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Dorlach T, Gunasekara S. The politics of glyphosate regulation: lessons from Sri Lanka's short-lived ban. Global Health 2023; 19:84. [PMID: 37957659 PMCID: PMC10644602 DOI: 10.1186/s12992-023-00981-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2023] [Accepted: 10/17/2023] [Indexed: 11/15/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Glyphosate is the world's most used herbicide and a central component of modern industrial agriculture. It has also been linked to a variety of negative health and environmental effects. For instance, the International Agency for Research on Cancer classified glyphosate as "probably carcinogenic to humans" in 2015. This has motivated widespread political demands for stricter glyphosate regulation but so far few governments have followed through. METHODS We conduct a case study of Sri Lanka, which in 2015 became the first and so far only country in the world to adopt and implement a complete glyphosate ban. But this ban proved to be short-lived, as it was partially reversed in 2018 (and later fully revoked in 2022). To explain the political causes of Sri Lanka's pioneering glyphosate ban and its subsequent reversal, we employ process tracing methods drawing on publicly available documents. Our analysis is theoretically guided by the multiple streams framework and the concept of self-undermining policy feedback. RESULTS Glyphosate regulation rose to the top of the Sri Lankan political agenda in 2014 when a local scientist linked glyphosate exposure to an epidemic of Chronic Kidney Disease of Unknown Origin (CKDu). A glyphosate ban was eventually adopted in June 2015 by the newly elected government of Maithripala Sirisena. The ban was a political commitment made to the Buddhist monk Rathana Thero and his party, which had supported Sirisena during his presidential campaign. The ban's partial reversal in 2018, implemented through sectoral exceptions, was the result of continued lobbying by export-oriented plantation industries and increased political concerns about potential negative effects on the large and structurally powerful tea sector. The reversal was further aided by the scientific community's failure to corroborate the hypothesized link between glyphosate and CKDu. CONCLUSIONS The case of Sri Lanka suggests that strict glyphosate regulation becomes more likely when coupled with locally salient health risks and when decision-making authority is de-delegated from regulatory agencies back to the political executive. Meanwhile, the short-lived nature of the Sri Lankan ban suggests that strict glyphosate regulation faces political sustainability threats, as the apparent lack of cost-effective alternative herbicides motivates persistent business lobbying for regulatory reversal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tim Dorlach
- University of Bayreuth, Fritz-Hornschuch-Str. 13, Kulmbach, 95326, Germany.
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Tomsich EA, Pear VA, Schleimer JP, Wintemute GJ. The origins of California's gun violence restraining order law: a case study using Kingdon's multiple streams framework. BMC Public Health 2023; 23:1275. [PMID: 37391789 PMCID: PMC10314549 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-023-16043-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2023] [Accepted: 06/02/2023] [Indexed: 07/02/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Firearm violence is a major public health problem in the United States, yet most states lack a mechanism to temporarily remove firearms from individuals who are at high and imminent risk of harming themselves or others and are not otherwise prohibited. Extreme risk protection order (ERPO) laws are intended to close this gap. The current study examines the passage of California's gun violence restraining order (GVRO) bill using Kingdon's multiple streams framework. METHODS This study was based on an analysis of interview data from six key informants involved in the passage of the GVRO legislation. RESULTS Findings indicate policy entrepreneurs framed the problem and designed the policy to target individuals at behavioral risk of imminent firearm violence. Policy entrepreneurs comprised an integrated policy network that engaged in a lengthy period of collaboration and bargained with interest groups to yield a bill that satisfied diverse concerns. CONCLUSIONS This case study may inform efforts in other states to pass ERPO policies and other firearm safety laws.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth A Tomsich
- Violence Prevention Research Program, Department of Emergency Medicine, University of California Davis, 4301 X St., Sacramento, CA, 95817, USA.
