Inequality Of Opportunity Research Articles

Gender distribution of editors and authors of reference textbooks in anatomic pathology: further edits are required

Compared to other medical specialties, pathology has a significant number of women in the academic workforce (43%). Gender disparities, particularly those disadvantaging women, are a reality in academic medicine with documented inequalities in salary, leadership opportunities, and faculty promotion. One important element of academic advancement is the recognition obtained when serving as editor or main author of reference textbooks. We aimed to document the gender distribution of editors/authors in anatomic pathology by surveying 205 subspecialty publications over a 20-year period. Gender of each editor/author was recorded after surveying their institutional or other professional biographies. When biography was non-contributory, gender was extracted from the National Provider Identifier Database. A total of 462 editors/authors were identified: 275 (59.5%) men and 187 (40.5%) women. This distribution was similar to the 2015 (39% women) and 2019 (43.4% women) Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) benchmark for US academic pathologists. The gender distribution in each of the main anatomic pathology subspecialties was estimated by surveying the websites of 20 North American academic pathology departments (totaling 1893 listed individuals). Compared to this benchmark, some subspecialties had more men in editor/author roles than their representation in academic departments including Dermatopathology (observed vs expected difference, Δ = 41.3%), Genitourinary Pathology (Δ = 29.4%), Renal & Transplant Pathology (Δ = 22.4%) and Head & Neck Pathology (Δ = 21.6%). Other subspecialties had more women in editor/author roles than their representation in academic departments including Molecular Pathology (Δ = 31.4%), Gastrointestinal Pathology (Δ = 21.4%), and Bone & Soft Tissue Pathology (Δ = 19.4%). Editors/authors of multiple (>1) publications were frequent and skewed gender representation in most specialties. The overall gender distribution of editor/author roles is similar to that of the US pathology workforce. However, significant disparities exist in certain subspecialties affecting both women and men. This landscape can guide efforts by editors, publishers, and academic institutions to bring equity to the academic field by providing fair editorial and authorship opportunities to academic pathologists.

IDEAL TEACHER AND STUDENT IMAGE IN AYTMATOV’S FIRST TEACHER NOVEL: DÜYŞEN AND ALTINAY

In Aytmatov's novel, My First Teacher, the difficulties experienced by the Kyrgyz in the transition from verbal and natural education to formal education, brought about by the nomadic life, are explained through the characters of teacher Düyşen and his student Altınay Süleymanovna. Aytmatov's ideal is to create well-educated, modern Kyrgyz people, without discriminating between men and women. This project makes it necessary to execute the mental change that will mean a total revolution, to break the negative influence of the tradition and to bring forth role models. In the novel, the characters of teacher Düyşen and female student Altınay were fictionalized as role models who will achieve this job by creating a new life against the past and living and spreading it. Despite of his lacking qualifications to be a proper teacher, Düyşen touches his students’ lives with the sacrifices he makes for them. Düyşen, who struggles with both the people against education and physical inadequacies, never gives up. As a woman, Altınay takes her share of a woman's luck, being tortured by her aunt, forced to wed an already married man at the age of fifteen, but she still never stops fighting for herself. Düyşen achieves the ideal of Aytmatov by improving through his insufficient teaching, and his student Altınay as a well-known and respected professor. In this study, educational, cultural issues and financial problems mentioned in the novel; the ideal teacher and student image, and through Altınay, the woman's ability to overcome her misfortune due to inequality of opportunity to make a new life and order possible for herself will be focused upon. Document analysis and descriptive scanning model, among qualitative research methods, are used in the study. &nbsp

Law of Quotas and inequalities of class, race and sex: the student retention policy in the technical and vocational education and training of the Instituto Federal Fluminense

Based on Gramscian concept of Integral State and the theory of social justice by Nancy Fraser (2001), using intersectionality as an analytical tool, the retention and success policy in technical and vocational education and training at the Instituto Federal Fluminense (IFF) was investigated, and how it addresses the inequalities of class, race and gender. The documents analyzed recognize that there is inequality of opportunity in access to education and that quotas with criteria defined by Law 12.711/2012 (BRASIL, 2012a) are necessary for the democratization of education. It is observed a contradiction between the recognition of inequalities in opportunities of access, present in the three documents analyzed, but the non-recognition of them in retention, with the absence of actions and indicators that allow the diagnosis of inequalities in dropout, permanence and completion of the course among student groups with cuts of race, class and gender, also between quota holders and non-quota holders. It highlights the different ideologies in dispute for hegemony within the scope of civil society in which IFF community and its institutional policies are inserted. Measures are suggested to improve the planning, execution and evaluation of IFF's student retention policies with focus on social justice.

