Suchergebnisse

This PhD research investigates de facto influence of EU agencies on the development of EU policies. Based on a case-study approach and expert interviews, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control as well as the European Chemicals Agency are analyzed. The main findings are that EU agencies, albeit to varying degrees, do influence the content of policy proposals developed by the European Commission. However, the Commission does fully exercise its formal power to decide on the content of proposals. Only under willing guidance by the Commission, do EU agencies increase influence. While European governance inevitably involves technocratic characteristics, it should not be directly interpreted as a deficit of democracy or legitimacy in the EU.

Employees' personal lives affect their attitudes and behaviors at workplace. Financially stressed employees often bring their concerns to the workplace. This study focuses on the relationships between financial stress and work outcomes such as pay satisfaction, work time use, and absenteeism. The data in this research were collected from an insurance company in three mid-western states. A total of 262 questionnaires were used in the data analysis. Significant relationships were found between financial stress and work outcomes including pay satisfaction, work time use and absenteeism. People who had higher levels of financial stress had lower levels of pay satisfaction, were more likely to waste their work time, and more frequently absent from work. Employers might reduce absenteeism and productivity if they can help employees reduce their financial stress by offering effective workplace financial education.

The centralised authorisation of GMOs in the European Union (EU) has received considerable academic attention in recent years, partly due to the fact thatMember States have not been able to agree on authorisation decisions in the comitology committee. As a consequence, these authorisations are given by the European Commission. These decisions are invariably in favour of authorisation despite the fact that Member States had been divided on this issue. Apart from the on-going discussions on a possible reform of the GMO authorisation (allowing for national restrictions or prohibitions), the new comitology rules brought about by the Lisbon Treaty are of equal importance as they might affect the authorisation of GMOs. In this article we discuss some of the changes to comitology and present empirical material on the first authorisation decisions after the entering into force of the new comitology rules. By drawing on delegation theory we will argue that, for the time being, the level of politicisation ofGMOauthorisation is unlikely to change.

This article aims at understanding the challenges of tackling complex policy problems in multilevel governance. In order to better grasp the multilevel regulation of complex policy problems, it is needed to understand how uncertainty and scientific expertise are dealt with. We investigate this via the regulation of pandemics by the EU and the WHO, with the H1N1 pandemic of 2009 as critical case. The analysis of the multilevel practice reveals that the attitude toward uncertainty fundamentally differed between the global (WHO) and the European level. At the global level a classic speaking truth to power approach involved the denial of uncertainty, while at the EU level the assigned role of providing scientific expertise was interpreted as a necessity to openly communicate about uncertainty. While the global approach was heavily criticized, the uncertainty communication at the European level was much appreciated.

En this article aims at understanding the challenges of tackling complex policy problems in multilevel governance. In order to better grasp the multilevel regulation of complex policy problems, it is needed to understand how uncertainty and scientific expertise are dealt with. We investigate this via the regulation of pandemics by the eu and the who, with the h1n1 pandemic of 2009 as critical case. The analysis of the multilevel practice reveals that the attitude toward uncertainty fundamentally differed between the global (who) and the european level. At the global level a classic speaking truth to power approach involved the denial of uncertainty, while at the eu level the assigned role of providing scientific expertise was interpreted as a necessity to openly communicate about uncertainty. While the global approach was heavily criticized, the uncertainty communication at the european level was much appreciated.

Technological advances have created unprecedented opportunities for online financial education that can be used to improve financial literacy and money management practices. While online financial education programs have become popular, relevant research and theoretical frameworks have rarely been considered in the development of such programs. This article synthesizes lessons from literature and theories for the development of an effective online financial education program. Drawing from literature on financial literacy education and online education, implications and recommendations for integrating technology into online financial education programs for adults are discussed.