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Researchers increasingly use meta-analysis to synthesize the results of several studies in order to estimate a common effect. When the outcome variable is continuous, standard meta-analytic approaches assume that the primary studies report the sample mean and standard deviation of the outcome. However, when the outcome is skewed, authors sometimes summarize the data by reporting the sample median and one or both of (i) the minimum and maximum values and (ii) the first and third quartiles, but do not report the mean or standard deviation. To include these studies in meta-analysis, several methods have been developed to estimate the sample mean and standard deviation from the reported summary data. A major limitation of these widely used methods is that they assume that the outcome distribution is normal, which is unlikely to be tenable for studies reporting medians. We propose two novel approaches to estimate the sample mean and standard deviation when data are suspected to be non-normal. Our simulation results and empirical assessments show that the proposed methods often perform better than the existing methods when applied to non-normal data. ; anadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) KRS-134297 Fonds de recherche du Quebec -Sante (FRQS) Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) FRQS Masters Training Awards Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship FRQS Postdoctoral Training Fellowship Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre G.R. Caverhill Fellowship from the Faculty of Medicine, McGill University Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary Alberta Health Services through the Calgary Health Trust Hotchkiss Brain Institute Senior Health Scholar award from Alberta Innovates Health Solutions Health Research Council of New Zealand Lundbeck International Tehran University of Medical Sciences M-288 Department of Education, National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research, Spinal Cord Injury Model Systems: University of Washington H133N060033 Baylor College of Medicine H133N060003 University of Michigan System H133N060032 National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia 1002160 Safe Work Australia Australian Research Council FT130101444 European Foundation for Study of Diabetes Chinese Diabetes Society Lilly Foundation Asia Diabetes Foundation Liao Wun Yuk Diabetes Memorial Fund United States National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) grant 5F30MH096664 United States Department of Health & Human Services National Institutes of Health (NIH) - USA United States Department of Health & Human Services National Institutes of Health (NIH) - USA NIH Fogarty International Center (FIC) United States Department of Health & Human Services National Institutes of Health (NIH) - USA National Cancer Center United States Department of Health & Human Services National Institutes of Health (NIH) - USA NIH National Heart Lung & Blood Institute (NHLBI) NIH Office of Research for Women's Health through the Fogarty Global Health Fellows Program Consortium 1R25TW00934001 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act United States Department of Health & Human Services National Institutes of Health (NIH) - USA NIH National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) R24MH071604 / R34 MH072925/ K02 MH65919 / P30 DK50456 / R24 MH56858 / RO1 MH073687 /RO1-MH069666 / R34MH084673 /R24 MH071604 United States Department of Health & Human Services Centers for Disease Control & Prevention - USA R49 CE002093 St Anne's Community Services, Leeds, UK US National Center for Medical Rehabilitation Research RO1 HD39415 Federal Ministry of Education & Research (BMBF) 01GY1150 United States Department of Health & Human Services National Institutes of Health (NIH) - USA T37 MD001449 / T32 GM07356 Ohio Board of Regents Research and Development Administration Office, University of Macau MYRG2015-00109-FSS Federal Ministry of Education & Research (BMBF) 01 GD 9802/4 ; 01 GD 0101 Federation of German Pension Insurance Institute Federal Ministry of Education & Research (BMBF) Perpetual Trustees Flora and Frank Leith Charitable Trust Jack Brockhoff Foundation Grosvenor Settlement Sunshine Foundation Danks Trust Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) FRN 83518 Scleroderma Society of Canada Scleroderma Society of Ontario Scleroderma Society of Saskatchewan Sclerodermie Quebec Cure Scleroderma Foundation Inova Diagnostics Inc Euroimmun FRQS Canadian Arthritis Network Lady Davis Institute of Medical Research of the Jewish General Hospital, Montreal, QC FRQS Senior Investigator Award National Strategic Reference Framework European Union (EU) Greek Ministry of Education, Lifelong Learning and Religious Affairs (ARISTEIA-ABREVIATE) 1259 Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Japan UK National Institute for Health Research under its Programme Grants for Applied Research Programme RP-PG-0606-1142 Canada Research Chair in Neurological Health Services Research AIHS Population Health Investigator Award National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia 1088313 Netherlands Organization for Health Research and Development 945-03-047 National Health Research Institutes - Taiwan NHRI-EX97-9706PI Faculty of Medicine, Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand 49086 Reitoria de Pesquisa da Universidade de Sao Paulo 09.1.01689.17.7 Banco Santander 10.1.01232.17.9 Pfizer medical faculty of the University of Heidelberg, Germany 121/2000 Research University Grant Scheme from Universiti Putra Malaysia, Malaysia Postgraduate Research Student Support Accounts of the University of Auckland, New Zealand National Program for Centers of Excellence (PRONEX/FAPERGS/CNPq, Brazil) Pfizer US Pharmaceutical Inc. PQ-CNPq-2 301321/2016-7 Belgian Ministry of Public Health and Social Affairs Pfizer Ministry of Health, Italy UK National Health Service Lothian Neuro-Oncology Endowment Fund Universiti Sains Malaysia United States Department of Health & Human Services United States Health Resources & Service Administration (HRSA) R40MC07840 United States Department of Health & Human Services Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality R36 HS018246 United States Department of Health & Human Services National Institutes of Health (NIH) - USA NIH National Center for Research Resources (NCRR) TL1 RR024135 University of Melbourne Hunter Medical Research Institute Innovatiefonds Zorgverzekeraars Netherlands Organization for Health Research and Development (ZonMw) Mental Health Program 100.003.005 100.002.021 Academic Medical Center/University of Amsterdam Fund for Innovation and Competitiveness of the Chilean Ministry of Economy, Development and Tourism, through the Millennium Scientific Initiative IS130005 US Department of Veteran Affairs US Department of Veteran Affairs United States Department of Health & Human Services National Institutes of Health (NIH) - USA NIH National Heart Lung & Blood Institute (NHLBI) R01 HL079235 American Federation for Ageing Research Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) Ischemia Research and Education Foundation

