Policy-making Agencies Research Articles

Street-level bureaucrats as policymakers in the implementation of information system in social services

ABSTRACT This article explores the policymaking agency of street-level bureaucrats (SLBs) through public service ecosystem (PSE) framework. The study addresses the SLBs’ role in policy implementation and the conditions influencing the SLBs’ policymaking agency at individual, organizational and institutional spheres. Empirically, the focus is on the SLBs’ experiences of an information system’s (IS) implementation in social services. Findings suggest that the SLBs can utilize their policymaking agency at the individual sphere. However, the structural conditions at the organizational and institutional spheres limit the SLBs’ policymaking agency and the intended outcomes of the policy implementation.

Green Entrepreneurship Model in The Batik Industry: a Solution Towards Sustainable Development goals (SDGs)

Abstract
 Green Entrepreneurship (GE) seeks to integrate environmental and social benefits to provide competitive advantages for companies. The general aim of this research is to analyze problems and develop a green entrepreneurship model for the batik industry in Tulungagung district. Meanwhile, the specific objectives of this research are (1) to describe the implementation of green entrepreneurship in the batik industry in Tulungagung district. (2) describe the problems faced by batik craftsmen in Tulungagung district in implementing green entrepreneurship (3) develop a green entrepreneurship model through the four-D approach
 The research approach is a qualitative case study with the output of a green entrepreneurship model for the batik industry in Tulungagung district, East Java. The research subjects were batik industry managers, batik industry employees, and the local government as a policy-making agency, totaling 25 people. The instruments used in this research include interview guides, observation sheets and documentation. Meanwhile, data analysis uses the Miles, Huberman & Saldana (2014) formula.
 The research results show that the application of green entrepreneurship in the batik industry is still limited to the use of non-plastic packaging and Eco print batik innovation. The problems of batik craftsmen in implementing green entrepreneurship include not managing industrial waste properly, lack of green entrepreneurship literacy, lack of ongoing assistance and supervision. Green awareness of batik craftsmen is still low due to limited knowledge. Practical research suggestions still require socialization and assistance regarding the implementation of green entrepreneurship both from the local government and from other parties who care about environmental safety.

The impact of policy collaboration networks and policy topic networks on policy diffusion: Empirical evidence from the energy field

Policy networks have strong explanatory power for policy processes and policy results. Previous studies have proven the importance of the role played by policy collaboration networks. Recently, the value of policy topic networks has gradually been revealed. However, there has been a lack of interpretation of policy results through topic network characteristics. Therefore, a comparative research framework for policy collaboration and topic networks is proposed. Based on a search and screening results for China's energy policies, we construct a policy collaboration network composed of policymaking agencies and their collaborations and a topic network composed of policy topics and their co-occurrences. After analysing the characteristics of institutions and topics, we empirically test hypotheses concerning the relationship between the network characteristics of these two networks and policy diffusion in China. We find that in policy collaboration networks, the centrality of agencies has a positive effect on the degree of policy diffusion and the structural holes of agencies exert an inverted U-shaped effect on the degree of policy diffusion. In the topic networks, policy topics with high centrality have a greater degree of policy diffusion and the structural holes of topics are not significantly associated with policy diffusion.

Relationships between land use types and urban heat island intensity in Hulu Langat district, Selangor, Malaysia

BackgroundUrban heat island (UHI) is an urban climate phenomenon that primarily responds to urban conditions and land use change. The extent of hard surfaces significantly influences the thermal properties of the land. To address this issue, a novel approach quantifying the association between land use and UHI is developed. This study offers a new technique for effectively estimating the effect of land use on the UHI intensity using the combination of urban heat intensity index (UHII) and land contribution index (LCI) derived from Landsat 8 OLI images. The time-series thermal effect of land use on the UHI intensity can be determined according to the ratio in mean temperature between specific land use and the whole study site. The study was conducted in the Hulu Langat district, Malaysia during 2014–2021.ResultsThe UHI intensity rose from 0.19 in 2014 to 0.70 in 2021. The negative value of LCI for vegetation areas and water bodies obtained its negative contribution to the urban heat island, while the positive value of LCI for bare areas and built-up areas showed its positive effect on the urban heat island. The LCI value for urban areas showed a significant increase in the 7 years such as 0.51, 0.66, 0.69, and 0.75 for periods 2014, 2016, 2018, and 2021, respectively. The change in LCI from 2014 to 2021 for the transformation of bare area and forest was recorded to be 0.23 and − 0.02, respectively. Thus, the conversion of forests into urban areas had a negative effect on the increment of UHI intensity. ConclusionsOverall, these findings are useful for policy-making agency in developing an effective policy for reducing high UHI intensity and planning long-term land use management.

