Introduction Of New Policy Research Articles

CULTURAL SOFT POWER IN THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER: CONTRASTING IMAGES OF CHINA AND CONFUCIUS INSTITUTES IN BRITISH MEDIA DISCOURSE, POLICYMAKING AND PUBLIC RESPONSES (2013–2022)

In 2022 the Confucius Institute (CI), part of China’s cultural outreach around the world, found itself at the centre of intense debate in the United Kingdom (UK). Its 30 branches on British university campuses became a symbol of a changed attitude towards a country that had been regarded as a partner, but was increasingly seen as a systemic challenge, or even a threat to national security. In this article, I posit the CI as the bellwether of the bilateral relationship over the past decade (2013–2022), contrasting its images as reflecting the dynamics in the British political environment and the UK’s standing in a post-Brexit context. Via content analysis of British media representation of the CI, I interpret China’s soft power through the lens of cultural diplomacy and analyse the emerging themes in the stories about CIs in the UK. I highlight the political divergence over attitudes towards the CIs’ presence between England and Scotland and examine evidence of their influence in public life and among their target audiences. While CIs in the UK resisted threats of closure, the introduction of new policies in England prompted some distancing from these controversial outposts.

Demographic-Based Public Perception Analysis of Electric Vehicles on Online Social Networks

Electric vehicles have gained significant popularity in the market, with sales increasing yearly. The introduction of new policies and reforms aimed at promoting environmental sustainability, coupled with the release of more advanced electric vehicles with higher driving ranges and technical specifications, has encouraged more people to consider switching to electric vehicles. However, there is still a lack of understanding of public perception and the factors influencing the decision to switch to electric vehicles, especially among people from different demographic groups. In this study, we leverage machine learning techniques to analyze public opinion about electric vehicles across different demographic groups on two online social networks (OSNs), namely Reddit and Twitter. Our analyses provide valuable insights into how users on these platforms perceive electric vehicles and the factors that influence their perception. This information can be used to inform market strategies and future policies aimed at promoting the adoption of electric vehicles.

Study on NBA Operation and Business Management Mode in Different Periods - A Comparative Study Between Silver Period and Stern Period

This article will discuss the different strategies of the two NBA commissioners for the growth of the league over the course of 40 years. Under the different historical background and development level of the two chairmen, Wen will analyze their policies to promote the development of the league and their strategies to promote the commercialization of the league. The operation and organization of the event, commercial partnerships and sponsored events, media development and marketing were the three most important parts of the discussion. After the global expansion, the NBA ushered in a rapid commercialization process, 40 years of continuous introduction of new policies to attract viewers, increase viewership, promote the NBA to the world, and a high degree of cooperation with different companies, which involves many complex background factors. This article will enumerate and compare the actions of the two presidents in these three parts, and analyze them to judge the trend of future alliance development.

Renewable energy adoption and rural livelihoods in Ethiopia

AbstractThe introduction of new policies promoting decentralized energy technologies is likely to have profound effects across all the nexus activities, including agricultural production, input use, and labor allocations. Thus, this paper analyzes the potential synergies and trade‐offs created by the adoption of renewable energy technologies along the water–energy–food security nexus in Ethiopia. We use a mathematical programming‐based household model to compare the impacts of fossil‐based and renewable energy use on rural households’ livelihoods. Our findings show that only a 10% subsidy to the price of biogas digester considerably changes the energy mix of all types of households and increases the use of decentralized modern energy sources. Household crop production patterns are not changed substantially as a consequence of the biogas subsidy, despite the competition over resources between crop and energy production. Nonetheless, the subsidy policy can lead to family labor reallocation from collecting fuelwood to agricultural activities. Moreover, the biogas subsidy can improve household incomes. Specifically, the findings indicate that 10% biogas subsidy can lead to 0.93% and 3.44% increases in the net incomes of wealthier and poorer households, respectively, compared to the business‐as‐usual scenario, that is, also has a pro‐poor dimension. Sensitivity analyses are carried out and it appears among others that more subsidy of the price of biogas digester leads to an increase in the net income of the two household types. Overall, the benefits generated by the biogas subsidy in terms of increases in net household incomes outweigh the total costs of the subsidy program. The findings indicate the importance of the subsidy policy to improve rural households’ welfare.

