Uticaj mera aktivne politike zapošljavanja na radnu integraciju osoba sa invaliditetom

BackgroundLife expectancy increased in industrialized countries, but inequalities in health and mortality by socioeconomic position (SEP) still persist. Several studies have documented educational inequalities, yet the association between health and employment status remains unclear. However, this is an important issue considering the instability of the labour market and the fact that unemployment now also touches ‘non-traditional groups’ (e.g. the high-educated). This study will 1) probe into the association between unemployment and cause-specific mortality; 2) look into the possible protective effect of sociodemographic variables; 3) assess the association between unemployment, SEP, gender and cause-specific mortality.Material and methodsIndividually linked data of the Belgian census (2001) and Register data on emigration and cause-specific mortality during 2001–2011 are used. The study population contains the Belgian population eligible for employment at census, based on age (25–59 years) and being in good health. Both absolute and relative measures of all-cause and cause-specific mortality by employment status have been calculated, stratified by gender and adjusted for sociodemographic and socioeconomic indicators.ResultsUnemployed men and women were at a higher risk for all-cause and cause-specific mortality compared with their employed counterparts. The excess mortality among unemployed Belgians was particularly high for endocrine and digestive diseases, mental disorders, and falls, and more pronounced among men than among women. Other indicators of SEP did only slightly decrease the mortality disadvantage of being unemployed.DiscussionThe findings stress the need for actions to ameliorate the health status of unemployed people, especially for the most vulnerable groups in society.

The role of different groups in society in the labour market is of vital importance for the functioning of a nation's economy. Equal access to employment is a fundamental condition for tackling social exclusion and is closely linked to reducing and combating poverty. Research on discrimination in the labour market goes back several decades and is primarily based on perceptions of discrimination. The Roma population is one of the most disadvantaged groups in Hungary, with the most severe labour market tensions and the largest number of underprivileged groups. Roma are considered a social group with below average labour market opportunities. The unfavourable social and economic situation of the Roma population in Hungary and their resulting marginalisation has become a platitude in public discourse and academic work. The importance of the issue is undoubtful, as it is estimated that the Roma population, which constitutes a significant proportion of the population, is the poorest, most excluded and, overall, the most vulnerable group in society. The gap between the Roma population and the majority society has been steadily increasing for decades, mainly due to the residential segregation and economic decline of the Roma. Negative discrimination in the labour market plays a crucial role in shaping the employment prospects of Roma people. On the one hand, this is due to the negative discrimination they face, and on the other hand, to the low level of knowledge acquired by these people compared to the average in society. In our study, we examine the factors determining selfmarketing and the labour market chances of Roma in the context of the background factors, economic and social effects of unemployment, which particularly affect this precariat group. We make an attempt to prove that self-marketing has a right to exist among the Roma working population. In researching this topic, it is essential to address the issue of the conscious career management competences of members of the emerging generation and the crucial role of inclusive workplaces.

Background There is a growing amount of climate change and health data available in open sources. Inhabitants value their neighbourhood mostly by perception. Local authorities make spatial planning discussions based on environmental data. In the case of heat waves more climate adaptation measures are taken by authorities. However, there is a gap in knowledge on the need for adaptation of our environment and the perception of a growing proportion of the population on the need for adaptation. Furthermore, there is little focus on the mental problems related to climate change. The example of heat wave adaptation has been studied. Methods Heat wave plans across Europe have been analysed on participatory processes by the population or by broader group of stakeholders in the health care sector. The existing plans of 20 countries were collected. Interviews with key-persons involved in the implementation of these plans were used. The perception of the population on the measures, the mentioning of individual or group resilience and for mental disturbances during or in the aftermath of a heat wave were studied. Results The results show limited attention for the participatory process in heat wave plans. There is no attention for mental problems. Resilience is only addressed the way that simple message is conveyed through the media. There is limited focus on vulnerable groups in society. Conclusions It would help if the local authorities would make decisions in adaptation of their spatial planning to include the perception of the population and to focus on some vulnerable groups in society. The extension of caring about vulnerable groups beyond the period of heat waves is needed.

