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Using observational data on consumer carryout bag usage, we measure the effects of disposable bag policies on disposable and reusable bag demand. Our results show that plastic bag bans coupled with paper bag fees decrease total disposable bag demand but lead to significant increases in paper bag consumption. We compare our results to a study on bag fees and find that both policies lead to similar increases in reusable bag usage. However, the success of bans versus fees in discouraging disposable bag usage is contingent upon the types and prices of bags that stores choose to sell in lieu of disposable plastic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is an analysis and evaluation of a cross-section of current research in the policy area. The data used as representative of current policy research are the 51 papers submitted for possible presentation at the 1979 Business Policy and Planning Division Meeting in Atlanta, and the evaluations of these papers by blind reviewers. The areas covered by the papers are compared to the recommendations found in Schendel and Hofer (1979). The research methodologies used are also enumerated. The quality of the papers, as perceived by the blind reviewers, is presented by category--conceptual, empirical, and teaching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Disaster Risk Management (DRM) is complex due to interacting climate risks from interacting hazards and sectors. We develop a synthetic multi‐risk test case to explore the effects of these interactions on decision‐making under deep uncertainty. The test case accounts for changes in hazard impacts and occurrence frequency due to interactions between floods and droughts. Interactions between the shipping, housing and agricultural sectors are considered as well. We use this test case to explore the utility of the Dynamic Adaptive Policy Pathways for Multi‐Risk (DAPP‐MR) framework. DAPP‐MR has been introduced to assess DRM policies' effectiveness under deep uncertainties and to develop integrated adaptive strategies considering interactions across hazards, sectors and time. With the test case, we show that the stage‐wise approach of DAPP‐MR, which gradually increases the complexity of the analysis, can facilitate the evaluation process. Earlier stages of the analysis can be used to establish the direct cause‐effect relations, later stages allow us to identify whether additional interacting factors have a significant effect on the direct cause‐effect relations. As a result, decision‐makers can gain insights into dependencies and their relevance for developing short‐to long‐term strategies under deep uncertainty. We show that multi‐risk interactions can lead to non‐linear effects that influence the outcome of the policy analysis, for example, the indirect influence of a decision in one sector on another. Future work could investigate further improving the operationalization of this staged approach as well as extending the set of uncertainties, dynamics and decision‐rules accounted for in the multi‐risk test case. Plain Language Summary: This paper addresses the complex challenge that many regions face when dealing with multiple interconnected disasters, like floods, droughts and earthquakes. Traditional Disaster Risk Management methods often fall short, particularly in long‐term planning that considers factors such as climate change. We apply a step‐by‐step approach known as "Dynamic Adaptive Policy Pathways for Multi‐Risk (DAPP‐MR)" to assist decision‐makers in better understanding and planning for these intertwined risks over time. This paper employs a hypothetical test case where different sectors (e.g., agricultural sector) seek effective ways to prepare for and respond to flood and drought risks. The DAPP‐MR method facilitates this by breaking down the process into smaller, more manageable steps. This approach allows for an easier understanding of the direct effects of disasters and gradually incorporates more complex interactions between different risks. Our findings suggest that this step‐by‐step method can aid decision‐makers in grasping the connections between various factors and their significance in formulating both short‐ and long‐term strategies. The study also reveals that interactions between different risks can produce unexpected, nonlinear effects, adding complexity to the interpretation of policy outcomes. Key Points: A multi‐risk modeling case with interacting hazards and sectors is created to explore effects for decision‐making under deep uncertaintyDynamic Adaptive Policy Pathways for Multi‐Risk has proven effective for pathway analysis to grasp interactions and their relevance through a structured, stage‐by‐stage approachMulti‐risk interactions can alter the decision‐making outcome because of changes in performance or timings of potential pathways [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Policies on risk constitute a core topic of risk analysis and risk science, and it is common at risk conferences to present real‐life cases of such policies, for example related to the handling of climate change and pandemics. Although these are of broad interest, showing how important issues in society are dealt with, it can be questioned to what extent and how these cases contribute to enhancing risk analysis and risk science. The present paper addresses this concern. It is argued that, in order to learn from the cases, they need in general to be more thoroughly followed up with discussions of concepts, principles, approaches, and methods for assessing, characterizing, communicating and handling risk. Describing a governmental policy on, for example, the handling of COVID‐19 is a point of departure for interesting discussions concerning its justification and performance, in particular in relation to risk and the most updated knowledge from the risk analysis field. Such discussions are, however, often lacking. The paper points to some key obstacles and challenges for the learning process, including the difficulty of distinguishing between policies, policy analysis, and politics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our paper aims to explore the role of subsistence farming in Hungary by reviewing the literature, analyzing the primary data from a representative survey conducted in 2018 in Hungary and presenting two case‐studies. According to European and national‐level policy analysis, subsistence farming is a cornerstone of European agriculture, as it is a central element of a positive rural image. The paper is based on earlier theories on subsistence farming, and argues that it is worth analyzing the different factors influencing subsistence farming in order to better understand the motivations of participating in this kind of activity. The paper analyses the role of five different factors on subsistence farming: economic, societal, policy, discursive, and