Developing reliable and valid measures for evaluating collaborative governance and adaptability: An example from the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program.

In recent decades, there has been an increased emphasis on, and application of, collaborative and adaptive forms of environmental governance as a means to address complex social-ecological problems that cannot be achieved alone and support sustainable resource management. However, the majority of research in the collaborative governance and adaptability arena has relied on individual or small-n case studies. This has led to a multitude of definitions, indicators, and indices, which limits our ability to make inferences across cases and contexts. Relatedly, most research lacks formal tests of assumptions related to the dimensional structure and validity of constructs thought to represent collaborative dynamics and adaptability. There is a need for systematic and cross-case assessments situated within robust statistical frameworks to further our understanding of the forces and factors that cultivate collaborative governance and adaptability. We developed and administered a standardized survey assessment, grounded in the theory and practice of collaborative governance and adaptability, to fifteen collaborative projects funded under the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program (CFLRP) in the United States. We then used confirmatory factor analysis to test the dimensional structure, reliability, and validity of our theoretically and empirically grounded measures. Results indicate the components of collaborative governance and adaptability comprise six dimensions - principled engagement, shared motivation, leadership, resources, knowledge and learning, and institutional arrangements. As expected, several dimensions were significantly related, and the pattern of inter-factor relationships aligned with theoretical and empirical assumptions. We also found that the six dimensions represent statistically reliable, valid, and distinct measures that may be used to evaluate collaborative governance and adaptability. While our focus was on the CFLRP, the assessment can be adapted in other collaborative environmental governance contexts and used as a foundation for addressing key research gaps, including relating collaborative environmental governance processes to social-ecological outcomes and collaborative adaptation and resilience through time. This is a critical line of work given the increased emphasis and reliance on long-term collaborative arrangements to achieve sustainability goals.

Cooperators or competitors? The interactions between WHO and the World Bank in global health governance.

Interactions between International Organisations (IOs) within a regime complex often manifest themselves through competition and cooperation. Current research has examined the factors that promote inter-organisational competition and cooperation, yet the precise timing of when such competition or cooperation commences remains unclear. This paper focuses on two pivotal IOs in global health governance, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Bank, to explore the timing and onset of competition and cooperation within a regime complex, as well as the driving factors in the evolution of their inter-organisational relationships. By looking into the interactions between the WHO and the World Bank in norm-setting and resource mobilising, the paper sheds light on how their relationships have transitioned from competitors to cooperators. It systematically presents the mechanisms and processes of policy transformation in inter-organisational interactions. As a new agenda arises, IOs within a regime complex often compete for dominance, with ideational differences driving them to propose and implement distinct governance strategies. They will compete for resources and mainstream of their strategy. The negative spillover effects of competitive policies consequently undermine the effectiveness of IOs' policy, thereby undercut their legitimacy. To surmount these challenges, the international community should promote inter-institutional coordination in global governance.

An Information Quality Framework for Managed Health Care.

Introduction: Data and information quality play a critical role in the managed healthcare sector, where accurate and reliable information is crucial for optimal decision-making, operations, and patient outcomes. However, managed care organizations face significant challenges in ensuring information quality due to the complexity of data sources, regulatory requirements, and the need for effective data management practices. The goal of this article is to develop and justify an information quality framework for managed healthcare, thereby enabling the sector to better meet its unique information quality challenges. Methods: The information quality framework provided here was designed using other information quality frameworks as exemplars, as well as a qualitative survey involving interviews of twenty industry leaders structured around 17 questions. The responses were analyzed and tabulated to obtain insights into the information quality needs of the managed healthcare domain. Results: The novel framework we present herein encompasses strategies for data integration, standardization and validation, and is followed by a justification section that draws upon existing literature and information quality frameworks in addition to the survey of leaders in the industry. Discussion: Emphasizing objectivity, utility, integrity, and standardization as foundational pillars, the proposed framework provides practical guidelines to empower healthcare organizations in effectively managing information quality within the managed care model.

Research on platform data security governance strategy based on three-party evolutionary game.

