Prevalence and Propagation of Fake News

In recent years, scholars have raised concerns on the effects that unreliable news, or "fake news,” has on our political sphere, and our democracy as a whole. For example, the propagation of fake news on social media is widely believed to have influenced the outcome of national elections, including the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election, and the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. What drives the propagation of fake news on an individual level, and which interventions could effectively reduce the propagation rate? Our model disentangles bias from truthfulness of an article and examines the relationship between these two parameters and a reader's own beliefs. Using the model, we create policy recommendations for both social media platforms and individual social media users to reduce the spread of untruthful or highly biased news. We recommend that platforms sponsor unbiased truthful news, focus fact-checking efforts on mild to moderately biased news, recommend friend suggestions across the political spectrum, and provide users with reports about the political alignment of their feed. We recommend that individual social media users fact check news that strongly aligns with their political belief and read articles of opposing political bias. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Statistics & Public Policy is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

Recommendations for maternal mental health policy in India.

Mental illnesses are a serious concern in India where every seventh person suffers from mental health problems-with women more affected than men. While the burden of perinatal mental illnesses grows, India lacks exclusive policies to address it. The COVID-19 pandemic has had an impact on routine antenatal care and institutional deliveries and has also affected the mental health of pregnant women and mothers. We evaluated existing policies. Policy options were evaluated against criteria like cost-benefit analysis, administrative feasibility, human resources, and equity along with the intended and unintended consequences. We propose three policy options: (1) strengthening and focused implementation of the existing national mental health program (NMHP), (2) integrating mental health in the ongoing Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health Program, and (3) including a 'maternal' component in NMHP. We offered policy recommendations to fill the gap in addressing the maternal mental health challenge in India.

COVID-19 and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Scenario analysis through fuzzy cognitive map modeling.

The COVID-19 crisis has immensely impacted the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development worldwide. This research aims at providing a policy response to support achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) taking the COVID-19 long-term implications into account. To do so, a qualitative analytical method was employed in the following four steps. First, a fuzzy cognitive map was developed to specify causal-effect links of the interdependent SDGs in Iran as a developing country in the Middle East. Second, potential effects of the pandemic on the SDGs achievement were analyzed. Third, five strategies were formulated, including green management, sustainable food systems, energizing the labor market, inclusive education, and supporting research and technology initiatives in the energy sector. And finally, different scenarios corresponding to the five proposed strategies were tested based on the identified interconnections among the SDGs. The analysis showed that applying each of the five considered strategies or their combination would mitigate the effect of COVID-19 on the SDGs only in case of a medium pandemic activation level. Moreover, implementing a single strategy with a high activation level leads to better outcomes on the SDGs rather than applying a combination of strategies in low or medium activation levels during the pandemic situation. The provided insights support stakeholders and policy-makers involved in the post-COVID-19 recovery action plan towards implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Exploration of Food Security Challenges towards More Sustainable Food Production: A Systematic Literature Review of the Major Drivers and Policies.

Food security is a central priority for international policy as one of the world's most significantly urgent targets to achieve. It is considered one of the most pressing issues in many countries, the degree of food security representing the level of self-sufficiency and well-being of citizens. In particular, in the current COVID-19 pandemic era, it has more than ever become a mission-critical goal. In this research, we report on the food security drivers and the current state of recommended policies addressing chronic food insecurity aimed at ensuring the sustainability of future food production. Mapping the determinants of food security contributes to a better understanding of the issue and aids in the development of appropriate food security policies and strategies to enhance the sustainability of food production in all facets; namely environmental, social, and economic. Adopting the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) data screening and selection guidelines and standards, we carried out a comprehensive, reliable, systematic, and rigorous review of research from the last ten years in order to identify the most frequently mentioned drivers and policies of food security in the literature available in two databases: Scopus and Web of Science (WOS). The number of extracted articles was 141 papers in total. An analysis revealed 34 drivers of food security and 17 most recommended policies for the mitigation of food insecurity. The existence of food loss and waste (FLW) policies was the primary driver of food security, followed by food security policies (FSP) in their different forms. However, FSP were the most recommended policies, followed by FLW policies. The identified food security drivers and recommended policies should be used by policy-makers to improve food security, thus contributing to sustainable food production. Our research findings, reflected in the latest version of the Global Food Security Index (GFSI), resulted in more tangible policy implications, suggesting the addition of two dimensions regarding food security. We also identified elements not listed under the GFSI that could be considered in its future revision, including environmental policies/indicators, consumer representation, and traceability throughout the entire supply chain. Overall, it can be concluded that food security is a complicated and multi-faceted issue that cannot be restricted to a single variable, necessitating the deeper integration of various multi-disciplinary interventions.

