Farmers’ adaptability to the policy of ecological protection in China—A case study in Yanchi County,China

Due to long-term human activities, grassland ecosystems have been severely damaged. To protect grassland ecosystems, the prohibited grazing policy (PGP), a grassland ecological protection policy, was instituted for Chinese grasslands in 2002. However, it is unknown whether farmers have effectively adapted to the PGP. The adaptability of farmers to this policy has directly influenced the effective implementation of the policy and the sustainable development of the ecosystem. Previous research on adaptability has not focused on the adaptation to political change. This article uses a case study in Northwest China to investigate the adaptability of farmers to the policy. First, we study the restoration status of ecosystems. In addition, this paper studies the perceptions regarding farmers’ adaptability to the policy and explores the adaptation strategies of different types of farmers. Finally, this paper discusses the main factors that influence farmers’ choice of adaptation strategies. The implementation of the PGP has achieved remarkable ecological benefits. Farmers of different types had different adaptation perceptions, and their choices of adaptation strategies also varied. In addition to the farmers’ perception of the policy, the main factors that influenced farmers’ adaptation strategies also included livelihood capital.     

呼吁·反思·监督—论社会工作者之于山西煤炭政策

山西煤炭工业在拉动经济快速增长的同时，带来了严重的环境污染，包括大气污染、土壤污染和水污染。防治煤炭污染，必须依靠煤炭政策。社会工作在影响山西煤炭政策方面应扮演呼吁者、反思者和监督者的角色。而要有效扮演这三种角色。必须具备一定的主观要件与客观要件。     

Perpetuating the problem: neoliberalism,commonwealth public policy and housing affordability in Australia

This paper argues that the scale of the contemporary housing affordability crisis in Australia is at least partly attributable to the influence of neoliberal ideas over the past three decades. After providing an overview of the nature and scope of the crisis, the process by which housing as a policy problem has been reconceptualised by policy makers and others since the 1970s is examined. This is followed by analysis of the ways in which a number of commonwealth government policies which are ideationally underpinned by neoliberalism have amplified and perpetuated the problem of housing affordability in Australia and, ipso facto, prevented the issue from being addressed. The paper concludes by suggesting that policies which are ostensibly intended to improve housing affordability will continue to founder until the ideational obstacles which are the focus of this paper are recognised, and housing policy is reconceptualised along lines more conducive to the amelioration of the housing affordability problem. The paper seeks to extend the existing literature on housing affordability by explicitly identifying the linkages between neoliberal ideas, commonwealth public policy, and the extant problem of housing affordability in Australia.     

Introduction: social policy and economic development in late industrializers

This Supplement in the International Journal of Social Welfare presents the main findings of a United Nations Research Institute for Social Development research project on social policy in late industrializers, covering countries in East Asia, Latin America, Middle East and North Africa (MENA), and sub-Saharan Africa, as well as the Nordic countries. One of the findings from the research is that social policy has been used as an integral part of economic development in successful late-industrializing countries. In the MENA region and sub-Saharan Africa, however, social policy was tried for too short a period to be properly implemented and tested. East Asian and Latin American countries started with a narrow-based social policy, but social policy in East Asia was extended to foster social solidarity, bringing people into the mainstream of social change. Such findings suggest that social policy is multifunctional, not only in terms of social protection but also economic development and democratic governance.     

The Politics of Market-Based Environmental Regulation: Continuity and Change in Air Pollution Control Policy Conflict

Objectives. To expand scholarly attention to a neglected area of environmental policy and politics, I attempt to test several empirical propositions drawn from the small body of existing research on the politics of market-based environmental regulation. Methods. I analyze public comments on a recent U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulatory action guiding states on the design of various market-based air pollution control programs. I focus on the types of commenting organizations and the nature, extent, and foundations of their support or opposition to market-based regulatory instruments. Results. I find more support for than opposition to the use of economic incentive programs in air pollution control. The support from business commenters is not surprising, but the level of support expressed by state regulators departs from previous research findings. Environmental groups are the principal dissenters. Overall, the findings suggest both change and continuity in the politics of air pollution control policymaking, with some possibility of a shift in the contours of the advocacy coalitions in the pollution control policy network. Conclusions. Market-based environmental regulation is still an evolving phenomenon in American public policy. Further research on the politics of its development is in order, and the opportunities to pursue such research are substantial.     

