Policy Context Research Articles

Numeracy Education for Adult Learners: A Scan of the Field and Principles for Course and Materials Design

Additional research is needed to improve adult numeracy instruction, training for instructors, and our understanding of the feasibility and impact of innovations in these areas. The Adult Numeracy in the Digital Era (ANDE) project, funded by the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) at the U.S. Department of Education, seeks to develop and test an innovative, technology-enabled approach for improving adult numeracy and digital literacy instruction. We began this project guided by principles of user-centered design, specifically the principle of knowing the user’s wants and needs. We conducted a “field scan” of adult numeracy and digital literacy, by interviewing researchers, instructors, students; conducting classroom observations; and reviewing literature. We detail our key findings within two emergent themes: (1) extensive variability in learner backgrounds and readiness, instructors’ experiences, standards alignment, course structures, and classroom contexts; and (2) diversity of learner goals and the actions they and their instructors took as they worked together within the course and local policy contexts. We also identify three design principles to guide course development, suggesting that adult numeracy courses should be: aligned and relevant; interactive and participatory; and relationship-centered. These principles guided the design of our adult numeracy course, and we offer questions that current instructors can consider as they design their own adult numeracy lessons.

A modified action framework to develop and evaluate academic-policy engagement interventions

BackgroundThere has been a proliferation of frameworks with a common goal of bridging the gap between evidence, policy, and practice, but few aim to specifically guide evaluations of academic-policy engagement. We present the modification of an action framework for the purpose of selecting, developing and evaluating interventions for academic-policy engagement.MethodsWe build on the conceptual work of an existing framework known as SPIRIT (Supporting Policy In Health with Research: an Intervention Trial), developed for the evaluation of strategies intended to increase the use of research in health policy. Our aim was to modify SPIRIT, (i) to be applicable beyond health policy contexts, for example encompassing social, environmental, and economic policy impacts and (ii) to address broader dynamics of academic-policy engagement. We used an iterative approach through literature reviews and consultation with multiple stakeholders from Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and policy professionals working at different levels of government and across geographical contexts in England, alongside our evaluation activities in the Capabilities in Academic Policy Engagement (CAPE) programme.ResultsOur modifications expand upon Redman et al.’s original framework, for example adding a domain of ‘Impacts and Sustainability’ to capture continued activities required in the achievement of desirable outcomes. The modified framework fulfils the criteria for a useful action framework, having a clear purpose, being informed by existing understandings, being capable of guiding targeted interventions, and providing a structure to build further knowledge.ConclusionThe modified SPIRIT framework is designed to be meaningful and accessible for people working across varied contexts in the evidence-policy ecosystem. It has potential applications in how academic-policy engagement interventions might be developed, evaluated, facilitated and improved, to ultimately support the use of evidence in decision-making.

Consequences of client violence towards the social worker: A systematic review

Client violence towards social workers is a phenomenon with serious consequences that affect the professional, service and organisation. However, it is not known what effect such violence has on each. A systematic review of 26 studies found that the consequences have an impact on the social worker, the service and the organisation. In particular, it affects the health of the social worker, the professional relationship the professional relationship with the client and organisational functioning. It is stressed that prevention measures should be holistic and comprehensive to reduce violence, focusing on actions involving the professional and influencing organisational and contextual policies.

Neurological conditions and subsequent divorce risk in the Nordic countries: the importance of gender and both spouses’ education

BackgroundPrior studies suggest that poor physical health, accompanied by functional disability, is associated with increased divorce risk. However, this association may depend on gender, the socioeconomic resources of the couple,...

Expertise, policy advice, and policy advisory systems in an open, participatory, and populist era: New challenges to research and practice

AbstractThis article examines the themes of policy advice, expertise, and policy advisory systems. It argues that persistent challenges and more emergent trends involving their intersection can be effectively understood through the lenses of instrumentality, authority, and adaptability. In the wake of renewed questions about the continued viability of longstanding public administration advisory arrangements, these themes help locate new pressures on those arrangement such as those linked to technological developments, shifting conceptions of expertise, and growing recognition of the challenges of managing systems of advice. These themes help facilitate continued engagement with persistent challenges linked to adequate policy capacity, the role of the public service advice, and question of rigour, legitimacy, and the democratic contexts of policy advising.Points for practitioners Technological innovations and turbulent governance arrangements have renewed debates around technocracy, democratic control and participation, the role of evidence, and normative and ethical considerations inherent in the generation and use of policy advice. Policy capacity remains important for well‐functioning policy advisory systems. It has itself become multifaceted reflecting not only important differences in types of expertise and policy advice, but also concerns around its management and deployment in varying governance contexts. The competencies required for policy workers inside and outside of government should reflect changes in the role of expertise and evolving systems of policy advice.

