Policy Assessment Research Articles

How to govern carbon dioxide removal: an assessment framework for policy instruments

ABSTRACT Global climate governance aims to limit global warming to ‘well below 2°C’. Achieving this goal, with or without overshoot, necessitates the deployment of Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) measures. However, the purely voluntary implementation of CDR by companies is unlikely to be sufficient due to its currently limited economic attractiveness. As a result, policy instruments are essential to incentivize CDR implementation. Such policy instruments could include regulations, taxes, voluntary agreements, information instruments, or subsidies. In this paper, we introduce a comprehensive assessment framework designed to evaluate the feasibility and desirability of various policy instruments for governing CDR. The framework is structured around 15 criteria, some of which are value-based, and organized into six key dimensions of interest. This framework is suitable for application at different stages of policy deliberation, planning, and development. It can be utilized by policymakers, legislators, and administrators, as well as stakeholders aiming to influence the direction of CDR governance. The framework can serve as a tool for promoting transparent and well-justified decisions regarding the adoption and implementation of CDR policy instruments. It explicitly highlights value judgments and explores the linkages, synergies, and trade-offs between assessment criteria and policy objectives. Additionally, it supports the creation of narratives about feasible and desirable CDR governance futures, ensuring that a broad range of values is considered. Ultimately, the framework expands the deliberative space, enhancing the quality of decision-making and enabling the exploration, discussion, and selection of viable CDR governance pathways.

An assessment of South African policy and strategic framework for the development of a sufficient, equitably distributed and well-performing health workforce for the implementation of the National Health Insurance

Background. South Africa (SA), like the rest of the global village, is faced with the need to address health worker shortages, improve the performance of health workers and ensure an equitable distribution of health workers in all settings. This requires leadership, governance and stewardship acumen to put in place policies, practices and resources that are essential to recruit and retain human resources for health. Objective. To determine whether SA possesses a strong and competent policy and strategic framework that would guide the development of a sufficient, fairly distributed and well-performing health workforce. Methods. A cross-sectional descriptive quantitative study was undertaken using pretested anonymous questionnaires to solicit responses about the ability, strategies and policies needed to address health workforce challenges. The study was undertaken in SA with decision- makers and/or those who contribute to health sector reforms in SA in the realisation of the National Health Insurance (NHI). They were individuals and stakeholders who interact with and/or are in the employment of statutory health councils, regulatory bodies, medical aid administrators, medical schemes, voluntary bodies/organisations and healthcare workers who are registered with the SA Pharmacy Council, Health Professions Council of SA and SA Nursing Council. Results. The findings indicate that the current policies and frameworks to address health worker shortage, their performance improvement and the rural-urban disparities in the distribution of health workers are not sufficient to address the current challenges. The study found that specific efforts to address policy shortcomings need to be embarked upon. Conclusion. The current policies and strategies are not sufficient to address health workforce challenges to improve performance, maintain appropriate skills, improve working conditions and ensure an equitable distribution of health workers to address the healthcare needs of SA. Commitment to the NHI should be matched with the capacity to deliver health services, which is highly dependent on the availability of a qualified and motivated workforce. The capacity to deliver services aligned to the objectives of the NHI will require that policy-makers consider interventions aimed at addressing challenges related to recruitment and limitation of career opportunities. Performance and productivity challenges may best be addressed by meaningful engagements and collaboration with the private for-profit, voluntary and independent sectors.

The assessment of climate change policies through a general equilibrium model: An application to Uruguay

The assessment of climate change policies through a general equilibrium model: An application to Uruguay

The Relevance of Corporate Social Responsibility Practices in Advancing Social Inclusion in India

The emergence of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) as a compulsory framework has compelled private sector firms to take an active part in tackling social disparities and inequality in their communities. Corporations are now required to create chances for ethnic minorities, women, individuals with disabilities, and other socially disadvantaged groups, especially through welfare and development efforts that correspond with CSR objectives. There is an urgent necessity for a thorough assessment and documenting of these organizations' policies on social inclusivity to comprehend the methods by which they include inclusive practices into their strategies for tackling social issues. The primary objective of this study is to explore the CSR activities of firms in India, with specific emphasis on investments in several development sectors. This research seeks to analyze the nature and extent of CSR efforts, focusing particularly on how these programs foster inclusive platforms for marginalized groups. This study examines secondary data from academic articles, government reports, and business annual disclosures to evaluate the efficacy of CSR in fostering social inclusion and mitigating systemic disparities. The study concludes by providing insights into the future prospects and opportunities related to CSR and social inclusion in India, highlighting the potential for these activities to foster good change and enhance the well-being of marginalized communities.

