scholarly journals Microcredit Impact on Socio-Economic Development and Women Empowerment in Low-Income Countries: Evidence from Yemen

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (16) ◽  
pp. 9326
Author(s):  
Samer Ali Al-shami ◽  
Abdullah Al Mamun ◽  
Nurulizwa Rashid ◽  
Mohammed Al-shami
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Financial Services ◽  
Middle Eastern ◽  
The Body ◽  
Low Income Countries ◽  
Positive Zero ◽  
Women Empowerment ◽  
Family Rituals ◽  
Empowerment Theory ◽  
Household Incomes

Microcredit financing is extensively considered as an effective development method for poverty mitigation and women empowerment. Nevertheless, relevant studies reflected opposing outcomes on microfinance effects consisting of positive, zero, and negative impacts. Thus, this research investigated Al-Amal Bank’s microcredit impacts on women empowerment in Yemen, one of the poorest Middle Eastern nations. A panel dataset and primary and secondary data were gathered through household surveys and propensity score matching to restrict intangible variables’ possible effects. The empirical results revealed that microcredit had a significant positive effect on monthly household incomes and accumulated asset values. Although microcredit facilitated female entrepreneurship and income generation for improved household incomes and expenditure, no influence was found on female household decisions and mobility following the patriarchal system practised in many Arabian nations, including Yemen. Hence, the study finding has theoretically and practically contributed to the body of knowledge in three ways. First, a novel proof of how microcredit interactions affected several Yemeni women empowerment elements was identified. This study also provides new insight into the empowerment theory by explaining how access to microcredit influences numerous features of women’s economic and social empowerment. Lastly, social and family traditions significantly influenced female attributes and lifestyles by reflecting how communal and family rituals affected microcredit impacts on women empowerment and vice versa. Conversely, this study guides Yemeni policymakers and those from other nations on extending financial services for self-development to reduce poverty and drive women empowerment rather than relying on government and international agencies.

Building blocks of financial inclusion through customer experience value at financial touchpoints in Southern Africa

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nkosinathi Sithole ◽  
Gillian Sullivan Mort ◽  
Clare D'Souza
Keyword(s):  
Southern Africa ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Financial Services ◽  
Building Blocks ◽  
Customer Experience ◽  
The Body ◽  
Financial Inclusion ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Low Income Consumers

PurposeThis paper aims to examine customer experience value orchestrated by non-banks' financial touchpoints to understand how they enhance the financial inclusion of low-income consumers.Design/methodology/approachTwo independent but related studies were conducted using qualitative comparative analyses (QCA) research design with semi-structured interviews to compare and contrast customer experience value at two rural locations in Southern Africa. The interview transcripts were analysed using ATLAS.ti, which is a powerful operating system for analysing qualitative data.FindingsThe results indicate that non-banks in the two countries design financial services that include functional, economic, humanic, social and mechanic customer experience value dimensions.Research limitations/implicationsThe data for this study was collected from financial services customers of retailers and mobile phone network operators in only one research setting in each country. Further research could extend the comparative context for qualitative studies across similar markets. Other limitations are discussed in the paper.Originality/valueThis paper contributes to the body of knowledge by highlighting the salient and germane dimensions and components found to be important in understanding financial inclusion using customer experience value. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study that incorporates customer experience value dimensions in understanding the financial inclusion of low-income consumers at the base of the social and economic pyramid in emerging markets.

scholarly journals Rumor surveillance in support of minimally invasive tissue sampling for diagnosing the cause of child death in low-income countries: A qualitative study

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. e0244552
Author(s):  
Md Saiful Islam ◽  
Abdullah Al-Masud ◽  
Maria Maixenchs ◽  
Saquina Cossa ◽  
Rui Guilaze ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Minimally Invasive ◽  
Cause Of Death ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Child Death ◽  
The Body ◽  
Low Income Countries ◽  
Tissue Sampling ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Additional Information ◽  
Tissue Specimens

