Elimination Of Inequalities Research Articles

Socio-demographic variation in stage at diagnosis of breast, bladder, colon, endometrial, lung, melanoma, prostate, rectal, renal and ovarian cancer in England and its population impact

BackgroundStage at diagnosis strongly predicts cancer survival and understanding related inequalities could guide interventions.MethodsWe analysed incident cases diagnosed with 10 solid tumours included in the UK government target of 75% of patients diagnosed in TNM stage I/II by 2028. We examined socio-demographic differences in diagnosis at stage III/IV vs. I/II. Multiple imputation was used for missing stage at diagnosis (9% of tumours).ResultsOf the 202,001 cases, 57% were diagnosed in stage I/II (an absolute 18% ‘gap’ from the 75% target). The likelihood of diagnosis at stage III/IV increased in older age, though variably by cancer site, being strongest for prostate and endometrial cancer. Increasing level of deprivation was associated with advanced stage at diagnosis for all sites except lung and renal cancer. There were, inconsistent in direction, sex inequalities for four cancers. Eliminating socio-demographic inequalities would translate to 61% of patients with the 10 studied cancers being diagnosed at stage I/II, reducing the gap from target to 14%.ConclusionsPotential elimination of socio-demographic inequalities in stage at diagnosis would make a substantial, though partial, contribution to achieving stage shift targets. Earlier diagnosis strategies should additionally focus on the whole population and not only the high-risk socio-demographic groups.

An education programme for the elimination of inequalities in Hungary

ABSTRACT This paper evaluates a Hungarian gifted education programme aimed at providing equal opportunities for students with social and economic disadvantages. In the context of a retrospective study, the differences in academic success and learning pathways were examined in a cohort comprising a group that participated in the programme and a group that did not. The analysis used the data of grade 6 and grade 10 students in the Hungarian National Competence Assessment. The analysis found that the scholastic achievement of the students participating in the programme was higher than that of the control group. By grade 6, participants presented higher scholastic achievement, better results in the competence tests and better school grades, and the difference between the two groups increased again by grade 10. The programme contributed to compensating for the participants’ educational inequalities and promoted their integrational social mobility. However, it was found that inclusion in the programme was greatly influenced by teachers’ perception, which was not always consistent with the aptitude of students.

STATUS SCHOOLS VERSUS REGULAR SCHOOLS: DIFFERENCES IN TEACHER ACTIVITY

From a sociological point of view, the article examines the problem of differentiation of Russian schools, which came in the post-Soviet era to replace the relative equality of educational opportunities. The differentiation of schools, presumably, did not lead to the differentiation of Russian teachers. In general, there are few studies comparing schools and teachers in different schools by any parameter. The everyday practices of teachers are also poorly studied by both sociology and social psychology and social pedagogy. The current moment of time is unique because the restrictions introduced during the pandemic have created new conditions for the work of educational institutions. In this regard, it was decided to study the differences in the attitude of school teachers that have the status of a gymnasium or lyceum, and schools that do not have such a status, to the conditions and opportunities for the manifestation of activity and initiatives, as well as differences in the practices of professional activity, including during pandemics. The research method is a questionnaire survey. The empirical object was the teachers of the middle and senior level of secondary schools in the city of Novosibirsk. Differences in teachers› perception of conditions and opportunities for the manifestation of activity were revealed, as well as differences in the practices of manifestation of activity, indicating a more favorable situation in gymnasiums and lyceums than in schools. There were no types of teacher activity in which school teachers would be more active than teachers of gymnasiums and lyceums. A common problem for teachers in both types of educational institutions is overload, which is felt more strongly by teachers in gymnasiums and lyceums. The possibilities of attracting outside organizations of specialists to the school are discussed as a solution to the problem of teacher overload and elimination of inequality of opportunities.

Liberalism and the State: Economic Growth and the Inequality

The article provides a critical comparison of two opposing views on the socio-economic development of Russia: radical liberal and socio-state ideology. The reason for the comparison was the report of Professor V. V. Kossov at a meeting (December 6, 2019) of the International Organizational Sciences Academy (IOSN) (“Barriers to Russia’s Economic Growth”), which stated that the main barrier to economic growth in Russia was government interference in economic activity and insufficient respect for private property in the population. The article shows on statistical data that, firstly, GDP growth should not be considered the main indicator of a country’s success, and secondly, it is the weakness of the state that actually hinders socio-economic development. It is shown that such problems as the elimination of poverty and inequality cannot be solved without the active participation of the state. The main thing is not economic growth and direct democracy, but the satisfaction of the interests of all social groups and the achievement of social justice. This position is supported by an appeal to the research results of many Western economists. Criticizing the liberal position, the authors of the article remain supporters of the free development of the individual and the society of equal opportunities.

