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Greenflation or inflation for green energy transition in Europe becomes a structural problem of new scarcity and poverty, under Austrian Economics analysis. The current European public agenda on the Green Deal and its fiscal and monetary policies are closer to coercive central planning, against the markets, economic calculus, and Mises' theorem. In this paper, attention is paid to the green financial bubble and the European greenflation paradox: in order to achieve greater future social welfare, due to a looming climate risk, present wellbeing and wealth is being reduced, causing a real and ongoing risk of social impoverishment (to promote the SGD 13 on climate action, it is violated by SGD 1–3 on poverty and hunger and 7–12 on affordable energy, economic growth, sustainable communities, and production). According to the European Union data, the relations are explained between green transition and public policies (emissions, tax, debt, credit boom, etc.), GDP variations (real–nominal), and the increase of inflation and poverty. As many emissions are reduced, there is a decrease of GDP (once deflated) and GDP per capita, evidencing social deflation, which in turn means more widespread poverty and a reduction of the middle-class. Also, there is a risk of a green-bubble, as in the Great Recession of 2008 (but this time supported by the European Union) and possible stagflation (close to the 1970s). To analyze this problem generated by mainstream economics (econometric and normative interventionism), this research offers theoretical and methodological frameworks of mainline economics (positive explanations based on principles and empirical illustrations for complex social phenomena), especially the Austrian Economics and the New-Institutional Schools (Law and Economics, Public Choice, and Comparative Constitutional Economics). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Farmers' cooperatives, as one of the new types of agricultural businesses, are an effective carrier for the digital transformation of agriculture, yet existing studies have paid less attention to how farmers' cooperatives realize digital transformation. As agricultural economic organizations embedded in social networks, the digital transformation of farmers' cooperatives requires the joint efforts of governments and companies. Based on the evolutionary game theory, this paper constructs a tripartite evolutionary game model of the government, digital technology companies and farmers' cooperatives, and simulates and analyzes the behavioral decisions of different participants in the digital transformation of farmers' cooperatives from the perspective of government policy. The results show: Medium government subsidies can effectively promote the digital transformation of farmers' cooperatives, and strong subsidy policies increase the government's financial burden, which is not conducive to policy sustainability. Strong government regulation facilitates digital technology companies to actively provide high-quality services for the digital transformation of farmers' cooperatives, but government regulation does not have a significant impact on the strategic choices of the government and farmers' cooperatives. When farmer cooperatives and digital technology companies are in a medium or high level of cooperative trust or when the number of labors saved by digital transformation reaches a certain level, farmers' cooperatives opt for digital transformation even if the government withdraws from policy intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Nóesis: Revista de Ciencias Sociales is the property of Revista Noesis 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.)

Copyright of Revista de Economía (Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán) is the property of Universidad Autonoma de Yucatan, Facultad de Economia 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.)

Background The English Public Health White Paper proposes introducing smoke-free workplaces except in pubs and bars that do not prepare and serve food. The bar area will be non-smoking in exempted pubs. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article presents criticism on researcher John W. Kindt's article "The Costs of Addicted Gamblers: Should the States Initiate Mega-Lawsuits Similar to the Tobacco Cases?" The primary criterion for inclusion of citations in Kindt's article is whether the materials support his position on the high social costs of gambling, especially casino gaming as opposed to whether the underlying research is competent or valid. Since Kindt wants to argue a position that is supported by very little refereed research, most of his citations are either from his own prior writings, from unpublished papers, presentations, or hearings, or from newspaper or magazine articles; There is little mainstream research cited, probably because it does not pass the ideological test of conforming to Kindt's convictions. There is little interest exhibited by the author in acknowledging any information that might run counter to his thesis that gambling is a very bad activity that has been thrust on to an unsuspecting and naive public by a clever gambling establishment particularly skilful at such deception. On the other hand, Kindt has little difficulty citing individuals who are in agreement with his beliefs.

Assesses the homogenous approach and policy measures towards small and medium sized enterprises (SME), adopted by the `White Paper on Growth, Competitiveness and Employment' and by national policies in Greece. Role of SME in the Greek economy; Structural characteristics of SME; European Union policy measures in favor of SME.

