Regulatory Preferences Research Articles

A Simple Theory of Deep Trade Integration

Abstract Which countries should aim for regulatory cooperation, and to what extent should they pursue it? We develop an imperfectly competitive trade model that accounts for differences in technology and regulatory preferences regarding local consumption externalities across countries. Each country sets unique product standards, and firms incur costs when tailoring products to different markets. Trade occurs when the benefits of comparative advantages outweigh the desire for asymmetric regulations. Our findings indicate that regulatory cooperation, defined as the cooperative setting of standards, is most advantageous for countries with moderate differences in regulatory preferences. Shallow integration, however, falls short of achieving the optimal planner’s solution. Countries with strong comparative advantages in distinct externality-generating goods can pursue deeper regulatory cooperation through mutual regulatory concessions. Additionally, when regulatory preferences are highly dispersed, international cooperation tends to form regulatory blocs.

Investigating social protection amongst platform workers in Germany: forced individualisation, hybrid income generation and undesired regulation

Abstract The social protection of platform workers is considered one of the most precarious features and political challenges of this new form of employment. Still, there have only been a few empirical investigations on this issue to date. This article presents an explorative empirical analysis of the social protection of platform workers in Germany – a conservative welfare regime with a strong link between standard employment and institutionalised social protection. On the basis of an online survey amongst 719 self-employed platform workers, we examine how different employment patterns correspond to institutionalised protection against sickness and old age. We empirically explore different protection types and analyse how they differ regarding working conditions in platform work and individual social policy preferences. Findings reveal that conditions of platform work and social protection as well as demands and regulatory preferences vary notably across different clusters of platform workers. Still, the vast majority votes against obligatory social insurances for platform workers and favours self-employment over dependent employment. Against this background, we discuss challenges for future attempts aiming at improving social protection for platform workers. This study adds to the literature by empirically exploring platform workers’ social protection and social policy preferences, which have been overlooked to date.

Insight of the molecular mechanism of inhibitors located at different allosteric sites regulating the activity of wild type and mutant KRAS (G12)

As the important hub of many cellular signaling networks, KRAS (Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene homologue) has been identified as a tumor biomarker. It is the frequently mutated oncogene in human cancers, and KRAS protein activation caused by mutations, such as G12D, has been found in many human tumors tissues. Although, there are two specific allosteric sites (AS1 and AS2) on the KRAS protein that can be used as the targets for inhibitor development, the difference of regulatory mechanisms between two individual allosteric sites still not be reported. Here, using molecular dynamics simulations combined with molecular mechanics generalized born surface area (MM/GBSA) analysis, we found that both of the inhibitors, located at AS1 and AS2, were able to reduce the binding free energy between wild type, mutant KRAS (G12/D/V/S/C) and GTP remarkably, however the effect of inhibitors on the binding free energy between wild type, mutant KRAS and GDP was limited. In addition, the degree of decrease of binding free energy between KRAS and GTP caused by inhibitors at AS2 was significantly greater than that caused by inhibitors at AS1. Further analysis revealed that both inhibitors at AS1 and AS2 were able to regulate the fluctuation of Switch Ⅰ and Switch Ⅱ to expand the pocket of the orthosteric site (GTP binding site), thereby reducing the binding of KRAS to GTP. Noteworthy there was significant differences in the regulatory preferences on Switch Ⅰ and Switch Ⅱ between two type inhibitor. The inhibitor at AS2 mainly regulated Switch Ⅱ to affect the pocket of the orthosteric site, while the inhibitor at AS1 mainly expand the pocket of the orthosteric site by regulating the fluctuation of Switch Ⅰ. Our study compared the differences between two type inhibitors in regulating the KRAS protein activity and revealed the advantages of the AS2 as the small molecule drug target, aiming to provide theoretical guidance for the research of novel KRAS protein inhibitors.

