Determinants of health and education equality: evidence from post-Soviet states

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Angelo Vito Panaro
Keyword(s):  
Civil Society ◽  
Social Policy ◽  
Civil Liberties ◽  
Regime Type ◽  
Social Equality ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Civil Society Organisations ◽  
Regime Types

PurposeThis article examines the determinants of social equality in the education and healthcare sectors in the 15 post-Soviet states. Focussing on regime type and civil society organisations (CSOs), it argues that countries where liberal principles of democracy are achieved or have a stronger civil society deliver a more equitable social policy.Design/methodology/approachThe empirical analysis rests upon a time-series cross-sectional (TSCS) analysis from 1992 to 2019. Data are collected from the Quality of Government (QoG) Dataset 2020 and the Variates of Democracy (V-DEM) Dataset 2020.FindingsThe findings demonstrate that while regime type only partially accounts for social equality, as electoral autocracies do not have more equitable social policy than close regime types and democracy weakly explains equality levels, the strength of CSOs is associated with more equality.Originality/valueThe article challenges dominant approaches that consider electoral democracy to be related to more equal social policy and demonstrates that de-facto free and fair elections do not impinge on social equality, while the strength of liberal and civil liberties and CSOs correlate with more equitable social policy.

scholarly journals Recovery, quality of life and issues in supported housing among residents with co-occurring problems: a cross-sectional study

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 73-87
Author(s):  
Linda Nesse ◽  
Marianne Thorsen Gonzalez ◽  
Geir Aamodt ◽  
Ruth Kjærsti Raanaas
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Supported Housing ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Housing Satisfaction ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Staff Support ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Sense Of Home

Purpose Recovery for residents who experience co-occurring problems and live in supported housing takes place in everyday contexts. This study aims to explore residents’ self-reported recovery and quality of life and examine the relationships between these factors and issues in supported housing. Design/methodology/approach A cross-sectional study was conducted at 21 supported housing sites in six cities across Norway. A total of 104 residents (76 men and 28 women) responded to measures of recovery (Recovery Assessment Scale – Revised), life satisfaction (Manchester Short Assessment of Quality of Life), affect (single items), staff support (Brief INSPIRE) and sense of home (single items). Findings Linear regression analyses indicated associations between recovery and staff support (B = 0.01, 95% CI = 0.01-0.02, ß = 0.39), housing satisfaction (B = 0.15, 95% CI = 0.07-0.22, ß = 0.38), sense of home (B = 0.23, 95% CI = 0.14-0.32, ß = 0.49) and satisfaction with personal economy (B = 0.11, 95% CI = 0.05-0.17, ß = 0.33). Similarly, associations were found between life satisfaction and staff support (B = 0.03, 95% CI = 0.02-0.04, ß = 0.46), housing satisfaction (B = 0.63, 95% CI = 0.46-0.80, ß = 0.60), sense of home (B = 0.65, 95% CI = 0.42-0.87, ß = 0.51) and satisfaction with personal economy (B = 0.34, 95% CI = 0.19-0.50, ß = 0.39). Originality/value The findings imply that core issues in supported housing, namely, staff support, housing satisfaction, sense of home and satisfaction with personal economy, are associated with recovery and quality of life.

Can foreign aid motivate institutional reform? An evaluation of the HIPC Initiative

2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 242-258 ◽  
Author(s):  
Minh Tam Schlosky ◽  
Andrew Young
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Aid ◽  
Developing Economies ◽  
Poor Country ◽  
Civil Liberties ◽  
Institutional Reform ◽  
Institutional Quality ◽  
Entrepreneurial Activity ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Hipc Initiative

Purpose A number of political economy concerns are associated with the provision of foreign aid to developing economies. These concerns suggest that foreign aid is likely to have harmful effects on a recipient’s institutional quality, and that attempts to give aid conditional on policy and institutional reforms are unlikely to succeed. Established in 1996, the Heavily Indebted Poor Country (HIPC) Initiative is a comprehensive, structured attempt to provide multilateral foreign aid conditional on reforms in recipient countries. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate its effectiveness at affecting institutional reform in participating countries. Design/methodology/approach The authors document how participating countries fared in terms of the quality of their policies and institutions. The authors employ the Fraser Institute’s Economic Freedom of the World index as a measure of economic institutions, and the Freedom House political rights (PR) and civil liberties indices as measures of PR and protections. Based on these measures, the authors report unconditional statistics (e.g. average changes) and also regressions of changes in the measures on HIPC Initiative aid allocations and other controls. Findings The authors find that most participating countries experienced either meager increases or outright decreases in institutional quality. The regression results provide no evidence that the Initiative affects meaningful reforms. Originality/value The potential for foreign aid to have deleterious effects on the institutional quality of recipient countries has been of increasing concern to students of economic development. Such effects can have important implications for entrepreneurial activity in these countries. The HIPC Initiative is specifically designed to acknowledge and, indeed, overcome these concerns, leading to actual increases in institutional quality of recipient countries. To the authors’ knowledge, this work is the first to assess whether the promise of the HIPC Initiative is being fulfilled.

