ASPECTS REGARDING WOOD WELDING IN THE CONTEXT OF APPLICABILITY IN THE LEAST DEVELOPED COUNTRIES

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Ramona-Elena DUMITRAȘCU

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Furniture, as traditional sector in Romania, is one of the few areas that bring profit. It is a field that contributes to the economical competitiveness through the variety of products for import and export. In this context, joining wood is essential for the production of wood products. Therefore, knowing the environmentally-friendly methods for wood joints could lead to performance and progress. Welding technology of wood as an alternative method to bonding wood elements or wooden structures has not been addressed in Romania until now. The paper presents a review performed with the aim of contribute to the knowledge of this innovative technology, to show the problems and the possibilities, of least developed countries, to contribute at this area of reasearch. The general aim is to present the main methods and to analyze their advantages and disadvantages in the context of development in the least developed countries. The results showed that both methods, at low and hight temperature, has benefits but there are and some economic and knowledge barriers for extended the technology.The overall conclusion of this research is to find efficient solutions for wood welding in order to obtain new better and cleaner wood products

Prevalence and Determinants of Repeat Mammography Among Women from a Developing Country.

Science.gov (United States)

Salinas-Martínez, Ana María; Gaspar-Rivera, Jimena Estefanía; Juárez-Pérez, Oscar; Montañez-Sauceda, José Roberto; Núñez-Rocha, Georgina Mayela; Guzmán-de-la-Garza, Francisco Javier; Mathiew-Quirós, Álvaro

2017-04-01

Failures in repeat mammography decrease the potential benefits of screening; however, it is notable that the recent use of mammography is more frequently studied than repeat use. We estimated the prevalence and analyzed determinants for repeat mammography among women from Mexico, a developing country of Latin America. It was a two-stage study with an initial cross-sectional design (n = 1045) and a final case-control design that involved women of at least 45 years of age with no history of breast, ovarian, or uterine cancer. Case subjects were those with three or more mammograms in the last 5 years, with the last one carried out within the last two years (n = 444); control subjects included those who underwent ≥3 mammograms throughout their life with the most recent carried out >2 years ago (n = 444). Through interviews, we evaluated context-dependency, fulfillment of expected outcomes, self-efficacy, and risk perception, among other factors. We estimated the prevalence with 95 % confidence intervals (CI), and odds ratios (OR) using multivariate binary logistic regression. The prevalence of repeat mammography was 40.4 % (95 % CI 37.4-43.4). Self-efficacy demonstrated the highest effect on repeat use (OR 7.7, 95 % CI 4.7-12.6), followed by awareness context-dependency (OR 4.9, 95 % CI 3.3-7.2), the use of Papanicolaou testing (OR 3.5, 95 % CI 2.3-5.2), the fulfillment of expected waiting time outcome (OR 2.4, 95 % CI 1.2-4.7), and context-dependency related to self-referral/health provider referral (OR 2.4, 95 % CI 1.7-3.4), independent of risk perception, age, education, and positive emotional state of mind. The study showed a need for increasing the prevalence of promoting awareness of the determining factors of repeat mammography, which is a necessary component in the early detection of breast cancer.

Convergence and determinants of health expenditures in OECD countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Nghiem, Son Hong; Connelly, Luke Brian

2017-08-17

This study examines the trend and determinants of health expenditures in OECD countries over the 1975-2004 period. Based on recent developments in the economic growth literature we propose and test the hypothesis that health care expenditures in countries of similar economic development level may converge. We hypothesise that the main drivers for growth in health care costs include: aging population, technological progress and health insurance. The results reveal no evidence that health expenditures among OECD countries converge. Nevertheless, there is evidence of convergence among three sub-groups of countries. We found that the main driver of health expenditure is technological progress. Our results also suggest that health care is a (national) necessity, not a luxury good as some other studies in this field have found.

Applying the food technology neophobia scale in a developing country context. A case-study on processed matooke (cooking banana) flour in Central Uganda.

Science.gov (United States)

De Steur, Hans; Odongo, Walter; Gellynck, Xavier

2016-01-01

The success of new food technologies largely depends on consumers' behavioral responses to the innovation. In Eastern Africa, and Uganda in particular, a technology to process matooke into flour has been introduced with limited success. We measure and apply the Food technology Neophobia Scale (FTNS) to this specific case. This technique has been increasingly used in consumer research to determine consumers' fear for foods produced by novel technologies. Although it has been successful in developed countries, the low number and limited scope of past studies underlines the need for testing its applicability in a developing country context. Data was collected from 209 matooke consumers from Central Uganda. In general, respondents are relatively neophobic towards the new technology, with an average FTNS score of 58.7%, which hampers the success of processed matooke flour. Besides socio-demographic indicators, 'risk perception', 'healthiness' and the 'necessity of technologies' were key factors that influenced consumer's preference of processed matooke flour. Benchmarking the findings against previous FTNS surveys allows to evaluate factor solutions, compare standardized FTNS scores and further lends support for the multidimensionality of the FTNS. Being the first application in a developing country context, this study provides a case for examining food technology neophobia for processed staple crops in various regions and cultures. Nevertheless, research is needed to replicate this method and evaluate the external validity of our findings. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Fiscal Consolidation Start and its Determinants Analysis Within European Member Countries

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Lucia Mihóková

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Purpose: The purpose of the research from the theoretical point of view is to define the "start of fiscal consolidation" and to clarify the effects of selected determinants on its initiation. The purpose of the paper, in an empirical context, is to empirically assess the impact of selected determinants on the start of consolidation in the EU member states in 1995-2015 using quantitative economics. The paper was developed within the project VEGA 1/0967/15. Methodology: The empirical assessment of the research objective is divided into four phases: (1 creation of research review using EBHC methodology, (2 identification of “start” of fiscal consolidation within selected period, (3 panel econometric analysis: model specification, quantification of model’s parameters and model verification and (4 research assessment and discussion. Within the analysis, the traditional, specific and general methods were used (systemic review according to EBHC methodology, content analysis, panel regression analysis, synthesis. Approach: Approach identifies “start” of consolidation episodes using selected identification rules. Using the panel regression analysis (OLS, FEM and REM models approach the statistically significant macroeconomic, fiscal, political and other determinants and quantification of the polarity of their impact on the fiscal consolidation start were analysed. Findings: Based on the performed econometric analysis can be stated that the start of consolidation is significantly determined by initial macroeconomic and fiscal situation in the country which are captured by the size of output gap and GDP growth as well as the size of CAPB, budget expenditure and the revenue side. Political and other determinants (such as crisis can also influence the start of consolidation episodes..

Sources of Free and Open Source Spatial Data for Natural Disasters and Principles for Use in Developing Country Contexts

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Taylor, Faith E.; Malamud, Bruce D.; Millington, James D. A.

2016-04-01

Access to reliable spatial and quantitative datasets (e.g., infrastructure maps, historical observations, environmental variables) at regional and site specific scales can be a limiting factor for understanding hazards and risks in developing country settings. Here we present a 'living database' of >75 freely available data sources relevant to hazard and risk in Africa (and more globally). Data sources include national scientific foundations, non-governmental bodies, crowd-sourced efforts, academic projects, special interest groups and others. The database is available at http://tinyurl.com/africa-datasets and is continually being updated, particularly in the context of broader natural hazards research we are doing in the context of Malawi and Kenya. For each data source, we review the spatiotemporal resolution and extent and make our own assessments of reliability and usability of datasets. Although such freely available datasets are sometimes presented as a panacea to improving our understanding of hazards and risk in developing countries, there are both pitfalls and opportunities unique to using this type of freely available data. These include factors such as resolution, homogeneity, uncertainty, access to metadata and training for usage. Based on our experience, use in the field and grey/peer-review literature, we present a suggested set of guidelines for using these free and open source data in developing country contexts.

Determinants of fixed investment by manufacturing firms in a developing country

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bilsborrow, R E

1977-10-01

The validity of classical explanations of business investment decisions are examined and evidence is found that a less-pure approach is appropriate in the context of a developing country. A new data base is developed, using an electric model of manufacturing corporations in Colombia. The main empirical findings are: (1) An accelerator was accepted and institutionalized as a long-run investment. (2) Cash flow effects were a slightly more-important determinant of annual-investment variations than the accelerator in accordance with business uncertainties and undeveloped capital and loan markets. (3) Although the balance-sheet risk variable was the best variable in individual firm time-risk regression studies, no firm conclusions can be drawn without further investigation. (4) The single most-important influence on annual variations in investment by aggregates of firms was the availability of foreign exchange, which suggests the impact that changes in government policies can have on investment and economic activity. (5) Investment theory ''explained'' the behavior of foreign-controlled investment in Colombia better than that of Colombian corporations, whose executives may have been less willing to take risks. 56 references.

Classification of EU Countries in the Context of Corporate Income Tax

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Alena Andrejovská

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Taxes are an integral part of human society, regardless of the economic, cultural and political disparities between the countries. Income taxes of legal entities represent significant part of the budget, what is the reason for their timeliness and public discussion. The aim of the paper is a classification of the EU countries into economic groups and an assessment of the grouping these EU member states based on common characteristics in the area of corporate income taxes. Common features are determined by the structure of selected macroeconomic indicators: public debt, government budget balance, the overall tax burden, economic performance, nominal and effective tax rate. The analysis compares a range of methodological approaches of hierarchical (Ward linkage and median linkage, and non‑hierarchical clustering (k-means clustering and fuzzy cluster analysis. The results of cluster analysis grouped the monitored countries into five clusters based on common characteristics as the corporate income tax rate, economics performance and the level of public debt. The result of the analysis shows that despite of ongoing there are still differences present, which are present in the ratios of countries’ development as well as in the economic policies of the particular countries.

Context-dependent cheating: Experimental evidence from 16 countries

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Pascual-ezama, David; Fosgaard, Toke R.; Cardenas, Juan Camilo; Kujal, Praveen; Veszteg, Robert; Gil-gómez De Liaño, Beatriz; Gunia, Brian; Weichselbaumer, Doris; Hilken, Katharina; Antinyan, Armenak; Delnoij, Joyce|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/371752213; Proestakis, Antonios; Tira, Michael D.; Pratomo, Yulius; Jaber-lópez, Tarek; Brañas-garza, Pablo

2015-01-01

Policy makers use several international indices that characterize countries according to the quality of their institutions. However, no effort has been made to study how the honesty of citizens varies across countries. This paper explores the honesty among citizens across 16 countries with 1440

Universal health coverage in the context of population ageing: What determines health insurance enrolment in rural Ghana?

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Van der Wielen, Nele; Channon, Andrew Amos; Falkingham, Jane

2018-05-24

Population ageing presents considerable challenges for the attainment of universal health coverage (UHC), especially in countries where such coverage is still in its infancy. Ghana presents an important case study on the effectiveness of policies aimed at achieving UHC in the context of population ageing in low and middle-income countries. It has witnessed a profound recent demographic transition, including a large increase in the number of older adults, which coincided with the development and implementation of a National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), designed to help achieve UHC. The objective of this paper is to examine the community, household and individual level determinants of NHIS enrolment among older adults aged 50-69 and 70 plus. The latter are exempt from NHIS premium payments. Using the Ghanaian Living Standards Survey from 2012 to 2013, determinants of NHIS enrolment for individuals aged 50-69 and 70 plus living in rural Ghana are examined through the application of multilevel regression analysis. Previous studies have mainly focused on the enrolment of young and middle aged adults and considered mainly demographic and socio-economic factors. The novel inclusion of spatial barriers within this analysis demonstrates that levels of NHIS enrolment are determined in part by the community provision of healthcare facilities. In addition, the findings imply that insurance enrolment increases with household expenditure even for those aged 70 plus who are exempt from the NHIS premium payment. Adequate and appropriate infrastructure as well as health insurance is vital to ensure movement to UHC in low and middle income countries. Overall, the results confirm that there remain significant inequalities in enrolment by expenditure quintile that future policy reform will need to address.

19 CFR 356.7 - Request to determine when the Government of a FTA country received notice of a scope determination.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 19 Customs Duties 3 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Request to determine when the Government of a FTA... determine when the Government of a FTA country received notice of a scope determination. (a) Pursuant to... writing from the Department the date on which the Government of a FTA country received notice of a scope...

ASSESSING FDI DETERMINANTS IN CEE COUNTRIES DURING AND AFTER TRANSITION

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POPOVICI OANA CRISTINA

2015-07-01

Full Text Available The aim of this paper is to identify if the drivers of inward foreign direct investments’ stocks in Central and Eastern European countries changed in the last 20 years, given two substantial economic evolutions encountered in this period: the transition process and the adhesion at the European Union. We are interested if foreign investors are attracted by the quality of institutions, the labour market or by the telecommunications infrastructure, expressed by 10 variables, in the 11 newest EU member states. Therefore, we use a fixed effects panel data approach during 1994-2013 which we apply in two stages. In the first stage, we find the variables that strongly influence FDI in each of the three groups of determinants. In the second stage, the panel data analysis is applied only for the variables previously find as significant for FDI, to which we add traditional FDI determinants, such as trade openness and GDP per capita. Also, the mentioned years are divided into two sub periods, the first representing the transition period (from 1994 until 2003 and the second one the years comprising the EU adhesion process (from 2004 until 2013. The results confirm that there are changes in FDI determinants in these countries. During 1994 to 2003, investors were mostly interested in the quality of institutions, the openness of the economies and the environments capable of growth, where the products can be sold. For the period starting with 2004, the analyzed countries are attractive mainly through their capacity of providing labour force with low costs and created resources, such as the development of the mobile networks. The results obtained are of particular importance for the public policy decision makers, as the changes in FDI determinants require the adaptation of public policies in the CEE countries in order to remain attractive for foreign investors.

Factors Influencing Adaptive Marine Governance in a Developing Country Context: a Case Study of Southern Kenya

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Louisa S. Evans

2011-06-01

Full Text Available Adaptive governance can be conceptualized as distinct phases of: 1 understanding environmental change; 2 using this understanding to inform decision making; and 3 acting on decisions in a manner that sustains resilience of desirable system states. Using this analytical framework, we explore governance in practice in two case studies in Kenya, that reflect the "messiness" of contemporary coastal governance in many developing country contexts. Findings suggest that adaptive marine governance is unlikely to be a smooth process of learning, knowledge sharing, and responding. There are institutional, sociocultural, and political factors, past and present, that influence each phase of both local and state decision making. New local institutions related to fisher associations and Beach Management Units influence learning and knowledge sharing in ways contrary to those expected of institutions that enable collaborative fisheries management. Similarly, state decision making is relatively uninformed by the diverse knowledge systems available in the coastal zone, despite the rhetoric of participation. Historical relations and modes of working continue to play a significant role in mediating the potential for adaptive governance in the future. The case studies are illustrative and point to a number of institutional and political issues that would need to be addressed in processes of governance reform towards more adaptive management in developing country contexts.

Socio-economic determinants of suicide: an ecological analysis of 35 countries.

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Milner, Allison; McClure, Rod; De Leo, Diego

2012-01-01

A long tradition of research has shown a relationship between suicide rates and socio-economic factors. However, most investigations have neglected to account for country-specific influences. The purpose of this study was to clarify the association between socio-economic variables and gender-specific suicide rates in 35 countries, using analytic techniques able to control for effects embedded within different country contexts. Data relating to male and female age-standardised suicide rates (obtained from the WHO Statistical Information System) were analysed using fixed-effect regression. The possible associations between suicide rates and social variables were tested using data for 35 countries over the period 1980-2006. Findings indicated that higher male and female suicide rates were associated with increased female labour force participation, unemployment, and the proportion of persons over 65 years. Reductions in male and female suicide rates were associated with increased health spending per capita. The study also revealed that higher fertility was associated with a reduction in male suicide. Female labour force participation had a stronger effect on male suicide rates. The results of this study suggest that variables related to the labour market and the economy were better explanatory factors of suicide rates than population-level indicators of interpersonal relationships. Although results were generally similar for males and females, males appeared to be more sensitive to changes in the social environment than women.

Environmental Performance in Countries Worldwide: Determinant Factors and Multivariate Analysis

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Isabel Gallego-Alvarez

2014-11-01

Full Text Available The aim of this study is to analyze the environmental performance of countries and the variables that can influence it. At the same time, we performed a multivariate analysis using the HJ-biplot, an exploratory method that looks for hidden patterns in the data, obtained from the usual singular value decomposition (SVD of the data matrix, to contextualize the countries grouped by geographical areas and the variables relating to environmental indicators included in the environmental performance index. The sample used comprises 149 countries of different geographic areas. The findings obtained from the empirical analysis emphasize that socioeconomic factors, such as economic wealth and education, as well as institutional factors represented by the style of public administration, in particular control of corruption, are determinant factors of environmental performance in the countries analyzed. In contrast, no effect on environmental performance was found for factors relating to the internal characteristics of a country or political factors.

Physical inactivity, gender and culture in Arab countries: a systematic assessment of the literature.

Science.gov (United States)

Sharara, Eman; Akik, Chaza; Ghattas, Hala; Makhlouf Obermeyer, Carla

2018-05-18

Physical inactivity is associated with excess weight and adverse health outcomes. We synthesize the evidence on physical inactivity and its social determinants in Arab countries, with special attention to gender and cultural context. We searched MEDLINE, Popline, and SSCI for articles published between 2000 and 2016, assessing the prevalence of physical inactivity and its social determinants. We also included national survey reports on physical activity, and searched for analyses of the social context of physical activity. We found 172 articles meeting inclusion criteria. Standardized data are available from surveys by the World Health Organization for almost all countries, but journal articles show great variability in definitions, measurements and methodology. Prevalence of inactivity among adults and children/adolescents is high across countries, and is higher among women. Some determinants of physical inactivity in the region (age, gender, low education) are shared with other regions, but specific aspects of the cultural context of the region seem particularly discouraging of physical activity. We draw on social science studies to gain insights into why this is so. Physical inactivity among Arab adults and children/adolescents is high. Studies using harmonized approaches, rigorous analytic techniques and a deeper examination of context are needed to design appropriate interventions.

Capital Structure around the World: The Roles of Firm- and Country-Specific Determinants

NARCIS (Netherlands)

A. de Jong (Abe); R. Kabir (Rezaul); T.T. Nguyen (Thuy Thu)

2007-01-01

textabstractWe analyze the importance of firm-specific and country-specific factors in the leverage choice of firms from 42 countries around the world. Our analysis yields two new results. First, we find that firm-specific determinants of leverage differ across countries, while prior studies

Capital structure around the world: The roles of firm- and country-specific determinants

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Jong, Abe; Kabir, Mohammed Rezaul; Nguyen, Thuy Thu

2008-01-01

We analyze the importance of firm-specific and country-specific factors in the leverage choice of firms from 42 countries around the world. Our analysis yields two new results. First, we find that firm-specific determinants of leverage differ across countries, while prior studies implicitly assume

The Determinants of Country Risk Ratings

OpenAIRE

Jean-Claude Cosset; Jean Roy

1991-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to replicate Euromoney's and Institutional Investor's country risk ratings on the basis of economic and political variables. The evidence reveals that country risk ratings respond to some of the variables suggested by the theory. In particular, both the level of per capita income and propensity to invest affect positively the rating of a country. In addition, high-ranking countries are less indebted than low-ranking countries. It also appears that the ability of t...

Country-level predictors of vaccination coverage and inequalities in Gavi-supported countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Arsenault, Catherine; Johri, Mira; Nandi, Arijit; Mendoza Rodríguez, José M; Hansen, Peter M; Harper, Sam

2017-04-25

Important inequalities in childhood vaccination coverage persist between countries and population groups. Understanding why some countries achieve higher and more equitable levels of coverage is crucial to redress these inequalities. In this study, we explored the country-level determinants of (1) coverage of the third dose of diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis- (DTP3) containing vaccine and (2) within-country inequalities in DTP3 coverage in 45 countries supported by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. We used data from the most recent Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) conducted between 2005 and 2014. We measured national DTP3 coverage and the slope index of inequality in DTP3 coverage with respect to household wealth, maternal education, and multidimensional poverty. We collated data on country health systems, health financing, governance and geographic and sociocultural contexts from published sources. We used meta-regressions to assess the relationship between these country-level factors and variations in DTP3 coverage and inequalities. To validate our findings, we repeated these analyses for coverage with measles-containing vaccine (MCV). We found considerable heterogeneity in DTP3 coverage and in the magnitude of inequalities across countries. Results for MCV were consistent with those from DTP3. Political stability, gender equality and smaller land surface were important predictors of higher and more equitable levels of DTP3 coverage. Inequalities in DTP3 coverage were also lower in countries receiving more external resources for health, with lower rates of out-of-pocket spending and with higher national coverage. Greater government spending on heath and lower linguistic fractionalization were also consistent with better vaccination outcomes. Improving vaccination coverage and reducing inequalities requires that policies and programs address critical social determinants of health including geographic and social exclusion, gender inequality and the availability of

Financial Reforms and Determinants of FDI: Evidence from Landlocked Countries in Sub-Saharan Africa

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Husam Rjoub

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The recognition of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI as a source of funding to foster economic development in both developed and developing countries has been in ascendancy. The prime purpose of this study is to empirically investigate the determinants of FDI for the “landlocked countries” in Sub-Saharan Africa over the period 1995–2013. By employing panel data analysis, the result of the study revealed that domestic investment, trade (openness, human capital, political constraint, natural resource endowment and the market size (with the GDP growth as proxy as having positive impact on determining FDI flow into the sample countries with only the countries’ tax policies seen otherwise. Our study not only contributes to existing literature on FDI determinants by investigating landlocked countries of Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA for the first time but also includes natural resources that the landlocked countries are endowed with, tax policies and political constraints in such countries for the stipulated period.

Country risk premium: theoretical determinants and empirical evidence for latin american countries

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Selmo Aronovich

1999-12-01

Full Text Available This paper investigates the behavior of the country risk premium for Argentina, Brazil and Mexico, from June 1997 to September 1998. It shows that the level of country risk premium is determined by different factors: the US dollar bond market structure; restrictions on the acquisition of emerging market bonds imposed by developed nations regulators; the credit risk measured by the notion of implied risk-neutral probability default; the different ways agents react to country risk due to asymmetric and imperfect information. The empirical investigation shows: the worse the country credit rating, the greater is the impact on international borrowing cost, which implies that negative expectations have greater impact on lower rated Latin American nations' bonds; country risk yield spreads overreacted to changes in the US dollar interest rates in the sample period.Este artigo investiga o comportamento do conceito de prêmio de risco-país para Argentina, Brasil e México, de junho de 1997 até setembro de 1998. Mostra-se que tal prêmio é determinado pelos seguintes fatores: a estrutura do mercado de títulos de dívida em dólares norte-americanos; as restrições à aquisição de títulos de dívida impostas por agentes reguladores de países desenvolvidos; o risco de crédito mensurado pelo conceito de probabilidade de inadimplência risco-nêutra implícita; o modo como os agentes reagem à informação assimétrica ou imperfeita. A evidência empírica revela que: quanto pior a classificação de risco de crédito, maior é o impacto esperado sobre as condições de captação externa, implicando que expectativas desfavoráveis afetam de forma mais acentuada países com baixa classificação de crédito; o valor do spread representativo do risco-país mostrou-se superelástico à variação da taxa de juros de longo prazo do Tesouro norte-americano no período da amostra.

Teachers' Conceptions About the Genetic Determinism of Human Behaviour: A Survey in 23 Countries

Science.gov (United States)

Castéra, Jérémy; Clément, Pierre

2014-02-01

This work analyses the answers to a questionnaire from 8,285 in-service and pre-service teachers from 23 countries, elaborated by the Biohead-Citizen research project, to investigate teachers' conceptions related to the genetic determinism of human behaviour. A principal components analysis is used to assess the main trends in all the interviewed teachers' conceptions. This illustrates that innatism is present in two distinct ways: in relation to individuals (e.g. genetic determinism to justify intellectual likeness between individuals such as twins) or in relation to groups of humans (e.g. genetic determinism to justify gender differences or the superiority of some human ethnic groups). A between-factor analysis discriminates between countries, showing very significant differences. There is more innatism among teachers' conceptions in African countries and Lebanon than in European countries, Brazil and Australia. Among the other controlled parameters, only two are significantly independent of the country: the level of training and the level of knowledge of biology. A co-inertia analysis shows a strong correlation between non-citizen attitudes towards and innatist conceptions of genetic determinism regarding human groups. We discuss these findings and their implications for education.

15 CFR 806.10 - Determining place of residence and country of jurisdiction of individuals.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... DIRECT INVESTMENT SURVEYS § 806.10 Determining place of residence and country of jurisdiction of... 15 Commerce and Foreign Trade 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Determining place of residence and country of jurisdiction of individuals. 806.10 Section 806.10 Commerce and Foreign Trade Regulations...

Determinants of non-performing loans in Central and Eastern European countries

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Bruna Škarica

2014-03-01

Full Text Available This paper analyses the determinants of the changes in the non-performing loan (NPL ratio in selected European emerging markets. The model was estimated on a panel dataset using a fixed effects estimator for seven Central and Eastern European (CEE countries between Q3:2007 and Q3:2012. The countries analyzed are Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Latvia, Romania and Slovakia. Although the literature on NPLs is quite extensive, this is the first empirical research on the countries of CEE region using aggregate, country-level data on problem loans. The results suggest that the primary cause of high levels of NPLs is the economic slowdown, which is evident from statistically significant and economically large coefficients on GDP, unemployment and the inflation rate.

Determinants of Economic Growth in V4 Countries and Romania

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Simionescu Mihaela

2017-03-01

Full Text Available The middle and long-term slowdown in growth dynamics could bring serious social and political problems for V4 countries (Czech Republic, Slovak Republic, Hungary, Poland and Romania. It would threaten reaching benefits from potential of convergence process with the developed countries of the European Union. As a result, the V4 economies and Romania should find solutions to achieving a sustainable growth that is associated with an improvement of their international competitiveness. This paper provides an empirical analysis of factors that might determine a stable economic growth in the five mentioned countries. The empirical analysis conducted for the period of 2003-2016 employed Bayesian generalized ridge regression. The main results indicated that the FDI promoted economic growth in all countries, except the Slovak Republic. Only in the Czech Republic, the expenditure on education generated economic growth, while the expenditure on R&D had positive effects in Romania, Hungary and the Czech Republic.

Some Peculiarities of the Economic Growth in ECOWAS Countries

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Babacar NDIAYE

2017-12-01

Full Text Available This article seeks to determine some of the peculiarities of the economic growth in the countries from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS. Thus, the study is based on the country approach and uses econometric regression tests. In fact, in the context of the determination of the real GDP per capita growth rate of the countries in this region during the period 1987-2014, the results obtained show that it is still weak and unstable. Moreover, the weak convergence that has only been observed beginning with 2008 feeds the hope that ECOWAS can truly improve its level of development despite the heterogeneous nature of the countries. In order to overcome these difficulties, improving the socio-economic performance through the growth rate of real GDP per capita represents, among others, a necessity in relation to economic policy decisions.

Macroeconomic Determinants of Migrants’ Remittances: Evidence from a Panel of Developing Countries

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Safaa Tabit

2016-07-01

Full Text Available This work aims to assess the various macroeconomic determinants of migrants’ remittances for a panel of 22 developing countries highly dependent observed over the period 1990 to 2014. The results underline the importance of the origin country’s GDP, the host country’s GDP, inflation, financial development and institutional quality as major determinants of personal remittances. However, the migrant stock, the official exchange rate and the real interest rate in the country of origin do not have a significant influence on remittances received by the panel considered.

An Investigation of Determinants Global Entrepreneurship: Multi-Country Panel Studies

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Riznaldi Akbar

2016-06-01

Full Text Available This study examines the validity of governmental supports and policies; and financing for entrepreneurs in the context of global entrepreneurial activities. Our studies are based on the rich datasets of the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM database covering 108 countries from 2001 to 2014. In this study, we examine whether countries with more favorable policies and supports towards entrepreneurship and availability of financing for entrepreneurs would result in the higher country’s entrepreneurial activities. We use total early-stage entrepreneurial activity (TEA, a percentage of 18 - 64 year old population who are either a nascent entrepreneur or an owner manager of a new business, as our dependent variable to represent country’s entrepreneurial activities. There are two main explanatory variables used in the study: governmental supports and financing for entrepreneurs. The governmental supports represents the extent to which public policies support entrepreneurship as a relevant economic issue, while financing for entrepreneurs indicates the availability of financial resources for small and medium enterprises (SMEs including grants and subsidies. We also include three control variables of basic school entrepreneurial education and training; physical and services infrastructure; and cultural and social norms to test the significance of these factors to the country’s entrepreneurial activities. This study adopts panel regression model augmented with control variables. We favor Random Effect model as opposed to Fixed Effect or Pooled OLS model as Hausman and Breusch–Pagan test suggest. Our results suggest that there is no evident that government supports have significant contribution to country’s entrepreneurial activities.  In other words, entrepreneurial activities are more flourished in a country that has not set entrepreneurship as relevant economic issues as it might be the case for many emerging countries. The availability of

Assessment of goals and priorities in patients with a chronic condition: a secondary quantitative analysis of determinants across 11 countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Vermunt, Neeltje P C A; Westert, Gert P; Olde Rikkert, Marcel G M; Faber, Marjan J

2018-03-01

To assess the impact of patient characteristics, patient-professional engagement, communication and context on the probability that healthcare professionals will discuss goals or priorities with older patients. Secondary analysis of cross-sectional data from the 2014 Commonwealth Fund International Health Policy Survey of Older Adults. 11 western countries. Community-dwelling adults, aged 55 or older. Assessment of goals and priorities. The final sample size consisted of 17,222 respondents, 54% of whom reported an assessment of their goals and priorities (AGP) by healthcare professionals. In logistic regression model 1, which was used to analyse the entire population, the determinants found to have moderate to large effects on the likelihood of AGP were information exchange on stress, diet or exercise, or both. Country (living in Sweden) and continuity of care (no regular professional or organisation) had moderate to large negative effects on the likelihood of AGP. In model 2, which focussed on respondents who experienced continuity of care, country and information exchange on stress and lifestyle were the main determinants of AGP, with comparable odds ratios to model 1. Furthermore, a professional asking questions also increased the likelihood of AGP. Continuity of care and information exchange is associated with a higher probability of AGP, while people living in Sweden are less likely to experience these assessments. Further study is required to determine whether increasing information exchange and professionals asking more questions may improve goal setting with older patients. Key points   A patient goal-oriented approach can be beneficial for older patients with chronic conditions or multimorbidity; however, discussing goals with these patients is not a common practice. The likelihood of discussing goals varies by country, occurring most commonly in the USA, and least often in Sweden. Country-level differences in continuity of care and questions asked by a

Public opinion change after the Fukushima nuclear accident: The role of national context revisited

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Latré, Edwin; Perko, Tanja; Thijssen, Peter

2017-01-01

This study explores how national context moderated change in support for nuclear energy after the Fukushima accident. The following national contextual variables are tested: geographical distance, nuclear energy production status, freedom of the press, and the building of new nuclear reactors. The results illustrate that previous research has misunderstood the moderating role of national context on opinion change after the Fukushima accident. A survey conducted shortly after the accident with more than 23,000 respondents from 41 countries has shown that geographical distance from the accident mattered: Contradicting a previous study, the decrease in support for nuclear energy was stronger in countries closer to Fukushima. In addition, support for nuclear energy decreased more in countries where new nuclear reactors were under construction. The country's nuclear energy production status and press freedom did not determine opinion change after the Fukushima accident. The non-effect of freedom of the press on opinion change contradicts the role of media after a focusing event as described in the literature. Overall results demonstrate a limited effect of national context on opinion change following a focusing event. Hence, national context provides only limited information to policy makers on how to respond to a nuclear accident. - Highlights: • National context had limited effect on opinion change after Fukushima. • Support for nuclear energy decreased more in counties closer to the accident. • Support for nuclear energy decreased more where the nuclear energy debate was salient. • Freedom of the press did not determine opinion change after Fukushima. • Not all contextual factors are relevant when designing appropriate policy response.

Determinants of tuberculosis in countries of Latin America and the Caribbean

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gustavo Bergonzoli

Full Text Available ABSTRACT Objectives To explore the relationships among social, economic, environmental, and health services determinants of tuberculosis (TB morbidity and mortality, and to identify the mechanisms that mediate such associations in countries of Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC. Methods This was an ecological study of 26 LAC countries that had accurate data available on 38 selected variables for the year 2010. The countries represented 99% of the TB burden in LAC. Multivariate linear regression was used to identify associations among determinants of health and TB morbidity and mortality. Results TB-HIV coinfection and multidrug resistant TB (MDR-TB in previously treated cases were found to be positively associated to TB morbidity and negatively associated to improved basic sanitation and water coverage—pointing to an increase of TB morbidity in the first two variables and a decrease of TB morbidity in the last two. Regarding TB mortality, indigenous people and MDR-TB in previously treated cases were positively associated. In contrast, literacy among women, basic sanitation, water coverage, and nutritional status were negatively associated to mortality, denoting that improvements in these areas could reduce TB mortality. Conclusions The study findings support intersectoral actions that address social, economic, environmental, and health services determinants within the Stop TB strategy. The mechanisms by which social determinants of health affect current trend outcomes extend beyond medical interventions to control TB, but more research is needed to understand how and to develop actionable recommendations.

Parents Helping Their Children Learn to Read: The Effectiveness of Paired Reading and Hearing Reading in a Developing Country Context

Science.gov (United States)

Shah-Wundenberg, Mihika; Wyse, Dominic; Chaplain, Roland

2013-01-01

This paper reports research that investigated parental support for children's reading of English in an inner-city school in the developing country context of an Indian city, Ahmedabad. Children had oral proficiency in the regional language but were beginning to acquire conventional forms of literacy in English. Sociocultural mediation theory…

The socioeconomic inequalities in and determinants of obesity in developing countries

OpenAIRE

Dinsa, Girmaye

2015-01-01

Obesity, a widely known risk factor for many chronic diseases, is rapidly increasing in developing countries. Unlike in the developed world, where obesity is largely associated with low socioeconomic status, there is an ongoing debate on whether obesity is a problem of the rich or that of the poor in developing countries. This thesis comprises four studies that seek to improve our understanding of the socioeconomic associations, inequalities in and determinants of obesity in developing countr...

Methodology and key determinants of building an efficient national innovation system of a country

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Viktoriia Gurova

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The paper represents a research of theoretical principles for determining national innovation systems, as well as analyzes performance results displayed by national innovation systems of the leading countries in the global innovation space, while also describing characteristic features thereof and formulating recommendations for NIS build-up based on the same, implementation of which should serve as the basis of the national innovation system effective performance. It has been determined that at the current stage of global economy development such factors as science, technology and innovation play an important role in formation of a competitive economy. It has been established that the overall funding level with respect to science proves one of the key characteristics of an innovative country, and therefore NIS performance analysis was carried out based on the national expenditure indicator regarding research and development as well as on the country's position in the Global Innovation Index. The analysis carried out showed that the NISs of certain countries were more efficient than those of the others due to peculiarities of the innovative system elements that can be further referred to as determinants of building an effective national innovation system of a country

Determinants of educational participation and gender differences in education in six Arab countries

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Smits, J.P.J.M.; Huisman, A.H.M.

2013-01-01

We study the determinants of educational participation and gender differences in education for young children in six Arab countries: Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, Syria, Tunisia and Yemen. Although these countries have made much progress in getting young children into school, school dropout after age 11

Limbaj și context = Speech and Context , no.1, 2012

OpenAIRE

Angela Cosciug

2017-01-01

Speech and Context International Journal of Linguistics, Semiotics and Literary Science (SCIJLSLS) is an open access, peer reviewed (double blind reviewed) journal which is indexed in many prestigious international databases, directories, lists etc. (see Journal Indexing and Registration by databases types or Journal Indexing and Registration by countries). It appears there like Limbaj şi context or Speech and Context International Journal of Linguistics, Semiotics and Literary Science. The j...

Limbaj și context = Speech and Context, no.1, 2011

OpenAIRE

Angela Cosciug

2017-01-01

Speech and Context International Journal of Linguistics, Semiotics and Literary Science (SCIJLSLS) is an open access, peer reviewed (double blind reviewed) journal which is indexed in many prestigious international databases, directories, lists etc. (see Journal Indexing and Registration by databases types or Journal Indexing and Registration by countries). It appears there like Limbaj şi context or Speech and Context International Journal of Linguistics, Semiotics and Literary Science. The j...

Limbaj și context = Speech and Context, no.1, 2014

OpenAIRE

Cosciug Angela

2017-01-01

Speech and Context International Journal of Linguistics, Semiotics and Literary Science (SCIJLSLS) is an open access, peer reviewed (double blind reviewed) journal which is indexed in many prestigious international databases, directories, lists etc. (see Journal Indexing and Registration by databases types or Journal Indexing and Registration by countries). It appears there like Limbaj şi context or Speech and Context International Journal of Linguistics, Semiotics and Literary Science. The j...

Limbaj și context = Speech and Context, no.1, 2009

OpenAIRE

Angela Cosciug

2009-01-01

Speech and Context International Journal of Linguistics, Semiotics and Literary Science (SCIJLSLS) is an open access, peer reviewed (double blind reviewed) journal which is indexed in many prestigious international databases, directories, lists etc. (see Journal Indexing and Registration by databases types or Journal Indexing and Registration by countries). It appears there like Limbaj şi context or Speech and Context International Journal of Linguistics, Semiotics and Literary Science. The j...

Limbaj și context = Speech and Context. no. 2, 2013

OpenAIRE

Cosciug Angela

2017-01-01

Speech and Context International Journal of Linguistics, Semiotics and Literary Science (SCIJLSLS) is an open access, peer reviewed (double blind reviewed) journal which is indexed in many prestigious international databases, directories, lists etc. (see Journal Indexing and Registration by databases types or Journal Indexing and Registration by countries). It appears there like Limbaj şi context or Speech and Context International Journal of Linguistics, Semiotics and Literary Science. The j...

Limbaj și context = Speech and Context, no.2, 2009

OpenAIRE

Angela Cosciug

2009-01-01

Speech and Context International Journal of Linguistics, Semiotics and Literary Science (SCIJLSLS) is an open access, peer reviewed (double blind reviewed) journal which is indexed in many prestigious international databases, directories, lists etc. (see Journal Indexing and Registration by databases types or Journal Indexing and Registration by countries). It appears there like Limbaj şi context or Speech and Context International Journal of Linguistics, Semiotics and Literary Science. The j...

Limbaj și context = Speech and Context, no.2, 2015

OpenAIRE

Cosciug Angela

2017-01-01

Speech and Context International Journal of Linguistics, Semiotics and Literary Science (SCIJLSLS) is an open access, peer reviewed (double blind reviewed) journal which is indexed in many prestigious international databases, directories, lists etc. (see Journal Indexing and Registration by databases types or Journal Indexing and Registration by countries). It appears there like Limbaj şi context or Speech and Context International Journal of Linguistics, Semiotics and Literary Science. The j...

Limbaj și context = Speech and Context, no.2, 2011

OpenAIRE

Angela Cosciug

2017-01-01

Speech and Context International Journal of Linguistics, Semiotics and Literary Science (SCIJLSLS) is an open access, peer reviewed (double blind reviewed) journal which is indexed in many prestigious international databases, directories, lists etc. (see Journal Indexing and Registration by databases types or Journal Indexing and Registration by countries). It appears there like Limbaj şi context or Speech and Context International Journal of Linguistics, Semiotics and Literary Science. The j...

Trends and determinants of weight gains among OECD countries: an ecological study.

Science.gov (United States)

Nghiem, S; Vu, X-B; Barnett, A

2018-06-01

Obesity has become a global issue with abundant evidence to indicate that the prevalence of obesity in many nations has increased over time. The literature also reports a strong association between obesity and economic development, but the trend that obesity growth rates may converge over time has not been examined. We propose a conceptual framework and conduct an ecological analysis on the relationship between economic development and weight gain. We also test the hypothesis that weight gain converges among countries over time and examine determinants of weight gains. This is a longitudinal study of 34 Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries in the years 1980-2008 using publicly available data. We apply a dynamic economic growth model to test the hypothesis that the rate of weight gains across countries may converge over time. We also investigate the determinants of weight gains using a longitudinal regression tree analysis. We do not find evidence that the growth rates of body weight across countries converged for all countries. However, there were groups of countries in which the growth rates of body weight converge, with five groups for males and seven groups for females. The predicted growth rates of body weight peak when gross domestic product (GDP) per capita reaches US$47,000 for males and US$37,000 for females in OECD countries. National levels of consumption of sugar, fat and alcohol were the most important contributors to national weight gains. National weight gains follow an inverse U-shape curve with economic development. Excessive calorie intake is the main contributor to weight gains. Copyright © 2018 The Royal Society for Public Health. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Present regulatory situation in South East European and Black Sea countries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brenow, K.

2000-01-01

Recently, after the energy reforms beginning, various regulatory models are either actually used or contemplated in the countries of Southeastern Europe and the Black Sea region. The 'models' are country-specific and five of them are described in this report. Certain common issues emerge specific to these countries can be grouped in three categories. The first category, called 'framework issues', includes the policy issues that determine the context in which the regulator will have to evolve. The second category, called 'regulatory issues proper', includes licensing, setting of prices, tariffs, transmission fees, establishment of codes for markets, grids and metering. The third category, called 'international issues', includes these issues requiring the international cooperation among regulators. The countries in Southeastern Europe and around the Black Sea have a long experience with regulation of grid-based energies and this experience should be adapted to the market-oriented context bearing in mind the benefits of competition and of regional integration and markets

19 CFR 356.6 - Receipt of notice of a scope determination by the Government of a FTA country.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... Government of a FTA country. 356.6 Section 356.6 Customs Duties INTERNATIONAL TRADE ADMINISTRATION... determination by the Government of a FTA country. (a) Where the Department has made a scope determination, notice of such determination shall be deemed received by the Government of a FTA country when a certified...

Business Takeover or New Venture? Individual and Environmental Determinants from a Cross-Country Study

OpenAIRE

Block, J.H.; Thurik, A.R.; van der Zwan, P.W.; Walter, S.

2010-01-01

textabstractWhereas the determinants of entrepreneurial choice have been thoroughly analyzed in the literature, little is known about the preferred mode of entry into entrepreneurship, such as taking over an existing business or starting a new venture. Using a large international dataset, this study reports considerable differences in takeover preferences across 33 countries. Hierarchical (multi-level) regressions are performed to explore individual-level and country-level determinants of the...

Economic growth and its determinants in countries in transitio

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Kestrim Avdimetaj

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Main purpose of this scientific research is to analyze the countries in transition; in particular, through this research we will explain the economic growth and its determinants in the countries in transition. Referring to the fact that many ex-communist countries were faced with a transition from a socialist economic system into the economic system of free market, and this phase of transformation is also known as transition, we will analyze this phase in details. The materials contained in this research are based on data taken directly from Financial Institutions, European Central Bank, as well as many other relevant prestigious institutions of countries in transition. The first section of this research begins with the introduction, presenting broadly the economic growth in countries in transition and the manner of their transformation, as well as the identification of hypothesis contained in this research. The second section contains the review of the literature, where we have cited parts from many authors who conducted studies in this broadly and productive field. In the third section are explained the mathematical formulas, that specify the econometric model, as well as the method of assessment, i.e. multiple regression analysis. Then, through the calculations of STATA, we will substitute the values of variables obtained in formula and test them through the selected model. In the last section we will interpret the outcomes derived from calculations in the program, supporting or dismissing hypothesis presented in this scientific research. This scientific research is limited, because many other important variables impacting the economic growth, such as instruments of monetary and fiscal policy, economic freedom, etc., have not been incorporated.

Childhood obesity in developing countries: epidemiology, determinants, and prevention.

Science.gov (United States)

Gupta, Nidhi; Goel, Kashish; Shah, Priyali; Misra, Anoop

2012-02-01

Rapidly changing dietary practices and a sedentary lifestyle have led to increasing prevalence of childhood obesity (5-19 yr) in developing countries recently: 41.8% in Mexico, 22.1% in Brazil, 22.0% in India, and 19.3% in Argentina. Moreover, secular trends indicate increasing prevalence rates in these countries: 4.1 to 13.9% in Brazil during 1974-1997, 12.2 to 15.6% in Thailand during 1991-1993, and 9.8 to 11.7% in India during 2006-2009. Important determinants of childhood obesity include high socioeconomic status, residence in metropolitan cities, female gender, unawareness and false beliefs about nutrition, marketing by transnational food companies, increasing academic stress, and poor facilities for physical activity. Childhood obesity has been associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus, the early-onset metabolic syndrome, subclinical inflammation, dyslipidemia, coronary artery diseases, and adulthood obesity. Therapeutic lifestyle changes and maintenance of regular physical activity through parental initiative and social support interventions are the most important strategies in managing childhood obesity. Also, high-risk screening and effective health educational programs are urgently needed in developing countries. Copyright © 2012 by The Endocrine Society

Determinants of Prosocial Behavior in Included Versus Excluded Contexts.

Science.gov (United States)

Cuadrado, Esther; Tabernero, Carmen; Steinel, Wolfgang

2015-01-01

Prosocial behavior (PSB) is increasingly becoming necessary as more and more individuals experience exclusion. In this context it is important to understand the motivational determinants of PSB. Here we report two experiments which analyzed the influence of dispositional (prosocialness; rejection sensitivity) and motivational variables (prosocial self-efficacy; prosocial collective efficacy; trust; anger; social affiliation motivation) on PSB under neutral contexts (Study 1), and once under inclusion or exclusion conditions (Study 2). Both studies provided evidence for the predicted mediation of PSB. Results in both neutral and inclusion and exclusion conditions supported our predictive model of PSB. In the model dispositional variables predicted motivational variables, which in turn predicted PSB. We showed that the investigated variables predicted PSB; this suggests that to promote PSB one could (1) foster prosocialness, prosocial self and collective efficacy, trust in others and affiliation motivation and (2) try to reduce negative feelings and the tendency to dread rejection in an attempt to reduce the negative impact that these variables have on PSB. Moreover, the few differences that emerged in the model between the inclusion and exclusion contexts suggested that in interventions with excluded individuals special care emphasis should be placed on addressing rejection sensitivity and lack of trust.

Determinants of prosocial behavior in included versus excluded contexts

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Esther eCuadrado

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Prosocial behavior is increasingly becoming necessary as more and more individuals experience exclusion. In this context it is important to understand the motivational determinants of prosocial behavior. Here we report two experiments which analyzed the influence of dispositional (prosocialness; rejection sensitivity and motivational variables (prosocial self-efficacy; prosocial collective efficacy; trust; anger; social affiliation motivation on prosocial behavior under neutral contexts (Study 1, and once under inclusion or exclusion conditions (Study 2. Both studies provided evidence for the predicted mediation of prosocial behavior. Results in both neutral and inclusion and exclusion conditions supported our predictive model of prosocial behavior. In the model dispositional variables predicted motivational variables, which in turn predicted prosocial behavior. We showed that the investigated variables predicted prosocial behavior; this suggests that to promote prosocial behavior one could (1 foster prosocialness, prosocial self and collective efficacy, trust in others and affiliation motivation and (2 try to reduce negative feelings and the tendency to dread rejection in an attempt to reduce the negative impact that these variables have on prosocial behavior. Moreover, the few differences that emerged in the model between the inclusion and exclusion contexts suggested that in interventions with excluded individuals special care emphasis should be placed on addressing rejection sensitivity and lack of trust.

Limbaj și context = Speech and Context, no.1-2, 2016

OpenAIRE

Cosciug Angela

2017-01-01

Speech and Context International Journal of Linguistics, Semiotics and Literary Science (SCIJLSLS) is an open access, peer reviewed (double blind reviewed) journal which is indexed in many prestigious international databases, directories, lists etc. (see Journal Indexing and Registration by databases types or Journal Indexing and Registration by countries). It appears there like Limbaj şi context or Speech and Context International Journal of Linguistics, Semiotics and Literary Science. The j...

Financing the energy sector in developing countries: context and overview

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dunkerley, Joy.

1995-01-01

Traditional 'business as usual' financing methods will no longer be adequate to meet the unprecedented demands for capital to finance energy sector expansion in the developing countries. In recognition, many countries are opening up their power sectors to private investment, initially through the establishment of independent power projects, but in some cases through sector privatization. Project financing has many advantages, but further sectoral reorganization, including tariff reform, will be needed to attract resources on the scale required, especially from domestic investors. In oil and gas, in contrast to power, private capital from the international oil companies has always played a major role in the developing countries. However, sharply increasing investment requirements require a growing role for external finance. There should, in principle, be no shortage of investible funds to finance energy sector expansion in developing countries so long as host countries establish conditions which are attractive to private investors. The augmented role of private finance requires a continuing, if different, role for the public sector in both host countries and official aid agencies. (author)

AN ANALYSIS OF UNEMPLOYMENT IN THE COUNTRIES OF EASTERN AND CENTRAL EUROPE IN THE CONTEXT OF E.U. ADHERING

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Adrian\tLiviu\tSCUTARIU

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Unemployment is a negative phenomenon that manifests itself in any economy with varying degrees of intensity. In this paper we propose to analyze the evolution of unemployment in the EU. There are countries where economic recession was felt more intense and harder recovered from it, such as Greece or Spain. Within the European Union one notes some differences in unemployment between Member States but also in terms of age groups. In the EU youth unemployment rate is approximately double that the general unemployment rate, but the situation is worse in some countries where youth unemployment rate is even higher. Our analysis also focuses on trends recorded at regional level in Central and Eastern Europe countries in the context of their accession to the EU, highlighting positive developments, which were maintained in the coming years. The unemployment rate decrease is one of the objectives followed by the EU through its policies.

Gender and Autonomy-Supportive Contexts: Theoretical Perspectives of Self-Determination and Goal Setting

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Shinyi; Chen, Yu-Chuan

2013-01-01

In integrating theoretical perspectives of self-determination and goal-setting, this study proposes a conceptual model with moderating and mediating effects exploring gender issue in autonomy-supportive learning in higher education as research context. In the proposed model, goal-setting attributes, i.e., individual determinants, social…

Micro and macrolevel determinants of women's employment in six Arab countries

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Spierings, N.; Smits, J.P.J.M.; Verloo, M.M.T.

2010-01-01

We analyzed determinants of women's employment with data for 40,792 women living in 103 districts of 6 Arab countries. We tested a new theoretical framework that addresses the roles of needs, opportunities, and values at multiple levels. At the microlevel (individual, family), socioeconomic factors,

Determinants of the remitting behaviour of Romanian emigrants in an economic crisis context

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Zizi GOSCHIN

2012-12-01

Full Text Available The remittances of international migrants are particularly important for Romania as one of the top European emigration countries and an important remittance recipient country as well. Responding to the need to better understand the determinants of remittances, our paper examines the significance of selected economic, social and demographic factors that impact on the remittance behaviour of Romanian international migrants, as characterized by the propensity to remit and the amount remitted. The present work builds on a new database of 1514 Romanian migrants from 52 destination countries, resulting from our 2010 online survey. One of the main findings is the fact that the remittances are strongly affected by migrant’s income, return intention and presence of the spouse in the destination country.

Determinants of the Strength of Auditing and Reporting Standards: a Cross-Country Study

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Pran Krishansing Boolaky

2013-12-01

Full Text Available Our study addresses the research gap regarding the absence of an empirical cross-country study on the determinants of the strength of auditing and reporting standards (SARS. Using data on 133 countries at various stages of development, we examine the role of environmental factors that influence a country’s strength of auditing and reporting standards. Our empirical results confirm that institutional infrastructure, financial market development and higher education and training jointly influence a country’s strength of auditing and reporting standards. We obtain qualitatively similar subsample results when we partition countries on the basis of economic development.

