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This paper examines whether multinational banks have a stabilizing or a destabilizing role during times of financial distress. With a focus on Europe, it looks at how these banks' foreign affiliates have been faring during the recent financial crisis. It finds that retail and corporate lending of these foreign affiliates has been stable and even increasing between 2007 and 2009. This pattern is related to the functioning of the internal capital market through which these banks funnel funds across their units. The internal capital market has been an effective tool to support foreign affiliates in distress and to isolate their lending from the local availability of financial resources, notwithstanding the systemic nature of the recent crisis. This effect has been particularly large within the EU integrated financial market and for the EMU countries, thus showing complementarity between economic integration and multinational banks' internal capital markets. In light of these findings, this paper supports the call for an integration of the European supervisory and regulatory framework overseeing multinational banks. The analysis is based on an analytical framework which derives the main conditions under which the internal capital market can perform this support function under idiosyncratic and systemic stresses. The empirical evidence uses both aggregate evidence on foreign claims worldwide, and firm-level evidence on the behaviour of banking groups' affiliates, compared to stand-alone national banks. - Giorgio Barba Navaretti, Giacomo Calzolari, Alberto Franco Pozzolo and Micol Levi [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The primary purpose of this paper is to provide a review of the papers within the economics literature that have examined the questions of immigrant welfare use and the responsiveness of immigrants to the incentives created by welfare systems. While our focus is largely on papers looking at the European case, we also draw on studies from the United States, in particular on issues where the European literature is thin. One set of papers asks whether immigrants who are more likely to use welfare are attracted to more generous welfare states. The results from these papers are not clear-cut. Another set of papers asks if immigrants use welfare more intensively than natives and if they assimilate out of or into welfare participation. In most cases, the unadjusted data show higher use of welfare by immigrants, although for some countries, for example Germany, this can be explained by differences in immigrants' characteristics. Yet another set of papers finds that the rate of welfare use by existing migrants can influence the welfare use of newly arrived co-nationals. We illustrate some of these issues by looking at immigrant welfare use in Ireland and the UK. Immigrants in the UK appear to use welfare more intensively than natives, but the opposite appears to be the case in Ireland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper analyses the geographical pattern(s) of road mortality in western Europe for three standard levels of data aggregation. A new adjusted road mortality ratio is proposed. Unlike most mortality ratios, the standardization uses population density rather than age and sex. The hypothesis to be tested is that changes in the level of spatial aggregation of the data produce significant differences in the values of some basic descriptive statistics, and hence in operational conclusions. The paper shows that population density works as a proxy for structural factors that may be difficult to change by policies and that working with 264 regions confirms the north–south divergences in terms of road safety in Europe but also stresses the local or regional differences due to political, geographical, economic, environmental and statistical disparities. Safe countries include unsafe regions, and there are safe regions in unsafe countries. Decision makers should be aware of this when comparing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Online platforms can support health and educational professionals in their daily work; however, it is challenging to keep online platforms sustainable. This paper aims to indicate the most important factors of platform sustainability from the perspective of professionals involved in online platforms. Further, it aims to understand how these factors operate. A mixed methods study was carried out among professionals from Europe, Australia, the USA and Canada. In the first phase, the importance of 54 factors from the literature was assessed with a questionnaire among 17 professionals. The relative importance of the factors and the consensus regarding this importance were calculated using median scores and interquartile deviations. In total, 19 factors were selected representing general characteristics, characteristics related to the platform, communication, visitor and context. In the second phase, insight was gained regarding the experiences with those factors through 12 individual Skype interviews. The most frequently mentioned important factors of platform sustainability were (i) having sufficient time, resources and expertise, (ii) user friendliness and (iii) creating a sense of belonging. Platforms should use a planned approach to address a combination of factors directly from platform development. Gaining long-term resources is challenging and should be considered from the start of a project by building partnerships. To promote user friendliness, platforms should be simple, have a clear set-up and provide high-quality tools. Finally, establishing a sense of belonging could be supported by branding and face-to-face networking activities. For all aspects, involving visitors and stakeholders is essential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Impaired glucose regulation represents an opportunity to prevent Type 2 diabetes mellitus. It is important to have a clear understanding of the prevalence of this condition in order to be able to plan interventions and health care provision. This paper presents a meta-analysis of literature assessing the prevalence of impaired glucose regulation in the general population of developed countries in Europe. Methods: Five electronic databases were systematically searched in March 2014 to identify English language articles with general population samples aged 18 and over from developed countries in Europe. Values for the measures of interest were combined using a random effects model and analysis of the effects of moderator variables was carried out. Results: A total of 5594 abstracts were screened, with 46 studies included in the review. Overall prevalence of impaired glucose regulation was 22.3%. Mean prevalence of impaired glucose tolerance was 11.4% (10.1-12.8) and did not differ by gender. Sample age, diagnostic criteria and country were found to have a significant univariate effect on prevalence of impaired glucose tolerance but only diagnostic criteria remained significant in multivariate analysis. Mean prevalence of impaired fasting glucose was significantly higher in men at 10.1% (7.9-12.7) compared with 5.9% in women (4-8.7). The only moderator variable with a significant effect on impaired fasting glucose prevalence was country. Conclusions: This meta-analysis shows a moderate prevalence of impaired glucose regulation in developed Europe with over one in five people meeting the criteria for either impaired glucose tolerance, impaired fasting glucose or both. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The aim was to evaluate the use of PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses), CONSORT (Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials) and STROBE (Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology) methods in reviews, clinical trials and observational studies, respectively, which were published in European journals within the field of Public Health (PH). Methods Papers published between 2010 and 2013 in seven PH journals were evaluated. The presence of the words PRISMA, STROBE and CONSORT was considered in the search criteria. (Results In total, 2355 of 3456 retrieved articles were included: 1.5% appeared to follow the guidelines. The boundaries within which the criteria were applied are 0-100% for CONSORT, 0-0.6% for STROBE and 0-37% for PRISMA. Conclusions A strong heterogeneity in the application of guideline statements was observed. A common agreement among journals regarding research-reporting methodologies could improve the quality of PH research publishing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

