Policy Objectives Research Articles

Open bibliographic databases: in search of an alternative to Scopus and the Web of Science

In the context of the recent developments in Russia, such as the termination of activities of several major scientific publishers and the blocking of access to two prominent bibliographic databases, Scopus and Web of Science, Russian scientists face a challenge in continuing their research and contributing to the scientific and educational community. This article aims to explore the potential of open bibliographic databases as a viable alternative to these two databases in addressing the main objectives of scientific and educational policies. The research methodology employed in this study involves a content analysis of relevant sources that examine science as a specialized field of human activity. Additionally, various aspects of utilizing bibliographic databases in decision-making processes related to scientific and educational policies and during actual research are considered. A comparative analysis is conducted on selected open databases to assess their suitability for different stages of scientific knowledge production. The study resulted in the characterization of several open access bibliographic databases: Russian Index of Scientific Citation (RISC), AMiner, The Lens, Dimensions, and OpenAlex. The criteria used for the analysis were: volume of content, period covered, availability of filters, data visualization tools, data upload capabilities, and additional features. Based on these criteria, it was proposed to form a subject area research program using these open bibliographic databases. It was concluded that these databases can fully replace Scopus and Web of Science in terms of solving the problem of defining the boundaries of world science and conducting scientific research. However, at the moment, there is no alternative to Scopus and Web of Science for evaluating scientific results. The study emphasizes the importance of using open bibliographic databases in scientific research and the need to develop them further. The results of the study can be useful for researchers, scientists, and policymakers who are interested in improving the quality and efficiency of scientific research in Russia

The role of the energy dimension in tourism safety and security

Security, having a multilateral character – as a state of the social system, a complex process, a function of the state, etc. – reflects the level of satisfaction of the fundamental national interests of a country, as well as the actions taken, on a single ideological basis, to promote those interests and defend them against aggression, dangers, threats and risks of any kind. The tourism sector is an important economic sector globally and locally and offers real prospects for sustainable and inclusive economic growth. Safety is one of the most important criteria in supporting the tourism industry. Diplomatic channels, negotiation, cooperation and exchange of experience have always been and remain the most viable ways for a state to achieve its foreign policy objectives in relation to its domestic needs, especially for the Republic of Moldova with limited energy resources and infastructure still in the present.

Конкурентоспособност на българския зеленчуков сектор на световния пазар

Depending on the scope of the concept of competitiveness, it is used in a variety of contexts in economic research, although there is a lack of a precise and generally accepted definition of what exactly it entails. In this study, competitiveness is considered from the point of view of market performance, using the developed theoretical framework for measuring the performance of an individual country or sector of the national economy, based on the definition of the Canadian Competitiveness Group: “The ability to sustainably win and maintain market share”. Two concepts are laid down in it – about the dynamics of market share and profit formation in order to achieve sustainable development over time. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the competitiveness of the Bulgarian vegetable production sector on the world market, to clearly note its change in a dynamic aspect. The research specifically adopted the methodology developed by B. Ivanov for calculating a composite index of competitiveness, containing two main components - production and value. The analysis shows the place of Bulgarian vegetable production in the national agriculture and in the world vegetable market, the dynamics and changes that reflect in the competitiveness of the sector during the years of EU membership – 2007 – 2021. The comprehensive assessment of the competitiveness of the vegetable crop sector in Bulgaria on world markets defines it as relatively low. The results obtained from the research confirm and complement the assessment of the competitiveness of the “Vegetable production” sector in Bulgaria, made by other Bulgarian researchers. Despite the favorable climate and natural features in our country, as well as our traditions in the production of vegetables, the sector is deteriorating its market position and the dynamics of competitiveness are rather negative. The research clearly shows that Bulgaria is losing positions in the production of vegetables, while at the same time its dependence on imports and foreign prices is increasing. The sector of vegetable production is among the vulnerable sectors of the Bulgarian agriculture, as the permanent negative trends of reduction of areas and production are projected in the inability to meet consumer needs in our country from high-quality domestic production. The future development of the sector and the increase of its competitiveness will depend on many factors, some of the most important of which are the extent to which vegetable producers will be able to be flexible and adapt to achieve the new environmental policy objectives; to what extent they will be able to respond to modern trends in agricultural production – digitalization, ecological/biological agriculture, new technological solutions.

