Economic Dependence Research Articles

A quantitative approach to the understanding of social-ecological systems: a case study from the Pyrenees

Mountains are social-ecological systems exposed to multiple climatic and socioeconomic drivers. The Pyrenees are a clear example of the concomitant challenges that these regions face, as they are exposed to stressors linked to depopulation, an economic shift towards tourism, and climate change. To understand how these multiple stressors affect the system’s resources, it is useful to study them from a social-ecological system (SES) perspective. Focusing on a Pyrenean SES, we use piecewise structural equation modeling and network analysis to quantitatively describe the interactions between water resources, biodiversity, and the social and economic elements of the system. Our results show that the current economic focus and dependency on tourism severely impact water resources and biodiversity. Future climatic scenarios forecast a worsening of the pressures on the hydrological system and may threaten winter tourism. Actions to alleviate the pressures on water and biodiversity and to increase socioeconomic resilience are a priority. We argue that such actions will have to include both a diversification of the region’s touristic offer and of the economy, coupled with a more sustainable use of water resources. Our findings highlight the importance of studying the interactions and causal relationships between SES elements. This can help gain a comprehensive understanding of how the SES functions and its sustainability challenges.

Multi-agent deep reinforcement learning-based maintenance optimization for multi-dependent component systems

Manufacturing systems consist of a set of interdependent components. However, addressing the dependence between these components remains a challenge in both maintenance modeling and the optimization process. In this paper, we propose a multi-agent deep reinforcement learning-based maintenance approach for a manufacturing system, taking into consideration both stochastic and economic dependencies between components. In this manner, we introduce a novel state interactions model, suggesting that the degradation state of one component may influence the degradation process of others. Subsequently, a maintenance planning approach based on multi-agent deep reinforcement learning is developed to optimize maintenance decisions in both fully and partially observed states. The deployed multi-agent deep reinforcement algorithm, specifically Weighted QMIX, ensures scalability and efficient consideration of state interactions and economic dependencies between components. The feasibility and performance of the proposed maintenance approach are investigated through various numerical studies. When compared to traditional maintenance approaches, such as value iteration method, Dueling Double Deep Q Network, and Multi-Agent Deep Q Network, our proposed approach consistently demonstrates superior results.

A Cross Sectional Study to Measure the level of Depression and the Quality of life among the Geriatric Population Residing in Old Age Home

Background: Aging can cause reduced physical and mental ability, economic dependence, and depression in theelderly, lowering their quality of life. The study aims to determine depression prevalence and assess quality of lifeamong geriatric populations in Old Age Homes.Material and Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted among the elderly (age≥60 years) residing in anold age home (n=90) in district Bhopal (M.P). Multistage simple random sampling was used to select the studyparticipants in all elderly people living in the OAH were included. The tools used are Geriatric Depression Scale-Hindi (GDS-H) to estimate the level of depression and The World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF(WHOQOL-BREF) in Hindi to assess the quality of life.Results: The prevalence of depression in OAH nearly 90 percent were suffering from depression either mild (61.11percent) or severe (27.78 percent).Conclusion: This study also revealed that the level of depression is inversely proportional to the quality of life. Asthe level of depression increases the quality of life of an elderly individual decreases.

Component-wise Markov decision process for solving condition-based maintenance of large multi-component systems with economic dependence

Condition-Based Maintenance (CBM) of multi-component systems is a prevalent engineering problem due to its effectiveness in reducing the operational and maintenance costs of a system. However, developing the exact optimal maintenance decisions for a large multi-component system is computationally challenging, even not feasible, due to the exponential growth in system state and action space size with the number of components in the system. To address the scalability issue in CBM of large multi-component systems, we propose a Component-Wise Markov Decision Process(CW-MDP) and an Adjusted Component-Wise Markov Decision Process (ACW-MDP) to obtain an approximation of the optimal system-level CBM decision policy for large systems with heterogeneous components. We propose using an extended single-component action space to model the impact of system-level setup cost on a component-level solution. The theoretical gap between the proposed approach and system-level optima is also derived. Additionally, theoretical convergence and the relationship between ACW-MDP and CW-MDP are derived. The study further shows extensive numerical studies to demonstrate the effectiveness of component-wise solutions for solving large multi-component systems.