EU financial services are exempted of VAT for technical reasons. This paper argues that the changed nature of bank–client relationships and advances in information technology have opened the door to a practical way of redressing this exemption. The proposed solution is to charge the regular VAT on services supplied to households, but no VAT on those supplied to businesses, while allowing financial institutions the normal VAT credit for all of their purchased inputs. Financial services would, as a result, be priced differently for households and businesses so banks would have to verify their customers’ VAT status. While this may be burdensome, the OECD–wide fight against tax evasion and the international struggle against terrorism have forced financial institutions to know much more about their clients. Verifying clients’ VAT status should thus be fairly simple. The paper also evaluates the economic impact of reform and finds that reform would significantly increase VAT revenues, while having little impact on overall welfare. Households would see an increase in the price of financial services but given the relatively high incomes of mortgage takers, the burden of the tax would be approximately proportional across income classes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduces a series of articles which deals on economics and business in Europe.

This paper is focused on the implications of a collaborative digital storytelling project on student engagement in the higher education context. The empirical study is conducted with an interdisciplinary group of bachelor students in a Nordic University (N  = 22) and a university in Southern Europe (N  = 21), and the data are collected through an online student survey. The results demonstrate that the digital storytelling project supported students' behavioral, emotional, and cognitive engagement. In general, the students had positive emotional experiences with the project. This assignment format was found less stressful than a frontal presentation in the classroom, allowing the students to express their perspectives more freely and confidently. The digital storytelling format also opened up for more creative ways to approach the task. It was important for the participants to have the project assignment split up in several checkpoints with feedback from the instructor. At the same time, the students suggested several areas for further improvement. Those are mainly related to the guidance on the use of technology and scripting the learning process within the small groups. Based on the results of the study, a range of practical implications for teaching practice is formulated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the medium- to long-term effects on refugee labour market outcomes of the temporary employment bans being imposed on asylum seekers in many countries. Using a newly collected data set on employment restrictions together with individual data for refugees entering European countries between 1985 and 2012, our empirical strategy exploits the geographical and temporal variation in employment bans generated by their staggered introduction and removal coupled with frequent changes at the intensive margin. We find that exposure to a ban at arrival reduces refugee employment probability in post-ban years by 15%, an impact driven primarily by lower labour market participation. These effects are not mechanical, increase non-linearly in ban length, and last up to 10 years post arrival. The detrimental effects of employment bans are concentrated among less educated refugees, translate into lower occupational quality, and seem not to be driven by selective migration. Our causal estimates are robust to several identification tests accounting for the potential endogeneity of employment ban policies, including placebo analysis of non-refugee migrants and an instrumental variable strategy. We estimate a €37.6 billion output loss from the bans imposed on asylum seekers who arrived in Europe during the so-called 2015 refugee crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

3-Methoxyphencyclidine (3-MeO-PCP) is a new psychoactive substance that belongs to the phencyclidines family, first identified in Europe in 2012. This drug presents a stronger binding to N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors when compared to phencyclidine, which results in more potent effects, even at low concentrations. Very few articles have been published regarding 3-MeO-PCP in forensic toxicology. In this paper, the authors present a fatal 3-MeO-PCP intoxication case. In addition to the detection of the parent drug, metabolites were investigated in urine and, for the first time in the scientific literature, in blood. 3-MeO-PCP and its metabolites were quantitated by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry system (LC-MS/MS). Identification was confirmed by liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS). 3-MeO-PCP tested positive in femoral blood (3 525 ng/mL) and urine (7 384 ng/mL). The femoral blood concentration was higher than the fatal concentrations range already reported in the literature (from 50 to 3 200 ng/mL). 3-MeO-PCP metabolites, including O-demethyl-3-MeO-PCP, piperidine-OH-3-MeO-PCP, O-demethyl-piperidine-di-OH-3-MeO-PCP and piperidine-di-OH-3-MeO-PCP, were detected in blood. In addition, two new metabolites, O-demethyl-piperidine-OH-3-MeO-PCP and O-demethyl-cyclohexyl-OH, were identified in both blood and urine. Unfortunately, due to the lack of reference material on the market, it was not possible to measure the concentration of these metabolites. However, the ratios between the metabolites and the parent drug were useful to estimate their analytical response and prevalence. At this time, considering the low ratios (<1) between metabolites and parent drug, metabolites testing does not seem useful to increase the detection window of the drug. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is often argued that the unintended consequences of science policy transformation over the last 50 years--increased role of fixed-term project funding, evaluation and temporary contracts--are short-termism, fragmentation and limited freedom to choose research topics and collaborators. This paper focuses on a phenomenon that should be highly unlikely in this context: long-term international research collaborations lasting over 10 and 20 years which remain creative and productive. To shed light on the little studied topic of why and how long-term international research collaborations evolve, the paper develops a mid-range theory from multiple longitudinal case studies. It suggests that long-term collaborations combining formal and informal interactions operate as virtuous circles whereas earlier results ensure feedback loops and thematic and organisational continuity, but renewal is crucial. The emergent theory is built from multiple data sources and methods analysing international collaborations in the emerging field of nanosciences in Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Roma are both the largest ‘minority’ ethnic group in Central and South-Eastern Europe (CSEE) and the one that suffered most from transition to the market. Still today, nearly 40 years after the introduction of the European Union (EU) 1975 Discrimination Directive and with the end of the ‘Roma Decade’ (2005–15) in sight, people from the Roma minority have unemployment rates far above—and employment rates and wages far below—those of majority populations. One issue that has received relatively little attention concerns the ‘double’ discrimination facing Roma women. Not only do Roma women face poorer employment and wage outcomes in the labour market than non-Roma women, in most CSEE countries the gender earnings gap is significantly larger amongst Roma compared to non-Roma. This paper seeks to analyse and explain differences in the gender gap in the earnings of Roma. The paper employs a non-parametric matching approach to identify the main factors underlying the gender difference. Educational attainment plays a relatively small role, explaining only around one-fifth of the gap. Industrial and occupational segregation appear to be playing a strong role as do the civil status of individuals, household socio-economic status and whether or not individuals live in a predominantly Roma community. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper addresses the question of whether the current economic and financial crisis is challenging the prevailing gender-equality model in four European countries: Denmark, Germany, Slovakia, and the United Kingdom. After situating the countries in relation to the underlying gender regime and analysing the corresponding position of women and men in paid and unpaid work, the paper contains an in-depth discussion of the short- and medium-term policy responses to the crisis. Our analysis shows that independent of the prevailing gender regime, scant public attention has been directed to gender-sensitive policy responses. These shortcomings are compounded by the observation that the downturn seems to be delaying progress on equality policies. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The gender gap in life expectancy (GGLE) varies substantially in EU 28 Member States. This paper addresses the question of whether gender inequality affects the GGLE as well as life expectancy (LE) in both genders. We conducted an ecological study and used the gender inequality index (GII) developed by the United Nations as well as the gender difference in LE in 2015. We found a correlation between GGLE and GII (r 2=0.180) and between GII and LE of 0.418 (women) and 0.430 (men). Gender equality policies are still necessary and will have an effect on women's as well as men's health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a quantitative evaluation of the financial sector from 1950 to 2007 in Germany, France, the United Kingdom, and Europe more broadly. Three main facts are revealed. First, the ratio of domestic financial intermediaries' income to GDP increases continuously in all the countries over the period, even during the 1990s and the 2000s, contrary to the national accountant evaluation. Second, comparing financial income to the quantity of intermediated assets, the analysis shows that the unit cost of financial intermediation does not decrease over the period, except in France. In addition, because European unit cost decreased after the 1990s whereas it remained stable in the United States, the unit cost increased more in the United States than in Europe over the whole period. Third, an econometric investigation shows that (i) the increase in nominal interest rates during the 1970s and the 1980s is positively correlated to unit cost and (ii) the joint development of financial wealth management, credit intermediation, and the securities industry during the 1990s and the 2000s coincides with higher unit cost values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Study Question: How many twins are born in human populations and how has this changed over recent decades?Summary Answer: Since the 1980s, the global twinning rate has increased by a third, from 9.1 to 12.0 twin deliveries per 1000 deliveries, to about 1.6 million twin pairs each year.What Is Known Already: It was already known that in the 1980s natural twinning rates were low in (East) Asia and South America, at an intermediate level in Europe and North America, and high in many African countries. It was also known that in recent decades, twinning rates have been increasing in the wealthier parts of our world as a result of the rise in medically assisted reproduction (MAR) and delayed childbearing.Study Design, Size, Duration: We have brought together all information on national twinning rates available from statistical offices, demographic research institutes, individual survey data and the medical literature for the 1980-1985 and the 2010-2015 periods.Participants/materials, Setting, Methods: For 165 countries, covering over 99% of the global population, we were able to collect or estimate twinning rates for the 2010-2015 period. For 112 countries, we were also able to obtain twinning rates for 1980-1985.Main Results and the Role Of Chance: Substantial increases in twinning rates were observed in many countries in Europe, North America and Asia. For 74 out of 112 countries the increase was more than 10%. Africa is still the continent with highest twinning rates, but Europe, North America and Oceania are catching up rapidly. Asia and Africa are currently home to 80% of all twin deliveries in the world.Limitations, Reasons For Caution: For some countries, data were derived from reports and papers based on hospital registrations which are less representative for the country as a whole than data based on public administrations and national surveys.Wider Implications Of the Findings: The absolute and relative number of twins for the world as a whole is peaking at an unprecedented level. An important reason for this is the tremendous increase in medically assisted reproduction in recent decades. This is highly relevant, as twin deliveries are associated with higher infant and child mortality rates and increased complications for mother and child during pregnancy and during and after delivery.Study Funding/competing Interest(s): The contribution of CM was partially supported by the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme (grant No 681546, FAMSIZEMATTERS), Nuffield College, and the Leverhulme Trust. The contribution of GP was partially supported by the French Agence Nationale de la Recherche (grant No ANR-18-CE36-0007-07). The authors declare no conflict of interest.Trial Registration Number: N/A. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reflects on the history of the European Finance Association . Participants of the early meetings of the association; Conclusion reached by a paper from the first pre-meeting about trading rules for Swedish stocks; Lessons learned from a conference paper on the efficiency of the Austrian stock market.

