Allocation Of Social Resources Research Articles

Transnational Comparative Study on Building Grassroots Emergency Response Capacity: Managerial Economics Perspectives on COVID-19 in China and Singapore

This study aims to explore how China and Singapore can effectively respond to COVID-19 through emergency capacity building at the grass-roots and societal levels, and analyze the similarities and differences in response strategies of the two countries. First, the experience and lessons of China and Singapore in emergency management of public health incidents are analyzed. Secondly, it describes the model of analyzing the emergency response capacity of the grassroots and society, and explains the application measures of the theory. Thirdly, in the comparison of coping strategies, this paper analyzes the strategies of China and Singapore in social mobilization, information dissemination, resource allocation, social participation and technology application, and evaluates their effects and limitations. Finally, recommendations are made for future research on the economics of outbreak response and management, and the importance of building grassroots and social emergency response capacity is emphasized.

Стратегическое развитие «зеленого» финансирования в Китае

The growing severity of global climate change increases public environmental awareness. As a result, green financing has become a prospective area of financial services that attracts attention of investors, policymakers, and other stakeholders. Green financing means using financial tools and mechanisms to provide financial support for a green and low-carbon economy, as well as to promote environmental protection, sustainable development, and resource efficiency. Green finance not only introduces social capital into the green industry and the green economy, but also optimizes the allocation of social resources and creates new points of economic growth. This article reviews the current state of green financing in China. The authors analyzed the related development processes, defined the key challenges, and proposed some policy ecommendations.

A Novel Industrial Software Model for Social Manufacturing

Abstract Distinct from the conventional manufacturing paradigm, the functioning of the Social Manufacturing (SocialM) model relies on a vast and dispersed array of social manufacturing resources. SocialM communities/groups emerge autonomously through business interactions, resource self-organization, and production information sharing, all driven by product orders within the SocialM system. This necessitates a more open, distributed, and autonomous software model to facilitate the allocation and operation of social manufacturing resources in support of the SocialM model. Consequently, this paper introduces a novel software development model designed specifically for SocialM. This proposed model employs business interaction software as the system's primary control portal, enabling efficient management of resources and users based on the social manufacturing communities/groups. Additionally, it facilitates the administration and oversight of numerous applications by utilizing an industrial Appstore. Moreover, the paper delves into the technological roadmap for realizing the essential technologies of the software model by integrating multi-agent and Message Queuing Telemetry Transport (MQTT) technologies. A 3D printing task simulation case was employed to demonstrate the model's working principle, which served to confirm the reliability and scalability of the SocialM software, as well as the feasibility of the SocialM theory.

Gendered Vulnerabilities in Disaster Responses: A Case Study of Majuli Island, Assam

This study employs a qualitative research methodology to study the gender disparities in disaster responses, focusing on the case study of Majuli Island in Assam, India, to provide nuanced insights into the distinct vulnerabilities experienced by women, particularly in the context of floods. Through an in-depth exploration of social norms, behavioural restrictions, and resource allocation practices, the research elucidates how women’s roles as caregivers and providers constrain their mobility and exacerbate their susceptibility to harm. The gendered ramifications of disasters on health, encompassing reproductive health issues and malnutrition, are underscored, alongside the psychological and physiological impacts that precipitate enduring mental anguish and heightened risks of violence and abuse. The findings underscore the imperative for gender-sensitive approaches to disaster preparedness, response, and recovery, advocating for comprehensive strategies that foreground women’s safety, well-being, and empowerment. By adopting a qualitative research methodology grounded in descriptive investigation, the study delves deeply into the lived experiences of communities grappling with disaster risks, offering invaluable insights for policymakers, practitioners, and communities striving to foster inclusive and resilient societies.

Time Series Analysis of the Impact of Meteorological Conditions and Air Quality on the Number of Medical Visits for Hypertension in Haikou City, China

