Role In Policy-making Research Articles

Forced innovation: leveraging text data to analyse firms’ response to COVID-19

Purpose The purpose of this study is to explore and present a clear overview of innovation topics during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, and then organise these topics into various analyses. Design/methodology/approach The authors use multiple language analysis methods, such as text mining and latent Dirichlet allocation topic modelling, to address the research questions. A total of 440 news articles are analysed using Python and Google Colaboratory tools. Findings The analysis identified 20 innovation topics, highlighted sector-specific analyses and proposed phases of innovation. The authors suggest that each sector develops unique patterns and forms of innovation for long-term benefits and further research. This study expands upon existing literature on innovation and crisis at a theoretical level by incorporating an actor as the agency. Research limitations/implications Based on the findings, the authors conclude that the COVID-19 pandemic has prompted businesses to adopt dynamic capabilities. Furthermore, the authors provide several strategic recommendations for addressing the pandemic in the developing context. The study discusses the roles of policymakers, business practitioners and academia in this context as well. Originality/value Very few studies specifically explore and identify forced innovation topics in emerging countries during the pandemic. There has been no review of forced innovations implemented in Indonesia using news media as a source. Additionally, this study presents the trajectory of innovation during the time of crises.

Crafting consensus: Indonesia’s discursive strategies in legitimising free trade policy

ABSTRACT Despite its emphasis on trade, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) has been perceived as a liberalisation agenda motivated primarily by strategic concerns with fewer economic benefits. This article analyses the strategies of Indonesia's trade policymakers to legitimize its leading role in RCEP. It is argued that Indonesia's legitimation strategy is implemented through the invocation of two discourses: Indonesia's historical position as a regional leader and bridge-builder and the internationalisation of small and medium enterprises (SMEs). While the former is utilised as a coordinative discourse to provide an overarching vision for other state agencies with a protectionist bent, the latter is employed as a communicative discourse to challenge domestic contestations, especially those from civil society and business interests. This article contributes to the study of trade policy discourse by investigating the role of policymakers in mobilising discourses as a strategy for legitimising a strategically-driven liberalisation agenda.

Federated deep contrastive learning for mid-term natural gas demand forecasting

Accurate mid-term gas demand forecasting plays a crucial role for gas companies and policymakers to achieve reliable gas supply plans, supply contracts management, and efficient operation to meet the increasing gas demand. However, mid-term gas demand forecasting faces the problems of data paucity caused by the low frequency of collecting monthly data and heterogeneous consumption patterns of various usage categories. This paper proposes a novel Federated Contrastive pretraining - Local Clustered Finetuning paradigm (FedCon-LCF) by integrating federated learning, deep contrastive learning, and clustering approaches. The proposed method can utilize data from multiple gas companies to overcome data paucity issues in a privacy-preserving way, and high-performance forecasting can be achieved by local clustered regression considering the heterogeneous patterns. An improved hierarchical contrastive loss and multi-scale regression loss are integrated to develop the Forecasting-Oriented Contrastive Learning model (FOCL), which can effectively extract information and generate fine-grained representations of time series for accurate forecasting. The proposed method is evaluated on a dataset collected from 11 gas companies in 11 different Chinese cities with a total of 17648 clients over 10 usage categories. The proposed method outperforms the benchmark LSTM model with an average improvement of 25.30% in MSE and 16.52% in MAE for 3-month-ahead, 6-month-ahead, 9-month-ahead, and 12-month-ahead gas demand forecasting.

Effectiveness of Life Skills Intervention on Depression, Anxiety and Stress among Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review.

