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The paper explores a major conflict area, namely, national and the EU's immigration policy and investigates how the influx of migrants (mostly from the Middle East and North Africa - MENA region) into the EU has been used as a policy conflict ground. The article assesses the policy responses to (im)migration in Germany and Italy between 2015- 2019 as the changes made redirected the policy for future migration crisis. The aim of the article is to underline that the migration crisis of the EU spiraled into Members States' migration and populism crisis and into the challenges of the implementation of common EU migration policies and national policies. This is achieved by the analyses of administrative measures adopted in the most argued areas like asylum procedure, return policy and integration The paper argues that these crisis management measures were mostly restrictive, and not only aimed to handle the crisis but exposed a phenomenon: they not only intended to thwart the continuous growth of migration and populism but were in parts even favored by populists in the sense that they had the intention to curb immigration, too. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The promises and risks of Artificial Intelligence permeate current policy statements and have attracted much attention by AI governance research. However, most analyses focus exclusively on AI policy on the national and international level, overlooking existing federal governance structures. This is surprising because AI is connected to many policy areas, where the competences are already distributed between the national and subnational level, such as research or economic policy. Addressing this gap, this paper argues that more attention should be dedicated to subnational efforts to shape AI and asks which themes are discussed in subnational AI policy documents with a case study of Germany's 16 states. Our qualitative analysis of 34 AI policy documents issued on the subnational level demonstrates that subnational efforts focus on knowledge transfer between research and industry actors, the commercialization of AI, different economic identities of the German states, and the incorporation of ethical principles. Because federal states play an active role in AI policy, analysing AI as a policy issue on different levels of government is necessary and will contribute to a better understanding of the developments and implementations of AI strategies in different national contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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INTRODUCTION Smoke-free environments have already been successfully introduced in hospitals world-wide. But despite convincing evidence of their success, many countries still struggle to make the necessary changes. Not only is the smoking prevalence higher amongst people with mental health problems and staff working in psychiatric units, but employees in psychiatry often resist the implementation of smoke-free policies. This study explores staff attitudes towards smoke-free environments in psychiatric hospitals in Germany and tries to identify barriers and opportunities for implementation. METHODS This cross-sectional online survey was carried out at eight psychiatric units of the state-owned healthcare company Vivantes Netzwerk für Gesundheit GmbH in Berlin, Germany, in 2019. A total of 448 members of staff were surveyed on their views towards creating a smoke-free environment in their workplace. RESULTS Psychiatric staff present contradictory attitudes towards implementing smoke-free regulations. On the one hand, a majority recognizes the need for smoke-free environments as they promote physical well-being of staff and patients. On the other hand, a majority opposes comprehensive restrictions like a complete smoking ban. Smokers are more likely than non-smokers to resist restrictive measures and show a tendency to only support those measures which they deem unlikely to affect their own smoking habits. CONCLUSIONS The contradictory attitudes towards implementing smoke-free regulations present an entry point to elicit behavior change and a shift in attitudes, for example in staff training on smoke-free environments. Staff who smoke, in particular, should be motivated to reflect on the contradiction that is presented by their private smoking behavior and their role as healthcare professionals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Both enhancing life expectancy and decreasing inequalities in lifespan between social groups are significant goals for public policy. To date, however, methodological tools to study progress in both dimensions simultaneously have been lacking. There is also a consensus that absolute and relative inequalities in lifespan must be studied together. Methods: We introduce a novel graphical representation that combines national mortality rates with both absolute and relative measures of social inequality in mortality. To illustrate our approach, we analyze French and German data stratified by place of residence. Results: For all-age mortality, in France we find a steady pace of decline in both mortality and in regional inequalities in mortality over recent decades. In Germany, substantial progress was made in the 1990s, mostly driven by convergence between eastern and western Germany, followed by a period of slower progress. Age-specific analyses for Germany reveal a worrying divergence in regional trends at ages 35–74 in recent years, which is particularly pronounced among women. Conclusion: Our novel visual approach offers a way to simultaneously