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This article comments on a paper by professor Assar Lindbeck on the slowdown of productivity growth in industrialized western nations. Lindbeck's paper adopts a broad and ambitious target. It is partly, though not entirely, in the growth-accounting mould, and presents a reasonably exhaustive quantitative breakdown of the causes of the slowdown.The longer term factors in Lindbeck's paper were also discussed inthearticle.Firstishigher inflation, causing more uncertainty, tax distortions and demand restraint as a result of anti-inflation policies.Second is thedeclining profitability, resulting from increased international competition, and causing lower growth and lower investment.Andthirdis the tendency to factor immobility, resource misallocation and inflation, as a result of private agents' recognition of government's commitment to full employment. There is also a link between capital-labour substitution and capital productivity growth. For there are indications that the latter has also declined, perhaps further than labour productivity growth, though given the measurement problems it is difficult to say. But if it has done so, then the question of causality becomes even more confused. The slowdown in productivity growth can itself be the unexplained exogenous variable which then slows the rate of capital-labour substitution.

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

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

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

This article comments on the decline in productivity in industrialized countries. The rates of growth in productivity relate to the main industrialized countries and are measured from peak to peak. For the world as a whole there has been no obvious decline in the growth of industrial productivity. But, of course, that includes the emerging industrial countries. It was suggested that the years 1973-1975 were so exceptional that they are better omitted in examining medium-term changes in productivity trends. The cartel set its demands simultaneously before all industrialised countries. It thus increased the international synchronisation of economic fiuctuations, and hence also their amplitude. The direct dislocation to production-patterns, caused by the transfer of purchasing-power from industrialised to oil-producing countries, was then compounded by indirect effects resulting from falls in foreign trade. Obviously, the plans of industrialists and their expectations were severely upset by those events. And productivity-growth was lost in those years. Problems in the adjustment for quality-variations, and for the introduction of new varieties, arise even the production of goods was considered and the faster the rate of product-innovation the greater the uncertainty. The U.S. statistics on productivity-growth are equally subject to revision, and it is worth looking at the alternative figures for private manufacturing calculated by the U.S. Bureau of Labour Statistics.

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

Aims: The purpose of this study was to determine the international commitment to alcohol-related research relative to its global burden of disease, which is 4% of disability adjusted life years (DALYs). Methods: The worldwide literature indexed in the Science Citation Index® and the Social Sciences Citation Index® during 1992-2003 was analysed using advanced bibliometric techniques. Results: Biomedical research and the global disease burden due to alcohol both increased during 1992-2003, whilst the number of papers from alcohol-related research remained static and declined to <0.7% of all biomedical research literature. Nearly 58% of all alcohol-related research papers were from Canada and the United States, 30% from Western Europe, and 10% from Australia, New Zealand, or Japan. However, these regions suffer only 13% of the global burden of disease due to alcohol; meanwhile, the rest of the world contributed only 8% of the total research whilst suffering from 87% of the disease burden. The estimated annual expenditure on alcohol-related research in 2001 was $730 million, or about $12 per DALY due to alcohol. Conclusions: The global commitment to alcohol-related research is only one-sixth of that warranted by the burden of disease due to alcohol. Most such research is conducted in the developed world but is still less than that appropriate to the regional burden of disease. There is a need for more interest in alcohol-related research in the developing world, particularly in Latin America and Eastern Europe in view of their high burden of disease due to alcohol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

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

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

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

We investigate the external validity of corruption experiments by conducting the same experiment in three different environments: a laboratory in a developed country, a laboratory in a developing country and the field in a developing country. In the experiment, a candidate proposes a bribe to a grader to obtain a better grade. We find the direction and magnitude of several treatment effects to be statistically indistinguishable across the three environments. In particular, increasing the graders' wage reduces the probability of accepting the bribe but promotes reciprocation. Our results therefore provide evidence that laboratory experiments on corruption can have empirical relevance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

