National Institutional Frameworks Research Articles

The amended international health regulations: Implications and challenges for domestic legal frameworks.

The World Health Organisation's International Health Regulations were amended in May 2024, with a number of implications for countries to amend their legal and institutional frameworks. This perspective highlights two key areas of focus in the amendments-the importance of multisectoral coordination and subnational work - and explores their links to health security challenges and to concrete country experiences. National legal and institutional frameworks constitute a key enabling mechanism for effective public health systems capable of preventing, detecting, and responding promptly to public health events and emergencies, and the recent IHR amendments provide a new impetus for WHO Member States to make these changes.

A Tale of Two Economies: Diachronic Comparative Analysis of Diverging Paths of Growth and Inequality in the United States and the United Kingdom

This study investigates the correlation between the Gini index and gross domestic product (GDP) in two of the world’s largest capitalist economies: the United States and the United Kingdom. Utilizing econometric methods, including stationarity tests and linear regression, this research work aims to elucidate the relationship between economic inequality and economic growth. The results for the United States reveal a significant positive correlation between GDP and the Gini index, suggesting that economic growth is associated with rising income inequality. In contrast, the United Kingdom shows a much weaker relationship, indicating that other factors, such as redistributive policies and social welfare programs, may mitigate the impact of economic growth on income inequality. These findings highlight the importance of national policies and institutional frameworks in shaping economic outcomes and can be used in policy making. This study contributes to the existing literature by providing a comparative analysis of the correlation between GDP and the Gini index in two major capitalist economies, offering fresh empirical insights.

Landscape analysis of the Kenyan policy on the treatment and prevention of diarrheal disease among under-5 children

ObjectiveDiarrhoea remains a leading cause of morbidity and death among under-5 children in Kenya, despite multipronged policy and programme initiatives to increase access to treatment. This study interrogates the comprehensiveness...

Five worlds of social reproduction after the new millennium: placing transitional China in a three-dimensional model of social reproduction

Since the late 2000s, China has accelerated reconstruction of the welfare state against the backdrop of the second transition. Following a typological approach, this study proposes an analytical framework for assessing varieties of social reproduction before delving into a comparative look at China’s national institutional framework, in which China is regarded as a transitional economy and a late bloomer. As represented in three dimensions, countries have production regimes that diverge in the degree of coordination, welfare regimes that differ in the degree of decommodification, and labor reproduction regimes that vary in the degree of depatriarchalization. We investigate the convergence and divergence of advanced economies, transitional economies, and the emerging economies of East Asian countries. Hierarchical cluster analysis and a three-dimensional map illustrate the varieties of regimes at the intersections of production, welfare, and reproduction. With the help of institutional complementarities, five worlds of social reproduction are distinguished: the late blooming, the liberal, the catch-up/transitional, the conservative, and the social democratic. China’s production regime converges with that of continental Europe and Post-Socialist societies based on institutional arrangements of nonmarket coordination; however, limited income maintenance and redistribution policies, the absence of family-friendly policies, and the regendering of the division of labor make China’s institutional mix appear more compatible with East Asian societies than Western ones. The institutional complementarities between the welfare and labor reproduction regimes reveal a social reproduction scenario that is less than purely late blooming.

The right to health care in the system of social human rights

In the current academic literature, the right to health is considered in the context of a wide range of disciplines, including medical law, international law and social sciences. An important step in the formation of the legal framework for the right to health was the adoption of the WHO Constitution in 1946, which proclaimed that «the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health is a fundamental right of every human being». This declaration became the basis for the further development of international health standards, including the 1966 International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which in Article 12 recognises the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health.
 Research and scholarship on the right to health covers various aspects of this issue, including analyses of national health systems, examination of international standards and their impact on national legislation, and development of recommendations to ensure equal access to health services. Despite the significant achievements in the development of international norms and standards, there are challenges related to their implementation at the national level, including the need to adapt national legislative and institutional frameworks to international obligations.
 Ukraine, like many other countries, is striving to meet international standards in the field of the right to health, while facing a number of challenges that require a comprehensive approach to reforming the national healthcare system. Scientific research plays an important role in this process, helping to identify gaps in legislation and practice, as well as to develop sound recommendations for their elimination.
 Given these aspects, this article aims not only to analyse the theoretical foundations of the right to healthcare, but also to highlight the practical steps and challenges that Ukraine faces on the way to its full implementation.

