Cross-national Analysis Research Articles

National occupational safety and health systems: Exploring the underlying networks for future sustainable development

Any intervention, initiative, or programme – whether implemented at the local or national level – builds upon existing infrastructure, which, if properly managed, enables sustainable development. Within this perspective, this study examines national Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) systems, specifically a set of European countries, by studying their dynamics through cross-national analyses and investigating their similarities and differences, fostering OSH improvement through new national strategies and possible collaboration between national entities. A secondary data analysis is conducted based on the OSHwiki database of the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA), which has a dedicated section on European national OSH systems. This database makes different countries easily comparable – under one single language and the same degree of granularity – which is not trivial if considering the other available primary sources. For a consistent sample, with a controlled heterogeneity, this study includes eleven European countries. An iterative inductive process of data comparison on national OSH systems is used to establish a suitable framework for data analysis. As a result, a range of fundamental functions and recurring bodies, covering – to different extents – the previously identified functions, constitute the framework, which are the most transversal functions for the selected countries. These findings provide valuable insights into how these functions are carried out differently across countries, detecting potential shareable best practices and improvement directions for the future sustainability of national OSH systems.

The impact of sex/gender-specific funding and editorial policies on biomedical research outcomes: a cross-national analysis (2000–2021)

Reflecting sex and gender characteristics in biomedical research is critical to improving health outcomes and reducing adverse effects from medical treatments. This study investigates the impact of sex/gender-specific funding policies and journal editorial standards on the integration of sex/gender analysis in biomedical research publications. Using data from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and other countries between 2000 and 2021, we assessed how these policies influenced research output in the fields of medicine and life sciences. Our findings show that countries with progressive funding policies and journals promoting sex/gender-based reporting have significantly improved research quality and publication rates. This highlights the importance of coordinated policy efforts and editorial practices in advancing integrated sex/gender research. We recommend continued global efforts from policymakers, funding bodies, and journals to embed sex/gender perspectives in scientific inquiry, ensuring more effective and equitable biomedical advancements.

Progressing "Positive Epidemiology": A Cross-national Analysis of Adolescents' Positive Mental Health and Outcomes During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

"Positive epidemiology" emphasizes strengths and assets that protect the health of populations. Positive mental health refers to a range of social and emotional capabilities that may support adaptation to challenging circumstances. We examine the role of positive mental health in promoting adolescent health during the crisis phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. We used four long-running Australian and UK longitudinal cohorts: Childhood to Adolescence Transition Study (CATS; analyzed N = 809; Australia); Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC) - Baby (analyzed N =1,534) and Kindergarten (analyzed N = 1,300) cohorts; Millennium Cohort Study (MCS; analyzed N = 2,490; United Kingdom). Measures included prepandemic exposure: positive mental health (parent reported, 13-15 years) including regulating emotions, interacting well with peers, and caring for others; and pandemic outcomes: psychological distress, life satisfaction, and sleep and alcohol use outside of recommendations (16-21 years; 2020). We used a two-stage meta-analysis to estimate associations between positive mental health and outcomes across cohorts, accounting for potential confounders. Estimates suggest meaningful effects of positive mental health on psychosocial outcomes during the pandemic, including lower risk of psychological distress (risk ratio [RR] = 0.83, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.71, 0.97) and higher life satisfaction (RR = 1.1, 95% CI = 1.0, 1.2). The estimated effects for health behaviors were smaller in magnitude (sleep: RR = 0.95, 95% CI = 0.86, 1.1; alcohol use: RR = 0.97, 95% CI = 0.85, 1.1). Our results are consistent with the hypothesis that adolescents' positive mental health supports better psychosocial outcomes during challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic, but the relevance for health behaviors is less clear. These findings reinforce the value of extending evidence to include positive health states and assets.

Determinants of sodium intake knowledge and attitude: a cross-national analysis of socio-economic and health factors.

