Policy Practice Research Articles

Adopting a systems-thinking approach to optimise dietary and exercise referral practices for cancer survivors

PurposeService referrals are required for cancer survivors to access specialist dietary and exercise support. Many system-level factors influence referral practices within the healthcare system. Hence, the aim of this study was to identify system-level factors and their interconnectedness, as well as strategies for optimising dietary and exercise referral practices in Australia.MethodsA full-day workshop involving national multidisciplinary key stakeholders explored system-level factors impacting dietary and exercise referral practices. Facilitated group discussions using the nominal group technique identified barriers and facilitators to referral practices based on the six World Health Organisation (WHO) building blocks. The systems-thinking approach generated six cognitive maps, each representing a building block. A causal loop diagram was developed to visualise factors that influence referral practices. Additionally, each group identified their top five strategies by leveraging facilitators and addressing barriers relevant to their WHO building block.ResultsTwenty-seven stakeholders participated in the workshop, including consumers (n = 2), cancer specialists (n = 4), nursing (n = 6) and allied health professionals (n = 10), and researchers, representatives of peak bodies, not-for-profit organisations, and government agencies (n = 5). Common system-level factors impacting on referral practices included funding, accessibility, knowledge and education, workforce capacity, and infrastructure. Fifteen system-level strategies were identified to improve referral practices.ConclusionThis study identified system-level factors and strategies that can be applied to policy planning and practice in Australia.

Seeds of Change: Exploring Plant-based Livelihood Diversification for the Poultry Sector in India

Poultry farming is a cornerstone of India’s agricultural sector, providing livelihoods for millions. However, the industry faces disease outbreaks, birds' and humans' health welfare concerns, and environmental challenges. To formulate a sustainable resolution, this review explores livelihood diversification within the Indian poultry farming sector. It examines current practices, opportunities, and obstacles, providing insights into sustainable agricultural practices and rural development strategies. By studying socio-economic factors, emerging trends in agrarian entrepreneurship, and the impact of diversification on rural livelihoods, the paper offers comprehensive recommendations for policymakers, stakeholders, and practitioners. This review also employs a multidimensional approach, utilizing qualitative and quantitative research case studies to present a holistic understanding of diversification in the Indian poultry sector. It aims to foster resilience among poultry farmers through practical recommendations and policy implications, promoting sustainable development and diversified livelihoods.

ALLERGIC CONJUNCTIVITIS IN CHILDHOOD

Allergic conjunctivitis is an eye condition prevalent among children, characterized by inflammation of the conjunctiva resulting from an allergic reaction to substances such as pollen, dust, dust mites and animal dander. This disease is a manifestation of the immune system and causes symptoms such as intense itching, tearing, hyperemia and a sensation of a foreign body in the eyes. The management of allergic conjunctivitis ranges from simple measures, such as frequent eye washing and avoidance of allergens, to the use of medications such as antihistamines, mast cell stabilizers and topical corticosteroids. In childhood, the management of allergic conjunctivitis faces difficulties such as variability in response to treatment and the impossibility of completely avoiding exposure to allergens. The general objective of this study is to evaluate management strategies for allergic conjunctivitis in childhood, with an emphasis on the effectiveness of available treatments and the identification of factors that influence the response to treatment. Specific objectives include analyzing the effectiveness of different treatments, investigating the influence of environmental and individual factors on disease severity and recurrence, and discussing the management of allergic conjunctivitis. This study is relevant as appropriate management of allergic conjunctivitis can prevent complications and improve children’s well-being. Identifying factors that influence response to treatment can contribute to the development of more personalized and effective therapeutic approaches. Recent literature highlights the need to improve education of parents and caregivers about allergic conjunctivitis to ensure appropriate management of the disease. Studies show that understanding the immunological mechanisms underlying the disease is crucial for developing new therapies. Therefore, this research not only adds to scientific knowledge about childhood allergic conjunctivitis, but also provides valuable insights for clinical practice and health policy formulation.

