Successful Policy Research Articles

The independent and interdependent self-affirmations in action: Understanding their dynamics in India during the early phase of the COVID-19 lockdown

The study explored the role of two dissimilar familial and religious practices in distinctly shaping independent and interdependent self-affirmations in two value systems (individualism and collectivism) that emerged to protect self-integrity and self-worth challenged by the threats of COVID-19. A qualitative research design was employed. A heterogeneous sample of 19 participants (10 joint and 9 nuclear families) was recruited who reported in a semi-structured interview about the consequences of COVID-19 and the role of family and religious values in coping with the pandemic threats. The thematic method was used to analyse the data. Codes were generated using a priori criteria while reviewing and re-reviewing, multiple discussions and iterations helped in theme identification and ascertaining validity. Five themes were generated: perceived strong threat of COVID-19, dissimilar genesis of independent and interdependent self-affirmations, positive roles of joint familial values, significance of religious values, and traditional and modern religious routes of self-affirmation. Threats were expressed in experiences of anxiety, uncertainty and mood fluctuations. Interdependence, affiliation and support were joint familial values whereas independence and self-esteem reflected nuclear family-values. Focus on explicit attributes denoted modern while divine interpretation and will of God reflected traditional religious values. Novelty, uncertainty and incurability of COVID-19 caused threats to self-integrity that compelled hem to affirm their most preferred values originating from two family forms. The pandemic posed threats to their self-worth, which in turn, activated affirmations in two distinct value systems leading to the development of independent and interdependent self-affirmations. Study findings will help surface novel features of the two self-affirmations. It provides new insights for making successful behavioural changes at individual, group and community levels for the success of social, health and educational policies.

The impact of multi-decadal changes in VOC speciation on urban ozone chemistry: a case study in Birmingham, United Kingdom

Abstract. Anthropogenic non-methane volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the United Kingdom have been substantially reduced since 1990, which is, in part, attributed to controls on evaporative and vehicle tailpipe emissions. Over time, other sources with a different speciation (for example, alcohols from solvent use and industry processes) have grown in both relative importance and, in some cases, in absolute terms. The impact of this change in speciation and the resulting photochemical reactivities of VOCs are evaluated using a photochemical box model constrained by observational data during a summertime ozone event (Birmingham, UK) and apportionment of sources based on the UK National Atmospheric Emission Inventory (NAEI) data over the period 1990–2019. Despite road transport sources representing only 3.3 % of UK VOC emissions in 2019, road transport continued being the sector with the largest influence on the local O3 production rate (P(O3)). Under case study conditions, the 96 % reduction in road transport VOC emissions that has been achieved between 1990 and 2019 has likely reduced daytime P(O3) by ∼ 1.67 ppbv h−1. Further abatement of fuel fugitive emissions was modeled to have had less impact on P(O3) reduction than abatement of VOCs from industrial processes and solvent use. The long-term trend of increased emissions of ethanol and methanol has somewhat weakened the benefits of reducing road transport emissions, increasing P(O3) by ∼ 0.19 ppbv h−1 in the case study. Abatement of VOC emissions from multiple sources has been a notable technical and policy success in the UK, but some future benefits (from an ozone perspective) of the phase-out of internal combustion engine passenger cars may be offset if domestic and commercial solvent use of VOCs continue to increase.

A Brief Overview of the Inclusive Education System

The goal of inclusive education as a pedagogical approach is to give all students equal access to education, regardless of their differences, backgrounds, or abilities. In order to better understand inclusive education systems, this research paper will look at their guiding principles, advantages, difficulties, and best practices. This paper clarifies the significance of establishing inclusive learning environments and provides strategies for formulating and putting into practice successful inclusive education policies and practices through a thorough analysis of the literature, case studies, and empirical data. This paper advances our understanding of inclusive education and its role in advancing social justice, diversity, and academic excellence by synthesizing existing research and insights.

