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This paper provides detailed evidence on the extent of outsourcing and offshoring of manufacturing employment and value added using a regional subsystem input–output framework. The paper argues that direct employment and the value-added shares of manufacturing in the totals underestimate manufacturing's importance. Jobs in manufacturing subsystems accounted for more than 25% of total worldwide employment, in contrast to just 15% recorded in direct statistics. In major developed countries, the level of intersectoral outsourcing reached its upper limit at the beginning of the new millennium. At the same time, the offshoring of activities interlinked with manufacturing has become the dominant driver of deindustrialisation in these countries. While direct manufacturing employment and intersectoral outsourcing declined between 2000 and 2014, offshoring experienced a significant increase of 6.5 percentage points, from 29% to 35.5% of the total employment generated under the G7 manufacturing subsystem. Furthermore, 84% of the value added that existed to meet the final demand for manufactured products in G7 countries remained in G7 countries, while most of the jobs needed to meet G7 final demand have been offshored to developing countries. The paper concludes that the importance of manufacturing subsystems for the world economy did not decline over 2000–14, but there was a significant shift of manufacturing activities and related services from G7 countries to China and other rapidly growing economies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the sources of capital misallocation across a group of developing and developed countries, using the empirical methodology developed in David and Venkateswaran (2019. "The Sources of Capital Misallocation." American Economic Review 109 (7): 2531–67). The main findings are: (i) technological frictions—namely, adjustment costs and uncertainty—account for only a modest share of the observed misallocation; (ii) heterogeneity in firm-level technologies potentially explains between one-quarter and one-half, but (iii) dispersion in markups is much smaller; (iv) after accounting for these factors, on average, at least 50 percent of misallocation within each country remains unexplained, suggesting a large role for additional—potentially distortionary—factors. These factors are largely attributable to a component that is correlated with firm size/productivity and one that is essentially permanent to the firm. They exhibit strong negative correlations with income per capita and direct measures of the quality of the business environment from the World Bank Doing Business Report. The paper reports a broad set of moments describing firm-level investment dynamics and detailed parameter estimates on a country-by-country basis with an eye towards future work in this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As concerns the relationship between the Global South and the developed countries, the TRIPS Agreement provides a robust protection of IP. This might result in a weaker protection of fundamental rights, such as health, in those countries that do not possess the necessary know-how and industrial capacity to manufacture essential medicines. The recent Decision adopted at the 12th WTO Ministerial Conference provides the opportunity to focus again on the topic and deal with the issue of the clash between IP and the national interests of the least developed countries. Instead of addressing the problem by looking at the well-known flexibilities/inflexibilities of the Agreement, this paper proposes a different methodological approach that builds on the flourishing literature on regulatory governance. To this end, a multi-dimensional regulatory approach is suggested that simultaneously exploits a matrix of normative, market-based and cooperative instruments. While we wait for a more structural normative reform, a similar perspective not only proves to be useful from a theoretical perspective, but could also contribute to shedding a new light on the TRIPS Agreement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper uses a sample of articles published in the period 1999-2013 by economists affiliated to Portuguese institutions to examine the impact of co-authorship on the quality of academic research. We build a unique database to characterize the role played by distinct affiliations and educational backgrounds in this process, while controlling for experience and individual quality levels. Mentoring relationships are identified as a possible source of negative bias on the measurement of teamwork productivity, which we proxy and quantify here. The empirical results also suggest that co-authorship across domestic institutions does not carry any significant impact on research quality, but international collaboration enhances it. A doctorate earned abroad is shown to directly improve publication outcomes, besides making it easier to establish partnerships across frontiers. These findings underscore the importance of accessing external knowledge networks, offering relevant policy insights for a large number of small and less developed countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction The prevalence of smoking is unequally distributed across certain groups. One significant dimension is education inequality, where higher smoking prevalence is generally observed in lower-educated groups. However, studies investigating educational inequality are mostly associative. Meanwhile, studies carrying out a causal investigation focus typically on developed countries. In this study, we consider a panel of low-and-middle-income countries (LMICs) to investigate the causal link between education and smoking behavior. Aims and Methods We use detailed micro-level household surveys for 12 LMICs where the duration of compulsory schooling has been extended. By identifying the individuals subject to higher compulsory schooling and using the exogenous variation in education caused by the increase in the duration of compulsory schooling, we estimate the causal impact of education on tobacco consumption. We rely on regression analysis to estimate the effect. Results Our results reveal that those subject to higher years of compulsory schooling have lower smoking-related outcomes, suggesting that higher education significantly lowers tobacco consumption in LMICs. The effect is primarily observed for women, where, for instance, higher compulsory schooling reduces the probability of smoking by 23% and the number of cigarettes smoked by 27%. Conclusions The study's results establish the causal link between education and smoking behavior in LMICs. This significant impact suggests that education policy is still an important tool to help reduce tobacco consumption, especially in settings where the average level of education is not high initially. Moreover, discouraging men from smoking requires other measures to complement education policy. Implications Education might help reduce tobacco consumption. However, studies—primarily for developed countries—find mixed results. This paper investigates the causal role of education on smoking in LMICs. Education reduces tobacco consumption, especially for women. Thus, education policy can be effective in low-education settings. Nonetheless, education policy should be accompanied by other policies to discourage men from smoking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The objectives of this Perspective paper are to educate physical therapists on their important role in assessing and treating common pregnancy- and delivery-related health conditions and to advocate for their routine inclusion in postpartum care during the fourth trimester. Pelvic floor dysfunction (PFD) and diastasis recti abdominis (DRA) are 2 examples of musculoskeletal disorders associated with pregnancy and childbirth that can have negative physical, social, and psychological consequences. This paper reviews evidence from 2010 through 2021 to discuss the efficacy of physical therapist intervention in the fourth trimester for PFD and DRA. The role of physical therapy in the United States is compared with its role in other developed nations, with the intent of illustrating the