Regions Of Province Research Articles

Increased Prevalence of Bell's Palsy in First Nations Populations with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Manitoba.

Bell's palsy is acute facial palsy due to inflammation involving the facial nerve related to infections. Rates have not been noted to differ by ethnicity. We studied the lifetime prevalence in First Nations and all other Manitobans in people with type 2 diabetes mellitus aged 7 and older in 2013-2014 and 2016-2017. We found a crude lifetime prevalence of 9.9% [95% CI 9.4-10.4%] in the First Nations population versus 3.9% [95% CI 3.8-4.0%] in all other Manitobans. It is unknown if there were differences in glycemic control. The increased prevalence was found in all five provincial health regions. This study indicates that ethnicity may be an important risk factor for Bell's palsy.

The Influence of Regulatory Compliance, Use of Information Technology, and Leadership Commitment on Securing Fixed Assets in the Regional Revenue and Assets Agency of East Nusa Tenggara Province

One of the regional assets managed by the regional government is fixed assets. In relation to fixed asset management, in the NTT Provincial Government, the authority to manage fixed assets rests with the NTT Provincial Regional Revenue and Assets Agency. Based on NTT Province Regional Regulation Number 1 of 2019 concerning Amendments to East Nusa Tenggara Province Regional Regulation Number 9 of 2016 concerning the Formation and Structure of East Nusa Tenggara Province Regional Apparatus. The Regional Revenue and Assets Agency has the task of "assisting the Governor in carrying out some regional household affairs in the field of Regional Revenue and Asset Management". Based on balance sheet data from the NTT Provincial Government, it was found that the nominal value of fixed assets had increased and some had decreased. Throughout 2018-2023, the nominal assets of land, equipment and machinery, buildings and structures, and other fixed assets have increased. Road, irrigation and network assets experienced a decline in 2019 and an increase in 2020-2023. Construction assets under construction experienced an increase in 2019, 2020 and 2022, while in 2021 and 2023 they experienced a decrease. The formulation of the problem in this research is as follows. What is the description of regulatory compliance, use of information technology, leadership commitment and management of fixed assets at the Regional Revenue and Assets Agency of East Nusa Tenggara Province? Does regulatory compliance have a positive and significant effect on fixed assets by the Regional Revenue and Assets Agency? East Nusa Tenggara Province.

A comparative analysis of the evaluation system for comprehensive reform of agricultural water prices in China

Water is a fundamental natural resource that affects human and social development, and also plays an important role in modern agricultural production and food security. In China, agricultural water consumption accounts for the majority of the total water consumption. For a long time, China has not fully implemented water pricing and payment for agricultural water, and the lower agricultural water cost have led to the waste of water resource and the rapid conversion of agricultural water to other industries. In order to avoid agricultural water waste and achieve the goal of agricultural sustainable development, the Chinese government has launched a comprehensive reform of agricultural water prices nationwide since 2016. According to the plan, nowadays, the reform will faces overall evaluation and acceptance in 2024 and 2025. However, there is a lack of a relatively unified and flexible nationwide evaluation index system and acceptance measures. In this study, a comparative research of the evaluation system for comprehensive reform of agricultural water prices was developed. Based on existing evaluation and acceptance measures issued by four typical provincial regions, this study compared and analyzed the compliance and similarities and differences of these acceptance measures with national reform policies and requirements. From the aspects of evaluation procedure and index system, a systematic comparative analysis was conducted on the integrity and differences in the four regions. At the same time, suggestions were given for policy-making of national evaluation process and standard. The comparative analysis results showed that the evaluation indices in the four provincial regions have met all the key points of national reform policies and have a complete system, but there were significant differences in the structure of the evaluation index system in different provincial regions. It is recommended to establish a simple, relatively unified and practical national evaluation and acceptance system as soon as possible. In addition, evaluation criteria for individual specific indices should be determined by region based on the differences in economic capacity and agricultural water conservancy facilities conditions.

