Country-level Differences Research Articles

Ancestral Kinship and the Origins of Ideology

AbstractFamilies are not only the first institution ever created, they are also, for most people, the first institution ever encountered. The preindustrial family structure, which was a function of local ecology and cooperation needs, instilled family members with different values, such as trust in strangers and respect for elders. These values passed through generations and, as we show in three studies, impact today's political attitudes and policies. First, using surveys of second-generation immigrants representing roughly 180 ethnicities living in 32 European countries, we show that the tighter kinship structure of a person's ancestors predicts right-wing cultural attitudes. Among those who are less engaged in politics, tighter ancestral kinship structure also predicts left-wing economic attitudes. In a second study, we control for country-level differences by comparing ethnic groups within countries and find that ancestral kinship strength predicts right-wing cultural attitudes but not left-wing economic attitudes. Finally, in a third study, we examine the policy implications of ancestral kinship. We show that stronger country-level ancestral kinship strength also increases anti-LGBT policies and welfare spending. Finally, we examine whether value systems link preindustrial kinship with modern political attitudes. In total, this work indicates that our political beliefs are rooted in the value systems and familial institutions created by our forebears.

Transport endowment, knowledge spillovers and firm performance in emerging economies

This work explores the link between firm performance in emerging economies and transport infrastructure endowment, as a key element of the entrepreneurial ecosystem. We ground on the idea that transport infrastructures, by enabling connectivity, interactions and the exchange of knowledge and ideas, have the potential to enhance commercial opportunity recognition, technological development and, thus, firm economic performance. We also emphasize the crucial role of logistics system performance in providing better linkages between suppliers, firms and customers. The empirical analysis is focused on emerging economies whose infrastructure endowment is lower than those of developed ones; thus, its improvement is likely to be associated with better performance of their firms and economies. The results suggest that part of country-level differences in firm’s labour productivity is explained by transport endowment. Particularly, transport networks, such as roads and railways, and the logistics system and services show strong and positive relationships with productivity, while transport nodes, such as airports and ports, show little or no association. This might occur because networks spread knowledge spillovers in a more capillary way compared to nodes. Overall, the empirical results suggest that policy-makers in emerging economies can sustain the economic performance of firms, with beneficial effects on the economic system, by improving their transport endowment.

Could Country-Level Factors Explain Sex Differences in Dementia Incidence and Prevalence? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Despite rising interest in sex differences in dementia, it is unclear whether sex differences in dementia incidence and prevalence are apparent globally. We examine sex differences in incidence and prevalence of Any dementia, Alzheimer's disease (AD), and vascular dementia (VaD), and evaluate whether country-level indicators of gender inequality account for differences. Systematic review with meta-analysis was used to obtain estimates of incidence and prevalence of Any dementia, AD, and VaD using random effects meta-analysis, and population-based studies with clinical or validated dementia measures. Meta-regression was used to evaluate how country-specific factors of life expectancy, education, and gender differences in development, unemployment, and inequality indices influenced estimates. We identified 205 eligible studies from 8,731 articles, representing 998,187 participants across 43 countries. There were no sex differences in the incidence of Any dementia, AD, or VaD, except in the 90+ age group (women higher). When examined by 5-year age bands, the only sex difference in prevalence of Any dementia was in the 85+ group and there was no sex difference in VaD. AD was more prevalent in women at most ages. Globally, the overall prevalence of dementia in adults 65 + was higher for women (80.22/1000, 95% CI 62.83-97.61) than men (54.86/1000, 95% CI 43.55-66.17). Meta-regression revealed that sex differences in Any dementia prevalence were associated with gender differences in life expectancy and in education. Globally, there are no sex differences in age-specific dementia incidence, but prevalence of AD is higher in women. Country-level factors like life expectancy and gender differences in education may explain variability in sex differences.

