Does gender inequality reduce growth in sub-Saharan African and Arab countries?

This paper uses 1974 to 2001 panel data for 31 sub-Saharan African and 10 Arab countries and Arellano–Bond estimations to empirically assess the impact on growth of an important indicator associated with MDG 3; namely the ratio of 15–24-year-old literate females to males. Our findings indicate that gender inequalities in literacy have a statistically significant negative effect that is robust to changes in the specification. In addition, it seems that gender inequality has a stronger effect on growth in Arab countries. Interestingly, we find that the interaction between openness to trade and gender inequality has a positive impact. This result suggests that trade-induced growth may be accompanied by greater gender inequalities.

American democracy promotion in the changing Middle East: from Bush to Obama

The recent "Arab spring", with its popular uprisings in many Arab countries, has exposed the ambiguity at the heart of American promotion of democracy in the Middle East. The US invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq were packaged as democracy promotion, as heralding the beginning of a new phase in the politics of the Middle East when democracy would replace authoritarian regimes. Many of these authoritarian regimes, however, were sustained by US support. The recent popular uprisings threaten to bring democracy without promotion by the US, and threaten to overthrow regimes previously supported by the US and important for US strategy in the region – hence an initial hesitant response by the US to some of the uprisings. This book explores the contradictions in American democracy promotion in the Middle East. It discusses the principles underlying US democracy promotion, and the debates surrounding US policy formation, and examines the application of US democracy promotion in specific cases. It concludes by assessing the likely future patterns of US engagement with democratic reform in the Middle East.

Girls' school stories, 1749-1929

As part of the ongoing project of retrieving women writers from the margins of literary and cultural history, scholars of literature, history, and gender studies are increasingly exploring and interrogating girls’ print culture. School stories, in particular, are generating substantial scholarly interest because of their centrality to the history of girls’ reading, their engagement with cultural ideas about the education and socialization of girls, and their enduring popularity with book collectors. However, while serious scholars have begun to document the vast corpus of English-language girls’ school stories, few scholarly editions or facsimile editions of these novels and short stories are readily available.

Community‐based reconciliation in the Middle East

IntroductionWith the turn of the twenty first century, the Middle East has witnessed an unprecedented turmoil since the post‐colonisation era. The occupation of Iraq by the United States and its allies has triggered internal tensions and violence in Iraq that swept across the region. The US propagated establishing a pro‐western, functional, representative democratic system in Iraq that was expected to be a model for other countries in the region towards democratisation and economic growth. Since 2011, Some Arab states embraced democratic and political changes and, simultaneously, encountered some socio‐political unrest brought by the “Arab Spring”. Various strata of conflict can be recognised in this context driven by political, ideological and sectarian agenda; or, driven by mere struggle for freedom and against repression and dictatorship. Regardless of the trigger of strives, it is obvious that reconciliation and conflict management in Iraq, Syria, Libya, Yemen, Egypt and other countries in conflict is still an issue. Yet, the concept of community‐based reconciliation in the Arab World is still nuanced. The social ties in Arab societies are strong. Some of these ties are significantly noted to be recognised in kinship of various familial hierarchies: nucleus family, extended family and tribes. This paper will discuss whether familial affiliations can contribute to community‐based reconciliation in the Middle Eastern Arab countries.

The impetus for the development of hospital in the home (HITH) programs: a literature review

Alternative health care delivery models such as Hospital in the Home (HITH) are proliferating in Australia and in most Western countries. Such models facilitate patients who would otherwise be hospitalised to be cared for in their own homes. This paper reports a review of the literature related to the development of HITH programs. It reveals that the driving force behind the implementation of acute care programs comes from political and managerial aims to reduce health care spending. Home is clearly an appropriate care option for certain acute patients however, there is no strong evidence to suggest that it suits everyone. Very little attention has been given to the patient's experience of home care and the ethical and social consequences are largely ignored.

Accounting professionalism : a cultural perspective of developing countries

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of culture on accounting professionalism in 12 developing countries by applying Gray's 1988 model and Hofstede 1980 cultural study.
Design/methodology/approach – Connecting seven variables introduced within a testable model lead the finding to classify the twelve countries within a range from statutory control to professionalism. The data set was collected from 1996 to 2000 through different sources. Twelve developing countries have been chosen from the Middle East and South East Asia in this study and cluster analysis is used for analysing and classifying the countries.
Findings – The results show while the Gray's hypothesis of statutory control is positively confirmed for Iran, and moderately for Bangladesh, Jordan, Oman, and Qatar, it is negatively rejected for Pakistan, Turkey, Malaysia, and Indonesia.
Research limitations/implications – One limitation of this study is the improvised nature of the data set caused by the difficulty in collecting an extensive data set from developing countries.
Practical implications – The findings of the study provides a useful source of information about accounting authority in those developing countries in which improve the knowledge and literature about the accounting practice internationally.
Originality/value – The findings of the study are useful in harmonization process of the international accounting practices. Knowledge about important aspects of accounting setting of the countries is essential to realize the impediments of harmonization.

