Organization For Economic Cooperation Research Articles

Exploring One Colombian Adolescent’s Diverse Literacies in his Rural Community

A deficit view of rural language learners’ out-of-school literacy practices has permeated formal educational and language policy globally. Intergovernmental organizations like the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, for instance, have often portrayed rural learners in Global South countries as having literacy deficits if their language skills are not in alignment with the practices valued in school contexts. These deficit representations are often instrumentalized as a tactic to oppress and exclude rural students’ literacies and language traditions from educational policy and curricula. Throughout this article, the authors – both language educators researching young people’s diverse literacy practices – aim to address and combat such problematic omissions. Following a sociocultural, multiliteracies framework, we analyzed two semi-structured interviews and accompanying artifacts to feature the literacies that a 14-year-old rural Colombian youth engages with daily. Results illuminate the myriad language practices honed outside of formal learning contexts, including family-based literacies, oral and embodied forms of communication, analyzing and composing with multimodal texts, and developing critical skills with digital texts to question national power relations and forge activist identities. The authors discussed the benefits of an expanded view of literacy – particularly for educators – in hopes of contributing to equity-based research advocating the recognition and inclusion of rural students’ vernacular literacies across formal learning spaces.

Mindfulness Enhancing Concentration in English Foreign Language Reading Comprehension

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Learning Compass 2030 for teachers emphasizes that cognitive, metacognitive skills, and emotional intelligence skills such as compassion, attentiveness, critical thinking, creativity, and communication are indirectly important to developing reading comprehension. Reading is a challenge for EFL students who have difficulties understanding written texts because of the lack of concentration, stress, and anxiety. Mindfulness appears as a practice that may offer some benefits. Recent studies show that mindfulness training can alleviate anxiety and stress, improve confidence, improve cognitive and social abilities, and elevate academic goals. In this regard, this review synthesizes existing literature to evaluate the effectiveness of mindfulness in enhancing concentration in EFL reading comprehension classrooms and provide insights for educators, practitioners, and researchers. Criteria for selected articles were kept as recent as possible. All peer-reviewed papers were cited or published in scientific journals. This review suggests that mindfulness training has the potential to make learners more aware of their learning system. In addition, students learn to regulate their emotions to be more flexible and creative. Mindfulness training changes their point of view of their thinking in a way that encourages conscious control of their feeling, actions, and thoughts, improving cognitive abilities.

WITHDRAWN: Overseas Operations and Corporate Financial Asset Allocation

Using Chinese listed companies’ data from the 2008–2018 period, this study investigates the impact of overseas operations, proxied by overseas subsidiaries, on financial asset allocation. The results show that, first, in general, enterprises that participate in overseas operations have a higher level of financial asset allocation. Second, heterogeneity analysis at the micro level shows that overseas operations promote both hedged and non-hedged financial assets. The relationship between overseas operations and financial asset allocation mainly exists when the parent company faces more serious financing constraints, no overseas returned executives are present in the parent company, overseas subsidiaries have inconsistent business with the parent, and overseas subsidiaries experience losses. Third, heterogeneity analysis at the macro level shows that compared with overseas operations in Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries, overseas operations in non-OECD countries have a higher level of financial asset allocation. Furthermore, compared with overseas operations in non-Belt and Road countries, overseas operations in Belt and Road countries have a higher level of financial asset allocation. Overseas operations mainly play a role in promoting financial asset allocation in cases of high economic risk, high political risk, and numerous investment opportunities in areas where overseas operations are located. Fourth, financial asset allocation is beneficial for reducing cash flow fluctuations and operational risk of multinational enterprises, and acts like a reservoir. This study advances research on the determinants of financial asset allocation from the unique perspective of the overseas investment channel, which provides some implications for the Chinese government on its “Go Global” and Belt and Road strategies and realizing financial development to serve the Chinese economy.

Why Did House Prices Go Up During COVID-19 Pandemic? Policy-Driven or Market-Driven?

