Wong Kin. / Thesis submitted in: December 2005. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 55-58). / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / Abstract --- p.i / Acknowledgement --- p.iii / Chapter Chapter One - --- Introduction --- p.1 / Chapter Chapter Two - --- Literature Review / Chapter 1. --- Convergence --- p.8 / Chapter 2. --- Methodology Review on Regional Disparity of Service Employment --- p.13 / Chapter 3. --- Regional Service Employment Convergence in Great Britain --- p.17 / Chapter Chapter Three - --- Methodology --- p.21 / Chapter Chapter Four - --- Empirical Results / Chapter 1 . --- Stationarity of Service Employment --- p.29 / Chapter 2. --- Stochastic Convergence of Service Employment --- p.33 / Chapter Chapter Five - --- Conclusion --- p.36 / Appendix A --- p.41 / Appendix B --- p.42 / Appendix C --- p.43 / Tables --- p.48 / Bibliography --- p.55

The aim of this study was to explore the Health Service Utilization (HSU) of homeless people in Dublin. In particular, it sought to identify a critical realist explanatory model for why the HSU of homeless people differs from that of the general population. Critical realist (CR) ethnography was used as the research methodology and was supplemented with forty-seven semi-structured interviews and two focus groups. The HSU of homeless participants in Dublin is described. When compared to the domiciled population, homeless people were found to have a tendency to present late on in their illness, to have higher utilization of primary care services and lower utilization of secondary care services and to avoid psychiatric services. The factors that influenced participants HSU tendency are identified as external or internal influences on HSU. External factors are described as physical, administrative or attitudinal barriers or deterrents; or external promoters of health service usage. Internalised inhibitors and promoters are illustrated as either cognitions or emotions that are developed in reaction to external circumstances and which either negatively or positively impact on health service usage. Interactions between health professionals and participants that resulted in exclusion (by the health professional or self-exclusion) are described as Conversations of Exclusion. A critical realist model was outlined that offers an explanation for why homeless people’s HSU differs from that of the general population in Dublin. This model included a description of the generative mechanisms identified as producing the HSU tendencies in the study population. The implications of this new model are discussed in the light of the literature and previous models that seek to explain the HSU of homeless people.