Sosialisasi Penggunaan Software Vissim Untuk Menganalisis Dampak Pembangunan Gedung Terhadap Kinerja Lalu Lintas

The targets in this PkM activity are our partners, namely DTKJ, policy-making agencies and the public using transportation so that it can run more optimally. Transportation is a very important and strategic tool in accelerating the wheels of the economy, strengthening unity and integrity and affecting all aspects of national and state life. In Jakarta, the unresolved transportation problem is congestion, especially at certain points which are meeting centers from various directions, so it is very important to have signposted intersections to avoid conflicts that occur on the roads. Therefore, it is necessary to have a more in-depth study in determining the capacity of the road, the length of the vehicle queue, the estimated traffic volume, and the level of road service. Therefore, an assessment was carried out using the Vissim software where the assessment can be carried out with 3D simulation which will make it easier to analyze a road section and be able to find out the actual conditions that occur on that road segment. This PkM activity succeeded in introducing Socialization of the use of Vissim software which has not widely known by many people and providing an understanding of what Vissim simulation.

Green routing model using multi-modal transportation and ICD network

The ICD supports optimizing freight transportation and reducing the pressure on capacity, natural constraints, and external impacts that maritime ports are facing. Furthermore, the ICD network can also help reduce the pollution emitted from logistics operations by prioritizing using environmentally friendly means of transport. The study proposes a model of selecting green multi-modal transportation combined with the use of the ICD network, aimed at increasing the proportion of using rail and waterway transport, rather than only unimodal road transport. Then, this model helps to minimize emissions from logistics operations, including carbon dioxide (CO2), nitric oxide (NOx), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and fine dust (PM) at a minimum cost (considering both emissions and transportation charges). This study provides a useful approach to building green logistics policies for policy-making agencies, as well as supporting decision-making when choosing green transport modes in companies.

Bureaucratic Migration Politics in West Africa: Opportunities and Dependencies Created by EU Funding

This article delves into the role of bureaucrats and administrations in the development of national migration policies in West Africa. Based upon 87 interviews conducted in Accra, Dakar, and Brussels, it argues that the process of developing migration policies in Ghana and Senegal exhibits features of “bureaucratic politics.” West African bureaucracies have gained more national policy-making agency, due to the opportunities created by external funding from the European Union (EU) and the International Organization for Migration. EU funding fostered the policy expertise of local officials and provided certain administrative branches with resources to grow. In the process, bureaucracies in Ghana and Senegal have become more receptive to developing national migration policies and adapting to the EU external migration agenda. These findings add to an often-heard assumption in the literature about EU conditionality in its migration policy with non-EU countries — namely, that adaption to EU standards may be determined by not only the rewards given to foreign governments but also by the donors’ ability to establish a longer-term engagement with the bureaucracy. The research also demonstrates that EU migration cooperation reinforces the typical pattern of the postcolonial state, wherein the bureaucracy is funded by the state and external donors. The article addresses a gap in research on EU migration cooperation with the Global South and acknowledges the role of domestic bureaucracies in maintaining dependent postcolonial relationships with the EU in the realm of migration governance.

Application of the Policy Regime Framework to understand COVID-19 policy response in the Southeast U.S.: How RAPID research can provide lessons learned after a public health crisis.

