Sustained Policy Research Articles

Electrification of Industry: Potential, Challenges and Outlook

Industry is one of the most difficult sectors to decarbonize. With the rapidly falling cost of solar PV, wind power, and battery storage, industry electrification coupled with renewable electricity supply has the potential to be a key pathway to achieve industry decarbonization. This paper summarizes the latest research on the possibility of electrification of the industry sector. The transition to industry electrification would entail major changes in the energy system: large scale increases in renewable electricity or nuclear power supplies, the expansion of electricity transmission and distribution networks, completely different end-use technologies for process heating, and new infrastructure for distributing and dispensing hydrogen. Thus, aggressive and sustained supportive policies and much wider research, development, demonstration, and deployment activities are required to meet net zero carbon emissions goals in the industrial sector. Existing economically competitive electrified industrial processes (such as electric arc furnaces for secondary steelmaking from scrap steel), coupled with zero-carbon electricity sources can sharply reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) compared to manufacturing processes that rely on fossil fuels. Fuel switching in industry from fossil fuel–based process heating to electrified heat can offer many product and productivity benefits, but operating costs in general are much higher than fossil fuel-based heating. Either much lower costs of electricity and energy storage are required and/or new, cost-competitive electric-technology applications are needed to enable further electrification of industry. Indirect electrification i.e., hydrogen production via water electrolysis is another complimentary technology reliant on electricity. Hydrogen can be used as an energy carrier, industrial feedstock for products and fuels, or for long-duration energy storage, and thus can also play a key role in industry decarbonization when the hydrogen is produced from zero-carbon electricity and/or with carbon capture and storage. As with direct electrification, cost is the key barrier for the deployment of hydrogen resources.

Fishery Improvement Projects as a governance tool for fisheries sustainability: A global comparative analysis.

Fishery Improvement Projects (FIPs) are a form of private governance using seafood supply chains to reduce environmental impacts of fishing in some of the most challenged fisheries. Some FIPs are industry-led, others are championed by NGOs. They range across many different fishery types, in both high- and low-income settings. Their diversity is notable, and their proliferation remarkable. This rapid growth suggests FIPs are becoming a key feature of the fisheries governance landscape globally. Based on a global sample of 107 FIPs, we systematically examined their reported actions, the actors involved, and their achievements in terms of policy and practice outputs. The most common actions were dialogues with policy stakeholders, data collection, and educational efforts directed at fishers. Common policy outputs included development of management plans and/or a management body, and rules for limiting entry and increasing compliance. Practice related outputs were dominated by gear changes, and observer and traceability programs. Only crab and lobster FIPs engaged in sustained policy conversations as one of the most common actions. Shrimp and tuna fisheries report more engagement in testing and implementing changes to fishery practices. While supply chain actors are involved in all FIPs, retailers and 1st tier suppliers are relatively absent from FIP activities, and are primarily involved in rallying financial support or some policy engagement. Based on our analysis we discuss the opportunities and challenges FIPs will likely need to engage with to contribute to a global transition to more socially and environmentally sustainable fisheries. We outline key areas where further work is needed to understand how FIPs can improve their contribution to global fisheries governance in the future.

Organizing and Managing for Excellence and Equity: The Work and Dilemmas of Instructionally Focused Education Systems

A sustained policy press to improve quality and reduce disparities in public education is driving U.S. public school districts to organize and manage instruction for excellence and equity. The purpose of this analysis is to elaborate and to animate patterns and dilemmas in this work. The analysis identifies five domains of work central to this transformation, four patterns in the distribution of this work among central offices and schools, and four dilemmas endemic to the work. It then uses the preceding to frame vignettes of that work and those dilemmas as playing out in four different public school districts.

