Country Case Research Articles

The Impact of Institutional Quality and Financial Development on Economic Growth: The Case of Sub-Saharan African Countries

Finansın ve kurumların ekonomik büyüme için katalizör rolü giderek ivme kazanmaktadır. Gelişmekte olan birçok ülkeyi kapsayan Sahra Altı Afrika Ülkeleri, zengin doğal kaynaklara rağmen, gelişmiş ekonomiler seviyesine ulaşamamışlardır. Bu çalışmada ekonomik büyüme, finansal gelişme ve kurumsal kalite arasındaki ilişkiyi değerlendirmek için 2002'den 2019'a kadar 42 Sahra Altı ülkesi eşbütünleşme analizi ile incelenmiştir. Çalışma bulguları, hem finansal gelişmenin hem de kurumsal kalitenin ekonomik büyüme ile eşbütünleşme ilişkisi içinde olduğunu göstermektedir. Ayrıca nedensellik analizi, ekonomik büyümenin finansal gelişmeyi teşvik ettiğini, kurumsal kalitenin ekonomik büyümeyi desteklediğini ve ekonomik büyümenin de finansal gelişmeyi beslediğini ortaya koymuştur.

Effects of weather conditions on endovascular treatment case volume for patients with ischemic stroke

BackgroundWeather conditions have been shown to influence the occurrence of cardiovascular events. We tested the hypothesis that weather parameters may be associated with variations of case volume of endovascular treatment (EVT) for acute ischemic stroke. MethodsIndividual data from the ETIS (Endovascular Treatment in Ischemic Stroke) French national registry were matched to local weather stations. Meteorological parameters (rainfall, humidity, atmospheric pressure, air temperature) were gathered from national online resources. Weather readings and EVT case volumes were annually standardized per weather station and EVT center, and their associations tested with non-parametric univariable and generalized linear statistical models. ResultsBetween 2015 and 2021, 9913 EVT procedures addressed by 135 primary stroke units were matched to weather conditions. The mean daily case volume per center was 0.41 [StDev 0.33], and there was a median of 0.84 procedures daily linked to a weather station [StDev 0.47]. We found lower atmospheric pressure (β estimate -0.04; 95%CI[-0.07;-0.03], p<0.001), higher humidity (β estimate 0.07; 95%CI [0.05;0.09], p<0.001) and lower temperatures (β estimate -0.08; 95%CI[-0.10;-0.06], p<0.001) to be associated with higher standardized EVT daily case volumes. These associations were stable when testing them across strata of binned EVT standardized case volumes. ConclusionsOur study suggests that lower ambient temperature, lower atmospheric pressure, and higher air humidity are associated with significantly more daily EVT cases in a European temperate country. These results may provide insight into both system of care optimization at times of climate change and intracranial LVO pathophysiology. Registration-URLhttps://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03776877

The impact of donor transition on continuity of maternal and newborn health service delivery in Rwenzori sub-region of Uganda: a qualitative country case study analysis

BackgroundThe transition of donor-supported health programmes to country ownership is gaining increasing attention due to reduced development assistance for health globally. It is further accelerated by the ineligibility of previously Low-Income Countries’ elevation into Middle-income status. Despite the increased attention, little is known about the long-term impact of this transition on the continuity of maternal and child health service provision. Hence, we conducted this study to explore the impact of donor transition on the continuity of maternal and newborn health service provision at the sub-national level in Uganda between 2012 and 2021.MethodsWe conducted a qualitative case study of the Rwenzori sub-region in mid-western Uganda which benefited from a USAID project to reduce maternal and newborn deaths between 2012 and 2016. We purposively sampled three districts. Data were collected between January and May 2022 among subnational key informants (n = 26), national level key informants at the Ministry of Health [3], national level donor representatives [3] and subnational level donor representatives [4] giving a total of 36 respondents. Thematic analysis was deductively conducted with findings structured along the WHO’s health systems building blocks (Governance, Human resources for health, Health financing, Health information systems, medical products, Vaccines and Technologies and service delivery) framework.ResultsOverall, continuity of maternal and newborn health service provision was to a greater extent maintained post-donor support. The process was characterised by a phased implementation approach. The embedded learning offered the opportunity to plough back lessons into intervention modification which reflected contextual adaptation. The availability of successor grants from other donors (such as Belgian ENABEL), counterpart funding from the government to bridge the gaps left behind, absorption of USAID-project salaried workforce (such as midwives) onto the public sector payroll, harmonisation of salary structures, the continued use of infrastructure (such as newborn intensive care units), and support for MCH services under PEPFAR support post-transition contributed to the maintenance of coverage. The demand creation for MCH services pre-transition ensured patient demand post-transition. Challenges to the maintenance of coverage were drug stockouts and sustainability of the private sector component among others.ConclusionA general perception of the continuity of maternal and newborn health service provision post-donor transition was observed with internal (government counterpart funding) and external enablers (successor donor funding) contributing to this performance. Opportunities for the continuity of maternal and newborn service delivery performance post-transition exist when harnessed well within the prevailing context. The ability to learn and adapt, the presence of government counterpart funding and commitment to carry on with implementation were major ingredients signalling a crucial role of government in the continuity of service provision post-transition.

