scholarly journals Are COVID-19 data reliable? The case of the European Union

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pavlos Kolias
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Statistical Tests ◽  
Vaccination Rate ◽  
Benford’S Law ◽  
Health Coverage ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Country Level ◽  
Benford's Law ◽  
The Media ◽  
Two Measures

Previous studies have used Benford's distribution to assess whether there is misreporting of COVID-19 cases and deaths. Data inaccuracies provide false information to the media, undermine global response and hinder the preventive measures taken by countries worldwide. In this study, we analyze daily new cases and deaths from all the countries of the European Union and estimate the conformance to Benford's distribution. For each country, two statistical tests and two measures of deviations are calculated to determine whether the reported statistics comply with the expected distribution. Four country-level developmental indexes are also included, the GDP per capita, health expenditures, the Universal Health Coverage index, and full vaccination rate. Regression analysis is implemented to show whether the deviation from Benford's distribution is affected by the aforementioned indexes. The findings indicate that only three countries were in line with the expected distribution, Bulgaria, Croatia, and Romania. For daily cases, Denmark, Greece, and Ireland, showed the greatest deviation from Benford's distribution, and for deaths, Malta, Cyprus, Greece, Italy, and Luxemburg had the highest deviation from Benford's law. Furthermore, it was found that the vaccination rate is positively associated with deviation from Benford's distribution. These results suggest that overall official data provided by authorities are not confirming Benford's law, yet this approach acts as a preliminary tool for data verification. More extensive studies should be made with a more thorough investigation of countries that showed the greatest deviation.

scholarly journals Gaps in coverage and access in the European Union

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
E Webb ◽  
W Palm ◽  
E van Ginneken ◽  
S Lessof ◽  
L Siciliani ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Health Systems ◽  
Current Data ◽  
Vulnerable Groups ◽  
Undocumented Migrants ◽  
Health Coverage ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Income Status ◽  
Barriers To Access ◽  
Collection Practice

Abstract Background At the request of the European Commission, the Observatory on Health Systems and Policies and the HSPM network have undertaken a study to explore gaps in universal health coverage in the European Union and increase the level of granularity in terms of areas or groups where accessibility is sub-optimal. Methods To explore these gaps more systematically a survey was developed based on the so-called cube model that comprises different dimensions determining health coverage, including population coverage, service coverage and cost coverage. In addition, access can also be hampered by other factors, which relate more to the physical availability of care, a person's ability to obtain necessary care or the attitude of the provider. The survey was sent to country contacts from the Health Systems and Policy Monitor network. Results Within the diversity of country cases found in the survey, the most significant barriers for accessing health care still seem to be associated with social and income status, rather than specific medical conditions. However, groups like mentally ill, homeless, frail elderly, undocumented migrants are more likely to face multiple layers of exclusion and complex barriers to access. Conclusions Health system interventions can close access gaps for these vulnerable groups and address inequities in access to care. Through detailed coverage design countries can indeed determine the extent to which financial hardship and catastrophic out-of-pocket spending can be prevented. Furthermore, scope exists to improve current data collection practice.

scholarly journals Trust in the European Union: Effects of the information environment

2018 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-73 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Brosius ◽  
Erika J van Elsas ◽  
Claes H de Vreese
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Content Analysis ◽  
Survey Data ◽  
News Media ◽  
Information Environment ◽  
Direct Effects ◽  
The European Union ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Media

Over the past decade, the European Union has lost the trust of many citizens. This article investigates whether and how media information, in particular visibility and tonality, impact trust in the European Union among citizens. Combining content analysis and Eurobarometer survey data from 10 countries between 2004 and 2015, we study both direct and moderating media effects. Media tone and visibility have limited direct effects on trust in the European Union, but they moderate the relation between trust in national institutions and trust in the European Union. This relation is amplified when the European Union is more visible in the media and when media tone is more positive towards the European Union, whereas it is dampened when media tone is more negative. The findings highlight the role of news media in the crisis of trust in the European Union.

scholarly journals National Market Protectionist Gambling Policies in the European Union: The Finnish Gambling Monopoly Merger as a Case in Point

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jani Selin ◽  
Matilda Hellman ◽  
Tuulia Lerkkanen
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Systemic Change ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Policy Objective ◽  
Public Funds ◽  
National Market ◽  
The Media ◽  
Gambling Operators ◽  
Human Desire ◽  
Gambling Market