Children and adolescents are at a significantly high risk of mental health problems during their lifetime, among which are depression and anxiety, which are the most common. Life skills education is one of the intervention programmes designed to improve mental well-being and strengthen their ability to cope with the daily stresses of life. This review aimed to identify and evaluate the effect of life skills intervention on the reduction of depression, anxiety and stress among children and adolescents. Following the Population, Intervention, Comparison and Outcome (PICO) model and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) 2009 checklist, eight databases (Academic Search Complete, CINAHL, Cochrane, MEDLINE, Psychology and Behavioural Sciences Collection, PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science) were systematically reviewed from 2012 to 2020. The search was limited to English papers only. It included published experimental and quasi-experimental studies addressing the effect of life skills interventions on the reduction of at least one of the following mental health disorders: depression, anxiety and stress among children and adolescents (from the age of 5 years old to 18 years old). We used the Joanna Briggs Institute checklist for experimental and quasi-experimental studies to evaluate the quality of the included studies. This study was registered in PROSPERO [CRD42021256603]. The search identified only 10 studies (three experimental and seven quasi-experimental) from 2,160 articles. The number of the participants was 6,714 aged between 10 years old and 19 years old. Three studies in this review focused on depression and anxiety, whereas one study investigated depression and the other anxiety. Three studies targeted only stress and two examined the three outcomes, namely, depression, anxiety and stress. Almost in all studies, the life skills intervention positively impacted mental disorders, considering the differences among males and females. The overall methodological quality of the findings was deemed to be moderate to high. Our results clearly indicated the advantages of life skills programmes among adolescents in different settings and contexts. Nonetheless, the results highlight some important policy implications by emphasising the crucial roles of developers and policymakers in the implementation of appropriate modules and activities. Further research examining life skills intervention with a cultural, gender perspective, age-appropriate and long-term effect is recommended.

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The growth of small and medium start-ups in India plays a crucial role in fostering economic development, generating employment opportunities, and promoting innovation. In this context, entrepreneurial education has emerged as a powerful tool that equips aspiring entrepreneurs with the necessary knowledge, skills, and mindset to navigate the challenges of starting and growing a business. This abstract highlights the significance of entrepreneurial education in the growth of small and medium start-ups in India. It emphasizes how entrepreneurial education fosters entrepreneurial intentions, enhances entrepreneurial capabilities, and provides access to valuable resources and networks. The abstract also touches upon the role of government initiatives, educational institutions, and industry collaborations in promoting entrepreneurial education. By recognizing the role of entrepreneurial education, policymakers, educators, and entrepreneurs can work together to create a supportive ecosystem that nurtures the growth of small and medium start-ups, thereby driving economic growth and innovation in India.

Best international practices for road safety

Road transportation is not only a vital component of how cities grow and how society functions, but it is also a signif icant factor that can affect the frequency of serious accidents and traumas. Human failure is not omitted, addressing it at the system level, involving the prevention of fatal and severe accidents, reducing mortality, and the cost itself. With the aim of outlining the best ways to improve road traffic, and prevent road trauma we have observed the experience of different countries in this regard. As materials and methods, we used Pubmed and Google Academic databases to identify and analyze in detail each strategy or plan with the period included in the study 2010- 2022, in 10 countries. The results show that each of the countries researched followed the example of the Global Plan and implemented respective strategies. Each country focused on particular errors in the country and formed different methods of improvement. As a suggestion for developing the updated strategy, it would be effective to establish the current gaps in their own system more clearly. In conclusion, road safety is a shared responsibility, recognizing the role of policymakers as well as planners and public health professionals, all parts of the system need to be strengthened to multiply their effects so that if one part fails, people are still protected.

Towards Zero Maternal Mortality: The Role of Policy Makers in Maternal Perinatal Audit Surveillance and Response

The city of Semarang has formed a Maternal Perinatal Surveillance and Response audit committee team. The purpose of this study is to analyze the role of policy actors in the implementation of Maternal Perinatal Surveillance and Response Audit using the policy triangle framework of actors, content, context and process. This research was conducted qualitatively with a case study approach. The selection of informants was carried out purposively. Data collection by in-depth interviews with 6 main informants and 9 triangulation informants. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis, with the inclusion criteria of health workers having more than 3 years’ experience in handling maternal death cases. The results showed that the role of AMP-SR actors was optimal at the Health Service and Community Health Centers, the role of AMP-SR actors in hospitals was not optimal. Not all of the contents of the AMP-SR were understood by the midwives at the Health Centers and Hospitals, the identification and notifications were on time, the OVM and RMM reports were not complete, the maternal death assessment had not been all carried out, the responses had not been all followed up. The implementation process is hampered by limited staff and budget, medical devices are not routinely calibrated, the MPDN application has been used but is not optimal. In Conclusion, the role of policy makers is AMP-SR, intervening in reducing maternal mortality and improving the quality of care. Future research is expected to use the mixed method to find out the role of policymakers quantitatively and qualitatively.