Comparing COVID-19 vaccine passports attitudes across countries by analysing Reddit comments

Topic mining and sentiment polarity analysis together can adequately represent the topics and attitudes of users. The goal of this article is to use Reddit’s location-based subreddits to look at country-level differences in attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccine passports. We used sentiment analysis and latent topic modelling on textual data obtained from 18 Reddit communities concentrating on COVID-19 vaccine passports from 1 January 2021 to 28 February 2022 to study COVID-19 vaccine passports–related discussion on Reddit. To discover changes in sentiment and latent topics, 11,168 comments were aggregated and examined by month. The number of comments on postings from country-specific subreddits was positively proportional to the number of new COVID-19 cases reported each day. The more subjective expressions and positive/negative interpretations occurred after July 2021. Communities indicated more positive sentiment than negative sentiment towards vaccine passports–related topics, according to polarity analysis. Topic modelling found that community members were concerned about a variety of concerns related to their socioeconomic status. Throughout the topic modelling, keywords suggesting people’s privacy concerns and acceptance of various COVID-19 control methods were found. The use of public opinion and topic modelling to analyse vaccine passports could help with important global health informatics concerns associated with their socioeconomic status.

Is the Effect of Parenting on Substance Use among Adolescents and Young Adults Context Dependent? Evidence from Ten Countries of Southeastern Europe

Related to some inconsistent evidence in the literature, the current study tested the links between three parenting styles and four measures of substance use in samples of adolescents and young adults from ten, socio-economically diverse countries in Southeastern Europe (N = 10,909, 50.3% males, Mage = 21.70, SD = 4.5); it also tested whether these links were moderated by a measure of social progress. Results indicated that only authoritative parenting style was negatively associated with substance use; both authoritarian and permissive parenting styles were positively associated with substance use. The country-level effect on substance use was modest, yet significant; it explained between 1% and 4% of the total variance. Findings also provided some evidence of a moderation effects by social progress. Exploratory follow-up HLM analyses also provided evidence of significant country level social progress effects on alcohol use, soft drug use, and hard drug use; however, no significant cross-level interactions effects were found. Key study implications include positive effects by both authoritarian and permissive parenting on young adult substance use, but importantly, negative ones by authoritative parenting. Findings have important implications for potential intervention and prevention efforts, in addition to addressing potential country-level differences.

Regional and country-level trends in cervical cancer screening coverage in sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic analysis of population-based surveys (2000-2020).

Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) has the highest cervical cancer (CC) burden globally-worsened by its HIV epidemics. In 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) introduced a CC elimination strategy with goals for vaccination, screening, and treatment. To benchmark progress, we examined temporal trends in screening coverage, percent screened at least twice by the age of 45, screening coverage among women living with HIV (WLHIV), and pre-cancer treatment coverage in SSA. We conducted a systematic analysis of cross-sectional population-based surveys. It included 52 surveys from 28 countries (2000 to 2020) with information on CC screening among women aged 25 to 49 years (N = 151,338 women). We estimated lifetime and past 3-year screening coverage by age, year, country, and HIV serostatus using a Bayesian multilevel model. Post-stratification and imputations were done to obtain aggregate national, regional, and SSA-level estimates. To measure re-screening by age 45, a life table model was developed. Finally, self-reported pre-cancer treatment coverage was pooled across surveys using a Bayesian meta-analysis. Overall, an estimated 14% (95% credible intervals [95% CrI]: 11% to 21%) of women aged 30 to 49 years had ever been screened for CC in 2020, with important regional and country-level differences. In Eastern and Western/Central Africa, regional screening coverages remained constant from 2000 to 2020 and WLHIV had greater odds of being screened compared to women without HIV. In Southern Africa, however, screening coverages increased and WLHIV had equal odds of screening. Notably this region was found to have higher screening coverage in comparison to other African regions. Rescreening rates were high among women who have already been screened; however, it was estimated that only 12% (95% CrI: 10% to 18%) of women had been screened twice or more by age 45 in 2020. Finally, treatment coverage among 4 countries with data was 84% (95% CrI: 70% to 95%). Limitations of our analyses include the paucity of data on screening modality and the few countries that had multiple surveys. Overall, CC screening coverage remains sub-optimal and did not improve much over the last 2 decades, outside of Southern Africa. Action is needed to increase screening coverage if CC elimination is to be achieved.