The aim of this study is to conduct a comparative analysis across nations to: (1) identify the determinants influencing knowledge and attitudes related to sodium (Na) intake and (2) to analyse the association between knowledge and attitudes related to Na intake. We utilised a secondary data from a cross-sectional study that was conducted across seven nations. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was utilised to assess the impact of socio-economic and health-related predictors on knowledge and attitudes pertaining to Na intake and further to investigate the relationship between knowledge and attitude. Indonesia, Brazil, Thailand, Japan, France, the UK and the USA. 7090 participants aged 15 years and above were included in the study. SEM analysis showed a strong association between knowledge about Na intake and related attitude across all countries, particularly in the UK (2·65, 95 % CI 1·48-3·82), France (2·62, 1·45-3·79) and the USA (1·97, 1·21-2·73). In Brazil, Japan and France, individuals or family members having certain health conditions such as raised blood pressure, heart diseases, strokes or other diseases exhibited a positive attitude towards reducing Na intake. Conversely, socio-economic factors like education and income demonstrated the complexity of influences on knowledge and attitudes about Na intake. The study underscores the need for tailored public health interventions to reduce excessive Na consumption, considering the diverse cultural, social and economic factors. It highlights the complex determinants of knowledge and attitudes towards Na intake, calling for further research in varied populations.

Forum: Fostering Cooperation in Conflict Research Beyond Borders

In this forum article, we examine the state of the field of Peace and Conflict Studies in providing a platform to incorporate local knowledge to generate global insights. Many scholars in peace and conflict studies have traditionally relied on cross-national empirical analyses to investigate conflict dynamics, which can present opportunities for increased level of collaboration, methodological advancement, and interdisciplinary works. Whereas Western-oriented institutions and approaches serve as the locomotive of the production in the field, the vast majority of their data locates in non-Western contexts with diverse cultural, political, social, linguistic, and economic settings. Hence, the overarching theme of this forum emphasizes the benefits of an empirically-driven, methodologically rigorous research agenda that strongly incorporates local knowledge. We offer a platform to discuss the limits and prospects of Global North- South cooperation, the challenges of gathering dependable data, and the ways to overcome these issues while maintaining academic integrity and deepening our understanding of conflict dynamics. We believe that sustained investment in collaborative partnerships and capacity-building initiatives will be critical for unlocking the full potential of local expertise and insights in advancing knowledge-production and fostering peace and stability in conflict-affected areas.

Responding to COVID-19: an exploration of EU country responses and directions for further research.

During COVID-19, scientists advising policymakers were forced to deal with high uncertainty and risks in an environment of unknowns. Evidence on which policies and measures were effective in responding to the pandemic remains underdeveloped to answer the key question 'what worked and why?'. This study aims to provide a basis for studies to go further to answer this critical question, by starting to look efficacy or how countries ensured that health services remained available and what measures were enacted to protect and treat their populations and workers. We applied a three-phase sequential mixed methods design. In phase one, we started with a qualitative content analysis of the EU Country Profile reports to retrieve and analyse data on COVID-19 responses taken by 29 countries in the European region. Phase two is the step of data transformation, converting qualitative data into numerical codes that can be statistically analysed, which are then used in a quantitative cross-national comparative analysis that comprises phase three. The quantifying process resulted in a numerical indicator to measure the 'response efficacy' of the 29 countries, which is used in phase three's association of the response measure with country performance indicators that were derived from European Centre for Disease Control (ECDC) COVID-19 case and death rate data. Through comparing the frequency of COVID-19 measures taken, we found that many countries in the European region undertook similar actions but with differing effects. The cross-national analysis revealed an expected relationship: a lower COVID-19 response efficacy appeared to be related to a higher case and death rates. Still, marked variation for countries with similar response efficacy indicators was found, signalling that the combination and sequence of implementation of COVID-19 responses is possibly just as important as their efficacy in terms of which response measures were implemented. Many European countries employed similar COVID-19 measures but still had a wide variation in their case and death rates. To unravel the question 'what worked and why?', we suggest directions from which more refined research can be designed that will eventually contribute to mitigate the impact of future pandemics and to be better prepared for their economic and human burden.

HINDERING POLICY CHANGE: Under What Conditions Have Marriage Equality Policies Been Hampered in Latin America?

