• Published in Social Science & Medicine, Volume 337, November 2023, Article 116298

• SJR 2024: 2.1 | Rank: Q1 in Health (Social Science)

• Co-authored with: Ali Fakih & Mohammad Hammoud

Abstract

Objective

This study examined several factors affecting the perception of Canadian parents about their children's mental health during COVID-19. The contribution of this research included fresh evidence from examining the demographic and sociological factors influencing children's well-being during COVID-19 using the Canadian context.

Methods

We used a cross-sectional dataset from Statistics Canada titled Impacts of COVID-19 on Canadians - Parenting during the Pandemic (2020). We relied on an ordered logit model and computed the respective odds ratios.

Results

Our results showed that parents with a university degree and those working from home are less concerned about their children's mental health. Nonetheless, having a disabled child, belonging to a minority, having children aged six-to fourteen-years old, and having lost a job or experienced a drop in working hours increased parents' worry. Additionally, having worries about being connected with family and friends, being concerned about work-life balance, feeling lonely at home, and waiting for the reopening of childcare services all increased the likelihood of parents' anxiety about their child's mental health. When running the analysis by province, we saw that being an immigrant and belonging to a minority increased parents' worry only in Ontario and British Columbia.

Conclusions

Policymakers are encouraged to foster working-from-home practices as working from home has been linked to less worry about child mental health, mainly among mothers, as indicated in our gender heterogeneity analysis. In addition, it is advised that families with a disabled child, and families belonging to a minority received additional support. Lastly, policymakers are advised to consider the social cost of preventive measures and incorporate this into any future preventative policymaking as the social impact variables were robust across all models.

• Published in Annals of Public and Cooperative Economics, Volume 93, Issue 1, 2022, Pages 205–227

• SJR 2024: 0.66 | Rank: Q1 in Sociology and Political Science

• Co-authored with: Ali Fakih

Abstract

Research Question

This study examines how different business structures affect company performance across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, using comprehensive data from the World Bank Enterprise Survey.

Key Findings

Our analysis revealed that certain business forms significantly outperform others:

• Corporations and partnerships show higher annual sales and productivity growth compared to sole proprietorships

• Medium and large firms consistently outperform smaller companies

• Foreign ownership, export activities, and digital communication boost firm performance

• Companies with full-time employees demonstrate stronger results

Implications

These findings provide actionable insights for business strategists and policymakers looking to improve firm performance in the MENA region.