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The dropout rate is the most significant disadvantage in Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC); most of the time, it exceeds 90%. This research compares the effect of cognitive bias, gamification, monetary compensation, and student characteristics (gender, age, years of education, student geographical location, and interest in the course certificate) on dropout. We use survival analysis to identify the predictors of dropout and its related factors. The results showed the lowest dropout (74.2%) for cognitive bias and gamification. The results showed that the Peanut effect bias favors the lowest risk of drop up. Likewise, the findings showed the interest in the final certificate as a predictor of retention to complete a four-week MOOC.

Given the increasing number of learners in massive open online courses (MOOCs), students' self-directed learning (SDL) skills are necessary for their success. The purpose of this study was to explore learners' motivation for enrolling in MOOCs and their SDL strategies, as well as instructional elements that support SDL from learners' perspectives. This qualitative study adopted a phenomenological research design. The data source was semi-structured interviews with 15 learners from three MOOCs. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis. The researchers found that the motivation for enrolling in MOOCs included intrinsic motivation (e.g., curiosity, improving personal knowledge, and personal interest) and extrinsic motivation (e.g., supporting formal education and career development). The learning strategies used by MOOC learners were task strategies, self-monitoring, and self-management strategies. The task strategies included taking notes, reading texts or subtitles, watching videos, and conducting further research. The self-monitoring strategies included self-assessment, self-reflection, progress indicators, final projects, and authentic tasks. Learners' self-management strategies (e.g., time management and resource management) varied depending on their diverse motivations. In addition, the instructional elements that support SDL were self-assessment and discussion forums, instructor feedback, flexibility, clearly stated learning goals, the authenticity of the content, and small learning units. The implications of the study are discussed in the paper.

The purpose of the paper is to develop the theory that structural or procedural changes in institutions precede changes in education in a society. It examines the development of pre-modern institutions in Western Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries and the influences this had on growth in literacy rates within these states. Literacy rates in Western European countries during the Middle Ages were below twenty percent of the population. For most countries, literacy rates did not experience significant increases until the Enlightenment and industrialization. Two early exceptions to this broad trend were the Netherlands and England, which had achieved literacy rates above fifty percent of their populations by the mid-seventeenth century. The explanations for these divergent trends are the structural changes in formal institutions that embodied capital markets, protected private property, and overall established the initial steps in developing modern political institutions. This created incentives to invest more in schools per capita as well as incentives for a middle class to invest more in literacy and numeracy skills for a market-exchange economy that was becoming more specialized in division of labor.

The importance of university-business cooperation (UBC) continues to grow. To date, however, our understanding of UBC in education is lacking, as is our knowledge of the motivations of academics. This research explores a comprehensive mix of motivations underlying education-driven UBC in the form of student mobility, curriculum design and delivery, and lifelong learning. Specifically, drawing on self-determination theory, motivations across five orientations are examined, namely monetary, career, research, educational and social. Based on an extensive and wide-reaching European survey, this research demonstrates the context-specific nature of academic motivations for UBC in education. Not only do the motivations differ from those commonly noted in relation to commercialisation, the set of motivations varies across different education-driven activities. This research offers important contributions to theory and practice, revealing that academics are motivated more strongly by intrinsic than extrinsic reasons, with only social and educational orientations emerging as significant motivations across all four activities.

Within the process of harmonizing and strengthening Europe as a competitive knowledge economy education is presented as a basic pillar of economic growth in a multitude of European policy papers. But how do individuals respond to incentives coming from European education politics? (How) are they appropriating given targets and how do they engage in making sense of them -- or not? This paper addresses the difference between the programme and the experience of European education politics. Based on a selected case study of experiences with European Social Fund project work, the model of an 'education entrepreneur', situated in the context of the German education system, will serve to reconstruct what happens with the European policy programme when it meets concrete lived experiences and will provide an insight into the gap between programme and practice of European education politics.

Tertiary educational institutions increasingly are relied upon for sustainable development initiatives. This policy research note analyzes newly available data regarding seven key dimensions of 295 transnational sustainable development projects involving US universities. Comparative regional analysis of the projects profiled in the APLU/AAU database indicates that US universities engage in substantially fewer development projects in Central/Eastern Europe and the Middle East relative to other regions in the South. Further, these projects tend to be short term in duration, with a smaller proportion continuing to be active in 2011 and beyond. Donors or other external sources tend to be the principal impetus for projects in both regions, rather than campus faculty members. The findings suggest that one path to increasing higher education development initiatives in the Middle East and Central/Eastern Europe would center on providing opportunities and incentives for faculty at US and overseas partner institutions to build transnational contacts that lead to joint proposal initiation and submission. The future policy implications of these research findings highlight the importance of increased funding by government agencies, international organizations, NGOs, foundations and corporations for sustainable development projects undertaken through transcontinental higher education linkages of ten years' duration or longer. By expanding direct awards to higher education institutions for collaborative transnational initiatives, donors can further empower universities to address sustainable development challenges of the twenty-first century. (Contains 6 notes and 4 tables.)

