BACKGROUND The article explores the implications of personal budgets within English social care services, which position the individual as market actor. Rooting the research in the broader personalization agenda, the study looks at the limitations of the market in relation to individual purchase of private goods (e.g. home care), in the pooling of funds to purchase group services and in the pro...

This paper analyses the problem of sub-national revenue mobilization in Peru and proposes several policy reforms to improve collection performance while maintaining a sound revenue structure. We analyze the current revenues of regional and municipal governments and identify the main priorities of reform. Among the most important problems are the acute inequalities and inefficiencies associated ...

BACKGROUND Increasing attention is being given to political agenda setting for the social determinants of health. While designing policies that can improve the social determinants of health is critical, so too is ensuring these policies are appropriately administered and implemented. Many policies have the potential to entrench or even expand inequities during implementation. At present little ...

In their recent paper, Heskel et al. (1) claim for leaf respiration that “Neither current physiological nor terrestrial biosphere models adequately describe its short-term temperature response. . .” and present an empirical, polynomial model of leaf respiration suitable for all biomes and plant functional types. Our polynomial model (2), an extension of the Arrhenius function, provides the same...

In a relatively short time, regulation has become a significant and distinct feature of how modern states wish to govern and steer their economy and society. Whereas the former 'dirigiste' state used to be closely related to public ownership (e.g. hospitals), planning (volume and capacity planning) and centralised administration (e.g. fixed prices and budgets), the new regulatory state relies m...

INTRODUCTION The objective of this study is to explore the associations between national tuberculosis program (NTP) budget allocation and tuberculosis related outcomes in the World Health Organization's 22 high burden countries from 2007-2009. METHODS This ecological study used mixed effects and generalized estimating equation models to identify independent associations between NTP budget all...