Since 1993, over a hundred bills have been submitted to National Congresses in Latin America, proposing a shift from restrictive to permissive marriage equality or same sex partnerships regulations. Only five of 19 countries have approved legal changes, and five have done so in courts. Extant research has focused on the explanatory factors of the positive policy changes, but few studies have examined cases of hampered policies. This article aims to identify under what conditions marriage equality, as a moral policy, has stalled in Latin America. It contributes to our understanding of policy non-decisions by offering a cross-national analysis and overcoming the limitations of “mirror” strategies that explain negative cases solely by the absence of factors associated with positive change. It highlights the importance of studying conditions conjunctionally. High levels of religiosity can significantly influence political decisions and may obfuscate religious cleavages, as left-wing parties also engage in moral discourse.

When Elections Wait: A Cross-National Analysis of Election Postponement During the COVID-19 Pandemic

During the first 2 years of the coronavirus pandemic, over 150 countries had scheduled elections, but approximately half of them had to be postponed due to the pandemic. Why were some elections postponed while others were not? Despite its impact on the election calendar and democratic accountability, election postponement has received surprisingly little scholarly attention. In this study, I investigate the conditions under which elections are more likely to be delayed. Utilizing a comprehensive cross-national dataset encompassing election schedules worldwide, COVID-19-related factors, and other societal and institutional characteristics, I provide the first systematic examination of election postponement during the first 2 years of the pandemic. The empirical analysis reveals that national elections are less likely to be postponed compared to second-order elections such as subnational and special elections. Furthermore, it demonstrates that the momentum of the pandemic plays a significant role, and effective pandemic management and robust healthcare infrastructures decrease the likelihood of election postponement. On the other hand, institutional constraints have little impact. By shedding light on the factors driving election postponement, this study enhances our understanding of how crises can shape democratic processes.

Urbanization moderates the transitional linkages between energy resource use, greenhouse gas emissions, socio-economic and human development: Insights from subnational analyses in China

Sustainable energy use and management are key to improving human well-being, while rapid urbanization intersecting with economic development makes it challenging. Extensive cross-national analyses on this topic can inform the global agenda; however, far fewer subnational explorations consider the impact of urbanization in moderating the relationships between energy resource use, greenhouse gas emissions, socio-economic and human development. Therefore, this research analyzed Chinese subnational data from 2000 to 2019 to reveal the dynamic relationship between energy use and objective human well-being and explored how urbanization moderated the transitional linkages from energy use to economic development to human need satisfiers and to human well-being. This research found a diminishing return from energy use (both primary energy extraction and final energy use) to the Human Development Index (HDI) from 2000 to 2019. Moreover, in later years, there was neither a linear correlation nor a log-linear relationship between energy use and HDI at the subnational level. In contrast, HDI was consistently strongly correlated with GDP per capita and household income at the subnational level in China over time. Two distinct energy-GDP pathways, i.e., high energy use-low GDP and low energy use-high GDP, were observed at the subnational level, which explained why the log-linear relationship between HDI and energy use/GHGs diminished over time. Urbanization level had a significant moderating impact on the linkages between human need satisfiers and HDI, as well as life expectancy. Subnational policies should prioritize different human need satisfiers in different urbanization periods.

Tweeting about a revolution? A cross-national analysis of tweets on climate change during the rise of “Fridays for Future”

Tweeting about a revolution? A cross-national analysis of tweets on climate change during the rise of “Fridays for Future”

Cross-National Analysis of Opioid Prescribing Patterns: Enhancements and Insights from the OralOpioids R Package in Canada and the United States

Background: The opioid crisis remains a significant public health challenge in North America, highlighted by the substantial need for tools to analyze and understand opioid potency and prescription patterns. Methods: The OralOpioids package automates the retrieval, processing, and analysis of opioid data from Health Canada’s Drug Product Database (DPD) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) National Drug Code (NDC) database. It includes functions such as load_Opioid_Table, which integrates country-specific data processing and Morphine Equivalent Dose (MED) calculations, providing a comprehensive dataset for analysis. The package facilitates a comprehensive examination of opioid prescriptions, allowing researchers to identify high-risk opioids and patterns that could inform policy and healthcare practices. Results: The integration of MED calculations with Canadian and U.S. data provides a robust tool for assessing opioid potency and prescribing practices. The OralOpioids R package is an essential tool for public health researchers, enabling a detailed analysis of North American opioid prescriptions. Conclusions: By providing easy access to opioid potency data and supporting cross-national studies, the package plays a critical role in addressing the opioid crisis. It suggests a model for similar tools that could be adapted for global use, enhancing our capacity to manage and mitigate opioid misuse effectively.