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This paper investigates the multifaceted dimensions of sport promotion, development, and integrity within the context of men's football in Europe. It specifically focuses on the impact of a newly introduced competition, the UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) Nations League (UNL), on these three dimensions. The study utilises a dataset comprising 1,058 games played over two distinct periods: 503 games from 2014–2016 (pre-UNL) and 555 games from 2018–2021 (UNL era). The primary areas of interest are competitive balance (CB) and competitive intensity (CI), measured at the intra-match (both CB and CI) and post-match (CB only) levels, and fairness. Regressions and statistical tests were conducted to explain the determinants of CB and compare CB and CI between both periods. The analysis reveals that CB deteriorated, primarily attributed to changing incentives for the strongest and weakest teams during Euro qualifying matches. By contrast, CI increased due to the UNL's replacement of most friendly games. While recent literature has raised potential fairness issues due to the establishment of the UNL, findings of this study suggest that the integrity of national men's football team competitions and games in Europe remained intact during this period. This article advances knowledge of CB and CI. Besides, it also provides empirical evidence that the UNL did not compromise the fairness of national men's football team competitions and games in Europe. By bringing CB, CI, and fairness together, this study highlights the crucial role of sports organisations in promoting and developing their sport, while also safeguarding its integrity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: This work provides an overview of the incentives used for plasma donation in Europe and beyond. The overview can provide new ideas to blood establishments. Materials and Methods: We conducted a systematic online search of incentives used and asked national experts to validate the data across all European Union countries as well as other European and non‐European countries. We categorized the data into level of incentive (using the Nuffield Council on Bioethics' rungs [2011]) and country. Results: We analysed more than 490 organizations across 26 countries. Our findings reveal different incentives used in these countries. Snacks and pre‐donation health checks are commonly provided. In addition, loyalty programmes, small gifts, vouchers, lotteries, travel compensations and time off from work extend the strategic incentive portfolio. Only seven countries offer financial compensation ranging from the equivalent of 10–35€ for European countries. In countries with a decentralized model, where more than one organization collects plasma, we observe that more diversified incentive strategies are generally used, including monetary and non‐monetary incentives. In countries with a centralized model, where only one organization is allowed to collect plasma, financial compensation is usually not offered. Centralized plasma collection without financial compensation relies on a wider range of non‐monetary incentives than with financial compensation. Conclusion: The country group analysis offers valuable insights into the relationship between incentive strategies and the prevailing centralized versus decentralized plasma collection model. This overview provides a broader understanding of incentives used by blood establishments and offers avenues for future practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The shortage of organs for transplantations is increasing in Europe as well as globally. Many initiatives to the organ shortage, such as opt-out systems for deceased donation and expanding living donation, have been insufficient to meet the rising demand for organs. In recurrent discussions on how to reduce organ shortage, financial incentives and removal of disincentives, have been proposed to stimulate living organ donation and increase the pool of available donor organs. It is important to understand not only the ethical acceptability of (dis)incentives for organ donation, but also its societal acceptance. In this review, we propose a research agenda to help guide future empirical studies on public preferences in Europe towards the removal of disincentives and introduction of incentives for organ donation. We first present a systematic literature review on public opinions concerning (financial) (dis)incentives for organ donation in European countries. Next, we describe the results of a randomized survey experiment conducted in the United States. This experiment is crucial because it suggests that societal support for incentivizing organ donation depends on the specific features and institutional design of the proposed incentive scheme. We conclude by proposing this experiment's framework as a blueprint for European research on this topic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The delicate balance of funding research and development of treatments for rare disease is only imperfectly achieved in Europe, and even the current provisional equilibrium is under a new threat from well-intentioned policy changes now in prospect that could—in addition to the intrinsic complexities of research—reduce the incentives on which commercial activity in this area is dependent. The European Union review of its pharmaceutical legislation, for which proposals are scheduled to appear before the end of 2022, envisages adjusting the decade-old incentives to meet objectives that are more precisely targeted. However, researchers, physicians, patients and industry have expressed concerns that ill-considered modifications could have unintended consequences in disrupting the current balance and could reduce rather than increase the flow of innovative treatments for rare diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Innovative medicines and vaccines can provide direct health benefits to patients and populations by preventing, treating and curing diseases, and also drive wider socioeconomic and productivity gains. However, researching and developing them is complex and risky. Funding for life sciences R&D has different sources: public, charitable/NGO, and private sector. We believe there is consensus that all are required, although there is less understanding about their respective roles, synergies, and funding priorities. The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the current life sciences innovation ecosystem in Europe, highlighting challenges for funding and innovation of new therapies and our proposed options to address these., Methods: The basis of this paper stems from the reflections made by the co-authors during a webinar with title "Collaboration for new therapies: maximising funding and innovation," in March 2023, with further targeted literature reviews., Results: We identify eight challenges in the European life sciences ecosystem, some closely related, and nine options that we think might be helpful to address them. Each option on its own can have different levels of 'impact', but collectively will provide synergies among them, and thus maximize their impact., Discussion: It is critical to ascertain how the strengths of each actor can be leveraged to bring new medicines/treatments to market, quicker and more efficiently. We need a trusted environment, with strategic collaborations between the public and private sectors, and policy initiatives and incentives should be targeted to strengthen the infrastructure with the aim of fostering such optimal alliances., Competing Interests: VA is employed by MSD. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Mestre-Ferrandiz, Meulien, Ostwald and Acha.)

