Institutional Commitment Problems and Regional Autonomy: The Catalan Case

This article examines what constitutional arrangements are more likely to facilitate the transfer of effective decision-making power to the regional level. We show that certain constitutional arrangements can result in institutional commitment problems between regional minority and national majority groups, which in turn influence levels of regional autonomy across regions. Specifically, we examine how the depth and scope of decentralization depend on the presence of federal agreements and the availability of institutional guarantees that make the federal contracts credible. Analyzing regional-level data, we show that regions where identity minority groups are majoritarian enjoy more regional autonomy when the commitment problem has resulted in a satisfactory national accommodation. Our findings highlight two important scenarios. The first occurs when the institutional commitment problem is solved, and regional minority groups are granted substantial levels of regional autonomy. The second scenario takes place when the commitment problem is not institutionally accommodated, and hence regional minority groups have systematically lower levels of autonomy. This article illustrates that both federal contracts and credible agreements are important tools to understand regional decision-making powers.

A remote lecture series roadmap to equity, diversity, and inclusion in STEM

Within a year of the shutdowns caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, virtual meetings transformed from an auxiliary service to an essential work platform for hundreds of millions of people worldwide. Universities rapidly accelerated adoption of virtual platforms for remote conferences, classes, and seminars amidst a second crisis testing institutional commitment to the principles of equity, diversity, and inclusion. Here we present thorough guidelines for drawing out hope from the Pandora's box of virtual programming now open to the world. We review milestones from our first year organizing the Diversity and Science Lecture series (DASL) and explore insights into equity, diversity, and inclusion in STEM gleaned from hosted speakers' talk content. Nearly every speaker highlighted the importance of social or interpersonal support to their career progression, and three-fifths of speakers commented on race or ethnicity. Other recurring topics each received attention from a minority of speakers: immigrant identity, gender identity, mental health, sexual minorities, disability, and rural or agricultural background. We conclude with generalizable advice on creating new remote lecture series that benefit executive team members, speakers, and attendees. Our success with DASL demonstrates that community building and knowledge sharing can flourish under a remote lecture framework.

AOA ophthalmology and otolaryngology program closures as a model to highlight challenges of maintaining GME in high need areas

Context While 90% of former American Osteopathic Association (AOA) residency programs transitioned to Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) accreditation, surgical subspecialty programs such as ear, nose, and throat (ENT, 62%) and ophthalmology (47%) struggled to gain accreditation. Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine (DOs) actively participate in serving underserved communities, and the loss of AOA surgical specialty programs may decrease access to surgical care in rural and nonmetropolitan areas. Objectives To determine the challenges faced by former AOA-accredited surgical subspecialty programs during the transition to ACGME accreditation, particularly ENT and ophthalmology programs in underresourced settings. Methods A directory of former AOA ENT and Ophthalmology programs was obtained from the American Osteopathic Colleges of Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (AOCOO-HNS). A secured survey was sent out to 16 eligible ENT and ophthalmology program directors (PDs). The survey contained both quantitative and qualitative aspects to help assess why these programs did not pursue or failed to receive ACGME accreditation. Results Twelve of 16 eligible programs responded, com-prising six ophthalmology and six ENT PDs. Among the respondents, 83% did not pursue accreditation (6 ophthalmology and 4 ENT programs), and 17% were unsuccessful in achieving accreditation despite pursuing accreditation (2 ENT programs). Across 12 respondents, 7 (58%) cited a lack of hospital/administrative support and 5 (42%) cited excessive costs and lack of faculty support as reasons for not pursuing or obtaining ACGME accreditation. Conclusions The survey results reflect financial issues associated with rural hospitals. A lack of hospital/administrative support and excessive costs to transition to the ACGME were key drivers in closures of AOA surgical specialty programs. In light of these results, we have four recommendations for various stakeholders, including PDs, Designated Institutional Officials, hospital Chief Medical Officers, and health policy experts. These recommendations include expanding Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education to surgical subspecialties, identifying and learning from surgical fields such as urology that fared well during the transition to ACGME, addressing the lack of institutional commitment and the prohibitive costs of maintaining ACGME-accredited subspecialty programs in underresourced settings, and reconsidering the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) pool approach to physician reimbursement.

Virtual Internationalization to Support Comprehensive Internationalization in Higher Education

The study develops and presents a concept of Virtual Internationalization (VI) in higher education, which refers to internationalization implemented using information and communications technology (ICT). VI is contextualized with the inclusiveness of international experiences and with external challenges to internationalization (posed, for example, by the Covid-19 pandemic). Conceived as an institution-spanning concept, VI is developed from the ACE-CIGE model of Comprehensive Internationalization. It is inferred from actual practice based on a content analysis of conference abstracts from relevant fields, employing coding and computer-assisted text analysis (CATA). Based on the findings, the VI concept includes strategies and articulated institutional commitment as a transversal category and online and distance education (ODE) as an additional category in contrast to the concept of Comprehensive Internationalization. This research furthermore considers two dimensions of VI: one that is directly internationalization-related and the other concerned with broader aims of the combination of the virtual and the international. It concludes with a perspective on a “new normal” of hybrid internationalization in higher education.