Malaria diagnosis using a combined system of a simple and fast extraction method with a lyophilised Dual-LAMP assay in a non-endemic setting

ABSTRACT Malaria is a parasitic disease distributed in tropical areas but with a high number of imported cases in non-endemic countries. The most specific and sensitive malaria diagnostic methods are PCR and LAMP. However, both require specific equipment, extraction procedures and a cold chain. This study aims to solve some limitations of LAMP method with the optimization and validation of six LAMP assays, genus and species-specific, using an easy and fast extraction method, the incorporation of a reaction control assay, two ways (Dual) of result reading and reagent lyophilization. The Dual-LAMP assays were validated against the Nested-Multiplex Malaria PCR. A conventional column and saline extraction methods, and the use of lyophilized reaction tubes were also assessed. A new reaction control Dual-LAMP-RC assay was designed. Dual-LAMP-Pspp assay showed no cross-reactivity with other parasites, repeatability and reproducibility of 100%, a significant correlation between parasite concentration and time to amplification and a LoD of 1.22 parasites/µl and 5.82 parasites/µl using column and saline extraction methods, respectively. Sensitivity and specificity of the six Dual-LAMP assays reach values of 100% or close to this, being lower for the Dual-LAMP-Pm. The Dual-LAMP-RC assay worked as expected. Lyophilized Dual-LAMP results were concordant with the reference method. Dual-LAMP malaria assays with the addition of a new reaction control LAMP assay and the use of a fast and easy saline extraction method, provided low limit of detection, no cross-reactivity, and good sensitivity and specificity. Furthermore, the reagent lyophilization and the dual result reading allow their use in most settings.

The Incidence of Lyme Borreliosis Among Children.

First recognized in children in the United States, Lyme borreliosis (LB) is the most prevalent tickborne illness in North America and Europe. However, the incidence of LB in children, including geographic variation and difference from that in adults, is incompletely described. We compiled surveillance data from public health agency websites reporting age-stratified LB case data, which was combined with census data to derive incidence estimates. Additional incidence estimates were obtained through a systematic literature review. We identified 18 surveillance systems and 15 published studies for derivation of LB incidence in children. National incidence of >10 cases in children per 100,000 per year were estimated for the United States and parts of Eastern, Western and Northern Europe. However, there was substantial variation in incidence among countries in some European regions. National incidence estimates from the literature largely aligned with estimates from surveillance. Surveillance-reported pediatric incidence was lower than adult incidence in adults in 8 countries, similar to adult incidence in 3 countries, and higher than adult incidence in 1 country. Among all pediatric age strata, the 5-9 years of age stratum had the highest proportion of pediatric cases in most countries. As pediatric LB represents a substantial proportion of overall LB incidence across countries in Europe and North America, LB prevention and control efforts should target pediatric as well as adult populations. However, better data are needed to fully characterize the difference in incidence across geographic regions.

A maturity level assessment of the use of technology by internal audit functions: a comparative analysis of the Federal Government of Canada

This work presents the results of the empirical study conducted on internal audit (IA) functions in the Federal Government of Canada (after this Federal Government) to measure generalized audit software (GAS) use practices. The study empirically gauged the function maturity of the Federal Government Internal Audit. It sought to provide information on the current state and usage of GAS and the future needs of audit functions across the federal government. The current maturity assessment (2022) is phase two; phase one (2017) was completed five years ago. This work enables us to see if progress has been made in data analytics and provides valuable information on where to focus efforts to achieve best practices. People, processes and technology form the foundation of effective internal auditing. It is essential to continue assessing progress in these areas. This paper focuses on these three aspects, which contribute equally to the overall assessment of the maturity of GAS use by internal auditors in the Federal Government. The comparison drawn from the empirical findings indicates that there has not been significant progress in any area or overall maturity levels since the initial study in 2017. A comprehensive discussion of the results leads to policy recommendations for shaping the maturity-level assessment of future GAS use. At the same time, by considering Canada as an advanced country case study, the research aims to provide a lessons-learned experience from an organizational learning perspective for other countries and organizations while contributing to decision-making processes.

