Micro-level Determinants Research Articles

Inhibiting or Contributing? How Global Liberal Forces Impact Climate Change Skepticism

Although climate change remains a top environmental threat, significant portions of the global population continue to exhibit climate change skepticism. Currently, an extensive literature identifies the micro-level determinants of climate skepticism, often manifesting as a form of populist “backlash” to the adverse effects of globalization. However, the potential of macro-level global cultural forces—particularly embeddedness in liberal world society—to counter such pushback is unclear. Using multilevel modeling to analyze International Social Survey Program data spanning 37 countries from 2000 to 2020, we find that in general, increased embeddedness is linked to reduced climate skepticism. However, when global liberal forces encounter anti-liberal undercurrents within nation-states, a situation we refer to as cultural dissonance, the impact of liberal world society on tempering skepticism varies. Embeddedness mitigates skepticism at the national level, particularly within authoritarian regimes, but not at the individual level, especially among right-wing individuals. Paradoxically, world society also heightens ideological polarization of individual worldviews on climate change. By illuminating the contradictory role of liberal world society, which simultaneously exacerbates and inhibits anti-liberal, populist attitudes about climate change, we advance existing work examining the post-liberal turn and holds promise for making sense of other issue domains where liberal perspectives are contested.

Artificial intelligence in corporate communications: determinants of acceptance and transformative processes

PurposeThis study investigates the determinants of artificial intelligence (AI) acceptance in and AI-driven transformations of corporate communications. From a technology adoption perspective, the study explores the dual influence of individual and organizational factors on AI acceptance.Design/methodology/approachEmploying a qualitative research design, this study conducted semi-structured interviews with 19 AI experts in large-scale companies in Germany.FindingsThe study reveals micro-level determinants of AI acceptance related to AI’s perceived usefulness and ease of use. It also identifies macro-level determinants, including organizational awareness and frameworks. Corporate communications is expected to gain relevance due to the organizational integration of AI.Research limitations/implicationsThe proposed model integrates crucial factors influencing AI adoption and offers a starting point for quantitative validation. The study serves as a benchmark for future research, particularly given its timing right before the extensive adoption of ChatGPT.Practical implicationsOrganizations are encouraged to develop strategies that enhance both individual and organizational AI readiness. By reflecting both micro- and macro-level determinants of AI acceptance, a more holistic understanding of effective change management initiatives related to AI integration can be fostered.Originality/valueBy proposing an extension to the technology acceptance model, which incorporates both micro- and meso-level determinants, this study provides a novel framework for holistically understanding AI acceptance in corporate communications.

Introduction to the special issue ‘Towards a Multi-Level Understanding of Agile in Government: Macro, Meso and Micro Perspectives’

As public organizations increasingly adopt agile practices, understanding their opportunities, challenges, and transformative potentials is important. This article introduces the special issue on ‘The Future of Agile in Public Service Organizations: Macro, Meso and Micro Perspectives’ and explores the evolving landscape of agile in public service, drawing from diverse scholarly perspectives. To that end, we discuss various definitions of agile in the context of government and outline the potential benefits and drawbacks of the concept. We then delve into the macro-level characteristics and impacts of agile on institutions and society, its meso-level implications regarding organizational structures, processes, and outcomes, and micro-level determinants and effects on managers, employees, and teams. Referring to theoretical streams building the basis for agile on these different analytical levels, we build a conceptual framework of multi-level agile government. We introduce the six research studies and a book review included in this special issue and position them within this framework to highlight their contributions to understanding agile at each of the three levels.

A Semantic Approach to Describe Social and Economic Characteristics That Impact Health Outcomes (Social Determinants of Health): Ontology Development Study.

