Allocation Of Economic Resources Research Articles

Health Technology Assessment and vaccine: new needs and opportunities?

Health Technology Assessment (HTA) can represent an innovative and effective approach to supply decisionmakers with a valid instrument to improve the allocation of resources in the field of vaccines. We proposed a HTA approach for considering the introduction of a new vaccine that could potentially have a great impact on the population’s health, using as an example the vaccine against Human Papilloma Virus (HPV). This approach could be of great interest when the decision making process involves choices regarding new vaccines. We developed a HTA approach for assessing all of the aspects involved in the introduction of vaccines against HPV in Italy, considering the following issues: - epidemiological evaluation of HPV infection and related pathologies through the consultation of data banks and the scientific literature; - evaluation of health care resources utilisation by people suffering from the infection/ related diseases, through the consultation of hospital archives; - systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised clinical trials on HPV vaccination effectiveness and safety; - mathematical modelling and economic evaluation of the vaccination using a cost-effectiveness analysis; - evaluation of the impact of vaccination on the Health System [organisational aspects, vaccine surveillance, relationship between different decisional levels (national, regional)]; - analysis of the ethical, social (acceptability, availability, accessibility, information) and legislative aspects of vaccination. A HTA report on the new vaccine could represent an new important tool to support the choice of decision makers in order to better inform the allocation of economic resources and maximize healthcare services, since it takes into account not only the burden and the epidemiology of the disease, and the economic evaluation of different scenarios, but also the social, legal and bioethical aspects. For HTA to support the introduction of new technologies, and new vaccines can be considered in this sense, there to utilise a process that is well defined, transparent and widely used.

Challenges And Opportunities: Unravelling The Dynamics Of Entrepreneurship Disruptions In Nigeria

Entrepreneurship disruptions have become a pervasive and transformative force in today's global business landscape. These disruptions are characterized by the rapid and often unpredictable changes that impact the way entrepreneurs conceive, launch, and operate businesses. In the modern era, the rapid pace of technological advancement and the rise of disruptive innovations have presented a significant challenge for entrepreneurs and established businesses alike. As entrepreneurs strive to identify and leverage disruptive opportunities, they face complex issues related to market dynamics, economic instability resource allocation, and competitive pressures. Moreover, the ever-accelerating rate of disruption necessitates a deeper understanding of how entrepreneurs can effectively navigate these challenges while staying innovative and sustainable. This study seeks to identify and analyse the experiences and challenges faced by businesses in their pursuit of sustainability during this disruptive era. Data were generated via the internet, newspapers, newsletters, libraries and other documented materials pertinent to the study. Findings revealed that there is a positive relationship between entrepreneurship disruptions and business sustainability in Nigeria. To fully harness disruptive entrepreneurship and achieve sustainability, regulatory reforms, technological advancements, changing consumer behaviour, infrastructure development, and increased access to funding are crucial. Consequently, to address these challenges and promote sustainability, it is imperative to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the experiences and challenges faced by businesses and individuals in the disruption era, businesses in Nigeria need to adopt innovative solutions, and collaborate with relevant stakeholders while keeping a close eye on regulatory changes and global trends.

To Be Frail or Not to Be Frail: This Is the Question—A Critical Narrative Review of Frailty

Many factors have contributed to rendering frailty an emerging, relevant, and very popular concept. First, many pandemics that have affected humanity in history, including COVID-19, most recently, have had more severe effects on frail people compared to non-frail ones. Second, the increase in human life expectancy observed in many developed countries, including Italy has led to a rise in the percentage of the older population that is more likely to be frail, which is why frailty is much a more common concern among geriatricians compared to other the various health-care professionals. Third, the stratification of people according to the occurrence and the degree of frailty allows healthcare decision makers to adequately plan for the allocation of available human professional and economic resources. Since frailty is considered to be fully preventable, there are relevant consequences in terms of potential benefits both in terms of the clinical outcome and healthcare costs. Frailty is becoming a popular, pervasive, and almost omnipresent concept in many different contexts, including clinical medicine, physical health, lifestyle behavior, mental health, health policy, and socio-economic planning sciences. The emergence of the new “science of frailty” has been recently acknowledged. However, there is still debate on the exact definition of frailty, the pathogenic mechanisms involved, the most appropriate method to assess frailty, and consequently, who should be considered frail. This narrative review aims to analyze frailty from many different aspects and points of view, with a special focus on the proposed pathogenic mechanisms, the various factors that have been considered in the assessment of frailty, and the emerging role of biomarkers in the early recognition of frailty, particularly on the role of mitochondria. According to the extensive literature on this topic, it is clear that frailty is a very complex syndrome, involving many different domains and affecting multiple physiological systems. Therefore, its management should be directed towards a comprehensive and multifaceted holistic approach and a personalized intervention strategy to slow down its progression or even to completely reverse the course of this condition.

