Provincial Policy Research Articles

Paradiplomasi Pemerintah Nusa Tenggara Barat dengan International Council For Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI) Menuju Penerapan Renewable Energy

This study examines the Paradiplomasi conducted by the Provincial Government of West Nusa Tenggara with ICLEI in tackling the energy problems of NTB, where NTB is the only province that was selected as a Pilot Project in Indonesia, and included in the ICLEI Roadmap. NTB provincial government cooperation with ICLEI in the field of renewable energy since 2020-2023. This cooperation begins with an offer of ICLEI cooperation to the NTB provincial government regarding renewable energy. This research is based on the concept of Single-Themed paradiplomation proposed by Rodrigo Tavarez. According to Rodrigo Tavarez paradiplomasi Single Themed is the cooperation of local governments with foreign parties, with one focus areas of cooperation, in research that is the focus on renewable energy cooperation. The concept of paradiplomasi is also to help describe the implementation of paradiplomasi practices carried out by the NTB provincial government. This research is also coupled with the theory of Decision Making Process to assist the NTB provincial government in formulating by passing through several consideration processes, coordination which is the benchmark for NTB provincial government policy in the implementation of paradiplomasi with ICLEI.

The causal configurations of provincial health policy innovation in China: an analysis of the food safety standard filing policy.

According to China's Food Safety Law of 2015, the filing of food safety enterprise standards is a policy innovation led by p9rovincial governments in China. However, there are significant differences in the development of the "Food Safety Enterprise Standard Filing Policy" between provincial governments across the country. This study aims to explore the internal mechanisms driving autonomous innovation by provincial governments in the absence of administrative pressure from the central government, to better understand the policy innovation mechanism in the Chinese context. Crispy Set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (csQCA) method is used to identify the innovation mechanism. This study found that provinces with good provincial economic resources and strong government capabilities are prone to policy innovation, and the influence of internal factors of provincial governments is stronger than that of external factors. When provincial economic resources and capacity are weak, endogenous factors in the province also help achieve proactive policy innovation by provincial governments. The research results reveal how provincial governments construct local policies in the absence of administrative pressure from the central government.

Use of MRI and CT in Private Imaging Facilities in Canada (2021-2023)


 The private, for-profit imaging landscape is expanding and is anticipated to continue expanding due to changes in some provincial government policies aimed at reducing wait lists.
 The collection of data on private imaging can help to build a complete and comprehensive picture of overall procedural capacity across the country.
 Estimates on the number of publicly funded exams conducted in private facilities can inform the extent to which wait times have been impacted by the shift in some provincial government policies.
 The number of MRI and CT exams conducted at private facilities has increased over the past 4 fiscal years, with the exception of the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic (2020 to 2021).
 Payment through private insurance and out-of-pocket payments were the main funding sources for MRI scans in 2021 to 2023 in the private setting. Provincial health care insurance was the main funding source for CT scans conducted at private facilities.

Understanding the climate change adaptation policy landscape in South Africa

ABSTRACT Climate change is a key socioeconomic and environmental concern in South Africa. The South African government introduced several climate change initiatives to address the impacts of climate change, resulting in the proliferation of climate adaptation policies across spheres of government. This paper studies different climate change adaptation policies and climate policy paradigms (CPP) to understand the adaptation landscape; it explains and compares the changes in CPP in South Africa over time. We mapped 40 policy documents from 2004 to 2022, which shows 12 national policies, 12 provincial (sub-national) policy documents and 14 metropolitan city policy documents. We then used 12 national policy documents to illustrate and understand the CPP. The research shows that different stakeholders have shaped climate change adaptation policy, both private and public firms advised on climate change policy and there are a number of different funding partners supporting the adaptation policy like GEF, C40 and GIZ. The changing policy environment has introduced new frameworks, objectives and processes. Therefore, more efforts will be needed going forward to guide adaptation policy across national, provincial and local governments. We find that several CPPs have emerged, that is different paradigms encompassing a range of policy goals, framings and instruments. The present National CC Adaptation Strategy (NCCAS) mandates adaptation across all levels of government and allows all important stakeholders to address climate change consequences. This NCCAS increases the number and ambition of adaptation policy, encourages integrated approaches, policy coherence and clear direction on how to handle climate risks and impacts in varied South Africa and its global commitment. Changes in policy paradigm enable the use of new policy instruments, including funding and budget mechanisms. Finally, climate adaptation policy has become more ambitious and stringent, requiring all levels of government to plan for climate change.

