Economic Participation Research Articles

“[A] Man in Petticoats”: Female Entrepreneurs in Wilkie Collins’s Novels

ABSTRACT Wilkie Collins’s Man and Wife (1870) and Jezebel’s Daughter (1880) portray female business owners who run their own enterprises independently. The concept of “female entrepreneurs” went against the social ethos of Victorian domestic ideologies. This essay argues that the novels suggested not only women’s place beyond domestic spheres but also the possibility of their economic participation in Victorian society. Collins’s Man and Wife and Jezebel’s Daughter were published when women’s property and economic participation were important Victorian political agendas. This essay argues that Collins’s Man and Wife and Jezebel’s Daughter supported Victorian women’s entitlement to be independent economic agents as well as their contribution to the British economy through their participation in public businesses, thus foreshadowing the “New Woman” discourse on women’s professional and financial independence.

Does The Privatization Worth It? Factors Influencing the Quality of the Brazilian Privatization

The state's economic participation has been intensely debated over the past three decades. In Brazil, especially after the advent of the Federal Constitution of 1988. Privatization in Brazil, however, was instituted by Law 8.130/90, which instituted the National Privatization Plan, aiming to transfer to the private sector activities improperly exploited by the public sector. This article investigates the quality of services provided by privatized companies or public concessions through interviews. The main conclusions indicated a complex privatization process, as there is evidence related to five topics: (i) oversight, (ii) quality in privatization, (iii) regulation, (iv) competition, and (v) public service. In addition, the careful analysis suggested implications for the privatization process and public concessions. In addition, implications for the public administration to focus its efforts on improving oversight and scheduling itself in pre-regulating the privatization process. Finally, free competition aimed at competitiveness and low prices are topics to be discussed in this article.

Economic Citizenship at the Intersection of Nation, Class, and Gender

This paper looks at the adaptation of the idea of economic citizenship (EC), or the conditioning of civil inclusion on economic participation, to the Palestinian citizens of Israel, who as a national minority are subject to long-standing political discrimination. I focus on two categories of women—low-income, poorly educated women and middle-class professional women—to explore the articulation of EC at the intersection of gender, class, and nationality. I argue that in the current phase of Israeli neoliberal ethnocracy, EC is offered as a bypass mechanism intended to allow the state to sustain the Jewish-and-democratic complex by reducing “democratic” to a free-market version, with minimal public and legal accountability, while continuing to buttress the “Jewish” component. However, the ethnographic zoom on women’s complex reactions shows that they invest the idea with practical meanings that complicate its connotations. They do develop expectations that paid employment will expand their social inclusion yet remain savvy regarding their perilous position as Palestinians in Israeli society and, depending on class, the profitability of permanent employment. Their experiences show that while the economic path hardly seems to undermine the Palestinians’ political rejection, it provides a new channel for their continued uncanny membership of the citizenry.

Gender equality and female incarceration: Evidence from global and regional analyses

This article examines the nature of female1 incarceration patterns globally and regionally in relation to societal gender equality using cross-national analysis of 138 countries. Importantly, our analysis uses a conceptually innovative gender-specific indicator (the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Index) to determine relative levels of gender equality. Results of our study show that globally, countries with a narrower gender gap in economic participation made higher use of female incarceration, and this was also the case in the Asian and European regions. Countries with a narrower gap in political empowerment were found to have lower female incarceration rates globally and in the European region, but have higher female incarceration rates in the African region. Limitations are noted and suggestions for future studies are made.

The Determinants of Female Unemployment and Participation in the Jordanian Labor Market 1970-2017

Objectives: This study aims to investigate the determinants of female unemployment rates and female economic participation rates in the Jordanian labor market during the period 1970-2017.
 Methods: To achieve the objectives of this study, both descriptive analysis and econometric methods were adopted to investigate the determinants of economic participation and unemployment for females, where the Auto Regressive Distribution Lag Model (ARDL) was used.
 Results: The study finds that female unemployment rates were positively affected by both real GDP and the numbers of the female labor force. It also found that female economic participation rates were positively affected by the average annual income and numbers of the female labor force, but they were negatively affected by the volume of foreign direct investment. The study concludes that there are many determinants affecting female participation rates in the Jordanian labor market, most notably the occupational, sectoral, educational, and demographic factors.
 Conclusions: The study recommends taking all possible means to stimulate economic growth, and thus create new job opportunities in the national economy. It also recommends linking the incentives and exemptions granted to foreign investment to the employment of Jordanians, especially females.

