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While the impact of financial liberalization on local economies and financial sectors has been extensively discussed, limited evidence exists regarding its effects on corporate environmental performance. We investigate the impact of financial liberalization on corporate environmental performance using a unique and comprehensive dataset that includes firm-level pollution emissions. The results indicate that the entry of foreign banks significantly enhances corporate environmental performance, as demonstrated by a reduction in SO2 emission intensity. These findings are robust and supported by various approaches. Mechanism analysis suggests that the entry of foreign banks can alleviate financing constraints and improve end-of-pipe governance. However, there is no evidence suggesting that enterprises reduce pollution emissions through technological upgrades. Further analysis reveals that private and foreign-owned firms experience more substantial environmental benefits compared to state-owned firms. Government actions significantly influence the emission reduction effects of foreign banks. Strengthening environmental goals by local governments enhances emission reduction effects; while, a weakening of these effects is observed when economic growth goals take precedence. This paper provides empirical evidence and policy insights for the continued expansion of financial liberalization, considering its environmental benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

IntroductionThe food environment is an important factor in the efforts of countries worldwide to achieve a transition to sustainable food systems. The objective of this study is to formulate and prioritize actions to be addressed to the government of Burkina Faso for the creation of a healthy food environment, which will contribute to reducing malnutrition in all its forms and non-communicable diseases.MethodsNational experts were brought together to identify and prioritize actions to fill the gaps identified through a multi-step assessment process following the methodology of the Healthy Food and Environment Policy Index (Food-EPI).ResultsUp to 20 priority policy actions were recommended to the Burkina Faso government. Actions in the policy component focused mainly on regulation of food promotion and marketing, particularly to children, and others in the infrastructure support component focused largely on political leadership, i.e., strong and visible political support from the government to improve the food environment, population nutrition, diet-related non-communicable diseases and their inequalities.ConclusionThe priority actions to be recommended to the government will strengthen advocacy for government decisions to create a healthier food environment in the country.

Copyright of Latin American Journal of Economic Developement (LAJED) is the property of Universidad Catolica Boliviana San Pablo 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 COVID-19 virus created a health crisis that led to one of the biggest economic crises in the world. This study analyzes the effects of different variables on the stock indexes of 15 different countries grouped into five areas/regions: Europe, the United States, South America, New Zealand, and Asia. The variables include data regarding COVID-19 on infections and death as well as news regarding government actions. The descriptive statistics and the regression analysis expose differences between the areas across all the variables. The variables with the strongest effects are the number of infected people and the number of recoveries, except for South America where only the number of infected people had the strongest effect. In addition, in the United States and New Zealand, infection of famous people and/or people in key positions is the most significant variable, while in Asia and South America it was the behavior of the public and in Europe it was the restrictions on the education system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fertilizer is the basic input for the agricultural sector, but Brazil is still deficient in its production, obtaining a level of imports greater than 80%, wich makes it dependent on foreign production. This generates price oscillations, directly affecting the cost of production, mainly in small agricultural enterprises, where the purchasing power of producers decreases. The objective of this article is to evaluate this reality and its effects on rural development, also emphasizing government actions in the face of this situation. For that, emphasis was placed on the bibliographical research method. Among the results, the country's dependence on fertilizers has increased in the last nine years and government actions, such as the National Fertilizer Plan, would help to improve this situation as long as some plausible resolution, case of investments in the national production of this input, targets become efficient in the short term, so that the current crisis situation is temporary and not structural. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The NOURISHING database is a repository of more than 1000 verified nutrition and diet‐related governmental policy actions currently in effect globally. The database is a unique and rich data source on governmental policy actions with a potential for developing tools that capture the overall policy efforts in a country, identify policy gaps, and enable cross‐national comparisons. Policy actions from a sample of five European countries have been benchmarked against aspirational standards using the NOURISHING benchmarking tool. This paper presents the results of the pilot testing from the benchmarking process for the construction of the NOURISHING policy index. The development of the index was guided by existing tools for developing composite indicators. The findings from the pilot test indicate that the NOURISHING policy index can identify both policy gaps and cross‐national policy differences. These results demonstrate that the policy index merits testing on a larger sample to identify potential refinements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Responses to applications for state administrative decisions within a time frame of 10 working days as regulated in Article 53 of the Law No. 30 of 2014, which apparently does not provide legal certainty to applicants. This condition is attributed to the fact that electronic form of applications within the 10 working days will not automatically be granted, unless applicants apply to the State Administrative Court. On that basis, the provisions of Article 53 of the Law No. 30 of 2014 were amended by Law No. 11 of 2020 to guarantee the applicants that their electronic form of application within the time limit of five working days will be granted without going through a judicial process. Thus, this study aims to address two aspects, the legal impacts of the issuance of Electronic State Administrative Decree after the enactment of Law No. 11 of 2020, and the government’s efforts to respond to the issuance of Electronic State Administrative Decree after the enactment of Law No. 11 of 2020. The research was conducted using normative legal research, particularly library sources, and secondary data in the form of primary, secondary, and tertiary legal materials. The study showed that the legal impacts of an electronically submitted application for a state administrative decision according to Article 53 of the Law No.11 of 2020 have the same legal force as a state administrative decision issued directly by a government official. Clearly, the government’s efforts to issue electronic form of application for the State Administrative Decisions by individuals and/or legal entities after the enactment of Law No. 11 of 2020 are carried out to build digital-based governance in all lines of government. Keywords: government actions, decrees, permits. Dampak Hukum Dan Upaya Pemerintah Merespon Keputusan TUN Secara Elektronik Pasca Berlakunya Undang-Undang Nomor 11 Tahun 2020 Tentang Penciptaan Lapangan Kerja Abstrak Tanggapan atas permohonan keputusan tata usaha negara dalam jangka waktu 10 hari kerja sebagaimana diatur dalam Pasal 53 Undang-Undang Nomor 30 Tahun 2014, yang ternyata tidak memberikan kepastian hukum kepada pemohon. Kondisi ini disebabkan karena permohonan formulir elektronik dalam waktu 10 hari kerja tidak otomatis dikabulkan, kecuali pemohon mengajukan permohonan ke Pengadilan Tata Usaha Negara. Atas dasar itu, ketentuan Pasal 53 Undang-Undang Nomor 30 Tahun 2014 diubah dengan Undang-Undang Nomor 11 Tahun 2020 untuk menjamin pemohon bahwa formulir permohonan elektronik mereka dalam batas waktu lima hari kerja akan diberikan tanpa melalui sebuah proses peradilan. Dengan demikian, penelitian ini bertujuan untuk membahas dua aspek, yaitu dampak hukum dari diterbitkannya TUN secara Elektronik pasca berlakunya Undang-Undang Nomor 11 Tahun 2020, dan upaya pemerintah dalam merespon terbitnya TUN secara Elektronik pasca berlakunya Undang-Undang Nomor 11 Tahun 2020. Undang-Undang Nomor 11 Tahun 2020. Penelitian dilakukan dengan menggunakan penelitian hukum normatif, khususnya sumber kepustakaan, dan data sekunder berupa bahan hukum primer, sekunder, dan tersier. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa dampak hukum dari Permohonan TUN yang diajukan secara elektronik menurut Pasal 53 Undang-Undang Nomor 11 Tahun 2020 memiliki kekuatan hukum yang sama dengan keputusan TUN yang dikeluarkan langsung oleh pejabat pemerintah. Jelasnya, upaya pemerintah untuk menerbitkan Surat Keputusan Tata Usaha Negara secara elektronik oleh orang perseorangan dan/atau badan hukum pasca berlakunya Undang-Undang Nomor 11 Tahun 2020 dilakukan untuk membangun pemerintahan berbasis digital di semua lini pemerintahan. Kata kunci: tindakan pemerintah, keputusan, izin.

