Individual Policy Research Articles

A qualitative study on the elderly and mental health during the COVID-19 lockdown in Buenos Aires, Argentina - Part 1.

On March 19, 2020, preventive and mandatory social isolation was decreed in Argentina in response to the pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the disease it causes (COVID-19). This measure aimed to reduce the transmission of the virus and the resulting severe respira-tory condition that frequently besets older adults. However, this measure can also affect the support networks of these isolated people. To explore the emerging needs related to the mental health of isolated older adults in this period and to identify the main support networks they have and the emerging coping strategies in the face of the situation. We carried out an exploratory qualitative study, summoning participants over 60 years of age. Using snowball sampling, a group of researchers contacted them by phone to collect data. The analysis of the findings was triangulated among researchers with different academic backgrounds (medicine, psychology, and sociology). The concepts emerging from the interviews were linked in conceptual networks using an inductive methodology and were mapped into conceptual frameworks available to researchers. Atlas.ti 8 software was used for coding. Thirty-nine participants belonging to the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Area were interviewed between April and July 2020. For greater clarity, the main themes were described in five cross-sectional axes: network configurations, resources and coping strategies, affective states and emo-tions, perceptions and reflections on the future, and actions emerging from the participatory approach. Participants reported distress, anxiety, anger, uncertainty, exhaustion, and expressed fear of contagion from themselves and their loved ones. We identify greater vulnerability in people living alone, in small and closed environments, with weak linkages and networks, or limited access to technologies. We also found vari-ous coping strategies and technology was a fundamental factor in maintaining the bonds. The findings of this research have implications for decision-making at the individual level, health systems, professional care, and policy devel-opment. Future research may elucidate the regional, temporal, and socioeconomic variations of the phenomena explored in our research.

Software for Agent-based Network Simulation and Visualization

We present a network software suite that can model contagions or opinion manipulation in social networks, that combines features from the standard packages and extends them to allow complex, interacting, dynamic topologies, and dynamic heterogeneous agent types, with individual interaction policies. The framework allows for the easy implementation of new agent types, and provides flexible visualization tools to elucidate network behavior over time.

Marine Fisheries Governance in China: Low-Efficacy Policies and Future Adjustments

China seeks to improve the utilization and conservation of marine resources during its 14th Five-Year Period. This is a challenging task considering its poor performance in marine fisheries governance over the decades. This study attempts to elucidate the latent root cause of China’s poor marine fisheries governance through a systematic review of its policies in fisheries conservation. Results show that although some individual policies are accountable for the low efficacy of China’s marine fisheries governance, a fundamental obstacle stems from the internal contradictions of the policy system. Thus, to improve the governance of marine fisheries in China, a more careful institutional design at the top level is needed. The findings of this study can help provide a new window into China’s marine fisheries governance in the past and future.

Wealth Inequality and the Financial Accumulation Process

Previous theoretical and computational analyses demonstrate that uncorrelated variations in individual asset returns promote extreme inequality in financial wealth. This paper describes a standard individual-based computational model of this financial accumulation process and then extends it in order to expose other key influences on wealth inequality. We find large effects of individual behavior, cultural practices, tax policy, and technological change. Specifically, we present simulation experiments with heterogeneous saving rates, a stylized marriage institution, a wealth tax structured to mirror contemporary policy proposals, and variations in wage growth. These experiments demonstrate that modest concessions to realism have large effects on long-run wealth inequality in models of the financial accumulation process.

Unimplementable by design? Understanding (non‐)compliance with International Monetary Fund policy conditionality

AbstractWhy do governments fail to implement policy commitments in contractual agreements with international organizations? While scholars have scrutinized domestic factors as obstacles to compliance, we argue that reform programs may beunimplementable by design. We study this hypothesis in the context of International Monetary Fund (IMF) programs, in which borrowing countries must commit to far‐reaching economic policy reforms for access to credit. We collect detailed compliance data on individual policy conditions to assess the determinants of compliance failures of IMF programs from 1980 to 2009. Controlling for a host of borrower‐specific variables, features of the loan, unexpected shocks during implementation, donor influence, and bureaucratic interest, we find that the number of conditions is a robust predictor of implementation failure. Our theoretical explanation for these findings is that over‐ambitious program designs are the result of intra‐organizational bargaining within the IMF bureaucracy. While an area department within the IMF drafts the initial reform program, functional departments use their amendment power to include policy conditions that they care about, without due consideration of local circumstances, which leads to over‐ambitious programs. These findings have important implications for theories of compliance as well as for policymaking in international organizations.

