Issues Of Inequality Research Articles

К вопросу о труде и образовании женщин на страницах журналов «Женский вестник» и «Женщина и война» в конце XIX – начале XX в.

Women’s right to work and education was formed under the influence of life realities and socio-political events of the late 19th – early 20th centuries. Women’s magazines served as a conduit for conveying the political interests of women, where they could learn about the prevalent issue of inequality in society and potential avenues for addressing it. These publications featured stories of women’s oppression in employment, wage disparities, and admission to higher educational institutions. Prior to the 1917 revolution, attitudes towards female labor in Russian society underwent numerous transformations, with working alongside men becoming a vital necessity for women. The exigencies of the First World War greatly contributed to the demand for labor, prompting many women to join the workforce and serve on the front lines as nurses and volunteers, fulfilling their duty to the Motherland. In conclusion, the narrative of women’s rights to labor and education in late Imperial Russia reflects a complex interplay of societal shifts and historical contingencies. As we reflect on this historical trajectory, it is imperative to recognize the ongoing struggle for gender equality and the enduring legacy of women’s activism in shaping the contours of society.

Gasoline and electric vehicle ownership rationing over time: Lottery vs. First-come-first-served schemes

This paper addresses the ownership rationing issues of gasoline vehicles (GV) and electric vehicles (EV) in a given time horizon. A state-owned vehicle manufacturer is assumed to be the producer of these vehicles. Two typical rationing schemes for the GV and EV ownership that have been implemented in some Chinese megacities, namely a simultaneous lottery scheme for both GV and EV and a hybrid scheme consisting of lottery for GV and first-come-first-served (FCFS) for EV, are investigated. Multi-period social cost minimization models are proposed for determining the optimal auto quota (i.e., the number of vehicles to be produced) and the optimal frequency of ownership allocation for each scheme in the given time horizon. In the proposed models, residents’ heterogeneity is considered in terms of their values of time (VOTs). The properties of the proposed models are analytically explored, and a comparison between the lottery mode and the FCFS mode is made. The results show that the lottery mode outperforms the FCFS mode in terms of the total social cost. The VOT threshold of the subsequent participants in auto rationing schemes tends to be higher than that of the preceding participants. The decision of EV subsidy should be cautiously made due to a tug of war between the resultant decreased pollutant emissions and increased traffic congestion. The implementation of the auto ownership rationing schemes can cause inequity issue in terms of the changes of travel costs of different-income residents. A Pareto-improvement strategy is presented to balance equity and efficiency of the rationing schemes.

How Green – If at All – Is Latin America Becoming?

Concerned about the impacts of climate change, many countries are adopting tax policies designed to change the behaviour of emitters of CO2. While climate change may be affecting Latin America and the Caribbean more than some other parts of the world, governments in that region are also concerned about the tax burdens faced by businesses and individuals. In this Talking Points, Silvana Yanichevsky reviews the landscape of green taxes in the region and explains why, in her view, governments will need to address broader issues of social and fiscal inequities before they can fully commit to using tax policy to address climate change.

Analysis of Gender Discourse Bias and Gender Discrimination in Social Media: A Case Study of the TikTok Platform

In the contemporary landscape of new media, social media platforms, particularly exemplified by TikTok, offer female users accessible and cost-effective means for self-expression and communication. However, this study reveals that such platforms, despite their apparent openness and liberality, have not effectively challenged or changed the persistent and deep-rooted issue of gender discrimination that women face. This research adopts a qualitative content analysis and specifically focuses on the TikTok platform, where female users frequently encounter various forms of gender discourse bias and discrimination. The findings suggest that female users on TikTok often face stigmatization through the internet lexicon and the commodification of physical appearance, reflecting broader societal issues of gender inequality and objectification. Simultaneously, a segment of the female user base on TikTok is actively engaging in challenging and negotiating these entrenched stereotypes, striving to redefine their representation in the digital space. Furthermore, the research highlights how the anonymity of the internet, the media’s role in encoding and perpetuating gender stereotypes, and the consumerist traps set by capitalist market dynamics, collectively contribute to an illusory facade of gender equality. This facade obscures the underlying realities of discourse bias and gender discrimination that persist in the digital realm.

