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Liberal theory has long fetishized state law as a fortress against disorder, anarchy, and private violence. To prevent violence writ large, it advocated, the nation-state should be endowed with its monopoly, as the impartial and rational guardian of civilization and social peace. Yet, as critics suggest, the normative binary of law/violence and the legal purity of the state is empirically untenable and, as such, remains an ideological construct sustained and perpetuated through law and its fictions. In this paper, I revisit these debates to reflect on legal fictions in the context of migration policing. I draw on ethnographic research I conducted with immigration and police officers in the UK. Amid the growing economies of illegality that rely on migrant labour which these officers are in charge of suppressing, their everyday work reveals spaces of legal murkiness and ambiguity. The paper explores the paradoxes, dilemmas and contradictions that such legal ambiguity gives rise to and their implications for state sovereignty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Value-based healthcare (VBHC) is a conceptual framework to improve the value of healthcare by health, care-process and economic outcomes. Benchmarking should provide useful information to identify best practices and therefore a good instrument to improve quality across healthcare organizations. This paper aims to provide a proof-of-concept of the feasibility of an international VBHC benchmarking in breast cancer, with the ultimate aim of being used to share best practices with a data-driven approach among healthcare organizations from different health systems. Methods In the VOICE community—a European healthcare centre cluster intending to address VBHC from theory to practice—information on patient-reported, clinical-related, care-process-related and economic-related outcomes were collected. Patient archetypes were identified using clustering techniques and an indicator set following a modified Delphi was defined. Benchmarking was performed using regression models controlling for patient archetypes and socio-demographic characteristics. Results Six hundred and ninety patients from six healthcare centres were included. A set of 50 health, care-process and economic indicators was distilled for benchmarking. Statistically significant differences across sites have been found in most health outcomes, half of the care-process indicators, and all economic indicators, allowing for identifying the best and worst performers. Conclusions To the best of our knowledge, this is the first international experience providing evidence to be used with VBHC benchmarking intention. Differences in indicators across healthcare centres should be used to identify best practices and improve healthcare quality following further research. Applied methods might help to move forward with VBHC benchmarking in other medical conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the progress of the knowledge economy is inexorable, this paper argues that partisan politics and labor market institutions can affect the direction in which the knowledge economy progresses. In particular, a combination of corporatist industrial relations systems and left partisanship tends to foster greater wage restraint, and such a wage outcome tends to encourage the greater adoption of communications technology than information-processing technology in the economy. This reorientation of the knowledge economy toward communications technology, in turn, has egalitarian distributive implications. In particular, the greater adoption of communications technology reduces wage inequality across the board in lower 90–10, 50–10, as well as 90–50 wage ratios. These arguments are tested using data across 15–21 OECD countries (1970–2015). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Experts in different fields have claimed that the UK has experienced a process of growing economic inequality since the 1970s. Following Fairclough's dialectal-relational approach, this paper presents a detailed, systematic analysis of the representation of homeless people and homelessness in The Guardian and Daily Mail from 2000 to 2018, in order to explore how these have been discursively represented over time. Therefore, our study addresses two specific research questions: How have homelessness and homeless people been represented in the UK press? Are there any discoursal changes in representation with the passing of time? The analysis, which has employed mostly qualitative but also quantitative (statistical) methods drawing on corpus-assisted discourse analysis, is informed by the theory of transitivity within Systemic Functional Linguistics. Results indicate that, within an overall negative representation of homeless people and homelessness in this period, there have been some significant discoursal changes over time. As such, this paper contributes to critical discourse studies and transitivity research on a relevant social problem, that of growing economic inequality in the UK. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main goal of this paper is to improve the understanding of the spatial distribution of small-scale inshore fisheries (SSF) in coastal waters of the Bay of Biscay. The study used a participatory process, in which fishers, regional administration, and researchers were involved in supplying the data. Displayed on a 1-km2 grid, the data for effort and catch composition, variable costs, revenue, and profits at each site show the spatial patterns of the main SSF metier activities. This information indicates the economic value of the fishing grounds and the cost of reaching those areas, which can reveal possible trade-offs for more distant fishing grounds. Trammelnet vessels are widely dispersed, following economic incentives, while longliners also demonstrate high mobility, using many fishing sites, though the economic incentive does not always lead to high benefits. A narrow expansion range with activity close to the coastal area (trap, gillnet, and trammelnet users) suggests that the target-species stocks maintain their economic profitability even though it is lower than that in other coastal fleets. Such information helps develop a holistic approach to SSF management in this multi-use region by increasing the availability of high-quality multidisciplinary geospatial data, currently in short supply for this fleet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interest in the political economy of crime goes back to sociology's founding fathers, but the nature of the relationship between restrictive social security systems and crime remains contested. This paper exploits exogenous variation in the introduction of Universal Credit (UC) to local areas across England and Wales to address this question. We first use fixed effects models, with a range of controls, to show that as UC enrolments increase in a given area, so does the crime rate. We then use interrupted time series analysis to show that, despite UC being rolled out at different times in different places, its introduction in each local area coincides with a positive shift in the trend in crime. These findings hold for total crime, property crime and violent crime. Borrowing from Strain Theory and Routine Activities Theory, we suggest that changes to the pool of motivated offenders may help to explain these correlations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: This article reports on findings that indicate how First Nations musical activities function as cultural determinants of health. Drawing on early findings from a 3-year Australian Research Council funded project titled The Remedy Project: First Nations Music as a Determinant of Health, we detail Australian and Ni Vanuatu First Nations musicians' reported outcomes of musical activity using a First Nations cultural determinants of health framework. The broader findings indicate that our respondents see musical activity as actively shaping all known domains of cultural health determinants, and some surrounding political and social determinants. However, this paper focusses specifically on the political and economic determinants that emerged in analysis as the most dominant subthemes. We argue that this study provides strong impetus for continued investigation and reconceptualization of the place of music in cultural health determinant models. Lay Summary: This article looks at how making and performing music, recording music and listening to music helps the health of First Nations peoples in Australia and Ni Vanuatu. Music is an important part of the lives of First Nations peoples from these places and so research was done to try to understand why it is meaningful. Music can be used as an outlet for personal feelings, and can also be a way that groups of people can express common concerns. First Nations musicians talked about how music makes them feel, and how music is used to strengthen relationships between people, and between people and their culture. Musicians also talked about how music helps them express their political and economic goals. The findings backed up existing First Nations' models of health that say that health for First Nations People's needs to be thought about in a holistic way. The findings also showed that the relationship between music and health needs to be studied more so that we can better understand how it helps maintain links with the past, gives a guide for the present and opens options for the future. Graphical Abstract [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Older people in England who pay for social care from their own funds ('self-funders') receive little help in seeking and arranging care compared to older people funded by their local council. This suggests an implicit assumption that people funded by local councils need help to manage their care whereas