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Purpose – The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries have been increasingly investing in their economic and social development in recent years, yet the effectiveness of their spending remains unknown although they have been taking reforms to advance their spending efficiency practices. Design/methodology/approach – The study applies a quantitative approach to analyze panel data using a multiple regression model based on the World Economic Forum (WEF) reports of the global competitiveness index (GCI) from 2009 until 2018. Findings – The results show that policies' strength has a positive and significant influence, while national infrastructure and workforce empowerment have a negative and significant influence over the extent of spending efficiency implementation in the GCC countries. Research limitations/implications – GCI disclosure assessment criteria changed in 2019 and then stopped in 2020 due to COVID-19. A different version of GCI was published in 2020, which focuses on recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic, and no other issues have been published since then. This represented a barrier to recent data collection. Practical implications – Practical contribution is the value added by this study to a minimal literature on spending efficiency in the GCC countries. This study’s theoretical contribution to knowledge is the integration of the new institutional sociology (NIS) perspective of institutional theory and the resource slack theory to investigate a set of factors rarely explored in relation to their impact on governmental spending efficiency. Social implications – This study provides the following recommendations for policymakers: The GCC government should direct government training bodies and universities (in business majors) to include mandatory spending efficiency subjects to enhance current knowledge. Also, the governmental-related bodies of spending efficiency should make agreements with universities and research centers to improve the diverse R&D aspects of government spending efficiency. Another important recommendation is to enforce the adoption of the GRC concept regarding spending efficiency practices for governmental employees to guide them towards implementing spending efficiency practices. Originality/value – This study's theoretical contribution to knowledge is the integration of the new institutional sociology (NIS) perspective of institutional theory and the resource slack theory to investigate a set of factors rarely explored in relation to their impact on governmental spending efficiency. Also, the practical contribution is the value added by this study to a minimal literature on spending efficiency in the GCC countries. The research has established empirical evidence to support the findings above.

Background: Previously, many radiotherapy (RT) trials were based on a few selected dose measures. Many research questions, however, rely on access to the complete dose information. To support such access, a national RT plan database was created. The system focuses on data security, ease of use, and re-use of data. This article reports on the development and structure, and the functionality and experience of this national database. Methods and materials: A system based on the DICOM-RT standard, DcmCollab, was implemented with direct connections to all Danish RT centres. Data is segregated into any number of collaboration projects. User access to the system is provided through a web interface. The database has a finely defined access permission model to support legal requirements. Results: Currently, data for more than 14,000 patients have been submitted to the system, and more than 50 research projects are registered. The system is used for data collection, trial quality assurance, and audit data set generation. Results: Users reported that the process of submitting data, waiting for it to be processed, and then manually attaching it to a project was resource intensive. This was accommodated with the introduction of triggering features, eliminating much of the need for users to manage data manually. Many other features, including structure name mapping, RT plan viewer, and the Audit Tool were developed based on user input. Conclusion: The DcmCollab system has provided an efficient means to collect and access complete datasets for multi-centre RT research. This stands in contrast with previous methods of collecting RT data in multi-centre settings, where only singular data points were manually reported. To accommodate the evolving legal environment, DcmCollab has been defined as a 'data processor', meaning that it is a tool for other research projects to use rather than a research project in and of itself. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Precision medicine has the potential to transform healthcare by moving from one-size-fits-all to personalised treatment and care. This transition has been greatly facilitated through new highthroughput sequencing technologies that can provide the unique molecular profile of each individual patient, along with the rapid development of targeted therapies directed to the Achilles heels of each disease. To implement precision medicine approaches in healthcare, many countries have adopted national strategies and initiated genomic/precision medicine initiatives to provide equal access to all citizens. In other countries, such as Sweden, this has proven more difficult due to regionally organised healthcare. Using a bottom-up approach, key stakeholders from academia, healthcare, industry and patient organisations joined forces and formed Genomic Medicine Sweden (GMS), a national infrastructure for the implementation of precision medicine across the country. To achieve this, Genomic Medicine Centres have been established to provide regionally distributed genomic services, and a national informatics infrastructure has been built to allow secure data handling and sharing. GMS has a broad scope focusing on rare diseases, cancer, pharmacogenomics, infectious diseases and complex diseases, while also providing expertise in informatics, ethical and legal issues, health economy, industry collaboration and education. In this review, we summarise our experience in building a national infrastructure for precision medicine. We also provide key examples how precision medicine already has been successfully implemented within our focus areas. Finally, we bring up challenges and opportunities associated with precision medicine implementation, the importance of international collaboration, as well as the future perspective in the field of precision medicine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Precision medicine has the potential to transform healthcare by moving from one-size-fits-all to personalised treatment and care. This transition has been greatly facilitated through new high-throughput sequencing technologies that can provide the unique molecular profile of each individual patient, along with the rapid development of targeted therapies directed to the Achilles heels of each disease. To implement precision medicine approaches in healthcare, many countries have adopted national strategies and initiated genomic/precision medicine initiatives to provide equal access to all citizens. In other countries, such as Sweden, this has proven more difficult due to regionally organised healthcare. Using a bottom-up approach, key stakeholders from academia, healthcare, industry and patient organisations joined forces and formed Genomic Medicine Sweden (GMS), a national infrastructure for the implementation of precision medicine across the country. To achieve this, Genomic Medicine Centres have been established to provide regionally distributed genomic services, and a national informatics infrastructure has been built to allow secure data handling and sharing. GMS has a broad scope focusing on rare diseases, cancer, pharmacogenomics, infectious diseases and complex diseases, while also providing expertise in informatics, ethical and legal issues, health economy, industry collaboration and education. In this review, we summarise our experience in building a national infrastructure for precision medicine. We also provide key examples how precision medicine already has been successfully implemented within our focus areas. Finally, we bring up challenges and opportunities associated with precision medicine implementation, the importance of international collaboration, as well as the future perspective in the field of precision medicine.