Farm animal welfare regulatory preferences and food choice: survey evidence from the US

Public support is critical for the incorporation of farm animal welfare (FAW) standards into national food policies. Multiple pathways, e.g., market-based policies, political mandates, and donations to animal charities, exist for the public to influence these standards. The challenge often remains that citizens may express significantly different regulatory preferences from consumers thereby disproportionally overburdening the latter. For food, this consumer–citizen role is directly linked to dietary choice. Although a large body of research has examined the determinants of dietary choice on the one hand, and FAW policy preferences, on the other, no attempt has been made to address these issues side by side. This study explores the preferences for FAW regulatory mechanisms and strategic behavior among dietary groups. Preferences for private labeling, political mandates, and donations to charities in support of and against conventional agriculture are examined. Data are from an online survey of 1020 residents conducted in the US. The results show a proclivity among segments of the public who do not consume livestock products for political mandates and the tendency to behave strategically. Regulatory preferences are embedded within distinct human value orientations. Urban—non-urban, generational and gender divides in regulatory preferences are also identified. These insights are relevant for the ongoing development of FAW standards given the portfolio of mechanisms at the disposal of stakeholders.

AI regulation in the European Union: examining non-state actor preferences

AbstractAs the development and use of artificial intelligence (AI) continues to grow, policymakers are increasingly grappling with the question of how to regulate this technology. The most far-reaching international initiative is the European Union (EU) AI Act, which aims to establish the first comprehensive, binding framework for regulating AI. In this article, we offer the first systematic analysis of non-state actor preferences toward international regulation of AI, focusing on the case of the EU AI Act. Theoretically, we develop an argument about the regulatory preferences of business actors and other non-state actors under varying conditions of AI sector competitiveness. Empirically, we test these expectations using data from public consultations on European AI regulation. Our findings are threefold. First, all types of non-state actors express concerns about AI and support regulation in some form. Second, there are nonetheless significant differences across actor types, with business actors being less concerned about the downsides of AI and more in favor of lax regulation than other non-state actors. Third, these differences are more pronounced in countries with stronger commercial AI sectors. Our findings shed new light on non-state actor preferences toward AI regulation and point to challenges for policymakers balancing competing interests in society.

Mixed-mode surveys reveal shared regulatory preferences in an overfished recreational fishery

ABSTRACT Population declines of spotted seatrout Cynoscion nebulosus have reached levels that warrant management action in Louisiana, USA waters. As regulatory adjustments are necessary to recover the stock, we evaluated the viability of recovery options while gathering preference data from respondents through three survey modes. The modes applied were: (1) a series of public scoping meetings, (2) a probability-based sample of fishing license-holders, and (3) an open-access online survey. Among survey modes, significant differences were seen in avidity, typical harvest, and perceptions of the fishery, indicating that we captured responses from three distinct user groups. Despite these differences, several common themes emerged among all three survey types. Respondents in all survey types indicated strong levels of support for regulations decreasing allowable harvest relative to regulations at the time of survey execution. Specifically, our study presents a viable recovery scenario while accounting for the preferences of multiple user groups.

Sustainability challenges of artificial intelligence and Citizens' regulatory preferences

Following the idea that citizens' regulatory preferences matter for the acceptance and success of policy measures, this paper investigates citizens' support for the regulation of Artificial Intelligence (AI). The focus lies on the transparency and the ecological sustainability of AI as two key challenges tied to possible long-term impacts on societies. Findings from survey data representative of the German population show overall moderate to strong support for the government regulating AI. Perceived regulatory competence of policymakers is positively associated with citizens' support for soft regulation. Lower trust in tech companies is linked to a lower readiness to rely on soft regulation, but not to more demand for hard regulation. While regulatory preferences barely map on political conflict lines, people's future orientation emerges as a strong correlate of support for both hard and soft regulation. Citizens thus seem to perceive a clear sustainability dimension in the development and governance of AI.

An Unlikely Duet: Public-Private Interaction in China's Environmental Public Interest Litigation

AbstractIncreasing research has been devoted to examining collaborations between public and private actors in environmental regulation under neoliberal democracies. However, this public-private interaction in authoritarian regimes remains understudied. This article seeks to address this gap in the literature through an empirical examination of the interaction between environmental non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and procuratorates in China's environmental public interest litigation. We find emerging complementarity: NGOs focus on new issues and target high-profile defendants to increase the socio-legal impact of their civil litigation, whereas procuratorates increasingly engage in administrative litigation against government agencies. This complementarity is shaped by the different legal opportunities for Chinese NGOs and procuratorates, as well as their respective institutional objectives and capacities. Their divergent regulatory preferences have also fostered synergy between these two actors, allowing them to collaborate on legal experimentation and innovation.

