scholarly journals Quality of politicians and electoral system. Evidence from a quasi-experimental design for Italian cities

2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marco Alberto De Benedetto ◽  
Elena D’Agostino ◽  
Giuseppe Sobbrio

Abstract We study the effect of the electoral system (single-ballot vs runoff) on the quality of politicians, measured by the average educational attainment, at the local level in Italy over the period 1994–2017. By exploiting the discontinuous voting rule shift nearby the 15,000 population cut-off, we have implemented a RDD and found that the change in the electoral scheme leads to an overall downward variation in the educational attainment of local politicians by about 2 % compared to years of schooling of politicians in municipalities just below the cut-off. Findings are similar when we separately focus on the educational attainment of mayors and councilors, and when we use alternative measures of quality of politicians related both to the previous occupation and to previous political experience. However, different confounding policies related to the voting scheme change at the cut-off. We show that the negative effect is not directly related to the way politicians are elected (runoff vs single-ballot scheme) but to the number of lists supporting the mayoral candidates: in municipalities below 15,000 inhabitants candidates running for mayor are supported only by one single list, whereas above the cut-off mayoral candidates might be supported by more lists. Overall, we speculate that the negative impact produced by the treatment on the educational attainment of local politicians is explained by the different selection process of candidates adopted by political parties, rather than by voters’ preferences toward low-skilled politicians.

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 172265 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexis R. Hernández ◽  
Carlos Gracia-Lázaro ◽  
Edgardo Brigatti ◽  
Yamir Moreno

We introduce a general framework for exploring the problem of selecting a committee of representatives with the aim of studying a networked voting rule based on a decentralized large-scale platform, which can assure a strong accountability of the elected. The results of our simulations suggest that this algorithm-based approach is able to obtain a high representativeness for relatively small committees, performing even better than a classical voting rule based on a closed list of candidates. We show that a general relation between committee size and representatives exists in the form of an inverse square root law and that the normalized committee size approximately scales with the inverse of the community size, allowing the scalability to very large populations. These findings are not strongly influenced by the different networks used to describe the individuals’ interactions, except for the presence of few individuals with very high connectivity which can have a marginal negative effect in the committee selection process.


2022 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Esmeralda Crespo-Almendros ◽  
M. Belén Prados-Peña ◽  
Lucia Porcu ◽  
Juan Miguel Alcántara-Pilar

Purpose This study seeks to analyze the influence of the consumer's perceived benefits deriving from two different promotional incentives offered via social media on the perceived quality of the heritage complex.Design/methodology/approach A quasi-experimental study was carried out among online users, implementing two different promotional stimuli. Facebook was selected as the social network through which the promotional incentives were offered in the experiment. The sample was obtained via a panel of Internet users provided by Sondea Internet SL.Findings The results showed that the benefits perceived by the tourists will depend on the sales promotion type offered. On the one hand, free VIP pass was found to be mostly related to hedonic benefits that positively affect perceived quality. On the other hand, 2 × 1 offer would be perceived as a utilitarian benefit and is likely to exert a fairly negative effect on perceived quality.Practical implications Tourism managers and practitioners are encouraged to analyze the characteristics of certain types of sales promotions, as each promotional incentive bears different values and associated benefits. The findings of this study suggest managers and practitioners to implement non-monetary promotions to enhance brand equity and perceived quality. Thus, it is paramount for the managers of cultural institutions and heritage sites to trust in sales promotions which can be very helpful if they are designed carefully.Originality/value This study pioneers the analysis of the impact of the benefits associated with different typologies of sales promotions on social networks on the perceived quality of a heritage site.


2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 686-700 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katarína Žiaková ◽  
Juraj Čáp ◽  
Michaela Miertová ◽  
Elena Gurková ◽  
Radka Kurucová

Background: Dignity is a fundamental concept in healthcare. The symptoms of multiple sclerosis have a negative effect on dignity. Understanding of lived experience of dignity in people with multiple sclerosis is crucial to support dignity in practice. Research aim: The aim was to explore the sense of dignity experienced by people with multiple sclerosis. Research design and participants: An interpretative phenomenological analysis design was adopted, using data collected through face-to-face interviews with 14 participants. Ethical considerations: The study was approved by the faculty Ethical Committee (No. EC 1828/2016). Findings: Four interconnected superordinate themes emerged from analysis: Loss of a fully-fledged life: Violating the dignity-of-self; To accept and fight: Promoting the dignity-of-self; Contempt and rudeness: Indignity-in-relation; and Those who know and see, help: Promoting dignity-in-relation. The loss of former fully-fledged life has a dramatic impact on integrity and impaired dignity-of-self. Accepting illness and changed identity impaired by multiple sclerosis was the step that the participants considered to be important for reacquiring the sense of dignity. The participants encountered misunderstandings, prejudices, embarrassment, insensitive remarks, labelling, unwillingness and impersonal treatment as indignities. Acceptance of their condition, needed support, the feeling of being part of a group, sensitivity and the sharing of problems had a positive effect on their dignity. Discussion: Continual changes in functional ability threaten an individual’s identity and were experienced as violations of dignity. Based on this, participant’s dignity-of-self was not a moral, but much more existential value. Acceptance of changed identity and fighting spirit were important for restoring their dignity-of-self. The misunderstandings, prejudices and unwillingness had a negative impact on their dignity-in-relation. On the other side, support from others in fighting promoted their dignity-in-relation. Conclusion: Dignity is manifested as a complex phenomenon of lived experience of people with multiple sclerosis and also an umbrella concept for providing good quality of person-centred care.


