Hierarchical cluster analysis of labour market regulations and population health: a taxonomy of low- and middle-income countries

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>An important contribution of the social determinants of health perspective has been to inquire about non-medical determinants of population health. Among these, labour market regulations are of vital significance. In this study, we investigate the labour market regulations among low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and propose a labour market taxonomy to further understand population health in a global context.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Using Gross National Product per capita, we classify 113 countries into either low-income (n = 71) or middle-income (n = 42) strata. Principal component analysis of three standardized indicators of labour market inequality and poverty is used to construct 2 factor scores. Factor score reliability is evaluated with Cronbach's alpha. Using these scores, we conduct a hierarchical cluster analysis to produce a labour market taxonomy, conduct zero-order correlations, and create box plots to test their associations with adult mortality, healthy life expectancy, infant mortality, maternal mortality, neonatal mortality, under-5 mortality, and years of life lost to communicable and non-communicable diseases. Labour market and health data are retrieved from the International Labour Organization's Key Indicators of Labour Markets and World Health Organization's Statistical Information System.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Six labour market clusters emerged: Residual (n = 16), Emerging (n = 16), Informal (n = 10), Post-Communist (n = 18), Less Successful Informal (n = 22), and Insecure (n = 31). Primary findings indicate: (i) labour market poverty and population health is correlated in both LMICs; (ii) association between labour market inequality and health indicators is significant only in low-income countries; (iii) Emerging (e.g., East Asian and Eastern European countries) and Insecure (e.g., sub-Saharan African nations) clusters are the most advantaged and disadvantaged, respectively, with the remaining clusters experiencing levels of population health consistent with their labour market characteristics.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The labour market regulations of LMICs appear to be important social determinant of population health. This study demonstrates the heuristic value of understanding the labour markets of LMICs and their health effects using exploratory taxonomy approaches.</p

Sustainability, epistemology, ecocentric business and marketing strategy:ideology, reality and vision

This conceptual article examines the relationship between marketing and sustainability through the dual lenses of anthropocentric and ecocentric epistemology. Using the current anthropocentric epistemology and its associated dominant social paradigm, corporate ecological sustainability in commercial practice and business school research and teaching is difficult to achieve. However, adopting an ecocentric epistemology enables the development of an alternative business and marketing approach that places equal importance on nature, the planet, and ecological sustainability as the source of human and other species' well-being, as well as the source of all products and services. This article examines ecocentric, transformational business, and marketing strategies epistemologically, conceptually and practically and thereby proposes six ecocentric, transformational, strategic marketing universal premises as part of a vision of and solution to current global un-sustainability. Finally, this article outlines several opportunities for management practice and further research

The Study of Irregular Migration

AbstractThe study of irregular migration as a specific social phenomenon took off during the 70s in the US. Since then, the academic interest has continually grown and spread, first to Europe and, in the last years, to other regions worldwide. This interest can certainly be related to the increasing attention paid to the study of migrations more in general (Castles & Miller, 1993). The trend can be linked to those broad and complex social and economic changes, often subsumed under the concept of globalization. The specific focus on irregular migration, though gaining momentum throughout the 1980s, reached preeminent attention in the 1990s. On both sides of the Atlantic, the explosion of the so-called "migration crisis" (Zolberg & Benda, 2001) and the emergence of irregular migration as a widespread social fact raised the attention of public opinion and academics alike. Moreover, in recent years, what seemed at first to be an issue concerning only the high-income regions of the planet, now involves also medium and low-income ones, making irregular migration a truly global structural phenomenon (Cvajner & Sciortino, 2010a; Düvell, 2006)

Irregular Migration Theories

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Do cultures clash?

The consequences of globalization are a matter of debate. This study is an attempt to test the predictions of homogenization, polarization, and hybridization theorists with regard to the similarities and differences between and within societies. Utilizing four waves of the World Values Survey, from 1989 to 2007, this study covers 20 societies that represent 55% of the world population. The survey involved value statements in 72 areas by nationally representative samples. Results showed that differences between Western and non-Western countries' cultures tended to increase slightly over time, but that these increases in disagreement were not due to cultures moving in opposite directions. In all instances, they were moving in the same direction, with one of the cultures moving faster. The direction of influence was mostly from Western toward non-Western, lending support to the idea that globalization leads to homogenization, rather than to polarization or hybridization. Resume Les consequences de la globalisation sont largement debattues. Cette etude a pour objet de tester les predictions des theoriciens de l'homogeneisation, de la polarisation et de l'hybridation quant aux similitudes et aux differences entre et a l'interieur des societes. Utilisant les resultats de quatre vagues, de 1989 a 2007, du World Values Survey, cette etude concerne 20 societes qui representent 55% de la population mondiale. L'enquete porte sur des jugements de valeur dans 72 domaines par des echantillons nationaux representatifs. Les resultats montrent que la difference entre pays occidentaux et non-occidentaux a eu tendance a augmenter legerement avec le temps. Cependant, l'augmentation des divergences n'est pas due a ce que les cultures vont dans des directions opposees. Dans tous les cas, elles vont dans la meme direction, cependant l'une d'entre elles y va plus rapidement. L'influence s'exerce principalement des pays occidentaux vers les pays non-occidentaux, ce qui accredite plus encore l'idee que la globalisation conduit a l'homogeneisation, plutot qu'a la polarisation ou a l'hybridation

Family farming and other forms of agriculture

Le document est disponible en ligne à l'URL : http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9358-2_5International audienc