38 research outputs found
Pietro Verri’s Contribution to the Economic Theory of the 18th Century: Commercial Society, Civil Society and Governance of the Economy
No full text'Count Pietro Verri (1728-97) - Schumpeter writes (History, p. 178) - - would have to be included in any list of the greatest economists'. Within the Milanese school, he certainly stands out, alongside with Cesare Beccaria, during one of the most interesting periods from a history of analysis point of view. Luigi Cossa's famous introduction to the study of political economy rates Pietro Verri to be inferior to Beccaria in ingenuity and scientific cultivation, but greatly to be ahead of him as an economist.1 This judgement by Cossa, in particular, seems to echo the relative position of the two men in the history of ideas, particularly after Beccaria's rise to fame with a book - On crimes and punishments - which had in fact been largely inspired by Verri himself and defended by him.2 It is proposed in the present paper to revisit some of the basic tenets of Pietro Verri's political economy, with more in view than dwell on specific intuitions and theorems: namely relate those to Verri's own - quite original - conception of the economy. The scholarly work of Pietro Verri - with a special reference to his Meditazioni sulla economia politica of 1771 - provides the first systematic contribution stemming from the quarters of Lombard enlightenment in the field of political economy, especially so if one considers that Cesare Beccaria's parallel work - namely his Elementi di economia pubblica, conceived and drafted at the same time as Verri's Meditazioni - would only be published posthumously several years later. From the vantage point afforded by Verri's political economy, we gain a considerably attractive view of the most significant elements and characteristic concepts of Lombard enlightenment during the latter half of the 18th century; Verri, moreover, as we shall see, builds on a number of them in a new and original way. This paper is aimed at discussing Verri's political economy mainly along two distinct, but related, lines. In the first place the conception of commercial society is considered such as it is treated by the author particularly in his Meditazioni. In this perspective the analysis of such issues as competition and the market or money and taxation occupy a central place. Secondly it will be necessary to emphasise that Verri's approach has little to do either with forms of pure economics on one side - largely yet to be born throughout the 18th century - or, on the other side, with such conceptions of the polis - contrariwise well alive among his own contemporaries - as are founded on a sovereign authority conceived to be situated above the law. What Verri's political economy ultimately amounts to is an economic conception of civil society. The latter has natural strong connections with his own fact-mindedness - emphasised by Schumpeter - as well as with his deep practical involvement in administrative affairs and in the reforming process taking place during the latter half of the 18th century in Milan. In our view, a thorough investigation along the mentioned lines is the precondition for an understanding of the intellectual stature and of the scholarly contribution of Pietro Verri. His main ground is distinctly analytical and only by appreciating his analysis is it possible to shed light on the meaning and intellectual significance also of his practical contributions. Moreover Verri's pronouncements on the criticism of despotic government, the relevance of intermediate powers or bodies and on multiple levels of governance will be examined in a new and original light, showing how close they are to the gist of his analysis.
