Four-country Comparison Research Articles

Does land tenure change accelerate deforestation? A matching-based four-country comparison

The scale and pace of land tenure change for agricultural development, often known as ‘land grabbing’ or ‘global land rush,’ are historically unprecedented. Control over millions of hectares of land has shifted over the past decade for the production of food, fiber, and biofuel. However, the rapidly growing body of research on land tenure change provides few rigorous assessments of deforestation across multiple countries with distinct biophyisical and socioeconomic characteristics. In this paper, based on spatial boundaries of land transactions (LTs) in Cambodia, Ethiopia, Liberia, and Peru, we investigate their association with deforestation using a pixel-based matching approach. Our findings suggest that the context, size, and distribution of LTs and the associated deforestation patterns vary substantially across the four countries. Land tenure change significantly accelerates deforestation in Cambodia and Liberia, but such acceleration is insignificant in Ethiopia. In Peru, we observe the opposite trend, where areas adjacent to LTs experience higher deforestation than areas within. Our analysis reveals how patterns and outcomes of LTs are linked to country characteristics and contexts, and suggests that sweeping generalizations about positive or negative consequences of LTs on deforestation and possibly other socioenvironmental outcomes need to attend more closely to specific patterns and drivers of LTs.

O6-6 The added value of using the HEPA PAT for physical activity policy monitoring: A four-country comparison

BackgroundPublic policy is increasingly recognized as an important component of physical activity (PA) promotion, as policy actions to address lifestyle behaviours have the potential to in?uence the health and well-being of an entire population. However, our knowledge about the current status, implementation and effectiveness of PA policies in individual countries is still very limited, and there is consequently no clear guidance on which policies governments should preferably use in different settings or under various preconditions. In order to improve the evidence-base, we conducted a detailed assessment of existing PA policies in four EU Member States using WHO's HEPA Policy Audit Tool (PAT) in the context of the Policy Evaluation Network (PEN).MethodsWe employed a six-step process to administer the HEPA PAT Version 2 in Ireland, the Netherlands, Germany, and Poland. This involved identifying stakeholders, pre-filling parts of the tool using existing survey data and desk-research, approaching select institutions to verify details, and obtaining expert opinion via workshops, interviews, and/or questionnaires. Based on the four completed PATs, we performed a comparative analysis to identify similarities and differences between countries and with previous studies using the tool.ResultsIn all four countries, the health and sport sector were found to be most active in PA promotion, followed by education, transport, and environment/urban planning. All countries have national systems to monitor population PA levels, and three out of four already have national PA recommendations. The study also showed that policy context (e.g. ministry portfolios, importance of subnational governments) varies substantially between countries. This influences policy implementation and made it necessary to employ a bespoke approach in each country to obtain the required information.ConclusionsOur findings largely confirm results of previous studies using the PAT in other countries. They also indicate that using the tool in combination with other policy monitoring tools, e.g. the EU Monitoring Framework for HEPA across Sectors, may provide added value and help countries monitor policy progress more consistently. Our experience also confirms some known limitations of the PAT, e.g. regarding subnational policies and a high level of dependence on cooperation from key policy actors.

Tweets and Votes: A Four-Country Comparison of Volumetric and Sentiment Analysis Approaches

This study analyzes different methodological approaches followed in social media literature and their accuracy in predicting the general elections of four countries. Volumetric and unsupervised and supervised sentiment approaches are adopted for generating 12 metrics to compute predicted voteshares. The findings suggest that Twitter-based predictions can produce accurate results for elections, given the digital environment of a country. A cross-country analyses helps to evaluate the quality of predictions and the influence of different contexts, such as technological development and democratic setups. We recommend future scholars to combine volume, sentiment and network aspects of social media to model voting intentions in developing societies.

