Diploma thesis "Analyses of public higher education funding in Czech Republic- implementation of changes" deals with setting the rules and principles of higher education institutions funding in Czech Republic and analyzes the situation in funding after year 2006. The thesis outlines its view on the universities budget and its function by clarifying the function of public budgets and it clarifies the constitution of higher education as a mixed good with externalities. Funding of higher institutions is a tool in the hands of the state, which helps to influence the higher education politics.For better understanding the current situation, the thesis is using the description of evolution in higher education funding after year 1989. Another important aspect is the international context, therefore , the thesis peeks into the setting up the system of higher education funding in chosen states and implements detected knowledge into the wider context. Using case study research design the thesis makes clear the evolution in funding after year 2006 and formulates the implication for public policy.

Ensuring that harm does not take place in the work conducted in other countries by the humanitarian and development sector, is vital. However, there still seems to be a lack of research looking into specific conflict-sensitive approaches. The Do No Harm (DNH) framework was developed by Mary B. Anderson in 1999 and in regards to conflict sensitivity tools, the DNH framework is one of the most well-known. Still, there is only a small amount of research that has looked into how the DNH framework has been implemented and the impact that the framework has had in the humanitarian and development sector.  This thesis aims to examine how the DNH framework has been implemented and used by the Swedish development sector. The research is conducted through a qualitative case study of the Swedish development sector and the findings are analyzed through the lens of different policy change theories.  The thesis finds that the Swedish development sector early on was aware of DNH and that the framework quite rapidly was adopted into the sector as a policy instrument. However, it also concludes that the DNH framework has not been fully implemented in the policy objectives or on the ground, which led to the addition of a research question that investigated why the DNH framework had not been thoroughly implemented. Upon looking into the reasons for this lack of implementation, the study finds that the theories of Punctuated Equilibrium and Path Dependency can provide some explanations for this. Further, it can also be concluded that there are improvements to be made in terms of applying the framework on the ground and considering the conflict-sensitive perspective in relation to development work, not only in the humanitarian field.

This dissertation examines a major policy change in the context of energy decision-making for shale gas development in the province of New Brunswick, Canada. After a long series of public engagement exercises aimed at regulating and promoting the safe development of shale gas resources in New Brunswick, the provincial government implemented a moratorium on hydraulic fracturing in 2014 and extended it indefinitely in 2016. The dissertation is interested in how policy-oriented learning may have influenced this policy change from both an empirical and a theoretical perspective. Theoretically, in line with recent scholarship on policy learning, this study trains its sites on the nature of policy learning and how it may influence change. To this end, the dissertation is grounded in the Advocacy Coalition Framework (ACF), a theoretical approach with (i) clearly defined mechanisms of learning, and (ii) significant application to resource development and to case studies of resource development in jurisdictions across North America and globally. The study builds on the ACF by proposing a conception of learning drawing on post-positivist literature. The study argues that learning is too narrowly focused on policy elites in the ACF and should be expanded to consider the role of non-traditional actors. The analysis questions the notion that learning can be isolated to rational and technical understandings amongst policy elites, and aims to integrate interactive knowledge into the analysis as a fundamental component of learning. The research aims to contextualize learning and understand the factors that shape policy learning and policy change. The dissertation focuses on the role of three factors - public engagement, uncertainty and trust - in shaping policy actors' learning. Empirically, the study examines the case of New Brunswick between 2007 and 2017. The province undertook multiple public engagement exercises regarding shale gas development in the context of unknown risks and uncertainty associated with the practice of hydraulic fracturing, an emerging technology that enabled the production of shale gas on a large scale. Two major coalitions emerged that advocated for and against shale development in the province, with the dominant pro-development coalition asserting that shale gas could proceed safely through stringent regulation. Through documentary analysis, interviews and a media analysis, the research reveals that interactive knowledge was a key component of how people learned in the case. The anti-shale coalition in New Brunswick brought its lived experience - notably its lack of trust in public authorities to successfully regulate fracking - to bear on decision-making, and was able to undermine and question the pro-development coalition's position that the risks associated with hydraulic fracturing could be managed. The anti-shale coalition mobilized this knowledge through the government's public engagement exercises and successfully contested the dominant coalition's beliefs. Fundamentally, the study demonstrates that public engagement, uncertainty and trust are three key factors that can shape policy learning and change.