The Role of State Education Regulation: Evidence From the Texas Districts of Innovation Statute

School districts are traditionally subject to a variety of state regulations on educational inputs. Absent regulations, policymakers fear that districts will make inappropriate decisions. However, it is also possible that regulations hinder schools from optimizing student learning. This article tests the salience of these hypotheses by estimating the impact of the Texas District of Innovation statute, which allows districts to opt out of regulations on inputs like teacher certification and class sizes. Using web-scraped implementation data, I document widespread exemptions and variation in regulatory preferences. However, staggered difference-in-differences analyses demonstrate a limited impact of deregulation within 4 years, suggesting that deregulation alone is a relatively weak lever for spurring innovation and changing the state of education.

Pharmaceutical regulation under market integration through parallel trade

AbstractIn this paper, I study the effect of parallel trade (cross‐border resale of goods without the authorization of the manufacturer) on pharmaceutical regulation. Governments may restrict prices directly (price caps) or limit third‐party payer reimbursement for the drug (reimbursement limits). I find that parallel trade may relax regulation in the source country of parallel imports under both instruments and intensify regulation in the destination country under a reimbursement limit. I also find that parallel trade may change regulatory preferences: under no parallel trade, both the source and destination country set price caps, and under parallel trade, the source country sets a price cap but the destination country sets a reimbursement limit, thereby enforcing a higher price cap in the South. This implies that drug prices are higher under parallel trade in both source and destination countries.

Banklash: How Media Coverage of Bank Scandals Moves Mass Preferences on Financial Regulation

AbstractFinancial regulation is often adopted in the wake of scandals and crises. Yet political science has little to say about the political effects of corporate scandals. We break that silence, asking whether exposure to news coverage of bank scandals changes the preferences of voters for financial regulation. Drawing from the literatures on media influence and public opinion, we argue that news coverage of bank scandals should increase voters’ appetite for regulation. We test our hypothesis with data from six countries, using original nationally representative panel surveys with embedded experiments (total N = 27,673). Our pooled and country‐specific analyses largely support our expectation that exposure to news coverage of scandals increases regulatory preferences. We reproduce this finding in a separate survey wave, using different scandals than in our original analysis. These results contribute to studies on media influence on public opinion, the political significance of scandals, and the political economy of regulation.

Economic risks in the activity of agro-industrial complex enterprises in conditions of import substitution

The scientific article is devoted to the study of economic risks in the activities of enterprises of the agro-industrial complex in the context of import substitution. The purpose of the scientific research is to identify critical risks in the activities of enterprises of the agro-industrial complex in the context of import substitution and to substantiate possible measures to level them. When preparing a scientific publication, general scientific (observation, comparison, measurement, analysis and synthesis, the method of logical reasoning) and specific scientific methods (static analysis, peer review, graphical method, Foresight's "4 worlds" method) were used. Results: the critical risks for the normal functioning of agro-industrial enterprises are: 1) the occurrence of a shortage of seed material; 2) raw material dependence of manufacturers of plant protection products against pests; 3) the critical dependence of the Russian agro-industrial complex on the import of feed additives and vaccines aimed at realizing the genetic potential of animal breeds; 4) degradation of the genetic fund of biological assets bred in animal husbandry with insufficient experience in genetic modeling and domestic selection; 5) technological dependence of the digitalization of business processes in the agro-industrial complex on technology transfer and a decrease in innovative activity in agribusinesses. The main efforts to resolve the existing risks are: active support for domestic seed producers through the provision of tax incentives and other regulatory preferences; creation of a national standard for the formation and storage of data - Big GeoData, which will become the basis for the formation of the domestic market of digital agricultural technologies; creation of full-fledged domestic productions based on gaining access to technologies for the creation of plant protection products and tracking the latest developments by

