Sector Actors Research Articles

From Theory to Practice: Viewpoint on Economic Indicators for Trust in Digital Health.

User trust is pivotal for the adoption of digital health systems interventions (DHI). In response, numerous trust-building guidelines have recently emerged targeting DHIs such as artificial intelligence. The common aim of these guidelines aimed at private sector actors and government policy makers is to build trustworthy DHI. While these guidelines provide some indication of what trustworthiness is, the guidelines typically only define trust and trustworthiness in broad terms, they rarely offer guidance about economic considerations that would allow implementers to measure and balance trade-offs between costs and benefits. These considerations are important when deciding how best to allocate scarce resources (eg, financial capital, workforce, or time). The missing focus on economics undermines the potential usefulness of such guidelines. We propose the development of actionable trust-performance-indicators (including but not limited to surveys) to gather evidence on the cost-effectiveness of trust-building principles as a crucial step for successful implementation. Furthermore, we offer guidance on navigating the conceptual complexity surrounding trust and on how to sharpen the trust discourse. Successful implementation of economic considerations is critical to successfully build user trust in DHI.

A processual framework for understanding the rise of the populist right: the case of Brazil (2013–2018)

Abstract How and in what sequence do social structures, contingent events, and agents’ decisions combine over time to bring about a new populist right? To answer this question, we propose a framework to analyze social processes spanning three levels of analysis: global political economy, national political articulation, and subnational political geography. We challenge static theories that focus solely on the “supply and demand” for populism, as well as purely contingent accounts of a “perfect storm.” Instead, we argue that processes across these three levels link together in causal chains to produce an “ecosystem” of right-wing populist support. To specify this framework, we analyze the ascendance of Jair Bolsonaro to the presidency of Brazil between 2013 and 2018, drawing upon quantitative macroeconomic and protest event data, qualitative interview and archival data collected from private sector actors and social movements, and geo-spatial electoral data. Finally, we probe the generalizability of this analytical framework through a discussion of secondary work on recent cases of right-wing populism in the Global South. By focusing on the dynamic connection of inter-scalar processes over time, we illustrate how our framework paves the way for further conjunctural analyses of the current right-wing populist upsurge.

Policing cross-border fraud ‘Above and below the surface’: mapping actions and developing a more effective global response

Cross-border fraud, including its various forms such as online retail fraud, pyramid schemes, romance fraud and pig butchering, is a major problem around the world. Despite clear evidence that cross-border fraud is growing, there is little research charting the scale of cross-border fraud and the optimal policing responses to deal with it. This paper aims to fill this research gap by exploring what we know about the nature of cross-border fraud and current policing response. Unlike in other crime areas with a cross-border element, international bodies and nation states have shown very little interest in addressing cross-border frauds through what we term the higher profile ‘above the surface’ activities. Instead, policing responses have been present on a much larger scale in the private sector ‘below the surface’, with much less profile. Moreover, the paper argues that while cooperation and coordination between the public and private sector actors is crucial, there are very few policing structures bringing these diverse actors together to tackle cross-border fraud, among other gaps. By drawing on examples of alternative structures dealing with cross-border economic crime, the paper informs policy-makers by mapping out key actions and structures which should be considered to better tackle the global problem of cross-border fraud.

Science and technical priorities for private sector action to address biodiversity loss.

Target 15 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework recognizes the importance of the private sector monitoring, assessing and disclosing biodiversity-related risks, dependencies and impacts. Many businesses and financial institutions are progressing with science-based assessments, targets and disclosures and integrating into strategy, risk management and capital allocation decisions. Developments will continue in response to investor expectations, emerging corporate sustainability reporting regulations in Europe, China and elsewhere and evolving global sustainability reporting standards. Voluntary action is also being encouraged by the disclosure recommendations of the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures and the target-setting methods of the Science Based Targets Network. Based on experience supporting the private sector in practice, we identify four critical science and technical advances needed to enable business action at scale and to redirect finance globally to halt and reverse biodiversity loss. First, consensus on indicators and metrics for measuring changes in the state of nature and provision of ecosystem services. Second, access to global, regularly updated, location-specific and consistent nature data. Third, standardized and consistent accounting systems that structure data, support risk management and create accountability at corporate, ecosystem and national levels. Fourth, integrated risk assessment approaches to help corporates, financial institutions, central banks and supervisors to assess nature-related risks.This article is part of the discussion meeting issue 'Bending the curve towards nature recovery: building on Georgina Mace's legacy for a biodiverse future'.

