scholarly journals Effect of easing lockdown and restriction measures on COVID-19 epidemic projection: A case study of Saudi Arabia

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (9) ◽  
pp. e0256958
Author(s):  
Shafiun Nahin Shimul ◽  
Angi Alradie-Mohamed ◽  
Russell Kabir ◽  
Abdulrahman Al-Mohaimeed ◽  
Ilias Mahmud
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Health Benefit ◽  
Steady Growth ◽  
Advanced Economies ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Period Data ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Cost

Objectives In this study we compared two predictions of COVID-19 cases in the Kingdom Saudi Arabia (KSA) using pre–and post–relaxation of lockdown period data to provide an insight regarding rational exit strategies. We also applied these projections to understand economic costs versus health benefit of lockdown measures. Methods We analyzed open access data on COVID-19 cases from March 6 to January 16, 2021 in the KSA. To understand the epidemic projection during the pre- and post-lockdown period, we used two types of modeling: the SIR model, and the time series model. We also estimated the costs and benefits of lockdown- QALY gained compared to the costs of lockdown considering the payment threshold of the Government. Results Prediction using lockdown period data suggested that the epidemic might slow down significantly after 109 thousand cases and end on October 6, 2020. However, analysis with latest data after easing lockdown measures suggested that epidemic might be close to an end on October 28, 2021 with 358 thousand cases. The peak has also been shifted from May 18, 2020 to Jun 24, 2020. While earlier model predicted a steady growth in mid-June, the revised model with latest data predicted it in mid-August. In addition, we estimated that 4986 lives would have been saved if lockdown continued but the cost per life saved would be more than $378 thousand, which is way above not only the KSA threshold, but also the threshold of any other highly advanced economies such as the UK and the USA. Conclusions Our results suggest that relaxation of lockdown measures negatively impacts the epidemic. However, considering the negative impact of prolong lockdown measures on health and economy, countries must decide on the best timing and strategy to exit from such measures to safely return to normal life with minimum loss of lives and economy considering its economic and health systems’ capacity. Instead of focusing only on health, a balanced approach taking economy under consideration is recommended.

Criteria for the Evaluation of Social Policy Effectiveness of States

2014 ◽  
pp. 87-97
Author(s):  
V. Sautkina
Keyword(s):  
Developed Countries ◽  
Legal Aspects ◽  
Educational Services ◽  
State Control ◽  
National Education ◽  
Current State ◽  
The Usa ◽  
The Government ◽  
High Level ◽  
The Cost

The following article is devoted to the study of current state of national education and healthcare systems. The cost of services in these areas constantly increases, there for even developed countries are forced to make significant efforts in order to maintain earlier achieved results. Due to this reason countries entered into the period of constant reforms with the purpose of maintaining that high level of health and educational services for all segments of population with a constant reduction of its volume of financing. The legal aspects of these changes are requiring manifestation of the will of politicians in order to overcome the opposition of parties which are defending their interests. As an example, the main opponents of the healthcare reforms proposed by Barak Obama in the USA are Republicans who are concerned about a significant increase of a state control over the entire national insurance system. The author comes to the conclusion that only joint actions of the government and every segment of population might actually improve the quality of medical and educational services.

Parliamentary Oversight of Independent Regulatory Authorities in India

2018 ◽  
Vol 64 (3) ◽  
pp. 487-501
Author(s):  
Surendra Kumar
Keyword(s):  
Regulatory Policy ◽  
Regulatory Reform ◽  
Business Environment ◽  
Regulatory Environment ◽  
Regulatory Authorities ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Institutional Contexts ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Parliamentary Oversight

Independent regulatory authorities have become an important component of the governance landscape in India and elsewhere. Some regulators have achieved useful outcomes in India. However, the creation of independent sectoral regulators in India has not been accompanied by critical reflection on their role, or attention to the political, legal and institutional contexts within which they operate. Lessons can be learnt from mature regulatory policy countries, such as the USA, the UK and Australia, that the regulatory environment needs to be constantly evaluated to make sure it is keeping pace with the changing technology, business environment and consumer needs and demands. Despite the number of bodies in India that are involved or responsible for regulatory reform, there is one function that seems to be missing and that is of a central oversight function. Most countries have an explicit whole of government regulatory policy and an oversight body, sometimes more than one, that is/are responsible for embedding some of the systemic tools across different parts of the government machinery.

