Objective:This review aimed to identify the barriers and facilitators to equitable coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)vaccine distribution in Nigeria using the consolidated framework for implementation research(CFIR).M...Objective:This review aimed to identify the barriers and facilitators to equitable coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)vaccine distribution in Nigeria using the consolidated framework for implementation research(CFIR).Methods:A comprehensive search strategy was applied across five databases—Web of Science,MEDLINE,EMBASE,CAB Direct,and CINAHL.The search,conducted as part of a scoping review,yielded 2,751 citations.Seven studies met the inclusion criteria after screening.Data were extracted and analyzed using CFIR constructs to identify key barriers and facilitators to equitable vaccine distribution.Results:Six barriers were identified:limited physical and socioeconomic access,bribery,nepotism,and insufficient availability of translated information.Facilitators included community involvement as local monitoring agents,unannounced staff inspections,healthcare worker training tailored to community needs,and localized outreach strategies such as jingles and call-in programs.CFIR constructs,including Local Conditions,Tailoring Strategies,Available Resources,and Physical Infrastructure,provided a framework for analyzing the findings.Conclusion:This review highlights significant barriers and promising facilitators to equitable vaccine distribution in Nigeria.Targeted interventions,such as community engagement,anti-corruption measures,and culturally tailored strategies,are critical to addressing these challenges and improving access.These findings underscore the need for localized,equity-focused approaches to enhance vaccine distribution systems in Nigeria and other low-resource settings.展开更多
Background:The Indian healthcare sector has undergone significant transformations due to private equity(PE)investments.The influx of capital has facilitated the expansion of infrastructure and improvement in services,...Background:The Indian healthcare sector has undergone significant transformations due to private equity(PE)investments.The influx of capital has facilitated the expansion of infrastructure and improvement in services,particularly in urban and semi-urban areas.However,this transformation raises critical concerns regarding equity in healthcare access,rising health costs,and the potential commercialization of healthcare services.Methods:Employing a critical political economy approach,this study examines the effects of PE investments in Indian healthcare.It integrates theories from Antonio Gramsci,David Harvey and Nancy Fraser to analyze the implications of these investments.The research draws on secondary data from industry reports,government statistics and academic literature to assess the trends,impacts and policy responses related to PE in healthcare.Results:PE investments have led to increased privatization,rising healthcare costs and a focus on profit-driven models.Despite expanding infrastructure,access to quality healthcare remains inequitable,particularly for marginalized and rural populations.The analysis highlights the tension between capital accumulation and public health needs,showing how PE investments prioritize profitability over equity.The commodification of healthcare reflects broader neoliberal policies that undermine public health objectives and exacerbate inequalities.Conclusion:While PE investments drive innovation and expansion,they also pose challenges to affordability and equitable access.Policy interventions are necessary to regulate PE investments and ensure that healthcare remains accessible and equitable for all.展开更多
Ensuring the provision of accessible,affordable,and high-quality public services to all individuals aligns with one of the paramount aims of the United Nations’Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs).In the face of esca ...Ensuring the provision of accessible,affordable,and high-quality public services to all individuals aligns with one of the paramount aims of the United Nations’Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs).In the face of esca lating urbanization and a dwindling rural populace in China,reconstructing rural settlements to enhance public service accessibility has become a fundamental strategy for achieving the SDGs in rural areas.However,few stud ies have examined the optimal methods for rural settlement reconstruction that ensure accessible and equitable public services while considering multiple existing facilities and service provisions.This paper focuses on rural settlement reconstruction in the context of the SDGs,employing an inverted MCLP-CC(maximal coverage loca tion problem for complementary coverage)model to identify optimal rural settlements and a rank-based method for their relocation.Conducted in Changyuan,a county-level city in Henan Province,China,this study observed significant enhancements in both accessibility and equity following rural settlement reconstruction by utilizing the MH3SFCA(modified Huff 3-step floating catchment area)and the spatial Lorenz curve method.Remarkably,these improvements were achieved without the addition of new facilities,with the accessibility increasing by 44.21%,4.97%,and 3.11%;Gini coefficients decreasing by 19.53%,1.64%,and 3.18%;Ricci-Schutz coef-ficients decreasing by 21.09%,2.09%,and 4.33%for educational,medical,and cultural and sports facilities,respectively.It indicated that rural settlement reconstruction can bolster the accessibility and equity of public ser-vices by leveraging existing facilities.This paper provides a new framework for stakeholders to better reconstruct rural settlements and promote sustainable development in rural areas in China.展开更多
This editorial critically evaluated the recent study by AlMousa et al,which examined the impact of the Arabic version of the American Academy of Or-thopedic Surgeons Foot and Ankle Outcomes Questionnaire(AAOS-FAOQ)on ...This editorial critically evaluated the recent study by AlMousa et al,which examined the impact of the Arabic version of the American Academy of Or-thopedic Surgeons Foot and Ankle Outcomes Questionnaire(AAOS-FAOQ)on postoperative quality of life and recovery in Arabic-speaking patients with traumatic foot and ankle injuries.In the context of systemic linguistic exclusion in orthopedic research—where English-language journals dominated most publi-cations and non-English-speaking populations faced dual barriers of trial under-representation and semantic distortions(e.g.,mistranslations of terms like"joint instability"in Arabic)—AlMousa et al's work highlighted the transformative po-tential of culturally adapted methodologies.Their rigorous four-stage adaptation framework validated the Arabic AAOS-FAOQ as a reliable tool,enhancing ecological validity and reducing bias in patient-reported outcomes.However,limitations such as regional specificity(Gulf-centric sampling)and short follow-up periods(4 months)underscored broader challenges in non-English research:Redundant studies,prolonged hospital stays for limited English proficiency patients,and underrepresentation of certain ethnic groups in trials.To dismantle linguistic hegemony,we proposed semantic reconstruction(e.g.,integrating culturally specific indicators like"prayer posture"),dialect-aware neural tran-slation,and World Health Organization led terminology standardization.In line with these proposed solutions,AlMousa et al’s study exemplified how language-sensitive adaptations could bridge equity gaps,while future efforts would need to balance cultural specificity with cross-study comparability through AI-driven multilingual databases and policy mandates for cultural adaptation roadmaps.展开更多