Do trade openness and governance matter for economic growth in Africa? A case of EAC and WAEMU countries

Do trade openness and governance matter for economic growth in Africa? A case of EAC and WAEMU countries

The Efficacy of Herbs as Complementary and Alternative Therapy in Recovery and Clinical Outcome Among People with COVID-19: A Systematic Review, Meta-Analysis, and Meta-Regression.

The COVID-19 pandemic continues, and this condition has caused many cases in various countries around the world, resulting in more than 6 million deaths worldwide. Herbal medicines can act as immunomodulators, anti-inflammatories, antioxidants, antimicrobials, and others depending on the type and content of the herbs used. Previous studies have shown that several types of herbs, such as Echinacea purpurea, Curcumin or Turmeric, Nigella sativa, and Zingiber officinale, have proven their effectiveness as herbal plants for COVID-19. We conducted a comprehensive literature search through five databases, namely, PubMed, Scopus, Embase, Wiley, and ProQuest to assess the efficacy of phytopharmaceuticals until July 12, 2022. We used the Cochrane RoB 2.0 for the quality assessment of the study. Phytopharmaceuticals significantly improved patients' recovery rate (OR = 3.54; p < 0.00001) and reduced deaths (OR = 0.24; p < 0.0001) compared to the control group. Phytopharmaceuticals also performed as a protective factor for COVID-19 clinical symptoms, such as dyspnea (OR = 0.42; p < 0.05) and myalgia (OR = 0.31; p = 0.02) compared to the control group. However, there is no statistically significant effect on cough (OR = 0.76; p = 0.61) and fever (OR = 0.60; p < 0.20). The results were not affected by patients' covariates [hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and cardiovascular diseases (meta-regression p > 0.05)]. Herbal medicine has the potential as an adjuvant therapy in the management of COVID-19.

Pro-Poor Growth: Concept, Challenges, and Policy Implications in Global Economic Development

This paper explores the concept of pro-poor growth (PPG) in the context of global economic development. It examines the shift in development goals from solely focusing on economic growth to considering the well-being of the poor. The paper highlights the complex relationship between growth, poverty reduction, and inequality, emphasizing the need for both poverty reduction and equitable distribution of benefits. The emerging consensus acknowledges that “growth alone is a rather blunt tool for poverty reduction,” leading to the concept of PPG. However, there is no consistent definition of PPG, with various interpretations and measurement approaches offered by different studies. This paper aims to provide an overview of the concept, discussing definitions, key concepts, and policy implications. Through a review of the existing literature, it addresses the research questions regarding the definition of PPG and how to promote it through appropriate policies. The paper concludes by offering policy recommendations based on empirical evidence from country cases. The findings contribute to the understanding of PPG and its implications for inclusive and sustainable development.

THE QUALIFICATIONS OF MEDIATORS IN CIVIL MATTERS, INCLUDING EMPLOYMENT DISPUTES, IN POLAND AND ROMANIA

Mediation is increasingly being promoted as an effective means of dispute resolution within the European Union, especially in civil cases. However, in member states that lack a strong tradition of mediation, such as Poland and Romania, mediation has developed more slowly than expected. The authors argue that one reason for this may be the lack of qualified mediators for civil and employment cases in both countries. In this paper, they contend that legislators should enact higher qualification standards, including requiring specialized knowledge and ensuring that mediator certification is not outsourced to private mediation organizations with low quality training programs.&#x0D;

한국과 주요국의 웰다잉(Well-dying) 지원정책의 현황과 시사점

This study examines the recent trends in major countries through overseas case studies related to well-dying support policies and hospice/palliative care service systems in major countries, and draws implications through comparative analysis with Korea to suggest necessary improvement measures and policy recommendations. As a result of overseas case studies, major countries are promoting the provision of services centered on regional comprehensive systems and home care centered on regional base hospitals to improve the quality of death of members of society and support well-dying. In addition, a system was established to connect facilities related to well-dying support and provide diversified services, as well as provide an interconnection network for hospice and palliative care services. On the other hand, in Korea, the scope of death proposed by the legal and institutional foundation is still very narrow, and death is regarded as an event rather than a continuum of life, and the minimum legal and institutional foundation required for this is established. Therefore, we also need to gradually expand the legal and institutional foundation so that well-dying and preparation for a good death, which are closely related to the rapid progress of aging, can be realized. Above all, it is a limitation that the area of well-dying service that the domestic system is currently interested in is narrow, and policy interest in the psychological and social areas is still lacking, so it is possible to comfortably discuss death as an element of life rather than avoiding death. It is also necessary to create a positive social atmosphere, strengthen services for the remaining family members, and prepare a policy foundation. To realize this, it is necessary to make policy efforts to gradually overcome the narrowness of current interests and areas in a larger framework. In addition, there is a need to improve the system so that more diversified and comprehensive well-dying support can be achieved by developing it to suit our situation by referring to the cases of major countries.

