Policy Provision Research Articles

Factor Influencing Unmet Healthcare Needs among the disabled

Abstract Background The unmet Healthcare needs (UHNs) of the disabled are not only detrimental to their quality of life but also can lead to serious health outcome including death. A variety of factors including socioeconomic, personal, environmental factors affect UHNs for the disabled. Methods We analyzed the UHNs status and influencing factors among 4,326 adult the disabled using Korea disability Life Data. Chi-square analysis was conducted to identify differences in UHNs according to characteristics of general, disability, environmental of the disabled. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to determine factors affecting UHNs. Results Those with low educational level (aOR=1.23, 95% CI = 1.02-1.48), those enrolled in private insurance (aOR=1.23, 95% CI = 1.02-1.50), those need help with daily living (aOR=1.30, 95% CI = 1.06-1.59), those who rarely go out (aOR=1.57, 95% CI = 1.27-1.92), those who use taxis (aOR=1.41, 95% CI = 1.05-1.89) or call taxi for the disabled when going to the hospital (aOR=1.37, 95% CI = 1.01-1.88), the communication disabled (aOR=1.30, 95% CI = 1.03-1.65), those with poor subjective health status (aOR=1.25, 95% CI = 1.04-1.49), those felt the explanation of treatment results was insufficient (aOR=4.04, 95% CI = 1.37-11.93), and those dissatisfied with healthcare services (aOR=3.52, 95% CI = 2.74-4.51) were more likely to experience UHNs. Conclusions Effective healthcare service provision for the disabled requires not only financial assistance but also social support, along with education for healthcare staff, policies with the characteristics of disabilities. Funding: This research was supported by a grant of Patient-Centered Clinical Research Coordinating Center (PACEN) funded by the Ministry of Health & Welfare, Republic of Korea (grant number: HC23C0165) and by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant funded by the Korea government (MSIT) (No. RS-2024-00394642) Key messages • The disabled need not only financial support when using healthcare services, but also support from society, such as accompanying them to the hospital and providing transportation. • Education for healthcare staff who communicate with the disabled and provision policy to provide appropriate healthcare services according to the characteristics of disabilities are needed.

The Reasons for Special Talented Secondary School Remoteness Towards Student’s Academic Performance: Case Study; Urban District at Zanzibar

This paper sought to investigate the reasons for special talented secondary school remoteness towards students’ academic performance; a case study of Urban District Council in Zanzibar. Specific objectives were: to determine reasons for special talented secondary school remoteness in Urban district at Zanzibar, and to find out the strategies for improving students’ academic performance in special talented secondary school remoteness in Zanzibar. This article employed a mixed approach research method and is centered and guided by social capital theory propounded by Robert Putnam in 1993. A sample of 151 respondents including 1 DEO, 6 head of schools, 36 teachers, 84 students and 24 parents were used. Simple random sampling techniques were used in selection of ordinary teachers and students while purposive sampling technique was used in selection of the head of schools, DEO and parents in the area of study. Questionnaires, interviews, and documentary reviews were used in data collections. The findings identified reasons for special talented secondary school remoteness in Urban District Council at Zanzibar include limited financial support, nomadic lifestyle, community's negative attitudes towards education, lack of open spaces for constructions of schools, geographical dispersion and unfriendly transport infrastructure. Lastly, the study proposed which can be used to improve students’ academic performance in special talented secondary schools are construction of hostels, introduction of food programs, provision of transport facilities and clear policies on school locations

The Impact of the Implementation of the Rice Provision Policy for Civil Servants (ASN): A Case Study in Sumenep Regency Government

