Public Policy Perspective Research Articles

A Keyword Co-Occurrence Analysis of Research on Service Learning: Conceptual Foci and Emerging Research Trends

Although a significant body of research has accumulated on service learning over the past seven decades, to date, no reviews have analyzed the entire multi-disciplinary literature. Thus, scholars lack systematic documentation of the scope of this literature, its thematic structure, and topical foci. This bibliometric review aimed to document these features of the service learning knowledge base. The review analyzed 5615 Scopus-indexed documents on service learning published between 1950 and 2022 through citation, co-citation, and keyword co-occurrence analyses. The analyses uncovered thematic and empirical foci associated with the theory, implementation, and effects of service learning. The review identified engineering education and problem-based learning as related topics of significant interest. In recent years, educators have increasingly experimented with the integration of other active teaching and learning methods into service learning programs. This review suggests that future research examine service learning from the perspectives of public policy, stakeholder engagement, and educating for sustainability. The field would also benefit from additional theorizing on the features that distinguish service learning from other active learning pedagogies.

Ideological polarization, policy continuity: back to the majoritarian principle?

ABSTRACT This introduction to the Italian Politics 2023 special issue gives an overview of the main events characterizing Italian politics during a year of large-scale policy reforms, presidential and parliamentary elections, and the unexpected Russian invasion of Ukraine. The authors pose three questions concerning Italian politics during the year gone by. First, from an institutional viewpoint, they ask whether the revival of majoritarianism as a principle of government formation represents the prelude to a return to enduring party-system bipolarity. Second, from an electoral and public policy perspective, they ask whether the formation of a government led by what many perceive as a radical right party betokens the start of a correspondingly radical shift in Italian public policy. Third, from an international relations perspective, they ask about the extent to which the Meloni government’s attitude to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and more generally to Italy’s position on the world stage and in international affairs, is likely to differ from that adopted by Draghi. The chapter elaborates on the three questions by tracing how the events of 2022 generated much more continuity than expected.

Relevance of Communication to Risk in Disaster Management

This article focuses on discussing the perception of risk and the approach to the problem of disaster management from the perspective of public policies, with special attention to communication strategies for prevention, information and intervention in the face of these phenomena. In order to analyze these issues from the point of view of political communication in its crisis and risk dimension, we will focus on disaster risk management and the role played by State policies and the media in such contexts. This implies the elaboration of a holistic view of the problem that allows adapting or modifying pre-existing behavioral patterns at all levels and social spheres in the face of risk. With this article we hope to contribute to the construction of knowledge linked to a particular area of public policy studies oriented to the production of indispensable communicative strategies in accordance with current needs in the field of disaster risk management, which may be taken as references by public organizations at different levels of the State.

Willingness to participate in virtual reality technologies: Public adoption and policy perspectives for marine conservation

Greater efforts are required to educate the public about marine conservation as the marine environment continues to deteriorate over time. A way to remotely travel during the pandemic is provided by virtual reality technologies in marine ecotourism. In order to present a theoretical framework that explains consumers' propensity to participate in virtual reality technology, this study draws on the theories of perceived risk, trust, and attitude. An online survey with 451 respondents was administered in Singapore and structural equation modeling was applied to analyze the data. The results reflect that perceived health risk, perceived financial risk, perceived social risk, and perceived performance risk, mediated by trust and attitude, have a significant influence on consumers’ willingness to participate in virtual reality technologies in marine ecotourism. After analyzing their total effects, trust was found to have the highest effect on willingness to participate, followed by attitude, perceived social risk, perceived financial risk, perceived health risk, and perceived performance risk. Overall, the present research offers new perspectives on comprehending the drivers of willingness to participate, as well as implicating policies to raise public awareness of marine conservation, as well as to raise more money to support marine conservation initiatives.