Hiroshima’s ongoing peacebuilding and beyond: how does this local initiative seek to extend to world peace?

War-torn or post-conflict countries face challenging, complex, and varied tasks related to security, development, and justice to meet the immediate needs of state-building and peacebuilding. Hiroshima, having overcome post-war reconstruction, has remained in the peacebuilding phase by advocating world peace through the value of ‘No more Hiroshimas’. Peacebuilding studies and mainstream debates emphasising the local perspective have not, however, touched upon this historical moment, when the Hiroshima Prefectural Government enacted ‘Hiroshima for Global Peace’, pursuing peacebuilding through a nuclear-free world. In this context, this article analyses how Hiroshima’s provincial government policy demonstrates ongoing peacebuilding in pursuit of world peace. Considering local-global relations, it examines how local policy connects the shared values of a nuclear-free world. Second, it shows how local-state relations highlight Japan’s peacebuilding policy, which includes security cooperation, by sharing the vision of Hiroshima as a symbol of world peace.

Which combinations of renewable energy policies work better? Insights from policy text synergies in China

Policy synergy is crucial to achieving unified national strategies in the effective implementation of policy. This study investigates the synergistic effectiveness of China's renewable energy (RE) policy tools by analyzing 7920 RE policy texts issued by provincial governments between 2005 and 2020. By proposing the “Policy Text Quantification-Association Rule Mining-Synergy Effect Test” framework, we explore how the interaction between five policy tools affects Chinese provincial RE development. Results show that provincial policy texts mainly use targets & planning and industrial development with lower stringency than the other three tools. More importantly, targets & planning policies interact positively with operations management and industrial development, as they help reduce the uncertainty during concrete implementation in achieving expected targets and plans. On the other hand, industrial development and financial support policies could potentially repeat incentives on specific industries or enterprises, amplify unequal resource allocation and market distortion, failing to generate synergy effects.

Where Did They Go? Regional Patterns in Early Transfer in Ontario Post-Secondary Education

Research on transfer student flows has focused almost exclusively on transitions occurring between colleges and universities. Few have sought to systematically examine the regional dimensions of these student flows, and how they may map on to prevailing migration patterns that drive individuals out of remote geographical regions. Through this study, we perform the first comprehensiveanalysis of regional dynamics in early transfer student flows within Ontario post-secondary education (PSE), drawing on novel administrative linkages within Statistics Canada’s Education and Labour Market Linkage Platform (ELMLP). Our empirical analyses (i) map the magnitude of transfer student flows across the province, and (ii) statistically model the predictors of within- and cross-region forms of student transfer. Our findings demonstrate that PSE students commencing their studies in the provincial north are more likely to transfer out of their region, and that correcting these imbalances could serve as a useful strategy to retain and inject further human capital into northern communities. We explore the implications of these findings for both provincial policy makers and researchers interested in how geography shapes student trajectories.

Evaluation of site selections for solid waste landfill by using GIS in Phu Quoc island, Kien Giang province, Vietnam.