The local government’s policy on providing rice for Civil Servants (ASN) in Sumenep Regency expresses a commitment to supporting local farmers by purchasing agricultural products as a gesture of appreciation. This study aims to assess the impact of the rice provision policy for ASN in the Sumenep Regency Government. Employing a qualitative research methodology, data collection focuses on social phenomena. Grounded in constructivist philosophy, the qualitative approach explores natural settings, with the researcher as the primary instrument. Data sources are purposively sampled using a snowball technique, employing triangulation in data collection. Inductive and qualitative data analysis, emphasizing the generalizability of meaning, reveals that the policy can boost local rice demand, providing opportunities for farmers to increase sales and income. The program’s implementation has potential social and political implications. A successful and positively received program can enhance the regional government’s image and garner political support. However, disparities exist in benefits received by government departments (OPD) and Civil Servants (ASN) under the rice provision policy. Keywords: Civil Servants (ASN), policy implementation, local government

“I Don’t Know Whether It’s Priority, or Capacity, or Both”: Implementation Gaps in Employment Policies Targeting People with Disabilities in Kenya and Bangladesh

Disabled people are often excluded from employment, particularly in accessing waged employment. This exclusion persists despite enabling policies and legislature, indicating a need to address gaps in implementation. To improve policy implementation, it is crucial to better understand the gap between policy intention (what was planned) and effect (what happens), including reasons that widen this gap (what explains what happened). This study explores this in the context of Kenya and Bangladesh, drawing on key informant interviews and analysis of policies and programmes related to employment, social protection, and disability. Using the policy triangle framework, we analysed the policy context, process, actors, and content of relevant policies and programmes. The study identified key policy provisions on employment quota, social assistance, job placement services, tax incentives, and training opportunities, all of which were designed to promote employment for disabled people. However, implementation is limited in both countries, for reasons including ambiguity in policies, unavailability of data for monitoring, and lack of transparency among implementers. The data suggest that addressing these aspects would promote accountability among duty-bearers, advocacy power among rights-holders, and ultimately improve implementation and inclusion of disabled people in employment.

Compatibility of Agriculture Development Policy of Nepal to Sustainable Agriculture Development Principles

The agricultural sector, on which the majority of Nepal's population depends, faces significant challenges due to global warming, climate change, and rising global food insecurity. This underscores the need for a carefully designed agricultural development policy focused on sustainable practices. This study aims to assess the compatibility of key policy interventions in agricultural development of Nepal with sustainable agriculture principles. These policies prioritize the conservation, promotion, and utilization of natural resources, environmental protection, and biological diversity to encompass economic, social, and environmental attributes of sustainable agriculture development in Nepal. This paper scrutinizes various aspects of Nepal's agricultural development policy, including governance systems, bureaucratic and institutional structures, supportive policies and programs, and regulatory frameworks, to evaluate their compatibility with sustainable agriculture principles. The findings indicate a strong orientation of Nepal's agricultural development policy towards sustainability. Legislative, policy, and governance provisions serve as a foundation for steering the agricultural sector towards sustainable practices. However, despite these positive aspects, significant challenges remain, including the prevalence of traditional agricultural systems and constraints such as limited financial resources, technical expertise, and knowledge among farmers and smallholders. Overcoming these obstacles will require considerable efforts to achieve the desired outcomes in sustainable agriculture.

Visual Analytic for Traffic Impact Assessment

This study strives to promote the state of traffic impact assessment through high-end visual analytics by incorporating spatial and temporal data visualization to enhance traffic management. Based on a dataset on traffic flow at three major intersections, we married data cleaning, integration, and transformation to set out for a detailed visual analysis. Thus, the critical materials comprise the traffic count in multiple lanes, vehicle types, and saturation flow rates to understand the road network's capacity. They essentially explored the traffic volume variations daily and hourly and pattern identification using heat maps, parallel coordinate charts, and bar plots. Thus, the findings expose the remarkable traffic volume and pattern differences by distinguishing peak and off-peak hours on weekdays and weekends. The level of service at each junction was determined by the volume-to-capacity ratio, identifying potential congested areas. As such, this work points to the importance of further improvements to visual analytic techniques to accurately predict traffic patterns and evaluate traffic management strategies effectively. Predictive models based on visual analytic findings can pave the way for proactive traffic control and congestion mitigation, making urban traffic management more efficient and safer. The current study provides a scaffold for additional exploration of the above-detailed methods and their penal outcomes in urban development planning and policy provision in terms of developing sustainable traffic control strategies and real-time decision-making improvements.