Shared Nationality in Social Exchange: A Trust Vignette Experiment in the United States, South Africa, and Switzerland

Empirical research suggests that societies that are diverse as a result of international migration have lower levels of social trust, but little is known about the mechanisms underlying this relationship. The authors test one possible mechanism: that conationality increases interpersonal trust and the willingness to reciprocate trust. As part of large-scale surveys in the United States, South Africa, and Switzerland, respondents were presented with trust vignettes in which information about the nationality of the interaction partner was systematically varied. Despite overall country-level differences in levels of trust and trustworthiness, no in-group bias associated with conationality was found in these types of interactions. This suggests that the negative association between ethnic diversity and social trust cannot be explained by differences in relational trust conditional on sharing the same nationality.

EDUCATION GRADIENTS IN LATER-LIFE COGNITIVE FUNCTION ACROSS LOW-, MIDDLE-, AND HIGH-INCOME COUNTRIES

Abstract Education is positively related to cognitive function. However, educational gradients in cognitive function may vary across older populations with different educational compositions and physical and social environments. We conducted one of the first cross-national comparative studies on educational differences in later-life cognitive function using harmonized data. Multivariable linear regressions were employed to estimate the association between education according to International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) categories and cognitive function for adults ages 60+ from the United States, England, Mexico, South Africa, India, and China. Cross-country differences were tested using fully interacted models. Controlling for demographics and parental education, we found significant educational gradients in cognitive function in low- and middle-income countries; however, in high-income countries, only those with upper secondary education and above had a consistent cognitive advantage over those with primary education. This study suggests substantial country-level differences in cognitive benefits of educational attainment.

The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on community respiratory virus activity.

The emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) caused substantial global morbidity and deaths, leading governments to turn to non-pharmaceutical interventions to slow down the spread of infection and lessen the burden on health care systems. These policies have evolved over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, including after the availability of COVID-19 vaccines, with regional and country-level differences in their ongoing use. The COVID-19 pandemic has been associated with changes in respiratory virus infections worldwide, which have differed between virus types. Reductions in respiratory virus infections, including by influenza virus and respiratory syncytial virus, were most notable at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and continued in varying degrees through subsequent waves of SARS-CoV-2 infections. The decreases in community infection burden have resulted in reduced hospitalizations and deaths associated with non-SARS-CoV-2 respiratory infections. Respiratory virus evolution relies on the maintaining of a diverse genetic pool, but evidence of genetic bottlenecking brought on by case reduction during the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in reduced genetic diversity of some respiratory viruses, including influenza virus. By describing the differences in these changes between viral species across different geographies over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, we may better understand the complex factors involved in community co-circulation of respiratory viruses.

A COMPARISON OF SYNTHETIC DATA GENERATION AND FEDERATED ANALYSIS FOR PERFORMING AN INTERNATIONAL ASSESSMENT OF GENDER EFFECTS ON CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the leading cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide. Whether sex is associated with outcomes in patients with CVD differently across countries remains unknown. Assessing the interaction between sex and psycho-socio-cultural factors (gender) and country requires merging of country specific databases. Privacy concerns are barriers to data access and sharing. Therefore, we assessed the feasibility of pooling data from Canadian and Austrian populations to assess country-level differences in the role of sex, gender in cardiovascular health (CVH) using federated analysis and data synthesis.

Impacts of economic inequality on healthcare worker safety at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic: cross-sectional analysis of a global survey

ObjectivesTo assess the extent to which protection of healthcare workers (HCWs) as COVID-19 emerged was associated with economic inequality among and within countries.DesignCross-sectional analysis of associations of perceptions of workplace...