Selecting the location for domestic waste disposal and waste treatment plant is a crucial issue as it directs impacts on health-related, social and environmental factors. One of the effective tools for solving this problem is Geographic Information System (GIS) which employs Multi-Criteria Analysis (MCA). This research aims to identify the optimal locations to evaluate the existing solid waste landfill site and waste treatment plant for land use planning in Phu Quoc island in Kien Giang province for reducing the plastic waste leaking into the ocean. The island is categorized as the urban at small scale with population of 100,000 to 500,000; construction of waste treatment facilities (middle scale) with the capacity of 500 tons per day is now planned. These contents of this study are the new contributions to the methodology for data processing and data collection. The main research methods were applied to geo-spatial data collection derived from maps, satellite imagery, and existing local land use planning information. The criteria for site selections for solid waste landfill were chosen under Vietnamese construction standards and Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Ministry of Construction, international regulation, and the provincial policy. Then Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and GIS processes were based on 9 main factors such as (1) distance to an urban area, (2) distance to a rural village, (3) distance to the water surface, (4) distance to roads, (5) distance to electrical supply stations, (6) distance to industrial zones, (7) distance to waste disposal, (8) compliance with the local land use planning, and (9) agreement for approval for site locations for solid waste landfill from the local community. National standard requirements for waste landfill site selection are adjusted to meet the local context. The updated land use data source is applied, and the recommendation for the suitability of the waste landfill sites is formulated. Study results showed that there are four potential sites located in Cua Can, Bai Thom, and Ham Ninh communes with a total area of 84.5 hectares. These areas are identified to be very suitable for solid waste landfill locations and location of waste treatment plants; and corresponding to the land use planning of the local government. The results of the study also recommend policies and solutions for environmental management in the coastal area of Phu Quoc island.

“Whose carbon is it?” Understanding municipalities role in blue carbon ecosystems management in Canada

Blue carbon ecosystems are marine vegetated ecosystems, such as mangroves, salt marshes, kelp forests and seagrass meadows, that naturally sequester and store atmospheric carbon in their deep sediments and biomass. Their ecosystem services extend from carbon capture and storage to coastline protection and flood mitigation, making their management and protection a form of nature-based solution (NbS) for climate change adaptation. However, these ecosystems are subject to degradation and destruction from coastal development and land use change, releasing sequestered carbon into the atmosphere. In Canada, although home to the largest coastline of any country in the world, neither federal nor provincial policy explicitly address the management or protection of blue carbon ecosystems, leaving them susceptible to these threats. Coastal municipalities, however, may play an important role in the current management and protection of blue carbon. Land-use planning decisions on the local level offer an opportunity to protect and conserve coastal ecosystems and the co-benefits these ecosystems provide offer a NbS to address many climate threats faced by coastal communities. This study examines the current and potential role of municipalities in the management, protection and/or restoration of blue carbon ecosystems for sustainable land-use planning practices and carbon pollution mitigation by interviewing municipal staff from coastal municipalities across Canada. Study results demonstrated municipal interest in blue carbon ecosystems for their tangible co-benefits, not carbon sequestration and storage capacity, and that restoring blue carbon ecosystems for living shoreline projects was the most common active management strategy at the local level. However, institutional capacity, a lack of jurisdictional clarity and uncertainty surrounding blue carbon were identified as barriers that hindered municipal engagement in active management strategies, largely restricting them to play a supportive role to blue carbon projects led by local environmental non-governmental organizations.

Do Innovative Provincial Policies Promote the Optimization of Regional Innovation Ecosystems?

Innovative provinces are essential to innovative countries and robust support for constructing national and regional innovation systems. Based on the panel data of 28 provinces from 2016 to 2019, this paper builds a regional innovation ecosystem performance evaluation system from five dimensions: innovation subject, innovation environment, innovation resource, resource flow, and interaction intermediaries. The index weighting is carried out using the principal component analysis method, and the innovation ecosystem performance of various provinces is evaluated and analyzed to determine the regional distribution status of innovation ecosystem performance. Based on a multi-period difference-in-differences model, this paper empirically tests the impact of innovative provincial policies on the innovation ecosystem performance of each region in the former innovation development stage. The results show that innovative provincial policies significantly positively impact the regional innovation ecosystems, which are multi-dimensional, long-term, and stable. The three secondary indicators, including ecological composition, resource input, and circulation flow, show a positive impact. Further research reveals that the main pathways of the effects are promoting the expansion of innovation inputs and the increase of interaction intermediaries among innovation subjects. Finally, combining the contents and impact of the previous innovative provincial policies, this paper puts forward corresponding thoughts and suggestions for the next phase of regional pilot-type innovation policies.

