Strategic Agenda Research Articles

The Role of the EU and China in the Security Architecture of the Middle East

For decades, contradicting foreign policy principles, including state sovereignty, territorial integrity, and non-interference have hindered cooperation between the EU and China beyond the economic realm. However, since the establishment of the EU-China 2020 Strategic Agenda for Cooperation (2013) we observe a shift towards cooperation. For instance, China and the EU have expressed the desire to collaborate on security issues in the Middle East. The paper argues that although EU and China follow different trajectories in the Middle East, they play complementary roles for the region’s security. It takes a role-theoretic perspective to assess the changing security roles of the EU and China in the Middle East, ascribed to them by external and internal expectations and shows in two exemplary cases the complementarity of the EU’s and China’s roles in the region. The analysis draws on policy documents, expert interviews and secondary literature. The paper concludes with a discussion of the findings against the backdrop of growing tensions between the EU and China.

The Vision of the ‘Byzantine Commonwealth’ as Model for Religiocultural Diplomacy and the Case of the Greek Orthodox Church under Archbishop Christodoulos (1998–2008)

ABSTRACTArchbishop of Athens and All Greece Christodoulos (1998–2008) sought to co-shape the European Union. Seeing the EU both as a project and as a cultural-civilizational family of common integral, constituent elements of identity, he wished to affect the process of Europeanisation by enhancing the influence of its Eastern Orthodox flank. The emergent pattern of his aspiration resembled that of a unitary Eastern Orthodox bloc within the EU, functioning in concert so that to be able to exert influence and co-determine the direction of the Europeanisation process along the lines of its own values. That culminated in the archbishop’s exclamation that Russia should eventually join the EU: thus, a rhetorical reminiscent of the ‘Byzantine Commonwealth’ would counterbalance the Westernist overarching model, to no avail though; after all, all Orthodox Churches pursue their own individual/national agendas at a European level. However, creed is a central element of identity perception and even though the Orthodox Church of Greece has significantly readjusted its policies, the deep-rooted religiocultural element of identity, evidently, was expected to have a sway during Christodoulos’ era, and that the Greek-Orthodox collective imaginary would conflate a sense of kinship to Orthodox Russia, with a vague, romanticized geocultural strategic agenda.

China and the Emerging Global Energy System

Energy and resource security have become critical issues on the economic and strategic agenda in the Asian region as demand and dependence on imported supplies grow. Energy security cuts across many sectors–economic, environmental and national security. Recent increases in energy prices, climate change and a steady escalation in global energy demand –expected to rise by nearly 60% over the next 20 years–have led energy policy-makers across the world to engage in a wide ranging debate over how best to address their country’s future energy requirements. Regional powers, most notably China, have responded with nationalistic strategies to secure control over energy and commodity supplies. China is trying to shift its role from a passive recipient to an active innovator of international energy rules; from an onlooker to an active participant in international energy affairs; and from a receiver to a contributor of international energy policy. Major Asian powers are now redefining their foreign policy to meet the growing energy needs. This is most evident from the grand strategy adopted by China since 1991. China is destined to become a significant player in key energy- and resource-exporting regions, such as the Middle East, Central Asia, Africa, and Latin America. China’s new involvement in these regions could have a powerful impact on the strategic goals of other major power in the world. Asian stability is central to the global prosperity and security; thus, the potential for conflict driven by energy competition and resource insecurity must become a conscious and carefully crafted dimension of energy strategies of all leading players in the region.

Die Konferenz zur Zukunft Europas zwischen „Konvent 2.0“ und „Intergouvernementalismus 3.0“: Warum Europa diese Chance zur Reform nutzen muss

Three months after the initially scheduled start of the Conference on the Future of Europe (CoFoE) its design remains unclear. While the European Parliament proposed a rather ambitious concept of a “European Convention 2.0”, the European Council seeks additional legitimacy for its Strategic Agenda, excluding the possibility of treaty reforms. However, not all national governments seem to be convinced that such an “Intergovernmentalism 3.0” legitimised by participative democracy is a good idea. In between these two positions, the European Commission seeks to water down Ursula von der Leyen’s bid to the European Parliament. Comparing the opportunities and risks entailed in these three concepts of the CoFoE, the article argues for an open process, which neither pushes for nor excludes treaty reform. If citizens and civil society support such a constitutional momentum, it is about time to address the numerous reform needs and to end the further procrastination of treaty reforms.