In the current climate of welfare reform, it is important to understand how perceptions of the poor affect policy decisions. This paper examines how people distinguish between the undeserving poor and the deserving poor, and how this differentiation affects policy decisions. Survey respondents rated each policy in a set of hypothetical policies on a liberal-conservative continuum. Analyses were then conducted to explore differences in the respondents' likelihood of recommending the most liberal and the most conservative of these policies. Study I demonstrated that liberal policies were more likely to be recommended and conservative policies were less likely to be recommended when the target group was perceived to be deserving rather than undeserving. Study 2 replicated this effect of perceived deservingness and demonstrated an effect of attribution of responsibility. That is, liberal policies were more likely to be recommended and conservative policies were less likely to be recommended when the responsibility for the target's poverty was attributed to society rather than to the individual. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The period when the British Educational Research Association (BERA) was founded was one in which there was an increasing recognition amongst the research community that a wind of change had stirred up the settled traditions of educational research. It was a time which celebrated the promise of alternative paradigms for research. Ten or so years on we are entering another era where the emphasis is not on the reconceptualisation of what research is but on how it is organised. I think one can discern at least two factors, not wholly separate from each other, that will increasingly influence how a substantial part of research will be organised. These two factors are the changes which have taken place in the composition of the research community and the direction of current Government policy concerning the school system. I aim to show how these are leading to a fruitful form of collaborative research at local level which should be encouraged and supported—not least by BERA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For over two decades, the literature has characterized contemporary Western societies as audit societies. These societies are characterized by an approach to governance that is shaped by the idea and practice of auditing. This paper shows that with regard to public governance, the audit society has started to give way to a program of government innovation, or what we theorize to be the emergence of a new form of society: the innovation society. The paper builds this theorization on a longitudinal case study of the past 40 years of Danish central government administrative policy developments with a focus on internal auditing. The paper shows that internal auditing has transitioned from being a macro actor of public governance to becoming a micro actor and ultimately terminated. The paper further shows that this dissociation process was instigated not by elected politicians but by highly positioned civil servants who managed to remove what they identified as an obstacle to the stability of the innovation program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China's rural industrialization, which flourished in the 1980s, has suddenly declined since the mid-1990s. Based on the perspective of institutional change of rural collective construction land, this paper discusses the reasons behind the rise and fall of China's rural industrialization. Using the empirical tests of China's provincial panel data from 1987 to 1997, it is found that from the 1980s to the mid-1990s, the government relaxed the regulation of collective construction land and allowed its transfer, which was the institutional basis for the rapid rise of China's rural industrialization with township and village enterprises (TVEs) as the main form. Furthermore, this paper takes the government's policy of prohibiting the circulation of collective construction land from the mid-1990s as the breakthrough point, and uses the "Land Administration Law of China" promulgated in 1998 as a quasi-natural experiment to examine the causal relationship between restricting the circulation of collective construction land and the decline of TVEs. It is found that the restrictions on the circulation of collective construction land caused by the implementation of the law significantly hindered the development of TVEs. After the implementation of the Land Administration Law, in areas affected more by the law, the development scale of their TVEs shrunk even more. The analysis of this paper shows that deepening the reform of the system of property rights on agricultural land and ensuring farmers' rights of land circulation are important ways to revitalize the rural areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using panel data from 275 prefecture-level cities in China spanning from 2003 to 2019, this paper employs the multiperiod difference-in-differences method to empirically analyze the policy effect of land negotiation policy on local governments' hidden debt. The paper also investigates the influence mechanisms of land finance, budget soft constraints, fiscal decentralization and government competition. The empirical results reveal that: (1) Land negotiations promote the expansion of local governments' hidden debt, which is counterproductive to the sustainable development of government finances. (2) The impact of land negotiation policy on local government's hidden debt is transmitted via its effects on land finance. (3) The greater the degree of soft budget constraint and the degree of government competition, the less the expansion effect of land negotiations on the hidden debt of the government. The greater the degree of fiscal decentralization, the greater the expansion effect of land negotiations on the government's hidden debt. (4) Land negotiation promotes the expansion of hidden debt in eastern China and inhibits it in central China, with no significant effect observed in western China. (5) Cities with larger urban scale and higher economic development levels experience stronger effects from land negotiation policies. Therefore, it is imperative to deepen the land negotiation system further, develop policy indicators and feedback mechanisms tailored to local conditions, and introduce a multiparty supervision system to enhance implementation of the land negotiation system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