The role of social procurement policies and cross‐sector partnerships in addressing youth unemployment: A construction industry case study from Australia

AbstractIn Australia, 9.4% of young people aged 15–24 are unemployed, more than double the national rate. The national employment services system in Australia has, however, not successfully tackled this issue. While some wraparound programs have been implemented to better address young people's needs, most are designed to find young people any job rather than being tailored towards a specific career. Despite governments encouraging solutions that involve cross‐sector collaboration with private businesses, the potential of industry‐specific solutions has been less well‐explored. Addressing this gap, this paper presents an in‐depth case study of how one major Australian construction company has implemented an industry‐specific collaborative wraparound program to address youth unemployment, called the Connectivity Centre model (CCM). The paper discusses the features of this model that make it distinctive compared to other programs supporting young people's employment. It also discusses how the policy context of social procurement (policies generating social value through procurement processes) and cross‐sector collaboration incentivise the model. The policy implications are explored, highlighting how models like the CCM offer a complementary alternative to other unemployment supports available to young jobseekers in Australia.Points for practitioners Social procurement policies incentivise private companies’ involvement in youth unemployment programs, including utilising their cross‐sector networks. Private companies’ involvement enables youth unemployment programs that reflect the same benefits as wraparound programs in intensive/personalised support while providing more industry specificity. This set of characteristics is unique and complementary within Australia's youth unemployment support landscape.

European foreign language policies, national language testing and ambivalence towards the introduction of the logics of standardisation

Educational policies and priorities shaped at the supranational level by European and global agencies and players impact the processes of national policymaking in complex ways. In this study, recontextualisations of European foreign language education and language assessment policies in the Greek policy and pedagogical contexts are examined. Specifically, the politics of foreign language education and assessment are explored with a focus on English language teaching in public schools and the expected introduction of the Greek National Certificate of Language Proficiency (known as KPG) which is a state-led testing system formed by adopting the six-level scale of the Common European Framework of Reference for languages. Drawing on Bernstein’s theory of symbolic control and pedagogic discourse, it is shown that extensive recontextualisations of European (and global) discourses on English language teaching and assessment in the Greek context project competency and outcome-based curricula and learning as the desirable pedagogic model. Furthermore, attempts to introduce certification procedures in public schools derive from market-driven discourses that sanction a standardised system of student performance while the implications of standardisation for schools, teachers and students alike are downplayed.

From Stalin to the Aliyev clan: 70 years of hindered autonomy in Nagorno‐Karabakh

AbstractDespite Azerbaijan's 2020 military victory over Armenia and the forcible expulsion of all Armenian residents from Nagorno‐Karabakh in September 2023, the South Caucasus remains far away from lasting peace and stability. This article addresses the following puzzle: why did secessionism strengthen in Nagorno‐Karabakh despite enjoying autonomy for 70 years from 1923 to 1991? Drawing from the securitization theory and Brubaker's institutionalist nationalism approach, the article identifies three variables: the historical context of Soviet nationalities policies, Soviet Azerbaijan securitization policies; and the lingering Armenian fear of a possible new genocide. The consequences of precluded autonomy impaired any prospects for a peaceful settlement as the Second Karabakh War in 2020, a nine month economic blockade of Karabakh commencing in 2022 followed by the ethnic cleansing of all residents in 2023 demonstrate. The methodology followed in this research is a qualitative analysis based on document analysis and interviews with key stake holders. The conclusion summarizes the main research findings.

Department of Forest's new community Forestry Guideline

Department of Forest (DOF) has issued a new version of Community Forestry Guideline in May 2001, replacing the first version that was issued 10 years back. Officials engaged in developing this amendment indicate in their preface statements that a new versionof the guideline was felt necessary in the changing contexts of community forestry policies and practices over thepast several years in general, and in particular, to address the challenges of meeting escalating demand for increasingly diverse services to communities. The guideline was prepared with involvement of, and support from bilateral forestry projects, who deputed their representatives in the guideline review task force constituted by DOF. An outline of the draft guideline was discussed in two national level meetings of government forest officials and forestry project staff.