O objetivo geral desta tese foi avaliar o Procad, desde a sua criação, em 2000, até o lançamento da última edição, ocorrida em 2013, refletindo em que medida foram alcançados seus objetivos de promoção da melhoria da qualidade dos programas de pós-graduação stricto sensu, por meio do estímulo à formação de redes cooperativas. Apesar de o Programa ter mais de 15 anos de existência e o Plano Nacional de Pós-Graduação – PNPG 2011-2020 ter recomendado sua continuidade, ele não conta ainda com um processo permanente de avaliação. A metodologia proposta caracteriza-se como um estudo exploratório e descritivo, quanto a sua natureza e utilizou tanto a abordagem qualitativa, quanto a quantitativa, levando em consideração a complementaridade de tais abordagens (MINAYO, 2012). Os dados qualitativos foram estudados por meio da Análise de Conteúdo, de acordo com Bardin (2011). Com relação aos meios, foram elaborados dois instrumentos de consulta, que foram enviados, por correio eletrônico, aos coordenadores gerais dos projetos Procad e aos avaliadores dos referidos projetos. O primeiro instrumento objetivou à avaliação do Programa sob o ponto de vista de seus executores e o segundo teve o propósito de avaliar o Procad sob o ponto de vista de seus avaliadores. Além disso, foram tratados os resultados da análise dos pareceres emitidos pelos avaliadores de projetos Procad, por ocasião da avaliação intermediária. Os resultados obtidos nesta tese estão sendo apresentados em dois artigos e um manuscrito. No primeiro artigo foi abordado o levantamento das respostas obtidas por meio do questionário enviado aos 603 coordenadores gerais dos projetos Procad das Edições de 2005 a 2009. Responderam à pesquisa 236 coordenadores. Verificou-se que 79% dos respondentes consideraram que o Procad tinha alcançado os principais objetivos que nortearam a sua criação. Apesar disso, esses coordenadores apontaram dois aspectos que merecem maior atenção por parte da Capes: a superestimação de metas por parte dos beneficiários de projetos e a morosidade da Capes na divulgação dos resultados da análise das prestações de contas. No segundo artigo, os dados apresentados expressaram as respostas dos avaliadores de projetos, integrantes das comissões avaliativas relativas às edições Procad, lançadas no período de 2005 a 2009. Responderam à consulta 100% dos avaliadores consultados, o que demonstrou o reconhecimento, por parte desses respondentes, da importância de tal política pública. Observou-se que 91% dos respondentes consideraram que o Procad tem atingido os principais objetivos que orientaram a sua criação. Entretanto, indicaram a necessidade de rever os prazos de duração das missões de estudo e de instituir um processo de acompanhamento e avaliação do Programa. No manuscrito foram apresentados os dados relativos à análise dos 706 pareceres emitidos pelos consultores que participaram de processos avaliativos intermediários do Procad, correspondentes às edições de 2000 a 2009. Desse total, 646 (91,5%) foram favoráveis à renovação dos projetos e 60 (8,5%) foram desfavoráveis à renovação do apoio concedido pela Capes, demonstrando que a maior parte dos projetos teve sucesso no desenvolvimento das atividades propostas para os dois primeiros anos de execução. Observaram, entretanto, que houve a implementação de uma quantidade maior de missões de trabalho em relação às missões de estudo. Sugeriram a flexibilização da duração das missões de estudo para estimular a ampliação dessas missões. Com base na pesquisa realizada, verificou-se que é preciso instituir um processo sistemático de acompanhamento e avaliação do Procad e de outras ações e linhas de apoio da Capes, aumentando a eficiência dessas políticas e a transparência na execução dos gastos públicos. São propostos, também, outros possíveis caminhos para o aperfeiçoamento do Programa. / The purpose of this thesis was to evaluate the Procad since its creation in 2000 until the release of the latest edition in 2013, reflecting on in its objectives for promoting quality improvement of graduate programs, through the incentive of formation of cooperative networks. Although the program has over 15 years of existence and the National Graduate Plan - PNPG 2011-2020 PNPG have recommended its continuation, he still has not a permanent process of evaluation. The proposed methodology is characterized as an exploratory and descriptive study, as its nature and used both qualitative approach, as the quantitative nature taking into account the complementarity of these approaches (MINAYO, 2012). Qualitative information was studied through content analysis, according to Bardin (2011). It was developed two research instruments which were sent by e-mail, the projects general coordinators of Procad and evaluators of these projects. The first instrument aimed to assess the program from the point of view of its managers and the second aimed to evaluate the Procad from the point of view of their evaluators. In addition, were analyzed the opinions issued by the projects evaluators of Procad, at the intermediate evaluation. The results obtained in this thesis are presented in two articles and a manuscript. In the first article was approached the survey responses obtained through the questionnaire sent to 603 project general coordinators of Procad of 2005 to 2009. 236 project coordinators answered the research. It was found that 79% of respondents consider that the Procad has achieved the main objectives. Nevertheless, these coordinators considered that two aspects deserve more attention from the Capes: the establishment of goals too optimistic by the project beneficiaries and the delay of Capes in disseminating the analysis results of accountability. In the second article, the data presented express the responses of project evaluators, members of evaluation committees concerning Procad editions, released from 2005 to 2009. The questionnaire was responded to 100% of project evaluators consulted, which demonstrated the recognition by these respondents the importance of such public policy. It was observed that 91% of respondents considered that the Procad have achieved the main objectives. However, they pointed out the need to review the long periods of study missions and the need to create the monitoring and evaluation of Procad. In the manuscript were presented data on the analysis of 706 opinions issued by the consultants who participated in the intermediate Procad evaluation processes, corresponding to the 2000 editions to 2009. Of this total, 646 (91.5%) were favorable to renovation projects and 60 (8.5%) were unfavorable to the renewal of support by Capes, showing that most of the projects had success in the development of the proposed activities for the first two years of implementation. They observed, however, that there was an implementation of an increased amount of work missions in relation to the study missions. They suggested that the duration of study missions might be more flexible to encourage the expansion of such missions. Based on this research, it was found that it is necessary to establish a systematic process for monitoring and evaluation of Procad and other actions and support lines Capes, increasing the efficiency of these policies and transparency in the execution of public spending. Proposed are also other possible ways to improve the program.

