Outsourcing and public expenditure: an aggregate perspective with regional data

Outsourcing can be defi ned as the delivery of public services by the private sector. The sign of the effect of outsourcing on public spending is ambiguous ex-ante. While outsourcing may reduce public spending through higher competition in the private sector, it may also increase public spending due to the presence of transaction costs or the so-called 'hold-up' problem among others. Using a panel of Spanish regions over the 2002-2018 period, this paper explores the association between outsourcing and public spending empirically. Spain offers an interesting case study from a broad perspective, as the degree of decentralization of public health and education is almost complete, and the different regions have adopted quite distinct approaches as regards the public-private mix in the provision of these public services. In line with previous cross-country evidence [e.g. Alonso et al. (2017); Potrafke (2018)] our estimates point to a positive relationship between public spending and outsourcing. The result holds when a number of robustness exercises are carried out. By components, we fi nd that outsourcing is associated with higher public consumption and health spending, while there is no statistical association with investment and education expenditure. In any case, it is worth mentioning that the impact of outsourcing on the effi ciency of public spending cannot be ascertained with our approach, due to data limitations.La externalización (o subcontratación) por parte del sector público se puede defi nir como la prestación de servicios públicos por parte del sector privado. El signo del efecto de la subcontratación en el gasto público es ambiguo ex ante. Por un lado, la subcontratación privada de servicios públicos puede reducir el gasto a través de una mayor competencia en el sector privado, pero, por otro lado, puede aumentarlo debido a la presencia de costes de transacción o al llamado problema de «captura», entre otros. En este artículo se utilizan datos de las regiones españolas, durante el período 2002-2018, para explorar la asociación entre externalización y gasto público. España ofrece un marco de estudio idóneo desde una perspectiva regional, ya que el grado de descentralización de la salud pública y de la educación es casi completo, y las diferentes regiones han adoptado enfoques bastante distintos en cuanto a la combinación público-privada en la prestación de estos servicios públicos. En línea con la evidencia disponible a escala internacional [Alonso et al. (2017), Potrafke (2018)], nuestros resultados apuntan a una relación positiva entre el gasto público y la subcontratación. Por componentes del gasto, la externalización está asociada a un mayor consumo público y gasto en salud, mientras que no existe una asociación estadísticamente signifi cativa al gasto en inversión y en educación. En cualquier caso, el análisis del artículo no permite identifi car el efecto de la subcontratación sobre la efi ciencia del gasto público, debido a la difi cultad para medir la calidad en la provisión de servicios públicos

Trafficking in Human Beings. A Comparative Study of the International Legal Documents

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The acquisition of expertise in Judo: general and daily activities

El objetivo de esta investigación es analizar la precepción que tienen los judocas de diferente nivel de pericia respecto a las actividades generales y cotidianas. La muestra de estudio estuvo compuesta por judocas de nivel regional (n = 9), nacional (n = 27) e internacional (n = 40). Para la recogida de datos se utilizó el cuestionario como instrumento de medida, a través del cual los sujetos valoraron cada actividad desde cuatro dimensiones: concentración, esfuerzo físico, diversión y rendimiento. Los judocas de nivel internacional destacaron la dieta como la actividad más importante para mejorar el rendimiento dentro de las actividades generales. En cuanto a las actividades cotidianas todos los judocas destacaron dormir como la actividad más importante para mejorar el rendimiento.The objective of this research is to analyze the preception that have the judokas of different levels of expertise regarding the general and daily activities. The study sample consisted of regional level judo (n = 9), national (n = 27) and international (n = 40). For data collection questionnaire was used as a measuring instrument, through which the subjects rated each activity from four dimensions: concentration, physical exertion, fun and performance. The international judokas stressed the diet as the most important activity to improve performance within the overall activities. With regard to daily activities sleep all judokas highlighted as the most important activity to improve performance.peerReviewe

Body Mass Index and Nationality (Argentine vs. Spanish) Moderate the Relationship Between Internalization of the Thin Ideal and Body Dissatisfaction: A Conditional Mediation Model

It is believed that Women’s exposure to Western sociocultural pressures to attain a “thin-ideal” results in the internalization of a desire to be thin that consequently leads to body dissatisfaction (BD). It is also well documented that body mass index (BMI; kg/m2) correlates with BD. We tested for the first time a conditional mediation model where thin-ideal Awareness predicted BD through Internalization of the thin ideal and the path from Internalization to BD was hypothesized to be moderated by BMI and Nationality (Argentine vs. Spanish). The model was tested with a sample of 499 young women (age = 18 to 29) from Argentina (n = 290) and Spain (n = 209). Awareness and internalization were measured with the SATAQ-4 (Schaefer et al., 2015) and BD was measured with the BSQ (Cooper et al., 1987). The model was analyzed using PROCESSv3.1 (Hayes, 2018). As hypothesized, thin-ideal awareness predicted BD through internalization and the path from internalization to BD was moderated by BMI and nationality. Specifically, internalization predicted BD at all level of BMI and in both samples, but the relationship between internalization and BD increased with BMI and was also stronger among Spaniards than Argentines. We argue that the findings are congruent with theories that predict that economic development and modernization contribute to normative female BD through internalization of the thin ideal and that upward social comparisons or cognitive discrepancy between self-perceived body image and the sociocultural thin ideal interacts synergistically with thin-ideal internalization to increase BD