The cost of consent: why healthcare providers must be compliant with the Montgomery principles

2020 ◽  
Vol 102-B (5) ◽  
pp. 550-555
Author(s):  
Nick Birch ◽  
Nick V. Todd
Keyword(s):  
Positive Impact ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
International Comparisons ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Public Healthcare ◽  
Health Board ◽  
Malpractice Claim ◽  
The Usa ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Cost

The cost of clinical negligence in the UK has continued to rise despite no increase in claims numbers from 2016 to 2019. In the US, medical malpractice claim rates have fallen each year since 2001 and the payout rate has stabilized. In Germany, malpractice claim rates for spinal surgery fell yearly from 2012 to 2017, despite the number of spinal operations increasing. In Australia, public healthcare claim rates were largely static from 2008 to 2013, but private claims rose marginally. The cost of claims rose during the period. UK and Australian trends are therefore out of alignment with other international comparisons. Many of the claims in orthopaedics occur as a result of “failure to warn”, i.e. lack of adequately documented and appropriate consent. The UK and USA have similar rates (26% and 24% respectively), but in Germany the rate is 14% and in Australia only 2%. This paper considers the drivers for the increased cost of clinical negligence claims in the UK compared to the USA, Germany and Australia, from a spinal and orthopaedic point of view, with a focus on “failure to warn” and lack of compliance with the principles established in February 2015 in the Supreme Court in the case of Montgomery v Lanarkshire Health Board. The article provides a description of the prevailing medicolegal situation in the UK and also calculates, from publicly available data, the cost to the public purse of the failure to comply with the principles established. It shows that compliance with the Montgomery principles would have an immediate and lasting positive impact on the sums paid by NHS Resolution to settle negligence cases in a way that has already been established in the USA. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2020;102-B(5):550–555.

scholarly journals (The Impact of Traffic Accidents on Development: A Contemporary Accounting Perspective, Asir governorate as a model - Saudi Arabia (2006-2013: أثر حوادث المرور على التنمية نظرة محاسبية معاصرة محافظة (عسير) نموذجاً المملكة العربية السعودية (2006– 2013)

2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shahabuddin Mohammed Ahmed Abdullah
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Community Development ◽  
Traffic Accidents ◽  
Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Cost ◽  
The Impact

The traffic accidents in the high ways and towns are still increasing, their effect on the community development clearly seen. The control of this problem is highly significant. The analysis of the data and the information about the traffic accidents, their direct, indirect, a variables and continues cost represented in curing the injured, paying the Diya, the cost of the medical operations on behalf of the government and the relatives of the injured dealt with through the accounting view. This paper aimed at measuring the effect of traffic accidents in terms of money, to be use for the development of Accer province – South of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The overall cost of the traffic accidents in 2013 is 23 pillions Riyal. The percentage of the injured is 30% per family. The cost account of traffic accidents in Accer province is 1. 6 pillions Riyal. These sums of money could have been use for the development of the province. The paper recommends The direct, indirect, a variables and continues costs of the traffic accidents should give a due consideration The traffic administration should give a due consideration as well, to be minimizing the number of the traffic accidents. There should be decisive practical measures to stop these accidents.

scholarly journals Earnings quality and the cost of equity capital: evidence on the impact of legal background

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmed Hassan Ahmed ◽  
Yasean Tahat ◽  
Yasser Eliwa ◽  
Bruce Burton
Keyword(s):  
Earnings Quality ◽  
Institutional Ownership ◽  
Equity Capital ◽  
Cost Of Equity Capital ◽  
Cost Of Equity ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Usa ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Cost ◽  
The Impact

