Greater Equity Research Articles

Treading paths to sustainability: an analysis of the postgraduate curriculum in Business Administration

Education for Sustainability is seen as a powerful catalyst for change and social transformation aimed greater equity in the relations between society and the environment. In this way, the higher education institutions are responsible in this process. The purpose of this study is analyzing the present elements in the post-graduation programs in Administration that enhance the formation of professionals committed to sustainability. Thus, a documental research was conducted that examined the pedagogical projects of eight programs of master degree in Business Administration that were already implemented in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. It was concluded that the pedagogical projects of the courses are committed to the thematic of regionalities and sustainable issues, but when that aspect is transferred to the discipline of the courses, this query cannot be measured directly. Besides, they identified which were the subjects more related with the sustainability theme, the relationship between compulsory subjects, research lines and Education for Sustainability.

A True Crime Tale: Re-imagining Governor Arthur’s Proclamation to the Aborigines

A True Crime Tale: Re-imagining Governor Arthur’s Proclamation to the Aborigines

The Trade-Off between Excellence and Equality: What International Assessments Tell Us

This paper uses PISA data to explore cross-national comparisons of mathematics performance and educational inequality, with a focus on those countries that are characterized by high PISA scores and greater equity. The authors discuss the dangers of giving too much attention to a single year’s high performer on a given international assessment. Instead, they argue that the PISA and TIMSS should be analyzed with a more nuanced set of indicators and with greater sensitivity to long-term trends. This approach can help generate new research hypotheses, identify groups of countries worthy of detailed study, and yield fresh insights on educational policy.

Takeover Premia and Leverage: Theory, Empirical Observations and Recommendations

AbstractThe greater a target company’s leverage, the less cash or shares an acquirer needs to control the target enterprise. Given the benefits of acquiring a target, the equity takeover premium is spread over relatively more assets in a more highly leveraged target, thus reducing the premium paid relative to the entire enterprise. This suggests that more levered targets may receive greater equity premia, expressed as a percent of the unaffected share price, other things equal. To test this, we examine takeover transactions that occurred during the 2003–2013 time period. We find that higher equity takeover premia are related to higher pre-deal leverage levels, consistent with theory. Our results are robust with respect to size, industry, profitability, year of transaction, synergy potential, and type of acquirer (strategic, horizontal or financial). Our empirical analyses support the Appraisal Foundation Working Group’s recommendation for best practices, namely, to adjust takeover premia for leverage.

Vocational Psychology: Agency, Equity, and Well-Being.

The present review organizes the vocational psychology literature published between 2007 and 2014 into three overarching themes: Promoting (a) agency in career development, (b) equity in the work force, and (c) well-being in work and educational settings. Research on career adaptability, self-efficacy beliefs, and work volition is reviewed in the agency section, with the goal of delineating variables that promote or constrain the exercise of personal agency in academic and occupational pursuits. The equity theme covers research on social class and race/ethnicity in career development; entry and retention of women and people of color in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields; and the career service needs of survivors of domestic violence and of criminal offenders. The goal was to explore how greater equity in the work force could be promoted for these groups. In the well-being section, we review research on hedonic (work, educational, and life satisfaction) and eudaimonic (career calling, meaning, engagement, and commitment) variables, with the goal of understanding how well-being might be promoted at school and at work. Future research needs related to each theme are also discussed.

Toward a New Architecture for Global Mental Health

Current efforts in global mental health (GMH) aim to address the inequities in mental health between low-income and high-income countries, as well as vulnerable populations within wealthy nations (e.g., indigenous peoples, refugees, urban poor). The main strategies promoted by the World Health Organization (WHO) and other allies have been focused on developing, implementing, and evaluating evidence-based practices that can be scaled up through task-shifting and other methods to improve access to services or interventions and reduce the global treatment gap for mental disorders. Recent debates on global mental health have raised questions about the goals and consequences of current approaches. Some of these critiques emphasize the difficulties and potential dangers of applying Western categories, concepts, and interventions given the ways that culture shapes illness experience. The concern is that in the urgency to address disparities in global health, interventions that are not locally relevant and culturally consonant will be exported with negative effects including inappropriate diagnoses and interventions, increased stigma, and poor health outcomes. More fundamentally, exclusive attention to mental disorders identified by psychiatric nosologies may shift attention from social structural determinants of health that are among the root causes of global health disparities. This paper addresses these critiques and suggests how the GMH movement can respond through appropriate modes of community-based practice and ongoing research, while continuing to work for greater equity and social justice in access to effective, socially relevant, culturally safe and appropriate mental health care on a global scale.

