Characterizing social and policy determinants of hospital length of stay among paediatric inpatients with diabetes using linked population-based data

BackgroundEvidence is limited on the non-medical factors influencing hospital length of stay (LOS) among paediatric inpatients with diabetes, notably potential social and policy correlates. This study aimed to characterize the associations of socioeconomic status and health policy environment with diabetes-attributable LOS to help inform accountability monitoring of a provincial comprehensive diabetes strategy aiming to minimize time in hospital among this high-risk population. Data and methodsThis retrospective population-based study drew on multiple linked administrative and geospatial databases among all children aged 18 and under with a diabetes-related hospitalization in the province of New Brunswick, Canada, during the four-year period following implementation of an insulin pump funding program. Multiple linear regression was used to assess the role of access to the public insulin pump resourcing scheme and relative neighbourhood deprivation as predictors of days spent in acute care, controlling for age, sex, and place of residence. ResultsAmong the paediatric inpatient population (N=386), 21% had accessed social resources made available through the insulin pump funding policy and 42% resided in the most materially deprived neighbourhoods. Diabetes-related hospital stays averaged 3.87 days. Paediatric inpatients having accessed resources through the social insurance policy spent significantly fewer days in hospital (1.34 days less [95% CI: 0.63--2.05]) than those who had not, all else being equal. Observed differences in LOS by neighbourhood socioeconomic deprivation were not found to be statistically significant in the multivariate analysis. ConclusionFindings from this context of universal medical coverage suggested that public policy for supplemental financing of assistive technologies among children with diabetes may be associated with reduced burden to the hospital system. The causes of socioenvironmental disparities in LOS require further investigation to inform interventions to mitigate preventable patient-level variations in hospital-based health outcomes.

Polytechnic Tutor Training After Learning for Life: A Study of the Effects of Funding Policy Changes

<p>This thesis presents the findings of an investigation into the effects of a change in government policy for the funding of polytechnic tutor training in New Zealand after 1990. The new policy arose from Learning for Life: Two, and was part of a major reform of the administration and funding of all tertiary education and training in New Zealand. The main intentions of Learning for Life: Two were to make individual institutions more autonomous, through the decentralisation of management and funding, and so to create increased equity and excellence in tertiary education. From 1973 to 1990, tutor training had been directly funded by the Department of Education; the 1990 Tutor Training Policy required each polytechnic thenceforward to provide for tutor training from its annual bulk funding. Comparative data was collected by survey and interview, relating to polytechnics' treatment of initial tutor training in 1990 and 1993, and a more detailed case study was carried out at one polytechnic that had made substantial changes in practice. In 1990 all new tutors had been entitled to 12 weeks of initial training at one of three regional centres, with all training costs met centrally, including travel, accommodation and relief staffing. Analysis of the findings showed that by 1993, despite some transitional funding protection for the regional centres, tutor training provision varied considerably around the country, as polytechnics made local decisions about funding and implemented various forms of training delivery. When the emerging trends and effects were compared with the policy intentions of Learning for Life, it was concluded that the equity and access intentions had not been achieved consistently around the country in respect of tutor training. Longer term research was recommended into the effects of changes in tutor training on teaching quality in polytechnics.</p>

Polytechnic Tutor Training After Learning for Life: A Study of the Effects of Funding Policy Changes

<p>This thesis presents the findings of an investigation into the effects of a change in government policy for the funding of polytechnic tutor training in New Zealand after 1990. The new policy arose from Learning for Life: Two, and was part of a major reform of the administration and funding of all tertiary education and training in New Zealand. The main intentions of Learning for Life: Two were to make individual institutions more autonomous, through the decentralisation of management and funding, and so to create increased equity and excellence in tertiary education. From 1973 to 1990, tutor training had been directly funded by the Department of Education; the 1990 Tutor Training Policy required each polytechnic thenceforward to provide for tutor training from its annual bulk funding. Comparative data was collected by survey and interview, relating to polytechnics' treatment of initial tutor training in 1990 and 1993, and a more detailed case study was carried out at one polytechnic that had made substantial changes in practice. In 1990 all new tutors had been entitled to 12 weeks of initial training at one of three regional centres, with all training costs met centrally, including travel, accommodation and relief staffing. Analysis of the findings showed that by 1993, despite some transitional funding protection for the regional centres, tutor training provision varied considerably around the country, as polytechnics made local decisions about funding and implemented various forms of training delivery. When the emerging trends and effects were compared with the policy intentions of Learning for Life, it was concluded that the equity and access intentions had not been achieved consistently around the country in respect of tutor training. Longer term research was recommended into the effects of changes in tutor training on teaching quality in polytechnics.</p>