Breastfeeding During Military Service: Different Countries, Different Possibilities.

Breastfeeding is a human biological norm that is widely acknowledged as the ideal form of nutrition for all infants. Human milk saves lives, improves long-term health for the both mother and infant, and significantly reduces health care-related costs. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends exclusive breastfeeding for at least 6 months and thereafter to continue with breastfeeding, in addition to complimentary foods for at least 1 year or longer. The World Health Organization extends this recommendation to at least 2 years or beyond this age. Multiple complex policies and directives would not be necessary if a federal law would entitle all new mothers to an adequate length of paid maternity leave and would protect parents during the time they personally care for their infants. Although a nationally mandated maternity leave is not available, the DoD should create a coherent global policy applicable to all active duty personnel across all branches of the U.S. Military. A global policy would govern positive change across all military branches and create consistent work conditions conducive for mothers to achieve their personal breastfeeding goals. In addition, a global policy would improve the military employees' health as well as maintain retention of military personnel. A comparison of the U.S. Armed Forces to the Czech Armed Forces shows that the individual breastfeeding policies and directives of the U.S. Military branches are certainly steps in the right direction to support breastfeeding military members. The well-documented evidence of long-term breastfeeding health benefits in addition to the economic benefits justifies such global military policy and would be a foundation to a national maternity leave policy, given that the USA is the only developed country without nationally mandated statutory entitlement to paid maternity leave.

Image-Building Poiltical Media Text

The paper discusses issues related to the analysis and application of theory in the field of media linguistics and political linguistics, which is considered the core aspect of the image-based political media text as one of the main means of creating a political image. Language is a system that constantly changes, performs tasks such as expressing the opinion of society, studying, and communicating information. It is also a specific socio-cultural tool for the storage, aggregation and delivery of information, human activity, management of behaviour. Policy and its institutions cannot accomplish their goals without language opportunities in the society. At the same time, the language itself is also influenced by policy in this or that way. It is known that language becomes an object of individual policy and planning by a state.

Waste Management in Makassar City Based on Regional Regulation Number 4 Year 2011

Garbage is a problem faced by almost all countries in the world. Increasing the volume of waste requires good and effective management. In Makassar City, waste management is regulated by the Regional Regulation Number 4 Year 2011 concerning Waste Management, which can be said to be a responsive regional regulation because it has accommodated the involvement of various parties, especially the community and the business world in waste management in Makassar City. The local government of Makassar City determines two types of solid waste or cleaning service policies, namely the Communal Service Policy (Indirect Service Policy) and Individual Service Policy (Direct Service Policy). Effective waste management in Makassar City is measured by the form of services provided by the government and the fulfillment of solid waste facilities and infrastructure in Makassar City. In terms of services, these services are provided every day by the local government of Makassar City through their apparatus. Then regarding the facilities and infrastructure, the Makassar City Government has made efforts to fulfill all facilities and infrastructure, especially related to waste transportation