Dynamic Consensus-Based ADMM Strategy for Economic Dispatch with Demand Response in Power Grids

This paper introduces a dynamic consensus-based economic dispatch (ED) algorithm utilizing the Alternating Direction Method of Multipliers (ADMM) to optimize real-time pricing and generation/demand decisions within a decentralized energy management framework. The increasing complexity of modern energy markets, driven by the proliferation of Distributed Energy Resources (DER) and variable demands from hybrid electric vehicles, necessitates a departure from traditional centralized dispatch methods. This research proposes a novel ADMM-based solution tailored for non-responsive and responsive demand units that integrates demand response mechanisms to adaptively manage real-time fluctuations while enhancing security and privacy through distributed data management. The testing of the algorithm on the IEEE 39 bus system under various load conditions over 24 h demonstrated the algorithm’s effectiveness in handling traditional and renewable energy sources, particularly highlighting the economic benefits of shifting controllable loads to periods of low-cost renewable availability. The findings underscore the algorithm’s potential to reduce energy costs, enhance energy efficiency, and offer a scalable solution across diverse grid systems, contributing significantly to advancing global energy policy and sustainable management practices.

Refractive Errors, Amplitude of Accommodation, and Myopia Progression in Kazakhstani Medical Students: 5-Year Follow-Up.

Background/Objectives: this longitudinal study aimed to investigate the refractive errors, the amplitude of accommodation, and myopia progression in Kazakhstani medical students as they progressed from the first to the fifth course of their studies. Methods: A total of 696 students from Semey Medical University underwent non-cycloplegic and cycloplegic autorefraction in the first course, and 655 were available for examination in the fifth year of study. The amplitude of accommodation was measured before the instillation of cycloplegics using the push-up and push-down methods. A self-administered questionnaire was applied to evaluate the risk factors associated with myopia progression. Results: In the first course, the median spherical equivalent was -0.75 Diopters before cycloplegia and -0.25 Diopters after cycloplegia. In the fifth course, it constituted -1.125 Diopters before cycloplegia and -0.5 Diopters after cycloplegia. The proportion of students with myopia following cycloplegic refraction increased from 44.7% in the first course to 47.5% in the fifth course. The proportion of emmetropic students declined from 31.5% to 30.3%, and hyperopia decreased from 23.8% to 16.8%. The dioptric power of accommodative excess increased from 0.375 in the first year to 0.50 in the fifth year. The hours spent on near-work activities, such as reading books, writing, working at a computer, and using a mobile device, were significantly associated with a myopia progression of ≥0.5 Diopters. Conclusions: the findings of this study suggest implications for public health policy and educational practice.

Vacillating between cosmopolitanism and nationalism: German elite intellectuals in German-American academic diplomacy (1901–1916)

ABSTRACT The success of the Alliance Française in the United States inspired Germany to enhance its relations with the USA from a cultural perspective. Germany’s own cultural policy traditions and its foreign cultural policy practices provided the theoretical basis for the development of a cultural policy towards the USA. Germany, which firmly believed in its position as a pioneer of world culture, hoped to distinguish itself from the cultural competition with France by generously transferring knowledge to the Americans and to gain a political and economic ally. In German-American academic diplomacy at the beginning of the twentieth century, German intellectual elites had already attempted to move away from the power-state and militaristic foreign-policy thinking that had prevailed in the Empire, and they harboured internationalist dreams of culture as a means of overcoming national antagonisms. Nevertheless, unfortunately, these intellectual elites were still unable to shake off nationalist values, even as Karl Lamprecht, who had joined the Society for International Understanding, embraced Pan-Germanism again after the beginning of World War I.