Social determinants of health (SDoH) have been described by the World Health Organization as the conditions in which individuals are born, live, work, and age. These conditions can be grouped into 3 interrelated levels known as macrolevel (societal), mesolevel (community), and microlevel (individual) determinants. The scope of SDoH expands beyond the biomedical level, and there remains a need to connect other areas such as economics, public policy, and social factors. Providing a computable artifact that can link health data to concepts involving the different levels of determinants may improve our understanding of the impact SDoH have on human populations. Modeling SDoH may help to reduce existing gaps in the literature through explicit links between the determinants and biological factors. This in turn can allow researchers and clinicians to make better sense of data and discover new knowledge through the use of semantic links. An experimental ontology was developed to represent knowledge of the social and economic characteristics of SDoH. Information from 27 literature sources was analyzed to gather concepts and encoded using Web Ontology Language, version 2 (OWL2) and Protégé. Four evaluators independently reviewed the ontology axioms using natural language translation. The analyses from the evaluations and selected terminologies from the Basic Formal Ontology were used to create a revised ontology with a broad spectrum of knowledge concepts ranging from the macrolevel to the microlevel determinants. The literature search identified several topics of discussion for each determinant level. Publications for the macrolevel determinants centered around health policy, income inequality, welfare, and the environment. Articles relating to the mesolevel determinants discussed work, work conditions, psychosocial factors, socioeconomic position, outcomes, food, poverty, housing, and crime. Finally, sources found for the microlevel determinants examined gender, ethnicity, race, and behavior. Concepts were gathered from the literature and used to produce an ontology consisting of 383 classes, 109 object properties, and 748 logical axioms. A reasoning test revealed no inconsistent axioms. This ontology models heterogeneous social and economic concepts to represent aspects of SDoH. The scope of SDoH is expansive, and although the ontology is broad, it is still in its early stages. To our current understanding, this ontology represents the first attempt to concentrate on knowledge concepts that are currently not covered by existing ontologies. Future direction will include further expanding the ontology to link with other biomedical ontologies, including alignment for granular semantics.

The sources and structure of wage inequality changes in the selected Central-Eastern European Countries

AbstractWe study the determinants of wage inequality and its fluctuations in six Central-Eastern European nations using European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions microdata from 2010 to 2019. Wage disparity in these countries changed in distinct ways. Inequality in Czechia and Romania is generally steady, has fallen consistently in Poland and Slovakia, and has increased in Bulgaria. Inequality has been steadily reducing in Hungary but has recently increased significantly. Therefore, this paper questions these countries' primary causes of wage inequality changes. In addition to providing a detailed description of inequality trends in these countries, we focus on examining the demographic and micro-level determinants alongside the minimum wage changes. We estimate these effects using RIF regression and RIF decompositions for various inequality measures. The changes in wage inequality in these countries were driven mainly by wage structure effects regardless of the increase or decrease in wage inequality. Changes in the returns to education and returns to permanent employment contracts are crucial in explaining decreased wage inequality. The increases in wage inequality in Hungary and Bulgaria are defined mainly by the changes in the estimated constants instead of micro-level determinants. The changes in the minimum wage explain most of the unknown factors in Bulgaria, and the spillover effects of the minimum wage may explain most of the unknown factors in Hungary. Our results can support the skill-biased technological change hypothesis in the case of Slovakia, Romania, Czechia, and Bulgaria.

Macro- and Micro-level Determinants of Board Effectiveness in European Listed Companies: A Comparative Analysis of the United Kingdom and Romania

In this empirical study, UK and Romanian listed firms are analyzed and compared in order to determine the correlations between board processes, board role performance, and board effectiveness. Explanatory and quantitative in nature and based on the survey method, the research design uses validated statements based on a 7-point Likert-type scale, grouped into validated constructs. It was sent to 342 chairmen of selected Romanian and British listed companies. The study provides additional support for the moderating impact of national settings (legal, institutional, and cultural) on board effectiveness, the mediating effect of board roles on board processes, and the relevance of those board processes as predictors of board effectiveness. This study adds to the sparse body of research that examines the influence of board processes on board performance as well as the moderating role played by the national context in these processes and, ultimately, board effectiveness. The primary drawback of this study is the small sample size (55), which suggests that the results are less reliable and less generalizable. To ensure the homogeneity of the sample, however, a number of measures were taken, beginning with a distinctive dataset of enterprises with equivalent sizes and industry representation. The study is helpful for regulators who wish to better regulate board conduct as well as board directors and chairmen of publicly traded firms since it can assist them in better understanding and controlling board behavior.

