scholarly journals Using Evidence in Policies Addressing Rural NEETs: Common Patterns and Differences in Various EU Countries

2021 ◽  
pp. 0044118X2110563
Author(s):  
Claudia Petrescu ◽  
Adriano Mauro Ellena ◽  
Maria Fernandes-Jesus ◽  
Elena Marta

Using the policy narrative framework, this article examines the pathways through which the development of policies (related to rural/small towns young NEETs in various EU countries) are based on evidence. To do this, we consider the Youth Guarantee (YG), an EU program (2014–2020) developed in several member countries with the aim of socioprofessional inclusion of NEETs (young people aged 15–24 that are not in employment, education, or training). It examines how evidence is used for national policy-making and is taken into account by stakeholders. This study involves documentary analysis of YG in three European countries: namely, Romania, Italy, and Portugal. In addition, it involves 27 interviews with policy-makers and NGO leaders. The results show a predominantly statistical use of data exclusively managed by public institutions. Therefore, we emphasize the importance of consulting evidence from academia and NGOs to improve this policy.

foresight ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 206-218 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stuti Saxena

Purpose The purpose of this study is to underscore the significance, drivers and barriers towards re-use of open data sets in the context of Oman’s open government data (OGD) initiative. Design/methodology/approach Following a qualitative framework, the paper invoked a documentary analysis approach to probe the OGD initiative of Oman. Specifically, the national OGD portal of Oman (https://data.gov.om/) is being investigated in the paper. Furthermore, the paper invokes a theoretical model of “citizen engagement” (“Data over the wall”, “Code exchange”, “Civic issue tracker” and “Participatory open data model”) proposed by Sieber and Johnson (2015) to assess the extent to which open data sets may be re-used. Findings As per the theoretical model forwarded by Sieber and Johnson (2015), the OGD initiative of Oman is a cusp between “Data over the wall”, “Code exchange” and “Participatory” models. Oman’s OGD initiative facilitates the re-use of the open data sets. However, there are challenges in re-using the open data sets as well. The paper underlines the prospects of better re-use of data sets by institutionalizing the OGD initiative across all administrative levels of the country. Practical implications This study holds relevance for practitioners and policy-makers in Oman to ensure the re-use of data sets is facilitated for generating public value. Originality/value Hitherto, research has underlined the significance of launching OGD initiatives in the West but studies in developing countries are few. The present study seeks to plug this research gap by underlining the significance of OGD re-usage in Oman’s context.


2016 ◽  
Vol 43 (2) ◽  
pp. 161-189
Author(s):  
Riccardo Natoli ◽  
Segu Zuhair

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the potential of the resource-infrastructure-environment (RIE) index as a supplementary tool to assist policy makers. Design/methodology/approach – This study undertakes a sensitivity analysis (SA) to assess the responsiveness of the RIE index to potential policy actions on three countries: Australia (mid-industrialised nation), Mexico (emerging economy) and the USA (highly industrialised nation). Findings – The results show that the RIE framework is capable of accommodating SA to guide the policymakers on the directional changes of the index to measurable changes to its component parts. Research limitations/implications – Although the initial results seem promising, further refinement of the indicator is required before it can be practically implemented. For instance, the RIE framework has yet to incorporate dimensions to represent distribution and effects of substitution. Originality/value – The paper undertakes a SA to assess the responsiveness of the RIE index which is an alternative measure of progress for nations that has the capability to capture more aspects important to progress.


2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nor Ashikin Mohamed Yusof ◽  
Sri Widias Asnam ◽  
Aini Suzila Anas ◽  
Nur Suraya Mustapha ◽  
Natrah Emran ◽  
...  

<p><em>Policy making is an integral part of policy studies. Theoretically the process of developing a policy document is neither easy nor simple. Far from merely copying the policy provisions of other countries, the process of developing a policy document must go through specific steps and procedures commonly known as policy cycle with each cycle serves specific functions. Although bench-making study is highly encouraged, it is also preferable for policymakers to align the policy making exercise in accordance to proven theory, model, method and process. Not many know about all these processes and steps. Some very senior and seasoned policymakers even think that there is no need for them to learn and pursue knowledge in policymaking simply because they have long years of practical experiences in developing, formulating, implementing, enforcing and subsequently analyzing and evaluating policies. This article reports case studies involving five national policy documents and internal policies at several key governmental department and organizations. The findings from the study enables the researchers to make a comparison between the theory of policy making and the practice of policy making in Malaysia. The findings show that there is still a huge gap between theory and practice in policymaking and policy studies in Malaysia. There are instances where few policy makers or top management personnel choose not to follow or ignorant about the steps of policy cycles. Although policy studies might have a very bright future in Malaysia but the journey in educating relevant parties would be a long one beginning with a correct perception and willingness to change attitudes.    </em></p><p> </p><strong>Keywords; <em>policy studies, policy cycle, policy making process</em></strong>