The impact of uncertainty on money demand in the UK, US and Euro area

We estimate money demand functions for the UK, the Euro area and the US using Divisia monetary aggregates and investigate the extent to which the uncertainty caused by Brexit and Covid have affected these relationships. Our cointegrated VAR analysis shows that for all three economies Brexit and/or Covid have had some impact on the stability of money demand functions. We find that including a measure of stock market volatility in the money demand specifications helps re-establish stability of the models, particularly for the UK and the Euro area. We also explore the uncertainty and money demand relationship in the context of a Markov-switching model. We find that the effect of uncertainty on the demand for money is more pronounced during periods of heightened uncertainty. The findings of this study lend support to studies calling for Divisia aggregates to be given a more prominent role in policymaking, especially when interest rates are in the zero lower bound environment and are less informative about the stance of monetary policy.

A socio-technical transition perspective on positive tipping points in climate change mitigation: Analysing seven interacting feedback loops in offshore wind and electric vehicles acceleration

This paper engages with climate mitigation debates on positive tipping points, which attract increasing attention but remain divided between technological and social tipping point approaches. Building on recent attempts to overcome this dichotomy, the paper develops a socio-technical transitions perspective which shows how co-evolutionary interactions between techno-economic improvements and actor reorientations can significantly accelerate diffusion. Mobilising insights from political science, discourse theory, business studies, consumption theory, and innovation studies, we elaborate the Multi-Level Perspective to articulate seven feedback loops in tipping point dynamics. We illustrate and test our co-evolutionary perspective with two case studies, UK offshore wind and electric vehicles. These case studies not only demonstrate the importance of interacting feedback loops, but also show a contrasting sequence in tipping point dynamics, with substantial techno-economic deployment preceding major actor reorientations in offshore wind, while following them in the EV case. The cases also indicate the crucial roles of policymakers in low-carbon tipping point dynamics as well as the importance of policy learning and social, political, and business feedbacks in strengthening and reorienting policy support.

In Search for a Role: The African Union and Digital Policies in Africa

This article considers the role of the African Union (AU) in developing digital policy instruments that apply across the continent. The AU has launched a series of digital policies that are meant to guide legislation in member states in the past decade. The article explores the extent to which such instruments are effective in shaping law and policymaking in African countries. It finds that a set of methodological flaws in AU policy initiatives undermine the practical effect of the handful of AU-led policy instruments. Not only are the instruments adopted through a process lacking dynamism but also that the substance of the instruments falls short of international benchmarks, thereby undercutting their underlying objectives. The article submits that AU policymakers should carve an original policymaking role that helps make digital policies timely, dynamic and substantively robust.

The reaction of the metal and gold resource planning in the post-COVID-19 era and Russia-Ukrainian conflict: Role of fossil fuel markets for portfolio hedging strategies

The prime objective of this article is to examine the policy-making role of metal markets, gold resources, and clean energy markets in the post-COVID-19 era and the Russia-Ukrainian military conflict. In doing so, we analyze the role of fossil fuels, clean energy, and metals markets, considering the military conflict in Ukraine in 2022. The study employs event study methodology (ESM), Total connectedness index (TCI), and network analyses. The results indicate that natural gas and clean energy prices are less affected by conflict in the aftermath of an invasion than traditional energy and metals markets. In addition, we observe an increase in the TCI in the energy markets during announcement days. The TCI of the metals market is greater than that of the energy market. According to network connectivity, the key asset class transmitters of the shock in Europe are the Geopolitical index (GPR), gold, and the clean energy stock index (ERIX). The U.S. markets are less affected by the situation in Ukraine. The average hedge suggests that the optimal hedge differs from one market to the next, with fossil fuels and renewable energy, respectively, being more hedge effective and reducing risk by an average of around 0.80 and 0.59, given their ability to function as a hedging instrument.

