Local Welfare Research Articles

Heavy metal content in pumpkin pond of Kutaraja Fishing Port Banda Aceh

Fishing port scan support fishery resources management by incorporating social-economic activities to improve the local community's welfare; however, it can also negatively impact the environment by increasing waste pollution to the surrounding waters. Kutaraja Fishing Port, Banda Aceh, is one of the active fishing ports that conduct multiple activities, such as industrials, transportations, and domestic activities threatening the environment through the production of pollution such as heavy metals. The purpose of this study is to determine the concentration of heavy metals Zinc (Zn) and Chromium (Cr) and the sediment contamination level in the Kutaraja Fishing Port, Banda Aceh. This research was conducted in February 2021 at the water site of Samudra Kutaraja Fishing Port, Banda Aceh, and sampled sediments using the purposive sampling method. Samples were then analyzed for heavy metal concentration using the Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS) instrument in the laboratory of the Aceh Industrial Research and Standardization Center (BARISTAND). The results showed that the concentration of heavy metal Zn ranged from 15.6507 - 27.2939 mg/kg. The majority of heavy metal Cr concentrations were below the test limit of 0.000, except at station 2, which was 9.1212. Both heavy metal concentrations are still categorized as low contamination criteria and still below the Australian and New Zealand Environment and Conservation Council (ANZECC, 2000) and the Canadian Council of Ministers for the Environment (CCME, 2002). This research proved that both heavy metals do not threaten the biota and have a low contamination level in the waters.Keywords:SedimentHeavy metal (Zn)Heavy metal (Cr)Atomic-absorptionSpectro-photometerAssessment

The evaluation of a Nurturing parenting program implemented by child welfare workers

This study assessed Nurturing Parenting Program (NPP) for parents at-risk or currently involved with child welfare services. NPP was implemented with 74 caregivers by trained local child welfare workers with support from community providers. Changes in parenting attitudes and knowledge were assessed pre-post. Child welfare administrative data measured the outcome of NPP on maltreatment investigations and out-of-home placements post NPP. Findings from this study showed improved parenting knowledge and attitudes as well as low rates of subsequent investigations. Findings suggest the feasibility and utility of NPP implementation by the child welfare workforce.

Onward migration: An introduction

Onward migration: An introduction

A CROSS-SECTIONAL SCREENING SURVEY ON THE SEROPREVALENCE OF HEPATITIS B AND HEPATITIS C AMONGST THE GENERAL POPULATION OF RURAL DISTRICTS OF SINDH, PAKISTAN.

Viral hepatitis is a global phenomenon, with the disease burden varying on a daily basis. Amongst chronic infections, hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus (HCV) are egregiously linked to severe health-related complications, with a worldwide prevalence of 248 million and 71 million respectively. Amongst the developing world, a hand full of countries are exhibiting a gross decline in chronic viral infection prevalence, like Bangladesh. While countries such as India have a consistent prevalence, Pakistan bears one of the largest proportions of chronic viral hepatitis globally with increasing trends shown year-by-year. Various old literature texts have stated an approximate national prevalence rate around 2.6% and 5.3% of hepatitis B and C respectively. The objective of this study was to determine the current seroprevalence rates of chronic viral hepatitis amongst the general population of rural Sindh using a screening program to determine the current disease burden. An observational, cross-sectional survey based on a screening program was conducted in 5 districts with a combined population of over 6.5 million. The screening was carried out via the administration of various camps with the assistance of local social workers and welfare organizations. A total of 24,322 individuals met the inclusion criteria and were screened through (HBsAg/HCV) rapid test cassette (WC) Imu-Med one-step diagnostic test. Hepatitis B was found positive in 964 (3.96%) individuals including 421 (43.67%) males and 543 (56.32%) females, while hepatitis C was positive in 2872 (11.80%) individuals including 1474 (51.32%) males and 1398 (48.67%) females. The prevalence amongst the districts varied between 0.97% and 9.06% for hepatitis B, and 1.61% and 29.50% for hepatitis C, respectively. Umerkot was found to be the most prevalent district amongst rural Sindh, while Badin had the least number of seropositive people. The second most prevalent district of the study population was found to be Tando Allahyar followed by Mirpur Khas. The combined seroprevalence of 15.76% was calculated for hepatitis B and C together amongst the five studied districts of rural and peri-urban Sindh. The alarmingly high prevalence rates revealed in our study warrant the urgent need to generate multiple effective strategies in the region to enhance awareness amongst the general population regarding screening, prevention, and prompt treatment of the disease.

