Professional Policy Research Articles

Location-induced client influence in valuation for loan security: the new terra incognita for emerging property sub-markets

PurposeConsidering the changing dimensions of client influence in the emerging sub-market in Nigeria, different from previous general insinuations, this article examines the new strategies adopted by clients to influence estate surveyors and valuers (ESVs), factors that predispose ESVs to client influence and the effects of clients' influence on valuation outcomes and real estate markets in emerging sub-market, using Ibadan market as the study area.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is situated within a client influence assessment framework, modified to reflect contextual incidents. Contextualization was made possible with the involvement of both practitioners and academic researchers. Validated copies of the questionnaire were administered to the registered practicing ESVs in an intact group during their monthly state (provincial) meeting and through direct delivery at their firms. Data collected were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics.FindingsContrary to the previous studies, the authors found no significant relationship between ESV professional qualifications, the firm's staff strength and the frequency of clients' influence in valuation assignments. Hiding important information and clauses, begging, lobbying, and seeking undue favor and promises for future jobs or appointments are the influencing strategies clients employ to pressure valuer. The topmost factors are emerging sub-market and economic-induced factors, lack of due process, and adequate transparency on the parts of firms and Valuers. It was established that the new dimension of client influence leads to the mortgage valuation accuracy dilemma, discredit of professional confidence, default and financial distress, and generating mistrust in the property market.Practical implicationsThe implication is the new dimension of client influence, different from the previous studies, thus calling for professional and policy attention. As real estate investment and transactions transcend globally, understanding the local sub-market condition is imperative.Originality/valueThe novelty of the paper is the exposition on the dimensions of client influence within the economy and the implication for the professional body regulatory policy.

The professional role and exercise of the role of educational assistance professionals in schools with School Integration Programs in Chile

AbstractThe incorporation of health professionals into inclusive schools is increasingly necessary. However, the work of these professionals has not yet been studied globally. This qualitative research analyses the perceptions of speech therapists, psychologists, physical therapists and occupational therapists on the role that educational policy defines for working in schools with School Integration Programmes in Chile. Through chain sampling, 52 professionals were interviewed. The data were analysed inductively through thematic analysis. The results show that the role defined by policies for professionals is not in line with the needs of schools and the aspirations of the inclusive approach. The exercise of the role emerges as a distinct entity from the defined role that seems to be more responsive to the needs of schools and students. Interviewees described tensions related to the role in schools, professional training, working conditions and contextual features that would permeate the role that the policy mandates them to play. The findings of the study promote new research horizons related to the role of professional assistants, where research is still incipient worldwide, and invite reflection on the importance of designing education policies with a bottom‐up approach to capture the needs presented by learners and professional teams.

Teachers’ experiences of students with social, emotional and mental health needs

This report focuses on part of a recently completed New Zealand case study exploring teachers’ experiences of effectively supporting students with social, emotional and mental health needs. The participants came from nine diverse faith-based and State school contexts. The findings pertain to the first interview question which invited participants to reflect on and share anonymized experiences of teaching children with SEMH needs. These life-world insights will be useful to Christian teachers and teacher-leaders as they pursue their own contextualized professional dialogue, policies and programmes to engage with this significant educational opportunity, to make a positive difference in students’ troubled lives.

Lived experiences of Special Needs Education Professionals in Handling Learners with Intellectual Disability

This research aims to explore the lived experiences of special needs education (SNED) professionals who work with children with intellectual disabilities (ID). The study recognizes the crucial role played by these professionals in supporting the different facets of the development and educational needs of children with ID. By examining their lived experiences, this research aims to gain a deeper understanding of the challenges, rewards, and perspectives that shape their professional journeys. Using a qualitative approach, in-depth interviews were conducted with a diverse sample of SNED professionals, including teachers, therapists, and support staff, who work directly with children with ID. The collected data was analyzed using thematic analysis to identify recurring themes and patterns within the narratives. Preliminary findings reveal that SNED professionals face numerous challenges, including navigating individualized education plans, addressing complex behavioral issues, and adapting instructional strategies to meet diverse learning needs. However, they also report significant rewards, such as witnessing the progress and growth of their students, building strong connections with families, and experiencing personal fulfillment in making a positive impact on childrens lives. This research contributes to the existing literature by shedding light on the multifaceted experiences of SNED professionals in the context of children with ID. The findings have implications for professional development, support systems, and policy initiatives aimed at enhancing the well-being and effectiveness of SNED professionals in their vital roles.