O11 Exploring Access to Quality Food: Realities and Challenges for Consumers and Producers in a Mediterranean Island

Background In an ideal food system, the different stakeholders strive for a common vision where outcomes are optimized in an equitable way in terms of food and nutrition security and social wellbeing. Such food system helps ensure good livelihoods, healthy and safe food, and thriving communities and culture. Malta lacks a comprehensive food policy providing for such a system. Objective This study explored whether consumers in Malta, particularly low-income consumers, have access to good quality, healthy, and clean food, without compromising on fair conditions and a decent pay for producers. Study Design, Setting, Participants Data was collected over four phases: (a) semi-structured interviews of experts and stakeholders in the food sector, (b) ethnographic market observations of consumer food choice behaviors, (c) market interventions recording observations of consumers at a pop-up healthy food stall, and (d) two focus groups with farmers and female consumers. Measurable Outcome/Analysis Data was subjected to qualitative analysis, uncovering patterns and common themes. Results Two theoretical concepts emerged from thematic analysis: internal (personal) factors and external (environmental) factors, which were broken down into major themes: money, attitude, economy, education, information, and culture. The identified themes revealed several gaps in communication and understanding between consumers, farmers, media and academics. Time was seen as a significant barrier to engaging with healthy, clean, and fair foods, especially in the realm of home-cooked meals. Additional barriers were information overload, information vacuums and anxiety, although some anxiety was positive, leading to appropriate food choices. Producers were often affected by lacunae in marketing skills and means, and the effectiveness and limitations of government food-related policies were not well understood. Conclusion More research needs to be done on common misperceptions and subjective ideas behind healthy, clean, and fair foods, on the disconnect between different players in the food system, and on whether information overload, information vacuums, and anxiety pose a significant threat to food choice and accessibility. Several research-in-action studies are proposed to help plan for sustained infrastructural, capacity-building and policies. Funding President's Foundation for the Wellbeing of Society (Malta).

Synthesis of natural gas from thermochemical and power-to-gas pathways for industrial sector decarbonization in California

In this work, we focus on industrial sector decarbonization in California through the synthesis and injection of Synthetic Natural Gas (SNG) into the existing natural gas pipeline using two technology approaches: (1) a net carbon-negative biomass SNG process from wood residue gasification, and (2) a carbon-neutral Power-to-Gas (PtG) SNG process for the chemical storage of surplus electricity from high adoption of intermittent renewable sources in the electricity grid (e.g., more than 20% of electricity supply from wind and solar). SNG is a key potential low-carbon fuel to meet an array of industrial process requirements without replacing application-specific end-use equipment. We outline and model pathways that can make these technologies more competitive and present a case study for the industrial sector in California, accounting for industrial fuel demand, feedstock supply, and recent federal incentives for carbon capture and storage (45Q federal regulation). A performance assessment and economic analysis with single and coupled parameter sensitivity have been carried out. BioSNG with carbon capture is found to be less expensive today ($96.67/MWh SNG) than PtG SNG ($421.21/MWh). PtG SNG has more opportunity for cost reduction with electrolyzer capital costs and electricity prices the most critical cost parameters. The estimated cost for bioSNG in 2050 ($73/MWh SNG) is lower than the projected reference citygate price of conventional natural gas in 2050 ($87.57/MWh), but the projected cost of PtG SNG is still two to three times higher unless a high capacity factor can be achieved with low electricity prices and lower electrolyzer cost. SNG can reduce up to 17% of industrial natural gas demand and almost 19 Mt CO2 from California's industrial GHG emissions in 2050. These pathways represent significant opportunities to decarbonize the industrial sector but represent dramatic production changes and underscore the need for sustained policy commitments to support these technologies.

