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Can risk-rating of incremental premiums improve consumer sorting across coverage options in mandatory health insurance markets?
No full textSeveral mandatory health insurance schemes include some consumer choice of coverage (e.g., in terms of deductible levels). Premiums in these schemes are typically community-rated per insurance plan. While community-rated premiums help achieve objectives of fairness, they can also lead to adverse selection across coverage options. Consequently, consumers may sort inefficiently across these coverage options resulting in forgone welfare gains. This paper aims to explore under what conditions risk rating of incremental premiums for more comprehensive coverage (compared to a basic plan) can improve consumer sorting. In a simulation analysis on Chilean data, results show that under perfect risk adjustment, risk rating of incremental premiums can improve consumer sorting. With imperfect risk adjustment, however, the effects of risk rating on consumer sorting are ambigous as incremental premiums will not just reflect the direct effect of more comprehensive coverage on healthcare spending, but also the under/overcompensation from the (imperfect) risk adjustment system. Moreover, we find that in the presence of imperfect risk adjustment, risk rating improves welfare over community rating but does not fully solve the problem of inefficient sorting
Controlling contagion: Epidemics and institutions from the Black Death to Covid. Sheilagh Ogilvie, (Princeton University Press, 2025. Pp.544. ISBN 9780691255569. HbK £38)
No full textSpatial wealth inequality in the United States: theory and evidence
Get PDFDespite extensive research on spatial inequality, the geography of wealth remains understudied. We develop a theoretical framework explaining why wealth’s spatial distribution differs from income’s and how local advantages create self-reinforcing dynamics. Using novel data tracking household net worth across 722 U.S. commuting zones from 1960-2020, we establish five stylized facts. Wealth is 60-70% more spatially concentrated than income, with patterns distinct from income and housing values. Post-1980 increases in between-place inequality reflect places changing positions rather than divergence. Within places, bottom 50% wealth shares declined nationwide. These patterns reveal feedback mechanisms compounding spatial advantages, highlighting welfare disparities exceeding income-focused research
Global inequality of opportunity in education decreased during the 20th Century
Get PDFWe document changes in global inequality of opportunity in education for women and men born between 1941 and 1983, using individual‐level census and survey data on 46.7 million individuals from 95 countries, representing all major regions of the world. We measure global inequality of opportunity in education as inequality in education due to circumstances beyond the control of individuals. In addition to gender and social origin, we treat a person's country of residence as a circumstance that produces inequality of opportunity, because the country of residence is, to a large extent, beyond an individual's control. We test whether global inequality of opportunity in education has increased or decreased across cohorts. Our results show a decline in global inequality of opportunity. The decline is stronger among women than men, although inequality of opportunity remains higher among women than men
What is “conversational” about conversational technologies, products, and services? Insights from conversation analysis
No full textWhere angels fear to tread: FDI into sanctioned locations
No full textMultinational enterprises (MNEs) are increasingly challenged by the strategic implications of economic sanctions, which are imposed in response to geopolitical instability, international conflict, and violations of international norms. In this paper, we demonstrate that superior resources and capabilities enhance the ownership advantages of MNEs, enabling them to pursue foreign direct investment (FDI) in sanctioned locations. We also build on institutional theory to examine contextual conditions and find that effective home country institutions deter investment to sanctioned locations and decrease the magnitude of the moderating effect of firm resources and experience. Moreover, being in a sanctioned location leads firms to invest more to other sanctioned locations because of the resulting specific ownership advantages. We test our conjectures on a large panel dataset and find support for our arguments. In post hoc analysis, we also examine the impact of sanctions on locational choice, highlighting that they have a deterrent effect. Our results have important implications for managers and policy makers in terms of international management and institutional dynamics
Access to healthcare services and adherence to treatments for people with dementia among ethnic minority groups: a scoping review
Get PDFBackground: Dementia is a leading cause of death among the older population and requires regular engagement with primary care services, monitoring, and specialist support. People with dementia from ethnic minority groups face barriers in accessing adequate healthcare. Factors such as different conceptualisations of dementia, personal beliefs, and cultural backgrounds can influence attitudes to treatments, further increasing health inequalities and worsening health outcomes. This research maps the evidence on access and experiences within primary care services for people with dementia, along with treatment adherence patterns.Methods: A scoping review was conducted in October 2025 on Medline (Ovid), EMBASE (Ovid), and Google Scholar, with two separate searches on access to care and adherence to treatments. Eligibility criteria were peer-reviewed journal articles, published from 2010 onwards, focusing on people with dementia, and including an analysis of differences among ethnic minority groups. Studies were assessed for quality. Data were synthesised narratively.Results: Seventeen articles were included. People with dementia from ethnic minority groups report lower quality care received. They are less likely to be prescribed and receive anti-dementia medications, and they have lower adherence rates compared to their White counterparts when these medications are prescribed. Identified barriers to access and adherence to treatments include cultural factors, religious beliefs, viewing dementia as a normal part of ageing, stigma, limited language proficiency, inadequate facilities and services not tailored to the specific needs of minority ethnic groups. Conclusion: This research highlights persistent inequalities among people with dementia from ethnic minority groups. More research is needed to address these issues and fully understand the factors influencing access to care services and attitudes towards medications among people with dementia. Policymakers and researchers should emphasise the importance of designing and implementing culturally tailored interventions to reduce these persistent inequalities
Italian migrant camps in Albania: enforcing European enclosures through carceral integration
Get PDFThis article examines the 2023 Italy–Albania agreement for the construction and operation of offshore Italian migrant detention camps in Albania. Looking at the larger history of colonial relations of power between the two countries, the authors trace how recent migration policies—and the emerging carceral capitalist industry in Albania—are entangled with racial hierarchies of global capitalism. By drawing attention to the Italy–Albania migrant deal, the authors analyze how these outsourcing practices of the European border regime utilize former socialist countries like Albania as zones of migrant detention, processing, and deportation. The authors argue that, through the premise of integration into the EU and the global racial capitalist circuit, candidate countries offer migrant control services in exchange for more favorable labor relations for its own citizens in the EU
Venture capital as male-lens investing
No full textVenture capital (VC) is fuelling the boom in artificial intelligence (AI). Yet analysis of a UK dataset reveals that VC is dominated by men, both as investors and the AI start-ups they fund. Gender disparities are identified in VC decision-makers, the composition of founders and the average capital raised by predominantly male, compared to female, teams. This is particularly pronounced in AI software start-ups, the sector that attracts most investment. Whether and how this gender gap shapes the innovation process itself is a further question explored here. Drawing on feminist science and technology studies, we argue that the homogeneity of the VC ecosystem is key to perpetuating the gender gap in innovation. On this basis, we conceptualise venture capital as effectively a form of ‘male-lens investing’, illustrating the limitations of the male-dominated and profit-driven VC investment model. We believe this theoretical framing contributes to contextualising debates about the need for inclusive innovation systems