Policy Tools Research Articles

Discapacidad y derechos: una mirada desde instrumentos que garantizan la accesibilidad educativa e informativa en Paraguay

Disability has evolved historically and has been addressed from a variety of approaches, and the social model underpins the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Another international instrument inspired by the Convention’s principles is the Marrakesh Treaty, which facilitates beneficiaries' access to reading and education. This article aims to examine these agreements approved by Paraguay, which are mechanisms for achieving an equitable and inclusive society. Also under consideration is the progress made in complying with the provisions of the Convention and the axes of the National Action Plan for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. This public policy tool enables the cross-cutting of this issue in state institutions. A qualitative descriptive study methodology was employed through a bibliographic review of documentary research and technical reports within the scope of the current study's topic. While Paraguay has witnessed legislative progress recognizing the rights of this group, challenges persist in ensuring their effective implementation. Hence, it is crucial to have a coordinated effort between institutions and civil society organizations to achieve legislative initiatives and actions for educational and informational accessibility that consider the needs of this vulnerable social sector.

Are farm input subsidies a disincentive for integrated pest management adoption? Evidence from Zambia

AbstractInput subsidy programmes (ISPs) remain a popular but contentious policy tool to promote agricultural intensification, food security and poverty reduction across Africa. Although previous studies have explored the impact of ISPs on various smallholder outcomes, no studies have analysed the impact of recent ISPs on pest management. This is particularly important given the increasing pest challenges due to climate change and the recent surge in pesticide use in low‐income countries and its associated negative consequences for human and environmental health. Thus, this study assessed the effects of ISPs on smallholder adoption of sustainable pest management practices, using data from 1048 smallholder maize plots across major maize‐producing zones of Zambia and a control function regression approach. We find consistent evidence that input subsidy receipt is negatively associated with smallholders' adoption of environmentally friendly and sustainable pest management strategies. Participation in the Zambia ISP (particularly the flexible e‐voucher system) encourages synthetic pesticide use, at the expense of sustainable practices. We also find that farmers consider synthetic pesticides and biopesticides as substitutes and are more likely to adopt sustainable pest management when they have tenure security and access to financial resources. Given the human and environmental health consequences associated with synthetic pesticide use, it would be important to leverage input subsidy schemes to promote the adoption of safer and more sustainable alternatives to synthetic pesticides. Beyond input subsidies, policies that improve tenure security and financial access for smallholders can promote the adoption of sustainable pest management practices.

Is Green Transition in Europe Fostered by Energy and Environmental Efficiency Feedback Loops? The Role of Eco-Innovation, Renewable Energy and Green Taxation

Green transition is in the core of the European policy agenda to achieve the ambitious goal of climate neutrality following the launch of the European Green Deal. The cornerstone of the new growth strategy of Europe is resource efficiency which focuses on shifting to a more sustainable production paradigm by conserving scarce resources and by prioritizing enhanced environmental performance. Scattered efforts to investigate the drivers of resource efficiency measures have shed light on the key drivers, however, those consider resource efficiency measures in isolation neglecting for feedback loops influencing green transition. Therefore, we develop a conceptual framework to study green transition as a system of resource efficiency measures affected by feedback loops, path dependence, green technologies, and green policy tools. We mobilize the analysis by devising a unique balanced panel covering the EU-28 from 2010 through 2019, including policy efforts paving the way for green transition. Econometric results based on a system of fractional probit models, indicate that resource efficiency measures are intertwined via feedback loops, especially in the case of environmental efficiency. Green technologies affect green transition, however, rebound effects emerge in the case of energy efficiency. Past performance affects current levels pushing towards divergence. Evidence suggests that green taxation fosters energy efficiency whereas hinders environmental efficiency. The asymmetric operation of feedback loops and green taxation on energy and environmental efficiency highlights that horizontal policies hinder rather than foster green transition. This study contributes to SDGs 7, 12, 13 and 16.