ENVIRONMENTAL POLICIES AND MANAGEMENT IN INDIA

In this Universe the Earth is the only planet where life is possible. Modernization and industrialization affect nature in 2 ways. Firstly it is extremely destructive of environment in its search for inexpensive biomass-based raw materials and for the opportunities for waste disposal. Secondly modernization is transforming the very character of nature. The tendency is to reduce the diversity in nature and transform it in to high yielding monocultures.
 India is country with a high level of population density. In the name of economic development often any human activity, which results in the destruction of an ecological space or in its transformation, is justified. Environmental issues were completely overlooked during the first 2 decades of economic development. Government realized the need for environmental protection in early 1970s. Environmental protection was adopted as directive principles of state policy in our Constitution. The protection of environment is also a fundamental duty of every citizen of India. Presently there are about 30 major enactments related to protection of environment being administered by the Central and State Governments. The problems concerning the policies of Government related to environmental protection and the implementation of various laws are discussed in this paper.
 India’s biggest challenge today is to identify and implement development process that will lead to greater equity, growth and sustainability. To achieve these goals Government policies should be reformed and it is our duty to come forward and make these policies successful.

“My job is to deal with what I can”: HIV care providers’ perspectives on adherence to HAART, addictions, and comprehensive care delivery in Vancouver, British Columbia

People with drug addictions have among the lowest rates of adherence to HIV medications (i.e. HAART) of any infected population, which is often explained through reference to the instability associated with problematic drug use and the ‘chaos’ that is assumed to characterize the lives of people with addictions. Many studies examine the links between addiction and adherence from the perspective of HIV-positive populations, but few explore how HIV care providers think about addictions, their impact on adherence, and how to incorporate the complex health needs of drug-using populations into comprehensive HIV care practices. Using qualitative data from a pilot study on adherence to HAART among people with drug addictions in Vancouver, British Columbia, this paper examines how eight HIV care providers (i.e. physicians, pharmacists, and community-based service providers) approach these interconnected issues. Our findings illustrate that while addictions often complicate adherence to HAART, this is not a universal reality, and the kinds of drugs used as well as the individual capacities of these patients also factor significantly in their adherence success. The organization of the HIV care environment, which is highly stratified and provides certain professionals with more resources and structural capabilities to deliver comprehensive care than others, also plays a large role in our participants’ abilities to address the health needs of their clients with addictions. We recommend that the current HIV care delivery system be adapted to ensure more integrated care and greater equity across the different groups of providers working in the field of HIV care.

Did Equity of Reproductive and Maternal Health Service Coverage Increase during the MDG Era? An Analysis of Trends and Determinants across 74 Low- and Middle-Income Countries.

IntroductionDespite widespread gains toward the 5th Millennium Development Goal (MDG), pro-rich inequalities in reproductive health (RH) and maternal health (MH) are pervasive throughout the world. As countries enter the post-MDG era and strive toward UHC, it will be important to monitor the extent to which countries are achieving equity of RH and MH service coverage. This study explores how equity of service coverage differs across countries, and explores what policy factors are associated with a country’s progress, or lack thereof, toward more equitable RH and MH service coverage.MethodsWe used RH and MH service coverage data from Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) for 74 countries to examine trends in equity between countries and over time from 1990 to 2014. We examined trends in both relative and absolute equity, and measured relative equity using a concentration index of coverage data grouped by wealth quintile. Through multivariate analysis we examined the relative importance of policy factors, such as political commitment to health, governance, and the level of prepayment, in determining countries’ progress toward greater equity in RH and MH service coverage.ResultsRelative equity for the coverage of RH and MH services has continually increased across all countries over the past quarter century; however, inequities in coverage persist, in some countries more than others. Multivariate analysis shows that higher education and greater political commitment (measured as the share of government spending allocated to health) were significantly associated with higher equity of service coverage. Neither country income, i.e., GDP per capita, nor better governance were significantly associated with equity.ConclusionEquity in RH and MH service coverage has improved but varies considerably across countries and over time. Even among the subset of countries that are close to achieving the MDGs, progress made on equity varies considerably across countries. Enduring disparities in access and outcomes underpin mounting support for targeted reforms within the broader context of universal health coverage (UHC).

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Measuring Comprehensiveness of Primary Care: Challenges and Opportunities.