This study examines the causal relationship between financial technology startup venture capital(VC)financing and its deals with domestic credit provided by the banking sector and equity market movement.Despite the ri...This study examines the causal relationship between financial technology startup venture capital(VC)financing and its deals with domestic credit provided by the banking sector and equity market movement.Despite the rise of alternative finance,such as fintech venture capital(it is the fund that venture capital firms put into young,promising fintech companies so that they can help them expand and scale quickly),which is yet underexplored,borrowers still heavily rely on banks and the stock market for financing.We use panel data from 57 countries from 2010 to 2020 and an advanced econometric method called the cross-sectional autoregressive distributed lag model(CS-ARDL)to determine how the size and number of fintech equity funds dealt with by venture capital firms,banking sector credit,and stock market returns are interrelated at the global level and across regional,income,and economic levels.Our results reveal a cointegrating relationship between fintech venture capital funding and deals with bank loans and equity market returns.However,this relationship varies across the regions studied and between developed and developing economies.Our findings provide crucial guidelines for policymakers to create policies that support balanced financial development by highlighting the global interaction of equity market movements,banking credit,and fintech venture capital investment and lay the groundwork for internationally aligned policies to guarantee the optimal distribution of financial capital and improve economic stability and adaptability by illustrating how these links differ across geographical locations and economic conditions.展开更多
This study analyzes the spatial accessibility of key services in Caen,France,focusing on how different transport modes(car,bicycle,and public transit)influence access to essential services across the urban and suburba...This study analyzes the spatial accessibility of key services in Caen,France,focusing on how different transport modes(car,bicycle,and public transit)influence access to essential services across the urban and suburban landscape.Indeed,the introduction of traffic restrictions in towns with low emission zones encourages a detailed study,on a fine spatial scale,of the differences in accessibility between different modes of transport,for different services and for different journey times.Using spatial analysis techniques,we examine accessibility patterns in relation to services such as shops,healthcare,education,and tourism,highlighting significant disparities between transport modes.The findings reveal that car travel provides the highest accessibility across all service categories,particularly for healthcare and recreational services,while bicycle and public transit accessibility is more limited,especially in peripheral areas.A Principal Component Analysis(PCA)synthesizes the multimodal accessibility data,and hierarchical clustering identifies distinct patterns of accessibility using different transport modes across the city.The study further explores temporal trends in accessibility,showing how different modes perform over varying travel times.Based on these findings,we propose targeted policy interventions aimed at improving public transit,enhancing cycling infrastructure,decentralizing essential services,and promoting mixed-use urban development.Future research directions include examining socio-economic disparities,the impact of emerging mobility technologies,and the environmental implications of accessibility patterns.This research provides valuable insights for urban planners seeking to improve mobility equity and sustainability in urban areas.展开更多
Equity crowdfunding via the Internet is a new channel of raising money for startups.It features low barriers to entry,low cost,and high speed,and thus encourages innovation.In recent years,equity crowdfunding in China...Equity crowdfunding via the Internet is a new channel of raising money for startups.It features low barriers to entry,low cost,and high speed,and thus encourages innovation.In recent years,equity crowdfunding in China has experienced some developments.However,some problems remain unsolved in practice.Blockchain is a decentralized and distributed ledger technology to ensure data security,transparency,and integrity.Because it cannot be tampered with or forged,the technology is deemed to have great potential in the finance industry.This study examines current problems in the practice of equity crowdfunding in China.Based on the analysis of the characteristics of blockchain technology,this study further explores its practical applications in equity crowdfunding.1)Blockchain technology may be a secure,efficient,low-cost solution for the registration of stocks and shares of a firm financed by crowdfunding;2)Blockchain technology simplifies the transaction and transfer of crowdfunding equities,and thus facilitates their circulation;3)Blockchain technology enables peer to peer transactions between investors and entrepreneurs,and solves the problems of regulatory compliance and security of fund management;Blockchain technology can be used to develop a voting system for crowdfunders,which enables them to be involved in corporate governance.This helps protect the rights and interests of small investors;5)Blockchain technology helps regulators know about market conditions,and supports regulatory activities such as managing investors and fighting money laundering.展开更多
Through the Economic-Value-Added(EVA)valuation model,the expected market value of equity can be determined by adding the book value of equity with the present value of expected EVAs under the assumption of constant re...Through the Economic-Value-Added(EVA)valuation model,the expected market value of equity can be determined by adding the book value of equity with the present value of expected EVAs under the assumption of constant required return and constant return on equity.The equation of EVA valuation model has taken its shape under the assumption of constant required return and constant return on equity.However,a large body of empirical evidence indicates that required rate of return never remain constant.The EVA-valuation model formulated under constant required return cannot be implemented under the scenario of changing required return.In this study,we explored whether the EVA valuation model could be implemented under changing required return by making any changes in the model and found that it could be implemented under the scenario of changing required return by replacing the book value of the equity of the existing model with the present value of required earnings or normal market earnings.We further examined whether the explanatory ability of the EVA valuation model under the assumption of changing required return is better than that of the valuation model under the assumption of constant required return.Relative information content analyses were conducted by considering sample of the intrinsic value of equities determined by valuation models and the market value of equities of 69 large-cap,88 mid-cap,and 79 small-cap companies.The results showed that the EVA-based valuation model with changing normal market return outperformed the EVA-based valuation model with constant required return.展开更多
