Systematic Policy Research Articles

Policy Challenges and Resiliency Related to Ending the HIV Epidemic in the Southern and Rural United States: A Call to Action.

In this commentary, we describe current policy trends and their implications for the health of populations in the Southern and rural United States. We outline policy changes that threaten the prevention, care, and treatment of people at risk for HIV or with HIV and sociopolitical factors contributing to these policy trends. We also issue a call-to-action for individuals with Southern and rural US policy expertise and lived or living experience to collaboratively engage on a systematic policy analysis to thoroughly document relevant policies and deepen our understanding of the influences behind these policies. Finally, we provide examples of individual, community, and national level resiliency and courage-strategies that inspire advocacy and hope in the face of policy setbacks.

Impacts for health and care workers of Covid-19 and other public health emergencies of international concern: living systematic review, meta-analysis and policy recommendations

BackgroundHealth and care workers (HCW) faced the double burden of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: as members of a society affected by a public health emergency and as HWC who experienced fear of becoming infected and of infecting others, stigma, violence, increased workloads, changes in scope of practice, among others. To understand the short and long-term impacts in terms of the COVID-19 pandemic and other public health emergencies of international concern (PHEICs) on HCW and relevant interventions to address them, we designed and conducted a living systematic review (LSR).MethodsWe reviewed literature retrieved from MEDLINE—PubMed, Embase, SCOPUS, LILACS, the World Health Organization COVID-19 database, the ClinicalTrials.org and the ILO database, published from January 2000 until December 2021. We included quantitative observational studies, experimental studies, quasi-experimental, mixed methods or qualitative studies; addressing mental, physical health and well-being and quality of life. The review targeted HCW; and interventions and exposures, implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic or other PHEICs. To assess the risk of bias of included studies, we used the Johanna Briggs Institute (JBI) Critical Appraisal Tools. Data were qualitatively synthetized using meta-aggregation and meta-analysis was performed to estimate pooled prevalence of some of the outcomes.ResultsThe 1013 studies included in the review were mainly quantitative research, cross-sectional, with medium risk of bias/quality, addressing at least one of the following: mental health issue, violence, physical health and well-being, and quality of life. Additionally, interventions to address short- and long-term impact of PHEICs on HCW included in the review, although scarce, were mainly behavioral and individual oriented, aimed at improving mental health through the development of individual interventions. A lack of interventions addressing organizational or systemic bottlenecks was noted.DiscussionPHEICs impacted the mental and physical health of HCW with the greatest toll on mental health. The impact PHEICs are intricate and complex. The review revealed the consequences for health and care service delivery, with increased unplanned absenteeism, service disruption and occupation turnover that subvert the capacity to answer to the PHEICs, specifically challenging the resilience of health systems.

Research on the Status Quo and High-Quality Development of Sino-Foreign Cooperative Education in China

Faced with unprecedented changes in the world, China has chosen to continue expanding its opening-up and actively cooperate with other countries. Internationalization of education is one of the important directions for the future development of universities. Since the reform and opening-up, a series of Sino-foreign cooperative education policies have been successively released, forming a relatively systematic and complete policy system. Under the promotion of policies, Chinese universities actively engage in Sino-foreign cooperative education, with increasingly frequent educational exchanges and a clear trend towards internationalization. The scale of Sino-foreign cooperative education is also constantly expanding. It is worthy to explore how to draw on advanced teaching experience from overseas, continue to promote Sino-foreign cooperative education, and improve the quality of Sino-foreign cooperative education.

Modeling for a Sustainable Electricity Supply in Uzbekistan

For nations to achieve mobility as well as economic and social growth, a steady supply of electric power is crucial. Investments in capacity building and raising operational standards are necessary for the reliability and consistency of the delivery of electricity. A decision-making in the sector has become difficult for investors and policymakers, due to challenges associated with the electricity sector including delays in generation and infrastructure construction, R&D, natural gas supply, fluctuations in demand and environmental concerns. Additionally, the power sector is dynamic and perpetually changes overtime. Electricity supply and demand is highly complex and dynamic in Uzbekistan. Understanding the causal linkages between major system variables that exist Uzbekistan’s electricity system is crucial for making systematic and long-term policy decisions. This work proposes a computer simulation model based on system dynamics technique. The simulation outcomes revealed that investments in power generation capacity and efficiency enhancement are required in the country to provide a sustainable electricity.