Policy gaps and food systems optimization: a review of agriculture, environment, and health policies in South Africa.

South Africa faces the triple burden of malnutrition, high poverty levels, unemployment, and inequality. "Wicked problems" such as these require innovative and transdisciplinary responses, multi-stakeholder coordination and collaboration, managing complex synergies and trade-offs, and achieving sustainable outcomes. Through qualitative content analysis of national and provincial sector-based policies, we explored the interlinkages between the agriculture, environment, and health sectors in South Africa in the context of sustainable food and nutrition security and the extent to which these interlinkages are integrated into policy and planning. A systemic analysis of the review outcomes was performed to identify its main learning outcome, the status quo in the policy process. The nature of feedback loops was identified, and a leverage point was suggested. The review highlighted that policymakers in the agriculture, environment and health sectors are aware of, and have understood, the relationships among the three sectors. They have also made attempts to address these interlinkages through collaboration and coordination. Unfortunately, this has been met with several challenges due to fragmented sector-specific mandates and targets and a lack of resources for integrated solutions. This creates implementation gaps and unintended duplication of activities, leading to poor service delivery. Transitioning to sustainable and healthy food systems will only be possible after these gaps have been closed and implementation optimization has been achieved. Focusing on meta-level problem-framing, functional collaboration through transdisciplinary approaches, and integrated targets are critical to successful policy implementation and progressive realization of national goals related to sustainable food and nutrition security, unemployment, poverty, and inequality.

Manajemen Pembiayaan di Sekolah Luar Biasa dalam Meningkatkan Kualitas Pendidikan: Studi Kasus SLB di Padang

Running a private special school has its own difficulties, particularly when it comes to budget management. The effectiveness of an educational institution's financial management will undoubtedly have an influence on raising educational standards. The goal of this study is to examine how special schools handle their finances to raise educational standards. A case study methodology was employed in this qualitative research project at one of the private special schools in West Sumatra's Tanjung Raya sub-district. The foundation's director, the principal, and the treasurer served as the study's subjects. This study employed a variety of data gathering techniques, including documentation, interviews, and observation. The data was then examined via conclusion drawing, data reduction, and data display. According to the findings of this research, Tanjung Raya Special School has not implemented the planning, organizing, executing, and monitoring phases of financial management to their fullest potential. However, principals, teachers, and staff collaborate to manage school funding in order to raise educational standards in terms of infrastructure, amenities, and teacher welfare. Infrastructure and school facilities are in line with national education standards, and the provincial office's policies on teachers' welfare have been changed. It may be said that special school Tanjung Raya is doing its utmost to raise academic standards despite having less funding since they haven't yet gotten BOS grants.

YOGYAKARTA SPECIAL PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT POLICY IN EFFORTS TO INCREASE ORIGINAL LOCAL GOVERNMENT REVENUE AFTER THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

The Covid-19 pandemic has also impacted the Yogyakarta Special Region (DIY) sector. In 2020, the DIY city government anticipated a reduction of original DIY local government revenue from the previous target of 50%. The purpose of this research is to know the urgency of the policy of the provincial government of DIY in terms of the PAD after the pandemic of Covid-19 and to analyse the policy of the local government of DIY in terms of PAD expansion after the Covid-19 pandemic. The researcher used normative legal research for the study. The researcher used three methods of problem-based approach the statutory approach, the historical approach and the conceptual approach, which have the descriptive and prescriptive methods of specification research. In conclusion, the DIY provincial government policy's urgency in increasing the PAD after the Covid-19 pandemic is that the PAD experienced a contraction of 6,87% in 2021.

