9 results
Search Results
2. Not Only a Battleground: Parliamentary Oral Questions Concerning Defence Policies in Four Western Democracies.
- Author
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Rozenberg, Olivier, Chopin, Olivier, Hoeffler, Catherine, Irondelle, Bastien, and Joana, Jean
- Subjects
INTERPELLATION (Parliamentary practice) ,DEMOCRACY ,LEGISLATIVE bodies ,MILITARY policy ,LEGISLATIVE oversight - Abstract
Oral questions are usually seen as a procedure designed for political conflict. Yet question time may serve other purposes depending on the institutional setting, the political context and the policy field. By comparing the use of oral questions on the defence issue in the national parliaments of four Western democracies, the paper identifies a specific characteristic of questioning in each lower house: political conflict in Germany, internal dissent in the United Kingdom, reward of policy expertise in Spain and local issues in France. Such diverse uses of questioning procedures impact differently on the quality of the accountability process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2011
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
3. Assistive technology for persons with profound intellectual disability: a european survey on attitudes and beliefs.
- Author
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Nijs, Sara and Maes, Bea
- Subjects
PSYCHOLOGY of people with intellectual disabilities ,CAREGIVER attitudes ,STATISTICS ,NONPARAMETRIC statistics ,SOCIAL participation ,PROFESSIONS ,HEALTH services accessibility ,WORK ,MANN Whitney U Test ,COGNITION ,RELAXATION for health ,COMPARATIVE studies ,ASSISTIVE technology ,HEALTH attitudes ,EXPERIENTIAL learning ,PSYCHOLOGY of caregivers ,QUESTIONNAIRES ,RESEARCH funding ,COMMUNICATION devices for people with disabilities ,DESCRIPTIVE statistics ,PEOPLE with intellectual disabilities ,INTENTION ,DATA analysis software ,DATA analysis ,THEMATIC analysis ,GOAL (Psychology) - Abstract
Persons with profound intellectual disability (PID) are mostly not able to use assistive technology (AT) independently. Caregivers play an important mediating role in implementing AT in the daily life of persons with PID. Both first-order barriers, extrinsic to caregivers, and second-order barriers, intrinsic to caregivers, influence the attitudes and behaviors of caregivers with regard to AT-use. It could be asked if increased knowledge on and experience with AT may impact the effect of first- and second-order barriers. This study investigated how knowledge and experience influence the professional caregivers' beliefs about which factors may impact the AT use in persons with PID and their intentions to use AT for persons with PID. A questionnaire on the experienced limitations and successes in using AT was developed. The questionnaire was send to professionals working with or responsible for persons with PID in various countries in Europe. In total the answers of 195 respondents were included in this study. This study's results demonstrate that AT is used for various reasons in persons with PID, mostly to support communication and interaction or for fun or relaxation. Based on the answers of the respondents can be concluded that both experience and knowledge of caregivers seem to influence first- and second-order barriers. Besides, a possibility to overcome the second-order barriers is to provide professionals with possibilities to increase their knowledge and experience. AT for persons with PID is mostly used for communication and interaction or for fun and relaxation. Professional caregivers belief that AT-use may positively influence various aspects in the life of persons with PID, especially communication and interaction, active engagement and participation in activities, and self-esteem of the person. Caregivers need to have sufficient experience in order to rate the barriers of AT-use as less limited in the group of persons with PID. In order to overcome the barriers experienced in implementing AT in persons with PID, knowledge of caregivers is essential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2021
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
4. Alcohol screening and alcohol interventions among patients with hypertension in primary health care: an empirical survey of German general practitioners.
