Foreign Nationals Research Articles

Enhancing maternity protection at work: assessing the contribution of a specialized occupational medicine consultation for pregnant employees in Switzerland

Abstract Aim Occupational exposures may harm the health of pregnant workers and their future children. While Switzerland has established specific regulations to safeguard pregnant employees while enabling them to pursue their job, there are limitations in implementing these provisions. This study aims to evaluate the contribution of an occupational medicine consultation (PregOH-consultation) in protecting pregnant workers and facilitating their safe return to work. Pregnant employees were referred to the consultation by their attending physicians in need of support in applying pregnancy protective legislation. Subject and methods Between 2015 and 2021, indicators were collected from pregnant workers who sought the consultation, as well as from their employers. Descriptive and correlational statistical analyses were performed. Results Out of the 328 work situations analysed, 98% presented at least one occupational hazard. Among the 272 companies contacted, only 14% had conducted a risk analysis, and 39% had implemented job adaptations. Among the pregnant workers whose employers were involved in the PregOH-consultation, 44% were able to return to work safely. Early referral to the consultation and pre-existing preventive measures within the company were identified as potential predictors of successul of the consultation in terms of safe return to work. The impact of the consultation was found to be less pronounced for women of foreign nationality. Conclusion The observed companies have insufficient measures in place to adequately protect pregnant employees, potentially jeopardizing their health or leading to premature job withdrawal. The PregOH-consultation serves as an effective intervention by facilitating hazard identification and enabling pregnant workers to safely continue their employment.

The Factors of the Fall of the Republic Government and Political Crisis in Afghanistan: A Survey of Public Attitudes

Afghanistan, a nation marked by longitudinal internal conflict and a field of rivalry among global and regional powers for many decades, grapples with a deeply intricate and multifaceted political predicament. This complexity arises from a duality of issues: the pervasive intra-ethnic and intra-group tensions within Afghanistan and the intricate interplay of neighbouring states, regional dynamics, and global interests that have transformed the country into a quagmire of conflict and terrorism. This research adopts a quantitative, applied research approach utilizing questionnaires as its primary data collection method. Its core objective is to systematically investigate and unearth the underlying causes contributing to the collapse of the Afghan republic. The research reveals that ethnic politics have dominated Afghanistan, exerting substantial, irreparable damage upon the democratic framework. This dominance manifests through ethnic-centric political manoeuvres that undermine the democratic system’s foundations. The downfall of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan can be attributed to a multitude of factors, including widespread administrative and financial corruption, the managerial inadequacies of top-tier officials, the monopolization of power, ethnocentrism and discriminatory practices, political dependency on foreign nations, the self-interest and ambitions of political leaders, the dearth of rule of law, economic reliance on foreign entities, a conspicuous absence of merit-based governance, a crisis of political legitimacy, and the inefficacy of the judiciary. Ultimately, the republic’s governance disintegrated when President Ashraf Ghani fled Afghanistan, facilitating the scaling of the Taliban to power.

The interplay of migrants and host nations for the good of nations: A biblical-theological reflection

South African citizens usually accuse foreign nationals of stealing their jobs and increasing the crime rate in the country. Such accusations have often resulted in xenophobic violence. Unfortunately, not much effort has been made to depict immigrants in positive light to improve the relations between them and the indigenous population. Thus, this article utilised Joseph’s narrative (as described in Genesis in the Old Testament) as a biblical-theological lens in an attempt to mitigate the negative perceptions of migrants among the South African indigenous population. The narrative cast a positive picture on migration by presenting Joseph who, as a foreigner in Egypt, contributed to the development of the economy of Egypt. This article accomplished its aforementioned objective by initially interrogating relevant literature that identified and discussed the various factors that portrayed immigrants negatively, thereby pushing disgruntled South African citizens to engage in xenophobic violence. Thereafter, Joseph’s forced migration to Egypt is discussed. This narrative was used as a biblical-theological lens to establish the contributions of foreign nationals in the development of the economies of host nations. While applying the biblical-theological lens of Joseph’s narrative to the contemporary situation of migration, this article lamented the dearth of research on the contributions of foreigners to host nations. Furthermore, pertinent sources were used to highlight the correlation between Joseph’s narrative and the current migration situation. Having underscored the aforementioned, this article argued that the current positive contributions that immigrants have made to the host nations’ economies, should compel the nations to construct migration policies and frameworks that proactively integrate immigrants. Furthermore, formal recognition of any such contributions would encourage peaceful coexistence between the indigenous population and foreign nationals, resulting in a more compassionate and inclusive world. That is, instead of regarding immigrants with resentment and anger, nations can create a world where migration is not only acknowledged but celebrated as a fundamental part of the human experience. In its attempt to encourage peaceful coexistence between the indigenous population and immigrants in South Africa, this article aligned with the principles of this journal, which aim to develop South African society by addressing the ongoing challenge of xenophobia within some of the country’s communities.Contribution: The contribution of this article lies in that formal recognition of any positive contributions made by foreign nationals would encourage peaceful coexistence between the indigenous population and foreign nationals, resulting in a more compassionate and inclusive world where immigrants are primarily viewed positively rather than as mere criminals.