Featured Application: The application of the proposed optimization algorithms into the control system of electric vehicle charging stations with photovoltaic panels can help reduce the negative impact of their charging on local grid infrastructure and thus enable the building of new charging stations even in the weaker part of the network, e.g., in rural areas and so help to the faster deployment of electric vehicles. Recent events in Europe show the necessity of speeding up the transition to local renewable energy sources utilization within countries' power systems. Moreover, the share of electric vehicles is gradually increasing within the Europe market. To utilize renewable energy sources with intermittent character to supply power for this increasing demand for electric vehicle charging, the vehicle-to-grid concept must be applied. However, for this concept to be successful, it should be beneficial for electric vehicle drivers and charging station operators. As a result, the focus of this research is on developing a charging/discharging control algorithm that adheres to the above assumptions. The use of the proposed control mechanism in case studies demonstrates that if electric vehicle drivers declare their preferences truthfully, the social welfare of all participants can be maximized. To prevent one of the drivers from trying to disrupt the social welfare concept in their favor by reporting false preferences, the incentive mechanism is proposed as well. The case studies show that the incentive mechanism results in the increased cost of the participant trying to disrupt the social welfare while decreasing the cost of all the others. Therefore, truth-telling and thus maximizing the social welfare of all participants in the system is an optimal strategy for each of them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Today policy makers face the challenge to devise a policy framework that improves orphan medicinal product (OMP) development by creating incentives to deliver treatments where there are none and to authorize innovative and transformative treatments where treatments already exist. The European Expert Group on Orphan Drug Incentives (hereafter, OD Expert Group) came together in 2020 to develop policy proposals to facilitate EU policy makers to meet this challenge. The group brings together representatives of the broad rare disease community, including researchers, academia, patient representatives, members of the investor community, rare disease companies and trade associations. The group's work builds on the recognition that only an ambitious policy agenda developed in a multi-stakeholder setting can bring about the quantum leap needed to address unmet needs of rare disease patients today. Along the OMP development path, the OD Expert Group has identified four main needs that a policy revision should address: 1) Need to improve the R&D ecosystem for basic research and company take-up of development. 2) Need to improve the system of financial incentives and rewards. 3) Need to improve the flexibility, predictability and speed of the regulatory pathway. 4) Need to improve the coherence and predictability of demand and pricing for OMPs. This article presents the results of the OD Expert Group work as a set of guiding principles that the revision of the policy framework should follow and a set of 14 policy proposals that address the main needs of OMP development in Europe today. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to introduce the role of CCP in the market, the importance of the risk management framework, including the tools used in the case of insufficient guarantee funds. The study is descriptive, and besides detailing the EU-level regulatory framework, it also illustrates its possible setbacks from the perspective of the market participants and professionals. It points out that the common goal and interest of all actors are to ensure the viability of the CCP, but the poorly designed capital management and strategy can hinder this. Although the regulatory framework has been applied across Europe and its fine-tuning can be said to be constant, its effectiveness and resilience to shocks will be supported or refuted by an adverse event in the market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Repurposing of medicines has gained a lot of interest from the research community in recent years as it could offer safe, timely, and affordable new treatment options for cancer patients with high unmet needs. Increasingly, questions arise on how new uses will be translated into clinical practice, especially in case of marketed medicinal products that are out of basic patent or regulatory protection. The aim of this study was to portray the regulatory framework relevant for making repurposed medicines available to cancer patients in Europe and propose specific policy recommendations to address the current regulatory and financial barriers. We outlined two routes relevant to the clinical adoption of a repurposed medicine. First, a new indication can be approved, and thus brought on-label, via the marketing authorization procedures established in European and national legislation. Such procedures initiate a detailed and independent assessment of the quality and the benefit-risk balance of a medicinal product in a specific indication, benefiting both prescribers and patients as it reassures them that the scientific evidence is robust. However, the process of marketing authorization for new therapeutic indications entails a high administrative burden and significant costs while the return-on-investment for the pharmaceutical industry is expected to be low or absent for medicines that are out of basic patent and regulatory protection. Moreover, most of the repurposing research is conducted by independent or academic researchers who do not have the expertise or resources to get involved in regulatory procedures. A second option is to prescribe a medicine off-label for the new indication, which is managed at the national level in Europe. While off-label use could provide timely