Public Consultation Research Articles

“It Just Galls Me, as a Taxpayer”: Trust Implications of School Closure Decision-Making in Ontario

More than 400 publicly funded schools in Ontario, Canada, permanently closed between 2011 and 2017. This study examines the impact of highly criticized closure decisions on trust, guided by the OECD competence-values framework for citizens’ trust in public institutions. Interviews with key informants reveal factors affecting trust, including timing and format of public consultations, reliability of data informing closure recommendations, silencing of community concerns, timeliness of government coordination, asset management horizons, and system-wide approaches to planning. This study underscores the need for an alternative school-closure decision-making model for Ontario.

Non-compete clauses in employment contracts: The case for regulatory response

Abstract In the employment context, non-competes are contractual terms which provide that once the employment ends the employee cannot work for another employer in the same industry or field (i.e. a competitor), within a specified geographic area, for a specified time. The existing law and practice regarding non-competes in Australia is plagued with confusion and uncertainty. Non-competes also have adverse economic consequences; they are associated with reduced employee mobility and consequent negative impacts on wages and productivity. The use of non-competes by Australian business has increased over the past 5 years and absent a policy response; this trend is likely to continue. Non-competes are no longer limited to highly paid executives but now apply to about one in five Australian workers, across income, age, occupational, and education groups. The distribution and prevalence of non-competes in Australia are broadly consistent with data in other developed economies. A number of jurisdictions within the Organisation for Economics Co-operation and Development have imposed restrictions on the use of non-competes. The US Federal Trade Commission is considering a ban on their use and, in the UK, the government has announced its intention to limit the term of non-competes to 3 months. In Australia, the Competition Minister has recently asked the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission and Treasury for advice on the competitive aspect of non-competes. The Australian Government released an Issues Paper (https://treasury.gov.au/sites/default/files/2024-04/c2024-514668-issues-paper.pdf#page40) – ‘Non-competes and other restraints: understanding the impacts on jobs, business and productivity’ in April 2024. The Issues Paper outlines the existing research and evidence in Australia and overseas on the use and effects of non-competes. A public consultation process will conclude in May 2024 and Treasury will advise the Government on the outcomes of the consultations by the end of 2024. After reviewing the arguments for and against restricting the ‘reach’ of non-competes, I conclude that the weight of the evidence favours a regulatory response to ameliorate the unfairness inherent in the existing law and practice. A number of possible regulatory responses are considered.

Abstract 4124518: Recent Trends in Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Latin America and the Caribbean: The Rising Threat of a Cardiometabolic Epidemics

Introduction: The sociodemographic context of population growth and ageing, social disparities and the high level of urbanisation in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) provide a unique entry point to reflect on the impact of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) on populations. Our objective was to evaluate recent trends in cardiovascular risk factors (CVRF) in LAC to inform the development of potential solutions to address CVD in LAC. Methods: Using data from the “NCD Risk Factor Collaboration (NCD-Risc)” available for public consultation, we evaluated trends in the main CVRFs in LAC from 1990 to 2016-2020, namely: systolic blood pressure (SBP) in mmHg, total cholesterol (TC) in mmol/ml, body mass index (BMI) in average kg/m2 and prevalence of diabetes. NCD Risc compiles and harmonises data from studies representative of populations from various countries around the world. Data on the estimated prevalence of smoking in the region come from the “Global Burden of Diseases” study. Data are presented standardised by age to allow comparison of different periods, given that the age distribution of the population varied. Results: The CVRFs that showed favourable trends in LAC in recent decades were: smoking, mean SBP and TC. The prevalence of smoking fell from 69% to 17% for men and 67.6% to 7.6% for women, reducing the CVD risk attributable to tobacco by 34%. Mean SBP fell from 130 mmHg to 129 mmHg for men and 127 mmHg to 122 mmHg for women. The mean CT reduced from 4.7 mmol/L to 4.6 mmol/L for men and 4.8 mmol/L to 4.7 mmol/L for women. Obesity and diabetes showed unfavourable trends. The average BMI increased from 23.0 kg/m2 to 26.8 kg/m2 for men and from 23.0 kg/m2 to 27.5 kg/m2 for women, with the prevalence of obesity increasing from 3% to 11% in men and from 6% to 15% in women. The prevalence of diabetes followed this pattern and increased from 5.4% to 8.8% for men and from 5.8% to 9.6% for women. Conclusion: CVRF trends are heterogeneous and demonstrate success for policies aimed at CVRF, such as high blood pressure and smoking. However, the trends reveal that the problem in the coming decades will be the rise in obesity and its consequences, which may reverse favourable trends in CVD mortality risk in LAC. Population and individual strategies, considering the social determinants of health, need to be planned, such as taxation of ultra-processed foods and campaigns to encourage physical activity.