Research attitudes, practice and literacy among Kenyan palliative care healthcare professionals: an observational, cross-sectional online survey

Background:While research is needed to advocate for implementation of global agendas to strengthen palliative care, healthcare professionals’ research literacy must improve to bridge the gap between evidence and practice. A resurgent focus on North-South power disparities, means attention should also focus on understanding low- and middle-income countries’ local agency to implement palliative care research agendas.Methods:An observational, cross-sectional online survey among Kenyan palliative healthcare professionals currently working at any of the palliative and hospice care organizations operational during January – December 2019, using descriptive statistics.Results:Among the 93 survey respondents, participants were mainly nurses (50.54%; n = 47). Regarding research attitudes: all agreed/strongly agreed research was important for their professional work. Over nine-tenths (91.21%; n = 83) reported having the skills to conduct research, and 91.30% (n = 84) wanted to conduct research in their clinical work. 90% (90.21%; n = 83) reported supervisory support to conduct research. A comparable proportion (90.22%; n = 83) would undertake research if they could find funding. Regarding research practice: over two-thirds (70.65%; n = 65) reported ever having had a mentor who encouraged them to do research, while approximately half (50.59%; n = 43) reported reading evidence-based journal articles about once per month and attending monthly in-house meetings on palliative care (56.79%; n = 46). Regarding research literacy: while over two-fifths of respondents described their current research literacy level as ‘none’ or ‘beginner’ (44.56%; n = 41), a comparable proportion described it as ‘intermediate’ (45.65%; n = 42), with 9 (9.78%) stating it was ‘advanced’.Conclusion:The majority of palliative healthcare professionals report having interest, skills and support at work to conduct palliative care research, with a low-to-medium level of research literacy. The current study explored palliative care staff attitudes to, experience in, and literacy with the research process, which is necessary to creating a dialogue on implementing research findings. This study also adds to the global empowerment agenda, addressing inequities in research opportunities and local capacity to own and undertake palliative care research.

Wellbeing of female employees: What workplaces do women love?

Purpose: Previous research has highlighted that employee wellbeing in the workplace is closely linked to equity, achievement, and interactions. However, gender inequality in employment opportunities, work-life imbalance, the gender pay gap, and the existence of the glass ceiling are workplace realities and generate failures that can reduce women’s happiness and wellbeing. Based on the theories of organisational justice, affective events, and transactional stress, this research attempts to identify the initiatives or actions that can act as true levers to promote equality and to contribute to the creation of inclusive and enchanting workplaces for female employees.Design: This study was carried out using the Delphi method. The panel consisted of a group of Spanish experts from the academic and professional fields who had close relationships with the topic of research.Findings: Parity objectives and flexibility measures are actions that can be effective in achieving gender equality in companies. Factors related to equitable, fair, and non-discriminatory treatment are the main determinants of female wellbeing in the workplace. The quality of female employment and having leaders capable of creating inclusive environments increases the attractiveness of organisations for women.Originality/value: This research yields interesting findings on the responsibility and role of companies in fulfilling the demands of female employees and in making women fall in love with the workplace. It may be especially relevant in the COVID-19 scenario.

The impact of smartphone use on learning effectiveness: A case study of primary school students.

This study investigated the effects of smartphone use on the perceived academic performance of elementary school students. Following the derivation of four hypotheses from the literature, descriptive analysis, t testing, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), Pearson correlation analysis, and one-way multivariate ANOVA (MANOVA) were performed to characterize the relationship between smartphone behavior and academic performance with regard to learning effectiveness. All coefficients were positive and significant, supporting all four hypotheses. We also used structural equation modeling (SEM) to determine whether smartphone behavior is a mediator of academic performance. The MANOVA results revealed that the students in the high smartphone use group academically outperformed those in the low smartphone use group. The results indicate that smartphone use constitutes a potential inequality in learning opportunities among elementary school students. Finally, in a discussion of whether smartphone behavior is a mediator of academic performance, it is proved that smartphone behavior is the mediating variable impacting academic performance. Fewer smartphone access opportunities may adversely affect learning effectiveness and academic performance. Elementary school teachers must be aware of this issue, especially during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The findings serve as a reference for policymakers and educators on how smartphone use in learning activities affects academic performance.