Analisis Pengaruh Digital Marketing Terhadap Peningkatan Penjualan UMKM di Era Pasca Pandemi

This study aims to analyze the influence of digital marketing on increasing sales of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in the post-pandemic era. Along with technological developments and changes in consumer behavior, MSMEs are faced with the challenge of adopting digital marketing strategies to increase competitiveness and maintain business continuity. This study uses a quantitative method with data collection through a survey of 100 MSME actors in various sectors. The data obtained was analyzed using multiple linear regression to determine the relationship between digital marketing variables (social media use, marketplace, and paid advertising) to increase sales.

EL PAPEL DEL ECONOMISTA EN EL AVANCE CIENTÍFICO DEL SECTOR PÚBLICO

Abstract This article aims to highlight the key role that economists play in the scientific advancement of the public sector. Through an analytical approach and a thorough review of the available literature, it analyzes the contributions of these professionals in the formulation of public policies, program estimation, and applied research. The methodologies used and the results obtained are examined, emphasizing how economic analysis contributes to improving the effectiveness and efficiency of government tasks. Additionally, a framework is proposed to integrate economics into the advancement of public policies based on certainty. Finally, recommendations are presented to optimize collaboration between economists and other public sector actors, with the goal of promoting scientific development.

STUDYING THE RELATIONSHIP MODEL BETWEEN ENTREPRENEURSHIP INSIGHT AND BUSINESS PERFORMANCE: A STUDY OF MSMEs IN INDONESIA

This research aims to examine the relationship model between entrepreneurial orientation (EO), entrepreneurship insight (EI), information technology adoption (ITA), and business performance (BP) in MSMEs in Indonesia. The research method used is a quantitative approach with survey techniques of MSME actors in various sectors in Indonesia. Data was collected through a questionnaire adapted from previous research. The research sample consisted of 200 respondents selected using a purposive sampling technique, with the criteria being that the business had been running for at least two years and had access to information technology. The results of the research data analysis conclude that entrepreneurial orientation (EO), entrepreneurship insight (EI), and information technology adoption (ITA) have a positive and significant effect on business performance (BP). The research results will provide deeper insight into the influence of EO, EI, and ITA on the business performance of MSMEs in Indonesia. It is hoped that this research can also provide recommendations for MSME actors and policymakers to increase the competitiveness of small businesses through implementing entrepreneurial strategies and adopting technology. Thus, this research contributes to the development of MSME business theory and practice in the digital era and supports efforts to improve the performance of MSMEs in Indonesia.

Three-dimensional modeling of Alkaline Water Electrolyzers

Abstract The main purpose of this paper is the development of a CFD modelling methodology for the simulation of alkaline water electrolysis. The growing concern about climate change is pushing more and more countries to facilitate ecological transition programmes. Hydrogen perfectly fits the characteristics to become one of the main actors in many industrial sectors to reduce the emission of polluting gases in hard-to-abate sectors. In this framework, hydrogen must be produced through zero-impact technologies. Alkaline water electrolysis is the most widespread technology to produce green hydrogen, and through its CFD modelling it is possible to accurately simulate the behaviour of these components and enhance their performance. In this study, two three-dimensional models have been created representing two types of alkaline electrolysis cell: the first one is a standard laboratory configuration (wide-gap), the second one is a zero-gap type. Both models are based on a two-phase model (liquid: water and potassium hydroxide electrolyte, gas: hydrogen and oxygen) using a Euler-Euler approach to describe the gas bubble flow. With these models it has been possible to investigate how temperature and electrolyte flow rate affect the production of hydrogen, with particular emphasis on the pressure effect. Increasing the pressure at which hydrogen is produced could mean a significant reduction in storage compression costs, giving new horizons to this technology.

Human sensors in the city of super apps: mobilizing people as infrastructure for smart city development in Jakarta, Indonesia

In this paper, we argue that contextual factors such as the availability of infrastructure, sociocultural characteristics of users, governance style, and the regulatory environment in global south cities create opportunities for public and private sector actors to come up with innovative strategies for smart city development and the platformization of services. Despite different objectives, operationalization strategies, and expected outcomes between the public and private sectors, both sectors learn from one another to come up with innovative solutions for navigating contextual contingencies. Due to limited infrastructure and contextual diversities in global south cities, digital platforms require significant and specific forms of groundwork by humans that leverage their everyday networks and interactions with their surroundings. In the process of platformization, both governments and private entities strategically employ the discourse of smart, responsible citizenship to promote the innovative co-creation of platform services, thereby extending biopolitical control over citizens’ bodies and interactions. In this process, citizens are engaged as sensing nodes to support smart city development in global south cities. This paper examines two distinct cases of public and private sector ‘human sensing’ experiments in Jakarta: Jakarta Smart City’s JakLapor platform and Grab's human mapping initiative. In these experiments, ‘peopled collaborations’ (Simone 2021) between citizens are deployed by the government and the platform company as innovations where urban infrastructure is inadequate, or to fill gaps that cannot be filled by conventional digital infrastructure.