Public attitudes toward organized labor

AbstractObjectiveDespite declining and historically low membership, labor unions remain important and relevant actors in American politics. Accordingly, we have learned a good deal about the economic and political consequences of labor unions and union membership. However, we know less about the dynamics, determinants, and political consequences of public attitudes toward organized labor.MethodsI use a variety of survey data to (1) track public support for labor unions over time, (2) to examine the microlevel determinants of labor attitudes, and (3) to examine how such attitudes shape voting behavior in national elections.ResultsFirst, I show that American public opinion has consistently been “pro‐labor” and that such sentiment is growing in recent years, despite historically low levels of union membership. Second, I show that while the strongest individual‐level correlate of union support is labor union affiliation, pluralities, and in some cases majorities, of nonunion‐affiliated Americans hold “pro‐labor” attitudes as well. Finally, I show that labor union attitudes significantly predict (among both union and nonunion‐affiliated Americans) support for the Democratic presidential candidate, net of partisanship, ideology, core political values, and macroeconomic conditions.ConclusionOverall, these results show that low levels of union membership do not imply an “anti‐union” mass public. These findings also demonstrate that attitudes toward labor unions are politically consequential.

Comparing Material and Social Deprivation Indicators: Identification of Deprived Populations

The new indicator for material and social deprivation validated in 2014 by the European Commission enlarged the scope of measuring social exclusion, which entails both material hardship of individuals and households, and a relevant social dimension. Using EU-SILC data, this paper compares the standard measure of material deprivation and the new indicator in terms of the sub-population they identify as suffering deprivation across Europe. In 2019, only 57% of the deprived individuals according at least one of the two indicators were so according to both, while 23% was deprived only according to the new measure and 20% was deprived only under the old indicator. We compare the micro-level determinants of inclusion into these different deprived populations, both at the aggregated level and separately for each of the 21 countries included in our sample.

Socio-economic status and the rise of divorce in Sweden: The case of the 1880–1954 marriage cohorts in Västerbotten

An established negative association between socio-economic status (SES) and divorce has applied to most Western nations since 1960. We expected a positive association between SES and divorce for low-divorce contexts historically because only individuals in higher social strata had the resources to overcome barriers to divorce. According to Goode’s socio-economic growth theory, this relationship was reversed as industrialization and modernization began removing the economic and normative barriers. Making use of longitudinal data from parish registers, we investigated SES and other micro-level determinants of divorce among men and women in northern Sweden who married between 1880 and 1954. Results indicated a positive association between SES and divorce among those who married 1880–1919, with the middle class, not the elite, featuring the highest divorce risks. This association changed for couples who married in the 1920s, for whom divorce became more common and the working class faced similar divorce risks to the higher social strata.

9.H. Workshop: Understanding the institutional context of health inequalities. A life stage approach

Abstract Background The health of young people is strongly linked to their socioeconomic background. However, there is little systematic research on the complex mechanisms underlying the association between family socioeconomic position and health among young people, particularly regarding contextual factors at the (intermediate) meso-level. Several institutional contexts are relevant for young people's lives: the family, kindergarten, primary and secondary school, higher education system, vocational school and training, workplace and the healthcare system. Previous studies demonstrated that characteristics of these institutional contexts are associated with young people's health and well-being. It is unclear, which role they play regarding health inequalities. The aim of the workshop is to analyse the role of institutional characteristics, such as compositional (which people are found in an institution) and contextual (the structural characteristics of an institution) factors for the development or existing health inequalities. Methods The research unit FOR2723 analyses the role of meso-level, institutional characteristics regarding health inequalities considering the whole period of early life based a common conceptual framework. The results are based on empirical analyses of various secondary data, such as the National Educational Panel Study (NEPS) or the German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Children and Adolescents (KiGGS). Bodymass index (BMI) and the subjective self-assessment of health are considered as outcomes. Results We found substantial social inequalities in health and health behaviour at any life stage investigated. In each life stage we found meso-level characteristics of the family (family investment, family stress, family atmosphere, and parental health behaviour and well-being), the kindergarten (the association between ECEC centre focus and family SEP on pre-school children's BMI), the school (composition of the school in terms of education, income, and occupational prestige of the students’ parents), the institutions and labour market states involved in the school-to-work transition (vocational training places, universities, workplaces, unemployment spells) as well as the health care system (regional health policy), which are associated with social inequalities in young people's self-rated health, subjective well-being and BMI. Discussion In addition to micro-level determinants, meso-level characteristics of important institutions that young people are exposed to (family, kindergarten, school, school-to-work-transitions, healthcare system) are relevant for their health and reinforce health inequalities. More research is needed to understand how institutional contexts contribute to health inequalities and which institutional changes are needed to reduce inequalities. Key messages • The role of institutional characteristics, such as compositional and contextual factors for health inequalities is unclear. • Meso-level characteristics of institutions in young people (family, kindergarten, school, school-to-work-transitions, healthcare system) are relevant for their health and reinforce health inequalities.