Stakeholder Support for Wildlife Conservation Funding Policies

State wildlife management agencies in the United States have depended on a “user-pay” funding model for conservation efforts that relies on revenue from hunting license sales and a federal excise tax on firearms, ammunition, and archery equipment. Declines in hunting participation, however, jeopardize sustainability of the current funding model. Ensuring support among stakeholders for wildlife management and conservation may require expanding sources of funding and incorporating the perspectives and values of a diversifying constituency into decision making processes. We used a web-based survey of wildlife-associated recreationists in Michigan, USA to evaluate support for a range of conservation funding policies. Respondents self-identified primarily as hunters (n = 2,558) or wildlife watchers (n = 942). We used binary logistic regression to evaluate support for four conservation funding policy options: state sales tax, lottery proceeds, extractive industry revenue, and a user-based tax on outdoor gear (i.e., “backpack tax”). Determinants of support varied by type of policy and stakeholder characteristics. We found no statistically significant differences between hunters and wildlife watchers in their support for conservation funding policies when accounting for other variables such as wildlife value orientations, engagement in stewardship behaviors, age, and gender. The industry-based policy achieved the greatest level of approval, while the backpack tax had the lowest. Respondents were mixed in their support of the sales tax and lottery proceeds options. Cluster analysis revealed three homogenous groups related to conservation funding policies: “strong support,” “mixed/opposed,” and “anti-backpack tax.” Clusters differed in their support for conservation funding policies and on psychological and demographic variables. The “strong support” and “anti-backpack tax” groups differed in their levels of stewardship engagement, knowledge of conservation funding mechanisms, and support for the backpack tax option. The “mixed-opposed” group tended to be older, less educated, and less likely to be a member of a conservation organization. Results suggest support for conservation funding differs by policy type and social and psychological characteristics of stakeholders. Based on differences in policy support revealed in this study, we suggest a multi-tiered approach to funding conservation and building on support among wildlife stakeholders to mitigate the looming funding crisis for state wildlife agencies.

Whose money matters in public education: A “public” good that parents purchase

Instead of asking whether money matters, this paper questions whose money matters in public education. Previous literature on education funding uses an aggregate expenditure per pupil to measure the relationship between education funding and academic performance. Federalism creates mainly three levels of funding sources: federal, state, and local governments. Examining New York State school districts, most equitably funded across school districts among the 50 states, this paper shows that neither federal nor state funds are positively correlated with graduation rates. Only local revenues for school districts indicate a strong positive impact. Parents’ money matters. This finding contributes to a contentious discourse on education funding policy in the governments, courts, and academia with respect to education funding and inequality in American public schools.

Outlining the Orientation Toward Socially Relevant Issues in Competitive R&D Funding Instruments

While project-based funding in public R&amp;D investments has grown in importance in all European countries over the last two decades, there is widespread concern among decision-makers about the actual orientation of project funding instruments to promote societal well-being. The capability of public R&amp;D investment to improve the quality of citizens' lives implies the pursuit of “relevant” social objectives related to existing or emerging problems affecting individuals’ lives and society. Particularly, when referring to project-funded research, the question of “relevance” in research objectives recalls the never-ending debate over how to translate policymakers’ request for producing value from public investments in research activities into “usable results”. The manuscript explores, using recent data collected at European level on public R&amp;D funding, the portfolio of research project funding policy instruments of various public research funding organizations (RFOs) in order to shed light on how and to what extent it is oriented to address socially relevant issues. The authors examine the characterization of the single project funding instruments, which are intended to incorporate the motivations and targeted goals of public action, and the RFOs that manage them. They specifically assume that the actual orientation of funding instruments, beyond the declared objectives, is influenced by some features related to their implementation operated by the RFOs, such as the importance given to specific evaluation criteria and the composition of the evaluation panels in the selection process of the funding beneficiaries.

