Policy Paradox Research Articles

Political polarization and the energy policy paradox: assessing the impact of South Korea’s nuclear power phase-out policy

ABSTRACT Polarization surrounding nuclear power has intensified in Korea following the 2011 Fukushima disaster. In 2017, President Moon Jae-in implemented an energy policy that shifted the focus from nuclear to renewable energy, a departure from previous governments’ approaches. Additionally, Moon administration supported various participatory governance initiatives to minimize social conflicts, including participatory deliberative polls concerning the construction of the Shin-Kori nuclear power plants. However, the Moon administration’s policy was followed by polarization between nuclear and renewable energy factions escalating toward the end of the term. We employed mixed-method approaches combining media and survey analyses to investigate this issue. The results demonstrate that, despite initially appearing to be policy neutral, renewable energy alternatives underwent polarization under the Moon administration. We emphasize the need to investigate effective strategies for utilizing participatory projects as tools to break, rather than reinforce, the political gridlock impeding energy transition.

Research on the group effect of new energy vehicles from different policy perspectives

Abstract Policies play a pivotal role in fostering the growth of new energy vehicles. This paper delves into the benefits and risks associated with the development of new energy vehicles under varying policy landscapes. Firstly, the intricate relationship between the competition and growth of new energy vehicles and internal combustion engine vehicles is captured through the application of the extended Lotka-Volterra model. Secondly, a simulation flow diagram is constructed, taking into account the actual mediums of policy impact and drawing insights from diverse research methodologies. This flow diagram enables a comprehensive evaluation of environmental benefits, health risks, and traffic pressure. Finally, a critical evaluation of the actual impact of policies on new energy vehicles is conducted, along with an exploration of the root causes of potential policy paradoxes. The findings reveal that a standalone infrastructure support policy, research and development support policy, or carbon tax policy can, in certain periods, lead to an increase in carbon emissions and traffic pressure. Although the driving restriction policy does not exert negative impacts on the environment, health, and traffic at the national level, it can result in a surge in the total vehicle population. Therefore, it is imperative to adopt a combination of policies to mitigate the potential risks associated with any single policy.

Policy Paradoxes in Environmental Sustainability: The Interplay of Socio-Economic Factors, Policy Innovations, and Community Forestry in Thailand

Environmental sustainability and climate mitigation are global priorities requiring innovative policies that balance ecological conservation with socio-economic development. This study examines the interplay between Thailand's greenhouse gas emissions trading, community forestry, and their combined impact on sustainable development through multiple regression analysis. Results reveal a paradox: renewable energy consumption negatively impacts community forests, suggesting land-use competition and policy misalignment. Increased R&D expenditure enhances community forestry, showing the transformative potential of targeted innovation. Income disparity undermines community forestry efforts, highlighting the need for inclusive policies addressing socio-economic inequalities. The positive correlation between CO2 emissions and community forestry extent questions the efficacy of current carbon offset initiatives. This study urges policymakers to adopt a nuanced approach, aligning renewable energy expansion with forestry conservation and addressing socio-economic disparities. These insights challenge conventional sustainability paradigms, advocating for comprehensive policy frameworks to achieve genuine sustainable development and effective climate mitigation.

National Education Policy, 2020 and Appointment of Teachers through UGCNET-the Policy Paradox

In a recent notification in July (UGC, 5th July ) 2023, the University Grants Commission (UGC) has once again acknowledged the vitality of the National Eligibility Test (NET), State Level Eligibility Test (SLET) and State Eligibility Test (SET) as minimum criteria for appointment of teachers in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) whereas Ph.D. will remain an optional criterion. This notification once again revived the debates of NET or an accredited test (SLET/SET) and/or Ph.D. and embarked scholars to read the underlying causes of such frequently changing policies of UGC and overall ramifications of these on recruitment in the HEIs. In the context of implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020, role of the HEIs for ensuring quality education has focused [1]. However, how these can be achieved through a dichotomous policy of NET/SLET/SET or PhD in the matters of selection of teachers. When many universities and colleges are run with inadequate teachers, in what ways they can fulfil the goal of NEP, 2020? How NET or an accredited test can be an important criterion for strengthening research programmers in HEIs? This paper critically evaluates these issues and presents the prolong issue of teachers’ recruitment and role of HEIs in India for quality education through teachers in the context of NEP. It brings light to how contradictory policies are embedded and in operational in the form of UGC-NET and other similar tests for limiting HEIs despite implementation of NEP, 2020.