Does public environmental concern cause pollution transfer? Evidence from Chinese firms' off-site investments

The power of public environmental concern cannot be ignored. It is vital in promoting environmental legislation, corporate social responsibility, and sustainable development. Existing studies have discussed the positive governance effects of public environmental concern on environmental quality but have neglected the issue of environmental inequality due to pollution transfer resulting from differences in public environmental concern. We used the data from the off-site investment of Chinese heavy polluting firms to reveal the impact of public environmental concern on pollution transfer. Our research revealed that (1) Public environmental concern causes polluting firms to transfer out, thus generating the pollution transfer phenomenon. (2) Public environmental concern can cause pollution transfer through increased environmental penalties. From the perspective of external environmental incentives, market competition, market potential, and government environmental concern strengthen the positive influence of public environmental concern on pollution transfer. In terms of the intrinsic motivation of firms, risk-taking capacity, green innovation ability, and asset-stranding risk weaken the positive influence of public environmental concern on pollution transfer. (3) The public environmental concern is also characterized by “grasping the large and letting go of the small”. Public environmental concern remarkably induces pollution transfer when firms' environmental awareness is low and local government officials' political incentives are high. These findings help policymakers to place greater emphasis on the power of public concern. Moreover, they can further improve the pluralistic governance structure of environmental regulation.

The marketization of a selective school transition in Switzerland

This article seeks to contribute to ongoing debates on geographies of marketization, which are used in social and geographical research on education to account for the performativity and inherent inconsistencies of markets. This case study draws on students’ transition to the state-funded academically focused school track of Gymnasium in Zurich, Switzerland, which merges intellectual and social selectivity in a central entrance examination. This situation has fostered both a flourishing market of costly private preparation courses offered by educational entrepreneurs and free school courses. We elaborate a detailed picture of this educational market by showcasing the entanglement of public education, private supplementary education and parents obliged to advance their children’s educational careers and well-being. For this purpose, we draw linkages between these groups of actors and three key elements of geographies of marketization: problematization, commodification and calculative agents. Our findings show how this complex set of actors interacts in a constant reproduction and contestation of this market. The issues of social inequalities and subtle forms of resistance appear recurrently in our findings, and we argue that a geographies of marketization approach enables a fuller picture to be drawn of this educational transition market. In our conclusion, we suggest that this approach might also be helpful in critically questioning the borders between state-funded education and private supplementary education to improve the chances of transition to Gymnasium for all aspiring children regardless of their social or migration background.

Barriers to and facilitators of paediatric medical device innovation: a scoping review protocol

IntroductionThe development of paediatric medical devices continues to lag adult medical devices and contributes to issues of inequity, safety, quality and patient outcomes. New legislation and funding mechanisms have been...

Governmental management of social housing as an element of state social policy: Bibliometric analysis

Social housing for socially vulnerable segments of the population is a significant component of governmental social policy, as it is directly linked to demographic and migration processes, socially vulnerable groups and people with special needs, poverty alleviation, social integration, and community development. The study conducts a bibliometric analysis (using VOSviewer tools) of the scientific literature on social housing policy and management. The study filtered more than 6,000 research papers indexed in the Scopus database from 1983 to 2024. The purpose was to structure the global scientific knowledge on governmental management of social housing as an element of the state’s social policy, focusing on the following directions. The first is the evolution of scientific thought. The analysis revealed a rapid growth in scientific interest starting from 1991; the earliest articles were published in the United Kingdom, Netherlands, and the United States, while scholars from Spain, Mexico, and Italy joined after 2020. The second is the complexity or conversely – concentration of research networks. The top five countries by the number of works are the United Kingdom, Australia, the Netherlands, Italy, and the United States; the most powerful research schools are in the Netherlands, Australia, and the United Kingdom; the most extensive scientific connections are held by the Netherlands, the United States, the United Kingdom, Italy, and France. The third is the content-thematic orientation of the research. The paper identified the predominance of works from social sciences; social housing issues are most frequently studied in connection with public health and inequality issues.

