Public Policy Decisions Research Articles

“It’s changing our lives, not for the better. It’s important that we have a say”. The role of young people in informing public health and policy decisions about gambling marketing

BackgroundMarketing has a significant impact on the normalisation of gambling for youth across the globe. This has included shaping positive attitudes towards gambling, as well as increasing the social and cultural acceptance of gambling – particularly aligned with valued activities such as sport. Because of this, public health experts argue that gambling marketing poses a significant risk to the health and wellbeing of youth. While young people are increasingly exposed to, and impacted by marketing for gambling products, they are rarely consulted about policy issues and options. This study aimed to explore young Australians’ perceptions of current policy responses to gambling advertising, whether they thought young people should be involved in discussions and decisions about gambling marketing regulations, and their perceptions of the duty of governments to protect young people from gambling industry marketing strategies.MethodsQualitative focus groups (n = 22) were held with n = 64, 12–17 year olds in the Australian states of Victoria and New South Wales. Participants were asked to reflect on current gambling policies, particularly relating to marketing, what they thought should be done about gambling marketing, and if and how young people should be included in public health responses to gambling. An interpretivist ‘Big Q’ approach to reflexive thematic analysis was used.ResultsYoung people highlighted the need for more effective regulations around the content and frequency of gambling marketing. They also wanted to see more realistic representations of the negative impacts of gambling to counter persistent positive commercial marketing messages. Most thought that young people should be given an opportunity to have a say about responses to gambling due to their unique experiences. Participants identified mechanisms to increase young people’s engagement in decision making, such as direct lines of communication to different levels of government, involvement in research, and diversifying ways of engagement. Specific recommendations included more regulatory action such as bans on gambling advertising.ConclusionsCreating formal structures that facilitate the inclusion of young people’s perspectives in decisions made about gambling can result in more innovative and effective strategies to prevent the harms from gambling industry products, promotions, and practices.

Second-level agenda-setting effects of news media and public policy on social media discourse across platforms: immigration during the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S.

ABSTRACT Integrating intermedia, second-level agenda-setting, and cross-platform research, this study examines the role of news media attention and public policy decisions in driving the salience of issue attributes on multiple social media platforms. We collected three immigration-related datasets (i.e., social media posts, news media headlines, and policy documents covering the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic that also marked the last year of the Trump presidency) and applied manual coding, automated text analysis, and time series modeling to analyze the relationships. The results show that news media set the public agenda across Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube at the second level, with conservative media elevating travel-related discussion and liberal media driving border- and court-rulings-related discussion on those platforms. Compared to news media, the second-level agenda-setting effect of policy announcements was small and platform-specific. Among the three platforms, public discourse on YouTube was the most responsive to media and policy agendas. These findings advance second-level agenda-setting research, demonstrate partisan differences in news media’s impact, reveal the limited role of public policy, and provide a nuanced portrayal of cross-platform public discourse dynamics.

Use of Cost-Effectiveness Thresholds in Healthcare Public Policy: Progress and Challenges.

The article offers a comparative analysis of the influence of cost-effectiveness thresholds in the decision-making processes in financing policies, coverage, and price regulation of health technologies in nine countries. We investigated whether countries used cost-effectiveness thresholds for public health policy decision making and found that few countries have adopted the cost-effectiveness threshold as an official criterion for financing, reimbursement, or pricing. However, in countries where it is applied, such as Thailand, the results have been very favorable in terms of minimizing health technology prices and ensuring the financial sustainability of the health system. Although the cost-effectiveness threshold has opportunities for improvement, particularly in certain institutional contexts and with adequate participation of the different strategic actors in the formulation of public policy, its potential use and added value are significant in various aspects.