- California Firearm Violence Research Center, University of California Davis, 4301 X St., Sacramento, CA, 95817, USA.
| | - Veronica A Pear
- Violence Prevention Research Program, Department of Emergency Medicine, University of California Davis, 4301 X St., Sacramento, CA, 95817, USA
- California Firearm Violence Research Center, University of California Davis, 4301 X St., Sacramento, CA, 95817, USA
| | - Julia P Schleimer
- Violence Prevention Research Program, Department of Emergency Medicine, University of California Davis, 4301 X St., Sacramento, CA, 95817, USA
- California Firearm Violence Research Center, University of California Davis, 4301 X St., Sacramento, CA, 95817, USA
| | - Garen J Wintemute
- Violence Prevention Research Program, Department of Emergency Medicine, University of California Davis, 4301 X St., Sacramento, CA, 95817, USA
- California Firearm Violence Research Center, University of California Davis, 4301 X St., Sacramento, CA, 95817, USA
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Crossin R, Whelan J, Hughes E, Ang BB. A policy analysis of how alkyl nitrites (poppers) became prescription-only in Aotearoa New Zealand. Int J Drug Policy 2023:104105. [PMID: 37355439 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2023.104105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2022] [Revised: 06/07/2023] [Accepted: 06/16/2023] [Indexed: 06/26/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Alkyl nitrites ('poppers') are a group of drugs that includes amyl nitrite, butyl nitrite, and isopropyl nitrite. Their use is prevalent among men who have sex with men (MSM), to enhance sexual comfort and pleasure. In Aotearoa New Zealand, all alkyl nitrites became prescription-only from March 2020. With alkyl nitrites no longer sold locally in stores, and no availability via pharmacies (even with a prescription), access has been significantly reduced. This decision was opposed by advocacy groups and people who use alkyl nitrites. This policy case study explores how this decision was made and impacts on MSM. METHODS We use policy formation theory; both policy framing and Multiple Streams Framework, to analyse factors that contributed to this regulatory decision. Analysis of issue framing by policy coalitions was undertaken through review of documents including submissions and committee minutes. RESULTS Two policy coalitions emerged, which differed in their issue framing. The Medicines Classification Committee conveyed concerns about evidence limitations, and recommended reclassification. NGOs and people who use alkyl nitrites communicated that there was no evidence of harm from alkyl nitrite use in New Zealand, and thus, given that there was evidence of benefit, the status quo should be maintained and further regulatory responses were unnecessary. Pre-existing processes created a situation where alkyl nitrite scheduling came unexpectedly onto the New Zealand policy agenda, and set the issue onto a somewhat pre-determined pathway with limited policy choices available. CONCLUSIONS As a drug policy case study, it appears that reclassification was initiated due to a policy process that did not enable or support plausible alternatives. While the purpose of the reclassification was to improve safety, there was no evidence of harm prior to reclassification, and the reduction in access is likely to have increased harm for MSM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rose Crossin
- Department of Population Health, University of Otago, Christchurch, New Zealand.
| | - Jai Whelan
- Department of Psychology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Emily Hughes
- New Zealand Drug Foundation, Wellington, New Zealand
| | - Ben Birks Ang
- New Zealand Drug Foundation, Wellington, New Zealand
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Kehlbacher A, Stark K, Gebhardt L, Jarass J, Schuppan J. Comparing municipal progress in implementing temporary cycle lanes during the Covid-19 pandemic. Transp Res Part A Policy Pract 2023; 174:103752. [PMID: 37359031 PMCID: PMC10284463 DOI: 10.1016/j.tra.2023.103752] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2022] [Revised: 05/10/2023] [Accepted: 06/14/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023]
Abstract
This study investigates whether the Covid-19 pandemic opened a policy window of opportunity for the implementation of temporary cycle lanes, and how German municipalities differed in their implementation progress. The Multiple Streams Framework is used to guide the data analysis and interpretation of the results. A survey of staff working in German municipalities is conducted. The extent to which municipal administrations progressed in the implementation of temporary cycle lanes is estimated using a Bayesian sequential logit model. Our results show that of the administrations who responded to the survey most did not consider implementing temporary cycle lanes. The Covid-19 pandemic positively affected implementation progress of temporary cycle lanes, but only the first implementation stage, which was the decision to consider implementing this type of measure. Administrations are more likely to report progress if they already had plans for and experience with implementing active transport infrastructure and were located in areas with high population density.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ariane Kehlbacher
- DLR German Aerospace Center, Institute of Transport Research, Berlin, Germany
| | - Kerstin Stark