Limits of engagement? The sunshine policy, nuclear tests, and South Korean views of North Korea 1995–2013

Abstract Can positive domestic messages generated by a foreign policy of engagement toward another country change public views regarding that state? How resistant are such changes to events that contradict the positive messages? I argue that while positive government messages about an adversary can significantly improve public opinion, highly consequential foreign policy events that contradict the messages influence public opinion at the cost of elites’ ability to shape it through their messages. Such differing effects can lead to a polarization of opinion when the content of the messages and the nature of events diverge from each other. Leveraging the unpredictability of North Korea’s foreign policy behavior, the South Korean government’s sustained policy of engagement toward it during the years 1998–2007, and North Korea’s first two nuclear tests to examine the relative impact of consequential foreign policy events and elite messages on public opinion, I find strong evidence consistent with this argument.

A missing link in understanding Party policy change? Conservative Party international volunteering projects and UK development policy (2007–2017)

This article analyses the rationale for and impacts of Conservative Party overseas volunteering projects from 2007 to 2017. Using interview data and participant observation, we uncover aims of project founders and explore impacts of volunteering on Party members and policy. We make three substantial contributions. The first focuses on the survival of Conservative Party modernisation strategies launched under David Cameron. Support for development, particularly Party pledges to spend 0.7% of UK gross national income on aid, are poorly explained by existing research. We argue that a focus on volunteering helps explain the survival of this commitment. Second, we argue that volunteering experience may support sustained Party policy change by enhancing ‘issue ownership’. Our final contribution is providing the first analysis of political parties as development-volunteer sending communities. Through new data and distinctive contributions, we demonstrate that understanding Party-supported volunteering promotes improved explanations of Party modernisation persistence and policy change.

At the nexus of vulnerability: Multilingualism in development

This document was written in the early years of this century, about 15 years ago. It emerged out of more than a decade’s engagement in matters of multilingualism, language, politics and education in Mozambique specifically, and Southern Africa more generally, that we had been involved in through the Centre for Research on Bilingualism at Stockholm University. The document itself was written at the request of SIDA, the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, and its research wing, SAREC, that had funded the majority of projects in language and education up until that point. The idea was to craft the outlines in a working document of a more comprehensive and sustained policy, or action plan, on issues of language in developing contexts. This was at a time of a growing awareness in the organization that its key funding areas – democracy, poverty, education, youth – involved language in much more complex ways than hitherto envisaged, and that a specialist document written for the layman might enlighten and provide direction.

Improving access to antidotes and antivenoms, Thailand.

ProblemHistorically in Thailand, access to poison antidotes was limited and antivenom stock management was inefficient.ApproachIn 2010, the country established a national antidote programme, which created national and subnational antidote stocks, managed their distribution and trained health-care providers on clinical management and antidote use. In 2013, the programme incorporated antivenoms to improve stock management and avoid wastage due to stock expiry.Local settingBefore the programme, health-care providers consulted poison centres on clinical management of poisoning and some antidotes were not available. Individual hospitals stocked antivenoms, which often expired before use.Relevant changesToday, the National Health Security Office finances and manages the centralized procurement of antidotes and antivenoms and all Thai patients have a right to antidotes regardless of health insurance. National and subnational stock levels are determined based on demand, treatment urgency and cost. A web-based system, which incorporates geographical information, was introduced for requesting antidotes and antivenoms. Poison centres provide training, 24-hour consultation services and outcome monitoring. Antidotes and antivenoms are now readily available and used correctly and clinical management has improved. Moreover, better stock and distribution control has helped avoid antivenom wastage and reduced antivenom costs, from US$ 2.23 million United States dollars (US$) to US$ 1.2 million.Lessons learntThe programme’s success depended on strong and sustained policy support, adequate funding, improved operational capacity, training for health-care professionals and the provision of 24-hour online consultation services. A web-based centralized procurement and distribution ensured these essential medicines were available, minimized costs, reduced waste and saved lives.