The Role of Media in Shaping Perceptions of Women's Empowerment: Challenges and Opportunities for Change

This paper delves into the complex role of media in influencing perceptions of women's empowerment, highlighting the various obstacles and possibilities for transformation. Through a meticulous examination of the available literature, this study offers valuable insights into the impact of media on societal perceptions of women's empowerment. The paper thoroughly examines the portrayal of women in traditional media outlets and the changing landscape of digital platforms by analysing secondary data from various academic sources. The findings shed light on the intricate relationship between media portrayals and efforts to empower women, underscoring the importance of actively analysing media stories to promote substantial advancements. The study highlights the impact of media on shaping and reinforcing societal views on gender, which in turn can shape public opinion and policy decisions. Moreover, the analysis highlights the significance of digital media in offering fresh avenues for women's voices, while also posing novel obstacles like online harassment and misinformation. In conclusion, the paper highlights the significance of media literacy and advocacy in addressing gender stereotypes and advancing gender equality. There is a need for greater awareness and education to empower audiences to evaluate media content in a discerning manner, resulting in a more balanced portrayal of women in media stories.

Collecting routine and timely cancer stage at diagnosis by implementing a cancer staging tiered framework: the Western Australian Cancer Registry experience

BackgroundCurrent processes collecting cancer stage data in population-based cancer registries (PBCRs) lack standardisation, resulting in difficulty utilising diverse data sources and incomplete, low-quality data. Implementing a cancer staging tiered framework aims to improve stage collection and facilitate inter-PBCR benchmarking.ObjectiveDemonstrate the application of a cancer staging tiered framework in the Western Australian Cancer Staging Project to establish a standardised method for collecting cancer stage at diagnosis data in PBCRs.MethodsThe tiered framework, developed in collaboration with a Project Advisory Group and applied to breast, colorectal, and melanoma cancers, provides business rules – procedures for stage collection. Tier 1 represents the highest staging level, involving complete American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) tumour–node–metastasis (TNM) data collection and other critical staging information. Tier 2 (registry-derived stage) relies on supplementary data, including hospital admission data, to make assumptions based on data availability. Tier 3 (pathology stage) solely uses pathology reports.FindingsThe tiered framework promotes flexible utilisation of staging data, recognising various levels of data completeness. Tier 1 is suitable for all purposes, including clinical and epidemiological applications. Tiers 2 and 3 are recommended for epidemiological analysis alone. Lower tiers provide valuable insights into disease patterns, risk factors, and overall disease burden for public health planning and policy decisions. Capture of staging at each tier depends on data availability, with potential shifts to higher tiers as new data sources are acquired.ConclusionsThe tiered framework offers a dynamic approach for PBCRs to record stage at diagnosis, promoting consistency in population-level staging data and enabling practical use for benchmarking across jurisdictions, public health planning, policy development, epidemiological analyses, and assessing cancer outcomes. Evolution with staging classifications and data variable changes will futureproof the tiered framework. Its adaptability fosters continuous refinement of data collection processes and encourages improvements in data quality.

The Study on Ethical Implications of Using Animals in Circuses for Entertainment with Special Reference to Chennai

The use of animals in circuses for entertainment raises a significant number of ethical concerns. These concerns center around the potential for animal suffering, the unnaturalness of the environment and activities, and the inherent exploitation of animals for human enjoyment. Training animals for circus performances often involves harsh methods, including physical punishment, deprivation, and psychological manipulation. These methods can cause significant physical and psychological harm to animals. Objectives for Exploring the Ethical Implications of Using Animals in Circuses for Entertainment: To understand the scope of the issue, To investigate the potential harms inflicted upon animals in circuses, To evaluate the justifications for using animals in circuses, To analyze the legal and ethical frameworks surrounding animal use in circus, To explore alternative forms of animal entertainment, To inform public opinion and policy decisions. Modern circuses often prioritize flashy tricks and spectacle over genuine education about animal behavior and conservation. Animals are treated as commodities, exploited for human amusement, and denied their intrinsic value as sentient beings. Animals are deprived of the freedom to make their own choices and live according to their natural instincts. Performing unnatural and often dangerous tricks can cause physical injury and psychological trauma. The total number of sample respondents in the age group of 18-50 years are collected .The overall sample size collected through queries 206.The statistical tools used are Graphical representation the independent variables are age groups, gender, educational Qualifications, occupation and Place of residence

Self-fulfilling Prophecy and Muslim Radicalization: Cases of France and the United States

