Specific Policy Research Articles

After Admission: The Emotional Suffering of Students Enrolled Through the Rural Students Quota Plan in China's Elite Universities

ABSTRACTThe Chinese government has implemented a series of special admission policies in recent years to promote higher education equity. One of the key approaches is the ‘Rural Students Quota Plan’, which requires elite universities to enrol a certain number of rural students from disadvantaged social and economic backgrounds each year. This study adopted qualitative methods to explore the experiences of these students, focusing on their emotional journeys after admission to elite universities. In this project, 32 rural students from R University were invited to participate in semi‐structured interviews. After thematic analysis, this paper further focuses on the systematic presentation and in‐depth analysis of ten of these Quota Plan students' university experiences to carefully delve into their emotional journeys while integrating the narratives of other participants as background data into the analysis. Drawing on Bourdieu's conceptual tools, this study highlights how emotional struggles such as the sense of feeling lost and inferior are shaped by external social structures and the elite university field. The study argues that as elite universities strive to enrol more rural students, mechanisms must be put in place to better support rural students in their adaptation and integration throughout the higher education process.

Reproductive options and genetic testing for patients with an inherited cardiac disease.

In the past decade, genetic testing for cardiac disease has become part of routine clinical care. A genetic diagnosis provides the possibility to clarify risk for relatives. For family planning, a genetic diagnosis provides reproductive options, including prenatal diagnosis and preimplantation genetic testing, that can prevent an affected parent from having a child with the genetic predisposition. Owing to the complex genetic architecture of cardiac diseases, characterized by incomplete disease penetrance and the interplay between monogenic and polygenic variants, the risk reduction that can be achieved using reproductive genetic testing varies among individuals. Globally, disparities, including regulatory and financial barriers, in access to reproductive genetic tests exist. Although reproductive options are gaining a prominent position in the management of patients with inherited cardiac diseases, specific policies and guidance are lacking. Guidelines recommend that prenatal diagnosis and preimplantation genetic testing are options that should be discussed with families. Health-care professionals should, therefore, be aware of the possibilities and feel confident to discuss the benefits and challenges. In this Review, we provide an overview of the reproductive options in the context of inherited cardiac diseases, covering the genetic, technical, psychosocial and equity considerations, to prepare health-care professionals for discussions with their patients.

The Role of NGOS in Promoting Women Entrepreneurship in India

In recent times, the government has realized the importance of entrepreneurship as a prominent alternative to traditional wage employment in the new economy, and its role in increasing the pace of economic growth. Therefore, Indian government has come up with various special policy measures to help women entrepreneurs. there are major limitations among women entrepreneurs in accessing those facilities. These limitations arise due to various factors, such as: lack of awareness, lack of information, difficulty in accessibility of finance, lack of easy access of entrepreneurial training and post training support, lack of market and network support, lack of self-confidence and managerial skills, bureaucratic hassles, lack of transportation mainly in remote areas, restriction of government officials in terms of timing when women also have to perform household activities etc.

Dynamic factors driving PM2.5 concentrations: Fresh evidence at the global level

This paper analyzes the dynamic impact of economic, social, and governance factors on PM2.5 concentrations in 89 countries from 2006 to 2019. Using the GMM-PVAR approach and Impulse-Response Functions, we examine how shocks to specific variables affect PM2.5 concentrations over a 10-year period. Our findings reveal that the influence of these factors on PM2.5 levels varies over time. For example, a shock in urbanization has no effect on PM2.5 concentrations in the first year, but in the second year, pollution increases significantly. In the third period, PM2.5 levels decrease, but they rise again in the fourth period, albeit not significantly. By the fifth period, pollution decreases until a new equilibrium is reached in the sixth period. Additionally, a shock in financial development, government effectiveness, industrialization, trade openness, or GDP has no effect on PM2.5 concentrations in the initial period. However, during the second period, air pollution decreases, followed by an increase in the third period and a decrease again in the fourth period. These dynamic patterns highlight the need for environmental policies that consider the evaluation time horizon. Our analysis is supplemented by the Granger causality test, guiding specific policy recommendations based on our findings.