AimsThe present study aimed to investigate whether the psychological impact of the COVID-19 crisis varied with regards to young Swiss men’s pre-crisis level of education and socioeconomic status and to changes in their work situation due to it.MethodsA cohort of 2345 young Swiss men (from 21 out of 26 Swiss cantons; mean age = 29) completed survey-based assessments shortly before (April 2019 to February 2020) and early on during the COVID-19 crisis (May to June 2020). Outcomes measured were psychological outcomes before and during the COVID-19 crisis (depression, perceived stress and sleep quality), and the fear, isolation and psychological trauma induced by it. We investigated associations between these outcomes and their predictors: pre-crisis socioeconomic status (relative financial status, difficulty paying bills, level of education), changes in work situation during the crisis (job loss, partial unemployment, working from home, change in workload) and working in contact with potentially infected people, both inside and outside the healthcare sector. For outcomes measured before and during the crisis, the analyses were adjusted for their pre-crisis levels.ResultsAbout 21% of participants changed their employment status (job loss, partial unemployment or lost money if self-employed) and more than 40% worked predominantly from home during the COVID-19 crisis. Participants with a lower relative socioeconomic status already before the crisis experienced a higher psychological impact due to the COVID-19 crisis, compared to participants with an average socioeconomic status (major depression (b = 0.12 [0.03, 0.22]), perceived stress (b = 0.15 [0.05, 0.25]), psychological trauma (b = 0.15 [0.04, 0.26]), fear (b = 0.20 [0.10, 0.30]) and isolation (b = 0.19 [0.08, 0.29])). A higher impact was also felt by participants who lost their job due to the COVID-19 crisis, the partially unemployed, those with an increased workload or those who worked mainly from home (e.g. depression b = 0.25 [0.16, 0.34] for those working 90%+ at home, compared to those not working at home).ConclusionsEven in a country like Switzerland, with relatively high social security benefits and universal healthcare, the COVID-19 crisis had a considerable psychological impact, especially among those with a lower socioeconomic status and those who experienced deteriorations in their work situation due to the COVID-19 crisis. Supporting these populations during the crisis may help to prevent an amplification of inequalities in mental health and social status. Such support could help to lower the overall impact of the crisis on the mental well-being of Switzerland’s population.

The Constitutional Court of South Africa recently handed down a judgment on the extension of the common law definition of rape to include anal penetration of women, but not of men. The court argued that women form part of the most vulnerable group in society. This article analyses the court's judgment and argues that the court should have included anal penetration of men in the light of South African lower courts' decisions, international law and the fact that there is currently a law before parliament which pertains to the anal penetration of men. The article also argues that the court should have taken into consideration that this case involved a child, who is also from the most vulnerable group in society.

One of the most frequently voiced concerns in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic is ‘not to forget the vulnerable groups in society’. Social workers occupy a privileged position with a view to mapping such vulnerabilities, their complex interrelations, and the processes that increase the risk of falling victim to them. Therefore, in order for policy interventions aimed at mitigating negative impact on vulnerable groups to be effective, it is important to gain an in-depth insight into the first hand experiences and concomitant concerns of social workers. The main aim of this article is to describe and categorize the main concerns social workers had about their clients a few weeks into Belgium’s first wave of the pandemic. The data used derive from a large scale online survey taken among social workers in Flanders and the Brussels region in April/May 2020, closely following the lockdown on 18 March. Thematic coding analysis was used to analyse textual answers with regard to concerns about current clients. Concerns fall into six main categories, the most important one being direct concerns about the safety and wellbeing of clients in the context of various life domains (physical and mental health, family, work, education, social networks, housing, financial and material wealth), apart from concerns about communication issues more in general, about changes in the interactional dynamics between social worker and client, the effects of lockdown related changes to forms of social help, about very specific vulnerable groups, and, lastly, about the resilience of the social work sector. Analysis of the connections between concerns also enables us to reconstruct several chains of events that may result in specific (reinforced) vulnerabilities. If policy interventions aim to be attentive to such vulnerabilities, taking stock of these chains of events is of paramount importance.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To study trends in the health and socioeconomic circumstances of lone mothers in Sweden over the years 1979-1995, and to make comparisons with couple mothers over the same...