This paper investigates the relationship between radicalization and self-fulfilling prophecy, focusing on the Western contexts with case studies from France and the United States. In France, historical marginalization and "symbolic ghettoization" of Muslim immigrants created an "in-group" versus "out-group" dynamic, intensified by political actions and media portrayals, leading to alienation and radicalization among young Muslim men. Similarly, in the United States, conservative media narratives post-9/11 have portrayed Muslims as threats, influencing public opinion and policy decisions, and setting the stage for potential future radicalization. The paper emphasizes the formation of these restrictive identities pushes marginalized individuals towards radicalism, underscoring the need to reject prejudices for effective radicalization mitigation. It warns of the dangers of symbolic segregation, highlighting the importance of understanding and addressing self-fulfilling prophecies in political and media discourse to combat radicalization in contemporary societies.

To share or not to share – understanding individuals’ willingness to share biomarkers, sensor data, and medical records

ABSTRACT Technological advances in the recent past made it possible for researchers to collect and analyze large amounts of health data at unprecedented scale and speed. For example, fitness trackers and smartwatches produce steady flows of information on individuals’ health. Biomarker data and medical records allow to study individuals at new levels of granularity. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted that access to such data for health research and evidence-based public policy decision-making is essential. However, having access to data depends on individuals’ willingness to share their data with others. In this paper, we analyze the factors that may affect the probability of individuals to share their biomarker, health, and sensor data using German survey data and a survey experimental vignette design. We study the impact of data type, recipient, and research purpose on respondents’ willingness to share their data as well as the effects of respondents’ own medical and data sharing history. Overall, participants’ willingness to share biomarker data was higher than the willingness to share other data types. Moreover, those who had shared data before were more willing to do so again. In addition, natural language processing analysis of textual responses capturing respondents’ motives to share their data shows that individuals do understand how valuable their data is for researchers. However, results also underscore that addressing concerns about the protection of data need to be taken seriously. Emphasizing the value of data shared for research and their purpose may help to increase trust and willingness to share data.

The Role of the Public Sphere of Science in Fostering Public Trust in Science in Ukraine

Introduction. The war in Ukraine has created a challenging environment for scholarly research, as many researchers and institutions have found themselves in constrained conditions and resources. Furthermore, there has been a decline in public trust in institutions in Ukraine, including the scholarly community.Problem Statement. In Ukraine, public trust in science has been consistently low in recent years. This may have negative consequences for the development of science and technology in the country, as well as for public policy decisions that rely on scientifi c evidence. Therefore, there is a need to foster public trust in the science of Ukraine.Purpose. The purpose of this research is to identify the key tools and technologies of the public sphere of science, which can contribute to building trust in science among the Ukrainian public.Material and Methods. There have been used the methods of analysis, synthesis, comparison, structural, functional, system analysis, and integration.Results. The importance of the role of the public sphere of science in shaping public trust in scholarly research in Ukraine has been established. The main tools and technologies in the public sphere of science that can be used to engage the public and to enhance trust in science in Ukraine have been analyzed. The role of social media platforms, scientifi c webinars, scientifi c platforms, and scientifi c festivals in this process and their potential for engaging the public in scientifi c knowledge and research have been discussed.Conclusions. The importance of involving the public in scientifi c decision-making processes and engagement through organizing public discussions and debates has been concluded. Another crucial step is ensuring open access to scientifi c information and promoting greater transparency. Collaboration among research organizations, the public, the government, and other stakeholders is also vital to the development of eff ective scientifi c policies. The use of innovation technologies and digital tools facilitates interaction between science and the public. Ensuring access to scientifi c knowledge and scientifi c education contributes to increasing trust in science.

