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European Journal of Politics and Gender: Bringing the researcher in: methodological, ethical and institutional challenges to studying far-right politics and anti-gender mobilisations
No full text‘Now we are on the same page’ - experiences of foster parents and social workers participating in Trauma-Informed Care (TIC) training
No full textNew tests of equal forecast accuracy for factor-augmented regressions with weaker loadings
No full textWe provide the theoretical foundation for the recent tests of equal forecast accuracy and encompassing by Pitarakis (2023) and Pitarakis (2025), when the competing forecast specification is that of a factor-augmented regression model. This should be of interest to practitioners, as there is no theory justifying the use of these simple and powerful tests in such a context. In pursuit of this, we employ a novel theory to incorporate the empirically well-documented fact of homogeneously/heterogeneously weak factor loadings, and track their effect on the forecast comparison problem
Poverty, Incentive Alignment and Resilience to Economic Shrinking - A Conceptual Proposal
No full textRecent research has highlighted the importance of reducing economic shrinking—periods of negative per capita growth—for long-term development. Building on this literature, this chapter proposes a new framework explicitly connecting the dynamics of poverty eradication to the dynamics of resilience to economic shrinking. It argues that a key driver of this resilience is the alignment of incentives between political and economic elites toward national development. Drawing on three bodies of literature—on economic growth, inequality and poverty, and elite bargains—the chapter develops a conceptual framework on how such incentive alignment can trigger a virtuous cycle of increased resilience to shrinking, stronger economic performance, and reduced poverty. The framework is tested through a Popperian empirical exercise using eight country cases. Findings support the claim that elite incentive alignment is a necessary condition for developing resilience, offering a novel lens on how poverty reduction and societal transformation unfold across contexts
Sex differences in health-related quality of life after renal cell carcinoma surgery : a population-based study in Sweden
No full textPURPOSE: To examine sex differences in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among patients surgically treated for renal cell carcinoma (RCC) in Sweden, utilizing data from the National Swedish Kidney Cancer Register (NSKCR).METHODS: In this study of 4658 surgically treated RCC patients, data on HRQoL, clinical, demographic, and socioeconomic characteristics were retrieved from the NSKCR for patients undergoing surgical treatment between January 2016, and April 2024. HRQoL was measured using the 14- and 19-item versions of the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy - Kidney Symptom Index (FKSI-14/19) instrument six months after surgery. The association between sex and HRQoL was estimated using linear regression. Separate analyses were performed for the FKSI-14 and FKSI-19 total scores and underlying domains.RESULTS: In total, 3086 (66.3%) men and 1572 (33.7%) women were included. After adjusting for clinical, demographic, and socioeconomic characteristics, male sex was significantly associated with higher HRQoL. Specifically, men had higher scores, indicating fewer symptoms, for physical and mental symptoms according to FKSI-14 (P < 0.001), and for physical (P < 0.001) and emotional (P < 0.001) disease-related symptoms, as well as treatment side effects (P < 0.022), according to FKSI-19. Total HRQoL was significantly higher in men, according to both the FKSI-14 (P < 0.001) and the FKSI-19 (P < 0.001).CONCLUSIONS: HRQoL differed significantly between men and women six months after surgery, with men reporting higher HRQoL, even after accounting for clinical, demographic, and socioeconomic factors. Healthcare professionals should be aware of the risk of lower HRQoL among female patients
Predicting Occlusion Myocardial Infarctions in the Emergency Department Using Artificial Intelligence