MariaKrysan and KyleCrowderCycle of Segregation: Social Processes and Residential StratificationNew York: Russell Sage Foundation, 2017. 288 p. $35.00

MariaKrysan and KyleCrowderCycle of Segregation: Social Processes and Residential StratificationNew York: Russell Sage Foundation, 2017. 288 p. $35.00

Land use and management in Benin Republic: An evaluation of the effectiveness of Land Law 2013-01

Inefficient land use and management is rampant in developing countries. The most patent manifestation of this is the chaotic state of land use practices in cities. It’s also demonstrated that the success of public policies and strategies in land use, urban planning, protection of natural resources, housing, agriculture, industry, transport and tourism, depends largely on the land resource management by the State and the Local Communities. Unfortunately, in the Republic of Benin, the land management is characterized by the lack of land mastership and the growing of land insecurity which did not promote sustained policy of investments and increased the failure of many peoples in Benin population, both in rural and in urban areas at the benefit of a minority. With the increasing competition for it access due to the rapid urbanization occurred in the last two decades, the land issue has become a major concern for the population and for the political and administrative authorities.To regulate the land access all over the country, in the National Assembly in May 2013, the Benin government introduced a Land Law project which was adopted by the National Assembly of Benin on the 14th of August, 2013. The law is a common framework regarding all lands; it integrates land acquisition procedures, expropriation procedures, public utility land management, environment and natural resources preservation, land property rights, conflict management, and the administrative structure for land management. But after four years of the Land Law 2013-01 being implemented, land use in Benin remains a huge challenge for the government. Indigenous settlements can often be found in wetlands and flood-prone areas along the city where communities established many years ago are exposed to urban risks and a degraded living environment in Cotonou, a major city and economic pole of Benin. The situation is worsened by the many conflicts occurring among communities due to unsecured land transactions.This study examines Land Law 2013-01 and its impact on land use and land ownership across Benin Republic. More specifically, it discusses the effectiveness and limitations of the law since its implementation. The structure of this paper is organized into five sections as follows. Section 1 introduces the context and objectives of the study. Section 2 presents a chronological evolution of land policies and the major changes in the land use from the colonial period to the post-colonial period. Section 3 introduces Land Law 2013-01. Section 4 discusses effectiveness and limitations of the law. Section 5 gives conclusions and recommendations. The key shortcomings include: a clear understanding of the multiple land access modes which is a necessary tool for sustainable land development, the legal dualism created by the coexistence of customary laws and the modern registration system, the vulnerability of legal land security and the inadequate land information management system.

Evolution of the linkage structure of ICT industry and its role in the economic system: the case of Korea

ABSTRACTWhen assessing the structural role of an industry sector within an economic system, considering its relationship to other sectors is crucial. Among others, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) industry, one of the innovation accelerators or key engines of economic growth, is evaluated. Specifically, we analyze inter-industry production inducement linkages within a qualitative input–output analysis framework, since it is useful for understanding the key structure of an economic system. Our purpose is to understand the significant spillover structure of the Republic of Korea’s ICT industry within the national production system, as it has played an important role in the national economy and grown dramatically over the years. The findings from the structural analysis, focused on changes in links, are as follows: First, ICT manufacturing showed a higher degree of heterogeneity than ICT service sectors in its sensitivity effects structure, an indication that this sector needs to be utilized in various other industries. Second, the spectrum of industries having significant production inducement linkages with the ICT industry is limited and furthermore, the influence effects of the ICT manufacturing sector diminished considerably although the ICT industry’s sensitivity effects increased. Finally, intra-industry linkages within the ICT industry are gradually strengthened especially between ICT services and manufacturing. These findings call for sustained policy efforts to promote the virtuous circle in the overall inter-industry production inducement system, by increasing the utilization of products and services from other sectors by ICT sectors (especially ICT manufacturing) as well as the application of ICT in other sectors.

Institutional delivery in India, 2004-14: unravelling the equity-enhancing contributions of the public sector.