The Digital Economy and Real Economy: The Dynamic Interaction Effect and the Coupling Coordination Degree

This article aims to analyze the interplay between the digital economy (DE) and the real economy (RE), examining how they impact each other in terms of empowerment and supply effects. The study object is China from 2011 to 2021. This study applies the panel vector autoregressive model (PVAR). The study’s findings underscore a delayed empowerment effect within the DE. While DE growth has the potential to substantially enhance the future overall expansion of the tangible economy, it might concurrently dampen the short-term structural balance of the latter. However, the supply effect in the RE mode exhibits a similar delay. The time-lagged factors relating to the tangible economy’s total growth and structural fine-tuning play a pivotal role in fostering the progress of DE. Self-enhancement mechanisms significantly influence the overall growth of the tangible economy. However, this mechanism does not have the same significance in regard to enhancing structural coordination. Although the tangible economy’s expansion can catalyze structural refinement, the inverse relationship—where structural enhancement profoundly fuels tangible economic growth—does not hold true to a substantial extent. By assessing the overall degree of coupling and coordination between the DE and the tangible economy, it becomes apparent that these two domains are not tightly integrated. Instead, they exist in a fundamentally coordinated state, with a year-on-year upwards trend in their alignment, albeit at a modest pace. Furthermore, this coupling coordination degree displays a progressively diminishing trend from the southeastern coastal regions to the western interior, revealing a pronounced spatial imbalance. The contribution of this paper lies in its comprehensive enhancement of the theoretical framework and empirical research in the integration of energy and digital economy, addressing sustainable development, regional economic disparities, and practical policy implications to support future strategies for blending digital advancement with renewable energy utilization.

Assessment of Economic Policy Uncertainty spillovers: A cross-border analysis of global and BRIC economies

This study empirically assesses the dynamics of variation in economic policy uncertainty over the financial markets of BRIC countries, including Brazil, Russia, India, and China. Using monthly frequency data from January 2003 to June 2023 and employing Diebold and Yilmaz (2012) spillover estimation framework, we find a significant influence of global economic policy uncertainty on the BRIC economies that varies with the time horizons. The findings show a total spillover of 35.65% in the global and BRIC economic policy uncertainty. The highest gross directional spillover is reported globally and in China, while Brazil shows the lowest directional gross economic policy uncertainty spillover. However, the global economic policy uncertainty transmits the highest net directional spillover. The study provides practical policy implications in adopting a comprehensive, globally informed approach to economic policy decisions and risk mitigation strategies to navigate the evolving landscape of economic policy uncertainties effectively.

Public support for flood adaptation policy in Tokyo lowland areas

ABSTRACT Sea level rise induced flooding is projected to cause significant damage to the low-lying coastal areas of many countries around the planet. Many households located in vulnerable areas have already started to adapt to flooding, although some empirical studies indicate that informal adaptation is reaching its limit and that more formal countermeasures by governments will be necessary to cope with the increased flood risks. In such cases, public support for flood adaptation policy is crucial to ensure a successful and timely adaptation, as these strategies can directly affect coastal residents. However, there is limited understanding on the mechanisms and factors that determine public support for flood adaptation policy. Thus, this study proposes a new model – the Foundation of Adaptation Policy Support (FAPS) – which integrates the Protection Motivation Theory and the Risk Information Seeking and Processing models. FAPS was tested using structural equation modelling with latent variables and data that was collected from a household questionnaire survey conducted in the Tokyo lowland areas (n = 388), with the super levee representing a policy that could be applied to sea level rise adaptation. The proposed FAPS model showed a good fit with the collected data, indicating that the strongest predictors of policy support include the perceived effectiveness of the policy and the importance of the issue of flooding to individuals. Other important predictors of policy support include knowledge about flooding, the opinions of surrounding people (i.e. family and friends), and the systematic processing by respondents of information related to floods. The FAPS model sets the foundation for understanding the mechanisms of public support for adaptation policy and provides new insights into designing and planning such policies in practice. Key policy insights Perceived policy effectiveness and the importance of addressing floods are the strongest predictors of public support for adaptation policy. Increasing people’s knowledge about flooding is essential to communicate the importance of adaptation policy. Investigating people’s knowledge and the perceived importance of the issue of flooding prior to designing policies can predict public preferences for certain countermeasures.