Employment Outcomes of Higher Education Graduates from during and after the 2007–2008 Financial Crisis: Evidence from a Romanian University

In the current article, we seek to understand the ways in which unfavorable macro-level circumstances influence the employment outcomes of university graduates, in the long term. We use the 2007–2008 financial crisis as a historical setting and compare data about the later employment outcomes of 772 students who graduated a bachelor’s program at a public Romanian university before and after the financial crisis. The comparison includes a quantitative perspective and a qualitative one and refers to: duration of the job search after graduation; seniority levels; number of jobs held; profile of the first job gained after graduation; current status on the labor market; localization of the current employer; profile of the current job; satisfaction with the career status; perceived employability. Additionally, we also explore the influence of the following micro-level determinants on employment outcomes: attendance to internships programs; employment during the attendance of the BA program; and choosing to continue education with a master’s program. The findings suggest that, although the group who graduated during the financial crisis indeed faced some initial setbacks, manifested through longer waiting times before securing their first job, they currently have objectively superior employment outcomes compared with their counterparts who graduated after the crisis. Subjectively, the members of the two groups show similar levels of satisfaction with their career status. The analysis of the micro-level determinants shows that they have a positive influence on individual employment outcomes, and this may be of interest in the future in increasing graduates’ resilience on the labor market and supporting their sustainable employment.

Investor Protection and Post-Disclosure Disagreement: International Evidence

Synopsis The research problem Adding to the literature on investor protection, this study investigates whether nationwide institutional features may explain cross-country variation in post-disclosure disagreement. Motivation Previous research has revealed that the release of financial statements aggravates investor disagreement rather than attenuating it. However, most studies only obtain empirical evidence in the context of the United States; no work has examined this research question in an international setting. Another motivation for this paper is the attempt to understand the contradiction in the literature, which emphasizes micro-level determinants. By contrast, minimal attention has been paid to the macro-level institutional factors of a country’s information environment, which presumably prompts investors to shape heterogeneous beliefs. The test hypotheses H1: Countries with greater corporate transparency are associated with a lower level of post-disclosure investor disagreement. H2: Countries with stronger legal protection are associated with a lower level of post-disclosure investor disagreement. Target population Various stakeholders include firm managers, financial analysts, regulatory watchdogs, and users of earnings reports. Adopted methodology Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) Regressions Analyses Gao et al. ( 2012 ) to measure investor disagreement while we quantify corporate transparency (legal protection) by extracting the first principal component of nine countrywide characteristics pertinent to disclosure requirements (legal systems). Using a global sample from 38 countries, we perform a cross-sectional regression of post-disclosure disagreement on two proxies for investor protection after accounting for firm-specific control variables. Findings We find clear evidence of post-disclosure disagreement in all countries. Next, we document a negative relationship between corporate transparency (legal protection) and post-disclosure disagreement. Additional tests confirm that both better disclosures and strong regulations enhance information precision, accelerate information dissemination, and reduce informed trading, thus leading to a lower level of post-disclosure disagreement.