Geographies of violence: the Chilean police militarization and surveillance methods

The direct targeting of protesters’ eyes during the October 18, 2019, is an example of the systematic policy of violence carried out by the Chilean state against the protest. The abuses by the shock forces extend beyond causing blindness to the protesters and encompass a range of physical and psychological abuses. These abuses are a legacy of the institutional tools of the Chilean dictatorship, designed to depoliticize revolutionary movements. From a geographical, institutional, and anarchist perspective, the research sought to understand, through the analysis of data and content from over 3,000 files, the actions of the police from the period of 1973 to the present, which promote the dismantling of revolutionary movements, thus historically reproducing connected acts of violence in areas of popular conflict. This phenomenon is recognized as “violent geographies”. The research revealed that institutions, organizations, and coercive agencies, through their process of militarization and politicization, employ various mechanisms of social control. On the one hand, there are tangible aspects, such as armament and the militarization of spaces, as well as confrontations. On the other hand, there are intangible factors, such as administrative vices, categorizations, and stigmatizations. These mechanisms contribute to discrediting organized groups and territories and foster both direct and indirect forms of violence, which can be more insidious and ongterm. Nonetheless, within these violent geographies, “protest geographies” also emerge, representing collective actions of mutual support and cooperation. These actions keep the flame of the uprising alive continuously.

Food tax policies in Pacific Island Countries and Territories: systematic policy review.

To systematically identify and review food taxation policy changes in Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs). Food taxation polices, regarding excise taxes and tariffs applied from 2000 to 2020 in twenty-two PICTs, and their key characteristics were reviewed. The search was conducted using databases, government legal repositories and broad-based search engines. Identified documents for screening included legislation, reports, academic literature, news articles and grey literature. Key informants were contacted from each PICT to retrieve further data and confirm results. Results were analysed by narrative synthesis. Noncommunicable diseases (NCD) are the leading cause of premature death in PICTs and in many jurisdictions globally. An NCD crisis has been declared in the Pacific, and food taxation policy has been recommended to address the dietary risk factors associated with. Progress is unclear. Of the twenty-two PICTs included in the study, fourteen had food taxation policies and five introduced excise taxes. Processed foods, sugar and salt were the main target of excise taxes. A total of eighty-four food taxation policy changes were identified across all food groups. There was a total of 279 taxes identified by food group, of which 85 % were tariffs and 15 % were excise taxes. Individual tax rates varied substantially. The predominant tax design was ad valorem, and this was followed by volumetric. A quarter of PICTs have introduced food excise taxes from 2000 to 2020. Further excise taxes, specifically tiered or nutrient-specific designs, could be introduced and more systematically applied to a broader range of unhealthy foods.

SOCIAL INTEGRATION OF YOUTH WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES: CURRENT DIRECTIONS OF DEVELOPMENT

Young people with intellectual disabilities are persons who have qualitative and quantitative deviations in the development of mental abilities and have completely or partially lost the ability to independently perform certain functions as a result of illness, injury or birth defects. Support for social integration of youth with intellectual disabilities at the state level is expressed in the functioning of a system of institutions that solve individual tasks of this process. In particular, a state policy of tolerance for persons with intellectual disabilities is being formed, mechanisms are being implemented to ensure constitutional rights and freedoms, and equal opportunities are being implemented in all spheres of society. The legislative framework in Ukraine acts as the main tool that guarantees persons with intellectual disabilities to receive quality services, which include correctional and pedagogical work, care, protection of rights, treatment, etc. The initial stage of social integration of youth with intellectual disabilities is the deployment of meaningful activities of educational institutions (special and inclusive) and complex rehabilitation in Ukraine, which, in particular, are able to successfully implement social adaptation of persons with intellectual disabilities through propaedeutic complex (social, emotional and cognitive) development of each child so that he/she feels like a unique, full-fledged participant in social life. Accordingly, the priority directions for the further development of the system of social integration of young people with intellectual disabilities include the following: further improvement of the legislative and regulatory framework, improvement of the organizational and methodological foundations of the activities of institutions of inclusive education and comprehensive rehabilitation, increase in the transparency and accessibility of social services, systematic information policy aimed at humanizing society's attitude towards persons with various types of developmental disorders.

The Role of Moral Foundations in Support for Sex Work Decriminalization by Venue

ABSTRACT The criminal status of prostitution has received greater attention from policymakers and advocates in recent years, but systematic policy change has yet to take root in the United States. These efforts have been both motivated and challenged by a strong moral discourse, resulting in policies that are more reflective of ideology than efficacy. While the popularization of sex work through online avenues like social media has altered the traditional concept of sex work, there is an incomplete understanding of public attitudes toward decriminalization in this modern market. Using national data from 519 U.S. adults, the present study applied Moral Foundations Theory to investigate support for sex work decriminalization in three venues (brothel, online, street). Overall, results show lower support for decriminalization of street sex work compared to brothel and online sex work, and that the effects of moral foundations on support for decriminalization are consistent across all venues. Individualizing foundations (i.e. harm, fairness) do not predict support for decriminalization, while binding and liberty foundations explain some variation in support. Implications of the findings speak to the potential barriers to criminal justice reform in this area and the role of moral arguments in this dispute.