With the implementation of the overall national security concept, data security governance rises to a new strategic height. In this paper, for the incomplete status quo of digital service platforms, third-party testing organizations and government regulators in the construction of digital security, an evolutionary game model based on the above three parties is constructed. The model examines the strategic decision-making process, behavioral influences, and evolutionary stability of the three players, and is simulated and analyzed using MATLAB. The results show that the evolutionary system will reach the ideal stable state E ( 1 , 1 , 1 ) , which corresponds to the combination of strategies: providing high-quality products, refusing to rent-seeking, and strict regulation. In order to guide the evolving system to reach the ideal stable state, this study puts forward some policy recommendations in terms of establishing a data security assessment mechanism, collaborative technology governance, and optimizing the governance architecture.

How can advocates leverage power to advance comprehensive regulation on ultra-processed foods? learning from advocate experience in Argentina.

BACKGROUND: The use of corporate power to undermine public health policy processes is increasingly well understood; however, relatively little scholarship examines how advocates can leverage power to promote the successful adoption of public health policies. The objective of this paper is to explore how advocates leveraged three forms of power - structural, instrumental and discursive - to promote the passage of the Promotion of Healthy Eating Law (Ley 27,642) in Argentina, one of the most comprehensive policies to introduce mandatory front-of-package (FOP) warning labels and regulate the marketing and sales of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) adopted to date. METHODS: We conducted seventeen semi-structured interviews with advocates from different sectors, including civil society, international agencies, and government. Both data collection and analysis were guided by Milsom's conceptual framework for analyzing power in public health policymaking, and the data was analyzed using hybrid deductive and inductive thematic analysis. RESULTS: Advocates harnessed structural power through the leveraging of revolving doors, informal alliances, and formal coalitions, enabling them to convene discussion spaces with decision-makers, make strategic use of limited resources, and cultivate the diverse expertise (e.g., research, nutrition science, advocacy, law, political science, activism and communications) needed to support the law through different phases of the policy process. Advocates wielded instrumental power by amassing an armada of localized evidence to promote robust policy design, building technical literacy amongst themselves and decision-makers, and exposing conflicts of interest to harness public pressure. Advocates exercised discursive power by adopting a rights-based discourse, including of children and adolescents and of consumers to transparent information, which enabled advocates to foster a favorable perception of the law amongst both decision-makers and the public. Key contextual enablers include a political window of opportunity, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the ability to learn from the regional precedent of similar policies. CONCLUSIONS: Public health policymaking, particularly when encroaching upon corporate interests, is characterized by stark imbalances of power that hinder policy decisions. The strategies identified in the case of Argentina provide important insights as to how advocates might harness and exercise structural, instrumental, and discursive power to counter corporate influence and promote the successful adoption of comprehensive UPF regulation.

Governance matters: Exploring the impact of governance on routine immunization performance in 54 African countries: A 10-year (2012-2021) analysis using linear mixed models.

