Equitable Resource Allocation Research Articles

A multi-stage optimization model for managing epidemic outbreaks and hospital bed planning in Intensive Care Units

Intensive Care Unit (ICU) capacity can be significantly affected by disease outbreaks, epidemics, and pandemics, impeding the operational efficiency of healthcare systems and compromising patient care. This paper presents a multi-stage optimization approach to planning the location and distribution of ICU beds to increase accessibility and reduce mortality caused by a shortage of beds in a geographic region during epidemic events. Using a Brazilian state monthly hospital admissions due to Covid-19 from October 2020 to April 2021, we show the amount and the allocation of extra ICU beds that could reduce mortality, minimize patient travel and transportation, and increase accessibility while considering budget limitations. Our findings show coverage for 21 previously underserved municipalities, providing extra ICU beds for 69 municipalities, ranging from 880 to 1670 beds across seven months. On average, patients are displaced 56% less and access ICUs within 17 ± 2.3 kilometres (CI 95%). The strategy contributes to public health planning and the equitable allocation of hospital resources among the population.

Inclusive Pedagogy: Systematic Review on Exploring Stakeholder Engagement in Multigrade Classroom Teaching

Multigrade education, characterized by the instruction of students from different grade levels in the same classroom, has garnered significant attention in educational research due to its prevalence in diverse global contexts. This comprehensive literature review offers a nuanced exploration of multigrade education, synthesizing empirical research, theoretical frameworks, and practical insights to provide a holistic understanding of its complexities and implications. The review begins by delineating the global landscape of multigrade classrooms, examining their prevalence, significance, and diverse manifestations across various regions and socio-economic contexts. It delves into the positive aspects of multigrade education, such as fostering collaborative learning environments, maximizing resource utilization, and addressing educational inequalities, while also addressing the negative effects of inadequate support, including teacher burnout and limited access to resources. Central to the literature review is the examination of stakeholder engagement in multigrade education, with a focus on the roles of educators, policymakers, parents, and communities in supporting effective teaching and learning practices. Through an interdisciplinary lens, the review analyzes strategies to maximize stakeholder support, including investments in professional development for teachers, equitable allocation of resources, community involvement, and policy advocacy. Furthermore, it explores culturally-appropriate interventions and collaborative teaching practices to address the unique challenges faced by multigrade educators and students across diverse cultural landscapes and socio-economic environments. By offering actionable recommendations grounded in empirical evidence and best practices, the literature review aims to inform policy, practice, and future research directions in multigrade education, ultimately advocating for inclusive learning environments where every student can thrive and succeed, irrespective of their grade level or school size.

Can We Realize a Real State of Medical Equity?

Achieving a real state of medical equity remains a challenging and complex goal within the healthcare system. Despite efforts to address disparities in healthcare access, treatment, and outcomes, significant barriers persist for marginalized communities. Structural inequalities rooted in race, socioeconomic status, geography, and education play a critical role in perpetuating inequities in healthcare delivery. To realize true medical equity, it is imperative to address these underlying factors through innovative policies and initiatives that prioritize equitable resource allocation, culturally competent care practices, and community engagement. Collaborative efforts between policymakers, healthcare providers, researchers, and community leaders are essential to reshaping our current healthcare system and ensuring that all individuals have equal opportunities to receive high-quality, person-centered care regardless of their background or circumstances. By working together towards the common goal of achieving medical equity, we can create a more just and inclusive healthcare system for everyone.

Rate splitting with semantics as a generalized multi-access framework for intelligent reflecting surfaces