potential importance of physical therapy in postpartum care. Evidence shows physical therapy is an effective, low-risk, therapeutic approach for PFD and DRA; however, physical therapists in the United States currently have a peripheral role in providing postpartum care. Lack of awareness, social stigma, and policy barriers prevent women from receiving physical therapist care. Recommendations are made regarding ways in which physical therapists can increase their involvement in the fourth trimester within their community, stimulate policy change, and promote improved postpartum care practices. Impact This Perspective highlights the valuable role of physical therapist assessment and treatment during the postpartum period for some common musculoskeletal conditions associated with pregnancy and delivery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper uses a global dataset with information about 210,000 corporations in 142 countries to investigate whether tax avoidance by multinational firms is more prevalent in less-developed countries. The paper proposes a novel approach to studying cross-border profit shifting, which has relatively low data requirements and is therefore particularly well-suited for the context of developing countries. The results consistently show that the sensitivity of reported profits to profit-shifting incentives is negatively related to the level of economic and institutional development. This may explain why many developing countries opt for low corporate tax rates in spite of urgent revenue needs and severe constraints on the use of other tax bases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Increasing numbers of children have been forced to flee and seek asylum in high-income countries. Current research indicates that focussing on resilience and protective factors is an important long-term goal for positive mental health and psychological functioning of refugee children. Methods We performed a systematic review of quantitative literature regarding psychological and contextual factors that contribute to resilience in refugee children residing in high-income countries. Our procedure followed guidelines from the Centre for Reviews and Dissemination. Results We identified a number of protective factors as related to positive outcomes. They are drawn from several ecological domains and include age, self-esteem, maintenance of cultural identity, social support, belonging and safety and innovative social care services. A key overarching point reported by the studies we reviewed was that for refugee settlement specific policies and approaches to be beneficial, they were required to be embedded within a positive socially inclusive society. We also identified several limitations across the reported studies. Conclusion The factors we identified would assist clinicians to adopt a resilience-focussed approach. However, a continued pre-occupation with psychopathology was evident across the studies, which we argue as holding back the development of resilience-focussed approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is often desired to rank different populations according to the value of some feature of each population. For example, it may be desired to rank neighbourhoods according to some measure of intergenerational mobility or countries according to some measure of academic achievement. These rankings are invariably computed using estimates rather than the true values of these features. As a result, there may be considerable uncertainty concerning the rank of each population. In this paper, we consider the problem of accounting for such uncertainty by constructing confidence sets for the rank of each population. We consider both the problem of constructing marginal confidence sets for the rank of a particular population as well as simultaneous confidence sets for the ranks of all populations. We show how to construct such confidence sets under weak assumptions. An important feature of all of our constructions is that they remain computationally feasible even when the number of populations is very large. We apply our theoretical results to re-examine the rankings of both neighbourhoods in the U.S. in terms of intergenerational mobility and developed countries in terms of academic achievement. The conclusions about which countries do best and worst at reading, math, and science are fairly robust to accounting for uncertainty. The confidence sets for the ranking of the fifty most populous commuting zones by measures of mobility are also found to be small. These confidence sets, however, become much less informative if one includes all commuting zones, if one considers neighbourhoods at a more granular level (counties, census tracts), or if one uses movers across areas to address concerns about selection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The frequency in which HIV and AIDS and mental health problems co-exist, and the complex bi-directional relationship between them, highlights the need for effective care models combining services for HIV and mental health. Here, we present a systematic review that synthesizes the literature on interventions and approaches integrating these services.Methods: This review was part of a larger systematic review on integration of services for HIV and non-communicable diseases. Eligible studies included those that described or evaluated an intervention or approach aimed at integrating HIV and mental health care. We searched multiple databases from inception until October 2015, independently screened articles identified for inclusion, conducted data extraction, and assessed evaluative papers for risk of bias.Results: Forty-five articles were eligible for this review. We identified three models of integration at the meso and micro levels: single-facility integration, multi-facility integration, and integrated care coordinated by a non-physician case manager. Single-site integration enhances multidisciplinary coordination and reduces access barriers for patients. However, the practicality and cost-effectiveness of providing a full continuum of specialized care on-site for patients with complex needs is arguable. Integration based on a collaborative network of specialized agencies may serve those with multiple co-morbidities but fragmented and poorly coordinated care can pose barriers. Integrated care coordinated by a single case manager can enable continuity of care for patients but requires appropriate training and support for case managers. Involving patients as key actors in facilitating integration within their own treatment plan is a promising approach.Conclusion: This review identified much diversity in integration models combining HIV and mental health services, which are shown to have potential in yielding positive patient and service delivery outcomes when implemented within appropriate contexts. Our review revealed a lack of research in low- and middle- income countries, and was limited to most studies being descriptive. Overall, studies that seek to evaluate and compare integration models in terms of long-term outcomes and cost-effectiveness are needed, particularly at the health system level and in regions with high HIV and AIDS burden. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In high-income countries that were first to roll out coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines, older adults have thus far usually been prioritized for these vaccines over younger adults. Age-based priority primarily resulted from interpreting evidence available at the time, which indicated that vaccinating the elderly first would minimize COVID-19 deaths and hospitalizations. The World Health Organization counsels a similar approach for all countries. This paper argues that some low- and middle-income countries that are short of COVID-19 vaccine doses might be justified in revising this approach and instead prioritizing certain younger persons when allocating current vaccines or future variant-specific vaccines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 crisis has caused the greatest collapse in global economic activity since 1720. Some advanced countries have mounted a massive fiscal response, both to pay for disease-fighting action and to preserve the incomes of firms and workers until the economic recovery is under way. But there are many emerging market economies which have been prevented from doing what is needed by their high existing levels of public debt and—especially—by the external financial constraints which they face. We argue in the present paper that there is a need for international cooperation to allow such countries to undertake the kind of massive fiscal response that all countries now need, and that many advanced countries have been able to carry out. We show what such cooperation would involve. We use a global macroeconomic model to explore how extraordinarily beneficial such cooperation would be. Simulations of the model suggest that GDP in the countries in which extra fiscal support takes place would be around two and a half per cent higher in the first year, and that GDP in other countries in the world be more than one per cent higher. So far, such cooperation has been notably lacking, in striking contrast with what happened in the wake of the Global Financial Crisis in 2008. The necessary cooperation needs to be led by the Group of Twenty (G20), just as happened in 2008–9, since the G20 brings together the leaders of the world's largest economies. This cooperation must also necessarily involve a promise of international financial support from the International Monetary Fund, otherwise international financial markets might take fright at the large budget deficits and current account deficits which will emerge, creating fiscal crises and currency crises and so causing such expansionary policies which we advocate to be brought to an end. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective This review aims to synthesize the literature describing policy approaches to nutrition-focused food banking in industrialized countries, spanning the period 2000 to October 2021. Background The charitable food system provides food assistance to increasing numbers of people experiencing food insecurity in industrialized countries. Calls to improve the nutrition quality of foods provided by foods banks, pantries, and shelves have increased, yet little is known about the challenges faced when initiating policy in this setting. Methods A protocol based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses extension for Scoping Reviews Guidelines was developed and registered with Open Science Framework. Four electronic databases (MEDLINE [Ovid], Global Health, ProQuest, and Scopus) were searched for peer-reviewed articles published in English. A gray literature search was conducted using Google Advanced Search. Results Of 642 peer-reviewed articles screened, 15 were eligible for inclusion. In addition, 24 gray literature documents were included. These 39 papers were assessed against the Iron Triangle of Hunger Relief and the Campbell et al framework of organizational factors. Six themes were identified: (1) there is a moral imperative to take action to ensure the provision of appropriate and nutritious food for vulnerable clients; (2) nutrition policies are unlikely to be formalized; (3) the unpredictability of donated food is a barrier to providing healthy foods; (4) reliance on donations affects the sector's willingness to reduce the unhealthy inventory for fear of losing donors, and the challenges of managing donor relationships were emphasized; (5) organizational capacity (volunteer workforce, executive leadership support) must be considered; (6) the existing measure of success is a weight-based metric that does not support food banks' prioritizing of healthy foods. These, and other characteristics, were incorporated into an adapted framework. Conclusion There is a need and opportunity for nutrition-focused food banking. A priority action area is the adoption of an outcome metric that is based on nutritional quality, to reorient the charitable food system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite recent attention to the role of competition in determining health outcomes in developed nations, little is known about how market power impedes access to quality care in lower-income countries. This paper studies the effects of policy changes that stopped collusion among firms supplying insulin to one of Mexico's largest health care providers. I document increased insulin utilization and decreased diabetes complications and mortality following the sudden drop in insulin prices caused by the cartel's collapse. These adverse health outcomes expand the assessment of damages caused by the cartel. The findings highlight the importance of market design policies in health markets, particularly for low- and middle-income countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies the origins of what has become one of the most radical and encompassing programmes of school reform seen in the recent past in advanced countries—the introduction of academy schools to English education. Academies are independent state funded schools that are allowed to run in an autonomous manner outside of local authority control. Almost all academies are conversions from already existent state schools and so are school takeovers that enable more autonomy in operation than was permitted in their predecessor state. Studying the first round of conversions that took place in the 2000s, where poorly performing schools were converted to academies, a focus is placed on legacy enrolled pupils who were already attending the school prior to conversion. The impact on end of secondary school pupil performance is shown to be positive and significant. Performance improvements are stronger for pupils in urban academies and for those converting from schools that gained relatively more autonomy as a result of conversion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is frequently asserted that financialisation has contributed to the decline in the wage share. This paper provides a theoretical clarification and a systematic empirical investigation. We identify four channels through which financialisation can affect the wage share: (i) enhanced exit options of firms; (ii) rising price mark-ups due to financial overhead costs for businesses; (iii) increased competition on capital markets and (iv) the role of household debt in increasing workers' financial vulnerability and undermining their class consciousness. The paper compiles a comprehensive set of empirical measures of financialisation and uses it to test these hypotheses with a panel regression of 14 advanced countries over the 1992–2014 period. We find strong evidence for negative effects of financial liberalisation and financial payments of non-financial corporations on the wage share, which are in the same order of magnitude as the effects of globalisation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unlike other developed countries, the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) discourse has become the central element within technology governance in Korea. This paper examines the reasons for the discourse's success and its political and social implications. Based on the analysis of policy documents and the media coverage, I argue that political and economic elites have actively introduced the 4IR discourse to create novel momentum for promoting Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and to justify deregulatory measures while re-enacting the developmentalist imaginary. I also highlight that the 4IR discourse's promoters have drawn upon the dialectics between the desirable future and the nation's shared fear to urge the Korean society to accept the measures privileging the industry as the means of making the nation a developed country and avoiding being colonized again. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The tasks workers perform on the job are informative about the direction and the impact of technological change. We harmonize occupational task-content measures between two worker-level surveys, which separately cover developing and developed countries. Developing countries use routine-cognitive tasks and routine-manual tasks more intensively than developed countries, but less intensively use non-routine analytical tasks and non-routine interpersonal tasks. This is partly because developing countries have more workers in occupations with high routine content and fewer workers in occupations with high non-routine content. More importantly, a given occupation has more routine content and less non-routine content in developing countries than in developed countries. Since 2006, occupations with high non-routine content gained employment relative to those with high routine content in most countries, regardless of their income level or initial task intensity, indicating the global reaches of the technological change that reduces the demand for occupations with high routine content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improving women's labor force participation and the quality of their employment can boost economic growth and support poverty and inequality reduction; thus, it is highly pertinent for the development agenda. However, existing systematic reviews on female labor market outcomes and childcare, which can arguably improve these outcomes, are focused on developed countries. We review 22 studies which plausibly identify the causal impact of institutional childcare on maternal labor market outcomes in lower-and-middle income countries. All but one study finds positive impacts on the extensive or intensive margin of maternal labor market outcomes, which aligns with findings from developed countries. We further analyze aspects of childcare design, including hours, ages of children, coordination with other childcare services that may increase the impacts on maternal labor market outcomes. We conclude with a discussion of directions for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on a workshop at the 16th World Congress on Public Health 2020 about vaccination challenges in developed and developing countries.

Background Physical inactivity rates have remained high worldwide since 2001. Public policies are an essential upstream lever to target individual physical activity (PA) behaviour. However, implementers have different strategies and face implementation challenges that are poorly understood. The present study analyzes the implementation processes of public policies to promote PA in terms of: (i) the policies covered and their legal quality, (ii) the actors and stakeholders involved in the implementation process and (iii) the used implementation strategies (vertical, horizontal or a mix). Methods A scoping review was systematically conducted (registered Open Science Framework: osf.io/7w84q/), searching 10 databases and grey literature until March 2022. Of the 7741 titles and abstracts identified initially, 10 studies were included. Results The current evidence includes high-income countries (USA, n  = 7; UK, New Zealand and Oman, n  = 1 each). Policy areas covered are education (school sector) and PA promotion in general (national PA plans or city-wide approaches). The legal classification ranges from laws (school sector) to coordination and budgeting to non-legally binding recommendations. The jurisdictions covered were federal (n  = 4), state (n  = 1), county (n  = 1), school district (n  = 1) and city (n  = 3). Implementation strategies for city-wide approaches are characterized by a coordinated approach with vertical and horizontal integration; federal PA policies by a mix of implementation strategies; and the school sector by a strict horizontal top-down integration without the involvement of other actors. Conclusion Implementation strategies differ by policy field. Therefore, continuous evaluation of the implementation process is necessary to align policy implementation with policy goals to promote individual PA behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Background: The incidence of Kaposi sarcoma (KS) has reduced as a result of the introduction of antiretroviral therapy. It is currently considered a rare disease in developed countries, and there has been a paucity of clinical papers on the subject in recent years in Europe. Aim: To analyse the clinical features and evolution of the different clinical forms of KS in the past 30 years. Methods: Patients with cutaneous lesions of KS diagnosed during the period 1987–2016 at Bellvitge Hospital (an 800‐bed university referral centre in Barcelona, Spain) were enrolled. Data recorded included age, sex, ethnicity, involved site, number of lesions, extracutaneous involvement, leg oedema, treatment, blood haemoglobin level, and blood cell (leucocyte, lymphocyte and CD4) counts. Results: Cutaneous lesions of KS were diagnosed in 191 patients (167 men, 24 women, mean ± SD age 51.95 ± 20.16 years). Clinical forms identified were classic KS (n = 53), acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)‐associated KS (n = 118), immunosuppression‐associated KS (n = 18), and African endemic KS (n = 2). The number of patients diagnosed annually reached a maximum in the 1990s because of the AIDS epidemic, and has decreased since 2000. However, both classic KS and immunosuppression‐associated KS doubled from the first to the second half of the analysed period. Cutaneous lesions involved the legs in 137 cases, and extracutaneous lesions were detected in 32 patients. In 46 of 118 patients with AIDS, the diagnosis of KS was simultaneous to the detection of human immunodeficiency virus infection. Conclusion: After a decrease in incidence since the middle of the 1990s, AIDS‐associated KS continues to occur in Europe, and the number of annual cases of classic KS and immunosuppression‐associated KS is increasing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper argues that banks operating in systems where monetary and regulatory authority are unified in a central bank expect and receive preferential monetary policies, and so act less prudently than do banks in non-unified systems. These incentives arise when the natural tension between counter-cyclical monetary policy and pro-cyclical regulatory policy is resolved in ways that benefit the banking sector. I test the hypothesis using time series cross-sectional regression models that exploit two types of policy interventions-accession to the European monetary union, and several reassignments of domestic regulatory authority-within OECD countries from 1992 to 2009, the period during which the international Basel accords harmonized key aspects of national regulatory standards. The results strongly support the claim that there is a relationship between risk behaviors of banks and the location of regulatory and monetary authority. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. There are an estimated 2.6 million stillbirths each year, many of which are due to infections, especially in low- and middle-income contexts. This paper, the eighth in a series on the burden of group B streptococcal (GBS) disease, aims to estimate the percentage of stillbirths associated with GBS disease. Methods. We conducted systematic literature reviews (PubMed/Medline, Embase, Literatura Latino-Americana e do Caribe em Ciências da Saúde, World Health Organization Library Information System, and Scopus) and sought unpublished data from investigator groups. Studies were included if they reported original data on stillbirths (predominantly ≥28 weeks' gestation or ≥1000 g, with GBS isolated from a sterile site) as a percentage of total stillbirths. We did meta-analyses to derive pooled estimates of the percentage of GBS-associated stillbirths, regionally and worldwide for recent datasets. Results. We included 14 studies from any period, 5 with recent data (after 2000). There were no data from Asia. We estimated that 1% (95% confidence interval [CI], 0--2%) of all stillbirths in developed countries and 4% (95% CI, 2%--6%) in Africa were associated with GBS. Conclusions. GBS is likely an important cause of stillbirth, especially in Africa. However, data are limited in terms of geographic spread, with no data from Asia, and cases worldwide are probably underestimated due to incomplete case ascertainment. More data, using standardized, systematic methods, are critical, particularly from low- and middle-income contexts where the highest burden of stillbirths occurs. These data are essential to inform interventions, such as maternal GBS vaccination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Neonatal encephalopathy (NE) is a leading cause of child mortality and