Analysis of Integrated Coastal Zone Management in Guatemala

Integrated coastal zones management is a process that seeks to improve the quality of life in coastal communities based on the use of natural resources while respecting ecosystems and biodiversity. This study takes the laws and regulations that were considered most important and the articles of each one that are considered most appropriate for coastal management, in accordance with the national legal and institutional framework applicable to the management and management of marine and coastal resources of Guatemala. . The role of the institutions that are essential for the iczm process is made known. Finally, training and information strategies and the importance of citizen participation are analyzed. Keywords: Integrated coastal management; Coastal zones; iczm Decalogue.

The ‘European City’ at the Crossroads: Four Analytical Elements for Understanding Convergence and Differentiation

AbstractThis theoretical contribution explores the use of four analytical elements to understand European cities' commonalities and distinctive characteristics in the face of the challenges presented by structural global changes and supra‐national governance mechanisms: sovereignty, policy, politics, context. The article shows how institutional and contextual opportunities mediate globalization's repercussions to varying degrees at the urban level, according to national and regional dynamics and institutional frameworks as well as urban governance structures. Additionally, the article argues that the local policy capacity of cities and their ability to innovate and deal with new social challenges are shaped by the interplay among the four specific elements mentioned before.

IMPORTANCE OF IMPLEMENTATION AND ENFORCEMENT OF HUMAN RIGHTS IN INDONESIA NOW

There are still many human rights violations in Indonesia, starting from the lightest to the most serious in the implementation of human rights, and there is no mechanism for handling these human rights. From this research using literature review which aims to learn from existing references to understand the meaning of human rights and apply the values of Pancasila which contain the values of civilized human principles because they are the enforcement of human rights in civic life so that students can appreciate it more. the rights of everyone by not violating human rights. This human right has the power of fundamental or fundamental power. Currently, there are violation cases that have occurred because many people still do not understand the violation cases so that it is easier for people to violate the rights of others. Protection and maintenance of human rights within a national institutional framework is established in an institution such as the Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAI), the National Commission for Women (Komnas Perempuan), the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM), and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (KKR), was dissolved because the KKR might not be responsible and did not carry out its function properly. Currently, human rights law enforcement is carried out specifically through the judiciary, whose Human Rights Courts target serious human rights courts, and which have the authority to test the 1945 Constitution, namely the constitutional court. These rights are largely upheld by the Constitutional Court, and many unlawful decisions have been made. This decision has strategic value, so that it can protect the human rights of citizens.

Pursuing sustainability? Ecosystem considerations in Japan’s fisheries governance

In pursuit of sustainable fisheries governance, global agreements have developed an ecosystem approach that requires countries to consider not only target fish stocks but also non-target species and their habitats, and to assess and mitigate the impacts of fisheries on the marine ecosystem as a whole. This study explores to what extent Japan, a major fisheries-dependent country, has incorporated such ecosystem considerations into its domestic fisheries laws and policies. Furthermore, this work examines attributes of ecosystem considerations in Japan’s fisheries policy and their consistency with established ecosystem perspectives and guidelines embedded in multilateral institutional settings. A significant feature of Japan’s fisheries policy is that it focuses on conserving fishing grounds to enhance the productivity of resources, but less on reducing bycatch or discards of non-target species and regulating practices that negatively affect habitats, unless required by regional fisheries management organizations. Therefore, Japan has not yet established a national policy or institutional framework to address the negative impacts of fisheries on ecosystems. The scope of ecosystem consideration in Japan’s fisheries governance and its inconsistencies with international instruments demonstrate substantial challenges for Japan in achieving sustainable fisheries and conserving marine ecosystems.

Legal Analysis of the Disparity Between Indonesia's Legal Basis and Its Implementation in Protecting Human Rights

The power that is held by human rights might be described as fundamental or basic in nature. People are able to more readily violate the rights of others since many people still do not understand how violation cases work. As a result, there are cases of violations that occur at the present time. A qualitative research method that takes an approach based on statutory regulation is the one that was used for this study. According to the findings presented in the conclusion, the protection and maintenance of human rights within the national institutional framework are established in institutions such as the National Women's Commission (Komnas Perempuan), the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM), and the Commission on Truth and Reconciliation. These institutions include the Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAI), the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM), and the Commission on Truth and Reconciliation (TRC). Despite this, the KKR was dissolved because it was seen to be incapable of performing its duties in an adequate manner.