Biogeochemical and contaminant cycling in sediments from a human-impacted coastal lagoon – Introduction and summary
No full textFrom 2001 to 2003, the Microbent project (‘‘Biogeochemical processes at the water sediment interface in eutrophic environment’’) was carried out within the framework of the Programme National Environnement Coˆtier, the French contribution to LandeOcean Interaction in the Coastal Zone (LOICZ). The Microbent programme was focused on the study of
sediment biogeochemical cycles of carbon, oxygen, sulphur, iron, nitrogen, and phosphorus in relation to the faunal activity in the sediment and their relation with the mobility of metallic contaminants at the sedimentewater interface (SWI) in a Mediterranean coastal lagoon (Thau lagoon, France; Fig. 1). The aim of Microbent was to set up an interdisciplinary study bringing together geochemists, sedimentologists, and biologists in order to understand and quantify the main reaction pathways, and the fluxes of contaminants at the SWI, including those related to benthic fauna. Work was focused on the processes which generate contaminant fluxes: (1) early diagenetic processes, which generate the chemical conditions of the environment; (2) processes leading to the transfer of contaminants from particles toward biofilms, water column, and organisms; and (3) processes of sediment mixing by organisms and sediment accumulation
System Transfer, Education, and Development in Mozambique
No full textIn this study the author used conceptual historical method to assess the phenomenon of system transfer and the association between education and development in Mozambique. The assessment was administered through critical analysis of documents pertaining to the Salazar (1924-1966), Machel (1975-1986), and Chissano (1986-2005) administrations. The findings were that (a) the colonial government created economic and educational systems for colonizing Mozambique, whereas the Machel and Chissano administrations adapted foreign systems of government and education (i.e., Socialism, Soviet, Democracy, Portuguese, etc.), to their particular context without altering the inherent theoretical basis of the systems transferred; (b) the Machel and Chissano administrations, implicitly or explicitly, perceived the relationship between education and development as circular causality rather than a unidirectional linear causality, while the Salazar administration perceived it as unidirectional linear causality; and (c) while the Machel and Chissano administrations focused on primary education, literacy campaigns, and education of women and girls, they differed in the reasons for such focus
African Renaissance and Globalization: A Conceptual Analysis
No full textThis article explores the interaction between Globalization and the African Renaissance. Its main concern is twofold: to engage the intellectual and policy communities in further reflection about the intricacy and complexity of this interaction; and, consequently, to challenge these communities to exercise more caution when creating and adopting policies and action plans for Africa under the pressure of globalization. The paper (a) employs a conceptual analysis to tackle questions of adequacy, or inadequacy, of the term African Renaissance, (b) discusses connections between language, education, and freedom in post-colonial Africa; and, (c) suggests a response that Africans can adopt in their effort to position Africa as an equitable player amidst the influence of globalization. The author also challenges conceptions of knowledge and cognition, research practices and what constitutes valid research, publication culture and what constitutes publishable material, and the overrated celebration of cosmopolitanism by intellectuals
Identificação Dos Aspetos Cruciais Do Programa De Prevenção E Deteção Precoce Do Cancro Do Esófago Em Moçambique
No full textEsophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) poses a significant health burden in Mozambique, with high incidence rates and late-stage diagnoses contributing to its lethality. This comprehensive review examines the epidemiology, risk factors, and potential preventive strategies for ESCC in Mozambique. Key risk factors identified include tobacco smoking, alcohol consumption, dietary factors, hot beverage consumption, infections (such as HPV and HIV), environmental chemical exposures, and dental fluorosis. Geographic variations in EC incidence highlight the need for region-specific intervention. Poverty, gender, and age disparities further complicate prevention efforts. Implementing evidence-based interventions, such as tobacco control measures, dietary diversification, and early detection programs, is essential for reducing EC morbidity and mortality in Mozambique. The Mozambican National Cancer Control Plan (NCCP) provides a framework for integrated prevention and early detection initiatives. Collaborative efforts involving policymakers, healthcare providers, and communities are crucial for addressing the multifaceted challenges EC poses in Mozambique and improving cancer outcomes.