Protest or Partnership? The Voluntary and Community Sectors in the Policy Process

The growing emphasis on partnership is opening up new opportunities for voluntary and community organizations, many of which have felt themselves hitherto to be “outsiders” in the policy process. But it is also generating new dilemmas as they strive to maintain their autonomy while increasingly operating as insiders. This article examines the strategic choices that such organizations make in seeking to influence policy and the challenges that they face. It rejects the simple categorizations made between “insiders” and “outsiders” in the policy process, arguing that strategic choices are more complex and dynamic than this, with insider strategies dependent on outsider strategies and vice versa, and many organizations operating from both arenas.     

建国后陈云对环境问题的思考

陈云较早地认识到了环境污染治理和自然资源保护工作的重要性和紧迫性,提出将环境污染的防治作为政府工作的重点加以重视,并通过制定长远的规划、宣传教育、责任落实等手段推动实施,同时他要求保护森林、水力、矿山等自然资源,实现它们的可持续利用.陈云的环境保护思想对于我们今天总结建国后中国共产党认识和解决环境问题的历史,贯彻落实科学发展观、建设和谐社会具有重要意义.     

Evaluating social investment in disability policy

Disability policy in European countries is displaying a shift towards social investment: increasing human capital and access to the labour market. The reasoning that underlies this transition is that disabled persons would benefit from mainstream employment, but are impeded in traditional policy by deficiencies in labour supply and demand. However, the shift towards more activating policies in many countries is accompanied by a decline in social protection. It is unclear whether social investment may effectively promote the employment chances of disabled persons within this context. The present research examines this question through a quantitative, cross-sectional, multilevel analysis on microdata from 22 EU countries. Our findings suggest greater activation to predict lower employment chances, while reducing passive support shows mixed effects. Conversely, measures for facilitation in daily life predict greater employment chances, as do measures for sheltered work. These findings raise questions over the value of social investment for disabled persons—and underline the need to overcome broader barriers in the labour market and in society.     

Social policy by numbers. How international organisations construct global policy proposals

Considering the socio‐economic and cultural diversity of the world, it is a bold undertaking by international organisations to propose welfare policies designed to apply to all or many countries. We argue that since the 1990s, new instruments of quantification have extended the knowledge base of international organisations, helping them to design and communicate policy proposals with a global scope. We map these numerical instruments in the field of basic income protection, showing that they serve to identify global social problems and to design global models of welfare. Three case studies illustrate the findings. To make sense of the spread of quantification, we draw on world society theory, arguing that the numerical instruments create a global space of observation, comparison and deliberation regarding social reform. We conclude that numerical instruments have facilitated the expansion of global social protection since the 1990s, but have also narrowed social concerns in the process.     

The role of individual agents in promoting peace processes: business people and policy entrepreneurship in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict

Are individual businesspeople who operate as policy entrepreneurs willing and able to influence peace processes in conflict areas? The literature on businesspeople as policy agents shifts when talking about peace processes, focusing on group level activities and ignoring the effect of individual agents. We argue that rather than regarding businesspeople as a traditional interest group, we should consider the approaches to promoting change that strongly motivated individuals adopt as policy entrepreneurs. Based on interviews with senior Israeli businesspeople and decision-makers, we demonstrate how strongly motivated Israeli businesspeople promote peace as policy entrepreneurs. We identify their motivations, goals, challenges, and the strategies they use. The findings indicate that although motivated by economic profits, businesspeople undertake activities that may prove very beneficial to both themselves and society as a whole.     