To achieve faster and equitable improvements in maternal and child health outcomes, the government of India launched the National Rural Health Mission in 2005. This paper describes the equity-enhancing role of the public sector in increasing use of institutional delivery care services in India between 2004 and 2014. Information on 24 661 births from nationally representative survey data for 2004 and 2014 is analysed. Concentration index is computed to describe socioeconomic-rank-related relative inequalities in institutional delivery and decomposition is used to assess the contributions of public and private sectors in overall socioeconomic inequality. Multilevel logistic regression is applied to examine the changes in socioeconomic gradient between 2004 and 2014. The analysis finds that utilization of institutional delivery care in India increased from 43% in 2004 to 83% in 2014. The bulk of the increase was in public sector use (21% in 2004 to 53% in 2014) with a modest increase in private sector use (22% in 2004 to 30% in 2014). The shift from a pro-rich to pro-poor distribution of public sector use is confirmed. Decomposition analysis indicates that 51% of these reductions in socioeconomic inequality are associated with improved pro-poor distribution of public sector births. Multilevel logistic regressions confirm the disappearance of a wealth-based gradient in public sector births between 2004 and 2014. We conclude that public health investments in India have significantly contributed towards an equitable increase in the coverage of institutional delivery care. Sustained policy efforts are necessary, however, with an emphasis on education, sociocultural and geographical factors to ensure universal coverage of institutional delivery care services in India.

How to Use Telephone Marketing to Improve Performance of Customers’ Development

<em>Diversified information has indicated the technology of Telephone marketing has gradually become matured and popular. The purpose of this study is to research to find out a whole set of Telephone Marketing by which the staffs are able to accomplish their missions to closely talk to the policy holders and further succeed to get their sustained policies through telephone as well as accomplish the results mission of the company.</em>

Effects of the Determinants of Foreign Direct Investment in Nigeria: Error Correction Mechanism

To attract more Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflows is the important institutional policies of the most of nations all over the world. Identifying the key determinants of FDI inflows is therefore seen as an important task for policy makers. This study, therefore, investigates the major determinants of FDI in Nigeria spanning from 1986 - 2017. The secondary source of data was used for the study which was first subjected to stationarity test using Augmented Dickey-Fuller and Phillips Perron test. Findings showed that all variables were found to be integrated order one. Cointegration analysis showed that there exists a long run relationship among the variables. Based on this findings, Error Correction Mechanism was used in testing the hypotheses. The result showed that exchange rate, GDP, first lag of GDP, military expenditure, first lag of military expenditure, political stability and financial development are the major determinants of FDI inflows to Nigeria. The empirical findings of this study show that government at all levels should tackle the menace of insecurity ravaging the economy and portraying the country as insecure thereby creating a secure environment for FDI inflows. Democratic regimes should be sustained and investment policies should be instituted or improved on, in order to create a friendly environment to attract more FDI inflows.

University–industry cooperation and the transition to innovation ecosystems in Japan

This article looks at the evolution of university–industry collaboration (UIC) policies in Japan since the mid-1990s to the present and analyses their role in shaping the country’s innovation ecosystem. UIC policies are examined within a multidimensional innovation policy framework that encompasses five Science and Technology Basic Plans and a vast array of support measures for venture business, intellectual property, innovation networks and business promotion, all reflecting an extensive top-down government intervention with ambitious goals. A dense network of UIC centres has been established throughout the country, mostly in universities, and these centres are tightly embedded in regional innovation structures. In spite of the sustained government policy intervention, Japan lags behind the United States and Europe in a ranking of the top 20 global ecosystems and has some of the world’s lowest entrepreneurial indicators, as defined by the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor. The authors argue that a likely cause for the lag is Japan’s slow and still incomplete transition from a ‘traditional’ innovation system to a modern innovation ecosystem with a strong entrepreneurial spirit and culture, effective intermediaries between university and industry, high absorptive capacity in companies using academic research, cross-boundary mobility of workforce and ideas and global outreach. The experience of Osaka University and Hokkaido University, two UIC leaders in Japan and internationally, supports this hypothesis.

