scholarly journals Reducing water withdrawals: the negotiation and implementation of environmental policy in the Durance River Basin, France

Water Policy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (6) ◽  
pp. 1217-1236
Author(s):  
Martin Laurenceau ◽  
François Molle ◽  
Martin Grau

Abstract Many parts of Europe are facing an increased risk of water scarcity and a potentially disastrous impact on freshwater ecosystems. In line with the Water Framework Directive and the 2006 Water Act, France developed the Sustainable Withdrawals Reform (SWR) in 2008, which aimed to restore a balance between the available water resources and people's needs across the country by 2017. While the literature has generally focused on the economics of e-flow policy instruments, few studies have analysed the politics of their implementation at the local level or how local interests and strategies influence the process. Inspired by the political sociology of policy instruments, and based on in-depth case studies in two catchments of the Durance River Basin (in southeast France), we argue that in order to achieve e-flows in such catchments, the SWR eventually encouraged new capital-intensive water transfers. Beyond their technical aspects, these infrastructure projects engender new hydro-social configurations by modifying irrigation technology and agricultural practices, as well as the spatial control of water. The impact of these projects on the environment remains uncertain. The discussion focuses on the role of key intermediaries and shows how the framing of negotiations leads certain stakeholders and issues to be excluded from the implementation process.


2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 294
Author(s):  
Venance Shillingi Salum ◽  
Roselyn. W. Gakure ◽  
Romanus Othiambo

The study investigated the impact of stakeholders on implementation of strategic plans in Tanzania’s public sector. Organisations fail not due to bad formulation of strategies, but the execution of strategies is vital to their failure or demise; and hence implementation process remains a challenge towards achieving organisation objectives. The main objective of the study was to investigate the impact of stakeholders on implementation of Strategic Plans in public sector. Seven (7) executive agencies which made 26% of all 27 executive agencies in Tanzania were randomly drawn using simple random sampling. Then, stratified random sampling was used to obtain a sample size of one hundred eighty-eight (188) respondents which was 30% of the target populations (632 employees) in the headquarters of sampled executive agencies. The study found that there was weak positive relationship (R = 0.236) between role of stakeholders and execution of strategic plans; although was statistically significant at alpha = 0.000. Also,  = 0.056 at significance level of 0.05 indicated that, 5.6% of the total variations in implementation of strategic plans is influenced by stakeholders and 94.4% is contributed by other factors which were not considered in this study. The study concluded that stakeholders do influence implementation of strategic plans in public sector. In line with findings, the study recommended that management in public sector should pay more attention on stakeholders if they have to benefit from, otherwise may negatively influence implementation process of strategic plans in public sector.



2022 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 870
Author(s):  
Anna Kawalec ◽  
Danuta Zwolińska

The microbiome of the urinary tract plays a significant role in maintaining health through the impact on bladder homeostasis. Urobiome is of great importance in maintaining the urothelial integrity and preventing urinary tract infection (UTI), as well as promoting local immune function. Dysbiosis in this area has been linked to an increased risk of UTIs, nephrolithiasis, and dysfunction of the lower urinary tract. However, the number of studies in the pediatric population is limited, thus the characteristic of the urobiome in children, its role in a child’s health, and pediatric urologic diseases are not completely understood. This review aims to characterize the healthy urobiome in children, the role of dysbiosis in urinary tract infection, and to summarize the strategies to modification and reshape disease-prone microbiomes in pediatric patients with recurrent urinary tract infections.



2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 81-94
Author(s):  
Jelena Radosavljević

This paper aims to open up a discussion about relations between former Yugoslavia's socialism and planning practice resulting from self-managing system established in early 1950s. Although this system was applied through a top-down approach, it implied, at least allegedly, coordination, integration and democratic harmonisation of particular interests with common and general ones on local level. The paper will briefly review the history and concept of socialist ideology and consider the impact that it had on institutional arrangements evolution and planning practice in Serbia. It will then touch on the role of ideology for urban planning process at the local level, understanding self-managing planning principles, their benefits, role and significance in planning practice.