This article focuses on the comparative content analysis of the Arabic press. The purpose of this analysis was to determine the extent to which the reading publics in various Arab countries are being exposed to news of international events. Secondly, the kind of information the press is transmitting and the relative attention it is paying to events involving different countries of Europe, Asia and Africa. Lastly, the favorable or unfavorable images of these other countries that this information is likely to convey to the readers. The content analysis was carried out in two phases. The first concerned the content of the entire newspaper. In this phase, printed space was measured and multiplied by the average number of pages per issue to obtain base totals for each prestige paper. The second phase of the analysis was confined to the first page only. Items appearing on this page were classified in greater detail. In the study it was found that, despite the small size of many Arabic newspapers, papers, internationally significant news, as opposed to news of local or regional reference, absorbs a surprisingly high percentage of total space. Objective changes in the world power situation and in the nature of Arab-Western interaction have not succeeded in suppressing the Arab's preoccupation with external affairs.

The European Research Council (ERC), which was introduced in the Seventh Framework Programme, implements radically new principles in the Framework Programme. This paper develops a methodological framework for measuring the effects of the ERC on the European research funding landscape and presents empirical findings. It maps three analytically separate but closely related dimensions: the research policy, institutional, and organisational dimensions, all of which are pertinent to a study of the effects of the ERC. The paper notes that the ERC has prompted a number of significant changes in EU research funding policy. At the institutional level, the ERC has rapidly gained legitimacy and status in the context of European research policy and its scientific and scholarly constituencies, both of which are important prerequisites for its influence on a broader scale. At the organisational level, its effects are fewer and are partially overshadowed by developments in the European Research Area. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

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]

This paper emphasizes the two-way causality between the provision of unemployment insurance and the cultural transmission of civicness. The returns to being uncivic are increasing in the generosity of unemployment insurance; but this generosity is decreasing in the number of uncivic individuals. In this context, I determine the evolution of preferences across generations and show that cultural heterogeneity is sustained over the long-run. The dynamics of cultural transmission can generate a long lag between the introduction of unemployment insurance and an increase in people's willingness to live off government-provided benefits. Hence, it offers an explanation to the 'European unemployment puzzle' due to the coexistence of generous unemployment insurance and low unemployment in the 1950s and 1960s. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since 2012, the European Radiation Dosimetry Group (EURADOS) has developed its Strategic Research Agenda (SRA), which contributes to the identification of future research needs in radiation dosimetry in Europe. Continued scientific developments in this field necessitate regular updates and, consequently, this paper summarises the latest revision of the SRA, with input regarding the state of the art and vision for the future contributed by EURADOS Working Groups and through a stakeholder workshop. Five visions define key issues in dosimetry research that are considered important over at least the next decade. They include scientific objectives and developments in (i) updated fundamental dose concepts and quantities, (ii) improved radiation risk estimates deduced from epidemiological cohorts, (iii) efficient dose assessment for radiological emergencies, (iv) integrated personalised dosimetry in medical applications and (v) improved radiation protection of workers and the public. This SRA will be used as a guideline for future activities of EURADOS Working Groups but can also be used as guidance for research in radiation dosimetry by the wider community. It will also be used as input for a general European research roadmap for radiation protection, following similar previous contributions to the European Joint Programme for the Integration of Radiation Protection Research, under the Horizon 2020 programme (CONCERT). The full version of the SRA is available as a EURADOS report (www.eurados.org). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we discuss regional income growth and inequality based on a new set of long-run data. The data cover 173 European regions in 16 countries, from 1900 to 2015. These data allow us to compare regions over time, among each other, and to other parts of the world. After some brief notes on methodology, we describe the basic patterns in the data in terms of some key dimensions: variation in the density of population and economic activity, structural change with a declining role of agriculture, the rise and fall of industry, and the long rise of services. We show how 'fundamentals' of institutions and geography affected income levels over the twentieth century, and describe how regional growth after 1945 turned from convergence and adjustment to shocks to divergence. In the long run we observe a U-shaped pattern of regional convergence followed by divergence, not unlike recent observations on personal income and wealth distributions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article charts the changing context of regional economic development and the advancement of both policy thinking and analysis on this issue. The shift away from 'traditional' regional policies, designed to bring about regional convergence, towards new approaches, designed to exploit the economic development potential of regions, is the focus of the article. Specific attention is paid to the emergence of regional development strategies in the process, where 'regions' may be defined functionally rather than administratively. We outline the elements of such strategies—including redefining objectives, new types of interventions, involvement of new actors, and the broadening and integration of regional interventions—which distinguish them from traditional policy and which will determine the degree of success achieved. In conclusion, the paper raises two points of interest, namely the need for more inclusive regional development processes and better implementation of these demanding strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: While risk of outdoor transmission of respiratory viral infections is hypothesized to be low, there are limited data on SARS-CoV-2 transmission in outdoor compared to indoor settings.Methods: We conducted a systematic review of peer-reviewed papers indexed in PubMed, EMBASE, and Web of Science and preprints in Europe PMC through 12 August 2020 that described cases of human transmission of SARS-CoV-2. Reports of other