The added value of using the HEPA PAT for physical activity policy monitoring: a four-country comparison

BackgroundPublic policy is increasingly recognized as an important component of physical activity promotion. This paper reports on the current status of physical activity policy development and implementation in four European countries based on the Health-Enhancing Physical Activity Policy Audit Tool (HEPA PAT) developed by WHO. It compares the findings to previous studies and discusses the general utility of this tool and its unique features in relation to other instruments.MethodsThe study was conducted as part of the Policy Evaluation Network (www.jpi-pen.eu) in Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands and Poland. Data collection built upon information obtained via the EU Physical Activity Monitoring Framework survey, additional desk research and expert opinion. Data analysis employed Howlett’s policy cycle framework to map and compare national physical activity policies in the four countries.ResultsIn all countries under study, policy agenda-setting is influenced by prevalence data from national health monitoring systems, and the sport and/or health sector takes the lead in policy formulation. Key policy documents were located mainly in the health sector but also in sport, urban design and transport. Physical activity programmes implemented to meet policy objectives usually cover a broad range of target groups, but currently only a small selection of major policies are evaluated for effectiveness. National experts made several suggestions to other countries wishing to establish physical activity policies, e.g. regarding cross-sectoral support and coordination, comprehensive national action plans, and monitoring/surveillance.ConclusionsThis study provides a detailed overview of physical activity policies in the four countries. Results show that national governments are already very active in the field but that there is room for improvement in a number of areas, e.g. regarding the contribution of sectors beyond sport and health. Using the HEPA PAT simultaneously in four countries also showed that procedures and timelines have to be adapted to national contexts. Overall, the instrument can make an important contribution to understanding and informing physical activity policy, especially when used as an add-on to regular monitoring tools like the EU HEPA Monitoring Framework.

Drivers of Populism: A Four-country Comparison of Party Communication in the Run-up to the 2014 European Parliament Elections

The aim of this article is to analyse what different types of populist communication styles emerged during the 2014 European Parliament election campaign and under which conditions political parties selected specific populist communication styles. To do this, a comparative quantitative content analysis of press releases in the run-up of the latest European Parliament elections has been conducted for parties in France, Germany, Austria and Greece. The article presents a definition of populism based on the contemporary academic discourse, which focuses on the transnational nature of the European political field. It is shown that populist party communication is more pronounced on the fringes of the political spectrum and in countries struggling with severe macroeconomic difficulties. Contrary to intuitive expectations, the perceived populist rhetoric of exclusivity in the context of the European sovereign debt crisis, which is identified as a central feature of right-wing populism, barely takes place within populist party communication.

Rome IV—Functional GI Disorders: Disorders of Gut-Brain Interaction

Rome IV—Functional GI Disorders: Disorders of Gut-Brain Interaction

Online Sexual Activity Experiences Among College Students: A Four-Country Comparison.

The purpose of this study was to compare male and female college students in four countries (Canada, Germany, Sweden, and the U.S.) on their lifetime experiences (prevalence) and frequency of recent experiences with six types of online sexual activities (OSA): sexual information, sexual entertainment, sexual contacts, sexual minority communities, sexual products, and sex work. Participants (N=2690; M age, 24.65years; 53.4% women, 46.6% men) were recruited from a university in each of the countries to complete an online survey that included background and demographic questions, and questions about OSA. Most participants reported experience with accessing sexual information (89.8%) and sexual entertainment (76.5%) online. Almost half (48.5%) reported browsing for sexual products, and a substantial minority reported having engaged in cybersex (30.8%). Very few participants (1.1%) paid for online sexual services or received payment (0.5%). In general, participants showed relatively infrequent experience with all types of OSA within the last 3months. Men showed both higher prevalence and frequency of use of sexually stimulating material online than did women. However, this gender gap was smaller than in previous studies. Country and gender by country effects were (with one exception) either very small or non-existent, suggesting that, overall, students in the four countries were similar in their OSA experiences. Results are discussed in light of an emerging global net generation and globalized sexual culture.

A four-country comparison of healthcare systems, implementation of diagnostic criteria, and treatment availability for functional gastrointestinal disorders: a report of the Rome Foundation Working Team on cross-cultural, multinational research.

Variations in healthcare provision around the world may impact how patients with functional gastrointestinal disorder (FGIDs) are investigated, diagnosed, and treated. However, these differences have not been reviewed. The Multinational Working Team of the Rome Foundation, established to make recommendations on the conduct of multinational, cross-cultural research in FGIDs, identified seven key issues that are analyzed herein: (i) coverage afforded by different healthcare systems/providers; (ii) level of the healthcare system where patients with FGIDs are treated; (iii) extent/types of diagnostic procedures typically undertaken to diagnose FGIDs; (iv) physicians' familiarity with and implementation of the Rome diagnostic criteria in clinical practice; (v) range of medications approved for FGIDs and approval process for new agents; (vi) costs involved in treating FGIDs; and (vii) prevalence and role of complementary/alternative medicine (CAM) for FGIDs. Because it was not feasible to survey all countries around the world, we compared a selected number of countries based on their geographical and ethno-cultural diversity. Thus, we included Italy and South Korea as representative of nations with broad-based coverage of healthcare in the population and India and Mexico as newly industrialized countries where there may be limited provision of healthcare for substantial segments of the population. In light of the paucity of formal publications on these issues, we included additional sources from the medical literature as well as perspectives provided by local experts and the media. Finally, we provide future directions on healthcare issues that should be taken into account and implemented when conducting cross-cultural and multinational research in FGIDs.

