Public Policy Reform Research Articles

Fostering sustainable development through adolescent engagement in vocational education

In this study, we evaluate the effectiveness of vocational education and training (VET) in linking education outcomes to employment needs, with a focus on integrating industry-specific internships into VET curricula. This research highlights a disparity in the perceived value of VET, especially among women, indicating a broader sociocultural issue. Results indicated a gap in understanding VET's role in sustainable development, suggesting a need for public awareness and policy reforms. We recommend modernizing VET systems to align more closely with economic and societal needs, involving the private sector and enhancing vocational curricula with practical experience. This study provides actionable insights for educational policy and administrative reform.

Theoretical and Legal Foundations for the Protection of Environmental Rights as Part of Political Rights in Kyrgyzstan

This article examines the theoretical and legal foundations for the protection of environmental rights as integral components of political rights in the Kyrgyz Republic. It explores the evolution of environmental rights within the broader framework of human rights and political freedoms, highlighting their significance in the context of sustainable development and democratic governance. The study analyzes the existing legal frameworks, including constitutional provisions and international agreements, that support the recognition and enforcement of environmental rights in Kyrgyzstan. It also addresses the challenges and opportunities in integrating environmental rights into the political rights discourse, emphasizing the role of civic engagement, public policy, and legal reforms. The findings underscore the importance of strengthening legal mechanisms to ensure the effective protection of environmental rights as fundamental political rights, contributing to the overall enhancement of environmental governance in the Kyrgyz Republic.

Character of the Police Affairs Bureau’s Public Policy and Social Reform Activities in Colonial Korea during the 1920s

Character of the Police Affairs Bureau’s Public Policy and Social Reform Activities in Colonial Korea during the 1920s

The Problematisation of Young People Within Existing Housing-Related Policy in Queensland

AbstractMore young people are experiencing homelessness and housing stress in Australia than ever before, with policy responses failing to address a current housing and cost-of-living crisis. Of particular concern when considering increasing rates of youth homelessness and housing stress is the absence of research examining existing policy. This research was undertaken in the Australian state of Queensland and contributes to addressing this gap in knowledge by utilising Carol Bacchi’s (2009) ‘What’s the Problem Represented to be?’ approach to policy analysis to examine three state policies, namely Towards Ending Homelessness for Young Queenslanders 2022–2027, the Queensland Housing Strategy 2017–2027, and the Queensland Youth Strategy. A range of discourses were found which position young people as lacking knowledge and skills to obtain housing. Emphasis is also placed on education, training, and employment as solutions to youth housing issues rather than a genuine focus on empowering young people through policy and practice initiatives. The findings of this research mirror existing discourses found in global conversations about youth homelessness and housing stress and contribute to a growing knowledge base around the importance of engaging young people in decision making within public policy and social reform.

Exploring the Landscape of Adult Acute Poisoning in Saudi Arabia: A Comprehensive Narrative Review.

This narrative review meticulously examines the intricate landscape of poisoning incidents within Saudi Arabia, delineating the prevalence and characteristics across three main categories: pharmaceutical, illicit, and chemical substances. Pharmaceutical agents, particularly analgesics and antipsychotics, are identified as leading causes of acute adult poisoning, highlighting the paramount role of their widespread accessibility and the potential risks associated with over-the-counter availability. The review underscores the alarming prevalence of over-the-counter analgesics, such as paracetamol and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), as the most frequent culprits in poisoning cases, with a significant correlation observed between analgesic poisoning and gender, notably affecting the female population. Additionally, the study delves into the burgeoning issue of illicit drug use, with opioids and amphetamines emerging as substantial contributors to the poisoning landscape, reflecting a broader global trend of increasing substance misuse and its associated health risks. Chemical poisoning, encompassing a range of substances from household cleaners to industrial chemicals, presents another critical area of concern, with specific emphasis on the dangers posed by antiseptics, detergents, and organophosphates. The review identifies a pressing need for targeted public health interventions and policy reforms aimed at mitigating the risks associated with these diverse types of poisoning. By offering a comprehensive overview of the poisoning epidemiology in Saudi Arabia, the study contributes valuable insights into the multifaceted nature of this public health challenge, advocating for enhanced regulatory measures, public awareness campaigns, and improved access to mental health services to address the underlying factors contributing to poisoning incidents.

The influence of crisis on policy formulation: the case of alcohol regulation in South Africa during COVID-19 (2020-21).