Legal Transformation of a Public Tertiary Institution: Turnaround and Public Interest of the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA)

Abstract Just over a decade ago, public tertiary institutions depended on the government for funding and received instructions on running their day-to-day affairs from the state. Recently, GIMPA a public tertiary institution deployed legal options to gain autonomy to stabilize its financial performance and service delivery. This article updates the progress that has since been made in understanding the reversal of the stressful financial situation of the institute through the lens of the existing legal framework. Further, the paper examined an ambitious organizational structure dwelling on a robust legal framework to redirect management policies, rules, regulations, and functional decisions of a public tertiary institution serving public management and public administration training and consultancy. Termed “legal framework,” this set of legal instruments is cultivated into efficient and effective operations that yield financial stability that ensures growth and is trajected towards national development.

Discussion of the View That "the Widest Possible Participation Is the Most Important Aspect of Public Consultation in Government"

Discussion of the View That "the Widest Possible Participation Is the Most Important Aspect of Public Consultation in Government"

Cultura, comunicação pública e cidadania: práticas de deliberação cidadã no campo das artes/cultura (Brasil-Canadá)

This study describes a stage of research linked to the international cooperation plan that investigates practices of citizen deliberation and public communication in municipal management planning documents and citizen mobilization practices — such as the culture and tourism plans in Brazil (Salvador and Belo Horizonte) and Canada (Montreal) — and online public consultations. It presupposes conflicting public administrations interests as sometimes they aim to implement public policies with a view to citizens, such as those to promote Arts/Culture and, on the other hand, strictly mercantile practices toward tourists and the construction of cities merchandise by place branding.

Exploring perceptions of maternity services for pregnant adolescents in Indonesia: a qualitative study

Background/Aims Adolescent pregnancies are prevalent in Indonesia. This study aimed to explore perceptions from healthcare workers and pregnant adolescents of maternity services for pregnant adolescents. Methods This qualitative exploratory study involved two policymakers, 10 midwives, five doctors, and 10 pregnant adolescents. Data were collected through structured interviews in public health centre consultation rooms. The data were analysed thematically to explore factors that promoted or hindered use of maternity services for pregnant adolescents. Results The identified barriers included a lack of tailored directives, challenges in engaging adolescents, insufficient numbers of skilled healthcare professionals, adolescents' fears and compromised confidentiality. Opportunities for improvement included enhancing service quality through strategic planning and specialised training for midwives and psychologists. Conclusions The study underscores the need to improve maternity services offered for pregnant adolescents by creating a conducive working environment and sensitising healthcare workers and the community to adolescent mothers' needs. Implications for practice There is a need for guidelines in Indonesia specifically on providing care for pregnant adolescents. Healthcare professionals require specialised training and facilities should be made adolescent friendly.

Developing a community engagement toolkit for health impact assessment in Ireland

Abstract Background Community involvement is a core principle of Health Impact Assessment (HIA). However, current guidance for HIA published by Ireland’s Institute for Public Health does not include guidelines on community engagement in HIA. As part of the project HIA-IM - ‘Development of a Health Impact Assessment Implementation Model: Enhancing Intersectoral Approaches in Tackling Health Inequalities,’ a Community Engagement Toolkit was created, with the aim of providing guidance for those carrying out HIAs and engaging with community in the process. The project will implement two HIAs, on the Cork City Development Plan (2022-2028) and the national Climate Action Plan (2024). Incorporating the learnings from the first HIA, the Toolkit will be employed in the second HIA of the project. Methods To develop the toolkit, a literature review of community engagement in HIA was conducted, with benefits and challenges, key approaches, and case studies of HIA’s gathered from grey literature and peer reviewed articles. In line with the participatory nature of HIA, a public consultation event was held, which was presented as a case study within the Toolkit. Results Findings from the literature review contend that engaging with community in HIA captures the lived experiences and local circumstances of the community, fostering empowerment and greater health awareness. However, many practitioners find community engagement to be practically challenging, citing factors such as time and resource constraints; with risks of consultation fatigue and raising expectations. Conclusions The review identified tools that have been used to mitigate these challenges and risks to facilitate meaningful community participation. These findings, along with learnings from conducting the first HIA, has informed the content of the Toolkit. Therefore, this Toolkit aims to complement national HIA guidance to centre the community voice in future HIA practice. Key messages • Developing a toolkit to strengthen participatory approaches and community engagement in health impact assessment in Ireland. • Centering the community voice in health impact assessment: the inclusion of lived experiences and local circumstances in health impact assessment practice in Ireland.