The rapid advancement of modern communication technologies necessitates the development of generalized multi-access frameworks and the continuous implementation of rate splitting, augmented with semantic awareness. This trend, coupled with the mounting pressure on wireless services, underscores the need for intelligent approaches to radio signal propagation. In response to these challenges, intelligent reflecting surfaces (IRS) have garnered significant attention for their ability to control data transmission systems in a goal-oriented and dynamic manner. This innovation is largely attributed to equitable resource allocation and the dynamic enhancement of network performance. However, the integration of rate-splitting multi-access (RSMA) architecture with semantic considerations imposes stringent requirements on IRS platforms to ensure seamless connectivity and broad coverage for a diverse user base without interference. Semantic communications hinge on a knowledge base-a centralized repository of integrated information related to the transmitted data-which becomes critically important in multi-antenna scenarios. This article proposes a novel set of design strategies for RSMA-IRS systems, enabled by reconfigurable intelligent surface synergizing with semantic communication principles. An experimental analysis is presented, demonstrating the effectiveness of these design guidelines in the context of Beyond 5G/6G communication systems. The RSMA-IRS model, infused with semantic communication, offers a promising solution for future wireless networks. Performance evaluations of the proposed approach reveal that, despite an increase in the number of users, the delay in the RSMA-IRS framework incorporating semantics is 2.94% less than that of a RSMA-IRS system without semantic integration.

Transcending technology boundaries and maintaining sense of community in virtual mental health peer support: a qualitative study with service providers and users

BackgroundThis qualitative study explores the experiences of peer support workers (PSWs) and service users (or peers) during transition from in-person to virtual mental health services. During and following the COVID-19 pandemic, the need for accessible and community-based mental health support has become increasingly important. This research aims to understand how technological factors act as bridges and boundaries to mental health peer support services. In addition, the study explores whether and how a sense of community can be built or maintained among PSWs and peers in a virtual space when connections are mediated by technology. This research fills a gap in the literature by incorporating the perspectives of service users and underscores the potential of virtual peer support beyond pandemic conditions.MethodsData collection was conducted from a community organization that offers mental health peer support services. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 13 employees and 27 service users. Thematic analysis was employed to identify key themes and synthesize a comprehensive understanding.ResultsThe findings highlight the mental health peer support needs that were met through virtual services, the manifestation of technology-based boundaries and the steps taken to remove some of these boundaries, and the strategies employed by the organization and its members to establish and maintain a sense of community in a virtual environment marked by physical distancing and technology-mediated interrelations. The findings also reveal the importance of providing hybrid services consisting of a mixture of in person and virtual mental health support to reach a broad spectrum of service users.ConclusionsThe study contributes to the ongoing efforts to enhance community mental health services and support in the virtual realm. It shows the importance of virtual peer support in situations where in-person support is not accessible. A hybrid model combining virtual and in-person mental health support services is recommended for better accessibility to mental health support services. Moreover, the importance of organizational support and of equitable resource allocation to overcome service boundaries are discussed.

Frontiers in Operations: Equitable Data-Driven Facility Location and Resource Allocation to Fight the Opioid Epidemic

Problem definition: The opioid epidemic is a crisis that has plagued the United States for decades. One central issue of the epidemic is inequitable access to treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD), which puts certain populations at a higher risk of opioid overdose. Methodology/results: We integrate a predictive dynamical model and a prescriptive optimization problem to compute high-quality opioid treatment facility and treatment budget allocations for each U.S. state. Our predictive model is a differential equation-based epidemiological model that captures the dynamics of the opioid epidemic. We use a process inspired by neural ordinary differential equations to fit this model to opioid epidemic data for each state and obtain estimates for unknown parameters in the model. We then incorporate this epidemiological model into a corresponding mixed-integer optimization problem (MIP) that aims to minimize the number of opioid overdose deaths and the number of people with OUD. We develop strong relaxations based on McCormick envelopes to efficiently compute approximate solutions to our MIPs that have a mean optimality gap of 3.99%. Our method provides socioeconomically equitable solutions, as it incentivizes investments in areas with higher social vulnerability (from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control’s Social Vulnerability Index) and opioid prescribing rates. On average, when allowing for overbudget solutions, our approach decreases the number of people with OUD by [Formula: see text], increases the number of people in treatment by [Formula: see text], and decreases the number of opioid-related deaths by [Formula: see text] after 2 years compared with the baseline epidemiological model’s predictions. Managerial implications: Our solutions show that policymakers should target adding treatment facilities to counties that have significantly fewer facilities than their population share and are more socially vulnerable. Furthermore, we demonstrate that our optimization approach, guided by epidemiological and socioeconomic factors, should help inform these strategic decisions, as it yields population health benefits in comparison with benchmarks based solely on population and social vulnerability. History: This paper has been accepted in the Manufacturing & Service Operations Management Frontiers in Operations Initiative. Supplemental Material: The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/msom.2023.0042 .