In low-and middle-income countries, determining the cause of death of any given individual is impaired by poor access to healthcare systems, resource-poor diagnostic facilities, and limited acceptance of complete diagnostic autopsies. Minimally invasive tissue sampling (MITS), an innovative post-mortem procedure based on obtaining tissue specimens using fine needle biopsies suitable for laboratory analysis, is an acceptable proxy of the complete diagnostic autopsy, and thus could reduce the uncertainty of cause of death. This study describes rumor surveillance activities developed and implemented in Bangladesh, Mali, and Mozambique to identify, track and understand rumors about the MITS procedure. Our surveillance activities included observations and interviews with stakeholders to understand how rumors are developed and spread and to anticipate rumors in the program areas. We also engaged young volunteers, local stakeholders, community leaders, and study staff to report rumors being spread in the community after MITS launch. Through community meetings, we also managed and responded to rumors. When a rumor was reported, the field team purposively conducted interviews and group discussions to track, verify and understand the rumor. From July 2016 through April 2018, the surveillance identified several rumors including suspicions of organs being harvested or transplanted; MITS having been performed on a living child, and concerns related to disrespecting the body and mistrust related to the study purpose. These rumors, concerns, and cues of mistrust were passed by word of mouth. We managed the rumors by modifying the consent protocol and giving additional information and support to the bereaved family and to the community members. Rumor surveillance was critical for anticipating and readily identifying rumors and managing them. Setting up rumor surveillance by engaging community residents, stakeholders, and volunteers could be an essential part of any public health program where there is a need to identify and react in real-time to public concern.

How is magnetic resonance imaging used in Iran?

2008 ◽  
Vol 24 (04) ◽  
pp. 452-458 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Palesh ◽  
Sten Fredrikson ◽  
Hamidreza Jamshidi ◽  
Goran Tomson ◽  
Max Petzold
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Resonance Imaging ◽  
Magnetic Resonance ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Spinal Column ◽  
The Body ◽  
Low Income Countries ◽  
Resonance Imaging ◽  
Utilization Patterns ◽  
Magnetic Resonance Imaging Mri ◽  
Almost All

Objectives:Analysis of and understanding the utilization patterns of diagnostic imaging technologies is important for planning health systems especially in middle- and low-income countries. Almost all published studies have been focused on utilization trends or utilization rates of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) over time and little has been published about utilization patterns of MRI. This study aims to identify and describe the utilization pattern of MRI in Iran.Methods:Data was collected from referrals and MRI reports of the population covered by one of the largest insurance organizations (Social Security Organization [SSO]) with more than 27 million beneficiaries in the Country. We focused on patients who had undergone an MRI examination during 1 month (October 13 to November 12), 2005. The data collected consisted of 1,656 referrals for MR imaging and 1,547 MRI reports.Results:No clear association was found between the number of referrals per 100,000 population and the number of MRI machines per 100,000 population (r = 0.30;p= .13). Neurosurgeons, orthopedists, and neurologists contributed to more than 88 percent of MRI utilization. The Spinal column (55 percent), brain (25.5 percent), and knee (11.0 percent) were the most common parts of the body scanned by MRI.Conclusions:Having identified some of the most frequent users of MRI technology, any plan for modifying or improving MRI use should focus mainly on these specialties. International evidence on using the technology for examining brain and spine indicate that MRI is mainly used in diagnosing the central nervous system (CNS) diseases.

scholarly journals Large retroperitoneal hematoma following vaginal delivery: a case report

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Raha Maroyi ◽  
Nyakio Ngeleza ◽  
Kiminyi Kalunga ◽  
Cikwanine Buhendwa ◽  
Usama Shahid ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vaginal Delivery ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Case Reports ◽  
Iliac Fossa ◽  
Signs And Symptoms ◽  
Abdominal Ultrasound ◽  
The Body ◽  
Retroperitoneal Hematoma ◽  
Low Income Countries ◽  
Left Iliac Fossa

Abstract Background Retroperitoneal hematoma after vaginal delivery is rare but can lead to maternal morbidity and mortality. Diagnosis of this condition is challenging due to its complexity and its nonspecific signs and symptoms. To date, studies and case reports regarding retroperitoneal hematoma are few, particularly in low-income countries where risk factors for this condition may be more prevalent and the prognosis poorer. Case presentation We report the case of a 37-year-old multiparous african (Congolese) woman who presented to the emergency department of a large referral hospital in Bukavu, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), 2 weeks after a spontaneous nontraumatic vaginal delivery. She had abdominal pain that began immediately after delivery and progressed throughout the postpartum period. The patient had anemia, hypotension, tachycardia, and a left costo-lumbar arch distorting the body shape on a soft and depressed abdomen. She had visited a private clinic on days 3 and 7 postpartum; however, signs and symptoms of retroperitoneal hematoma went unrecognized. Using abdominal ultrasound, we diagnosed an extensive hematoma in the retroperitoneal space from the left iliac fossa to the left flank. Laparotomy was performed to evacuate the hematoma, and the patient recovered. Conclusion Retroperitoneal hematoma following a nontraumatic vaginal delivery is an unusual situation in general obstetrical practice. The knowledge of this potentially life-threatening condition in resource-limited settings enables effective diagnosis and management by ultrasound and laparotomy.