self-funders do not. This article reports findings from a scoping review of published evidence from England, Scotland and Wales on the skills that older people need, and the help they get, to seek, arrange or manage use of social care, and how this help affects outcomes. Searches undertaken in October 2018 resulted in the inclusion of thirty-six empirical papers and seven reviews. Thematic analysis identified the importance of everyday life and specific business skills, and personal attributes including objectivity when evaluating options. The review identified two significant gaps in the evidence: first, how help in seeking and arranging care compensated for lack of, or complemented existing, skills; and secondly, how outcomes for people receiving help in arranging care compared with those not receiving help. The article concludes that a tailored approach to supporting older people arrange and manage care, irrespective of funding, should be considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The European Commission (EC) has recently announced its intention to issue Guidelines on exclusionary abuses. In this paper, we explain how economics can and should be used to inform a sound and effects-based approach in the enforcement of Article 102 TFEU. In particular, the EC should be guided only by a consumer welfare standard; exclusive dealing and exclusivity rebates should be subject to a (rebuttable) presumption of harm; price–cost tests are meaningful only for predation and other practices that do not reference rivals; essentiality of the input should not be a requirement for vertical foreclosure cases of any type, but such cases should be limited only to dominant firms that satisfy certain criteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to limited resources and constant, ever-changing healthcare challenges, health economics is essential to support healthcare decisions while improving health outcomes. Economic evaluation methodology facilitates informed decision-making related to the efficient allocation of resources while positively impacting clinical practice. In this paper, we provide an overview of economic evaluation methods and a real-world example applying one method of economic evaluation (cost-utility analysis) in nursing research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

International research and collaboration has been a part of the National Cancer Institute's (NCI) mission since its creation in 1937. Early on, efforts were limited to international exchange of information to ensure that US cancer patients could benefit from advances in other countries. As NCI's research grant portfolio grew in the 1950s, it included a modest number of grants to foreign institutions, primarily in the United Kingdom and Europe. In the 1960s, the development of geographic pathology, which aimed to study cancer etiology through variations in cancer incidence and risk factors, led to an increase in NCI-funded international research, including research in low- and middle-income countries. In this paper, we review key international research programs, focusing particularly on the first 50 years of NCI history. The first NCI-led overseas research programs, established in the 1960s in Ghana and Uganda, generated influential research but also struggled with logistical challenges and political instability. The 1971 National Cancer Act was followed by the creation of a number of bilateral agreements with foreign governments, including China, Japan, and Russia, to support cooperation in technology and medicine. Although these agreements were broad without specific scientific goals, they provided an important mechanism for sustained collaborations in specific areas. With the creation of the NCI Center for Global Health in 2011, NCI's global cancer research efforts gained sustained focus. Because the global cancer burden has evolved over time, increasingly impacting low- and middle-income countries, NCI's role in global cancer research remains more important than ever. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper contributes to the current debate on industrial policies, by discussing the potential scope and design principles of efficiency-enhancing industrial policies and providing a framework of assessment based on the European experience with State aid control. It argues four main points. First, there is scope for efficiency-enhancing industrial policies that address well-defined market failures. Second, the design of any industrial policy must achieve its objective in the most efficient way possible, in particular avoiding unnecessary distortions to competition. Third, European Union (EU) State aid control rules, as part of competition policy, reflect the economic principles of efficiency-enhancing industrial policies and provide a blueprint that could be applied more broadly to improve the design of industrial policies. Fourth, the pressure from industrial policies of non-EU governments comes with risks of global subsidy races that would produce a suboptimal outcome for all. Some limiting principles must therefore be found. We then illustrate how State aid control can contribute to a more efficient design of climate and industrial policies, contributing to a more efficient green transition, preserving competitive markets, and fostering industrial competitiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The focus to date on interactive encounters has resulted in there being little research into monological texts and speeches produced in English as a lingua franca (ELF) contexts. They are, however, the very substance of what interpreters and translators increasingly deal with today. The quality of these language professionals' performance depends to a large extent on the input they receive. From a translation and interpreting studies (TIS) perspective, understanding what makes an ELF text or speech special and different seems paramount. In this paper, we present an innovative approach to exploring what is in an ELF text. We introduce the concepts of 'ELF density' and 'ELF dense spots' to capture and visualize types and tokens of ELF features as well as clusters they form at a local and more global level across stretches of text or speech and discuss a number of methodological challenges in determining ELF density. Based on a preliminary retrospective verbal protocol and interview analysis following 26 professional interpreters' renditions, we aim to demonstrate the concepts' added value for TIS, but also for non-TIS related applied linguistic tasks geared towards ELF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background A proportion of patients undergoing midline laparotomy will develop surgical site infections after surgery. These complications place considerable financial burden on healthcare economies and have negative implications for patient health and quality of life. The prophylactic application of negative pressure wound therapy devices has been mooted as a pragmatic strategy to reduce surgical site infections. Nevertheless, further availability of multicentre randomized clinical trial data evaluating the prophylactic use of negative pressure wound therapy following midline laparotomy is warranted to definitely provide consensus in relation to these closure methods, while also deciphering potential differences among subgroups. The aim of this study is to determine whether prophylactic negative pressure wound therapy reduces postoperative wound complications in patients undergoing midline laparotomy. Methods PROPEL-2 is a multicentre prospective randomized clinical trial designed to compare standard surgical dressings (control arm) with negative pressure wound therapy dressings (Prevena™ and PICO™ being the most commonly utilized). Patient recruitment will include adult patients aged 18 years or over, who are indicated to undergo emergency or elective laparotomy. To achieve 90% power at the 5% significance level, 1006 patients will be required in each arm, which when allowing for losses to follow-up, 10% will be added to each arm, leaving the total projected sample size to be 2013 patients, who will be recruited across a 36-month enrolment period. Conclusion The PROPEL-2 trial will be the largest independent multicentre randomized clinical trial designed to assess the role of prophylactic negative pressure wound therapy in patients indicated to undergo midline laparotomy. The comparison of standard treatment to two commercially available negative pressure wound therapy devices will help provide consensus on the routine management of laparotomy wounds. Enrolment to PROPEL-2 began in June 2023. Registration number: NCT05977816 (http://www.clinicaltrials.gov). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND The widespread interest in male reproductive health (MRH), fueled by emerging evidence, such as the global decline in sperm counts, has intensified concerns about the status of MRH. Consequently, there is a pressing requirement for a strategic, systematic approach to identifying critical questions, collecting pertinent information, and utilizing these data to develop evidence-based strategies. The methods for addressing these questions and the pathways toward their answers will inevitably vary based on the variations in cultural, geopolitical, and health-related contexts. To address these issues, a conjoint ESHRE and Male Reproductive Health Initiative (MRHI) Campus workshop was convened. OBJECTIVE AND RATIONALE The three objectives were: first, to assess the current state of MRH around the world; second, to identify some of the key gaps in knowledge; and, third, to examine how MRH stakeholders can collaboratively generate intelligent and effective paths forward. SEARCH METHODS Each expert reviewed and summarized the current literature that was subsequently used to provide a comprehensive overview of challenges related to MRH. OUTCOMES This narrative report is an overview of the data, opinions, and arguments presented during the workshop. A number of outcomes are presented and can be summarized by the following overarching themes: MRH is a serious global issue and there is a plethora of gaps in our understanding; there is a need for widespread international collaborative networks to undertake multidisciplinary research into fundamental issues, such as lifestyle/environmental exposure studies, and high-quality clinical trials; and there is an urgent requirement for effective strategies to educate young people and the general public to safeguard and improve MRH across diverse population demographics and resources. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION This was a workshop where worldwide leading experts from a wide range of disciplines presented and discussed the evidence regarding challenges related to MRH. While each expert summarized the current literature and placed it in context, the data in a number of areas are limited and/or sparse. Equally, important areas for consideration may have been missed. Moreover, there are clear gaps in our knowledge base, which makes some conclusions necessarily speculative and warranting of further study. WIDER IMPLICATIONS Poor MRH is a global issue that suffers from low awareness among the public, patients, and heathcare professionals. Addressing this will require a coordinated multidisciplinary approach. Addressing the significant number of knowledge gaps will require policy makers prioritizing MRH and its funding. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S) The authors would like to extend their gratitude to ESHRE for providing financial support for the Budapest Campus Workshop, as well as to Microptic S.L. (Barcelona) for kindly sponsoring the workshop. P.B. is the Director of the not-for-profit organization Global Action on Men's Health and receives fees and expenses for his work, (which includes the preparation of this manuscript). Conflicts of interest: C.J.D.J. C.L.R.B. R.A.A. P.B. M.P.C. M.L.E. N.G. N.J. C.K. AAP, M.K.O. S.R.-H. M.H.V.-L.: ESHRE Campus Workshop 2022 (Travel support—personal). C.J.D.J.: Cambridge University Press (book royalties—personal). ESHRE Annual Meeting 2022 and Yale University Panel Meeting 2023 (Travel support—personal). C.L.R.B.: Ferring and IBSA (Lecture), RBMO editor (Honorarium to support travel, etc.), ExSeed and ExScentia (University of Dundee), Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (for research on contraception). M.P.C.: Previously received funding from pharmaceutical companies for health economic research. The funding was not in relation to this work and had no bearing on the contents of this work. No funding from other sources has been provided in relation to this work (funding was provided to his company Global Market Access Solutions). M.L.E.: Advisor to Ro, Doveras, Next, Hannah, Sandstone. C.K.: European Academy of Andrology (Past president UNPAID), S.K.: CEO of His Turn, a male fertility Diagnostic and Therapeutic company (No payments or profits to date). R.I.M.: www.healthymale.org.au (Australian Government funded not for profit in men's health sector (Employed as Medical Director 0.2 FET), Monash IVF Pty Ltd (Equity holder)). N.J.: Merck (consulting fees), Gedeon Richter (honoraria). S.R.-H.: ESHRE (Travel reimbursements). C.N.: LLC (Nursing educator); COMMIT (Core Outcomes Measures for Infertility Trials) Advisor, meeting attendee, and co‐author; COMMA (Core Outcomes in Menopause) Meeting attendee, and co‐author; International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) Delegate Letters and Sciences; ReproNovo, Advisory board; American Board of Urology Examiner; American Urological Association Journal subsection editor, committee member, guidelines co‐author Ferring Scientific trial NexHand Chief Technology Officer, stock ownership Posterity Health Board member, stock ownership. A.P.: Economic and Social Research Council (A collaborator on research grant number ES/W001381/1). Member of an advisory committee for Merck Serono (November 2022), Member of an advisory board for Exceed Health, Speaker fees for educational events organized by Mealis Group; Chairman of the Cryos External Scientific Advisory Committee: All fees associated with this are paid to his former employer The University of Sheffield. Trustee of the Progress Educational Trust (Unpaid). M.K.O.: National Health and Medical Research Council and Australian Research Council (Funding for research of the topic of male fertility), Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (Funding aimed at the development of male gamete-based contraception), Medical Research Future Fund (Funding aimed at defining the long-term consequences of male infertility). M.H.V.-L.: Department of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Research (SRH)/Human Reproduction Programme (HRP) Research Project Panel RP2/WHO Review Member; MRHI (Core Group Member), COMMIT (member), EGOI (Member); Human Reproduction (Associate Editor), Fertility and Sterility (Editor), AndroLATAM (Founder and Coordinator). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An editorial is presented on individuals at risk of homelessness. Topics include a situation where the cost of everyday essentials like groceries and bills rising faster than average household incomes; and United Nations Secretary-General at a press conference launching the report on the impact of the conflict in Ukraine on food security, energy, and financing.

Introduction Cancer is a major public health problem in Rwanda and other low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). While there have been some improvements in access to cancer treatment, the cost of care has increased, leading to financial toxicity and treatment barriers for many patients. This study explores the financial toxicity of cancer care in Rwanda. Methods This prospective cross-sectional study was conducted at 3 referral hospitals in Rwanda, which deliver most of the country's cancer care. Data were collected over 6 months from June 1 to December 1, 2022 by trained research assistants (RAs) using a modified validated data collection tool. RAs interviewed consecutive eligible patients with breast cancer, cervical cancer, colorectal cancer, Hodgkin's and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma who were on active systemic therapy. The study aimed to identify sources of financial burden. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results 239 patients were included; 75% (n  = 180/239) were female and mean age was 51 years. Breast, cervix, and colorectal cancers were the most common diagnoses (42%, 100/239; 24%, 58/239; and 24%, 57/239, respectively) and 54% (n  = 129/239) were diagnosed with advanced stage (stages III-IV). Financial burden was high; 44% (n  = 106/239) of respondents sold property, 29% (n  =  70/239) asked for charity from public, family, or friends, and 16% (n  = 37/239) took loans with interest to fund cancer treatment. Conclusion Despite health insurance which covers many elements of cancer care, a substantial proportion of patients on anti-cancer treatment in Rwanda experience major financial toxicity. Novel health financing solutions are needed to ensure accessible and affordable cancer care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The application of antiseptic skin agents prior to incision minimizes the rate of surgical site infection. Despite their ubiquity, the optimal skin preparation agent remains uncertain. A retrospective economic analysis was conducted to complement the results from the NEWSkin Prep trial which prospectively compared three preparation agents. Methods A cost and cost-effectiveness analysis was performed from a healthcare service perspective to compare chlorhexidine with 70% ethanol, and aqueous povidone-iodine, against povidone-iodine with 70% ethanol. Resource use estimates accounted for hospital admissions, readmissions associated with surgical site infection, outpatient and general practitioner attendances, visits from community nurses and therapeutic consumables. The measure of effectiveness comprised the net difference in number of patients with surgical site infections per 1000 patients. Costs were compared using a two-sample Welch's t -test. Deterministic and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were performed to evaluate the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio. Results The null hypothesis that the mean costs for the trial arms were significantly different was not rejected (Welch's t -test P value: 0.771 for chlorhexidine with 70% ethanol against povidone-iodine with 70% ethanol; and 0.955 for aqueous povidone-iodine against povidone-iodine with 70% ethanol). Based on bootstrap averages, the chlorhexidine with 70% ethanol intervention generated 8.0 fewer surgical site infections per 1000 patients and net cost savings of €151,698 (Euros) per 1000 patients compared with povidone-iodine with 70% ethanol, and aqueous povidone-iodine produced a net cost saving of €37,494 per 1000 patients but generated an additional 11.6 surgical site infections per 1000 patients compared with povidone-iodine with 70% ethanol. The comparison of chlorhexidine with 70% ethanol to povidone-iodine with 70% ethanol was sensitive to the inclusion of cost outliers, while the comparison of aqueous povidone-iodine to povidone-iodine with 70% ethanol was sensitive to the estimated cost per surgical site infection. Conclusion Based on the outcomes from the NEWSkin Prep study, this economic analysis found no definitive evidence in favour of any one of the study comparators. Future model-based economic analyses of alternative skin preparations should critically address the quality of evidence and integrate the results from the NEWSkin Prep study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background A multimodal conservative approach (MCA) is internationally recommended prior to bariatric surgery for the majority of patients. This research aimed to identify risk factors for therapy failure within the MCA. Methods This study was conducted in a German bariatric obesity centre. Patients who underwent a 3- to 6-month preoperative MCA from November 2019 to October 2020 were prospectively recorded and analysed. MCA included dietary and movement therapy, psychological and endocrinological referral and connection to a patient support group. The change in BMI was considered the main parameter for therapeutic success. Explanatory factors were evaluated for this outcome of interest and included physical and mental well-being (SF-36), perceived stress (DASS-21), social and economic situation and educational background (SOEP). Results Out of 413 eligible patients, 209 were analysed. Overall, patients gained BMI (average gain 0.23 kg/m² (s.d. 1.44 kg/m²)) during the preoperative MCA. Diverse social, demographic and economic and health properties did not influence the course of the therapy. There was a significant positive correlation between successful loss of BMI and physical well-being (β = 0.03, 95% c.i. 0.01 to 0.04, P < 0.0001) and a negative correlation between mental well-being (β = −0.02, 95% c.i. −0.004 to −0.001, P = 0.001) as well as self-perceived stress (β = −0.05, 95% c.i. −0.09 to −0.01, P = 0.019), although these effects were small and did not affect the overall trend of gaining BMI during MCA. Conclusion The current therapeutic approach of preoperative conservative treatment within the multimodal concept of bariatric treatment fails to achieve its intended outcome. A different conservative weight loss programme from the pre-bariatric setting, which should focus on a surgical preparation, is therefore recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Adolescent mental health (AMH) needs in England have increased dramatically and needs exceed treatment availability. This study undertook a comparative assessment of the health and economic return on investment (ROI) of interventions to prevent and treat mental disorders among adolescents (10–19 years) and examined intervention affordability and readiness. Methods Interventions were identified following a review of published and grey literature. A Markov model followed a simulated adolescent cohort to estimate implementation costs and health, education, and economic benefits. Intervention affordability was assessed, comparing annual cost per adolescent with NHS England per capita spending, and an expert panel assessed intervention readiness using a validated framework. Results Over 10- and 80-year horizons, interventions to treat mild anxiety and mild depression were most cost-effective, with the highest individual lifetime ROI (GBP 5822 GBP 1 and GBP 257: GBP 1). Preventing anxiety and depression was most affordable and 'implementation ready' and offered the highest health and economic benefits. A priority package (anxiety and depression prevention; mild anxiety and mild depression treatment) would avert 5 million disability-adjusted life-years (DALYS) and achieve an ROI of GBP 15: GBP 1 over 10 years or 11.5 million DALYs (ROI of GBP 55: GBP 1) over 80 years. Conclusion The economic benefits from preventing and treating common adolescent mental disorders equivalent to 25% of NHS England's annual spending in 2021 over 10 years and 91% over 80 years. Preventing and early treatment for anxiety and depression had the highest ROIs and strong implementation readiness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Michels' iron law of oligarchy states that political organizations tend inexorably towards oligarchy, to the likely detriment of the organizations themselves and, by extension, to the detriment of society more broadly. We suggest focal randomization as a historically proven countermeasure: a lottery decides who wins promotion from a preselected pool of highly qualified candidates. We draw on a historical case to assess the efficacy of focal randomization in eroding power monopolization and elite closure in 18th-century Basel, Switzerland. To combat widespread nepotism, starting in 1688, the city implemented a series of partly randomized selection regimes that were routinely applied in executive appointments to the city's administration until 1798. Using data on all 2,587 appointments to the main governing body of the city between 1650 and 1798, we analyse how each selection regime affected elite closure. Our findings indicate that the targeted use of elements of chance in executive appointments eroded the elite's ability to monopolize access to the highest political positions. Before the introduction of focal randomization, candidates from Basel's elite were 4 times more likely to be appointed to top positions than candidates from non-elite families. After the introduction of focal randomization, the elites' advantages declined, and members of non-elite families tripled their chances of advancing to the highest office. However, our study also cautions that this effect depended on several design choices. Focal randomization is effective in settings in which a surplus of qualified candidates competes for a limited number of coveted positions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research across countries shows that children from lower-income families are less likely to participate in extracurricular activities than children from more affluent families. While this income gradient in participation is by now established, the mechanisms behind the gradient are more contested. I examine whether the income gradient in extracurricular activity participation is the result of household economic constraints, using panel data methods on a nationally representative sample of Swedish adolescents. Data from the Children of Immigrants Longitudinal Study in Four European countries (CILS4EU) allow me to combine taxation register data on changes in household income with survey data on changes in extracurricular activity participation. Results from first-difference regression models show that changes in household income are not generally associated with changes in participation, but a weak association is found between changes in income and ceasing participation among adolescents in low-income households. The results largely cast doubt on theoretical explanations that emphasize household economic constraints as a substantial contributor to the income gradient in participation. Instead, results are more consistent with explanations emphasizing cultural differences in parenting logics and parental preferences for participation, as well as with explanations stressing non-economic forms of resource constraints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unemployment has a negative effect on the mental well-being of individuals who experience it. The well-being of the partners and children of these individuals is also negatively affected by this transition. Little is known, however, on the effect of the transition into unemployment on the mental well-being of the parents of unemployed people. This article analyses the association between child's transition into unemployment and parents' minor psychiatric morbidity, using the General Health Questionnaire score as a proxy. The effects of the length of the unemployment spell and the specific pathway into unemployment are investigated. Eventually, the moderating role of the national level of unemployment is also explored. Data from the British Household Panel Survey and Understanding Society are used. The results of the analyses indicate that child's transition into unemployment has a small, statistically significant, negative effect on mothers' mental well-being, whereas the effect on fathers' distress is negligible. The association between mother's mental well-being and child's unemployment does not vary by the duration of the unemployment spell, or by the specific path into unemployment (from employment, studentship, or other inactive status). Differently, the negative effect of child's unemployment on mother's well-being is larger at higher levels of unemployment at the country level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives To describe the application of nudges within electronic health records (EHRs) and their effects on inpatient care delivery, and identify design features that support effective decision-making without the use of interruptive alerts. Materials and methods We searched Medline, Embase, and PsychInfo (in January 2022) for randomized controlled trials, interrupted time-series and before–after studies reporting effects of nudge interventions embedded in hospital EHRs to improve care. Nudge interventions were identified at full-text review, using a pre-existing classification. Interventions using interruptive alerts were excluded. Risk of bias was assessed using the ROBINS-I tool (Risk of Bias in Non-randomized Studies of Interventions) for non-randomized studies or the Cochrane Effective Practice and Organization of Care Group methodology for randomized trials. Study results were summarized narratively. Results We included 18 studies evaluating 24 EHR nudges. An improvement in care delivery was reported for 79.2% (n  = 19; 95% CI, 59.5–90.8) of nudges. Nudges applied were from 5 of 9 possible nudge categories: change choice defaults (n  = 9), make information visible (n  = 6), change range or composition of options (n  = 5), provide reminders (n  = 2), and change option-related effort (n  = 2). Only one study had a low risk of bias. Nudges targeted ordering of medications, laboratory tests, imaging, and appropriateness of care. Few studies evaluated long-term effects. Discussion Nudges in EHRs can improve care delivery. Future work could explore a wider range of nudges and evaluate long-term effects. Conclusion Nudges can be implemented in EHRs to improve care delivery within current