Analysing Circular Economy Policies and Initiatives in India and the Way Forward (Presence of Circular Policy Practices in India and the Road Ahead)

The circular economy model, the most recent solution in the drive to achieving sustainable development goals. The concept goes beyond the purview of pure economics and finds itself within the threads of state policy as well. The circular economy model refers to a system where goods live beyond their primary use to be recycled, reduced and prevented from becoming a pollutant. The model works on the principle of minimal yet efficient use of resources. Circular economy models have applications in a variety of fields: from water conservation and energy resources to waste management. This model however has inherent problems which are being observed and worked upon over time. Some of these problems are the systematic application of policy to the deficit in technological information. This paper focuses on various policies based on this model applied in India, their impact and challenges. India is committed to fulfilling Sustainable Development Goals in every aspect, therefore it is imperative to study the effect of the initiatives proposed and executed by the state. This paper touches upon policies such as Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, National Resource Efficiency Policy, Atal Innovation Mission, Financial Incentives, Resource Efficiency and Circular Economy Industry Coalition (G20 Initiative). This paper also tries to understand the challenges that are faced by the model, some of them include a lack of finance to develop infrastructure and develop production units, research to study more energy and cost-efficient systems and awareness that impacts consumer patterns that encourage sustainability-based commercial activities; and presents recommendations to resolve these challenges, awareness and global platforms are examples of the same. as well as conducts an introspection of policies implemented by other nations.

Dynamic effects of energy aid in energy transition under the moderating role of the government's regulatory quality

Energy aid to Asia Pacific countries seems attractive for decarbonization and renewable energy transition. However, no clear picture has been drawn on the synergetic connections between the energy aid and the transition to renewable energy in the Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG7) paradigm. Therefore, this study is designed to fill this gap by examining the energy aid and its response to energy transition, measuring it with four sub-indicators of SDG7. Using a robust econometric framework, the empirical findings indicated that total energy aid has substantial potential in transitioning to renewable energy, and the link is more pronounced with energy policy aid and renewable energy aid in the Asia Pacific. The response of energy aid through the moderating effect of government regulatory quality on energy transition is also strong. These results carried similar signs and magnitude across the regional panels, estimates with multiple estimators, including asymmetric analysis, making the results robust for theoretical foundations. The novel findings from this study have scope for policymakers to design a practical policy roadmap for the transition of renewable energy to reach a carbon-neutral globe.

Uncovering the reasons of retraction in virology: a citation and Altmetric investigation

Purpose This paper aims to delve into the critical examination of retractions in virology to identify the underlying factor that led to the retraction of scientific publications in this specialised domain. Further, this study offers insights into the impact of the retracted publications in the scholarly world vis-à-vis citation and Altmetric indicators. Design/methodology/approach The top 100 highly cited retracted articles from virology category were taken from the Web of Science (WoS) database. The Retraction Watch database was used for knowing the reasons for retraction for each retracted publication. The citation and Altmetric score of retracted publications were noted down from WoS and Altmetric.com databases, respectively. Journal Citation Report was used to note down the impact factor of the journals that have published these articles. Findings “Misconduct” (57.73%) is the most prevalent reason for the retraction of publications followed by plagiarism (18.55%) and journal issues (14.43%). The retracted papers are cited even after their retraction. Around 70.52% citations were received before and 29.47% after retraction. The highest number of retracted papers was published in the Journal of Virology (14) and Journal of Chemistry (10). High-impact factor journals such as Lancet, Cell and Nature each own one retracted paper. The study found dissemination of these publications through social media platforms with highest social media mentions (394) followed by policy and patents mentions (373) and news and blog mentions (300). Practical implications The research delves into understanding the reasons behind the retraction of virology papers and the impact of these publications through citation and Altmetric analyses. Its impactions include bolstering quality control in virology research, maintaining trust in scientific literature. Citation and Altmetric analyses offer deep insights into the broader impact of retracted papers, informing policy and publishing practices to uphold scientific integrity in virology. Originality/value This study addresses a specific and crucial aspect of scientific research retractions within the field of virology. While retractions have been studied in broader terms in scientific research, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, no such study has been conducted in the scientific field of virology.

