Social inequity is linked to lower use of epidural in childbirth

In a study of women in labor in the U. S., social inequity was associated with lower use of neuraxial analgesia — an epidural or spinal pain reliever– among non-Hispanic White women and, to a greater extent, among African American women, according to research at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and Columbia Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons (P&S).

Introducing the Climate Solutions Explorer

IIASA recently launched the Climate Solutions Explorer – a comprehensive resource that visualizes and presents vital data about climate mitigation, climate impacts, vulnerabilities, and risks arising from development and climate change.

The expansion of capitalism led to a deterioration in human welfare

Far from reducing extreme poverty, the expansion of capitalism from the 16th century onward was associated with a dramatic deterioration in human welfare, according to a scientific study carried out by the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (ICTA-UAB) in collaboration with Macquarie University, Australia, which shows that this new economic system saw a decline in wages to below subsistence, a deterioration in human stature, and a marked upturn in premature mortality.

To tax or not to tax, is that even a question?

A solution is proposed for evaluating tax efficiency, a formula expressing the marginal cost of public funds as a ratio of a net loss in social surplus to a net increase in tax revenue. This formula is derived from only a few indices, common across specific market demand conditions and cost factors. The indices clearly tell us how the degree of tax-driven social burden relates to imperfect competition.

Water resources: Defusing conflict, promoting cooperation

Rivers are lifelines for many countries. They create valuable ecosystems, provide drinking water for people and raw water for agriculture and industry. In the Global South in particular, there is strong competition for access to freshwater resources. The increasing use…

The seeds that give: retired WVU plant pathologist donates tomato seeds to developing nations

Mannon Gallegly, professor emeritus of plant pathology at West Virginia University, is donating tomato seeds to the World Vegetable Center, a global nonprofit institute for vegetable research and development.

The GovLab launches free online course on “Open Justice”

BROOKLYN, New York, Thursday, July 15, 2021 – Today, The GovLab in partnership with the Electoral Tribunal of the Federal Judiciary of Mexico (TEPJF) , launched a first of its kind, online course on Open Justice through the edX MOOC…

July/August 2021 Annals of Family Medicine tip sheet

Primary Care Poised to Provide Clinical Guidance, Answers About COVID-19 Testing, Vaccine Administration Researchers examined the role of primary care physicians and other clinicians in delivering vaccinations in the United States. They used two main datasets to create an in-depth…

Association of socioeconomic characteristics with disparities in COVID-19 outcomes in Japan

What The Study Did: This study found an unequal pattern of COVID-19 outcomes that was associated with the socioeconomic circumstances in regions of Japan, suggesting that these disparities in COVID-19 outcomes aren’t unique to the United States and Europe. Authors:…

UCLA research finds the US lags 79 other nations in preventing child immigration detention

The COVID-19 pandemic has amplified calls to end the detention of migrant children, as cases surge among children held in crowded conditions; yet immigration detention’s threats to children’s fundamental rights did not begin with the current public health crisis. Unlike…

Politecnico di Torino and Ithaca together for the production of maps for the European Agency Frontex

TURIN, 14 July 2021 – Frontex, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, since 2004 engaged in migration control, border management and whose responsibilities, extended in 2016 to the fight against cross-border crime and search and rescue services in the…

Sea-level rise may worsen existing Bay Area inequities

Rather than waiting for certainty in sea-level rise projections, policymakers can plan now for future coastal flooding by addressing existing inequities among the most vulnerable communities in flood zones, according to Stanford research. Using a methodology that incorporates socioeconomic data…

Packaged water consumption linked to cholera outbreak in DRC capital

Cholera is a diarrheal disease caused by ingestion of the Vibrio cholerae bacterium. In November 2017, a cholera epidemic occurred in Kinshasa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where no outbreak had been recorded for nearly a decade. A study…