How Fiscal Rules Matter for Successful Fiscal Consolidations: New Evidence

Abstract Fiscal rules are increasingly promoted by international organizations. We investigate whether fiscal rules are effective in achieving sustained debt reduction during periods of fiscal consolidation using data from 19 OECD countries. The analysis is based on an extended version of the International Monetary Fund’s fiscal rules database. Fiscal consolidation periods are identified using a novel method that takes differences in the variability of fiscal balances into account. We find: (i) the EU’s Stability and Growth Pact is associated with sustained debt reduction while it is more doubtful if the mere existence of national fiscal rules has an effect. (ii) Fiscal rules have a stronger association with sustained debt reduction when they are embedded in a stricter national institutional framework (JEL codes: H6).

Explaining shifts in adaptive water management using a gendered multi-level perspective (MLP): a case study from the Nile Delta of Egypt

ABSTRACT Understanding the logic behind farmers' choice of adaptive water management practice is important to appreciate the opportunities and challenges they face and to scale targeted solutions effectively. This paper aims to understand the main drivers of change that induce adaptation in water management. The Multi-Level Perspective (MLP) framework that juxtaposed the within and across micro-, meso-, and macro-level drivers was applied to a case study of the Nile Delta to identify key drivers of change and farmers' adaptive responses. The framework helped in contextualizing key gender, temporal, and spatial dimensions of the drivers, and to identify their individual and interactive effects on farmers' adaptation decisions. We find that farmers' gender-differential water management choices are influenced not only by the individual changes in the three spheres of influence but also their interactions. The study highlights the benefits of using MLP to identify challenges that should often be tackled simultaneously to improve agricultural water delivery and use. We demonstrated that adaptation choices in water management are more sustainable when farmers' decisions are supported by enabling environments, including local regulations, norms, national institutional frameworks, and policies. They are also informed by and responsive to global trends such as climate change and markets.

Who is the Prefect? A Comparative Analysis of the Professionalization and Politicization of the Prefect in Romania and Poland in 2021

"This present research brings into focus the figure of the prefect and wojewód seen at the crossroads between career public servants representing the interests of the Government and political agents, appointed and dismissed at the whim of the Prime Minister. This paper approaches the issue of the holder of the prefect’s office in Romania and Poland employing a prosopographic analysis and applies a Multiple Linear Regression (MLR) on select items in order to identify the general trend and particularities of their profiles. This institution was structured and articulated at the confluence of some administrative and political actions and integrated in the national institutional framework as a key actor, which continues to connect the institutional capacity of the state and the political capacity of the Government. Moving beyond the legal framework and institutional design of each country, we look at the profile – involving educational, professional and political affiliation – of the people actually appointed to this position in order to ascertain the weight of each of these factors when called to serve in office."

Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises in Ecuador: Evolution and Challenges

The main objective of this article is to analyze the evolution of Ecuadorian Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SME), their contribution to the national economy, institutional framework, and internal operating characteristics. To this end, the focus is on companies related to the manufacturing sector in Ecuador. The main periods of the analysis are: i) the 1990s, ii) 2000-2008 and iii) 2009-2019; however, the decades of the 1970s and 1980s have been included in the first part of the article for their relevance. Literature review is the main data collection methodology, and the databases used are from official sources. Data from the Banco Central del Ecuador (BCE, Central Bank of Ecuador), the Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos (INEC, National Institute of Statistics and Census), regulations and research around the SME sector have been used. The main findings are that SMEs are crucial within the Ecuadorian industrial fabric, because of its specialization in products that contribute to satisfying basic needs, but also because they provide parts and supplies to other companies. The quantitative contribution of SMEs, however, has been declining over time, both in number of establishments, staffing, and production, which reveals the increasing relevance of large industries. In this process, the institutional framework has had an influence in the evolution of SMEs, with certain strengths and weaknesses in terms of supporting the development of SMEs. In turn, in regards to internal operation, it becomes apparent that despite some improvement, there has not been significant progress during the period under analysis. In short, this work contributes to the larger discussion about the relevance of SMEs in Ecuador, their history, and whether there might be grounds for public policies to support their development.