Cross-sector collaboration to reduce health inequalities: a qualitative study of local collaboration between health care, social services, and other sectors under health system reforms in England

BackgroundPolicymakers across countries promote cross-sector collaboration as a route to improving health and health equity. In England, major health system reforms in 2022 established 42 integrated care systems (ICSs)—area-based partnerships between health care, social care, public health, and other sectors—to plan and coordinate local services. ICSs cover the whole of England and have been given explicit policy objectives to reduce health inequalities, alongside other national priorities.MethodsWe used qualitative methods to understand how local health care and social services organizations are collaborating to reduce health inequalities under England’s reforms. We conducted in-depth interviews between August and December 2022—soon after the reforms were implemented—with 32 senior leaders from NHS, social care, public health, and community-based organizations in three ICSs experiencing high levels of socioeconomic deprivation. We used a framework based on international evidence on cross-sector collaboration to help analyse the data.ResultsLeaders described strong commitment to working together to reduce health inequalities, but faced a combination of conceptual, cultural, capacity, and other challenges in doing so. A mix of factors shaped local collaboration—from how national policy aims are defined and understood, to the resources and relationships among local organizations to deliver them. These factors interact and have varying influence. The national policy context played a dominant role in shaping local collaboration experiences—frequently making it harder not easier. Organizational restructuring to establish ICSs also caused major disruption, with unintended effects on the partnership working it aimed to promote.ConclusionsThe major influences on cross-sector collaboration in England mirror key areas identified in international research, offering opportunities for learning between countries. But our data highlight the pervasive—frequently perverse—influence of national policy on local collaboration in England. National policymakers risked undermining their own reforms. Closer alignment between policy, process, and resources to reduce health inequalities is likely needed to avoid policy failure as ICSs evolve.

Pay inequality for stability? Investment preference of the national team intervention in Chinese stock market

We examine the factors that affect the investment decisions of the “national team”, a direct intervention dominated by the central government in the Chinese stock market. By describing the investment preferences of the national team, we discuss the objectives of the intervention policy in implementation. We find that larger firms are more likely to receive investment. The national team prefers undervalued firms and is positively related to future stock returns. We also find that firms under central government control are more likely to receive investment from the national team. This may cause these investments to be relatively inefficient. We provide novel evidence to evaluate the policy and the positioning of the national team in terms of rationality, fairness, and efficiency, and we reveal a potential mechanism by which government intervention in financial markets may cause inequality in the real economy.

Zachowując wspólne więzi: dyplomacja publiczna Turcji w Azji Środkowej

This article aims to analyse and assess the effectiveness of activities undertaken by Turkish public diplomacy organisations in Central Asia. Since the Justice and Development Party (AKP) came to power in Turkey in 2002, the state’s foreign policy doctrine has changed profoundly. The new government has adopted a program of active and multifaceted diplomacy, seeking to improve mutual relations with neighbouring regions (i.e. Middle East, North Africa, Balkans, Caucasus, Central Asia). Historical, social and cultural references play an extremely important role in the AKP’s political strategy, and numerous public diplomacy organisations promote Turkish regional cooperation initiatives on behalf of the authorities in Ankara. In Central Asia, institutions such as the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency, the International Organisation of Turkic Culture, the Yunus Emre Institute, the Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities, ensure that ties between Turkey and countries of the region are being preserved. By utilising Turkish soft power potential, these organisations support traditional diplomatic services in implementing Turkey’s foreign policy objectives.

Building the Bridge: How System Dynamics Models Operationalise Energy Transitions and Contribute towards Creating an Energy Policy Toolbox

The complexity and multi-dimensionality of energy transitions are broadly recognised, and insights from transition research increasingly support policy decision making. Sustainability transition scholars have been developing mostly qualitative socio-technical transition (STT) frameworks, and modelling has been argued to be complementary to these frameworks, for example for policy testing. We systematically evaluate five system dynamics (SD) energy models on their representation of key STT characteristics. Our results demonstrate that (i) the evaluated models incorporate most of the core characteristics of STT, and (ii) the policies tested in the models address different levels and aspects of the multi-level perspective (MLP) framework. In light of the increasing emergence of energy (transition) models, we recommend to systematically map models and their tested policy interventions into the MLP framework or other sustainability transition frameworks, creating an overview of tested policies (a “policy navigator”). This navigator supports policy makers and modellers alike, facilitating them to find previously tested policy options and related models for particular policy objectives.

