Showing papers on "Public policy published in 2022"

Comparing Public Policies: Issues and Choices in Industrialized Countries

Abstract: The study of comparative public policy reveals the intensely political nature of policy choices. While policy analysts often look to policy successes and failures outside their borders to draw valuable lessons and insights, cultural, economic, political, and institutional conditions vary from country to country and strongly affect how policy analysis is ultimately used. By combining a conceptual discussion of policy making with an examination of seven specific policy areas, Jessica Adolino and Charles Blake show how politics-in the realm of the environment, education, taxation, economics, immigration, health care, and social welfare-shapes policy choices. The second edition of Comparing Public Policies has been revised and updated to reflect the most recent political and policy developments. This new edition expands coverage of the internationalization of domestic policy making by including a European Union case study in each issue area, along with further discussion of the role of international interest groups in the policy process. The seven policy chapters have been revised and updated to examine current issues in the United States, Japan, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, and the European Union, such as: - the heightened calls for immigration policy reform - the return to higher budget deficits in several countries - the efforts to lower tax rates in countries with falling expenditures and in countries with rising spending levels - the often unsuccessful attempts to control increasing health care costs in countries with aging populations - the spirited debate over the future role of the welfare state in an increasingly globalized economy - the, at times, divergent education reform debates regarding the role of assessment and calls for decentralization - the uneven environmental performance in the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions Chapters include analyses of crossnational trends-past and present-and a final chapter reexamines the internationalization of public policy in industrialized countries. Useful pedagogical features have been incorporated throughout the text, including "In Depth" boxes that offer detailed discussion of the political process or analytical techniques, and "Country At-a-Glance" boxes that provide quick reference to political institutions. A wealth of recent data is displayed in numerous tables and a glossary gives students a practical guide to terminology.

Narrative Economics, Public Policy and Mental Health

Abstract: General public's mental health can be affected by the public policy response to a pandemic threat. Britain, Italy and Sweden have had very distinct approaches to the COVID-19 pandemic: early lock-down, delayed lock-down and no-lock-down. We develop a novel narrative economics of language Culture-Based Development approach, and using Google trend data for seed keywords, death and suicide, we reach two main conclusions: (i) while countries had a pre-existing culturally relative disposition towards death-related anxiety, the sensitivity to the public policy towards COVID-19 was also country specific; (ii) however, significant spillovers from one specific national lockdown public policy to another country's mental health are identified.

How Does Government Policy Improve Green Technology Innovation: An Empirical Study in China

Abstract: This paper divides government policy according to policy quantity, policy effectiveness and policy executive force so that the government policy can be quantified in more detail. Green patent data is used to represent green technological innovation, and the fixed effect model and panel data analysis from 2010 to 2019 are employed. The empirical results show that government policy has a significant direct promoting effect on green technology innovation. And the positive impact of policy quantity and policy effectiveness on green technology innovation is greater than that of policy executive force. In addition, the government policy will weaken the positive effect of enterprise innovation vitality on green technology innovation. Research conclusions also show that the direct and indirect effects of government policies on green technology innovation are heterogeneous. The government still needs appropriately policies adapted to the local situation, coordinated in policy quantity, policy effectiveness, and executive force, and accelerate the establishment of market-oriented green technology innovation environment. Different regions also should find the right green technology innovation policy scheme for their own regions.

Opposition to voluntary and mandated COVID-19 vaccination as a dynamic process: Evidence and policy implications of changing beliefs

Abstract: Significance The challenge of securing adherence to public health policies is compounded when an emerging threat and a set of unprecedented remedies are not fully understood among the general public. The evolution of citizens’ attitudes toward vaccination during the COVID-19 pandemic offers psychologically and sociologically grounded insights that enrich the conventional incentives- and constraints-based approach to policy design. We thus contribute to a behavioral science of policy compliance during public health emergencies of the kind that we may increasingly face in the future. From early in the pandemic, we have tracked the same individuals, providing a lens into the conditions under which people’s attitudes toward voluntary and mandated vaccinations change, providing essential information for COVID-19 policy not available from cross-section data.

Optimizing the dynamic zero-COVID policy in China

Abstract: There has been no consensus about the best public health strategy for managing COVID-19 due to differences in sociocultural, political and economic contexts between countries. The central government of China has emphasized the importance of maintaining the dynamic zero-COVID policy in combating resurgences of new variants. To optimize the dynamic zero-COVID policy for future COVID-19 outbreaks in China, this article outlines a comprehensive strategy that should be considered.

