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"An impressive take on contemporary energy policy issues with much needed fresh perspectives and an all-star roster of leading thinkers. I hope that every energy policymaker or even student of energy policy reads it." - Benjamin K. Sovacool, Professor of Energy Policy, University of Sussex, UK. "The authors brilliantly demonstrate through a number of approaches, cases and examples, how interdisciplinary Social Sciences and Humanities research could and should be mobilised in EU energy policy and future energy transition research agendas." - Marianne Ryghaug, Professor of Science and Technology Studies, Norwegian University of Science and Technology. This open access book advocates for the Social Sciences and Humanities to be more involved in energy policymaking. It forms part of the European platform for energy-related Social Sciences and Humanities' activities, and works on the premise that crossing disciplines is essential. All of its contributions are highly interdisciplinary, with each chapter grounded in at least three different Social Sciences and Humanities disciplines. These varying perspectives come together to cover an array of issues relevant to the energy transition, including: energy poverty, justice, political ecology, governance, behaviours, imaginaries, systems approaches, modelling, as well as the particular challenges faced by interdisciplinary work. As a whole, the book presents new ideas for future energy policy, particularly at the European level. It is a valuable resource for energy researchers interested in interdisciplinary and society-relevant perspectives. Those working outside the Social Sciences and Humanities will find this book an accessible way of learning more about how these subjects can constructively contribute to energy policy. Chris Foulds is Senior Research Fellow at Anglia Ruskin University's Global Sustainability Institute, UK, and is co-lead of SHAPE ENERGY. His interests involve sociotechnical change, energy demand and policy interventions. Rosie Robison is Senior Research Fellow at Anglia Ruskin University's Global Sustainability Institute, UK, and co-lead of SHAPE ENERGY

Purpose: Through reviewing an education policy blueprint in Norway, titled "An Offer of Homework Assistance" (issued by the Norwegian Directorate for Education and Training in June 2010), the present article aims to shed light on how Norway uses education as an arena to realize social equality and equity. Design/Approach/Methods: This is an analytical policy review. Findings: By examining the background, goals, contents, and implementation of the homework assistance program, we have found that the Norwegian government institutes evidence-based policies in education. Although there is criticism concerning the policy and its implementation, empirical evaluative investigations have found that it brings a variety of benefits. Originality/Value: The present article is useful to understand educational policymaking in Norway and how the country is making efforts to achieve social equality and equity through education. ; publishedVersion

The Odd-Even Policy is a transport rationing mechanism to control pollution levels by restricting the number of on-road vehicles per day. The aim of this policy was to reduce the number of on-road vehicles in a day by about half and thereby reducing the alarming levels of pollution in the State of Delhi. This paper identifies existing policies and evaluates how effective these policy and management options are in sustaining ecosystem services in Delhi and harmonizing them with human needs. The scope of this paper is restricted to the Odd-Even Policy implemented by the Government of Delhi in January-February 2016, and how structural reformations and policy adjustments can be made to the same in order to make it conducive to the indigenous ecosystem services and with that of people's needs. Consequently, this paper studies whether the proposition stands or the objectives are required to be achieved through alternatives therein.The methodology of research engages in a comparative analysis of the Odd-Even policies implemented in Beijing and Delhi. The research findings are normative, and prescribe reforms to the Delhi model. Data are obtained from secondary sources.