Urban Immunity Against the Pandemic within the Framework of Public Administration, City and Citizens

The circumstances arising in connection with the Covid-19 pandemic indicate that outbreaks are inevitable and that new pandemics are quite likely. Cities, just like people, need to protect themselves from pandemics. Therefore, the existing urban and spatial practices should be reconsidered. The aim of the study is to explore, by observation and literature review, the cities’ readiness for possible pandemics or emergencies within the framework of the concept of urban immunity. Based on the elements necessary for the provision of immunity in humans, the requirements for urban immunity, the health of the infrastructure and superstructure of the soil, the resources and sustainability of a city, its resilience and growth control are discussed within the framework of urban management. In addition, the study identifies three indispensable actors for urban immunity: i) central governments, ii) local governments, and iii) citizens. Immunized cities can be defined as cities with healthy infrastructure and superstructure factors of urban soil aiming at economic and ecological sustainability that have achieved a planned and controlled growth momentum, governed by public policies created with the understanding of local welfare and democracy in cooperation with local governments, citizens, and the central government. The study is purely theoretical and focuses on universal urban immunity rather than on any country example, which constitutes the strength of the study.

The role of rubber farming in household dietary diversity in the upper Mekong region, Southwest China

AbstractThe expansion of cash tree crops, such as natural rubber, in the tropical region of South Asia has resulted in an agricultural transformation from subsistence production to market‐oriented production, implicating the local ecological environment, economy, and household welfare. Based on representative household survey data collected from 611 smallholder rubber farmers in the upper Mekong region, Southwest China, this study examines the impacts of rubber farming on the household dietary diversity of smallholders and explores its potential impact channels through farm production diversity and household income. The results show that rubber expansion has significantly improved household income but negatively affected farm production diversity. While rubber cultivation always has significant and positive effects on dietary diversity, it also indirectly impacts on dietary diversity by the two channels, namely farm production diversity and household income. A set of heterogeneous analyses reveals that rubber cultivation contributes more to household dietary diversity for smallholders having relatively low household wealth or living in a village without a market. While the findings confirm the contribution of rubber cultivation to improving household incomes, food security, and nutrition, the potential risks under the background of falling rubber prices cannot be ignored. The findings of this study not only have important policy implications for improving the food security and nutrition of smallholder rubber farmers but also provide a better understanding of the welfare effects of cash tree crop expansion in tropical regions.

Taxation and mobility in dualistic models– (and) Some neglected issues of fiscal federalism

Abstract. In this paper we present and confront the expected outcome of a raise in earnings taxes on the regional or sectoral allocation of labor force and employment. The basic frameworks are the benchmark dualistic scenarios. A single-input analysis of an homogeneous product economy is provided once extensions were designed to highlight the role of mobility barriers and how they interact with local wage-setting rules to determine regional allocation rather than trade issues or factor substitution. We report the main effects on equilibrium local after-tax wages, supply, employment and aggregate welfare surplus of a unilateral as well as a simultaneous unit tax increase of the (a) basic two-sector model in six different scenarios: free market; partial (one-sector) coverage with perfect intersector mobility; partial (one-sector) coverage with imperfect mobility (Harris-Todaro); multiple (two-sector) coverage with imperfect mobility (Bhagwati-Hamada); partial (one-sector) coverage with affiliation restrictions in the covered sector; partial (one-sector) coverage with limited employment generation ability in the traditional uncovered sector. Needless to say, the results would apply to any other production factor, one or other scenario being more appropriate for inference of the consequences of differential taxation systems. Keywords. Taxation and migration, Taxation and mobility, Taxation and segmented labor markets, Regional labor markets, Fiscal federalism. JEL. O15, O18, O24, R13, R23, R59, H29, H71, H73, J42, J61, J62, J68, F22, F42.