Education for sustainability as a way-out to nurture citizens: a reframing in policy practices of Chinese higher education

PurposeThis study examines education for sustainability (EfS) within the Chinese context, to specifically enrich the understanding on how EfS is structured and implemented to nurture citizenship in the policy practices of universities in Mainland China and Hong Kong.Design/methodology/approachA cross-case analysis is recruited to examine the commonalities and differences between two universities and identify patterns in cultivating sustainability citizenship within higher education institutions (HEIs) in China. Data were collected through reviewing documents, including two universities’ strategic plans, action plans, department meeting memos, program introductions, course outlines and publicity coverage. Observation was also adopted to enrich the data for analysis, covering meetings, speeches by senior management, university events and informal conversations about university operations.FindingsCitizenship and sustainability in university strategic planning, curriculum and instruction, carriers of EfS institutionalization, and resources and impacts of EfS beyond the institutes were analyzed in a comparative manner, offering valuable insights into how EfS can be institutionalized in different universities based on their unique appeals, existing curriculum and management systems.Originality/valueBy exploring these intra-national distinctions in EfS, the study sheds light on the variation within China's citizenship education, which is traditionally seen as highly unified with limited room for differences. The detailed exploration of university strategies and program/course content enriches the literature of sustainability as an educational phenomenon on an international scale and modernized citizenship education in China.

Influence of Strategic Oriention on Diversity of Top Management and Competitive Advantage of Insurance Companies

Whereas strategy literature presents ambiguous findings on the influence of top executives on firm outcomes, there is mixed evidence that several other dynamics can come into play to enhance or downplay this relationship. This study sought to address this gap by interrogating whether strategic orientation would impact the connection between top management team diversity and competitive advantage of insurance companies based in Kenya. 54 companies targeted were subjected to a cross sectional survey and from this, 41 availed a senior executive to complete the research questionnaire presented. Data gathered was subjected to analysis with the aid of statistical software for social sciences and regression analysis applied to test hypotheses. The impact of strategic orientation was tested through the Baron and Kenny approach. The findings revealed that top manager diversity and strategic orientation affected competitive advantage despite not fully accounting for its variability. Additionally,  strategic orientation presented a statistically significant effect and proved to be a moderator in the association between top management team diversity and competitive advantage.  These findings implied that policy makers and practitioners take guidance on the importance of designing teams with diverse members that can front effective strategies for market competitiveness. The results backed the perspectives in the upper echelon and resource advantage view since it established that when teams have diverse members and calculated strategic positions, they have the capability to attain competitive advantage. The study recommended that future studies take into consideration a longitudinal approach that enables observation and analysis of relationship among variables for a considerable duration.

Shift in emergency department utilization by frequent attendees with sickle cell disease during the COVID-19 pandemic: Amulticentre cohort study.

While the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) might have increased acute episodes in people living with sickle cell disease (SCD), it may also have changed their reliance on emergency department (ED) services. We assessed the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns on ED visits in adult SCD people followed in five French reference centres, with a special focus on 'high users' (≥10 visits in 2019). We analysed the rate of ED visits from 1 January 2015 to 31 December 2021, using a self-controlled case series. Among 1530 people (17 829 ED visits), we observed a significant reduction in ED visits during and after lockdowns, but the effect vanished over time. Compared to pre-pandemic, incidence rate ratios for ED visits were 0.59 [95% CI 0.52-0.67] for the first lockdown, 0.66 [95% CI 0.58-0.75] for the second and 0.85 [95% CI 0.73-0.99] for the third. High users (4% of people but 33.7% of visits) mainly drove the reductions after the first lockdown. COVID-19 lockdowns were associated with reduced ED visits. While most people returned to their baseline utilization by April 2021, high users had a lasting decrease in ED visits. Understanding the factors driving the drop in ED utilization among high users might inform clinical practice and health policy.