BACKGROUND: Research indicates that a body of ecstasy users across the globe employ 'home' drug testing technologies to learn more about the content of their drugs - a process referred to throughout this article as independent drug checking (IDC). Whilst a small number of studies offer accounts of this process, they do so through a narrow lens of harm reduction, potentially overlooking wider socio-cultural factors which may affect this. In response, this article draws on Slavoj Žižek's political theory of the cultural injunction to enjoy, situating IDC in the wider political economy of neoliberal consumer capitalism to contextualise and interpret its use as integral to pleasure and leisure. METHODS: This empirical study documents the thoughts and experiences of a group of UK ecstasy users who independently use a privately owned drug-testing kit. Drawing on qualitative data generated through 20 semi-structured interviews, the article considers two research questions; what role did drug checking play in the group's drug journeys and leisure activities?; and is drug checking thought to be purposeful? FINDINGS: For this group of ecstasy users, issues of safety and self-responsibility interweaved with the pursuit of pleasure as they sought to enjoy their drug consumption, but in a way that navigated potential harms. IDC therefore served to maximise pleasure via its 'guarantee' of a prolonged, enjoyable, authentic consumer experience whilst simultaneously safeguarding wellbeing via its premise of more responsible and controlled consumption practices. CONCLUSION: IDC allowed this group of drug consumers to partake in 'enlightened hedonism' - demonstrating their conformity to the imperatives of capitalism and its social norms. Despite recognising the limitations of IDC and disclosing potentially harmful outcomes, the group's engagement with capitalist markets provided a belief that investment in your consumer experience can both improve it and make it safer - premises that belie the empirical reality.

Introduction Advancing research and treatment for Alzheimer's disease (AD) and the search for effective treatments depend on a complex financial ecosystem involving federal, state, industry, advocacy, venture capital, and philanthropy funding approaches. Methods We conducted an expert review of the literature pertaining to funding and financing of translational research and drug development for AD. Results The federal government is the largest public funder of research in AD. The National Institute on Aging, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institute of General Medical Sciences, and National Center for Advancing Translational Science all fund aspects of research in AD drug development. Non-National Institutes of Health federal funding comes from the National Science Foundation, Veterans Administration, Food and Drug Administration, and the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Academic Medical Centers host much of the federally funded basic science research and are increasingly involved in drug development. Funding of the "Valley of Death" involves philanthropy and federal funding through small business programs and private equity from seed capital, angel investors, and venture capital companies. Advocacy groups fund both basic science and clinical trials. The Alzheimer Association is the advocacy organization with the largest research support portfolio relevant to AD drug development. Pharmaceutical companies are the largest supporters of biomedical research worldwide; companies are most interested in late stage de-risked drugs. Drugs progressing into phase II and III are candidates for pharmaceutical industry support through licensing, mergers and acquisitions, and co-development collaborations. Discussion Together, the funding and financing entities involved in supporting AD drug development comprise a complex, interactive, dynamic financial ecosystem. Funding source interaction is largely unstructured and available funding is insufficient to meet all demands for new therapies. Novel approaches to funding such as mega-funds have been proposed and more integration of component parts would assist in accelerating drug development.

Long‐term recovery is a policy issue which is receiving increased attention in the disaster research literature. Here the problems of housing snd family recovery are considered. While present programs exist to address housing and family recovery, the prevailing emphasis upon rapid return to the status quoante tends to obscure the problems of victim mental health, equitable d is tribution of recovery funds, and social‐psychological dimension of housing placement.

17 USC 105 interim-entered record; under temporary embargo. ; This study exploits changes in paid maternity leave offered by one of the United States' largest employers, the Department of Defense, to estimate the effect of such policies on mothers' leave-taking. Since 2015, the U.S. Marine Corps has shifted its maternity leave policy from 6 to 18 to 12 weeks. Leave expansions increased leave duration, whereas contractions decreased leave taken by active-duty service members. However, the policy changes crowded out other forms of leave: with an increase in maternity leave available, mothers increased use of maternity leave and stopped supplementing with additional annual leave. Although all mothers used the full 6 weeks of leave in the early period, it is the less advantaged mothers—those in the enlisted ranks, first-time mothers, and single mothers—who disproportionately used more of the additional leave than officers, experienced mothers, and married mothers. Pregnant officers, experienced mothers, and single women used less leave than nonpregnant women in the months leading up to birth, but expecting additional post-birth leave did not change average pre-birth leave-taking. Our results highlight the importance of optimally sizing family leave policies and provide evidence that the true cost of such programs may be lower than the raw count of weeks provided by additional maternity leave allowances. ; U.S. Government affiliation is unstated in article text.

