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Objective To examine the influence of varying articulations of the right to health under domestic constitutions, legislation and jurisprudence on the scope of legal protection for health. Methods We investigated legal recognition of the right to health, by conducting a three-level search. First, we searched databases containing constitutional texts. Second, we did a thematic analysis of those constitutional texts with explicit constitutional recognition of health rights, employing NVivo for coding. For the 54 World Health Organization (WHO) Member States without explicit constitutional provisions, we explored statutory paths, judicial constructions and instances where both methods contributed to the acknowledgement of health rights. Lastly, we confirmed evidence of jurisprudence constructing a right to health based on a combination of domestic law and international human rights norms incorporated directly into the text. Findings We identified 140 WHO Member States with a constitutionalized right to health. Our analysis suggests there are notable variations in the legal scope of protection for health, including breadth of entitlements and the possibility of enforcing these rights through the legal system. We also highlight the critical importance of constitutional acknowledgement, legislative measures, and judicial interpretations in shaping the legal entitlements to health-care services, affecting their accessibility and financial support. Conclusion The analysis offers insights for policy-makers to assess different approaches to health-related entitlements, with implications for health financing and the evaluation of Member States' strides towards universal access to comprehensive care. This analysis also illuminates how distinct formulations of the right to health have varied effects on reducing health disparities. [phrase omitted] Objectif Etudier l'impact de diverses formulations du droit a la sante selon les constitutions, la legislation et la jurisprudence nationales sur le champ d'application de la protection juridique en matiere de sante. Methodes Nous avons examine la reconnaissance juridique du droit a la sante en effectuant une recherche a trois niveaux. Tout d'abord, nous avons explore des bases de donnees contenant des textes constitutionnels. Ensuite, nous avons procede a une analyse thematique de ces textes constitutionnels reconnaissant explicitement les droits a la sante, en utilisant NVivo pour le codage. Pour les 54 Etats Membres de l'Organisation mondiale de la Sante (OMS) depourvus de dispositions constitutionnelles, nous avons passe en revue les parcours legaux, instances et interpretations judiciaires oU les deux methodes ont contribue a la reconnaissance de droits a la sante. Enfin, nous avons corrobore les preuves de jurisprudence formulant un droit a la sante fonde sur la combinaison, directement integree dans le texte, d'une legislation nationale et de normes internationales en matiere de droits humains. Resultats Nous avons identifie 140 Etats Membres de l'OMS ayant constitutionnalise le droit a la sante. Notre analyse suggere qu'il existe des variations considerables dans le champ d'application de la protection juridique en matiere de sante, notamment dans la portee de ces droits et la possibilite de les faire respecter par la voie legale. Nous soulignons en outre l'importance cruciale de la reconnaissance constitutionnelle, des mesures legislatives et des interpretations judiciaires dans la formulation des droits juridiques aux services de soins de sante, du fait de son impact sur leur accessibilite et sur le soutien financier. Conclusion La presente analyse fournit des informations aux responsables politiques afin qu'ils puissent examiner plusieurs approches relatives aux droits de la sante, avec des implications en termes de financement de la sante et l'evaluation des progres realises par les Etats Membres dans le cadre de l'acces universel a des soins complets. Elle met egalement en lumiere la diversite des effets qu'exercent les differentes formulations du droit a la sante sur la reduction des inegalites en la matiere. [phrase omitted] Objetivo Examinar la influencia de las diferentes articulaciones del derecho sobre la salud en las constituciones, la legislacion y la jurisprudencia nacionales sobre el alcance de la proteccion juridica de la salud. Metodos Se investigo el reconocimiento juridico del derecho sobre la salud mediante una busqueda en tres niveles. En primer lugar, se buscaron bases de datos que incluyeran textos constitucionales. En segundo lugar, se realizo un analisis tematico de los textos constitucionales con reconocimiento constitucional explicito de los derechos sobre la salud, utilizando NVivo para la codificacion. En el caso de los 54 Estados Miembros de la Organizacion Mundial de la Salud (OMS) sin disposiciones constitucionales explicitas, se exploraron las vias estatutarias, las construcciones judiciales y los casos en que ambos metodos contribuyeron al reconocimiento de los derechos sobre la salud. Por ultimo, se confirmaron los casos en los que la jurisprudencia habia establecido un derecho sobre la salud basado en una combinacion de legislacion nacional y normas internacionales de derechos humanos incorporadas directamente al texto Resultados Se identificaron 140 Estados Miembros de la OMS con un derecho sobre la salud constitucionalizado. El analisis sugiere que existen notables variaciones en el alcance juridico de la proteccion de la salud, incluida la extension de los derechos y la posibilidad de hacerlos valer a traves del sistema juridico. Tambien se destaca la importancia decisiva del reconocimiento constitucional, las medidas legislativas y las interpretaciones judiciales en la configuracion de los derechos legales a los servicios de atencion sanitaria, que afectan a su accesibilidad y apoyo financiero. Conclusion El analisis ofrece informacion para que los responsables de formular las politicas evaluen los diferentes enfoques de los derechos relacionados con la salud, con implicaciones para la financiacion sanitaria y la evaluacion de los avances de los Estados Miembros hacia el acceso universal a una atencion integral. Este analisis tambien aclara como las diversas formulaciones del derecho sobre la salud tienen efectos variados en la reduccion de las disparidades sanitarias., Introduction In 1946, the newly drafted Constitution of the World Health Organization (WHO) recognized the fundamental right to enjoy the highest attainable standard of health without distinction of race, religion, [...]