The Effect of Context-Based Chemical Equilibrium on Grade 11 Students' Learning, Motivation and Constructivist Learning Environment

Science.gov (United States)

ilhan, Nail; Yildirim, Ali; Yilmaz, Sibel Sadi

2016-01-01

In recent years, many countries have adopted a context-based approach for designing science curricula for education at all levels. The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of a Context-Based Chemistry Course (CBCC) as compared with traditional/existing instruction, on 11th grade students' learning about chemical equilibrium,…

International application of sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) taxation in obesity reduction: factors that may influence policy effectiveness in country-specific contexts.

Science.gov (United States)

Jou, Judy; Techakehakij, Win

2012-09-01

Sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) taxation is becoming of increasing interest as a policy aimed at addressing the rising prevalence of obesity in many countries. Preliminary evidence indicates its potential to not only reduce obesity prevalence, but also generate public revenue. However, differences in country-specific contexts create uncertainties in its possible outcomes. This paper urges careful consideration of country-specific characteristics by suggesting three points in particular that may influence the effectiveness of a volume-based soft drink excise tax: population obesity prevalence, soft drink consumption levels, and existing baseline tax rates. Data from 19 countries are compared with regard to each point. The authors suggest that SSB or soft drink taxation policy may be more effective in reducing obesity prevalence where existing obesity prevalence and soft drink consumption levels are high. Conversely, in countries where the baseline tax rate is already considered high, SSB taxation may not have a noticeable impact on consumption patterns or obesity prevalence, and may incur negative feedback from the beverage industry or the general public. Thorough evaluation of these points is recommended prior to adopting SSB or soft drink taxation as an obesity reduction measure in any given country. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

One Mathematics for All: Can It Be Realized in a Multicultural, Multilingual Country?

Science.gov (United States)

Subramanian, Jayasree

2015-01-01

In this paper, situated in the context of elementary and secondary school mathematics curriculum in India, I argue that centrally determined uniform curriculum would have very little to offer a large majority of students in a country that is diverse in many ways.

Micro- and Macrolevel Determinants of Women's Employment in Six Arab Countries

Science.gov (United States)

Spierings, Niels; Smits, Jeroen; Verloo, Mieke

2010-01-01

We analyzed determinants of women's employment with data for 40,792 women living in 103 districts of 6 Arab countries. We tested a new theoretical framework that addresses the roles of needs, opportunities, and values at multiple levels. At the microlevel (individual, family), socioeconomic factors, care duties, and traditionalism were important;…

IMMIGRATION GROWTH TENDENCIES IN OECD COUNTRIES

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Imran SARIHASAN

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Immigration became one of the relevant economic topics in recent years. Over the centuries millions of people have migrated, despite the physical, cultural etc. obstacles, to other lands in search of better lives for themselves and their children. In the context of development, globalization and labor market mobility, it is necessary to further analyze the determinants and consequences of migration not only on the host country, but also on the sending country. The increased interest and availability of data keeps this subject in the attention of economists all over the world. In this case an increase in immigration became very significant ıssue for policymakers. The aims of this study are to describe immigration growth tendencies and to answer how much is the average growth rate of foreıgn born population. Thus, in order to measure the native and foreign-born unemployed migrants, twenty-seven OECD countries were used in this research paper.

The core determinants of health expenditure in the African context: some econometric evidence for policy.

Science.gov (United States)

Murthy, Vasudeva N R; Okunade, Albert A

2009-06-01

This paper, using cross-sectional data from 44 (83% of all) African countries for year 2001, presents econometric model estimates linking real per-capita health expenditure (HEXP) to a host of economic and non-economic factors. The empirical results of OLS and robust LAE estimators indicate that real per-capita GDP (PRGDP) and real per-capita foreign aid (FAID) resources are both core and statistically significant correlates of HEXP. Our empirical results suggest that health care in the African context is technically, a necessity rather than a luxury good (for the OECD countries). This suggests that the goal of health system in Africa is primarily 'physiological' or 'curative' rather than 'caring' or 'pampering'. The positive association of HEXP with FAID hints that external resource inflows targeting health could be instrumental for spurring economic progress in good policy environments. Most African countries until the late 1990s experienced economic and political instability, and faced stringent structural adjustment mandates of the major international financial institution lenders for economic development. Therefore, our finding a positive effect of FAID on HEXP could suggest that external resource inflows softened some of the macroeconomic fiscal deficit impacts on HEXP in the 2000s. Policy implications of country-specific elasticity estimates are given.

Monetary determinants of deposit euroization in European post-transition countries

OpenAIRE

Tkalec Marina

2013-01-01

This paper investigates the long-run and short-run relationship between deposit euroization in twelve European post-transition economies and two determinants of deposit euroization that are under the influence of monetary policy: the exchange rate and the interest rate differential. The link between deposit euroization, exchange rates and interest rate differentials is investigated using Johansen cointegration and error correction models for each country separately. The results suggest ...

Determinants of Multilateral Official Development Assistance: Evidence from a Panel Study of Countries in Sub-Saharan Africa

OpenAIRE

Hlavac, Marek

2007-01-01

Countries in sub-Saharan Africa are some of the poorest and least developed in the world, with deplorable health and education levels. One way intended to promote better living standards in this region has been through development aid. This study examines the determinants of multilateral aid inflows to sub-Saharan Africa to determine whether it is directed to the least developed countries. I use panel data about 22 countries in sub-Saharan Africa from the 1995-2004 period to estimate a regres...

Social determinants of health, universal health coverage, and sustainable development: case studies from Latin American countries.

Science.gov (United States)

de Andrade, Luiz Odorico Monteiro; Pellegrini Filho, Alberto; Solar, Orielle; Rígoli, Félix; de Salazar, Lígia Malagon; Serrate, Pastor Castell-Florit; Ribeiro, Kelen Gomes; Koller, Theadora Swift; Cruz, Fernanda Natasha Bravo; Atun, Rifat

2015-04-04

Many intrinsically related determinants of health and disease exist, including social and economic status, education, employment, housing, and physical and environmental exposures. These factors interact to cumulatively affect health and disease burden of individuals and populations, and to establish health inequities and disparities across and within countries. Biomedical models of health care decrease adverse consequences of disease, but are not enough to effectively improve individual and population health and advance health equity. Social determinants of health are especially important in Latin American countries, which are characterised by adverse colonial legacies, tremendous social injustice, huge socioeconomic disparities, and wide health inequities. Poverty and inequality worsened substantially in the 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s in these countries. Many Latin American countries have introduced public policies that integrate health, social, and economic actions, and have sought to develop health systems that incorporate multisectoral interventions when introducing universal health coverage to improve health and its upstream determinants. We present case studies from four Latin American countries to show the design and implementation of health programmes underpinned by intersectoral action and social participation that have reached national scale to effectively address social determinants of health, improve health outcomes, and reduce health inequities. Investment in managerial and political capacity, strong political and managerial commitment, and state programmes, not just time-limited government actions, have been crucial in underpinning the success of these policies. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Determinants of Foreign Direct Investments Outflow From a Developing Country: the Case of Turkey

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Gokhan Onder

2013-09-01

Full Text Available Foreign direct investments (FDI outflows of Turkey have remarkably been raising over the last decade. This rapid increase brings about the need for questioning the determinants of FDI outflows. The aim of this paper is to estimate the factors affecting outflow FDI from Turkey from 2002 to 2011 by using Prais-Winsten regression analysis. According to estimation results, population, infrastructure, percapita gross domestic product of the host country, and home country exports to the host country are the factors having positive effects on outflow FDI. We found, on the other hand, that the annual inflation rate of the host country, its tax rate collected from commercial profit, and its distance from Turkey have a negative relation with investment outflows. Moreover our results show that while investment outflows to developed countries are in the form of horizontal investments, investment outflows to developing countries are in the form of vertical investments.

Determinants of Intra-Industry Trade in Agricultural and Food Products Between Poland and EU Countries

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Łapinska Justyna

2014-09-01

Full Text Available The present study investigates the country-specific determinants of intra-industry trade between Poland and its European Union trading partners in agricultural and food products during the time period 2002-2011. An econometric model for panel data is applied for the analysis of the factors determining Polish bilateral intra-industry trade with European Union countries. The research leads to the formulation of a statement that the intensity of intra-industry trade in agricultural and food products is positively influenced by the intensity of trade with EU countries and the level of economic development of the member countries (as measured by the size of their GDP per capita. Increase in intra-trade turnover is also facilitated by EU membership and by the fact that Poland’s trade partners use similar Slavic-based languages. Relative differences in the size of the economies and relative differences in Poland’s and its trading partners’ levels of economic development have a negative impact. The degree of the imbalance of trade turnover between trading partners also negatively influences the intensity of intra-trade exchange. The research confirms that the impact of all of the identified factors determining intra-industry trade is consistent with the predictions of the theory.

On the Relative Importance of Corporate Working Capital Determinants: Findings from the EU Countries

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Julia Koralun-Bereźnicka

2014-12-01

Full Text Available The corporate finance literature traditionally abounds in both theoretical discussion and empirical research concerning financing and long-term investment decisions. Managing short-term resources appears to be a much less remarkable issue, despite this resource’s significant share of a firm’s balance sheet and the time and effort required to manage the current assets and liabilities. This article provides insights into the relative importance of the selected working capital determinants from the European Union perspective. The determinants considered in the study include both external and internal factors, specifically the country in which a company operates, its industrial classification and the firm size. Using more than 10,000 aggregated observations from a sample of firms from 13 industries, 9 countries and 3 group sizes, covering the period 2000-2009, the findings provide evidence that corporate working capital is most affected by country-specific factors, followed by industrial factors and firm size.

The determinants of the composition of public debt in developing and emerging market countries

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Kristine Forslund

2011-07-01

Full Text Available This paper uses a new dataset on the composition of public debt in developing and emerging market countries to look at the correlation between country characteristics and domestic debt share. While the paper finds that most variables have the expected sign, it also finds that country characteristics cannot explain regional differences in the composition of public debt. Moreover, the paper finds a weak correlation between inflationary history and the composition of public debt. The paper explores the determinants of this finding and shows that the results are driven by the presence of capital controls.

Development performances of agriculture in the Danube region countries

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Gajić Milivoj

2015-01-01

Full Text Available In the recent decades, the Danube Region countries profile their policies towards a more efficient way of exploiting the natural resources of the Danube basin. The Danube can contribute to a better integration of the countries, enhancing economic opportunities through diversification and promotion of rural development. The trend analysis in the agricultural sector of the Danube Region countries refers to the first decade of this century, and it begins with the determination of the agricultural importance in the overall economy. The development performances of agriculture in the Danube Region countries are considered according to the production and export performances of this economic sector, using a comparative approach. The agricultural production growth, level and growth of the partial agricultural productivities - labour and land, as well as the value of exports in relation to engaged labour and agricultural land, are analysed in such a context.

Nuclear power programmes in developing countries: Promotion and financing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bennett, L.L.

1987-01-01

In 1986 the Agency's Director General established a Senior Expert Group on Mechanisms to Assist Developing Countries in the Promotion and Planning of Nuclear Power Programmes. This group, which was comprised of 20 experts with extensive experience in the topics to be studied, coming from 15 Member States plus the World Bank, was asked to: identify and analyse the problems of and constraints on nuclear power introduction/expansion in developing countries, with particular attention being paid to the problems of financing nuclear power projects; study mechanisms for dealing with the identified problems and constraints in order to assist developing countries with the promotion and financing of their nuclear power programmes and to determine the role of the IAEA in this context. This paper summarizes the Senior Expert Group's study

The application of Intervention Mapping in developing and implementing school-based sexuality and HIV/AIDS education in a developing country context: the case of Tanzania

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Mkumbo, K.; Schaalma, H.P.; Kaaya, S.; Leerlooijer, J.N.; Mbwambo, J.; Kilonzo, G.

2009-01-01

Aims: Effective sexuality and HIV/AIDS education programmes are needed to protect young people against HIV/AIDS and teenage pregnancy in Tanzania and other Sub-Saharan African countries. Using a theory- and evidence-based approach and adapting the programmes to local contexts, increases the

Promotion and financing of nuclear power programmes in developing countries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1987-01-01

The Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency established in February 1986 a Senior Expert Group (SEG) on Mechanisms to Assist Developing Countries in the Promotion and Financing of Nuclear Power Programmes, which was asked: (a) To identify and analyse the problems of and constraints on nuclear power introduction/expansion in developing countries, with particular attention being paid to the problems of financing nuclear power projects; (b) To study mechanisms for dealing with the identified problems and constraints in order to assist developing countries with the promotion and financing of their nuclear power programmes, and to determine the role of the IAEA in this context. This report summarizes the Senior Expert Group's study. It also presents a number of recommendations on mechanisms to assist developing countries in promoting and financing their nuclear power programmes. 1 fig., 3 tabs

Does country context matter? Investigating the predictors of teen sexting across Europe

OpenAIRE

Susanne E. Baumgartner; Sindy R. Sumter; Jochen Peter; Patti M. Valkenburg; Sonia Livingstone

2014-01-01

Despite growing research interest in sexting, not much is known about individual and country differences in engaging in sexting. Therefore, the aims of this study were to investigate (a) which individual and country characteristics explain sexting and (b) whether individual predictors vary across countries. On the individual level, we investigated age, gender, sensation seeking, and internet use. On the country level, we investigated traditionalism, gross domestic product, and broadband inter...

Health Inequalities in Global Context

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Beckfield, Jason; Olafsdottir, Sigrun

2017-01-01

The existence of social inequalities in health is well established. One strand of research focuses on inequalities in health within a single country. A separate and newer strand of research focuses on the relationship between inequality and average population health across countries. Despite the theorization of (presumably variable) social conditions as “fundamental causes” of disease and health, the cross-national literature has focused on average, aggregate population health as the central outcome. Controversies currently surround macro-structural determinants of overall population health such as income inequality. We advance and redirect these debates by conceptualizing inequalities in health as cross-national variables that are sensitive to social conditions. Using data from 48 World Values Survey countries, representing 74% of the world’s population, we examine cross-national variation in inequalities in health. The results reveal substantial variation in health inequalities according to income, education, sex, and migrant status. While higher socioeconomic position is associated with better self-rated health around the globe, the size of the association varies across institutional context, and across dimensions of stratification. There is some evidence that education and income are more strongly associated with self-rated health than sex or migrant status. PMID:29104292

What does the closure of context-sensitive constraints mean for determinism, autonomy, self-determination, and agency?

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Juarrero, Alicia

2015-12-01

The role of context-sensitive constraints - first as enablers of complexification and subsequently as regulators that maintain the integrity of self-organized, coherent wholes - has only recently begun to be examined. Conceptualizing such organizational constraints in terms of the operations of far from equilibrium, nonlinear dynamic processes rekindles old metaphysical discussions concerning primary and secondary relations, emergence, causality, and the logic of explanation. In particular, far-from-equilibrium processes allow us to rethink how parts-to-whole and whole-to-parts - so-called "mereological"- relationships are constituted. A renewed understanding of recursive feedback and the role context-dependence plays in generating the boundary conditions and the internal organization of complex adaptive systems in turn allows us to redescribe formal and final cause in such a way as to provide a meaningful sense of heretofore seemingly intractable philosophical problems such as autonomy, self-determination, and agency. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

MACROECONOMIC DETERMINANTS OF BAD LOANS IN BALTIC COUNTRIES AND ROMANIA

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Liliana DONATH

2014-12-01

Full Text Available The 2008–09 global crisis raised debates concerning the determinants of financial vulnerability. Among these, bad loans have been identified as significantly influencing financial imbalances. After a decade in which borrowing has constantly grown mainly because of the deregulation of financial markets, the crisis highlighted the importance of an effective credit risk management. The purpose of the paper is to study the evolution of bad loans ratio in relation with selected macroeconomic indicators in the Baltic countries (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania and Romania.

Identifying urban infrastructure multi-hazard risk in developing country contexts

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Taylor, Faith; Malamud, Bruce; Millington, James

2017-04-01

This work presents a method to coarsely zone urban areas into different infrastructure typologies, from which physical vulnerability to a range of natural hazards and multi-hazard interactions can be estimated, particularly for developing country contexts where access to data can be a challenge. This work builds upon techniques developed for urban micrometeorology for classifying 12 urban typologies (Stewart and Oke, 2011) using Landsat 8 30 m × 30 m remote sensing imagery (Betchel et al., 2015). For each of these 12 urban typologies, we develop general rules about the presence, type and level of service of 10 broad categories of infrastructure (including buildings, roads, electricity and water), which we refer to as 'urban textures'. We have developed and applied this technique to five urban areas varying in size and structure across Africa: Nairobi (Kenya); Karonga (Malawi); Mzuzu (Malawi); Ibadan (Nigeria) and Cape Town (South Africa). For each urban area, a training dataset of 10 samples of each of the 12 urban texture classes is digitised using Google Earth imagery. A random forest classification is performed using SAGA GIS, resulting in a map of different urban typologies for each city. Based on >1200 georeferenced field photographs and expert interviews for Karonga (Malawi) and Nairobi (Kenya), generally applicable rules about the presence, type and level of service of 12 infrastructure types (the 'urban texture') are developed for each urban typology. For each urban texture, we are broadly reviewing how each infrastructure might be physically impacted by 21 different natural hazards and hazard interactions. This can aid local stakeholders such as emergency responders and urban planners to systematically identify how the infrastructure in different parts of an urban area might be affected differently during a natural disaster event.

An Empirical Study on Capital Structure Determinants of Selected ASEAN Countries

OpenAIRE

Ngo, Hoang Anh

2013-01-01

Capital structure has been a controversial topic for decades. Conflicting arguments in theories and mixed findings in empirical work require further studies on this subject. More importantly, most previous studies have focused on developed countries and little attention is paid to emerging economies, especially ASEAN. Therefore, this study attempts to fill the gap by examining effects of capital structure's determinants on different measures of leverage of listed manufacturing companies in se...

Timor-Leste : Country Environmental Analysis

OpenAIRE

World Bank

2009-01-01

The Country Environmental Analysis (CEA) for Timor-Leste identifies environmental priorities through a systematic review of environmental issues in natural resources management and environmental health in the context of the country's economic development and environmental institutions. Lack of data has been the main limitation in presenting a more rigorous analysis. Nevertheless, the repor...

National Context, Religiosity, and Volunteering : Results from 53 Countries

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ruiter, Stijn; Graaf, Nan Dirk de

2008-01-01

To what extent does the national religious context affect volunteering? Does a religious environment affect the relation between religiosity and volunteering? To answer these questions, this study specifies individual level, contextual level, and cross-level interaction hypotheses. The authors test

What determines the impact of context on sequential action?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ruitenberg, M.F.L.; Verwey, Willem B.; Abrahamse, E.L.

2015-01-01

In the current study we build on earlier observations that memory-based sequential action is better in the original learning context than in other contexts. We examined whether changes in the perceptual context have differential impact across distinct processing phases (preparation versus execution

MACROECONOMIC DETERMINANTS OF TOTAL FACTOR PRODUCTIVITY: NEW GENERATION PANEL DATA ANALYSIS ON OECD COUNTRIES (1996-2015

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ÖMER YALÇINKAYA

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Determining the factors which are effective on total factor productivity (TFP increments include the productivity of all factors in the production process and making improvements for these factors via policies have importance concerning speed the potential growth rate up in the long term and making this sustainable. The mediumlong term determinants of TFP are examined in this research for the 1994-2015 period as econometric within the scope of new generation panel data analysis on the OECD countries who are classified as OECD-1 and OECD-2 by their income levels. From this aspect, purposed in this research that to reveal the primary determinants which cause the differentiations between OECD-1 and OECD-2 countries in terms of their long-term economic growth performances and/or income levels. Determined as a result of the research that the effect of the variables which are used to determine the medium-long term determinants of the TFP on OECD-1 and OECD-2 groups parallelly increased and decreased as long as enhancing the representation degree of the knowledge, innovation and technological development level of the variables. These results show that the differentiation of countries in OECD-1 and OECD-2 groups in terms of long-term economic growth and/or income levels is majorly rooted in indicators which are used on behalf of knowledge, innovation, and technological development.

EFFECTS OF HIGHER EDUCATION ON GLOBAL COMPETITIVENESS: REVIEWS IN RELATION WITH EUROPEAN COUNTRIES AND THE MIDDLE EAST COUNTRIES

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HILAL YILDIRIR KESER

2015-03-01

Full Text Available The aim of this study is investigate the effects of higher education on global competitiveness One of the most widely accepted definition of global competitiveness is in the form of " efficiency level encompassing all of the institutions that will ensure sustainable growth in a country, policies and factors of production". Therefore the competitiveness of a country depends on the factors such as; The level of development of R & D activities and productivity, performance of various sectors, the country's trade surplus, producing goods hosting high-tech in their nature, availability of expert and skilled labor force. But one of the main points in the realization of these factors is the quality of the higher education. Higher education has an important role in the formation of qualified labour. And the qualified labour carries the competitiveness firstly of the sector and then of the country up to higher ranks by increasing the performance and productivity of the companies. The study will be discussed in the following way: firstly the context of the global competitiveness will be mentioned, secondly, the role and importance of higher education will be put forth by explaining the basic determinants of competitivenes particularly within the World Economic Forum Global Competitiveness Index. Finally, assessments will be made in relation with the situation of higher education in global competitiveness in European countries and Middle Eastern countries.

Determinants of Foreign Direct Investments in Transition Economies: Case of Commonwealth of Independent Countries

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Sobir Shukurov

2016-01-01

Full Text Available While there has been voluminous research on the determinants of FDI for developed and developing countries, little has been done on this issue for transition economies, especially, for the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS countries. the present paper examines the determinants of inward Foreign Direct Investment (FDI flows in the CIS during 1995–2010. the results of empirical analysis using panel data models, conducted with the purpose of identifying the factors that determine the motivation and decision of multinational companies (MNC to invest in CIS economies, show that regardless of the presence of high investment risk in transition economies, the choice of FDI location always depends on a preliminary analysis of countries’ advantages (FDI stock, market size, abundance in natural resources and disadvantages at macro level (fiscal imbalance and inflation. These pre‑existing conditions can always roughly predict the type of FDI (resource-seeking, market‑seeking, efficiency-seeking.

Self-Determination and Physical Exercise Adherence in the Contexts of Fitness Academies and Personal Training

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Klain Ingi Petitemberte

2015-06-01

Full Text Available This research aimed to analyze the validity of the relations hypothesized by the theory of self-determination in predicting adherence to physical exercise in fitness academy users and subjects following personal training. A total of 588 persons from Pelotas / RS / Brazil (405 gym users and 183 subjects following personal training completed the Portuguese version of the three questionnaires, i.e. the Perceived Autonomy Support Climate Exercise Questionnaire, Basic Psychological Needs in the Exercise Scale and Behavioral Regulation in the Exercise Questionnaire −2. The results support the factorial structure of the questionnaires used in this sample. There was a significant multivariate effect of context on self-determination for physical exercise training [Wilks’ λ = 0.934, F (10, 576.000 = 4.03, p < 0.001, η2 = 0.01]. The hypothesized structural equation model, which considered the self-determination theory, showed a good fit to the data (S-B χ2 = 234.703; p= .001; df = 52; χ2/df = 4.514; SRMS = .049; NNFI = .906; CFI = .926; RMSEA = .077; RMSEA 90% CI = .067 − .088. However, in the comparative analysis, the perception of autonomy support, relatedness and competence were significantly higher in the context of personal training, while the amotivation and external regulation were significantly higher in the context of fitness academies.

The institutional context of tobacco production in Zambia.

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Labonté, Ronald; Lencucha, Raphael; Drope, Jeffrey; Packer, Corinne; Goma, Fastone M; Zulu, Richard

2018-01-16

Tobacco production is said to be an important contributor to Zambia's economy in terms of labour and revenue generation. In light of Zambia's obligations under the WHO Framework Convention of Tobacco Control (FCTC) we examined the institutional actors in Zambia's tobacco sector to better understand their roles and determine the institutional context that supports tobacco production in Zambia. Findings from 26 qualitative, semi-structured individual or small-group interviews with key informants from governmental, intergovernmental and non-governmental organisations were analysed, along with data and information from published literature. Although Zambia is obligated under the FCTC to take steps to reduce tobacco production, the country's weak economy and strong tobacco interests make it difficult to achieve this goal. Respondents uniformly acknowledged that growing the country's economy and ensuring employment for its citizens are the government's top priorities. Lacklustre coordination and collaboration between the institutional actors, both within and outside government, contributes to an environment that helps sustain tobacco production in the country. A Tobacco Products Control Bill has been under review for a number of years, but with no supply measures included, and with no indication of when or whether it will be passed. As with other low-income countries involved in tobacco production, there is inconsistency between Zambia's economic policy to strengthen the country's economy and its FCTC commitment to regulate and control tobacco production. The absence of a whole-of-government approach towards tobacco control has created an institutional context of duelling objectives, with some government ministries working at cross-purposes and tobacco interests left unchecked. With no ultimate coordinating authority, this industry risks being run according to the desire and demands of multinational tobacco companies, with few, if any, checks against them.

Non-communicable diseases and the social determinants of health in the Nordic countries: Findings from the European Social Survey (2014) special module on the social determinants of health.

Science.gov (United States)

Balaj, Mirza; Huijts, Tim; McNamara, Courtney L; Stornes, Per; Bambra, Clare; Eikemo, Terje A

2017-03-01

Comparative studies examining non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and determinants of health in the Nordic countries are scarce, outdated and focus only on a limited range of NCDs and health determinants. This study is the first to present a comprehensive overview of the distribution of social and behavioural determinants of health and of physical and mental NCDs in the Nordic population. We examined regional, country and gender differences for 17 health outcomes and 20 determinants of health. We use data from the 7th wave of the European Social Survey. All results were age-standardised by weighting up or down the unstandardized (crude) prevalence rates for five year age groups in each country to a common standard. We present pooled estimates for the combined regional samples as well as country-specific results for the Nordic region. Overall, the population of the Nordic region reported among the highest prevalence for one or both genders in 10 out of 17 health outcomes. Despite being the region with the highest prevalence for most health outcomes, overall self-rated health levels tend to be better in the Nordic region. Similarly, we found that the Nordic countries adhere to a healthier lifestyle and have better access to health care. Future studies should consider investigating further the association between health outcomes and determinants of health and how they are distributed in the Nordic societies.

Guyana - How Do You Know Where to Get the Information You Need? Determining Ethics Approval Requirements in a Developing Country

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Gloria Song

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Determining the process for obtaining local research ethics approval, or whether such a requirement even exists, may not always be straightforward in the context of some developing countries where such information may not be easily accessible to overseas researchers. How far do a researcher's ethical obligations extend in determining whether there is a requirement for local research ethics approval, and what form this would take (e.g., institutional or centralised ethics review? In other words, how far should a researcher be expected to go in seeking out local ethics approval, especially where such information is not readily available? As part of this discussion, this case study describes the steps that I took as the principal researcher, before I was able to reasonably conclude that no national ethics approval requirement existed in Guyana for my particular research, which involved interviewing justice service providers about the implementation of Guyana's Domestic Violence Act. Drawing on this experience, I discuss various considerations that an international development researcher should bear in mind when planning and conducting research that seeks to meet leading international norms of research ethics.

The feasibility of measuring and monitoring social determinants of health and the relevance for policy and programme - a qualitative assessment of four countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Blas, Erik; Ataguba, John E; Huda, Tanvir M; Bao, Giang Kim; Rasella, Davide; Gerecke, Megan R

2016-01-01

Since the publication of the reports by the Commission on Social Determinants of Health (CSDH), many research papers have documented inequities, explaining causal pathways in order to inform policy and programmatic decision-making. At the international level, the sustainable development goals (SDGs) reflect an attempt to bring together these themes and the complexities involved in defining a comprehensive development framework. However, to date, much less has been done to address the monitoring challenges, that is, how data generation, analysis and use are to become routine tasks. To test proposed indicators of social determinants of health (SDH), gender, equity, and human rights with respect to their relevance in tracking progress in universal health coverage and population health (level and distribution). In an attempt to explore these monitoring challenges, indicators covering a wide range of social determinants were tested in four country case studies (Bangladesh, Brazil, South Africa, and Vietnam) for their technical feasibility, reliability, and validity, and their communicability and usefulness to policy-makers. Twelve thematic domains with 20 core indicators covering different aspects of equity, human rights, gender, and SDH were tested through a review of data sources, descriptive analyses, key informant interviews, and focus group discussions. To test the communicability and usefulness of the domains, domain narratives that explained the causal pathways were presented to policy-makers, managers, the media, and civil society leaders. For most countries, monitoring is possible, as some data were available for most of the core indicators. However, a qualitative assessment showed that technical feasibility, reliability, and validity varied across indicators and countries. Producing understandable and useful information proved challenging, and particularly so in translating indicator definitions and data into meaningful lay and managerial narratives, and

Determinants of loans and deposits strategies of foreign bank subsidiaries in emerging countries

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Mehdi Mili

2013-09-01

Full Text Available Abstract. This paper focuses on the transmission of bank liquidity shocks in Loan and deposit in emerging markets. First, we attempt to identify factors affecting the credit strategy of foreign banks in emerging countries. Second, we test whether depositors exert market discipline on foreign subsidiaries. By combining financial variables of subsidiaries and their parent banks and macroeconomic variables of host and home countries, we investigate the factors that may affect the behavior of depositors. Our empirical approach is based on a Partial Least Squares-Path model that allows us to indentify the causal relationships between the various groups of variables. Our results show that foreign bank lending is determined by the specific financial variables of the parent bank and macroeconomic variables of the country of origin. This support that the strategy's credit of foreign subsidiary is centrally managed at the parent bank and credit supply of subsidiaries depends primary on the financial situation of its parent bank. Finally we find evidence of market discipline exercised over foreign subsidiaries in emerging countries. We show that market discipline is strongly affected by the specific characteristics of the subsidiary.

Determinants of debt rescheduling in Eastern European countries

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Laušev Jelena

2011-01-01

Full Text Available This study utilizes Panel Logit Models applied to a set of macroeconomic, financial, and political variables to estimate the debt rescheduling probabilities of 15 Eastern European countries during the transition period from 1990-2005. These transition economies became a very attractive region for foreign investment. Specifically, the region became the largest recipient of net non-FDI flows among all emerging market regions in 2005. Therefore, it is relevant for policy makers and institutional and private foreign investors to investigate factors that influence debt rescheduling probabilities, as these may directly affect the size of and return on investments in these countries. Our findings suggest that policy efforts focused on reducing government expenditure, attracting foreign direct investment, increasing export revenues, and keeping a good repayment record result in low debt rescheduling probabilities and, in turn, decrease the cost of debt for these countries. This is a common finding for all countries in the sample, including those that have become EU members.

Radioactive waste: institutional determinants of management and disposal policy in three European countries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Berkhout, Frans.

1989-01-01

The objective of this thesis has been to write a detailed historical account of the policy and practice of radioactive waste management in Britain, Sweden and West Germany, and to draw out implications for theory and public policy. By comparing the evolution of the policy process in three countries it has been possible to develop a better understanding of the particular operational, regulatory and political factors determining policy in each case. The main conclusions are three-fold. First, the presence or absence of commitments to the reprocessing of spent fuel for a wide range of strategic, industrial and legal reasons have been critical to the success in finding an acceptable radwaste management and disposal policy (or strategy). Politically it is not possible to make a clear distinction between radwaste management and policy for the rest of the back-end of the nuclear fuel cycle. Second, because of this complex but intimate relationship to reprocessing policy, the dynamism and consistency of radwaste policies are highly dependent on the industrial and political contexts of the drive to reprocessing. Traditionally a view on reprocessing has been virtually synonymous with a faith or scepticism in the future of nuclear power. Third, the policy process, and indeed its goals was rather unique to national circumstances (the legal and institutional framework, industrial and political structures). This demonstrates one of the principle arguments of the thesis which is that the innovation process for radwaste management and disposal technologies cannot be seen merely as a technical process, but has to be seen as a process of political and institutional negotiations. (author)

Working with interpreters in cross-cultural qualitative research in the context of a developing country: systematic literature review.

Science.gov (United States)

Shimpuku, Yoko; Norr, Kathleen F

2012-08-01

This article is a report of a systematic literature review describing how cross-cultural researchers conducted qualitative studies with interpreters in Tanzania. The purpose was to draw methodological implications for working with interpreters within the context of developing countries. In a growing number of cross-cultural nursing studies in developing countries, interpreters play a crucial role for imparting verbal and cultural understanding. In many studies, however, the interpreters' role and their influences on the findings are not adequately described, and therefore the study credibility is weakened. Cross-cultural qualitative studies conducted with interpreters in Tanzania were searched in four databases. Meeting our inclusion criteria were 20 studies published from 1994-2009. We used Garrard's Matrix Method following Wallin and Ahlström's framework to analyse how cross-cultural researchers described the role of interpreters. We identified three major patterns of how researchers worked with interpreters: (i) invisible assistance, (ii) independent fieldwork and (iii) integrated collaboration. In many studies, interpreters' information was limited. They were often asked to collect data in the field without the presence of the researcher. They were integrated into the research process beyond data collection, such as subject recruitment, review of interviews, transcription and translation and analysis. From planning of research to dissemination of the findings, nurse researchers should carefully consider interpreters' influences on the findings. They may use a set of questions we developed for working with interpreters in developing countries to systematically describe the interpreter's role and maximize their research credibility. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Psychological Determinants of Consumer Acceptance of Personalised Nutrition in 9 European Countries

Science.gov (United States)

Poínhos, Rui; van der Lans, Ivo A.; Rankin, Audrey; Fischer, Arnout R. H.; Bunting, Brendan; Kuznesof, Sharron; Stewart-Knox, Barbara; Frewer, Lynn J.

2014-01-01

Objective To develop a model of the psychological factors which predict people’s intention to adopt personalised nutrition. Potential determinants of adoption included perceived risk and benefit, perceived self-efficacy, internal locus of control and health commitment. Methods A questionnaire, developed from exploratory study data and the existing theoretical literature, and including validated psychological scales was administered to N = 9381 participants from 9 European countries (Germany, Greece, Ireland, Poland, Portugal, Spain, the Netherlands, the UK, and Norway). Results Structural equation modelling indicated that the greater participants’ perceived benefits to be associated with personalised nutrition, the more positive their attitudes were towards personalised nutrition, and the greater their intention to adopt it. Higher levels of nutrition self-efficacy were related to more positive attitudes towards, and a greater expressed intention to adopt, personalised nutrition. Other constructs positively impacting attitudes towards personalised nutrition included more positive perceptions of the efficacy of regulatory control to protect consumers (e.g. in relation to personal data protection), higher self-reported internal health locus of control, and health commitment. Although higher perceived risk had a negative relationship with attitude and an inverse relationship with perceived benefit, its effects on attitude and intention to adopt personalised nutrition was less influential than perceived benefit. The model was stable across the different European countries, suggesting that psychological factors determining adoption of personalised nutrition have generic applicability across different European countries. Conclusion The results suggest that transparent provision of information about potential benefits, and protection of consumers’ personal data is important for adoption, delivery of public health benefits, and commercialisation of personalised

How does context influence performance of community health workers in low- and middle-income countries? Evidence from the literature.

Science.gov (United States)

Kok, Maryse C; Kane, Sumit S; Tulloch, Olivia; Ormel, Hermen; Theobald, Sally; Dieleman, Marjolein; Taegtmeyer, Miriam; Broerse, Jacqueline E W; de Koning, Korrie A M

2015-03-07

Community health workers (CHWs) are increasingly recognized as an integral component of the health workforce needed to achieve public health goals in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Many factors intersect to influence CHW performance. A systematic review with a narrative analysis was conducted to identify contextual factors influencing performance of CHWs. We searched six databases for quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods studies that included CHWs working in promotional, preventive or curative primary health care services in LMICs. We differentiated CHW performance outcome measures at two levels: CHW level and end-user level. Ninety-four studies met the inclusion criteria and were double read to extract data relevant to the context of CHW programmes. Thematic coding was conducted and evidence on five main categories of contextual factors influencing CHW performance was synthesized. Few studies had the influence of contextual factors on CHW performance as their primary research focus. Contextual factors related to community (most prominently), economy, environment, and health system policy and practice were found to influence CHW performance. Socio-cultural factors (including gender norms and values and disease related stigma), safety and security and education and knowledge level of the target group were community factors that influenced CHW performance. Existence of a CHW policy, human resource policy legislation related to CHWs and political commitment were found to be influencing factors within the health system policy context. Health system practice factors included health service functionality, human resources provisions, level of decision-making, costs of health services, and the governance and coordination structure. All contextual factors can interact to shape CHW performance and affect the performance of CHW interventions or programmes. Research on CHW programmes often does not capture or explicitly discuss the context in which CHW

Cooperative context is a determinant of the social influence on outcome evaluation: An electrophysiological study.

Science.gov (United States)

Kimura, Kenta; Katayama, Jun'ichi

2016-02-01

The present study examined whether or not a cooperative context is a determinant of the social influence on the evaluation of two action outcomes: a monetary outcome and a conflict of opinion with other group members. In the present study, three-person groups were randomly assigned to be either a cooperative or individual group and asked to perform a gambling task. The monetary outcomes in the cooperative group were interrelated among group members, whereas those in the individual group did not influence each other. The present results showed that monetary outcomes elicited feedback-related negativity (FRN) and a conflict of opinion with other group members elicited FRN-like negativity, which reflect an evaluation of the motivational significance of action outcomes. The FRN elicited by monetary outcomes was reduced when participants shared decisions with other group members only in the cooperative group, indicating that the cooperative context reduced the motivational significance of monetary outcomes through the diffusion of responsibility. The FRN-like negativity elicited by a conflict of opinion showed a different pattern between the cooperative and individual groups, indicating that the cooperative context can influence the evaluation of a conflict of opinion, possibly via the modulation of group cohesiveness or conflict processing. The present results suggest that a cooperative context, rather than the social setting, is a determinant of the social influence on outcome evaluation. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

ERAWATCH Country Reports 2012

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Grimpe, Christoph

between the national priorities and the structural challenges, highlighting the latest developments, their dynamics and impact in the overall national context. They further analyse and assess the ability of the policy mix in place to consistently and efficiently tackle these challenges. These reports were......This analytical country report is one of a series of annual ERAWATCH reports produced for EU Member States and Countries Associated to the Seventh Framework Programme for Research of the European Union (FP7). The main objective of the ERAWATCH Annual Country Reports is to characterise and assess...... the performance of national research systems and related policies in a structured manner that is comparable across countries. The Country Report 2012 builds on and updates the 2011 edition. The report identifies the structural challenges of the national research and innovation system and assesses the match...

The importance of context in delivering effective EIA: Case studies from East Africa

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marara, Madeleine; Okello, Nick; Kuhanwa, Zainab; Douven, Wim; Beevers, Lindsay; Leentvaar, Jan

2011-01-01

This paper reviews and compares the condition of the environmental impact assessment (EIA) system in three countries in the East Africa region: Kenya, Rwanda and Tanzania. The criteria used for the evaluation and the comparison of each system are based on the elements of the legal, administrative and procedural frameworks, as well as the context in which they operate. These criteria are adapted from the evaluation and quality control criteria derived from a number of literature sources. The study reveals that the EIA systems of Kenya and Tanzania are at a similar stage in their development. The two countries, the first to introduce the EIA concept into their jurisdiction in this part of Africa, therefore have more experience than Rwanda in the practice of environmental impact assessment, where the legislation and process requires more time to mature both from the governmental and societal perspective. The analysis of the administrative and procedural frameworks highlights the weakness in the autonomy of the competent authority, in all three countries. Finally a major finding of this study is that the contextual set up i.e. the socio-economic and political situation plays an important role in the performance of an EIA system. The context in developing countries is very different from developed countries where the EIA concept originates. Interpreting EIA conditions in countries like Kenya, Rwanda and Tanzania requires that the analysis for determining the effectiveness of their systems should be undertaken within a relevant framework, taking into account the specific requirements of those countries.

Monetary determinants of deposit euroization in European post-transition countries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tkalec Marina

2013-01-01

Full Text Available This paper investigates the long-run and short-run relationship between deposit euroization in twelve European post-transition economies and two determinants of deposit euroization that are under the influence of monetary policy: the exchange rate and the interest rate differential. The link between deposit euroization, exchange rates and interest rate differentials is investigated using Johansen cointegration and error correction models for each country separately. The results suggest that changes in both monetary drivers have significant effects on deposit euroization and are therefore important for explaining and fighting deposit euroization. Differences between exchange rate regimes, fixed and managed vs. floating, seem to matter for deposit euroization.

Global digital divide: determinants of cross-country ICT development with special reference to Southeast Asia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Debbra Toria Nipo

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Information and communication technology (ICT tools are regarded as imperative not only for enabling the economy to grow at a healthy rate, but also for elevating the socioeconomic conditions and standards of the society. In concurrence with the widespread diffusion of ICT, lies the phenomenon called digital divide – a complex issue pertaining to unequal access, use and applications of ICT among countries and peoples. This paper attempts to measure the contribution of conventional factors such as affordability, infrastructure, trade openness and urbanization, with added emphasis on the role of financial development in explaining cross-country development of ICT among Southeast Asian countries. Using panel data for 4 countries for the period 1994 – 2011, findings of this study revealed that GDP is the most significant determinant in explaining digital divide – consistent with findings from previous research efforts. Financial development also appear significant in most models adopted in all three ICT tools, implying the need for these countries to improve their financial markets to avoid falling further behind in promoting a digitally inclusive society.

Self-Determination and Physical Exercise Adherence in the Contexts of Fitness Academies and Personal Training

Science.gov (United States)

Klain, Ingi Petitemberte; de Matos, Dihogo Gama; Leitão, José Carlos; Cid, Luís; Moutão, João

2015-01-01

This research aimed to analyze the validity of the relations hypothesized by the theory of self-determination in predicting adherence to physical exercise in fitness academy users and subjects following personal training. A total of 588 persons from Pelotas / RS / Brazil (405 gym users and 183 subjects following personal training) completed the Portuguese version of the three questionnaires, i.e. the Perceived Autonomy Support Climate Exercise Questionnaire, Basic Psychological Needs in the Exercise Scale and Behavioral Regulation in the Exercise Questionnaire −2. The results support the factorial structure of the questionnaires used in this sample. There was a significant multivariate effect of context on self-determination for physical exercise training [Wilks’ λ = 0.934, F (10, 576.000) = 4.03, p amotivation and external regulation were significantly higher in the context of fitness academies. PMID:26240667

Does country context matter? Investigating the predictors of teen sexting across Europe

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Baumgartner, S.E.; Sumter, S.R.; Peter, J.; Valkenburg, P.M.; Livingstone, S.

2014-01-01

Despite growing research interest in sexting, not much is known about individual and country differences in engaging in sexting. Therefore, the aims of this study were to investigate (a) which individual and country characteristics explain sexting and (b) whether individual predictors vary across

How “Space” and “Place” Influence Subsidiary Host Country Political Embeddedness

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Klopf, Patricia; Nell, Phillip Christopher

2018-01-01

As a part of multinational corporations (MNCs), subsidiaries operate in distinct host countries and have to deal with their external context. Host country political embeddedness, in particular, helps subsidiaries to obtain knowledge and understanding of the regulatory and political context, and t......: the impact of distance is stronger for subsidiaries that operate in host countries with low governance quality and low political stability in place....

The feasibility of measuring and monitoring social determinants of health and the relevance for policy and programme – a qualitative assessment of four countries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Erik Blas

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Background: Since the publication of the reports by the Commission on Social Determinants of Health (CSDH, many research papers have documented inequities, explaining causal pathways in order to inform policy and programmatic decision-making. At the international level, the sustainable development goals (SDGs reflect an attempt to bring together these themes and the complexities involved in defining a comprehensive development framework. However, to date, much less has been done to address the monitoring challenges, that is, how data generation, analysis and use are to become routine tasks. Objective: To test proposed indicators of social determinants of health (SDH, gender, equity, and human rights with respect to their relevance in tracking progress in universal health coverage and population health (level and distribution. Design: In an attempt to explore these monitoring challenges, indicators covering a wide range of social determinants were tested in four country case studies (Bangladesh, Brazil, South Africa, and Vietnam for their technical feasibility, reliability, and validity, and their communicability and usefulness to policy-makers. Twelve thematic domains with 20 core indicators covering different aspects of equity, human rights, gender, and SDH were tested through a review of data sources, descriptive analyses, key informant interviews, and focus group discussions. To test the communicability and usefulness of the domains, domain narratives that explained the causal pathways were presented to policy-makers, managers, the media, and civil society leaders. Results: For most countries, monitoring is possible, as some data were available for most of the core indicators. However, a qualitative assessment showed that technical feasibility, reliability, and validity varied across indicators and countries. Producing understandable and useful information proved challenging, and particularly so in translating indicator definitions and data

Origins of food crops connect countries worldwide

Science.gov (United States)

Achicanoy, Harold A.; Bjorkman, Anne D.; Navarro-Racines, Carlos; Guarino, Luigi; Flores-Palacios, Ximena; Engels, Johannes M. M.; Wiersema, John H.; Dempewolf, Hannes; Sotelo, Steven; Ramírez-Villegas, Julian; Castañeda-Álvarez, Nora P.; Fowler, Cary; Jarvis, Andy; Rieseberg, Loren H.; Struik, Paul C.

2016-01-01

Research into the origins of food plants has led to the recognition that specific geographical regions around the world have been of particular importance to the development of agricultural crops. Yet the relative contributions of these different regions in the context of current food systems have not been quantified. Here we determine the origins (‘primary regions of diversity’) of the crops comprising the food supplies and agricultural production of countries worldwide. We estimate the degree to which countries use crops from regions of diversity other than their own (‘foreign crops’), and quantify changes in this usage over the past 50 years. Countries are highly interconnected with regard to primary regions of diversity of the crops they cultivate and/or consume. Foreign crops are extensively used in food supplies (68.7% of national food supplies as a global mean are derived from foreign crops) and production systems (69.3% of crops grown are foreign). Foreign crop usage has increased significantly over the past 50 years, including in countries with high indigenous crop diversity. The results provide a novel perspective on the ongoing globalization of food systems worldwide, and bolster evidence for the importance of international collaboration on genetic resource conservation and exchange.

Structural policy in the context of international competition aggravation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Volodymyr Bodrov

2014-09-01

Full Text Available This article researches the essence and peculiarities of the structural policy, performs classification of its models and determines possibilities of their use in the context of increasing international competition. It discovers the main components of the economic structure and trends of the state policy regarding their modernization. Measures on improvement of state regulation instruments are offered, factors of influence upon improvement of the Ukrainian economy structure are analyzed and priority goals are systematized which require urgent implementation in the terms of competitive struggle aggravation at the global markets. The article also researches the matter of importance of performing a complex of state functional and selective measures in the form of matrix policy for the purpose of protecting national interests of the country in the context of global challenges

Multi-fragment visibility determination in the context of order-independent transparency rendering

OpenAIRE

Marilena Maule

2015-01-01

Multi-fragment effects, in the computer-generated imagery context, are effects that determine pixel color based on information computed from more than one fragment. In such effects, the contribution of each fragment is extracted from its visibility with respect to a point of view. Seen through a pixel’s point of view, the visibility of one fragment depends on its spatial relationship with other fragments. This relationship can be reduced to the problem of sorting multiple fragments. Therefore...

Does country context matter? Investigating the predictors of teen sexting across Europe

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Baumgartner, S.; Sumter, S.; Peter, J.; Livingstone, S.

2013-01-01

The aim of this study was (a) to investigate which individual and country characteristics explain why adolescents engage in sexting and (b) whether individual predictors vary across countries. On the individual level, we investigated age, gender, sensation seeking, and frequency of internet use. On

And young child feeding practices in different country settings.

Science.gov (United States)

Sanghvi, Tina; Jimerson, Ann; Hajeebhoy, Nemat; Zewale, Medhanit; Nguyen, Giang Huong

2013-09-01

Alive & Thrive aims to increase exclusive breastfeeding and complementary feeding practices in Bangladesh, Ethiopia, and Vietnam. To develop and execute comprehensive communication strategies adapted to each context. We documented how three countries followed an established iterative planning process, with research steps followed by key decisions, to develop a communication strategy in each country. Secondary analysis and formative research identified the priority practices to focus on, and locally specific constraints to proper infant and young child feeding (IYCF). Communication strategies were then developed based on the social, cultural, economic, epidemiological, media use, and programmatic contexts of each country. There were widespread gaps between recommended and actual feeding practices, and these varied by country. Gaps were identified in household, community, and institutional levels of awareness and skills. Strategies were designed that would enable mothers in each specific setting to adopt practices. To improve priority behaviors, messaging and media strategies addressed the most salient behavioral determinants through face-to-face communication, social mobilization, and mass media. Trials of improved practices (TIPs), concept testing, and pretesting of materials proved useful to verify the relevance and likely effectiveness of communication messages and materials tailored for different audiences in each setting. Coordination and collaboration with multiple stakeholders from the start was important to harmonize messages and approaches, expand geographic coverage to national scale, and sustain the interventions. Our experience with designing large-scale communication strategies for behavior change confirms that systematic analysis and local planning cannot be omitted from the critical process of strategic design tailored to each context. Multiple communication channels matched to media habits in each setting can reach a substantial proportion of mothers

The effects of R&D investments in international environmental agreements with asymmetric countries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Biancardi, Marta; Villani, Giovanni

2015-01-01

The paper examines the stability of international environmental agreements (IEAs) in a dynamic context where abatement levels are associated with the stock pollutant evolution. We underline two meaningful aspects of this matter. Firstly, we consider asymmetry among countries, dividing them in two types: developed countries that have a considerable environmental awareness and developing ones that pay a less attention to environmental preservation. Secondly, we introduce a positive externality in the cooperation where countries coordinate their R&D activities sharing the investments in order to avoid duplication of green activities. Otherwise, the non-cooperators support completely their R&D investments for clean technologies. These two aspects encourage the formation of stable coalitions till to determine conditions for which also the grand coalition is stable.

Mass Customization and Personalization Prospects in Developing Country: Indonesian Context

Science.gov (United States)

Risdiyono; Djati Widodo, Imam; Mahtarami, Affan

2016-01-01

The advancement of information technology (IT) has changed many modes and ways for people in doing their businesses. Mass Customization and Personalization (MCP) is one example of business modes that has been dramatically evolve, mainly due to the currently very fast IT development. MCP has enabled people to involve in adjusting some design parameters of a product to meet their personal requirements before purchased. The advancement of IT has made MCP more successful as it makes the process faster, easier, simpler and more joyful. The success stories of MCP are easily found in many developed countries, where the IT infrastructure has firmly been established. For developing countries, there are very few industries have implemented the MCP concept, including Indonesia. This paper discusses a descriptive study to depict what people think about MCP implementation in Indonesia especially in Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). Kano model was used to see the perception of both producers and consumers in relation with MCP implementation. Five dummy MCP prototypes were developed for five creative products including plaques, hats, invitation card, t-shirts and leather bags. Based on the KANO questionnaire analyses, it is clear that there are big opportunities to implement MCP in Indonesia especially for creative products produced by SMEs. Identifying the correct product features is an important key for successful MCP implementation in developing countries.