Why has teachers’ classroom work remained relatively stable despite an enormous amount of change in educational policy? In 1998 the national Department of Education of South Africa introduced a new policy on assessment to complement its new curriculum policy introduced in 1997. With its emphasis on performance–based outcomes, the assessment policy constituted a decisive and significant break from the past assessment policy. This research focuses on the implementation of the new assessment policy by classroom teachers. The study is guided by the following three research questions: 1: What are teacher understandings and beliefs with regard to assessment policy? 2: In the context of official policy, how do teachers practice assessment in their classrooms? 3: How can the continuities and the discontinuities between official policy on assessment and teachers’ assessment practice be explained? After reviewing the literature on policy implementation, the study articulated a broader conceptual framework drawing on the construct of ‘deep change’. This perspective supplements rather than supplants dominant approaches to policy implementation. The ‘deep change’ framework suggests a more incisive approach to understanding the relationship between policy and practice. This study presents and tests three propositions about change, namely: Proposition One: That teachers may not have a deep, sophisticated understanding of a new assessment policy even if there is evidence of strong rhetorical commitment to the policy. Proposition Two: That teachers may not be able to reconcile their own assessment beliefs and capacities with the stated goals of a new assessment policy. Proposition Three: That teachers may find traditional assessment practices (that is, examinations and testing) to hold greater efficacy in the classroom than the alternatives required by a new assessment policy. A case study approach was undertaken with two Grade 8 science teachers from two different contexts, one from an under-resourced township school, and the other from a well-resourced urban school. Using evidence from questionnaires, free-writing schedules, extensive pre-lesson and post-lesson interviews, prolonged non-participant classroom observations, teacher records and documents, and student records and examinations, the study found that the two teachers had a surface understanding of the new assessment policy; the teacher from the well-resourced, urban school was able to implement some of the new assessment methods, while the teacher from the under-resourced, township school did not implement any of the new methods of assessment required by the new assessment policy; both teachers were unable to reconcile their own assessment beliefs and capacities with the stated goals of a new assessment policy; and both teachers found the traditional assessment practices (that is, examinations and testing) to hold greater efficacy in the classroom than the alternatives required by a new assessment policy. In other words, the study found that teachers did not have a deep understanding of the assessment policy and did not change their assessment practices deeply as required by the assessment policy. The study argues that educational policies will do little to achieve deep changes in teachers’ pedagogical practices without concurrent attention to a strong theory of change. The study concludes with implications for teacher learning, professional development of teachers, theory and research. / Thesis (PhD (Education Management and Policy Studies))--University of Pretoria, 2004. / Education Management and Policy Studies / unrestricted

Ontological security theory has served the field of international relations well by providing a theoretical lens through which the continuous behaviours of states can be understood. This study aims to contribute to furthering the development of ontological security theory by demonstrating its explanatory power even in the context of altered state behaviour. Employing a narrative methodological approach the study investigates the coexistence between states' ontological security pursuits in the form of identity continuity on one hand and political policy change on the other. This is achieved by examining political discourse surrounding a case of political policy change, the Swedish shift in stance towards NATO. The analysis of the study reveals that a pursuit of identity continuity and hence ontological security has coexisted with the political policy change, facilitated by narrative adaptations.These narrative adaptations entail making the political change compatible with the already established state identity. This allows for change in certain aspects while preserving continuity in areas necessary to fulfill the state's need for ontological security.

No description available.