This paper aims to investigate the effect of increasing fiscal decentralization on the composition of public expenditures in Brazilian local governments. The research is innovative by demonstrating that the heterogeneity of expenditure scale influences on the correlation between fiscal decentralization and public expenditure composition of local governments. The sample consisted of unbalanced panel data with 5,565 municipalities for 17 years from 2000 to 2016. The analysis was accomplished by unconditional quantile regression with panel data. The main findings were: (i) fiscal decentralization affects public expenditures in Brazilian local governments, however the kind of effect depends on local expenditure scale and fiscal decentralization strategy. For example, in personnel expenditures, for the median, the coefficient was negative, and the effect was positive for the third quartile of local governments, when fiscal decentralization was measured by the tax revenue over total revenue. On the other hand, the effects were also positive for median and third quartile regarding intergovernmental transfers per capita like proxy of fiscal decentralization; (ii) the measures (proxies) of fiscal decentralization are correlated with the composition of public expenditure; (iii) in median terms, fiscal decentralization has greater effects on investment expenditures than on current and personnel expenditures; and (iv) in median terms, the tax revenue participation promotes an increase in administrative and planning expenditures instead of expenditures in social functions. On the other hand, fiscal decentralization measured by intergovernmental transfer per capita has more positive effects on social functions than on legislative and administrative functions.

AbstractUsing a two‐way fixed effects difference‐in‐differences model, we investigate the effects of local recreational marijuana (RMJ) policy changes on college applications and find that the three largest state public schools reaped, on average, an almost 54% increase in applications. This increase does not appear to come solely from low‐ability students as both first and third quartiles of admitted student composite SAT scores to the largest three public schools do not decrease. Rather, they both increase by almost 3.8% though these estimates are not statistically significant. Robust difference‐in‐difference and event study models support the signs and magnitudes of these gains and show they diminish over time.

