National-level Policy Research Articles

The Impact of National Big Data Pilot Zones on the Persistence of Green Innovation: A Moderating Perspective Based on Green Finance

Enhancing the persistence of corporate green innovation is crucial for promoting sustainable societal development. As big data technologies and related policies advance, digitalization emerges as an effective enabler of green innovation in enterprises. This study, grounded in resource-based theory and corporate ecology theory, examines the impact of national-level big data pilot zone reforms on the persistence of corporate green innovation, utilizing data from China’s A-share-listed companies from 2011 to 2021. It also explores the moderating effect of green finance development. Empirical results indicate that (1) the implementation of national-level big data pilot zones positively influences the persistence of green innovation, with robustness and endogeneity tests confirming these findings. (2) The development of regional green finance positively moderates this relationship. (3) A mediation analysis reveals that national-level big data policies enhance innovation persistence by alleviating financing constraints, promoting talent aggregation, and facilitating industrial upgrading. (4) The heterogeneity analysis shows that the positive impact of these reforms is more pronounced in non-state-owned, non-heavy polluting firms, those receiving high subsidies, and in regions with stringent environmental regulations. This study offers a novel theoretical perspective on and empirical evidence for digital transformation from the angle of national policy, supporting societal green development and contributing to policy enhancement aimed at achieving sustainable growth.

Customised Methodology to Assess and Measure Effectiveness of Integrated Landscape Management Relevant Multi-Stakeholder Transformative Governance, Incorporating Rights-Based Planning and Tenure Aspects, Applied in Kenya, Nigeria, and Viet Nam

Different thinking and strategies are needed to transform our food systems at different scales. Food systems can be changed towards a more sustainable path through multi-stakeholder transformative governance at the landscape level because that is where national-level visions, objectives, and policies meet with local practice, priorities, and actions. Concrete and practical guidance on how to effectively put a multi-stakeholder transformative governance process into practice is missing. Through the Global Environment Facility (GEF) funded ‘Food Systems, Land Use and Restoration Impact Programme’, led by the World Bank, countries are supported in integrated landscape management (ILM) to ensure that production systems are embedded within wider landscapes to safeguard the natural capital and ecosystem services on which they depend. A customised methodology to assess and measure the effectiveness of ILM-relevant multi-stakeholder transformative governance, incorporating rights-based planning and tenure aspects, has been developed that makes governance explicit in the ILM process. This methodology aims to improve landscape-level institutional coordination, coherence, and collaboration through enhanced horizontal and vertical coordination and network dynamics. The conceptual framework of the customised methodology and how to operationalise it are explained and illustrated with the application in the country projects in Kenya, Nigeria, and Viet Nam. Making transformative governance explicit within the ILM process at the landscape level will require investments in time and capabilities, but allows governance to act as a catalyst towards more sustainable pathways.

How to Live as a Refugee? Anchoring of the Ukrainian Female Refugees in the Labour Market through Activities of State Institutions and Non-formal Organisations in the Case Study of Krakow

Russia’s aggression in Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, has marked a new chapter in European history, generating masses of war refugees who sought refuge in many countries and in large numbers, including Poland. In this article, we analyse the assistance and support provided to Ukrainian women refugees in the city of Krakow, with focus on the labour market integration. The data consists of 19 expert interviews with the representatives of the organisations and institutions, as well as researchers in the migration field. We start with analysing the immediate state response at the national policy level, which created a legal framework allowing refugees, among others, fast entrance to the labour market and to set up businesses. Then, we examine how the responses of public institutions were accompanied by enormous grassroot mobilisation of support provided to Ukrainian refugees in Krakow. As we argue, integration into the labour market is critical for integration, but currently lack of evaluation of policy solutions and informalisation of the labour market may result in the reproduction of vulnerability of female refugees.