Statutory principles governing director conduct when a company is in financial distress – a Trans-Tasman comparison

ABSTRACT The spotlight has recently been shone on the statutory duties of directors of companies in financial distress in Australia and New Zealand. In Australia, the 2023 Report on Corporate Insolvency noted concerns about the efficacy of the Australian insolvent trading regime and mooted the possibility of Australia adopting the United Kingdom ‘wrongful trading’ standard. In August 2023 the New Zealand Supreme Court delivered a much-anticipated judgment in Yan v Mainzeal Property and Construction Limited (in liq) focusing on the equivalent reckless trading duties, prompting the question of whether the New Zealand approach may offer useful insights for Australia and the United Kingdom. This paper provides a comparative analysis of the ‘insolvent trading’ provision in Australia, the ‘wrongful trading’ provision in the United Kingdom, and the ‘reckless trading’ provisions in New Zealand, considering these provisions against the backdrop of related statutory provisions and broader policy considerations and objectives.

Territorializing the Pearl River Delta: “state entrepreneurialism” in the cultural facility boom

ABSTRACT This research delves into the remarkable surge in cultural facilities within the Pearl River Delta (PRD) spanning the last forty years. It unveils the intricate interaction between entrepreneurial urban strategies and state-driven territorial authority. We reconceptualize these facilities as entrepreneurial tools serving the ideological goals of the Party-state. While expected to achieve economic sustainability through the synergy of symbolic assets and augmented land value, cultural facilities redirect urban entrepreneurialism to foster national pride, fortify internal cohesion, disseminate state dominance, standardize regional identity, or extend territorial influence. Thus, the emergence of the cultural facility boom in the PRD is not the outcome of a singular policy objective; rather, it is a confluence of diverse core interests of the Party-state, and the interplay between entrepreneurial practices and ideologies varies across historical periods. This thesis bridges a gap between China’s political-economic conditions, cultural facilities, and territorial power, thereby augmenting the “state entrepreneurialism” approach.

Pak-France Relations During 21st Century: Strategic Alliances and Bilateral Cooperation

This research aims to critically analyse the bilateral relations between France and Pakistan during the 21st century. It emphasizes political, economic, social, cultural and military relationships between the two countries. Its purposes are to demonstrate the political ideologies and foreign policy objectives that influence Pakistan-France relations, to examine the nature of economic ties between Pakistan and France, to analyse the patterns of trade and investment that changed over time, to evaluate the Pakistan-France collaboration on military and security matters, and other key areas of cooperation, and to elucidate Pakistan-France political relations, the influence of pressure groups(political and religious) on their relationship, and to imposing allegations on France as a result of religious disparity in Pakistan. This study concludes that Pakistan and France are having high time collaborations in various sectors with a particular focus on working together in the fields of nuclear technology, defence cooperation, and resolving global security issues.

Competence in Unsustainability Resolution—A New Paradigm

Environmental unsustainability in coupled human–nature systems is accumulating. Yet, there is no accreditation requirement for unsustainability resolution competency in higher education. Thus, a new and complete representation of the pedagogy for unsustainability resolution competence has been induced, using what is already available and working. The nature of unsustainability problems points to collaboration and holism attitudes. Resolution requires social skills, namely participation, perspective taking, and the generation of social capital, and cognitive skills, namely project management, knowledge building, and modeling. Resolution is scaffolded in three successive steps during the collaborative process within a systems approach: (i) collapse complexity; (ii) select a path/trajectory; and (iii) operationalize a plan. The hierarchically cumulative abilities toward unsustainability resolution competence are to source data and information about the coupled human–nature system (SEARCH); simplify the dynamics of the human–nature system (SIMULATE); generate and test alternative paths and end points for the coupled human–nature system (STRATEGIZE); chose a favorable path among the available alternatives (SELECT); operationalize the favorable path into a plan (strategy–program–project) with measurable management and policy objectives (IMPLEMENT); and develop criteria/indicators to monitor and adjust when necessary the implementation of the plan toward system goals (STEER). For each one of these learning objectives, the Bloom’s taxonomy and a progression from behaviorist through cognitivist to constructivist tools apply. The development of mastery requires the comparison and contrast of many similar cases with the same unsustainability problem and project-based learning with specific cases for deep learning. In this way, it is the resolutions of unsustainability in human–nature systems that will be accumulating.