longer-term impairment. Infection can sensitize the newborn brain to injury; however, the role of group B streptococcal (GBS) disease has not been reviewed. This paper is the ninth in an 11-article series estimating the burden of GBS disease; here we aim to assess the proportion of GBS in NE cases. Methods. We conducted systematic literature reviews (PubMed/Medline, Embase, Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences Literature [LILACS], World Health Organization Library Information System [WHOLIS], and Scopus) and sought unpublished data from investigator groups reporting GBS-associated NE. Meta-analyses estimated the proportion of GBS disease in NE and mortality risk. UK population-level data estimated the incidence of GBS-associated NE. Results. Four published and 25 unpublished datasets were identified from 13 countries (N = 10 436). The proportion of NE associated with GBS was 0.58% (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.18%-.98%). Mortality was significantly increased in GBS-associated NE vs NE alone (risk ratio, 2.07 [95% CI, 1.47-2.91]). This equates to a UK incidence of GBS-associated NE of 0.019 per 1000 live births. Conclusions. The consistent increased proportion of GBS disease in NE and significant increased risk of mortality provides evidence that GBS infection contributes to NE. Increased information regarding this and other organisms is important to inform interventions, especially in low- and middle-resource contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Child vaccinations are among the most effective public health interventions. However, wide gaps in child vaccination remain among different groups with uptake in most minorities or ethnic communities in Europe substantially lower compared to the general population. A systematic review was conducted to understand health system barriers and enablers to measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) and human papilloma virus (HPV) child vaccination among disadvantaged, minority populations in middle- and high-income countries. Methods: We searched Medline, Cochrane, CINAHL, ProQuest and EMBASE for articles published from 2010 to 2021. Following title and abstract screening, full texts were assessed for relevance. Study quality was appraised using Critical Appraisal Skills Program checklists. Data extraction and analysis were performed. Health system barriers and enablers to vaccination were mapped to the World Health Organization health system building blocks. Results: A total of 1658 search results were identified from five databases and 24 from reference lists. After removing duplicates, 1556 titles were screened and 496 were eligible. Eighty-six full texts were assessed for eligibility, 28 articles met all inclusion criteria. Factors that affected MMR and HPV vaccination among disadvantaged populations included service delivery (limited time, geographic distance, lack of culturally appropriate translated materials, difficulties navigating healthcare system), healthcare workforce (language and poor communication skills), financial costs and feelings of discrimination. Conclusion: Policymakers must consider health system barriers to vaccination faced by disadvantaged, minority populations while recognizing specific cultural contexts of each population. To ensure maximum policy impact, approaches to encourage vaccinations should be tailored to the unique population's needs. A one-size-fits-all approach is not effective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the impact of per-unit duties (i.e. tariffs expressed in US dollars per unit of imported product) on world agricultural trade patterns. Using detailed data on trade and tariffs, we show first that they induce higher export unit values, confirming that the Alchian–Allen conjecture can be extended to per-unit duties. Second, we show that this effect is higher for developed countries, which can be explained by their specialization on high-priced products. Third, we find that the restrictive effect of per-unit duties on trade is higher for developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Ageing of societies is a unique historical development of mankind. Today, such ageing is recognized as a threat for developed societies. There is fear of increasing inequality in health and in access to health care. Apart from the costs of ageing and care, such fear creates intergenerational conflicts. This paper explores what values are at stake when a society ages. At issue here is the social position of the old citizens and the way in which they are regarded by their fellow citizens. Findings indicate the need to contemplate the consequences of ageing for societies and to discuss the impact these have for the values dominating contemporary post-welfare states. European welfare states were based on a balanced combination of three values: freedom, equality, and solidarity. Because these values are misbalanced now, equal accessibility of care and conditions for social participation are disappearing. Therefore, we shall have to think about new ways in which our societies can reaffirm basic human values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Centres of excellence (CoEs), as boundary-spanning structures between universities and firms, have been promoted and studied mainly in developed countries, while some Latin American countries have recently launched CoE programmes. This study explores how CoEs in Chile and Peru have been working in terms of their internal structures and interactions. It draws upon a conceptual framework that encompasses the distinction between contexts for and channels of university–industry linkages (UILs), the defining features of CoEs, their differences with other schemes and innovation intermediaries, and the patterns shown by CoEs in developed countries. Applying this framework to analyse two CoEs, we found that these fit into the concept of contexts for UILs and differ substantially from research and technology organisations. We also found that Chilean and Peruvian CoEs share certain commonalities with their counterparts in developed countries, albeit they also show sharp differences, which have both academic and policy implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

I estimate the role of agglomeration economies and other local factors on productivity differences across Turkish provinces, which are some of the highest seen in OECD countries. Using a novel administrative dataset and historical instruments to deal with estimation concerns, I find that the elasticity of productivity to density is higher than in developed countries. Moreover, using an individual panel at the regional level, I find weak sorting effects for workers, contrasting with evidence from developed countries. These results suggest that urbanization patterns could be operating differently in developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the era of globalization, policy makers in both developing and developed countries have sought to expand their export destinations, with the expectation that export market diversification can boost export upgrading and economic development. Although extant literature has confirmed that exporters search for new markets in two distinct ways: direct search underpinned by the gravity effect and remote search driven by the extended gravity effect, it has not advanced very far due to the lack of adequate measures of those effects. This article presents a technique that uses available export data to develop measures of those two effects that capture a larger range of factors and thus allow us to more easily predict export market diversification. Our new indicator also simplifies the prediction by combining gravity and extended gravity effects. Empirical results show that the explanatory and predictive power of our new method is better than that of the traditional one based on gravity and extended gravity models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Accurate monitoring of population health is essential to ensure proper recovery after earthquakes. We aimed to summarize the findings and features of post-earthquake epidemiological studies conducted in high-income countries and to prompt the development of future surveillance