Suchergebnisse

SummaryFrom a longitudinal study over 25 years (1951–75) of two adjacent Gambian villages, the data allow estimates of population growth, birth rates, age-specific mortality, female fertility, and infertility rates in the two sexes. Such intensive but small scale local inquiries provide valuable information on topics not covered in official published statistics, and also data from which the reliability of some census details can be estimated. There are many similarities but also differences between the two villages. Population growth rate was 1·1% per annum for Keneba and 2·2% for Manduar. Crude death rates averaged 36·7 per thousand for Keneba and 24·7 for Manduar and showed little difference between the sexes. For Keneba and Manduar respectively stillbirth rates were 63·9 and 88·6, first week mortality 49·2 and 44·9 and neonatal mortality 85·2 and 49·6 per thousand live births. In Keneba, where survival to age 5 years averaged 50%, young child mortality was significantly higher than in Manduar but mortality at older ages was not. Season profoundly affected child mortality: about 45% of all deaths under 15 years occurred in the late wet season, August–October. Maternal mortality in Keneba was 10·5 and in Manduar 9·5 per thousand. Crude birth rates averaged 58·4 per thousand for Keneba and 49·0 for Manduar, rates per thousand women aged 15·44 years averaging 248·5 and 215·3 respectively.In both villages mean birth interval increased progressively with the survival of the preceding child. In Keneba the interval increased from about 16 months when the first of the two children was stillborn to nearly 37 months when the first child survived to 2 years. In Manduar the corresponding values were 19 and 36 months. Analyses of obstetric histories indicated that total fertility was of the order of 7·5 live births per woman in Keneba and 6·4 in Manduar. Estimates of primary infertility for females were 3·6% in Keneba and 5·6% in Manduar, and for males 3·1% and 1·9%. Estimates of secondary infertility in females were 13% in Keneba and 19% in Manduar.

Throughout centuries, authorities have put pains into 'engineering' their populations by attempting to regulate the birth and child mortality trends in either direction, or striving to achieve a desired 'population quality' design. The book contributes to the historical studies pursued in the social policy and population domain by channelling scholarly curiosity towards the less known path of East Europe. The monograph investigates the origins of state policy toward population and the family in Bulgaria. Reconstructs the evolution of state legislation in the field of social policy toward the family between the two World Wars, colored by concerns about the national good and demographic considerations. It sets the laws regarding family welfare in their framework of a distinctively cultural, historical and political discourse to follow the motives behind the legislative initiatives.

Entrepreneurship, as re ected in the start-up of new firms, the growth and market exit of existing firms, and the ow of venture capital, has been severely curtailed by the lockdown and social distancing measures taken by governments around the world in the fight against COVID-19. This paper, after documenting preliminary evidence on these declines, argues that there is a strong possibility that the unintended damage to entrepreneurship, innovation and growth could be persistent. This requires that short-term economic and business rescue packages be complimented by measures aimed at the longer-term, and that these be based on at least five principles. These 5 principles (5Ds) refer to decentralization, democratization, demand, distribution and demography.

Entrepreneurship, as reflected in the start-up of new firms, the growth and market exit of existing firms, and the ow of venture capital, has been severely curtailed by the lockdown and social distancing measures taken by governments around the world in the fight against COVID-19. This paper, after documenting preliminary evidence on these declines, argues that there is a strong possibility that the unintended damage to entrepreneurship, innovation and growth could be persistent. This requires that short- term economic and business rescue packages be complimented by measures aimed at the longer-term, and that these be based on at least five principles. These 5 principles (5Ds) refer to decentralization, democratization, demand, distribution and demography.

The troubled financing situation of Germany's statutory health insurance (SHI) is a subject widely debated in the public. A further reform for 2006 is now in the offing, only three years after the Act on the Modernisation of Statutory Health Insurance came into force. So far, though, little notice has been taken of the need to reform the country's statutory nursing insurance (SNI) - doubtlessly also on account of its smaller volume of contributions compared with SHI. But funding problems similar to those of SHI emerged already back in 1999, the year when expenditure first outstripped revenue. Right now the gap can only be closed with the capital reserve established with the inception of the SNI. But the reserve will be exhausted in only a few years. So it was against this background that a first, albeit modest, reform came in 2005 with the contribution rate being raised by 0.25 percentage points for persons without children. However, no efforts for a lasting solution have been undertaken so far. This is something that is badly needed as the capital reserve of the SNI dwindles and as the gap between revenue and expenditure widens further with the greying of the population. The SNI moreover faces far greater burdens from the demographic trend than does SHI. Häcker/Raffelhüschen (2004) expect the contribution rate to go from 1.7% today to over 6.0% in 2050. As early as 2020 the rate is projected to reach about 2.5% - that is if the over 600 000 additional outpatient and inpatient nursing patients expected by that time have not already been excluded from nursing care. In this context action must be taken sufficiently in advance to prevent gross injustices from happening later on. The present Study looks at various measures for stabilising the finances of Germany's SNI, with special attention being paid to the inpatient nursing market. In 2003 it accounted for EURO17.2bn or 72% of the professional nursing market.