Forecasting hospital discharges for respiratory conditions in Costa Rica using climate and pollution data

<p>Respiratory diseases represent one of the most significant economic burdens on healthcare systems worldwide. The variation in the increasing number of cases depends greatly on climatic seasonal effects, socioeconomic factors, and pollution. Therefore, understanding these variations and obtaining precise forecasts allows health authorities to make correct decisions regarding the allocation of limited economic and human resources. We aimed to model and forecast weekly hospitalizations due to respiratory conditions in seven regional hospitals in Costa Rica using four statistical learning techniques (Random Forest, XGboost, Facebook's Prophet forecasting model, and an ensemble method combining the above methods), along with 22 climate change indices and aerosol optical depth as an indicator of pollution. Models were trained using data from 2000 to 2018 and were evaluated using data from 2019 as testing data. During the training period, we set up 2-year sliding windows and a 1-year assessment period, along with the grid search method to optimize hyperparameters for each model. The best model for each region was selected using testing data, based on predictive precision and to prevent overfitting. Prediction intervals were then computed using conformal inference. The relative importance of all climatic variables was computed for the best model, and similar patterns in some of the seven regions were observed based on the selected model. Finally, reliable predictions were obtained for each of the seven regional hospitals.</p>

Forecasting hospital discharges for respiratory conditions in Costa Rica using climate and pollution data

<p>Respiratory diseases represent one of the most significant economic burdens on healthcare systems worldwide. The variation in the increasing number of cases depends greatly on climatic seasonal effects, socioeconomic factors, and pollution. Therefore, understanding these variations and obtaining precise forecasts allows health authorities to make correct decisions regarding the allocation of limited economic and human resources. We aimed to model and forecast weekly hospitalizations due to respiratory conditions in seven regional hospitals in Costa Rica using four statistical learning techniques (Random Forest, XGboost, Facebook's Prophet forecasting model, and an ensemble method combining the above methods), along with 22 climate change indices and aerosol optical depth as an indicator of pollution. Models were trained using data from 2000 to 2018 and were evaluated using data from 2019 as testing data. During the training period, we set up 2-year sliding windows and a 1-year assessment period, along with the grid search method to optimize hyperparameters for each model. The best model for each region was selected using testing data, based on predictive precision and to prevent overfitting. Prediction intervals were then computed using conformal inference. The relative importance of all climatic variables was computed for the best model, and similar patterns in some of the seven regions were observed based on the selected model. Finally, reliable predictions were obtained for each of the seven regional hospitals.</p>

A Systematic Review On Green Banking Disclosure

This paper presents a systematic review of the topic of Green Banking Disclosure (GBD). GBD has been a growing concept since 2008, with its development bringing about changes, both in terms of the natural and social environments. As such, it is crucial to give it due attention. The study reviewed 50 papers, including 65 empirical ones, and yielded four main findings. Firstly, in terms of theory, legitimacy theory, stakeholder theory, and the concept of Spider profit growth, which serves as an indicator of a company's fund utilization efficiency, were prevalent in the literature. These theories provide a basis for evaluating company management performance, motivating management, and controlling economic resource allocation, ultimately aiding in forecasting future profits and economic events. Secondly, the Green Coin Rating (GCR) concept, comprising six points, played a significant role in the discourse on green banking. Thirdly, the majority of GBD studies were conducted in Muslim-majority countries. The research population included all financial reports of Islamic Commercial Banks during the period 2016-2019. The sample consisted of nine Islamic Commercial Banks that published annual reports up to 2019 and met the criteria for implementing the Green Banking concept. The study suggests that future research endeavors should consider integrating both primary and secondary data to assess the implementation of Green Banking and green financing in banking institutions. This approach would lead to a more comprehensive understanding of the subject and provide a more communicative perspective for customers.