Exploring Factors Affecting the Rollout of a Policy on Registered Advanced Nurse Practitioners in Ireland

Aim. To identify the barriers and enablers to the implementation of a national policy to increase and develop the advanced nurse practitioner (ANP) workforce in Ireland. Background. The Department of Health (Ireland) introduced a policy to increase the number of ANPs to 2% of the nursing workforce. Evaluation provides information to inform successful policy implementation and development of ANP roles in healthcare services. Methods. Qualitative descriptive design. Twenty candidate ANPs participated in four focus groups. Nine key stakeholders were also interviewed. Results. Analysis identified four barriers: lack of infrastructural resources; delay in releasing and arranging replacements for candidate ANPs; role resistance from administration, allied healthcare professionals and other nurses; and lack of organisational readiness. The five enablers were: supportive physicians; Nursing and Midwifery Practice Development Units; supportive directors of nursing; role awareness and clarity; and educational preparation. Conclusions. This evaluation identifies barriers and enablers to the implementation of a national policy to increase the critical mass of advanced practitioners within the healthcare services. Evaluation at the implementation phase informed the roll-out of future advanced practice initiatives. Implications for Nursing Management. To support advanced practice development, leadership, infrastructure, and resource planning are needed to harness known enablers and address identified barriers to the implementation and sustainability of these posts.

Energy transitioning: communicating risk to decision-makers

The target article ‘Risk communication, uncertainty and the Dutch energy transition’ outlines a comprehensive list of major and minor recommendations that the Dutch Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Policy could follow. The aim of this commentary is to consider another aspect of risk communication that is often overlooked, the communication of risk amongst expert groups. Not only is there a need to carefully consider strategies, such as those mentioned in the target article regarding communicating risks to different publics, but also the ways risk is communicated amongst experts so as to inform successful policy decisions.

EVALUASI KEBIJAKAN PENGADAAN TANAH DI KABUPATEN BANDUNG

This research aims to evaluate the success of land procurement policies in the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway Development Project carried out by the Land Office of Bandung Regency. The method employed is a qualitative approach using a descriptive method that delineates specific circumstances from the emerging facts during the research process without altering the observed phenomena. The evaluation encompasses several indicators, including Inputs, processes, Outputs, and outcomes. Several issues identified include suboptimal planning, constraints in land relocation, land acquisition methods following a Business to Business (B to B) pattern, community dissatisfaction, delayed land payments, land measurement errors, insufficient comprehensive socialization, and inadequate coordination in addressing on-site issues. The research findings indicate that the implementation of Land Procurement Policies for the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway Development Project by the Land Office of Bandung Regency has yielded moderately satisfying results across most indicators. However, shortcomings exist in slow and unclear information dissemination to the public, low intensity in policy socialization influenced by third parties directly engaging the community, coordination and authority overlap issues between policy implementers and project executors, challenges in facility relocation, emerging land disputes, and additional land route adjustments beyond the initial planning requiring further attention. Hence, it is recommended to enhance information distribution and broader, more intensive policy socialization, improve coordination and collaboration with relevant parties, implement structured dispute resolution, and enhance precision in reviewing planning documents. Keywords: Policy Evaluation; Land Procurement; High-Speed Railway.

"We are pleading for the government to do more": Road user perspectives on the magnitude, contributing factors, and potential solutions to road traffic injuries and deaths in Ghana.

