Trade with Low-income Countries and the Relative Wages and Employment Opportunities of the Unskilled: An Exploratory Analysis for West Germany and the UK

Between 1949 and 1989, both the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) in the West and the German Democratic Republic (GDR) in the East, engaged in health-related relations with low-income countries in the global South. The strong position of the churches in West Germany and the dominant position of the state in the East provided the preconditions for diverging international health activities, as did differences in ideology and economic status. Activities entailed similarities (an initial focus on clinical therapy and material donations) and differences (in scale, composition of actors and conceptualization). Programs evolved gradually, reacting to circumstances rather than a master plan. By the late 1960s, international health assistance was mainly organized as a component of “development aid” in the FRG, while regarded as “solidarity” in the GDR, in both cases designed to spur changes in recipient countries according to the respective Northern models as components of a perceived direct, global East-West confrontation.

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Understanding International Variation in Cancer-Specific 'Access to Diagnostics' Data and Steps Toward Cohesive Cancer Intelligence Frameworks: An International Cancer Benchmarking Partnership (ICBP) Study

Journal of Global Oncology ◽

10.1200/jgo.18.55200 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 4 (Supplement 2) ◽

pp. 68s-68s

Author(s):

I. Reguilon ◽

D. Robinson ◽

J. Butler ◽

S. Harrison ◽

Keyword(s):

Health Service ◽

Low Income ◽

Best Practice ◽

Service Planning ◽

Data Availability ◽

Low Income Countries ◽

Cancer Outcomes ◽

Diagnostic Data ◽

The Uk ◽

Data Collections

Background: Robust and accurate data underpins cancer research, planning, control and comparisons; it shapes the policies and structures of health systems internationally. Access to diagnostics is crucial for timely cancer diagnosis and treatment planning as previous evidence has shown that delays in diagnosis can impact cancer outcomes. It is possible that differences in cancer outcomes internationally are a consequence of differing levels of access to diagnostic tests. By better understanding variation in this access, this relationship can be further explored. However, diagnostic data availability is not currently well documented. Aim: The primary goal of this exercise was to identify already existing routine or national datasets exploring 'access' variables relating to diagnostics for imaging and endoscopy tests. These access variables included capacity, use, workforce, location and financial factors, and where possible specific to the cancer population. Secondly, to address what high-income countries need to improve to fulfill the existing criteria for 'cancer intelligence frameworks', such as those set out by the National Health Service in England. Methods: Mixed methods including online searches and discussion with local contacts were used to explore key diagnostic data variables across the seven participating countries of ICBP phase 2 (Australia, Canada, Denmark, Ireland, New Zealand, Norway and the UK). Results: Gaps and inconsistencies in diagnostics data were identified in each country. These key issues make comparisons within and between countries challenging: inconsistent definitions, collection at different levels within a health system, and queries about the coverage, reliability, and linkage of data (especially for cancer) were raised. The usage and allocation of workforce is also poorly documented, and a lack of appropriate infrastructure raised as a key barrier to better collection of data. Currently, most countries do not have a centralised data collection organization, and there are no international or standardized definitions for the diagnostic data that should be collected and could be compared. Conclusion: Health data are disparately collected internationally, with little diagnostics data that can be linked to cancer populations. The data sources and gaps identified add weight to existing efforts to improve data collections and health service planning. International agreement on the key performance indicators, their definitions and how best to organize collected data are required to address gaps and enable robust comparisons. These definitions and an understanding of best practice will be useful for middle- and low-income countries who want to develop or start collecting cancer-specific data. Existing 'cancer intelligence' frameworks could be adapted for international use, but rely on the agreement and adoption of standardized definitions and metrics for the cancer population.

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Medical electives in the UK for students from low income countries

BMJ ◽

10.1136/sbmj.f7135 ◽

2013 ◽

pp. f7135

Author(s):

Beatrice Dyer ◽

Louisa Pollock ◽

Isaac Jabang ◽

Beate Kampmann

Keyword(s):

Low Income ◽

Low Income Countries ◽

The Uk

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Understanding ‘The Essential Fact about Capitalism’: Markets, Competition and Creative Destruction

National Institute Economic Review ◽

10.1177/002795010117500107 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 175 ◽

pp. 67-84 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

Wendy Carlin ◽

Jonathan Haskel ◽

Paul Seabright

Keyword(s):