system capabilities; however, as with all digital interventions, careful consideration of the sociotechnical system is crucial to enhance their effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives Several theories predict changes in individuals' economic preferences across the life span. To test these theories and provide a historical overview of this literature, we conducted meta-analyses on age differences in risk, time, social, and effort preferences as assessed by behavioral measures. Methods We conducted separate meta-analyses and cumulative meta-analyses on the association between age and risk, time, social, and effort preferences. We also conducted analyses of historical trends in sample sizes and citation patterns for each economic preference. Results The meta-analyses identified overall no significant effects of age for risk (r  = −0.02, 95% CI [−0.06, 0.02], n  = 39,832) and effort preferences (r  = 0.24, 95% CI [−0.05, 0.52], n  = 571), but significant effects of age for time (r  = −0.04, 95% CI [−0.07, −0.01], n  = 115,496) and social preferences (r  = 0.11, 95% CI [0.01, 0.21], n  = 2,997), suggesting increased patience and altruism with age, respectively. Equivalence tests, which compare these effects to practically important ones (i.e. r  = |0.1|), however, suggest that all effects are of trivial significance. The analyses of temporal trends suggest that the magnitude of effects and sample sizes have not changed significantly over time, nor do they dramatically affect the extent that articles are cited. Discussion Overall, our results contrast with theories of aging that propose general age effects for risk and effort preferences, yet provide some but tenuous support for those suggesting age-related changes in time and social preferences. We discuss implications for theory development as well as future empirical work on economic preferences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We analyse the spatial concentration of stop and search (S&S) practices. Previous work argues that the persistent reliance on S&S, despite weak to null deterrent effects on crime, results from a social order maintenance motivation on the part of the police. Expanding previous studies that focused on who tends to be stopped and searched by police officers, we focus on where S&S concentrates and investigate the role of economic inequality. We use data from London in 2019 and demonstrate that a novel measure of salient, spatially granular economic inequality is positively associated with S&S incidence at a small spatial scale, even when controlling for crime rates and other important variables. Police officers more frequently stop and search members of the public in places where the well-off and the economically precarious co-exist. Implications for understanding S&S as a tool that distinguishes between citizens, between those to protect and potential criminals, are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Yamashita's Tropic of Orange (1997) was spurred, in part, by the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and its failed promises of greater economic parity, transnational belonging, and transculturation across the hemisphere. With this new hemispheric paradigm, I argue, Guillermo Gómez-Peña's The New World Border: Prophecies, Poems and Loqueras for the End of the Century (1996) became an important intertext for Yamashita's global, cross-historical critique. In creating her own conceptualization of the "new world border" to communicate the temporal and spatial dimensions of hemispheric coloniality, Yamashita's experimentation amounts to a "hypercontextual" figuration of the global borderlands: a dynamic, kaleidoscopic assemblage that theorizes a formal structure for the global constitution of the local. This avant-gardism traces neoliberal entanglements of dispossession and migration while also giving formal shape to the transnational flows of labor power, consumer goods, and finance capital as they appear in the novel. Tropic of Orange 's experimental form, which juxtaposes the past and present while expanding our geographical scope of borderlands history, constitutes Yamashita's narratological border thinking: one that challenges the reader to consider the repetitions and reverberations of colonial governance across time and space, while de-reifying the nature of global borders and identities that are otherwise considered naturalized and artificially fixed in the wake of empire. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is increasing public health focus on how corporate practices impact population health and well-being. While the commercial determinants of the climate crisis pose serious threats to human and planetary health, governments largely seek to balance climate action with economic imperatives. Global stakeholders recognize that young people have important voices in influencing climate responses. However, few studies have investigated young people's perceptions of the commercial determinants of the climate crisis. A qualitatively led online survey of n = 500 young Australians (15–24 years) investigated their understanding of corporate responses to the climate crisis, factors that influenced these responses and strategies to respond. A reflexive approach to thematic analysis was used. Three themes were constructed from the data. First, young people perceived that corporate responses to the climate crisis focussed on soft options and lacked meaningful action. Second, they stated that these responses were largely influenced by economic imperatives rather than planetary health, with policy levers needed to implement environmentally responsible corporate practices. Third, young people perceived that systems needed change to create demand for a cleaner environment, leading to improved practices. Young people have a clear understanding of the commercial determinants of the climate crisis and associated threats to population health. They recognize that corporate practices (and consumer demand) will not change without significant policy and structural change. Public health and health promotion stakeholders should work alongside young people to influence decision-makers to address harmful corporate behaviours. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Averages became a distinctive form of information in early modern European culture, first in commercial arithmetic, then in natural philosophy, demography, political economy, and eventually in eclectic social analysis. Averaging, in the modern sense of calculating an arithmetic mean by adding up the individual values of cases in a set and then dividing that total by the number of cases, provided an empirical and heuristic resource for understanding planetary orbits, fertility and mortality rates, experimental results in natural philosophy, fiscal resources, the return on stock market investments, the relative profitability of crops, incomes and the cost of living, and even the trivia of daily life. Averaging created a new class of fact—precisely typifying information that varied. By the Enlightenment, averages had become a respectable, readily deployed, form of fact, giving unity to the variety of experience and knowledge. Averages became a metaphor of credibility and normality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of blockchain-based applications, to date mostly virtual currencies, touches many areas of law and economics. The most well-known applications of public blockchains rely on Proof of Work as a consensus mechanism in which miners compete to solve a cryptographic puzzle. We argue that economic tools for market definition may be adapted to delineate relevant cryptocurrency mining markets. Antitrust law can help to prevent network attacks and exclusion of transactions with lower fees by large miners. When multiple blockchains are part of the same market, the role of network effects in securing the leading position of more established cryptocurrencies can potentially lead to exclusionary behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examine how contextual variation in aggregated political attitudes shapes ethnic discrimination. Using a field experiment with national coverage we identify ethnic discrimination in the Swiss housing market (N = 7,533 queries for viewings from fictitious persons who vary by name to signal ethnic origin). We use referendums and popular initiatives to identify the aggregated political attitudes at the municipality level in two dimensions: social conservatism and economic conservatism. We show that although aggregated levels of discrimination are low, discrimination varies spatially – higher levels of discrimination are found in municipalities that are both socially and economically conservative. Municipalities that are economically conservative, but socially liberal also tend to exhibit ethnic discrimination. By contrast, we find no evidence of ethnic discrimination in municipalities that are socially conservative, but economically liberal. Considering how the literature highlights social conservatism when discussing the role of political ideology on attitudes and ethnic discrimination, this result highlights how differentiating different forms of conservatism helps better understand the relationship between ideology and behaviour – in this case ethnic discrimination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neo-liberalism was in crisis well before COVID-19; and COVID-19 has only further highlighted the gaps and fault lines in existing liberal democratic models. But this does not mean that we should walk away from liberal ideals, or the general idea of globalisation or market-based forms of ordering. Instead, we should seek a new, more 'democratic' or pro-social understanding of the liberal ideal, which emphasises the idea of fair rather over free markets. This idea of fair markets can be understood in numerous ways, but I suggest that