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Related Policies (relate + policy)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Medical Sciences	33%
Humanities and Social Sciences	33%

Selected Abstracts

International Trade Theory and Policy: What is Left of the Free Trade Paradigm?

DEVELOPMENT AND CHANGE, Issue 6 2005
Sunanda Sen
Free trade doctrines have been questioned from the angle of their logical validity as well as relevance. Their replacement by New Trade Theories has been matched by important policy moves on strategic trade and industrial policy in advanced countries. These are defended by the advanced nations, both at inter-governmental levels and in multilateral institutions, largely in the interest of big capital in industry and finance. However, the theoretically discarded principles of free trade are still in use to push trade liberalization in developing countries. An uneven power relation between the rich and poor nations of the world has generated this asymmetric combination of policies in the world economy. Neglect of the macroeconomic issues relating to the national as well as the world economy has led these theories and the related policies to ignore the concerns for growth as well as development. [source]

Variation in Food Purchases: A Study of Inter-Ethnic and Intra-Ethnic Group Patterns Involving the Hispanic Community

FAMILY & CONSUMER SCIENCES RESEARCH JOURNAL, Issue 4 2001
Geoffrey D. Paulin
The Hispanic community in the United States is growing rapidly. Understanding food expenditure patterns for this group is of increasing importance. Yet, as implied by the term Hispanic community, most literature treats Hispanics as one group rather than as a collection of diverse cultures with some common linguistic and other characteristics. This article uses data from the 1995 and 1996 U.S. Consumer Expenditure Diary Surveys to examine food expenditure patterns for Hispanics as a group compared to non-Hispanics and for subgroups within the Hispanic community (i.e., families of Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Central and South American, or other Spanish origin). The data show not only that Hispanics in general have different food expenditure patterns than non-Hispanics, but also, and perhaps more important, that the subgroups within the Hispanic community are not homogeneous in their food expenditure patterns. Researchers should recognize the diversity in the Hispanic population when considering goals for nutritional and related policies. [source]

Do Medicaid Wage Pass-through Payments Increase Nursing Home Staffing?

HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH, Issue 3 2010
Zhanlian Feng
Objective. To assess the impact of state Medicaid wage pass-through policy on direct-care staffing levels in U.S. nursing homes. Data Sources. Online Survey Certification and Reporting (OSCAR) data, and state Medicaid nursing home reimbursement policies over the period 1996,2004. Study Design. A fixed-effects panel model with two-step feasible-generalized least squares estimates is used to examine the effect of pass-through adoption on direct-care staff hours per resident day (HPRD) in nursing homes. Data Collection/Extraction Methods. A panel data file tracking annual OSCAR surveys per facility over the study period is linked with annual information on state Medicaid wage pass-through and related policies. Principal Findings. Among the states introducing wage pass-through over the study period, the policy is associated with between 3.0 and 4.0 percent net increases in certified nurse aide (CNA) HPRD in the years following adoption. No discernable pass-through effect is observed on either registered nurse or licensed practical nurse HPRD. Conclusions. State Medicaid wage pass-through programs offer a potentially effective policy tool to boost direct-care CNA staffing in nursing homes, at least in the short term. [source]

Home Health Care Agency Staffing Patterns Before and After the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, by Rural and Urban Location

THE JOURNAL OF RURAL HEALTH, Issue 1 2008
William J. McAuley PhD
ABSTRACT:,Context:The Balanced Budget Act (BBA) of 1997 and other recent policies have led to reduced Medicare funding for home health agencies (HHAs) and visits per beneficiary. Purpose: We examine the staffing characteristics of stable Medicare-certified HHAs across rural and urban counties from 1996 to 2002, a period encompassing the changes associated with the BBA and related policies. Methods: Data were drawn from Medicare Provider of Service files and the Area Resource File. The unit of analysis was the 3,126 counties in the United States, grouped into 5 categories: metropolitan, nonmetropolitan adjacent, and 3 nonmetropolitan nonadjacent groups identified by largest town size. Only relatively stable HHAs were included. We generated summary HHA staff statistics for each county group and year. Findings: All staff categories, other than therapists, declined from 1997 to 2002 across the metropolitan and nonmetropolitan county groupings. There were substantial population-adjusted decreases in stable HHA-based home health aides in all counties, including remote counties. Conclusions: The limited presence of stable HHA staff in certain nonmetropolitan county types has been exacerbated since implementation of the BBA, especially in the most rural counties. The loss of aides in more rural counties may limit the availability of home-based long-term care in these locations, where the need for long-term care is considerable. Future research should examine the degree to which the presence of HHA staff influences actual access and whether other paid and unpaid sources of care substitute for Medicare home health care in counties with limited supplies of HHA staff. [source]