Perceptions of volume home builders and the transition to net zero emissions housing in Australia

ABSTRACT This study investigated the transition to net-zero emissions (NZE) homes within the Australian volume home-building sector. A group of 18 stakeholders, including volume builders, greenfield developers and industry experts, were engaged in research to identify key barriers and potential solutions for NZE home development and delivery. Initial findings, derived from a series of interviews, indicated strong support for government initiatives offering incentives and support for this transition to NZE homes. Interviewees expressed confidence in the ability of the volume home builder sector to meet the materials and skill requirements for the delivery of NZE homes. To validate these findings, a workshop involving an expanded group of 30 industry and government stakeholders, including the initial interviewees, was conducted. The outcomes from the workshop underscored the potential value of a government-led buyers’ group in assisting volume builders to transition towards NZE homes. The study identifies three critical factors (or requirements) for the success of government-supported industry intervention: customer appeal, commercial viability and alignment with policy objectives. The findings confirm that government intervention, such as forming buyers’ groups and implementing supporting policies, is essential in facilitating the shift to NZE homes in Australia.

The Interplay of Social Norms and Legal Systems: Unraveling the Complexity of Domestic Violence in China and Paving the Path for Change

This research investigates the perpetuation of domestic violence (DV) in China by analyzing how social norms and institutional practices collectively contribute to the challenges faced by individuals experiencing DV. Despite the implementation of China's Anti-Domestic Violence Law in 2016, its effectiveness in protecting DV survivors' rights has been subject to scrutiny among researchers. This research aims to understand whether law enforcement and judicial responses post-legislation effectively align with policy objectives to mitigate DV issues. It hypothesizes a dissonance between the DV legislation and social norms emphasizing family and social harmony and non-interference in family affairs. Focusing on specific DV cases and incorporating the meta-analysis of secondary empirical data, archived governmental reports, periodicals, interviews, Confucian writings, and prior scholarly insights, this study examines how social norms and institutional practices in governmental agencies impact the framing and responses to DV cases. Findings suggest that entrenched social and gender norms shaped by Confucianism and traditional Chinese cultural values legitimize and reinforce institutional norms regarding how police and judges should downplay DV cases, leading to indifference and ineffective DV interventions. This research highlights the importance of adopting a social norms approach to effectively address this problem and the need for a transformative shift in social attitudes toward DV. It contributes to a nuanced understanding of DV and policy implementation in China, potentially serving as a significant step towards devising practical strategies to improve the protection of DV survivors at the local level.

Understanding the urban mobility challenge: Why shared mobility providers fail to attract car drivers

Reducing urban car traffic has become a global policy objective. A vital element in achieving this objective is the availability of shared mobility providers offering sustainable alternative travel modes such as micromobility, carsharing, and ridehailing. Despite policy and industry efforts, shared mobility options have failed to change the travel patterns of current car users. We explore this urban mobility challenge through an empirical study of 807 urban travelers. Our results show that car drivers estimate travel costs conceptually rather than rationally and consider both trip purpose and length. In particular, car users perceive longer and recreational trips as cheaper per distance driven than shorter and work-related trips. A segmentation analysis reveals that habitual and technology-averse car drivers are particularly susceptible to this skewed cost perception, unlike more frequent transit users. Embedding these results in a case study of current shared mobility options shows that these options are ill-adjusted to the preferences of car travelers but more attractive to current transit users, potentially leading to cannibalization. Based on these findings, we outline several strategies for mobility providers and policymakers to attract car drivers to shared mobility options, thereby contributing to solving the urban mobility challenge.