access to treatments for patients with urgent medical needs, it also entails important safety, liability and financial risks for patients, physicians, and society at large. In view of that, we recommend finding solutions to facilitate bringing new uses on-label, for example by developing a collaborative framework between not-for-profit and academic organizations, pharmaceutical industry, health technology assessment bodies, payers, and regulators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Over the last twenty years of orphan drug regulation in Europe, the regulatory framework has increased its complexity, with different regulatory paths and tools engineered to facilitate the innovation and accelerate approvals. Recently, the proposal of the new Pharmaceutical Legislation for the European Union, which will replace at least three Regulations and one Directive, was released and its new framework is raising many questions. The aim of this study was to present a characterisation of the Orphan Medicinal Products (OMPs) authorised by the European Commission (EC), between 2010 and 2022, looking into eighteen variables, contributing to the ongoing discussion on the proposal and implementation of the new Pharmaceutical Legislation proposed., Methods: Data of the OMPs identified and approved between 2010 and 2022 were extracted from the European Public Assessment Reports (EPARs) produced by the European Medicines Agency. Information regarding legal basis of the application, applicant, protocol assistance received, type of authorization, registration status, type of molecule, ATC code, therapeutic area, target age, disease prevalence, number of pivotal clinical trials supporting the application, clinical trial designs, respective efficacy endpoints and number of patients enrolled in the pivotal clinical trials were extracted. A descriptive statistical analysis was applied., Results: We identified 192 OMPs approved in the period between 2010 and 2022. 89% of the OMPs have legal basis of "full application". 86% of the sponsors received protocol assistance whereas 64% of the MAA benefited from the accelerated assessment. 53% of the active substances are small molecules; about 1 in 5 molecules are repurposed. 40% of the OMPs have oncological therapeutic indications and 56% of the OMPs are intended to treat only adults. 71% of the products were approved based on a single pivotal trial., Conclusions: This analysis of OMPs approved between 2010 and 2022 shows that a shift has occurred in the rare disease medicine development space. Through the period studied we observe an increase of non-small molecules approved, accelerated assessment received and non-standard MA's granted., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

We describe an investigation into the challenges faced by fishing gear technologists inspiring the voluntary uptake of proven fishing gear by fishers, defined as fishing gear that has satisfied research objectives following field trials between fishers and fishing gear technologists. We applied a multifaceted approach to understand how the uptake rate of this fishing gear can be achieved based on the results of a 3-year ICES-FAO Working Group on Fishing Technology and Fish Behaviour (WGFTFB) topic group on change management in fisheries. This was supported by an online survey and interview of WGFTFB members, comprising mainly of fishing gear technologists and researchers from Europe and North America, and a review of projects in the US Northwest Atlantic to evaluate the performance of fishing gear in close collaboration with fishers. We found that widespread voluntary uptake of proven fishing gear by fishers is rare, and usually takes place over many years if at all. The uptake of this gear was more likely occur in the face of perceived financial benefit or impending regulation, although financial benefit was not always sufficient inducement for fishers change their gear. The effectiveness of outreach programmes to inspire the uptake of this gear was also found to be questionable, and the efficacy of incentives was limited and inconsistent, even if the informational deficit of fishers was low. Few WGFTFB members were found to use change management models such as that by Kotter, and they relied mainly on informal, ad hoc approaches to inspire the uptake of proven fishing gear. Based on our findings we posit a need to (i) examine our assumptions about the behaviour of fishers, (ii) augment communication of the results of fishing gear research, (iii) focus on emotions to overcome motivational deficits, and (iv) consider how the application of change management models can improve the ability of fishing gear technologists to inspire the uptake of proven fishing gear by fishers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims This study investigates the link between personal income and smoking among adolescents, and aims to answer the following questions: (i) to what extent is personal income related to smoking, independent of family socio-economic status (SES) and (ii) does the association between personal income and smoking apply to different subpopulations? Design Cross-sectional study. Setting Six cities from European countries (Amersfoort, the Netherlands; Coimbra, Portugal; Hannover, Germany; Latina, Italy; Namur, Belgium; Tampere, Finland) in 2013. Participants A school-based sample of 10 794 adolescents aged 14-17 years. Measurements We modelled smoking experimentation, weekly smoking, daily smoking and (among daily smokers) smoking intensity as function of personal income, adjusting for age, sex, family SES, parental smoking and country. We tested interactions between personal income and covariates. Stratification analyses were performed for the variables for which interactions were significant. Findings Adolescents in the highest income quintile were more likely to be smoking experimenters [odds ratio (OR) = 1.87; P < 0.01], weekly smokers (OR = 3.51; P < 0.01) and daily smokers (OR = 4.55; P < 0.01) than those in the lowest quintile. They also consumed more cigarettes per