Institutional Characteristics Research Articles

The adverse consequences of quantitative easing (QE): international capital flows and corporate debt growth in China

Abstract The economic institutionalist literature often suggests that sub-optimal institutional arrangements impart unique distortions in China, and excessive corporate debt is a symptom of this condition. However, lax monetary policies after the global financial crisis, and specifically, quantitative easing have led to concerns about debt bubbles under a wide range of institutional regimes. This study draws on data from Chinese listed firms, supplemented by numerous macroeconomic control variables, to isolate the effect of international capital flows from other drivers of firm leverage. We conclude that the rise in, and distribution of, Chinese corporate debt can partly be ascribed to the effects of monetary policy outside of China and that Chinese institutional features amplify these effects. Whilst Chinese firms are affected by developments in the global financial ecosystem, domestic institutional realities and distortions may unevenly add their own particular effects, providing further support for and extending the variegated capitalism literature.

Institutes of representative democracy in the scientific heritage of Professor E. I. Kozlova

The article is devoted to the analysis and consolidation of the main conclusions about the legal nature and features of domestic institutions of representative democracy in the works of Professor, Doctor of Law Ekaterina Ivanovna Kozlova. It is concluded that representative bodies and the will of the people remained the scientific interest of the founder of modern constitutionalism throughout his entire research career. From the point of view of the timeless nature of judgments and law enforcement in current realities, the elements and institutions of representative democracy are analyzed: sessional order of work; meetings as a form of activity; the formation of auxiliary and working bodies, which, in turn, cannot be classified as independent institutions of representative democracy; feedback, reports, preliminary discussions of decisions as a form of communication between deputies and voters; the principle of transparency and detailed legal regulation of activities. Ekaterina Ivanovna’s negative assessment of the rejection of the procedure for constituting representative bodies is supported.

EU Cooperation Programmes for Central Asia: New Challenges and Responses

This article aims to analyse EU cooperation programmes for Central Asia, placing emphasis on the importance of cross-regional cooperation in creating a favourable environment for business development and foreign investment, aligning those cooperation programmes with the UN Sustainable development agenda and the implementation of the universal Sustainable Development goals. The author highlights regional and local social and institutional characteristics focusing on EU-Central Asia cooperation. The article assesses the importance of cross-regional cooperation in creating a favourable environment for both business development and foreign investment, and provides analysis on EU-Kazakhstan cooperation. The author applies the monographic method, as well as the graphical method, secondary data analysis, and the qualitative method in the form of an expert interview. The author concludes that the relationship between the European Union and Central Asia is of global significance and their ties are likely to increase in strength in the future bearing in mind, notably, Russia’s and China’s interest in retaining Central Asian countries within their own sphere of political and economic influence. The author puts forward proposals that additional EU multidimension external programmes are paramount for the EU’s and Central Asia’s productive relations.

The impact of aerobics on mental health and stress levels: A visualization analysis of the CiteSpace map.

This study aims to integrate research in the field of aerobics and mental health through the visualization analysis method of the CiteSpace map, to clarify the impact of aerobics on mental health and stress levels. Firstly, based on the literature method, pieces of literature related to aerobics and mental health are searched and collected. Secondly, the visualization analysis method of the CiteSpace map is employed to summarize and analyze the contents of the literature, involving statistical analysis of the annual number of publications, analysis of author characteristics, and analysis of publishing institution characteristics. In addition, keyword co-occurrence analysis and keyword cluster analysis are also conducted in related research fields. Among them, the Log-Likelihood Ratio is used in keyword cluster analysis. Finally, the results are analyzed using the visualization analysis method of the CiteSpace map and the statistics-based comprehensive results. The results demonstrate that in the recent 20 years, the average annual number of articles in related fields exceeds 190. The high-yield authors are distributed in economically developed areas, and the cooperation among authors is scattered. In the keyword clustering results, a total of 77 cluster labels are obtained. The Q value of the clustering module is 0.89, and the average clustering profile silhouette (S) value is 0.92, indicating that the clustering structure is significant and the results are reasonable. The aerobics cluster contains the most closely related keywords, covering mental health and stress levels. Data analysis based on existing studies reveals that aerobics has a significant impact on mental health and stress levels. Individuals participating in aerobics show obvious improvement in mental health inventory (MHI) scores (t(100) = 4.32, p<0.05). Individuals participating in aerobics present a remarkable reduction in the questionnaire evaluation of stress levels (t(100) = -3.91, p<0.05). This study's results support aerobics' positive effects on mental health and stress levels.

