Policy Trends Research Articles

Constructed world culture instruments for European Higher Education Area global diffusion

ABSTRACT Global educational reforms and policy trends suggest a growing convergence in educational systems worldwide, often attributed to the culturally embedded nature of nation-states and world-society models. However, in this article, we argue that these explanations are insufficient to fully account for the global diffusion of certain policies, as they often overlook the influential role of powerful actors in global policy dissemination. We analyse the European Bologna Process (BP) as a global case, highlighting instruments devised by the EHEA actors to actively promote BP reforms and philosophies worldwide. Drawing on World Culture Theory and analysing 25 BP documents, we argue that education policy diffusion occurs because of a well-coordinated structure and established instruments by policy actors for global policy dissemination.

The Wave Effect of Exchange Rates on the General Index of the Iraq Stock Exchange

The study of the wave effect of exchange rates on the general index of the Iraq Stock Exchange aims to examine the potential impact of monetary policy trends on stock market performance and the role of financial and banking reforms in enhancing the financial market. Additionally, it seeks to understand how exchange rates have influenced the stock market in Iraq. The study employed the Wavelet methodology to explore the correlation between the exchange rate variable and the general stock market index. Specifically, it used the wavelet or frequency methodology developed by Grinsted et al., (2004) to reveal the co-movement between the study variables. The findings indicate a bidirectional causality extending from the exchange rate to the general stock market index and vice versa across different time frequencies and periods. The arrows point to upward and downward movements within the white cone-shaped boundary. In the short term, the relationship was initially positive and then negative, as evidenced by the arrows pointing to the upper-right quadrant, indicating a positive relationship between the variables. The arrows moved rightward in 2006 and 2007, leftward in 2010, upward in 2017, and rightward again in 2020. The results demonstrate that the stock market index is influenced by exchange rates, with an unstable relationship between them.

Competition Concerns and Antitrust Responses to China's Health and Medical Data Openness Policy

As a policy trend in many jurisdictions around the world, health care data openness can effectively improve the level of public governance, drive innovation in the medical industry, and promote market competition in the medical industry to a certain extent. However, the process of opening up health care data often comes with the risk of competition. First, the opening of health care data may lead to more efficient and stable collusion in reaching and implementing collusion. Second, the opening of health care data will also lead to more exploitative and exclusive abuse in the health care industry. Third, the opening of health care data will also lead to the frequent occurrence of data-driven and leveraged mergers and acquisitions risks. In order to effectively eliminate competition risks, China should propose new anti-monopoly countermeasures. On the one hand, China should strengthen the legislative regulations on the opening of health and medical data, including the regulation concept of monopoly agreement should be adjusted from information transparency to the implementation of classification and classification, and the regulation of abuse of market dominance should pay attention to the quantification of market power and the identification of specific behaviors, so as to include operators' commitments in the regulation of data-driven mergers and acquisitions. On the other hand, China also needs to introduce a full-chain regulatory system that combines the dual effects of competition advocacy and law enforcement, in the form of prior routine market investigations and fair competition reviews, as well as a flexible in-process and after-action regulatory approach. In addition, it is also necessary for China to build a coordinated regulatory model across multiple departments. On the basis of emphasizing the fundamental position of competition policy, we should make full use of the power of social supervision to regulate the restrictive competition behavior in the process of health and medical data opening in a more comprehensive way, and improve the safety and innovation of health and medical data opening to the greatest extent. 健康医疗数据开放作为世界范围内多个司法辖区的政策趋向，能有效提高公共治理水平、驱动医疗行业创新，以及在一定程度上促进医疗行业的市场竞争。然而，健康医疗数据开放过程通常伴随着竞争风险。其一，健康医疗数据开放可能导致共谋的达成与实施更高效，以及共谋合意更加稳定。其二，健康医疗数据开放也会导致医疗行业的剥削性滥用与排他性滥用行为更加普遍。其三，健康医疗数据开放还会导致数据驱动类与杠杆并购类风险的频发。为了有效消除竞争风险，中国应提出新的反垄断应对方案。一方面，中国应强化健康医疗数据开放的立法规制，包括垄断协议规制理念应从调整信息透明度到实施分级分类，滥用市场支配地位的规制则需注重市场力量的量化与具体行为的识别，将经营者承诺前置纳入数据驱动型并购的规制中。另一方面，中国还需要导入全链条监管体系，以结合竞争倡导与执法的双重功效，具体表现为事前常规性市场调查与公平竞争审查双管齐下，以及构建弹性的事中与事后监管方式。此外，构建多部门的协同监管模式对中国而言同样必要。在强调竞争政策的基础地位上，充分借助社会监管的力量，较为全面地规制健康医疗数据开放过程中的限制竞争行为，最大程度提高健康医疗数据开放的安全性与创新性。