plans.Methods: Medline, Scopus and six sources of grey literature were systematically searched. Inclusion criteria were: observational study conducted in high-income countries with at least one comparison group of unexposed participants, and measurement of health outcomes at least 1 month after the earthquake.Results: A total of 52 articles were included, assessing the effects of 13 earthquakes that occurred in eight countries. Most studies: had a time-series (33%) or cross-sectional (29%) design; included temporal comparison groups (63%); used routine data (58%); and focused on patient subgroups rather than the whole population (65%). Individuals exposed to earthquakes had: 2% higher all-cause mortality rates [95% confidence interval (CI), 1% to 3%]; 36% (95% CI, 19% to 57%) and 37% (95% CI, 29% to 46%) greater mortality rates from myocardial infarction and stroke, respectively; and 0.16 higher mean percent points of glycated haemoglobin (95% CI, 0.07% to 0.25% points). There was no evidence of earthquake effects for blood pressure, body mass index or lipid biomarkers.Conclusions: A more regular and coordinated use of large and routinely collected datasets would benefit post-earthquake epidemiological surveillance. Whenever possible, a cohort design with geographical and temporal comparison groups should be used, and both communicable and non-communicable diseases should be assessed. Post-earthquake epidemiological surveillance should also capture the impact of seismic events on the access to and use of health care services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context Consumption of food away from home represents an increasing share of people's food consumption worldwide, although the percentage of food intake that is consumed away from home varies among countries and among individuals. Previous systematic reviews have reported that, overall, consumption away from home negatively affects an individual's diet and nutritional status. However, these reviews have mainly focused on high-income countries, leaving a gap in knowledge and data for people in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Objective The present review aimed to describe trends in the consumption of food away from home in an apparently healthy population in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and to investigate any associations between this behavior and diet quality, nutritional status, and health outcomes. Data Sources A structured search strategy was developed for retrieving (from MEDLINE [via PubMed], Web of Science, and Scopus) peer-reviewed articles published in English from March 2011 until May 2021. Data Extraction Forty studies were included, and from them information was obtained based on data from 12 different countries. A qualitative and descriptive approach was used to review the evidence. Data Analysis It was found that there was large heterogeneity in the definition of food consumed away from home and the methods used to measure it, making comparisons and syntheses difficult. Consumption of food away from home in LMICs was relatively common and was positively driven by factors such as being a male, being young, having a high socio-economic status, being educated, and living in urban areas. As in high-income countries, consumption of food away from home in LMICs had unfavorable effects on an individual's diet quality, nutritional status, and health. Conclusion There is a need to develop harmonized surveillance systems for better monitoring of the phenomenon of food consumption away from home in LMICs, including a need for a standardized definition for food consumed away from home, to enable the design of effective regulatory policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the cyclical patterns of fiscal policy rules using various policy variables that respond to the macroeconomic performance of developed countries over the past few decades. The study reveals that regardless of whether the economy is in a recession or a boom, fiscal policy basically displays counter-cyclical behavior. However, the degree of cyclicality varies depending on the output gap measurements chosen and the countries analyzed. Additionally, the estimates using various fiscal policy indicators demonstrate a strong time variation in fiscal cyclical behavior, resulting in a significant increase in the counter-cyclicality of the fiscal balance. The article also applies the time-varying coefficients vector autoregression model to assess the effects of fiscal policy on output and finds that a boost in the cyclically adjusted primary balance positively impacts production in the short run. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most older adults reside in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) but most research dollars spent on interventions to improve the lives of older adults are awarded to researchers in high-income countries (HICs). One approach to improve the implementation of evidence-based innovations for older adults in LMICs is designing interventions that are relevant to LMICs and HICs simultaneously. We propose that researchers in HICs could partner with stakeholders in an LMIC throughout the intervention design process to better position their intervention for the implementation in that LMIC. We provide an example study from an adaptation of the Resources for Enhancing Caregiver Health II in Vietnam, which did not use this strategy but may have benefited from this strategy. We then turn to several considerations that are important for researchers to contemplate when incorporating this strategy. Finally, we explore incentives for creating interventions that are relevant to both HICs and LMICs for funders, intervention designers, and intervention receivers. Although this is not the only strategy to bring interventions to LMICs, it may represent another tool in researchers' toolboxes to help expedite the implementation of efficacious interventions in LMICs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We build a dynamic heterogeneous-firm model in which real depreciations raise export demand and the cost of importing intermediates, and also affect borrowing constraints and the profitability of engaging in research and development (R&D). A number of stylized facts on manufacturing firms for a large set of countries discipline our estimation: Firms in emerging East Asia are very export oriented and rely little on imported intermediates, whereas the opposite holds for Latin America and Eastern Europe; firms from industrialized countries export as much as they import. Exporters experience an increase in cash flow, R&D, and productivity growth in response to real exchange rate (RER) depreciations; importers experience the opposite outcomes. In counterfactual simulations of temporary RER movements, the effects on innovation and productivity growth are heterogeneous across regions, sizeable and persistent. In emerging Asia, real depreciations are associated with higher probabilities to engage in R&D, faster growth of average firm-level productivity and cash flow, and higher export entry rates; we find negative average effects on these outcomes for firms in other emerging economies, and no significant average effects for firms in industrialized economies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the impacts of non-tariff measures (NTMs) on tariff evasion in agriculture. We find that sanitary and phytosanitary standard measure of tolerance limits for residues and restricted use of substances significantly reduces tariff evasion. We also find that this dampening impact occurs via price underreporting rather than quantity underreporting or product misclassification. Heterogeneous analysis shows that this impact exists for developing countries but not for developed countries. These findings highlight the importance of accounting for NTMs' impacts on tariff evasion in agricultural trade policy analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Attacks on humanitarianism are threefold. First, in conflict zones, over the past decade attacks on humanitarian health facilities and personnel are increasingly documented, along with a decline in respect for core humanitarian principles by state and non-state actors, and