Institutional Settings Research Articles

Footwear Modification in Patients with Peripheral Neuropathy by Use of Three-dimensional Force Plate

Abstract Background: Peripheral neuropathy is the most common chronic complication of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes, with an estimated lifetime prevalence exceeding 50%. Loss of cutaneous sensory information from the foot sole is reported to be a critical factor contributing to walking instability, poor balance and falls, in people with diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN). Although there is a very little evidence in the literature on the effectiveness of microcellular rubber insoles, they may offer a new rehabilitative approach, which promotes self-management by the user, to improve balance and walking, and reduce the risk of falling, in adults with diabetes and this study aims to find out the effectiveness of microcellular rubber insoles in peripheral neuropathy. Materials and Methods: This was a prospective observational study. A total of 30 patients with DPN, fulfilling the inclusion criteria, were selected for the study. All of the participants were clinically tested for the presence of neuropathy and evaluated by the force platform, after which they were advised to wear micro cellular rubber insole footwear (which was made in institutional set up as per patient’s foot size) for a period of 4 weeks. At the end of the stipulated period, the participants were again evaluated on the same parameters in the force platform. Results: After 4 weeks of intervention, there was a significant improvement in the postural stability as evidenced by a decrease in the mean of anterior–posterior sway (7.1225 ± 0.7102/5.7972 ± 0.6901) (P < 0.0001). Mean mediolateral sway also shows an improvement (4.9570 ± 0.5106/3.9639 ± 0.5749) (P < 0.0001). Similarly, improvements shown in mean sway area (368.4048 ± 58.9558/313.8788 ± 57.5957) (P = 0.0040) and sway velocity (23.2842 ± 2.1151/21.8840 ± 1.8419) (P < 0.0001). The step length, however, did not show any statistically significant improvement (0.6474 ± 0.0524/0.6333 ± 0.0597) (P = 0.2820). There was a significant reduction in the vertical component of the ground reaction force post-use of the insole (737.4333 ± 73.1577/659.3667 ± 82.7937) (P < 0.0001) with a reduction of 13% mean value. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that neuropathy deteriorates postural balance and gait; the present evidence provides insight indicating that footwear interventions do significantly alter static balance performance in the neuropathy population. Footwear interventions seem to have the capacity to alter underlying strategies controlling static and dynamic movement patterns through a combination of mechanical and sensorimotor mechanisms, for which in-depth investigation of neurophysiologic responses to footwear interventions is necessary to help confirm any sensorimotor adaptations.

Shades of grand corruption among allocative efficiency and institutional settings. The case of Italy

This paper examines the underexplored impact of the procedures in public contracts on market allocation efficiency that are at risk of corruption. We integrated the GMM-SYS estimator with analyses of a balanced panel database of all the provinces in Italy between the period 2013–2021. The use of a high level of spatial granularity in an under-researched context revealed two distinct scenarios. In competitive markets, a more entrepreneurial and less widespread form of corruption emerged which may enhance market efficiency (bottom-up pattern). Conversely, in a context with limited market competition and low institutional quality, corruption indicators may be less useful due to potential pre-bribery behavior (top-down pattern). Our study underscores the capacity of corrupt suppliers to exploit market opportunities and secure selection. We found that corruption risk practices within public contracts have the potential to improve market efficiency, thus rendering them appealing to corrupt suppliers due to their capacity to deliver economic advantages. This also applies to provinces with high-quality governance. Additionally, the paper highlights the limitations of indicators in alternative contexts. The paper has significant implications for policymakers in defining assignation criteria in high-quality contexts, but also offers insights into the effectiveness of grand corruption indicators for academics.