Legal grounds for the rehabilitation of the victims of soviet totalitarism in the 1950s

Purpose. The purpose of the publication is to establish the number of victims of Soviet totalitarianism, as well as to characterize the social and legal conditions of the process of rehabilitation of repressed persons in the 1950s. Methods. The methodological basis of the research was a set of principles of historicism, objectivity, as well as general scientific, special scientific and philosophical methods. Results. It was established that the process of rehabilitation of victims of mass repressions had no specific legal prerequisites, it was an exclusively politically determined action aimed on the one hand at the elimination of opponents in the process of the struggle for power after the death of J.Stalin. The historical prerequisites of rehabilitation are determined by a long-term and systematic government policy aimed at physical restriction and liquidation of certain categories of people who were accused of «political crimes». It was established that the first attempt at rehabilitation, which took place in 1939-1940s, was a selective amnesty for certain categories of persons who were serving sentences. At the same time, this amnesty did not apply to Ukrainians serving sentences for political crimes. The real process of rehabilitation began after the death of J.Stalin in 1953. From a legal point of view, the rehabilitation was half-hearted. Legally, the majority of persons who were amnestied in the 1950s became rehabilitated only after 30-40 or more years. Originality. Statistical information on the number of victims of Stalinist repressions is given, and legal approaches to the rehabilitation of victims in the 1950s are also analyzed. Practical significance. The results of the research can be used for the preparation of lectures and special courses on the history of the state and law, popularization of the historical past, preservation of historical memory and condemnation of the actions of Soviet leaders.

How Oil Shocks Propagate: Evidence on the Monetary Policy Channel

Using high-frequency responses of oil futures prices to prominent oil market news, we estimate the effects of oil supply news shocks when systematic monetary policy is switched off by the zero lower bound (ZLB) and when it is not (normal periods) in Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. We find that negative oil supply news shocks are less contractionary (and even expansionary) at the ZLB compared to normal periods. Inflation expectations increase during both periods, while the short nominal interest rates remain constant at the ZLB, pointing to the importance of monetary policy for oil shock propagation.

Equity, vulnerability and childhood immunization in Kenya and Uganda. A review of policy documents protocol.

Introduction Inequities in access and uptake of vaccines remains to be a challenge to the full realization of benefits they stand to offer. In the case of childhood immunization, improved full immunization coverage has been witnessed globally in the past decades but countries in sub-Saharan Africa have registered slow progress, with variations between/within countries. This has been attributed to several challenges/vulnerability factors. Consequently, current global efforts to promote access to immunization have focused on the issue of equity, which is now a strategic priority in key international policy documents such as the World Health Organization immunization agenda 2030 among others. It is therefore important to understand the context and efforts being made by individual countries to realize equity. We plan to undertake a systematic policy document review to understand the immunization context in Kenya and Uganda by examining the extent to which equity and vulnerability issues are framed and addressed in key health sector and policy documents in both countries. Methods The systematic review will focus on key health sector and immunization policy documents in Uganda and Kenya between 2000 and 2023. Documents in the English language will be reviewed. Data sources will include official ministry of health websites for each country, websites of key international organizations working on immunization, general google searches and requesting for relevant documents from immunization stakeholders and officials in both countries. Data synthesis will follow a deductive and inductive approach. Findings will be presented in a descriptive format and in line with review objectives. Discussion We will assess the extent to which equity and vulnerability issues are included and how they are defined in the health sector and immunization policy documents. In addition, the review will examine strategies proposed, planned and/or implemented to promote equitable access and uptake of immunization services in the two countries.

Sustainable Water Policymaking for the Hotel Industry: A Longitudinal Network Analysis of Policy Documents

Safeguarding water resources in tourism contributes to the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and to the wider 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. However, sustainable management of water, in order to address both current and future demand for water resources in an equitable and environmentally sound manner, is one of the most significant challenges faced by tourist destinations. Using a case study approach, this research conducts a social network analysis (SNA) of the water policymaking system of Singapore’s hotel industry by longitudinally examining the structure of relations among policy themes and policy stakeholders. The network approach attempts to examine the structural evolution in the water demand management (WDM) policy network based on an analysis of 329 (co)produced policy documents (2001–2020) available in the public domain. A broad range of policy themes, together with divergent policy stakeholders, are uncovered in this interconnected dynamic policy system. Subsequently, systematic policy research is extended to discuss the interrelationships of policy stakeholders and policy themes over the past 20 years. Our findings highlight the network structure of the policy domain and suggest an openness and vibrancy of sustainable WDM as an interdisciplinary policy domain. Cross-sectoral stakeholder engagement has contributed to the evolution and complexity of the policy theme network. The study’s findings provide significant insights into the relationships of policy actors and the evolving network structure of a multidimensional policy framework.