Impact of policy support on uptake of evidence-based continuous quality improvement activities and the quality of care for Indigenous Australians: a comparative case study

ObjectivesTo examine the impact of state/territory policy support on (1) uptake of evidence-based continuous quality improvement (CQI) activities and (2) quality of care for Indigenous Australians.DesignMixed-method comparative case study methodology,...

Paraspara, Encounters, and Confluences: India's Soft Power Objective in the Indo‐Pacific Region

The ties between India and the countries in the Indo‐Pacific region go back to the pre‐Christian era. Even today, Indian influence on the language, customs, and rituals is visible in Southeast Asia. The Hindu concepts of kingship, administrative institutions, and ceremonies that became deeply embedded in the royal culture of Southeast Asia were disrupted with the arrival of the colonial powers. These traditional linkages have become the key element of India's diplomacy—the “Look East” and the “Act East” policies. This article studies the background of India's sustained public and cultural diplomacy policy in bridging the gap between India, East Asia, and the Indo‐Pacific countries in the context of the Act East policy. Using examples from Modi's yoga diplomacy, Bollywood, and Indian cultural festivals, the authors propose that these initiatives should be seen as part of a historical and traditional concept of “paraspara”—mutually sustainable and reciprocal diplomacy that taps into the opportunities in the Indo‐Pacific region.

Transformation and the Emergence of Entrepreneurship in the context of Education and Social Policy in South Africa

The paper looks at the important issues of entrepreneurship and the emergence of entrepreneurs in the Republic of South Africa, in the context of education and social policy. The authors argue that this necessary emergence through, the processes of transformation is too slow and is at the cross roads, after nearly 23 years of democracy, post 1994. In similar vein, the paper in its introduction indicates that higher education funds must be targeted. The paper does not delve into the history and definitions of entrepreneurship and of entrepreneurs. It further argues that, the next president’s priority needs to be job creation in terms of sustained social policy imperatives. This has failed miserably under the current President Jacob Zuma and the democratic government of the country. It also discusses the concept of incubators which can create thousands of jobs for the beleaguered South African Economy. It situates the subject matter from the perspective that the Chief Justice of South Africa criticizes businesses and, states that transformation is too slow. On the other hand the paper argues that the bargaining councils and trade union movement in South Africa fail small businesses and, the narrative explores very briefly the issue of rigid business practices that do not inspire workers. It further argues that, the technical college system is broken and stymies the important emergence of entrepreneurship. In articulating the discussion in this paper, the authors cogently argue that, the trade unions of South Africa, has cozied up to government and, in so doing have trampled upon the rights of workers. Tied to these aspects is the reality that South Africa’s startups fail to gain traction. Amidst other issues the authors further argue that, universities must meet labour needs and play an important role in developing the modalities for entrepreneurship in terms of producing entrepreneurs.  It finally argues that entrepreneurial success goes beyond political sentiment and asks the vexing question as to why our neighbours Botswana can create so many new entrepreneurs.   Key Words: Jobs, Universities, Labour, Entrepreneurship, Entrepreneurs, Startups, Political, Technical Education, Practices, Inspire, Transformation, Incubators, Job Creation

Towards an Integrated Electronic Medical Records System for Quality Healthcare in Ghana

This article explores the factors militating against the diffusion integration electronic medical records in Ghana. Structured questionnaires were used to collect data from respondents in the healthcare ecosystem and analyzed quantitatively using descriptive and inferential statistics. The findings revealed non-integration of electronic medical records systems among the stakeholders of the healthcare ecosystem mostly due to and interoperability issues. There is also substantial usage of technology in capturing and storing medical records. The key factors militating against the integration of electronic medical records systems are inadequate funds to purchase database management systems, acquisition and maintenance costs of electronic medical records systems, and an unclear return on investment on the integrated electronic medical records systems. The article recommends sustained government financial support, standardization policy and implementation guidelines to facilitate the integration of electronic medical records systems in the various health institutions.