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

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

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

Of the East Asian Newly Industrialized Countries (NICs) Taiwan has one of the most inspiring stories. In almost all accounts of Taiwan, the state has been described as the major impetus of economic development and technological upgrading. Consequently, Taiwan has become the "poster child" of the neo-developmental state theories. This paper takes a critical view of these accounts, exploring the capabilities and limits of the Taiwanese state in achieving sustained industrial growth in two key sectors of the IT industry, software and IC design. This is done through mapping the evolution of the two subsectors and the changing roles of the state in it, looking specifically at capabilities, innovations, and business models employed by private firms. The main arguments are, first, that the division of labor between state and private industry that successfully developed an industrial system utilizing OEM and ODM business strategies may now limit R&D activities to second-generation innovations. Second, I argue that the public research institution-based industrial technology policy of Taiwan has been helping the growth of private industry when: (1) these research institutions created and expanded multiple and broad interactions with the private IT industry; and, (2) when the public research institute has seen private IT firms as their final customers. However, the same policy approach has hampered the growth of the industry when the institutions competed directly with the industry for its own customers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

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

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

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

A theory of competitive advantage requires a theory of the development and utilization of productive resources. The empirical foundations for such a theory are the comparative experiences of the most successful economies. This paper presents comparative and historical evidence on the development experiences of the USA, Germany, and Japan that demonstrates that the social organization of enterprises, regions, and nations is integral to successful economic development and sustained competitive advantage. Fundamental conditions that characterize this social organization are 'organizational integration', which provides people with the abilities and incentives to develop and utilize productive resources, and 'financial commitment', which provides ongoing control over the money required to develop and utilize productive resources. Using this framework, the paper shows how the economies of the USA, Germany, and Japan outcompeted the British economy early in this century, and why more recently Japan has been outcompeting the USA and Germany. Besides providing foundations for a theory of economic development in which innovation and organizational learning play central roles, this paper suggests that what neoclassical economists call imperfections in financial, labor, and product markets may not be imperfections in economic activity but improvements in social organization that foster technological innovation and economic development. Policy debates over employment and governance systems that can best promote economic development and sustained competitive advantage should focus on building appropriate social organizations rather than on ridding the economy of imperfect markets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

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

This paper presents cross-national research on news readership diversification. We compare written news (print and free newspapers, online and mobile news services) audiences in the 5 most populous and industrialized European countries (Italy, France, Spain, the UK and Germany). Outlining a sociodemographic portrait of these different news users is important in order to understand the changes undergone inside the world of written news. We draw on a telephone survey carried out in 2009, using a representative population sample (N=7,255). The survey considers sociodemographic variables, including a range of social activities and attitudinal variables, television, computer, and mobile phone ownership, and Internet access and use. Findings show a rich, but volatile relationship between written news, audience behaviors, and community participation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

