Increase In Social Inequality Research Articles

When smoking is the smallest problem: A qualitative study of smoking prevention in Danish vocational schools

Objective: In Denmark, more students smoke in vocational schools than in upper secondary schools. Smoking-prevention initiatives may reduce the prevalence of smoking but may also introduce unforeseen challenges. This study examined the significance of smoking and dilemmas related to smokefree school hours (SFSH) among established smokers in Danish vocational schools. Design: Qualitative research design. Setting: Data collection took place in a vocational education and training (VET) school in Denmark. The subject area was care, health and pedagogy (CHP). Method: Participant observation and focus groups were conducted with students and teachers. Two classes were observed for 2 weeks in total. The data analysed consisted of participant observation field notes ( n = 10 school days), transcripts from student focus groups ( n = 6; aged 18–56) and transcripts from teacher focus groups ( n = 11). Results: Two dilemmas were described as faced by established smokers in relation to the implementation of smokefree school hours: (1) The school is entitled to make rules versus the right to decide for oneself; and (2) life and schoolwork are challenging and demanding versus school work is more important than smoking. Conclusion: The findings illustrate how smoking, as an ingrained everyday practice for established smokers, represents a means of coping with difficult school demands and everyday challenges, particularly for vulnerable students, and how regulations such as SFSH create dilemmas for those students. These dilemmas are important to consider when designing and implementing smoking-prevention initiatives to prevent potential negative side effects and an unintended increase in social inequality in smoking.

Ensuring a ‘Responsible’ AI future in India: RRI as an approach for identifying the ethical challenges from an Indian perspective

AbstractArtificial intelligence (AI) can be seen to be at an inflexion point in India, a country which is keen to adopt and exploit new technologies, but needs to carefully consider how they do this. AI is usually deployed with good intentions, to unlock value and create opportunities for the people; however it does not come without its challenges. There are a set of ethical–social issues associated with AI, which include concerns around privacy, data protection, job displacement, historical bias and discrimination. Through a series of focus groups with knowledgeable people embedded in India and its culture, this research explores the ethical–societal changes and challenges that India now faces. Further, it investigates whether the principles and practices of responsible research and innovation (RRI) might provide a framework to help identify and deal with these issues. The results show that the areas in which RRI could offer scope to improve this outlook include education, policy and governance, legislation and regulation, and innovation and industry practices. Some significant challenges described by participants included: the lack of awareness of AI by the public as well as policy makers; India’s access and implementation of Western datasets, resulting in a lack of diversity, exacerbation of existing power asymmetries, increase in social inequality and the creation of bias; the potential replacement of jobs by AI. One option was to look at a hybrid approach, a mix of AI and humans, with expansion and upskilling of the current workforce. In terms of strategy, there seems to be a gap between the rhetoric of the government and what is seen on the ground, and therefore going forward there needs to be a much greater engagement with a wider audience of stakeholders.

Demographic dynamics between 5500 and 3500 calBP (3550-1550 BCE) in selected study regions of Central Europe and the role of regional climate influences.

With their rich Late Neolithic to Early Bronze Age archives, the Circumharz region, the Czech Republic/Lower Austria region, and the Northern Alpine Foreland are well-suited for research on potential links between human activities and climate fluctuations of this period with pronounced archaeological changes. In this paper, we reconstruct the rate and density of the available 14C data from 5500 to 3500 calBP (3550-1550 BCE). We ask to what extent population patterns varied over time and space, and whether fluctuations in human populations and their activities varied with local/regional climate changes. To answer these questions, we have compiled an extensive list of published radiocarbon dates and created 14C sum calibrations for each region. We also compare population dynamics with local and regional palaeoclimate records derived from high-resolution speleothems. At the regional scale, the results suggest a causal relationship between regional climate and population trends. Climate and associated environmental changes were thus at least partly responsible for demographic trends. These results also allow us to question the motivation for the construction of so-called "Early Bronze Age princely tombs" in the Circumharz region during a period of population decline. Among other things, it can be argued that the upper echelons of society may have benefited from trade relations. However, this process was accompanied by ecological stress, a cooling of the winter climate, a decline in the total population and an increase in social inequality.