Divide et Impera in the Banten Sultanate: The Political Succession of Sultan Haji and VOC's Pepper Monopoly in the 17th and 18th Centuries

Nusantara's spice commodities became one of the determining factors of the global spice trade in the 17th and 18th centuries. There were three types of superior spices produced by the Nusantara such as cloves, nutmeg, and pepper. In the 17th century AD, Banten Sultanate was known as a pepper producer, and its pepper trade significantly influenced the economic and political development of the region. Apart from improving the economy, this commodity was also used to establish diplomatic relations between foreign nations. However, the pepper trade also became one of the factors that caused conflict in the Banten Sultanate. The implementation of the divide et impera strategy by the VOC caused an internal conflict between Sultan Haji and Sultan Ageng Tirtayasa. The conflict occurred when Sultan Haji allied with the VOC to succeed his father, Sultan Ageng Tirtayasa. Sultan Haji made an agreement with the VOC in 1684, allowing the company to monopolize the pepper trade. This research examines this issue by looking at the overall condition of the pepper trade before and after the VOC's presence in the Banten Sultanate and the succession of Sultan Haji through the 1684 pepper trade agreement. This qualitative research uses historical research methods with a political approach. The theory used in this research is political economy theory, which includes understanding power, economic system, and public policy. The historical research method comprises heuristics, verification, interpretation, and historiography stages. The analysis using a political approach reveals the extent to which the Banten Sultanate's pepper trade policy influenced the succession of Sultan Haji and the monopolization of the pepper trade by the VOC.

Acts of xenophobia among nurse educators: A qualitative study

BackgroundXenophobia has been in existence for centuries, though subtle and not too pronounced as of recent years. It has now pervaded all spheres including businesses, academia and industries. Previous studies have found it to be disruptive both to organizations and employees. PurposeTo explore acts of xenophobia among nurse educators, underpinned by the frustration and aggression theory. MethodA qualitative study involving twenty-five nurse educators in Botswana was carried out between July 2019 and August 2020. Open-ended semi-structured questions were used to collect face to face in-depth interviews from participants. FindingsDehumanizing comments, labelling and discrimination were the three themes that emerged from interpretative analysis. Affected persons were mostly foreign nationals and people of different ethnic groupings. ConclusionThe study concluded that there is need for a policy that addresses acts of xenophobia and an intervention to mitigate acts of xenophobia.

The Dualism Phenomenon of Covid-19 Prevention Policy at Entikong Border, West Kalimantan Province: A Government Communication Study

Entikong District, Sanggau Regency, West Kalimantan Province, is one of the border areas of Indonesia and Malaysia. Among several Cross-Border Posts (PLBN) in the Indonesian territory, one of them was established in Entikong Sub-district, Entikong PLBN. The Entikong area was equally impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. Aiming to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus in Entikong, the government issued two policies. The first policy was to close the border. Despite being closed, the border remained accessible for Indonesian citizens intending to return to Indonesia and foreign nationals with visas according to certain conditions. The second policy was the Enforcement of Micro-based Community Activity Restrictions (PPKM). Both emerged as two conflicting policies where the border was closed but accessible for Indonesian citizens, such as returning Indonesian migrant workers and foreigners with certain visas. However, on the other hand, PPKM restricted the mobility of the Entikong community. It is certain that these two policies greatly impacted the community residing in the Entikong border area due to the absence of socialization and intense communication for the community in West Kalimantan, which possesses a number of border entry points.

