Suchergebnisse

Abstract
Ignoring the heated morality debates and millions of dollars invested in educational programs, the teenage pregnancy rate (and consequently the adolescent birth rate) in the United States remains the highest among the developed countries, even though it had decreased during the 1990s. Adolescent birth rates are 2.5 times higher than Canada's, and 7.2 times the rate reported by Italy. To account for the differences in teenage pregnancy outcomes among the three developed countries – United States, Canada, and Italy – a complex theoretical model of attitudes, beliefs, values, and policy decisions was constructed. Departing from the rational model approach, the present analysis emphasizes culture and values, and the way in which they influence the political process, and are ultimately reflected in the policy-making decisions.
Data used to assess attitudes and beliefs prevalent in each of the three countries were obtained from the most recent release of the World Value Survey. Teenage pregnancy rates and other demographic data were drawn mostly from the World Bank's 2001 World Development Indicators. For the geographical analysis of the variations within the United States, data was obtained from the Center for Disease Control. The methodology combines cross-tabular and logistic regression analysis of individual attitudes and beliefs; a comparative table of social and economic indicators for a country-level analysis; a geographical information analysis (GIS) of the United States data; and a political analysis of the differences observed.

AbstractThe presence of women in the United States science and technology professoriate depends on various factors, including the availability of a pool of qualified women with relevant doctorates and the elimination of policy constraints and institutional barriers to professional access. Recognizing that initial hiring in related science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields is a crucial step affecting gender composition and representation at all levels in the academic hierarchy, we focus on hiring profiles in institutions of higher learning to examine related trends and practices. In addition to the significant and inversely proportional influence of initial hiring on future trends, differences were noted relative to public or private control of the university and other institutional characteristics, providing a basis for further analyses of institutional dynamics restricting or enhancing favorable hiring policies and practices for STEM women faculty.

Living organ donors frequently incur non-medical expenses for travel, accommodation, prescription drugs, loss of income, and child care in conjunction with organ donation. Despite international precedent and widespread public support, Canada currently lacks a unified strategy to reimburse donors for these expenses. In 2005, we communicated with 78 individuals within the field of Canadian transplantation to identify which initiatives for reimbursement of living donors existed in each province. Saskatchewan was the only province in which public employees were granted paid leave for organ donation. Six provincial governments partially reimbursed travel and accommodation. At the federal level, other expenses could be partially reimbursed through an income tax credit, while the Employment Insurance program and the Canada Pension Plan provided funding for donors who become unemployed or develop longterm disability as a result of donation. Charities helped a limited number of patients in financial need through grants and no-interest loans, but funding was generally limited by contributions received. While reimbursing living donors for their non-medical expenses is considered just, existing programs only partially reimburse expenses and are not available in all provinces. Developing future reimbursement policies will remove a disincentive faced by some potential donors, and may increase rates of transplantation in Canada.