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has gained unprecedented prominence in academic and business spheres alike (Kotler and Lee 2005; McWilliams et al. 2006); more than ever before, it is necessary for organizations to define their roles in society and apply social, environmental, ethical, and responsible standards to their businesses (Lichtenstein et al. 2004; Lindgreen et al. 2009). Beyond the moral arguments and value-based debates that characterize the complex landscapes of CSR-related concepts and ideas (Garriga and Mele 2004), corporate commitment to socially responsible management practices is associated with a conviction that the failure to meet basic social rules or expectations pertaining to the way organizations behave can result in perceptions of those organizations as illegitimate (Campbell 2007; Sethi 1975). Increased engagement in CSR-related policies and initiatives, and associated communication efforts, provide a way for organizations to circumvent situations and practices that might be perceived as unethical or unsustainable or that ‘‘alienate the organization from the rest of society, resulting in reduced reputation, increased costs, and decreasing shareholder value through erosion of its license to operate’’ (Hill 2001, p. 32). In such a context, a clear question arises: How can organizations in ‘‘controversial industry sectors,’’ which often are marked by social taboos, moral debates, and political pressures, maintain reasonable, socially responsible standards? For industry sectors typically characterized as ‘‘sinful’’ (e.g., tobacco, gambling, weapons, alcohol, adult entertainment), as well as for those that inherently entail persistent or emerging environmental, social, or ethical issues (e.g., nuclear, oil, cement, biotech), this special issue aims to provide some answers and define ways they can adopt CSR-related policies and practices to meet their public legitimacy requirements. In their seminal work in this area, Wilson and West (1981, p. 92) describe controversial industry sectors as those related to ‘‘products, services or concepts that for reasons of delicacy, decency, morality, or even fear elicit reactions of distaste, disgust, offence or outrage when mentioned or when openly presented.’’ Although attitudes to such industry sectors vary by culture (Waller et al. 2005), they and their products or services often come under close scrutiny by external actors who view them as morally corrupt (de Colle and York 2008), unethical (Byrne 2010), offensive (Fam and Waller 2003), or exemplary of aberrant behavior (Budden and Griffin 1996)—perhaps regardless of their actual or latent harm to society, the environment, or individuals (Demont et al. 2004; Kindt 2006; Pratten 2007). Many such industry sectors affect more vulnerable groups in society and local communities disproportionately (Bristow 2007; Cook et al. 2003; Nikiforuk 2008) yet remain legal, provide tax revenues for governments, and meet consumer demands. A. Lindgreen (&) M. Yani-De-Soriano Cardiff Business School, Cardiff University, Aberconway Building, Colum Drive, Cardiff CF10 3EU, UK e-mail: lindgreena@cardiff.ac.uk

Micro finance is a relatively new term, but as a concept it is well established. Its origin can be traced back to 1976, when Muhammad Yunus set up the Grameen Bank, as experiment, on the outskirts of Chittagong University campus in the village of Jobra, Bangladesh. Since the first Micro credit Summit in Washington in February 1997, micro credit has blossomed and captured the attention of the development world and beyond. That attention is fully justified because micro credit has proven to be one of the most effective instruments in reaching the very poor. Micro finance is now being considered as one of the most important and an effective mechanism for poverty alleviation. These are also effective mechanisms through which to disseminate precious information on ways to improve the health, education, legal rights, sanitation and other living standards, which are of relevant concerns for the poor. Above all, many micro-credit programs have targeted one of the most vulnerable groups in society – women, who live in households with little or almost no assets. By providing opportunities for self-employment, many studies have concluded that these programs have significantly improved women security, autonomy, self-confidence and status within the household. The empowerment of women is also the basis for transforming lives at the household level and in the wider society. In this regard, the delivery of micro finance is one of the approaches to the empowerment of women. This study has the objective of assessing the impact of micro finance in the empowerment of rural women in The Gambia. It recognizes the multidimensional nature of empowerment as a process involving personal, social and economic dimensions. The research was conducted in Nianija and Kudan District in The Gambia, focusing on women beneficiaries of the social development fund loans.