Monetary policy rules and the inequality-augmented Phillips curve

Much has been written on the relationship between inflation and unemployment; however, the issue of inequality and the fact that monetary policy has an impact on inequality when attempting to influence these variables is frequently overlooked. By contrast, this paper explores the relationship between inequality, unemployment, and inflation. To do so, we extend the agent-based model of Rolim et al. (2023) and investigate the inflation-unemployment-inequality nexus, which results in the inequality-augmented Phillips curve, linking higher unemployment to lower inflation and higher inequality. We show that the decrease in low-wage workers’ bargaining power may explain the flattening of the Phillips curve and higher income and wage inequalities. In a second experiment, we find that a monetary policy rule prioritizing low inflation rates leads to higher unemployment and inequality. Overall, our results suggest that income inequality should be considered an important monetary policy dimension.

Traversing the digital divide in concept and effect: Relative interpretations and orientations

AbstractThis discussion offers a general framing and positioning statement for identifying and considering principal analytical dimensions and policy concerns in relation to the deep and persistent digital divide that marks today's increasingly digitalized world. The digital divide encompasses various socio‐technological inequalities and inequities apparent within and across different groups, organizations, and geographic areas. Also linked to the growing Internet of Things, the digital divide generally refers to differences in information and communications technologies access and artificial intelligence applications and usage within social systems and among the countries of the world. Indicating different types and levels of socio‐technological engagement and impact, it is an issue of social, cultural, institutional, economic, and political inequality and stratification processes in which disadvantage and vulnerability, as well as privilege and power, are distributed. Related digital asymmetries are considered here in conceptual, theoretical, and applied terms relative to various issues as critical representations of relative divides characterized by socio‐spatial inequalities, inequities, and disparities in information and knowledge creation, access, opportunities, usage, and benefits. Also considered are aspirational goals for mitigating such asymmetries in related policy dialogues and directives, asserting possibilities for enhancing well‐being across sectors and peoples.

한국 청소년의 문화·예술경험과 정의적 성취

Objectives This study aims to examine the disparities in cultural and artistic experiences among adolescents ac-cording to gender and family background. It seeks to clarify the longitudinal relationship between cultural and ar-tistic experiences and affective achievements, shedding light on the growing issue of educational inequality in Korean society. Methods Using the Korean Children and Youth Panel Survey 2018 Middle School Panel, structural equation models with fixed effects were applied to examine the longitudinal relationship between adolescent cultural and artistic experiences and affective aspects such as happiness, self-esteem, and life satisfaction. Results Descriptive statistical analysis showed that female students and those with parents of higher educational and income levels had significantly higher levels of cultural and artistic experiences. Meanwhile, the positive rela-tionship between cultural and artistic experiences and affective achievements was more pronounced among male students. Specifically, for male students, the relationships between cultural and artistic experiences during the past year and current life satisfaction, happiness, and self-esteem were statistically significant, and the creativity was positively significant for both male and female students. Conclusions The research findings demonstrate the gap in cultural and artistic experiences among adolescents across social classes, and the longitudinal relationship between the experiences and adolescents' affective development. It supports the need for enhanced accessibility to cultural and art education through public educa-tion systems.

The Position of Women in Perspective of Islamic History: Dismissed the Issue of Inequality in Islam

The Position of Women in Perspective of Islamic History: Dismissed the Issue of Inequality in Islam

Sidewalk‐based bicycle path network design incorporating equity in cycling time

AbstractMany cities find it difficult to claim enough land to build dedicated bicycle lanes. In response, this study proposes a novel framework to design a bicycle path network based on the existing sidewalks where selected sidewalk links are converted into eligible bicycle paths. The output will be a subset of the sidewalk links chosen to be converted to eligible bicycle paths with minimum cost such that all origin–destination (O‐D) pairs are connected with bicycle paths and cyclists from each O‐D pair can enjoy similar degrees of equity. The equity defined here is that cyclists from each O‐D pair will not need to travel excessively longer in time in the designed bicycle path network than in the original sidewalk network. A novel decomposition‐based dynamic dimensional search is proposed to solve the problem. The numerical experiments of a university campus and Clementi town in Singapore have shown our algorithm with varying equity parameter choices can provide tangible inclusive bicycle path network designs and improve as many as 80% equity in certain O‐D pairs with critical inequity issues.