Characteristics of Spatiotemporal Changes in China's Carbon Budget at Different Administrative Scales

Currently, scientifically and reasonably specifying carbon emission reduction measures in the context of "double carbon" has become a common concern worldwide. China's administrative divisions have a notable impact on the formulation and implementation of relevant policies. Therefore the carbon emissions must be calculated accurately under China's administrative divisions at different scales. The spatiotemporal change characteristics of absorption and carbon emissions can provide scientific basis for the formulation of reasonable and differentiated carbon emission reduction policies in different administrative regions in China. To this end, this study used multi-source data such as remote sensing and statistics and integrated ecological models, statistics, and GIS space analysis and other methods to analyze the spatiotemporal dynamic change characteristics of carbon emissions and carbon absorption at different administrative scales （provinces, cities, and counties） in China. The results showed that： ① The total carbon absorption of vegetation in China continued to increase from 2000 to 2021 and the average value gradually increased. Differences were observed in spatiotemporal changes in carbon emissions at different administrative scales. The spatiotemporal changes at smaller scales were more evident. Carbon emissions showed obvious spatial differences of "high in the north and low in the south, high in the east and low in the west." ② The spatiotemporal distribution of CPI at the administrative scale was similar to that of carbon emissions and the overall trend was increasing annually. The pressure of carbon emissions on carbon absorption gradually weakened from the east to the central and western regions. ③ Spatiotemporal hotspot analysis showed that the overall spatial distribution of cold and hot spots in China's carbon absorption was as follows： In the spatial pattern of "hot in the east and cold in the west," the spatial distribution of cold and hot spots of carbon emissions showed agglomeration characteristics. The provincial scale was primarily oscillating hotspot whereas municipal and county scales were majorly continuous hot spots. Further results revealed that： ① Carbon absorption in different regions and periods in China showed significant variability, especially in the central and eastern regions. The possibility of offsetting carbon emissions by increasing carbon absorption remains. ② At the same scale, administrative regions （such as different provinces） and lower-level administrative regions at another scale （such as different cities in the same province） showed varying degrees of variability in carbon absorption and carbon emissions. Therefore, taking provincial administrative regions as an example for subsequent formulation considering carbon trading, emission reduction, and other policies, we should first consider the coordination of emissions between different cities in the province and then consider the coordination between provinces, which is expected to better promote the implementation of relevant policies.

Truth to Action: Lived Experiences of Indigenous Healthcare Professionals Redressing Indigenous-Specific Racism.

The experience of discrimination through stereotyping, profiling, and bias-informed care not only leads to poor access to healthcare services, but low retention rates of Indigenous health professionals (IHP). As health systems transformation evolves, a significant gap remains in supporting IHP to safely address racism, to be supported culturally to bring their authentic selves and voices to work, and to attend to one's own intellectual, physical, relational, cultural and spiritual wellness within a westernized model of care. The aim of the study was to investigate the experiences of IHP working in mainstream healthcare in order to understand how their work environment impacts the delivery of cultural safe practices. What is reported in this manuscript, as an exercise in truth-telling, is findings about lived experiences of IHP working in one mainstream provincial healthcare region, and not the whole context and outcomes of the study. Using Indigenous research methodologies, we embodied our Indigeneity into every facet of the research process. We facilitated three talking circles with participants grounded in a distinct cultural and ceremonial context following Secwepemc protocols. The collective voices of IHP revealed the following common experiences: confronting genocide; addressing Indigenous-specific racism; uprooting toxicity and inequities; and upholding Indigenous human rights while enhancing accountability of systems transformation. The experience of IHP working in health systems goes beyond mere individual employment obligations, its often about a families and communities advocacy for Indigenous rights, culturally safe working environments and access to dignified and respectful healthcare service. This study highlights the need for IHP to be actively involved in health system transformation to ensure the redesigning and restructuring of healthcare service delivery by and for Indigenous Peoples remains centered on Indigenous health and human rights.

Media Literacy and Its Potential Influence on Mpox-Related Perceptions and Prevention Intentions in China During the 2022 Multi-Country Outbreak of Mpox

ABSTRACT Media literacy plays an increasingly important role in health communication during public health emergencies. The present study aimed to investigate the level of media literacy and its association with disease perceptions and behavioral intentions of receiving vaccination services among young men who have sex with men (YMSM) in China during the 2022 multi-country mpox outbreak. The data were from a large-scale cross-sectional survey conducted among 2,493 YMSM aged 18–29 years in six provincial regions in China in September 2022. A total of 2,079 YMSM who had obtained mpox information from social media platforms were included in this study. Correlation analysis and path analysis were conducted. The mean age of the sample was 24.7. After controlling for background variables, significant positive correlations were found in several pairs between media literacy, mpox-related perceptions (including perceived susceptibility to mpox, perceived severity of mpox, perceived benefits of mpox vaccination, and self-efficacy of receiving mpox vaccination), and the behavioral intention of receiving mpox vaccination. The mpox-related perceptions played a significant mediation role in the association between media literacy and intention of receiving mpox vaccination (indirect effect = 0.165, p < .001, effect size = 82.1%). Media literacy is crucial for developing disease perceptions during public health emergencies and may further influence the adoption of preventive measures. As social media platforms have become the main battle field of health communication during disease outbreaks, improvement of media literacy is urgently warranted.

