Sector Experts Research Articles

The Use of ISO 14001 Environmental Management Systems in the Process of Preparation and Provision of Environmental Insurance

The purpose of the research is to assess usefulness of the implemented and certified management systems for preparation and provision of insurance. Data was collected by means of non‑real‑time, time‑extended, text‑based online focus groups, obtained via Bulletin Board platform. Respondents were selected according to judgmental sampling, and were insurance sector experts. The template analyses of the interview transcript supported by a narrative approach were conducted. The research demonstrated that environmental insurance and ISO 14001 environmental management systems (EMSs) at present, remain in Poland almost entirely independent of each other. Representatives of insurance industry do not use the information about the system implementation while preparing and providing insurance cover. ISO 14001 EMSs present little credibility for insurance experts and according to the respondents, their implementation does not significantly and undoubtedly affect the level of the covered risk. Consequently, insurance buyers do not profit from insurance (lower premiums, improved insurance scope) resulting from the implementation of ISO 14001 systems. Industry representatives, however, use – albeit unconsciously – systemic documentation in the process of preparation and provision of insurance cover. They also examine systemic processes performed in the organisation at the stage of risk assessment. Improvement of credibility of certification process, based on profound cooperation between certification institutions and insurance industry may increase the importance of ISO 14001 EMSs for the process of preparation and provision of insurance cover.

Money matters: The role of public sector wages in corruption prevention

AbstractEconomic theory as well as conventional wisdom from corruption‐ridden countries suggest that low wages among public employees lead to corruption, but cross‐sectional empirical research has largely failed to confirm this relationship. In this article, we investigate the relationship between experiences of corruption and wage levels for public sector employees, utilizing both objective and expert survey data, with global coverage. The statistical analysis shows that higher wages, as compared to the average wage in the country, is associated with less corruption. There is also some support, but weaker, for the hypothesis that corruption increases when wages fall below subsistence levels.

Infrastructure, Political Conflict, and Stakeholder Interests: The Case of a Public–Private Partnership in Bangladesh

Public–private partnerships (P3s) offer an alternative for constructing public infrastructure by drawing upon private sector finance and expertise. This article explores the case of the construction of an inland container terminal in Bangladesh. Drawing upon a review of the literature on P3s, secondary publications, government documents, and interviews with relevant sources, the study reveals that diverse interests influenced the decision and implementation of an infrastructure project under a P3 model. The investment capacity of the private sector and its human and technological resources could not help overcome the strong obstacles created by political and social forces. The project took a long time to complete, and decisions on the location were frequently changed. The study finds that intense animosity between the two leading political parties that led to efforts to deny credit to competitors and conflicting stakeholder interests are formidable obstacles in the way of implementing P3 projects in Bangladesh.

Designing Sustainable Prosperity “DSP”: A collaborative effort to build resilience in mining producing regions

ABSTRACT Mines are frequently located in remote areas with little conventional employment and few opportunities for the local population. The development and operation of the mines results in several years of intense activity followed by a near-complete reduction in employment and opportunities after the mines are closed. Designing Sustainable Prosperity is a method for rectifying this situation by designing for long-term economic activity in areas that host mines. This process involves the participation of local and national governments, local community, mining companies, investors, academics, and those with sector expertise. The mines will be the catalyst for regional sustainable development. If successful, long-term economic and environmental prosperity should result for the areas affected by mining and could promote the regions as centers of excellence for a particular industry. This paper describes how the concept works using the copper producing region of Peru and Chile as an example. Designing sustainable prosperity starts by looking at regions based on the natural resources and skills available, the infrastructure, and possible energy sources. Integrated natural resource models and innovative market studies, followed by education and skills requirements, are then established to determine the potential for the region and what needs to be done to realize the possibilities.