Upper and Lower Bound Estimates of Inequality of Opportunity: A Cross‐National Comparison for Europe

I provide lower and upper bound estimates of inequality of opportunity (IOp) for 32 European countries, between 2005 and 2019. Lower bound estimates use machine learning methods to address sampling variability. Upper bound estimates use longitudinal data to capture all‐time invariant factors. Across all years and countries, lower bound estimates of IOp account from 6 percent to 60 percent of total income inequality, while upper bound estimates account from 20 percent to almost all income inequality. On average, upper bound IOp saw a slight decrease in the aftermath of the Great Recession, recovering and stabilizing at around 80 percent of total inequality in the second half of the 2010s. Lower bound estimates for 2005, 2011, and 2019 show a similar pattern. My findings suggest that lower and upper bound estimates complement each other, corroborating information and compensating each other's weaknesses, highlighting the relevance of a bounded estimate of IOp.

Causal bias in measures of inequality of opportunity

In recent decades, economists have developed methods for measuring the country-wide level of inequality of opportunity. The most popular method, called the ex-ante method, uses data on the distribution of outcomes stratified by groups of individuals with the same circumstances, in order to estimate the part of outcome inequality that is due to these circumstances. I argue that these methods are potentially biased, both upwards and downwards, and that the unknown size of this bias could be large. To argue that the methods are biased, I show that they ought to measure causal or counterfactual quantities, while the methods are only capable of identifying correlational information. To argue that the bias is potentially large, I illustrate how the causal complexity of the real world leads to numerous non-causal correlations between circumstances and outcomes and respond to objections claiming that such correlations are nonetheless indicators of unfair disadvantage, that is, inequality of opportunity.

Decomposing changes in the geography of metropolitan inequality

ABSTRACT The geography of economic opportunity and residential segregation are important factors driving racial disparities in employment outcomes. We present here the changing landscape of opportunity in large metropolitan areas in the United States to describe how the spatial structure of opportunity is evolving. Using decomposable inequality indices, we break down the spatial inequality of opportunity into two components: inequality within subareas (inner cities, inner suburbs, and outer suburbs) and inequality between subareas. According to our findings, economic opportunity is primarily driven by inequality within subareas. The situation is particularly evident in metropolitan areas where suburban employment is growing concurrently with the suburbanization of Black and Hispanic populations. Our findings suggest that the geography of metropolitan opportunity in the U.S. is changing in ways that will alter our traditional understanding of the relationship between race, space, and economic opportunity.

Reflections on Consultation: Applying a DisCrit and Equitable Implementation Lens to Help School Psychologists Disrupt Disparities

ABSTRACT School psychologists can engage in consultation to address inequities in educational opportunities to support multiply marginalized students. This critical work is codified in the NASP 2020 Practice Model, which outlines professional and organizational principles to facilitate school psychologists’ engagement in equitable, effective supports to students, schools, and families. However, the legacy of historical beliefs about race and ability, based on white supremacy, have become intertwined in complex ways that are evident within and across multiple school ecologies, including consultation. In this paper, we apply DisCrit, a theoretical framework that incorporates a dual analysis of race and ability through an integration of critical race theory and disability studies, to provide a conceptual review of problem-solving consultation structure, roles, and purpose. Next, we highlight the potential of embedding equitable implementation, an emerging perspective from implementation science, into consultation. Equitable implementation occurs when strong equity components (e.g., trusting relationships, community-defined evidence) are integrated into the implementation process to facilitate quality delivery of programs. With this perspective and an illustrated case study, we hope to provide actionable steps for researchers and practitioners to center disrupting problematic ecologies and advancing equity as foundational in their consultation. We also reflect on opportunities, challenges, and implications for training and practice that are aligned with the NASP 2020 Practice Model.

Schools, circumstances and inequality of opportunities in Chile

The equality of opportunity approach establishes that welfare inequalities emerge from differences in individual efforts and circumstances of origin. However, observable data on adults’ childhood circumstances are usually lacking. To identify these, we take advantage of the Chilean school system implemented in 1981, which instituted three types of school: public, private-voucher and private-paid schools clearly differentiated according to the children’s socioeconomic background. Using longitudinal data, parametric and nonparametric techniques, our main finding suggest that there is a substantial impact of childhood circumstances, captured by the school type, on the wage rate: attending private-voucher or private-paid schools systematically increases Chileans’ wages.