BANKING SECTOR DEVELOPMENT AND ECONOMIC GROWTH DEVELOPING COUNTRIES: A BOOTSTRAP PANEL GRANGER CAUSALITY ANALYSIS

The purpose of this paper is to revisit the Granger causal relationship between banking sector development and economic growth for forty developing countries in the period 1970-2012. We devised two indices to comprehensively assess the development of the banking sector and employed a panel bootstrapped approach for Granger causality testing. This method adequately addresses concerns related to cross-sectional dependence and heterogeneity. Our empirical findings offer modest backing for the supply-leading, demand-following, and complementarity hypotheses. Moreover, our analysis suggests a causal relationship between banking sector development and economic growth across twenty-five countries. This paper investigates the relationship between banking sector development and economic growth in developing countries using a Bootstrap Panel Granger Causality Analysis. The banking sector plays a crucial role in fostering economic development by mobilizing savings, allocating capital efficiently, and channeling investments into productive sectors. However, the precise nature of the causal linkages between banking sector development and economic growth remains subject to empirical scrutiny, particularly in the context of developing economies characterized by diverse institutional settings and economic structures. Employing a panel data approach, this study examines the causal dynamics between banking sector development and economic growth across a sample of developing countries. By leveraging the richness of cross-country variation and time-series dynamics, we aim to provide a nuanced understanding of the symbiotic relationship between banking sector development and economic growth. Our discoveries illuminate the causal connection between banking sector advancement and economic growth in developing nations, presenting significant insights for policymakers, economists, and scholars. Through informing policy discussions and promoting data-driven decision-making, this research contributes to the crucial goals of sustainable development and inclusive growth in developing economies.

The digital governmentality of marriage migration: policing US spousal reunification, national belonging and borders in digital spaces

There is extensive research on the governmentality of marriage migration, but more is needed about the role of digital spaces. This article focuses on how online US spousal reunification forums and their users define and police ideological norms regarding the US family and decide which transnational relationships are ‘worthy’ of immigration. We show that through their interactions on the site, users perform borderwork and police family, race and nation. More generally, we argue that online forums constitute institutional settings whose members can reproduce or challenge hegemonic state discourses about ‘proper’ families and national belonging. Further, we suggest that advice given to or withheld from forum participants constitutes an exercise in digital governmentality. Overall, our findings contribute to conversations about the role digital spaces play in institutionalising gatekeeping practices intended to police intimacy, immigration and national belonging.

Something out of nothing

Written from within Lyrik Kabinett, Munich, holding the second-largest poetry library in Europe, this essay provides a practice-based perspective on how the concept of ›literature as social practice‹ can find articulation in an institutional setting. Starting with a brief overview of poetry libraries internationally, the contribution subsequently focuses in on the artist’s book and poetry holdings at Lyrik Kabinett, our user and audience engagement, and on the way we initiate contemporary poetic responses to poetic histories. The concept of social practice is thereby also given a diachronic perspective, yet one that is attentive to the significance of decanonisation as much as of canonisation.

Deep-Learning-Based Segmentation of Predefined Chunks in Connected Speech: A Retrospective Analysis

Background and Objectives In institutional settings, manually segmenting connected speech is a time-consuming and labor-intensive process. This study aims to develop a deep-learning model for automating this process, evaluating its accuracy, and determining the minimum dataset size for effective performance.Materials and Method Voice data from 524 individuals with pathological conditions and 502 individuals with normal conditions, totaling 1026 samples, were used. Each voice sample had 17 chunks, including a “summer” sentence (15 chunks) and vowels /α/ and /i/. The deep-learning model employed in this study is based on the multi-layer perceptron-mixer architecture. This study evaluated performance using the Intersection over Union (IoU) metric, commonly employed in artificial intelligence-based image detection for chunk segmentation.Results The accuracy of chunk identification at the frame level was 96.47%. Using IoU metrics, chunk segmentation accuracy was 98.15% at IoU ≥0.6, 96.03% at IoU ≥0.7, and 89.78% at IoU ≥0.8. Optimal dataset size exploration indicated that more than 700 connected speech datasets were needed for successful training, maintaining F1-scores up to 95% at IoU ≥0.7.Conclusion The artificial intelligence model is suitable for the development of an automated system that efficiently divides segments in the institutional collection of voice data. This suggests its potential utility in advancing voice research using connected speech.

Commentary on the adoption of a test-based versus syndromic-based approach to outbreak declaration and management in hospital and institutional settings.