- DLR German Aerospace Center, Institute of Transport Research, Berlin, Germany
| | - Laura Gebhardt
- DLR German Aerospace Center, Institute of Transport Research, Berlin, Germany
| | - Julia Jarass
- DLR German Aerospace Center, Institute of Transport Research, Berlin, Germany
| | - Julia Schuppan
- DLR German Aerospace Center, Institute of Transport Research, Berlin, Germany
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Khan N, Charles KJ. When Water Quality Crises Drive Change: A Comparative Analysis of the Policy Processes Behind Major Water Contamination Events. Expo Health 2022; 15:1-19. [PMID: 36196073 PMCID: PMC9522453 DOI: 10.1007/s12403-022-00505-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2022] [Revised: 08/17/2022] [Accepted: 09/12/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
The occurrence of major water contamination events across the world have been met with varying levels of policy responses. Arsenic-a priority water contaminant globally, occurring naturally in groundwater, causing adverse health effects-is widespread in Bangladesh. However, the policy response has been slow, and marked by ineffectiveness and a lack of accountability. We explore the delayed policy response to the arsenic crisis in Bangladesh through comparison with water contamination crises in other contexts, using the Multiple Streams Framework to compare policy processes. These included Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Campylobacter in Walkerton, Canada; lead and Legionella in Flint, Michigan, USA; and chromium-6 contamination in Hinkley, California, USA. We find that, while water contamination issues are solvable, a range of complex conditions have to be met in order to reach a successful solution. These include aspects of the temporal nature of the event and the outcomes, the social and political context, the extent of the public or media attention regarding the crisis, the politics of visibility, and accountability and blame. In particular, contaminants with chronic health outcomes, and longer periods of subclinical disease, lead to smaller policy windows with less effective policy changes. Emerging evidence on health threats from drinking water contamination raise the risk of new crises and the need for new approaches to deliver policy change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nameerah Khan
- School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3QY UK
| | - Katrina J. Charles
- School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3QY UK
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Kind J, Maeschli B, Bruggmann P. How to set the agenda for hepatitis C: a theory-driven policy analysis. Health Res Policy Syst 2022; 20:20. [PMID: 35164777 PMCID: PMC8842797 DOI: 10.1186/s12961-022-00824-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2021] [Accepted: 01/27/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Hepatitis C virus (HCV) represents a significant public health burden. When new HCV drugs arrived in 2014, the disease became curable, but the administration remained reluctant to address this public health issue. However, the Swiss parliament recently decided to integrate HCV into the next national HIV programme. This study investigates how HCV came onto the political agenda in Switzerland and which actors and factors were influential in this process. Methods The data collection is based on document analysis and semi-structured interviews. The transcripts were coded by deriving the codes from the data in terms of content followed by the application of the multiple streams framework. Results Health authorities, unlike experts, did not see the HCV epidemic as a relevant public health threat. Due to cost-related restriction of access to treatment, the potential of the new HCV drugs could not be fully exploited. The administration’s position proved difficult to change, despite evidence to the contrary. For 30 years, authorities set the agenda in health policy regarding HCV, unheeded by politicians. But recently, a policy entrepreneur has for the first time successfully managed to put HCV on the political agenda. After years of education and lobbying, it used the window of opportunity in the form of the new edition of the national HIV programme. The parliamentary decision to include HCV in this programme broke the long-standing primacy of the administration in the field of HCV, which had long prevented a more active handling of the HCV field. Conclusions The case of HCV in Switzerland shows that evidence alone is not enough to bring about health policy changes. A policy entrepreneur is needed who overcomes resistance, brings together the three streams—problem, policy and political—and exploits the window of opportunity at the right time. To be successful, the policy entrepreneur must identify the indicators that map the problem, network and convince decision-makers, recognize policy windows and use them—as has been the case with HCV in Switzerland.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Kind
- Arud Centre for Addiction Medicine, Schützengasse 31, 8001, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Bettina Maeschli
- Swiss Hepatitis, c/o Arud, Schützengasse 31, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Philip Bruggmann
- Arud Centre for Addiction Medicine, Schützengasse 31, 8001, Zurich, Switzerland. .,Swiss Hepatitis, c/o Arud, Schützengasse 31, Zurich, Switzerland. .,Institute of Primary Care (IHAMZ), University and University Hospital of Zurich, Pestalozzistrasse 24, Zurich, Switzerland.