Women leadership for public health: The added value and needs of women driving public health system reform in Ukraine

The Ukrainian health care system is undergoing reforms. Although women constitute a driving force in the Ukrainian health system transformation, their economic and decision-making participation remains extremely low. The existence of barriers such as: work/life balance, gender bias, stereotypes, lack of confidence, lack of mentoring, and lack of adequate networking and equal access to opportunities prevent women from reaching high leadership positions. With the aim to empower the current and future female public health leaders, the Ministry of Health of Ukraine and WHO held a seminar entitled “Women’s Leadership in Public Health” in Kyiv on 16-18 May 2017. The seminar was based on the assumption that contemporary public health demands require a more inclusive and less hierarchical style of leadership – focused on developing and working with stakeholder networks. Such a leadership style is more effective in achieving public health goals. The international, interdisciplinary and inter-professional faculty engaged in the interactive meaning making around such topics as: the self-assessment of leadership competencies, public health leadership, leadership theories, system thinking, dealing with interests, power and stakeholders, barriers to women leadership and methods to address them, special leadership tools for women empowerment and leading change, communication and impact. Strengthening health systems for better health was the red thread throughout the whole seminar.

The Health Impacts, Prevalence, and Acceptance Level of Cosmetics Interventions Among Females in Saudi Arabia.

With the rising global desire for beauty, cosmetic interventions have increased. Saudi Arabia ranked 29 among the top 30 fastest growing countries for cosmetic procedures. This study aims to investigate the prevalence, acceptance level, and health impacts of cosmetic interventions among females in Saudi Arabia. This cross-sectional study was conducted from December 2022 to January 2023 among females living in Saudi Arabia. Participants' acceptance of cosmetic interventions was assessed using an Arabic version of the validated Acceptance of Cosmetic Surgery Scale. The data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire. The study included 3007 females living in Saudi Arabia. About 58% of the participants were aged 18 to 25, and 72.9% were single. The prevalence of cosmetic interventions among the participants was 10%. A higher prevalence was observed among participants over 25 years, married, high economic status, employed, postgraduate, and participants recognizing the necessity of cosmetic interventions (P < .001). High acceptance levels toward cosmetic interventions were observed among older, married, employed, and postgraduate respondents and those with high economic status (P < .001). Meanwhile, knowing the adverse events of cosmetic interventions was associated with a low level of acceptance with a P-value of <.001. The present study demonstrated a surprising prevalence of cosmetic interventions among females in Saudi Arabia. However, below-average acceptance of these interventions among the same population was reported. This could be a result of the surrounding culture that does not support or encourage undergoing cosmetic interventions. Further studies are recommended to assess the prevalence of those interventions using objective tools, such as medical records.

Rural non-farm employment diversification in India: the role of gender, education, caste and land ownership

PurposeNon-farm employment has transitioned from a residual to a dominant livelihood option in rural India. Despite the sector’s diverse welfare implications, it is still a male-dominant sector with limited scope for female’s participation. Several socio-economic and cultural factors are responsible for such disparities in occupational choices. The purpose of this study is to examine this gender dimension of occupational diversification for rural India and focuses on the role of education, caste and land ownership in explaining employment probabilities across gender.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses secondary data on employment and unemployment from the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) for rural India and pooled the data for three periods that include 61st (2004–2005), 66th (2009–2010) and 68th (2011–2012) round comprising a total of 235,722 individuals. The study applies a multinomial logit regression model.FindingsThe results show that education facilitates females to diversify to sectors like manufacturing, mining and construction while educated males are more likely to diversify to services. However, the likelihood of diversification by educated females is low for those belonging to land-owning households. On the contrary, land ownership facilitates educated males to join sectors like mining and quarrying and services. It is also found that females belonging to Scheduled Tribe/Scheduled Caste (ST/SC) households diversify to low return activities like manufacturing and construction while males are more likely to join services.Originality/valueThis study has contributed to the literature on employment diversification by considering not only the gender aspect of diversification but also examining how education, caste and land would explain occupational choices between males and females. It is evident from the findings that education can be a liberating factor for females to participate actively in sectors outside agriculture but the status quo associated with land ownership in rural India declines their possibility of economic participation compared to males. Even educated females are confined to manufacturing and construction in the absence of proper non-farm employment opportunities for them.