FUNDAMENTAL & TECHNICAL ANAYSIS OF CRUDE OIL PRICES

The human mind is not as good at processing large amounts of information as we might like. Psychologists have shown that human beings are only able to juggle small numbers of related and often conflicting pieces of information without making judgment errors. As a result, individuals faced with the vast amounts of information available to support investment decisions often find themselves swamped by the enormity of the task; unable to see the wood from the trees. Technical analysis is a field of financial markets research that works to address the above problem by focusing on a single, commonly available, data source that reflects all known information and activity relating to all monetary securities- Price history. Technical analysts argue that as markets are efficient, prices reflect all known information and that they move over time as participants react to new information and changing needs.
 As a result, the technical analysis of these price changes can provide real insight into the market dynamics and be used to develop trade strategies that exhibit superior risk/reward characteristics. While technical analysis approaches have developed significantly over the past few decades, some techniques are far more ancient. While their real origins are anonymous, Japanese candlestick charts have been recorded as being employed in the rice markets as far back as the 1600s. What is particularly interesting is that various of these ancient approaches continue to provide highly effective trading signals when applied to modern markets and securities.
 Crude oil price volatility is in the midst of the largest business risk that oil and gas companies face. This is followed by unstable policy regime, managing costs and risks emerging from technological advancements. The high levels and rapid fluctuations of petroleum prices have become a great concern to individual consumers, firms, policy makers and society. Technical Analysis is the forecasting of future financial price movements based on an examination of past price movements. Like weather forecasting, technical analysis does not result in absolute predictions about the future. Instead, technical analysis can help investors anticipate what is "likely" to happen to prices over time. Technical analysis uses a wide variety of charts that show price over time. Hence, to mitigate the negative impacts of price volatility and to predict about the future price movement of crude oil and natural gas we can use technical analysis.
 Technical analysis is the study of market action, primarily through the use of charts, for the purpose of forecasting price trends. The term “market action” includes the three principal source of action available to the technician-price, volume and open interest. This research paper highlights fundamental factor which affects the Brent price and analysed the factor which are highly correlated with Brent price and on the basis of the results forecasted the Brent price for next five years. Fundamental analysis of Brent oil, price pattern & movement of crude oil has also been carried out using candlestick technical tool.

Assessment of ICD-11 Personality Disorder Severity in Forensic Patients Using the Semi-structured Interview for Personality Functioning DSM-5 (STiP-5.1): Preliminary Findings.

In forensic settings, several challenges may affect reliability of assessment of personality pathology, specifically when based upon self-report. This study investigates the Semi-Structured Interview for DSM-5 Personality Functioning (STiP-5.1) to assess level of severity of personality functioning in incarcerated patients. Thirty inpatients of three forensic psychiatric facilities completed the STiP 5.1 and additionally completed self-report questionnaires assessing symptom severity, personality functioning and traits. Staff members completed informant versions of personality functioning questionnaires. Previously assessed community (N = 18) and clinical samples (N = 80) were used as a reference. Interrater reliability and internal consistency of the STiP 5.1 were good. As expected, no associations were found between self-report and expert-ratings (STiP 5.1) of personality functioning. Remarkably, no associations were found between informant rated personality functioning and the STiP 5.1. This study confirms the discrepancies between self-report and expert-ratings in forensic settings and identifies the need to design and test assessment instruments within this context instead of generalizing findings obtained in regular mental health care samples. The STiP-5.1 may be a candidate for use in forensic samples, particularly to guide treatment planning and individual patient policy, although it remains unclear what specific information it offers above and beyond self-report and informant-report.

Global economic impacts of COVID-19 lockdown measures stand out in high-frequency shipping data.

The implementation of large-scale containment measures by governments to contain the spread of the COVID-19 virus has resulted in large impacts to the global economy. Here, we derive a new high-frequency indicator of economic activity using empirical vessel tracking data, and use it to estimate the global maritime trade losses during the first eight months of the pandemic. We go on to use this high-frequency dataset to infer the effect of individual non-pharmaceutical interventions on maritime exports, which we use as a proxy of economic activity. Our results show widespread port-level trade losses, with the largest absolute losses found for ports in China, the Middle-East and Western Europe, associated with the collapse of specific supply-chains (e.g. oil, vehicle manufacturing). In total, we estimate that global maritime trade reduced by -7.0% to -9.6% during the first eight months of 2020, which is equal to around 206-286 million tonnes in volume losses and up to 225-412 billion USD in value losses. We find large sectoral and geographical disparities in impacts. Manufacturing sectors are hit hardest, with losses up to 11.8%, whilst some small islands developing states and low-income economies suffered the largest relative trade losses. Moreover, we find a clear negative impact of COVID-19 related school and public transport closures on country-wide exports. Overall, we show how real-time indicators of economic activity can inform policy-makers about the impacts of individual policies on the economy, and can support economic recovery efforts by allocating funds to the hardest hit economies and sectors.