month (β = 0.79; P < 0.01). Adjusting for family SES did not modify the significance of relationships, and increased the magnitude of the association for daily smoking. None of the interactions between covariates and personal income was significant for smoking measures. For the intensity of smoking, the interaction was significant for SES. The stratified analysis showed a non-significant association between smoking intensity and personal income among the oldest adolescents and those with the lowest SES background, while significant among younger and higher SES backgrounds. Conclusion In the Netherlands, Portugal, Germany, Italy, Belgium and Finland, adolescents' personal income is related positively to smoking behaviours independent of family socio-economic status (SES). However, among low socio-economic status adolescent daily smokers, the association between the intensity of smoking and personal income is weaker. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to describe the design of an effective recovery and resolution regime for central counterparties (CCPs), which has become increasingly imperative as a result of the positive performance of CCPs to contain contagion during the financial crisis that erupted in 2008, which led authorities to foster the use of CCPs to contain risk in financial markets. It is more than crucial to ensure that CCPs provide an adequate protection to their customers, for their benefit and the benefit of the market as a whole. In line with this, regimes for recovery and resolution of CCPs are currently in the process of being implemented across the world. While the events that would lead to the implementation of a CCP’s recovery and resolution regime are extremely unlikely, far worse than the ones that led to the eruption of the financial crisis in 2008, the right tools should, however, be ready for CCPs and authorities to ensure that these events can be dealt with smoothly and that financial markets are resilient to the most extreme events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Health examination surveys (HESs), carried out in Europe since the 1950's, provide valuable information about the general population's health for health monitoring, policy making, and research. Survey participation rates, important for representativeness, have been falling. International comparisons are hampered by differing exclusion criteria and definitions for non-response.Method: Information was collected about seven national HESs in Europe conducted in 2007-2012. These surveys can be classified into household and individual-based surveys, depending on the sampling frames used. Participation rates of randomly selected adult samples were calculated for four survey modules using standardised definitions and compared by sex, age-group, geographical areas within countries, and over time, where possible.Results: All surveys covered residents not just citizens; three countries excluded those in institutions. In two surveys, physical examinations and blood sample collection were conducted at the participants' home; the others occurred at examination clinics. Recruitment processes varied considerably between surveys. Monetary incentives were used in four surveys. Initial participation rates aged 35-64 were 45% in the Netherlands (phase II), 54% in Germany (new and previous participants combined), 55% in Italy, and 65% in Finland. In Ireland, England and Scotland, household participation rates were 66%, 66% and 63% respectively. Participation rates were generally higher in women and increased with age. Almost all participants attending an examination centre agreed to all modules but surveys conducted in the participants' home had falling responses to each stage. Participation rates in most primate cities were substantially lower than the national average. Age-standardized response rates to blood pressure measurement among those aged 35-64 in Finland, Germany and England fell by 0.7-1.5 percentage points p.a. between 1998-2002 and 2010-2012. Longer trends in some countries show a more marked fall.Conclusions: The coverage of the general population in these seven national HESs was good, based on the sampling frames used and the sample sizes. Pre-notification and reminders were used effectively in those with highest participation rates. Participation rates varied by age, sex, geographical area, and survey design. They have fallen in most countries; the Netherlands data shows that they can be maintained at higher levels but at much higher cost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the last years the objective of European Commission and other E.U institutions was to promote numerous initiatives to simplifying the environmental norms and legislation in order to provide tangible advantages for enterprises and public administrations. In this context the paper investigated the measures and incentives tools implemented in some European Countries to support companies's adoption of Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS). Starting from analysis of the number of EMAS registration among European Union countries the paper seeks to explain why some countries benefit more form existing incentives measures and which are the most powerful incentives for registered companies. It will be shown that the participation of companies in EMAS is markedly differs between member states. In order to understand these differences in participation rates it is important to take into consideration that EMAS is a voluntary scheme and the national regulators set different simplification measures and incentives. The study is focused on the two main categories of tool incentives indicated by European Commission: regulatory flexibility and promotional incentives. Taking into account that Spain, Germany and Italy are countries with the highest number of EMAS registration the paper concludes with some best practices and recommendations that should be considered by governments in order to increase the diffusion of the EMAS among organizations from other countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Platforms