Urban life and sunshine: Equitable sunlight resource allocation among different consumer groups?

Owing to the significant role of sunlight hours in human survival, it is crucial to assess the fairness of sunlight resource allocation among different socioeconomic classes, which is essential for the overall harmonious development of a society. This study focused on selected residential communities in Fuzhou, China, and conducted a simulation analysis of sunlight hours using a Solar Grid Model. Additionally, based on the transaction prices of residential properties in the area, this study employs regression analysis to discuss the current supply and demand of sunlight hours for residences with different price ranges. This study found that properties belonging to the lower-spending group may experience excessive sunlight hours during summer. An increase of one hour in sunlight hours on the summer solstice is associated with a decrease of approximately 45,000 RMB in the total property price. In contrast, the higher-spending group is more likely to face insufficient sunlight during winter, and an increase of one hour in sunlight hours on the winter solstice is associated with an approximate 28,000 RMB rise in the total property price. Furthermore, the study found that controlling the size of the property area for medium- to low-priced residential properties within a range of 113 m2 enables better utilization of sunlight resources. In contrast, high-priced residences, if designed with large protrusions, are prone to wasting sunlight resources. This study employed a novel approach to simulate and replicate the current sunlight conditions in urban architectural clusters. For the first time, this study systematically analyzed variations in the demand for sunlight hours across different socioeconomic groups, using property prices as references. Finally, this study summarizes the typical characteristics of sunlight design issues related to residential sample variations and proposes corresponding solutions.

Urbanization and Future Development of Satellite Towns through Gis: A Case Study of Bagru Block, Rajasthan, India

Urban agglomerations in India support more than 30% of its population today and are expanding rapidly. The metropolitan city of Jaipur supports nearly 30 lakh population and attracts millions every day towards the wide range of economic and employment opportunity it provides. Such big urban centre drains and absorbs all the available resources of the nearby area which supplements its expansion as major economic hub, “as a mother city”. Growth triggered expansion in developing countries like India is mostly so haphazard, unplanned and unchecked that it consumes surrounding small cities/towns. Therefore, the planning of these smaller municipalities adjacent to a major city (Satellite towns) becomes inevitable for the sustainable growth of urban centers and equitable resource allocation in future. “Bagru” is one such satellite town located along the south western fringes of Jaipur city, 30kms away on NH-8 .The study tries to contemplate “Bagru” as a satellite town along with other 15 towns for the master plan of Jaipur 2025 including parameters like economic potential, socio-economic and physical structure, connectivity, population.

Effect of Educational Equity on the Quality of Education in Selected Schools in Kwimba District, Tanzania

This study examined the effect of educational equity on the quality of education specifically, how the equitable distribution of resources affects quality education in public secondary schools in Kwimba district. It employed a mixed research approach with an embedded design and comprised 271 participants, including students, teachers, heads of schools, ward education officers (WEOs), and district education officers (DEOs). The study was carried out in kwimba district, Mwanza Tanzania from July,2023 to September, 2023. Both probability and nonprobability sampling techniques were used to select the participants. The data were collected through questionnaires, interviews and document reviews. The findings revealed that despite the number of challenges, the equitable distribution of resources significantly affected the attendance, retention, and performance rate of students. The results show that equity in resources improves education through the provision of nutrition and food, fee-free programs, the equitable distribution of teaching and learning materials, the construction and rehabilitation of infrastructure, and the allocation of qualified and adequate teachers. Basing on the findings, it was concluded that to improve the quality of education in secondary schools in Kwimba district, there should be a concerted effort to ensure the equitable allocation of educational resources. There should be a collaborative effort among parents, the community and the government to ensure that the challenges that limit students from accessing school resources are minimized or eliminated.