it is best understood as entailing a commitment by the state to: (i) guaranteeing access to a public baseline of core goods, or access to a generous social minimum to all citizens, regardless of market outcomes; (ii) ensuring equality of access to certain 'relative goods'; (iii) regulating market power or sources of monopoly power; and (iv) responding to or 'internalising' negative externalities or social costs associated with private market behaviour. The article explores what this entails for the design of constitutions, and especially constitutional property and social rights, and the scope and strength of judicial review. Ultimately, the article suggests, fair market constitutionalism points to the desirability of a combination of weak property and social rights—ie property rights that offer some but not complete protection for existing economic entitlements, coupled with legislative duties to implement fair market norms or limited weak social rights guarantees. But this does not mean that such guarantees can only be weakly enforced by courts: blockages in the democratic process may mean that courts can and should adopt a weak–strong—or responsive—approach to enforcing these fundamentally weak rights guarantees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Treaty-making often occurs through the reuse of existing legal solutions. Instead of creating new language, drafters often replicate past treaty wording in the instrument under negotiation. The Draft Articles on Prevention and Punishment of Crimes against Humanity (DACaH), formulated by the International Law Commission (ILC or the Commission), were an example. This article evaluates the ILC's reliance on past treaty language to produce the DACaH. In addition to assessing some contextual reasons why, and the manner in which, the Commission used such a drafting approach, this article notes that, given its mandate as an expert body subsidiary to the United Nations General Assembly, the ILC may face specific challenges while using this technique. Taking the DACaH as a case study, the article also explores some pragmatic and normative considerations that may motivate or impact the replication of past treaty language in international law-making. In conclusion, the ILC's reliance on existing treaty wording to craft the DACaH was deeply consequential as it was part of the Commission's broader goal of placating states via the adoption of an effective, but minimalist and conformist, set of draft articles with greater chances of becoming a widely adhered to treaty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Adoption of high-throughput, gene panel-based, next-generation sequencing (NGS) into routine cancer care is widely supported, but hampered by concerns about cost. To inform policies regarding genomic testing strategies, we propose a simple metric, cost per correctly identified patient (CCIP), that compares sequential single-gene testing (SGT) vs. multiplex NGS in different tumor types. Materials and Methods A genomic testing cost calculator was developed based on clinically actionable genomic alterations identified in the European Society for Medical Oncology Scale for Clinical Actionability of molecular Targets. Using sensitivity/specificity data for SGTs (immunohistochemistry, polymerase chain reaction, and fluorescence in situ hybridization) and NGS and marker prevalence, the number needed to predict metric was monetarized to estimate CCIP. Results At base case, CCIP was lower with NGS than sequential SGT for advanced/metastatic non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), breast, colorectal, gastric cancers, and cholangiocarcinoma. CCIP with NGS was also favorable for squamous NSCLC, pancreatic, and hepatic cancers, but with overlapping confidence intervals. CCIP favored SGT for prostate cancer. Alternate scenarios using different price estimates for each test showed similar trends, but with incremental changes in the magnitude of difference between NGS and SGT, depending on price estimates for each test. Conclusions The cost to correctly identify clinically actionable genomic alterations was lower for NGS than sequential SGT in most cancer types evaluated. Decreasing price estimates for NGS and the rapid expansion of targeted therapies and accompanying biomarkers are anticipated to further support NGS as a preferred diagnostic standard for precision oncology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Despite the potential health benefits of workplace health promotion for employees in sheltered workplaces, participation is often limited. The aim of this study was (i) to understand this limited participation, and (ii) to find opportunities for adapting workplace health promotion, such that it better meets the needs of the target population. A responsive process evaluation of an extensive multi-component workplace health promotion program targeting lifestyle behaviors, financial behaviors, literacy and citizenship, was performed in a large, sheltered workplace in the Netherlands (>3500 employees). To understand the limited participation, interviews with employees (n = 8), supervisors (n = 7) and managers (n = 2), and 10 participant observations were performed. To find opportunities for improving workplace health promotion in the sheltered workplace, 7 dialogs with employees were performed (n = 30). The interview data on the barriers for participation were evaluated through the lens of care ethics, as this allowed to understand the role of various stakeholders in the limited participation, as well as the indirect role of the institutional context. Findings showed that participation in workplace health promotion could increase if it is organized in a way that it encourages employees to work on health together, allow to tailor activities to different needs and capabilities of employees, and connects activities to employees' daily lives. A strength of this study is that the responsive process evaluation focused both on barriers for participation, as well as on opportunities to increase participation. Lay Summary: People who cannot participate in work without adaptations, for example, due to disability, can work in sheltered workplaces. These employees face various health risks, which are prompted by, for example, low income or low (health) literacy. More and more sheltered workplaces provide health promotion programs to improve health of their employees, such as educational workshops about physical exercise and healthy nutrition. However, participation of employees in such programs is limited. In this study, we investigated why participation is limited, and what are possible ways to make workplace health promotion programs that aim to improve health more attractive to employees in a sheltered workplace. We used different methods, such as interviews, group dialogs and participant observations. We concluded that workplace health promotion programs seem to rely too much on the individual employee, who prefers to work on health together with peers. Employees also value that activities in the health program are useful for their daily lives. This increases the relevance of the program for them and makes employees more inclined to participate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article studies gender bias in early-stage academic evaluations in Italy and investigates whether this bias depends on various types of authorship in collaborative work across three academic fields: humanities, economics, and social sciences. We test our hypotheses via a factorial survey (vignette) experiment on a sample from the entire population of associate and full professors employed at Italian public universities in 2019. This is one of the few experiments conducted with university professors to consider hiring propensities in academia. Contrary to our general expectations, we do not find gender bias in relation to co-authorship in our general population of interest. However, the results provide some evidence that when the evaluator is a man, highly collaborative women academics in Italy receive less favourable evaluations of their qualifications compared to male colleagues with identical credentials. This gender bias is found in economics, a field where the conventions of co-authorship allow for greater uncertainty about individual contributions to a joint publication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article estimates the value of extended earnings—market earnings plus the imputed value of unpaid work—and assesses how this alternative measure affects the level and distribution of economic wellbeing within households of differing compositions. Prior research finds that excluding the value of unpaid work distorts conclusions about women's contributions to household income and inequality more generally. Variation across household types has been understudied. The authors use data from the Harmonized European and American Time Use Surveys, combined with income data from the Luxembourg Income Study Database, to assess outcomes in six European countries and the United States. The study compares market to extended earnings to assess inequality within and across household types: single adults with and without children, and cohabiting adults with and without children. Key findings include: (i) women's time in unpaid work exceeds men's in all study countries; (ii) shifting from market earnings to extended earnings narrows gender disparities in all countries; and (iii) moving to extended earnings reduces inequality among both women and men, but more so among women. On all outcomes, we find that household composition shapes women's outcomes more than men's, and, overall, parenting status plays a larger role than partnership status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Little is known about the economics of small-scale beekeeping, due in part because many of these beekeepers are motivated by personal