2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (24) ◽  
Author(s):  
Goran Mitrović ◽  
Živko Erceg

The monetary policy of Bosnia andHerzegovina is rather limited because it is basedon the principles of a currency boardcharacterized by the impossibility of implementingthe basic monetary policy instruments incomparison with the monetary policy of theEuropean Union. However, the constant presenceof European integrations should point the need fora more drastic change in the monetary policy ofBosnia and Herzegovina. By entering theEuropean Monetary Union (EMU), the monetaryterritory of Bosnia and Herzegovina will becomeone of the branches of the European Central Bank(ECB). In addition, it is not difficult to concludewhy the Law about the Central Bank of Bosnia andHerzegovina has been adopted with the first lawsof the Dayton Agreement, if it is known that thelargest part of the banking system, and thereforethe financial market, is owned by foreign banks.This work will point out the significance of theCentral Bank of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as oneof the most important factors for maintaining thepermanent liquidity of the banking sector inBosnia and Herzegovina. The possibilities andlimitations of the Central Bank of Bosnia andHerzegovina will be determined, with theassumption of macroeconomic sustainability overa longer period of time. The need of reforming thebanking system in Bosnia and Herzegovina will beanalyzed through the constant implementation ofthe Basel standards with the increasingparticipation of foreign banks in the Bosnia andHerzegovina. It will be determined the impact ofthe implementation of the Basel III in the bankingindustry in Bosnia and Herzegovina and itsconsequences on the banking and economicsystem.models, on the ways of financing theelimination of adverse consequences of naturaldisasters.



2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 80-88
Author(s):  
Sébastien Moretti

Since 2015, the European Union has stepped up its efforts to curb irregular migration from sub-Saharan Africa through increasingly restrictive measures targeting transit countries along migratory routes, including Niger. While the EU has heralded the success of its policies to limit migration through Niger, EU migration policies have disrupted the economic system in Agadez, where transit migration has been one of the main sources of income and a factor of stability since the end of the Tuareg rebellions in 2009. This article discusses the impact that EU migration policies may have at the local level in countries of transit, and highlights the potential for these policies to fuel tensions between local and national authorities. The Agadez case study illustrates the importance of a multilevel approach to migration governance that takes into full consideration the role of local authorities and local communities in countries of transit.



2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kuan-Ying Li ◽  
Mei-Chia Chou ◽  
Renin Chang ◽  
Hei-Tung Yip ◽  
Yao-Min Hung ◽  
...  

Objective: Our purpose was to investigate whether people with a previous human papillomavirus (HPV) infection were associated with an increased risk of Bell's palsy (BP).Methods: By using Taiwan population-based data, patients aged > 18 years with HPV infection (n = 22,260) from 2000 to 2012 were enrolled and compared with control subjects who had never been diagnosed with an HPV infection at a 1:4 ratio matched by sex, age, index date, and co-morbidities (n = 89,040). The index date was the first date of HPV diagnosis. All the patients were tracked until the occurrence of BP. Cox proportional hazards regression was applied to estimate the hazard ratios (HRs) for the development of BP in both groups.Results: The HPV group had 1.25 [95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.03–1.51] times higher risk of BP compared with the non-HPV group after adjusting for sex, age, and co-morbidities. The association of HPV and BP was significant in the sensitivity analyses. In the subgroup analysis, the impact of HPV infection on the risk of BP was more pronounced in the elderly > 50 years [adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) =1.86; 95% CI = 1.37–2.52], hypertension (aHR = 1.65; 95% CI = 1.17–2.31), and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (aHR = 2.14, 95% CI 1.333.43) subgroups.Conclusions: Patients with HPV infection have a higher risk of subsequent BP compared with non-HPV patients. More rigorous studies are needed to confirm if and how specific HPV genotypes are associated with BP and the possible role of vaccines in disease prevention.



2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jingxuan Quek ◽  
Grace Lim ◽  
Wen Hui Lim ◽  
Cheng Han Ng ◽  
Wei Zheng So ◽  
...  