Policy trends and corporate case studies for building a food circulation system

Policy trends and corporate case studies for building a food circulation system

Development of Scientific-Based Learning Devices Implemented in the Inquiry-Flipped Classroom Learning Model to Improve Science Literacy in Acid-Base Material

The trend in science education policy in the 21st century emphasizes the importance of scientific literacy in science education as a transferable outcome. This research is a type of Research and Development (R&D) development research. Development research in the field of education aims to produce products for the benefit of education. This research produces a new product in the form of e-LKPD with a scientific approach to acid-base material. The purpose of this research and development is to find out how the procedure for developing teaching materials based on a scientific approach is implemented in the inquiry-flipped classroom learning model to improve Science Literacy skills and to find out the practicality of teaching materials based on a scientific approach implemented in the inquiry-flipped classroom learning model. Based on the results of the validation carried out on material and media experts in two rounds, the results of the first material validation were 89.30%, the second material validation was 98.70%. Design validation was conducted in two rounds where the first round obtained results of 87.50% and the second round of design validation 97.50%. Based on the results obtained from chemistry teachers, the first practitioner validation obtained 87% and the second practitioner validation obtained 91%, student responses to teaching materials with a percentage of 85.50%. Based on the criteria for the interpretation of the percentage of practicality, the group evaluation (student responses) was obtained with practical criteria or feasible for revision

Employment of persons with disabilities: opportunities, priorities and outcomes of active policies in welfare states. Part one

This two-part article examines the active employment policies of welfare states and their impact on the situation of persons with disabilities of working age. On the basis of research materials and data from population surveys in the EU and OECD countries, the article analyzes the trends of active employment policies for persons with moderate and severe disabilities in welfare states of different models for the period from 2010 to 2020. The first part of the article reveals the approaches of active policy to retention on the labor market, to provision of employment assistance services, to reduction of unemployment risks, to employment of persons with disabilities. The principles of transformation of allowances for disability, temporary disability, unemployment, income maintenance and application of personal measures – incentives and sanctions, which are based on increasing the responsibility of citizens for their own well-being, are considered. The role of the factor of de-regulation of the employment sphere in the approaches of active policy to the expansion of labor supply and maintenance of demand on the part of employers is shown. The priorities of active measures to promote employment, based on cost reduction and increasing returns on investment, and their impact on the employment of citizens with different degrees of impairment are revealed. The results of active policies (employment gap and unemployment rate) and their sustainability in relation to persons with moderate and severe impairments are revealed.

Christian normativity in global higher education policy and practice

ABSTRACT This paper seeks to make visible the legacy and endurance of Christian normativity in current global higher education policy and practice trends by making the links between the present day manifestations of these policies/practices and their Christian origins explicit, and by describing alternatives to presumably universal ideas. Global higher education policy, globalisation and the internationalisation of higher education are often described as secular phenomena, viewed as being decidedly areligious. In this view, religion is not a relevant or important lens to use when analysing trends like mobility schemes, neoliberal reforms, global university rankings, quality assurance mechanisms, and/or the proliferation of liberal education. However, religion (Christianity in particular) is embedded in many of these processes and the logics behind them. Acknowledging and understanding the role of Christian normativity in global higher education policy and practice can enable broader and more pluralistic discourse about the problems and opportunities for higher education globally.

Exploring healthcare facilities' blenderized tube feeding policy trends: A survey of registered dietitian nutritionists.