The Role of Policymakers in Potential Strengthening to Improve the Safety of the Vegetable in the Supply Chain: SWOT Analysis during COVID-19

Background: Fresh vegetables can play an important role in health and food security. This study aimed to assess the safety of the vegetable supply chain in Iran during the COVID-19 pandemic by strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis.
 Methods: A mixed-methods study was conducted in two phases in 2021. First, in the cross-sectional study, 192 staff were randomly selected from five major centers of vegetable retail centers. Then, semi-structured interviews were done with ten stakeholders, and a SWOT analysis was completed.
 Results: Half of the participants had desirable hygienic practices, 39.6% had acceptable, and 8.9% had weak practice scores. The practice of participants whose educational level was BSc and above was better than that of illiterates (OR =15.38, 95% CI =1.61-14.57, P=0.01). SWOT analysis results identified a poor shelf-life of vegetables, weak technology in planting, harvesting, and distributing vegetables.
 Conclusion: Policymakers can utilize the practical solutions for taking action in the potential strengthening of vegetable safety in the supply chain to improve public health during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Green hydrogen technology development and usage policymaking in Iran using SWOT analysis and MCDM methods

Now days, green hydrogen has emerged as a promising source of clean, sustainable, and carbon-neutral energy. Therefore, based on the policy recommendations of relevant international organizations, some countries have developed their green hydrogen policies and roadmaps. However, there is concern about how to customize the policy framework in a way that reflects the unique characteristics of each country, because the need to consider specific conditions and facilities of countries to design strategies and roadmaps is obvious. On the other hand, despite the huge resource potential, the Middle-eastern countries have not yet developed any hydrogen roadmap. This study, taking the Iran's particular internal and external factors into account, is an attempt to propose strategies for developing policies in this area. To conduct this study, a combination of SWOT, AHP, F-TOPSIS and F-VIKOR methods was adopted. First, the SWOT technique was applied to identify strengths and weaknesses (internal factors) as well as threats and opportunities (external factors). Then, the identified factors were prioritized through the AHP method. In the end, F-VIKOR and F-TOPSIS methods were used to rank the 9 proposed strategies. Comparing the obtained rankings showed almost identical results. According to the final findings, “determining green hydrogen technology's role in energy policymaking” is the top priority, with “carrying out experimental projects” and “promoting hydrogen as a source of energy through public acceptance” taking the next priorities.