STATE REGULATION OF ANTI-CORRUPTION ACTIVITIES IN UKRAINE DURING MARTIAL LAW

Since the 1950s, corruption has been an important topic of academic investigation and continues to be relevant nowadays. Scholars, international organizations, ordinary citizens and other beneficiaries continue to pay attention to this issue, as well as to the social projects, political economics, and social implications of corruption’s expansion, economic resource allocation, the national regulator, and others. This analysis is particularly important in light of the current Russian-Ukrainian war, which has far-reaching implications, undermining national development, reducing public confidence and posing new threats to national security. Consequently, in developing effective strategies to repel the aggression of the Russian Federation, tackling corruption appears as an essential part of the multifaceted challenges. Therefore, the primary objective of this study is to elucidate the complexities of the country’s legal frameworks related to anti-corruption efforts in Ukraine in the post-war context and to provide recommendations on effective anti-corruption policies. For this purpose, the following methods were used: social statistical analysis, survey analysis, system-structure analysis, classification and categorizing operations, deductive reasoning, abstraction, dialectical inquiry, modelling, synthesis and analysis of relevant data.

A Retrospective Analysis of Admission Trends and Outcomes in a Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Center in Costa Rica.

The evaluation of data regarding rehabilitation practices provides reference values for comparison purposes among different rehabilitation centers to critically review protocols and efficiently improve each center. The aim of the present work was to present the main causes of admission to Rescate Wildlife Rescue Center for each taxonomic group, to determine the admission factors that influenced the release and mortality, and to determine the predictive factors of release and mortality of wildlife. To this end, a retrospective study was carried out based on 5785 admissions registered in the database of Rescate Wildlife Rescue Center in Costa Rica in 2020 and 2021. Statistical analysis consisted of sample characterization via the analysis of several categorical variables: species, order, class, age group, cause of admission, outcome, clinical classification and days in the hospital, and respective association with the mortality or release rate. Most of the rescue animals were birds (59.3%), then mammals (20.7%), reptiles (17.4%), and finally 'others' (2.6%). The main causes of admission were 'captivity' (34.9%), 'found' (23.3%), and 'trauma' (19.3%). Animals rescued due to 'captivity' and the classes 'birds' and 'reptiles' had the highest release rates. The causes of admission 'trauma' and 'orphanhood' and the class 'birds' had the highest mortality rates. In general, a greater number of days spent in the hospital and membership in the classes 'reptiles', 'juveniles', in need of 'basic care', or 'clinically healthy' were predictors of survival. In contrast, the age groups 'infant' and 'nestling' were predictors of mortality. These results demonstrate the value of maintaining, improving, and studying databases from wildlife rehabilitation centers, as they can provide useful information that can be used to enhance the allocation of economic resources, treatment methods, disease surveillance, public education, and regulatory decision-making, leading to a better understanding of threats to wildlife and subsequent implementation of conservation actions.

OP44 Exploring The Disconnect In Relevant Outcomes For Health Technology Assessment-Related Economic Evaluation Relative To Care Commissioning: Implications For Resource Allocation

IntroductionOutcome-based commissioning – a set of arrangements to define and pay for a service based on pre-agreed outcomes – has been operationalized in some regional care settings (e.g., adult social care). However, it remains largely aspirational due to operational considerations and challenges. Outcomes-based commissioning shares a common goal with economic evaluation alongside health technology appraisal (HTA): to achieve value for money for outcomes from a finite budget.MethodsWe explored the considerations, implications, and challenges regarding the practical role of relevant outcomes in economic evaluation, relative to care commissioning, using England as a case study. Our exploration bridges a gap between economic evaluation evidence and practical resource allocation decision-making, focusing on conceptual (e.g., what are ‘relevant’ outcomes), practical considerations (e.g., quantifying and using relevant endpoints or surrogate outcomes alongside costs), and pertinent issues when linking these to commissioning based payment mechanisms.ResultsFirstly, there is a disconnect between existing economic evaluation approaches and commissioning processes. For example, using a single quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) maximum and limited consideration of affordability relative to cost effectiveness. Secondly, service-focused outcomes (e.g., seeing a specialist team) rather than person-focused outcomes (e.g., QALYs) are often desirable from a practical commissioning and service provider perspective as they make it easier to measure key performance indicators. Thirdly, both person- and service-focused payment structures could lead to market inefficiencies when activity is focused on only people for whom a prespecified outcome can be achieved or service delivered; these approaches require additional efficiency-equity tradeoff considerations (e.g., using distributional cost-effectiveness analyses).ConclusionsWe highlight payment structures as a major and complex consideration for commissioning, for which economic evaluation provides little to no consideration. Service-related outcomes and payments can be used as surrogate outcomes within economic modeling frameworks, while monitoring and evaluation can still be based on economic outcomes (e.g., QALYs and aggregated costs). Accounting for and explaining direct links from payment structures to economic outcomes is a major step to bridging a gap between economic evaluation evidence and practical resource allocation.