Analisis Strategi Optimalisasi Penerimaan Pajak Di Sektor Ekonomi Informal

This study aims to analyze tax revenue optimization strategies in the informal economy sector in Indonesia, which is one of the largest sectors but has not been fully exploited in national tax revenue. In this research, a qualitative approach is used with a case study method on small and medium enterprises operating in the informal sector. Data were collected through in-depth interviews, observations, and literature studies related to taxation policies and characteristics of the informal economy sector. The results show that the main obstacles to tax revenue in this sector are low tax awareness, lack of understanding of taxation, and limited infrastructure and accessibility of tax services among informal economy actors. The discussion in this study highlights the need for innovative strategies such as continuous improvement of tax education, simplification of tax administration procedures, and the application of digital technology to expand the informal sector taxpayer base. In addition, the utilization of tax incentives is considered capable of encouraging more active participation of informal sector actors in tax compliance. The conclusion of this study is that optimizing tax revenue in the informal economy sector requires a holistic approach that combines education, technology, and appropriate incentive policies. With the right strategy, the informal economy sector can become a significant contributor to increasing national tax revenue, while encouraging the integration of informal economic actors into the formal economic system. This study recommends collaboration between the government and educational institutions to create effective tax literacy programs and the development of user-friendly digital applications for informal businesses.

Assessing Public Awareness and Stakeholder Influence in Renewable Energy Implementation : A Case Study from Sulawesi, Indonesia

This study aims to assess public awareness and stakeholder influence in implementing renewable energy projects in Sulawesi, Indonesia, focusing on the districts of Jeneponto, Pangkep, Polewali Mandar, and Majene. We employed a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative surveys and qualitative interviews to provide a comprehensive analysis. The data collected includes responses from 400 residents across the selected districts and in-depth interviews with key stakeholders, including government officials, NGO representatives, and private sector actors. The results indicate that public awareness of renewable energy technologies and policies is generally low, with only 27% of respondents demonstrating basic knowledge. Awareness levels were particularly low in rural areas, where over 70% of respondents were unfamiliar with renewable energy initiatives. The study also found significant correlations between demographic factors, such as education and income levels, and awareness, suggesting that targeted educational campaigns are necessary. In terms of stakeholder influence, the study highlights the challenges faced in implementing renewable energy projects, including financial constraints and regulatory complexities. Despite these challenges, there are opportunities for enhancing renewable energy adoption through multi-sectoral collaboration and culturally adapted strategies. This research’s novelty lies in its comprehensive approach, which integrates public perception with stakeholder dynamics, as well as its focus on a regionally specific context within Indonesia, offering practical recommendations for accelerating the renewable energy transition in similar developing regions. This study also provides valuable insights for policymakers and stakeholders aiming to bridge the gap between policy and practice in renewable energy adoption.

Beyond mitigation: building a case for collective rights and remedies for digital ID-enabled harms

ABSTRACT National digital ID systems have been promoted by both private and public sector actor actors as a means of fostering economic development and individual empowerment, and of administering a growing digital welfare state. However, these digital ID systems have also been associated with different forms of injustice and remain flashpoints for the contestation of public sector digitalization and datafication initiatives. The complex, intersectional impacts that such systems may have on social exclusion and human rights have made it challenging to articulate rights-based approaches that cover the range of potential injustices or to institutionalize legal and administrative mechanisms capable of remedying violations. This paper posits two ways in which the legal contestation of digital ID has revealed potential barriers to obtaining adequate remedies for digital ID related harm. First, a core methodological challenge is the way in which powerful narratives about the capabilities of digital ID have worked in tandem with individualizing logics of databases, making it difficult to center the collective experiences of affected groups and balance competing interests. Second, is the way in which legal frameworks have structured governance of national digital ID systems, fragmenting responsibility across institutions and individuals in ways that compromise access to justice, rule of law, and pathways to remedies. In bringing together a data justice framework with insights from legal analysis, the paper seeks to assess both limitations and potential opportunities to work through existing legal frameworks to better address the collective harms of digital ID systems.