Choice and opportunity on the welfare care market: An experimental evaluation of decision‐making in a context of individual funding policy

AbstractIndividual funding schemes are increasingly implemented to organize public welfare services and can be considered as a prime example of the marketization of social care. Clients receive a budget and can “shop” on the welfare market. Current knowledge about the impact of individual funding schemes on choice opportunities for people with an intellectual disability is inconclusive. We conducted a vignette experiment in the context of the Flemish (Belgian) individual funding scheme for people with a disability, using 610 close relatives of people with an intellectual disability as subjects. The respondents were presented with hypothetical situations in which they had to express their intention to change current care provision into care via personal assistance. We find that dissatisfaction with services and having a supportive network increases the intention to change care. Professional support from the incumbent provider does not have a significant impact. We conclude that the promise of choice, as assumed with marketized public services, is likely to be fulfilled only under particular conditions. This entails risks in terms of equal opportunities for clients receiving public services in the context of welfare markets.

Coping with infertility, miscarriage, and unsuccessful adoption

Many workplaces have leave policies for individuals who become parents. But what happens when you suddenly find out that you’re not going to be a parent? Infertility, miscarriage, and unsuccessful adoptions are shockingly common struggles, yet we rarely get the chance to talk about them. As a result, they can silently erode not only our emotional health but also our career progress. My struggle started soon after I finished my PhD. I had met and married an amazing spouse during graduate school, and as the end of grad school came into sight, it seemed like a good time to think about having kids. I expected that getting pregnant and having a baby would be no problem. How wrong I was. After a year, I realized that having kids was not going to be easy for me. In what felt like a miracle, I finally became pregnant, only to have a

Study shows big differences between experiences of LGBT people in Turkey and the UK

PurposeThe authors wanted to compare the experience of LGBT people in two very different working environments, the UK and Turkey. The countries have different state structures and legislative frameworks.Design/methodology/approachThe authors opted to answer the research question: How LGBT NGOs understand and perceive the inclusion and exclusion of LGBT individuals at work? They interviewed 40 individuals (20 in each country) working at LGBT organizationsFindingsAnalysis showed that in Turkish workplaces, LGB individuals tend not to express their sexuality openly because they fear dismissal. Few individuals feel able to “come out” at work. Transgender people, especially transgender women, face a lot of discrimination in Turkey. Meanwhile, in the UK, there is a far more inclusionary workplace culture. Nevertheless, LGB individuals may still face some discrimination in the UK. Working within LGBT organizations in both countries was much easier.Originality/valueStudying two such different cultures revealed major differences, but also some commonalities. The study revealed the importance of unions in the UK in driving policies for LGBT individuals.

Exploration of Factors Affecting Post-Secondary Students' Stress and Academic Success: Application of the Socio-Ecological Model for Health Promotion.

Overview: There has been an increase in the frequency and severity of stress experienced by Canadian post-secondary students, which has adverse implications on their academic success. This work applied the socio-ecological model for health promotion to explore the contextual factors that influence this relationship at the individual, interpersonal, institutional, community, and public policy levels. Methods: Using a qualitative, phenomenological approach, we conducted 38 semi-structured interviews with undergraduate students and on-campus staff who provide services to this population at a post-secondary institution in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Thematic analysis inductively identified overarching themes among participants’ perspectives. Results: Several positive and negative factors were identified at each socio-ecological model level, demonstrating the complex interplay of demographic, psychological, emotional, social, physical, and academic factors impacting students’ academic stress. Conclusions: A lack of communication and knowledge seems to underlie many factors, highlighting the need to strengthen communication strategies to promote awareness, accessibility, and availability of services and programs on campus. Results also pointed to focusing on proactive, resilience-focused, upstream mental health promotion efforts at post-secondary institutions to reduce stress and improve academic success. This knowledge can help Canadian campuses better address students’ needs.