During the spread of the COVID-19 virus, governments in many countries took temporary measures to mitigate and/or remove the cost of its negative effects on both society and the economy. In Türkiye, as in many countries, the deposit banks cut mortgage interest rates. Thus, Türkiye has experienced large increases in house prices, as have many countries. Türkiye has also become the country with the highest average annual rate of house price increase among the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries during the pandemic period. However, despite an increase in the number of studies on house prices or mortgage loans during the pandemic period, there is a research gap in terms of a comparison of the relationship between house prices and mortgage loans in the pre-pandemic and the pandemic periods compared with that on other assets or in other sectors,. This study aims to rectify this gap. To achieve this, both the Fourier Granger and the Fourier Toda-Yamamoto causality tests are used. The results indicate that there are differences in both periods of time with respect to the relationship between mortgage loans and house prices in Türkiye, and that there is a causal relationship between both factors in the prepandemic period, but not during the pandemic period.

Acute Oral Toxicity Study of Povidone-Iodine in Wistar Rats Using Up-and-Down Procedure

This study was conducted to assess the acute oral toxicity of Povidone iodine in Wistar rats and determine its safety profile. The up and down method as per Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development guidelines using 15 adult male Wistar rats. They were randomly divided into three groups, given varying amounts of distilled water, 2000 and 5000 mg/kg to determine the median lethal dose (LD50). Clinical signs and mortality were observed for 48 hours and 14 days for immediate and delayed toxicity. Blood samples were collected at the end of the experiment for haematological and serum biochemical analysis for kidney and liver functions. Also, the kidney and liver were harvested, preserved, and processed for histomorphological evaluation. The result from this study indicates that Mortality (60 %) was observed in the group administered with 5000 mg/kg of PV-I within 3 h of administration. In contrast, the group served with 2000 mg/kg of PV-I, and the control remained viable up to 14 d of the experiment, the median lethal (LD50) dose of PV-I is less than 5000 mg/kg in Wistar rats. No significant (P> 0.05) difference was observed in the haematological parameters and serum biochemical markers for the kidney and liver function tests between the treatment and the control group. Furthermore, a histomorphological examination of the kidneys and liver shows normal kidneys with slight hepatic necrosis in the group administered with 2000 mg/ kg BW of PV-I. In conclusion, PV-I is safe for Wistar rats in doses below 2000 mg/kg.

Evaluation of Acute and Repeated Dose Oral Toxicity of Phoenix dactylifera L. Pollen Methanolic Extract in Rats

Pollen of the date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) has been used for thousands of years as a traditional herbal medicine for improving fertility. However, safety of plant-derived materials is an important concern to human health, and herbal remedies should be taken with adequate knowledge about their toxicity, adverse effects, purity, appropriate dosage and dose limits. The current work was undertaken to evaluate the safety of date palm pollen (DPP) and to classify it according to its oral toxicity in rats. The experiments were done according to the reported guidelines of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to assess the acute and repeated dose oral toxicity in rats. The obtained results showed neither death nor sign of toxicity or abnormality in any of the animals throughout the experimental period regarding acute and repeated dose oral toxicity. Also the results of the hematological and clinical biochemistry determinations showed no significant differences between the control and DPP-treated rat groups. It could be concluded that, the tested plant material is a relatively safe substance and its approximate LD50 defined by 2000mg/kg < LD50 < 5000mg/kg according to the OECD tests guidelines.

Social Protection Benefits Compatibility and Evaluation Criteria: the Case of Lithuania

In general, the social protection (SP) system consists of two main blocks: social insurance (SI) and social assistance (SA). The main idea of SP is to leave no one behind, support in times of social risks. However, SI and SA systems are usually developed and improved separately. Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and European Commission (EC) often emphasise that expenditure on the SP system in Lithuania is scarce, income poverty and inequality are critical, not improving. This raises the question of whether both elements of SP in Lithuania are based on the same criteria to achieve consolidated SP and avoid its gaps. This paper aims to identify evaluation criteria, look at the Lithuanian SP system through its main benefits, and identify whether people are protected. The analysis consists of a literature review, which helps identify evaluation criteria for the SP system, and Lithuanian analysis based on evaluation criteria for 2018–2022 policy years. Three main criteria for SP benefits evaluation are identified: coverage, adequacy, and incentives to work. To make an in-depth analysis of the SP system in Lithuania, the tax-benefit microsimulation model EUROMOD is used to analyse different households’ poverty and unemployment traps and test whether the current SP system contributes to them. It was expected that this research would help to shed a light on how well Lithuanian SI and SA function simultaneously. Results show that SP system compatibility in Lithuania is above average, the weakest part is coverage.