Associations between national viral hepatitis policies/programmes and country-level socioeconomic factors

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lazarus, Jeffrey V; Sperle, Ida; Safreed-Harmon, Kelly

2017-01-01

BACKGROUND: As more countries worldwide develop national viral hepatitis strategies, it is important to ask whether context-specific factors affect their decision-making. This study aimed to determine whether country-level socioeconomic factors are associated with viral hepatitis programmes...... and policy responses across WHO Member States (MS). METHODS: WHO MS focal points completed a questionnaire on national viral hepatitis policies. This secondary analysis of data reported in the 2013 Global Policy Report on the Prevention and Control of Viral Hepatitis in WHO Member States used logistic...... regression to examine associations between four survey questions and four socioeconomic factors: country income level, Human Development Index (HDI), health expenditure and physician density. RESULTS: This analysis included 119 MS. MS were more likely to have routine viral hepatitis surveillance and to have...

Determinants of late and/or inadequate use of prenatal healthcare in high-income countries: a systematic review

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Feijen-de Jong, E.I.; Jansen, D.E.M.C.; Baarveld, F.; van der Schans, C.P.; Schellevis, F.G.; Reijneveld, S.A.

2012-01-01

Background: Prenatal healthcare is likely to prevent adverse outcomes, but an adequate review of utilization and its determinants is lacking. Objective: To review systematically the evidence for the determinants of prenatal healthcare utilization in high-income countries. Method: Search of

Exploring ethical considerations for the use of biological and physiological markers in population-based surveys in less developed countries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hyder Adnan A

2005-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The health information needs of developing countries increasingly include population-based estimates determined by biological and physiological measures. Collection of data on these biomarkers requires careful reassessment of ethical standards and procedures related to issues of safety, informed consent, reporting, and referral policies. This paper reviews the survey practices of health examination surveys that have been conducted in developed nations and discusses their application to similar types of surveys proposed for developing countries. Discussion The paper contends that a unitary set of ethical principles should be followed for surveys around the world that precludes the danger of creating double standards (and implicitly lowers standards for work done in developing countries. Global ethical standards must, however, be interpreted in the context of the unique historical and cultural context of the country in which the work is being done. Factors that influence ethical considerations, such as the relationship between investigators in developed and developing countries are also discussed. Summary The paper provides a set of conclusions reached through this discussion and recommendations for the ethical use of biomarkers in populations-based surveys in developing countries.

Strategies for Better Hypertension Control in India and Other Lower Middle Income Countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Gupta, Rajeev; Khedar, Raghuvir Singh; Panwar, Raja Babu

2016-09-01

Hypertension is the most important cause of global burden of disease. It is highly prevalent in India and other low and lower-middle income countries. Prevalence of uncontrolled hypertension varies from 70-90% and is significantly greater in rural vs urban locations. Guidelines based treatment strategy has improved blood pressure (BP) control in high income countries but no context-specific guidelines exist in low and lower-middle income countries such as India. There are numerous barriers to proper BP control in these countries and include political apathy, bureaucratic inertia, weak health systems, overburdened healthcare providers and unempowered patients. Hypertension control can be improved in these countries by better political focus on social determinants of health such as education, development of health systems, proper healthcare financing, free or low-cost BP medicines, healthcare provider education for hypertension management, free primary care, task sharing with trained community health workers, patient empowerment and use of technological innovations. © Journal of the Association of Physicians of India 2011.

Econometric Study to Foreign Investments and its Determinants in Arabic Countries (1980-2014

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ismail BENGANA

2017-06-01

Full Text Available We aim from this study to determine the factors that have an impact on the direct foreign investment in different Arabic countries. The possibility of existence a long-term equilibrium relationship between them was checked. We concluded that there are a lot of affecting variables on direct foreign investment, but we chose only the important ones by using Cluster Analysis technique than we tested whether is there a relationship between them after we checked the stationary of their time series data which seem to be Auto-Regressive Distributed Lag (ARDL type. Its degrees and border interval have been determined.

Human rights conflicts experienced by nurses migrating between developed countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Palese, Alvisa; Dobrowolska, Beata; Squin, Anna; Lupieri, Giulia; Bulfone, Giampiera; Vecchiato, Sara

2017-11-01

Some developed countries have recently changed their role in the context of international recruitment, becoming donors due to socio-economical and political factors such as recessions. This is also the case in Italy, where there has been a flow of immigrant nurses out of the country that has been documented over the past several years. In a short time, it has become a donor country to other developed European countries, such as the United Kingdom. To advance knowledge in the context of human rights conflicts and ethical implications of the decision-making process of nurses who migrate between developed countries, such as from Italy to the United Kingdom, during times of recession. A case study based on the descriptive phenomenological approach was undertaken in 2014. Participants and research context: A total of 26 Italian newly graduated nurses finding a job in the United Kingdom were interviewed via Skype and telephone. Ethical considerations: The Internal Review Board of the University approved the project. In accordance with the descriptive phenomenological approach undertaken, three main themes emerged: (1) escaping from the feeling of being refused/rejected in order to be desired, (2) perceiving themselves respected, as a person and as a nurse, in a growth project and (3) returning if the country changes its strategy regarding nurses. Ethical implications in the context of human rights, such as autonomy of the decision, social justice and reciprocal obligation, non-maleficence and double effect, have been discussed. The call for investing in nurses and nurses' care in developed countries facing recession is urgent. Investing in nurses means respecting individuals and citizens who are at risk of developing health problems during the recession.

State Debt of the Republic of Moldova as Essential Factor of the Country Risk

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rodica HINCU

2010-12-01

Full Text Available State Debt of the Republic of Moldova as Essential Factor of the Country Risk Abstract: This paper discusses issues concerning of the state debt risk related to the Republic of Moldova and the determinants of the state debt in the context of the country risk. Special attention is devoted to analyzing the dynamics and structure of Moldova's foreign debt by currency and sector, in terms of the components parts of the foreign debt risk of Moldova - refinancing risk, currency risk and interest rate risk. It is analyzed the external state debt, publicly guaranteed, and non-guaranteed private external debt.

Religion and health in Europe: cultures, countries, context.

Science.gov (United States)

VanderWeele, Tyler J

2017-10-01

Much of the research on the relationships between religious participation and health comes from the United States. Studies in other geographic regions or cultural contexts is more sparse. Evidence presented by Ahrenfelt et al., and that from other research studies, is reviewed concerning the associations between religion and health within Europe and world-wide. The evidence within Europe suggests protective associations between various forms of religious participation and lower depression, lower mortality, and better self-rated health. Methodological challenges in such research are reviewed, and discussion is given as to whether a person-culture-fit explanation suffices to account for the existing data and to what other mechanisms might be operative.

Towards an integrative framework of brand country of origin recognition determinants : a cross-classified hierarchical model

OpenAIRE

Cerviño, Julio

2011-01-01

To propose a framework integrating the types and levels of the determinants of brand CO recognition and to provide evidence on Internet users’ brand CO recognition rates using a sample of multi-regional and global brands from a variety of product categories and countries. We integrate 'level-1' consumer and brand characteristics and 'level-2' product category and country effects in a single framework. Data obtained through an original on-line survey hosted by Yahoo provide the basis ...

SME Financing in Europe: Cross-Country Determinants of Debt Maturity

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Koeter-Kant, Johanna; Hernandez-Canovas, Gines

2006-01-01

We examine the influence of cross country differences on debt maturity for small and medium size enterprises (SMEs) using a sample of 3366 SMEs from 19 European countries. We analyze a country's legal environment, institutional environment, banking structure and economic situation while controlling

Early determinants of chronic disease in developing countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Crowther, Nigel J

2012-10-01

The prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) is rising in developing countries. The extent to which this is due to a nutritional mismatch in foetal and adult life is unknown however, studies in such countries show that the risk of chronic diseases is increased in low birthweight subjects who become obese adults. Immune dysfunction is also linked to low birthweight. Therefore, in countries where communicable diseases are prevalent, infection may be exacerbated by factors acting in utero. It is also possible that the foetal growth-retarding effects of maternal Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and malaria infection may contribute to an increased risk of NCDs later in life. Low birthweight and postnatal growth faltering followed by rapid weight gain define subjects who develop NCDs. Dietary interventions at specific time points in the life course may therefore be important for reducing disease risk. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A Comparison of Physical Activity Levels in Childcare Contexts among Finnish and Dutch Three-Year-Olds

Science.gov (United States)

Soini, Anne; Gubbels, Jessica; Sääkslahti, Arja; Villberg, Jari; Kremers, Stef; Van Kann, Dave; Mehtälä, Anette; De Vries, Nanne; Poskiparta, Marita

2016-01-01

The aim of the current study was to determine Finnish and Dutch three-year-old preschool children's physical activity (PA) levels and how levels vary across gender, location, time of day and social contexts in both countries. A modified version of the Observational System for Recording Physical Activity in Children-Preschool (OSRAC-P) was used to…

Tales From Two Countries

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ooi, Can-Seng

2006-01-01

Place branding has become popular. Places brand themselves to attract tourists, talented foreign workers, investments and businesses. The brand accentuates the positive characteristics of the place; it frames the society and sells its cultures. In the context of tourism, this paper examines...... to present a prevailing reality. To the Danes, the brand is descriptive and should portray the country in a positive and accurate manner. To the Singaporeans, the brand is normative and a vision of what Singaporean society ought to become. These countries share common goals when branding themselves...

Teachers' Conceptions about the Genetic Determinism of Human Behaviour: A Survey in 23 Countries

Science.gov (United States)

Castéra, Jérémy; Clément, Pierre

2014-01-01

This work analyses the answers to a questionnaire from 8,285 in-service and pre-service teachers from 23 countries, elaborated by the Biohead-Citizen research project, to investigate teachers' conceptions related to the genetic determinism of human behaviour. A principal components analysis is used to assess the main trends in all the interviewed…

Diabetes mellitus and tuberculosis in countries with high tuberculosis burdens: individual risks and social determinants.

Science.gov (United States)

Goldhaber-Fiebert, Jeremy D; Jeon, Christie Y; Cohen, Ted; Murray, Megan B

2011-04-01

A growing body of evidence supports the role of type 2 diabetes as an individual-level risk factor for tuberculosis (TB), though evidence from developing countries with the highest TB burdens is lacking. In developing countries, TB is most common among the poor, in whom diabetes may be less common. We assessed the relationship between individual-level risk, social determinants and population health in these settings. We performed individual-level analyses using the World Health Survey (n = 124,607; 46 countries). We estimated the relationship between TB and diabetes, adjusting for gender, age, body mass index, education, housing quality, crowding and health insurance. We also performed a longitudinal country-level analysis using data on per-capita gross domestic product and TB prevalence and incidence and diabetes prevalence for 1990-95 and 2003-04 (163 countries) to estimate the relationship between increasing diabetes prevalence and TB, identifying countries at risk for disease interactions. In lower income countries, individuals with diabetes are more likely than non-diabetics to have TB [univariable odds ratio (OR): 2.39; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.84-3.10; multivariable OR: 1.81; 95% CI: 1.37-2.39]. Increases in TB prevalence and incidence over time were more likely to occur when diabetes prevalence also increased (OR: 4.7; 95% CI: 1.0-22.5; OR: 8.6; 95% CI: 1.9-40.4). Large populations, prevalent TB and projected increases in diabetes make countries like India, Peru and the Russia Federation areas of particular concern. Given the association between diabetes and TB and projected increases in diabetes worldwide, multi-disease health policies should be considered.

Determinants and Consequences of Non-Interest Income Diversification of Commercial Banks in OECD Countries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Joon-Ho Hahm

2008-06-01

Full Text Available This paper studies determinants and consequences of theThis paper studies determinants and consequences of the changing income structure of commercial banks in the era of financial conglomeration. Utilizing a dataset of 662 relatively large commercial banks in 29 OECD countries from 1992 to 2006, we find that banks with relatively large asset sizes, low net interest margins, high impaired loan ratios, and high cost-income ratios tend to exhibit higher non-interest income shares. As for macroeconomic factors, banks in countries with slow economic growth, a stable inflation environment, and well- developed stock markets tend to show higher non-interest income shares. Second, we investigate the consequences of non-interest income expansion on bank profitability and risks. While the positive effects on profit and capital adequacy seem to become weaker under the consideration of macroeconomic factors and endogeneity problems, the adverse impact on profit variability remains robust. Overall, these findings suggest that expanding toward non-interest income may not produce desired income diversification effects, and it does not necessarily imply a shift toward superior return-risk frontiers.

The context of ethical problems in medical volunteer work.

Science.gov (United States)

Wall, Anji

2011-06-01

Ethical problems are common in clinical medicine, so medical volunteers who practice clinical medicine in developing countries should expect to encounter them just as they would in their practice in the developed world. However, as this article argues, medical volunteers in developing countries should not expect to encounter the same ethical problems as those that dominate Western biomedicine or to address ethical problems in the same way as they do in their practice in developed countries. For example, poor health and advanced disease increase the risks and decrease the potential benefits of some interventions. Consequently, when medical volunteers intervene too readily, without considering the nutritional and general health status of patients, the results can be devastating. Medical volunteers cannot assume that the outcomes of interventions in developing countries will be comparable to the outcomes of the same interventions in developed countries. Rather, they must realistically consider the complex medical conditions of patients when determining whether or not to intervene. Similarly, medical volunteers may face the question of whether to provide a pharmaceutical or perform an intervention that is below the acceptable standard of care versus the alternative of doing nothing. This article critically explores the contextual features of medical volunteer work in developing countries that differentiate it from medical practice in developed countries, arguing that this context contributes to the creation of unique ethical problems and affects the way in which these problems should be analyzed and resolved.

Considerations on the activity concentration determination method for low-level waste packages and nuclide data comparison between different countries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kashiwagi, M.; Mueller, W.

2000-01-01

In low-level waste disposal, acceptable activity concentration limits are regulated for individual nuclides and groups of nuclides according to the conditions of each disposal site. Such regulated limits principally concern total alpha and beta /gamma activity as well as nuclides such as C-14, Ni-63, and Pu-238 which are long-lived and difficult to measure (hereinafter referred to as difficult-to-measure nuclides). Before waste packages are transported to the disposal site, the activities or activity concentrations of the regulated nuclides and groups of nuclides in the waste packages must be assessed and declared. A generally applicable theoretical method to determine these activities is lacking at present. Therefore, to meet this requirement, for NPP waste each country independently samples actual waste and carries out radiochemical analyses on these samples. The activity concentrations of difficult-to-measure nuclides are then determined by statistical correlation of the measured data between difficult-to-measure nuclides and Co-60 and Cs-137 which are measurable from outside the waste packages (hereinafter referred to as key nuclides). This method is called 'Scaling Factor Method'. It is widely adopted as a method for determining the activity concentrations of the limited nuclides in low-level waste packages from NPP, and it is also approved by responsible authorities in the respective country. In the past, each country independently determined scaling factors based on measurements on samples from the local NPPs. In the first part of this study, the possibility of an international scaling factor assessment using a database integrating data from different countries was studied by comparing radiochemical analysis data between Germany, Japan, and the United States. These countries have accumulated a large number of those nuclide data required to determine scaling factors. Statistical values such as correlation coefficients change with an accumulation of data. In

Determinants of between-country differences in ambulatory antibiotic use and antibiotic resistance in Europe: a longitudinal observational study.

Science.gov (United States)

Blommaert, A; Marais, C; Hens, N; Coenen, S; Muller, A; Goossens, H; Beutels, P

2014-02-01

To identify key determinants explaining country-year variations in antibiotic use and resistance. Ambulatory antibiotic use data [in defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day (DIDs)] for 19 European countries from 1999 to 2007 were collected, along with 181 variables describing countries in terms of their agriculture, culture, demography, disease burden, education, healthcare organization and socioeconomics. After assessing data availability, overlap and relevance, multiple imputation generalized estimating equations were applied with a stepwise selection procedure to select significant determinants of global antibiotic use (expressed in DIDs), relative use of subgroups (amoxicillin and co-amoxiclav) and resistance of Escherichia coli and Streptococcus pneumoniae. Relative humidity, healthcare expenditure proportional to gross domestic product, feelings of distrust, proportion of population aged >65 years and availability of treatment guidelines were associated with higher total antibiotic use expressed in DIDs. Restrictions on marketing activities towards prescribers, population density, number of antibiotics, educational attainment and degree of atheism were associated with a lower number of total DIDs used. Relative prescribing of amoxicillin and co-amoxiclav was mainly determined by healthcare system choices [e.g. general practitioner (GP) registration and restricted marketing]. Specific antibiotic use was found to be a significant determinant of resistance for some but not all drug/organism combinations. Incentives to stimulate GP gatekeeping were associated with lower levels of resistance, and life expectancy at age 65+ and atheism were associated with more resistance. Myriad factors influence antibiotic use and resistance at the country level and an important part of these can be modified by policy choices.

Comparing primary energy attributed to renewable energy with primary energy equivalent to determine carbon abatement in a national context.

Science.gov (United States)

Gallachóir, Brian P O; O'Leary, Fergal; Bazilian, Morgan; Howley, Martin; McKeogh, Eamon J

2006-01-01

The current conventional approach to determining the primary energy associated with non-combustible renewable energy (RE) sources such as wind energy and hydro power is to equate the electricity generated from these sources with the primary energy supply. This paper compares this with an approach that was formerly used by the IEA, in which the primary energy equivalent attributed to renewable energy was equated with the fossil fuel energy it displaces. Difficulties with implementing this approach in a meaningful way for international comparisons lead to most international organisations abandoning the primary energy equivalent methodology. It has recently re-emerged in prominence however, as efforts grow to develop baseline procedures for quantifying the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions avoided by renewable energy within the context of the Kyoto Protocol credit trading mechanisms. This paper discusses the primary energy equivalent approach and in particular the distinctions between displacing fossil fuel energy in existing plant or in new plant. The approach is then extended provide insight into future primary energy displacement by renewable energy and to quantify the amount of CO2 emissions avoided by renewable energy. The usefulness of this approach in quantifying the benefits of renewable energy is also discussed in an energy policy context, with regard to increasing security of energy supply as well as reducing energy-related GHG (and other) emissions. The approach is applied in a national context and Ireland is case study country selected for this research. The choice of Ireland is interesting in two respects. The first relates to the high proportion of electricity only fossil fuel plants in Ireland resulting in a significant variation between primary energy and primary energy equivalent. The second concerns Ireland's poor performance to date in limiting GHG emissions in line with its Kyoto target and points to the need for techniques to quantify the potential

The Determinants of Capital Structure: Evidence from Listed Companies in Balkan Countries

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Ajla Ngjeliu

2018-03-01

Full Text Available As most of the empirical literature regarding the determinants of capital structure relies on developed economies, this study contributes to the existing literature by looking at listed companies in the Balkan region. It investigates 760 companies over a 6-year period from 2007 to 2013 using a random effect model. The leverage is specified as a function of firm-specific characteristics, and the results are in line with previous empirical studies. Respectively, it is seen that a positive correlation is significant for size, while a negative one is found for profitability. Observing the decomposition of leverage, it can be assessed that the Balkan companies rely mostly on short-term debt. Furthermore, this study aims and finds significant differences between the determinants of capital structure of the companies established in EU and those in non-EU countries. The z-score indicated that when looking at the total debt ratio there is only one determinant which is statically significant.

Determinants of FDI into Central and Eastern European Countries: Pull or Push Effect?

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Burcak Polat

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Despite the growing interest in foreign direct investments (FDI, substantial uncertainty still exists regarding what stimulates foreign investors to operate in a foreign market and uneven distribution of FDI across countries. Using panel data for 2001 -2012 period, the major determinants of the FDI inflows into the Central and Eastern European Countries are analysed in this study. Strong evidence are found that while EU CR indices, EU and USA real GDP growth rates and global financial crisis have power to explain FDI inflows among all other push factors, labour cost, electricity price, real exchange rate and host CR indices have strong influential on FDI as the most effective pull factors. However, study fails to find any effect of openness, tax rates on commercial profits, USA CR indices, interest rate differentials and host real GDP growth on FDI.

Evaluation of occupational disease surveillance in six EU countries

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Spreeuwers, D.; de Boer, A. G. E. M.; Verbeek, J. H. A. M.; van Dijk, F. J. H.

2010-01-01

Registries of occupational diseases in various European countries differ considerably in criteria for notification and recognition, statistical data provided and the legal and social security context. Therefore, figures on occupational diseases are not comparable between countries and are often

The Role of FDI in the Economic Development of Transition Countries

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Jelena Tast

2014-09-01

Full Text Available FDI are considered a key instrument in the process of transforming the former centrally planned economies and stimulate economic growth in the transition period. Economic theory suggests that FDI are an important factor for the economic growth of the host-country, while according to empirical research in general, there is a positive correlation between FDI and the economic growth, but the causality direction is not clear: FDI inflow stimulates economic growth, but in the same time FDI inflows grow with the country’s economic development. Therefore, the objective of research in the paper is the relationship between FDI and economic growth in SEE and CIS countries. The relationship between the FDI and the economic growth in transition countries is examined by linear regression correlation of the relevant variables, covering the period from 2004 to 2011. Through the Pierce coefficient and the coefficient of determination, the interaction between the relevant variables and the dependence intensity is examine, and in this context general conclusions are drawn about the effects of FDI in the SEE and CIS countries. At the same time, the beta-coefficient is used to examine the value of the change in each variable separately, in order to make a more detailed analysis of the results obtained. In order to determine the direction of causality between the FDI and the economic growth of the country, research is carried out the influence of the transition indicators on the FDI inflow in the SEE and CIS countries from 2004 to 2011.

The Functioning of Context-Based Physics Instruction in Higher Education

Science.gov (United States)

Tural, Guner

2014-01-01

The effects of the context-based approach have been discussed in educational settings as one of the innovative instructional approaches. Many countries throughout the world have implemented context-based physics projects or programs to make physics more relevant to students' lives. This paper examined the effects of context-based physics…

Development and validation of a multilateral index to determine economic status in developing countries: the Patient Financial Eligibility Tool (PFET).

Science.gov (United States)

Saba, Joseph; Audureau, Etienne; Bizé, Marion; Koloshuk, Barbara; Ladner, Joël

2013-04-01

The objective was to develop and validate a multilateral index to determine patient ability to pay for medication in low- and middle-income countries. Primary data were collected in 2009 from 117 cancer patients in China, India, Thailand, and Malaysia. The initial tool included income, expenditures, and assets-based items using ad hoc determined brackets. Principal components analysis was performed to determine final weights. Agreement (Kappa) was measured between results from the final tool and from an Impact Survey (IS) conducted after beginning drug therapy to quantify a patient's actual ability to pay in terms of number of drug cycles per year. The authors present the step-by-step methodology employed to develop the tool on a country-by-country basis. Overall Cronbach value was 0.84. Agreement between the Patient Financial Eligibility Tool (PFET) and IS was perfect (equal number of drug cycles) for 58.1% of patients, fair (1 cycle difference) for 29.1%, and poor (>1 cycle) for 12.8%. Overall Kappa was 0.76 (Ptool for determining an individual's ability to pay for medication. Combined with tiered models for patient participation in the cost of medication, it could help to increase access to high-priced products in developing countries.

TURKEY’S COMPETITIVENESS IN TERMS OF DETERMINANTS OFFDI: A COMPARISON WITH HUNGARY AND POLAND

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Ismet Ates

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Foreign direct investments (FDI have increased rapidly in the world especiallyafter 1990s. Both developing and developed countries consider FDI as a source ofcapital and they compete with each other to get more FDI to their countries. Inthis context, the factors that make attractive thehost country are becomingimportant to attract FDI. Determinants of FDI classified differently by economic,political and geographical in the literature.In this study, the economic factors determine FDI in Turkey (market size, laborcosts, exchange rates, interest rates, economic growth rate, geographic location,infrastructure, taxes, etc. will be investigated and compared with data of Hungaryand Poland. As a result of this comparison, the factors attracting FDI and affectingthe competitiveness of Turkey against to Hungary and Poland will be determined.

Tax Revenues in the Context of Economic Determinants

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Alena Andrejovská

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Despite the general recognition that taxes are generally a strong policy tool for assessing the macroeconomic impact of the country's alternative tax policies, taxes are often weakened by restrictions on tax revenue measurement. The aim of the contribution is to quantify the impact of selected macroeconomic indicators (gross domestic product, level of employment, public debt, foreign direct investments, effective tax rate, statutory tax rate on the total amount of tax revenues, taking into account the tax competitiveness of the 28 EU member states. There was used methods of three models of regression analysis: the pooling model, the fixed effects model and the random effects model. The hypothesis that the gross domestic product has the greatest impact on tax revenue has been tested. In conclusion, the analysis confirmed that the strongest correlation is between tax revenues and employment rate. Followed by foreign direct investment and gross domestic product. Increasing these determinants by 1 mil. € (increase in employment by 1% would increase tax revenues by 10 072 mil. € at the employment rate, by 383.1 thousand € for gross domestic product and by 434.2 thousand € for foreign direct investment.

"Bridgers" in the Third Space: An In-Country Investigation of the Leadership Practices of US-Educated Chinese Nationals

Science.gov (United States)

Martinez, Maria L.

2016-01-01

This in-country grounded theory study examined the lived experiences of 24 Chinese returnees who completed advanced degrees in the United States. The study found that the four types of organizations in mainland China determine the social context of the application of Western education of the Chinese returnees. Returnees working in multinational…

Determinants of cash holdings in the accommodation industry: evidence from Southerm European Countries

OpenAIRE

Morais, Flávio

2013-01-01

This study analyzes the determinants of cash holdings for the accommodation industry in Southern European countries (Spain, Greece, Italy and Portugal) using a sample of 5964 firms during the period 2003-2011. A fixed-effects panel data model revealed that larger companies, higher leveraged, where most debt is short-term and that maintain better relationships with financial institutions exhibit lower cash to assets ratios. Liquid assets substitutes, capital expenditures and asset tangibility ...

Context and culture associated with alcohol use amongst youth in major urban cities: A cross-country population based survey.

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Anne W Taylor

Full Text Available Alcohol consumption patterns are dependent upon culture and context. The aim of this study was to interview people aged 18-34 year old living in four cities in different regions of the world to explore differences in a range of alcohol measures to assist in determining culturally appropriate alcohol initiatives for this age group.Multistage random sampling was consistent across the four cities (Ilorin (Nigeria, Wuhan (China, Montevideo (Uruguay and Moscow (Russia. The questionnaire was forward and back translated into relevant languages and face-to-face interviewing undertaken. The data were weighted to the population of each city. Uni-variable analysis (ever consumed, first time consumed, age when drunk for first time, number of days consumed, type consumed and logistic regression modeling were undertaken. The final model for each city was adjusted for age, sex, marital status, highest education and employment status. In total 6235 interviews were undertaken (1391 in Ilorin, 1600 in Montevideo, 1604 in Moscow and 1640 in Wuhan.Alcohol was consumed by 96.4% in Montevideo, 86.1% in Moscow, 53.4% in Wuhan and 33.3% in Ilorin. There was very little difference by gender except Ilorin males were more likely to consume alcohol than females. Alcohol was consumed on more days for Ilorin males; Wuhan females consumed alcohol on the least number of days; Ilorin had the most abstainers; Montevideo and Moscow the highest proportion of light drinkers; Ilorin and Montevideo the highest proportion of heavy drinkers. Differences by type of alcohol were also apparent. The final logistic regression model provided different models including higher alcohol consumption rates for males, 25-34 years of age, divorced/separated marital status and employed part time for Ilorin respondents; males and higher educated for Montevideo; males, 25 to 29 years of age and higher educated for Moscow; and 25-29 years of age, non-married and vocationally trained for those in Wuhan

Nuclear power in developing countries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Morrison, R.W.

1980-01-01

A few of the essential issues which arise when we consider nuclear power and development together in the context of energy policy are discussed. Ethical concerns must ultimately be expressed through policies and their impact on people. There are ethical issues associated with nuclear power in the developing countries which deserve our attention. Four aspects of the question of nuclear power in developing countries are considered: their energy situation; the characteristics of nuclear power which are relevant to them; whether developing countries will undertake nuclear power programmes; and finally the ethical implications of such programmes. It is concluded that what happens in developing countries will depend more on the ethical nature of major political decisions and actions than on the particular technology they use to generate their electricity. (LL)

Compulsory Schooling Laws and Migration Across European Countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Aparicio Fenoll, Ainhoa; Kuehn, Zoë

2017-12-01

Educational attainment is a key factor for understanding why some individuals migrate and others do not. Compulsory schooling laws, which determine an individual's minimum level of education, can potentially affect migration. We test whether and how increasing the length of compulsory schooling influences migration of affected cohorts across European countries, a context where labor mobility is essentially free. We construct a novel database that includes information for 31 European countries on compulsory education reforms passed between 1950 and 1990. Combining this data with information on recent migration flows by cohorts, we find that an additional year of compulsory education reduces the number of individuals from affected cohorts who migrate in a given year by 9 %. Our results rely on the exogeneity of compulsory schooling laws. A variety of empirical tests indicate that European legislators did not pass compulsory education reforms as a reaction to changes in emigration rates or educational attainment.

Nuclear Security Education in “non-Nuclear” Countries – Inseparable Component of Global Nuclear Security Scheme. Example of Montenegro

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jovanovic, S.

2014-01-01

• Global regime of nuclear security cannot be complete and functional if all countries are not involved; • Apart from the fact that developed nuclear countries are crucial in this sense (and determining the system), due attention should be paid to small, developing, “nonnuclear” ones; • Small problems in big countries are often big problems in small countries – so it is with HRD in nuclear related fields; • Everything is based on competence, with education being fundamental for building it up; • To that aim, the role of universities is of utmost importance, while networking is another corner stone; • Experience of Montenegro, perhaps exemplary in the above context, is discussed. (author)

Credit risk determinants in Sub-Saharan banking systems: Evidence from five countries and lessons learnt from Central East and South East European countries

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Eftychia Nikolaidou

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Banking systems in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA have grown notably over the past decades due to benign macroeconomic, regulatory and financial trends. Nonetheless, downside risks remain elevated by structural issues, commodity price fluctuations, reversal of capital flows and spill-over effects from external shocks in a manner similar to the Central East and South East European (CESEE countries. In the light of the 2008–2009 Global Financial Crisis, great attention has been given to understanding the causes of banking instability with most of the research focusing on advanced economies and, to a lesser extent, large emerging markets while little attention has been paid to the bank-based financial sectors of Sub-Saharan Africa. Furthermore, there is scarcity of studies aiming at knowledge-sharing among different emerging economies. This paper aims to identify the determinants of bank credit risk by focusing on five SSA countries: Kenya, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia and Uganda. Using the ARDL approach to cointegration, findings indicate that increased money supply conditions have a decreasing effect on NPLs in all counties, banking industry-specific variables play a significant role in the case of South Africa and Uganda while NPLs are driven by country-specific variables in the case of Kenya, South Africa and Zambia. The effect of the Global Financial Crisis is evidenced indirectly. Drawing on evidence from CESEE countries with long experience in banking crises, reforms and financial deepening process, the paper provides lessons for SSA countries and offers policy recommendations in the direction of strengthening banks’ balance sheets to ensure financial stability.

Road safety in developing countries.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Schreuder, D.A.

1991-01-01

This paper presents a classification of countries (developing and developed alike), divided into two main categories: an economical and historical entry. When road safety problems are placed into the economical context, it then appears that, among other things: (1) The road safety problem in the

Explaining the role of proximate determinants on fertility decline among poor and non-poor in Asian countries.

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Nabanita Majumder

Full Text Available We examined the overall contributions of the poor and non-poor in fertility decline across the Asian countries. Further, we analyzed the direct and indirect factors that determine the reproductive behaviour of two distinct population sub-groups.Data from several new rounds of DHS surveys are available over the past few years. The DHS provides cross-nationally comparable and useful data on fertility, family planning, maternal and child health along with the other information. Six selected Asian countries namely: Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Philippines, and Vietnam are considered for the purpose of the study. Three rounds of DHS surveys for each country (except Vietnam are considered in the present study.Economic status is measured by computing a "wealth index", i.e. a composite indicator constructed by aggregating data on asset ownership and housing characteristics using principal components analysis (PCA. Computed household wealth index has been broken into three equal parts (33.3 percent each and the lowest and the highest 33.3 percent is considered as poor and non-poor respectively. The Bongaarts model was employed to quantify the contribution of each of the proximate determinants of fertility among poor and non-poor women.Fertility reduction across all population subgroups is now an established fact despite the diversity in the level of socio-economic development in Asian countries. It is clear from the analysis that fertility has declined irrespective of economic status at varying degrees within and across the countries which can be attributed to the increasing level of contraceptive use especially among poor women. Over the period of time changing marriage pattern and induced abortion are playing an important role in reducing fertility among poor women.Fertility decline among majority of the poor women across the Asian countries is accompanied by high prevalence of contraceptive use followed by changing marriage pattern and induced

Role of social workers in a context of crisis: adaptation opportunities to change

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Marta García-Domingo

2017-06-01

Full Text Available The current situation of socioeconomic crisis shows a scenario characterized by the increase of inequality, as well as situations of vulnerability and social exclusion. In addition to the growth in social needs and problems, there is a shortage of resources to support individuals and families. This produces an important change in the philosophy and functioning of social services system, being interventions increasingly marked by control and sanction. Social Work, as a discipline integrated into a process of constant transformation and adaptation, deals with a series of challenges in the current context of crisis. It conditions, and even determines, the role to be performed by Social Workers. From semi-structured interviews and participant observation, we analyze the perception of experts of that role in three key European contexts: Nordic countries (represented by Sweden and Finland, Central Europe (represented by Germany y Mediterranean countries (represented by Spain. Through discourse analysis, we identify both responsibilities and suggestions for improving social intervention. Based on this, we conclude a dual role reflected in the speeches of the social actors involved: proactive and supportive.

Which Membership Matters? External vs. Internal Determinants of Institutional Change in Transition Countries

OpenAIRE

Thorsten Drautzburg; Inna Melnykovska; Rainer Schweickert

2008-01-01

This paper analyses potential internal and external determinants of institutional change as measured by the World Bank Governance Indicators (WBGI) based on a panel of 25 transition countries for the period from 1996 to 2005. We show that natural resources and capital inflows exert an insignificant or negative influence and that economic policy allows to break path-dependency. Most importantly, however, we are able to show that incentives provided by NATO membership are important for institut...

Tools for Export Promotion in the Context of Globalization

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Pugachevska Kateryna S.

2017-12-01

Full Text Available A comparative analysis of the rate of growth in exports of goods and GDP is carried out, and goods exports to GDP ratio in the context of the developed countries, developing countries, and countries with the transition economy is calculated. This allows to make a conclusion about a decrease in importance of exports as a key engine of the world economic growth during the past years. The legal basis of the WTO’s activities in terms of state support for exports is described. The main reasons for the emergence of a conflict of interests between countries with different levels of economic development concerning the use of individual protectionist barriers are revealed. Potential long-term consequences of the growth of export orientation under conditions of openness of national economies are identified. The measures and tools of the country’s export promotion in foreign markets are studied. It is grounded that under conditions of destabilization of global trade regulators, effective export promotion is a mechanism for increasing the competitiveness of the national economy of Ukraine. Prospects for further research in this area are the determination of instruments to stimulate exports, which have the greatest impact on the export orientation of certain economic activities.

Determinants of immigrants’ entry to homeownership in three Nordic capital city regions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kauppinen, Timo; Andersen, Hans Skifter; Hedman, Lina

2015-01-01

is not only a function of differences in economic resources. These studies have largely focused on Anglo-American contexts, using mostly cross-sectional data. We apply survival analysis methods to analyse the determinants of entry to homeownership in the capital regions of three Nordic countries – Denmark...

Nuclear power reactors worldwide: Technology developments, diffusion patterns, and country-by-country analysis of implementation (1951-2017)

OpenAIRE

Wealer, Ben; Bauer, Simon; Landry, Nicolas; Seiß, Hannah; von Hirschhausen, Christian R.

2018-01-01

Nuclear energy is among the most important innovations of the twentieth century, and it continues to play an important role in twenty-first century discussions. In particular, there is a debate about the potential contribution of nuclear power to policies of climate change mitigation and energy security in both, industrialized and emerging countries. In this context, many existing nuclear countries, and others considering entering the sector, are facing questions of how to structure organizat...

FDI DETERMINANTS IN THE EURASIAN ECONOMIC UNION COUNTRIES AND EURASIAN ECONOMIC INTEGRATION EFFECT ON FDI INFLOWS

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Yerkezhan Zhumakankyzy Akhmetzaki

2017-09-01

Full Text Available The paper examines the potential determinants of foreign direct investment inflows into the region of Eurasian Economic Union, as well as incentives for investment into other neighboring countries. In the first model, the authors test a hypothesis on country specific foreign direct investment determinants for the Eurasian Economic Union region. The results of fixed effects estimation show that gross domestic product, infrastructure development and secondary education enrollment have a positive statistically significant effect on the foreign direct investment inflows into the region. Conversely, the impact of Customs Union on foreign direct investment appeared to be negative. Furthermore, in the second model of the natural experiment, the authors empirically test the hypothesis on Customs Union’s effect on foreign direct investment while controlling for both country and time effects. The model includes evaluating the impact of the policy change on foreign investment inflows. The natural experiment outcome also points to the negative effect of Eurasian economic integration on foreign direct investment inflows. Although the countries of Eurasian Economic Union have relatively business friendly regulations, such procedures as enforcing contracts, resolving insolvencies and dealing with construction permits are time-consuming. For attracting foreign investment, it is advisable to facilitate such procedures and make the process of setting up a new business less onerous. The research can be used as an outline for further examining of Eurasian economic integration and apart from that, the study results can be applied for practical purposes of policy elaboration aimed at stimulating foreign direct investment into the Eurasian Economic Union.

TENDENCIES OF IMPROVING STAFF MOTIVATION IN THE CONTEXT OF MOLDOVA – EUROPEAN UNION ASSOCIATION

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Catalina ILCIUC

2017-04-01

Full Text Available Globalization and internationalization of labour market have determined the high mobility of the workforce between countries. Moldovan managers are more and more influenced by the European managerial practices, in the context of intense employees’ fluctuation, but the necessity of qualified specialists is more obvious. As a result, adaptation of some strategies and motivational policies that would maintain and attract qualified employees is an imperative requirement for the local managers.

The development of determiners in the context of French-English bilingualism: a study of cross-linguistic influence.

Science.gov (United States)

Hervé, Coralie; Serratrice, Ludovica

2018-05-01

This paper reports the preliminary results of a study examining the role of structural overlap, language exposure, and language use on cross-linguistic influence (CLI) in bilingual first language acquisition. We focus on the longitudinal development of determiners in a corpus of two French-English children between the ages of 2;4 and 3;7. The results display bi-directional CLI in the rate of development, i.e., accelerated development in English and a minor delay in French. Unidirectional CLI from English to French was instead observed in the significantly higher rate of ungrammatical determiner omissions in plural and generic contexts than in singular specific contexts in French. These findings suggest that other language-internal mechanisms may be at play. They also lend support to the role of expressive abilities on the magnitude of this phenomenon.

The Determinants Factors of the Capital Cost � Evidence from 5 EU Countries

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Georgiana Sterea

2016-07-01

Full Text Available The aim of the paper is to highlight the importance and complexity of the company�s capital and its components and the extent to which its cost is influenced by several factors. In order to achieve this goal we have made a study on a sample of 15 companies from Romania and other 4 EU countries: Italy, Spain, France and Finland. All are SME�s and micro-enterprises that acting in the sector of "Growing of spices, aromatic, drug and pharmaceutical crops". For the study of capital cost determinants were selected five variables: return on equity, return on assets, general indebtedness, taxation and firm�s size in order to determine their influence on the cost of capital.

Factors in Organisational Environmental Management System Implementation – Developed vs. Developing Country Contexts

OpenAIRE

Kola-Lawal, Constance; Wood, Mike; Alo, Babajide; Clark, Andrew

2014-01-01

Country specificities and national cultures influence Environmental Management Systems (EMS) implementation and pro-environmental behaviour in organisations. Previous studies have focused on organisations in developed or emerging economies, creating a need to establish the extent to which findings are applicable to developing counterparts. This paper presents EMS implementation from a developing country perspective, reporting on EMS implementation factors (drivers, benefits, barriers) affecti...

SME Financing in Europe: Cross-Country Determinant of Bank Loan Maturity

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Koeter-Kant, J.; Hernandez-Canovas, G.

2011-01-01

This article examines the influence of cross-country differences on bank loan maturity for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), using a sample of 3366 SMEs from 19 European countries. It analyses a country's legal and institutional environment while controlling for banking structure, economic

Factors determining the viability of radiation processing in developing countries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Linde, H.J. van der

1988-01-01

In the fifteen years since the introduction of radiation processing to South Africa, four commercial irradiation facilities have been established. These are involved in the processing of a large variety of products, from syringes and prostheses to strawberries and sugar yeast. Three of the facilities are devoted mainly to food irradiation and several thousand tonnes are now processed annually. During this period it was repeatedly experienced that the successful introduction of radiation processing in general, and food radurization in particular, on a commercial scale was critically dependent on the following factors: acceptance by the producer, industry and consumer; initial capital expenditure; running costs and overheads in general; and continuous throughput. All of these factors contribute to the processing cost which is the ultimate factor in determining the value/price ratio for the potential entrepreneur and customer of this new technology. After a market survey had identified the need for a new food irradiation facility to cope with the growing interest in commercial food radurization in the Western Cape, the above-mentioned factors were of cardinal importance in the design and manufacture of a new irradiator. The resulting batch-pallet facility which was commissioned in August 1986, is rather inefficient as far as energy utilization is concerned but this shortcoming is compensated for by its low cost, versatility and low hold-up. Although the facility has limitations as far as the processing of really large volumes of produce is concerned, it is particularly suitable not only for developing countries, but for developed countries in the introductory phase of commercial food radurization. (author)

Balance across contexts: importance of balanced need satisfaction across various life domains.

Science.gov (United States)

Milyavskaya, Marina; Gingras, Isabelle; Mageau, Geneviève A; Koestner, Richard; Gagnon, Hugo; Fang, Jianqun; Boiché, Julie

2009-08-01

Self-determination theory posits that satisfaction of three basic psychological needs-autonomy, competence, and relatedness-are required for psychological well-being, and a recent study showed that the balance in the satisfaction of these three needs independently affects well-being. The present investigation builds on these findings by examining the balance of adolescents' need satisfaction across distinct life contexts. The results of three studies show that adolescents who experience a balance of need satisfaction across important life contexts, including at school, at home, with friends, and in part-time jobs, reported higher well-being and better school adjustment. This finding emerged consistently across four countries and across multiple measures of school adjustment, including teacher reports. Together, these results support previous research that highlights the importance of consistency for psychological functioning.

Systems approaches to integrated solid waste management in developing countries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marshall, Rachael E.; Farahbakhsh, Khosrow

2013-01-01

Highlights: ► Five drivers led developed countries to current solid waste management paradigm. ► Many unique factors challenge developing country solid waste management. ► Limited transferability of developed country approaches to developing countries. ► High uncertainties and decision stakes call for post-normal approaches. ► Systems thinking needed for multi-scale, self-organizing eco-social waste systems. - Abstract: Solid waste management (SWM) has become an issue of increasing global concern as urban populations continue to rise and consumption patterns change. The health and environmental implications associated with SWM are mounting in urgency, particularly in the context of developing countries. While systems analyses largely targeting well-defined, engineered systems have been used to help SWM agencies in industrialized countries since the 1960s, collection and removal dominate the SWM sector in developing countries. This review contrasts the history and current paradigms of SWM practices and policies in industrialized countries with the current challenges and complexities faced in developing country SWM. In industrialized countries, public health, environment, resource scarcity, climate change, and public awareness and participation have acted as SWM drivers towards the current paradigm of integrated SWM. However, urbanization, inequality, and economic growth; cultural and socio-economic aspects; policy, governance, and institutional issues; and international influences have complicated SWM in developing countries. This has limited the applicability of approaches that were successful along the SWM development trajectories of industrialized countries. This review demonstrates the importance of founding new SWM approaches for developing country contexts in post-normal science and complex, adaptive systems thinking

Systems approaches to integrated solid waste management in developing countries

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Marshall, Rachael E., E-mail: rmarsh01@uoguelph.ca [School of Engineering, University of Guelph, Albert A. Thornbrough Building, Guelph, ON, Canada N1G 2W1 (Canada); Farahbakhsh, Khosrow, E-mail: khosrowf@uoguelph.ca [School of Engineering, University of Guelph, Albert A. Thornbrough Building, Guelph, ON, Canada N1G 2W1 (Canada)

2013-04-15

Highlights: ► Five drivers led developed countries to current solid waste management paradigm. ► Many unique factors challenge developing country solid waste management. ► Limited transferability of developed country approaches to developing countries. ► High uncertainties and decision stakes call for post-normal approaches. ► Systems thinking needed for multi-scale, self-organizing eco-social waste systems. - Abstract: Solid waste management (SWM) has become an issue of increasing global concern as urban populations continue to rise and consumption patterns change. The health and environmental implications associated with SWM are mounting in urgency, particularly in the context of developing countries. While systems analyses largely targeting well-defined, engineered systems have been used to help SWM agencies in industrialized countries since the 1960s, collection and removal dominate the SWM sector in developing countries. This review contrasts the history and current paradigms of SWM practices and policies in industrialized countries with the current challenges and complexities faced in developing country SWM. In industrialized countries, public health, environment, resource scarcity, climate change, and public awareness and participation have acted as SWM drivers towards the current paradigm of integrated SWM. However, urbanization, inequality, and economic growth; cultural and socio-economic aspects; policy, governance, and institutional issues; and international influences have complicated SWM in developing countries. This has limited the applicability of approaches that were successful along the SWM development trajectories of industrialized countries. This review demonstrates the importance of founding new SWM approaches for developing country contexts in post-normal science and complex, adaptive systems thinking.

Self-Determination Theory Applied to Health Contexts: A Meta-Analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Ng, Johan Y Y; Ntoumanis, Nikos; Thøgersen-Ntoumani, Cecilie; Deci, Edward L; Ryan, Richard M; Duda, Joan L; Williams, Geoffrey C

2012-07-01

Behavior change is more effective and lasting when patients are autonomously motivated. To examine this idea, we identified 184 independent data sets from studies that utilized self-determination theory (SDT; Deci & Ryan, 2000) in health care and health promotion contexts. A meta-analysis evaluated relations between the SDT-based constructs of practitioner support for patient autonomy and patients' experience of psychological need satisfaction, as well as relations between these SDT constructs and indices of mental and physical health. Results showed the expected relations among the SDT variables, as well as positive relations of psychological need satisfaction and autonomous motivation to beneficial health outcomes. Several variables (e.g., participants' age, study design) were tested as potential moderators when effect sizes were heterogeneous. Finally, we used path analyses of the meta-analyzed correlations to test the interrelations among the SDT variables. Results suggested that SDT is a viable conceptual framework to study antecedents and outcomes of motivation for health-related behaviors. © The Author(s) 2012.

Theory and methodology of social, political and economic processes risks determining in different countries of the world

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yashina Nadezhda, I.

2015-06-01

Full Text Available The study deals with the problems of the theory and methodology of social, political and economic processes risks in different countries with relative indicators of the socio-economic development level, as well as the size and condition of the public debt. Developed by the authors the methodology of determining the risks of social, political and economic processes of public policy around the world revealed close relationship between socio-economic situation of the countries and their public debt. Within the framework of this methodology two groups of factors characterizing the socio-political and economic processes in the country are being developed. After that each exponent and indicator are being processed, using expert procedures. Maximum statutory values for tentatively referenced countries with effective and ineffective government policies are identified. Then standardization (specification and definition of integral (generalized indexes of socio-political and economic processes in the country are taking place. After that the ranking of countries by aggregated standardized ratio is arranged, taking into account the significance of the developed indicators. The final phase of implementation methodology is identifying risks of social, political and economic processes of public policy around the world. This is the ranking of countries by ratio of stability in public policy (stability of economic and socio-political processes in the country. As the result of implementation methodology the following output was received: what really makes a difference is not the amount of the country's debt, but how effectively it manages this debt, whether it has a goal to improve social and economic indicators. Practical testing methodology has proven that studied indicators fully characterize the development of the countries, their political, social and economic situation on the world stage.

Students’ Professional Self-Determination in the Context of the Socially Conditioned Conflicting Realities

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E. F. Zeyer

2012-01-01

Full Text Available The paper discusses the peculiarities of students’ professional identity in the context of socially conditioned conflicting realities. The individual social position is of a particular importance for the professional identity formation, so the authors carried out the research into the students professional self-determination with the reference to their socio-metric status in the academic group; the interpersonal relations were considered as conflict- generating – provoking the conflicting realities of students’ professional self- determination. The theoretical basis of the study involves the concept of personal professional growth with the emphasis on the students’ self-determination in the conflict situations. The research methodology combines the diagnostics of professional self-determination and socio-metric methods. The analysis and synthesis of the acquired empirical data reveal the differences in the expressed levels of components of the students’ professional identity according to their socio-metric status in the group. The research findings include the conformity of conflicting realities arising in interpersonal relationships in the academic process and reflected in the professional identity transformation. The above results can be used for psychological facilitation of students’ successful professional growth. 

Determining the psychometric properties of the Enhancing Decision-making Assessment in Midwifery (EDAM) measure in a cross cultural context.

Science.gov (United States)

Jefford, Elaine; Jomeen, Julie; Martin, Colin R

2016-04-28

The ability to act on and justify clinical decisions as autonomous accountable midwifery practitioners, is encompassed within many international regulatory frameworks, yet decision-making within midwifery is poorly defined. Decision-making theories from medicine and nursing may have something to offer, but fail to take into consideration midwifery context and philosophy and the decisional autonomy of women. Using an underpinning qualitative methodology, a decision-making framework was developed, which identified Good Clinical Reasoning and Good Midwifery Practice as two conditions necessary to facilitate optimal midwifery decision-making during 2nd stage labour. This study aims to confirm the robustness of the framework and describe the development of Enhancing Decision-making Assessment in Midwifery (EDAM) as a measurement tool through testing of its factor structure, validity and reliability. A cross-sectional design for instrument development and a 2 (country; Australia/UK) x 2 (Decision-making; optimal/sub-optimal) between-subjects design for instrument evaluation using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, internal consistency and known-groups validity. Two 'expert' maternity panels, based in Australia and the UK, comprising of 42 participants assessed 16 midwifery real care episode vignettes using the empirically derived 26 item framework. Each item was answered on a 5 point likert scale based on the level of agreement to which the participant felt each item was present in each of the vignettes. Participants were then asked to rate the overall decision-making (optimal/sub-optimal). Post factor analysis the framework was reduced to a 19 item EDAM measure, and confirmed as two distinct scales of 'Clinical Reasoning' (CR) and 'Midwifery Practice' (MP). The CR scale comprised of two subscales; 'the clinical reasoning process' and 'integration and intervention'. The MP scale also comprised two subscales; women's relationship with the midwife' and 'general

Determinants of prices increase of agricultural commodities in a global context1

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Borychowski Michał

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The main objective of this article is to present the determinants of increase in agricultural commodity prices after 2006. The other specific aim is to show the factors affecting agricultural raw materials and food prices in the global context. This article is a review paper of the determinants of recent commodity and food prices spikes. However, it provides an outlook on these determinants that were the most important for the increases in the last decade. The last part of the article (conclusions to some extent is a synthesis of considerations and includes the authors’ opinions concerning determinants and an attempt to identify which ones were the most important in the growth of agricultural commodity prices. These increases in agricultural commodity prices resulted from many factors and it is very difficult to separate the individual impact of each of them, because they occurred in parallel. However, it is possible to indicate several main reasons for these price increases, which are: adverse changes in supply-demand relations in agricultural markets, increases in oil prices (and increases of the volatility of those prices, development of biofuel production from agricultural commodities (the first generation biofuels, dollar depreciation, an increase in operations of a speculative nature on commodity markets and improper economic policy that created an environment for the growth of prices of agricultural products.

