Current Socioeconomic Circumstances Research Articles

LIVING CONSTITUTIONALISM’ AND THE ROLE OF INDIAN JUDICIARY

Living Constitutionalism emerged as a popular theory of constitutional construction and interpretation. Living constitutionalism emerged as a reaction against Originalism. Originalism means that the text of the constitution has a set meaning and that constitutional actors should be bound by it. Originalists say that the text of any Constitution is fixed at the time it is drafted, hence, its interpretation should follow the original intention of the framers. While, the theory of Living Constitutionalism provides that constitution needs to be interpreted in consonance of the current socio-economic circumstances in a society. In the Constitution of India, the Indian Judiciary has played a crucial role by constructing its provisions in the interest of people of the nation. This article discusses the role of Indian judiciary in making the Constitution of India, a living document. It also discusses how the Indian judiciary has exhibited the demoprudence by expanding the ambit of Article 21 of the Constitution.

The Role of Individual-Level Socioeconomic Status on Nursing Home Placement Accounting for Neighborhood Characteristics.

Independent living is desirable for many older adults. Although several factors such as physical and cognitive functions are important predictors for nursing home placement (NHP), it is also reported that socioeconomic status (SES) affects the risk of NHP. In this study, we aimed to examine whether an individual-level measure of SES is associated with the risk of NHP after accounting for neighborhood characteristics. A population-based study (Olmsted County, Minnesota, USA). Older adults (age 65+ years) with no prior history of NHP. Electronic health records (EHR) were used to identify individuals with any NHP between April 1, 2012 (baseline date) and April 30, 2019. Association between the (HOUsing-based index of SocioEconomic Status (HOUSES) index, an individual-level SES measure based on housing characteristics of current residence, and risk of NHP was tested using random effects Cox proportional hazard model adjusting for area deprivation index (ADI), an aggregated SES measure that captures neighborhood characteristics, and other pertinent confounders such as age and chronic disease burden. Among 15,031 older adults, 3341 (22.2%) experienced NHP during follow-up period (median: 7.1years). At baseline date, median age was 73years old with 55% female persons, 91% non-Hispanic Whites, and median number of chronic conditions of 4. Accounting for pertinent confounders, the HOUSES index was strongly associated with risk of NHP (hazard ratio 1.89; 95% confidence interval 1.66‒2.15 for comparing the lowest vs highest quartiles), which was not influenced by further accounting for ADI. This study demonstrates that an individual-level SES measure capturing current individual-specific socioeconomic circumstances plays a significant role for predicting NHP independent of neighborhood characteristics where they reside. This study suggests that older adults who are at higher risk of NHP can be identified by utilizing the HOUSES index and potential individual-level intervention strategies can be applied to reduce the risk for those with higher risk.

Antimonopoly Regulation in Modern Conditions: Challenges, Tasks and Perspectives Development

The article reveals the issues of the main trends in Russian state policy for the development of competition in current socio-economic circumstances, explores the challenges facing nowadays the Russian antimonopoly state body and include proposals of mechanisms for improving antimonopoly regulation in the context of globalization and the development of the digital economy.

The unusual midterm elections: results and trends

Every U.S. election, whether it's a mid-term presidential election or a four-year race for the highest office in the country, is destined to be "special." It cannot be otherwise, due to objective circumstances. There are no "non-special" choices. This is objective, because every time a new reality is created in the country, both in terms of a specific electorate, and in the nature of the current socio-economic circumstances, and in the context of a changing socio-political climate. The wisdom of the ancients has become a truism: you cannot enter the same river twice, which implies that the river of life is not a frozen swamp, unthinkably overgrown with aggressive algae and resting under its weight. What and why is typical for the interim 2022? Is it a coincidence that they are referred to as "extremely unusual"? How does the American political system operate and cope with the organization of life in the state and in society? As a result of the elections, there is a generational change of the ruling elite in the US Congress of the 118th convocation against the backdrop of the promised “red wave” that did not take place. In the meantime, the next presidential election in 2024 is already coming up.