examine two dimensions of progress in longevity, and facilitates meaningful comparisons between populations, even when their current mortality rates differ. The applied methods can be easily reproduced in any country for which long-term mortality series stratified by region, or any relevant socioeconomic characteristic, are available. It is useful for both scientific analysis and policy advice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The BSB's music department (entrusted since 1949 with the management of the national information service on music) is one of the largest music libraries in the world in terms of the size and quality of its collection, but also in terms of the breadth and depth of its collection acquisition policy. The various materials are widely catalogued and indexed in a very articulate way, using a wide range of catalogues and according to specific rules. The BSB currently uses the RDA and MARC21, according to national policies. The Gemeinsame Normdatei (GND), the authority files of the German-speaking library world, are used both in cataloguing and in subject classification. The GND is nowadays used even outside the library world by archives, museums and other kinds of institutions, as well as for the cataloguing of websites. The BSB participates in the RISM (Répertoire International des Sources Musicales) international online catalogue of music sources, and, together with the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin, manages its OPAC. The presentation will describe these projects, as well as the cataloguing workflow, the application of the RDA in specific cases, the special rules (and cataloguing system) for personal archives and musical legacies (RNA), and finally the futuristic service 'musiconn'. This last service is included in the national service for music information Fachinformationsdienst Musikwissenschaft and has been developed by the BSB: it offers the possibility to search by melody, as part of a project based on Optical Music Recognition (OMR), a software tool that allows automatic recognition of compositions after they are printed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Compared to other sectors, the building sector is seriously lagging in efforts to mitigate climate change. In particular, heat provision needs to move to low-carbon options at greater speed. Municipalities are essential players in the transition to low-carbon heating. However, little is known about their experiences in developing heat provision infrastructure and their expectations of low-carbon options, such as district heating based on renewable energy. To explore how the experiences and expectations of municipalities concerning low-carbon heating are related, we conducted a survey of officers responsible for heating technology in municipal authorities across Germany. The questionnaires were analysed using multiple quantitative data analysis techniques. Results: Our findings suggest that officers in larger municipalities have more positive expectations of low-carbon heating technologies than those in smaller and medium-sized municipalities. They also have more experience with these technologies. We identified four different clusters of municipalities based on their attitudes towards heating systems. The findings suggest that attitudes and experiences have a significant influence on the desirability and expected feasibility of the expansion of district heating. Furthermore, there are differences between south, north, and east Germany. Conclusions: Exchange of experiences and expectations between larger and smaller municipalities could facilitate the transition to low-carbon heating. Public policy could strategically provide spaces for the required exchange, but it also needs to engage with more complex questions of finance and regulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2021, the federal government of the United States expanded a set of income transfers that led to strong reductions in child poverty. This research note uses microdata from more than 50 countries and U.S. data spanning more than 50 years to place the 2021 child poverty rate in historical and international perspective. We demonstrate that whether using the Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM), relative poverty measures, or an absolute poverty measure, the U.S. child poverty rate in 2021 was at its lowest level since at least 1967. The U.S. tax and transfer system reduced the 2021 SPM child poverty rate by more than 75% relative to the pre-tax/transfer child poverty rate; this reduction was three times the mean reduction effect between 1967 and 2019. These policy changes improved the country's standing from having a relative poverty rate twice that of Germany's in 2019 to the same as Germany's in 2021. Moreover, the U.S. progressed from reducing child poverty at less than half the rate of Norway in 2019 to a rate comparable to Norway in 2021. However, the U.S. success was temporary: after the expiration of the 2021 income provisions, the child poverty rate doubled and returned to being higher than in most other high-income countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research into local climate adaptation has often focused on highly visible, intentional public policies that seek to improve resilience to climate threats or how societal actors have reacted to changing climatic conditions. We argue that these approaches neglect a range of unintentional and/or hidden initiatives, which deliver implicit and/or hitherto under-appreciated adaptation benefits. We present an analytical framework to organise studies of these