Material Affluence Research Articles

Remarks on Limit Theorems for the Free Quadratic Forms.

In 2021, Ejsmont and Biernacki showed that the free tangent distribution can be used to measure household satisfaction with durable consumer goods. This distribution arises as the limit of free random variables. This, new article serves as the theoretical introduction to the continuation of the research presented in the paper from 2021. We continue the study of the limit of specific quadratic forms in free probability, which is the first step towards constructing a new distribution for the evaluation of satisfaction with material affluence among household. We formulate a non-central limit theorem for weighted sums of commutators and square of the sums for free random variable. In addition we give the random matrix models for these limits.

A non-conforming technocratic dream: Howard Scott’s technocracy movement

ABSTRACT This article traces Howard Scott’s technocracy movement in the United States from the 1930s onwards, attempting to rearticulate it as a moment in interwar non-conformism. Conceived in America’s culture of material affluence, the technocracy movement was intellectually based on two fin-de-siècle undercurrents: the scientific management movement and Veblen’s institutional economics. The technocracy movement appropriated and developed their ideas of efficiency and waste, attempting to negotiate a space between industrial capitalism and socialism by offering new ideas of managing society based on maximizing productive efficiency and minimizing waste. While its political disorganization and Scott’s spotty past turned brief success into ultimate failure, the speed and intensity of the popular following for technocracy testifies to the broad appeal of 1930s non-conformism. Further, responding to looming unemployment in the pursuit of efficiency through mechanization, the technocracy presented, if accidentally, an ecological vision manifest in the idea of energy certificates. Yet, the fundamentally productivist premise of the movement ultimately marred its substantive development and made the movement fragmented and functionally appropriated.

Does Family Material Affluence Affect the Future Socio-political Participation of Adolescents and Their Concerns About Social Issues? An Approach From Structural Equation Modeling and Gender Invariance

Civic engagement is crucial in order to uphold democratic societies, however there is growing concern about a progressive decrease in youth sociopolitical participation and the existence of socioeconomic and gender inequalities, and therefore, an unequal distribution of political power. This study analyzes the influence of family socioeconomic level—both directly and indirectly through social concerns—on the adolescents’ expected sociopolitical participation as adults, from a gender perspective. The sample included 4,448 adolescents 13 to 18 year old, selected through random multistage sampling stratified by conglomerates. Results showed family material affluence to have a limited direct influence on expected sociopolitical participation, however a significant indirect impact through their concerns about social issues. Adolescents with a low socioeconomic level were more concerned about social issues, and therefore had higher expectations of socio-political participation than adolescents with a high socioeconomic level. In addition, these effects were similar for both boys and girls. Understanding how family socioeconomic status influences adolescent civic engagement and how these inequalities are reproduced among boys and girls will aid in designing interventions that promote knowledge and opportunities for participation—especially among the more disadvantaged groups—, which can reduce gender and socioeconomic gaps.

From dumping to circular economy: There is no success like failure.

Waste management has been developing in response to needs. The need to get rid of unwanted materials has always been a motivation but using the resource value of waste has also been a driver from the stone age and forwards. In affluent times not so much. Sanitation became a motivation with the discovery of pathogenic microorganisms in the mid-19th century, and after World War 2 (WW2) a strong focus on environmental protection developed, and in recent times, the resource aspect has received an interest despite material affluence. Legislation has been one of the drivers for recent developments, in the case of Sweden, the environmental protection legislation came in the late 1960s, and a few years later, the municipalities got the exclusive right to collect and manage household waste. Many local and regional waste management companies were established, owned by the municipalities. These organizations became agents of development, due to the increased scope and capacity. Adding to the environmental protection agenda, a renewed interest in waste as a resource was initiated by the oil crises of the 1970s, resulting in new waste incineration plants, with energy recovery, connected to already existing district heating networks. Mistakes, failures and alarms in the 1970s and the 1980s resulted in treatment method improvements and the establishment of source separation as an integral part of waste management. The waste management community stands strong today and is taking a more proactive role than before, which includes a stronger focus on communication with other stakeholders.

Sex-specific associations between socioeconomic status and ideal cardiovascular health among Korean adults: The Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2007-2017.