Low Income ◽

Productivity Growth ◽

Selection Process ◽

Low Income Countries ◽

Poor Countries ◽

Market Shares ◽

Improved Performance ◽

The Business Cycle ◽

The Baltic ◽

The Uk

This paper examines two ways in which competition works in modern capitalist economies to improve productivity. The first is through incentives: encouraging improvements in technology, organisation and effort on the part of existing establishments and firms. The second is through selection: replacing less-productive with more productive establishments and firms, whether smoothly via the transfer of market shares from less to more productive firms, or roughly through the exit of some firms and the entry of others. We report evidence from the UK suggesting that selection is responsible for a large proportion of aggregate productivity growth in manufacturing, and that much of this is due in turn to selection between plants belonging to multi-plant firms. We also investigate whether the nature of the selection process varies across the business cycle and report evidence suggesting that it is less effective in booms and recessions. Finally, although in principle productivity catch-up by low-income countries ought to be easier than innovation at the frontier, in the absence of a well functioning competitive infrastructure (a predicament that characterises many poor countries), selection may be associated with much more turbulence and a lower rate of productivity growth than in relatively prosperous societies. We report results of a survey of firms in transition economies suggesting that, particularly in the former Soviet states (excluding the Baltic states), poor output and productivity performance has not been due to an unwillingness on the part of firms to change and adapt. On the contrary, there has been a great deal of restructuring, much new entry and large reallocations of output between firms; but such activity has been much more weakly associated with improved performance than we would expect in established market economies.

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Impact of maternal antibodies and microbiota development on the immunogenicity of oral rotavirus vaccine in African, Indian, and European infants

Nature Communications ◽

10.1038/s41467-021-27074-1 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Edward P. K. Parker ◽

Christina Bronowski ◽

Kulandaipalayam Natarajan C. Sindhu ◽

Sudhir Babji ◽

Blossom Benny ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Low Income ◽

Early Life ◽

Maternal Antibodies ◽

Low Income Countries ◽

Rotavirus Vaccine ◽

Specific Antibodies ◽

Environmental Enteric Dysfunction ◽

The Uk ◽

Antibody Levels ◽

Microbiota Diversity

AbstractIdentifying risk factors for impaired oral rotavirus vaccine (ORV) efficacy in low-income countries may lead to improvements in vaccine design and delivery. In this prospective cohort study, we measure maternal rotavirus antibodies, environmental enteric dysfunction (EED), and bacterial gut microbiota development among infants receiving two doses of Rotarix in India (n = 307), Malawi (n = 119), and the UK (n = 60), using standardised methods across cohorts. We observe ORV shedding and seroconversion rates to be significantly lower in Malawi and India than the UK. Maternal rotavirus-specific antibodies in serum and breastmilk are negatively correlated with ORV response in India and Malawi, mediated partly by a reduction in ORV shedding. In the UK, ORV shedding is not inhibited despite comparable maternal antibody levels to the other cohorts. In both India and Malawi, increased microbiota diversity is negatively correlated with ORV immunogenicity, suggesting that high early-life microbial exposure may contribute to impaired vaccine efficacy.

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The Size and Growth Potential of the Digital Economy in ODA-eligible Countries

10.19088/k4d.2021.016 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

George Herbert ◽

Lucas Loudon

Keyword(s):

Low Income ◽

Grey Literature ◽

Telecommunications Industry ◽

Digital Economy ◽

Growth Potential ◽

Low Income Countries ◽

Rapid Review ◽

National Accounts ◽

Business Interests ◽

The Uk

This rapid review synthesises evidence on the current size of the digital market, the countries promoting development of digital business and their approach through Trade Policies or Incentive Frameworks, and the current and potential size of the market with the UK / China / US / other significant countries. It draws on a variety of sources, including reports by international organisations (such as the World Bank and OECD), grey literature produced by think tanks and the private sector, and peer reviewed academic papers. A high proportion of estimates of the size of the digital economy come from research conducted by or for corporations and industry bodies, such as Google and the GSMA (which represents the telecommunications industry). Their research may be influenced by their business interests, the methodologies and data sources they utilise are often opaque, and the information required to critically assess findings is sometimes missing. Given this, the estimates presented in this review are best seen as ballpark figures rather than precise measurements. A limitation of this rapid evidence review stems from the lack of consistent methodologies for estimating the size of the digital economy. The OECD is attempting to develop a standard approach to measuring the digital economy across the national accounts of the G20, but this has not yet been finalised. This makes comparing the results of different studies very challenging. The problem is particularly stark in low income countries, where there are frequently huge gaps in the relevant data.

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Impact of maternal antibodies and microbiota development on the immunogenicity of oral rotavirus vaccine in African, Indian, and European infants: a prospective cohort study

10.1101/2020.11.02.20224576 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Edward P. K. Parker ◽

Christina Bronowski ◽

Kulandaipalayam Natarajan C. Sindhu ◽

Sudhir Babji ◽

Blossom Benny ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Low Income ◽

Early Life ◽

Maternal Antibodies ◽

Low Income Countries ◽

Rotavirus Vaccine ◽

Specific Antibodies ◽

Environmental Enteric Dysfunction ◽

The Uk ◽

Antibody Levels ◽

Microbiota Diversity

Identifying risk factors for impaired oral rotavirus vaccine (ORV) efficacy in low-income countries may lead to improvements in vaccine design and delivery. We measured maternal rotavirus antibodies, environmental enteric dysfunction (EED), and bacterial gut microbiota development among infants receiving two doses of Rotarix in India (n = 307), Malawi (n = 119), and the UK (n = 60), using standardised methods across cohorts. ORV shedding and seroconversion rates were significantly lower in Malawi and India than the UK. Maternal rotavirus-specific antibodies in serum and breastmilk were negatively correlated with ORV response in India and Malawi, and this was mediated partly by a reduction in ORV replication. In the UK, ORV replication was not inhibited despite comparable maternal antibody levels. In both India and Malawi, pre-vaccination microbiota diversity was negatively correlated with ORV immunogenicity, suggesting that high early-life microbial exposure may contribute to impaired vaccine efficacy.