КІНОТУРИЗМ ЯК ІННОВАЦІЙНИЙ ІНСТРУМЕНТ РОЗВИТКУ СФЕРИ ГОСТИННОСТІ УКРАЇНИ

The film industry, as part of the creative industry, is designed itself to generate certain emotions of the consumer, which, in fact, push the consumer of a particular film product to further steps - to organize a trip to places you see or hear while watching films, programs, etc. This study is devoted to the development trends of cinema tourism and related hospitality. The purpose of the study: analysis of the level of cinema tourism in the world and in Ukraine, taking into account the available natural, historical and cultural resources that will be used for domestic cinema tourism, and will be the basis for creating new tourist routes and hospitality enterprises for various tourists, as well as for the east of the country. Research methods: in the process of scientific work were used general and special methods of scientific abstraction, induction and deduction, statistical analysis, analogy and quantitative and qualitative comparison. Research hypothesis: it is assumed that the development of cinema tourism and related hospitality enterprises as components of the tourism industry in the regions of Ukraine should be based on a set of theoretical principles, historical background and current socio-economic circumstances of each region. Research results: The review of theoretical aspects and historical facts of cinema tourism development allowed to clarify its definition and supplement the existing classification of its types. Analysis of cinema tourism development trends in Ukraine shows that, despite the already interesting film products, thorough historical and cultural heritage and infrastructural resources of the hospitality industry, the country is only taking the first steps towards implementing this innovative tool for tourism and hospitality. Owners of hospitality establishments in the regions that are popularized in modern Ukrainian cinema and television programs already have a significant benefit. Conclusions and prospects for further research: The eastern regions of Ukraine, being in a depressed state, need new tools for development. cinema tourism has every chance to become a catalyst that will help restore abandoned areas and sites of historical and cultural heritage, infrastructure and hospitality enterprises, identify alternative ways to develop them and create new tourist magnets.

Life-course socioeconomic circumstances in acute, chronic and disabling pain among young employees: a double suffering.

Pain is known to be socioeconomically patterned and associated with disability. However, knowledge is scarce concerning life-course socioeconomic circumstances and pain among young adults. Our aim was to examine the associations of childhood and current socioeconomic circumstances with acute pain and chronic pain with low and high disability levels among young Finnish municipal employees. We analysed questionnaire data retrieved from the Young Helsinki Health Study (n=4683) covering 18-39-year-old employees of the City of Helsinki, Finland. We included multiple indicators of childhood and current socioeconomic circumstances and examined their associations with acute pain and with chronic pain with low and high disability levels. The level of chronic pain-related disability was assessed by the chronic pain grade questionnaire. Multinomial logistic regression analyses were conducted with stepwise adjustments for sociodemographic, socioeconomic and health-related covariates. Childhood and current socioeconomic disadvantage were associated with acute and chronic pain, particularly with chronic pain with high disability level. The strongest associations after adjustments for covariates remained between chronic pain with high disability level and low educational level (odds ratio (OR) 3.38, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.18-5.24), manual occupation (OR 3.75, 95% CI 1.92-7.34) and experiencing frequent economic difficulties (OR 3.07, 95% CI 2.00-4.70). Pain is a common complaint that contributes to disability among young employees, particularly the most socioeconomically vulnerable. There is a socioeconomic gradient in both pain chronicity and the level of chronic pain-related disability. Life-course socioeconomic factors should be considered in pain-preventing strategies and in clinical practice.

Traditional fishing methods used by the fishermen in the Sundarban region, West Bengal

