International audience ; The continuous growth of hospital costs has driven governments in many countries to seek ways to improve their efficiency. In Greece, this has consistently been a major issue for almost two decades, as efficiency assessment and monitoring systems are lacking. In response to this need, the evaluation of the National Health System hospitals' efficiency level is a precondition for planning, implementing and monitoring any promising reform. In this paper, a non-parametric modeling approach is employed to assess and analyze the efficiency of 87 Greek public hospitals over the period 2005–2009, using data envelopment analysis. The operational and economic aspects of the hospitals' operation are considered on the basis of their service/case mix and cost structure. We also investigate the efficiency trends over time with the Malmquist index and a second stage regression analysis is performed to explain the operational and economic efficiency results in terms of the hospitals' operating characteristics and the environment in which they operate.
In diesem Beitrag argumentiere ich, dass die Ermöglichung von Vereinbarkeit zwischen Erwerbsarbeit und Familienleben ein Erfordernis der Gerechtigkeit bildet. Eltern besitzen einen Anspruch auf Vereinbarkeit, der auf zwei Interessen gründet: Dem Interesse am Zugang zur Erwerbstätigkeit und dem Interesse an der Pflege der Eltern-Kind-Beziehung, durch die besondere Güter realisiert werden. Eine staatliche Politik der Vereinbarkeit lässt sich auch gegenüber denjenigen Gruppen rechtfertigen, die kein besonderes Interesse daran haben gegenüber Erwachsenen, die keine Kinder haben, und gegenüber Eltern, die ein 'Ernährermodell' mit einer klaren Aufgabenteilung zwischen den Partnern bevorzugen. Eine entsprechende Politik muss allerdings die Dimension des Geschlechts beachten, um nicht zu einer Verschärfung der geschlechtsspezifischen Arbeitsteilung zu führen. ; In this article I argue that a facilitation of the compatibility between employment and family life poses a demand of justice. Parents are entitled to compatibility, which is grounded in two interests: The interest of access to employment, and the interest to foster their parent-child relationship which leads to special goods. A governmental policy of compatibility can also be justified towards those groups, who have no special interest in it, namely grown-ups who have no children, or parents who prefer a family model with clearly separated work division. Respective policies however need to consider the aspect of gender, to avoid further strengthening the traditional gender specific work division.
AbstractImmigration is one of the most frequently covered issues in opinion surveys—but the volume and type of questions asked has actually obscured many of the key facts about our attitudes. This article summarises a year‐long project to draw together as much of the published polling as possible in one place, in as neutral a way as possible. The overall picture is one of genuine concern about immigration among a large proportion of the population—but more nuance on specific aspects, and a number of important gaps between perceptions and reality. Also highlighted are the increasingly polarised views on immigration between generations and different class and education groupings. The lower level of concern among younger generations and the growing graduate class suggests that immigration may be less of a concern in the future—but that the electoral weight of the more concerned older generations means that restrictive rhetoric and policy on immigration will be a key feature of the 2015 general election.
The article of record as published may be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.3917/mana.165.0636 ; This paper is a discussion of "behavioral theory of the firm". It focuses on understanding aspects of the pre-history, the context, the reception and the evolution of some of the main ideas found in "behavioral theory of the firm" and in the key works associated with it (in particular the books "Organizations" and "A Behavioral Theory of the Firm"). I discuss the reception of these works, using both reviews and bibliometric illustrations. Unlike many modern contributors to organizational literature, Cyert and March (and Simon) made a point of doing interdisciplinary work engaging directly with "the disciplines" (engaging the audiences and disciplines of economics, sociology, political science and psychology), not just focusing on making contributions between them. That legacy – communicating and contributing to the disciplines not just between them – is often overlooked in other celebrations of behavioral theory ideas that often discuss specific developments within the field of organization studies itself.
AbstractThis review-essay discusses the contributions to Ricardo Bellofiore's bookRosa Luxemburg and the Critique of Political Economyin their respective historical and theoretical contexts. A key goal of the book is to establish Luxemburg's work as a 'macro-monetary class approach', which means linking an economic outlook on effective demand and finance with a political focus on class-struggles in the domestic and international arenas. This approach marks a significant, and positive, departure from widespread interpretations that separate Luxemburg's political theory from her economic theory. Given the apparent limits of neoliberal globalisation it is also a very timely approach that can help us to understand the current conjuncture of economic and political crises. Bellofiore's book offers a useful framework for such analysis but focuses much more on economic theory than on politics and the historical developments of global capitalism. To fully exploit the potential of Luxemburg's political economy, complementary work on these latter two aspects has to be done.
