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This article explores how policies that reduce barriers to entrepreneurship impact underrepresented groups differently depending on local norms and cultural beliefs. While prior studies suggest that underrepresented groups should benefit more than other groups do from policies lowering entry barriers, the empirical evidence is mixed. We argue that the absence of normative and cognitive support can undermine the effectiveness of these policies for underrepresented groups. To explore this, we leveraged the staggered rollout of a policy that reduced entry barriers to entrepreneurship in Mexico. The results show that while the policy increased the number of businesses founded by men, it had a small and statistically insignificant impact for women, thus exacerbating the gender gap in entrepreneurship. Further analyses suggest that while women were not more likely to become involved in entrepreneurship as founders, they did become engaged in alternative roles within new ventures, often leaving other forms of employment to enter unpaid work in businesses founded by men in their household. The effects of the policy on the gender gap in entrepreneurship and unpaid work were more pronounced in areas with a strong patriarchy logic and among married individuals. This research highlights the need to consider context in the design of policies intended to encourage entrepreneurship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prior research documents deleterious consequences of the annual clock change to daylight saving time in many contexts, but little is known about the effect the policy has on consumer behavior. While policy debates around ending seasonal clock changes continue, millions of consumers worldwide are potentially adversely affected by the time change. Drawing on the notions of sleepiness and self-control, the authors propose a framework of how the onset of daylight saving time increases unhealthy behavior. The hypotheses are tested via two studies cast in the difference-in-differences modeling framework capturing consumption before and after the time change and across consumers who experience the transition versus those who do not. Results of the first study suggest that the onset of daylight saving time increases calorie consumption from packaged snacks that are largely unhealthy, specifically in the evening and on cloudy days. The effect of the end of daylight saving time is not significant, suggesting an overall asymmetric effect of the time change on unhealthy behavior. Study 2 reveals that the onset of daylight saving time decreases fitness center visits, particularly for consumers without healthy consumption habits and with high transaction costs. Analysis of social media data suggests that consumers find the time change disruptive. Overall, the findings imply that public policy makers and businesses should find ways to support consumers around the onset of daylight saving time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper delves into the proliferation of non-practicing entities (NPEs), a hot topic in academia and public policy, especially in the United States. The common belief is that Europe is less exposed to NPEs due to a robust patent system, higher enforcement costs, and smaller damage awards. Yet, using a new database of NPE patent applications at the European Patent Office (EPO), the study uncovers that NPEs activity in Europe is arising: they own nearly 20,000 EPO patents, primarily in Electrical Engineering. Moreover, we contribute the literature investigating the heterogeneity of the NPE business model and its relationship with the characteristics and use of the patents they target. Our econometric analysis provides threefold original evidence. First, NPEs with higher propensity for litigation (i.e. "Litigation" NPEs) acquire patents with higher infringement risk but similar technological quality than practicing entities. Second, patent aggregators (i.e. "Portfolio" NPEs) and technology companies (i.e. "Technology" NPEs) acquire higher-quality patents compared to those acquired by practicing entities. Third, patent acquisitions by "Litigation" NPEs and "Portfolio" NPEs reduce the subsequent use of protected technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article investigates the transnational labor politics associated with the Europeanization of wage policy, based on process tracing of Irish minimum wage regulation reforms over the past two decades. The policy struggle in Ireland started as an employer-led domestic challenge to market-embedding regulation and was then affected by two EU interventions on wage policy: one with a de-regulatory orientation (during EU-IMF conditionality) and one with a re-regulatory one (with the approval of the EU minimum wage directive). Findings show that differences in collective action undertaken by employers and trade unions to influence wage policy at the national level can be explained by the intersection of each actor's preferences toward market-constraining or liberalizing labor regulation and their access to supranational (EU-level) institutions and support. This analysis contributes to debates on how transnational opportunity structures can alter labor's and employers' local power resources and strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Despite the existence of physical activity policies across many countries, insufficient physical activity remains a major global public health problem. Physical inactivity is an emergent feature