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Background: Human communities suffered a vast socioeconomic burden in dealing with the pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) globally. Real-word data about these burdens can inform governments about evidence-based resource allocation and prioritization. The aim of this scoping review was to map the cost-of-illness (CoI) studies associated with COVID-19. Methods: This scoping review was conducted from January 2019 to December 2021. We searched cost-of-illness papers published in English within Web of Sciences, PubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus, Science Direct and ProQuest. For each eligible study, extracted data included country, publication year, study period, study design, epidemiological approach, costing method, cost type, cost identification, sensitivity analysis, estimated unit cost and national burden. All of the analyses were applied in Excel software. Results: 2352 records were found after the search strategy application, finally 28 articles met the inclusion criteria and were included in the review. Most of the studies were done in the United States, Turkey, and China. The prevalence-based approach was the most common in the studies, and most of studies also used Hospital Information System data (HIS). There were noticeable differences in the costing methods and the cost identification. The average cost of hospitalization per patient per day ranged from 101$ in Turkey to 2,364$ in the United States. Among the studies, 82.1% estimated particularly direct medical costs, 3.6% only indirect costs, and 14.3% both direct and indirect costs. Conclusion: The economic burden of COVID-19 varies from country to country. The majority of CoI studies estimated direct medical costs associated with COVID-19 and there is a paucity of evidence for direct non-medical, indirect, and intangible costs, which we recommend for future studies. To create homogeneity in CoI studies, we suggest researchers follow a conceptual framework and critical appraisal checklist of cost-of-illness (CoI) studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Recent technological developments in medicine, including modern radiology have promoted the impact of scientific researches on social life. The scientific outputs such as article and patents are products that show the scientists' attempt to access these achievements. Objectives: In the current study, we evaluate the current situation of Iranian scientists in the field of radiology and compare it with the selected countries in terms of scientific papers. For this purpose, we used scientometric tools to quantitatively assess the scientific papers in the field of radiology. Materials and Methods: Radiology papers were evaluated in the context of medical field audit using retrospective model. We used the related databases of biomedical sciences for extraction of articles related to radiology. In the next step, the situation of radiology scientific products of the country were determined with respect to the under study regional countries. Results: Results of the current study showed a ratio of 0.19% for Iranian papers in PubMed database published in 2009. In addition, in 2009, Iranian papers constituted 0.29% of the Scopus scientific database. The proportion of Iranian papers in the understudy region was 7.6%. Conclusion: To diminish the gap between Iranian scientific radiology papers and other competitor countries in the region and achievement of document 2 025 goals, multifold effort of the society of radiology is necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The field of counseling has been expanding over the globe in recent decades. Countries newly establishing the profession seem to adapt Western‐originated theories and practices without sufficient alteration or modification to their local cultures. Turkey with its 70 years of experience with counseling is a significant example. In this paper, the need for integrating foreign theories, concepts, and practices into the local‐host cultures will be discussed from social justice and de‐colonialization point of view. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Jean Raspail's controversial 1973 novel The camp of the saints predicts mass migration to Europe that will destroy European civilization. Decades later, the book has accurately predicted the hundreds of thousands of refugees arriving in Europe annually, prompting a continent-wide crisis. From Lesbos and Lampedusa to the Canary Islands and Calais, no one seems to know how to stem the flow of humanity. Borders are being resurrected, despite Schengen and European Union (EU) agreements, in an effort to control the movement of populations. European governments disagree on how to proceed and some are suggesting that the EU could be torn apart by differing approaches to the problem. But does this have to be the response to the migration crisis? This paper compares the predictions of The camp of the saints to events in Europe today and critiques the book's conclusions with regard to what is an ancient phenomenon: movements of migrants from surplus to deficit labor settings. The paper will also evaluate the response to migrants in the United States under its populist president, Donald Trump, and will review related issues in other parts of the world: Turkey, Russia, and Canada. Contrary to Raspail's predictions, world leaders will need to accept what has already become a de facto reality: large scale admission of migrants and refugees to the EU and North America, as full citizens, will be the only realistic way to preserve prosperity in the years to come. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the international transmission mechanisms on the macroeconomic and monetary variables of Turkey and hence proposes some particular policy implications. The effects of monetary shocks stemming from the U.S. and the European area, and global commodity price shocks are investigated using a structural vector auto-regression (SVAR) approach. For the analysis, we use monthly data from 2002M01 to 2016M06 and we analyze the transmission mechanism in Turkey using two different SVAR model specifications. Our results reveal that shocks coming from the U.S. and the Euro area lead to significantly different responses on industrial production, consumer prices, real effective exchange rates, and the domestic interest rate, with the Euro area monetary expansion having more explicit and positive effects on the real economy. The global commodity price shocks affect the Turkish macroeconomic variables in a similar but much less powerful fashion than that of the U.S. monetary expansion. As our empirical findings point out that the Turkish economy is vulnerable to global monetary and commodity price shocks. This vulnerability necessitates moving to a sustainable growth path consistent with a sustainable current account balance and a sustainable private and government debt coupled with a strengthened macroprudential regime and comprehensive structural reforms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses the relationship between the trade volume and the volatility of the real effective exchange rate for the case of the U.S. and Turkey. The exchange rate volatility is modeled as a GARCH(1,1) process. We employ the popular ARDL bounds testing approach to investigate the existence of a long-run relationship. Unlike most other studies, this paper uses disaggregated monthly data from ten major industries, to make the identification of industry specific effects possible. We find that, the volatility of the real effective exchange rate is soley in one industry a significant regressor in the long run. Exports from Turkey to the U.S. mostly depend on the real effective exchange rate, imports of Turkey from the U.S., on the other hand, depend mostly on the Turkish industrial production index. The results of the bounds test confirm the ambiguity of the findings of previous studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research identifies unique challenges for younger women diagnosed with breast cancer at or before 45 years of age. This paper explores the experiences of younger women from diverse cultural backgrounds with breast cancer to see if there are differing healthcare provision needs across cultures. Sandelowski and Barroso's framework for undertaking a meta-synthesis is used in this paper. Initial searches in academic databases returned 42 papers of interest. Re-reading the papers in the context of the research question identified 12 studies which met the inclusion criteria. Five key themes were identified in these 12 studies. The overarching finding is that, irrespective of cultural background, the confrontation with breast cancer transforms the younger woman's life. It seems that healthcare provision needs do not differ substantially across cultures. Health professionals should address the unique psychosocial effects of cancer in the context of the lifestage of the woman. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is neither a unified definition of disability nor a unique experience of disability across the world. The present paper aims to explore the lived experiences of disability in three different countries – Turkey, England and the USA – to evaluate the continued value of the social model of disability in those contexts. A comparison between these countries is provided through the lens of my personal experiences in each country as a disabled student and an academician. As can be seen in each example, whilst impairment does not change, the role of disabling barriers did change depending on the physical, social and psychological nature of the respective environments. We can therefore reasonably refer to the extent to which environments are disabling or non-disabling aspects of each setting. The paper provides a personal validation of the social nature of disability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The scale and scope of medical tourism have expanded rapidly over the last few decades. Turkey is becoming an important player in this market because of its relatively better service quality and large comparative cost advantage.Methods: This paper compares cost, quality and effectiveness of in-vitro fertilization (IVF) in the USA and in Turkey. The data from Turkey were obtained from a hospital specializing in IVF services and the US data came from secondary sources. Package price offered by the dominant IVF-service provider to international patients in Turkey was used as a measure of cost for Turkey while IVF-specific service prices were used to estimate the cost for USA. To compare quality and effectiveness of IVF services, a number of general clinical quality indicators and IVF success rate were used.Results: Indicators of quality, cost and success rate in the Turkish hospital were found to be better than the corresponding indicators in US hospitals. The cost difference of IVF services between USA and Turkey is so significant that the overall cost of obtaining the service from Turkey remains lower even with additional expenses for travel and accommodation.Conclusions: Cost-effectiveness ratio of IVF treatment per successful clinical pregnancy was much lower in Turkey than in the USA. It appears