Knowledge and support for AI in the public sector: a deliberative poll experiment

AbstractWe are on the verge of a revolution in public sector decision-making processes, where computers will take over many of the governance tasks previously assigned to human bureaucrats. Governance decisions based on algorithmic information processing are increasing in numbers and scope, contributing to decisions that impact the lives of individual citizens. While significant attention in the recent few years has been devoted to normative discussions on fairness, accountability, and transparency related to algorithmic decision-making based on artificial intelligence, less is known about citizens’ considered views on this issue. To put society in-the-loop, a Deliberative Poll was thus carried out on the topic of using artificial intelligence in the public sector, as a form of in-depth public consultation. The three use cases that were selected for deliberation were refugee reallocation, a welfare-to-work program, and parole. A key finding was that after having acquired more knowledge about the concrete use cases, participants were overall more supportive of using artificial intelligence in the decision processes. The event was set up with a pretest/post-test control group experimental design, and as such, the results offer experimental evidence to extant observational studies showing positive associations between knowledge and support for using artificial intelligence.

Policy design and policy feedback in welfare retrenchment: A survey experiment in China

AbstractA growing body of public policy literature examines how welfare retrenchment reform produces attitudinal and behavioral feedback effects. This study adds to the literature on welfare reforms by exploring how different policy designs, combined with individual proximity to reform, produce heterogeneous feedback effects. Bridging the theories of policy feedback and policy design, we theorize how different policy designs shape individuals' self‐interest or sociotropic considerations when they form opinions on welfare reform. The feedback effects of these different policy designs are channeled by individual proximity to the reform, resulting in heterogeneous responses to proposed policy change. Seizing an opportune time window when the Chinese government undertook a public consultation program in 2020 regarding the proposed reform reallocating financial resources in individuals' medical savings accounts, we conducted a survey experiment to examine if two different policy designs led to varying feedback effects. We find that the moderate de facto retrenchment reform indeed triggered public opposition. Unlike previous research that emphasizes partisanship as a major source of heterogeneous feedback effects, our study reveals different sources of heterogeneity—public opposition to the proposed reform varies by the specific policy designs and individuals' past experiences with the existing health insurance policy.

Ethical acceptability of human challenge trials: Consultation with the US public and with research personnel.

Human challenge trials (HCTs) may accelerate the development of treatments and vaccines, and deliver novel insights into the course and consequences of infection. However, HCTs are contentious because they involve purposely exposing volunteers to infection. Consultation with the public and other stakeholders is essential for understanding how HCTs can be most ethically and acceptably pursued. Previous research has found public support for COVID-19 HCTs, but little research has considered public attitudes towards HCTs in principle and the various factors making a trial more or less acceptable. Empirical data on the attitudes of research personnel is also missing. We generated an online survey covering overarching support/opposition towards HCTs, as well as factors of importance for deciding whether or not an HCT is ethically acceptable. Our sample of the US public represents the responses of 1500 participants sampled via Prolific, poststratified to be representative of the general US adult population. We additionally collected a convenience sample of 33 research personnel engaged in phase III clinical trials for infectious diseases. Estimates for the US public suggest substantial support for using HCTs to develop new vaccines, new treatments, and knowledge about diseases, with similarly high support among research personnel. The most important factors in determining acceptability of an HCT were the risk to participants and their comprehension of this risk. The general public, in particular, appear relatively unconcerned about participants' motivations, and favor higher payment in accordance with risk. This study adds to a growing body of public consultation surrounding HCTs, demonstrating high levels of support for their use in principle-not just in relation to COVID-19. The importance attributed to various ethically-relevant factors can help in designing HCTs with high public acceptance.

Navigating legitimacy: diverse stakeholder perspectives on the IFRS foundation’s establishment of the ISSB

Purpose In 2020, the IFRS Foundation’s public consultation on Sustainability Reporting provided an opportunity for stakeholders to share their opinions on the Foundation’s proposals. This paper aims to analyze the comment letters that would legitimize the IFRS Foundation to institutionalize the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB). Design/methodology/approach This study used Python to develop a model for analyzing all 577 submissions that the IFRS Foundation received, using a combination of quantitative and qualitative content analysis methods. Findings Support for the creation of the ISSB was not unanimous but reached 68%. Key supporting arguments were that the IFRS Foundation could harmonize sustainability reporting standards by leveraging its expertise in setting accounting standards, and use its existing relationships to enforce sustainability reporting. Key counterarguments were: the IFRS Foundation lacks expertise in the areas of sustainability and climate; sustainability reporting should be integrated into financial reporting rather than being disclosed separately; the proposals were limited in scope (single materiality, focus on investors’ information needs and climate change centrism); and the IFRS Foundation should aim to endorse already established frameworks instead. Practical implications A consensus between supporters and critics was the need to make sustainability reporting mandatory. Endorsed by IOSCO, the ISSB released its inaugural standards, focusing on climate-related disclosures, effective from 2024 in jurisdictions that choose to adopt them. Originality/value The findings show that the establishment of the ISSB by the IFRS Foundation only partially fulfilled the demand for the harmonization of sustainability reporting standards. As a result, broader and non-investor-centric sustainability information may continue to be reported under alternative frameworks.