Public perceptions of ocean science as insight into discovery science

This article examines the complex relationship between humans and the ocean, focusing on public perceptions and the role of discovery in ocean science. For this, we use the term ‘discovery’ in two ways: publics ‘discovering’ ocean science and ‘discovery’ as the epistemic foundation of ocean science. Through textual analysis, we show how scientific discovery is intertwined with exploration in national-level ocean literacy policy documents. We then denote a practical and methodological distinction between discovery and basic science in ocean science. To link this back to ocean literacy, we employ Free-Choice Learning examples situated in the U.S. and Taiwan that adopt Personal Meaning Mapping to highlight how adolescents ‘discover’ the ocean and recognize the prevalence of discovery in ocean science. We conclude that although discovery is essential to ocean science, it is inseparable from a legacy of harm (i.e., exploitation, colonialism, and environmental degradation) which makes it — and other discovery sciences — an ongoing challenge to communicate.

Exploring Hybrid Vehicle Integration in Nablus Urban Shared-Taxis: Cost-Benefit and Exhaust Emissions Assessment

There is a worldwide concern about the increase in vehicles’ exhaust emissions of traditional fuels and the rise in fuel prices. Nablus city is a major city in the West Bank, Palestine with peculiar topography and traffic congestion. This increases fuel consumption and the gas emission of the diesel operated public transport (PT) shared-taxi vehicles. This paper investigates the viability of introducing hybrid vehicles to the urban shared-taxis in highly congested areas with peculiar topography. Interviews were conducted and questionnaires were distributed among PT drivers and route managers to obtain the operational and cost characteristics of each route. The existing expenses and revenues and gas emissions of diesel vehicles were analyzed. Expenses-revenues analysis revealed that there is no immediate urgency in switching all diesel-fuel shared-taxis to hybrid; therefore, two scenarios were developed. The first was replacing old PT cars (2009 or older) with hybrid vehicles, which provided an average financial saving of 20.9% with a reduction in exhausts emission of CO2-equivalent by 33%. The second scenario included replacing PT vehicles with production dates from 2009-2014, which produced financial savings of 15% and reduction of exhaust emissions by 35%. The comparison showed a preference for the first scenario at the current time, while implementing other scenarios gradually. The first scenario is simple and close to reality; as old vehicles should typically be replaced. The study recommends using hybrid vehicles for new shared-taxis introduced to the service, and establishing national level policies to encourage the use of alternative fuels for the transportation sector, focusing on PT. However, several critical factors must be considered, including topography and route characteristics.

Labor coercion, fiscal modernization, and state capacity: Evidence from colonial Indonesia

What explains the emergence of centralized fiscal institutions and information-intensive monetary taxation? This is the first study to estimate the effect of state capacity expansion on labor coercion as taxation, a practice known as corvée labor. To do so, I construct a new database covering eighteen Indonesian residencies over thirty-two years (1874–1905) during the period of Dutch colonial rule. I document the wide use of corvée labor and find that national-level policy centralized state finances by gradually replacing corvée with a head tax. At the same time, a residency-level panel data analysis shows that local state capacity expansion, primarily indigenous officials working as agents for the state, slowed the movement away from corvée. These estimates are supported by an IV strategy that uses effective distance to the capital as an instrument for local state capacity. The relationship between state capacity expansion and fiscal modernization therefore depends on what part of the state is expanding and whether interests across types of taxation differ within the state bureaucracy. Opposing interests of different state actors can be key in understanding fiscal modernization and public labor coercion.

Nutritional Status of Children in Bangladesh: Changes and Challenges for Development

Despite suffering from widespread poverty, Bangladesh has made remarkable improvements in the nutritional status of children over the past three decades. This paper describes the trends in the nutritional status of children in Bangladesh by age groups, explores factors associated with these trends, and concludes with a description of future challenges for development in Bangladesh. The national-level survey (BDHS), national plan and policy paper, and literature were used for the study. It is remarkable for Bangladesh that stunting, underweight, and wasting among children under five years old has improved gradually. Children 12- 23 months of age are the most vulnerable. Living in a rural vs urban area, wealth status and maternal education are the main determinants linked to the nutritional status of children. Poverty reduction, improved water and sanitation, strengthened maternal and child health care, education and other policies linked to food and dietary practices and many other policies and programs could continue to improve nutritional levels in children in Bangladesh. Attention is also needed to under five mortality and the double burden of malnutrition. Addressing gaps in policies and programs to achieve the goals of national plans and SDG targets will pay health dividends for the entire population.

