Analysis of cost effectiveness of screening Danish men aged 65 for abdominal aortic aneurysm

Objective To assess the cost effectiveness of screening men aged 65 for abdominal aortic aneurysm

Is population screening for abdominal aortic aneurysm cost-effective?

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is responsible for 1–2% of all male deaths over the age of 65 years. Early detection of AAA and elective surgery can reduce the mortality risk associated with AAA. However, many patients will not be diagnosed with AAA and have therefore an increased death risk due to the untreated AAA. It has been suggested that population screening for AAA in elderly males is effective and cost-effective. The purpose of this study was to perform a systematic review of published cost-effectiveness analyses of screening elderly men for AAA.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We performed a systematic search for economic evaluations in NHSEED, EconLit, Medline, Cochrane, Embase, Cinahl and two Scandinavian HTA data bases (DACEHTA and SBU). All identified studies were read in full and each study was systematically assessed according to international guidelines for critical assessment of economic evaluations in health care.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The search identified 16 cost-effectiveness studies. Most studies considered only short term cost consequences. The studies seemed to employ a number of "optimistic" assumptions in favour of AAA screening, and included only few sensitivity analyses that assessed less optimistic assumptions.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Further analyses of cost-effectiveness of AAA screening are recommended.</p

Replication Data for: How state capacity helps autocrats win elections

Research has highlighted the role of the state in sustaining authoritarian regimes. But how does state capacity support autocrats during elections? I argue that one specific aspect of state capacity – control over territory through the state apparatus – helps autocrats ensure large majority electoral victories. High-capacity rulers can rely on local agents and institutions to subtly manipulate elections for instance by controlling the media or inhibiting the work of domestic election monitors throughout the territory while staying clear of costly manipulation such as election violence. In cross-national analyses of authoritarian multiparty elections from 1946 to 2017, I find that state territorial control increases the likelihood of large victories. Furthermore, high levels of state control correlate with subtle strategies of manipulation, including media bias and restrictions on domestic monitors – strategies that are also positively associated with large victories. At the same time, state control is negatively associated with election violence

Messages matter: how voter education campaigns affect citizens’ willingness to vote for women

Governments and organizations around the world pour money into campaigns designed to increase female political representation, including voter education campaigns. But do such campaigns promote women in politics? We argue that where single-member district contests and clientelism incentivize voters to support viable candidates - who are both likely to get elected and to perform well once in office - information about discrimination against women can undercut support for women in elections. Instead, messages that stress women candidates’ electoral viability and political successes are more effective. We work with one of the longest-running voter education campaigns, Malawi’s 50:50 campaign, to combine randomized exposure to campaign videos with a conjoint experiment and text analysis of respondents’ answers to open-ended questions. We find that exposure to a campaign message makes participants more willing to vote for a woman. But, in line with our argument, a campaign message that includes information about the progress of women in politics has a stronger positive effect than one that discloses information about discrimination against women candidates