Heterogeneous Social Groups Research Articles

The potential of public organizations in creating conditions of healthy aging for sustainable demographic development of the Russian regions

The article considers issues of potential of public organizations to develop conditions for healthy aging in order to ensure sustainable development of Russian regions differing in their socio-economic, socio-cultural and demographic characteristics. It is established that individual approach is to be applied in developing and implementing measures, since elderly Russians constitute very heterogeneous social demographic group, characterizing by differences in age, health condition, social, economic and professional status, life motivation, family/single/nursing type of residence, etc. It is indicated that work will require time, financial expenses and labor costs. The achievement of sustainable development of Russian regions depends on ability and readiness of regional and municipal authorities, public and commercial organizations and entire population. It is determined that age-related stigmatization and ageism can not be overcame through decisions made by persons of power. No less significant is public opinion, determining position of employers, physicians, teachers and other specialists on whom healthy longevity of population depends. The conclusion is made that present demographic changes are a predictor of development of position of state authorities and public opinion that needed attention is to be paid to promoting of healthy aging, to expending necessary financial, infrastructural, informational and human resources. Only in this case Russian regions can count on social dividends that will follow preliminary comprehensive investments into developing conditions for healthy aging of local residents.

CULTURAL DIVERSITY FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN ART AND DESIGN THROUGH NEW-AGE MEDIA

Culture is a broad-spectrum term commonly used to identify habits of a heterogeneous social groups which develop in a specific geographic location. It is evidently reflected through the various art practices, be it visual or performing arts, or artifacts created by the artisans. They have become an integral part of the cultural ethos. India is a country rich in such diverse treasure of cultural practices through art. Artisans have also migrated beyond their original geographical boundaries to diversify the reach of the art. It is an important cultural asset which helps to preserve the culture and heritage of a community or the skill-sets of the artisans. Our ancestors have been preserving this culture of storytelling through the art forms which show a perspective of life. They also contribute to the livelihood of the craftsmen, thus contributing to the economy of the country. There is beauty in promoting cultural diversity; people learn new skills from other cultural groups and encourage innovation through various art forms and designs. In the contemporary era of technology, modernization and globalization, the traditional art forms are fading away. Sustainability of these valuable these art forms is a concern today. Purposes and functionality of these art practices have also diversified. The study creates new objectives through cultural diversity and designing new products for sustainable development in art and design. The article discusses some aspects of technological intervention in these art practices that can help sustain these heritages. Thus diversification of media, purpose and an involvement of the young generation can help to preserve the social cultural ethos of our country.

Accounting for Heterogeneity among Youth: A Missing Link in Enhancing Youth Participation in Agriculture—A South African Case Study

Youth participation in the agricultural sector remains key to addressing youth unemployment. Young people represent a heterogeneous social group with markedly diverse social and economic needs that require tailor-made support interventions to enhance their participation in agricultural activities. The main objective of this article was to develop distinct youth typologies informed by diverse endowment of livelihood assets, including the psychological assets and entrepreneurial characteristics that shape young people’s career and livelihood choices, including participation in agriculture. A two-stage multivariate analytical approach was applied using principal component analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis (CA) to formulate youth typologies. Seven clusters were identified. The seven distinct clusters representing youth typologies were named “Training beneficiaries with access to extension”, “Job secure”, “Females endowed with negative psychological capital”, “Opportunist and determined livestock farmers”, “Social grant reliant”, “Resource poor traditional livestock farmers” and “Non-farming income with access to credit”. The results confirm that young people are indeed a heterogeneous group with diverse support needs. Unpacking the interrelated and multidimensional complexities among the youth is a vital take-off point to inform effective policy and tailor-made support interventions and effectively foster active youth participation in agriculture and related activities. We argue that support initiatives should not only address access to physical resources, but should also foster the development of soft skills such as entrepreneurial skills and boosting the psychological capital of young people while addressing gender inequalities.