In 2020-2021, 14 Blocks out of 19 Blocks in the Indian Sundarban regions studied fishing methods. According to our study, current socio-economic circumstances in Indian Sundarban regions show that their lifestyle is unsuitable for low family income. This is due to large annual disasters such as cyclones, storms, floods, and the water's salinity. A network of rivers and canals connects the Sundarban. The majority of the population is reliant on fishing activity, and in particular, the livelihood of the local people is supported by capture fisheries, which are in turn reliant on fishing activity. During the study, fishers' homes received knowledge about various crafts and equipment through monthly visits. Fishers have used indigenous fishing techniques and gear in the Indian Sundarban areas to capture fish, increasingly contributing to the local economy and overall fish output. During the research period, five different kinds of crafts and twelve different kinds of gear were found. The study reveals different indigenous fishing gears used in the locality, such as nets, traps, lines and hooks. To catch various fish of various sizes, fishers employ a variety of fishing gears, each with a distinct form and size. Most fishermen in the area collect unripe fruits velvet apple (Diospyros sp.) from the forest and boil them in large pots with sufficient water. Nets and other traps are dried in the sun after being polished with an extract. The purpose of this article is to document fishery-related technical knowledge, particularly traditional fishing techniques and gears utilised in the Indian Sundarban area.

Sociological Evaluation of the Influence of International Migration on the Socio-Economic Development of the Rostov Region

Introduction. In Russia, migration is currently considered to be an important resource for replenishing the population, although the population growth resulting from migration is quite slow. Russia’s Concept of the State Migration Policy until 2025 has been revised in order to improve the situation and ensure the inflow of foreign labor migrants. The goal of this article, based on the results of the conducted study, is to reveal the attitude of the population of the host community (Rostov Region) towards an increase in the flow of foreign labor migrants in the current socio-economic circumstances, as well as the expert evaluation of the effectiveness of handling the migration situation at the regional level. Materials and Methods. The object of study conducted was the migration situation in the Rostov Region, which is one of the leaders in the socio-economic development of the macroregion and the border area of ​​the South of Russia. A survey was conducted among the general public (n = 300) using the method of standardized interviews, among university students (n = 200), using the method of questionnaire, and among experts (n = 30) using the method of semi-structured interviews. The constructivist approach was adopted as the conceptual foundation of the analysis performed. This enabled the author to use various methods of surveying the population, including university students and the expert community. Results. The performed analysis of the collected empirical material has revealed that most people in the region use the results of migrant labour in various sectors of the economy without treating migrants as competitors in the regional labor market and do not feel any noticeable influence of migrants on their lives. Experts are more critical of the prospects of integrating migrants, perceiving the growth of their number as a threat to the cultural identity of the host community. Discussion and Conclusion. Dynamic development of a region requires proactive migration policies, largely based on the loyalty of the population, including young people, to foreign migrants and their positive attitude towards integration. The analysis of the collected material has been targeted at the regional authorities implementing migration policies. The research results may prove useful to civil society institutions promoting interaction between migrants and the host community.

Adaptation of farmland management strategies to maintain livelihood by the Chagga people in the Kilimanjaro highlands

Smallholder farmers attempt to adapt their farmland management through multiple strategies in order to secure their livelihood against external stress factors. Cultivating different species and genotypes of crops is one of the strategies implemented by smallholder farmers to maintain their livelihood. In the Kilimanjaro highlands, the Chagga people run small-scale farming. Traditionally, they cultivate diverse varieties of banana and coffee in home gardens in high-altitude areas and maize in low-altitude foothill farms. However, this type of farmland management had to be altered gradually in response to changes in external factors. This paper examines the role of cropping practice and diverse banana genotypes in the livelihood of the Chagga people, to understand how they altered their farmland management strategy to adapt to the current socio-economic circumstances, based on interviews, observations, and genetic analysis of banana. Our results showed that the Chagga people had altered their farmland management strategy by increasing banana and maize cultivation and decreasing coffee cultivation in the home garden based on the significance of each crop in their livelihood. The importance of banana cultivation for the livelihood of Chagga people has been recently recognized as an income source in addition to a staple food because of its increasing demand in neighboring big cities. Maize cultivation in home gardens has expanded because of the steady increase in the household demand of maize over the last 40 years and the decrease in size and ownership of foothill farms. Conversely, coffee cultivation as a household income has declined because of a reduction in coffee prices in the world market and increasing challenges in its cultivation. Additionally, the Chagga people accurately distinguish and use 11 types of bananas in their daily diet and cultural use. Maintaining diverse genotypes of bananas in home gardens is one of the adaptation strategies that bring stable food supply and income, and consequently enable them to maintain their livelihood under changing socio-economic circumstances.