Access to homeownership in decline—rising housing inequalities for young people in the neoliberal housing market of Tallinn

The current housing affordability crisis, driven mainly by the financialization of housing and the government's retrenchment of social policies and provision of affordable housing, have affected growing inequalities in access to housing. The crises have hit young people especially hard. The recent trends call for systematic studies on the mechanisms generating such intergenerational inequality, considering the specifics of the prevailing housing regimes. Housing affordability in Tallinn has decreased due to fast-growing housing prices, as a result of an ultra-liberal housing regime, exemplified by housing financialization, capital accumulation, low level of governmental interventions and an overall increase in social inequalities. Based on EU-SILC data, it is shown how the recent trends during the decade between 2010 and 2020 have negatively impacted young people's access to homeownership—access has been greatly reduced for young cohorts, and it has become more differentiated, based on the socio-economic and labor market performance of households, as well as intergenerational transfers. Young households are increasingly residing in private rental dwellings, and many still rely on parental housing until their 30s. Rental housing, as compared to homeownership, has fewer advantages compared to homeownership—it brings no capital gains and is less secure, and rental stock tends to be located unevenly across urban space and to be in slightly worse condition compared to owner-occupied housing. This positions young people in an unfavorable position in the perspective of their housing career, and this can have severe consequences on their social inclusion.

INFLUENCE OF THE SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE TRANSITIONAL ECONOMY AND SOCIETY

In this paper, we investigated the impact of social entrepreneurship on the development of the transitional economy. The research was carried out on the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). As the most featured negative side of the transition, we see an increase of social inequality and poverty. One of the ways to solve these problems is the development of social entrepreneurship. The main goal of the research is to find a model for the development of social entrepreneurship that would contribute to the development of society and the economy of developing countries. Ninety seven subjects of social entrepreneurship, from all over BiH, participated in the research. We collected data using questionnaires, and we used correlation and regression methods to analyze them. The results showed that social entrepreneurship is at a low level and that its development would contribute to the development of society and the economy. In this research, we have created a model of social entrepreneurship development and proved that social entrepreneurship could be an excellent way to solve many social and economic problems.

The retirement impact on housing cost burden: are homeowners better off than tenants after retirement?

Abstract Existing research on housing cost burden focuses on its evolution over time. Few empirical studies, meanwhile, investigate changes in housing cost burden as a function of age. Literature is also scarce on how people's housing cost burden is affected by the act of retiring. In order to fill this research gap, we examine how the burden of housing costs tends to change after retirement and how the impact of retirement on housing cost burden differs for tenants as compared to homeowners. Taking advantage of the longitudinal data provided by the German Socio-Economic Panel (1993–2019), we estimate fixed effects regressions and model impact functions to estimate how people's housing cost burdens change after they retire. In addition, we interact the retirement event with tenure status. Our results show that retirement is associated with an increase in housing cost burden and that this association is stronger among tenants than among homeowners. We contribute to the literature on housing cost burden by taking a longitudinal perspective and showing that critical life events such as retirement do have an impact on the financial pressures exerted on households by housing costs and can even exacerbate the existing inequality in terms of housing cost burden between tenants and homeowners. We also demonstrate the importance for policy makers and future research of identifying social groups that may be particularly prone to financial overburden as a result of elevated housing costs in old age in order to implement policies that avoid such overburden and prevent the increase in social inequality after retirement.

The impact of the Covid19 pandemic on social and regional differences in the sports behaviour of the Swiss population