S.K. Patil, quintessential Congressman of Bombay city and cabinet minister in three central governments from 1957 to 1963 and 1964 to 1967, was the kind of figure in Indian politics, who personified Rajni Kothari's Congress "system" of clients-patrons and chains-links. A Patelite, Patil was a thorn in Nehru's side. A leader of the business community, he identified with a network politics involving capital. He was an indifferent administrator, but an influential party apparatchik and his career peaked in 1964–1967, when he was a part of the all-important Congress "syndicate." Afterward, however, he struggled for relevance in the turbulent decade of the 1970s. In this research article based on Patil's personal papers, I offer these fragments from his political life as interesting prisms through which to view (a) aspects of intra-party and inter-ministerial conflictual culture, (b) issues concerning the top-down character of governance with implications for public policy and (c) the complex opposition to it, both inside and outside, thereby repaying this visit to an individual's trajectory in contemporary history with parallels for current politics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: While conventional views of foreign investment activity primarily relate to efficiency-seeking investments, the authors argue that most other outward foreign direct investments (OFDIs) likely have positive effects on income development in the home region. Data on the US urban system not only illustrates this but also shows that this impact is not equal in all city-regions. The purpose of this paper is to develop an explanation as to why high- and low-income cities are associated with self-reinforcing cycles of OFDI activity that have different home-region impacts. Design/methodology/approach: Conventional views assume that inward foreign direct investments (IFDIs) have a positive impact on target regions, while OFDIs are often treated as the flip side of this story, being seen as having negative effects by shifting jobs and income abroad. This paper counters this logic by developing a conceptual argument that systematically distinguishes different types of OFDIs and relates them to economic development effects in the home (investing) region. Findings: Using a co-evolutionary conceptualization, this paper suggests that many high-income cities are characterized by a virtuous cycle of development where high, successful OFDI activity generates both positive income effects as well as incentives to engage in further OFDIs in the future, thus leading to additional income increases. In contrast, it is suggested that low-income cities are characterized by what we refer to as vicious cycles of development with low OFDI activity, few development impulses and a lack of incentives and capabilities for future investments. Originality/value: This paper develops a counter-perspective to conventional views of OFDI activity, arguing that these investments have a positive impact on regional income levels. The authors develop a spatially sensitive explanation which acknowledges that OFDIs do not trigger a linear process but are associated with diverging inter-urban development paths and may contribute to higher levels of intra-urban inequality. From these findings, the authors derive conclusions for future research and public policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Franchising occurred in Vietnam during the implementation of government policy for economic reform and openness in the mid-1990s. The Vietnam-specific franchise law was passed in January 2006 to create a stable growth in the franchise sector in Vietnam. The legal framework in Vietnam generally follows international legal frameworks. However, the legal framework of franchising businesses is still uncertain. This paper explores Vietnam's franchising law and displays a comparison to the legal framework of Thai franchising law and the Republic of Korea franchising law. The paper concludes that while Vietnam's franchising law generally conforms to international standards, some legal issues should be addressed for further development of the Vietnamese franchising sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public opinion is a crucial factor for government policy making, implementation, evaluation, and social development. This paper analyzes the public opinion perception of intellectual property subject based on microblog data and puts forward the concept and calculation model for the breadth, depth, and comprehensive value of public perception. Then, taking the opinion evaluation in microblog platform as an example, this paper studies the public perception of intellectual property subject and illustrates the changing trend of public perception through related events in microblog. The results show that the four topics of trademark, intellectual property, copyright, and patent are the hot topics of public perception, the breadth, depth, and comprehensive value of public perception for the four topics fluctuated greatly, on the whole. In addition, when the content of microblog is related to personal benefits, business benefits, and personal interests, it can cause widespread public concern. Additionally, the public mainly participate in the dissemination of public opinion on intellectual property subject through forwarding. Finally, this paper puts forward some suggestions from the perspective of how to maximize the effect of intellectual property policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2012 the Australian Commonwealth government was scheduled to release the first dedicated policy for culture and the arts since the Keating government's