TINJAUAN PTSL KOTA BATAM MENURUT MENTERI AGRARIA DAN TATA RUANG NOMOR 6 TAHUN 2018

Land registration is an important element to develop a land registration system within the scope of simultaneous registration for all villages and sub-districts. Main questions are whether the implementation of complete systematic land registration program in Batam has been carried out as stipulated in the Regulation of the Minister of Agrarian and Spatial Planning/Head of BPN No. 6 of 2018, how is the implementation of the complete systematic land registration regulation policy in Batam and how is Batam Government's effort to reduce the difficulty of realizing the complete systematic land registration program. Theseresearch wield normative juridical method with analytical descriptive type. The results of the research on the implementation of complete systematic land registration program in Batam are implemented through 13 stages, same as the program policy in the Regulation of the Minister of Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning/Head of the National Land Agency No. 6 of 2018. PTSL certificates are issued systematically, or by requiring the owner of the result user to pay both the annual mandatory fee and the Implementation Fee. Conclusion, the solutions are community counseling, collaboration with local government, getting rid of old villages, BPHTB payment rules, and cooperation with stakeholders including the Batam government.

Challenges in Policy Developments for Automated Vehicles

Innovation is the driving factor in autonomous vehicles (AV). AVs are creating a buzz all around due to the reaction perception time required while driving the vehicles. AV technology will lead to the increased highway capacity and also the speed of the vehicles. The caution to utilize the benefits of the AVs lead to the proper planning and implementation. This calls for systematic policy developments. The policies governing various facets of AVs such as mobility, connectivity, social and environmental impact and adherence to the sustainability principles. This paper aims to discuss the guiding strategies governing AVs and the principles associated with them.
 The policies to be followed for AVs face various challenges and require effective planning. The challenges in context with the law, safety , security and economies will lead to various policy recommendations. The paper discusses the policy considerations in the state enabled legislation, cross sector partnerships and fiscal implications of AVs at different levels.

Does risk matter more in recessions than in expansions? Implications for monetary policy

We employ a nonlinear vector autoregression and a non-recursive identification strategy to show that an equal-sized uncertainty shock generates a larger contraction in real activity when growth is low (as in recessions) than when growth is high (as in expansions). An estimated New Keynesian model with recursive preferences replicates these state-contingent responses when approximated to third order around its risky steady state due to a stronger upward nominal pricing bias in recessions than in expansions. Empirical evidence supports this state-contingent channel, and we show that it can greatly reduce the ability of systematic monetary policy to stabilize output during recessions.

Systematic monetary policy in a SVAR for Australia

Systematic monetary policy in a SVAR for Australia

한국 여성 직업훈련정책의 변천과정 연구

Objectives The purpose of this study is to examine the process of change in women's vocational training policies in South Korea from the liberation to the present, and analyze the characteristics of women's vocational training policy.
 Methods To this end, comprehensive policy documents regarding women’s vocational training policies, such as the 6th - 7th Five-Year Plan for Economic and Social Development, the 1st-4th Basic Plan for Women's Policy, the 1st-3rd Basic Plan for Gender Equality Policy, the 1st-3rd Basic Plan for vocational Competency Development, are analyzed.
 Results South Korea's women's vocational training policy progress can be divided into five stages: preparatory stage, nascent stage, settlement stage, development stage, and transition stage. During the preparatory period, from the liberation to the early 1980s, no women's vocational training policy was established, and the focus of women's vocational training was on liberal arts education for vulnerable women. Since the mid-1980s, laws and policies on women's vocational training have been introduced in the nascent stage. From the 1990s, during the settlement period, women’s vocational training policies were actively pursued to expand vocational training opportunities for women. Since the enactment of the Framework Act on Women's Development (1995), a systematic policy for women’s vocational training has been established, leading to the development stage. Lastly, since 2015, during the transition period, policies such as gender mainstreaming of vocational training and expansion of women's vocational training opportunities for high-skilled occupations are promoted.
 Conclusions Women's vocational training policies in South Korea have progressed along with the development of women's policy. Its policy direction has changed from low-skilled women to high-skilled women training. In addition, the policy target of women’s vocational training was gradually diversified and specified. The results of this study help to understand in depth the characteristics of Korean women's vocational training policies, and furthermore, provide implications for women's vocational training policy in developing countries.