BACKGROUND: Immunization coverage across numerous African nations has, unfortunately, shown little improvement and, in some cases, has even decreased over the past decade, leaving millions of children vulnerable to vaccine-preventable diseases. While efforts to improve immunization performance have primarily focused on the health system, effective delivery of immunization services is intricately linked to a country's governance, which, in this context, reflects a government's ability to provide comprehensive services to its citizens. This study investigated the relationship between governance, measured using the Mo Ibrahim Index for African Governance, and the trajectory of immunization coverage for three vaccines in 54 African countries from 2012 to 2021. METHODS: We conducted an ecological study utilizing publicly available datasets, the WHO/UNICEF estimates of National Immunization Coverage and the Ibrahim Index of African Governance score (IIAG). We described the trends in routine immunization performance, evaluated and assessed the impact of governance on immunization coverage across 54 African countries for the period 2012 to 2021, using linear mixed models and focusing on three vaccines provided through the Expanded Program on Immunization (DTPCV1, DTPCV3, and MCV1). RESULTS: Among the 54 African countries studied, 32 (59.3 %) witnessed an overall decrease (slope of change in immunization coverage over time < 0) in immunization coverage, with 16 (29.6 %) experiencing a significant decline (slope of change significantly different from zero (P < 0.05)) in coverage. For DTPCV3, 31 countries (57.4 %) demonstrated a decline in coverage, with 12 (22.2 %) being significant declines. Thirty-two countries (59.2 %) reported a decrease in MCV1 coverage over the analysis period, with 17 (31.5 %) significant. Across all three antigens, the IIAG overall score was positively associated with immunization coverage over time. One unit increase in the IIAG score correlated with an average annual increase of 0.64 (95 % CI: 0.35-0.93) percentage points in DTPCV1 coverage, 0.74 percentage points (95 % CI: 0.42-1.07) in DTPCV3 coverage, and 0.60 (95 % CI: 0.30-0.91) percentage points in MCV1 coverage. These findings suggest that an African country with an average IIAG score just one unit higher than their observed average value over the study period, would have achieved a 6.4 %, 7.4 %, and 6.0 % coverage for DTPCV1, DTPCV3, and MCV1, respectively, above its 2021 coverage levels. CONCLUSION: The Expanded Program on Immunization aspires to reach all eligible populations with life-saving vaccines, regardless of the context. We found that country governance may be an important determinant of immunization performance, potentially explaining the observed stagnation or decline in immunization performance and the heightened vulnerability of immunization programs to external shocks. Understanding the nexus between governance and service delivery suggests that immunization actors, funders, and other stakeholders may need to adjust their expectations of countries' immunization performance accordingly.

Commission on collegiate nursing education standards inspire a new model of shared governance.

PURPOSE: A school of nursing re-envisioned its faculty organization structure and created a Shared Governance model based on the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education Standards (CCNE). The model promotes shared decision-making and encourages nursing faculty and staff to exercise greater control over their professional endeavors. PRINCIPAL RESULTS: The Shared Governance model launched as a one semester pilot before it was formally adopted by faculty. Faculty and staff are organized into four councils, each one representing the CCNE standards: Governance, Institutional Resources, Curriculum, and Quality. The Academic Leadership Team meets regularly with Shared Governance Council Chairs to foster communication and ensure a cohesive, proactive approach to conducting school of nursing business. MAJOR CONCLUSIONS: The Shared Governance model has provided an excellent mechanism for new school of nursing faculty and staff to become oriented to their roles and the culture of academia. It has broken down silos and increased connections across programs and campuses. Ongoing conversations about the priority work of the school of nursing and each council's coordinated effort to document fulfillment of the Standards gave structure to preparation for our accreditation visit. The accreditation process is no longer seen as the sole responsibility of the Dean and Associate Deans.

Vaccination governance in protracted conflict settings: the case of northwest Syria.

BACKGROUND: Effective vaccination governance in conflict-affected regions poses unique challenges. This study evaluates the governance of vaccination programs in northwest Syria, focusing on effectiveness, efficiency, inclusiveness, data availability, vision, transparency, accountability, and sustainability. METHODS: Using a mixed-methods approach, and adapting Siddiqi's framework for health governance, data were collected through 14 key informant interviews (KIIs), a validating workshop, and ethnographic observations. Findings were triangulated to provide a comprehensive understanding of vaccination governance. RESULTS: The study highlights innovative approaches used to navigate the complex health governance landscape to deliver vaccination interventions, which strengthened sub-national vaccination structures such as The Syria Immunisation Group (SIG). The analysis revealed several key themes. Effectiveness and efficiency were demonstrated through cold-chain reliability and extensive outreach activities, though formal reports lacked detailed analysis of vaccine losses and linkage between disease outbreak data and coverage statistics. Key informants and workshop participants rated the vaccination strategy positively but identified inefficiencies due to irregular funding and bureaucracy. Inclusiveness and data availability were prioritised, with outreach activities targeting vulnerable groups. However, significant gaps in demographic data and reliance on paper-based systems hindered comprehensive coverage analysis. Digitalisation efforts were noted but require further support. The SIG demonstrated a clear strategic vision supported by international organizations such as the World Health Organization, yet limited partner participation in strategic planning raised concerns about broader ownership and engagement. While the SIG was perceived as approachable, the lack of public documentation and financial disclosure limited transparency. Internal information sharing was prevalent, but public communication strategies were insufficient. Accountability and sustainability faced challenges due to a decentralized structure and reliance on diverse donors. Despite stabilizing factors such as decentralization and financial continuity, fragmented oversight and reliance on donor funding remained significant concerns. DISCUSSION: The study highlights the complexities of vaccination governance in conflict-affected areas. Comparisons with other conflict zones underscore the importance of local organisations and international support. The SIG's role is pivotal, but its legitimacy, transparency, and inclusivity require improvement. The potential transition to early recovery in Syria poses additional challenges to SIG's sustainability and integration into national programs. CONCLUSION: The governance of vaccination in northwest Syria is multifaceted, involving multiple stakeholders and lacking a legitimate government. Enhancing transparency, local ownership, and participatory decision-making are crucial for improving governance. The role of international bodies is essential, emphasising the need for structured feedback mechanisms and transparent monitoring processes to ensure the program's success and sustainability.