REGULAÇÃO EMOCIONAL NO LOCAL DE TRABALHO: UM ESTUDO QUALITATIVO COM PROFESSORES

ABSTRACT: This study aimed to characterize the emotional labor of the professional and technological education teacher by examining the emotions and the emotion regulation strategies teachers adopt. Eight focus groups were held, with the participation of forty-one teachers to collect the data. For the data analysis, we adopted the inductive and deductive categorization methods. The results showed that different emotions are activated in the face of specific emotional demands and that teachers use a variety of strategies, either in isolation or in chains, to regulate them. However, cognitive change strategies and situation modification of the procedural model of emotional regulation were more frequently reported. The results suggest differences in the regulatory preferences of the teachers based on the career period and the training /performance area. Future research could use varied methods (e.g., observation diary) to investigate the regulation’s dynamic, context, and outcomes and develop a contextual scale of teacher emotion regulation. The findings have implications for teacher training programs, educational management, and future research.

The Role of Journalism Training Institutions in the Changing Media Dynamics of Tanzania

This study assessed the role of journalism training institutions in the changing media dynamics of Tanzania. Journalism training institutions are accredited higher learning facilities that offer diploma and degree certifications to those who graduate respectively after a two-to-three-year course of professional training in journalism in Tanzania. Media dynamics refers to the prevalent environment surrounding the media performance in Tanzania. These range from the media laws, policies, the regulatory frameworks, ownership, media pluralism, media diversity, market preferences and communication technologies. This paper is derived from the findings of a research dissertation submitted for award of a Doctorate degree in Mass Communication at St Augustine University of Tanzania. The study employed a descriptive survey design. A mixed method approach was employed to collect data from four news editors from two prominent media houses (Tanzania Broadcasting Corporation and Mwananchi Communications), six working journalists, four journalism lecturers and 150 journalism students from St. Augustine University of Tanzania Malimbe Campus. Interview data was thematically analysed and presented in a narrative form while the survey data was analysed using descriptive statistics with the help of SPSS version 23 and presented in tables, charts, and diagrams. The findings showed that, owing to the fast-paced technological advancement in the media houses, graduating journalists could not adapt smoothly in the newsroom. Moreover, the constant changes in media policies engineered mostly by political pressures were not communicated to the training institutions. Although the training institutions are competent and sufficiently equipped still, they cannot invest in the constant technological shift like in the media. This study recommends that stakeholders employ an intense collaborative effort to bridge the training to industry, such that journalism students are more engaged in a practical media experience during their course of study. Media houses should facilitate field attachment training opportunities to students in order for them to stay abreast of the current technological changes in their profession.

Unspoken SPS-Plus and SPS-Minus Aspirations: Biotechnologies in EU and US Trade Agreements

In the World Trade Organization (WTO), the US approach to science-based risks and trade restrictions prevailed over that of the European Union (EU). The EU, dissatisfied with the margin of action available when “relevant scientific evidence is insufficient”, largely kept intact its internal practice on marketing and importing genetically modified (GM) crops and GM-containing products. The goal of this article is to ascertain whether these regulatory preferences of the US and the EU translate into their post-Biotech external trade efforts. US and EU preferential trade agreements are scanned for rules on trade in biotechnology goods or the use of precautionary elements in regulation. It transpires that neither bloc systematically tries (or manages) to bend trade agreements to accommodate its defensive or offensive trade interests in this field. Among the possible reasons for this apparent inertia are the US confidence in the WTO baseline and the EU preference for a “don’t ask, don’t tell” approach to its trade-restrictive policy in this area.

