The Analysis of Public Funds Utilization Efficiency for Climate Neutrality in the European Union Countries

The aim of this article was to assess the efficiency of the utilization of public funds for climate neutrality. It was concluded that the data gathered in public statistics are not adapted to current challenges and hinder the direct measurement of climate policy objective implementation progress. Due to that, an innovative approach to public intervention efficiency analysis was proposed for the sake of decreasing CO2 emission in 27 European Union (EU) countries, based on Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) method and soft modeling. Statistical data are derived from the Eurostat database and pertain to the years 2005–2019. It was demonstrated that activity efficiency of the particular EU countries on climate neutrality varied and that together with the increase in public funds spent on environmental protection, the growth of effects in the field of reaching climate neutrality objectives was not observed. The greatest positive impact on achieving climate neutrality objectives was revealed for activities connected with building renewable sources of energy (RES) and there was no correlation detected for expenditures connected with transport infrastructure, which means that public funds used for their construction did not influence climate neutrality. It was established that, in the analyzed period, the decisions on allocating public funds were not taken on the basis of the expected amount of reduction in relation to the volume of outlays. In order to track the reasons for detected inefficiency, 52 projects were analyzed within the case study, which covered 3738 investments in the replacement of heating sources in one region of Poland. It was revealed that the efficiency of those investments varies; however, due to the full availability of data of the acquired results and outlays devoted to them, a synthetic index of efficiency measurement was established that presents the amount of CO2 reduction for EUR 1. When comparing the analyses carried out on macro and micro scales, it was observed that on the scale of the EU, there is a lack of uniform measurements or benchmarks of projects in the field of CO2 emissions reduction. Meanwhile, from the whole EU’s perspective, it should be reasonable to undertake projects with the highest economic efficiency, irrespective of political and geographical aspects. The results obtained should be utilized by decision-makers to elaborate reference methodologies and good practices in order to successfully implement climate objectives and especially the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD). What should be established are universal, on the EU scale, measurements and rules for gathering and counting data as well as benchmarks for the particular project types.

Forecasting Commodity Price Index of Food and Beverages in Kenya Using Seasonal Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (SARIMA) Models

Price stability is the primary monetary policy objective in any economy since it protects the interests of both consumers and producers. As a result, forecasting is a common practice and a vital aspect of monetary policymaking. Future predictions guide monetary and fiscal policy tools that that be used to stabilize commodity prices. As a result, developing an accurate and precise forecasting model is critical. The current study fitted and forecasted the food and beverages price index (FBPI) in Kenya using seasonal autoregressive integrated moving average (SARIMA) models. Unlike other ARIMA models like the autoregressive (AR), Moving Average (MA), and non-seasonal ARMA models, the SARIMA model accounts for the seasonal component in a given time series data better forecasts. The study relied on secondary data obtained from the KNBS website on monthly food and beverage price index in Kenya from January 1991 to February 2020. R-statistical software was used to analyze the data. The parameter estimation was done using the Maximum Likelihood Estimation method. Competing SARIMA models were compared using the Mean Absolute Error (MAE), Mean Absolute Scaled Error (MASE),.and Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE). A first-order differenced SARIMA (1,1,1) (0,1,1)12 minimized these model evaluation criteria (AIC = 1818.15, BIC =1833.40). The forecasting ability evaluation statistics MAE = 2.00%, MAPE = 1.62% and MASE = 0.87%. The 24-step ahead forecasts showed that the FPBI is unstable with an overall increasing trend. Therefore, the monetary policy committee ought to control inflation through monetary or fiscal policy, strengthening food security and trade liberalization.