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Ravaghi H, Tourani S, Khodayari-Zarnaq R, Aghapour B, Pishgoo A, Arabloo J. Agenda-setting of tobacco control policy in Iran: a retrospective policy analysis study. BMC Public Health 2021; 21:2288. [PMID: 34911508 PMCID: PMC8672545 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-021-12339-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2021] [Accepted: 11/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The prevalence of tobacco use, especially hookah, has increased in Iran In recent years, particularly among young people and women, and the age of onset of use has decreased. Tobacco use is the fourth leading risk factor for non-communicable diseases in Iran. These issues cause concerns in the country and led to the present study on tobacco control agenda-setting in Iran over a 30-year timeframe. METHODS We conducted this retrospective analytical study to investigate process analysis in Iran using Kingdon's multiple-streams framework (MSF). We collected the data using semi-structured interviews with key informants (n = 36) and reviewing policy documents (n > 100). Then, we analyzed the policy documents and in-depth interviews using the document and framework analysis method. We used MAXQDA 11 software to classify and analyze the data. RESULTS Iran's accession to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) opened a window of opportunity for tobacco control. The policy window opens when all three streams have already been developed. The adoption of the comprehensive law on the national control and campaign against tobacco in the Islamic Consultative Assembly in 2006 is a turning point in tobacco control activities in Iran. CONCLUSIONS The tobacco control agenda-setting process in Iran was broadly consistent with MSF. The FCTC strengthened the comprehensive plan for national control of tobacco as a policy stream. However, there are several challenges in developing effective policies for tobacco control in the Iranian setting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hamid Ravaghi
- School of Health Management & Information Sciences, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Sogand Tourani
- School of Health Management & Information Sciences, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Rahim Khodayari-Zarnaq
- Department of Health policy and Management, School of Management and Medical Informatics, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
- Tabriz Health Services Management Research Center, Health Management and Safety Promotion Research Institute, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Baharak Aghapour
- Student Research Committee, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
- Department of Community Nutrition, School of Nutrition and Food Science, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Azita Pishgoo
- School of Public Health and safety, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Jalal Arabloo
- Health Management and Economics Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
- School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
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Khodayari - Zarnaq R, Ravaghi H, Mohammad Mosaddeghrad A, Sedaghat A, Mohraz M. HIV/AIDS policy agenda setting in Iran. Med J Islam Repub Iran 2016; 30:392. [PMID: 27579283 PMCID: PMC5004530] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2015] [Accepted: 09/08/2015] [Indexed: 11/02/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND HIV/AIDS control are one of the most important goals of the health systems. The aim of this study was to determine how HIV/AIDS control was initiated among policy makers' agenda setting in Iran. METHODS A qualitative research (semi-structured interview) was conducted using Kingdon's framework (problem, policy and politics streams, and policy windows and policy entrepreneurs) to analysis HIV/AIDS agenda setting in Iran. Thirty-two policy makers, managers, specialists, and researchers were interviewed. Also, 30 policy documents were analyzed. Framework analysis method was used for data analysis. RESULTS the increase of HIV among Injecting drug users (IDUs) and Female Sex Workers (FSWs), lack of control of their high-risk behaviors, and exceeding the HIV into concentrated phase were examples of problem stream. Policy stream was evidence-based solutions that highlighted the need for changing strategies for dealing with such a problem and finding technically feasible and acceptable solutions. Iran's participation in United Nations General Assembly special sessions on HIV/AIDS (UNGASS), the establishment of National AIDS Committee; highlighting AIDS control in Iran's five years development program and the support of the judiciary system of harm reduction policies were examples of politics stream. Policy entrepreneurs linking these streams put the HIV/AIDS on the national agenda (policy windows) and provide their solutions. CONCLUSION There were mutual interactions among these three streams and sometimes, they weakened or reinforced each other. Future studies are recommended to understand the interactions between these streams' parts and perhaps develop further Kingdon's framework, especially in the health sector.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rahim Khodayari - Zarnaq
- 1 Assistant Professor, Iranian Center of Excellence in Health Management, Department of Health Service Management, School of Health Service Management and Medical Informatics, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
| | - Hamid Ravaghi
- 2 Associate Professor, Department of Health Services Management, School of Health Management and Information Sciences, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. ,(Corresponding author) Associate Professor, Department of Health Services Management, School of Health Management and Information Sciences, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Ali Mohammad Mosaddeghrad
- 3 Assistant Professor, Department of Health Management and Economics, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Abbas Sedaghat
- 4 MD, MPH, Centre for Infectious Disease Control, Ministry of Health and Medical Education, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Minoo Mohraz
- 5 Professor, Iranian Research Center for HIV/AIDS (IRCHA), Iranian Institute for Reduction of High-Risk Behaviors, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
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