Level Of Social Benefits Research Articles

Research on enterprise production decision‐making considering consumer heterogeneity under carbon labeling system

AbstractThe article focuses on consumers with heterogeneous preferences for product carbon footprints under two carbon labeling systems: carbon reduction labels and carbon footprint labels. Using mathematical models, the study explores the optimal decision‐making behavior of enterprises under the carbon labeling system based on consumer utility theory at the enterprise level. It also investigates consumer surplus, environmental improvement, and social welfare under different production modes of the carbon reduction label and carbon footprint label systems at the societal level. The research findings are as follows: (1) At the level of economic benefits for enterprises, choosing to produce products with carbon reduction labels is more favorable when the investment costs for emission reduction are high, while choosing to produce products with carbon footprint labels is more favorable when the investment costs for emission reduction are low. The optimal prices of products under the two carbon labeling systems show opposite trends compared to the investment costs for emission reduction. (2) At the level of environmental benefits for enterprises, under the carbon reduction labeling system, whether through full production or a mixed production mode, enterprises are only willing to reduce the carbon footprint of products to the standard value. However, under the carbon footprint labeling system, especially in the mixed production mode, enterprises show a stronger willingness to overachieve in emission reduction target. (3) At the level of social benefits, compared to the situation under the carbon reduction labeling system, when the investment costs for emission reduction are low, the carbon footprint labeling system is more favorable in terms of consumer surplus and social welfare. However, this advantage gradually diminishes as the investment costs for emission reduction increase. (4) Excessive investment costs for emission reduction are detrimental to the implementation of both carbon reduction and carbon footprint labeling systems. The research conclusions suggest that companies should develop appropriate production strategies based on actual circumstances. Additionally, it is necessary for both the government and companies to reduce investment costs in emissions reductions by improving the system and optimizing emission reduction methods in order to better implement carbon labeling policies.

Some Ethical and Legal Challenges in Effective Long-Term Care System Development

The Russian social protection system of recent years has been characterized by the chaotic nature of the ongoing reforms, which sometimes have the main task of solving momentary economic problems. An increase in the level of social benefits or the introduction of new ones occurs, as a rule, for the most active and dissatisfied part of the population. Thus, in 2019, under the influence of public associations of parents of disabled children, the compensation payment for this category of citizens was increased to 10,000 rubles, while the payment to caregivers for other categories of people in need (for example, elderly relatives) remained at the level of 1,200 rubles per month.The obvious lack of general principles for the provision of state aid based on ethical norms understandable to society causes discontent and distrust of the population. The paper attempts to point out the inconsistency of legislation with moral and ethical standards in the field of long-term care, identify shortcomings and develop some proposals for improving the current legislation.The author suggests the following: 1) to support the idea implemented in pilot projects of a number of subjects of the Russian Federation to endow persons caring for relatives with the status of social workers; 2) to raise the amount of payments to unemployed able-bodied caregivers to the minimum wage, since compensation payments by their nature are designed to replace missing earnings; 3) to eliminate unjustified differentiation of payments depending on the status of persons in need of care; 4) to provide for the possibility of working on a part-time basis when providing care, setting fair limits taking into account the amount of compensation payments and income received, etc.

Has Economic Growth in Balkan Countries Been Pro-Poor in the 2012–2017 period?

AbstractThe study investigates whether economic growth in the Balkan countries was pro-poor in the most recent period. We also try to establish to what extent various measures of pro-poorness of economic growth produce consistent and comparable results. Firstly, concepts of pro-poor growth are defined and corresponding approaches toward measuring pro-poor growth are presented. We distinguish between measures based on a general class of pro-poor indices and a dominance-based techniques. In the empirical part of the study, we verified whether economic growth in six Balkan countries (Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Slovenia, Croatia and Serbia) was pro-poor in the 2012–2017 period. The analyses is based on the latest available panel data of the European Union Survey on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC). Growth was pro-poor in Croatia, Romania and Slovenia during the whole analysed period. The growth pattern was non pro-poor in Bulgaria, Greece and Serbia in certain years, mainly during periods of economic downfall. Various measures of pro-poor growth patterns do not produce consistent results in all instances. The results of the conducted comparative analysis suggest that the level of social benefits does not directly influence the pro-poor nature of the economic growth.

Assessing traveler compliance with the social optimum: A stated preference study

The development of Advanced Traveler Information Systems (ATIS) with en-route navigation systems has opened the door to new traffic regulation policies such as collective route guidance based on social costs, i.e. routes that minimize total travel time. However, a critical element for their efficiency is the compliance of travelers with route recommendations. It is well established that the social optimum is different from user equilibrium, where users drive on their shortest path. Thus, even when knowing that recommendations are for the common good, users may still choose not to follow the guidance given and drive as they wish. In this paper, we use a stated preference survey based on route choice situations from a real network to investigate traveler compliance for different levels of travel time sacrifice vs several social benefits. Two kinds of social benefits are considered: congestion alleviation and emission reduction. The data collected allows us to precisely quantify the travel time sacrifice that a given proportion of travelers would be ready to accept in order to take a different alternative that has a given level of social benefit. In line with the literature, our analysis confirms the decrease of compliance with the increase of sacrifice. Moreover, it suggests that the way the recommendation is intended could play a significant role in the level of compliance: the display of an advice message for the social path (in the congestion alleviation case) is shown to be more efficient than only showing additional information (in the emission reduction case).