In this paper,it is first briefly described the basic situation and current policies of state owned enterprise reform in China.Then the major issues in the reform process are identified,the possible solutions in term...In this paper,it is first briefly described the basic situation and current policies of state owned enterprise reform in China.Then the major issues in the reform process are identified,the possible solutions in terms of reengineering stock equity structure and state share circulation are discussed,and finally some suggestions are made for the further state owned enterprise reform.Basing on the theory on the modern corporation system,relevant experiences of market economy nations and the practice of Chinese enterprise system reform.The approaches to determine the proportion of state share in the future corporations are proposed.Since the public ownership is not ideologically appropriate,the establishment of social security fund and mutual fund investment companies are suggested as new and acceptable pattern of public ownership.It is believed that these companies will be the major institutional shareholders in the future corporations.Their stock equity structure would mainly consist of institutional shareholders,which will be both consistent with international norms of modern corporations and with socialist public ownership with Chinese characteristics.展开更多
In this paper the author examines the extent to which word of mouth （WOM） impact on customer equity and brand equity, two of the most popular metrics of marketing productivity. WOM is the most ancient and effective ...In this paper the author examines the extent to which word of mouth （WOM） impact on customer equity and brand equity, two of the most popular metrics of marketing productivity. WOM is the most ancient and effective communication tool because its low cost affects the efficiency in the allocation of marketing resources. After an extensive literature review, the author proposes several propositions to be tested in the future concerning how WOM might affect each element of brand equity and customer equity.展开更多
Montesquieu’s equity theory is not only the reflection of sharp confrontation between French bourgeoisie and despotism in the middle period of 18thcentury,but also is the continual caused by British Bacon’s experime...Montesquieu’s equity theory is not only the reflection of sharp confrontation between French bourgeoisie and despotism in the middle period of 18thcentury,but also is the continual caused by British Bacon’s experimentalism and French Descartes’s rationalism,etc.Montesquieu acutely criticized the decayed social order of feudalism,but also showed his compromising,mild,and rigorous character because the revolution had not succeeded yet.Montesquieu considers that"law"exists in anything as well as the beginning and end of human society.The spirit of"natural law"is"peace";the spirit of"man-made law"is"equality".However,in society and country,equality and freedom are lost easily,so they need to be guaranteed by the spirit and power of law.Therefore,not only"virtue","simplicity","restraint",and"toleration",etc.are required,but also power balance is needed.展开更多
Social assistance is the last safety net in the social security system and plays a vital role in poverty alleviation in countries around the world. Promoting the equal financial assistance is meaningful to achieve equ...Social assistance is the last safety net in the social security system and plays a vital role in poverty alleviation in countries around the world. Promoting the equal financial assistance is meaningful to achieve equalization of social assistance. Based on the provincial panel data from 2002 to 2017, this paper analyzes the dynamic characteristics and main influencing factors of the equity of social assistance in China, using the Theil index and geographically weighted regression(GWR) model. The results suggest that the level of per capita social assistance expenditure(PSAE) in China keeps increasing year by year, but the changes in different regions and provinces are quite different. These changes not only significantly changed the spatial pattern of PSAE in China, but also greatly improved its spatial coupling with the deeply impoverished areas. Further analysis shows that the regional inequality of PSAE between provinces is obvious during the study period, and the inter-regional inequality is significantly higher than the intra-regional inequality.This makes inter-regional inequality become the main source of the regional inequality of PSAE in China for a long time. According to GWR results, there is obvious spatiotemporal heterogeneity in the influence intensity and direction of the per capita financial revenue,urbanization rate, urban unemployment rate, natural disaster-affected area, and transfer payment intensity on the PSAE. The urbanization rate and per capita financial revenue are the main driving factors of PSAE, and the impact intensity of per capita financial revenue tends to strengthen. The remaining three factors have a positive effect on PSAE, but the effect intensity is not high.展开更多
Given the scarcity of safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines,a chief policy question is how to allocate them among different sociodemographic groups.This paper evaluates COVID-19 vaccine prioritization strategies propos...Given the scarcity of safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines,a chief policy question is how to allocate them among different sociodemographic groups.This paper evaluates COVID-19 vaccine prioritization strategies proposed to date,focusing on their stated goals;the mechanisms through which the selected allocations affect the course and burden of the pandemic;and the main epidemiological,economic,logistical,and political issues that arise when setting the prioritization strategy.The paper uses a simple,agestratified susceptible–exposed–infectious–recovered model applied to the United States to quantitatively assess the performance of alternative prioritization strategies with respect to avoided deaths,avoided infections,and life-years gained.We demonstrate that prioritizing essential workers is a viable strategy for reducing the number of cases and years of life lost,while the largest reduction in deaths is achieved by prioritizing older adults in most scenarios,even if the vaccine is effective at blocking viral transmission.Uncertainty regarding this property and potential delays in dose delivery reinforce the call for prioritizing older adults.Additionally,we investigate the strength of the equity motive that would support an allocation strategy attaching absolute priority to essential workers for a vaccine that reduces infectionfatality risk.展开更多