respiratory virus transmission were included for reference.Results: Five identified studies found a low proportion of reported global SARS-CoV-2 infections occurred outdoors (<10%) and the odds of indoor transmission was very high compared to outdoors (18.7 times; 95% confidence interval, 6.0-57.9). Five studies described influenza transmission outdoors and 2 adenovirus transmission outdoors. There was high heterogeneity in study quality and individual definitions of outdoor settings, which limited our ability to draw conclusions about outdoor transmission risks. In general, factors such as duration and frequency of personal contact, lack of personal protective equipment, and occasional indoor gathering during a largely outdoor experience were associated with outdoor reports of infection.Conclusions: Existing evidence supports the wide-held belief that risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission is lower outdoors but there are significant gaps in our understanding of specific pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The numbers of migrants living in Europe are growing rapidly, and has become essential to assess their access to primary health care (PHC). Avoidable Hospitalization (AH) rates can reflect differences across migrant and ethnic minority groups in the performance of PHC. We aimed to conduct a systematic review of all published studies on AH comparing separately migrants with natives or different racial/ethnic groups, in Europe and elsewhere. Methods: We ran a systematic search for original articles indexed in primary electronic databases on AH among migrants or ethnic minorities. Studies presenting AH rates and/or rate ratios between at least two different ethnic minority groups or between migrants and natives were included. Results: Of the 35 papers considered in the review, 28 (80%) were conducted in the United States, 4 in New Zealand, 2 in Australia, 1 in Singapore, and none in Europe. Most of the studies (91%) used a cross-sectional design. The exposure variable was defined in almost all articles by ethnicity, race, or a combination of the two; country of birth was only used in one Australian study. Most of the studies found significant differences in overall AH rates, with minorities (mainly Black and Hispanics) showing higher rates than non-Hispanic Whites. Conclusions: AH has been used, mostly in the US, to compare different racial/ethnic groups, while it has never been used in Europe to assess migrants' access to PHC. Studies comparing AH rates between migrants and natives in European settings can be helpful in filling this lack of evidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: For better supporting the science-governance interface, the potential of health assessments appears underrated. Aims: To identify what various types of health assessment have in common; how they differ; which assessment(s) to apply for which purpose; and what needs and options there are for future joint development. Methods: This review is based on five types of health assessment: monitoring/surveillance/reporting, assessment of health impact, of health technology, of health systems performance, health-related economic assessment. The approach is exploratory and includes: applying an agreed set of comparative criteria; circulating and supplementing synoptic tables; and interpreting the results. Results: Two of the assessments deal with the question 'Where do we stand?', two others with variants of 'What if' questions. Economic Assessment can take place in combination with any of the others. The assessments involve both overall 'procedures' and a variety of 'methods' which inescapably reflect some subjective assumptions and decisions, e.g. on issue framing. Resources and assistance exist for all these assessments. The paper indicates which type of assessment is appropriate for what purpose. Conclusions: Although scientific soundness of health assessments is not trivial to secure, existing types of health assessment can be interpreted as a useful 'toolkit' for supporting governance. If current traces of 'silo' thinking can be overcome, the attainability of a more unified culture of health assessments increases and such assessments might more widely be recognized as a prime, 'tried and tested' way to voice Public Health knowledge and to support rational governance and policy-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper shows that there are strong reputational effects in a general class of second price auctions. If reputation is one-sided and bidders are patient, then the bidder without reputation does not challenge the other bidder often. Consequently, the bidder with reputation obtains most of the surplus, the other bidder and the seller get very little. If reputation is two-sided, then the bidders engage in a game akin to War of Attrition. The resulting payoff is very low for the bidders and very high for the seller. In any case, the Folk Theorem fails: collusion in the second price auctions is impossible. The predictions of the model are that prices in early auctions should reach levels that are higher than the value of the object, then declining towards the reserve price; a set of strong bidders emerges. A recent series of auctions of spectrum for UMTS services in Europe seems to be consistent with the predictions of the model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the tight coupling between European climate science and policy. Drawing upon the analytical idiom of co-production it examines how knowledge-making practices are incorporated into European climate policy-making, and more importantly, how EU climate policy has influenced the funding, making and interpretation of useful European climate policy research. The paper identifies a tension between the critical/reflexive ambition built into the co-production idiom, and the more utilitarian interpretation of the term. Whereas the former sets out to expose and interrogate the ontological assumptions underpinning public policy, the latter seeks to be useful by responding to the knowledge needs of societal decision-makers. This tension is analysed through a case study of the integrated research project ADAM (Adaptation and Mitigation Strategies: Supporting European Climate Policy) funded under the 6th Framework Programme of the EU. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Insurance for long-term care (LTC) has developed only moderately compared to other areas of welfare, which has been explained variously as the result of market failures, public misconceptions of the risk of LTC needs, and intergenerational contracts. This paper offers a cultural explanation for the limited LTC insurance development in Europe. It argues that family ties, by enhancing informal care-giving duties, inhibit individuals' expected (public and private) insurance coverage. The empirical analysis of the paper exploits cross-country and sub-group variability of a representative database of European Union member states, containing records on LTC coverage and family structure. Drawing upon two measures of familistic culture or family ties, we find a negative association between family ties and expected coverage of LTC for different sub-samples. These results are robust to a set of checks for different definitions of family ties and controls, and for a sub-sample of first- and second-generation migrants. Policy implications suggest that widespread expansion of LTC coverage might need to accommodate existing familistic cultural norms to avoid insurance crowding out. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By distinguishing between discretionary and non-discretionary fiscal policy, this paper analyses the stability of fiscal rules for EMU countries before and after the Maastricht Treaty. Using both Instrumental Variables and GMM techniques, it turns out that discretionary fiscal policy has remained procyclical after 1992. This result contradicts the previous findings of Galí and Perotti. It also appears that fiscal rules differ between large and small countries; large countries follow a procyclical discretionary policy. Furthermore, the paper shows that discretionary fiscal policy exhibits different behaviour when facing supply or demand constraints. A procyclical discretionary policy is followed mainly during upswings, when supply constraints are prevalent. Finally, there is no support for the presence of a ‘fatigue effect’ in fiscal discipline. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Regularized intergovernmentalism refers to a distinct kind of foreign policy practice that connects and intertwines foreign policy processes in particular ways. This paper puts forth a concept to properly capture and expose such distinctive foreign policy realities characterizing certain periods and places. With this concept, the article systematically scrutinizes the intergovernmental fabric of bilateral Franco–German relations from 1963 to 2009. The characteristic features of Franco–German regularized intergovernmentalism represent a crucial foreign policy connection, foundational for European affairs of the past half century and a defining feature of Europe’s post-war order and regional governance. Exploring key aspects of what it is that links France and Germany in particular ways, this paper offers a historically deeply grounded constitutive analysis. Based on its constitutive inquiries, the papers points at new possibilities of causal theorizing and explores some of regularized intergovernmentalism’s hypothesized effects and limitations. Franco–German intergovernmental affairs may be the most developed instance of this practice. But regularized bilateral intergovernmentalism is not a Franco–German idiosyncrasy. Rather, it is an important and apparently growing approach to structuring foreign policy conduct, and seems an increasingly prominent aspect of how the world is organized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper addresses the issue of characterization and classification of universities in the European system, by using the recently developed Aquameth dataset. Preliminary cluster analysis based on structural variables identifies systematic differences in size. However, this structural distinction is associated with differences in strategic orientation of universities (towards research or towards teaching, respectively) only in a few countries. In most European countries there are no discernible differences across universities along these dimensions. The paper argues that countries in which universities are more differentiated according to research or teaching dimensions have implemented differentiation policies through a variety of policy instruments. In turn, these countries also are ranked high in international rankings of universities. This suggests a structural linkage between the poor performance of European universities in research-based rankings and the lack of differentiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper builds on the recommendation in the Scientific and Technological Options Assessment report for the European Parliament to improve the European patent system to 'increase access to patented inventions'. The paper first provides some background information on the patent system and the limitations on access to protected technology from 'thickets' and the so-called 'tragedy of the anticommons'. It then discusses the use of (some) post-grant measures to increase access to patented inventions. Traditionally, patent law has not paid much attention to such measures. The paper argues that developments suggest that there is good reason to reconsider this reluctance and to include measures in the European patent legislation which seek to increase access to patented inventions. Finally, the paper discusses three such measures: compulsory licences, licences of rights, and behavioural rules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to analyse the consequences of some structural reforms on the institutional coherence of OECD countries. particularly in Continental Europe, and on their economic performance, particularly as regards employment. Because institutions in developed political economies are interrelated through a complex network of complementarities, institutional change has consequences beyond the area concerned in a reform. This also implies that there are complementarity effects in reforms themselves. A challenge of reform programmes is therefore to achieve a new type of complementarity between reformed institutions. The paper presents empirical evidence questioning the compatibility of the ongoing structural reforms in product and labour markets with the existing institutional structures in some OECD countries. The coherence of the flexicurity strategy, i.e. a combination of labour-market flexibility and a generous welfare state, is also questiones, from the point of view of both economic efficiency and political economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper argues that the re-emergence of a universal service debate is a political reaction to the deregulation process and an attempt to force the role of the state and public services higher on the agenda at EU level. To this end, the concepts of ‘service public’ and ‘public services’ are explored in light of telecommunication deregulation and public service provision as expressed by the universal service obligation (USO) in France, Great Britain, Belgium and Norway. Attention is paid to the importance of securing general access to telecommunications. Findings suggest the legitimating effect of USO is greater than its practical effects, and that market, competition, and technology have largely addressed problems with universal access, equality, continuity and affordability, rather than regulations. Further, future regulations of universal service provision and ‘service public’ requirements will need to address concerns over citizens’ dislike of some effects of regional and national deregulation and liberalisation policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper develops a multi-country post-Kaleckian model that incorporates the role of the government. One key novelty of the model is that it integrates cross-country effects of changes in both income distribution and fiscal policy. The model is used to estimate econometrically the effects of income distribution and fiscal policy on the components of aggregate demand and the budget balance in EU15 countries. The results show that a simultaneous increase in the wage share in all EU15 countries would increase demand