Showing papers in "Advances in public policy and administration (APPA) book series in 2022"

Special Economic Zones in ASEAN

Abstract: Most of the ASEAN Member States have been implementing special economic zones (SEZ) to attract investments, create jobs, and to encourage exports. SEZ may include export processing zones, free trade zones, technology parks, and the digital free trade zone. Newer ASEAN Member States are also launching their own SEZ like the Thilawa SEZ in Myanmar and the Savan Seno Park in Lao PDR. However, each member state has its own style of SEZ development and different types of SEZ for different purposes. The chapter studies the similarities and differences of the SEZ in three ASEAN Member States, Lao PDR, Myanmar, and Malaysia. In Laos, Savan-Seno in Savannakhet was established in 2002, with access to Thailand and Vietnam. In Malaysia, the Penang model works on industrial cluster development, which is also adopted in the Johor and Klang Valley zones. In Myanmar, Thilawa SEZ began operation in 2015, mainly through collaborations with Japanese investors. Hence, it is important to understand these differences in order to find the recommended approaches for ASEAN.

Participation of People With Disabilities in the Decision-Making Process in Nepal

Abstract: Despite the significant social and political changes over the last five decades in Nepal, persons with disabilities (PwDs) still face challenges in their everyday lives. Lack of meaningful participation of PwDs in leadership and decision-making processes, social stigma, discrimination, and inaccessible physical facilities have excluded PwDs from freely exercising fundamental rights such as voting. Mass media and civil society occasionally raise issues and problems faced by PwDs. Equally, the dearth of data regarding disability has created further challenges to policymakers and planners to understand the diversity of PwD issues at large. Based on a qualitative study, this chapter aims to explore the participation of PwDs particularly in the different phases of policy formulation (such as consultation and participation) at the municipal level and calls for crucial actions for ensuring meaningful participation of PwDs in democratic processes in Nepal in the current federal context.

E-Waste Management

Abstract: Sustainability addresses balance, balance between present and future essentially required for the survival of our planet. Upgradation of technology has contributed largely in generating enormous waste, the e-waste whose management has become the talk of the hour. E-waste spawns gargantuan toxic leftovers, which are detrimental for the life of Earth and the life of all organisms contained by the Earth. This review-based chapter targets to highlight and fulfill the objectives of e-waste management's prominence from an environmental perspective chiefly in developing countries. E-waste management has traumatized Earth's lifespan. Managing and maintaining it has been the core concern of all the nations particularly of the developing ones. Global e-waste management is taken care of by well-defined legislation. Extended procedure responsibility (EPR) was taken into contemplation for reckoning the trend of its eradication globally.

Polarization and Platformization of News in Italian Journalism

Abstract: Integration between digital platforms and news organizations has produced a substantial platformization of news. This phenomenon has been accompanied by a growing political polarization of journalistic content, exacerbated in Italy by the high level of partisanship that traditionally characterizes the national media. This chapter outlines one part of a wider study on the debate about the regularization of migrant workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study, based on mixed methods and a two-level analytical approach, considers articles and posts published on Facebook by 12 different news providers (top-down) along with users' comments on this content (bottom-up). The authors here present the investigation into the coverage of migrant worker regularization by discussing the findings of the evaluative assertion and news frame analyses carried out on the selected articles and posts. Using this multidimensional approach, the study highlights the persistent nature of polarization within a highly fragmented public sphere.

Professional Education and Training in Indonesia

Abstract: The professional training of the judges may influence their interpretation of justice. In terms of the training of judges, the influence of training may shape the judicial interpretation of justice. Despite the absence in the literature on the formation of the professional identity of the judiciary in Indonesia, Indonesian judges develop their professional identity through a training process which enables them to consider ‘justice' in their sentencing. The authors found that trainee judges learn the three most important forms of justice: legal justice, moral justice, and social justice. Concerning sentencing, the primary aim of training is to raise awareness of some of the tensions between those three forms of justice when sentencing. The judge will also learn from training that judges would be required to reconcile the often-competing forms of justice. In this chapter, the authors furtherconsider the way the judges reconcile the often-competing forms of justice.

