Valentine Seymour

The rapid urbanisation in Ghana has outpaced municipal infrastructure, leaving cities like Accra struggling to manage daily waste. Municipalities and private waste management companies are struggling with significant uncollected municipal solid waste and a high reliance on unsanitary disposal methods. These problems have resulted in serious environmental degradation and public health issues. Despite Ghana having a strong legislative system, there is a significant functional disconnect between policy formulation and local implementation. This study evaluates the existing policies and acts governing Ghana's solid waste management system and explores the potential to integrate informal waste pickers into the formal system. Also, by identifying systemic gaps and policy-driven opportunities, the study seeks to recommend data-driven modelling approaches that prioritise both technological improvement and social inclusion to achieve a sustainable circular economy. Employing a convergent mixed-methods research design, the study utilised semi-structured questionnaire to collect data from 13 purposively selected expert stakeholders across different governing bodies. This allowed for quantitative descriptive method to identify systemic trends and a qualitative thematic analysis of open-ended responses, ensuring a complete evaluation of MSW governance landscape in Ghana. The findings reveal an institutional maze characterised by fragmented law enforcement, financial constraints and a complete absence of formal monitoring systems. The findings also show that informal waste pickers lack recognition, social protection and technical support. The study recommends data-driven modelling approaches such as optimisation models, multi-criteria decision-making tools and Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) that align and integrate institutional frameworks with inclusive social policies.

This study examines the constrained social acceptance of small-scale geothermal energy in a rural sub-Saharan region, a critically understudied area, characterised by high energy poverty, heavy dependence on biomass, and suitable for geothermal energy exploration. Small-scale geothermal energy may offer an additional option for decentralised power supply through mini grids. The study investigates public awareness and knowledge level of geothermal energy technologies among the residents of Eka Awoke, Ikwo, Ebonyi State, Nigeria, to assess the potential of the deliberative process to enhance the social acceptance of geothermal energy technologies and the development of an improved participatory framework to aid the discussion. Citizen jury and survey methods, combining qualitative and quantitative research techniques, were employed. This study presents the first in-depth analysis of the social acceptance of small-scale geothermal energy for electricity supply in a rural African context. Pre-deliberative assessments revealed that 36% of the jurors had limited knowledge and expressed environmental concerns. The post-deliberative assessment revealed that over 80% of jurors reported improved understanding and views. The study demonstrates that citizen jury, when combined with surveyed results can serve as a powerful and scalable tool for advancing social acceptance of geothermal energy. These findings provide a solid foundation for policymakers, stakeholders, and energy providers to design more effective communication engagement strategies for sustainable energy transition in the community.

"Researching Voluntary Action: Innovations and Challenges by Jon Dean and Eddy Hogg (eds)" published on 07 Sep 2023 by Policy Press.

1. Smart and modular homes have risen-up the UK national political agenda in recent years, and has become a priority area of in UK housing policy (e.g. Planning for the future 2020; Powering Up Bri...

"Participatory Ideology: From Exclusion to Involvement by Peter Beresford (2021)" published on 07 Jun 2022 by Policy Press.

Background: National clinical audit programmes aim to improve patient care by reviewing performance against explicit standards and directing action towards areas not meeting those standards. Their impact can be improved by (1) optimising feedback content and format, (2) strengthening audit cycles and (3) embedding randomised trials evaluating different ways of delivering feedback. Objectives: The objectives were to (1) develop and evaluate the effects of modifications to feedback on recipient responses, (2) identify ways of strengthening feedback cycles for two national audits and (3) explore opportunities, costs and benefits of national audit participation in a programme of trials. Design: An online fractional factorial screening experiment (objective 1) and qualitative interviews (objectives 2 and 3). Setting and participants: Participants were clinicians and managers involved in five national clinical audits – the National Comparative Audit of Blood Transfusions, the Paediatric Intensive Care Audit Network, the Myocardial Ischaemia National Audit Project, the Trauma Audit & Research Network and the National Diabetes Audit – (objective 1); and clinicians, members of the public and researchers (objectives 2 and 3). Interventions: We selected and developed six online feedback modifications through three rounds of user testing. We randomised participants to one of 32 combinations of the following recommended specific actions: comparators reinforcing desired behaviour change; multimodal feedback; minimised extraneous cognitive load for feedback recipients; short, actionable messages followed by optional detail; and incorporating ‘the patient voice’ (objective 1). Main outcome measures: The outcomes were intended actions, including enactment of audit standards (primary outcome), comprehension, user experience and engagement (objective 1). Results: For objective 1, the primary analysis included 638 randomised participants, of whom 566 completed the outcome questionnaire. No modification independently increased intended enactment of audit standards. Minimised cognitive load improved comprehension (+0.1; p = 0.014) and plans to bring audit findings to colleagues’ attention (+0.13, on a –3 to +3 scale; p = 0.016). We observed important cumulative synergistic and antagonistic interactions between modifications, participant role and national audit. The analysis in objective 2 included 19 interviews assessing the Trauma Audit Research Network and the National Diabetes Audit. The identified ways of strengthening audit cycles included making performance data easier to understand and guiding action planning. The analysis in objective 3 identified four conditions for effective collaboration from 31 interviews: compromise – recognising capacity and constraints; logistics – enabling data sharing, audit quality and funding; leadership – engaging local stakeholders; and relationships – agreeing shared priorities and needs. The perceived benefits of collaboration outweighed the risks. Limitations: The online experiment assessed intended enactment as a predictor of actual clinical behaviour. Interviews and surveys were subject to social desirability bias. Conclusions: National audit impacts may be enhanced by strengthening all aspects of feedback cycles, particularly effective feedback, and considering how different ways of reinforcing feedback act together. Future work: Embedded randomised trials evaluating different ways of delivering feedback within national clinical audits are acceptable and may offer efficient, evidence-based and cumulative improvements in outcomes. Trial registration: This trial is registered as ISRCTN41584028. Funding details: This project was funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Health and Social Care Delivery Research programme and will be published in full in Health and Social Care Delivery Research; Vol. 10, No. 15. See the NIHR Journals Library website for further project information.

The need for the world to follow a more carbon-neutral path is clear, with growing evidence highlighting the existential threat posed by unregulated GHG emissions. Responsibility for achieving this does not only lie with policy makers but is shared with all stakeholders including governments, private sectors, charities and civil society as a whole. Several methodological approaches have been developed to set emission reduction targets, including the Science-Based Targets Initiative (SBTi). However, it is yet to be widely adopted, and as thought leaders in the field, universities must take a lead in its interpretation and application. This study is reported from the perspective of a UK university, which is adopting climate change considerations to facilitate achieving Czero by 2030 and will act as an exemplar case. We calculate baseline emissions, science-based reduction targets for different carbon emission reduction methods and options in terms of financing emission reduction pathways at present and in the future. The study outcomes show that incorporating a SBTi methodology can serve as insight into other medium-sized organisations and universities wishing to develop a net-zero pathway. These results have been summarised into a series of recommendations.