China's family planning policy and fertility transition

Due to the immense population pressure and rapid population growth, the government of the People's Republic of China introduced the family planning policy in the 1950s and 1960s. It was fully implemented in the 1970s and tightened further into the one-child policy in the early 1980s. The implementation of the family planning policy played a significant role in China's fertility transition, with the total fertility rate shifting from approximately six to below the replacement level in around two decades. Facing the long-term low fertility rate and changes in the socioeconomic environment, the government implemented a selective two-child policy and a universal two-child policy in 2013 and 2015, respectively; consequently, the fertility rate rebounded temporarily. However, the two-child policy's effects have gradually diminished, and the fertility rate has declined dramatically since 2017. In 2021, China announced a three-child policy and supporting measures, followed by steps to improve the country's fertility support system, signifying a shift in China's family planning policy from a restrictive to an inclusive approach. Currently, there still exists potential for improvements in China's fertility level, and the key to tapping this potential lies in establishing a comprehensive, systematic, and sustainable fertility support policy system as soon as possible.

Postnatal diagnosis of congenital anomalies despite active systematic prenatal screening policies: a population-based registry study

Prenatal screening for congenital anomalies is an important component of maternity care, with continual advances in screening technology. However, few recent studies have investigated the overall effectiveness of a systematic policy of prenatal screening for congenital anomalies, such as in France where an ultrasound per trimester is recommended for all pregnant individuals. This study aimed to assess the proportion and the type of congenital anomalies that are not detected during pregnancy. The study population included all singleton fetuses and newborns with congenital anomalies from the Paris Registry of Congenital Malformations (remaPAR) from 2001 to 2021. The registry includes all live births and stillbirths at ≥22 weeks of gestation and terminations of pregnancy for fetal anomaly at any gestational age with congenital anomalies diagnosed from the prenatal period until discharge home from hospital after birth. The prevalence of postnatally detected congenital anomalies was estimated overall and for 5-year intervals within the study period. We also reported the proportion of postnatal detection by subgroups of congenital anomalies according to the EUROCAT classification. Of the 16,602 malformed singleton fetuses and newborns, 32.7% were detected postnatally. Of those with severe anomalies, 11.9% were detected postnatally. The postnatal detection rate decreased from 34.3% from 2001 to 2005, to 27.8% from 2016 to 2021 (P<.001). Anomalies most frequently detected postnatally were genital anomalies (n=969; 87.0%), followed by ear, neck, and face anomalies (n=71; 78.0%), eye anomalies (n=154; 74.0%), and limb anomalies (n=1802; 68.4%). Anomalies of the kidneys and the urinary tract (n=219; 7.1%) and the abdominal wall (n=37; 8.7%) were least likely to be detected after birth. Among the anomalies classified as severe, postnatal detection rates were highest for limb reduction defects (n=142; 40.6%), complete transposition of the great arteries (n=31; 17.6%), and diaphragmatic hernia (n=26; 17.2%). Despite improvement of prenatal screening over a 20-year period, our results show that there is still a margin for improvement in prenatal diagnosis of congenital anomalies.

Global Energy Transformation and the Impacts of Systematic Energy Change Policy on Climate Change Mitigation

This study aims to evaluate the effect of global energy transformation and systematic energy change on climate change. The model is constructed from dynamic panel data which comprises 26 world regions from the World Database Indicators (WDIs), International Energy Atomic (IEA), and International Monetary Fund (IMF), with a span from 2005 to 2022. The Generalized system Method of Moment (sys-GMM) and pooled OLS and random effect models have been used to empirically evaluate the linked effect of global transformation and systematic change on climate change. The sys-GMM approach is used to control the endogeneity of the lagged dependent variable when there is an association between the exogenous variable and the error term. Furthermore, it omits variable bias, measurement errors in the estimation, and unobserved panel heterogeneity. The econometric applications allow us to quantify the direct effect of global transformation and systematic change on climate change. The empirical analysis revealed that renewable energy, alternative energy, technology and innovation, and financial climate have a negative effect on climate change. It means that increasing consumption of the transformation energies leads to reducing the effect of climate change. However, fossil energy is statistically significant and positively affects climate change. Increasing the consumption of fossil energy raises the effect of climate change. There is a global need for massive decarbonization infrastructure that will help minimize the global warming that leads to climate change. Policies that take an endogenous approach through global transformation and systematic change should be implemented to reduce the effect of climate change. The policy should reduce the consumption of non-renewable energy and increase the consumption of renewable energy.