Modes of Professional Campaigning

In recent years, political parties have reacted to far-reaching transformations in their media and sociocultural environments. These changes and adaptations, often assembled under the catchword “professionalization,” become most apparent during electoral campaigns. However, the campaign professionalism of political parties has not yet been systematically “measured,” having been examined mostly in single case studies. Against this background, we present an empirical test of the party-centered theory of professionalization. Ours is a four-country comparison of the campaign structures and strategies of political parties during the most recent European parliamentary elections. Our analyses demonstrate a wide variety in professional electoral campaigning. There are differences in campaign structures that not only point to country specifics but also to the impact of the size of the parties. We also ask whether there are differences between parties owing to their position on a right–left scale. Our findings point to some general trends in electoral campaigning that seem to be typical of societies with democratic corporatist media systems. Those similarities and country-specifics should be taken into account in future empirical analyses, which might benefit from our methodological approach.

Different roles, different content? A four-country comparison of the role conceptions and reporting style of political journalists

The relation between journalistic role conceptions and news content is central for the understanding of differences in journalistic cultures. Previous research has shown that the professional roles of individual journalists can influence their behaviour and that occupational socialization leads to similar role conceptions within countries. This article therefore studies the relation between cross-national differences in role conceptions and news content. A survey among political journalists in Denmark, Germany, the United Kingdom, and Spain ( N = 425), combined with a content analysis of political coverage in these countries ( N = 1,035 newspaper articles) shows that role conceptions vary more across countries than within countries. Spanish political journalists see their role as more sacerdotal and partisan than their colleagues in northern Europe, while British journalists are most entertainment oriented. These differences in role conceptions are reflected in the reporting style of political news.

Festival Stakeholders: Exploring Relationships and Dependency Through a Four-Country Comparison

The importance of stakeholders to festival organizations and the issue of dependence on key stakeholders are studied through a four-country comparison. Respondents from Sweden, Norway, Scotland, and Australia mostly indicated that they did not feel overly dependent on any category of stakeholder, but did reveal the existence of several general patterns of stakeholder relationships that are linked to dependency. The public sector was predominant in terms of perceived stakeholder importance, but also clearly revealed were a customer-first relationship and a supplier-first (mostly venues) pattern. Perceived dependence on corporate sponsors in the sampled countries was uniformly low. Tourism and event management implications and theoretical advances are discussed in the conclusions, including suggestions for future research.

Gender, Sexuality and the Latin American Left: testing the transformation

This article examines the extent of change under Latin American left governments by assessing their actions on women's and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights. To provide a historical context, it first offers an overview of the relationship between feminist movements and the left. It then employs a four-country comparison of Brazil, Bolivia, Chile and Venezuela on women's socioeconomic status; feminist state–society relations; women's representation in national decision-making positions; legislation on violence against women; reproductive rights; and sexual rights. It concludes that standard political and economic divisions among the cases do not explain their response to the demands of feminists and LGBT activists. While governments have improved women's status and inclusion, the transformation of gender and sexual power relations remains unfinished.

Lessons Learned from Health Sector Reform: A Four-Country Comparison

Various reforms have been undertaken to improve the functioning of health systems in developing countries, but there is limited comparative analysis of reform initiatives. This article discusses health sector reform experiences of four developing countries and identifies the lessons learned. The article is based on the review of background papers on Bangladesh, Pakistan, Indonesia, and Tanzania prepared as part of a multi-country study on health sector reform. Findings suggest that decentralization works effectively while implementing primary and secondary health programs. Decentralization of power and authority to local authorities requires strengthening and supporting these units. Along with the public sector, the private sector plays an effective role in institutional and human resources development as well as in improving service delivery. Community participation facilitates recruitment and development of field workers, facility improvement, and service delivery. For providing financial protection to the poor, there is a need to review user fees and develop affordable health insurance with an exemption mechanism. There is no uniform health sector reform approach; therefore, the experiences of other countries will help countries undertake appropriate reforms. Here, it is important to examine the context and determine the reform measures that constitute the best means in terms of equity, efficiency, and sustainability.