Predicting eBook Purchases of Heterogeneous Social Groups in a Social Network Site Using Network Metrics

Predicting eBook Purchases of Heterogeneous Social Groups in a Social Network Site Using Network Metrics

Predicting eBook purchases of heterogeneous social groups in a social network site using network metrics

Predicting eBook purchases of heterogeneous social groups in a social network site using network metrics

Buying a house without a formal title: A property rights perspective for understanding informal housing ownership in Shenzhen, China

ABSTRACT Informal housing accommodates a large number of populations in the worldwide and has received considerable attention. However, there is still a lack of understanding on the diversified informal settlers and their housing incentives, constraints, and risks they face. Based on existing research on property rights and informal settlements, this study presents a conceptual framework that includes four dimensions of property rights (the right of possession, the right of use, the right to earn rental income and the right of transfer) to explore the de facto property rights of Small Property Rights Housing (SPRH) owners for a better understanding on informal housing ownership and its relationship with formal and informal institutional arrangements in China. In-depth interviews with SPRH owners were conducted to explore the de facto property rights of SPRH ownership. Findings reveal that the “small” property rights shaped by formal and informal institutional arrangements have resulted in unique housing values of SPRH. Such housing values have met a wide range of housing needs and motivated heterogeneous social groups to obtain SPRH ownership in urbanizing China. Constructive attempts to clarify the “small” property rights of SPRH should consider the different social groups of informal housing owners and their diversified housing needs.

(In)visibilities About the Vulnerabilities of People with Visual Impairments to Disasters and Climate Change: A Case Study in Cuiab\xe1, Brazil

People with visual impairments (PwVI) represent a heterogeneous social group who often experience significant disabling barriers in exercising their rights throughout their life course. Understanding dimensions of vulnerability of PwVI to disasters and climate change is an important issue to reduce the culture of neglected disasters. To date, few studies have analyzed visual impairment and disaster risk reduction (DRR) in the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean. This exploratory qualitative research project analyzed how to include PwVI in the DRR policies of Brazil. The research question is: how can we include PwVI in the discussion of DRR and climate change? The response to this question is part of a joint effort that involved a university, a hazard monitoring agency, and three institutions that work with PwVI. The three main results of the project are: (1) a mapping method to identify the exposure of PwVI to landslides and floods, and to create tactile risk maps tailored to them; (2) incorporating the voices of PwVI regarding their vulnerabilities and capacities with respect to disasters and climate change, achieved through shared interaction during 15 face to face interviews and one workshop attended by 100 people; and (3) an initiative of inclusive education to reduce some of the disabling barriers that intensify vulnerability.

Recognition of Older Adults as a Heterogeneous Social Group

Abstract: Human rights of older adults are still not sufficiently developed. This paper will explore how the rights of older adults are regulated by European law and whether European law sufficiently recognizes older adults as a heterogeneous social group. The population of the European Union is growing older. According to the European Commission’s reports, age discrimination in Europe is widespread. Therefore, the concept of work and retirement system as well as the perception of older adults should be transformed. Discrimination against older adults and various forms of inequality are amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Assessing the inequities in access to peri-urban parks at the regional level: A case study in China’s largest urban agglomeration

Access to peri-urban parks (PUPs) has recently gained considerable attention because of the limited green space in urban areas that cannot meet residents’ increasing demands for engaging with nature. Here, we aim to assess the accessibility to PUPs and monitor the underserved areas in the context of urban agglomeration, and to examine the inequities across districts with heterogeneous social groups. A Huff-2SFCA (Huff-two step floating catchment area) model was developed to evaluate the PUP accessibility. In addition, we adopted 30, 60, 90, 120, and 150 min as the threshold of travel time to identify the areas that are underserved by PUPs. Welch's ANOVA test (one-way ANOVA with unequal variances) was used to monitor the disparities in PUP accessibility among different cities, and a bivariate correlation was used to explore the associations between PUP accessibility and socioeconomic variables. Factor analysis (using varimax rotation) was then applied to cluster socioeconomic indicators into three factors, which were further divided into four quartiles. Lastly, the average value of PUP accessibility in each quartile group was calculated and compared to measure inequities. The Yangtze River Delta urban agglomeration (YRDUA), China’s largest urban agglomeration, was selected as the case study. The results suggested the following: 1) PUP accessibility increases while the number of underserved subdistricts decreases as the threshold value of travel time increases from 30 to 150 min, and 90 min is a ‘turning point’, after which an increasingly small difference is suggested both in PUP accessibility and underserved subdistricts; 2) there are statistically significant disparities in PUP accessibility across different cities in YRDUA; and 3) the socioeconomically disadvantaged districts have fewer opportunities to enjoy PUP services, while districts with lower social status groups or higher ethnic minority populations were not treated unequally. Our findings contribute to the environmental justice paradigm by assessing the inequities in access to PUPs over an extensive geographical scope, which could help decision-makers formulate effective policies and strategies for improving nature exposure from a regional planning perspective.