This paper challenges the widely accepted stylized fact that chief executive officers (CEOs) in the United States are paid significantly more than their foreign counterparts. Using CEO pay data across fourteen countries with mandated pay disclosures, we show that the U.S. pay premium is economically modest and primarily reflects the performance-based pay demanded by institutional shareholders and independent boards. Indeed, we find no significant difference in either level of CEO pay or the use of equity-based pay between U.S. and non-U.S. firms exposed to international and U.S. capital, product, and labor markets. We also show that U.S. and non-U.S. CEO pay has largely converged in the 2000s. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Transferring low tech manufacturing jobs to cheap labour countries is often seen by part of the general public and policy makers as a step into the de-industrialization of the European economies. However, recent contributions have shown that the effects on home economies are rarely negative. Our paper contributes to this literature by examining how outward investments to developing and less developed countries (LDCs) affect home activities of French and Italian firms that turn multinational in the period analysed. The effects of these investments are also compared to the effects of investments to developed economies (DCs). The analysis is carried out by using propensity score matching. We find no evidence of a negative effect of outward investments to LDCs. In Italy they have a positive long term effect on value added and employment. For France we find a positive effect on the size of domestic output and employment. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper discusses why Latin America failed to achieve sustainable convergence with the developed world since 1960 and analyses different phases of convergence and divergence using a structuralist-Keynesian approach. First, it is argued that there are critical differences between Latin America, the developed economies and the Asian economies as regards the evolution of the income elasticity of the demand for imports (π), the rate of growth of exports and the balance-of-payments-constrained rate of growth. The income elasticity of the demand for imports in Latin America showed an upward trend, particularly after the mid-1970s, which was not matched by a similar increase in exports—a pattern in sharp contrast with that of the East Asian countries. The evolution of π and exports are used to set forth a typology of Latin American economic growth since 1960. In addition, the paper relates elasticities and the less favourable Latin American performance to the intensity and direction of structural change. Using a broad sample of developed and developing economies, it is shown that the developing countries that succeed in reducing the income gap are those that transformed their economic structures in favour of sectors with higher Schumpeterian and Keynesian efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Rapid global economic growth, centered in Asia but now spread across the world, is driving rapid greenhouse-gas emissions growth, making earlier projections unrealistic. This paper develops new, illustrative business-as-usual projections for carbon dioxide (CO[sub2]) from fossil fuels and other sources and for non-CO[sub2] greenhouse gases. Making adjustments to 2007 World Energy Outlook projections to reflect more fully recent trends, we project annual emissions by 2030 to be almost double current volumes, 11 per cent higher than in the most pessimistic scenario developed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), and at a level reached only in 2050 in the business-as-usual scenario used by the Stern Review. This has major implications for the global approach to climate-change mitigation. The required effort is much larger than implicit in the IPCC data informing the current international climate negotiations. Large cuts in developed country emissions will be required, and significant deviations from baselines will be required in developing countries by 2020. It is hard to see how the required cuts could be achieved without all major developing as well as developed countries adopting economy-wide policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper offers a detailed discussion of fiscal redistribution in developed countries, employing data that have been computed from the LIS's micro-level database. LIS data are detailed enough to allow us not only to measure overall redistribution but also to explore whether redistribution has been achieved primarily through taxes or transfers; to determine whether it is associated with the size or the internal target efficiency of social benefits; to compare the redistributive effect of the most important individual transfers; to focus separately on households in poverty and those headed by persons of working age; and to explore trends in redistribution between the late 1970s and early 2000s. The paper concludes by demonstrating the practical usefulness of the data presented by conducting an empirical analysis of several proposed explanations for cross-country and over-time variance in fiscal redistribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background An international comparison study of women's occupational health issues was carried out in 2000 for the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, Canada, Hong Kong and Singapore. The study was funded by the Canadian International Development Agency's Southeast Asia Gender Equity Program.Aim The objective was to compare the issues, risk factors, social determinants, and challenges in women's occupational health, according to the status of economic development as defined by the World Bank.Method Data were collected through 27 key informant interviews of high-ranking government officials and senior researchers, self-administered questionnaires on country or regional statistics and 16 courtesy calls.Results Results indicated that women's occupational health problems common in these countries or regions included women's long hours of work (double workday), shift work and a caring role for family and friends. Problems reported in developing countries but not developed countries included poor access to training and protective equipment, and insufficient legislation to protect women's rights. Problems reported in developed countries but not in developing countries included obesity, smoking and not including women in health research.Conclusion This paper provides insights into the changing environment in the workplace, such as increasing participation of women in the paid workforce and changes in gender differences due to the changing country economy, for improving women's occupational health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the economic case for international labor standards. Granting workers rights of free association and collective bargaining confers both static and dynamic economic efficiencies. Static efficiencies refer to one-time gains from improvements in economic practice. Dynamic efficiencies refer to gains from improvements to the growth path resulting from a shift away from a `low road' development path to a `high road' path. These efficiencies raise wages, employment and output in developing countries, and they can also benefit workers in developed countries. Labor standards are an institutional mechanism for raising the quality of growth in both developing and developed countries. In this sense, they are a `win-win' institution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