Demographic characterization and pattern of injury in patients with ocular trauma at the San Ignacio University Hospital in Bogotá, Colombia, during the period 2017–2021

Abstract Introduction: Ocular trauma is an important and preventable cause of decreased vision or blindness. There are just a few studies in Colombia describing the prevalence of ocular trauma in the country. The characterization of these events may lead to the development of preventive strategies, effective treatment, and efficient allocation of economic resources. Methods: Descriptive, retrospective, cross-sectional observational study. Results: Data from 1.373 patients who were evaluated by an ophthalmologist at the Hospital Universitario San Ignacio in Bogotá, Colombia, were collected. Most of the patients were men with a mean age of 36 years. The most prevalent context of trauma was domestic injuries; and the most frequent mechanism was blunt trauma with a classification of 5 on the ocular trauma score. Discussion: The collected data showed similar results compared to the literature. The prevalence of ocular trauma is higher in men in all the scenarios. On the other hand, it is of extreme concern the lack of consciousness as to why use of ocular protection is key.

The Italian experience with the use of monitoring registers attached to negotiated agreements (MEAs) of the Italian Medicines Agency is a tool for governance and clinical appropriateness

The use of monitoring registers with annexed negotiation agreements (MEAs) of the Italian Medicines Agency (AIFA) are the pillar of Italian healthcare governance to guarantee the correct allocation of economic healthcare resources. In Italy, an analysis was conducted in the context of a local health authority where all negotiation activities were implemented to verify the amount of reimbursements that can be recovered through the use of all available procedures on the monitoring registers. The purpose of this analysis was to highlight any criticalities which, if not properly addressed by doctors and pharmacists, can lead to considerable financial loss. Correct verification by the hospital pharmacy resulted in an economic recovery of approximately EUR 579,443.40 for the year 2022 and EUR 682,225.30 in the first 9 months of 2023. This analysis is intended to highlight how effective collaboration between doctors and pharmacists can lead to clear economic advantages with an efficient health system to the total benefit of citizens.

Pathways to achieve low-carbon transition in the transportation sector under the constraints of carbon peak and carbon neutrality targets: A comprehensive analysis of intra- and extra-industry factors

Carbon emission mechanisms in the transportation sector are complex due to a linkage of intra- and extra-industry factors. The decomposition techniques of emission reduction factors are more inclined to analyze conventional factors and need to pay more attention to non-conventional factors. This paper proposes a new analysis framework and builds the LMDI@1 model based on the general analysis theory of index decomposition. In this direction, we calculate China's transportation carbon emissions (TCE) from 2005 to 2020 through direct and indirect sources. Within this model, extra-industry factors are linked into the system to analyze more clearly the degree of factors' contribution to TCE changes in China's regional perspective and clarify potential factors' interaction patterns. We find that factors' contribution has temporal and regional differences. Intra-industry and extra-industry factors form four closed-loop carbon reduction paths at economic development, resource allocation, industrial structure, and resource endowment levels. Therefore, the low-carbon transition policy of China's transportation sector should consider the interaction between external policies and the endogenous environment.