Unwelcome Migrant Churches—A Case Study of the Portrayal of the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God in German-Speaking Online Press

This paper presents a comprehensive analysis of the portrayal of the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God in German-speaking online press. Utilizing qualitative content analysis, this inquiry examines German-speaking media articles published from 1990 to 2021. Using the systematic methodology developed by Kuckartz and Rädiker, media contents are deconstructed into individual codes and categorized into thematic complexes. This approach provides an understanding of how the UCKG is portrayed in German-speaking online press and therefore may affect Brazilian migrants who are affiliated with the UCKG. The findings of this survey reveal a multifaceted picture of the UCKG and its representation in the German-speaking online press. Dominant themes include the church’s rapid global expansion, the centralization of the leader, and various criminal allegations, predominantly financial crimes and corruption. The study uncovers a consistent pattern of critical and often one-sided media portrayal, contrasting with academic perspectives highlighting the church’s adaptation and diversity in its European context. Additionally, the research illuminates how these media narratives potentially influence public perception and policy decisions regarding the UCKG in Germany. The implications of this study are significant for professionals in the field of migration and religion to gain insights into the complexities of working with religious communities, particularly those facing media scrutiny and public misperceptions.

Use of Soil Moisture as an Indicator of Climate Change in the SUPer System

Soil moisture can be an important indicator of climate change in humid and semi-arid areas. This indicator can more efficiently propose different public policies related to climate change than just using precipitation and temperature data. Given the above, the objective of this study is to evaluate changes in soil moisture in the state of Pernambuco during the period 1961–2021, using the System of Hydrological Response Units for Pernambuco. In this study, two river basins in the state of Pernambuco that represent the different climatic conditions of the state were chosen. The results show that in the coastal region there is a tendency towards more saturated soils, and in the semi-arid region there is a tendency towards drier soils. With these results, it is possible to conclude that public policy decisions for the economy, environment, and society must consider this vital water balance variable. Leveraging soil moisture and precipitation data makes it possible to differentiate between flood risks and landslide vulnerabilities, particularly in regions characterized by higher levels of rainfall. Monitoring soil water content in humid and semi-arid areas can significantly enhance early warning systems, thereby preventing loss of life and minimizing the socio-economic impacts of such natural events. As such, this study provides a holistic understanding of the relationship between climatic patterns, soil moisture dynamics, and the occurrence of droughts and floods, ultimately contributing to more effective disaster preparedness and response measures in Pernambuco and similar regions.

The Level of Community Participation in Village Fund Management

Community participation is vital for village development, especially in managing village funds. However, in Klapanunggal Village, the implementation of fund management still struggles to meet community needs due to insufficient involvement. This study aims to explore community participation in fund management and identify factors affecting it. Qualitative research methods were used, highlighting the importance of community involvement in public policy decisions. Despite government efforts to enhance participation, it remains low. While the community acknowledges the importance of involvement, their participation in implementation, evaluation, and benefit-taking processes remains limited, with minimal impact on daily life

Resonance of Climate Crisis News Discourse in Indonesian Online Media: Reflections on Niklas Luhmann's Ecological Communication Theory Perspective

Indonesia, an archipelago significantly vulnerable to the climate crisis, faces numerous natural disasters impacting various sectors. Despite the critical need for public awareness and proactive measures, media coverage of climate crisis issues in Indonesia remains limited. This study investigates the level of resonance in online media reporting on the climate crisis from January to December 2023, focusing on keywords related to climate change, forest fires, and air pollution. The research uses topic modeling and Niklas Luhmann's systems theory to examine how four major Indonesian online media outlets address climate crisis issues. The findings reveal that while kompas.com and detik.com show consistent coverage, ANTARA and CNBC Indonesia place less emphasis on these topics. The study highlights the need for enhanced and more impactful media coverage to raise public awareness and drive meaningful action against the climate crisis. The results underscore the importance of media collaboration with governments, NGOs, and communities to increase the resonance of climate crisis issues in public discourse. Future research should explore the reasons behind the variation in media coverage and its impact on public perception and policy decisions, including the role of social media platforms.