2015 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 617-625
Author(s):  
Renata Lopes Krüger ◽  
Bruno Costa Teixeira ◽  
Alexandre Simões Dias ◽  
Álvaro Reischak-Oliveira

AbstractIntroduction Hepatic cirrhosis leads to a series of physiological changes, among which stand out cardiorespiratory and muscle impairments. These changes determine a negative impact on quality of life and may cause physical inactivity.Objective The objective of this study was to review, in the most current scientific literature, the influence that hepatic cirrhosis provides in exercise capacity and muscle strength, and the effect of exercise when applied to this situation.Materials and methods For this review, research on original studies was carried out on Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online (assessed by PubMed), Scopus and Web of Science between the years 1990 to 2015. In order to be included, studies had to meet the following criteria: a) be from original articles; b) evaluate exercise capacity or muscle strength; and c) provide relevant results.Results and Discussion : The majority of studies concluded that the exercise capacity and muscle strength are decreased in individuals with cirrhosis when compared to control subjects.Final considerations Hepatic cirrhosis has negative effect on cardiorespiratory and neuromuscular capacity during physical exercise in individuals with liver disease.


Medicina ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 57 (12) ◽  
pp. 1340
Author(s):  
Claudia Mehedintu ◽  
Francesca Frincu ◽  
Andreea Carp-Veliscu ◽  
Ramona Barac ◽  
Dumitru-Cristinel Badiu ◽  
...  

Malignant hematological conditions have recognized an increased incidence and require aggressive treatments. Targeted chemotherapy, accompanied or not by radiotherapy, raises the chance of defeating the disease, yet cancer protocols often associate long-term gonadal consequences, for instance, diminished or damaged ovarian reserve. The negative effect is directly proportional to the types, doses, time of administration of chemotherapy, and irradiation. Additionally, follicle damage depends on characteristics of the disease and patient, such as age, concomitant diseases, previous gynecological conditions, and ovarian reserve. Patients should be adequately informed when proceeding to gonadotoxic therapies; hence, fertility preservation should be eventually regarded as a first-intention procedure. This procedure is most beneficial when performed before the onset of cancer treatment, with the recommendation for embryos or oocytes’ cryopreservation. If not feasible or acceptable, several options can be available during or after the cancer treatment. Although not approved by medical practice, promising results after in vitro studies increase the chances of future patients to protect their fertility. This review aims to emphasize the mechanism of action and impact of chemotherapy, especially the one proven to be gonadotoxic, upon ovarian reserve and future fertility. Reduced fertility or infertility, as long-term consequences of chemotherapy and, particularly, following bone marrow transplantation, is often associated with a negative impact of recovery, social and personal life, as well as highly decreased quality of life.


Author(s):  
Amy Sweet ◽  
Richard Harris ◽  
David Manley

BackgroundThere has been substantial discussion in the literature about where you grow up and if whether or not you experience social and spatial mobility during childhood has substantial bearing upon later life achievement (Pribesh and Downey, 1999; Gasper et al, 2010; Sharkey and Elwert, 2011). ObjectivesThis paper utilises data from the National Pupil Database (NPD) and a quantitative framework to explore the impact of residential mobility on educational outcomes. Many previous studies of neighbourhood mobility have used point in time measures when studying inequality, which means that an individual’s neighbourhood trajectory is overlooked. Data/MethodsWe follow a single cohort of pupils’ over an eleven year time period to analyse their mobility along with their individual characteristics to provide a clear understanding of who is moving and the impact this has on them in terms of educational attainment. We also use the index of multiple deprivation as a measure of neighbourhood wealth to determine to what extent children are able to ’trade up’ in terms of neighbourhood. FindingsOur findings show that moving home has a negative impact on educational attainment compared to those that stay in the same location throughout the educational life cycle. Those that ‘trade up’ in terms of quality of neighbourhood still do not achieve the same educational outcomes as their peers who live in a lower deprived neighbourhood throughout their schooling. ConclusionResidential mobility between deprived areas, as shown in this paper, has more of an impact than just being ‘stuck in place’. It is not purely a case of where you live determining your outcomes, but also how often you move home in childhood and adolescence.