Soft Law Engagements and Hard Law Preferences: Comparing EU Lobbying Positions between UN Global Compact Signatory Firms and Other Interest Group Types

AbstractAlthough corporate social responsibility (CSR) has gone “mainstream,” the relationship between CSR and corporate political activities (CPA) has received little scholarly attention. This is problematic because firms potentially have a more sizable impact through their lobbying activities for socially and environmentally beneficial (or unbeneficial) public policies than through their own operations. This paper investigates if, and how, UN Global Compact signatory firms differ in their policy preferences on key EU proposals compared to other interest groups. To capture state-of-the-art data on firms’ policy preferences, I draw from the INTEREURO database, which includes firms’ lobbying positions on forty-three directives and twenty-seven regulations covering 112 public policy issues in the European Union. Statistical results show that Global Compact signatory firms significantly lobby for stricter regulation than non-signatory firms and industry associations, however, their positions are still lower than nonbusiness groups. These results are similar across various public policy issues and suggest that the regulatory preferences of firms’ participating in soft law CSR initiatives are more aligned with stakeholders' interests. This paper contributes to public policy literature exploring the relationship between hard and soft law as well as literature studying the political representation of divergent interest.

Institutions or resources and capabilities? Explaining engagement in European sectoral social dialogue

In this article the authors analyse social partner engagement in European sectoral social dialogue, testing two prominent theories to disentangle sector and country dynamics: institutional and resources and capabilities theories. While institutional theory accounted for certain social partner preferences, resources and capability theory proved stronger in predicting participation and provided insight into regulatory preferences. The authors conclude that resources and capability theory better explains their case, associating it with weaknesses of transnational governance. Specifically, limited incentives for participation mean that social partners with fewer resources forego participation, entailing pre-eminence of social partners with greater resources and hindering outcomes reflecting national institutional influences.

Information Privacy, Cultural Values, and Regulatory Preferences

The global nature of e-commerce is complicating privacy issues because perceptions of privacy, trust, risk, and fair information practices vary across cultures, and differences in national regulation create challenges for global information management strategies. Despite the spike in international regulatory attention devoted to privacy issues and the tensions associated with them, there has been very little research on the relationship between information privacy concerns and consumers' regulatory preferences, and even rarer is research that incorporates cultural values into a framework that includes privacy concerns and regulation. This study examines privacy concerns, a full complement of cultural values, trust, risk, and regulation at the individual level in a cohesive manner. Relying on a dataset of consumers gathered in the United States and India, the authors test a model that incorporates these constructs as well as trust and risk beliefs. The model explains 48% of the variance in consumers' regulatory preferences, and all but one of the hypotheses find statistical support.

Sharing the road with autonomous vehicles: Perceived safety and regulatory preferences

Technology providers, car manufacturers, and public agencies all need to work together to undertake extensive testing of fully autonomous vehicles (AVs) on public roads before such AVs are allowed to freely travel in ways similar to human-driven vehicles. This raises the importance of understanding public perceptions regarding safety considerations when traveling alongside AVs. This study makes use of a national survey conducted by the Pew Research Center to identify the affective, socio-demographic and technology-use attributes that affect an individual’s perception of the safety of sharing the road with AVs (PSSRAV) and identifies measures and interventions that can be undertaken to improve PSSRAV. Additionally, we evaluate individual preferences for AV regulations. Our results underscore the importance of the need for service providers and public agencies to be cognizant of the demographic and lifestyle/affective emotion considerations shaping AV safety perceptions and opinions about AV regulations. In particular, there is a need not only to focus on technological and other infrastructure components of AV development, but also to recognize the socio-technical considerations and human-related factors of the end-users. Our findings should be of substantial interest in the planning, design, deployment, and introduction of AVs within a safe and minimally regulated public operating arena.

A Sober Look at SPACs

Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs)—touted as a better alternative to an IPO for taking a company public—have become the next big thing in the securities markets. This Article analyzes the structure of SPACs and the costs embedded in that structure. We find that costs embedded in the SPAC structure are subtle, opaque, higher than has been previously recognized, and higher than the cost of an IPO. Although SPACs raise $10.00 per share from investors in their IPOs, by the time a SPAC takes a company public, it holds far less in net cash per share to contribute to a merger. We find that SPAC costs are not born by the companies they take public, but instead by the SPAC shareholders who hold shares at the time SPACs merge. These investors experience steep post-merger losses, while SPAC sponsors profit handsomely. This Article concludes by suggesting that the SEC promulgate disclosure requirements specific to SPAC mergers that make clear SPACs' costs and sponsors’ incentives, and that equalize regulatory preferences that SPACs enjoy compared to IPOs.