Foreign Direct Investment and Economic Growth: New Evidence from Post-Socialist Transition Countries

In this article, we revisit classic sociological debates regarding the growth effects of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). First, we identify a series of theoretical and empirical issues that halted sociological research on the developmental consequences of FDI. Second, we illustrate that post-socialist transition (PST) provides a historically novel opportunity to reinvigorate the debate. These countries experienced rapid industrialization but nearly zero FDI under socialism, and we can therefore observe changes in output as FDI accumulates in real time and effectively control for alternative sources of underdevelopment that might otherwise become conflated with FDI. We then estimate growth models that correct for biases owing to country- and period-specific heterogeneity and endogeneity in the FDI→ growth link. Our results suggest that FDI penetration reduces economic growth in the short and long term, and are robust to alternative choices of measurement and econometric specification. We conclude by implicating these findings in debates about post-socialist transition and economic growth, and by posing questions for future research. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. All rights reserved

Differences between self-reported and electronically monitored adherence among patients receiving antiretroviral therapy in a resource-limited setting

Measurement of adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) by patient self-report is common in resource-limited settings but widely believed to overstate actual adherence. The extent to which these measures overstate adherence has not been examined among a large patient population

Mobile Graphic-based Communication: Investigating Reminder Notifications to Support Tuberculosis Treatment in Africa

Visual communication is a method of communication using visual elements, which is suggested to be more effective than text or voice, and has the additional advantage that it, can also be used by who are unable to read. In this paper, the findings of a user requirements study, which was conducted at MnaziMmoja Hospital in Zanzibar, are presented. In a cross-sectional study, twenty nine people including TB patients and TB Health care workers were interviewed. The findings show that participants agreed that the use of mobile graphic-based communications could support TB patients in their treatment. The contribution of this work is the process to investigate and develop a new mobile graphic-based application for push notification services that are literacy-level and language agnostic

Developing a mHealth intervention to promote uptake of HIV testing among African communities in the UK: a qualitative study

Background: HIV-related mHealth interventions have demonstrable efficacy in supporting treatment adherence, although the evidence base for promoting HIV testing is inconclusive. Progress is constrained by a limited understanding of processes used to develop interventions and weak theoretical underpinnings. This paper describes a research project that informed the development of a theory-based mHealth intervention to promote HIV testing amongst city-dwelling African communities in the UK. Methods: A community-based participatory social marketing design was adopted. Six focus groups (48 participants in total) were undertaken and analysed using a thematic framework approach, guided by constructs from the Health Belief Model. Key themes were incorporated into a set of text messages, which were pre-tested and refined. Results: The focus groups identified a relatively low perception of HIV risk, especially amongst men, and a range of social and structural barriers to HIV testing. In terms of self-efficacy around HIV testing, respondents highlighted a need for communities and professionals to work together to build a context of trust through co-location in, and co-involvement of, local communities which would in turn enhance confidence in, and support for, HIV testing activities of health professionals. Findings suggested that messages should: avoid an exclusive focus on HIV, be tailored and personalised, come from a trusted source, allay fears and focus on support and health benefits. Conclusions: HIV remains a stigmatized and de-prioritized issue within African migrant communities in the UK, posing barriers to HIV testing initiatives. A community-based participatory social marketing design can be successfully used to develop a culturally appropriate text messaging HIV intervention. Key challenges involved turning community research recommendations into brief text messages of only 160 characters. The intervention needs to be evaluated in a randomized control trial. Future research should explore the application of the processes and methodologies described in this paper within other communities