Socioeconomic status (SES) has a considerable impact on cardiovascular health (CVH), which may differ by sex. We aimed to investigate sex-specific socioeconomic disparities in CVH among 31,141 individuals aged 25-64 years who participated in the cross-sectional 2007-2017 Korea National Health and Nutrition Survey (KNHANES) and the Life's Simple 7 metrics were used to define ideal CVH. Latent class analysis was used to estimate overall SES patterns. Logistic regression models were used to estimate sex-specific odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) for the likelihood of ideal CVH across SES classes, with the highest SES as the reference group. Four SES classes were identified: (1) low class with low education and material property (2.4%), (2) lower-medium class (10.1%) and (3) higher-medium class (43.7%) with increasing material affluence, and (4) high class with highest education and income (43.8%). Lower SES was associated with decreased ideal CVH among women; compared to their high SES counterparts, women with lowest SES were least likely to achieve ideal overall CVH (OR: 0.55, 95%CI: 0.43-0.71). Similar SES gradients in ideal overall CVH for men were also observed but it was less clear (OR (95%CI) for lowest SES: 0.83, 0.51-1.34). Low SES was associated with poorer achievement of ideal CVH with some sex-heterogeneities. Interventions that equalize the distribution of power and resources and targeted sex-specific approaches to empower low socioeconomic subgroups are warranted to prevent the transition from ideal to suboptimal cardiovascular health and to close socioeconomic disparities in CVH among Korean adults.

Ценностные ориентации современной тувинской молодежи

The study of the system of value orientations of Tuvan youth is relevant for understanding the current state of the ethnos and the peculiarities of the transformation of ethno-social processes. This article presents the results of a sociological study using quantitative (questionnaires) and qualitative (8 in-depth interviews, 4 focus groups) methods. Based on the results of the questionnaire survey, the main values of Tuvan youth were identi-fied, such as: family, health, children, education, love, work and material affluence. Qualitative methods re-vealed the problems of collision of traditional values and modern trends, when the structure of values of mod-ern Tuvan youth was built in an inverse hierarchy: material values, education, career growth and family. These studies reflect the complex intertwining of trends in the influence of centuries-old cultural tradition of Tuvan society and modern global socio-cultural processes.

RETRACTED ARTICLE: A Study on The Factors Influencing the Subjective Well-Being and Mental Health of Chinese Women Under the Background of Sustainable Green Earth Resources: Self, Family and Media.

With the development of the economy and the progress of society, people are paying more and more attention to mental health while paying attention to material affluence, especially the pursuit of happiness. Nowadays, the discourse power of Chinese women is increasing, this study is based on CGSS survey data, using the method of multiple regression to conduct an empirical study. From the perspective of women's self, family and media choice, we will study which factors affect the subjective happiness of Chinese women.The results showed that: From the perspective of female self-factors, age and health level were positively correlated with subjective well-being; From the perspective of family factors, the grade of family economic status in the region, the number of daughters and the academic qualifications of their spouses are all positively correlated with women's subjective well-being.; From the perspective of media use factors, the frequency of use of radio, television, and mobile phone customized messages is positively correlated with women's subjective well-being.

Editors’ introduction to the Special Section: The ethics and politics of the Anthropocene

Editors’ introduction to the Special Section: The ethics and politics of the Anthropocene

A Study on Temporal and Spatial Differences in Women’s Well-Being in an Ecologically Vulnerable Area in Northwest China

As an important driving force for economic development and social progress, women have become an important subject of well-being research. Human well-being is the state of physical and mental health as well as material affluence and includes a variety of factors, such as wealth, education, health, safety, amenities, way of life, and happiness. Based on the established research framework of the Women’s Development Index (WDI) in Northwest China, this paper first measured the objective well-being level of women in Shaanxi, Gansu, Qinghai, Ningxia, and Xinjiang from 2003 to 2020 under the influence of ecological factors. In addition, spatial disaggregation and comparative analyses of the spatial imbalance of women’s well-being in Northwest China were carried out using the Theil index and Dagum Gini coefficient. The results show that (1) the WDI in ecologically vulnerable areas in Northwest China increased from 0.525 in 2003 to 0.690 in 2020, indicating an overall increase in well-being. (2) The WDI in the five provinces gradually increased with fluctuations. Among them, Shaanxi always remained in first place in terms of the WDI. (3) From 2003 to 2020, the spatial imbalance of women’s well-being as measured according to the WDI in Northwest China first increased and then decreased. However, the gap in women’s well-being in Northwest China was smaller than the economic gap. (4) From 2003 to 2020, the well-being gap measured by the WDI among the 10 groups of provinces in Northwest China gradually decreased, and the development gap between the provinces and Shaanxi was the largest.

