Memorandums Of Understanding Research Articles

Impact of political relationships on virtual land flow from China's food trade

The increasing backlash against globalization has shifted public opinion towards being against trade. This situation puts food trade, which is resources constrained and susceptible to political relations, into a complex dilemma. Due to the concerns on agricultural endowments, food trade needs to be considered with strategic interests because of its sensitivity and fragility. Using virtual land as a measurement to analyse the resource flows behind the food trade can provide an objective perspective on what extent a country depends on the trade. Overlaying worldwide trade disputes and political interventions, establishing solid trade relationships is increasingly becoming urgent. This study uses an extended gravity model, assesses the virtual land traded by China with 10 species over 20 years, and provides insights on establishing politics-oriented trade relationships, further testing how this political mechanism works in the food trade. The results demonstrate that memorandums of understanding are the fundamental institutional layer to guarantee trading activities and promote smooth transactions for both sides; state visits are determinable factors in establishing bilateral relationships and it significantly promote upper-middle income countries, which crucially impacts the trading system. As those endeavors undertaken by executive departments are often ignored, more attention should be paid to them during interactive stages. Political relations show differences in food trade among different countries and varieties. The promoting effect of political relations is stronger in middle and high-income countries, and the impact on Russia and Ukraine is more significant than others. Compared within varieties, foreign state visits and endeavor presents more positive on pork.

Interagency Coordination to Manage Co-Occurring Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities and Mental Health Conditions.

The authors aimed to identify barriers to and strategies for supporting coordination between state agencies for intellectual and developmental disability (IDD) or mental health to meet the mental health needs of people with co-occurring IDD and mental health conditions. Forty-nine employees of state agencies as well as advocacy and service delivery organizations across 11 U.S. states with separate IDD and mental health agencies were interviewed between April 2022 and April 2023. Data were analyzed with a thematic analysis approach. Interviewees reported that relationships between the IDD and mental health agencies have elements of both competition and coordination and that coordination primarily takes place in response to crisis events. Barriers to interagency coordination included a narrow focus on the populations targeted by each agency, within-state variation in agency structures, and a lack of knowledge about co-occurring IDD and mental health conditions. Interviewees also described both administrative (e.g., memorandums of understanding) and agency culture (e.g., focusing on whole-person care) strategies that are or could be used to improve coordination to provide mental health services for people with both IDD and a mental health condition. Strategies that support state agencies in moving away from crisis response toward a focus on whole-person care should be prioritized to support coordination of mental health services for individuals with co-occurring IDD and mental health conditions.

Apprenticeship Reforms in West Africa: An Outcome-Process Evaluation of a Pilot Dual Training Model-Based Apprenticeship Reform Scheme in Ghana

Context: Faced with deep challenges with access to formal education, many West African countries are increasingly taking steps to reform their informal apprenticeship systems to make them a quality skills development alternative for their teeming youth. A review of the literature shows that although different countries in the region are deploying different reform strategies, what is emerging as a dominant reform model is the "dual training model" (DTM), a collaborative arrangement in which the task of training apprentices is shared between informal trainers (master craftspersons, under their respective trade associations) and formal vocational training institutions (FVTIs). This paper presents an outcome-process evaluation of a DTM-based apprenticeship reform programme piloted in Ghana. Methods: Designed as a case study, the paper adopts an interpretivist approach, relying on diverse sources of data, both secondary and primary. Secondary data includes journal articles, attendance registers of participants, memorandums of understanding, relevant media reports, websites, and official reports by all relevant actors. The primary data originated from in-depth interviews with fourteen (14) key informants, as well as from overt and covert observations of respondents. Results: At the outcome level, the paper shows that the programme has largely failed in transferring new skills or in changing dominant poor practices among trainees, foundational objectives of the programme. At the process level, the paper revealed deep flaws in implementation; these are discussed in detail in an attempt to clarify the programme outcomes. Conclusion: The paper concludes that although the dual training model remains a potentially viable reform model in informal apprenticeships, its success ultimately depends on the quality of implementation, which in turn depends on the strength and quality of inter-stakeholder collaboration in programme design and implementation.