Meteorological conditions and air quality are important environmental factors in the occurrence and development of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) such as hypertension. The aim of this study was to take Haikou City, located on the tropical edge, as the research area and to analyze the exposure–response relationship and lag effect between its meteorological conditions, air quality, and the number of hypertensive patients. Using the data from the hypertension outpatient department of Hainan Provincial People’s Hospital from 2016 to 2018, together with meteorological data and air quality data, a distributed lag nonlinear model based on the nested generalized addition model of meteorological element base variables was established. The results showed that the impact of temperature on the risk of hypertension was mainly due to the cold effect, which was associated with high risk, with a lag of 1–10 days. When the temperature dropped to 10 °C, the cumulative effect on the risk of hypertension of relative risk (RR) reached its highest value on the day the low temperature occurred (RR was 2.30 and the 95% confidence interval was 1.723~3.061), passing the test with a significance level of 0.05. This result indicated that efforts should be made to strengthen the prevention of hypertension under low-temperature conditions and the prediction and early warning of disease risks. The impact of the air-quality effect (the environmental Air Quality Index was selected as an indicator) on the risk of hypertension was mainly characterized by a low air-quality effect, with a lag effect of 0–8 days. When the risk reached approximately 124, the RR was highest (RR was 1.63 and the 95% confidence interval was 1.104~2.408), passing the test with a significance level of 0.05. The research results can provide technical support for conducting medical meteorological forecasting, early warning, and services for hypertension. A joint work and research mechanism among multiple departments such as meteorology and medical health should be established to improve the level of medical and health care, optimize the allocation of social resources, and develop targeted prevention and control strategies to reduce the health and economic burden of hypertension.

Gender disparities in summer outdoor heat risk across China: Findings from a national county-level assessment during 1991–2020

Increasing anthropogenic global warming has emerged as a significant challenge to human health in China, as extreme heat hazards increasingly threaten outdoor-exposed populations. Differences in thermal comfort, outdoor activity duration, and social vulnerability between females and males may exacerbate gender inequalities in heat-related health risks, which have been overlooked by previous studies. Here, we combine three heat hazards and outdoor activity duration to identify the spatiotemporal variation in gender-specific heat risk in China during 1991–2020. We found that females' heat risk tends to be higher than that of males. Gender disparities in heat risk decrease in southern regions, while those in northern regions remain severe. Males are prone to overheating in highly urbanized areas, while females in low urbanized areas. Males' overheating risk is mainly attributed to population clustering associated with prolonged outdoor activity time and skewed social resource allocation. In contrast, females' overheating risk is primarily affected by social inequalities. Our findings suggest that China needs to further diminish gender disparities and accelerate climate adaptation planning.

Corporate environmental infringement, legal regulation, and sustainable development: punitive damages as a perspective

In order to maximize personal interests, enterprises have a tendency to choose environmental pollution in exchange for corporate profits, resulting in negative externalities; the Civil Code of the People’s Republic of China imposes legal regulations on the environmental infringement of enterprises in order to achieve the maximization of the use of the allocation of social resources and promote the sustainable development of society. Subsequent judicial interpretations have set a two-fold cap on the amount of punitive damages. However, in cases of extremely serious environmental damage, the two-fold cap on punitive damages for environmental infringement will create the possibility of insufficient compensation. Based on this, this paper analyzes the legal text of China’s punitive damages provisions for environmental infringement and analyzes the interrelationships between enterprises and between enterprises and potential environmental infringement victims in a game analysis. The results of the analysis show that as the amount of punitive damages for environmental infringement increases, the probability of the infringed person filing a lawsuit and that of the enterprise reducing its environmental infringement behavior also increase. In order to promote the cause of China’s sustainable development, this paper puts forward relevant suggestions for the improvement of China’s environmental legal regulation: first, the upper limit of the amount of punitive damages for environmental infringement should be canceled; second, the amount of reasonable punitive damages should be set on the basis of the damages caused by environmental infringement on human beings and the environment; lastly, in the baseline setting of the amount of punitive damages, additional factors need to be taken into account, and the amount of punitive damages should be set for the enterprises with a high degree of maliciousness. Finally, additional factors need to be considered in setting the benchmark for the amount of punitive damages, which should penalize the enterprises causing environmental infringement with a high degree of malice with heavier penalties and, at the same time, penalize the enterprises with a smaller scale of operation and economic strength with lighter penalties.

Depression among older adults before and during the pandemic: Follow-up assessment of a three-wave longitudinal observation

Previous studies have documented the average impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on depressive symptoms among the older population. However, discerning specific individuals at a higher risk and developing targeted support based on the significant average effect has proven challenging. In response to this gap, this study explored the influence of personal histories, encompassing pre-existing depression and personal depression trajectories, as well as personal experiences such as pandemic-related financial and health impacts, on deviations in individual depression curves during the pandemic. The results of the study indicated that individuals with pre-existing depressive symptoms or those affected by pandemic-related financial and health challenges experienced an upward deviation from their original depression trajectory, signifying a more severe level of depression during the pandemic. Interestingly, individuals who demonstrated a steeper growth in depression prior to the pandemic exhibited less severe depressive symptoms during this period, showcasing a downward deviation in their personal depression trajectory. These findings contribute valuable insights into the diverse personal factors driving depression during the pandemic. They also provide guidance on prioritizing the allocation of social support resources to effectively manage depression among the older population.

