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Alcohol and brain development in adolescents and young adults: a systematic review of the literature and advisory report of the Health Council of the Netherlands
Goede, J. de; Mark-Reeuwijk, K.G. van der; Braun, K.P.; Cessie, S. le; Durston, S.; Engels, R.C.M.E.; ... ; Oosterlaan, J. 2021
Alcohol and brain development in adolescents and young adults: a systematic review of the literature and advisory report of the Health Council of the Netherlands
Article / Letter to editor
open access
Young people, whose brains are still developing, might entail a greater vulnerability to the effects of alcohol consumption on brain function and development. A committee of experts of the Health... Show moreYoung people, whose brains are still developing, might entail a greater vulnerability to the effects of alcohol consumption on brain function and development. A committee of experts of the Health Council of the Netherlands evaluated the state of scientific knowledge regarding the question whether alcohol negatively influences brain development in young people. A systematic literature search for prospective studies was performed in PubMed and PsychINFO, for longitudinal studies of adolescents or young adults ranging between 12 and 24 y of age at baseline, investigating the relation between alcohol use and outcome measures of brain structure and activity, cognitive functioning, educational achievement, or alcohol use disorder (AUD), with measures at baseline and follow-up of the outcome of interest. Data were extracted from original articles and study quality was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. A total of 77 studies were included, 31 of which were of sufficient quality in relation to the study objectives. There were indications that the gray matter of the brain develops abnormally in young people who drink alcohol. In addition, the more often young people drink or the younger they start, the higher the risk of developing AUD later in life. The evidence on white matter volume or quality, brain activity, cognitive function, and educational achievement is still limited or unclear. The committee found indications that alcohol consumption can have a negative effect on brain development in adolescents and young adults and entails a risk of later AUD. The committee therefore considers it a wise choice for adolescents and young adults not to drink alcohol. Show less
Policy evaluation styles
De Francesco, F.; Pattyn V. 2021
Policy evaluation styles
Part of book or chapter of book
open access
The development of evaluation as a profession is marked by different diffusion waves and assumptions of what good governance and associated evaluation evidence entail. With every new wave, an... Show moreThe development of evaluation as a profession is marked by different diffusion waves and assumptions of what good governance and associated evaluation evidence entail. With every new wave, an increasing number of countries has adopted common evaluation practices. The question is whether this also implies commonalities in the way that evaluations are practised nowadays, or whether differences rather prevail. In this contribution, we analyse the volume and type of sediments which different waves have deposited. We focus on three evaluation practices that represent the major waves and that are exemplary for regulatory governance in Europe: administrative burden measurement or standard cost model; regulatory impact assessment; and randomized controlled trials and nudges. We contribute to both the policy evaluation literature and the literature on policy styles by proposing a typology that links waves of evaluation diffusion with prescriptive evaluation theories. While we do not find evidence for a homogenisation of evaluation styles, we highlight that the practices based on economic methods for consolidating evidence have a substantial impact on public administration culture. Show less
The technological utopia
Veere, A.P. van der 2019
The technological utopia: mimamori care and family separation in Japan
Article / Letter to editor
open access
Japan is undergoing a significant demographic upheaval, and the Japanese government is formulating policies for stimulating technological advances based on the assumption that they will solve... Show moreJapan is undergoing a significant demographic upheaval, and the Japanese government is formulating policies for stimulating technological advances based on the assumption that they will solve issues such as labour shortages and elder care. The government argues through policy initiatives that technology will decrease the care burden on Japan’s workers, families, and itself. Although the domestic media show awareness of changing family patterns in Japan, newspapers are following a similar pattern of technological utopianism. However, this article posits that the proposed policy reforms rely on a conservative ideal of the extended family that ignores changing patterns in Japanese households. Moreover, it argues that, rather than facilitating a return to the ideal of an extended family, technology is exacerbating separation among families that have been growing apart for some time. Show less
New indicators and indexes for benchmarking university-industry-government innovation in medical and life science clusters: results from the European FP7 Regions of Knowledge HealthTIES project
Edmunds, L.D.; Gluderer, S.; Ovseiko, P.V.; Kamerling, R.; Ton, J.; Vis, L.; ... ; Hassan, A.B. 2019
New indicators and indexes for benchmarking university-industry-government innovation in medical and life science clusters: results from the European FP7 Regions of Knowledge HealthTIES project
Article / Letter to editor
open access
Background: While the European Union is striving to become the 'Innovation Union', there remains a lack of quantifiable indicators to compare and benchmark regional innovation clusters. To address... Show moreBackground: While the European Union is striving to become the 'Innovation Union', there remains a lack of quantifiable indicators to compare and benchmark regional innovation clusters. To address this issue, a HealthTIES (Healthcare, Technology and Innovation for Economic Success) consortium was funded by the European Union's Regions of Knowledge initiative, research and innovation funding programme FP7. HealthTIES examined whether the health technology innovation cycle was functioning differently in five European regional innovation clusters and proposed regional and joint actions to improve their performance. The clusters included BioCat (Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain), Medical Delta (Leiden, Rotterdam and Delft, South Holland, Netherlands), Oxford and Thames Valley (United Kingdom), Life Science Zurich (Switzerland), and Innova Eszak-Alfold (Debrecen, Hungary).Methods: Appreciation of the 'triple helix' of university-industry-government innovation provided the impetus for the development of two quantifiable innovation indexes and related indicators. The HealthTIES H-index is calculated for disease and technology platforms based on the h-index proposed by Hirsch. The HealthTIES Innovation Index is calculated for regions based on 32 relevant quantitative and discriminative indicators grouped into 12 categories and 3 innovation phases, namely 'Input' (n = 12), 'Innovation System' (n = 9) and 'Output' (n = 11).Results: The HealthTIES regions had developed relatively similar disease and technology platform profiles, yet with distinctive strengths and weaknesses. The regional profiles of the innovation cycle in each of the three phases were surprisingly divergent. Comparative assessments based on the indicators and indexes helped identify and share best practice and inform regional and joint action plans to strengthen the competitiveness of the HealthTIES regions.Conclusion: The HealthTIES indicators and indexes provide useful practical tools for the measurement and benchmarking of university-industry-government innovation in European medical and life science clusters. They are validated internally within the HealthTIES consortium and appear to have a degree of external prima facie validity. Potentially, the tools and accompanying analyses can be used beyond the HealthTIES consortium to inform other regional governments, researchers and, possibly, large companies searching for their next location, analyse and benchmark 'triple helix' dynamics within their own networks over time, and to develop integrated public-private and cross-regional research and innovation strategies in Europe and beyond. Show less
Application or Construction? Two Types of Public Policy Ethics
Poama, A. 2018
Application or Construction? Two Types of Public Policy Ethics
Part of book or chapter of book
open access
This chapter offers a conceptual map of the field of public policy ethics (EPP). It distinguishes between two types of EPP, according to their treatment of the phenomenon of moral disagreement as... Show moreThis chapter offers a conceptual map of the field of public policy ethics (EPP). It distinguishes between two types of EPP, according to their treatment of the phenomenon of moral disagreement as instantiated in questions of public policy. According to the first type, one’s moral stance on morally controversial policies needs to be ultimately derived from a foundational ethical theory that solves the problem of moral disagreement. According to the second type, one’s moral position on policy matters is formed independently of the recommendations given by any one particular foundational theory. I call the first type applied EPP and the second one constructive EPP. I further argue that an adequate appreciation of the distinction between these two types can help us tackle some of the standard objections raised against EPP. Show less
The Routledge Handbook of Ethics and Public Policy
Lever, A.; Poama, A. 2018
The Routledge Handbook of Ethics and Public Policy
Book editorial
closed access
What does it mean to do public policy ethics today? How should philosophers engage with ethical issues in policy-making when policy decisions are circumscribed by political and pragmatic concerns?... Show more