Road traffic collisions disproportionately impact Ghana and other low- and middle-income countries. This study explored road user perspectives regarding the magnitude, contributing factors, and potential solutions to road traffic collisions, injuries, and deaths. We designed a qualitative study of 24 in-depth interviews with 14 vulnerable road users (pedestrians, occupants of powered 2- and 3-wheelers, cyclists) and ten non-vulnerable road users in four high-risk areas in November 2022. We used a mixed deductive (direct content analysis) and inductive (interpretive phenomenological analysis) approach. In the direct content analysis, a priori categories based on Haddon's Matrix covered human, vehicle, socioeconomic environment, and physical environment factors influencing road traffic collisions, along with corresponding solutions. We used inductive analysis to identify emerging themes. Participants described frequent and distressing experiences with collisions, and most often reported contributing factors, implementation gaps, and potential solutions within the human (road user) level domain of Haddon's Matrix. Implementation challenges included sporadic enforcement, reliance on road users' adherence to safety laws, and the low quality of the existing infrastructure. Participants expressed that they felt neglected and ignored by road safety decision-makers. This research emphasizes the need for community input for successful road safety policies in Ghana and other low- and middle-income countries, calling for greater governmental support an action to address this public health crisis. We recommend the government collaborates with communities to adapt existing interventions including speed calming, footbridges, and police enforcement, and introduces new measures that meet local needs.

Optimizing Food Diversification through Learning from Successful Implementation in Indonesia

This study examines the implementation of food consumption diversification policies in Sidoarjo district, using George C. Edwards III's theory on communication and bureaucratic structure. Employing a descriptive qualitative approach, the research utilizes primary data from field surveys and interviews, and secondary data from official sources. The findings show that 14 out of 18 sub-districts successfully implemented these policies, leading to improved and diverse food consumption patterns as measured by the Food Hope Pattern (PPH) score. Effective communication, adequate resources, strong commitment, and structured bureaucracy were key to this success. The study highlights the importance of these factors in enhancing food security and nutritional outcomes at the local level. Highlights: Effective Communication: Essential for policy success in 14 sub-districts. Resource Adequacy: Crucial human, financial, and facility resources. Structured Bureaucracy: Clear roles and processes enhance outcomes. Keywords: food diversification, food security, Sidoarjo, implementation, qualitative research

Rediscovering the Developmentalist-Productive Roots of Welfare State Policies

Persistent calls for social investment-oriented social policy suggest that existing social policies are unsustainable and need radical rethinking. Instead, this paper argues that we need to better understand how long-standing policies have enabled society’s adaptation to socioeconomic changes and forestalled experiences of marginalization, poverty, and acute vulnerability. Inspired by the historical success of Nordic-style social policies, I reconsider the relation between development studies and welfare state studies, synthesize ideas from both, elaborate on the inclusive strand of welfare developmentalism, and introduce a conceptual framework for explaining why existing social policies may be simultaneously protective and productive. Applying social developmentalist ideas from the Global South to the traditional welfare state literature of the Global North, this paper advances a theoretical explanation for why what I term “developmental welfare state policies” defy standard economic assumptions through preventive investments that inhere in existing policy variants. It cautions against promoting separate social investment policies or characterizing policies as exclusively passive or activating.

Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Government Policy on MSMEs Through Empirical Data Analysis in Lampung

Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) play an important role in the Indonesian economy, including in Lampung Province. Although the government has issued various policies to support the development of MSMEs, the effectiveness of these policies still needs to be evaluated in depth. This research aims to evaluate the effectiveness of government policies in supporting MSMEs in Lampung through empirical data analysis. The research uses an empirical data analysis approach to evaluate the effectiveness of MSME support policies in Lampung. The analytical method in this research uses literature study through collecting and analyzing secondary data in the form of journal articles, government documents, and other scientific articles about entrepreneurship and MSMEs sourced from libraries. It is hoped that the results of this research will provide a comprehensive evaluation of the effectiveness of government policies in supporting MSMEs in Lampung, as well as identifying supporting and inhibiting factors for policy success. This research found that government policy in supporting MSMEs in Lampung had a positive impact in encouraging the growth of the MSME sector in Lampung. However, there are still challenges that still need improvement, namely lack of socialization, and limited access for MSMEs in remote areas. Keywords: empirical analysis, government policy, MSMEs

Environmental Effects of Green Bonds and Other Forms of Financing in the European Union