The Paradox of Power: Statebuilding in America, 1754–1920 by Ballard C. Campbell

Reviewed by: The Paradox of Power: Statebuilding in America, 1754–1920 by Ballard C. Campbell Peter J. Kastor The Paradox of Power: Statebuilding in America, 1754–1920. By Ballard C. Campbell. (Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 2021. Pp. x, 365. Paper, $34.95, ISBN 978-0-7006-3256-5; cloth, $80.00, ISBN 978-0-7006-3225-8.) In The Paradox of Power: Statebuilding in America, 1754–1920, Ballard C. Campbell attempts nothing less than a grand narrative of how Americans governed themselves in the era before 1920. That is no simple feat. Add to this the fact that he discusses not only the federal government but also state governments, all the while navigating tumultuous changes in governance and politics, and the degree of difficulty (to borrow that familiar phrase from Olympic scoring) increases considerably. Campbell accomplishes his goals with clarity, elegance, and authority. Where this book struggles is equally informative, revealing some of the fundamental challenges in telling the story of statebuilding. Two particular concerns (or two paradoxes, as the title suggests) animate this story. The first is a governmental structure that must wield power in order to achieve its goals despite a political culture with deep anxieties about centralized power. The second is federalism itself, a system created by the Constitution that afforded new powers to the national government while nonetheless preserving important policy-making roles to the states. Tracing the long arc of this narrative of two paradoxes, Campbell has constructed a book divided into two parts, but he really describes three eras of statebuilding. Part 1 discusses the British colonial roots of governance, the crucible of the American Revolution, and the struggle to build effective governance structures under the Constitution. Part 2 shows how that system was transformed by the Civil War, a conflict that refashioned the relationship [End Page 338] between state and federal powers while also granting the federal government new and expansive capacities. This section concludes with a description of the birth of the “modern” state as Progressive reform, bureaucratic theory, and the demands of modernization extended what the Civil War had begun. “Modern” belongs in quotations here because the term is indicative of the difficulties facing Campbell. He is quick to push back against scholars of the twentieth century who have claimed that there was no true “state” in the United States until the emergence of bureaucratic management and social welfare systems. In doing so, he makes a powerful case for seeing early statebuilding on its own terms. If Campbell resists the impulse to normalize the state, he does normalize its locations and its purposes. Most of his examples of the organization and services of states and localities come from the cities and states of the Northeast. Not surprisingly, New York and Boston loom large. In the end, this book generally treats the state as an engine of progress. Enslavement appears most significantly in the context of the federal government’s effort to end the institution during the Civil War, and its struggle with the authority of states during Reconstruction. And yet states and the federal government had a much longer tradition of working together to secure racial supremacy. Campbell acknowledges this history in passing references to Native Americans, but he does not explore the ways that state capacity (whether the invention of uniformed police forces in southern cities, the elaborate civil-military administration of federal territories, or the complex state-level requirements of Jim Crow) expanded to pursue specific racial objectives. Writing in prose that is sophisticated but remains accessible, Campbell eschews the risk of deploying either the jargon or the narrow debates that too often encumber the discussion of statebuilding. The result is a book that situates statebuilding front and center in the American experience, with a clarity of argument that is both thought-provoking and compelling. Peter J. Kastor Washington University in St. Louis Copyright © 2023 Southern Historical Association

Impact of Media Technology on Child Development throughout the School

The Impact of media technology on child development throughout the school is a complex and dynamic topic that requires careful examination. With the increasing prevalence of technology in our daily lives, it is important to understand how it affects children's development. This paper aims to explore the impact of media technology on children's cognitive, social, and emotional development throughout the school years. It will examine the potential benefits and drawbacks of media technology use, as well as the role of parents, teachers, and policymakers in regulating and supporting its use. Ultimately, this paper seeks to provide insights into how we can promote healthy and balanced media use to support children's development throughout their school years. Keywords: Media, Technology, School, Child development.

IMPLEMENTATION OF PUBLIC INFORMATION DISCLOSURE POLICY ON REGIONAL DEVICE ORGANIZATIONS IN BANTEN PROVINCE DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

ABSTRACT
 The purpose of this study was to see how the implementation of policies that support the disclosure of public information on the Banten Provincial Government Regional Apparatus during the Covid-19 pandemic. The research method used in this study is a qualitative research method with a descriptive analysis approach. Disclosure of public information which is an obligation of public bodies, especially regional apparatus in Banten Province during the Covid-19 pandemic is still found to be very minimal in conveying public information that must be announced so that communication between the government and the public is hampered. While the Banten provincial government already has various channels for delivering public information such as www.bantenprov.go.id, jawara e-gov on android applications, there is still a lack of public information that guarantees citizens' rights to know various plans and programs for public policymaking, such as the lack of public information on who is the recipient of social assistance during Covid-19; the lack of public information makes the community's active role in public policy-making not accommodated; the decline in good state administration, so that the public lacks public information to find out various reasons for public policies that affect the lives of many people.

Growth evaluation of fintech connectedness with innovative thematic indices – An evidence through wavelet analysis

PurposeThis study evaluated the growth of Fintech to measure the contribution towards the sustainable development goal of the United Nation in terms of financial inclusion through exploring the connectedness of fintech with several thematic indices. The study navigates the co-movements in short and long window-time frames. Design/methodology/approachThis study used wavelet coherence method to analyze linkages between two-time series by considering the stock market co-movements. Wavelet coherence is applied on the pairwise Fintech-Index with the MSCI benchmarks for investment portfolio purposes. FindingsThe global correlation among indices signifying that the benchmark of MSCI USA has a greater level of interactions with the nascent industries but is not highly correlated with other benchmark equity indices. The Global FinTech Index indicates the highest values among the thematic indices. The Artificial Intelligence & Big Data Index has revealed a lower level of association with the MSCI Latin American Index among the overall correlations. Practical implicationsFirst, borrowing and lending and mitigating the risk needs to be addressed. Second, financial regulations would deal with market failures and vulnerabilities. Third, people would be expected to access innovative financial services and would be treated fairly with adequate access to payments, credit, insurance, and savings products. OriginalityThe study covers Artificial Intelligence & Big Data Index (IAIQ), Blockchain Index (ILEGR), Disruptive Technology Index (IDTEC), Global Fintech Index (IFINIX). A key contribution of this research is to analyze the growth of Fintech in terms of size, participants, user market growth, and the role of stakeholders and policymakers.

