Opportunities For Policy Reform Research Articles

Reskilled and Integrated, but How? Navigating Trauma and Temporary Hardships.

Immigrants are often pressed to show how they will contribute to a host country, thus proving through their conditions of entry and human capital whether they will be perceived as an asset or burden, and this is juxtaposed with the host country’s institutions offering an improved quality of life, mainly through employment. Seeking employment is often a key factor to be economically assimilated, and in the case of highly educated Turkish migrants, the opportunity to reclaim their previous professional and quality of life statuses. Based on qualitative research, we have examined the experiences of highly educated Turkish people (n = 42) in the recently forced migrant population. Following events including terrorism and the coup on 15 July 2016, Türkiye experienced the highest forced migration in her history. With exiled Turkish migrants, the forced aspect of their migration prompts them to seek a host country that provides safety, and they are also driven to transfer their educational degrees and professional credentials. However, changing careers to become educated and certified in new fields takes time and resources, contributing to a fluctuating economic status and loss of well-being. Once this is regained, their economic situation is improved, but there is still the lost time from the immigration and transfer period. Thus, the process has positive and negative components, but understanding this nuanced process provides opportunities for policy reform that can shorten the time of re-education, increase employability, and support well-being.

Towards a criminology of public inquiries: From cautious optimism to contestation in the Brook House Inquiry

Although UK public inquiries garner huge amounts of public attention, there have been few systematic studies of their role in scrutinising and reforming criminal justice policy and practice. This is despite a growing number of inquiries, held under the Inquiries Act 2005, into critical matters relating to policing, justice and home affairs. This article explores the contested nature of statutory inquiries as mechanisms for accountability and opportunity for policy reform. We suggest that inquiries provide fertile grounds for criminological analysis, if we understand them as sites of contestation where political priorities compete over questions of procedure, scope and participation. Our focus is on the Brook House Inquiry into the mistreatment of detainees in a British immigration removal centre. The analysis shows a tension between the public-facing nature of inquiries and their legalistic processes.

A roadmap for ESIA policy change in Ethiopia should address wide-ranging governance reforms

ABSTRACT Robust governance frameworks are crucial for maximizing the benefits of natural resource development in mining regions and minimising adverse social and environmental impacts. This paper analyses Ethiopia’s current ESIA policy, legal framework and implementation process to identify opportunities for policy reform. To gain perspective on leading practices in other countries, a comparative analysis of policies in Chile, Peru, Ghana, and Canada was performed. Interviews with representatives from government, industry, and civil society in Ethiopia were completed to gain perspective on the policy structures currently in place, and to identify areas for improvement. Results conclude that accountability mechanisms are currently limited in Ethiopia and that at the time of this study, the same authority was responsible for promoting mining and evaluating ESIAs. Contrary to legislative requirements, there was found to be a lack of transparency in the public availability of ESIAs and limited community participation. Compliance and monitoring processes were also found to be inadequate. Addressing these gaps is important to ensure that the expansion of Ethiopia’s mining sector proceeds in a sustainable manner.

Lost in translation? theorizing public influence on policymaking via the 2018 net neutrality repeal

ABSTRACT This article examines the role of the public in media policymaking through the lens of the 2018 U.S. net neutrality repeal. I begin by outlining a framework for conceptualizing public influence on policymaking. First, I identify constraints on the potential public impact on the policymaking process. Second, I theorize opportunities for policy reform. Third, I invoke the concept of “translation,” a discursive practice by policy actors that amplifies public opinion in the policy arena, as the mechanism by which the public can influence policy outcomes. Finally, drawing on news accounts, government documents related to the repeal, and participant observation, I apply this framework to the case study of the repeal proceedings to explore the interaction between the translation processes and constraints on public participation. The case demonstrates that translation is a fragile process, subject to co-optation, and reliant on the very structures that constrain it. By revealing how power operates through the policymaking process, the study traces the limits of public influence on communications policymaking against the oppositional public-making work of translation.