Cross-sectional study of the quality of neonatal care services in Armenia

2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (8) ◽  
pp. 1145-1161
Author(s):  
Suren H. Galstyan ◽  
Hrant Z. Kalenteryan ◽  
Arshak S. Djerdjerian ◽  
Hovhannes S. Ghazaryan ◽  
Naira T. Gharakhanyan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mortality Rate ◽  
Quality Assessment ◽  
Neonatal Care ◽  
Health Facilities ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Neonatal Deaths ◽  
Live Births ◽  
Care Services

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to report the assessment results of the quality of neonatal care services in Armenia and to describe the identified obstacles to improving the quality of care for newborn infants. Design/methodology/approach The study carried out a cross-sectional descriptive design. The data were collected in health facilities with different levels of neonatal care that were selected employing a multi-stage, stratified purposeful sampling design. The quality of neonatal services was assessed using the generic WHO tool. Data collection was performed using face-to-face semi-structured interviews, hospital statistics, medical records and direct observations. Findings In 31 study hospitals, 31,976 deliveries were performed resulting in 31,701 live births and 734 stillbirths. About 85 percent of all neonatal deaths was attributable to early neonatal deaths with over 48 percent occurring during the first 24 h of life. The proportion of neonatal deaths was highest in infants with low birth weight constituting 92.8 percent of all neonatal deaths. The total neonatal mortality rate was 3.50 per 1,000 live births, whereas stillbirth rate and perinatal mortality rate were 22.60 and 25.26 per 1,000 total births in 2015. Specific indicators with relatively lower mean scores included neonatal resuscitation, early breastfeeding, monitoring of newborn conditions, neonatal sepsis, feeding standards, total parenteral nutrition, and infection treatment. Originality/value Given the limited scope of research on quality assessment, this paper provides valuable information on the status of quality of neonatal care services in Armenian health facilities. This work also extends the existing studies focused on quality assessment through applying the model of Avedis Donabedian with the structure–process–outcomes approach as a theoretical basis.

Visitation and quality of life among older adults in jail

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie Grace Prost ◽  
Meghan A. Novisky
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Relationships ◽  
Developmental Theory ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose The purpose of this paper aims to examine differences in measures of and relationships between visitation and quality of life (QOL) among older and younger jailed adults. The authors also explored the contribution of visitation to QOL among adults in this setting. The authors anticipated fewer visits and lower QOL among older adults. Framed by psychosocial developmental theory, the authors also anticipated a larger effect in the relationship between visitation and QOL among older rather than younger adults and that visitation would contribute most readily to psychological QOL. Design/methodology/approach Cross-sectional data from a large US jail were used (n = 264). The authors described the sample regarding visitation and QOL measures among older (≥45) and younger adults (≤44) and examined differences in measures of and relationships between visitation and QOL using independent sample t-tests and bivariate analyses. The authors explored the contribution of visitation to psychological, social relationships, physical and environmental QOL among jailed adults using hierarchical multiple linear regression. Findings Older adults had fewer family visits and lower physical QOL than younger adults, disparities were moderate in effect (d range = 0.33–0.35). A significant difference also emerged between groups regarding the visitation and environmental QOL relationship (z = 1.66, p <0.05). Visitation contributed to variation in physical and social relationships QOL among jailed adults (Beta range = 0.19–0.24). Originality/value Limited research exists among jailed older adults and scholars have yet to examine the relationship between visitation and QOL among persons in these settings.