LEGAL ASPECTS OF ENERGY COOPERATION OF THE SHANGHAI COOPERATION ORGANIZATION MEMBER STATES

Energy is the main area of cooperation among the member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). From project cooperation to "Energy Cooperation Club" agreements, the member states' desire to jointly build energy cooperation has achieved certain results. The existing SCO energy cooperation takes the form of declarations, agreements, statements, meeting minutes and memorandums of understanding, as well as principle provisions that lack clear responsibilities in treaties. It is soft at the level of international law, and it does not fully constitute a comprehensive legal cooperation mechanism. The laws of each member state lack stability and uniformity, and existing treaties do not have corresponding mechanisms to ensure the implementation of dispute settlement solutions. There is also a lack of interest coordination mechanisms accepted by member states, making it difficult to meet the needs of current and future SCO energy cooperation. In the future, only by giving full play to the role of the "Energy Cooperation Club" and establishing a comprehensive and effective legal mechanism for energy cooperation, including energy cooperation information sharing mechanism, energy cooperation environmental protection legal mechanism and energy dispute settlement mechanism can we fundamentally solve the problems in mutual energy cooperation. To strengthen the reciprocity, stability and standardization of cooperation, to create conditions and opportunities for energy cooperation among member states.

Extending high quality health information to non-government organisations across the Northern Territory: experiences of NT Health Library Services

This paper discusses NT Health Library Services’ initiative to provide resources and services to health professionals who work for non-government organisations across the Territory. In 2009, Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) were established. Since then a website has been created specifically for these MOU members and a recent renewal and upgrade project ensured the agreements were updated and the website security standards were being met. With vendor permission the library currently offers access to the following: eight research databases, two clinical decision support tools, one medication database and five electronic book and journal collections. Marketing has begun to increase awareness among these external clients.

A Critical Evaluation of International Agreements Towards a Revised Categorization for Transfrontier Conservation Areas (TFCAs)

Transfrontier Conservation Areas (TFCAs) are widely promoted as an international instrument to achieve certain conservation, cooperation and developmental goals, especially within the Southern African Development Community (SADC). In the SADC context, the status of TFCAs is categorized based on the extent to which international agreements have been signed. These agreements take different forms such as treaties, memorandums of understanding (MoUs), protocols and bilateral agreements. However, the efficacy of agreement-based approaches towards the categorization of TFCAs has been questioned because it does not acknowledge the implementation complexities of TFCAs and lacks a sound conceptual basis. This research evaluates the international TFCA agreements in SADC with a view to recommending a revised categorization. This is achieved by applying Theory of Change (ToC) to a sample of ten signed TFCAs agreements. The results show a lack of enforcement mechanisms, weak provision for implementation and poorly defined objectives. These weaknesses of agreement-based approaches can best be addressed by expanding the categorization of TFCAs to also include the extent of legislative and operational alignment. The revised categorization supports a more complete understanding of TFCA implementation.

Partnership approaches in policing: An analysis of different types of partnerships and how they work to reduce crime and disorder

Abstract Partnerships in policing are commonplace approaches to reduce crime and disorder problems across most parts of the world. Police forge partnerships with businesses, government agencies, and communities to co-produce public safety, usually cooperatively but sometimes using coercion. The co-production approach to crime control permeates all levels of law enforcement from tackling complex corporate crimes to reducing the flow of drugs to street-level markets. In this paper, I draw from the Global Policing Database (GPD) and the final stage of the search and screening from a systematic review of third-party policing (TPP) interventions to analyse 29 unique TPP interventions in 36 studies described across 45 documents. Each of the 29 unique TPP interventions depicts different types of partnerships and how they work to reduce crime and disorder. Partnerships are grouped along two continuums: the number and complexity of partners involved and the level and type of engagement. Some partnerships in policing are extremely complex involving multiple agencies, whereas others are dyadic. The type of engagement between partners also varies: some partnerships are collaborative, guided by memorandums of understanding, and motivated by mutual need for crime control solutions. Other partnerships are more coercive and dictated through legislated mandates and forceful measures. In this paper, I examine the range of partnerships evident within the review and offer insights into how those partnerships work to tackle different types of problems.