Policy planning and practical implementations of coastal adaptation strategies to reduce the impact of sea level rise in the coastal region of Kanyakumari District, Tamil Nadu, India

Coastal adaptation is a scientific process, and social, economic, and political adjustment of coastal management policies to minimize the climate impact and increase the resilience in the coastal system. The Kanyakumari coastal region encompasses industrial, ecological, residential and tourist hotspots with high sensitivity for the impact of sea level rise. We used mixed policy tools to evaluate the impact in the coastal region and develop adaptation strategies which are integrated into existing management. To be an effective implementation of adaptation policy, we propose five guiding principles: (i) Develop a coastal settlement management plan for accelerated sea level rise in each fishing hamlet by incorporating the plan into sub district planning. (ii) Entitle a Multipurpose Cyclone Shelter (MCS) in each fishing hamlet and each one access for refugee seekers during a cyclone and later for internally displaced persons (IDPs). (iii) Develop a database system at village level to set up the coastal adaptation policies against sea level rise and a database system should be update time to time (climate, population, migrants, vulnerability data). (iv) Setup an Agricultural Conservation Practices (ACP) and Wetland Reclamation Plan (WRP) in the wetland-rich coastal plain region. (v) Practical approaches to linking the coastal adaptation plan in the study area to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) targets and indicators are proposed.

Better understanding ocean awareness: Insights from young people

Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are a key conservation policy tool designed to provide protection of ocean and coastal ecosystems globally. Public engagement and awareness of MPAs, especially in regional communities, is critical in improving outcomes and ultimately their overall acceptance. Engaging with young people is essential as they are key thought shifters and positive movers in the future of MPAs, and environmental issues broadly. Further, it is the younger generation that must live with the conservation choices that are being made now in the future. Therefore, it is essential that we require a detailed understanding of young people’s knowledge of MPAs, and their key pathways of gathering information to do with the environment broadly. In turn, educators, marine park managers and policy makers can utilise these findings to better inform young people on key environmental issues. Here we present results from a survey that explored the knowledge and awareness of young people (ages 11 – 17) in relation to marine environments. School students (N=314) from coastal regions of South Australia were asked about their knowledge of MPAs, the value placed on the marine environment, and their key sources for information on environmental issues. Results indicate that broadly there were low levels of understanding of MPAs, with only 30% of students acknowledging they knew what MPAs were. This lack of understanding surrounding MPAs indicates the necessity for enriched communication strategies to improve awareness of threats placed on marine environments, and the roles that MPAs play in helping to combat these threats.

Monetary policy and capital market interactions in the USA: a VAR approach

US capital markets are one of the most developed financial markets in the world. A lot of factors affect capital market fluctuations, including monetary policy conditions. The Federal Reserve System is the central bank of the US and is responsible for monetary policy implementation. Monetary policy tools’ changes interact with various areas of the country’s economy, as well as financial markets. Thus, Fed’s monetary policy is connected with different segments of capital market in the US.

Research on national fitness policy (1995-2021) from the perspective of objectives and tools

This study delves into the intricate landscape of China's national fitness policy, emphasizing the pivotal role of policy tools in crafting and executing effective strategies. Through a meticulous examination of 13 policy texts, significant disparities in tool utilization emerge, revealing issues such as imbalances and varying degrees of emphasis on content system construction. Leveraging Rothwell and Zegveld's classification method, the study categorizes national fitness policy tools into supply, demand, and environment types, elucidating their unique impacts and roles. It advocates for a strategic selection and utilization of policy tools to rectify existing imbalances and bolster effectiveness. The study underscores the importance of a balanced approach between supply and demand-oriented tools, advocating for transparency, flexibility, and accountability in policy adjustments. Additionally, it highlights the significance of maintaining stable utilization of supply-oriented tools and strengthening efforts in talent development and social guidance teams to sustain momentum. Overall, the study advocates for a holistic and dynamic approach to policy tool selection and utilization, ensuring alignment with overarching goals and fostering a healthier, more active society. By offering nuanced insights and pragmatic recommendations, it aims to catalyze the realization of a stronger and healthier nation through the implementation of effective national fitness policies, thereby uplifting the well-being of its citizens and nurturing a vibrant and resilient society.