Mentorship, Sponsorship, and Professional Networking

Creating an ecosystem of mentorship and sponsorship requires institutional commitment and the collaboration of faculty and administrators from diverse backgrounds. From 2012 to 2018, the UC Davis ADVANCE Mentorship and Networking Initiative (MNI) partnered with the campus leadership to implement several programs and activities to support mentorship, sponsorship, and professional networking for STEM women faculty across career levels. During this award period, pilot programs aimed to provide strong mentorship for newly recruited faculty, including scholars affiliated with the Center for Multicultural Perspectives on Science (CAMPOS) as well as mid-career faculty, with the intention of scaling efforts across campus units. MNI committee projects included piloting “Launch Mentoring Committees” for 43 new faculty, support for faculty-led “New Faculty Network” monthly networking mixers, implementation of the Associate Professor Network listserv, annual co-hosting of the Fall Welcome for Women Faculty, and development of the ADVANCE Scholar Award Distinguished Lecture and Networking Reception. Though all MNI programs and activities were well-received, both faculty mentors and mentees evaluated the Launch Mentoring Committees especially positively. This program emerged as a recommended best practice for engaging new faculty and building a sense of community that crosses disciplinary and intersectional boundaries.

Rethinking 'Progress': an Evaluation of the Wellington Region Genuine Progress Index

<p>There is widespread and long-running discontent with the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as a measure of progress for society. A number of alternative measures have been proposed, including the Genuine Progress Index (GPI). A GPI has been developed by local government in the Wellington region (New Zealand) to facilitate a rethinking of conventional notions of 'progress'. The Wellington Region GPI (WRGPI) is modelled upon the Nova Scotia GPI, which is a pluralistic index consisting of environmental, social, economic and cultural indicators with either physical or monetary values. The study explores a 'good practice' approach to public participation in the development of the GPI, and provides an overview of the context within which it fits. A synergistic link was found between the Nova Scotia GPI framework and the framework provided by the Local Government Act community outcomes process. Despite this synergy, and the commitment to the GPI on the part of local authorities, a number of challenges emerged from the context. These include the poor integration of the existing community outcomes into institutional decision-making, a weak institutional commitment to the economic valuation procedure of the GPI, and the desire on the part of the present local government minister to reduce the scope of local government. In light of these challenges, a 'good practice' approach has been developed with a normative component: deliberation, influence & inclusion, and a methodological component: purpose, process & context. Deliberation was stressed as a particularly important tool to facilitate institutional and social learning around the WRGPI and to build the value case and a constituency for the WRGPI across the local authorities and community, and therefore increasing the likelihood that conventional notions of 'progress' will be replaced with more holistic ones. While this case study provides insights into the challenge of integrating a GPI into local governance, it is still too early to judge whether the initiative will emerge as a viable alternative to the GDP for the Wellington region.</p>

Rethinking 'Progress': an Evaluation of the Wellington Region Genuine Progress Index

<p>There is widespread and long-running discontent with the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as a measure of progress for society. A number of alternative measures have been proposed, including the Genuine Progress Index (GPI). A GPI has been developed by local government in the Wellington region (New Zealand) to facilitate a rethinking of conventional notions of 'progress'. The Wellington Region GPI (WRGPI) is modelled upon the Nova Scotia GPI, which is a pluralistic index consisting of environmental, social, economic and cultural indicators with either physical or monetary values. The study explores a 'good practice' approach to public participation in the development of the GPI, and provides an overview of the context within which it fits. A synergistic link was found between the Nova Scotia GPI framework and the framework provided by the Local Government Act community outcomes process. Despite this synergy, and the commitment to the GPI on the part of local authorities, a number of challenges emerged from the context. These include the poor integration of the existing community outcomes into institutional decision-making, a weak institutional commitment to the economic valuation procedure of the GPI, and the desire on the part of the present local government minister to reduce the scope of local government. In light of these challenges, a 'good practice' approach has been developed with a normative component: deliberation, influence & inclusion, and a methodological component: purpose, process & context. Deliberation was stressed as a particularly important tool to facilitate institutional and social learning around the WRGPI and to build the value case and a constituency for the WRGPI across the local authorities and community, and therefore increasing the likelihood that conventional notions of 'progress' will be replaced with more holistic ones. While this case study provides insights into the challenge of integrating a GPI into local governance, it is still too early to judge whether the initiative will emerge as a viable alternative to the GDP for the Wellington region.</p>

International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS) Implementation and Financial Reporting: Issues and Challenges in South-East Nigeria

The main objective of the study was to identify the challenges of IPSAS implementation in the Nigerian Public Sector. This was as a result of low level of accountability and improper application of accounting standards by government institutions. A structured questionnaire was used to elicit information from the various respondents. The population of the study consists of accountants, auditors and cash officers in government ministries, departments and agencies in Abia, Anambra, Enugu, Ebonyi and Imo States. The population was estimated at 8901for the five States. The sample size of 387 was drawn using the stratified sampling technique. The Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was used for the hypothesis test. The results showed that the challenges that impinge the full implementation of IPSAS in Nigeria include: governments’ unwillingness in terms of political-will towards full IPSAS implementation; statutory adjustment, inadequate funding and institutional commitment among others. It was therefore recommended that there should be adequate funding for the IPSAS implementation projects as most of the Public Sector Entities attributed inability to implement IPSAS Accrual to paucity of funds. Government should also show more political will as well as commitment and support for the accrual basis IPSAS implementation at the Local Government level.