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COVID-19 Vaccine and Psychosocial Challenges

Journal of Korean Diabetes ◽

10.4093/jkd.2021.22.3.185 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 22 (3) ◽

pp. 185-191

Author(s):

Dae Jung Kim ◽

Jung Yeon Heo ◽

Hyun Soo Kim

Keyword(s):

Low Income ◽

Vaccination Rate ◽

World Health ◽

Low Income Countries ◽

The Past ◽

The World ◽

Psychosocial Challenges ◽

Health Organization ◽

The Uk ◽

Fourth Wave

It has been a year and half since the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. As of July 23, 2021, more than 193 million people worldwide have been confirmed to contract the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), with more than 4.15 million deaths. In Korea, about 185,000 people have been confirmed and 2,066 have died of COVID-19. Korea is in the middle of the fourth wave of trends, and the metropolitan area is in the top stage of social distancing. Since the SARS-CoV-2 vaccination began in the UK in December 2020, the number of people who complete vaccination is only 13.3% around the world, and many low-income countries have less than 5%. In Korea, the first vaccination rate was 32.27%, but only 13% completed the vaccination until July 23. As expected, there has been a lot of confusion, controversy, and even fake news and rumors over the past five months since the vaccination against COVID-19 began in Korea on February 26, 2021. People’s views on vaccination are bound to vary depending on their experience, perspective, and even political stance. In this article, we wanted to introduce the arguments and conflicts that could arise during vaccinations and suggest what we should think about so that many people can get vaccinated without hesitation.

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E-Mental health in Pakistan: a pilot study of training and supervision in child psychiatry using the internet

Psychiatric Bulletin ◽

10.1192/pb.30.4.149 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 30 (4) ◽

pp. 149-152 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

Atif Rahman ◽

Asad Nizami ◽

Aisha Minhas ◽

Rashda Niazi ◽

Munir Slatch ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Information Technology ◽

Mental Health Professionals ◽

Brain Drain ◽

Low Income ◽

Research Capacity ◽

Low Income Countries ◽

Highly Qualified ◽

The Usa ◽

The Uk

The ‘brain drain’, resulting from the recruitment by the UK of highly qualified mental health professionals from middle- and low-income countries, has been described as a serious problem effecting the service provision, training and research capacity of these countries (Doku & Mallett, 2003; Thara et al, 2004). Although this issue is important, the benefits of such migration are seldom highlighted. Professionals who migrate often invest in families and businesses in their home country and are a source of valuable foreign income. Many professionals undergo specialised training and gain experience not available in their home countries and then return to provide an enhanced level of service (Tareen, 2000). Such movement may also serve a catalytic purpose. An example of a sector that has gained enormously from the so-called brain drain is information technology in India, which is built largely around expatriates in the USA and their networks back home. The high profile of Indian information technology experts has encouraged a whole new generation to pursue excellence in this field.

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Strengthening Country Readiness for Pandemic-Related Mass Movement: Policy Lessons Learned

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18126377 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (12) ◽

pp. 6377

Author(s):

Matteo Dembech ◽

Zoltan Katz ◽

Istvan Szilard

Keyword(s):

Low Income ◽

Mass Movement ◽

Policy Option ◽

Lessons Learned ◽

Policy Framework ◽

Low Income Countries ◽

Infection Prevention And Control ◽

Mass Migration ◽

Health Response ◽

The Uk

The COVID-19 pandemic has thus far restricted the large movement of people; nonetheless, we cannot exclude the disruptive power of a virus with similar characteristics to COVID-19 affecting both high- and low-income countries, as a factor for future mass migrations. Indeed, the top 15 countries affected by COVID-19 host about 9 million refugees, and it is, therefore, important to investigate and strengthen the readiness of countries’ health policies to ensure they are well equipped to deal with potential large influxes of ‘epidemic-related refugees and migrants.’ Using the Bardach Policy Framework as a tool for analysis, this article investigates the readiness of countries for a potential public health event (mass migration generated by future pandemics), therefore, aiming at a health response forecasting exercise. The article reviews the policies put in place by countries who faced large influxes of migrants between 2011 and 2015 (the policy-prolific years between the Arab Spring migration and the introduction of stringent measures in Europe) and new evidence generated in response to the COVID-19 pandemic (including the ‘ECDC Guidance on infection prevention and control of COVID-19 in migrant and refugee reception and detention centres in the EU/EEA and the UK’ and the ‘WHO Lancet priority for dealing with migration and COVID-19′) to formulate a policy option able to strengthen national system capacities for responding to influxes of epidemic-related migrants and the management of highly infectious diseases.

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