Biodiversity of carbapenem-resistant bacteria in clinical samples from the Southwest Amazon region (Rondônia/Brazil)

Brazil is recognized for its biodiversity and the genetic variability of its organisms. This genetic variability becomes even more valuable when it is properly documented and accessible. Understanding bacterial diversity through molecular characterization is necessary as it can improve patient treatment, reduce the length of hospital stays and the selection of resistant bacteria, and generate data for health and epidemiological surveillance. In this sense, in this study, we aimed to understand the biodiversity and molecular epidemiology of carbapenem-resistant bacteria in clinical samples recovered in the state of Rondônia, located in the Southwest Amazon region. Retrospective data from the Central Public Health Laboratories (LACEN/RO) between 2018 and 2021 were analysed using the Laboratory Environment Manager Platform (GAL). Seventy-two species with carbapenem resistance profiles were identified, of which 25 species carried at least one gene encoding carbapenemases of classes A (blaKPC-like), B (blaNDM-like, blaSPM-like or blaVIM-like) and D (blaOXA-23-like, blaOXA-24-like, blaOXA-48-like, blaOXA-58-like or blaOXA-143-like), among which we will highlight Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Acinetobacter baumannii, Serratia marcescens, and Providencia spp. With these results, we hope to contribute to the field by providing epidemiological molecular data for state surveillance on bacterial resistance and assisting in public policy decision-making.

Bibliometric Analysis of the Water-Energy-Food Nexus in the Context of The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGS): A Global Perspective to the Ecuadorian Local

Objective: The objective of this study is to understand the global and local Ecuadorian landscape of the water-energy-food nexus in the context of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through a bibliometric analysis, considering the advances, trends and challenges of the last decade (2010-2020). Theoretical Framework: The Water-Energy-Food Nexus is currently perceived as an approach capable of proposing solutions to improve the integrated governance of these critical resources and coherently implement the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). To explore the potential of the Nexus, it is necessary to characterize it, identifying the main interrelationships, public policies and governance aspects related to this approach, from the global to the local Ecuadorian level. Method: The methodology adopted comprises a mixed design that includes a documentary review of the scientific literature on the Nexus from different contexts, as well as a bibliometric analysis of the scientific production related to the topic, compiled from Elsevier's SCOPUS database. Results and Discussion: The results obtained revealed that in the context of the water-energy-food nexus, Environmental Sciences are the main area of research worldwide, with sustainable development and climate change being some of the most prominent topics. In Latin America, the study of the nexus from the areas of Environment, Energy and Social Sciences prevails. In Ecuador, the study of the nexus is still incipient. Implications of the research: The work methodology can be considered in future research tending to strengthen the understanding of the Nexus in local areas, make comparisons between determined periods of time and identify public policy programs with potential strategies for the management of Nexus elements. Originality/value: The research provides useful information to the scientific community, public policy makers and decision makers, and society, by promoting the understanding of the water-energy-food nexus and its main interrelationships in different contexts, as a strategic approach for the governance of these critical resources.

Consequences of Marketing Asset Accountability—A Natural Experiment

Marketing scholars have extensively studied marketing's effect on firm value and have developed metrics and dashboards to help establish marketing accountability. However, empirical evidence of marketing accountability's specific outcomes is scarce and mainly derived from surveys. It also lacks consideration of outcomes beyond the marketing function's standing in the firm, thus overlooking possible downsides and outcomes with regard to external stakeholders such as investors. Using a natural experiment—Australia's change from a nonrestrictive to a restrictive accounting regime—this study investigates how accountability for the financial value of marketing assets (marketing asset accountability) affects a firm's marketing management focus on short-term vis-à-vis long-term marketing efficiency, its cost of capital, and the degree to which its stock price reflects actual future performance (i.e., stock price informativeness). The results show that marketing asset accountability improves long-term marketing efficiency, reduces cost of equity, and improves stock price informativeness, but does not consistently affect short-term marketing efficiency and cost of debt. Moreover, although marketing-intensive firms are commonly assumed to benefit most from marketing asset accountability, this is not the case. These results have implications for researchers, managers, and public policy decision makers.

