Inequalities in middle-income Europe and Central Asia: A tale of three studies

This paper focuses on how questions of inequalities in middle-income countries in Europe and Central Asia are dealt with in three recent studies: the EBRD’s “Transition Report 2016–17”; the World Bank’s 2018 study “Toward a new social contract: Taking on distributional tensions in Europe and Central Asia”; and UNDP’s “Regional human development report 2016. Progress at risk: Inequalities and human development in Eastern Europe, Turkey, and Central Asia.” While the three studies differ in terms of objectives, conceptual frameworks, country coverage, data and indicators, and policy recommendations, they also share important commonalities — particularly in terms of creating “regional” inequality narratives for transition economies, reconciling official data with common perceptions of inequalities in the region; improving data quality, quantity and availability, and changes in tax and social policies.

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Conclusion: The Frontiers of PB

Participatory Budgeting in Global Perspective ◽

10.1093/oso/9780192897756.003.0008 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 181-204

Author(s):

Brian Wampler ◽

Stephanie McNulty ◽

Michael Touchton

Keyword(s):

Low Income ◽

Authoritarian Regimes ◽

Policy Recommendations ◽

Middle Income ◽

Large Cities ◽

Middle Income Countries ◽

Industrialized Democracies ◽

The World ◽

Key Policy ◽

Institutional Contexts

This chapter summarizes the main findings about PB’s adoption, adaptation, and impact. It raises questions about PB’s future and the limited evidence that continues to hamper researchers and policymakers’ ability to make key policy recommendations. PB is now used in settings as diverse as large cities in wealthy industrialized democracies, rural, low-income villages in countries governed by semi-authoritarian regimes, municipalities of middle-income countries in the Global South, and a variety of contexts in authoritarian countries. This diversity of program types and institutional contexts showcases the allure of PB around the world. Yet, it also highlights the challenges facing policymakers as they consider creating their own programs. The chapter ends with a conceptual discussion to guide policymakers as they adopt or support PB in the future.

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Incidence of Insufficient Physical Activity Among Adults and Its Relationship with the Human Development Index: A Global Study

Iranian Red Crescent Medical Journal ◽

10.5812/ircmj.103602 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 22 (7) ◽

Author(s):

Victoria Momenabadi ◽

Elham Goodarzi ◽

Maryam Seraji ◽

Ahmad Naghibzadeh-Tahami ◽

Reza Beiranvand ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Human Development ◽

Human Development Index ◽

Physical Inactivity ◽

Middle Income ◽

Non Communicable Diseases ◽

Development Index ◽

Middle Income Countries ◽

The World ◽

Insufficient Physical Activity

Background: Insufficient physical activity, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, plays an important role in the spread of non-communicable diseases. Objectives: The purpose of this study is to investigate the incidence of insufficient physical activity and its relationship with the human development index (HDI) in the world. Methods: This is an ecological study, and the study data, including the human development index and the incidence of insufficient physical activity, were extracted from the World Bank’s database. The descriptive analysis included mean and standard deviation. The inferential analysis consisted of two-way correlation and ANOVA at a significance level of less than 0.05. The analyses were performed using Stata-14 software. Results: The highest incidence of insufficient physical activity in both sexes (39.26 [37.42, 40.95]) was found in the Americas, especially in high-income regions. There was a significant positive correlation between the incidence of insufficient physical inactivity and HDI in the world (r = 0.446, P < 0.0001). This correlation was also significant in Asia and Africa (P < 0.05). The results showed a positive correlation between components of HDI (i.e., gross national income per 1000 capita, mean years of schooling, life expectancy at birth, and expected years of schooling) and insufficient activity (P < 0.0001). The results of ANOVA also exhibited a significant relationship between the mean prevalence of physical inactivity and the level of development (P < 0.0001). Conclusions: Given the significant correlation between the incidence of insufficient physical inactivity and HDI, understanding this correlation and its components, especially in low- and middle-income countries can alleviate the impact of physical inactivity epidemics in the future, thereby contributing to the effective global prevention of non-communicable diseases.