that cost and quality are the two most important factors affecting demand for health care services by international patients in Turkey. Like other important players in the medical tourism market, Turkey should be able to take advantage of its success in IVF, a highly specialized niche market, to transform its health system into an important exporter of general health services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The March 8, 2010 earthquakes that hit Kovancılar and Palu districts of Elazığ province in Turkey and their impacts on masonry and concrete buildings are studied in this paper. According to United States Geological Survey (USGS), magnitudes of these earthquakes, which caused partial or total collapse in many buildings with life losses, were 6.1 and 5.5, respectively. This paper outlines the seismological aspects of the region, the characteristics of the strong ground motion, the geotechnical characteristics of the region and the structural damages based on site assessments. The structural damage level is observed to be directly proportional with the amount of the insufficient quality in the workmanship and usage of inadequate building materials. If a minimum amount of engineering attention had been paid during the construction stages, most of the existing buildings could have sustained the earthquakes without considerable damage. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The purpose of this paper is threefold: First, to note an unspoken, but obvious fact. The European Union is a living organism that functions with relative success at several levels: legal, economic and monetary in particular. Second, the threat to the EU is from its very success, a desire to overreach natural and functional boundaries by including nation-states with profoundly different structures and goals. Third, this paper seeks to awaken the policy making bodies in North America to the emergence of regional force in most of Europe that is by varying degrees complementary to US interests and at the same time competitive to the present notion of hegemony. The EU along with the US illustrates the power of bipolarity in the West. The issue of Turkish entrance indicates the limitations of such a condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper empirically investigates the impact of real exchange rate volatility on the export flows of Turkey to the United States and its three major trading partners in the European Union for the period 1990:1-2000:12. The standard deviation of the percentage change in the real exchange rate is employed to measure the exchange rate volatility. Cointegration and error-correction models are used to obtain the estimates of the cointegrating relations and the short-run dynamics, respectively. The results obtained in this paper, on the whole, provide evidence that the real exchange rate volatility has a significant negative effect on real exports. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To identify the patient classification systems used to classify nursing intensity in the assessment of nursing staffing resources currently used in home health care, with a special emphasis on validity, reliability and staff allocation. Scoping review of internationally published and grey literature, based on a methodological framework by Arksey and O'Malley. Searches of the electronic databases Cinahl, Medline, Embase and SweMed, the websites Google and Google Scholar and hand searches of reference lists occurred. Eligibility criteria included (A) a focus on patient classification systems measuring nursing intensity and workload in home health care and (B) published in English between January 2007 and March 2019. In level one testing two team members screened titles and abstracts, in level two testing two team members determined which papers should undergo a full text review. Data were extracted using structured extraction by one team member and verified by two other members. Thirteen peer-reviewed articles and grey literature documents were identified, from Canada, Ireland, the UK, the USA, Scotland, Turkey and the Netherlands. Four patient classification systems had been tested for both validity and reliability. Validity was tested through face validity, predictive validity, concurrent validity or content validity index. Reliability was tested through stability, internal consistency, observer agreement or inter rater reliability. One patient classification system had been tested only for reliability, through interrater reliability and observer agreement. Two patient classification systems had been evaluated through summative evaluation; one qualitatively through focus group interviews and one through semi-structured interviews. Only one patient classification system had been validity and reliability tested and evaluated. Overall, the patient classification systems in the included papers (13) were considered to have benefits and to be appropriate for the measurement of patients' needs, workload and allocation of staff, although specific information was not always given. Little has been published on validity or reliability tested patient classification systems linked to staffing allocation in home health care in the past decade. Limited research was seen where a patient classification system was considered to be fully operational in home health care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many theoretical and empirical researches have been written on the issue of crises often experienced by developing countries since the early 1990s. Moreover, the 2007 crisis started in the US has taken its place as a global crisis in the literature