Methodological Reflections on Studying Gender‐Sensitive Parliaments Cross‐Nationally: A “Most Significant Change” Approach

Whilst cross-national comparative analyses provide distinct opportunities for the study of gender-sensitive parliaments, the inherent challenge in conducting comparisons necessitates a continued search for innovative methods. This article responds to this need by proposing the “most significant change” (MSC) approach (Davies & Dart, 2005), which centres on collecting and analysing “stories of significant change.” Drawing on our own application of MSC in an international study commissioned by INTER PARES, we show that MSC’s bottom-up, inductive, and participatory approach proved valuable in uncovering hitherto unknown instances of gender-sensitive changes across countries, illuminating the broader impact of such changes beyond parliaments and incorporating practitioners’ perspectives. The flexibility of MSC also enabled context-specific applications, which we illustrate through three examples from Cyprus, Germany, and Trinidad & Tobago. By offering a complementary approach to compare parliaments’ gender sensitivity across countries, our study provides a novel perspective for future comparative analyses in the field.

“Defend your children, they can be taken by two gay men”: A scoping review of the conflating and diversionary discourses used in same-sex marriage debates

The use of direct popular votes such as plebiscites, referendums, and postal surveys to determine the right of same-sex couples to marry have proliferated in recent years, particularly across the Global North. By including the public in the decision-making process, serious debates have been fermented about the morality of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) rights. Based on a scoping review of the available English language literature, this paper maps the key findings from 24 peer reviewed studies to offer a cross-national analysis of conflating and diversionary discourses used by pro- and anti-SSM advocates. This paper finds that despite ostensibly being about LGBTQ + sexual rights, these debates commonly conflate SSM with other unsubstantiated ‘threats’, categorised here as operating across the global, national, and individual levels. The findings suggest that SSM debates consistently conflated the issue with international human rights discourses, alongside notions of ‘race’, gender, family, and reproduction as a strategy to garner public opinion. This study reveals a complex network of discourses where the rights of LGBTQ + people are continuously harnessed for political agendas extending beyond the specific efforts to legislate SSM. This paper concludes with the limitations of this review and possible directions for future research.

A Cross-National Analysis of the (Re)actualization of Work Experience Placement as a Career Education Activity in Sweden and Denmark

A Cross-National Analysis of the (Re)actualization of Work Experience Placement as a Career Education Activity in Sweden and Denmark

Measuring wellbeing in the Global Flourishing Study: insights from a cross-national analysis of cognitive interviews from 22 countries

AbstractPrior research suggests that cross-national cognitive interviewing can provide preliminarily insights into the extent to which survey items that will be employed in large-scale global research might be understood similarly or differently across countries. Against the backdrop of the recently launched Global Flourishing Study, we used multinational cognitive interview data from 116 individuals (M = 41.4 years, SD = 14.9, female = 50.9%) in 22 countries to explore similarities and differences in item difficulty and comprehension of five of the Global Flourishing Study survey items that are related to personal wellbeing. Interviewer observations indicated that most participants (≥ 90%) did not experience a lot of difficulty responding to each of the items. Focusing on a specific comprehension probe that was common across the five items (i.e., “In your own words, what is this question asking?”), we applied the constant comparative analytic method to generate an overarching theme for each item that captured the common core or essence of how participants across the countries interpreted the items. However, there was some variability—both between and within countries—in how responses to the probe in the different countries related to the overarching theme for each item. Given the richness of the Global Flourishing Study as a possible data resource, including its broad representativeness of the global population and availability as an open access dataset, these findings will be useful to researchers who are interested in using data from the Global Flourishing Study to study human wellbeing in different parts of the world.