Background: The association between plant-based diets and cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains poorly characterized. Given that diet represents an important and a modifiable risk factor, this study aimed to assess (1) the relationships between the impact of adherence to plant-based diets on cardiovascular mortality, incident CVD, and stroke; (2) if associations differed by adherence to healthful and less healthful plant-based diets.Methods and Findings: MEDLINE and EMBASE databases were searched up to May 2021. Studies assessing CVD outcomes with relation to plant-based dietary patterns or according to plant-based dietary indices (PDI) were included. A meta-analysis of hazard ratios (HR) was conducted using DerSimonian and Laird random effects model. Thirteen studies involving 410,085 participants were included. Greater adherence to an overall plant-based dietary pattern was significantly associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular mortality (pooled HR: 0.92, 95% CI: 0.86–0.99 p = 0.0193, I2 = 88.5%, N = 124,501) and a lower risk of CVD incidence (pooled HR: 0.90, 95% CI: 0.82–0.98, p = 0.0173, I2 = 87.2%, N = 323,854). Among the studies that used PDI, unhealthful plant-based diets were associated with increased risk of cardiovascular mortality (pooled HR: 1.05, 95% CI: 1.01–1.09, p = 0.0123, I2 = 0.00%, N = 18,966), but not CVD incidence. Conversely, healthful plant-based diets were associated with decreased CVD incidence (pooled HR: 0.87, 95% CI: 0.80–0.95, p = 0.0011, I2 = 57.5%, N = 71,301), but not mortality. Vegetarians also had significantly lower CVD incidence (HR: 0.81, 95% CI: 0.72–0.91, p = 0.0004, I2 = 22.2%, N = 16,254), but similar CVD mortality or stroke risk when compared to the meat-eaters.Conclusion: To date, this comprehensive study examines the effects of a plant-based diet on major clinical endpoints using more holistic PDIs. These findings highlight the favorable role of healthful plant-based foods in reducing cardiovascular mortality and CVD.



Author(s):  
Tan Van Nguyen ◽  
Thuy Thanh Ly ◽  
Tu Ngoc Nguyen

Background. The Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS) is gaining increasing acceptance due to its simplicity and applicability. Aims. This pilot study aims to examine the role of CFS in identifying the prevalence of frailty, frailty transition, and the impact of frailty on readmission after discharge in older hospitalized patients. Methods. Patients aged ≥60 admitted to the geriatric ward of a hospital in Vietnam were recruited from 9/2018–3/2019 and followed for three months. Frailty was assessed before discharge and after three months, using the CFS (robust: score 1–2, pre-frail: 3–4, and frail: ≥5). Multivariate logistic regression was applied to investigate the associated factors of frailty transition and the impact of frailty on readmission. Results. There were 364 participants, mean age 74.9, 58.2% female. At discharge, 4 were robust, 160 pre-frail, 200 frail. Among the 160 pre-frail participants at discharge, 124 (77.5%) remained pre-frail, and 36 (22.5%) became frail after 3 months. Age (adjusted OR1.09, 95% CI 1.03–1.16), number of chronic diseases (adjusted OR 1.37, 95% CI 1.03–1.82), and polypharmacy at discharge (adjusted OR 3.68, 95% CI 1.15–11.76) were significant predictors for frailty after 3 months. A frailty status at discharge was significantly associated with increased risk of readmission (adjusted OR2.87, 95% CI 1.71–4.82). Conclusions. Frailty was present in half of the participants and associated with increased risk of readmission. This study suggests further studies to explore the use of the CFS via phone calls for monitoring patients’ frailty status after discharge, which may be helpful for older patients living in rural and remote areas.



2018 ◽  
Vol 229 ◽  
pp. 01001 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deny Hidayati

As a country with high risk of disasters, the people of Indonesia have to prepare and anticipate these calamities. One of the most important aspects of disaster risk reduction at the local level is social capital. This paper discusses the role of social capital in strengthening community disaster preparedness for effective respond and its potential for building back after recovery, focusing on local wisdom, prior experiences and re-establishment of community livelihoods. Local wisdom plays an important role in raising community efforts to find relief and recover from the impact of the earthquake in Bantul and floods in Jambi. The spirit of community-self, mutual help and fundraising help the Javanese in Bantul to be strong and care among neighbors. The community that supported by the local leaders and institutions agreed to set up priority for affected people who need more help. Meanwhile, experiences of the people in Jambi on regular floods made them aware and assisted them to develop self-efficacy beliefs in disaster preparedness, including making plans as well as increasing skill to get ready for and respond to this disaster. This paper also shows that in addition to economic recovery programs from the government and donor in Bantul and Aceh, the community in Jambi used floods as a source of their alternative livelihood through fishing and its related activities, and perceived floods as economic opportunities. This paper utilises empirical evidence from cases across Indonesia that are collected from my research results under LIPI and Human Ecology research activities. Data is also collected from secondary sources that largely rely on desk reviews of relevant books, documents, papers, and other references.



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