because of the most spreading crisis over the World since the 1929 Great Depression, and also experienced by a developed and powerful country. Crises have been predicted by advanced early warning systems according to movements in some macroeconomic variables. Unfortunately, that financial crisis mostly attached to speculative activities has complicated its prediction. In this paper, the relationship of twin deficits with crisis for the US and Turkey is analyzed by cointegration and granger causality tests along with computed speculative pressure index, in shed of the 2008 Global Crisis. Finally, it has been reached to uncertain results for Tukey while twin deficits is certainly effective for the US economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Defining the relationship between the US and Turkey as one in which Turkey was a “willing receiver,” this study illuminates the general question of how Turkey's foreign policy orientation is relevant to the analysis of the success of US soft power in Turkey during the Cold War. For this purpose, it focuses on the centrality of Turkey's foreign policy orientation in facilitating the popular reception of Hollywood movies in Turkey by looking at how Turkey interpreted its regulations on films in favor of original or remakes of Hollywood movies. The paper concludes that while setting the scene for both the popularity of American movies and the effective use of US soft power strategies, Turkey's foreign policy orientation had far-reaching consequences for the development of the Turkish movie sector. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article aims to analyze the institutionalization of the Turkish–American alliance through the Turkish pursuit of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) membership. It examines the external as well as some of the internal factors that shaped this transformation during the period of 1945–1952, starting with the end of the Second World War and lasting until Turkey’s accession to NATO. The main argument of this paper is that Turkey’s NATO membership has institutionalized three important transformations. The first one is the culmination of Turkey’s long-lasting search for security. The second one is Turkey’s quest for Westernization and an acknowledgement of its identity and role as an integral part of the West and its institutions. Finally, the third and more specific one is the institutionalization of the Turkish–American alliance through Turkey’s NATO membership, which has become one of the main pillars of Turkish foreign policy to this date. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Turkey redefined its geographical security environment over the last decade by deepening its engagement with neighboring regions, especially with the Middle East. The Arab spring, however, challenged not only the authoritarian regimes in the region but also Turkish foreign policy strategy. This strategy was based on cooperation with the existing regimes and did not prioritize the democracy promotion dimension of the issue. The upheavals in the Arab world, therefore, created a dilemma between ethics and self-interest in Turkish foreign policy. Amid the flux of geopolitical shifts in one of the world's most unstable regions, Turkish foreign policy-making elites are attempting to reformulate their strategies to overcome this inherent dilemma. The central argument of the present paper is that Turkey could make a bigger and more constructive impact in the region by trying to take a more detached stand and through controlled activism. Thus, Turkey could take action through the formation of coalitions and in close alignments with the United States and Europe rather than basing its policies on a self-attributed unilateral pro-activism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper seeks to understand the political economy implications of nicotine addiction in Iran, focusing on the US Office of Foreign Asset Control's granting of Iran operations licenses to American tobacco companies. Presuming that tobacco taxes, levied both as import duties and ad valorem, would financially benefit the Iranian government, the introduction of a highly desired US product to the market would be antithetical to the sanctions regime currently in place. By comparing Iran's tobacco industry, and the attendant public health crisis that has arisen from high rates of nicotine addiction, to conditions in Turkey, it can be demonstrated that Iran is uniquely unable to extract revenues from the sale of tobacco products. The primary point of comparison between Iran and Turkey is smoking-attributable annual productivity losses of each country, as estimated through the use of Smoking-Attributable Mortality, Morbidity and Economic Costs Software (SAMMEC) and the available related literature. According to the calculations derived from the SAMMEC model, Iran is burdened with an astonishing economic cost due to the high prevalence of smokers. It is concluded that an awareness of this condition enables OFAC to award licenses to Big Tobacco without fear of undermining current foreign policy initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper seeks to understand the process by which immigrants decide whether or not to return to their home countries. It aims to analyse the potential for return migration rather than the actual migration process. Empirically, it is based on the narratives of 30 Turkish immigrants living in the United States. The findings indicate that: (1) multiple controllable and uncontrollable, micro- and macro-level factors in both the home and the host countries interact over time to tip the scales towards - or away from - return migration; and (2) most immigrants live in a perpetual state of ambivalence about whether or not to engage in return migration. These findings are discussed, and implications are presented for both practice and policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