Taking shared parenting seriously: a comparative study of how family policies accommodate shared physical custody in post-separation households

Shared physical custody (SPC) is a care arrangement following parental separation, whereby children alternatively reside with their mother and father. Very little is known about how family policies accommodate SPC, which is all the more unfortunate, as it represents a key opportunity to understand how family policies can efficiently facilitate shared parenting. To address this gap, this article presents a modest attempt at designing a new comparative family policy approach that considers SPC arrangements, by examining the extent to which Belgian, French and Italian family policies accommodate a more equal sharing of parenting post-divorce. In so doing, we encourage studies of defamilialization to take better account of the diversity of contemporary family forms. The theoretical section traces back key feminist debates around defamilialization and proposes to consider SPC arrangements as an ‘atypical’ family configuration that best illustrates contemporary tensions around defamilialization and gender equality. It also takes stock of the few studies of family policy and SPC to highlight key issues at stake. The analysis section starts with the main characteristics of the family law, welfare regime and family policies of the three countries. Then, we examine a selection of emblematic and national-level family policies from the following areas: (1) Family benefits; (2) Financial support to access to services; and (3) Tax measures. Our comparison focuses on three main criteria: scope; entitlement; and shareability of benefits between parents in the context of SPC. Our analysis reveals the variety of approaches to SPC in family polices across countries and policy areas, and the significant lack of support for a more equitable distribution of parenting within SPC. We conclude by highlighting the usefulness of taking SPC into account in reflecting on and evaluating the implementation of defamilialization policies, and by identifying some of the challenges to be met by future research.

특수교사의 인공지능교육 관심도 분석

Objectives This study sought to investigate special education teachers' interest in artificial intelligence education(hereinafter referred to as AI education) in the introduction of special education, and to derive implications for effectively applying AI education to special education fields. Methods In order to investigate the interest in AI education of special education teachers, 237 current special education teachers were surveyed online using the SoCQ test tool. For data processing, the general characteristics of the study subjects and the intensity percentile score for each SoCQ sub-stage were investigated through frequency and ratio, and t-test and ANOVA were conducted to compare the difference in AI education interest by special education teachers' background variables. Results The results of the study are as follows. First, special education teachers' interest in AI education was similar to the non-user profile and their interest in the impact of AI education was relatively low. Second, there was no statistically significant difference in interest in AI education according to gender and working institution and in terms of student disability type, the interest of teachers teaching students with sensory and physical disabilities was high in all stages except stage 3(operation), a significant difference appeared. Third, in terms of teaching experience, the higher the teaching experience, the higher the interest in AI education. In terms of educational background, the higher the educational level, the higher the interest in AI education. There was a significant difference in both teaching experience and educational background. Fourth, in terms of SW education-related training hours and AI education-related training hours, the more training hours there were, the higher the level of interest in both SW education and AI education. Fifth, in terms of SW education competency, the higher the SW education competency, the higher the interest in AI education, and in terms of AI education support, the higher the support for AI education, the higher the interest. Conclusions According to these results, as a way to increase special education teachers' interest in AI education, promote AI education to special education teachers so that they can be effective and interested in students with disabilities, and provide sufficient AI education methods and teaching and learning materials according to the type of disability. Needs to be. In addition, national-level policy support is needed, such as providing opportunities for expert collaboration and establishing new training courses so that special education teachers can develop AI education-related capabilities.

From policy to practice: The role of national policy instruments and social barriers in UK energy efficiency adoption in households

This paper investigates the adoption trends for energy efficiency (EE) measures in the UK residential sector and the extent to which national-level EE policies impact households' willingness to adopt EE measures and technologies. Using survey data from a representative sample of more than 2000 households across the UK and discrete choice models, this research examines the preferences given to different policy schemes such as tax rebates, grants, loans, easing administrative barriers or information campaigns; and its role on household decisions to adopt EE measures. We find that national-level policies in the form of grants and subsidies, information campaigns on savings and a reduction of administrative barriers would positively impact the probability of a household to adopt such measures. Differences are found between the policy drivers in the adoption of low-cost EE measures e.g. loft insulation vs. High-cost EE measures e.g. heat pumps. Importantly, our results highlight the role of policy mixes in fostering the adoption of EE measures in UK. In combination with other policies, tax credits can be effective in fostering the adoption on EE measures. Our findings have implications for policymakers seeking to enhance the effectiveness of EE policies and address social challenges to promote sustainable energy use.