Recent surveys suggest that registered dietitian nutritionists (RDNs) are increasingly supportive of blenderized tube feeding (BTF). However, its actual use in clinical practice continues to lag. This disconnect may be explained by a lack of comprehensive BTF policies. This study aimed to explore BTF policies in medical facilities in which RDNs are employed. An electronic survey was disseminated to RDNs through enteral nutrition formula and supply company email databases. The survey collected participant demographics, medical facility type, barriers and contraindications for BTF use, and components of a comprehensive policy. Potential relationships between demographics and self-assessed BTF skill level were also explored. Of the 123 RDNs completing the survey, 87% supported BTF and 76.4% used it in clinical practice. Commercial BTF products (cBTFs) were allowed in 63.4% of facilities, but policy-related barriers hindered actual cBTF use. Home-prepared BTF policies were available in 54.5% of facilities, but only 7% of these policies were complete. Inpatient facilities were particularly lacking in any BTF policies compared with outpatient settings (χ2 = 10.550, P = 0.005). RDNs are increasingly supportive of BTF for their patients who want it. To provide optimal patient-centered care, comprehensive BTF policies are needed for successful implementation in healthcare facilities.

Global Trends in Social Inclusion and Social Inclusion Policy: A Systematic Review and Research Agenda

As pressures build, this study can serve as a guidepost for scholars and policymakers to learn from global trends in social inclusion and social inclusion policy. Our systematic review of global trends in social inclusion and social inclusion policy points to the general expansion and retrenchment of social inclusion policy amid increasing social exclusion associated with trends such as globalisation and neoliberalism. In the absence of recent, detailed case descriptions of social inclusion policy at the national level, we call for a renewed scholarly focus on case studies of social inclusion policy. We also discuss the likelihood that persistent climate change, migration, ageing populations, and technological innovations are poised to dramatically influence global social inclusion and suggest that future research should seek to understand the relationship between these developments and social inclusion. As we look to the future and the growing needs of excluded populations, we aim to use this study to learn from and build on these global trends to promote the inclusion of excluded groups around the world.

Historical Evolution, Logical Deconstruction and Future Trends in Marine Ecological Compensation Policies in China

The marine ecological compensation policy has become an important tool for China to protect the ocean and promote the construction of ecological civilization. However, problems such as a fragmented policy system structure and inefficient implementation still plague the sustainable development of marine ecological compensation policy. In the context of the high-quality development of the marine economy in the future, it is necessary to evaluate the current status of the construction of China’s marine ecological compensation policy system and explore the plans to improve the marine ecological compensation policy in depth. This paper takes the marine ecological compensation policies issued from 1982 to 2023 as the analysis sample, uses semantic network analysis to analyze the evolution of China’s marine ecological compensation policy and divides the evolution into four stages based on the focuses of the policies in different periods. This paper uses a policy element model to analyze the scope, direction and dynamic mechanism of the change in the marine ecological compensation policy. The study found that the policy elements at the abstract level remained stable for a long time, and the policy elements at the procedural level and operational level are heterogeneous at different stages; China’s marine ecological compensation has gradually developed in the direction of improved quality, land and sea coordination, full-process supervision and integrated management, and is affected by the macro-environment, institutional demand and supply and cost–benefit coordination and balance. The marine ecological compensation policies should start with the top-level design of the supplementary system, improve the supporting tools and coordinate multiple synergies to promote the improvement of the marine ecological compensation policy system.

Filosofia da educação na formação docente: intersecções necessárias

The present text aims to present some reflections on the importance of the Philosophy of Education in teacher training, exploring how this field can contribute to a more critical and autonomous teacher education. The goal is to highlight the need for Educational Foundations, in contrast to the trends of educational policies for teacher training guided by commercialization and technical pragmatism. The methodology includes a critical analysis of statistical data on higher education and a literature review on the role of Philosophy of Education in educational formation. We emphasize the predominance of Distance Education (DE) courses in private institutions, which prioritize efficiency and cost reduction to the detriment of educational quality and the reflective formation that is necessary in teacher training. We consider that Philosophy of Education plays an essential role in teacher training, effectively contributing to a transformative education capable of meeting current social challenges. Philosophy of Education in teacher training curricula is understood not only as an educational necessity, but also as an ethical and social requirement for the development of conscious and humanized pedagogical practices. Keywords: Philosophy of Education. Teacher training. Higher education. Distance Education. Critical education.

Migrants’ Relational Experiences with the Welfare State at the Street Level: A Focus on the Role of Language

While previous research has highlighted the significant role of language in conditioning migrants’ access to key institutions of the welfare state, the question of how individual migrants experience linguistic disadvantage has been less in focus. Drawing on a relational approach, the article moves beyond the idea of language barriers as a static structure of (in)equality or a matter of individual shortcomings. It demonstrates how language policies and language ideologies, and their entanglements with more general trends in welfare policies and ideologies, shape migrants’ relational experiences with the welfare states and their representatives, and what are the implications of such interactions – or the lack of interaction. Empirically, it builds on qualitative data collected in Belgium and Finland, showing how language barriers and discrimination can result in Kafkaesque administrative processes that produce both material and affective hardship for migrants in these national contexts.