Static models of accessibility are usually based on the fixed distance or Average Travel Time(ATT)models.Because of ignoring the traffic as a dynamic process affecting the accessibility through the change of Travel Ti...Static models of accessibility are usually based on the fixed distance or Average Travel Time(ATT)models.Because of ignoring the traffic as a dynamic process affecting the accessibility through the change of Travel Time(TT),these models lead to unperceived temporal inequities.In contrast to the consideration of the temporal Variation of TT(VTT)in the previous studies,the variation of traffic-related TT and its relations with network distance has not been considered.In this study,relations between VTT and network distance to access urban parks in Tehran megacity has been modeled.Traffic maps at five times of day are used to produce TT maps of Traffic Analysis Zones(TAZs)to their 3-closest parks.Comparison of the Gini coefficients of accessibility show significant inequities of accessibility at different times of day.Relations between the distance,ATT,and TT_(max) are modeled by statistical analysis.Results show both TT and TTmax have significant positive relations with distance and traffic and reach their maximum at 6 p.m.Observation of significant relations between distance,ATT,TT_(max),and VTT provides interesting knowledge for the conversion of temporal measures of equity(TT)to a physical measure of equity(distance).A simple application of these findings for effective management of the spatiotemporal inequities is the definition of critical distances from public services.As an example,to decrease the TT_(max) of TAZs to less than 12 min,their maximum distance to the closest parks should be less than 4 km.The developed approach can be adopted for the accessibility evaluation of the other public services,particularly the health and education centers.展开更多
This study applies OLS,panel regression and Granger causality test to investigate the impact of the Coronavirus disease 2019(Covid-19)outbreak on the global equity markets during the early stage of the pandemic.We fin...This study applies OLS,panel regression and Granger causality test to investigate the impact of the Coronavirus disease 2019(Covid-19)outbreak on the global equity markets during the early stage of the pandemic.We find that the Covid-19 outbreak has a significant negative impact on the overall equity index return of the eight economies even at 0.1%significance level.Furthermore,the pandemic has a more significant impact on the European countries than on the East Asian economies.The results have three main implications.Firstly,policy makers should react fast to mitigate the impact of a crisis.Secondly,investors should be aware of an outbreak of disease or other risks and adjust their investments accordingly.Furthermore,the Covid-19 outbreak results in a shift of power from the west to the east.展开更多
Characterizing the availability of opportunities to residents has been a long-term aim in health care geographic investigation.It is important to measure the degree of inequity in health care accessibility and to iden...Characterizing the availability of opportunities to residents has been a long-term aim in health care geographic investigation.It is important to measure the degree of inequity in health care accessibility and to identify underserved areas, due to the uneven distribution of health care services. In this study, JavaScript was used to calculate travel time based on Amap, as this can provide a more reliable data support to measure the health care accessibility in Xi’an communities, China. Based on the overall equity, herein, an attempt was made to quantify the equity of health care accessibility, and to identify health care underserved areas inside the different communities. Results show that the accessibility to low-level health care services is high in the northern areas and low in the southern areas, while the accessibility to high-level and comprehensive health care services shows a clear core-periphery spatial structure. Moreover, the overall equity of the health care accessibility is relatively low, and the inequity of high-level health care accessibility is further aggravated.Furthermore, the quantified equity of accessibility to high-level and comprehensive health care services in the central urban areas is better;however low-level health care services are relatively inadequate. There are significant differences among health care underserved areas, in particular, for the worst equity and the lowest accessibility areas(A1) and the worse equity and the lowest accessibility areas(B1) in high-level underserved areas. Notably, the sharing of health care services and the reasonable flow of health technical personnel among different levels of health institutions can make the high-level health care services in the central urban areas have a greater trickle effect on the surrounding areas.展开更多
Whether the mixed-ownership reform whereby the state invests in nonstate enterprises will be effective is a question that has attracted widespread attention and discussion.This paper uses sample data from family-owned...Whether the mixed-ownership reform whereby the state invests in nonstate enterprises will be effective is a question that has attracted widespread attention and discussion.This paper uses sample data from family-owned enterprises listed from 2009 to 2016 and empirically tests the impact of equity participation by the state in the family enterprises on their innovation input and the underlying mechanisms.Our results show that state investment has positive impacts on innovation input in the family enterprises.This effect is even more significant for high-tech family enterprises and/or those family enterprises confronting high policy uncertainty.Our results also reveal that when state investment is accompanied by a greater degree of state participation in enterprise operations or when the investment originates locally,there is a greater increase in innovation input.Further analysis of the underlying mechanisms reveals that state investment increases innovation input by increasing both willingness to innovate and the resources available for innovation.This paper provides new theoretical support and empirical evidence for pushing the mixed-ownership reform and stepping up the sustainable development of non-state enterprises including family ones.展开更多