Present Status of Microplastic Pollution Research Data in Sri Lanka and Microplastic Risk Mitigation Solutions; Lessons from a Global Policy Context

The emergence of microplastics (MP) as a pollutant in natural environments including aquatics has been increasingly recognized worldwide. This review focuses on the status of MP pollution research in Sri Lanka, and MP risk mitigation solutions, as lessons from a global MP policy context. The methodology involves a comprehensive literature review divided into three main sections: 1) a simple understanding of the plastic cycle and risk factors,2) a comprehensive review of MP pollution research trends in Sri Lanka, 3) a comprehension of global trends of MP regulation policies and adaptable solutions for national scale. There was less attention given to MP research in Sri Lanka, until the recent X-Press Pearl disastrous incident. In addition to that, we highlight the less attention paid to MP pollution in inland waters and lands compared to marine. Considering the widespread MP issue, the paper highlights the importance of a policy approach for MP pollution control. Finally, the paper discusses the future directions for MP pollution research in Sri Lanka and emphasizes the need for more detailed quantitative data for effective policy formulation. The overall study presents a sound case for understanding a national context in MP pollution and suggesting necessary policy instruments in pollution regulation.

Advancing understanding of the linkages between local land policy interventions and the responsiveness of housing supply: Intervention mechanisms in the Finnish context

Land policy interventions are important ways for municipalities to implement their spatial development objectives. Such interventions may, however, generate both intended and unintended effects to housing supply and its responsiveness. It is therefore essential to better understand how and through what kind of mechanisms local land policy interventions can influence the quantity of housing supply. This paper addresses these questions. First, we develop a conceptual classification of so-called intervention mechanisms that describes the linkages between local land policy interventions and the quantity and responsiveness of housing supply. The intervention mechanisms build on a review of the urban economics literature and are further developed empirically using extensive expert interview data on local land policy interventions and practices in 30 Finnish municipalities. Based on the understanding that such intervention primarily influences housing supply through either direct or indirect costs on development, we conceptualize seven intervention mechanisms in the Finnish land policy context. Second, we demonstrate the variation in the application of land policy interventions that contribute to the (in)responsiveness of housing supply at the municipal level. Our findings highlight significant variation in the application of such interventions, potentially leading to different outcomes in housing supply restrictiveness. The findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the mechanisms by which land policy interventions operate to affect the (in)responsiveness of housing supply.

Drivers of inappropriate use of antimicrobials in South Asia: A systematic review of qualitative literature.

Antimicrobial resistance is a global public health crisis. Effective antimicrobial stewardship requires an understanding of the factors and context that contribute to inappropriate use of antimicrobials. The goal of this qualitative systematic review was to synthesize themes across levels of the social ecological framework that drive inappropriate use of antimicrobials in South Asia. In September 2023, we conducted a systematic search using the electronic databases PubMed and Embase. Search terms, identified a priori, were related to research methods, topic, and geographic location. We identified 165 articles from the initial search and 8 upon reference review (n = 173); after removing duplicates and preprints (n = 12) and excluding those that did not meet eligibility criteria (n = 115), 46 articles were included in the review. We assessed methodological quality using the qualitative Critical Appraisal Skills Program checklist. The studies represented 6 countries in South Asia, and included data from patients, health care providers, community members, and policy makers. For each manuscript, we wrote a summary memo to extract the factors that impede antimicrobial stewardship. We coded memos using NVivo software; codes were organized by levels of the social ecological framework. Barriers were identified at multiple levels including the patient (self-treatment with antimicrobials; perceived value of antimicrobials), the provider (antimicrobials as a universal therapy; gaps in knowledge and skills; financial or reputational incentives), the clinical setting (lack of resources; poor regulation of the facility), the community (access to formal health care; informal drug vendors; social norms), and policy (absence of a regulatory framework; poor implementation of existing policies). This study is the first to succinctly identify a range of norms, behaviors, and policy contexts driving inappropriate use of antimicrobials in South Asia, emphasizing the importance of working across multiple sectors to design and implement approaches specific to the region.

Transforming health care delivery: The role of primary health care nurses in rural and remote Australia.

This paper describes the policy context and approaches taken to improve access to primary health care in Australia by supporting nurses to deliver improved integrated care meeting community needs. In Primary Health Care (PHC), the nursing workforce are predominantly employed in the general practice sector. Despite evidence that nurse-led models of care can bridge traditional treatment silos in the provision of specialised and coordinated care, PHC nurses' scope of practice varies dramatically. Nurse-led models of care are imperative for rural and remote populations that experience workforce shortages and barriers to accessing health care. Existing barriers include policy constraints, limited organisational structures, education and financing models. The Australian Primary Health Care Nurses Association (APNA) received funding to implement nurse-led clinics as demonstration projects. The clinics enable PHC nurses to work to their full scope of practice, improve continuity of care and increase access to health care in under serviced locations. We reviewed a range of peer-reviewed literature, policy documents, grey literature and APNA provided sources, particularly those relevant to rural and remote populations. We argue more focus is needed on how to address variations in the scope of practice of the rural and remote PHC nursing workforce. Despite growing evidence for the effectiveness of nurse-led models of care, significant policy and financial barriers continue to inhibit PHC nurses working to their full scope of practice. If their potential to transform health care and increase access to health services is to be realised these barriers must be addressed.