中、美、日、德四国制造业污染防控政策工具选择的比较研究

中国制造业的污染防控问题是现实上为各利益相关者所关注,而理论研究有待深入的难题。从国际比较的视角来看,当前我国制造业污染防控政策强调绿色规划与产业布局,法规管制与公共参与,未能给予政府资金投入、损害补偿机制、融资与税收、信息披露、污染治理协议等政策以充分重视,关注政策的框架,却忽视内容细节,需要制定政策加大制造业污染防控的政府资金投入并优化资金投入结构、细化损害补偿机制与行政问责机制、创新市场化政策、拓宽污染防控规划的范围等。     

Homelessness Prevention Policy: A Case Study

Although serious and long‐term commitment to homelessness prevention is evident in some countries in the form of primary prevention measures, it is not clear whether a strong shift has already been made from secondary to primary prevention. It is argued here that after almost two decades of literature regarding the ‘prevention turn’ in homelessness policy, one may speak of primary prevention in the prevention stage, and add secondary and tertiary prevention to each of the other three stages of homelessness policy – early, emergency, and long‐term intervention strategies. Yet, there must be an attempt at primary prevention, which is more difficult to maintain, mainly for financial reasons. Political will is one key to success in doing this. Homelessness prevention policies are explained in this article using the case study of Israel's policies in 1948–2010. The findings indicate that Israel dealt with a high risk of homelessness in the 1950s and again in the 1990s through primary homelessness prevention by intervening in the housing market and providing cash assistance. Subsequently, after an overall homelessness policy was first published in Israel in 1996, prevention almost disappeared. However, it seems that, since then, prevention still manifests itself in the form of secondary prevention measures, such as public assistance benefits and housing subsidies. Tertiary prevention also seems to exist, addressing the more entrenched nature of homelessness by means of permanent supportive housing. This article shows that where there is a will there may be a way for prevention.     

Conflict and cooperation in environmental administration

Cleavages exist between agencies on the implementation of environmental policies and the management of environmental programs. Although these cleavages are not deep enough to cause an agency immobilisme, they slow down the pace of pollution control. Within the agencies, much time is wasted when environmental specialists quibble on regulatory matters, when relationships between environmental scientists and resource managers are strained, and when regional units suffer from the stultifying effect of divided loyalties. To compound the problem, cooperative programs that are supposed to maximize the outcome of environmental protection leave much to be desired. In light of these problems, the time has come to re-invent the whole spectrum of environmental bureaucracy and recharge the entire subsystem of environmental policy making.     

Value orientations of social welfare policy structures

Substantial literature exists around the variation of welfare policy development in liberal democracies. The contrast of the American welfare state to those in Europe has sparked significant analytical literature about which factors are most significant in the variation. The literature extensively examines many of these factors but has neglected the significance of social values. This article discusses values and policy development as a foundation for further studies linking specific values to policy and institutional development. First, I discuss theorists who have identified value orientation as significant to welfare state variation; second, I review the major comparative welfare state literature. Finally, I discuss the major variation categories through the lens of social values by identifying the significant value orientation of sample policy structures. Comparative welfare state literature benefits from elucidating the values orientation of welfare policies that define the welfare state typological categories. Including the role of social values in welfare state comparisons promotes greater understanding of the origins and trajectory of current policy. Key Practitioner Message: ● Increase understanding of welfare state variation factors; ● Frame questions about social values reflected in social policy.     

Fighting the COVID pandemic: National policy choices in non-pharmaceutical interventions

The COVID-19 pandemic pushed countries to adopt various non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs). Due to the features of the pandemic, which spread over time and space, governments could decide whether or not to follow policy choices made by leaders of countries affected by the virus before them. In this study, we aim to empirically model the adoption of NPIs during the first wave of COVID-19 in the 14 European countries with more than 10 million inhabitants, in order to detect whether a policy diffusion mechanism occurred. By means of a multivariate approach based on Principal Component Analysis and Cluster Analysis, we manage to derive three clusters representing different behaviour models to which the different European countries belong in the different periods of the first wave: pre-pandemic, summer relaxation and deep-lockdown scenarios. These results bring a two-fold contribution: on the one hand, they may help us to understand differences and similarities among European countries during the first wave of the COVID-19 outbreak and guide future quantitative or qualitative studies; on the other, our findings suggest that with minor exceptions (such as Sweden and Poland), different countries adopted very similar policy strategies, which are likely to be due more to the unfolding of the pandemic than to specific governmental strategies.     