Who Wants to be Legible? Digitalization and Intergroup Inequality in Kenya

Governments across the Global South have begun introducing biometric IDs (eIDs) in an attempt to improve citizen-state legibility. While such initiatives can improve government efficiency, they also raise important questions about citizen privacy, especially for groups with a history of mistrust in the state. If concerns about increased legibility produce differential uptake or changes in political behavior, eID initiatives may exacerbate societal inequalities. In a conjoint experiment with 2,072 respondents from four Kenyan regions, we examine how perceptions of and willingness to register for eID under different policy conditions vary across politically dominant, opposition, and “securitized” (heavily policed) ethnic groups. We find meaningful group-level variation in support for specific policy features, and suggestive evidence that policies facilitating surveillance may discourage opposition political participation. Our most surprising finding, however, is that there is such broad support for expanded legibility. The promise of access to government services appears to outweigh other considerations.

Identifying the approach to financial sustainability: Navigating the complexities of earning and spending

This study provides insightful information about personal finance by examining the complex relationship between income and spending patterns in various occupations. It reveals strong relationships between income levels and expected results through regression analysis, providing insight into how different occupational groups are impacted by financial well-being. Building on this basis, a thorough one-way ANOVA and post-hoc tests show that students, academics, labourers, business owners, and government employees have remarkably different spending preferences. These results highlight the significant impact of occupation-specific variables on financial behaviour, including benefits, income stability, and social expectations. This research provides a path corresponding to specific policy interventions and programs aimed at financial literacy. By promoting economic resilience and well-being across a range of demographic and occupational landscapes, the ultimate objective is to cultivate a future in which responsible spending practices are shared realities rather than just ideals.

Out of sight, out of mind? The bipartisan Australian foreign policy on irregular migration

ABSTRACT Australian foreign policy traditionally claims middle power and good international citizenship credentials, although it also resorts to unilateral actions due to its deep-rooted condition of ‘frightened country’. This article argues that the country's irregular migration governance embodies this tension, and thus seeks to shed light on this increasingly-neglected aspect of Australian external engagement. Following a theoretical understanding of Australian foreign policy, it investigates the country's irregular migration policies between 2000 and 2024. The article finds that there is a strong continuity in such policies irrespective of the type of government in power, supported by foreign policy bipartisanship, resulting in specific foreign policy tools to stem seaborne arrivals. These include military missions; territorial excisions from the migration zone; offshore processing and/or externalisation agreements with Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Cambodia, and Sri Lanka; pushback manoeuvres, and at-sea processing of asylum claims. Inevitably, such measures complicate Australia's international status as they emphasise the uneasy coexistence of both the globalist middle power and the self-interested nation images in its foreign policy, therefore warranting new research on this under-examined condition.

Global sustainability scenarios lead to regionally different outcomes for terrestrial biodiversity

Abstract Mitigating climate change (CC) and reversing biodiversity decline are urgent and interconnected global priorities. Strategies to address both crises must consider the relationships, synergies and trade-offs between key response measures, including sustainable production and consumption patterns, protected areas (PAs) and climate mitigation policy (CP). In this paper, we review a large set of scenarios (n = 96) from the Integrated Model to Assess the Global Environment (IMAGE) describing future development of land use, greenhouse gas emissions and their impact on CC and biodiversity. We calculate the global mean temperature increase (GMTI) and the Mean Species Abundance (MSA) of plants, a metric indicative of local terrestrial biodiversity intactness. The set includes scenarios with and without specific CP to address CC, PA for biodiversity and demand and supply sustainability measures such as increased energy efficiency and reduced meat consumption. Our findings indicate that scenarios with integrated measures can prevent biodiversity loss at the global scale, yet with clear regional differences. By 2050, 15 out of 30 (50%) scenarios with at least 30% of global land as PAs show positive MSA changes in grasslands and tropical non-forests (Grass & TnF), but only 1 (3%) does so in tropical forests (TF). We demonstrate that pasture and food/feed crops are the main drivers of MSA loss in Grass & TnF and that scenarios with high levels of PAs prevent land conversion and increase biodiversity. By 2100, 28 out of 46 (60%) scenarios with mitigation measures to restrict CC to 2 °C or less in 2100 result in positive MSA changes in TF, but only 13 (28%) do so in Grass & TnF, reflecting the larger impacts of land use change in the latter region. These results underscore the importance of time and regionally-tailored approaches to address the biodiversity and CC crises.

