Policy Agenda Research Articles

Climate realism: Policy proposals for effective decarbonisation and true sustainability in the EU

The EU has put forward a very ambitious policy agenda for decarbonising its economy and limiting the dangerous consequences of climate change. However, parts of its approach have become untenable. This article argues that the current design of the EU’s climate agenda is becoming financially and socially unsustainable. Spiralling fiscal costs, a scarcity of vital energy and resources, and increasing societal strain risk derailing the European Green Deal. The text puts forward a number of centre–right policy proposals for a more realistic European approach to climate change that would deliver true sustainability and take the EU towards climate neutrality.

The Managing Director's Global Policy Agenda, Annual Meetings 2023

The Managing Director's Global Policy Agenda, Annual Meetings 2023

Investigating and stimulating sustainable dairy consumption behavior: An exploratory study in Vietnam

Responsible consumption and production patterns have been defined as a stand-alone Sustainable Development Goal, hence ensuring its achievement sits high on national and international policy agendas. Getting a better understanding of food consumer behavior towards sustainable patterns could help achieve this goal. This study aims to address this issue by exploring drivers and barriers to sustainable dairy consumption in Vietnam. It also identifies potential policy interventions that could promote more sustainable dairy consumption. To achieve these, the research carried out five focus groups and adopted the Capability–Opportunity–Motivation Behavior model and the Behavior Change Wheel. The analysis explores 32 drivers and 14 barriers influencing sustainable dairy consumption behavior. Health, brand and product quality, family, and promotion are the most prominent drivers, while price, habits, and taste are the most prominent barriers. The findings show that though the awareness and level of sustainable dairy consumption are still low, there is a positive trend toward sustainable dairy consumption in Vietnam. The study also identifies several intervention actions for policymakers, firm managers, and other supply chain decision-makers. These are related to building capability, increasing motivation, and promoting opportunities. Vietnam's results are similar to the findings of other research conducted in Europe, hence reinforcing the existing literature on sustainable food consumption. While consolidating the current state of the art, the study is particularly relevant to decision-makers and practitioners in Vietnam in achieving food sustainability policy goals.

The Bargaining Politics: Determining Regional Public Policy in Formulating the Samisake Revolving Fund Program in Bengkulu City, Indonesia

The political arena influences the selection of an alternative policy for Samisake Revolving Fund program. In this phase, various interests affect the policy outcome, including conflict and bargaining positions among policymakers. Therefore, this study aimed to examine public participation in policy formulation for the Samisake Revolving Fund program in Bengkulu City, Indonesia. A qualitative method was used with a case study approach to the policy design, as well as typical conditions and variables. Data were collected by interviewing seven informants of five stakeholder elements and analyzed using flowing analysis. The results indicated high community involvement in the public policy formulation process that entails pushing issues into the policy agenda. The best policy alternative should satisfy all interested parties. Additionally, the policy was established by issuing the Regional Regulation draft on allocating the funding. This Regional Regulation should be accepted and implemented by all parties transparently with accountability to increase community participation and empowerment. The policy process displays a complex interaction among the policymakers. These policymakers include the executives of the Bengkulu City government from the Regional Technical Unit, community leaders and organizations, NGOs, and university academics. The interaction influences choices and policy decisions by creating conflict and tension in discussing the draft of Samisake Fund Regional Regulation. Therefore, future studies could examine stakeholder network participation in policy formulation and strengthening inter-institutional capacity to avoid conflict.

The impact of adoption of milk safety practices on food and nutrition security: Evidence from smallholder dairy farmers in Ethiopia