A generic investigation process for South African commercial forensic practitioners

2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 587-600 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacobus Gerhardus J. Nortje ◽  
Daniel P. Bredenkamp
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Best Practices ◽  
South African ◽  
Governance Structure ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Cross Sectional Design ◽  
Investigation Process

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to critically analyse and discuss the identification of a generic investigation process to be followed by the commercial forensic practitioner in South Africa. Design/methodology/approach This paper is a cross-sectional design that commenced with a review of the current available literature, highlighting the different approaches, processes and best practices used in local and international forensic practices. The methodology includes primary data collected with questionnaires from commercial forensic practitioner (N = 75) process users. Findings This paper identifies the following five distinct categories in the forensic investigation process, with sub-processes, namely, initiation, planning, execution, reporting and reflection. Research limitations/implications The study focuses only on the South African members of the Institute of Commercial Forensic Practitioners (ICFP) fraternity in South Africa as the ICFP is a leading body that, through membership, offers a recognised professional qualification in commercial forensics. Practical implications An investigation process for commercial forensic practitioners in South Africa could be used by the ICFP that would provide a governance structure for the ICFP. Originality/value The originality of this paper lies in setting out of an account of forensic accounting processes and best practices nationally and internationally. The missing knowledge is that no such research is known to have been conducted in South Africa. Currently, to the authors’ knowledge, no formalised investigation process exists. The contribution of the study is that by using an investigation process, it may enhance the quality of forensic investigations and contribute to the successful investigation and prosecution of commercial crime in South Africa that will be beneficial to all stakeholders.

Inter-professional physician-nurse collaboration in Lebanon

2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 34-45
Author(s):  
Hala Ahmadieh ◽  
Ghali H. Majzoub ◽  
Faraj M. Abou Radi ◽  
Areej H. Abou Baraki
Keyword(s):  
Patient Care ◽  
Care Delivery ◽  
Postgraduate Education ◽  
Local Context ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Nurses And Physicians

PurposeA physician–nurse relationship is a complex, professional and shared-decision-making process, which is an important predictor of high-quality patient care. The purpose of this paper is to explore the attitude of the physician–nurse relationship in Southern Lebanon hospitals.Design/methodology/approachA descriptive institutional cross-sectional study was conducted among different departments of three hospitals in Southern Lebanon using a validated Jefferson Scale of Attitude.FindingsIn sum, 89 physicians and 245 nurses accepted to participate. The nurses’ mean age was 32 and the physicians’ was 44. The mean score was found to be 46 for all participants, with significantly higher scores noted among nurses compared to physicians (48 vs 43, respectively) and higher scores among females compared to males (48 vs 46, respectively). However, the study scored no significant difference in relation to the degrees attained by nurses and the participants’ years of experience. The majority had agreed that the shortage in the nurses’ staff affects proper patient care delivery. One fourth of the physicians disagreed that nurses should be considered as a collaborator and colleague. Therefore, more work is required to improve this collaboration.Research limitations/implicationsThere is a complex relationship normally displayed by physicians and nurses, which cannot be easily interpreted and analyzed. Physicians and nurses may have given socially desirable responses while filling the questionnaire. Even more, this study was conducted in Hospitals in Southern Lebanon, and it would be nice to extend this study to include further hospitals in other regions in Lebanon as well.Practical implicationsNurses had higher scores toward collaboration, with females scoring higher than males. However, overall scores are considered to be lower compared to other countries. Thus, more efforts should be done on improving this communication among nurses and physicians, through promoting inter-professional undergraduate and postgraduate education training toward more effective communication.Social implicationsQuality of patient care would be improved if more work is done on improving the collaboration between physicians and nurses, and this was shown to be required as per study results.Originality/valueThere is a gap in literature assessing this important topic which is the collaboration and attitude of nurses and physicians toward their relationship in Lebanon. It is extremely important that efforts should be taken in order to determine the type of nurse–physician relationship in every local context as this relationship affects quality of patients’ care.

Working within associations: recognition in the public space for women?

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annie Dussuet ◽  
Érika Flahault
Keyword(s):  
Civil Society ◽  
Public Space ◽  
Poor Quality ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Economic Role ◽  
The Public ◽  
Civil Society Organisations ◽  
The Poor ◽  
Paid Employment

Today, working in paid employment is the norm for women in France, and many of them are working in associations, which the authors regard as a specific type of civil society organisations. In this chapter, the authors enquire whether working in associations can lead to women’s emancipation. Firstly, they show that associations play an important economic role for women and create a particularly distinctive relationship to work, but they also emphasise the poor quality of the jobs in which women are disproportionately represented. The authors then discuss the effects of women’s employment in associations in terms of emancipation: they suggest that associations tend to maintain gendered norms rather than challenging them even when the organisations are feminist oriented. The risk is then that women may not achieve real recognition for their contribution unless the associations engage in a clear policy in favour of equality between men and women.

