Terms Of Policy Development Research Articles

The role of corporations in economic development: Albania on its way to internationalisation

Albania's inward-oriented economy gradually opened to global influences during its period of transition. This eased access to markets and capital but also revealed many weaknesses in Albanian corporations. Today the country's growth strategy is based on exports. Consequently, a strong and competitive corporate sector with international potential is vital. Following the evolutionary approach in corporate governance theory, we examine internal organisation of the firm, relationships between stakeholders and Albania's historical legacy (path dependency), linking these characteristics with competitiveness and export orientation. Cluster analysis reveals two distinct groups, where cooperation between agents and human capital investment, as well as productivity and export orientation, differ significantly. In terms of development policy, the results are very important for Albania and similar countries. Beside a unique dataset, the article also introduces methodological innovations in the survey technique and represents a contribution to the literature on intangible capital.

A Critical Review of Port Pricing Literature: What Role for Academic Research?

Few topics in the area of port economics have attracted so much attention from the side of the academic community as port pricing. The impact of such literature has been quite tangible in terms of policy development and the adoption of cost-based charging practices by many ports. Nonetheless as the port sector changes, new areas of research emerge and the academic community needs to look beyond the traditional theories to provide research that matters.This manuscript provides a review of the existing literature on port pricing with a specific focus on the literature of the last decade. In the paper the author carried out a systematic analysis of the main maritime and port economics journals and highlighted the current literature gaps and the areas that can benefit from academic attentions. Among the most interesting ones there are charging practices aiming at reducing externalities, the development of all inclusive port charges and the application of revenue management for port infrastructure utilization.

Democratic Governance in Sub-Saharan Africa

Twenty years into sub-Saharan Africa’s democratic renewal, an understanding of democratic governance has become established among political actors in the region. Democratic governance is characterised by: legitimation of governmental power through elections, legitimation of governmental politics through transparency, participation and accountability, and legitimation of governmental work through results. This conceptual understanding has asserted itself in African reality as the following paper argues: First and foremost, a far more vigorous public discourse about democratic governance can be observed, intensifying the pressure on governments to institute reforms. Despite numerous inconsistencies and weaknesses, the increased demand for democratic governance has led to ongoing improvements, at least in a group of countries in the region (manifested in fair elections, more transparency, more participation, and more domestic accountability). There are many indications that this is also reflected in improved socioeconomic outcomes. In short, democratic governance has become a reality in a number of sub-Saharan African countries and, in terms of development policies, democratic governance matters.Key Descriptors: Governance, Democracy, Civil Society, Transparency, Accountability

De la gestion forestière durable à la bonne gouvernance des forêts : la production d’indicateurs, toujours

Les critères et indicateurs (C&I) de gestion durable des forêts (GDF), conçus pour aider à mieux cerner ce qu’est justement la GDF, n’ont fourni jusqu’ici qu’un apport limité à l’orientation des politiques publiques sur les forêts. Peu employés pour l’évaluation de ces politiques, ils ont d’abord servi au contrôle de la gestion, et parfois donné un argumentaire, au moins rhétorique, aux bailleurs de fonds et décideurs internationaux. S’agissant de la politique forestière, la difficulté d’utiliser les indicateurs de résultats a progressivement conduit à privilégier les indicateurs de gouvernance, sur lesquels les agences internationales de développement — Banque mondiale, Organisation des Nations unies pour l’alimentation et l’agriculture (FAO) — viennent de s’entendre avec des organisations non gouvernementales (ONG) internationales. Formée essentiellement d’indicateurs de système, se voulant moins prescriptive, cette nouvelle perspective s’articule plus ou moins avec la recherche systématique de la GDF. L’analyse des limites politiques des C&I de gestion durable des forêts n’enlève cependant rien à leur rôle de support possible à la démocratisation des décisions publiques dans le secteur forestier, dans la mesure où ils servent au mécanisme d’apprentissage entre acteurs dans la construction de ce qu’est la gestion et la politique des forêts. Ils prennent tout leur sens dans le cas de processus de décision participatifs, aux plans aussi bien global (formulation des grandes orientations politiques) que local (exemple des chartes forestières de territoire).

