PARTIAL TAX HARMONIZATION THROUGH INFRASTRUCTURE COORDINATION

In this article, we analyze the role of infrastructure coordination in facilitating partial tax harmonization within a coalition of asymmetric jurisdictions. Two main results are obtained. First, productivity asymmetries represent a serious handicap for partial tax harmonization that can be remedied by coordinating nontax instruments when they allow to reduce these asymmetries. Second, infrastructure coordination through the choice of a common investment level is particularly indicated when asymmetries between potential members of a tax coalition are large. The current usage of European Union (EU) structural funds orientated to reduce regional infrastructure deficits is therefore suitable to facilitate tax harmonization within the EU. (JEL H87, H54, H21)     

The state of sexual health services at U.S. Colleges and Universities

Objective: To describe the array of sexual health care services provided at US colleges and universities. Participants: During 2014–2015, 885 colleges were surveyed about their provision of sexual health services. Methods: 55% of colleges responded. Data were weighted and stratified by minority-serving institutions (MSIs), 2-year and 4-year institutions. Results: 70.6% of colleges reported having a health center (HC), of which 73.0% offered STI diagnosis/treatment (4 years vs. 2 years; 77.9% vs. 53.1%) and contraceptive services (70.1% vs. 46.4%), all p < .001. HCs less frequently offered LARC (19.7%), express STI testing (24.4%) and self-collection (31.4%). Condoms were available on 66.8% of campuses. HPV vaccination was available at more 4-year colleges (73.7% vs. 48.5%, p < .003) and non-MSIs (74.4% vs. 58.5, p = .019). Regarding MSM-targeted services, 54.6% offered pharyngeal and 51.8% rectal STI testing. Conclusions: 2-year colleges may require additional support with providing sexual health care. Improvements could entail increasing express testing, extra-genital STI testing, and LARC.     

Measuring Fidelity in Research Studies: A Field Guide to Developing a Comprehensive Fidelity Measurement System

An accurate assessment of fidelity, combined with a high degree of fidelity to the intervention, is critical to the reliability, validity, replicability, and scale-up of the results of an intervention research study. However, extant measures of fidelity are infrequently applicable to the program or intervention being studied, and the literature lacks guidance on the specific process of developing a system to measure fidelity in a manualized intervention. This article describes a five-step process to define the scope, identify components, develop tools, monitor fidelity, and analyze outcomes to develop a comprehensive fidelity measurement system for an intervention. The process describes the components, measures and key decisions that form a comprehensive fidelity measurement system. In addition, the process is illustrated by a case study of the development of a fidelity measurement system for a research study testing Pathways Triple P, a behavioral parent-training program, with a population of child welfare-involved families. Pathways Triple P is a common, manualized intervention and the process described in this article can be generalized to other manualized interventions. The implications and requirements for accurately assessing and monitoring fidelity in research studies and practice are discussed.     

The Pyramid of Nonprofit Responsibility: The Institutionalization of Organizational Responsibility Across Sectors

Observers have noted that organizations in all sectors, whether business, nonprofit, or government, have been moving toward rationalized structures that presuppose and express empowered organizational actorhood. We draw upon neo-institutional theory in this paper to extend the argument: The arrival of organizational actorhood has precipitated a concomitant, cross-sectoral movement toward organizational social responsibility. Whereas existing research has tended to theorize the social responsibilities of businesses, we develop a pyramid conceptual schema to array the social responsibilities of nonprofits. We then document the coevolution of organizational actorhood and responsibility across both sectors with a metastudy of nearly 200 extant surveys. We chart the institutionalization of a slate of formal structures that express organizational actorhood (i.e., mission statements, vision statements, and strategic plans) and that profess and define organizational social responsibilities (i.e., core values, ethics codes, and responsibility communications). We close with implications and future directions for organizational studies and research on corporate social responsibility.     

Honorary Authorship Practices in Environmental Science Teams: Structural and Cultural Factors and Solutions

Overinclusive authorship practices such as honorary or guest authorship have been widely reported, and they appear to be exacerbated by the rise of large interdisciplinary collaborations that make authorship decisions particularly complex. Although many studies have reported on the frequency of honorary authorship and potential solutions to it, few have probed how the underlying dynamics of large interdisciplinary teams contribute to the problem. This article reports on a qualitative study of the authorship standards and practices of six National Science Foundation-funded interdisciplinary environmental science teams. Using interviews of the lead principal investigator and an early-career member on each team, our study explores the nature of honorary authorship practices as well as some of the motivating factors that may contribute to these practices. These factors include both structural elements (policies and procedures) and cultural elements (values and norms) that cross organizational boundaries. Therefore, we provide recommendations that address the intersection of these factors and that can be applied at multiple organizational levels.     