of complex systems; it results from a wide range of factors at multiple levels that interact to influence behavior. Traditional approaches to public policy often fail within complex systems, largely due to unpredictability in how the system will respond. Adaptive policies, which are designed to allow for uncertainty about future system behavior and to change over time, may offer a promising solution. In this paper, we introduce the concept of adaptive policies and illustrate how this innovative approach to policy making may be beneficial for reducing physical inactivity. Design: Drawing on existing literature and guiding principles for policy making, we provide 3 examples to illustrate how the concept of adaptive policies can be applied to address physical inactivity. Discussion: The examples illustrate how changes to the way policies and interventions are developed, implemented, and evaluated could help to overcome some of the limitations in existing practices. A key challenge will be engaging policymakers to take a broader perspective of the physical activity system, develop policies that are designed to be adaptable across a range of different future scenarios, and embrace uncertainty and long-term adaptability. Conclusion: Adaptive policies may support decision makers globally to achieve the widespread and sustained changes necessary to increase population levels of physical activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article titled "WHEN NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS DETRACT VALUE FROM SOCIETY: A REJOINDER" by Gamble and Munoz examines the potential negative impact of some tax-exempt nonprofit organizations (TENPOs) on society. The authors identify 12 factors that contribute to this value detraction, including government policies and choices made by TENPO managers. They argue that the benefits of tax-exempt status and tax-deductible donations do not outweigh the lost tax revenues. However, the analysis has some limitations, such as a lack of clarity in defining TENPOs and a failure to estimate the value provided by TENPOs compared to lost tax revenues. The text also critiques the article for not considering the value provided by TENPOs and the impact of corporate tax avoidance and evasion. It emphasizes the importance of diverse approaches to organizing and governing, and acknowledges the valuable work of TENPOs in areas like education, diversity, healthcare, and poverty alleviation. The article concludes by calling for further research and policy changes related to TENPOs and tax exemption. [Extracted from the article]

Despite the growing evidence that many firms operate several multisided platforms (MSPs) simultaneously, we lack a comprehensive understanding of the managerial and public policy challenges involved. We examine the determinants and consequences of centralization decisions for firms managing MSP portfolios. A starting point is that on top of the indirect network effects and matching needs between user groups of the same MSP, in an MSP portfolio there are indirect network effects and matching needs across sides of the different MSPs managed by the firm. These additional interdependencies can amplify the effects of cross-selling and data-sharing in such portfolios. Our analysis suggests the higher relevance of a centralized design of an MSP portfolio due to the coordination benefits when indirect network effects and matching needs intensify the payoffs from cross-selling and data-sharing in MSP portfolios. We also explain how a more centralized design of such portfolios enables a broad set of pricing strategies, barriers to imitation, and acquisitions, and discuss managerial and public policy implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inclusive design considers usability first: to design with the needs of everyone to decrease the mismatch between the end-user and the design object. In advertising, the mismatch may be in the opportunity to process an advertisement due to design strategies (i.e., executional ad cues). Based on the Motivation-Opportunity-Ability model of information processing, we focus on legibility as an important but underexplored encoding issue that can enhance consumers' opportunity to process ads based on visual clarity and lead to perceptual fluency effects. Visual acuity declines with age, so legibility is particularly important for older adults and those with vision loss. In line with recommended accessibility guidelines, we manipulated two advertising design factors believed to impact legibility—color contrast and font style—in the supers of a video advertisement for a pharmaceutical drug and tested the communication outcomes (cognition, persuasion). Across three studies with three different-aged populations, we show that legibility was positively related to awareness of information in the supers and to positive perceptions of the advertisement. In line with accessibility guidelines, legibility was rated the highest for most people in the high-color contrast sans serif font supers. Implications for theory, accessibility and older people, and public policy are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Population-level physical activity increases are improbable without intersectoral collaboration across government levels and sectors to develop and implement physical activity promotion policies. This study aims to provide information about the development of the Interaction between National and Local Government Levels in Development and Implementation of Physical Activity