scholarly journals Drivers of Financial Access

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (74) ◽  
Author(s):  
Corinne Deléchat ◽  
Lama Kiyasseh ◽  
Margaux MacDonald ◽  
Rui Xu
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Financial Services ◽  
Financial Stability ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Low Income Countries ◽  
Financial Access ◽  
Country Level ◽  
Macroprudential Policies ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Emerging And Developing Countries

This study analyzes the drivers of the use of formal vs. informal financial services in emerging and developing countries using the 2017 Global FINDEX data. In particular, we investigate whether individuals’ choice of financial services correlates with macro-financial and macro-structural policies and conditions, in addition to individual and country characteristics. We start our analysis on middle and low-income countries, and then zoom in on sub-Saharan Africa, currently the region that most relies on informal financial services, and which has the largest uptake of mobile banking. We find robust evidence of an association between macroprudential policies and individuals’ choice of financial access after controlling for personal and country-level characteristics. In particular, macroprudential policies aimed at controlling credit supply seem to be associated with greater resort to informal financial services compared with formal, bank-based access. This highlights the importance for central bankers and financial sector regulators to consider the potential spillovers of monetary policy and financial stability measures on financial inclusion.

scholarly journals Probing for stomach using the Focused Impedance Method (FIM)

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 73-82
Author(s):  
Rashida Haque ◽  
Muhammad Abdul Kadir ◽  
K Siddique-e Rabbani
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Electrical Impedance ◽  
Impedance Measurement ◽  
The Body ◽  
Low Income Countries ◽  
Impedance Method ◽  
Impedance Tomography ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Sensitivity Equations ◽  
Element Simulation

Abstract For probing deep organs of the body using electrical impedance, the conventional method is to use Electrical Impedance Tomography (EIT). However, this would be a sophisticated machine and will be very expensive when a full 3D EIT is developed in the future. Furthermore, for most low income countries such expensive devices may not deliver the benefits to a large number of people. Therefore, this paper suggests the use of simpler techniques like Tetrapolar Impedance Measurement (TPIM) or Focused Impedance Method (FIM) in probing deeper organs. Following a method suggested earlier by one of the authors, this paper studies the possibility of using TPIM and FIM for the stomach. Using a simplified model of the human trunk with an embedded stomach, a finite element simulation package, COMSOL, was used to obtain transfer impedance values and percentage contribution of the stomach region in the total impedance. For this work, judicious placement of electrodes through qualitative visualizations based on point sensitivity equations and equipotential concepts were made, which showed that reasonable contribution of the stomach region is possible through the use of TPIM and FIM. The contributions were a little over 20% which is of similar order of the cross-sectional area percentage of the stomach with respect to that of the trunk. For the case where the conductivity of the stomach region was assumed about 4 times higher, the contributions increased to about 38%. Through further studies this proposed methods may contribute greatly in the study of deeper organs of the body.

scholarly journals FINANCIAL INCLUSION AND WOMEN EMPOWERMENT: A GENDER PERSPECTIVE

2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (5) ◽  
pp. 229-237
Author(s):  
Bincy George ◽  
K.T. Thomachan
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Financial Services ◽  
Financial Inclusion ◽  
Women Empowerment ◽  
Bank Account ◽  
Banking Services ◽  
Income Groups ◽  
The Social ◽  
Social And Economic Development ◽  
Low Income Groups

This paper examines women empowerment associated with financial inclusion. Financial inclusion is delivery of banking services at an affordable cost to the vast sections of disadvantaged and the low-income groups. The various financial services include access to saving, credit, insurance, bank account etc. The access to financial services helps women in their social and economic development. It is noted that access to financial service through financial inclusion do have impact upon the social and financial empowerment of women leading to their overall empowerment.

scholarly journals Developmental programming of offspring adipose tissue biology and obesity risk

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda Rodgers ◽  
Amanda N. Sferruzzi-Perri
Keyword(s):  
Adipose Tissue ◽  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Subsequent Development ◽  
The Body ◽  
Low Income Countries ◽  
Noncommunicable Diseases ◽  
Sexually Dimorphic ◽  
Tissue Biology ◽  
And Function