Sustainable Sports Tourism Performance Assessment Using Grey-Based Hybrid Model

The development of sports tourism is gaining momentum around the world, with many tourism industries combining sports events and programs to attract more domestic and overseas customers to promote economic and culture. Sustainability awareness has been gaining attention from many international organizations, resulting in the rise of sports tourism that incorporates sustainability. Therefore, the development of a valid and applicable sustainable sports tourism (SST) assessment model is an important task. In this study, a hybrid Multiple Attribute Decision-Making (MADM) model is proposed to measure the development performance of SST. The aims of this study include developing a SST assessment framework, identifying the mutual influential relationships among attributes, generating attribute influence weights, and calculating the performance of the evaluated items. The proposed model is divided into three stages. First, a cause-and-effect diagram is generated using the Grey Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (GDEMATEL) to describe the interactions and feedback among the attributes. Then, the GDEMATEL-based Analytic Network Process (GDANP) is applied to generate the influence weights of the attributes and their rankings. Finally, the expanded Probability-based Grey Relational Analysis (expanded PGRA) was applied to calculate the performance of the evaluated items and to determine the gap between evaluated items and the aspiration level. This study improves the original PGRA technique by introducing the concept of aspiration level into the PGRA calculation process, thereby replacing the traditional concept of “relative satisfaction” with “aspiration level”. In addition, the expanded PGRA can assess a single rated item without being limited to at least two items. We used the Sun Moon Lake Scenic Area in Taiwan as a model demonstration. The results show that the top three attributes that need to be strengthened are disease prevention and treatment, local social welfare and protection, and sports diversity. In the Sun Moon Lake, intersection control should be set up to ensure the health status of visitors and local residents. In addition to epidemic prevention, more measures and behaviors should be developed to deal with tourism diseases. We suggested that subsidies be provided to local residents to rebuild the fences around their homes to avoid disturbances caused by the influx of tourists. Moreover, the local government can create more sports events with special characteristics that can attract tourists to come again and again.

Civic agriculture in review: Then, now, and future directions

“Civic agriculture,” a term first coined by rural sociologist Thomas Lyson, refers to forms of agriculture that occur on a local level, from production to consumption, and are linked to a community’s social and economic development. Sixteen years since its original articulation, the term “civic agriculture” has taken on greater significance in research, political activism, and community organizing. Grown from the roots of civic community theory, civic agriculture functions as a new branch of civic community theory that is ripe for theorization. In revisiting the foundations of the term, this review paper seeks to consolidate current and future research in the field of civic agriculture with a focus on its link to social welfare. This begins by reviewing the foundations of civic community theory and discussing how they influence research related to civic agriculture. As we report in this paper, there remain considerable gaps in understanding of how civic agriculture can be fomented by—or is related to—indicators such as demographics, concentration of power, community cohesion, and civic engagement. Consequently, the assumed links between local food systems and social welfare must continue to be studied to determine correlation and causality. This understanding is particularly important during this time of global pandemic, when the flaws and inequities of global supply chains are exposed and where, in many cases, civic agriculture met the increasing interest in local food. The COVID-19 pandemic has amply demonstrated the fragility and instability of global food supply chains, making the need for local food systems more significant and more relevant to communities across the world.

The Influence of Body Image, Insight, and Mental Health Confidence on Medication Adherence in Young Adult Women with Mental Disorders.

The aim of this descriptive study was to investigate the impact of body image, insight, and mental health confidence on medication adherence among young adult women with mental disorders. Data collection occurred from August to September 2018. The study participants were 147 young adult women aged 19 to 45 with mental disorders who were psychiatry outpatients either getting treatment in general hospitals located in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province or receiving rehabilitation therapy through local mental health welfare centers in Korea, and agreed to participate in the study. The measurement tools used were the Body Image Scale; the Scale to Assess Unawareness of Mental Disorder, Korean short-form version; the Korean version of the Mental Health Confidence Scale; and the Korean version of the Medication Compliance Scale. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test, analysis of variance, Pearson correlation analysis, and multiple regression analysis in SPSS/WIN 25.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA). Medication adherence among the study participants differed by age (F = 2.95, p = 0.042), religion (t = −2.06, p = 0.042), level of trust in psychiatrists (F = 5.40, p = 0.006), treatment duration (F = 4.48, p = 0.005), and noncompliance to medication regimens due to weight gain (t = −2.61, p = 0.010). Multiple regression analysis demonstrated that body image (β = −0.32, p < 0.001), insight (β = −0.24, p = 0.002), and mental health confidence (β = 0.24, p = 0.004) had a significant impact on the medication adherence of the participants. Body image, in particular, had the greatest influence on the medication adherence of the participants. This study found that body image, insight, and mental health confidence were important in improving medication adherence among young adult women with mental disorders. Practical, patient-centered, and individualized approaches that can improve medication adherence by seeking to understand negative perceptions regarding body image should be considered.