Policy transfer and the introduction of road pricing in Valletta, Malta

Charging motorists to pay for driving at times and/or in places where there is insufficient capacity to meet the level of demand has long been recognised by transport economists as an efficient way to address traffic congestion. However, only a few locations have actually decided to use this mechanism, with Valletta one of the more recent cities to introduce such a scheme. This paper aims to present a case study of road pricing in Valletta and the role played by policy transfer in its introduction. To do this, it applies data gathered from existing literature, in-depth interviews and direct observation with those involved in the policy development. Experience of road pricing was gained from London, Durham, Edinburgh and Stockholm. One of the major barriers to policy transfer was felt to be the unique geography of the island however international events, local conditions and a political champion driving change were critical factors to the successful implementation of the road pricing scheme. Policy transfer was deemed useful in terms of policy development, relations with stakeholders, scheme design and administrative approaches. This paper concludes by identifying the contributions of the case study of Valletta to the policy transfer literature.

Territorial identity and development: From topophilia to terraphilia

This paper brings about a conceptual and methodological framework for the study of topophilia and its enrichment in terms of development policy and actions seeking (re)affirmation of landscape-related and other territorial identity features. To this end, the results of an empirical verification of a newly introduced concept, named terraphilia, are presented. Records and assessments of the topophilia–terraphilia interface were carried out in the framework of the Identerra Model that enables empirical delimitation and systematization of the state (spatial fixes) and change (spatial flows) of natural, economic, societal and cultural features of territorial identity. The research area was the Oeste Region (a NUTS III, North-west of the Lisbon Metropolitan Area). The promotion of terraphilia may be important in the process of identification and assessment of strategically relevant elements of local and regional development, such as “sense of territorial belonging” and “territorial attractiveness”.

The Making of a (Vice-) President: Party Politics, Ethnicity, Village Loyalty and Community-Driven Development

African politics are often said to be dominated by ethnic divides, with the ensuing policies implemented by leaders being based almost exclusively on their ethnic power base. In this paper, we demonstrate that the village of origin of democratically-elected leaders matters for the attribution of development projects in the context of one of the largest Community-Driven Development (CDD) programs in Senegal. After showing that leadership matters, we consider those factors that determine who is elected president (and vice-president) of a Conseil rural, the smallest administrative unit in Senegal. We also consider the link between power in the Conseil rural and that in the Conseil de Concertation et de Gestion (CCG), an assembly coopted by the Conseil rural president that is typical of local institutions set up in the context of CDD programs, and which is responsible for the participative identification of the development projects that constitute the priorities of villagers. Using a unique dataset, we show that ethnicity plays almost no role in determining who becomes president (or vice-president) of a Conseil rural, while party politics, age, political experience, village loyalty, and educational and professional qualifications do. Our findings highlight the crucial importance, in terms of development policy, of the local political institutions that are often reinforced or created alongside CDD programs.

Taking stock of small business and entrepreneurship research

PurposeTo map and evaluate current research and policy evidence from a major conference against the seven strategic themes published in the UK's Small Business Service policy document; draw conclusions concerning the research underpinning; and provide guidance for the future direction of research.Design/methodology/approachEvidence is presented from an analysis of 180 papers and research presentations combined with expert opinions and perspectives from participants at the 28th Annual Institute of Small Business and Entrepreneurship Conference in November 2005. The evaluation framework is formulated on the seven themes and includes an analysis of the research methods employed.FindingsRapid growth evidenced in volume and diversity in small business and entrepreneurship research activity. The international community of researchers is growing with a greater preparedness to share findings and experiences. The engagement of more policy makers, advisors and practitioners together with researchers may improve the utility and effectiveness of research in terms of policy development and the communication of best practice.Research limitations/implicationsA wide‐ranging definition of research is employed, i.e. incorporating the more usual refereed papers but also working papers, practitioner papers and outcomes from the debates in plenary sessions and tracks. The evidence does, however, provide a snapshot of the research in the field, encompassing a significant proportion of ongoing work.Practical implicationsResearchers need to utilize more effectively prior research to inform their own research and more effort is needed to integrate existing research within the relevant theme or field, both nationally and internationally.Originality/valueThis represents a unique study which takes a snapshot of the current research in the SME field, incorporating the work of researchers, policy makers and practitioners.

The mental health dimension in the new social work degree: starting a debate

The Mental Health in Higher Education Project (mhhe) aims to increase networking and debate about the learning and teaching of mental health, both within and across the disciplines and professions in higher education. Despite the recent prominence that has been given to mental health in terms of policy development and new practice models, there has so far been little discussion as to what should constitute the mental health component of the new social work degree that is currently being introduced in England. This paper sets the context for the debate and reports on the outcome of an mhhe workshop on this theme held at the 2003 Social Work Education Conference in Warwick.