Purpose The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of a waqf-based microfinance program on clients’ well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic. Design/methodology/approach This study obtained primary data from a survey distributed to 282 respondents, consisting of 150 clients and 132 nonclients of the Bank Wakaf Mikro (BWM) Al Kausar in Indonesia. This study constructed a well-being index (WBI) and compared clients’ and nonclients’ WBI before and during the pandemic using the difference-in-differences (DID) method. DID measures the effect of a treatment in a “treatment group” versus a “control group” using data from two periods. Findings This study found that clients and nonclients alike experienced an increase in well-being throughout the pandemic, but the increase was greater for clients than for nonclients. This study argues that the waqf-based microfinance program run by Bank Waqf Mikro model can assist their clients – as more vulnerable groups in society – to maintain their well-being during the pandemic. Research limitations/implications To ensure the effectiveness of waqf-based microfinance programs in diverse settings, this study should include more respondents from different institutions. Practical implications This research has several practical recommendations, particularly for integrating Islamic charity for microfinance. The findings of this study suggest that the BWM model, which combines three institutions – the government, zakat groups and Islamic boarding schools (pesantrens) – can play a substantial role in enhancing the welfare of its members during the pandemic. Originality/value This study contributes to the body of knowledge on Islamic microfinance by providing empirical evidence of the importance of waqf-based microfinance in reducing the pandemic’s impact on clients well-being.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic outbreak quickly became an international public-health emergency. COVID-19 poses a challenge to the general population in terms of psychological resilience.1 Yet, chronically ill patients may perceive they are at a higher risk of infection and in greater need of health care. In Italy, the lockdown measures started in some quarantined ‘red zones’ in Northern Italy on 23 February 2020 and were extended to the whole country on 8 March 2020. Within a few weeks, the government forced the closure of schools, administrative offices and commercial activities with the exception of a few public services that are essential for the community, including supermarkets and pharmacies. Also, public and private health care could only treat emergencies. The experience of Chinese doctors showed that in the general population, the perception of the spread of the disease had a significant impact on psychological balance.2, 3 From the very beginning, physicians noticed that chronic patients’ first request was to have alternative support in the quarantine period. The neologism ‘coronaphobia’3 describes the complicated feelings of danger and the desire to keep a safe social distance. Currently, there is no vaccine against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Physicians, governments and the media have strongly underlined that currently there is no vaccine against SARS-CoV-2. As a result, vulnerable groups in society – the elderly and chronically ill who are at higher risk of infection – have had to face the impact of a potentially non-preventable mysterious disease with high mortality rates. Subgroups of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients are at increased risk of infection due to their therapy, steroids, immunosuppressants and biologic agents.4, 5 Pneumococcal and injectable influenza are the two essential vaccines recommended in all immunocompromised IBD patients.6 Patients with IBD are often anxious regarding their health and live with considerable uncertainty due to their recurrent and variable symptoms.7 The present communication aims to share our experience of the psychological support provided to IBD patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. We hope that our experience might be useful for all health-care providers during the lockdown and in the immediate future. We contacted 450 patients with IBD attending the IBD Clinic of the University of Salerno, Italy, by phone, instructing them to avoid regular visits. We offered them either a dedicated phone number to call or the option to communicate via WhatsApp messages. The staff at the IBD Centre also provided a video call option. Besides adjustments to therapies, prescriptions and laboratory testing checks, we also provided a video call with a psychologist (M.S.) upon request. Many patients reported their worries about the continuation of immunosuppressant or biological therapy. A few patients revealed they had voluntarily stopped taking their medication (steroids, azathioprine). There was a feeling of fear surrounding COVID-19. The main concerns that emerged during the video calls were: fear of death, fear of being more prone to getting COVID-19 than the general population, fear of being alone because of the social distancing imposed by the quarantine, fear of unavailability of drugs and fear that doctors and caregivers would not be able to take care of them. In summary, patients with chronic illness in the days of the COVID-19 pandemic must cope with their existing illness and another deadly, invisible enemy: the mysterious SARS-CoV-2 virus. New technologies may help in supporting patients who are in need of psychological support. The analysis of the video counselling with the IBD patients during the first days of the national lockdown to combat the epidemic showed a generalised high rise in anxiety and an increased number of panic attacks. We have reported here our experience with IBD patients. However, all chronically ill patients are likely to need support under the present circumstances. A few actions may control and help patients with their fears. We advise the health-care providers to prepare to provide prompt psychological support in addition to medical assistance, at a distance, for those in need. We want to thank the students of the Department of Medicine, Surgery, Dentistry, Scuola Medica Salernitana, University of Salerno, who helped the doctors and nurses in calling the patients during the COVID-19 crisis. The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship and/or publication of this article. The authors received no financial support for the research, authorship and/or publication of this article. Carolina Ciacci https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7426-1145