Raising the voice of specialist stoma care nurses: a call for a national strategy in stoma care

Specialist stoma care nurses (SSCNs) are highly educated professionals who play a critical role in the care of people living with a stoma. However, they experience some unique challenges. Currently in the UK, stoma care has no national standards, targets or best practice pathway, resulting in significant variation and an undervalued service. As members of an evidence-based profession, SSCNs need to demonstrate their value. Specialist nurses in cancer care and inflammatory bowel disease are supported by nationally, with pathways, targets and standards of care, as well as career and education frameworks. This system could be used for SSCNs. A national approach is needed to develop an evidence-based best-practice pathway, commissioned and implemented across the UK for all stoma patients and with SSCNs at its heart. SSCNs need to demonstrate their value through data and evidence. Working with Getting it Right First Time, a taskforce aims to review the evidence and establish minimum standards of care for all stoma patients. SSCNs should be co-ordinators and drivers of change at the highest level of national innovation, policy and decision-making. The work of SSCNs should be is recognised and valued because what they do matters.

A Critical Review of India’s Latest Groundwater Policy: Impacts on Groundwater Resource Planning and Management

Abstract Groundwater policy is widely considered an essential element for building effective groundwater use and carrying out the country’s groundwater resources planning and management. This review first of its kind which gives extensive information about groundwater policy at the national and state level in India. This review focuses on the new national-level groundwater policy of India and discusses the salient features of groundwater policy for selected countries. Based on the ongoing challenges of groundwater issues in India, the benefits and drawbacks are described, making the future decision-making process easier and more efficient when contemplating regulation and known groundwater challenges. Considering the new provisions and the ongoing challenges, this paper discusses gaps in policy and its effects on the overall sustainability of groundwater resources. Our findings provide insight into the new national-level groundwater policy and outline limitations in areas such as the agricultural sector, land subsidence, cross-border conditions, climate change, information dissemination, groundwater and surface water connectivity, etc. that need urgent attention.

Predicting online learning experiences in sports education during the COVID-19 pandemic: Implications for pedagogical strategies

This research aims to assess the predictors that impact the online learning experiences (OLEs) of undergraduate sports students amid the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak utilizing the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework. An online survey was employed using the cluster sampling method to systematically examine the associations among the variables related to the OLE of sports students. A sample size of 402 undergraduate sports students from two universities in China was chosen and surveyed. Exploratory factor analysis was conducted to assess the validity of the questionnaires and model adequacy. Finally, a multiple linear regression analysis was performed to explore the associations of the study constructs. The results revealed that open communication, social presence, design and organization, and facilitation possess significant potential in predicting students’ OLE. This demonstrates the paramountcy of transparent communication, directs focus towards the indispensability of fostering a sense of reception and admiration among sports students, and highlights educators' sway in shaping their students' holistic and positive educational encounters. The scalability of our study highlights its potential to contribute valuable insights for developing national-level policies and educational strategies for this demographic.

On the different impact of local and national sources of policy uncertainty on sectoral stock volatility

We analyze the impact of state-level and national-level economic policy uncertainty (EPU) on stock volatility across 17 sectors. Using EPU data from 46 U.S. states, we construct a local uncertainty index through principal component analysis and compare it with national uncertainty using quantile regression. Our findings indicate that banks are influenced by both local and national uncertainty. Consumer-related sectors, such as beverages and transportation, react more to local uncertainty, while healthcare and defense sectors respond to national uncertainty. Sectors like medical, technology, electricity, and chemicals show no significant impact from either source. The effects are more pronounced at the 75th quantile, suggesting greater impact during high volatility periods. Our results provide important evidence that a generalized policy may not be effective as sectors respond differently to various sources of uncertainty. Instead, policymakers should combine national level policies with sector-specific approaches.