Women Empowerment-Economic Development Nexus: Bangladesh and Vietnam in Comparative Perspective

This study aims to highlight the bidirectional relationship between women’s empowerment and economic development in Bangladesh (South Asia) and Vietnam (Southeast Asia). The study investigates the U-shaped hypothesis for both countries to figure out the impact of economic development on women’s empowerment. With an econometric approach, the research runs the regression model by the Pooled Regression, Fixed Effect, and Random Effect models with Panel data from (1991-2019) to estimate the impact of women’s empowerment on economic development. Female labor force participation rate and Real GDP per capita are used as the proxy indicator of women’s empowerment and economic development respectively. In the regression model, Real GDP per capita is used as the dependent variable, and the female labor force participation rate as the independent variable. Fertility rate, Mortality rate, and Female employment to population ratio are used as controlled variables. The study demonstrates women's empowerment through the Human Development Index and Global Gender Gap Index. In Global Gender Gap Index, Vietnam is ahead in economic participation and opportunity (sub-index), and educational attainment (sub-index), whereas Bangladesh leads in health and survival (sub-index), and political empowerment (sub-index). However, the regression result shows that the female labor force participation rate, fertility rate, and mortality rate have a negative significance on economic development, whereas the female employment to population ratio has a positive significance on economic development in Bangladesh and Vietnam. The existing U-shape in Vietnam proves that women empowerment and economic development nexus is commendable whereas an upward pattern, not a U-shape exists in Bangladesh.

ПОСЕРЕДНИЦЬКІ МЕХАНІЗМИ РЕКОНФІГУРАЦІЇ МОЖЛИВОСТЕЙ ЦИФРОВИХ ПЛАТФОРМ ДЛЯ СТВОРЕННЯ ІННОВАЦІЙНИХ БІЗНЕС-МОДЕЛЕЙ МСП

In the digital era, many small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) face the challenge of relying on digital platforms to enhance their innovative business models. This article examines the impact of digital platforms on the creation of innovative business models for SMEs. The aim is to identify intermediary mechanisms for reconfiguring the capabilities of digital platforms to foster innovative SME business models. The paper provides an analysis of various definitions of "digital platform" and argues that these platforms are based on algorithmic mechanisms, mutual benefit among stakeholders, a unified information environment, and the effect of reducing transaction costs. It interprets a digital platform for entrepreneurship as an information and communication system aimed at supporting entrepreneurial activities and providing diverse tools, services, and opportunities for entrepreneurs to facilitate the launch, management, and development of their businesses. The article explores the peculiarities of traditional business models (such as direct product sales, franchising, advertising-based models, etc.) and their potential transformation into modern business models (digital platforms, subscription economy model, content subscription model, etc.). The key characteristics of a digital platform for entrepreneurship are identified, including e-commerce, marketplaces, analytics and management tools, community and network utilization, and integration with other services. The study investigates intermediary mechanisms for reconfiguring SME business models, defining these processes as ways for digital platforms to coordinate interactions among various economic participants. It establishes that digital platforms can offer SMEs a range of intermediary mechanisms, including marketing, operational, financial, and informational mechanisms. Furthermore, the paper substantiates the possibilities of reconfiguring traditional SME business models and transforming them into contemporary ones through the reconfiguration of capabilities, value chain innovations, access to new markets, and process digitization.

