Is the Pro-Poor Premium Exemption Policy of Ghana’s NHIS Reducing Disparities Among the Elderly?

Under the act that established the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), persons 70 years of age or above are automatically enrolled in the scheme and therefore can access health services free at the point of use. This suggests that the elderly who are unable to afford the premiums of private health insurance can enrol in the NHIS thereby eliminating the possibility of disparities in health insurance coverage. Notwithstanding, few studies have examined health insurance coverage among the elderly in Ghana. The lack of studies on the elderly in Ghana may be due to limited data on this important demographic group. Using data from the Study on Global Ageing and Health and applying logit models, this paper investigates whether the pro-poor exemption policy is eliminating disparities among the elderly aged 70 years and older. The results show that disparities in insurance coverage among the elderly are based on respondents’ socio-economic circumstances, mainly their wealth status. The study underscores the need for eliminating health access disparities among the elderly and suggests that the current premium exemptions alone may not be the solution to eliminating disparities in health insurance coverage among the elderly.     

Strengthening “Reflective Practice” Within Angolan Civil Society Organizations

This paper reviews the history and capacity development challenges of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in Angola. Based on assessments and findings retrieved during the implementation of the United Nations Development Programme’s (UNDP) “Support to Civic Education Project,” a capacity development approach will be proposed that facilitates skills development, discovery learning, and self-appropriation of Angolan CSO staff to become effective contributors to economic, human, and social reconstruction.     

The Challenge of Agricultural Sustainability for Asia and Europe

It is expected that climate change (CC), growing population, increasing urbanization and improving living standards are amongst the major drivers influencing future agricultural development needs. Under conventional agricultural systems, the main sources of growth in crop production are well known. Beyond suffering its consequences, agriculture has been shown to act as a driver of CC, primarily through the production and release of about 15% of the atmospheric greenhouse gases but also by altering the resilience of the agro-ecosystems. The main criterion for the production systems called conservation agriculture (CA) is the provision of an optimum environment in the root-zone to maximum possible depth. Under CA the water-holding capacity of the soil increases, and water losses are reduced. CA combined with other complementary techniques can also help reduce the emissions for methane and nitrous oxides and at the same time it can improve rural and socio-economic development.     

Suburban Sprawl,Regional Diffusion,and the Fate of Small Retailers in a Large Retail Environment, 1977–1996

Abstract

Research on the decline of public life in the United States has largely overlooked the role of Main Street retailers that provide public spaces for the maintenance of informal social ties. A central factor shaping the viability of small retailers is the development of big box chain stores that offer one-stop shopping and price out smaller competitors. Although prior studies have considered the transition from small to large retailers as a national phenomenon, arguing for the importance of place effects, we document the spatial variation in this process for nonmetropolitan counties in the United States. We hypothesize that the economic downturns in agriculture and manufacturing during the 1980s, combined with suburban sprawl into nonmetropolitan counties, facilitated the decline of small retailing in specific locales. Employing data from the 1977–1996 U.S. County Business Patterns, we test our hypotheses concerning the spatial variability in the decline of small retailing. Our results point to a marked decline in the number of establishments and employment in selected retail industries for nonmetropolitan counties near metropolitan areas in the South, Midwest, and West. These findings highlight the importance of considering local business enterprises as an important dimension of public life and local leadership in community affairs. We conclude our study by outlining the social consequences of the decline of small retail activity and suggest directions for future research.     

Linear models and convex geometry: aspects of non-negative variance estimation 1

Geometric aspects of linear model theory are surveyed as they bear on mean estimation, or variance covariance component estimation. It is outlined that notions associated with linear subspaces suffice for those of the customary procedures which are solely based on linear, or multilinear algebra. While conceptually simple, these methods do not always respect convexity constraints which naturally arise in variance component estimation.

Previous work on negative estimates of variance is reviewed, followed by a more detailed study of the non-negative definite analogue of the MINQUE procedure. Some characterizations are proposed which are based on convex duality theory. Optimal estimators now correspond to (non-linear) projections onto closed convex cones, they are easy to visualise, but hard to compute. No ultimate solution can be recommended, instead the paper concludes with a list of open problems.     

Nonmaternal Care's Association With Mother's Parenting Sensitivity: A Case of Self‐Selection Bias?

Although attachment theory posits that the use of nonmaternal care undermines quality of mothers' parenting, empirical evidence for this link is inconclusive. Using data from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (N = 1,233), the authors examined the associations between nonmaternal care characteristics and maternal sensitivity during the first 3 years of children's lives, with special attention to selection effects and moderation by resource levels. Findings from fixed‐effects regression models suggested that, on average, there is little relationship between nonmaternal care characteristics and maternal sensitivity, once selection factors are held constant. Some evidence of moderation effects was found, however. Excellent‐quality care is related to more sensitivity for mothers with lower family income. Poor‐quality care is related to lower sensitivity for single mothers, but not partnered mothers. In sum, nonmaternal care characteristics do not seem to have as much influence on mothers' parenting as attachment theory claims.     

Distal and Proximal Influences on the Risk of Extramarital Sex: A Prospective Study of Longer Duration Marriages

Previous models of the risk of extramarital sex (EMS) rely largely on cross-section samples and retrospective reporting. This may well conflate causes with consequences of EMS in the same model. Instead, this study employs panel data with an event-history approach to re-assess the influences on the risk of EMS. The sample consists of 1,270 married respondents, with no prior history of EMS, who were followed up in five subsequent surveys spanning a 20-year period. The quality of the conjugal bond emerged as a paramount influence on the outcome. The hazard of EMS was higher for respondents who had ever experienced a trial separation, reported marital violence, scored higher on a marital instability index, or spent less time in activities with the spouse. The risk of EMS was lower the longer respondents had been married at baseline, the longer the duration since baseline, and the greater the respondent's religiosity.     

Factor Structure of the Adolescent Clinical Sexual Behavior Inventory

ABSTRACT

An inability to identify betrayal may increase risk for victimization. Harm perpetrated by close others early in life may impair the ability to identify betrayal and develop trust. Dissociation may facilitate impaired betrayal awareness. The present study examined the impact of high betrayal trauma on state dissociation and betrayal awareness in a college sample (N = 216). Self-report measures were used to assess trauma history and state dissociation. Awareness for betrayal was measured using a drawing depicting an ambiguous interpersonal interaction between an adult and a child. We hypothesized that high betrayal trauma would be associated with both more state dissociation and lower awareness for betrayal. Participants with histories of high betrayal trauma reported high levels of state dissociation. Contrary to our second hypothesis, high betrayal trauma did not directly predict impaired betrayal awareness. State dissociation contributed significantly to betrayal awareness. Implications of findings for theory and practice are discussed.     

HIGHLY INTERACTIVE TUTORIAL DISTANCE LEARNING

This commentary argues for a new perspective on distance education - one that is based on advances in interactive learning, rather than one-way delivery that is encouraged too often by the design of web-based courses. Tutorial approaches to education are highly effective and new media can bring critical aspects of tutorial approaches to more students than ever before possible.