are being constructed to stimulate cohort data sharing. Nevertheless, many policy barriers impede data sharing. Various interventions have been proposed to address these barriers, including incentive creation and data sharing mandates for researchers., Aim: To understand funding agencies' perspectives on policy interventions to encourage data sharing., Methods: Members of funding agencies were recruited to participate in semi-structured interviews. Nearly all funding agencies are situated in European countries. Interview transcripts were analyzed through inductive content analysis., Results: Mandates for cohort data sharing are not supported by agencies due to data protection regulations and the preconditions for issuing mandates. Recommendation of platforms may be based on certification schemes, such as repository accreditation. Monitoring mechanisms for cohort data sharing are currently absent, which complicates assessing compliance of researchers with funding agencies' policies and evidence production. Funding agencies are not imposing conditions on data access committees., Conclusions: Policy measures that, in some ways, restrict the decision-making authority of researchers in terms of data sharing are not generally supported. Concrete steps are proposed to enable evidence-based policy making. Incentive design is paramount if funding agencies do not wish to impose restrictions on the decision-making authority of researchers., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: The 'Smoke-Free Class competition' (SFC) is a school-based smoking prevention programme including commitment not to smoke, contract management and prizes as rewards broadly implemented in Europe. Objectives: To meta-analyse (randomised) controlled trials on the effects of SFC on current smoking at latest follow-up in adolescents. Methods: A systematic review of articles using MEDLINE and the Cochrane Library was conducted. The study selection included randomised controlled trials and controlled trials with follow-up assessment that investigated the efficacy of SFC on current smoking in students participating in SFC compared to non-participating students. Independent extraction of articles was performed by both authors. Results: Of 24 records identified, five fulfilled the inclusion criteria. These studies were conducted in three European countries (Finland, The Netherlands and Germany) and recruited 16,302 students altogether. A random effects meta-analysis of these five studies revealed a pooled risk ratio of 0.86 (95% CI 0.79-0.94; z = 3.44, p = 0.001) on current smoking at follow-up by participation in the competition. Conclusion: SFC appears to be an effective tool in school-based smoking prevention. Copyright © 2012 S. Karger AG, Basel [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What do researchers need from archives? What do archives need from researchers? These questions cover two types of researchers that encounter data archives: those who create the data (data creators) and those who re-use it (data re-users). These groups have different needs and archives mediate between them. The role of an archive for creators and re-users is to support them in producing quality data, metadata and documentation and to facilitate wide and multipurpose data dissemination. By supporting multipurpose reuse, to the fullest extent possible, archives help realize the value of public investment in academic research. This paper discusses the optimization of research data management training and support for research data creators, and data dissemination and long-term preservation for social science data archives. It outlines the GESIS plan to create a research data management and archive training centre for the European research area, to cater to both data supply and data demand. The training centre will look to ensure excellence in the creation and long-term preservation of reusable data in the European Research area, contribute to promoting and to the adoption of standards in research data management, and promote data availability and reuse. Finally, the centre will provide and coordinate training on technologies and tools used by data professionals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The aim of this paper is to examine educational inequalities in the risk of non-employment among people with illnesses and how they vary between European countries with different welfare state characteristics. In doing so, the paper adds to the growing literature on welfare states and social inequalities in health by studying the often overlooked ‘sickness’-dimension of health, namely employment behaviour among people with illnesses. We use European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC) data from 2005 covering 26 European countries linked to country characteristics derived from Eurostat and OECD that include spending on active labour market policies, benefit generosity, income inequality, and employment protection. Using multilevel techniques we find that comprehensive welfare states have lower absolute and relative social inequalities in sickness, as well as more favourable general rates of non-employment. Hence, regarding sickness, welfare resources appear to trump welfare disincentives. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In an economic perspective, punitive damages and class actions can be viewed as sharing a common economic function-creating optimal deterrence. Building on Parisi and Cenini (Class actions for Europe: perspectives from law and economics, ELGAR, ), we study the effect of alternative procedural regimes on the effectiveness of punitive damages and class actions. Specifically, we compare the workings of punitive damages and class actions in the American and English ('loser-pays') regimes. Our findings help explain the limited use and late adoption of class actions and punitive damages in Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is becoming a major global public health threat and has begun to command attention from European and US policy makers. An initial focus on monitoring AMR and conserving existing treatments by cutting down on misuse has been complemented by moves towards addressing the paucity of new drugs in the R&D pipeline of the pharmaceutical industry. We identify five economic challenges: the utilisation externality; the lack of incentives for R&D arising from use restrictions, low prices, and scientific and regulatory challenges; the global joint sunk nature of R&D cost; the need for access to drugs in middle and low income countries; and failures in the market for point of care diagnostics. We analyse 'push,' 'pull' and hybrid incentives and conclude that higher prices linked to targeted use with diagnostic tests and/or an AMC-based 'prize' for registering (but not necessarily using) desired new drugs would be effective, and could be linked to push measures. US and European collaboration on incentives would be desirable but not if achieving agreement leads to delays. Action on conservation needs to be global and linked to use of new products. This will not be easy given TRIPS provisions and national sensitivities on this issue as seen in the 2010 reaction to evidence on the origins of NDM-1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a detailed investigation of the top management / Chief Executive Officer (CEO) remuneration package and reveals why this is important to the economy. The goal of this paper is to examine the CEO pay (salary + bonus), wealth delta, cumulative value of options held and total compensation throughout Continental Europe and the United Kingdom across a number of various sectors during years 2005 and 2006. Attention is turned to the pre-crisis data analysis which might instigate the argument that CEO compensation was one of the main reasons which lead management to the excess risk taking and reckless decision making. Therefore, it might be concluded that the relationship between risk and executive remuneration can be more subtle and complex than it has been thought. The paper applies the multiple regression model supported by research hypothesis postulation tested by the correlation method and T-test approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The ACCSEPT project, which ran from January 2006 to December 2007, identified and analysed the main factors which have been influencing the emergence of CO2 capture and geological storage (CCS) within the European Union (EU). The key clusters of factors concern science and technology, law and regulation, economics, and social acceptance. These factors have been analysed through interviews, a large-scale questionnaire conducted in 2006, and discussions in two stakeholder workshops (2006 and 2007). In Part I of this paper, we aim to distil the key messages and findings with regards to scientific, technical, legal and economic issues. There are no compelling scientific, technical, legal, or economic reasons why CCS could not be widely deployed in the forthcoming decades as part of a package of climate change mitigation options. In order to facilitate this deployment, governments at both the EU and Member State levels have an important role to play, in particular in establishing a robust and transparent legal framework (e.g. governing long-term environmental liability) and a strong policy framework providing sufficient and long-term incentives for CCS and CO2 transportation networks. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: The European Commission is funding projects that aim to establish data-sharing platforms. These platforms are envisioned to enhance and facilitate the international sharing of cohort data. Nevertheless, broad data sharing may be restricted by the lack of adequate recognition for those who share data.Objective: The aim of this study is to describe in depth the concerns about acquiring credit for data sharing within epidemiological research.Methods: A total of 17 participants linked to European Union-funded data-sharing platforms were recruited for a semistructured interview. Transcripts were analyzed using inductive content analysis.Results: Interviewees argued that data sharing within international projects could challenge authorship guidelines in multiple ways. Some respondents considered that the acquisition of credit for articles with extensive author lists could be problematic in some instances, such as for junior researchers. In addition, universities may be critical of researchers who share data more often than leading research. Some considered that the evaluation system undervalues data generators and specialists. Respondents generally looked favorably upon alternatives to the current evaluation system to potentially ameliorate these issues.Conclusions: The evaluation system might impede data sharing because it mainly focuses on first and last authorship and undervalues the contributor's work. Further movement of crediting models toward contributorship could potentially address this issue. Appropriate crediting mechanisms that are better aligned with the way science ought to be conducted in the future need to be developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

European political scientists lag behind their US counterparts when it comes to publication in peer-reviewed outlets and for many established academics publication declines as they reach more advanced stages of their careers. I attribute this mainly to a lack of incentives to publish more, and through better channels. Based mainly on recent Norwegian developments, I acknowledge that efforts are being made to improve the situation, but argue that more can be done by universities, research institutes, and research councils.European Political Science (2007) 6, 185–191. doi:10.1057/palgrave.eps.2210128 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In many countries, a large proportion of forest biodiversity exists on private land. Legal restrictions are often inadequate to prevent loss of habitat and encourage forest owners to manage areas for biodiversity, especially when these management actions require time, money, and other