under-explored initiatives, which advances social scientific conceptualisations of what local climate adaptation consists of and provides a heuristic for selecting appropriate methods of enquiry to examine it. Drawing on empirical research into the adaptation activities of municipalities and small businesses in Germany, we apply this framework to expand our knowledge of how communities are building climate resilience, gain a better understanding of the full range of adaptation activities within individual localities, and pose questions about the role of state and societal actors in addressing common problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective Because of the increasing number of people with disabilities and the lack of awareness of disability prevention methods in developing countries, creating a proper rehabilitation structure and providing appropriate services are among the important goals of every health system. Conducting comparative studies is one of the research methods for reviewing the structure of the rehabilitation system in the country's health system. This study aimed to compare the rehabilitation structure in Iran with 5 other countries. Materials & Methods This research is a comparative study conducted in 2022. In this study, sampling was purposeful. Five countries of Germany, Japan, Canada, Turkey, and South Africa were compared in terms of organizational and health management, financial and legal components, and social policy components with Iran. Reliable databases and related resources in the rehabilitation structure were used to collect data. In this study, the obtained data were analyzed using the Bereday model containing four stages: Description, interpretation, proximity, and comparison. The findings were evaluated in a comparative table. Results The findings indicated that in terms of organization and health management, the Ministry of Health should be responsible for health management and rehabilitation, but in Iran, in addition to the Ministry of Health, the Red Crescent, the Martyr Foundation, and Exceptional Education Organization are also involved in the management of rehabilitation. Financial issues and problems are significant barriers for people with disabilities to access rehabilitation services in these countries. In Iran, a large part of these costs is paid from the pockets of families. Regarding legal components in Iran, as in other countries, specific rules exist to provide services to people with disabilities. But sometimes, these rules are not properly implemented. From the sociodemographic perspective, Iran has an aging population, welcomes immigrants, and holds diverse cultures. The access of all people in need of rehabilitation in this diverse population to the services needed is limited. In terms of policy components, regulating national health policy requires review and, if necessary, changes in existing health system policies. Conclusion The existence of a specific position for rehabilitation in the Iranian health system, provision of services, and management of rehabilitation affairs by a single organization such as the Ministry of Health, as well as proper implementation of laws and policies, can lead to structural improvement and management of the health system and rehabilitation. Financial obstacles and problems to rehabilitation services should be reduced, and government and insurance must cover most of the costs of rehabilitation services. Also, a review of national health policies and legislation in the country should be done to improve the access of all people with disabilities to health and rehabilitation services. Therefore, it is necessary to fundamentally review and reform the structure, value, and process of providing rehabilitation services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development and implementation of public policies towards renewable energies are crucial in order to address the contemporary challenges faced by humanity. The 3Rs (reduce, reuse, and recycle), as a circular economic practice, are often cited as one of the best solutions for sustainable development. Therefore, this study analyzed public policies for renewable energy from the perspective of the circular economy. Accordingly, a systematic review of the literature was carried out with respect to the beneficiaries and convergences of circularities, with a focus on public policies for renewable energies. The sample had public policies classified into three types (distributive, redistributive, and regulatory policies). The results showed that the first studies began in 1999, with a significant increase in publications during the 2010s, in which Germany was the country with the greatest contribution. The analyses associated with space showed the countries committed to the use of renewable energies and the 3Rs of the circular economy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The economic analyses revealed that the circular economy for the generation of renewable energy has a positive economic return in terms of social well-being and the mitigation of environmental degradation. There is a barrier to the circular economy's development posed by the cost of its implementation in the private sector and the resistance to raising awareness in society, requiring strong public sector engagement in decision making and the constant evaluation of public policies. It is concluded that the circular economy facilitates more efficient, productive structures and public policies, promoting alternatives for energy security and sustainability for the world energy matrix. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]