Using Data for Policy Development:

2013 ◽  
pp. 209-228
Author(s):  
HEATHER E. HUDSON
Keyword(s):  
Policy Development ◽  
Using Data

Assessing Collaborative Policymaking Outcomes

2016 ◽  
Vol 47 (2) ◽  
pp. 253-271 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saba Siddiki ◽  
Shilpi Goel
Keyword(s):  
Group Dynamics ◽  
Social Factors ◽  
Policy Development ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Negative Influence ◽  
Social Outcomes ◽  
Collaborative Group ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Collaborative Processes ◽  
Using Data

Administrators and policymakers increasingly rely on collaborative policymaking groups to inform policy development. While this trend is observed in a wide array of policy domains, it is particularly common in the regulation of natural resource-based industries which requires the simultaneous consideration of an interrelated set of economic, technical, and social factors. In this article, we examine outcomes associated with collaborative policymaking groups involved in informing state aquaculture policy, referred to herein as aquaculture partnerships. We define outcomes here as consequences on relevant contextual conditions (social, political, and environmental) that follow from the work or design of collaborative processes. Using data collected through an online survey of partnership participants ( n = 123), we examine individual and procedural factors that significantly associate with partnerships’ positive or negative influence on a set of policy and social outcomes, as perceived by their participants. Overall, we find that participants’ ability to mobilize scientific and technical resources to achieve group objectives, perceptions of procedural fairness, and individual-level learning are all positively associated with partnership influence on policy and/or social outcomes. We conclude our article by highlighting the value of this research for both scholars and practitioners interested in better understanding collaborative group dynamics and outcomes relating thereto.

scholarly journals Why is the Arkavathy River drying? A multiple hypothesis approach in a data scarce region

2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-66 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. Srinivasan ◽  
S. Thompson ◽  
K. Madhyastha ◽  
G. Penny ◽  
K. Jeremiah ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Policy Development ◽  
Water Security ◽  
Policy Debate ◽  
Secondary Sources ◽  
Eucalyptus Plantations ◽  
Hydrologic Change ◽  
Security Challenge ◽  
Sound Policy ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Anthropogenic Drivers

Abstract. The developing world faces unique challenges in achieving water security as it is disproportionately exposed to stressors such as climate change while also undergoing demographic growth, agricultural intensification and industrialization. Investigative approaches are needed that can inform sound policy development and planning to address the water security challenge in the context of data scarcity. We investigated the "predictions under change" problem in the Thippagondanahalli (TG Halli) catchment of the Arkavathy sub-basin in South India. River inflows into the TG Halli reservoir have declined since the 1970s, and the reservoir is currently operating at only 20% of its built capacity. The mechanisms responsible for the drying of the river are not understood, resulting in uncoordinated and potentially counter-productive management responses. The objective of this study was to investigate potential explanations of the drying trend and thus obtain predictive insight. We used a multiple working hypothesis approach to investigate the decline in inflow into TG Halli reservoir. Five hypotheses were tested using data from field surveys and reliable secondary sources: (1) changes in rainfall amount, timing and storm intensity, (2) rising temperatures, (3) increased groundwater extraction, (4) expansion of eucalyptus plantations, and (5) increased fragmentation of the river channel. Our results indicate that proximate anthropogenic drivers of change such as groundwater pumping, expansion of eucalyptus plantations, and to a lesser extent channel fragmentation, are much more likely to have caused the decline in surface flows in the TG Halli catchment than changing climate. The case study shows that direct human interventions play a significant role in altering the hydrology of watersheds. The multiple working hypotheses approach presents a systematic way to quantify the relative contributions of anthropogenic drivers to hydrologic change. The approach not only yields a meaningful contribution to the policy debate, but also helps prioritize and design future primary research. The paper represents a first step toward "use-inspired" socio-hydrologic science.

scholarly journals Does Self-Assessed Health Reflect the True Health State?