The Covid19 pandemic and the accompanying measures between March 2020 and March 2022 had a strong impact on the sport system. The various restrictions on sports activities affected not only school sports, but also clubs and fitness centres, as well as competitive sports in general. At the same time, a considerable increase in unorganised outdoor sports activities and a shift in sport preferences could be observed.
 In order to assess and quantify the short- to medium-term changes in the sporting behaviour of the Swiss population due to the Covid 19 pandemic, the Federal Office of Sport commissioned a representative population survey. For this purpose, 2,130 people aged 15 and over were surveyed in the summer of 2022 in the three national languages German, French and Italian by means of an online questionnaire. To facilitate comparisons over time, the survey was based on the survey instrument of the "Sport Switzerland" studies (cf. Lamprecht et al., 2020), with additional questions on the assessment and management of the Covid19 pandemic.
 For the present paper, on the one hand, results on the changes in sports behaviour during the Covid19 pandemic will be presented and it will be shown how these changes affected sports activity in the different settings in the medium term. On the other hand, the consequences of these changes on social and regional differences in sports behaviour (cf. Lamprecht & Nagel, 2022) will be examined. Did the Covid19 pandemic and the accompanying measures in the field of sport tend to increase or rather level out the differences according to age, gender, social status and place of residence? Did the pandemic lead to a situation in which population groups who were only sparingly and irregularly active in sport were increasingly discouraged from taking part in sport, while those who were more active in sport found it easier to switch to other types of sport and settings? With regard to the regions, it will be investigated whether a connection can be found between compliance with the Corona measures and the changes in sports behaviour.
 Finally, the question will be raised as to how lasting the measured changes and shifts are likely to be and how an increase in social inequality in the field of sport could be countered. 
 References
 Lamprecht, M., & Nagel, S. (2022). Sportsoziologie: Einführung. Nomos.
 Lamprecht, M., Bürgi, R., & Stamm, H. (2020). Sport Schweiz 2020: Sportaktivität und Sportinteresse der Schweizer Bevölkerung. Bundesamt für Sport BASPO.

Holding on

What resources do people facing great difficulties linked to the increase in social inequalities between territories use daily? Why do some people in precarious situations move from one region to another and not others? How do these relocations, endured or chosen, contribute to locking them in or giving them back control over their lives? A loss of income or the hope of an easier life may lead to residential relocation to areas where the cost of living is lower (rent, food), where relatives are available to share domestic tasks in the broadest sense. Staying put when neighbors leave, having to leave a neighborhood where the cost of living has risen sharply, seeing one's neighborhood become impoverished, empty, collapsed, seeing adjacent neighborhoods get richer: all these factors obfuscate attitudes towards the future and lead to emotions such as anger, shame, or sadness. These questions are raised by a collaborative social science study that examines the role of economic dynamics and public authorities in the selective collapse of portions of the French territory. The photographic investigation conducted in Tonnerre between 2017 and 2022 is the first unit implemented by this collective research. It focuses on the conditions necessary for photography to be an effective heuristic tool in the service of scientific knowledge. Formally, the work is part of a lineage partially interrupted during the second half of the twentieth century, that of alliances between photography and social sciences forged a century earlier in Europe (Thomson and Smith), in Australia (Gillen and Spencer), and in the United States (Boas and Hastings). The project advocates the notion of photographic and ethnographic practice closer to a craft rather than an art form, a profession rather than an artistic gesture, for production of knowledge at the service of accretion of understanding and interdisciplinary cooperation rather than the competitive search for innovation. On the zoom.able platform, the visual essay unfolds on three levels. The first layer presents a map of the city of Tonnerre that highlights the important structures for the survey: pictograms indicate the entry points to the territory, the caring institutions that allow people to survive, the vacant places that play a key role in the arrival of precarious populations, and the shelters that provide protection from the cold and rain. The second layer shows a selection of portraits, with captions providing information on the different ways in which people have settled in Tonnerre over the past ten years. The framework engages the people photographed at several stages of the production. They have chosen the places where the pictures were taken. They have also chosen the places to which their portraits are linked on the map, either because they spend time there, or because they have in those locations an emotional connection, related to their hopes and doubts. And they have also coauthored the captions accompanying the photographs, to explain their singular relationship to the area. The third layer follows two rationales: the places identified on the map refer to photographic documentation of the territory, while each portrait refers to the resources mobilized to deal with daily life as well as photographic situations. From an epistemological perspective, this is about restoring the gap between the observed world and its photographic representation, a reminder that photographic materials, in order to be usable, must be related to the singular context of their production: the distance between photographer and subject; monochromatic effects; and things that are out-of-frame, such as the photographer's body language during the shoot.