Work ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Anja Barac ◽  
Paola Krnjaic ◽  
Nikola Vujnovic ◽  
Nino Matas ◽  
Edita Runjic ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 presents a threat to the mental health of the medical staff working with COVID-19 patients. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the impact of working during the COVID-19 pandemic on resident physicians. METHODS: The study was conducted via anonymous online survey and included resident physicians. The survey contained questions about sociodemographic information, general job satisfaction during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their personal lives. RESULTS: This study included a response from 728 resident physicians. The majority of residents rated that the COVID-19 pandemic had a mostly negative impact on their satisfaction with professional life (59.9%) and quality of work (62.8%), their personal lives (44.7%) and quality of life (57.1%). Half of all residents indicated that they did not have enough personal protective equipment (PPE). About one-third of residents indicated that the level of stress at work during the COVID-19 pandemic was higher. CONCLUSIONS: Working as resident physicians during COVID-19 pandemic had a negative effect on participants’ professional and personal lives. Residents did not have all the necessary PPE nor felt safe working with patients with suspected or proven COVID-19. Further action is needed to provide support for physician residents working during the COVID-19 pandemic.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 4970
Author(s):  
Julio Revuelta

Three Economic Adjustment Programmes (EAPs) were implemented in Greece, between 2010 and 2015, without achieving the proposed economic objectives. This article analyses the impact of the EAPs in Greece using the synthetic control method (SCM) and has three main contributions. First, it identifies a long-term negative impact worth 35.3 per cent of the Greek GDP per capita caused by the application of the EAPs. Second, it finds that three-quarters of the estimated negative and unsustainable impact accumulated over the 2010–2012 period. Third, it identifies a regressive effect of the EAPs on income distribution, the Greek population with lower incomes experienced a greater negative effect caused by the adjustment programmes. These results underscore the need to review and correct the conditional financial assistance framework currently in force in the European Union.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susy Yuliastanty

The purpose of this paper is to determine the impact of a free school for the quality of education in Indonesia in view of the aspects, background and purpose of the establishment of free schools, positive and negative impacts holding of free schools, Solutions negative impact of free school program, Effects of Free School Policy on the Quality / quality Education and the Master. The results of the analysis that the economic situation is a portrait of the people who still support the cause of increasing lower the school dropout rates from time to time. While the legislation of our country mandated to continue to educate the children of the nation, the compulsory education program launched by the government be constrained. Efforts to realize the education budget of 20% of the state budget.Free education program does provide a lot of positive impact on education in Indonesia, among which: the inequality of education in Indonesia, providing opportunities for children who are less able to be able to get an education bench, reduce the level of ignorance, unemployment, and poverty, education levels Indonesia will increase, generating qualified human resources, realize the ideals of the Indonesian nation that is participating educate the children of the nation, to promote education and the nation's economy. In addition to a positive impact, free schools also have a negative effect, such as a lack of operating funds because it is centered on the BOS funds, the declining quality of education, lack of motivation and enthusiasm to learn some students because of the effects of free, reduced awareness of parents will be the responsibility of financing education, opportunities misappropriation of budget funds if not closely monitored.


2019 ◽  
Vol 18 ◽  
pp. e191679
Author(s):  
Beatriz Moraes D’Avilla ◽  
Michelle Cristina Berbet Pimenta ◽  
Vivian Fernades Furletti ◽  
Mario Vedovello Filho ◽  
Giovana Cherubini Venezian ◽  
...  

Aim: to evaluate the synergic impact of muscular TMD and malocclusion on quality of life, masticatory capacity and emotional features of young adults. Methods: this cross-sectional study comprised 4 groups (n= 15): G1, individuals without TMD or malocclusion; G2, with TMD and malocclusion; G3, with TMD and without malocclusion, and G4, without TMD and with malocclusion. Muscular TMD was diagnosed by RCD/TMD. Data included quality of life (OHIP-14), masticatory capacity test (X50), emotional stress (PSS-14), depression (MDI), pain intensity and salivary cortisol. Comparative statistical analysis included One-way ANOVA and Tukey post hoc test (X50, stress and cortisol) and GENMOD followed by Wald test (OHIP-14 and pain data). Fisher's and Pearson's association analysis were carried out. Results: Comorbidity of muscular TMD and malocclusion leads to significant lower masticatory capacity (p<0.05). TMD groups independently of the occlusal condition had considerably lower OHIP-14 scores and higher stress levels (self-perceived and hormonal) (p<0.05).  There was no statistically significant difference of emotional depression among groups. A significant positive correlation was observed among quality of life, stress and pain perception. Conclusion: muscular TMD in the overlap of malocclusion potentializes their negative effect on masticatory capacity. In addition, the hindering effect of the comorbidity is variable, however, TMD has a greater negative impact on quality of life and stress, whilst malocclusion on mastication.


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