Legal Consequences of Divorce in Intermarriage on the Marital Property in the form of Land Proprietary Rights

Intermarriage brings legal consequences to the assets in the marriage including the mixing of joint assets. Marital property, specifically, regarding land ownership rights in Indonesia causes a problem if there is a divorce. The joint assets in the form of ownership rights to the land must be shared between Indonesian Citizens and Foreign Citizens while Law Number 5 of 1960 concerning Basic Regulations -The Agrarian principle prohibits foreign nationals from owning property rights. This research aims to find out the position of Foreign Citizens regarding land ownership rights in Indonesian laws and regulations and the legal consequences of divorce on land ownership rights in mixed marriages. This research is normative legal research, the type of research used is research on legal systematics by taking inventory of laws and regulations governing land ownership rights in intermarriage, identifying problems, and analyzing them qualitatively.
 Keywords: intermarriage, land proprietary rights, divorce

Border control within Spanish prisons? Intersections between immigration control and imprisonment at the southern border of Europe

Recent scholarship has highlighted that, for many foreign nationals, Western European prisons function as 'places of crimmigration' where non-citizens are over-represented, often excluded from rehabilitation efforts, sometimes held in segregated prisons, and where it is common for incarceration to lead to deportation. However, this literature has mainly focused on north-western European countries and has neglected countries on the EU's southern border, where different dynamics may be at work. This research aims to provide a broader understanding of how border control shapes imprisonment in Western European prisons by including Spain, a Southern European country, in the picture. To this end, this article examines prison regulations on foreign inmates and original statistics on their release and expulsion from prison. In doing so, this paper demonstrates that the aims of border control have permeated Spanish prisons, making imprisonment into an exclusionary punishment for certain non-citizens and introducing a new role for prison staff. The findings of this study also indicate that expulsions are used selectively on a small proportion of incarcerated noncitizens. This result is consistent with previous research suggesting a discrepancy between crimmigration discourse and practice, while also revealing the existence of hierarchies of belonging.

Utilisation of the web-based Home Assessment Tool among patients with COVID-19 in Selangor, Malaysia: An observational study.

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused many countries to turn to web-based solutions. The Home Assessment Tool (HAT) is a web-based system using the MySejahtera application developed by the government. It serves as a communication platform for patients with COVID-19 to self-monitor their clinical symptoms and enables authorised healthcare personnel to access and manage collected data for clinical monitoring. Our study aimed to examine the utilisation of this internet-based tool among patients with COVID-19 in Selangor. This observational study analysed secondary data from the self-reported HAT within MySejahtera. It included all patients who were diagnosed with COVID-19 through molecular assays such as RT-PCR or RTK-Ag on 1-21 February 2021, aged >18 years and residing in Selangor. Patients who had documented their symptoms at least once in the HAT during the prescribed 10-day isolation period were classified as HAT users. A total of 4438 patients were included, of whom 39.4% were HAT users, while 60.6% were non-HAT users. Logistic regression analysis revealed three significant factors associated with low utilisation of the HAT: absence of medical condition (odds ratio [OR]: 9.4; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 7.49-12.01), advanced age (OR: 1.35; 95% CI: 1.20-1.52) and non-Malaysian citizenship (OR: 3.4; 95% CI: 2.50-4.72). The utilisation of the HAT is low, which is associated with advanced age (>65 years), absence of medical conditions and foreign nationality. It is imperative to develop inventive strategies tailored to address the unique needs of these particular demographics.

VAŽNOST NAČELA KONTINUITETA I PRIMATA DRŽAVLJANSTVA U POSTUPCIMA DENACIONALIZACIJE NA PRIMJERU SLUČAJA GROFA DRAŠKOVIĆA

In denationalization procedures, that is, the right to compensation and/or return of confiscated property according to the Law on Compensation for Property Confiscated During the Yugoslav Communist Rule, the question of nationality is (was) extremely important. Namely, from 1996 to 2002, foreign nationals did not have the right to be entitled to compensation. Since 2002, the holder of the right to compensation is any previous owner, regardless of nationality, whose right to compensation for confiscated property is not regulated by an intergovernmental agreement. Therefore, the question of nationality is still important for the possibility of instigating denationalization procedures. In the mentioned procedures, until 2002, the question could arise as to whether a person was a Croatian national or not, that is, after 2002, the question could arise as to whether a person was a national of a state with which there is an intergovernmental agreement on compensation for confiscated property. In determining the nationality of a potential recipient of compensation, two principles of nationality law are extremely important - the principle of continuity and the principle of the primacy of nationality. The paper will analyze these two principles and their application in the denationalization process will be shown in the case of count Drašković.

Two Difficult Pandemics: Tuberculosis and COVID-19.