Examining sustained sub-national health system development: experience from the Western Cape province, South Africa, 1994-2016.

Governance and leadership are recognised as central to health system development in low- and middle-income countries, yet few existing studies consider the influence of multi-level governance systems. South Africa is one of many (quasi-)federal states. Provincial governments have responsibility for managing health care delivery within national policy frameworks and norms. The early post-apartheid period saw country-wide efforts to address the apartheid legacy of health system inequity and inefficiency, but health system transformation subsequently stalled in many provinces. In contrast, the Western Cape provincial health department sustained service delivery reform and strengthened management processes over the period 1994-2016. This department can be considered a 'pocket of relative bureaucratic effectiveness' (POE): an organisational entity that, compared to others, is relatively effective in carrying out its functions in pursuit of the public good. This paper considers what factors enabled the development of the Western Cape health system in the period 1994-2016. Two phases of data collection entailed document review, participatory workshops, 43 in-depth interviews with purposively selected key informants from inside and outside the Western Cape, and a structured survey testing initial insights (response rate 42%). Analysis included triangulation across data sets, comparison between the Western Cape and other provincial experience and deeper reflection on these experiences drawing on POE theory and public administration literature. The analysis highlights the Western Cape experience of stable and astute sub-national governance and leadership and the deepening of administrative and technical capacity over time - within a specific provincial historical and political economy context that sustained the separation of political and administrative powers. Multi-level governance systems can create the space for sub-national POEs to emerge in their mediation of wider political economy forces, generating spaces for skilled reform leaders to act in the public interest, support the emergence of distributed leadership and develop robust management processes.

Teaching Hospital Governance Model for Service Quality Performance: Case Study of Indonesian Central General Hospital.

This study aims to investigate the effect of teaching hospital management practices on the quality performance of health services by involving elements such as hospital accreditation standards, quality management, and JCI Academic Hospital-specific standards that are indirectly connected. This study chose a survey-based quantitative approach to clinical professional students in vertical teaching hospitals under the direct management of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Indonesia. Six proposed hypotheses were tested by Partial Least Square-Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) analysis. The test results showed a positive influence between hospital teaching governance and hospital accreditation compliance, quality assurance and JCI Academic Hospital standards. Third, compliance with teaching hospital standards was also found to have a significant positive effect on the performance of teaching hospital service quality. Understanding the role of governance in encouraging the performance of teaching hospital service quality can help develop effective managerial strategies in achieving complete service quality for patients and clinical profession participants. This research resulted in contributions to existing practices and literature as governance modeling in dual quality standards charged to teaching hospitals.

Trouble on the horizon: anticipating biological invasions through futures thinking.