A conformity test of corporate financial disclosures in Asian and Middle East countries

This paper investigates the financial disclosure practices of corporate annual reports published in Asian countries including Bangladesh, Indonesian, Malaysia and the Middle East countries including Bahrain, Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkey. The purpose of the study is to measure the financial disclosure diversity in these countries, with a view to developing a classification of their similarities and differences in respect to their compliance with International Accounting Standards (IASs). Annual reports of 132 public companies listed on the relevant countries stock exchanges are the central data source, supplemented with other reliable information about financial disclosure practices in each country. A disclosure checklist adopted from all IASs and summarised in 306 individual items of financial disclosures is used as a means of extending an understanding of financial reporting literature. Additionally, it provides an indication of voluntary progress towards harmonisation of international accounting practices in several Asian and Middle Eastern countries. Results show the degree of conformity with IASs from less to high conformity is: Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bangladesh, Iran, Bahrain, Jordan, Pakistan, Oman, Turkey, Malaysia, Kuwait and Indonesia.

Extent of heart failure self-care as an endpoint to patient education: a literature review

Background: In western countries the number of chronic heart failure (CHF) management programs has escalated in recent times. One key component of them is to teach self-care behaviours that enable affected individuals to monitor themselves and engage in lifestyles that improve their health status.
Aim: The aim of this article is to describe CHF self-care management and to review the literature which examines the effectiveness of patient education on patients’ performance of self-care behaviours.
Design/method: bibliographical databases were searched for papers published in English between 1982 to 2006. The search used the key words: heart failure, education, self-care and measures. Only randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were selected.
Results: Ten randomized controlled trials were selected that used education as an intervention and, in total, 1064 patients with CHF participated in these studies. The studies were heterogenous as to the sample population, the health outcomes measured, the education interventions, the expertise of the educator, and the length of time that was spent on teaching patients. No consistent patterns of implementation and specific evaluation of its impact were found, although three respective groups of investigators reported signifi cant differences in recurrent hospitalisation rates and mortality rates which were relative to usual care.
Conclusions: Teaching patients appropriate CHF self-care behaviours can significantly improve their health outcomes. Improvements in self-care were demonstrated in seven studies but only three had used validated instruments to measure such changes. This suggests that no firm conclusions can be drawn about changes in self-care practices.

Coetzee's haunting of Australian literature

In June 2006, the Good Weekend, the magazine supplementing Saturday’s the Age in Melbourne, ran the following cover story by Catharine Lumby: “Worried TV will turn your child into a zombie?” The cover featured a science-fiction image of a boy’s upturned face. Televisions were reflected in his pupils, giving them the effect of being square instead of round. The message, though, was ultimately non-alarmist with the subheading already instructing “Relax. It’s all good”. Stories like this appear regularly in the press, and while I am not interested in debating whether TV is good or bad for children, I am interested in the popular image of children—or, for that matter, adults—as being akin to zombies when they watch TV, if only because something similar happens when we read books. Although it is not as fashionable to talk about it, we become emptied of ourselves, possessed by something other.

E-government in developing countries: a Sri Lankan experience

Even though there is an emerging literature on information age reform of the public sector, research focused on potential and problems related to introduction of information-based reforms in developing countries is still limited. Thus in this chapter, experience in one developing country, Sri Lanka, is examined. Problems related to information-based technology is analysed and the lacuna in the literature is narrowed. It is argued that despite the great potential for IT in enhancing effective and efficient public sector in Sri Lanka, there are a number of difficulties hindering the development of computerised information systems. The upgrading of infrastructure facilities in Sri Lanka is long overdue. A lack of competent and committed individuals who could provide effective guidance in developing IT services in the public sector is another concern. The issues such as appropriate training, attractive promotion systems and remunerations for public officials need to be addressed urgently. Reforming existing organizational structures and changing officials' attitudes towards change are essential. The increasing public awareness of the potential of IT services enhancing the quality and timeliness of the public service is essential.