Assessing the spatial-temporal clustering and health implications of fine particulate matter (PM2.5)

This study seeks to examine changes in the mean annual exposure of PM2.5 air pollution from 1990 to 2000 and how they are associated with change in mortality due to tuberculosis, trachea/bronchus/lung cancer, respiratory diseases, and cardiovascular diseases from 2000 to 2016. A secondary goal of this study is to use spatial-temporal clustering to examine how PM2.5 trends differ across countries. The empirical work of this study is based on the World Bank Open Data and the World Health Organization’s Global Health Observatory (GHO) Data Repository. Quantile regression and spatial-temporal cluster analysis are used to assess the aims of this study. Findings from the quantile regression revealed that the number of deaths associated with these diseases differ according to the different levels of changes in PM2.5 concentration. Findings also reveal that countries assigned to different clusters are markedly different in terms of PM2.5 trends. Findings imply that air pollution inequality should be considered a factor in the elimination of health inequality. Efforts to integrate disease surveillance and control programs with those that reduce exposure to fine particulate matter, improve air quality, and increase people’s awareness of the health implications of air pollution should be continued or encouraged.

The Green New Deal in the United States: What it is and how to pay for it

The US Green New Deal (GND) resolution introduced by Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Markey is the first comprehensive program combining climate change mitigation and the elimination of economic inequality that could, conceivably, soon be adopted as policy in a major economy. We outline its main features, together with Senator Bernie Sanders’ more detailed, fully costed version, exploring its implications for policymaking and social science-based energy research. We focus on two of its most striking characteristics: its macroeconomics; and its inextricable linkage of climate change mitigation and the reduction of economic inequality. We find Sanders’ GND economically credible and argue that the GND's use of Keynesian demand-side macroeconomics challenges governments, policymakers and citizens to think anew about the nature of money. We suggest social scientists need to challenge neoclassical economic assumptions, which, we argue, enable both climate destruction and inequality to continue. We find the GND's combining of climate protection and equality credible, and argue that shifting the debate away from neoclassical understandings of public debt to careful assessments of inflationary impacts and resource needs will generate more productive analysis. We offer these insights as a first look at the GND and challenge others to join in this research.

ПРІОРИТЕТИ ДЕРЖАВНОЇ ПОЛІТИКИ АВСТРІЇ У СФЕРІ ПРОФЕСІЙНОЇ ПІДГОТОВКИ ПЕДАГОГІЧНИХ КАДРІВ

The article deals with the Austrian state policy in the area of professional training of pedagogical personnel. Its objective is to analyze the key priorities of Austrian state policy in the field of vocational education of teachers, which are reflected in the legal framework of the pedagogical education and the national concept of its reform. In order to achieve this objective such theoretical methods as analysis, interpretation, generalization of scientific literature on the research problem and Austrian legal documents on the professional training of pedagogical staff have been used. First of all, on the basis of the analysis of research works of Austrian scientists and Austrian national reports on education the most problematic aspects of the professional training of pedagogical personnel (insufficient integration into the international educational space, discrepancy with the current realities of educational practice, structural and organizational differences, irrelevance of content and technology, etc.), have been generalized in the article. These problems have actually intensified Austrian government activities in the field of systemic reform of pedagogical education. Then in consequence of the study of legal documents the main priority directions of Austrian state policy in the area of pedagogical education (internationalization, standardization, academization, professionalization, etc.) have been identified and the system of reform measures (elimination of status inequality of different groups of pedagogical staff, diversification of specialties of pedagogical education, realization of the three-cycle degree structure, implementation of quality control system, etc.) has been considered. As a result of the research has been made the conclusion about the prudence, consistency, flexibility, prospective and anticipative character of the modern Austrian state policy in the field of pedagogical education that provides preconditions for qualitative professional training of new generations of teachers with abilities and competencies for an effective professional activity in the conditions of the 21st century. Keywords: pedagogical education in Austria, professional training of teachers, state policy, legislative framework, directions for reform.

Water and sanitation are not gender-neutral: human rights in rural Brazilian communities

AbstractThe Human Rights to Water and Sanitation (HRWS), adopted as UN Resolutions since 2010, contemplates key elements that seek to ensure equal and non-discriminatory access to water and sanitation, including the elimination of gender inequalities. Working in populations with socio-environmental vulnerabilities, this study aims to assess gender division of labor in households of two rural communities in the North and Northeast Brazilian macroregions and identify why greater impacts occur on the lives of women when compared to men, resulting in human rights concerns. A qualitative analysis was carried out through semi-structured interviews and direct observation. The study showed that in the two rural Brazilian communities there is a clear labor division for water and sanitation access from a gender perspective. Men undertake more specialized work, sometimes requiring greater physical effort. As for women, they are assigned functions related to the domestic environment, including activities concerning water and sanitation. When facilities are inadequate, there is a disproportionate impact on women's health and quality of life, showing that the non-compliance with the human rights to water and sanitation often results in more harmful consequences for them.