Sustainable and Green City Brand. An Exploratory Review

Although city branding is not new, the importance of sustainability and environmental demands is placing an enormous challenge in city/place branding activities. As such, the aim of this article is to analyze how sustainable/green city/place branding is understood and what its main idiosyncrasies are. For that an exploratory literature review was implemented and 32 articles were analyzed. It is possible to conclude that there are three main strands covering the topic related to green, sustainable, and slow city (cittaslow) or place branding. Moreover, green resources are dealt with seeking to improve the image of the city, the quality of urban life, and the green spaces supporting the city as a tourism destination. Complementarily, sustainability embraces also economic and social aspects, which are not fully covered in the previous strand. Finally, the cittaslow perspective follows a sustainable perspective more closely than the green/environmental one. The three strands are very segmented and the stage of development is still in a growing up stage. The stakeholders play an important role in disclosing the natural resources, the environmental challenges for a city/place to develop a positive sustainable reputation. Finally, there is an important role from the public policy perspective to position the city as a green, sustainable place destination.

Funding Open Educational Resources in Higher Education: A South African Public Policy Perspective

The direct crediting of book allowances to student accounts was, among other reasons, underpinned by the belief that students would be able to substitute prescribed study material with online content. The article attempts to understand if the local open educational resources (OER) funding policy environment was prepared for this significant transformation. The paper applied a critical theory paradigm and a documentary research strategy to identify policy-level documents on OER funding in the South African higher education sector. Content analysis was then applied to review what they said about OER funding. These outcomes were then measured against the National Policy Development Framework 2020, which also dominated the study’s conceptual framework. The study’s significant findings were that the OER funding policy did not meet the policymaking principles of the framework, and this exposed Higher Education to a poorly funded OER environment. The study recommended hastening the finalization of OER policy and the flexible application of current policy terms to include OER as a fundable higher education cause.

How can we implement targeted policies of rumor governance? An empirical study based on survey experiment of COVID-19

Since early 2020, COVID-19 has been a major public security crisis that has had an enormous impact on the world. With the spread of the epidemic, rumors occur, some of which have even caused public panic. They have greatly affected the government’s efforts of epidemic prevention and thus urgently need to be evaluated. This study aimed to examine how to make flexible use of different policy tools to govern rumors based on their different characteristics. From the perspective of behavioral public policy, this study observes the effectiveness of various behavioral policy tools in rumor governance, hoping to explore the optimal solution of rumor governance from the perspective of micro public psychology. The survey experiment shows that individual behavior-related rumors (hereafter referred to as IBRs) are easier to be governed than epidemic progress-related rumors (hereafter referred to as EPRs) are, and that quick response is more effective than non-quick response. Through interaction analysis, it is known that in the governance of IBRs, nudge is more effective in rapid response, while in the context of non-quick response, boost outperforms nudge in rumor governance. A similar phenomenon can be seen in the scenario of EPR governance, despite a tinier difference in effectiveness compared with that of IBRs. The study enlightens us that rumor refutation requires not only people’s disbelief in and restraint on rumors, but also the implementation of science-based targeted policies. Based on the conclusion, this study puts forward suggestions on implementing targeted policies of rumor governance.

Uloga lokalne samouprave u sprovođenju plana održivog razvoja - analitički okvir procesa implementiran u jedinici lokalne samouprave u opštini Opovo

The role of local governments in promoting policies is reflect in adopted and implemented sustainable development plan and refers to the territory of the local self-government unit. The process of creating and implementing the Plan is based on a participatory approach, which implies the direct involvement of all interested parties during the entire process. At the conceptual and analytical level, the article presents the contributions from the perspective of public policies and organizational management models in order to introduce an analytical framework based on strategy, analytics and, management. This framework is developed based on the design of a strategy to measure a capabilities in a given local government by means of specific indicators: migration, poor diversification of economic activities, extensive agriculture as the dominant economic activity, high unemployment rate, lack of employment opportunities, weak and underdeveloped infrastructure, low GDP per capita compared to urban areas. Areas and an unpolluted environment facing potential threats. This analytical framework is applied through a case study of the municipality Opovo and its policies to promote sustainable development. Most of these problems are the result of global changes, therefore the results of the analysis highlight the importance of the combined action as a result of effort to implement policies at the local government level.