The Impact of Corporate Philanthropy on Optimising Unequal Allocation of Social Resources

The Impact of Corporate Philanthropy on Optimising Unequal Allocation of Social Resources

Research on the Influence of Depth and Breadth of Equity Reform on the Performance of State Owned Enterprises Based on Dynamic Panel Data Model

In order to explore the necessity of mixed ownership reform of state-owned enterprises and clarify the direction of mixed ownership reform of state-owned enterprises in China, this paper uses dynamic panel data model and bootstrap-DEA method to study the impact of “depth” and “breadth” of equity reform of state-owned enterprises in China on the performance of state-owned enterprise. The results show that there is an inverted U-shaped relationship between performance and the level of equitable reform of state-owned enterprises. When the depth of equity reform is 36.6%, the performance of mixed reform enterprises is the best. There is a positive U-shaped relationship between the breadth of equity reform and the performance of state-owned enterprises. When the breadth of equity reform is 12.47%, the performance of mixed reform enterprises is the worst. At the same time, it is found that the average performance of the sample enterprises shows an obvious downward trend, while the performance variance of the sample enterprises shows an obvious upward trend, and this trend has not changed significantly after China launched a new round of state-owned enterprise reform in 2015. According to the above research findings, this paper believes that the intervention of government forces is conducive to promoting the survival of the fittest of state-owned enterprises and the overall optimal allocation of social resources, but we should pay attention to the adoption of market-oriented means and should not directly interfere with the mixed reform of state-owned enterprises. At the same time, the mixed reform of state-owned enterprises in China is either relatively thorough, giving up the dominance of the largest state-owned shareholder, giving other shareholders a greater say, or not to carry out mixed reform, or symbolic mixed reform, otherwise it may aggravate the internal friction of the mixed reform state-owned enterprises, resulting in worse performance.

Social care data in the UK; current landscape, challenges, and future recommendations

ABSTRACT Objectives Social care in the United Kingdom (UK) refers to care provided due to age, illness, disability, or other circumstances. Social care provision offers an intermediary step between hospital discharge and sufficient health for independent living, which subsequently helps with National Health Service (NHS) bed capacity issues. UK Health Technology Assessments (HTAs) do not typically include social care data, possibly due to a lack of high-quality, accessible social care data to generate evidence suitable for submissions. Methods We identified and characterized secondary sources of UK social care data suitable for research (as of 2021). Sources were identified and profiled by desk research, supplemented by information from custodians and data experts. Results We identified twenty-one sources; six high potential (three national, three regional data sources), five future potential, seven limited potential, and three not considered further (outdated or lacking social care data). Conclusion Despite identifying numerous sources of social care data across the UK, opportunities and access for researchers appeared limited and could be improved. This would facilitate a deeper understanding of the clinical and economic burden of disease, the impact of medicines and vaccines on social care, enable better-informed HTA submissions and more efficient allocation of NHS and local council social care resources.

Optimization of Nursing Care Resource Allocation in an Aging Population Based on Combinatorial Optimization Algorithm

Abstract This paper first considers population aging as a breakthrough, analyzes the demand for long-term care due to population aging, and classifies the models and characteristics of long-term care. Secondly, the combinatorial optimization algorithm and its classical cases are analyzed, and a care resource allocation system is built based on the solution set performance metrics and multi-objective combinatorial optimization algorithm for an aging population society. In city A, a research experiment examines the elderly population and the allocation of nursing care resources. The results show that the Gini coefficient of the population distribution of nursing institutions is 0.027 and the Gini coefficient of the population distribution of the number of institutional beds is 0.296, both of which are less than 0.3, thus indicating that the overall structure of the current social nursing resource allocation is relatively fair.

Association of Social Vulnerability and COVID-19 Mortality Rates in Texas between 15 March 2020, and 21 July 2022: An Ecological Analysis.

Despite the key role of social vulnerability such as economic disadvantage in health outcomes, research is limited on the impact of social vulnerabilities on COVID-19-related deaths, especially at the state and county level in the USA. We conducted a cross-sectional ecologic analysis of COVID-19 mortality by the county-level Minority Health Social Vulnerability Index (MH SVI) and each of its components in Texas. Negative binomial regression (NBR) analyses were used to estimate the association between the composite MH SVI (and its components) and COVID-19 mortality. A 0.1-unit increase in the overall MH SVI (IRR, 1.27; 95% CI, 1.04-1.55; p = 0.017) was associated with a 27% increase in the COVID-19 mortality rate. Among the MH SVI component measures, only low socioeconomic status (IRR, 1.55; 95% CI, 1.28-1.89; p = 0.001) and higher household composition (e.g., proportion of older population per county) and disability scores (IRR, 1.47; 95% CI, 1.29-1.68; p < 0.001) were positively associated with COVID-19 mortality rates. This study provides further evidence of disparities in COVID-19 mortality by social vulnerability and can inform decisions on the allocation of social resources and services as a strategy for reducing COVID-19 mortality rates and similar pandemics in the future.