This thesis analysed the variety of views expressed about disparities between Romanian Roma and non-Roma by people who are actively engaged in redressing unjust social and economic differences. The focus was placed on the variability of views between and within three different contexts: academic texts proposing policy measures for addressing disparities between Roma and non-Roma people; policy documents concerning measures for Roma inclusion; and conversations by people involved in the implementation of Roma inclusion policy measures. The general concerns of this study were to identify (1) the ways in which the problem of ethnic disparity was portrayed, (2) the solutions proposed to the problem of ethnic disparity, (3) the ambivalent, dilemmatic or concealed aspects concerning the topic of disparities between Roma and non-Roma people living in Romania, (4) whether the perspectives of Roma people were accounted for in the contexts analyses and (5) the similarities and differences between the discourses of academics, policy makers, practitioners and beneficiaries of public policies concerning disparities. The theoretical foundation for this thesis was offered by the social psychological literature that links disparities between groups of people and racial or ethnic prejudice. There are four ways in which this thesis has contributed to this literature. Firstly, most of the social psychological research on ethnic disparities has been experimental, whereas in this thesis, the focus was on the often overlooked discursive practices concerning ethnic disparities. Secondly, although some of the social psychological literature, especially research on the contact hypothesis and social identity theory, has looked at the dynamic interrelationship between advantaged and disadvantaged group members, most research has focused only on the perspectives of the advantaged group members. Therefore, there remains a research gap in the literature concerning the perspectives presented in inter-ethnic interactions, and even more so, by disadvantaged group members. This thesis added to the analysis the perspectives of advantaged and disadvantaged group members, both separately and in interaction. Thirdly, whereas emergent work looks at the ambivalent views towards ethnic or racial minorities, and the possible ironic effects of prejudice reduction strategies, there is virtually no research about the possible ironic, ambivalent or dilemmatic effects of strategies which target systemic based ethnic disparities - issues explored in this thesis. Finally, most social psychological research focuses on a single context of study, most commonly the public perceptions about members of the disadvantaged groups, but also marginally mass media representations, academic publications or political discourses. This thesis places attention on an equally important area of study concerned with whether and how discourses can move between different domains, and the impact or acknowledgement of elite discourses on the everyday conversations. There are four key findings that emerged from the studies conducted for this thesis. Firstly, it was found that while expressing views about ethnic disparity, academics, policymakers, practitioners and beneficiaries of public policies for Roma people displayed subtle forms of ethnicism. Secondly, a great deal of political discourse was devoted to the encouragement of individual changes in ethnic minorities, without a similar focus on the roles of majority group members in perpetuating inequality. Whereas, the problem of Roma inclusion was acknowledged by academics, policymakers, practitioners and beneficiaries of policy measures, to be a matter for public policies, some of the attribution of responsibility for inclusion was offered to Roma people, who were encouraged to change as individuals in accord with majoritarian norms. Thirdly, the analysis showed the inclusion of the perspectives of ethnic minorities only in two of the three contexts where policy measures for Roma people were proposed and implemented: academic publications and conversations. The perspectives of feminist experts and women were only marginally present in academic publications and conversations, while missing from policy discourses. Also the perspectives of academics or the non-hegemonic voices of excluded or disadvantaged Roma people were largely absent from the arguments presented in policy documents for Roma inclusion. Lastly, this thesis found that there are ambivalence, dilemmas and concealment at work within arguments proposing policy measures for redressing ethnic disparities, with important political consequences. The findings of this thesis contribute to the important conversation about the meanings of disparity and the political solutions for achieving equality between groups of people. Also, the findings of this thesis have important implications for the social psychological theory of disparity, the policies for redressing disparity and the social work practice with disadvantaged group members.