Core-periphery divisions in the EU? East-west and north-south tensions compared

ABSTRACT Divisive politicisation of inequalities among the member states in the EU is the lowest in member states where one would expect the highest level of domestic demand for it, and it is highest in member states in which one would expect much lower demand. In this paper, we argue that the territorially fragmented structure of political representation in the EU creates the incentives for politicians to engage in blaming the other states and adopting us-vs.-them positions in the national, as well as in the EU arena. Regulatory and monetary integration among economies at different levels of development provides fertile ground for such politicisation. Yet, the ability to engage in such politicisation while ruling a peripheral country is crucially shaped by that country’s form and level of economic dependency on the economies of the European core. The consumption-led and credit-based growth model of the South is much more exposed to crises and suddenly increasing levels of dependency, whereas the FDI-based growth models in the Eastern peripheries provide for much larger room for politicising dependency and cntesting the alleged dictate of ‘foreign powers’ and EU institutions.

Psychosocial factors associated with the subjective well-being of older adults

Introduction. Subjective well-being is evaluated by the individual and refers to how you feel about your life. It depends on many psychosocial factors such as age, gender, education, degree of social integration, income, support networks, among others. The importance of its study lies in the increase in aging and the need to provide quality of life to this age group. Objective. To determine the association between psychosocial factors and subjective well-being in the elderly. Methods. Observational, descriptive, prospective longitudinal study with 296 elderly people from the Usicayos de Ayaviri Health Center in Peru. Patients with physical/mental conditions that prevented them from answering the applied instruments were excluded. Results. The mean age of the patients was 71 years, 57.4% were women, and 38.4% were married or lived with their partner. 25.7% of the patients reported low subjective well-being and 32.8% were depressed. The presence of depression, a low level of education and economic dependence on family members are significantly associated with low subjective well-being in older adults. Conclusions. One in four older adults perceives that they have low subjective well-being and their profile is characterized by the presence of depression, a low level of education and economic dependence on family members

Local Healing Practices and Women’s Healthcare in Rural Bangladesh: A Case Study from Magura District

This paper focuses on the local healing practices adopted by women and the women’s healthcare system in a rural area of the Magura district. This paper also investigates the reasons for selecting local healing practices as an alternative to modern healthcare services. Qualitative research has been used in this study to get a comprehensive view of the health care system of rural women. The study found that rural women mostly choose Palli Chikitshaks (Rural Medical Practitioners) for their medical treatment. The penchant for choosing other local healing practitioners i.e., Kabiraj (traditional healers), Mollas and Fakirs (religious healers), and Hakims (plant-based medical practitioners) several factors are responsible for choosing local healers including insolvency, faith, norms of Purdah (veil), economic dependency and lack of decision-making power of women in health care. In addition, the customary reputation, attentive nature of care, good behavior, and lower fees charged by the local healers draw the attention of the rural women.

Paradigm Lost? Exploring Earth Jurisprudence in Bolivia

Earth jurisprudence stands out as a state-level approach to sustainability due to its potential to transform perspectives on nature at both the national and individual levels by establishing legal rights to nature to which the state is held accountable. Bolivia's progressive embrace of Earth jurisprudence, as demonstrated through the recognition of Mother Earth and Her rights in its 2009 constitution and national legislation (such as the Ley de Derechos de la Madre Tierra), offers a compelling case study for evaluating the impact and efficacy of this approach. This article delves into the historical, political, and social contexts of Bolivia to provide a deeper understanding of the application and effectiveness of Earth jurisprudence. Through original interviews with Bolivian activists, this research finds that Earth jurisprudence has had limited to no discernible influence on the effectiveness of environmental policy and protection in Bolivia. This research attributes this lack of impact to several factors, such as a weak democratic system, an economic dependence on extractive industries, a fragmentation of social movements, and a lack of international accountability.

Dynamic Grouping in Maintenance Planning and Optimization: an Industrial Application

In this paper, we present a grouping maintenance approach that allows efficiently considering economic dependence between components and also the impact of dynamic context such as changes in the degradation process, limited number of maintenance teams, occurrence of maintenance opportunities, etc. A real industrial case study is used to investigate the applicability and the robustness of the dynamic grouping maintenance approach in the maintenance optimization framework.