중국 쌍감(双減)정책 집행과정의 패러독스 분석

Building on Stone’s (2012) identification of policy paradoxes, this study examines the unintended outcomes of China’s 2021 “double reduction” policy, designed to lessen both academic and extracurricular burdens on students.
 A review of policy documents, news articles, and case studies from 2021 to 2022 reveals three significant paradoxes. Firstly, attempts to reduce student workloads inadvertently increase teachers’ burdens. Secondly, efforts to decrease parental spending on private education paradoxically heighten educational anxieties due to increased regulations. Lastly, initiatives aimed at reducing student workload unintentionally intensify entrance examination pressures.
 This research highlights the importance of policymakers understanding the complex dynamics at play and the necessity for continuous policy evaluation and adjustment to address these paradoxes effectively.

Travel behavior and system dynamics in a simple gamified automated multimodal network

Automated Vehicles (AVs) are poised to disrupt travel patterns and the sustainability of transportation networks. Conventional methods for studying these changes, such as stated preference surveys and agent-based simulations, have limitations. Serious games offer a promising alternative, providing a controlled and engaging environment for investigating travel behavior. In our study, 200 participants, grouped into sessions of 10, engaged in a competitive serious game simulating 50 daily choices of travel mode and departure time across three automated options. Two scenarios were examined: one with recurring congestion and another with nonrecurring congestion. Automated transit had fixed schedules, while private and shared rides could adapt to a congested bottleneck. Results revealed that ridesharing dominated, reaching 60% mode share under recurring congestion, displacing transit, and a comparative equilibrium emerged between shared and private rides. In the nonrecurring congestion scenario, ridesharing dropped to 37%, and a comparable multimodal equilibrium developed. Participants rarely achieved the optimal score, attaining a maximum of 88% of its potential. This study highlights a policy paradox: unregulated AV traffic can reduce transit use, exacerbate recurring congestion, yet necessitate increased transit investment to address nonrecurring congestion, confirming the Downs-Thomson paradox. Creating appealing mass transit alternatives is imperative to ensure efficiency and sustainability in the era of automated mobility.

‘To Help Him Recover from His Losses’: Royal Begging Licences in the Austrian Netherlands, 1760s-1780s

ABSTRACT This article explores a collection of circa 400 applications for ‘begging letters’ conserved in the archives of the Privy Council of the Austrian Netherlands from the late 1760s to the early 1780s. Such Lettres de Quête were issued in the name of the Habsburg monarch to subjects who had lost their possessions to fire or other natural disasters, and allowed their bearers to travel around begging. By means of a qualitative reading of the materials, the article uncovers underlying administrative procedures while throwing light on the social selectivity, practices and gains associated with this little-known phenomenon. By demonstrating that such ‘begging letters’ were customary policy practice, as they probably were in neighbouring countries, it signals their importance as an early modern mode of disaster relief and highlights their ambiguous role as a policy paradox in the context of increasing criminalisation of begging and vagrancy.

The complex interplay of causal narratives in public policy and political discourse

The study builds on Deborah Stone’s foundational work exploring the mechanics of causal narratives and their implications for framing problems, assigning responsibility, and guiding policy solutions. The purpose of this research is to unravel the complexities of causal narratives in contemporary politics and understand their profound influence on public policy and society at large. In the digital age, where information is abundant and the traditional gatekeeping role of media has diminished, causal narratives have become increasingly multifaceted. The study aims to explore how these narratives, influenced by the intersections of natural phenomena, human actions, politics, risk, and media, shape public understanding and policy directions. The study employs an extensive review of existing literature, covering works from political science, media studies, and public policy. This includes analyzing seminal texts like Deborah Stone’s “Policy Paradox” and recent studies on media’s evolving role in political discourse. Today’s causal narratives are multifaceted, influenced by a myriad of factors including political agendas, scientific findings, and media portrayals. In conclusion, the research highlights the dynamic nature of causal narratives in the digital age and their significant impact on public policy and societal outcomes. It underscores the need for nuanced understanding and strategic approaches in crafting and interpreting these narratives.