Development and validation of a Food Preoccupation Questionnaire

Existing Food Preoccupation Questionnaires do not take account of food-related thoughts that have a positive emotional valence. We report on the development and validation of a questionnaire that provides independent assessments of thought frequency and emotional valence (positive, negative or neutral)

Imaginary relish and exquisite torture: The elaborated intrusion theory of desire

The authors argue that human desire involves conscious cognition that has strong affective connotation and is potentially involved in the determination of appetitive behavior rather than being epiphenomenal to it. Intrusive thoughts about appetitive targets are triggered automatically by external or physiological cues and by cognitive associates. When intrusions elicit significant pleasure or relief, cognitive elaboration usually ensues. Elaboration competes with concurrent cognitive tasks through retrieval of target-related information and its retention in working memory. Sensory images are especially important products of intrusion and elaboration because they simulate the sensory and emotional qualities of target acquisition. Desire images are momentarily rewarding but amplify awareness of somatic and emotional deficits. Effects of desires on behavior are moderated by competing incentives, target availability, and skills. The theory provides a coherent account of existing data and suggests new directions for research and treatment

Tapia's Syndrome following thoracotomy

[ES] La parálisis ipsolateral de la cuerda vocal y de la hemilengua correspondiente, por afectación extracraneal de los nervios neumogástrico (X) e hipogloso (XII), recibe el nombre de síndrome de Tapia. En los pocos casos publicados, el mecanismo traumático y el compresivo son los desencadenantes más frecuentes. Presentamos a un paciente que, tras toracotomía derecha, manifestó una parálisis hipogloso-vagal del mismo lado. La explicación etiopatogénica podría encontrarse en el efecto de la tracción y estiramiento de estos nervios desde el mediastino. [EN] The name of Tapia's Syndrome is given to ipsilateral paralysis of a vocal chord and the corresponding side of the tongue from extracranial affectation of the pneumogastric (X) and hypoglossal (XII) nerves. In the few published cases, traumatic and compressive mechanisms are the most frequent triggers. We present a patient who, following right thoracotomy, showed unilateral hypoglossal-vagal paralysis. It is possible that etiopathogeneis might be found in the effect of the traction on and stretching of these nerves from the mediastinum

Acute effects of brisk walking on sugary snack cravings in overweight people, affect and responses to a manipulated stress situation and to a sugary snack cue: a crossover study.

Research has shown that acute exercise reduces urges for chocolate in normal weight people. This study aimed to examine the effects of an acute exercise bout on urges to consume sugary snacks, affect as well as 'psychological and physiological responses' to stress and a 'sugary snack cue', in overweight individuals. Following 3 days of chocolate-abstinence, 47 overweight, sugary snack consumers were assessed, in 2 randomly ordered conditions, in a within-subject design: 15-min brisk walk or passive control. Following each, participants completed 2 tasks: Stroop color-word interference task, and handling sugary snacks. Urges for sugary snacks, affective activation and valence were assessed. ANOVAs revealed significant condition x time interaction effects for: urges to consume sugary snacks, affective valence and activation. Obtained data show that exercise reduces urges for sugary snacks and attenuates urges in response to the stress situation and the cue in overweight people

Testing the addictive appetite model of binge eating

This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Leslie, M., Turton, R., Burgess, E., Nazar, B. P., & Treasure, J. (2018). Testing the addictive appetite model of binge eating: The importance of craving, coping, and reward enhancement. European Eating Disorders Review, 26(6), 541-550, which has been published in final form at https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/erv.2621. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived Versions.In the current study, we examine components of the “addictive appetite” model of recurrent binge eating. Specifically, we tested the influence of addictive processes and the influence of emotional regulation processes on recurrent binge eating behaviour. We recruited 79 women in total for the current study; 22 with bulimia nervosa, 26 weight-matched lean comparison women, 15 women with binge eating disorder, and 16 weight-matched overweight/obese comparison women. Participants completed questionnaire assessments of food craving and motivations for eating. Compared to weight-matched comparison women, women with binge-type eating disorders endorse significantly greater levels of food craving, eating for purposes of coping, and eating for purposes of reward enhancement. A cluster analysis revealed that these three traits distinguish women with binge-type eating disorders from weight-matched comparison women. These findings provide support for the addictive appetite model of binge eating behaviour, and highlight addictive and emotional regulation processes as potential targets for treatment

The craving expectancy questionnaire: a brief, theory-based measure of consummatory desire and craving

Background and Aim