The aim of this study is to examine the extreme return spillovers among the US stock market sectors in the light of the COVID-19 outbreak.To this end,we extend the now-traditional Diebold-Yilmaz spillover index to the...The aim of this study is to examine the extreme return spillovers among the US stock market sectors in the light of the COVID-19 outbreak.To this end,we extend the now-traditional Diebold-Yilmaz spillover index to the quantiles domain by building networks of generalized forecast error variance decomposition of a quantile vector autoregressive model specifically for extreme returns.Notably,we control for common movements by using the overall stock market index as a common factor for all sectors and uncover the effect of the COVID-19 outbreak on the dynamics of the network.The results show that the network structure and spillovers differ considerably with respect to the market state.During stable times,the network shows a nice sectoral clustering structure which,however,changes dramatically for both adverse and beneficial market conditions constituting a highly connected network structure.The pandemic period itself shows an interesting restructuring of the network as the dominant clusters become more tightly connected while the rest of the network remains well separated.The sectoral topology thus has not collapsed into a unified market during the pandemic.展开更多
This paper uses Lorenz curve and Gini index with adjustment to per capita historical cumulative emission to construct carbon Gini index to measure inequality in climate change area. The analysis shows that 70% of carb...This paper uses Lorenz curve and Gini index with adjustment to per capita historical cumulative emission to construct carbon Gini index to measure inequality in climate change area. The analysis shows that 70% of carbon space in the atmosphere has been used for unequal distribution, which is almost the same as that of incomes in a country with the biggest gap between the rich and the poor in the world. The carbon equity should be an urgency and priority in the climate agenda. Carbon Gini index established in this paper can be used to measure inequality in the distribution of carbon space and provide a quantified indicator for measurement of carbon equity among different proposals.展开更多
文摘Objective:This review aimed to identify the barriers and facilitators to equitable coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)vaccine distribution in Nigeria using the consolidated framework for implementation research(CFIR).Methods:A comprehensive search strategy was applied across five databases—Web of Science,MEDLINE,EMBASE,CAB Direct,and CINAHL.The search,conducted as part of a scoping review,yielded 2,751 citations.Seven studies met the inclusion criteria after screening.Data were extracted and analyzed using CFIR constructs to identify key barriers and facilitators to equitable vaccine distribution.Results:Six barriers were identified:limited physical and socioeconomic access,bribery,nepotism,and insufficient availability of translated information.Facilitators included community involvement as local monitoring agents,unannounced staff inspections,healthcare worker training tailored to community needs,and localized outreach strategies such as jingles and call-in programs.CFIR constructs,including Local Conditions,Tailoring Strategies,Available Resources,and Physical Infrastructure,provided a framework for analyzing the findings.Conclusion:This review highlights significant barriers and promising facilitators to equitable vaccine distribution in Nigeria.Targeted interventions,such as community engagement,anti-corruption measures,and culturally tailored strategies,are critical to addressing these challenges and improving access.These findings underscore the need for localized,equity-focused approaches to enhance vaccine distribution systems in Nigeria and other low-resource settings.
文摘Background:The Indian healthcare sector has undergone significant transformations due to private equity(PE)investments.The influx of capital has facilitated the expansion of infrastructure and improvement in services,particularly in urban and semi-urban areas.However,this transformation raises critical concerns regarding equity in healthcare access,rising health costs,and the potential commercialization of healthcare services.Methods:Employing a critical political economy approach,this study examines the effects of PE investments in Indian healthcare.It integrates theories from Antonio Gramsci,David Harvey and Nancy Fraser to analyze the implications of these investments.The research draws on secondary data from industry reports,government statistics and academic literature to assess the trends,impacts and policy responses related to PE in healthcare.Results:PE investments have led to increased privatization,rising healthcare costs and a focus on profit-driven models.Despite expanding infrastructure,access to quality healthcare remains inequitable,particularly for marginalized and rural populations.The analysis highlights the tension between capital accumulation and public health needs,showing how PE investments prioritize profitability over equity.The commodification of healthcare reflects broader neoliberal policies that undermine public health objectives and exacerbate inequalities.Conclusion:While PE investments drive innovation and expansion,they also pose challenges to affordability and equitable access.Policy interventions are necessary to regulate PE investments and ensure that healthcare remains accessible and equitable for all.
基金funded by the National Nat-ural Science Foundation of China(Grants No.42371433,U2443214)National Key Project of High-Resolution Earth Observation System of China(Grant No.80Y50G19900122/23)Foundation of Key Laboratory of Soil andWater Conservation on the Loess Plateau ofMinistry ofWater Resources(Grant No.WSCLP202301).
文摘Ensuring the provision of accessible,affordable,and high-quality public services to all individuals aligns with one of the paramount aims of the United Nations’Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs).In the face of esca lating urbanization and a dwindling rural populace in China,reconstructing rural settlements to enhance public service accessibility has become a fundamental strategy for achieving the SDGs in rural areas.However,few stud ies have examined the optimal methods for rural settlement reconstruction that ensure accessible and equitable public services while considering multiple existing facilities and service provisions.This paper focuses on rural settlement reconstruction in the context of the SDGs,employing an inverted MCLP-CC(maximal coverage loca tion problem for complementary coverage)model to identify optimal rural settlements and a rank-based method for their relocation.Conducted in Changyuan,a county-level city in Henan Province,China,this study observed significant enhancements in both accessibility and equity following rural settlement reconstruction by utilizing the MH3SFCA(modified Huff 3-step floating catchment area)and the spatial Lorenz curve method.Remarkably,these improvements were achieved without the addition of new facilities,with the accessibility increasing by 44.21%,4.97%,and 3.11%;Gini coefficients decreasing by 19.53%,1.64%,and 3.18%;Ricci-Schutz coef-ficients decreasing by 21.09%,2.09%,and 4.33%for educational,medical,and cultural and sports facilities,respectively.It indicated that rural settlement reconstruction can bolster the accessibility and equity of public ser-vices by leveraging existing facilities.This paper provides a new framework for stakeholders to better reconstruct rural settlements and promote sustainable development in rural areas in China.