Employment rate and economic growth: The case of transition countries

This paper investigates the effects of the employment rate on economic growth during the transition process. We start with the mainstream growth econometrics approach that controls for convergence and, in order to control for heterogeneity of countries in our sample, we control our estimates for transition-specific indicators such as initial conditions (pre-transition history), governance quality, privatisation methods as well as various indicators of institutional development. We use a wide range of model specifications using fixed effects as well as Bayesian averaging to address the problem of model uncertainty in 24 countries during the 1995-2019 period. Contrary to the neoclassical growth model assumptions, we find that the employment rate is one of the most important growth factors even after three decades. Results also indicate that convergence (initial level of development) robustly explains a part of cross-country growth rate differentials, while the effects of the initial conditions (pre-transition history) are robust, but fade out after the first decade. We do not find evidence that physical capital and population growth explain the growth in our sample.

Unveiling the spillover effects of democracy and renewable energy consumption on the environmental quality of BRICS countries: A new insight from different quantile regression approaches

This research explores the nexus of economic expansion, population, use of renewable energy, democracy, and the combined effect of democracy and GDP on carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in the BRICS countries. We apply an extended STIRPAT model, including the variables of democracy and democracy with GDP, to examine the case of the BRICS countries between 1990 and 2019. Quantile regression methods (Simultaneous, Powell, and MM-QR) are applied together with the Dynamic OLS (DOLS), Fully modified OLS (FMOLS), and CCR. The results indicate that economic size (GDP) and population are linked to increasing levels of CO2. Whereas increased use of renewable sources of energy can help reduce environmental degradation. Similarly, an interaction between good democracy and economic growth is helpful for a sustainable environment. The Dumitrescu and Hurlin panel causality test highlights a bidirectional causal link between GDP, Democracy, and Population with CO2, but only a unidirectional causal relationship between renewable energy and CO2. Policymakers in the BRICS countries need to consider:1) pro-growth economic policies along with better democratic practices, 2) higher promotion of renewable energy resources, and 3) improving living standards for the population to achieve higher environmental quality.

Sourcing and Bias in the Study of Coups: Lessons from the Middle East

Abstract The last two decades have seen an increased focus on reporting bias in large-N datasets. Research on coups d’etat has similarly increased given the availability of coup datasets. This essay argues that while the availability of such data has pushed scholarship forward, the data collection process behind these efforts remains plagued with limitations common to event datasets. Rather than building on what previous projects have accomplished, researchers have invariably developed “new” datasets that suffer from the same problems as earlier efforts. Specifically, we point to reliance on international news sources such as The New York Time and Keesing’s Record of World Events - without the adequate consultation of regional sources and expertise - as a source of concern. We explore this issue by assessing the coverage of coup events from three country cases from the post-colonial Middle East: Syria, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia. Our findings show that while existing data on successful and failed coups are largely adequate, scholars interested in coup plots and rumors will require a wider breadth of source material to identify such cases.

An investigation of the performance of parametric functional forms for the Lorenz curve.

Given that an excellent performance of any parametric functional form for the Lorenz curve that is based on a single country case study and a limited range of distribution must be treated with great caution, this study investigates the performance of a single-parameter functional form proposed by Paul and Shankar (2020) who use income data of Australia to show that their functional form is superior to the other existing widely used functional forms considered in their study. By using both mathematical proof and empirical data of 40 countries around the world, this study demonstrates that Paul and Shankar (2020)'s functional form not only fails to fit the actual observations well but also is generally outperformed by the other popular functional forms considered in their study. Moreover, to overcome the limitation of the performance of a single-parameter functional form on the criterion of the estimated Gini index, this study employs a functional form that has more than one parameter in order to show that, by and large, it performs better than all popular single-parameter functional forms considered in Paul and Shankar (2020)'s study. Thus, before applying any functional form to estimate the Lorenz curve, policymakers should check if it could describe the shape of income distributions of different countries through the changes in parameter values and yield the values of the estimated Gini index that are close to their observed data. Using a functional form that does not fit the actual observations could adversely affect inequality measures and income distribution policies.

