Unemployment insurance in the Global South since 1950: Drivers of policy adoption

Until 1945, Western countries were the only ones to have introduced unemployment insurance programs. Since their adoption was extremely controversial, almost all Western nations introduced income support for the unemployed only in the wake of national emergencies such as war and economic depression. This article examines the determinants of program adoption in the Global South, which commenced after the Second World War. With the exception of military conflict, we find that the introduction of unemployment insurance was shaped by factors deviating from the driving forces of program adoption in the Western world. More specifically, we provide evidence that international factors such as war, the activities of the ILO and policy diffusion were more important than domestic factors.

The Impact of Main Street Revitalization on the Economic Vitality of Small-Town Business Districts

The Main Street Program is a popular smaller-scale economic development strategy used to revitalize historic town centers across the rural United States. In this article, a difference-in-differences design using longitudinal business establishment data is implemented to estimate the program’s causal impact on job and establishment growth in downtown retail districts. Using a pooled sample of four Midwest states, the author found no significant effect of Main Street Program adoption on downtown jobs or establishments. However, for each individual state, a substantial degree of structural heterogeneity across states exists. Iowa emerges as a state where the Main Street Program appears to yield its hypothesized economic benefits to the downtown business districts of participating communities. These findings suggest that Main Street Program participation effects are not generalizable across states and that implementation and local context matter.

Adoption of a preventive health program via website versus mobile phone app across neighborhoods with different socioeconomic conditions in the Netherlands: cross-sectional study (Preprint)

BACKGROUND Socioeconomic disparities in the adoption of preventive health programs represent a well-known challenge, with programs delivered online serving as a potential solution. The preventive health program examined in this study is a large-scale, open access online platform operating in the Netherlands, aimed at improving the health behaviors and wellness of its participants. OBJECTIVE This study examines differences in adoption of an online preventive health program across socioeconomic groups, whereby comparing between its two delivery means: website versus mobile phone app. METHODS The 83,466 participants in this cross-sectional, non-experimental study are individuals who have signed up for the health program between July 2012 and September 2019. The rate of program adoption per delivery means is estimated using the Prentice, Williams and Peterson Gap-Time model (PWP-GT), with the measure of neighborhood socio-economic status (NSES) employed to distinguish between population segments with different socioeconomic characteristics. Registration to the health program is voluntary and free, not within a controlled study setting, allowing for observing the true rate of adoption. RESULTS The estimation results indicate that program adoption across socioeconomic groups varies depending on program’s delivery means. For the website version, higher NSES groups have a higher likelihood of program adoption compared to the lowest NSES group (hazard ratio [HR]=1.03; 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.01, 1.05). For the mobile phone app version, the opposite holds: higher NSES groups have a lower likelihood of program adoption compared to the lowest NSES group (HR=0.94; 95% CI=0.91, 0.97). CONCLUSIONS Promoting preventive health programs using mobile phone apps can help increase program adoption among the lowest socioeconomic segment. Given the increasing usage of mobile phones among the disadvantaged population groups, structuring future health interventions to include mobile phone apps as means of delivery can support the stride towards diminishing health disparities.

Join In . . . and Drop Out? Firm Adoption of and Disengagement From Voluntary Environmental Programs

Voluntary environmental programs (VEPs) offer opportunities for companies and stakeholders to improve environmental outcomes valued by society in the absence of regulatory mandates. Research has addressed numerous antecedents for firm adoption of VEPs, enhancing knowledge of how stakeholders and firms engage on substantive issues of public importance. However, program adoption is dynamic, and stagnant participation rates may threaten program longevity when firms do not realize expected benefits. Prior literature has not sufficiently addressed the factors that compel firms to drop out. In this study I articulate three consequential drivers of firm commitment to VEPs—transparency, effort, and achievement—and empirically estimate their effects on firm disengagement from one such prominent program: CDP (formerly known as Carbon Disclosure Project). Findings indicate that firm transparency and effort represent powerful commitment mechanisms driving continued program participation. This study contributes to theory over multiple literatures related to VEP participation and offers practical guidance for both VEPs and firms.