Micro-, meso- and macro-level determinants of stock price crash risk: a systematic survey of literature

PurposeThis article conducts a thorough review and synthesis of the empirical research on the antecedents of stock price crash risk to ascertain the macro-, meso- and micro-level determinants contributing to stock price crashes.Design/methodology/approach The authors systematically reviewed 85 empirical papers published in ABS-ranked journals to assess the macro-, meso- and micro-level determinants causing stock price crashes.FindingsThe findings indicate that macroeconomic factors such as corporate governance, political and legal factors, socioeconomic indicators and religious beliefs have an effect on firm-level corporate behavior contributing to stock price crash risk. At a meso-level customer concentration, industry-level characteristics, media coverage, structural features of ownership and behavioral factors have a substantial effect on stock price crash risk. Finally, micro-level variables influencing stock market crash risk include CEO qualities and compensation, business policies, earnings management, financial transparency, managerial characteristics and firm-specific variables.Research limitations/implicationsBased on our analysis we identify priority areas for future research.Originality/valueThis is a seminal work using a multilevel framework to categorize the determinants of stock price crashes into micro-, meso- and macro-level factors.

Mass Preferences for the Free Movement of People in Africa: A Public Opinion Analysis of 36 Countries

The African Union (AU) has identified opening borders to cross-national mobility as a prime strategic goal, and AU leaders have heralded regional free movement as a vital tool for economic growth and skills development on the continent. Little, however, is known about the level (or determinants) of public support for opening borders in the AU. This article examines public preferences for free movement among 36 African countries. Using data from the sixth round of the Afrobarometer Survey (N = 53,935), the analysis presented here shows a remarkable degree of variation in mobility-related preferences both within and between nations, and explores whether a utilitarian model of attitude formation can explain mass preferences for open borders across African countries. Investigating both macro- and micro-level determinants of public attitudes toward border control, the article shows that the utilitarian model had greater explanatory power at the macro-level than at the micro-level. In addition, some support was found for identity-based predictors (e.g., nationalism versus cosmopolitanism) of support for free movement. These outcomes point toward a new way of understanding public attitudes toward regional integration in Africa. The article concludes by discussing future avenues of public opinion research toward mobility rights on the continent and beyond.

Two sides, but not of the same coin: digitalization, productivity and unemployment

PurposeThis paper aims to examine how input from the digital restructuring of the workplace and productivity affects the risk of job loss and unemployment.Design/methodology/approachRelying on the concepts of technological unemployment and the productivity paradox as well as the theory of skills-biased technological change, the analysis incorporated micro-level individual determinants of job loss, macro-level economic determinants of input and the contribution from traditional (machinery and equipment) vs innovative (ICT) factors of production. The model has been also controlled for “traditional” indicators of “outsiderness” in the labour market. The Quality of Work Life Survey, which is a broad-based national interview survey produced by Statistics Finland, for 2018, the latest year available (N = 4,110) has been used in the analysis. Binomial logistic regression has been applied in order to estimate the effects of individual- and macro-level factors on the risk of job loss.FindingsThe results support arguments for the divergence between effects from labour- vs total-factor productivity on the risks of job loss, as well as the divergence between effects for temporary (layoff) vs permanent job loss (dismissal or unemployment). While the contribution from “traditional” factors of production to labour productivity potentially decreases the risk of permanent job loss, input from “innovative” factors of production on total-factor productivity potentially causes adverse effects (e.g. growing risks of permanent job loss).Originality/valueThe paper contributes to the theoretical discussion about technological unemployment and productivity by means of including two different concepts into a single econometric model, thus enabling examination of the research problem in an innovative way.

The impact of unstable housing on health

The impact of unstable housing on health

Household Level Inflation Rates and Inflation Inequality in Turkey

This paper aims to explore the distribution of inflation rates at the household level and estimate their determinants using the Household Budget Surveys. It derives the household level inflation rates using the democratic price index and analyzes inflation inequality and its persistency. The main contributions of the paper are as follows: (i) to determine inflation inequality by examining the distribution of household-specific inflation rates calculated by the democratic price index, (ii) to examine new dimensions of inflation inequality in Turkey by income groups and household characteristics, (iii) to estimate the micro-level determinants of household inflation rates in Turkey. Results suggest that inflation rates are lower for the rich than for the poor, and the distribution of inflation has worsened the income inequality in Turkey. This analysis provides rich information for monetary policymakers. Households have different responses to price changes or monetary policy tools because of their unique characteristics and economic conditions. Thus, we need to know how inflation rates differ at the household level in order to understand how monetary policy and inflation affect the well-being of households.