The article shows that there is no unambiguous interpretation of the concept "potential", and therefore, within the framework of the objects of research (regions, countries), we proposed our own interpretation: potential is the most possible benchmark for the development of the countries of the world (regions of the country) in specific (today's) socio-economic and other global and national conditions within the framework of the selected analytical indicator or indicator combination. We also analyzed the potential of human development by the indicator "life expectancy" and the development potential by the indicator "population density" in 85 subjects of the Russian Federation, and characterized the mutual influences of population density and life expectancy by regions of Russia according to the data for 2020. In our research, we used the method of critical values, a number of methods of systems analysis, analytical and statistical analysis, first of all, the grouping method, index analysis, correlation and regression analysis. As a result of the conducted research, we found that in modern Russian socioeconomic conditions: (1) the critical values of life expectancy in the regions of Russia are 69.94 years (first quartile) and 70.66 years (median), and the realized regional potential in terms of life expectancy is 71.91 years (third quartile); (2) the subjects (regions) of the Russian Federation are characterized by high differentiation in population density - from 4956.06 people per sq. km (Moscow) up to 0.007 people per sq. km (Chukotka Autonomous Okrug), in connection with which we developed an authorial "density index" to reduce the level of differentiation of regions without losing the quality of regional data analytics on population density in Russia; (3) the critical values for the regions of Russia in terms of population density are 5.12 people per sq. km (first quartile) and 22.36 people per sq. km (median), and the realized regional potential in terms of population density is 44.5 people per sq. km (third quartile); (4) the relationship between population density and life expectancy in the regions of Russia is positive, but it is moderate, while the following dependencies are characteristic for the subjects of the Russian Federation (on average): to ensure an average regional life expectancy (71 years), a population density of 30.5 people per square km is necessary and sufficient, and regions with very high life expectancy (73 years) are characterized by population density in the range of 47 to 72.5 people per sq. km.

The marriage tax penalty resurfaces as a topic of interest when tax policy makers consider the economic consequences of increasing marginal tax rates on declining "family values". Aim and Whittington [1993] found that marriage taxes influence the incidence of marriage. A historical perspective of the marriage tax penalty and its counterpart, the marriage tax bonus or "subsidy", merit consideration and re-evaluation in light of current tax policy trends toward higher marginal tax rates.
This paper develops a historical framework for the study of the federal income tax and conducts a detailed analysis of the marriage tax for first quartile, weighted average, and third quartile taxpayers over the entire history of the United States personal income tax. It demonstrates that potential bonuses have historically been consistently more significant than penalties. In fact, penalties do not gain prominence until 1964.
The current trend toward increasing marginal rates will increase both the penalty and the bonus. Therefore, analysts interested in this area of policy should consider means of reducing both. The most successful method of mitigating the marriage penalty has been the "two-earner deduction".

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine individual level property returns to see whether there is evidence of persistence in performance, i.e. a greater than expected probability of well (badly) performing properties continuing to perform well (badly) in subsequent periods.Design/methodology/approachThe same methodology originally used in Young and Graff is applied, making the results directly comparable with those for the US and Australian markets. However, it uses a much larger database covering all UK commercial property data available in the Investment Property Databank (IPD) for the years 1981 to 2002 – as many as 216,758 individual property returns.FindingsWhile the results of this study mimic the US and Australian results of greater persistence in the extreme first and fourth quartiles, they also evidence persistence in the moderate second and third quartiles, a notable departure from previous studies. Likewise patterns across property type, location, time, and holding period are remarkably similar.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings suggest that performance persistence is not a feature unique to particular markets, but instead may characterize most advanced real estate investment markets.Originality/valueAs well as extending previous research geographically, the paper explores possible reasons for such persistence, consideration of which leads to the conjecture that behaviors in the practice of institutional‐grade commercial real estate investment management may themselves be deeply rooted and persistent, and perhaps influenced for good or ill by agency effects.

Poor sleep is a relatively common condition with possibly serious adverse health consequences. Lack of sleep affects the endocrine, immune, and nervous systems. In Cyprus, there is no information about the quality of sleep in the population. The goal of this study was to assess the quality of sleep in the Cypriot population and evaluate its association with multimorbidity. A representative sample of the adult population of Cyprus was selected in 2018–2019 among the five government-controlled municipalities of the Republic of Cyprus using stratified sampling. Data on sleep quality as well as on the presence of chronic, clinical, and mental health conditions were collected using a validated questionnaire. Diseases were classified according to the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision (ICD-10). A total of 1,140 Cypriot men and women over 18-years of age (range: 18–94) participated in the study. The median Pittsburgh sleep quality index score of the participants was 5 (first quartile = 3, third quartile = 7) with the maximum score being 17, which suggests that the Cypriot population has a relatively good quality of sleep overall, although, almost one-third of the study population had a poor quality of sleep. Women, residents of Paphos, and married people had a poorer quality of sleep (p < 0.05). Having a poor quality of sleep was associated with higher odds of multimorbidity (OR = 2.21, 95% CI: 1.55, 3.16), even after adjusting for demographics, socioeconomic, and lifestyle factors. Adopting good sleep habits could be beneficial and would potentially help reduce the risk of multimorbidity. Public health guidelines regarding the importance of sleep and its association with multimorbidity should be considered.

