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1 – 10 of 433Jingqiu Ren, Ryan Earl and Ernesto F. L. Amaral
Micro hospitals are a new form of for-profit health-care facility with rapid expansion in some parts of the country. They continue to grow in Texas without in-depth public…
Abstract
Purpose
Micro hospitals are a new form of for-profit health-care facility with rapid expansion in some parts of the country. They continue to grow in Texas without in-depth public understanding or explicit policy guidance on their role in the health-care system. Our project aims to define socioeconomic and demographic characteristics of areas served by micro and regular hospitals, and by doing so help assess micro hospitals' impact in expanding health-care access for disadvantaged populations in Texas.
Methodology/Approach
We (1) estimated hospital service areas (catchment areas) with a spatial model based on advanced Geographic Information System (GIS) methods using a proprietary ESRI traffic network; (2) assigned population socioeconomic measures to the catchment areas from the 2014–2018 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, weighted with an empirically tested Gaussian distribution; (3) used two-tailed t-tests to compare means of population characteristics between micro and regular hospital catchment areas; and (4) conducted logistic regressions to examine relationships between selected population variables and the associated odds of micro hospital presence.
Findings
We found micro hospitals in Texas tend to serve a population less stressed in health-care access compared to those who are more in need as measured by various dimensions of disadvantages.
Research Limitations/Implications
Our analysis takes a cross sectional look at the population characteristics of micro hospital service areas. Even though the initial geographic choices of micro hospitals may not reflect the long-term population changes in specific neighborhoods, our analysis can provide policy makers a tool to examine health-care access for disadvantaged populations at given point in time. As the population socioeconomic characteristics have long been associated with health-care inequality, we hope our analysis will help foster structural policy considerations that balance growing health-care delivery innovations and their social accountability.
Originality/Value of Paper
We used GIS based spatial modeling to dynamically capture the potential patient basis by travel time calculated with a street network dataset, rather than using the traditional static census tract to define hospital service areas. By integrating both spatial and nonspatial dimensions of healthcare access, we demonstrated that the policy considerations on the implications of equal opportunity for health-care access need to take into account the social realities and lived experiences of those experiencing the most vulnerability in our society, rather than a conceptual “equality” existing in the spatial and market abstraction.
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Ahmad Raza Bilal, Aaisha Arbab Khan and Michèle Eunice Marie Akoorie
This paper aims to identify the barriers that are linked to the institutional, external and social environmental factors in the emerging economies of South-East Asia (SEA)…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to identify the barriers that are linked to the institutional, external and social environmental factors in the emerging economies of South-East Asia (SEA). Through a comparative analysis of China, India and Pakistan, this study attempts to understand the constraints that might inhibit small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in this region from becoming more successful.
Design/methodology/approach
This study proposes an empirical research framework to identify the constraints to determinants of SMEs’ growth (the CDSG model) in an important geographic and industrial cluster of SEA countries including China, India and Pakistan. Six propositions are tested, using data from 1,443 SMEs obtained from Enterprise Survey Data Repository database from the World Bank. Ordinary least-squares estimation is applied for statistical analyses and testing of the research propositions.
Findings
The results show the differential effects of the proposed CDSG model in China, India and Pakistan. Access to external finance is found to be irrelevant to the growth of SMEs in China, while it has a positive influence in India and Pakistan. Furthermore, in terms of the innovation process, partial mediation is traced. Using the tax rate factor, negative mediation is found between CDSG variables and SMEs’ growth. Both mediators play different roles in firm growth activities, while the level of significance of some variables is found to be more relevant to a specific region rather than to all.
Practical implications
The prudent management of the proposed CDSG variables could revolutionize the constraints facing SME growth, making them into success factors. This could invigorate the growth of SMEs’ in SEA countries. The paper concludes with practical implications for policymakers and investors.
Originality/value
This SMEs’ theoretical framework is the first to use innovation and tax rate mediators to highlight the determinants of business growth in three SEA regional economies (China, India and Pakistan).
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Ki C. Han, Suk Hun Lee and David Y. Suk
This paper examines the impact of the assassination of Mexico’s leading presidential candidate on Mexican Brady bonds and its spillover effects to other emerging financial…
Abstract
This paper examines the impact of the assassination of Mexico’s leading presidential candidate on Mexican Brady bonds and its spillover effects to other emerging financial markets. On the day of the assassination, Mexican Brady bonds declined by a significant 0.97 percent and continued to experience significant declines over the following three trading sessions. However, with the naming of Ernesto Zedillo as the ruling party’s presidential candidate, Mexican Brady bonds recovered over 75 percent of the losses incurred during the previous four trading days. The assassination did not significantly affect other emerging financial markets. The availability of a $6 billion swap facility, holding of large foreign reserves, selection of Ernesto Zedillo, and well managed responses by the Mexican government all served to attenuate spillover effects from the Mexican political crisis.
