Regulation

The solar photovoltaics (PV) industry would not exist without government policies. Governments around the world have implemented  policies to support consumption  of solar energy and production of solar PV products. These policies have  varied  across countries  and  across time, thus contributing  to
regulatory uncertainty. This  article addresses two related questions. First, how does regulatory  uncertainty  in the solar PV industry shape  firms’ market and non-market strategies? Second, how might firms’ responses to this public-policy environment affect technolog- ical development and the locus of manufacturing? Government policies on solar PV, and firms’ strategies to over-come regulatory uncertainty, may have unintended consequences. Firms’ decisions on location and
technology development  may result in loss of employment  and national competitiveness for developed countries; and firms’ market strategies may increase regulatory uncertainty if they do
not involve non-market stakeholders. (Keywords: Government  and Business, Energy Policy, Public Policy, Green Manufacturing, Regulation, Corporate Strategy)

This paper examines the use of online, three-dimensional, immersive virtual worlds, such as Second Life®, as an interesting platform and tool for cultural management, artistic development, knowledge exchange and cultural business. These contemporary computer technologies provide a new showcase for cultural promotion
and creative production, as they connect artists and producers with an audience around the world, who, in turn, can access in real time a great variety of cultural content through just a few clicks. The various features of this emerging phenomenon all help to democratize culture, the arts and education, as they bring creations closer to consumers, thus reducing the need for intermediaries and breaking down social, economic and political barriers; this offers benefits to cultural industries, non-profit organizations, governments, collective and individual creators and artists. However, the numerous possibilities ushered in over the last few years not only bring benefits but also pose new challenges in terms of regulation. Indeed, this new stage for cultural and artistic expression and management may require new paradigms of control with a different focus, ones which can provide an alternative understanding of online cultural exchange in real time. Virtual worlds make culture more democratic, as it can be reached for free by a wider range of people in real time; furthermore, artists and creators are provided with an accessible showcase in which they can become better known and where they can interact more directly, immediately and closely with their audience. The possibility and ease with which anyone can create original content in the metaverse is an incentive for creativity, because it allows people to express themselves in original ways that enhance the contents of virtual life. Art thus finds new and different formats, and cultural management
discovers new spaces to break into. At the same time, anonymity, privacy and intellectual property are all issues that need to be addressed. The regulation of virtual worlds may require different ways of thinking and the adoption of new paradigms which consider exchange, democratization, cooperation and sharing as essential
ingredients of these new sets; as such, any rules must control but not restrict, thus avoiding anarchy at the same time as keeping interaction levels high. In the European Year of Creativity and Innovation it is important to consider the opportunities being opened up by these new technologies in the world of culture and education, as well as the possibilities that are emerging and which remain to be researched.

Keywords: Virtual worlds, cultural management, virtual art, creativity, regulation, fair use

This study investigates why the illegal traffic of kidneys exists and remains resilient in the Philippines. It also evaluates the efficacy of the legal and regulatory framework for kidney (and organ) transplantation, and the corresponding implications for health policy. The experiences of comparable countries are noted.Three surveys were employed in this study: 1) a review of related literature on kidney black markets; 2) questionnaire-based interviews of a multi-stage probability sample of 131 kidney vendors from the two largest supplier regions in the Philippines; and 3) a comparative content analysis of pertinent legal and regulatory measures to address the underground kidney trade.Survey results, based on a 4.0 percent statistical margin of error, indicate that kidney vendors are typically males (98.4 percent) who belong to the lower income classes/groups D and E (88.5 percent). The vast majority of vendors (89.2 percent) were unrelated to kidney recipients, many of whom were of foreign descent (60.3 percent). The study finds that certain key elements underpin the kidney black market in the Philippines: an open, brokered and compensation-based contractual system between unrelated donors and sellers. These elements are sustained and reinforced by a robust supply-and-demand interface anchored on brokerage pricing, government incapacity, policy contradictions and public tolerance or indifference.The study suggests that the relative ambiguity of, and continuity between, the legal and underground kidney transplant systems be carefully addressed prior to enacting more specific reforms. The study also calls attention to the unintended consequences of various reform efforts, which are often neglected in formulating health policy and evaluating its costs and benefits.

Cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ether encourage the owners of computing resources to bring ever-increasing levels of processing power to bear in validating the distributed ledger of cryptocurrency purchases and sales.  Initial coin offerings (ICOs) involve the sale of cryptocurrency coins or tokens with the aid of on white papers.  Crypto coin white papers involve a mixture of scientific, sociopolitical, and economic speech.  They often contain extended arguments for how users of the coins and the Internet or society in general could benefit from a new way of organizing economic relations, assembling and deploying assets, or exchanging messages or entitlements.  While they share some similarities with forms of commercial speech that enjoy quite limited First Amendment protection, they are arguably more similar to other economic statements that enjoy First Amendment protection against censorship, or to direct advertisements that are deemed insufficiently misleading to result in civil liability.  Nevertheless, some interpretations of U.S. securities and commodities law would prohibit authors of such white papers from raising funds for crypto coin platforms if the coin's users expect to earn a return on their investment and rely on the coin issuer's expertise or representations. 

This article explores principles of free expression that could shield truthful speech and subjective opinions about new crypto coins from some of the worst chilling effects of U.S. laws.  It examines ways in which crypto coins may benefit marketplace participants and economic efficiency, including by providing a beneficial alternative to traditional software app stores, logistics infrastructures, or banking and payment systems.  It then surveys the First Amendment and other constitutional issues that onerous regulations raise, and draws analogies to doctrines that reconcile the freedom of economic expression with the cause of consumer or investor protection under the Lanham Act, the Securities Exchange Act, state deceptive practices laws, and the law of warranties.  Several themes in the case law are ripe for application to ICOs: the need for precision and proportionality in framing regulation, the proscription against regulatory overkill and one-size-fits-all approaches, and the requirement that basic freedoms be preserved.  More specifically, the securities or commodities are not properly read as applying to many crypto coin offering papers, and describes other concepts such as virtual commodities or virtual barter systems from other jurisdictions that may be a better fit. 

The article urges American lawyers and judges to probe thoroughly whether the interests served by prohibitions and penalties on crypto coin speech justify the burdens imposed on information providers. Regulating false statements of existing fact and enhancing the remedies for making them will be more effective and less constitutionally infirm measures than those aimed at preempting merely potential harm.  Courts must balance the values of fraud prevention and remediation with the values of freedom of expression and expanded economic opportunity.  Analogous fields of law provide several tools with which to achieve this balance, including the distinction between general or universal fraud prohibitions and narrower securities or commodities regulation regimes, the difference between forward-looking and other statements in several area of fraud law, First Amendment principles governing professional and occupational licensing, and rules against vague or discriminatorily enforced regulations. 

keywords: cryptocurrencies, tokens, appcoins, altcoins, coins, coin offerings, ICOs, "initial coin offerings", free speech, freedom of speech, freedom of expression, freedom of information, cloud computing, virtualization, virtual communities,  virtual currencies, virtual commodities, digital barter, securities law, regulation, consumer protection, false advertising, Lanham Act, misleading, First Amendment, commercial speech, least restrictive means, overbreadth, vagueness, Fifth Amendment, due process, human rights, Telegram, TON, Kik, Kin, Kik Interactive, Bitcoin, Ether, smart contracts, crowdfunding, SEC, The DAO, CFTC, CFPB, European Union, EU, banking, risk, innovation, technology, financial technology, payment systems, multistakeholder governance, polycentric governance, puffery, bespeaks caution doctrine, California, New York, Texas, occupational licensing, libertarianism

The pharmaceutical industry has produced many drugs that have benefited man. Political frameworks designed to govern the industry must maintain these benefits. However, regulation needs to be sufficiently robust to protect public health from drugs that are unsafe, ineffective, or unnecessary. The extent of industry influence over drug regulation, at the expense of other interested parties, suggests that the current system could be more robust. The many ways in which the pharmaceutical industry can influence governments and regulatory agencies are discussed, and methods by which this influence can be curbed are suggested.

The aim of this paper is to describe product market competition in the Belgian economy for the period 1997 ]2004 and to illustrate some causality with market regulation. The analysis is held at the industry level, for selected manufacturing and services industries. Emphasis is given to the profit elasticity (PE) measurement of competition (the gBoone h indicator) and the average profitability (AP) indicator (an approximation of the mark ]up indicator). We applied the OECD Regimpact indicator as a proxy for regulation. We present some stylized facts, for Belgium in comparison with selected EU countries; and through an econometric exercise we illustrate the potential of regulation as an explanatory variable for competition.

To achieve photoprotection indicated on the package of sunscreen products they should be used appropriately. As previously published data documented that people usually applied much less than the recommended dose, the current study was undertaken to assess whether a detailed instruction can improve the use of sunscreens.