sustainability factors, and argues that, although all five factors are important in order to understand the phenomenon, economic and policy factors are the most important in this type of activity, while sustainability is almost imperceptible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Blue–green infrastructure (BGI) is often promoted for its co‐benefits and multifunctionality. However, this infrastructure is repeatedly planned, implemented and researched almost entirely based on the goals of stormwater management. Thus, more knowledge is required about how co‐benefits are perceived and actioned by planning actors. By investigating co‐benefits from a value perspective, this paper will contribute to the ongoing debate on how stormwater planning actors address the potential co‐benefits and conflicts in the planning and implementation of BGI. The data are derived from policy document analyses and interviews with municipal and private planning actors in Bergen and Tromsø, Norway. The paper argues that municipal water actors are motivated to implement BGI beyond stormwater management goals and approach co‐benefits and holistic stormwater management as an ideal in stormwater planning. However, the tensions and conflicts between the co‐benefits become more evident in the actual implementation of BGI. The paper finds that when holistic BGI implementation is initiated by the municipal water actors, the stormwater management aspects dominate the BGI implementation. Finally, the paper concludes that even though blue and green values and interests are often conflicted in the implementation of BGI, urban stormwater planning is in the process of developing a blue–green value set based on the potential synergies of co‐benefits. The paper therefore empirically illustrates how collective values and interests can develop and unfold across sectors and professional disciplines in BGI planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a range of actors respond to poverty in the cost of living crisis, this paper addresses a long‐standing blind spot in social policy analysis by examining the role that corporations are playing in voluntary responses in the UK. To do this the paper introduces theories of corporate power to extend approaches to researching mixed economies of welfare, which have traditionally looked at the role of commercial entities principally in terms of their role alongside other actors in the welfare state. Building on existing food charity research, which has explored the dynamics and implications of corporate‐food charity relationships, this paper applies theories of corporate power to an analysis of the food charity related activities of the top 20 leading food retailers and casual dining brands in the UK. The analysis reveals how UK corporations exercised instrumental, structural and discursive forms of power to influence policy, set agendas and norms within food and charity systems and frame issues of food charity and hunger. The paper illustrates how a corporate power framework can add important layers to social policy analyses of mixed economies of welfare, by introducing a focus not just on operational aspects of corporate involvement, but also on the impact these corporations might be having on policy, how they are shaping the structure of welfare and the drivers of poverty through agenda setting in their markets, and the ways in which corporations influence public perceptions of social policy issues and how best to respond to them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public authority addresses how actors, ranging from officials to gang leaders, and cultural innovators, interact via cooperation, competition and conflict to generate shifting degrees of social order within territories. This paper summarises four key components that directly relate to power. First, power underlies public authority. Second, public authority entails and engenders institutional bricolage. Third, public authorities utilise functions, structures, ideas and symbols of statehood. Fourth, public authorities seek legitimacy. A systematic exposition of power informs analysing public authority—notably the degree to which it facilitates inclusive or exclusive participation and distribution of benefits. This paper outlines a conceptual framework, with attention to basic elements of power, using a triadic approach that incorporates seven basic formats (or strategic templates) for exercising such power. This framework can inform subsequent inquiry and policy analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Policy Studies Journal is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Social determinants of health are a subject of growing interest, yet criticisms have emerged about the way determinants are conceptualized in nursing. A tendency to focus on readily observable living conditions and measurable demographic characteristics can divert attention, it has been said, from the less visible underlying processes which shape social life and health. To illustrate how the analytic perspective determines what becomes visible or invisible as a "determinant" in health, this paper presents a case exemplar. Drawing from news reports and research in real estate economics and urban policy analysis, it explores a single local infectious illness outbreak through a series of progressively more abstract units of inquiry, considering mechanisms of lending and debt financing, housing supply, property valuation, tax policy, change in the structure of the financial industry, and international patterns of migration and capital flow, among other factors, which contributed in various ways to creating unsafe living conditions. An analytic exercise calling attention to dynamism and complexity in social processes, the paper offers a political‐economy‐based approach that serves as a cautionary note against oversimplification in discussions of health causality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Policymaking mediates the relationships between manufacturers and consumers, thus defining the boundaries for the philosophies of production set forth by major companies. Research states that policymaking falls short in addressing the waste issues, natural resources consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, and other negative impacts posed by premature obsolescence; only recently have the "right‐to‐repair" guidelines demanded by environmental organizations and communities of citizens been included in policymaking. The introduction of the Index of Repairability in France as information at the point of sale aims to inform consumers and support their decision‐making in purchasing more repairable products. In this paper, we consider the two Indexes of Repairability publicly available to consumers—in the French legislation and iFixit—and assess their application to smartphones from three manufacturers. The study