‘I think we ought not to acknowledge them [paupers] as that encourages them to write’: the administrative state, power and the Victorian pauper

ABSTRACT At the heart of this article stand three questions that we believe are crucial to an understanding of the character of the poor law and its role in the lives of the poor who had to navigate its rules. First, what was actually ‘new’ about the central administrative structures and processes required to make the New Poor Law function? Second, how did those processes change over time and, in particular, how far did the central authority itself engage with the poor directly? Third, did the processes and structures of the central authority afford a space in which the poor could learn to better navigate the New Poor Law and exercise their own agency? Using a sample of letters written directly to ‘the Centre’ by paupers in the English midlands, and the subsequent epistolary responses of the central authorities, we trace a situation in which the Centre was duty bound to respond to poor letter writers much as they did to everyone else. Rights to contest local welfare regimes remained strong in the post-1834 period, and the central authorities, through their responses, afforded a space of agency that came to be well known.

Government intervention in wildlife damage management: a bioeconomic analysis of wildlife damage compensation and taxation policies

This paper develops a bioeconomic model to investigate the effects of wildlife damage compensation programs, and income taxes, on both wildlife population and social welfare. Wildlife damage compensation programs generally compensate local people after wildlife damage occurred. In our model, the compensation program is financed by government tax revenue. We clarify how the production and consumption behaviors of local people change after introducing income taxes for the compensation program. Based on the steady-state analysis and numerical simulation, we conclude that with appropriate taxation policy under certain conditions, a self-financing wildlife damage compensation programs can both increase wildlife population and improve local social welfare, even under the circumstance where compensation programs financed by external resources lower them, which is obtained in the previous studies.

PENGEMBANGAN POTENSI WISATA BAHARI BERBASIS MASYARAKAT DI PULAU PASARAN, BANDAR LAMPUNG

Pasaran Island is not only well-known as a major producer of anchovies in Lampung province, but also as a mariculture location of some fish and green mussel. The island which only covers ​​12.5 hectares is located in urban areas, in Bandar Lampung City, the capital of Lampung province. Pasaran Island has the potential as a fishery production center and marine tourism (minawisata). The minawisata concept emphasizing the active role and rights of the local communities in the management of tourism in their area (community-based marine tourism). Several programs for the development of minawisata on Pasaran island have been successfully implemented, including: designing minawisata, enhancing sanitation, strengthening institutions, building facilities and infrastructure, developing fishery products, and strengthening promotions. Pasaran Island would therefore be a new marine-tourism icon that beneficial to Bandar Lampung City and directly boost the local community's welfare.

Conditional Harmony: The Relations between Mining Company and Local People

Mining corporation plays a role as surrogate state since it takes after the state in its development agenda. One of the biggest coal mining companies in Indonesia, PT. KPC (Kaltim Prima Coal), has carried out several activities other than mining ones. The activities are manifested in CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) programs. An obligation to recover post-mining area by KPC is already implemented in a program called PESAT (Integrated Cattle Farm) which is one of the CSR programs. The farm in the recovered post-mining area is developed as a social program for people living around the mining area. My research was carried out with qualitative approach. Participatory observation and interviews with people in the village of Swarga Bara, Kutai Timur, East Kalimantan, were used in collecting data. The result shows that the people living around the KPC is an active agent in responding the corporate lives. The local people, in fact, depend on the KPC’s social programs since the programs are in favor of local development and welfare. Nevertheless, the local people respond negatively toward programs which do not meet their needs

Local welfare system response to refugees: between innovations, efficiency, and creating unequal opportunities

ABSTRACT Migration scholars frequently view cities as innovative and efficient in responding to their immigrant communities’ needs. At the same time, the risks of the decentralisation of integration policies and how they operate on the ground remain overlooked. This study critically analyses the structure of demand and supply of immigrant integration policies in a local context, by offering a theoretical framework of a local welfare system (LWS) response to immigration. The study uses a case of refugee integration policies in New York City and is based on qualitative data collected between 2016 and 2018 from local LWS and refugees’ representatives. The data were analysed using the grounded theory approach. The study results reveal that a combination of policy decentralisation, underfunding, and ‘coordination challenge’ – contribute to a ‘lottery effect’ of unequal opportunities for refugees, instead of best addressing the local needs.

Evaluation of water services in Cubijies parish, Chimborazo Province, Ecuador

Water services in Cubijies parish were evaluated base on stakeholders or users knowledge. The methodology included the identification and the social evaluation; the water services were identified through the consultation to principal actors of the parish, to subsequently evaluate the potential of aquatic ecosystems and vegetable coverage in the provision of water services by means of descriptive statistic. In addition, the existence of factors that modify perception of the capacity of studied ecosystems were determined using non-parametric tests. As a result, the interaction between proposed ecosystems in the provision of water services was recognized, aquatic forest had a predominant role in the supplying of provisioning services; also the factors which changed the perception of the capacity of ecosystems were: level of education, gender and community, social factors had the highest incidence in the scores issued by beneficiaries. It is concluded that water resource has a notorious incidence within the local economy and welfare, therefore inhabitants recognize the existence and importance of water services and related them to the proposed ecosystems.