Impact of Green Technology Innovation on Green Economy: Evidence from China

The impact of green technology innovation and the digital economy on the sustainability of the green economy is increasing. To delve deeper into this subject, this paper utilizes fixed- effect models and threshold effect models. It examines data from 34 provincial administrative regions of China. The aim is to uncover the patterns of influence the green technology innovation and the digital economy have on the sustainability of the green economy. The research findings are as follows: (1) The green technology innovation, digital economy, and their interaction contribute to promoting the high-quality sustainability of the green economy. The sustainability of the green economy relies on the support of green technology innovation and the digital economy. By optimizing the capabilities of green technology innovation and the level of digital economy, managers could enhance the high-quality sustainability of the green economy. (2) The digital economy exhibits a dual threshold effect in driving the sustainability of the green economy through green technology innovation. When the digital economy surpasses the first threshold, the influence of green technology innovation on the green economy experiences a notable increase. However, once the digital economy surpasses the second threshold, the impact of green technology innovation on the green economy begins to diminish significantly. (3) There are notable regional variations in the impact of green technology innovation and digital economy on the sustainability of the green economy across different regions of China. Considering these findings, it is vital for stakeholders in China to implement customized measures. These measures should aim to actively promote the sustainability of China’s green economy. The relevant stakeholders include businesses and the government.

“Few people and the birds”. Negotiating tourism development and more-than-human hospitality on the margin

ABSTRACT Rural tourism is regarded as having the ability to contribute to the often much-needed socio-economic (re)vitalization of provincial regions. For that, the sector is dependent on services and sites of leisure to “sell”. While valuable research has been conducted at a variety of rural tourism sites, few have focused on tourism at potential destinations. Applying a theoretical approach of more-than-human cohabitation and hospitality, this paper discusses entanglements of tourism development in a peripheral area. The focus is on the remote Melrakkaslétta on the Icelandic northeast coast. Once the setting of wealthy farms and utilization of natural resources, the area has in recent decades faced depopulation and related challenges. The residents have proposed local tourism as one way to counteract these challenges. Melrakkaslétta, currently one of the least visited areas of Iceland, is home to significant bird populations. Indeed, Melrakkaslétta is a place of continuous comings and goings of birds and humans. Introducing findings from ethnographic research conducted in Melrakkaslétta, the paper reveals the paradoxical role of the birds in the area’s potential tourism development. For some people, the birds are something to underline and utilize while for others Melrakkaslétta should remain a tranquil place of few people and birds.

LOCAL GOVERNMENT ISSUES AFTER THE ENACTMENT OF LAW 11 OF 2020 ON JOB CREATION

With the enactment of Law Number 23 of 2014 concerning Regional Government, it provides new regulations regarding the division of authority between levels of government. There are several administrations of government affairs which were previously part of the authority of the Regency/City and later became the authority of the State. The administration of government consists of the implementation of mandatory government and the implementation of elective government which is divided between the central government, provincial regions and regency/municipal regions. Mandatory Government Affairs are divided into Mandatory Government Affairs relating to Basic Services and Mandatory Government Affairs which are not related to Basic Services. The relationship of authority between the Central Government and Regional Governments in the system of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia gave rise to the concepts of centralization and decentralization. The implementation of Regional Autonomy after the existence of Law Number 11 of 2020 concerning Job Creation took over the authority of the regional government, the authority of the Regional Government carried out by the Central Government can affect the existing government system in the region. Adjusted to the administration of government in the implementation of regional autonomy, this can affect local revenue which can have a negative impact on the area.

Incidence and Influencing Factors of Avoidable Mortality in South Korea from 2013-2022: Analysis of Cause-of-Death Statistics.

