scholarly journals Welfare State Spending, Income Inequality and Food Insecurity in Affluent Nations: A Cross-National Examination of OECD Countries

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 324
Author(s):  
Md Belal Hossain ◽  
Michael A. Long ◽  
Paul B. Stretesky

Few studies examine the distribution of food insecurity in advanced capitalist nations. This research investigates cross-national food insecurity in the world’s largest economies by estimating the impact of welfare spending and income inequality on food availability (measured by the FAO’s Dietary Energy and Protein Supply indicators) and food accessibility (measured by the Food Insecurity Experience Scale) in 36 Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries between the years of 2000 and 2018. Using a series of regression models on panel and cross-sectional data this research found that increases in state spending on social and health care are associated with (1) increases in food availability and (2) increases in food access. However, the findings also suggest that increases in food supplies do not produce more food security. Thus, for the OECD countries in this analysis, food availability is unrelated to food accessibility. We conclude by suggesting that high income countries that seek to promote global health should not only focus their efforts on poverty reduction polices that increase food accessibility within their own boarders, but must simultaneously ensure a more equitable global distribution of food.

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Perla Werner ◽  
Sarang Kim

Background: Despite the increasing amount of research on dementia stigma, there is a dearth of cross-national studies conducted on this subject. This is surprising since the experience of stigma is closely associated to socio-cultural aspects. Objective: The present study intended to expand knowledge about the impact of culture on dementia stigma by comparing the level and correlates of stigmatic beliefs about dementia among the general public in Israel and Australia. Methods: A cross-sectional study using an online survey was conducted with two age-matched samples: 447 adults in Israel and 290 adults in Australia. Results: Overall, dementia stigma was moderate in both countries. However, the level of dementia stigma was significantly higher in Australia than in Israel. Lower levels of subjective knowledge and higher levels of ageism were associated with increased levels of stigmatic beliefs in both countries. Gender was a significant correlate of dementia stigma, with male participants reporting higher levels of public stigma than women, although this gender difference was mainly driven by the Australian sample. Conclusion: Our findings indicate that providing knowledge and decreasing ageist attitudes should be key considerations in dementia awareness and stigma reduction campaigns despite the cultural context. In addition, developing gender-specific messages should be considered as a way of improving the effects of such campaigns.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (16) ◽  
pp. 8753
Author(s):  
Maha Hoteit ◽  
Youssef Al-Atat ◽  
Hussein Joumaa ◽  
Suheir El Ghali ◽  
Rania Mansour ◽  
...  

This study aims to explore the prevalence and correlates of food insecurity among Lebanese households since the ordeals of COVID-19, economic crisis, and Beirut port explosions. At the core of the study, a mobile application entitled Nutrition Assessment System (NAS) that simplified the data collection was used as toolkit and a technical test was carried out in all Lebanese governorates between November 2020 and March 2021. Findings show that food insecurity is an immediate problem for households in Beirut and in many governorates in Lebanon. Nine in every 16 households ate less than 2 meals per day and more than 70% of them skipped their meals to spare food. Even though half the population studied had a low food consumption score, 82.4% of the people were not relying on livelihood coping strategies. However, more than three out of ten of these households relied on at least three food-based coping strategies. In addition, as for the livelihoods, this assessment found that most Lebanese households reported a drop in income along with an expansion in debt incurrence in the last 24 months to be able to buy food. Improving food security in Lebanon requires effort not only on the part of the government, but through regional and international actions.


2021 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 7-25
Author(s):  
Kunofiwa Tsaurai

The study investigates the effect of mining on both poverty and income inequality in Central and Eastern European countries (CEECs) using econometric estimation methods with panel data spanning from 2009 to 2019. Another objective of this paper was to determine if the complementarity between mining and infrastructural development reduced poverty and or income inequality in CEECs. What triggered the study is the failure of the existing literature to have a common ground regarding the impact of mining on poverty and or income inequality. The existing literature on the subject matter is contradictory, mixed, and divergent; hence, it paves the way for further empirical tests. The study confirmed that the vicious cycle of poverty is relevant in CEECs. According to the dynamic generalized methods of moments (GMM), mining had a significant poverty reduction influence in CEECs. The dynamic GMM and random effects revealed that the complementarity between mining and infrastructural development also enhanced poverty reduction in CEECs. Random effects and pooled OLS shows that mining significantly reduced income inequality in CEECs. However, random effects and the dynamic GMM results indicate that income inequality was significantly reduced by the complementarity between mining and infrastructural development. The authorities in CEECs are therefore urged to implement mining growth and infrastructural development-oriented policies in order to successfully fight off the twin challenges of poverty and income inequality.