Community assessment of public services and its role in decision-making for local development

This study aims to highlight the perception of residents about public services provided by the local government and residents’ perception of participation in public decision-making for the allocation of economic resources by the local government. The research method in this study is based on the study of literature, analysis, and monitoring carried out by independent institutions and organizations on community participation in local government decision-making (Desk research) and observation through interviewing residents in the area of study for the collection of primary data. The results of this study show the fragility of the approach of community involvement in local government for local planning and development in the study area. The improvement of public services and the active participation of residents in local planning and development is one of the most important objectives of local government reform. Efforts for sustainable development, referring also to the data of this study, should be accompanied by efforts to build and consolidate the community field.

A New Methodology for the Prioritization of Visual Inspections of Bridges and Viaducts

AbstractThe assessment of risk conditions of bridges and viaducts allows management authorities to ensure the safety of the users and the proper allocation of economic resources for maintenance and retrofitting interventions. A common circumstance in practice regards the lack of information as well as the need to update it, causing delays in the risk evaluation and, consequently, in the entire decision‐making process. Especially in the managing of large bridge assets, the retrieval/updating of information can be costly, both in terms of time and economic resources. In this regard, the execution of visual inspections to determine the defect level of bridges and viaducts is the most resource‐intensive operation on the part of the management authorities. In this paper, a new methodology to prioritize visual inspections of bridges according to their risk condition and operating costs is proposed and illustrated with a real case study. A novel aspect of the proposed methodology regards the use of information gain criteria to refine the outcomes from the risk assessment and prioritization process. Finally, the outcomes of the methodology are implemented in a GIS framework to ensure high interoperability and facilitate the construction of intuitive risk maps to assist inspection plans.

Method for prioritising buildings for seismic reinforcement based on prediction of earthquake-induced building collapse and evacuation routes

ABSTRACT Seismic design and seismic reinforcement of buildings are important for reducing seismic damage. Buildings have been prioritised for seismic reinforcement from various perspectives, but approaches considering the reduction in the effective road width after building collapse and the evacuation demand for each road link have not been developed. In this study, the effective road width was calculated by estimating the width of collapsed building debris, and the evacuation demand for each road link was predicted using mobile phone location data. The results indicated that it is possible to extract buildings that require seismic reinforcement most urgently among the buildings vulnerable to earthquakes for efficient post-earthquake evacuation. The proposed method can be used to develop appropriate prioritisation strategies for optimising the use and allocation of available economic resources to minimise future earthquake losses.

Analysis of Public Technology Collaborative Innovation Based on Private Technology: A Tripartite Evolutionary Game Approach

Public technology collaborative innovation serves as an essential driving force to implement the innovation-driven strategy as well as promote national and regional economic sustainable development. Moreover, strengthening the construction of public technology collaborative innovation system is likewise of great significance for strengthening the quality and technology level of enterprises, enhancing their independent innovation capability, and achieving strategic transformation. Particularly, collaborative innovation of public technology in accordance with mature private technology enables the efficient allocation of technological and economic resources. In practice, there are still issues including high innovation costs, insufficient motivation, and low efficiency of innovation. Existing research typically ignores the technical cooperation among multiple parties. An evolutionary game model of public technology collaborative innovation is established in this paper to examine the interaction mechanism among the government, enterprises, and technology owners. For the purpose of analyzing the dynamic evolution of public technology collaborative innovation behavior and its influencing factors, numerical simulation experiments were conducted with meaningful results: (1) Setting the cost and benefit allocation coefficient in a scientific manner contributes to system stability and promotes cooperation among game players. (2) Reasonable government subsidies and penalties can assist in the formation of an active technological innovation between the firm and the technology owner. (3) The pricing method of private technology transfer is a significant factor influencing the evolution process. Besides, the adoption of a technology pricing method on the basis of government interests is conducive to the formation of a stable tripartite win-win situation. The research on collaborative innovation of public technology is further expanded in this paper, offering a reference for the formulation of relevant policies aimed at promoting cooperation in public technology innovation.

Exiting the periphery: Possible pathways towards a socio‐economic and institutional de‐marginalization of places

AbstractWhat are the economic, social and institutional mechanisms that make it possible for peripheral areas to regain centrality? To address this issue, this paper takes stock of the current scientific debate on peripheries. Our reasoning is based on a general assumption according to which simple geographic features do not determine per se socio–spatial divisions. Peripheral areas are not natural. By contrast, they are the outcomes of more or less intentional processes that imply hierarchical and power relationships, unequal allocation of economic resources, and reliance upon relational patterns and social norms. Therefore, it is essential to observe how and whether multidimensional socio‐economic changes occur within peripheral areas, deconstructing their marginality. In this regard, this paper highlights four main endogenous mechanisms upon which a de‐marginalization process may rely: (1) transformation in the features of the local institutional make‐up; (2) emergence of collective actions and ‘self‐governance’ processes at the local level; (3) renovation of elite groups; and (4) establishing economic renewal and innovation.