The diffusion of renewable energy in the power system implies high supply variability. Lacking economically viable storage options, renewable energy integration is possible thanks to the presence of modern mid-merit fossil-based technologies, which act as back-up capacity. This paper discusses the role of modern fossil-based power generation technologies in supporting renewable energy investments. We study the deployment of these two technologies conditional on all other drivers in 26 OECD countries between 1990 and 2013. We show that moving from the first to the third quartile of the distribution of modern fossil technologies is associated with an increase in yearly renewable energy investment of between 6 and 14 kW per thousand people, on average and ceteris paribus. This is a sizeable effect, considering that average yearly renewable capacity addition in our sample are around 12 kW per thousand people. These findings are robust to different econometric specifications, various definitions of modern fossil technologies and are stronger for wind, which is more intermittent and for which the mismatch between supply and demand is more marked. Our analysis points to the substantial indirect costs of renewable energy integration and highlights the complementarity of investments in different generation technologies for a successful decarbonization process.

The diffusion of renewable energy in the power system implies high supply variability. Lacking economically viable storage options, renewable energy integration is possible thanks to the presence of modern mid-merit fossil-based technologies, which act as back-up capacity. This paper discusses the role of modern fossil-based power generation technologies in supporting renewable energy investments. We study the deployment of these two technologies conditional on all other drivers in 26 OECD countries between 1990 and 2013. We show that moving from the first to the third quartile of the distribution of modern fossil technologies is associated with an increase in yearly renewable energy investment of between 6 and 14 kW per thousand people, on average and ceteris paribus. This is a sizeable effect, considering that average yearly renewable capacity addition in our sample are around 12 kW per thousand people. These findings are robust to different econometric specifications, various definitions of modern fossil technologies and are stronger for wind, which is more intermittent and for which the mismatch between supply and demand is more marked. Our analysis points to the substantial indirect costs of renewable energy integration and highlights the complementarity of investments in different generation technologies for a successful decarbonization process.