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

This article presents repose of the authors on comments made by scholar Henry H. Villard on the paper "Investment Criteria, Productivity, and Economic Development" that was published in the August 1955 issue of the periodical "The Quarterly Journal of Economics." Villard raises issues, which the authors agree are important, and must be taken into account in any realistic discussion of economic development. The paper makes clear, the awareness of the fact that population must be regarded as a variable, rather than a constant, in development plans. One of the authors had already devoted a considerable amount of attention to the theoretical side of this question. But it is difficult to understand Villard's feeling of practical certainty about the productiveness of direct investment in factories making birth control devices, in the agricultural setting. No evidence is presented to support this assertion. Since he speaks only of devices, he evidently does not include the cost, both private and social, of achieving the revolution in mores, mental attitudes, and social and moral values, conducive to the acceptance of birth control. This is a delicate and perhaps explosive issue. A reading of the contributions of demographers and other experts who have been close students of this problem does not leave one with a feeling of practical certainty on this point.

With lagging productivity rates in key industrial sectors, many firms in the UK and the USA have struggled to remain competitive against low cost imports from newly industrialized countries. Structural readjustments by firms have involved downsizing and efforts to reorganize the labor process. Firms have defined the problem as one of production rigidities and have developed strategies designed to reshape the division of labor. That change is occurring is not in question; it is rather the precise nature and implications of that change, particularly its consequences for the role of labor. This paper argues that many firms have sought, and continue to seek, competitive viability through an amalgam of new technology merged with old work practices. Restructuring is occurring under the guide of enhancing flexibility, but the motives remain rooted in cost lowering, as opposed to product and process improvement, strategies. The enhanced economic uncertainty and sustained import penetration have not therefore led to new production paradigms, as many claim, but are merely reconfigurations of old ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

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

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

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

Since the financial crisis of 2008, policy-makers in developed countries have shown a renewed interest in the sectoral composition of their national economies, in particular whether their manufacturing sector is too small or their financial sector too large. These concerns have been described as ‘imbalances’ and the remedy as ‘rebalancing’, and they have been widely covered in the media. But many economists are sceptical, arguing that the concept of sectoral balance is not meaningful, or that sectoral imbalance is nothing to worry about, or that, even if it is, policy-makers can do little about it. This paper explores the concept of sectoral rebalancing, considers the evidence for sectoral imbalance in the economies of rich countries, and examines the arguments why rebalancing might be a good thing. It finds that while arguments for interventions to restrict the risk and growth of the financial services sector have considerable evidence to support them, arguments that manufacturing output is especially desirable and should be promoted more than other sectors are less well evidenced. Finally, the paper considers recent policies that have been introduced to change the sectoral structures of economies, and sets out some principles for would-be rebalancers to follow. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper aims to compare the trajectories of selected newly industrialising countries in terms of structural change. Using an exploratory method of data analysis, the comparative closeness of the economies is studied over time. The results show that industrialisation is a necessary, albeit insufficient, ingredient for catch-up. The successful growth performances of Asian countries are associated with a successful industrialisation process accompanied by high export and investment shares. Latin American country performances are less successful, despite initially high industrial shares. Comparing trajcetories with southern European experiences reveals cases of premature deindustrialisation and tertiarisation processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patients and citizens want more and better healthcare, and want to pay less for it. One way rapidly to respond to these demands is to spread proven or promising improvements in treatments or service delivery models. However, there is little research from high-income countries about effective ways to spread these improvements. In international health there is more experience and knowledge of scale-up, more variety in research approaches used to study the subject, and fewer resources and infrastructure for scaling-up improvements across a nation. This paper draws on reviews of research and experience in international health to contribute to conceptual and empirical knowledge as well as to practical strategies. It describes and illustrates three approaches: hierarchical control, participatory adaptation and facilitated evolution. It presents lessons from international health which could be of use to those studying, choosing, planning and progressing strategies to increase the uptake of proven or promising interventions to health services in high-income countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Partly a reflection of the increasing volume and hence political influence of the older population, recent reforms of long-term care (LTC) systems across developed countries have sought to expand the coverage of the services provided, and have defined increasingly universal levels of state support for people with social-care needs. At the same time, some of the factors leading to the expansion of the objectives and ambitions of the care system, such as the ageing of the population, pose significant challenges to its long-term financial sustainability. In this context, the paper first reviews the main factors likely to contribute to the growth in LTC demand and expenditure, and reflects on the policy priorities associated with state-backed funding systems in the area. Using results from a bespoke dynamic micro-simulation model, it then illustrates the discussion through a quantitative analysis of the equity and efficiency implications of alternative funding models discussed in the context of the ongoing reforms of the LTC system in England. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The automotive industry has of late undergone significant shifts in terms of production patterns around the world. This considerable restructuring is seen in the declining market share of industrialized nations and the increasing share of developing countries, especially the so-called BRICs (Brazil, Russia, India and China). In Brazil, this process has been noticeable in particular from the second half of the 1990s. This paper analyses the position of Brazil within this global restructuring, in particular by examining the causes and consequences of automotive industry expansion in the Metropolitan Region of Curitiba—the MRC, which is the third most important car production agglomeration in Brazil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper assesses the links between money, credit, house prices, and economic activity in industrialized countries over the last three decades. The analysis is based on a fixed-effects panel vector autoregression, estimated using quarterly data for 17 industrialized countries spanning the period 1970-2006. The main results of the analysis are the following. (i) There is evidence of a significant multidirectional link between house prices, monetary variables, and the macroeconomy. (ii) The link between house prices and monetary variables is found to be stronger over a more recent sub-sample from 1985 to 2006. (iii) The effects of shocks to money and credit are found to be stronger when house prices are booming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

