Proactive Policy Research Articles

4IR and Bangladesh: Are We Ready?

The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) is the era of convergence of advanced technology such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), automation, blockchain which is changing the rule of the game for the global economic and social paradigms. A transition from the labor-intensive sector to a diversified and technology driven economy represents greater opportunity for Bangladesh. But it faces challenges – from a lack of digital infrastructure, skill shortages and regulatory gaps – which could hinder its ability to reap the benefits. Based on a critical analysis of Bangladesh’s economy, this paper discusses the current dependence of low wage sectors like agriculture and readymade garments (RMG) industry and prospects for integration of 4IR technologies in enhancing sectoral productivity, creation of new job sectors and Human capital development. Key barriers of technological infrastructure deficits and cybersecurity risks, coupled with social inequality, could hamper efforts to reduce disparities, if not addressed with targeted interventions. The paper suggests how to tackle these challenges: by investing in digital infrastructure; educating and training the labor force; promoting public-private partnerships; and putting in place a capable regulatory framework. The utilization of the strategies stated above could help Bangladesh exceed 4IRs intricacies and pursue its sustainable and inclusive growth. It highlights the need for proactive policy making and strategic investment in order to ensure that Bangladesh remain in the race guiding towards becoming a competitive player in the global 4IR landscape.

Mitigating The Long-Term Risks of Debt and Consumerism Behaviour: In The Perspective of Gen Z in Indonesia and Malaysia

The purpose of this study is to create regulations, ethical standards for the use of BNPL that play an important role in protecting consumers. The population of this study is students at universities in Indonesia and Malaysia, with a sample of 410 respondents used. This study uses a quantitative approach with a survey, data will be collected from students who shop online in Indonesia and Malaysia. The test results of this study show that: (1) BNPL Service Convenience has a significant positive effect on Intention to Use BNPL in students who shop online in Indonesia and Malaysia; (2) Impulse Buying has a significant positive effect on Intention to Use BNPL in students who shop online in Indonesia and Malaysia; (3) Intention to Use BNPL has a significant positive effect on BNPL User Behavior in students who shop online in Indonesia and Malaysia; (4) Financial Self-control moderates pseudo-the influence of Intention to Use BNPL on BNPL User Behavior; (5) Psychological Risk pseudo-moderates the effect of Intention to Use BNPL on BNPL User Behavior. The implications of this study underscore the importance of designing more proactive policies in mitigating long-term risks from consumer debt and consumerism among Gen Z in Indonesia and Malaysia. Considering the high use of the Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) scheme among the younger generation, the policies formulated should include more in-depth financial literacy education, regulations that protect consumers from excessive debt accumulation, and policy frameworks that promote more sustainable consumption behaviors.

Dynamic relationships between inflation, industrial production, and freight rates in the EU: A wavelet coherence and causality analysis

Dynamic relationships between inflation, industrial production, and freight rates in the EU: A wavelet coherence and causality analysis

The Role of Criminal Law in Combating Corporate Crime that Harms the Public Interest

Corporate crime has become a significant challenge for modern legal systems due to its far-reaching impact on the public interest. This article explores the role of criminal law in addressing corporate crimes that harm society, focusing on the effectiveness of legal frameworks in deterring unlawful corporate practices. The research identifies key elements of criminal law that are essential in prosecuting corporate crime, such as corporate liability, accountability, and the role of regulators in ensuring compliance. It emphasizes the importance of a strong legal framework that not only punishes wrongdoing but also encourages preventive measures within corporate governance. By analyzing case studies of corporate crimes that affected public health, the environment, and financial stability, the paper assesses the current state of corporate crime legislation and proposes improvements to enhance the law's ability to protect public interests. Furthermore, the article discusses the need for international cooperation in tackling transnational corporate crimes, where national legal systems often face limitations. The research concludes by suggesting that an integrated approach, combining criminal law enforcement with proactive regulatory policies, is crucial for achieving greater corporate accountability and safeguarding the public interest.