Zukunftsfähigkeit durch Resilienz – eine deutsch-nordisch-baltische Perspektive

The changed geostrategic situation of the European Union (EU) since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is particularly evident in the Baltic Sea region due to its geographical proximity and shared history with Russia. After years of enlargement fatigue, member states now see EU enlargement as a geopolitical imperative and are discussing the need for prior institutional reform. In addition, the EU and its member states must confront growing hybrid threats in the form of disinformation and economic dependency. In order to ensure the EU's ability to act in the current geopolitical environment, a European “Zeitenwende” must strengthen the rule of law, democracy and economic security.

Domestic violence in rural Serbia: Etiological-phenomenological approach

The aim of the paper is to point out the etiological-phenomenological dimension of domestic violence in rural areas of Serbia. Although it reflects all the general characteristics of domestic violence, in the etiological and phenomenological sense, domestic violence in rural areas also has certain specifics that are important for a closer definition of the necessary prevention measures. Based on research conducted in rural areas around the world, the authors indicate in the paper that the causes of domestic violence in rural areas are the same in Serbia, namely traditional patterns of behavior, adopted cultural norms and geographical isolation. All forms of violence (physical, psychological, emotional and sexual) are present, as well as in urban areas of Serbia. However, violence in rural areas is much less often reported, due to the normalization of violence, the fact that everyone in small areas knows each other, shame, the presence of strong stereotypes, etc. The perpetrators of domestic violence coming from rural areas are most often men (in 90% of cases) and are mostly violent. Victims of domestic violence in rural areas are most often women, characterized by economic dependence, lack of personal income or property, the fact that they have nowhere to go. An additional problem is the lack of official statistical data on domestic violence in rural areas.

Optimal condition-based maintenance policy for multi-component repairable systems with economic dependence in a finite-horizon

Optimal condition-based maintenance policy for multi-component repairable systems with economic dependence in a finite-horizon

Labor relations: A perspective in the law of a post-industrial society

The article discusses changes in the science of labor law and labor legislation of the Russian Federation in connection with the transition of society to a post-industrial state. The significance of the labor relationship is studied in the aspect of the trend of development of legislation in accordance with the goals and objectives established in Art. 1 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation. The opinions expressed in the literature about the crisis of the labor relationship are critically comprehended. The author joins the point of view on the need to modernize the labor legislation, but at the same time advocates the preservation of the doctrine of labor law, embodied in the current law, and makes an attempt to prove the expressed opinion. In particular, the most important consideration in this sense is the distinction developed by L. S. Tal between independent and non-independent labor. The Labor Code establishes the backbone concept of an employment relationship and an employment contract based on legal equality. Additional arguments are given in favor of the supported point of view. In the labor relationship, personal dependence is excluded, but since labor is not independent, economic and organizational (subordination) dependence of the employee is assumed. In a welfare state, the dependent subject of relations related to labor must be protected, among other things, by expanding the scope of labor legislation. It is necessary, according to the author, to develop the idea of fair and harmonious labor relations, ─ in accordance with the global trend, including in accordance with the activities of the International Labor Organization, the purpose of which is to promote social and economic progress, improve the welfare and improve the working conditions of people, protection of human rights.

MANAGEMENT OF THE STATE DEBT OF UKRAINE IN THE CONTEXT OF BALANCING ITS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Introduction. Settlement of the state debt problem determines the country’s budgetary capacity, the situation of its currency reserves, the level of interest rates, the investment climate, the stability of the national currency, and the behavior of all segments of the financial market. At the same time, in modern conditions, there is no unified approach to the management of the state debt as a priority direction of the state financial policy, which requires the search for opportunities to fulfill the state’s debt obligations in order to form the goals of its balanced economic development, to intensify scientific efforts aimed at researching the above-mentioned problem. The purpose of the article is to systematize approaches to determine the features of state debt management and assess its consequences for identifying balanced development of the country. Results. The problems of increasing the state’s debt obligations, which lead to structural imbalances, increase the country’s financial dependence on foreign creditors, reduce its solvency and investment attractiveness and increase debt service costs, are studied. The analysis of the conditions of formation of the state’s debt obligations was carried out and an assessment of their consequences in the context of balancing the country’s development was carried out. The peculiarities of the change in the structure of the state debt of Ukraine in terms of repayment currencies have been revealed. The indicators of Ukraine’s debt burden were monitored and compared with the limit values in order to determine the level of financial threat to the country. The consequences of an inefficient mechanism of state debt management, which are revealed at the stage of servicing and repayment of the state debt and which lead to the need for annual interest payments financed from the budget, are singled out. The measures to improve the government debt management mechanism to prevent negative macroeconomic trends are substantiated. Conclusions. According to the results of the study, it was established that the state debt of Ukraine creates risks for the financial capacity of the state, and the further attraction of loan funds at insignificant rates of economic growth increases the threats to macro-financial stability. Therefore, to increase the effectiveness of state debt management, it is important to form a proper management mechanism, monitoring of debt security indicators and determine the optimal structure of the debt-to-GDP ratio, taking into account the main aspects and trends of development of the national economy. To improve the mechanism of state debt management, it is proposed to: reduce the share of debt denominated in foreign currency; increasing the share of domestic borrowing in the structure of the state debt; reduce the specific weight of debt that must be repaid in the short term; increase the demand for government securities; refuse to attract financial resources of international organizations, which provide for additional crediting conditions and limitation of economic and political dependence of the state.