2020 ◽  
Vol 62 (1) ◽  
pp. 73-96
Author(s):  
Agustina Giraudy ◽  
Jonathan Hartlyn ◽  
Claire Dunn ◽  
Emily Carty

ABSTRACTNeopatrimonial exercise of power, combining ruler appropriation of resources with ruler discretionality in the use of state power, remains present to varying degrees in contemporary Latin America. Building on an extensive literature, this article provides a delimited conceptualization and measurement of neopatrimonialism for 18 countries in the region and examines the effects of neopatrimonial legacies on poverty with cross-national quantitative analysis. The study finds that higher levels of neopatrimonialism have a significant, substantive impact on poverty levels, controlling for other relevant demographic, socioeconomic, and political factors. It confirms the importance of a cumulative record of democracy for poverty alleviation, while the analysis indicates that neopatrimonialism limits the effects of the political left in power on poverty reduction.


2019 ◽  
Vol 22 (11) ◽  
pp. 2110-2119 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ramya Ambikapathi ◽  
Nilupa S Gunaratna ◽  
Isabel Madzorera ◽  
Simone Passarelli ◽  
Chelsey R Canavan ◽  
...  

AbstractObjectiveIn Ethiopia, women’s dietary diversity is low, primarily due to poor food availability and access, both at home and market level. The present study aimed to describe market access using a new definition called market food diversity (MFD) and estimate the impact of MFD, crop and livestock diversity on dietary diversity among women enrolled in the Agriculture to Nutrition (ATONU) trial.DesignBaseline cross-sectional data collected from November 2016 to January 2017 were used for the analysis. Availability of foods in markets was assessed at the village level and categorized into nine food groups similar to the dietary diversity index for women. Bivariate and multivariate mixed-effects regression analyses were conducted, adjusted for clustering at the village level.SettingChicken-producing farmers in rural Ethiopia.ParticipantsWomen (n 2117) aged 15–49 years.ResultsOverall, less than 6 % of women met the minimum dietary diversity (≥5 food groups) and the most commonly consumed food groups were staples and legumes. Median MFD was 4 food groups (interquartile range: 2–8). Multivariate models indicated that women’s dietary diversity differed by livestock diversity, food crop diversity and agroecology, with significant interaction effects between agroecology and MFD.ConclusionsWomen’s dietary diversity is poor in Ethiopia. Local markets are variable in food availability across seasons and agroecological zones. The MFD indicator captures this variability, and women who have access to higher MFD in the highland agroecological zone have better dietary diversity. Thus, MFD has the potential to mitigate the effects of environment on women’s dietary diversity.


Author(s):  
Chris Brewster ◽  
Paul N. Gooderham ◽  
Wolfgang Mayrhofer

Purpose – The dominant focus of HRM research has been that of “strategic HRM”, that is a focus on the impact of HRM on firm performance. The authors argue that not only are the cumulative results of this “dominant research orthodoxy” disappointing in terms of their external validity, but also they are of limited practical value. Further, it has failed not only in terms of its narrow firm performance-oriented agenda, but also the tenets of its agenda have contributed to serious levels of employee dissatisfaction and to the failure to deal with pressing global issues. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – In order to assess the contribution of the dominant research orthodoxy the authors analyse the 16 most cited journal articles in the field of HRM. Findings – The authors find a predominance of US-centric studies and therefore a questionable cross-national generalizability of the dominant research orthodoxy. The use of cross-sectional data means that long-term effects cannot be gauged. The authors observe a lack of consensus on how to operationalize HRM and firm performance. National context is generally absent. Practical implications – The authors show that for HRM to realize its potential for governments, media, or philanthropic agencies, HRM must abandon its restricted scope and mono-dimensional sources of inspiration. Originality/value – The authors not only point to the shortcomings of the dominant research orthodoxy within HRM, but the authors point to how HRM could become significantly more “centre-staged” by addressing the actors searching for contributions to the big questions of the world – the governments, media, and philanthropic agencies.