Evaluating the disparities in urban green space provision in communities with diverse built environments: The case of a rapidly urbanizing Chinese city

Urban green space (UGS) is often unevenly distributed in cities, which raises the issue of green justice. Previous studies have focused on evaluating the disparities in UGS provision across urban-rural gradients and inequities among heterogeneous social groups. However, few studies have considered the built environments in communities despite the potential for unprecedented rates of urbanization to exacerbate the living environment disparity within cities. Here, we assessed the disparities in UGS provision in communities with diverse built environments using a systematic framework incorporating availability, proximity, and desirability metrics. Specifically, we classified communities into six levels based on their spatial features such as patterns of development, scale, population density, and ‘green’ assets (e.g., private garden and tree-canopy coverage). Lorenz curves and the Gini index were employed to evaluate inequity, and the Kruskal-Wallis test was used to determine the significant differences among different levels of community. Yangzhou city, China, was selected as a study case, and the results indicate that: (1) UGS is unevenly distributed, and communities located in the urban periphery have lower UGS provision; (2) Serious inequities in UGS provision are demonstrated, with a small proportion of the population having the greatest level of provision; (3) Significant disparities in UGS provision among different levels of community are revealed; generally, residents living in communities with a well-maintained ‘green’ assets enjoy access to more major public UGS. Our study provides a novel perspective on quantifying UGS provision inequities. It can help guide decision-makers and planners to accurately target vulnerable groups (communities) and formulate effective policies and strategies to address green injustice.

Indigenous territories and governance of forest restoration in the Xingu River (Brazil)

During the early 2000s, indigenous and non-indigenous peoples inhabiting the headwaters of the Xingu River (Mato Grosso state, Brazil) engaged in a collective decision to undertake the `Y Ikatu Xingu Campaign, a social phenomenon and forum for the restoration and protection of Xingu’s headwaters and riparian forests–a common-pool resources shared by indigenous, farmers, and urban populations in the region. These areas have been significantly deforested over the last 50 years due to public policies and land privatization aiming at economic development, agricultural and agribusiness expansion in Central and Amazonian Brazil. These political and economic drivers contributed to the conversion of five million hectares of Seasonal Evergreen Forests and Cerrados (Brazilian savanna) into agricultural land. In order to reverse the damaging trends of the future of the Xingu River and promote common benefits to indigenous and non-indigenous peoples, the Campaign fostered the creation of the Xingu Seed Network to promote exchange and commercialization of native seeds demanded by farmers and landholders for planting and restoring permanent preservation areas, such as riparian forests, and vegetation associated with lakes and springs of the Suiá-Miçu River Basin. The aim of this study is to examine the role played by the 'Y Ikatu Campaign in the conservation of these common-pool resources – Xingu’s headwaters, riparian forests and rivers–and in mobilizing heterogeneous social groups living in this region to engage in the protection of the watershed.. Our analysis focuses on socially and culturally diverse inhabitants (indigenous and farmers) of the Suiá-Miçu River Basin, who are searching for innovative technologies for the recovery of riparian areas, and for income generation for local communities. The Institutional Analysis and Development framework was adopted as an approach for understanding interactions of multiple social agents, governmental and non-governmental organizations, engaged in the process of restoration and protection of common resources. Spatial and temporal land-cover changes analysis of the Suiá-Miçu River Basin show an increase in deforestation during the past 40 years, primarily for soybean farming and pastures. We showed that indigenous people have a fundamental role in questioning and advancing the outcomes of restoration efforts, and monitoring environmental impact on water quality of rivers, as well as on conditions of forests and other ecosystems surrounding indigenous lands. We discuss the perspectives of Kĩsêdjê indigenous inhabitants of the environmental governance related to restoration efforts and monitoring, and their concerns with a dynamic scenario of agribusiness expansion in the Xingu River Headwaters region.

Socioeconomic variations and disparity in space–time accessibility in suburban China: A case study of Guangzhou

The concept of conventional place-based accessibility, despite being well researched, tends to ignore people’s space–time constraints arising from mandatory activities (e.g. work and household duties), which confine people’s potential movement and delimit the accessible opportunities. As people with different socioeconomic statuses may have different space–time constraints even while living in similar locations, using the place-based measures could lead to an underestimation of accessibility inequality. This study applies a space–time measure to unravel the disparities in service accessibility in suburban China. Since the late 1970s, suburbanisation in Chinese cities has fostered income inequality and has elevated other dimensions (e.g. institutional status and gender) of disparity within each income class. Within this context, we conduct a case study of suburban neighbourhoods in Guangzhou, based on the activity diary data derived from a home-based questionnaire survey. Findings indicate that the use of a space–time measure effectively captures the disparities in service accessibility among residents in suburban Guangzhou. On the basis of structural equation modelling, we further identify that certain socioeconomic groups (e.g. high-income residents, public sector workers, local hukou holders, male household heads and welfare housing residents) tend to experience fewer space–time constraints from rigid activities, such as work, commuting and household duties, and are thus more advantaged in accessing service facilities. These findings imply that urban planning should address the space–time perspective to promote equal service access for the highly heterogeneous social groups in suburban China and to incorporate time-sensitive policies (e.g. flexitime policies).