At present, Ontario, like most other jurisdictions in Canada, uses a syndromic-based surveillance definition for acute respiratory infection (ARI) outbreaks in institutions and public hospitals. Confirmed outbreaks are defined as either two or more ARIs in 48 hours with any common epidemiological link and at least one that is laboratory-confirmed; or three cases of ARIs occurring within 48 hours with any common epidemiological link, and not necessarily with lab confirmation. However, with the adoption of broader test-based approaches for sick patients/residents throughout the pandemic, new challenges have surfaced regarding the declaration and management of ARI outbreaks with a variety of scenarios in respiratory testing results. Decisions, including the determination of epidemiological linkage when there are discordant/negative test results, have become more complicated with the addition of virus-specific test results for every sick individual. The ARI outbreak case definition and management guidance was updated in 2018. The purpose of this commentary is to highlight epidemiological trends in ARI outbreaks in Ontario over the 2022-2023 season compared to the 2018-2019 and 2019-2020 pre-pandemic seasons. This is followed by a discussion around some of the benefits and challenges of implementing a test-based versus syndromic-based approach to ARI outbreaks.

Racial Tolerance in Educational Environment: A Systematic Review

Understanding how racial tolerance develops is essential since it is commonly stated that tolerance is a required quality for the growth of both individuals and society. Tolerance, however, is multidimensional, multifaceted, multiaspect, and situational sensitive. Tolerance definitional issues are complicated, and tolerance measurement techniques in a given study frequently transcend definitional bounds. For these reasons, in order to gather information on racial tolerance in educational environment, this study undertakes a comprehensive literature analysis. In order to report systematic reviews and meta-analyses, the review adapted the Preferred Reporting Items of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement recommendations. A summary of thirty-three studies were conducted to investigate racial tolerance in educational environments. The results indicate that the institution, educators, classmates, instructional practices, and educational setting all seem to have an impact on the nature of the relationship between racial tolerance and educational environment.

Early-life experience and political leaders’ policy preference: Evidence from China’s Zhiqing officials

By exploiting both the unique institutional setting of the Chinese political system and the quasi-experimental features of a massive nationwide rural rustication movement in China during the 1960–1970s, this paper explores the relationship between leaders’ early-life experiences and their policy preferences. Based on a unique panel data set of 318 regional units from 2003 to 2012, we find that those units are associated with more generous rural welfare programs when governed by zhiqing leaders, who experienced rural rustication during their early adulthood. We further find that this association becomes stronger when leaders spent more time in rustication or rusticated in places that were much worse developmentally than their hometowns. These findings remain consistent after applying various robustness checks and accounting for possible selection biases. We interpret these findings as evidence showing that emotional attachment, cognitive sympathy, deservedness justification and self-efficacy accrued through shared life experiences during the sensitive years of adolescence could have lasting effects in configuring leaders’ late policy preferences when they come into power. Our findings lend support to the argument that a leader’s early-life experience provides useful information to predict this leader’s policy styles.

Does Institutional Setting Contribute to the Public Debt — Income Inequality Relationship in Developing Economies?

In the context of increasing globalization, income inequality is one severe problem in several countries because it widens the income gap between the rich and the poor, which leads to social instability. Narrowing this gap has become one of the main agendas in many developing countries to satisfy the millennium goals proposed by the United Nations. Meanwhile, government expenditure is one crucial fiscal instrument as it contributes significantly to running the economy and overcoming economic cyclicality. In particular, governance/institutional can positively adjust the public debt — income inequality relationship in developing economies. The purpose of the study to identify the impact of institutional quality, public debt and their interaction on income inequality on a balanced data panel of 34 developing economies for the period 2002–2020. For monitoring endogenous problems and serial autocorrelation in empirical equations, two-step and one-step system GMM (Generalized Method of Moments) assessments are used. The results from the study show that public debt and the quality of institutions increase income inequality, but their interaction narrows it. These results seem to be counter-intuitive. Besides, education enhances income inequality in these economies. The results of the study provide some policy recommendations for reducing the inequalities in society through public debt and the quality of institutions in developing economies. Accordingly, governments in developing economies should use spending financed by public debt to support low-income individuals through social transfers throughout economic development. Importantly, they should spend more on education and health to help the poor improve their skills and knowledge, narrowing the income difference between the rich and the poor. In particular, they should be prudent in controlling and managing public debt to avoid a public debt crisis and social instability.