Public attention and analyst visits: Evidence from China

This paper investigates the impact of public attention on analyst visits. To establish causality, we use Hurun Rich List as an exogenous shock to identify the impact of public attention. Using a difference-in-difference approach, we find that public attention significantly enhances the number of analyst visits. This effect is more pronounced among firms with complex information environments and higher future uncertainty. Our findings indicate that public attention affects analyst visits through influencing investor demand for analyst services. Further analysis reveals that analyst visits improve the accuracy of analysts' forecasts. We also find that the rich listing events indirectly leads to policy changes or the introduction of new policies. Overall, our findings highlight the importance of public attention to the firms' information environment.

Financial and investment resources of territorial communities: peculiarities of attraction and use

Introduction. In today's conditions of the functioning of communities, there is an ever-increasing need for financial resources to ensure their development and fulfillment of socio-economic tasks. In particular, it is important to study and analyze the peculiarities of attracting and using financial resources, taking into account the specifics of territorial communities, their needs, and capabilities, as well as the impact of war conditions on their functioning. These issues reflect the importance of developing effective strategies and methods for attracting financial resources to ensure the sustainable development of territorial communities. Therefore, it is necessary to understand the current state of financial and investment resources and their use, identify problematic aspects, and develop ways to solve them. Therefore, the introduction of new policies and tools for managing financial and investment resources to support the development of territorial communities is a more relevant research issue than ever. Due to the abovementioned factors, the study of financial and investment resources of territorial communities is important for the development of improved management strategies, ensuring the efficient use of resources, and securing the sustainable development of communities. The article aims to determine the nature of the financial and investment resources of territorial communities and analyze their current state in the context of existing and potential sources of their attraction. Results. Opportunities faced by local governments as they seek to achieve their goals and implement promising community development objectives are identified. The model of the system of financial and investment support of territorial communities is examined. Material and financial resources of budgets of territorial communities, as well as internal and external sources of financing their investment needs, are identified. The article outlines the capabilities of local governments to mobilize resources of economic entities, households, individuals, etc. for meeting the investment needs of the community. The organizational and managerial capabilities of territorial community authorities in solving investment problems are substantiated. The legal framework for the activities of local governments is analyzed. Conclusions. The article substantiates the potential of financial and investment resources of territorial communities and identifies the ways of using these resources to achieve the planned results and stimulate further development. Keywords: finance, investment, territorial communities, financial resources, local governments.

Existing Policies/Guidelines on the Environmental Dimension of Antimicrobial Resistance in India: An Insight into the Key Facets through Review and SWOT Analysis.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a multidimensional phenomenon. The environment acts as a mixing pot of drug-resistant bacteria from many sources such as pharmaceutical, biomedical, veterinary, and agricultural sectors. In this study, we analysed the existing AMR-related policies/guidelines/legislations in India in the above domains and how the current practices are being guided by them. We used a convergent parallel mix method design. Quantitative data were collected through a review of policies/guidelines/legislations in the said domains and analysed using the SWOT tool parallelly supported by key informant interviews of domain-specific stakeholders. Altogether, 19 existing AMR policies/guidelines/legislations were identified. The existence of few policies/guidelines in each domain indicated the evolving environment for policy interventions. However, the lack of capacity among farmers, inadequate provision for structured capacity building, high cost of alternatives to antimicrobials, and lack of provision of incentivisation in case of crop failure were identified as the major weaknesses prevalent across the domains. Opportunities for policy refinements/the introduction of new policies are ample. However, easy access to antimicrobials and injudicious use imposes threats to AMR containment in all sectors. Despite having a few policies for the containment of AMR, their implementation witnesses challenge due to the lack of collaborative approaches, the existence of policies disjointed from ground reality, infrastructural issues, and the lack of capacity and resources.