Ukrainian universities in QS World University Rankings: when the means become ends

Abstract This study, taking Ukrainian universities as an example, aims, first, to contribute to the body of knowledge on the effects of QS Rankings and national policies inspired by it on universities’ research assessment policies and their research output in Scopus. Second, to explore the relationship between different publication and authorship patterns and the citation impact. Dataset includes publications of six Ukrainian universities assessed by QS Rankings 2025. The study findings highlight that QS Rankings has turned the means of universities into their ends. University performance is supposed to result in the quality of life, technological progress, economic and social well-being of the nation. Publications are just one of the means of achieving these ends. At the national level, the state sustains means-ends decoupling overloading universities with multiple demands without providing beneficial conditions. Universities’ managers also sustain means-ends decoupling, the degree of which varies among universities. Explored universities published extensively in Ukrainian Scopus-indexed, discontinued from Scopus and MDPI journals to increase output in Scopus rapidly. Conference papers constitute a large share of publications. They have a high impact only if the citations are normalised by document type but QS Rankings doesn’t do this. Thus, their impact is small. The citation impact of the articles falls from Q1 to Q4 quartile, while the share of articles authored by only national authors increases. Ukrainian case shows that means-ends decoupling at global, national and organisational levels results in diversion of critical resources, both financial and human.

Conceptualizing the corporate-social accountability and sustainability assessment of weather-risk management policy towards stakeholders using qualitative insights: a case of weather index insurance

Purpose Sustainability assessment of risk-management policies has been needed to analyze their corporate social impact on stakeholders in terms of environmental, social and governance (ESG) and corporate social responsibility (CSR) accountability aspects. Thus, weather index insurance (WII) is a significant risk-management policy; there is a need to explore the corporate socio-environmental impact of WII on stakeholders. Thus, the purpose of this study is to develop a theoretical framework for theorizing the sustainability reporting aspect of WII. Design/methodology/approach This study performs qualitative exploratory research using in-depth interviews with ten experts. It has been carried out through semi-structured interviews with academic and professional experts and analyzed the interview transcripts using qualitative analysis. Findings This study’s outcomes contribute a new paradigm in the ESG and CSR accountability domain from the perspectives of stakeholder theory. The findings of this study reported a novel conceptual framework for integrated sustainability reporting of WII based on ESG and CSR constructs. The thematic content analysis of interview transcripts and WII literature exposed the significant accountability of WII towards human, ecological and financial capital. Practical implications This study provides valuable insights into the theoretical development of WII sustainability domain by developing a theoretical framework that provides a further pathway for future researchers. Social implications This study attempts to analyze the WII exposure toward ESG and CSR dimensions that are helpful for insurers, farmers, managers and governments. Originality/value This study firstly bridges the gap between WII theoretical knowledge and professional practice in terms of sustainability assessment of WII.

Referral Rates for School Threat Assessment

ABSTRACTAlthough behavioral threat assessment and management (often shortened to “threat assessment”) has become widely used in US schools, no studies have systematically examined how frequently schools conduct threat assessments and how threat assessment rates vary as a function of student and school demographics. Of particular concern is that students with disabilities receive threat assessments at disproportionately high rates. This study examined the 1‐year frequency of threat assessments in a statewide sample of 611 elementary, 341 middle, and 269 high schools reporting 15,301 threat assessments, of which 41% concerned students with disabilities. We identified threat assessment rate differences associated with student grade, gender, race/ethnicity, and disability status. We further examined the association between threat assessment rates and school‐level demographic characteristics including racial/ethnic composition, prevalence of economically disadvantaged students, and proportion of students with a disability. To place these results in context, we compared findings for threat assessment with out‐of‐school suspension rates. We discuss reasons why students with disabilities might be referred for BTAM at a high rate and recommend practices for assuring their educational rights and needs are safeguarded. Evolving school threat assessment policies should recognize the practice demands placed on school staff to evaluate a substantial number of students.