Preliminary Study on Occupational Well-Being among Albanian Teachers in Lower Secondary School

This study aims to assess the level of occupational well-being and its three constructions, Organizational, Workload, and Pupil interaction well-being, among Albanian teachers working in lower secondary schools and the effect of demographic features and socioeconomic factors on occupational well-being. The analysis of information obtained from the interview of 198 teachers showed that teachers working in lower secondary schools reported a moderate level of occupational well-being. The levels of both organizational well-being and pupil interaction well-being were positive. Teachers have reported that workload well-being was slightly negative overall. The level of organizational WB, workload WB, and pupil interaction WB varies depending on the teachers' demographic features and social and economic factors. Female teachers, teachers with children, and teachers from families with low and medium incomes declare a higher level of well-being. Teaching experience affects the level of well-being. Teachers in public schools and teachers working in schools located in urban areas declare a higher level of occupational well-being. Based on these results, it is recommended that future reforms and programs in the pre-university education system aimed at increasing occupational well-being should be designed and implemented. This is because of the complexity of the factors responsible for occupational well-being and the characteristics of educational institutions related to their ownership status and location.

The Environmental Determinism Theory in international accounting: The need to reconceptualize it

Subject. This article discusses the theoretical aspects of environmental determinism as a scientific trend in the field of international accounting. Objectives. The article aims to show the inconsistency of current scientific approaches to the classification of international accounting systems. Methods. The research is speculative. For the study, I used the dialectical method of scientific knowledge, the method of collecting theoretical and regulatory information, the method of formalization, as well as analysis, synthesis, observation, and comparison. Results. Based on the research, the article finds that at present there is no clear understanding of the need for accounting models. They do not reflect the specificities of national accounting systems, as classification approaches are based solely on one or a couple of environmental factors rather than on the system as a whole. Conclusions and Relevance. The use of the existing accounting models, such as the Continental and Anglo-American ones, to characterize national accounting systems is misleading and does not reflect their institutional characteristics. Therefore, it is necessary to revise the theory of environmental determinism and resume accounting research in this area. Particular attention should be paid to the analysis of the positive and negative impact of international standards on the economies of foreign countries that have adopted them, and compare this experience with the Russian practices. The results of the work are a call to continue scientific research in the field of international accounting, in connection with which they are primarily addressed to the academic community, as well as researchers whose activities are focused on accounting and taxation, and to other interested persons who study international accounting.

Effects of a disincentive policy on behavioral changes by South Korean medical institutions that do not submit official nursing grade data.

This study aimed to determine whether the policy of imposing deductions on medical institutions in South Korea led to increased submission of nursing grade data. In Korea, medical institutions are required to report data on their nursing workforce; however, many institutions did not comply with this regulation, making it difficult to gauge their level of nurse staffing. Therefore, in 2020, a nursing fee deduction policy was introduced that penalizes medical institutions financially for failing to submit nursing workforce data. We prospectively collected data on the characteristics, nursing grade, and data submission status of 1,200 hospitals in South Korea from 2015 to 2021. We analyzed the submission rate of data related to nursing grades according to the characteristics of the medical institutions and evaluated the effect of policy change on data submission status using multiple logistic regression. The submission rate of data increased from 50.2% in 2015 to 93.3% in 2021, and 39.3% of medical institutions that had not previously submitted data did so after the policy was introduced. The submission rate of medical institutions unaffected by the policy also increased after its introduction. Compared with 2015, the likelihood of medical institutions submitting data increased by 23.69 times in 2020 and 20.47 times in 2021. The appropriate use of disincentive policies, such as financial deductions for medical institutions showing inappropriate behavior, was found to be effective in inducing desirable changes in the behavior of medical institutions. Properly planned and implemented policies can contribute to improved quality of medical services and patient safety through effective administrative control.

Trust in Tobacco Control

Sexual and gender minority (SGM) groups experience nicotine and tobacco (NT) related inequities that persist despite reductions in NT use across the general population. Research suggests that institutional trust has important implications for how public health policies are received by various publics, yet few studies have explored trust in tobacco control institutions, especially among SGM communities. Analysing narrative data from open-ended interviews with 100 young adults in California who currently or formerly smoked tobacco and identify in ways that classify them as SGM, we examine participants’ perceptions of tobacco control efforts in relation to characteristics of trustworthy institutions. Our findings suggest that trust in tobacco control institutions may be compromised by some of the tactics used to denormalize NT use, abstinence-only approaches to NT-related messaging and policymaking, and distrust of the broader establishment of which tobacco control is perceived to be a part. Highlighting unintended consequences of some current mainstream approaches to tobacco control, these findings are important to consider in the development of community-informed messaging strategies and policy interventions to address tobacco-related inequities among SGM populations.