Policy Paradox and Policy Prospects: Editors’ Introduction to the Keynote Speech by Deborah Stone

Policy Paradox and Policy Prospects: Editors’ Introduction to the Keynote Speech by Deborah Stone

Managing a policy paradox? Responses to textual warning labels on E-cigarette advertisements among U.S. national samples of youth overall and adults who smoke or vape

ContextCurrent use and potential future uptake of e-cigarettes among youth remain public health concerns in the U.S., even as people who smoke combustible cigarettes could benefit from switching completely to e-cigarettes. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is considering alternative warning messages, but warnings that discourage youth from use may also deter people who smoke from switching. This study tests ten pre-registered hypotheses on effects of warning messages with national samples of youth overall and adults who smoke and/or vape. MethodsNORC recruited 1639 adults (ages 18+) who smoke, vape, or use both products, from their probability-sampled AmeriSpeak Panel and augmented their AmeriSpeak Teen Panel with Lucid's nonprobability opt-in panel to recruit 1217 youth (ages 14–17) to participate in a web-based survey experiment. We randomly assigned respondents to view one of five warning label conditions and respond to measures of their e-cigarette risk beliefs, willingness to use e-cigarettes, and (among people who smoke or vape) considerations to quit these products. FindingsRelative to the current FDA warning about nicotine, warning messages about the harms of e-cigarette use for youth brain development did not influence risk beliefs or reduce willingness to use these products among youth. Brain development warning messages did increase beliefs about these harms among adults but did not increase quit considerations among people who vape, relative to the FDA warning. Warning messages with information about chemical constituents of vaping products and the harm of these chemicals produced higher e-cigarette quit considerations than did the FDA warning among adults who vape. ConclusionPotential alternative warning label messages were largely ineffective relative to the current FDA warning about nicotine, though limited evidence suggests some potential for chemical + harm messaging to encourage people who use both e-cigarettes and cigarettes to consider quitting both.

Evolutionary game analysis of indoor radon mitigation with local government involvement

Radon is the second leading risk factor for lung cancer after smoking. As a public policy, radon mitigation not only involves radon control technology or its cost-benefit analysis, but also includes the decision-making process of local governments. In this study, the evolutionary game theory was used to analyse the interaction between local governments and residents based on the subsidy of the central government. Considering the practical data in China, factors influencing the behaviour of local governments and residents were discussed using numerical simulations. The results indicated that radon mitigation is a fully government-promoted action; thus, its implementation largely depends on the subsidy of the central government and the share of radon control costs borne by the local government. The financial burden for both local governments and residents is a more important determinant than long-term health effects. The relatively poor local economic situation could limit the implementation of radon control. There would be a public policy paradox wherein cities or regions with higher radon risk would have lower willingness for radon control, mainly due to the significantly higher costs of radon control. This work provides reference data for decision-making to implement radon control and is expected to offer some suggestions for local governments.

Health insurance coverage and maternal health services in Rwanda: a policy paradox

PurposeResearch has found a strong correlation between maternal healthcare and health insurance coverage. But, despite having one of the best health coverage systems in the developing world, Rwanda still faces formidable challenges in provision certain key maternal health services, leading to higher levels of maternal morbidity and mortality. To understand this paradox, this study will examine the association between maternal health services and insurance coverage, utilizing the latest data from the Rwanda Demographic Health Survey.Design/methodology/approachUsing a sample of 6,167 childbearing women aged 15–49 years, a bivariate and multivariate analysis was conducted to examine the paradoxical relationship between health insurance and maternal health services, such as antenatal care, in Rwanda.FindingsThe results reveal significant differences in ANC4+ and the timing of the first ANC, which remain low in Rwanda. Despite significant improvements in delivery factors and skilled ANC providers, ANC4+ rates in the country remain the lowest. However, this study found a positive and significant association between ANC4+ and insurance coverage (AOR = 1.64, p < 0.001).Originality/valueRwanda has implemented an effective health insurance policy, but there has been minimal progress in the utilization of maternal health services. Therefore, there is a strong need for policy interventions to reduce barriers to healthcare utilization. Additionally, supply-side factors such as transportation, socio-cultural factors and other logistic barriers should be examined in greater detail. These factors may overshadow the impact of health insurance on the utilization of healthcare services in Rwanda.Peer reviewThe peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/IJSE-01-2023-0059

The Equality Policy Paradox: Gender Differences in How Managers Implement Gender Equality–Related Policies