establishes links between the scores and the industrial design features that promote or hinder repairability, service factors and information for self‐repair, authorized repair, and independent repair. Data collection considers the available information for consumers and citizens by using netnography and secondary data from manufacturers, policymakers, and communities of users. Our findings suggest that higher scores that indicate easier repairability are not limited to product architectures that follow design for disassembly guidelines. Smartphones that are difficult to repair can still score high, and thus be perceived as easier to repair, if manufacturers provide high quality and affordable service. This paper discusses the results of the ongoing development of repairability scores for smartphones, thus suggesting paths for future research to improve methods and policies to support a longer lifetime of products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The gravity equation is the workhorse model of trade. Despite solid theoretical foundations and clear gains from theory‐consistent policy analysis, there are still gaps between gravity theory and empirics. This paper focuses on domestic trade flows, and I argue that there are significant benefits from adhering to theory by estimating gravity equations with domestic (in addition to international) trade flows. I review the related literature and synthesize 15 arguments for using domestic trade flows in gravity estimations. The analysis reveals the need for further theory contributions and new data developments, and points to opportunities for more policy applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper considers an oligopolistic market for a vaccine, characterized by negative network effects, which stem from the free‐riding behavior of individuals engaged in a vaccination game. Vaccine markets often suffer from three imperfections: high concentration, network effects, and a health externality (contagion). The first conclusion of the paper is that the negative network externality is important as a market distortion, as it may lead to significant welfare losses. The second and main part of the paper develops a two‐part per‐unit subsidy scheme that a social planner could use to target both consumers and producers of vaccines. The scope of such a subsidy scheme to induce the firms to produce the first‐best output without network effects (which is the most ambitious first‐best target) is investigated. In many cases, while the first‐best is attainable, it requires negative prices for vaccines, which amounts to rewarding consumers to induce them to vaccinate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies how the strength of social ties is affected by the geographical location of other individuals and their social capital. We characterize the equilibrium in terms of both social interactions and social capital. We show that lower travel costs increase not only the interaction frequency but also the social capital for all agents. We also show that the equilibrium frequency of interactions is lower than the efficient one. Using a unique geocoded data set of friendship networks among adolescents in the United States, we structurally estimate the model and show that indeed agents socially interact less than that at the first best optimum. Our policy analysis suggests that, at the same cost, subsidizing social interactions yield a higher total welfare than subsidizing transportation costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper suggests that artificial intelligence in education (AIEd) can be fruitfully analysed as 'policies frozen in silicon'. This means that they exist as both materialised and proposed problematisations (problem representations with corresponding solutions). As a theoretical and analytical response, this paper puts forward a heuristic lens that can provide insights into how AI technologies (or advocated AI technologies) function as proposed solutions to certain problematisations based on various imaginaries about how education and learning are best performed or supported. The combined reading of imaginaries and problematisations can thereby aid in our understanding of why and how visions of learning and education are framed in relation to AIEd developments. The overall ambition is to advance theoretical and analytical approaches towards an educational system which is (anticipated as) increasingly permeated by AI systems—systems that also support and implement, more or less, invisible models, standards and assessments of learning, as well as more grand visions of (technology‐augmented) education in society. Practitioner notesWhat is already known about this topicArtificial intelligence in education (AIEd) is repeatedly presented as a solution for a range of educational 'problems'.This means that such 'solutions' must also frame certain aspects as 'problems'.Such problems and 'solutions' (problematisations) also exist within certain imaginaries of the present times and of the future, where these problematisations are presented as particularly significant and acute, and promoting specific anticipations of learning and ideals of education.What this paper addsAn exposition of problematisations in educational settings.An exposition of educational imaginaries.A heuristic lens for understanding the 'present' and 'future' in a particular imaginary as entangled in, and dependent on, a certain 'past'.Implications for practice and/or policyThe approach presented in this paper provides a heuristic lens for examining how AI technologies (or advocated AI technologies) function as proposed solutions to problematisations based on imaginaries about how education and learning are best performed or supported.This aids our understanding of how and why certain visions of learning and education are framed in relation to AIEd developments (real or imagined).It also advances theoretical and analytical approaches towards an educational system, which is (anticipated as) increasingly permeated by AI systems—systems that also support and implement, more or less, invisible models, standards and assessments of learning, as well as more grand visions of (technology‐augmented) education in society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Emergency Social Safety Net (ESSN) programme, which was launched in 2016, has become the central element of the humanitarian response to the plight of Syrian refugees in Turkey and an instrument of European migration control policies. This paper offers a contextual analysis of this European Union‐funded cash assistance scheme by examining the modes of interaction between its major assumptions and the broader humanitarian response in the context of Turkey. It finds that the ESSN comes with compromises on humanitarian principles and standards, amplifies the protection and assistance divide, and fails to address the