Childhood socioeconomic circumstances, social status, and health in older age: Are they related in China?

It is well known that in western countries, people with disadvantaged socioeconomic circumstances during childhood are at a significantly higher risk of ill health in older age. This study further questions whether in China, individuals' different childhood socioeconomic circumstances and social status continue to affect their life-long health. Furthermore, do later-life socioeconomic circumstances affect health so that childhood conditions no longer play a significant role? The influence of social mobility and accumulation was also tested. The analysis was based on the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) 2013 and CHARLS life history survey. Health outcomes were measured based on self-reported health, disability for activities of daily life, depression symptoms, and cognitive impairment. In addition to measurements of childhood, the analysis included current socioeconomic circumstances, current health behaviors, and demographic characteristics. Using ordered logit or logit and Ordinary Least Square (OLS) regression models, the study shows the existence of the association between childhood conditions and later health in China. After adjusting for current socioeconomic circumstances, social status was no longer related to later health. However, childhood socioeconomic circumstances still significantly influenced health at a later age. Advantaged socioeconomic circumstances in the life course (high stability) provided the best protection for later health. However, moving downward-that is, experiencing childhood socioeconomic advantage but later-life socioeconomic disadvantage-was the most detrimental to later health. Overall, this study provides new evidence from China to support the notion that health in older age is related to dynamic processes structured by the social stratification system. Thus, this study emphasizes an integrated health policy based on the premise of maximizing health over the entire life course.

Impacts of migration on health and well-being in later life in China: Evidence from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS).

Unprecedented internal migration to urban areas has happened in China over the last few decades. While, we know that migration has a bidirectional relationship with health, this relationship has only been studied to a limited extent in China. In particular, the exiting literature has neglected the effects of migration on health and well-being in later life, instead focusing on the relationship between these outcomes over the short term, and also have only focused on temporary rural-to-urban migrants with a rural hukou rather than the broader range of internal migration flows. The hukou system, also known as the Chinese household system, an institutional feature with the power to restrict population mobility and access to local welfare resources. Using an inter-disciplinary approach, drawing on literature from economics, epidemiology and sociology, this paper conceptualises and examines the association between different forms of internal migration and their relationship with later-life health and well-being in China. It then attempts to draw conclusions on likely mechanisms through which migration affects health and well-being, including taking account of the selective nature of migration. To do this, we use the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), a nationally representative and multi-disciplinary dataset that examines the circumstances of the Chinese population aged over 45 years old. The results show that there are strong associations between migration status and later life health and well-being in China, with migrants to or within urban areas report the greatest health. Even after controlling for the selective nature of migration and other post-migration factors, there is still an unexplained, positive and statistically significant association between temporary rural-to-urban migration and depression scores. In addition, there are no differences between rural-to-rural migrants and rural non-migrants across all models. In terms of relevant mechanisms, selection of migrants seems to be particularly important in explaining the health and mental health differences between non-migrants and migrants to or within urban areas. Current socioeconomic circumstances and post-migration adaptation also explain some health differences between migrant groups and non-migrants.

Violence and the formation of hopelessness: Evidence from internally displaced persons in Colombia

Abstract We explore the impact of violence on beliefs about socioeconomic mobility. For this purpose, we bring together data on the severity of the household-level experience of violence, symptoms of psychological trauma, and subjective probabilities of future positions in a ladder of life for a sample of internally displaced persons in Colombia. After controlling for current socioeconomic circumstances and asset losses, we find that the experience of more severe violence dampens the beliefs about socioeconomic mobility. The estimated impacts are large: a one standard deviation increase in the number of violent events experienced by the household raises the perceived probability of extreme poverty in the following year by 54 percent relative to the mean. In the long run, the expected likelihood of extreme poverty is almost three times higher for victims at the 4th quartile of the distribution of the severity of violence than for victims at the 1st quartile. Additional evidence suggests that psychological trauma explains this result, identifying a channel by which these hopeless beliefs can become self-confirming. Together, the results point to the existence of a behavioral poverty trap and highlight the importance of rethinking the strategies to promote the socioeconomic recovery of victims of violence.