The integration of local creativity-based tourism by the LED approach

Regional development model with top down approach oftentimes became uneffective in gaining local welfare and equity. Then, Local Economic Development (LED) become the way, with focus on local empowerment in stimulating local industries and economic growth. This paper discuss the idea of LED based on local creative communities as a basis in developing tourism in regional context. The implementation of this approach will run effectively if tourism development is integrated on the regional strategies. The study conducted with comparing secondary data of tourism and regional development achievement in West Nusa Tenggara (NTB). The result shows that the high rate of tourism investment is not significantly correlating with the increasing of local welfare. Instead of that, the number of poor communities and the unoptimistic perceived on jobs availability is increased. The concept of local creativity tourism is expected to encourage local economic development through local resources empowerment.

Pricing regime choices for international airports: A rationale for the non-discrimination principle

This study investigates whether airports should be prohibited from charging differential charges to airlines, as the 1944 Chicago Convention and the EU directive intend. We consider an international network in which two countries’ airports are interlinked and served by each country’s carrier. Using a linear demand structure reflecting differentiated airline services and congestion delay costs, our global welfare maximization approach first verifies that the closed-form global welfare level achieved under optimal discriminatory charges is larger than (or equal to) that under optimal uniform charges when carriers are asymmetric (or symmetric). This verification shows the superiority of discriminatory charges for a single airport authority. We then construct a standard non-cooperative game in which each country chooses from uniform or carrier-specific discriminatory charges to maximize local welfare. We surprisingly find that, while discriminatory charges can levy home and foreign carriers differently, each country choosing uniform charges is a unique Nash equilibrium. The unique Nash equilibrium exists not only for asymmetric airline competition but also for any degree of airport congestion and product differentiation of airline services. This finding provides the economic rationale for the prevalent non-discriminatory principles for international airports.

Perceptions of Using Private Dwellings at Gamaleyah as Airbnb Rent Listings in Old Historic Cairo

The social movement renowned as the "sharing economy" is becoming increasingly noticeable in online peer-to-peer platforms recently. One of these platforms is Airbnb; an accommodation marketplace that offers access to alternative accommodation. These platforms have a mega important socio-economic impact on tourist destinations. Old Cairo historic area encounters a lot of historical, heritage, and cultural features and folklores. Many owners of private homes in the area use them to accommodate guests and visitors to the area. Unfortunately, this is taking place under no organization or control by the Ministry of Tourism (MoT) since Egyptian accommodation regulations do not include a classification for such rent places. However, the area is well known among tourists and visitors and is included in downtown tours organized by tour operators and guides. This paper discusses the idea of using these homes as rent listings using the Airbnb platform among the executives of Historical Cairo Development Project (HCDP), Ministry of Tourism (MoT), and Egyptian Tourism Federation (ETF) as well as academics heading Heritage programs in Egyptian, Bahrain, and British Universities. This paper is devoted to revealing the differences in these perceptions among guests, professional practitioners, and academics, and officials "executives" of the government. Results indicate that all parties are in line with the idea and they recommended a change of regulations for that purpose. Keywords: Airbnb platform, old Cairo, hospitality regulations, architectural heritage, local community welfare, functioning model

Between affordable welfare and affordable food: Internationalized food subsidy reforms in Egypt and Tunisia

AbstractThe public subsidization of food is an important element of North African welfare states, guaranteeing access to affordable nutrition and maintaining food security even in times of economic downturns. Since the 1970s, universal food subsidy schemes have come under growing international pressure, and North African countries have selectively adopted policy recommendations and adjusted their subsidy schemes. Comparing the empirical cases of Egypt and Tunisia before and after the 2010/11 uprisings, we analyze the linkages between international organizations, national governments and local welfare demands and explain what kinds of reform alliances emerge between these actors. We find that until 2010, internationalized social policy reform was structured by governments' brokerage of international and domestic pressure and adaptation of reform aims. Since then, two modes have unfolded: in militarized Egypt, coercive closure secured an alliance and the respective subsidy reforms, whereas in Tunisia, polarization disconnected domestic and international policy goals.