European coherence and regional policy? A Finnish perspective on the observed and reported territorial impacts of EU research and development policies

The present article focuses on recent analysis on the regional impacts of research and development (R&D) actions within the European Union (EU). Focus will be on exploring a report produced by the European Spatial Observation Network (ESPON), and essential viewpoints of the report will be studied from the Finnish perspective. The operating framework is based on social scientific methodology. The conclusions are based on the current evolution of the Finnish innovation and technology policy. Also thematic areas for further research programming and information needs are proposed.     

Territorial Impact Assessment of European Draft Directives—The Emergence of a New Policy Assessment Instrument

European Union directives, along with their transposing arrangements in EU member states, can have unanticipated and sometimes undesirable impacts on certain regions and places. These include impacts on the use of space (e.g. new infrastructure or sprawl), governance, and on wider social, economic or environmental dimensions. Although ex-ante assessment of the potential impacts of EU initiatives has been carried out since 2002 through the European Commission's Impact Assessment procedure and also through national equivalents in some member states, important impacts are still overlooked, frequently because of their territorially heterogeneous nature within and between EU member states. This paper presents the results of the ESPON EATIA research project, in which a new territorial impact assessment methodology was developed for national and regional administrations in EU member states in order to inform their national positions during the negotiation of European draft directives and potentially other policy proposals.     

国外旅游的社会文化影响研究进展

旅游的社会文化影响研究在西方开始于20世纪60年代,几十年来积累了大量的研究案例,理论、方法也日臻完善。文章根据国外学者在研究思路、使用方法等方面的不同,把四十年来的研究分为60、70年代的定性描述、片面评价阶段;80年代的细分、量化研究阶段;90年代后的跨学科、多方法相结合阶段,分别介绍了各时期的主要观点、研究方法、重要论著,并进行了简要的分析评价。认为把旅游现象放在大的社会背景中,注重旅游业的特点进行跨学科、综合的研究是今后旅游的社会文化影响研究应该努力的方向。     

Children's perceptions of and attitudes towards,transport modes: why a vehicle for change is long overdue

Overreliance on car transportation impacts negatively on children's health, safety and well-being. This paper presents research that investigated children's perceptions of, and attitudes towards, transport modes. Primary children completed a pictorial questionnaire (n?=?486), 119 participated in focus groups (n?=?27). The findings suggest that children learn about transport modes from different interacting sources, both through experiential and vicarious mediums. The author concludes that the social emphasis on cars can have an intellectual impact that is detectable in the perceptions and attitudes of many children. It is argued that current policy for reducing car use in the UK has a narrow focus and does not address the role of social and cultural factors in car usage and dependency. Suggestions for new initiatives aimed at the family and the media are described.     

我国旅游服务业营业税改增值税的影响机理及影响状况研究

营业税改增值税是我国实施结构性减税政策的重要改革方向。上海已经开始试点,试点范围将由上海市分批扩大至北京、天津、江苏、浙江、安徽、福建、湖北、广东、厦门和深圳10个省、直辖市、计划单列市,并将选择部分行业在全国范围试点。未来,营业税改增值税很可能向旅游服务业推广。在上述背景下,需要研究下列前沿性理论问题：我国旅游服务业营业税改增值税的影响机理是什么？我国旅游服务业营业税改增值税的影响状况是什么？本文运用不同税收特点及影响分析理论,探讨了我国旅游服务业营业税改增值税的影响机理,并通过对上海典型旅游企业的调查研究,分析了我国旅游服务业营业税改增值税的影响特点与影响状况。针对我国旅游服务业营业税改增值税的影响特点与状况,提出了我国旅游服务业营业税改增值税税率与存量固定资产进项税抵扣等的建议。     

大数据时代的人文地理研究与应用实践

信息通信技术快速发展带来了大数据时代的到来,改变着区域或城市空间组织及居民行为,流空间成为人类活动的主要载体,并使得人文地理学理论与方法面临革新。本文在梳理国内外文献基础上,认为大数据时代的人文地理研究开始更加注重自然与人文学科间的融合、数据密集型研究方法的革新、以居民活动为主体的人本科学性,并构建了人文地理学及其主要分支学科在大数据时代研究的总体框架。同时,也提出了大数据面向空间规划方法和技术、居民个体行为决策优化、企业运营决策、政府宏观政策制定与管理等方面的应用方向。     

Wind(ow) of Change: A Systematic Review of Policy Entrepreneurship Characteristics and Strategies

What lessons can we learn from 40 years of policy entrepreneurship scholarship on policy entrepreneurs’ strategies and defining characteristics? While scholars have offered important insights, many questions remain open. This article systematically reviews 229 articles that were published between 1984 and 2017. Our findings provide (i) an analysis of policy entrepreneurship characteristics by sector, policy domain, individual/group, government layer, and geographical spread, (ii) an empirically based identification and classification of policy entrepreneurship strategies, and (iii) a statistical analysis of the relationship between policy entrepreneurs’ characteristics and strategies. We conclude with an agenda for future studies that will continue to examine new theoretical approaches that advance our understanding of the role that individuals and small groups play in the policy process.     