Proactive risk assessment via fuzzy approach in a decisional process of consignment stock program adoption

The idea of adopting the consignment stock concept has enriched the landscape of efficient supply chains and their organizations, due to its major benefits in reducing inventory, compressing delivery time and increasing flexibility towards achieving agility and enhanced market responsiveness. The decision making process is a complex one, as besides the benefits and the economical and administrative aspects, there are also risks that must be identified, measured, assessed and managed. There is little research in the literature concerning the risks and constraints of consignment inventory implementation, while consignment contracts are widely applied in both physical and virtual supply chains. This paper introduces a model of proactive risk assessment via a fuzzy approach, allowing a sensitivity analysis of the identified risks in the matrix, in terms of probability to happen, degree of severity, impact and potential consequences, as well as mitigation. A fuzzy inference system is used to serve as assessment instrument, to fairly and more rigorously evaluate the risks, in order to avoid critical situations during or after program adoption, or even implementation failure. Fuzzy logic theory has been chosen to capture the uncertainty that usually occurs when dealing with risks and decision making. We believe that having these risk assessment insights at hand, managers and practitioners can achieve a better understanding of the challenges that come along with a new consignment program adoption, while allowing them to make the right and justified decision, in accordance with both benefit and risk considerations.

How U.S. Teams advanced communication and resolution program adoption at local, state and national levels

Widespread adoption of evidence-based new healthcare practice guidelines can take years to occur. Policy leaders frequently make decisions based on incomplete and often incorrect information. These policy decisions can result in wasteful healthcare spending and poor health outcomes. Proponents of a medicolegal policy, Communication-and-Resolution Program (CRP), were successful in their endeavor to get hospitals to implement CRP, state legislators to pass state laws to encourage CRP adoption by hospitals, and national medical societies to endorse CRP to their members. The purpose of this paper is to explain the methods used by nine teams in their efforts to accomplish these goals. We identify reasons for the successes, failures, and obstacles faced by the teams in their effort to advance CRP. Our hope is to educate groups on a potentially more expeditious method to advance evidence-based policy than other methods. We propose that advocates of an innovation determine the concerns and goals of all stakeholder groups impacted by the policy. The specific concerns of each group should be the focus of the message to that group. Teams should identify the opinion leaders of each stakeholder group who can champion the new policy to their peers. Teams can aid the opinion leaders in their communication efforts to their peer group. National groups should be organized to help teams in their endeavor to advance evidence-based policies.

Implementation of a Web-Based Tool With Text Message Prompts to Improve End-of-Shift Assessments for Emergency Medicine Residents

ABSTRACT Background End-of-shift assessments (ESA) can provide representative data on medical trainee performance but do not occur routinely and are not documented systematically. Objective To evaluate the implementation of a web-based tool with text message prompts to assist mobile ESA (mESA) in an emergency medicine (EM) residency program. Methods mESA used timed text messages to prompt faculty/trainees to expect in-person qualitative ESA in a milestone content area and for the faculty to record descriptive performance data through a web-based platform. We assessed implementation between January 2018 and November 2019 using the RE-AIM framework (reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation, and maintenance). Results Reach: 96 faculty and 79 trainees participated in the mESA program. Effectiveness: From surveys, approximately 72% of faculty and 58% of trainees reported increases in providing and receiving ESA feedback after program implementation. From ESA submissions, trainees reported receiving in-person feedback on 90% of shifts. Residency leadership confirmed perceived utility of the mESA program. Adoption: mESA prompts were sent on 7792 unique shifts across 4 EDs, all days of week, and different times of day. Faculty electronically submitted ESA feedback on 45% of shifts. Implementation quality: No technological errors occurred. Maintenance: Completion of in-person ESA feedback and electronic submission of feedback by faculty was stable over time. Conclusions We found mixed evidence in support of using a web-based tool with text message prompts for mESA for EM trainees.

A Scoping Review of the Evidence About the Nurses Improving Care for Healthsystem Elders (NICHE) Program

Background and Objectives The Nurses Improving Care for Healthsystem Elders (NICHE) is a nurse-led education and consultation program designed to help health care organizations improve the quality of care for older adults. To conduct a scoping review of the evidence associated with the NICHE program to (a) understand how it influences patient outcomes through specialized care of the older adult and (b) provide an overview of implementation of the NICHE program across organizations as well as its impact on nursing professionals and the work environment. Research Design and Methods Six databases were searched to identify NICHE-related articles between January 1992 and April 2019. After critical appraisal, 43 articles were included. Results Four thematic categories were identified including specialized older adult care, geriatric resource nurse (GRN) model, work environment, and NICHE program adoption and refinement. Specialized older adult care, a key feature of NICHE programs, resulted in improved quality of care, patient safety, lower complications, and decreased length of stay. The GRN model emphasizes specialized geriatric care education and consultation. Improvements in the geriatric nurse work environment as measured by perceptions of the practice environment, quality of care, and aging-sensitive care delivery have been reported. NICHE program adoption and refinement focuses on the methods used to improve care, implementation and adoption of the NICHE program, and measuring its impact. Discussion and Implications The evidence about the NICHE program in caring for older adults is promising but more studies examining patient outcomes and the impact on health care professionals are needed.