Evaluation of the gender perspective from a public policy perspective in Cuba

Cuba has been working on gender and gender equity issues for decades after the triumph of the Cuban Revolution on January 1, 1959 from legal frameworks to addressing gender equity in aspects such as education, violence and political participation. In turn, the Cuban government has implemented a series of legal, judicial and administrative measures with the purpose of eliminating any type of inequality or discrimination related to gender. Within this context, this paper aims to evaluate the gender approach in Cuban public policies, which introduce the concept of mainstreaming the perspective in legislation, policies and programs implemented in the period from 2019 to 2023 with emphasis on the Program for the Advancement of Women and the Comprehensive Strategy for the Prevention of Gender and Domestic Violence.

Exercising in India

In this paper, we use the nationally representative Time Use Survey (TUS) data from India to estimate the proportion of people that spend any time of the day exercising. We found that overall, less than 7% of the adult population (age ≥18 Years) spent any time of the day exercising. Our estimates also revealed that the proportion of population exercising varied Across states, by rural and urban sectors, and by social and religious groups. We also estimated logistic regressions to Model the probability of people exercising. We found that males had three times higher odds of exercising than females. Relative to less educated people (primary school and below), those with educational level of graduate and above had almost 2.5 times higher odds of exercising. People in the higher strata of consumption class, the top 10%, had 1.7 times higher odds of exercising relative to the bottom 50%. From a public policy perspective, the low level of exercise across all geographies and social, economic, and demographic characteristics indicates the need for population-wide interventions in India to encourage exercise.

Navigating vulnerability markets and bug bounty programs: a public policy perspective

Navigating vulnerability markets and bug bounty programs: a public policy perspective

Examining the perspective of public policies in cyber defense area the Brazilian case

Examining the perspective of public policies in cyber defense area the Brazilian case

State Nurseries are Not for Us: The Limitations of Early Childhood Policies Beyond Price Barriers in Barcelona

Access to early child education services has been proven to be an efficient tool in fighting educational inequalities. However, while wealthier families are likely to use childcare services, disadvantaged children tend to be left out. Research has explained this effect, known as Mathew Effect, and has studied both the constraints in the availability and affordability of childcare services, and the cultural norms surrounding motherhood. This paper aims to highlight other factors that also explain the Mathew Effect from a public policy perspective, beyond the economic barriers that limit access to formal childcare services. Through 34 interviews with mothers who have children between one and three years of age who attend both state and private nurseries in the city of Barcelona, we examine the characteristics of regulated childcare services and the objective factors of those mothers’ everyday lives in order to understand the decision-making processes involved in choosing childcare for the under-threes. The results indicate that sliding-scale pricing has allowed mothers with low incomes to access state nursery schools, while the quality of the services offered has served to attract the middle and upper classes. However, early childhood care services have not been adapted to the needs of working-class mothers who, although not being in a situation of social vulnerability, cannot afford private nurseries because of their high costs.

Real World Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Population Screening for BRCA Variants among Ashkenazi Jews Compared with Family History-Based Strategies.

Identifying carriers of pathogenic BRCA1/BRCA2 variants reduces cancer morbidity and mortality through surveillance and prevention. We analyzed the cost-effectiveness of BRCA1/BRCA2 population screening (PS) in Ashkenazi Jews (AJ), for whom carrier rate is 2.5%, compared with two existing strategies: cascade testing (CT) in carrier’s relatives (≥25% carrier probability) and international family history (IFH)-based guidelines (>10% probability). We used a decision analytic-model to estimate quality-adjusted life-years (QALY) gained, and incremental cost-effectiveness ratio for PS vs. alternative strategies. Analysis was conducted from payer-perspective, based on actual costs. Per 1000 women, the model predicted 21.6 QALYs gained, a lifetime decrease of three breast cancer (BC) and four ovarian cancer (OC) cases for PS vs. CT, and 6.3 QALYs gained, a lifetime decrease of 1 BC and 1 OC cases comparing PS vs. IFH. PS was less costly compared with CT (−3097 USD/QALY), and more costly than IFH (+42,261 USD/QALY), yet still cost-effective, from a public health policy perspective. Our results are robust to sensitivity analysis; PS was the most effective strategy in all analyses. PS is highly cost-effective, and the most effective screening strategy for breast and ovarian cancer prevention. BRCA testing should be available to all AJ women, irrespective of family history.