Despite the progress observed over the past decades, food and nutritional insecurity remain the prominent challenges in Ethiopia. In this respect, improved farming practices and productivity-enhancing agricultural technologies have been identified as pathways out of these problems; these technologies are the priority agenda of the government policy in Ethiopia. Nonetheless, the impact of the adoption of milk safety practices on dairy farmers’ food and nutrition security has not yet been addressed, especially at the smallholder farmers’ level. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of the adoption of milk safety practices on dairy farmers’ food and nutrition security in Ethiopia, using primary data collected from 410 dairy farmers. Generalized propensity score matching was used to evaluate the heterogeneous impact of the adoption of milk safety practices on the household food and nutrition security indicators (per capita food consumption expenditure and food consumption score). The findings reveal that the adoption of milk safety practices had a moderate impact on food consumption expenditure but had no significant impact on food consumption score. An ordered probit endogenous switching regression was also used to account for unobserved bias and check the robustness of the generalized propensity score estimates. Accordingly, the results are similar to the generalized propensity score estimates, and unobserved bias was not a problem. In general, the impact of adoption of milk safety practices on food and nutrition security of smallholder dairy farmers is moderate in Ethiopia. This might be because of the high compliance costs with the adoption of milk safety practices and the lack of quality-based pricing systems. Hence, creating an enabling environment, which in turn, encourages the adoption of milk safety practices would help improve positive effects of the adoption of milk safety practices on food and nutritional security.

Ethics and Social Responsibility in Information Behavior, an Interdisciplinary Research in Uruguay

Abstract This article presents a series of projects focused, within the framework of the ethical and social responsibility of a Latin American public university, on the information behavior of disadvantaged people, developed from 2008 to the present, within the Information Institute of the University of the Republic, Uruguay. They arose from the views and ideas supported by the project leaders and teams concerning the deficiencies and limitations in the access, use, and appropriation of necessary, relevant, valuable, and reliable information for the personal and social development of social sectors in unfavorable situations in the contexts in which they live. Each of the studies has real social impacts on information policy agendas, incorporating actions to achieve the 2030 Agenda. The projects comprise the theoretical and methodological perspectives presented in each one on the field of information behavior and related to each situation problem identified in a specific user community. The research subjects were young women (2008–2010), adolescents (2010–2015), older women (2017–2019), and family members of children with autism spectrum syndrome (ASD) (2021–2023). We seek to understand the social realities of information and information technologies insofar as most investigations incorporate the development and use of ICTs in the quest to disseminate inclusive information.

“The New Americans”, “the New Muslims”: African American Muslims and the Recreation of American Muslim Identities after 9/11, 2001

This study sheds light on the identity negotiation processes inside the African American Muslim communities and the post-1960s immigrant Muslim communities both before and after 9/11, and the various hurdles that have impeded the development of a pluralistic American Muslim identity. It locates the American Muslim experience within the omnibus context of religious pluralism and draws on Barbara McGraw’s “the American Sacred Ground” theoretical framework (2003) to gauge advances and setbacks in such identity negotiation processes. While gleaning insights from the works of scholars of Islam and religious pluralism in America, this study is based on ethnographic fieldwork conducted in the USA between 2002 and 2006. After 9/11, both communities came to realize that it is vital to engage in a process of self-critique and confront the challenges of reinventing themselves on the American pluralistic tapestry. While the African American Sunni communities tried to reinvent themselves as ‘new Muslims’, the immigrant communities found themselves compelled to reinvent themselves as “new Americans”. In studying some facets of such an inter- and intracommunity identity (re)negotiation process, this article argues that perennial internal factionalism and the promotion of changing US foreign policy agendas in the Muslim world still represent a major stumbling block towards developing an American Muslim identity that draws on its many streams.

The contributions of citizen science to SDG monitoring and reporting on marine plastics

The accumulation of plastic litter in marine environments is a major environmental challenge along with the difficulties in their measurement because of the massive size of the oceans and vast circulation of plastic litter, which is being addressed as part of the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Citizen science, public participation in scientific research and knowledge production, represents a potential source of data for SDG monitoring and reporting of marine plastic litter, yet there has been no evidence of its use to date. Here, we show how Ghana has become the first country to integrate existing citizen science data on marine plastic litter in their official monitoring and reporting of SDG indicator 14.1.1b for the years 2016–2020, which has also helped to bridge local data collection efforts with global monitoring processes and policy agendas by leveraging the SDG framework. The results have been used in Ghana’s 2022 Voluntary National Review of the SDGs, and reported on the UN SDG Global Database, as well as helping to inform relevant policies in Ghana. In addition, here, we present a pathway that can be adopted by the relevant government authorities in other countries that have an interest in following a similar citizen science data validation and reporting process for this indicator and potentially others.