Down the banking hole: Investigating the case of Slovenian banks

The aim of this paper is to analyse who was responsible for the deterioration of the Slovenian banking sector to such an extent that it was almost destroyed by the 2008 financial crisis, necessitating the consideration of an international bailout. A literature review focused specifically on reports from law enforcement agencies and commissions that investigated banking practices, complemented by a qualitative empirical study. In order to gain insight into the reasons why this situation unfolded, ten structured interviews were conducted. The interviewees included experts with experience in the fields of prevention, detection, investigation and prosecution of economic crime, bad credit management, central banking, parliamentary committee management, forensic investigations, investigative journalism, and experts with academic knowledge in law and economics. Five different investigations explored the behaviour of banking sector actors before, during, and after the 2008 financial crisis. These investigations revealed behaviours ranging from negligence to criminal acts. The interviews indicated that the perpetrators were individuals of high social status with significant influence, explaining why people are often not willing to testify against them. On the detection and prosecution front, the main challenges were fears among criminal investigators, prosecutors, judges, and others of retaliation from superiors, job loss, and being publicly lambasted in the media.

Food is Medicine National Summit: Transforming Health Care

Food is Medicine (FIM) interventions reflect the critical links between food security, nutrition security, health, and health equity, integrated into health care delivery. They comprise programs that provide nutritionally tailored food, free of charge or at a discount, to support disease management, disease prevention, or optimal health, linked to the health care system as part of a patient’s treatment plan. Such programs often prioritize health equity. On 26–27 April, 2023, Tufts University’s Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy and Food & Nutrition Innovation Institute held a 2-day National Food is Medicine Summit with leaders, practitioners, and individuals with diverse lived experiences in health care, research, government, advocacy, philanthropy, and the private sector to identify challenges and opportunities to sustainably incorporate FIM services into the health care system and at scale. This report of a meeting describes key themes of the Summit, based on presentations and discussions on momentum around FIM, incorporating FIM in health care, tradeoffs and unintended consequences of various FIM models, scaling of programs, financing and payment mechanisms, educating and engaging the health care workforce, and federal and state government actions and opportunities on FIM. Speakers highlighted examples of recent public and private sector actions on FIM and innovative cross-sector partnerships, including state Medicaid waivers, academic and philanthropic research initiatives, health care system screenings and interventions, and collaborations including community-based organizations and/or entities outside of the food and health care sectors. Challenges and opportunities to broader implementation and scaling of FIM programs identified include incorporating FIM into health care business models, educating the health care workforce, and sustainably scaling FIM programs while leveraging the local connections of community-based organizations. This meeting report highlights recent advances, best practices, challenges, and opportunities discussed at the National Summit to inform future actions on FIM.

Silent Steering: How Public Actors Indirectly Influence Private Stakeholder Engagement

Our understanding of how public actors directly influence stakeholder engagement through mechanisms such as regulation and licensing has been steadily improving. However, the indirect influence of public governance measures on stakeholder engagement remains less explored. This article seeks to bridge this gap by examining how public sector actors use participatory governance to influence private stakeholder engagement beyond public governance processes. We introduce the concept of silent steering to describe how indirect effects on stakeholder engagement occur. Through an in-depth case study of Finnish mining governance from 1995 to 2020, we uncover how silent steering of private engagement occurs through role-giving, example-giving, and expectation-giving. Through these processes, public actors can exert significant influence over industry- and firm-level private stakeholder engagement processes even when they are not present.

Assessment of influencing factors and mechanisms to engage the private sector in promoting conservation agriculture production systems in Cambodia

ABSTRACT Engaging the private sector in extension services and their direct interaction with farmers contributes to conservation agriculture production systems (CAPS) promotion. This study was conducted to assess influencing factors and mechanisms to engage private sector actors and to rank them to perform their engagement with farmers in an agricultural extension model designed to promote CAPS in Cambodia. The sample size for the survey instrument consisted of 481 randomly selected households, including both CAPS and non-CAPS farmers. For focus group discussions, a purposive sample of 28 participants was used. The positive factors influencing CAPS farmers' engagement with the private sector included gender, number of fields, off-farm income, farm experience, familiarity with the private sector in a commune and government subsidies. In contrast, total land size of main crops, and farmers' perceptions of utilization of private services including a distance of service and increase in profit had a negative impact. Subsidy and incentive programs from the government emerged as highly effective mechanisms for encouraging private sector engagement with farmers. Access to financial institutions was a key priority when engaging the private sector with CAPS farmers. Providing subsidies and incentives is a short-term economic benefit for smallholder farmers that could impact the long-term adoption.