Creative Nation (1994). Investing in a Creative Australia was to appear after a lengthy period of consultation between the Commonwealth government and all interested cultural sectors and organisations. When it eventuates, the policy will be of particular interest to those information professionals working in the GLAM (galleries, libraries, archives and museums) environment. GLAM is a cross-institutional field which seeks to find points of commonality among various cultural-heritage institutions, while still recognising their points of difference. Digitisation, collaboration and convergence are key themes and characteristics of the GLAM sector and its associated theoretical discipline. The GLAM movement has seen many institutions seeking to work together to create networks of practice that are beneficial to the cultural-heritage industry and sector. With a new Australian cultural policy imminent, it is timely to reflect on the issues and challenges that GLAM principles present to national cultural-heritage institutions by discussing their current practices. In doing so, it is possible to suggest productive ways forward for these institutions which could then be supported at a policy level by the Commonwealth government. Specifically, this paper examines four institutions: the National Gallery of Australia, the National Library of Australia, the National Archives of Australia and the National Museum of Australia. The paper reflects on their responses to the Commonwealth's 2011 Cultural Policy Discussion Paper. It argues that by encouraging and supporting collecting institutions to participate more fully in GLAM practices the Commonwealth government's cultural policy would enable far greater public access to, and participation in, Australia's cultural heritage. Furthermore, by considering these four institutions, the paper presents a discussion of the challenges and the opportunities that GLAM theoretical and disciplinary principles present to the cultural-heritage sector. Implications for Best Practice • GLAM is a developing field of theory and practice that encompasses many issues and challenges for practitioners in this area. • GLAM principles and practices are increasingly influencing the cultural-heritage sector. • Cultural policy is a key element in shaping the future of Australia's cultural-heritage sector and needs to incorporate GLAM principles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Knowledge-based firms seeking competitive advantage often draw on the public knowledge stream (ideas embedded in public commons institutions) as the foundation for private knowledge (ideas firms protect through private intellectual property [IP] institutions). However, understanding of the converse relationship--the impact of private knowledge strategies on public knowledge production--is limited. We examine this question in human genetics, where policy makers debate expanding IP ownership over the human genome. Our difference-in-differences estimates show that gene patents decrease public genetic knowledge, with broader patent scope, private sector ownership, patent thickets, fragmented patent ownership, and a gene's commercial relevance exacerbating their effect [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many policy problems are complex in the sense that natural, technological, social and human elements interact. Problem exploration and structuring are essential as a basis for deliberate and focused approaches towards problem resolution. The results of problem exploration efforts can be laid down in the form of a policy issue paper. We have developed a systemic, stepwise approach, which has been elaborated and taught for over a decade to hundreds of students. This seven-step approach centers on the construction of a system diagram as a means to provide structure to the conceptualisation of a complex problem situation. The approach is based on a conscious combination of existing relatively straightforward analytical methods including objectives hierarchy, means-ends analysis, causal diagramming, stakeholder analysis, and contextual scenarios. The obtained insights are then summed up in a policy issue paper, which is the basis for further planning and research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The special public funding policies, formulated and implemented by provincial governments, plays an important role in the development of private universities in China. However, there is a lack of scientific evaluation on the rationality and completeness of the provincial special public funding policy of China's private colleges and universities. Therefore, this paper uses PMC-index model and text mining technology to establish an evaluation index system for the provincial special public funding policy of private universities in China. Based on PMC-Index and PMC-Surface, 13 policy texts issued since 2010 were evaluated scientifically. The results show that the average PMC-Index of the 13 policies is 6.97, and the PMC-Surface map is smooth, which indicates that the overall structure of these policies is reasonable and the policy content has certain completeness. Only one policy is unacceptable. Through further analysis, we found that there is still much room for improvement in the content design of the sample policy, and its rationality and completeness are related to the publication time. This study is helpful to fully understand the advantages and disadvantages of the provincial special public funding policy of private universities in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Recruitment of internationally qualified nurses as a labour source is a long‐standing human resource strategy being implemented to address the current and increasing global nursing shortage. Internationally qualified nurses transitioning into the health workforce of developed countries following immigration often possess specialty skills. A lack of a clear pathway of specialty skill utilisation makes recognising and using these specialty skills complex for many nurses. The ability for nurses to transition between countries