The medical management of menopause: A four-country comparison care in urban areas

Objective To compare the medical management of menopause across urban areas in four countries which differ by level of income and degree of medicalization. Methods Surveys of health providers who advise women on the menopausal transition were carried out in Beirut, Lebanon ( n = 100), Madrid, Spain ( n = 60), Worcester, MA, U.S. ( n = 59), and Rabat, Morocco ( n = 50) between 2002 and 2004. Physician characteristics, hormone therapy (HT) prescribing practices, and concerns about the management of menopause were compared across countries using χ 2 and logistic regression analyses. Results Across sites, physicians were generally well informed about HT and thought that symptom alleviation and disease prevention were equally important. They had concerns about risks associated with HT, particularly breast cancer, and in 3 sites where the survey was conducted after the WHI (Beirut, Rabat, and Madrid) physicians changed their practices to prescribe HT less frequently, for shorter durations, or shifted to other medications. There were significant differences across sites in the recommended duration of HT, time spent talking with patients, perceived benefits of HT, tests recommended before prescribing HT, and concern about the risks associated with HT. Physicians in Madrid and Massachusetts were more likely to report that decisions about the management of menopause were difficult, but in all sites the main reason for difficulties was concerns about risks. The results also suggest discrepancies between physicians’ perceptions and women's reports about the reasons why women consult at menopause. Conclusions Prescription patterns and perceived benefits of HT appear to reflect local medical culture rather than simply physician characteristics. The impact of the WHI study was seen in prescribing patterns and concerns about HT. Physicians in all four countries were generally well informed. Financial support: NIH 5 900 000196.

Aboriginal Well-Being: Canada’s Continuing Challenge (review)

Reviewed by: Aboriginal Well-Being: Canada’s Continuing Challenge James Frideres Jerry White, Dan Beavon, and Nicholas Spence, eds. Aboriginal Well-Being: Canada’s Continuing Challenge. Toronto: Thompson Educational Publishing, 2007. 246 pp. $36.95 sc. The volume is one of a series of publications produced by the Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium which is housed at the University of Western Ontario and headed by Dr. Jerry White. While the goal of this book is to provide the reader with information on the health and well-being of Aboriginal people in Canada, it approaches the topic from a methodological perspective. Put another way, while the reader will certainly learn about the well-being of Aboriginal people, the authors are really focused on trying to develop appropriate, comparative, and reliable measures of well-being. There is some contextual information about Aboriginal people in Canada, but the authors are more focused on developing a set of indicators. Why do I mention this? I do so because the reader needs to be forewarned so that s/he not approach the manuscript with expectations that will not be fulfilled. However, it is an ambitious volume concerned with the analysis of the well-being of Aboriginal [End Page 218] groups in Canada as well as around the world. The work is truly exceptional on many counts. The book’s wide comparative breadth, the methodological sophistication, the up-to-date references, and the critical analysis of the data make this book a notable accomplishment. The book is a wonderful compilation of information regarding the well-being of Aboriginal people in Canada and in other “settler” societies. Given that the chapters are written by different authors, who in turn use different measures of “well-being,” specific comparisons are difficult. Nevertheless, data from the census, administrative units, e.g., Indian Affairs, and other sources are used to empirically assess the concept of well-being. Throughout the book, the authors acknowledge these methodological issues and focus on patterns and trends that illuminate the results. The authors, having access to data that might not otherwise be available to other researchers, make the best use of their databases as they mine the data to its fullest. The volume is comprised of ten chapters placed within three parts. The first part introduces the concept of “well-being” and introduces general theoretical and methodological issues that researchers have to deal with when measuring the concept. This section provides an excellent theoretical discussion of the concept of well-being, why it is important, why it needs to be measured at different levels, and the implications of introducing such a concept into the language when dealing with Aboriginal people. Part 2 looks at a Registered Indian Human Development Index and considers changes that have taken place between 1981 and 2001. This section also examines sex equality and well-being. Finally, it provides a four-country (Australia, Canada, United States, New Zealand) comparison of Aboriginal people’s well-being. Part 3 moves to a more macro level of analysis and focuses on developing a community well-being index. This section begins by outlining what a community well-being index is, why it is important, and how one might empirically measure it. An initial application of the model is used for measuring community well-being of Inuit. Later, a comparison of well-being in Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal communities is provided. The penultimate chapter assesses the impact of specific claim settlement on community well-being and finds little effect. The final chapter reviews the empirical results presented in the preceding chapters and provides the reader with an assessment and critique of the objective and subjective dimensions of the concept “community well-being.” While space prevents a detailed discussion of each chapter, some of them deserve special mention. The comparative chapters are particularly important in that they allow both intra-group comparisons as well as inter-group comparisons. For example, one chapter provides a comparison of well-being between First Nations communities from one time period to another. In another case the authors compare Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal communities in Canada. I might add that [End Page 219] Indian Affairs, at one point in time, provided similar comparisons, but...