The purpose of this thesis is to ethnographically explore the social life of health reform policy. This thesis focuses on the Ponce Center, a safety net HIV clinic in Atlanta. The thesis engages with a fragmented healthcare world, and the inhabitants of these worlds who are charged with rectifying the fragmentation and make care possible. They are, in technical language, service providers, whether they are policy-makers, patients, or political activists. In order to make the healthcare and policy worlds functional, the AIDS community in Atlanta perceive their first task as attempting to connect aspects of the fragmented healthcare assemblage that are otherwise disparate. The core theme of this thesis is articulations, translations, and piecing together aspects of everyday life particularly with regard to various ways of contending with fragmentation. This thesis explores the relationship between the affective, ideological, physical and structural dynamics of inequality, poverty, vulnerability, identity, and a sense of community and belonging. This thesis is about the policy processes. It does not focus on policy-making, but policy interpretation, implementation, and enactment in Atlanta, Georgia. The thesis tracks the appropriation and contestation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) as a site of interaction between the experience of HIV as a pre-existing condition, inequitable access to treatment through health insurance, and larger social policy and poverty discourses. Finally, it considers the processes by which major policy reforms draw in disparate actors, who are embedded in complex networks of power and resource relations - assemblages - and inevitably play a role in reshaping society.

Zhu, Junlei. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2011. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 35-39). / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / Chapter 1. --- Introduction --- p.1 / Chapter 2. --- Literature Review : --- p.3 / Chapter 3. --- Current Status of Public Education Investment in China --- p.6 / Chapter 4. --- Conceptual Framework --- p.7 / Chapter 5. --- Estimating Different Capital Stock --- p.11 / Chapter 6. --- Data and Main Results --- p.18 / Chapter 6.1 --- Data description --- p.18 / Chapter 6.2 --- Estimation and Results --- p.20 / Chapter 7. --- Efficiency Analysis and Policy Recommendation --- p.27 / Chapter 8. --- Conclusion --- p.33 / References --- p.35