Formalisation of Land Rights in Africa

Abstract: Numerous African countries have undertaken land rights formalisation programmes since 1970-80. These programmes are within the context of a larger theoretical debate for and against the formalisation of property rights. Programmes vary based on diverse input and output factors. For instance, finance and human resources are input factors. The recognition of communal management rights, administrative recognition of occupation, and registration of transactions of land are output factors. Despite the diversity of different programmes, some broad conclusions can be drawn about their effects. The effect of such programmes on tenure security is analysed by discussing the meaning of tenure security, actual and perceived elements of 'security', whose tenure security (identifying the winners and losers) and de jure and de facto security (legal and practical elements). The chapter collates numerous secondary sources to show how formalisation, although aims and claims to increase tenure security have either no effect or a detrimental effect on tenure security.

Twitter as a Digital Channel of Public Diplomacy in Turkey

Abstract: Governments want to create foreign public opinion by spreading credible information to achieve their national goals, objectives, and interests. In the global balance of political power, it is important for a country to use the tools of public diplomacy. In the 21st century, Turkey intensively uses cultural values as a tool of public diplomacy. In this context, Turkey actively uses social media as a digital medium while promoting its cultural heritage as a soft power. Turkey, which has analyzed the impact of digital diplomacy well in the historical process, is using this field more and more widely. In this study, examples of the Republic of Turkey's public diplomacy practices on social media are presented and how it uses public diplomacy as soft power is investigated. In this context, four Twitter pages where public diplomacy is most widely used (The Republic of Türkiye Directorate of Communications, Turkish Maarif Foundation, TIKA, and Yunus Emre Institute) were analyzed through content analysis technique.

Underappreciated and Undervalued

Abstract: This chapter seeks to analyze the impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on nurses and how it has affected the prevalence of compassion fatigue, moral injury, and overall job satisfaction. It examines current intervention strategies and frameworks and offers recommendations for how these systems may be improved to better support nurses. Numerous instruments have been developed in an attempt to study compassion fatigue. One of the most widely used of these instruments is the professional quality of life (ProQOL) scale. Using the ProQOL scale as a foundation, the author conducted an anonymous survey of nurses (n = 91) employed at a major university-affiliated hospital in Chicago. The author also conducted two longer individual interviews with nurses who are employed at this hospital. The pandemic has profoundly harmed nurses and triggered a cascading stream of consequences. The pandemic has increased the prevalence of both compassion fatigue and moral injury. Nurses are chronically overworked and lack critical resources and support from hospital management.

Public Administration Education

Abstract: Kyrgyzstan is a relatively young state that was previously part of the USSR. As a legacy from this state, Kyrgyzstan received an outdated command-and-control system. Almost immediately, the question of changing the state system became acute. It was necessary to reform the education system for state cadres because earlier employees could be sent from other regions of the USSR. Still, now it became necessary to train qualified personnel for each region completely independently. The subject of the chapter is the training of government personnel in Kyrgyzstan. The work aims to identify all the specific features in the training of government personnel in Kyrgyzstan, compare training with other countries, and highlight the key problems in this area. As a result of the work, the main problems will be summarized, and recommendations for eliminating these difficulties will be proposed. The work will use the following methods: analysis, generalization, description, comparison, synthesis, deduction, induction, and abstraction.

COVID-19 and Employee Psychological Distress

Abstract: Mental health issues have been persistent for decades and represent a costly burden across both developing and developed nations. The COVID-19 pandemic has magnified such issues, especially psychological distress, in ways never experienced before across the globe. Employee psychological distress, synonymous with emotional suffering, is a crucial determinant in employees' overall physical health and contributes to overall decreased productivity in the workplace. Since pandemic outbreaks have lasting effects, developing a mentally resilient workforce is of utmost importance to manage employee psychological distress. Mental resilience enhances one's ability to manage, survive, and even grow within challenging environments. Against this background, the chapter explores the relationship between crises such as COVID-19, psychological distress, and the associated negative work outcomes. Finally, strategies for building a mentally resilient workforce are recommended.

Citizens, Polarization, and the Pandemic in the Italian Hybrid News Media System

Abstract: Italy was the first Western democracy to experience mass lockdown in response to COVID-19. In the early stages of the pandemic, citizens' trust in the government increased and journalists “indexed” to institutional sources; however, elite polarization was not long in coming, in tandem with an infodemic. Rooted in this context, this longitudinal study investigates Italian citizens' positions on an issue which lies at the very heart of democracy: the balance between public health and individual freedoms. Findings indicate that citizens' opinions did not polarize between extreme communitarian and libertarian stances. On the contrary, a significant majority of citizens expressed strong beliefs in the primacy of public health over their freedoms. Extreme libertarians were only a minority, and their positions were driven by a completely different vision of the news reliability of “older” and “newer” media arenas, different attitudes toward the “official truth,” and different levels of trust in the government to those of extreme communitarians. Implications are discussed in the conclusion.