and maintain specialty practice demands immediate attention in the current atmosphere of the global pandemic and the predictions to recruit more specialist nurses from overseas. Aim: To identify and synthesise strategies taken by various developed countries in transitioning specialist internationally qualified nurses into practice. Methods: An integrative review was conducted to identify common themes, patterns, and best practices in order to inform policy development and improve the successful integration of internationally qualified nurses into the healthcare systems of developed countries. The study employed the Whittemore and Knafl five‐stage integrative review approach. To conduct a comprehensive search, four electronic databases, namely Medline, CINAHL Complete, ProQuest Health, and EMBASE, were systematically searched in October 2021. The search was updated in March 2022 to ensure the inclusion of the most recent literature. Additionally, Google Scholar was utilised to avoid overlooking any important articles. Prior to the full‐text review, three reviewers independently evaluated titles and abstracts. The included papers' quality was determined using the JBI critical appraisal tools. Results: This study included 10 papers, comprising three studies and seven reports. However, none of these documents provided information on how internationally qualified nurses could transfer their specialty skills acquired overseas to developed countries after immigrating. The guidelines and policies reviewed only offered generic advice on becoming a specialist nurse. Although some countries mentioned that post‐graduate qualifications were not mandatory for nurse specialists, the majority of documents in this review emphasised the need for a national framework of education at level eight or higher (equivalent to a post‐graduate level) to attain the status of a nurse specialist. Moreover, the included documents did not provide clear information on whether an international specialisation degree would be recognised during the registration process. As a result, confusion persists regarding the requirement of post‐graduate qualifications for nurses aiming to specialise and the recognition of international specialisation degrees during the registration process. Discussion: The lack of consistency in defining nurse specialty and the skill transferability among institutions and state borders were evident in this review. According to all the 10 documents analysed, developed countries appear to have minimum policies on the transfer of internationally qualified nurse's specialty skills. Recommendations for policymakers, employers, and aspirant migrants have been proposed. Limited research has been done on how developed countries used their internationally qualified nurses' overseas‐acquired specialist skills after immigration, indicating a lack of a distinct specialist skill transition pathway. Conclusions: This review presents data to support the need for greater research in this area to better utilise the abilities that internationally qualified nurses bring from their home country and put them to constructive use in the host country, especially in the context of a global pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The complexities and consequences of violent crimes require a robust and effective approach to achieve a sustainable reduction of violence in our society. This paper, therefore, presents an avenue to provide the geoquantitative analysis of violent occurrences in Kaduna State of Nigeria to determine the pragmatic interventionist strategies for managing violent crime incidence among the people of the study area. Geo-quantitative analysis entails transforming numerical data about criminal activities into a map of proportional circles to depict the distribution pattern of criminal activities and using scree plots and factor loading to show higher-order intervention measures for managing violent crimes. Five Local Government Areas (LGAs) with relatively high levels of violent incidence were purposively selected while snowball sampling method was used to administer questionnaires to 384 respondents. From the findings, the spatial distribution of violent crimes revealed that Birni-Gwari and Kachia LGAs accounted for the highest incidence of kidnapping and village raids respectively while Kajuru LGA is known for the highest cases of cattle rustling and armed robbery. The critical interventions in managing violent crimes are reconciliation efforts to restore order and normalcy, negotiation between aggrieved parties, and adoption of a traditional conflict resolution system with a rotated factor matrix of 0.828, 0.581, and 0.544 respectively. Furthermore, the strongest positive correlation exists between good government policies and equity with fairness in representation and establishment of developmental projects (r = 0.524, and p ˂ 0.001). Therefore, the study recommended establishing conflict mediation centers across the communities. Similarly, it is essential to have a good governance system that will give people their fair share of national resources and adequate policing of communities that could guarantee the reduction of violent incidents to the barest minimum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With only a few exceptions, U.S. copyright law does not allow copyrights for software created by the U.S. federal agencies' government-operated laboratories. This paper explains the public policy concern that the inability to copyright the software causes a barrier to the transfer of government software to the private sector. Using a survey of developers and managers of custom software developed within the federal agencies, the paper presents and interprets new evidence supporting the view that allowing copyright protection would dramatically increase the transfer of the technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Cities, Communities & Territories / Cidades, Comunidades e Territórios is the property of Instituto Universitario de Lisboa, DINAMIA-CET 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.)