Priority Setting in Norwegian Municipal and Health Care Services: A Thematic Analysis of Public Consultation Documents

Priority Setting in Norwegian Municipal and Health Care Services: A Thematic Analysis of Public Consultation Documents

Wallet wars or digital public infrastructure? Orchestrating a digital identity data ecosystem from a government perspective

With the eIDAS 2.0 legislation, the European Union seeks to establish a digital identity data ecosystem and to empower citizens to manage digital credentials from various sources through an ID wallet interface. To achieve this, governments must develop holistic orchestration models integrating technical, regulatory, and economic perspectives. This approach will foster ecosystem value creation, address orchestration tensions, and design sustainable operating models for various ecosystem actors. While IS research has explored private-sector governance mechanisms in platform and data ecosystems, a research gap exists in understanding public–private orchestration where governments act as orchestrators. We address this through a structured document analysis of 80 position papers from various stakeholders participating in a public government consultation process and 14 semi-structured in-depth interviews. By examining ecosystem value creation mechanisms, orchestration tensions, and monetization challenges, we identify two government orchestration standard types for the ID wallet provision. The Government ID-Infrastructure Wallet model embodies an ecosystem-integrated public infrastructure, while the Trust ID Wallet Federation exemplifies a dynamic and competition-driven approach. By bridging the self-sovereign identity ecosystem paradigm with digital identity infrastructure research, our work contributes to the understanding and theoretical development of data ecosystems and digital identity research from a government perspective.

Optimization of industrial layout in airport economic zone through government-enterprise interaction

To avoid the issue of industrial layout plans in Airport Economic Zones (AEZs) being hard to implement due to mismatched the land supply and demand, it is necessary to clarify industrial layout factors that the government (land supplier) and locating enterprises (land demanders) focus on. This study constructs a AEZ's industrial layout optimization model from the government's perspective and enterprises’ locating utility. Based on the Gale-Shapley algorithm, aiming at eliminating blocking pairs, we establish government-enterprise interacting rules and coordinating mechanisms, corresponding to two types of government-enterprise interactions, namely public consultation and investment promotion joint meeting. According to government transparency and enterprise participation, the optimization model and Agent-Based Model are adopted in the combination to simulate the government-enterprise interactions in the decision-making of industrial layout in AEZ, under two interaction rules of “enterprises provide feedback in one go - the government makes revisions in one go” and “enterprises provide feedback one by one - the government makes revisions one by one”, respectively. By analyzing the changing curves of their objective functions, the equilibrium point where both parties can reach an agreement is identified, and the industrial layout scheme in AEZ is determined that will be mutually accepted. It is found that positive interaction with high government transparency and high enterprise participation will help improve the rationality of the industrial layout in AEZ, maximizing the efficiency of spatial allocation of elements and resources.

Unveiling the Subterranean Heritage: A Case Study of the Underground City of Kukës, Albania

Abstract This paper investigates the viability of conserving and repurposing Kukës’ underground city, which was built as a system of civil defence tunnels during the communist era in Albania. Beneath contemporary Kukës, the underground complex, which houses administrative offices and hospitals, is an important but underutilized historical and architectural asset. This study assesses the architectural elements, historical value, and present state of the tunnels using an extensive methodology that includes expert interviews, public consultations, on-site inspections, and archival research. Results highlight the site’s dual significance as a historical landmark and a possible center for innovation and tourism. The research offers strategic proposals for reviving the tunnels to strengthen the local economy, maintain cultural identity, and increase tourist attraction, drawing on foreign case studies. By promoting the inclusion of Kukës’ underground city in larger regional development projects and considering both community goals and pragmatic concerns, the article adds to the current conversations in urban planning and cultural preservation. Sustaining and repurposing Kukës’ underground city has various benefits, including enhanced cultural tourism and economic resurgence that encourage sustainable growth, the paper points out. Still, challenges like deteriorating infrastructure, security concerns, and accessibility issues must be overcome. Urban planners and politicians can apply the research’s practical implications by using it to develop a model for cultural preservation that aligns with modern social and economic goals. A sense of shared identity and legacy among the local community’s members is fostered by the initiative, which has significant social implications as well. The study has some drawbacks, including the need for significant funding and the potential for opposition from groups who do not recognize the advantages of these kinds of initiatives. To summarise, this research highlights the potential of adaptive reuse to bolster the sustainability and resilience of urban ecosystems by offering useful guidance and strategies that may be used to comparable initiatives worldwide.

