Cross-national Comparative Study Research Articles

The Political Economy of Pandemic Policy: 3rd Quarter

The Political Economy of Pandemic Policy: 3rd Quarter

Determinants and impact of role-related time use allocation on self-reported health among married men and women: a cross-national comparative study

BackgroundResearch on the effects of marriage on health maintains that there is a gender-specific gradient, with men deriving far greater benefits than women. One reason provided for this difference is the disproportionate amount of time spent by women on housework and childcare. However, this hypothesis has yet to be explicitly tested for these role-related time use activities. This study provides empirical evidence on the association between role-related time use activities (i.e. housework, childcare and paid work) and self-reported health among married men and women.MethodsData from the Multinational Time Use Study (MTUS) on 32,881 men and 26,915 women from Germany, Italy, Spain, the UK and the US were analyzed. Seemingly unrelated regression (SUR) models and multivariable logistic regression were used to estimate the association between role-related time use activities and self-reported health among married men and women.ResultsThe findings showed that education, occupation and number of children under 18 years old in the household were the most consistent predictors of time allocation among married men and women. Significant gender differences were also found in time allocation, with women sacrificing paid working time or reducing time devoted to housework for childcare. Men, in contrast, were less likely to reduce paid working hours to increase time spent on childcare, but instead reduced time allocation to housework. Allocating more time to paid work and childcare was associated with good health, whereas time spent on housework was associated with poor health, especially among women.ConclusionsTime allocation to role-related activities have differential associations on health, and the effects vary by gender and across countries. To reduce the gender health gap among married men and women, public policies need to take social and gender roles into account.

항공서비스 이용자의 사물인터넷 서비스 수용에 대한 국가 간 비교 연구 : 한국과 베트남을 중심으로

항공서비스 이용자의 사물인터넷 서비스 수용에 대한 국가 간 비교 연구 : 한국과 베트남을 중심으로

Gendering Foreign Policy: A Comparative Framework for Analysis

AbstractThis article seeks to explain the rise of pro-gender norms and feminist strategies in foreign policy, which are increasingly salient in global politics. How can this trend be theorized? In what ways is this development resisted and contested by other states and international actors? To what extent can we trace continuity and change in regard to gender and foreign policy? To address these major research questions and to spur cross-national comparative studies, this article advances a theoretical framework on gendering foreign policy. It draws on two strands of research, which rarely engage with one another: international feminist theory (IFT) and foreign policy analysis (FPA). We identify three ways in which comparative analysis of gender in foreign policy can be advanced: first, by highlighting the variations of pro-gender norms and enhancing the analytical assessment of cross-national trends; second, by generating a more robust explanation of the rise, embeddedness, and continuity of, as well as resistance to, pro-gender norms in foreign policy in similar and diverse contexts; and third, by examining both continuity and change in pro-gender norms in order to reveal the contestation around gender, which is at the heart of foreign policy.

Does Gender Matter in the Receipt of Informal Care Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults? Evidence from a Cross-National Comparative Study Across the United States, South Korea, and China.

This study compares patterns of gender difference in the receipt of informal care among community-dwelling older adults across the United States, Korea, and China where family-oriented systems for providing care to older adults are emphasized. Data came from the 2014 Health and Retirement Study, the 2014 Korea Longitudinal Study of Aging, and the 2015 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study. Logistic regression models were used to predict the receipt of informal care by gender. We also examined how the effects of health and living arrangement on the receipt of informal care differ depending on gender. In the United States and China, older women were more likely to receive informal care than men. However, older Korean women were less likely to receive informal care than men. The effects of health and living arrangement on the use of informal care were moderated by gender in different ways across countries. This study provides evidence that patterns of gender differences in the receipt of informal care vary across the three countries. More attention needs to be paid to the design and implementation of long-term supports and services to address the unique patterns of gender difference in care arrangement in each country.