Impact of European Union development subsidies on Hungarian regions

Since the collapse of the communist system, regional inequalities have increased in Central European Countries. This paper describes an assessment of the impacts of regional development programmes on the development of Hungarian regions at a highly disaggregated level between 2002 and 2008. We construct a multi-dimensional composite indicator to estimate the overall development of rural regions and capture social, economic and environmental dimensions. The impacts of rural development programmes were investigated through counterfactual analysis in combination with Propensity Score Matching and Difference-in-Differences approaches. There has been considerable variation with increasing concentration in the level of subsidies distributed during the analysed period. From a policy perspective, the results are disappointing. Irrespective of the subsidy measures or methodology employed, the impact of the former is very close to zero or non-significant. Our findings cast serious doubt on the effectiveness of development policy and the long-run convergence of European regions.     

The White House and Congress on Child Care and Family Leave Policy: From Carter to Clinton

Over the last two decades four presidents produced a variety of family policy initiatives with mixed results. Carter issued his nine-point plan on the family and convened the first White House Conference on Families in American history. Reagan created the White House Working Group on the Family and issued Executive Order 12606, which established family impact statements. George Bush continued many of Reagan's policies and pushed family values to near the top of the political agenda by 1992, and Bill Clinton set forth his eight-point plan on the family and moved quickly to reverse many of the policies of the Reagan-Bush era. Discussed is the role of the White House and Congress in shaping two family policy initiatives in particular: The Child Care and Development Block Grant of 1990 and the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993.     

Conflict, Uncertainty, and the Role of Planning and Analysis in Public Policy Innovation

Innovation by "groping along," in which appointed public officials experiment during program implementation after little, if any, initial planning and analysis, has been promoted as a more accurate model of policy innovation than the rational comprehensive model of policy change. Analysis of two cases of environmental regulatory policy innovation suggests that administrative agencies may be more likely to follow the conventional model of the policy cycle when high levels of conflict are likely to accompany policy initiatives. The cases also suggest, however, that public officials will experiment during the innovation process when they are uncertain about the nature of the problem and the probable impacts of alternative solutions.     

Rural Elected Officials, Environmental Policy, and Economic Composition

This research uses an alternative economic composition methodology that classifies 52 Idaho rural communities. This methodology classifies communities as dependent, diversified, or post-industrial. A survey was mailed to elected officials (mayors and city council) from the sample of 52 rural communities to examine whether there is a relationship between environmental policy support and economic type. One hundred and thirty-three respondents (48%) returned the surveys. The findings reveal that the economic composition of the community was related to views of environmental policy on 7 of 16 measures while controlling for gender, political ideology, and age.     

UNEMPLOYMENT AND MENTAL HEALTH IMPLICATIONS FOR HUMAN SERVICE POLICY*

The psychiatric impact of involuntary job loss is evaluated in this paper in light of the attitude among some policy makers that contemporary unemployment is associated with minimal personal costs. Research bearing directly and indirectly on the mental health consequences of job loss is reviewed. Preliminary findings from an ongoing study of family and personal impacts of job loss in which this writer is engaged are also presented. The collective evidence of at least selective psychiatric effects of unemployment is then examined for its implications for human service policy especially in relation to the primary, secondary and tertiary prevention of mental illness.     

Policy Analysis for What? The Effectiveness of Nonpartisan Policy Research Organizations

For the past several decades, scholars have studied the role of policy research in decision making. Depending how "use" is measured, the results have indicated only modest or indirect impacts. This study takes another direction to studying knowledge utilization, comparing the influence of nonpartisan policy research organizations in 19 states on their principal clients: state legislators. Nonpartisan research agencies represent a particularly rigorous test since the literature on knowledge utilization questions whether nonpartisan policy analysis organizations (NPROs) can remain neutral and contribute meaningfully to policymaking. Further, this analysis is comparative across states, studies institutions rather than specific reports or policy domains, and examines multiple types of "use." Using the results of surveys of both agencies and legislators, the results indicate a strong association between the size and type of policy research organizations and legislators' assessments of use, even controlling for political and ideological factors. This suggests that policy analysis organizations—even those in a highly politicized environment—have a significant impact on policymaking, mainly by providing information and analysis to decision makers but also in influencing public policy outcomes.     