Policies Tool (INTEGRATE PA-Pol). A framework was created to examine the development and implementation of national and subnational physical activity policies and the (mis)alignment between government levels. Methods: The work was conducted in 3 phases: (1) a scoping review was carried out to identify local government physical activity promotion policies and instruments for assessing them, (2) an expert group designed 6 questionnaires, and (3) cognitive response testing was employed for validity testing and item modification with a panel of research and policy experts. Results: The INTEGRATE PA-Pol Tool consists of 6 questionnaires assessing how national and subnational governments collaborate to develop and implement physical activity promotion policies. Conclusion: This tool can assist in better understanding the development and implementation of a public policy monitoring system that will allow for benchmarking and priority setting to comprehend how physical activity promotion policies are designed and executed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: National physical activity (PA) policy processes are only beginning to be studied in Latin America, and little attention has focused at the subnational level. This study examined national–subnational relations in the policy process (agenda setting, policy formulation, adoption, implementation, and evaluation) in selected Latin American countries. Methods: The Global Observatory for Physical Activity's (GoPA!) INTEGRATE-PA-Pol tool was applied in Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Mexico. Data were collected in matched pairs of the capital plus one noncapital city among national and subnational policymakers (n = 27), previously identified by the GoPA! Country Contacts. PA policy development and implementation were assessed using descriptive statistics. Results: Twenty-three (response rate = 85.2%) informants provided data, mainly from the health sector (52.2%), followed by the sport (26.1%), transport (13.0%), and education (8.7%) sectors. Most informants reported that their countries had a current PA policy embedded within noncommunicable diseases prevention plans (46.2%), other plans (46.2%), or obesity prevention/management/control plans (7.7%). Respondents at the subnational level rated PA promotion as central (64.3%), while the national-level role was important but not central (75.0%). National and subnational policymakers indicated low-to-little involvement in the other level's PA policy processes across the 5 policy stages. Conclusions: This study demonstrated that collecting national and subnational PA policy data across countries with the active collaboration of the GoPA! network was feasible. We also successfully identified governmental interactions throughout the PA policy process, suggesting suboptimal engagement between national and subnational levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study evaluates the efficiency of economic support policies implemented by OECD countries during the COVID-19 pandemic from January 2020 to December 2021, using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). Distinguished from prior research, this study comprehensively considers both economic policy and public health perspectives. The results of this analysis can be summarized as follows: Firstly, government effectiveness was found to positively influence policy efficiency, underscoring the critical role of citizens' trust in government policy execution in shaping policy outcomes. Secondly, nations with a high Universal Health Coverage (UHC) Service Index exhibited lower efficiency. Further examination of this finding revealed that countries with superior healthcare coverage experienced fewer COVID-19-related deaths, albeit with less robust economic performance. In these countries, despite the high quality of medical coverage and economic responses, the outcomes did not proportionately align with their efforts. Drawing from these insights, we present policy recommendations to enhance the effectiveness of government responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How the government subsidies will change the performance of firm's innovative projects has long been debated. We attempt to narrow this gap from a dynamic perspective by employing Chinese A-share listed firms as a sample. Based on the novel innovation index, we studied the impact of government subsidies on the persistence of firm innovation. Findings show that total government subsidies promote the persistence of overall firm innovation. However, when we divided the total government subsidies into technological subsidies and non-technological subsidies, we found that technological subsidies cast an inhibitory effect on the persistence of self-sustaining firm innovation. In further analysis, we discover that 'self-sustaining firm innovation investment replacement' phenomenon can explain the crowding-out effect of technological subsidies on self-sustaining firm innovation persistence. Based on empirical evidence, we also observed that the substitution of private innovation investment by technological subsidies may result in management costs. These findings offer a theoretical foundation for further enhancing the effectiveness of government subsidy policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Retos: Nuevas Perspectivas de Educación Física, Deporte y Recreación is the property of Federacion Espanola de Asociaciones de Docentes de Educacion Fisica 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.)

