Special Interest Group for Promoting Primary Care Research on Social Determinants of Health / 日本プライマリ・ケア連合学会誌

The third annual meeting of Primary Care Research (PCR) Connect was the start of the Special Interest Group (SIG) initiative addressing research on the social determinants of health. The SIG is important for building networks among researchers to promote primary care research on complex systems.

Politics, pandemics, and support: the role of political actors in Dutch state aid during COVID-19 / Políticas, pandemias e auxílio do estado: o papel dos atores políticos no auxílio governamental oferecido pelos Países Baixos durante a pandemia da COVID-19 / Políticas, pandemias y apoyo del estado: el papel de los actores políticos en la ayuda gubernamental ofrecida por los Países Bajos durante la pandemia de COVID-19

Abstract How do governments distribute resources across economic sectors during a crisis? And why do some sectors receive more than others? The recent COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the urgency of these questions. In this paper, we explore the extent to which a political economy perspective can help explain the characteristics of sector-specific state aid in the Netherlands, a traditionally corporatist country. While KLM, the biggest player in the Dutch aviation sector, was promised loans worth €3.4 billion, the horeca (hospitality) sector was denied a similar deal. Limited cross-case analysis eliminates purely economic accounts. We employed process-tracing and analyzed hundreds of national media articles to understand the influence of elected leaders, interest groups, and experts. We find that, against the backdrop of economic concerns, vote-seeking behavior by elected leaders as well as the strength and organization of interest groups influenced how much each sector could expect. Meanwhile, policy-seeking behavior helps explain the form that aid took. Our findings highlight the need to consider fiscal support in political economy terms, even during crises, and to explore the composition of state aid, not just its presence or amount.

Resumo Como são distribuídos os recursos de auxílio governamental entre os vários setores econômicos durante uma crise? E por que alguns sectores recebem mais do que outros? A recente pandemia da COVID-19 sublinhou a urgência destas questões. Neste artigo, discutimos como uma perspectiva de economia política pode ajudar a explicar as caraterísticas do auxílio estatal setorial nos Países Baixos, uma nação tradicionalmente corporativista. Enquanto o governo prometeu à KLM, o maior ator no setor da aviação holandês, empréstimos no valor de 3,4 mil milhões de euros, o horeca (sector da hotelaria) não recebeu um pacote de auxílio semelhante. A análise de casos elimina explicações puramente técnicas para esse fenômeno. Utilizamos process-tracing e fizemos uma análise de centenas de artigos publicados na mídia do país para compreender a influência dos líderes políticos, lobbies e peritos. Descobrimos que, num contexto de crise econômica, o comportamento eleitoreiro dos líderes políticos e a força e organização dos lobbies, determinaram a quantia que cada setor poderia esperar receber. Entretanto, os interesses no campo das políticas públicas ajudam a explicar a forma específica do auzílio. Nossas conclusões sublinham a necessidade de considerar o apoio fiscal em termos de economia política, mesmo durante crises, e de explorar não somente a existência ou o montante dos auxílios oferecidos pelo estado, mas também sua composição.

Resumen ¿Cómo se distribuyen los recursos de ayuda gubernamental entre los diferentes sectores económicos durante una crisis? ¿Y por qué algunos sectores reciben más que otros? La reciente pandemia de COVID-19 puso de relieve la importancia de estas cuestiones. En este artículo, exploramos cómo una perspectiva de economía política puede ayudar a entender la distribución del apoyo estatal en diferentes sectores en los Países Bajos, un país de tradición corporativista. Mientras que a KLM ‒el actor más importante del sector de aviación holandés‒ el gobierno le prometió préstamos de alrededor de 3.400 millones de euros, al sector HORECA (que congrega hoteles, restaurantes y cafeterías) se le denegó una ayuda similar. A través de un análisis cruzado de casos eliminamos razones puramente técnicas para este fenómeno. A continuación, utilizamos la metodología process-tracing y analizamos cientos de artículos de medios de comunicación holandeses para entender la influencia de líderes políticos, lobbies y expertos. Descubrimos que, en un contexto de crisis económica, el comportamiento electorero de los líderes políticos y el poder y organización de los lobbies determinaron la suma que cada sector podría esperar. Por otro lado, la estructura de dichas ayudas se explica a través del alineamiento político de los decisores políticos. Nuestros resultados subrayan la necesidad de estudiar el apoyo gubernamental en términos de economía política, inclusive durante crisis, y de explorar no solo la existencia o la cuantía de dichas ayudas sino también su composición.

Incorporating Flipped Classroom and Peer-Assisted Learning for Improving Students' Physical Examination Skills / 医学教育

Physical examination is an important skill that is indispensable for physicians’ practice, but clinical practice tends to be a case dependent experience. In addition, there is not enough opportunity to systematically train the physical examination skills. Hypothesis is driven according to the clinical context. Our objective is to improve hypothesis-driven physical examination skills. Fifth and sixth grade medical students launched an interest group “General Medicine Interest Group” at Chiba University. Flipped classroom and peer teaching were adopted to the General Medicine Interest Group. The educational approach of incorporating flipped classroom and peer-assisted learning was considered useful for improving students’ motivation and physical examination skills. We will report on the activities and their effectiveness.