Within communicative language teaching, 'natural'language has had a privileged position, and a focus on formhas been seen as something inauthentic or as something thatis inconsequential for learning (for a critique, see Kramschand Sullivan 1996; Cook 1997). Yet in the present study of animmersion classroom, it was found that children with limitedL2 proficiency recurrently employed form-focused language playin spontaneous peer conversations. Our work involves a distinctfocus on multiparty talk, and it is shown how language playis, in many ways, a collaborative affair, initiated by the childrenthemselves. Playful mislabelings and puns often generated extendedrepair sequences that could be seen as informal 'languagelessons' focused on formal aspects of language. Simultaneously,shared laughter and shifting alignments between peers were centralaspects of the local politics of classroom life. The jokingwas quite rudimentary. Yet it included artful performance andcollaborative aestheticism, involving alliteration and otherforms of parallelisms, as well as code switching, laughing,and artful variations in pitch, volume and voice quality. Thepaper illustrates the need to integrate language play in modelsof L2 learning.
Draws on personal experience as both a historian & an ethnographer for a commentary on the impact of politics on ethnographic research. A project on the politics of inner-city youth revealed the complexity of politics by focusing on the many arenas, strategies, expressive styles, emotional struggles, & ideological debates that affect negotiations over power/accountability. It is maintained that ethnographers can enhance understandings of the link between inner cities & broader global changes by exploring the cultural & political dynamics underlying global change. Global transformation is affected by the strategies & beliefs of those trying to control new networks/technologies, as well as by competing efforts to shape the world economy & world culture. An examination of global cultural & political conflicts that have impacted inner-city culture & job markets suggests that the most important factors are those related to the political architecture of an increasingly internationalized world economy & the politics of race. The importance of ethnography for assessing these aspects of the global inner city is discussed. 16 References. J. Lindroth
"Hegel and the Representative Constitution presents the first comprehensive historical discussion of the institutional dimension of G.W.F. Hegel's political thought. Elias Buchetmann traces this much-neglected aspect in unprecedented contextual detail and makes the case for reading the Philosophy of Right from 1820 as a contribution to the lively and widespread public debate on the constitutional question in contemporary Central Europe. Drawing on a broad range of primary source material, this volume illuminates the wider political discourse in post-Napoleonic Germany, carefully locates Hegel's institutional commitments within their immediate cultural and political context, and reveals him as something closer to a public intellectual. By exploring this indispensable thinker's demand for the constitutional protection of popular participation in government, it contributes beyond Hegel scholarship to shed new light on the history of democratic theory in early nineteenth-century Europe and encourages critical reflection on questions of representation today"--
The article provides a comparative examination of patent provisions in both North-South and South-South Preferential Trade Agreements (PTAs). It assesses whether the flexibilities of World Trade Organization Agreement on trade-related aspect Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS), are getting eliminated, preserved or affirmed in the studied PTAs. The article studies the PTAs of both the United States and European Union with developing countries as examples of North-South agreements, and the PTAs of both China and India with developing countries as examples of South-South agreements. The PTAs of US show systematic efforts to eliminate TRIPS flexibilities. EU chapters on IP engage partner countries to accede or comply with WIPO treaties in its earlier versions, and converge toward US approach in its latest versions. By contrast, China PTAs affirm commitment under TRIPS and emphasis some of its flexibilities. Patent related issues are absent from India's PTAs.
The article provides a comparative examination of patent provisions in both North-South and South-South Preferential Trade Agreements (PTAs). It assesses whether the flexibilities of World Trade Organization Agreement on trade-related aspect Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS), are getting eliminated, preserved or affirmed in the studied PTAs. The article studies the PTAs of both the United States and European Union with developing countries as examples of North-South agreements, and the PTAs of both China and India with developing countries as examples of South-South agreements. The PTAs of US show systematic efforts to eliminate TRIPS flexibilities. EU chapters on IP engage partner countries to accede or comply with WIPO treaties in its earlier versions, and converge toward US approach in its latest versions. By contrast, China PTAs affirm commitment under TRIPS and emphasis some of its flexibilities. Patent related issues are absent from India's PTAs.
The article provides a comparative examination of patent provisions in both North-South and South-South Preferential Trade Agreements (PTAs). It assesses whether the flexibilities of World Trade Organization Agreement on trade-related aspect Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS), are getting eliminated, preserved or affirmed in the studied PTAs. The article studies the PTAs of both the United States and European Union with developing countries as examples of North-South agreements, and the PTAs of both China and India with developing countries as examples of South-South agreements. The PTAs of US show systematic efforts to eliminate TRIPS flexibilities. EU chapters on IP engage partner countries to accede or comply with WIPO treaties in its earlier versions, and converge toward US approach in its latest versions. By contrast, China PTAs affirm commitment under TRIPS and emphasis some of its flexibilities. Patent related issues are absent from India's PTAs.
THE AUTHOR DESCRIBES OCCUPATIONAL REHABILITATION FOR THE MENTALLY ILL. HE DISCUSSES THE DEVELOPMENT OF AND FEDERAL LEGISLATION FOR SUCH PROGRAMS. HE CONSIDERS THE CLINICAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE ASPECTS OF OCCUPATIONAL CENTERS, DAY CENTERS, AND WORKSHOPS FOR THE MENTALLY ILL AND HANDICAPPED. HE DISCUSSES THE FUTURE USE OF OCCUPATIONAL REHABILITATION PROGRAMS IN TERMS OF PATIENTS, FUNDING AND THE COMMUNITY.
