A group decision making method with preference analysis to re-build the Global Entrepreneurship Index.

This study proposes a group decision making (GDM) method with preference analysis to re-build the Global Entrepreneurship Index (GEI). Specifically, a single decision maker is firstly identified using a specified individual judgement about the importance order of three sub-indices of the GEI. A preliminary group decision matrix is constructed in terms of taking all possible individual judgments into account. Then the analysis of the preferential differences and preferential priorities with respect to the preliminary group decision matrix is conducted to obtain a revised group decision matrix, in which preferential differences calculate the weighted differences as the degrees of differences among different alternatives for each decision maker, preferential priorities describe the favorite ranking of alternatives for each decision maker. Finally, we employ the Stochastic Multicriteria Acceptability Analysis for group decision-making (SMAA-2) to create the holistic acceptability indices for measuring the entrepreneurship performance. In addition, a satisfaction index is developed to indicate the merits of proposed GDM method. A case study using the GEI-2019 of 19 G20 countries is carried out to validate our GDM method.

Partnership for International Development: Finland-Nigeria Conference on Climate, Food, Health and Entrepreneurship.

A joint collaboration between the Arctic Centre of the University of Lapland, Finland and the Federal Institute of Industrial Research, Oshodi, Lagos, Nigeria was organised as a hybrid conference on several topics that are related to climate, food, health and entrepreneurship. The utilisation of natural resources in both regions is an important theme in meeting the sustainable development goals agenda. The topics discussed were multidisciplinary, they include Nigerian indigenous foods, bioeconomy, circular economy, nutrition, health, innovation and entrepreneurship under four themes (Climate, Food, Health and Entrepreneurship). There were dignitaries from Finland and Nigeria. The presenters are researchers from Nigerian universities (University of Ibadan, University of Abuja and Eko university, Lagos), Nigerian Federal Institute of Industrial research centre and from the Finnish side we have the university of Lapland, Rovaniemi, University of Oulu, Oulu and the Centria University of Applied Sciences, Kokkola. The topics discussed will serve as training materials for students and learners, the discussion focussed on research opportunities for institutions in both countries. The experts from both countries will continue to dialogue on the possibility of promoting common topics as research agenda in these important areas with the possibilities of creating more jobs.

Thinking about health care differently: nurse practitioners in primary health care as social entrepreneurs.

INTRODUCTION Challenges facing the primary health-care sector mean that policymakers and clinicians need to think and act differently to move forward. The principles of social entrepreneurship have been implemented successfully for improved health outcomes in other developed nations. There is a knowledge gap around whether nurse practitioners (NPs) in New Zealand primary health care (PHC) align with these principles. AIM To explore whether and how the innovative activities of primary care NPs can be described as socially entrepreneurial. METHODS A descriptive qualitative approach was used with data collected using semi-structured interviews with NPs working in primary care (n = 7). Data were analysed using general inductive thematic analysis techniques. RESULTS Nurse practitioners interviewed worked in government-subsidised private general practice businesses. Two main themes emerged: (1) the nursing model of care aligned with social entrepreneurship; and (2) building social capital. NPs described a desire to see health care delivered differently and this aligned with acting as a social entrepreneur. Social capital emerged through the requirement to establish significant collaborative relationships. DISCUSSION It was found that NPs' work can be described as socially entrepreneurial. The holistic, person and community-centred model of NP care has an ultimate mission of improved health outcomes. Social capital is built through collaborative relationships with other health-care providers, individual service users and the community. However, the juxtaposition of the business model in primary care prevents NPs from initiating and leading sustainable change.

Hydrotherapy and medical entrepreneurship: the "water spell" of Ricardo Jorge.

Between 1886 and 1893, the doctor and hygienist Ricardo Jorge was linked to a commercial and medical project on the waters of Gerês. Known for many centuries and used for therapeutic purposes, they were administered on an empirical basis. When new chemical analyses were first published, the empirical properties of these waters took on a new role in hydrotherapy based on their now proven mineral and medicinal qualities. The article discusses in detail Ricardo Jorge's business venture, framing it in the context of the economic collection and treatment potential of mineral waters and the revival of the phenomenon of hydrotherapy, legitimized by new developments in the chemical analysis of waters. The commercial failure to exploit the water resources highlights the difficulties of this project and the complexity of the professional practice of hydrological medicine, although it resulted in a strengthening of Ricardo's authority and prestige in the field of hydrotherapy.

Policy entrepreneurship and policy networks in healthcare systems - the case of Israel's pediatric dentistry reform.