Prioritising the implementation of environmental policies is a cornerstone for European Union member states. While sharing common objectives, individual countries apply their own approaches to implementing and financing the sustainable development and green transition, considering the national economic characteristics. This raises the crucial question of the extent to which various funding sources contribute to the success of environmental policies. In the past decade, many instruments for financing sustainable development have emerged, with green bonds prominently positioned as a pivotal tool for directing financial flows towards the achievement of green objectives. This paper studies the relationship between the different instruments for financing, such as the availability of issued green bonds, the extent of total debt, economic development, fiscal instruments, and on the other hand the specific indicators used to evaluate the effects of implementing the environmental policies. The study focuses on the environmental policies of European Union member states and associated member states from 2015 to 2022, with the intent to examine the effect of policies on indicators like energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, and economic losses from extreme weather events. Through correlation analysis, the study aims to specify the direction and significance of the influence of each independent variable on the dependent indicators. The findings reveal that green bond financing serves as a catalyst for positive changes in reducing energy consumption and carbon emissions, while general government debt emerges as a significant factor in financing environmental policies.

Policies for expanding family planning coverage: lessons from five successful countries.

Enhancing the design of family planning interventions is crucial for promoting gender equality and improving maternal and child health outcomes. We identified, critically appraised, and synthesized policies and strategies from five selected countries that successfully increased family planning coverage. We conducted a policy analysis through a scoping review and document search, focusing on documents published from 1950 to 2023 that examined or assessed policies aimed at enhancing family planning coverage in Brazil, Ecuador, Egypt, Ethiopia, and Rwanda. A search was conducted through PubMed, SCOPUS, and Web of Science. Government documents and conference proceedings were also critically analyzed. National health surveys were analyzed to estimate time trends in demand for family planning satisfied by modern methods (mDFPS) at the national level and by wealth. Changes in the method mix were also assessed. The findings of the studies were presented in a narrative synthesis. We selected 231 studies, in which 196 policies were identified. All countries started to endorse family planning in the 1960s, with the number of identified policies ranging between 21 in Ecuador and 52 in Ethiopia. Most of the policies exclusively targeted women and were related to supplying contraceptives and enhancing the quality of the services. Little focus was found on monitoring and evaluation of the policies implemented. Among the five selected countries, a multitude of actions were happening simultaneously, each with its own vigor and enthusiasm. Our findings highlight that these five countries were successful in increasing family planning coverage by implementing broader multi-sectoral policies and considering the diverse needs of the population, as well as the specific contextual factors at play. Successful policies require a nuanced consideration of how these policies align with each culture's framework, recognizing that both sociocultural norms and the impact of past public policies shape the current state of family planning.

Tourism as an Opportunity or the Danger of Saturation for the Historical Coastal Towns

In the era of urbanization, small towns confront challenges in sustaining and preserving their essence and population. Historical towns have discovered their potential in tourism development, yet this opportunity often escalates into overtourism, particularly in renowned cruising destinations. This paper focuses on examples of coastal historical towns dependent on tourism revenue and faced with an excessive influx of tourists in the Mediterranean Region. The objective is to examine various cases across diverse geographical, cultural, and policy contexts to evaluate their success in achieving a balance between economic development and genius loci. This analysis seeks to identify the factors that contributed to the attainment of this equilibrium. Therefore, we selected case studies throughout the Mediterranean coast—from Saint Paul de Vence and Èze at the Azure Coast, Dubrovnik and Kotor in the Adriatic Sea, to Nafplio and Monemvasia in the Aegean Sea. The selected examples range from towns that are almost entirely depopulated to those that are suffocating from the influx of tourists. Observations on the spot and review of policies led us to the conclusion that the geography of the area and cultural values represent comparative (dis)advantages that can be influenced and shaped by policies from the time of the pre-tourist phase to the phase of overtourism. Even though the success of an early policy and the effects of investments aligned with it might be uncertain, pre-tourist policies turn out to be the most successful when it comes to balanced tourist-resident development. Determination of authorities to not only see economic benefit but also genius loci and quality of life of residents is crucial, too.