Evidence of Environmental Justice: A Critical Perspective on the Practice of EJ Research and Lessons for Policy Design*

Objective. This article gleans important lessons for environmental justice (EJ) policy from the empirical literature and demonstrates them using EJ analyses of Superfund sites. It constructively critiques the EJ literature and suggests some future directions for designing policy and framing the discourse. Methods. The research methods of many quantitative EJ studies are reviewed. To demonstrate sensitivity to researchers' choices, logit models are estimated to explain the nationwide distribution of Superfund sites (and deletions from the NPL) using various spatial scales, control variables, and definitions of proximity. Results. Most empirical EJ studies examine cross‐sectional distributions for aggregated demographic measures, dwelling on the implied counterfactual or causal mechanism briefly, if ever. The EJ analysis for Superfund sites exhibits much sensitivity to modeling choices and to whether environmental conditions or policy impacts are modeled. Conclusions. The findings highlight the limitations of conventional EJ research designs. Several implications for the design of EJ policy are drawn, emphasizing the importance of clarity about counterfactuals and which sorts of impacts are relevant. Principles for a revised EJ policy framework are proposed.     

Family policy and women's employment outcomes in 45 high-income countries: A systematic qualitative review of 238 comparative and national studies

The article reviews the available quantitative evidence on the relationship between explicit family policy and women's employment outcomes in 45 high-income countries between 1980 and 2016. At the methodological level, we gathered 238 papers through a four-stage systematic qualitative review. We included articles published in English in international journals or by leading research institutes. Despite the accrued importance of the field, comparative works and national case studies do not sufficiently engage one another for methodological and disciplinary reasons. Our contribution is to integrate the findings from both streams of the literature in two ways. First, we chart systematically the debate describing its evolution over four decades, the disciplines involved (demography, economics, politics, social policy, sociology, and interdisciplinary work), and the geographical and policy breadth of the empirical contributions. Second, we provide a rich guide for scholars in the field by exploring how national case studies fit (or not) the broad trends captured in comparative research and discussing key and controversial debates in the field. In conclusion, we point out also important gaps in the literature and propose new avenues for future research. An exhaustive set of tables provides information on each comparative and national case study and on the databases and variables employed in the literature.     

Inter‐country adoption in Australia: Examining the factors that drive the practice and implications for policy reform

The article presents the findings of an international literature review conducted to examine the factors that drive inter‐country adoption rates within both sending and receiving countries. The authors then consider the implications of these findings for inter‐country adoption policy reform in Australia. The evidence in the literature highlights a distinction between the factors that drive ICA in sending and receiving countries. Factors that drive the practice in sending countries relate to structural forms such as socio‐economic and political conditions. In contrast, it is the growing demand for a child from infertile couples that drives the practice in receiving countries. The article then considers the challenges of domestic policy reform undertaken to increase numbers of inter‐country adoptions in a context of global decline.     

Entrepreneurship in the Swedish municipal polis: the case of Mer [*] Östersund

Scholars in political science and policy studies have been paying increasing attention to a specific kind of actor, the policy entrepreneur, as an agent of change. Less attention has been paid to the contextual factors that may shape entrepreneurial action as most of the extant research is performed in pluralistic systems and in high complexity policy sectors. This is a study of a routine planning process in the municipality of Östersund in Northern Sweden with the purpose of studying the kind of actors that may act entrepreneurially (the who); the kind of strategies they use; and what contextual powers facilitate these strategies (the how). This two-and-a-half-year routine, low-complexity process was analyzed with in-depth interviews and a survey, participant observation, document analysis, and formal social network analysis. Findings suggest that professional administrators acted entrepreneurially by employing a set of six strategies while the members of civil society were central – though not entrepreneurial – participants.