2011 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Carina Schmitt ◽  
Herbert Obinger

This paper examines the impact of constitutional barriers on the privatization of public utilities in 21 OECD-countries between 1980 and 2008. We present new and improved indicators for privatization and constitutional barriers. Three empirical findings stand out: first, national privatization trajectories differ across both countries and sectors. Second, there is a significant cross-national variation in terms of constitutional provisions related to public utilities which, thirdly, constitute important impediments to privatization.


2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. 455-455
Author(s):  
Amelia Sullivan ◽  
Leigh Neptune ◽  
Kayla Parsons ◽  
Ashley Reynolds ◽  
Carol Byrd-Bredbenner ◽  
...  

Abstract Objectives The objective was to examine the relationship between grit and health outcomes in college undergraduate students. Methods A cross-sectional convenience sample of college undergraduate students completed an online survey assessing Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQOL), the National Cancer Institute Fruit and Vegetable Screener, and the 2-item Hager Food Insecurity Screener. Grit was assessed by generating a mean score using the 8-item short grit scale. Independent t-tests were used to compare health outcomes between students who reported above/below the average grit score of the sample. Chi-square tests were used to examine group differences between grit level and prevalence of food insecurity. Results Participants (N = 655) were 19.8 ± 1.5 years old, mostly female (63%), and white (84%). The average grit score was 3.27 ± 0.54 out of 5. Results indicated that students who were grittier than average (n = 372) reported fewer days/months (d/m) with poor mental health (8.1 ± 8.5 vs. 11.6 ± 9.6, P < 0.001), fewer d/m feeling sad/depressed (6.2 ± 7.7 vs. 9.9 ± 9.3, P < 0.001), more d/m with restful sleep (12.9 ± 9.8 vs. 10.3 ± 8.6, P < 0.001), more d/m feeling very healthy and full of energy (12.6 ± 8.8 vs. 8.4 ± 7.5, P < 0.001), and ate more servings of fruits and vegetables per day (2.4 ± 1.3 vs. 2.1 ± 1.32, P < 0.01). Grittier participants were also less likely to report being food insecure (16.0%) vs. less grittier participants (23.3%), P < 0.05. Conclusions This data indicates that students who were grittier than average reported better HRQOL, consumed a more healthful diet, and were more likely to be food secure. This provides justification for future research to explore grit as a mediating factor that may contribute to better health outcomes, especially in populations particularly susceptible to experiencing poor HRQOL and food insecurity. Funding Sources This project was supported by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Hatch project number #ME0022104 through the Maine Agricultural & Forest Experiment Station. NJ Agriculture Experiment Station.


Author(s):  
Neşe Algan ◽  
Erhan İşcan ◽  
Duygu Serin Oktay

Ensuring a fair income distribution to increase social welfare is one of the main objectives of economic policies. With the acceleration of innovations in information and communication technology in the 20th century, the developments in technology have been characterized as the main reason for growth, welfare and productivity growth. However, rapid technological developments have revealed that significant changes in the dynamics of income inequalities occur at the same time. The growth in income inequality has increased significantly in many countries recently. Accordingly, the notion that the spread of technology has led to growth in income inequality has attracted attention in recent years. In the light of this information, the aim of the study is to reveal the impact of the spread of new technologies on income inequality and the factors underlying the income inequality dynamics. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to examine the impact of technology spillovers on income inequality of selected OECD countries including Turkey using panel data analysis. The data for all countries obtained from the World Bank’s Development Indicators and OECD. Stat. The empirical conclusion indicated the effect of the technology spillovers on income inequality. This empirical finding contributed to promote the existing literature, and also draws main attention of policymakers. Because, knowing the factors underlying income inequality, which is seen as an important economic and social problem, is important in determining effective policies to ensure a more equitable income distribution.


2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (02) ◽  
pp. 63-82
Author(s):  
SUBKHAN NA

The main objective of this study is to measure the impact of Government Credit Guarantee (GCG) scheme on household poverty alleviation. This study employed a cross-sectional design with purposive random sampling method to examine whether participation in GCG programs improves the hardcore poor households quality of life. To analyze the impact of GCG scheme on household poverty reduction, this study uses logistic regression model. The findings confirmed that households participating in GCG programs tend to have higher probability in reducing their poverty condition compared with those who have no access to GCG programs. The reduction in household poverty can be described by the improvement in their monthly income, improvement in monthly food expenditures, and improvement in monthly non-food expenditure. Therefore, Indonesian Government should review, re-organize and improve the GCG programs and policies in order to increase the outreach and improve client's ability to receive higher amount of loan through GCG scheme.A. Introduction


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