Comprehensiveness of primary care (the extent to which the clinician, as part of the primary care team, recognizes and meets the majority of each patient's physical and mental health care needs) is an important element of primary care, but seems to be declining in the U.S. This is concerning, because more comprehensive primary care is associated with greater equity and efficiency in health care, improved continuity, less care fragmentation and better health outcomes. Without measurement and support for its improvement, comprehensiveness may further decline as other measured aspects of primary care (e.g. access, coordination) improve. To track, support and improve comprehensiveness, it is useful to have valid and reliable ways to measure it. This paper discusses challenges to measuring comprehensiveness for a primary care team's patient panel, presents survey and claims-based measures of comprehensiveness, and provides suggestions for future research.

Achieving Equity in Higher Education: The Unfinished Agenda

In this retrospective account of their scholarly work over the past 45 years, Alexander and Helen Astin show how the struggle to achieve greater equity in American higher education is intimately connected to issues of character development, leadership, civic responsibility, and spirituality. While shedding some light on a variety of questions having to do with fairness and equity, this research has not succeeded in removing the structural barriers to progress among underrepresented groups. Accordingly, the authors advocate that colleges and universities focus greater attention on developing student values and other personal qualities that will produce a new generation of citizens who are committed to creating a more just and equitable society.

Institutional Tuition Fee Discounts: Cost Sharing Without Loans

In developed and developing countries around the world, one of the most hotly debated higher education topics is whether to increase cost sharing by instituting or raising the tuition fees charged at public institutions. A common argument made by advocates of greater cost sharing is that higher tuition fees increase the resources to improve the quality and scope of the enterprise, including providing more access by adding more seats. Another argument for greater cost sharing is that higher fees can introduce greater equity into the system by having students pay amounts closer to their and their families’ abilities to pay for higher education. A third argument is that higher fees will more nearly reflect the private benefits that college students are likely to receive in the form of higher incomes throughout their lifetime However, all of these arguments for greater cost sharing depend critically on more student aid being provided to help those students and families who cannot afford to pay the higher fees. More student aid is the only means by which access and equity objectives can be advanced through higher fees. Put another way, without sufficient student aid, higher tuition fees will reduce the demand for higher education, especially among students from lower-income families, who will have the most difficulty paying the higher fees.

A Global Stocktake of UNICEF's Programme Activities on Public Finance for Children

This global stocktake examines past trends and performance to ascertain achievements and identify how UNICEF can further strengthen its engagement in public finance for children (PF4C). The exercise includes a desk review and targeted survey that captures information on PF4C activities in 116 country offices during 2009-13.PF4C describes UNICEF’s efforts to influence the transparency, efficiency, equity and adequacy of public investments in children. By undertaking this work, UNICEF is better able to address gaps in public funding, which particularly disadvantage the poorest and most marginalised children. Key goals of PF4C include influencing government decisions about spending on children and social services, reducing spending disparities among different population groups, and applying value for money approaches so that children benefit optimally from the resources available to enhance their wellbeing. As a programme stream, PF4C brings together sector-based and cross-cutting initiatives to influence budgetary frameworks (how the budget is put together) and public financial management (PFM) processes (how funds are transformed into public goods and services) for the benefit of children. The stocktake finds that UNICEF’s PF4C work takes many shapes and forms, involving diverse interventions, sectors and partners. Activities at the national level are increasingly complemented by engagement at subnational levels and being carried out across all country typologies, from extreme poor and fragile situations to high-income countries, including ones with UNICEF National Committees. UNICEF’s efforts in PF4C have achieved positive outcomes for children, demonstrating the potential to do even more. More than half of the country offices reviewed succeeded in removing public finance-related bottlenecks, paving the way to ensuring results for children. A greater equity focus is also emerging, including interventions to address revenue side concerns, influence intergovernmental transfers, and support local government capacity in budget planning and management. At the same time, it is clear that longer-term planning that links sector-based and cross-cutting opportunities and actions coupled with more robust budget monitoring and tracking can help to maximize the impact of PF4C efforts.Looking forward, more systematic management of good practices and knowledge around PF4C is a pre-requisite for taking results to scale. While many country offices have positioned their PF4C work well, the current lack of articulation of PF4C innovations and lessons learned limits their potential application in other contexts. To synergize and systemize the equity focus of engagement in PF4C, UNICEF Headquarters and regional offices are developing a Strategic Guidance on PF4C, complemented by ongoing capacity development activities, which include a Community of Practice, a webinar series, ‘how to’ manuals and a new global learning programme. These products will strengthen UNICEF’s ability to identify the most appropriate approaches for specific country contexts and further channel the existing momentum around PF4C into greater results for children.