Factors impacting wind and solar power sectors in India: A survey-based analysis

India is projected to be among the top three energy-consuming countries by 2030. Even with a low per capita consumption, it is ranked fourth in terms of carbon emissions. Though India has made progress in terms of deploying renewables as part of its climate commitments, there has been a temporal and regional variation in terms of installed capacity. The paper aims to identify the drivers and challengers impacting the solar and wind power sectors in India through an expert survey. Thirty-four sector experts representing ministries, federal agencies, renewable companies, investor groups, financial institutions and civil society responded to a questionnaire using a ‘Likert Scale’, encompassing all possible factors which would have influenced these two sectors. Response depicted an even distribution of score, with experts endorsing policies like feed-in-tariff, auctions and tax depreciation and the requirement of a strong grid network to assimilate variable power. Commercial and infrastructure variables like cost of capital, credit worthiness of utility, land and road network were marked high. Experts envisaged heightened role of green power in future which may have to compete in open power markets sans any policy support. This analysis may be used for improving the effectiveness of Indian climate policies.

Zambia Revenue Authority Professional Performance Amidst Structural Constraints, 1994–2019

From an initial survey of public sector experts, the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) was regarded as a relatively high performer among public sector institutions in Zambia. This paper utilizes a political settlements approach to track how the distribution of power within Zambia’s political settlement influenced ZRA’s tax policy and administration from its inception in 1994 to 2019. We find that ZRA’s performance over the reference period was highly uneven. Broadly, 1994-2005 was a formative period for the authority, with relatively low performance. Then, between 2006 and 2015, due in part to strong political will and external support, ZRA achieved and maintained a favorable level of professionalism and specialization, held a clear mandate, and established tax targets and internal organizational reforms. But, throughout, ZRA struggled to overcome structural constraints to revenue generation. Policy stability came out of an era of ‘technocratic consensus’ that emerged in the 2000s. Generally, ideas shared by political rules and leading bureaucrats centered on growth, fiscal prudency and domestic resource mobilization aimed at gaining more autonomy, namely weaning Zambia off donor support and conditionalities. This push was augmented in 2011 by Patriotic Front’s (PF) political commitment to resource nationalism. In contrast, 2015-2019 saw a new political settlement dynamic that affected the role of most economic institutions in Zambia, which exposed ZRA to undue political influence. Ultimately, with a high number of political turnovers amidst the increasingly fractious settlement during the reference period, ZRA experienced episodes of vulnerability to politically motivated institutional reforms and reorganizations at the political expediency of the ruling elite.

Natural disaster insurance: public-private sector partnership

The public sector should intervene in the natural disaster insurance market in order to increase economic efficiency and social welfare. However the governments should not put at risk the sustainability of public finance by undertaking excessive financial risks. Therefore, public-private sector partnership practices in natural disaster insurance are on the agenda. Public-private partnerships can incorporate some of the advantages of both public insurance systems and private insurance systems. In such insurance systems, government guarantees, fiscal incentives, regulations and private sector expertise come together. The insurance systems established in public-private partnership sectors should be designed appropriately to ensure sustainability. A sustainable public-private insurance system should include mandatory participation, risk-based premiums, encouraging risk-mitigation activities, risk transfer mechanisms. NFIP, CEA, CATNAT, TCIP, CCS, JER are successful examples of public-private sector partnership. However, these insurance systems do not have all the features that a good insurance system should have.

Troubling the non-specialist prescription of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP): the views of Australian HIV experts

ABSTRACTThe broadening of access to HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in Australia has rekindled debates about which types of clinicians are best suited to deliver HIV prevention innovations: specialist HIV services or primary care physicians and general practitioners (GPs). We conducted 21 semi-structured qualitative interviews in 2017 with Australian HIV sector experts working across policy, advocacy, clinical service provision, research, and health promotion. These interviews took place before a national policy commitment to subsidising access to PrEP was achieved. We explored how participants conceptualised PrEP, patients and GPs at this key turning point in the history of HIV prevention. Participants expressed varied views regarding GPs’ anticipated ability to successfully navigate the potential complexities associated with PrEP roll-out. While participants were supportive of greater patient access to PrEP, they expressed concerns about non-specialist GPs’ cultural competence and expertise regarding sexuality and clinical practice, and the potential for patients to experience discrimination and homophobia from non-expert GPs. This study has broad implications for thinking about experts and expertise, the implementation of previously specialised medicine into mainstream settings, and the anticipated challenges of LGBTIQ+ inclusive healthcare.