Farmland quality assessment using deep learning and UAVs

The transformation of agricultural landscapes due to the intensification of farming practices has placed a major threat on habitat and species diversity. Stopping the loss of biodiversity is addressed in various international treaties and adequate strategies are required to assess the initial status of biodiversity and to measure the success of policies. While traditional methods of field-based biodiversity monitoring are time consuming, costly, and highly surveyor-dependent, recent advances in remote sensing and machine learning enable a systematic, more general and cost-effective monitoring. Accordingly, this study investigated whether large-scale biodiversity monitoring campaigns such as the European Monitoring of Biodiversity in Agricultural Landscapes (EMBAL) could be supported by the use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) based remote sensing and Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs). For this purpose, the Structural Nature Value (SNV) indicator was proposed, which allows an intuitive estimation of the species richness of landscape sections. Subsequently, a CNN was trained to directly predict the SNV. For the accuracy assessment, a survey was conducted in which participants were asked to assess the SNV for various landscape patches, both to obtain an independent test set, and to evaluate the intuitiveness of the concept. The CNN achieved a mean weighted F1-score of 0.81 with an overall accuracy of 81 %. It was shown that the CNN can provide promising results to not only aid large-scale biodiversity monitorings, but to enhance the quality of their results through the automated analysis of fine-resolution UAV imagery.

The Fama of a Wife’s Family in the Heraldry of Her Husband: The Case of the Marriage of Michał Jan Gorski and Marianna Regina Wojna (Second Half of the 18th Century)

This article presents an analysis of the heraldry of the Samogitian castellan Michał Jan Gorski (1717–1776), based on the 36 seals he used, three types of armorial stove tiles and two marks of patronage (at the Dominican Church of the Holy Spirit in Vilnius and the Telšiai Cathedral). These sources highlighted the development of his heraldry, while the application of semiotics and the social history approach helped reveal the motives for why the castellan used his much-admired marital coat of arms for so long.The heraldry used by Gorski may be divided into two stages. In the first (up to 1753), upon marrying Teresa Nagórska, he concentrated mostly on the manifestation of his parents’ heraldry (the type I seal). In the second stage (1753–1776), which began with his marriage to Marianna Regina Wojna and ended with the castellan’s own passing, his seals (types II to V), stove tiles and marks of patronage all featured his marital coat of arms in the centre of the two-field shield, with Gorski’s Nałęcz on the heraldic right, and the three horns of Wojna’s Trąby on the heraldic left. In addition, during the second stage the Samogitian castellan’s heraldry gradually grew more complex, where alongside the repeating decorative details (the crown on the helmet, the ducal mantle, etc.), new aspects emerged: a) an eagle’s head was used in the left corner of the shield on the type II seal, which signified rule over the county of Kėdainiai and reflected the growth of Gorski’s economic potential; b) the male heraldic ornament above the shield on the type III seal – a typical marital coat of arms element was used; c) symbols conveying the castellan’s rising status were used on the type IV and V seals: the ribbons and crosses from the Russian Order of Saint Anna (1764) and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth’s Order of Saint Stanislaus (1772), and abbreviations of the offices he held.The functionality of the Samogitian castellan’s marital coat of arms (with the Wojna family’s Three Horns) even after the death of his second wife and his entering into a new marriage demonstrates its importance to Gorski, which depended on several factors. First, M. R. Wojna came from a family that his its own fama – its members in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania held high secular and religious offices in the 16th–17th centuries. Second, this family had a well known memoria (burial) place in the capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania – the Wojna Chapel in the Vilnius Cathedral. Third, certain factors (nine children, his request to be buried next to this wife, a longer period of mourning, perhaps, after her passing, three surviving portraits of this woman, etc.) testify that this couple shared a warm, close relationship. Fourth, Gorski’s second wife was the last representative of the Wojna family in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Thus, by marrying her, the Samogitian castellan not only took over the entire landholdings of this family, which significantly increased his economic potential, but also part of this family’s respectability, or fama, which he earnestly reminded other castellans of by specifically using his marital coat of arms. The latter instance shows how successful marital policy could be cleverly conveyed in the heraldry of the nobility.The Wojna family’s coat of arms in the marital heraldry of the Samogitian castellan was his social capital, becoming a part of his identity and paving the way for Gorski’s growth in status. We can see this not only from his ascent through various offices in the Duchy of Samogitia, but also from unofficial titulature, where Gorski was initially identified as the “lord of Kražiai and Salantai” before eventually being titled as count (from 1767). Thus, it is no accident that thanks to M. J. Wojna, the Gorski family featured among the top-twelve largest Lithuanian landowners according to their economic capability in the second half of the 18th century.