Direct Democracy at the Local Level in Switzerland

Abstract: Switzerland's more than 2,200 municipalities enjoy a high degree of autonomy and strongly developed direct democratic rights. The diversity of communal forms of direct democracy is correspondingly large. This chapter aims to trace the basic structures of these local democracies. One important distinction is at the centre of the argument. While the majority of municipalities are organised in direct democratic assemblies, the parliamentary system dominates in the larger cities and in many municipalities in French- and Italian-speaking Switzerland. However, equating parliaments with representative democracy and municipal assemblies with radical, direct democracy falls short of the mark. In fact, the local level reveals a vibrant and diverse mix of models of democracy. Depending on the cultural area and the situation of the individual municipalities, different approaches are taken to involve the voters in democratic decision making.

Image and Popular Culture in Digital Public Diplomacy

Abstract: Virtually everything in the modern society we currently live in has become digitalized. The digitalization in communication technologies, especially in the last 30 years, has digitized the field of public diplomacy as in every field, and the concept of digital public diplomacy has emerged. Individuals and institutions are evaluated according to their image, and those with a good image are appreciated, admired, and followed. Those who do not have a good image fall into the opposite situation. For this reason, in digital public diplomacy, states are now pursuing to present their own images according to the conditions of the day. Today, with the rapidly developing new media tools, the value of image in the digital environment has increased, and public diplomacy has frequently used this field. At this level, public diplomacy nowadays utilizes opportunities in popular areas and converts the digital space into an image creation area. In this study, the image-building processes of public diplomacy in the digital field were examined.

Application of Public Diplomacy in New Media Platforms

Abstract: Public diplomacy practices carried out by states and non-state actors are instantly presented to the public of other countries thanks to the new media. This makes it easy to determine the level of influence of a public diplomacy practice on the public opinion of countries and helps states to produce new public diplomacy policies and to improve existing policies. In addition, new media allows one state to spy on public diplomacy practices conducted by another state and provides tips for taking action against it. This study aims to answer the question of how the practices of public diplomacy are shaped in new media environments. For this purpose, the Twitter account of the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) was chosen as a case study and a netnographic study was conducted.

The Political Economy of Modern Capitalism

Abstract: This chapter revisits the debate on modern capitalism. While capitalism has many pitfalls, its unprecedented ability to create wealth through the invisible hand remains compelling. A missing piece in the discourse on the failure of capitalism and the ineffectiveness of regulations is that, while mainstream, neoliberal economic thinking puts a lot of trust in the ability of competitive markets to deliver efficient outcomes. The rise of the superstar firms has resulted in the birth of oligopolies in the private sector. This trend is exacerbated by the infusion of politics, which further weakens the purpose of a markets-based system, regarding helping guide incentives. Policymaking must reimagine the outcome of the interactive effects of markets with the digital economy as we seek ways to address the fundamental challenge of inclusive growth. To turn innovation from a paradigm to reality, the interplay of economics and politics is key.

Underappreciated and Undervalued

Abstract: This paper seeks to analyze the impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on nurses and how it has affected the prevalence of compassion fatigue, moral injury, and overall job satisfaction. It examines current intervention strategies and frameworks and offers recommendations for how these systems may be improved to better support nurses. Numerous instruments have been developed in an attempt to study compassion fatigue. One of the most widely used of these instruments is the Professional Quality of Life (ProQOL) scale. Using the ProQOL scale as a foundation, the author conducted an anonymous survey of nurses (n = 91) employed at a major university-affiliated hospital in Chicago. The author also conducted two longer individual interviews with nurses who are employed at this hospital.The pandemic has profoundly harmed nurses and triggered a cascading stream of consequences. The pandemic has increased the prevalence of both compassion fatigue and moral injury. Nurses are chronically overworked and lack critical resources and support from hospital management.

Application of Social Cognitive Theory in the Mentoring of African American Males

Abstract: The primary purpose of this qualitative review was to examine the benefits of the Sigma Beta Club mentoring program on the educational experiences of African American male participants and to explore the perceptions and challenges mentors incurred while working with young men of color in the Sigma Beta Club mentoring program. The secondary purpose was to provide understanding regarding the utilization of SCT by the Sigma Beta Club mentoring program. The effects of systemic racism and discrimination have resulted in African American young men developing a distrust for lawmakers and their agents. A reconnection and an establishment of trust needs to take place.