The impact of decentralisation on health systems in fragile and post-conflict countries: a narrative synthesis of six case studies in the Indo-Pacific

A health system has three key stakeholders, the State—at national and subnational levels—the health service providers and the citizens. In most settings and especially in peacetime, these stakeholders are typically well-defined. In contrast, during conflict and crisis as well as during ceasefire and post-conflict peacebuilding, stakeholders in the health system are often more diverse and contested. Health systems in such settings tend to be more decentralised, de facto—often in addition to de jure decentralisation. Despite much debate on the potential benefits of decentralisation, assessing its impact on health system performance remains difficult and its effect is open to dispute in the literature. This narrative synthesis aims to support efforts to assess and make sense of how decentralisation impacts health system performance in fragile and post-conflict countries—by synthesising evidence on the impact of decentralisation on health system performance from six country case studies: Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Indonesia, Pakistan, Myanmar and Nepal. The impact of decentralisation on health system performance is optimised when combining centralisation (e.g., the benefits of central coordination in improving efficiency) with decentralisation (e.g., the benefits of local decision making in improving equity and resilience). The findings may inform efforts to think through what to centralise or decentralise, the impacts of those choices, and how the impact may change over time as countries go through and emerge from conflict—and as they go through and recover from the Covid-19 pandemic and prepare for future pandemics.

Assessing the Sustainability of the Consumption of Agricultural Products with Regard to a Possible Reduction in Its Imports: The Case of Countries That Import Corn and Wheat

The main goal of this study is to develop and apply a toolkit for assessing the sustainability level of countries that import certain types of agricultural products with regard to a possible reduction in the volume of such imports. An indicator was proposed for evaluating sustainability. A model of its decomposition was built, which made it possible to reveal the hierarchy of factors of the formation of the specified sustainability. The concept of sustainable growth in consuming a certain agricultural product by a group of importing countries was developed. In particular, such growth conditions were formalized. Approbation of the formed methodological principles was carried out on two groups of countries that import corn and wheat. In particular, it was established that an increase in the relative vulnerability level of countries to a reduction in imported food supplies is negatively correlated with an increase in the relative level of adaptation of countries to such a reduction. It was also found that as of 1 January 2023, the resistance level of the studied countries to a reduction in corn and wheat imports has significantly decreased. Proposals are developed to increase the resilience level of food-importing countries to possible disruptions in their import supplies.

The COVID-19 Pandemic and the Return of Indonesian Migrant Workers

This study aims to describe the COVID-19 cases in the host countries and the home provinces of Indonesian migrant workers (IMWs), and to explore the process of returning home for the IMWs during the first six months of COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia. The study employed secondary data mainly published by the Indonesian government and the news media. The data were analysed descriptively and exploratively. The study reveals that the potential returnees were from the host countries that had a number of COVID-19 cases which was not necessarily lower than Indonesia. Some provinces in Java had a large number of potential returning migrant workers as well as a number of COVID-19 cases. The IMWs returned home both legally and illegally while the COVID-19 cases were dominated by the local cases.

Taming the real estate boom in the EU: Pathways to macroprudential (in)action

AbstractIn the fallout of the 2008 crisis, macroprudential policy has been installed as the policy remedy against future financial instability, a primary focus being developments in the real estate sector. With house prices consistently rising in the EU since 2014, causing alarm among macroprudential supervisory bodies, a core question of EU regulatory governance is how far macroprudential bodies have been capable of bringing about countercyclical actions against the build‐up of such vulnerabilities. This paper investigates this question using a novel dataset of macroprudential intensity coded for the 17 EU countries that experienced real estate vulnerabilities post‐euro crisis. Specifically, it asks which configuration of conditions account for the (in)capacity of countries to impose stringent countercyclical regulations against housing booms? Using fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis technics coupled with qualitative analysis of country cases using expert interviews, we find that the absence of political salience of homeownership and the political independence of macroprudential authorities to be crucial conditions that jointly explain countercyclical macroprudential activity. These findings, which show two pathways to action have implications for the capacity of the EU to prevent future crises and future reform of the EU prudential framework.

Inequality of Opportunity in Education: the Visegrad Countries Case

In the run-up to launching the «Next Generation EU» large-scale recovery plan aimed at overcoming the Covid-19 pandemic consequences it becomes important to analyse the pre-Covid development problems, including those in the field of education. The purpose of this work is to study the dynamics of inequality in educational achievements and opportunities in the Visegrad Group countries based on the PISA data from 2003–2018 period. The results obtained by our research team suggest that Hungary has the highest level of inequality of opportunity among the Visegrad Group countries, followed by Slovakia. Meanwhile, individual factors contributing to the overall level of inequality of opportunity have both features common to all countries and unique features.