Механизм согласования интересов субъектов социального партнерства как условие роста человеческого капитала (часть 1)

The article presents a study devoted to the search for effective ways to coordinate the interests of subjects of social partnership. The study found that the absence of common socially significant interests and goals of the subjects of social partnership leads to inconsistency of actions, contradictions, social and labor conflicts, confrontation between the subjects. This is reflected in a further increase in social inequality, a decrease in human capital, social activity of people due to lack of interest and apathy to improve their lives in the field of work. The study consists of 2 parts. In the first part of the study, the main attention is paid to the definition of common social and economic interests and goals of subjects of social partnership that are significant for the growth of human capital. To this end, the author proposes a mechanism for coordinating the interests of subjects of social partnership as the basis for the growth of human capital, which involves interaction between state authorities and management, employers, employees and public organizations, favorable for solving social and economic problems associated with existing external and internal challenges in social and labor relations at the level of the country, regions, organizations. The purpose of the study is to develop a mechanism for coordinating the interests of subjects of social partnership as a condition for the growth of human capital. The author proposes a refined definition of the concept of "social partnership", based on the purpose of this study. In the course of the study, the author used system analysis, comparison, description, generalization, formalization, literature analysis, etc. The theoretical result of the study is the developed mechanism for coordinating the interests of the subjects of social partnership in the region for the implementation of common social and economic goals of human capital growth that are significant for society and the state. The application of the results will be the use of a mechanism for coordinating the interests of subjects, as well as the transformation of generally significant goals into socio-economic indicators for evaluating and paying employees at all levels of social partnership. The practical use of this mechanism should lead to a significant increase in human capital at the level of organizations, regions and the country as a whole.

Sociokulturel betydning af tragtbægerkulturens tidligneolitiske flintøkser

Sociokulturel betydning af tragtbægerkulturens tidligneolitiske flintøkser

Measuring the effects of climate techs and social inequality on climate performance using a SEM-DEA approach

The objective of this study was to propose an index based on the IPAT model to quantify the performance of countries concerning their emissions, also taking into account the level of climate technology and the level of inequality. In this study, two quantitative techniques were applied to a sample of 100 countries and 21 indicators. The main results were: (a) a 1% increase in social inequality contributes to an increase in emissions levels by 0.105; (b) the 1% increase in climate techs contributes to reducing emissions levels by 0.141; (c) The proposed IPA index shows that only Estonia and Slovenia are the best performers, mainly in overcoming the inequality barrier, while South Africa and Nigeria are the worst performers in reducing their emissions. The results provide evidence that climate policies should contain social targets to improve country performance and should use a representative value to identify their effectiveness.

A narrative for circular economy in Cities: Conditions for a Mission-Oriented innovative system

In response to the adverse consequences of urbanisation, including the production of over 70% of global emissions and the increase in social inequalities, cities have set ambitious missions to devise a set of innovative solutions in their transition to a circular economy. This exploratory research examines the conditions that should be met for such missions to trigger the development of an innovative system that could support cities in such a transition. While several studies have been conducted on the narrative of the circular economy as a 'way of doing', this article adopts the circular economy as a 'way of thinking'. To further explore the conceptual diversity of the circular economy, this article uses rapid ethnography as a method in the context of a Dutch region by pursuing a circular mission. The results highlight that a mission alone is not enough to create an innovative and inclusive system as the underlying narrative lacks congruence; this, thus, suggests that the circular economy may not be the most compelling narrative for the mission of cities toward a more sustainable development.

The Invisible Suffering of Young People during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Spain and the Collateral Impact of Social Harm

This article seeks to demonstrate how the lack of institutional involvement with young people during the pandemic had negative effects, stemming from a lack of clear and precise rules for the adolescent population. The consequences manifested themselves in such important areas as social relations, physical and mental health, affective–sexual relations, self-image and overexposure to social media. We present the results of two complementary pieces of research that provided us with insight into the behaviour of young people during lockdown. The young people were divided into two groups based on age: (1) middle adolescents aged 13 to 18 and (2) late adolescents aged 18 to 23. We adopted an integrative methodological approach based on surveys, digital ethnography and focus groups to extract the results, which produced the following findings: (1) an increase in social inequalities due to the technology gap; (2) a growth in mental health risks stemming from hyperconnectivity and overexposure to social media in order to avoid social isolation; and (3) an assimilation of anti-normative behaviours as valid in the absence of any points of reference.