Energy Policy Scenarios for Carbon Emissions in Road Passenger Transport in Austria up to 2050

The transport sector currently contributes to about 25% of total CO2-emissions in the EU as well as in Austria. The largest share is caused by individual passenger car transport, primarily powered by fossil fuels. It is imperative to replace conventional cars with sustainable alternative technologies and explore alternative modes of transportation, all while reducing the overall vehicle kilometres driven. To meet climate targets, the implementation of effective policies is crucial, and phasing out fossil fuel vehicles is an inevitable step. The core objective of this study is to analyze which policy strategies in road passenger transport in Austria up to 2050 lead to a significant reduction in CO2-emissions. To do so, four scenarios for energy consumption and CO2-emissions, are derived and modelled: a Business-as-Usual Scenario, a Phase-Out-Scenario of fossil fuels, a Tax-Scenario and a Green-Policy-Scenario. Of specific relevance is that our approach is considering flow and embedded CO2-emissions. The major driving factors considered encompass income, vehicle kilometres driven, vehicle power, fuel intensity, and specific CO2-emission factors. The BAU-Scenario continues current policy trends without major changes. The Phase-Out- Scenario looks at gradually stopping the use of fossil fuel vehicles. The Tax-Scenario uses higher financial measures to reduce the use of high-emission vehicles. The Green-Policy-Scenario combines various strategies to encourage public transport and active mobility and improve vehicle efficiency. The major conclusions are: (i) The total vehicle kilometres travelled and overall vehicle stock must be reduced. (ii) Focusing on BEVs is not sufficient; a modal shift towards public transport and active mobility is important. (iii) Public transport and active mobility need to be made more attractive options. These steps will help reduce emissions and create more sustainable urban environments.

Assessing the Alignment of Brazilian Local Government Plans with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals

Government plans are crucial for strengthening democratic regimes by defining clear policies and priorities, and by serving as essential channels of communication with voters and social groups within electoral systems. The political commitment to align these plans with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda reflects an effort to integrate global priorities into local agendas. Such alignment is critical for fostering sustainable and inclusive progress. However, despite its importance, research on the intersection between government plans and the SDGs remains limited. In this study, we used natural language processing (NLP), artificial intelligence, and statistical analysis to examine the government plans of ten candidates in the 2022 gubernatorial election in the Brazilian state of São Paulo. Our analysis identified key policy topics, explored patterns and trends, and assessed alignment with the 17 SDGs across the social (SDGs 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, and 16), environmental (SDGs 6, 13, 14, and 15), and economic (SDGs 7, 8, 9, 11, and 12) dimensions. The findings emphasize the need for government plans that are more closely aligned with sustainable development goals and that demonstrate a strong political commitment to addressing critical issues, particularly the impacts of climate change. This is especially urgent for the state of São Paulo, which faces significant challenges, including natural disasters, heat waves, flooding, water scarcity, and infrastructure deficiencies.

A post-foundational ontology for a democratic instrumentality of education

Education theory has been exhibiting a renewed rejection of education’s instrumentality to political and economic influences against a policy trend that implicitly considers education a mere pragmatic tool. This paper suggests an ontological investigation that goes beyond normatively supporting or rejecting the instrumentality of education. It looks at instrumental relationships as a form of prosthesis supplementing the ontological incompleteness of its involved subjects. This incompleteness is argued for through Laclau and Mouffe’s understanding of antagonism and Bernard Stiegler’s philosophy of technics. The contribution problematizes the ethical consequences such reading may have, manifested in the ethical ambivalence of instrumental ends. Then, it contends that a democratic approach to the instrumentality of education should acknowledge an inherent indeterminacy of education and what it is instrumental for and advocate a democratic coexistence with this ontology. This echoes Freud’s concept of mourning as a healthy response to the loss of a natural essence, in contrast to melancholia, which refuses it. Such a position is developed by interrogating different theoretical positions and regarding the quest for education’s (anti-) instrumentality as a performative discourse by many populist discourses.