Quick-response research during a time of crisis is important because time-sensitive findings can inform urgent decision-making, even with limited research budgets. This research, a National Science Foundation-funded Rapid Response Research (RAPID), explores the United States (U.S.) government's messaging on science in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and how this messaging informed policy. Using rapidly emerging secondary data (e.g., policy documents taken from government websites and others), much of which has since been removed or changed, we examined the interactions between governing bodies, non-governmental organizations, and civilian populations in the Southeastern U.S. during the first 2 years of the pandemic. This research helps to better understand how decision-makers at the federal, state, and local levels responded to the pandemic in three states with the lowest vaccine rates and highest levels of poverty, income inequality, and disproportionate impacts borne by people of color in the nation: Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi. This study incorporates the Policy Regime Framework to discuss how two foundational concepts (ideas and institutions) helped govern policy implementation during the COVID-19 pandemic. This research fills a significant information gap by providing a better understanding of how policy regimes emerge across multiple levels of government and impact vulnerable populations during times of a public health crisis. We use automated text analysis to make sense of a large quantity of textual data from policy-making agencies. Our case study is the first to use the Policy Regime Framework in conjunction with empirical data, as it emerged, from federal, state, and local governments to analyze the U.S. policy response to COVID-19. We found the U.S. policy response included two distinct messaging periods in the U.S. during the COVID-19 pandemic: pre and post-vaccine. Many messaging data sources (agency websites, public service announcements, etc). have since been changed since we collected them, thus our real-time RAPID research enabled an accurate snapshot of a policy response in a crisis. We also found that there were significant differences in the ways that federal, state, and local governments approached communicating complex ideas to the public in each period. Thus, our RAPID research demonstrates how significant policy regimes are enacted and how messaging from these regimes can impact vulnerable populations.

Board gender diversity and corporate carbon commitment: Does industry matter?

AbstractThe study examines whether board gender diversity is associated with corporate carbon commitment, and if so, whether the association varies between firms operating in the extractive and non‐extractive industries. Based on insights drawn from gender socialization, resource dependence, and critical mass theories, we develop models that link board gender diversity with corporate carbon commitment. Analyzing data obtained from Standard and Poor's 1500 firms, for the period 2015 to 2019, we find that higher representation of women on a firm's board is positively associated with the firm's carbon commitment and that the association is stronger for firms in the extractive industries. Furthermore, a nominal appointment of women to a firm's board reduces the likelihood of the firm's carbon commitment being at a given or higher level, while the appointment of a “critical mass” of women to the board increases the firm's inclination toward higher carbon commitment. Our findings suggest that regulatory and policymaking agencies could exploit legislative and policy initiatives that would promote board gender diversity to encourage corporates, especially those operating in the extractive industries, to commit to the climate change cause.

The policy trajectory of China’s globalizing Internet

PurposeChina’s globalizing Internet describes a situation where China is using the Internet as a tool or medium to transmit its voice on the world stage and enhance its influence over the global Internet governance system and the global digitalization process. Several concerns, however, exist regarding China’s globalizing Internet strategies. This paper aims to respond to these concerns and enhance the understanding of China’s globalizing Internet strategies.Design/methodology/approachThis paper will use content analysis to trace the policy development trajectory of China’s globalizing Internet, including policy vision, policy-making agencies and policy tools.FindingsThe Chinese government has issued a considerable number of policies to regulate and promote the development of the Internet since 2014. The key trend that emerged from the analysis of China’s globalizing Internet policy is the cooperation among different agencies. Existing policies have comprehensively used the supply-oriented tools, the environment-oriented tools and the demand-oriented tools; and the last two tools have been used more frequently in recent years.Originality/valueThe analysis results contribute to understanding how China uses digital technology to enhance its influence over the global Internet governance system.

Livelihood vulnerability and adaptability to the Covid-19 pandemic of households in Hiep Binh Phuoc ward, Thu Duc City