EURAD − the European Joint Programme for research on radioactive waste management between EU members states national programmes

For more than 40 years, considerable scientific and technical knowledge has been acquired in Europe in the field of radioactive waste management, both for near-surface disposal and geological disposal. RD&D will continue to be necessary to develop, maintain and consolidate knowledge throughout the stepwise development, operation and closure of disposal facilities, which will be spread over many decades and make this knowledge available to all end users. Recently, the EC has promoted a step-change in pan-European research cooperation between EU Member States' national programmes by promoting the setting-up of inclusive research joint programmes in Europe gathering those organisations with scientific and technical responsibilities and a national mandate for research in radioactive waste management. Based on the positive achievement of the JOPRAD project (2015–2017), the EC confirmed in 2017 its willingness to co-fund such a Joint Programme in the field of RWM. The RWM community therefore pursued the efforts to establish the Founding Documents (Vision, Strategic Research Agenda, Roadmap, Deployment) and a Work Plan for a first implementation phase of 5-years (2019–2024). In June 2019 the Joint Programme − EURAD − was accepted by the European Commission.

Assessing the Role of Big Data and the Internet of Things on the Transition to Circular Economy: Part I

The debate about circular economy (CE) is increasingly present in the strategic agenda of organisations around the world, being driven by government agencies and general population pressures, or by organisations’ own vision for a sustainable future. This is due in part to the increasing possibility of turning original theoretical CE proposals into real economically viable initiatives, now possible with modern technology applications such as big data and the internet of things (IoT). Information technology (IT) professionals have been called upon to incorporate technology projects into their strategic plans to support their organisations’ transition to CE, but a structured framework with the necessary IT capabilities still lacks. This study focuses on taking the first step towards this path, by extending the technology attributes present on the existing Ellen MacArthur Foundation (EMF) Regenerate, Share, Optimise, Loop, Virtualise and Exchange (ReSOLVE) framework. The research was conducted based on an extensive literature review through 226 articles retrieved from Scopus® and Web of ScienceTM databases, which were triangulated, validated and complemented with content analysis using the ‘R’ statistical tool, grey literature research and inputs from specialists. Part I describes the introduction and methods used in this study.

Year 2019 and international agenda of the European Council

The European Council represents the supreme level of political cooperation between the EU member-states. Diverse questions pertaining to international politics are discusses on the various levels: summits (in 2019 EU – League of Arab States summit, EU –China summit, EU – Ukraine summit in Kyiv, EU – Canada summit in Montreal, G7 summit); conferences and informal meetings; council boards on foreign affairs; joint conferences; association councils, etc. A new strategic agenda 2019-2024 adopted by the European Council determines he priority areas that guide the work of the European Special Councils and other EU institutions. Transatlantic relations, crises in Syria, Ukraine and other parts of the world, relations with Russia, Iran nuclear deal, and other question remain on the agenda of the European Council. The article explores the legal framework of the actions of European Council in the area of foreign policy. The overview of foreign policy agenda of the European Council allows analyzing the role of the European Union on the international arena.

CHINA AND INDIA IN GLOBALISATION 2.0

The growing economic presence of China, and the world’s fastest growing economy, India, are developing global strategic agendas under nationalist leadership. While the West faces growing anti-glo- balisation sentiment and populism, Asia is contributing to discussions on the emergence of a new trend of globalisation or globalisation 2.0. This paper aims to discuss factors that have led to the discourse on the new globalisation. It will be argued that China and India are promoting the shift of global power to Asia by three features: leadership, initiatives and institutions. By doing so, the paper aspires to illustrate how the economic development of the two Asian emerging powers encourages the ambitions of its lead- ers towards the global and regional influence, which has been implementing through their connectivity instruments and new institutions. It presumes, that the connectivity projects by providing the ‘hardware of integration’ for the emerging world and its institutions as a ‘software of integration’ allows strengthen- ing the Asian cohesion and assertiveness in the world politics. Taking into account the past several border clashes between China and India, the new globalisation lens might provide for both a common ground for bilateral cooperation and collaboration.