Les légumineuses sont souvent considérées comme des cultures clés pour une agriculture durable. Dans ce cadre, elles sont souvent cultivées en association avec les céréales et présentent de nombreux avantages d'ordres agronomique, environnemental et socio-économique. Cependant, malgré ces nombreux avantages, leur part dans l'agriculture européenne est encore très limitée. Dans la région Midi-Pyrénées (sud-ouest de la France), la superficie occupée par les légumineuses ne représente que 1 à 3% de la superficie totale cultivée, traduisant la réticence des agriculteurs à cultiver ce type de culture. Dans ce contexte, l'objectif de la thèse étaient de: i) identifier les principales contraintes pour la production de légumineuses dans la région Midi-Pyrénées, ii) identifier les principaux leviers techniques et socio-économiques (exprimés sous forme de scénarios) afin de promouvoir les légumineuses dans les systèmes de cultures actuels et iii) évaluer, en utilisant la chaîne de modélisation APES-FSSIM-indicateurs, les impacts de ces scénarios en calculant des indicateurs socio-économiques et environnementaux au niveau de trois exploitations représentatives (FT1, FT2 et FT3) de la diversité observée au niveau de la zone d'étude.L'identification des principales contraintes a été basée sur la bibliographie et les dires d'experts locaux. Ces contraintes traduisent la sensibilité des légumineuses aux types de sols et de climat, les compétences techniques demandées pour cultiver convenablement des légumineuses, la compétitivité économique des légumineuse par rapport aux autres cultures et à l'actuel prix et rendement des légumineuses et surtout leurs variabilité inter-annuelle. Pour promouvoir les légumineuses, des scénarios alternatifs ont été définis et comparés à la situation actuelle (scénario de référence). Les scénarios alternatifs, se différencie par rapport au scénario de référence par les paramètres suivantes: l'introduction de nouvelles rotations à base de légumineuses dans les systèmes de culture actuels (Stec.innov), l'octroie d'une prime spécifique aux légumineuses (Spremium), l'augmentation du prix de vente ( Sprice) et du rendement (Syield) des légumineuses, la réduction de la variabilité du prix (Sprice.var) et du rendement (Syield.var) des légumineuses et enfin, la combinaison de tous ces paramètres dans un seul scénario (Scomb). Tous les scénarios ont été simulés et comparés en utilisant la chaîne de modèles APES-FSSIM-indicateurs. Cette chaine de modèles a permis de calculer des indicateurs environnementaux et socio-économiques.Les résultats ont montré que, contrairement aux attentes, l'introduction de nouvelles rotations et la réduction de la variabilité des rendements ou des prix (Stec.innov, Sprice.var et Syield.var) n'entrainent pas l'augmentation de la superficie des légumineuses. Toutefois, une augmentation de la superficie des légumineuses a été observée pour les scénarios Spremium, Sprice, Syield et Scomb. Le scénario combiné (Scomb) a été jugé comme le plus efficace, montrant une augmentation importante de la superficie des légumineuses, soit 34 ha, 32 ha et 7 ha respectivement pour FT2, FT3 et FT1. Ce changement a entrainé également une modification significative au niveau des valeurs des indicateurs socio-économiques et environnementaux. L'augmentation de la superficie des légumineuses et la variation des indicateurs économiques et environnementaux dépendent des caractéristiques structurelles des exploitations, de la part de la surface irriguable, des systèmes de culture présents et des types de sol au niveau de chaque exploitation.Les résultats de cette étude montrent que l'application d'une nouvelle politique pour promouvoir les légumineuses, peut conduire, selon les stratégies de production adoptées par les agriculteurs afin de maximiser leurs revenus, à plusieurs changements économiques et environnementaux. Ces stratégies se traduisent principalement par la modification des superficies allouées / Grain legumes are generally considered as key crops for sustainable agriculture. They offer many agronomic, environmental and socio-economic benefits when grown in succession with cereals. Although grain legumes have many advantages, their share in European agriculture is still very limited. In the Midi-Pyrénées region (south-west of France), their area varies from 1 to 3% of the total cultivated area, moreover farmers show little interest in growing grain legumes on their farms. In this context, the objectives of the thesis were to; i) identify the main constraints for grain legume production in the Midi-Pyrénées region, ii) identify key technical and socio-economic levers (expressed as scenarios) to promote grain legumes in current cropping systems and iii) assess, by using the APES-FSSIM-Indicators modelling chain, the impacts of these scenarios on the socio-economic and environmental behaviours of three representative arable farm types (FT1, FT2 and FT3) of the Midi-Pyrénées region.The main constraints have been identified based on bibliography and in consultation with local experts. These constraints are derived from the grain legumes sensitivity to: soils and climatic conditions, farmer technical skill and expertise for sowing and harvesting the grain legumes, economic competitiveness in comparison with cereals and their yield and market prices amounts and fluctuations. From the above statement, the alternative scenarios, in comparison to the current situation (reference scenario) have been identified to promote grain legumes. They included, the introduction of new grain legumes rotations in current cropping systems of the region (Stec.innov), provision of more premiums to grain legumes (Spremium), increase in sale price (Sprice) and yield (Syield) of grain legumes, reduction in price (Sprice.var) and yield (Syield.var) variability of grain legumes, and combination of all these components (Scomb). All scenarios have been assessed with quantitative environmental and socio-economic indicators and are calculated with the APES-FSSIM-Indicators modeling chain.Results show that, contrary to expectation, the introduction of new legumes rotations or the reduction of yield or price variability (Stec.innov, Sprice.var and Syield.var) did not increase the grain legumes area. However, an increase in grain legumes area was observed for Spremium, Sprice, Syield and Scomb. The combined scenario (Scomb) was found to be most efficient, showing an important increase in grain legumes area by 34 ha, 32 ha and 7 ha respectively for FT2, FT3 and FT1 with a significant change in socio-economic and environmental indicators for all three farm types. The increase in grain legumes area and modification in economic and environmental indicators depend on the farm characteristics and can be explained by the differences in irrigable area between irrigated crops (i.e. maize, peas and soybean), cropping pattern, soil types and climatic conditions (rainfed and irrigation) on the three farms types.The results obtained from this study show that the modification of policies or the inclusion of new technologies, may lead to several economic and environmental changes, which reveal the adaptation strategies adopted by farmers in order to optimize their farm income. These strategies are mainly implemented by modifying the areas allocated to different crops on different soil types and by changes of management practices. The grain legumes area can be increased on Midi-Pyrénées farming system by the combination of slightly increase in premium, sale price and crop yield of the grain legumes. This methodology can easily be adapted to other regions of France and also EU for identifying the main developmental conditions for grain legumes production provided the skilled experts are properly selected and sufficient data are available for parameterization of the modeling chain.