Early career researchers in health policy and systems research: insights from freelancers in a non-profit organization in the Philippines

BackgroundThe freelance economy has seen rapid growth worldwide in recent years and the Philippines is not an exception. Freelance workers are becoming increasingly common in healthcare and research. Early career researchers carry out most of scientific research and can play a critical role in advancing public health by bringing new perspectives and diversity to the field. Existing literature has mostly focused on the experiences of early career researchers in an institutional academic setting. This study aimed to understand the experiences of freelance early career researchers in the health policy and systems space in the Philippines.MethodsThis qualitative study collected data from 18 to 22 March 2022 through virtual interview and focus group discussions. Themes and codes were created based on the topic guide developed. New themes and codes were generated as they emerged. Two researchers coded the data using both a priori and emergent codes. Any coding conflicts were resolved through discussions until intercoder agreement was reached. Interpretation and conclusions from the data were developed by 2 researchers with consideration for its context and relationship between themes.ResultsFifteen current and former freelance researchers participated in the study. Most are female, under 35 years old, and with an undergraduate degree as the highest educational attainment. The findings highlight insights and challenges faced by early career researchers in aspects of: (1) work arrangement, (2) tasks, (3) expectations from senior researchers, (4) development in the health policy and systems field, (5) relationship with peers, and (6) motivations for continuing to work as a freelance health policy and systems researcher.ConclusionThis study reveals the challenges freelance early career researchers face, highlighting the need for enhanced support and recognition amidst rapidly evolving workforce demands and complex health dilemmas. Recommendations include structured mentorship, professional development, innovative funding models, and the establishment of a supportive network. Advocacy for policies ensuring freelancer inclusion in the economy and policy-making is crucial. Future research should investigate their experiences further, including their roles, transitions, and the impacts of funding trends, to foster their development and integration into public health research and policy.

Analysing Determinants of Institutional Delivery in NFHS-5: A Comprehensive Study in India with a Focus on Caste Dynamics

The benefit of institutional delivery not only impacts maternal health but also reduces newborn mortality and increases overall well-being. This study focused on differences in the determinants of delivering at institution settings in India, with specific importance given to mothers within different caste groups. This is one area that was given less importance in the existing literature, particularly in studies that focused on the determinants of institutional delivery in India. Using data from the National Family Health Survey 5 (NFHS-5), the research explores factors influencing the choice between institutional and non-institutional delivery. Using logistic regression, and after removing influential and large residual observations (outliers), the analysis reveals that sociocultural determinants, including caste, religion, economic status and maternal education, significantly impact delivery preferences. Mothers from Scheduled Castes and Other Caste categories exhibit a higher likelihood of opting for institutional delivery. Economic factors, partner support, family size, maternal education, health-seeking behaviours, age, perceived distance to health facilities and media engagement also play crucial roles. Comparative analyses across caste groups emphasize the influence of wealth and education on institutional delivery choices. The findings underscore the need for having targeted interventions addressing diverse sociocultural contexts to improve maternal healthcare outcomes and reduce health disparities in India. Efforts should focus on awareness campaigns and overcoming challenges to promote the benefits of institutional delivery.

Person Reference and a Preference for Association in Emergency Calls

ABSTRACT Person reference is pervasive in talk. Conversation analytic work has identified preferences in person reference relating to recognitional reference. However, the principles shaping nonrecognitional reference are less well understood. We propose a preference for association in an institutional setting in which recognition is not relevant. Our data are calls to the New Zealand police emergency line that were institutionally classified as family harm. Using a collection methodology, we found that nonrecognitional person reference typically takes the form my x which directly associates speaker and referent, for example, “my partner,” “my ex-partner,” “my dad.” Initial references that suggest no association (e.g. “someone” or “an abusive guy”) were subsequently revised by callers using self-repair or targeted by call takers through questions that seek clarification about association. The shifts from nonassociative to associative references demonstrate participants’ orientations to the relevance of association and are evidence of a preference for association in the setting under examination. Data are in English.