This study aimed to identify trends in avoidable mortality (AVM) in 16 provincial and metropolitan regions of South Korea and determine the factors influencing AVM. First, the AVM rate (AVMR) was calculated using the Statistics Korea cause-of-death and population data by age and region from 2013 to 2022. Second, a health determinants model was built, and we identified the factors influencing AVM using generalized estimating equations analysis. Although the AVMR per 100,000 people displayed a steadily decreasing trend from 2013 to 2020, it began to increase in 2021. Meanwhile, Jeonnam, Jeonbuk, Gyeongnam, Gyeongbuk, Chungnam, Chungbuk, and Gangwon Provinces showed a higher AVMR than the national average. The analysis revealed that each 1-unit increase in the older adult population, smoking, perceived stress, or nonlocal medical utilization was associated with an increase in the AVMR. Conversely, 1-unit increases in the male-to-female ratio, marriage rate, positive self-rated health, local medical utilization, doctor population, influenza vaccination rate, cancer screening rate, or financial independence were associated with decrease in the AVMR. This study established that the AVMR, which had been continuously decreasing across the 16 regions, shifted to an increasing trend in 2021. We also identified several factors influencing AVM. Further studies are needed to confirm the reasons for this shift in the AVMR and explore the factors that influence AVM across Korea's 16 provincial and metropolitan regions.

“They Behave Like Jews”: Anti-Speculation Propaganda and the Creation of a Caste of “New Traders” in Lithuania in 1941–1944

The article analyses socio-economic propaganda campaigns that were actively developed in the Lithuanian press during the period from 1941 to 1944: 1) anti-speculation propaganda; 2) calls for Lithuanians to engage in trading (this can be visually called the creation of a cast of “new traders”). In 1941, after the occupation of Lithuania by Nazi Germany, speculative activities increased due to the difficult economic situation, the faltering supply of food products to cities and the interruption of the supply of industrial goods (for example, kerosene, textiles) to villages. The occupation regime carried out an active anti-speculation propaganda campaign, which manifested itself in three ways: 1) calls not to buy goods from speculators and to report speculators to the authorities; 2) promoting legal alternatives to speculation (such as commissions or barter stores); 3) intimidation through repression. The creation of the caste of “new traders” was based on the belief that Lithuanians would willingly take advantage of the Holocaust, when Jewish traders who had held significant positions in pre-war Lithuanian trade, especially in the private sector, were killed (or isolated in ghettos) along with the Jewish community. Lithuanians were urged through the press to engage in trade business, to create a new, nationally socially oriented, qualitatively different trade system. The network of trade schools had been actively expanded in the towns of the provincial regions. Despite their ambitions, these two propaganda campaigns did not achieve their goals. Speculation was active throughout the war, while its legal alternatives were unattractive and unpopular, and the actual practice of punishing speculators was far more moderate than the press calls for the death penalty. The creation of the “new traders” caste was also unsuccessful: although trade schools soon began to prepare new trade sector employees, relatively few were prepared, and the same press soon began to criticize “new traders” for taking over “Jewish speculation” and for tending to deceive buyers and the regime.

Preventing Corruption in Bali’s Customary Villages: How Do Regional Institutions Play a Role?

Customary villages are traditional institutions in Bali that have existed for centuries. The village has autonomy when it comes to managing its customary arrangements based on local traditions and wisdom, meaning that it does not have a hierarchical relationship with the government based on the state structure of the Republic of Indonesia. The Bali Province Government, a second-layer hierarchical government structure in Indonesia, applies a unique approach to performing relationships with customary villages in Bali as it has regularly supported the existence and activities of customary villages, including providing funding assistance. Unfortunately, several cases have shown the misuse of government funds. This article, therefore, identifies the practice of fraud and corruption in customary villages in Bali. Second, it analyses the role of the Customary Community Development Agency (DPMA) of the Bali Province Government in supervising the financial management of Bali's customary villages. Lastly, it supports the synergy between DPMA and the Representative Office of the Financial and Development Supervisory Agency (BPKP) of Bali Province in preventing corruption cases in the customary villages. The article applies empirical legal research, which involves collecting primary and secondary data and analyzing them using statutory, factual, and legal concept analysis approaches. The research suggests that fraud and corruption cases in customary villages cause a loss of government funds, harming the financial management of Village Credit Institutions (LPD), and involving the misuse of power. The provincial regulation authorizes DPMA to address this issue by monitoring how customary villages use the Bali Province Government grants. This paper then argues that the DPMA’s role would be more effective if it adopted a more formal collaboration with the Representative BPKP in Bali Province through various joint programs that support the comprehensive efforts to prevent corruption in customary villages in Bali.