Shifting police strategies: US aid and repression by public safety institutions in Latin America

This article studies the international determinants of extrajudicial police killings in Latin America. Human rights violations by security forces are a problem that has plagued Latin American countries, despite broad democratization efforts in the region. Addressing the problem requires a better understanding of the processes that underlie it. Although existing literature has explored the determinants of police repression in Latin America through country-specific studies, there has been a lack of cross-national analyses. In this article we use original data on human rights violations by security forces in Latin America between 1998 and 2018 to argue that, beyond domestic factors, foreign aid provided by the United States in the War on Drugs era has influenced police repression both by encouraging heavy-handed policies and by driving a substitution dynamic between violations by different security forces.

A Cross-National Analysis of Prosperity, Inequality and Trust in the Free Market

A Cross-National Analysis of Prosperity, Inequality and Trust in the Free Market

Towards harmonising energy performance certificate indicators in Europe

Achieving the European Union's ambitious goal of transforming buildings into carbon-neutral assets is crucial for combating climate change and improving energy efficiency. The harmonization of Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) plays a vital role in this effort. It can provide a standardized measure of building energy performance, which is crucial for benchmarking and improving energy efficiency across Member States. In the context of the recast Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) of 2024, this study examines the progress made by EU Member States in standardizing EPCs. The research aims to evaluate the implementation of EPC indicators, focusing on data quality, calculation methods, and costs. The methodological procedure followed for the study led to the development of a dedicated Cross Comparative Matrix (CCM) to assess the implementation of EPC indicators across 27 EU Member States and their reading feature allowed the declination into three scenarios for different EPC data analysis: qualitative, quantitative and burden costs. The findings reveal significant disparities, particularly in areas such as thermal comfort and smart readiness, due to the lack of a common methodology and local regulatory differences. While key indicators like energy performance class and primary energy use are widely implemented, compliance with EU standards varies. The study concludes by recommending standardized methodologies and enhanced assessor training to improve EPC quality, harmonization, and effectiveness. This research contributes to policy discussions by offering a comprehensive framework for EPC evaluation and insights into improving data quality, reliability, and accessibility. The originality of this study lies in its cross-national analysis, highlighting the need for a unified EPC scheme to promote building sustainability across the EU.

Do many options result in listening to oneself or others during boycott campaigns?

PurposeThis study empirically investigates whether and how boycott attitudes and subjective norms influence the impact of the perceived behavioral control of boycotts on boycott intention.Design/methodology/approachTo test our hypotheses, we perform a hierarchical linear regression analysis using data from Japanese (n = 500) and South Koreans (n = 571).FindingsBoycott attitudes strengthen the positive effect of perceived behavioral control on boycott intentions for Japanese and South Koreans. Contrary to our assumptions, while the direct impact of perceived behavioral control on boycott intention is not significant, there is a negative moderating effect of subjective norms for Japanese consumers.Originality/valueWe argue that when perceived behavioral control is evident in boycotts, consumers listen more to themselves than to others. Our cross-national analysis of actual boycott campaigns is the first study on boycott research to offer implications for the interaction effects among the three key antecedents of psychological motivation factors in the theory of planned behavior.

Low Income, Ill-being, and Gender Inequality: Explaining Cross-National Variation in the Gendered Risk of Suffering Among the Poor

Scholars have long investigated the positive link between income and well-being, including its gender difference. However, little is known about (1) how low income is linked to ill-being among women and men; and (2) how their association varies depending on societal-level gender (in)equality. Filling this knowledge gap is crucial not only for scholarship but for social policy to tackle income-based disparities of ill-being. In this study, using the European Social Survey and the joint European Values Study-World Values Survey data, we conduct country-specific regressions and cross-national multilevel analyses to examine the relationship between low income, subjective ill-being (SIB), and macro-level gender parity. We first confirm that low-income individuals, regardless of gender, are more likely than their affluent counterparts to suffer from SIB in many countries. This indicates the applicability of implications derived from conventional approaches focused on the positive association between higher income and better well-being to the studies on low income and SIB. Nevertheless, the SIB risk significantly differs depending on the degree of gender inequality in that (1) both women and men face a higher likelihood of SIB in gender-inegalitarian societies; and importantly, (2) the psychological penalty for the poor is intensified under such gendered circumstances, especially among men. These results suggest that gender inequality not merely induces women’s ill-being but punishes low-income men possibly by exacerbating pressure as a breadwinner and imposing stigmas when they cannot meet gendered social expectations.