Marital Adjustment among Married Women in Salem District of Tamil Nadu – A Sociological Analysis

The marriage is a universal institution which unites the male and female under one roof. This institution of the marriage is also responsible for the formation of another social institution i.e. the family. Therefore the institution of the marriage is considered as the prime and first social institution among other social institutions. The institution of marriage is also regulating the sexual behaviour of the married couple. During the present days, the literacy rate of female is increasing and due to that their economic participation outside the family is also increasing. The census data of 2011 reveals that 59.3 per cent of the rural women engaged themselves as self-employed and 5.6 per cent of urban women engaged themselves in the salaried jobs. The women who engaged themselves in any job either self or salaried before marriage they won’t face any problems but after marriage they face lot of problems because they have to look after their household tasks and also their career. The effective participation of the married women in their career depends on the adjustment of their husband and in-laws. The present study aims to understand the amount of marital adjustment of married women in Salem District of Tamil Nadu. For the purpose of the present study 50 married women have been selected by using purposive sampling method and their responses have been recorded with the help of interview schedule. The results show that the married women are enjoying less amount of marital adjustment.

Real Danger or Urgent Necessity? Young Ghanaian’s Perspectives on Smartphone Use in Relation to Academic Success

Aim/Purpose: In this article, the subjective perspectives of young people in Ghana on the use of digital media are elaborated. The aim is to make the positions of young people visible in the often adult-dominated discourse on digital media and to overcome adult-centered considerations in academic and public debates. In addition, the focus on young people from the Global South is intended to help make their underrepresented voices present in this discourse. Background: Digital media devices and Internet access are conditional on people’s social, economic, and educational participation. Many people in the Global South in particular are not yet granted such access. For children and young people worldwide, the educational opportunities offered by digital media are associated with potential threats to mental health and well-being. However, young people’s views on digital media are rarely addressed, especially in the Global South. Methodology: Based on a qualitative thematic analysis of responses to open-ended questionnaire questions, young Ghanaians’ views on smartphone use and how it affects academic success are examined. Contribution: By focusing on the subjective perspectives of young people, especially from the Global South, voices that have hardly been heard in the discourse on digital media are made audible. This should help overcome the dominant adult-centered perspectives in this discourse. Findings: For young people in Ghana, digital media are part of their everyday lives and often necessary to succeed at school. At the same time, they are concerned about the dangers, e.g., from overuse or cybercrime, for which they have few strategies to deal with. In their answers, they refer to socio-culturally specific discourses and values as well as to generational hierarchies that they perceive and deal with, which go far beyond the topic of digital media use. This makes clear the social tensions in which the debate about digitalization is embedded. Recommendation for Researchers: Young people’s knowledge of and perspectives on digital media is an important resource for learning to use them in an emancipated way. Future Research: Future research should recognize young people as experts in their own right on the issue, explore ways to include their perspectives in the discourse on digital media use and work with them to harness the future potential of the technology and avoid risks.

КОНЦЕПЦИЯ МЕТОДИКИ ОЦЕНКИ КАЧЕСТВА УСЛУГ, ОКАЗЫВАЕМЫХ ТАМОЖЕННЫМИ ОРГАНАМИ В УСЛОВИЯХ ВНЕДРЕНИЯ КЛИЕНТОЦЕНТРИЧНОГО ПОДХОДА

This article is devoted to the problem of assessing customs services quality. The author of the article conducted a search in order to develop indicators to assess customs services quality. The search consisted of a survey of two expert groups, customs officials and foreign economic activity participants. Based on the results of expert groups survey, quality assessment indicators and a methodology for their calculation were developed. The article presents the methodology concept for assessing the customs services quality. The methodology concept was evaluated by expert groups for the possibility of application.

Društvene mreže i digitalni jaz

The paper analyses the digital divide created by social networks today and how it affects society. The rise of social networks has led to a new form of digital divide, so equal access to the Internet is no longer the only factor that creates a barrier to connectivity. Today, people face challenges in using social networks due to their lack of skills and the influence of social capital. Therefore, the effects of the digital divide on social networks are reflected in social relations and communication, economic progress and participation in political life. Today, the Internet users have at their disposal a multitude of conceptually different social networks, such as Twitter, Instagram or YouTube. Each of them, in accordance with its specifics, incites the deepening of the digital divide. However, social networks should not be viewed unilaterally and solely as platforms that fuel the digital divide. Social networks can really help reduce the digital divide by helping users in education, searching for jobs or information.

