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AbstractInterventions that tackle 'last mile' behaviors in the form of improved choice architecture are fundamental to Behavioral Public Policy (BPP), yet far less attention is typically paid to the nature and design of underlying system conditions and infrastructures that support these interventions. However, inattention to broader conditions that impact participant engagement and intervention functionality, such as barriers to access that deter participation or perverse structural disincentives that reward undesirable behaviors, may not only limit the effectiveness of behavioral solutions but also miss opportunities to deliberately design underlying 'plumbing' – the choice infrastructure – in a way that improves overall system efficacy and equity. Using the illustrative case of civic policy in food licensure, this article describes how using a 'SPACE' model to address Standards, Process mechanics and policies, Accountability, Culture within systems, and Evaluative and iterative feedback can support the development of improved choice infrastructure, contributing to BPP problem-solving efforts by helping practitioners create system conditions that are more conducive to the success of behavioral solutions.

Abstract
Consequentialist theories of the behavioral state are largely grounded in satisfying self-interested preferences through policies that employ choice architecture and related strategies to encourage rational decision-making. Even when allowing for free choice, however, this stance tends to be characterized by a paternalistic 'view from nowhere' that may not fully accommodate a plurality of values. Alternative approaches such as contractarianism position policy in the context of marketplace exchange, bolstered by shared beliefs in the legitimacy of social institutions. Yet this view may not sufficiently consider issues of asymmetric access, or ideological frames that do not see these institutions as legitimate. To address these deficits, we propose the value of a dialogical approach to behavioral public policy that facilitates collaborative engagement and behavioral justice to redress asymmetries and inequities through a more discursive approach, which builds on practices employed by design for public policy. In so doing, this political theory suggests an actionable counterpoint to paternalistic and competition-based conceptions of the State to address frame plurality and increase the potential for system equity.

AbstractDespite widespread recognition that behavioral public policy (BPP) needs to move beyond nudging if the field is to achieve more significant impact, problem-solving approaches remain optimized to achieve tactical success and are evaluated by short-term metrics with the assumption of stable systems. As a result, current methodologies may contribute to the development of solutions that appear well formed but become 'brittle' in the face of more complex contexts if they fail to consider important contextual cues, broader system forces, and emergent conditions, which can take three distinct forms: contextual, systemic, and anticipatory brittleness. The Covid-19 pandemic and vaccination rollout present an opportunity to identify and correct interventional brittleness with a new methodological approach – strategic BPP (SBPP) – that can inform the creation of more resilient solutions by embracing more diverse forms of evidence and applied foresight, designing interventions within ecosystems, and iteratively developing solutions. To advance the case for adopting a SBPP and 'roughly right' modes of inquiry, we use the Covid-19 vaccination rollout to define a new methodological roadmap, while also acknowledging that taking a more strategic approach may challenge current BPP norms.

The introduction of the Single European Market (SEM) acted as a catalyst to internationalization activities throughout the European Union (EU). Set against the backdrop of a wider study of retail change within the SEM this industry case study examines the changing role of the independent sector within French book retailing in the face of a growing trend towards cross-border activity. The interplay between consumer culture and the dynamics of the changing structural components of the market is discussed against the backdrop of a wider EU context. Barriers and challenges as well as opportunities for international activities are examined and the respective positioning of the different types of retail capital considered. Conclusions highlight the importance of entrepreneurial style rather than the size of the firm as a driver of international activity and present a discussion of likely future trends in this market.

Customers′ experience of service encounters remains an area blessed
with a rich folklore but little fundamental understanding. Reports on a
pilot study for an exploration of women′s experiences of public houses,
which used idiographic methods on a small sample of middle‐class women:
role repertory grids, "critical‐incident" questionnaires,
individual comparatively unstructured interviews and group
"focus" interviews. Group interviews were most useful for
coming quickly to a consensus picture, and the critical incident
questionnaires allowed extreme examples of good and bad practice to be
explored. The other two methods produced rich data on the variations
within and between women′s experiences. Concludes that there is
considerable variation in what women are looking to find in pubs, but
that they agree on their dislike of male‐dominated atmospheres in which
they are harassed or made to feel unwelcome.

The transitional problems of formerly centrally planned economies have
received much attention, in terms of both economic advice and wider
academic consideration. In order to develop concrete gap‐bridging
measures, micro as well as macro economic concerns need to be addressed
and timing and priority issues resolved. Considers the transitional
problems of one of the fastest changing economies – that of the former
German Democratic Republic, now called the New Lander of the Federal
Republic of Germany. Examines the various approaches to closing the
important (or strategically significant) gaps. Presents a culturally
adapted gap‐bridging model. Shows the model to be a useful framework for
the consideration of adaption criteria. Explores the uses of the model
as a basis for education and training of various levels of management,
and develops a general transition model for education and training which
may serve as a paradigm for other Eastern European countries in
transition.

This survey of senior managers at 25 international organizations tackles the key question: "Where does knowledge management add value?" The findings indicate that only a very limited number of organizations have a mechanism to track the return on investment in knowledge‐based competencies or related intangible assets. The majority were not able to determine the business value of their investment in this area. Most respondents agreed though that they had lost business opportunities as a result of poor knowledge practice. The results of this survey have led to the requirements of a conceptual model for the assessment of the return on investment in core knowledge‐based competencies.

International audience ; The Human Microbiome, as well as the exploration of the microorganisms inhabiting the human body, are not only integral to the field of microbiology but represent an intrinsic part of all human beings. Consequently, along with scientists, artists have been inspired by the microbiome: transforming it in to tangible artefacts in order to critically question, reflect on and break down the barrier between humans and their microcohabitants. By artistic means, artists help us to understand how microbial research topics are inevitably affected by societal influences, including (health) politics, economics and the arts. Fifty Percent Human is a multidisciplinary artistic research project that aims to reshape our understanding of the human body and its environment as well as to explore possibilities for conscious coexistence in order to bridge the gap between science and society.