and the primary budget balance in all countries. A simultaneous increase in government spending turns out to boost economic activity in all the EU15 countries, indicating the positive economic effects of expansionary fiscal policy. Moreover, a progressive tax policy that would be implemented simultaneously at the EU level would lead to an increase in output in all countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Natural disasters are increasing in their frequency and complexity. Understanding how their cascading effects can lead to infectious disease outbreaks is important for developing cross-sectoral preparedness strategies. The review focussed on earthquakes and floods because of their importance in Europe and their potential to elucidate the pathways through which natural disasters can lead to infectious disease outbreaks. Methods A systematic literature review complemented by a call for evidence was conducted to identify earthquake or flooding events in Europe associated with potential infectious disease events. Results This review included 17 peer-reviewed papers that reported on suspected and confirmed infectious disease outbreaks following earthquakes (4 reports) or flooding (13 reports) in Europe. The majority of reports related to food- and water-borne disease. Eleven studies described the cascading effect of post-disaster outbreaks. The most reported driver of disease outbreaks was heavy rainfall, which led to cross-connections between water and other environmental systems, leading to the contamination of rivers, lakes, springs and water supplies. Exposure to contaminated surface water or floodwater following flooding, exposure to animal excreta and post-disaster living conditions were among other reported drivers of outbreaks. Conclusions The cascade effects of natural disasters, such as earthquakes and floods, include outbreaks of infectious disease. The projection that climate change-related extreme weather events will increase in Europe in the coming century highlights the importance of strengthening preparedness planning and measures to mitigate and control outbreaks in post-disaster settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on a study undertaken to determine what progress has been made in the uptake and impact of the CompHP Core Competencies on Health Promotion practice, education and training in Europe since their publication in 2011. The study used a purposive sample comprising health promoters who had contributed to the development of the CompHP Competencies was augmented by snowball sampling across European Health Promotion practitioners. An online survey tool was employed to elicit information on respondents' attitudes to the Competencies, levels of current and intended use, and opinions on their impact. A total of 81 responses were received from 25 European countries. Findings on factors considered likely to influence the use of the Competencies were generally positive, as were respondents' attitudes to them. However, only 53% of respondents reported that the CompHP Competencies were used in their country and 54% that they used them in their practice. The Competencies were most frequently used in Health Promotion education, where their impact was also most apparent. A lack of support and recognition of the Competencies by key organizations and stakeholders at country level emerges as a potentially critical factor influencing their uptake and use. The survey findings provide an insight into the uptake and impact of the CompHP Core Competencies to date and begin to address the gap in empirical evidence on the use and impact of Health Promotion competencies. However, further research is required to explore the factors influencing implementation of the CompHP Core Competencies at a country level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Some of the richest places in the world have very high historical border presence, and are often located in particular geographic environments. In this paper we compile grid-cell level data on borders between sovereign states in Europe and surrounding areas from 1500 until today to document that state borders tend to be located in rugged and mountainous terrain, by rivers, and where it rains a lot. Moreover, two commonly used measures of economic activity—night lights and population density—are higher in cells with more borders, in particular more stable borders. This result holds also when controlling for geography. However, by the same metric, cells with more borders than neighboring cells are less developed than those neighbors. These patterns are consistent with a theory in which state competition benefits long-run development, but these benefits accrue more to the center than the periphery of states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our understanding of contemporary international relations rests on flawed images of the past. One of the most problematic dimensions of this history is the idea that the core institutions and practices of modern territorial sovereignty originated in Europe before being gradually extended to other parts of the globe. A key dimension of this Euro-centric historiography is the story that the territorial sovereignty norm was invented in Europe in the seventeenth century, before Europeans honed it into a standard technique of state practice in the twentieth. This paper uses original archival research to critically interrogate the consensus position. The paper demonstrates that the dominant narrative significantly misconstrues the way rulers and governments sought to control migration across the longue durée. European rulers were more collectively seeking to transnationally promote migration at the same time as they individually acquired territorial sovereign control over it. Extra-European states were the first to deploy territorial immigration controls, and non-Europeans shaped the forms of mobility promotion Europeans would adopt. The paper uses these findings to make the case for a new chronology of European migration governance and for a critical institutionalist approach to the way we write the history of the global migration regime. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Background: Topical photodynamic therapy (PDT) using methyl aminolaevulinate is a noninvasive treatment option suitable to treat clinical and subclinical actinic keratosis (AK) over a large area (field cancerization). The most widely used, conventional protocol in Europe includes illumination with a red‐light lamp. This illumination commonly causes pain, and patients often cannot complete the treatment. Objectives: The aims of this paper are twofold. The first aim is to introduce a novel protocol, the Phosistos protocol (P‐PDT), which includes illumination with a fabric‐based biophotonic device. The second and major aim is to assess the noninferiority, in terms of efficacy for PDT of AK, of P‐PDT compared with the conventional protocol (C‐PDT). Methods: A randomized, controlled, multicentre, intraindividual clinical study was conducted. Forty‐six patients with grade I–II AK of the forehead and scalp were treated with P‐PDT on one area (280 AK lesions) and with C‐PDT on the contralateral area (280 AK lesions). The primary end point was the lesion complete response (CR) rate at 3 