The post-war Japanese eating model: A sociological exploration of semi-compressed food modernity

Among multiple factors that can influence people’s food security, the gender inequality factor has attracted inadequate attention in high-income countries, particularly in Japan. To analyse how and why gender inequality issue has been neglected in food policy in Japan, I propose the notion of the ‘post-war Japanese eating model’ based on the sociologies of family and food. I demonstrate how Japanese society has persisted with this eating model by examining two dominant dietary discourses, the Japanese dietary pattern and Hōshoku (deterioration of dietary practices). The former reinforced the post-war Japanese eating model, despite the prevailing agricultural and nutritional accounts. Regarding the latter discourse, Hōshoku was overestimated, resulting in enlarging the contradiction between norms (the Japanese dietary pattern) and practices. Given the increasing difficulty in performing such practice, their dietary norms need to be reconstructed through awareness of reflexive or ‘semi-compressed’ food modernity facing Japan.

Promoting Awareness and Self-Efficacy for Culturally Responsive Teaching of Pre-Service Teachers Through the Identity Project – a Mixed Methods Study

ABSTRACT Culturally Responsive Teaching (CRT) provides a framework for teachers to include students’ ethnic-cultural identities in class, aiming to tackle issues of educational and societal inequity. This quasi-experimental mixed methods intervention study tested whether pre-service teachers attending a seminar based on an ethnic-cultural identity school intervention, the Identity Project, would show greater CRT self-efficacy and more positive beliefs about teaching in ethnic-culturally diverse classes, compared to a control group. Repeated measures ANCOVAs of survey data from 606 pre-service teachers in Germany indicated a stronger T1-T2 increase in confidence for interacting with ethnic-culturally diverse students and engaging in culture- and ethnic-related conversations in the intervention group. No significant time-by-group interactions emerged for other CRT facets. A content analysis of brief texts of pre-service teachers in the intervention group revealed they became more self-reflective about their own beliefs, learned about CRT practices for their own teaching, and gained confidence for including issues of ethnicity and culture in class. Yet, the complexity of ethnic-cultural diversity-related topics left some pre-service teachers feeling overwhelmed about how to adequately address ethnic-cultural diversity in the classroom. Overall, the Identity Project seminar raised pre-service teachers’ awareness and self-efficacy for engaging in CRT in the future.

Household debt burden growth factors: Evidence from Russian regions

Subject. This article discusses the issues of social inequality, financial literacy of the population, and the peculiarities of the development of the banking system in some regions of Russia. Objectives. The article aims to assess the impact of economic, social, demographic, and religious factors on changes in the level of debt burden of residents of Russian regions. Methods. For the study, I used a regression analysis of the Rosstat and the Bank of Russia panel data. Results. The estimations show that a decrease in per capita incomes and an increase in the level of social inequality have a positive effect on the debt burden growth. The debt burden increases with an increase in the percentage of the population below working age and a decrease in the percentage of the population over working age, as well as an increase in the percentage of the employed with higher education. The level of debt burden is higher in regions with a wide spread of Buddhism and lower in regions with a wide spread of Islam. Conclusions. The upward trend in the debt burden of residents of regions characterized by a low level of economic development and high social inequality threatens to reduce the standard of living. However, the possibilities of neutralizing it by means of monetary and macroprudential policies and through the implementation of financial literacy programmes are limited. It is necessary to implement capital-intensive measures to develop the economic base of problem regions.

A paradox of economic benefit and social equity of green space in megacity: Evidence from Tianjin in China

Urban green space (UGS) plays a crucial role in socio-ecological systems and has been recognized as an important factor in promoting sustainable cities and communities. Although a few studies have proposed a paradox of the incompatibility of economic benefit and social equity in UGS, the mechanisms through which the economic benefits of UGS interact with social equity have not been adequately demonstrated in developing countries. Here, we employ multi-source geographic information and 1559 residents survey data to investigate not only the economic benefit of UGS in the housing prices market from a macro perspective, but also the social inequity issues resulting from the housing choices of different social classes under "UGS economic benefit" from a micro perspective. Results reveal that the economic value premium of UGS in the housing market triggered a differentiation effect in housing prices, subsequently influencing housing preferences among various social classes, thus intensifying social residential segregation. This phenomenon underscores the emergence of the green space paradox. Moreover, the phenomenon of the UGS paradox has emerged in megacities of developing countries, where UGS is gradually being occupied by social elites, while vulnerable groups remain marginalized. These findings provide valuable insights into the planning layout of UGS in global high-density built-up areas that a small and decentralized UGS layout will be more economically efficient and socially equitable than a large and centralized UGS layout.