Territorial Impact Assessment for Coal Sites in Transition

This article describes a part of the POTENTIALS project promoted by the Research Fund for Coal and Steel (RFCS) of the EU, which, in general, has aimed to develop business models for the reuse of former industrial and mining sites in different European regions. The goal of this project focused on the creation of so-called eco-industrial parks to enable sustainable energy production and reduce waste and pollution on coal sites in transition. A key aspect was the development of a suitable territorial impact assessment (TIA), a new and complex policy tool for the assessment of the territorial impacts of EU policies and projects on territorial cohesion. Therefore, the special TEQUILA (Territorial Efficiency, Quality and Identity Layer Assessment) approach is used to describe the TIA for this case and emphasizes its application in assessing ex ante the impacts of the transition from a coal site to an eco-industrial park. It underlines the need for a differentiated understanding of the regional characteristics and potential impacts of transition policies or projects. Furthermore, the process and results of applying the TEQUILA methodology, a multicriteria analysis, in the context of regionalized impact models has shown how important it is to select well-defined, expert-based criteria, but at the same time, to establish a system that is flexible and adaptable to the needs of political decision makers and stakeholders considering the normative weights of the criteria. This has been illustrated by some examples.

The Artificial Intelligence Assessment Scale (AIAS): A Framework for Ethical Integration of Generative AI in Educational Assessment

Recent developments in Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) have created a paradigm shift in multiple areas of society, and the use of these technologies is likely to become a defining feature of education in coming decades. GenAI offers transformative pedagogical opportunities, while simultaneously posing ethical and academic challenges. Against this backdrop, we outline a practical, simple, and sufficiently comprehensive tool to allow for the integration of GenAI tools into educational assessment: the AI Assessment Scale (AIAS). The AIAS empowers educators to select the appropriate level of GenAI usage in assessments based on the learning outcomes they seek to address. The AIAS offers greater clarity and transparency for students and educators, provides a fair and equitable policy tool for institutions to work with, and offers a nuanced approach which embraces the opportunities of GenAI while recognising that there are instances where such tools may not be pedagogically appropriate or necessary. By adopting a practical, flexible approach that can be implemented quickly, the AIAS can form a much-needed starting point to address the current uncertainty and anxiety regarding GenAI in education. As a secondary objective, we engage with the current literature and advocate for a refocused discourse on GenAI tools in education, one which foregrounds how technologies can help support and enhance teaching and learning, which contrasts with the current focus on GenAI as a facilitator of academic misconduct.

Place branding as rural development policy in China: the case of Guangshan county

PurposeThis paper aims to explore the rationale, the process and the outcomes and risks of place branding in rural China.Design/methodology/approachAn in-depth case study analysis, including interviews, has been conducted.FindingsPlace branding in the case of China is practiced and dominated through administrative entities by using subsidies and regional development programs to coordinate, organize and promote local agricultural resources. Although this government-led place branding has effective effects on rural development, it is unsustainable and unstable because it lacks sufficient market and stakeholder participation.Research limitations/implicationsThe effectiveness of place branding in China has been examined and proved.Practical implicationsThe government’s role in place branding in China should be adjusted. The government should position itself as a service and auxiliary role. Simultaneously, it should strengthen market-oriented operations and stakeholder participation in place branding.Originality/valueThis paper is one of the first contributions to examine the impact of place branding as a rural development policy tool in China, and the in-depth case study examines and proves the effectiveness of place branding in rural China.

How do inflation rate and energy alternatives influence environmental quality? A BRICS analysis

In the recent decade, the topic of environmental sustainability and its determinants has gained the attention of environmental policy analysts and academicians. However, some crucial factors that can affect environmental sustainability have not yet been explored in the literature. In this essence, the current study aims to investigate the mediating impact of energy alternatives on the liaison between inflation rate and environmental quality. The empirical analysis was conducted on 24-years data of BRICS countries ranging from 1997 to 2020. The study employed the DOLS and FMOLS estimation models to run the regression among variables and check the robustness by employing ARDL model. The empirical results first reveal the negative significant effect of the inflation rate on CO2 emissions. In the second channel, the inflation rate has an inverse impact on fossil fuel energy while a direct impact on consumption of renewable energy. Third, fossil fuel energy consumption positively determines the CO2 emissions while renewable energy consumption shows a declining trend with CO2 emissions. Lastly, the empirical analysis confirms the mediating impact of energy alternatives in the nexus between inflation rate and environmental quality. In view of results, the policymakers are directed to utilize the inflation rate and energy alternatives as policy tools for managing the environmental quality. This study implies the innovative intuitions regarding the role of energy alternatives and inflation rate in pollution mitigation.

How to Measure the Impact Generated by the Gender Equality Plan?