Balancing academia and family life

PurposeThis paper aims to explore and compare academics’ experiences of managing work-life balance (WLB) in the British and Chinese contexts. The authors have three specific purposes. Firstly, to investigate whether there are marked gender differences in either context, given female and male academics’ work is considered fully comparable. Secondly, to examine contextual factors contributing to gender differences that influence and shape decisions in WLB and career paths. Thirdly, to explore the gendered consequences and implications.Design/methodology/approachA cross-national and multilevel analytical approach to WLB was chosen to unpick and explore gender land contextual differences and their influence on individual academics’ coping strategies. To reflect the exploratory nature of uncovering individual experience and perceptions, the authors used in-depth, semi-structured interviews. In total, 37 academics participated in the study, comprised of 18 participants from 6 universities in the UK and 19 participants from 6 universities in China.FindingsThis study reveals gendered differences in both the British and Chinese contexts in three main aspects, namely, sourcing support; managing emotions; and making choices, but more distinct differences in the latter context. Most significantly, it highlights that individual academics’ capacity in cultivating and using coping strategies was shaped simultaneously by multi-layered factors at the country level, the HE institutional level and the individual academics’ level.Originality/valueVery few cross-cultural WLB studies explore gender differences. This cross-national comparative study is of particular value in making the “invisible visible” in terms of the gendered nature of choices and decisions within the context of WLB. The study has significant implications for female academics exercising individual scope in carving out a career, and for academic managers and institutions, in terms of support, structure and policy.

A Cross-National Comparison of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome at Tertiary Care Settings from the US and Spain.

Cross-national comparative studies are useful for describing the unique characteristics of complex illnesses, and can reveal culture-specific traits of disease frequency/severity and healthcare. Though myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) are debilitating conditions found all over the world, few studies have examined their characteristics across different countries. The purpose of this study was to compare the levels of functional impairment and symptomatology in patients with ME and CFS at tertiary referral hospitals in the US and Spain. Four hundred twenty potentially eligible participants (N = 235 from the US and N = 185 from Spain) who met the 1994 Fukuda et al. definition for CFS were enrolled. Both samples completed the medical outcomes study 36-item short-form health survey (SF-36) as a proxy for impairment, and the DePaul Symptom Questionnaire (DSQ) for patient symptomatology. ANCOVA and, where appropriate, MANCOVA tests were used to compare the SF-36 and DSQ items for illness characteristics between the samples. The patients from Spain demonstrated significantly worse functioning than those from the US in the SF-36 domains of physical functioning, bodily pain, general health functioning, role emotional, and mental health functioning. The Spanish sample also was also more symptomatic across all the DSQ-items, most significantly in the pain and neuroendocrine domains. These findings may be due to differences between the US and Spain regarding disability policy, perception of ME and CFS, and access to specialist care.

ПУБЛИЧНАЯ ПОЛИТИКА В ГИБРИДНЫХ РЕЖИМАХ: ОБЗОР ИССЛЕДОВАНИЙ

This review systemizes contemporary, mostly foreign, academic literature, devoted to the development of public policy in hybrid and authoritarian regimes, as well as to the interaction of citizens, civic associations and authorities within the process of public policy-making. The academic interest in this topic is growing, mostly due to the development of participatory practices in non-democracies, especially in China, which is now becoming a popular object of analysis. The researchers emphasize the constant transformation of the Chinese public policy and a variety of participation channels, open for citizens, non-profit organizations and expert communities. It gives an opportunity to adapt existing Western theories to the analysis of hybrid regimes, as well as to develop a new conceptual apparatus. Despite the significant growth of theoretical and empirical knowledge on that topic, the research agenda still has some avenues for development. Firstly, an important issue is the analysis of institutional effects of citizen participation, the interrelation of its information, legitimation and imitation functions in a non-democratic context. Secondly, it is also relevant to study the success factors of such initiatives, and their potential both as a source of regime stability and public policy democratization. In the review we attempt to formulate these problems and possible empirical ways to deal with them. In particular, a promising step could be the application of models and hypotheses, derived from the Chinese case, to other countries, as well as to cross-national comparative studies. DOI: 10.17072/2218-1067-2020-2-142-150

Equality prescribed? Contextual determinants of citizens\u2019 support for gender boardroom quotas across Europe

We provide the first cross-national comparative study of citizens’ support for affirmative action policies in the economy using the example of gender quotas for company boards. In contrast to previous studies, we focus on the contextual level and analyse how factors related to political institutions and actors, and economic and social structure shape citizens’ support and the gap in support between men and women. We apply multilevel regression analyses of Eurobarometer data for 27 European countries. Levels of support and gender gaps in support for boardroom quotas vary largely between countries. Contextual factors related to existing quota laws, gender equality in social and economic life, and public opinion towards state intervention are important determinants of cross-national variation. Our results point to an ambiguous relationship of support for gender quotas and actual gender equality in a country. Citizens’ endorsement of quotas is low in countries with high levels of formal gender equality. Support is higher in countries where interventionist policies are widely accepted. Also, existing quota laws are positively related to citizens’ support of boardroom quotas.