Fanning the flames of cooperation: A collective action approach to prescribed fire agreements

Fire-dependent ecosystems in the southeastern U.S. such as Longleaf pine (LLP; Pinus palustris) ecosystems have lost a significant portion of their historic range due to numerous factors including fire suppression and land conversion. These ecosystems require frequent prescribed fires to maintain ecosystem health, function, and the provisioning of ecosystem services. Prescribed fires are also used to mitigate wildfire risks by reducing fuel loads. Despite these benefits, there are numerous barriers to implementing prescribed fires that might be social, political, ecological, and economic in nature and should be addressed accordingly. Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) and other collaborative agreements are written tools that public agencies, nongovernmental organizations, and private entities use to formally resolve challenges and establish standards and protocols that reduce barriers to prescribed fire use. MOU content provides a rich perspective on prescribed fire issues. This qualitative study uses thematic analysis to investigate MOUs as a mechanism of collective action for fire management. We analyzed n = 21 agreements and identified six emergent themes: 1) Agreements are a mechanism for increasing prescribed fire use and wildfire prevention, 2) Different regulations and requirements are needed depending on which agencies are involved, 3) Agreements exist as an acknowledgement of the need for and benefits of collective action, 4) Agreements have little impact on liability, 5) Trust and reciprocity are increased/developed through agreements, and 6) Agreements delegate authority and roles under specific contexts. These findings demonstrate how formalized agreements might increase the implementation of prescribed fire and how they are used. Moreover, by examining different formalized agreements, we showcase how these agreements differ depending on initial need and partners involved. In doing so, our findings will help land managers and other entities prioritize components of an agreement based in collective action.

Reconsidering The Mandatory Use Of Indonesian Language In Private Commercial Contract

<p class="GLR-Abstract">A decade after the enactment of Law Number 24 Year 2009 on the Flag, Language and Coat of Arms and Anthem which introduces mandatory use of Indonesian language in memorandums of understanding or agreements involving state institutions, government agencies, Indonesian private institutions or Indonesian citizens, there are still many questions arised about the extent of which these norms should apply in the private commercial sphere. Various litigations filed before the court to declare the agreement null and void for failure to meet the language provisions. While some lawsuit has been successful, but more recent court decisions have been consistently rejecting petition to declare an agreement as null and void for failure to comply with article 31 Law Number 24 Year 2009.</p><p class="GLR-Abstract">This paper will conduct a normative study to determine the extent of which the mandatory use of the Indonesian language in the agreement has affect the private commercial sphere. In what instance violation of the provision has been fully regarded as violation of an Objective Condition for a valid agreement as regulated in Article 1320 of the Civil Code which makes the agreement null and void by law and what does not.</p>This paper will study the laws and regulations related to the mandatory use of the Indonesian language in private commercial contracts to find out about situation and study its implementation in selected court decisions to understand the situation and provide possible recommendation for improvements

EU economic governance and French social legislation

Unlike other EU Member States, France has not been the subject of strict financial surveillance under the infamous Memorandums of Understanding (MoU). Nevertheless, from the very beginning of the economic crisis, France has been under intense scrutiny by the European institutions, mainly within the framework of the European Semester and the Excessive Imbalance Procedure (EIP). This article analyses the impact of these financial surveillance mechanisms on the design of recent French reforms in the fields of labour law and employment policy, with a particular focus on three main issues: the sanctions attached to unjustified dismissals, relations between sectoral collective agreements and firm-level collective agreements and access to unemployment insurance benefits. The analysis suggests that, while the European Commission initially exerted significant pressure towards the implementation of large-scale legislative reforms in the social field, from 2017 onwards it has seemingly eased its pressure on the French government. Inversely, although France initially seemed to strictly conform to the European recommendations, since 2017, the government has gone further, thus engaging in a profound transformation of the French social model. It therefore seems that the most recent French legislative reforms reflect more a political choice than an actual legal obligation stemming from the instruments of the EU Economic Governance.