Pre-market discrimination or post-market discrimination: research on inequality of opportunity for labor income in China

Pre-market discrimination or post-market discrimination: research on inequality of opportunity for labor income in China

Suriyeli Lise Öğrencilerinin Kariyer Sürecine Etki Eden Faktörler: Öğrenci Ve Veli Görüşleri

Bu araştırmanın amacı geçici koruma altındaki Suriyeli lise öğrencilerinin kariyer planlamalarına etki eden faktörlere yönelik öğrenci ve veli görüşlerinin incelenmesidir. Bu kapsamda 6 kadın 6 erkek 12 öğrenci ve bu öğrencilerin velileri olan 6 kadın 6 erkek 12 veliyle görüşmeler gerçekleştirilmiştir. Araştırmanın amacına yönelik olarak nitel araştırma yöntemlerinden olgubilim (fenomenoloji/ phenomenology) deseni kullanılmıştır. Araştırmacı tarafından bu araştırma için geliştirilen ‘’Göçmen Lise Öğrencilerinde Kariyer Görüşme Formu’’ ve ‘’Göçmen Lise Öğrenci Velilerinde Kariyer Görüşme Formu’’ veri toplamak amacıyla yarı yapılandırılmış görüşmelerde kullanılmıştır. Toplanan verileri bilgisayar destekli analiz programında içerik analizine tabii tutulmuştur. Bu bağlamda öğrenci ve veli görüşmelerinde, öğrencilerin kariyer planlarına etki eden faktörlerin daha çok kişisel faktörler olduğu; kişisel faktörlerinde sırasıyla öz-yetkinlik inançları, sonuç beklentileri ve seçim hedefleri olduğu anlaşılmıştır. İki grupta da ilgilerin ve performansın öz-yetkinliği önemli şekilde etkilediği, yetenek alanlarının performans ve ilgilerle örtüştüğü, görüşlerin sırasıyla; yabancı dil öğrencimi, spor faaliyetleri, teknoloji kullanımı ve el becerisi alanlarına yoğunlaştığı görülmüştür. Sonuç beklentilerinde Suriyeli öğrencilerde sırasıyla; yardım etme, saygınlık kazama ve maddi kazanç ön plana çıkarken velilerde sırasıyla; saygınlık kazanma, yardım etme ve özerklik-bağımsızlık elde etme ön plana çıkmıştır. Bağlamsal faktörlerden kariyer engelleri konusunda öğrencilerde ön plana çıkan faktörler; ekonomik yetersizlik, toplumsal dışlanma ve savaşın olumsuz etkileri olmuştur. Veli görüşmelerinde ise öne çıkan kariyer engelleri sırasıyla ekonomik yetersizlik, fırsat eşitsizliği ve gelecek belirsizliği olmuştur. İki grupta da öne çıkan kariyer desteği aile desteği olmuştur.

THE FIRST MID-TERM BREAK IN THE TURKISH EDUCATION SYSTEM: STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES ACCORDING TO SCHOOL STAKEHOLDERS

Bu araştırmada Türk Milli Eğitim Sistemi içerisinde 2019 yılı Kasım ayında ilk kez uygulanan ara tatilin güçlü ve zayıf yanlarına ilişkin okul paydaşlarının görüşlerinin belirlenmesi amaçlanmıştır. Temel nitel araştırma deseninin benimsendiği araştırmanın çalışma grubunu yirmi dokuz katılımcı oluşturmaktadır. Veriler yarı yapılandırılmış görüşme formu aracılığıyla yüz yüze görüşmelerle elde edilmiş ve içerik analiziyle çözümlenmiştir. Araştırmanın bulgularına göre öğrencilerin akademik eksiklerini gidermelerine, sosyal-kültürel-sportif etkinliklere katılabilmelerine, okula olumlu tutum geliştirebilmelerine olanak tanıması; öğretmenlerin mesleki ve kişisel gelişimlerine, olumlu iş yeri arkadaşlığı kurabilmelerine katkı sağlaması; velilerin aile ilişkilerini güçlendirmesine fırsat sunması ara tatilin güçlü yanlarıdır. Ayrıca ara tatilin bir örgüt olarak okul için örgüt iklimine ve örgütsel öğrenmeye destek olması ara tatilin güçlü yanlarındandır. Ancak ara tatilin öğrenciler için öğrenme ve motivasyon kaybına neden olması, fırsat eşitsizliği oluşturması; öğretmenler için planlamadaki yetersizlik nedeniyle verimsiz seminer ve etkinlik programının uygulanması; veliler için bazı dezavantajlar nedeniyle fırsat eşitsizliğine yol açması gibi zayıf yanları bulunmaktadır.