Legislating Against Climate Change: A UK Perspective on a Sisyphean Challenge

THE MODERN LAW REVIEW, Issue 3 2009
Article first published online: 1 MAY 200, Mark Stallworthy
The UK's Climate Change Act offers a framework for civil society to achieve ,low carbon' realignment through to 2050. The Act is reviewed for its coherence as a mechanism for directing future policy. The legislation establishes a carbon budgetary process, mandates greenhouse gas reduction targets and strategies, and imposes a novel range of duties supported by processes for ensuring transparency concerning progress. Following an overview of climate change risks and likely economic consequences, the analysis identifies selected regulatory strategies. It explores the main statutory features, with an emphasis upon the implications of imposing mandatory duties on decision makers. An evaluation of the key policy choice of emissions trading is informed by perspectives of environmental justice, in particular as to questions of equitable burden-sharing in relation to impacts of climate change and related policies. A concluding section summarises reasonable expectations and ongoing challenges. [source]

Multiple Discourses on Crisis: Farm, Agricultural, and Rural Policy Implications

CANADIAN JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS, Issue 4 2007
Kenneth C. Bessant
The terms farm crisis, agricultural crisis, and rural crisis have been invoked in political and policy discourse to characterize significant disruptions in or threats to rural,farm livelihoods. Although these expressions reflect a general sense of concern over the state of agriculture and rural existence, they lack clear and concise meaning. Academic research and policy development are obfuscated by the lack of definitional consensus or, at minimum, some shared understanding of the core aspects of farm-related crisis. Much of the debate revolves around four main themes: farm financial difficulties (low or unstable incomes, indebtedness, and increasing reliance on nonfarm revenue), structural changes in agriculture (increasing scale, concentration, and consolidation), rural livelihoods (dwindling communities, institutions, and services), and international dimensions (market fluctuations, trade regulations, and disputes). The examination of these interrelated levels of analysis offers a valuable framework for interpreting the multifold contexts, meanings, and responses to crisis. This paper explores varied representations of farm,agricultural crisis, with particular emphasis on the presumed causes (or precipitating factors), conditions, and related policies and programs. Les expressions , crise agricole , et , crise rurale , sont évoquées dans le discours politique pour caractériser des perturbations ou des menaces importantes aux moyens de subsistance en milieu rural et agricole. Bien que ces expressions traduisent certaines inquiétudes concernant la situation des secteurs agricole et rural, leur signification manque de clarté et de concision. Les chercheurs universitaires et les élaborateurs de politiques sont déconcertés par le manque de consensus définitionnel ou, du moins, par le manque de vision commune des aspects fondamentaux de la crise agricole. Une grande partie du débat tourne autour de quatre thèmes principaux: les difficultés financières de l'exploitation agricole (revenu faible ou instable, endettement et dépendance accrue aux revenus non agricoles); les changements structurels dans le secteur agricole (augmentation de l'échelle de production, concentration et regroupement); les moyens de subsistance en milieu rural (diminution du nombre de collectivités, d'institutions et de services); les dimensions internationales (fluctuations du marché, règlements concernant les échanges commerciaux, différends). L'examen de ces niveaux d'analyse interreliés offre un outil précieux pour interpréter les multiples contextes, significations et réactions aux crises. Le présent article analyse les diverses représentations de la crise dans le secteur agricole et se penche particulièrement sur les causes présumées (ou facteurs déclenchants), les conditions ainsi que les politiques et programmes connexes. [source]