Decoding Pure Malware : Technical Insights, Case Studies, and Mitigation Strategies

The Pure malware family, comprising components like PureCrypter, PureLogs, and PureMiner, represents a sophisticated and growing threat to global cybersecurity. This study delves into the malware's technical intricacies, its track record, and its alignment with frameworks like MITRE ATT&CK, CAPEC, and Palo Alto Unit 42. Through detailed case studies, we explore its impact on cloud infrastructure, virtual machines, containers, and caches. The study also proposes AI-powered mitigation strategies, digital forensics methodologies, reverse engineering practices, and proactive organizational policies to counteract such threats. Visualizations such as geofence maps, bar graphs, and timelines highlight the geographical and financial implications of Pure malware.

Analysing the emerging discourses in the Ghanaian media around perennial flooding in Accra

ABSTRACT Climate change coupled with poor urban planning has facilitated the occurrence of flood disasters across cities in the Global South. While the media landscape remains a vibrant platform where expert knowledge is shared about the causes, patterns, risks and mitigation measures of the ravaging flood disasters, there is limited scientific knowledge about how the media narratives evolve and inform better policy formulation in addressing the floods. Using a Corpus-Assisted Discourse Studies (CADS) approach, we explore the discursive construction of perennial flooding in Accra in the Ghanaian press to bring to light emerging discourses around the phenomenon and how that contribute to remedying the problem. The findings revealed a hazy identification of the major causes of the floods in the news, and underscore the urgent need to embrace cogent measures and more proactive policies, firm commitment from the government, stakeholders and the inhabitants in the city to tackle the perennial floods.

MIGRASI INTERNASIONAL DAN PEMERIKSAAN KEIMIGRASIAN DI INDONESIA PASCA PANDEMI COVID-19: KEBIJAKAN IMIGRASI RESTRIKTIF, PROAKTIF, DAN SELEKTIF

This research aims to analyse the impact of post-Covid-19 migration policies in Indonesia, focusing on restrictive, proactive, and selective policies. Through a mixed approach combining quantitative and qualitative analyses, this research aims to provide a holistic and in-depth understanding of the impact of migration policies on international population movements, the contribution of migrants to economic recovery, as well as the dynamics of migrant selection and their integration across different sectors and regions in Indonesia. The results of this research are expected to provide critical insights to policymakers to formulate migration policies that are in accordance with the actual conditions and needs of society. In addition, this study will also help in understanding the contribution of migrants to economic recovery, paying attention to the social and economic impacts of proactive policies implemented. The study also provides a foundation for the protection of migrant workers' rights and sustainable national economic recovery strategies. Finally, the study considers the changing views of society towards migration, enabling the identification of factors that influence perceptions and enhancing understanding of social integration amidst new post-Covid-19 migration policies.

A Hybrid Care Model to Manage Diabetes Mellitus in the United Arab Emirates

The GluCare.Health hybrid care model represents a potentially groundbreaking approach to diabetes management that integrates on-site and remote components. With the global burden of diabetes projected to affect 783 million people by 2045, this model addresses the shortcomings of both traditional care and virtual care as stand-alone modalities, emphasizing patient engagement. Hybrid care combines the strengths of both in-person visits and digital health technologies to provide a continuous-engagement care model. Under the GluCare.Health hybrid model, the physical clinic, aligned with American Diabetes Association standards, offers personalized consultations and an intuitive layout. The virtual component employs remote continuous data monitoring and utilizes wearables such as the Oura ring for real-time tracking and mobile apps for remote monitoring and engagement, primarily around habits and behaviors across specific parameters that affect metabolic health. Implementation was effective in December 2022 when the model went live. Within just 3 months, significant improvements in certain health parameters were observed, and data at 12 months show similar results. Challenges for this model include scalability, talent recruitment, the physician adoption of continuous care models, reimbursement issues, resistance from older patients, and ethical considerations. The model’s success hinges on proactive policy advocacy, community engagement, and iterative refinement to navigate evolving health care landscapes. In essence, GluCare.Health’s hybrid model has the potential to become a transformative, patient-centric solution to the escalating global diabetes burden, driving innovation in chronic disease management.