enjoyment and not profit. These beekeepers, however, represent more than 90% of US beekeeping population, so economic analysis of this majority group is warranted. Understanding how management practices impact colony profitability in small apiaries can inform beekeeper management decisions. Best management practices (BMPs) can increase colony productivity and survival, but often require additional labor and materials compared to less intensive beekeeping practices. Here, we investigate the impact of BMPs on the profitability of small-scale beekeeping. We found that BMPs required higher costs in labor and materials, but that they also produced higher revenue from honey and nucleus colony production. As a result, after three years, BMP apiaries were 8 times more profitable than less intensively managed apiaries. The increased profitability in BMP apiaries is largely attributed to improved colony health and survival due to more active Varroa management and reduced Varroa and viral loads. These results can inform small scale beekeeper budgeting and management, and also support extension efforts to increase BMP adoption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and objectives It is well documented that college student populations are vulnerable to food insecurity and other adverse environmental conditions. Additionally, exposure to environmental adversity can have deleterious, long-term effects on physical and mental health. This study applies evolutionary life history theory to examine the relationship between environmental adversity, mental distress and diet among resource insecure university students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methodology Structured and semi-structured surveys were used to assess perceptions of environmental adversity (including mortality risk, food insecurity and resource availability; and changes in these factors over the course of COVID-19), mental distress, diet and use of campus support services. Participants included 51 college students recruited through an economic crisis center located at a large public university in southern California. Results Most students were experiencing mental distress and food insecurity, and food insecurity and other components of adversity increased during COVID-19. Food insecurity was significantly associated with both perceived extrinsic mortality risk and mental distress, whereas mental distress was significantly associated with reduced dietary quality and caloric intake. Use of two or more campus support resources and/or living with family or rent free disrupted the associations of food insecurity with extrinsic mortality risk and mental distress. Conclusion and Implication This study contributes to a growing body of applied evolutionary frameworks concerned with the health and wellbeing of economically vulnerable populations. It also provides novel insights informed by life history theory into interventions and recommendations for improving support services for financially insecure college students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article shows how the proliferation of economic language can undermine the political authority of economists. The argument emerges from a comparative case study of two early experiments with electricity market design. Relying on archival materials and 30 in-depth interviews, I examine why political actors ignored the advice of economists in California, while they deferred to the experts in the Pennsylvania, Jersey, Maryland (PJM) region. The debates were framed in economic language, but stakeholders interpreted central concepts differently without recognizing the resulting ambiguities. This 'discursive multivocality' undermined economists' authority as experts. It challenged economists' monopoly on the interpretation of economic concepts and undercut rhetorical strategies to reassert the superiority of their understanding. At the PJM Interconnect, the experts overcame this problem by switching to a different conceptual apparatus. Ironically, economists could establish their authoritative understanding of economics by appealing to a shared understanding of engineering problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unprecedented economic interdependence and the extensive legalization of international commerce have created unique opportunities for states to exercise power in world politics. Yet, while international relations (IR) scholars have revealed much about how interdependence conditions the ability of states to leverage economic relationships to influence other actors, the equivalent role of law has received less systematic attention. This article explains the logic and dynamics that inform how, why, and under what conditions states may use law as a sword or shield in the realm of international commerce. Drawing upon the IR literature on economic statecraft and the international law literature on lawfare, the article conceptualizes "economic lawfare" and uses it to elucidate how law may shape the use of economic power. It outlines a typology of pathways through which economic lawfare can be employed and their associated opportunities and constraints, before presenting a simple model of key dynamics that shape their use. That model's plausibility is probed and the pathways are empirically illustrated in two case studies of recent episodes in which the Chinese government has sought to manipulate international commerce for strategic purposes. The article clarifies the distinction between legal and nonlegal instruments of economic statecraft, offers a theoretically explicit account of key mechanisms through which law may condition the use of economic power, and provides new conceptual foundations for emerging research on how institutions shape the ability of states to intervene in markets to achieve strategic objectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neutropenia and febrile neutropenia (FN) are common complications of myelosuppressive chemotherapy. This review provides an up-to-date assessment of the patient and cost burden of chemotherapy-induced neutropenia/FN in the US, and summarizes recommendations for FN prophylaxis, including the interim guidance that was recommended during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. This review indicates that neutropenia/FN place a significant burden on patients in terms of hospitalizations and mortality. Most patients with neutropenia/FN presenting to the emergency department will be hospitalized, with an average length of stay of 6, 8, and 10 days for elderly, pediatric, and adult patients, respectively. Reported in-hospital mortality rates for neutropenia/FN range from 0.4% to 3.0% for pediatric patients with cancer, 2.6% to 7.0% for adults with solid tumors, and 7.4% for adults with hematologic malignancies. Neutropenia/FN also place a significant cost burden on US healthcare systems, with average costs per neutropenia/FN hospitalization estimated to be up to $40 000 for adult patients and $65 000 for pediatric patients. Evidence-based guidelines recommend prophylactic granulocyte colony-stimulating factors (G-CSFs), which have been shown to reduce FN incidence while improving chemotherapy dose delivery. Availability of biosimilars may improve costs of care. Efforts to decrease hospitalizations by optimizing outpatient care could reduce the burden of neutropenia/FN; this was particularly pertinent during the COVID-19 pandemic since avoidance of hospitalization was needed to reduce exposure to the virus, and resulted in the adaptation of recommendations to prevent FN, which expanded the indications for G-CSF and/or lowered the threshold of use to >10% risk of FN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context Nutrition care is an effective lifestyle intervention for the treatment and prevention of many noncommunicable diseases. Primary care is a high-value setting in which to provide nutrition care. Objective The objective of this review was to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of nutrition care interventions provided in primary care settings. Data Sources Medline, Embase, the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, EconLit, and the National Health Service Economic Evaluation Database (NHS EED) were searched from inception to May 2021. Data Extraction Data extraction was guided by the Consolidated Health Economic Evaluation Reporting Standards (CHEERS) reporting guidelines. Randomized trials of nutrition interventions in primary care settings were included in the analysis if incremental cost-effectiveness ratios were reported. The main outcome variable incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) and reported interpretations were used to categorize interventions by the cost-effectiveness plane quadrant. Results Of 6837 articles identified, 10 were included (representing 9 studies). Eight of the 9 included studies found nutrition care in primary care settings to be more costly and more effective than usual care. High study heterogeneity limited further conclusions. Conclusion Nutrition care in primary care settings is effective, though it requires investment; it should, therefore, be considered in primary care planning. Further studies are needed to evaluate the long-term cost-effectiveness of providing nutrition care in primary care settings. Systematic review registration PROSPERO registration no. CRD42020201146. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background globally, falls and fall-related injuries are the leading cause of injury-related morbidity and mortality in older people. In our ageing society healthcare costs are increasing, therefore programmes that reduce falls and are considered value for money are needed. Objective to complete an economic evaluation of an e-Health balance exercise programme that reduced falls and injurious falls in community-dwelling older people compared to usual care from a health and community-care funder perspective. Design a within-trial economic evaluation of an assessor-blinded randomised controlled trial with 2 years of follow-up. Setting StandingTall was delivered via tablet-computer at home to older community-dwelling people in Sydney, Australia. Participants five hundred and three individuals aged 70+ years who were independent in activities of daily living, without cognitive impairment, progressive neurological disease or any other unstable or acute medical condition precluding exercise. Main outcome measures cost-effectiveness was measured as the incremental cost per fall and per injurious fall prevented. Cost-utility was measured as the incremental cost per quality-adjusted life year (QALY) gained. Main results the total average cost per patient for programme delivery and care resource cost was $8,321 (standard deviation [SD] 18,958) for intervention participants and $6,829 (SD 15,019) for control participants. The incremental cost per fall prevented was $4,785 and per injurious fall prevented was $6,585. The incremental cost per QALY gained was $58,039 (EQ5D-5L) and $110,698 (AQoL-6D). Conclusion this evaluation found that StandingTall has the potential to be cost-effective in specific subpopulations of older people, but not necessarily the whole older population. Trial registration ACTRN12615000138583. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context Online grocery services are an emerging component of the food system with the potential to address disparities in access to healthy food. Objective We assessed the barriers and facilitators of equitable access to healthy foods in the online grocery environment, and the psychosocial, purchasing, and dietary behaviors related to its use among low-income, diverse populations. Data Sources Four electronic databases were searched to identify relevant literature; 16 studies were identified. Results Barriers to equitable access to healthy food included cost and limited availability of online grocery services in food deserts and rural areas. The expansion of online grocery services and the ability to use nutrition assistance benefits online were equity-promoting factors. Perceived low control over food selection was a psychosocial factor that discouraged online grocery use, whereas convenience and lower perceived stress were facilitators. Findings were mixed regarding healthfulness of foods purchased online. Although few studies assessed diet, healthy food consumption was associated with online grocery use. Conclusion Researchers should assess the impact of online grocery shopping on low-income families' food purchases and diet. Systematic Review Registration PROSPERO registration no. CRD: 42021240277 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context Issues related to nutrition and health are prominent, yet it is unclear if the dietetics workforce is being used optimally. Objective Trends, challenges, opportunities, and future needs of the international dietetic workforce are investigated in this review, which was registered with Open Science Framework (10.17605/OSF.IO/DXNWE). Data sources Eight academic and 5 grey-literature databases and the Google search engine were searched from 2010 onward according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines. Of 2050 articles screened, 184 were eligible for inclusion. Data extraction To chart data, a directed content analysis and a constant comparison technique were used. Data analysis The following 13 themes were identified: 1) emerging or expanding areas of practice; 2) skill development; 3) economic considerations; 4) nutrition informatics; 5) diversity within the workforce; 6) specific areas of practice; 7) further education; 8) intrapersonal factors; 9) perceptions of the profession; 10) protecting the scope of practice; 11) support systems; 12) employment outcomes; and 13) registration or credentialing. Conclusions The dietetics profession is aware of the need to expand into diverse areas of employment. Comprehensive workforce data are necessary to facilitate workforce planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Children are exposed to food environments that make nutrient-poor, energy-dense food cheap, readily available and heavily marketed; all conditions with potential negative impacts on diet and health. While the need for programmes and policies that improve the status of food environments is clear, greater public support is needed for governments to act. The purpose of this qualitative collective case study was to examine if community engagement in the Local Environment Action on Food (LEAF) project, a community-based food environment intervention in Alberta, Canada, could build public support and create action to promote healthy food environments. Semi-structured interviews with a purposeful sample of 26 stakeholders from 7 communities explored LEAF's impact and stakeholder experiences creating change. Data collection and analysis were iterative, following Charmaz's constant comparative analysis strategy. Participants reported environmental and community impacts from LEAF. Notably, LEAF created a context-specific tool, a Mini Nutrition Report Card, that communities used to promote and support food environment action. Further, analysis outlined perceived barriers and facilitators to creating community-level food environment action, including level of engagement in LEAF, perceived controllability, community priorities, policy enforcement and resources. Findings from this study suggest that community-based interventions, such as LEAF, can help build community capacity and reduce existing barriers to community-level food environment action. Thus, they can provide an effective method to build public awareness, demand and action for healthier food environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is now well-established that different markets may develop different growth-supporting institutions that can give rise to public firms and set capital markets in motion. Yet, the paradigm view still holds local alternatives as merely stepping stones, a transitional passage toward achieving a deeper and more advanced market, at which point conventional legal and market institutions--modeled on Anglo-American corporate capitalism--are still held necessary. Four decades of economic development in China challenge these conventions. With modern firms with global prominence and a capital market that is the second largest in the world, corporate governance in China seems to have passed the point of an "adjust or perish" prognostic. The system that governs Chinese firms and the ways in which capital markets function sustain strong governance attributes that go against many fundamentals in economics and legal thought. Political involvement and state ownership, both assumed to stand in the way of capital market growth, remain prevalent while the market continues to advance. Most strikingly, harmonization with conventional corporate governance been pushed aside as the Chinese Communist Party has decided to exercise an ever-more expansive and direct role in market activity. Public firms in present-day China are increasingly being governed by a "politicized corporate governance." Political institutions with corporate governance capacities have been deployed both inside and outside firms. These institutions now buttress or even replace weaker traditional corporate governance mechanisms in the Chinese market. The implications are striking. First, despite justified reasons for alarm, a politicized corporate governance system in China can perform the main functions of corporate governance elsewhere, thereby offering some benefits for public firms and their stockholders. Second, these developments show how path-dependent corporate governance attributes, here political institutions, reject convergence predictions yet have enough plasticity to evolve and to support modern firms and markets beyond assumed thresholds and developmental milestones. In so doing, China's politicized corporate governance casts doubts on law and development conventions as well as on both sides of a long-standing governance convergence debate. Finally, the politicization of corporate governance in China offers a new direction in comparative corporate governance scholarship, providing evidence of an instituted reversal from outwardly convergent corporate governance toward a new form of a planned economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cross-national studies of the linkage of health-care spending with population health have found surprisingly limited evidence of benefits. In this study, we investigated associations between national health spending and key health resources (numbers of hospital beds, physicians, and nurses) and utilization of cost-effective health services (antenatal care, attendance of trained staff at childbirth, and measles vaccination), sometimes in ways that curtail the benefits of that expenditure. Using annual panel data from 1990–2014 covering 140 countries, we show that variation in health spending as a share of gross domestic product is not associated with decreased mortality rates. It is also very weakly associated with increased health-care resources and health service utilization (elasticity smaller than 0.08), with the association being close to 0 in low-income countries. In addition, countries with a higher share of out-of-pocket spending have a significantly lower level of health resources and service utilization. These findings, rather than the ineffectiveness of health care, could explain the lack of impact of health spending. In contrast, gross domestic product per capita is significantly associated with increased health resources, a higher rate of service utilization, and lower mortality rates, suggesting that income is an important determinant of public health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]