Extreme Weather Disruptions and Emergency Preparedness Among Older Adults in Ohio: An Eight-County Assessment

The disproportionate risks and impacts of climate change and extreme weather on older adults are increasingly evident. While especially true in disaster-prone areas, human-caused climate change introduces an element of uncertainty even in previously identified “safe” regions such as the Midwestern United States. Using a cumulative disadvantage and vulnerability-informed framework and descriptive statistics from multiple data sources, this article provides an overview of climate impacts, vulnerabilities, and county-level characteristics, focusing on older adults living in Central Ohio. A comparative multiple-case study methodology was used to triangulate regionally representative primary and secondary data sources to examine state and county-level measures of vulnerability, emergency preparedness, and disruptions caused by extreme weather among older adults across eight counties in Central Ohio. Seventy-eight percent of older adults in the sample reported being prepared for emergencies per Federal Emergency Management Agency guidelines. Older adults in Union County reported the highest rates of preparedness, while those in Fayette County reported the lowest. County-level rates of disruption of life activities by extreme weather ranged widely. Among the most rural in the region, Fayette County emerged as uniquely disadvantaged, with the lowest median income, the most vulnerable across multiple social vulnerability dimensions, and the most reported disruptions to life activities from extreme weather. County profiles offer a snapshot of existing vulnerabilities, socioeconomic conditions, special needs, preparedness, and current disruptions among older adults in the region and can inform resource mobilization across community and policy contexts.

Turkish Radio and TV Broadcasting Corporation’s new streaming application and the continuity of music policy as an educational institution

While numerous studies focus on streaming platforms as new business models or as novel elements in the supply chain, there is a notable gap in research addressing how streaming is operationalized within the context of state cultural policies. This study aims to fill this gap by conducting a preliminary examination of Turkish Radio and Television Broadcasting Corporation’s (TRT’s) digital transformation through its music streaming platform, TRT Listen. This research contributes to the international literature by highlighting various potential approaches to the digitalization of public radio broadcasting. This study, which examines the purpose and realization of TRT Listen, first provides a historical overview of TRT’s radio broadcasting and thus reveals the continuity in TRT’s cultural policy, which is shaped as a mission to educate the public and inculcate a national cultural identity, from radio broadcasting to the platform app. Two different research methods were used in this study: walk-through technique for the app and in-depth interviews with TRT’s staff and music industry representatives. The basic argument suggests that TRT Listen represents a continuation of historical music policies and nation state cultural agenda inherited from TRT’s radio era. However, at the operational level, this strategic continuity seems to disappear in the audience engagement techniques of digital platforms. The three main discussion sections of this article – TRT Listen’s strategic orientation, content curation and copyright management – reveal the platform’s mission to educate the public culturally in Turkey.

Demographic pathways and intergenerational effects of changes in women's education: Evidence from China

Using data from the 2011 baseline China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study, this study employs a simulation model developed by Mare and Maralani to investigate the intergenerational effects of changes in the distribution of women's education on the educational distribution of their offspring's generation in China. Different from the conventional retrospective studies of intergenerational mobility that have focused on associations between parents’ and children's socioeconomic attainment, the prospective approach adopted in this study examines the relative importance of both the demographic pathways, namely assortative mating and fertility differentials, and the social mobility pathway to the intergenerational transmission processes in a changing socioeconomic and policy context of China. First, I found a positive intergenerational effect across all three cohorts of women born between 1925 and 1965: an increase in women's education led to an improvement in their daughters’ educational attainment. Second, the two demographic pathways, marriage and fertility, and intergenerational transmission jointly affected the educational attainment of the next generation in a complex way. While assortative mating strengthened the intergenerational effects, educational differentials in fertility dampened the intergenerational effects, since improvement in women's education increased their chances of marrying better-educated husbands but reduced their fertility levels. Third, the intergenerational effects and the respective effects of two demographic pathways became smaller across cohorts, which could be attributed jointly to educational expansion at the national level and changing family planning policies experienced by different cohorts of women and their offspring. Fourth, rural/urban comparison further demonstrated the existing educational inequality in contemporary China.