Health systems factors influencing maternal health services: a four-country comparison

It is widely understood that maternal health care relies on the entire health system. However, little empirical, country-specific, research has been done to trace out the ways in which health system elements can shape maternal health outcomes. This study seeks to redress this situation, by providing an example of how a health systems approach can benefit the understanding of maternal health services. A comparative analysis was conducted based on extensive case studies of maternal health and health systems in Bangladesh, Russia, South Africa, and Uganda. A number of cross-cutting health system characteristics affecting maternal health were identified by comparing these diverse settings. The most important common systems issues underlying maternal health care were found to be the human resource structures, the public–private mix of service provision, and the changes involved with health sector reforms. Specific country contexts can further determine many factors influencing maternal health outcomes and service performance. Systems issues were found to influence the access to and utilization of services, quality of care provided, and ultimately maternal health outcomes. This paper provides a first step in tracing out how such broad systems issues actually work to influence maternal health.

Local Government Reforms in Great Britain, Sweden, Germany and France: Between Multi-Function and Single-Purpose Organisations

This four-country comparison has four sections. First, some remarks on appropriate definitions and concepts are made (inter alia by introducing and emphasising the distinction between 'traditional' and New Public Management-inspired administrative reforms). Then, country by country accounts of the pertinent reforms are submitted 'in a nutshell'. Third, with the 'convergence or divergence?' question in mind, the conclusion is put forward that significant differences persist (and even increase), particularly between Sweden and Germany, on the one hand, and England and France on the other. In the final section, an attempt is made to assess the 'performance' of the different local government systems in looking at their capacity to 'co-ordinate' policies and activities. It is argued that Sweden's and Germany's traditional type of democratically accountable, multi-functional and territorially viable local government does relatively well in achieving policy co-ordination, democratic participation and political accountability. Great Britain and France, however, could do better.

Abortion in adolescence: a four-country comparison

The purpose of this study was to conduct a comparison, using qualitative analytic methodology, of perceptions concerning abortion among health care providers and administrators, along with politicians and anti-abortion activists (total n = 75) in Great Britain, Sweden, The Netherlands, and the United States. In none of these countries was there consensus about abortion prior to legalization, and, in all countries, public discussion continues to be present. In general, after legalization of abortion has no longer made it a volatile issue European countries have refocused their energy into providing family planning services, education, and more straightforward access to abortion compared with similar activities in the United States.

Governmentalizing central executives in post-communist Europe: a four-country comparison

This article compares the institutionalization of central ministerial executives in Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland since the late 1980s. Under communism, the policy formation and arbitration function of the central state apparatus was weakly developed; at the same time, the state bureaucracy was comprehensively politicized, as personnel policy emphasized political loyalty and reliability. In policy terms, state administration was 'under-politicized', in personnel terms 'over-politicized'. Against this background, the key challenge of post-communist executive institutionalization has been to 'governmentalize' the executive, i.e. to build up its policy-making capacity and to professionalize its staff. Executive reform has, accordingly, centred on attempts to concentrate policy formation in the central executive; to create a capable core executive around the prime minister and the minister of finance; and to establish a career civil service. But this reform agenda has yielded mixed results and the configuration of central executives remains unstable.

The Emerging Underclass in the Russian Federation: Income Dynamics, 1992–1996

The Emerging Underclass in the Russian Federation: Income Dynamics, 1992–1996