Contextual influences on deliberate self-harm among Chinese university undergraduates: A representative nationwide study

BackgroundNumerous studies have identified factors associated with deliberate self-harm (DSH), but environmental influences have largely been neglected. This study explored regional and university contextual factors that impact DSH among undergraduate students in China. MethodsSubjects in this observational cross-sectional study totaled 5016 undergraduate students, who were identified through multistage survey sampling in 22 Chinese universities. Individual-level data were obtained through a self-administered questionnaire, and environmental variables were extracted from the National Bureau of Statistics database. Multilevel logistic regression models were used to examine regional correlates of DSH. ResultsThe overall prevalence of self-reported DSH in the study sample was 7.5 % (95 % CI: 4.1 %, 10.9 %). The full multilevel logistic model showed university rank and city size were inversely associated with DSH prevalence (Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR): 0.24 and 0.55). Regional unemployment rates were positively associated with DSH prevalence (AOR: 1.98, 95 % CI: 1.48, 2.65). DiscussionContextual disparities appear to contribute to DSH among Chinese undergraduates. Preventive initiatives must focus on redressing imbalances in the allocation of social and economic resources across universities and regions.

Public Services, Community, and Its Involvement in Decision-Making for Local Development

Nowadays, the comprehensive approach to the decision-making of local government and the community is increasingly emphasized as an important factor without which there can be no sustainable development. Community participation in decision-making for the allocation of economic resources in the public sector is an important issue that is closely related to the economic efficiency of the use of resources and the consolidation of democracy in a country. Community participation in decision-making, as one of the essential elements of sustainable development, creates appropriate interaction and makes residents self-direct their behavior in accordance with the objectives of sustainable development. The objectives of the study aim to highlight: 1) the important role of the community in public decision-making for the use of economic resources 2) solving problems begins with the participation of residents in local government decision-making, 3) residents' perception of public services provided by the government local, 4) residents' perception of participation in public decision-making for the allocation of economic resources by the local government. The research method in this study is based on the literature study, analysis, and monitoring carried out by independent institutions and organizations on community participation in local government decision-making and on the qualitative technique for collecting primary data through interviewing residents in the study area. The results of the data analysis show that most of the interviewed residents do not know the development plans of their settlement. But the communities themselves have already realized that their participation in the planning process for the development of their settlements is necessary. For this reason, the local government and all other actors must create effective mechanisms to ensure the participation of residents in decision-making for local development, making the process more participatory and inclusive.
 
 Received: 10 January 2023 / Accepted: 19 February 2023 / Published: 20 March 2023

Has the development of the digital economy improved green total factor productivity in China?—A study based on data at the provincial level in China

China's economic development has entered a new historical stage, and it is crucial to coordinate the linkage between economic development, resource allocation and environmental protection in this new stage. In view of this, this paper selects the panel data of 30 provinces (municipalities and autonomous regions) in China from 2011 to 2020, and firstly measures the Green Total Factor Productivity (GTFP) by using Slack Based Measure -Malmquist Luenberger method (SBM-ML); Then, the relationship between the development of digital economy and regional GTFP is analyzed by using the two-way fixed effect model and threshold effect; Finally, relevant policy suggestions are put forward. This paper found that: firstly, the development of digital economy significantly improves China's GTFP, and the conclusion still valid after considering a series of robustness tests; Secondly, there are obvious disparities in the development level of digital economy among provinces, and the development level of coastal areas is generally higher than that of inland areas, and according to the sub-regional regression results, the positive effect of digital economy on GTFP has regional heterogeneity, and the development of digital economy in coastal areas has a more significant effect on the enhancement of GTFP, while this effect in inland areas does not pass the significance test; Thirdly, according to the threshold effect test results, there is also a single threshold effect with institutional environment and technological innovation as the threshold variables for the impact of digital economy on GTFP in China.