Evaluation of the dairy sustainability assessment tool (DSAT) for dairy systems in East Africa

ABSTRACT Sustainability assessment of dairy systems is necessary to understand bottlenecks and to identify measures to enhance sustainability of the systems. The Dairy Sustainability Assessment Tool (DSAT) was developed with a focus on the facilitation of discussion on sustainability among dairy sector actors in East Africa. DSAT has been applied in several case studies, but the tool has not been systematically evaluated. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of DSAT and to compare its main features with similar dairy assessment tools for Africa. This evaluation consisted of a literature search to identify relevant assessment tools and an online survey about the tool among its users. DSAT was different from other tools compared with as it does not require input data from farm surveys as the assessments rely on expert opinion, and it can conduct assessments at farm, regional and national scales. Results also showed that DSAT was appropriate for holistic assessments of the sustainability of dairy systems in Africa by providing a good overview of threats to sustainability. Weaknesses were mainly the scoring of indicators, which tends to be subjective and the absence of numerical reference values for indicators. Therefore, improving DSAT requires addressing the identified weaknesses.

Art for art’s sake? Artists as partners in urban regeneration

ABSTRACT Responding to the polarized view of artists either being displaced or co-opted in urban regeneration, this paper unveils a middle ground in which artists also act as partners or co-producers in these processes. We illustrate this intermediary role in property development processes with reference to a case study of the Seaport Innovation District in Boston by drawing upon a survey of resident artists and interviews with artists, planners, architects and economic development specialists. The paper makes two contributions to the literature. It offers a fresh look at the dialectical relationship between cultural and economic modes of production by more fully integrating consideration of artists’ sensibilities and practice with those of a host of built environment disciplinary practices including architects, planners and real estate developers. As a result, it extends extant analysis of urban regeneration-led gentrification from its urban planning, geography and sociology disciplinary roots into the disciplines of architecture and real estate. Our findings lead onto a research agenda centered on consideration of the intermediary roles played by creative and cultural sector actors and how creativity might be captured to positive effect, in the production of the built environment.

From a bad to good reputation: a case study illustrating the re-branding of a stigmatized neighbourhood in Sweden

AbstractNeighbourhoods with low social capital and bad reputations are becoming even more deprived, with increased homelessness, poverty and gang violence. In Sweden, and internationally, there is a need for knowledge of ways to stimulate positive regeneration of neighbourhoods with a bad reputation. This ethnographical case study explores regeneration factors in a neighbourhood that was transformed over 14 years from one with low social capital and a bad reputation to one with higher social capital and a good reputation. Three key factors in this positive regeneration and de-stigmatization process of a neighbourhood with an undesirable reputation were identified: the engagement of private sector actors with place branding and spatial anchorage skills; collaborative co-creation; and home-love with emotion-based building. The findings regarding this successful case highlight the importance of collaboration and including actors with re-branding skills when rewriting the narrative of a stigmatized neighbourhood.

(Un)usual advocacy coalitions in a multi-system setting: the case of hydrogen in Germany

Grand sustainability challenges span multiple sectors and fields of policymaking. Novel technologies that respond to these challenges may trigger the emergence of new policy subsystems at the intersection of established sectors. We develop a framework that addresses the complexities of ‘multi-system settings.’ Empirically, we explore belief and coalition formation in the nascent policy subsystem around hydrogen technologies in Germany, which emerges at the intersection of electricity, transport, heating, and industry and is characterised by a broad range of actors from different sectoral backgrounds. We find two coalitions: a rather unusual coalition of actors from industry, NGOs, and research institutes as well as an expectable coalition of gas and heat sector actors. Actors disagree over production, application, and import standards for hydrogen. However, there is widespread support for hydrogen and for a strong role of the state across almost all actors. We explain our findings by combining insights from the advocacy coalition framework and politics of transitions: Belief and coalition formation in a nascent subsystem are influenced by sectoral backgrounds of actors, technology characteristics, as well as trust and former contacts. Our study contributes to a better understanding of early stages of coalition formation in a multi-system setting.