Appraisal of the Relevant Laws, Health Care Policies, and Legal and Institutional Frameworks for the Health Care Support of Intimate Partner Violence Survivors in Nigeria

Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) remains a significant public health and human rights issue in Nigeria, yet the adequacy of existing legal frameworks to support survivors is a critical but underexplored area. This article examines the extent to which Nigerian laws address the healthcare needs of IPV survivors, evaluating both statutory and policy provisions. Through a comprehensive analysis of relevant legislation, including the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act (VAPP), the Child Rights Act, and various state-specific laws, alongside healthcare policies and protocols, this study assesses the effectiveness and gaps in the legal infrastructure. Findings indicate that while there are progressive laws aimed at preventing and addressing IPV, substantial gaps persist in their implementation, particularly regarding the integration of healthcare support services for survivors. The article highlights the need for a more coordinated approach that aligns legal provisions with healthcare practices, ensuring that IPV survivors receive comprehensive support. Recommendations are provided to strengthen the legal framework and enhance inter-sectoral collaboration to better meet the needs of survivors in Nigeria. Keywords: Health care Support, IPV, Legal Framework, Survivors

The role of the European Union and international legislation in the government of the migration crisis

This paper focuses on the over researched migrant and refugee emergency of 2015-2016, adopting a broader temporal and spatial lens. The 2015 refugee crisis shook Europe and its security and brought immigration and asylum policy to new political dynamics that are developing at a pace and with difficulty in coordination. This particular 'crisis' of 2015 gave a stronger political impetus to the migration and asylum agenda of the EU's destination and transit states. concerns about the limitations of the liberal state, including external border policy, the framing of migrants, European identity and the phenomenon of return migration security, which mainly affected Central and Eastern Europe. Through the analysis of a broad set of materials emerging from the research project, we identified several interacting features of governance in times of crisis, including a multilevel but complex actor landscape, complicated and fragmented legal systems and policy provisions that can change at the temporal level as well as at the territorial level and the current characteristics of a 'crisis governance mode'. Can we identify the specific features that form this state of crisis?

Landscape analysis of the Kenyan policy on the treatment and prevention of diarrheal disease among under-5 children

ObjectiveDiarrhoea remains a leading cause of morbidity and death among under-5 children in Kenya, despite multipronged policy and programme initiatives to increase access to treatment. This study interrogates the comprehensiveness...

Not for us? Vocational training in the social and policy space in Sierra Leone

PurposeThis paper explores the attractiveness of TVET in Sierra Leone, a post-conflict West African country. It aims to unpack structural factors which contribute to the low repute of TVET.Design/methodology/approachThe paper uses qualitative interviews with employers, government and third sector organisations, focus group discussions with young Sierra Leoneans and analysis of key government policy documents. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data, and the empirical analysis is grounded in Social Learning Theory of Career Decision Making and Social Cognitive Career Theory. The paper is interdisciplinary, drawing on literature from economics, psychology, political science and development studies.FindingsThe paper argues that TVET is in low repute in Sierra Leone owing to low prioritisation by the national government in terms of policy focus, budgetary allocations and provision of training facilities; the proliferation and continuation of a post-war style of TVET programmes by development partners which initially targeted ex-combatants and thus carry reputational baggage; and colonial legacies of preferences for university education and white-collar jobs.Originality/valueThe research contributes to the academic and policy discourse by providing new empirical insights from an under-studied country (and region), and arguably one where evidence-based policy is much needed.

