Dementia Problem Behavior and the Production of Informal Caregiving Services

Informal caregivers of individuals with Alzheimer's disease spend a considerable amount of time providing care. In this paper, we use Grossman's health production and Becker's time allocation models to develop a model of informal care provision to elderly dementia patients. In our model, time inputs produce caregiving services, which provides utility to the caregiver, but reduces leisure. We assume that time is less productive of services on the margin as the disease progresses. In this framework, an increase in patients' disease severity does not necessarily increase informal caregiver time input. The cost of formal care establishes a reservation price for informal caregiving. When the costs of informal caregiving rise above this reservation level, the patient is institutionalized. We test empirically the effect of deterioration in the patients' condition, proxied by both disease severity and dementia problem behavior, on informal caregiving time. We find that dementia-related problem behaviors and functional limitations significantly increase inputs of informal caregiving time. Patients' problem behavior exerts a modifying effect on functional limitations, and patients' comorbidities have no effect on informal caregiving time.     

The use of GIS in informal settlement upgrading: its role and impact on the community and on local government

The Urban Geographical Information Systems (GIS) Group within the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Cape Town has been coordinating a pilot informal settlement upgrading in Cape Town since 1998. The project objective has been the evolution of a model-based approach to informal settlement upgrading that is both structured and replicable. It was felt that the only way this could be achieved was through the use of a spatial data management system operated through a GIS system. The spatial database has been used for all facets of data collection and data process and forms the basis for all decision-making. Thus it covers all physical data pertaining to the site, cadastral and shack data, demographic and socio-economic data (with an in-depth review of every household) economic opportunities and physical planning and design data. The result is a comprehensive, integrated, settlement upgrading methodology that is built upon a GIS-based spatial data management framework. Such a framework is seen as the basic building block for large-scale informal settlement upgrading.     

Informal Caregiving at Working Age: Effects of Job Characteristics and Family Configuration

This article addresses the relationship between employment and providing informal care for sick, disabled, or elderly people in Great Britain. Hazard rate models for taking up caring and leaving work when caring are estimated using retrospective family, employment, and caring data from the British Family and Working Lives Survey 1994 – 1995 for 9,139 British men and women. Family roles but not employment characteristics were relevant for men and women taking up caring. Being in a lower social class was, however, an important predictor of female carers leaving the labor market. Starting caring and quitting the labor market were not affected by women working part time, nor by most aspects of job flexibility that were considered.     

图书馆与非正式交流过程信息资源建设

在网络环境下,将非正式交流渠道信息纳入图书馆馆藏建设体系对科学交流和图书馆而言是一个双赢的过程。图书馆应将会议相关信息与预印本服务系统等非正式交流过程信息资源纳入其资源建设范畴。     

撒拉族习惯法规范的当代运行

以禁忌为核心的习惯法依然是当代撒拉族社会的基本行为范式,特别在解决纠纷、维护社会秩序等领域具有主导性和相当的可持续性。同时,作为一种非正式制度,在国家法制一统的背景下,撒拉族习惯法体现了通过谋求与国家法的契合而寻求正式制度支持的趋势。     

从杂税加征视角论清代财政非正式制度的表现

杂税是清代财政结构中的传统项目,多以定额征收。清代前期杂税虽遍征于全国,但相较于其他传统赋税项目如田赋、盐税及常关税来说,杂税征收数额过低。在这一阶段,杂税虽在财政吃紧状况下有过临时性加征的情况,但总体来说杂税在财政体系中并不占据重要地位。然而,自咸丰军兴伊始,随着内忧外患不断加剧,清政府的财政危机也日益加深。为应付异常严峻的财政状况,清代传统赋税项目被不同程度地加征,杂税也在其中。然而因清代赋税深受“原额主义”限制,故田赋虽是清代的大宗赋税,其加征空间却受限,不能满足日益扩大的财政需求。在“原额主义”制约下,杂税也难以实现在全国范围内进行统一的大幅度加征。为缓解巨大的财政压力,清政府选择将赋税摊派至地方,各省只得征收经制外赋税以平衡财政需求。因此清代后期于杂税之外另征杂捐。随着赋税压力的增大,杂捐的数量也呈现井喷式增长。杂捐虽是清代传统经制外的赋税项目,但这一杂税的衍生物却对杂税总额的提升大有裨益。由此,杂税在清代财政体系中的重要性也日益显现,成为清代后期重要的税收项目。文章力图通过梳理清代常规赋税因受“原额主义”限制而无法大幅加征时,清政府为应对财政危机借助加征经制外赋税的办法来提...     

非正式交流机制与产业集群创新能力

本文通过对非正式交流与集群关系的阐述,说明了非正式交流在集群创新过程中重要而独特的作用,并且通过实证研究和卡方测验等分析工具证实研究了非正式交流机制在产业集群创新中的作用。     

我国农村非正规金融与农民收入关系研究

理论上认为农村非正规金融的存在有利于融资效率的提高,但是否有利于农民增收,经验研究结果不一.笔者在农村资金来源中的自筹资金和其他资金大部分来源于非正规金融的假定下,构建面板数据回归模型发现:国内贷款和外资对我国农民收入的影响不显著,但非正规金融和国家预算资金的影响统计上是非常显著的,并且各地区的地区性因素对农民收入的影响差异很大.     

非正式制度:乡村振兴制度建设的应有范畴

正式制度与非正式制度都是协调行为的重要规范,两者是相互配合的关系。决定规范是正式制度还是非正式制度实现形式的是投入的边际社会收益。乡土社会人与人之间关系的维系依赖的是非正式制度,因此乡村振兴战略的实施不仅需要正式制度,还需要意识形态、价值观念与乡土文化、风俗乡规、伦理道德等非正式制度。为推进非正式制度建设,助力乡村振兴,需要发挥意识形态的引领作用,做好政策的宣传与教育;寻找"乡土基因",实现乡村文化振兴与乡村振兴的"共振";借鉴风俗乡规,实现乡村善治;发挥伦理道德的作用,促进乡风文明建设。     

西藏非正式制度对诱致性制度变迁方式的影响

西藏和平解放后,经济发展呈现出独特的非典型的二元结构,其主要原因在于藏传佛教传统观念、习俗等非正式制度的影响。诱致性制度变迁缺乏初级行动主体,信众财富积累异化。要实现西藏经济的腾飞,必须对藏传佛教进行适应性改革,并且加大教育投资力度,弥补人才匮乏。