What does it mean to do public policy ethics today? How should philosophers engage with ethical issues in policy-making when policy decisions are circumscribed by political and pragmatic concerns? How do ethical issues in public policy differ between areas such as foreign policy, criminal justice, or environmental policy?The Routledge Handbook of Ethics and Public Policy addresses all these questions and more, and is the first handbook of its kind. It is comprised of 41 chapters written by leading international contributors, and is organised into four clear sections covering the following key topics:

  • Methodology: philosophical approaches to public policy, ethical expertise, knowledge, and public policy
  • Democracy and public policy: identity, integration and inclusion: voting, linguistic policy, discrimination, youth policy, religious toleration, and the family
  • Public goods: defence and foreign policy, development and climate change, surveillance and internal security, ethics of welfare, healthcare and fair trade, sovereignty and territorial boundaries, and the ethics of nudging
  • Public policy challenges: criminal justice, policing, taxation, poverty, disability, reparation, and ethics of death policies.

The Routledge Handbook of Ethics and Public Policy is essential reading for students and researchers in philosophy, politics, and social policy. It will be equally useful to those in related disciplines, such as economics and law, or professional fields, such as business administration or policy-making in general.

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Does political legitimacy matter for policy capacity?
Mazepus, H. 2018
Does political legitimacy matter for policy capacity?
Part of book or chapter of book
open access
This chapter considers whether and how political legitimacy is relevant for policy capacity. A growing body of literature shows that across societies, legitimacy increases compliance with court... Show moreThis chapter considers whether and how political legitimacy is relevant for policy capacity. A growing body of literature shows that across societies, legitimacy increases compliance with court rulings, laws, and policies, and raises satisfaction with distribution of outcomes. Hence, political legitimacy seems to be an important component of policy capacity. As a result, research about how to gain legitimacy and what means can be used to increase legitimacy (normative approval) of particular decisions, laws, or authorities should attract interest from both political scientists and policy scholars. Although more research is needed to provide increasingly fine-tuned answers, one factor that seems to consistently contribute to legitimacy (and as a consequence, to compliance) is the fairness of political authorities. Countering the assumption that successful policy has to entail an increased distribution of goods and services to people, evidence suggests that people are not only concerned about their personal gains; on the contrary, they care about a fair process of decision-making, including transparency, stakeholder voice, and opportunity for engagement in policy development. Procedural considerations might outweigh the importance of personally favourable outcomes or, in the realm of public policy, even effective and efficient policy. This chapter discusses evidence from social psychology, political science, and policy studies to suggest that increasing legitimacy through procedural fairness might be key to successful policymaking. Show less
Laying the Groundwork: Linking Internal Agenda-Setting Processes Of Interest Groups to Their Role in Policy Making
Halpin, D.R.; Fraussen, B. 2017
Laying the Groundwork: Linking Internal Agenda-Setting Processes Of Interest Groups to Their Role in Policy Making
Article / Letter to editor
open access
Although scholarship has highlighted the role of stakeholders in policy making, less is known about the preparations they make that lay the groundwork for their lobbying activities. This article... Show moreAlthough scholarship has highlighted the role of stakeholders in policy making, less is known about the preparations they make that lay the groundwork for their lobbying activities. This article links ideas on collaborative governance with the study of agenda setting within interest groups. We outline an orthodox mode of agenda setting that anticipates groups possess a proactive policy mode, an institutionalized policy platform, and a pyramid-like agenda structure. Subsequently, we use this orthodox mode as a heuristic device for examining agenda structures and processes, combining survey data on the practices of groups in Australia with illustrative qualitative evidence. Show less