Religion and persecution

AbstractThis paper investigates the relationship between local religiosity and episodes of persecutions in Europe between 1100 and 1850. We introduce a novel proxy for measuring local religion: the cult of saints in early Western Christianity. Our findings show that cities with an established cult of a saint are 11% points more likely to engage in Jewish persecutions and witch trials. However, cities with more progressive gender norms, measured by the presence of a female saint cult, are less likely to persecute witches compared to male-only saint cities. Our baseline relationship persists after controlling for a range of city-level economic, geographic and institutional characteristics and after accounting for other major confounders. Suggestive evidence points towards two mechanisms behind the saints-persecution relationship: (i) changes in norms induced by longer exposure to Christianity; and (ii) proximity of religious groups due to congruence of religious festivities.

ESG Performance in Emerging Economies

Business sustainability has been assessed by combining the financial (governance) and non-financial (environmental and social) performance of companies. This assessment must consider the institutional characteristics of the countries. Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa (BRICS) are emerging economies, i.e., in economic and social transition. The aim of this study is to identify the factors that affect ESG performance and each of its pillars of companies located in these emerging markets. This objective was developed by means of panel data regression with fixed effects controlled by year and economic sector, over the period 2016 to 2022, obtaining 6,278 observations of companies located in the BRICS. The main results show that a country’s higher level of transparency (absence of corruption) increases performance in the environmental and social dimensions; while the Index of Economic Freedom is associated with the governance dimension; in the characteristics at the company level, voluntary adherence to the Global Compact stands out, and large companies show better ESG performance compared to medium and small companies. These results have empirical implications at the country level (policies and legislation) and at the company level (headquarters country and size differences). The main contribution indicates that different factors affect the ESG performance of BRICS countries and of companies located in these countries. This contribution fills a gap in the literature and empirical evidence on ESG in companies from emerging markets.

Corporate environmental, social, and governance activities and financial reporting quality: An international investigation

This paper examines the impact of firms' environmental, social, and governance (ESG) activities on financial reporting quality (FRQ). The study uses 45,877 firm-year observations from 65 countries between 2003 and 2021. In the research model, firm characteristics and macroeconomic and institutional structure characteristics of the countries are controlled for. This study finds that firms with higher ESG scores have higher FRQ. Additionally, our mediation analysis indicates that financial distress costs serve as a crucial mechanism through which ESG influences FRQ. Our findings are robust after accounting for alternative measures of FRQ, different sampling scenarios, endogeneity issues, and simultaneity bias.

Surgeon, and Institution Characteristics Associated Surgical Preferences in the Pediatric KIDney Stone Care Improvement Network

OBJECTIVETo reveal barriers and opportunities to implement evidence for the management of pediatric kidney stone disease, we determined surgeon and institutional factors associated with preferences for the type of surgical intervention for kidney and ureteral stones. METHODSWe conducted a cross-sectional study of urologists participating in the Pediatric KIDney Stone Care Improvement Network (PKIDS) trial. Questionnaires ascertained strengths of urologists’ preferences for types of surgery as well as characteristics of participating urologists and institutions. The outcome was the strength of preferences for ureteroscopy, shockwave lithotripsy, and percutaneous nephrolithotomy for four scenarios for which two alternative procedures are recommended by the AUA guidelines: A) 2 cm kidney stone, B) 9 mm proximal ureteral stone, C) 1.5 cm lower pole kidney stone, D) 1 cm non-lower pole kidney stone. Principal component analysis (PCA) was performed to identify unique clusters of factors that explain surgical preferences. RESULTSOne hundred forty-eight urologists at 29 sites completed surveys. Stated preferences were highly skewed except for the choice between ureteroscopy and percutaneous nephrolithotomy for a 1.5 cm kidney stone. SWL ownership and local practice patters most frequently associated with the strength of surgeons’ preferences for the type of surgery. PCA revealed that three clusters of stone, patient and heterogenous characteristics explained 30% of the variance in preferences. CONCLUSIONSThere is wide variation in the strengths of preferences for surgical interventions supported by current guidelines that are partially explained by surgeon and institutional characteristics. These results reveal opportunities to develop strategies for guidelines that consider real-world drivers of care.