End-of-Life Conversations and Hospice Placement: Association with Less Aggressive Care Desired in the Nursing Home

Education about end-of-life care and treatment options, communication between family and health care providers, and having advance directives and medical orders in place are important for older adults with chronic, progressive decline and end-stage disease who spend their last days in the nursing home. This study used retrospective data (6 months before death) of long-stay nursing home decedents (N?=?300) taken from electronic health records to capture the end-of-life experience. Findings showed for almost all decedents, Do Not Resuscitate and Do Not Intubate orders were in place, and just over one-half had Do Not Hospitalize and No Artificial Feeding orders in place. A small proportion had No Artificial Hydration or No Antibiotic orders in place. Overall, there was congruence between documented medical orders and treatment received. Findings showed that use of hospice and discussions about particular life-sustaining treatments each had significant associations with having less aggressive medical orders in place. These results can inform best practice development to promote high quality, person-directed, end-of-life care for nursing home residents.     

Correction to: Disparities in Healthcare Utilization Among Adults with Obesity in the United States,Findings from the NHIS: 2006–2015

Population Research and Policy Review - In the original publication of the article the Table&nbsp;1 header has been switched. The corrected Table is provided in this correction article.     

Divorce in Hong Kong SAR, 1999–2011: A Review of 1,208 Family Court Cases

Divorce has increased dramatically in Hong Kong and elsewhere in Asia since the 2000s, whereas the West has seen a decline, suggesting there are factors specific to Hong Kong relating to divorce. This study examined a random sample of 1,208 divorce cases from the Hong Kong Family Court between 1999 and 2011. These marriages lasted 11 to 12 years on average, and most divorces occurred between the 5th and 7th years of marriage. Couples with a divorce history had a higher divorce risk, regardless of whether they had children, and predivorce marriage duration was positively associated with the number of children. The grounds cited for divorce indicate a shift toward no-fault divorce. Most petitioners were women, and mothers were generally granted child custody. Cross-border marriages and remarriages accounted for about one third of divorces, reflecting the impacts of differing sociocultural backgrounds and divorce history. The study’s implications for policymaking and service provision are discussed.     

A cross-country comparison of alcohol,tobacco, and marijuana use among youth who are employed,in school or out of the labor force and school (OLFS)

Labor force and school attachment may influence alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana use in the US and Canada. Differences in social welfare provision, which provide protections for individuals with insecure attachments to the labor force or education, may in turn impact the behavior and health of youth in these countries. Yet, there is little research to understand the health consequences for youth of being out of the labor force and school (OLFS). Data of 25–29 year old participants of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (year 2010) and the Canadian Community Health Survey (2009–2010) were used to examine differences in substance use by labor force and school attachment. Logistic regression suggests that OLFS in the US and Canada were less likely to report alcohol uptake and more likely to use tobacco compared to employed youth. Unemployment was differentially associated with substance use behaviors by country. Country of residence and subsequent exposure to social welfare policy does not appear to impact substance use behaviors among OLFS. However, associations of unemployment and gender by country indicates differences in substance use behavior. More research should seek to understand factors that influence alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana use among OLFS and unemployed youth.     

Oil Tourism: Disasters and Destinations in Ecuador and the Philippines*

This article examines the links between the petroleum and tourism industries by analyzing how an oil disaster, whether actual or perceived, may attract nature‐based tourism interests. To better understand the role of communities, local governments and/or the media in establishing links between the petroleum and tourism industries, this article explores how the construction of an oil pipeline in Ecuador and an oil spill in the Philippines created opportunities for tourism. Each case contributes to our understanding of how an oil disaster supports nature‐based tourism and how both industries supply a resource or an experience to nonlocal consumers, while converging to alter local communities, economies, and ecosystems. Indeed, tourism investments following a disaster may become a sideshow to the disaster that shifts attention from the disaster to participation in new economic opportunities. In addition, tourism may represent ecological alterations, which are more subtle, yet as damaging, as an oil disaster. The proposed model is then applied to two additional cases, the Exxon Valdez oil spill and Hurricane Katrina, to test its use in understanding other postdisaster developments.