The Economic Impacts of COVID-19 on Micro and Small Enterprises: Empirical Evidences from Oromia National Regional State, Ethiopia

This article aims to assess the economic impact of COVID-19 outbreak on these businesses to provide policy recommendations to support MSE. Primary data and secondary data were used for this study as the source of data. Three multistage sampling techniques was employ to select 372 MSE in six district towns of Western Shewa Zone by administering personal interview. Descriptive statistics such as percentage, frequency, maximum, minimum, mean and standard deviation were used to measure the association and growth probability of MSEs. The major problems finding in the study area were facing multiple issues such as increase in cost of production, shortage of workers and reduction in sales and profit. More than 70% of participating respondents reported that they could not survive if the present trend lasts more than three months. As a temporary solution to sustain their business 169 (45.40%) reduced the number of their employees, 73 (19.60%) laid off their employees as the result of the pandemic crisis. The findings of study are consistent with previous studies and so that national authorities must continue taking a host of measures to provide support to ensure continuity and minimize damage in the small and micro enterprises sector. Therefore, for this study, Policymakers have to come together, and coordinate their work in the financial as well as the productive and service sectors in Ethiopia. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Sarhad Journal of Agriculture is the property of Knowledge Bylanes and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

The Economic Impacts of COVID-19 on Micro and Small Enterprises: Empirical Evidences from Oromia National Regional State, Ethiopia

This article aims to assess the economic impact of COVID-19 outbreak on these businesses to provide policy recommendations to support MSE. Primary data and secondary data were used for this study as the source of data. Three multistage sampling techniques was employ to select 372 MSE in six district towns of Western Shewa Zone by administering personal interview. Descriptive statistics such as percentage, frequency, maximum, minimum, mean and standard deviation were used to measure the association and growth probability of MSEs. The major problems finding in the study area were facing multiple issues such as increase in cost of production, shortage of workers and reduction in sales and profit. More than 70% of participating respondents reported that they could not survive if the present trend lasts more than three months. As a temporary solution to sustain their business 169 (45.40%) reduced the number of their employees, 73 (19.60%) laid off their employees as the result of the pandemic crisis. The findings of study are consistent with previous studies and so that national authorities must continue taking a host of measures to provide support to ensure continuity and minimize damage in the small and micro enterprises sector. Therefore, for this study, Policymakers have to come together, and coordinate their work in the financial as well as the productive and service sectors in Ethiopia. © 2021. All Rights Reserved.

Transport policymaking that accounts for COVID-19 and future public health threats: A PASS approach.

The novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak has had wide-reaching and unprecedented impacts on the transport sector worldwide. At present, there is no globally agreed timeframe for when this pandemic will end. The current and near-future potential impacts must be addressed in a relatively comprehensive and seamless way. The present study proposed a PASS (P: Prepare-Protect-Provide; A: Avoid-Adjust; S: Shift-Share; S: Substitute-Stop) approach for policymaking that accounts for COVID-19 and future public health threats. The PASS approach was illustrated conceptually, and then policy measures were recommended by referring to the past and ongoing best practices. Policymaking challenges and research issues were discussed.