Review on new spending of United States Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill

The US Infrastructure Investment and Job Act (IIJA), also commonly referred to as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill, passed in 2021, has drawn international attention. It aims to help to rebuild US infrastructure, including transportation networks, broadband, water, power and energy, environmental protection and public works projects. An estimated $1.2 trillion in total funding over ten years will be allocated. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill is the largest funding bill for US infrastructure in the recent history of the United States. This review article will specifically discuss funding allocations for roads and bridges, power and grids, broadband, water infrastructure, airports, environmental protection, ports, Western water infrastructure, electric vehicle charging stations and electric school buses in the new spending of the Infrastructure Investment and Job Act and why these investments are urgently necessary. This article will also briefly discuss the views of think tank experts, the public policy perspectives, the impact on domestic and global arenas of the new spending in the IIJA, and the public policy implications.

Hourly and Daily PM2.5 Estimations Using MERRA‐2: A Machine Learning Approach

AbstractHealth and environmental hazards related to high pollution concentrations have become a serious issue from public policy perspectives and human health. Using Machine Learning (ML) approach, this research aims to improve the estimation of grid‐wise PM2.5, a criteria pollutant, by reducing systematic bias from speciation provided by MERRA‐from the Modern‐Era Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications version 2 (MERRA‐2). The ML model was trained using various meteorological parameters and aerosol species simulated by MERRA‐2 and ground measurements from Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) air quality system stations. The ML approach significantly improved performance and reduced mean bias in the 0–10 μg m−3 range. We also used the Random Forest ML model for each EPA region using 1 year of collocated data sets. The resulting ML models for each EPA region were validated, and the aggregate data set has a Spearman Rank correlation (SR) of 0.73 (RMSE = 4.8 μg m−3) and 0.69 (RMSE = 5.8 μg m−3) for training and testing, respectively. The SR (and RMSE in μg m−3) increased to 0.81 (3.9), 0.89 (1.6), and 0.90 (1.1) for daily, monthly, and yearly averages, respectively. The results from the initial implementation of the ML model for the global region are encouraging. Still, they require more research and development to overcome challenges associated with data gaps in many parts of the world.

Systematic Literature Review on Sustainable Consumption from the Perspective of Companies, People and Public Policies

Sustainable consumption requires that people, companies, and nations promote correct use of their resources in the interest of environmental protection and ecosystem integrity. Given the relevance of this subject, the main objective of the present study was to provide an overview of the literature on sustainable consumption, going beyond knowledge related to consumer behavior, and addressing questions connected with the role of companies and public policies in the promotion of sustainable consumption. To achieve that, a systematic literature review was carried out by selecting 114 articles published over the past ten years, from Web of Science categories with an environmental focus. The study allowed for showing the state of the art of the subject, as well as suggestions for future studies based on gaps in the literature. It was found that there is a concentration of studies oriented toward surveying and understanding consumer behavior at the expense of those focused on examining companies and their relationship with sustainability and consumption.

1.J. Round table: Research Methods for Public Health Oriented Health Services Research – what works where and for what?