Geriatric dentistry education and context in a selection of countries in 5 continents.

Science.gov (United States)

Marchini, Leonardo; Ettinger, Ronald; Chen, Xi; Kossioni, Anastassia; Tan, Haiping; Tada, Sayaka; Ikebe, Kazunori; Dosumu, Elizabeth Bosede; Oginni, Fadekemi O; Akeredolu, Patricia Adetokunbo; Butali, Azeez; Donnelly, Leeann; Brondani, Mario; Fritzsch, Bernd; Adeola, Henry A

2018-05-01

To summarize and discuss how geriatric dentistry has been addressed in dental schools of different countries regarding to (1) teaching students at the predoctoral level; (2) advanced training, and (3) research. A convenience sample of faculty members from a selection of high, upper-middle and lower-middle income countries were recruited to complete the survey. The survey had 5 open-ended main topics, and asked about (1) the size of their elderly population, (2) general information about dental education; (3) the number of dental schools teaching geriatric dentistry, and their teaching methods; (4) advanced training in geriatric dentistry; (5) scholarship/research in geriatric dentistry. (1) There is great variation in the size of elderly population; (2) duration of training and content of dental education curriculum varies; (3) geriatric dentistry has not been established as a standalone course in dental schools in the majority of the countries, (4) most countries, with the exception of Japan, lack adequate number of dentists trained in geriatric dentistry as well as training programs, and (5) geriatric dentistry-related research has increased in recent years in scope and content, although the majority of these papers are not in English. © 2018 Special Care Dentistry Association and Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Country logistics performance and disaster impact.

Science.gov (United States)

Vaillancourt, Alain; Haavisto, Ira

2016-04-01

The aim of this paper is to deepen the understanding of the relationship between country logistics performance and disaster impact. The relationship is analysed through correlation analysis and regression models for 117 countries for the years 2007 to 2012 with disaster impact variables from the International Disaster Database (EM-DAT) and logistics performance indicators from the World Bank. The results show a significant relationship between country logistics performance and disaster impact overall and for five out of six specific logistic performance indicators. These specific indicators were further used to explore the relationship between country logistic performance and disaster impact for three specific disaster types (epidemic, flood and storm). The findings enhance the understanding of the role of logistics in a humanitarian context with empirical evidence of the importance of country logistics performance in disaster response operations. © 2016 The Author(s). Disasters © Overseas Development Institute, 2016.

Social determinants of health and tobacco use in thirteen low and middle income countries: evidence from Global Adult Tobacco Survey.

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Krishna M Palipudi

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Tobacco use has been identified as the single biggest cause of inequality in morbidity. The objective of this study is to examine the role of social determinants on current tobacco use in thirteen low-and-middle income countries. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We used nationally representative data from the Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS conducted during 2008-2010 in 13 low-and-middle income countries: Bangladesh, China, Egypt, India, Mexico, Philippines, Poland, Russian Federation, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, Uruguay, and Viet Nam. These surveys provided information on 209,027 respondent's aged 15 years and above and the country datasets were analyzed individually for estimating current tobacco use across various socio-demographic factors (gender, age, place of residence, education, wealth index, and knowledge on harmful effects of smoking. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to predict the impact of these determinants on current tobacco use status. Current tobacco use was defined as current smoking or use of smokeless tobacco, either daily or occasionally. Former smokers were excluded from the analysis. Adjusted odds ratios for current tobacco use after controlling other cofactors, was significantly higher for males across all countries and for urban areas in eight of the 13 countries. For educational level, the trend was significant in Bangladesh, Egypt, India, Philippines and Thailand demonstrating decreasing prevalence of tobacco use with increasing levels of education. For wealth index, the trend of decreasing prevalence of tobacco use with increasing wealth was significant for Bangladesh, India, Philippines, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, Uruguay and Viet Nam. The trend of decreasing prevalence with increasing levels of knowledge on harmful effects of smoking was significant in China, India, Philippines, Poland, Russian Federation, Thailand, Ukraine and Viet Nam. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: These findings demonstrate a

Social determinants of health and tobacco use in thirteen low and middle income countries: evidence from Global Adult Tobacco Survey.

Science.gov (United States)

Palipudi, Krishna M; Gupta, Prakash C; Sinha, Dhirendra N; Andes, Linda J; Asma, Samira; McAfee, Tim

2012-01-01

Tobacco use has been identified as the single biggest cause of inequality in morbidity. The objective of this study is to examine the role of social determinants on current tobacco use in thirteen low-and-middle income countries. We used nationally representative data from the Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) conducted during 2008-2010 in 13 low-and-middle income countries: Bangladesh, China, Egypt, India, Mexico, Philippines, Poland, Russian Federation, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, Uruguay, and Viet Nam. These surveys provided information on 209,027 respondent's aged 15 years and above and the country datasets were analyzed individually for estimating current tobacco use across various socio-demographic factors (gender, age, place of residence, education, wealth index, and knowledge on harmful effects of smoking). Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to predict the impact of these determinants on current tobacco use status. Current tobacco use was defined as current smoking or use of smokeless tobacco, either daily or occasionally. Former smokers were excluded from the analysis. Adjusted odds ratios for current tobacco use after controlling other cofactors, was significantly higher for males across all countries and for urban areas in eight of the 13 countries. For educational level, the trend was significant in Bangladesh, Egypt, India, Philippines and Thailand demonstrating decreasing prevalence of tobacco use with increasing levels of education. For wealth index, the trend of decreasing prevalence of tobacco use with increasing wealth was significant for Bangladesh, India, Philippines, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, Uruguay and Viet Nam. The trend of decreasing prevalence with increasing levels of knowledge on harmful effects of smoking was significant in China, India, Philippines, Poland, Russian Federation, Thailand, Ukraine and Viet Nam. These findings demonstrate a significant but varied role of social determinants on current tobacco use within and

Mobile government implementation for government service delivery in developing countries: a South Africa context

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Ogunleye, OS

2014-07-01

Full Text Available an opportunity to use of this platform to provide better service delivery to the citizens of the developing countries. This paper identifies major service delivery issues in South Africa. Various m-government systems that have been implemented in other countries...

Examining Well-Being in School Context: Weekly Experiences of Pupils and Teachers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maja Tadic

2014-05-01

Full Text Available The present study investigates the determinants and intercorrelations between teachers’ and pupils’ well-being and motivation in the school context. Based on self-determination theory and job demands-resources theory, we hypothesize that (a teachers’ weekly self-concordant work motivation promotes teachers’ weekly work-related well-being (i.e. work-related positive affect and work engagement, and (b that a crossover effect of teachers’ weekly work-related well-being on pupils’ weekly school-related well-being exists, while controlling for trait-level teachers’ antecedents of trait-level teachers’ work-related well-being: job demands and job resources. A quantitative weekly diary methodology is employed. Participants are primary school pupils and their teachers from six European countries.

International comparison of systems to determine entitlements to medical specialist care: performance and organizational issues

NARCIS (Netherlands)

E.A. Stolk (Elly); A.A. de Bont (Antoinette); M.J. Poley (Marten); S. Jerak (Sonja); M. Stroet (Mary); F.F.H. Rutten (Frans)

2008-01-01

textabstractSummary Objective: CVZ has asked us to provide a comparison of criteria and procedures that different countries use to determine entitlements to medical specialist care. This question was asked within the context of the recent introduction of the DBC (diagnosis treatment combinations)

Beyond culture or beyond control? Reviewing the use of Hall’s high-/low-context concept

OpenAIRE

Kittler, Markus G.; Rygl, David; Mackinnon, Alex

2012-01-01

This paper reviews Edward T. Hall’s influential concept of high-/low-context communication and its use in cross-cultural research. Hall’s concept suggests that individuals combine preprogrammed culture specific context and information to create meaning. The use of context is argued to vary across cultures and country classifications have been attached to Hall’s concept. These country rankings have evolved over time classifying (national) cultures as ‘high-context’ (HC) and ‘low-context’ (LC)....

Localization of determinants of fertility through measurement adaptations in developing-country settings: The case of Iran: Comment on "Analysis of economic determinants of fertility in Iran: a multilevel approach".

Science.gov (United States)

Erfani, Amir

2014-12-01

Studies investigating fertility decline in developing countries often adopt measures of determinants of fertility behavior developed based on observations from developed countries, without adapting them to the realities of the study setting. As a result, their findings are usually invalid, anomalous or statistically non-significant. This commentary draws on the research article by Moeeni and colleagues, as an exemplary work which has not adapted measures of two key economic determinants of fertility behavior, namely gender inequality and opportunity costs of childbearing, to the realities of Iran's economy. Measurement adaptations that can improve the study are discussed.

Testing the relationship between personality characteristics, contextual factors and entrepreneurial intentions in a developing country.

Science.gov (United States)

Karimi, Saeid; Biemans, Harm J A; Naderi Mahdei, Karim; Lans, Thomas; Chizari, Mohammad; Mulder, Martin

2017-06-01

Drawing upon the theory of planned behaviour (TPB), we developed and tested a conceptual model which integrates both internal personality factors and external contextual factors to determine their associations with motivational factors and entrepreneurial intentions (EIs). We then investigated if the model of EI applies in a developing country, namely Iran. We also set out to identify the most relevant factors for EI within this developing country context. Do distal predictors of EI including personality factors (i.e. need for achievement, risk taking and locus of control) and contextual factors (i.e. perceived barriers and support) significantly relate to EI via proximal predictors including motivational factors (i.e. attitudes towards entrepreneurship and perceived behavioural control [PBC])? Data were collected on 331 students from 7 public universities. The findings support the TPB for EI in Iran. All three motivational factors related to EI, but PBC showed the strongest association, which is different than in developed country contexts. Possible explanations for these differences are discussed. All three personality characteristics indirectly related to EI via the proximal attitudes towards entrepreneurship and PBC. Perceived contextual support and barriers indirectly related to EI via proximal PBC while perceived barriers also directly related to EI. © 2015 International Union of Psychological Science.

CSR Institutionalized Myths in Developing Countries

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jamali, Dima; Lund-Thomsen, Peter; Khara, Navjote

2017-01-01

This article examines joint action initiatives among small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the manufacturing industries in developing countries in the context of the ascendancy of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and the proliferation of a variety of international accountability tools...... place, and how developing country firms can gain credit and traction by focusing on high visibility CSR issues, although the plight of workers remains fundamentally unchanged. The authors revisit these findings in the discussion and concluding sections, highlighting the main research and policy...

The Innovation Development of the BRICS Countries: Preconditions and Prospects for Cooperation

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E. Sidorova

2018-03-01

Full Text Available The most important factor in the development of the global economy is the intensification of international innovation processes. The degree of state involvement in the international innovation market determines the overall level of national economic competitiveness. However, the pace and scale of innovation in the Russian economy are insufficient. At the same time, innovation processes are closely linked to integration processes. Currently, the role of international integration associations is increasing; as significant subjects of the global economy, they directly interact with other associations, states, transnational corporations and international institutions. In this context, this article analyzes the development of innovation in the BRICS grouping of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, identifying and describing the preconditions and prospects for cooperation in this field. In this regard, first, the article investigates the development of innovation in the BRICS countries by analyzing the statistical data and the indices to determine the key achievements and problems of countries in this field. Second, it identifies the preconditions and prospects for innovation cooperation among the BRICS countries. This article demonstrates that, despite the obvious leadership of China, all BRICS countries have advantages of development. It also shows that in different years joint research projects of the BRICS countries have been successfully implemented. However, active cooperation began in 2015. The main international agreements are the Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in Science, Technology and Innovation, the Strategy for BRICS Economic Partnership and the BRICS Science, Technology and Innovation Work Plan 2015–2018. This article concludes by identifying a number of measures aimed at stimulating further innovation development of the BRICS countries. This article extends the knowledge about the innovation development and

Financial reforms and determinants of FDI: Evidence from landlocked countries in Sub-Saharan Africa

OpenAIRE

Rjoub, Husam; Aga, Mehmet; Alrub, Ahmad Abu; Bein, Murad

2017-01-01

The recognition of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) as a source of funding to foster economic development in both developed and developing countries has been in ascendancy. The prime purpose of this study is to empirically investigate the determinants of FDI for the “landlocked countries” in Sub-Saharan Africa over the period 1995–2013. By employing panel data analysis, the result of the study revealed that domestic investment, trade (openness), human capital, political constraint, natural res...

Corporate governance determinants: the firm-level evidence from transitional country, Ukraine

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Vitaliy Zheka

2007-01-01

Full Text Available This paper attempts to empirically investigate the determinants of choices of corporate governance practices by corporations in a transition market. The study offers firm-level evidence benefiting from unique financial and governance data on Ukraine. In particular, we analyze the factors that affect overall level as well as individual elements of corporate governance. We consider such governance elements as shareholder rights, transparency, board independence, chairman independence and ownership. Overall we found that regulatory, industry and firm level factors are important, which is consistent with previous literature for other countries. Combining our results with the results of Zheka (20063 we conclude that it is possible for the government to implement and enforce better corporate governance practices in the economy that would make Ukrainian enterprises more attractive for foreign investment.

The residential context of health in Australia: No longer the lucky country?

Science.gov (United States)

Kendall, Elizabeth; Baum, Scott

2016-01-01

This paper introduces the special issue focused on the relationship between residence and health in Australia. We present six papers conducted in different Australian states that demonstrate different elements of the complex impact of residential context on health. Through this series of papers, we demonstrate the impact of housing quality and safety on vulnerable populations, but also the way in which processes around housing (e.g., data collection, renewal, allocation) can have either negative or positive outcomes. The broader residential context (i.e., neighborhood, community, geographic location) also must be considered in housing decisions, along with variables that closely track housing (e.g., stigma, poverty). Australia is in the middle of a housing crisis that can still be resolved in positive ways if adequate attention is given to the nuances and complexities of housing decisions.

Does Context Matter? Literacy Disparities in Self-rated Health Using Evidence from 17 Developed Countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Yeonjin

2017-05-01

The study examines whether adult literacy skills predict self-rated health status beyond educational credentials in 17 developed countries using a cross-national survey, the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC). The study uses linear regression models with country-level fixed effects to predict self-rated health to account the unobserved country-level heterogeneity. A total of 73,806 respondents aged 25 to 65 were included in the analysis. Although adult literacy is positively associated with better self-rated health in general, the strength of the relationship varies across nations. The literacy-related health inequalities are less severe in countries with the higher public share of health expenditures that may better address the needs of individuals with limited cognitive abilities. Curriculum standardization also contributes to reducing the literacy gradients in health by decreasing variations in skills obtained in school across individuals with different social origins. Overall, this study reveals that promoting equity in adult literacy skills is an important way to improve a population's health. Country-level differences in the strength of the relationship between literacy and self-rated health are systematically related to between-country differences in health financing and educational systems.

Determinants of Foreign Direct Investments in Bulgaria and Romania in the Context of Recent Economic Crisis

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Mirel-Daniel Simionescu

2017-03-01

Full Text Available The objective of this paper is to select some relevant macroeconomic determinants for foreign direct investment (FDI in Bulgaria and Romania since the start of the recent economic crisis (2008-2015. Even if the economic recession installed in 2009 in Romania, the foreign investors’ decisions were influenced by the moment of global recession from 2008. A Bayesian approach was proposed, because of the small sample for the variables in analyzed period: FDI as percent of GDP, real GDP rate, unemployment rate, inflation rate, real interest rate, real effective exchange rate index (2010=100 and money demand (M2 as percent of GDP. The estimation results reflected that foreign investors in both countries were attracted by the increase in GDP from a year to another. On the other hand, for Bulgaria the inflation rate was the strongest determinant, indicating the economic stability of the country that made huge efforts in getting one digit inflation rate. In Romania, as expected, the foreign investors were searching for cheap labour force and the increase in unemployment rate attracted more FDI during the crisis period.

EU CONTRIBUTION TO SUPPORT DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

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Diana Popa

2012-06-01

Full Text Available The paper deals with the EU aid concerning to improved the economic situation from developing countries. Therefore, the aim of this research is to identify how EU states contribute to helping poor countries, members of the World Trade Organization. For the beginning, we define the EU’position before, during and after the Doha Round – a round of WTO multilateral trade negotiations. Moreover, we analyse the development dimension, focusing on countries „marginalized” until early of XXI century in terms of international trade, because this represents the idea-axis of the Doha Round. In this context, the EU – one of the leading global commercial players and a key member of the institution mentioned above – has set several objectives to achieve the basic goal of negotiations and several ways to support developing countries. To conclude, we propose to define the key points of the European aid for least developed and developing countries.

MONETARY POLICY TRANSMISSION MECHANISM IN EMERGING COUNTRIES

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Andreea ROŞOIU

2013-06-01

Full Text Available The transmission channels of monetary policy are used by central banks to accomplish the main objective of price stability in the context of sustainable economic growth. The importance of interest rate and exchange rate channels for the emerging countries Romania, Poland, Czech Republic and Hungary is analyzed by using Bayesian VAR approach with Diffuse priors over 1998Q1-2012Q3. Main result of the empirical study is that both channels are effective for the monetary policy transmission mechanism in Hungary and Czech Republic. In Romania and Poland they do not exhibit puzzles, but the impact of the macroeconomic variables is not very significant and shows very high volatility. In the context of monetary integration, exchange rate channel will become irrelevant when these countries adopt Euro currency. This change will lead instead to a powerful interest rate channel.

INTEGRATING COUNTRY-SPECIFIC CULTURE IN THE BRANDING STRATEGY FOR BUILDING GLOBAL SUCCESS

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Alexandra IOANID

2014-11-01

Full Text Available A strong brand is the one that integrates its cultural origins and values with the cultural values of the countries where it operates, building relationships based on trust with the local consumers. The chances for a company to gain share market when starting operations in a new country grows a lot if the management allows enough regional flexibility on how the brands are marketed, according to the cultural characteristics of the potential local customers. In the actual globalized business environment, the brand marketer has the choice to adopt a global or a local approach in the marketing strategy, that most of the times determines the success or the failure of the business in a specific country. An important challenge for any marketer is the integration of the brand-culture with the country-culture and in this context, the paper analyses different cultures and offers some branding strategies valid for both products and services. This paper aims to demonstrate the importance of the country-specific culture integration in the marketing strategy of a company for growing the effectiveness of all its operations. The ideas mentioned in this paper are based on literature research and also on authors’ experience with multicultural environments.

Energy system contributions and determinants of performance in sprint cross-country skiing

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersson, E; Björklund, G; Holmberg, H-C

2017-01-01

To improve current understanding of energy contributions and determinants of sprint-skiing performance, 11 well-trained male cross-country skiers were tested in the laboratory for VO2max , submaximal gross efficiency (GE), maximal roller skiing velocity, and sprint time-trial (STT) performance...... during the STT was predicted from the submaximal relationships for GE against velocity and incline, allowing computation of metabolic rate and O2 deficit. The skiers completed the STT in 232 ± 10 s (distributed as 55 ± 3% DP and 45 ± 3% DS) with a mean power output of 324 ± 26 W. The anaerobic energy......-skiing has demonstrated an anaerobic energy contribution of 18%, with GE being the strongest predictor of performance....

Using theories of behaviour to understand transfusion prescribing in three clinical contexts in two countries: development work for an implementation trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Francis, Jill J; Tinmouth, Alan; Stanworth, Simon J; Grimshaw, Jeremy M; Johnston, Marie; Hyde, Chris; Stockton, Charlotte; Brehaut, Jamie C; Fergusson, Dean; Eccles, Martin P

2009-10-24

Blood transfusion is an essential part of healthcare and can improve patient outcomes. However, like most therapies, it is also associated with significant clinical risks. In addition, there is some evidence of overuse. Understanding the potential barriers and enablers to reduced prescribing of blood products will facilitate the selection of intervention components likely to be effective, thereby reducing the number of costly trials evaluating different implementation strategies. Using a theoretical basis to understand behaviours targeted for change will contribute to a 'basic science' relating to determinants of professional behaviour and how these inform the selection of techniques for changing behaviour. However, it is not clear which theories of behaviour are relevant to clinicians' transfusing behaviour. The aim of this study is to use a theoretical domains framework to identify relevant theories, and to use these theories to identify factors that predict the decision to transfuse. The study involves two steps: interview study and questionnaire study. Using a previously identified framework, we will conduct semi-structured interviews with clinicians to elicit their views about which factors are associated with waiting and further monitoring the patient rather than transfusing red blood cells. Interviews will cover the following theoretical domains: knowledge; skills; social/professional role and identity; beliefs about capabilities; beliefs about consequences; motivation and goals; memory, attention, and decision processes; environmental context and resources; social influences; emotion; behavioural regulation; nature of the behaviour. The interviews will take place independently in Canada and the UK and involve two groups of physicians in each country (UK: adult and neonatal intensive care physicians; Canada: intensive care physicians and orthopaedic surgeons). We will: analyse interview transcript content to select relevant theoretical domains; use consensus

How mechanical context and feedback jointly determine the use of mechanical variables in length perception by dynamic touch

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Menger, Rudmer; Withagen, Rob

Earlier studies have revealed that both mechanical context and feedback determine what mechanical invariant is used to perceive length by dynamic touch. In the present article, the authors examined how these two factors jointly constrain the informational variable that is relied upon. Participants

How mechanical context and feedback jointly determine the use of mechanical variables in length perception by dynamic touch

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Menger, Rudmer; Withagen, Rob

2009-01-01

Earlier studies have revealed that both mechanical context and feedback determine what mechanical invariant is used to perceive length by dynamic touch. In the present article, the authors examined how these two factors jointly constrain the informational variable that is relied upon. Participants

Migration as a form of workforce attrition: a nine-country study of pharmacists.

Science.gov (United States)

Wuliji, Tana; Carter, Sarah; Bates, Ian

2009-04-09

There is a lack of evidence to inform policy development on the reasons why health professionals migrate. Few studies have sought to empirically determine factors influencing the intention to migrate and none have explored the relationship between factors. This paper reports on the first international attempt to investigate the migration intentions of pharmacy students and identify migration factors and their relationships. Responses were gathered from 791 final-year pharmacy students from nine countries: Australia, Bangladesh, Croatia, Egypt, Portugal, Nepal, Singapore, Slovenia and Zimbabwe. Data were analysed by means of Principal Components Analysis (PCA) and two-step cluster analysis to determine the relationships between factors influencing migration and the characteristics of subpopulations most likely and least likely to migrate. Results showed a significant difference in attitudes towards the professional and sociopolitical environment of the home country and perceptions of opportunities abroad between those who have no intention of migrating and those who intend to migrate on a long-term basis. Attitudes of students planning short-term migration were not significantly different from those of students who did not intend to migrate. These attitudes, together with gender, knowledge of other migrant pharmacists and past experiences abroad, are associated with an increased propensity for migration. Given the influence of the country context and environment on migration intentions, research and policy should frame the issue of migration in the context of the wider human resource agenda, thus viewing migration as one form of attrition and a symptom of other root causes. Remuneration is not an independent stand-alone factor influencing migration intentions and cannot be decoupled from professional development factors. Comprehensive human resource policy development that takes into account the issues of both remuneration and professional development are necessary

Video context-dependent recall.

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Steven M; Manzano, Isabel

2010-02-01

In two experiments, we used an effective new method for experimentally manipulating local and global contexts to examine context-dependent recall. The method included video-recorded scenes of real environments, with target words superimposed over the scenes. In Experiment 1, we used a within-subjects manipulation of video contexts and compared the effects of reinstatement of a global context (15 words per context) with effects of less overloaded context cues (1 and 3 words per context) on recall. The size of the reinstatement effects in Experiment 1 show how potently video contexts can cue recall. A strong effect of cue overload was also found; reinstatement effects were smaller, but still quite robust, in the 15 words per context condition. The powerful reinstatement effect was replicated for local contexts in Experiment 2, which included a no-contexts-reinstated group, a control condition used to determine whether reinstatement of half of the cues caused biased output interference for uncued targets. The video context method is a potent way to investigate context-dependent memory.

Localization of Determinants of Fertility through Measurement Adaptations in Developing-Country Settings: The Case of Iran Comment on “Analysis of Economic Determinants of Fertility in Iran: A Multilevel Approach”

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Amir Erfani

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Studies investigating fertility decline in developing countries often adopt measures of determinants of fertility behavior developed based on observations from developed countries, without adapting them to the realities of the study setting. As a result, their findings are usually invalid, anomalous or statistically non-significant. This commentary draws on the research article by Moeeni and colleagues, as an exemplary work which has not adapted measures of two key economic determinants of fertility behavior, namely gender inequality and opportunity costs of childbearing, to the realities of Iran’s economy. Measurement adaptations that can improve the study are discussed.

The adoption of sustainable remediation behaviour in the US and UK: a cross country comparison and determinant analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Hou, Deyi; Al-Tabbaa, Abir; Guthrie, Peter

2014-08-15

The sustainable remediation concept, aimed at maximizing the net environmental, social, and economic benefits in contaminated site remediation, is being increasingly recognized by industry, governments, and academia. However, there is limited understanding of actual sustainable behaviour being adopted and the determinants of such sustainable behaviour. The present study identified 27 sustainable practices in remediation. An online questionnaire survey was used to rank and compare them in the US (n=112) and the UK (n=54). The study also rated ten promoting factors, nine barriers, and 17 types of stakeholders' influences. Subsequently, factor analysis and general linear models were used to determine the effects of internal characteristics (i.e. country, organizational characteristics, professional role, personal experience and belief) and external forces (i.e. promoting factors, barriers, and stakeholder influences). It was found that US and UK practitioners adopted many sustainable practices to similar extents. Both US and UK practitioners perceived the most effectively adopted sustainable practices to be reducing the risk to site workers, protecting groundwater and surface water, and reducing the risk to the local community. Comparing the two countries, we found that the US adopted innovative in-situ remediation more effectively; while the UK adopted reuse, recycling, and minimizing material usage more effectively. As for the overall determinants of sustainable remediation, the country of origin was found not to be a significant determinant. Instead, organizational policy was found to be the most important internal characteristic. It had a significant positive effect on reducing distant environmental impact, sustainable resource usage, and reducing remediation cost and time (psustainability as one would expect. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Cancer epidemiology in developing countries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Whelan, S.L.

2002-01-01

It is estimated that there were over 10 million new cancer cases in 2000, 5.4 million of them occurring in the developing countries (Parkin et al, 2001). The marked geographical variation in cancer occurrence results in differing therapeutic priorities: North America has more new cancer cases than South-Central Asia, but there are more deaths from cancer in South-Central Asia, reflecting a different pattern of cancer rather than differences in prognosis. Prediction of future trends is difficult, but the impact of population increase and ageing will be significant, with an expected 63% increase in the population of the less developed countries in 50 years. Four sites of cancer namely breast, cervix, colorectal and nasopharyngeal carcinoma are reviewed, looking at their present and possible future importance in the context of developing countries and their aetiology

Gender differences in public and private drinking contexts: a multi-level GENACIS analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Bond, Jason C; Roberts, Sarah C M; Greenfield, Thomas K; Korcha, Rachael; Ye, Yu; Nayak, Madhabika B

2010-05-01

This multi-national study hypothesized that higher levels of country-level gender equality would predict smaller differences in the frequency of women's compared to men's drinking in public (like bars and restaurants) settings and possibly private (home or party) settings. GENACIS project survey data with drinking contexts included 22 countries in Europe (8); the Americas (7); Asia (3); Australasia (2), and Africa (2), analyzed using hierarchical linear models (individuals nested within country). Age, gender and marital status were individual predictors; country-level gender equality as well as equality in economic participation, education, and political participation, and reproductive autonomy and context of violence against women measures were country-level variables. In separate models, more reproductive autonomy, economic participation, and educational attainment and less violence against women predicted smaller differences in drinking in public settings. Once controlling for country-level economic status, only equality in economic participation predicted the size of the gender difference. Most country-level variables did not explain the gender difference in frequency of drinking in private settings. Where gender equality predicted this difference, the direction of the findings was opposite from the direction in public settings, with more equality predicting a larger gender difference, although this relationship was no longer significant after controlling for country-level economic status. Findings suggest that country-level gender equality may influence gender differences in drinking. However, the effects of gender equality on drinking may depend on the specific alcohol measure, in this case drinking context, as well as on the aspect of gender equality considered. Similar studies that use only global measures of gender equality may miss key relationships. We consider potential implications for alcohol related consequences, policy and public health.

Determinants of smoking initiation among women in five European countries: a cross-sectional survey

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Oh, Debora L

2010-02-17

Abstract Background The rate of smoking and lung cancer among women is rising in Europe. The primary aim of this study was to determine why women begin smoking in five different European countries at different stages of the tobacco epidemic and to determine if smoking is associated with certain characteristics and\\/or beliefs about smoking. Methods A cross-sectional telephone survey on knowledge and beliefs about tobacco was conducted as part of the Women in Europe Against Lung Cancer and Smoking (WELAS) Project. A total of 5 000 adult women from France, Ireland, Italy, Czech Republic, and Sweden were interviewed, with 1 000 from each participating country. All participants were asked questions about demographics, knowledge and beliefs about smoking, and their tobacco use background. Current and former smokers also were asked questions about smoking initiation. Basic statistics on the cross-sectional data was reported with chi-squared and ANOVA p-values. Logistic regression was used to analyze ever versus never smokers. Linear regression analyses were used to analyze age of smoking initiation. Results Being older, being divorced, having friends\\/family who smoke, and having parents who smoke were all significantly associated with ever smoking, though the strength of the associations varied by country. The most frequently reported reason for initiation smoking was friend smoking, with 62.3% of ever smokers reporting friends as one of the reasons why they began smoking. Mean age of smoking initiation was 18.2 years and over 80% of participants started smoking by the age of 20. The highest levels of young initiators were in Sweden with 29.3% of women initiating smoking at age 14-15 and 12.0% initiating smoking younger than age 14. The lowest level of young initiators was in the Czech Republic with 13.7% of women initiating smoking at age 14-15 and 1.4% of women initiating smoking younger than age 14. Women who started smoking because their friends smoked or to look

Determinants of smoking initiation among women in five European countries: a cross-sectional survey.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Oh, Debora L

2010-02-17

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: The rate of smoking and lung cancer among women is rising in Europe. The primary aim of this study was to determine why women begin smoking in five different European countries at different stages of the tobacco epidemic and to determine if smoking is associated with certain characteristics and\\/or beliefs about smoking. METHODS: A cross-sectional telephone survey on knowledge and beliefs about tobacco was conducted as part of the Women in Europe Against Lung Cancer and Smoking (WELAS) Project. A total of 5 000 adult women from France, Ireland, Italy, Czech Republic, and Sweden were interviewed, with 1 000 from each participating country. All participants were asked questions about demographics, knowledge and beliefs about smoking, and their tobacco use background. Current and former smokers also were asked questions about smoking initiation. Basic statistics on the cross-sectional data was reported with chi-squared and ANOVA p-values. Logistic regression was used to analyze ever versus never smokers. Linear regression analyses were used to analyze age of smoking initiation. RESULTS: Being older, being divorced, having friends\\/family who smoke, and having parents who smoke were all significantly associated with ever smoking, though the strength of the associations varied by country. The most frequently reported reason for initiation smoking was friend smoking, with 62.3% of ever smokers reporting friends as one of the reasons why they began smoking. Mean age of smoking initiation was 18.2 years and over 80% of participants started smoking by the age of 20. The highest levels of young initiators were in Sweden with 29.3% of women initiating smoking at age 14-15 and 12.0% initiating smoking younger than age 14. The lowest level of young initiators was in the Czech Republic with 13.7% of women initiating smoking at age 14-15 and 1.4% of women initiating smoking younger than age 14. Women who started smoking because their friends smoked or to

Health system context and implementation of evidence-based practices-development and validation of the Context Assessment for Community Health (COACH) tool for low- and middle-income settings.

Science.gov (United States)

Bergström, Anna; Skeen, Sarah; Duc, Duong M; Blandon, Elmer Zelaya; Estabrooks, Carole; Gustavsson, Petter; Hoa, Dinh Thi Phuong; Källestål, Carina; Målqvist, Mats; Nga, Nguyen Thu; Persson, Lars-Åke; Pervin, Jesmin; Peterson, Stefan; Rahman, Anisur; Selling, Katarina; Squires, Janet E; Tomlinson, Mark; Waiswa, Peter; Wallin, Lars

2015-08-15

The gap between what is known and what is practiced results in health service users not benefitting from advances in healthcare, and in unnecessary costs. A supportive context is considered a key element for successful implementation of evidence-based practices (EBP). There were no tools available for the systematic mapping of aspects of organizational context influencing the implementation of EBPs in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Thus, this project aimed to develop and psychometrically validate a tool for this purpose. The development of the Context Assessment for Community Health (COACH) tool was premised on the context dimension in the Promoting Action on Research Implementation in Health Services framework, and is a derivative product of the Alberta Context Tool. Its development was undertaken in Bangladesh, Vietnam, Uganda, South Africa and Nicaragua in six phases: (1) defining dimensions and draft tool development, (2) content validity amongst in-country expert panels, (3) content validity amongst international experts, (4) response process validity, (5) translation and (6) evaluation of psychometric properties amongst 690 health workers in the five countries. The tool was validated for use amongst physicians, nurse/midwives and community health workers. The six phases of development resulted in a good fit between the theoretical dimensions of the COACH tool and its psychometric properties. The tool has 49 items measuring eight aspects of context: Resources, Community engagement, Commitment to work, Informal payment, Leadership, Work culture, Monitoring services for action and Sources of knowledge. Aspects of organizational context that were identified as influencing the implementation of EBPs in high-income settings were also found to be relevant in LMICs. However, there were additional aspects of context of relevance in LMICs specifically Resources, Community engagement, Commitment to work and Informal payment. Use of the COACH tool will allow

The convergence of the Central American countries to International Accounting Standards

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carlos Araya-Leandro

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Abstract: In the last few decades, Central American countries are making a significant effort in order to modernize their governments' legislation both on financial management and systems of financial information. In this sense, these countries aim to enhance the quality of public financial information in order to improve decision-making processes, decrease the level of corruption, and keep citizens informed. In this context, the purpose of this paper is twofold. Firstly, to assess the degree of similarity of the financial information that is being developed by Central American governments with regard to the recommendations set up by Ipsas, and secondly, to analyse the efforts and the strategies that those countries are carrying out in the process of implementing those standards. To determine the differences in the information containing the annual financial statements issued by national public authorities and the recommendations set up by Ipsas we conducted a deductive content analysis. In view of the results we can say that the quality of annual financial statements presented by the countries in Central America, in comparison to the recommendations by the Ipsas concerning Ifac information, is not enough. Hence, in order to operate significant changes, it is still necessary to create new strategies for the implementation of the Ipsas.

Determining the Best Arch/Garch Model and Comparing JKSE with Stock Index in Developed Countries

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Kharisya Ayu Effendi

2015-09-01

Full Text Available The slow movement of Indonesia economic growth in 2014 due to several factors, in internal factors; due to the high interest rates in Indonesia and external factors from the US which will raise the fed rate this year. However, JKSE shows a sharp increase trend from the beginning of 2014 until the second quarter of 2015 although it remains fluctuate but insignificant. The purpose of this research is to determine the best ARCH/ GARCH model in JKSE and stock index in developed countries (FTSE, Nasdaq and STI and then compare the JKSE with the stock index in developed countries (FTSE, Nasdaq and STI. The results obtained in this study is to determine the best model of ARCH / GARCH, it is obtained that JKSE is GARCH (1,2, while the FTSE obtains GARCH (2,2, NASDAQ produces the best model which is GARCH (1,1 and STI with GARCH (2,1, and the results of the comparison of JKSE with FTSE, NASDAQ and STI are that even though JKSE fluctuates with moderate levels but the trend shown upward trend. This is different with other stock indexes fluctuated highly and tends to have a downward trend.

Alcohol consumption and psychological distress in adolescents: a multi-country study.

Science.gov (United States)

Balogun, Olukunmi; Koyanagi, Ai; Stickley, Andrew; Gilmour, Stuart; Shibuya, Kenji

2014-02-01

To examine the association between alcohol use and psychological distress among adolescents in a range of developing countries. Secondary data analysis of the Global School-Based Student Health Survey was conducted using nationally representative data from 12 developing countries: Botswana, Grenada, Indonesia, Kenya, Myanmar, the Philippines, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, the Seychelles, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, and Uganda. The surveys were conducted between 2003 and 2008 and involved 32,001 adolescents primarily aged 13-15 years. We used multivariate logistic regression analysis to determine the association between alcohol use and psychological distress. The prevalence of past 30-day alcohol use and lifetime drunkenness varied widely across countries, as did the occurrence of psychological distress (anxiety-induced sleeplessness and/or depression). The risk of psychological distress was significantly higher among adolescents when using alcohol in all countries except Myanmar. In nine of the 12 countries, past 30-day alcohol use was associated with psychological distress, while students who had been drunk at least once in their lifetime had an increased risk of experiencing psychological distress in 11 of the study countries. The high prevalence of alcohol use among adolescents and the strength of the association with psychological distress present a major public health challenge in developing countries. The urgent need to reduce adolescent alcohol use necessitates the implementation of context- and culture-specific strategies that reduce the physical availability of alcohol. Copyright © 2014 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Outcome of schizophrenia: some transcultural observations with particular reference to developing countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Kulhara, P

1994-01-01

The present paper provides a description of data based and methodologically sound studies of outcome of schizophrenia from developing and non-Western countries and compares the results. Major studies reviewed include the 2- and 5-year follow-up of the cohort of the International Pilot Study of Schizophrenia, the patients of the World Health Organization Collaborative Study on the Determinants of Outcome of Severe Mental Disorders, a few Indian studies including the study sponsored by the Indian Council of Medical Research and some studies from Colombia and South-East Asia. The studies are compared in terms of the quality of methodology and the rate of attrition. Although the outcome criteria of these studies are not similar, it is obvious that the outcome of schizophrenia in developing countries is generally more favourable. The reasons for this are far from clear. Research concerning the issues pertaining to better outcome of schizophrenia in developing countries in the context of socio-cultural differences in woefully lacking. This is an area that deserves research attention.

VIETNAMESE MIGRATION IN THE CONTEXT OF CLIMATE CHANGE

OpenAIRE

Artem S. Lukyanetz; Nguyen Canh Toan; Elena E. Pismennaya; Sergei V. Ryazantsev; Vladimir S. Tikunov; Pham Hoang Hai

2014-01-01

The paper examines emigration from Vietnam in the context of global climate change. Vietnam is among the five countries, most vulnerable to water level rise in the oceans associated with global warming. The areas of potential flooding include territories with most dense population and are extremity important for the economy of Vietnam. The country has a significant demographic potential exceeding 90 mln people. Vietnamese migration has a relatively long history. Large Vietnamese communities h...

Analytic study of determining factors in negotiation policy of developed countries regarding UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shin, S.W. [Korea Energy Economics Institute, Euiwang (Korea, Republic of)

1997-08-01

As the awareness on the global warming diffuses worldwide, the UNFCCC was officially adopted during the 1992 UN Conference on Environment and Development in Rio. Even though Korea is not included in the direct control target countries on emission amount because it is now classified as a developing country, pressures from developed countries to include Korea in the control target countries are mounting as its international standing improves as evidenced in its admission into OECD. The purpose of this study is to review the negotiation policies of developed countries and to analyze the determining factors. The major result of analysis shows that the lower population increase ratio with high population density, lower economic growth ratio, lower growth ratios of metal, machine, and plant industries, and lower relative importance and the growth ratios of coal and petroleum which emit lot of green house gases among energy sources, the more these countries are active in the reinforcement of responsibility and duties of UNFCCC. This proves that these factors are to determine the costs associated with reducing green house gases. In Korea, population growth is high, economic growth ratio is very high, and it has an industrial structure that emits lot of green house gases. The consumption of coal and petroleum is high among energy sources. Therefore, in the process of future negotiation, special features of ultra- dynamic Korean economy which is in contrast to the stable economies of major advanced countries and the tremendous costs associated with reducing green house gases should be stressed. It should be also emphasized that the rules of duty sharing that can be established together with fair, cost-effective, and enduring economic development be devised. 22 refs., 5 figs., 64 tabs.

Development and preliminary validation of the 'Caring for Country' questionnaire: measurement of an Indigenous Australian health determinant

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gunthorpe Wendy

2008-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background 'Caring for Country' is defined as Indigenous participation in interrelated activities with the objective of promoting ecological and human health. Ecological services on Indigenous-owned lands are belatedly attracting some institutional investment. However, the health outcomes associated with Indigenous participation in 'caring for country' activities have never been investigated. The aims of this study were to pilot and validate a questionnaire measuring caring for country as an Indigenous health determinant and to relate it to an external reference, obesity. Methods Purposively sampled participants were 301 Indigenous adults aged 15 to 54 years, recruited during a cross-sectional program of preventive health checks in a remote Australian community. Questionnaire validation was undertaken with psychometric tests of internal consistency, reliability, exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory one-factor congeneric modelling. Accurate item weightings were derived from the model and used to create a single weighted composite score for caring for country. Multiple linear regression modelling was used to test associations between the caring for country score and body mass index adjusting for socio-demographic factors and health behaviours. Results The questionnaire demonstrated adequate internal consistency, test-retest validity and proxy-respondent validity. Exploratory factor analysis of the 'caring for country' items produced a single factor solution that was confirmed via one-factor congeneric modelling. A significant and substantial association between greater participation in caring for country activities and lower body mass index was demonstrated. Adjusting for socio-demographic factors and health behaviours, an inter-quartile range rise in caring for country scores was associated with 6.1 Kg and 5.3 Kg less body weight for non-pregnant women and men respectively. Conclusion This study indicates preliminary support for

THE DETERMINANTS OF DEVELOPING-COUNTRIES ACCESS TO THE INTERNATIONAL CAPITAL-MARKET

NARCIS (Netherlands)

LENSINK, R; VANBERGEIJK, PAG

1991-01-01

The traditional analysis of Western credit relations with Developing Countries mainly focuses on the possibilities of debtor countries' meeting their debt obligations and tries to find factors behind possible default. The present study explicitly considers flows of funds between creditors and

A Latent Class Growth Analysis of School Bullying and Its Social Context: The Self-Determination Theory Perspective

Science.gov (United States)

Lam, Shui-fong; Law, Wilbert; Chan, Chi-Keung; Wong, Bernard P. H.; Zhang, Xiao

2015-01-01

The contribution of social context to school bullying was examined from the self-determination theory perspective in this longitudinal study of 536 adolescents from 3 secondary schools in Hong Kong. Latent class growth analysis of the student-reported data at 5 time points from grade 7 to grade 9 identified 4 groups of students: bullies (9.8%),…

Trends in health complaints from 2002 to 2010 in 34 countries and their association with health behaviours and social context factors at individual and macro-level.

Science.gov (United States)

Ottová-Jordan, Veronika; Smith, Otto R F; Augustine, Lilly; Gobina, Inese; Rathmann, Katharina; Torsheim, Torbjørn; Mazur, Joanna; Välimaa, Raili; Cavallo, Franco; Jericek Klanscek, Helena; Vollebergh, Wilma; Meilstrup, Charlotte; Richter, Matthias; Moor, Irene; Ravens-Sieberer, Ulrike

2015-04-01

This article describes trends and stability over time in health complaints in adolescents from 2002 to 2010 and investigates associations between health complaints, behavioural and social contextual factors at individual level and economic factors at macro-level. Comprising N = 510 876 11-, 13- and 15-year-old children and adolescents in Europe, North America and Israel, data came from three survey cycles of the international Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study. Age- and gender-adjusted trends in health complaints were examined in each country by means of linear regression. By using the country as the random effects variable, we tested to what extent individual and contextual variables were associated with health complaints. Significant associations are stronger for individual level determinants (e.g. being bullied, smoking) than for determinants at macro-level (e.g. GDP, Gini), as can be seen by the small effect sizes (less than 5% for different trends). Health complaints are fairly stable over time in most countries, and no clear international trend in health complaints can be observed between 2002 and 2010. The most prominent stable determinants were being female, being bullied, school pressure and smoking. Factors associated with health complaints are more related to the proximal environment than to distal macro-level factors. This points towards intensifying targeted interventions, (e.g. for bullying) and also targeting specific risk groups. The comparably small effect size at country-level indicates that country-level factors have an impact on health and should not be ignored. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Public Health Association. All rights reserved.

Working Women in Europe : How the Country, Workplace, and Family Context Matter

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Abendroth, A.K.

2013-01-01

Gender inequalities on the labor market differ between European countries. This study investigates possible explanations for the variation in Europe in women’s working hours, income, their likelihood of holding an authority position, and their occupational status. Applying a macro-micro design

Scaling Health Information Systems in Developing Countries

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mengiste, Shegaw Anagaw; Neilsen, Petter

2006-01-01

This article addresses the issues of scaling health information system in the context of developing countries by taking a case study from Ethiopia. Concepts of information infrastructure have been used as an analytical lens to better understand scaling of Health Information systems. More...... specifically, we question the fruitfulness of focusing on not being installed base hostile and suggest focusing on how to be installed base “friendly” by underscoring how the installed base can also be draw upon and shaped by human agents. The paper conceptualizes health information infrastructure (HII......) building as an intertwined process of the evolution of the installed base and the construction activities of human agents. Overall, we argue that it is not only the adverse situation that determines how things develop, but HII builders need to navigate and take into account a wide range of issues related...

Permissiveness toward divorce : The influence of divorce experiences in three social contexts

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sieben, I.J.P.; Verbakel, C.M.C.

2013-01-01

In this study, we assess whether divorce experiences in three social contexts shape individual’s permissiveness toward divorce. Using European Values Study data from 44 countries, we find that—net of personal divorce experience—parental divorce before the age of 18 (socialization context); parental

Permissiveness toward divorce: The influence of divorce experiences in three social contexts

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sieben, I.J.P.; Verbakel, C.M.C.

2013-01-01

In this study, we assess whether divorce experiences in three social contexts shape individual’s permissiveness toward divorce. Using European Values Study data from 44 countries, we find that—net of personal divorce experience—parental divorce before the age of 18 (socialization context); parental

Gender Differences in Public and Private Drinking Contexts: A Multi-Level GENACIS Analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jason C. Bond

2010-05-01

Full Text Available This multi-national study hypothesized that higher levels of country-level gender equality would predict smaller differences in the frequency of women’s compared to men’s drinking in public (like bars and restaurants settings and possibly private (home or party settings. GENACIS project survey data with drinking contexts included 22 countries in Europe (8; the Americas (7; Asia (3; Australasia (2, and Africa (2, analyzed using hierarchical linear models (individuals nested within country. Age, gender and marital status were individual predictors; country-level gender equality as well as equality in economic participation, education, and political participation, and reproductive autonomy and context of violence against women measures were country-level variables. In separate models, more reproductive autonomy, economic participation, and educational attainment and less violence against women predicted smaller differences in drinking in public settings. Once controlling for country-level economic status, only equality in economic participation predicted the size of the gender difference. Most country-level variables did not explain the gender difference in frequency of drinking in private settings. Where gender equality predicted this difference, the direction of the findings was opposite from the direction in public settings, with more equality predicting a larger gender difference, although this relationship was no longer significant after controlling for country-level economic status. Findings suggest that country-level gender equality may influence gender differences in drinking. However, the effects of gender equality on drinking may depend on the specific alcohol measure, in this case drinking context, as well as on the aspect of gender equality considered. Similar studies that use only global measures of gender equality may miss key relationships. We consider potential implications for alcohol related consequences, policy and public

Industrial Clusters and CSR in Developing Countries

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fayyaz, Anjum; Lund-Thomsen, Peter; Lindgreen, Adam

2017-01-01

- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). A case study of the Sialkot football-manufacturing cluster in Pakistan indicates that donor-funded support of CSR initiatives in industrial clusters in developing countries may be short-lived, due to the political economy of aid, the national context of CSR implementation...

Children's Weekend Activities in Four Countries: Context for Personal and Social Development

Science.gov (United States)

Ozdogru, Asil Ali

2010-01-01

Out-of-school time constitutes a major context of social and emotional development for children across cultures. Because it is not constrained by school attendance, weekend time allows cultural and gender differences in time usage to emerge. In this study, children's weekend activities, choice, and some of the related emotional outcomes were…

Satisfaction of Basic Psychological Needs, Self-Determined Exercise Motivation, and Psychological Well-Being in Mothers Exercising in Group-Based Versus Individual-Based Contexts.

Science.gov (United States)

Lovell, Geoff P; Gordon, James A R; Mueller, Marcus B; Mulgrew, Kate; Sharman, Rachael

2016-01-01

We compared mothers who exercised predominantly in group settings, those who exercised predominantly in individual settings, and those who exercised equally in group and individual contexts among the following: (a) satisfaction of basic psychological needs (autonomy, competence, and relatedness); (b) self-determined exercise motivation; and (c) psychological well-being. With clear implications for mothers' exercise interventions we found that exercising either predominantly in group contexts or in mixed group and individual settings was associated with mothers having significantly higher satisfaction of basic psychological needs and self-determined exercise motivation than those exercising predominantly alone.

Quantitative Evaluation of Iranian Radiology Papers and Its Comparison with Selected Countries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ghafoori, Mahyar; Emami, Hasan; Sedaghat, Abdolrasoul; Ghiasi, Mohammad; Shakiba, Madjid; Alavi, Manijeh

2014-01-01

Recent technological developments in medicine, including modern radiology have promoted the impact of scientific researches on social life. The scientific outputs such as article and patents are products that show the scientists’ attempt to access these achievements. In the current study, we evaluate the current situation of Iranian scientists in the field of radiology and compare it with the selected countries in terms of scientific papers. For this purpose, we used scientometric tools to quantitatively assess the scientific papers in the field of radiology. Radiology papers were evaluated in the context of medical field audit using retrospective model. We used the related databases of biomedical sciences for extraction of articles related to radiology. In the next step, the situation of radiology scientific products of the country were determined with respect to the under study regional countries. Results of the current study showed a ratio of 0.19% for Iranian papers in PubMed database published in 2009. In addition, in 2009, Iranian papers constituted 0.29% of the Scopus scientific database. The proportion of Iranian papers in the understudy region was 7.6%. To diminish the gap between Iranian scientific radiology papers and other competitor countries in the region and achievement of document 2025 goals, multifold effort of the society of radiology is necessary

Firm, Country and Macroeconomic Determinants of Capital Structure: Evidence from Turkish Banking Sector

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nuri Baltacı

2014-03-01

Full Text Available This study explores the significance of firm-specific, country, and macroeconomic factors in explaining variation in leverage using a sample of banks from Turkish banking sector. The analysis is based on quarterly firm-level data from Turkish banking sector in 2002–2012. We aims to contribute to the empirical capital structure literature in the following ways. Our first contribution comes from assessing the importance of firm-specific factors, country-level factors and industrial factors for capital structure decisions in Turkish banking sector. Second, we employ appropriate and advanced dynamic panel data estimators, Blundell and Bond’s (1998 generalized methods of moment’s estimators (GMM System. We find that leverage is significantly and positively associated with average industry leverage, firm size and GDP growth. We find also that leverage is significantly and negatively associated with tangibility, profitability, inflation and financial risk. The regression results for leverage are both theoretically and empirically plausible for banks in Turkey. Moreover, tangibility, profitability and GDP growth are consistent with the predictions of the pecking order theory, while firm size is consistent with the predictions of the trade-off theory. Our findings suggest that the capital structures of financial and non-financial firms are ultimately determined by the same drivers.

Context effects: the role of collectivism as a moderator.