A review of climate change and cardiovascular diseases in the Indian policy context.

There is growing evidence that climate change adversely affects human health. Multiple diseases are sensitive to climate change, including cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), which are also the leading cause of death globally. Countries such as India face a compounded challenge, with a growing burden of CVDs and a high vulnerability to climate change, requiring a co-ordinated, multi-sectoral response. In this framework synthesis, we analysed whether and how CVDs are addressed with respect to climate change in the Indian policy space. We identified 10 relevant national-level policies, which were analysed using the framework method. Our analytical framework consisted of four themes: (i) political commitment; (ii) health information systems; (iii) capacity building; and (iv) cross-sectoral actions. Additionally, we analysed a subset of these policies and 29 state-level climate change and health action plans using content analysis to identify health priorities. Our analyses revealed a political commitment in addressing the health impacts of climate change; however, CVDs were poorly contextualized with most of the efforts focusing on vector-borne and other communicable diseases, despite their recognized burden. Heat-related illnesses and cardiopulmonary diseases were also focused on but failed to encompass the most climate-sensitive aspects. CVDs are insufficiently addressed in the existing surveillance systems, despite being mentioned in several policies and interventions, including emergency preparedness in hospitals and cross-sectoral actions. CVDs are mentioned as a separate section in only a small number of state-level plans, several of which need an impetus to complete and include CVD-specific sections. We also found several climate-health policies for specific diseases, albeit not for CVDs. This study identified important gaps in India's disease-specific climate change response and might aid policy makers in strengthening future versions of these policies and boost research and context-specific interventions on climate change and CVDs.

Towards Accountable E-Health Policies in the Nordic Countries.

The Nordic Countries are seen as forerunners in the field of digital health technologies and national implementation has been guided by sector specific strategies for many years. In the context of new European legislation such as the European Health Data Space (EHDS), a review of the existing strategies is indicated. The objective of this policy analysis is to assess and compare the scope, ambitions and extent of accountability in national-level digital health policies in the Nordic countries. The scope of the policies from the five countries were largely centred around a) empowering and activating citizens; b) a shift towards prevention and digital first; c) supporting health operations; d) doing the groundwork; e) making health data more available in research and innovation workflows and f) supporting health personnel. Finland comes out as the most ambitious country with the aim to transform their health system by means of digitalisation. Both Finland and Iceland work towards prevention and the digital first ambition due to large populations in rural areas. These two countries also present the most accountable policies, meaning that their policy documents are the most transparent as to how they arrived at the conclusions and how they are to evaluate the achievements.

Identifying vulnerabilities in essential health services: Analysing the effects of system shocks on childhood vaccination delivery in Lebanon

Shocks effects are under-theorised in the growing literature on health system resilience. Existing work has focused on the effects of single shocks on discrete elements within the health system, typically at national level. Using qualitative system dynamics, we explored how effects of multiple shocks interacted across system levels and combined with existing vulnerabilities to produce effects on essential health services delivery, through the prism of a case study on childhood vaccination in Lebanon. Lebanon has experienced a series of shocks in recent years, including large-scale refugee arrivals from neighbouring Syria, the COVID-19 pandemic and a political-economic crisis. We developed a causal loop diagram (CLD) to explore the effects of each shock individually, and in combination. The CLD was developed and validated using qualitative data from interviews with 38 stakeholders working in Lebanon's vaccination delivery system, in roles ranging from national level policy to facility-level service delivery, conducted between February 2020 and January 2022.We found that each of the shocks had different effects on service demand- and supply-side dynamics. These effects cascaded from national through to local levels. Both Syrian refugee movement and the COVID-19 pandemic primarily exposed vulnerabilities in service demand, mainly through slowly emerging knock-on effects on vaccination uptake behaviour among host communities, and fear of contracting infection in crowded health facilities respectively. The economic crisis exposed wider system vulnerabilities, including demand for vaccination as household income collapsed, and supply-side effects such as reduced clinic time for vaccination, declining workforce retention, and reduced availability of viable vaccine doses, among others. Finally, important pathways of interaction between shocks were identified, particularly affecting the balance between demand for vaccination through publicly supported facilities and private clinics. Future research should incorporate dynamic approaches to identifying within-system vulnerabilities and their potential impacts under different scenarios, as a precursor to improved resilience measurement, system preparedness, and intervention targeting.