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Potentiality of Disaster Management Education through Open and Distance Learning System in Bangladesh Open University

Bangladesh Open University (BOU) is the only public educational institution in Bangladesh, where, a dual-mode method of learning system has been introduced. Established in 21st October, 1992, the University now accommodates 1,74,459 learners in 2012. The wide range networking of this university provides it a great prospect to execute a broad spectrum of activities to accomplish its social responsibilities. Despite the aims of BOU at continuous quantitative improvement and greater equity in the society, like most of the ODL method universities in the world, BOU framed a limited objective to create awareness and preparedness about the contemporary global disaster proneness among its learners. Bangladesh for its geographical location, experiences several natural disasters like annual flood, heavy rainfall, cyclone and tidal surge, earth quake, river bank erosion, drought, etc. Lack of awareness of the sustainable use of the natural resources, and the consequences of the heedless consumption of them by the inhabitants enhanced the degree and frequency of these natural disasters during the last decades. The present study emphasizes on the role of Bangladesh Open University in creating awareness among its learners about the causes and pattern of disasters, pre and post disaster management strategies, etc. The study proves that BOU is a unique educational institution which, through the ODL method of teaching, using various educational medium like, tutorial support, printed study materials, electronic media, internet, and cellular phone, etc. can provided a wide range of knowledge about the disaster vulnerability, risk reduction and management strategies to its learners.

Can low skill teachers make good students? Empirical evidence from PIAAC and PISA

Using teachers’ skills from the Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC) and students’ performance from the Programme for International Students Assessment (PISA) we exploit a multilevel model to investigate how much of the variation in student performance can be explained by teacher quality at the country level across a number of OECD countries. Results show how teachers’ skills seem to have positive effects on student achievement and explain part of the variation between countries in students’ achievement. National policies and efforts made from Education departments to improve teacher quality seem crucial to achieve both overall excellence and greater equity across countries.

Diversity and Disparity in Home Equity among Asian Americans

Abstract This article uses data from the American Housing Survey to examine Asian American wealth through home equity, which is the most important asset held by many households. We also analyze ethnic variations in housing assets and the impact of the Great Recession on subgroups. Our analysis finds that non-Hispanic whites had greater equity than Asian Americans after adjusting for geographic differences; Chinese-born Asians have the highest and Philippine-born and Southeast Asians have the lowest home equity within ethnic variations; and the recession impacted all Asian subgroups, but affected Philippine-born Asians the most.

Mecanismo financeiro projetado com índices de seca como instrumento de gestão de risco em recursos hídricos

This study explores the construction of the index insurance in order to manage the moral hazard in water resources as well as to mitigate impacts resulting from an inefficient allocation of water. A system with a pluriannual and multiple use (urban supply and irrigation) reservoir was analyzed. The index insurance was designed based on SPI (Standardized Precipitation Index) with a time scale of 12 months and SRI (Standardized Runoff Index) with 12 and 24 months. In order to obtain sufficient resources to cover financial compensation a reserved fund was created that has annual revenues raised from human consumption and government. The index insurance model allows compensations that are paid based solely on the perceived value of the index, so that there is no need to estimate the actual loss of irrigation. The simulations showed that the SRI-24 index had the best performance for the interest rates applied, 0%, 2% and 3%. The proposed instrument can prevent opportunistic behavior of users (moral hazard) since they cannot influence the value of the index, the values of compensation and payment period. It can compensate for the risk transfer between conflicting sectors and generate greater equity in the water resource system

Relationship between socioeconomic status and general practitioner visits for children in the first 12 months of life: an Australian study.

The aim of the present study was to examine the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and child general practitioner (GP) visits in the first 12 months of life. A longitudinal analysis of 1202 mother and child dyads was conducted as part of the Environments for Healthy Living study from south-east Queensland, Australia, for participants enrolled between 2006 and 2009. Maternally reported survey data (sociodemographic and child health information) were linked with individual Medical Benefits Scheme data from birth to 12 months, identifying GP service use. On average, children visited the GP 10.2 times in the first 12 months of life. An inverse relationship was found for SES and child GP visits, with maternal education and child gender the strongest predictors of the total number of GP visits. Almost 70% of participants had all GP consultations bulk billed and only 3.5% paid more than A$100 in total. Children from lower SES families may have a greater need for health services due to higher rates of illness and injury. Bulk billing and low-cost access to GP services, regardless of length of consultation, improve equity of access; however, indirect costs may prevent low-income mothers from accessing care for their child when needed.