Combining Risk Assessment and Economics in Managing a Sanitary–Phytosanitary Risk

The Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Measures provides guidelines for countries to protect domestic production from pests and diseases. The guidelines permit consideration of consumer welfare. We find an optimal set of SPS measures considering total welfare and mitigation strategies. Our model suggests that it is optimal and less restrictive to apply mitigation strategies first and then an additional smaller tariff if necessary. Relative cost of mitigation determines the amount of the mitigation strategies applied in the importing and exporting countries.     

青岛模式:罕见病医疗保障制度的实践与展望

罕见病群体是一个不可忽视的庞大的社会群体。美国、欧盟、日本、中国台湾等国家和地区都出台了相关法律法规,以提高患者的药物可及性,改善其生存状况等。而到目前为止,我国依然没有罕见病的官方定义和相关法律法规。2012年,青岛市首开先河,建立了大病医疗救助制度,明确将罕见病纳入其覆盖范围之内,其基本上建立了罕见病医疗保障制度。本文将对青岛罕见病医疗保障制度的相关内容、特点、实施情况、发展方向等进行深入分析,以期为完善青岛市罕见病医疗保障制度,促进我国罕见病医疗保障制度的建立提供参考。     

新闻报刊中疾病隐喻表达的ICM分析

疾病隐喻中的许多表达方式都是由其他概念域的语言映射而来,是人类隐喻认知的结果。新闻报刊中与疾病相关的隐喻表达方式主要可归纳为战争隐喻、恶魔隐喻和自然灾害隐喻几种。对疾病隐喻表达做理想化认知模型（ICM）分析,探讨疾病隐喻的认知理据和分布特征,能够为人们认知疾病隐喻现象提供新的视角。     

Science vs. fear: the Ebola quarantine debate as a case study that reveals how the public perceives risk

This study focuses on newspaper coverage of the Hickox quarantine incident, using it as a case study to examine how the media characterized the spread of disease in an ongoing crisis situation characterized by uncertainty. The study builds on Slovic et al.’s research, who argue that risk perception is comprised of both emotional and analytical aspects. We employed a qualitative approach, first examining articles on Hickox’s story in The New York Times and New York Daily News between October 25 and 31, 2014; and second, readers’ comments in response to these articles. The findings from the newspaper articles show that in their treatment of the quarantine debate, the media did not address the issue of uncertainty, and thus continued the health authorities’ neglect of this issue. Although the media gave expression to various sides of the debate, it emphasized those who objected to the quarantine policy, thus raising the claim that the conflict was between ‘science’ and the public’s ‘irrational fears,’ and that the governors decided on quarantine in response to the public’s panic and fears. From our analysis of readers’ comments, it appears that these claims are unjustified. First, we found that the public did not speak in a single unified voice, but rather, was divided into supporters and opponents of quarantine. Both sides used scientific arguments and resorted to similar terminology, and tended to cite and present studies backing their arguments. As for irrational fears, although quarantine supporters expressed emotions, they indicated mainly concerns, not panic or hysteria.     

Medical management,costs, and consequences of Alzheimer’s disease in Germany: an analysis of health claims data

Abstract

Objective:

The main objective of this analysis was to assess the medical and economic differences between patients with and without diagnosed Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). Analysis included co-morbidities, patterns of drug use, and clinical course, as well as the magnitude of these differences attributable to AD.     

Untangling government,market, and investment failure during the Nigerian oil boom: the Cement Armada scandal 1974–1980

Abstract

The ‘Cement Armada’ was a major Nigerian government scandal which culminated in hundreds of cement-laden ships arriving en masse at Lagos, creating severe multi-year-long port congestion during the height of the 1970s oil boom. In spite of the scale of the scandal, its causes and consequences have received little attention from scholars. This article presents new research which suggests the Armada was one of several contributing factors to the extraordinary inflation in the price of construction during period. It places the scandal in the context of debates about corruption, organisational failure and a ‘resource curse’ in Nigeria.     

Estimating the health care savings from trans fat-free canola in Canada

Growing scientific evidence links consumption of trans fatty acids in the diet to elevated levels of cholesterol and therefore to coronary heart disease. Coronary heart disease is the single largest contributor to health care costs in Canada (both direct medical costs and indirect costs in the form of lost productivity). As with many industrialized nations, rising public health care costs are a major public policy concern in Canada. The major source of trans fats is hydrogenated vegetable oils and processed food products. New canola varieties are emerging which enable the production of canola oils that are virtually trans fat-free. This paper evaluates the potential savings in public health care costs from a trans fat-free canola oil. Using four scenarios and conservative assumptions, the paper estimates non-trivial potential health cost savings in the range of Cdn$280 million to Cdn$1.09 billion annually. A number of policy implications are discussed.     

旅游地“荷兰病”效应：旅游负面经济影响研究新视角

“荷兰病”是一个经济学领域的概念,指一国或地区某一产业部门异常繁荣,而其它产业发展相对滞后的现象。作为一种常见的经济结构病症,“荷兰病”在旅游发展过程中客观存在,是旅游负面经济影响的重要组成部分之一。通过系统梳理旅游地“荷兰病”效应的理论渊源和相关研究,初步提出了其内涵界定,即旅游产业异常繁荣,其它产业发展相对滞后,国民经济发展高度依赖旅游业的现象及其负面影响,以期为旅游负面经济研究提供一个全新的视角。     

基于灰色系统的治未病策略

治未病的主要中医理念之一为未病先防。以糖尿病为例,从患者的各生活习性着手,构建灰色关联模型,求得各生活习性对该糖尿病的影响权重与关联度矩阵,进而给出治未病方案。     

疫情过后对银行零售业务的浅思

2020年伊始,一场突如其来的新型冠状肺炎疫情扰乱了全国各行各业的发展步伐,包括人们的生活方式、思维和社会习惯。对于银行来说,客户的变化和营销模式的变化也随之而来。银行如何迎合这一局面并适应这一变化,做得更有温度、更有效率?论文一方面从银行一线人员作为行为主体做出了以客户为导向的营销策略和心理研究,另一方面从银行作为行为主体,针对客户、银行员工和零售发展方向作出了研究分析。