Anticipating future biosecurity threats to prevent their occurrence is the most cost-effective strategy to manage invasive alien species. Yet, biological invasions are complex, highly uncertain processes. High uncertainty drives decision-making away from strategic preventative measures and towards operational outcomes aimed at post-invasion management. The limited success of preventative measures in curbing biological invasions reflects this short-term mindset and decision-makers should instead apply strategic foresight to imagine futures where biosecurity threats are minimised. Here, four major futures thinking tools (environmental scanning, driver-mapping, horizon scanning, and scenario planning) that describe probable, possible, plausible and preferable futures are assessed in terms of their potential to support both research and policy addressing biological invasions. Environmental scanning involves surveying existing data sources to detect signals of emerging alien species through knowledge of changes in either the likelihood or consequences of biological invasions. Several approaches are widely used for biosecurity including automated scans of digital media, consensus-based expert scoring, and prediction markets. Automated systems can be poor at detecting weak signals because of the large volume of 'noise' they generate while expert scoring relies on prior knowledge and so fails to identify unknown unknowns which is also true of prediction markets that work well for quite specific known risks. Driver-mapping uses expert consensus to identify the political, economic, societal, technological, legislative, and environmental forces shaping the future and is a critical component of strategic foresight that has rarely been applied to biological invasions. Considerable potential exists to extend this approach to develop system maps to identify where biosecurity interventions may be most effective and to explore driver complexes to determine megatrends shaping the future of biological invasions. Horizon scanning is a systematic outlook of potential threats and future developments to detect weak signals of emerging issues that exist at the margins of current thinking. Applications have been strongly focused on emerging issues related to research and technological challenges relevant to biosecurity and invasion science. However, most of these emerging issues are already well known in current-day research. Because horizon scanning is based on expert consensus, it needs to embrace a diversity of cultural, gender, and disciplinary diversity more adequately to ensure participants think intuitively and outside of their own subject boundaries. Scenario planning constructs storylines that describe alternative ways the political, economic, social, technological, legislative, and environmental situation might develop in the future. Biological invasion scenario planning has favoured structured approaches such as standardised archetypes and uncertainty matrices, but scope exists to apply more intuitive thinking by using incasting, backcasting, or causal layered analysis. Futures thinking in biological invasions has not engaged with decision-makers or other stakeholders adequately and thus outcomes have been light on policy and management priorities. To date, strategic foresight addressing biological invasions has applied each approach in isolation. Yet, an integrated approach to futures thinking that involves a diverse set of stakeholders in exploring the probable, possible, plausible, and preferable futures relating to biological invasions is crucial to the delivery of strategic biosecurity foresight at both national and global scales.

Data Management in Biobanking: Strategies, Challenges, and Future Directions.

Biobanking plays a pivotal role in biomedical research by providing standardized processing, precise storing, and management of biological sample collections along with the associated data. Effective data management is a prerequisite to ensure the integrity, quality, and accessibility of these resources. This review provides a current landscape of data management in biobanking, discussing key challenges, existing strategies, and potential future directions. We explore multiple aspects of data management, including data collection, storage, curation, sharing, and ethical considerations. By examining the evolving technologies and methodologies in biobanking, we aim to provide insights into addressing the complexities and maximizing the utility of biobank data for research and clinical applications.

Small-scale fisheries in ecologically sensitive areas in Latin America and the Caribbean: Do marine protected areas benefit fisheries governance?

Many small-scale fisheries (SSFs) in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) operate in ecologically sensitive areas, where balancing conservation and resource use is challenging. 'Multiple-use' marine protected areas (MPAs) have been implemented to accommodate SSFs (among other uses) within areas designated for conservation, creating opportunities and challenges for SSF governance. We analyzed eleven case studies from LAC to explore: (1) how different MPA institutional designs affect key aspects of SSF governance and (2) the links between these effects and the type of initiative that promoted MPA establishment (origin). Results indicate that the existence of an MPA benefited SSF governance in many ways, with more pronounced positive effects in MPAs with mixed to bottom-up origin supported by well-organized fishing groups. In addition, the presence of supportive MPA authorities that leveraged local capacities and initiatives and adopted flexible and collaborative governance systems made a difference in several cases. Lessons for integrating MPA and SSF governance are drawn.

Trustworthiness of voting advice applications in Europe.