How Can Policy Theory Help to Address the Expectations Gap in Preventive Public Health and ‘Health in All Policies’?

Abstract: Abstract This chapter explores how to combine insights from public health and political science to explain and adapt to policymaking in preventive public health. First, it describes public health approaches to policy change, focusing on the social determinants of health and the need for high political commitment to health equity. Second, it suggests that, while governments often use the right language to describe public health aims, there is a major gap between commitment, policy, and policy outcomes. We draw on public policy theories to explain this gap, with reference to the ambiguity of preventive policy initiatives, exacerbated by policymaking complexity in which no actor or organisation has strong coordinative capacity. Third, it relates these insights to a qualitative systematic review of ‘Health in All Policies’ (HiAP) research. We compare two different ways to use policy theories for practical lessons: to improve the HiAP playbook and programme logic or to prompt critical reflection on policymaking dilemmas.

A systematic literature review on Circular Economy implementation in the construction industry: a policy-making perspective

Abstract: Implementing Circular Economy (CE) is a promising solution to tackle environmental challenges in the construction industry. On the way towards a circular built environment, governmental policy support is viewed as an important enabler. However, most existing policies are insufficient to address complex CE challenges and there are substantial knowledge gaps in understanding CE policy-making from a systemic perspective in the construction industry. This literature review investigates construction CE based on the five-stage policy cycle developed in the domain of public policy. Our main finding is that there is a lack of integrated policy-making frameworks to manage construction projects based on CE. The five-stage-policy model is not widely recognized by scientific communities or industrial practitioners to understand CE policy-making as a dynamic, interactive, and iterative cycle. Therefore, we propose an integrated CE policy-making cycle based on the explicit alignment between the state-of-the-art and the classical policy model. Furthermore, the lack of policy integration is considered as one of the critical research gaps and we propose a bi-directional policy-making mechanism to conceptualize the integrated processes of policy implementation and evaluation. The proposed frameworks address current knowledge gaps and serve as theoretical guidelines for public and private actors to understand more complex CE policy-making in the reality. Finally, we encourage interdisciplinary research to enhance integrated CE policy-making in the construction industry by 1) exploring the synergistic effect of CE policy packages on the construction life cycle, and 2) creating a streamlined, transparent, and collaborative policy-making environment based on Information & Communication Technologies.

Alcohol: No Ordinary Commodity

Abstract: Abstract This book is about alcohol policy: why it is needed, how it is made, and the impact it has on health and well-being. It is written for both policymakers and alcohol scientists, as well as the many other people interested in bridging the gap between research and policy. It begins with a global review of epidemiological evidence showing why alcohol is not an ordinary commodity, and it ends with the conclusion that alcohol policies implemented within a public health agenda are needed to reduce the enormous burden of harm it causes. The core of the book is a critical review of the cumulative scientific evidence in seven general areas of alcohol policy: pricing and taxation; regulating the physical availability of alcohol; modifying the environment in which drinking occurs; drink-driving countermeasures; marketing restrictions; primary prevention programmes in schools and other settings; and treatment and early intervention services. The final chapters discuss the current state of alcohol policy in different parts of the world, the detrimental role of the alcohol industry, and the need for both national and global alcohol policies that are evidence-based, effective, and coordinated. This book shows that opportunities for evidence-based alcohol policies that better serve the public good are clearer than ever before, as a result of accumulating knowledge on which strategies work best.

In trust we trust: The impact of trust in government on excess mortality during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic has brought forward myriad challenges to public policy, central of which is understanding the different contextual factors that can influence the effectiveness of policy responses across different systems. In this article, we explore how trust in government can influence the ability of COVID-19 policy responses to curb excess mortality during the pandemic. Our findings indicate that stringent policy responses play a central role in curbing excess mortality. They also indicate that such relationship is not only influenced by systematic and structural factors, but also by citizens’ trust in government. We leverage our findings to propose a set of recommendations for policymakers on how to enhance crisis policymaking and strengthen the designs of the widely used underlying policy learning processes.

New development: Walk on the bright side—what might we learn about public governance by studying its achievements?