Purpose Earnings quality is of great concern to corporate stakeholders, including capital providers in international markets with widely varying regulatory pedigrees and ownership patterns. This paper aims to examine the association between the cost of equity capital and earnings quality, contextualised via tests that incorporate the potential for moderating effects around institutional settings. The analysis focuses on and compares evidence relating to (common law) UK/US firms and (civil law) German firms over the period 2005–2018 and seeks to identify whether, given institutional dissimilarities, significant differences exist between the two settings. Design/methodology/approach First, the authors undertake a review of the extant literature on the link between earnings quality and the cost of capital. Second, using a sample of 948 listed companies from the USA, the UK and Germany over the period 2005 to 2018, the authors estimate four implied cost of equity capital proxies. The relationship between companies’ cost of equity capital and their earnings quality is then investigated. Findings Consistent with theoretical reasoning and prior empirical analyses, the authors find a statistically negative association between earnings quality, evidenced by information relating to accruals and the cost of equity capital. However, when they extend the analysis by investigating the combined effect of institutional ownership and earnings quality on financing cost, the impact – while negative overall – is found to vary across legal backdrops. Research limitations/implications This paper uses institutional ownership as a mediating variable in the association between earnings quality and the cost of equity capital, but this is not intended to suggest that other measures may be of relevance here and additional research might usefully expand the analysis to incorporate other forms of ownership including state and foreign bases. Second, and suggestive of another avenue for developing the work presented in the study, the authors have used accrual measures of earnings quality. Practical implications The results are shown to provide potentially important insights for policymakers, creditors and investors about the consequences of earnings quality variability. The results should be of interest to firms seeking to reduce their financing costs and retain financial viability in the wake of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. Originality/value The reported findings extends the single-country results of Eliwa et al. (2016) for the UK firms and Francis et al. (2005) for the USA, whereby both reported that the cost of equity capital is negatively associated with earnings quality attributes. Second, in a further increment to the extant literature (particularly Francis et al., 2005 and Eliwa et al., 2016), the authors find the effect of institutional ownership to be influential, with a significantly positive impact on the association between earnings quality and the cost of equity capital, suggesting in turn that institutional ownership can improve firms’ ability to secure cheaper funding by virtue of robust monitoring. While this result holds for the whole sample (the USA, the UK and Germany), country-level analysis shows that the result holds only for the common law countries (the UK and the USA) and not for Germany, consistent with the notion that extant legal systems are a determining factor in this context. This novel finding points to a role for institutional investors in watching and improving the quality of financial reports that are valued by the market in its price formation activity.

Public-private partnerships: A profitability analysis of the partnerships in the energy sector in Albania

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kostandin Nasto ◽  
Junada Sulillari
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Analysis ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Energy Sector ◽  
Future Generations ◽  
Public Private Partnerships ◽  
Public Finances ◽  
Profitability Analysis ◽  
The Future ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Cost

The aim of this study is to realize an analysis of public-private partnerships (PPPs) in Albania. Our focus will mainly be the PPPs in the energy sector. Public-private partnerships contracts have experienced a significant increase in the last decades in Albania. They have had a great impact on public finances of the country, this is why they have often been “attacked” for the negative impact that they might have on the actual and especially the future of the country. We will work to make a comparative analysis of the cost and benefits that Albania has had from signing these contracts. We will also work to analyze the management of these public-private partnerships during the pandemics, which will be helpful to reveal the possible difficulties that the government might have in managing them. Something that has inspired us to make a deeper analysis of them is related to the energy crises that the country has experienced in the last years. We want to “dig” deeper in order to see if these PPPs are really worth it or not. Is it worth or it brings a burden for the actual and future generations of Albania?

scholarly journals Tax or Subsidy? Optimal Carbon Emission Policy: A Supply Chain Perspective

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 1548 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xing Yin ◽  
Xiaolin Chen ◽  
Xiaolin Xu ◽  
Lianmin Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Carbon Emission ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Green Technology ◽  
Manufacturing Firm ◽  
Numerical Studies ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Government ◽  
Increasing Demand ◽  
The Cost

With a rigid requirement for environment protection, governments need to make appropriate policies to induce firms to adopt green technology in consideration of the rapidly increasing demand for environmentally friendly products. We investigated the government policy from the perspective of a supply chain, which consisted of the upstream government (she) and the downstream manufacturing firm (he). The government decided on the policy (tax or subsidy) to maximize the social welfare, while the firm decided on the greenness level of the product, which affects the consumers’ choice behavior and hence his own demand. Assuming else being equal, the government should adopt the tax policy if consumers are very sensitive to the greenness, the cost of greening is high, or the negative impact due to carbon emission is large, and subsidize the firm otherwise. We also conduct some numerical studies when price is endogenous. The main insights can be carried over.

scholarly journals Community work – a cure for stigma and social exclusion?

