International migration for employment and domestic labour market development:: the jordanian experience.

Following a review and evaluation of previous research in the field of international migration for employment, it is argued that the extent to which such migration is beneficial depends critically on how it is organized and by whom. The development of Jordan's traditional image as a regional labour supplier is traced from the early twentieth century and is explained largely in terms of a response to repeated economic and political crises. A case study of the Kuwait labour market is used to demonstrate the recent (post-1978) collapse in Jordanian labour migration and to establish the changing character of the international labour market. The central role assumed by international emigration for employment in the Jordanian economy and the problems; and policy constraints which that places on labour market management are illustrated. An attempt is made to identify scarce skills and to assess the development and utility of the government's policy response towards labour shortages. The scale and characteristics of labour inflows into the Jordanian labour market are established. This reveals the complex role of immigrant workers in an emigrant economy and demonstrates the need for a substantial revision of the 'replacement' labour migration model. The parallel themes of primary labour emigration and secondary labour immigration are explored in a detailed case study of local labour markets and agricultural development in the East Jordan Valley. A concluding chapter summarises the problems of manpower planning and of labour market information: gathering under conditions of heightened uncertainty

A comparison of the quality of care in accident and emergency departments in England and the Netherlands as experienced by patients

Background: Measuring patients' experiences to determine health-care performance and quality of care from their perspective can provide valuable evidence for international improvements in the quality of care. We compare patients' experiences in Accident & Emergency departments (A&E) in England and the Netherlands and discuss the usefulness of this comparison. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among patients attending A&Es aged 18 years and older. In England, 134 A&Es were surveyed. In the Netherlands, nine hospitals participated in the study. Main outcome measures were patients' experiences represented by six domain scores aggregated on the country level or on the A&E level. Results: In England, 43 892 completed questionnaires were received (40%). In the Netherlands, 1865 completed questionnaires were received (42%). Three of six domain scores were significantly higher for patients in the Netherlands: 'waiting time' [mean scores of 73.8 (NL) versus 67.2 (ENG)], 'doctors and nurses' [mean scores of 85.7 (NL) versus 80.6 (ENG)] and 'your care and treatment' [mean scores of 82.6 (NL) and 80.2 (ENG)]. The variance among the English A&Es was large. The best and worst practices on five domains were English. Conclusions: The mean quality of care in the A&E appeared to be better in the Netherlands on three domains, but the best practices were English A&Es. The within-country differences between A&Es were much larger than differences between countries. Healthcare performance in the A&E can be compared between countries by surveying patients' experiences, and there seems much to learn across A&Es both within and among countries