Beyond the statistics: a research agenda in aphasia awareness

ABSTRACTBackground: An important goal of people living with aphasia, aphasia organizations and professionals who work with aphasia is increased awareness of aphasia by the public. However, surveys of the public awareness of aphasia around the world and over time suggest that public knowledge of aphasia is poor.Aims: The aim of this article is to examine the literature on aphasia awareness and aphasia awareness campaigns, and to propose a strategic research agenda to move awareness building forward.Main Contribution: Aphasia awareness campaigns appear to have had minimal impact on knowledge of aphasia by the general public. Potential problems with aphasia awareness building were identified including a lack of a unified and compelling message across awareness campaigns, lack of coordination across organizations and campaigns, tendency to target audiences already familiar with aphasia, failure to base campaigns on theory and research from disciplines such as marketing, health promotion and communication research, failure to involve people with aphasia, their families and health-care professionals in the co-design of campaigns and no evidence that the impact of campaigns has been evaluated.Conclusions: A strategic research agenda is needed in order to increase the effectiveness, co-design, and co-evaluation of aphasia awareness campaigns worldwide. The authors propose an international effort and comprehensive research agenda to address aphasia awareness.

Wine and wine tourism experience: a theoretical and conceptual review

Purpose This paper aims to provide a theoretical and conceptual analysis of wine and wine tourism experiences evidencing the current state of the art and providing some directions for future research. Design/methodology/approach The paper provides an in-depth literature review and content analysis of prior work. Findings The experience focussed on wine andwine tourismrequires further exploration. The boundaries of the wine andwine tourism experience were identified, togetherwith highlights and strategic agenda for future actions. Originality/value Based on some key prior literature on the topic of wine and tourism experience, future research directions and approaches were proposed.

The Impact of Z-Mart BAZNAS Program on Community Welfare Enhancement

The number of people living under poverty in Indonesia in 2017 is 38.4 million. There are many factors contributing to cause poverty, including economic factors. Low income causes them to be unable to fulfill daily needs. One of the instruments that can be used to overcome poverty and empower people is zakat. Utilization of Zakat funds and infaq for productive enterprises is one of the important and strategic agenda in economic empowerment. BAZNAS through the Lembaga Pemberdayaan Ekonomi Mustahik (Eng: the organization of beneficiary economical empowerment; abv. LPEM) encourages the strengthening of mustahik (Eng: beneficiary of zakat) economy through strengthening retail businesses in the form of stalls or called Z-Mart. This program intensively carries out coaching and mentoring so that the businesses run by the beneficiaries could run progressively. The target of this program is to encourage mustahik to transform into muzaki (Eng: zakat giver) with the standard had kifayah and SDGs in the 1st Goal (No Poverty) to reduce poverty. The purpose of this study was to observe the impact of the Z-Mart Program on improving the economy of the poor. This research was conducted in May 2019 in Bandung Region. The sample of this study were 21 Z-Mart Program Beneficiaries. Data was collected by in-depth interviews and Focus Group Discussion (FGD) methods. The measurement of the impact of the Z-Mart program is carried out using the Social Return on Investment (SROI) method suggested by the SROI UK Network (Social Value International). The results showed that overall, since the implementation of the Z-Mart program, the SROI value was 0.91. This means that during 1 year of the program, every IDR 1 invested has benefit of IDR 0.91. This value shows that socially to return the value invested in the Z-Mart program takes more than 1 year. Nevertheless, the results of the study show that the Z-Mart program has succeeded in increasing Mustahik's welfare through increased income, decreased moneylender practices, and increased social attitudes with infaq (Eng: the practice of giving) and alms practices.

Policy Strategy Beyond Eco Tourism Development

The policy of strategy ecotourism development in the border area is actually to improve the function of the autonomous village as promised by the Jokowi-JK government policy, which is to build from the periphery. . The development process should not fully follow the logic of the governance structure, but by looking at the needs and the conditions of the asymmetrical region. At least there are several reasons that underlie a policy research. First, because of the condition of the border communities that live in poverty, many migrants work in Malaysia; Second, the inequality of infrastructure facilities between Indonesia and Malaysia which leads to inequality of optimism in public services; Third, the occurrence of business transaction processes that cause dependence on Malaysian society to fulfill their daily needs. The results of the research with a qualitative approach can be concluded that the government does not yet have a strategic agenda for ecotourism development and quantitatively the results of hypothesis testing are significantly proven that there is a natural potential that can be used as an asset of scientific information for the development of an ecotourism model.