A rapidly growing globalized and digitalized gambling industry has compelled European jurisdictions to take action in order to secure some level of gambling market control, to secure public funds from gambling, and to protect citizens from gambling-related harm. This study concerns the market protectionist endeavour to merge three gambling operators into one state-owned monopoly in Finland in 2017. The justification of the systemic change is analysed in key policy documents and media reporting that discerns the political narratives that nudged the monopoly merger from the idea stage to its completion. Within the narratives, the merger is presented as necessary due to the threats of market intrusion by foreign gambling operators and the likelihood of an internal system implosion framed by European Union (EU) law. The worries expressed in the studied materials plug into a general zeitgeist of globalization. The justifications of the systemic change presuppose the inevitable determination of the change and an innate and constant human desire to gamble. Critical views on the merger were introduced in the media at a late stage, stressing the role of the media as a facilitator and manufacturer of political consent. The study demonstrates how market protectionist justifications can, through the maintenance of a regulated gambling market, assure preservation of national public funds obtained from gambling in the EU. The official gambling policy objective of securing public health played a secondary role in the process.RésuméLa croissance fulgurante de l’industrie du jeu, mondialisée et numérisée, a incité les autorités européennes à prendre des mesures afin d’assurer un certain contrôle sur ce marché, de garantir les fonds publics provenant du jeu et de protéger les citoyens des dommages liés au jeu. Cette étude porte sur la tentative protectionniste de la Finlande de fusionner trois exploitants de jeux d’argent en un monopole d’État en 2017. On analyse les raisons justifiant le changement systémique dans des documents politiques clés et des reportages dans les médias en mettant en évidence le contenu narratif politique qui a conduit à la fusion du monopole, depuis la naissance de l’idée jusqu’à sa concrétisation. Dans ce contenu narratif, la fusion est présentée comme une nécessité en raison des menaces d’intrusion par des exploitants de jeux étrangers et la probabilité d’une implosion du système interne encadré par le droit de l’UE. Les inquiétudes exprimées dans les documents analysés cadrent avec une tendance généralisée à l’égard de la mondialisation. Les fondements qui sous-tendent ce changement systémique présupposent l’inévitabilité du changement et un désir inné et constant de jouer chez l’être humain. Les points de vue critiques sur la fusion sont présentés tardivement dans les médias, ce qui confirme le rôle des médias comme facilitateur et créateur de consentement politique. L’étude montre que les justifications protectionnistes du marché peuvent, par le maintien d’une réglementation du marché des jeux, garantir l’apport de fonds publics nationaux générés par les jeux de hasard dans l’UE. L’objectif officiel de la politique en matière de jeu visant à protéger la santé publique a joué un rôle de second plan dans le processus.

scholarly journals Competing for Capitals: The Great Fragmentation of the firm and varieties of FDI attraction profiles in the European Union

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arjan Reurink ◽  
Javier Garcia-Bernardo
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Firm Level ◽  
Holding Companies ◽  
Investment Projects ◽  
Country Level ◽  
Level Data ◽  
Shared Service ◽  
Investment Capital ◽  
Fdi Attraction

Economic globalization has pressured countries to compete with one another for firms’ investment capital. Analyses of such competition draw heavily on foreign direct investment (FDI) statistics. In and of themselves, however, FDI statistics are merely a quantification of the value of firms’ investment projects and tell us little about the heterogeneity of these projects and the distinct patterns of competitive dynamics between countries they generate. Here, we create a more sophisticated understanding of international competition for FDI by pointing out its variegated nature. To do so, we trace the “great fragmentation of the firm” to distinguish between five categories of FDI: manufacturing affiliates, shared service centers, R&D facilities, intermediate holding companies, and top holding companies. Using a novel combination of firm-level and country-level data, we identify for each of these different categories which European Union member states are most successful in attracting it, what macro-institutional and tax arrangements are present in them, and what benefits they receive from it in terms of tax revenues and employment creation. In this way, we are able to identify five distinct “FDI attraction profiles” and show that competition increasingly appears to take place amongst subsets of countries that compete for similar categories of FDI.

scholarly journals Disagreement on cancer drug decisions in Europe

2020 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 232-238
Author(s):  
Laia Maynou ◽  
John Cairns
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Health Technology ◽  
European Countries ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Cancer Drug ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Reliability Measures ◽  
Drug Reimbursement ◽  
Two Measures ◽  
Voluntary Cooperation