No Poor among Them: Poverty and Mormonism's Trek toward Secularism

No Poor among Them: Poverty and Mormonism's Trek toward Secularism

The synergy between governance and trade openness in promoting female economic inclusion in Sub-Saharan Africa

The debate on the need for Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries to increase female participation in the economic sector has intensified the coming into force of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and good governance. This study investigates the joint effects of governance (comprising of political, economic and institutional governance) and trade openness on female economic participation in SSA. The study employs panel data of 42 countries in SSA for the period 1996–2020. The empirical strategy is the dynamic System Generalized Method of Moments (SGMM) estimation technique. The findings reveal that the single effect of trade openness on female economic participation is necessary but not sufficient. Hence, complementing trade openness with good governance further enhances female economic participation in SSA. In general, the joint effect of trade openness and good governance should be a concern for policy makers to promote female economic inclusion.

Глобальный кризис как кризис экономического доминирования

Based on the theory of economic dominance in a multi-level economy developed by the author and his colleagues and published in earlier works, the article provides an explanation of the processes taking place both in the global and Russian economies. It is argued that institutional transformations in the economy, as a rule, occur in the direction of increasing the opportunities for businesses to receive institutional rents, which arise under better than other institutional conditions of activity. This leads to a qualitative and quantitative stratification of business by levels, called in this theory alpha-business, betabusiness, gamma-business. The article shows that such differentation leads not only to a change in the incomes of economic participants, but also to serious changes in the entire economic turnover, as well as to the transition from weak dominance to systemic dominance. It is also argued that a significant role in the development of dominance in the economy is played by the transition of the intermediary system to an increasingly integrated mediation and intermediary monopoly. It is proved that with the transition of the economy to the stage of systemic dominance and intermediary monopoly, the risks of its crisis increase. Unlike the global economy, which is in exactly this state, the Russian economy is only partially infected with dominance and integrated mediation, which leaves it with serious chances to get through the upcoming global crisis better and faster.

Exploring Whether Female Economic Participation Rates in India are Correlated with Educational Attainment Using a Capability Approach

Exploring Whether Female Economic Participation Rates in India are Correlated with Educational Attainment Using a Capability Approach

Disabilities concessions in Indonesia: fundamental problems and solutions

There are many people with disabilities in Indonesia. However, the government has not fulfilled the rights of persons with disabilities according to the provisions in the laws and regulations on persons with disabilities. This study aims to analyze concessions for persons with disabilities in Indonesia: fundamental problems and offered solutions. This research is a normative study using the Literature Review study approach, namely by examining and analyzing data. The results of the research show that the government has not guaranteed the rights of persons with disabilities in Indonesia, so it is essential to issue government regulations that regulate the type and amount of concessions as a form of creating legal certainty for persons with disabilities. This concession is essential to implement in Indonesia because it can reduce the barriers for persons with disabilities to access essential services to increase their income and economic participation.

Sleep Quality in Chronic Neck Pain Patients

Introduction: Neck Pain (NP) is a significant public health issue. Many people's social and economic participation is harmed as a result of NP. Patients with this condition frequently complain of fatigue and pain. Both can disrupt patients' daily lives by affecting their sleep quality, which can lead to psychological issues. However, the prevalence of fatigue and its relationship with pain, sleep quality, and psychological factors in NP patients has not been thoroughly investigated. Aim: To investigate the prevalence of fatigue and its relationship to pain intensity, depression, anxiety, and sleep disturbance in NP patients. Materials and Methods: Between March and November 2019, a cross-sectional study of 296 NP patients with a mean age of 37.2 years (181 males and 115 females) was conducted. It was held at the Physiotherapy Department. To assess fatigue, depression and anxiety, sleep quality, and pain intensity, the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory (MFI), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS) were used. For analysis, Spearman's rank correlation coefficient and the Mann-Whitney U test were used. Results: The participants' point prevalence of severe fatigue was 39.86%. Pain intensity, psychological factors, and sleep quality were all associated with fatigue (p0.05). In this sample, we also found a significant relationship between sleep quality and psychological factors (p0.05). Conclusion: Fatigue was a significant factor in NP patients, and it was linked to pain intensity, depression, anxiety, and sleep disturbance. Fatigue was more prevalent in the chronic stage of NP than in the acute stage. Identifying these risk factors may aid in the prevention and management of NP and its associated co-morbidities