Climate finance across sub-Saharan Africa: Decision trees and network flows

The structure of climate finance flows from donors (multilateral sources) to recipients (sub-Saharan African countries) was studied. This is the first study to provide a comprehensive network structure of the climate finance flows into Africa, based on the global public climate finance governance system. Network theory and decision tree techniques were employed. The results obtained generally fit the multilateral funding units (MFUs) into two categories: central funding units (CFUs), which simultaneously attend to the climate-related projects of many African countries, and the boundary funding units (BFUs), which cater to only a few countries at once. An isolated region with no BFUs was identified. African countries within this group could be more exposed to climate financial risk as they rely on only the CFUs. In general, with the exception of mitigation REDD (reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation) climate finance, a disproportionate distribution of climate themes, with particular reference to adaptation finance, was observed across sub-Saharan Africa. This has real implications for equitable resource allocation of climate funds. The need for African-bred region-wide MFUs is recommended.

Fluid Diplomacy: Managing water disputes in South Asia

Water disputes in South Asia represent complex challenges stemming from competing demands, population growth, climate change impacts, and geopolitical tensions. This study examines the multifaceted nature of water conflicts in the region, focusing on transboundary rivers such as the Indus, Ganges, and Brahmaputra, which serve as lifelines for millions of people across borders. It explores the historical context of water disputes in South Asia, tracing their origins to colonial-era water management practices and contemporary factors such as rapid urbanization and agricultural expansion. It analyzes the geopolitical dynamics underlying water conflicts, highlighting issues of sovereignty, power asymmetries, and the role of hydro-diplomacy in fostering cooperation. Moreover, the research focuses on the environmental implications of water disputes, including ecosystem degradation, biodiversity loss, and climate change vulnerability. Despite these challenges, the abstract identifies opportunities for collaborative solutions, emphasizing the importance of international mediation, legal frameworks, and sustainable water management practices. By fostering dialogue, trust-building, and equitable resource allocation, South Asian countries can work towards resolving water disputes and promoting regional peace, stability, and prosperity.

Impact of Palliative Care Utilization among Kidney Cancer Patients in US Hospitals

The objective of this study was to examine the characteristics and utilization patterns of palliative care among the kidney cancer patients using a large-scale representative population-based sample. We retrospectively analyzed National Inpatient Sample hospitalization data from January 2020 to December 2020 to explore disparities in delivering palliative care to deceased kidney cancer patients and assess its impact on healthcare usage, focusing on hospital costs and length of stay (LoS). We used ICD-10 CM codes (International Classification of Diseases-classifying diagnoses and reasons for visits in all healthcare settings) to categorize the study population. We conducted univariable and multivariable linear and logistic regression analyses to calculate coefficients and odds ratios, considering relevant variables and addressing potential confounding factors. We studied 1437 deceased kidney cancer patients, with 53.9% receiving palliative care. Those receiving palliative care had lower total costs ($99,804 vs. $1,34,731) and a shorter LoS (7.19 days vs. 7.66 days), compared to those who didn’t. No significant difference was discovered in LoS. Private insurance, higher income, and female patients were more likely to receive palliative care. Race, hospital teaching status, and hospital size showed no significant differences. This study revealed insights into palliative care use among deceased kidney cancer patients, with cost-saving benefits evident. Disparities showed that individuals with private insurance and higher income more likely accessed palliative care, and females received it more often than males. Physicians and policymakers must consider these findings for equitable resource allocation and improved access.