Generalised morality and contemporary fertility dynamics across European regions

ABSTRACT This study focuses on the concept of generalised morality (GM), a cultural trait measured with the values of respect, obedience, generalised trust and control. Since GM drives economic prosperity and the way nations organise their welfare, we investigate how it matters for contemporary fertility trends. We consider the period between 2000 and 2014, when divergent fertility trends in Europe arose and the Great Recession took place. Using Eurostat and Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) data for 177 regions in 23 European countries, we demonstrate that GM plays a moderating role with educational expansion and when there is a global shock – here the Great Recession.

Habilidades blandas en la gestión cultural: nuevos retos

The purpose of this study is to explore the current scenario of soft skills in cultural management. A literature review is conducted, relying on secondary sources that contribute to knowledge regarding topics such as education, work, culture, cultural management, and soft skills. As a result, several soft skills arepresented with the support of a Venn diagram, in which a comparison is made between the proposals of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the Federation of Cultural Management Professionals of Spain (FEAGC), and the International Council of Museums (ICOM). It is evident that creativity, communication (interpersonal communication), cooperation (teamwork), curiosity (learning orientation, training), planning, tolerance, and optimism (self-motivation) are some of the most relevant soft skills in the field of cultural management, as well as in the workplace and education. However, further research is needed since the bibliography is limited, and soft skills may vary according to the context of each region.

Identifying the language of global competence and global citizenship in the education policies of Punjab, Pakistan

In 2015, Pakistan committed to United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 4’s provision of quality education for all. Target 4.7 of this Goal acknowledges that delivering quality education means ensuring that students develop a set of attributes characterised by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization in terms of global citizenship, and by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development using the nomenclature of global competence. There is ongoing debate regarding the agendas of the United Nations and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development; however, from a pragmatic perspective, both are already influencing domestic education policies. This article explores the extent to which this is the case in Punjab, Pakistan. A deductive thematic analysis of relevant education policies was undertaken to identify language reflective of the Sustainable Development Goals and the Programme of International Student Assessment Global Competence Framework. The analysis, based on meta themes identified by Vaccari and Gardinier, revealed the inclusion of language from these international agendas, as well as the reflections of local culture. Although this research was specific to Punjab, the findings may provide insights into how countries are adopting and/or contextualising these international agendas.

Neighbourhood inequities in the availability of retailers selling tobacco products: a systematic review

ObjectiveTo examine inequities in tobacco retailer availability by neighbourhood-level socioeconomic, racial/ethnic and same-sex couple composition.Data sourcesWe conducted a 10 November 2022 search of PubMed, PsycINFO, Global Health, LILACS, Embase, ABI/Inform,...

A political economy theory of fossil fuel subsidy reforms in OECD countries

Fossil fuel subsidies continue to be a considerable barrier to meeting the targets of the Paris Agreement. It is thus crucial to understand the political economy of fossil fuel subsidies and their reform. To understand these mechanisms in the developed world, we use a database of different types of fossil fuel subsidy reforms among Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries. We find evidence for four intertwined processes i) a market-power mechanism: higher market shares for renewables ease fossil fuel subsidy reforms, and ii) a policy mechanism: reforms reduce the levels of fossil fuel subsidies. Importantly, both effects are contingent on iii) a polity mechanism where institutional quality influences the feasibility and effectiveness of political reforms, and iv) a feedback mechanism where systemic lock-ins determine the effectiveness of market competition. Our results even suggest that reforms carried out by effective governments with low corruption control are associated with increasing subsidies per capita. Renewable energy support can however provide a leverage point to break path-dependencies in fossil fuel-based economies. This turns out to be more effective when coupled with improvements to institutional quality and the insulation of political processes from pro-subsidy interests.