2009 ◽  
Vol 33 (8) ◽  
pp. 281-284 ◽  
Author(s):  
Justine Schneider
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Capital ◽  
Mental Health Services ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Social Exclusion ◽  
Mental Health Providers ◽  
Health Providers ◽  
The Usa ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Cost

SummaryIt is possible to tackle exclusion by altering the nature of transactions between individuals and groups, including mental health services. One way to do this is to cultivate ‘social capital’ or interdependence between individuals and groups – as well as giving, each is entitled, but not compelled, to claim something in return. It is difficult, if not impossible, to sustain stigma and social exclusion when people are meeting mutual needs, building trust and helping each other. Mental health providers can foster social capital by creating community cohesion, namely interdependent relationships between individuals and organisations. This approach has been put into practice in the USA, where providers assert that small investments in building social capital return many times the cost. In the UK there is evidence that community development can make a contribution to mental health but it does not fit well with conventional approaches to mental health services – it calls for different skills and a vision that is collective rather than individualised.

scholarly journals MANAJEMEN RISIKO DALAM PROSES ESTIMASI BIAYA PADA PROYEK KONSTRUKSI GEDUNG BERTINGKAT DI KOTA DENPASAR

2016 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ida Ayu Praniti Tresna Putri ◽  
I N. Norken ◽  
I B. Rai Adnyana
Keyword(s):  
Negative Impact ◽  
Construction Project ◽  
Mitigation Measures ◽  
Project Financing ◽  
Whole Process ◽  
Qualitative Descriptive ◽  
Inaccurate Estimation ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Descriptive Method

Abstract : On the implementation of the construction project, financing is the main consideration due to the number of large and vulnerable to various risks. Cost control is the beginning of the estimates. An inaccurate estimation could have a negative impact on the whole process of construction. Because of estimation is reference in preparing the budget and used as control of the cost of projects, then required to major risk analysis that can be used as a basis in the mitigation. This research was conducted with qualitative descriptive method by interviews and survey. Data was collected by distributing questionnaires to the respondents using purposive sampling method, which simply selecting respondents who were competent and expert about the possible risks. The number of respondents was 25 who represent 8 construction project belonging to the government which is located in Denpasar. The results showed that there were 40 risks identified, from literature identified 16 risks and from brainstorming identified 24 risks. Than from 40 risks there are 34 major risks which was 9 risks classified as unacceptable and 25 risks classified as undesirable. Most dominant risks were the risks of estimator team and project. There were 16 mitigation measures at an unacceptable risk and 41 mitigitation measures at an undesirable risk. Most dominant risks were the risks of contractors and owner.

Rising living costs will hasten ‘high streets’ decline

2018 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
New Technologies ◽  
Public Confidence ◽  
Retail Sector ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Cost Cutting ◽  
Urban Decay ◽  
Advanced Economies ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Uk

Subject Retail sector woes. Significance The trend towards online shopping is progressing fast in the advanced economies at the same time as rising housing, transport, health and utility costs are squeezing incomes and adding to the decline of traditional retailing. Sharply weaker UK consumer spending is putting yet more pressure on retailers’ profit margins, forcing rapid cost cutting, restructuring and the widespread closure of less viable outlets. Job losses and vacant retail premises are rising; the latter adding to urban decay in the worst affected areas. Impacts Retailing job losses dominate headlines but shop closures will have a larger and more pernicious impact on economic and social conditions. If UK regeneration efforts gain momentum and boost the budget and the government popularity, other regions could follow the UK template. Action needs to be taken to find urban redevelopment solutions and to boost public confidence in the positive effects of new technologies.

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