Voting Advice Applications (VAAs) are interactive tools used to assist in one's choice of a party or candidate to vote for in an upcoming election. They have the potential to increase citizens' trust and participation in democratic structures. However, there is no established ground truth for one's electoral choice, and VAA recommendations depend strongly on architectural and design choices. We assessed several representative European VAAs according to the Ethics Guidelines for Trustworthy AI provided by the European Commission using publicly available information. We found scores to be comparable across VAAs and low in most requirements, with differences reflecting the kind of developing institution. Across VAAs, we identify the need for improvement in (i) transparency regarding the subjectivity of recommendations, (ii) diversity of stakeholder participation, (iii) user-centric documentation of algorithm, and (iv) disclosure of the underlying values and assumptions. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10676-024-09790-6.

Microplastic pollution in aquatic ecosystem: A review of existing policies and regulations.

Environmental pollution due to plastic waste is a global challenge causing adverse impacts on the ecosystem and public health. Microplastic (MP) originates at the upstream processes such as industrial and household activities; however, their existence is affecting the downstream environment. Even though many governments and non-government organizations have taken technological and regulatory steps, these current efforts and strategies are insufficient to prevent the MP release in the environment. Thus, a multidisciplinary global approach is required, which must prioritize the reducing of plastic inputs to the environment. To regulate MP levels in the environment, worldwide reformative and preventive strategies are required because the issue is not limited to a single nation or region. In relation to marine plastic waste, a number of multilateral agreements and measures exist at global level. Several regulatory measures have been examined by regulatory bodies with the intention of safeguarding the environment from excessive MP contamination. However, neither of the frameworks in place is specifically made to stop the increased MP pollution in the environment. Therefore, this review focused on the preventive measures taken by the government and non-government organizations for MP control through legislations. The study also critically discussed MP-related policies aiming to increase the viability and efficiency of implementing future plastic management. This review is expected to provide the basic guidelines for formulating MP standards in the environment.

Federated systems for automated infection surveillance: a perspective.

Automation of surveillance of infectious diseases-where algorithms are applied to routine care data to replace manual decisions-likely reduces workload and improves quality of surveillance. However, various barriers limit large-scale implementation of automated surveillance (AS). Current implementation strategies for AS in surveillance networks include central implementation (i.e. collecting all data centrally, and central algorithm application for case ascertainment) or local implementation (i.e. local algorithm application and sharing surveillance results with the network coordinating center). In this perspective, we explore whether current challenges can be solved by federated AS. In federated AS, scripts for analyses are developed centrally and applied locally. We focus on the potential of federated AS in the context of healthcare associated infections (AS-HAI) and of severe acute respiratory illness (AS-SARI). AS-HAI and AS-SARI have common and specific requirements, but both would benefit from decreased local surveillance burden, alignment of AS and increased central and local oversight, and improved access to data while preserving privacy. Federated AS combines some benefits of a centrally implemented system, such as standardization and alignment of an easily scalable methodology, with some of the benefits of a locally implemented system including (near) real-time access to data and flexibility in algorithms, meeting different information needs and improving sustainability, and allowance of a broader range of clinically relevant case-definitions. From a global perspective, it can promote the development of automated surveillance where it is not currently possible and foster international collaboration.The necessary transformation of source data likely will place a significant burden on healthcare facilities. However, this may be outweighed by the potential benefits: improved comparability of surveillance results, flexibility and reuse of data for multiple purposes. Governance and stakeholder agreement to address accuracy, accountability, transparency, digital literacy, and data protection, warrants clear attention to create acceptance of the methodology. In conclusion, federated automated surveillance seems a potential solution for current barriers of large-scale implementation of AS-HAI and AS-SARI. Prerequisites for successful implementation include validation of results and evaluation requirements of network participants to govern understanding and acceptance of the methodology.

Governing AI in Southeast Asia: ASEAN's way forward.