From sectoral policy change to cross-sectoral (dis)integration? A longitudinal analysis of the EU's forest and rural development policy

Policy integration (PI) is critical to address cross-cutting challenges like climate change and biodiversity loss holistically. In the European Union, forests are confronting increasingly adverse climatic conditions and numerous stressors that impact their biodiversity. Political efforts to counteract these trends are mainly channeled through funding from the rural development policy as a pivotal part of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). In contrast, forest policy is hardly institutionalized at EU level. This study employs process tracing using 65 EU forest and rural development policy documents, including legal acts, preparatory documents, communications, related working documents and evaluation reports, predominantly produced over the last 25 years. By doing this, it examines the development of sectoral policy changes over time and their implications for the cross-sectoral integration of EU forest policy into rural development policy as part of agricultural policy at EU level. Results suggest that the adoption of the EU Forest Strategy for 2030 represented a provisional paradigm shift in EU forest policy. This shift is characterized by a substantial reprioritization of policy objectives, transitioning from an emphasis on economic aspects to a more climate- and biodiversity-centric approach, alterations in supported policy instruments and the introduction of various new regulatory instruments. On the other hand, the CAP and its rural development policy remain characterized by a path dependent incremental change and the latest reforms hardly reflect ambitious forest policy objectives both from budgetary and content perspectives. The findings suggest that the latest seemingly decoupled developments within both policy areas have led to an emergence of forest policy fragmentation at the EU level.

“We Will Forget the Old Traditions...”: Holidays, Recreation, Everyday Practices and Upbringing of a New Student in the 1920s.

Introduction. In the early Soviet period, the “proletarization” of students became one of the most important components of the Soviet government’s policy toward higher education. To achieve this goal, a whole set of measures was applied, among which a certain role was given to building a qualitative and effective cultural and educational work (kultprosvet). Within the framework of this study, an attempt has been made to identify its main forms aimed at combating traditions, habitual practices of spending free time, and educating a “new” Soviet student. Methods and materials. The achievements of new social history and historical anthropology were applied, which made it possible to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the phenomenon of attempts to Sovietize students through the transformation of their everyday lives. The most informative sources for studying the problem were materials from the archival collections of Soviet universities and their party committees, where, in particular, minutes of meetings of propaganda commissions, boards of educational institutions, and reports on cultural work carried out among students are stored. Analysis. It was found that the authorities sought to quickly replace the customs, rituals, and practices familiar to the student environment. To do this, a whole range of alternative traditions was imposed on young people in parallel with the discrediting of those that were associated with “bourgeois remnants.” We are talking about new holidays, the approval of such forms of leisure as political education, the celebration of the days of the “red” calendar, sports, etc. In general, they were identical to those promoted in the work environment. These efforts did not always achieve their goal, and even the proletarian students sometimes willingly adopted pre-revolutionary values and behaviors. Results. According to the author, one of the main objectives of the state policy in the field of students was the desire to level its special position, which was fixed in the previous era. From an independent and free citizen, the student had to turn into a “staple of the proletarian regime,” which dealt a strong blow to the uniqueness of this social stratum of the population and led to the devaluation of its status.

Russia’s Foreign Policy Priorities in the Arctic Region Development at Current Stage

The article reviews the features of the processes in the Arctic region in the context of its growing importance in world politics and economics. The Arctic has the richest resources in the world. In the depths of the Arctic there is about a third of all the world’s reserves of natural gas and up to 13% of oil, huge reserves of coal, gold, copper, nickel, tin, platinum, and manganese. The growing dependence of the world economy on energy resources is pushing foreign countries to develop their interests in this region. Russia occupies a unique geopolitical position in the Arctic. The Arctic zone of Russia is singled out as a special object of state policy on the basis of its special national interests in the areas of geopolitics, economics, ecology, science, defense and national security. The development of mutually beneficial international cooperation in the Arctic meets the interests of Russia and its socioeconomic development. International cooperation in the Arctic is greatly influenced by the contradictory trends in modern international relations. As a result of the confrontation unleashed by Western countries against Russia, there was a significant complication of relations within the Arctic community. The Western Arctic states have blocked the development of common approaches to solving the most important issues for the region in the modern Arctic. In these conditions, Russia is building a multi-vector policy in the Arctic, which has brought positive results in attracting friendly states to partner cooperation on the implementation of projects in the Russian Arctic zone.