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Raymond Talinbe Abdulai and Edward Ochieng
The assertion that land registration guarantees landownership security is common knowledge. Thus, efforts at securing landownership in particularly, the developing world have…
Abstract
Purpose
The assertion that land registration guarantees landownership security is common knowledge. Thus, efforts at securing landownership in particularly, the developing world have concentrated on the formulation and implementation of land registration policies. However, over the years, whilst some studies claim that land registration assures security, a lot of other studies have established that security cannot be guaranteed by land registration. Also, there is evidence from research that has shown that land registration can be a source of ownership insecurity in some cases. The purpose of this paper is to critically analyse the underpinning principles of land registration and their application in order to establish whether or not land registration can actually guarantee ownership security.
Design/methodology/approach
It is a literature review paper that looks at the existing literature on landownership, security and land registration systems. The land registration principles that have been subjected to critical analysis are the publicity function of land registration, the legality of ownership emanating from land registration and the warranty provided by the State in land registration, specifically, under the Torrens system.
Findings
An analysis of the underpinning principles of land registration shows that land registration per se cannot guarantee ownership security and this helps to explain the findings of the numerous studies, which have established that landownership security cannot be assured by land registration. The paper concludes by identifying the right role of land registration as well as a mechanism that can effectively protect or secure landownership.
Practical implications
Land registration policies and programmes in the developing world are often funded by the international donor community and the findings provide useful insights regarding the actual role of land registration and for policy change in terms of what can secure landownership.
Originality/value
Even though there are two schools of thought regarding research on the link between land registration on one hand, and landownership security on the other, none of the studies has made an attempt to consider the nexus by critically examining the principles that underpin land registration to support their arguments.
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Soontaree Sakprachawut and Damien Jourdain
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of land titles and farmers’ characteristics on their participation in the formal credit market in a land reform area of…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of land titles and farmers’ characteristics on their participation in the formal credit market in a land reform area of Thailand.
Design/methodology/approach
Data collected on 218 farm households in one land reform area of Western Thailand are analyzed with a generalized double-hurdle model to calculate the probability of farm households to take a loan and the size of the loans from a formal credit institute, the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Co-operatives.
Findings
The results suggest that the absence of a title, whether fully or partially transferable, decreases significantly the participation to the formal credit market and the size of the loans. However, this effect was small. The findings also indicate that the farm assets, household head’s gender and age, and the labor force per hectare were significantly influencing the probability of participation to borrow money as well as the amount borrowed.
Practical implications
The possibility given to farmers having title with partial transferability to provide alternative types of guarantees reduced the gap in loan-taking between the different types of land title. However, the presence of a land title, transferable or not, had a significant influence on farmers demand and success in obtaining credit.
Originality/value
The paper investigates the possible effects of a unique partial land rights in Thailand that guarantees only security of use of the land but prohibits sale.
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Ziade Hailu, Isaac N. Nkote and John C. Munene
The purpose of this paper is to empirically test whether enforceability mediates the relationship between property rights and investment in housing, using data from land…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to empirically test whether enforceability mediates the relationship between property rights and investment in housing, using data from land formalization project in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Design/methodology/approach
The study was cross-sectional in design; data were collected from a sample of 210 households that benefited from the recent Addis Ababa city land and buildings formalization project. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to assess the goodness-of-fit of the latent structures underlying the constructs. Mediation was tested using the Baron and Kenny steps, combined with bootstrapping technique. Robustness of results was checked.
Findings
The results indicate statistically significant mediation effect of contract enforcement. However, the mediation is partial, there is still a substantial direct effect of security of property rights on investment.
Practical implications
Any initiative to land formalization projects needs to consider contract enforcement environment, as presence and size of property rights effects largely depend on whether those rights are properly enforced.
Originality/value
This is the first study that conceptualizes the mediating effect of contract enforcement on the relationship between property rights and investment from an African country perspective.
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The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether the provision of formal land and building rights provides incentives to poor households to invest in their property in urban…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether the provision of formal land and building rights provides incentives to poor households to invest in their property in urban Ethiopia.
Design/methodology/approach
To test the hypothesis a natural quasi-experimental design was employed. Data were collected from a random sample of 210 households in a land formalization project and 190 households in a control group in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. To control for selection bias propensity score matching was used to estimate group differences.
Findings
The beneficiary group reported a higher investment level than did the control group. Households in the beneficiary group are statistically more likely to invest in new structures and housing maintenance, yet these effects are modest.
Practical implications
Governments, donors, and land administration officials may use these findings to address contextual issues that need deliberate interventions to make formalization projects achieve its goals.
Originality/value
Property rights research is preoccupied with changes in land rights and its response to investment in agricultural sector. The paper contributes to the limited literature dealing with property rights literature on urban setting. Moreover, empirical research has been hampered by the problem of causality and endogeneity while the study is designed in such a way to respond to the selection problem utilizing a natural experiment.