Crossing the digital divide: The impact of the digital economy on elderly individuals’ consumption upgrade in China

The digital economy is a pivotal force driving economic development that has profoundly changed the public's way of life. However, less privileged elderly groups may be unable to enjoy the digital dividend, which is an issue to be answered in the digital era. This study examines the China Internet Plus Index and explores the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study micro database. Furthermore, the study measures the degree of improvement in the lives of the elderly more intuitively using the consumption upgrade metric and examines the impact of the digital economy on the lives of the elderly. The findings indicate that digital economic development has made a remarkable contribution to the scaling up the elderly population's economic structure and material affluence. The results of propensity score matching and the instrumental variables approach remain robust. The digital dividend for senior individuals is mainly delivered through more convenient payment, lower search costs, and more social interaction. Moreover, elderly individuals living in bigger cities with high human and physical capital or digital and media literacy enjoy more digital dividends. Therefore, while supporting the digital economy's development, the government should prioritize and spend resources on elderly individuals who enjoy fewer digital dividends to realize the equality of digital rewards. The study's findings can provide a new perspective on the overall balanced development of the digital economy and help stimulate the development of the elderly market by releasing digital dividends.

Neijuan: An Investigation of Overtime Work Among Chinese Urban White-Collar Employees

This paper focuses on the issue of overtime work among Chinese urban white-collar employees and aims to explain why employees are willing to work overtime and why the Red Queen Effect phenomenon (neijuan) has become so common in the Chinese workplace, from employees’ subjective perspective. Through a review of prior research on overtime, we identified problems in the logic of supply and demand that has often been employed, and introduce Baudrillard’s logic of social differentiation as an alternative. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data about work, overtime, and daily life conditions from 22 white-collar participants from diverse backgrounds, who routinely work overtime despite relative material affluence. Our analysis of the data revealed the source of overtime work in a context of material affluence to be social differentiation processes constructed by signs with strong relevance with overtime activity including consumption, career ethic, interpersonal relationship, job keeping, and company market position improvement. Differentiation of professional capability was shown, on the other hand, to be an inadequate explanation for overtime work. Our findings are summarized in a conceptual framework describing the relationships between overtime and multiple forms of social differentiation.

Postmaterial values and career aspirations in tourism: Generation‐Y tourism professionals in Hong Kong

AbstractRecent political movements in Hong Kong suggest a postmaterial value shift in the younger generation, from pursuing material affluence to a greater concern for autonomy, self‐expression, and quality of life. This study examined the values and career aspirations of Generation‐Y tourism professionals through postmaterialism and intergenerational value change. In‐depth interviews revealed differences in the views of older and younger Gen‐Y and three types of career aspirations: Corporate job, Entrepreneurship, and “Slash” careers. Findings demonstrated the material/postmaterial shifts from teenage to mid‐adulthood, and how values were shaped by: student versus working life, tourism work experience, social changes, and specific social events.

Long-term trends in the consumption of sugary and diet soft drinks among adolescents: a cross-national survey in 21 European countries.