ObjectivesDespite the efforts of the European Union (EU) to promote voluntary cooperation among Health Technology Assessment (HTA) agencies, different reimbursement decisions for the same drug are made across European countries. The aim of this paper is to compare the agreement of cancer drug reimbursement decisions using inter-rater reliability measures.MethodsThis study is based on primary data on 161 cancer drug reimbursement decisions from nine European countries from 2002 to 2014. To achieve our goal, we use two measures to analyze agreement, in other words, congruency: (i) percentage of agreement and (ii) the κ score.ResultsOne main conclusion can be drawn from the analysis. There is a weak to medium agreement among cancer drug decisions in the European countries analyzed (based on the percentage of agreement and the κ score). England and Scotland show the highest consistency between the two measures, showing a medium agreement. These results are in line with previous literature on the congruency of HTA decisions.ConclusionsThis paper contributes to the HTA literature, by highlighting the extent of weak to medium agreement among cancer decisions in Europe.

scholarly journals Influence, affluence and media salience: Economic resources and lobbying influence in the European Union

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 728-750 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frederik Stevens ◽  
Iskander De Bruycker
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
News Media ◽  
Economic Resources ◽  
Policy Outcomes ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Policy Issues ◽  
The Public ◽  
Beneficial Role ◽  
The Media

This paper evaluates the circumstances under which affluent interest groups wield influence over policy outcomes. Interest group scholarship is ambiguous about the beneficial role of economic resources for lobbying influence. Economically resourceful groups are often presumed to provide more and better expert information to decision-makers and, in exchange, receive more favourable policy concessions. We argue that the beneficial role of economic resources is contingent on the media salience of policy dossiers. We expect that resourceful groups are more influential when issues are discussed behind the public scenes, while their competitive advantage dampens once issues grow salient in the news media. We test our expectations in the context of European Union policymaking, drawing from 183 expert surveys with lobbyists connected to a sample of 41 policy issues. Our empirical findings demonstrate that economic resources matter for lobbying influence, but that their effect is conditional on the media salience of policy issues.

Institutional trust and multilevel government in the European Union: Congruence or compensation?

2011 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 551-574 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jordi Muñoz ◽  
Mariano Torcal ◽  
Eduard Bonet
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Hierarchical Linear Modeling ◽  
European Social Survey ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Linear Modeling ◽  
Country Level ◽  
National Institutions ◽  
Using Data ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
The Eu

Does trust in national institutions foster or hinder trust in the institutions of the European Union (EU)? There is no agreement in the literature on popular support for the EU about the direction of the relationship between trust in national and European institutions. Some scholars argue that both will be positively related, others have proposed the opposite hypothesis: low levels of trust in national institutions will lead citizens to higher levels of support for the EU. We argue that both hypotheses are true but operate at different levels: whereas more trusting citizens tend to be so in both the national and the European arenas, we also find that at the country level the relationship is negative: living in a country with highly trusted and well-performing institutions hinders trust in the European Parliament. We test our hypotheses using data from the European Social Survey and Hierarchical Linear Modeling.

Explaining the visibility of EU citizens: a multi-level analysis of European Union news

2015 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 233-253 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefanie Walter
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
European Parliament ◽  
Eu Member States ◽  
Country Level ◽  
The Media ◽  
Multi Level ◽  
Different Levels ◽  
Level Analysis ◽  
The Eu

This article analyses the visibility of European Union (EU) citizens in EU news during the 2009 European Parliament election. It argues that the presence of EU citizens in EU news is vital for responsiveness of European governance. First, the theoretical notion of EU citizens is considered. Next, a new way of defining EU citizens is proposed: EU citizens are divided into national and supranational EU citizens. The visibility of EU citizens in EU news of 27 EU member states is analysed aiming to explain cross-country differences. The paper is based on a large-scale content analysis of TV and newspaper articles gathered during the 2009 European Parliament election. To explain different levels of visibility, a multi-level analysis is carried out. The results suggest that EU citizens are visible in the EU news, yet, their presence strongly varies across countries. The findings indicate that explanations for different levels of visibility can be found at both the media and country level.

scholarly journals Higher education in the EU countries: comparative geographical analysis

2019 ◽  
Vol 69 ◽  
pp. 00131
Author(s):  
Marina Voronina
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
European Union ◽  
Comparative Analysis ◽  
University Students ◽  
Age Structure ◽  
Faculty Members ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Country Level ◽  
Cross Country ◽  
The Eu

The article analyzes indicators of higher education in the European Union: the number of higher education institutions; the number of university students; changes in the number of faculty members, age structure; higher education expenses; cost of training one student. A similar study was conducted by the author in 2006. The article provides a comparative analysis of indicators for 2001-2016. The analysis uses data from EUROSTAT which were interpreted at the cross-country level.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document