Science.gov (United States)

Puente-Díaz, Rogelio

2011-02-01

Social cognition experts have shown that participants' answers to research questions can be influenced by previous questions, something known as context effects. It has been suggested that participants from collectivist cultures pay more attention to the context, resulting in larger context effects. The present investigation examined context effects in an experiment that involved manipulating the order in which two questions, one about satisfaction with life as a whole and one about satisfaction with romantic life, were answered by a representative sample of participants from Mexico City. The results were consistent with other investigations that used samples from collectivistic cultures. Participants' responses to questions about satisfaction are influenced by a previous question, and country of origin affects the amount of attention given to the context. The implications of these results are discussed.

CEO pay-performance sensitivity in the South African context

OpenAIRE

Mark Bussin

2015-01-01

The topic of executive pay-performance sensitivity has resulted in mixed research findings. Literature related to executive remuneration constructs, company performance measures and the underlying theories is critically reviewed in this article. The literature is compared to research findings within the South African context pre, during and post the Global Financial Crisis of 2008. The researcher found similar results in the South African context compared to research in other countries and in...

Access to Strong Opioid Analgesics in the Context of Legal and Regulatory Barriers in Eleven Central and Eastern European Countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Vranken, Marjolein J M; Mantel-Teeuwisse, Aukje K; Schutjens, Marie-Hélène D B; Scholten, Willem K; Jünger, Saskia; Medic, Dr Rer; Leufkens, Hubert G M

2018-04-06

In 2011-2013, >95% of the global opioid analgesics consumption occurred in three regions, accounting for 15% of the world population. Despite abundant literature on barriers to access, little is known on the correlation between actual access to opioid analgesics and barriers to access, including legal and regulatory barriers. This study aimed to evaluate the correlation between access to strong opioid analgesics and barriers to access in national legislation and regulations in 11 central and eastern European countries that participated in the Access to Opioid Medication in Europe (ATOME) project. Two variables were contrasted to assess their correlation: the country level of access to strong opioid analgesics indicated by the Adequacy of Consumption Measure (ACM) and the number of potential legal and regulatory barriers identified by an external review of legislation and regulations. A linear correlation was evaluated using a squared linear correlation coefficient. Evaluation of the correlation between the ACM and the number of potential barriers produces an R 2 value of 0.023 and a correlation plot trend line gradient of -0.075, indicating no correlation between access to strong opioid analgesics and the number of potential barriers in national legislation and regulations in the countries studied. No correlation was found, which indicates that other factors besides potential legal and regulatory barriers play a critical role in withholding prescribers and patients essential pain medication in the studied countries. More research is needed toward better understanding of the complex interplay of factors that determine access to strong opioid analgesics.

The Determinants of FDI Flows from the EU‐15 to the Visegrad Group Countries – A Panel Gravity Model Approach

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Liwiusz Wojciechowski

2013-03-01

Full Text Available The objective of this paper is to evaluate determinants of the general FDI flow to Visegrad countries and the effect of participation in EMU and EU. It was decided to investigate how augmented Gravity Model of trade allows identifying and evaluating the significance of pull and push factors of FDI. In an empirical analysis of panel data Hausman‐Taylor estimator was used because of the time‐invariant variables presence. While investment decisions regarding the choice of country are determined by the size of the target market, the distance is still a negative factor in creation of FDI volume. Additionally, it was proven that membership in EMU, differences in taxation, historical background, access to the sea and prices stability have significant impact of FDI stock formation in each country belonging to V4. Is was also noted that Poland became a leader of the V4 as well as EU‐12 FDI market sourcing from the old EU Member States. It is necessary to develop an “FDI attracting mechanism” using existing resources. Business regulations and taxation policy as well as main macroeconomic variables which are responsible for the economy standing are also examined as attracting the FDI flow. The originality of this work lies in studying some aspects of FDI inflow into the group of both similar and different countries in economic measures terms.

A New Method for Local Energy Planning in Developing Countries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Van Beeck, N.

2001-01-01

Energy planning is an essential tool in the economic development of industrialized as well as developing countries. Energy planning in this paper is restricted to the selection of new energy systems for the production of proper energy forms in order to meet increased energy demand. This demand is actually the desire for certain energy services, which are the starting point of the new decision support method for local energy planning presented in this paper. In the decision making process concerning energy planning at the local level it is important to include context-related issues because the context determines for a large part the viability of the technologies or systems used. The context, in turn, is represented by the aims of the relevant actors, which are translated into measurable indicators to compare the different options. The impact assessment must allow for inclusion of all the indicators, either quantitative or qualitative in order to find the most appropriate technology for a region rather than the technically best or economically most optimal one. Appropriateness is defined by the context and is thus case specific, but the framework described in this paper is generally applicable within the given limitations. Note that the new method described in this paper is a decision support tool, implying that it does not decide for the energy planner which actions to take. The ultimate decision must be made by the planners themselves

Energy technology transfer to developing countries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Butera, F.; Farinelli, U.

1992-01-01

With the use of critical analyses of some examples of technology transfer by industrialized to third world countries, this paper illustrates the importance, in technology transfer, of giving due consideration to the specific social and marketing contexts of the targeted developing country and its physical and financial capability to acquire all the technology necessary to make the total realization of a desired industrial scheme feasible from the economic, technical and social points of view. It also indicates that the most effective transfers are those in which efforts are made to optimize local work force learning levels, process scheme efficiency and cost through the careful integration of innovative with conventional technologies

Emergence of Industrial Ecosystems in Post-Authoritarian Contexts

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Kristina Grumadaite

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Purpose of the article: This article analyses cluster emergence in post-authoritarian countries with immature socio-economic context by adapting the approach of industrial clusters as industrial ecosystems and analysing cluster emergence cases. Methodology/methods: Review of scientific literature, case analysis. Scientific aim: This article presents different scenarios of cluster emergence based on cases of industrial clusters in a Lithuanian context and provides solutions for cluster emergence in post-authoritarian countries. Findings: The analysis of scientific literature revealed the following solutions of cluster emergence in postauthoritarian contexts: 1 Large firm(s acting as anchors for attracting smaller companies into cluster; 2 Cluster emergence as a means to serve the needs of large customer outside the cluster; 3 Cluster emergence via local business entrepreneurs; 4 Cluster emergence via local science representatives; 5 Cluster emergence through adapting historically formed regional knowledge and networks; 6 Government as the main agent for change. The analysis of industrial clusters emergence in Lithuania revealed four different combinations of planned/ unplanned non-equilibrium phenomena and the first explicit/inexplicit initiatives toward the emergence of selforganising industrial systems by analysing the cases of cluster emergence in Lithuanian context. These cases highlighted the importance of leaders-initiators that were local large or simply very experienced enterprises, groups of managers of small and medium sized enterprises, mediators-communication facilitators from nonbusiness enterprises. These actors helped to cope with unplanned and planned non-equilibrium phenomena. Conclusions: Since the empirical analysis concentrated only in the first stage of cluster emergence of postauthoritarian context, a further research is needed to take a deeper look at the development of industrial clusters as industrial ecosystems in post

Context-dependent utility overrides absolute memory as a determinant of choice

OpenAIRE

Pompilio, Lorena; Kacelnik, Alex

2009-01-01

A core problem of decision theories is that although decisionmakers’ preferences depend on learning, their choices could be driven either by learned representations of the physical properties of each alternative (for instance reward sizes) or of the benefit (utility and fitness) experienced from them. Physical properties are independent of the subject’s state and context, but utility depends on both. We show that starlings’ choices are better explained by memory for context-dependent utility ...

Primary care reforms in countries of the former soviet union: success and challenges.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kühlbrandt, C.; Boerma, W.

2015-01-01

Summary: This article examines primary care reforms in countries of the former Soviet Union. It places reforms in their wider political context and points to infrastructural, human and economic successes and challenges. There is great heterogeneity between countries regarding the effectiveness of

Using theories of behaviour to understand transfusion prescribing in three clinical contexts in two countries: Development work for an implementation trial

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Brehaut Jamie C

2009-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Blood transfusion is an essential part of healthcare and can improve patient outcomes. However, like most therapies, it is also associated with significant clinical risks. In addition, there is some evidence of overuse. Understanding the potential barriers and enablers to reduced prescribing of blood products will facilitate the selection of intervention components likely to be effective, thereby reducing the number of costly trials evaluating different implementation strategies. Using a theoretical basis to understand behaviours targeted for change will contribute to a 'basic science' relating to determinants of professional behaviour and how these inform the selection of techniques for changing behaviour. However, it is not clear which theories of behaviour are relevant to clinicians' transfusing behaviour. The aim of this study is to use a theoretical domains framework to identify relevant theories, and to use these theories to identify factors that predict the decision to transfuse. Methods The study involves two steps: interview study and questionnaire study. Using a previously identified framework, we will conduct semi-structured interviews with clinicians to elicit their views about which factors are associated with waiting and further monitoring the patient rather than transfusing red blood cells. Interviews will cover the following theoretical domains: knowledge; skills; social/professional role and identity; beliefs about capabilities; beliefs about consequences; motivation and goals; memory, attention, and decision processes; environmental context and resources; social influences; emotion; behavioural regulation; nature of the behaviour. The interviews will take place independently in Canada and the UK and involve two groups of physicians in each country (UK: adult and neonatal intensive care physicians; Canada: intensive care physicians and orthopaedic surgeons. We will: analyse interview transcript content to

Development of women's human capital and its impact on economic growth and total factor productivity: A case study of selected OECD countries

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Hajar Mostafaee

2013-06-01

Full Text Available Experiences of developed countries and various studies in the context of economic growth of developing countries have shown that economic growth is not only explained by physical capital and labor force but also, and more importantly, by human capital. The later variable should be entered, as a major determinant, in the endogenous growth model. With the concern of important role of human capital in this research, the primary objective of this paper is to explore the effect of gender discrimination of human capital on economic growth and factor productivity in Iran and the selected OECD countries. More specifically, to indicate the economic capability of educated females, we use data of the considered countries over the period 1974-2008, to estimate the relevant models of growth and productivity. The implication is to compare the empirical results obtained for Iran and the selected developed countries.

Foucault’s Statement in Context: opacity of discourse versus conceptual determination

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Alessandro Zir

2015-10-01

Full Text Available The significance of negativity as a way for conceptual determination in Hegelian dialectics is well-known. Authors such as Gilles Deleuze have underlined, on the other hand, how this notion of (dialectical negativity is incompatible with a Nietzschean perspective of interplay of forces and affirmation of difference. There is here a real distension (rather than a distinction — a fissure enabling one to think what connects and inevitably dissociates rationalistic and deconstructive philosophical perspectives on language. In this fissure it is constituted, for instance, the space of dispersion of the so-called Foucaultian statements (énoncés, the focus of his archeology. This essay addresses the context in which the Foucaultian notion of énoncé emerges. It does so by criticizing first the dialectical notion of negativity. It then considers some semiological notions used by post-structuralist authors, such as plethora of signs and floating signifier. In a third moment, examples are taken from a literary work, Vitor Ramil’s Pequod, in order to illustrate more concretely our discussion.

The oratory in the seventeenth-century Low Countries

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Frijhoff, W.T.M.

2012-01-01

In the particular context of the early modern low Countries, subject to political divisions and confessional dissensions, the Catholic Reform movement found its primary expression in missionary work for which the new institutes of secular priests proved to he an appropriate instrument. They fostered

Determinants of public capital spending in less-developed countries

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sturm, Jan-Egbert

2001-01-01

Abstract In a great majority of countries throughout the world productive government services have declined as percentage of GDP since the 1970s. In the macroeconomic literature this is often associated with the general productivity growth decline, suggesting an important role for infrastructure

Climate Change Adaptation Practices in Various Countries

Science.gov (United States)

Tanik, A.; Tekten, D.

2017-08-01

The paper will be a review work on the recent strategies of EU in general, and will underline the inspected sectoral based adaptation practices and action plans of 7 countries; namely Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Denmark, USA and Kenya from Africa continent. Although every countries’ action plan have some similarities on sectoral analysis, each country in accordance with the specific nature of the problem seems to create its own sectoral analysis. Within this context, green and white documents of EU adaptation to climate change, EU strategy on climate change, EU targets of 2020 on climate change and EU adaptation support tools are investigated.

Status of nuclear power in developing countries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Laue, H.J.

1982-01-01

In the context of the world-wide energy situation and the key position energy plays and will play for the economic and social development of any country, the energy demand situation up to the year 2000 is analysed. As a result, the world-wide energy demand will continue to increase, however, mainly in the developing world. Nuclear power is one of the important component in the energy mix of today and in the future. Status of nuclear power application in developing countries up to the end of the century. Any further growth of the peaceful use of nuclear power in developing countries is closely linked with the following requirements: - qualified manpower, - industrial infrastructure, - energy demand and supply assessments, - high investments, - assurance of supply of nuclear fuel and fuel cycle services, - availability of small and medium power reactors. The possible role of the IAEA in developing countries and international measures to remove some of the limitations for the peaceful use of nuclear energy in developing countries are discussed. (orig.)

Determinants of Urban Expansion and Agricultural Land Conversion in 25 EU Countries

Science.gov (United States)

Ustaoglu, Eda; Williams, Brendan

2017-10-01

Agricultural land conversion is resulting from ongoing complex interaction between the physical environment, policy settings and socio-economic factors. Case studies of the determinants of agricultural land conversion potentially contribute to the analysis of the main causes of land-use change. This can assist authorities and policy makers in understanding the relative importance of a wide range of factors on urban expansion and associated agricultural land-use change. This paper explores the determinants of agricultural land conversion to urban uses in the studied 25 European Union countries between 2000 and 2006. European-level as well as region-specific land-use changes are studied. The research is using the spatial data adapted from European Corine Land Cover maps of 2000 and 2006 and utilised other European sources regarding socio-economic, natural, geological, climate, and policy-related data. The differences in urbanisation processes observed in different regions in Europe emphasise the regional variations of urban conversion process of agricultural land use. This study identifies a combination of socio-economic drivers, policy-related factors, nature and location-based factors as key influences on agricultural land conversion processes in Europe. Specifically we found that the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) subsidies were influential in curbing urbanisation and reducing agricultural land consumption.

Determinants of Urban Expansion and Agricultural Land Conversion in 25 EU Countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Ustaoglu, Eda; Williams, Brendan

2017-10-01

Agricultural land conversion is resulting from ongoing complex interaction between the physical environment, policy settings and socio-economic factors. Case studies of the determinants of agricultural land conversion potentially contribute to the analysis of the main causes of land-use change. This can assist authorities and policy makers in understanding the relative importance of a wide range of factors on urban expansion and associated agricultural land-use change. This paper explores the determinants of agricultural land conversion to urban uses in the studied 25 European Union countries between 2000 and 2006. European-level as well as region-specific land-use changes are studied. The research is using the spatial data adapted from European Corine Land Cover maps of 2000 and 2006 and utilised other European sources regarding socio-economic, natural, geological, climate, and policy-related data. The differences in urbanisation processes observed in different regions in Europe emphasise the regional variations of urban conversion process of agricultural land use. This study identifies a combination of socio-economic drivers, policy-related factors, nature and location-based factors as key influences on agricultural land conversion processes in Europe. Specifically we found that the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) subsidies were influential in curbing urbanisation and reducing agricultural land consumption.

Are Young Consumers Still Susceptible to the Country-of-Origin Effect?

OpenAIRE

Alexander Josiassen

2014-01-01

The effect that consumers’ country-related images have on their purchase decisions is known as the country of origin effect. Marketing researchers have thoroughly investigated Country-of-Origin (COO) effects in a range of contexts since the mid-1960s. However, since the 1980s it has been thought (e.g., Levitt 1983; Ohmae 1995) that consumer needs and wants are converging and that nation-states are artificial and superficial entities of little value to consumers indicators of product quality. ...

Cross-Cultural Adaptation of the Intelligibility in Context Scale for South Africa

Science.gov (United States)

Pascoe, Michelle; McLeod, Sharynne

2016-01-01

The Intelligibility in Context Scale (ICS) is a screening questionnaire that focuses on parents' perceptions of children's speech in different contexts. Originally developed in English, it has been translated into 60 languages and the validity and clinical utility of the scale has been documented in a range of countries. In South Africa, there are…

Taking the Concept of Citizenship in Mental Health across Countries. Reflections on Transferring Principles and Practice to Different Sociocultural Contexts

Science.gov (United States)

Eiroa-Orosa, Francisco José; Rowe, Michael

2017-01-01

Transferring principles and practices to different sociocultural and professional contexts in the field of mental health can be very complex. Previous research on public health policy points to difficulties in different areas such as the understanding the new concepts, their applicability in different health systems, and suitable approaches to its effective implementation. The purpose of this article is to describe and analyze the process of transferring the concept of Citizenship, from its United States origins in mental health outreach work with persons who are homeless to Catalonia, Spain. We define Citizenship as promoting the rights, responsibilities, roles, resources and relationships of persons with mental illnesses, along with a sense of belonging that is validated by other citizens. The process of this transition involves embedding Citizenship in the mental health “first-person” (internationally known as Consumer/Survivor/Peer) movement in Catalonia. The paper includes a discussion of the concept of transference, including a case example of the adoption of the concept of mental health recovery in different countries. Following this, we describe the United States Citizenship model and key elements of its development. We then turn to Spain and the evolution of its mental health system, and then to Catalonia for a brief case history of transference of the principles and practices of Citizenship to that region. The “take home message” of this work is that concepts being brought from one sociocultural and national context to another, must focus on contextualization in the ‘adoptee’s’ practices, including the balance between personal involvement and professional rigor, the involvement of key actors, and ongoing evaluation of actions taken. PMID:28680412

Taking the Concept of Citizenship in Mental Health across Countries. Reflections on Transferring Principles and Practice to Different Sociocultural Contexts.

Science.gov (United States)

Eiroa-Orosa, Francisco José; Rowe, Michael

2017-01-01

Transferring principles and practices to different sociocultural and professional contexts in the field of mental health can be very complex. Previous research on public health policy points to difficulties in different areas such as the understanding the new concepts, their applicability in different health systems, and suitable approaches to its effective implementation. The purpose of this article is to describe and analyze the process of transferring the concept of Citizenship, from its United States origins in mental health outreach work with persons who are homeless to Catalonia, Spain. We define Citizenship as promoting the rights, responsibilities, roles, resources and relationships of persons with mental illnesses, along with a sense of belonging that is validated by other citizens. The process of this transition involves embedding Citizenship in the mental health "first-person" (internationally known as Consumer/Survivor/Peer) movement in Catalonia. The paper includes a discussion of the concept of transference, including a case example of the adoption of the concept of mental health recovery in different countries. Following this, we describe the United States Citizenship model and key elements of its development. We then turn to Spain and the evolution of its mental health system, and then to Catalonia for a brief case history of transference of the principles and practices of Citizenship to that region. The "take home message" of this work is that concepts being brought from one sociocultural and national context to another, must focus on contextualization in the 'adoptee's' practices, including the balance between personal involvement and professional rigor, the involvement of key actors, and ongoing evaluation of actions taken.

Taking the Concept of Citizenship in Mental Health across Countries. Reflections on Transferring Principles and Practice to Different Sociocultural Contexts

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Francisco José Eiroa-Orosa

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Transferring principles and practices to different sociocultural and professional contexts in the field of mental health can be very complex. Previous research on public health policy points to difficulties in different areas such as the understanding the new concepts, their applicability in different health systems, and suitable approaches to its effective implementation. The purpose of this article is to describe and analyze the process of transferring the concept of Citizenship, from its United States origins in mental health outreach work with persons who are homeless to Catalonia, Spain. We define Citizenship as promoting the rights, responsibilities, roles, resources and relationships of persons with mental illnesses, along with a sense of belonging that is validated by other citizens. The process of this transition involves embedding Citizenship in the mental health “first-person” (internationally known as Consumer/Survivor/Peer movement in Catalonia. The paper includes a discussion of the concept of transference, including a case example of the adoption of the concept of mental health recovery in different countries. Following this, we describe the United States Citizenship model and key elements of its development. We then turn to Spain and the evolution of its mental health system, and then to Catalonia for a brief case history of transference of the principles and practices of Citizenship to that region. The “take home message” of this work is that concepts being brought from one sociocultural and national context to another, must focus on contextualization in the ‘adoptee’s’ practices, including the balance between personal involvement and professional rigor, the involvement of key actors, and ongoing evaluation of actions taken.

District-level hospital trauma care audit filters: Delphi technique for defining context-appropriate indicators for quality improvement initiative evaluation in developing countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Stewart, Barclay T; Gyedu, Adam; Quansah, Robert; Addo, Wilfred Larbi; Afoko, Akis; Agbenorku, Pius; Amponsah-Manu, Forster; Ankomah, James; Appiah-Denkyira, Ebenezer; Baffoe, Peter; Debrah, Sam; Donkor, Peter; Dorvlo, Theodor; Japiong, Kennedy; Kushner, Adam L; Morna, Martin; Ofosu, Anthony; Oppong-Nketia, Victor; Tabiri, Stephen; Mock, Charles

2016-01-01

Prospective clinical audit of trauma care improves outcomes for the injured in high-income countries (HICs). However, equivalent, context-appropriate audit filters for use in low- and middle-income country (LMIC) district-level hospitals have not been well established. We aimed to develop context-appropriate trauma care audit filters for district-level hospitals in Ghana, was well as other LMICs more broadly. Consensus on trauma care audit filters was built between twenty panellists using a Delphi technique with four anonymous, iterative surveys designed to elicit: (i) trauma care processes to be measured; (ii) important features of audit filters for the district-level hospital setting; and (iii) potentially useful filters. Filters were ranked on a scale from 0 to 10 (10 being very useful). Consensus was measured with average percent majority opinion (APMO) cut-off rate. Target consensus was defined a priori as: a median rank of ≥9 for each filter and an APMO cut-off rate of ≥0.8. Panellists agreed on trauma care processes to target (e.g. triage, phases of trauma assessment, early referral if needed) and specific features of filters for district-level hospital use (e.g. simplicity, unassuming of resource capacity). APMO cut-off rate increased successively: Round 1--0.58; Round 2--0.66; Round 3--0.76; and Round 4--0.82. After Round 4, target consensus on 22 trauma care and referral-specific filters was reached. Example filters include: triage--vital signs are recorded within 15 min of arrival (must include breathing assessment, heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen saturation if available); circulation--a large bore IV was placed within 15 min of patient arrival; referral--if referral is activated, the referring clinician and receiving facility communicate by phone or radio prior to transfer. This study proposes trauma care audit filters appropriate for LMIC district-level hospitals. Given the successes of similar filters in HICs and obstetric care filters in LMICs

The Bidirectional Causality between Country-Level Governance, Economic Growth and Sustainable Development: A Cross-Country Data Analysis

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Cristina Boţa-Avram

2018-02-01

Full Text Available In the context of contemporary society, characterized by the information users’ growing and differentiated needs, the way country-level governance and social responsibility contribute to the ensuring of sustainable economic development is a concern for all the actors of the economic sphere. The aim of this paper is to test the causal linkages between the quality of country-level governance, economic growth and a well-known indicator of economic sustainable development, for a large panel of world-wide countries for a period of 10 years (2006–2015. While there are some prior studies that have argued the bidirectional causality between good public governance and economic development, this study intends to provide a new focus on the relationship between country-level governance and economic growth, on one hand, and between country-level governance and adjusted net savings, as a selected indicator of economic sustainable development, on the other hand. Four hypotheses on the causal relationship between good governance, economic growth and sustainable development were tested by using Granger non-causality tests. Our findings resulting from Granger non-causality tests provide reasonable evidence of Granger causality from country-level governance to economic growth, but from economic growth to country-level governance, the causality is not confirmed. In what regards the relationship between country-level governance and adjusted net savings, the bidirectional Granger causality is not confirmed. The main implication of our study is that improving economic growth and sustainable development is a very challenging issue, and the impact of macro-level factors such as country-level governance should not be neglected.

Determinants for the development of dry ports in China in the context of the functioning of the global supply chains

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Joanna Miklińska

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Dry ports are nowadays becoming important elements of global supply chains. In the case of China, for more than a decade, the intensive development of dry ports may be observed. The main subject of this article are determinants and framework of the development of dry ports in China. Also the development of the seaborne trade of China and the economic development of central and western regions of the country are discussed. There are presented examples of dry ports located in various parts of the country and selected conditions associated with their formation.

Emotion Ontology for Context Awareness

OpenAIRE

Berthelon , Franck; Sander , Peter

2013-01-01

International audience; We present an emotion ontology for describing and reasoning on emotion context in order to improve emotion detection based on bodily expression. We incorporate context into the two-factor theory of emotion (bodily reaction plus cognitive input) and demonstrate the importance of context in the emotion experience. In attempting to determine emotion felt by another person, the bodily expresson of their emotion is the only evidence directly available, eg, ''John looks angr...

Determinants of Small Enterprises’ Performance in Developing Countries: A Bangladesh Case

OpenAIRE

Khondoker, Abdul Mottaleb; Sonobe, Tetsushi

2011-01-01

Family-based traditional microenterprises are abundant in developing countries, and in many cases they are a major source of income and employment for both urban and rural poor. With a few exceptions, however, most these family-based traditional microenterprises in the rural areas of developing countries seldom grow in terms of enterprises’ size and product quality. Thus, they tend to perform poorly relative to their growth potentials. The development of these family-based microenterprises wo...

Taxation in Cesee Countries – Similarities and Differences

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Comaniciu Carmen

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The characteristics of fiscal revenues are the ones that demonstrate their importance for the formation of public financial resources, being considered as a product of historical development of the state. Numerous studies and researches on the taxes action in financial, economic and social level emphasized the link between fiscal policy, growth and level of development of a country. In this context, through this article, by presenting some general coordinates of taxation in countries of Central, Eastern and Southeast Europe (CESEE countries we will identify the similarities and differences concerning the taxation system and the impact of taxation on the socio-economic development. Without claiming an exhaustive approach, we consider that issues outlined highlight in which country taxation is a stimulating factor for economic growth and development, so that good practice be elements worthy of consideration.

The psychosocial aspects of overweight and obesity in very young and pre-school children in the context of selected sociodemographic indicators in the Czech Republic and in some others countries

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Hana Včelařová

2014-11-01

Full Text Available The authors of this study present the results of surveys in significant areas of social peda-gogy relating to both the prevention of overweight and obesity in children, and healthy lifestyle edu-cation. The psychosocial aspects of overweight and obesity in early age and preschool children are monitored in the context of selected socio-demographic indicators in the Czech Republic, Great Brit-ain, the USA, Australia, some European countries, Iran and China. The purpose of such oriented stud-ies is to find appropriate preventive, pedagogical or therapeutic interventions that could contribute to the elimination of risk factors in the particular societies. It turns out that the sociodemographic and psychosocial aspects of overweight and obesity in chil-dren (in terms of particular countries cannot be always uniformly described and defined. Numerous psychosocial or sociodemographic characteristics were found when comparing different ethnic groups, the different age cohorts of parents or the different developmental stages of children, when comparing countries with various standards of living, or even just, when comparing different socio-economic strata within the same country. It also appears that the relationships identified by the be-low-mentioned researches don´t have a straight forward effect, but are also modified by the influ-ence of other variables. A common feature overweight and obesity in children in the majority of countries seems to be associated with significant social inequalities within a specific country. Accord-ing to some authors, one of the possible ways to fight overweight and obesity in children is to reduce the inequalities of the macroeconomic society

FDI AND FINANCIAL DEVELOPMENT AS DETERMINANTS OF ECONOMIC GROWTH FOR V4 COUNTRIES

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Anastasiya Gural

2017-09-01

Full Text Available The purpose of the paper is to analyze the influence of foreign direct investment (FDI and financial development (qualitative and quantitative changes in the financial system and its components on the dynamics of economic growth in V4 countries. In modern conditions, the financial system is a transfer mechanism of the business cycle and therefore affects the structure and dynamics of foreign direct investment, and especially the efficiency of their assimilation. The subject of the survey is the financial development and the FDI flows impact on economic growth. Methodology. The survey is based on the evaluation of the equation, which is the Barro regression specification. This model helps to find out the impact of the volume and depth of financial system on the dynamics of economic growth. GDP growth per capita is used as an indicator of economic growth. The paper proposes modeling results for the group countries (Hungary, Poland, Slovak and Czech Republic. Static data have been used for the period from 1992 to 2016. Results. FDI has an important role in reforming and developing the national economies of the countries in Visegrad Group. However, today, there is a problem with the stability of FDI inflows and with the efficiency of their development, which negatively affects the dynamics of economic growth. An important factor is the insufficient level of national financial system development of the Visegrad countries. All countries of the group have bank-oriented financial systems that are heavily dependent on foreign capital. At the same time, governments pay particular attention to the stability of banking sectors and set high standards for their sustainability. This holds back the financial development of the national economies of the Visegrad Group. At the same time, regression models for all countries confirm the importance of financial development in economic growth. The most important for V4 countries is to increase the size of the

Pandemic influenza preparedness and health systems challenges in Asia: results from rapid analyses in 6 Asian countries

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Putthasri Weerasak

2010-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Since 2003, Asia-Pacific, particularly Southeast Asia, has received substantial attention because of the anticipation that it could be the epicentre of the next pandemic. There has been active investment but earlier review of pandemic preparedness plans in the region reveals that the translation of these strategic plans into operational plans is still lacking in some countries particularly those with low resources. The objective of this study is to understand the pandemic preparedness programmes, the health systems context, and challenges and constraints specific to the six Asian countries namely Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Taiwan, Thailand, and Viet Nam in the prepandemic phase before the start of H1N1/2009. Methods The study relied on the Systemic Rapid Assessment (SYSRA toolkit, which evaluates priority disease programmes by taking into account the programmes, the general health system, and the wider socio-cultural and political context. The components under review were: external context; stewardship and organisational arrangements; financing, resource generation and allocation; healthcare provision; and information systems. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected in the second half of 2008 based on a review of published data and interviews with key informants, exploring past and current patterns of health programme and pandemic response. Results The study shows that health systems in the six countries varied in regard to the epidemiological context, health care financing, and health service provision patterns. For pandemic preparation, all six countries have developed national governance on pandemic preparedness as well as national pandemic influenza preparedness plans and Avian and Human Influenza (AHI response plans. However, the governance arrangements and the nature of the plans differed. In the five developing countries, the focus was on surveillance and rapid containment of poultry related transmission

Psoriatic arthritis mutilans (PAM) in the Nordic countries

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gudbjornsson, B; Ejstrup, L; Gran, J T

2013-01-01

To determine the prevalence and clinical characteristics of psoriatic arthritis mutilans (PAM) in the Nordic countries.......To determine the prevalence and clinical characteristics of psoriatic arthritis mutilans (PAM) in the Nordic countries....

How international oil and gas companies respond to local content policies in petroleum-producing developing countries: A narrative enquiry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ngoasong, Michael Zisuh

2014-01-01

This paper uses narrative analysis to critically examine the business practices used by five international oil and gas companies (IOCs) (Chevron, ExxonMobil, Shell, BP and Total) to respond to local content policies in petroleum-producing developing countries (Nigeria, Angola, Venezuela, Kazakhstan, Brazil, Indonesia, Yemen and Indonesia) during the period 2000–2012. The business practices include the formulation of local content strategies that are implemented through programmes and initiatives aimed at developing and using host country suppliers and workforce. Such practices and the narratives used to communicate them implicitly reflect the context in which the effectiveness of local content policies on economic development can be assessed. By comparing and contrasting the narratives across the five IOCs in relation to the wider literature, four emergent narrative strategies justifying the business practices of IOCs are identified and discussed. They include: (1) direct engagement to renegotiate local content requirements with governments, (2) legal compliance framework, (3) the business case for local content strategies, and (4) corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives. The conclusion considers the policy implications of these findings for local content development in petroleum-producing developing countries. - Highlights: • Local content policies define the local context that shape IOCs’ business practices. • Provides a narrative analysis of the business practices of IOCs in developing countries. • IOCs use four narrative strategies to relate their business practices to local content policies. • The business practices of IOCs can determine the effectiveness of local content policies

Foreign market entry strategies in developed and emerging economies: A case study of how the entry strategies of Norwegian oil service firms are affected by the differing institutional contexts of Australia and Brazil

OpenAIRE

Arnstorp, Henrik

2013-01-01

When firms expand to foreign markets, their entry strategies unfold. Traditionally, research on entry strategies has focused exclusively on firm- and industry-specific factors and largely ignored the context constituted by the institutions of the host country. The institutional context determines the ?rules of the game? in any market, and includes both formal institutions such as laws and regulations and informal institutions such as norms and culture. With the increasing relevance of emergin...

Excessive credit growth and countercyclical capital buffers in basel III: an empirical evidence from central and east european countries

OpenAIRE

Seidler, Jakub; Gersl, Adam

2012-01-01

Excessive credit growth is often considered to be an indicator of future problems in the financial sector. This paper examines the issue of how best to determine whether the observed level of private sector credit is excessive in the context of the “countercyclical capital buffer”, a macroprudential tool proposed in the new regulatory framework of Basel III by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision. An empirical analysis of selected Central and Eastern European countries, including the Cz...

Fatores determinantes do risco país brasileiro: uma análise empírica do risco país específico Determinant Factors of Brazilian Country Risk: An Empirical Analysis of Specific Country Risk

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Mariana Felix Teixeira

2008-07-01

Full Text Available Muitos estudos em finanças internacionais tentam investigar até que ponto fatores econômicos externos e internos constituem fatores determinantes significativos do risco-país. O presente artigo tem como finalidade estudar o Risco Brasil no período 1992-2003, com base em três modelos: i o primeiro modelo analisa os determinantes econômicos internos do risco-país; ii o segundo modelo tem o mesmo propósito do primeiro, sendo que a variável grau de aversão ao risco global, que serve de proxy para o componente externo do risco, é incluída no grupo de variáveis explicativas; iii no último modelo, o enfoque é sobre a relação entre o risco-país específico (risco-país menos o componente externo e os fundamentos econômicos. Many studies in international finance try to investigate to what extent domestic and external economic factors constitute significant determinant factors of international country risk. This article tries to analyze, for the period 1992-2003, Brazilian country risk from the point of view of three empirical models: i First, the internal economic determinants of the country risk; ii the second has the same purpose as the first, with the difference that the variable “intensity of global risk aversion”, that serves as proxy for the external component of the risk, is included in the group of explanatory variables; iii in the last model the emphasis is on the relation between specific country risk (country risk minus the external component and the internal and external economic determinants.

When Do States Respond to Low Fertility? Contexts of State Concern in Wealthier Countries, 1976-2011.

Science.gov (United States)

Marshall, Emily A

2015-06-01

Since the 1970s, expressions of state concern over low fertility have greatly increased among wealthier countries. This study asks to what extent this increase is explained by demographic factors, national-level economic and political factors, and processes of international diffusion and changing international norms. Analyses integrate the world polity literature on global policy diffusion with a social problems approach to examine international diffusion of state concern among more powerful members of the world polity, a process that can produce changes in international policy consensus. Comparisons of the characteristics of states that do and do not express concern over low fertility find that among wealthier "first-world" countries, state concern has become more responsive to fertility rates: fertility rates are not significantly associated with concern early in the study period, but are strongly associated with concern later in the study period. There is no evidence that integration into the world polity is associated with concern in these countries, and some evidence that less integrated countries are more likely to express concern, suggesting that processes shaping the diffusion of state concern may differ from those identified as shaping policy diffusion in the existing literature. Among "second-world" former Eastern bloc countries, different patterns of associations reflect different political histories: concern is associated only with demographic factors, with no significant change in this association over time.

Authentic e-Learning in a Multicultural Context: Virtual Benchmarking Cases from Five Countries

Science.gov (United States)

Leppisaari, Irja; Herrington, Jan; Vainio, Leena; Im, Yeonwook

2013-01-01

The implementation of authentic learning elements at education institutions in five countries, eight online courses in total, is examined in this paper. The International Virtual Benchmarking Project (2009-2010) applied the elements of authentic learning developed by Herrington and Oliver (2000) as criteria to evaluate authenticity. Twelve…

Factors in Organisational Environmental Management System Implementation – Developed vs. Developing Country Contexts

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Constance Kola-Lawal

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Country specificities and national cultures influence Environmental Management Systems (EMS implementation and pro-environmental behaviour in organisations. Previous studies have focused on organisations in developed or emerging economies, creating a need to establish the extent to which findings are applicable to developing counterparts. This paper presents EMS implementation from a developing country perspective, reporting on EMS implementation factors (drivers, benefits, barriers affecting Nigerian organisations’ pro-environmental behaviour, by analysing questionnaire responses from 136 Nigerian organisational respondents. Most commonly cited drivers were ‘environmental concern’ and ‘desire for improved organisational efficiency’. Key barriers were ‘cost of implementation/budget barriers’ and ‘regulatory agency bureaucracy’. Key benefits were ‘reduced environmental accidents and improved site safety’, ‘enhanced corporate image’ and ‘more efficient resource use’. To situate findings within a global construct, results were compared with previous studies in more developed economies. EMS implementation factors differed from those in more developed economies. Plausible explanations for differences are discussed.

Male Sex Workers: Practices, Contexts, and Vulnerabilities for HIV acquisition and transmission

Science.gov (United States)

Baral, Stefan David; Friedman, M. Reuel; Geibel, Scott; Rebe, Kevin; Bozhinov, Borche; Diouf, Daouda; Sabin, Keith; Holland, Claire E.; Chan, Roy; Caceres, Carlos

2015-01-01

Summary Male sex workers (MSW) who sell/exchange sex for money or goods comprise an extremely diverse population across and within countries worldwide. Information characterizing their practices, contexts where they live, and their needs is very limited, as these men are generally included as subsets of larger studies focused on gay men and other men who have sex with men (MSM) or even female sex workers. MSW, regardless of their sexual orientation, mostly offer sex to men, and rarely identify as sex workers, using local or international terms instead. There is growing evidence of a sustained or increasing burden of HIV among some MSW in the context of the slowing global HIV pandemic. There are several synergistic facilitator spotentiating HIV acquisition and transmission among MSW, including biological, behavioural, and structural determinants. The criminalization and intersectional stigmas of same-sex practices, commercial sex, and HIV all increase HIV and STI risk for MSW and decrease their likelihood of accessing essential services. These contexts, taken together with complex sexual networks among MSW, define them as a key population underserved by current HIV prevention, treatment, and care services. Dedicated efforts are needed to make those services available for the sake of both public health and human rights. PMID:25059939

COUNTRY RISK EVALUATION IMPACT ON FDI FLOW. MEDIUM RUN EVIDENCE FROM ROMANIA

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EMILIA UNGUREANU

2014-10-01

Full Text Available During the last two decades, Romanian economy suffered numerous changes, with direct impact in the socio-economic and political life. This affected also the investment environment, the degree of attractiveness for investors and the flow of FDIs. As the economic system has a global dimension, the need of evaluating different countries from a risk perspective (that will serve as starting point for investor’s decision has increased the role of rating agencies, especially in the economic crisis context. Therefore, by applying two econometric models, we will determine in which degree the risk rating (using the Euromoney index is influencing the FDI flow in Romania, having as evidence the period 1996-2012.

A Holistic Framework for Environmental Flows Determination in Hydropower Contexts

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

McManamay, Ryan A [ORNL; Bevelhimer, Mark S [ORNL

2013-05-01

Among the ecological science community, the consensus view is that the natural flow regime sustains the ecological integrity of river systems. This prevailing viewpoint by many environmental stakeholders has progressively led to increased pressure on hydropower dam owners to change plant operations to affect downstream river flows with the intention of providing better conditions for aquatic biological communities. Identifying the neccessary magnitude, frequency, duration, timing, or rate of change of stream flows to meet ecological needs in a hydropower context is challenging because the ecological responses to changes in flows may not be fully known, there are usually a multitude of competing users of flow, and implementing environmental flows usually comes at a price to energy production. Realistically, hydropower managers must develop a reduced set of goals that provide the most benefit to the identified ecological needs. As a part of the Department of Energy (DOE) Water Power Program, the Instream Flow Project (IFP) was carried out by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), and Argon National Laboratory (ANL) as an attempt to develop tools aimed at defining environmental flow needs for hydropower operations. The application of these tools ranges from national to site-specific scales; thus, the utility of each tool will depend on various phases of the environmental flow process. Given the complexity and sheer volume of applications used to determine environmentally acceptable flows for hydropower, a framework is needed to organize efforts into a staged process dependent upon spatial, temporal, and functional attributes. By far, the predominant domain for determining environmental flows related to hydropower is within the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) relicensing process. This process can take multiple years and can be very expensive depending on the scale of each hydropower project. The utility of such a

Croatia in a Regional Context

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Branko Caratan

2007-01-01

Full Text Available In this paper, the author examines the regional context of Croatian politics, highlighting the main reasons for its significance: involvement of the region in war in recent history, the rootedness, aside from that, of extremely strong economic, political and cultural bonds between the countries in the region, and the importance of cooperation in the region for EU accession and further economic development. On these grounds, the author seeks to examine the possibility for stabilisation of the region, and to establish what interests the neighbouring countries such as Italy, Austria, Hungary and others have in strenghtening the bonds with the new democracies in Central and Southeast Europe. All of this eventually provides the answer to the question what is the interest of the EU in this region’s stability and in its admission to the European Union

Country's Competitiveness and Sustainability in the Context of the Higher Education System Reforms

Science.gov (United States)

Jermolajeva, Elita; Aleksejeva, Ludmila

2013-01-01

The accumulation of knowledge and its use have become important factors that promote economic development as they contribute to a country's competitiveness in the global economy. The basic significance of research is obtained by defining new approaches in the organisation, function and efficiency of the higher education system (HES) by emphasising…

Using country of origin in strategy : the importance of context and strategic action

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Beverland, M.; Lindgreen, A.

2002-01-01

Although the idea has long been accepted that a nation's image is a factor in buying decisions, research on the effect of country of origin (COO) on consumers' evaluation of brands and on firms' strategic positioning is contradictory. The strategic use of COO would appear to be highly dependent on

Why do some countries spend more for health? An assessment of sociopolitical determinants and international aid for government health expenditures.

Science.gov (United States)

Liang, Li-Lin; Mirelman, Andrew J

2014-08-01

A consensus exists that rising income levels and technological development are among key drivers of total health spending. Determinants of public sector health expenditure, by contrast, are less well understood. This study examines a complex relationship across government health expenditure (GHE), sociopolitical risks, and international aid, while taking into account the impacts of national income, debt and tax financing and aging populations on health spending. We apply a fixed-effects two-stage least squares regression method to a panel dataset comprising 120 countries for the years 1995 through 2010. Our results show that democratic accountability has a diminishing positive correlation with GHE, and that levels of GHE are higher when government is more stable. Corruption is associated with less GHE in developing countries, but with higher GHE in developed countries. We also find that development assistance for health (DAH) is fungible with domestically financed government health expenditure (DGHE). For an average country, a 1% increase in DAH to government is associated with a 0.03-0.04% decrease in DGHE. Furthermore, the degree of fungibility of DAH to government is higher in countries where corruption or ethnic tensions are widespread. However, DAH to non-governmental organizations is not fungible with DGHE. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A realist synthesis of cross-border patient movement from low and middle income countries to similar or higher income countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Durham, Jo; Blondell, Sarah J

2017-08-29

Patient travel across borders to access healthcare is becoming increasingly common and widespread. Patients moving from high income to middle income countries for healthcare is well documented, with patients seeking treatments that are cheaper or more readily available than at home. Less well understood is when patients move from one low income country to another or from a low income country to a higher income country. In this paper, a realist review was undertaken to explore why, in what contexts and how patients from lower income countries travel to countries with the same, or more advanced, economies for planned healthcare. Based on an initial scoping of the literature and discussions with key informants, we generated an initial theory and set of propositions about why, how, who and in what contexts people cross international borders for planned healthcare. We then systematically located and synthesized (1) peer-reviewed studies from the Scopus, Embase, Web of Science and Econlit databases; (2) non-indexed reports using key informants and Google; and (3) papers from the reference lists of included documents, to glean supportive or contradictory evidence for our initial propositions. As we reviewed the literature and extracted our data, we drew on the work of Pierre Bourdieu to understand the interplay between material and non-material capital and cognitive processes in decisions to cross borders for healthcare. Patient travel was largely undertaken due to a lack of services in the home country and/or unacceptability of local services, with decisions on when, and where, to travel, usually made within the patient's social networks. They were able to travel via use of multiple resources, including social networks, economic and cultural capital, and habitus. Those patients with greater volumes of the aforementioned factors had greater healthcare options; however, even those with limited resources engaged in patient travel. Patient movement challenges traditional

Context-dependent utility overrides absolute memory as a determinant of choice.

Science.gov (United States)

Pompilio, Lorena; Kacelnik, Alex

2010-01-05

A core problem of decision theories is that although decisionmakers' preferences depend on learning, their choices could be driven either by learned representations of the physical properties of each alternative (for instance reward sizes) or of the benefit (utility and fitness) experienced from them. Physical properties are independent of the subject's state and context, but utility depends on both. We show that starlings' choices are better explained by memory for context-dependent utility than by representations of the alternatives' physical properties, even when the decisionmakers' state is controlled and they have accurate knowledge about the options' physical properties. Our results support the potential universality of utility-driven preference control.

A performance evaluation of strategic environmental assessment (SEA) processes within the South African context

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Retief, Francois

2007-01-01

SEA has been described as being more about process than about product. Yet very little research has been conducted to gain a better understanding of how SEA processes perform within developing country contexts. To address this gap in knowledge the research underlying this paper aimed to evaluate the quality of SEA processes within the South African context against specifically designed key performance indicators. Comparison of the different data patterns revealed general SEA process features as well as three broad models, namely the 'stand alone', 'central to decision making' and 'integrated' models. The research results suggest a particularly poor performance in terms of process quality for the SEA case studies investigated. Moreover, it shows that there is no one understanding of SEA process within the South African context. The main limitations related to a weak understanding of the decision making processes SEA aimed to inform, as well as an inability to incorporate flexibility into process design. To take the debate forward it is proposed that SEA follow-up and effectiveness research be explored to determine which of these models (if any) ultimately contributed to influencing decision making and promote sustainability

Moral imperialism and multi-centric clinical trials in peripheral countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Garrafa, Volnei; Lorenzo, Claudio

2008-10-01

Moral imperialism is expressed in attempts to impose moral standards from one particular culture, geopolitical region or culture onto other cultures, regions or countries. Examples of Direct Moral Imperialism can be seen in various recurrent events involving multi-centric clinical trials promoted by developed (central) countries in poor and developing (peripheral) countries, particularly projects related to the theory of double standards in research. After the WMA General Assembly refused to change the Helsinki Declaration - which would have given moral recognition to the above mentioned theory - the USA abandoned the declaration and began to promote regional seminars in peripheral countries with the aim of "training" researchers on ethical perspectives that reflect America's best interests. Individuals who received such training became transmitters of these central countries' ideas across the peripheral countries, representing a form of Indirect Moral Imperialism. The paper proposes the establishment of regulatory and social control systems for clinical trials implemented in peripheral countries, through the formulation of ethical norms that reflect the specific contexts of these countries, along with the drawing up and validation of their own national norms.

Evaluation of regional project to strengthen national health research systems in four countries in West Africa: lessons learned.

Science.gov (United States)

Sombié, Issiaka; Aidam, Jude; Montorzi, Gabriela

2017-07-12

Since the Commission on Health Research for Development (COHRED) published its flagship report, more attention has been focused on strengthening national health research systems (NHRS). This paper evaluates the contribution of a regional project that used a participatory approach to strengthen NHRS in four post-conflict West African countries - Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Mali. The data from the situation analysis conducted at the start of the project was compared to data from the project's final evaluation, using a hybrid conceptual framework built around four key areas identified through the analysis of existing frameworks. The four areas are governance and management, capacities, funding, and dissemination/use of research findings. The project helped improve the countries' governance and management mechanisms without strengthening the entire NHRS. In the four countries, at least one policy, plan or research agenda was developed. One country put in place a national health research ethics committee, while all four countries could adopt a research information management system. The participatory approach and support from the West African Health Organisation and COHRED were all determining factors. The lessons learned from this project show that the fragile context of these countries requires long-term engagement and that support from a regional institution is needed to address existing challenges and successfully strengthen the entire NHRS.

Strategic information for industrial policy-making in developing countries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gonod, P.F.

1990-05-01

The practice shows that many crucial decisions for industrialization in developing countries have been taken based on incomplete information. For strategic decisions an incomplete information may have catastrophic consequences. The function of policy-making is defined as the process by which the information generated/or used in a particular context is reevaluated in a different context in order to formulate/or execute a policy of alternative decisions. It follows that the industrial information must be presented in such a manner to allow a reevaluation and alternative decisions. 30 notes

Sectorial and regional determinants of firm dynamics in developing countries: evidence for low, medium and high tech manufacturing in Argentina

OpenAIRE

Calá, Carla Daniela

2018-01-01

We analyse the determinants of firm dynamics in developing countries using Argentina as an illustrative case. We explain firm entry and exit at the regional level, distinguishing three groups of manufacturing activities: low, medium and high tech. We find that both region -and sector- specific determinants explain firm dynamics, but the impact is not homogeneous across sectors. In particular, for low tech industries, there is a need for explanatory variables that proxy for the specificities o...

The Global Context of Disability

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Christine O'Rourke - Lang

2016-09-01

Full Text Available This issue of Global Education Review examines the global context of disability and how in different geographic locations, socioeconomic factors, domestic policy, and disability perspectives impact access to special education services, and the types of resources and interventions available to individuals with diverse learning needs. Practices in countries including India, Singapore, South Korea, Hong Kong, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Liberia, and Kenya were studied and implications for meeting the special education needs for children and adults with disabilities and their families are discussed

Factors Determining the Development of Physical Education in the Higher University Schools of Lithuania in the Context of the Challenges of the 21st Century

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Povilas Tamošauskas

2011-04-01

Full Text Available In the 19 th century the humankind will have to carry out a great job - to give sense to life and learn to behave humanely in a technocratic society. Students of higher schools live in the world where changes dominate and the tempo of the changes increases. Our life in such a world gives rise to stresses of global and local character. The mission of physical education and sport at Universities is to help to humanize the life of the academic youth in the context of physical and psychical harmony. A personality becomes the ideal of modern society only when he or she realizes the potential at a maximum and is physically and psychologically sound. It means that our universities should foresee the strategy of the development of physical education if they want to respond adequately to the challenges of the global world. Research aim is to analyze trends of physical education in the Lithuanian university higher schools and state the factors determining its development. Research object is physical education of students. The article presents university systems of American, European as well as of Asian and African countries. Not enough care or attention is given to the physical education and sport training of students in all educational systems. The Lithuanian higher schools decrease obligatory hours for physical education leaving two hours per week. Sometimes this subject becomes an optional one, completely ignoring the law of physical education and sport. Economic, social, technological and humane factors in the context of physical education are being discussed as well. The strategy of students’ physical education and sport is presented.

Stimulating Creativity Methods And Innovative Performance In European Countries

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Şipoş Gabriela Lucia

2015-06-01

Full Text Available A widely debated topic during the last decades focuses on the companies’ opportunities to acquire corporate competitiveness due to research, innovation and development. Thus, in the context of increased competition and current global challenges, fostering creativity and innovation is a way to boost economic growth and welfare of European countries. New and original ideas, skills, competencies and innovations they all could enable to achieve competitive advantages. Creative ideas and innovative solutions are crucial for the European countries in order to overcome the current economic crisis.