Employment and Skill Development Initiatives in the Labor Markets: The Cases of Indonesia and Thailand

This study delves into the intricate dynamics of labor markets in Indonesia and Thailand, revealing the symbiotic relationship between policy attributes, vocational education, and collaborative governance, all anchored in a robust theoretical framework encompassing policy attributes. The central question driving this research is: How can the government effectively mitigate labor market challenges in Indonesia and Thailand? To answer this question, the study aims to illuminate the interplay of solubility, complexity, scale, divisibility, monetarization, scope, and interdependence attributes within labor market policies. Employing a case study as its primary research strategy, the study analyzes data from diverse sources, including labor force statistics, policy documents, and academic literature. The Indonesian government, driven by the commitment to address the multifaceted challenges of unemployment and skill gaps, has formulated strategic initiatives to increase productivity and competitiveness. Thailand’s School in Factory Programs is an exemplary model, showcasing a comprehensive approach to workforce competence by seamlessly integrating education with industry needs. The analysis extends to the broader context of population policies, drawing valuable lessons from the Republic of South Korea. The success of South Korea’s population policy highlights the relevance of principles such as New Public Management (NPM), New Public Governance (NPG), and New Public Service (NPS). These principles are subsequently intertwined with the Indonesian and Thai cases, providing a comprehensive understanding of governance dynamics within the context of population and employment strategies.

Big Cities, Big Impacts? A spatial analysis of 3,335 ecological offsets in France since 2012

This paper assesses the French policy of mitigation hierarchy, with the aim of no net loss of biodiversity, by studying the geographical aspects of the application of the concept of ecological offsets in equivalence between losses and gains using spatialized data. We seek to know whether the dynamics of urban and interurban development (notably built-up and transport infrastructures) lead to a spatially integrated implementation of biodiversity offsets taking into account local characteristics and areas under pressure from land artificialization. Our main finding reveals that the majority of ecological offsets are generated by projects related to transport infrastructures (38%) and urban planning and construction projects (23%). However, if there are fewer, the ecological offsets of projects such as waste storage or energy development are mostly located in natural preserved areas, revealing a potential risk of non additionnality of offset measures and a risk that the private sector (through ecological offsets) will gradually replace the state in the protection of biodiversity. Our analysis also points out that despite the diversity of projects, habitats and protected species across France, there is a typical spatial layout profile of ecological offsets, pleading for a “one size fits all” offsetting in the French policy context of tenuous regulators’ availability in time and competence level due to weakness of refresh training and downsizing of public services in the environment. This last result argues for a stronger control from environmental agencies between two tremendously tricky concepts of offsetting, the equivalence valuation methods and the adjustments coefficients (time delay and ecological risk), to drive ecological offsetting future decisions at local but above all regional- and national-level planning documents.

Cultures of social markets

Social enterprises and markets have too often been conceived of as distinct, small, and usually marginal segments of the wider business community and economy. Yet the macro-cultural and policy contexts between countries and regions have historically delivered very different forms and levels of enterprises, social responsiveness, impact, and accountability, from the Scandinavian social contract to Chinese state enterprises, and from the Anglo-Saxon forms of corporate governance to the co-determination models from Germany to Taiwan. This article explores some of these developments, building on a broader view of ‘social enterprise’ as concerning the translation of societal values into enterprise aims, activities, configurations and social markets, concerning how such practices are embedded into markets and economies. Drawing on the author’s research and reflections, the article points to the current opportunity and risks in establishing a broader agenda and practice of social enterprises linked to the decline in the historically dominant Anglo-Saxon approach to privileging financial capital.

Playful (music) teaching and learning in Irish primary school classrooms

ABSTRACT The value and importance of play for children’s well-being, learning and development is evidenced by its inclusion within the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, and its increased policy and research presence on a national and international stage. However, with a need for educators and pupils to navigate a range of implicit tensions in understandings of play and formal learning, enactment of playful pedagogy in primary schools is not without its challenges. This article situates playful teaching and learning in the primary education sphere, drawing from the broader policy and research context, and findings from empirical case study research conducted with Irish primary school teachers (n = 6) exploring playful music pedagogy over a 6-week period in their classrooms in 2019. Results indicated teacher perceptions of a capacity for playful music pedagogy to facilitate deep, holistic learning in tandem with enhanced engagement and motivation for children. Also of note is a blurring of boundaries between play and work with implicit shifts to classroom culture, ownership, and associated movement outside comfort zones for teachers and pupils alike. Recommendations are made pertaining to cultural and policy shifts, and sustained support for educators in navigating tensions, paradoxes and challenges associated with implementing playful pedagogy in the Irish primary education context.