大型活动的形象影响研究—以′99昆明世博会为例

从旅游影响的角度出发,大型活动将对举办地形成一定的形象影响。本文以'99昆明世博会为例,使用问卷调查数据,从四个方面研究了'99世博会的形象影响问题。研究表明:'99世博会所带来的形象效应并未成为游客选择昆明作为出游目的地的首要决定因素,目的地区域的传统特色(如气候、环境及文化因素),仍然是游客作出决策的主导因素;'99世博会对举办城市昆明而言,所带来的积极影响超过了负面影响,可以有效提高举办地的知名度;大型活动长期的、潜在的形象影响可以通过了解游客的重游意愿和口碑效应来衡量,世博会的举办所带来的潜在长期影响是正面的;有助于形成较高的形象认同度。     

大型活动的形象影响研究--以'99昆明世博会为例

从旅游影响的角度出发,大型活动将对举办地形成一定的形象影响。本文以'99昆明世博会为例,使用问卷调查数据,从四个方面研究了'99世博会的形象影响问题。研究表明:'99世博会所带来的形象效应并未成为游客选择昆明作为出游目的地的首要决定因素,目的地区域的传统特色(如气候、环境及文化因素),仍然是游客作出决策的主导因素;'99世博会对举办城市昆明而言,所带来的积极影响超过了负面影响,可以有效提高举办地的知名度;大型活动长期的、潜在的形象影响可以通过了解游客的重游意愿和口碑效应来衡量,世博会的举办所带来的潜在长期影响是正面的;有助于形成较高的形象认同度。     

DETERMINANTS OF ADULT MORTALITY IN INDIA

This study attempts to evaluate the factors affecting adult mortality with special emphasis on the lifestyle factors using the 1998–1999 National Family Health Survey (NFHS). The sample size, N, in this analysis is 330,267. It includes those aged 15–59 of which 2.6 per cent died during adulthood. In the Poisson regression model, the independent variables used are age, sex, place of residence, lifestyle factors of other members of the family, standard of living, literacy composition, caste, religion, mass media exposure, household type, fuel for cooking and region of residence. This analysis has been adjusted for the clustering of deaths at the family level. The findings suggest that there is a strong positive relationship between lifestyle factors and premature mortality, even after controlling for other background characteristics of the deceased person. Further, age, standard of living index (SLI), literacy composition, religion, household type and region of residence are some important determinants of adult mortality in India.     

International regulation and regional development: Consequences of the single European market for small and medium sized enterprises in Portugal

In seeking to understand contexts for regional development an increasingly important element is the growing influence of international institutions and agreements in the regulation of economic systems. Within Europe the economic liberalization and increased market competition encouraged by the Single European Market (SEM) has been widely predicted to benefit larger elements of capital and core regions of economic activity at the expense of Europe's smaller firms and less favoured peripheral regions. Through analysis of results from empirical research, this paper will analyze the impact of the SEM on small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in north and central Portugal. The significance of sectoral and spatial variations in impact are examined by considering two industrial sectors, food and clothing, and the effectiveness of firms’ responses and policy initiatives in mediating the potentially negative impacts of Single Market competition are evaluated.     

Protection,survival and growth: an analysis of international policy documents

This paper reports findings from the analysis of three international policy documents produced by a department of the UK Government, a leading British cultural organisation and a national arts development agency. The analysis takes an unorthodox stance, proposing that the international strategies are rationales for the self-protection, survival and growth of the government department, agency and museum, as opposed to the operational action plans that they first appear or are assumed to be. As such, they bear little relationship to formal policy and should be viewed as organisational stratagems. This research raises a number of questions about the nature, purpose and impact of policy and its making. Calling for a rethinking of key concepts within the field, this article returns to the fundamentals by asking what we mean by cultural policy and how we conceptualise and study it empirically.     

Gender relations in Bedouin communities in Israel: local government as a site of ambivalent modernity

In this article, we examine the perceptions towards women and gender relations maintained by male, local authority officials within two Bedouin towns in Israel. As such, the current research lies at the intersection of local politics, gender, space and culture. We argue that analysis of these perspectives provides insights into the ambivalent nature of modernity: into the tension between the desire to preserve the traditional role of women in maintaining the family, and the recognition of the powerful potential of women to act as agents of change. Based on an analysis of personal interviews, the study traces the ways in which both power and vulnerability impact the attitudes and perspectives of these men officials. By applying narrative analysis, gendered power structures are examined within Bedouin society in the context of the local authority – zooming in on the narratives provided by the male authority officials. The findings reveal that the officials maintain a series of ambivalent and conflictual attitudes towards the role of women. Bearing in mind their potential impact on the quality of women's daily lives in local public spaces, it seems vitally important to account for the entire matrix of tensions and vulnerabilities that impact the municipal policy instruments at their disposal. The findings are relevant beyond the Bedouin communities in Israel and may serve as a platform for a wider discussion of the dilemmas of minority women in rapidly changing cultural environments, and ambivalent modernity.     

当代西方"新文化地理学"知识谱系引论

当代西方人地理学在“后现代地理学”之后蓬勃发展起“新化地理学”。新化地理学是地理学的“化转向”和“化研究”以及社会科学普遍的“空间转向”之后的学术互动产物。它与地理学以往的知识遗产包括传统的化地理学既有联系也存在从研究议题、概念、认识论和方法论的重大差别,是走向批评范式的人化和理论化的知识体系。本立足丰富庞杂的理论献,全面综述和分析了新化地理学的知识谱系和未来的发展走向。