In this thesis I examine the influence of economic, political and socio-cultural factors on the development of health services in Saudi Arabia. There are four main parts and a conclusion. In Part One I review the situation in developing countries. Many commentators have argued that economic factors, and to some extent political factors, are the main determinant of health services development in developing countries. Socio-cultural factors are generally neglected in these analysis. In this thesis I redress the balance by examining the relationship between economic, political and socio-cultural factors in the development of the Saudi health care system.In Part Two I analyse the Saudi resource situation. Although the health service is not considered a priority in the overall Saudi development strategy, the government provides generous financial resources for its development. However, non-financial resources remain a problem. Relatively abundant financial resources can provide a short-term solution to some of the resource shortages, such as the lack of skilled manpower, but the use of expatriate health personnel may have unanticipated negative consequences.In Part Three I examine the resource allocation process. The Saudi political system contains a mixture of modern and traditional elements, and the decision making process is affected by traditional social relationships. The King and public bureaucrats play a key role in the allocation process, but local leaders and Governors have wide scope to influence their decisions. While health provision is not a political issue in the country, it contributes to the social cohesion between the government and the general public.In Part Four I examine the influence of socio-cultural factors on the development of the Saudi health service. In the Saudi society socio-cultural factors affect the behaviour of individuals in their interaction with the health system. For example, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca by millions of moslems from all over the world presents a formidable challenge to health authorities. Health authorities accept the importance of socio-cultural factors, and respond by compromising policies. In the conclusion I consider the policy and theoretical implications of the study. In particular I examine the need for the formal recongnition and incorporation of socio-cultural factors into health policy decision making. This would lead to the generation of alternative policy options which complement other options based on economic and political considerations. The socio-cultural oriented approach can contribute significantly to the improvement of the long term prospect for health services in Saudi Arabia, and developing countries generally.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Government and International Relations, Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Sydney, 2007. / Title from title screen (viewed 18th June, 2007). Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy to Government and International Relations, Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Sydney. Degree awarded 2007; thesis submitted 2006. Includes bibliographical references. Also issued in print.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Health Sciences, 2015.

More than 6 million people are currently involved in the provision of informal care in the UK, with demand expected to rise exponentially over the next decades. The aim of this thesis is twofold.  First, to estimate and compare informal care time valuations using a number of methods, and second, to estimate econometrically the determinants of informal care provision.  The first aim is addressed using both new and existing secondary data, with comparison of values across opportunity cost, market replacement cost, compensating income variation, contingent valuation and discrete choice experiments methods.  The second aim is addressed using existing secondary data, where methods of dynamic panel estimation are employed to assess the influence of various socio-economic and demographic characteristics on the decision to provide care and on the level of provision. This is the first study that estimates and compares informal care time valuations using preference-based techniques for the UK and also it is the first time that the determinants of informal care are assessed using dynamic two-part data models. Findings suggest per hour valuations from £8.5 to £14 for most of the methods with the exception of the choice experiment (with values less than £1).  A great deal of heterogeneity can be found in the valuation, especially according to type of care provided.  Informal care is found to be a complement and/or a substitute for formal care, depending on the task in question, while at the same time it competes with other time intensive activities for the allocation of time.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Aberdeen University, 2008. / Title from web page (viewed on Apr. 21, 2009). Includes bibliographical references.

Orientador: Alvaro Gabriel Bianchi Mendez / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Filosofia e Ciencias Humanas / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-09T04:09:04Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Almeida_GilsonRodriguesde_M.pdf: 9904875 bytes, checksum: 04912f9a1c0dd9265836d72b5a0bd04c (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007 / Resumo: Esta dissertação tematiza as ações coletivas empreendidas por representantes das prestadoras de serviços mercantis em oposição aos dispositivos embutidos em três proposições tributárias em tramitação na esfera federal entre 2002 e 2005 que afetavam uma parcela significativa das unidades econômicas prestadoras de serviços, sobretudo as empresas de micro e pequeno porte: a Medida Provisória nº 22/02, o Projeto de Lei de Conversão nº 11/03 da Medida Provisória nº 107/03 e a Medida Provisória nº 232/04. Os dispositivos selecionados afetavam milhares de unidades econômicas prestadoras de serviços mercantis. O conjunto de entidades sindicais e civis responsáveis pela representação patronal e profissional daquelas unidades, por outro lado, era composto por um número considerável de associações. Procuramos interpretar de que forma um grupo tão ¿grande¿, em termos de número de membros, conseguiu agir coletivamente e exercer algum tipo de influência política junto aos tomadores de decisão visando à rejeição dos dispositivos que significavam uma majoração da carga tributária dos seus representados. Contrariando, em certo sentido, o modelo econômico convencional do comportamento coletivo, que pressupõe que os atores tomam as suas decisões estratégicas de maneira independente, esta dissertação chamou a atenção para o fato das entidades do setor de serviços interessadas na rejeição dos dispositivos tributários selecionados não estarem completamente isoladas entre si. Iluminando as complexas relações formais e informais historicamente constituídas entre as entidades representativas das prestadoras de serviços, a perspectiva relacional mostrou-se muito mais adequada para a análise e interpretação dos fenômenos coletivos delimitados, revelando, ao mesmo tempo, as fragilidades e ambigüidades da perspectiva atomista / Abstract: This research schematize collective actions faced by representatives of merchant service companies in opposition to the parameters embedded in three tributary prepositions going through the federal sphere between 2002 and 2005 which affected a great deal the economical unities of economical service companies, mainly micro and small size enterprises: The Provisory Amendment # 22/02, the Law Project of Conversion # 11/03 of the Provisory Amendment #107/03 and the Provisory Amendment # 232/04. The selected gadget used to affect thousands of economic unities of merchant service companies. The concurrent syndicates and civil entities responsible by representing those patronal and professional unities, on the other side, were composed of a great number of associations. We have tried to interpret how a so ¿great¿ team, in term of member number, managed to act collectively and exercise some kind of political influence with the decision makers aiming the rejection of elements which meant a increasing of the tax load of their representatives. To a certain degree, opposing the conventional economical model of the collective behavior, which suppose that the actors take their strategic decisions in a way independently, this written essay called attention to the fact that the entities of the handwork sector interested in the rejection of the selected tributary elements were not completely isolated among themselves.. Clearing those complex formal and informal relations constituted historically among the entities representing the service companies, the relational perspective showed itself much more adequate for the analysis and interpretation of the collective phenomena restricted, revealing, at the same time, the fragilities and ambiguities of the atomist perspective / Mestrado / Estado, Processos Politicos e Organização de Interesses / Mestre em Ciência Política