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The capital market is one of the most influential institutions in the country when it comes to the economic improvement of society, and the optimal investment in this market has always been the main concern of investors and researchers in this field. Nowadays, a lot of research has been done to form an investment portfolio and various models have been introduced to optimize the investment portfolio. This study aims to investigate the performance of different investment portfolio optimization models under different scenarios in the insurance industry and pension funds as one of the main pillars of the capital market. METHODS: This study investigates the performance of different investment portfolio optimization models using variance, semivariance, standard deviation, semistandard deviation, conditional value at risk and conditional drawdown at risk under different scenarios. The optimized investment portfolio using the beta return-based meanvariance model and the CAPM model is also presented as an alternative consideration for investors with higher accuracy and as a basis for decision making. The data used for this research were collected from April to March 1401 on a daily basis from Tehran Stock Exchange. FINDINGS: Monthly stock returns indicate that the respective stocks were not stable and did not show a steady trend during the analyzed period. By forming an investment portfolio consisting of shares of insurance companies and pension funds, the return and risk of each investment model were determined, providing investors with comprehensive information. Depending on their risk appetite or risk aversion, investors can choose different investment strategies to maximize the benefits of their investment. CONCLUSION: This research shows that the portfolio formed with the Conditional Drawdown at Risk measure has a return of 22%, the highest return among the analyzed models in the insurance industry in the Tehran Stock Exchange market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Blastomycosis is a rare but potentially fatal fungal disease caused by Blastomyces spp., a group of thermally dimorphic environmental mycoses found in moist soil and decaying organic matter. Human illness [...]

The impact of climate risk on the insurance industry has attracted the attention of the industry and regulators. Based on data of the insurance industry in 31 provinces in China from 2005 to 2021, we use the fixed effects model to investigate the impact of climate risk on the asset side and liability side of China’s insurance industry. We find the following: First, the rise of climate risk is accompanied by the increase in the auto insurance premium share and the general life insurance premium share on the liability side, and the increase in the current assets ratio, the long-term investments ratio, and the fixed assets ratio on the asset side. Second, premium income and investment returns are two channels for the above impacts. Third, the impacts are greater in regions with catastrophe insurance pilot, lower public climate change concerns, and lower insurance payout ratios. Therefore, China’s insurance industry should optimize climate risk management on the asset and liability sides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on actuarial risk management practices (ARMP) and insurance firm performance has revealed inconsistent results. Therefore, a mediating factor such as innovation is needed to bridge between them. Studies exploring the relationship between ARMP and innovation have been largely qualitative. This study offered a quantitative model focusing on the mediating role of e-service innovation between ARMP and firm performance. The hypothesized relationships were tested using a structural equation model (SEM), with a sample from 98 Indonesian insurance companies and WarpPLS 7.0 as the analytical tool. The results indicated that ARMP significantly influenced e-service innovation but was insignificant for firm performance. Furthermore, the findings highlighted the significant role of e-service innovation in insurance firm performance, which implied that e-service innovation acts as a mediator in the relationship between ARMP and firm performance. The practical application of the research findings makes them directly relevant and beneficial to the insurance industry, especially in Indonesia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of entrepreneurial businesses is one of the primary foundations for creating growth focused on people within society. Considering that the business environment conditions of each country are one of the main factors influencing investors' decision-making, economists and policymakers have significantly increased their attention to improving the business and investment environment in recent years. Accordingly, this study aims to identify and prioritize the economic factors affecting the development of entrepreneurial businesses. This research is quantitative in nature and classified as applied research based on its objectives, and as survey research based on data collection methods. After extracting dimensions and components from theoretical foundations, the Delphi method was employed to achieve theoretical consensus by providing the factors to experts for refinement. Subsequently, structural equation modeling was used for validation. The study population consists of the insurance industry, and thus a panel of 15 experts from this industry, who met the expertise criteria, was purposefully sampled. For model testing, the statistical population included 1,220 middle managers in this industry. Cochran's formula was used to calculate the sample size, resulting in 292 individuals being randomly selected as the sample. Data were collected through field methods, with a questionnaire as the data collection tool. The validity of the research questionnaire was confirmed by the opinions of professors and experts, and its reliability was also confirmed through Cronbach's alpha (0.89). The results showed that the final research model has three dimensions and nine components: In the governance dimension: financing, intellectual property rights, and the development of technological entrepreneurial activities. In the contractual dimension: domestic and foreign investment, transfer of technical knowledge, new approaches to international business, and the establishment of innovation acceleration centers. In the participatory dimension: creation of financial NGOs supporting startups, free and public skill training, and adherence to ethical economics. The results also indicated that among the contractual components, the component "establishment of innovation acceleration centers" has the highest correlation with the dimension. Therefore, to develop entrepreneurial businesses, supporting the entry of the private sector into holding entrepreneurial events and establishing innovation accelerators should be prioritized by the relevant authorities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: One of