Objective: To evaluate the extent of implementation of public policies aimed at creating healthy eating environments in Senegal compared to international best practice and identity priority actions to address the double burden of malnutrition. Design: The Healthy Food Environment Policy Index (Food-EPI) was used by a local expert panel to assess the level of implementation of forty-three good practice policy and infrastructure support indicators against international best practices using a Likert scale and identify priority actions to address the double burden of malnutrition in Senegal. Setting: Senegal, West Africa. Participants: A national group of independent experts from academia, civil society, non-governmental organisations and United Nations bodies (n =15) and a group of government experts from various ministries (n =16) participated in the study. Results: Implementation of most indicators aimed at creating healthy eating environments were rated as 'low' compared to best practice (31 on 43, or 72 %). The Gwet AC2 inter-rater reliability was good at 0·75 (95 % CI 0·70, 0·80). In a prioritisation workshop, experts identified forty-five actions, prioritising ten as relatively most feasible and important and relatively most effective to reduce the double burden of malnutrition in Senegal (e.g. develop and implement regional school menus based on local products (expand to fourteen regions) and measure the extent of the promotion of unhealthy foods to children). Conclusions: Significant efforts remain to be made by Senegal to improve food environments. This project allowed to establish an agenda of priority actions for the government to transform food environments in Senegal to tackle the double burden of malnutrition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mastery of demand for electricity in Cameroon is one of the concerns of the State, which is part of the development plan for the electricity sector by 2025. Thus, this paper identifies the factors that influence the electricity sector and mentions positive government actions. We use in this work data on the basis of previous work on one hand and a survey on the other hand in order to reinforce the analysis. The survey was conducted on a sample of 3,000 households in Douala in order to identify socio-economic factors that influence the electricity sector. For this, face-to-face approach was chosen. Households were randomly selected, then a questionnaire was submitted to them, assisting them in their response options. Results show that though certain factors have a positive influence on the electricity sector, Cameroon's current electricity system still remains unsustainable. A comprehensive view of how various factors influence the electricity sector in Cameroon would help in understanding the challenges for the future development of the sector. Government policies in this area would be more enlightened and undergo reorganization. Different models of electricity consumption could thus be formulated and adopted in order to predict the potential impacts of changes in planning.

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the adverse consequences created by an infodemic, specifically bringing attention to compliance with public health guidance and vaccine uptake. COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy is a complex construct that is related to health beliefs, misinformation exposure, and perceptions of governmental institutions. This study draws on theoretical models and current data on the COVID-19 infodemic to explore the association between the perceived risk of COVID-19, level of misinformation endorsement, and opinions about the government response on vaccine uptake. We surveyed a sample of 2697 respondents from the US, Canada, and Italy using a mobile platform between 21–28 May 2021. Using multivariate regression, we found that country of residence, risk perception of contracting and spreading COVID-19, perception of government response and transparency, and misinformation endorsement were associated with the odds of vaccine hesitancy. Higher perceived risk was associated with lower odds of hesitancy, while lower perceptions of government response and higher misinformation endorsement were associated with higher hesitancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of this material represents a first step of a staged project that is meant to raise awareness of current state of family law and we rely on the fact that, in the near future, we shell face a successful and more applicative perspective which would be reshaped, from legislative point of view, at least as codes of good practice. At the same time, this article is addressed not only to professionals, civil servants, contract stuff, but also to future occupants of public administration positions, such as students who already study a dedicated program of this field. This approach is felt to be necessary, as the proposed topic combines case law and the duties of professionals with national and European legislation, and more attention is paid to the idea that some institutions of family law are being redefined at European level. Are civil servants currently trained in European law or even in the effects of judgments of the Court of Justice of the European Union in the exercise of their duties? Are, for example, the implications of respect for the right to freedom of movement in family law matters being dealt with in an assertive manner? We thus have pertinent questions which require the correlation of the aspects used only at a theoreticalinstitutional level with the accession to the Union, although the outlined jurisprudence versus the socio-traditional impact has already created a battlefield aimed either at traditional educational actions or at changing the mentality in the sense of forming a culture of zero tolerance motivated by the disrespect of human rights and the extensive limits which derive from this. The honour of the parties of another side of the socio-political partnership obliges by the respect for the rights of every European citizen, in quasi-totality, the public policymaking body (central specialized public administration) and, without any doubt, the experience of the specialized academic body, to solve policy problems that „caught the eye" on this segment of family law. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract On August 30, 2019, in the state of Paraíba, an oil spill of unprecedented characteristics reached Brazil, affecting 1009 coastal locations, in eleven states (from Maranhão to Rio de Janeiro). The objective of this paper is to present a description of the incident scenario from the perspective of the Brazilian Federal Government. Furthermore, the analysis of its performance regarding the actions and tools employed focuses on the role of the Federal Environment Agency (Ibama). Ibama led the Federal Government’s initiatives for managing the spill when its true scale was yet unknown. Once the emergency was officially recognized, the Government acted through the implementation of the National Contingency Plan for Oil Pollution Incidents in Waters Under National Jurisdiction. From then on, the spill management was under the command of the “Grupo de Acompanhamento e Avaliação” (composed of Ibama, the Brazilian Petroleum Agency, and the Navy). The performance of other entities was crucial to make response actions feasible. Management tools were added to help the standardization, speed, and consolidation of the information collected in the field. Considering the specificities and limitations imposed by this event, we conclude that the Federal management of the spill was adequate, although opportunities for improvement were identified.