Workshop: Transferring innovation in health systems: The role of national mirror groups

Abstract To-Reach has the aim to build and push forward a strategic agenda at European level for health services and policy research into practice in order to help decision makers in identifying and understanding the value of a given innovation in the field, the potential for joint development of innovation and facilitating implementation to fit the regional/local contexts. Given the diversity of health systems in Europe and the element of subsidiarity within the European Treaty, in order, to achieve this aim the commitment of all categories of stakeholders (funding bodies, researchers, policy makers, systems managers...) at national level is as essential prerequisite for success. France has created a mirror group to consult these stakeholders to ensure that national priorities will be reflected at European level and respectively that national priorities and funding direction are influenced by the European strategic agenda. The objectives of this workshop will be to learn from the French experience and to discuss how similar experiences in other countries could be shared and promoted. Their role going forward in the project and their contribution to the expected outcomes will be the focus of this workshop. Stakeholders from a number of European countries will be invited to present and discuss their perspective on this issue. Key messages Joint development of health services research at European level is necessary to overcome key system challenges. National stakeholders are key to the development of a European health services research progarmme.

The achievements of the ToREACH project and next steps

Abstract Putting in practice the Strategic Research Agenda of TO REACH within a European platform for learning and collaboration requires the engagement with a wide range of stakeholders both at national and European level. The TO-REACH project is itself a first step towards establishing such a partnership and cooperation approach, involving policymakers, funders, researchers and other stakeholders from across the European Union. A shared European approach to health services and policy research will contribute to addressing the challenges described in the previous presentations by putting in place the governance and framework conditions needed to support the necessary research across the region and beyond. Coriine Alberti Contact: corinne.alberti@urc-eco.fr Matthias Wismar Contact: wismarm@obs.who.int

The need for a transformation health systems research programme in Europe

Abstract Over the last decades, European health systems have faced growing common challenges: ageing related issues and continuous financial pressures call for innovative solutions on how to organise health care in an equitable and efficient manner. To address this situation there is an urgent need to bring in innovation and research evidence, in order to identify and implement more effective and sustainable ways to organise, manage, finance, and deliver high quality care to all European citizens. TO-REACH has been working to develop a Strategic Research Agenda which has the ambition to address the increasing challenges faced by health systems, directed to those policy areas relevant in the coming years. This living document will help preparing an European research programme that will maximise value of research public investment in this field by helping avoid duplication and failed implementation while ensuring systematic prioritisation of research areas that face greatest changes and highest need.

INSPIRATION for Sustainable Soil and Land Use Management in Austria

Summary In times of climate change and increasing societal needs, the pressure on land is unprecedented. Sustainable soil and land use management is only achievable if stakeholders from sectors concerned work together. The aim of the project INSPIRATION (Integrated spatial planning, land use, and soil management esearch action) was the integration of science and interdisciplinary research fields to develop a strategic research agenda (SRA) for sustainable land use and soil management in Europe. This article presents the Austrian perspective and contribution to the SRA, highlights the findings of the project, and identifies the most urgent research needs addressing key societal challenges. The project followed a bottom-up, multi-stakeholder approach to enable an evidence-based collation process of interdisciplinary research needs. Through expert interviews, reviews of state-of-the-art documents, and public involvement, six key research topics of the most pressing research needs in Austria were identified. This Austrian contribution to the SRA is characterized by the need for a communication frame and knowledge transfer among research, policy, and society. A compatible knowledge transfer is pivotal to establish an understanding of shared responsibilities among all stakeholders.

Multiple Jobholding: An Integrative Systematic Review and Future Research Agenda

Despite sizable but varying estimates of multiple jobholding (MJH) and decades of research across disciplines (e.g., management, economics, sociology, health and medicine), our understanding of MJH is rather limited. The purpose of this review is to provide a coherent synthesis of the literature on MJH, or working more than one job. Beginning with a discussion of the motivations and demographic predictors that forecast MJH, we note a distinct divide between the research that predicts MJH and the research that examines outcomes, with few studies exploring how motivations might relate to MJH experiences and outcomes. Another significant observation in this review is the inconsistency of findings across and within disciplines regarding whether MJH is depleting or enriching. Using this framework to organize our review, we attempt to reconcile the generally mixed results by presenting research on mechanisms and boundary conditions of MJH to explain how and when multiple jobholders (MJHers) are depleted or enriched. By integrating findings from the literature, we are able to articulate more clearly the paths of depletion and enrichment and discuss how push versus pull-based motivations to hold multiple jobs likely predict these pathways. Finally, we provide a strategic agenda highlighting areas where additional research is urgently needed to equip scholars with practical knowledge on how to help MJHers manage their multiple work roles and how to help organizations manage MJHers.

