Portuguese Older Persons' Views about Living in a Nursing Home: Challenges to the Rehabilitation of the Image of LTC in Post-Pandemic Times.

This paper addresses the broad topic of what older people think about nursing homes in Portugal. In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and considering the tragic events taking place in nursing homes, the challenge of reimagining the sector involves not only improving procedures and models of care, making sure they meet what citizens consider adequate, but also rehabilitating the image people have about nursing homes and rebuilding trust. Current and future decisions about how one meets LTC needs is influenced by the extent to which individuals see the alternatives as adequate. The paper presents evidence collected from a qualitative study run just before the COVID-19 pandemic began, with a sample of 45 community-dwelling individuals aged 60 plus, in Portugal. Opinions and views about nursing homes were collected and the results point to enduring negative aspects that are considered at odds with what constitutes adequate care. The paper discusses in length what those aspects are and concludes that future reforms of the nursing homes sector in Portugal need to consider what current and future users think and feel about that specific type of service. Debates in Portugal tend to be more focused on discussions about expanding the sector and less on aspects of quality of care. Views and opinions of interviewed participants, however, suggest that people may be more worried about quality of care.

Cleaning in Times of Pandemic: Perceptions of COVID-19 Risks among Workers in Facility Services

Cleaning services are a transversal activity that guarantees the proper functioning and conditions of safety, hygiene, and health across all economic sectors. The COVID-19 pandemic increased the need for clean, sanitary spaces, particularly in health services and other areas with a large number of people. The workers in these services were often placed on the frontline without any specific training or information. Their low average schooling aggravated this situation. Therefore, exploring these workers' perceptions about the COVID-19 pandemic and its potential influence on their mental health was the primary goal of our research. Structured interviews were conducted based on questionnaires in a sample of 436 women. Their characterisation focused on three aspects related to the pandemic. First, to prevent infecting others (85.5%) and that people close to them could die (86.0%) were the dominant concerns;second, the feeling of permanent vigilance was mentioned (56.2%);and third, the fear of not getting medical care (60.7%). Thus, the workers felt there was a need for more dissemination of individual protection measures, as well as more training, better general working conditions, and access to psychological counselling.

THE REVIVAL OF THE FELDSTEIN-HORIOKA PUZZLE AND MODERATION OF CAPITAL FLOWS AFTER THE GLOBAL FINANCIAL CRISIS (2008/09)

This study investigates the recent trend of the Feldstein-Horioka puzzle and the underlying reasons for moderation in capital flows. This issue is analysed quite inadequately for the period after the Global Financial Crisis, which represents a crucial turning point for economic climate and policies. The Feldstein-Horioka Puzzle is estimated using the World’s 13 largest economies, with panel GMM regression, between 1996 and 2016. We uncover that the Global Financial Crisis had a persistent detrimental effect on capital liberalization, after which the Feldstein-Horioka puzzle has revived and capital mobility has decreased. We suggest two possible explanations for such moderation in capital flows: the increasing risk perception and risk aversion behaviour of fund supplying countries, which increases the home bias, and capital controls against free flow of capital that have been applied after the Global Financial Crisis of 2008/2009.