This study used the survey data of 120 households in Hiep Binh Phuoc ward, Thu Duc City which is part of Ho Chi Minh City, to analyze the changes of living, livelihoods and income of the people during the social distancing period covering the 4th Covid-19 outbreak from June to September 2021. The research results show that, during the period, people were not allowed to go out, which provided positive effects to the household members in reducing expenditures on outdoor transportation and snacks expenditure , while also gaining more time for listening to music, watching movies, taking care of their own family members. However, most of the household's livelihoods were adversely affected by the suspension, the reduction of working hours and the switching to working from home or working online. More than 72% of survey households were cramped at home, subjected to stress and could not go to the hospital for regular health check-ups. The labor rate of surveyed households had reduced income: traders, workers, and self-employed accounting to 76%; 20% of the surveyed had unchanged income, mostly government officials, teachers and retirees; and only 4% of the laborers had an increase in income. After more than 120 days, households resume to usual mode when most people can already go out to start a new normal life with the Covid-19 pandemic. The results of the ordered logistic regression show that there are 5 variables affecting the adaptability of households to Covid-19 as follows: physical assets, financial assets, human assets, and housing status. The sign of the regression coefficients of all asset variables is positive, indicating that household's livelihood assets play an important role in overcoming difficulties while increasing the adaptability to Covid-19 in particular and other possible future shocks in general. The policy-making agencies should promote the self-reliance of households, encourage households to reorganize their livelihood activities. In addition, the local government needs to coordinate with the agencies to organize vocational training courses and skills for households, especially information technology applications for online working and the trend of industrial revolution 4.0.

Public-Private Partnership in Handling Corona Virus Disease 2019 in DKI Jakarta Province

With the growing problem conditions and the increasing number of confirmed cases of Covid-19, it requires the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government to collaborate with stakeholders such as the private sector, national companies, and the public in handling Covid-19 in DKI Jakarta Province. This research focuses on the partnership between the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government and the private Human Initiative and Agile Innovation Labs companies. The purpose of this study is to describe and analyze public private partnerships in handling Covid-19 in DKI Jakarta Province. This study uses a qualitative approach with a descriptive method. In the analysis of this study using the theory proposed by Yusuf et al (2006) with three major variables, namely: (1) Process Factor, (2) Partner Factor, and (3) Structural Factor. The data analyzed are the results of interviews, observations, and document review at the Regional Cooperation Bureau, the Secretariat of DKI Jakarta Province. The results of the study show that from this multi-stakeholder partnership relationship produces various benefits for each party. However, on the partner factor indicator, there are still several obstacles, such as the change of officials in policy-making agencies who do not receive transfer of knowledge from previous officials, so that the partnership process becomes hampered.

Data-driven inferences of agency-level risk and response communication on COVID-19 through social media-based interactions.

Risk perception and risk averting behaviors of public agencies in the emergence and spread of COVID-19 can be retrieved through online social media (Twitter), and such interactions can be echoed in other information outlets. This study collected time-sensitive online social media data and analyzed patterns of health risk communication of public health and emergency agencies in the emergence and spread of novel coronavirus using data-driven methods. The major focus is toward understanding how policy-making agencies communicate risk and response information through social media during a pandemic and influence community response-ie, timing of lockdown, timing of reopening, etc.-and disease outbreak indicators-ie, number of confirmed cases and number of deaths. Twitter data of six major public organizations (1,000-4,500 tweets per organization) are collected from February 21, 2020 to June 6, 2020. Several machine learning algorithms, including dynamic topic model and sentiment analysis, are applied over time to identify the topic dynamics over the specific timeline of the pandemic. Organizations emphasized on various topics-eg, importance of wearing face mask, home quarantine, understanding the symptoms, social distancing and contact tracing, emerging community transmission, lack of personal protective equipment, COVID-19 testing and medical supplies, effect of tobacco, pandemic stress management, increasing hospitalization rate, upcoming hurricane season, use of convalescent plasma for COVID-19 treatment, maintaining hygiene, and the role of healthcare podcast in different timeline. The findings can benefit emergency management, policymakers, and public health agencies to identify targeted information dissemination policies for public with diverse needs based on how local, federal, and international agencies reacted to COVID-19.