Using LCA to examine greenhouse gas abatement policy

The site-generic approach currently adopted by the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology introduces uncertainties into the impact assessment phase of an LCA study. These uncertainties are greatest for localised and short-lived problems but are less significant for long lasting, cumulative environmental effects. Indeed, the reliability of LCA results is high for problems that manifest at a global scale. Nevertheless, even though these results are considered accurate, it is still often unclear as to their relevance in terms of policy development and decision-making. Therefore, this paper demonstrates how LCA can be used to determine the efficacy of policies aimed at reducing a product system’s contribution to global environmental problems. We accomplish this aim by presenting a case study that evaluates the greenhouse gas contributions of each stage in the life cycle of containerboard packaging and the potential impact on emissions of various policy options available to decision makers. Our analysis showed that in general the most useful strategy was to recycle the used packaging. However, our analysis also indicated that when measures are taken to eliminate sources of methane emissions and encourage the use of plantation timber then recycling is no longer beneficial from a greenhouse perspective. This is because the process energy required in the form of gas and electricity is substantially greater for containerboard manufactured from recycled material than it is for virgin fibre.

TRACING THE RATIONAL CHOICE ORIGINS OF SOCIAL CAPITAL: IS SOCIAL CAPITAL A NEO‐LIBERAL “TROJAN HORSE”?

Introduction Both policy and academic debates create new terms and concepts, either to describe new--or newly discovered--realities or to develop new ways of understanding those realities. These terms and concepts are often both politically loaded--as the recent debates over `welfare reform' and `welfare dependency' demonstrate--and poorly defined. However, because the terms and concepts of policy debate so insistently shape the way we frame and analyse social problems and their potential remedies, engaging with new policy languages is essential to properly understand and address contemporary policy concerns. The need to understand new terms of policy development, debate, and analysis has already generated some very useful explorations of the development and usage of key terms. Work by Nancy Fraser and Linda Gordon (1994) on `dependency', Richard Mulgan (2000) on `accountability' and more recently in this journal, Brendon O'Connor's examination of the origins of `welfare dependency' (2001), for example, has given insight into the ways earlier theoretical traditions and debates inform contemporary policy discussions. In the same vein, this article sets out to explore the origins of the concept of `social capital', particularly within rational choice debates over the role of the state. Social capital's rise came largely after the publication of Robert Putnam's Making Democracy Work (1993). It has since been taken up by a number of academics, policy makers and activists in Australia. However, in this country, emphasis has been placed on the concept's ability to challenge the tenets of traditional rational choice theory and the agenda of economic liberalism that is associated with it. Writers such as Eva Cox (1995), Mark Lyons (1997) and Jenny Onyx (1996) make clear a general aversion for what has been termed `economic rationalism'. Even those associated with a more economically orthodox agenda, such as Mark Latham, Peter Botsman and other advocates of the `Third Way' have been careful to use `social capital' as a way of distancing themselves from more extreme forms of economic liberalism, while at the same time rejecting much of the Left critique of the free-market agenda (see Botsman & Latham 2001). Yet, social capital theory has been intimately linked with developments in rational choice theory. This link is well noted by a range of authors in the international literature (e.g. Ostrom 1990). Indeed some definitions of social capital rely entirely on a game theoretic conceptualisation of the social sciences (Paldam 2000). Recently, this rational choice lineage has been used as the basis for a critique both of social capital as a useful social science concept, and of the politics of the Third Way which is so closely connected to this new literature. Ben Fine has claimed that social capital is taking up the role of sociology and political economy in explaining the importance of social relations to economic and political outcomes. However, social capital theory cannot deliver the goods because it is embedded in a rational choice framework that necessarily reduces the social to a small number of variables and therefore loses the complexity and contingency necessary for social analysis, in short that social capital is a rational choice `Trojan Horse' (Fine 2001: Fine & Green 2000). This article investigates the evolution of the rational choice debates around collective action which became one source of the current social capital debate. In particular the article draws attention to the crucial role played by rational choice debates in developing the currently popular conception of social capital as a collective resource that affects the macro political and economic outcomes of communities. The claim made here is that social capital developed as a solution to internal methodological debates within rational choice theory, rather than as a sociological critique, and that these rational choice debates were intimately linked to an anti-state ideological agenda. …

Rail-freight growth and the land use planning system

After several decades of decline the British rail freight industry has begun to increase the volumes of freight carried. This presents a challenge for the planning system as after being primarily concerned with issues arising from the decline, such as the disposal of derelict land, the industry is now looking to the planning system to help it deliver growth. This involves such land development matters as securing rail freight terminal developments in association with freight generating land uses and extending the railway network itself. This article reviews research which looked at how the planning system is responding in terms of policy development and development control practice and concludes with recommendations as to how the role of planning can be developed.