Qualitative analysis of the care of children in hospital in four countries : part 1

As part of a large study of the care of children in Australian, British, Indonesian, and Thai hospitals, qualitative methods were used to examine differences influenced by culture. Two groups were surveyed: parents of hospitalized children, and staff caring for them. Vignettes were used to invoke discussion, and content analysis was used to examine the data. Subjects were interviewed singly, or in focus groups. These interviews were audiotaped and transcribed verbatim. The data were explored by using content analysis to extract themes of understanding of cultural experiences. This article is the first of a two-part series, and includes a review of the literature, description of the methods used, and results of the parents' interviews. The staff results and discussion will be published in Part 2. Analysis revealed that parents in all countries were primarily concerned with treating the child's illness and the child's recovery. Parents were concerned with their work (employment), but this was a much larger consideration in Indonesia and Thailand, where no social security systems exist, than in Australia and Britain. Communication with staff was the most commonly mentioned theme for parents, indicating that irrespective of the culture in which the care was given, good communication between parents and staff was of paramount importance.

Issues concerning the on-going care of patients with comorbidities in acute care and post-discharge in Australia: a literature review

Issues concerning the on-going care of patients with comorbidities in acute care and post-discharge in Australia: a literature review

Background. Advances in medical science and improved lifestyles have reduced mortality rates in Australia and most western countries. This has resulted in an ageing population with a concomitant growth in the number of people who are living with chronic illnesses. Indeed a significant number of younger people experience more than one chronic illness. Large numbers of these may require repeated admissions to hospital for acute or episodic care that is superimposed upon the needs of their chronic conditions.

Aim. To explore the issues that circumscribe the complexities of caring for people with concurrent chronic illnesses, or comorbidities, in the acute care setting and postdischarge.

Methods. A literature review to examine the issues that impact upon the provision of comprehensive care to patients with comorbidities in the acute care setting and postdischarge.

Findings. Few studies have investigated this subject. From an Australian perspective, it is evident that the structure of the current health care environment has made it difficult to meet the needs of patients with comorbidities in the acute care setting and postdischarge. This is of major concern for nurses attempting to provide comprehensive care to an increasingly prevalent group of chronically ill people.

Conclusion. Further research is necessary to explore how episodic care is integrated into the on-going management of patients with comorbidities and how nurse clinicians can better use an episode of acute illness as an opportunity to review their overall management.

Soil erosion in developing countries: a socio-economic appraisal

Soil erosion is the single most important environmental degradation problem in the developing world. Despite the plethora of literature that exists on the incidence, causes and impacts of soil erosion, a concrete understanding of this complex problem is lacking. This paper examines the soil erosion problem in developing countries in order to understand the complex inter-relationships between population pressure, poverty and environmental-institutional dynamics. Two recent theoretical developments, namely Boserup's theory on population pressure, poverty and soil erosion and Lopez's theory on environmental and institutional dynamics have been reviewed. The analysis reveals that negative impacts of technical change, inappropriate government policies and poor institutions are largely responsible for the continued soil erosion in developing countries. On the other hand, potential for market-based approaches to mitigate the problem is also low due to the negative externalities involved. A deeper appreciation of institutional and environmental dynamics and policy reforms to strengthen weak institutions may help mitigate the problem.

New world orders in contemporary children's literature : utopian transformations

"New World Orders shows how texts for children and young people have responded to the cultural, economic, and political movements of the last 15 years. With a focus on international children's text produced between 1988 and 2006, the authors discuss how utopian and dystopian tropes are pressed into service to project possible futures to child readers. The book considers what these texts have to say about globalisation, neocolonialism, environmental issues, pressures on families and communities, and the idea of the posthuman."--BOOK JACKET.

Common trends and common cycles in per capita GDP : the case of the G7 Countries, 1870-2001

In this paper we analyze per capita incomes of the G7 countries using the common cycles test developed by Vahid and Engle (Journal of Applied Econometrics, 8:341–360, 1993) and extended by Hecq et al. (Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, 62:511–532, 2000; Econometric Reviews, 21:273–307, 2002) and the common trend test developed by Johansen (Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, 12:231–254, 1988). Our main contribution is that we impose the common cycle and common trend restrictions in decomposing the innovations into permanent and transitory components. Our main finding is permanent shocks explain the bulk of the variations in incomes for the G7 countries over short time horizons, and is in sharp contrast to the bulk of the recent literature. We attribute this to the greater forecasting accuracy achieved, which we later confirm through performing a post sample forecasting exercise, from the variance decomposition analysis.