Pension security in Ukraine: current trends and directions of development

The article aims to substantiate the directions for reforming and developing the pension system in Ukraine. To achieve the goal, the following research methods were used: methods of analysis and synthesis; abstract logical method; methods of theoretical generalization − formulating definitions of the concepts "pension security", "accumulated pension", etc.; systemic approach − changes and problems in the indicators of the pension system and the development of measures to solve them. As a result of the research, the concept of pension security and the pension system as a process of securement financial support in the form of pensions to a specific category of unemployed citizens, which is aimed at reducing the level of poverty due to its positive impact on such social risks as old age, disability and loss of working capacity, is defined as a set of legal, organizational, financial and economic institutions and norms, as well as professional organizational structures aimed at reducing the level of poverty by positively influencing such social risks as disability and loss of working capacity. The main problems of the pension system of Ukraine at the current stage are substantiated, namely the rapid deterioration of the ratio between the working age and the retirement age due to the drop in the birth rate and the increase in emigration, a permanent deficit of pension funds due to budget imbalance; low level of pensions; underdevelopment of non-state pension security; decrease in the number of payers due to economic instability, military events and other factors; significant lack of public awareness of pension provision; lack of trust in state financial programs and reforms. The main direction of the reform of the pension system has been determined − the introduction of non-state pension security, based on the principles of voluntary choice of the type of pension security and the creation of conditions for non-state pension security at the legislative level, as well as taking into account the risks associated with non-state pension security, such as the risk of investment losses, the instability of the financial market and the possibility of abuse by pension funds. Additional areas of pension development have been identified: increasing the efficiency of the system of tax collection and control over their payment to ensure stable financing of the Pension Fund; support for programs and initiatives aimed at increasing financial literacy among the population, which will contribute to more effective management of personal finances and retirement planning; introducing mechanisms to encourage additional voluntary contributions to the pension fund, such as tax benefits or special support programs for those who actively plan their financial future; development of social programs and services for pensioners aimed at improving their quality of life, access to medical care, cultural and educational events; strengthening mechanisms for controlling the Pension Fund's expenses and effective use of its resources to meet the needs of pensioners as much as possible; open and transparent control over the activities of pension funds and the functioning of the pension system. The scientific novelty of the study consists in substantiating the set of measures for the development and reform of the pension system of Ukraine, which involves the development of non-state pension schemes. The practical significance of the work is that the research results can be used at the level of individual organizations and industries and at the level of individual regions of Ukraine. Prospects for further research are the substantiation of the toolkit for the practical implementation of non-state pension funds. Keywords: pension security, accumulative pension security, pension system, non-state pension security, corporate pension fund

Reported Unmet Hearing Aid Need in Older People With Dementia: The US National Core Indicators Survey

ObjectivesHearing aids have important health benefits for older adults with Alzheimer disease and related dementias (ADRD); however, hearing aid adoption in this group is low. This study aimed to determine where to target hearing aid interventions for American long-term care recipients with ADRD by examining the association of ADRD and residence type with respondent-reported unmet hearing aid need. Design, Setting, and ParticipantsThis cross-sectional study used data from the United States National Core Indicators–Aging and Disabilities survey (2015-2019) for long-term care recipients aged ≥65 years. MethodsWe used multivariable logistic regression to model the likelihood of reporting unmet hearing aid need conditional on ADRD status and residence type (own/family house or apartment, residential care, or nursing facility/home), adjusting for sociodemographic factors and response type (self vs proxy). ResultsOf the 25,492 respondents [median (IQR) age, 77 (71, 84) years; 7074 (27.8%) male], 5442 (21.4%) had ADRD and 3659 (14.4%) owned hearing aids. Residence types were 17,004 (66.8%) own/family house or apartment, 4966 (19.5%) residential care, and 3522 (13.8%) nursing home. Among non–hearing aid owners, ADRD [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 0.90, 95% CI 0.80-1.0] and residence type were associated with respondent-reported unmet hearing aid need. Compared to the nursing home reference group, respondents in their own/family home (AOR 1.85, 95% CI 1.61-2.13) and residential care (AOR 1.30, 95% CI 1.10-1.53) were more likely to report unmet hearing aid need. This pattern was significantly more pronounced in people with ADRD than in those without, stemming from an interaction between ADRD and residence type. Conclusions and ImplicationsAmerican long-term care recipients with ADRD living in their own/family home are more likely to report unmet hearing aid need than those with ADRD in institutional and congregate settings. This information can inform the design and delivery of hearing interventions for older adults with ADRD.

Unsettled hearing, responsible listening. Encounters with voice after forced migration

Abstract In line with increasing forced migrations around the globe, there is also a growing need for ethical encounters between researchers and those forcefully displaced. This article focuses on responsible Listening, defined as the ethically motivated effort of researchers to conduct communication at eye level. However, findings have shown that listeners (e.g., researchers in institution or study settings) may already feel unsettled on the far more basic level of hearing a human voice, if certain implicit (e.g., aesthetic) expectations are not met. This makes encounters particularly vulnerable after forced migration where voices tend to be easily silenced. I will show by means of an empirical example what hearing a voice in its materiality, i.e. intonation, rhythm, accentuation etc., can set off, and how a privileged space of Listening to the Other can emerge.