Explaining public support for demanding activation of the unemployed: The role of subjective risk perceptions and stereotypes about the unemployed

In recent decades, European welfare states have adopted demanding active labour market policies (ALMPs), aimed at increasing labour market participation through imposing stricter work-related obligations and benefit cuts in case of job offer rejection. This article investigates whether support for such demanding ALMPs is driven by risk perceptions of future unemployment and negative stereotypes about unemployed persons. Insights into the role of risk perceptions and stereotypes offer opportunities to gain a better understanding of the impact of structural variables. Drawing on data from the European Social Survey 2016 in 21 European countries, the analysis reveals that higher subjective risk of unemployment decreases support for these ALMPs substantially, whereas negative perceptions of the unemployed increase support. However, these factors play at the individual level only and do not explain country-level differences in support of demanding ALMPs. The notable cross-national variation in support of activation policies is found to be unrelated to economic factors and to the strictness of activation requirements for unemployment benefits.

What Do Cross-Country Surveys Tell Us about Social Capital?

Abstract We assess the predictive power of survey measures of social capital with a new behavioral data set that examines whether citizens report a lost wallet to its owner. Using data from more than 17,000 “lost” wallets across 40 countries, we find that survey measures of social capital—especially questions concerning generalized trust or generalized morality — are strongly and significantly correlated with country-level differences in wallet reporting rates. A second finding is that lost wallet reporting rates predict unique variation in the outputs of social capital, such as economic development and government effectiveness, not captured by existing measures.

Performance of Hybrid Organisations. Challenges and Opportunities for Social and Commercial Enterprises

Growth is a key dimension of organisational performance, and innovativeness has been identified as one of its most important predictors in commercial enterprises. But does this also hold for the growing number of social enterprises and so-called “hybrid” organisations? Whereas neo-institutional accounts emphasise the legitimacy premium and performance benefits that come with hybridity, category signaling approaches stress the downsides and negative performance effects of blurred categories. Introducing the neglected distinction between category hybridity and goal hybridity and adopting a multilevel perspective on hybrid organisations, the present study develops and empirically tests competing for hypotheses with data from the 2009 Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM). Multilevel analysis of 2,606 social and 10,133 commercial enterprises, obtained from 150,721 respondents in 42 countries reveals a significant and positive association between organisation-level innovativeness and growth expectations for both commercial and social enterprises. The effect of organisational innovativeness on growth expectations is stronger positive for social compared to commercial enterprises, and higher levels of goal hybridity increase growth expectations for commercial, but not for social enterprises. No moderating effects of country-level differences were found.

Attitudes towards the death penalty: An assessment of individual and country-level differences

Attitudes towards the death penalty: An assessment of individual and country-level differences

Abstract 080: SEX AND GENDER ASPECTS IN HYPERTENSION PREVALENCE OF CANADIAN AND EUROPEAN POPULATIONS

Introduction: Gendered-psycho-socio-cultural factors have been shown to play a significant role in disease manifestation, control and management of hypertension (HTN), and their relationship varies in males and females. We investigated the role of sex and gender in HTN prevalence and country-level differences in Canadian and European populations. Methods: Data from the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS, 2015-16, N=109,659, Females:56.6%) and the European Health Interview Survey (E-HIS, 2013-2015, N=316,333, females: 51.3%) were analyzed. Primary endpoint was defined as having a diagnosed HTN made by a health professional in the past 12 months. Relationship between gender variables and HTN prevalence and interaction with sex was assessed in a multivariable model. Federated analysis was conducted using the R package and DataShield which allows international data pooling by only exposing aggregated results. Results: The prevalence of HTN was greater in Canada compared with Europe (CCHS: 30.1% vs EHIS: 22.4%, P<0.001). Amongst European countries, Southern (SEU) and Central East (CEU) region had greater prevalence of HTN and more significant sex-differences (greater prevalence in females) compared to Northern (NEU) and Western (WEU) regions. In the multivariable model for assessing the role of gender variables in prevalence of HTN, female sex, older age, greater BMI, married or divorced/widowed status, and lower income were associated with higher risk of HTN, while greater household size, higher level of education, and living in European countries compared to Canada were associated with lower risk. There was a significant interaction between socioeconomic status (income, education) and sex in country stratified analysis. Within European countries, this was more evident in CEU, and SEU compared to NEU and WEU, where women with lower socioeconomic status had greater risk of HTN. There were significant country-level differences with being an immigrant and risk of having HTN. While living in NEU and SEU was associated with lower risk of having HTN, living in CEU was associated with a greater risk. Conclusion: The findings of the study demonstrate the importance of gender related factors and particularly the differences amongst various countries.