Aims:  The presented study was aimed to reveal transcriptional regulation of genes involved in SDS degradation (sdsA and sdsB) in Pseudomonas sp. ATCC19151. In addition, the ability of Pseudomonas sp. ATCC19151 to degrade anionic surfactants present in commercial detergent and septic tank drain was analysed.Methods and Results:  Strain ATCC19151, at 30°C, degrades all SDS present in the liquid medium (up to 4% w/v of SDS) within 48 h. ATCC19151 grows in the presence up to 15% (v/v) ‘Fairy’ commercial detergent and mineralizes 35% of present anionic surfactants. Analysis of the sdsA (PsdsA) and divergent sdsB (PsdsB) gene promoter activities revealed that SdsB acts as a positive regulator of sdsA and sdsB transcription. PsdsA and PsdsB activities rose significantly in the presence of the SDS, indicating inducibility of sdsA and sdsB transcription. DNA-binding assay indicated that SdsB directly regulates the transcription of sdsA and sdsB genes. Strain ATCC19151 grew in a sterile septic tank drain and on commercial detergent as sole source of carbon.Conclusions:  SdsA enables Pseudomonas sp. ATCC19151 to utilize SDS as a sole carbon source. SdsB is positive transcriptional regulator of sdsA and sdsB genes.Significance and Impact of the Study:  Ability of ATCC19151 to degrade anionic surfactants makes Pseudomonas sp. ATCC19151 a good candidate for bioremediation.

Economists generally view environmental enforcement as a tool to secure compliance with regulations. This paper demonstrates that credible enforcement significantly increases statutory over-compliance with regulations as well. We find that many plants with discharges typically below legally permitted levels reduce discharges further when regulators issue fines, even on other plants. Also, non-compliant plants often respond to sanctions by reducing discharges well beyond reductions required by law. Thus, increased enforcement generates substantial discharge reductions above and beyond those expected from simply deterring violations.

Background Over the past decade, hospitals in many countries, including Israel, have undergone an accreditation process aimed at improving the quality of services provided. This process also refers to the protection and promotion of patients’ rights. However, reviewing the criteria and content included in this category in the Israeli context reveals definitions and implications that differ from those presented by the law – specifically the Patient’s Rights Act 1995. Moreover, the rights included in it are not necessarily equally represented in other legislation. Methods This study seeks to examine the question of whether and to what extent the scope, contents, and definitions of patients’ rights in the JCI Standards are similar to or different from patients’ rights as they are addressed and protected in national legislation. The article provides a comparison and examination of the different regulatory frameworks of patients’ rights, especially those in the accreditation of healthcar...

Truth, trust and integrity are essential to research at higher education institutions. These institutions have accordingly adopted several policies to foster research integrity. This article explores the likelihood that relevant policies at a selected institution of higher education foster research integrity. The qualitative, single exploratory case study commences with a review of scholarly literature and results in a conceptual model used for a directed content analysis of relevant institutional policies. The findings indicate that these policies do complement each other in fostering research integrity. Further research will be necessary to establish whether policies indeed contribute to responsible researcher conduct.

This paper analyzes the causes of the rise and the fall of the Algerian wine industry. It is hard to imagine in the twenty-first century global wine economy, but until about 50 years ago Algeria was the largest exporter of wine in the world—and by a wide margin. Between 1880 and 1930 Algerian wine production grew dramatically. Equally spectacular was the decline of Algerian wine production: today, Algeria produces and exports little wine. There was an important bidirectional impact between developments in the Algerian wine sector and French regulations. French regulations had a major impact on the Algerian wine industry, and the growth of the Algerian wine industry triggered the introduction of important wine regulations in France at the beginning of the twentieth century and during the 1930s. Important elements of these regulations are still present in European wine policy today. (JEL Classifications: K23, L51, N44, N54, Q13)

Paper ini akan menjelaskan tentang fenomena yang tengah terjadi terkait masuknya tayangan-tayangan impor (asing) di Indonesia dan bagaimana regulasi penyiaran mengatur tayangan-tayangan tersebut agar tidak "merampas" porsi durasi tayangan lokal dan beberapa contoh kasus dan data pendukung terkait hal tersebut.

This paper analyses the strength of the new laws regulating lobbying in Ireland and the United Kingdom (UK). This examination was conducted using the Centre for Public Integrity’s (CPI) “Hired Guns” quantitative method for assessing the stringency of lobbying legislation. These laws were introduced, after years of unfulfilled promises and scandals, in an effort to increase the public’s trust in their representative institutions. We find that the Irish Regulation of Lobbying Act 2015 offers a slightly higher level of transparency than the UK’s Transparency of Lobbying, Non-Party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Act 2014. Additionally, using the CPI’s index allows our findings to be compared with those from other jurisdictions around the world with lobbying regulations in place.