District and School Leaders’ Efforts Concerning the Public Gender Transition of a High School Teacher

Purpose This case study examined the efforts of district and school level leaders related to the public gender transition of one high school teacher over a 2-year period. We employed Theoharis’ (2007) conceptualization of social justice education leadership to guide our analysis. Research Methods This qualitative inquiry drew from in-depth, semi-structured interviews with the superintendent, transgender teacher, high school principal and relevant teacher union leaders. Related documents were also collected to triangulate the data sources. Data analysis involved open coding to identify themes and significant features of participants’ actions and experiences. Findings The findings are presented in the form of a chronological narrative about district and school leaders’ actions as one teacher underwent a public gender transition. Following this narrative, we explore three critical characteristics of the educational leaders’ actions: Collaborative communication, intentionality and anticipation, and framing. Implications This study addresses a significant gap in the literature concerning how educational leaders might work to create safe school environments for LGBTQ educators. While the efforts made by district and school level leaders in this case represent important steps toward creating safe environments for transgender educators, additional professional development and policy making are critical actions that could build on the efforts detailed in this case.

The Effect of Managerial Adverse Experience on Financial Reporting

ABSTRACT We identify executives who have experienced significant accounting-related adverse events during their careers as a powerful setting to examine the extent to which prior professional experience can influence subsequent financial reporting policies. We find that firms led by senior financial executives who have experienced accounting-related adverse events during their careers exhibit greater unconditional accounting conservatism, a lower likelihood of experiencing future accounting-related adverse events, and less positive abnormal discretionary accruals. This effect tends to be stronger when the experience is more frequent, recent, severe, or proximate. Overall, our results reveal a meaningful relationship between managers’ professional experience and accounting policies. Data Availability: All data used in this study are obtained from publicly available sources. JEL Classifications: G40; M40; M41.

The effects of teacher’s emotional intelligence on team-member exchange and job performance: the moderating role of teacher seniority

AbstractThis study aims to examine the effects of teachers’ seniority, emotional intelligence (EI), and team-member exchange (TMX) quality on their job performance in primary schools. In particular, the mediating role of TMX on the relationship between EI and job performance, and the moderated mediating effect of teacher seniority on EI-TMX-job performance relationships were scrutinised. Data were collected from 387 teachers of primary schools in Taiwan. The SPSS PROCESS macro and structural equation modelling (SEM) were applied to test the hypotheses using SPSS 26.0. The research findings indicated that primary teachers’ EI positively affected their TMX and job performance. The findings also provide empirical evidence for the positive mediating effect of TMX on the relationship between EI and job performance, as well as the negative moderating effect of teachers’ seniority on the linkage between EI and TMX. Recommendations are made on the enhancement of teachers’ EI and the relationship of TMX in teachers’ professional development programs, educational policies, and practice.

European climate pact citizen volunteers: strategies for deepening engagement and impact

The European Climate Pact is one constitutive element of the European Green Deal, which has the ambition of making the European Union (EU) climate neutral by 2050. It is a particularly intriguing measure since it is designed as a format for volunteering, known as European Climate Pact Ambassadors, whom the EU Commission expects to inform members of their communities and networks about climate change and to inspire and support climate action. Each Pact Ambassador is presented on a dedicated website hosted by the EU Commission, which means that this programme is highly personalized. With this paper, we address Pact Ambassadors who do not work as policy professionals and strive to offer them guidance on navigating their mandate. In essence, we invite them to personalize the mandate and to assume those roles and carry out those activities that they feel comfortable with and which align with the overarching goals and principles of the ambassadors’ programme.

Marine plastic: The solution is bigger than removal

Despite the increase in the documentation on, and interest in marine debris, there remains a gap between the analytic information available and the recommendations developed by policy and decision makers that could reduce this pollutant. Our paper summarizes some successful initiatives across policy, industry, infrastructure and education; and where they sit in the value chain of plastic products. We suggest that a multidisciplinary approach is required to most effectively address the marine plastic litter problem. This approach should emphasize (1) minimizing plastic production and consumption (where possible), and waste leakage; by (2) improving waste management (taking into consideration the informal sector) rather than focussing on clean-up activities. We then suggest some steps that once addressed would assist policy professionals, and a wide variety of entities and individuals with decision-making to reduce marine plastic litter. We suggest the creation of a user-friendly framework (tool) would facilitate transparency and democratization of the decision-making process across stakeholders and the wider community. This tool would be most useful if it comprised information on (i) defining appropriate metrics for quantifying plastic waste for the study/work case; (ii) providing a list of possible interventions with their key associated enabling and disabling factors, (iii) identifying the main influential factors specific to the situation/region; (iv) recognizing the risks associated with the selected interventions and the consequences of these interventions on the most influential factors; (v) objectively ranking solutions using the information gathered (metrics, targets, risks, factors) based on the regional, national, and/or international context. This tool then provides an opportunity for user groups to explore different suites of options for tackling marine plastic pollution and co-create a suite that is optimum for them.