No full textObjectivesThe objective was to develop an artificial intelligence (AI) model for predicting acute coronary occlusion myocardial infarction (OMI) in patients with chest pain at the emergency department (ED), using information that is widely available early in the ED assessment.MethodsIn a cohort of 24,511 consecutive adult ED patients with chest pain from 5 Swedish hospitals, OMI cases were identified through register data and manual review of health records and angiographies. Ambulance patients bypassing the ED due to ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) were not included in the cohort. A deep-learning AI model was created to predict OMI using the electrocardiogram, optionally combined with other early ED data, including medical history and initial lab values. The model was internally validated on held-out data and compared with the STEMI criteria.ResultsA total of 467 patients (1.9%) were identified as OMI, corresponding to 29% of all acute myocardial infarction cases. The 30-day mortality rate was 6.6% for OMI, compared with 3.3% for non-OMI. Only 5.4% of the OMI cases received angiography within the guideline-recommended maximum of 90 minutes after ED arrival. The AI model achieved an area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUC) of 95.3% (95% CI, 93.8%-97.3%), with a sensitivity of 62% compared with 27% for the STEMI criteria (difference 34.5%; 95% CI, 22.9%-45.2%) at the same specificity (97.4%).ConclusionOur AI model identified OMI in ED patients with chest pain with an AUC of 95%, doubling sensitivity compared with the STEMI criteria at the same specificity. Using the model could reduce time to intervention, as only about 1 in 20 OMI cases currently receive timely angiography
Sociala investeringar i Sverige: Från lovande idé till tyst avveckling
No full textSociala investeringar lanserades som ett sätt att göra välfärden mer förebyggande, rationell och långsiktigt hållbar. Genom mätbarhet, utvärdering och ekonomiska kalkyler skulle satsningar på människor legitimeras som god politik och god ekonomi. I denna artikel analyseras hur idén om sociala investeringar fick fäste i svenska kommuner – och hur samma logik som bar reformen framåt också bidrog till dess gradvisa och tysta avveckling
Metal and dust exposure in workers from the metal recycling industry in Sweden : cross-sectional GreenMetalWaste study
No full textThe green transition relies on metals, requiring increased metal recovery from waste. However, exposure risks among metal recycling workers are poorly understood. We conducted a cross-sectional study to assess dust and metal exposure among 139 recycling workers from 13 Swedish metal recycling companies and 90 controls. We documented work practices through observations and questionnaires and assessed dust and metal exposures using a combination of individual air sampling (inhalable (ID) and respirable dust) and biomonitoring (blood and pre-/post-shift urine). ICP-MS was used to measure 39 metals in air, 47 in blood, and 42 in urine. Thirty-two % of the workers were involved in the recycling of e-waste. At most workplaces, dust control was insufficient, respiratory protective equipment was rarely or incorrectly used, and hygienic routines were inadequate. This was reflected in 6.2 times higher ID levels in recycling workers; 14 % exceeded the 5 mg/m3 exposure limit for ID, and some also exceeded limits for Pb, Cu, As, Cd, and Sb. Workers had elevated blood and/or urine levels of Pb, Hg, Al, Sb, Fe and Mn with known human toxicity, and of Y, Lu, In, Ga, W, and Te with limited or unknown toxicity. Furthermore, observed were also co-exposure patterns for those metals. Inhalation was the likely primary exposure route for Pb, Sb, Y, In, and Te. In conclusion, Swedish recycling workers were exposed to elevated levels of dust and metals, highlighting the need for ongoing monitoring of both known and emerging metals
The economic effects of the quality infrastructure
No full textAlthough the economic impact of standards has been investigated for over two decades, the effect of the entire quality infrastructure, encompassing standards, conformity assessment, accreditation, metrology, and market surveillance, has been examined primarily through specific case studies. The objective of this analysis is to conduct an econometric analysis to assess the economic value of quality infrastructure on Gross Domestic Product. After a review of the small but growing literature, indicators for the different elements of the quality infrastructure are presented. The panel regression is based on a timeseries of available indicators for a set of European countries. After assessing the impact of each element of the quality infrastructure separately, a comprehensive model is estimated to calculate its total effect. We find that standards are significantly associated with the GDP of the countries, which corroborates earlier studies. Furthermore, the generally good data coverage for ISO 9001 certifications reveals a significant influence of conformity assessment on GDP. Participation in the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) as an indicator for accreditation plays also a substantial role for the country's GDP. However, the approximation of market surveillance by the cases reported in the European Rapid Alert System for Dangerous Products (RAPEX) must be critically assessed due to the ambivalent results. The paper concludes by discussing the overall approach and the revealed results, the limitations and, ultimately, the implied policy recommendations