文摘This editorial critically evaluated the recent study by AlMousa et al,which examined the impact of the Arabic version of the American Academy of Or-thopedic Surgeons Foot and Ankle Outcomes Questionnaire(AAOS-FAOQ)on postoperative quality of life and recovery in Arabic-speaking patients with traumatic foot and ankle injuries.In the context of systemic linguistic exclusion in orthopedic research—where English-language journals dominated most publi-cations and non-English-speaking populations faced dual barriers of trial under-representation and semantic distortions(e.g.,mistranslations of terms like"joint instability"in Arabic)—AlMousa et al's work highlighted the transformative po-tential of culturally adapted methodologies.Their rigorous four-stage adaptation framework validated the Arabic AAOS-FAOQ as a reliable tool,enhancing ecological validity and reducing bias in patient-reported outcomes.However,limitations such as regional specificity(Gulf-centric sampling)and short follow-up periods(4 months)underscored broader challenges in non-English research:Redundant studies,prolonged hospital stays for limited English proficiency patients,and underrepresentation of certain ethnic groups in trials.To dismantle linguistic hegemony,we proposed semantic reconstruction(e.g.,integrating culturally specific indicators like"prayer posture"),dialect-aware neural tran-slation,and World Health Organization led terminology standardization.In line with these proposed solutions,AlMousa et al’s study exemplified how language-sensitive adaptations could bridge equity gaps,while future efforts would need to balance cultural specificity with cross-study comparability through AI-driven multilingual databases and policy mandates for cultural adaptation roadmaps.
基金financially supported by Doctoral Fellowship of the University Grants Commission,Bangladesh.
文摘This study examines the causal relationship between financial technology startup venture capital(VC)financing and its deals with domestic credit provided by the banking sector and equity market movement.Despite the rise of alternative finance,such as fintech venture capital(it is the fund that venture capital firms put into young,promising fintech companies so that they can help them expand and scale quickly),which is yet underexplored,borrowers still heavily rely on banks and the stock market for financing.We use panel data from 57 countries from 2010 to 2020 and an advanced econometric method called the cross-sectional autoregressive distributed lag model(CS-ARDL)to determine how the size and number of fintech equity funds dealt with by venture capital firms,banking sector credit,and stock market returns are interrelated at the global level and across regional,income,and economic levels.Our results reveal a cointegrating relationship between fintech venture capital funding and deals with bank loans and equity market returns.However,this relationship varies across the regions studied and between developed and developing economies.Our findings provide crucial guidelines for policymakers to create policies that support balanced financial development by highlighting the global interaction of equity market movements,banking credit,and fintech venture capital investment and lay the groundwork for internationally aligned policies to guarantee the optimal distribution of financial capital and improve economic stability and adaptability by illustrating how these links differ across geographical locations and economic conditions.
文摘This study analyzes the spatial accessibility of key services in Caen,France,focusing on how different transport modes(car,bicycle,and public transit)influence access to essential services across the urban and suburban landscape.Indeed,the introduction of traffic restrictions in towns with low emission zones encourages a detailed study,on a fine spatial scale,of the differences in accessibility between different modes of transport,for different services and for different journey times.Using spatial analysis techniques,we examine accessibility patterns in relation to services such as shops,healthcare,education,and tourism,highlighting significant disparities between transport modes.The findings reveal that car travel provides the highest accessibility across all service categories,particularly for healthcare and recreational services,while bicycle and public transit accessibility is more limited,especially in peripheral areas.A Principal Component Analysis(PCA)synthesizes the multimodal accessibility data,and hierarchical clustering identifies distinct patterns of accessibility using different transport modes across the city.The study further explores temporal trends in accessibility,showing how different modes perform over varying travel times.Based on these findings,we propose targeted policy interventions aimed at improving public transit,enhancing cycling infrastructure,decentralizing essential services,and promoting mixed-use urban development.Future research directions include examining socio-economic disparities,the impact of emerging mobility technologies,and the environmental implications of accessibility patterns.This research provides valuable insights for urban planners seeking to improve mobility equity and sustainability in urban areas.
基金China’s National Science Foundation 71371121China’s National Science Foundation 71421002China's National Science Foundation 71531010.
文摘Equity crowdfunding via the Internet is a new channel of raising money for startups.It features low barriers to entry,low cost,and high speed,and thus encourages innovation.In recent years,equity crowdfunding in China has experienced some developments.However,some problems remain unsolved in practice.Blockchain is a decentralized and distributed ledger technology to ensure data security,transparency,and integrity.Because it cannot be tampered with or forged,the technology is deemed to have great potential in the finance industry.This study examines current problems in the practice of equity crowdfunding in China.Based on the analysis of the characteristics of blockchain technology,this study further explores its practical applications in equity crowdfunding.1)Blockchain technology may be a secure,efficient,low-cost solution for the registration of stocks and shares of a firm financed by crowdfunding;2)Blockchain technology simplifies the transaction and transfer of crowdfunding equities,and thus facilitates their circulation;3)Blockchain technology enables peer to peer transactions between investors and entrepreneurs,and solves the problems of regulatory compliance and security of fund management;Blockchain technology can be used to develop a voting system for crowdfunders,which enables them to be involved in corporate governance.This helps protect the rights and interests of small investors;5)Blockchain technology helps regulators know about market conditions,and supports regulatory activities such as managing investors and fighting money laundering.