AbstractObesity is reaching epidemic proportions and imposes major negative health crises and an economic burden in both high and low income countries. The multifaceted nature of obesity represents a major health challenge, with obesity affecting a variety of different organs and increases the risk of many other noncommunicable diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, fatty liver disease, dementia, cardiovascular diseases, and even cancer. The defining organ of obesity is the adipose tissue, highlighting the need to more comprehensively understand the development and biology of this tissue to understand the pathogenesis of obesity. Adipose tissue is a miscellaneous and highly plastic endocrine organ. It comes in many different sizes and shades and is distributed throughout many different locations in the body. Though its development begins prenatally, quite uniquely, it has the capacity for unlimited growth throughout adulthood. Adipose tissue is also a highly sexually dimorphic tissue, patterning men and women in different ways, which means the risks associated with obesity are also sexually dimorphic. Recent studies show that environmental factors during prenatal and early stages of postnatal development have the capacity to programme the structure and function of adipose tissue, with implications for the development of obesity. This review summarizes the evidence for a role for early environmental factors, such as maternal malnutrition, hypoxia, and exposure to excess hormones and endocrine disruptors during gestation in the programming of adipose tissue and obesity in the offspring. We will also discuss the complexity of studying adipose tissue biology and the importance of appreciating nuances in adipose tissue, such as sexual dimorphism and divergent responses to metabolic and endocrine stimuli. Given the rising levels of obesity worldwide, understanding how environmental conditions in early life affects adipose tissue phenotype and the subsequent development of obesity is of absolute importance.

The Internal Functioning of Capitalist Organizations

1970 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 222-236
Author(s):  
Everett E. Hagen
Keyword(s):  
Economic Development ◽  
Social Change ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Good Deal ◽  
The Body ◽  
Low Income Countries ◽  
Personality Psychology ◽  
Explanatory Variables ◽  
The Past ◽  
Technical Study

It is a commentary of some sort on the blurring and shifting of disciplinary lines that I should have been asked to talk on the psychology of capitalism, and should have accepted. Though during the past fifteen years I have had a good deal of exposure to the body of theory of social and personality psychology, I have no formal training in psychology. And I am not a professor of business management. My field of specialization is economic development and social change in the low income countries—which, I think, does make me an economic historian. If I have any individual specialization, it is on the emphasis that I insist must be given to the technical study of personality formation if we are to gain a full understanding of either economic development or social change. This interest in turn is related to the psychology of capitalism. One of the simpler things that this personal history symbolizes is that old disciplinary Lines are giving way, as scholars shift their analysis to new explanatory variables. The old lines of demarcation between sociology, anthropology, and political science are becoming obsolete, all of these disciplines are nibbling away at the domain of history, and personality theory is intruding into the domain of all four.

scholarly journals Session 4: Mineral metabolism and body composition Iron status of breast-fed infants

2007 ◽  
Vol 66 (3) ◽  
pp. 412-422 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathryn G. Dewey ◽  
Camila M. Chaparro
Keyword(s):  
Birth Weight ◽  
Umbilical Cord ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Iron Status ◽  
The Body ◽  
Low Income Countries ◽  
Cord Clamping ◽  
Fe Content ◽  
Umbilical Cord Clamping ◽  
Breast Fed

Fe deficiency is a common nutritional disorder during infancy, particularly in low-income countries. The Fe status of a breast-fed infant is strongly influenced by the body Fe content at birth, which is determined by factors that operate before birth (maternal Fe status before and during pregnancy; infant gestational age and birth weight) and at the time of delivery (the timing of umbilical cord clamping). Delaying the clamping of the umbilical cord for 2 min can increase body Fe content by approximately 33% (75 mg), and results in greater Fe stores at 6 months of age. After birth, male gender and a rapid rate of weight gain are associated with lower Fe status. During the first half of infancy dietary Fe requirements depend on Fe stores at birth. For an exclusively-breast-fed full-term normal-birth-weight infant with delayed umbilical cord clamping, whose mother had adequate Fe status during pregnancy, the Fe provided from stores and breast milk is sufficient for ≥6 months, but before this time higher-risk infants may become Fe deficient. Fe supplementation can be beneficial for high-risk infants, but can have adverse effects on growth and morbidity of Fe-replete infants. After 6 months most breast-fed infants will require complementary foods that are rich in Fe.

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