Research and Innovation Supporting the European Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy: A Technology Perspective from Recent European Union Projects

Many concepts and innovations aim to improve transport and mobility, while helping to decrease the externalities that transport imposes on society. Research and innovation monitoring tools are important to assess the current state of development so that research funding and policy making efforts can be aligned optimally. This paper presents a comprehensive approach which links technological developments in the transport sector in Europe to the objectives of the most recent policy developments, in particular, the 2020 European Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy. It does so by identifying and evaluating technologies from European Union-funded projects between 2007 and 2020, by means of a technology taxonomy. Information is provided at an aggregated level on funding characteristics of both projects and the technologies, while at the same time, the level of maturity of researched technologies in the most recent projects is identified. This study can aid policy makers to support the future development of transport technologies as part of pertinent policy strategies and identify research gaps.

The Pacific Reset: A Retroliberal Analysis

<p>The interaction and relationships between stakeholders, international trends, history and politics, inform the shape and sequencing of development policy. The Pacific Reset policy initiative of the Sixth Labour Government is an example of how such interactions not only impact, but contribute to understandings on development policy. Despite being a recent policy announcement, the Pacific Reset was understood as being informed by the factors listed above and is a geopolitically motivated statement of capability in the region. The last decade of development thinking has shifted towards a model of economic growth, defined by ‘shared prosperity’ and development tied to national interest. Marking a distinct aid regime, retroliberalism offers the theoretical rigour to this research. In analysing the understandings of the Pacific Reset through such a lens, the Pacific Reset loosely aligns with the tenets of retroliberalism. Although it was found that rhetoric surrounding the Pacific Reset marks New Zealand’s divergence from typical retroliberal, and current global development discourses. Using critical discourse analysis of rhetoric surrounding the announcement, and early stages of the Pacific Reset, together with a thematic analysis of eight interviews, this thesis examines the understandings of the Pacific Reset as communicated by members of the New Zealand development community. It assesses the factors involved in the policy’s formation, and its impact on Pacific-focused development activities, before discussing the extent retroliberalism can interpret the Pacific Reset. This research found the Pacific Reset to be an amalgam of policies, modalities, and structures of earlier New Zealand development policy. Historical patterns of development assistance, personalities and style of engagement, and path dependence in policy were found to impact the Pacific Reset. Participants understood the policy as merely a shift in rhetoric and a geopolitical statement of renewed engagement in the Pacific. This thesis collates these responses to analyse the understandings on, and the impact of the Pacific Reset on New Zealand development activities, and to offer an empirical base for further research on the policy.</p>

The Pacific Reset: A Retroliberal Analysis

<p>The interaction and relationships between stakeholders, international trends, history and politics, inform the shape and sequencing of development policy. The Pacific Reset policy initiative of the Sixth Labour Government is an example of how such interactions not only impact, but contribute to understandings on development policy. Despite being a recent policy announcement, the Pacific Reset was understood as being informed by the factors listed above and is a geopolitically motivated statement of capability in the region. The last decade of development thinking has shifted towards a model of economic growth, defined by ‘shared prosperity’ and development tied to national interest. Marking a distinct aid regime, retroliberalism offers the theoretical rigour to this research. In analysing the understandings of the Pacific Reset through such a lens, the Pacific Reset loosely aligns with the tenets of retroliberalism. Although it was found that rhetoric surrounding the Pacific Reset marks New Zealand’s divergence from typical retroliberal, and current global development discourses. Using critical discourse analysis of rhetoric surrounding the announcement, and early stages of the Pacific Reset, together with a thematic analysis of eight interviews, this thesis examines the understandings of the Pacific Reset as communicated by members of the New Zealand development community. It assesses the factors involved in the policy’s formation, and its impact on Pacific-focused development activities, before discussing the extent retroliberalism can interpret the Pacific Reset. This research found the Pacific Reset to be an amalgam of policies, modalities, and structures of earlier New Zealand development policy. Historical patterns of development assistance, personalities and style of engagement, and path dependence in policy were found to impact the Pacific Reset. Participants understood the policy as merely a shift in rhetoric and a geopolitical statement of renewed engagement in the Pacific. This thesis collates these responses to analyse the understandings on, and the impact of the Pacific Reset on New Zealand development activities, and to offer an empirical base for further research on the policy.</p>

Export Performance of MSMEs in India: Is Credit Constraint an Invisible Gorilla?