Will the carbon emissions trading system promote enterprises' willingness to pay for carbon emission reduction?

AbstractThe emissions trading system (ETS) is one of the effective measures for energy conservation and emissions reduction, and the impact of the carbon ETS can be reflected in the willingness of enterprises to pay for carbon emissions reductions. However, there has been little research exploring the relationship between the two. Therefore, this study fills this knowledge gap by comprehensively investigating the influence of China carbon ETS policy (ETSP) on the willingness of enterprises to pay for carbon emissions reductions, and incorporates environmental awareness (EA), green technology innovation (GTI), and climate risk awareness (CRA) into the research model, thus constructing a new theoretical framework. Empirical analysis is conducted using the structural equation modeling method based on survey data from 478 Chinese enterprises. The results indicate that: (1) the China carbon ETSP can promote the willingness of enterprises to pay for carbon emissions reductions. (2) The China carbon ETSP can also promote the EA, GTI, and CRA of enterprises. (3) EA, GTI, and CRA can also promote the willingness of enterprises to pay for carbon emissions reductions. (4) Mediation effect analysis revealed that EA and CRA, respectively, play a mediating role in the influence process of the China carbon ETSP on the willingness of enterprises to pay for carbon emissions reductions. However, GTI does not have a mediating effect in this process. (5) Comparative mediation analysis found no significant differences in the mediating effects of EA and CRA. This study provides constructive practical recommendations for future carbon market mechanism construction and enterprise emission reduction policy formulation. It also offers guidance and reference for the behavioral decision‐making of enterprises in carbon market transactions, and carries practical significance and policy advocacy value.

Pharmacological evidence regarding medicinal plants used for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis (osteoarthrosis)

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and osteoarthritis (OA) are social impact disorders that lead to intense pain, deformities, and inability to perform daily and work-related activities. In Brazil, despite the National Policies for Integrative and Complementary Practices (PNPIC) and Medicinal Plants and Phytotherapies (PNPMF) that have expanded access to Phytotherapy, the incorrect dissemination of the use of medicinal plants remains common, often without any scientific evidence of efficacy. The aim of this study was to select some plants popularly recommended on the internet for treating RA and OA and to gather data on their efficacy and safety. These plants include Harpagophytum procumbens, Hypericum perforatum, Miconia albicans, Uncaria tomentosa, and Varronia curassavica. A literature review covering in vitro, preclinical, and clinical trials revealed promising results regarding the action of these plants on RA and OA. Most studies emphasize the anti-inflammatory, anti-arthritic, and analgesic effects of these species. However, as the mechanisms are not yet fully understood, further studies, particularly clinical trials, are necessary to reach a more definitive conclusion. This literature review can contribute to and alert healthcare professionals and patients seeking these products for the treatment of rheumatic diseases.

Association Between Medicare Site-Based Payment Policy, Physician Practice Characteristics, and Vertical Integration Among Oncologists.