Implications of government subsidy on the vaccine product R&D when the buyer is risk averse

This paper analyses the choice of subsidy offered to a vaccine supply chain with a risk-averse buyer. We find that for a higher innovation effort and level of social benefits, the per-unit production subsidy is better when there is a low innovation cost coefficient, a low level of risk aversion, or a high potential demand. Otherwise, under the opposite conditions, the R&D innovation effort subsidy should be selected. Furthermore, from an evolutionary game theoretical perspective, we also present the stability performance for the subsidies, and the results show that when the manufacturer’s innovation cost coefficient is relatively low, the more profitable per-unit production subsidy may be abandoned due to its performance instability.

Incorporating social benefits in multi-objective optimization of forest-based bioenergy and biofuel supply chains

Utilization of forest and wood residues to produce bioenergy and biofuels could generate additional revenue streams for forestry companies, reduce their environmental impacts and generate new development opportunities for forest-dependent communities. Further development of forest-based biorefineries entails addressing complexities and challenges related to biomass procurement, logistics, technologies, and sustainability. Numerous optimization models have been proposed for the economic and environmental design of biomass-to-bioenergy or biofuel supply chains. A few of them also maximized the job creation potential of the supply chain through the use of employment multipliers. The use of a total job creation indicator as the social optimization objective implies that all new jobs generate the same level of social benefit. In this paper, we quantify the potential social benefit of new forest-based biorefinery supply chains considering different impacts of new jobs based on their type and location. This social benefit is incorporated into a multi-objective mixed integer linear programming model that maximizes the social benefit, net present value and greenhouse gas emission saving potential of a forest-based biorefinery supply chain. The applicability of the model is illustrated through a case study in the interior region of British Columbia, Canada where different utilization paths for available forest and wood residues are investigated. The multi-objective optimization model is solved using a Pareto-generating method. The analysis of the generated set of Pareto-optimal solutions show a trade-off between the net present value of the supply chain and the other two investigated objectives. Moreover, there is a positive correlation between the potential to generate high impact jobs in the region and its potential to generate greenhouse gas emission savings.

Exploring the social benefits of agri-environment schemes in England

Recent decades have seen sustainable development emerging as a core concern of European Union (EU) policy. In order to consider how policies can contribute more positively to the goals of sustainable development, major EU policies must undergo an assessment of their potential economic, environmental and social impacts. Within the agri-environment sector, this is reflected in the increasing requirement for EU Members States to monitor and evaluate the socio-economic as well as the environmental and agricultural impacts of their agri-environment programmes. Whilst some research has looked at the more easily quantifiable economic impacts of agri-environment schemes (AES), there is a paucity of research exploring the social dimensions. In this paper, four areas where social impacts of AES can be assessed are suggested: namely impact on on-farm employment; income security; human capital through skills and training development; and social capital development through extension of knowledge networks and flows. These areas are explored in detail using the results of a survey of Environmental Stewardship schemes in England. The results show that the level of social benefit is differentiated by scheme and farm type. The more demanding Higher Level Stewardship schemes help to develop human capital and increase networks, and dairy farmers in particularly have extended their advisory networks in order to participate in AES. The paper concludes that through the exploration of the social impact of AES it may be possible to identify ways to more closely link social and environmental stewardship objectives and thereby contribute to sustainable agriculture.

Universalism versus targeting: The vulnerability of social insurance and means‐tested minimum income protection in 18 countries, 1990‐2002

Abstract The stagnation and retrenchment of social policies in recent decades raise considerable interest and concern in writings on the welfare state. This study examines differences in the development of means‐tested benefits and social insurance provisions. Questions relating to the measurement of policy retrenchment and the vulnerability of social benefits are addressed. Two conflicting hypotheses are discerned: one stating that the development of means‐tested benefits resembles that of social insurance; and another more recent one claiming that the evolution of means‐tested benefits follows a unique pattern. The empirical analyses are based on institutional data on the level of social benefits. It is shown that social insurance stands a better chance of surviving periods of retrenchment and that the greater vulnerability of means‐tested benefits is related to the organization of social insurance provisions.

The exclusion and marginalisation of immigrants in the Danish welfare society

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to discuss and theorise the links and possible dilemmas posed by the politics of redistribution and the politics of recognition taking the case of Denmark as the point of departure.Design/methodology/approachThe empirical observations in this paper consist of the political and discursive climate around legislation on ethnic minority matters, information from the Danish Statistical Bureau, the “Danish Level of Living Survey”, and the experiences from Danish urban districts which have a high concentration of immigrants.FindingsSince the 1990s, the political discourse has changed with the emergence of right‐wing, anti‐immigration populism seriously affecting immigrants’ and refugees’ legal rights and their possibilities for socio‐cultural and socio‐economic inclusion. On the one hand, these changes have been driven by a strong “work first” discourse which has led to a reduction of the duration and level of social benefits, and increased poverty. On the other hand, other policy changes have been more inclusive examples being education policy, active labour market policy measures and innovative empowerment programmes in deprived urban districts.Practical implicationsSocial innovation – here defined as the ability to organise bottom linked collective action/empowerment (including efficient political representation) – is a condition for reaching sustainable democratic and social development. But without more far‐reaching changes in the socio‐cultural and socio‐economic opportunity structures based on universal welfare principles and which also clearly address structural ethnic discrimination in all spheres of the social fabric, local empowerment and recognition strategies are likely to fail.Originality/valueThe paper addresses a crucial issue in the Danish and other European societies in relation to the exclusion and marginalisation of immigrants. The value of the paper is that it integrates different theoretical approaches to inclusion and exclusion of immigrants and employs different empirical material (quantitative and qualitative) to both underpin, discuss and challenge these theoretical approaches.