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David Ernesto Salinas-Navarro, Ernesto Pacheco-Velazquez, Agatha Clarice Da Silva-Ovando, Christopher Mejia-Argueta and Mario Chong
This study aims to present a conceptual framework aimed at promoting educational innovation in supply chain management and logistics (SCM&L). The framework can help to design…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to present a conceptual framework aimed at promoting educational innovation in supply chain management and logistics (SCM&L). The framework can help to design active learning experiences regarding student learning outcomes that tackle current challenges in the discipline. Emphasizing the significance of linking students’ learning to real-world scenarios, the framework enables reflective learning through hands-on engagement in a constructive alignment, overcoming existing pedagogical limitations in the field.
Design/methodology/approach
This study presents a qualitative research methodology that relies on the case study method. Three instances are presented to illustrate educational efforts of active learning in countries of Latin America, Bolivia, Mexico and Peru, linking real-world relevant situations to disciplinary teaching and learning.
Findings
The innovative learning experiences introduced in this study transform real-world SCM&L operations into distinctive educational opportunities. These experiences facilitate learning not only within traditional classrooms but also in urban areas of the Latin American region, enabling students to interact with educational partners in authentic settings to achieve their intended learning outcomes. These experiences are characterized by their focus on establishing meaningful connections between learning and local communities, businesses or specific contexts.
Research limitations/implications
The study recognizes various limitations of conceptual, methodological, execution-related and research process aspects. First, not all academics in the SCM&L discipline may universally acknowledge the importance of educational innovation and active learning experiences because of limited pedagogical awareness. Moreover, execution-related limitations arise from the demanding nature of incorporating active pedagogical approaches into courses, as they can be resource-intensive and time-consuming. Regarding research process limitations, the case study limits generalizability and broader inferences because of its particular views and locations, which require further investigation with other instances across other disciplines and geographical regions for validation.
Practical implications
The practical implementation of this framework within the MIT SCALE network for Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) demonstrates its potential in meeting diverse academic and institutional expectations and providing educational benefits to students.
Social implications
The study makes a valuable contribution to prioritizing and coordinating pedagogical research by investigating the success of learning outcomes achieved through active and experiential implementations in various contexts. It provides inspiring examples of innovative learning experiences that can drive new developments not only within the LAC region but also in other areas, prompting a shift away from traditional educational approaches.
Originality/value
This research presents a conceptual framework, which is developed from the insights obtained in the three learning experiences to guide future efforts in SCM&L education. The findings demonstrate how to structure active learning experiences based on authentic assessment and illustrate the potential for increased cooperation among institutions in Latin America. It also promotes the recognition of novel SCM&L active learning experiences and highlights some of the benefits of this approach.
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The purpose of this paper is to establish whether or not the absence of registered property titles is a barrier to credit access amongst small to medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to establish whether or not the absence of registered property titles is a barrier to credit access amongst small to medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) in Ghana.
Design/methodology/approach
The study involved the conducting of surveys amongst credit officers of financial institutions in Ghana; participants were from both microfinance institutions and universal banks. To achieve the aim of this study the survey was designed to study the attitudes of credit officers towards the use of property as security for SME credit. Their experiences in handling such issues were captured through a series of closed ended questions. Participants were randomly sampled and the data analysed descriptively using SPSS.
Findings
The results amongst other things show that most formal lenders accept landed property for collateral purposes irrespective of whether they are covered by registered property titles or not. Also found were differences existing between traditional banks and the microfinance institutions.
Originality/value
Small businesses are exposed to several challenges which hinder their growth and have potential to contribute to the overall agenda of poverty reduction. Prominent amongst these challenges is the difficulty in raising funds for investments purposes. Whilst some have attributed this to the lack of assets which could be used as collateral, others have argued that it is the result of the absence of formal property titles which have made land an unacceptable form of collateral. Previous studies have focused on the demand side however; the supply side is the focus of this study.
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Daniel Domeher and Raymond Abdulai
The purpose of this paper is to critically examine the argument linking land registration to agricultural investment and to provide theoretical reasons as to why this linkage may…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to critically examine the argument linking land registration to agricultural investment and to provide theoretical reasons as to why this linkage may not materialise in Africa within the short to medium term.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper takes the form of a critical review of the relevant literature on land registration, access to credit and agricultural investment; arguments are built on empirical studies found in the literature and theoretical concepts.
Findings
It has been established in this paper that the links between landed property registration and agricultural investments are made defective in Africa by factors such as poverty, lack of appropriate agro‐based infrastructure and the fact that land registration per se does not improve the profitability of agriculture, neither does it improve access to credit.
Research limitations/implications
The fact that this paper is based on literature review may be seen as a weakness to some extent.
Originality/value
Even though previous researchers have looked at the relationship between landed property registration and agricultural investment in the developing world, they fall short of critically explaining why land registration has been found not to enhance agricultural investment. This paper fills the gap through a combination of various theoretical and practical arguments which could call for a rethinking on the policies for promoting agricultural growth. The rigorous theoretical argument may also provide the basis for further empirical research.
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