Approaches and Policies to Promote Zero-Waste City Construction: China’s Practices and Lessons

The rapidly growing output of solid waste has brought tremendous pressure to urban development. China launched an action plan known as “Zero-waste city” (ZWC), that refers to an urban development model aimed at reducing the generation of and enhancing the recycling of solid waste, in order to alleviate environmental impacts. Eleven cities and five special zones achieved positive results of solid waste management were selected as pilot areas for exploring empirical methods until 2019. The practices and lessons of the pilot cities need to be deeply analyzed and summarized, so as to promote successful models, learn lessons and better implement the policy comprehensively for other cities. This study presents a review of China’s ZWC policies and practices with constructive suggestions for further development. Based on the policy objective of ZWC and the field investigation of solid waste flow, five crucial approaches to developing ZWC are proposed, namely, solid waste reduction throughout the industrial chain, collaborative treatment of classified municipal solid waste (MSW), efficient utilization of agricultural waste with multiple purposes, safety control of hazardous waste flow, and optimization of market mechanisms. The case study demonstrates that the five paths are appropriate to Xuzhou city. However, deficiencies in MSW classification, pesticide packaging waste collection systems, solid waste product application, management, and policymaking, have emerged. Regulatory prohibitions, extended producer responsibility and market vitality should be adopted to improve the collection, transportation, and utilization of solid waste. Key findings from this research are to summarize crucial paths toward fulfiling ZWC goal, and to reveal some successful practices of, and lessons from ZWC construction by case studies. This study provides a method to further implement zero solid waste management in a targeted manner. The recommendations drawn from the study, which include law, market and institutional measures, may contribute to the achievement of developing sustainable cities.

Accessibility Mapping through Linking Land-Use Development Potentials and Planning for Cycling

The transport sector aims to address climate change by reducing emissions, and a key to achieving this goal is to increase uptake of sustainable modes such as walking, cycling, and public transport. Therefore, it is important to determine ways to achieve this goal and to build a portfolio of feasible reduction strategies. This study is based in Norway where the government has a clear policy objective to reduce growth in urban car traffic and assimilate future sustainable transport modes. Cycling has therefore gained importance in both policy discussions and programme implementation through providing dedicated infrastructure to increase its modal share. Ways to increase cycling can be plotted at both macro- and microlevels. At the micro-level, road design and improved conditions for cyclists can lead to an increase in cycling. At the macro-level, land-use planning can be one of the tools to promote cycling. We analyse the issue at a macro-level based on an Integrated Methodology for Land Use prognosis within Transportation Models (INMAP) which estimates the mutual eff ects of land-use plans and increased accessibility by e-bike. We assess the extent to which future growth areas, as earmarked by the strategic master plans of the cities of Oslo and Trondheim, coincide with the areas that have a high job accessibility by bicycle and e-bike. Analyses reveal that on the introduction of e-bikes in Oslo, accessibility to jobs in the city centre increases from 20,000–24,000 to over 28,000 jobs. For Trondheim, in terms of spatial expansion of accessibility for jobs, there is an extension of the catchment area from 6 km2 to 18 km2. Based on the findings, this study strongly recommends integrating the impact of e-bikes with land-use planning processes and decisions. Through active land-use management, municipalities and regional development authorities can take informed decisions to steer urban mobility in a more sustainable direction.

What Opportunities Exist for Making the Food Supply Nutrition Friendly? A Policy Space Analysis in Mexico

Background: As part of a global policy response for addressing malnutrition, food system actions have been proposed. Within food system interventions, policies directed to supply chains have the potential to increase the availability and affordability of a healthy diet. This qualitative study aimed to identify opportunities to integrate nutrition as a priority into the food supply policy space in Mexico. Methods: Data were collected through analysis of 19 policy documents and 20 semi-structured stakeholder interviews. As an analytical framework, we used Policy Space Analysis and embedded the Advocacy Coalition Framework and the steps of the food chain of the conceptual framework of food systems for diets and nutrition. Results: Policy issues relevant to nutrition were viewed differently in the economic and agricultural sectors versus the health sector. Overall, the main policy objective related to nutrition within the economic and agricultural sectors was to contribute to food security in terms of food quantity. Nutrition was an objective in itself only in the health sector, with a focus on food quality. Our policy space analysis reveals an opportunity to promote a new integrated vision with the recent creation of an intersectoral group working on the public agenda for a food system transformation. This newer integrative narrative on food systems presents an opportunity to shift the existing food security narrative from quantity towards considerations of diet quality. Conclusion: The political context and public agenda are favorable to pursue a food system transformation to deliver sustainable healthy diets. Mexico can provide a case study for other low- and middle-income countries for putting nutrition at the center of food policy, despite the ongoing constraints on achieving this.