EPIDEMIOLOGY OF DISABILITY AMONG ABLE-BODIED POPULATION OF TVER (RUSSIA)

RELEVANCE: The problem of disability among the able-bodied population is very relevant, because the number of people with a newly established disability group is increasing. Every tenth person in the world has a disability according to the United Nation. The disability is considered to be one of the medical and demographic indicators. Its monitoring underlies ensuring the protection of the health of citizens. Research on the epidemiology of disability plays an important role in preventing an increase in the number of disabled citizens. PURPOSE: To study the dynamics and structure of disability among patients of a surgical department and assessing the degree of disability among residents of the city of Tver (Russia). MATERIALS: The analysis was carried out using the data on the official reports of polyclinic No. 1 of City Clinical Hospital No. 7 in Tver for the period from 2010 to 2020. The dynamics of the frequency of registration of persons with disabilities was studied, the structure of disability by groups was analyzed. The degree of reliability of the obtained data was assessed. RESULTS: The rates of citizens with disabilities increased 3.3 times from 2010 to 2020. The dynamics was wave-like. There was a sharp rise in the number of people who received a disability group for the first time from the beginning of 2010 to the end of 2013. The indicators did not change much from 2014 to 2020. However, the dynamics of the percentage of the working population among persons with disabilities developed in inverse proportion. Those who received a disability group for the first time mainly had pathologies of the musculoskeletal system and vascular diseases. The largest number of patients received disability group III (moderate disability) each year. CONCLUSION:The tendency was illustrated through an example of the city of Tver (Russia). The data shows a decrease in the able-bodied population and an increase in social inequality. It is an urgent problem in the region.

Water Value Integrated Approach: A Systematic Literature Review

Extreme water incidents point out a value conflict surrounding the resource. While drought and floods echo the inadequate land and resource uses, the increase in social inequalities exposes the practical, physiological, and social consequences. The multiple value action throughout the water cycle also narrowed disputes to those that neglect its vital importance, and the constraints imposed to the services, such as low tariffs, and lack of local engagement, make sustainable water systems more difficult. This article develops a systematic literature review to understand the academic motivations surrounding water value and gaps in its systematic approach. A sample with 84 papers is created by an interactive keyword selection and its general characteristics are presented. A dynamic reading technique extracts data and classifies the papers according to 14 research motivations, where the water multifunctionality and the user value stand out. The bibliographic coupling analysis identifies a cluster of 16 papers related to integration and connected to planning, decision, and management. There is a lack of contribution with a systemic approach to water resources by way of integrating actors and values, such as including local contexts.

Эпидемиология инвалидности трудоспособного населения города Твери на примере пациентов хирургического профиля

The health of the nation is the main marker of the successful development of the state. Maintaining and improving the health of citizens are the main tasks of social policy in every country. Morbidity and disability are among the main indicators of the state of public health. They reflect the demographic situation and the level of socio-economic development of the country. Every year the number of persons with disabilities increases, which makes the problem of disability of the able-bodied population extremely relevant. Monitoring of disability, as one of the medical and demographic indicators, is the basis for ensuring the protection of the health of citizens. Research on the epidemiology of disability is the key to preventing an increase in the number of disabled citizens. In addition, it plays an important role in the distribution of the state budget to improve the quality of life of people with an assigned disability group and to carry out preventive measures aimed at reducing the impact of risk factors for disability. Purpose. Assessing the degree, structure and dynamics of disability among residents of the city of Tver using the example of surgical patients observed in the “City Clinical Hospital No. 7”, and detection the main number of diseases that caused the setting of a disability group. Methods. An analysis was carried out regarding the data on the official reports of the surgical department polyclinic No. 1 of the state budgetary healthcare institution “City Clinical Hospital No. 7” in Tver for the period from 2010 to 2020. The dynamics of the frequency of registration of persons with disabilities was studied among surgical patients, the main groups of diseases that caused disability were identified, the structure of disability by groups was analyzed. The degree of reliability of the obtained data was assessed. Results. The growth of citizens with disabilities in the outpatient surgical department increased 3,3 times from 2010 to 2020. The dynamics was wave-like. There was a sharp rise in the number of people who received a disability group for the first time from the beginning of 2010 to the end of 2013. The indicators did not change much from 2014 to 2020. However, the dynamics of the percentage of the working population among persons with disabilities developed in inverse proportion. Those who received a disability group for the first time mainly had pathologies of the musculoskeletal system and vascular diseases. Conclusion. Based on the data of the surgical department of the polyclinic in the city of Tver, the number of persons with disabilities tends to increase. It requires constant monitoring. The number of persons with disabilities tends to increase. It was illustrated through an example of a study in Tver. All that leads to a decrease in the able-bodied population and an increase in social inequality. It is an urgent problem in the region.