To assess country-level trends in the prevalence of daily consumption of sugary (2002-2018) and diet (2006-2018) soft drinks among European adolescents, overall and by family material affluence. We used 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014 and 2018 data from the 'Health Behaviour in School-aged Children' survey. Nationally representative samples of adolescents completed a standardised questionnaire at school, including a short food frequency questionnaire (n = 530,976 and 21 countries for sugary soft drinks; n = 61,487 and 4 countries for diet soft drinks). We classified adolescents into three socioeconomic categories for each country and survey year, using the Family Affluence Scale. Multilevel logistic models estimated time trends, by country. Sugary soft drinks: the prevalence of daily consumption (≥ 1×/day) declined in 21/21 countries (Plinear trends ≤ 0.002). Absolute [range - 31.7 to - 3.4% points] and relative [range - 84.8 to - 22.3%] reductions varied considerably across countries, with the largest declines in Ireland, England and Norway. In 3/21 countries, the prevalence of daily consumption decreased more strongly in the most affluent adolescents than in the least affluent ones (P ≤ 0.002). Daily consumption was more prevalent among the least affluent adolescents in 11/21 countries in 2018 (P ≤ 0.002). Diet soft drinks: overall, daily consumption decreased over time in 4/4 countries (Plinear trends ≤ 0.002), more largely among the most affluent adolescents in 1/4 country (P ≤ 0.002). Daily consumption of sugary and diet soft drinks in European adolescents decreased between 2002 (2006 for diet drinks) and 2018. Public health interventions should continue discouraging daily soft drink consumption, particularly among adolescents from lower socioeconomic groups.

The Whigs’ America: Middle-Class Political Thought in the Age of Jackson and Clay

He frames his appraisal in the vocabulary of social analysis, repeatedly insisting that the Whigs were preeminently a middle-class party, but the core of his argument rests on Whigs’ beliefs and cultural assumptions rather than their socio-economic status. “The key idea,” he posits, “is not that Whigs met economic criteria (i.e., enjoying material affluence that was neither meager nor extravagant) that Jacksonians did not, or vice versa, but that Whigs thought about themselves, their world, and the future in far more middle-class terms and crucially, felt little need to apologize for that view” (3).

Time trends in consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages and related socioeconomic differences among adolescents in Eastern Europe: signs of a nutrition transition?

High intake of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) contributes to detrimental cardio-metabolic indicators in youth. Monitoring of SSB consumption is lacking in Eastern Europe. We assessed trends in the prevalence of adolescent daily consumption of SSBs in 14 Eastern European countries between 2002 and 2018, both overall and according to family material affluence. We used 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, and 2018 data of the Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children school-based study (repeated cross-sectional). Nationally representative samples of adolescents aged 11, 13, and 15 years were included (n=325,184; 51.2% girls). Adolescents completed a standardized questionnaire, including a question on SSB consumption frequency. We categorized adolescents into 3 socioeconomic groups based on the relative Family Affluence Scale (FAS). Adjusted prevalences of daily SSB consumption by survey year, as well as country-level time trends between 2002 and 2018, were computed using multilevel logistic models (overall and by FAS groups). In 2018, the prevalence of adolescents consuming SSBs every day varied considerably between countries (range, 5.1%-28.1%). Between 2002 and 2018, the prevalence of daily SSB consumption declined in 10/14 countries (P for linear trends≤0.004). The largest reductions were observed in Slovenia (OR, 0.48; 95% CI: 0.45-0.50) and the Russian Federation (OR, 0.67; 95% CI: 0.64-0.70). Daily SSB consumption was reduced at faster rates among the most affluent adolescents (who were larger consumers in 2002) than in the least affluent adolescents in 11/14 countries (P for linear trends≤0.004). Thus, differences between FAS groups narrowed over time or even reversed, leading to larger proportions of daily consumers in the least affluent adolescents in 2018 in 5/14 countries (P≤0.05). Adolescent daily consumption of SSBs decreased between 2002 and 2018 in most Eastern European countries. Declines were larger among higher-affluence adolescents. These results are useful to evaluate and plan interventions promoting healthy childhood diets.

Boris Tishchenko and the new generation of Soviet composers of the 1960s: political and economic context

The subject of this research is the period of the Russian symphonic music of the early 1960s. The scene saw the emergence of a new generation of composers – the so-called “Sixtiers”, making themselves known with remarkable artistic achievements, novel and modern musical language. Emphasis is place on such aspects of the topic, as the system of music education that established in the Soviet Union by the mid XX century, sustained material affluence of the Soviet composers, and ideological pressure of the government in return for such care. Special attention. Special attention is given to the new artistic opportunities for the young Russian composers that emerged as a result of the political “thaw”. The scientific consists in introduction into the scientific discourse of a wide range of memoir literature and critical articles of the representatives of the “new wave” movement, as therefore, a more comprehensive understanding of the complex processes that unfolded in the Soviet academic music. A detailed analysis is conducted on the role and place in the struggle for “new music” of the youngest musician out of the “Sixtiers” – a prominent Russian symphonist of the XX century Boris Ivanovich Tishchenko (1939 – 2010). The main conclusion is reflected in the thought on a certain triumph of the School of Soviet Composers and the system of music education, which is most clearly described by the last three decades of the existence of the Soviet Union.