This paper is based on the positive correlation between projects of infrastructure developed by the government, and the indicators of general well-being of populations in adjoining areas where such constructive changes have been effected. To study the multifactorial effects of the development of a welfare state, we have studied the economic projections associated with the construction of AIFA (Felipe Angeles International Airport), a new airport in Mexico, which was undertaken completely as a government-funded project and developed as a national infrastructure project by the military establishment. Information on projected investments and downstream investments and local employment from the Secretary of Agrarian Development and Tourism (SEDATU) and the Secretary of Public Finances (Forbes) for the new airport AIFA are compared and analyzed with similar projects in other privately developed infrastructure projects and their calculated impact in order to suggest how well-being (achieved through such indices as employment and the generation of micro-enterprises) would pan out for the economy in the State of Mexico, where the new public-funded projects are envisioned. Projections based on available information suggest that the construction of a public infrastructure module can be achieved under economic constraints, focusing on lower spending from the public budget; however, there is a lack of information and transparent policy decisions to indicate growth for entrepreneurs in the local economy, and neither any projected information on opportunities of further private or public investments associated with the airport. A socialist-style public investment project, engineered by the state military, may need more transparency and engagement on behalf of entrepreneurs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article assesses the links between accountability and transparency in the case of the public procurement system in Switzerland. It focuses on the relationship between the two concepts through the prism of the theoretical frameworks developed by previous authors, using data gathered through experts' interviews. Findings demonstrate that the relationship can be bidirectional and highlight the importance of both the nature and the quality of information. It also redefines the various ways around which transparency and accountability interrelate by extending the previous contributions on the matter. It especially points out that transparency and accountability can be more easily implemented together with proactive dissemination of information. At the same time, mechanisms of control should also exist to ensure more accountable governmental organizations. In this sense, all experts insist on the necessity to keep efficient surveillance bodies in place. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The problem of Intentional Destructive Electromagnetic Impacts (IDEI) on power systems has become recently more and more actual in connection with two modern trends: the extension of using microelectronics and microprocessor-based devices and systems in electric power industry – on the one hand, and the intensive design of special equipment for distance destruction of electronic devices and systems – with another. The most powerful method for such destruction is the High-altitude Electromagnetic Pulse (HEMP) as a result of a high-altitude nuclear explosion. The history of experimental high-altitude nuclear explosions has been known now for over half a century. During this time quite a few scientific articles and books presenting details of this phenomenon and measures of protection from it have been published. In view of this fact, it would be possible to assume that the problem of protection against HEMP has been solved for a long time and modern power systems are well protected from this phenomenon. However the research performed by the author displays that actually it has not and for the past decades in one country of the world, at least, no practical measures have been taken for the protection of the national infrastructures against HEMP and all action has been restricted only to writing reports, recommendations and guidelines. In the paper the reasons for such situation (in particular, political and military aspects of the problem) are analyzed.