Exploring the Role of Government Assessment Policy and Financial Development in Energy Conservation and Carbon Emissions Reduction in China

Exploring the Role of Government Assessment Policy and Financial Development in Energy Conservation and Carbon Emissions Reduction in China

Assessing immigration policy success in Australia

AbstractImmigration is an area of public policy ripe for potential characterisation as either policy success or failure. Given that it is a complex area of policy, it is often politicised, and there are different stakeholders with varying views of what constitutes ‘success’ and ‘failure’. All these factors suggest that a policy's success or failure will in some instances change over time and can be open to subjective opinion. In this article, we focus on particular aspects of this story—how the temporal dimension of determining policy success and failure can influence our assessment of policies. We assess one policy that has been evaluated as a success, particularly in a global context: Australia's selection of skilled immigrants and the subsequent incorporation of these migrants as permanent residents. We then consider a policy area that is more accurately considered a policy failure—namely, the historical management of asylum seeker backlogs and its effects upon the occasional misuse of certain visa processes by visa applicants—and we outline how this issue grew over time. This supports the fundamental argument that the assessment of success and failure is temporal in nature and that the endurance of policy is crucial in determining its characterisation. Furthermore, deviation from the original policy intent over time will be an additional measure of policy failure, and this will vary according to implementation challenges.Points for practitioners The assessment of policy as ‘successful’ or a ‘failure’ is temporal in nature. It is hard to be successful over the long term. The quality of data available to policy‐makers will influence the ways in which the relative success of policy is adjudged. Administrative datasets can provide more detailed insights for policy evaluation than shorter term surveys. Qualitative studies are of value in adjudging success. Immigration is a policy domain where the evaluation of success will depend upon the perspective of relative stakeholders as there are strongly affected interests in this area with differing views on what constitutes ‘success’. Immigration policy success shifts over time, dependent upon the interaction with other policy areas such as border protection, enforcement policies and their funding, as well as higher education policy.

Environmental Stewardship Education in Tuvalu, Part 1: The Role of Policy Alignment

Environmental stewardship is crucial for fostering sustainable development, particularly in vulnerable small-island developing states like Tuvalu. Government policies and frameworks play a vital role in shaping the education system, but inconsistencies in policy alignment often hamper efforts to embed Environmental Stewardship Education (ESE) into the national curriculum. We aimed to answer four questions: 1. What formal policies shape Environmental Stewardship Education (ESE) in Tuvalu? 2. Are national educational and environmental policies mutually consistent? 3. Are these national policies consistent with regional and global policies? 4. What challenges hinder the implementation of ESE in Tuvalu? These questions were addressed using a study of regional, international, and Tuvaluan online-available documentary assessments of national policies and frameworks in conjunction with those obtained from the Education Department. Our findings revealed that a combination of Tuvalu’s environmental and educational policies was instrumental in shaping ESE. Nationally, educational and environmental policies are internally inconsistent, as well as being inconsistent externally with regional and international policies. Recommendations for improving policy alignment and the sustainable integration of ESE into the curriculum are provided. The second part (Part 2) of our review covers the development and delivery of effective curricula for ESE.

Artificial Intelligence in Energy Economics Research: A Bibliometric Review

Artificial intelligence (AI) is gaining attention in energy economics due to its ability to process large-scale data as well as to make non-linear predictions and is providing new development opportunities and research subjects for energy economics research. The aim of this paper is to explore the trends in the application of AI in energy economics over the decade spanning 2014–2024 through a systematic literature review, bibliometrics, and network analysis. The analysis of the literature shows that the prominent research themes are energy price forecasting, AI innovations in energy systems, socio-economic impacts, energy transition, and climate change. Potential future research directions include energy supply-chain resilience and security, social acceptance and public participation, economic inequality and the technology gap, automated methods for energy policy assessment, the circular economy, and the digital economy. This innovative study contributes to a systematic understanding of AI and energy economics research from the perspective of bibliometrics and inspires researchers to think comprehensively about the research challenges and hotspots.

Policy and practice in L2 classroom assessment: policy implementation at a state high school in Türkiye

ABSTRACT This study investigates how the explicit policies set for assessing English achievement in the instructional policy documents come to life at a particular program of a state high school. Junior-year students and their English-as-a-foreign-language teachers were the participants. Data were gathered through field notes, observations, interviews, and documents. Findings suggested a discrepancy between policy and practice in assessing English achievement. Instructional policy documents created at different layers of the policy conveyed a mixture of traditional and performance-based assessment types as the leading features of the intended assessment. However, the field data demonstrated that though principles of intended assessment were achieved to a degree, features of traditional assessment dominated classroom assessment practices. Several contextual factors ranging from teacher beliefs to top-down policy implementation were found influential in the realisation of the policy. The study presents implications for instructional policymaking, language classroom assessment, and in-service training for language teachers.

Cannabis legalization: a call for the integration of main health and crime indicator domains towards comprehensive policy impact assessments.