Rethinking the interplay between affluence and vulnerability to aid climate change adaptive capacity

Affluence and vulnerability are often seen as opposite sides of a coin—with affluence generally understood as reducing forms of vulnerability through increased resilience and adaptive capacity. However, in the context of climate change and an increase in associated hazards and disasters, we suggest the need to re-examine this dynamic relationship—a complex association we define here as the Affluence–Vulnerability Interface (AVI). We review research in different national contexts to show how a more nuanced understanding of the AVI can (a) problematize the notion that increasing material affluence necessarily has a mitigating influence on social vulnerability, (b) extend our analysis of social vulnerability beyond low-income regions to include affluent contexts and (c) improve our understanding of how psychosocial characteristics influence people’s vulnerability. Finally, we briefly outline three methodological approaches that we believe will assist future engagement with the AVI.

Why time poverty matters for individuals, organisations and nations.

Over the last two decades, global wealth has risen. Yet material affluence has not translated into time affluence. Most people report feeling persistently 'time poor'-like they have too many things to do and not enough time to do them. Time poverty is linked to lower well-being, physical health and productivity. Individuals, organisations and policymakers often overlook the pernicious effects of time poverty. Billions of dollars are spent each year to alleviate material poverty, while time poverty is often ignored or exacerbated. In this Perspective, we discuss the societal, organisational, institutional and psychological factors that explain why time poverty is often under appreciated. We argue that scientists, policymakers and organisational leaders should devote more attention and resources toward understanding and reducing time poverty to promote psychological and economic well-being.

Suburban Practices of Energy Descent

AbstractThis article proceeds on the basis that the cost of energy will rise in coming years and decades as the age of fossil energy abundance comes to an end. Given the close connection between energy and economic activity, we also assume that declining energy availability and affordability will lead to economic contraction and reduced material affluence. In overconsuming and overdeveloped nations, such resource and energy “degrowth” is desirable and necessary from a sustainability perspective, provided it is planned for and managed in ways consistent with basic principles of distributive equity. Working within that degrowth paradigm, we examine how scarcer and more expensive energy may impact the suburban way of life and how households might prepare for this very plausible, but challenging, energy descent future. The article examines energy demand management in suburbia and how the limited energy needed to provide for essential household services can best be secured in an era of expensive energy and climate instability. After reviewing various energy practices, we also highlight a need for an ethos of sufficiency, moderation, and radical frugality, which we argue is essential for building resilience in the face of forthcoming energy challenges and a harsher climate.

Economic Development, Market Transition, and Work Values in Post-Socialist China

AbstractThis study examines the macro-level determinants of work values in urban China. Drawing on Inglehart’s theory of postmaterialism and the institutional theory in sociology, I argue that economic development and market transition, two of the most prominent themes of China’s social change in the post-socialist era, exert opposite effects on work values. On the one hand, rapid economic growth has created unprecedented material affluence and a high level of existential security in some parts of China. According to Inglehart’s theory, this should lead individuals to focus less on material rewards and to prioritize postmaterialist goals in the work domain. On the other hand, China’s institutional change from socialist redistribution to markets has abolished lifetime employment and replaced it with a precarious labor market. This change, I argue, promotes a materialist orientation among Chinese workers and discourages them from embracing postmaterialist work values. Using data from a 2012 national labor force survey, multilevel regression analysis shows that, all else being equal, workers in China’s more developed provinces indeed place less importance on how well work meets their survival needs, whereas workers in more marketized provinces exhibit the opposite tendency. However, neither economic development nor marketization at the province level is a significant predictor of postmaterialist work values. These findings have direct implications for work value research and for understanding social change in post-socialist China.