The Salient Dynamics of Cross-Border Ocean Governance in a Regional Setting: An Evaluation of Ocean Governance Systems and Institutional Frameworks in the Guinea Current Large Marine Ecosystem

This article contributes to a growing body of research on the Large Marine Ecosystems Concept. It particularly shines the light on the Guinea Current Large Marine Ecosystem (GCLME), a biodiverse maritime domain providing essential ecosystem services for the survival of a large population while at the same time under intense pressure from both anthropogenic and natural factors. With the need for coordination and cross-border ocean management and governance becoming imperative due to the magnitude of challenges and maritime domain, we examine the factors that underpin ocean governance and those key elements necessary for cross-border ocean governance cooperation in the region. The research draws on qualitative data collected from peer-reviewed literature and documents sourced from different official portals. Three countries in the region (Benin, Nigeria, and Cameroon) are selected as the descriptive and comparative case studies to examine: (i) the factors that drive ocean governance (including geographical features, maritime jurisdictions, political framework, maritime activities, and associated pressures), and (ii) key enabling factors for cross-border ocean governance and cooperation in the GCLME (including marine and coastal related policy and legal framework convergence from international to national including, and shared experiences, common issues and joint solutions). We show that the biophysical maritime features, the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), otherwise known as the Law of the Sea (LOS), inherent political characteristics and the relics of colonization, and increasing ocean use and pressure on the ecosystem make ocean governance challenging in the region. Our analysis also reveals a varying level of convergence on international, regional and national legal, policy and institutional frameworks between the case studies on ocean-related aspects. Significant convergence is observed in maritime security, ocean research, and energy aspects, mostly from countries adopting international, regional and sub-regional frameworks. National level convergence is not well established as administrative and political arrangement differs from country to country in the region. These different levels of convergence help reveal procedural and operational shortcomings, strengths, weaknesses, and functional capability of countries within a cooperative ocean governance system in the region. However, experience from joint-implementation of projects, pre- and post-colonial relations between countries and the availability of transboundary organizations that have mainly emerged due to sectoral ocean challenges would play a crucial role in fostering cross-border ocean governance cooperation in the region.

Rodni jaz kao prepreka razvoju ženskog preduzetništva u Crnoj Gori

Gender inequalities, as a product of a wide range of deep-rooted and inherited gender stereotypes and prejudices, can be described as a key generator of unfavorable preconditions for the development of women's entrepreneurship in Montenegro. The aim of this study is to provide an analytical descriptive presentation based on official data, ethnographic records and research of the European Institute for Gender Equality and to illustrate the position of women in Montenegrin society, shaped by the patrilineal system of kinship and the "rules" of a steadily patriarchal matrix of gender relations in the private and public spheres of life. The study reached certain conclusions based on a secondary survey based on an assessment of the national normative and institutional framework for the development of women's entrepreneurship in Montenegro, existing strategic documents, as well as an analysis of available support and assistance to women entrepreneurs in terms of facilitated access to know-how and sources of funding. The author emphasizes the need to change the traditional perception and create awareness at the national level about the economic value of women's entrepreneurship as an important and underutilized potential for building a prosperous society and more intensive economic development of the country. The limitations of the research were presented and recommendations for creating conditions in society and the labor market for the evolution of women's entrepreneurship in Montenegro from social to economic category were presented.

A level playing field for migrant entrepreneurs? The legal and policy landscape across EU and OECD countries

AbstractMigrant entrepreneurship has been recognized as a form of integration in the country of destination and a viable alternative of decent and sustainable employment for migrants. Laws and policies can create barriers or support migrants who start a business in the country of destination. Despite their importance, these laws and policies have received scant attention from academic scholarship. By applying the mixed embedded approach, this article analyses the institutional and policy framework for migrant entrepreneurs in European Union (EU) and Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries, and how this framework varies according to the migrants’ individual legal status and gender. In order to do so, this article draws upon the findings of two different studies conducted on the topic. The first one analyses the national institutional framework for migrant entrepreneurs of these countries. The second study consists of a review of measures to foster migrant entrepreneurship in the same sample of countries. On the one hand, this article shows that the institutional framework restricts access to self‐employment for some categories of migrants (e.g. based on their legal status). On the other hand, a wide range of measures are now available to support migrant entrepreneurs. However, these measures treat them as a rather homogeneous group. These findings suggest that the fact that some migrants are less engaged in self‐employment or face more difficulties may be explained by the lack of institutional opportunities and policy support.