Contrasting approaches to educational equality: An intersectional perspective on educational policies in Belgium

ABSTRACT Since the beginning of the 20th century, fostering equal educational opportunities has been one of the driving forces of the development of education policies in many European countries. While at first this mainly comprised the fight against socio-economic inequality, over time other types of inequality in education have been challenged. This paper uses an intersectional lens to cast light on the representations of complex inequalities in educational policies in the two main educational systems in Belgium. Our analysis demonstrates that both the Flemish and Francophone education policies in Belgium have adopted a fragmented and deficit-based approach to inequalities and pay limited attention to complex and intersectional inequalities. Yet, we also observe a trend towards diverging approaches to equality in the two main Belgian education systems. While in Francophone policy we find an evolution towards the recognition of the role of the school system in creating structural and accumulative inequalities, in Flemish policy we detect an opposite trend towards a reinforcement of the deficit-centered approach. By connecting these policy trends to the political context, we show how the case of Belgium can provide a new perspective on policy discourses around educational (in)equality in the European context.

Domestic and International Policy and Standardization Trends Toward Achieving Carbon Neutrality

Domestic and International Policy and Standardization Trends Toward Achieving Carbon Neutrality

Comprehensive Analysis of Emerging Trends in Public Health and Policy

Comprehensive Analysis of Emerging Trends in Public Health and Policy

Healthy ageing in long-term care? Lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic: a position paper.

This position paper focuses on healthy ageing for the frailest and institutionalized older adults in the context of the recent pandemic. The paper aims to identify and discuss hindering and promoting factors for healthy ageing in this context, taking both health safety and a meaningful social life into account, in a pandemic situation and beyond. The recent COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the vulnerability of frail older adults residing in long-term care institutions. This is a segment of the older population that does not seem to align well with the recent policy trend of healthy and active ageing. The need for healthy ageing in this population has been voiced by professionals and interest organizations alike, alluding to inadequate support systems during the pandemic, conditioned by both previous and newly emerging contextual factors. Supporting healthy ageing in older adults in nursing homes and other residential care settings calls for attending to meaningful social life as well as to disease control. Findings and early conclusions leading up to the position paper were presented with peer discussions involving healthcare professionals and researchers at two joint EFPC PRIMORE workshops 2021 and 2022, as well as other international research seminars on long-term care. The following aspects of long-term care and COVID-19 were systematically discussed in those events, with reference to relevant research literature: 1. Long-term care policies, 2. pre-COVID state of long-term care facilities and vulnerability to the pandemic, 3. factors influencing the extent of spread of infection in long-term care facilities, and 4. the challenge of balancing between strict measures for infection control and maintaining a meaningful social life for residents and their significant others. A policy shift towards ageing at home and supporting the healthiest of older adults seems to have had unwarranted effects both for frail older adults, their significant others, and professional care staff attending to their needs. Resulting insufficient investment in primary health care staff and in the built environment for frail older adults in nursing homes were detrimental both for the older adults living in nursing homes, their significant others, and staff. More investment in staff and in physical surroundings might improve the quality of care and the social life of older adults in nursing homes in a non-pandemic situation and be a resource for primary health care staff ensuring both protection from health hazards and a meaningful social life for frail older adults in a pandemic or epidemic situation. As for investing in the physical surroundings, smaller nursing homes are advantageous, with singular resident rooms and for developing out-and indoor spaces for socializing and for meeting with families and other visitors. Regarding investment in staff, there is a documented need for educated staff in full-time positions. Use of part-time or temporary staff should be limited.

HOME CARE SERVICES-GROWTH OF AN INDUSTRY

Abstract: The home care services industry has expanded much over the last decade due to factors such as; increase in the number of elderly people across the world, increased costs of healthcare, and technological advancement that sees more elderly people opting to remain in their homes rather than move to assisted living facilities. This shift is revolutionizing healthcare as more and more people require medical, personal and companion care at home. Evolution instead has strengthened the industry knowledge-base and capacity to deliver quality and patient centered care enabled by innovation such as telehealth and remote monitoring. Furthermore, development of trends in government policies and reimbursement structure has helped create markets by encouraging home care as a cheaper way of delivering care than the hospitals or nursing homes. And over time, that demand is expected to reshape and expand the food and beverage industry, from reacting to shifting demographics to adapting to growing pains. Thus, the questions of career growth, staff shortage, legislation limitation, and funding are the main issues to consider for further development.