479 Closed Loop Quality Improvement Project Improving Time to Peripherally Inserted Central Catheters (PICCs) and Intravenous (IV) Antibiotic Administration in Patients with Complex Orthopaedic Infections

Abstract Aim Bone, joint and soft tissue infections often require long term antibiotic therapy. Reliable IV access is essential for IV antibiotic administration and monitoring. PICCs provide consistent, long-term IV access. Aim: improve time to PICC request, insertion, and reduce issues with poor IV access in patients requiring long term IV antibiotics. Method Standard audit protocol. Data tool was developed and tested. Data was collected retrospectively from departmental database and online records for all patients admitted with suspected bone, joint or soft tissues infection from 01/11/19–29/2/20. Department policy and induction programme were updated. Cycle 2 included all patients from 1/8/20–30/11/21. Results Cycle 1 included 91 patients. 30 PICCs were requested with 26 inserted. Mean time to PICC request from diagnosis was 8.7 days(1–33). Mean time to PICC from request was 6.7 days(1–15). Mean time to PICC from diagnosis was 15.9 days(4–39). 10 of 30(33.3%) patients missed antibiotics due to lack of IV access. Cycle 2 included 156 patients. 36 PICCs were requested with 18 inserted. Mean time from diagnosis to request was 4.4 days(1–15). Mean time from request to insertion was 4.2(1–8) days. Mean time from diagnosis to insertion was 8.6 days(1–21). Missed IV antibiotics were reduced from 33.3% to 15.4%. Conclusions Time to PICC insertion was improved through education and introduction of new policy at departmental induction. This low-cost change can significantly improve both treatment and patient experience when admitted for complex orthopaedic infection through reliable antibiotic administration and reducing the number of IV access attempts.

How will tradable green certificates affect electricity trading markets under renewable portfolio standards? A China perspective

Abstract Renewable portfolio standards (RPS) are important guarantees to promote renewable energy (RE) consumption. The tradable green certificate (TGC) trading mechanism is a supporting mechanism of RPS, but the rate of TGC trading is low and there is a double-metering problem of RE consumption. With the introduction of new policies in China, we innovatively take the electricity-selling side as the subject of RE consumption responsibility and biomass-based electricity-generation (BEG) projects are considered to participate in TGC trading. To explore the interaction between the TGC market and the electricity market, this paper sets up a day-ahead spot market-trading structure combining both markets under RPS and establishes a market equilibrium model. The established model is solved and validated based on the particle swarm optimization algorithm and the profits of each market player under different influencing factors are analysed. The main conclusions are as follows. (i) The established market structure and model effectively solve the double-metering problem of RE consumption, making the TGC turnover rate reach 82.97 %, greatly improving the market efficiency. (ii) Increased demand for TGC will increase demand for RE electricity. The participation of BEG projects in the TGC market can effectively improve the profit of biomass-based electricity producers (BEPs), reduce the burden of government financial subsidies and will not affect the consumption of wind-based electricity and photovoltaic-based electricity. This will help promote the rapid development of China’s RE, especially the BEG industry. (iii) Among the influencing factors, the increase in renewable-energy consumption responsibility weight and the decrease in electricity-generation cost can increase the profit of BEPs. The decline in TGC price and subsidy price will reduce the profit of BEPs. Finally, we put forward policy recommendations for China’s RPS and TGC trading mechanism. This study can provide a reference for the construction of China’s TGC market and electricity market and the development of RE.

Impact of Smoking and Vaping in Films on Smoking and Vaping Uptake in Adolescents: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Prevention of smoking uptake in young people is an essential public health target. We have previously reported a systematic review and meta-analysis of the effect of exposure to smoking imagery in films on the risk of smoking uptake in young people. This study updates that review, and includes studies of the effects of exposure to media vaping imagery on vaping uptake. Four electronic databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, and IBSS) were searched to August 2020 for studies reporting the association between exposure to smoking/vaping in films and smoking/vaping uptake in adolescents. Two authors independently screened papers, extracted data, and assessed quality. This review included 26 studies. Exposure to high levels of smoking imagery in films was associated with an increased likelihood of having ever smoked in nine cross-sectional studies and of smoking uptake in 11 longitudinal studies. Vaping imagery in films was associated with increased likelihood of ever vaping in two cross-sectional studies and vaping uptake in five longitudinal studies. This review concluded that exposure to smoking imagery in films increases the risk of smoking among young people. It is likely that a similar association exists between exposure to vaping imagery and vaping uptake. Therefore, this review recommends introduction of new policies to minimize the impact of this in films which contain smoking or vaping and are likely to be viewed by children and adolescents.