Efforts to Increase Investment in Riau Province in terms of Legal Certainty and Ease of Licensing

As a result of factors that can affect investment, such as natural resources, human resources, political and economic stability, government policies, ease of licensing, and legal and investment certainty, have consequences for the development of private investment and the country's economy. This research uses normative juridical method and juridical approach to analyse primary and secondary data with qualitative descriptive method. The results of this research provide an understanding of the Riau Provincial Government's policy in increasing domestic investment by clarifying the potential of the region to attract investors. In addition, this research also identifies the Riau Provincial Government's legal policies related to legal certainty and investment to support domestic investment. Based on this research, it is concluded that the one-stop service system and one-application technology aim to provide investment and licensing approvals through the government agencies responsible in that field. The central government's efforts in attracting investment and encouraging investment in the regions involve changes to investment laws and regulations, with the implementation of a one-stop service system at the Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM), as well as the establishment of necessary stages by local governments. All these steps are taken to ensure legal and investment certainty in order to attract domestic investment in the regions.

Review of the global evolution of regulations on single-use plastics and lessons drawn for Canada.

Plastic pollution is a global problem and many countries are strengthening their regulations to mitigate the related environmental degradation and health risks and to support the development and deployment of circular economy for various types of plastics. As Canada also develops its strategy for regulating single-use plastic as one element of the plastic pollution, aligned federal and provincial policies are essential. This study presents an analysis of existing and emerging policies to provide guidance on Canada's future regulations. Qualitative and quantitative data regarding plastic regulations were gathered from similar countries including Australia, the United Kingdom, the European Union, the United States and relevant scientific articles. Analysis was also conducted of current Canadian regulations that both impact and guide the path for plastic regulation, international examples provided guidance for future Canadian regulations. The analysis found that there is a need for public education on the gravity of plastic pollution to gain their support; for establishing pioneering provinces or cities in plastic regulations to learn from and provide other cities with support; and to start with banning items with available alternatives, to be followed by phasing out other items that are more difficult to replace. The study also showed potential areas of improvement in impact data. The need for reliable regulatory performance data against a baseline scenario; consistency in methodology; and proper scoping to reduce the risk of displacement or exclusivity in policy were identified.

Policy Analysis of Healthy Community Movement (Germas) during Pandemi COVID-19 in Yogyakarta

The social environment, including policies, is one of the instruments to encourage health promotion toward a healthy life, preventing and controlling COVID-19. This was to analyze the content, process, content and policy actors related toThe Healthy Community Movement (Germas) and the prevention of COVID-19 in Yogyakarta.We apply a-qualitative research of policy. We apply rapid assessment procedures (RAP) using focus group discussion (FGD) and desk review to observe various of policy from the government website. Research conducted in Yogyakarta from March to May 2021. Data was analysis by qualitative content analysis based on content, process, context, and actor categories. Results showed that policies related to Germas already exist at all levels, both national, provincial and district/city locally. According to policy content, Germas was movement to promote the culture/behavior of healthy living based on community empowerment, that were 7 points were physical activity, consuming fruits and vegetables, not smoking, not consuming alcoholic beverages, early detection and medical examination routine, clean healthy and lifestyle, and using toilet. Base on process, there were national, provincial, and local policy level. At the national level there was presidential instructions, regulations of the minister of national development planning, while governor's, regent’s policy at level province and region respectively. Locally, some policy regulate special context on COVID-19 preventing and controlling to increase awareness of the risk of transmission of COVID-19 infection in Yogyakarta. The policy actors were all of local government organizations, universities, CSR, and community. The conclusion is The Special Region of Yogyakarta already has many policies covering various sectors of life to support the implementation of Germas in the pandemic era and has been carried out by stakeholders, CSR, universities, and all of government

Is sub-national healthcare social protection sufficient for protecting rare disease patients? the case of China.