Predictive Modeling of US Stock Market and Commodities: Impact of Economic Indicators and Geopolitical Events Using Machine

Comprehending the dynamics of the stock market is pivotal for investors, policymakers, and economists in the USA. The United States stock market being one of the most influential financial markets in the world, contributes significantly to shaping the world economy. This research project aimed to bridge the important gaps in understanding the interrelationship between economic indicators and geopolitical events concerning the performance of the US stock market and commodities. The prime objective was to assess how different economic indicators have an impact on stock market performance over a specific period. In this regard, the development of machine learning models facilitated the ability to forecast stock market and commodities trends. These models utilized economic indicators and geopolitical events from historical data to predict future movements in the market with higher accuracy than the traditional forecasting technique followed. The study considered several different datasets to comprehensively analyze the effects that economic indicators and geopolitical events have on the stock market and commodity performances. The key datasets used in this analysis involve historical stock market indices such as the S&P 500, Dow Jones Industrial Average, and NASDAQ, as well as commodity prices for gold, oil, and silver. These datasets were collected from reputed financial databases such as Bloomberg and Federal Reserve Economic Data-FRED, for metrics including GDP growth rates, unemployment rates, inflation figures, and interest rates. The researchers also gathered data on geopolitical events: elections, trade wars, and military conflicts, using usually reliable news archives like Reuters, Bloomberg News, and The New York Times. Linear Regression, Random Forest, and XG-Boost algorithms were selected to capture various facets of the data. The performance metrics used to evaluate the models in this study included Mean Absolute Error, Root Mean Squared Error, and R-squared. Random Forest Regressor outperformed the other models with the lowest RMSE, showcasing its ability to model complex relationships. XG-Boost Regressor equally delivered a strong balance between performance and computational efficiency, achieving similar accuracy to Random Forest. Results from this study therefore can inform policy makers, especially in regards to stabilizing the financial markets during periods of heightened economic or geopolitical uncertainty. Key recommendations include developing proactive policy measures that could dampen the effect of adverse economic indicators and geopolitical events on market stability.

Fossil fuels or renewable energy? The dilemma of climate policy choices

Fossil fuels or renewable energy? The dilemma of climate policy choices

Unraveling the complexity: Influential factors and trajectories of NGO advancement in China—A fsQCA analysis of 46 Cases

Unraveling the complexity: Influential factors and trajectories of NGO advancement in China—A fsQCA analysis of 46 Cases

Understanding Divergent Views on Nearly Zero- Energy Buildings between Developers and Procurers in Romania

This study investigates the awareness, perceptions, and preparedness of Romanian construction developers and public procurement specialists in relation to nearly Zero-Energy Buildings (nZEBs), focusing on factors that influence their adoption. Employing a mixed-methods approach, the research analyzes 193 validated questionnaire responses and insights from interviews with four industry experts. The findings reveal a significant disparity in familiarity with nZEB, with developers exhibiting greater awareness than procurers. Compliance with regulations emerges as the primary driver for nZEB adoption, while high upfront costs and a scarcity of qualified workforce are major barriers. Additionally, the complexity and fragmentation of Romanian legislation on nZEB standards creates ambiguities and further hinders effective implementation. Despite these challenges, developers express moderate optimism about Romanian construction companies' adaptability to future nZEB demands, whereas procurers remain less confident. The study underscores the critical role of proactive policy interventions, clear public procurement criteria, and collaborative strategies in aligning government-funded projects with energy efficiency goals. By addressing systemic barriers and fostering innovation, this research provides policymakers and stakeholders with actionable insights to facilitate a smooth transition to sustainable building practices in Romania.

