Estimating the severity levels of road traffic crashes in Bahrain with crash costs estimated with different approaches

An important issue in analyzing accident blackspots is the estimation of severity levels of different types of accidents.This study aims to estimate the severity level of accidents in Bahrain using crash costs.These crash costs were calculated by the Human Capital Approach(HCA)and total reported costs from the victims.The data was collected from the General Directorate of Traffic,insurance companies,Ministry of Works(MoW)and Ministry of Health.It was found,from the survey responses,that there was no significant effect of victim characteristics on the total cost of the accidents.The severity levels were found to be higher than those found in previous literature or adopted by local authorities which could be attributed to the economic conditions of Bahrain.Moreover,the weights found by both approaches were different from each other.Therefore,it is recommended to use the HCA approach due to its comprehensive calculations involving future costs.

Health and Economic Impacts of Air Pollution in China: A Comparison of the General Equilibrium Approach and Human Capital Approach

In China, combustion of fossil fuels and biomass has produced serious air pollution that does harm to human health. Based on dose-response relationships derived from epidemiological studies, the authors calculated the number of deaths and people with health problems which were thought to be attributable to China＇s air pollution in the year of 2000. In order to estimate the corresponding economic impacts from the national point of view, the general equilibrium approach was selected as an analysis tool for this study. A computable general equilibrium （CGE） model was constructed involving 39 sectors and 32 commodities. The human capital approach （HCA） was also used for comparison. The economic burden of disease for people estimated by HCA was equivalent to 1.26‰ （ranging from 0.44‰ to 1.84‰） of China＇s gross domestic product （GDP）. China＇s GDP loss estimated by the general equilibrium approach reached 0.38‰ （ranging from 0.16‰ to 0.51‰）. The difference between the two approaches and the implications of the results were discussed.

Considerations in Applying the General Equilibrium Approach to Environmental Health Assessment

There are currently two commonly used approaches to assessing economic impacts of health damage resulting from environmental pollution： human capital approach （HCA） and willingness-to-pay （WTP）. WTP can be further divided into averted expenditure approach （AEA）, hedonlc wage approach （HWA）, contingent valuation approach （CVA） and hedonlc price approach （HPA）. A general review of the principles behind these approaches by the authors indicates that these methods are incapable of unveiling the mechanism of health impact from the point of view of national economy. On a basis of economic system, the shocks brought about by health effects of environmental pollution change the labor supply and medical expenditure, which in turn affects the level of production activity in each sector and the total final consumption pattern of the society. The general equilibrium approach within the framework of macroeconomic theory is able to estimate the health impact on national economy comprehensively and objectively. Its mechanism and applicability are discussed in detail by the authors.

Scientific Approach to Development and Human Rights

The Third Plenary Session of the 16th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China （CPC） in October 2003 put forward a scientific approach of people-centered, all-round, coordinated and sustainable development and made it a strategy for governing the country, putting it in command of all economic and social development. Since reform and opening up in 1978, China has persisted in the central task of economic development and put development in the first place. The evolution of the concept ＂development is the hard truth＂ to ＂development is a task of first importance in governing the country and invigorating the Chinese nation＂ and to the establishment of the scientific development approach reflects the deepening and growing command of the laws governing China＇s economic and social development.

Evaluation of Physiological Responses to Human Approach Manner in Pet Dogs

We used eye-surface temperature and heart rate as simple, noninvasive physiological indices to evaluate dogs’ responses to an approaching person. Thirteen healthy pet dogs (49.62 ± 31.42 months;19.28 ± 11.46 kg) were recruited as subjects to investigate physiological responses to approach. We set up two types of approach (smiling and expressionless) by familiar or unfamiliar people of either sex, and all tests were recorded by video cameras. Eye temperature was measured with an infrared thermal camera image, and the dog was equipped with a heart-rate monitor during testing. There were temporal changes in heart rate, and response time differed between HR and eye temperature. Although it may be the one which has to control both a background of the dogs or observational environment, and the response time of each parameter needs to be considered, these two parameters should be useful for non-invasive monitoring of physiological states in dogs in various practical animal situations.

An Unconventional Model of Poverty Alleviation Directed by the Human Rights Approaches:based on an Observation of the Targeted Poverty Alleviation Policy and Its Practice in Weixian County of Hebei Province

Against the background that poverty alleviation is increasingly linked to the human rights-based approach in the international community,an issue arises concerning how to assess the targeted poverty alleviation strategy in China from a human rights perspective.The human rights-based approach emphasiz connecting poverty alleviation with those rights recognized in international human rights conventions,with a focus on the notion of multi-dimensional poverty and the empowerment and accountability in the process of poverty alleviation.The targeted poverty alleviation in China embodies the notion of capability poverty and adopts a multi-dimensional poverty alleviation strategy.The principles of empowerment and accountability have also been implemented to a large extent.All of the elements existing in the targeted poverty alleviation model such as super political will,government dominance,targeted implementation and unconventional mobilization are critical to ensuring the eventual success of poverty alleviation and human rights protection therein.Generally speaking,some deficiencies in respect of empowerment and rule of law in targeted poverty alleviation will not hinder the overall effectiveness of poverty alleviation.Nevertheless,it will be very helpful to reinforce the empowerment and rule of law in order to insure the fairness and sustainability in poverty alleviation,especially in the inevitable transition from an unconventional model ofp overty alleviation to a conventional one in future.

Human Rights Dilemma of Migration Targets in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development explicitly and specifically includes migration in the global development agenda for the first time, and establishes relevant targets, including promoting regular migration and protecting the rights of migrant workers. These targets are significant achievements of the United Nations in promoting the topic “Migration and Development” and strengthening the human rights-based global migration governance.However, there are many difficulties in achieving these targets, especially when the rights of regular and irregular migration are undermining national sovereignty and security, or are not in line with national development needs. With the continued spread of the CoVID-19pandemic, rising tensions among major powers, and the prevalence of populism and anti-foreigner sentiment in the West, the process of migration and development has been seriously influenced, and the divergent positions and conflicting interests of countries have pushed the migration targets further out of reach. However, in the long run,exploration in this area will help promote global economic recovery in the post-pandemic era and benefit all parties from the positive interactions of migration, development, and human rights.

The monetary value of human lives lost due to neglected tropical diseases in Africa

Background:Neglected tropical diseases(NTDs)are an important cause of death and disability in Africa.This study estimates the monetary value of human lives lost due to NTDs in the continent in 2015.Methods:The lost output or human capital approach was used to evaluate the years of life lost due to premature deaths from NTDs among 10 high/upper-middle-income(Group 1),17 middle-income(Group 2)and 27 low-income(Group 3)countries in Africa.The future losses were discounted to their present values at a 3%discount rate.The model was re-analysed using 5%and 10%discount rates to assess the impact on the estimated total value of human lives lost.Results:The estimated value of 67860 human lives lost in 2015 due to NTDs was Int$5112472607.Out of that,14.6%was borne by Group 1,57.7%by Group 2 and 27.7%by Group 3 countries.The mean value of human life lost per NTD death was Int$231278,Int$109771 and Int$37489 for Group 1,Group 2 and Group 3 countries,respectively.The estimated value of human lives lost in 2015 due to NTDs was equivalent to 0.1%of the cumulative gross domestic product of the 53 continental African countries.Conclusions:Even though NTDs are not a major cause of death,they impact negatively on the productivity of those affected throughout their life-course.Thus,the case for investing in NTDs control should also be influenced by the value of NTD morbidity,availability of effective donated medicines,human rights arguments,and need to achieve the NTD-related target 3.3 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 3(on health)by 2030.