Despite the rapid development of AI, ASEAN has not been able to devise a regional governance framework to address relevant existing and future challenges. This is concerning, considering the potential of AI to accelerate GDP among ASEAN member states in the coming years. This qualitative inquiry discusses AI governance in Southeast Asia in the past 5 years and what regulatory policies ASEAN can explore to better modulate its use among its member states. It considers the unique political landscape of the region, defined by the adoption of unique norms such as non-interference and priority over dialog, commonly termed the ASEAN Way. The following measures are concluded as potential regional governance frameworks: (1) Elevation of the topic's importance in ASEAN's intra and inter-regional forums to formulate collective regional agreements on AI, (2) adoption of AI governance measures in the field of education, specifically, reskilling and upskilling strategies to respond to future transformation of the working landscape, and (3) establishment of an ASEAN working group to bridge knowledge gaps among member states, caused by the disparity of AI-readiness in the region.

Using Household Dietary Diversity Score and Spatial Analysis to Inform Food Governance in Chile.

This study explores how the Household Dietary Diversity Score (HDDS) and spatial visualization can inform food governance in Chile, focusing on socio-demographic and geographical determinants affecting food consumption patterns. A national household database (n = 4047), including households from 2019 (n = 3967; 98.02%) and 2020 (n = 80; 1.98%), provided by the "Family Support Program of Food Self-Sufficiency" (FSPFS) of the Ministry of Social Development and Family, was analyzed. The findings revealed that Chilean vulnerable households were led mostly by women (86.6%), with an age average of 55.9 ± 15.6 years old, versus 68.9 ± 12.9 years in the case of men. The intake frequency analysis showed that dairy, fruits, and vegetables were below the recommended values in at least half of the households, and that fats and sugars were above recommended levels. Regarding the HDDS (0-189), the national average was 91.4 ± 20.6 and was significantly influenced by the number of minors in the households, water access, food access issues, and residing in the Zona Sur. Finally, the spatial visualization showed that the Zona Central had higher consumption of fruits and vegetables, while the extreme zones Norte Grande and Zona Austral showed higher intakes of fats and sugars. These findings emphasize the importance of leveraging data insights like the HDDS and spatial visualization to enhance food security and inform food governance strategies.

Exploring the Implementation of UNESCO's MAB Program in South Africa: A Case Study of the Cape Winelands Biosphere Reserve.

The Man and the Biosphere Program (MAB) responds to challenges of the Anthropocene through an explicit social-ecological approach. Implemented as a world network of biosphere reserves, MAB aims to increase [eco]system sustainability and resilience globally, via individual model sites for learning and sustainable development. This research provides an in-depth case study of MAB implementation in South Africa using the Cape Winelands Biosphere Reserve (CWBR), established in 2007 when a key MAB guiding policy, the Madrid Action Plan came into effect. The study utilized semi-structured in-depth interviews with strategic and operational management, and document analysis. The CWBR prioritizes their role as a landscape coordinator, a driver of socio-economic development and site in which humans derive benefits from healthy natural environments. The CWBR have adopted a non-profit organization cooperative governance model in support of this vision, fulfilling the socio-economic development function primarily through successful international partnerships. Challenges faced include a perceived lack of sufficient government support, limited stakeholder awareness and insufficient resources for project implementation. Over reliance on the pillar of their model, the chief executive officer in the current governance form, is an instrument in their effectiveness, yet carries significant risk. These are learnings useful for other biosphere reserves translating an international designation for a local context.

Catalysing Environmental Action: a Governance Framework for Enhancing Individual Participation in Sub-Saharan Africa's Plastic Circular Economy.

Plastic waste poses a significant challenge to achieving sustainable production and consumption of resources, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa where effective governance and waste management systems are lacking. In this paper, we develop an empirical understanding of the influence of public governance system on promoting circular economy (CE) for plastic actions among individuals. Through a survey of 1475 participants across five sub-Saharan African countries, we tested five hypotheses drawing on New Governance Theory and CE Action Recipe to explore the relationship between governance and individual's actions supporting CE for plastic. We found that a governance system that supports CE practices and exhibits governance efficiency is positively associated with individuals' actions supporting CE for plastic. The awareness of government policies, laws and regulations, institutions, processes, and programmes have a significant impact on individuals' engagement in plastic circularity practices. The paper's theoretical and governance implications highlight the relevance of public governance in shaping action towards a CE for plastic at the individual level.