Hydrological Response to Climate Change: McGAN for Multi-Site Scenario Weather Series Generation and LSTM for Streamflow Modeling

This study focuses on the impacts of climate change on hydrological processes in watersheds and proposes an integrated approach combining a weather generator with a multi-site conditional generative adversarial network (McGAN) model. The weather generator incorporates ensemble GCM predictions to generate regional average synthetic weather series, while McGAN transforms these regional averages into spatially consistent multi-site data. By addressing the spatial consistency problem in generating multi-site synthetic weather series, this approach tackles a key challenge in site-scale climate change impact assessment. Applied to the Jinghe River Basin in west-central China, the approach generated synthetic daily temperature and precipitation data for four stations under different shared socioeconomic pathways (SSP1-26, SSP2-45, SSP3-70, SSP5-85) up to 2100. These data were then used with a long short-term memory (LSTM) network, trained on historical data, to simulate daily river flow from 2021 to 2100. The results show that (1) the approach effectively addresses the spatial correlation problem in multi-site weather data generation; (2) future climate change is likely to increase river flow, particularly under high-emission scenarios; and (3) while the frequency of extreme events may increase, proactive climate policies can mitigate flood and drought risks. This approach offers a new tool for hydrologic–climatic impact assessment in climate change studies.

Temporal Trends and Demographic Disparities in Mortality from Heart Failure with Co-Existing Iron Deficiency Anemia in the United States, 1999-2020

Temporal Trends and Demographic Disparities in Mortality from Heart Failure with Co-Existing Iron Deficiency Anemia in the United States, 1999-2020

Exploring the Impact of Institutional Innovation in Free Trade Zones and Free Trade Ports on Cultural Exchange and Soft Power Construction

This paper explores how institutional innovations in Free Trade Zones (FTZ) and Free Trade Ports (FTP) promote cultural exchange and soft power construction. Through a systematic literature review and policy analysis, it is found that institutional innovations in FTZs and FTPs, including relaxed restrictions on foreign investment in the cultural industry, streamlined approval processes for cultural exchange activities, the establishment of diverse cultural exchange platforms, and optimization of cultural talent introduction policies, effectively enhance the depth and breadth of international cultural exchange. These efforts have significantly improved China’s cultural soft power. A case study of the Hainan Free Trade Port demonstrates how proactive cultural policy innovations have led China to achieve notable success in international cultural exchanges, offering new ideas for global soft power competition. This study provides reference recommendations for future policy formulation and academic research, especially in optimizing cultural policies in FTZs and FTPs to further enhance cultural soft power.

Effects of climate variability and urbanization on spatiotemporal patterns of vegetation in the middle and lower Yangtze River Basin, China

Vegetation serves as a crucial indicator of ecological environment and plays a vital role in preserving ecosystem stability. However, as urbanization escalates rapidly, natural vegetation landscapes are undergoing continuous transformation. Paradoxically, vegetation is pivotal in mitigating the ecological and environmental challenges posed by urban sprawl. The middle and lower Yangtze River Basin (MLYRB) in China, particularly its economically thriving lower reaches, has witnessed a surge in urbanization. Consequently, this study explored the spatiotemporal variations of normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) in the MLYRB, with an emphasis on elucidating the impact of climate change and urbanization on vegetation dynamics. The results indicate that a significant increasing trend in NDVI across the MLYRB from 2000 to 2020, a pattern that is expected to persist. An improvement in vegetation was observed in 94.12% of the prefecture-level cities in the study area, predominantly in the western and southern regions. Temperature and wind speed stand out as dominant contributors to this improvement. Nevertheless, significant vegetation degradation was detected in some highly urbanized cities in the central and eastern parts of the study area, mainly attributed to the negative effects of escalating urbanization. Interestingly, a positive correlation between NDVI and the urbanization rate was observed, which may be largely related to proactive ecological preservation policies. Additionally, global climatic oscillations were identified as a key force driving periodic NDVI variations. These findings hold significant importance in promoting harmonious urbanization and ecological preservation, thereby providing invaluable insights for future urban ecological planning efforts.

