Macro-conditions and immigrants' happiness: Is moving to a wealthy country all that matters?

Migrants look for a better life. In what kind of country will they live happiest? Many migrants aspire to move to wealthy countries, but non-economic factors might be important as well in making a country livable for migrants. This issue is addressed here by examining the impact of macroeconomic conditions and non-economic macro-conditions (good governance and a pleasant social climate) on immigrants' happiness in twenty European nations. We find that immigrants' happiness depends both on economic and non-economic macro-conditions. The social climate is especially important, particularly in terms of a positive attitude in society towards migrants. Our findings imply that the choice of destination country matters for migrants’ happiness and that the discrepancy between migration motives and migration outcomes may constrain immigrants from maximizing subjective gains via migration.     

Stretching the borders: how international business travel affects the work–family balance

This study examined the consequences of international business travel for the balance between work–family domains by exploring how international business travellers and travellers’ partners manage the boundaries between work and family in order to maintain the balance. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used in analysing the semi-structured interviews of 10 male travellers and 10 partners. Because of its irregular nature, international business travel affects the personal life and the family of business travellers. Work-related travel also has an impact on how travellers and their partners construct, manage and negotiate borders between work and family in order to avoid an imbalance between these domains. Integration of work and family is usually inevitable in international business traveler families. Integration may lead to role blurring and thus lead to imbalance.     

Diabetes education program for people with type 2 diabetes: An international perspective

BackgroundIn the Palestinian community, lifestyle changes, rapid urbanization and socioeconomic development, stress, smoking, and changes in food habits has increased the risk of non-communicable diseases especially diabetes mellitus. Diabetes complications can be prevented if the glycemic status of patients with diabetes is maintained within a nearly normal range. Therefore, patient education is critical in controlling blood glucose levels within the normal range.ObjectiveThis study aimed at measuring the effect of diabetes educational intervention program for patients suffering from type 2 diabetes attending the Diabetes Clinic in Tulkarim Directorate of Health.MethodsA short duration observational study involving pre- and post-test educational intervention program was carried out on a relatively small number of type 2 diabetes patients at the Diabetes Clinic in Tulkarim Directorate of Health. In total, 215 patients attended a group-based 4 h educational intervention session about diabetes. The program included explaining diabetes mellitus-symptoms, risk factors, types, treatment and complications and main aspects of self-care of the disease (foot care, eye care, and blood glucose monitoring), main aspects of dietary management, weight reduction, blood pressure, smoking cessation, periodic investigations, home monitoring and importance of physical activity. Knowledge evaluation questionnaire were evaluated pre- and post-study. Anthropometric measurements such as body weight (WT), body mass index (BMI) and laboratory tests such as fasting blood glucose (FBG), hemoglobin A1C (HbA1c), cholesterol (Chol), and triglycerides (TG) were measured both at the beginning and at the end of the study. Significance of the results was assessed by paired t-test at 95% confidence interval.ResultsThe participant’s mean age was 51.07 that ranged between 31 and 70 years. For a total of 215 participants, 41.4% were males and 58.6% were females. The mean weight before educational intervention was 80.81 ± 14.95 kg (82.6 kg for males and 79.5 kg for females) that decreased to 78.9 ± 14.33 kg (81.1 kg for males and 77.3 kg for females) after educational intervention program. The BMI also decreased significantly after educational intervention. The mean fasting blood sugar was 188.65 ± 71.45 mg/dL before educational intervention that decreased to 177.7 ± 66.11 mg/dL after the educational intervention (p = 0.049). The mean glycosylated hemoglobin was 8.57 ± 1.21 before educational intervention that decreased to 7.95 ± 1.42 after educational intervention. The mean value of cholesterol before educational intervention was 183.27 ± 37.74 mg/dL that decreased to 169.57 ± 34.23 mg/dL after educational intervention. The mean triglycerides value decreased after educational intervention from 209.85 ± 171.04 mg/dL to 183.28 ± 152.4 mg/dL (p = 0.025). The mean score of knowledge questionnaire before educational intervention was 60.6 ± 20.65 that increased to 78.1 ± 13.4 after conducting educational intervention.ConclusionsDiabetes education was found to be effective on BMI, FBG, HbA1c, Chol, TG, and knowledge.RecommendationsDiabetes education is a cornerstone in the management and care of diabetes and should be an integral part of health planning involving patient’s family, diabetes care team, community, and decision makers in the education process.     

20世纪70年代后中美关系发展模式研究

文章分析了近三十多年的中美关系发展的历程,从中归纳出中美关系的发展大约遵循着合作(大起)、对立(大落)和妥协这一互相交错和在反复循环中前进的模式,进而从中美两国外交思想方面对之进行分析,并从国际预期理论方面进行探究,从而验证了中美关系这一发展模式.     