Assessing Medical Emergency E-referral Request Acceptance Patterns and Trends: A Comprehensive Analysis of Secondary Data From the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Introduction Patient transfers in emergencies have been linked to reduced mortality rates and enhanced quality of care. The Saudi Medical Appointments and Referrals Centre (SMARC), an e-referral system in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) since 2019, plays a crucial role in ensuring quality and continuity of care. The findings of this study can provide valuable insights into the effectiveness of the e-referral system and identify potential areas for improvement in the management of emergency cases. Objective This study aims to examine e-referral patterns for emergency medical cases throughout all 13 administrative regions of KSA. Concurrently, it estimates the acceptance rate of medical emergency referrals and investigates associated factors among KSA hospitals. Methods This retrospective study utilized secondary data from the SMARC e-referral system, specifically focusing on medical emergency e-referral requests in the entire KSAduring 2021. Descriptive univariate analyses were conducted to characterize the referral requests, followed by bivariate analyses to explore associations between factors and referral acceptance. Adjusted multiple logistic regression analyses were then performed to calculate adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals, controlling for potential confounding variables. Results A total of 29,660 medical emergency referral requests were initiated across all regions of KSA during the study time frame, and, of these,20,523 (69.19%)were accepted. The average age of patients with a medical emergency referral was 52 years old, and referral requests were higher among Saudis (13,781; 54.18%), males (13,781; 54.18%), and those from the Western region (10,560; 35.60%). Nearly 20,854 (70%) were due to the unavailability of specialized doctors or specialties in facilities. Based on multi-logistic regression, referral request acceptance was high in some factors as follows: compared to the Central region, requests from the Northern, Southern, Eastern, and Western regions had higher acceptance rates at 123%, 64%, 54%, and 46%, respectively. In addition, referral requests that were due to the unavailability of a specialized doctor or medical equipment had higher acceptance rates (19% and 16%), respectively, than those due to the unavailability of a specific specialty. Conclusion This study provides valuable insights into regional variations, sociodemographic factors, and referral reasons within the medical emergency e-referral system in the KSA. By estimating the acceptance rate of medical emergency referrals and investigating associated factors, this analysis confirms the effectiveness of the e-referral system in facilitating access to quality care, particularly for marginalized patients. The study highlights the need for health policy improvements to ensure equitable resource allocation and reduce disparities in healthcare access.

Artificial Intelligence, Journalism, and the Ubuntu Robot in Sub-Saharan Africa: Towards a Normative Framework

This study investigates the integration of Ubuntu philosophy into AI-driven journalism practices in Subs-Saharan Africa. With a particular focus on its challenges, opportunities, and implications for fostering inclusivity, the study delineates practical lines of inquiry, including prioritizing diverse data sources, establishing ethical guidelines, promoting AI literacy, ensuring transparency and accountability, and equitable resource allocation. Drawing on interviews with journalists from Congo DRC, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia, the findings suggest that African journalists encounter a spectrum of experiences in their engagement with AI tools, ranging from enthusiastic embrace to skepticism regarding their reliability and representativeness. Against the backdrop, the study proposes a normative lens inspired by the Ubuntu philosophy, emphasizing relationality, social progress, social harmony, and human dignity, as a guiding framework for the responsible use of AI in journalism. By reimagining AI journalism within the Ubuntu philosophy, the study underscores the potential to create a technology landscape where all individuals and communities are treated equitably, aligning with the principles of interconnectedness, communal responsibility, and collective well-being.

Democracy and Regionalism: A Special Reference to the Study of Sambalpur District of Odisha

Growth is political and not managerial or administrative in the conceived technical sense (Leftwich 1984, 2000, 2004). That is the process of growth in human societies involves the organisation, mobilisation, combination, use and distribution of resources in new ways. That leads to inevitable disputes among individuals and groups or their combination on how such resources are to be used because of the calculation of gain and loss as a result of different configurations. It is appropriate in all the spheres from the grass-roots to national level in both developed and developing societies. However, the variation is that in a developed society changes come through institutionalised ways with more of a consensual mode of democratic politics. On the other hand, in embryonic societies with a high level of inequalities, a change threatens the interest of some directly which otherwise may be necessary for the promotion of development, like land reform. Therefore, both politics and state are central in the process of mobilisation, direction and development of resources in a new way that does not happen on its own. The research paper investigates the fusion of regional aspirations with democratic governance, elucidating how Sambalpur's cultural richness intertwines with demands for cultural preservation, political representation, and socio-economic progress. Beyond safeguarding cultural heritage, the study scrutinizes the district's needs for infrastructure development, equitable resource allocation, employment opportunities, and overall socio-economic advancement.