The coinfection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and SARS-CoV-2 is called tuberculosis and COVID-19 coinfection (TB-COVID-19). We aimed to share the clinical, radiological, and laboratory findings and treatment processes of our patients with TB-COVID-19 coinfection in our tertiary reference hospital. Patients aged 18 years and over and hospitalized in the tuberculosis service between March 2020 and September 2022 were included. All coinfected patients whose COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction results were positive while receiving tuberculosis treatment or who were diagnosed with tuberculosis while receiving treatment for COVID-19 were included. The number of patients was 39; 61.6% of males; the mean age was 52 ± 17.1 years; 20% were foreign nationals; 92.5% were Asian; 69.5% had a bacteriological diagnosis; 84.6% had pulmonary tuberculosis; 10% had received antituberculosis treatment before; and 87.5% were sensitive to the first-line antituberculosis drugs. The most common comorbidities were diabetes and hypertension. 87.5% of the patients were diagnosed with tuberculosis and were superinfected with COVID-19 while receiving tuberculosis treatment. 49.5% of patients had received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine. The most common presenting symptom was cough and sputum; the prominent laboratory parameter was C-reactive protein increase, and thorax computed tomography finding was consolidation, tree-in-bud, and cavitation. While 45.9% of the patients were still under treatment, 1 (2.5%) patient also resulted in mortality. In this study, attention was drawn to two infectious diseases seen with respiratory tract symptoms. The mortality rate was found to be low. Neither disease was found to be a factor aggravating the course of each other.

Migrants from Ukraine in the Polish labour market as perceived by Poles from rural areas and towns.

The article is devoted to presenting the topic of migration of Ukrainian nationals to Poland. The work makes use of a survey under a project carried out in Polish rural areas and small towns. Seven hundred interviews were held in total. We conducted a quantitative analysis of its results here. The employed methods involve variable frequency distribution. The independence of the features was tested with the non-parametric chi-square test of independence. The association of the investigated variables was determined with Cramér's V. The research shows that the most numerous foreign nationals in the Polish labour market in 2021 were Ukrainians. The positive trend started in 2017. The respondents perceived the migration of Ukrainian nationals to Poland mostly positively, especially regarding seasonal work. They also emphasized that the Ukrainians performed work at variance with their qualifications. Only every fifth participant agreed that migrants took away jobs from Poles. Most of the respondents pointed out that small business owners benefited from employing Ukrainians. The overwhelming majority of the respondents noted an increase in migration from Ukraine after the full-scale invasion and that entire families of Ukrainians were coming to Poland. Nearly half of them agreed that the support system for Ukrainian migrants was a burden on municipal budgets.

Malaysian newspaper coverage of the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games

ABSTRACT Background: The Olympic Games, as a major global sporting event, have received extensive media coverage. However, there is no published study on the media coverage of Malaysian newspapers in the Games. Aims and Objectives: The purpose of this study was to analyze and compare the newspaper coverage of the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games across four English-language Malaysian newspapers. Methodology: The primary objective of this research is to scrutinize all articles and photographs published from the opening day to the closing ceremony of the Olympic Games. Various factors considered in the analysis include the frequency of coverage, total number of articles and photographs, size of articles and photographs, nationality, gender representation, and article placement. The sample for this study includes Malay Mail, New Straits Times, The Sun, and The Star. Data collection involved gathering articles and photographs published during the specified time frame of the Olympic Games. The collected data were then analyzed using quantitative methods to determine trends and patterns in newspaper coverage. This study utilized a summative content analysis method to determine and compare the frequency, amount, and size of newspaper coverage. Results: The findings indicate a decline in overall coverage from 3,009 articles in 2012 to 2,783 articles in 2016. Additionally, there was a decrease in the size of news articles, from 33,422.823 square inches in 2012 to 30,670.271 square inches in 2016. However, the size of photographs increased substantially in 2016 compared to 2012, rising from 24,349.514 square inches to 40,254.556 square inches. Most of the coverage was concentrated on the sports pages, with only 14% of articles in 2012 and 4% in 2016 featured on the front page. In terms of gender representation, males were prominently featured over females in both 2012 and 2016. Additionally, there was a higher prevalence of articles and photographs showcasing foreign nationals compared to Malaysians in both years. Conclusion: The study reveals significant differences in the newspaper coverage of the Olympic Games between 2012 and 2016 in Malaysian newspapers. These findings provide valuable insights into the media portrayal of the Olympics and contribute to a better understanding of the role of newspapers in shaping public perception of sporting events. To our knowledge, this is the first data on Malaysian newspaper coverage of the Olympics. Most articles were published in the sports sections, and the average size of articles and photos was larger compared to other countries. There were more articles featuring male subjects than female subjects, with males receiving more coverage overall. Additionally, there was more coverage of foreign athletes compared to Malaysians. Future research could explore the bias in reporting gender and nationality in Malaysian English-language newspapers.