Abstract: The goal of this article is to identify evidence-based building blocks for smart and sensible practices of policy design, public leadership and management, while recognizing that universal template...

Gender Differences in Enterprise Performance During the COVID-19 Crisis: Do Public Policy Responses Matter?

Abstract: The COVID-19 crisis has introduced unique tradeoffs between health and economic risk, leading to a “life vs. livelihoods conundrum.” This study contributes to research on adversity and entrepreneurship by examining the implications of the pandemic for gender differences in enterprise performance. We further consider how public policy responses in the domains of public health and economic support moderate the potential gendered effects of the pandemic. Data analysis of more than 20,000 enterprises across 38 countries shows that women-owned enterprises were more adversely affected by the pandemic, and that stronger public health policy responses helped reduce the observed gap in performance.

Public concerns and connected and automated vehicles: safety, privacy, and data security

Abstract: Abstract One dimension of the emerging politics of connected and automated vehicles (CAVs) is the development of public concerns over their societal implications and associated policy issues. This study uses original survey data from the United States to contribute to the anticipation of future policy and political issues for CAVs. Several studies have surveyed the public regarding CAVs; however, there are few studies that highlight the multidimensional public concerns that CAVs will most likely bring. The study breaks down the concept of “public” by showing that the demographic variables of gender, age, race, ethnicity, income, location (rural, suburban, urban), and political ideology (conservative, moderate, liberal) are significantly associated with three of the most salient public concerns to date (safety, privacy, and data security). Furthermore, the effects of demographic variables also vary across the type of policy issue. For example, women tend to be more concerned about safety than their male counterparts, and Hispanics (Latinx) tend to be more concerned about privacy than non-Hispanics. The research shows how the social scientific analysis of the “politics” of CAVs will require attention to the variegated connections between different types of public concern and different demographic variables.

Role of the state and responsibility in governing artificial intelligence: a comparative analysis of AI strategies

Abstract: ABSTRACT Technologies based on artificial intelligence (AI) represent a crucial governance challenge for policymakers. This study contributes to the understanding of how states plan to govern AI with respect to the role they assume and to the way they develop AI in a responsible manner. In different policy instruments across 22 countries plus the European Union, there is considerable variation in how governments approach the governance of AI, both regarding the policy measures proposed and their focus on public responsibility. Analysing a set of policy instruments we find multiple modes of AI governance, with the major difference being between self-regulation-promoting and market-based approaches, and a combination of entrepreneurial and regulatory governance approaches. Our analysis also indicates that the approach to public responsibility is largely independent of the chosen policy mix of AI governance. Therefore, responsibility seems to be a cross-cutting issue that cannot be tied to a specific approach of states towards technology.

Pathways to policy integration: a subsystem approach

Abstract: Researchers in public policy and public administration agree that policy integration is a process. Nevertheless, scholars have given limited attention to political aspects that facilitate or impede integration. This paper aims at filling that gap, by looking at how different theories of the policy process can help in explaining the process of policy integration as shaped by policy subsystems. By building on insights from theories of the policy process, we develop pathways regarding adoption and implementation in policy integration that account for the politicization and the role of actors and subsystems in the policy process. Our main argument is that policy integration is in permanent political tension with the sectoral logic of policymaking, which predominantly happens between actors in subsystems. Policy integration is, thus, not a single moment when those tensions are solved once and for all, but a political process that requires deliberate efforts to overcome the pull toward sector-specific problem definition, policymaking, implementation, and evaluation.

Public concerns and connected and automated vehicles: safety, privacy, and data security

Abstract: Abstract One dimension of the emerging politics of connected and automated vehicles (CAVs) is the development of public concerns over their societal implications and associated policy issues. This study uses original survey data from the United States to contribute to the anticipation of future policy and political issues for CAVs. Several studies have surveyed the public regarding CAVs; however, there are few studies that highlight the multidimensional public concerns that CAVs will most likely bring. The study breaks down the concept of “public” by showing that the demographic variables of gender, age, race, ethnicity, income, location (rural, suburban, urban), and political ideology (conservative, moderate, liberal) are significantly associated with three of the most salient public concerns to date (safety, privacy, and data security). Furthermore, the effects of demographic variables also vary across the type of policy issue. For example, women tend to be more concerned about safety than their male counterparts, and Hispanics (Latinx) tend to be more concerned about privacy than non-Hispanics. The research shows how the social scientific analysis of the “politics” of CAVs will require attention to the variegated connections between different types of public concern and different demographic variables.