Can't read my broker face?—Tracing a motif and metaphor of expert knowledge through audiovisual images of the financial crisis

AbstractBased on the question of the representability of economy and economics in audiovisual media, developments on the financial markets have often been discussed as a depiction problem. The abstractness and complexity of economic interrelations seem to defy classical modes of storytelling and dramatization. Nevertheless, public opinion about economic changes and dependencies crucially relies on audiovisual media. But how can the public communicate in images, sounds, and words about forces that are out of sight and out of reach, and can supposedly only be adequately grasped by experts? In a case study on audiovisual images of the global financial crisis (2007–), this paper tracks and analyzes a recurring motif: the staging of expert knowledge as close‐ups of expressive faces vis‐à‐vis computer screens in television news, documentaries, as well as feature films. It draws on the use of digital tools for corpus exploration (reverse image search) and the visualization of video annotations. By relating and comparing different staging strategies by which these “broker faces” become embodiments of turbulent market dynamics, the paper proposes to not regard them as repeated instantiations of the same metaphor, but as a developing web of cinematic metaphors. Different perspectives (news of market developments or historical accounts of crisis developments) and affective stances toward the global financial crisis are expressed in these variations of the face‐screen constellation. The paper thus presents a selection of different appearances of “broker faces” as a medium for an audiovisual discourse of the global financial crisis. A concluding analysis of a scene from Margin Call focuses on its specific intertwining of expert and screen as an ambivalent movement figuration of staging insight. Between the feeling of discovery (of a potential future threat) and the sense of being haunted (by a menacing force), the film stages the emergence of a “broker face” in an atmospheric tension between suspense and melancholy. We argue that the film thereby reframes the motif and poses questions of agency, temporality, and expert knowledge.

Joint Optimization of Spare Part Supply and Opportunistic Condition-Based Maintenance for Onshore Wind Farms Considering Maintenance Route

Maintenance and inventory control of spare parts are of great importance for efficiently managing onshore wind farms. Considering the economic and graphical dependencies among wind turbines and the stochastic degradations of the components in the turbines, this article studies the joint optimization of opportunistic condition-based maintenance and spare parts supply for onshore wind farms to minimize the operation and maintenance cost rate. For each field maintenance, the specific turbines, with failed components, are selected for replacement using a clustering method, and the shortest route for visiting the turbines with failed components is scheduled. The maintenance team departs from a maintenance center with spare parts, maintains the selected turbines with failed or degraded components, and then returns to the center. This complicated and practical problem has never been considered as a whole in the literature. An optimization model is established, and a simulation-based approach is developed to solve it. A special case, for which a solution can be obtained by directly solving a nonlinear programming model, is provided to verify the results obtained by the simulation-based approach. Examples for various scales of wind farms are provided, and an analysis is performed for determining the length of a recommended maintenance interval.

Centralization of power as a result of the development of the egyptian elite during 2014-2023. Forward to the past?