Introduction: Prenatal exposure to organochlorine compounds (OCs) can increase the risk of reported respiratory symptoms in children. It remains unclear whether these compounds can also impact on lung function. We assessed the association between prenatal exposure to OCs and lung function during childhood. Methods: We included 1308 mother-child pairs enrolled in a prospective cohort study. Prenatal concentrations of p,p′-dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane [p,p′-DDT], p,p′-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene [p,p′-DDE], hexachlorobenzene [HCB], and seven polychlorinated biphenyls [PCBs] were measured in cord blood. Spirometry was performed in the offspring at ages 4 (n = 636) and 7 years (n = 1192). Results: More than 80% of samples presented quantifiable levels of p,p′-DDE, HCB, PCB-138, PCB-153, and PCB-180; p,p′-DDE was the compound with the highest median concentrations. At 4 years, prenatal p,p′-DDE exposure was associated with a decrease in forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) in all quartiles of exposure (e.g., third quartile [0.23–0.34 ng/mL]: β for FEV1 −53.61 mL, 95% CI −89.87, −17.35, vs. the lowest). Prenatal p,p′-DDE levels also decreased forced vital capacity (FVC) and FEV1/FVC, but associations did not reach statistical significance in most exposure quartiles. At 7 years, p,p′-DDE was associated with a decrease in FVC and FEV1 in only the second quartile of exposure (e.g. β for FEV1 −36.96 mL, 95% CI −66.22, −7.70, vs. the lowest). Prenatal exposure to HCB was associated with decreased FVC and FEV1, but in only the second quartile and at 7 years (e.g. [0.07–0.14 ng/mL]: β for FEV1 −25.79 mL, 95% CI −55.98, 4.39, vs. the lowest). PCBs were not consistently associated with lung function. Conclusion: Prenatal exposure to p,p′-DDE may decrease lung function during childhood, especially FEV1 and at medium levels of exposure. Further and deeper knowledge on the impact of environmental chemicals during pregnancy on lung development is needed. ; Gipuzkoa: This study was funded by grants from Instituto de Salud Carlos III (FIS-PI06/0867 and FIS-PI09/00090), CIBERESP, Department of Health of the Basque Government (2005111093, 2009111069, 2013111089 and 2015111065), and the Provincial Government of Gipuzkoa (DFG06/002, DFG08/001 and DFG15/221) and annual agreements with the municipalities of the study area (Zumarraga, Urretxu, Legazpi, Azkoitia y Azpeitia y Beasain). Sabadell: This study was funded by grants from Instituto de Salud Carlos III (Red INMA G03/176; CB06/02/0041; PI041436; PI081151 incl. FEDER funds; CP16/00128), CIBERESP, Generalitat de Catalunya-CIRIT 1999SGR 00241, Generalitat de Catalunya-AGAUR 2009 SGR 501, Fundació La marató de TV3 (090430), EU Commission (261357). ISGlobal is a member of the CERCA Programme, Generalitat de Catalunya. Valencia: This study was funded by Grants from UE (FP7-ENV-2011 cod 282957 and HEALTH.2010.2.4.5-1), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (G03/176; FIS-FEDER: PI11/01007, PI11/02591, PI11/02038, PI12/00610, PI13/1944, PI13/2032, PI14/00891, PI14/01687, PI16/1288, and PI17/0663; Miguel Servet-FEDER CP11/00178, CP15/00025, and MSII16/00051), Alicia Koplowitz Foundation 2017, and Generalitat Valenciana: FISABIO (UGP 15-230, UGP-15-244, and UGP-15-249).

Abstract

Objectives
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are well-known carcinogens causing lung and skin cancers in exposed workers. Certain occupations, such as coke production, have been associated with high PAH exposure; however, the number of occupations tested to date remains small. Here, we sought to compare PAH exposure across a wide range of occupations based on levels of 1-hydroxypyrene (1-OHP), the urinary exposure surrogate of PAHs.


Methods
We collected urine 1-OHP data from the Korean National Environmental Health Survey (KoNEHS), a nationwide biomonitoring survey. We developed a linear regression model, controlling for sex, age, smoking, and survey cycle, and obtained resulting residuals. Then, we computed the fraction of exceeding the third quartile (Q3) level of residuals for each occupation, which is employed as a relative exposure indicator across occupations.


Results
A total of 15 125 measurements derived from three cycles of KoNEHS were used for analysis. The overall geometric means (GMs) and geometric standard deviation (GSD) of urine 1-OHP levels were 0.16 µg g−1 creatinine and 3.07, respectively. Among the sub-major occupational groups, 'construction and mining related elementary occupations' showed the highest fraction (0.45) of exceeding the Q3 level of residuals. Among the minor occupational groups, 'deliverers' showed a high fraction (0.42) of exceeding the Q3 level of residuals, which indicates rapidly growing occupations to be addressed.


Conclusions
Our results provide ancillary information regarding PAH exposure across occupations, especially for occupations for which PAH exposure has not been well characterized.

Objective: The increasing ethnic diversity in the European Union (EU) calls for adaptations to neuropsychological assessment practices. The aims of this study were to examine the current state of cross-cultural neuropsychological assessment in EU-15 countries and to provide recommendations for researchers and policy makers. Method: Twelve experts from nine EU-15 countries participated in a Delphi consensus study involving two sequential rounds of web-based questionnaires and an in-person consensus meeting. The experts individually rated Delphi topics on the basis of importance (scale 1-10). The degree of consensus was determined by assessing first and third quartiles (Q1 and Q3) and medians. Results: Consensus outcomes showed the following priorities: (a) the development of tests (median importance rating 10, Q1-Q3: 9-10), (b) the collection of normative data (median importance rating 9, Q1-Q3: 8-10), and (c) more training, awareness, and knowledge regarding cross-cultural assessment among neuropsychologists in the EU (median importance rating 9, Q1-Q3: 8-10). Whereas memory tests were often available, tests measuring social cognition (median 9, Q1-Q3: 8-10) and language (median 9, Q1-Q3: 7-10) are particularly lacking. Recommendations were made regarding essential skills and knowledge necessary for cross-cultural neuropsychological assessment. Conclusions: This study in a small group of experts suggests that the development and availability of cross-cultural tests and normative data should be prioritized, as well as the development and implementation of training initiatives. Furthermore, EU guidelines could be established for working with interpreters during neuropsychological assessment. Before implementing these recommendations, follow-up studies are recommended that include more minority neuropsychologists and community stakeholders.