European monetary union THE DARK SIDES OF A MAJOR SUCCESS This paper revisits the debates that have surrounded the launch of a unique experience: the adoption of a common currency among developed countries. A striking aspect of this history is that, pressed by what they correctly identified as a window of opportunity, policy-makers crafted this complex project in a short period of time, largely eschewing inputs from the academic profession. Academic research, in turn, developed its own views, which turned out to be critical of some ley orientations, yet it generally recognizes that, in the end, the launch of the euro has been a major success. Over time, many of the academic criticisms have been taken on board, but not yet fully. The monetary strategy has been slightly amended, but it remains the subject of disagreements between the European Central Bank and monetary economists. Events have confirmed that the Stability and Growth Pact was ill-designed; its reformulation goes some way to address some of the concerns but not all of them. Its ability to deliver fiscal discipline is in doubt. Another look at the experiment highlights the gap between the principles laid out by those who designed the monetary union and the pragmatism that has prevailed thereafter. The resulting tension between principles and actions sometimes obscures the fact that the Eurosystem has acted wisely so far. The widespread perception that monetary policy is not as transparent as it should be and suffers from a lack of adequate democratic accountability is not just annoying. The general public, including politicians, sometimes blames the Eurosystem for Europe's poor growth performance since the adoption of the euro. This is unfair and could dangerously undermine the monetary union if the Eurosystem were to become the scapegoat for the slow and incomplete reforms that are needed to revigorate the euro area's economies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the early 1990s, the concept of regional competitiveness has become a hegemonic discourse within public policy circles in developed countries. However, it is a somewhat chaotic and ill-defined discourse based on a relatively narrow conception of how regions compete, prosper and grow. This paper seeks to problematise the discourse with reference to theory, and to explain how and why it has assumed such significance in policy circles. It is argued that the answer lies within the policy process and the imperative of legitimating certain courses of policy action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the unemployment dynamics of various immigrant groups in Germany. Several different groups are compared against the native-born population: guest workers, ethnic Germans, immigrants from the EU-15 or other western industrialized countries, non-EU immigrants and finally second-generation immigrants. Event history techniques are applied to German Socio-Economic Panel data from the second half of the 1990s. The analyses underscore the importance of human capital and labour market segmentation in the employment exclusion of immigrant populations. The study contends that the higher risk of unemployment among guest worker immigrants, more recent newcomers from outside the EU and ethnic Germans is only partially related to their inferior human capital characteristics. In fact it appears largely due to their unfavourable labour market allocation, i.e. their over-representation in occupations and economic branches particularly vulnerable during economic slowdown and restructuring. The analyses also show that unemployed immigrants, with the exception of those coming recently from EU-15 countries and second-generation immigrants, retain their outsider status even if successful in finding employment, being largely channelled into the unskilled labour market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]