Bibliometric analysis and key messages of integrating Chinese and Western Medicine for COVID-19

BackgroundThe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been a global pandemic since it broke out, and integrated Chinese and Western medicine (ICWM) has played an important role in the prevention and treatment of COVID-19. We aimed to analyze the published literature on ICWM for COVID-19 at home and abroad, and compare their differences on hotspots and research fronts. MethodsPublications before Oct 31, 2022 were retrieved from the Web of Science core database (WOS), PubMed, China National Knowledge Infrastructure database (CNKI), Wanfang Data Knowledge Service Platform (Wanfang), China Science and Technology Journal Database (VIP), China Biology Medicine disc (CBM), CiteSpace and VOSviewer to summarize the basic characteristics of publications, countries, institutions, keywords, and citations. ResultsWe included 580 English papers and 1727 Chinese papers in this study. The development trends in China and other countries are relatively asynchronous and show a smooth growth trend for the future. The most productive countries were China, India, and the United States, while the most productive domestic research institution was the Beijing University of Chinese Medicine. The clustering analysis of high-frequency keywords showed that Chinese literature focused on clinical studies of ICWM for COVID-19, such as retrospective studies, clinical features, and traditional Chinese medicine syndrome analysis, while English literature focused on therapeutic mechanism studies and evidence-based medicine studies, such as systematic reviews and meta-analysis, and both of them paid attention to network pharmacological research and Qingfei Paidu Decoction. Sorting out the top 10 highly cited articles, Huang CL's article published in Lancet in 2020 was regarded as a cornerstone in the field. ConclusionThe treatment of COVID-19 by ICWM has become a worldwide research hotspot. Although there are differences in the specific contents among countries, the development trend of research types to the mechanism of action, and the development trend of research contents to the recovery period treatment and the prevention of COVID-19 by ICWM are consistent.

The impact of economic policy uncertainty on capital structure decisions: Does institutional ownership characteristics matter?

The impact of economic policy uncertainty on capital structure decisions: Does institutional ownership characteristics matter?

Preservation and reproduction of cultural and historical memory in the complex of journalism functions

Addressing the phenomenon of cultural and historical memory in the context of journalism theory and professional practice is important for a number of reasons. In a theoretical sense, it is necessary to take into account the structural features of the phenomenon of cultural and historical memory and the dynamics of its development, changes and influence on the processes taking place in journalism under the influence of the formation of a new system of post-global world order. The question of the essential institutional features of journalism in the spaces of sovereign macroregions can be solved only in the search for supporting specific basic principles of the existence of the profession. One of these principles should be cultural and historical memory, which has a national origin and institutional and cultural forms of expression, to which, among others (no less, but no more important), journalism should be attributed. The methodology of system analysis is used as a fundamental principle in the work. In determining the functional structure, the approaches developed within the framework of structural and functional analysis are used. In determining the interdependence of the structure of a historical fact in journalism and the spaces of its realization, discourse analysis is used in its functional application in the form of a discursive framework. The inclusion of the issues of cultural and historical memory in the processes of professional journalistic education requires the approval of the principle of subjectivity of journalism, its institutional nature, which allows initiation and full participation in social changes. The preservation and reproduction of cultural and historical memory is present as an integral part of the complex of professional journalistic functions.The functional complex of journalism manifests itself at the strategic level as participation in the expansion of cultural space and self-determination as an active part of cultural national history. At the operational and tactical level, journalism performs the functions of socio-cultural integration, socialization and adaptation. The structural components of a historical fact in journalism (denotation, meaning and concepts) are revealed to varying degrees depending on the implementation spaces. The methodology of the spatial approach used in the study of journalism allows us to identify the natural, material, social, personal and mediated media levels of space. Denotation plays a dominant role on the natural, material and social levels, meaning plays a dominant role on the personal level, meaning plays a dominant role on the media space level, and concepts play a dominant role in audience feedback systems.

DISCRIMINANT ANALYSIS IN DETERMINING THE DIFFERENTIATING FACTORS OF BLENDED LEARNING SUCCESS IN EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS

Blended learning has become an increasingly popular approach in the educational field because it combines traditional/conventional learning with digital technology-based learning. However, the success of implementing blended learning in educational institutions can be influenced by various different factors depending on the characteristics of the educational institution. Therefore, this study aims to analyze the differentiating factors that influence the success of blended learning in educational institutions. The discriminant analysis method in this study was used to identify and determine the differentiating factors that distinguished the high success blended learning group from the low success group. Research data was collected from various educational institutions that have implemented blended learning in their curricula. The results of the analysis show that there are several significant differentiating factors between the high and low success groups in applying blended learning. Some of these factors include Implementation Standards and Guidelines, Infrastructure and Technology mastery, Learning Strategy, Human Resources, Learning Content and Learning Environment. This research makes an important contribution to the development of more effective blended learning implementation strategies in educational institutions. By understanding the differentiating factors that influence success, educational institutions can increase their efforts to create a conducive learning environment and improve the quality of student learning outcomes.