Political Discourse Analysis in Deliberative Processes: Application to the Public Debate on Mineral Waters in Brazil

Two Brazilian cities in the southern region of the state of Minas Gerais have engaged in public debate on the exploitation of their mineral waters by the private sector, with prompted contestation from organised civil society and other actors to the governmental decision. This study aimed to analyse that public debate using the theoretical-methodological approach of argument analysis within critical discourse analysis (CDA). A news report and a legal text formed the corpus of analysis as representative of ongoing argumentations because these discourses can influence public policy decision-making. The results showed how the controversy is rooted mainly in the conflict of values between two parties – on the one hand, the concern over sustainability and environmental conservation, cultural identity, the concept of water as a common good, and the defence of public participation and, on the other hand, the predominance of values focused on economic development and the efficiency of financial management of resources.

Society and Nuclear Energy: What Is the Role for Radiological Protection?

The harm that society expects from ionizing radiation does not match experience. Evidently there is some basic error in this assumption. A reconsideration based on scientific principles shows how simple misunderstandings have exaggerated dangers. The consequences for society are far-reaching. The immediate impact of ionizing radiation on living tissue is destructive. However, this oxidative damage is similar to that produced during normal metabolic activity where the subsequent biological reaction is not only protective but also stimulates enhanced protection. This adaptation means that the response to oxidative damage depends on past experience. Similarly, social reaction to a radiological accident depends on the regulations and attitudes generated by the perception of previous instances. These shape whether nuclear technology and ionizing radiation are viewed as beneficial or as matters to avoid. Evidence of the spurious damage to society caused by such persistent fear in the second half of the 20 th century suggests that these laws and attitudes should be rebased on evidence. The three stages of radiological impact-the initial physical damage, the subsequent biological response, and the personal and social reaction-call on quite different logic and understanding. When these are confused, they lead to regulations and public policy decisions that are often inept, dangerous, and expensive. One example is when the mathematical rigor of physics, appropriate to the immediate impact, is misapplied to the adaptive behavior of biology. Another, the tortured historical reputation of nuclear technology, is misinterpreted as justifying a radiological protection policy of extreme caution.Specialized education and closed groups of experts tend to lock in interdisciplinary misperceptions. In the case of nuclear technology, the resulting lack of independent political confidence endangers the adoption of nuclear power as the replacement for fossil fuels. In the long term, nuclear energy is the only viable source of large-scale primary energy, but this requires a re-working of public understanding.

A new measure of US public agency policy discretion

Abstract The US bureaucracy routinely issues major public policy decisions that affect Americans’ lives. Government agency leaders make those decisions based on a subjective understanding of their agency’s available policy discretion. Over time, discretion has become a prominent theoretical construct in the bureaucratic politics and public administration literature, but it is rarely measured directly. In this article, we create a new measure of agency policy discretion. We draw on research suggesting that discretion is derived from the bureaucracy’s key political principals: the elected executive, legislators, and interest groups. We use data from the American State Administrators Project and trigonometry to calculate the discretion area scores for 8,955 state agencies between 1978 and 2018. We then evaluate the measure through a series of construct validation assessments. The article offers an innovative and generalizable way to operationalize discretion that will advance future scholarship in organizational behavior, public administration, and bureaucratic decision-making.

Collaborating with end-users in evidence synthesis: case studies for prevention in the first 2000 days.

Evidence synthesis is an important tool to inform decision-making in public health policy and practice. Collaborative approaches to evidence synthesis involving researchers and the end-users of their research can enhance the relevance of the evidence for policy and practice and overcome the limitations of traditional evidence synthesis methods. Despite its benefits, collaboration is not consistently integrated into evidence-synthesis methods. Type of program or service: Collaborative evidence synthesis for public health policy and practice. Reflecting on our experiences of undertaking collaborative evidence syntheses with end-users to inform policy and practice around preventive health in the first 2000 days of life, we have collated our key learnings to inform future collaborations in public health research. Key themes generated from our reflections were: 1) establish genuine partnerships early on with stakeholders, leveraging existing trusted relationships; 2) identify common goals; 3) prioritise evidence synthesis aims and objectives to ensure they are policy and practice relevant; and 4) maintain transparent, two-way communication. Collaboration involving researchers and end-users enhances knowledge synthesis methodologies, increases relevance and accessibility of the evidence for end-users, and strengthens research-policy relationships.