Predatory Lending in Russia: Survey Data

In this paper, the author explores the problem of the expansion of predatory consumer lending practices in Russian commercial banks. The relevance of the problem of predatory lending is due to the highly negative consequences of its spread, which include an increase in social inequality, excessive growth of the debt burden of the population, the slowdown of national economic growth, the growth of social tensions. The article presents the results of a survey confirming the widespread practices of unscrupulous lending in the practice of commercial banks. The author hypothesizes that the main reasons for the spread of predatory lending include the widespread use of bank staff motivation systems, focused on the fulfilment of the sales plan for individual bank products, and the rigid management characteristic of Russian management. The article offers recommendations for counteracting the spread of predatory lending practices. The article may be helpful for researchers interested in the problems of bank lending, bank employees, employees of the Central Bank and other supervisory bodies.

The circular economy approach for reducing food waste: a systematic review

Purpose: This study performs a systematic review through a global analysis of selected articles on food waste and the Circular Economy in the period between 2011 and 2020, indexed in the Scopus and Web of Science databases. Methodology/Approach: It performs a qualitative analysis of 19 selected articles to identify how the Circular Economy can be used in the strategy to reduce food waste. Findings: The main focus is to avoid a global collapse, provoked by the unrestrained increase in production and consumption since the industrial revolution, intensified in the middle of the 20th century. That culminated in the degradation of the soil, seas and the consequent air pollution caused by all these factors, and in the social issue, the increase in social inequality between countries and people, and the evolution of food insecurity, especially among the most vulnerable. Research Limitation/implication: This research contributes to academia and society, by identifying principal authors, keywords, and gaps in the selected literature and then, proposes suggestions for future research. Originality/Value of paper: The growing waste of food has directly affected the economic, social and environmental spheres, a subject widely discussed and included in the Sustainable Development goals of 2030.

Благотворительность как ресурс развития и смягчения социальных размежеваний

The study aims to conceptualise the phenomenon of charity as a factor contributing to mitigation of social divisions in the context of current socio-political transformations. The researchers attempt to analyse the process of philanthropy institutionalisation both in the context of regional features peculiar to individual countries and in the frame of global social transformation processes of today’s world order. The study is novel in that it presents the authors’ four-part classification of charity types. The following four types of charity are distinguished: civic charity, corporate charity, state charity and church charity, specified by such concepts introduced into use as charity solidarism, charity corporatism, charity statism and charity clericalism. As a result, the researchers conclude that social “philanthropisation” reflects fundamental changes in the structure of contemporary society associated with the crisis of the social state and capitalism, which leads to an increase in social inequality and further social divisions.

Time Trends and Sociodemographic Inequalities in Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviors Among Brazilian Adults: National Surveys from 2003 to 2019.

The authors analyzed time trends and sociodemographic inequalities in different physical activity and sedentary behavior domains between 2003 and 2019. A secondary analysis of data from 5 cross-sectional Brazilian epidemiological surveys (World Health Survey-2003, National Household Sample Survey-2008/2015, and Brazilian Health Survey-2013/2019) conducted among a nationally representative sample of Brazilian adults. The authors used data on different domains of physical activity (leisure, commute, total transport, and total physical activity) and sedentary behavior (TV viewing and other types of screens) that were available in the different surveys. Gender, age group, country region, ethnicity, type of area and city, and quintiles of income and educational achievement were used as sociodemographic correlates. The prevalence of leisure-time physical activity increased over time (2008: 7.0% vs 2019: 26.5%). There was also an increased trend of social inequality in leisure-time physical activity. A trend of reduction was observed for active commuting (2008: 35.0% vs 2019: 21.8%), while total transport physical activity was stable (2013: 49.5% vs 2019: 49.6%). Directions of findings were opposite for sedentary behavior, with reduced trend for >3 hours per day of TV viewing (2008: 34.8% vs 2019: 21.8%) and increased trend for >3 hours per day of other types of screen time (2008: 6.4% vs 2019: 22.2%). A positive trend exists in leisure-time physical activity, but there was also an increase in social inequalities for physical activity in Brazil.