article delves into the landscape of scientific and technological collaboration within higher education institutions, exploring the frameworks, experiences, and lessons learned from various perspectives. The development of science and technology stands as a cornerstone in the global integration agenda, with nations around the world emphasizing the importance of diversified and multilateral cooperation. Vietnam, in its pursuit of scientific excellence and technological prowess, has embraced international integration schemes and policies aimed at enhancing cooperation and investment in the realm of science and technology. This commitment is reflected in governmental decisions, policies, and strategic plans that underscore the significance of collaboration in research, development, and knowledge dissemination. Furthermore, international experiences, particularly from countries like Germany, the Czech Republic, Sweden, and China, offer valuable insights into different models of collaboration between higher education institutions, businesses, and research entities. These models encompass a spectrum of activities ranging from institutional exchanges, student programs, and scientific workshops to in-depth research partnerships and technology transfer initiatives. The article also delves into regional collaboration experiences, highlighting exemplary institutions such as Hanoi National University and the University of Labor and Social Affairs, showcasing their achievements, policies, and strategic initiatives in fostering collaborative endeavors in science and technology. Through case studies and analysis, we aim to extract lessons, best practices, and recommendations that can further enhance collaborative frameworks, communication channels, and resource utilization in the pursuit of scientific advancements and technological innovations. By examining the intersection of academia, industry, and international partnerships, this article aims to contribute to the ongoing discourse on effective strategies for promoting collaboration, knowledge exchange, and technology transfer within higher education ecosystems.