suhonen r., papastavrou e., efstathiou g., lemonidou c., kalafati m., da luz m.d.a., idvall e., berg a., acaroglu r., sendir m., kanan n., sousa v.d., katajisto j., välimäki m. & leino-kilpi h. (2011) Nurses' perceptions of individualized care: an international comparison. Journal of Advanced Nursing 67(9), 1895-1907. Abstract Aim. This paper is a report of a study of internationally-based differences in nurses' perceptions of individualized care in orthopaedic surgical in-patient wards. Background. Individualized care is valued in healthcare policy, practice and ethical statements as an indicator of care quality. However, nurses' assessments of individualized care are limited and comparative cross-cultural studies on individualized nursing care are lacking. Methods. A descriptive comparative survey was used to sample orthopaedic surgical nurses ( n = 1163) working in 91 inpatient wards in 34 acute hospitals in Finland, Cyprus, Greece, Portugal, Sweden, Turkey and the United States of America. Data were collected between March and November 2009 using the Individualized Care Scale-Nurse and analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results. Nurses in different countries perceived that they supported patients' individuality generally and provided individualized care during nursing activities. Although the highest scores were in support of patients' individuality in the clinical situation both through nursing provision and nurses' perceptions of individuality, there were between-country differences within these scores. Generally, the Greek and American nurses gave the highest scores and the Turkish, Cypriot and Portuguese nurses the lowest. Conclusions. Between-country differences found may be attributed to differing roles of nurses, care processes, healthcare systems and/or the ways nursing care is defined and organized. As this was the first time the Individualized Care Scale-Nurse was used in an international context, the results are formative and indicate the need to continue studies in this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In this paper the experiences and lessons learned from an International Summer Engineering Program (ISEP 2009) Centred around a fuel cell course are presented. ISEP was run at Middle East Technical University (METU) in Turkey with participation from The University of Texas-Austin (Texas) and The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State). The program contained 21 METU, 7 Texas and 2 Penn State students from a range of engineering majors. The fuel cell class was designed to strengthen fuel cell, core engineering, and global competency skills through a series of increasingly complex computer projects and global competency assignments. Results from an extensive evaluation completed by the students at the end of the summer are presented. Relative to most other international engineering programs or a typical engineering class, the biggest value-added educational component of the program is seen as the intensive formal and informal interaction achieved between the METU and US students. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Turkey’s decision on its role in the Iraq war in 2003 illustrates the power—and limits—of parliaments as actors in foreign policy. Traditionally, assemblies are not seen as important players in the foreign policies of parliamentary democracies. Instead, cabinets are generally considered the chief policymaking authorities. If the government enjoys a parliamentary majority, legislatures typically support the cabinet, if they are brought into the process at all. The March 1, 2003 vote by the Turkish parliament to not allow the United States to use Turkey as a base for the Iraq invasion challenges this conventional wisdom on parliamentary influence (in addition to many interest-based explanations of foreign policy). This paper examines this decision in the context of the role of parliaments in foreign policies and explores the relationships between parliamentary influence, leadership, intraparty politics, and public opinion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The global financial downturn of 2001 affected broad swaths of the increasingly interconnected global economy. The global effects of the economic downturn in the U.S. in 2008 showed that decoupling had not occurred to the extent many thought, and showed that indeed emerging market countries, including Turkey, were not immune from economic trouble in America. This paper addresses the question, whether the fiscal, financial, and regulatory reforms in Turkey after the 2001 economic crisis cushion the global financial crisis world is facing toward the end of the decade. In doing so we analyze the policies implemented by Turkey before and after the 2001 global economic crisis and identify the successes as well as failures of those reforms. The results of our research show that despite significant reforms in key economic and regulatory areas in the post-2001 crisis period, vulnerabilities remained; especially concerning the large current account deficit, volatility of exchange rates, increased private sector indebtedness, and persistent unemployment. These vulnerabilities will be visible in the deteriorating liquidity conditions in the global financial markets. We conclude by recommending infrastructure, education and health spending as well as restructuring of the economy to further attract FDI and avoid reliance on speculative foreign capital in order to achieve a more balanced and sustained growth in the long run. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using a time series method called 'transfer function', this paper examines the effect of terrorism on tourism in Turkey. The results indicate that there exists a negative but small impact of terrorism, which is observed within approximately one year. However, terrorist attacks in Turkey have accounted for a reduction of six million foreign tourists over the last nine years. Moreover, the economic cost of terrorism in the tourism industry was more than $700 million in 2006. However, terrorist attacks in continental Europe and America, and an active war involving a neighboring country, had no effects on tourism in Turkey. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For hundreds of years, the Eastern Mediterranean island of Cyprus has been subjected to the — not always welcome — attentions of external powers, finally gaining some independence from Britain in 1960. Since then, Cyprus has been the object of three international crises, almost leading to war between NATO members Greece and Turkey. Following a Turkish invasion and occupation which continues to the present, tensions have continued, while Turkey continues to occupy over one-third of Cyprus, an EU member, while trying itself to gain entry to the organisation. Papers released by British government departments in January 2008 reveal the following: an increasingly submissive yet tetchy attitude in British foreign policy formulation vis-à-vis American pressure (mainly Kissinger) on Britain not to leave Cyprus; the question of the USA financing the British bases; British government criticism of Turkey's perceived intransigence in finding a solution to the Cyprus conundrum; British government criticism of Turkey's position on its continental-shelf dispute with Greece; Britain's strong support for Turkey's European aspirations, flying in the face of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Cyprus' recommendations; past and future President Clerides' seeming contentedness with the British military presence on Cyprus; and a marked difference between French and British views. The article concludes that the British government submitted to US demands and suggests that Cyprus remains a cat's paw of big-power politics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In today’s global construction industry, firms exist in competitive market environments. To gain and maintain a competitive position in an increasingly challenging climate, firms must achieve a deep understanding of their dynamic environments and shape their strategies according to evolving conditions. Effectively leveraging external forces and shaping internal company focus in relation to the environment are essential for competitive positioning and achieving sustainable growth. This paper explores the concepts of competitive positioning and continuity in the context of mode (cost, quality, innovation, and timing) and scope (segment, vertical, geographic, and industry) of competition for U.S. and Turkish construction firms in international markets. The analysis of selected U.S. and Turkish firms demonstrates the strategic choice perspectives of different firms and the effects of environmental forces on these strategies over time. This study shows that construction firms tend to pursue consistent strategies in international markets while they adjust these strategies according to market demands and global tendencies. Research findings also show the differences between the strategic perspectives of construction firms in high and middle income countries enabling the identification of the factors for competitive advantage of nations in international construction markets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The United States and Turkey differ in their level of development on a global scale and this fact contributes to explain the differences observed in their trends of female tobacco use. In this paper, the patterns and dynamics of women's tobacco consumption in both US and Turkey will be discussed. Currently almost 25 million Turkish smokers help comprise 1.3 billion smokers worldwide. A staggering 45.3 million American smokers help comprise an even larger portion of that figure. Despite there being nearly double the number of smokers in the United States, 30% of the Turkish population are purposefully inhaling tobacco fumes on a daily basis, faring higher than the US with a 23.4% smoking population. To provide another point of comparison, one may look at both genders for a greater perspective and learn that in 2005 the prevalence amongst females over 15 years of age was found to be 21.5% in the US and 19.2% in Turkey and for males over 15 years of age, 26.3% in the US and 51.6% in Turkey. Women have a number of reasons unique to those of men for taking up smoking like weight control, increasingly high stress due to responsibilities of caring for children, growing careers, female physical health issues and dealing with the hectic nature of urban lifestyles. Additionally, tobacco marketing strategists recognize a cultural shift in developing countries, and have responded with cleverly designed advertisements that implant manipulative ideas of consumerism and false ideas of the necessity of cigarettes to becoming independent. Solutions for prevention of smoking increase among females need a holistic approach. [Turk J Cancer 2008;38(3):99-112] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses product development for global markets from the perspective of creating value for users in different cultural settings. Based on an ethnographic study on the use of and the value assignment to kitchen appliances of 29 urban families in Turkey and the United States, it investigates what constitutes value for users and how user value is shaped by local and cultural context. Four major categories of user value are presented. These include utility value, social significance value, emotional value, and spiritual value. A conceptual framework is proposed to assist designers in global companies in (1) the evaluation of existing products in new local contexts; (2) the planning of local research; and (3) the process of decision-making regarding product localization and standardization. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Rent-seeking models have been used to predict and explain a wide variety of political decisions. This paper extends Tullock's classic rent-seeking model to the case of a risky rent, where the winner of the rent-seeking contest does not receive the rent for sure, but only probabilistically. We derive the equilibrium and comparative static predictions from our extended model and present the results of an experiment with subjects from the US and Turkey to test it. Results are consistent with the comparative static predictions of the model, although we observe significantly more absolute levels of rent-seeking than the model predicts, consistent with previous experimental results. We conclude by discussing implications of our results for a variety of rent-seeking settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on social-cognitive theory (Bandura, 1997), this paper examined whether perceived self-efficacy is a universal psychological construct that accounts for variance within various domains of human functioning. Perceived self-efficacy is not only of a task-specific nature, but it can also be identified at a more general level of functioning. General self-efficacy (GSE) is the belief in one's competence to tackle novel tasks and to cope with adversity in a broad range of stressful or challenging encounters, as opposed to specific self-efficacy, which is constrained to a particular task at hand. The study aimed at exploring the relations between GSE and a variety of other psychological constructs across several countries. Relations between general self-efficacy and personality, well-being, stress appraisals, social relations, and achievements were examined among 8796 participants from Costa Rica, Germany, Poland, Turkey, and the USA. Across countries, the findings provide evidence for associations between perceived general self-efficacy and the selected variables. The highest positive associations were with optimism, self-regulation, and self-esteem, whereas the highest negative associations emerged with depression and anxiety. Academic performance is also associated with self-efficacy as hypothesized. The replication across languages or cultures adds significance to these findings. The relations between self-efficacy and other personality measures remained stable across cultures and samples. Thus, perceived general self-efficacy appears to be a universal construct that yields meaningful relations with other psychological constructs. Se basant sur la théorie sociale-cognitive (Bandura, 1997), l'efficacité de soi perçue fut examinée comme un construit psychologique universel contribuant à la variance dans divers domaines du fonctionnement humain. L'efficacité de soi perçue n'est pas seulement reliée à une tâche de nature spécifique, mais elle peut aussi être identifiée comme un niveau de fonctionnement plus général. L'efficacité de soi générale est la croyance qu'une personne possède la compétence pour faire face aux tâches nouvelles et pour gérer l'adversité dans un large éventail d'événements représentant un stress ou un défi, à l'opposé de l'efficacité de soi spécifique qui est restreinte à une tâche particulière. Cette étude visait à explorer les relations entre l'efficacité de soi générale et une variété d'autres construits psychologiques à travers les pays. Les relations entre l'efficacité de soi générale et la personnalité, le bien-être, l'évaluation du stress, les relations sociales et les accomplissements furent examinées parmi 8,796 participants du Costa Rica, de l'Allemagne, de la Pologne, de la Turquie et des États-Unis. À travers ces pays, les résultats fournissent des évidences d'associations entre l'efficacité de soi générale et les variables sélectionnées. Les plus fortes associations positives furent avec l'optimisme, l'autorégulation et l'estime de soi, tandis que les plus fortes associations négatives ont émergé avec la dépression et l'anxiété. Tel qu'attendu, la performance académique fut également associée avec l'efficacité de soi. La reproduction à travers les langues et les cultures ajoute une valeur à ces résultats. Les relations entre l'efficacité de soi et les autres mesures de personnalité demeurent stables à travers les cultures et les échantillons. Ainsi, l'efficacité de soi générale apparaît être un construit universel qui produit des relations convaincantes avec les autres construits psychologiques. Con base en la teoría social-cognitiva (Bandura, 1997), se exploró si la auto-eficacia percibida es un constructo psicológico universal que explica la varianza dentro de diversos dominios del funcionamiento humano. La naturaleza de la auto-eficacia percibida no sólo es específica de la tarea, sino que puede identificarse en un nivel más general de funcionamiento. La auto-eficacia general (AEG) es la creencia en la competencia