Practice of Territorial Use Rights in Fisheries in Coastal Fishery Management in China: A Case Study of the Island Reefs Fishery Lease Policy from Shengsi County in Zhejiang Province

Coastal fisheries are vital for food supply, employment, and social stability. However, overfishing is a common problem, often attributed to open access. Territorial Use Rights in Fisheries (TURFs) have gained popularity as a tool to improve the sustainability of coastal fisheries, but research on TURFs in China is limited. This paper examines the island reef fishery lease policy implemented in Shengsi County, Zhejiang Province, within the Ma’an Islands National Marine Special Reserve. The policy leases the use of island reefs to a collective, aiming to address overfishing and resource degradation by establishing fishing area boundaries and limiting the number of users and usage time. Technically, it is an application of TURFs, and it represents a shift from traditional fishing licenses to collective compliance. This experience has disrupted the existing top–down fishery governance structure and signifies a transition to a rights-based fishery management system in China. Through a comprehensive investigation and analysis of the policy’s implementation, this research identifies the factors contributing to its flaws. These include the inadequate provision of national and local government policies, insufficient support for policy implementation from fishery management authorities, and the limited involvement of fishermen’s organizations. To enhance coastal fishery management, we propose that the Chinese government should build upon existing foundations by clarifying fishing rights through central and local laws and policies. Additionally, there is a need to strengthen data monitoring of coastal fisheries, conduct multidisciplinary research to improve the allocation mechanism of fishing rights, adopt diverse fishery management approaches to enhance supervision capabilities, establish a collaborative governance mechanism, and foster coordination and cooperation between grassroots fishermen’s organizations and government departments.

The Velocity of Money and Lessons for Monetary Policy in Nigeria: An Application of the Quantile ARDL Approach

AbstractThe paper investigates the determinants and stability of the income velocity of money while accounting for structural breaks in its approach from the period Q1 1981 to Q4 2023 in Nigeria. The paper extends previous works by accounting for four velocities of money functions having accounted for structural breaks in its approach. The study adopted the Bai and Perron breakpoint test, the Zivot and Andrews, and Perron and Vogelsang structural break unit root tests to determine the break dates and the variables’ stationary properties. In analyzing the main results, the study used the quantile ARDL method to establish the determinants of income velocity of money in Nigeria, while it used the CUSUM tests to establish the stability of money velocity in Nigeria. The study found that the determinants of the velocity of money are per capita income, the exchange rate, financial development, inflation, and the interest rate across the four models. Furthermore, the four velocities of money functions were unstable for Nigeria using the cumulative sum and cumulative sum of squares tests. Consequently, the study recommends effective monitoring and the provision of sound monetary policies to ensure a stable and predictable velocity of money. This can be achieved by understanding and focusing on these key determinants and crafting informed strategies to manage economic growth and stability. This holistic approach ensures that the benefits of economic policies are felt broadly across the economy, ultimately bolstering overall financial health and enhancing the velocity of money, which is crucial for sustained economic progress.

First Australian estimates of incidence and prevalence of uterine fibroids: a data linkage cohort study 2000-2022.

