Glyphosate Effect: Has the Glyphosate Controversy Affected the EU’s Regulatory Epistemology?

Glyphosate’s authorisation will expire in 2022 and its re-approval will take place in a changed legal and political landscape: the national phase of risk assessment is entrusted to a taskforce of four Member States, and, from 2021, the reform of the general food law will apply, imposing, inter alia, more ambitious transparency standards. Taking stock of these developments, this contribution analyses, from a legal perspective, whether and how the glyphosate dispute has contributed to the development of the EU’s regulatory epistemology, with specific regard to food governance. It identifies the “manifesto” of the EU’s regulatory epistemology in the 2002 guidelines on the collection and use of expertise and reads them in the light of the glyphosate dispute. In particular, it focuses on the legal arrangements reflecting the principles established in the 2002 guidelines (quality, openness, effectiveness) and analyses them against the tensions that emerged throughout the dispute with regard to the sources, levels and purposes of EU regulatory knowledge-making. It then considers whether and how such tensions have been addressed by legislative reform and whether this has resulted in a further refinement of the EU’s regulatory epistemology.

ANALYSIS OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF USING POWER IN LEADERSHIP

Institutions that can survive and thrive are institutions that have leaders who have a vision of very sharp changes and are able to transform organizational capabilities to build competitiveness. The success of a leader is largely determined by the ability to know and use the right kind of power in accordance with the demands of the situation. The purpose of this study is to analyze the effectiveness of the use of different kinds of power in leadership. These types of powers are expertise, reference power, reward power, legal authority and coercive power. This research was conducted at STKIP YPM in Merangin district, Jambi Province, Indonesia. The sample in this study were 30 lecturers from a population of 66 lecturers. Analysis of the data used to answer the objectives of this study is the Spearman Rank-Order Correlation with a significant level of 5%. This research results that the use of expertise power, reference power, legal power and coercive power does not have a significant correlation with the attitude of commitment of the lecturers while the use of reward power has a significant negative correlation with the attitude of commitment of the lecturer.

A perspective on Chiropractic Councils on Education accreditation standards and processes from the inside: a narrative description of expert opinion, part 1: Themes

Background The aim of this study was to report on key informant opinions of Councils on Chiropractic Education (CCE) regarding recent research findings reporting on improving accreditation standards and processes for chiropractic programs (CPs). Methods This qualitative study employed in-depth semi-structured interviews with key experienced personnel from the five CCEs in June and July of 2018. The interviews consisted of open-ended questions on a range of issues surrounding accreditation, graduate competency standards and processes. All interviews were audio-recorded, and transcribed verbatim. The transcripts were analysed to develop codes and themes using thematic analysis techniques assisted by NVivo coding software. The study followed the COREQ guidelines for qualitative studies. Results Six themes were isolated from the interview transcripts; they were: professional differences; keep it in the family; to focus on outcomes or be prescriptive?; more resources please; inter-profession integration; and CPs making ends meet. Most respondents saw a need for CCEs standards and processes to improve interdisciplinarity while at the same time preserving the ‘uniqueness’ of chiropractic. Additionally, informants viewed CCEs as carrying out their functions with limited resources while simultaneously dealing with vocal disparate interest groups. Diverse views were observed on how CCEs should go about their business of assessing chiropractic programs for accreditation and re-accreditation. Conclusions An overarching confounder for positive changes in CCE accreditation standards and processes is the inability to clearly define basic and fundamental terms such as ‘chiropractic’ and its resultant scope of practice. This is said to be because of vocal, diverse and disparate interest groups within the chiropractic profession. Silence or nebulous definitions negotiated in order to allow a diversity of chiropractic practice to co-exist, appears to have complicated and hindered the activities of CCEs. Recommendations are made including an adoption of an evidence-based approach to accreditation standards and processes and the use of expertise from other health professions. Further, the focus of attention should be moved away from professional interests and toward that of protection of the public and the patient.

“Operae liberales”: consideración social y aspectos jurídicos relevantes de las profesiones liberales en la Roma antigua