- Author
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Kraus, Ludwig, Schulte, Bernd, Manthey, Jakob, and Rehm, Jürgen
- Subjects
DIAGNOSIS of alcoholism ,HYPERTENSION risk factors ,HYPERTENSION ,THERAPEUTICS ,ALCOHOLISM ,ATTITUDE (Psychology) ,CHI-squared test ,CONFIDENCE intervals ,ALCOHOL drinking ,FAMILY medicine ,MEDICAL personnel ,MEDICAL screening ,MEDICAL practice ,PHYSICIAN-patient relations ,GENERAL practitioners ,POPULATION geography ,PRIMARY health care ,PROBABILITY theory ,PROFESSIONS ,QUESTIONNAIRES ,RESEARCH funding ,RISK assessment ,SURVEYS ,T-test (Statistics) ,CONTINUING medical education ,HEALTH insurance reimbursement ,DESCRIPTIVE statistics - Abstract
Background:Alcohol is one of the least intervened risk factors in the management of hypertension at the primary care level. In order to improve alcohol interventions, a better understanding of knowledge, attitudes and clinical practice of lifestyle interventions in the management of hypertension is needed. Method:As a part of a European study (France, Germany, Italy, Spain, UK), 211 German general practitioners (GPs) were recruited in Bavaria and Hamburg and surveyed via an Internet-based questionnaire. Results were compared with the European sample (n = 2870). Results:One-third of the patients seen by German GPs had hypertension (36.2%, standard deviation (SD): 14.6) and among cases with hypertension, less than half were ever screened for alcohol (4.5 out of 10 patients). The foremost reasons for not screening for alcohol were that alcohol was not considered a major risk factor for hypertension plus the lack of knowledge of appropriate alcohol screening instruments. The majority of German GPs managed patients with hazardous drinking levels themselves or in their practice (71.3%, 95% confidence interval (CI): 64.6–77.2%), but only 42.0% (95% CI: 35.2–49.0%) managed alcohol dependent patients. German screening rates were slightly lower but interventions of screened positive patients higher than the European average. Conclusions:Rates of alcohol screening in patients with hypertension in primary health care may be increased by improving GPs knowledge of alcohol as a major risk factor for hypertension, increasing GPs education on alcohol and screening instruments, and providing reimbursement. This may increase treatment of alcohol problems in patients with hypertension and reduce hypertension. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]
- Published
- 2017
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- View/download PDF
5. Improving the mix of institutional and community care for older people with dementia: an application of the balance of care approach in eight European countries.
- Author
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Tucker, S., Sutcliffe, C., Bowns, I., Challis, D., Saks, K., Verbeek, H., Cabrera, E., Karlsson, S., Leino-Kilpi, H., Meyer, G., and Soto, M.E.
- Subjects
COMMUNITY health services ,COMPARATIVE studies ,COST control ,DEMENTIA ,HEALTH care rationing ,LONG-term health care ,NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL tests ,CASE studies ,MEDICAL care ,MEDICAL care costs ,RESEARCH funding ,ACTIVITIES of daily living ,RESIDENTIAL care - Abstract
Objectives: To examine whether the mix of community and institutional long-term care (ILTC) for people with dementia (PwD) in Europe could be improved; assess the economic consequences of providing alternative services for particular groups of ILTC entrants and explore the transnational application of the ‘Balance of Care’ (BoC) approach. Method:A BoC study was undertaken in Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and the UK as part of theRightTimePlaceCareproject. Drawing on information about 2014 PwD on the margins of ILTC admission, this strategic planning framework identified people whose needs could be met in more than one setting, and compared the relative costs of the possible alternatives. Results:The findings suggest a noteworthy minority of ILTC entrants could be more appropriately supported in the community if enhanced services were available. This would not necessarily require innovative services, but more standard care (including personal and day care), assuming quality was ensured. Potential cost savings were identified in all countries, but community care was not always cheaper than ILTC and the ability to release resources varied between nations. Conclusions: This is believed to be the first transnational application of the BoC approach, and demonstrates its potential to provide a consistent approach to planning across different health and social care systems. Better comparative information is needed on the number of ILTC entrants with dementia, unit costs and outcomes. Nevertheless, the findings offer important evidence on the appropriateness of current provision, and the opportunity to learn from different countries' experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2016