What is the estimated prevalence and incidence of uterine fibroids diagnosed in Australian women of reproductive age? An estimated 7.3% of Australian women had a diagnosis of uterine fibroids by the age of 45-49 years, with age-specific incidence highest in women aged 40-44 years (5.0 cases per 1000 person-years). Uterine fibroids are associated with a high symptom burden and may affect overall health and quality of life. Studies in different countries show a wide variation in both the prevalence (4.5-68%) and incidence (2.2-37.5 per 1000 person-years) of uterine fibroids, which may be partly explained by the type of investigation, method of case ascertainment, or the age range of the study population, necessitating the reporting of country-specific estimates. This observational prospective cohort study using self-report survey and linked administrative data (2000-2022) included 8066 women, born between 1973 and 1978, in the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health. A combination of self-report survey and linked administrative health data (hospital, emergency department, the Medicare Benefits Schedule, and the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme) were used to identify women with a report of a diagnosis of uterine fibroids between 2000 and 2022. Of the 8066 Australian women followed for 22 years, an estimated 7.3% of women (95% CI 6.9, 7.6) had a diagnosis of uterine fibroids by the age of 45-49 years. The incidence increased with age and was highest in women aged 40-44 years (5.0 cases per 1000 person-years, 95% CI 4.3, 5.7 cases per 1000 person-years). Women with uterine fibroids were more likely to experience heavy or painful periods. They were also more likely to report low iron levels, endometriosis, and poor self-rated health and to have two or more annual visits to their general practitioner. Our estimates are based on self-report of doctor diagnosis or treatment for fibroids and/or data linked to treatment and procedure administrative records. This predominantly captures women with symptomatic fibroids, but has the potential for misclassification of asymptomatic women and an underestimate of overall prevalence and incidence. In addition, questions on fibroids were only asked in surveys when women were 37-42 years of age to 43-48 years of age, so cases at younger ages may have been underestimated (particularly in women with less severe symptoms) as these were only ascertained through data linkage. These are the first population-based estimates of the prevalence and incidence of uterine fibroids in women of reproductive age in Australia. Establishing these first estimates will help inform health policy and health care provision in the Australian context. The ALSWH is funded by the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care. L.FW. was supported by an Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Centres for Research Excellence grant (APP1153420) and G.D.M. was supported by an NHMRC Leadership Fellowship (APP2009577). The funding bodies played no role in the design, the collection, analysis or interpretation of data, the writing of the manuscript, or the decision to submit the manuscript for publication. There are no competing interests. N/A.

Supporting Reading as a Useful Leisure Practice for Children of the Digital Era

The aim of the article is to study the state of reading as a leisure practice in the context of the rapid development of technologies, and to determine prospects for stimulating interest in extracurricular reading, which will also correspond to the provisions of the state policy for the reading development in Ukraine. Research methods. Scientific methods of analysis, synthesis and comparison are used in this research in order to achieve the specified aim, which made it possible to assess the state of leisure reading among school-age children, and to present modern practices in terms of its promotion. Methods of systematic and comparative analysis are also used to generalise the research results. Analytical grouping (categorisation) is used to classify data from the sociological study on children’s leisure time by gender. Correlational and factor analyses of statistical data of the all- Ukrainian sociological research conducted by LLC “Info Sapiens International” as a part of the project “Supporting the promotion of reading in Ukraine” with the support of the International Foundation “Renaissance” and the Ukrainian Book Institute are made. Scientific novelty. It consists in identifying the leisure practices of school-age children by gender through the processing and analysis of sociological information and its differences interpretation. Its consideration in directions of popularising book reading will contribute to the formation of the reading habit. Main conclusions. In the context of the rapid development of technology, extracurricular reading is inferior to other forms of leisure, such as video games, social networks, video content consumption. A modern approach to extracurricular reading requires an analysis of the best practices of the current leisure industry. A basis of this approach is a strategic development of complex solutions that take into account both traditional and digital formats of reading, which are adapted to rapid technological changes. Special attention is paid to gender aspects and the integration of elements known to children through video games in order to increase general interest in reading. The introduction of gamification and interactivity elements have to ensure a harmonious combination of reading as a traditional form of leisure with the advantages of modern digital technologies. Such a synthesis of traditional and innovative methods is designed to provide balanced leisure time for children, to support the culture of reading in conditions of rapid digital technologies development, and to correspond to the provisions of the state policy for the reading development in Ukraine.

Barriers to access to cancer care for patients from the conflict-affected region of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic: A qualitative study.