Mapping design activities and methods of public sector innovation units through the policy cycle model

Abstract: Abstract Over the last two decades, the design practice has been expanding to the public sphere to generate solutions for public challenges. In particular, the reflections on the design practice of public sector innovation (PSI) units, working in or with governments, are increasingly contributing to a growing body of literature attempting to characterise the practice in policy making. Although scholars conclude that design’s significant contribution in policy refers to the implementation of public services and programs, there is also an urgent advocacy for a deeper study of the nature of design practices within earlier stages of policy processes addressing more specifically policy proposals and reforms. As part of a broader investigation, this paper seeks to shed light to this matter by identifying design-led activities and methods of PSI units in the policy making process and positioning them in the stages of the policy cycle. This research examines academic, grey literature and web content to uncover and position design activities of 46 PSI units from different continents in a policy cycle model based on Howlett, Ramesh and Perl (2009). Our work confirms that most design activities develop in the implementation stage rather than in early stages of the policy process. While design interventions are growing within policy formulation and agenda-setting stages, few of them were identified in the stage of policy evaluation. Decision-making stage remains purely political. This research may serve to a further understanding of the design practice and its potential contribution to policy making in the future.

The value of social media tool for monitoring and evaluating environment policy communication: a case study of the ‘Zero-waste City’ initiative in China

Abstract: The construction of a 'zero-waste city' is a flagship policy to accelerate the development of a green, low-carbon circular economy system in China. Enhancing social participation is an important dimension to evaluate the effect of 'zero-waste city' policy construction and an effective way to promote the full achievement of correct waste classification, management, and supervision of solid waste. Based on policy communication theory, this paper aims to take advantage of social media to quantitatively measure the environment policy communication effect and provide a comprehensive panoramic measurement from dynamic characteristics and trend, communication scope, attributes of communicators, and contents dimensions. Based on post data related to 'zero-waste city' on Weibo platforms from June 2018 to November 2020, this paper innovatively constructs a measurement system of environmental policy communication that combines social media data with social network analysis and text topic analysis. Results show that from the angle of communication trend, a 'zero-waste city' public environment policy is continuously promoted on social media with an increasingly growing volume and is a subject of wide concern for the public. This study confirms the value of social media data in assessing environment policy communication effect and presents several policy implications: Government departments should strengthen environmental policy communication by using Weibo and other social media tools to improve the public's attention toward the policy and increase their participation in environmental governance; focus on people's livelihood interest in policy communication content; strengthen the interaction of the public with the content of policies by using a popular and understandable public discourse system and encourage multiple social subjects to participate in policy communication and strengthen the communication of the 'zero-waste' cultural concept.

Media coverage, attention cycles and the governance of plastics pollution

Abstract: Fluctuations in media and public attention create major challenges for the governance of environmental problems but detailed investigations of how issue-attention cycles affect environmental governance processes remain limited. This article addresses this gap using a literature analysis to examine the effects of issue-attention cycles on policy responses to plastics pollution. It explores trends and features of media coverage of plastics, their influence on public pressure for action, linkages between shifts in attention and measures to govern plastics at the international, national, sub-national and corporate levels, and options to utilise issue-attention cycles to support greater action on plastics. The review indicates that heightened media coverage has encouraged greater public engagement with plastics overall but that elements of media reporting raise questions about the coherence and longevity of public pressure for change. Links between attention peaks and increased policy activity also remain unclear, though some policy-makers have used peaks to inject momentum into policy processes and initiate longer-term reforms that buffer policy against declining interest. Alongside these techniques, new framings emphasising the economic, social and health impacts of plastics may assist in extending concern and pressure for action. The article concludes by arguing the need to deepen understandings of the properties of attention cycles for different environmental problems and their implications for governance efforts.

Promoting Physical Activity Among Children and Adolescents With Disabilities: The Translation of Policy to Practice Internationally.