Assessment of country institutional factor on sustainable energy target achievement in European Union

This study examines causality relation between the quality of national institutional frameworks designed to ensure higher energy efficiency and the distance to the achievement of the EU Commission targets in terms of energy consumption, using a panel of 21 EU member states. Through panel unit root tests and an estimated VAR model, our results reveal that the quality of a nation’s institutional and economic energy efficiency framework does not significantly influence the gap between annual energy consumption and related EU targets, as prescribed by the energy efficiency EU Directives. However, the results show a bi-directional causality relationship suggests that the nation’s institutional framework on energy efficiency should be improved. According to the impulse response function, this relationship is more related to a short-run perspective. Hence, a strong correlation exists between the level of achieving the reduction targets on energy consumption and the level of gas emissions. Our findings further reveal that the level of reported GHCs significantly influences national regulations and strategies for gas emission reductions. This research highlights the importance of each EU member state creating an appropriate legislative and institutional framework that promotes energy efficiency.

Living Well at Others’ Expense: The Hidden Costs of Western Prosperity

“Somewhere bodies are being broken so that I can live in my shit” (91). This is the main argument of Stephan Lessenich’s book Living Well at Others’ Expense. Lessenich, in a clear and accessible manner, has done an in-depth analysis of the asymmetrical power relations between the Global North and the Global South and the consequences of them. He uses various examples ranging from the ecological disasters to the refugee crisis to explain how capitalist society is inherently political and extractive in nature, calling it an Externalization Society, which keeps the few chosen ones inside and the rest on the margins of the periphery.Lessenich begins the book with a depressing ecological disaster in Rio Doce, Brazil, to prepare the reader for what to expect: various crises happening simultaneously around the world and many of us choosing to be oblivious of them. He explains that there is nothing natural about the bursting of the walls of two reservoirs containing the wastewater from an ion ore mine in Rio Doce. It was all fated right from the beginning, when the poor countries of the Global South agreed to sell their labor, their minerals, and other resources to satisfy the desire of the Global North to elevate themselves. He problematizes the situation further, discussing the distribution of wealth of the certain Nations—the “opportunity hoarding” (39) or “social closure” through terms of trade and finance and law. He warns that we live in an era of a “Boomerang Effect” (52), where nature is going to spit out what we have been throwing at it. Simply put, climate change is too big a crisis to externalize.He discusses the Anthropocene or Occidentocene—the ecological burden of the various practices adopted by the large agribusiness corporations—China gaining momentum, and the tiny bits of plastic finding their way into the food of citizens of the Global North. He points to the irony of ethical consumerism—delivered on the same day on your doorstep.Law, he points out, has been used to create boundaries. It is an effort to keep the dangers and diseases out of the Externalization Society. Lessenich is critical of global leadership, in which people sitting in ivory towers talk about inequality. Here, developing countries like Pakistan and Lebanon, which are host to millions of refugees, expose the double standards of the Global North. The book closes with radical ideas like the restructuring of the national and international institutional frameworks and discusses the need for collective acceptance leading to collective empowerment. Besides this, Lessenich has continued his criticism of the Global North and the complicit nature of its citizens.This book is an important addition to the scholarship on inequality, environmental policy, and international relations. Various themes, such as climate crisis, monopolization of travel, and the desire to “keep up with the Joneses,” have been used masterfully to highlight the comparison between the citizens of the Global South and those of the Global North. Lessenich’s dissatisfaction with Thomas Pikettey’s seminal work and concerns with other indicators like gross domestic product and the Human Development Index demand serious consideration. He could have used quantitative data to strengthen his argument and could have spent more time exploring the complicit attitude of the elites in the Global South in maintaining the status quo. Future research can be built on his important work to analyze and measure inequality in both the Global North and the Global South.

The Baltic Resilience to China’s “Divide and Rule”

The article examines the interactions of the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania with China in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) format. First, it explores three most widespread criticisms of the Chinese BRI approach, namely: 1. The risk of Beijing becoming legitimating factor for strains on democracy, freedom and the rule of law; 2. Support towards the Chinese interpretation of values and tolerance of censorship; 3. Debt arising from infrastructure loans. Further, the article tries to establish to what extent did the Baltic states remain resilient to them, offering possible explanations to the Baltic cases along three lines – systemic resilience, discursive resilience, and financial resilience. The article concludes that BRI is taking different shapes in different regions, and that local political culture along with wider supra-national organizations determines the range and response to BRI, therefore, national institutional frameworks in combination with overwatch from supranational standard-enforcing institutions are the leading factors of countries’ resilience to risks stemming from BRI. Methodologically, the article employs qualitative approaches to data, including discourse analysis, document analysis and historic analysis. The primary sources include documents, agreements and statements of officials from China, the Baltic states, Italy, and the EU, as well as secondary sources including research publications, media reports, and mutually comparable national data.