Advanced Strategic Platform for Inclusive Research Environments (ASPIRE): a tool for change

In recent years, organisations have been striving to adopt a proactive approach towards reducing discrimination and enhancing inclusion. Research performing organisations, in particular, have made substantial investments and adopted a number of policies, programmes and interventions to combat gender inequality. Despite the progress achieved, gender equality in research and higher education institutions deems to be particularly difficult to attain, with the same challenges remaining prevalent for decades. Among the contributors to the perpetuation of gender inequality in academia, is the inability of gender equality initiatives to challenge gendered norms. Partly because the focus of such initiatives remains on normative constructions of gender, and their implementation is based on the assumption of culture change through instrumental drivers. Consequently, as long as success and impact of equality initiatives remains solely associated with the introduction of new policies, rather than the transformation of entrenched behavioural and culturally-prescribed norms, significant, continuous and integrated change is unlikely to occur. To address these issues, the Advanced Strategic Platform for Inclusive Research Environments (ASPIRE) offers an innovative and evidence-based framework aimed at accelerating meaningful change in attitude and behaviour towards diversity and facilitating inclusive research environments. ASPIRE encourages the focus of enquiry to expand from the (re)production of inequalities and adoption of solutions that centre on improving staff statistics and performance metrics, to long-term interactive processes of change that can generate structural and embedded impact on organisational culture. ASPIRE provides a dynamic web-based platform for implementation, adoption and sustained Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) practice. It goes beyond the current EDI approaches by taking a holistic and intersectional perspective, that does not only address issues of gender, but accounts for other personal characteristics that contribute to unique experiences of discrimination. It appropriately guides and measures the implementation of EDI initiatives across institutions, linking such measurement with indicators of change in attitudes and culture, and providing recommendations for future and further action.

Spatiotemporal representativeness of air pollution monitoring in Dublin, Ireland

The importance of selecting appropriate air pollution monitoring sites in a city is vital for accurately reporting air quality, enhancing the quality of high-resolution modelling and informing policy to implement measures to deliver cleaner air in the urban environment. COVID-19 restrictions impacted air quality in urban centres worldwide as reduced mobility led to changes in traffic-related air pollution (TRAP). As such, it offered a unique dataset to examine the spatial and temporal variations in air quality between monitoring stations in Dublin, Ireland. Firstly, an analysis of mobility data showed reductions across almost all sectors after COVID-19 restrictions came into place, which was expected to lower TRAP. In addition, similar changes in air quality were evident to other cities around the world: reductions in fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) concentrations and an increase in ozone (O3) concentrations. Average daily and diurnal concentrations for these three pollutants presented more statistically significant spatial and temporal changes during COVID-19 restrictions at monitoring sites with urban or traffic classifications than suburban background sites. Furthermore, substantial reductions in the range of average hourly pollutant concentrations were observed, 79% for PM2.5 and 75% for NO2, with a modest 24% reduction for O3. Correlation analysis of air pollution between monitoring sites and years demonstrated an improvement in the R2 for NO2 concentrations only, suggesting that spatiotemporal homogeneity was most notable for this TRAP due to mobility restrictions during COVID-19. The spatiotemporal representativeness of monitoring stations across the city will change with greener transport, and air quality during COVID-19 can provide a benchmark to support the introduction of new policies for cleaner air.

Study on Index System of Saihanba Forest Farm Based on TOPSIS

China has always adhered to the development concept that green water and green mountains are golden mountains and silver mountains. This paper focuses on the analysis and research of Saihanba Experimental Forest Farm. Using topsis approximate ideal solution evaluation model, the indexes such as altitude, air temperature, precipitation, total value of assets and water conservation are screened, and the following indicators are obtained: coverage area/10,000 mu, forest accumulation, water conservation, CO2 absorption, Q2 release. In recent years, through the continuous introduction of new policies to protect nature and control Saihan Dam, Saihan Dam has a greater and greater positive impact on the natural environment. Make a contribution to the natural ecological environment of the world.

ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE IN AGRICULTURE OF UKRAINE: SEPARATE ASPECTS OF LEGAL SUPPORT

The article is devoted to the analysis of separate aspects of legal support of adaptation of agriculture of Ukraine to climate change. The relevance of the study is conditioned upon the fact that global climate change is one of the most acute problems facing humanity today. The aim of the article is to analyse the current state of legal regulation of issues related to the impact of climate change on agriculture at the international, European and national levels, and to develop practical recommendations for implementing measures to adapt to climate change in agriculture. The methodological basis of the study was the dialectical method of scientific knowledge, general scientific (formal-logical, methods of analysis and synthesis) and special-legal method (formal-legal). The article analyses international, European and national legislation governing climate change and its impact on agricultural production. The study found that the most vulnerable to climate change industries is agriculture, which is currently negatively affected by climate trends, which in modern conditions can not be avoided. In this regard, the problem of climate change requires the prioritisation of adaptation measures to minimise losses in agricultural production. At the same time, adaptation involves the creation of new institutions, the introduction of new policies, the inflow of new funds, and, most importantly — new forms of thinking. The need to accelerate the implementation of measures to adapt to climate change in the development of national agricultural policy in parallel with the policy to prevent climate change. Practical recommendations are offered to the state executive bodies on the implementation of tasks related to the adaptation of agriculture to climate change. Emphasis was placed on the need to develop measures aimed at implementing “climate-smart” agriculture in accordance with the Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) system, and preparing zonal recommendations for adapting agricultural production to climate change and combating desertification and drought. The necessity of creation of the system of scientific and methodical support of adaptation of separate subsectors of agriculture and the mechanism of support of realisation of adaptation strategies for separate groups of agricultural commodity producers is defined

Assessing the Significance of Electricity Supply, Inflation and Fuel Price on Food and Beverage Production and Sales in the Manufacturing Sector

The manufacturing sector occupies a critical position in the South African economy. However, in recent decades, this sector has experienced significant changes due to the country’s economic fluctuations. The sector’s challenges include electricity distribution, growing inflation rate and commodities price instability. This study assessed the effects of electricity supply, inflation and fuel prices on food and beverage production and sales in the manufacturing sector. To this end, it applied different econometric approaches — the Johansen test for cointegration, vector error correction model (VECM) and Granger causality test — on monthly time series data ranging from January 2002 to December 2019. The study’s findings suggest the existence of a joint long-run relationship between electricity distribution, inflation rate, fuel price, production and sales of both food and beverages within the manufacturing sector. The result also indicated that both electricity supply and inflation highly impact food and beverage sales production compared to the effect of petrol price. Furthermore, Granger causality results have shown that inflation rate can predict short-term production and sales of food and beverages in the manufacturing sector. Given the aforementioned findings, the study suggested a reduction in petrol prices and the introduction of new policies to control the inflation rate. Additionally, besides the government support for electricity production in Eskom, more effort and resources (financial) should be allocated to generate and improve other sources of energy such as solar, wind, gas and biogas.

Legal and financial constraints and firm growth: small and medium enterprises (SMEs) versus large enterprises

We investigate the impact of financing and legal obstacles on firm growth across different firm sizes before and after the global financial crisis (GFC). Using two enterprise surveys in Vietnam, we find firms facing higher financing obstacles have lower sales and employment growth. The smallest firms are the most adversely affected by financing obstacles. The legal obstacles impede the employment growth of SMEs more than large enterprises, which is attributable to the tendency of firms to avoid tall poppy syndrome and the scrutiny of tax officials. Furthermore, we find that the negative effects of financing obstacles on small firms' sales and employment growth reduce in the post-GFC period. We attribute it to a higher proportion of small firms being able to borrow from commercial banks after the financial crisis, partly due to the introduction of new policies supporting SMEs from the Vietnamese Government. Overall, our findings recommend to policymakers that improvement in access to finance is imperative for productivity increases and job creation for small and medium firms.