OBJECTIVE: The increasing ethnic diversity in the European Union (EU) calls for adaptations to neuropsychological assessment practices. The aims of this study were to examine the current state of cross-cultural neuropsychological assessment in EU-15 countries and to provide recommendations for researchers and policy makers. METHOD: Twelve experts from nine EU-15 countries participated in a Delphi consensus study involving two sequential rounds of web-based questionnaires and an in-person consensus meeting. The experts individually rated Delphi topics on the basis of importance (scale 1-10). The degree of consensus was determined by assessing first and third quartiles (Q1 and Q3) and medians. RESULTS: Consensus outcomes showed the following priorities: (a) the development of tests (median importance rating 10, Q1-Q3: 9-10), (b) the collection of normative data (median importance rating 9, Q1-Q3: 8-10), and (c) more training, awareness, and knowledge regarding cross-cultural assessment among neuropsychologists in the EU (median importance rating 9, Q1-Q3: 8-10). Whereas memory tests were often available, tests measuring social cognition (median 9, Q1-Q3: 8-10) and language (median 9, Q1-Q3: 7-10) are particularly lacking. Recommendations were made regarding essential skills and knowledge necessary for cross-cultural neuropsychological assessment. CONCLUSIONS: This study in a small group of experts suggests that the development and availability of cross-cultural tests and normative data should be prioritized, as well as the development and implementation of training initiatives. Furthermore, EU guidelines could be established for working with interpreters during neuropsychological assessment. Before implementing these recommendations, follow-up studies are recommended that include more minority neuropsychologists and community stakeholders.