The thesis investigates determinants of participation in the supplementary pension savings scheme in the Czech Republic and estimates their change with respect to the policy intervention realized in 2013. Using the time series of cross-sectional microeconomic data provided by the Statistics on Income and Living Conditions, the probability of participation and the level of contributions are estimated separately by probit and multiple linear regressions, respectively. The estimated coefficients of both models are tested for structural differences caused by the policy change, employing the pooled dataset of multiple years with additional coefficients to treat the compared period. The analysis confirms that income, age, education and economic activity have a positive effect on both the probability of participation and expected level of contributions. Whereas gender differences for the level of contributions have not been detected, single women on average show, ceteris paribus, 4.6 percentage points higher probability of participation than single men. Unexpectedly high level of activity was observed in case of retired individuals, who in 2014 represented approximately 15% of all participants and collected 20% of the credited direct state subsidy. With respect to the 2013 policy change, no evidence of a...

為面對全球化及區域化的激烈競爭，我國政府的因應策略中即包括藉由健全區域的發展，提昇國家總體競爭力，而具體政策之一為於地方制度法增訂縣市單獨或合併升格直轄市的條文，以期透過直轄市帶動週邊縣市的發展。然而直轄市組織制度與縣市不同，轄內劃分為「區」，區非自治團體而為市政府的派出機關，因此99年隨同新北市、臺中市及高雄市轄區內烏來、和平、桃源、茂林及那瑪夏等5個於於山地原住民區域的山地鄉改制為直轄市之區，不再具有公法人地方，無法進行自治，因而引起原住民族的抗爭。 經過原住民籍立委不斷爭取要求烏來等五區恢復自治的權利，終在103年1月14日於立法院三讀通過地方制度法修正案，將此五區改制為擁有自治團體地位的「直轄市山地原住民區」，並於同年1月29日由總統公布施行，後於11月29日進行第一屆山地原住民區長及區民代表的選舉。而本研究係以由五個區於改制為直轄市之區至修法取得自治權為時序範圍，蒐集政策變遷過程的相關資料，並以質化深度訪談相關立法及行政機關人員，以期取得多面向的資訊，以分析並建構本個案更完整的面貌。 本研究藉由政策變遷理論構築之以「環境與制度面向」、「政策網絡及互動」及「政策性質與屬性」等三個面向為基礎的研究架構，並觀察政策窗模式的作用及影響，最後透過系統化重組次級資料及訪談紀錄，提出研究發現、實務建議及後續研究建議。 其中有關實務建議部分，第一，提出本個案成功達到政策變遷的原因、過程及關鍵因素，希望作為往後欲推動政策變遷之類似個案參考；其次，希望中央相關部會儘速完成制度面後續的配套修法，並協助原住民地區提升自籌財源能力；第三，中央與地方應有更充份的溝通，並且協助地方改善因選舉而衍生的陋習；再來，應釐清我國原住民族自治的範疇、定位及方式；最後，建議針對重大政策變遷可依指標進行政策評估。另外，於後續研究建議部分，本研究認為可針對立法委員立法面向、保障少數族群的底線及政黨因素於原住民族區域治理的作用等議題進一步的研究及討論。 / Facing global competition and the localization of competitive advantage, Taiwanese government enforces strategies including strengthening regional development to promote general competitiveness of the country. One of the concrete policies is the amendment of Local Government Act in planning to change counties/cities into special municipalities or merge counties/cities with other special municipalities or counties/cities into a special municipality to push the development of the regions forward. However, the organization system of special municipality is different from counties/cities. “Districts” within the special municipality are branches of city government, no longer autonomous as local self-government. In 2010, regions like Wulai located in New Taipei City, Heping in Taichung, Maolin and Namasia in Kaohsiung City were changed into districts of special municipality, the indigenous people therefore fought against the policy which brought no autonomous status. As the result of indigenous legislators’ struggle for autonomy of indigenous districts, these five regions have been converted from mountain indigenous townships were shall have autonomous status. The Local Government Amendment Act were amended and promogated on 14 January 2014, and forced by the president on 29 January 2014. Furthermore, on 