this will continue. Second, growing instrumentalisation, a failure to adequately fund the sector, antimigrant/refugee populism on the rise and the protracted nature of many crises are provoking a shift away from humanitarian to development healthcare aid over the next decade, intended to keep refugees far away from developed countries by encouraging their integration into immediate neighbouring states. This undermines humanitarian healthcare emergency response capacity. Third, the climate crisis will massively increase humanitarian healthcare needs among the most vulnerable over the next decade and challenge the sector to respond across all its programmes, not least as it absorbs a renewed youthful agency elsewhere in climate protest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Britain in 1914 was the world's leading power, the only nation with global responsibilities and authority. However, this authority was presumed, and the First World War rapidly highlighted limits. Even before the country's dependence on U.S. finance, British appeals to 'world opinion' suggest recognition that British authority no longer ordered world affairs. While speaking for the world by asserting world opinion, Britons also spoke to it, officiously demanding action and appealing to world, especially U.S., opinion. This article closely explores one collection featuring such appeals, arguing 1914 already reflected the transition from presumed pre-eminence to a time when Britain needed, and sought, the world's help. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Do sovereign ratings influence social spending in developed countries? Ratings are highly publicized and fiscally consequential assessments of countries' creditworthiness shown to penalize welfare-largesse. We hypothesize that downgrades induce governments to retrench social spending, and test this hypothesis via panel-analyses of 23 OECD countries between 1995 and 2019. Our event-study shows that downgrades are associated with spending reductions, but upgrades have no effect. Our error-correction models demonstrate that, since the global financial crisis, spending on social services and transfers is reduced after downgrades, with reductions in social transfers occurring over the longer run. Reductions are particularly pronounced in country-years with high public debt and social–democratic executives but are independent of elections. We conclude that ratings became a binding constraint on social spending since the crisis drove home developed countries' fallibility in international debt markets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Informal work is a significant feature of labour markets in many developed countries, despite having unemployment protection (UP) programmes. We use a model of job search over the duration of unemployment to study how the structure of these programmes influences the incentive of the unemployed to engage in informal work while searching for formal jobs. Accounting for informality enables the model to jointly explain three known features on job search dynamics: a temporary re-employment spike, low search effort, and negative duration dependence. The quantitative analysis finds that both informality and unemployment can be reduced by redistributing (across either workers or programmes), rather than increasing, the overall UP budget. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background populations are considered to have an 'unmet need' when they could benefit from, but do not get, the necessary support. Policy efforts to achieve equitable access to long-term care require an understanding of patterns of unmet need. A systematic review was conducted to identify factors associated with unmet need for support to maintain independence in later life. Methods seven bibliographic databases and four non-bibliographic evidence sources were searched. Quantitative observational studies and qualitative systematic reviews were included if they reported factors associated with unmet need for support to maintain independence in populations aged 50+, in high-income countries. No limits to publication date were imposed. Studies were quality assessed and a narrative synthesis used, supported by forest plots to visualise data. Findings forty-three quantitative studies and 10 qualitative systematic reviews were included. Evidence across multiple studies suggests that being male, younger age, living alone, having lower levels of income, poor self-rated health, more functional limitations and greater severity of depression were linked to unmet need. Other factors that were reported in single studies were also identified. In the qualitative reviews, care eligibility criteria, the quality, adequacy and absence of care, and cultural and language barriers were implicated in unmet need. Conclusions this review identifies which groups of older people may be most at risk of not accessing the support they need to maintain independence. Ongoing monitoring of unmet need is critical to support policy efforts to achieve equal ageing and equitable access to care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Final adult height is a useful proxy measure of childhood nutrition and disease burden. Tall stature has been previously associated with decreased risk of all-cause mortality, decreased risk of major cardiovascular events and an increased risk of cancer. However, these associations have primarily been derived from people of European and East Asian backgrounds, and there are sparse data from other regions of the world.Methods: The Prospective Urban-Rural Epidemiology study is a large, longitudinal population study done in 21 countries of varying incomes and sociocultural settings. We enrolled an unbiased sample of households, which were eligible if at least one household member was aged 35-70 years. Height was measured in a standardized manner, without shoes, to the nearest 0.1 cm. During a median follow-up of 10.1 years (interquartile range 8.3-12.0), we assessed the risk of all-cause mortality, major cardiovascular events and cancer.Results: A total of 154 610 participants, enrolled since January 2003, with known height and vital status, were included in this analysis. Follow-up event data until March 2021 were used; 11 487 (7.4%) participants died, whereas 9291 (6.0%) participants had a major cardiovascular event and 5873 (3.8%) participants had a new diagnosis of cancer. After adjustment, taller individuals had lower hazards of all-cause mortality [hazard ratio (HR) per 10-cm increase in height 0.93, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.90-0.96] and major cardiovascular events (HR 0.97, 95% CI 0.94-1.00), whereas the hazard of cancer was higher in taller participants (HR 1.23, 95% CI 1.18-1.28). The interaction p-values between height and country-income level for all three outcomes were <0.001, suggesting that the association with height varied by country-income level for these outcomes. In low-income countries, height was inversely associated with all-cause mortality (HR 0.88, 95% CI 0.84-0.92) and major cardiovascular events (HR 0.87, 95% CI 0.82-0.93). There was no association of height with these outcomes in middle- and high-income countries. The respective HRs for cancer in low-, middle- and high-income countries were 1.14 (95% CI 0.99-1.32), 1.12 (95% CI 1.04-1.22) and 1.20 (95% CI 1.14-1.26).Conclusions: Unlike high- and middle-income countries, tall stature has a strong inverse association with all-cause mortality and major cardiovascular events in low-income countries. Improved childhood physical development and advances in population-wide cardiovascular treatments in high- and middle-income countries may contribute to this gap. From a life-course perspective, we hypothesize that optimizing maternal and child health in low-income countries may improve rates of premature mortality and cardiovascular events in these countries, at a population level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following the trade collapse in 2009, Globalisation has recovered but the growth rate slowed down compared to the preceding period of Hyper Globalisation. The persistence of this slowdown is remarkable. We argue that increased awareness of firms for the costs of