Food and beverage manufacturing and retailing company policies and commitments to improve the healthfulness of Canadian food environments

BackgroundFood and beverage companies play a central role in shaping the healthfulness of food environments.MethodsThe BIA-Obesity tool was used to evaluate and benchmark the specificity, comprehensiveness and transparency of the food environment-related policies and commitments of leading food and beverage manufacturing and retailing companies in Canada. Policies and commitments related to the healthfulness of food environments within 6 action areas were assessed: 1) corporate nutrition strategy; 2) product (re)formulation; 3) nutrition information and labelling; 4) product and brand promotion; 5) product accessibility; and 6) disclosure of relationships with external organizations. Data were collected from publicly available sources, and companies were invited to supplement and validate information collected by the research team. Each company was then assigned a score out of 100 for each action area, and an overall BIA-Obesity score out of 100.ResultsOverall BIA-Obesity scores for manufacturers ranged from 18 to 75 out of 100 (median = 49), while scores for retailers ranged from 21 to 25 (median = 22). Scores were highest within the product (re)formulation (median = 60) followed by the corporate nutrition strategy (median = 59) domain for manufacturers, while retailers performed best within the corporate nutrition strategy (median = 53), followed by the disclosure of relationships with external organizations (median = 47) domain. Companies within both sectors performed worst within the product accessibility domain (medians = 8 and 0 for manufacturers and retailers, respectively).ConclusionsThis study highlights important limitations to self-regulatory approaches of the food and beverage industry to improve the healthfulness of food environments. Although some companies had specific, comprehensive, and transparent policies and commitments to address the healthfulness of food environments in Canada, most fell short of recommended best-practice. Additional mandatory government policies and regulations may be warranted to effectively transform Canadian food environments to promote healthier diets and prevent related non-communicable diseases.

Uncovering time-, frequency- and quantile-based impacts of energy, fiscal policy instruments, and economic growth on sustainable development

ABSTRACT Hampering environmental deterioration and limiting global warming has become a significant task for policymakers at the global level in order to achieve sustainable development. Dozens of studies have questioned various policy instruments, but the role of fiscal policy instruments for sustainable development has not yet been extensively examined. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the impact of fiscal policy tools, economic development, and renewable energy (REN) utilization on sustainable development, represented by the load capacity factor (LCF). The study focuses on Germany from 1995Q1 to 2021Q4 using novel wavelet- and quantile-based estimation methods. The empirical evidence shows a time- and frequency-based dependency between fiscal policy tools, economic growth, REN utilization, and sustainable development. Economic growth and REN utilization enhance sustainable development through their positive impacts, especially at higher quantiles. The potential positive impact of REN utilization offers hope for ensuring sustainable development and preserving the ecology for the well-being of future generations. Despite the limited positive impact of a specific tax-based fiscal policy instrument, the overall effect of tax-based policy instruments on sustainable development is negative across all quantiles. Protection-based fiscal policy instruments, namely environmental protection expenditures, promote ecological sustainability in higher quantiles. These findings have significant implications regarding ensuring a sustainable future for German policymakers. In this regard, German policymakers should not rely on tax-based fiscal policies to improve ecological sustainability. Instead, they should consider promoting ecological protection expenditures to strengthen sustainable development.

Gamification of Public Policies: Case Studies in Health, Environment and Security

Objectives: Gamification in public policy is a recent development in academic literature. Research in this area has demonstrated an exciting way of building greater effectiveness in applying specific public policies. However, a broader look at the different public policies and how gamification can contribute has been little explored. Theoretical Reference: The studies identified are restricted to different areas of public policy but without a correlation between the other possibilities for building public value in the various areas. Based on this gap, we propose in our study to discuss different approaches and fields of public policy in applying game elements as a strategy to increase the generation of public value and citizen engagement. Methodology: The method used is a multiple case study. Data collection was secondary, starting from single case studies and carrying out the findings in a comparison process. Results and Discussion: We identified that the analysis and proper understanding of these cases reinforces the relevance of gamification as an innovative and effective strategy in promoting positive public policy actions, thus boosting public service improvement and citizens' active participation. Implications: The main implication of the results for practice is the presentation and discussion of different cases and ways of using gamification to leverage the effects and effectiveness of public policies, showing managers the potential gains of this practice. Originality: The article presents a multiple case study, in which the authors make a discussion not presented in the individual cases, showing the different possibilities of gamification for public policies.