the important issues that has attracted the attention of economists over the past decades is the role of financial systems in the economic growth of countries. Insurance industry is one significant component of financial markets. Therefore, the stability and efficiency of insurance industry as a financial market sector is important for a country’s economy. One of the most crucial changes in Iran’s insurance industry is the regulations having been made in recent years. One main goal of regulation is to eliminate problems of market failure and improve efficiency. This research investigates the effect of these regulations on the efficiency of insurance companies in Iran. METHODS: The studied community is 27 insurance companies in the country and the relevant statistics were collected for the years 1385-1400 Persian Year (2005- 2020). This study was conducted in two stages. In the first stage, the efficiency of insurance companies has been measured, using the method of data envelopment analysis (DEA) with the bootstrap approach. The implicit assumption of the traditional data envelopment analysis method is that the inputs and outputs are definite. But the output of an insurer is not necessarily certain. To solve this problem, we can use the bootstrap approach to obtain statistical characteristics for this technique. In the second stage, in order to investigate the effect of regulation on efficiency, according to the reviewed studies, the purpose of the present study, and the conditions of Iran’s insurance industry, the effective factors on efficiency are determined and the regression model is defined. Then, the dynamic regression model was estimated using the generalized method of moments (GMM) and the related tests confirmed the validity of the results of the model. To calculate the efficiency and estimation of the model, MATLAB and Eviews software were used. FINDINGS: The most important finding of the research is the significant effect of regulation on efficiency. Also the coefficient of regulation, market share, and privateness of insurance companies are estimated as -0.066, 0.041 and 0.306 respectively. CONCLUSION: The results of the research show that regulation had a negative effect on the efficiency of insurers and led to a decrease in their efficiency, but the market share and the privateness of insurance companies had a positive effect on the efficiency. In the end, suggestions for improving the efficiency of insurers have been presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective Digital transformation can impact companies, business models, communications, and products, enhancing company performance and driving growth. The primary objective of this research is to develop a conceptual model for digital insurance. Methodology This research is exploratory and descriptive, conducted using a qualitative approach grounded in theory. The data collection method involved semi-structured interviews with 11 insurance industry experts, selected through purposive sampling. Coding was performed according to Strauss and Corbin's framework, including open, axial, and selective coding. Findings The codes and components of digital insurance--comprising 355 open codes, 16 sub- categories, and 6 main categories--were extracted from the interviews and organized into a conceptual data model. The central categories include digital insurance itself, causal conditions (such as generational change, the internationalization of the insurance industry, and the diversity of insurance services), context conditions (including technological, organizational, and cultural contexts), and intervening conditions (like legal requirements and industry characteristics). Additionally, strategies incorporating a strategic, systematic, and transformative approach, along with the development of digital culture and thinking, were employed. Ultimately, the digital insurance model will influence proposed business model values, intra-organizational benefits, and environmental considerations. Conclusion Digital transformation is defined as the transformation of a company to offer new or developed products to customers. One of the empowering factors in presenting new proposals is the use of information technology. The insurance industry is one of the most important service industries in Iran, which, in recent years, has provided many of its services online. Also, due to the presence of startups in the field of insurance services, we are witnessing the emergence of digital insurance features in this industry as a value proposition. In other words, if the digitization of organizations does not lead to value propositions and internal benefits, we have simply achieved a change in hardware and software, and there has been no digital transformation. In the digital transformation model, an important point that is sometimes overlooked is the transformational frequencies that will be emitted from the environment around the industry. In digital transformation, necessary actions, planning, and predictions must be made to address these reflections. According to the results, it is suggested to pay attention to new hardware technologies to help the development and digital transformation in the insurance industry, especially in sectors that create serious barriers to the issue of risk authenticity. Additionally, the development of digital culture in society, related organizations, and legal and regulatory institutions is necessary to support digital development and transformation in the insurance industry, and protection laws and amendments to laws and regulations that hinder digital transformation should be on the agenda. Finally, it should be noted that today the development and influence of the Internet in all societies have reached a very high level, and we are witnessing the same situation in Iran. Digital transformation can affect companies, business models, communications, and products, and improve corporate performance and growth. The process of digitalization is closely related to the use of information and communication technology in the insurance sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We introduce a new dynamic clustering method for multivariate panel data characterized by time-variation in cluster locations and shapes, cluster compositions, and possibly the number of clusters. To avoid overly frequent cluster switching (flickering), we extend standard cross-sectional clustering techniques with a penalty that shrinks observations toward the current center of their previous cluster assignment. This links consecutive cross-sections in the panel together, substantially reduces flickering, and enhances the economic interpretability of the outcome. We choose the shrinkage parameter in a data-driven way and study its misclassification properties theoretically as well as in several challenging simulation settings. The method is illustrated using a multivariate panel of four accounting ratios for 28 large European insurance firms between 2010 and 2020. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]