Abortion and Contraception Policy in Prisons in Canada

Little is known about abortion and contraception policy in prisons in Canada. The aim of this study was to determine policies governing access to abortion and contraception in prisons in Canada. Between 2022 and 2023, we sent freedom of information requests to each province and territory and to the federal government of Canada, requesting any information with respect to policies governing abortion and contraception in prisons and jails. Our review identified only one outdated policy pertaining to abortion access, and no policies governing hormonal contraception. The lack of proactive policy to assert access to commonly required services threatens reproductive autonomy.

Strategy of Development of Sustainable Red Chili Agribusiness Areas in North Sumatra Province

The development of sustainable red chili agribusiness areas in North Sumatra Province is a challenge that involves various aspects, including cultivation technology, farmer institutions, supply chain efficiency, government policy support, and environmental sustainability. This study aims to identify and formulate a sustainable red chili agribusiness development strategy that can increase farmers' productivity and welfare without sacrificing the environment. Through a qualitative approach, data were collected from in-depth interviews with farmers, agribusiness stakeholders, as well as a review of government policies related to sustainable agriculture. The results show that the application of precision agriculture technology, such as drip irrigation systems and integrated pest management, can significantly increase productivity while preserving natural resources. Strengthening farmer institutions, such as cooperatives, is also very important in coordinating production, improving market access, and stabilizing farmers' income. In addition, supply chain efficiency through the construction of storage and distribution centers will reduce post-harvest losses and price fluctuations, while government policy support is needed in the provision of agricultural infrastructure and stable price regulation. In conclusion, the sustainable development model of red chili agribusiness areas must include synergies between environmentally friendly technologies, strong institutions, efficient supply chains, and proactive policy support. With this model, red chili agribusiness areas in North Sumatra can develop sustainably, contribute to food security, and improve farmers' welfare.

Civic Skills Mastery as a Widow's Strategy In Fulfilling Life's Needs: a Legal and Social Justice Analysis

This study aims to examine how the mastery of civic skills by widows can help them in making ends meet, from a legal and social justice perspective. Widows often face considerable social and economic challenges in making ends meet. Mastery of civic skills such as knowledge of legal rights, social engagement, and participation in public decision-making can be applied to overcome these challenges. This research uses a descriptive qualitative approach through observation, in-depth interview and documentation techniques with a number of widows in Magelang urban area. The results showed that understanding of legal rights as well as the ability to participate in community significantly helps widows overcome the social and economic challenges they face. The legal system can improve the position of widows through proactive policies that support social justice.

Renewable Energy in Nepal: Current State and Future Outlook

Nepal’s energy mix is predominantly based on traditional and inefficient biomass and fossil fuels. As a result, there is a notable prevalence of energy scarcity in the country. Within the literature, there exists a lack of a comprehensive review of the potential of renewable energy in the country while the relatively less contribution of renewable energy resources, making the country more vulnerable to adopt a more carbon-intensive energy policy. Consequently, in this study, we conduct a thorough review of existing literature to provide a comprehensive assessment of the current status of renewable energy and the energy mix in Nepal. We also discussed the potential for the country to transition to a sustainable energy system. This review analysis exclusively focused on scholarly articles and research reports that specifically addressed the topic of renewable energy in Nepal. Despite the rapid decline in the cost of solar photovoltaics, Nepal’s renewable energy share currently stands at only 3.2%. This paper argues that Nepal needs proactive and favorable strategies and policies to effectively implement clean energy, based on the given premises and the country’s aspirations for sustainable energy. This involves a substantial amount of solar power production combined with battery storage, supplemented by storage methods such as off-river pumping hydropower technology. The study emphasizes the significance of renewable energy in achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This review also emphasizes the obstacles in the advancement of Nepal’s renewable energy industry and offers suitable policy suggestions to address these obstacles, hence facilitating a sustainable shift in energy.