Laboratory Happiness or Human Flourishing: The Empirical Science of Wellbeing in Phenomenological Perspective

In this paper I analyze philosophically the dominant conception of happiness operative in the increasingly popular global movement to empirically define, measure, and promote human happiness: the idea of "subjective psychological wellbeing" (SWB). SWB is presented as an ethically and metaphysically neutral "scientific" view of the human good or wellbeing, grounded purely in empirical psychology, survey data, and neuroscientific findings about the brain mechanisms involved in happiness. I argue that this conception of happiness actually rests upon highly controversial philosophical (non-empirical) presuppositions about the nature of human agency, pleasure, emotion, and the experience of value. I then draw upon phenomenology, the philosophy of emotion, and ethics to argue that this particular conception of happiness, while perhaps suitable for certain limited purposes, is highly problematic when given the leading normative role by the happiness science movement, particularly as a guiding aim of individual decision-making and public policy interventions.

Tracking the pulse of a city—3D real estate price heat maps

AbstractThis paper proposes the use of a semiparametric model based on a locally weighted approach that controls for dynamic agglomeration and diffusion effects in constructing localized housing price indices. Based on residential transaction records in Singapore, we create three‐dimensional interactive heat maps that allow for better measurement and visualization of spatial variations and heterogeneity in price appreciation. The heat map captures regional variations and temporal dispersions in price appreciation rates in the business cycle. Our methodology provides high‐resolution information about price dynamics that could aid individual buyers, investors, and policy makers in making objective and informed decisions.

A Systematic Review of Professionals’ Views About Community Management Policies for Individuals Convicted of Sexual Offenses

A contentious criminal justice policy issue in recent times has been community management policies for individuals convicted of sexual offenses. This systematic review attained professionals' views, areas of concern, and recommendations for community management policies. It went beyond the extant literature by exploring perceptions of heterogenous professional groups involved in the criminal justice system. Of the 25 studies, 12 were quantitative, nine qualitative, and four mixed methods, and included custodial and community correctional officers, probation officers, psychologists, police officers, prosecutors, lawmakers, and academics. Overall, professionals mostly supported the policies, but had less support for public registries and community notification. Four key issues associated with the policies were apparent: problems with actuarial risk assessment tools, difficulties accessing information with partner agencies, limited resources, and lack of education among the public. Within this, four recommendations were identified. These findings offer a valuable resource for researchers, along with government and policy professionals tasked with overseeing community management policies.

Transgenders in the Mainstream: Welfare Schemes in Kerala—Kochi Metro Rail Project, Education Programme, Health Clinics, and Old-Age Pension

Marginalization is the process which inhibits an individual or community from enjoying the rights, privileges, resources or opportunities enjoyed by other members of the society. Of all its marginalized sections, society most often tends to ignore the conditions of transgender persons. The 2011 census reported 480,000 of India’s population as transgender. Kerala pioneered a model for a trans-friendly state 1 with the launch of a 10-day-long state-wide survey, which was followed by the introduction of a state policy for transgender individuals, the establishment of a justice board and India’s first transgender school, scholarships for transgender individuals and the introduction of health clinics, old-age pensions and employment for them in the Kochi Metro, as well as various literary, sports and fashion events. This study is an attempt to critically explore the welfare schemes for transgender persons in Kerala amidst recent developments.

Identifying core policy instruments based on structural holes: A case study of China’s nuclear energy policy

Abstract Policy documents have become increasingly valuable in the field of bibliometrics because they contain important information such as the intentions and behaviors of policymakers. Policy instruments are the central elements of policy documents; therefore, identifying core policy instruments can help researchers in the field better understand the important methodological measures taken by government organizations to achieve specific economic or social goals. However, existing identification methods often focus on the effectiveness of a policy instrument along one dimension (e.g., economic indicators), while ignoring the relationship between individual policy instruments. This paper attempts to fill this gap by designing a network-based framework incorporating structural holes theory to identify the core policy instruments implied in the policy documents. We first identify “policy target-policy instrument” patterns in relevant policy documents and then establish a “policy target-policy instrument” network that maps onto real-world policy systems. Finally, using structural holes theory, we identify core policy instruments and analyze the policy mix system upon this basis. We use China’s nuclear energy policy as a case study to evaluate the proposed approach. Our proposed method is useful for quantitatively analyzing complex policy systems and for identifying core policy instruments and targets within them.