Abstract This workshop will present the different methodological approaches relevant to the field of public health. This includes approaches of health systems and health policy research, epidemiology, health technology assessment, health impact assessment, health systems performance and economic evaluations. Presentations will be hold by presidents and vice-presidents of the EUPHA Sections in the form of a panel, presenting the overview of each methodology and providing case examples. All organizers might invite special contributions from their members and students to share innovations of case examples from their counties. During the first half of the workshop the EUPHA Sections will provide input on traditional and innovative methods the following topics: 1. Health Policy and Systems Research (HPSR) applied to Primary Care. 2. The use of traditional and innovative epidemiological study designs for public health relevant inferences. 3. Overview of methods used for the quantification of health impacts, both following a risk assessment approach or an epidemiological approach. 4. Methodologies and techniques applied in Health Technology Assessment (HTA) and how their contribute to decision-making and evidence-informed policymaking. 5. Health Systems Performance Assessment (HSPA) and Economic evaluations. 6. Research methods from the public health policy and politics perspective. In the second half of the workshop we will discuss and share examples on innovation in research methods and seek to find an answer to the question: what is being done in the countries? Input from DGPH-FO, DNVF-IHRS, Charité WG HPSRI and from all participants will be welcome. Target audience: young and old professionals interested in updating their methods skills and sharing their own experiences on innovation in methods for a stronger public health research. Key messages • There are no better or worse research methods; they are just a tool, that when applied properly support evidence and action for a stronger public health. • As knowledge on research methods evolve, sharing knowledge amongst different fields is key to contribute to a stronger health system, better health policy decisions and a better health for all. Speakers/Panellists Lorena Dini Charité Univesitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany Piedad Martin-Olmedo Escuela Andaluza de Salud Pública, Granada, Spain Stefania Boccia Italian Society of Hygiene, Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Rome, Italy Chiara de Waure University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy João Vasco Santos Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, CINTESIS, Porto, Portugal

The Effect of Lockdown Repeal on Socialization: Bayesian Multilevel Difference-in-Differences Approach

The COVID-19 lockdown has had an unprecedented impact on people in various ways. This study evaluates the effect of lockdown repeal from both marketing and public-policy perspectives. Combining the Bayesian multilevel model with the difference-in-differences design, we find that a lockdown repeal has had a negative impact on socialization. Furthermore, the results show that those who have a low level of risk perception are less affected by lockdown repeal. Also, the negative effect of lockdown repeal varies depending on past socialization behaviors; that is, the lockdown-repeal effect is attenuated for those who socialized more than others in the past. Our findings contribute to the intersection of public policy and marketing literature and provide both academic and practical implications.

Role of income and government responsiveness in reducing the death toll from floods in Indian states

Floods are the most commonly occurring natural disasters in India due to India’s unique geographical location and socioeconomic conditions. Frequent flooding causes enormous loss of human lives and damage crops and public utilities. Furthermore, floods adversely affect economic development and increase the government's financial burden by increasing spending on various disaster mitigation measures. Recent empirical literature based on cross-national comparisons shows that disaster fatalities and damages are monotonically decreasing in per capita income. We challenge this view on the monotonic negative relationship between income and flood damages. We examine the non-monotonic (inverted U-shaped) relationship between per capita income and flood impact in terms of deaths, people affected, and damages due to floods in 19 major Indian states from 1980 to 2011, using Poisson and Tobit estimation methods. In particular, deaths and the population affected by floods increase with a turning point of income up to 882 US$ and 578 US$, respectively, and diminishes thereafter. Our results confirm an inverted U-shaped relationship between income and fatalities and the population affected by floods. In addition to income, we argue that government responsiveness plays an essential role in mitigating the risk of floods. We employ the fixed-effect Poisson estimation method to examine the government's role in protecting people against disaster risk, focusing on regional differences in India. Deaths from floods remain non-linear and follow the inverted U-pattern with respect to government responsiveness. However, the effect of government responsiveness on flood fatalities and flood damages is statistically insignificant. Our results further suggest that high-income states experience a lower death toll from floods. The high-income (rich) states are capable of incurring a higher threshold level of income and higher natural calamity expenditure to reduce flood fatalities and protect the population affected by floods than the low-income (poor) states. The poor states have minimal resources and face severe financial constraints to reduce the death toll from floods. From the perspective of public policy, the poor states, in particular, require an increase in income, better governance, and effective disaster management policies to mitigate flood impact.