Fentanyl epidemic hits the U.S. West Coast: Opioid-related deaths in San Francisco from 2009–2019

BackgroundOpioid-use disorders have led to a nationwide epidemic of accidental overdoses in the United States. In recent years this opioid epidemic has worsened due to the increased availability of fentanyl in the illicit drug market. The increase in fentanyl-related deaths is well known on the U.S. East Coast, however, limited comprehensive information of mortality data exists from major West Coast cities. MethodsFollowing comprehensive medico-legal death and toxicological investigations, a retrospective cohort study was performed on all accidental opioid overdose deaths (AOOD) from 2009 – 2019 in San Francisco. The sex, age and race of decedents, location, and date and time of death were described and statistically compared by the type of opioid(s) causing death. ResultsSince 2016, fentanyl deaths started to replace heroin deaths leading to a sharp increase in fatal overdoses involving fentanyl, surpassing heroin and/or medicinal opioids by 2018. Fentanyl contributed to between 3% and 12% of deaths per year from 2009 to 2015, and between 20% and 73% per year from 2016 to 2019. White and Black males represented 91.5% of all AOOD. Age groups younger than 45 died using fentanyl and heroin significantly more often than older populations (60.7% of ≤45 vs. 40.7% of >45 year-olds, χ2p<0.001). ConclusionsThis study shows an upward trend in fentanyl fatal accidental overdoses in recent years in a major West Coast U.S. city. These patterns appear to follow patterns seen in eastern states, albeit with an approximate 3-year delay, and may be indicative of other western populations. The described observations provide detailed demographic, chronological and toxicological information to public health and policy-making agencies for drug harm reduction measures.

Applicability of IFRS in Vietnam stock exchange listed companies: Perspective from Theory of Planned Behavior

The research, based upon data collected from 273 enterprises, uses the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) to identify and estimate the degree to which factors the ability to apply IFRS in listed non-financial enterprises has been affected. Through Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and multivariate linear regression approach, the research proves that there are four factors placing impacts on IFRS adoption in listed companies in Vietnam. Those are management’s attitude, costs, economic integration, accounting staff’s knowledge and skills. The research results are the foundation for businesses to be fully prepared for the favorable and successful application of IFRS. In addition, the results of this study are also useful references for policy-making agencies and professional associations in promoting IFRS application in Vietnam the next time.

Investigating the Dynamics of China's Green Building Policy Development from 1986 to 2019.

China has enacted numerous green building policies (GBPs) to promote green building (GB) development in the past decades. Investigating the evolution characteristics of China’s GBPs is significant for the future optimization of the GBP system. However, few studies on this topic have been conducted. To bridge this research gap, this paper adopted the methods of bibliometric analysis and text mining to probe the dynamic evolution of the GBPs in China. Firstly, a total 199 collected policies from 1986 to 2019 were grouped into five stages according to the Five-Year Plan. Then, the topics emphasized in different stages and the cooperative relationships among policymaking agencies were discovered by mapping and visualizing the co-word network and co-author network. Based on the derived results, an in-depth discussion was further conducted from five aspects: targets, objects, instruments, GB performance indicators, and the collaboration structure of policymaking agencies. It was revealed that the topics of GBPs evolved from macro to specific, and the types of policy targets, objects, instruments, and GB performance indicators evolved from few to multiple. Additionally, the collaboration structure of policymaking agencies went from dispersive to centralized. This study sheds lights on the dynamic evolution of China’s GBPs and provides valuable references for other countries in need.

Mapping the dynamics of China’s prefabricated building policies from 1956 to 2019: a bibliometric analysis

ABSTRACT Compared to buildings constructed in situ, prefabricated buildings (PBs) offer many environmental benefits in terms of carbon emissions, energy consumption, material consumption, and waste generation. To mitigate adverse impacts by the building sector on the environment, PBs have been widely applied in many countries. Although PB policies (PBPs) have played a significant role in guiding, supporting, and promulgating China’s PB development, few studies have systematically investigated these PBPs. As a result, the evolution of PBPs in China is not clear, which limits practitioners’ overall understanding of PBPs. To bridge this knowledge gap, a bibliometric analysis method was employed to review 136 PBPs issued in China from 1956 to 2019. Through text mining, a co-word network analysis, and a collaboration network analysis, we mapped, visualized, and described the PBP system over time. The evolution of PBPs can be divided into four phases: exploration (1956–1995), fluctuation (1996–2005), steady improvement (2006–2015), and rapid growth (2016–2019). Our findings indicate that the PB policy targets, policy objects, policy tools, performance indicators, and the collaboration structure of policymaking agencies have changed significantly across these phases. Lastly, the PB experience in China was compared with those of countries exhibiting higher levels of PB development, which can serve as a reference for PB development.