Economic Behavior of the Indigenous Peoples in the Context of the Industrial Development of the Russian Arctic: A Gender-Sensitive Approach

This article substantiates the need for a gender-sensitive approach to research on the economic behavior of inhabitants of the Arctic in the context of the re-gion’s industrial development. The article also emphasizes one category of the economic behavior of the indigenous peoples of the North as a separate subject of research in the field of economic sociology. The purpose of the article is the development of a model of economic behavior of the residents of the Arctic in the context of industrial development in the region based on the use of methods of sociological research. The paper presents findings of research carried out in areas of the Russian Arctic where industrialization is underway, as well as the findings of a gender-sensitive survey focused on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the indigenous peoples. The principal characteristics and trends of male and female economic behavior under conditions of industrial development of the Arctic have been defined from a gender-sensitive perspective by means of an example of the Arctic areas of the Sakha Republic (Iakutiia). The article offers gender-sensitive mechanisms for managerial decision making and the elimination of gender inequality in view of findings of sociological surveys in the framework of ethnic expert study and ethnosocial monitoring of the projects, as well as the development of programs of social and economic development of the region with reference to the opinions and preferences of women and men. © 2020, Slavica Publishers. All rights reserved.

The role of various governmental and non-governmental machinery in the elimination of inequalities faced by Kenyan women and the empowerment of women in Kenya

This paper examines the role and contributions of various governmental machinery like the constitution, legislation reforms and policies and semi autonomous governmental agencies in the elimination of inequalities faced by Kenyan women and the empowerment of women in Kenya. It discusses various provisions enshrined in the constitution, parliamentary acts and policies that promote the status of women in Kenya and further looks at the role played by grassroots community-based organisations, with a focus on women self-help groups. It further examines the contributions of national non-governmental organisations, towards achievement of gender equality and empowerment of women in Kenya.

The role of various governmental and non-governmental machinery in the elimination of inequalities faced by Kenyan women and the empowerment of women in Kenya

The role of various governmental and non-governmental machinery in the elimination of inequalities faced by Kenyan women and the empowerment of women in Kenya

Gendered local politics: the barriers to women’s representation in Turkey

ABSTRACT Starting out from the argument that the political experience of women diverges at different levels of politics, this article aims to provide an understanding of the challenges faced by female mayors in local politics in Turkey. Nation-wide empirical data was gathered through in-depth interviews with 34 female mayors who were elected to office for the 2004–2009 and 2009–2014 terms. The framework analysis of the data reveals that the challenges in question stem from the cultural factors that reinforce the gendered local politics in Turkey. These barriers are embodied in the male-dominance of political seats, the hegemony of masculine discourse over political language, and the burden of traditional gendered roles on female mayors. The presence and authority of female mayors has come to be seen as a threat to existing political interests, with political language serving to devalue women, and to subordinate their demands to the agendas set by the male-dominated elite. The gendered responsibilities in the home have come to be associated with the political achievements of female mayors in Turkey, bolstering the gender bias in local politics, and thus preventing the elimination of distributive injustice and political inequality in democratic practice in Turkey regarding women’s identity and interests.

To the issue of resistance to information and communication threats.