The association between disclosure of forward-looking information and corporate governance mechanisms

2014 ◽  
Vol 29 (7) ◽  
pp. 578-595 ◽  
Author(s):  
Basil Al-Najjar ◽  
Suzan Abed
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Audit Committee ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Governance Mechanisms ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Corporate Governance Mechanisms ◽  
Computerized Content Analysis ◽  
Forward Looking

Purpose – This paper aims to witness the importance of corporate governance mechanisms and investigates the relationship between the quality of disclosure of forward-looking information in the narrative sections of annual reports and the governance mechanisms for non-financial UK companies. Design/methodology/approach – Computerized content analysis using QSR NVivo 8 is used to measure the extent of forward-looking information in the narratives of the annual reports for 238 companies listed in the London Stock Exchange. Cross-sectional regression analysis is used to examine the impact of the corporate governance mechanisms on forward-looking information. Findings – The results show that board size and the independence of the audit committee are associated with the level of voluntary disclosure of forward-looking information. Research limitations/implication – One limitation of this study is that in controls for the effect of the financial crisis period, by selecting a representative year for a five-year period, 2006. The authors argument in using this year is based on the fact that the main variables of interest do not vary significantly with time, the cross-sectional analysis of the selected period will provide a fair view of the last five year-period. Practical implications – The authors report the importance of some governance practices in the UK, such as the role of the board members as well as the importance of audit committee independence. Originality/value – This paper contributes to the literature by using computerized content analysis to examine the relation between corporate governance mechanism and disclosure quality of forward-looking information using sample of companies before financial crisis period. The authors also examine governance mechanisms that are under-researched in the field of forward-looking disclosure.

Quality of patient information in emergency department

2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 108-119 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mehrdad Farzandipour ◽  
Mahtab Karami ◽  
Mohsen Arbabi ◽  
Sakine Abbasi Moghadam
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Department ◽  
Information System ◽  
Patient Information ◽  
Hospital Information System ◽  
Quality Data ◽  
Quality Of Data ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Emergency Patients

Purpose Data comprise one of the key resources currently used in organizations. High-quality data are those that are appropriate for use by the customer. The quality of data is a key factor in determining the level of healthcare in hospitals, and its improvement leads to an improved quality of health and treatment and ultimately increases patient satisfaction. The purpose of this paper is to assess the quality of emergency patients’ information in a hospital information system. Design/methodology/approach This cross-sectional study was conducted on 385 randomly selected records of patients admitted to the emergency department of Shahid Beheshti Hospital in Kashan, Iran, in 2016. Data on five dimensions of quality, including accuracy, accessibility, timeliness, completeness and definition, were collected using a researcher-made checklist and were then analyzed in SPSS. The results are presented using descriptive statistics, such as frequency distribution and percentage. Findings The overall quality of emergency patients’ information in the hospital information system was 86 percent, and the dimensions of quality scored 87.7 percent for accuracy, 86.8 percent for completeness, 83.9 percent for timeliness, 79 percent for definition and 62.1 percent for accessibility. Originality/value Increasing the quality of patient information at emergency departments can lead to improvements in the timely diagnosis and management of diseases and patient and personnel satisfaction, and reduce hospital costs.

Patients’ perspectives of emergency care quality and priorities for care improvement

2017 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 234-245 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lily Yarney ◽  
Roger Ayimbillah Atinga
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Care ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Care Quality ◽  
Public Hospitals ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Logistic Regression Models ◽  
Central Regions ◽  
Care Improvement

Purpose Studies have examined strategies implemented to strengthen quality of emergency care in healthcare provider institutions in Ghana. But few studies have focused on what determines quality of emergency care from the patient’s perspective. The purpose of this paper is to fill that gap by examining factors salient to gauging quality of emergency care and priority areas for care improvement. Design/methodology/approach Cross-sectional data were collected from patients admitted in emergency units of public hospitals in two regions: Greater Accra and Central Regions. A structured questionnaire designed with inputs from emergency medicine physicians and patients was used to collect data from 381 patients. Principal component analysis (PCA) and logistic regression models were computed to respectively determine salient measures of emergency care quality and their association with patient overall perceived quality of emergency care. Findings Using the PCA, four factors (social and relational care, attentive prehospitalised care, ward quality and privacy and medical supplies) were derived as salient measures of emergency care quality. All the factors derived had statistically significant association with patient overall perception of quality. Originality/value Emergency care quality improvement strategies that incorporate the dimensions identified can produce effective therapeutic outcomes.

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