Access to essential health services is a basic human right, yet many cancer patients living in conflict-affected regions face multiple obstacles to service use. The (former) Nagorno-Karabakh Republic was a conflict-affected region in the South Caucasus populated predominantly by ethnic Armenians. Multiple acute armed conflicts, the recent military occupation of the region, and the prolonged military blockade of the Lachin Corridor (a humanitarian corridor connecting Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia) exacerbated existing social, health, economic, and political fragilities in this region. As a result, cancer services were disrupted, with limited clarity on how the ongoing military blockade of a humanitarian corridor affected cancer patients' experiences of accessing cancer care locally and in bordering Armenia. Our study aimed to describe the experiences of patients from Nagorno-Karabakh in accessing the cancer care services they needed. We conducted remote semi-structured interviews with adult (aged ≥18 years) cancer patients receiving cancer care from three university hospitals in Armenia and face-to-face interviews with cancer care professionals from these hospitals. Interviews were conducted during the blockade of the Lachin Corridor between March and May 2023. Data were analysed thematically using a deductive approach. Twelve adult cancer patients (9 women) and 12 cancer care professionals participated. A key barrier to accessing cancer services was attributed to the Azerbaijani military occupation of the region and the blockade of a major roadway connecting Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia. Patients talked in length about the challenges of finding transport and travelling long distances to reach essential cancer services in Armenia. Policies of free anti-cancer medication provision and decentralised medication supply were paused because of the military occupation, affecting patients' timely access to anti-cancer medication. Out-of-pocket expenses for treatment, anti-cancer medication, travel, and temporary accommodation in Armenia placed a significant financial burden on cancer patients, exacerbated by the humanitarian crisis. Conflict-affected regions blockaded by military forces lack the capacity and targeted support to sustain their essential health services and provide care to those in need of life-saving treatments. Coordinated action from national and international organisations and governments is urgently needed to enhance humanitarian assistance and healthcare support to patients, their families and wider communities affected by military blockades and armed conflicts.

Uncovering Reproductive Injustice Toward Women With Disabilities

Abstract: For centuries, the reproductive agency of women with disabilities have been challenged and often undermined by informal and formal support networks. Evidence illustrates that women with disabilities face disproportionately higher rates of reproductive violence compared to their nondisabled peers (i.e., long-term contraception or forced sterilization). However, little is known about the specific nature, type, and impact of reproductive violence on women with disabilities. This scoping review examined the literature related to the reproductive violence against women with disabilities. We used Arksey and O’Malley’s framework, and based on our inclusion criteria, 28 empirical articles were included. Most studies were published in the disciplines of health (i.e., nursing and medicine) within the North American context and used qualitative research designs. Main findings within the scoping review included themes related to imposed contraception, rationalization of sterilization, barriers to sexual and reproductive health services, and the discourses underpinning reproductive injustice toward women with disabilities. The findings of the study have implications for future disability community-based research, peer-led supports, practice guidelines for professionals, and intersectoral policy provision aiming at supporting the reproductive agency of women with disabilities.

Challenges regarding TVET training programs in the SA automotive industry

ABSTRACT This paper reports on research undertaken to understand the contribution of formal Technical Vocational Education and Training (hereafter TVET) to company-level growth and transformation in the automotive sector in South Africa. The findings of this article are part of a larger research project conducted in South Africa and five other developing countries, namely, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Ethiopia, Laos, and Vietnam, to explore the contribution of TVET programs to inclusive industrial transformation and growth in the manufacturing sectors. It argues that formal TVET training does not drive workplace changes in technology, work organisation, and product change in the automotive sector. This paper challenges the current formal TVET provision policy in South Africa to recognise other forms of training provision, such as non-formal, and informal on-the-job training, in addition to company-level factors critical in shaping the skills system if we are to understand the extent to which skills enhance growth and transformation.

Российская политика нациестроительства и историческая память городской молодёжи Арктической зоны РФ (по данным соцопросов в Поморье)