Numerous studies have examined disasters and crises affecting the tourism industry but very few have explicitly explored public opinion regarding a health-related crisis alongside a policy response to its occurrence. The COVID-19 pandemic with its rapid evolution and lasting detrimental implications has provided a unique opportunity to fill this knowledge gap. This study conducts a systematic content analysis of an online petition platform to explore public opinion on COVID-19 in the tourism context and the actions undertaken by the national government of China. The results demonstrate that trip cancellations and postponements represent the prime area of tourist concern, closely related to the issue of refunds. Mounting dissatisfaction with the service provided is triggered by ineffective communication about how to cancel and process refunds, and generates numerous complaints. However, the study finds that the policy action does not always regard tourist concerns, demands, and interests, because it primarily revolves around the problem of financial losses and focuses on the rapid economic rebound of the national tourism industry. The study recommends the need for policy instruments to understand and subsequently integrate public concerns in the design of interventions for crisis recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research note provides an account of the trajectory of Balinese tourism through 2020, focusing on government actions in the face of the coronavirus pandemic and the responses of local people. Interviews were conducted with informants in the tourism sector to assess the impact of the pandemic. The findings suggest that before April 2020, people were calm and thought that Balinese tourism may survive, albeit on much-reduced arrivals. After April, when tourism shut down completely, a new sense of pessimism became evident. Although domestic tourism began again in August, the sector was still in deep crisis at the end of the year. Although Balinese people expressed hope that the future may offer a more sustainable kind of tourism, all indications pointed to official support for a return to mass tourism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study is to predict how anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic affects empathy, compliance with government actions, safety precautions, and precautions, and conspiracy beliefs, among adult Arab citizens. Responses were recruited electronically through a self-report online questionnaire designed electronically on the Jotform website during the period from April 25 to May 17, 2020. Respondents were 1302 (62% females) citizens from several Arab countries and Arab residents in some countries around the world with an age range between 22 and 60 years. Consistent with previous research, we found a positive association between anxiety and conspiracy thinking. The more anxious Arab males and females were the more they endorsed conspiracy theory. The results revealed a stronger association between anxiety and conspiracy thinking among males than females. Also, in line with previous research, adherence to official measures is negatively associated with conspiracy thinking, but only for males. Males who showed weak readiness to obey official measures (guidelines), believed more in conspiracy theory. Pandemic anxiety generated stronger feelings of empathy toward others and more respect for safety precautions. Empathic responding, in turn, was a strong predictor of compliance to official measures whereas, anxiety was unrelated to compliance. The findings are useful in terms of providing evidence for designing interventions and implementing preventative approaches to mitigate the psychopathological consequences of COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increased incidence of natural disasters may be among the major forces driving crime over the coming century. Indeed, previous research suggests that natural disasters provide the catalyst for acts of terrorism. However, because governments can choose how they respond to natural disasters, they might be able to select actions that would mitigate hostile reactions. In this article, we argue that government responses' natural disasters could alter the rational motivations for terrorism. If true, then by responding adequately to a disaster, a government can also reduce both political violence risks and public health harms. This study argues that it is the portrayal of government responses to a natural disaster that impacts subsequent terrorism rather than the natural disaster itself. Using data from the Philippines, Turkey, and the United Kingdom between 1987 and 2013, findings suggest that when disasters occur, governments have a unique opportunity to diminish the incentives for terrorism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Filosofija, Sociologija is the property of Lithuanian Academy of Sciences Publishers 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: A sequential descriptive analysis of the government events related to 85% PW implementation and ENDS ban is lacking. There is also a dearth of public interest analysis in such policy making. Objectives: To descriptively analyse the sequence of government events in both the policies and evaluate the public interest analysing trends from the respective events. Method: Government events in India on 85% PWs were collected from media articles ranging from October 2014 to April 2016 while on ENDS ban, the information was obtained from Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India from August 2018 to December 2019. We compared Google Trends relative search volume data for 'smoking causes cancer', 'smoking danger', 'pictorial', 'ITC limited' as keywords for Pictorial Health Warnings from April 2014 to April 2016 (Policy A) while keywords such as 'electronic cigarettes, 'Vape', 'Juul' were used as surrogate for ENDS ban from October 2017 to October 2019 (Policy B). Results: According to the Google trends analysis, 'pictorial' was searched significantly more in Policy A time period (4298 vs 2599) while 'Vape' had distinctly more searches in Policy B time