months, with an absolute noninferiority margin of −10%. Secondary end points included pain scores, incidence of adverse effects and cosmetic outcome. Results: Three months following treatment, the lesion CR rate of P‐PDT was noninferior to that of C‐PDT (79·3% vs. 80·7%, respectively; absolute difference −1·6%; one‐sided 95% confidence interval −4·5% to infinity). The noninferiority of P‐PDT to C‐PDT in terms of the lesion CR rate remained at the 6‐month follow‐up (94·2% vs. 94·9%, respectively; absolute difference −0·6%; one‐sided 95% confidence interval −2·7% to infinity). Moreover, the pain score at the end of illumination was significantly lower for P‐PDT than for C‐PDT (mean ± SD 0·3 ± 0·6 vs. 7·4 ± 2·3; P < 0·001). Conclusions: P‐PDT is noninferior to C‐PDT in terms of efficacy for treating AK of the forehead and scalp and resulted in much lower pain scores and fewer adverse effects. What's already known about this topic? Topical photodynamic therapy using methyl aminolaevulinate is effective for treating actinic keratosis.In Europe, the conventional protocol involves illumination with a red‐light lamp. Unfortunately, pain is often experienced by patients undergoing this protocol.An alternative protocol that uses daylight illumination has recently been shown to be as effective as the conventional protocol while being nearly painless. However, this alternative protocol can be conducted only in suitable weather conditions. What does this study add? The Phosistos protocol is demonstrated to be as effective as the conventional protocol, nearly as painless as the daylight protocols and suitable year round for treatment of actinic keratosis. Plain language summary available online Linked Comment: Gilaberte. Br J Dermatol 2020; 182:11–12. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we argue that the relationship between shareholder conflicts and corporate assets can generate multiple equilibrium configurations that can be helpful to understand how corporate governance systems may change under different historical models of capitalism. These relationships can be modeled as 'meta-complementarities' existing among two different sets of institutional complementarity. The first institutional complementarity arises in realm of the conflicts among different stakeholders and generates multiple equilibria that define different systems of rights on corporate assets. The second institutional complementarity arises between corporate rights and assets. Dispersed shareholders and non-unionized workers are complementary organizational forms and generate a form of corporate governance interacting with complementary corporate assets. A similar set of institutional meta-complementarities characterizes the relation between concentrated ownership, unionized workers and corporate assets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the principles of benchmarking in healthcare and how benchmarking can contribute to practice improvement and improved health outcomes for patients. It uses the Deepening our Understanding of Quality in Australia (DUQuA) study published in this Supplement and DUQuA's predecessor in Europe, the Deepening our Understanding of Quality improvement in Europe (DUQuE) study, as models. Benchmarking is where the performances of institutions or individuals are compared using agreed indicators or standards. The rationale for benchmarking is that institutions will respond positively to being identified as a low outlier or desire to be or stay as a high performer, or both, and patients will be empowered to make choices to seek care at institutions that are high performers. Benchmarking often begins with a conceptual framework that is based on a logic model. Such a framework can drive the selection of indicators to measure performance, rather than their selection being based on what is easy to measure. A Donabedian range of indicators can be chosen, including structure, process and outcomes, created around multiple domains or specialties. Indicators based on continuous variables allow organizations to understand where their performance is within a population, and their interdependencies and associations can be understood. Benchmarking should optimally target providers, in order to drive them towards improvement. The DUQuA and DUQuE studies both incorporated some of these principles into their design, thereby creating a model of how to incorporate robust benchmarking into large-scale health services research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relationship between Turkey and the EU entered a new phrase on October 3, 2005 with the opening of Turkey’s accession negotiations. This paper proposes that the specific juncture that European integration finds itself in and the perceptions of Turkey’s fit into Europe are the main variables around which member states’ preferences and the European public’s position on the Turkish accession are shaped. This is different from arguing that Turkey’s adoption of the EU acquis would determine its accession. Turkey’s adoption of the EU acquis/criteria is necessary but not sufficient on its own, as other factors will shape Turkey’s accession. These factors are the convergence of member states’ interests, the public approval and the EU’s internal dynamics. This paper concludes by arguing that the interplay of the utilitarian concerns, the ideational factors and the EU’s internal dynamics is the key to understand the conditions under which Turkey’s accession talks will proceed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the long history of monopolies, business method patents are a novel and recent edition. In the Digital Age, where time is money and speed is everything, innovative methods for undertaking business are as important to a business as the products or services it provides to its clients. In recent years several reviews, conducted in both Australia and internationally,4 have questioned the appropriateness of patenting business methods. This paper reviews the availability of business method patents in Australia in light of the 2006 decision of the Full Court of the Federal Court in Grant v Commissioner of Patents,5 which confirmed the need in Australia for a `useful product' to issue from the working of a method (business or otherwise) in order for the method to be patentable. This paper will review arguments both criticising and defending business method patents and consider whether business methods warrant special treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inspired by the growing cries from young climate crisis activists, and noting that net-zero emission legislation is growing in frequency across Europe and globally, this paper briefly discuses some ways in which marine science might respond. Marine science can provide governments support and advice for emission-reducing policies and actions, as well as tackling our own emissions. Supporting government actions will require new and innovative science. While implementing this science, as a community, we can lead by example in bringing about change in the way professionals do business and hence reducing business's overall carbon footprint. After all, if environmental science cannot change, why should the rest of society? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]