This study contributes to a neglected aspect of health policy analysis: policy formulation processes. Context is central to the policy cycle, yet the influence of crises on policy formulation is underrepresented in the health policy literature in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). This paper analyses a detailed case study of how the COVID-19 crisis influenced policy formulation processes for the regulation of alcohol in South Africa, as part of COVID-19 control measures, in 2020 and 2021. It provides a picture of the policy context, specifically considering the extent to which the crisis influenced the position and power of actors, and policy content. Qualitative data were collected from nine key informant interviews and 127 documents. Data were analysed using thematic content analysis. A policy formulation conceptual framework was applied as a lens to describe complex policy formulation processes. The study revealed that the perceived urgency of the pandemic prompted a heightened sense of awareness of alcohol-related trauma as a known, preventable threat to public health system capacity. This enabled a high degree of innovation among decision-makers in the generation of alternative alcohol policy content. Within the context of uncertainty, epistemic and experiential policy learning drove rapid, adaptive cycles of policy formulation, demonstrating the importance of historical and emerging public health evidence in crisis-driven decision-making. Within the context of centralization and limited opportunities for stakeholder participation, non-state actors mobilized to influence policy through the public arena. The paper concludes that crisis-driven policy formulation processes are shaped by abrupt redistributions of power among policy actors and the dynamic interplay of evolving economic, political and public health priorities. Understanding the complexity of the local policy context may allow actors to navigate opportunities for public health-oriented alcohol policy reforms in South Africa and other LMICs.

Public Policy Reforms

Governments are duty-bound to carry out public policy reforms in a bid to address specific public concerns, needs, and social interests, and stir their economies on sustainable development trajectories. This is done following their constitutional mandates. Zimbabwe has implemented several policy reforms in education, health, housing, finance, agriculture, mining, energy, policing, correctional services, and transport, among others, with varied degrees of success and challenges. These reforms required varied formulation and implementation approaches depending on the objectives and prevailing circumstances. This study gives a scholarly perspective of the public policy reform, ‘Education 5.0', on primary and secondary education in Zimbabwe, given concerns about the policy from stakeholders. An interview was conducted with a convenient sample of stakeholders. An assortment of documentary evidence was also used to gather secondary data. The study concluded that most of the respondents were satisfied with the policy Education 5.0 in principle.

The Ethical Obligation for Research During Public Health Emergencies: Insights From the COVID-19 Pandemic

In times of crises, public health leaders may claim that trials of public health interventions are unethical. One reason for this claim can be that equipoise—i.e. a situation of uncertainty and/or disagreement among experts about the evidence regarding an intervention—has been disturbed by a change of collective expert views. Some might claim that equipoise is disturbed if the majority of experts believe that emergency public health interventions are likely to be more beneficial than harmful. However, such beliefs are not always justified: where high quality research has not been conducted, there is often considerable residual uncertainty about whether interventions offer net benefits. In this essay we argue that high-quality research, namely by means of well-designed randomized trials, is ethically obligatory before, during, and after implementing policies in public health emergencies (PHEs). We contend that this standard applies to both pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical interventions, and we elaborate an account of equipoise that captures key features of debates in the recent pandemic. We build our case by analyzing research strategies employed during the COVID-19 pandemic regarding drugs, vaccines, and non-pharmaceutical interventions; and by providing responses to possible objections. Finally, we propose a public health policy reform: whenever a policy implemented during a PHE is not grounded in high-quality evidence that expected benefits outweigh harms, there should be a planned approach to generate high-quality evidence, with review of emerging data at preset time points. These preset timepoints guarantee that policymakers pause to review emerging evidence and consider ceasing ineffective or even harmful policies, thereby improving transparency and accountability, as well as permitting the redirection of resources to more effective or beneficial interventions.

How foes become allies: the shifting role of business in climate politics

Firms often oppose costly public policy reforms—but under what conditions may they come to support such reforms? Previous scholarship has taken a predominantly static approach to the analysis of business positions. Here, we advance a dynamic theory of change in business policy positions that explains how business may shift from opposing to supporting new regulation over the course of multiple rounds of policymaking. We identify three sets of drivers and causal mechanisms behind business repositioning related to political, policy, and market change. We argue that political mechanisms can shift opposition to “strategic support” for reform, whereas policy and market mechanisms may shift opposition or strategic support toward “sincere support.” We examine the reconfiguration of business interests and policy positions in the context of three decades of US climate politics, focusing on the oil and gas, electricity, and auto sectors. Our dynamic theory of business positions moves beyond the dualism that views business as either opposing or supporting public interest regulation. We thus advance our understanding of why initial business opposition can incrementally turn into strategic or sincere support for policy reform.