There is no doubt that the digital world we are entering is not only a new logical stage in the development of the technological sphere of humanity, but also of all existing legal and socio-political realities. While common and harmonized definitions and legal definitions do not yet exist, digital technologies are already rapidly gaining ground for offensives. Digitalization is becoming a major factor in the economic growth of any country's economy. Digitization is a modern trend for the development and consistent improvement of all business processes in the economy and related social spheres, based on increasing the speed of mutual exchange, accessibility and security of information. The experts highlight eight key points of the digital economy: the state and society, marketing and advertising, finance and commerce, infrastructure and communications, media and entertainment, cybersecurity, education and human resources, startups and investments. Therefore, in determining the main goals of the digital economy can be identified: smart cities, autonomous transport, protection against cyberattacks, responsible attitude to personal data, elimination of digital inequality, telemedicine, smart agriculture, mechanisms of trust in the Internet. The implementation of any new technologies, the process, of course, is long and carries many unknown yet challenges and dangers to humanity, they are usually combined into three different groups: socio-economic, techno-organizational, natural. All this is quite fully understood in the twentieth century, introducing scientific and technological achievements in the real economy through the development of regulatory and legal factors (labor laws, environmental legislation, rules, norms, standards, practice of state and public control over their observance). The development of mass (conveyor) production of its time in general stimulated a deep study of social and legal issues of the real economy - adequate pay, a system of benefits and compensation, moral and material incentives for harmful working conditions and more. Borrowing the experience of G. Ford, we began to study the socio-psychic factors that characterize a person's attitude to work, psychological climate in the team, family, motives for work; socio-political factors for creating favorable working conditions, for invention and innovation. We have remembered that in the absence of legal rules and laws, there is always a likelihood of danger, which has become an axiom of danger, that in nature there are no phenomena absolutely safe for human life, factors - everything is dangerous and requires the formation of certain working conditions. We have also remembered that there are many examples where a lack of knowledge and a lack of methodologically based science and education justification for the practical implementation of knowledge and technology into the real economy leads to serious engineering, humanitarian and educational problems and even catastrophes. And at the same time, entering the electronic era, we are extremely light-hearted in the legal issues of defining the fundamental concepts of "information", "information resource", "information security" and more. Key words: information, informatization, information and communication technologies, information and communication security, information and communication activity, information space, information war, humanities, scientific and educational policy, information legislation.

Some issues arising in the analysis of the development level of cultural and welfare service

ABSTRACTA crucial factor in the shaping of state policy for social work and development is to satisfy various needs in people’s living. The work of satisfying people’s demand for enhanced well-being and the elimination of inequalities in their living is realised through the activity called cultural and welfare service. On the basis of theoretical research on other kinds of services, in this paper, we conceptualised cultural and welfare service that seeks to satisfy various demands in people’s living, set main indicators characterising its development level and suggest a methodology for analysing it.

Family Socioeconomic Position at Birth and School Bonding at Age 15; Blacks' Diminished Returns.

Life course epidemiological studies have documented the effects of family socioeconomic position (SEP) at birth on youth developmental processes and outcomes decades later. According to the minorities’ diminished returns (MDR) theory, however, family SEP at birth generates smaller returns for Black compared to White families. Using 15 years of follow up data of a national sample of American families, this study investigated racial differences in the effect of family income at birth on subsequent school bonding of the adolescent at age 15. The fragile families and child well-being study (FFCWS) is a 15-year prospective longitudinal study of 495 White and 1436 Black families from the birth of their child. Family SEP (income to needs ratio) at birth was the independent variable. Youth school bonding at age 15 was the main outcome. Linear regressions were applied for data analysis, with race as the focal moderator. In the pooled sample, in addition to each race, higher family SEP at birth was associated with higher school bonding of the youth at age 15. Race altered the effects of family SEP at birth on youth school bonding at age 15, indicating smaller protective effects for Black compared to White youth. Race stratified regressions also showed the effect of family SEP at birth on age 15 school bonding for White youth, but not Black youth. Tangible outcomes that follow economic resources at birth are disproportionately smaller for Black families compared to those for White families. Merely equalizing SEP is not enough for the elimination of racial inequalities in youth outcomes. Policies should reduce societal and structural barriers that commonly cause diminished returns of SEP for Black families. Policy evaluations should aim for most effective policies that have the potential to equalize Blacks’ and Whites’ chances for gaining tangible developmental and health outcomes from identical SEP resources.

Air pollution inequality and health inequality in China: An empirical study.

China's residents experience unequal exposure to air pollution in different regions, and the corresponding health consequences have increased remarkably. To ensure sustainable development, China should monitor health inequality and its potential determinants. This study empirically examines the health inequalities (represented by perinatal and tuberculosis mortalities) caused by air pollution inequalities (represented by SO2 and NOx emissions) from 31 Chinese provinces in the period 2006 to 2015, using the generalized method of moments (GMM) and quantile regression (QR). The GMM results reveal a strong positive relationship between SO2/NOx emission inequality and tuberculosis mortality inequality. In contrast, the QR results show that perinatal mortality inequality is closely related to emission inequality across all percentiles for SO2 emission and at the 75th percentile for NOx emission. Our findings help policymakers to identify health disparities and be mindful of air pollution inequality as a factor in the elimination of health inequality.