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Climate drivers of plague epidemiology in British India, 1898–1949

Proceedings of The Royal Society B Biological Sciences ◽

10.1098/rspb.2020.0538 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 287 (1928) ◽

pp. 20200538

Author(s):

Warren S. D. Tennant ◽

Mike J. Tildesley ◽

Simon E. F. Spencer ◽

Matt J. Keeling

Keyword(s):

Predictive Models ◽

Control Measures ◽

Climate Data ◽

British India ◽

Middle Income ◽

Middle Income Countries ◽

Complex Interactions ◽

The World ◽

Spatio Temporal

Plague, caused by Yersinia pestis infection, continues to threaten low- and middle-income countries throughout the world. The complex interactions between rodents and fleas with their respective environments challenge our understanding of human plague epidemiology. Historical long-term datasets of reported plague cases offer a unique opportunity to elucidate the effects of climate on plague outbreaks in detail. Here, we analyse monthly plague deaths and climate data from 25 provinces in British India from 1898 to 1949 to generate insights into the influence of temperature, rainfall and humidity on the occurrence, severity and timing of plague outbreaks. We find that moderate relative humidity levels of between 60% and 80% were strongly associated with outbreaks. Using wavelet analysis, we determine that the nationwide spread of plague was driven by changes in humidity, where, on average, a one-month delay in the onset of rising humidity translated into a one-month delay in the timing of plague outbreaks. This work can inform modern spatio-temporal predictive models for the disease and aid in the development of early-warning strategies for the deployment of prophylactic treatments and other control measures.

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Tuberculosis and Non-Communicable Disease Multimorbidity: An Analysis of the World Health Survey in 48 Low- and Middle-Income Countries

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18052439 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (5) ◽

pp. 2439

Author(s):

Brendon Stubbs ◽

Kamran Siddiqi ◽

Helen Elsey ◽

Najma Siddiqi ◽

Ruimin Ma ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Health Survey ◽

Low Income ◽

World Health ◽

Low Income Countries ◽

Multivariable Logistic Regression Analysis ◽

World Health Survey ◽

Middle Income ◽

Middle Income Countries ◽

The World ◽

Low And Middle Income

Tuberculosis (TB) is a leading cause of mortality in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). TB multimorbidity [TB and ≥1 non-communicable diseases (NCDs)] is common, but studies are sparse. Cross-sectional, community-based data including adults from 21 low-income countries and 27 middle-income countries were utilized from the World Health Survey. Associations between 9 NCDs and TB were assessed with multivariable logistic regression analysis. Years lived with disability (YLDs) were calculated using disability weights provided by the 2017 Global Burden of Disease Study. Eight out of 9 NCDs (all except visual impairment) were associated with TB (odds ratio (OR) ranging from 1.38–4.0). Prevalence of self-reported TB increased linearly with increasing numbers of NCDs. Compared to those with no NCDs, those who had 1, 2, 3, 4, and ≥5 NCDs had 2.61 (95% confidence interval (CI) = 2.14–3.22), 4.71 (95%CI = 3.67–6.11), 6.96 (95%CI = 4.95–9.87), 10.59 (95%CI = 7.10–15.80), and 19.89 (95%CI = 11.13–35.52) times higher odds for TB. Among those with TB, the most prevalent combinations of NCDs were angina and depression, followed by angina and arthritis. For people with TB, the YLDs were three times higher than in people without multimorbidity or TB, and a third of the YLDs were attributable to NCDs. Urgent research to understand, prevent and manage NCDs in people with TB in LMICs is needed.