Principles of Corporate Governance of State-Owned Enterprises and its compliance in India

The article deals with the key points of the Guidelines on Corporate Governance for Central Public Sector Enterprises of India concerning the composition of a board of directors, audit, nominating and remuneration committees, subsidiaries. The author analyzes the level of compliance with these principles of 338 public sector enterprises, of which 255 were assessed by the Department of Public Enterprises and received grades from «poor» to «excellent». The article also discusses external and internal factors that may affect the level of compliance with the guidelines on corporate governance. Thus, the external factors include a big size of a company, experience, absence of major debt. The internal factors include reduction in a proportion of the State ownership, memorandums of understanding and the «ratna»-statuses. The last two factors were paid particular attention. The author concludes that the main obstacles to achieving desirable quality of corporate governance in the Indian central public sector enterprises are: (a) absence of ownership policy in public sector companies, defining the role and duties of the State as a shareholder, (b) accountability of public sector companies to many public authorities at the same time that almost negate corporate governance in its general understood sense, (c) the lack of operational and financial autonomy of a board of directors, (d) non-compliance with the number of independent directors and non-compliance with the requirements of the legislation and principle of corporate governance.

Improving Readability of Online Privacy Policies through DOOP: A Domain Ontology for Online Privacy

Privacy policies play an important part in informing users about their privacy concerns by operating as memorandums of understanding (MOUs) between them and online services providers. Research suggests that these policies are infrequently read because they are often lengthy, written in jargon, and incomplete, making them difficult for most users to understand. Users are more likely to read short excerpts of privacy policies if they pertain directly to their concern. In this paper, a novel approach and a proof-of-concept tool are proposed that reduces the amount of privacy policy text a user has to read. It does so using a domain ontology and natural language processing (NLP) to identify key areas of the policies that users should read to address their concerns and take appropriate action. Using the ontology to locate key parts of privacy policies, average reading times were substantially reduced from 29–32 min to 45 s.

Emerging policy opportunities for United States–Canada transboundary connectivity conservation

In response to recent alignment of political leadership in Canada and the United States with respect to global nature conservation imperatives, a nascent and intentional dialogue has emerged on transboundary connectivity conservation between the two countries. In February and April 2021, two meetings were remotely convened, bringing together more than 160 participants from key government agencies, non-governmental organizations and Indigenous Nations engaged in conservation in both countries. Participants generated 25 concrete ideas for key next steps and 11 broad strategies that, when considered together, comprise 11 priority policy directions. Among these, four core policy imperatives include (1) prioritizing opportunities to coordinate within and among Indigenous communities, (2) creating formalized memorandums of understanding (MOUs) and funding commitments between the US and Canada, (3) mainstreaming connectivity into sectors and society, and (4) initiating systemwide changes in governance and economic structures. Together, these policy directions represent important strategies at this crucial inflection point. Only rarely are nations given historic policy alignment opportunities to redefine and reinvigorate their common conservation goals. Particularly salient is the drive to embrace transboundary connectivity conservation as a nature-based solution to climate change adaptation. We see this dialogue as a beginning in securing the peace that defines two countries and numerous Indigenous Nations that are inextricably linked by ecology and culture.

Deng Xiaoping’s Views on Science and Technology: Origins of the Sino-U.S. Science and Technology Cooperation, 1977–1979

Abstract In the late 1970s, after the tumultuous period of the Cultural Revolution, the policy of the government of the People’s Republic of China (prc) in terms of scientific and technological exchanges and cooperation with the United States changed from rejection and exclusion to active participation and promotion. In this process, ideas and views played an important role. The outlook of the Chinese leadership and particularly Deng Xiaoping on science redefined China’s national interests, turning the promotion of Sino-U.S. science and technology cooperation into an active policy of the Chinese government. During the 1970s, the two countries conducted large-scale intergovernmental cooperation in the field of civil science and technology, signed the agreement on scientific and technological cooperation and dozens of memorandums of understanding and protocols, and finally, in 1979, established a long-term scientific and technological cooperation system. The article explores Sino-American relations through the prism of scientific and technological cooperation, showing how this contributed to creating long-term friendly relations beyond other high politics issues.

İDMAN YARIŞLARINDA MANUPİLYASIYA ANLAYIŞI

Knowing the negative effect of sports manipulation for the sport and society, as well as the problems that is facing the Macolin Convention in its ratification, I decided to do this research in order investigate the phenomenon of match-fixing, controversial issues about the online gambling and potential effect of ratifycation of the convention and its entry into force. I was totally surprised when I found out so many International business law issues are covered in this topic. The sports betting markets are similar to the stock market, where odds movement de- pends on the performance of the teams and players. The insider trading is similar to the match-fixing, where a pre-match information for the result is used in order to achieve a great profit. Memorandums of understanding between betting companies, sports governing bodies and public authorities are used to cover the lack of regulation in this area. In the same time there is a need of acceleration of negotiations for the ratification of the convention due to the spreading of the phenomenon of sports manipulation. Key words: major manipulations, harmful aspects, existing problems, legalizing sports gambling, ethics of sports