Social Entrepreneurship in South Africa: Context, Relevance and Extent

Science.gov (United States)

Visser, Kobus

2011-01-01

In its broadest context, "social entrepreneurship" refers to individuals and organizations that engage in entrepreneurial activities with social objectives. Whereas this concept and its constituent elements are well-researched and acknowledged in industrialized countries (such as the USA and UK) (Thompson, Alvy and Lees, 2000, p 328) and…

Education in European countries

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Petcu, N.

2010-12-01

Full Text Available Education, vocational training and lifelong learning play a vital role in both an economic and social context. The paper herein aims to identify Romania’s place within the UE-countries, considering a series of general indices: total public expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP, private expenditure on education as % of GDP, annual expenditure on public and private educational institutions per pupil/student - by level of education, school expectancy, pupils and students, students - tertiary education, mobility of students in Europe, science and technology graduates, doctorate students in science and technology fields. Analysis methods: main components analysis, cluster analysis.

Passive Suicide Ideation Among Older Adults in Europe: A Multilevel Regression Analysis of Individual and Societal Determinants in 12 Countries (SHARE).

Science.gov (United States)

Stolz, Erwin; Fux, Beat; Mayerl, Hannes; Rásky, Éva; Freidl, Wolfgang

2016-09-01

Passive suicide ideation (PSI) is common among older adults, but prevalences have been reported to vary considerably across European countries. The goal of this study was to assess the role of individual-level risk factors and societal contextual factors associated with PSI in old age. We analyzed longitudinal data from the Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) on 6,791 community-dwelling respondents (75+) from 12 countries. Bayesian logistic multilevel regression models were used to assess variance components, individual-level and country-level risk factors. About 4% of the total variance of PSI was located at the country level, a third of which was attributable to compositional effects of individual-level predictors. Predictors for the development of PSI at the individual level were female gender, depression, older age, poor health, smaller social network size, loneliness, nonreligiosity, and low perceived control (R (2) = 25.8%). At the country level, cultural acceptance of suicide, religiosity, and intergenerational cohabitation were associated with the rates of PSI. Cross-national variation in old-age PSI is mostly attributable to individual-level determinants and compositional differences, but there is also evidence for contextual effects of country-level characteristics. Suicide prevention programs should be intensified in high-risk countries and attitudes toward suicide should be addressed in information campaigns. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Detecting emerging trends and country specializations in Energy Efficiency

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

De Filippo, D.; Pandiella Dominique, A.

2016-07-01

The sector of Energy Efficiency is key in the development of a country. Energy saving means cost savings and this affects GDP growth and employment. In addition, there are environmental benefits such as savings in the use of natural resources or reducing carbon emissions. If we also take into account the deduction of foreign energy dependence, it is noted that it is a sector of vital economic and strategic importance. Proof of this is that energy efficiency is a priority policy in science and technology agenda of most countries (OECD, 2011). Although it is an area of global concern, the particularities of each context make both the issues and the areas of scientific and technological activity can be considerably different from one country to another. To study these peculiarities, scientific publications in international databases were analyzed. These outputs are a good indicator of the intensity and specialization of scientific and technological activity of countries. Also, the characteristics of energy efficiency sector -such as the crosscutting and interdisciplinarity- make it an attractive object to be approached from a bibliometric perspective. This methodological approach was used because bibliometrics has become one of the central models to analyze measure and evaluate different aspects of the scientific activity (Callon, Courtial, & Penan, 1995). Among its most frequent uses are, the analysis of scientific productivity (researchers, groups, institutions, disciplines or countries), and the study of its impact on the scientific community. However, it has had more innovative applications, as the detection of new research fronts, the study of collaborative networking between different institutional actors and the identification of niche of research. Given these considerations, the aim of this work is to show the results of a study in which we analyze scientific activity in energy efficiency through bibliometric indicators. The bibliometric research, constructed

Changing education through ICT in developing countries

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Georgsen, Marianne; Zander, Pär-Ola

This book presents discussions of how information and communication technology (ICT) can play a vital role in developing education and thereby developing communities, countries and regions.Through examples of current research in developing countries, a number of highly relevant questions and topics...... and education The chapters in this volume are written by members of the international research group on ICT for Development (ICT4D) at Aalborg University together with researchers from around the world. This book is the first of its kind to concentrate fully on the relationship between ICT for development...... in the context of education. The book is essential reading for researchers, educational planners, policy advisers, students and educators....

Strength of primary care service delivery: a comparative study of European countries, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada.

Science.gov (United States)

Pavlič, Danica R; Sever, Maja; Klemenc-Ketiš, Zalika; Švab, Igor; Vainieri, Milena; Seghieri, Chiara; Maksuti, Alem

2018-05-01

AimWe sought to examine strength of primary care service delivery as measured by selected process indicators by general practitioners from 31 European countries plus Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. We explored the relation between strength of service delivery and healthcare expenditures. The strength of a country's primary care is determined by the degree of development of a combination of core primary care dimensions in the context of its healthcare system. This study analyses the strength of service delivery in primary care as measured through process indicators in 31 European countries plus Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. A comparative cross-sectional study design was applied using the QUALICOPC GP database. Data on the strength of primary healthcare were collected using a standardized GP questionnaire, which included 60 questions divided into 10 dimensions related to process, structure, and outcomes. A total of 6734 general practitioners participated. Data on healthcare expenditure were obtained from World Bank statistics. We conducted a correlation analysis to analyse the relationship between strength and healthcare expenditures.FindingsOur findings show that the strength of service delivery parameters is less than optimal in some countries, and there are substantial variations among countries. Continuity and comprehensiveness of care are significantly positively related to national healthcare expenditures; however, coordination of care is not.

The motivations of proliferating countries. Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Archambault, Jean-Claude; Daguzan, Jean-Francois; Pasco, Xavier; Sitt, Bernard

2006-01-01

This report is based on previous works made by the GSPP group (GSPP stands for geographic-social-psychological-political) which defined conceptual backgrounds for a new approach to nuclear proliferation, notably by introducing an associated method, the GSPP method, which is used in this study. Thus, this report first presents the GSPP method through its application to the analysis of the decision dynamics in the case of a proliferating State, a discussion of the seven determining factors (national resources, history and strategic context, type of political regime, leader's history and personal typology, international dependencies and alliances, elites and mediators, public opinions), a discussion of the interactions between these factors, an application of the first determining factor, and an application of the GSPP method to the case of biological and chemical proliferation. In the next part, the authors propose sheets which report the application of the method to different countries (Iran, Israel, Iraq, Algeria, Libya, China, India, Pakistan, North and South Korea, Taiwan, Japan, Australia, Indonesia, South Africa). The content and the exploitation of these sheets is then discussed, and the authors address the perspective of development of a GSPP model, notably by using the Maslowe pyramid. They propose an application of this model to the case of Iran

Creative economy policy in developing countries : The case of Indonesia

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Fahmi, Fikri Zul; McCann, Philip; Koster, Sierdjan

This paper investigates how the creative economy discourse is interpreted and implemented in the context of Indonesia as a developing country. Our main conclusion is that the discourse is interpreted differently across localities. Bandung appears to be the only locality whose interpretation aligns

Economic Performance of SME Agricultural Producers in the Context of Risk Management: Focus on Visegrad 4 Member Countries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jan Vavřina

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The long term regulation of the EU agrarian sector via the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP and its respective instruments focuses on the sustainable development both of the agriculture and rural area as a whole. It is needed above all to stress out the equalization instruments of CAP within the context of negative impacts’ diminish of outer sectorial environment in relation with the economic status of agricultural businesses, specifically the small and medium ones. The EU programming period of years 2014-2020 is focused from the view point of the agrarian sector on more efficient CAP to encourage the competitiveness of European farmers. The aforementioned programming period is for agricultural producers from V4 countries the first one when CAP guarantees the maximum amount of operational subsidies for them, of course regarding the respective agreed EU accession treaties. Nevertheless, CAP subsidies cannot be considered to be the key factor of competitiveness within EU single market. The relation between long term increasing of production’s inputs on one hand and the decreasing of agricultural producers’ prices on the other one can be marked as very important negative aspect within the need of farmers’ sustainable competitiveness. So, the direct consequence of a negative influence of aforementioned factor is the subsequent negative direct influence on profitability of agricultural producers. The need for increasing the efficiency of production, marketing and other related processing activities appears to be relevant and inevitable. The business processes are repeated cyclically, that is why there is emerged the need for its systematic and continuous management, measurement, assessment and subsequent changes and optimization. The management of risks has to be involved in the business activities of agricultural businesses regardless their economic size and branch, taking into account possible negative influences. The article aims at

DECOMPOSING THE SOCIOECONOMIC INEQUALITY IN UTILIZATION OF MATERNAL HEALTH CARE SERVICES IN SELECTED COUNTRIES OF SOUTH ASIA AND SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA.

Science.gov (United States)

Goli, Srinivas; Nawal, Dipty; Rammohan, Anu; Sekher, T V; Singh, Deepshikha

2017-10-30

The gap in access to maternal health care services is a challenge of an unequal world. In 2015, each day about 830 women died due to complications of pregnancy and childbirth. Almost all of these deaths occurred in low-resource settings, and most could have been prevented. This study quantified the contributions of the socioeconomic determinants of inequality to the utilization of maternal health care services in four countries in diverse geographical and cultural settings: Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Nepal and Zimbabwe. Data from the 2010-11 Demographic and Health Surveys of the four countries were used, and methods developed by Wagstaff and colleagues for decomposing socioeconomic inequalities in health were applied. The results showed that although the Concentration Index (CI) was negative for the selected indicators, meaning maternal health care was poorer among lower socioeconomic status groups, the level of CI varied across the different countries for the same outcome indicator: CI of -0.1147, -0.1146, -0.2859 and -0.0638 for inequalities in maternal health care varied across the selected countries. The findings are significant for a global understanding of the various determinants of maternal health care use in high-maternal-mortality settings in different geographical and socio-cultural contexts.

Identifying determinants of effective complementary feeding behaviour change interventions in developing countries

Science.gov (United States)

Fabrizio, Cecilia S; van Liere, Marti; Pelto, Gretel

2014-01-01

As stunting moves to the forefront of the global agenda, there is substantial evidence that behaviour change interventions (BCI) can improve infant feeding practices and growth. However, this evidence has not been translated into improved outcomes on a national level because we do not know enough about what makes these interventions work, for whom, when, why, at what cost and for how long. Our objective was to examine the design and implementation of complementary feeding BCI, from the peer-reviewed literature, to identify generalisable key determinants. We identified 29 studies that evaluated BCI efficacy or effectiveness, were conducted in developing countries, and reported outcomes on infant and young children aged 6–24 months. Two potential determinants emerged: (1) effective studies used formative research to identify cultural barriers and enablers to optimal feeding practices, to shape the intervention strategy, and to formulate appropriate messages and mediums for delivery; (2) effective studies delineated the programme impact pathway to the target behaviour change and assessed intermediary behaviour changes to learn what worked. We found that BCI that used these developmental and implementation processes could be effective despite heterogeneous approaches and design components. Our analysis was constrained, however, by the limited published data on how design and implementation were carried out, perhaps because of publishing space limits. Information on cost-effectiveness, sustainability and scalability was also very limited. We suggest a more comprehensive reporting process and a more strategic research agenda to enable generalisable evidence to accumulate. PMID:24798264

PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN THE CONTEXT OF THE INSTITUTIONAL THEORY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Valentina Dudchenko

2018-01-01

Full Text Available One of the priorities of socio-economic reform in Ukraine is the modernization of the structure of the national economy and its growth. An effective structure of the economy, which will correspond to a socially oriented model of economic growth and will be based on the use of both the country’s competitive advantages in the global division of labour and the economic benefits of cooperation, will guarantee the independence of any country and will be the key to its dynamic development. The development of economic theory is due to the emergence of fundamentally new ideas, sustainable accumulation of knowledge, intellectual and meaningful updating of established concepts and theories, the formation of new scientific schools. A new paradigm of economic theory should explain the real processes in real economies, which operate on the principles of complex systems of synergistic nature and the theory of nonlinear dynamics. There is a process of theoretical polystructuredness both of mainstream and heterodoxy. An important task is to form an interdisciplinary dialogue between economists and scientists, which stipulates the relevance of the research topic. The subject of the study is the theoretical and methodological foundations and approaches to state management of economic development in the context of the institutional theory. The purpose of the study is to determine the role and influence of public administration of the development of the economy in the context of institutional theory and to develop strategic goals of the state’s innovation policy. Methodology. Directions of correlation of the system of economic development of the country and the potential of the state development with the historical preconditions for the emergence and development of the institutional doctrine of economic theory are investigated. Based on the revealed interrelations, the necessity of using instruments of institutionalism for studying the economic development

Sustainability transitions in developing countries: Stocktaking, new contributions and a research agenda

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Ulrich Elmer; Nygaard, Ivan; Romijn, Henny

2018-01-01

An increasing number of studies have analysed the scope for, and the barriers to, transitions toward sustainability in the context of developing countries building on analytical perspectives from the sustainability transitions literature. This paper introduces a special issue on sustainability...... transitions in developing countries, which takes stock of this emerging field of research and presents new empirical research that contributes to further advancement of our understanding of the conditions in which sustainability transitions are likely to take place in developing countries and what is involved...... projects. The introductory paper concludes by presenting a research agenda, which aims to provide promising avenues for future research on sustainability transitions in developing countries....

Archival Education in Scandinavian Countries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Muhammet Hanefi Kutluoğlu

2008-03-01

Full Text Available Every country has responsibilities to provide the necessary personnel needed for their archival inheritance by education. Education can be shaped through tradition, historical inheritance and scientifi c necessities by defi ning the right educational method. Scandinavian countries have determined different education models based on their tradition, historical inheritance and requirements. In this article we focused on the formation of archival tradition, application of archival education in Scandinavian countries and the infl uence of the developments taking place in Europe on these countries. The relation between the archival education in European and Scandinavian countries is evaluated through a comparative method, and similarities to other countries are also evaluated. Finally, the present situation of archival education and the measures needed in this fi eld are taken into consideration.

Shaping Education Policy Research in an Asia-Pacific Context

Science.gov (United States)

Jeong, Dong Wook; Lee, Ho Jun; Lee, Seung Ho; Wi, Eunjoo

2014-01-01

Globalization increasingly calls for comparing educational policies across countries. In this study, we assemble and analyze academic journal publications of the past decade in order to shape education policy research within an Asia-Pacific context. After examining Asia-Pacific research publication data from the Web of Science, we find a few…

Energy Security and Renewable Energy in Least Developed Countries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wohlgemuth, N.

2006-01-01

The Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries (UN, 2001) states: The levels of production and consumption of energy in the majority of Least Developed Countries (LDCs) are inadequate and unstable. This clearly indicates a situation of energy insecurity. Starting from an encompassing definition of energy security (a country's ability to expand and optimise its energy resource portfolio and achieve a level of services that will sustain economic growth and poverty reduction), it becomes quickly clear that energy security in LDCs is a complex topic with numerous interlinkages to other sustainable development objectives. This paper attempts to give an overview of issues related to energy security in LDCs by focusing on the role renewable energy can play in that context.(author)

HORIZONTAL OBJECTIVES OF EU PROGRAMMES AND THE SOCIO-CULTURAL CONTEXT FOR EAP MEMBERS

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Irina Teodora MANOLESCU

2016-10-01

Full Text Available As the Eastern Partnership (EaP was founded in 2009, between European Union (EU and six countries from Eastern Europe, its main goal was to create adequate conditions for economic integration, social and regional development of the EaP country members. Based on the same principles as the EU was built, international law and fundamental values (e.g. human rights, freedom, democracy, rule of law, sustainable development and also good governance, the EaP was regularly analysed and renewed (once every two years in order to better respond to the needs of Eastern European countries. Even so, while the economic context was especially considered, there are still some actions to be undertaken with regards to socio-cultural factors. Therefore the aim of the paper is to analyse the socio-cultural context of the six Eastern European EaP members (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine in order to make recommendations regarding their absorption capacity when integrating the horizontal EU objectives into the funding neighbourhood instruments. Our main research question is: what is the right approach for developing operational funding programmes (individual/bilateral or partnership/multilateral participations for EaP members: is it by maintaining the EU horizontal objective or by adapting these objectives from the beginning considering the socio-cultural context?

The importance of socio-economic context for social marketing models for improving reproductive health: Evidence from 555 years of program experience

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Rahaim Stephen

2005-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Over the past two decades, social marketing programs have become an important element of the national family planning and HIV prevention strategy in several developing countries. As yet, there has not been any comprehensive empirical assessment to determine which of several social marketing models is most effective for a given socio-economic context. Such an assessment is urgently needed to inform the design of future social marketing programs, and to avoid that programs are designed using an ineffective model. Methods This study addresses this issue using a database of annual statistics about reproductive health oriented social marketing programs in over 70 countries. In total, the database covers 555 years of program experience with social marketing programs that distribute and promote the use of oral contraceptives and condoms. Specifically, our analysis assesses to what extent the model used by different reproductive health social marketing programs has varied across different socio-economic contexts. We then use random effects regression to test in which socio-economic context each of the models is most successful at increasing use of socially marketed oral contraceptives and condoms. Results The results show that there has been a tendency to design reproductive health social marketing program with a management structure that matches the local context. However, the evidence also shows that this has not always been the case. While socio-economic context clearly influences the effectiveness of some of the social marketing models, program maturity and the size of the target population appear equally important. Conclusions To maximize the effectiveness of future social marketing programs, it is essential that more effort is devoted to ensuring that such programs are designed using the model or approach that is most suitable for the local context.

The importance of socio-economic context for social marketing models for improving reproductive health: evidence from 555 years of program experience.

Science.gov (United States)

Meekers, Dominique; Rahaim, Stephen

2005-01-27

Over the past two decades, social marketing programs have become an important element of the national family planning and HIV prevention strategy in several developing countries. As yet, there has not been any comprehensive empirical assessment to determine which of several social marketing models is most effective for a given socio-economic context. Such an assessment is urgently needed to inform the design of future social marketing programs, and to avoid that programs are designed using an ineffective model. This study addresses this issue using a database of annual statistics about reproductive health oriented social marketing programs in over 70 countries. In total, the database covers 555 years of program experience with social marketing programs that distribute and promote the use of oral contraceptives and condoms. Specifically, our analysis assesses to what extent the model used by different reproductive health social marketing programs has varied across different socio-economic contexts. We then use random effects regression to test in which socio-economic context each of the models is most successful at increasing use of socially marketed oral contraceptives and condoms. The results show that there has been a tendency to design reproductive health social marketing program with a management structure that matches the local context. However, the evidence also shows that this has not always been the case. While socio-economic context clearly influences the effectiveness of some of the social marketing models, program maturity and the size of the target population appear equally important. To maximize the effectiveness of future social marketing programs, it is essential that more effort is devoted to ensuring that such programs are designed using the model or approach that is most suitable for the local context.

Analysis of classical time-trial performance and technique-specific physiological determinants in elite female cross-country skiers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Øyvind Sandbakk

2016-08-01

Full Text Available The present study investigated the contribution of performance on uphill, flat, and downhill sections to overall performance in an international 10-km classical time-trial in elite female cross-country skiers, as well as the relationships between performance on snow and laboratory-measured physiological variables in the double poling (DP and diagonal (DIA techniques. Ten elite female cross-country skiers were continuously measured by a global positioning system device during an international 10-km cross-country skiing time-trial in the classical technique. One month prior to the race, all skiers performed a 5-min submaximal and 3-min self-paced performance test while roller skiing on a treadmill, both in the DP and DIA techniques. The time spent on uphill (r=0.98 and flat (r=0.91 sections of the race correlated most strongly with the overall 10-km performance (both p<0.05. Approximately 56% of the racing time was spent uphill, and stepwise multiple regression revealed that uphill time explained 95.5% of the variance in overall performance (p<0.001. Distance covered during the 3-min roller-skiing test and body-mass normalized peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak in both techniques showed the strongest correlations with overall time-trial performance (r=0.66-0.78, with DP capacity tending to have greatest impact on the flat and DIA capacity on uphill terrain (all p<0.05. Our present findings reveal that the time spent uphill most strongly determine classical time-trial performance, and that the major portion of the performance differences among elite female cross-country skiers can be explained by variations in technique-specific aerobic power.

Host-Country Related Risk Factors in International Construction: Meta-Analysis

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Güzin AYDOGAN

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Internationalization has been on the agenda of construction firms as a strategic option in global competition. Due to globalization every sector including the construction industry has faced with high levels of competitiveness, uncertainty, and risk. International construction involves common risks to domestic construction, as well as risks that are related to the host country. These risks have serious effects on the performance of international projects. Since the sustainable competitiveness of international contractors depends largely on the effective management of these risks, their assessment becomes vital for the success of international contractors. The main aim of this study is to analyse the risks for international construction projects that are related to the host country. Meta-analysis technique is used in order to determine these risks. This paper, therefore, reviews the literature that has been published in four most respected construction and management journals, these being; Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, Journal of Management in Engineering, Construction Management and Economics, and International Journal of Project Management for the period of 2000-2010. International construction risk assessment models are also reviewed within the context of this study, since host country related risk factors were found to have serious effects on the profitability of international contractors due to literature review. As a result; political stability, law and regulations, exchange rate risk, cultural differences, inflation, expropriation, tax discrimination, language barrier, bribery and corruption, force majeure, and societal conflicts in the host country are found to be the most important risk factors in international construction. Findings of this study can be used in risk assessment models for international construction projects.

Dietary Determinants of and Possible Solutions to Iron Deficiency for Young Women Living in Industrialized Countries: A Review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kathryn L. Beck

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Iron deficiency is a concern in both developing and developed (industrialized countries; and young women are particularly vulnerable. This review investigates dietary determinants of and possible solutions to iron deficiency in young women living in industrialized countries. Dietary factors including ascorbic acid and an elusive factor in animal protein foods (meat; fish and poultry enhance iron absorption; while phytic acid; soy protein; calcium and polyphenols inhibit iron absorption. However; the effects of these dietary factors on iron absorption do not necessarily translate into an association with iron status and iron stores (serum ferritin concentration. In cross-sectional studies; only meat intake has consistently (positively been associated with higher serum ferritin concentrations. The enhancing effects of ascorbic acid and meat on iron absorption may be negated by the simultaneous consumption of foods and nutrients which are inhibitory. Recent cross-sectional studies have considered the combination and timing of foods consumed; with mixed results. Dietary interventions using a range of focused dietary measures to improve iron status appear to be more effective than dietary approaches that focus on single nutrients or foods. Further research is needed to determine optimal dietary recommendations for both the prevention and treatment of iron deficiency.

A strategy to improve priority setting in developing countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Kapiriri, Lydia; Martin, Douglas K

2007-09-01

Because the demand for health services outstrips the available resources, priority setting is one of the most difficult issues faced by health policy makers, particularly those in developing countries. Priority setting in developing countries is fraught with uncertainty due to lack of credible information, weak priority setting institutions, and unclear priority setting processes. Efforts to improve priority setting in these contexts have focused on providing information and tools. In this paper we argue that priority setting is a value laden and political process, and although important, the available information and tools are not sufficient to address the priority setting challenges in developing countries. Additional complementary efforts are required. Hence, a strategy to improve priority setting in developing countries should also include: (i) capturing current priority setting practices, (ii) improving the legitimacy and capacity of institutions that set priorities, and (iii) developing fair priority setting processes.

Information and communication technology (ICT) and eHealth policy in Latin America and the Caribbean: a review of national policies and assessment of socioeconomic context.

Science.gov (United States)

Jimenez-Marroquin, Maria Carolina; Deber, Raisa; Jadad, Alejandro R

2014-01-01

To examine the availability of national information and communication technology (ICT) or eHealth policies produced by countries in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), and to determine the influence of a country's socioeconomic context on the existence of these policies. Documents describing a national ICT or eHealth policy in any of the 33 countries belonging to the LAC region as listed by the United Nations were identified from three data sources: academic databases; the Google search engine; and government agencies and representatives. The relationship between the existence of a policy and national socioeconomic indicators was also investigated. There has been some progress in the establishment of ICT and eHealth policies in the LAC region. The most useful methods for identifying the policies were 1) use of the Google search engine and 2) contact with Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) country representatives. The countries that have developed a national ICT policy seem to be more likely to have a national eHealth policy in place. There was no statistical significant association between the existence of a policy and a country's socioeconomic context. Governments need to make stronger efforts to raise awareness about existing and planned ICT and eHealth policies, not only to facilitate ease of use and communication with their stakeholders, but also to promote collaborative international efforts. In addition, a better understanding of the effect of economic variables on the role that ICTs play in health sector reform efforts will help shape the vision of what can be achieved.

FISCAL DECENTRALIZATION DETERMINANTS AND LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN EU COUNTRIES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anca Florentina GAVRILUŢĂ (VATAMANU

2017-12-01

Full Text Available This work aims to assess the impact of fiscal decentralization on local (regional development in the EU Member States while controlling for macroeconomic and local autonomy specific factors. Using a panel data approach with dynamic effects, we examined the implications of fiscal decentralization on local development across European Union countries over the 1990-2004 period. The novelty of the study is emphasized by including in the analysis a variable which tests local fiscal discipline, more exactly, Fiscal Rule Strength Index for local level of government. Our findings suggest that prosperity of regions, measured in GDP growth depends on variables such as characteristics of decentralization undertaken by each country or local fiscal discipline, confirming our primary hypothesis. This supports the view that recently implemented reforms aiming to enforce fiscal discipline following-up the Fiscal Compact strengthened the local budgetary framework and restrained, therefore, the local discretionary power to act towards development.

CROSS-COUNTRY STUDY ON THE DETERMINANTS OF BANK FINANCIAL DISTRESS

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Zhen-Jia-Liu

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Bank failures affect owners, employees, and customers, possibly causing large-scale economic distress. Thus, banks must evaluate operational risks and develop early warning systems. This study investigates bank failures in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, the North America Free Trade Area (NAFTA, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the European Union, newly industrialized countries, the G20, and the G8. We use financial ratios to analyze and explore the appropriateness of prediction models. Results show that capital ratios, interest income compared to interest expenses, non-interest income compared to non-interest expenses, return on equity, and provisions for loan losses have significantly negative correlations with bank failure. However, loan ratios, non-performing loans, and fixed assets all have significantly positive correlations with bank failure. In addition, the accuracy of the logistic model for banks from NAFTA countries provides the best prediction accuracy regarding bank failure

Paths towards Family-friendly Working Time Arrangements: Comparing Workplaces in Different Countries and Industries.

Science.gov (United States)

Wiß, Tobias

2017-12-01

Although studies have examined the distribution and conditions of employer-provided work-family arrangements, we still lack a systematic investigation of how these vary for different countries and industries. Based on the European Working Conditions Survey 2010, this study examines the conditions under which firms provide family-friendly working time arrangements and what the differences are across four countries (Austria, Denmark, Italy and the UK) and four industries. The impact of employee representatives, employee involvement, manager support and female managers varies across countries and industries because of the institutional environment (prevailing family model, industrial relations) and workforce composition (gender). The impact of employee representatives depends on their co-determination rights, and the direction of their effect on the prevailing family model (e.g. negative in conservative countries such as Austria) and the gender composition of the workforce (negative in male-dominated production, but positive in services). Employee involvement in the work organization is significantly positive in Austria and Denmark (both with co-operative industrial relations), while manager support has the strongest effect in the UK (liberal regime). At the industry level, female supervisors are positively associated with family-friendly working time arrangements only in the male-dominated production industry. These findings suggest that the effects of agency variables and their direction vary depending on the institutional context.

Paths towards Family‐friendly Working Time Arrangements: Comparing Workplaces in Different Countries and Industries

Science.gov (United States)

2016-01-01

Abstract Although studies have examined the distribution and conditions of employer‐provided work–family arrangements, we still lack a systematic investigation of how these vary for different countries and industries. Based on the European Working Conditions Survey 2010, this study examines the conditions under which firms provide family‐friendly working time arrangements and what the differences are across four countries (Austria, Denmark, Italy and the UK) and four industries. The impact of employee representatives, employee involvement, manager support and female managers varies across countries and industries because of the institutional environment (prevailing family model, industrial relations) and workforce composition (gender). The impact of employee representatives depends on their co‐determination rights, and the direction of their effect on the prevailing family model (e.g. negative in conservative countries such as Austria) and the gender composition of the workforce (negative in male‐dominated production, but positive in services). Employee involvement in the work organization is significantly positive in Austria and Denmark (both with co‐operative industrial relations), while manager support has the strongest effect in the UK (liberal regime). At the industry level, female supervisors are positively associated with family‐friendly working time arrangements only in the male‐dominated production industry. These findings suggest that the effects of agency variables and their direction vary depending on the institutional context. PMID:29242672

When Do States Respond to Low Fertility? Contexts of State Concern in Wealthier Countries, 1976–2011

Science.gov (United States)

Marshall, Emily A.

2015-01-01

Since the 1970s, expressions of state concern over low fertility have greatly increased among wealthier countries. This study asks to what extent this increase is explained by demographic factors, national-level economic and political factors, and processes of international diffusion and changing international norms. Analyses integrate the world polity literature on global policy diffusion with a social problems approach to examine international diffusion of state concern among more powerful members of the world polity, a process that can produce changes in international policy consensus. Comparisons of the characteristics of states that do and do not express concern over low fertility find that among wealthier “first-world” countries, state concern has become more responsive to fertility rates: fertility rates are not significantly associated with concern early in the study period, but are strongly associated with concern later in the study period. There is no evidence that integration into the world polity is associated with concern in these countries, and some evidence that less integrated countries are more likely to express concern, suggesting that processes shaping the diffusion of state concern may differ from those identified as shaping policy diffusion in the existing literature. Among “second-world” former Eastern bloc countries, different patterns of associations reflect different political histories: concern is associated only with demographic factors, with no significant change in this association over time. PMID:26213421

MEDIA MARKET OVERVIEW IN CEE COUNTRIES

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Cristina BURLACIOIU

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Every year, in every market and in any country, advertisers spend increasing budgets on advertising to influence consumer behavior. Finding the ideal marketing channel mix is a continuous challenge for every brand on every local market. This paper is aiming to analyze overall media investment in CEE region trying to find patterns of media mix based on economic context and local market status that supports media investment (internet and Facebook statistics, TV audiences. In the paper are used multidimensional methods like: principal component analysis and hierarchical clustering techniques. Thirteen Central and Eastern European countries are clustered based on 2017 data from Media Factbook. Two main patterns are described in the paper based on these data. The first one is characterized by high Internet usage, high Print and Digital advertising share. In terms of inverstment level, these countries have negative evolution of Net Market Spend per Capita in 2016 versus 2008 but high media market sizes. The second one is characterized by high out of home advertising share. In terms of inverstment level, these countries are splited in two subpatterns: one with negative and one with positive evolution of Net Market Spend per Capita in 2016 versus 2008.

Context, orders of worth, and the justification of meat consumption practices

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thorslund, Cecilie Agnete H; Lassen, Jesper

2017-01-01

Although animal welfare is felt to be important by consumers, behavioural patterns do not fully reflect this. Rather than relating this attitude-behaviour gap to hypocrisy, this article, building on pragmatic sociological theory and an empirical study, focuses on context-dependent moral evaluations....... An analysis of focus-group interviews conducted in three countries shows that meat-related consumption practices involve several competing sets of moral conventions, and the results demonstrate that public concerns about animal welfare vary depending on whether they relate to an everyday or production context...... of making animal welfare relevant in this context in order to support consumers in moving towards products with high standards of animal welfare....

Exploring the determinants of “best practice” benchmarking in electricity network regulation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brophy Haney, Aoife; Pollitt, Michael G.

2011-01-01

In this paper we use a best practice index constructed from the survey responses of regulators in 40 countries to explore the determinants of the methods used in electricity network regulation. Drawing from the incentive regulation and institutional economics literature, we construct an empirical model to investigate the impact of industry size, political and economic institutions on the degree of best practice regulation. Our results suggest that the existence and experience of an independent regulator is the most important institutional determinant of best practice regulation. In addition, small numbers of network companies act as a constraint on the use of advanced benchmarking methods. Finally, regional effects are also important. These findings lead us to question whether one “best practice” model is in fact applicable to countries with very different political and economic contexts. - Highlights: ► Political institutions are strong determinants of best practice electricity regulation. ► Behavior of neighboring regulators may shape regulatory outcomes. ► One “best practice” model may not be appropriate.

COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVES IN ECONOMIC CRISES GEOGRAPHY. ECONOMIC STRATEGIES IN EU COUNTRIES

OpenAIRE

Roxana Maria Grecu

2011-01-01

The strategies for structural-systemic crisis management have generated, to a geographical level, a number of differences between EU countries. These cleavages are the result of differential macroeconomic policies. In this context, this article has the aim of achieving a comparative approach between countries of the south, west and east of the EU space. Also our approach is focused on observing the nature of macroeconomic policies and also on identifying a "pattern" associated with a common i...

Caring International Research Collaborative: A Five-Country Partnership to Measure Perception of Nursing Staffs’ Compassion Fatigue, Burnout, and Caring for Self

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michal Itzhaki

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Partnering in research across disciplines and across countries can be challenging due to differing contexts of practice and culture. This study sought to demonstrate how central constructs that have application across disciplines and countries can be studied while concurrently considering context. Groups of nurses from Botswana, Ireland, Israel, New Zealand, and Spain partnered to identify how to measure the constructs of caring for self, burnout, and compassion fatigue, replicating a study by Johnson (2012, who found that caring for self had a moderately strong negative relationship with both compassion fatigue and burnout. While these constructs were of interest to all five groups, the conversation of contextual influences varied. All five groups used the same instruments to measure the central constructs. Levels of burnout and compassion fatigue varied by country but were moderated by caring for self. Partnering across countries made it possible to understand that caring for self moderates the negative impact of burnout and compassion fatigue in all five countries. This study gives insight into methods for partnering across disciplines and contexts.

Associations between meal complexity and social context in four Nordic countries

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kahma, Nina; Mäkelä, Johanna; Niva, Mari

2014-01-01

main meals, lunch and dinner. The analysis builds on the concept of eating system, examining the effect sociability has on meal complexity. In the end we ask whether complexity can better be explained by social context, or if it, rather, results from social differentiation. The data (N=8248) are drawn......Contemporary eating is often portrayed by images of snacking, solitary grazing, disintegration of sociability, demise of family meals, and increasingly irregular eating patterns –what Claude Fischler has famously described as gastroanomy. Inspired by the concept of eating system, this article...... from the Food in Nordic Everyday Life survey conducted in Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden in 2012. The Finns and Swedes typically had two hot meals a day, whereas the Danes and Norwegians only had one. Moreover, the differences in the complexity were the greatest in hot dinners, the Danes...

Measuring the bias against low-income country research: an Implicit Association Test.

Science.gov (United States)

Harris, Matthew; Macinko, James; Jimenez, Geronimo; Mullachery, Pricila

2017-11-06

With an increasing array of innovations and research emerging from low-income countries there is a growing recognition that even high-income countries could learn from these contexts. It is well known that the source of a product influences perception of that product, but little research has examined whether this applies also in evidence-based medicine and decision-making. In order to examine likely barriers to learning from low-income countries, this study uses established methods in cognitive psychology to explore whether healthcare professionals and researchers implicitly associate good research with rich countries more so than with poor countries. Computer-based Implicit Association Test (IAT) distributed to healthcare professionals and researchers. Stimuli representing Rich Countries were chosen from OECD members in the top ten (>$36,000 per capita) World Bank rankings and Poor Countries were chosen from the bottom thirty (based medicine and diffusion of innovations.

Radiation research and therapy in context of Agenda 21

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Michailov, M.Ch.; Neu, E.; Seidenbusch, W.; Weiss, D.G.; Zoepfl, H.

2003-01-01

Full text: An evaluation of scientific contribution concerning modern oncotherapies and basic research in context of Agenda 21 of UN is given, which demands better education, health and research. Conferences about intraoperative radiotherapy (IORT) were held in Munich 1992, Lyon 1994, San Francisco 1996, Pamplona 1998, Boston 2000, Aachen 2002. Large discrepancies are evident in the oncological research (IORT, TT, PT) including basic disciplines (biophysics, physiology, radiation) between industrial and developing countries. A global realization of Agenda 21 could be essentially supported via foundation of international institutions (universities, hospitals for radiology, etc.) in all countries. Information: ICSD POB 340316, 80100 Muenchen, Germany

Developing ICT Services in a Low-Resource Development Context

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Anna Bon

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Despite an urgent need for social and technological innovation to improve wellbeing of people and communities in poor regions of the world, information and communications technology (ICT service delivery has not yet been very successful in regions with low levels of literacy, poor infrastructures, and limited purchasing power. High rates of failure, reported in various studies, point at a frequent mismatch between deployed technologies and local needs and contexts. Still, no practical field-validated methodologies for ICT service innovation in low-resource development contexts have been proposed that offer adequate ways to meet local needs and contexts and assess sustainability before deployment. This article outlines a framework for development of ICT services in low-resource development contexts, covering the full lifecycle of ICT service innovation. This framework is based on extensive field research, and shows how a collaborative, adaptive, and iterative methodology can address a set of key sociotechnical concerns and issues widely encountered in developing and emerging countries.

Linking the Firm’s Internal Innovation Context with Commercialization Choices

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Davis, Lee N.; Hoisl, Karin; Davis, Jerome

This paper investigates the linkages between the firm’s internal innovation context and how the innovation is commercialized (by the firm itself or an external third party). By analyzing these linkages at the level of the individual innovation, we add to the literature on how firms profit from R......&D. We base our study on original survey data comprising 3,773 commercialized innovations from 23 countries in all major industries. We find that three aspects of the innovation context - external knowledge inputs, encouragement of creativity, and high autonomy - are positively related to external...

Applying Critical Scandinavian ISD research principles in an African Context

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mengiste, Shegaw Anagaw; Tjørnehøj, Gitte

2013-01-01

these countries have a vast need for the technology to develop their economies and living standards. We investigate opportunities of applying Scandinavian principles for ISD&I in the context of Africa, through analyzing and comparing two action research projects that have applied two classic approaches; The Trade...... Unionist (TU) and the Activity Theory approach. We focus specifically on the principles of participation, empowerment, and evolutionary design and discuss how they can help mitigate the challenges, create opportunities and exploit possibilities of ISD&I in this context. Based on this we argue how and why...

Subsidiary Role and Skilled Labour Effects in Small Developed Countries

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gammelgaard, Jens; McDonald, Frank; Tuselmann, Heinz; Dorrenbacher, Christoph; Stephan, Andreas; Mc Donald, F.; Dörrenbächer, C.

This paper considers the proportion of skilled labour employed by subsidiaries in small countries in the context of the strategic role of subsidiaries. Strategic role is connected to autonomy and intra-organisational relationships and the mandates given to the subsidiary. In the paper, we draw on

[A global view of population health in Colombia: role of social macro-determinants].

Science.gov (United States)

Idrovo, Alvaro J; Ruiz-Rodríguez, Myriam

2007-09-01

The social environment is an important determinant of population and individual health. However, its impact is often not considered in national health policies and generally its attributes are considered as constants. For this reason, contemporary health policies place greater emphasis on individual risk factors. Colombias position in the world ranking is described with respect to several social macro-determinants of health, previously characterized as components of class/welfare regime model. The exploratory study included all countries with comparable data including the following: (1) economic development [gross domestic product per capita adjusted for purchasing power parity], (2) income inequality [Gini coefficient], (3) social capital corruption perceptions index and generalized trust, and (4) political regime index of freedom. First, correlations between these macro-determinants were estimated, and second, the relationship between them and life expectancy at birth was explored. Finally, the position of Colombia in global context was determined. Important correlations occurred among the macro-determinants. Colombia tended to have intermediate to low positions in the global context in all macro-determinants, with the exception of gross domestic product per capita adjusted for purchasing power parity. The macro-determinant of population health with the highest potential of effecting improvement in health conditions is to modify income inequality.

Crime and Context : The Impact of Individual, Neighborhood, City and Country Characteristics on Victimization

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wilsem, Johan Arend van

2003-01-01

This book deals with the distribution of criminal victimization across social groups and spatial areas. Why do certain kinds of people run higher risk of victimization than others? Why do spatial units, such as neighborhoods, cities and countries, differ in their rates of victimization? The present

Nutritional determinants of worldwide diabetes: an econometric study of food markets and diabetes prevalence in 173 countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Basu, Sanjay; Stuckler, David; McKee, Martin; Galea, Gauden

2013-01-01

Ageing and urbanization leading to sedentary lifestyles have been the major explanations proposed for a dramatic rise in diabetes worldwide and have been the variables used to predict future diabetes rates. However, a transition to Western diets has been suggested as an alternative driver. We sought to determine what socio-economic and dietary factors are the most significant population-level contributors to diabetes prevalence rates internationally. Multivariate regression models were used to study how market sizes of major food products (sugars, cereals, vegetable oils, meats, total joules) corresponded to diabetes prevalence, incorporating lagged and cumulative effects. The underlying social determinants of food market sizes and diabetes prevalence rates were also studied, including ageing, income, urbanization, overweight prevalence and imports of foodstuffs. Data were obtained from 173 countries. Population-based survey recipients were the basis for diabetes prevalence and food market data. We found that increased income tends to increase overall food market size among low- and middle-income countries, but the level of food importation significantly shifts the content of markets such that a greater proportion of available joules is composed of sugar and related sweeteners. Sugar exposure statistically explained why urbanization and income have been correlated with diabetes rates. Current diabetes projection methods may estimate future diabetes rates poorly if they fail to incorporate the impact of nutritional factors. Imported sugars deserve further investigation as a potential population-level driver of global diabetes.

Trends in energy efficiency in countries of the Mediterranean Rim

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2014-04-01

This report describes trends in energy efficiency in four countries of the southern side of the Mediterranean Sea (Algeria, Lebanon, Morocco and Tunisia) and five Mediterranean European countries (France, Spain, Italy, Greece and Portugal). This study is based on energy efficiency indicators per sector of energy consumption as they are developed within the frame of the MEDENER project for the four southern countries and of the ODYSSEE-MURE project for the European countries. The report presents the context of energy efficiency (challenges and objectives, trends in energy consumption, primary and final intensities), discusses trends of energy efficiency in the transformation sector, in the housing sector, in the transport sector (trends in consumption, road and air transport), in the industry (sector intensities), in the tertiary sector (global trends, sector indicators), and in agriculture and fishing (global trends and sector indicators)

Mediated, moderated and direct effects of country of residence, age, and gender on the cognitive and social determinants of adolescent smoking in Spain and the UK: a cross-sectional study.

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Markham, Wolfgang A; Lopez, Maria Luisa; Aveyard, Paul; Herrero, Pablo; Bridle, Christopher; Comas, Angel; Charlton, Anne; Thomas, Hywel

2009-06-04

European trans-national adolescent smoking prevention interventions based on social influences approaches have had limited success. The attitudes-social influences-efficacy (ASE) model is a social cognition model that states smoking behaviour is determined by smoking intention which, in turn, is predicted by seven ASE determinants; disadvantages, advantages, social acceptance, social norms, modelling, perceived pressure, self-efficacy. Distal factors such as country of residence, age and gender are external to the model. The ASE model is, thus, closely related to the Theory of Planned Behaviour. This study assessed the utility of the ASE model using cross-sectional data from Spanish and UK adolescents. In 1997, questionnaires were simultaneously administered to Spanish (n = 3716) and UK adolescents (n = 3715) who were considered at high risk of smoking. Participants' age, gender, smoking intentions and ASE determinant scores were identified and linear regression analysis was used to examine the mediated, moderated and direct effects of country of residence, age and gender on participants' smoking intentions. All UK participants were aged 12 or 13 and most Spanish participants were aged between 12 and 14 (range 12-16 years). Amongst 12 and 13 year olds, regular smoking was more common in Spain. Almost half the participants were female (47.2% in Spain; 49.9% in the UK). Gender did not vary significantly according to age. The distribution of ASE determinant scores varied by country and predicted intention. The influence of each ASE determinant on intention was moderated by country. Country had a large direct influence on intention (1.72 points on a 7 point scale) but the effects of age and gender were mediated by the ASE determinants. The findings suggest resisting peer pressure interventions could potentially influence smoking amongst UK adolescents but not Spanish adolescents. Interventions that promote self-efficacy, on the other hand, would possibly have a greater

Mediated, moderated and direct effects of country of residence, age, and gender on the cognitive and social determinants of adolescent smoking in Spain and the UK: a cross-sectional study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Markham Wolfgang A

2009-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background European trans-national adolescent smoking prevention interventions based on social influences approaches have had limited success. The attitudes-social influences-efficacy (ASE model is a social cognition model that states smoking behaviour is determined by smoking intention which, in turn, is predicted by seven ASE determinants; disadvantages, advantages, social acceptance, social norms, modelling, perceived pressure, self-efficacy. Distal factors such as country of residence, age and gender are external to the model. The ASE model is, thus, closely related to the Theory of Planned Behaviour. This study assessed the utility of the ASE model using cross-sectional data from Spanish and UK adolescents. Methods In 1997, questionnaires were simultaneously administered to Spanish (n = 3716 and UK adolescents (n = 3715 who were considered at high risk of smoking. Participants' age, gender, smoking intentions and ASE determinant scores were identified and linear regression analysis was used to examine the mediated, moderated and direct effects of country of residence, age and gender on participants' smoking intentions. Results All UK participants were aged 12 or 13 and most Spanish participants were aged between 12 and 14 (range 12–16 years. Amongst 12 and 13 year olds, regular smoking was more common in Spain. Almost half the participants were female (47.2% in Spain; 49.9% in the UK. Gender did not vary significantly according to age. The distribution of ASE determinant scores varied by country and predicted intention. The influence of each ASE determinant on intention was moderated by country. Country had a large direct influence on intention (1.72 points on a 7 point scale but the effects of age and gender were mediated by the ASE determinants. The findings suggest resisting peer pressure interventions could potentially influence smoking amongst UK adolescents but not Spanish adolescents. Interventions that promote self

A desk review of health services system of different countries as a guide to action in Indian context

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Vikas Bajpai

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The health policy in the country seems to be in a limbo. The fate of the Draft National Health Policy, 2015 continues to be uncertain as it continues exist in draft stage as yet. Resultantly, there remains much confusion as to the path that the country shall adopt to achieve ‘Universal Health Care’ (UHC. Viewing this as an opportunity to inform policy making by drawing on the experience of countries that have already made noticeable progress towards achieving UHC, the author has conducted a desk review of the health services system of four such developing countries – Sri Lanka, Thailand, Brazil and Cuba, along with their socioeconomic coordinates and compared it with that of India. Appropriate lessons for India have been drawn from this comparison.

Hybrid context aware recommender systems

Science.gov (United States)

Jain, Rajshree; Tyagi, Jaya; Singh, Sandeep Kumar; Alam, Taj

2017-10-01

Recommender systems and context awareness is currently a vital field of research. Most hybrid recommendation systems implement content based and collaborative filtering techniques whereas this work combines context and collaborative filtering. The paper presents a hybrid context aware recommender system for books and movies that gives recommendations based on the user context as well as user or item similarity. It also addresses the issue of dimensionality reduction using weighted pre filtering based on dynamically entered user context and preference of context. This unique step helps to reduce the size of dataset for collaborative filtering. Bias subtracted collaborative filtering is used so as to consider the relative rating of a particular user and not the absolute values. Cosine similarity is used as a metric to determine the similarity between users or items. The unknown ratings are calculated and evaluated using MSE (Mean Squared Error) in test and train datasets. The overall process of recommendation has helped to personalize recommendations and give more accurate results with reduced complexity in collaborative filtering.

Rebound Effects in the Context of Developing Country Efficiency

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

de la Rue du Can, Stephane [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); McNeil, Michael A. [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Leventis, Greg [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)

2017-08-30

Energy efficiency-related “rebound effects” usually refer to the tendency of most consumers to increase their use of energy services in response to efficiency measures that have reduced their energy costs. This phenomenon is one reason why energy efficiency policies often result in lower energy savings than engineering-based estimates predict. Rebound effects have been the subject of intense debate in the field of energy efficiency policy for many years.1 In the past, the focus of this debate has been on the perceived loss of the expected energy savings and related benefits resulting from the rebound effects. However, more recently, there has been a growing recognition that policymakers need to consider the health, economic and other non-energy benefits that often result from the increase in energy services represented by user “rebound effects”. This is especially true in developing countries where basic energy service demands—such as lighting, heating, cooling, and refrigeration of food—are often not being met. As economic conditions improve and household incomes increase, demand for increased energy services (such as space conditioning and appliances) tends to rise rapidly. Improving energy efficiency reduces the amount of energy needed to produce one unit of energy service output (for example an hour of cooling at 21°C delivered for X vs Y kWh). Greater efficiency therefore often enables more rapid increased in energy services (and sometimes access), expanding the amount of services that can be provided by a fixed amount (or cost) of energy.

Assessment of stormwater management options in urban contexts using Multiple Attribute Decision-Making

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gogate, Nivedita G.; Kalbar, Pradip; Raval, Pratap M.

2017-01-01

This paper addresses the problem of selecting the most sustainable stormwater management alternative in developing countries in a dense urban context. Firstly, suitable Low Impact Development (LID) stormwater management measures for dense urban areas in developing countries were identified based...... sustainable stormwater management options in densely populated areas of developing countries....... on critical review of literature. Alternatives have been formulated as varying percentages (degree of adoption) of these suitable measures to manage the stormwater sustainably. Further, a novel decision-making framework is developed which generates the hierarchy for selection of the most sustainable...

[Relevance of the socioeconomic and health context in patient satisfaction].

Science.gov (United States)

Pérez-Romero, Shirley; Gascón-Cánovas, Juan J; Salmerón-Martínez, Diego; Parra-Hidalgo, Pedro; Monteagudo-Piqueras, Olga

To determine which factors of the socioeconomic and health contexts influence the perception of the satisfaction of the population with the health services. The data come from the European Health Survey of 2009. In the 22,188 subjects surveyed, the relationship between the perception of satisfaction with the health services received and the individual and contextual variables was studied, applying a multilevel analysis. The factors of the socioeconomic and health contexts that influence satisfaction are: higher rates of low level of studies where the perception of excellence is less likely (odds ratio [OR]: 0.48-0.82) and dissatisfaction is more prevalent (OR: 1.46-1.63). Likewise, the proportion of unsatisfied citizens is lower when per capita expenditure on health services is very high (>1400 €) (OR: 0.49-0.87) and the ratio "primary health care physicians/inhabitants" is high (>60) (OR: 0.500.85). In addition, the prevalence of dissatisfaction describes a positive linear trend with the unemployment rate (OR: 1.12; p=0.0001) and the relative magnitude of the services sector (OR: 1.03; p=0.001). By contrast, this linear trend is negative as the Health Care Coverage Ratio increases (OR: 0.88; p=0.04). The individual factors that determine patient satisfaction are: sex, age, mental health and country of birth. In addition, there are differences in patient satisfaction among the autonomous communities according to socio-economic determinants such as GDP per capita, low-level study rates, unemployment rates or number of inhabitants/doctor's ratio. User satisfaction studies as well as being adjusted for individual variables such as sex, age or health level should also take into account characteristics of the socioeconomic environment of the geographic area where they reside. Copyright © 2017 SESPAS. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Reciprocity in Labor Market Relationships: Evidence from an Experiment across High-Income OECD Countries

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Israel Waichman

2015-10-01

Full Text Available We study differences in behavior across countries in a labor market context. To this end, we conducted a bilateral gift-exchange experiment comparing the behavior of subjects from five high-income OECD countries: Germany, Spain, Israel, Japan and the USA. We observe that in all countries, effort levels are increasing while rejection rates are decreasing in wage offers. However, we also find considerable differences in behavior across countries in both one-shot and repeated relationships, the most striking between Germany and Spain. We also discuss the influence of socio-economic indicators and the implications of our findings.