"He'll come with some sugar." A qualitative study exploring the drivers and consequences of schoolgirls transactional sex behaviours.

Transactional sex (TS) is common in areas of sub-Saharan Africa, motivated by reasons beyond financial support. Through this qualitative study we sought to understand the motivation driving TS among adolescent schoolgirls in rural western Kenya where rates are reportedly high. Identifying and understanding drivers within the local context is necessary for implementation of successful public health policy and programming to reduce the associated harms impacting health and wellbeing. To understand the drivers of sexual behaviors, individual views, and socio-cultural norms, we spoke with schoolgirls, male peers, parents and teachers. The three latter groups may influence, encourage, and shape girls' views and behaviors and thus contribute to the perpetuation of cultural and societal norms. One hundred and ninety-nine participants took part across 20 FGDs; 8 comprised of schoolgirl groups, and 4 each of schoolboy, parent or teacher groups. Through thematic analysis, poverty emerged as the key driver of TS and a normative behaviour amongst secondary school girls. Subthemes including parental influence, need for menstrual pads, pressure from boda boda drivers, peer pressure, and blame were part of a complex relationship linking poverty with TS. We conclude that whilst TS is perceived as inevitable, normal and acceptable it is not really a choice for many girls. Exploring ways to encourage communication between families, including around menstruation, may help enable girls to ask for help in acquiring essential items. In addition, education at a community level may shift social norms over time and decrease the prevalence of age-disparate TS among schoolgirls and older, wealthier men in the community.

ANALISIS TINGKAT EFISIENSI PENERIMAAN PAJAK DAERAH DALAM MENINGKATKAN PENDAPATAN ASLI DAERAH PADA TAHUN 2016-2020 DI KABUPATEN PURWOREJO

Regional development is the independence of a region which is an inseparable part of the success of policies decided by the government. In the state revenue and expenditure budget (APBN), the most significant state revenue target is obtained from the taxation sector. The taxation sector contributes significantly to a country's revenue and can be relied upon as financing for government development, especially regional development. The research was conducted with the aim of analyzing how much the rate of development and the level of effectiveness of local tax revenues in increasing Regional Original Revenue (PAD) in Purworejo Regency. The data used is data on local taxes and local revenue of Purworejo Regency for a period of 5 years, namely 2016-2020 obtained from BPKPAD Purworejo Regency. The data analysis used in this research is quantitative descriptive method. The results showed that the average development rate of local revenue was 18.04% and the average effectiveness rate of local tax revenue was 125.112%, indicating that the local tax revenue of Purworejo Regency was categorized or classified as very effective, so that the local government of Purworejo Regency needed to increase supervision, guidance and evaluation of local tax collection because it had made a large contribution to the local revenue of Purworejo Regency.