The impact assessment of low-carbon city pilot policy on urban green innovation: A batch-time heterogeneity perspective

The Chinese government is actively implementing the Low Carbon City Pilot (LCCP) policy nationwide to fulfill its commitment to carbon peaking and carbon neutrality. One of the main objectives of the LCCP policy is to enhance green innovation in cities, and many publications have assessed its effectiveness. While previous studies have considered differences in city characteristics, they have not adequately analyzed the varying effects of LCCP policy on different batches of pilot cities. To address this gap, this study utilized a cutting-edge heterogeneity causal inference approach to evaluate the heterogeneity of LCCP policy effects across different batches. The findings indicate that the LCCP policy significantly promoted urban green innovation and green substantive innovation. However, its impact on green symbolic innovation was not statistically significant. Among the different batches of pilot cities, the second batch was most strongly affected by the LCCP policy, followed by the third batch. Further analysis reveals that the initial group of pilot cities, with their varying innovation capabilities, carbon emission levels, and government intervention, along with the negative spatial competition among the cities, resulted in a less effective implementation of the LCCP policy compared to the second and third batches. This study contributes to a more accurate assessment of the effectiveness of the LCCP policy by highlighting the heterogeneity across different batches. We recommend that cities committed to low-carbon growth through green innovation customize the design and implementation of their low-carbon policies and establish broader networks of city-to-city cooperation.

Balancing policy objectives: Cambodia's COVID‐19 emergency cash assistance scheme for workers

AbstractWelfare programs in emerging economies are, in most cases, highly selective. This article illustrates this point by exploring Cambodia's emergency cash assistance scheme coverage for workers affected by the COVID‐19 pandemic. Drawing on policy analysis and interviews with government officials, industry representatives, and garment and tourism unions, it analyzes the level of benefit and efficacy of the initiative for different groups of workers. Based on this analysis, we find that garment factory and tourism workers received better support than workers in other sectors as a consequence of industry lobbying and strategic decision‐making on the part of the government designed to mitigate the impact of the pandemic on those sectors. Our analysis also reveals, however, that the relatively informal nature of even formal‐sector workplaces in Cambodia meant that the scheme's impact was highly varied even among these targeted groups of workers. We conclude with a discussion of the findings' broader implications.Related ArticlesAsongu, Simplice, and Nicholas M. Odhiambo. 2023. “The Effect of Inequality on Poverty and Severity of Poverty in Sub‐Saharan Africa: The Role of Financial Development Institutions.” Politics & Policy 51(5): 898–918. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12558.Lachapelle, Erick, Thomas Bergeron, Richard Nadeau, Jean‐François Daoust, Ruth Dassonneville, and Éric Bélanger. 2021. “Citizens' Willingness to Support New Taxes for COVID‐19 Measures and the Role of Trust.” Politics & Policy 49(3): 534–65. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12404.Onyango, Gedion, and Japheth Otieno Ondiek. 2022. “Open Innovation during the COVID‐19 Pandemic Policy Responses in South Africa and Kenya.” Politics & Policy 50(5): 1008–31. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12490.

Some critical thinking on the integrative assessment of ecosystem service supply and demand relationships.

In the past decade, research on the relationships between the supply and demand of ecosystem services has been flourishing. To address issues such as the misuse of supply and demand concepts, methods, and results in current research, we proposed five key aspects that need to be considered to enhance the scientific rigor and practical value in assessing relationships between ecosystem service supply and demand. Firstly, it is essential to clarify the distinctions and connections between the concepts related to ecosystem service supply and demand, which are crucial prerequisites and starting points for assessing their relationships. Secondly, it is necessary to integrate relevant environmental standards or policy objectives to develop reliable methods for assessing the demand for ecosystem regulating services. Furthermore, it is important to properly address the modifiable areal unit problem by determining the most appropriate spatial scale and unit for evaluating relationships between ecosystem service supply and demand. Additionally, it is crucial to differentiate between quantitative and qualitative methods for characterizing (im)balances or (mis)matches between ecosystem service supply and demand, particularly avoiding the use of qualitative methods to represent quantitative relationships between supply and demand. Lastly, it is imperative to integrate ecosystem service flows into the assessment of supply and demand relationships, and evaluate the dynamic supply and demand relationships of regional ecosystem services from a coupled "supply-flow-demand" perspective.