Population Status,Threats and Conservation of the Spotted Pond Turtle;Geoclemys Hamiltonii(Gray,1830)(Geoemydidae) of Pakistan

The present study is based on some analytical studies of diversity, population status, Threats and conservation status of the black pond freshwater turtle, Geoclemys hamiltonii of Pakistan. Illegal international trade of the Black Spotted Turtle has escalated in the past few years which are indicated by seizure data in South and South-east Asian countries. Bangkok is one of the major destined for illegal trade in East Asia. International smuggling occurs predominantly by passengers using commercial airlines concealing animals in their baggage. Black Spotted Turtle smuggling could be part of this overall pattern of demand. Although some of the seizures resulted in arrests, few successful prosecutions of smugglers have been reported. Efforts supporting enforcement and prosecution are recommended to raise awareness of this issue and address poaching and illegal export of Black Spotted Turtles, with specific priority in Pakistan, Bangladesh, India and Nepal. Formal Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) are strongly encouraged between governments of countries and territories along the trade route of Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Thailand, Hong Kong and Taiwan to improve cross border enforcement.

How Much Does Africa Need China’s New Infrastructure?

The African prospects for the development of the digital economy can be exhilarating, in the next three years, the rate of internet penetration African will undoubtedly be fast growth, where the magnitude of African internet users could reach an astounding number of 800 million, a number which is on par with the current number of Chinese internet users. As the world’s second most powerful digital economy, China under the banner of the construction of the “Digital Silk Road” has already in the past decade signed numerous memorandums of understanding with various African nations. China and even more African nations can and will mutually and significantly cultivate in the field of new infrastructures. The urgent promotion and establishment of new African infrastructure shall and will greatly support Africans to be able to gain access to the highspeed internet, which will not only benefit Africa’s local economic growth but also bring new impetus to the global economy.

University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine

University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine

Fracking controversies: Enhancing public trust in local government through energy justice

Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) are a policy tool for local governments to gain more control over unconventional oil and gas development. MOUs ideally empower local governments to minimize potential risks by negotiating more stringent best management practices directly with the operators, who benefit from a more stable regulatory landscape. This study investigates the energy justice dimensions of these MOUs as they were negotiated in the midst of community conflicts in Colorado. By comparing two communities whose local governments differently managed the public meetings, our analysis points to the significance of the everyday practices of government representatives for promoting recognition and procedural justice. We track the expressions of trust and mistrust expressed by the “interested public” who actively participated in the meetings to better understand the shifting relationships among those citizens, state and local government, and industry. In the community where local government representatives facilitated recognition and procedural justice, the conflict ended with stronger expressions of trust in that government than in the other community. Expressions of trust in industry and state government remained negative or worsened in both communities.

The Other Secret Deals with Mexico and the Expansion of Executive Bureaucracies

The United States of America and Mexico have one of the most complex diplomatic relationships in the world. Their interaction touches on every fiber of American life: security, trade, citizenship, pollution, employment, immigration, cross-border issues, cultural engagement, consular protection, financial cooperation, information sharing, etc. The multidimensional character of the interstate relationship is unmatched, yet legal scholars rarely study it. I argue that the complexity of the interaction has birthed a new form of international law that regulates the relationship through the unchecked expansion of letters of intent and memorandums of understanding (inter-institutional agreements). Between 2000 and 2019, U.S. and Mexican authorities signed more than 1,700 agreements. Parties to these agreements include officers from different federal agencies, state and municipal officers, universities, and thinktanks. These agreements are the heart and soul of the legal relationship between the U.S. and Mexico and outlive the cycles of politics. Treaties are no longer the standard for the U.S. and Mexico to collaborate, regulate their interactions, and face common problems. This article sets forth how State behavior is being driven by bureaucracies and their networks, demonstrating how international law operates in practice. Moreover, I argue that at present, regulation of the agreements and obligations between the U.S. and Mexico is inadequate and nearly inexistent, lacking proper congressional supervision by both countries.