29 November 2014, the mountain indigenous districts held the first election of the first batch of councilors and chief administrators. This study sets timing range from when these five indigenous townships transformed into municipal districts to when they attained autonomy due to law amendment. By collecting materials concerning the process of policy change as well as conducting qualitative interviews with legislators and executive authorities to obtain multidimensional information, this study analyses and constructs a full outlook of the individual case. This study is based on “environment and discipline dimension”, “policy network and interaction” and “policy’s character and attribute” as the structure of research. By ways of observing the function and influence of policy window and of regrouping secondary data and interview records systematically, this study brings forward research results, practical recommendations and suggestions for follow-up study. As for practical recommendations, first, this study addresses the reason, process and key factors for the individual case succeeding in policy change in hope of propelling policy change for similar cases in the future. Secondly, this study expects concerned ministry or commission in the central government to complete the follow-up amendments systemically as soon as possible; also they should assist indigenous regions in enhancing the ability of self-financing. Third, the conversation carried by the central with the local should be more sufficient and it should assist the local in correcting undesirable customs resulted from elections. Moreover, the scope, position and manner of indigenous people’s autonomy in Taiwan should be clarified. Lastly, this study suggests that policy evaluation should be implemented according to index when it comes to major policy change. In addition, for follow-up research, this study advises further research and discussion targeting at topics such as legislator’s lawmaking, the bottom line of protecting minor groups, and party’s influence on indigenous regions’ management.

2011年末，一場持續數天的霧霾天氣席捲北京，環保部門卻並未提供相關污染物PM2.5的監測數據。相關法律法規的落後，以及環保部門的不作為，激起民眾的不滿。隨著美國駐華大使館、環保NGO、微博名人和廣大民眾的持續參與與推動，政府相關資訊政策也逐漸變化，最終將PM2.5納入空氣質量標準并公佈監測數據。本文以此次霧霾污染事件作為「焦點事件」切入點，首先藉由事件回顧討論“誰來監測”的問題，探討了環境信息公開的理論與實踐；然後分析政策變化的過程，歸納「政策變化模型」，討論政策變化形成的原因，分析各行為者在政策變化中的角色和作用；最後，由此事件得出這一政策轉變的影響以及啟示，歸納目前環境資訊公開領域制度層面所存在的缺失，并就此事件的經驗對於政府和環境NGO給出建議。 / In the end of 2011, the city of Beijing was hit by a long-lasting haze. However, the city’s Environmental Protection Bureau was unable to provide the public with the data of a critical pollutant – PM2.5. The political inaction of the government has caused great discontent among the public. With the continuous efforts from the US Embassy in China, environmental NGOs, Sina Weibo celebrity users and the public, the official information disclosure policy has seen a big change – the government has adopted a higher standard and taken steps to publish the data of PM2.5. This article takes the haze incident as a “focusing event”. It firstly reviews the case and discusses the theories and practices of the environmental information disclosure. It then analyzes the process of this policy change and forms a policy change model to determine the contributing factors and the roles of different actors. The concluding part summarizes the omission of the current information disclosure system, and makes recommendations to the government and the NGOs.