Historical development overview of organizational-management model in Serbian theatre from the middle of XIX to the beginning of XXI century

In this paper the author analyzes a historical development of organizational and management models in Serbian theater since its inception in mid-nineteenth century to the present day, under the influence of the current socio-economic and ideological-political circumstances. The author briefly describes the development of theater practice in Serbia in three historical phases: since the establishment of the Serbian princely Theater in Kragujevac until World War II, then in the post-war socialist Yugoslavia, ending with the first decade of the XXI century. In addition, the history of the theater, usually deals with the development of dramatic literature and theater production, completely disregarding the development of organization and management, raising the need for significant scientific approach to this issue in order to reduce artificially created, unfounded and harmful confrontations between the theater and the management. Bearing in mind the available cultural, historical and economic literature, this theme can be explored only in the context of the history of theater activities as a whole, through further enhanced aspects of the development of organizational and management models, with special emphasis on the relationship between government and theaters.

“I'll Be There for You”: Teen Parents' Coparenting Relationships.

Marriage promotion policy agendas have focused research attention on coparenting relationships, but little is known about coparenting among teen parents. Qualitative interviews with 76 teen mothers and fathers, supplemented with site observations at a school and clinic, investigated coparenting relationships and those relationships' embeddedness in extended families and social institutions. We identified prevalent coparenting trajectories and analyzed individual-, interaction-, and institutional-level influences on coparenting. Coparenting trajectories diverged depending on whether the couple stayed together and assumed traditionally gendered parenting roles. Participants perceived that coparenting relationships strongly shaped their current and future socioeconomic, emotional, and practical circumstances and their success at "being there" for their child. Extended families, institutions, and social programs often pushed teen parents apart, although many participants felt they needed a functional relationship with the other parent. Coparenting relationships, considered jointly with extended families and social institutions, are fundamental for understanding teen parenthood and shaping effective social policies.

Two conceptions of state sovereignty and their implications for global institutional design

Social liberals and liberal nationalists often argue that cosmopolitans neglect the normative importance of state sovereignty and self-determination. This paper counter-argues that, under current global political and socio-economic circumstances, only the establishment of supranational institutions with some (limited, but significant) sovereign powers can allow states to exercise sovereignty, and peoples’ self-determination, in a meaningful way. Social liberals have largely neglected this point because they have focused on an unduly narrow, mainly negative, conception of state sovereignty. I contend, instead, that we should more closely consider the positive aspects of sovereignty, understood as the capacity to maintain internal problem-solving capacities and make meaningful discretionary choices on a range of national issues.

Educational attainment but not measures of current socioeconomic circumstances are associated with leukocyte telomere length in healthy older men and women

Low socioeconomic status (SES) may be associated with accelerated biological aging, but findings relating SES with telomere length have been inconsistent. We tested the hypotheses that shorter telomere length and telomerase activity would be related more robustly to education, an early life indicator of socioeconomic position, than to current indicators of socioeconomic circumstances. Healthy men and women aged 53-76 years from the Whitehall II epidemiological cohort provided blood samples from which telomere length was assessed in 448 and telomerase activity in 416. Educational attainment was classified into four levels, while household income and grade of employment were measured as indicators of current socioeconomic circumstances. Age, gender, blood pressure, glycated hemoglobin, high density lipoprotein cholesterol, smoking, body mass index and physical activity were included as covariates. We found that lower educational attainment was associated with shorter telomere length after controlling statistically for biological and behavioral covariates. Neither household income nor employment grade was related to telomere length. The association between telomere length and education remained significant after adjusting for current socioeconomic circumstances. In men, highest levels of telomerase activity were found in the lowest education group. We conclude that low SES defined in terms of education but not current socioeconomic circumstances is associated with shortened telomeres. Low educational attainment may be an indicator of long-term SES trajectories, and be associated with accumulated allostatic load resulting in telomere shortening. Education may also promote problem-solving skills leading to reduced biological stress responsivity, with favorable consequences for biological aging.