O carcinoma espinocelular do esófago (ESCC) representa um significativo problema de saúde em Moçambique, com elevadas taxas de incidência e diagnósticos em estádios avançados que contribuem para a sua letalidade. Esta revisão abrangente examina a epidemiologia, fatores de risco e estratégias preventivas potenciais para o EC em Moçambique. Os principais fatores de risco identificados incluem o consumo de tabaco, consumo de álcool, fatores dietéticos, consumo de bebidas quentes, infeções (como HPV e HIV), exposições químicas ambientais e fluorose dentária. As variações geográficas na incidência de EC destacam a necessidade de intervenções específicas para cada região. A pobreza, disparidades de género e idade complicam ainda mais os esforços de prevenção. Implementar intervenções baseadas em evidências, como medidas de controlo do tabagismo, diversificação dietética e programas de deteção precoce, é essencial para reduzir a morbilidade e mortalidade do EC em Moçambique. O Plano Nacional de Controle do Cancro (NCCP) de Moçambique fornece a estrutura para iniciativas integradas de prevenção e deteção precoce. Esforços colaborativos envolvendo legisladores, prestadores de cuidados de saúde e comunidades são cruciais para enfrentar os desafios multifacetados colocados pelo EC em Moçambique e melhorar os resultados do tratamento do cancro
Assessment of Surgical Care Provided in National Health Services Hospitals in Mozambique: The Importance of Subnational Metrics in Global Surgery
No full textRecommended from our members
Assessment of Surgical Care Provided in National Health Services Hospitals in Mozambique: The Importance of Subnational Metrics in Global Surgery
No full textINTRODUCTION: Surgery plays a critical role in sustainable healthcare systems. Validated metrics exist to guide implementation of surgical services, but low-income countries (LIC) struggle to report recommended metrics and this poses a critical barrier to addressing unmet need. We present a comprehensive national sample of surgical encounters from a LIC by assessing the National Health Services of Mozambique.
MATERIAL AND METHODS: A prospective cohort of all surgical encounters from Mozambique's National Health Service was gathered for all provinces between July and December 2015. Primary outcomes were timely access, provider densities for surgery, anesthesiology, and obstetrics (SAO) per 100,000 population, annualized surgical procedure volume per 100,000, and postoperative mortality (POMR). Secondary outcomes include operating room density and efficiency.
RESULTS: Fifty-four hospitals had surgical capacity in 11 provinces with 47,189 surgeries. 44.9% of Mozambique's population lives in Districts without access to surgical services. National SAO density was 1.2/100,000, ranging from 0.4/100,000 in Manica Province to 9.8/100,000 in Maputo City. Annualized national surgical case volume was 367 procedures/100,000 population, ranging from 180/100,000 in Zambezia Province to 1,897/100,000 in Maputo City. National POMR was 0.74% and ranged from 0.23% in Maputo Province to 1.78% in Niassa Province.
DISCUSSION: Surgical delivery in Mozambique falls short of international targets. Subnational deficiencies and variations between provinces pose targets for quality improvement in advancing national surgical plans. This serves as a template for LICs to follow in gathering surgical metrics for the WHO and the World Bank and offers short- and long-term targets for surgery as a component of health systems strengthening
Seawater carbonate chemistry and mortality, growth, and net calcification rates of sea urchin Echinus esculentus
No full textHere we evaluate the biological response (mortality, growth and net calcification rates) of a marine calcifier, the larvae of the sea urchin Echinus esculentus, to different levels of variability of pCO2/pH imposed in the absence or presence of seagrass and under 4 different pHs, relevant in the context of present natural variability and future ocean acidification.
This dataset is included in the OA-ICC data compilation maintained in the framework of the IAEA Ocean Acidification International Coordination Centre (see https://oa-icc.ipsl.fr). Original data were provided by the author of the related paper (see Related to) to the OA-ICC data curator. In order to allow full comparability with other ocean acidification data sets, the R package seacarb (Gattuso et al, 2024) was used to compute a complete and consistent set of carbonate system variables, as described by Nisumaa et al. (2010). In this dataset the original values were archived in addition with the recalculated parameters (see related PI). The date of carbonate chemistry calculation by seacarb is 2024-06-14
La traduzione italiana di Der kleine Volkswirth di Otto Hübner: un’analisi contrastiva
No full textThis paper is a first report about a research on the characteristics of the Italian translation of Otto Hübner’s Der kleine Volkswirth (1852), published by the Italian economist Luigi Cossa (1855). The research focuses on the linguistic characteristics of the translation and adopts a contrastive approach.
More precisely, the research studies the following aspects of the translation: pragmatic (author, public, medium, situation, function); macro-structural (layout, graphic and iconographic materials, punctuation, character style); paratextual (title, subtitle); lexical (specific words, rhetorical figures); grammatical (parataxis vs. hypotaxis, syntactic typology, typology of secondary sentences, order of constituents, syntactic occupation); and textual
(recurrence, verbal morphology, connection, deixis)
VIH E Cancro Do Esófago Em Moçambique: O Que É Que Aprendemos?