Narratives of Global Order and Re-Ordering from the Global South

The global order is shifting from a unipolar world dominated by the West to a multipolar one with Asia emerging as a major centre of gravity. Narratives of order and re-ordering are powerful tools that shape policy agendas and enable local, national, and global actors to make sense of contemporary or historical orders or changes in those orders. Such narratives emanating from the Global North have dominated Social Science fields such as International Relations (IR). Global South narratives of order have received much less scholarly attention. This article contributes to filling this gap by examining narratives of global order and re-ordering from state and non-state actors in the Mashreq, India, the Maghreb (focusing on Morocco), and Iran. The cases provide a diverse array of narratives for interdisciplinary analysis, highlighting the importance of understanding global narratives from non-Western perspectives. Taking stock of such perspectives in policy and academic analyses is essential for methodological, conceptual, and theoretical pluralism in Social Sciences in general and for the task of globalizing the field of IR in particular.

Hotspurs in, sober bores out: A call and an agenda for entrepreneurship and innovation policies that foster rapidly scaling ventures

Our effort is motivated by the observation that European entrepreneurs who receive financial support from public entrepreneurship and innovation programs, set out as hotspurs (fiery highly motivated professionals) with a focus on innovation and scaling. However, over time their scaling ambitions erode, and efficiency starts to dominate ventures' strategies pursued with the financial support received becoming much more cautious managers (Sober Bores). We argue that European innovation and entrepreneurship policy fails to promote firm scaling because of the fundamental misunderstanding that innovation drives firms scaling, overlooking the crucial role of an entrepreneurial business model that ensures a fit between firms' market offerings and customer preferences throughout the firm development. We identify the underlying pain points that hamper firm scaling, deduct action points for scaling-oriented European innovation and entrepreneurship policies and suggest change agendas for policy and practice. Finally, we propose a novel approach for future research assessing innovation and entrepreneurship support schemes that can enhance our understanding and better inform evidence-based policies.

World Bank Influence on Policy Formation in Education: A Systematic Review of the Literature

The World Bank has been called the most influential organization in education reform globally. Not only is it the single largest funder of education for international development, but it also produces knowledge, circulates discourse, and structures policymaking processes in ways that extend its influence far beyond its primary role as a bank. However, while much literature has been produced about the World Bank, the field of education lacks a systematic discussion of what has been reported about how the World Bank influences policy formation at the country level. Through the conduct of a theoretically informed systematic literature review of 70 publications, this article clarifies and provides examples for the numerous ways that the World Bank influences policy formation. In all, the article documents 11 pathways through which the World Bank influences policymaking. The article concludes by suggesting areas where research on the World Bank can be improved, namely, through more explicit attention to the theoretical and methodological approaches employed. The goal of this review is to encourage scholars to be more specific in their conceptualizations and discussions of World Bank influence, to go beyond general claims of policy imposition or agenda shaping.

Academics' perceptions regarding performance evaluations and the consequences for their professional and personal activity

PurposeImproving and assuring the quality of higher education has become a key element of policy agendas worldwide. To this end, a complete accountability system has been developed through various evaluation procedures. Specifically, this study analyzes the perceptions of university teaching staff on the impact of performance appraisal systems on their professional activity, health and personal lives.Design/methodology/approachThe study adopted a nonexperimental descriptive and causal-comparative design using a questionnaire that was completed by a sample of 2,183 Spanish teachers. The data obtained were analyzed using descriptive statistics and comparisons of differences.FindingsThe results show that, according to teachers, the evaluation criteria undermine the quality of their work by encouraging them to neglect teaching, increase scientific production and engage in unethical research practices. Their views also emphasize the social and health-related consequences of an increasingly competitive work climate, including increased stress levels. Finally, significant differences are observed regarding gender, professional category and academic discipline, with women, junior faculty and social sciences teachers expressing particularly strong views.Originality/valueThe originality of this study lies in the application of a method that contributes to the international debate through a national perspective (Spain) that has so far received little attention.