Using policy codesign to achieve multi-sector alignment in adolescent behavioral health: a study protocol

BackgroundPolicymaking is quickly gaining focus in the field of implementation science as a potential opportunity for aligning cross-sector systems and introducing incentives to promote population health, including substance use disorders (SUD) and their prevention in adolescents. Policymakers are seen as holding the necessary levers for realigning service infrastructure to more rapidly and effectively address adolescent behavioral health across the continuum of need (prevention through crisis care, mental health, and SUD) and in multiple locations (schools, primary care, community settings). The difficulty of aligning policy intent, policy design, and successful policy implementation is a well-known challenge in the broader public policy and public administration literature that also affects local behavioral health policymaking. This study will examine a blended approach of coproduction and codesign (i.e., Policy Codesign), iteratively developed over multiple years to address problems in policy formation that often lead to poor implementation outcomes. The current study evaluates this scalable approach using reproducible measures to grow the knowledge base in this field of study.MethodsThis is a single-arm, longitudinal, staggered implementation study to examine the acceptability and short-term impacts of Policy Codesign in resolving critical challenges in behavioral health policy formation. The aims are to (1) examine the acceptability, feasibility, and reach of Policy Codesign within two geographically distinct counties in Washington state, USA; (2) examine the impact of Policy Codesign on multisector policy development within these counties using social network analysis; and (3) assess the perceived replicability of Policy Codesign among leaders and other staff of policy-oriented state behavioral health intermediary organizations across the USA.DiscussionThis study will assess the feasibility of a specific approach to collaborative policy development, Policy Codesign, in two diverse regions. Results will inform a subsequent multi-state study measuring the impact and effectiveness of this approach for achieving multi-sector and evidence informed policy development in adolescent SUD prevention and treatment.

Enhancing governance through anti-corruption strategies: Exemplary approaches and obstacles

The article examines the fight against corruption in contemporary public administration, specifically analysing the factors that affect the effectiveness of anti-corruption measures in the context of globalization and rapid technological development. One crucial aspect of successful anti-corruption policy is studying and applying best practices. This includes analysing the experiences of other countries and implementing international standards. Relevant government bodies should designate effective methods for detecting, preventing, and responding to corruption. The development of transparent and effective institutions is considered the foremost priority in anti-corruption management. Attention is drawn to the role of independent anti-corruption bodies in ensuring the effective functioning of the system. The research also focuses on interaction with the public and the role of citizens in the anti-corruption process. Ways to enhance civic awareness, legal culture, and active citizen participation in the fight against corruption are identified. An additional aspect of the analysis is the study of international experience and partnerships in anti-corruption programs. The paper evaluates the effectiveness of international cooperation and the implementation of best practices from other countries in combating corruption. It also identifies the main challenges that arise in implementing anti-corruption policies during times of war, such as resource shortages, the impact of globalization on corrupt practices, and adapting to changes in modern society. Developing strategies to overcome challenges is necessary to improve anti-corruption policy and create an effective system for combating corruption in all areas of society.

Public perceptions of fossil and alternative energy in Serbia: Between NIMBYism and nationalism

Understanding public perceptions of energy sources is essential for successful policy formulation. Our study explores the Serbian public's attitudes toward different types of energy, taking into account NIMBY (“Not In My Back Yard") sentiments, nationalist orientation, and pro-Russian attitudes. A correlational cross-sectional design utilized an online survey disseminated via social media platforms. The study examined public preferences for various energy types and their correlations with nationalist and pro-Russian tendencies. Poststratification weighting was applied to address sample representativeness. Our research revealed the public's preference for renewable energy, particularly solar and wind. Surprisingly, nationalist views did not significantly align with fossil fuel preferences, differentiating Serbia from Western European trends. Geopolitical considerations, such as Serbia's relationship with Russia, did not strongly influence public opinion. These findings underscore the importance of considering public preferences in shaping Serbia's energy policy, emphasizing the need for investment in renewables. Based on the results we offer concrete policy recommendations. This study offers a methodological approach adaptable to other countries undergoing similar energy transition.