Participation Motivation and Student's Physical Activity among Sport Students in Three Countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Kondric, Miran; Sindik, Joško; Furjan-Mandic, Gordana; Schiefler, Bernd

2013-01-01

The main aim of this study was to examine the differences in motivation to participate in sport activities among sports students from three different countries. On a sample of 390 sports students from Slovenia, Croatia and Germany we studied what motivates an interest in being sports active. The sample was stratified across the choice to attend table tennis lessons at all three institutions and all students have completed the Participation Motivation Questionnaire (PMQ). The results revealed that the latent structure of the types of sports students' motives consisted of six factors (sport action with friend, popularity, fitness & health, social status, sports events, relaxation through sports). We also found significant sex differences in motivation to participate in sport activities for all sports students from the three different countries. We did not find relevant age-based differences among the students, and this is the only initial hypothesis that we can reject. Key pointsThe potential implications of the result can be in better understanding the relationship between different motivational orientations - in particular, extrinsic motivation - and sport motivation among school-aged individuals.In the context of Self Determination Theory, students can be encouraged in developing more autonomous orientations for sport activity, rather than controlled and impersonal, especially in certain countries.Significant factors of differences have been found in motivation to participate in sport activities among sports students from three different countries and also some significant sex differences have been found in motivation to participate in sport activities for all sports students.

Determinants of economic growth in BRIC countries

OpenAIRE

Rajjev K. Goel

2011-01-01

We study economic growth in four emerging economies - Brazil, Russia, India, and China (BRIC). Questions addressed are: (a) How do medium term growth determinants differ from short term determinants? (b) What are differences between growth effects of aggregate versus disaggregated exports? And (c) Does lower institutional quality hinder growth? Results show that while BRIC nations have higher growth, there are significant within-group differences. China and Russia mostly showed higher growth,...

Which Love of Country? Tensions, Questions and Contexts for Patriotism and Cosmopolitanism in Education

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Schumann, Claudia

2016-01-01

The paper considers Martha Nussbaum's motivation for departing from her earlier cosmopolitan position in favour of now promoting a globally sensitive patriotism. Her reasons for endorsing patriotism will be shown as exemplary for related argumentations by other authors, especially insofar as love of country as a motivating force for civic duty is…

Context factors and student achievement in the IEA studies: evidence from TIMSS

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Elisa Caponera

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The present study investigates what factors related to the school context influence student achievement on TIMSS mathematics tests across countries. A systematic review of the literature on PIRLS, TIMSS, and ICCS was conducted upstream to identify those school, teacher, and classroom factors shown to be useful predictors of student performance in previous IEA studies. Data of student samples representative of grade 8 students from 28 countries who participated in TIMSS 2011 were analysed. The main aim of the present study is to verify what school and teacher characteristics are positively associated with students’ mathematics achievement, mainly focusing on disadvantaged schools. Furthermore, it aims at identifying how school context variables contribute to explaining the performance of students in disadvantaged schools in comparison with more advantaged schools. Methods A separate analysis was carried out for each considered country, and the same multilevel regression model was used on the sampled schools as a whole and treating schools with high (highest tertile and low (lowest tertile socio-economic backgrounds as distinct groups. Results The results confirmed that a high socio-economic status has a significant and positive effect on student achievement: compared with students from socio-economic disadvantaged schools, students from advantaged schools performed better in mathematics achievement. This difference is more evident in countries where the gap between rich and poor people as measured by the Gini coefficient, which measures how much an economy deviates from perfect equality, is wider. However, this difference is restricted in countries with a smaller gap between rich and poor people. Conclusions According to the literature in the field, the results show significant differences across countries in relation to the school and teacher characteristics that have an impact on mathematics achievement of students from

Professional Training in Organic Food Production: A Cross-Country Experience

Science.gov (United States)

Guiné, Raquel; Costa, Daniela; Correia, Paula; Costa, Cristina; Correia, Helena; Castro, Moises; Guerra, Luis; Seeds, Catherine; Coll, Collette; Radics, Laszlo; Arslan, Meahmet; Soylu, Soner; Tothova, Monika; Toth, Peter; Basile, Salvatore

2017-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to characterize the agricultural activities and past experiences in professional training in the context of mobile learning in different countries (Portugal, Spain, Slovakia, Hungary, UK, Italy and Turkey). Design/methodology/approach: For the survey, a questionnaire was prepared in English and Portuguese and…

Introductory lecture the epidemiology and determinants of obesity in developed and developing countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Shetty, P; Schmidhuber, J

2006-07-01

Obesity is recognized as a serious problem in the industrialized and developed countries of the world. However, little attention is paid to the fact that obesity is becoming an increasing problem in developing countries too, with some countries showing increasing rates of obesity in the midst of the persisting occurrence of childhood malnutrition and stunting. As developing countries embrace the dominant western economic ways of development, industrialization and urbanization they contribute to improvements in living standards, with consequent dramatic changes in diets and lifestyles leading to weight gain and obesity which in turn poses a growing threat to the health. Overweight and obesity is associated with an increased likelihood of non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus, hypertension, hyper-lipidaemia, and cardiovascular disease. It is also associated with increased rates of breast, colo-rectal and uterine cancer. Obesity is thus an important factor in the increasing morbidity and mortality due to chronic, non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and thereby contributes to premature mortality in the population. Thus, while the problem of undernutrition persists in much of the developing world, overweight and obesity and its related co-morbidities are posing an increasingly important public health problem both in the developed and developing world.

National Degree of Computerization: A Context for Evaluating Computer Education Policies in Developing Countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Boehm, Barry W.

Developing countries should take immediate steps to avoid some of the serious problems that are now facing the United States in regard to the pool of trained computer professionals. Problem areas which should be reconciled involve a diverse range of topics from general national policy to salary structures and conversions efforts. By using the…

Context in a wider context

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

John Traxler

2011-07-01

Full Text Available This paper attempts to review and reconsider the role of context in mobile learning and starts by outlining definitions of context-aware mobile learning as the technologies have become more mature, more robust and more widely available and as the notion of context has become progressively richer. The future role of context-aware mobile learning is considered within the context of the future of mobile learning as it moves from the challenges and opportunities of pedagogy and technology to the challenges and opportunities of policy, scale, sustainability, equity and engagement with augmented reality, «blended learning», «learner devices», «user-generated contexts» and the «internet of things». This is essentially a perspective on mobile learning, and other forms of technology-enhanced learning (TEL, where educators and their institutions set the agenda and manage change. There are, however, other perspectives on context. The increasing availability and use of smart-phones and other personal mobile devices with similar powerful functionality means that the experience of context for many people, in the form of personalized or location-based services, is an increasingly social and informal experience, rather than a specialist or educational experience. This is part of the transformative impact of mobility and connectedness on our societies brought about by these universal, ubiquitous and pervasive technologies. This paper contributes a revised understanding of context in the wider context (sic of the transformations taking place in our societies. These are subtle but pervasive transformations of jobs, work and the economy, of our sense of time, space and place, of knowing and learning, and of community and identity. This leads to a radical reconsideration of context as the notions of ‹self› and ‹other› are transformed.

Smoking and smokeless tobacco use in nine South and Southeast Asian countries: prevalence estimates and social determinants from Demographic and Health Surveys.

Science.gov (United States)

Sreeramareddy, Chandrashekhar T; Pradhan, Pranil Man Singh; Mir, Imtiyaz Ali; Sin, Shwe

2014-01-01

In South and Southeast Asian countries, tobacco is consumed in diverse forms, and smoking among women is very low. We aimed to provide national estimates of prevalence and social determinants of smoking and smokeless tobacco use among men and women separately. Data from Demographic and Health Surveys completed in nine countries (India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Maldives, Philippines, Cambodia, Indonesia, and Timor Leste) were analyzed. Current smoking or smokeless tobacco use was assessed as response "yes" to one or more of three questions, such as "Do you currently smoke cigarettes?" Weighted country-level prevalence rates for socio-economic subgroups were calculated for smoking and smokeless tobacco use. Binary logistic regression analyses were done on STATA/IC (version 10) by 'svy' command. Prevalence and type of tobacco use among men and women varied across the countries and among socio-economic sub groups. Smoking prevalence was much lower in women than men in all countries. Smoking among men was very high in Indonesia, Maldives, and Bangladesh. Smokeless tobacco (mainly chewable) was used in diverse forms, particularly in India, among both men and women. Chewing tobacco was common in Nepal, Bangladesh, Maldives, and Cambodia. Both smoking and smokeless tobacco use were associated with higher age, lower education, and poverty, but their association with place of residence and marital status was not uniform between men and women across the countries. Policymakers should consider type of tobacco consumption and their differentials among various population subgroups to implement country-specific tobacco control policies and target the vulnerable groups. Smokeless tobacco use should also be prioritized in tobacco control efforts.

The Rapid Urban Growth Triad: A New Conceptual Framework for Examining the Urban Transition in Developing Countries

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Kyle Farrell

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Although the urban transition is a universal event that unfolds in all countries, the determinants, patterns, and outcomes do not necessarily follow a uniform process. With the urban transition being basically completed in developed countries around the turn of the 21st century, the growth of cities today is almost entirely confined to developing countries. Still, much of our conceptual understanding of this process is derived from earlier accounts, with definitions rooted in a historical context. This has resulted in common misconceptions such as a tendency to view the growth of cities primarily as an outcome of rural to urban migration, neglecting the growing contributions of urban natural population increase and reclassification of rural areas. A tendency to treat the components of urban growth in isolation has created a rift within the urban studies discourse, preventing any real theorization of their combined impacts and the interplay among them. Applying a systems thinking approach, this paper introduces a multidisciplinary framework for conceptualizing rapid urban growth in developing countries. The framework offers explanatory power to previously neglected components of urban growth and serves as a diagnostic for examining the urban transition—ultimately revealing new policy levers for managing it in a sustainable way.

Robust analysis of the determinants of healthcare expenditure growth: evidence from panel data for low-, middle- and high-income countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Younsi, Moheddine; Chakroun, Mohamed; Nafla, Amine

2016-10-01

This paper examines the determinants of healthcare expenditure for low-, middle- and high-income countries, and it quantifies their influences in order to assess policies for achieving universal health coverage. We elaborate two models, a fixed-effect model and the dynamic panel model, to estimate the factors associated with the total health expenditure growth as well as its major components for 167 countries over the period of 1993-2013. The panel data on total health expenditure per capita and its components were taken from the World Development Indicators. Overall, our results showed that total health expenditure per capita is rising in all countries over time as a result of rising incomes. However, our estimates showed that the income elasticity of health expenditure ranged from 0.75 to 0.96 in the fixed-effect static panel model, while in the dynamic panel model, it was smaller and ranged from 0.16 to 0.47. Our empirical findings indicate that development assistance for health reduced government domestic spending on health but increased total government health spending. Our results also indicate that the trend in health expenditure growth is significantly depending with the country's economic development. In addition, out-of-pocket expenditure is powerfully influenced by a country's capacity to increase general government revenues and social insurance contributions. Knowledge of factors associated to health expenditure might help policy makers to make wise judgments, plan health reforms and allocate resources efficiently. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

China's income inequality in the global context

OpenAIRE

Han, Jin; Zhao, Qingxia; Zhang, Mengnan

2016-01-01

Although China's GDP has become the world's second largest, China's long-term economic growth with high speed and long-lasting “efficiency first” policy guidance, has brought China into a complicated situation, therein serious inequality exists in China and it has become one of the most serious problems in China nowadays. This paper focuses on China's inequality issues in the context of the world, especially on comparison between China and the European countries, concerning of our common purs...

Importance of the Country of Origin from the Consumers’ Perspective in the Research Context of Bosnia and Herzegovina

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Marija Čutura

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to establish the level of importance of the country of origin (COO in the purchasing process of different categories of consumer goods in the research context of Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H. Design/Methodology/Approach – The study is based on primary data collected through a survey questionnaire on a consumer sample in B&H. The analysis consists of several levels: establishing a level of COO importance for consumers; establishing a level of consumer familiarity with a COO; identifying the influence of consumer ethnocentrism on the level of COO importance. Findings and implications – ANOVA and T-paired tests highlighted the importance of COO to vary across product categories. The results of regression analysis showed that consumer ethnocentrism significantly influences the level of COO importance in the purchasing process. The results contribute to the thesis that COO has a diagnostic value for the consumers in the purchasing process and can therefore be used as a marketing tool in providing better market acceptance and positioning of products. Limitations – This research has a limited scope considering that it is a single-market study, but also because of the small range of researched product categories. Further research studies should consider a wider range of product categories, as well as a cross-cultural research approach to explore the importance of COO on the overall purchasing process. Originality – This study represents an integrative approach to the phenomenon of COO, consisting of consumer ethnocentrism, product characteristics, and consumer perspective regarding COO importance and familiarity.

How Can Information and Communication Technology Improve Healthcare Inequalities and Healthcare Inequity? The Concept of Context Driven Care.

Science.gov (United States)

Yee, Kwang Chien; Bettiol, Silvana; Nash, Rosie; Macintyrne, Kate; Wong, Ming Chao; Nøhr, Christian

2018-01-01

Advances in medicine have improved health and healthcare for many around the world. The challenge is achieving the best outcomes of health via healthcare delivery to every individual. Healthcare inequalities exist within a country and between countries. Health information technology (HIT) has provided a mean to deliver equal access to healthcare services regardless of social context and physical location. In order to achieve better health outcomes for every individual, socio-cultural factors, such as literacy and social context need to consider. This paper argues that HIT while improves healthcare inequalities by providing access, might worsen healthcare inequity. In order to improve healthcare inequity using HIT, this paper argues that we need to consider patients and context, and hence the concept of context driven care. To improve healthcare inequity, we need to conceptually consider the patient's view and methodologically consider design methods that achieve participatory outcomes.

What Drives Economic Growth in Some CEE Countries?

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Simionescu Mihaela

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Considering the potential factors that might generate economic growth, a target for any economy, this paper identified some determinants of economic growth in the countries from Central and Eastern Europe (CEE countries that are member states of the European Union. The foreign direct investment was the most important determinant of economic growth in most of the countries (Bulgaria, Slovenia, Estonia, Hungary, Romania, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania in the period 2003-2016, according to Bayesian bridge regressions. The indicators related to the level and the quality of labour resources proved to be insignificant in explaining the economic growth in these countries. Moreover, in Croatia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland, the government expenditure on education had a negative effect on economic growth.

IT Implementation in a Developing Country Municipality: A SocioCognitive Analysis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sanford, Clive Carlton; Bhattacherjee, Anol

2007-01-01

This paper presents an interpretive analysis of the key problems and challenges to technology implementation in developing countries, based on a three-year case analysis of an IT project in a city government in Ukraine.  We employ the concept of technological frames of reference as an analytical...... implementation projects in developing countries that are often overlooked in the traditional academic and practitioner literatures based on experiences from developed countries....... tool for articulating the group-level structures related to the implementation context from the perspectives of key stakeholders and examine the degree of conflict between these frames using a Fishbone diagram.  We report that conflict between technological frames held by key stakeholders in large...

The 'dark side' of social capital: trust and self-rated health in European countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Campos-Matos, Inês; Subramanian, S V; Kawachi, Ichiro

2016-02-01

Generalized interpersonal trust (as an indicator of social capital) has been linked to health status at both the individual and ecological level. We sought to examine how changes in contextual and individual trust are associated with changes in self-rated health in the European Social Surveys 2002-12. A multilevel analysis using a variance components model was performed on 203 452 individuals nested within 145 country cohorts covering 35 countries. Conditional on sociodemographic covariates, we sought to examine the association between self-rated health and individual trust, country average trust and a cross-level interaction between the two. Although individual trust perceptions were significantly correlated with self-rated health [OR = 0.95, 95% confidence interval (0.94-0.96)], country-level trust was not associated [OR = 1.12, 95% confidence interval (0.95-1.32)]. There was, however, a strong crosslevel interaction between contextual and individual trust (P < 0.001), such that individuals with high interpersonal trust reported better health in contexts in which other individuals expressed high average interpersonal trust. Conversely, low trust individuals reported worse health in high trust contexts. Our findings suggest that contexts with increasing average trust can be harmful for low trust individuals, which might reflect the negative impact that social capital can have in certain groups. These findings suggest that contextual trust has a complex role in explaining health inequalities and individual self-rated health. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Public Health Association. All rights reserved.

An analysis framework for characterizing and explaining development of EIA legislation in developing countries-Illustrated for Georgia, Ghana and Yemen

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kolhoff, Arend J., E-mail: akolhoff@eia.nl [Netherlands Commission for Environmental Assessment, P.O. Box 2345, 3500 GH Utrecht (Netherlands); Driessen, Peter P.J., E-mail: p.driessen@uu.nl [Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development, Utrecht University, P.O. Box 80115, 3508 TC (Netherlands); Runhaar, Hens A.C., E-mail: h.a.c.runhaar@uu.nl [Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development, Utrecht University, P.O. Box 80115, 3508 TC (Netherlands)

2013-01-15

framework may also assist actors involved in the development of EIA legislation in setting ambitions for EIA legislation that are feasible within the context in which it will be developed and implemented. Application of a country-specific EIA model would seem to be the preferred model to develop EIA legislation because by taking capacities of actors and context factors as a starting point, it offers more potential to well-performing EIA systems. - Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer EIA systems develop from less to high ambitious and sometimes vice versa. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Ambitions in EIA legislation are determined by the capacity of environment- and sector authority. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The political system is the most important context factor explaining the ambitions of an EIA system. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer An analysis framework developed to measure EIA system ambitions might help to setambitions.

Health system factors influencing management of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis in four European Union countries - learning from country experiences

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Gerard de Vries

2017-04-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background In the European Union and European Economic Area only 38% of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis patients notified in 2011 completed treatment successfully at 24 months’ evaluation. Socio-economic factors and patient factors such as demographic characteristics, behaviour and attitudes are associated with treatment outcomes. Characteristics of healthcare systems also affect health outcomes. This study was conducted to identify and better understand the contribution of health system components to successful treatment of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis. Methods We selected four European Union countries to provide for a broad range of geographical locations and levels of treatment success rates of the multidrug-resistant tuberculosis cohort in 2009. We conducted semi-structured interviews following a conceptual framework with representatives from policy and planning authorities, healthcare providers and civil society organisations. Responses were organised according to the six building blocks of the World Health Organization health systems framework. Results In the four included countries, Austria, Bulgaria, Spain, and the United Kingdom, the following healthcare system factors were perceived as key to achieving good treatment results for patients with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis: timely diagnosis of drug-resistant tuberculosis; financial systems that ensure access to a full course of treatment and support for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis patients; patient-centred approaches with strong intersectoral collaboration that address patients’ emotional and social needs; motivated and dedicated healthcare workers with sufficient mandate and means to support patients; and cross-border management of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis to secure continuum of care between countries. Conclusion We suggest that the following actions may improve the success of treatment for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis patients: deployment of

Associations of government health expenditures, the supply of health care professionals, and country literacy with prenatal care use in ten West African countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Taylor, Yhenneko J; Laditka, Sarah B; Laditka, James N; Brunner Huber, Larissa R; Racine, Elizabeth F

2017-03-01

Social and health care context may influence prenatal care use. We studied associations of government health expenditures, supply of health care professionals, and country literacy rates with prenatal care use in ten West African countries, controlling for individual factors. We used data from Demographic and Health Surveys (n = 58,512) and random effect logistic regression models to estimate the likelihood of having any prenatal care and adequate prenatal care. Each percentage increase in the literacy rate was associated with 4% higher odds of having adequate prenatal care (p = .029). Higher literacy rates among women may help to promote adequate prenatal care.

Socioeconomic inequities in the health and nutrition of children in low/middle income countries

OpenAIRE

Barros, Fernando C; Victora, Cesar G; Scherpbier, Robert; Gwatkin, Davidson

2010-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To describe the effects of social inequities on the health and nutrition of children in low and middle income countries. METHODS: We reviewed existing data on socioeconomic disparities within-countries relative to the use of services, nutritional status, morbidity, and mortality. A conceptual framework including five major hierarchical categories affecting inequities was adopted: socioeconomic context and position, differential exposure, differential vulnerability, differential hea...

Country-specific factors for the development of household smart grid solutions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christensen, Toke Haunstrup; Ascarza, Ainhoa; Throndsen, William

The report provides an overview of relevant country-specific factors in relation to understanding the context of the development of smart grid solutions in Spain, Norway and Denmark (e.g. main characteristics of the energy system) and describes the current status of activities in relation to smart...

Trauma research in the Baltic countries: from political oppression to recovery.

Science.gov (United States)

Kazlauskas, Evaldas; Zelviene, Paulina

2016-01-01

The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of traumatic stress studies from the three Baltic countries-Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia-and reveal how specific social context contributes to the topics relevant in traumatic stress field in the region. Traumatic stress studies in the Baltic countries are closely related to the complicated history of the region. It was only since the restoration of independence of the Baltic States in the 1990s when traumatic stress studies could emerge. The start of the psychotraumatology in the Baltic States was inspired by the interest of the psychological effects of political violence. Four major topics in traumatic stress literature from the Baltic countries were identified in this article: political violence studies, epidemiology of trauma and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), disaster studies, and developmental aspects of trauma. Traumatic events prevalence was reported between 70 and 75%, and PTSD prevalence range 2-7% in the Baltic countries. The interest in psychotraumatology in the Baltic countries is rising.

Shifting the Climate Finance Paradigm: Nine Key Challenges for Developed Countries

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Curtin, Joseph

2013-03-13

In 2009, developed countries committed to part-funding the cost of adapting to the impacts of climate change and of low carbon development in developing countries. From 2010 to 2012, fast start finance began to flow from developed country exchequers. However, the climate finance paradigm is now shifting. A transition from loans and grants provided from scarce exchequer resources to innovative instruments for leveraging private capital and mitigating investment risk is required in the coming period. But what are the implications for developed countries? This policy brief explores the policy context defining the current climate finance debate; examines the extent to which commitments have been met; and identifies nine key challenges for developed countries as they enter the new climate finance paradigm, drawing on the lessons of the fast start finance period. This is the second in a series of Environment Nexus policy briefs by leading experts in the fields of agriculture, energy, climate change and water.

Canada and the Kyoto Protocol: Fact Sheet No. 5 - Developing countries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2000-11-01

This fact sheet acknowledges that global change affects developed and developing countries alike, and the fact that most developing countries do not have the human, financial and technical capacity to effectively address climate change issues without help from the industrialized nations. The fact sheet also puts Canada on record as being in agreement with the spirit of the Kyoto Protocol to encourage the participation of developing countries in global efforts to combat climate change and promote sustainable development and reaffirms Canada's willingness to provide financial and technical assistance to developing countries to enable them to play a meaningful part in this global effort. In this context, the fact sheet briefly describes the new Canada Climate Change Development Fund which has been set up to reduce the growth of GHG emissions and support carbon sink activities in developing countries, to strengthen the capacity of developing conuntries to reduce their vulnerability to adverse effects of climate change, and to participate in global efforts to combat them

Iron Deficiency Anemia: Focus on Infectious Diseases in Lesser Developed Countries

Science.gov (United States)

Shaw, Julia G.; Friedman, Jennifer F.

2011-01-01

Iron deficiency anemia is thought to affect the health of more than one billion people worldwide, with the greatest burden of disease experienced in lesser developed countries, particularly women of reproductive age and children. This greater disease burden is due to both nutritional and infectious etiologies. Individuals in lesser developed countries have diets that are much lower in iron, less access to multivitamins for young children and pregnant women, and increased rates of fertility which increase demands for iron through the life course. Infectious diseases, particularly parasitic diseases, also lead to both extracorporeal iron loss and anemia of inflammation, which decreases bioavailability of iron to host tissues. This paper will address the unique etiologies and consequences of both iron deficiency anemia and the alterations in iron absorption and distribution seen in the context of anemia of inflammation. Implications for diagnosis and treatment in this unique context will also be discussed. PMID:21738863

Iron Deficiency Anemia: Focus on Infectious Diseases in Lesser Developed Countries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Julia G. Shaw

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Iron deficiency anemia is thought to affect the health of more than one billion people worldwide, with the greatest burden of disease experienced in lesser developed countries, particularly women of reproductive age and children. This greater disease burden is due to both nutritional and infectious etiologies. Individuals in lesser developed countries have diets that are much lower in iron, less access to multivitamins for young children and pregnant women, and increased rates of fertility which increase demands for iron through the life course. Infectious diseases, particularly parasitic diseases, also lead to both extracorporeal iron loss and anemia of inflammation, which decreases bioavailability of iron to host tissues. This paper will address the unique etiologies and consequences of both iron deficiency anemia and the alterations in iron absorption and distribution seen in the context of anemia of inflammation. Implications for diagnosis and treatment in this unique context will also be discussed.

Analysis of Public Sector Efficiency in Developed Countries

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Ivan Lovre

2017-06-01

Full Text Available The public sector in developed countries went through various forms of transformation in the twentieth century. The expansion of the public sector resulted in high levels of public spending in developed countries. The financial crisis of 2008 led to recessions in the economies of developed countries, the public debt growth, and actualized the issue of the public sector optimal size and efficiency. This study analysed the public sector efficiency in 19 developed countries. The analysis focuses on the relationship between the size of public expenditure and economic growth in the global financial crisis and the measures implemented. The aim of the research in this paper is a comparison of total and partial efficiency of the public sector in developed countries, in order to determine the characteristics of the public sector operations. The comparison covers the areas of the public sector operations in order to identify sources of inefficiency. Partial and overall efficiency of countries are analysed with different size and concept of the public sector, to determine the relationship between the public sector size, efficiency and welfare of citizens. The research results clearly indicate (unjustified state intervention in developed countries.

Determinants of Burnout in Acute and Critical Care Military Nursing Personnel: A Cross-Sectional Study from Peru

OpenAIRE

Ayala, Elizabeth; Carnero, Andr?s M.

2013-01-01

BACKGROUND: Evidence on the prevalence and determinants of burnout among military acute and critical care nursing personnel from developing countries is minimal, precluding the development of effective preventive measures for this high-risk occupational group. In this context, we aimed to examine the association between the dimensions of burnout and selected socio-demographic and occupational factors in military acute/critical care nursing personnel from Lima, Peru. METHODS AND FINDINGS: We c...

Environmental context determines community sensitivity of freshwater zooplankton to a pesticide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stampfli, Nathalie C.; Knillmann, Saskia; Liess, Matthias; Beketov, Mikhail A.

2011-01-01

The environment is currently changing worldwide, and ecosystems are being exposed to multiple anthropogenic pressures. Understanding and consideration of such environmental conditions is required in ecological risk assessment of toxicants, but it remains basically limited. In the present study, we aimed to determine how and to what extent alterations in the abiotic and biotic environmental conditions can alter the sensitivity of a community to an insecticide, as well as its recovery after contamination. We conducted an outdoor microcosm experiment in which zooplankton communities were exposed to the insecticide esfenvalerate (0.03, 0.3, and 3 μg/L) under different regimes of solar radiation and community density, which represented different levels of food availability and competition. We focused on the sensitivity of the entire community and analysed it using multivariate statistical methods, such as principal response curves and redundancy analysis. The results showed that community sensitivity varied markedly between the treatments. In the experimental series with the lowest availability of food and strongest competition significant effects of the insecticide were found at the concentration of 0.03 μg/L. In contrast, in the series with relatively higher food availability and weak competition such effects were detected at 3 μg/L only. However, we did not find significant differences in the community recovery rates between the experimental treatments. These findings indicate that environmental context is more important for ecotoxicological evaluation than assumed previously.

Locating operations in high labor cost countries – Evidence from Spain

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Angel Diaz

2017-06-01

Full Text Available The location of operations in high labor cost countries is increasingly discussed in the media, in part for recent declarations and actions from the president of USA, Donald Trump. While this particular instance can be labeled as populist or protectionist, the factors underlying the debate are extremely important: advances in systematic increases in productivity, low population growth, and the transfer of jobs to countries with lower labor costs are creating unemployment and underemployment in developed countries that could eventually result in protectionism and restrictions to free trade. This phenomenon has enormous social and economic implications, and has attracted considerable interest from researchers. In particular, this study provides empirical evidence of the location of manufacturing and services in the context of a European country (Spain, exploring the drivers, social implications and organizational theories that can explain it.

Prevalence and Social Determinants of Smoking in 15 Countries from North Africa, Central and Western Asia, Latin America and Caribbean: Secondary Data Analyses of Demographic and Health Surveys.

Science.gov (United States)

Sreeramareddy, Chandrashekhar T; Pradhan, Pranil Man Singh

2015-01-01

Article 20 of the World Health Organisation Framework Convention on Tobacco Control calls for a cross-country surveillance of tobacco use through population-based surveys. We aimed to provide country-level prevalence estimates for current smoking and current smokeless tobacco use and to assess social determinants of smoking. Data from Demographic and Health Surveys done between 2005 and 2012, among men and women from nine North African, Central and West Asian countries and six Latin American and Caribbean countries were analyzed. Weighted country-level prevalence rates were estimated for 'current smoking' and 'current use of smokeless tobacco (SLT) products' among men and women. In each country, social determinants of smoking among men and women were assessed by binary logistic regression analyses by including men's and women's sampling weights to account for the complex survey design. Prevalence of smoking among men was higher than 40% in Armenia (63.1%), Moldova (51.1%), Ukraine (52%), Azerbaijan (49.8 %), Kyrgyz Republic (44.3 %) and Albania (42.52%) but the prevalence of smoking among women was less than 10% in most countries except Ukraine (14.81%) and Jordan (17.96%). The prevalence of smokeless tobacco use among men and women was less than 5% in all countries except among men in the Kyrgyz Republic (10.6 %). Smoking was associated with older age, lower education and poverty among men and higher education and higher wealth among women. Smoking among both men and women was associated with unskilled work, living in urban areas and being single. Smoking among men was very high in Central and West Asian countries. Social pattern of smoking among women that was different from men in education and wealth should be considered while formulating tobacco control policies in some Central and West Asian countries.

Prevalence and Social Determinants of Smoking in 15 Countries from North Africa, Central and Western Asia, Latin America and Caribbean: Secondary Data Analyses of Demographic and Health Surveys.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chandrashekhar T Sreeramareddy

Full Text Available Article 20 of the World Health Organisation Framework Convention on Tobacco Control calls for a cross-country surveillance of tobacco use through population-based surveys. We aimed to provide country-level prevalence estimates for current smoking and current smokeless tobacco use and to assess social determinants of smoking.Data from Demographic and Health Surveys done between 2005 and 2012, among men and women from nine North African, Central and West Asian countries and six Latin American and Caribbean countries were analyzed. Weighted country-level prevalence rates were estimated for 'current smoking' and 'current use of smokeless tobacco (SLT products' among men and women. In each country, social determinants of smoking among men and women were assessed by binary logistic regression analyses by including men's and women's sampling weights to account for the complex survey design.Prevalence of smoking among men was higher than 40% in Armenia (63.1%, Moldova (51.1%, Ukraine (52%, Azerbaijan (49.8 %, Kyrgyz Republic (44.3 % and Albania (42.52% but the prevalence of smoking among women was less than 10% in most countries except Ukraine (14.81% and Jordan (17.96%. The prevalence of smokeless tobacco use among men and women was less than 5% in all countries except among men in the Kyrgyz Republic (10.6 %. Smoking was associated with older age, lower education and poverty among men and higher education and higher wealth among women. Smoking among both men and women was associated with unskilled work, living in urban areas and being single.Smoking among men was very high in Central and West Asian countries. Social pattern of smoking among women that was different from men in education and wealth should be considered while formulating tobacco control policies in some Central and West Asian countries.

Boys’ and Girls’ Relational and Physical Aggression in Nine Countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Lansford, Jennifer E; Skinner, Ann T; Sorbring, Emma; Di Giunta, Laura; Deater-Deckard, Kirby; Dodge, Kenneth A; Malone, Patrick S; Oburu, Paul; Pastorelli, Concetta; Tapanya, Sombat; Tirado, Liliana Maria Uribe; Zelli, Arnaldo; Al-Hassan, Suha M; Alampay, Liane Peña; Bacchini, Dario; Bombi, Anna Silvia; Bornstein, Marc H; Chang, Lei

2012-01-01

Distinguishing between relational and physical aggression has become a key feature of many developmental studies in North America and Western Europe, but very little information is available on relational and physical aggression in more diverse cultural contexts. This study examined the factor structure of, associations between, and gender differences in relational and physical aggression in China, Colombia, Italy, Jordan, Kenya, the Philippines, Sweden, Thailand, and the United States. Children ages 7–10 years (N = 1,410) reported on their relationally and physically aggressive behavior. Relational and physical aggression shared a common factor structure across countries. In all nine countries, relational and physical aggression were significantly correlated (average r = .49). Countries differed in the mean levels of both relational and physical aggression that children reported using and with respect to whether children reported using more physical than relational aggression or more relational than physical aggression. Boys reported being more physically aggressive than girls across all nine countries; no consistent gender differences emerged in relational aggression. Despite mean-level differences in relational and physical aggression across countries, the findings provided support for cross-country similarities in associations between relational and physical aggression as well as links between gender and aggression.

Essential Medicines in a High Income Country: Essential to Whom?

Science.gov (United States)

Duong, Mai; Moles, Rebekah J; Chaar, Betty; Chen, Timothy F

2015-01-01

To explore the perspectives of a diverse group of stakeholders engaged in medicines decision making around what constitutes an "essential" medicine, and how the Essential Medicines List (EML) concept functions in a high income country context. In-depth qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with 32 Australian stakeholders, recognised as decision makers, leaders or advisors in the area of medicines reimbursement or supply chain management. Participants were recruited from government, pharmaceutical industry, pharmaceutical wholesale/distribution companies, medicines non-profit organisations, academic health disciplines, hospitals, and consumer groups. Perspectives on the definition and application of the EML concept in a high income country context were thematically analysed using grounded theory approach. Stakeholders found it challenging to describe the EML concept in the Australian context because many perceived it was generally used in resource scarce settings. Stakeholders were unable to distinguish whether nationally reimbursed medicines were essential medicines in Australia. Despite frequent generic drug shortages and high prices paid by consumers, many struggled to describe how the EML concept applied to Australia. Instead, broad inclusion of consumer needs, such as rare and high cost medicines, and consumer involvement in the decision making process, has led to expansive lists of nationally subsidised medicines. Therefore, improved communication and coordination is needed around shared interests between stakeholders regarding how medicines are prioritised and guaranteed in the supply chain. This study showed that decision-making in Australia around reimbursement of medicines has strayed from the fundamental utilitarian concept of essential medicines. Many stakeholders involved in medicine reimbursement decisions and management of the supply chain did not consider the EML concept in their approach. The wide range of views of what stakeholders

Essential Medicines in a High Income Country: Essential to Whom?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mai Duong

Full Text Available To explore the perspectives of a diverse group of stakeholders engaged in medicines decision making around what constitutes an "essential" medicine, and how the Essential Medicines List (EML concept functions in a high income country context.In-depth qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with 32 Australian stakeholders, recognised as decision makers, leaders or advisors in the area of medicines reimbursement or supply chain management. Participants were recruited from government, pharmaceutical industry, pharmaceutical wholesale/distribution companies, medicines non-profit organisations, academic health disciplines, hospitals, and consumer groups. Perspectives on the definition and application of the EML concept in a high income country context were thematically analysed using grounded theory approach.Stakeholders found it challenging to describe the EML concept in the Australian context because many perceived it was generally used in resource scarce settings. Stakeholders were unable to distinguish whether nationally reimbursed medicines were essential medicines in Australia. Despite frequent generic drug shortages and high prices paid by consumers, many struggled to describe how the EML concept applied to Australia. Instead, broad inclusion of consumer needs, such as rare and high cost medicines, and consumer involvement in the decision making process, has led to expansive lists of nationally subsidised medicines. Therefore, improved communication and coordination is needed around shared interests between stakeholders regarding how medicines are prioritised and guaranteed in the supply chain.This study showed that decision-making in Australia around reimbursement of medicines has strayed from the fundamental utilitarian concept of essential medicines. Many stakeholders involved in medicine reimbursement decisions and management of the supply chain did not consider the EML concept in their approach. The wide range of views of

STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT ANALYSIS IN THE EU COUNTRIES

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Antonina Verhun

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The concept of national and regional development strategies for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs are studied for a long time, as small and medium businesses are the foundation of the economy and the basis for effective country functioning. The business development program of the European Union countries is particularly interesting because there are several levels that correspond to each other and give full effect on the SMEs development. The EU standards are higher than in non-EU countries; therefore, it is worth considering legislative documents, as well as statistics showing the indicators of openness and access to the development of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs. The complexity and comparative novelty of studying such a problem in Ukraine led to the need to explore sources of information in the original language due to the lack of information in Ukrainian or Russian. All these suggest that the problem of creating strategies at the national and regional level is more relevant and important to study in the West that demonstrates the current state. The subject of the study is to analyse the effectiveness of implementing strategies for the development of small and medium-sized enterprises as well as the impact of national and regional policies on their functioning and development in the European Union countries. Methodology. The authors highlighted the peculiarities and main features of the development strategies implementation for small and medium-sized enterprises in the EU countries through a comparative analysis of the legislative framework, statistical and other data that help assess the performance and effectiveness of the implemented strategies. The content analysis helps to identify peculiarities of the implemented strategies in quantitative and qualitative forms. The thorough analysis using the above-mentioned methods allowed doing a qualitative study of national and regional strategies in the context of the

Nuclear energy consumption, oil consumption and economic growth in G-6 countries: Bootstrap panel causality test

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chu, Hsiao-Ping; Chang Tsangyao

2012-01-01

This study applies bootstrap panel Granger causality to test whether energy consumption promotes economic growth using data from G-6 countries over the period of 1971–2010. Both nuclear and oil consumption data are used in this study. Regarding the nuclear consumption-economic growth nexus, nuclear consumption causes economic growth in Japan, the UK, and the US; economic growth causes nuclear consumption in the US; nuclear consumption and economic growth show no causal relation in Canada, France and Germany. Regarding oil consumption-economic growth nexus, we find that there is one-way causality from economic growth to oil consumption only in the US, and that oil consumption does not Granger cause economic growth in G-6 countries except Germany and Japan. Our results have important policy implications for the G-6 countries within the context of economic development. - Highlights: ► Bootstrap panel Granger causality test whether energy consumption promotes economic growth. ► Data from G-6 countries for both nuclear and oil consumption data are used. ► Results have important policy implications within the context of economic development.

Attractiveness of Central and Eastern European Countries for Foreign Direct Investment in the Context of European Integration: The Case of Estonia

OpenAIRE

Andresson, Kairi; Reiljan, Janno; Reiljan, Ele

2001-01-01

Foreign direct investment (FDI) flows in the world have increased rapidly during the last decade. Most of the FDI inflows are targeted to developed countries (78% in 1999, about fifth of the flows are going to developing countries and Central and Eastern European transition countries are the host countries for only 2% of the world FDI. The necessity of foreign investments in the transition countries is the result of industrial restructuring in post-socialist Eastern Europe and the Baltic coun...

Network Structure, Collaborative Context, and Individual Creativity

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Stea, Diego; Soda, Giuseppe; Pedersen, Torben

2016-01-01

Network research has yet to determine whether bonding ties or bridging ties are more beneficial for individual creativity, but the debate has mostly overlooked the organizational context in which such ties are formed. In particular, the causal chain connecting network structures and individual...... with the network’s organizational context. Thus, actors in dense network structures acquire more knowledge and eventually become more creative in organizational contexts where collaboration is high. Conversely, brokers who arbitrage information across disconnected network contacts acquire more valuable knowledge...

Cross-Country Private Saving Heterogeneity and Culture

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Castro Campos, M.; Kool, C.J.M.; Muysken, J.

2013-01-01

Motivated by the dominant role of cross-country heterogeneity in private saving in the creation of Eurozone imbalances over the past decade, we empirically investigate the determinants of private saving for a sample of 30 OECD countries over the period 1990-2010. In addition to standard

E-health: Determinants, opportunities, challenges and the way forward for countries in the WHO African Region

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gatwiri Doris

2005-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The implementation of the 58th World Health Assembly resolution on e-health will pose a major challenge for the Member States of the World Health Organization (WHO African Region due to lack of information and communications technology (ICT and mass Internet connectivity, compounded by a paucity of ICT-related knowledge and skills. The key objectives of this article are to: (i explore the key determinants of personal computers (PCs, telephone mainline and cellular and Internet penetration/connectivity in the African Region; and (ii to propose actions needed to create an enabling environment for e-health services growth and utilization in the Region. Methods The effects of school enrolment, per capita income and governance variables on the number of PCs, telephone mainlines, cellular phone subscribers and Internet users were estimated using a double-log regression model and cross-sectional data on various Member States in the African Region. The analysis was based on 45 of the 46 countries that comprise the Region. The data were obtained from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP, the World Bank and the International Telecommunications Union (ITU sources. Results There were a number of main findings: (i the adult literacy and total number of Internet users had a statistically significant (at 5% level in a t-distribution test positive effect on the number of PCs in a country; (ii the combined school enrolment rate and per capita income had a statistically significant direct effect on the number of telephone mainlines and cellular telephone subscribers; (iii the regulatory quality had statistically significant negative effect on the number of telephone mainlines; (iv similarly, the combined school enrolment ratio and the number of telephone mainlines had a statistically significant positive relationship with Internet usage; and (v there were major inequalities in ICT connectivity between upper-middle, lower-middle and

Energy policies of IEA countries 2003. 2003 review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2003-01-01

This volume contains an analysis of developments in energy policies in the Member countries of the International Energy Agency. It features an overview of major trends in the energy markets, notably the renewed interest in energy security on the part of policy-makers. The study describes how, during the period before and during the war in Iraq, the IEA successfully worked to secure oil supply. 2003 was also a year when growing gas demand and rising import dependency in most IEA Member countries obliged energy policy makers to look at the longer term issue of security of gas supply. In addition to these external developments, an internal dimension of energy security arose in the context of electricity and gas market reform. The book also describes the efforts by countries having ratified the Kyoto Protocol to implement the agreements and the trend of energy R and D policies, as well as developments in energy security and energy market reform in major non-OECD countries. It includes: summaries of the in-depth reviews of Austria, Hungary, Italy, Ireland, Japan and Switzerland conducted from October 2002 to June 2003. The full reviews are published separately

Socioeconomic determinants of dietary patterns in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Mayén, Ana-Lucia; Marques-Vidal, Pedro; Paccaud, Fred; Bovet, Pascal; Stringhini, Silvia

2014-12-01

In high-income countries, high socioeconomic status (SES) is generally associated with a healthier diet, but whether social differences in dietary intake are also present in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) remains to be established. We performed a systematic review of studies that assessed the relation between SES and dietary intake in LMICs. We carried out a systematic review of cohort and cross-sectional studies in adults in LMICs and published between 1996 and 2013. We assessed associations between markers of SES or urban and rural settings and dietary intake. A total of 33 studies from 17 LMICs were included (5 low-income countries and 12 middle-income countries; 31 cross-sectional and 2 longitudinal studies). A majority of studies were conducted in Brazil (8), China (6), and Iran (4). High SES or living in urban areas was associated with higher intakes of calories; protein; total fat; cholesterol; polyunsaturated, saturated, and monounsaturated fatty acids; iron; and vitamins A and C and with lower intakes of carbohydrates and fiber. High SES was also associated with higher fruit and/or vegetable consumption, diet quality, and diversity. Although very few studies were performed in low-income countries, similar patterns were generally observed in both LMICs except for fruit intake, which was lower in urban than in rural areas in low-income countries. In LMICs, high SES or living in urban areas is associated with overall healthier dietary patterns. However, it is also related to higher energy, cholesterol, and saturated fat intakes. Social inequalities in dietary intake should be considered in the prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases in LMICs. © 2014 American Society for Nutrition.

Policy-Relevant Context of Waterpipe Tobacco Smoking among University Students in Six Countries Across the Eastern Mediterranean Region: A Qualitative Study

Science.gov (United States)

Salloum, Ramzi G; Abu-Rmeileh, Niveen; Hamadeh, Randah; Thomas, Justin; Mostafa, Aya; Yusufali, Afzalhussein; Kheirallah, Khalid A; Macauda, Mark M; Theis, Ryan P; Kadi, Lama El; Johnson, Evan J; Darawad, Muhammad W; Nakkash, Rima

2017-01-01

Background: Waterpipe tobacco smoking rates in the Eastern Mediterranean region are some of the highest worldwide, especially among young people. This study aimed to improve our knowledge of the policy-relevant context of waterpipe smoking among six countries in the Eastern Mediterranean region. Methods: In-depth interviews were conducted in Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, and the United Arab Emirates. Participants were young adult university students (18-29 years) from both genders who had ever smoked the waterpipe, recruited from universities participating in this study. Directed content analysis was used to analyze the transcripts. Results: A total of 53 in-depth interviews were conducted in Arabic in 2016. Findings were organized around 5 themes: waterpipe product characteristics; patterns of waterpipe smoking; the waterpipe café setting; perceived health consequences; and health warning labels. Waterpipe smoking was commonly perceived as a safe alternative to cigarettes. Waterpipe tobacco was reported to be widely accessible and affordable to young participants. There is a lack of knowledge among waterpipe smokers about the associated health effects. Warning labels are effective at communicating health risks associated with waterpipe smoking. Conclusions: Regulatory frameworks for waterpipe tobacco smoking should be developed and enforced, including waterpipe-specific health warning labels that elucidate the harmful effects of waterpipe smoking. PMID:28952296

The effect of clay content in sands used for cementitious materials in developing countries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fernandes, V.A.; Purnell, P.; Still, G.T.; Thomas, T.H.

2007-01-01

The cost of building materials in Less Economically Developed Countries (LEDCs) is one of the single largest contributing factors to housing costs. They are often transported over relatively large distances at considerable expense. Local sands may contain significant amounts of clay, considered by local artisans to be detrimental to concrete strength; however, in an LEDC context, there is little evidence to support this. In this study, the compressive strength and workability of representative LEDC clay-contaminated concrete was determined. Clay-cement interactions were studied using X-Ray Diffraction (XRD). Different clays appeared to have fundamentally different effects on both workability and strength. No chemical interactions were detected. It was concluded that satisfactory concrete could be made from clay-contaminated sand

INNOVATION POTENTIAL: IMPACT ON THE NATIONAL ECONOMY’S COMPETITIVENESS OF THE EU DEVELOPED COUNTRIES

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Iryna Lomachynska

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The success of the economy of each country is determined by its innovation development. The purpose of the paper is to investigate the essence of innovation potential and its role in providing the national economy’s competitiveness under the conditions of technological changes on the example of the European Union developed countries. The subject of research is the innovation potential of Austria and Germany. Methodology. The study is based on a comparative analysis of approaches to determination and evaluation of innovation potential in specialized economic literature. Analysis and synthesis and the system approach were used to outline the entity of innovation potential, to explore and structure its elements in the context of providing the national economy’s competitiveness. The quality and quantity analysis were used to discover general characteristics of the EU countries’ innovation development, special aspects of the national innovation systems of Austria and Germany, the role of innovation potential in the national economies competitiveness of these countries. The method of mathematical modelling in economics, in particular, regression analysis based on annual data for the period from 1995 to 2015, was applied to assess the impact of innovation potential on the Austria and Germany competitiveness. The absolute value of GDP and the share of export of goods and services in GDP are used as a dependent variable. Elements that characterize the country’s innovation potential were used as independent variables: the share of researchers in R&D of total population, the share of labour force with advanced education of total working-age population with advanced education, expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of GDP, R&D expenditure as a percentage of GDP, patent applications as a percentage of total population. Results of the survey of theoretical works showed that the most multifaceted and comprehensive approach to determining the

Country brand equity model: Sustainability perspective

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Teodorović Milivoj

2016-01-01

Full Text Available This paper proposes a model of country brand equity that incorporates the issue of sustainability in determining destination brand equity. In particular, the model includes elements of sustainability as its core dimensions and promotes the concept of the country sustainability promise that transforms destination resources into the positive perception and experience. The theoretical model is empirically tested using global secondary data confirming that country image is the most important element followed by sustainability and loyalty. Also, the analysis suggests the existence of the higher order construct confirming the country brand equity concept. Based on the research findings, the article offers some implications to the destination managers by suggesting the direction for further development and strategy implementation.

[Lessons from abroad. Current and previous crisis in other countries. SESPAS report 2014].

Science.gov (United States)

Rivadeneyra-Sicilia, Ana; Minué Lorenzo, Sergio; Artundo Purroy, Carlos; Márquez Calderón, Soledad

2014-06-01

The evidence available on the impact of previous crises on health reveals different patterns attributable to study designs, the characteristics of each crisis, and other factors related to the socioeconomic and political context. There is greater consensus on the mediating role of government policy responses to financial crises. These responses may magnify or mitigate the adverse effects of crises on population health. Some studies have shown a significant deterioration in some health indicators in the context of the current crisis, mainly in relation to mental health and communicable diseases. Alcohol and tobacco use have also declined in some European countries. In addition, this crisis is being used by some governments to push reforms aimed at privatizing health services, thereby restricting the right to health and healthcare. Specifically, action is being taken on the three axes that determine health system financing: the population covered, the scope of services, and the share of the costs covered. These measures are often arbitrarily implemented based on ideological decisions rather than on the available evidence and therefore adverse consequences are to be expected in terms of financial protection, efficiency, and equity. Copyright © 2013 SESPAS. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

Immigrant Arab adolescents in ethnic enclaves: physical and phenomenological contexts of identity negotiation.

Science.gov (United States)

Kumar, Revathy; Seay, Nancy; Karabenick, Stuart A

2015-04-01

Ecologically embedded social identity theories were used to examine the risk and protective factors associated with the identity negotiation and adjustment of recent immigrant Arab (IA) adolescents to the United States residing in ethnic enclaves. Yemeni, Lebanese, and Iraqi 8th-graders (n = 45) from 4 ethnic enclave schools participated in focus-group interviews. In-depth analyses of interviews revealed that living in an ethnic enclave enhanced IA adolescents' feelings of belonging to the community. However, the new immigrant status coupled with country of origin determined the permeability of intergroup boundaries with well-established Arab and Arab American peers. Their identity negotiations and social identity salience (national, religious, and pan-Arab) were informed by transitional experiences from home to host country and the prevailing political and cultural tensions between the two, recognition of national hierarchy within the Arab community, perceptions of discrimination by the larger society, changed educational aspirations consequent to immigration, and current physical (school and community) and phenomenological contexts. Findings suggest that current theoretical perspectives should be extended to incorporate phenomenological representations of past spaces and places not currently occupied to understand adolescents' multifaceted identity. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

SAFETY ASSESSMENT AND LIABILITY REGULATIONS IN THE CONTEXT OF GENETICALLY MODIFIED FOOD IN THE BRICS COUNTRIES

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Sh. K. Balashanmugam

2018-01-01

Full Text Available International trade of food products is expected to increase rapidly with the widespread introduction of genetically modified (GM food. There will be greater participation of developing countries based on investment as well as research and development. Investment in research and development and commercial production of GM crops is high in Asia, particularly in India and China, but also in Latin American countries, such as Brazil, and on the African continent, especially in South Africa. Despite the merits, the introduction of GM foods in the world market has continued to raise public concerns touching upon health, legal, social, ethical and environmental issues. Especially, the issue of contamination is considered asignificant threat at many stages of development of GM food. Transboundary aspects and certain aspects of the components of the food safety system such as safety assessment, liability and redress are still not completely addressed. The present study is the systematic review of the extent of the development of legislation and institutional mechanisms in relation to safety assessment and liability mechanisms for regulating the emerging GM foods in the developing countries of BRICS. Additionally, the comparison of the components of national food safety systems of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa reveals differences in policy and regulation in relation to GM food.