The Development and Innovation of Social-Emotional Learning in China

In todays society, implementing social-e motional learning (SEL) is an important way to promote childrens all-round development fromthesmallsense, and the key to building global citizenship fromthelargesense. With the concept of social-emotional learning being proposed by the Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL), and SEL was putting on the global policy agenda by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), many countries have begun to explore and carry out relevant practices according to their actual conditions. This study takes the practice of MOE-UNICEF SEL Programme Team in China as an example to analyse how the policies and practices related to social-emotion learning were diffused and innovated in China. Onthisbasis, some preliminary suggestions on policy formation, theoretical framework, areas requiring special attention, programme implementation and evaluation can be put forward, which are hoped to provide a little reference for the better promotion of SEL.

Reframing Civil–Military Relations in the EU: Insights From the Drone Strategy 2.0

AbstractIn November 2022, the European Commission presented its Drone Strategy 2.0 with two main objectives: to build the European Union's (EU's) drone service market and to strengthen the Union's civil, security and defence industry capabilities and synergies. From the Commission's perspective, accelerating the integration of drones in Europe's airspace has the potential to enable progress on numerous policy objectives, such as the green transition, urban mobility, industrial renewal and cutting‐edge R&D in the civil–military domain. In this commentary, though, we argue that the Strategy is indicative of wider contemporary trends in EU policy‐making regarding cross‐cutting policy agendas, industry‐centred R&D ambitions and the identification and promotion of infrastructural goals enabling further civil–military co‐operation. These tendencies capture the growing importance of dual‐use technologies, both in society at large and in the security and military domains. This is particularly relevant in the current European context of growing military expenditure with the war in Ukraine.

Conceptualizing State Re-Engagement With Public Higher Education

Three trends have characterized state policymaking for higher education in the 21st century: divestment, accountability, and race neutrality. These policy agendas are often justified as an attempt to optimize system efficiency and performance by making institutional actors (agents) responsive to the demands of state officials (principals). In this manuscript, we present quantitative evidence that these three policy initiatives have not achieved their stated purpose. We use contemporary social theory to explain why this is the case. Finally, we call for deeper re-engagement of states and their higher education systems in place of transactional and technocratic models.

O.4.6-5 Evaluation of physical activity policies in Scotland: results from the 2021 Active Healthy Kids Scotland Report Card

Abstract Purpose The benefits of physical activity (PA) are well established for children and adolescents, and national policies can play an important role in increasing child and adolescent PA. As part of the Active Healthy Kids Global Alliance initiative, the 2021 Active Healthy Kids Scotland Report Card summarised the status of PA and health in Scottish children and adolescents prior to the COVID-19 pandemic—reporting on a range of indicators (Bardid et al., 2022). This study provides a detailed examination of the evidence informing the Government and Policy indicator. Methods Current Scottish PA policy documents (n = 18) published in 2011-2020—not including responses to COVID-19—were reviewed for grading. The grade was determined using an adapted version of the Policy Audit Tool version 2 (Ward et al., 2021). Key criteria in the scoring rubric include number and breadth of policies, identified funding, identifiable reporting structures, and monitoring and evaluation plan. Results A C- grade was assigned to the Government and Policy indicator. There is clear evidence of leadership and commitment to increasing levels of PA and providing PA opportunities for children and adolescents. The allocation of funds and resources for implementation of policy has increased substantially since the publication of previous report cards. Progress through the key stages of public policymaking—policy agenda and formation—has improved. However, some policy documents do not identify accountable organisations, whilst others do not include details regarding reporting structures. Moreover, many policy documents do not provide information on monitoring and evaluation. Conclusions Scotland has many creditable policies at national level. There appears to be good links between government directorates, policies and organisations responsible for implementation. Child and adolescent PA is clearly a priority in Scotland; it is not only an outcome, but also a means to achieve other goals (e.g., active travel to take climate action). However, current policies provide limited information on how delivery of proposed actions will be monitored and evaluated in practice. Future policies should therefore include more information on monitoring, evaluation, and reporting of delivery of actions, in order to better understand and support policy implementation and its impact on PA in children and adolescents.