period (6136 vs 1042). However, the volume of difference between the two policies time period was significantly higher for Vape (5094 vs 1699). Conclusion: Strategy and experiences from delayed implementation of pictorial health warnings has laid down the path for faster enactment of future anti-tobacco policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the adverse consequences created by an infodemic, specifically bringing attention to compliance with public health guidance and vaccine uptake. COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy is a complex construct that is related to health beliefs, misinformation exposure, and perceptions of governmental institutions. This study draws on theoretical models and current data on the COVID-19 infodemic to explore the association between the perceived risk of COVID-19, level of misinformation endorsement, and opinions about the government response on vaccine uptake. We surveyed a sample of 2697 respondents from the US, Canada, and Italy using a mobile platform between 21–28 May 2021. Using multivariate regression, we found that country of residence, risk perception of contracting and spreading COVID-19, perception of government response and transparency, and misinformation endorsement were associated with the odds of vaccine hesitancy. Higher perceived risk was associated with lower odds of hesitancy, while lower perceptions of government response and higher misinformation endorsement were associated with higher hesitancy.

The “perfect storm” term is used to represent a rare and unlikely combination of circumstances that can cause a real disaster in the environment in which they occur. Thus, this research associates the term in question to social anomie, which means that a combination of factors: the Covid-19 pandemic and government actions related to the labor society in this period, can threaten social cohesion and thus make individuals and anomic society. Therefore, this research aims to reflect on how government actions taken in relation to the labor society in the pandemic period served as a “perfect storm” for social anomie. For this reason, considering the methodological character, this research fits into the interpretive, qualitative, exploratory, bibliographical and cross-sectional method. The findings demonstrate that the government actions taken to combat the pandemic by Covid-19 in relation to the labor society are insufficient to ensure social cohesion, which means that social anomie occurs and shakes the relationship between individual and society. In addition, it appears that the measures imposed by the government are contrary to those adopted in other countries, being considered ineffective in fulfilling the State's duty in meeting the needs of the working population, further increasing social inequalities and injuring the right to life and to health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accusations concerning the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic are mounting between Western and Eastern countries, where Russia is far from being an exception. Division lines exist even within blocs of countries having very similar political, socio-economic and cultural identities. There are as many ways to handle the COVID-19 pandemic as governments, international organisations etc., but the necessity of at least some forms of lockdown is almost universally agreed. Unfortunately, instead of abandoning previous conflicts and maximising international cooperation to successfully contain the pandemic, minimising casualties and social stress, virtually all aspects of the pandemic become over-politicised and used to advance competing interests. Russia is an important part of the "blame-game". Having a culture of strong presidential power, harsh measures had been introduced meeting compliance of most of the society. As of November 2020, the number of newly infected people was still rising quite rapidly and systematically. Thus, the effectiveness of Russian countermeasures to tackle the pandemic was debated not only in Russia, but around the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How do expressions of support or opposition by the U.S. federal government, influence violent hate crimes against specific racial and ethnic minorities? In this article, we test two hypotheses derived from Blalock's (1967) conceptualization of intergroup power contests. The political threat hypothesis predicts that positive government attention toward specific groups would lead to more hateful violence directed against them. The emboldenment hypothesis predicts that negative government attention toward specific groups would also lead to more hateful violence directed against them. Using combined data on U.S. government actions and federal hate crime statistics from 1992 through 2012, vector autoregression models provide support for both hypotheses, depending on the protected group involved. We conclude that during this period, African Americans were more vulnerable to hate crimes motivated by political threat, and Latinx persons were more vulnerable to hate crimes motivated by emboldenment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How do expressions of support or opposition by the U.S. federal government, influence violent hate crimes against specific racial and ethnic minorities? In this article, we test two hypotheses derived from Blalock's (1967) conceptualization of intergroup power contests. The political threat hypothesis predicts that positive government attention toward specific groups would lead to more hateful violence directed against them. The emboldenment hypothesis predicts that negative government attention toward specific groups would also lead to more hateful violence directed against them. Using combined data on U.S. government actions and federal hate crime statistics from 1992 through 2012, vector autoregression models provide support for both hypotheses, depending on the protected group involved. We conclude that during this period, African Americans were more vulnerable to hate crimes motivated by political threat, and Latinx persons were more vulnerable to hate