Simulation, Science, and Stakeholders: Challenges and Opportunities for Modelling Solutions to Societal Problems

The article outlines an approach to computer modelling called “human simulation,” whose development has been explicitly oriented towards addressing societal problems through transdisciplinary efforts involving stakeholders, change agents, policy professionals, subject matter experts, and computer scientists. It describes the steps involved in the creation and exploration of the “insight space” of policy-oriented artificial societies, which include both analysing societal problems and designing societal solutions. A case study is provided, based on an (ongoing) research project studying “emotional contagion” related to misinformation, stigma, and anxiety in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, along with lessons learned about some of the challenges and opportunities facing scientists and stakeholders trying to simulate solutions to complex societal problems.

Do communicators take over? Mediatization and conflicts in civil society

AbstractThe article investigates internal strategies and struggles in civil society organizations' (CSOs') policy advocacy work from the vantage point of policy professionals by using the concepts of field, symbolic capital, and logics. A main claim is that mediatization acts as a strategic‐tension mechanism within a CSO, putting communicators at the center of policy units, which in turn is consequential for the strategies chosen for the organization's policy work. In this way, mediatization as a process celebrates certain professionals and strategies as particularly relevant, creating frustration among employees not specializing in communication. The study identifies a trend for organizations to put more resources and influence into communication and less into actual policy analysis. This article combines research on organizational logics, policy professionals, and mediatization by drawing on 38 interviews with, and ethnographic work among, policy professionals in Sweden, Latvia, and the Netherlands.Related ArticlesSelling, Niels, and Stefan Svallfors. 2019. “The Lure of Power: Career Paths and Considerations among Policy Professionals in Sweden.” Politics & Policy 47(5): 984–1012. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12325.Svallfors, Stefan. 2016. “Out of the Golden Cage: PR and the Career Opportunities of Policy Professionals.” Politics & Policy 44(1): 56–73. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12149.Svallfors, Stefan, Erica Falkenström, Corrie Hammar, and Anna T. Höglund. 2022. “Networked Reports: Commissioning and Production of Expert Reports on Swedish Health Care Governance.” Politics & Policy 50(3): 580–97. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12462.

Low Job Market Integration of Skilled Immigrants in Canada: The Implication for Social Integration and Mental Well-Being

Skilled immigrants are critical assets to the social and economic dynamism of Canada. However, they are less likely to find employment matching their skillset due to a lack of inclusive post-immigration professional integration policies and support. They generally earn less and often live below the low-income cutoff relative to their Canadian-born counterparts. This paper aims to review the current situation of low job market integration (LJMI) of skilled immigrants in Canada and its implications on their social integration and mental well-being. Skilled immigrants continue to face disparities in getting desired jobs, despite having sufficient skills and credentials similar if not superior to that of Canadian-borns. Based on the existing literature, this study demonstrates that low job market integration limits skilled immigrants’ productivity, and they experience a lower level of social integration and deteriorated mental well-being. Therefore, initiatives from multidisciplinary and multisector stakeholders are necessary to improve skilled immigrants’ mental well-being by providing equal opportunities devoid of social exclusion and marginalization.

Grief and bereavement in the time of COVID-19: a thematic analysis exploring psychotherapists’ observations of clients’ experiences

ABSTRACT Research published at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic predicted additional complexity and difficult experiences for those who experience grief and bereavement in this context. The current study aimed to explore the observations of professionals who have worked with grieving clients during the pandemic. This qualitative study targeted psychotherapists with experience of supporting bereaved and grieving clients during the COVID-19 pandemic. A sampling frame of psychotherapists specialising in bereavement was generated from the website of a professional body and potential participants were randomly selected for invitation. Snowball sampling was used as a supplementary method. An inductive thematic analysis was used to generate themes based on 10 interviews. Six key themes were identified; “Restricted access to dying loved ones,” “Cut off from expected supports and ways of grieving,” “Scope to find positives in the changed experience of grief,” “Enhanced emotions,” “Loss of focus on individual grief,” and “Additional complexities surrounding a COVID-19 death.”. The findings provide support for predictions made around additional complexity for grieving persons during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, they also demonstrate the potential for bereaved persons to find positives in their grief experience. These findings have implications for professional practice, policy, and future research directions.