The concept of personal responsibility in Bulgarian health and social legislation

Abstract Background In the context of scarce health care resources, national policies and legislation increasingly advocate patients’ personal responsibility for their ill health. This report aims at studying the concept of personal responsibility as a basis for resources prioritisation in Bulgarian health and social legislation. Methods Official normative documents were subjected to content and comparative analysis. Results Indirect personal responsibility can be found in the Bulgarian Health Act, Art.94 stating the duty of the patient to take care of his own health. Further, in the liver transplant algorithm of the Recipient Selection Ordinance, it is possible to distinguish a hidden criterion of patient's responsibility. One possible interpretation of Article 12 of the Code of Professional Ethics of Physicians in Bulgaria is the right of a physician to refuse medical care on the grounds of lack of trust due to patient's non-compliance with prescriptions. The latter correlates with the idea of prospective responsibility. Direct personal retrospective responsibility is imputed in the Health Insurance Act, Art. 111, where persons who themselves have damaged their health or in a state of alcoholic intoxication or drug abuse have damaged the health of others, must reimburse the costs of the NHIF. We also find clearly defined personal responsibility in the Social Security Code, Art. 46, according to which monetary compensation for temporary incapacity is not paid to insured persons who intentionally damage their health. There is no official data on the applicability of these legal norms. Conclusions Although in a less categorical form and not in relation to access to specific planned treatments, the idea of the personal responsibility is embodied in the Bulgarian legislation. It is necessary to accumulate further data on the applicability of these norms, as well as to study the views of patients, users of social services, professionals and general public. Key messages • Personal responsibility is gradually entering Bulgarian legislation as an official criterion for the allocation of social and health resources. • It is necessary to accumulate further data on the applicability of the prescribed legal norms, as well as to study the views of patients, users of social services, professionals and general public.

Spatiotemporal evolution and influencing factors of the allocation of social care resources for the older adults in China

BackgroundThe reasonable allocation of social care resources for the older adults is a key measure to actively respond to population aging. This study aims to evaluate the evolutionary trend, spatial differences and influencing factors of the social elderly care resources (SECR) allocation in China.MethodsThis study constructed a comprehensive index system consisting of three dimensions: material resources, human resources and financial resources, to measure the level of SECR in mainland China. The Kernel density estimation was used to reveal the dynamic evolution trend, and Dagum Gini Coefficient and its decomposition method were used to investigate the equity of SECR allocation. Spatial panel regression models were used to analyze the influencing factors of the allocation of SECR.ResultsThe level of SECR is rising from 0.197 in 2013 to 0.208 in 2019. The middle-high- and high-level areas of SECR were mainly distributed in the eastern and western China. The Gini coefficient of SECR decreased from 0.262 in 2013 to 0.249 in 2019. Per capita GDP, the proportion of social welfare expenditure in GDP and the proportion of the tertiary industry in GDP have significant positive effects on the allocation of SECR. Population aging and the development of service industry exhibit significant negative spatial spillover effects on the allocation of SECR.ConclusionsThe fairness of the allocation of SECR in China has been improved, while the spatial distribution is imbalanced. Economic development, fiscal input and the development of service industry have significant positive effects while population aging has significant negative effects on the SECR allocation.

Retracted: Social Governance Structure Construction and Resource Allocation Methods under the Management Mode of the Internet of Things

Retracted: Social Governance Structure Construction and Resource Allocation Methods under the Management Mode of the Internet of Things

Contextual influences on deliberate self-harm among Chinese university undergraduates: A representative nationwide study

BackgroundNumerous studies have identified factors associated with deliberate self-harm (DSH), but environmental influences have largely been neglected. This study explored regional and university contextual factors that impact DSH among undergraduate students in China. MethodsSubjects in this observational cross-sectional study totaled 5016 undergraduate students, who were identified through multistage survey sampling in 22 Chinese universities. Individual-level data were obtained through a self-administered questionnaire, and environmental variables were extracted from the National Bureau of Statistics database. Multilevel logistic regression models were used to examine regional correlates of DSH. ResultsThe overall prevalence of self-reported DSH in the study sample was 7.5 % (95 % CI: 4.1 %, 10.9 %). The full multilevel logistic model showed university rank and city size were inversely associated with DSH prevalence (Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR): 0.24 and 0.55). Regional unemployment rates were positively associated with DSH prevalence (AOR: 1.98, 95 % CI: 1.48, 2.65). DiscussionContextual disparities appear to contribute to DSH among Chinese undergraduates. Preventive initiatives must focus on redressing imbalances in the allocation of social and economic resources across universities and regions.