Several jurisdictions have implemented legalization policies for non-medical cannabis, mainly towards improving public health and reducing illegal cannabis markets and crime. As some legalization initiatives are approaching maturity, conducting policy impact assessments has become timely. Emerging data, however, suggest rather mixed pictures for key outcomes and indicators. While many key health-related indicators show increases in adverse outcomes, improvements are shown for main crime-related outcomes associated with legalization. However, legalization policies are evaluated predominantly by utilizing separate approaches for the health outcomes and crime-related indicators, while comprehensive policy assessments require meaningful integration of all related indicators. We provide suggestions for an integrated approach to assessing cannabis legalization policies concerning health and crime-related outcomes. This approach is also valuable for policymakers and other stakeholders to create an empirical basis for relative valuations and choices regarding cannabis legalization's main policy outcomes.

‘Where’s the line? It’s an absurd line’: towards a framework for acceptable uses of AI in assessment

As higher education grapples with ensuring assessment validity in an increasingly AI-populated time, institutions and educators are working to establish appropriate boundaries for AI use. However, little is known about how students and teachers conceptualize and experience these boundaries in practice. This study investigates how students and teachers navigate the line between acceptable and unacceptable AI use in assessment, drawing on a thematic analysis of qualitative interviews with 19 students and 12 staff at a large Australian university informed by social boundary theory. The titular metaphor of ‘drawing a line’ emerged organically from both students and staff in our interviews, revealing ongoing struggles to understand and articulate what counts as appropriate. We found that students frequently construct their own individually unique and often complex ethical frameworks for AI use. Teachers, meanwhile, report significant emotional burden and professional uncertainty as they attempt to understand and communicate what is appropriate to their students. Our analysis suggests that assessment policies for AI ought to move beyond simple prohibitions or permissions and begin to address three critical dimensions: the feasibility of enforcement, the preservation of authentic learning, and the emotional wellbeing of teachers and students.

Pedagogical Approaches for Teaching Education for Sustainable Development in the Technology Education Curriculum

This study investigates pedagogical strategies to teach sustainable development within the Technology curriculum in South African secondary schools, with an emphasis on the Senior Phase. Despite the global acknowledgment of sustainable development as a critical topic, its practical application in the South African Curriculum Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) is limited. This study seeks to fill this gap by studying the pedagogical tactics used by Technology teachers to build sustainability skills. Eight technology teachers from the Ehlanzeni region in Mpumalanga Province were carefully chosen to participate. Data was collected through observations and interviews, and analysed using content analysis. The findings show that while teachers are aware of sustainable development concepts, converting this understanding into successful classroom implementation presents substantial hurdles. The study identifies teacher collaboration as the primary instrument for incorporating sustainable development principles into the technology curriculum; nevertheless, practical implementation was challenging. This study responds to the requirement of integrating sustainable development into all South African disciplines, notably the Technology curriculum It emphasises the importance of specific interventions to bridge the gap between policy intent and classroom practice.

Exploring how the lack of inclusive approaches to neurodiversity and invisible disabilities in the workplace creates significant health disparities

U.S. Organizations that neglect to support and provide resources for employees with invisible disabilities and neurodiversity exacerbate health disparities by perpetuating systemic barriers to access and accommodation. Invisible disabilities are physical, mental, or neurological conditions that are not immediately apparent to others but can significantly impact an individual's daily activities and quality of life. Neurodiversity refers to the concept that neurological differences, such as autism, ADHD, and dyslexia, are natural variations of the human brain and should be recognized and respected as part of human diversity. Without accommodations and inclusive policies, employees with invisible disabilities may face heightened stress, decreased productivity, and an increased likelihood of burnout, leading to negative impacts on physical and mental health. Additionally, the failure to recognize and value neurodiversity in the workplace contributes to feelings of alienation and marginalization among affected employees, further exacerbating disparities in health outcomes and overall well-being. This article presents the results of intervention action research (IAR) conducted by a management consultant within a large university with a medical school and health center. The aim was to improve the organization's culture regarding valuing neurodiversity and employees with invisible disabilities. Through a comprehensive assessment of organizational structure, policies, and practices, data was gathered via interviews, surveys, and document analysis, engaging stakeholders, including faculty, staff, administrators, and students. Findings revealed significant challenges and opportunities, leading to collaborative efforts with university leadership to address communication gaps, workflow inefficiencies, and resource allocation disparities. With approximately forty-two million Americans facing invisible disabilities encompassing a wide range of physical and mental conditions, the necessity for inclusive approaches transcending traditional definitions becomes evident. Embracing neurodiversity and challenging ableism in the workplace is crucial for fostering an organizational culture that respects the inherent value of all individuals.