Principles and legal tools for equitable water resource allocation: prioritization in South Africa

ABSTRACT South Africa’s legally binding National Water Resource Strategy specifies a people-oriented prioritization for the equitable allocation of the nation’s public trust of surface and groundwater resources. This article analyses how the Inkomati–Usuthu Catchment Management Agency seeks to operationalize the three highest priorities in the Sabie Sub Catchment: the Basic Human Needs Reserve for domestic and constitutionally based productive water uses; customary water tenure in former homelands prioritized over the upstream commercial forestry and large-scale farming and the downstream Kruger National Park; and priority General Authorizations overcoming administrative injustices of current licensing. These highest priorities imply curtailment of the lowest priority, high-impact economic uses.

Educational Equity in the Context of China's Economic Development: Implementation and Practice of Educational Policies

Educational equity has consistently ranked among the fundamental principles aspired to by human societies. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization emphasizes that providing equal educational opportunities is a universally recognized and paramount ethical and social imperative within both society and the education system. Therefore, this paper assesses the influence of compulsory education and the National College Entrance Examination (NCEE) on educational equity in the context of China. The paper explores the policies adopted by the Chinese government to ensure that economic disparities do not affect educational equity. The paper finds that the urban-rural divide creates significant barriers to education for rural students, who often do not have access to quality education, and that the household registration system significantly contributes to fostering inequality. The NCEE system, while designed to promote meritocracy, also contributes to educational inequality by favoring students from urban areas and those who can afford private tutoring. By analyzing China's "Double Reduction" policy, posits that attaining educational equity demands a multifaceted strategy. This entails equitable resource allocation, robust economic support, the promotion of differentiated education, and the fortification of the admission system. The paper contends that mitigating the excessive dependence on a single test score and incorporating diverse assessment methods, like comprehensive quality assessment, can facilitate a more holistic assessment of students' overall capabilities and potential. Consequently, this has the potential to reduce disparities in university admissions. The paper underscores that achieving educational equity hinges on the collective commitment and concerted efforts of the entire society.

Equity of health resource allocation in Chongqing, China, in 2021: a cross-sectional study

BackgroundChongqing, the most populous city in Southwest China. This study aims to examine the equity of health resource allocation in Chongqing using the latest statistics, analyse possible shortcomings and propose...

The Influence of Monopoly Capitalism on Economic Globalization

This paper delves into a comprehensive examination of the multifaceted impact of monopolistic capitalism on global economization. By dissecting market monopolies, disparities in resource allocation, the intricate dynamics of innovation, and their potential to fuel geopolitical tensions, this study unravels the complex repercussions of monopolistic capitalism. Market monopolies undercut healthy competition, resulting in elevated prices and a decline in consumer well-being. Meanwhile, resource inequities exacerbate social inequality as dominant corporations amass an overwhelming share of resources. Despite monopolistic firms often possessing superior R&D capabilities, the reduction in competitive vigor hampers overall innovation. Furthermore, in the global arena, monopolistic capitalism has the potential to stoke geopolitical tensions, as witnessed in recent events involving Russia and Ukraine. To navigate these multifaceted challenges effectively, there is a pressing need for rigorous anti-monopoly enforcement, the promotion of equitable resource allocation, a balanced approach to incentivizing innovation, and strengthened international cooperation. These findings underscore the imperative for policymakers, business leaders, and stakeholders to proactively address the complex challenges posed by monopolistic capitalism. Such efforts hold the promise of fostering a more inclusive path to economic and social progress.

Optimizing Resources to Address STEM Gender Disparities in Western China

This research elucidates gender inequality in STEM fields in western China, leveraging extensive data from the China Education Panel Survey (CEPS) encompassing 20,000 students from 112 schools. It explores disparities in educational outcomes and aspirations in STEM, framed by gender and economic backgrounds. The study employs a conceptual framework and optimization model to categorize schools by location and rank and propose an equitable resource allocation method to mitigate gender gaps. By focusing on optimizing resource distribution to address disparities, this study contributes to fostering a diverse and inclusive STEM environment, offering insights for policy improvements and interventions aimed at promoting gender and economic equity in education in China.