BACKGROUND: Can the entry of a policy entrepreneur challenge the equilibrium of a policy network and promote changes that might clash with the goals of powerful civil-servants and/or interest groups and, if so, why and how? Our goal is to examine two sides of the same coin: how does an in-depth analysis of Israel's dental care reform enrich our understanding of policy networks and policy entrepreneurship? Second, how does the literature on policy networks and policy entrepreneurship help us understand this reform? Based on a theoretical framework that appears in the literature of policy entrepreneurship and policy networks, we analyze the motivations, goals and strategies of the main actors involved in the process of reforming pediatric dental care in Israel. We demonstrate how a policy entrepreneur navigated within a policy network and managed to promote a reform that, until his appearance, no one else in that network had succeeded in enacting. METHODS: Our goals are advanced through a case study of a reform in pediatric dentistry implemented in Israel in 2010. It rests on textual analyses of the literature, reports, committee minutes, parliamentary proceedings, print and online media, and updates in relevant legislation and case law between 2009 and 2015. In addition, the case study draws on the insights of one of the authors (TH), who played a role in the reform process. RESULTS: Historical circumstances and the Israeli public's longstanding lack of interest in changing the existing model as well as interest groups that preferred the dominance of the private sector in the dental healthcare system kept that area out of the services supplied, universally, under the National Health Insurance Law. This situation changed significantly following the publication in 2007 of a policy analysis that contributed to shifts in the motivations and balance of power within the policy network, which in turn prepared the ground for a policy change. In this environment a determined policy entrepreneur, who identified a window of opportunity, took the lead and instituted an innovative and far-reaching reform. CONCLUSIONS: A policy entrepreneur can leverage external factors as well as the previous activities of a policy network that has already matured to create a policy change. Such entrepreneurial activity includes maneuvering around opponents and overcoming resistance from various stakeholders.

A Multiple Case Study of Mental Health Interventions in Middle Income Countries: Considering the Science of Delivery.

In the debate in global mental health about the most effective models for developing and scaling interventions, there have been calls for the development of a more robust literature regarding the "non-specific", science of delivery aspects of interventions that are locally, contextually, and culturally relevant. This study describes a rigorous, exploratory, qualitative examination of the key, non-specific intervention strategies of a diverse group of five internationally-recognized organizations addressing mental illness in middle income countries (MICs). A triangulated approach to inquiry was used with semi-structured interviews conducted with service recipients, service providers and leaders, and key community partners (N = 159). The interview focus was upon processes of implementation and operation. A grounded theory-informed analysis revealed cross cutting themes of: a holistic conceptualization of mental health problems, an intensive application of principles of leverage and creating the social, cultural, and policy "space" within which interventions could be applied and resourced. These findings aligned with key aspects of systems dynamic theory suggesting that it might be a helpful framework in future studies of mental health service implementation in MICs.

Learning to create new solutions together: A focus group study exploring interprofessional innovation in midwifery education.

Undergraduate students can learn how to be innovative in partnerships with health care institutions and private enterprises. This study portrays how a three phase innovation model was applied in an interprofessional health education context at a Danish university college. The aim of the study was to explore midwifery, nutrition and health as well physiotherapy students' perceptions of participating in a real-life innovation project situated in antenatal care. A total of eighteen students participated in five focus group interviews. Thematic analysis was used to interpret data findings. Data analysis revealed three themes: 'Navigating in uncertainty', 'Being part of a team' and 'Impact of project learning'. Students found project learning to be the most relevant with regards to their clinical practice. Furthermore, study findings suggest that innovation is promoted by teamwork, interprofessional participation, mentor support and external partnerships.

Policy entrepreneurs and structural influence in integrated community case management policymaking in Burkina Faso.

Policy entrepreneurs are individuals who attempt to influence the policy process and its outcomes through their opportunistic or incremental actions. Their success in the policy-making process has been associated with the convergence of four factors: behavioural traits; institutional factors; network position and political capital. Policy entrepreneurs have received little study in low- and middle-income country policy research despite observations of individualized decision-making, informal institutions and the unequal distribution and exercise of power in policymaking. This article aims to identify whether policy entrepreneurs were present in the policy process around integrated community case management (iCCM) in Burkina Faso, whether they were successful in achieving policy change, and whether success or failure can be explained using existing policy entrepreneur frameworks from high-income polities. This mixed methods policy study collected data from in-depth qualitative interviews and social network surveys of actors involved in iCCM policymaking [known locally as C-integrated management of childhood illness (IMCI)]; data were analysed based on the framework categories. Interview data pointed to one key individual who played a significant role in the inclusion of pneumonia treatment into the country's iCCM policy, an issue that had been a point of contention between government policy elites and development partners. Social network data confirmed that this actor was strategically located in the policy network to be able to reach the most other actors and to be able to control the flow of information. Although some development partner actors were as strategically located, none had the same level of authority or trust as was imbued by being a member of the government civil service. The entrepreneur's mid-level rank in the health ministry may have encouraged him/her to invest political capital and take risks that would not have been feasible or attractive to a more senior actor. This study highlights the convergence of factors needed to be an entrepreneur, as well as the role of development partner actors in creating a facilitating environment.