The Unbalance of the Mechanism for Coordinating Interests among Interest Groups in Medicine Circula-tion and the Rectification Channel / 中国药房

OBJECTIVE:To put forward suggestions for rectifying the unbalance of the mechanism for coordinating interests in medicine circulation. METHODS:From three aspects of the expression,game and balance of interests,the interest group theory was used to analyze the unbalance of the mechanism for coordinating interests in medicine circulation as well as the cause of the un-balance,and rectification suggestions were put forward. RESULTS&CONCLUSIONS:At present,the mechanism in medicine cir-culation in China is unbalanced,including mechanism for interest expression,for interest game,for interest balance,etc. Corre-sponding rectifications should include perfecting legislation,effectively giving play to the role of media,defining the legal status of the interest group,strengthening organizational building of the vulnerable group,adjusting the interest pattern of the strong and weak groups and strengthening legal and social morality construction.

Construction and function of forensic interest group for medical students of eight-year-program / 中华医学教育探索杂志

The aim of the eight year medical education program is to cultivate high-leveled and high qualified clinical and research personnel.Constructing forensic interest group for medical students of eight year program can not only cultivate the students' English learning,innovative thinking and practice ability,which is their Achilles heel but also combine eight year medical education with forensic science teaching reform.

Practice on PBL combined with the interest groups in the teaching of Ophthalmology / 中华医学教育探索杂志

To investigate the application of the teaching model of disease-based PBL combined with the interest group in clinical ophthalmology teaching. A clinical ophthalmology interest group was set up among interns and a PBL teaching with the theme of a single disease was carried out. The students demonstrated group presentation and discussion, and finally the teacher made comments in combination with clinical experience. The results shows that students' feedback was good. It has mobilized students' enthusiasm and initiative and can be used as a transition for carrying out PBL teaching complement to the traditional teaching model and be applied to the clinical ophthalmology teaching.

Regulação da contabilidade: teorias e análise da convergência dos padrões contábeis brasileiros aos IFRS / Accounting regulation: theories and analysis of the Brazilian accounting standards convergence to IFRS

O processo de convergência das práticas nacionais de contabilidade aos padrões internacionais implica profundas alterações na regulação da contabilidade. É natural que os contabilistas estejam preocupados em se adaptar aos "novos" padrões buscando adotá-los, e auditar sua adoção nas respectivas empresas/clientes. Entretanto, tão importante quanto adotar e auditar a adoção dos International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) nas demonstrações contábeis das empresas brasileiras é compreender o movimento de alteração das normas contábeis em âmbito nacional. Por outro lado, pouco se tem discutido sobre os impactos dessas novas regulamentações. Este artigo analisa, numa perspectiva interdisciplinar, o processo de alteração da regulação da contabilidade à luz de cinco teorias da regulação. Embora as teorias sejam concorrentes, observou-se que elas podem ser utilizadas de forma complementar entre si na compreensão das alterações promovidas pela Lei nº 11.638/07 e pela Medida Provisória nº 449/08 na Lei nº 6.404/76. Considerou-se que as teorias realiana e habermasiana são as que melhor contribuem para a democratização da contabilidade, uma vez que consideram os valores sociais na elaboração e posterior interpretação da regulação.

The convergence process of local accounting standards into international standards requires significant changes in accounting regulation. Accountants and auditors are working hard to understand and familiarize themselves with these "new" standards in order to adopt and audit them at their firms and/or clients. However, adopting and auditing the adoption of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) are just as important as understanding the changes in local accounting regulation. Also, the impact of the new regulation has been little discussed. This theory-based article examines the Brazilian IFRS convergence experience through an interdisciplinary perspective. Although all five theories of regulation examined are concurrent, they can provide complementary explanations for the IFRS convergence phenomenon. Reale's and Habermas's approaches were considered those that better contribute to accounting democracy, since they adopt social values in the regulation design and interpretation.

Interest Groups' Influence over Drug Pricing Policy Reform in South Korea

In 1999, the Korean government made a drug pricing policy reform to improve the efficiency and transparency of the drug distribution system. Yet, its policy formation process was far from being rational. Facing harsh resistance from various interest groups, the government changed its details into something different from what was initially investigated and planned. So far, little evidence supports any improvement in Korea's drug distribution system. Instead, the new drug pricing policy has deteriorated Korea's national health insurance budget, indicating a heavier economic burden for the general public. From Korea's experience, we may draw some lessons for the future development of a better health care system. As a society becomes more pluralistic, the government should come out of authoritarianism and thoroughly prepare in advance for resistance to reform, by making greater efforts to persuade strong interest groups while informing the general public of potential benefits of the reform. Additionally, facing developing civic groups, the government should listen but not rely too much on them at the final stage of the policy formation. Many of the civic groups lack expertise to evaluate the details of policy and tend to act in a somewhat emotional way.