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (21) ◽  
pp. 11153
Author(s):  
Pavitra PAUL ◽  
Ulrich NGUEMDJO ◽  
Natalia KOVTUN ◽  
Bruno VENTELOU
Keyword(s):  
Population Health ◽  
Policy Development ◽  
Social Science Research ◽  
Probit Model ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Perceived Health ◽  
Health State ◽  
Repeated Response ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Self Assessed Health

Self-assessed health (SAH) is a widely used tool to estimate population health. However, the debate continues as to what exactly this ubiquitous measure of social science research means for policy conclusions. This study is aimed at understanding the tenability of the construct of SAH by simultaneously modelling SAH and clinical morbidity. Using data from 17 waves (2001–2017) of the Russian Longitudinal Monitoring Survey, which captures repeated response for SAH and frequently updates information on clinical morbidity, we operationalise a recursive semi-ordered probit model. Our approach allows for the estimation of the distributional effect of clinical morbidity on perceived health. This study establishes the superiority of inferences from the recursive model. We illustrated the model use for examining the endogeneity problem of perceived health for SAH, contributing to population health research and public policy development, in particular, towards the organisation of health systems.

scholarly journals Using Data-driven Analytics to Enhance Archival Processing of the COVID-19 Hate Speech Twitter Archive (CHSTA)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lizhou Fan ◽  
Zhanyuan Yin ◽  
Huizi Yu ◽  
Anne Gilliland
Keyword(s):  
Policy Development ◽  
Data Analytics ◽  
English Language ◽  
Hate Speech ◽  
Historical Analysis ◽  
Crisis Response ◽  
Generative Adversarial Network ◽  
Useful Knowledge ◽  
Adversarial Network ◽  
Using Data

This paper reports on a study to identify incidence and shifting dynamics of hate speech from English-language tweets relating to the COVID-19 pandemic that were made between February and June 2020. Tweets were repeatedly scraped, ingested and aggregated within the COVID-19 Hate Speech Twitter Archive (CHSTA) and analyzed for hate speech using the Generative Adversarial Network (GAN)-inspired DCAP Method. Outcomes suggest that it is possible to use machine learning and data analytics to surface and substantiate trends from CHSTA and similar social media archives that could provide immediately useful knowledge for crisis response, in controversial situations, or for public policy development, as well as for subsequent historical analysis. The approach shows potential for integrating multiple aspects of the archival workflow, and supporting automatic iterative redescription and reappraisal activities in ways that make them more accountable and more rapidly responsive to changing societal interests and unfolding developments.

scholarly journals "Talk to my father": re-thinking social exclusion and access to justice in the context of bridewealth negotiation

2021 ◽  
Vol 25 (spe) ◽  
pp. 1-27
Author(s):  
Jane C Diala
Keyword(s):  
Social Exclusion ◽  
Policy Development ◽  
Customary Law ◽  
Access To Justice ◽  
Southern Nigeria ◽  
Development Programming ◽  
Using Data

Broadly, the concept of social exclusion denotes a condition in which peopie are unabie to voice their opinion freeiy and fuiiy in matters affecting their iives. It often manifests as unequai respect for, and protection of people's rights based on gender, age, race, and simiiar demographics. Sociai inciusion has become a concern for poiicy deveiopment and impiementation, particuiariy in cuiturai matters, where tensions often arise between traditionai norms and universaiist State iaws. In this context, brideweaith payment in Southern Nigeria presents an intriguing iens for examining social exclusion. Here, women's exciusion from their own brideweaith negotiation iiiustrates the interpiay of agency and unequai power reiations, two twin elements that affect access to justice and policy development. So, in what ways does women's exclusion from bridewealth negotiation broaden understanding of access to justice and development programming? This article argues that women's cultural exclusion from bridewealth negotiation hinders their agency in marriage under customary law. Using data obtained from Southern Nigeria in 2016, it shows how the sustenance of social exclusion stands at the intersection of law, culture, and justice.

scholarly journals Political Perspectives on Geoengineering: Navigating Problem Definition and Institutional Fit