How does energy transition improve energy utilization efficiency? A case study of China's coal‐to‐gas program

AbstractImproving energy efficiency by adjusting the structure of energy consumption types is of great significance for reducing carbon emissions in the short term. The present paper constructs new data envelopment analysis models for evaluating energy utilization under different structural conditions and calculating potential emissions reductions. We conducted empirical research on 30 provinces in China from 2003 to 2019—a time frame that coincides with the instituting of China's “coal‐to‐gas” program. Our results show that technological progress is the main way for China to reduce carbon emissions and that it is possible to reduce the total amount of carbon emissions by 35%. Additionally, optimizing the energy consumption structure following the coal‐to‐gas program guidelines could reduce the country's carbon emissions by a further 25%. Finally, this paper provides specific policy recommendations based on the efficiency analysis results to guide each province in reducing carbon emissions under the conditions of energy demand growth.

Ensuring Soil Security to Secure Our Planetary Future$

Turning the dirt, we have cultivated back into soil is critical to securing our planetary future. The world’s principal existential challenges – food, water and energy security, climate change abatement, biodiversity protection and human health1 – are all underpinned by soil dysfunction. Yet, little is known about soil function, soil services and threats to soil, or how the state of our soils, determined by land use and land management, cause desertification and climate change. As greenhouse gases are transparent to incoming solar radiation, we must mitigate excess atmospheric heat by reducing the amount of organic matter mined from the soil, because when the sun’s rays fall on exposed, drained, baked dry soil, most of the solar radiation is converted from latent heat to sensible heat. Soil specific policy and legislation must be developed to regulate sources of excess sensible heat, consistent with limiting global temperature rise to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. Through soil security, we can deliver a better present and safeguard our planetary future.

Association of emergency department characteristics with presence of recommended pediatric-specific behavioral health policies.

In the United States, pediatric emergency department (ED) visits for behavioral health (BH) are increasing. We sought to determine ED-level characteristics associated with having recommended BH-related policies. We conducted a retrospective serial cross-sectional study of National Pediatric Readiness Project assessments administered to US EDs in 2013 and 2021. Changes in responses related to BH items over time were examined. Multivariable logistic regression models examined ED characteristics associated with the presence of specific BH-related policies in 2021. Of 3554 EDs that completed assessments in 2021, 73.0% had BH-related policies, 66.5% had transfer guidelines for children with BH issues, and 38.6% had access to BH resources in a disaster. Of 2570 EDs that completed assessments in both 2013 and 2021, presence of specific BH-related policies increased from 48.6% to 72.0% and presence of appropriate transfer guidelines increased from 56.2% to 64.9%. The adjusted odd ratios (aORs) of having specific BH-related policies were lower in rural (aOR 0.73; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.57, 0.92) and remote EDs (aOR 0.65; 95% CI 0.48, 0.88) compared to urban EDs; lower among EDs with versus without trauma center designation (aOR 0.80; 95% CI 0.67, 0.95); and higher among EDs with a nurse and physician pediatric emergency care coordinator (PECC) (aOR 1.89; 95% CI 1.54, 2.33) versus those without a PECC. Although pediatric readiness for BH conditions increased from 2013 to 2021, gaps remain, particularly among rural EDs and designated trauma centers. Having nurse and physician PECCs is a modifiable strategy to increase ED pediatric readiness pertaining to BH.