The Fiocruz archives: sources for research on science and health during the military dictatorship (1964-1985)

The scope of this paper is to analyze the relationship between the country's political redemocratization process from the 1980s onwards and the issue of identification, preservation and access to the archives of information and security bodies that worked to combat the opponents of the authoritarian regime during the military dictatorship (1964-1985). It addresses the dictatorship's action on university and scientific institutions, to highlight the importance of the archive of the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, as well as the personal files maintained by scientists and donated to Casa de Oswaldo Cruz. It features archives and collections organized and available for public consultation, which can serve as research sources for historical studies on science and health during the dictatorship.

The effects of commercial vessel anchorages span ecological, cultural, and socio-economic endpoints

Anchorages are specific areas used by vessels to maintain position and are used as waiting areas for freighters wanting to enter ports. The surge in demand experienced by ports from 2019 to 2022 significantly extended wait times at anchorages, heightening concerns of potential ecological and socio-economic effects among coastal communities. Effective anchorage management requires a connected and holistic approach to understand these diverse and complex effects. We summarise current knowledge on the cumulative effects of anchoring on ecological and socio-economic endpoints in a Pathways of Effects conceptual model informed by scientific literature and public consultation documents. We developed a Pathways of Effects Matrix (PoEM), a graphical advance designed to concisely visualise complex effects and explore mitigation scenarios, demonstrated in the example for commercial anchoring in Pacific Canada. In addition to supporting management decisions, this simple visual tool can also provide a way for communities to communicate their concerns in a structured way.

Dataset on Electric Road Mobility: Historical and Evolution Scenarios until 2050

An increasing adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) is expected in the coming decades mainly due to the need to achieve carbon neutrality until 2050. However, predicting electric mobility’s future is challenging due to three main factors: technological advancements, regulatory policies, and consumer behaviour. The projections presented in this study are based on several scenarios driven mainly from reports published by public entities and consultants. It considers the evolution of electric road mobility by defined targets in the electrification of the transport sector. Therefore, the gathered data addresses different horizon times regarding EV penetration in the World, Europe, Portugal, Denmark, Greece, and Slovenia. Thus, an extensive literature review and estimating approach for EV forecast was conducted concerning EV markets, charging infrastructure, and electricity demand. Also, the dataset aims to provide a demand projection by 2050 and serving as a critical input to further work on EV mass deployment in the context of the project Electric Vehicles Management for carbon neutrality in Europe (EV4EU) and other works related to this field.

Virtual Investment Analysis (Metaverse) in Developing An IAS 38 as a Part of Future Accounting

Objectives: Rapid technological developments need to be responded to immediately by companies in order to achieve competitive advantage and businesses’ sustainability. The company may consider investing in technology (especially in the metaverse), and this has been applied by various large companies. The development of technology has implications for whether current accounting standards could accommodate all accounting treatments for virtual investments (the metaverse). IAS 38 regarding intangible assets is one part of the IFRS accounting standards that best accommodates Metaverse for transactions with a purpose for the long term and not to trade as main business activities, but not the whole accounting treatment. Hence, the aim of this study is to analyze the metaverse for accountants and propose developing an IAS 38 to accommodate that investment from recognition, measurement, presentation, and disclosure. Theoretical Framework: This study applies normative theory, syntactic theory and information quality theory in developing IAS 38 to reflect metaverse phenomena within the scope of the research. Method: This study applies deep interviews with six categories of accountants (public accountants, preparers, academicians, standards setters, regulators, and consultants) in Indonesia with a total of 14 informants and literature studies. Results and Discussion: The result showed that Metaverse is very useful for accountants, and IAS 38 still needs development to accommodate Metaverse with long-term investment and not trading as the main business activities. Research Implications: Six categories of accountants in this research could consider the benefit of metaverse to theirs operational and mitigate the risk of used of metaverse. In addition, Standards setters and stakeholders need to consider updating IAS 38 in order to achieve information quality about metaverse phenomenon. Originality/Value: The novelty of this research is that it proposes developing an IAS 38 regarding recognition, measurement, presentation, and disclosure to accommodate the metaverse in order to achieve faithful representation’s information quality in the metaverse.