More Than “Peasants Without Land”: Individualisation and Identity Formation of Landless Peasants in the Process of China’s State-Led Rural Urbanisation

In the course of state-led rural urbanisation over the past few decades, millions of Chinese peasants have been expropriated and relocated. After establishing a definition of these “landless peasants” as a heterogeneous social group connected mainly by the fact that its members had to give up their land-use rights, this article sets out to examine subsequent processes of identity formation – a topic that has been largely neglected in existing research. Drawing on Beck’s individualisation thesis, I suggest that structural and institutional changes in the process of rural modernisation have initiated a further thrust of individualisation in people’s lives which manifests not only in the objective domain of life situations but also in the subjective domain of identity. This hypothesis is substantiated through an ethnographic case study based on seven months of fieldwork (2016–2018) in Huaming Model Town in the Dongli District of Tianjin. As a first step towards conceptualising what landless peasants are becoming, I will propose to start focusing on recombinant identities and class differentiations evolving among the people.

Green spaces and heterogeneous social groups in the U.S.

To advance environmental justice in communities, this paper analyzed the way the attributes of green spaces have been defined and evaluated in the literature. We identified and examined 72 peer reviewed journal articles published between 2000 and 2018, which explored green spaces and social groups in the U.S. To report findings systematically, we collected indicators used in the articles and assessed which attributes of green spaces the indicators represent. We found that most articles focused on access more than other attributes (such as ecological benefits, visual and esthetic values, amenities, sociability, and safety). This finding was more salient in the articles that examined green spaces together with race and ethnicity, income class, or age group. The articles that considered green space attributes with gender focused more on evaluating safety, sociability, and amenity. For inclusive planning, design, and management of green spaces and parks, urban planners and park managers must pay attention to diverse attributes to which different social groups are sensitive.

Deprivation factors for the elderly in the social-labor sphere: A regional aspect

Social deprivation and exclusion of the elderly have become a relevant problem not only for Russia but also for many European countries. The article aims at identifying the risk factors of deprivation of the elderly in the field of social-labor relations based on the theoretical-methodological analysis of the classical sociological theories and works of contemporary Russian and foreign sociologists focusing on the issues of social deprivation. The authors developed a factorial model of deprivation of the elderly in the social-labor sphere, and by combining it with the results of sociological surveys conducted in 2017-2018 in the Penza and Saratov Regions and the Republic of Tatarstan, conducted a comprehensive analysis of the deprivation factors of the elderly in the labor sphere. The article emphasizes that the elderly form a heterogeneous social group: some of them are an object of social policy, protection and welfare system, while others are an active subject of social interactions. The deprivation of the elderly depends on external and personal factors that can be of objective or subjective character. Based on the data of empirical studies, the article reveals the most significant depriving factors for the elderly in the social-labor sphere: age, education, residence, professional status before retirement, self-assessment of health and standards of living, perception of one’s demand in the labor market, and the demand for the elderly in the labor market from the employers’ perspective. The results of the surveys allowed to identify areas of employment with the highest demand for the elderly - health care, trade and production, while the sphere of information technologies is closed for them. In general the choice and implementation of behavior strategies corresponding to the model of active longevity contribute to overcoming the deprivation factors.

What are the motivations and barriers to pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) use among black men who have sex with men aged 18–45 in London? Results from a qualitative study

BackgroundBlack men who have sex with men (BMSM) have higher HIV incidence and prevalence when compared with other men who have sex with men, despite similar risk profiles. New prevention...

On Craft Production and the Settlement Pattern of the Jinsha Site Cluster on the Chengdu Plain

Analysis of settlement pattern and production organization of the Jinsha settlement suggests that it was less strictly organized than the Sanxingdui settlement and that it was inhabited by heterogeneous social groups during the early Bronze Age. Measuring and evaluating the standardization of two types of pottery vessels (i.e., jars with small bases [xiaopingdi guan 小平底罐] and saucers with pointed bottoms [jiandizhan 尖底盞]) reveal that potters employed different patterns for products to be used in different contexts. Vessels are more standardized at loci close to the sacrificial zone (where ritual paraphernalia were buried), while vessels used as burial goods tend to be smaller. Pottery production was loosely organized, ranging between individual and nucleated workshops, and widely distributed across loci both near the sacrificial zone and on the periphery of Jinsha. The sacrificial zone at the center of the settlement apparently created needs that promoted production activities. The presentation of multiple types of production in the Jinsha core, together with religious activities and public buildings, suggests not only multiple chaînes opératoires for objects but also communal activities and entangled social relations. Such gatherings and driving forces enabled different social groups to redress social tensions while promoting consensus. Crafters might have cooperated when necessary, but they were otherwise organized in a flexible manner, maintaining at most a loose network of production.