This paper investigates the effect of increasing fiscal decentralization on the composition of public expenditures of Brazilian local governments. The research is innovative, demonstrating that the heterogeneity of expenditure scale influences the correlation between fiscal decentralization and public expenditure of local governments. The sample consisted of unbalanced panel data of 5,565 municipalities for 17 years from 2000 to 2016. The analysis used unconditional quantile regression with panel data. The main findings were: (i) fiscal decentralization affects public expenditure in Brazilian local governments. However, this effect depends on local expenditure scale and fiscal decentralization strategy. For example, the median coefficient was negative in personnel expenditures, and the effect was positive for the third quartile of local governments, when fiscal decentralization was measured by the tax revenue over total revenue. On the other hand, the effects were also positive for median and third quartile regarding intergovernmental transfers per capita like proxy of fiscal decentralization; (ii) the measures (proxies) of fiscal decentralization are correlated with the composition of public expenditure; (iii) in median terms, fiscal decentralization has greater effects on investment expenditures than on current and personnel expenditures; and (iv) in median terms, the tax revenue participation promotes an increase in administrative and planning expenditures instead of expenditures in social functions. Fiscal decentralization measured by intergovernmental transfer per capita has more positive effects on social functions than on legislative and administrative functions. ; Este artículo tuvo como objetivo investigar el efecto de una mayor descentralización fiscal en la composición del gasto público de los gobiernos locales brasileños. La investigación innovó al demostrar que la heterogeneidad de la escala del gasto influye en la correlación entre la descentralización fiscal y la composición del gasto público de los gobiernos locales. La muestra estuvo constituida por un panel de datos desbalanceados con 5.565 municipios durante 17 años, correspondientes al período 2000-2016. El análisis se realizó mediante regresión cuantílica incondicional. Los principales resultados fueron: (i) la descentralización fiscal afecta el gasto público de los gobiernos locales brasileños, sin embargo, el tipo de efecto depende de la escala del gasto local y de la estrategia de descentralización fiscal. Por ejemplo, en los gastos de personal, para la mediana, el coeficiente fue negativo y el efecto fue positivo para el tercer cuartil de los gobiernos locales, cuando la descentralización fiscal se midió por los ingresos tributarios sobre los ingresos totales. Por otro lado, los efectos también fueron positivos para la mediana y el tercer cuartil considerando las transferencias intergubernamentales per cápita como proxy de la descentralización fiscal; (ii) las medidas (proxies) de la descentralización fiscal se correlacionan con la composición del gasto público; (iii) la descentralización fiscal afecta más el gasto de inversión que los gastos de personal y los gastos corrientes en términos medianos; y (iv) en términos medianos, la participación de los ingresos tributarios promueve un aumento del gasto en funciones de gestión y planificación en lugar de gastos en funciones sociales; por otro lado, la descentralización fiscal medida por transferencias intergubernamentales per cápita afecta positivamente más funciones sociales que legislativas y administrativas. ; Este artigo teve por objetivo investigar o efeito do aumento da descentralização fiscal na composição do gasto público dos governos locais brasileiros. A pesquisa inovou ao demonstrar que a heterogeneidade da escala do gasto influencia na correlação entre a descentralização fiscal e a composição do gasto público dos governos locais. A amostra foi composta por um painel de dados desbalanceado com 5.565 municípios durante 17 anos, correspondente ao período de 2000 a 2016. A análise foi realizada por meio da regressão quantílica incondicional. Os principais resultados foram: (i) a descentralização fiscal afeta nos gastos públicos dos governos locais brasileiros, contudo o tipo de efeito depende da escala do gasto local e da estratégia de descentralização fiscal. Por exemplo, nos gastos com pessoal, para a mediana, o coeficiente foi negativo e o efeito foi positivo para o terceiro quartil dos governos locais, quando a descentralização fiscal foi mensurada pela receita tributária sobre a receita total. Por outro lado, os efeitos foram também positivos para mediana e terceiro quartil considerando as transferências intergovernamentais per capita como proxy da descentralização fiscal; (ii) as mensurações (proxies) da descentralização fiscal são correlacionadas com a composição do gasto público; (iii) a descentralização fiscal afeta mais o gasto com investimentos que os gastos de pessoal e correntes em termos medianos; e (iv) em termos medianos, a participação da receita tributária promove o aumento do gasto em funções de administração e planejamento ao invés de gastos em funções sociais; por outro lado, a descentralização fiscal medida pelas transferências intergovernamentais per capita afeta positivamente mais funções sociais que funções legislativa e administrativa.

Widely influence by urbanization, peri-urban fringe settlement continues to developed spontaneously and encroaching on the rural hinterland of the large metropolises of the ancient Kano city wall. This Peri-urban residential settlement has development over the years sporadically without basic housing development and control measures in physical planning and environmental management. The resultant effect is absence of public utilities, deplorable environment, poor living conditions, inadequate social amenities, and lack of neighborhood infrastructures. This study is aimed at examining the impact and challenges of spontaneous development in Dan'bare-settlement of Kano metropolis. Using both mixed method of Quantitative and Qualitative techniques, a Ninety (90) structure closed ended questionnaires were administered to residents to evaluate their perception on social housing attributes and neighborhood infrastructure condition in the study area. Seventy five (75) questionnaires were retrieved representing (83.33%) responses rate and collated data was analyzed using the relevant descriptive and inferential statistical techniques. Result of the survey shown that the respondents were satisfied with the housing services design attributes and Social infrastructures. However, respondents were dissatisfied with neighborhood infrastructures attributes; this includes "Quality of Open Spaces" and "Availability of Pipe borne water", Vehicular movement & Circulation, Accessibility of Road, Buildings protection against Dampness, Pedestrian movement & Circulations, Refused / Sewage disposal, Quality of Layout & spatial Circulation, Provision of Greenery / Landscape, Drainage efficient, with mean values and RSI values below (M =1.800 and RSI = 0.600), and ranked 12th and below all in the third quartile. Therefore, the study recommend that government should upgrade such unhealthy built-up environment with strong political will that could needs redevelopment by providing infrastructure facilities that promotes social and economic sustainability for the settlers.