Context: The strategic management Rosetta Stone

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R. V. Weeks

2007-12-01

Full Text Available Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to analyse context as a means for interpreting and making sense of evolving strategic management theory and practice. Problem investigated: Traditional strategic management theory based on rational deductive methodologies assumes contextual predictability, yet contemporary conditions tend to contradict this assumption. In response, alternative theories and practices for dealing with complex contexts have emerged (Brews & Purohit, 2006; Grant, 2003; Kurt & Snowden, 2003and Stacey, 1995. Methodology: A literature study was undertaken to determine the nature of emergent strategic management theory and practice, in response to contextual complexity and how it differs from traditional practice (Mintzberg, 1994 and Weeks &Lessing, 1993. Findings: An important conclusion drawn from the study is that context acts as a determinant for making sense of the evolution of strategic management theory and practice. While traditional strategic management practice still assumes relevance in contexts of linear causality, it breaks down in complex contexts. Emergent strategic management theory, based on complex adaptive systems, is increasingly assuming relevance. Notably, many institutions are still attempting to make use of scenario planning in an attempt to deal with contextual complexity, a practice not supported by leading researchers(Stacey, 1995 and Kurt & Snowden, 2003. Value of the research: The insights gained from the study assume relevance, in view of the contextual complexity confronting modern-day institutions. The findings suggest that emergent strategy based on complex adaptive system theory needs to be considered as a means for dealing with increasing environmental turbulence. Conclusion: It is concluded that context serves as the Rosetta stone for making sense of strategic management theory and practice. In view of the research findings, as reflected in the literature, it would seem that the use of complex

Strategies to address climate change in central and Eastern Euopean countries

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Simeonova, K. [Energoproekt, Sofia (Bulgaria)

1996-12-31

The paper presents analyses based on information mainly from the National Communications of nine Central and Eastern European countries that are undertaking radical transition from centrally planned to market driven economics (EIT). It is designed primarily to provide an overview of the policies and measures to address climate change that have been implemented, or under implementation or planned. In order to better understand the objective of policies and measures and the way they have been implemented in EIT countries that analysis has been supplemented by a review of the national circumstances and overall policy contexts in EIT countries that are relevant to climate change policies and measures problems. Therefore, these issues will be discussed in the paper along with analysis of mitigation policies and measures by sector.

National and Regional Competitiveness in the Crisis Context. Successful Examples

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Gina Cristina DIMIAN

2011-11-01

Full Text Available The paper addresses the issue of national and regional competitiveness in the context of socio-economic and financial crisis. Competitiveness is a complex concept which can be studied at both the firm and the local and national level.Thus, in economic terms the competitiveness is most often associated with the productivity or efficiency with which inputs are transformed into goods and services. As for the regional competitiveness it should be analyzed in terms of results (revenue, employment and in relation to its determinants: ranging from the classical production factors (capital, labour, technological progress to the “soft” factors (human capital, research and development, dissemination of knowledge.The current economic environment has revealed that countries such as China, India, Brazil and also the Czech Republic and Poland, following prudent economic policies, have managed to make from macroeconomic stability, investment in education and research some of their major drivers of economic growth.

Construction industry in developing countries

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Moavenzadeh, F

1978-01-01

This paper provides a review of the construction capability available in the developing countries to meet the demand for shelter. It discusses the role of construction in the process of development and its importance to economic growth. It considers the issue facing the growth of a viable indigenous construction industry in the developing world within the context of the activities involved in the creation of constructed facilities--planning, design, contruction and maintenance; it also examines the environment within which the industry has developed. For each construction activity the paper reviews available capabilities, the various resources needed for the development of an indigenous industry, and some possible means of accommodating these needs.

Firm and Country Determinants of the Quality of Financial Information

OpenAIRE

Bonetti, Pietro

2013-01-01

This thesis is made of three chapters which contribute to the international accounting literature. The first chapter investigates the effect of the legal enforcement on the use of income increasing earnings management (EAR) and downward expectation management (EXP) to meet or beat analyst earnings forecasts. Using a sample of 4,934 firms from fourteen European countries, we document that the strength of the legal enforcement is negatively associated with EAR and positively associated wit...

Questioning Discrimination through Critical Media Literacy. Findings from Seven European Countries

Science.gov (United States)

Ranieri, Maria; Fabbro, Francesco

2016-01-01

This paper presents the main findings of an action-research study that took place in seven European countries in order to develop effective educational responses to prevent and combat discrimination. The study entailed the design of media and citizenship education activities, their implementation in the different educational contexts and the…

Marriage, Cohabitation, and Happiness: A Cross-National Analysis of 27 Countries

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Kristen Schultz; Ono, Hiroshi

2012-01-01

The authors investigated how the reported happiness of married and cohabiting individuals varies cross-nationally with societal gender beliefs and religious context. They used the 2002 International Social Survey Programme data from 27 countries (N = 36,889) and specified hierarchical linear models with macro-micro level interactions in order to…

Ensemble coding of context-dependent fear memory in the amygdala

OpenAIRE

Orsini, Caitlin A.; Yan, Chen; Maren, Stephen

2013-01-01

After fear conditioning, presenting the conditioned stimulus (CS) alone yields a context-specific extinction memory; fear is suppressed in the extinction context, but renews in any other context. The context-dependence of extinction is mediated by a brain circuit consisting of the hippocampus, prefrontal cortex and amygdala. In the present work, we sought to determine at what level of this circuit context-dependent representations of the CS emerge. To explore this question, we used cellula...

Modelling a critical infrastructure-driven spatial database for proactive disaster management: A developing country context

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David O. Baloye

2016-04-01

Full Text Available The understanding and institutionalisation of the seamless link between urban critical infrastructure and disaster management has greatly helped the developed world to establish effective disaster management processes. However, this link is conspicuously missing in developing countries, where disaster management has been more reactive than proactive. The consequence of this is typified in poor response time and uncoordinated ways in which disasters and emergency situations are handled. As is the case with many Nigerian cities, the challenges of urban development in the city of Abeokuta have limited the effectiveness of disaster and emergency first responders and managers. Using geospatial techniques, the study attempted to design and deploy a spatial database running a web-based information system to track the characteristics and distribution of critical infrastructure for effective use during disaster and emergencies, with the purpose of proactively improving disaster and emergency management processes in Abeokuta. Keywords: Disaster Management; Emergency; Critical Infrastructure; Geospatial Database; Developing Countries; Nigeria

Human resource training and development importance in post communist countries in cross-cultural context

OpenAIRE

Kumpikaitė, Vilmantė

2009-01-01

The manufacturing-dominated economies of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, formed during the Soviet occupation, collapsed with the USSR. However, they are now well into the process of evolving to market economies. Among other aspects, this evolutionary process includes adapting to new social institutions and economic relationships, reacting to the impact of new technologies, and meeting the increasing social needs and developing employees in these countries. This review addresses the importance ...

Resilience of Agricultural Value Chains in Developing Country Contexts: A Framework and Assessment Approach

OpenAIRE

Ryan Vroegindewey; Jennifer Hodbod

2018-01-01

Although agricultural value chain resilience is a crucial component to food security and sustainable food systems in developing countries, it has received little attention. This paper synthesizes knowledge from the social-ecological systems (SES), supply chain management, and value chain development literature to make three contributions to this research gap. First, we conceptualize agricultural value chain resilience and relate it to overall food system resilience. Second, we identify seven ...

FDIs and investment policy in some European countries after their EU accession. Challenges during the crisis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Magdalena RADULESCU

2011-12-01

Full Text Available The aim of this paper is to find out to what extent the accession countries will be able to benefit from an increase in the quality of foreign direct investments (FDIs that they receive due to EU membership. Although there will be some investment in new affiliates resulting in greenfield subsidiaries, transnational companies (TNCs may divest their operations in response to better location advantages elsewhere in the EU (as Spain and Portugal are experiencing because their low-cost advantages are eroded. In many Central and Eastern European (CEE countries, the share of foreign ownership in total capital stock is already typically much higher than in older EU member states, but we can already observe a trend of relocating TNCs’ subsidiaries to other emerging countries in order to diminish the costs, in the context of the present crisis and we believe that this trend will continue in the future, especially in the crisis context when the inceptive burden is heavy for governments. The conclusion of this paper is that the CEE countries haven’t faced quite similar conditions as the Southern European countries that acceded to the EU in the ‘80s. So, their benefits have considerably diminished and the present crisis didn’t help them at all to reduce their economic gaps comparing to the developed European countries.

The Social Determinants of Refugee Mental Health in the Post-Migration Context: A Critical Review.

Science.gov (United States)

Hynie, Michaela

2018-05-01

With the global increase in the number of refugees and asylum seekers, mental health professionals have become more aware of the need to understand and respond to the mental health needs of forced migrants. This critical review summarizes the findings of recent systematic reviews and primary research on the impact of post-migration conditions on mental disorders and PTSD among refugees and asylum seekers. Historically, the focus of mental health research and interventions with these populations has been on the impact of pre-migration trauma. Pre-migration trauma does predict mental disorders and PTSD, but the post-migration context can be an equally powerful determinant of mental health. Moreover, post-migration factors may moderate the ability of refugees to recover from pre-migration trauma. The importance of post-migration stressors to refugee mental health suggests the need for therapeutic interventions with psychosocial elements that address the broader conditions of refugee and asylum seekers' lives. However, there are few studies of multimodal interventions with refugees, and even fewer with control conditions that allow for conclusions about their effectiveness. These findings are interpreted using a social determinants of health framework that connects the risk and protective factors in the material and social conditions of refugees' post-migration lives to broader social, economic and political factors.

Fathers in Context: Comparative Analysis of Father Involvement in Bulgaria and the Netherlands

NARCIS (Netherlands)

N.A. Conkova (Nina); B.E. Ory (Brett)

2016-01-01

markdownabstractThis report compares father involvement with their children in Bulgaria and the Netherlands by examining country differences in family formation patterns, policy context, and cultural prescriptions regarding family life. In studying the time fathers spend with their children, it is

DETERMINANTS OF POVERTY IN ROMANIA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

CLAUDIA ANDREEA UREAN

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Romania is one of the poorest countries in Europe. The purpose of this investigation is to determine which factors influence the magnitude of this socio-economic phenomenon. Current availability of data from National Institute of Statistics ensures our sample. We apply a panel data analysis of regional development: North-East, SouthEast, South, South-West, West, North-West, Centre and Bucharest-Ilfov to understand how Romania can reduce poverty. The authors found a direct link between relative poverty rate and education. In addition, the negative relationship between poverty and pensioners shows the importance of a good government policies. In this context, we propose to focus our attention on the needs of people. Education can be an important determinat of national development, on the other slide, educated people are more willing to understand the role of pension system.

Abortion in Islamic Ethics, and How it is Perceived in Turkey: A Secular, Muslim Country.

Science.gov (United States)

Ekmekci, Perihan Elif

2017-06-01

Abortion is among the most widely discussed concepts of medical ethics. Since the well-known ethical theories have emerged from Western world, the position of Islamic ethics regarding main issues of medical ethics has been overlooked. Muslims constitute a considerable amount of world population. Turkish Republic is the only Muslim country ruled with secular democracy and one of the three Muslim countries where abortion is legalized. The first aim of this paper is to present discussions on abortion in Islamic ethics in the context of major ethical concepts; the legal status of the fetus, respect for life and the right not to be born. The second aim is to put forth Turkey's present legislation about abortion in the context of Islamic ethical and religious aspects.

Food-Based Dietary Guidelines for the Arab Gulf Countries

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Abdulrahman O. Musaiger

2012-01-01

Full Text Available The concept of food-based dietary guidelines (FBDG has been promoted by several international organizations. However, there are no FBDG for the countries in the Arab region. As the Arab Gulf countries share similar a socioeconomic and nutrition situation, an attempt was made to develop FBDG for these countries. This paper summarizes the steps taken to develope such guidelines by the Arab Center for Nutrition. The FBDG were developed through 6 steps: (1 determination of the purpose and goals for establishing FBDG, (2 characteristics of FBDG, (3 determination of the food consumption patterns, (4 review the current nutrition situation, (5 determination of the lifestyle patterns that are associated with diet-related diseases and (6 formulating the FBDG. The FBDG consist of 14 simple and practical pieces of advice taking into consideration the sociocultural status and nutritional problems in the Arab Gulf countries. The FBDG can be a useful tool in educating the public in healthy eating and prevention of diet-related chronic diseases.

Public attitudes toward stuttering in Europe: Within-country and between-country comparisons.

Science.gov (United States)

St Louis, Kenneth O; Sønsterud, Hilda; Junuzović-Žunić, Lejla; Tomaiuoli, Donatella; Del Gado, Francesca; Caparelli, Emilia; Theiling, Mareen; Flobakk, Cecilie; Helmen, Lise Nesbakken; Heitmann, Ragnhild R; Kvenseth, Helene; Nilsson, Sofia; Wetterling, Tobias; Lundström, Cecilia; Daly, Ciara; Leahy, Margaret; Tyrrell, Laila; Ward, David; Węsierska, Marta

2016-01-01

Epidemiological research methods have been shown to be useful in determining factors that might predict commonly reported negative public attitudes toward stuttering. Previous research has suggested that stuttering attitudes of respondents from North America and Europe (i.e., "The West"), though characterized by stereotypes and potential stigma, are more positive than those from several other regions of the world. This inference assumes that public attitudes within various regions characterized by "The West" are similar. This study aimed to determine the extent to which public stuttering attitudes are similar or different both within regions of three different European countries and between or among five different European countries or similar geographic areas. It also aimed to compare these European attitudes to attitudes from 135 samples around the world using a standard measure. Using convenience sampling, 1111 adult respondents from eight different investigations completed the Public Opinion Survey of Human Attributes-Stuttering (POSHA-S) in the dominant language of each country or area. In Study I, the authors compared attitudes within three different regions of Bosnia & Herzegovina, Italy, and Norway. In Study II, the authors compared attitudes between combined samples from Bosnia & Herzegovina, Italy, and Norway (with additional respondents from Sweden), and two other samples, one from Germany and the other from Ireland and England. Attitudes of adults from the three samples within Bosnia & Herzegovina, Italy, and Norway were remarkably similar. By contrast, attitudes between the five different countries or area were quite dramatically different. Demographic variables on the POSHA-S did not predict the rank order of these between-country/area differences. Compared to the POSHA-S worldwide database, European attitudes ranged from less positive than average (i.e., Italians) to more positive than average (i.e., Norwegians and Swedes). Factors related to

Academic Development and Educational Developers: Perspectives from Different European Higher Education Contexts

Science.gov (United States)

Di Napoli, Roberto; Fry, Heather; Frenay, Mariane; Verhesschen, Piet; Verburgh, An

2010-01-01

This paper reports research in five European universities, in four countries between 2004 and 2008. The research explored and compared institutional contexts for academic development and the interpretations and reflections of a number of academic developers on the organizational position and role of academic development, and of…

Resilience of Agricultural Value Chains in Developing Country Contexts: A Framework and Assessment Approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ryan Vroegindewey

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Although agricultural value chain resilience is a crucial component to food security and sustainable food systems in developing countries, it has received little attention. This paper synthesizes knowledge from the social-ecological systems (SES, supply chain management, and value chain development literature to make three contributions to this research gap. First, we conceptualize agricultural value chain resilience and relate it to overall food system resilience. Second, we identify seven principles that are hypothesized to contribute to SES resilience, relate them to supply chain management theory, and discuss their application in agricultural value chains. A key insight is that the appropriateness of these principles are important to assess on a case-by-case basis, and depend in part on trade-offs between resilience and other dimensions of value chain performance. Third, we integrate two common tools, the Resilience Alliance’s assessment framework and value chain analysis techniques, to outline an adaptable participatory approach for assessing the resilience of agricultural value chains in developing countries. The objectives of the approach are to cultivate a chain-wide awareness for past and potential disturbances that could affect food security and other essential services provided by the value chain, and to identify upgrades that can build resilience against these key disturbances.

Perceptions of perioperative nursing competence: a cross-country comparison.

Science.gov (United States)

Gillespie, Brigid M; Harbeck, Emma B; Falk-Brynhildsen, Karin; Nilsson, Ulrica; Jaensson, Maria

2018-01-01

Throughout many countries, professional bodies rely on yearly self-assessment of competence for ongoing registration; therefore, nursing competence is pivotal to safe clinical practice. Our aim was to describe and compare perioperative nurses' perceptions of competence in four countries, while examining the effect of specialist education and years of experience in the operating room. We conducted a secondary analysis of cross-sectional surveys from four countries including; Australia, Canada, Scotland, and Sweden. The 40-item Perceived Perioperative Competence Scale-Revised (PPCS-R), was used with a total sample of 768 respondents. We used a factorial design to examine the influence of country, years of experience in the operating room and specialist education on nurses' reported perceived perioperative competence. Regardless of country origin, nurses with specialist qualifications reported higher perceived perioperative competence when compared to nurses without specialist education. However, cross-country differences were dependent on nurses' number of years of experience in the operating room. Nurses from Sweden with 6-10 years of experience in the operating room reported lower perceived perioperative competence when compared to Australian nurses. In comparing nurses with > 10 years of experience, Swedish nurses reported significantly lower perceived perioperative competence when compared to nurses from Australia, Canada and Scotland. Researchers need to consider educational level and years of experience in the perioperative context when examining constructs such as competence.

Access to HIV/AIDS care: a systematic review of socio-cultural determinants in low and high income countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Gari, Sara; Doig-Acuña, Camilo; Smail, Tino; Malungo, Jacob R S; Martin-Hilber, Adriane; Merten, Sonja

2013-05-28

The role of socio-cultural factors in influencing access to HIV/AIDS treatment, care and support is increasingly recognized by researchers, international donors and policy makers. Although many of them have been identified through qualitative studies, the evidence gathered by quantitative studies has not been systematically analysed. To fill this knowledge gap, we did a systematic review of quantitative studies comparing surveys done in high and low income countries to assess the extent to which socio-cultural determinants of access, identified through qualitative studies, have been addressed in epidemiological survey studies. Ten electronic databases were searched (Cinahl, EMBASE, ISI Web of Science, IBSS, JSTOR, MedLine, Psyinfo, Psyindex and Cochrane). Two independent reviewers selected eligible publications based on the inclusion/exclusion criteria. Meta-analysis was used to synthesize data comparing studies between low and high income countries. Thirty-four studies were included in the final review, 21 (62%) done in high income countries and 13 (38%) in low income countries. In low income settings, epidemiological research on access to HIV/AIDS services focused on socio-economic and health system factors while in high income countries the focus was on medical and psychosocial factors. These differences depict the perceived different barriers in the two regions. Common factors between the two regions were also found to affect HIV testing, including stigma, high risk sexual behaviours such as multiple sexual partners and not using condoms, and alcohol abuse. On the other hand, having experienced previous illness or other health conditions and good family communication was associated with adherence to ART uptake. Due to insufficient consistent data, a meta-analysis was only possible on adherence to treatment. This review offers evidence of the current challenges for interdisciplinary work in epidemiology and public health. Quantitative studies did not

The value of grounded theory for disentangling inequalities in maternal-childhealthcare in contexts of diversity: A psycho-sociopolitical approach

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Sonia Hernández Plaza

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Adopting a psycho-sociopolitical approach, the present paper describes the results of a community-basedparticipatory needs assessment focusing on the perceived needs of women of reproductive age as users ofprimary healthcare in contexts of migration-driven diversity and socioeconomic vulnerability in theMetropolitan Area of Lisbon. The investigation comprised 64 in-depth interviews with women, includingnatives and immigrants to Portugal from the main origin countries in the context under study (Brazil, CapeVerde, and other Portuguese- speaking African countries and a survey of 125 women, again natives andimmigrants from these countries. The central role of qualitative methodology and grounded theory, in theframework of a multi-method research, allowed understanding the needs of women as embedded incontexts characterized by asymmetrical power relations, in terms of unequal opportunities and resources,at multiple interrelated ecological levels (personal, relational, organizational, community, socioeconomic,health system/policy, cultural/migration. The priority perceived needs of women were primarily related tosocioeconomic disadvantage, severely aggravated in the current contexts of crisis; and factors at the healthsystem level, mainly unequal access to family doctors, excessive waiting lists, and increases in the directcosts of healthcare. Results allow questioning the adequacy of cultural competence approaches for thereduction of inequalities in maternal-child healthcare in the context under study, showing the critical andinnovative value of qualitative methodology and grounded theory in research on social justice and healthin contexts of diversity characterized by unequal power dynamics.

Drug design and discovery: translational biomedical science varies among countries.

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Weaver, Ian N; Weaver, Donald F

2013-10-01

Drug design and discovery is an innovation process that translates the outcomes of fundamental biomedical research into therapeutics that are ultimately made available to people with medical disorders in many countries throughout the world. To identify which nations succeed, exceed, or fail at the drug design/discovery endeavor--more specifically, which countries, within the context of their national size and wealth, are "pulling their weight" when it comes to developing medications targeting the myriad of diseases that afflict humankind--we compiled and analyzed a comprehensive survey of all new drugs (small molecular entities and biologics) approved annually throughout the world over the 20-year period from 1991 to 2010. Based upon this analysis, we have devised prediction algorithms to ascertain which countries are successful (or not) in contributing to the worldwide need for effective new therapeutics. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Monitoring fever treatment behaviour and equitable access to effective medicines in the context of initiatives to improve ACT access: baseline results and implications for programming in six African countries

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Littrell Megan

2011-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Access to artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT remains limited in high malaria-burden countries, and there are concerns that the poorest people are particularly disadvantaged. This paper presents new evidence on household treatment-seeking behaviour in six African countries. These data provide a baseline for monitoring interventions to increase ACT coverage, such as the Affordable Medicines Facility for malaria (AMFm. Methods Nationally representative household surveys were conducted in Benin, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC, Madagascar, Nigeria, Uganda and Zambia between 2008 and 2010. Caregivers responded to questions about management of recent fevers in children under five. Treatment indicators were tabulated across countries, and differences in case management provided by the public versus private sector were examined using chi-square tests. Logistic regression was used to test for association between socioeconomic status and 1 malaria blood testing, and 2 ACT treatment. Results Fever treatment with an ACT is low in Benin (10%, the DRC (5%, Madagascar (3% and Nigeria (5%, but higher in Uganda (21% and Zambia (21%. The wealthiest children are significantly more likely to receive ACT compared to the poorest children in Benin (OR = 2.68, 95% CI = 1.12-6.42; the DRC (OR = 2.18, 95% CI = 1.12-4.24; Madagascar (OR = 5.37, 95% CI = 1.58-18.24; and Nigeria (OR = 6.59, 95% CI = 2.73-15.89. Most caregivers seek treatment outside of the home, and private sector outlets are commonly the sole external source of treatment (except in Zambia. However, children treated in the public sector are significantly more likely to receive ACT treatment than those treated in the private sector (except in Madagascar. Nonetheless, levels of testing and ACT treatment in the public sector are low. Few caregivers name the national first-line drug as most effective for treating malaria in Madagascar (2%, the DRC (2%, Nigeria (4% and Benin (10

Determinants of Competitiveness in Companies that Comprise the Aerospace Cluster in the State of Sonora

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Erika OLIVAS-VALDEZ

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Most of the leading countries in the world production of the aerospace sector, over time, have triangulated their production, by installing plants in other countries, to reduce costs. The United States concentrates most of the world production of aircraft. Consequently, Mexico has joined this dynamic production process through the operation of almost four hundred companies in this industrial sector. The states of Baja California, Chihuahua, Nuevo Leon, Querétaro and Sonora, lead the production of this sector in Mexico. The objective of this work is to determine if the companies in the aerospace sector of the state of Sonora are competitive in a regional context with respect to the growth of the entire sector in the country. The degree of competitiveness was calculated using the Competitive Advantage Index in two levels –the aerospace sector at the national level and at the state level-. The results of this research confirm that the competitiveness of companies in the aerospace sector in Sonora is high and that their competitiveness is determined mainly by the technological development of their products, quality of service, guarantees offered, price, and the operation and production costs.

Worker health is good for the economy: union density and psychosocial safety climate as determinants of country differences in worker health and productivity in 31 European countries.

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Dollard, Maureen F; Neser, Daniel Y

2013-09-01

Work stress is recognized globally as a social determinant of worker health. Therefore we explored whether work stress related factors explained national differences in health and productivity (gross domestic product (GDP)). We proposed a national worker health productivity model whereby macro market power factors (i.e. union density), influence national worker health and GDP via work psychosocial factors and income inequality. We combined five different data sets canvasing 31 wealthy European countries. Aggregated worker self-reported health accounted for 13 per cent of the variance in national life expectancy and in national gross domestic product (GDP). The most important factors explaining worker self-reported health and GDP between nations were two levels of labor protection, macro-level (union density), and organizational-level (psychosocial safety climate, PSC, i.e. the extent of management concern for worker psychological health). The majority of countries with the highest levels of union density and PSC (i.e., workplace protections) were Social Democratic in nature (i.e., Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Norway). Results support a type of society explanation that social and economic factors (e.g., welfare regimes, work related policies) in concert with political power agents at a national level explain in part national differences in workplace protection (PSC) that are important for worker health and productivity. Attention should be given across all countries, to national policies to improve worker health, by bolstering national and local democratic processes and representation to address and implement policies for psychosocial risk factors for work stress, bullying and violence. Results suggest worker health is good for the economy, and should be considered in national health and productivity accounting. Eroding unionism may not be good for worker health or the economy either. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

On the Appropriateness of Incident Management Systems in Developing Countries: A Case from the UAE

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Faouzi Kamoun

2010-12-01

Full Text Available Road traffic incidents are eliciting growing public concerns due to their devastating social, economical, and environmental impacts. The severity of these random events is particularly alarming in developing countries, where the situation is just worsening. Recently, Incident Management Systems (IMSs have been proposed as powerful tools to enhance the coordination and management of rescue operations during traffic accidents. However, most of the available commercial IMS solutions are designed for large metropolitan cities and within the contexts of developed nations. This paper explores the issues of appropriateness and customization of IMS solutions in developing countries through an exploratory inquiry consisting of a case study from the United Arab Emirates (UAE. The paper also explores the important issues related to managing the organizational changes that an IMS introduces to the operations of the command and control room. This contribution calls for the development of more comprehensive theoretical frameworks that can guide towards the implementation of appropriate IMS solutions in developing countries. Our research highlights the need for developing countries to acquire appropriate IMS solutions that are tailored to the local organizational work context in which these systems will be used. The experience reported herein can also inspire other public safety agencies in developing countries to consider the option of developing customized IMS solutions that best suit their needs.

Constraining is enabling? Exploring the influence of national context on civil society strength

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Kamstra, J.; Pelzer, B.J.; Elbers, W.J.; Ruben, R.

2016-01-01

This article analyses the influence of national context on civil society strength based on four key dimensions: level of democracy, political stability, rule of law and economic development. Whereas existing studies mainly focus on Western and post-communist countries, we explicitly include

Constraining Is Enabling? Exploring the Influence of National Context on Civil Society Strength

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Kamstra, Jelmer; Pelzer, Ben; Elbers, Willem; Ruben, Ruerd

2016-01-01

This article analyses the influence of national context on civil society strength based on four key dimensions: level of democracy, political stability, rule of law and economic development. Whereas existing studies mainly focus on Western and post-communist countries, we explicitly include

Collective statement on the role of research in a nuclear regulatory context

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2001-01-01

In the present context of deregulation and privatisation of the nuclear industry, maintaining an adequate level of nuclear safety research is a primary concern for nuclear regulators, researchers and nuclear power plant licensees, as well as for government officials and the public. While these different stakeholders may have common concerns and interests, there may also be differences. At the international level, it is important to understand that divisions exist both within and among countries, not only in national cultures but also in the way regulators, researchers and licensees view the rote of research. An international gathering under the auspices of the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) took place in June 2001, bringing together heads of nuclear regulatory bodies of NEA Member countries, senior regulators, senior executives of research organisations and leaders from the nuclear industry to discuss their perceptions of the rote of research in a nuclear regulatory context. This collective statement represents an international consensus on a rationale for regulatory research for currently operating nuclear reactors and for future reactors, and sets forth specific recommendations to NEA standing technical committees and Member countries. The intended audience is primarily nuclear safety regulators, senior researchers and industry leaders. Government authorities, nuclear power plant operators and the general public may also be interested. (author)

Boys’ and Girls’ Relational and Physical Aggression in Nine Countries

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Lansford, Jennifer E.; Skinner, Ann T.; Sorbring, Emma; Di Giunta, Laura; Deater-Deckard, Kirby; Dodge, Kenneth A.; Malone, Patrick S.; Oburu, Paul; Pastorelli, Concetta; Tapanya, Sombat; Tirado, Liliana Maria Uribe; Zelli, Arnaldo; Al-Hassan, Suha M.; Alampay, Liane Peña; Bacchini, Dario; Bombi, Anna Silvia; Bornstein, Marc H.; Chang, Lei

2012-01-01

Distinguishing between relational and physical aggression has become a key feature of many developmental studies in North America and Western Europe, but very little information is available on relational aggression in more diverse cultural contexts. This study examined the factor structure of, gender differences in, and associations between relational and physical aggression in China, Colombia, Italy, Jordan, Kenya, the Philippines, Sweden, Thailand, and the United States. Children ages 7 to 10 years (N = 1410) reported on their relationally and physically aggressive behavior. Relational and physical aggression shared a common factor structure across countries. Unsurprisingly, boys reported being more physically aggressive than girls across all nine countries; surprisingly, there were no significant gender differences in relational aggression. In all nine countries, relational and physical aggression were significantly correlated (average r = .49). The countries differed significantly in the mean levels of both relational and physical aggression that children reported using and with respect to whether children reported using more physical than relational aggression or more relational than physical aggression. Despite mean level differences in relational and physical aggression across countries, the findings provided support for cross-country similarities in associations between relational and physical aggression, as well as links between gender and aggression. PMID:23935227

Understanding context in knowledge translation: a concept analysis study protocol.

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Squires, Janet E; Graham, Ian D; Hutchinson, Alison M; Linklater, Stefanie; Brehaut, Jamie C; Curran, Janet; Ivers, Noah; Lavis, John N; Michie, Susan; Sales, Anne E; Fiander, Michelle; Fenton, Shannon; Noseworthy, Thomas; Vine, Jocelyn; Grimshaw, Jeremy M

2015-05-01

To conduct a concept analysis of clinical practice contexts (work environments) that facilitate or militate against the uptake of research evidence by healthcare professionals in clinical practice. This will involve developing a clear definition of context by describing its features, domains and defining characteristics. The context where clinical care is delivered influences that care. While research shows that context is important to knowledge translation (implementation), we lack conceptual clarity on what is context, which contextual factors probably modify the effect of knowledge translation interventions (and hence should be considered when designing interventions) and which contextual factors themselves could be targeted as part of a knowledge translation intervention (context modification). Concept analysis. The Walker and Avant concept analysis method, comprised of eight systematic steps, will be used: (1) concept selection; (2) determination of aims; (3) identification of uses of context; (4) determination of defining attributes of context; (5) identification/construction of a model case of context; (6) identification/construction of additional cases of context; (7) identification/construction of antecedents and consequences of context; and (8) definition of empirical referents of context. This study is funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (January 2014). This study will result in a much needed framework of context for knowledge translation, which identifies specific elements that, if assessed and used to tailor knowledge translation activities, will result in increased research use by nurses and other healthcare professionals in clinical practice, ultimately leading to better patient care. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Zuckerman's revised alternative five-factor model: validation of the Zuckerman-Kuhlman-Aluja Personality Questionnaire in four French-speaking countries.

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Rossier, Jérôme; Hansenne, Michel; Baudin, Nicolas; Morizot, Julien

2012-01-01

The aim of this study was to analyze the replicability of Zuckerman's revised Alternative Five-factor model in a French-speaking context by validating the Zuckerman-Kuhlman-Aluja Personality Questionnaire (ZKA-PQ) simultaneously in 4 French-speaking countries. The total sample was made up of 1,497 subjects from Belgium, Canada, France, and Switzerland. The internal consistencies for all countries were generally similar to those found for the normative U.S. and Spanish samples. A factor analysis confirmed that the normative structure replicated well and was stable within this French-speaking context. Moreover, multigroup confirmatory factor analyses have shown that the ZKA-PQ reaches scalar invariance across these 4 countries. Mean scores were slightly different for women and men, with women scoring higher on Neuroticism but lower on Sensation Seeking. Globally, mean score differences across countries were small. Overall, the ZKA-PQ seems an interesting alternative to assess both lower and higher order personality traits for applied or research purposes.

The effect of normative context variability on recognition memory.

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Steyvers, Mark; Malmberg, Kenneth J

2003-09-01

According to some theories of recognition memory (e.g., S. Dennis & M. S. Humphreys, 2001), the number of different contexts in which words appear determines how memorable individual occurrences of words will be: A word that occurs in a small number of different contexts should be better recognized than a word that appears in a larger number of different contexts. To empirically test this prediction, a normative measure is developed, referred to here as context variability, that estimates the number of different contexts in which words appear in everyday life. These findings confirm the prediction that words low in context variability are better recognized (on average) than words that are high in context variability. (c) 2003 APA, all rights reserved

Health in China and India: a cross-country comparison in a context of rapid globalisation.

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Dummer, Trevor J B; Cook, Ian G

2008-08-01

China and India are similarly huge nations currently experiencing rapid economic growth, urbanisation and widening inequalities between rich and poor. They are dissimilar in terms of their political regimes, policies for population growth and ethnic composition and heterogeneity. This review compares health and health care in China and India within the framework of the epidemiological transition model and against the backdrop of globalisation. We identify similarities and differences in health situation. In general, for both countries, infectious diseases of the past sit alongside emerging infectious diseases and chronic illnesses associated with ageing societies, although the burden of infectious diseases is much higher in India. Whilst globalisation contributes to widening inequalities in health and health care in both countries--particularly with respect to increasing disparities between urban and rural areas and between rich and poor--there is evidence that local circumstances are important, especially with respect to the structure and financing of health care and the implementation of health policy. For example, India has huge problems providing even rudimentary health care to its large population of urban slum dwellers whilst China is struggling to re-establish universal rural health insurance. In terms of funding access to health care, the Chinese state has traditionally supported most costs, whereas private insurance has always played a major role in India, although recent changes in China have seen the burgeoning of private health care payments. China has, arguably, had more success than India in improving population health, although recent reforms have severely impacted upon the ability of the Chinese health care system to operate effectively. Both countries are experiencing a decline in the amount of government funding for health care and this is a major issue that must be addressed.

Integration Dilemma within the Eurasian Space in the Context of the Ukrainian Crisis

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Antonina A. Durdyeva

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The article analyses the reaction of top officials, politicians and representatives of the expert community of the Eurasian Economic Union member countries on the aggravation of "Ukrainian crisis" in the context of plans and directions for further Eurasian integration. Today, in the scientific community is becoming a popular" dilemma of integration " as a systematic pattern that determines the development of relations between the integration associations. The dilemma of integration is a political phenomenon, a regular and predictable. Ukrainian crisis, which has become a litmus test of conflict of representations of the CIS countries on the extent and depth of their involvement in the processes of regional integration , most clearly outlined the presence of such dilemma within the CIS. In the current situation for Belarus and Kazakhstan as two , along with Russia , the main designers of the Eurasian field, the dilemma of integration takes a fundamentally different meaning and becomes a so-called "Dilemma of integrations", or contradiction between the desire of these countries to secure the most favorable conditions in its relations with Moscow and reluctance to fully bear the burden of the costs and constraints arising in relations with the EU due to the commitments of the EAEC. Based on the material of the official position of the representatives of Republic of Kazakhstan and the Republic of Belarus the author of the article explores the implications of the Ukrainian crisis in relations of Three: Moscow, Astana and Minsk.

Valenced cues and contexts have different effects on event-based prospective memory.

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Graf, Peter; Yu, Martin

2015-01-01

This study examined the separate influence and joint influences on event-based prospective memory task performance due to the valence of cues and the valence of contexts. We manipulated the valence of cues and contexts with pictures from the International Affective Picture System. The participants, undergraduate students, showed higher performance when neutral compared to valenced pictures were used for cueing prospective memory. In addition, neutral pictures were more effective as cues when they occurred in a valenced context than in the context of neutral pictures, but the effectiveness of valenced cues did not vary across contexts that differed in valence. The finding of an interaction between cue and context valence indicates that their respective influence on event-based prospective memory task performance cannot be understood in isolation from each other. Our findings are not consistent with by the prevailing view which holds that the scope of attention is broadened and narrowed, respectively, by positively and negatively valenced stimuli. Instead, our findings are more supportive of the recent proposal that the scope of attention is determined by the motivational intensity associated with valenced stimuli. Consistent with this proposal, we speculate that the motivational intensity associated with different retrieval cues determines the scope of attention, that contexts with different valence values determine participants' task engagement, and that prospective memory task performance is determined jointly by attention scope and task engagement.

Valenced cues and contexts have different effects on event-based prospective memory.

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Peter Graf

Full Text Available This study examined the separate influence and joint influences on event-based prospective memory task performance due to the valence of cues and the valence of contexts. We manipulated the valence of cues and contexts with pictures from the International Affective Picture System. The participants, undergraduate students, showed higher performance when neutral compared to valenced pictures were used for cueing prospective memory. In addition, neutral pictures were more effective as cues when they occurred in a valenced context than in the context of neutral pictures, but the effectiveness of valenced cues did not vary across contexts that differed in valence. The finding of an interaction between cue and context valence indicates that their respective influence on event-based prospective memory task performance cannot be understood in isolation from each other. Our findings are not consistent with by the prevailing view which holds that the scope of attention is broadened and narrowed, respectively, by positively and negatively valenced stimuli. Instead, our findings are more supportive of the recent proposal that the scope of attention is determined by the motivational intensity associated with valenced stimuli. Consistent with this proposal, we speculate that the motivational intensity associated with different retrieval cues determines the scope of attention, that contexts with different valence values determine participants' task engagement, and that prospective memory task performance is determined jointly by attention scope and task engagement.

Test Selection, Adaptation, and Evaluation: A Systematic Approach to Assess Nutritional Influences on Child Development in Developing Countries

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Prado, Elizabeth L.; Hartini, Sri; Rahmawati, Atik; Ismayani, Elfa; Hidayati, Astri; Hikmah, Nurul; Muadz, Husni; Apriatni, Mandri S.; Ullman, Michael T.; Shankar, Anuraj H.; Alcock, Katherine J.

2010-01-01

Background: Evaluating the impact of nutrition interventions on developmental outcomes in developing countries can be challenging since most assessment tests have been produced in and for developed country settings. Such tests may not be valid measures of children's abilities when used in a new context. Aims: We present several principles for the…

Socioeconomic differential in self-assessment of health and happiness in 5 African countries: Finding from World Value Survey.

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Adesanya A, Oluwafunmilade; Rojas, Bomar Mendez; Darboe, Amadou; Beogo, Idrissa

2017-01-01

Factors that contribute to wealth related inequalities in self-rated health (SRH) and happiness remains unclear most especially in sub-Saharan countries (SSA). This study aims to explore and compare socioeconomic differentials in SRH and happiness in five SSA countries. Using the 2010/2014 World Values Survey (WVS), we obtained a sample of 9,869 participants of age 16 and above from five SSA countries (Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, Rwanda and Zimbabwe). Socioeconomic inequalities were quantified using the concentration index. The contribution of each predictor to concentration index's magnitude was obtained by means of regression based decomposition analysis. Poor SRH ranges from approximately 9% in Nigeria to 20% in Zimbabwe, whereas unhappiness was lower in Rwanda (9.5%) and higher in South Africa (23.3%). Concentration index was negative for both outcomes in all countries, which implies that poor SRH and unhappiness are excessively concentrated among the poorest socioeconomic strata. Although magnitudes differ across countries, however, the major contributor to wealth-related inequality in poor SRH is satisfaction with financial situation whereas for unhappiness the major contributors are level of income and satisfaction with financial situation. This study underscores an association between wealth related inequalities and poor SRH and unhappiness in the context of SSA. Improving equity in health, as suggested by the commission of social determinants of health may be useful in fighting against the unfair distribution of resources. Thus, knowledge about the self-rating of health and happiness can serve as proxy estimates for understanding the distribution of health care access and economic resources needed for well-being in resident countries.

Validation of public health competencies and impact variables for low- and middle-income countries

Science.gov (United States)

2014-01-01

Background The number of Master of Public Health (MPH) programmes in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) is increasing, but questions have been raised regarding the relevance of their outcomes and impacts on context. Although processes for validating public health competencies have taken place in recent years in many high-income countries, validation in LMICs is needed. Furthermore, impact variables of MPH programmes in the workplace and in society have not been developed. Method A set of public health competencies and impact variables in the workplace and in society was designed using the competencies and learning objectives of six participating institutions offering MPH programmes in or for LMICs, and the set of competencies of the Council on Linkages Between Academia and Public Health Practice as a reference. The resulting competencies and impact variables differ from those of the Council on Linkages in scope and emphasis on social determinants of health, context specificity and intersectoral competencies. A modified Delphi method was used in this study to validate the public health competencies and impact variables; experts and MPH alumni from China, Vietnam, South Africa, Sudan, Mexico and the Netherlands reviewed them and made recommendations. Results The competencies and variables were validated across two Delphi rounds, first with public health experts (N = 31) from the six countries, then with MPH alumni (N = 30). After the first expert round, competencies and impact variables were refined based on the quantitative results and qualitative comments. Both rounds showed high consensus, more so for the competencies than the impact variables. The response rate was 100%. Conclusion This is the first time that public health competencies have been validated in LMICs across continents. It is also the first time that impact variables of MPH programmes have been proposed and validated in LMICs across continents. The high degree of consensus between

Social capital and health in the least developed countries: A critical review of the literature and implications for a future research agenda

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Story, William T.

2015-01-01

Research on the linkage between social capital and health has grown in recent years; however, there is a dearth of evidence from resource-poor countries. This review examines the association between social capital and physical health (including health behaviours) in the least developed countries (LDCs). Citations were searched using three databases from 1990 to 2011 using the keyword ‘social capital’ combined with the name of each of the 48 LDCs. Of the 14 studies reviewed, 12 took place in Africa and two in South Asia. All used cross-sectional study designs, including five qualitative and nine quantitative studies. The literature reviewed suggests that social capital is an important factor for improving health in resource-poor settings; however, more research is needed in order to determine the best measures for social capital and elucidate the mechanisms through which social capital affects health in the developing world. Future research on social capital and health in the developing world should focus on applying appropriate theoretical conceptualizations of social capital to the developing country context, adapting and validating instruments for measuring social capital, and examining multilevel models of social capital and health in developing countries. PMID:24172027

Local contexts as activation mechanisms of market development: contemporary art in emerging markets

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Komarova, N.; Velthuis, O.

2018-01-01

The paper studies how local contexts contribute to the emergence of markets. In particular, it explains how potential entrepreneurs are motivated to become active in establishing new markets. Empirically, the focus is on contemporary art markets in two emerging countries: India and Russia. The paper

Male sex workers: practices, contexts, and vulnerabilities for HIV acquisition and transmission.

Science.gov (United States)

Baral, Stefan David; Friedman, M Reuel; Geibel, Scott; Rebe, Kevin; Bozhinov, Borche; Diouf, Daouda; Sabin, Keith; Holland, Claire E; Chan, Roy; Cáceres, Carlos F

2015-01-17

Male sex workers who sell or exchange sex for money or goods encompass a very diverse population across and within countries worldwide. Information characterising their practices, contexts where they live, and their needs is limited, because these individuals are generally included as a subset of larger studies focused on gay men and other men who have sex with men (MSM) or even female sex workers. Male sex workers, irrespective of their sexual orientation, mostly offer sex to men and rarely identify as sex workers, using local or international terms instead. Growing evidence indicates a sustained or increasing burden of HIV among some male sex workers within the context of the slowing global HIV pandemic. Several synergistic facilitators could be potentiating HIV acquisition and transmission among male sex workers, including biological, behavioural, and structural determinants. Criminalisation and intersectional stigmas of same-sex practices, commercial sex, and HIV all augment risk for HIV and sexually transmitted infections among male sex workers and reduce the likelihood of these people accessing essential services. These contexts, taken together with complex sexual networks among male sex workers, define this group as a key population underserved by current HIV prevention, treatment, and care services. Dedicated efforts are needed to make those services available for the sake of both public health and human rights. Evidence-based and human rights-affirming services dedicated specifically to male sex workers are needed to improve health outcomes for these men and the people within their sexual networks. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Health in All Policies (HiAP) framework for country action.

Science.gov (United States)

2014-06-01

This document serves as a 'starter's kit' for applying Health in All Policies (HiAP) in decision-making and implementation at national and subnational levels. It can be easily adapted for use in different country contexts and at the regional and global levels. WHAT IS HIAP?: HiAP is an approach to public policies across sectors that systematically takes into account the health implications of decisions, seeks synergies and avoids harmful health impacts in order to improve population health and health equity. As a concept, it reflects the principles of: legitimacy, accountability, transparency and access to information, participation, sustainability and collaboration across sectors and levels of government. Health and health equity are values in their own right and are also important prerequisites for achieving many other societal goals. Many of the determinants of health and health inequities in populations have social, environmental and economic origins that extend beyond the direct influence of the health sector and health policies. Thus, public policies in all sectors and at different levels of governance can have a significant impact on population health and health equity. The Framework sets out six key components that should be addressed in order to put the HiAP approach into action: (1) establish the need and priorities for HiAP, (2) frame planned action, (3) identify supportive structures and processes, (4) facilitate assessment and engagement, (5) ensure monitoring, evaluation and reporting, (6) build capacity. These components are not fixed in order or priority. Rather, individual countries will adopt and adjust the components in ways that are most relevant for their specific governance, economic and social contexts. Although governments as a whole bear the ultimate responsibility for the health of their citizens, health authorities at all levels are key actors in promoting HiAP. They should therefore actively seek opportunities to collaborate with and

Setting Up a Limited Liability Company with Sole Shareholder in the European Union Countries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Simona Petrina GAVRILA

2011-11-01

Full Text Available Given the importance of legal rules as closely as possible to the legal systems of the European Union Member States in respect of the companies, several directives have been adopted, of which twelve present the essence of the operational mechanisms harmonization . The consecration of single-member company in positive law is determined by multiple motivations, and the relevance of its objectives is complex, for the reason of the diverse role it plays in the economic and social life, from which the existence of different single-member business derives:limited liability company, joint stock company, simplified joint stock company, dedicated assets, subjected to a personal legal system, difficult to compare, each of them to be therefore studied in the legal, economic, social and tax context of each country.

Country profile: Hungary

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1991-09-01

Country Profile: Hungary has been prepared as a background document for use by US Government agencies and US businesses interested in becoming involved with the new democracies of Eastern Europe as they pursue sustainable economic development. The focus of the Profile is on energy and highlights information on Hungary`s energy supply, demand, and utilization. It identifies patterns of energy usage in the important economic sectors, especially industry, and provides a preliminary assessment for opportunities to improve efficiencies in energy production, distribution and use by introducing more efficient technologies. The use of more efficient technologies would have the added benefit of reducing the environmental impact which, although is not the focus of the report, is an issue that effects energy choices. The Profile also presents considerable economic information, primarily in the context of how economic restructuring may affect energy supply, demand, and the introduction of more efficient technologies.

Country profile: Hungary

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1991-09-01

Country Profile: Hungary has been prepared as a background document for use by US Government agencies and US businesses interested in becoming involved with the new democracies of Eastern Europe as they pursue sustainable economic development. The focus of the Profile is on energy and highlights information on Hungary's energy supply, demand, and utilization. It identifies patterns of energy usage in the important economic sectors, especially industry, and provides a preliminary assessment for opportunities to improve efficiencies in energy production, distribution and use by introducing more efficient technologies. The use of more efficient technologies would have the added benefit of reducing the environmental impact which, although is not the focus of the report, is an issue that effects energy choices. The Profile also presents considerable economic information, primarily in the context of how economic restructuring may affect energy supply, demand, and the introduction of more efficient technologies.

Emergence of Film Industries in Small Countries

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vang, Jan; Brambini, Annalisa; Maher, Sean

Studies on the spatial organisation of film industries have grown steadily during the last decade. This has resulted in a highly valuable stream of research concerned with the clustering of the film industry. This literature has, however, neglected to pay attention to the specificities...... of the challenges faced by small countries aimed at building up a film industry in the context of global dominance by media conglomerates located in major audio-visual hubs such as Hollywood, New York and Paris. The conventional cluster and regional innovation systems-literature highlight respectively reduced...

Institutional Autonomy and Academic Freedom in the Nordic Context--Similarities and Differences

Science.gov (United States)

Nokkala, Terhi; Bladh, Agneta

2014-01-01

Owing to their common history, similarities in language and culture, long traditions in political collaboration and the shared Nordic societal model, an assumption is often made that the operational and regulatory context of universities is similar in the five Nordic countries: Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. In this article, we…

2. Industrial countries: Promoting sustainable growth in a global economy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hammond, A.; MacKenzie, J.

1992-01-01

The chapter discusses the following topics: dimensions of sustainable development; energy resources (energy transitions, energy efficiency, renewable energy resources, economic and regulatory policies); agricultural and forest resources (effects of present policies, unsustainable practices, needed policy reform); waste, pollution, and sustainable technologies (cleanup strategies, more efficient manufacturing, emerging technologies); and a global context. It is concluded that the US could markedly improve its efficiency in using energy and other natural resources and, at the same time, reduce local and regional pollution, avoid waste, and lower its contribution to the threat of global warming. With appropriate, market-based policies, these steps need not carry heavy economic penalties and could indeed improve the country's economic competitiveness. To a large degree, similar steps could be taken, with equal benefit, in other OECD countries. Many promising new technologies exist that are both more efficient and more sustainable. The US and other OECD countries will need to move toward such technologies, and toward policies that encourage their development and use, to improve not only their own destinies but also those of other countries

Improving Education in Confucian Countries through Analysis of Organizational Challenges, Leadership, and Responsibilities

Science.gov (United States)

Schenck, Andrew D.

2015-01-01

While common philosophical foundations influence instruction and leadership in East Asian nations, variable historical factors also significantly impact education within these countries. The current study was designed to holistically examine educational systems in different Confucian contexts, so that contemporary issues and necessary reforms may…

Trust-Based and Context-Aware Authentication in a Software Architecture for Context and Proximity-Aware Services

Science.gov (United States)

Lenzini, Gabriele

We describe an existing software architecture for context and proximity aware services that enables trust-based and context-aware authentication. A service is proximity aware when it automatically detects the presence of entities in its proximity. Authentication is context-aware when it uses contextual information to discern among different identities and to evaluate to which extent they are authentic. The software architecture that we describe here is functioning in our Institute: It manages a sensor network to detect the presence and location of users and their devices. A context manager is responsible to merge the different sources of contextual information, to solve potential contradictions, and to determine the level of authentication of the identity of the person approaching one of the services offered in the coffee-break corners of our Institute. In our solution for context-aware authentication, sensors are managed as if they were recommenders having subjective belief, disbelief, and uncertainty (i.e., trust) on the position and identity of users. A sensor’s subjective trust depends on what it has been sensing in the environment. We discuss the results of an array of simulations that we conducted to validate our concept of trust-based and context-aware authentication. We use Subjective Logic to manage trust.