国际货币基金组织与世界银行之比较研究

国际货币基金组织和世界银行是全球举足轻重的国际组织,两者在许多方面存在异同。本文从历史沿革、宗旨、组织机构、资金来源、业务领域和贷款程序六个层面对二者进行了比较。     

Shared learning on an international clinical placement: Promoting symbiotic midwifery practice knowledge

AimThe aim of this study was to explore the experiences of shared learning between Australian and Balinese midwifery students during a two-week clinical placement in Bali Indonesia.BackgroundCultural safety in midwifery is a key concept that is underpinned by the provision of holistic quality midwifery care to all women. Therefore, culturally safe midwifery care identifies, protects and promotes women’s individual cultures and is a key concept that is fostered in midwifery education. To educate culturally safe midwives, international placements to resource limited countries have become more common within midwifery education programs.MethodsThis study used a qualitative research design with a convenience sampling design. The participants were enrolled in midwifery courses in a University in the Northern Territory of Australia (n = 9), a Balinese private midwifery school (n = 4) and a Balinese public midwifery school (n = 4). Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data.FindingsThe findings were categorised into major themes under the headings of “Learning together despite differences”; “Cultural differences”, “Communication, Resources”, and “Recommendations for future placements”.ConclusionThis study provides a valuable insight into how shared learning increases students’ midwifery knowledge and is fundamental in understanding cultural differences that could be applied to students’ clinical midwifery practice.     

Enduring not enjoying? Emotional responses to studying abroad among Danish and Chinese students

ABSTRACT

Students’ emotions during stays abroad have mainly been treated as ”culture shock”, where difficulties are interpreted as universal ”stages” towards ”adaptation”. This paper explores how students from different cultural and educational traditions experience studying abroad differently. The study presents a qualitative study of 18 Danish and Chinese students in Chinese and Danish universities and situates itself within the literature on culture shock, student emotions and study-abroad experiences. The study exposes the students’ complex emotions throughout their studies abroad and explains how these emotions relate to processes of self-formation, professional and academic development, increase or decrease in freedom, and student agency.     

International Organisations and the Politics of Migration

The last two decades have seen major shifts in the way international organisations (IOs) address migration. While state sovereignty remains central in the politics of migration, IOs are increasingly developing their visions regarding how the cross-border movements of people should be governed (or ‘managed’) and, in some cases, they have become important actors in the design and implementation of migration policy. Research on the role and functions of IOs remains scarce, however, and there are major uncertainties, concerning not only their actual influence, but also the political context in which they operate and the outcome of their initiatives. According to their advocates, the involvement of IOs would enable greater international cooperation, which would lead to policies that pay greater attention to human rights and development imperatives. Yet, at times, interventions by IOs seem to reinforce existing imbalances, as these organisations primarily tend to align themselves with the interests and agenda of developed receiving states. In addition, the work of IOs is embedded in a complex institutional setting, characterised by sometimes-problematic institutional relations between them, as well as between IOs and other international cooperation mechanisms.     

The Politics and Discourse of Migrant Return: The Role of UNHCR and IOM in the Governance of Return

This article proposes that there is added value in moving beyond isolated studies of return-related migration policies in order to consider both deportations and so-called assisted voluntary returns under the common heading of ‘state-induced returns’. Based on official documents and interviews with staff members of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the International Organisation for Migration, it argues that international actors working in the field of migrant return engage in a type of task-sharing that goes beyond functional complementariness. With regard to the return of rejected asylum seekers, for instance, they legitimise each other's engagement as well as the overarching return objectives of governments, and are, therefore, involved in norm-building regarding the acceptability of state-induced returns. In addition to setting certain minimum standards regarding states' treatment of their immigrant population, international actors assist states in upholding control over them. Rather than merely replacing state-led regulation, international actors thus support domestic governments in reaching their migration control objectives, and thereby contribute to a stabilisation of state sovereignty in the governance of migration.     

中国文化对外传播效果研究——对5国16所孔子学院的调查

本文通过对美国、日本、俄罗斯、泰国、黎巴嫩5个国家16所孔子学院的调查发现:当前孔子学院在全球范围内取得了一定的传播效果;但不同层次的中国文化传播效果存在较大差异;中国文化在不同文化圈层,尤其是儒家文化圈层和非儒家文化圈层中的传播效果有很大不同;国与国之间也存在较大差异.本文提出,针对非儒家文化国家,要让中国的物质文化先走出去,行为文化、精神文化可暂时缓行.