Are They Really Helping Them to "Get Over It"? Bystander Behavior After Sexual Harassment Incidents in the Fashion Industry.

Sexual harassment is a problem that continues to confront mostly women in the American workforce. One of the primary ways to reduce its prevalence and impact is through bystander intervention. A bystander is familiar with the incident and ultimately decides whether to proactively intervene, do nothing, or actually cause further damage to the victim by siding with the perpetrator. While bystanders can become engaged both prior to and during a sexually harassing event, or at the primary and secondary levels of prevention, they can also be involved after the incident, or at the tertiary level of prevention. This present study addressed tertiary prevention in real-life sexual harassment cases drawn from the fashion industry, whereby female models-as independent contractors represented by agencies and with few labor rights-were the victims, powerful men in the business were the key perpetrators, and other actors were the bystanders. Using thematic analysis to understand 18 accounts of harassment, this research identified bystander support from personal associates and some modeling agencies as institutions in the form of emotional resources and action-oriented advocacy. However, other modeling agencies more commonly engaged in bystander opposition, whereby they silenced their models who complained of harassment or continued to send models to work with known perpetrators in the business. This study thus draws attention to the ways in which some bystanders can help, but others can cause further harm through their particular employment relationships with victims that promote worker precarity. Implications for practitioners and public policy reforms for this industry are discussed.

Exploring the policy space for public health in large-scale mining in Burkina Faso: A Q-methodology study

Large-scale resource extraction may lead to significant negative externalities on the environment, social well-being and public health. Negative environmental impacts of extractive projects are regularly considered through mandatory environmental impact assessments; however, public health impacts frequently remain unaddressed due to a lack of legal requirements, particularly in Africa where many resource extraction projects are being implemented. While policy instruments are available to mitigate negative externalities on public health - the most eminent being the Health Impact Assessment (HIA) - such instruments have not been widely established. We use Q-methodology to explore the policy space available to advance public health in large-scale mining projects in Burkina Faso. A Q-methodology study is purposeful as it allows to reveal common ground between government, private sector and civil society stakeholders on whose support successful policy initiatives depend. We identify two broader stakeholder perspectives that reveal an overarching consensus on the need to regulate health impacts of mining projects. Both perspectives reject industry self-regulation and broadly agree on introducing HIA as a regulatory instrument, but also point to different priorities and focal points among stakeholders. We develop a conceptual framework to map stakeholders’ shared and divergent policy preferences. The findings can help to initiate a policy dialogue on safeguarding public health in large-scale mining projects and may guide policymakers to implement public health policy reform.

The best defence is a good offence: Ensuring equitable access to primary care in Canada.

Ensuring access to primary care is a persistent challenge in Canada, and the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated existing gaps. Public policy reform that only partially addresses these access issues, technological opportunities, workforce desires, or patient preferences creates an opportunity for private, investor-owned corporations to take ownership of primary care delivery systems. This article summarizes the history of the "public-private" conversation as it pertains to primary care, with a particular focus on investor-owned corporations. We outline how profit-driven, corporate healthcare impacts equitable access to care, increases spending on low-value services, and undermines the underlying values of Canadian healthcare systems. All of healthcare delivery requires rapid regulation and oversight by policy-makers, which would increase transparency of corporate care. There also must be parallel efforts placed on addressing the long-standing issues in publicly funded delivery of primary care that created the space for corporate care to grow.

Carceral connections: The role of policing in the management of public housing in New York City

Between 2006 and 2022, the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) attempted to address the fiscal and infrastructural crises in public housing through a number of controversial privatisation strategies. This contested push occurred alongside the pervasive role of policing in public housing. The New York City Police Department utilises several policing strategies specific to NYCHA communities, collaborating with the housing authority in the management of public housing residents. This article draws on qualitative content analysis of local policing strategies and public housing policy reforms in New York City to investigate how the state facilitates the displacement of disproportionately poor, non-white, public housing tenants while simultaneously sponsoring privatised redevelopment in their communities in ways that mirror gentrification processes usually studied in private housing. I focus on the content of and linkages between public housing-specific policing strategies and privatising public housing redevelopment plans. By examining police as collaborators within public housing policy, I uncover the entanglement of law enforcement in urban development, as well as the underlying roles and relationships between the state, capital and police in contemporary urban development and gentrification. The findings illuminate the processes of carceral urbanism, where the logics of the carceral state emerge as priorities throughout the urban governance of the contemporary neoliberal state in general, and public housing policy reform in particular.