GVC embeddedness and innovation performance – an analysis across 28 European countries

PurposeThis study has the following aims. First, it tries to clarify the relationship between global value chain (GVC) participation and innovation performance. To date, research generated mixed results. Secondly, it explores a novel way of investigating GVC participation by focusing on the sectoral level in which organizations operate using the concept of GVC embeddedness, which has not been investigated to date.Design/methodology/approachData from two sources are combined. The European Company Survey of 2019 provides data about the innovation performance of organizations. These data include measures about production and process. At the sectoral level, these company-level data are combined with data from the Trade in Value Added from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. In total, more than 20,000 companies were investigated, which operate in 15 sectors in 28 countries. This three-level structure is analysed using multilevel ordered probit analyses.FindingsThe results show that forward participation and backward participation at the sectoral level are positively related to product innovation and process innovation. The probability of not being engaged in innovation is reduced through GVC embeddedness. And, the probability of generating incremental and radical innovations (both regarding products and processes) increases if GVC participating at the sectoral level is higher.Originality/valueThis study is the first to relate sectoral GVC embeddedness to the innovation performance of organizations.

TÜRKIYE'S FINANCIAL INTEGRATION AND EXPORT RELATIONSHIPWITH OECD COUNTRIES

Financial integration of countries is constantly increasing with their mutual trade. In other words, rising of partnership on international market ensure higher financial integration over time. Increasing of financial integration among countries also will be reason of raising the similarity and bilateral agreements of these countries. This paper shows that what countries have tendency to act together in terms of financial integration with Türkiye in the designated period. For this purpose, the stock market indexes of Belgium, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom those are top trading partner of Türkiye and members of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) selected for this research. Gregory - Hansen (1996) cointegration test used to find the financial integration between the stock market indices of selected countries and Türkiye. The result of test method shows that the highest correlation is with Germany after Israel, and the second line is for the United Kingdom. According to result of the cointegration test, although Türkiye acts together with all selected countries, Germany stand on different point. This could explain with Germany is the major partner of Türkiye in terms of mutual trade.

From Antagonism to Fusion: Military and Industrial Society Fused in Militarist Capitalism

ABSTRACT This article reconsiders the classical duality between military and industrial society and the evolutionary scheme from the first to the second. It argues and theorizes the concept of military-capitalist society, or militarist capitalism, including its theocratic-militarist variant. It elaborates a substantive index of militarist capitalism that is composed of certain indicators and proxies of the latter as its components and describes data and data sources concerning the index components. It reports the substantive findings of an empirical analysis, namely numerical militarist capitalism indexes for Western and comparable societies such as Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries. The main results are that military capitalism is primarily a phenomenon of regions outside Western Europe; of unregulated, inegalitarian, and coercive capitalism; and of societies dominated by conservatism and religion-overdetermined cultures, such as the United States and other countries. It discusses these findings with reference to these countries. Lastly, it draws conclusions and theoretical implications.

Comprehensive phytochemical and toxicological analysis of Chenopodium ambrosioides (L.) fractions.

Chenopodium ambrosioides aerial parts have been historically employed in traditional medicine for addressing various ailments such as headaches, abdominal discomfort, joint issues, and respiratory disorders, alongside treatments for lice and warts. This study aimed to conduct a comprehensive phytochemical analysis of C. ambrosioides and assess the acute and subacute toxicity of oral treatments using fractions in preclinical trials. Spectrophotometric analysis via LC-MS/MS was used to characterize the plant's chemical composition. Acute toxicity evaluation followed Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development code 42 guidelines, conducted on adult male and female Wistar strain mice. Subsequently, Swiss mice were divided into six groups for the subacute toxicity study, receiving oral doses of 200 mg/kg extracts and fractions for 28 days. Daily observations and biochemical analyses were performed, with LC-MS/MS revealing a diverse array of compounds including organic acids, flavonoids, phenolic acids, rutin, hesperidin, nicotiflorine, and fumaric acid. Results indicated no lethality or alterations in body weight in treated groups, though some organ weight changes were noted. Biochemical analyses demonstrated values within the normal range for all groups, suggesting that the treatments did not induce adverse effects. Acute and subacute treatments with fractions did not result in lethality or toxic alterations at therapeutic doses, implying the safety of the product at appropriate levels. This study underscores the potential of C. ambrosioides as a safe therapeutic option warranting further exploration.