Behavioural artificial intelligence: an agenda for systematic empirical studies of artificial inference

Artificial intelligence (AI) receives attention in media as well as in academe and business. In media coverage and reporting, AI is predominantly described in contrasted terms, either as the ultimate solution to all human problems or the ultimate threat to all human existence. In academe, the focus of computer scientists is on developing systems that function, whereas philosophy scholars theorize about the implications of this functionality for human life. In the interface between technology and philosophy there is, however, one imperative aspect of AI yet to be articulated: how do intelligent systems make inferences? We use the overarching concept “Artificial Intelligent Behaviour” which would include both cognition/processing and judgment/behaviour. We argue that due to the complexity and opacity of artificial inference, one needs to initiate systematic empirical studies of artificial intelligent behavior similar to what has previously been done to study human cognition, judgment and decision making. This will provide valid knowledge, outside of what current computer science methods can offer, about the judgments and decisions made by intelligent systems. Moreover, outside academe—in the public as well as the private sector—expertise in epistemology, critical thinking and reasoning are crucial to ensure human oversight of the artificial intelligent judgments and decisions that are made, because only competent human insight into AI-inference processes will ensure accountability. Such insights require systematic studies of AI-behaviour founded on the natural sciences and philosophy, as well as the employment of methodologies from the cognitive and behavioral sciences.

Critical delay factors in power transmission projects: a structural equation modeling approach

Power transmission (PT) projects, as an essential link between power generation and distribution, play a vital role in the development of a country. To develop a clear understanding and identification of the critical idiosyncratic causes of delays in PT projects, for the first time, a model is developed to reflect the collective effects of 46 indicators under 10 factors. Based on the extended literature review and 18 sector experts’ recommendations, this study introduces two new factors – (i) a sector-specific factor (SSF) and (ii) a general factor (GF), where SSF pertains the uniqueness of PT project delay characteristics and GF drives a less biased data sample. Structural equation modeling (SEM) is used to test and validate the hypothesized model based on 311 valid questionnaire surveys. The validated model establishes SSF and GF as the most critical factors in PT project delays. With the clear insights provided by these findings, this study is expected to have a substantial influence on professionals in minimizing PT and other linear (power and non-power) project time overruns worldwide.

Lost in building design practices: The intertwining of energy with the multiple goals of home building in Finland

To decarbonize the building sector, which currently accounts for 40% of the energy consumption in the European Union, Member States have set a goal for all new buildings to become nearly zero energy by the end of 2020. This requires that those who construct buildings are motivated and capable of adopting novel building energy technologies. To enrich the understanding of how individual consumers and families can be encouraged to engage in the transition towards zero energy buildings, this article explores how energy choices intertwine with other goals and aims in building design practices during the design of detached houses in Finland. Our results indicate that ordinary consumers have very limited tools to choose novel energy solutions for their forthcoming houses during the building design stage. The intertwined practices of building design, building permit provision and HVAC design both guide and restrict the outcomes of the process in a way, which prevents the active decision-making of consumers. While focusing on these practices, we were able to identify four critical phases in the building design process, where the options for innovative building energy solutions, including integrated energy solutions, were restricted. In many of these phases, the process moves on through interaction between various building sector experts, whose practices are guided by other principles and goals of building design than energy. As a conclusion, the article suggests specific interventions directed to these critical phases to prevent the loss of opportunities for applying novel energy solutions in new detached houses.

A Study on Impact on the Service Quality and Customer Satisfaction of SBI in Tirunelveli District

Now days in the banking sector experts have to pay special attention to the service quality because it will decide the customer decision making process, but also it will make some changes in the customer satisfaction, purchase retention, loyalty and business survival. It may be shown in many researches. The main objective of this paper is to review the relationship between service quality and customer satisfaction. The research will help to understand the impact on the service quality and customer satisfaction.