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
6. Understanding co-operative innovative activity: evidence from four European countries.
- Author
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Abramovskya, Laura, Kremp, Elisabeth, López, Alberto, Schmidt, Tobias, and Simpson, Helen
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TECHNOLOGICAL innovations ,MANAGEMENT science ,JOINT ventures - Abstract
We investigate co-operative innovative activity in four major European countries, France, Germany, Spain and the UK, using internationally comparable firm-level data for manufacturing and service sectors. We examine the roles of knowledge flows, cost- and risk-sharing and public financial support in firms' decisions to collaborate. Our results suggest that firms which place greater value on external information flows are more likely to co-operate with the research base than with other firms and that firms facing appropriability problems are more likely to co-operate with the research base and with upstream and downstream firms than with direct competitors. We find evidence for Spain to suggest that firms collaborate to overcome risks and financial constraints. We also find that receipt of public support is positively related to undertaking collaborative innovation. In line with the focus of policy, this relationship is strongest for co-operation with the research base. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2009
- Full Text
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7. Business and government in electricity network integration in Western Europe, c.1900–1950.
- Author
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Millward, Robert
- Subjects
SYSTEM integration ,INTERNATIONAL economic integration ,ELECTRICITY ,BUSINESS enterprises - Abstract
A cross-country comparison is made of the moves to system integration, at the national level, of electricity supply in several Western European countries. Private electricity business firms were dominant in France, Italy and Spain and large generating enterprises and transporting groups grew through mergers and agreements. In Germany, Scandinavia and the UK, municipalities were more common and were resistant to mergers and network development. Several national networks had emerged by the 1940s but hardly any were nationally managed in the sense of ensuring electricity was everywhere supplied from the lowest cost source. The article considers the economic gains from integration and argues that it developed successfully where central governments became actively involved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2006
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
8. Implementing German HRM abroad: desired, feasible, successful?
- Author
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Dickmann, Michael
- Subjects
PERSONNEL management ,TALENT management ,INTERNATIONAL business enterprise management ,INDUSTRIAL management ,INDUSTRIAL relations ,WORKPLACE management - Abstract
One of the key questions in international research addresses the tensions arising from international co-ordination and local adaptation of multinational companies' (MNCs) policies and practices. The German business system encourages MNCs to have a long-term, high-investment orientation, to practise intensive management-labour cooperation and to pursue developmental human resource management (HRM). This study analyses six major German MNCs operating in both Britain and Spain and outlines their reasons for the international co-ordination of HRM. It addresses the issue of central control versus local adaptation by looking at the transfer of German HR policies and practices. The cases show that the MNC's were able to preserve substantial 'German-ness' abroad. However, the results of the transfer of German HRM were not always positive due to a variety of endogenous and exogenous causes. Barriers to transfer from institutionally strong to weak environments are discussed and possible internal HR approaches are suggested to counterbalance the national business system effect. Their success will depend on head office-foreign affiliate relations shaped by factors such as cross-border communication, trust and power distribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2003
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
9. Finding a Bowling Partner: The Role of Stakeholders in Activating Civil Society in Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom.
- Author
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Bovaird, Tony, Löffler, Elke, and Parrado-Díez, Salvador
- Subjects
CIVIL rights movements ,STAKEHOLDERS - Abstract
An 'activism index', combining data on membership of civil associations and societies and the level of activism suggests that, notwithstanding cultural differences, civil activism in European countries could be a great deal higher than its current level. If higher civic participation is to be achieved, each stakeholder group within local governance can play an 'activation' role in relation to citizens, both as individuals and in relation to the voluntary organizations which represent citizens in their collective activities. In practice, different stakeholder groups play this role in widely differing ways in the contexts of Germany, Spain and the UK. In the future, we can expect the lead role in activating civil society in each country to be taken by different stakeholders, depending on the trust currently placed in them by other stakeholders in the community and by the resources which they command. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2002
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
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