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Data innovation is at the core of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. While the catastrophic COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the societal shift toward a data-driven society, the direction of overall data regulation remains unclear and data policy experts have yet to reach a consensus. This study identifies and examines the ideal regulator models of data-policy experts and suggests an appropriate method for developing policy in the data economy. To identify different typologies of data regulation, this study used Q methodology with 42 data policy experts, including public officers, researchers, entrepreneurs, and professors, and additional focus group interviews (FGIs) with six data policy experts. Using a Q survey, this study discerns four types of data policy regulators: proactive activists, neutral conservatives, pro-protection idealists, and pro-protection pragmatists. Based on the results of the analysis and FGIs, this study suggests three practical policy implications for framing a nation’s data policy. It also discusses possibilities for exploring diverse methods of data industry regulation, underscoring the value of identifying regulatory issues in the data industry from a social science perspective.

To explore the most desirable pathway for a successful local energy transition, a fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis was conducted on 16 regional cases in South Korea. We developed four propositions based on previous studies and theories as a causal set. Based on the South Korean context, we selected the solar photovoltaic (PV) generation and solar PV expansion rate as barometers for measuring the success of a local energy transition. Our analysis highlights the importance of the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI) membership (network), local legislation, and the environmental surveillance of locally-based non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The implications of this study will provide insights for developing or newly industrialized countries where an energy transition is underway.

The social links between community entities are frequently regarded as a valuable asset for local economic development. Opinions diverge regarding the particulars of social capital and its constitution within social relations, despite its fundamental nature coming from these connections. Diverse public and private activities, according to Putnam (1995b), could constitute local social capital. While social capital can be conceptualized as private relations, assessing and debating it from the standpoint of local governments presents a formidable challenge. The distinction between the public and private spheres regarding the character of human activities was advanced by Arendt (1958). This study aims to frame the possible indicators for measuring local social capital by adopting Arendt's classical theory. By applying it to the social capital of the social communities, the research fills a gap in the discussion between public and private spheres. The integrated framework theoretically provides a backbone for the distinguished perspectives of social capital in different levels of human activities. As well as categorizing manageable and non-manageable indicators, it also provides practical policy implications for the criteria local governments place an emphasis on for managing the level of social capital in a region. It is anticipated that the framework will advance the expansion of the theoretical literature on social capital by identifying measures at two distinct levels: individual and collective characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An increase in the number of electric vehicle (EV) waste batteries has driven the growth of the waste battery market. In the EV battery industry, South Korea has demonstrated excellent output in battery production but poor output in waste battery reuse and recycling. To determine appropriate waste battery use, primary governance actors should establish their role and lead the early stage of the industrial ecosystem. Herein, we elucidated the appropriate role of each circular governance actor in EV waste batteries using the South Korean case. We used the analytic hierarchy process, a semiquantitative method, and included 37 circular economy experts. For the first class, the firm is the most important actor in the circular governance of waste batteries, with a weight of 0.404, followed by the central (0.375) and local (0.221) governments. For the second class, the reuse industry (0.167) requires more attention than the recycling industry (0.133). Because many countries worldwide interested in the waste battery market have yet to begin the implementation stage, analyzing South Korea's case can offer practical insights for countries aiming to expand their waste battery market with a clear policy orientation towards carbon neutrality or net-zero emissions and strong policy actor leadership. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study analyzes the regulatory issues of stakeholders, the firm, the government, and the individual, in the data industry using the principal-agent theory. While the importance of data driven economy is increasing rapidly, policy regulations and restrictions to use data impede the growth of data industry. We applied descriptive case analysis methodology using principal-agent theory. From our analysis, we found several meaningful results. First, key policy actors in data industry are data firms and the government among stakeholders. Second, two major concerns are that firms frequently invade personal privacy and the global companies obtain monopolistic power in data industry. This paper finally suggests policy and strategy in response to regulatory issues. The government should activate the domestic agent system for the supervision of global companies and increase data protection. Companies need to address discriminatory regulatory environments and expand legal data usage standards. Finally, individuals must embody an active behavior of consent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

South Korea's energy policy has been historically established through an energy production structure that relies on thermal and nuclear power generation in relation to a centralized 'Hard Energy System'. However, climate change issues are forcing the transition to renewable energy, and it is crucial for local governments to enable this. This study analyses Seoul city's local energy governance, which is known as One Less Nuclear Power Plant Initiative, by applying the collaborative governance framework inspired by Ansell and Gash (2008) and the Reflexivity framework of Confucianism. It is considered that the local energy governance model of Seoul city can be used as a model by other local governments, and it will eventually lead to a decentralized energy system in this era of energy transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]