Quantitative Estimation of D-Penicillamine in Pure and Pharmaceutical Samples Using Inhibitory Kinetic Spectrophotometric Method

Sulfur is the key element in a large number of drugs and bioactive molecules. Organo-sulfur compounds inhibit the catalytic efficiency of Hg2+ by forming a stable complex with it. The Hg2+ catalyzed exchange rate of cyanide with pyrazine from [Ru(CN)6]4- will be reduced by the addition of the sulfur-containing drug, D-penicillamine (D-PCN). This inhibitory property of D-PCN can be employed for its micro-level kinetic determination. Optimum reaction condition viz. Temperature = 45.0 ± 0.1 o C, I = 0.1 M (KCl), [Hg+2] = 1.5 × 10-4 M, [pyrazine] = 7.5 × 10-4 M, pH = 4.0 ± 0.02, and [Ru(CN)64-] = 5.25 × 10-5 M were utilized to investigate the kinetic measurements at 370 nm (λmax of [Ru(CN)5 Pz]3- complex). To acknowledge the inhibition induced by D-PCN on Hg2+ catalyzed substitution of cyanide with pyrazine from [Ru(CN)6]4-, a modified mechanistic scheme has been proposed. D-PCN can be quantitatively determined up to 1.0 × 10-6 M level by the proposed analytical method. The methodology can be economically and effectively employed for the quantitative determination of D-PCN in different samples. This methodology can also be convincingly adopted for the quick determination of D-PCN in the pharmaceutical samples with good accuracy and reproducibility. The addition of common excipients in pharmaceuticals even up to 1000 times with [D-PCN] does not interfere significantly in the estimation of D-PCN.

Micro-level Estimation of Methionine Using Inhibitory Kinetic Spectrophotometric Method

A large number of bioactive molecules and drugs contain sulfur as an important constituent. Organo-sulfur compounds form a stable complex with Hg2+, thereby inhibiting its catalytic activity. The Hg2+ catalyzed the exchange rate of cyanide with nitroso-R-salt [N-R-salt] from [Ru(CN)6]4- will be reduced by the addition of sulfur-containing amino acid, methionine (MET). This inhibitory property of MET can be employed for its micro-level kinetic determination. Optimum reaction condition viz. I=0.05 M (KNO3), pH = 7.0 ± 0.02, [Ru(CN)64] = 5.25 × 10-5 M, [N-R-salt] = 6.5 × 10-4 M, [Hg+2] = 5.5 × 10-5 M, and Temperature = 45.0 ± 0.1 o C were utilized to investigate the kinetic measurements at 525 nm (λmax of [Ru(CN)5 N-R-salt]3- complex). To explain the mechanism of inhibition caused by methionine on Hg2+ catalyzed exchange of cyanide with N-R-salt from [Ru(CN)6]4-, a modified mechanistic scheme has been proposed. MET can be quantitatively determined up to 2.5 × 10-6 M level by the proposed analytical method. The methodology can be economically and effectively employed for the quantitative estimation of MET in distinct samples.

What nurtures fourth industrial revolution? An investigation of economic and social determinants of technological innovation in advanced economies

The Fourth Industrial Revolution is characterized by technological transformations, artificial intelligence, and the digital revolution. The technological innovation in the Fourth Industrial Revolution is expected to be a supply-side miracle, with long term gains in the efficiency, as well as production. The widespread variability in the innovation performance of countries has led to the development of many underlining theoretical explanations. These explanations primarily revolve around the role of international trade, research and development, foreign direct investment, human capital, and the financial development in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Previous studies, however, have only looked at the micro-level determinants of technological innovation. Also, previous studies have tended to ignore the cross-sectional dependency among countries, and the heterogeneity in analysing the issues that pertain to technological innovation. This study examines the macroeconomic indicators of technological innovation in G-7 countries from the year 1996 to 2017. The results show that globalization, R&D, GDP, financial development, and human capital are important factors in explaining technological innovation. Furthermore, the results of the panel causality test suggest that there is bidirectional causality from economic globalization, financial development, human capital index, research and development expenditure, and real GDP to technological innovation, and vice versa. The findings from this study may be helpful when designing policies that are related to globalization, financial development, and innovation.