Environment policies have evolved over the years around the world, in part due to growing awareness among the population of the challenges posed by climate change. The decentralization of policymaking, administrative and political responsibilities to the subnational levels of administration may also have played a part to the extent that it creates room for bottom-up policy experimentation and citizen participation in policy design, including in areas related to the environment, that may influence people's preferences and attitudes and ultimately government policy. To shed light on these linkages, this paper provides cross-country empirical evidence based on national accounts data that decentralization is associated with higher government spending on environment-related programmes, as well as higher collection of environmental taxes in the advanced economies, controlling for conventional public finance covariates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grounded in the identity-behaviour theory, the research examines the relationship between family power structure and married women's subjective well-being (SWB). Utilizing a sample size of 6,924 from the China Family Panel Studies in 2014, our investigation, employing both the OLS and ordinal logit models, reveals that a wife's SWB is dependent on her husband's predominant role in significant family matters. To mitigate potential endogeneity concerns, we apply the instrument variable approach to ensure the robustness of our findings. Our results underscore that this dependence effect is particularly prominent among those women adhering to traditional gender beliefs (i.e. men dominate the outside and women the inside). These outcomes shed light on the prevailing influence of traditional cultural norms on the SWB of married women, thereby furnishing a foundation for government to formulate policies aimed at fostering women's empowerment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study analyzes how changes in various aspects of excise tax systems, including minimum price laws and differential price tiers for excise taxation jointly rather than independently, influence firms' pricing decisions. We apply our model to Indonesia, where the tobacco excise tax system is complex, with several excise tax tiers within and across cigarette types. We use a comprehensive database of prices over the past decade for all cigarettes manufactured and sold in Indonesia, obtained from Indonesian Customs. We find that the impact of excise taxes on prices hides important effects of other pricing policies that are typically ignored in research, which either focus on the independent impacts of excise tax or do not distinguish between cigarette types. Specifically, minimum price policies have a larger impact than excise taxes on pricing decisions for machine-made clove cigarettes (kretek), while excise tax changes have a larger effect on prices for machine-made, non-clove (white) cigarettes. For cigarette types and brands that are more likely to feature a relatively more elastic demand (hand-rolled kretek), companies keep prices close to the minimum price. The results imply that a multi-tiered tobacco excise tax system likely generates distortions that limit government policies' effectiveness in reducing tobacco consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Retos: Nuevas Perspectivas de Educación Física, Deporte y Recreación is the property of Federacion Espanola de Asociaciones de Docentes de Educacion Fisica 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.)

In the last few years, corporations have been called upon to take public positions on myriad issues unconnected to core business concerns. Demands for public statements may arise from various stakeholders, as well as from the general public and the media. Sometimes such statements are uncontroversial, but other times, firms find themselves in a no-win position, in which both silence and voice will offend some core constituency. Crafting meaningful public-facing statements becomes a major challenge. In this article, we ask whether these corporations should adopt some form of express upfront policy on when they will and when they will not speak out. One place to start is to consider the approach of some universities, which have come to resemble large corporations in some ways. In particular, should for-profit corporations adopt something akin to the University of Chicago's 1967 Kalven Report on the University's Role in Political and Social Action? This report adopts the position that as a general matter the University will not speak on social and political issues of the day, with exceptions for those that directly affect the University's operations. In answering this question, we discuss the similarities and differences between publicly held for-profit corporations and universities and outline the factors that can guide these corporations in deciding whether to adopt such a policy, what such a policy would look like, and how it might differ from the Kalven Report. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article analyses the legal mechanisms and tools for combating corruption in the system of law enforcement agencies of Ukraine in the National Police. It is determined that corruption remains a serious problem for the democratic development of Ukraine and undermines public confidence in state institutions. This is especially true of law enforcement agencies, on whose activities public order and security depend. The author emphasises the importance of legal acts regulating the work of the police and implementing anti-corruption measures. The author outlines the key problems in anti-corruption activities, including insufficient internal control, imperfect legislative framework and the need to harmonise it with European standards. Particular attention is paid to the role of such documents as the Law of Ukraine 'On Prevention of Corruption' and the ethical rules of conduct for police officers, which lay the legal basis for the fight against corruption. The introduction of an electronic asset and income declaration system, control over conflicts of interest, and ethical behaviour of police officers are important tools for preventing abuse. Attention is focused on the role of civil society organizations and the media in shaping public control over the activities of law enforcement agencies. Public