58 research outputs found
The quiet rise of medium-scale farms in Malawi
Medium-scale farms have become a major force in Malawi's agricultural sector. Malawi's most recent official agricultural survey indicates that these account for over a quarter of all land under cultivation in Malawi. This study explores the causes and multifaceted consequences of the rising importance of medium-scale farms in Malawi. We identify the characteristics and pathways of entry into farming based on surveys of 300 medium-scale farmers undertaken in 2014 in the districts of Mchinji, Kasungu and Lilongwe. The area of land acquired by medium-scale farmers in these three districts is found to have almost doubled between 2000 and 2015. Just over half of the medium-scale farmers represent cases of successful expansion out of small-scale farming status; the other significant proportion of medium-scale farmers are found to be urban-based professionals, entrepreneurs and/or civil servants who acquired land, some very recently, and started farming in mid-life. We also find that a significant portion of the land acquired by medium-scale farmers was utilized by others prior to acquisition, that most of the acquired land was under customary tenure, and that the current owners were often successful in transferring the ownership structure of the acquired land to a long-term leaseholding with a title deed. The study finds that, instead of just strong endogenous growth of small-scale famers as a route for the emergence of medium-scale farms, significant farm consolidation is occurring through land acquisitions, often by urban-based people. The effects of farmland acquisitions by domestic investors on the country's primary development goals, such as food security, poverty reduction and employment, are not yet clear, though some trends appear to be emerging. We consider future research questions that may more fully shed light on the implications of policies that would continue to promote land acquisitions by medium-scale farms. (Résumé d'auteur
The evolution of EUâSouth Africa relations : what influence on Africa?
South Africa and the European Union (EU) have a longstanding relationship.
Their interaction has evolved through various phases, characterised
simultaneously by ambitious partnerships coupled with a degree of wariness. As
international dynamics change and Africa becomes an increasingly crucial player
in global politics, the relationship between the EU and South Africa exerts a
host of influences on how Africa and Europe relate to each other. This article
discusses the evolution of EUâSouth Africa relations and highlights direct and
indirect influences that this relationship has on the inter-regional partnership
between Africa and Europe.http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/rsaj202017-06-30hb201
Measuring intra-hospital clinic efficiency and productivity : an application to a Greek university general hospital
In this paper we use Data Envelopment Analysis and the Malmquist
Productivity Index and its decompositions to assess the productive efficiency and
productivity of the in-patient clinics of a large Greek University General Hospital.
Clinics are represented by means of a simple model whereby they use inputs (labor
and capital) to produce outputs (in-patient days and patient discharges). The
efficiency model is input oriented and assumes constant returns to scale. Model
validation analyses showed that this model appears to be externally valid. The
framework proposed here is a simple and useful tool for informing intra-hospital
management decisions.peer-reviewe
Health care services performance measurement : theory, methods and empirical evidence
Despite the growing international literature in the field of efficiency and productivity
measurement there are very limited Greek applications partly due to inadequate and
incomplete datasets. The aim of this article is to illustrate the main methodologies for health
care services efficiency and productivity measurement, to present their strengths and
weaknesses and to discuss the existing evidence from applications in other countries.
Notwithstanding the fact that the related methodologies have been recently developed these
methods may help practitioners and health care decisions makers in improving health care
management in Greece.peer-reviewe
Measuring across hospital efficiency and productivity : the case of second regional health authority of Attica
The purpose of the study is to investigate technical efficiency and
productivity change of a sample of Greek Hospitals over the period 1998 - 2005.
Efficiency and productivity measurement became a crucial issue in Greece after
the launching of health reforms in 2001, with the legislative Act No. 2889, aiming
at cost containment and improvements in hospital efficiency. Applying the linear
programming method of Data Envelopment Analysis we investigate how
efficiently the hospital resources are used to obtain the maximum possible
outcome, before and after the reforms. Hospital output is modelled in terms of
interventions, laboratory examinations, outpatient and inpatient cases. Inputs
considered include beds, doctors, nurses and rest personnel and operational
expenses. The analysis indicates that the reforms have generated efficiency gains
when only input and output quantities are considered. During the period 1998-
2002 an overall efficiency regress is observed followed by an upturn, after the
launching of managerial reforms. However, when the running costs of the
hospitals are considered, then the sample experiences significant regress,
implying relatively higher production costs over time. We conclude that DEA is a
useful technique to assess relative efficiency and optimum hospital performance
across hospitals.peer-reviewe
A922 Sequential measurement of 1 hour creatinine clearance (1-CRCL) in critically ill patients at risk of acute kidney injury (AKI)
Meeting abstrac
The evolution of EUâSouth Africa relations: What influence on Africa?
South Africa and the European Union (EU) have a longstanding relationship.
Their interaction has evolved through various phases, characterised
simultaneously by ambitious partnerships coupled with a degree of wariness. As
international dynamics change and Africa becomes an increasingly crucial player
in global politics, the relationship between the EU and South Africa exerts a
host of influences on how Africa and Europe relate to each other. This article
discusses the evolution of EUâSouth Africa relations and highlights direct and
indirect influences that this relationship has on the inter-regional partnership
between Africa and Europe.http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/rsaj202017-06-30hb201
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