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This guest editorial provides an overview of recent progress in street-level bureaucracy (SLB) literature, focusing on the Global South, and summarizes the papers collected for a special issue on this topic. The papers cover a range of topics including policy network participation, social service provision, primary care strategies, mental health management, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on social services. The authors argue for a contextual-based approach to SLB theory and highlight the need to avoid imposing normative standards on different regions. They also emphasize the importance of considering power relations and the distribution of responsibilities in street-level work. The report includes two diagrams illustrating the number of selected papers published between 1999 and 2023, providing an overview of publication trends in the field. [Extracted from the article]

Collegiality is one of the fundamental values of the nursing profession. During the nursing history, collegiality has been described as part of a nurse's relationship with their peers and it influences the quality of care they provide and job satisfaction and commitment to their work. Despite earlier definitions, the concept of collegiality in nursing has remained unclear. The aim of this study was to clarify the concept of collegiality in the nursing profession, using Rodger's evolutionary concept analysis. We carried out electronic searches using the CINAHL, PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, SocINDEX, PsycINFO and Eric databases and manual searches of the reference lists of the selected papers. The searches were limited to peer-reviewed papers published in English language from the inception of database to November 2022. This identified 25 papers. Based on our analysis, the attributes of the concept of collegiality were achieving mutual goals together with equality, reciprocity, trusted advocacy, powerful self-regulation and engaged belongingness. Antecedents of the concept included existing professional group, connection between professionals and professional self-esteem. The consequences were strengthening nurses' professional status, job satisfaction and their ability to provide the best possible patient care. We found that nurses' collegiality was a value-based concept, with a unique character based on professional connections. The concept brought together ethical and pragmatic strategies to achieve the best possible results for the nursing profession. Provided knowledge can be applied for further development of the concept and applying it in clinical research and practice. The concept of nurses' collegiality should also be studied in the future because both the profession and their working environment are constantly changing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper analyses the economic and social impacts of implementing the European Accessibility Act (EAA). The study explores the trade-off between equality and efficiency as conceptualised by Arthur Okun. It evaluates how the EAA aims to enhance accessibility for persons with disabilities within the EU member states. Design/methodology/approach: This paper employs a theoretical framework based on Arthur Okun's concepts of equality and efficiency. The study reviews existing literature, including policy documents and academic research, to outline the EAA's assumptions and provisions. It also analyses the anticipated economic and social effects of the directive's implementation by examining relevant data and case studies. Findings: The study finds that while the EAA promotes greater accessibility and social inclusion for persons with disabilities, significant challenges and risks may limit its effectiveness. These include the economic burden on businesses and national authorities' need for comprehensive and timely implementation. However, the directive has the potential to drive innovation, enhance market competitiveness, and improve the overall quality of life for individuals with disabilities by providing equal opportunities and reducing social disparities. Originality/value: This paper contributes to the discourse on the intersection of economic efficiency and social equality by applying Okun's theoretical framework to the context of the EAA. It offers a unique perspective on the directive's potential impacts, highlighting the importance of designing policies that promote social objectives. The findings provide valuable insights for policymakers, businesses, and disability advocacy groups on the implementation and implications of the EAA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Commentary critically reflects on the papers published in the Special Issue (SI) of Applied Linguistics Review titled 'Reflection and Reform of Applied Linguistics from the Global South: Power and Inequality in English users from the Global South'. While the papers in the SI add new insights to the recent innovations in the ontology and epistemology of Applied Linguistics based on research studies done in the contexts of Australia, Brazil, Hong Kong, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, and Nepal, the Commentary shows that more research studies on the multi-modal meaning-making processes and the spatiality and temporality of semiotic resources will give a greater understanding of the meaning-making processes. The Commentary also indicates that the politics underlying the governance, policy packages of neoliberalism in education, and hidden linguistic governmentality observable in language policies and practices in both Global South and Global North require further attention. Decoloniality, moreover, requires delinking from the academic practices that give immense importance to northern theories. Minimizing intellectual dependency on northern theories may help gain the intellectual sovereignty of the South. Hence, the Commentary indicates that it is high time to explore what the epistemological South and geographical South have to say about the Global South. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This is a response to "Taming wicked problems", a paper recently published in CPOIB in which modern slavery is framed as a wicked problem. The purpose of this study is to convey the author's appraisal of its contribution to policymaking regarding modern slavery in global supply chains. Design/methodology/approach: The author engages in a discursive review of "Taming wicked problems", taking inspiration from its perceived strengths and weaknesses to expand on the problem of modern slavery as a challenge to international business (IB) researchers. Findings: "Taming wicked problems" is welcomed as a provocative contribution to modern slavery research in IB, although it is perceived to give too little critical attention to the problem of modern slavery itself. Research limitations/implications: This is, by design, a subjective assessment of the treatment of modern slavery and policy from the perspective of an IB researcher who has previously studied the phenomenon without a wicked problem framing. Practical implications: Modern slavery is a serious problem for IB scholars, as they have failed to extrapolate it from their analysis of international business strategy. This paper is intended to advance the disciplinary defence of vulnerable workers exploited to the ultimate benefit of MNEs. Social implications: IB must engage critically with international business strategies that heighten the risk of human rights violations. The persistence of modern slavery disadvantages all persons in employment. Originality/value: This paper seeks to better define the offense implicit in modern slavery so to inform critical IB research into its causes and deterrence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper evaluates the adaptation of neoliberal policies in the Indian urban housing policy sector. While completing the objectives of this paper, the article also appraises the expression of neoliberalism as it unfolds in the literature. Neoliberalism is considered a loose set of philosophical, institutional, and political principles to safeguard individual and collective freedom like private property rights, goods and services exchange, movement of capital and labor, etc. Neoliberal policies promote open markets and trade to unbound creative potentials and entrepreneurial skills through efficient utilization of resources and upbringing of human well-being. In a neoliberal regime, cities compete to attract talented people, capital, and resources to achieve newer economic and social benchmarks. However, the constant pursuit of excessive achievements lets some negativities grow within. Large-scale inequality, deprivation, social unrest, and meager quality of life affect the sustainable and holistic development of seemingly most developed cities worldwide. Referring to literature from social sciences, urban planning, and development studies, this paper focuses on the consequences of neoliberalism and its impact on urban housing in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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