Social Vulnerability to Environmental Hazards

County-level socioeconomic and demographic data were used to construct an index of social vulnerability to environmental hazards, called the Social Vulnerability Index (SoVI) for the United States based on 1990 data. Copyright (c) 2003 by the Southwestern Social Science Association.

The average cost of measles cases and adverse events following vaccination in industrialised countries.

BACKGROUND: Even though the annual incidence rate of measles has dramatically decreased in industrialised countries since the implementation of universal immunisation programmes, cases continue to occur in countries where endemic measles transmission has been interrupted and in countries where adequate levels of immunisation coverage have not been maintained. The objective of this study is to develop a model to estimate the average cost per measles case and per adverse event following measles immunisation using the Netherlands (NL), the United Kingdom (UK) and Canada as examples. METHODS: Parameter estimates were based on a review of the published literature. A decision tree was built to represent the complications associated with measles cases and adverse events following immunisation. Monte-Carlo Simulation techniques were used to account for uncertainty. RESULTS: From the perspective of society, we estimated the average cost per measles case to be US$276, US$307 and US$254 for the NL, the UK and Canada, respectively, and the average cost of adverse events following immunisation per vaccinee to be US$1.43, US$1.93 and US$1.51 for the NL, UK and Canada, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: These average cost estimates could be combined with incidence estimates and costs of immunisation programmes to provide estimates of the cost of measles to industrialised countries. Such estimates could be used as a basis to estimate the potential economic gains of global measles eradication

Care Worker Migration, Australia and Development

Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.Low fertility and ageing in high-income countries will greatly increase their demands for aged care workers which are unlikely to be met from within internal labour markets. It is likely that immigration will be increasingly used to meet these labour needs. This paper analyses the situation in Australia where the number of aged care workers needed will triple over the next quarter of a century. It is shown that most such workers do not qualify for immigration under the existing skill-driven regime. It is argued that careful consideration needs to be given to the development of a circular migration programme to partially meet these needs. Such a scheme would involve a conceptual leap by the Australian government, but there is sufficient time to develop and test a best-practice model for such migration. This could potentially deliver a 'triple bottom line' not only to meet Australia's needs, but also protect the rights of and ensure benefits to the migrant workers, and assist development in home nations. © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.Graeme Hug

Examining the impacts of disaster resettlement from a livelihood perspective: a case study of Qinling Mountains, China

Disaster resettlement, as a mitigation and preparedness measure, entails significant economic, physical, and social impacts, which continue to challenge understanding of recovery from major events, especially regarding the extent of the context and environmental efforts to rebuild livelihoods. Based on a case study of Qinling Mountains, China, this research investigates the effects of disaster resettlement from a livelihoods perspective. Methodologically, it proposes a framework that combines the pressure–state–response framework and the sustainable livelihoods approach, and it employs a structural equation model to examine how specific factors affect disaster resettlement. The results indicate that conflicts may occur during and after resettlement owing to the difference or disparity between the concerns of resettled peasants and those of the government. Consequently, the risks related to livelihoods need to be taken seriously. Effective risk communication is critical to bridge the gap between different stakeholders. The paper concludes with some practical and policy recommendations