HUGH STRETTON AND THE WISE ADMINISTRATOR

His massive textbook, Economics: A New Introduction, is in many ways the culmination of Hugh Stretton's work as a theoretician of the social sciences. From his first major publication in 1969, The Political Sciences, Stretton has wrestled with two major issues. One has been the nature of the social sciences, particularly the role of moral ideas in shaping the theory and practice of social inquiry. The second has been the relationship between social theory and social practice, particularly in terms of policy development. His first book was the most ‘academic’. Since then he has written more in response to the problems of the age than out of a desire to solve merely academic questions. Hence his involvement in issues of housing, the environment and, during the last decade and a half, economic policy. One of his favourite techniques has been to use ‘speculative history’, providing alternative futures to illustrate what he believes to be the consequences of particular policy choices.

National health policies: sub-Saharan African case studies (1980–1990)

Four countries, Botswana, Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana and Zimbabwe, were chosen as cases to study the impact of national health policies on national health status in sub-Saharan Africa. Through a conceptual framework that covers health problem identification, policy formulation and implementation procedures, the study examined national translations of Primary Health Care (PHC) and Health for All by the Year 2000 (HFA/2000) strategies. A series of government measures, taken between 1980–1986 for health policy development and implementation in these countries, were treated as policy determinants of national health outcomes for the period ending 1990. The impact of these determinants on national health status was then analyzed through a comparative description and documentation of observable patterns and trends in infant mortality rates (IMR), under-5 mortality rates (U5MR) and life expectancy. Policy guidelines from PHC and HFA/2000 were used in conjunction with the respective per capita Gross National Products to categorize the four cases. Based on these guidelines, Botswana was ranked high, both in terms of policy development and the level of economic development, while Zimbabwe ranked high in terms of policy development but relatively low in economic terms. Cote d'Ivoire ranked high on economic development but low with regard to its policy framework. Ghana was at the other end of the spectrum, ranking low both in terms of its policy development and its economic performance. The comparative analysis revealed that Botswana and Zimbabwe performed better than Cote d'Ivoire and Ghana on the three outcome indicators. Despite Cote d'Ivoire's superior level of economic development, its health status fell behind that of Zimbabwe and even Ghana. The study concluded that policies formulated and implemented in accordance with key PHC principles could account for improvements in national health status. Since the end of the study period (1990), there have been significant political changes in the sub-Saharan African region as a whole and in some of the case countries in particular. Political leadership has changed in Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire with some course corrections in Ghana's health plans. Health sector financing in the region has become more dependent on external donors. The World Bank leads the external donor community in promoting policy-based lending. The complexity of a number of health problems has changed while the problems themselves remain the same as before. Essentially, building viable public health infrastructures to address basic public health needs must still be high on the agenda of action for most governments in the region. Thus, notwithstanding some course corrections and reasonable shifts in priorities, all the PHC principles are still applicable, indeed, much needed in the sub-Saharan African region. This study's findings, underscoring the fact that significant improvements in health are possible even where financial resources are limited, still hold true.

Supporting learning development: the role of teaching and learning co‐ordinators

A case study of one university’s strategic approach to the promotion, support and resourcing of teaching and learning developments within the institution. This is set in the context of external requirements for quality assurance and the changing nature of higher education. Strategy is described in terms of policy development and implementation of new frameworks and support structures. A particular feature of the strategy is support for school‐based development and the appointment of school‐based teaching and learning co‐ordinates (TLCs). Explains the rationale for TLCs and the means by which they were introduced. Gives examples of how the TLC role works in practice. Identifies successes and pitfalls, as well as issues for further development.

Moroccan family planning program—Progress and problems

The concept of family planning is new to Morocco. Public discussion is still hesitant, and policy therefore remains tentative. The results of the first two and onehalf years of the Government’s Family Planning Program have been modest, and do not begin to have any influence on demographic trends. Nonetheless the program represents a considerable step forward in terms of policy development and movement toward action. Demographic, sociological and economic studies have been made, contraceptive methods tried on a large scale, and evaluation studies completed. Family Planning Program, as proposed in the new Five Year Plan, will build on this initial effort to create a significant nation-wide program.