Combining mobile-health (mHealth) and artificial intelligence (AI) methods to avoid suicide attempts: the Smartcrises study protocol

BackgroundThe screening of digital footprint for clinical purposes relies on the capacity of wearable technologies to collect data and extract relevant information’s for patient management. Artificial intelligence (AI) techniques allow processing of real-time observational information and continuously learning from data to build understanding. We designed a system able to get clinical sense from digital footprints based on the smartphone’s native sensors and advanced machine learning and signal processing techniques in order to identify suicide risk.Method/designThe Smartcrisis study is a cross-national comparative study. The study goal is to determine the relationship between suicide risk and changes in sleep quality and disturbed appetite. Outpatients from the Hospital Fundación Jiménez Díaz Psychiatry Department (Madrid, Spain) and the University Hospital of Nimes (France) will be proposed to participate to the study. Two smartphone applications and a wearable armband will be used to capture the data. In the intervention group, a smartphone application (MEmind) will allow for the ecological momentary assessment (EMA) data capture related with sleep, appetite and suicide ideations.DiscussionSome concerns regarding data security might be raised. Our system complies with the highest level of security regarding patients’ data. Several important ethical considerations related to EMA method must also be considered. EMA methods entails a non-negligible time commitment on behalf of the participants. EMA rely on daily, or sometimes more frequent, Smartphone notifications. Furthermore, recording participants’ daily experiences in a continuous manner is an integral part of EMA. This approach may be significantly more than asking a participant to complete a retrospective questionnaire but also more accurate in terms of symptoms monitoring. Overall, we believe that Smartcrises could participate to a paradigm shift from the traditional identification of risks factors to personalized prevention strategies tailored to characteristics for each patient.Trial registration numberNCT03720730. Retrospectively registered.

Introduction to a Special Issue on Entrepreneurship and Employment: Connecting Labor Market Institutions, Corporate Demography, and Human Resource Management Practices

With the growing attention to entrepreneurship as an engine of job creation and economic development, it is important for social scientists who are broadly interested in labor market and employment topics to focus attention on new firms and the policies and practices that surround them. The authors argue that the next generation of scholarship should pay particular attention to labor market institutions, the ecosystem of existing employers, and the human resource management practices that provide the strategic context for entrepreneurs and shape the career opportunities for workers. Remarkable variation occurs across space and time in the prevalence and performance of entrepreneurs. There are also many open questions as to the antecedents and consequences of entrepreneurship, for entrepreneurs, their communities, and their employees. The availability of new administrative data across many countries will allow for comparative cross-national studies and will provide opportunities to bring qualitative and mixed-method approaches to entrepreneurial labor market studies. This introduction and the articles in this special issue offer a path forward.

СРАВНИТЕЛЬНОЕ ИССЛЕДОВАНИЕ ГЕНДЕРА И ТРУДА

В статье представлены обобщенные результаты кросснационального сравнительного исследования, посвященного анализу гендерных различий и неравенства при выходе на рынок труда. В связи с относительным повышением уровня образования женщин и расширением сервисного сектора можно предположить, что гендерное неравенство в получении отдачи от труда или снижается, или даже «переворачивается» в пользу женщин.

Cultural Changes in Five Islamic Countries: A Cross-national Comparative study of Jordan, Malaysia, Morocco, Turkey and Egypt

본 연구는 이슬람 국가의 문화가치관 변화를 실증적으로 분석한 연구이다. 슈워츠(Schwartz)의 10가지 가치관과 보수주의-변화개방과 자기초월-자기강화의 영역으로 구분하여 분석하였다. 분석결과 요르단, 말레이시아, 모로코, 터키, 이집트의 경우 복잡한 패턴을 보였지만 가치관의 변화를 보여주었다. 이들 5개 국가는 공통적으로 전통, 안전, 보편주의를 중요하게 여기는 경향이 강했다. 보수주의-변화개방과 자기초월-자기강화의 영역에서 말레이시아, 이집트, 요르단은 자기초월이 높아졌고 터키와 이집트는 변화에 대한 보수주의에서 변화에 대한 개방성이 높아지는 방향으로 변화하였다. 모로코와 말레이시아는 변화에 대한 개방성이 낮아지고 보수주의 경향이 높아지는 방향으로 변화하였다.This study is an empirical analysis of changes in cultural values of Muslim countries. Specifically, Schwartz s ten values and the areas of conservatism/openness to change and self-transcendence/self–enhancement were analyzed. Very complex cultural change patterns in Jordan, Malaysia, Morocco, Turkey and Egypt were found. These five Islamic countries changed to consider tradition, safety and universalism as more important factors in common. In terms of conservatism/openness to change and self-transcendence/self–enhancement, the importance of self-transcendence, showed an increase in Malaysia, Egypt and Jordan. Turkey and Egypt have changed in the direction from increased openness to conservatism to change. Morocco and Malaysia have shifted toward less openness to change.