Perception of tobacco use in young adults in urban India: a qualitative exploration with relevant health policy analysis.

Tobacco is one of the biggest global health concerns of this century with a significant contribution to the increasing burden of cancers, chronic diseases and associated mortality. Tobacco-related cancers are one of the commonest causes of cancer-related mortality in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The tobacco epidemic is constantly on the rise, affecting LMICs in particular due to a lack of awareness in the population, insufficient health infrastructure and weak regulatory interventions. India is home to the world’s largest youth population and a large percentage of them take up tobacco at a very young age, leading to subsequent habit formation. There is limited evidence in published research from India on young people’s perceptions on the use and control of tobacco.This qualitative study has attempted to bridge that knowledge gap; a thematic analysis was used on the qualitative data gathered from young university students who participated in interviews and focus group discussions, which was then compared and contrasted with a critical analysis of India’s national tobacco control measures. It employed a health policy analysis framework to understand how gaps in the national tobacco control initiatives contribute towards tobacco use in young people and what opportunities for policy reform exist.The main results revealed social and behavioural factors, peer dynamics and lack of awareness to be majorly influencing the tobacco debut and use in youth. Some other important findings emerged such as a lack of available support for tobacco cessation, leading to failure in quitting, a lack of understanding about the ill effects of tobacco and an overall lack of belief in the existing tobacco control measures. The qualitative results were further triangulated by the critical analysis of the national tobacco control policies, comparing them with the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. Juxtaposition of the qualitative research findings with the policy analysis reveals possible gaps in implementation of the tobacco laws. The findings from this study will inform health policymakers, public health professionals, clinicians, the government and other voluntary organisations to strengthen national tobacco control efforts.

Myanmar's fisheries in transition: Current status and opportunities for policy reform

Myanmar's fisheries are among the most important globally but remain some of the least documented. The fisheries sector occupies an important place in Myanmar's economy and culture, and is set to change rapidly as the country enters a period of unprecedented political and economic transition. Building on a unique set of information sources, this article presents a broad view of the current state of knowledge on governance, livelihoods, production and supply chains across Myanmar's three main fishery sub-sectors (marine capture, inland capture, and aquaculture). The analysis is contextualized with a review of major changes in the country's policy history affecting fisheries. It is argued that Myanmar's fisheries now sit at a potential cross-road in terms of their governance. Taking advantage of Myanmar's latecomer position in its current transition, this article draws parallels with regional experiences to outline sectoral recommendations for policy reform.

Signals or Mixed Signals: Why Opportunities for Mobilization are not Opportunities for Policy Reform

Drawing on political opportunity theory, the theory of legislative logic, and political mediation theory, we hypothesize differential effects of the political environment on the actions of challengers (suffragists) and state actors (legislators) in the women's suffrage movement. We use sequential logistic regression to assess the effects of explanatory variables on two intermediate stages of mobilization and policy change. In the case of challengers, we estimate the likelihood a state-level organization is present in any given legislative year. In the case of state actors, we estimate the likelihood a bill passes one legislative house given the presence of a state-level suffrage organization and that a bill has been introduced. Mixed signals are apparent in that challengers and legislators respond to the same environmental factors differently. Challengers respond to perceived opportunities for change. Legislators seek to enhance their political careers and are responsive to the demands of challengers when they perceive challengers as politically powerful or when social and cultural change signals a demand for policy reform. Legislators, in the end, are much more conservative in their response to the political context.

Economic policy, institutions and fisheries development in the Pacific

Abstract The South Pacific is home to the world's largest and most valuable tuna fishery. Despite this, the Pacific island countries have found it tremendously difficult to capture significant economic rents from the resource. It is argued in this paper that poor economic policy partly explains this. However, poor policies are preventing the implementation of strong, cost-effective institutions for the governance of the fishery which, coupled with strong institutions for broad social and economic governance, are required for development of the industry. Opportunities for policy reform that are likely to lead to significant gains from the fishery are highlighted.