Regional innovation and spillover effects of foreign direct investment in China: a threshold approach

Using a data set on twenty-nine Chinese provinces for the period 1985–2008, this paper establishes a threshold model to analyse the relationship between spillover effects of foreign direct investment (FDI) and regional innovation in China. There is clear evidence of double-threshold effects of regional innovation on productivity spillovers from FDI. Specifically, only when the level of regional innovation reaches the minimum innovation threshold will FDI in the region begin to produce positive productivity spillovers. Furthermore, positive productivity spillovers from FDI will be substantial only when the level of regional innovation attains a higher threshold. The double threshold divides Chinese provinces into three super-regions in terms of innovation, with most provinces positioned within the middle-level innovation super-region. Policy implications are discussed

The influence of social circumstances on ‘Risky’ patterns of alcohol consumption among mothers with pre-school aged children in England.

Background Social factors have been linked to patterns of alcohol use among women. However, conflicting evidence on the ways in which socio-economic circumstances are linked to women’s alcohol use impedes our understanding. Interest in women’s alcohol use has moved up the policy agenda. Nevertheless, existing research fails to attend to differences among groups of women according to their social circumstances, including whether or not they are mothers. Objectives This study aims to enhance our understanding of ‘risky’ patterns of alcohol use among mothers in the UK during very early motherhood. Methods Secondary analyses of 2000/1 data from the Millennium Cohort Study (MCS) was undertaken. Using a broad outcome measure of ‘risky’ alcohol use, patterns of consumption among a sub-set of mothers recruited in England (n = 7048) were explored according to a number of social and domestic variables. Using logistic regression, mutually adjusted analyses that included adjustment for age were undertaken. Odds ratios were calculated for the likelihood of ‘risky’ drinking according to mothers’ social circumstances and level of disadvantage. Results ‘Risky’ alcohol use was more likely with increased levels of disadvantage: disadvantaged childhood circumstances, lower levels of educational attainment, lower household income, younger age at first birth, lone parenthood. Conclusions Social gradients were evident for ‘risky’ alcohol use among mothers with 9 month old babies in England who took part in the MCS. These findings emphasise the importance of exploring patterns of alcohol use among sub-groups of the population that are currently under-represented in the research literature

Transfer of Health for All policy – What, how and in which direction? A two-case study

BACKGROUND: This article explores the transfer of World Health Organization's (WHO) policy initiative Health for All by the Year 2000 (HFA2000) into national contexts by using the changes in the public health policies of Finland and Portugal from the 1970's onward and the relationship of these changes to WHO policy development as test cases. Finland and Portugal were chosen to be compared as they represent different welfare state types and as the paradigmatic transition from the old to new public health is assumed to be related to the wider welfare state development. METHODS: The policy transfer approach is used as a conceptual tool to analyze the possible policy changes related to the adaptation of HFA into the national context. To be able to analyze not only the content but also the contextual conditions of policy transfer Kingdon's analytical framework of policy analysis is applied. CONCLUSIONS: Our analysis suggests that no significant change of health promotion policy resulted from the launch of HFA program neither in Finland nor in Portugal. Instead the changes that occurred in both countries were of incremental nature, in accordance with the earlier policy choices, and the adaptation of HFA program was mainly applied to the areas where there were national traditions

A qualitative investigation of the role of sport coaches in designing and delivering a complex community sport intervention for increasing physical activity and improving health

© The Author(s). Background Community sport can potentially help to increase levels of physical activity and improve public health. Sport coaches have a role to play in designing and implementing community sport for health. To equip the community sport workforce with the knowledge and skills to design and deliver sport and empower inactive participants to take part, this study delivered a bespoke training package on public health and recruiting inactive people to community sport for sport coaches. We examined the views of sport coach participants about the training and their role in designing and delivering a complex community sport intervention for increasing physical activity and improving health. Methods Semi-structured interviews were conducted with paid full-time sport coaches (n = 15) and community sport managers and commissioners (n = 15) with expertise in sport coaching. Interviews were conducted by a skilled interviewer with in-depth understanding of community sport and sport coach training, transcribed verbatim and analysed using thematic analysis. Results Three key themes were identified showing how the role of sport coaches can be maximised in designing and delivering community sport for physical activity and health outcomes, and in empowering participants to take part. The themes were: (1) training sport coaches in understanding public health, (2) public involvement in community sport for health, and (3) building collaborations between community sport and public health sectors. Conclusion Training for sport coaches is required to develop understandings of public health and skills in targeting, recruiting and retaining inactive people to community sport. Public involvement in designing community sport is significant in empowering inactive people to take part. Ongoing knowledge exchange activities between the community sport and public health sector are also required in ensuring community sport can increase physical activity and improve public health.Sport England’s Get Healthy Get Active Award UR

Geographical and temporal distribution of SARS-CoV-2 clades in the WHO European Region, January to June 2020

We show the distribution of SARS-CoV-2 genetic clades over time and between countries and outline potential genomic surveillance objectives. We applied three available genomic nomenclature systems for SARS-CoV-2 to all sequence data from the WHO European Region available during the COVID-19 pandemic until 10 July 2020. We highlight the importance of real-time sequencing and data dissemination in a pandemic situation. We provide a comparison of the nomenclatures and lay a foundation for future European genomic surveillance of SARS-CoV-2.Peer reviewe

A922 Sequential measurement of 1 hour creatinine clearance (1-CRCL) in critically ill patients at risk of acute kidney injury (AKI)

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