Ambidextrous intellectual capital in the haute cuisine sector

PurposeThis paper aims to conceptualize organizational ambidexterity and intellectual capital in the haute cuisine sector, describing their interrelation. Specifically, the study draws on the dimensions of intellectual capital as a lens to understand ambidextrous capabilities.Design/methodology/approachThree research questions were addressed using a qualitative methodology. The researchers conducted ten interviews with sector experts from haute cuisine restaurants.FindingsThe paper identifies the constituents of organizational ambidexterity and intellectual capital in the haute cuisine sector. It also frames how these elements interrelate each other to allow the generation of ambidextrous capabilities.Research limitations/implicationsThe investigation was conducted in only one country and a single sector.Practical implicationsThe study provides guidance for haute cuisine restaurant managers to simultaneously develop innovation and efficiency in everyday activities, without having to choose between these two strategic objectives. Results show they must focus on human capital, which is one of the most important strategic resources in haute cuisine restaurants. This paper can help managers to design the organizational structures, processes and routines that allow haute cuisine restaurants to be ambidextrous.Originality/valueThe understanding of organizational ambidexterity and intellectual capital, and their integration, is critical for successful hospitality operations; however, research in this area is still limited. This integration can help haute cuisine restaurants to develop ambidextrous capabilities through their intellectual capital, establishing mechanisms to integrate individuals and group capabilities within the organizations.

A Study on Impact on the Service Quality and Customer Satisfaction of SBI in Tirunelveli District

Now days in the banking sector experts have to pay special attention to the service quality because it will decide the customer decision making process, but also it will make some changes in the customer satisfaction, purchase retention, loyalty and business survival. It may be shown in many researches. The main objective of this paper is to review the relationship between service quality and customer satisfaction. The research will help to understand the impact on the service quality and customer satisfaction.

Achieving sustainable operational excellence through IT implementation in Indian logistics sector: An analysis of barriers

Information Technology (IT) infrastructure has been integral to operational excellence approaches towards sustainable supply chains. The paper explores the crucial barriers to IT implementation in the largely unorganized logistics sector of an emerging economy, India. Through a comparative study using two separate expert-groups, representing the organized and unorganized logistics sectors respectively, the paper analyses their views on the criticality of barriers in each sector and highlights the sector-specific problems that hinder effective IT implementation. Considering the profiles of the expert groups used, the paper implements Fuzzy-ISM and Fuzzy-MICMAC analysis for one group and IRP for the other to capture and analyze their opinions appropriately. The results obtained from the analyses show that the barriers concerning IT implementation in the unorganized logistics sector (ULS) substantially differ from those concerning the organized logistics sector (OLS) as perceived by the corresponding sector experts. The study ranks the barriers in the two sectors and highlights the focus areas that require immediate attention to strengthen the IT infrastructure of Indian ULS, which suffers mainly from behavioral issues at the organizational level. Focused attention to unorganized sector’s requirements can revive the sector and smoothen its transformation to an organized one as exceedingly demanded by the recent e-commerce boom. The work is perhaps the first to address the Indian ULS. It implements a unique approach: seeks inputs from two different expert groups, implements tools appropriate to the respective panel profiles, and compares their opinions to identify the specific and different requirements of the Indian ULS with respect to IT implementation.

Evaluation in African contexts: The promises of participatory approaches in theory-based evaluations

Background: A recent study of African evaluations identified deficiencies in present evaluation practices. Due to limited public sector expertise for the design of policy impact evaluations, expertise for such complex designs is largely external to the public sector. Consequently, recommendations made sometimes pay insufficient attention to variations in local contexts. Objectives: The bold idea presented in this article is that theory-based evaluation (TBE) in its most recent participatory versions offers promising opportunities towards more flexible epistemology. When properly tweaked, tuned and adapted to local needs and demands in African contexts, better theory-based evaluations are possible. Method: Three TBE-inspired criteria for better evaluations are suggested. The usefulness of including broad perspectives in theory-making was illustrated with a recent policy example, that is, the provision of tablets to school children in South Africa. Results: A model of collaborative theory-making is presented. The pros and cons of the proposed hybrid model are discussed. Conclusion: Recent trends in TBE point towards more participation of stakeholders in the theory-making process and towards more flexible epistemologies. The proposed innovation of TBE may have broader implications and serve as a promising inspiration for better evaluation practices in African contexts, given that existing research has demonstrated a need for such visions.

