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One Kazakhstan, multiple nations: on a growing regional divide amidst economic dynamism
No full textThis article provides a comprehensive analysis of the growing regional divide in Kazakhstan, examining the dimensions and implications of spatial inequality in a country that has experienced robust economic growth in recent decades. We employ convergence analysis, a Regional Development Trap Index, and a Regional Competitiveness Index to measure territorial inequalities across Kazakhstan. Our findings reveal that whilst the country has achieved relatively rapid aggregate economic growth, this has been accompanied by a widening territorial divide. Wealth and economic activities are becoming increasingly concentrated in major urban centres such as Almaty and Astana, whilst other regions —particularly those in the south— continue to lag significantly behind. These results highlight an increasingly polarised nation, where certain regions benefit from economic dynamism and Kazakhstan's international integration, whilst others remain trapped in low-growth equilibria. The article concludes by offering targeted policy recommendations aimed at promoting inclusive growth, enhancing regional competitiveness, and reducing spatial disparities throughout Kazakhstan
Combating substandard and falsified medicines in China: policy barriers and the role of pharmaceutical track-and-trace systems
No full textSubstandard and falsified medicines (SF medicines) pose a severe threat to population health and safety. China has a large proportion of SF medicines, imposing a heavy economic burden and exacerbating inequities in access to quality medications. Addressing this issue urgently is critical to safeguarding public health. This study reviews the relevant literature to summarize the causes of SF medicines based on the Chinese pharmaceutical supply chain. Meanwhile, we scrutinized current Chinese policies to identify gaps in the existing responses. Finally, the feasibility of the pharmaceutical track-and-trace system implemented in China was evaluated and compared with the international experience. Analysis reveals that supply chain vulnerabilities are the primary risk to medical security, with track-and-trace systems (PTTS) emerging as an irreplaceable tool for real-time monitoring to mitigate SF medicines’ risks and ensure end-to-end quality assurance. While the Chinese government has committed to PTTS adoption, challenges remain in political economy and social acceptance. Therefore, recommendations include strengthening policy enforcement, conducting health economic evaluations of PTTS, and enhancing public awareness to eliminate SF medicines effectively
‘Friends of steel': Russia and China in a new era
No full text“Right now there are changes – the likes of which we haven’t seen for 100 years – and we are the ones driving these changes together.” Xi to Putin. March 2023
Characterising acute and chronic care needs: insights from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019
No full textChronic care manages long-term, progressive conditions, while acute care addresses short-term conditions. Chronic conditions increasingly strain health systems, which are often unprepared for these demands. This study examines the burden of conditions requiring acute versus chronic care, including sequelae. Conditions and sequelae from the Global Burden of Diseases Study 2019 were classified into acute or chronic care categories. Data were analysed by age, sex, and socio-demographic index, presenting total numbers and contributions to burden metrics such as Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs), Years Lived with Disability (YLD), and Years of Life Lost (YLL). Approximately 68% of DALYs were attributed to chronic care, while 27% were due to acute care. Chronic care needs increased with age, representing 86% of YLDs and 71% of YLLs, and accounting for 93% of YLDs from sequelae. These findings highlight that chronic care needs far exceed acute care needs globally, necessitating health systems to adapt accordingly
Social discounting and the cost of public funds: problems with current global practice
No full textSince the early days of social discounting, in the 1960s, three mutually inconsistent approaches have become globally embedded. All face significant analytical and/or practical problems. This essay reviews the issues, why the divisions persist, and the contexts in which the inconsistencies may contribute significantly to misleading analysis. It concludes that there may never be any broad global consensus on best practice, but identifies aspects where limited progress may sometimes be feasible
Beyond narratives of decline versus success: retirement through the lens of a diary
No full textRetirement is rarely conceptualised in terms of learning and development. However, as the end of professional activity approaches, many people begin to reflect deeply on the past, present, and future of their lives. This potentially profound reflection involves a complex process of learning and development to which research has paid too little attention. This article places the voice of a retiree at the centre of the study and provides a nuanced understanding of retirement, sensitive to the changes and difficulties of narrative sense-making activity in this transition, with all its ambiguities and complexities. The article analyses the 24-year diary of a man who goes through retirement, exploring the narrative sense-making dynamics by which this diarist interprets his retirement: initially it is mentioned with a combination of desire, idealisation, fear, and insecurity; then it is experienced as a deep personal crisis with depression; and afterward it is reinterpreted in a nuanced, positive, and constructive way. The analysis reveals the intertwining of cultural and personal dimensions in narrative sense-making. Sense-making around retirement is not passive or merely descriptive of the event, but instead is an integral part of what the process of retirement itself can become
Exposure to and impact of unhealthy food marketing on adolescents and young adults: a narrative review and research agenda
No full textConsumption of unhealthy food has become a leading cause of premature deaths and preventable illnesses around the world. Research shows that marketing by the companies that produce, distribute, and sell unhealthy foods and beverages is associated with increased consumption of these products. To date, however, limited research has focused on the cumulative exposure and impact of various modes of marketing employed to reach distinct populations. In this narrative review, we summarize 25 years of scientific evidence and findings from 108 empirical studies and 19 systematic and scoping reviews of various forms of unhealthy food marketing to adolescents (aged 13 to 17) and young adults (aged 18 to 25). These are populations often targeted by food advertising, globally. The review offers insights into young people's exposure to unhealthy food marketing, how this exposure and its impacts vary by age, socioeconomic status, and race/ethnicity, and what is known about the cumulative effects of multi-platform food marketing. Our findings reveal patterns of disproportionate exposure among lower-income and racial/ethnic minority youth, especially Black and Latinx adolescents in the U.S., across different media platforms. Additionally, more than 90% of impact studies in our sample found that exposure to unhealthy food marketing is associated with higher consumption of advertised products, with social media influencer marketing gaining an increasingly prominent role. Despite emerging evidence on multi-platform marketing, cumulative exposure remains insufficiently researched. Based on these findings, we suggest paths for future research to reduce the harmful impact of marketing unhealthy food and beverages to young people. [Abstract copyright: © 2025 World Obesity Federation.
Introducing the Housing Squeeze zine
No full textIn cities across the globe, housing is being squeezed as families and individuals are relegated to increasingly smaller domestic spaces. The housing squeeze is far from new, but a variety of shrinking pressures have deepened in the wake of the 2008 global financial crash. In May 2025 a group of fifteen scholars researching shrinking domesticity in diverse contexts—from street shelters in India to micro-apartments in Hong Kong—came together to produce a zine called The Housing Squeeze. Merging data, interviews, maps, collage, and multilingual reflections, this zine proposes radical housing futures inspired by decolonial, grassroots, and transnational insights. This creative academic collaboration contributes to the broader genre of radical housing zines, which has roots in underrepresented communities and countercultural movements