resources. Environmental programs encouraging these actions through economic incentives can be used instead of additional legal restrictions, although to be efficient and successful, an incentive program must be thoughtfully developed and its conservation goals must be clear. In addition to being economically efficient, programs must be acceptable to landowners and ecologically appropriate, especially with respect to the case-specific objectives and the ecosystems in question. We introduce a sample of voluntary incentive programs for private forests in Europe and North America. We briefly describe the economic, social, and ecological characteristics of the programs and the forests they aim to conserve, and evaluate the success of these programs with respect to their explicitly stated goals and the ecological status of the forests in that country or state. Important factors contributing to program success include an allowance for some economic productivity in enrolled forests, a long period since time of program inception, and little interference from other incentive programs. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Congestion on power grids seems a physical reality, a “hard” fact easy to check. Our paper models a different idea: congestion signal may be distorted by transmission system operators (TSOs). Indeed, congestion signals are not physical data but “home made” conventions directly set by the TSOs in charge of the security of the system. These security norms are not stable and invariable because some flexibility is needed by the very nature of the power flows and because lines capacity limits are not constant. TSOs, therefore, define the congestion signal on a variable, complex and non-transparent constraint and may manipulate it for monetary purposes or for other personal agenda. In Nordic countries the coexistence of two congestion management methods in a “Light Handed Regulation” framework makes this opportunistic behaviour even more likely. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A simulated study is conducted of the relative tax incentives to capital investment in Europe. For 1994 required pre-tax rates of return vary from 8.5% for plant and machinery investments in Spain to 13.8% for commercial property in Ireland. Within investment categories, however, the spreads between countries are much narrower. After personal tax, the smallest tax disincentives are found in Italy (to invest in plant and machinery and commercial buildings) and the UK (industrial buildings). The largest disincentives occur in the Netherlands (to invest in plant and machinery and industrial buildings) and Ireland (with respect to commercial property). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is growing research interest in aquaculture ecolabelling. This is unsurprising given the potential economic incentives for the producer such as market access, price premium and increased sales, as well as the expected environmental benefits. To date, the focus has been on consumer perspectives of ecolabels, but research regarding farmers' perceptions remains scant. This study starts to address this gap by examining producers' perceptions of the costs and benefits of ecolabelling, and by investigating the effects of operation scale on these perceptions. A Q-methodology approach was used to uncover shared ways of thinking about this topic. A total of 26 interviews provided in-depth data on the perceptions behind the Q-sort rankings. The results of the study indicated that producers believed that adopting ecolabelling provides opportunities such as enhanced local and export market access, product acceptance, price premium, long-term supply contracts, increased investment attractiveness, positive consumer perception of aquaculture products and increased reputation. Producers also identified challenges such as compliance costs, costly annual audits and a lack of long-term benefits. The results of this study also suggest that incentives and challenges may not be correlated to scale, as comparable sized farm units did not share similar viewpoints. There are many considerations for a producer prior to pursuing certification. Providing evidence relating to the perceived incentives and challenges may make the decision to take a step towards sustainability an easier one. • First study of producer perceptions of aquaculture certification schemes. • Perceived incentives: market access, product acceptance, and price premium. • Suggested challenges: auditing and compliance costs, and few long-term benefits. • Proposed incentives and challenges not correlated to scale of finfish production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plug-in electric vehicles (PEV) can be a main lever towards a decarbonised road transport system. The PEV market uptake needs to be nurtured by appropriate support measures for users, for technological advances related to the vehicle and its components, and for all relevant recharging infrastructure deployment. This paper focuses on the role of PEV recharging infrastructure for electric passenger car uptake in Europe. It examines the status of road transport electrification, relevant policies, incentives and national plans. We find that the status and plans of PEV and recharging infrastructure and the corresponding support measures vary significantly between countries. The PEV share in the various analysed countries ranged in 2017 from 0.01% to 5.49% and is estimated to reach values between 0.05% and 12.71% in 2020. The corresponding ratio of PEV per one publicly accessible recharging point ranged between 1 and 60 and is estimated to vary between 3 and 161 in 2020. Diverging plans could lead to market fragmentation in the European Union (EU) and impede the EU-wide circulation of PEVs. The appropriate level of recharging infrastructure should be determined to both support PEV deployment and to prevent sunk investments. Different country experiences vis-à-vis PEV and infrastructure support could be useful to identify best practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]