Policy professionals in civil society organizations

Drawing on 24 interviews with policy professionals in 10 Swedish member-based civil society organizations (CSOs), and observations of policy professionals in three of these, we investigate CSOs from the perspective of their policy teams. This paper theoretically addresses how policy professionals relate to the members in whose name they work. This article extends the literature on civil society professionalization by conceptualizing the conflicts pertaining to policy professionals’ work in CSOs and ways of managing these conflicts. We argue that, ordinarily, CSO policy professionals working to influence public policy respond to conflicting logics and myth-like institutional demands for strong and direct influence of member interests by maintaining face and investing in the myth of member centrality. Based on how policy professionals address these issues, we suggest that organizations respond to conflicting institutional pressures and myths via decoupling strategies, discreetly avoiding member concerns while investing in the membership myth, ultimately fostering organizational hypocrisy. Conceptually, the paper contributes by connecting the literatures of civil society professionalization and new institutional theory to the burgeoning literature on policy professionals.

A Literature Review on Methods and Metrics for the Analysis of Outdoor Air Displacement Conditions in the Urban Environment

The ongoing pandemic has driven the attention of both policy makers and professionals of the building sector towards the need for proper ventilation of the indoor environment. Despite accurate ventilation control only being available with mechanical ventilation systems, in several countries worldwide the renovation of indoor air relies mainly on natural solutions. In this context, in the design of new or renovated buildings, conventional natural ventilation rates are typically assumed to be in agreement with available technical standards, sometimes regardless of the actual external conditions. For instance, local wind speed and direction, as well as buoyancy-driven air displacements, are not considered, even if they can significantly affect the ventilation efficacy for the designed buildings. Moreover, the local outdoor temperature and the presence of pollutants are rarely accounted for, even though they can represent interesting inputs not only for naturally ventilated buildings but also for mechanical ventilation systems. In the framework described above, this review paper aims to provide an overview of the current state-of-the-art of the research regarding air displacement and conditions in the urban context, focusing on the main methods, parameters and metrics to consider in order to ensure a deeper and more accurate modelling of natural ventilation potential in the urban built environment. The analysis of the literature includes both experimental and numerical studies. As regards the latter ones, the features of the chosen urban areas—real or parametric ones—the adopted turbulence models and the indexes calculated as simulation outputs were analysed, with the purpose of defining a common framework to support future extensive numerical studies.

Stakeholder Engagement in the Development of Public Health Economic Models: An Application to Modelling of Minimum Unit Pricing of Alcohol in South Africa.

Health economic models aim to provide decision makers with information that is contextually relevant, understandable and credible. This requires ongoing engagement throughout the research project between the modeller and end-users. We aim to reflect on how a public health economic model of minimum unit pricing of alcohol in South Africa benefited from, and was shaped by, stakeholders. We outline how engagement activities were used during the development, validation and communication phases of the research with input gathered at each stage to inform future priorities. A stakeholder mapping exercise was completed to identify stakeholders with the required knowledge, for example academics with expertise in modelling alcohol harm in South Africa, members of civil society organisations with lived experience of informal alcohol outlets, and policy professionals working at the forefront of alcohol policy development in South Africa. The stakeholder engagement consisted of four phases: developing a detailed understanding of the local policy context; co-producing model focus and structure; scrutinising model development and communication planning; and communicating research evidence to end-users. The first phase utilised 12 individual semi-structured interviews. Phases two to four centred around face-to-face workshops (two online) with both individual and group-based exercises employed to achieve required outputs. Phase one provided key learning on policy context and initiated working relationships. Phases two to four provided a conceptualisation of the problem of alcohol harm in South Africa and the choice of policy to model. Stakeholders chose population subgroups of interest and advised on both economic and health outcomes. They provided input on critical assumptions, data sources, priorities for future work, and communication strategies. The final workshop provided a platform to communicate the results of the model to a largely policy audience. These activities led to the production of highly contextualised research methods and findings that were able to be communicated widely beyond academia. Our programme of stakeholder engagement was fully integrated into the research programme. It resulted in a number of benefits including creating positive working relationships, guiding modelling decisions, tailoring the research to the context, and providing ongoing opportunities for communication.