An approach to the development of comparative cross-national studies of street-level bureaucracy

AbstractPropositions about street-level bureaucracy run the risk of violating the scientific precept that a theoretical generalisation should be tested by replication in a variety of contexts. Many examples can be found of writings that simply indicate that street-level discretion is pervasive. This prompts the questions, ‘but how’, and under what conditions ‘may’ that happen? Comparison is needed to answer these questions, particularly cross-national ones. It will be argued that good cross-national comparative work must rest upon precise specification of the contexts to be compared and avoiding comparing tasks that seem similar, but in fact serve different functions in different contexts. To explore this one particular task – pre-school child care – is selected. The discussion of this specific example is examined as a model for similar comparative work.

Recovery-focused mental health care planning and co-ordination in acute inpatient mental health settings: a cross national comparative mixed methods study

BackgroundInvolving mental health service users in planning and reviewing their care can help personalised care focused on recovery, with the aim of developing goals specific to the individual and designed to maximise achievements and social integration. We aimed to ascertain the views of service users, carers and staff in acute inpatient wards on factors that facilitated or acted as barriers to collaborative, recovery-focused care.MethodsA cross-national comparative mixed-methods study involving 19 mental health wards in six service provider sites in England and Wales. This included a survey using established standardised measures of service users (n = 301) and staff (n = 290) and embedded case studies involving interviews with staff, service users and carers (n = 76). Quantitative and qualitative data were analysed within and across sites using descriptive and inferential statistics, and framework method.ResultsFor service users, when recovery-oriented focus was high, the quality of care was rated highly, as was the quality of therapeutic relationships. For staff, there was a moderate correlation between recovery orientation and quality of therapeutic relationships, with considerable variability. Staff members rated the quality of therapeutic relationships higher than service users did. Staff accounts of routine collaboration contrasted with a more mixed picture in service user accounts. Definitions and understandings of recovery varied, as did views of hospital care in promoting recovery. Managing risk was a central issue for staff, and service users were aware of measures taken to keep them safe, although their involvement in discussions was less apparent.ConclusionsThere is positive practice within acute inpatient wards, with evidence of commitment to safe, respectful, compassionate care. Recovery ideas were evident but there remained ambivalence on their relevance to inpatient care. Service users were aware of efforts taken to keep them safe, but despite measures described by staff, they did not feel routinely involved in care planning or risk management decisions. Research on increasing therapeutic contact time, shared decision making in risk assessment and using recovery focused tools could further promote personalised and recovery-focused care planning.This paper arises from a larger study published by National Institute for Health Research (Simpson A, et al, Health Serv Deliv Res 5(26), 2017).

Mathematics identity research: the state of the art and future directions

Identity research in mathematics education has become increasingly prominent over the past two decades. In the last few years, there have been several reviews of identity literature in the field of mathematics education generally, or specifically focused on mathematics learner identities or mathematics teacher identity. We begin our paper by summarizing the key findings of these reviews, pointing to various categorizations proposed by their authors, and the key critiques raised therein. We then report on our more recent review of identity literature in mathematics education published in the top twenty mathematics education journals over the past 5 years (47 articles in total). This review enables us firstly to speak descriptively about the extent to which the field is evolving (or not) in relation to earlier findings (dominant regions, focus of research, methods and perspectives used). Secondly, following deeper analysis of the papers, we speak to the way in which the field is addressing (or not) key critiques raised by reviews. Our analysis points to several theoretical, methodological and empirical absences and challenges requiring further engagement. We further highlight key absences in the research, particularly a lack of cross-national comparative studies and studies that connect learner and teacher identities. We then provide a summary discussion and analysis of the contributions of the present special issue papers and engage with how these take the field forward. Finally, we engage with the implications of our analysis and recommendations for future directions for research.