A Study on the Impact of China’s Prefabricated Building Policy on the Carbon Reduction Benefits of China’s Construction Industry Based on a Difference-in-Differences Method

The construction industry is a significant contributor to carbon emissions in China. To effectively meet the “dual carbon” targets, several provincial regions within the country started to implement policies promoting prefabricated buildings. This study examines data from 18 provinces in China over the period from 2012 to 2021, treating the introduction of prefabricated building policies as a quasi-natural experiment. Utilizing the difference-in-differences methodology, this research assesses the impact of these policies on the carbon emission performance of China’s construction sector and evaluates the robustness of the findings. The results indicate that the prefabricated building policies positively influenced the carbon emission efficiency of the construction industry. Specifically, these policies enhance carbon emission efficiency by increasing labor productivity, optimizing the allocation of mechanical resources, and improving the utilization rate of building materials. Additionally, the effectiveness of these policies is positively correlated with the level of regional technological innovation, environmental protection efforts, and the advancement of energy structure optimization. The study concludes with several policy recommendations aimed at further enhancing the effectiveness of prefabricated building policies.

Burden of biliary tract carcinoma in China (1990–2021): Findings from the 2021 Global Burden of Disease Study

Biliary tract carcinoma (BTC) is a group of malignant tumors that originate in the digestive system and occurs with a high incidence in China. Few consistent and comparable assessments of BTC disease burden have been conducted at national or subnational levels, and little is known about the demographic, temporal, and geographic patterns of epidemiological characteristics and disease burden of BTC in China. The incidence, mortality, disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), years of life lost (YLLs) due to premature death and years lived with disability (YLDs) of BTC were comprehensively examined by age, sex, and calendar year in the Chinese population, using the methodological framework and analytical strategies used for the 2021 Global Burden of Disease study. All-age incidence increased from 17,077 to 51,720 between 1990 and 2021, and the age-standardized incidence rate rose by 13.62%; all-age deaths increased from 17,251 to 37,833, but the age-standardized mortality rate fell by nearly one-fifth. The DALYs rose by 89.57% while the age-standardized DALY rate fell by 23.24%. Variations of the tendencies in BTC burden were found between sexes and age groups. Data for each provincial region indicate that coastal eastern provincial regions have higher incidence and YLD levels, whereas northern provincial regions have higher mortality, DALY, and YLL levels. The proportions of DALYs attributable to high body mass index (BMI) illustrate the growing attribution obesity has made, and high BMI usually puts more burden on northern provincial regions. These results provide evidence to support precise, targeted, and customed public health strategies aimed at enhancing biliary tract health among the Chinese population.

Coupling coordination between electricity and economy: China as an example

The benign coupling coordination between electricity (EL) and economy (EC) contributes to a better environment and sustainability. This study explores whether EL and EC can coordinate theoretically, how to evaluate their coordination, what the statuses are, and how to enhance coupling coordination levels (CCL). Specifically, we select the data from 2011 to 2020 of the 31 provincial regions of China, use information entropy weight and the technique for order preference by similarity to an ideal solution method, establish the theoretical coupling coordination mechanism and the evaluation index system to measure CCL temporally-spatially and propose policy implications based on prediction tendencies. We find that most regions' CCLs fluctuate temporally with mild upward trends, indicating the much more benign coupling coordination status; the spatial distributions are uneven with narrowing gaps. However, future CCL gaps may increase; therefore, differentiated policy implications are needed, such as encouraging balanced-coordination policies, innovating for higher-quality coordination, and cooperating for intelligence and wealth transfer. This study is conducive to theoretically describing the coupling coordination mechanism between EL and EC, providing new insights for CCL evaluation and the coordination practice for different regions.

Carbon peaking trajectory links to development of a coupled urbanization-industrialization-energy system

On the way towards carbon emission peaking, the influence of the interactions within urbanization, industrialization and energy consumption on the peaking process from the perspective of system evolution remains exclusive. Herein, targeting 30 Chinese provincial regions, we design an integrated framework consisting of 21 indices to represent a coupled urbanization-industrialization-energy (UIE) system. The coupling and coordination within the UIE system are measured and linked to regional carbon emission trajectory during 2000–2021 to explore the influence mechanism on its peaking process. The findings reveal levels of the coupling and coordination ranging from 0.30 to 0.99, with an inverted U-shaped pattern for the coupling and a progression from rapid to gradual growth for the coordination. The comprehensive coupling-coordination degree for regions has not yet reached the state beneficial for achieving the emission peak. The development quality of urbanization subsystem and industrialization subsystem is progressively relieving reliance on the energy subsystem, while a complete decoupling from carbon emissions has not been achieved. The influences of driving forces of the coordination exhibit spatiotemporal variations. The region-specific insights into steering the UIE system towards peaking carbon emissions with emphasis on the key driving forces are of practical significance.