Understanding Professional Development Policies for Novice Lecturers: Perspectives from the University Management

Professional development policy is an initiative intended to up-skill novice lecturers, and in so doing improve university education. This qualitative case study was conducted to explore the understanding of university management on professional development policies. Data were collected through in-depth interviews and documents. The participants were twelve university management at two selected public universities in China including vice-chancellors, directors of the Academic Affairs Office, deputy deans, and administrators in the Academic Affairs Office. Data from documents supplied the data obtained from interviews. Then, using thematic analysis to identify the themes that emerged from the data obtained. The findings of this study indicated that the university management has a comprehensive and deep understanding of professional development policies. As policymakers, they are aware of what the policy contains, which includes the policy target group, policy goals, guiding principles, and fields covered in policies. The university management should take and enact their role of lecturer professional development seriously, and provide useful activities and programs for novice lecturers to help them.

Lessons from professional nursing associations' policy advocacy responses to the COVID-19 pandemic: An interpretive description.

Professional nursing associations across jurisdictions engaged in significant policy advocacy during the COVID-19 pandemic to support nurses, the public and health systems. While professional nursing associations have a long history of engaging in policy advocacy, scholars have rarely critically examined this important function. The purpose of this study was twofold: (a) to examine how professional nursing associations engage in the process of policy advocacy and (b) to develop knowledge specific to policy advocacy in the context of a global pandemic. This study was conducted using interpretive description. A total of eight individuals from four professional nursing associations (two local, one national and one international) participated. Data sources included semi-structured interviews conducted between October 2021 and December 2021 and internal and external documents produced by organizations. Data collection and analysis occurred concurrently. Within-case analysis was conducted prior to cross-case comparisons. Six key themes were developed to illustrate the lessons learned from these organizations including their organization's role in supporting a wide audience (professional nursing associations as a compass); the scope of their policy priorities (bridging the gaps between issues and solutions), the breadth of their advocacy strategies (top down, bottom up and everything in between), the factors influencing their decision-making (looking in and looking out), their evaluation practices (focus on contribution, not attribution) and the importance of capitalizing on windows of opportunity. This study provides insight into the nature of policy advocacy carried out by professional nursing associations. The findings suggest the need for those leading this important function to think critically about their role in supporting a wide range of audiences, the breadth and depth of their policy priorities and advocacy strategies, the factors that influence their decision-making, and the ways in which their policy advocacy work can be evaluated to move towards greater influence and impact.

The Performance Gap of Policy Information Systems: A Knowledge Infrastructure Assessment Framework

Digital technologies’ development and their ubiquity has significantly changed the way information is collected and shared. These changes are also observed in the ways that knowledge and information used to design and implement Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) policies are increasingly made accessible via digital platforms. Lacking, however, are evaluation frameworks to measure the performance and effectiveness of public information systems used for STI policy work. This limits what we know about what aspects work for whom, when, and why. As a response to this gap limiting our collective capacity for improving their utility, this paper presents an assessment framework tool for STI policy-focused digital knowledge platforms. Our proposition is informed by theoretical lessons from the areas of work on Knowledge Infrastructures (KIs) and Next Generation Repositories (NGRs), and practical experiences from policy professionals working in STI policy domains. The tool’s architecture is structured around three interdependent thematic pillars of performance in the production, aggregation, distribution, and maintenance of knowledge in digital information platforms: the communities pillar, the technical systems pillar, and the sustainability pillar. To test the design and utility of our proposed evaluation framework, we applied it on a digital platform of STI policy instruments maintained by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the Global Observatory for Science, Technology, and Innovation Policy (GO-SPIN) platform. We conclude with reflections on future areas for evaluation framework development.

Mothers’ Knowledge of Infants' Fever Management: A National Prospective Study

The aim of this study was to describe mothers' knowledge of infant fever management after birth and six months later and its association with sociodemographic characteristics, perceived support, sources of consultation and health education; and to assess determinants of change in mother's knowledge from birth to six months. Mothers (n = 2804) answered a self-reporting questionnaire after giving birth in maternity wards in six hospitals in Israel; six months later follow- up interviews were conducted by telephone. The mothers' knowledge level of infant fever management was low after birth (mean = 50.5, range 0-100, SD = 16.1), and rose to a moderate level six months later (mean = 65.2, SD = 15.0). Mothers having their first born, with lower household income or education were less knowledgeable about infant fever management after birth. However, these mothers showed the largest improvement after six months. Mothers' perceived support or sources of consultation and health education (partner, family, friends, nurses, and physicians) were not associated with their knowledge at either time. Moreover, mothers stated self-learning from internet and other media as often as receiving health education by health professionals. Public health policy for health professionals in hospitals and community clinics is essential to promote clinical interventions promoting mothers' knowledge of infant fever management. Efforts should focus at first time mothers, those with non-academic education, and those with a moderate or low household income. Public health policy enhancing communication with mothers regarding fever management in hospitals and community health settings, as well as accessible means of self-learning is warranted.