Gender Equality Plans (GEPs) are the primary policy tool to advance gender equality in research and innovation in Europe. The European Commission has mandated an institutional requirement for all public and research performing organisations applying for Horizon Europe 2021-2027 grants. These entities must develop GEPs addressing organisational culture, work-life balance, gender balance in leadership, recruitment and career progression, gender mainstreaming in research and teaching, and measures against gender-based violence. The Commission has outlined four mandatory elements for GEPs: they must be public documents, allocate resources for implementation, be based on sex/gender-disaggregated data collection and monitoring, and include training and capacity building. This new requirement is expected to stimulate significant activity at institutional and state levels across EU countries. From the research presented here, we expect an ongoing self-assessment of the progress of the actions implementation to reduce gender inequality and valuable suggestions for the future GEP UniBs 2025-2027 design and planning.

National will in the context of low fertility: exploring the Chinese childcare policies after the implementation of three-child policy

ABSTRACT The childbirth policy in China has undergone significant changes since 2016. Changes in fertility policy have led to systematic legislation in public policies in relation to childbirth and childcare. This legislation review analyzes the current central- and provincial-level policies that are in practice after the enactment of the three-child policy in 2021. The study develops a conceptual framework by combining Brewer and Smith’s (2008) policy analysis framework and An and Peng’s (2016) typologies of familialization to analyze the policy goals, stakeholders, and policy tools in central- and provincial-level childcare policies in China. The study notes that policy instruments in the child-birthing stage have appeared to promote familialization, while the legislative focus of the child-rearing stage leans more towards the capacity-building of defamilization. The study also highlights a unique emerging childcare typology in the Chinese context: knowledge familialization, which refers to childbirth and child-rearing guidance.

Analysis of China’s “three supports and one assistance” policy from the perspective of policy tool

This paper takes China’s “three supports and one assistance” policy implemented from 2018 to 2023 as the research subject and conducts a quantitative analysis of policy texts through the establishment of a two-dimensional analytical framework. The study reveals that the overall policy structure in China is unbalanced, evident in issues such as an overemphasis on environmental policies, a lack of supporting construction policies, low participation from universities and rural entities, a relatively homogenous type of policy texts, and a dearth of authoritative legal and regulatory control documents. Consequently, it is imperative to appropriately optimize the overall structure of policy tools, comprehensively consider the rational layout of various policy instruments, enhance the development of supporting facilities, laws, and regulations, promote the long-term and sustainable role of universities and rural subjects in policies, and further supplement the diversity of relevant policy texts.

Leader-contingent sanctions as a cause of violent political conflict

Abstract Economic sanctions are a policy tool that great powers frequently use to interfere with domestic politics of another state. Regime change has been a primary goal of economic sanctions over the past decades. This article studies the relationship between leader-contingent sanctions—sanctions that are designed to impede the flow of revenue to a specific leader—and violent political conflict in target countries. I build a theoretical model to illuminate two mechanisms by which leader-contingent sanctions destabilize a regime—the Depletion Mechanism and the Instigation Mechanism. The Depletion Mechanism works when sanctions mechanically deplete the government's resources so that it becomes unable to buy off domestic opposition even by making the largest possible offer. The Instigation Mechanism implies that as sanctions decrease the benefit of negotiated settlement relative to war, the government may strategically choose to repress rather than buy off the opposition even when it is able to do so. Leader-contingent sanctions lead to bargaining failure by rewarding the opposition for revolt while reducing the government's ability and willingness to appease the opposition.

The impact of a macroprudential borrower-based measure on households’ leverage and housing choices

This paper investigates the impact of changes in lending limits on household leverage and housing choices. Using credit registry data and a difference-in-differences estimation strategy we determine how a change in the loan-to-value (LTV) ratio - a macroprudential policy tool - affected constrained households. Our results show that the policy change was effective in reducing households' leverage as constrained households took out smaller loans and had lower loan-to-income ratios. Such households also paid higher interest rate spreads and had higher loan-service-to-income ratios than the control group. Finally, we also show that the policy change affected households' housing choices, as constrained households bought less expensive houses. Our results highlight the improvement of the risk profile of households following the introduction of the LTV limits.