En la Grecia y Roma clásicas, en donde cimientan los fundamentos estructurales de nuestra actual civilización, van a otorgar la más alta consideración al ser humano dedicado al desarrollo del intelecto, con un otium encaminado al cultivo de la mente y dedicado a una ocupación relacionada con algún ámbito del saber que requiera el uso del conocimiento y el dominio de una lex artis —no obstante, adquiere también relevancia el cultivo del cuerpo, pero, por lo general, en aras de una correcta instrucción militar, al objeto de prestar servicio, si fuere necesario, en defensa de la comunidad o sociedad—. La Roma clásica, que absorbe el pensamiento de los filósofos griegos —sobre todo, el arte de la retórica y la elocuencia—, a semejanza de la propia Grecia, distinguirá aquellos trabajos manuales, dependientes y serviles, que Cicerón califica como viles, en los que para su realización, por regla general, se imprime esfuerzo físico y para los que, en algunos casos, se requiere el dominio de un arte, pero que, en otros, ni tan siquiera se precisa el conocimiento previo de técnica alguna —o, de necesitarse, se trataría de un mínimo modus operandi—, de aquellas otras actividades en las que, para su fiel desempeño, es imprescindible poseer rigurosos conocimientos teóricos y prácticos, por lo que traen consigo una considerable carga intelectual, así como, en su ejecución, se caracterizan por su autonomía, lo que implica alto grado de libertad e independencia. Estas notas, que han perdurado a lo largo de la historia, en la actualidad continúan funcionando como elementos que, al valorarse en su conjunto, distinguen a las denominadas en la actualidad profesiones liberales del resto de profesiones, oficios u ocupaciones.In classical Greece and Rome, where the foundations of our present civilization were laid, they regarded most highly human beings dedicated to developing their intellect, with an otium intended for the cultivation of the mind and dedicated to an occupation associated with a field of knowledge that requires the use of expertise and the mastery of a lex artis —although the cultivation of the body also acquires importance for the purpose of correct military instruction to serve in defense of the community or society if needed—. Classical Rome, which absorbed Greek philosophy —especially the rhetorical art of eloquence—, like Greece itself, made a distinction between manual, dependent and servile labor, which Cicero considered base, which require physical force as a general rule and which in some cases also require the mastery of an art, but in other do not even demand prior knowledge of a technique —and if they do it would be merely a modus operandi—, and other activities where it is indispensable for their correct practice to possess rigorous theoretical and practical knowledge. The latter entaila considerable intellectual onus, and their practice is characterized by autonomy, which implies a high degree of freedom and independence. These features, which have continued throughout history, currently continue to function as elements which, if taken as a group, set apart in the present day the liberal professions from the rest of professions, trades or occupations.

Public Comments’ Influence on Science Use in U.S. Rulemaking: The Case of EPA’s National Emission Standards

Scholarship on bureaucratic policymaking has long focused on both the use of expertise and public accountability. However, few have considered the degree to which public input affects the use of research in U.S. regulatory impact analyses (RIAs). We examine changes in the research that is cited in RIAs in response to public comments to assess the influence of participation on the use of information for rulemaking. We conduct an in-depth analysis of comments on a major proposed U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rule to determine whether regulators alter the evidence used based on public input and whether some types of commenters have more influence than others. We analyze the text similarity of comments to scientific research utilized in the RIAs to determine whether regulators iteratively update their rule justification based on scientific information referenced in comments. We find support for seminal subgovernment theories about the relationship between business interests, Congress, and the bureaucracy; in relation to all kinds of commenters, members of Congress and industry groups had the strongest effect on changes in the research used in the RIAs. The article provides one of the first statistical analyses of science exchange between the public and a bureaucratic agency.

The potential of computer-mediated internships for higher education

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to discuss the opportunities and limitations of computer-mediated internships (CMIs) for higher education providers (HEPs) and to outline how HEPs may maximize the benefits that arise from CMIs through strategic choices. Design/methodology/approach The paper provides a systematic assessment of the benefits, opportunities and limitations of CMIs. A particular focus of the paper concerns ways in which HEPs may utilize CMIs to maximize student learning as well as institutional benefits in terms of the use of expertise, collaborations and the achievement of institutional targets. Findings Benefits of CMIs include the more inclusive access of previously disadvantaged student groups to internship opportunities, as well as fewer restrictions for HEPs and employers. Given the right design, CMIs can provide a number of important learning opportunities to students while providing extensive opportunities for HEPs. However, the benefits of CMIs need to be viewed in line with the challenges that arise, such as the skill and expertise required to implement CMIs, the required investment of resources, and the currently limited acceptance of CMIs by employers. Practical implications The findings of the paper highlight that CMIs have the potential to be highly beneficial for HEPs and students. In addition, the paper showcases how HEPs may address the limitations of traditional internships, as well as the challenges that arise in relation to CMIs, through the systematic and well supported application of technological solutions. Originality/value The paper makes an important contribution to the literature because it is the first to evaluate the potential of CMIs for the providers of higher education programs.

The Replacement of Warranties with Logic and Common Sense

Many problems are caused by owners specifying project technical requirements to expert vendors, then picking the low-price vendor, assuming that all the vendors are providing the same quality of product. Research over the last 20 years has identified that when working with highly technical areas, this practice brings high risk to the owner because the vendors do not have the expertise to understand the requirements. The Alpha sprayed polyurethane foam (SPF) roof system has brought the Dallas Independent School District (DISD) high value but also occasional risk caused by the low-price vendor. The authors are proposing that DISD’s effort to buy the Alpha SPF roof system through the low-price competition will cause DISD risk. A new approach is proposed to DISD: the Alpha SPF roof system only be used as an alternate value added option. This approach assumes that the only way the Alpha SPF system can be procured is if it is in the best interest of the owner due to dominant value. This approach minimizes the risk that DISD has encountered from low-price contractors who have not been able to minimize risk through the use of expertise and experience because their low-price was directly related to practices which are related to a lack of experience and expertise.