Registry study of cardiovascular death in Sweden 2013–2019: Home as place of death and specialized palliative care are the preserve of a minority

BackgroundPalliative care needs in patients with cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are expected to increase. For the planning of equitable palliative care, it is important to understand where people with CVD die. The aim was to examine trends in place of death, associated factors including utilization of specialized palliative services, and to what extent longitudinal development is influenced by national policy. MethodsA population-level registry study of place of death for adults deceased due to CVD (n = 209 671) in Sweden 2013–2019. Linear regression analysis was applied. ResultsThe predominant place of death was nursing home (39.1 %) and hospital (37.6 %), followed by home (22.0 %). From 2013 to 2019 home deaths increased by 2.8 % and hospital deaths decreased by 3.0 %. An overall downward trend was found for dying in hospital compared to dying at home. With variations, this trend was seen in all healthcare regions and for all CVD types, except Stockholm and cerebrovascular disease, with no significant trend. Overall, but with cross-regional variations, 2.1 % utilized specialized palliative services, while 94.2 % had potential palliative care needs. Other variables significantly influencing the trend were age and having had an unplanned healthcare visit. ConclusionDespite a slight positive trend, only a minority of people with CVD die in their own home. Regional variations in place of death and the low and varied utilization of specialized palliative services indicate inequity in access to palliative care. Hence, the impact of current national policies is questionable and calls for strengthening through inclusion of early palliative care in specific CVD policies.

The influence of follower reactions on political leaders’ environmental policy communication: toward a social-mediated dynamic influence framework

ABSTRACT This study proposes that social-mediated leadership communication is a dynamic influence process, involving visible leader communications, follower emotional responses, and subsequent leader actions. These interactions form a feedback loop, where follower reactions influence leaders' strategic communication. We tested this framework by analyzing U.S. political leaders' engagement with the Green New Deal during the 2020 Presidential campaign. Using Facebook posts from congressional politicians and data on follower reactions, we applied longitudinal network models, natural language processing, and multilevel event history models to examine factors behind leaders' decisions to co-share content and discuss specific policy topics. Our findings support the dynamic influence framework, showing that follower reactions, especially those indicating support and boosting message virality, are most likely to prompt shifts in leaders’ communication strategies.

The effectiveness, cost-effectiveness and policy processes of regulatory, voluntary and partnership policies to improve food environments: an evidence synthesis.

Dietary factors are among the largest and costliest drivers of chronic diseases in England. As a response, the government implements a range of population interventions to promote healthy diets by targeting food environments. This study aimed to conduct a systematic review of the effectiveness, cost-effectiveness and policy process of real-world evaluations of national and state policies on improving food environments, with a focus on whether they were regulatory, voluntary or partnership approaches. Fourteen relevant English-language databases were searched in November 2020 for studies published between 2010 and 2020. Six separate evidence reviews were conducted to assess the evidence of effectiveness, cost-effectiveness and policy processes of policies to improve food environments. A total of 483 primary research evaluations and 14 evidence syntheses were included. The study reveals considerable geographic, methodological and other imbalances across the literature, with, for example, 81% of publications focusing only on 12 countries. The systematic reviews also reveal the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of reviewed regulatory approaches designed to improve health, consumer behaviour and food environment outcomes while public-private partnerships and voluntary approaches to improve diets via reformulation, advertising and promotion restrictions or other changes to the environment were limited in their effectiveness and cost-effectiveness. The study also revealed key enabling and impeding factors across regulatory, voluntary and public-private partnership approaches. From the available evidence reviewed, this study finds that regulatory approaches appear most effective at improving the food environment, and voluntary agreements and partnerships have limited effectiveness. These findings should be carefully considered in future public health policy development, as should the findings of geographic imbalance in the evidence and inadequate representation of equity dimensions across the policy evaluations. We find that food policies are at times driven by factors other than the evidence and shaped by compromise and pragmatism. Food policy should be first and foremost designed and driven by the evidence of greatest effectiveness to improve food environments for healthier diets. This was a complex evidence synthesis due to its scope and some policy evaluations may have been missed as the literature searches did not include specific policy names. The literature was limited to studies published in English from 2010 to 2020, potentially missing studies of interest. Priorities include the need for guidance for appraising risk of bias and quality of non-clinical studies, for reporting policy characteristics in evaluations, for supporting evaluations of real-world policies equitably across geographic regions, for capturing equity dimensions in policy evaluations, and for guideline development for quality and risk of bias of policy evaluations. This study is registered as PROSPERO CRD42020170963. This awardproject was funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Public Health Research programme (NIHR award ref: NIHR128607)and is published in full in Public Health Research; Vol. 12, No. 8. See the NIHR Funding and Awards website for further awardinformation.