The article examines data from sociological surveys of young residents in the Arkhangelsk agglomeration (Pomorye, territory of the Arctic zone of Russia). Particular emphasis is made on indicators characterizing the state of historical memory and assessments in relation to the historical education of persons aged 18–25. The materials are presented in the context of the fundamental provisions of the Russian nation-building policy of the early 2020s and in their connection with modern concepts of patriotism and civic identity. The data is also compared with nationwide surveys on similar topics during the same period. In general, the trend towards strengthening the all-Russian civic identity of young people is confirmed, parallel to the trend towards a decrease in «regional» patriotism. However, there is no unity among young people in understanding the very concept of a civil nation and the foundations of its formation. It is also confirmed that the identified trend is one of the foundations of the problematic state of basic historical education of young people, and especially acute in terms of knowledge of regional history. At the same time, the youth of the region are, on the one hand, the bearer of a potentially high interest in the history of the country and region, and on the other hand, they realize it at the basic level of historical memory, i.e. at the level of family history. The results of the study indicate that young people will objectively demand a more active use of such tools for stimulating, supporting and satisfying interest in history, such as museum projects and cinema. These industries, along with historical education at school, are considered as the main tools for the formation of emotionally charged historical memory as the basis for a developed civic identity and «active patriotism» among the generation that in the next decade will form the basis of the political, economic, scientific and cultural elite of the Russian Federation.

Исследование неоднородности социально-экономического пространства России на уровне макрорегионов

Introduction. This article examines the problem of differentiation of the economic space of Russia. This problem originates during the collapse of the Soviet Union, when, during the transition from a command economy to a market economy, the state was faced with an uneven distribution of natural, territorial, demographic and other resources across the country's regions. The destruction of industrial, financial and social ties of the regions occurred as a result of the policy pursued by Yeltsin B., who pursued a course of strengthening the sovereignty of the subjects of Russia. In the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation No. 803 dated 06/03/1996 "On the main provisions of regional policy in the Russian Federation", the task was set to smooth out significant imbalances in the socio-economic development of the regions. In this paper, the question is considered: has the task regulated by the decree of the President of the Russian Federation been achieved? The purpose of the work is to assess the differences in the socio-economic development of Russian regions grouped into federal districts.Materials and methods. The information base of this study consists of the works of domestic authors and data from the State Statistics Service (Rosstat). The Thale index, its structural decomposition, and the Atkinson index were used to analyze the socio-economic inequality of the regions.Results. The article provides a structural analysis of the socio-economic development of Russia (at the level of macro-regions) from 2000-2020 using the above indices. The results of the study showed significant intergroup differences in the macro-regions of Russia, as well as increased regional inequality in most of the considered indicators. An analysis of the regions within the federal districts showed that the regions of the Central Federal District differ significantly in terms of socio-economic development. In other federal districts, there is a low level of regional inequalityConclusions. As a result of the study, proposals were developed to reduce the socio-economic differentiation of the regions. The conclusions of this work can be used to improve the state regional policy in the field of balanced development of territories.

Impact of Political Ideology on Spending Audiences of Brazilian States

Objective: The present study seeks to verify the extent to which affiliation with parties in different locations on the ideological spectrum explains public spending in Brazilian states (2012-2017). Theoretical framework: To achieve the proposed objective, the article in question has a section where the theoretical framework is exposed, consisting of the discussion regarding the classic distinctions between left and right and the relationship with the provision of public policies. Method: Data were collected using the National Treasury Secretariat (STN) databases. Some expenditure functions were chosen which, in principle, would denote ideological divergences between left and right parties and consequently differentiated public spending, namely: public security, social assistance, health, education, urban planning and environmental management. With the database ready, the Chi-square test was carried out to check whether there was an association between ideologies and spending. The Mann-Whitney U test was subsequently applied to compare the median expenditures of the two terms (2012-2014 and 2015-2017). Finally, panel data were used. Results and Discussion: It can be seen that there is no consistent relationship between ideology (E/D) and public spending, that is, left-wing and right-wing parties tend to spend similarly. The exceptions are spending on education and urbanization, which are higher in states led by managers affiliated with left-wing parties, as expected. Implications of the Research: If ideology is a good predictor of political positioning in the legislature, the same cannot be said in the executive and subnational governments. The ideological component here remains in the background and reveals little explanatory power. Originality/Value: Few studies delve into the impact of political ideology on the provision of public policies.