Author(s):  
Giovanni Lanza

AbstractThe article explores the complexity of the ecosystems that develop around data supported policy making. This complexity, which can be traced back to the multiplicity of actors involved, the roles they assume in the different steps of the decision making process, and the nature of the relationships they establish, takes on new connotations following the rising use of data for public policies. In fact, issues related to data ownership and the ability to collect, manage, and translate data into useful information for policy makers require the involvement of several actors, generating ecosystems where co-creation strategies are confronted with the limits of action of the public administrations within broader social and decisional networks. Based on this background, the article aims to provide, through the analysis of the direct experiences conducted by the pilot cities involved in the PoliVisu project, an overview of the opportunities and challenges related to the impact of data in the evolution of decision making networks and ecosystems in the data shake era.


Author(s):  
Mark Thatcher

This chapter examines the European Union’s competition policy. It shows that the EU’s legal powers in general competition policy—over restrictive practices, abuse of a dominant position, mergers, state aid, and state monopolies—are very extensive and highly supranational with few direct controls for national governments. The chapter then studies two views of the application of these powers—that they have been used in a more ‘neo-liberal’ manner in recent decades or that they continue to provide scope for industrial policies of supporting European champion firms. It underlines that the Commission has been an active and central player in policy-making, together with the European Court. But all actors operate in a wider context of large powerful firms as well as experts and practitioners in competition policy. The chapter concludes by analysing how the economic crisis after 2008 has reignited debates about altering the criteria for policy to give more place to aims other than protecting competition, to offer more space to national policy-makers, and to provide greater scrutiny and accountability for the Commission, as well as greater action to deal with the new ‘digital tech giants’, but that these encounter significant obstacles.


2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (5) ◽  
pp. 553-565
Author(s):  
Reza Kiani Mavi ◽  
Hamed Gheibdoust ◽  
Ahmad A. Khanfar

Nowadays, it is obvious that creative tourism industry has become very essential for countries and societies; therefore, governments work on constituting policies in order to develop this industry. To be successful in improving creative tourism industry, governments should identify the influential factors and focus on ones that are more important rather than investing a bit on many different factors. Because of the interrelations among factors, this research is aiming to prioritize factors that influence strategic policies of creative tourism industry in Iran using analytic network process (ANP). Data were collected during the period of May 2017 to February 2018. Participants in this research are 13 tourism experts with more than 10 years' experience in the field. Results show that the most influential criterion is "business support" and the most influential subcriterion is "supporting midsize businesses." This study helps policy makers to improve creative tourism by emphasizing on those factors that have high priority from the viewpoint of strategic policy-making.


Author(s):  
Ralph Henham

This chapter sets out the case for adopting a normative approach to conceptualizing the social reality of sentencing. It argues that policy-makers need to comprehend how sentencing is implicated in realizing state values and take greater account of the social forces that diminish the moral credibility of state sponsored punishment. The chapter reflects on the problems of relating social values to legal processes such as sentencing and argues that crude notions of ‘top down’ or ‘bottom up’ approaches to policy-making should be replaced by a process of contextualized policy-making. Finally, the chapter stresses the need for sentencing policy to reflect those moral attachments that bind citizens together in a relational or communitarian sense. It concludes by exploring these assertions in the light of the sentencing approach taken by the courts following the English riots of 2011.


2020 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
pp. 1043-1055
Author(s):  
Gaby Umbach

This article1 offers reflections on the use of data as evidence in 21st century policy-making. It discusses the concept of evidence-informed policy-making (EIPM) as well as the governance and knowledge effects of data as evidence. With this focus, it interlinks the analysis of statistics and politics. The paper first introduces the concept of EIPM and the impact of evidence use. Here it focusses on science and knowledge as resources in policy-making, on the institutionalisation of science advice and on the translation of information and knowledge into evidence. The second part of the article reflects on data as evidence. This part concentrates on abstract and concrete functions of data as governance tools in policy-making, on data as a robust form of evidence and on the effects of data on knowledge and governance. The third part highlights challenges for data as evidence in policy-making, among them, politicisation, transparency, and diversity as well as objectivity and contestation. Finally, the last part draws conclusions on the production and use of data as evidence in EIPM. Throughout the second part of the reflections, reference is made to Walter Radermacher’s 2019 matrix of actors and activities related to data, facts, and policy published in this journal.


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