The New Silk Road: connecting China to Europe. Opportunities and new trends in rehabilitation?

International Journal of Therapy and RehabilitationVol. 26, No. 10 EditorialThe New Silk Road: connecting China to Europe. Opportunities and new trends in rehabilitation?Massimiliano PolastriMassimiliano PolastriEmail: E-mail Address: [email protected]Physiotherapist, Medical Department of Continuity of Care and Disability, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, St. Orsola University Hospital, Bologna, ItalySearch for more papers by this authorMassimiliano PolastriPublished Online:4 Nov 2019https://doi.org/10.12968/ijtr.2019.0133AboutSectionsView articleView Full TextPDF/EPUB ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InEmail View articleREFERENCESDelegation of European Union to China. EU–China 2020 strategic agenda for cooperation. 2013. https://eeas.europa.eu/sites/eeas/files/20131123.pdf (accessed 19 October 2019) Google ScholarDe Soyres F. The growth and welfare effects of the Belt and Road Initiative on East Asia Pacific countries. MTI Practice Notes. World Bank Group. 2018. http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/896581540306960489/pdf/131211-Bri-MTI-Practice-Note-4.pdf (accessed 19 October 2019) Google ScholarJones A, Skinner MA. The current status of physical therapy in China. Chinese Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine. 2013;28(6):493–501. https://doi.org/10.3969/j.issn.1001-1242.2013.06.003 Google ScholarWorld Health Organization. Regional Office for the Western Pacific. China–WHO country cooperation strategy 2016–2020. 2016. https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/206614/WPRO_2016_DPM_003_eng.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y (accessed 19 October 2019) Google ScholarWorld Health Organization. Towards a health silk road. 2017. http://bit.ly/32SFfvB/ (accessed 19 October 2019) Google ScholarWorld Health Organization. Classifying health workers: mapping occupations to the international standard classification. 2019. https://www.who.int/hrh/statistics/Health_workers_classification.pdf (accessed 19 October 2019) Google Scholar FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails 2 October 2019Volume 26Issue 10ISSN (online): 1759-779X Metrics History Published online 4 November 2019 Published in print 2 October 2019 Information© MA Healthcare LimitedPDF download

The Internationalization Agenda of African Universities in the Next Decade

Since the late 2000s, a growing number of African universities have put the international dimension at the heart of their strategic agenda. Flagship and national universities have created offices for deputy vice chancellors or directors, directorates, and centres for internationalization and strategic partnerships, and moved from a narrow focus on student mobility programs to research partnerships with universities in industrial countries as a way of building their capacity and improving their position on the global stage.

A design approach towards sustainable buildings in Algeria

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to achieve the national strategic agenda’s criteria that aim for accomplishing sustainable buildings by estimating the effects of energy efficiency measures in order to reduce energy consumption and CO2 emission.Design/methodology/approachA design approach has been developed based on simulation software and a modeled building. Therefore, a typical office building is considered for testing five efficiency measures in three climatic conditions in Algeria. This approach is conducted in two phases: first, the analysis of each measure’s effect is independently carried out in terms of cooling energy and heating energy intensities. Then, a combination of optimal measures for each climate zone is measured in terms of three sustainable indicators: final energy consumption, energy cost saving and CO2 emission.FindingsThe results reveal that a combination of optimal measures has a substantial impact on building energy saving and CO2 emission. This saving can rise to 41 and 31 percent in a hot and cold climate, respectively. Furthermore, it is concluded that obtaining higher building performance, different design alternatives should be adapted to the climate proprieties and the local construction materials must be applied.Originality/valueThis study is considered as an opportunity for achieving the national strategy, as it may contribute in improving office building performance and demonstrating a suitable tool to assist stakeholders in the decision making of most important parameters in the design stage for new or retrofit buildings.