realities of Turkey with respect to the country's housing and labour markets and weak protection framework. The paper concludes that a more inclusive approach to eligibility and higher transfer payments can contribute to the addressing of assistance needs provided that cash support is combined with robust protection programming and the implementation of sector‐specific projects and policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An active debate has emerged about the political viability of market‐based versus non‐market‐based policies to address climate change. As carbon pricing policies face significant political challenges, some have argued that regulatory policies are a better option because they do not highlight consumer energy prices and can be linked to other economic and social priorities. Yet, no study has compared communication strategies for regulatory versus price‐based climate policies in practice. This paper fills that gap through a qualitative content analysis of framing strategies for Ontario's 2016 cap‐and‐trade program for greenhouse gas emissions, and Virginia's 2020 clean energy mandate. Results largely confirm the paper's primary hypothesis that similar financial frames will be used as or more frequently for the regulatory policy as for the price‐based policy, complicating any theory that regulatory policies will face an easier political path due to their different messaging options. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper builds Distributional National Accounts (DINA) using household survey data. We develop a transparent and reproducible methodology that uses only publicly available sources, provides highly comparable results well suited for policy analyses, and can be applied when administrative tax data are not available for research. We apply this methodology to build synthetic micro‐datafiles for European countries that cover the entire distribution, include all income components separately, are consistent with national accounts, and preserve the detailed socioeconomic information available in the surveys. We discuss the methodological steps and their impact on the income distribution. In particular, we highlight the effects of imputations and the adjustment of variables to national accounts' totals. Furthermore, we compare the different income concepts of the DINA and the EG‐DNA approach in a consistent way. Overall, aligning household incomes with national accounts' totals and imputing incomes from other sectors increases inequality in most countries, which underlines the importance of reconciling income distributions with macroeconomic aggregates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Review of Policy Research is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper provides a comprehensive historical analysis of policies, theories and approaches to juvenile delinquency. It also examines the deficits and advantages of the application of adult based criminological theory as a means of explaining, and irradiating juvenile crime. Additionally, the author explores the dynamics of the definition of childhood, the pervasiveness of the mistreatment of children, and how these ever‐evolving conditions have impacted juvenile justice policy. Moreover, the paper dissects classical, positivist, and neo‐classical criminological theories efforts to explain society's response to juvenile crime. In the conclusion, the author draws implications to contemporary approaches to the treatment of juvenile delinquency based in the positivist school of thought. Finally, the author discuss the significance of understanding the historical implications for policymakers and practitioners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper surveys the empirical research on fiscal policy analysis based on real-time data. This literature can be broadly divided into four groups that focus on: (1) the statistical properties of revisions in fiscal data; (2) the political and institutional determinants of projection errors by governments; (3) the reaction of fiscal policies to the business cycle and (4) the use of real-time fiscal data in structural vector autoregression (VAR) models. It emerges that, first, fiscal revisions are large and initial releases are biased estimates of final values. Secondly, strong fiscal rules and institutions lead to more accurate releases of fiscal data and smaller deviations of fiscal outcomes from government plans. Thirdly, the cyclical stance of fiscal policies is estimated to be more 'counter-cyclical' when real-time data are used instead of ex post data. Fourthly, real-time data can be useful for the identification of fiscal shocks. Finally, it is shown that existing real-time fiscal data sets cover only a limited number of countries and variables. For example, real-time data for developing countries are generally unavailable. In addition, real-time data on European countries are often missing, especially with respect to government revenues and expenditures. Therefore, more work is needed in this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Institutional racism within Australia, grounded in the country's settler‐colonial structure, has sidelined Indigenous interests in public policymaking since federation. In an attempt to redress this, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) was endorsed by the Australian government in 2009. UNDRIP is an authoritative international standard that could inform the ways that governments engage with Indigenous peoples and protect their rights. This paper introduces Indigenist Critical Policy Analysis (ICPA). While mainstream policy evaluation assesses whether policies and processes have met the governments stated objectives, ICPA assesses whether they uphold or violate Indigenous rights. ICPA involves reviewing policy documents against the key principles and specific Articles of UNDRIP. Presenting a worked example of ICPA, the NSW Regional Health Strategic Plan 2022–2032 is assessed against the five phases: (1) Orientation; (2) Close examination; (3) Determination; (4) Strengthening practice; and (5) Indigenous final word. This analysis finds that the Strategic Plan is poorly aligned with UNDRIP. Specifically, there is little evidence that Indigenous values influenced or held any authority in the process. ICPA offers a practical approach to analysing policy for compatibility with Indigenous rights under international law that could be used by Indigenous organisations and policymakers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates how scanner data affect demand elasticity estimates and develops methods for scientists to adapt estimated elasticities to analyses of specific policies. We conduct a meta‐analysis of U.S. demand elasticities and find evidence that scanner data generate statistically different elasticities, with more elastic demand than other data types. Own‐price elasticity estimates from