Bakgrund: I Sverige är tumörsjukdomar det, som efter sjukdomar i cirkulationsorganen, orsakar flest dödsfall. Det är sedan tidigare känt att människor som lever under sämre socioekonomiska förhållanden löper större risk att insjukna och avlida till följd av cancersjukdom. Likaså visar forskning att det finns skillnader i vårdkvaliteten inom cancervården till lägre utbildades nackdel. Men hur ser det ut gällande sjukdomsupptäckt, väntetider och behandlingsinsatser? Får alla cancerpatienter en jämlik vård och behandling oberoende av socioekonomisk status i Skandinavien?  Syfte: Att sammanställa befintlig litteratur om skillnader i sjukdomsupptäckt, väntetider och behandlingsinsatser för cancerpatienter med olika socioekonomisk status inom cancervården i Skandinavien.   Metod: Litteraturöversikt med 13 kvantitativa artiklar avseende skandinaviska förhållanden. Vid datainsamlingen användes databaserna PubMed och CINAHL. Katie Erikssons omvårdnadsteori om lidande användes som vårdvetenskaplig utgångspunkt, och deduktiv metod valdes för genomförande av resultatanalysen.     Resultat: Resultaten presenteras under tre huvudkategorier; socioekonomiska skillnader i sjukdomsupptäckt, väntetider och behandlingsinsatser, och visar tydliga skillnader. I Skandinavien upptäcks cancer bland individer med hög utbildning och/eller hög inkomst tidigare än bland individer med lägre socioekonomisk status. Individer med hög socioekonomisk status har även avsevärt lägre risk att befinna sig i ett avancerat sjukdomsstadie vid tiden för diagnos, och erhåller oftare, och mer avancerade behandlingsinsatser.   Slutsats: Den skandinaviska, skattefinansierade cancervården är inte jämlik. Alla patienter får inte lika vård och behandling oberoende av socioekonomisk status. Individer med hög utbildning och hög inkomst gynnas, cancer upptäcks i tidigare stadie och de erhåller mer behandlingsinsatser i jämförelse med individer med lägre socioekonomisk status som får stå tillbaka. / Background: After diseases of the circulatory organs, cancer causes most deaths in Sweden. Previous studies indicate an effect of socioeconomic factors on the risk for being diagnosed with, as well as on survival of cancer in general. Furthermore, disparities in the quality of cancer care, related to socioeconomic status, has been exposed. But what is the current situation regarding disease detection, waiting times and treatment within the Scandinavian cancer care? Do all patients receive equal cancer care and treatment, regardless of socioeconomic status?  Aim: To compile existing literature on disparities in disease detection, waiting times and treatment for patients with different socioeconomic status within the Scandinavian cancer care.  Method: A literature review, including 13 articles of quantitative methodology, reflecting Scandinavian conditions. PubMed and CINAHL were used for data collection. The review is based on the nursing theory by Katie Eriksson. Deductive method was used for the implementation of the results analysis.  Results: The results are presented within three main categories; socioeconomic disparities in disease detection, waiting times and treatment. Cancer is detected earlier among patients with higher education and/or income. These patients also have considerably lower risk of being in an advanced stage of disease at the time of diagnosis. Patients with high socioeconomic status also receive more, and more advanced treatment, compared with patients with lower socioeconomic status.   Conclusion: The Scandinavian tax-funded cancer care is not equal. Not all patients receive equal care and treatment regardless of socioeconomic status. Cancer is detected at an earlier stage among patients with high education or high income, and they receive more treatment, in comparison to individuals with lower socioeconomic status, who are being disadvantaged.

Cancer is a leading cause of death in the Appalachian region of the United States. Existing studies compare regional mortality rates to those of the entire nation. We compare cancer mortality rates in Appalachia to those of the nation, with additional comparisons of Appalachian and non-Appalachian counties within the 13 states that contain the Appalachian region. Lung/bronchus, colorectal, female breast and cervical cancers, as well as all cancers combined, are included in analysis. Linear regression is used to identify independent associations between ecological socioeconomic and demographic variables and county-level cancer mortality outcomes. There is a pattern of high cancer mortality rates in the 13 states containing Appalachia compared to the rest of the United States. Mortality rate differences exist between Appalachian and non-Appalachian counties within the 13 states, but these are not consistent. Lung cancer is a major problem in Appalachia; most Appalachian counties within the 13 states have significantly higher mortality rates than in-state, non-Appalachian counterparts. Mortality rates from all cancers combined also appear to be worse overall within Appalachia, but part of this disparity is likely driven by lung cancer. Education and income are generally associated with cancer mortality, but differences in the strength and direction of these associations exist depending on location and cancer type. Improving high school graduation rates in Appalachia could result in a meaningful long term reduction in lung cancer mortality. The relative importance of household income level to cancer outcomes may be greater outside the Appalachian regions within these states.

No description available.

This study investigated the association of race, age, and census tract area poverty level on breast cancer stage at diagnosis. The study was limited to women residing in Missouri, aged 18 years and older, diagnosed with breast cancer, and whose cases were reported to the Cancer Registry between 2003 and 2008. The risk, relative risk, and increased risk of late-stage at diagnosis by race, age, and census tract area poverty level were computed. We found that the odds of late-stage breast cancer among African-American women were higher when compared with their white counterpart (OR 1.433; 95% CI, 1.316, 1.560). In addition, the odds of advanced stage disease for women residing in high-poverty areas were greater than those living in low-poverty areas (OR 1.319; 95% CI 1.08; 1.201). To close the widening cancer disparities gap in Missouri, there is the need for effective and programmatic strategies to enable interventions to reach areas and populations most vulnerable to advanced stage breast cancer diagnosis.