Hyper-engaged citizenry, negative governance and resilience: Impediments to sustainable energy projects in the United States

This paper investigates the adverse effects of the hyper-engaged citizenry and negative governance on the development of sustainable energy projects in the United States, which are crucial for societal resilience. The paper emphasizes the need for collaborative governance and additionality, highlighting sustainable energy as a critical component for a more resilient future. Using purposefully selected fifty renewable energy projects in the United States, the paper conducts a case study analysis using software-aided two-cycle coding to analyze 110 reports, articles, and government documents from the past ten years. The study reveals how the additionality of renewables is often ignored in policymaking due to vocal opposition from the public, resulting in negative governance. Through the lens of additionality and collaborative governance, the paper contributes to the existing research on sustainable energy policies in three ways. First, it unpacks the understudied concepts of negative governance and hyper-engaged citizenry and their respective roles in policymaking. Second, it proposes practical recommendations for academia, policymakers, and the general public to promote the collaboration and additionality of renewable energy. Third, it offers valuable empirical details on the manifestation of additionality perspectives in the governance of sustainable energy projects and their implementations. The paper's findings emphasize the importance of a collaborative and informed approach to sustainable energy policymaking for building a more resilient future.

TRANSPARENCY, GOVERNANCE AND FISCAL SUSTAINABILITY NEXUS: THE NIGERIA SCENARIO

The problem of fiscal unsustainability has become pronounced in Nigeria. The role of policy makers and the availability of essential information on the economy seem to be major causes of this ominous predicament. This paper aimed at investigating the causal relationship between transparency, governance and fiscal sustainability in Nigeria from 1996 to 2021, using a vector auto regression framework. The empirical results confirm a cointegration relationship between transparency, governance and fiscal sustainability. The flow of causality between control of corruption and fiscal sustainability appears to be mixed. At 1 lag, control of corruption granger causes fiscal sustainability, while at 2 lags, fiscal sustainability granger causes control of corruption at 5% and 10% significance levels. Results of the impulse response functions suggest that one standard deviation innovation on fiscal sustainability reduces fiscal deficit in the medium and long term, while results of the variance decomposition indicate that a significant variation in Nigeria’s fiscal sustainability is not attributable to changes in the political stability. It is recommended that for fiscal sustainability to be improved and sustained, mechanisms which deliberately seek to enhance improved level of fiscal discipline in the country should be employed. It is also imperative for more institutionalized policies that can improve transparency and promote inclusive governance that can curb fiscal indiscipline like budget deficit in view of stimulating fiscal sustainability in Nigeria.

Ketahanan Industri Logistik dalam Keadaan Darurat Nasional

This research is conducted to comprehensively understand the impact of Covid-19 pandemic on the Indonesian logistics service industry, which has created the economic downturn worldwide. The response and adaptation of the logistics service providers and the intervention and strategies needed to preserve the Indonesian logistics industry were observed. The adaptation plan was carried out in various sectors such as the business sector, information and communication technology, information and communication technology infrastructure, and organizational infrastructure. Using questionnaire to survey and doing an in-depth interview to 30 logistics service providers from associations and logistics business entities, it is found that most of the logistics service industry experience a decline in activities as the result of the movement restrictions. There is still a challenge; unpredictable span time of pandemic, despite the spontaneous adaptations made to maintain operations. Therefore, the role of policy makers in the industry is needed to propose various adaptation and intervention strategies to maintain the Indonesian logistics services industry.