Reproducibility on science: Challenges and advances in Brazilian alcohol surveys

BackgroundReproducibility in Science is challenging and may be hard to achieve in alcohol research. Previous general population surveys in Brazil have estimated the prevalence of alcohol dependence to be around 10%. We aim to estimate alcohol use and dependence using different methods and definitions. MethodsThe 3rd Brazilian Household Survey on Substance Use (BHSU-3) was a nationwide, probability sample survey that interviewed 16,273 individuals. DSM-IV-TR criteria were used to determine alcohol dependence. In the BHSU-2 (covering only Brazil’s 108 largest municipalities), alcohol dependence was defined as fulfilling 2/6 DSM-III criteria. Using the BHSU-3 data, alcohol use was estimated at: [1] the national level, [2] BHSU-2 municipalities, taking into consideration the sample design, and [3] BHSU-2 municipalities, ignoring the sample design. Alcohol dependence was calculated using: BHSU-3 and BHSU-2 definitions, two denominators ([A] population and [B] 12-month drinkers), and [1], [2], [3]. ResultsLifetime alcohol use ranged from 66.4% (95%CI:64.8–68.0 [1]) to 70.1% ([95%CI:69.1–71.0], [3]). The estimated population presenting with alcohol dependence ranged from N = 2.3 million (BHSU-3 definition, [1]) to N = 4.3 million (BHSU-2 definition, [1]). In the first case, the prevalence among the general population [A] and drinkers [B] was 1.5% (95%CI:1.2–1.8) and 3.5% (95%CI:2.8–4.2), respectively. In second case, prevalence was 2.8% (95%CI:2.4–3.3, [A]) and 6.6% (95%CI:5.6–7.6, [B]). ConclusionsPrevalence of alcohol dependence may vary as much as 4.3 times, analyzing the same dataset in different ways. Brazilian research on alcohol is funded by governmental research and policy-making agencies, providing subsidies for alcohol policy in the country. It is crucial that sufficient methodological information is provided in order to guarantee reproducibility and consistency over time.

Government E-Service Delivery in Rural Bangladesh: A Public-Private Partnership Approach

This paper reviews and analyzes government e-service delivery through Union Digital Centers (UDCs), being identified as telecenters. With the emergence of e-governance, e-services delivery has become expedited across different countries in the world including Bangladesh to foster socio-economic development. However, the concept of ‘digital divide’ or ‘digital gap’ limits the ultimate success of e-delivery services by increasing the gap between rich and poor. In connection to the digital gap, literature evidence that telecenters have largely failed to reach targeted hardcore poor. This research has used a survey technique to collect data from 383 respondents located at 14 different UDCs and seven divisions. The findings of the paper contemplate a positive response in terms of availability, cost, convenience, and delivery of services. Nevertheless, strengthening the approach of Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) remains a necessity to reach the success goal in e-governance. This study would be particularly helpful for practitioners or government policy-making agencies to identify perceptions on e-services at root level. Keywords: telecenters, e-governance, e-service delivery, socio-economic development, public-private partnership, Bangladesh DOI : 10.7176/EJBM/11-2-12

Japan’s Contested Labour Market Reform

ABSTRACTOver the past few decades, Japan’s labour market has faced substantial changes, represented by flexibility, an increase in the proportion of the non-regular workforce and rising inequality. Under the intense pressure of fluctuating business environments and protracted recession, Japan’s policy-makers have sought to resuscitate the troubled economy by further liberalising the relationship between capital and labour while also seeking to reduce widening inequality by providing social safety nets and protection for workers. This article examines the government’s labour market reforms since the late 2000s in response to these challenges. It argues that patterns of policy-making – centralised versus decentralised – have determined the political dynamics of labour market reform. More specifically, three aspects of decision-making – the role of the centralised policy-making agency, party-cabinet relations and legislative control in Diet – have explained the scope of the reform, although the reform target along the lines of employment status has affected the political process and outcome to some extent.