crimes motivated by emboldenment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although there have been studies investigating the relationship between information disclosure and voluntary compliance behaviors, the terrain of such research is largely fragmented and has been rarely tested empirically in the pandemic contexts. This article reviewed the intervention and control of the pandemic from the perspective of information disclosure with reflections on the experience in China. Furthermore, the authors propose a comprehensive framework demonstrating the overall landscape of information disclosure and voluntary compliance behaviors with highlights on (a) the tensions between privacy and information transparency; (b) the trade-offs between policy rigorousness and compliance behaviors; (c) different sources of information and how they influence public behaviors differently; and most importantly, (d) how the variegated configurations and contextualization of factors result in different influencing and moderating mechanisms between information disclosure and voluntary compliance behaviors. In the end, the authors call for future research and reforms in pandemic control practice to focus on the dynamics of information disclosure, government actions, and public compliance behaviors, which has been largely neglected so far. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we aim to investigate the type of emotional responses that are evoked by the government's actions and whether these emotions lead to individuals' support behavior. We use scenario-based experimental design where two between-subjects manipulations are created for government's actions, and one between-subjects control condition is created. Respondents were assigned to experimental and control groups using judgmental sampling. PLS based SEM and CFA is used for the analyses of the data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Ibero-Americana de Ciência da Informação is the property of Revista Ibero-Americana de Ciencia da Informacao 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 Fatec Zona Sul (REFAS) is the property of Revista Fatec Zona Sul (REFAS) 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.)

Cost overruns in transport infrastructure projects are prevalent and have been well documented in the literature; see, for instance, Flyvbjerg et al. (2003), Odeck (2004 and 2014) and Cantarelli et al. (2010). Governments may therefore exert efforts to reduce overruns by implementing strategies such as quality assurance of cost estimates, whereby external consultants are engaged to assure the accuracy of estimates. However, the literature has to a lesser extent provided evidence on what governments do to combat overruns and whether those efforts work in practice. This paper provides such evidence for the case of Norway, where the government implemented a quality assurance regime for cost estimates above 500 million NOK in the early 2000. Apart from explaining the Norwegian quality assurance regime, the paper uses statistical inferences to compare the magnitudes of cost overruns in the pre-and post- quality assurance periods. The statistically significant derived results are as follows: (i) quality assurance has led to a reduction in cost overruns; (ii) quality assurance has not, however, led to improved accuracy of the estimates provided by the authorities - rather, it has led to systematic overestimation by the authorities; and (iii) external consultants are more accurate than the authorities. We conclude that the quality assurance regime is achieving the objectives of reducing cost overruns and that similar regimes should be considered for smaller projects where overruns have been shown to be very large. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper examines the impact of government actions on social trust after controlling for individual and community characteristics. Using unique individual level data drawn from the provincial capital cities across China, we find that trust in other people is strongly correlated with government actions. Positive actions by the government that facilitate information flow, including active communication and information transparency, significantly increase trust. Negative actions by the government, including corruption, violent law enforcement, and abuse of privilege, significantly reduce trust. These actions affect people''s trust in the government in similar ways that they affect trust in other people. We also find that most individual characteristics are not strongly related to trust in others, while being a member of the Communist party increases the likelihood of trust. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Copyright of Estudios Politicos is the property of Facultad de Ciencias Politicas y Sociales 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.)

Governments around the world have taken measures in fighting against COVID-19, but how the government's response affects the public evaluation of government performance in crisis remains to be examined. The study investigated how government actions, the public's trust in government, risk perception, and negative emotions influenced the public evaluation of government performance based on a primary survey. The findings showed that: (1) government actions and public evaluation of government performance in crisis are significantly and positively associated; (2) trust in government can positively lead to the public evaluation of government performance in crisis; (3) risk perception and negative emotions can negatively moderate and attenuate the previous positive relationship. The research revealed that the public evaluation of government performance is formed by the government actions through mediation effect of trust in government and also moderation effect of risk perception and emotional factors. Thus, this study innovatively developed a moderated mediation model of public perceived government performance which may serve as a basis for improving public evaluation while dealing with the crisis in other countries and regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]