The Eradication of Human Trafficking: What Can We Learn From East Lombok District?

The lack of information regarding labor migration in the society of West Nusa Tenggara Province means that quite few prospective Indonesian Migrant Workers (IMW) are vulnerable to malpractice recruitment and can result in exploitation so that they have the potential to become human trafficking victims. This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of West Nusa Tenggara Provincial Regulation Number 10 of 2008 and the obstacles and also the opportunities for preventing and eradicating human trafficking as an effort to prevent human trafficking in East Lombok Regency. The results of this study that are West Nusa Tenggara Provincial Regulation Number 10 of 2008 concerning Prevention and Eradication of Human Trafficking and its derivative, namely East Lombok Regency Regional Regulation Number 9 of 2013 concerning Protection of Victims of Human Trafficking and Acts of Violence against Women and Children are not running effectively considering that the mandate of these two regional regulations is to form a Cluster Human Trafficking duties at the Regency Level have not been carried out, so that the relevant agencies cannot coordinate optimally. Optimizing the Eradication of Human Trafficking in East Lombok Regency can be done by forming a Human Trafficking Task Force so that inter-agency cooperation can run optimally. The formation of the Human Trafficking Task Force will provide certainty regarding the involvement of human resources, funding and facilities and infrastructure. Apart from the role of the Human Trafficking Task Force, of course there is also a need for public awareness, especially prospective migrant workers, to register themselves legally so that they can prevent them from becoming victims of Human Trafficking.

A nationwide study of heavy metal(loid)s in agricultural soils and the soil-grown black morel Morchella sextelata in China

The accumulation of heavy metal(loid)s (HMs) in soil-grown mushrooms poses potential health risks. Morchella sextelata (black morel) is a typical soil-grown mushroom with a rapidly expanding cultivation area. This study investigated the distribution of arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, mercury, nickel, lead, and zinc in 213 pairs of soil and morel samples collected from 29 provincial administrative regions in China, together with the nutritional contents in the morel samples. The HM contents in the arable soils used to cultivate morels were 2.4–33.1 times higher than those in desert soils, while the HM contents in arable-soil morels were 2.9–155.9 times higher than desert morels. The HM contents of morels and their cultivation soils were significantly correlated (0.465 ≤ R ≤ 0.778, P < 0.001). Furthermore, the enrichment factors of most HMs were higher in arable soils than in desert soils (P < 0.05), except Hg. A considerable proportion of the arable soils produced morels with HMs exceeding the risk control standards (RCSs) for food and the health-risk thresholds of dietary intake. In comparison, HMs in morels from desert soils were far below the RCSs and health-risk thresholds. In addition, desert morels contained higher contents of crude proteins, total polysaccharides, and free amino acids (P < 0.001). These findings indicate that growing morels in desert soils is a way of green production that provides mushroom products with improved safety and nutrition.

Regional price differences of medical services: evidence from China

BackgroundPrice levels of medical services may vary across regions with different income levels, which would raise concerns about the equal access to medical services. This study aimed to estimate the spatial price index of medical services to measure price levels across 31 provincial regions in China.MethodsPrice data were collected from medical service price schedule in each region. Two methods based on the Purchasing Power Parities were used to estimate the spatial price index and measure price differences across regions. The two-way fixed effects models were used to examine the association between medical service price levels and income levels, and further investigate the impacts of price differences on utilization of medical services and medical expenditure.ResultsThe consistent estimation results were given by two methods. Medical service price level in the highest-price region was found to be 74% higher than the lowest. There was a significant negative correlation between price levels and income levels, as well as price levels and the utilization of outpatient services. Moreover, we also found a 1% increase in medical service price level was significantly associated with a 0.34% and 0.24% increase in the medical service expense per outpatient visit and per inpatient respectively.ConclusionsRegions in China had significant gaps in medical service price levels. Policymakers should pay more attention to regional price differences and take great measures such as enhancing financial protection to ensure the equal access to medical services and better achieve the universal health coverage.

Study on the coordinated development degree of new quality productivity and manufacturing carbon emission efficiency in provincial regions of China

Study on the coordinated development degree of new quality productivity and manufacturing carbon emission efficiency in provincial regions of China