Key findings from the 2023 'ACT NOW on Global HIV Migration, Mobility and Health Equity' community forum.

Background People living with HIV continue to face laws, policies, and practices that impact their potential for travel and migration. These laws include: mandatory HIV testing and involuntary disclosure of HIV; lack of access to affordable HIV-related health care, treatment and counselling during the migration process; deportation of foreign nationals living with HIV; and restrictions on the length of stays. Methods HIV migration laws were the topic of a half-day community forum held as part of the 12th International AIDS Society Conference on HIV Science held in Brisbane, Australia, in July 2023. Over 150 delegates attended and, after a series of presentations, delegates were invited to participate in structured, facilitated conversations about issues related to policy, health and law concerning migration of people living with HIV. In this paper, we report on key themes from those discussions and identify areas for ongoing investigation. Results Advocates recommended the removal of unfair and unjust migration laws and policies that contribute to HIV stigma and discrimination; updated migration policies that reflect the current context and cost of biomedical approaches to HIV management and prevention; expanded and equitable access to HIV-related care regardless of migration or residency status; and the development of advocacy networks to promote changes to migration policies. Conclusions Laws limiting the migration of people living with HIV actively discourage individuals from seeking HIV testing, treatment and care. Ultimately, restrictive migration laws and policies undermine global efforts to end AIDS as a public health concern and to virtually eliminate HIV transmission by 2030.

Evaluation of The Implementation of The Computer Based National Assessment in Indonesian School of Bangkok

Starting with the final-stage assessment system for basic and secondary schools, problems continue to arise during the final stage of assessment. In addition, as Indonesia is affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, the problem requires learning activities to be implemented online. Starting in 2020, the Ministry of Education and Culture will transform the National Exam into a national computer-based assessment or Asesmen Nasional Berbasis Komputer (ANBK). This change shows a paradigm in the evaluation of primary and secondary education. The study was conducted at Indonesian School of Bangkok, Indonesian School Overseas located in Bangkok, Thailand. The aim of this study is to identify, describe, and formulate the evaluation of the implementation of ANBK at the primary school of Indonesian School of Bangkok. This study is expected to be used as a reference in the implementation of ANBK in the next year. This research method is qualitative descriptive in which data is obtained through active observation, open interviews, and documentation. The results of the research showed that the implementation of the ANBK at the Indonesian School of Bangkok went with the lancer despite several obstacles, including technical constraints and the level of concentration of students in working on the issue of the ANBK. The observation results also showed that there are students with a marriage background of citizens of Indonesia and foreign nationals parents who reach the minimum limits of competence in literacy and numeration aspects, but character aspects have evolved.

Manpower Recruitment Agencies in Nepal

The daily exodus of an increasing number of Nepali to many foreign nations has a significant economic influence on the country. It is not a new phenomenon in Nepal for people to migrate outside to seek work. Still, it is a relatively new practice in Nepal to facilitate overseas migration through employment agencies. Nepal's liberal democratic atmosphere, openness, and the nationwide spread of the Maoist insurgency contributed to a dramatic rise in transnational movements in the country midway through the 2000s. Over this period, there was a notable increase in the number of Nepalis using brokering agencies and their agents to help them migrate out of Nepal, mostly to non-traditional locations in India. Moving further from mere focusing on impact of international migration on migrants and their family members, this article discusses the distinguishing features and nature of recruitment agencies that facilitate the worldwide migration of foreign workers from Nepal. This article is based on research that looked at companies that help workers migrate outside of Nepal through migrant recruiting. Since these groups are a part of global networks that assist individuals travelling across borders, their actions have made it simpler to turn Nepalis into commodities on the global market stage. To gain an understanding of the nuances of the topic and to derive meaning from the raw data, the study relied mainly on primary and ethnographic data that were subsequently processed thematically.

