The modern world is characterised by pervasive economic inequalities. Strong economic growth in some developing countries has contributed to a degree to a reduction in the levels of inequality between nations, yet inequality within nations remains high and in some cases, continues to increase. Ethnic Stratification and Economic Inequality around the World investigates the reasons for these striking differences, exploring the coincidence and interaction between economic stratification and ethnic differentiation. Drawing on extensive international survey and statistical data, the author develops a new theory and concrete hypotheses concerning the conditions which lead toward extreme inequality and those which tend toward greater equality. A systematic examination of the interaction between class structures, social stratification and ethnic differentiation, this book sheds light on the manner in which the resulting social structures produce different levels of economic inequality, offering a fivefold typology of patterns of ethnic stratification, which can be applied to present-day world regions. Drawing on the work of Max Weber to provide a rigorous investigation of inequality around the world, it demonstrates what 'sociology as a science of social reality' can significantly contribute to our understanding of global economic stratification. The book is relevant for a wide social-scientific audience, particularly for sociologists, economists and political scientists working in a comparative perspective.
This book makes a significant contribution to a hitherto much neglected area. The book brings together a wide range of papers on a scale rarely seen with a geographic spread that enhances our understanding of the complex journey undertaken by those who aspire to become teachers of teachers. The authors, from more than ten countries, use a variety of approaches including narrative/life history, self-study and empirical research to demonstrate the complexity of the transformative search by individuals to establish their professional identity as teacher educators. The book offers fundamental and thoughtful critiques of current policy, practice and examples of established structures specifically supporting the professional development of teacher educators that may well have a wider applicability. Many of the authors are active and leading persons in the international fields of teacher education and of professional development. The book considers: novice teacher educators, issues of transition; identity development including research identity; the facilitation and mentoring of teacher educators; self-study research including collaborative writing, use of stories; professional development within the context of curriculum and structural reform. Becoming a teacher is recognised as a transformative search by individuals for their teaching identities. Becoming a teacher educator often involves a more complex and longer journey but, according to the many travel stories told here, one that can be a deeply satisfying experience. This book was published as a special issue of Professional Development in Education.
In many low- and middle-income countries, health coverage has improved dramatically in the past two decades, but health outcomes have not. As such, effective coverage—a measure of service delivery that meets a minimum standard of quality—remains unacceptably low. Improving Effective Coverage in Health examines one specific policy approach to improving effective coverage: financial incentives in the form of performance-based financing (PBF), a package reform that typically includes performance pay to frontline health workers as well as facility autonomy, transparency, and community engagement. This Policy Research Report draws on a rich set of rigorous studies and new analysis. When compared with business-as-usual, in low-income settings with centralized health systems PBF can result in substantial gains in effective coverage. However, the relative benefits of PBF—the performance pay component in particular—are less clear when it is compared with two alternative approaches, direct facility financing, which provides operating budgets to frontline health services with facility autonomy on allocation, but not performance pay, and demand-side financial support for health services (that is, conditional cash transfers and vouchers). Although PBF often results in improvements on the margins, closing the substantial gaps in effective health coverage is not yet within reach for many countries. Nonetheless, important lessons and experiences from the rollout of PBF over the past decade can guide health financing into the future. In particular, to be successful, health financing reform may need to pivot from performance pay while retaining the elements of direct facility financing, autonomy, transparency, and community engagement.
Dans de nombreux pays à faible revenu et à revenu intermédiaire, la couverture sanitaire s’est considérablement améliorée au cours des deux dernières décennies, mais pas les résultats en matière de santé. Ainsi, la couverture effective — une mesure de la prestation de services qui répond à une norme minimale de qualité — demeure à un niveau inacceptable. Le rapport Améliorer la couverture effective en matière de santé examine une approche particulière visant à améliorer la couverture effective : les incitations financières sous la forme d’un financement basé sur la performance (FBP), une réforme globale qui comprend généralement la rémunération liée à la performance pour les agents de santé de première ligne ainsi que l’autonomie des établissements, la transparence et l’engagement communautaire. Ce rapport de recherche s’appuie sur un vaste ensemble d’études rigoureuses et de nouvelles analyses. Par rapport au statu quo, dans les pays à faible revenu dotés de systèmes de santé centralisés, le FBP peut entraîner des gains substantiels en matière de couverture effective. Toutefois, les avantages relatifs du FBP — la composante rémunération liée à la performance en particulier — sont moins clairs lorsqu’il est comparé à deux autres approches, à savoir : le financement direct des établissements, qui permet d’octroyer des budgets de fonctionnement aux services de santé de première ligne en accordant aux établissements l’autonomie en matière d’allocations budgétaires, mais sans rémunération liée à la performance ; et le soutien financier lié à la demande pour les services de santé (c’est-à -dire les transferts monétaires conditionnels et les vouchers). Bien que le FBP se traduise souvent par des améliorations marginales, combler les lacunes importantes de la couverture sanitaire effective n’est pas encore à la portée de nombreux pays. Néanmoins, d’importantes leçons et expériences tirées de la mise en oeuvre du FBP au cours de la dernière décennie peuvent orienter le financement de la santé à l’avenir. En particulier, pour réussir, la réforme du financement de la santé devra sans doute moins se focaliser sur la rémunération à la performance tout en conservant les éléments de financement direct des établissements, l’autonomie, la transparence et l’engagement communautaire.
Around the world, democracies have seen a decline in social and political trust. Australian Social Attitudes IV: The Age of Insecurity is an in-depth look at the economic and geopolitical uncertainty that pervades Australian public discourse. In the decade following the Howard administration, Australian politics has been defined by growing uncertainty, instability, and the emergence of popular disaffection with the political class, similar to what has been seen in the United States and Britain. Featuring contributions from Australia’s leading social scientists, this book explores the connection between insecurities and disaffection, and the ways in which they have manifested – in populist voting patterns, suspicions about climate science, and hostilities to immigration. A fascinating insight into what Australians think about contemporary political and social issues, this book is designed to present the public, media, and policymakers with up-to-date analysis of public opinion about important topics confronting Australian politics and society.
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