Toxicological evaluation of Alpinia oxyphylla-derived molecule (PD-00105): In vitro genotoxicity studies and 90-day oral toxicity study in rats

PD-00105 corresponds to a compound initially identified in the fruit of Alpinia oxyphylla Miq., obtained by chemical synthesis and proposed to be use in dietary supplements for its potential neuroprotective properties. The aim of this study was to perform a toxicological evaluation of PD-00105 in accordance with the testing strategy recommended by food regulatory authorities. All studies were conducted in accordance with Good Laboratory Practice (GLP), and followed the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) test guidelines for chemicals. Studies included a bacterial reverse mutation test, one in vitro micronucleus test in mammalian cells, and a repeated dose 90-day oral toxicity study. No sign of toxicity was observed in the two genotoxicity tests. The test item induced a significant liver and kidney toxicity at high doses (50 and 100 mg/kg BW/day), highlighted by significant increases in liver and kidney absolute and relative weights, associated with histopathological findings and concomitant changes in hematology and clinical chemistry. Increases in alanine aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, total protein, albumin, globulin, cholesterol, LDL, and HDL have been measured in these two groups. However, findings observed in the low-dose group (10 mg/kg BW/day) were considered as minimal and non-adverse, and were limited to an increase in liver weight in males and in kidneys weight in females, without concomitant changes in blood chemistry. The No Observed Adverse Effect Level (NOAEL) of PD-00105 was established as 10 mg/kg BW/day under the conditions of this study. This study substantiates the use of PD-00105 in dietary supplements at doses of 10 mg/day, taking into account a safety margin factor for dose conversion to humans.

КОНЦЕПТУАЛЬНІ ПРОБЛЕМИ ЗМІСТОВНОЇ ІНТЕРПРЕТАЦІЇ ДЕРЖАВНО-ПРИВАТНОГО ПАРТНЕРСТВА

It has been established that there is still no generally accepted and established definition of public-private partnership in both foreign and domestic literature. In some definitions, the conditional uncertainty of the essence of this concept is deliberately embedded. Thus, the European Investment Bank (EIB) defines a public-private partnership as an agreement between an institution representing public authorities and a private partner, intended for the implementation of public infrastructure projects and public services within the framework of a long-term contract. Since this resolution does not record the nature of such agreements, does not indicate the principles of the relationship between the private and public sectors, then the EIB documents focus, first of all, on the fact that the private sector can receive financial benefits in two ways: payments are made by a state body to a private partner based on the diagnosis of the results of service provision (for example, road availability); the private partner is granted the right to receive revenue from the provision of the service (for example, to introduce and collect tolls for the use of roads). The definitions of the World Bank and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) are similar and emphasize that a public-private partnership is a long-term contract between the public and private sectors in which significant responsibility rests with the private sector in the field of management, as well as the private sector assumes most of the risks in the implementation of this project. The OECD also emphasizes in its definition the fact that the transfer of risk to a private partner largely depends on the effectiveness of such a project, and that the state's goals are aligned with the private sector's profit-maximizing goals. These definitions are quite cumbersome and detailed, but even they have not become universal and able to cover various options and forms of implementation of public-private partnership. The generalization of the existing approaches to the definition of public-private partnership was further developed, with the selection of three main interpretations: broad (implies the inclusion in the content of the concept of public-private partnership, various options for the interaction of the state and the private sector, aimed at solving any tasks in any spheres of social life); narrow interpretation (presupposes that within the framework of a public-private partnership, the state and business are united to implement a specific investment project regarding those objects that belong to the sphere of public interest and control, for example, related to the production and offer of any public good); contractual (related to the dual nature of the concept of public-private partnership, which involves not only its socio-economic essence, but also its legal one. With this interpretation, the public-private partnership is considered as a specific contract, the subject of which is various works on the construction and use of within the framework of this approach, the concept of public-private partnership is filled with various features and essential conditions of this specific contract, and the subject composition of the participants of contractual relations is also determined). Keywords: relations between private and public sectors, public partner, public-private partnership, private partner, project.