The transformation of 20-year social participation policies of older people in China: Network analysis and text analysis.

Social participation of older adults is a crucial component of China's aged care services and an important strategy for actively addressing the aging population. Analyzing policy texts on older people's social participation can inform future policy formulation and the development of relevant programs. This study aims to quantitatively analyze the transformation of China's social participation policies for older people from 1999 to 2023, employing institutional network analysis and policy text analysis. A two-dimensional policy analysis framework was constructed based on the perspective of "policy tools and social participation stages." Using Rost Content Mining 6.0 and Nvivo 11.0 Plus software, 55 national-level policy texts were coded. Structural analysis of policy-issuing subjects and topic words was conducted to visualize the findings. The analysis revealed that the policy-issuing subjects demonstrated strong authority but weak coordination, with a lack of communication and cooperation across subjects. The use of policy tools was imbalanced, with an over-reliance on supply-type tools and insufficient use of demand-type tools. Additionally, the lack of effective policy tools to support various social participation stages has limited policy implementation. With technological advancement and changing needs of the elderly population, there is a need for a more systematic and forward-looking top-level design of elderly social participation policies: accelerating the systematization and precision of technological elements in policies for elderly social participation, integrating social organizations via technological platforms to mobilize diverse stakeholder engagement, and addressing the digital divide between the elderly and new technologies is imperative.

Exploring the Role of Talent Management in Talent Migration: A Scoping Review

The purpose of this review is to produce a comprehensive understanding of themes related to the role of talent management in talent migration. Hence, a scoping review of the literature is conducted and finally discovers six themes related to the topic. It can conclude that macro talent management and its impact on economy is the most popular theme in these studies. Specifically, macro talent management can optimize the positive effects of talent migration for host countries by implementing organizational-level talent management practices and national-level policy that effectively attract and retain talents, thereby enhancing a country's global competitiveness and economic development. Conversely, socioeconomic factors also have a substantial impact on macro talent management. Future research could further explore the role of socioeconomic factors on macro talent management. The findings from this review indicate the importance of talent management in talent migration, which has the potential to be advantageous for businesses, organizational researchers, and policymakers.

Policy text analysis of antimicrobial resistance governance in China: A focus on national-level policies

ObjectiveTo explore the structure and characteristics of China's national policies regarding antimicrobial resistance (AMR) governance. MethodThis research constitutes a quantitative content analysis of AMR policies issued by the central government from 2004 to 2023. A systematic search identified 112 policy documents, which were analysed using a three-dimensional framework. This framework included policy objectives, policy instruments (The supply-focused instrument aims to promote rational and prudent antibiotic prescriptions. The demand-focused instrument affects consumer use of antibiotics, either directly or indirectly. The environment-focused instrument provides a favourable and systematic policy environment for the prudent use of antibiotics.) and policy evolvement. Sub-themes under the framework were identified through a deductive process, followed by descriptions of frequency distributions of the sub-themes and categories. ResultsThe majority of policy documents originated from individual governmental departments, with only 8 (7.14%) being jointly issued. The National Health Commission (NHC) remained the predominant policy maker, issuing 56 (48.21%) policies. A clear preference emerged for utilizing environment-focused policy instruments (69.70%), compared with the demand-focused (18.45%) and supply-focused (11.85%) instruments. 'Optimizing the use of antimicrobial medicines' ranked on top of the policy objectives, with 185 (31.25%) citations extracted across 74 (30.58%) policy documents. In addition to increasing numbers of policies over the three stages (2004–2011, 2012–2015, 2016–2023) of development, the use of various instruments became more comprehensive and balanced in the third stage. ConclusionsAMR governance has become increasingly comprehensive in China, despite a deficit in inter-sectoral collaborations. A whole-of-government approach is required to maximize the value of various policy initiatives.