Drawing on data from an ethnographic study of the introduction and implementation of a flexible work policy intended in part to improve gender equality at a STEM professional organization, I develop grounded theory on how managers’ gender shapes their implementation of such initiatives. I identify an equality policy paradox in which women managers, who openly support gender equality, are more likely than men managers to limit the policy. This apparent contradiction between intentions and actions is reconciled through an interactional role-based mechanism. Specifically, in this setting women managers encounter barriers to developing technical expertise, client relations, and respected authority. They respond by engaging extensively with subordinates, which allows them to effectively manage by brokering information (as an alternative to technical and client-facing tasks) and cultivating cooperation (as an alternative to formal authority). The policy undermines these interdependent activities; reflecting this, women managers generally oppose it. Men managers tend not to experience these constraints, and they focus on technical and client-related tasks that are largely independent of subordinates. The policy maintains these activities; reflecting this, they implement it. By identifying the equality policy paradox and the mechanism underlying it, this study advances theory on managers’ implementation of equality-related practices and policies as well as theory on gender and management.

Revisiting the New Keynesian policy paradoxes under QE

Standard New Keynesian models deliver puzzling results at the effective lower bound of short-term interest rates: greater price flexibility amplifies the fall in the output gap in response to adverse demand shocks; labour tax cuts are contractionary; the multiplier of wasteful government spending is large. These outcomes stem from a failure to characterise monetary policy correctly. Both analytically and numerically, we show that allowing the central bank to respond to inflation with quantitative easing can resolve all these paradoxes. In quantitative terms, mild adjustments to the central bank’s balance sheet are sufficient to obtain results more in line with conventional wisdom.

China’s climate and energy policy paradox revisited – domestic and international implications of a carbon lock-in ‘with Chinese characteristics’

ABSTRACT Juxtaposing China’s current situation and policies toward coal and renewables at home and abroad, we argue that China remains in a paradoxical state of carbon lock-in. We analyze the techno-economic, institutional and political factors that contribute to China’s coal-related policies following a novel approach that blends different theories and frameworks to establish an interdisciplinary dialogue between various strands of research that were hitherto unconnected. This is accomplished by applying a political economy framework through the lens of techno-institutional carbon lock-in theory in three case studies encompassing China itself, as well as China’s climate and energy policy abroad in Pakistan and Mozambique. The article draws four major conclusions about China’s energy paradox: 1) An imperative for economic growth lies at the heart of the Chinese governance system’s incentive structure, which has resulted in a coal-based energy and industrial policy. 2) China’s government should use the experimental, decentralized nature of its regionally-decentralized regime and energy sector to their advantage by promoting disruption rather than incumbency. 3) To address the structural and institutional deficiencies that maintain or even strengthen carbon lock-in, energy governance should be shaped around the primary challenge of strengthening renewable energy advocates throughout all levels of government. 4) The discussion of coal financing abroad must now go beyond the discontinuation of new projects; the building of alternative cleaner projects should be considered and the ones in progress should be halted.

Party Politics, The Zoning Policy Paradox, And Consolidation of National Unity: An Assessment of the Two Major Political Parties in Nigeria

The word “Zoning” has dominated the present political struggle in Nigeria. To a reasonable degree, zoning has been omnipresent in the genesis of Nigeria’s politics right from the first Republic and influences the formation of government (both military and civilian), and has been a subject of debate amongst scholars. It is right to reaffirm that the intention of those who brought the idea of the zoning policy into Nigeria’s political space was to ensure fairness in the rotation of key political offices across the country, but the politics and contentions associated with the actual practice of it is something to worry about. This is due to the fact that Nigerian politics over the years have been played on the basis of ethnicity as zoning seems to be an arrangement made to favour a particular set of people, who by reason of numbers acclaimed to be the majority, as against those who are regarded as the minority. In fact, zoning has practically turned out to represent the interest of few elites, who want to perpetually remain in power, and it is also defined by them, against what the masses may consider zoning to be in the sense of justice and fairness. With the 2023 general elections in sight, the issue of zoning is once again central and, as usual, contentious. This paper is an attempt to interrogate the extent to which the zoning of political offices during electoral contests, appointments, and the distribution of amenities will help in sustaining national unity in Nigeria and help in harmonizing and actualizing party interest(s). Scholars have written extensively on the zoning arrangements in Nigeria, some have even gone as far as tracing its origin to the second republic, but one thing which has remained a gab in their efforts is their inability to capture appropriately how zoning can help keep the country together by not just stating or making mention of zoning, but applying it in spirit and in principle. In gathering data for the study, the paper made use of the secondary method of data collection, while the generated data was analyzed using content analysis. Using John Rawl’s Theory of Justice, the paper finds and exposes the marginalization in the undue application of the zoning policy in Nigeria. This is because political actors have always placed their personal and party interests above fairness and justice. In other to ensure political justice, and consolidate National unity in the country, the paper recommends that the interest of the diverse religion, languages, and tribes that make up the country should be considered always so as to overcome the feeling of marginalization and domination of one region over the other which is about to tear the country into pieces.