oversight and openness of the police are critical for increasing public trust and reducing corruption risks. It was determined that the basis for the formation of anti-corruption policy in the National Police is international standards, as well as laws of Ukraine, which determine the principles of corruption prevention. In particular, the role of special anti-corruption bodies that monitor the implementation of legislation and investigate corruption cases is important. Such cooperation between state institutions allows us to create a more effective and coordinated system of c ombating corruption. The author concludes that to effectively combat corruption, it is necessary not only to improve the legislative framework, but also to ensure its proper implementation, through training and raising the legal culture of police officers. Only through a comprehensive approach can we achieve a significant reduction in the level of corruption in the law enforcement sys tem and increase its efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article points out that there is a common belief that harassment is sexual harassment, although in reality the term has a much broader meaning. Harassment is a problem of a global nature, which manifests itself in various spheres of social interaction and takes place in the life of every country. It is emphasized that the national legislation of many countries makes it possible to effectively combat harassment at the workplace and prevent this shameful phenomenon. The definition of the concept of harassment and measures to combat it are established in the relevant general anti-discrimination laws, in labor legislation and subordinate legal acts, which contributes to the effective implementation of national state policies on the prevention and counteraction of discrimination in the field of work. Attention is drawn to the fact that currently the term «harassment» is not used in Ukrainian legislation. However, the closest semantic equivalent of this term is the concept of «sexual harassment», the definition of which is contained in the Law of Ukraine «On Ensuring Equal Rights and Opportunities of Women and Men». The legal regulation of anti-harassment, in particular in labor relations, in Ukraine is based on normative legal acts that belong to different branch es of law. It is emphasized that the Code of Labor Laws of Ukraine does not contain direct regulations on the prohibition of sexual harassment (harassment) at the workplace. This Code does not contain special norms that would determine the procedural issues of establishing the fact of sexual harassment, its fixation, proof, investigation and specifics of disciplinary responsibility for committing harassment. Despite the absence of the regulatory concept of «harassment» in Ukrainian legislation, in Ukraine, victims of sexual harassment at the workplace are provided with legal tools to protect their rights and interests. These tools range from filing sexual harassment complaints with authorized entities to criminal prosecution of the perpetrators. The legislation of Ukraine on combating sexual harassment at work is part of the anti-discrimination legislation, which is currently dynamically developing and adapting to modern needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In policy diffusion research, considerable focus has been placed on the mechanisms and motivations underlying diffusion, yet there is a notable dearth of analysis linking the diffusion process with policy outcomes. This prompts an important inquiry: Who fares better in terms of policy outcomes—the pioneer or the late mover? Our study investigates China's River Chief System policy and classifies cities as either pioneers, followers, or laggards according to their position in the diffusion process. Our quantitative analysis of 142 cities indicates that pioneers achieve the most favorable policy outcomes, while laggards are associated with the least favorable results. Further examination of the political incentives driving pioneer advantage suggests that pioneers are driven by political aspirations, followers are driven by political signaling, and laggards are driven by political pressure. This research deepens understanding of policy diffusion by elucidating the interplay between diffusion sequence and policy outcomes, and offers significant insights for policymakers aiming to formulate effective diffusion strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the Policy Sciences of Harold Lasswell, Douglas Torgerson asks an important question–whether the logic of policy sciences can inspire democratic hope for social betterment. His response is refreshing and psychoanalytically-informed optimism, whereas a jurisprudential detour of the NHS's legacy as the most important application of policy sciences in another discipline calls for agnosticism. Revisiting the application of policy sciences in international law suggests that the very logic of policy sciences, under the influence of a defective form of naturalism, disables its potential for inclusive democracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In The Policy Sciences of Harold Lasswell, Douglas Torgerson offers a timely interpretation of Harold Lasswell as a progenitor of critical policy studies and champion of radical democracy. In this essay, we consider several concepts central to Torgerson's interpretation of Lasswell, including "latent," "manifest," and "context," in order to call attention to the hermeneutic labor required to produce any image of a "stable" Lasswell. We investigate two lesser-known aspects of Lasswell's career – his teaching at the Chicago Workers School and his NBC radio program Human Nature in Action – to illustrate the degree to which Lasswell's democratic commitments often blended liberal and elitist tendencies, in sometimes uneasy fashion. We ultimately suggest that despite (or perhaps because of) Lasswell's irreducible complexities, if not inconsistencies, he remains uniquely relevant to understanding our current era in which propaganda and insecurity remain central concerns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The continuity of Harold D. Lasswell's legacy as a champion of democratic policysciences is demonstrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past decade, a range of efforts have been made to incorporate practices drawn from industrial and