No full textEsophageal cancer (EC) is a common cancer in Mozambique, with esophageal squamous cell carcinomas (ESCC) being the most frequent subtype of this cancer. Little is known about the impact of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) on this pathology. The main goal of this study was to assess the association between EC and HIV infection.
Methods: A case-control study was conducted, in 2018, at Maputo Central Hospital, Mozambique (MCH). Consenting adults were eligible for inclusion. Patients with ESCC who underwent HIV testing constituted the case groups. Controls were selected from patients with surgical benign conditions, and they were matched by sex and age. Chi-square or Fisher’s exact tests were used to evaluate the association between two categorical variables. Comparisons between groups were performed, using independent samples t-tests or Mann–Whitney tests for continuous variables. Odds Ratio (OR), and the corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI) were computed using non-conditional logistic regression. A p-value < 0.05 was considered significant.
Results: During the study period, 92 cases and 92 controls were enrolled into the study. 67.4% of the cases were female. The median age of cases and controls was 57 (35-83) and 52 (35-85) years, respectively.
HIV-positive diagnosis significantly increased the odds of developing EC, mainly in females (OR=4.81; 95% CI: 2.24–10.32; p<0.001), but the same did not occur in males (OR=2.26; 95% CI: 0.80–6.36; p=0.123).
Conclusion: Esophageal cancer and human immunodeficiency virus are common in Mozambique. HIV infection is a potential risk factor for ESCC mainly in the female gender. Patients with HIV and other risk factors such as exposure to domestic or tobacco smoke should be educated and followed up for an early diagnosis of esophageal cancer. O cancro do esófago (CE) é um cancro comum em Moçambique, sendo os carcinomas de células escamosas do esófago (CCEE) o subtipo mais frequente deste cancro. Pouco se sabe sobre o impacto do vírus da imunodeficiência humana (VIH) nesta patologia. O principal objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar a associação entre CE e infeção pelo VIH.
Métodos: Um estudo de caso-controlo foi conduzido, em 2018, no Hospital Central de Maputo, Moçambique (HCM). Adultos que consentiram em participar foram considerados elegíveis. Doentes com CCEE que realizaram teste de VIH constituíram o grupo de casos. Os controlos foram selecionados entre os doentes com condições benignas cirúrgicas que seriam operados no HCM, tendo sido emparelhados por sexo e idade. Os testes de qui-quadrado ou exato de Fisher foram utilizados para avaliar potenciais associações entre duas variáveis categóricas. Para realizar comparações entre grupos foi utilizado o teste t para amostras independentes ou o teste de Mann-Whitney para as variáveis contínuas. A razão de chances (OR) e o respetivo intervalo de confiança de 95% (IC) foram calculados usando regressão logística não-condicional. Um valor de p < 0,05 foi considerado significativo.
Resultados: Durante o período de estudo, 92 casos e 92 controlos foram incluídos no estudo. 67,4% dos casos eram do sexo feminino. A idade mediana dos casos e dos controlos foi de 57 (35-83) e 52 (35-85) anos, respetivamente. O diagnóstico de VIH positivo aumentou significativamente as chances de desenvolver CE, principalmente nas mulheres (OR=4,81; IC 95%: 2,24–10,32; p<0,001), mas o mesmo não ocorreu nos homens (OR=2,26; IC 95%: 0,80–6,36; p=0,123).
Conclusão: O cancro do esófago e o vírus da imunodeficiência humana são comuns em Moçambique. A infeção por VIH é um potencial fator de risco para CCEE, principalmente no sexo feminino. Pacientes com VIH e outros fatores de risco, como a exposição ao fumo doméstico ou do tabaco, devem ser educados e acompanhados para um diagnóstico precoce do cancro do esófago