Failing to provide social support to cover healthcare costs for rare diseases would lead to great financial distress for the patients and their families. People from countries without a well-developed health safety-net are particularly vulnerable. Existing literature on rare diseases in China focuses on the unmet needs for care of the patients and the difficulties of caregivers and physicians. Very few studies examine the state of social safety-net, the unresolved issues and whether the current localized arrangements are sufficient. This study aimed to gain in-depth knowledge of the current policy system and make sense of the local varieties, which would be essential for developing strategies for future policy changes. This systematic policy review focuses on the provincial level policies on subsidizing the healthcare costs for people with rare diseases in China. The cut-off point for the policies was March 19, 2022. The researchers coded the healthcare cost reimbursement policies and identified the different provincial level models based on the usage of reimbursement components in each provinces reimbursement arrangements. 257 documents were collected. Five provincial level models (Process I, II, III, IV and V) have been identified with the five components across the country: Basic Medical Insurance for Outpatient Special Diseases (OSD), Catastrophic Medical Insurance for Rare Diseases (CMIRD), Medical Assistance for Rare Diseases (MARD), Special Fund for Rare Diseases (SFRD) and Mutual Medical Fund (MMF). The local health safety-net in each region is a combination of one or more of the five processes. Regions vary greatly in their rare diseases coverage and reimbursement policies. In China, the provincial health authorities have developed some level of social protection for rare disease patients. However, there are still gaps regarding coverage and regional inequality; and there is room for a more integrated healthcare safety-net for people suffering from rare diseases at the national level.

Provincial policies affecting resident quality of life in Canadian residential long-term care

BackgroundThe precautions and restrictions imposed by the recent Covid-19 pandemic drew attention to the criticality of quality of care in long-term care facilities internationally, and in Canada. They also underscored the importance of residents’ quality of life. In deference to the risk mitigation measures in Canadian long-term care settings during Covid-19, some person-centred, quality of life policies were paused, unused, or under-utilised. This study aimed to interrogate these existing but latent policies, to capture their potentiality in terms of positively influencing the quality of life of residents in long-term care in Canada.MethodsThe study analysed policies related to quality of life of long-term care residents in four Canadian provinces (British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, and Nova Scotia). Three policy orientations were framed utilising a comparative approach: situational (environmental conditions), structural (organisational content), and temporal (developmental trajectories). 84 long term care policies were reviewed, relating to different policy jurisdictions, policy types, and quality of life domains.ResultsOverall, the intersection of jurisdiction, policy types, and quality of life domains confirms that some policies, particularly safety, security and order, may be prioritised in different types of policy documents, and over other quality of life domains. Alternatively, the presence of a resident focused quality of life in many policies affirms the cultural shift towards greater person-centredness. These findings are both explicit and implicit, and mediated through the expression of individual policy excerpts.ConclusionThe analysis provides substantive evidence of three key policy levers: situations–providing specific examples of resident focused quality of life policy overshadowing in each jurisdiction; structures–identifying which types of policy and quality of life expressions are more vulnerable to dominance by others; and trajectories–confirming the cultural shift towards more person-centredness in Canadian long-term care related policies over time. It also demonstrates and contextualises examples of policy slippage, differential policy weights, and cultural shifts across existing policies. When applied within a resident focused, quality of life lens, these policies can be leveraged to improve extant resource utilisation. Consequently, the study provides a timely, positive, forward-facing roadmap upon which to enhance and build policies that capitalise and enable person-centredness in the provision of long-term care in Canada.

