Smokescreen Politics? Ratcheting Up EU Emissions Trading in 2017

The reform of the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) adopted in November 2017 was surprisingly strong, given the previous opposition from central member‐states like Poland and key stakeholders like the energy‐intensive industries. The carbon price has also increased substantially since then. To explain why such major reform was possible, we present several findings with wider relevance. Importantly, all the actors pushing for a more ambitious reform benefitted from having a central, “second‐best” mechanism in place—the Market Stability Reserve (MSR)—which could be further tightened. By focusing cancelation on allowances in the MSR and taking place only after 2023, policy entrepreneurs managed to make the distribution of costs obscure and diffuse, whereas the benefits (a probable higher carbon price and related greater auctioning revenues for member‐states) were more specific and closer in time. That is what we call “smokescreen politics.”     

Venue Preference and Earthquake Mitigation Policy: Expanding the Micro‐Model of Policy Choice

Seismologists have reported that a majority of recent earthquakes in Oklahoma have been triggered by the activities of oil and gas companies. Despite this fact, there is evidence of strong opposition toward earthquake mitigation policy. In this article, we argue that how individuals define issues affect their policy choice. Furthermore, we incorporate the concept of venue shopping from the literature on macro theories of the policy process to investigate the effect of problem definition in shaping individual venue preference for policy choice. Using unique survey data, we find that problem definition, particularly issue causality and issue image, is strongly related to individual support for earthquake mitigation policy. However, a more nuanced relationship between individual problem definition and venue preference is observed. Our findings contribute to scholarly endeavors to understand the politics of problem definition at an individual level, which may be the precursor of understanding policy choices at the institutional level.     

How Values Shape Program Perceptions: The “Organic Ethos” and Producers’ Assessments of U.S. Organic Policy Impacts

Among the more recognizable programs related to natural and sustainable food is the United States Department of Agriculture’s National Organic Program. Although the robustness of the organic food market is difficult to contest, many debate the extent to which U.S. organic policy outcomes adequately serve consumers and the organic agriculture producers they rely on. This paper engages the debate from the perspective of certified organic producers. Drawing on the results of a nationwide survey of USDA‐certified producers, we first provide a snapshot of how producers assess the environmental, consumer, and market impacts of U.S. organic food policy. We then examine the extent to which organic producers’ policy impact perceptions are associated with their alignment with an “organic ethos”—understood as producers’ commitment to core organic principles and the organic movement. The paper highlights producers’ values as perceptual filters and cognitive mechanisms that help shape producers’ policy impacts perceptions, illustrating a contributing factor to the enduring nature of organic policy debates.     

Multiple Streams in Hawaii: How the Aloha State Adopted a 100% Renewable Portfolio Standard

Renewable portfolio standards (RPS) are an important policy tool for reducing carbon emissions and advancing the global shift toward renewable energy. As the U.S. federal government backs away from commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, subnational governments play an increasingly important role in mitigating climate change. In June 2015, Hawaii became the first state in the United States to adopt a 100% RPS. Through understanding the conditions that gave rise to Hawaii’s RPS, policy actors will be better informed as they navigate policy processes in other states and jurisdictions. This study uses Kingdon’s Multiple Streams Framework (MSF) to explore the policy process that led to Hawaii’s 100% RPS. Data were collected during the summer of 2016 via interviews with 25 key policy actors and informants in Hawaii. Expectations based on the MSF are confirmed, and the results suggest factors that might be included or explored in future studies of RPS adoption.     

Conservation in Context: Toward a Systems Framing of Decentralized Governance and Public Participation in Wildlife Management

Governance scholars have long championed the adaptive utility of decentralized management institutions, in part due to their ability to bring diverse stakeholders into decision‐making processes. However, research into the link between decentralization and participation often looks at policy design but bypasses important system feedbacks that shape sustained participation over time. To paint a more robust picture detailing how decentralization and participation are related, this paper uses a complex systems framework to explore interacting structural, operational, and cultural components of decentralized wildlife governance institutions in the United States and Botswana. Through this comparative analysis, I argue that the landscape of public participation in decentralized governance institutions appears to be significantly impacted by three factors: 1) how decentralization processes occurred, 2) where in the process of decision making participation is situated, and 3) perceptions of power distribution between groups with competing interests.     

Simple and simultaneous quantification of cyanide,ethanol, and 1-propanol in blood by headspace GC–MS/NPD with Deans switch dual detector system

Cyanide is a powerful and rapidly acting poison. In Japan, cyanide poisoning is rare, and regular cyanide testing can be costly and time consuming. In contrast, alcohol analysis is routinely performed in most forensic laboratories. In this study, we attempted to develop a method for the simultaneous quantification of cyanide and alcohols in blood using headspace gas chromatography (HS–GC). As nitrogen-phosphorus detection (NPD) is more sensitive to hydrogen cyanide than mass spectrometry (MS), a Deans switch was used to switch the detectors during a single run. The separation provided by three analytical columns, PoraBOND Q, CP-Sil 5 CB, and HP-INNOWax, was investigated, and PoraBOND Q was selected. The use of HS–GC–MS/NPD with a Deans switch enabled the simple and simultaneous quantification of cyanide, ethanol, and 1-propanol. Eighteen other volatile compounds were detected in the SIM/scan mode of the MS.     

Automated DNA casework workflow: A retrospective study of the first implementation of FIDL at the Netherlands Forensic Institute

FIDL is a fast and automated DNA identification line which represents a series of software solutions automating the process from raw capillary electrophoresis data to reporting. This retrospective study provides insight in the numbers of cases, turnaround time, results compared to the standard workflow and the benefits automation has in a large volume workflow.     

关于提升法学（医药卫生）专业社会效益的思考

随着社会的需求，法学（医药卫生）这一专业应运而生。然而，缺乏实践性的法学教育使得培养出的大量法科毕业生无法满足现实法律实务工作的要求，那么本期待能弥补法学教育实践性缺乏这一困境的法学（医药卫生）教育能否带来很好的社会效益呢？本文将针对如何提升法学（医药卫生）专业的社会效益这一新的现实问题，从几个方面提出自己的一些思考。     

TST碎石弹性材料在桥梁接缝中的应用

对 TST碎石弹性材料在桥梁接缝中的应用效果和表现出的特点进行阐述 ,从施工过程、工程资金、工程质量、工程效益方面对比 ,提倡推广应用 TST碎石弹性新材料。     

残疾人无障碍通行权实施现状及对策研究——基于成都市的调查

权利存在着应有权利、法定权利和实有权利三种状态。权利的实现是一个从应有权利到法定权利再到实有权利的动态过程。在我国现阶段，无障碍通行权已从应有状态上升到法定状态，完成了权利实现的第一步。但无障碍通行权的实有状态与法定状态之间还存在较大的差距，主要体现为无障碍环境的缺乏。为保证残疾人获得平等的生存和发展机会，国家和社会应采取措施，积极地营建无障碍环境，促使这项权利从法定状态上升到实有状态。