LES POLITIQUES DE FINANCEMENT DE LINNOVATION AU MAROC - ETAT DES LIEUX ET PERSPECTIVES -

The Morocco has made considerable efforts in order to develop investments in R&D, from public, private sources or through international cooperation. However, the analysis of the funding policy for Research and Innovation in Morocco teaches us that, in addition to the weak presence of the private sector in this area, public policy is exposed to immense constraints, such as the low budget. allocated, the incompatibility of public procedures… All the more so, the discontinuity and opacity of almost all the funds and programs have prevented any attempt to develop research and innovation in Morocco. These constraints, both economic, institutional and political, lead to recognize the imminent role that large Moroccan companies could play, in terms of financing research and innovation, However, the use of other alternative modes of financing, such capital investment, Business Angels and Crowdfunding constitute a promising choice, faced with the financing problem faced by startups and innovative project leaders in Morocco.

Institutional development of universities in the context of the implementation of Open Science concept

The article analyses the policy and procedures for implementing Open Science concept as a basis for the institutional development of universities. The key events and documents of the European Research Area, which determine the policies and procedures for the development of Open Science, are described. It is concluded that Open Science represents a new approach to the scientific process, based on collaboration and new ways of disseminating knowledge through digital technologies and new tools for collaboration. Open science enhances the quality and impact of research by promoting reproducibility and interdisciplinarity of knowledge; using the open and joint method of production and exchange of knowledge and data in the research process; improving the quality of research, the reliability of the results and the sensitivity of science to the needs of society. It is determined that the goals of Open Science are: the openness of data; the development of the European Open Science Cloud as a unified ecosystem of research data infrastructures; development of a new generation of indicators for assessing the quality and impact of research, which complement the generally accepted indicators to take into account the openness of scientific practices; free access to all peer-reviewed scientific publications, encouraging an early exchange of various types of scientific results; recognition of openness of scientific activity in systems of evaluation of scientific career of researchers; compliance of all EU-funded research with generally agreed standards of research integrity; European scientists acquire the necessary skills and support to teach Open Science procedures and practices; the opportunity for the general public to make a significant contribution to the production of scientific knowledge in Europe. The characteristics and indicators of Open Science, which determine the directions of institutional development of universities, are analysed. The characteristics of Open Science include open data; open academic communication; open access to publications. Indicators of open research data are repositories of research data; funding policy for data sharing; the researcher's attitude to data sharing; indicators of open academic communication - open expert feedback; the journal's policy on open expert feedback; use of altmetric platforms; correction and revocation; open access to publications indicators - open access publication; preprints; alternative publishing platforms; open access funding policy; the journal's open access policy; the researcher's attitude to open access. The goals of Open Science are focused on the openness of data; the development of European Open Science Cloud as a unified ecosystem of research data infrastructures; development of new generation indicators for assessing the quality and impact of research, which complement the generally accepted indicators to take into account the openness of scientific practices; free access to all peer-reviewed scientific publications, encouragement of early exchange of various types of scientific results; recognition of openness of scientific activity in systems of evaluation of scientific career of researchers; compliance of all EU-funded research with generally agreed standards of research integrity; European scientists acquire the necessary skills and support to teach Open Science procedures and practices; the opportunity for the general public to make a significant contribution to the production of scientific knowledge in Europe. The key provisions and promising areas of EU policy on the development of Open Science are analysed. Emphasis is laid on the importance of supporting universities at the national and European levels for the large-scale implementation of the practice of Open Science.