household scanner quantity data appear to be more elastic than other quantity types. Household‐level estimates using retail scanner price data, as proxies for prices, tend to be more price‐elastic than other price types. These results suggest caution or adjustment when selecting elasticities for policy analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Only with the three largest emitters (the EU, China and the US) building a coalition was it possible to conclude the Paris Agreement in 2015. With the announced withdrawal of the US, the interdependence between the EU and China has increased significantly. Both actors have reiterated their will to implement the Paris Agreement and to cooperate on climate change. In times of political constraints between the EU and China, this seems puzzling. The paper takes a role‐theoretic perspective to assess the following question: How can the changing roles of the EU and China, ascribed to them by external and internal expectations, explain their increased climate cooperation? It draws on a qualitative text analysis of policy documents and expert interviews. The paper concludes with a discussion of the findings against the backdrop of growing tensions between the EU and China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Material efficiency (ME) strategies are pursued by governments and companies to reduce environmental emissions, improve supply chain resilience, and enhance cost competitiveness. Material flow analysis (MFA) methods are useful to quantify raw material stocks and flows and assess the potential impacts of ME strategies. Although the popularity of MFA methods is increasing, there are methodological limitations that hinder its use as a decision support tool for prospective assessments. To overcome some of these, MFA is increasingly integrated with other methods from different research fields. This paper categorizes integrated MFA methods by identifying and explaining the methods and their applications. A semi‐structured literature review screened a wide range of methods integrated with MFA prospective analysis and evaluated their applications from 158 studies. This showed that integrated MFA can be used to: (1) include economic, social, and environmental layers; (2) improve the technical foundation of MFA by including entropy and exergy analyses and process engineering methods; (3) include economic mechanisms and link the economic system to the material system; and (4) improve the representation of materials in existing methods and models. Our research demonstrates that integrated MFA should be a central method in planning and designing ME strategies for companies and governments. This paper provides an important knowledge base of integrated MFA methods and creates a discussion point on MFA, where the research field is currently at or indeed where it could be heading in the future, that is, "Quo Vadis" MFA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper extends previous work in the development of a methodology for ill-structured policy problems. It argues that recent advances in the structure and logic of argumentation allow one to develop a new basis for treating policy issues. In brief, policies may be viewed as the outcome of a process of reasoning (argumentation) whose purpose is to establish the basis (rationale) for the policy. This paper shows how the tools of symbolic logic may be applied to handle arguments containing strong inconsistencies. The tools presented allow treatment of one of the most fundamental issues concerned with ill-structured problems, the divergence between opposing formulations or perceptions of a problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper demonstrates the importance of making regional cost adjustments and questions the validity of papers using nationwide compensation to assess noncompete enforceability and other policies without regional price‐level adjustments. Numerous papers in recent years do not incorporate the cross‐sectional analog to inflation adjustments. Using the Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parity (RPP) index, the results of a representative policy analysis study are analyzed with, and without, parity adjustment. We show that typical results demonstrating broad negative economic effects from noncompete covenants may be an artifact of using nominal, nonparity‐adjusted data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our paper aims to explore the role of subsistence farming in Hungary by reviewing the literature, analyzing the primary data from a representative survey conducted in 2018 in Hungary and presenting two case‐studies. According to European and national‐level policy analysis, subsistence farming is a cornerstone of European agriculture, as it is a central element of a positive rural image. The paper is based on earlier theories on subsistence farming, and argues that it is worth analyzing the different factors influencing subsistence farming in order to better understand the motivations of participating in this kind of activity. The paper analyses the role of five different factors on subsistence farming: economic, societal, policy, discursive, and sustainability factors, and argues that, although all five factors are important in order to understand the phenomenon, economic and policy factors are the most important in this type of activity, while sustainability is almost imperceptible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using multiple case studies design, the paper examined how selected local governments in the Philippines implement the policy on auxiliary social services for persons with disability (PWDs) and analyzed how the implementation is influenced by factors such as local policy guidelines, financial resources, and local institutional actors. It was found that local policies play a key role in providing knowledge and guidance to local governments on social services that need to be delivered and could serve as basis for budget allocation. Financial resources can also influence the operation of the unit/office responsible to deliver the services, the types of services that the local government is able to deliver, the number of PWDs that can be provided with services, and the capacity building activities for local government workers. Likewise, local institutional actors can affect the functionality of responsible offices as well as the extent and coverage of services provided to PWDs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the impact of reducing non‐tariff measures (NTMs) in major ASEAN countries. New econometric estimates of the impact of different types of NTMs are used in a global supply chain model to separately model the effects on intermediate products and those sold to final consumers. We also distinguish between whether the NTM cost burden is directed at exporters or importers. This paper makes important advances in modelling the heterogeneity of NTMs, offering much richer policy analysis of the impact of NTMs on supply chains in the Asia‐Pacific region than has previously been possible. We illustrate the benefits, both to the major ASEAN countries and to their trading partners, from the partial liberalisation by ASEAN countries of their most trade distorting types of NTMs. Such liberalisation increases the GDP and welfare of all countries, with the effect particularly pronounced for the major ASEAN countries themselves, especially Vietnam and the Philippines. As trade in plant products and animal products is particularly affected by NTMs, these sectors show the largest expansion of trade. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides an analysis of the latest World Trade Organisation Trade Policy Review of the European Union. The review period was one of heightened trade tensions, where the dynamic between China–US–EU dominated the policy agenda. A number of key findings emerge from the review, broader literature and events after the review period: (i) much remains to be negotiated as part of Brexit, (ii) there has been a change of approach whereby trade and investment agreements tend to be separate; this has important implications for the speed of implementation, (iii) strategic oversight regarding extra‐EU investment inflows hinges on national screening mechanisms, (iv) rival infrastructure development schemes are emerging, suggesting that the EU will struggle to create space for their own initiative, (v) free trade agreements are increasingly covering a broader range of issues such as labour rights and environmental protection and (vi) digitisation and a tax schedule for digital services is still work in progress. Overall, the review is an extremely useful reference document. However, a critical assessment of the factual information is necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Iran has been among the top ten largest refugee‐host countries worldwide, sheltering one of the largest groups of forced migrants from Afghanistan during the past four decades. This policy paper briefly examines and summarizes the policies related to education of Afghan children in Iran through a structured review. The results of this review suggest that higher education has been and continues to be heavily restricted for Afghans. While access to primary education has improved for Afghans in Iran, policies continue to neglect both cultural specificity and unique needs of this group. Therefore, enrolment has remained restricted. The findings of our policy analysis call for further attention to culturally relevant education, financial assistance for families living in poverty and interventions to subsidize the cost of education to ensure access of all Afghan children to primary education and retain enrolment. Results also call for reconsiderations in restrictive higher education policies for Afghans in Iran. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the targets of the UN's Our Common Agenda Report is placing women at the centre. In this paper, we propose a three‐step methodology for the analysis of gender inequality: (1) we explain how gender gaps are measured and present several indicators of inequality and discrimination against women. Several international institutions are paying close attention to the topic, and we present their main indexes; (2) we show the different ways that exist to identify the main factors that explain these gaps, in order to propose gender policies; (3) we evaluate the success of real policies in reducing the gender gaps. Discrimination against women exists, but the extent of 'real' gender discrimination is quite complex to identify. We describe some techniques for carefully dealing with this issue. It is clear that real discrimination should be eradicated and that the elimination of gender gaps requires the consideration of different social dimensions: work, occupation, income, poverty, social exclusion, education, health, civil rights, political empowerment, participation in culture, relations within the family, co‐responsibility in childcare and reconciliation of professional life, different forms of violence against women, among others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China's 2009 health care reform agenda has been referred to as one of the most ambitious health policy programmes in modern history. Significant investment has combined with new structures, incentives, and regulations that have aimed to improve access, as well as gain greater control over a health care market much criticised for putting profit before patients. A range of health services research has been undertaken to analyse these efforts. Sociological perspectives have also been documented yet up to now a review and synthesis combining these various contributions has not been undertaken. By drawing on the lens of McDonaldization, the paper presents a narrative review that analyses the extent to which China's 2009 reform agenda has increased efficiency, calculability, predictability, and control over service provision. The review identifies elements of McDonaldization within China's 2009 reform agenda, however, notable gaps remain. In response to the limits of McDonaldization as a lens for understanding China's health care reform, the paper calls for alternative perspectives that are better able to understand the sociocultural dynamics shaping service provision, as well as an interdisciplinary research agenda that is able to generate new insights and understanding regarding health care in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we present a dynamic general equilibrium (DGE) model to address the macrofiscal vulnerabilities and the effects of fiscal policy on growth and employment in Algeria. We first discuss the baseline scenario over the period 2021–2040. According to our baseline results, without fundamental changes in fiscal policies, even relatively high growth will not be sufficient to put public debt on a sustainable path. We then conduct four experiments and assess their impact on fiscal accounts, growth, and unemployment: an increase in the efficiency of public spending on infrastructure investment, a gradual reduction in the share of noninterest government spending in GDP, the same gradual reduction in spending combined with a permanent increase in the share of investment in infrastructure in total noninterest government expenditure, and a composite fiscal reform program that combines these individual policies, respectively. The results suggest that public debt sustainability can be achieved, and growth and employment can be promoted, as long as an ambitious fiscal reform program involving tax, spending, and governance reforms is implemented. Importantly, our quantitative analysis shows that, with a well‐designed fiscal program, there may be no trade‐off between fiscal consolidation and economic growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Policy Studies Journal is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