文摘Through the Economic-Value-Added(EVA)valuation model,the expected market value of equity can be determined by adding the book value of equity with the present value of expected EVAs under the assumption of constant required return and constant return on equity.The equation of EVA valuation model has taken its shape under the assumption of constant required return and constant return on equity.However,a large body of empirical evidence indicates that required rate of return never remain constant.The EVA-valuation model formulated under constant required return cannot be implemented under the scenario of changing required return.In this study,we explored whether the EVA valuation model could be implemented under changing required return by making any changes in the model and found that it could be implemented under the scenario of changing required return by replacing the book value of the equity of the existing model with the present value of required earnings or normal market earnings.We further examined whether the explanatory ability of the EVA valuation model under the assumption of changing required return is better than that of the valuation model under the assumption of constant required return.Relative information content analyses were conducted by considering sample of the intrinsic value of equities determined by valuation models and the market value of equities of 69 large-cap,88 mid-cap,and 79 small-cap companies.The results showed that the EVA-based valuation model with changing normal market return outperformed the EVA-based valuation model with constant required return.
基金Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.79770 0 63)
文摘In this paper,it is first briefly described the basic situation and current policies of state owned enterprise reform in China.Then the major issues in the reform process are identified,the possible solutions in terms of reengineering stock equity structure and state share circulation are discussed,and finally some suggestions are made for the further state owned enterprise reform.Basing on the theory on the modern corporation system,relevant experiences of market economy nations and the practice of Chinese enterprise system reform.The approaches to determine the proportion of state share in the future corporations are proposed.Since the public ownership is not ideologically appropriate,the establishment of social security fund and mutual fund investment companies are suggested as new and acceptable pattern of public ownership.It is believed that these companies will be the major institutional shareholders in the future corporations.Their stock equity structure would mainly consist of institutional shareholders,which will be both consistent with international norms of modern corporations and with socialist public ownership with Chinese characteristics.
文摘In this paper the author examines the extent to which word of mouth （WOM） impact on customer equity and brand equity, two of the most popular metrics of marketing productivity. WOM is the most ancient and effective communication tool because its low cost affects the efficiency in the allocation of marketing resources. After an extensive literature review, the author proposes several propositions to be tested in the future concerning how WOM might affect each element of brand equity and customer equity.
文摘Montesquieu’s equity theory is not only the reflection of sharp confrontation between French bourgeoisie and despotism in the middle period of 18thcentury,but also is the continual caused by British Bacon’s experimentalism and French Descartes’s rationalism,etc.Montesquieu acutely criticized the decayed social order of feudalism,but also showed his compromising,mild,and rigorous character because the revolution had not succeeded yet.Montesquieu considers that"law"exists in anything as well as the beginning and end of human society.The spirit of"natural law"is"peace";the spirit of"man-made law"is"equality".However,in society and country,equality and freedom are lost easily,so they need to be guaranteed by the spirit and power of law.Therefore,not only"virtue","simplicity","restraint",and"toleration",etc.are required,but also power balance is needed.
基金Under the auspices of National Social Science Fund of China(No.18BJL126)。
文摘Social assistance is the last safety net in the social security system and plays a vital role in poverty alleviation in countries around the world. Promoting the equal financial assistance is meaningful to achieve equalization of social assistance. Based on the provincial panel data from 2002 to 2017, this paper analyzes the dynamic characteristics and main influencing factors of the equity of social assistance in China, using the Theil index and geographically weighted regression(GWR) model. The results suggest that the level of per capita social assistance expenditure(PSAE) in China keeps increasing year by year, but the changes in different regions and provinces are quite different. These changes not only significantly changed the spatial pattern of PSAE in China, but also greatly improved its spatial coupling with the deeply impoverished areas. Further analysis shows that the regional inequality of PSAE between provinces is obvious during the study period, and the inter-regional inequality is significantly higher than the intra-regional inequality.This makes inter-regional inequality become the main source of the regional inequality of PSAE in China for a long time. According to GWR results, there is obvious spatiotemporal heterogeneity in the influence intensity and direction of the per capita financial revenue,urbanization rate, urban unemployment rate, natural disaster-affected area, and transfer payment intensity on the PSAE. The urbanization rate and per capita financial revenue are the main driving factors of PSAE, and the impact intensity of per capita financial revenue tends to strengthen. The remaining three factors have a positive effect on PSAE, but the effect intensity is not high.
基金supported by the Value of Vaccination Research Network(VoVRN)through a grant from the Bill&Melinda Gates Foundation(OPP1158136)。
文摘Given the scarcity of safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines,a chief policy question is how to allocate them among different sociodemographic groups.This paper evaluates COVID-19 vaccine prioritization strategies proposed to date,focusing on their stated goals;the mechanisms through which the selected allocations affect the course and burden of the pandemic;and the main epidemiological,economic,logistical,and political issues that arise when setting the prioritization strategy.The paper uses a simple,agestratified susceptible–exposed–infectious–recovered model applied to the United States to quantitatively assess the performance of alternative prioritization strategies with respect to avoided deaths,avoided infections,and life-years gained.We demonstrate that prioritizing essential workers is a viable strategy for reducing the number of cases and years of life lost,while the largest reduction in deaths is achieved by prioritizing older adults in most scenarios,even if the vaccine is effective at blocking viral transmission.Uncertainty regarding this property and potential delays in dose delivery reinforce the call for prioritizing older adults.Additionally,we investigate the strength of the equity motive that would support an allocation strategy attaching absolute priority to essential workers for a vaccine that reduces infectionfatality risk.