Abstract: BACKGROUND Physical inactivity among children and adolescents with disabilities (CAWD) is a global public health issue. Policy efforts to promote physical activity (PA) among CAWD have increased. This study summarizes the international policy trend for promoting PA among CAWD, with behavioral and policy insights specific to CAWD from country/regional indicators from the Active Healthy Kids Global Alliance Matrix on Physical Activity for Children and Adolescents to determine policy translation into practice. METHODS International and national PA policy documents on CAWD were assessed. Data from the Global Matrix Para Report Cards on the behavioral and government indicators from 14 countries or regions (grouped by human development index) were reviewed and compared. RESULTS Policy instruments began promoting PA for CAWD in 1989 via the Convention on the Rights of the Child. International policy has been advocating PA specifically for CAWD recently. In 2020, the World Health Organization published specific PA guidelines for CAWD. Data from the 14 Para Report Car found 14 grades on the average behavioral indicator and 12 on the government indicator. A gap between the average behavioral indicator (D-) and the government indicator (C+) was found in the Para Report Card data. CONCLUSIONS Although international policies are consistent in their attention to the needs of CAWD, national/regional policies vary. Coverage ranges from nonexistent to embedded in broader inclusion concepts. A gap in policies to promote PA of CAWD is prevalent and is more prominent in countries or regions with a lower human development index ranking.

Exploring an Efficient Evolutionary Game Model for the Government–Enterprise–Public during the Double Carbon Policy in China

Abstract: The realization of China’s “double carbon” goal is of great significance to the world environment and China’s economy and society. Through the establishment of the “government–enterprise–public” evolutionary game model, this paper explores the interaction between government policy guidance, low-carbon technology R&D behavior of enterprises, and public purchase of carbon label products, as well as the micro-driving path, aiming to provide suggestions for the implementation of the “double carbon” policy and carbon label system in China. The results show that the choice of government, enterprises, and public strategies is closely related to their own costs and benefits. Public sentiment can effectively urge the government to actively fulfill its responsibilities. Effective government policy guidance plays a key role in low-carbon technology R&D behavior of enterprises. There is an interaction between low-carbon technology R&D behavior of enterprises and public purchase of carbon label products.

“Whose help is on the way?”

Abstract: Emily K. Weisburst*⇑ *Emily Weisburst is an assistant professor of public policy at the Luskin School of Public Affairs, University of California, Los Angeles. Contact address: Department of Public Policy, UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs, 337 Charles E. Young Dr E., Los Angeles, CA 90095. Email: weisburst{at}ucla.edu.

Implication of Privacy Laws and Importance of ICTs to Government Vision of the Future

Abstract: In the past three decades, every nation has included information and communication technologies (ICTs) as a necessary part to run the government services efficiently and effectively. ICTs have been incorporated in the internal and external processes of the personalized and responsive e-government services. Indeed, these services can enhance the citizen’s end-to-end experience and service delivery in the public sector. Every government, thus, has initiated the procurement of advanced technology, technology skills, innovation capabilities, and digital public services to enhance the quality of service, public trust in government policies with a better citizen outcome. The present study undertakes index scores of 100 top countries based on government artificial intelligence readiness index (AIRI) provided by Oxford Insights in 2019 to investigate the impact of digital capabilities and services on the government vision of the future. The findings suggest that the improvement in government procurement of advanced technology, and innovation capabilities of a nation can be significant in ‘ICTs to government vision of the future.’

Public support for local adaptation policy: The role of social-psychological factors, perceived climatic stimuli, and social structural characteristics

Abstract: Climate change presents serious risks to human communities around the world. To ensure rapid, widespread and equitable adaptation to these risks, government policy must be enacted to support community-wide adaptation. Public support for adaptation policy will be key to its passage. To date, few studies have focused on what factors motivate public support for adaptation policy, especially at the subnational level. To address these gaps, we develop a conceptual model that draws on and synthesizes past conceptual frameworks and literature related to environmental behavior and adaptation specifically. Using structural equation modeling with latent variables, we examine this model, drawing on data from a statewide survey of over 2700 individuals from the state of Indiana in the Midwestern United States. We assess the drivers of two distinct measures of policy support: support for climate adaptation policy and support for climate adaptation taxes. We find that threat appraisal, climate risk perception, perceived efficacy of government, respondent’s climate change beliefs, perceived descriptive and dynamic norms around policy support, and social structural characteristics such as political affiliation are important drivers of support for adaptation policy, but that their effects differ across our two outcome measures. These findings point to opportunities to better engage the public in policy discourse, while also suggesting that distinct motivations shape support for policy compared to the taxes likely needed to support these new programs.