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 57-82 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ina Möller
Keyword(s):  
Policy Development ◽  
Environmental Governance ◽  
Problem Definition ◽  
Solar Radiation Management ◽  
Government Officials ◽  
Institutional Fit ◽  
Lack Of Fit ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Radiation Management ◽  
Political Uncertainties

Geoengineering technologies are by definition only effective at scale, and so international policy development of some sort will be unavoidable. It is therefore important to include governability as a dimension when assessing the technologies’ feasibility and potential role in addressing climate change. The few existing studies that address this question indicate that for some technologies, policy development at the international level could be exceedingly difficult. This study provides an in-depth, theoretically informed analysis of the obstacles that policymakers face when addressing geoengineering governance. Using data in the form of negotiation proceedings, observations, and interviews with government officials from seven different countries, it argues that a significant part of the challenge lies in dissonances between problem definitions that are widely used in the geoengineering governance debate and the structures and expectations that shape environmental policy making. These include a lack of institutional fit between the process-based differentiation of geoengineering technologies (carbon dioxide removal and solar radiation management) and the international legal architecture, a lack of fit between the urgency of demanded governance action and prevalent scientific and political uncertainties, and a lack of fit between risk–risk trade-off narratives and the precautionary norms of environmental governance.

The secret life of PETs

2019 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 121-136 ◽  
Author(s):  
David A. Makin ◽  
Leanna Ireland
Keyword(s):  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Policy Development ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Legal Environment ◽  
Dual Use ◽  
Law Enforcement Agencies ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Press ◽  
Privacy Enhancing Technologies ◽  
Using Data

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore to what extent the legal environment influences a user’s choice to employ privacy-enhancing technologies (PETs). Drawing upon existing theoretical frames specific to arbitrariness and uncertainty, this research examines whether interest in PETs is influenced by the legal environment of a country. Design/methodology/approach Using data from Google Trends, the International Property Rights Index, Freedom House and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the research analyzes interest in Tor, VPN technology and pretty good privacy (PGP) in 153 countries between 2012 and 2016. Findings Findings suggest both countries with both higher and lower arbitrariness and uncertainty of law are associated with an increased interest in Tor and PGP. However, interest in VPN technology does not appear influenced by the legal environment and, instead, is influenced by freedom within the press. Research limitations/implications The dual use nature of Tor and PGP is influenced by law enforcement and judiciary effectiveness and transparency and arbitrariness contributing to the public’s interest in decentralized technological protections. Practical implications Law enforcement should continue to police via the technologies rather than shutting them down to protect the identities of those needing to use these technologies for legitimate purposes. Only by embracing the technologies, as opposed to seeing them as hurdles to be banned, may law enforcement agencies remain vigilant to the threats posted by nefarious actors. Originality/value In this study, the authors introduce a more robust measure of interest in PETs, and do so with a larger, more substantive sample. By situating this interest within the context of policing, the authors can document the dual use nature of the technology, which can be useful in guiding future research, specifically in the area of policy development and officer training.

Race, Socioeconomic Status, and the Subjective Well-Being of Older Americans

1987 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-61 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brad McKenzie ◽  
James Campbell
Keyword(s):  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Health Status ◽  
Policy Development ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Two Dimensions ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Older Americans ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Self Assessed Health ◽  
Intervening Variables

Causal examination of factors influencing life satisfaction among older Americans can provide knowledge important to social policy development. Using rotated factor analysis, this study isolates two dimensions of life satisfaction, labeled happiness and morale, using data from the 1981 Harris survey on aging. Race, SES characteristics, and the two intervening variables of self-assessed health status and problems experienced are tested through path analysis on the two attributes of life satisfaction. Most of the effects of race and SES are mediated by self-assessed health status and problems experienced, and these two intervening variables are the strongest direct predictors of happiness and morale. Of particular significance are results which demonstrate that racial background has a strong influence on problems experienced, and that education is more influential than income on the life satisfaction factors tested in this study.

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