To improve patients' welfare, governments can regulate the availability of the low‐price drugs (LPDs) through lower wholesale purchasing or retail selling of the LPD. This paper characterizes two common constrained policies from the practices of pharmaceutical markets. The first (policy P) controls the ratios of the LPD's purchasing quantity and fee. The second (policy S) controls the ratios of the LPD's selling quantity and revenue. Considering a pharmaceutical supply chain consisting of two independent manufacturers and a hospital, we investigate the impacts of two policies on the LPD's availability and the whole industry gains. Our results show that policy P dominates policy S in two aspects: (a) policy P provides a higher product availability of the LPD and (b) policy P reduces less profits for the pharmaceutical supply chain. Specifically, policy P could incur a win‐win outcome for the patient and the supply chain. We further show that the demand allocation of the LPD, the substitution degree, and the profit margins' difference can significantly affect the performances of the policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

EU aquaculture produces only a small fraction of the internal demand of aquatic foods, but boosting this activity must be done in compliance with high standards of environmental protection and social benefits, as fostered by the policies on circular economy recently launched by the EU. Nevertheless, the assessment of the environmental sustainability of aquaculture and other food production systems is complex, due to the different tools and approaches available. Moreover, the current EU regulatory framework may be restricting the options to implement some circular solutions. This paper examines the controversies related to the assessment of environmental impacts of aquaculture processes and the different available circular solutions, with a focus on the best options to valorize aquaculture side streams and how current regulatory burdens and gaps should be solved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This conceptual paper develops a new perspective linking the concept of “adaptive efficiency” with the allocative, discovery and creative functions of the market from an institutional perspective. The efficacy of the adaptive efficiency of market functions in improving economic performance is proposed to be measured by changes in transaction costs. This perspective enables an analysis of the independent and interrelated effects of these functions, provides a more complete understanding of entrepreneurial activities and the efficient allocation of resources, better deals with the central problems of economic system and organisation, namely, adaptation and the coordination of knowledge, and has useful implications for public policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

State-owned enterprises, referred to as 'government owned business corporations' in this paper, are a common phenomenon in Canada, are increasing in number, and are contributing substantially to the economy. The environment for these corporations is examined to establish the principal components and to identify two dominating trends in public policy, privatization and commercialization. The paper suggests that these trends, plus management's desire for flexibility, are resulting in the formulation of autonomy strategies designed to increase management's decision making capability relating to operating and strategic management with less government interference. A final section integrates the environment and autonomy strategies discussions to develop a typology for classifying the behaviour of government owned business corporations. The paper concludes that the managers of government owned business corporations in Canada are formulating and implementing autonomy strategies because of environmental factors, public policies, and management's desire for independence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a semi‐quantitative review of measures to achieve net‐zero greenhouse gas emissions ("decarbonization") in the cementitious materials (CMs) cycle, that is, activities directly related to cement spanning extraction through to end of life. It focuses on the United Kingdom and Europe in order to relate these measures, comprising emissions, energy, and material efficiency, to the policy landscape. We summarize our findings in an annotated CMs cycle, produced by reconciling the diverse yet relatively underdeveloped literature on the topic, to quantify decarbonization potentials of the various measures in a systematic manner. We find that decarbonization measures with significant potential exist along the entire CMs cycle, although upstream (of use), energy, and emission efficiency measures are better quantified than downstream (of use) and material efficiency measures. Notably, the decarbonization potentials of recycling technologies and the ways in which technological advancements may transform the CMs cycle and thus the stocks, flows, and processing of materials, as well as effectiveness of decarbonization measures, are poorly understood. Therefore, this paper provides a basis to systematically understand the effects of emissions, energy, and material efficiency measures on decarbonization of the CMs cycle and, in this context, the interplay between technology, economic actors, and policy. This article met the requirements for a gold–gold JIE data openness badge described at http://jie.click/badges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ronald Jones made seminal contributions to general‐equilibrium theory, moving away from an emphasis on the existence of equilibrium to algebraic formulations which enabled us to characterize key relationships between parameters and variables, such as that between tariffs and domestic factor prices and welfare. But the analysis remained limited in value for policy evaluation: the analysis was local, it provided only qualitative results, it was limited to very small models, and strictly interior solutions had to be assumed. The contribution of this paper is largely pedagogic and methodological. I show how the tools and approach pioneered by Jones can be generalized via the use of duality, complementarity and the Karush–Kuhn–Tucker theorem into a global, quantitative analysis of large changes in high‐dimensional models which also allows for regime changes and corner solutions. I then show how the resulting nonlinear complementarity problem directly translates into a numerical model using the General Algebraic Modeling System (GAMS). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a susceptible–exposed–infected–quarantined–removed (SEIQR) dynamic stochastic general equilibrium model to evaluate the macroeconomic effects of the current COVID‐19 pandemic. The SEIQR configuration setting is calibrated using COVID‐19 data from Morocco. Using the model, we demonstrate how the pandemic might lead to declining consumption and productivity. We illustrate that a combination of quarantine policy, vaccination and treatment of the uninfected person is more successful than using only one of the policies. The combination lowered the number of infected, exposed and quarantined people. We also assessed the economic effects of multiple strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a case study of sentencing policy in the adjoining, and demographically and culturally similar, states of Minnesota and Wisconsin. Using administrative data, together with historical and legal analyses of sentencing policy in each state, it (1) argues that the destabilization of the penal order represented a critical juncture during which commission‐based, presumptive sentencing guidelines were an option in both states; (2) analyzes how the decision to adopt this guidelines system in Minnesota and the failure to do so in Wisconsin initiated path‐dependent processes, making it difficult to reverse the initial policy choice; and (3) assesses how these distinct policy paths led to different penal outcomes. A concluding section discusses how analyses of path dependency shed light on the state variation in sentencing policy and provide a framework for assessing the possibilities of, and obstacles to, penal reform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we suggest an approach to analysing policies relating to the COVID‐19 pandemic. We discuss the formulation of policy and sketch how the approach can be applied to different specific challenges as policymakers try to make difficult choices for managing the pandemic and protecting the economy and society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the decisions made in designing a new Australian macroeconometric model to be used for both policy analysis and forecasting. Serving these dual functions requires a reasonable level of consistency with both macroeconomic theory (emphasised in New Keynesian dynamic stochastic general equilibrium models) and macroeconomic data (emphasised in vector autoregression models). The key decisions made in modelling household, business, government and foreign behaviour are explained. The design decisions taken are reflected in the new model, which is the latest in a series developed by the author. The use of the latest model is illustrated in optimal control simulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two cornerstones of empirical and policy analysis of firms, in macro, labor and industrial organization, are the determinants of the firm size distribution and the determinants of sorting between workers and firms. We propose a unifying theory of production where management resolves a tradeoff between hiring more versus better workers. The span of control or size is therefore intimately intertwined with the sorting pattern. We provide a condition for sorting that captures this tradeoff between the quantity and quality of workers and that generalizes Becker's sorting condition. A system of differential equations determines the equilibrium allocation, the firm size, and wages, and allows us to characterize the allocation of the quality and quantity of labor to firms of different productivity. We show that our model nests a large number of widely used existing models. We also augment the model to incorporate labor market frictions in the presence of sorting with large firms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Regulatory intermediaries have received attention in the analysis of different policy fields recently. Yet, their role in morality‐based national governance arrangements is hardly addressed, neither is the question of how regulators incorporate stigmatized private actors. The current special issue contributes to closing this research gap by examining the three‐party relationship between public regulators, private intermediaries, and targets in prostitution policy implementation. This introduction presents a typology of indirect moral governance, which is based on two dimensions: (1) the extent to which regulators perceive intermediaries as being trustworthy and (2) their operational capacities. Leveraging examples from the papers in the special issue, we elaborate on how the two dimensions lead to four forms of intermediation. Thus, the typology offers an innovative analytical tool to systematizes regulators' responses to governance and implementation problems in the case of morality policies and value‐laden issues more generally, including the responsibilization of stigmatized actors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a theoretical typology for categorizing the multiple roles played by public auditing today, containing four audit modes: classic administrative audit, policy analysis audit, values‐based audit, and public agenda audit. While some specific aspects of these functions have been studied in other contexts, to the best of my knowledge they have not yet been examined and articulated as a whole. Using examples from Israel, this paper seeks to bridge this gap in the literature by presenting this evolution, offering a theoretical framework for identifying and discussing its new scope, and their implications both for the future of the state audit and for democracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Australia's international relations (IR) discipline has a deep colonial history, but has never been through a conscious process of decolonisation. Although discussions of decolonising IR have taken place elsewhere, the discussion in Australia is in its infancy. This collection examines the possibilities for decolonising Australia's IR in the present moment, looking at its teaching practice, its research, its styles of analysis, and its relationship with Australian foreign policy. We consider what is particular to Australia's settler colonial context, what is achievable, and what is not. The collection also seeks to develop a new style of anti‐colonial foreign policy analysis in Australia, looking at the relationship between colonisation, settlement, and foreign policy. In this introduction, we first look over debates on decolonisation elsewhere in the field. We then examine the historical background of Australia's IR discipline, and look at Australian Indigenous diplomacy, to consider what is specific to Australia's context. We conclude by looking over the contributions of the papers in this collection, and consider what a decolonised Australian IR might look like. Ultimately, we argue that any process of decolonisation will be extremely difficult, and that decolonisation in Australian IR should be perceived as an ongoing struggle, rather than an endpoint in itself. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]