Indexing habitat suitability and human-elephant conflicts using GIS-MCDA in a human-dominated landscape

Concerns for biodiversity loss, wildlife conservation, and habitat destruction have dominated the policy agenda worldwide for decades. Unsustainable human-induced development and negative interaction between humans and wildlife have emerged as predominant issues globally. The present study deals with human and elephant conflicts (HEC) in the Polpitigama Divisional Secretariat, Sri Lanka, which is located in the Kahalla-Pallekele elephant corridor and connects Wilpattu and Kaudulla wildlife sanctuaries. The research objectives are identifying spatial patterns of elephant habitat suitability and probable risk zones for HEC. The elephant habitat suitability and HEC risk zones were identified on spatial and temporal scales using Geographic Information System integrating Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis. Different factors, including habitat suitability, distance to roads, distance to croplands, distance to forests and protected areas, settlements, and population density, were considered to determine HEC risk zones in the area. Topography, water, and vegetation criteria are considered when determining elephant habitat suitability. The results of the Analytic Hierarchy Process run the spatially explicit model. The results revealed that of the total area, 15.3% is very highly suitable for elephant habitats, while the least suitable areas contribute only 4%. About 33.8% of the area is moderately suitable for elephants. The risk map indicates that 23.7% of the total area is under very high risk for HEC, and the least risk areas only account for 5.4%. About 26.2% of the area falls under the moderate risk zone for HEC. Since the model considered three aspects of HEC, it will help policymakers in wildlife conservation to avoid and minimize the HEC.

Understanding the Litigation Priorities of Legal Impact Organizations

What influences the litigation agendas of LGBTQ legal impact organizations in the United States? These organizations are at the forefront of bringing rights claims before the courts, but capacity and resource limitations mean that they cannot litigate every issue important to their constituency. Drawing on dozens of interviews with movement actors and organizational documents, I find that the formation of litigation agendas in LGBTQ legal impact organizations resembles the dynamic models of policy agenda setting, with cause lawyers influenced by a confluence of commonly reoccurring elements of unequal influence. However, one element stood out in influencing litigation choices, above even donor and funding concerns: lawyer autonomy and individual preferences. My findings suggest greater agency of individual cause lawyers and contribute to our understanding of the relationship between legal organizations and social movements.

Cheating ‘Jack Tar’: seafarers’ wages in Britain’s Royal Navy, 1754–1767

ABSTRACT The introduction of the Navy Act of 1758 by the British Parliament was designed to provide a mechanism whereby the payment of wages and allowances to Royal Navy seafarers and their dependants would be placed on a more equitable footing through more timely remittances. This study challenges earlier claims made concerning the effectiveness of the Act in this regard. By utilising modern accrual accounting techniques, we demonstrate conclusively how, over a 14-year period of war and peace (1754–1767) that included the promulgation of the Act, seafarers were forced to endure longer periods for payment seemingly at odds with the desires of Parliament. We provide explanations regarding this phenomenon showing seafarers were ensnared in a macro-level public-finance policy agenda that strictly prioritised the credit status of the Royal Navy through the timely payment of Navy bills at the expense of the day-to-day survival needs of seafarers. In order to maintain reputation and ensure the ongoing supply of materials, we show that accounting technologies, in the form of parliamentary budgetary processes and Treasury and Royal Navy cash management practices, were used to deliver this outcome.

Essential Workers of the Palais-Royal: Prostitution and the Public Good in French Revolutionary Drama

Abstract: From 1789 to 1792, the issue of prostitution was absent from parliamentary debates, policy agendas, and journalism in France. This article looks to theater and pamphlet literature instead for examples that break the silence around prostitution, with special emphasis on the play, Le Serment civique des demoiselles fonctionnaires publiques du Palais-Royal (1791), in which prostitutes debate their status and duty in relation to a new Revolutionary decree on public workers. Using print and performance to intervene in public discourse and promote their interests, prostitutes of the Palais-Royal are shown as crafting a notion of citizenship based not on a discourse of natural rights, as prominent feminist activists of the period did, but rather based on their contribution to the public good as essential workers for the nation.