Inequality of Opportunity in Accessing Maternal and Newborn Healthcare Services: Evidence from the Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey

Under-five mortality is known to be the result of a wide variety of inputs, among which the availability of maternal and child health services. However, their coverage and distribution, in low- and middle-income countries, continue to remain inadequate and characterized by significant inequalities. The main aim of this study is to investigate the causes of inequality in accessing the basic maternal and newborn healthcare services in Bangladesh. To this end, we use nationally representative cross-sectional data from the Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS), 2014. Our study builds on the Human Opportunity Index (HOI), developed at the World Bank (in World development report: Equity and development, World Bank, Washington, 2006), which measures the total contribution of individual socioeconomic and demographic circumstances to inequality of opportunity in accessing basic services. Our findings reveal that a mother’s education, wealth index and place of residence, are closely associated with access to basic maternal and newborn healthcare services.

Interventions for Inclusion in TVET through Private-Public Development Partnership in Ethiopia and Zambia

The study is about reconfiguring Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) through Private-Public Development Partnership (PPDP) for the inclusion of disadvantaged groups in Ethiopia and Zambia. A PPDP is a cooperation between national and foreign actors targeted at development activities and is a governmental strategy to increase the standard of TVET, including strategies to include disadvantaged learners. This article focuses on two PPDPs, one comprising a TVET college in Ethiopia and another in Zambia. The aim is to analyse and compare the curricular strategies of these two PPDPs to revamp TVET for the inclusion of disadvantaged learners. Data was generated through document analysis, interviews and focus groups. The findings indicate that both PPDPs served as an intervention to the TVET institutions, thereby including disadvantaged learners in contexts of huge inequality of opportunities. The article points to tensions relating to inclusion, particularly about how global educational policy trends contend with the realities in local labour markets and the needs of TVET graduates who will work therein.

Analysis of the impact of increasing feminization in the healthcare system on urology

Hintergrund und FragestellungZiel dieser wissenschaftlichen Arbeit war es, Genderaspekte und Trends in Klinik, Forschung und Niederlassung in der Urologie zu analysieren. Dabei lag der Fokus auf der Objektivierung des genderspezifischen Wandels im Fachgebiet „Urologie“ zum aktuellen Zeitpunkt und in der Zukunft.Material und MethodenEs erfolgte eine digitale Umfrage bei urologischen Ärzt:innen in Deutschland über das Portal SurveyMonkey©, welche über den E‑Mail-Verteiler der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Urologie e. V. (DGU) und des Berufsverbands der Deutschen Urologen e. V. (BvDU) an alle eingetragenen Mitglieder verschickt wurde. Es wurden Basisdaten im ambulanten und stationären Sektor erhoben, sowie geschlechtsspezifische Daten in Bezug auf Arbeitsplatzverteilung, Ziele, Zufriedenheit und Gründe für berufliche Entscheidungen.ErgebnisseDie Auswertung von 398 Antworten ergab, dass urologische Kolleg:innen in der Niederlassung seltener weiblich (23,6 %) und deutlich älter (mittleres Alter 53 Jahre) waren als im stationären Sektor (Frauenanteil 47,2 %, mittleres Alter 43 Jahre). Niedergelassene Vertragsärzt:innen waren mehr Männer (49,4 %) als Frauen (29,9 %) und die Niederlassung wurde von mehr Männern als Berufswunsch angegeben (28,1 % vs. 22,8 %). Die Gründe für die Niederlassung lagen bei Frauen häufiger im familiären Bereich als bei den Männern (Hauptgründe gute Gelegenheit oder Berufswunsch). Frauen arbeiteten häufiger Teilzeit (27,0 % vs. 11,5 %) und strebten häufiger eine Karriere als Oberärztin an (29,1 % der Frauen, 9,4 % der Männer). Entsprechend war der Wunsch nach einer Habilitation oder Professur bei den Frauen häufiger als bei den Männern (20,5 % vs. 15 %). Signifikant mehr Urologinnen sahen eine Ungleichheit bei den beruflichen Aufstiegschancen (59,7 % vs. 17,5 %, p < 0,001) und 73,3 % (vs. 18,5 % der Männer, p < 0,001) empfanden ihr Geschlecht als Ursache einer Benachteiligung. Dies führte zu einer signifikant geringeren Zufriedenheit von Frauen mit ihrem beruflichen Status (p = 0,008), sowie einem geringeren Gefühl der Wertschätzung (p < 0,001).SchlussfolgerungUm die Urologie zukunftsfähig zu machen ist es essenziell, Genderaspekte noch stärker zu berücksichtigen. Der eingeschlagene Weg, der nächsten Generation von Urolog:innen ein modernes Fachgebiet zu bieten, in dem alle Ärzt:innen unabhängig von ihrem Geschlecht gerne arbeiten, wertgeschätzt werden und Chancengleichheit herrscht, sollte unbedingt weiter verfolgt und intensiviert werden, um die Urologie für die Zukunft gut aufzustellen.Zusatzmaterial onlineDie Online-Version dieses Beitrags (10.1007/s00120-022-01931-3) enthält eine Tabellarische Darstellung der vollständigen Umfrageergebnisse „Genderaspekte in Klinik und Niederlassung“.