The effect of economic downturn, financial hardship, unemployment, and relevant government responses on suicide.

Economic circumstances and related factors, including unemployment and poverty, can have substantial effects on suicide rates. This relationship applies in all countries, irrespective of their World Bank income status or level of development. Therefore, means of mitigating such influences are essential components of strategies to reduce suicides. In this Series paper, we consider examples of such initiatives, including national policies to try to reduce the effect of economic downturns, efforts to maintain employment and avoid damaging austerity measures, maintenance of reasonable minimum wage levels, and specific policies to assist those most affected by poverty. We also highlight upstream measures such as investment in transport infrastructure, industries, and retraining programmes. Positive public health messaging that encourages coping, together with discouragement of media stories with messages that could contribute to hopelessness in those experiencing economic difficulties, can also be important components of strategies to try to reduce the effect of economic downturn on suicide.

The Impact of Disasters on Stress Levels of Caregivers of Children with Special Needs: A Comparative Study

Aim: Caring needs of children with special needs increase the stress levels of caregivers for many reasons. The aim of this study was to examine, compare, and provide recommendations regarding the stress levels, factors influencing stress levels, and coping strategies among caregivers of both healthy and special needs children during disaster periods. Method: This research was planned as a cross-sectional study. The survey, which was created in an electronic environment, disseminated to as many people as possible across the country via e-mail, various communication networks, and social media. After the demographic information of 261 caregivers were recorded, the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale 21, the Caregiver Strain Index, and the Ways of Coping Inventory Questionnaire were administered. Results: While the stress level was high (Mean±SD:7.67±3.98) in the caregivers of children with special needs, this level was within the normal limits (Mean±SD:6.44±3.61) in the caregivers of healthy children. There was a significant difference between the groups (p:0.009). In terms of coping with stress, caregivers of children with special needs were found to prefer emotion-focused/passive approaches, and there was a difference between the groups (p:0.000). Conclusion: The restrictive conditions during disaster period can impact the mental health of caregivers of special needs children, and there are several factors involved in this process. In line with this, we believe that specific policies and strategies need to be developed to support the mental health of caregivers of special needs children during extraordinary situations such as disaster scenarios.

한국과 일본의 중앙지방협력회의법의 비교연구

The National-Local Cooperation Council Act is the “Act on the Composition and Operation between the National and Local Government Cooperation Council (hereinafter referred to as the National-Local Cooperation Council” in Korea, and the “Act on Place of consultation between National and Local Government” in Japan. The purpose of enacting the National-Local Government Cooperation Council Act in Korea is to determine matters necessary for the composition and operation between the National and Local Government Cooperation Council, which is established to strengthen communication and cooperation between the state and local governments and to deliberate on important policies related to balanced development between local autonomy and regions. The purpose of enacting the Act on the Place of Japanese Consultation is to promote effective and efficient national and local government policies in consultation with relevant ministers and local representatives on the planning, formulation and implementation of national policies affecting local autonomy. The venue for consultation in Japanese law means a place of opportunity for the state (National government) and provinces to exchange opinions on an equal footing, that is, a “place of joint decision” through mutual consultation (meeting), and does not refer to a specific administrative agency. Korea's National and Local Government Cooperation Council is used in the same sense as the venue for Japan's consultation. Comparing the purpose of enacting the two laws, Japan, as the legal name implies, focuses on the meaning that the National and Local governments consult to effectively and efficiently promote specific policies, while Korea includes balanced regional development beyond the scope of discussing other policies, including the purpose of Japan's enactment. It can be said that the purpose of enacting the law is much wider and more diverse. Although Korea and Japan have slightly different legal names, this study aims to analyze the pros and cons of the National and Local Government Cooperation Council Act, which has similar legislative objectives and contents, and derive suggestions for Korean law.