The promotion of pooling level of basic medical insurance and participants’ health: impact effects and mediating mechanisms

BackgroundEnhancing the pooling of basic medical insurance plays a vital role in strengthening the resilience to risk and co-payment capacity of medical insurance funds. In China, there is a concerted effort to shift from municipal to provincial pooling of medical insurance. While existing research suggests that provincial pooling of basic health insurance affects the health of participants, the findings are not yet consistent, and there is limited research on the specific pathways of impact between the two. Therefore, this study aims to explore the influence of provincial pooling of basic medical insurance on participants' health and analyze the mediating role of medical cost burden and medical service utilization.MethodsUsing data from the 2012–2018 China Labor Dynamics Survey (CLDS), this study focuses on a sample of urban workers enrolled in basic medical insurance. After excluding samples with missing information, a total of 5,684 participants were included in the analysis. The effects of the provincial pooling policy of basic medical insurance on participants' medical cost burden, medical service utilization, and health were analyzed using double difference modeling. Furthermore, structural equation modeling was employed to explore the mediating paths between provincial pooling and health.ResultsThe findings reveal that provincial pooling of basic medical insurance significantly impacts participants' medical cost burden, medical service utilization, and health. Specifically, provincial pooling helps reduce the participants' medical cost burden (β = -0.1205; P < 0.001), improves the level of medical institutions visited (β = 1.7962; P < 0.001), and promotes health improvement (β = 1.8370; P < 0.001). The mediating effect analysis demonstrates that the direct effect of provincial pooling on health is 1.073 (P < 0.001), with a mediating effect of medical cost burden between provincial pooling and health measuring 0.129 (P < 0.001). Heterogeneity analysis indicates that provincial pooling is more effective in reducing the burden of medical costs for low-income (β = -0.2273; P < 0.001) and high-age participants (β = -0.2710; P < 0.001), and it also helps increase the burden of medical costs for low-income (β = 4.0875; P < 0.001) and high-age participants (β = 1.9010; P < 0.001) based on provider ranking. Moreover, it is found that provincial pooling is more beneficial in improving the health of high-income (β = 1.7984; P < 0.001) and middle- and high-age enrollees (β = 1.9220; P < 0.001; β = 0.5900; P < 0.001). Further analysis reveals that the provincial unified income and expenditure mode has a more positive effect than the provincial risk adjustment fund mode in reducing the medical expense burden of the insured (-0.2053 < -0.0775), improving the grade of medical institutions (1.8552 > 0.8878), and enhancing the health level (2.8406 > 0.6812).ConclusionThe study concludes that provincial pooling of basic medical insurance has a direct positive impact on participants' health and indirectly promotes health improvement by reducing the burden of medical costs. The effects of provincial pooling on participants' medical cost burden, medical service utilization, and health vary based on income and age. Additionally, the provincial-level unified collection and payment model proves to be more advantageous in optimizing the functioning of health insurance funds through the "law of large numbers" principle.

Analysis of English for International Communication (EIC) Research Projects Conducted in the Independent Study (IS) Course Underpinning the Thailand 20-Year National Strategy Plan

The main focuses of this research study were to identify all research projects conducted by English for International Communication (EIC) students between 2017-2019 based on the Thailand 20-Year National Strategy Plan; summarize and analyzing; and, suggest the scope of the research projects in the IS course. A total of 109 research projects proceeded by the EIC students were analyzed. The research instruments were the Research Topic Analysis Checklist (RTAC). The statistic used in data analysis was the percentage. Overall, the findings indicated that the most of the research projects were in the strategy of development and strengthening human capital (85%), social cohesion and just society (5.45%), and national competitiveness enhancement (1.09%) respectively whereas there was at 8.21% ungrouped projects. Noticeably, an innovation technology and area base of IS projects gradually increased with the 21st century skills in 2019. Additionally, the understanding of both university mission and Thailand 20-Year National Strategy Plan related to the various research projects. This study can mutually provide a practical guideline for encouraging both teachers and students to explore more diverse interesting topic areas by bridging the gaps between the university mission, provincial policy and strategy, and Thailand 20-Year National Strategy Plan.