Motherhood

Abstract: The incarceration of women and the impact on children, families, caregivers, and the prisoner in terms of motherhood and parenting has become an increasingly prominent area of interest within the criminal justice system. The number of women in state and federal prisons has dramatically increased; however, gender-responsive policies and practices that address incarcerated women's needs and circumstances have been limited. These findings give rise to concern regarding the number of women in jail or prison who are mothers of minor children. This paper investigates the differences between inmate mothers' and fathers' reported incarceration rates and examines the associations between early mother-child separation behaviors and children's outcomes. The impact of COVID-19 will also be included to address the ongoing harms to the lives of female prisoners. Based on these findings and other studies, prisons and jails need to develop a comprehensive strategy to fully address the needs of incarcerated mothers and reduce the harmful impact of incarceration on their children.

Public Education Policies in Turkey in the COVID-19 Crisis

Abstract: COVID-19 was declared a pandemic on March 11, 2020. With the COVID-19 crisis, new problem areas have appeared in many areas such as business, trade, social life, education, and the health sector in countries where it is effective. One of the areas where this limitation and new problems arise is the field of education. States have imposed restrictions in education and training to reduce the rate of the pandemic's spread and have suspended face-to-face education. Firstly, Turkey closed the schools for a while and then the government announced “distance learning” efforts. However, distance education has not been fully settled in both the learners and teachers. This study aims to handle education policies in Turkey during the COVID-19 pandemic and try to examine possible solutions for problem areas, which existed because of the pandemic. For this purpose, with a descriptive method, the subject was examined. Because of the changing spirit of the pandemic, this study focused on the education policy from March 1, 2020 to March 1, 2021.

NAHSE and the 2020 Presidential Elections

Abstract: In summer 2020 prior to the U.S. November 2020 elections, the “NAHSE Political Leadership in the United States” survey was administered to 2,000 members with a 12.6% response rate to assess member views on the Presidential candidates. The purpose of the survey was to assess healthcare concerns of the membership, which would help frame the organization’s public policy agenda. Of the respondents 98% stated they would definitely vote with 80% very confident or confident that their votes would be counted. Approximately 65% of respondents plan to vote in person on the day of the election or through early voting opportunities, and 35% intend to vote via mail or absentee ballot, with 1% stating they do not plan to vote. The top 5 issues the membership recommended to be addressed by the new President of the United States are: (1) COVID-19; (2) Criminal Justice/Police Brutality; (3) Race Relations/Police Brutality; (4) Jobs/Economic Insecurity; and (5) Economy.

Tax Policy Innovation and Financial Inclusion

Abstract: The core argument in this chapter is that efficiency gains from the increased adoption of digital technologies have reshaped fiscal policy through innovations in how information on public revenue is collected, processed, shared, and acted upon. However, while these innovations have drastically transformed fiscal policy formulation and implementation, existing institutional and capacity constraints mean there is more work to be done. Multilateralism and shared responsibility are needed to address the issue of revenue losses to tax havens and secrecy-based jurisdictions. To enable Africa to reap more proportionate benefits from cross-border trade and investment transactions, policy innovation in the tax domain is in order. In the final analysis, this turn of events has implications for countries with a competitive advantage in tax havenry.

Participatory governance for institutional transformation

Abstract: This paper is aimed to analyze the institutional transformation of participatory governance from the socio-intercultural perspective and interethnic relationships. The analysis of the public culture assumes that socio-intercultural and interethnic relations is a broader social field considered in the context of the analysis of the institutions of governance to understand the social institutions and events. The method used is the reflective analytical based on the literature review and empirical study. It is concluded that these institutional transformations of participatory governance have been sourced and evolved into a governance structure to govern the behaviors of the communities, organizations, leaderships, and members

An Assessment of the Relationship Between Turkey and the United Nations International Organization for Migration in the Context of Public Diplomacy

Abstract: Turkey is in a strategic position in terms of its geographical location. It is surrounded by seas on three sides, and there are only a few straits in the world that connect the two continents to each other to connect Asian countries to Europe. Combined with Turkey's strategic location, this makes Turkey an essential transit route in every activity in terms of both tourism and business resources. This strategic location of Turkey can be exploited by irresponsible and problematic elements from both inside and outside the country for both human trafficking and human smuggling activities. These groups of individuals or unions can openly collaborate with both internal and external parties due to the combination of many parties. Therefore, it is very crucial to continue the cooperation between the Turkish government and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to overcome these problems. This study will examine the work done in cooperation between the Turkish Government and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in dealing with these illegal activities.