The Chinese government implemented the universal two-child policy on January 1, 2016 to arrest the decline in the nation's birthrate and address the challenge of a rapidly aging population. We find that this policy significantly increased the possibility of having children and this effect was not attenuated from 2016 to 2018. This policy can explain 14.8% of the average number of newborns in 2016-2018. Our back-of-the-envelope calculation suggests that the three-child policy implemented in 2021 will bring additional 283.2 thousand newborns each year. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores how China's assistance to countries in the Western Balkans during the pandemic boosted their reputation in the region, through the case studies of Serbia, Macedonia, and Albania. The COVID-19 crisis has tested EU's reputation of solidarity and partnership to the Western Balkans, with Balkan political leaders accusing the bloc of selfishness due to its decision in 2020 to restrict exports of medical equipment to candidate states and the perceived neglect of the region during the vaccine distribution in early 2021. Simultaniously, China sent planes containing tonnes of medical supplies, respirators, medical personnel, and later vaccines, that would be received with great pomp and live media coverage, in a powerful public diplomacy and vaccine diplomacy offensive. This paper argues that this helped improve public opinion and reshape narratives on China in the Western Balkans. Still, attitudes vary between states, with Serbians having the most favourable views on China as a foreign partner. On the other hand, while public perceptions on China have seen a positive shift in Macedonia and Albania, this has not translated in a change in their pro-EU stance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Development is a fundamental pursuit of human society. When it comes to national governance, there are issues of imbalanced and insufficient development that must be addressed. Since 1949, when the People's Republic of China was founded, the Chinese government has adopted a series of ethnic policies to resolve these development issues across ethnic minority areas. Since the late 1970s, Chinese scholars and the government have paid particular attention to the development issues of ethnic groups with smaller populations. This paper examines the relevant literature on this topic and divides China's policies on this issue into three stages: (1) initial exploration, (2) targeted assistance, and (3) specialized planning. It discusses the Chinese government's policy process and its experience empowering ethnic groups with smaller populations. The paper argues that the Chinese government's support for ethnic groups with smaller populations is guided by valid ethnic theories and a comprehensive policy system. In the implementation of policies, the government recognizes "development" as the primary objective. It then formulates, implements, and evaluates policies based on the characteristics of the different ethnic groups with smaller populations. This approach effectively addressed the problems faced by these ethnic groups during different stages of their development and achieved the intended policy goals. Therefore, these policies are practical and sustainable. They are a valuable asset, and studying them could be beneficial to any unified multi-ethnic country that wants to tackle the development issues of their ethnic minorities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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]

Copyright of Revista Iberoamericana de Ciencia, Tecnologia y Sociedad is the property of Centro de Estudios sobre Ciencia, Desarrollo y Educacion Superior 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.)

Most empirical studies evaluating efficiency in the agricultural sector estimate cost efficiency, assuming homogeneity across firms. However, achieving the goal of profit maximisation requires both minimising costs and maximising revenue. Unlike cost efficiency, the concept of profit efficiency considers the errors on both the input side and the output side, and thus, it is more appropriate for evaluating the overall performance of firms. This paper estimates profit efficiency and its determinants in the agricultural sector in Spain using a Bayesian stochastic frontier model with random coefficients. This methodology adequately captures the heterogeneity across firms in the industry. The results reveal, firstly, that agricultural firms in Spain are operating with an average profit inefficiency of 35.78% and, secondly, that this inefficiency is affected, albeit unevenly, by the size and age of the farm. Finally, the implications of these results for managers and public policies are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Raumforschung und Raumordnung is the property of Oekom Verlag GmbH 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.)

Taxes on the consumption of certain products have played a key role in public revenue analysis in European countries. This work assesses the differences in tax planning for new non-combustion products across some European territories. Through theoretical analysis, the paper has three distinct aspects. Firstly, we show the taxpayer profile in different countries. Secondly, the study analyzes the risks for the health system and the individual. Thirdly, the design of the national tobacco tax is based on previous experience and planning in Europe. This paper concludes with a case study for different countries: (1) Spain "vapers" and "smokers", where the analysis is based on micro-data from the European Health Interview Survey 2020. (2) Sweden, with the analysis of snus, shows it as a practice on how to reach economic savings while decreasing economic costs thanks to the nudging of consumers towards better products. The results show taxation and, especially, land taxation should consider differences in planning in the case of new products, such as non-combustion products, given the user per capita income and the potential lower health risks involved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examined the strategies put in place by Lagos State Public Procurement Agency in the implementation of public procurement policy. The paper utilised primary and secondary sources of data. Primary data were collected solely through the administration of questionnaires on the respondents. The study population 1,020 comprised the staff members from ministries, and agency that monitors the implementation of procurement policy in the state, Lagos State Public Procurement Agency (LSPPA). Proportionate random sampling technique was used in selecting a sample size of 154 respondents representing 15% of the study population. Secondary data were obtained from books, academic journals, official document of LSPPA and the internet. Data collected were analysed using percentage, frequency, and (RII) Relative Importance Index. The results of the study showed that the strategies put in place by Lagos State Procurement Agency; such as establishment of a threshold (52.6%, rank 7th), constitution of contract performance audit committee (63%, rank 9.5th), supervision of the deliveries (69.5%, rank 9.5th), and creation of a procurement officer's desk (57.8%, rank 8th) were not adequately substantial strategies put in place in monitoring the implementation of public procurement policy in Lagos state. Moreover, the paper revealed strategies that were adequately substantial which were put in place by Lagos State Public Procurement Agency in the implementation of public procurement law, such as composition of technical review committee (79.9%, rank 1st), appraisal of procurement plan for procuring entities (73.3%, rank 2nd), setting of fair pricing standards and benchmarks (61%, rank 6th), strategic oversight on the contracts (65.6%, rank 5th), keeping of contractors' database for proper identification (65.6%, rank 4th), publication of details of major contracts in the State (69.5%, rank 3rd) significantly improved accountability, proficiency, efficacy among the ministries selected. The study therefore, conclude that the strategies put in place by LSPPA, Lagos State Public Procurement Agency in the implementation of public procurement law in the state is substantial, and apt which ensures that procurement law of the State is followed. It was further evident from six claims affirmation as against four claims that refuted it respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Conjuntura Austral is the property of Conjuntura Austral 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.)