involvement in global supply chains can explain the recent developments in trade flows. We formalise the existence, length and consequences of changes in fragmentation cost along global supply chains. From a theoretical point of view, we allow tasks to be a combination of different occupations while the model endogenises production fragmentation, allowing for multiple production stages in multiple countries, while remaining tractable. From an empirical point of view, the model explains both the period of Hyper Globalisation and the subsequent Slowbalisation in terms of changing fragmentation costs along global supply chains. The model is also consistent with developments regarding labour market polarisation associated with modern globalisation: the labour market position of medium-skilled workers in advanced countries has deteriorated relative to high- and low-skilled workers, which can be understood by changing global supply chains. Our model implies, however, that even with zero fragmentation costs the demand for certain occupations does not fall to zero for any country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The proportion of reported causes of death (CoDs) that are not underlying causes can be relevant even in high-income countries and seriously affect health planning. The Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study identifies these 'garbage codes' (GCs) and redistributes them to underlying causes using evidence-based algorithms. Planners relying on vital registration data will find discrepancies with GBD estimates. We analyse these discrepancies, through the analysis of GCs and their redistribution. Methods We explored the case of Italy, at national and regional level, and compared it to nine other Western European countries with similar population sizes. We analysed differences between official data and GBD 2019 estimates, for the period 1990–2017 for which we had vital registration data for most select countries. Results In Italy, in 2017, 33 000 deaths were attributed to unspecified type of stroke and 15 000 to unspecified type of diabetes, these making a fourth of the overall garbage. Significant heterogeneity exists on the overall proportion of GCs, type (unspecified or impossible underlying causes), and size of specific GCs among regions in Italy, and among the select countries. We found no pattern between level of garbage and relevance of specific GCs. Even locations performing below average show interesting lower levels for certain GCs if compared to better performing countries. Conclusions This systematic analysis suggests the heterogeneity in GC levels and causes, paired with a more detailed analysis of local practices, strengths and weaknesses, could be a positive element in a strategy for the reduction of GCs in Italy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors discuss the significance of groups in political science at what they identify as the meso level. They argue that emphasis upon social reproduction that occurs at the meso level can clarify the importance of groups in developed and developing countries, particularly intergenerational trends and group member connections such as kinship groups, families, and neighborhoods. The article analyzes and challenges the concept or essentialism, and presents a critique of what is identified as a fatigue among political theorists with kinship as a normative value.

The growing significance of migration on a global scale is generating increased scholarly interest in the subject, offering a fuller and more nuanced understanding of the nature and implications of different types of migration. However, research to date has presented divergent findings on the factors influencing the presence or absence of migration-induced conflicts, as most contributions are single-case studies focusing on different regions, levels of analysis, and measurements, whether applied to 'objective' or 'subjective' situations. We develop a framework to assess a wide spectrum of interactions between 'local' residents and 'migrant populations' by integrating the literature on ethnic conflict and considering the findings of studies that have investigated developed countries separately from developing countries; utilized a methodology specific to a particular discipline; or have focused on a single historical time frame or level of analysis. We propose a distinctive way of organizing and integrating the literature, incorporating three levels of analysis (independent variables) and a wide range of responses (dependent variables). We demonstrate that this framework enables researchers who employ one level of analysis at the expense of the others, or consider only one aspect or level of conflict, to assess the limitations and representativeness of their case studies; to identify gaps in operationalization and measurements of concepts and definitions; and to become aware of the trade-offs involved in their selection and scope of analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives This study assesses how American life expectancy compares to other high-income countries and identifies key age groups and causes of death responsible for the U.S. life expectancy shortfall. Methods Data from the Human Mortality Database, World Health Organization Mortality Database, and vital statistics agencies for 18 high-income countries are used to examine trends in U.S. life expectancy gaps and how American age-specific death rates compare to other countries. Decomposition is used to estimate the contribution of 19 age groups and 16 causes to the U.S. life expectancy shortfall. Results In 2018, life expectancy for American men and women was 5.18 and 5.82 years lower than the world leaders and 3.60 and 3.48 years lower than the average of the comparison countries. Americans aged 25–29 experience death rates nearly 3 times higher than their counterparts. Together, injuries (drug overdose, firearm-related deaths, motor vehicle accidents, homicide), circulatory diseases, and mental disorders/nervous system diseases (including Alzheimer's disease) account for 86% and 67% of American men's and women's life expectancy shortfall, respectively. Discussion American life expectancy has fallen far behind its peer countries. The U.S.'s worsening mortality at the prime adult ages and eroding old-age mortality advantage drive its deteriorating performance in international comparisons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The global discussion about the energy transition has been focused towards electrification given the preferences and possibilities of developed countries. However, that path is unaffordable for most of the world, therefore guaranteeing that if only one model of energy transition is preferred, the full process has a high risk of failure with catastrophic consequences at global level. It seems that developed countries are not aware of this circumstance, and do not realize the complex consequences that failure might bring for their countries and the global community, even if they individually succeed. This is because the development level of the countries is not the same, even though there is a strong political mandate to work on it through the SDG framework, and the focus of the global efforts are not centred in decarbonization. This situation also seems to fail to recognize that oil and gas industry will be a part of human development for the decades and centuries to come, provided that its decarbonization efforts succeed to adapt to a low-carbon world. It is fundamental that the global community recognizes that past cases where one-size-fits-all programmes were applied, they backfired and results were generally negative both for the countries involved and the international community. The energy transition for developing countries, including fossil fuel-rich countries, therefore requires strong, active and committed support from developed countries for the implementation of policies and programmes, design effective economic diversification paths and ensure decarbonization of the oil sector. Collaboration and consensus is essential for the reaching of climate goals, which would most likely be achieved through reaching the development goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]