文摘Static models of accessibility are usually based on the fixed distance or Average Travel Time(ATT)models.Because of ignoring the traffic as a dynamic process affecting the accessibility through the change of Travel Time(TT),these models lead to unperceived temporal inequities.In contrast to the consideration of the temporal Variation of TT(VTT)in the previous studies,the variation of traffic-related TT and its relations with network distance has not been considered.In this study,relations between VTT and network distance to access urban parks in Tehran megacity has been modeled.Traffic maps at five times of day are used to produce TT maps of Traffic Analysis Zones(TAZs)to their 3-closest parks.Comparison of the Gini coefficients of accessibility show significant inequities of accessibility at different times of day.Relations between the distance,ATT,and TT_(max) are modeled by statistical analysis.Results show both TT and TTmax have significant positive relations with distance and traffic and reach their maximum at 6 p.m.Observation of significant relations between distance,ATT,TT_(max),and VTT provides interesting knowledge for the conversion of temporal measures of equity(TT)to a physical measure of equity(distance).A simple application of these findings for effective management of the spatiotemporal inequities is the definition of critical distances from public services.As an example,to decrease the TT_(max) of TAZs to less than 12 min,their maximum distance to the closest parks should be less than 4 km.The developed approach can be adopted for the accessibility evaluation of the other public services,particularly the health and education centers.
文摘This study applies OLS,panel regression and Granger causality test to investigate the impact of the Coronavirus disease 2019(Covid-19)outbreak on the global equity markets during the early stage of the pandemic.We find that the Covid-19 outbreak has a significant negative impact on the overall equity index return of the eight economies even at 0.1%significance level.Furthermore,the pandemic has a more significant impact on the European countries than on the East Asian economies.The results have three main implications.Firstly,policy makers should react fast to mitigate the impact of a crisis.Secondly,investors should be aware of an outbreak of disease or other risks and adjust their investments accordingly.Furthermore,the Covid-19 outbreak results in a shift of power from the west to the east.
基金Under the auspices of National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.41831284)。
文摘Characterizing the availability of opportunities to residents has been a long-term aim in health care geographic investigation.It is important to measure the degree of inequity in health care accessibility and to identify underserved areas, due to the uneven distribution of health care services. In this study, JavaScript was used to calculate travel time based on Amap, as this can provide a more reliable data support to measure the health care accessibility in Xi’an communities, China. Based on the overall equity, herein, an attempt was made to quantify the equity of health care accessibility, and to identify health care underserved areas inside the different communities. Results show that the accessibility to low-level health care services is high in the northern areas and low in the southern areas, while the accessibility to high-level and comprehensive health care services shows a clear core-periphery spatial structure. Moreover, the overall equity of the health care accessibility is relatively low, and the inequity of high-level health care accessibility is further aggravated.Furthermore, the quantified equity of accessibility to high-level and comprehensive health care services in the central urban areas is better;however low-level health care services are relatively inadequate. There are significant differences among health care underserved areas, in particular, for the worst equity and the lowest accessibility areas(A1) and the worse equity and the lowest accessibility areas(B1) in high-level underserved areas. Notably, the sharing of health care services and the reasonable flow of health technical personnel among different levels of health institutions can make the high-level health care services in the central urban areas have a greater trickle effect on the surrounding areas.
文摘Whether the mixed-ownership reform whereby the state invests in nonstate enterprises will be effective is a question that has attracted widespread attention and discussion.This paper uses sample data from family-owned enterprises listed from 2009 to 2016 and empirically tests the impact of equity participation by the state in the family enterprises on their innovation input and the underlying mechanisms.Our results show that state investment has positive impacts on innovation input in the family enterprises.This effect is even more significant for high-tech family enterprises and/or those family enterprises confronting high policy uncertainty.Our results also reveal that when state investment is accompanied by a greater degree of state participation in enterprise operations or when the investment originates locally,there is a greater increase in innovation input.Further analysis of the underlying mechanisms reveals that state investment increases innovation input by increasing both willingness to innovate and the resources available for innovation.This paper provides new theoretical support and empirical evidence for pushing the mixed-ownership reform and stepping up the sustainable development of non-state enterprises including family ones.
基金Ladislav Kristoufek gratefully acknowledges financial support of the Czech Science Foundation(project 20-17295S)the Charles University PRIMUS program(project PRIMUS/19/HUM/17).
文摘The aim of this study is to examine the extreme return spillovers among the US stock market sectors in the light of the COVID-19 outbreak.To this end,we extend the now-traditional Diebold-Yilmaz spillover index to the quantiles domain by building networks of generalized forecast error variance decomposition of a quantile vector autoregressive model specifically for extreme returns.Notably,we control for common movements by using the overall stock market index as a common factor for all sectors and uncover the effect of the COVID-19 outbreak on the dynamics of the network.The results show that the network structure and spillovers differ considerably with respect to the market state.During stable times,the network shows a nice sectoral clustering structure which,however,changes dramatically for both adverse and beneficial market conditions constituting a highly connected network structure.The pandemic period itself shows an interesting restructuring of the network as the dominant clusters become more tightly connected while the rest of the network remains well separated.The sectoral topology thus has not collapsed into a unified market during the pandemic.
基金National Basic Research Programme(No.2010CB955303)
文摘This paper uses Lorenz curve and Gini index with adjustment to per capita historical cumulative emission to construct carbon Gini index to measure inequality in climate change area. The analysis shows that 70% of carbon space in the atmosphere has been used for unequal distribution, which is almost the same as that of incomes in a country with the biggest gap between the rich and the poor in the world. The carbon equity should be an urgency and priority in the climate agenda. Carbon Gini index established in this paper can be used to measure inequality in the distribution of carbon space and provide a quantified indicator for measurement of carbon equity among different proposals.