propia para resolver tareas nuevas y afrontar la adversidad en un amplio espectro de situaciones estresoras y desafiantes, en contraste con la auto-eficacia específica que se restringe a una tarea particular dada. El estudio se propuso explorar las relaciones entre la AEG y una variedad de constructos psicológicos entre países. Se examinaron las relaciones entre la auto-eficacia general y la personalidad, el bienestar, la evaluación del estrés, las relaciones sociales, y el desempeño entre 8,796 participantes de Costa Rica, Alemania, Polonia, Turquía, y los Estados Unidos. De un país a otro, los hallazgos sugieren asociaciones entre la auto-eficacia general percibida y las variables seleccionadas. Las asociaciones positivas más fuertes fueron el optimismo, la autorregulación y la autoestima, en tanto que las asociaciones negativas más altas se dieron con la depresión y la ansiedad. Tal como se hipotetizó, el desempeño académico también se asocia con la auto-eficacia. La réplica a través de idiomas y culturas añade importancia a estos hallazgos. Las relaciones entre auto-eficacia y otras medidas de personalidad permanecen estables entre culturas y muestras. Por lo tanto, la auto-eficacia general percibida parece ser un constructo universal que se relaciona con significado a otros constructos psicológicos. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most studies of energy geopolitics in the former Soviet Union have presented a pessimistic view of the prospects for regional pipeline projects to reduce inter-state tensions rather than exacerbate them. This paper aims at presenting the opposite thesis: cooperation in the field of oil transportation could strengthen inter-state relations and promote stability in the region. Indeed, pipeline development has helped Georgia and Turkey to overcome bilateral problems and focus their efforts on improving political and security relations to their mutual benefit.

Presents summaries of papers presented by members of the Middle East Working Group at the annual meeting of the American Political Science Association on August 31, 2002. Relationship between the U.S. and Egypt; Information on the Iranian foreign policy; Secularism in Turkey.

This article examines the Foreign Relations documents of the U.S. and the papers of government officials in the Truman administration that reveals the possibilities for peace in the Middle East in 1949 and the opportunities present for the U.S. to have played a major role in the peace process. The first Arab-Israeli war came to an end with the signing of an armistice agreement between Egypt and Israel on the island of Rhodes, on February 24, 1949, under the direction of United Nations Mediator Ralph Bunche. Within the next five months, successful armistice agreements were concluded between Israel and Trans Jordan, Lebanon and Syria; and permanent peace negotiations were expected to follow before the year's end. In order to appreciate the possibilities for peace in the Middle East in 1949, we must go back to December 1948 when the United Nations General Assembly, in anticipation of the end of hostilities between the Arabs and Jews, established a Palestine Conciliation Commission consisting of representatives from France, Turkey and the U.S. Its major task, which was to be pursued concurrently with the armistice negotiations, was to negotiate peace treaties between Israel and the Arab states. Along with its pursuit of permanent peace, the Commission was also to formulate a plan for the internationalization of Jerusalem and to arrange for the repatriation and resettlement of approximately 725,000 Palestinian Arab refugees.

Background: Patient safety in primary care is an emerging field of research with a growing evidence base in western countries but little has been explored in the Gulf Cooperation Council Countries (GCC) including the Sultanate of Oman. This study aimed to review the literature on the safety culture and patient safety measures used globally to inform the development of safety culture among health care workers in primary care with a particular focus on the Middle East. Methods: A systematic review of the literature. Searches were undertaken using Medline, EMBASE, CINAHL and Scopus from the year 2000 to 2014. Terms defining safety culture were combined with terms identifying patient safety and primary care. Results: The database searches identified 3072 papers that were screened for inclusion in the review. After the screening and verification, data were extracted from 28 papers that described safety culture in primary care. The global distribution of the articles is as follows: the Netherlands (7), the United States (5), Germany (4), the United Kingdom (1), Australia, Canada and Brazil (two for each country), and with one each from Turkey, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. The characteristics of the included studies were grouped under the following themes: safety culture in primary care, incident reporting, safety climate and adverse events. The most common theme from 2011 onwards was the assessment of safety culture in primary care (13 studies, 46%). The most commonly used safety culture assessment tool is the Hospital survey on patient safety culture (HSOPSC) which has been used in developing countries in the Middle East. Conclusions: This systematic review reveals that the most important first step is the assessment of safety culture in primary care which will provide a basic understanding to safety-related perceptions of health care providers. The HSOPSC has been commonly used in Kuwait, Turkey, and Iran. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]