In-vivo Toxicity Profile of 2-Butyl-3-(3, 5-Diiodo-4-Hydroxybenzoyl) Benzofuran on Different Experimental Models

The anti-cancer properties of 2-butyl-3-(3, 5-Diiodo-4-Hydroxybenzoyl) benzofuran have been determined in earlier in-vitro studies, but safety and efficacy still need to be resolved. This research investigates the acute oral toxicity of 2-butyl-3-(3, 5-diiodo-4-hydroxybenzoyl) benzofuran on female Wistar rats, zebrafish, and brine shrimp. The present study was conducted on rats to evaluate the compound acute oral toxicity, following the protocols established by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) 423. After 14 days of duration, histopathological changes were observed in the liver and heart of animals that received a dosage of 2,000 mg/kg. The compound was tested at a limit test concentration of 100 mg/L in zebrafish for period of 96 hours. During this time, sub-lethal clinical signs and mortalities were observed at 24, 48, 72, and 96 hours. Brine shrimps were exposed to various concentrations for 24 hours to evaluate their cytotoxicity and calculate the percentage of mortality. Histopathological changes are primarily observed in the liver (multifocal necrosis of hepatocytes), heart (myocardial inflammation) and lung (low alveolar/interstitial inflammation). There are no recordings of mortalities at 300 and 2,000 mg/kg treated rats. Behavioral patterns remained unchanged, whereas food intake and body weight decreased significantly. The oral administration of the test chemical to rats would result in an LD50 greater than 2,000 mg/kg, ranking it in the fifth category of the GHS. The LC50 (322.96 μg/mL) for the brine shrimp lethality assay was calculated using a plotted graph. The test compound’s LC50 value in the zebrafish model would be higher than 100 mg/L. The acute toxicity profile of 2-butyl-3-(3, 5-diiodo-4-hydroxybenzoyl) benzofuran has been demonstrated using rodents, zebrafish, and brine shrimp lethality assay. This study will guide subsequent chronic toxicological assessments.

A Comparative Statistical Analysis of Foreign Visitors' Volume and Overnights Spent at the Balkan Locale

Tourism is an intertemporal field of research due to the sensitive nature of the elements that constitute the field. Heritage, religion, history, art and life make the Balkans a craving destination for tourists to visit. The simplicity of moving across continents through the Balkans enables the growth of movement. The Balkan borders and the way to demarcate them were always a topic of great conflict. Half of the Balkan countries belong entirely to the region and the rest by a small portion to half of their borders. Two clusters have been raised through the history of research, the west-ern and the eastern Balkans. Both locals living out of the country of origin and foreigners are travelling to the Balkan area. Thus, the Balkans is a competitive destination both for its residents and the rest of the visitors. The most visited destinations are Greece and Croatia and the rest follow. An exploratory data analysis (E.D.A.), with secondary data collected from the national statistical offices of each country under study, tourist national organisations, minis-tries, confederations, O.E.C.D. (Organisation for Economic Coop-eration and Development) and the U.N.W.T.O. (United Nations World Tourism Organisation) tourism barometer has been pre-pared. The secondary data analysis presents and compares, through charts, the volume of visitors per country and/or per year, their overnights and the total count for the aforementioned vol-umes by each country either separately or in conjunction with the rest of the Balkan locale. A growth trend in all volume numbers of tourists and their overnights is showcased until the 2019 pandemic outburst, as a progression, and from 2019-2021 the volume num-ber has diminished due to COVID-19 and movement restrictions. From 2021 onwards volume numbers came back to their rise trend surpassing or equivalent in numbers to the benchmarks of 2019. Thus, tourism is returning to the growth numbers with no re-striction assisting the situation. Countries with coastlines receive more tourism than the rest of the countries. Further research is needed to accumulate and compare data for the gender and nation-ality of the tourists arriving in the Balkan locale.