A Creative Culture Where It Is Hard to Make a Living

On the initiative of the research office of the non-profit SMartBe Professional Association for Creative Professions, an exploratory survey into the current socio-economic circumstances of comics authors and illustrators in Belgium has been undertaken for the first time. The replies of 191 French-speaking and 72 Dutch-speaking artists to the online questionnaire have given an idea of the profile of comics authors and illustrators in Belgium (in terms of gender, age, place of residence, educational background), their professional activities and the type of publications in which their work appears, and their employment status and income. The results show that, in general, their monthly income falls below the Belgian median, and that many artists, particularly in the younger age range, are reliant on supplementing their earnings from other sources. A number of differences emerged between the situation of French-speaking and Dutch-speaking artists. The role of creative grants (especially subsidies from the government) is shown to be crucial.

Lifecourse influences on women's smoking before, during and after pregnancy

The concept of the socioeconomic lifecourse is increasingly informing understanding of the social patterning of cigarette smoking. We investigated lifecourse influences on (i) women's smoking status (smoker/non-smoker) before pregnancy and (ii) quitting in pregnancy in the UK Millennium Cohort study. Our analyses included conventional measures of the socioeconomic lifecourse (woman's childhood circumstances, education, current socioeconomic circumstances) and measures of her domestic lifecourse (age of becoming a mother, current cohabitation status), as well as parity (first/subsequent child). In analyses of quitting, we also included pre-pregnancy cigarette consumption. Our study underlined, firstly, the importance of lifecourse disadvantage. Those experiencing greater disadvantage with respect to their childhood circumstances, education and current circumstances were at greater risk of being a smoker before pregnancy. A disadvantaged domestic lifecourse - earlier entry into motherhood and lone motherhood-further increased the risk. Poorer childhood circumstances, educational disadvantage, poorer current circumstances and early motherhood also significantly increased the odds of quitting in pregnancy. Secondly, parity was a major predictor of smoking behaviour. First-time mothers had higher odds both of smoking before pregnancy and quitting in pregnancy. The effects of parity were independent of women's lifecourse. Our study supports tobacco control policies which recognise and address inequalities across the lifecourse. However, our study suggests that the dye is not irrevocably cast by social disadvantage: first pregnancy uniformly increases the chances of quitting. Interventions which help smokers having their first baby to quit have an important part to play in promoting maternal and child health.

Emergence of Socioeconomic Inequalities in Smoking and Overweight and Obesity in Early Adulthood: The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health

We examined whether socioeconomic inequalities in smoking and overweight and obesity emerged in early adulthood and the contribution of family background, adolescent smoking, and body mass index to socioeconomic inequalities. Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health we employed multinomial regression analyses to estimate relative odds of heavy or light-to-moderate smoking to nonsmoking and of overweight or obesity to normal weight. For smoking, we found inequalities by young adult socioeconomic position in both genders after controlling for family background and smoking during adolescence. However, family socioeconomic position was not strongly associated with smoking in early adulthood. For overweight and obesity, we found socioeconomic inequalities only among women both by young adult and family socioeconomic position after adjusting for birthweight, other family background, and body mass index during adolescence. Socioeconomic inequalities in smoking emerged in early adulthood according to socioeconomic position. Among women, inequalities in overweight or obesity were already evident by family socioeconomic position and strengthened by their own socioeconomic position. The relative importance of family background and current socioeconomic circumstances varied between smoking and overweight or obesity.

Economic Analyses of Rubber and Tea Plantations and Rubber-tea Intercropping in Hainan, China

This study uses land expectation value (LEV) as a criterion to conduct economic analyses of natural rubber (Hevea brasiliensis) and tea (Camellia sinensis var. assamica) monoculture, and rubber-tea intercropping. We calculated LEV by using the Faustmann model that combines annual revenue flow from latex production with final timber harvest of rubber trees. Production and cost data were collected from Xinwei Farm in Hainan, China. We found that rubber-tea intercropping generated higher LEV than rubber and tea monoculture under current socio-economic circumstances. Sensitivity analysis has been conducted to examine the impacts on land expectation value by interest rate, prices of natural rubber and tea, and labor costs.