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Building research capacity within cardiovascular disease prevention and management in low‐ and middle‐income countries: A collaboration of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Lancet Commission on Hypertension Group, Resolve to Save Lives, and the World Hypertension League

Journal of Clinical Hypertension ◽

10.1111/jch.14181 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Dinesh Neupane ◽

Laura K. Cobb ◽

Bethany Hall ◽

Daniel T. Lackland ◽

Andrew E. Moran ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cardiovascular Disease ◽

Disease Prevention ◽

Disease Control ◽

Research Capacity ◽

Middle Income ◽

Building Research ◽

Middle Income Countries ◽

The Us ◽

The World ◽

Control And Prevention

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Comment on: “Are Current Cost-Effectiveness Thresholds for Low- and Middle-Income Countries Useful? Examples from the World of Vaccines”

PharmacoEconomics ◽

10.1007/s40273-014-0221-3 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 32 (12) ◽

pp. 1245-1246 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Afschin Gandjour

Keyword(s):

Cost Effectiveness ◽

Middle Income ◽

Middle Income Countries ◽

The World ◽

Low And Middle Income

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Psychological Treatments for the World: Lessons from Low- and Middle-Income Countries

Annual Review of Clinical Psychology ◽

10.1146/annurev-clinpsy-032816-045217 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 13 (1) ◽

pp. 149-181 ◽

Cited By ~ 175

Author(s):

Daisy R. Singla ◽

Brandon A. Kohrt ◽

Laura K. Murray ◽

Arpita Anand ◽

Bruce F. Chorpita ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Middle Income ◽

Psychological Treatments ◽

Middle Income Countries ◽

The World ◽

Low And Middle Income

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Simple and adaptable R implementation of WHO/ISH cardiovascular risk charts for all epidemiological subregions of the world

F1000Research ◽

10.12688/f1000research.9742.1 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 5 ◽

pp. 2522 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Dylan Collins ◽

Joseph Lee ◽

Niklas Bobrovitz ◽

Constantinos Koshiaris ◽

Alison Ward ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cardiovascular Risk ◽

Communicable Disease ◽

World Health Organisation ◽

World Health ◽

Cvd Risk ◽

Middle Income ◽

Middle Income Countries ◽

The World ◽

Risk Charts ◽

Free Open Source

The World Health Organisation and International Society of Hypertension (WHO/ISH) cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk assessment charts have been implemented in many low- and middle-income countries as part of the WHO Package of Essential Non-Communicable Disease (PEN) Interventions for Primary Health Care in Low-Resource settings. Evaluation of the WHO/ISH cardiovascular risk charts and their use is a key priority and since they only exist in paper or PDF formats, we developed a simple R implementation of the charts for all epidemiological subregions of the world. The main strengths of this implementation are that it is built in a free, open-source, coding language with simple syntax, can be modified by the user, and can be used with a standard computer.

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Global competitiveness divide and the middle-income-trap

The Challenges of Analyzing Social and Economic Processes in the 21st Century ◽

10.14232/casep21c.7 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Timothy Yaw Acheampong

Keyword(s):

High Income ◽

World Economic Forum ◽

Middle Income ◽

Income Levels ◽

Global Competitiveness ◽

Middle Income Countries ◽

Income Status ◽

The World ◽

World Economic ◽

Middle Income Trap

In recent times, the middle-income trap (MIT) has become a pertinent issue as economists, researchers and development practitioners continue seek answers to why the majority of middle-income countries find it difficult to advance to high-income status. There is still no consensus in literature as to the exact cause(s) and the solution to the MIT. The World Economic Forum posits that, the score of countries on the Global Competitive Index (GCI) 4.0 accounts for over 80% of the variation in income levels of countries. This suggests that the extent of global competitiveness of countries could potentially help them to escape the MIT. However, some competitiveness literature have identified an apparent competitiveness divide among countries. This paper therefore seeks to answer the following questions: how does middle-income countries differ from the high-income countries in terms of global competitiveness. The study utilises an independent samples t-test and effect size measures to examine the GCI 4.0 scores of 140 countries. The study finds a very large and significant competitiveness divide between the high and middle-income countries.

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