Research on Work Values in a Changing Economic and Social Context

This article examines the agenda of research on work values that has been developing since the late 1960s. It distinguishes four phases, which successively broadened the scope of research on work values. The first phase focused on the likely impact of economic development and rising incomes on work values. The second interrogated the role of work values for those experiencing unemployment. The third extended the focus to gendered work values related to women’s increasing participation in the labor market. Finally, there has been increased interest in the strength of role attachment to a job and organization. In each area of research, the growth over time of cross-national comparative studies has revealed variations in work values across countries that point to the importance of understanding differences in institutional structures and cultural values.

The Family Lives of Australian Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual People: a Review of the Literature and a Research Agenda

Families and relationships are important social domains in which the circumstances of lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) people often differ from those of heterosexual people. Gaining a better understanding of the family experiences of Australian LGB populations has important implications for developing our knowledge about the changing demography and dynamics of Australian family life, as well as informing policy, practice and public debate. This paper reports the findings of a review of empirical scholarship on the family experiences and outcomes of Australian LGB people published between 2000 and 2016, including academic publications and grey literature. The search yielded 99 outputs concerned with union formation, intimate partner relationships, pathways to and experiences of parenthood, child wellbeing, ‘coming out’, relationships with family-of-origin, social networks and support and access to family services. There was wide coverage and a marked increase in LGB family scholarship over time, and a predominance of qualitative over quantitative studies. We identified several areas in which further Australian evidence is needed, including union dissolution, child adoption, relationships with extended family, and interactions with institutions providing family services. Australian scholarship would also benefit from leveraging new panel datasets and probability samples, considering intersectionality, and contributing to cross-national comparative studies.

Analytics-Driven Journalism? Editorial Metrics and the Reconfiguration of Online News Production Practices in African Newsrooms"

Although the notion of measuring the performance of news stories is not a new phenomenon, the advent of online analytic tools has redefined the whole terrain of the sociology of online news production and distribution. This paper, which draws from an on-going cross-national comparative study of Zimbabwean, Kenyan, and South African newsrooms, focuses on the use and role of analytics in news production and distribution. It investigates how analytics tools are used in editorial decision-making and advertising negotiations. Based on structured and unstructured interviews with editors and journalists working for selected newsrooms in East and Southern Africa, the paper examines how the use of analytics is reshaping the evaluation of the impact, reach, relevance of news stories and performance of individual journalists. Our study shows that the deployment of analytic tools has altered how news organizations in different parts of Africa monitor, track, engage in digital listening and interact with their audiences, thereby spawning a new phenomenon we call “analytics-driven journalism.” The paper argues that newsrooms in different parts of the continent are, to varied degrees, now more concerned about newsroom metrics and engagement rates at the expense of the broader public interest dimension of journalism.

Internal homonegativity among men having sex with men: a comparative cross-national study

The paper studies internalized homonegativity (IH) and its predictors among men who have sex with men (MSM) in 12 countries of Eastern Europe and Central Asia (EECA). Internalized homonegativity (sometimes called internal homophobia) is a negative attitude to own same-sex attractions. It arises when gays and other people with homosexual attractions interiorize predominant negative attitudes and assumptions about homosexuals and homosexuality. Internalized homonegativity is a significant factor of poorer health (including vulnerability to HIV infection), and lower inclusion in the community in Western countries. It remains highly understudied in post-Soviet countries, although there is a sufficient ground to suppose its higher prevalence here. Cross-sectional online survey of MSM was conducted in August–October, 2017. Convenience sample was recruited via dating apps and websites, other partner sites, and MSM-service organizations. Analytical sample size was 8239 respondents from Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Estonia and Lithuania (which were merged), Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Macedonia, and Moldova. IH was measured by the 8-item Short Internalized Homonegativity Scale (SIHS) in all main languages of the countries. According to results of Cronbach’s a test and multi-group confirmatory factor analysis, adaptation of SIHS showed satisfactory to good reliability, and partial scalar invariance across EECA. IH was not predominant in all countries’ samples. However, average IH was significantly different by countries. That could be attributed to both sampling design and differences in societal homophobia. Results of structural equation modeling of SIHS predictors also varied between countries. However, in most countries IH was lower among self-identified gays, those who were more open about own homosexual attractions, and was less religious. The unexpected findings included negative associations between IH and higher education, and contradictory associations with age in some countries. Results showed that internalized homonegativity is a common and comparable phenomenon among MSM in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Its prevalence is presumably different across the countries. IH relates, first of all, to own sexual orientation (gay, bi- etc.), and acknowledgement of own same-sex attractions. Also, the SIHS measure is good enough for use in further studies of male health and possibilities for LGBTIQ mobilization in the region.