Open House? Class-Specific Career Opportunities within German Universities

This article focuses on the development of class-specific inequalities within German universities. Based on data on the social origin of students, doctoral students, and professors in the long-term cross-section, the article views the empirically observable dynamic of social closure of higher education since the 1950s. The focus of interest is on the level of the professorship. Data show that career conditions for underprivileged groups have deteriorated again. This finding is discussed in the context of social closure theories. The article argues that closure theories consider social closure processes primarily as intentional patterns of action, aimed at a strategic monopolization of participation, and securing social power. Such an analytical approach means that unintended closure processes remain understudied. Our conclusion is that concealed modes of reproduction of social structures ought to be examined and theorized more intensively due to their importance for the elimination of social inequality within universities.

ІНКЛЮЗИВНЕ СЕРЕДОВИЩЕ: ФОРМУВАННЯ ІНТЕГРОВАНОГО ПОНЯТТЯ

The article highlights the problem of the absence of an inclusive environment for people with disabilities as a factor in the declarative nature of inclusive reforms. Actual barriers and problems that prevent people with disabilities from participating actively in society are described. These barriers require an integrated approach to develop practical solution and minimize them. Pedagogical aspect of terms "inclusion" and "inclusive environment" is the most developed (right now). Nevertheless, the main idea of the pedagogical concept of inclusion is the creation of a "school for all" that meets the common European standards and the mission of creating a society for all. So the idea of inclusivity at this point has a broader meaning than simply creating the right environment at school. The key elements of social and pedagogical aspects are recognition of diversity, elimination of inequalities, minimization of barriers and creation of conditions in which any exclusion in all spheres of life is impossible. Psychological aspect of inclusion is to understand psychological well-being as an important element of it. Psychological conditions of an inclusive environment should contribute to the individual's experience of subjective well-being. Based on the etymology of the word, you can describe inclusion as the process of forming a single whole by combining different parts. Having analyzed the social, pedagogical and psychological aspects of defining this concept, we believe that it is only whole environment in which inclusion must be realized. Thus, an inclusive environment is a human environment that provides conditions for inclusion of all persons into the spheres of society through the elimination of any barriers, taking into account the diversity of people. The integrated concept gives the opportunity to scientifically substantiate the design of new projects, programs and creation of inclusive social services.

Analysis of national strategies for sustainable development with regard to fundamental conceptual premise

The problem of interaction between the economy and the environment gains special significance every year. At present, anthropogenic impact of industrial production on the environment has exceeded the sustainability limits of natural systems. Further conventional development of the economy is confronted with the limitations of the self-restoration potential of ecosystems: the non-renewable character of productive resources and the limited character of the environment to take production waste.The purpose of the paper is to identify the main directions for the implementation of national policies of sustainable development with account of the fundamental conceptual premise.The paper outlines the main principles, policies and scenarios for sustainable development and presents new components of environmental policy. The authors consider national strategies for sustainable development of the United States, China, Russia, the EU countries and pay special attention to the strategy adopted in the Netherlands. The paper determines the specific strategies features reflecting the interests of these countries’ population and the role of national economies in world economic relations.The paper explores the possibilities of the SDG Index for the identification, assessment and comparative analysis of countries’ actions to achieve the goals of sustainable development. Based on the results of the Sustainable Development Index for 2017, the authors carry out a cross-country analysis of the sustainability strategies of countries from the perspective of achieving sustainable development goals (SDG). It helps to identify the problems of using the index to track progress towards the SDG. Moreover, the article underlines the strengths and weaknesses of national sustainable development strategies of different countries, including Russia.It is shown that Russia has achieved high positions in eradicating poverty, with a significant lag behind other goals of sustainable development, especially such as the elimination of inequality, the provision of a healthy lifestyle, access to justice and the creation of effective institutions. Finally, the paper indicates the main directions of sustainable development in Russia.

B6112—Art after All: The Alleged Occupation of the Volksbühne am Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz

B6112 is a collective anticapitalist, feminist, antiracist, and queer transmedial theatre production. Welcome to our artwork! Our theatre, our art, our poetry, and our work are weapons of struggle. Art does not take place in a political, social, or economic vacuum. Art takes place in world structured by imperialism and its slaughter, war, destruction, commerce, and slavery. Art must engage with this in both content and form. Otherwise it is obsolete. B6112 advocates a theatre that calls for revolution, reveals relationships of domination, denounces grievances, names guilty parties, presents resistance strategies, explores them, rejects them. B6112 stands for the elimination of nationalisms and gender inequality, for a global citizenship, for a world community in which all people peacefully coexist in equal living conditions. B6112 stands for self-organization and emancipation, for a hierarchy-free theatre that has a mimetic and thus exemplary effect on society. In the face of global disasters, we reject an entertainment theatre or a theatre of display that acts as an opiate in the society. Only when our goals have been achieved will we be able to renegotiate the role of the theatre for our society, redefine its content, and redefine the question of relevance.