The importance of information security has increased gradually. Initially, the notion of information security was limited to only a few areas. Now, it has expanded to cover a variety of areas. For example, critical infrastructure facilities such as power plants are operated online using industrial control systems so that the facilities are exposed to cyber threats. This is also the case with the other fields that are operated online. Each field requires appropriate information security management. Thus, this paper proposes an advanced security measurement system that reflects the characteristics of each field to achieve effective information security management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In developed countries, a large share of R&D work is performed in universities, but the real significance of their contribution is larger, because they conduct most of the fundamental research. In this article, we examine one aspect of the academic sector that is visible to most outsiders, a field that requires usually the most resources as well: the research infrastructure. Hungary is currently in the process of forming its own National Infrastructure Roadmap. We present the results of a nation-wide survey carried out in 2014 by the National Innovation Office in support of the National Infrastructure Roadmap. The results represent a good starting point for developing measures and setting up goals for scientific fields. With the identification of research infrastructure usage by industry, this method might provide a best practice for other countries to undertake similar evaluations for their respective infrastructures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Siting national infrastructure is a challenge for planning institutions due to recurrent low public acceptance and opposition by civil society. The use of Host community compensation (HCC) presents a possible solution for this challenge. HCC is compensation that a developer provides to a community in return for the siting of infrastructure. Yet, despite wide support for HCC, many such initiatives seem to fail. Those that do manage to have a good start in reaching an agreement suffer from neglected implementation. This study examines the factors that affect the willingness of stakeholders to suggest, accept and later implement the use of HCC. The study argues that HCC is a continual process which should be implemented against the backdrop of changing interests and power balances between stakeholders. The evolving power balance between stakeholders is argued to critically influence the acceptability of HCC and its implementation. By examining a 40-year-long case of HCC along the Israeli coast, the study suggests that the power balance fluctuates along the years as a function of external variables such as resource scarcity and internal factors such as stakeholders’ cohesion, leadership and skills. Different power balance settings yield different settings of willingness to offer, accept or implement HCC, each with its own HCC institutional design. However, once HCC is formed and designed, path dependency makes it much harder for civil society to repair a flawed HCC architecture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This article describes the developments in The Netherlands to establish a national Network for Digital Heritage. This network is based on three pillars: to make the digital heritage visible, usable, and sustainably preserved. Three working programs will have their own but integrated set of dedicated actions in order to create a national infrastructure in The Netherlands, based on an optimal use of existing facilities. In this article the focus is on the activities related to the sustainable preservation of the Dutch national digital heritage.1 On 21 May 2007, a group of organizations took the initiative to set up a coalition to address the problem of digital preservation in The Netherland in a collaborative way. This coalition of the willing became a foundation in 2008 with its mission to establish an infrastructure (organizational and technical) that guarantees long-term access to digital information in The Netherlands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Well managed, maintained and effective national infrastructure (NI) systems (i.e. energy, transport, water, waste, ICT) provide the backbone for economic growth and societal wellbeing. Traditionally, NI planning and implementation has been conducted in isolation, based upon fixed assumptions about the future. This fails to recognise both the long-term socio-economic, climate-related and technological challenges and uncertainties of the coming century and the growing interconnectivity between these individual infrastructure systems. Here we develop a methodology for generating a range of strategies for the provision of NI suitable for an integrated ‘system-of-systems’ assessment of NI's future management. To provide coherent links with policy choices, integrated strategies are developed at an aggregate level with a diversity of investment requirements, demand management techniques, and levels of environmental targets. To facilitate implementation within NI simulation models, the example strategies are constructed from sectoral sub-strategies focusing on changes in demand, capacity utilisation and capacity expansion. Further new strategies can be explored and the approach lends itself to an iterative analytical approach, potentially capturing a wide range of policy questions. It is illustrated using the future provision of Great Britain's transport infrastructure as a case study, and demonstrates how cross-sector strategies for infrastructure provision can be developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on the process of the Swiss national strategy to define and implement eHealth. Switzerland is a federal political organization with 26 cantons that are autonomous for the health legal framework. Switzerland must also provide support for four national languages. Thus, this experience addresses many challenges that are experienced at the European level in a much larger scale. Also, Switzerland benefits from the major projects ongoing in Europe, such as epSOS, to define its own strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The String of Pearls Initiative: a national biobank in the Netherlands The String of Pearls Initiative (PSI) is the product of a unique partnership between the eight university medical centres (teaching hospitals) in the Netherlands. First established in 2007 by NFU, the Netherlands Federation of University Medical Centres, the initiative gathers clinical data and biomaterials from all the participating institutions so that together they can promote the advance of science, improve patient treatment and encourage the development of new products by both public and private organisations. Which in turn strengthens the economic position of the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries in the Netherlands. Initially, the project focus has been upon nine groups of medical conditions, its so-called 'pearls'. As the project is now formally closing and funding has been secured to maintain the standards and infrastructure, activities are expanding and four new disease areas join the String-of-Pearls Institute (PSI) in 2011-2012. To support the process from collection of data and biomaterials to its use of by researchers, a frame of reference has been created. The documents and tools in this frame, such as biobank- and data collection procedures are important to integrate in the hospital procedures so they will be part of the regular patient care. More information can be found via [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the past few years, Israel granted two Chinese firms major concessions in its two principal ports on the Mediterranean cost - Haifa and Ashdod. These add to a growing Chinese maritime presence in the East Mediterranean, Egypt, Greece, and Turkey, in what seems to be a move to facilitate China's growing trade with Europe. The question arises whether the Chinese enterprise is motivated purely by economic reasoning. Or, might there be long term strategic thinking behind these efforts? This article surveys China's maritime expansion in the region and questions whether Israel has given sufficient thought to strategic considerations beyond the economic benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]