Industry Collaborations of Research Teams: Are They Penalized or Rewarded in the Grant Evaluation Process?

This paper explores the relationship between the industry collaborations of grant applicant teams and the outcomes of a multistage grant evaluation process. We studied this relationship by focusing on two possible channels of impact of industry engagement—team diversity (or the diversity effect) and prior collaboration experience (or the experience effect)—and examined their influence on the evaluators' decision by using the proxies of direct industry engagement (i.e., the involvement of a company-affiliated researcher in the grant applicant team) and indirect industry engagement (i.e., joint publications with a company-affiliated researcher prior to the grant application), respectively. We analyzed data extracted from the application and reviewed materials of a multidisciplinary, pan-European research funding scheme—European Collaborative Research (EUROCORES)—for the period 2002–2010 and conducted an empirical investigation of its three consecutive grant evaluation stages at the team level. We found that teams presenting an indirect engagement were more likely to pass the first stage of selection, whereas no significant relationships were found at any of the three evaluation stages for teams presenting a direct engagement. Our findings point to the heterogeneity of the decision-making process within a multistage grant evaluation scheme and suggest that the policy objective of fostering university–industry collaboration does not significantly impact the funding process.

Mindfulness and Connection Training During Preservice Teacher Education Reduces Early Career Teacher Attrition Three Years Later

Early career attrition from teaching disrupts school continuity, precludes many of those who leave the profession from achieving expertise, and drains limited economic resources from educational systems. Because low resource schools experience higher levels of teacher attrition, the phenomenon also contributes to inequitable educational opportunities for socioeconomically disadvantaged students. Although reducing premature attrition is an important policy objective, rates of teacher attrition have remained elevated and stable for at least the last two decades. In a cluster randomized controlled trial design (N=98), we examined the impact of a nine-week meditation-based intervention (MBI) that was integrated into undergraduate preservice teacher education on persistence in the teaching profession three-years later. Participants assigned to the MBI were six times more likely to still be teaching three-years into their career (Odds Ratio=6.05, 95% CI[1.83, 25.37], p=.002). Benefit-cost analysis indicated that integrating a MBI into preservice teacher education incurs minimal costs on the teacher education program but yields substantial predicted savings to educational systems with $2.6 return on every dollar invested. Implications for teacher education and teacher learning are discussed.

A Masterclass in Evading the Rule of Law: The Saga of Scott Morrison and Temporary Protection Visas

For over a year, the then Minister for Immigration successfully avoided granting permanent protection to refugees who came by boat. His newly elected government had promised to re-introduce a temporary protection regime, but came to power without the numbers to pass necessary legislation. In order to achieve his policy objective, the Minister chose to engage in a variety of legally dubious tactics to forestall and delay granting permanent protection, as required by the law. In doing so, the Minister navigated skilfully through the holes in Australia’s institutional frameworks designed to protect the rule of law and Australia’s constitutional arrangements. The saga of Scott Morrison and temporary protection visas is therefore a telling story about the fragility of the rule of law in Australia and demonstrates how a determined executive can upend the constitutional order.

10. An Introduction to EU Competition Policy and Law

The idea of competition lies at the heart of the capitalist system and at the heart of European Union (EU) economic law. The broad policy objective remains to maintain and encourage competition for the benefit of the EU and its citizens. This chapter discusses EU competition law and covers the basic outline of EU competition policy; Art 101 TFEU; Art 101(2) TFEU and the consequence of a breach; Art 101(3) TFEU exemptions; Art 102 TFEU and the abuse of a dominant position; the relationship between Arts 101 and 102 TFEU; the enforcement of EU competition law; conflict of EU and national law, state aid; and EU merger control.