We examine the effects of foreign currency borrowings (FCBs) and domestic market constraints on the performance of the export of the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) during the period 1988–2019. Our results show that access to the FCBs improved the performance of the MSME exports, indicating the importance of credit accessibility. MSMEs effectively utilise the grants when accompanied by credit facilities such as FCBs. We find that the high cost of debt and lack of financial development adversely affect the exports, as MSMEs are unable to borrow. The rupee depreciation alone does not help the MSMEs reap such depreciation benefits due to the lack of domestic credit. The recent policy stance of emphasis on MSMEs is expected to improve export performance. This study calls for the specialised window for the MSMEs to meet low cost and easy credit. The findings suggest stepping up grants to the MSMEs to improve the export performance. JEL Codes: F14, F34, F2, F31

Discourses of Childlessness in Bangladesh

This chapter explores the discourses around medical and alternative treatments that emerged in the accounts of 11 middle-class Bengali women who sought treatment for their childlessness. Fertility has been considered a prime problem for Bangladesh since the 1980s, and policy documents still focus on fertility reduction, along with reducing maternal mortality. Yet, no recent policy documents considered childlessness as a problem. This investigation informs of the links between biomedical power and childlessness as they are emerging in urban Bangladesh. The sections of this chapter discuss the concepts of biopower and agency, illustrate the different trajectories interviewees pursued in dealing with childlessness, focus on the issue of the so-called perfect age for assisted reproductive technology (ART) treatments, and explore interviewees’ stories of their experiences of IVF. The concluding section discusses these women’s accounts of the beliefs according to which they actively decide their technological options.

Renewing Relationships? Solitudes, Decolonisation, and Feminist International Policy

In this article we seek to understand how gendered coloniality is re-affirmed and reproduced. It does so by analysing the inter-national relationships formalised through two recent policy initiatives by the Government of Canada: its Feminist International Assistance Policy and ongoing bilateral mechanisms with Indigenous peoples organisations. Using feminist discourse analysis, we argue that the logics underpinning these initiatives are treated as mutually exclusive, with the result being solitudes across policy areas – Indigenous reconciliation and feminist governance – that should instead overlap. Our analysis suggests that in addition to failing to address systemic marginalisation, establishing exclusive domains of feminist and reconciliation policy reproduces gendered coloniality through the building of inter-national relationships. Ultimately, this results in a failure of both policy initiatives.

Electroconvulsive therapy: a clinical case study and review

Electroconvulsive therapy is deemed one of the most effective treatments for alleviating symptoms in individuals diagnosed with severe depression, yet it remains one of the most controversial psychiatric treatments in contemporary mental health nursing practice. As such, its use and efficacy continue to be questioned. The following article analyses the case of Albert, a fictional character who represents the presentation of several patients who have received electroconvulsive therapy. The application of electroconvulsive therapy is evaluated, by referring to the most recent policy and national guidelines. Despite the associated stigma, electroconvulsive therapy can save lives, as portrayed by Albert. However, further research is required and updated guidance from National Institute for Health and Care Excellence is needed, specifically with regards to maintenance and relapse prevention. It is important to be aware of the implications of side effects, just as with other interventions. Overall, this article highlights the importance of safe, recovery-focused and person-centred care.

Decision-making in the midst of uncertainty: appraising expensive medicines in England

Decisions need to be made about which services or technologies should be prioritized for provision in the NHS in England .The analysis focuses specifically on the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), and on how they appraise expensive medicines. This analysis takes a sociological perspective on decision-making in relation to uncertainty and how uncertainties are managed, drawing on evidence from a scoping study and an ethnographic study. Uncertainties were central to these rationing decisions. Three types of layers of uncertainty -epistemic, procedural and interpersonal - were shown to be salient. Another form of uncertainty was associated with the complexity of the science and that included the level of technicality of the information provided. The analysis highlighted the salience of uncertainties associated with interpersonal relations and the relations between the committees and the drug industry, clinical and patient experts. A key element in these relationships was trust. Decision makers adopted a mixture of formal and informal, collective and individual strategies in making decisions and a need to exercise pragmatism within a more formal institutional framework. The paper concludes by considering more recent policy developments in relation to appraising expensive medicines.