Recent trends in European migration policies

This paper describes the composition of the migrant worker population in the countries of Western Europe. It traces developments in government policies regarding control and stabilization of immigration, provision for education and granting of political rights. The current international recession and the freeze on immigration might provide a much-needed breathing space for re-thinking policies that affect the personal, educational and vocational futures of large numbers of human beings.     

Understanding the rise of e-participation in non-democracies: Domestic and international factors

While it has often been suggested that information and communication technologies (ICTs) provide an important means of increasing citizen participation (which is at the core of democratic government), few commentators have expected non-democracies to create online environments in which citizens can take an active part in political processes. In recent years, however, some non-democracies have begun to outperform countries with long-standing democratic traditions in terms of e-participation development. According to the 2010 United Nations (UN) e-government survey, Bahrain outranks France, Kazakhstan beats Sweden and Malaysia ranks higher than Germany. This article sets out to understand the recent rise of e-participation initiatives in non-democracies. Drawing on comparative longitudinal data from the UN e-government surveys, we tested the assertion that international drivers of change are competing with the dominant focus on domestic factors, especially in the non-democratic world, and are influencing the patterns of reform. The empirical analysis demonstrated important differences between the drivers of change in democratic and non-democratic countries and found economic globalization to be the strongest predictor of e-participation initiatives in non-democratic countries. In conclusion, we argue that economic globalization alters the context of e-participation and necessitates a re-examination of many of its premises and tenets.     

Sports activity patterns and cardio-metabolic health over time among adults in Germany: Results of a nationwide 12-year follow-up study

BackgroundPhysical activity is favorable for health, and vigorous sports activity is particularly beneficial. This study investigates the association between changes in sports participation patterns over time and cardio-metabolic and self-perceived health outcomes.MethodsData from 3752 adults (18–79 years of age) who participated in 2 national health interview and examination surveys in 1997–1999 and 2008–2011 were included, with a mean follow-up time of about 12 years. A change in self-reported sports activity was analyzed with respect to the incidence of type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease (CHD), hypertension, obesity, dyslipidemia, metabolic syndrome, and poor self-perceived health. Participants with pre-existing disease or risk factor of interest at baseline were excluded from the analysis. Being sufficiently active in sports was specified as doing sports for at least 1–2 h per week, and 4 activity categories were defined: 1) inactive at both time points (inactive–inactive), 2) inactive at baseline and active at follow-up (inactive–active), 3) active at baseline and inactive at follow-up (active–inactive), and 4) active at both time points (active–active). Associations between sports activity engagement and health outcomes were estimated by logistic regression models with different stages of adjustments.ResultsNot engaging in any regular sports activity at both time points (inactive–inactive) was associated with higher rates of type 2 diabetes (odds ratio (OR) = 1.82, 95% confidence interval (95%CI): 1.08–3.08), CHD (OR = 1.82, 95%CI: 1.16–2.84), hypertension (OR = 1.36, 95%CI: 1.03–1.81), metabolic syndrome (OR = 1.58, 95%CI: 1.08–2.32), and poor self-perceived health (OR = 2.54, 95%CI: 1.83–3.53) compared to doing regular sports for a minimum of 1–2 h per week over time (active–active). In case of change from inactivity to any regular sports activity (inactive–active), the rate of risk factor occurrence was not statistically different from the active–active reference group except for poor self-perceived health, but it was higher for type 2 diabetes (OR = 2.15, 95%CI: 1.12–4.14) and CHD (OR = 1.77, 95%CI: 1.03–3.03). Being active at baseline but inactive at follow-up (active–inactive) was not associated with higher disease incidence of type 2 diabetes (OR = 0.70, 95%CI: 0.25–1.97) or CHD (OR = 1.20, 95%CI: 0.49–2.99), but was associated with higher rates of hypertension (OR = 1.61, 95%CI: 1.11–2.34), obesity (OR = 2.34, 95%CI: 1.53–3.57), metabolic syndrome (OR = 1.70, 95%CI: 1.11–2.63), and poor self-perceived health (OR = 2.16, 95%CI: 1.53–3.07) at follow-up.ConclusionEven a low weekly quantity (1–2 h) of regular sports activity is partly associated with health benefits. Being formerly but not currently active was not associated with an increased disease incidence, but was associated with a higher risk-factor development compared to the reference group (active–active). Becoming active was preventive for risk-factor development but was not preventive for disease incidence, which probably means that the health benefits from sports activity are not sustainable and disease incidence is only shifted to a later period in life. For this reason, the promotion of and commitment to regular sports activity should be addressed as early as possible over the lifespan to achieve the best health benefits.