The policy on Twitter. A comparative study of the discursive strategies of the finalist candidates for the Presidency of Ecuador in 2017

Los medios sociales se han convertido en espacios de promoción y propaganda electoral que atraen a la clase política por su capacidad para amplificar los discursos, la posibilidad de llegar con los mensajes a grupos sociales cada vez más heterogéneos y obviamente, por la reducción de costos para la producción y difusión de material comunicacional. En este contexto el presente estudio busca contrastar las estrategias discursivas utilizadas, en Twitter, por Lenin Moreno y Guillermo Lasso, candidatos finalistas en las elecciones presidenciales ecuatorianas de 2017, con dos objetivos en concreto: por un lado, identificar los códigos sociales, simbólicos e ideológicos que hacen parte de las tácticas para la movilización de emociones en el electorado y, por otro, establecer los públicos prioritarios a los se dirigen a través del medio social.La metodología consideró al análisis de contenido, tanto de su discurso como de los artefactos culturales a nivel audiovisual. Desde una práctica cualitativa y su relación hermenéutica, nos concentramos en la descripción discursiva para descifrar las significaciones tras las palabras. La discusión se centra en que el discurso político se cristaliza usando estrategias de personalización a partir de narrativas consumibles, pero de rápida caducidad y además se observa que la táctica más recurrente es la construcción de enemigos ideológicos, más que personales.

ACCELERATING THE FORMATION OF CHILDREN’S VALUES IN A LEARNING ENVIRONMENT

Introduction. The present publication presents the results of an experiment conducted on the territory of Bulgaria with children aged 4.5 to 6 years. The aim of the research is to work out a model of interaction based on the contemporary knowledge of preschool children’ development and cognitive process peculiarities of children aged 4.5 to 6. Methodology and research methods. The methodology of the research is based on theories and classifications of values by Rokeach, Graves, Inglehart (values of survival and self-expression) and Hofstede (desired and desirable values). Active approach and principles of determinism (S. L. Rubinstain, A. C. Brushlinskiy) and interiorization (L. S Vigotskiy, A. I. Leontiev), systemic approach (B. F. Lomov, B. N. Rizhov) are used in the experimental part of the research work. Psychological neoformations are educed by means of the diagnostic test proposed by P. V. Stepanov, D. V. Grigoryev; I. V. Stepanova. Results. There have been visible changes in the profiles of children after the experiment held. It is found out that value system formation in childhood is influenced by the development of higher cognitive processes. This formation can be accelerated by specially organized social cultural and learning environment that widens children’s understanding of the world they live in. As a result they start finding sense and realize values. There appears a transfer from knowledge to self-regulation behavior. Scientific novelty. Pilot data got during the experiment prove the model is an innovative method of pedagogical interaction and a «practical tool» for teachers. Four algorithms are developed to support cognitive, emotional and volitional processes, including thinking for accelerating the formation of values of children 4 to 6 years old. Practical significance. The suggested model is particularly suitable for use in multicultural and heterogeneous social composition groups.

Clustering-based typology and analysis of private small-scale forest owners in Slovenia

Small-scale private forest owners (SPFO) have been recognized as a relatively heterogeneous social group; therefore typology and classification have become key to describe their characteristics and differences. Most of Slovenian forest is owned by SPFOs. To understand why these forest estates are relatively poorly managed, the owners' values and objectives were analysed. We conducted a questionnaire-based survey (n=387) and based our typology on three values and four management variables. The typology was constructed automatically, using the k-medoids clustering algorithm. Clustering resulted in two clusters, which were our basis for two types of owners: “engaged” and “detached”. We analysed these two types through socio-economic and broader geo-spatial perspectives. We found that multi-objective orientation and high valuation of production function are positively related to active forest management and to the likelihood that the forest will be managed in the future. Conversely, higher value to environmental and social function corresponds to lower management levels. Spatial patterns of owners residencies and forest estates influence managing decisions. Results confirm the importance of spatial factors and owner values and objectives for understanding forest management.