A dataset of structural breaks in greenhouse gas emissions for climate policy evaluation

The quantitative assessment of policies aimed at climate change mitigation requires rigorously identifying abnormal changes in greenhouse gas emissions. We present a new dataset of robust level changes in greenhouse gas emissions that cannot be explained by aggregate socioeconomic fluctuations. Modern methods of structural break identification based on two-way fixed effects models are employed to estimate the size of significant level changes in emissions. The resulting dataset spans information for all major greenhouse gases in OECD countries across 37 IPCC sectors, from 1995 to 2022. The data unveils large differences in abnormal changes in emissions across gases, countries and sectors, as well as over time. Our resulting data can be applied to a broad range of research questions, including the analysis of the comparative efficacy of policy instruments to mitigate climate change.

Effects of combined exposure to PM2.5, O3, and NO2 on health risks of different disease populations in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region.

Air pollution adversely affects people's health. Under the current background of compound air pollution in China, the emission reduction potential of air pollution control has significantly decreased, and there are few studies on multi-pollutant emission reduction and synergistic effects. PM2.5, O3, and NO2 have caused the enormous disease burden and health risks. This study evaluated the single and combined health effects of pollutants in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, and discussed the differences in susceptibility among disease populations. Identified the interactions of multiple pollutants and evaluated current environmental policies. This study provided evidence of the interactive effect of combined PM2.5, O3, and NO2 exposure on the health risks of different disease populations. Among them, the interaction between PM2.5 and O3 posed the most significant health risks (Odds Ratio of 3.026) and had the greatest impact on the health of people with cardiovascular diseases (Odds Ratio of 3.136). The excess deaths affected by combined exposure exceeded 40% of the total excess deaths. The assessment of environmental policies indicated that compliance with the AQG 2021 guideline values would reduce ambient air pollution-related deaths in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region alone by about 30,000 per year. Our national standards were still far from the benchmarks given by the World Health Organization, especially for NO2. In the future, attentions should also be paid to the control of NO2 and other reaction precursors while coordinating the control of PM2.5 and O3.

Tax or subsidy? The impact assessment of environmental policies on carbon allocation and emissions abatement of prefabricated construction supply chain

The construction sector, as the prime culprit that aggravates greenhouse gas emissions, has initiated transitions in construction methods for emissions abatement. In such a context, prefabricated construction has been widely promoted in developing countries. This paper assesses the effects of three environmental policies: carbon tax, green subsidy, and unit subsidy on carbon allocation and emissions abatement of prefabricated construction supply chain (PCSC) consisting of a prefab manufacturer (PM) and a project developer (PD). In our game model, the PD determines a prefabricated ratio, the ratio of prefabs to the total construction components, and purchases prefabs from the PM for assembly construction, which enables fewer emissions than on-site construction. We find that the carbon tax has a compound pass-through effect in PCSC, which imposes a quasi-subsidy effect on the PD, allowing the PM to achieve a prefab premium and thus inducing more intense double marginalization than that under the green subsidy. The unit subsidy holds a cost-compensating effect, which mitigates double marginalization arising from the spill-over effect of the green subsidy. Nevertheless, both subsidies lead to identical carbon allocation and emissions abatement of PCSC. The carbon tax outperforms subsidy policies in reducing total emissions and emission intensity, and is superior in responsibility-benefit balance in PCSC. Our study offers insights into the government's choice of environmental policies and the sustainable production decisions of PCSC members while, theoretically, contributing to the sustainable supply chain theory by revealing the impacts of environmental policies on the supply chain for transitional green products, such as PCSC.

Assessment of Rare Cancers and Sarcoma Policy and Sarcoma Drug Approvals in Latin America: A Report From the LACOG Sarcoma Group.

The availability of drugs and national public policies for patients with rare cancers, including sarcomas, varies in different parts of the world. In this manuscript, we have conducted a comprehensive analysis to evaluate rare cancer policies in Latin American countries' national policy documents. Additionally, we have reviewed the approvals for sarcoma drugs in selected Latin American countries and compared them with US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and European Medicines Agency (EMA) approvals. The documents reviewed showed a lack of explicit focus on rare cancers, with no mention in 70% of the countries analyzed. Drug approval data reveal that in the last 15 years, the FDA and EMA have approved 19 and 13 drugs for sarcoma, whereas their Latin American counterparts, namely ANVISA, ANMAT, and COFEPRIS, approved six, eight, and seven drugs, respectively. Our data suggest that improving rare cancer and sarcoma care in Latin America requires enhanced collaboration for better rare cancer policies.