Making cooking champions: Perceptions of local actors on private sector development in Uganda

Most households in Uganda depend on traditional use of wood fuels associated with huge environmental and health issues. Even with the future development of a sustainable national grid, small-scale solutions like efficient biomass stoves, biochar, and biogas installations will remain important. Despite the apparent benefits from clean cooking resulting from “dissemination” programs since the 1980's, many developing country households have been slow to adopt them. Hence, questions arise concerning commercially viable business development. This study takes a qualitative approach and actors-based perspective from the major players at the supply-side of the clean cooking on biomass market sector. A field research in Kampala (Uganda) explored the success factors according to local private actors' perceptions. The confrontation between these perceptions and a literature-based success-factor framework revealed original insights in terms of enabling conditions to strengthen the supply-side, related to the demand-side and the clean cooking market. First, becoming a ‘clean cooking champion’ is still highly dependent on the role of supportive and intervening development programs, especially in terms of financing, capacity-building, and awareness-raising. Second, up to now, carbon finance is an additional incentive rather than a determining factor for business activities in the clean cooking sector. Third, while some policies and targets exist, private sector respondents lament the lack of a level playing field and the competition of the informal cooking sector. Thus, this research provides an empirical basis for a possible approach to leverage private sector experience and expertise to improve access to clean cooking on biomass in Uganda.

WebCAT: Piloting the Development of a Web Camera Coastal Observing Network for Diverse Applications

Web cameras are transforming coastal environmental monitoring. Improvements in camera technology and image processing capabilities, paired with decreases in cost, enable widespread use of camera systems by researchers, managers and first responders for a growing range of environmental monitoring applications. Applications are related to transportation and commerce, preparedness, risk reduction and response, and stewardship of coastal resources. While web cameras are seemingly ubiquitous, operators often follow unique installation procedures and collect, store, and process imagery data in various ways. These inconsistencies significantly limit the ability for imagery data to be shared and utilized across research and operational disciplines. Similar to the early days of other remote sensing networks like High Frequency Radar, the benefits and downstream application of coastal imagery data can be greatly enhanced through centralized data access and standardization of data collection, analysis and dissemination. The NOAA National Ocean Service Web Camera Applications Testbed (WebCAT) was launched in 2017 in partnership with SECOORA, as a public-private partnership to address this coastal ocean observing standardization need. WebCAT is a pilot project relying on the private sector expertise of Surfline, Inc. to install and operate several web cameras capable of meeting the short-term needs of diverse users including NOAA, USGS, state health agencies, academia and others. The project aims to determine operational imagery collection, storage, processing, access, and archival requirements that will foster collaboration across research and operational user communities. Seven web cameras have been installed at six locations along the southeast U.S. coast (from Florida to North Carolina) for purposes including: counting animals on the beach and migrating right whales, identifying rip currents, validating wave runup models, and understanding human use of natural resources. Here we present a review of the state of coastal imagery data and an overview of the WebCAT project. Goals of an upcoming community workshop will also be presented along with our vision for how WebCAT can motivate a future sustained operational web camera network.

Commissioning Children's Services

How children's services are commissioned has been the subject of intense scrutiny by policymakers in recent years. Sector experts analyse the forces driving changes in commissioning policies and practice

La Cooperación Técnica Pública en los nuevos paradigmas de la cooperación al desarrollo con América Latina ¿Qué hay de nuevo, viejo?

This document reviews Technical Cooperation and Public Sector Expertise as a modality of development cooperation that acquires particular relevance in the context of innovative mechanisms of cooperation with the countries of LatinAmerica, especially in the framework of the transformational processes that the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the concept of “Development in Transition” imply. Some of the main innovations in these paradigms connect with genuine characteristics of public technical cooperation, such as the transfer of knowledge for policy making or the building of partnerships and trust in which public administrations play an increasing role. Therefore, a review of the evolution of public technical cooperation modalities in development cooperation is relevant for providing insights for the effective implementation of new approaches.In particular, public technical cooperation is discussed through three paradigmatic cases: Spanish cooperation with Latin America, the regional programs of the EU with Latin America, especially the case of EUROsociAL program, and Ibero-American cooperation.