The Innovative Theory of Power and State of Marsilius of Padua

The thought of Marsilius of Padua is full of interesting suggestions which represent real theoretical innovations in his time. This article, using a theoretical approach that focuses on conceptual analysis in a diachronic key, aims to highlight the innovative perspectives proposed by the political philosopher by comparing them with some of the most important later developments in modern political thought and, in particular, the democratic theory of power, which is based on some essential concepts, such as the secular character of institutions, the designation of the people as sovereign, the separation of powers, and the limitation of government.

Unearthing green potential: Assessing the state of managed urban landscape curricula in Minnesota's higher education institutions

AbstractAs urbanization increases, managed urban landscapes are frequently the mode through which people experience nature and where careers in natural resources are increasing. There is a lack of knowledge related to curricula and programs where students are exposed to managed urban landscapes and careers related to them. We aimed to evaluate the current status of managed urban landscape curricula (MULC) in undergraduate programs in Minnesota through a systematic investigation of programs and courses at higher education institutions. All undergraduate courses offered by included higher education institutions were reviewed to determine the presence, absence, or possibility of MULC based on the course's publicly available descriptions and were combined with departmental and institutional characteristics to identify patterns of MULC across the state. Only about 1% of over 50,000 courses reviewed contain MULC. Courses with MULC were concentrated in public doctoral‐level institutions and in departments such as biology and environmental studies, however MULC courses were found at 94% of included institutions and across 60 different departments. While the number of courses with MULC was minimal, courses with the possibility of including MULC show there are ample opportunities for MULC to be added to existing courses, especially core requirements such as introductory biology or a survey of environmental science in the state of Minnesota and more broadly.

An Evidence-Based Framework for Medical Student Research Training.

As research becomes an increasingly important component of medical education, there is greater emphasis on incorporating programmatic enhancements to the research experience. This study builds a logic model to summarize research program inputs, outputs, and outcomes from research-oriented medical schools across the country, providing a framework that institutions can use to design and improve their medical student research training programs. Between November 2021 and February 2022, we administered a survey assessing institutional characteristics, research offerings, curriculum, funding, and student scholarly products to the medical schools ranked 1-50 in research in 2021 by US News and World Report. Results were compiled in the form of a logic model. Thirty-seven institutions (72.5%) responded. Common program inputs included personnel such as at least one funded program director (97.3%), while funding for medical student research activities was highly variable (8-72%). There was much less funding for faculty research mentors (2.7%), advisors (18.9%), and teaching faculty (29.7%). Common outputs included a medical student research office or program (97.3%), formal research curricula (83.8%), and services and programs such as research day (91.9%). The most common outcomes tracked were publications (48.6%), presentations/posters (43.2%), student participation (29.7%), and completion of a research requirement(29.7%). Common themes in medical student research training programs may be conceptualized with a logic model that schools can use to develop, evaluate, and iteratively improve their programs. Institutions should consider their desired program outcomes prior to designing inputs (e.g., funding, personnel) and outputs (e.g., curriculum, training). The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40670-024-02001-3.

‘J’accuse!’: whistleblowing, critical citizenship and the EU directive on whistleblowers’ protection

ABSTRACT Despite the enactment of legislation on public interest disclosures, whistleblowers still face significant retaliation. Perceptions and expectations of loyalty to a firm, organisation or a government continue to be seen as antithetical to ‘voice’, that is, the disclosure of wrongdoing, thereby triggering strategies of organisational exit and punishment. Real change can occur if whistleblowing is elevated to a civic duty of equal importance to other civic duties, such as to protect and defend the rule of law, human rights and democracy and to report suspected criminality to authorities. In this article, I justify whistleblowing on a good citizenship concept which transcends particular national institutional characteristics and critically examine the content and contribution of the European Union’s Directive on Whistleblower protection. By deploying a tripartite lens blending analytical questions and a discoursive theoretical perspective with a comparative assessment of instruments in the Member States and the EU, the discussion makes the case for the urgent change in the culture of punitive treatment of whistleblowers in the European Union and for further institutional reform when the Directive is reviewed in the future.