Refugees are already a vulnerable group in society and are in a stressful situation due to their often uncertain legal status in seeking asylum and integration in the new society after migration. Refugees are, in general, at greater risk of poor health outcomes when contracting Covid-19, exacerbated by poor living conditions and difficulties in accessing healthcare. The longer-term social consequences of the pandemic also disproportionately impact refugees, including social isolation, unemployment, and difficulties to obtain correct health information. The aim of this paper is to review the social and health consequences that Covid-19 has brought to the refugees residing in Sweden. This needs to be emphasized in order to mitigate against these likely consequences and improve the overall well-being among such a highly vulnerable group in society. As Covid-19 demonstrates, human health needs to be understood holistically, meaning that the vulnerability of any individuals, or even nations, is a vulnerability for the whole population requiring urgent action.

A smoke screen to keep the controversy alive

Although numerous studies have been conducted to discover the spatial patterns of road crashes, relatively few have focused on the patterns of road crashes suffered by socially disadvantaged groups, while simultaneously accounting for urban environmental features. This study used advanced econometric (negative binomial regression) and spatial (geographically weighted Poisson regression) approaches to capture latent geographical diversity in crash patterns. The police-reported crash data for the over-65 population in metropolitan Adelaide, Australia, were investigated for two periods: before and after COVID-19. Using both spatial and nonspatial models, the effects of land use mix, population density, road network design, distance to the central business district, and accessibility of public transit on crash frequency, and location at the neighborhood level were investigated. The findings revealed that, in addition to sociodemographic factors, the aforementioned components had nonlinear effects in varied geographical contexts. Although the number of crashes fell by 20% during the periods studied, the fundamental reasons for such incidents did not change. The results of the study could assist academics and policy makers in Australia to better understand the multidimensional implications of the built environment on the road safety of the elderly—a vulnerable group in society who were disproportionately affected by the global pandemic. The hybrid technique presented in this research has the potential to be useful in other scenarios experiencing varying crash patterns.

The objective of this article is to examine how higher education contributes to students' employment rates and socioeconomic standing once they graduate. A literature review has been conducted, looking to identify the main particularities that exist in the study of higher education’s impact in the employment and social status. For the empirical application this study uses a unique primary dataset that includes information about their employment status and socioeconomic standing at the start and at the end of their studies between 2016 and 2021 for 5400 students at Universidad de la Costa. This study employs a multinomial logit model, the result shows that the transition of student-graduates’ increases (from 12.4% to 44.4%) the number of persons who are employed when they obtain their degrees. In contrast with the evidence showing significant changes in socio-economic level, there are no significant differences between men and women regarding employment status. The findings of this paper offer relevant information to government and education policymaker to design strategies that promote the higher education in Colombia.