Classification and Prediction of Food Safety Policy Tools in China Based on Machine Learning

Governments use policy interventions to mitigate food safety risks. Despite its crucial role, empirical studies evaluating the effectiveness of China's food safety policy tools are scarce. Drawing on a dataset encompassing 11,236 food safety policy texts from 2005 to 2021 and the incidence of problematic food products in the Eastern, Central, and Western regions of China, this study employs Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) and eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) models to facilitate the classification of policy tools and forecast the effectiveness of policy combinations. The study reveals that (1) local governments have gradually become an important supplementary maker of food safety policies, and have issued an increasing number of policy tools year by year. (2) Mandatory policy tools are predominant in number and have the highest legal hierarchy and authority levels, followed successively by guiding policy and voluntary policy tools. (3) Mandatory policy tools demonstrated the most effective intervention results, followed successively by guiding policy and voluntary policy tools. (4) The forecast analysis reveals that combinations of policies within high-growth frameworks and those driven by mandatory regulations emerge as the most effective. Therefore, the balance of policy tools in terms of type, effectiveness, and quantity, as well as their applicability in different situations, should all be taken into account.

Off-balance-sheet policies to the rescue: The role of statistical expertise for European public–private partnerships

Off-balance-sheet policies are an important but understudied phenomenon that emerged from a technical subtlety in the calculation of public debt statistics. Taking the case of an exemplary European off-balance-sheet policy, public–private partnerships (PPPs), this paper analyzes the technocratic processes that allow the emergence of such debt-neutral instruments. In the aftermath of the sovereign debt crisis, off-balance-sheet policies have become an important policy tool for Member States in the European Economic and Monetary Union, enabling them to strike a balance between the perceived ‘public investment gap’ and the mantra of fiscal consolidation. The case study shows how the lack of political solutions to Europe’s investment-consolidation conundrum leaves it to technical experts to find workable solutions within the existing rules. The off-balance-sheet status of PPPs came under threat in 2014 but was reaffirmed through a coordinated effort by two strange bedfellows: the European Investment Bank (EIB), a promoter of PPPs, and Eurostat, the European authority responsible for public debt and deficit indicators. I argue that Eurostat and the EIB have entered into strategic cooperation to increase each other’s room for manoeuvre, diffuse political pressure and avoid bureaucratic overload. This paper contributes to a better understanding of the role of technocrats and their expertise, which shape the mutual relations between fiscal constraints and financialized investment policies in the European investor states.

Climate Change and Regional Cooperation in South-east Asian Countries

Climate change and environmental degradation are the two most pressing concerns faced by the world today for which regional cooperation is necessary. For regional cooperation, governments at the regional level must work together to coordinate activities, unify regulations and create risk-reduction plans. In South-east Asia, multiple initiatives have been taken for a shared framework for carrying out coordinated policy implementation. However, political and technical barriers have stymied efforts to suit the needs and benefits of partnering states. This article will analyse these problems and approaches in a few chosen South-east Asian nations and examine comprehensive action plans built on cooperative partnerships. It will offer a critical assessment of the environmental and climate-related issues South-east Asia faces and also offer recommendations on how to use policy tools to regulate and solve issues of regional environmental governance. It also looks at ways to counteract institutional and regulatory obstacles to reaching desired outcomes emphasising regulatory frameworks and policy.

Text Analysis of Science and Technology Innovation Policies in the Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area from the Perspective of Policy Tools

The construction of the Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area International Science and Technology Innovation Center and the formulation of policy measures urgently require an innovative ecosystem view to promote the development of scientific and technological innovation. However, these policies have presented some problems and shortcomings in the specific implementation process. This study selected 63 science and technology innovation policy texts as the research objects, including local policies in Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao. From the perspective of policy tool theory, this study investigates the science and technology innovation policies in the Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area from 2018 to 2023. Use UCINET software to code and analyze the key content of its policy text, as well as conduct co word analysis. Research and statistics on the use of various policy tools and the focus on key words. Analyze the specific deployment of different types of policy tools for technological innovation in the Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area. Policy tools use three types: supply oriented, environmental oriented, and demand oriented. During the implementation process, government policies play a guiding role in the market and have achieved certain results. However, due to the small coverage area of policies and difficulties in adaptation, the ability to promote policies is limited. Therefore, by using various types of policy tools, the government can grasp the future trend of technological construction, thereby promoting stable and orderly economic and technological development in the Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area.