Bystander Behavior and Sexual Harassment: The Case of the Fashion Industry.

This study examines the role of bystander behavior in cases of sexual harassment within the cultural economy's fashion industry. Using grounded theory to explore 34 sexual harassment narratives posted on Instagram, this analysis revealed that while some bystander victim-alliance behavior occurred in the forms of verbal objections and a strong physical presence to thwart perpetrators, bystander facilitation of perpetrator abuse was much more common. Types of facilitation included active bystander complicity, bystander inaction, and what is termed automatic industry bystander deference, whereby seemingly widespread acceptance of certain norms in the business prevented intervention. Implications for victim counseling, bystander intervention training, and public policy reforms are discussed.

Sex offender registration and notification act with adolescents adjudicated for illegal sexual behavior: a therapeutic jurisprudence perspective.

Adolescents adjudicated for illegal sexual behavior (AISB) are subjected to the same Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA) policies as adults with sexual offense histories despite current research documenting their relatively low likelihood of recidivism. Therapeutic jurisprudence is a framework which suggests the law should value psychological well-being and strive to avoid imposing anti-therapeutic consequences. The purpose of this article is to analyze the use of SORNA policies with AISB from a therapeutic jurisprudence perspective. Given the current literature documenting the collateral consequences of SORNA on AISB and their families and the lack of efficacy in reducing recidivism, we argue SORNA should not be applied to children and adolescents. We conclude with a discussion of future directions for the juvenile justice system and public policy reform.

Unheard voices of global surgery – trauma services in sub-Saharan Africa: a correspondence

Dear Editor, According to the 2015 Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study, an estimated 4.8 million people die as a result of trauma each year, accounting for 8.5% of global deaths1. As a result, it is estimated that more than 90% of these deaths occur in low-income and middle-income countries2. Road traffic injuries account for ~7.7% of all disability-adjusted life years, with sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) having the highest rate of accident-related mortality2. For example, in 2019, Ethiopia, Uganda, Zimbabwe, and South Africa had the highest proportion of injury-related deaths2. At least one-third of these deaths are attributable to a lack of access to trauma surgery, which results in avoidable mortality, morbidity, and lost productivity in the region, perpetuating the vicious cycle of socioeconomic inequity3. Since Farmer and Kim4 described surgery in 2008 as a “neglected stepchild of global public health,” global surgery has become a field of immense interest and landmark research. Although SSA bears the brunt of trauma cases, there has been significant progress in trauma case management in recent years. This can be seen in the establishment of a partnership program between trauma care instructors from the United Kingdom and trauma care trainees from nine different SSA countries5. The program was called COSECSA-Oxford-Orthopedic-Link (COOL) which trained 540 doctors, 260 nurses, 119 clinical officers, and 111 medical students in primary trauma care in SSA5. Furthermore, the World Health Organization (WHO), in collaboration with the International Society of Surgery (ISS) and the International Association for Trauma Surgery and Intensive Care (IATSIC), has made significant efforts to develop quality improvement programs for better trauma management, particularly in low-resource settings6. Despite widespread recognition and efforts, trauma services in SSA continue to be underrepresented on the international stage, as their needs go unmet7. There is little research on trauma surgery in SSA resulting in a scarcity of data in the field to critically assess its needs. More so, SSA had the lowest authorship contribution per article in collaboration on surgical research, with trauma surgery being the least represented specialty within global surgery7,8. While disparities with high-income countries are acknowledged, internal disparities should also be noted. In SSA, trauma care is distributed inequitably. Access to high-quality trauma care is readily available in urban areas and among populations with a higher socioeconomic status, whereas rural and lower-class regions have limited or no access despite a higher demand for trauma care in these rural areas2. These disparities are caused by differences due to socioeconomic status, sex, age, physical disability, sexual orientation, and geographic location2. The underdeveloped trauma care management in SSA is primarily due to a lack of infrastructure and a skilled health workforce. In addition, limited trauma care training and education, insufficient funds and poor health insurance schemes, a lack of necessary logistics and equipment, and a high brain drain of trauma care personnel are all factors impeding trauma care progress in SSA2. In view of the foregoing, it is crucial to imply strategies to improve trauma care services in SSA. Of note, is the need for improved investment in updating the current health infrastructure as the limited availability of trauma personnel and resources often impedes access to life-saving care. SSA could consider establishing specialized trauma centers that offer comprehensive care to trauma patients. Besides, training the primary care team to manage basic trauma cases can considerably help reduce morbidity and mortality from injuries and trauma in SSA, especially in areas with limited availability of trauma surgeons. Establishing international partnerships and collaborations with trauma centers worldwide can further improve visibility and open opportunities for educational and vocational training. These measures can considerably improve trauma workforce capacity, a step towards standardized trauma care delivery in SSA. In addition, regular quality monitoring audits can help identify relevant (international, national, and local) issues faced in everyday trauma practice, as well as guide potential solutions to improve care provision locally. Results obtained by these audits and quality improvement surveys can promote public health policy reform and ultimately up-to-date clinical practice guidelines that address the current trauma needs of the SSA region. Therefore, identifying and addressing the unique challenges faced in trauma care provision is of paramount significance in reducing morbidity and mortality from otherwise treatable injuries in the SSA region. Ethical Approval and Consent to Participate Not applicable Funding None. Authors’ Contributions A.M.: Conceptualization ideas: All authors were involved in data curation, writing of initial draft, review and editing, final draft. Conflicts of Interest Statement Authors declare no conflict of interest. Consent for publication Not applicable. Availability of supporting data No new data generated. Research Registration Unique Identifying Number (UIN) None. Conflicts of interest The authors declare that they have no financial conflict of interest with regard to the content of this report. Guarantor Wireko Andrew Awuah.