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This paper focuses on post-war fiscal and economic policies in colonial Benin between 1945 and 1960. It was the period of British economic reconstruction occasioned by the effect of the Second World War. The paper therefore examines the impact of the post-war fiscal reforms on tax and expenditure patterns of the British authorities in Benin. It gives a robust analysis, as a background, of the goal and effect of the British economic reforms in her colonies. The study argues that the main objective of the British was to promote fiscal policies in order to revamp the metropolitan economy battered by the Second World War. Thus, at the Benin protectorate or division, the tax assessment rate was relatively high compared to the level of income paid by the colonial authorities, in order to create surplus for expenditure. This created discontents and petitions from different local communities against the assessment rate. The paper shows that the expenditure level, especially on social services, was low compared to the tax revenue generated. It adopts the historical method of research which utilised data obtained from both primary and secondary sources for interpretation and analysis. It's on aspects of the Benin Division in Benin Province, created in 1914, as one of the administrative divisions, by the British which comprises of the Benin speaking people of southern Nigeria. It subsequently became part of the Western Region in 1945 following the constitution of regional government in Nigeria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The theme of social exclusion has gained visibility in recent years through political discourse. This paper problematises the issue of social exclusion by analysing the counter-hegemonic perspective grounded on the policies of an association, a civil society organization, in Portugal, facilitated by migrants and their descendants. The analysis is the result of a participatory research based on the collection of documentation and semistructured interviews. The hegemonic discourse on social exclusion was analysed through empirical data from the perspective of those who inhabit and/or intervene in a neighbourhood that is the object of public policies targeting the so-called 'excluded'. Several paradoxes were identified between the social exclusion discourse conveyed in public policies and in the micropolitics of this association. The approach, goals and working methods that characterise the micropolitics of the association may contribute to the emergence of new forms of singularisation, through adult education initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the distinctions between behavioral and traditional economics by analyzing recent literature. It underscores the importance of employing nudge theory in economic decision-making, its impact on consumer choices, and its role in shaping public policies. Data synthesis involved a search across EBSCO Discovery, Google Scholar, and databases like Academic Search Complete, Business Source Premium, and ScienceDirect, yielding 40 relevant articles from 324 initial results. The study contrasts traditional economics, rooted in individual rationality, with behavioral economics, which incorporates psychological and neurological factors. Results reveal that Nudges are recognized as costeffective, behavior-focused interventions, successfully applied in diverse policy contexts. The Nudge theory's ability to influence behavior through positive reinforcement and indirect suggestions is highlighted. This paper underscores the value of leveraging behavioral economics with nudges to inform decision-making in marketing, social policy, and economic development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper evaluates the relationship between public policy reforms and productivity, investment, employment and per capita income for OECD and non-OECD countries. More competition-friendly product market regulations are associated with improved economic outcomes: lower barriers to foreign trade and investment go in tandem with greater multi-factor productivity (MFP), and lower barriers to entry and less pervasive state control over the business sector with larger capital stock and increased employment rate. More flexible labour market regulations are found to go hand in hand with higher employment rates whereas no robust link between labour market regulations and MFP and capital deepening can be established. The findings also suggest that the quality of institutions is fundamental for economic outcomes. Finally, the paper shows that countries at different levels of economic development face different policy effects and that some policy reforms interact with each other by attenuating and amplifying each others' economic impacts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]