The aim of the present study was to examine, from an inmate perspective, their use of drugs and the perceived effect of the prison environment upon their drug using behaviour. Design of the study was an analytic survey, presented to the respondents as an anonymous, self‐administered questionnaire. The results suggest that the prison environment is not a supportive environment for those individuals that wish to abstain from drug use and indeed for most respondents, actually encouraged drug use.

Prescriptions of psychotropic drugs among 505 consecutive attenders on a single day at 32 general practices were recorded. For 404 of them the results of a screening for psychiatric morbidity conducted by means of the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) were available. Among attenders recognised as psychiatric cases by their general practitioners the presence of concurrent somatic problems exerted a significant effect in reducing the relative odds of prescription. A very strong and significant interaction effect between male sex and high GHQ score was detected: men scoring over the threshold on the questionnaire had a risk of receiving a psychotropic drug prescription 49 times higher than the general sample. Social problems-related factors did not show significant effects when included in multivariate models comprising ill-health risk factors.

AbstractThe Labor government was elected in November 2007 with a commitment to reject the labour market deregulation and other neo‐liberal policies of its predecessor, promote equality of opportunity and tackle entrenched social and economic disadvantage by implementing a new social inclusion agenda. In response to the financial crisis which had begun at the end of 2007 and had turned into a full global recession by the middle of 2008, the government introduced two substantial stimulus packages funded from the large budget surplus it had inherited from its predecessor. The fiscal stimulus has helped Australia to become the only advanced economy to avoid a technical recession (to date), although there is concern that the downturn has created a situation where social policy is being driven by political expediency rather than by the principles and commitments set out in the government's pre‐election social policy manifesto. Against this background, this article examines how the latest crisis has shaped social security policy in Australia and compares the recent policy response with the policy response to earlier crises. Analysis focuses not just on what was actually done, but also on the constraining role of prevailing economic and political circumstances and on the processes that were used to drive reform in a wage earners' welfare state.

Globally, labour markets are encountering profound changes because of the digital revolution. Middle income countries such as China, are leapfrogging high-income countries to take advantage of the digital economy. The growing use of digital technologies is also reshaping the labour market in high-income countries such as Australia. Potentially, new technologies may facilitate both employers and employees to overcome some of the barriers to disability employment. However, it seems that the opportunities and hopes have not yet translated into improved employment rate for people with disability. This paper uses an ecosystem framework to examine the state's role in improving the critical elements of disability employment: developing a national strategy, creating employment opportunities, building capacity and enhancing accessibility. This paper compares the historical development of disability employment and the policies introduced to take advantage of digital technologies across China and Australia. It studies the national policies, funded activities and the governing structure in China and Australia. The findings revealed distinctive approaches that have played to the strengths of each country. However, both countries need to address the weaker links to deliver a real paradigm shift.

In recent years, an increasing number of applications and products containing or using nanomaterials have become available. This has raised concerns that some of these materials may introduce new risks for humans or the environment. A clear definition to discriminate nanomaterials from other materials is prerequisite to include provisions for nanomaterials in legislation. In October 2011 the European Commission published the 'Recommendation on the definition of a nanomaterial', primarily intended to provide unambiguous criteria to identify materials for which special regulatory provisions might apply, but also to promote consistency on the interpretation of the term 'nanomaterial'. In this paper, the current status of various regulatory frameworks of the European Union with regard to nanomaterials is described, and major issues relevant for regulation of nanomaterials are discussed. This will contribute to better understanding the implications of the choices policy makers have to make in further regulation of nanomaterials. Potential issues that need to be addressed and areas of research in which science can contribute are indicated. These issues include awareness on situations in which nano-related risks may occur for materials that fall outside the definition, guidance and further development of measurement techniques, and dealing with changes during the life cycle.