Study on the Dynamic Relationship between Education Investment Policies and Income Distribution

The core objective of this study is to deeply explore the complex interactive relationship between education investment policies and income distribution. The aim is to comprehensively analyze the specific mechanism of education investment in shaping the income distribution pattern, and to examine in detail how income distribution inequality issues feedback and affect the design, implementation, and effectiveness of education investment policies. To achieve this goal, the study will systematically review relevant theoretical frameworks and empirical research results, aiming to reveal the deep logic of mutual influence and causality between the two. The research will focus on the impact path of education investment on income distribution, including but not limited to: improving individual human capital, enhancing employment competitiveness, and thereby affecting individual income; By improving the overall education level of society, promoting the upgrading of industrial structure, indirectly affecting the overall income distribution structure; And the impact of the differential distribution of education investment between urban and rural areas and regions on income inequality. We will conduct a detailed analysis of how changes in education investment in dimensions such as scale, structure, and efficiency can be transformed into reshaping forces on income distribution patterns. We will delve into the reverse shaping effect of income inequality on education investment policies and propose targeted policy recommendations.

Educational Inequality in the Context of China's Educational Expansion

Since the conclusion of World War II, the topic of educational growth has garnered global interest, including in China. While the education expansion program has given several benefits and advantages to China, there are still many faults in the strategy. This paper examines the issue of educational inequality within the framework of educational growth in China. The paper examines educational inequity in China within the framework of educational growth, focusing on four key areas: educational inequity stemming from socio-economic factors, urban-rural disparities, insufficient secondary education, and gender disparities. After examining the aforementioned factors, this study asserts that the issue of educational inequality persists and proves to be particularly challenging to eradicate in certain areas, such as socio-economic disparity. Based on this, this paper puts forward the following suggestions. First, the government needs to increase spending on education. Second, attention should be paid to improving the balance of educational distribution. Finally, there is a need to close the gender gap in higher education. These guidelines are the best alternative to achieving equality in education.

"I don't know if I can keep doing this": a qualitative investigation of surgeon burnout and opportunities for organization-level improvement.

Burnout is a pressing issue within surgical environments, bearing considerable consequences for both patients and surgeons alike. Given its prevalence and the unique contextual factors within academic surgical departments, it is critical that efforts are dedicated to understanding this issue. Moreover, active involvement of surgeons in these investigations is critical to ensure viability and uptake of potential strategies in their local setting. Thus, the purpose of this study was to explore surgeons' experiences with burnout and identify strategies to mitigate its drivers at the level of the organization. A qualitative case study was conducted by recruiting surgeons for participation in a cross-sectional survey and semi-structured interviews. Data collected were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis, which was informed by the Areas of Worklife Model. Overall, 28 unique surgeons participated in this study; 11 surgeons participated in interviews and 22 provided responses through the survey. Significant contributors to burnout identified included difficulties providing adequate care to patients due to limited resources and time available in academic medical centers and the moral injury associated with these challenges. The inequitable remuneration associated with education, administration, and leadership roles as a result of the Fee-For-Service model, as well as issues of gender inequity and the individualistic culture prevalent in surgical specialties were also described as contributing factors. Participants suggested increasing engagement between hospital leadership and staff to ensure surgeons are able to access resources to care for their patients, reforming payment plans and workplace polities to address issues of inequity, and improving workplace social dynamics as strategies for addressing burnout. The high prevalence and negative sequalae of burnout in surgery necessitates the formation of targeted interventions to address this issue. A collaborative approach to developing interventions to improve burnout among surgeons may lead to feasible and sustainable solutions.