Medicare's differential payments for services delivered in physician offices versus hospital outpatient settings incentivize hospital-physician integration (ie, vertical integration) across many specialties, but evidence for oncologists is mixed. We examined the association of Medicare site-based payment policy and physician practice characteristics, including service volume and diversity, with vertical integration among oncologists in 2013-2019. Using the Medicare Provider Utilization and Payment Data and Medicare Data on Provider Practice and Specialty in 2013-2019, we extracted nonintegrated medical/hematologic oncologists (hereafter oncologists) in 2013 and followed them through 2019. We quantified the incentives from Medicare site-based payment policy using the hospital-office ratio-total Medicare payments if all services were delivered in the hospital outpatient department (HOPD) versus physician office. Vertical integration was defined as billing >10% of services to HOPD in a year. Multivariable linear probability regressions estimated the association between hospital-office ratio and vertical integration in 2014-2019 with and without accounting for provider characteristics. In 2013, the average hospital-office ratio was 1.63, which increased to 1.99 in 2018. A 25th-to-75th percentile increase in the hospital-office ratio was negatively associated with integration (-1.01 percentage points [ppts], 95% CI = -1.45 to -0.57, p < .001) not accounting for physician practice characteristics; this association was attenuated (-0.30 ppts, 95% CI = -0.67 to 0.07, p = .11) after adjusting for these characteristics. Higher baseline (ie, 2013) service volume (Quartile4 v Quartile1 = -3.00 ppts, 95% CI = -4.42 to -1.59, p < .001), more diverse services (Quartile4 v Quartile1 = -3.55 ppts, 95% CI = -4.97 to -2.13, p < .001), and urban location (-5.23 ppts, 95% CI = -6.89 to -3.57, p < .001) were more strongly associated with vertical integration. Compared to Medicare site-based payment policy, oncologists' practice characteristics emerged as more potent factors for integration and should be considered to ensure the intended impacts of site-based payment reform. Our finding raises questions about the effectiveness of ongoing movements toward site-neutral payment for drug administration services to deter vertical integration in oncology.

Programme evaluation in action: theory to practice from an Asian educational context

ABSTRACT Programme evaluation has developed tremendously over the past 50 years, with a proliferation of evaluation research, an increase in the institutionalization of evaluation, and growth in the professionalization of evaluation. However, existing research and developments are still largely in North America, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand, with less from Asia. As theory building of policy and programme evaluation practices necessarily occur within specific political, economic, and cultural contexts, the applicability of Western-centric evaluation literature in Asian contexts warrants further examination. In this article, we explore the interconnections between evaluation theory, evaluation policy, and evaluation practice in the Ministry of Education Headquarters (MOE-HQ) in Singapore. We describe our theory of change of how evaluation theory influenced evaluation practice from the ground-up at the micro (individual) level, and from the top-down at the meso (organization) level. In the process, we also discuss how common challenges and tensions in evaluation (e.g., evaluation as an accountability vis-à-vis learning tool; appropriateness of randomized controlled trials vis-à-vis other approaches) acted out and were mitigated. We conclude with our learning points and implications for future research.

Exploring Data Privacy and Privacy Paradox Nature of Consumers Using Block Chain Technology: Application of SLR and Bibliometric Analysis Tools

This research presents an in-depth study of blockchain technology’s impact on data privacy and the consumer behaviour phenomenon known as the privacy paradox. Through a systematic literature review (SLR) and bibliometric analysis, the study delves into the effectiveness of blockchain in safeguarding personal data in an increasingly digital world. Key databases such as Scopus and Web of Science provide rich academic contributions, particularly from regions with stringent data privacy laws. The findings highlight blockchain’s effectiveness in limiting unauthorised data access, boosting user control and tackling the privacy paradox, where personal information is shared despite privacy worries. Yet, it points out challenges in aligning blockchain with legal frameworks, such as General Data Protection Regulation, particularly concerning data erasure rights. The study emphasises three themes: blockchain’s progression toward robust data protection, psychological aspects of the privacy paradox in consumer decisions and attitudes toward blockchain solutions. It notes gaps in standardisation, public awareness and blockchain’s practical applications, alongside ethical and policy issues. Conclusively, the research stresses the need for aligning technological advancements with legal and ethical frameworks, highlighting user experience in digital technology adoption. It positions blockchain as a pivotal factor in reshaping digital privacy, advocating for continued innovation and exploration in blockchain applications to ensure a secure, user-empowering future globally.