Inequality of opportunity in a land of equal opportunities: The impact of parents’ health and wealth on their offspring’s quality of life in Norway

BackgroundThe literature on Inequality of opportunity (IOp) in health distinguishes between circumstances that lie outside of own control vs. efforts that – to varying extents – are within one’s control. From the perspective of IOp, this paper aims to explain variations in individuals’ health-related quality of life (HRQoL) by focusing on two separate sets of variables that clearly lie outside of own control: Parents’ health is measured by their experience of somatic diseases, psychological problems and any substance abuse, while parents’ wealth is indicated by childhood financial conditions (CFC).We further include own educational attainment which may represent a circumstance, or an effort, and examine associations of IOp for different health outcomes. HRQoL are measured by EQ-5D-5L utility scores, as well as the probability of reporting limitations on specific HRQoL-dimensions (mobility, self-care, usual-activities, pain & discomfort, and anxiety and depression).MethodWe use unique survey data (N = 20,150) from the egalitarian country of Norway to investigate if differences in circumstances produce unfair inequalities in health. We estimate cross-sectional regression models which include age and sex as covariates. We estimate two model specifications. The first represents a narrow IOp by estimating the contributions of parents’ health and wealth on HRQoL, while the second includes own education and thus represents a broader IOp, alternatively it provides a comparison of the relative contributions of an effort variable and the two sets of circumstance variables.ResultsWe find strong associations between the circumstance variables and HRQoL. A more detailed examination showed particularly strong associations between parental psychological problems and respondents’ anxiety and depression. Our Shapley decomposition analysis suggests that parents’ health and wealth are each as important as own educational attainment for explaining inequalities in adult HRQoL.ConclusionWe provide evidence for the presence of the lasting effect of early life circumstances on adult health that persists even in one of the most egalitarian countries in the world. This suggests that there may be an upper limit to how much a generous welfare state can contribute to equal opportunities.

Food delivery workers in Mexico City: a gender perspective on the gig economy

ABSTRACT This article analyses the working conditions of women on food delivery digital platforms given that women’s experiences and gender inequality in this sector has been under-explored. Drawing on original survey and interview data on platform-based food delivery workers, we deploy an intersectional lens to explore the ways in which women, especially mothers and other caregivers, experience working in food delivery. Likewise, we analyse inequalities in opportunities and working conditions, and experiences between women and men delivery workers, focusing on income, motivations to join the sector, work environment, and occupational risks. The article finally concludes by providing some recommendations to policymakers to address and guarantee decent working conditions to workers in these new forms of employment.

A Summary Indicator Providing a Snapshot of Political Opinions when Variables are Ordinal

This paper deals with the evaluation of the relative performance of different groups when the achievements of the members of a group are summarised by the relative distribution of these achievements across various ordered categories. After reviewing a previous attempt by Herrero and Vilar to deal with this issue, we propose to adopt an approach introduced recently by Apouey, Silber and Xu who derived a measure of achievement that, in the case of ordinal variables, takes account of both the inequality and the location of a distribution. Their approach is then applied to the analysis of political opinions, using the International Social Survey Programme for the year 2009. We compare questions dealing with respectively the need for the government to reduce income inequality, the duty of the government to help poor and unemployed individuals and the inequality of opportunity in health and education. It appears that the correlations obtained for our summary indicator of political opinions, based on the data covering 41 countries, reflect quite well the distinction we made between the three types of questions on political opinions. In addition, regression results show that generally the higher the inequality in a country, the more likely it is that people will approve government intervention aimed at reducing inequality and poverty.