The waste ban in China: what happened next? Assessing the impact of new policies on the waste management sector in China

The 2017 ban on the waste import and new policies for the waste management sector in mainland China had wide-spread impact. After decades of poor environmental and public health impacts from the sector, a study is needed which focuses on policies updates and waste management. This provides a direction for the survival of local waste management industries and consider similarities with the ban promulgated in China on the restriction of waste import from other countries. We review the waste management situation in China before national legislation prevented the import of waste, highlight the status of landfill mining in China, and review the dynamics of domestic policies before and after the promulgation of the ban in China. The impact of the COVID19 pandemic on the waste management system is starting to emerge, providing both challenges and opportunities for the sector in China. We see the impact of the ban on the range of imported waste and domestically generated materials. The ban results in price increases for domestic recycling that forces companies to introduce more formal recycling processes and to drive the consumption behaviours to more reasonable and environmentally friendly options. The driver in China is to reduce pollution in the environment and improve health, but a negative impact has been from increased landfill mining which has impeded the original aim of the waste ban and requires further technological development. The dynamic of domestic policies in China shows higher level of activity of updates and revisions or introduction of new policies from 2015 onwards and the concept of ‘zero waste cities’ brings new hope for improvement of the Chinese waste management system. The pandemic also suggests an important step to establish sustainable management systems despite evidence of increased “fly-tipping”. The rebound of the waste ban may have stimulated in the short term negative impacts on local environments both in China and internationally.

Variation in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Symptoms and Treatments: A Side Effect of COVID-19.

The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) exerts variable impact on patients with obsessive compulsive disorders (OCD). There remains a challenge to determine the extent to which OCD is exacerbated due to the pandemic. Therefore, our aim is to explicate the latest researching progress of OCD under COVID-19 based on a review of 15 existing articles. Our review confirms the prevalence of OCD exacerbation in different age groups and particular symptoms. However, it also reveals nonconformity among research, lack of investigation in OCD treatment, and imbalance in OCD symptoms research. Further, we discuss the probable reasons of the exacerbation and current situation of OCD treatments. Finally, based on our discussion, we offer suggestions on how to manage OCD under the new circumstance, including the introduction of new policies, the use of communications technology, the improvement of researching methods, and possible angles for further research.

The Grabski Tax Reform and Jewish Merchants: State Building in Interwar Poland

This article presents the financial overhaul and tax reform of the Polish Second Republic that occurred between 1924 and 1925 in order to show how the state expands, to what ends, and how society responds to this increase in state power. During this short period, we can observe the introduction of new policies and the strengthening of institutions. This reform program was based upon fundamental changes to the way that Poland taxed the economy, namely, relying much more on direct taxation that required interaction between citizens and their state. The state gathered information on business activity and demanded citizens surrender their income to the treasury. As the narrative below will display, taxing the society necessitated state building in the institutional sense, and the execution of these policies led to an expansion of state power in the minds of citizens as they were compelled to comply without a direct threat of coercion. But this was not without consequence. Citizens, especially Jewish merchants, reacted negatively to what was perceived as an unfair process of tax assessment and an outsized tax burden. Precisely at these moments of conflict between state and society, the state emerges and becomes legible. Building on earlier scholarship examining the ways in which states make their territory and citizens legible, this article also shows how the state becomes legible to its citizens.

An Improved Genetic Algorithm Approach to the Unit Commitment/Economic Dispatch Problem

The deployment of new technologies, the importance of accurately modeling the dynamics of the generating units and the introduction of new policies are making the solution of the Unit Commitment/Economic Dispatch problem more and more complicated.In the present scenario, traditionally followed scheduling criteria might not lead to the optimal fleet configuration any more. In addition, most of the widely used techniques have limited capabilities at modeling the nonlinear dynamics of committed power plants. When realistic power systems comprising of several tens of generating units are modeled, the resulting optimization problem turns to be computationally intensive for the current computing capabilities. In this paper, an improved version of a GA-based optimization algorithm is presented. A detailed methodology aimed at obtaining a more efficient version of the GA, and a more detailed and accurate description of the flexible operation flexibility of the power plants is described.