PROBLEMATIKA VISA IZIN TINGGAL KUNJUNGAN LEWAT BATAS WAKTU (OVERSTAY) PADA WARGA NEGARA ASING (WNA): SUATU TINJAUAN KEBIJAKAN HUKUM PIDANA

Criminal law policy according to Criminal law policy regarding crime and punishment is an important part of criminal law reform, and is even seen as an indicator of the progress of a nation. The current Criminal Code, a legacy of the Netherlands, is still heavily influenced by the classical school and places imprisonment as the prima donna. The result is a high rate of imprisonment, as well as an impact on excess capacity in correctional institutions, as well as problems with funding and training for prisoners. Stay permits are issued or issued by the Immigration Office, which is an institution that regulates issues regarding the movement of foreigners into the territory of the Republic of Indonesia which is implemented based on selective policy. This research aims to examine how criminal law policies can resolve criminal acts regarding misuse of visas for visiting stay permits beyond the deadline (overstay) among foreign nationals and how the immigration authorities enforce the law against these criminal acts. The research results show that the Criminal Law Policy aims to protect the community to achieve community welfare, so in terms of legal response to overstaying, this is translated into the principle of subsidiarity in criminal law, namely prioritizing the principle of ultimum remedium in lawcriminal, then administrative resolution is a more appropriate policy and regarding targets and action against Overstay must be in accordance with Law Number 6 of 2011 concerning Immigration and Presidential Regulation Number 21 of 2016 concerning Free Visitor Visas, by means of supervisioncompleteness of administrative procedures for residence permits for visits by foreigners, and taking administrative action against those who violate residence permits by charging foreigners to pay fees and repatriation to their country of origin Keywords: Criminal Policy; Expired Time Limit; Ultimum Remedium.

Transnational Law and Criminal Justice System: Highlighting Legislative and Procedural Challenges to combat Cyber Crime in the wake of CPEC

World Justice Project’s (WJP) Rule of Law Index 2022 ranked Pakistan globally at 129th out of 140 countries while on regional level Pakistan is ranked 5th out of 6 countries. Where Pakistan’s justice system is hitting the bottom in rule-of-law index, at the same time, the entire nation is celebrating China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which is a flagship project of Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) also known as OBOR. This is a Chinese master stroke in the cross-continental geo-economics of the world. With a heavy influx of Chinese businesses and Chinese nationals arriving in the country, the markets and Pakistani citizens are vulnerable to criminal activities including more sophisticated types of crimes such as crimes involving ICT. In particular, incidents of ATM skimming are rising in Karachi among other crimes. Foreign nationals are arrested include Chinese nationals; however, legislative and procedural lacunasand prosecution related defects eventually cause the prosecution version to collapse during trial. Therefore, this research study proposes strong legislative and judicial framework, human resource development including need for prompt initiatives in the subordinate judiciary. This research also highlights the need for having proper compliance of environmental and labor laws regulations. The research is based on mixed methodology. Quantitative analysis is conducted on the data collected through questionnaires from the sample of 50 respondents that include advocates, FIA investigation officers and public prosecutors.In addition, qualitative analysis is done through interviews of senior officers from NR3C as well as I.Os, students, academics and research economists from academia.

Sports participation and leadership: Gender and nationality disparities in Spain

Being physically active and engaging in sports activities are critical for improving health-,social-, and economic-related outcomes. Despite years of policy efforts, physical inactivity remainshigh, especially among specific demographic groups. This study focuses on gender andnationality differences in Spain. We use data from the 2020 Survey of Sporting Habits in Spainto perform a descriptive analysis of sports participation and examine its correlates. The resultsshow that women and foreign nationals are less likely to practice sports. Additionally, we collectinformation from the High Council for Sports to examine women's representation in leadershippositions in sports from 2016 through 2021. Despite recent increases following policy efforts,women remain a minority in all analyzed positions. We discuss the managerial implications ofour findings for public policy and reflect on future research directions in this area.

Reference and Bibliographic Services in Foreign National Libraries (Organizational Aspect)

Digitalization is changing the environment in which libraries operate. The processes of production, storage, dissemination and use of information are undergoing significant changes. Reference and bibliographic service in the operational mode “request — response” is the most sensitive to the ongoing transformations. The problem of developing an optimal functional and organisational model of reference and bibliographic service is of particular relevance. The article is devoted to the review and analysis of the organisation of reference and bibliographic services in ten national libraries of the world on the basis of monitoring of official sites. The author defines the main forms of reference and bibliographic services, communication channels and ways of interaction of reference and bibliographic services with users. Special attention is paid to the currently dominant multilevel service model and its modifications. The problem of the crisis of reference bureau — stationary point of reference and bibliographic service is considered as a private one. The main tendencies of modernization of reference and bibliographic service in the digital age are revealed. The key drivers of change, in the author’s opinion, are the desire to link the library more closely to institutional strategy and to provide enhanced research support to those who need it.