participatory design into elements of the public policymaking process. Our interest lies in the field of co-design in policymaking. This emerging field has seen considerable emphasis placed on informing policy development with knowledge and insights from those living with specific problems and existing policy settings. Following the extant literature, we define co-design in policymaking as a participatory and design-oriented process which creatively and actively engages a diverse pool of participants to define and address a public problem. Evidence to date suggests co-design in policymaking can be especially useful in broadening participation in policy development, encouraging creative speculation about how policy choices might shape future outcomes, and prototyping policy approaches to assess their feasibility and desirability. But evidence continues to emerge regarding the barriers in many public sector settings that preclude co-design practice from greater engagement with – and influence upon – long-established, tightly-held processes of policy development. Through critical assessment of existing literature, we summarise the current state of co-design in policymaking. We then suggest promising ways policy practitioners and researchers could contribute to making co-design an embedded practice in policymaking, well-used and well-recognised for the unique contributions it can make to policy development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Whether endemic or overt, conflict is an intrinsic part of policymaking. Public participation promises to give a place to those conflicts in a more inclusive and productive way. Previous research has primarily focused on the substance and discourse of conflict, studying what conflicts are about and how actors give meaning to conflicts. Less attention has been given to how conflicts are enacted and performed when citizens and the state meet. Using a dramaturgical approach, this paper explores how the performances, staging practices, and scenography of public participation influence policy conflicts. The research concentrates on two contentious urban projects in the Belgian city of Genk, employing ethnographic observation of participatory moments to expose the performative elements of participation. The analysis uncovers the artifacts and communicative methods that narrow the conflict scope, determine the micro-politics of the participatory meetings, and influence whose voices are heard. Using a dramaturgical analysis framework sheds light on some underexplored, micro-level dynamics of participatory efforts that may limit the scope of policy conflict. Understanding these micro-mechanisms is essential for a more inclusive and equitable urban transformation policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although causal evidence synthesis is critical for the policy sciences—whether it be analysis for policy or analysis of policy—its repeatable, systematic, and transparent execution remains challenging due to the growing volume, variety, and velocity of policy-relevant evidence generation as well as the complex web of relationships within which policies are usually situated. To address these shortcomings, we develop a novel, semi-automated approach to synthesizing causal evidence from policy-relevant documents. Specifically, we propose the use of natural language processing (NLP) for the extraction of causal evidence and subsequent homogenization of the text; causal mapping for the collation, visualization, and summarization of complex interdependencies within the policy system; and graph analytics for further investigation of the structure and dynamics of the causal map. We illustrate this approach by applying it to a collection of 28 articles on the emissions trading scheme (ETS), a policy instrument of increasing importance for climate change mitigation. In all, we find 300 variables and 284 cause-effect pairs in our input dataset (consisting of 4524 sentences), which are reduced to 70 unique variables and 119 cause-effect pairs after homogenization. We create a causal map depicting these relationships and analyze it to demonstrate the perspectives and policy-relevant insights that can be obtained. We compare these with select manually conducted, previous meta-reviews of the policy instrument, and find them to be not only broadly consistent but also complementary. We conclude that, despite remaining limitations, this approach can help synthesize causal evidence for policy analysis, policy making, and policy research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of nudge has been prevalent in studies that explore behavioral changes for better individual decision-making. While nudging has been applied to study public policy, a puzzling under-explored issue in this context is coproduction. In this study, I build on the rich literature on nudging theory and conduct an empirical assessment that compares different strategies intended to increase public willingness to engage in coproduction. In public administration, the concept of coproduction refers to citizens' willingness to contribute to policies that improve their lives. Therefore, a nudging approach offers multiple benefits in employing strategies that do not compel but can motivate greater citizen participation. My approach focuses on comparing common nudging strategies in two unique coproduction areas: natural hazards resilience and public health, and identifying the most efficient ways to increase citizens' willingness to contribute to proposed policies. The results suggest that nudging strategies are a useful tool for increasing hazard resilience coproduction, while they backfire for organ donations and reduce the willingness to participate. Also, norm-nudge and loss aversion are more powerful strategies in increasing intention to join compared to a default strategy. Lastly, I provide evidence showing relative consistency between respondents' stated intention and actual coproduction behavior in both policy areas. These findings provide valuable insights to policymakers in designing effective tools to encourage greater public engagement with policy. It also offers theoretical contributions to research on coproduction and how to more directly integrate behavioral theories into public administration studies and investigate individuals' attitudes towards participation in policy solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Punctuated equilibrium theory (PET) describes policy change as occurring mostly through incremental movements with infrequent periods of dramatic change. An impressive body of empirical literature relating to budgeting supports this view, but virtually all empirical tests have focused on examining distributions of annual changes, thus nullifying chronology. In this article, we focus on the time element. Using the same databases as previously used in canonical PET studies, we explore multi-year trends, not only annual observations. For our analyses, we identify directional series of changes (while allowing for one-year changes in direction if these are immediately offset in the following year) on a U.S. budget distribution dataset covering the period of 1947 through 2014, with 60 categories of spending consistently defined over time and adjusted for inflation. We then assess the robustness of the PET findings when incorporating a longer time units of trending series of annual changes into the analysis. We find that almost 65% of changes occur in series of 4 years or more. Nonetheless, the signature PET literature pattern of high kurtosis is equally present in these series as well as in shorter series. Moreover, within growing and trending series, we find that 21% of these series generate 80% of positive budget change. Within these series, we identify a small group of "super-trends" that account for a large share of the overall change. We conclude that expanding methodologies for the study of budgetary change to incorporate longer-term dynamics helps to better understand policy change, but such findings remain consistent with the PET perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork in Montes de María, Colombia, I examine citizen‐state relationships and experiences of the state in rural communities during the implementation of the 2016 Peace Agreement between the Colombian government and Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrillas. I focus on the participatory process that led to the formulation of the Development Plans with a Territorial Focus (PDET) and their early implementation. I argue that state abandonment is a relevant conceptual lens through which to understand experiences of the state and the effects of some policies and state practices in reproducing the limited access to rights and the precarious living conditions at the heart of state interventions in rural areas. I also suggest that forms of territorial citizenship promoted by the peace accords provide opportunities to improve access to rights and contest state abandonment but also face challenges related to existing state practices and power relationships operating in rural territories. I distinguish state abandonment from state absence. By analysing how state abandonment can be produced at the heart of state interventions, this article expands anthropological debates about contemporary forms of state and social abandonment. The analysis of forms of territorial citizenship contributes to the understanding of claims‐making and participation in decision‐making structured around territory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper uses a neo-institutional perspective to examine possibilities and obstacles for participation in coordinated individual planning (CIP) for people with intellectual disabilities. CIP is a tool for interprofessional and interorganizational coordination with the objective of creating a joint plan for a person needing cohesive care. Participation by the service-user is considered important for effective coordination but involving someone with an intellectual disability may require special adaptations. A thematic analysis of interviews with 17 professionals from different organizations in Sweden reveals that service user participation is considered an important goal by professionals, but also that it is difficult to put into practice. The results indicate that CIP is characterized by tensions and policy-practice decoupling that limit the service-users' possibilities for participation. Points of interest: Different organisations and professionals sometimes give support to one individual. They need to coordinate this support. It is necessary for service-users to be involved in coordinated planning of the support and care they need. The study analyses how professionals experience participation in coordinated planning when the service-user has an intellectual disability. The study found that coordinated planning can be difficult to adapt for service-user participation. The study found a gap between ideals and practice caused by the organizations' rules, norms, and structures. The findings reveal a risk of focusing on changing the service-user's behaviour or situation rather than addressing problems within the organizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Internationally qualified nurses are highly sought after as a labour source due to continued shortages in the nursing profession in most developed countries. However, the lack of clear policies and procedures for nurses in the host country to use specialty nursing skills can result in the underutilisation of their expertise. Objectives: To review the registration processes of internationally qualified nurses in 20 developed countries, with a focus on the transferability of specialised skills gained overseas. Methods: A multicentre policy review design was used, using the STROBE reporting guidelines. The study sourced policy information from nurse registration bodies in developed countries and reviewed and removed redundant policies. Results: Out of 34 policies initially identified, 26 were used to show the registration process of nurses after immigration to developed countries. Only four of the 20 countries reviewed indicated the option of specialised nurse registration on their website for internationally qualified nurses, with a university qualification required before years of experience. All other countries indicated the general registration pathway only. Implications for nursing policy: More attention is needed to address the lack of well‐defined policies that guide the utilisation of internationally qualified nurses' specialised skills. Transparent procedures are essential to fully benefit from their expertise in the host country's health workforce. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]