Advocacy coalitions or pragmatic coupling of streams? Explaining policy change in Mexico: The tax reforms of Vicente Fox and Enrique Peña (2001 and 2013)

AbstractWhen the former hegemonic PRI won the 2012 election after 12 years of rule by PAN, the President shared with his predecessors a similar institutional setting and divided government. And yet, the PRI managed to pass all items of an extensive 2013 tax reform. If the setting was the same, why did PRI succeed when PAN had only limited success? Why was the 2013 tax reform progressive if PAN and PRI were ideologically proximate? Current explanations that characterize PAN's 2001 tax reforms as a failure because of an unsuccessful change to the Value‐Added Tax Law can accommodate neither the puzzling 2013 extensive tax overhaul nor the changes to the Income Tax Law that were indeed approved in 2001. To navigate these puzzles, I contrast the elements of both proposals and rely on two public policy theoretical frameworks literature, the Advocacy Coalitions and Multiple Streams frameworks to find that, despite representing political compromise over a shared agenda, the outcomes in 2001 and 2013 had less to do with commitment to a core of mutual beliefs and more with policy entrepreneurs of PRI and PRD taking a gamble on a window of opportunity.

Institutional ownership and women representation on boards in three different institutional settings

AbstractThis study aims to investigate the moderating effect of country level institutional variables on the relationship between institutional ownership and board gender diversity. Using firm and country level data of three different cultural environments (Gulf Cooperation Council countries, UK, and France) for the years 2018–2019, this study concludes that institutional elements related to women (Women Tertiary education levels; legal support, Economic Participation and culture) create isomorphic pressure on firms that enhance the role of institutional owners in increasing women representation on board of directors. Other governance elements, such as ownership concentration, board independence and board size may indicate governance levels better than board gender diversity in certain institutional environments. The study recommended that board gender diversity should not be a priority for investors and portfolio managers in financial markets where reduced female labor market participation exists. Moreover, quotas may be a good tool for enhancing female representation among boards in contexts that have reduced female labor market participation and high levels of tertiary education attainment to maintain corporate sustainability.

Language as a means of expression rather than purpose: Chinese postgraduate students’ translingual ideologies in English academic writing

ABSTRACT This study employs a mixed-methods design to explore the attitudes and expressed beliefs of Chinese postgraduate students regarding the strategic use of their entire range of languages in English academic writing (EAW). The survey findings suggest that while students generally accept the idea of mixing languages during the writing process, they have reservations about incorporating such practices into their written products. Qualitative analysis expands the quantitative dataset by elucidating the diverse stances of students—be they resistant, pragmatic, or transformative—towards translingual practices in EAW within institutional settings. The results indicate the coexistence of hegemonic ideologies that promote English dominance and counterhegemonic ideologies that advocate the reclamation of indigenous linguistic and cultural practices. Morever, students' nuanced and complex translingual orientations are both reflective and transgressive of the established monolingual norms. The article concludes by proposing implications for integrating translingual writing to reject deficit language ideologies and amplify multilingual voices in non-Anglophone higher education contexts.

Labour market gender gaps and childcare policies in countries with different social investment strategies

AbstractWe study the role of formal and informal childcare within the ECEC policies for gender employment and pay gaps, considering the life course stages distinctive for childcare tasks. The ECEC policies are framed within the types of social investment strategies identified in the EU countries to picture developments in social investments after 2005. The aggregated EU‐SILC data from 2005 to 2019 for 27 European countries have been used in the panel regression models to uncover how the caring arrangements influence labour market gendered outcomes of women at different ages (15–24, 25–49, 50–65). We find that better provision and use of early education and childcare not only contribute to early investment in human capital but it also facilitates mothers' employment and thus contributes to lowering gender employment and pay gaps. However, better coverage of care for children older than 3 years old results in negative employment effects for grandmothers. These effects vary also across countries, depending on their overall institutional setting depicted by the types of social investment strategies distinguished. Consequently, the ECEC agenda should be extended by addressing the employment of women at the pre‐retirement age. It is crucial not only for reducing gender gap in employment and pay but also in the light of challenges generated by demographic developments—the labour force shrinking and the population ageing processes.