This article attempts to analyze the key groups of the Egyptian elite in 2014-2023 in accordance to the elite theory. A.F. El-Sisi was first elected to the presidency of Egypt in 2014 after the 2013 military coup that overthrew former Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi (in position 2012-2013). There is an opinion that with the advent of A.F. El-Sisi to power there was a rollback of the political system to pre-revolutionary times until 2011. Nevertheless, as a result of an analysis, the article shows significant differences between the regimes of Presidents H. Mubarak and A.F. El-Sisi, especially in relation to the opposition. Despite the relative success in security issues, Egypt remains in a tense economic situation, rising inflation and dependence on external debt (among the creditors both the Gulf States and international institutions like IMF). The mega-projects in accordance with the “Sustainable Development Strategy (SDS): Egypt Vision 2030” do not have enough positive impact on the economy. In this regard, Egypt is facing a complex of structural geopolitical and economic challenges. The paper demonstrates the relationship between key state institutions, and also reveals the strengthening of the role and influence of the General Intelligence Service (GIS) in the political process. At the same time, GIS itself underwent serious personnel changes - infiltration by the military intelligence of the Armed Forces (where the president came from).Despite the repeating resistance of certain parts of the elite (both business elites and the religious establishment), President A.F. El-Sisi consistently promotes the centralization of power.

Dualism of Subsidiaries in Indonesia: Between Juridical Independence and Economic Dependence of Subsidiaries in a Group of Companies

Dualism of Subsidiaries in Indonesia: Between Juridical Independence and Economic Dependence of Subsidiaries in a Group of Companies

Exploring patterns of intimate partner violence during pregnancy through a descriptive lens

Globally, intimate partner violence (IPV) against women is a serious concern, with significant underreporting in Pakistan. This study aimed to explore the patterns of IPV among pregnant women in a Pakistani setting. An exploratory study using nonprobability purposive sampling recruited 363 pregnant women visiting for check-ups at Akbar Niazi Teaching Hospital, Islamabad. Participants were interviewed using a structured questionnaire developed from an extensive literature review and prior research. Data analysis was performed using SPSS, descriptive statistics, bar charts, and chi-square tests, with the significance threshold set at p < 0.05. The demographic analysis revealed that a majority of women (56.75%) were aged 20–29, whereas most husbands fell within the 30–39 age group (68.60%). Educational disparities were significant (p < 0.001), with 48.76% of women lacking formal education versus 34.16% of their husbands having higher secondary education or above. The working status highlighted economic dependency, with 91.74% of women not working. Over 61% of pregnancies were unplanned, with 32.28% of participants reporting contraceptive nonuse due to partner opposition. The most reported controlling behavior was the restriction of medical care access (63.36%). Psychological violence was prevalent (25.07% reported humiliation or intimidation), while physical violence was less common (4.96% experienced object throwing). Sexual violence instances were comparatively rare, with 2.75% reporting nonconsensual sexual relations. This study underscores significant sociodemographic and economic disparities affecting pregnant women's exposure to IPV, with psychological violence emerging as the leading form of IPV experienced during pregnancy. These findings underscore the necessity for targeted interventions to improve healthcare access and support pregnant women's autonomy and well-being amidst IPV challenges.

Exploring patterns of intimate partner violence during pregnancy through a descriptive lens

Globally, intimate partner violence (IPV) against women is a serious concern, with significant underreporting in Pakistan. This study aimed to explore the patterns of IPV among pregnant women in a Pakistani setting. An exploratory study using nonprobability purposive sampling recruited 363 pregnant women visiting for check-ups at Akbar Niazi Teaching Hospital, Islamabad. Participants were interviewed using a structured questionnaire developed from an extensive literature review and prior research. Data analysis was performed using SPSS, descriptive statistics, bar charts, and chi-square tests, with the significance threshold set at p < 0.05. The demographic analysis revealed that a majority of women (56.75%) were aged 20–29, whereas most husbands fell within the 30–39 age group (68.60%). Educational disparities were significant (p < 0.001), with 48.76% of women lacking formal education versus 34.16% of their husbands having higher secondary education or above. The working status highlighted economic dependency, with 91.74% of women not working. Over 61% of pregnancies were unplanned, with 32.28% of participants reporting contraceptive nonuse due to partner opposition. The most reported controlling behavior was the restriction of medical care access (63.36%). Psychological violence was prevalent (25.07% reported humiliation or intimidation), while physical violence was less common (4.96% experienced object throwing). Sexual violence instances were comparatively rare, with 2.75% reporting nonconsensual sexual relations. This study underscores significant sociodemographic and economic disparities affecting pregnant women's exposure to IPV, with psychological violence emerging as the leading form of IPV experienced during pregnancy. These findings underscore the necessity for targeted interventions to improve healthcare access and support pregnant women's autonomy and well-being amidst IPV challenges.