Countercyclical Fiscal Policy During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic has posed a monumental economic and fiscal challenge to state and local governments. Their ability to use fiscal policies to address these challenges is limited due to structural and capacity issues. Only the federal government has the resources and capacity to implement meaningful countercyclical fiscal policies to mitigate the severe economic and fiscal disruption in the states caused by the pandemic. This chapter presents data on the amount of direct financial assistance provided to state and local governments through the CARES Act of 2020, Coronavirus Relief Fund, and the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 and describes how the State of Illinois, Cook County, and the City of Chicago are utilizing those funds.

Looking at Community-Based ADRS in India Through a Restorative Justice Perspective

Abstract: Restorative justice is a type of alternative dispute resolution, but not all ADR (Alternative Dispute Resolution) procedures constitute restorative justice. This chapter examines community-based alternative dispute resolution systems, attempting to distinguish the similarities and differences between ADRS (Alternative Dispute Resolution Systems) and restorative justice procedures. It examines whether these community-based ADRs adhere to restorative justice principles such as victim empowerment, deliberate effort by those involved in decision-making to reduce stigmatization and punishment of the offender, emphasis on strengthening or repairing interpersonal relationships, and so on. It also looks into whether formal restorative justice processes could imbibe some of the good features of these community-based ADRs.

Reading Turkey's EU Accession Process Through Progress Reports in the Context of Public Diplomacy

Abstract: Public diplomacy, which is defined as an effort to influence the attitude and perception of the public in order to shape and implement the foreign policy in the desired direction, can also be evaluated as an effort to shape the public opinion of different countries in a positive and desired way. One of Turkey's most important goals in the international arena has been determined as membership to the European Union, and many governments have carried out activities in various dimensions in line with this policy for many years. The activities carried out by Turkey in the EU membership process are closely monitored by the EU and regularly reported since 1998. While evaluating the breakthroughs Turkey has made in terms of foreign policy in these reports, it is also possible to determine how the international community and the public perceive these efforts. Based on this foresight, in this chapter, Turkey's progress reports in the EU membership process will be evaluated in the context of public diplomacy, and a descriptive and analytical framework will be created in this context.

Evaluation of Websites as Digital Diplomacy Tools in Terms of Design Criteria

Abstract: The importance of digital diplomacy, which we encounter as public diplomacy activities on digital platforms, has been recognized more and more, and it has been actively used by many countries through applications such as social media accounts and websites. In the light of this information, the aim of the study is to reveal the ways in which the ministry of sports, which is responsible for sports and athletes, which increases the awareness and prestige of countries in national and international platforms, uses websites as a digital diplomacy tool. The official websites of the Ministries of Sports of Turkey and Kyrgyzstan, which were determined as the sample of the study, were analyzed with the categorical content analysis method, and the similarities and differences between the use of the websites of the ministries were determined.

Unpacking African Development Dynamics

Abstract: At the heart of political economy is how politics affects the economy and vice versa. Society wants the supply of public services like healthcare, education, security, and infrastructure to be flexible, innovative, and efficient. However, the barriers created by bureaucracies often stifle innovation. The argument for harnessing the policy-market nexus to increase aggregate economic welfare remains compelling. While conventional arguments on the ability of the private sector to intrinsically generate efficiency gains remain valid, governments' traditional role of providing an enabling environment to foster private risk taking for capital accumulation is no less important. This chapter offers insights into the political economy of the public policy dynamics of the African economy and society, with emphasis on public-private collaborations for policy innovation. To break new ground and solve some of the most pressing challenges of our era, innovating the public policy cycle is key. Nowhere is the policy innovation imperative more compelling than in Africa.

15 Years of Diversity Leadership at an Academic Medical Center in Chicago

Abstract: The diversity and inclusion initiatives at a Chicago academic medical center are reviewed in the context of its activities over 15 years. The team of leaders discuss how the diversity initiatives were introduced and the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of pursuing diversity, equity, and inclusion as staff move in and out of the organization. Five employee resource groups and initiatives that serve as the backbone of the DEI initiatives are discussed including Rush Community Service Initiatives Program, Americans with Disabilities, Business Diversity, Women’s Leadership, and LGBTQ programming.