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International Debate (international + debate)
Selected AbstractsNational Qualification Frameworks: from policy borrowing to policy learningEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF EDUCATION, Issue 2 2010BORHENE CHAKROUN This article takes up the issue of the internationalisation of Vocational Education and Training (VET) reforms, expressed in the way policy instruments such as National Qualifications Frameworks (NQF) are introduced in the European Training Foundation's (ETF) partner countries. There is an international debate and different perspectives regarding NQFs. These perspectives have largely talked past each other. The article brings together these perspectives and highlights the issues at stake in this field. Through the analysis of ETF interventions in different regions, the article makes a case for new approaches of intervention, namely policy learning, that aim at enabling national stakeholders and that are conducive for home-grown VET policies. The discussion is broad in scope, not only because the article reviews developments in qualifications frameworks across-regions, but also because it highlights the complex interaction of the global and local development when introducing NQFs and the impact of such reforms on VET systems. [source] The Case for Cameral AccountingFINANCIAL ACCOUNTABILITY & MANAGEMENT, Issue 1 2002Norvald Monsen Cameral accounting was developed as early as the 16th century onwards in order to contribute to increased control of public money. Such a control demand does not seem to be of minor importance at the threshold of a new millennium as it was several centuries ago, and therefore Ludwig Mülhaupt in the excerpt above states that ,Unfortunately there are very few researchers and practitioners who are interested in developing the cameral bookkeeping method, which is strongly to be regretted with a view to the importance of these questions.' Most of the literature dealing with cameral accounting is published in German, and it seems to be known only to a small extent beyond the German speaking countries. The purpose of this article is therefore to present this historically important accounting model to a larger audience, allowing us to draw upon the experiences of cameral accounting in our continuous attempts to control public money, including the current international debate about the introduction of commercial (accrual) accounting in the public sector. [source] State of the art: Juvenile idiopathic arthritisINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RHEUMATIC DISEASES, Issue 1 2002Prudence J. Manners Abstract Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is the most common of the autoimmune musculoskeletal conditions in children. As awareness of this condition increases, so too does the apparent prevalence reported from countries around the world, suggesting that significant numbers of children with JIA have previously gone undiagnosed. Prevalence varies with race and possibly geography. However, JIA should no longer be considered as a rare condition. In the past decade, there have been definite advances in understanding the pathogenesis of JIA, and there have been parallel advances in therapies. There have been fairly modest advances in the classification of JIA, but there is at least heightened international debate on the issue, which will lead to progress. It is estimated that nearly one-third of children with this condition continue into adult life with inflammatory joint disease, and therefore the burden of disease remains significant. [source] The recalibration of the Danish old-age pension systemINTERNATIONAL SOCIAL SECURITY REVIEW, Issue 2 2003Niels Ploug Pension reform in Denmark in the 1990s is of general interest owing to the development of a system of funded, defined contribution pension schemes based on collective agreement between the parties in the labour market. The resulting pension system seems to hold some answers to the critique of funded pension schemes. This paper analyses the process which led to the 1991 pension reform and relates the discussions and solutions found in Denmark to the international debate on pension reform. [source] Simulation assessments of statistical aspects of bioequivalence in the pharmaceutical industryPHARMACEUTICAL STATISTICS: THE JOURNAL OF APPLIED STATISTICS IN THE PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY, Issue 1 2004Scott D. Patterson Abstract An Erratum has been published for this article in Pharmaceutical Statistics 2004; 3(3): 232 Since the early 1990s, average bioequivalence (ABE) has served as the international standard for demonstrating that two formulations of drug product will provide the same therapeutic benefit and safety profile. Population (PBE) and individual (IBE) bioequivalence have been the subject of intense international debate since methods for their assessment were proposed in the late 1980s. Guidance has been proposed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the implementation of these techniques in the pioneer and generic pharmaceutical industries. Hitherto no consensus among regulators, academia and industry has been established on the use of the IBE and PBE metrics. The need for more stringent bioequivalence criteria has not been demonstrated, and it is known that the PBE and IBE criteria proposed by the FDA are actually less stringent under certain conditions. The statistical properties of method of moments and restricted maximum likelihood modelling in replicate designs will be summarized, and the application of these techniques in the assessment of ABE, IBE and PBE will be considered based on a database of 51 replicate design studies and using simulation. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] The International Normalized Ratio (INR) in the MELD Score: Problems and SolutionsAMERICAN JOURNAL OF TRANSPLANTATION, Issue 6 2010R. J. Porte The Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score is widely used to prioritize patients for liver transplantation. One of the pitfalls of the MELD score is the interlaboratory variability in all three components of the score (INR, bilirubin, creatinine). The interlaboratory variability in the INR has the largest impact on the MELD score, with a mean difference of around 5 MELD points in most studies. During the 3rd conference on Coagulopathy and Liver disease, a multidisciplinary group of scientists and physicians discussed possible solutions for the INR problem in the MELD score with the intention to provide a constructive contribution to the international debate on this issue. Here we will discuss possible solutions and highlight advantages and disadvantages. [source] Sustainability report in small enterprises: case studies in Italian furniture companiesBUSINESS STRATEGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT, Issue 3 2009Francesca Borga Abstract The recent evolution of the economic and social context has led enterprises to consider and assess corporate environmental and social impacts integrated with the traditionally measured economic and operating performances. ,,From this point of view, the international debate on the advantages given by the firms' adoption of socially responsible behaviour has been developed; the increasing consciousness of the social character in enterprises' activities has enlarged the interest in communication. For this reason, several different standards have been developed in order to transmit, to the stakeholders, data, information and approaches about environmental, social and sustainability topics related to the firm's activities. In this dynamic context, the features of SMEs require specific guidelines, which address the contents of an SME-oriented sustainability report. ,,In this perspective the aim is to design guidelines able to meet with these SMEs' requirements; seven case studies, on Italian furniture small enterprises, complete the study. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [source] Reassessing the Cardiovascular Risks and Benefits of ThiazolidinedionesCLINICAL CARDIOLOGY, Issue 9 2008Andrew Zinn MD Abstract This article is designed for the general cardiologist, endocrinologist, and internist caring for patients with diabetes and coronary artery disease. Despite the burden of coronary disease in diabetics, little is known about the impact of commonly used oral hypoglycemic agents on cardiovascular outcomes. As the untoward effects of insulin resistance (IR) are increasingly recognized, there is interest in targeting this defect. Insulin resistance contributes to dyslipidemia, hypertension, inflammation, hypercoagulability, and endothelial dysfunction. The aggregate impact of this process is progression of systemic atherosclerosis and an increased risk of adverse cardiovascular outcomes. As such, much attention has been paid to the peroxisome-proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARg) agonists rosiglitazone and pioglitazone (thiazolidinediones [TZDs]). Many studies have demonstrated a beneficial effect on the atherosclerotic process; specifically, these agents have been shown to reduce markers of inflammation, retard progression of carotid intimal thickness, prevent restenosis after coronary stenting, and prevent cardiovascular death and myocardial infarction in 1 large trial. Such benefits come at the risk of fluid retention and heart failure (HF) exacerbation, and the net effect on plasma lipids is still poorly understood. Thus, the aggregate risk-benefit ratio is poorly defined. A recent meta-analysis has raised significant concerns regarding the overall cardiovascular safety of 1 particular PPARg agonist (rosiglitazone), prompting international debate and regulatory changes. This review scrutinizes the clinical evidence regarding the cardiovascular risks and benefits of PPARg agonists. Future studies of PPARg agonists, and other emerging drugs that treat IR and diabetes, must be designed to look at cardiovascular outcomes. Copyright © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] The evolution of Chinese policies and governance structures on environment, energy and climateENVIRONMENTAL POLICY AND GOVERNANCE, Issue 3 2010Stephen Tsang Abstract Although a successor to the 1997 Kyoto Protocol has not yet materialized, the 2009 Copenhagen meeting underlined the importance of China in international debates on climate and energy. This is based not only on China's current climate emissions, but also on its expected energy use and economic growth. Within China, climate issues have, like environmental pollution more generally, received increasing government and societal attention, but so has energy , topics that relate to one other but also have different priorities and actor interests behind them. However, while climate change has become more prominent, as shown in the targets included in the current five-year plan, its institutional embeddedness in relation to particularly energy issues has received limited attention. This paper aims to help shed some light on how Chinese policies and governance structures on energy, climate and environment have evolved, particularly considering the roles of national and provincial authorities. Administrative structures and policy-making processes turn out to be very complex, with a range of units and bodies at different levels with distinct responsibilities as well as inter-linkages. Moreover, tensions and conflicts can be found regarding climate change and environmental policies on the one hand, and prevailing objectives to further economic development on the other. Energy policies serve the same economic goals, with climate change being most often operationalized in terms of energy conservation. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [source] | |||||||||||||