Background: Few studies have investigated traffic-related air pollution as a risk factor for respiratory infections during early childhood. Objectives: We aimed to investigate the association between air pollution and pneumonia, croup, and otitis media in 10 European birth cohorts—BAMSE (Sweden), GASPII (Italy), GINIplus and LISAplus (Germany), MAAS (United Kingdom), PIAMA (the Netherlands), and four INMA cohorts (Spain)—and to derive combined effect estimates using meta-analysis. Methods: Parent report of physician-diagnosed pneumonia, otitis media, and croup during early childhood were assessed in relation to annual average pollutant levels [nitrogen dioxide (NO2), nitrogen oxide (NOx), particulate matter ≤ 2.5 μm (PM2.5), PM2.5 absorbance, PM10, PM2.5–10 (coarse PM)], which were estimated using land use regression models and assigned to children based on their residential address at birth. Identical protocols were used to develop regression models for each study area as part of the ESCAPE project. Logistic regression was used to calculate adjusted effect estimates for each study, and random-effects meta-analysis was used to calculate combined estimates. Results: For pneumonia, combined adjusted odds ratios (ORs) were elevated and statistically significant for all pollutants except PM2.5 (e.g., OR = 1.30; 95% CI: 1.02, 1.65 per 10-μg/m3 increase in NO2 and OR = 1.76; 95% CI: 1.00, 3.09 per 10-μg/m3 PM10). For otitis media and croup, results were generally null across all analyses except for NO2 and otitis media (OR = 1.09; 95% CI: 1.02, 1.16 per 10-μg/m3). Conclusion: Our meta-analysis of 10 European birth cohorts within the ESCAPE project found consistent evidence for an association between air pollution and pneumonia in early childhood, and some evidence for an association with otitis media. ; The research leading to these results was funded by the European Community's Seventh Framework Program (FP7/2007–2011) under grant 211250. The BAMSE study was supported by the Swedish Research Council FORMAS (for Environment, Agricultural Sciences and Spatial Planning), the Stockholm County Council, the Swedish Foundation for Health Care Sciences and Allergy Research, and the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency. The GINIplus study was supported for the first 3 years by the Federal Ministry for Education, Science, Research and Technology, Germany (interventional arm) and Helmholtz Zentrum München, Germany (former GSF; National Research Center for Environment and Health) (observational arm). The LISAplus study was supported by grants from the Federal Ministry for Education, Science, Research and Technology, Germany; Helmholtz Zentrum München, Germany (former GSF); Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research–UFZ, Germany; Marien-Hospital Wesel, Germany; and Pediatric Practice, Bad Honnef, Germany. The PIAMA study is supported by The Netherlands Organization for Health Research and Development; The Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research; The Netherlands Asthma Fund; The Netherlands Ministry of Spatial Planning, Housing, and the Environment; and The Netherlands Ministry of Health, Welfare, and Sport. MAAS was supported by an Asthma UK Grant (04/014); the JP Moulton Charitable Foundation, UK; and the James Trust and Medical Research Council, UK (G0601361). INMA was funded by grants from the Spanish Ministry of Health-Instituto de Salud Carlos III (Red INMA G03/176, CB06/02/0041, FISPI041436, FIS-PI081151, FIS-PI042018, FIS-PI09/02311, FIS-PI06/0867, FIS-PS09/00090, FIS-FEDER 03/1615, 04/1509, 04/1112, 04/1931, 05/1079, 05/1052, 06/1213, 07/0314, and 09/02647); Generalitat de Catalunya-CIRIT, Spain (1999SGR 00241); Conselleria de Sanitat Generalitat Valenciana, Spain; Universidad de Oviedo, Obra social Cajastur, Spain; Department of Health of the Basque Government, Spain (2005111093 and 2009111069); Provincial Government of Gipuzkoa (DFG06/004 and DFG08/001), Spain; and Fundación Roger Torné, Spain. GASPII was funded by The Italian Ministry of Health (ex art.12 D.Lgs 502/92, 2001)
The autonomy granted to local communities (such as towns, municipalities, and city-states) by larger, central powers (such as empires, kings, lords, and central states) is a recurrent feature of European history over time, from Antiquity to the contemporary period. This volume explores the political, social, and cultural aspects of this feature in a diachronic and comparative perspective, from the Roman Empire to today's city partnerships. To this end, it uses the concept of polycentric governance. Originally developed by political economist Vincent Ostrom in the 1960s and then expanded by the 2009 winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics, political scientist Elinor Ostrom, this concept characterises the interdependent system of relations between different actors involved in a process and, for that reason, it is frequently used in policy studies. This volume applies the concept of polycentric governance to historical studies as a heuristic device to analyse the multilayer systems into which cities were integrated at various points in European history, as well as the implications of the coexistence of different political structures. Fourteen chapters examine the structures, the dynamics, and the discourse of polycentric governance through various case studies from the Roman Empire, from medieval towns, from early modern Europe, and from contemporary cities. The volume suggests that for extended periods of time throughout European history, polycentric governance has played a pivotal role in the organisation and distribution of political power