He Who Has Hope, Has Everything.

He Who Has Hope, Has Everything.

Is there a place for children in the making of public policy? Insights from the research evidence

Article 12 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child stipulates that children have a right to express their views with this article being one of the most frequently cited principles in the convention. This scoping review summarises the existing research evidence on how children participate in the making of public policy. This paper concludes that a plethora of practical guidelines and gray literature are available addressing children as policy-making partners, but the empirical research around the subject is very rare. Children’s participation should be planned prior to any planned public policy reforms – and to be supported by appropriate academic research integrated into the different stages of the policymaking processes. If policymakers are willing to develop mechanisms for children’s participation in the policy cycle, children’s role and agency will be clarified. It seems that there is a need for new sensemaking in terms of how adults treat the value of children´s participation and how to include children in the policymaking process around the subjects that matter to them. Participatory practices should be co-created with children, not for them.

Landholder perceptions of biodiversity offsetting rights and responsibilities: implications for policy reform in New South Wales, Australia

ABSTRACT We address the problem of landholder participation in biodiversity offsetting, a policy tool based on principles of market-based incentives. Our study focuses on the working rules of offsetting, specifically the rights and responsibilities of landholders. Our case study is an application of biodiversity offsetting in the Greater Sydney Metropolitan area, New South Wales, Australia. We conduct empirical analysis of landholders’ perceptions of their rights and responsibilities and subsequently apply an institutionalist perspective to infer implications for public policy reform. We find that landholders’ perceptions of their rights and responsibility with regard to i) providing offsets, ii) receiving money for doing so, iii) land management, and iv) transferring the land, elicit diverse reasons for (non)participation in biodiversity offsets in the Greater Sydney Metropolitan area. Some landholders consider themselves in alignment with the current working rules of the scheme, others do not. We reflect on these findings by abductively inferring reasons for institutional reform. The broader significance of our study resides in its potential to inform institutional design in jurisdictions where established schemes are under review, or may become subject to review.

Overbuilding transmission: A case study and policy analysis of the Indian power sector

Policies to substantially increase the amount of renewable energy produced and electrify much of the transportation and industrial sectors to achieve greenhouse gas reduction goals envision an extensive expansion of the transmission system. One set of proposals calls for anticipatory transmission planning, namely, building transmission to regions with the potential to develop renewable energy resources before their actual development. This paper presents a case study of transmission expansion planning in India. Our study finds that it is possible to overbuild the transmission system even in a country that is rapidly developing thermal and renewable resources and has sizeable electricity load growth. Anticipatory transmission planning, high guaranteed returns and weak governance can result in transmission overbuilding. This cautionary finding motivates several recommended public policy reforms to reduce future overbuilds, while supporting economically efficient and environmentally sound transmission development.