Women and timber management: From assigned cook to strategic decision-maker of community land use

Numerous studies on community forest and land use show clear benefits of including women in natural resource management. Women’s empowerment in collaborative timber management, however, is understudied and rarely achieved on the ground. We focused on women’s participation in seven community-based timber projects within three Brazilian Amazonian extractive reserves, asking: 1. What resources (actual allocations, future claims and expectations) have shaped women’s roles in collaborative timber management? 2. How do community women perceive their role in collaborative timber management? 3. Have community members and partner organizations perceived gender equity in collaborative timber management? Over 15 months, we carried out in-depth interviews with 52 respondents, conducted participant observation, and led focus group discussions that included community concept drawing activities. We uncovered that while these collaborative timber management projects still centered on male workers, in two of the three extractive reserves, empowerment processes ultimately opened spaces for greater engagement by women overall in strategic administrative and logging coordinator positions. We added to the scholarly conceptualizations of women’s empowerment, demonstrating that ‘power through’ can lead to more permanent empowerment levels. Although normative values associated with gender (i.e. men stronger than women) were subtly embedded in the actual allocation of both human and social resources (capacity building and networks, respectively) for collaborative timber management, integration of a few women in male-centered training efforts provided venues for transformative agency towards women’s placement in strategic timber management positions. Supporting such transformative processes to empower women in community land use and forestry requires awareness of gender-based discriminatory attitudes and practices on the part of men and women, as well as innovations by policymakers, community members, government, and non-governmental organizations.

Contribution Analysis of Regional Tax Factors Based on RBF Machine Learning

Tax revenue is one of the necessary conditions for ensuring economic stability and development in market economy countries, which affects the rational allocation of social resources, and the influence of tax relationships has become a necessary research topic. The artificial neural network has been widely used in many fields as an effective method to deal with complex nonlinear problems. Based on the data on the local economy, population, environment, and policy in North China from 2011 to 2020, this paper analyzes the four factors affecting tax revenue, establishes an artificial neural network-radial basis function(ANN-RBF)model, and uses SPSS to calculate the importance of normalization of regional tax contribution in four aspects of the local economy, population, environment, and policy. This study has particular enlightening significance for the country to formulate and use tax policies for macro-control.

Social-ecological cascade effects of land use on vertebrate pest dynamics in arid agricultural communities.

Extensive land conversion to agriculture in drylands and associated resource use have wide-ranging impacts on desert ecosystems globally. Incorporating the impacts of human-social aspects is thus imperative in examining ecological interactions. The provision of agricultural inputs in these resource-scarce regions supports invasive and pest species, negatively impacting both agricultural productivity and native desert ecosystems. Understanding the spatial dynamics of invasive and pest species requires analyzing both bottom-up resource availability factors underlying animal distributions and top-down biological controls. Here, we evaluate the social-ecological cascading effects of dryland agriculture on vertebrate pest communities in dryland agricultural communities of Israel. Our study region is characterized by 18 agricultural cooperatives with distinct crop regimes due to contrasting social decision-making and resource allocation schemes (i.e., communal kibbutzim vs. privatized moshavim). Crop choices further affect land management (e.g., enclosed vs. open farm systems) and resource intensity. This system is ideal for studying trophic mechanisms underlying animal assemblages between agricultural regimes. We examine the role of agricultural land-use practices on pest spatial distributions based on multiyear vertebrate pest observations with agricultural data sets. We use structural equation modeling (SEM) to quantify the relative importance of added agricultural resources underlying bottom-up and top-down trophic processes regulating vertebrate pest assemblages. Results reveal that crop choices determine pest distributions through bottom-up processes directly, while simultaneously driving pest competitive interactions through indirect top-down cascades impacting pest communities. For example, due to the indirect negative effect of wolves on mesopredators (foxes and jackals) mediated by livestock, the total positive effect of livestock on the abundance of mesopredators is reduced. Our study illustrates the social-ecological cascading effects of agricultural regimes on pest community assemblages mediated by contrasting agricultural land-use practices. Considering the expansion of dryland agroecological systems globally, understanding the intricate cascading pathways of predator- and prey-pest communities has important implications for agricultural management, biological invasions in drylands, and fragile desert environments.