Corruption In Health Care Systems: Trends In Informal Payments Across Twenty-Eight EU Countries, 2013-19.

Corruption is a major challenge in health care systems across the European Union (EU), where it manifests most visibly as informal payments from patients to providers. A higher prevalence of informal payments has been associated with lower public health care expenditure. EU member states have experienced significant changes in public health care expenditure throughout the 2000s. Given the lack of research on the topic, we explored trends in informal payments using representative data from twenty-eight EU member states during the period 2013-19 and in relation to changes in public health care expenditure. Overall, we found that informal payments increased in 2019 compared with 2013, whereas the perception of corruption decreased. Although higher public health care expenditure was associated with less corruption, we found a smaller effect size between informal payments and this expenditure throughout the study period. Our results suggest that informal payments may be driven by other factors, although the directionality of this relationship requires further investigation. Moreover, additional public health care investments may be insufficient to confront corruption unless coupled with measures to limit wasteful spending and increase transparency. Policy makers should understand that factors external to health systems, including media coverage and cultural and political factors, should be explored to explain country-level differences in corruption.

Attitudes towards the death penalty: An assessment of individual and country-level differences

Research on public attitudes to the death penalty has been predominantly understood through single nation-states, especially within the USA. Examinations of international differences in citizens’ support for the death penalty have been scarce, particularly among continents with a high volume of retentionist nations (e.g. Asia). In this paper, we draw on a dataset of 135,000 people from across 81 nations to examine differences in death penalty support. We find that residents of retentionist nations are generally more supportive of the death penalty than those from abolitionist nations. But this general difference masks important differences both within and between countries. At the country-level, residents of abolitionist nations with autocratic political systems and those with higher homicide levels were more likely to support the death penalty than residents of other abolitionist nations. At the individual level, greater support for a strong dictatorial-type leader and perceptions of political corruption are associated with increased support for the death penalty, but only in abolitionist nations. By contrast, more frequent religious worship, perceived egalitarianism in a nation, and support for the political performance of government reduced death penalty support in abolitionist nations but increased support in retentionist nations, while belief in individual responsibility and critical views towards ethnic minorities increased support for the death penalty across both abolitionist and retentionist nations.

The Ethnic Origins of Affective Polarization: Statistical Evidence From Cross-National Data

Because the debate over the sources of affective polarization has so far mostly focused on the US case, scholars have rarely considered whether the politicization of ethnic differences—when elections and representative processes happen along ethnic lines—may be associated to affective polarization. Looking at both country-level indicators and aggregating individual-level ones, we show that in countries in which ethnicity is politically relevant, there will be, on average, higher levels of affective polarization. This implies that high levels of affective polarization are more likely to occur in societies in which elections revolve around ethnic differences. We then show that as the share of the population who are members of the “ethnic group in power” increases, there will be, on average, a corresponding fall in affective polarization. Together, these findings reinforce the claim that ideological polarization is not the sole factor of affective polarization (AP), by showing that country-level differences in levels of AP owe, in part, to differences in the degree of ethnicization of politics.

Characteristics of corporate governance and companies’ investment activity

Subject. We consider characteristics of corporate governance and determinants of companies' investments. Objectives. The purpose is to investigate the relationship between corporate governance characteristics and companies’ level of investment activity; to reveal the level of correlation between companies’ investments and selected determinants. Methods. The study draws on statistical analysis of data, econometric analysis of panel data with fixed or random effects. Results. Overall corporate investment activity varies across regions and countries and differs in subgroups formed on the basis of age, gender, or ownership criteria. We identified the key determinants of investments, depending on company’s geographic location and characteristics of corporate governance. The findings confirm that the latter plays a significant role in corporate investment activity. Relevance. This paper contributes to academic literature on investment activity, corporate governance, and other relevant empirical studies on corporate finance. It also discloses problems of geographical and country-level differences of the issue under consideration.