Farmer‐led irrigation development in sub‐Saharan Africa

AbstractFarmer‐led irrigation development (FLID) is a process where individual farmers play a driving role in configuring agricultural technology practices, crop‐specific market linkages, land and water governance arrangements, and informal and formal value chain actor networks. Multilateral donors are increasingly funding FLID as a development strategy in sub‐Saharan Africa to expand irrigation coverage, recognizing co‐benefits such as enhanced climate resilience, improved household food insecurity, and alleviated rural poverty. This review suggests that FLID can be understood as a farmer response to the shortcomings of neoliberal structural adjustment and cost recovery policies. Simultaneously, multilateral donor‐funded FLID projects advance Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) policy tools, exposing a policy paradox. Following multilateral and bilateral donor investments in FLID over 30 years, the review establishes how farmers initiated their own irrigation investments and the subsequent “scale‐up” of FLID by multilateral finance institutions. The stances of multilateral donors (e.g., World Bank) and multilateral entities (e.g., FAO) toward water governance for FLID present a contradictory picture. The review demonstrates how multilateral donors have transformed FLID into distinct agribusiness project models through Water‐Energy‐Food nexus and climate frameworks, with attention to farmers' collective action strategies. However, collective action as an avenue for the expansion of FLID does not automatically guarantee a socially inclusive and environmentally sustainable process across project models. Future research should focus on examining socioeconomic impacts on farmers participating in a project intervention, as well as farmers and irrigated value chain actors in proximal areas, to work toward effective and equitable water governance for FLID.This article is categorized under: Human Water &gt; Water Governance Human Water &gt; Rights to Water

Industrial Policy and Development: Time for Disciplined Action

This essay seeks to answer one of the key paradoxes of the fourth industrial revolution (Industry 4.0) that has been unfolding since 2011: Despite the multitude of dedicated industrial policy strategies and policy interventions put in place since then, why have we not seen spectacular success? Using the US and EU industrial policy landscape, I argue that, although it will take time for the effects of Industry 4.0 to materialise, the strategy of “patience is a virtue” (respice finem) cannot be sustained indefinitely, i.e. until certain systematic industrial policy paradoxes are resolved, because only a systemic and primarily resilience-driven industrial policy can be expected to yield results.

STATE OF INDIAN DEMOCRACY AND US-INDIA STRATEGIC COOPERATION: AN UNEASY CONVERGENCE?

US-India strategic convergence is likely to continue as Washington considers New Delhi a counterweight to Beijing. However, rising right-wing authoritarianism in India under BJP, marked by the erosion of democratic standards, has created a policy paradox for Biden Administration- how to balance geopolitical interests with democratic ideals. The paper argues that adhering to the norms of democracy is not just a normative concern but also a strategic concern for the US as democracy is one of the core pillars that sustains US- led liberal world order. However, the Biden administration does not appear to emphasize democratic values and human rights performance to the point where strategic convergence would seem at risk. Thus Biden administration is likely to emphasize democratic values and human rights performance to the point where strategic convergence would not seem at risk. Keywords: Democracy, Human Rights, Balancing, US, India, China

Does green finance and energy policy paradox demonstrate green economic recovery: Role of social capital and public health.

Green economy development has become a mainstream value orientation in social and global economic development to protect and improve the ecological environment. Multiple stakeholders are needed to address complex issues, such as climate change and its impact on the ecological environment and public health. This study investigates the impact of energy policy and green finance on green economic recovery via the controlling role of social capital and public health. An entropy approach was used to measure the green economic index in addition to an econometric approximation for interpreting the longitudinal dataset for the scenarios for E7 countries between 2010 and 2020. The findings show that the development of green finance significantly improves green productivity. Higher levels of economic and social conditions, a lower level of public involvement in environmental protection, and a higher level of pollution amplify this positive effect. On the other hand, energy policy can enhance the impact of green finance development. The findings suggest that the empirical findings benefit green finance planning and energy policy.