Poor Residents Research Articles

‘Precarious power’: Implicit infrastructures and electricity access in Witsand, Cape Town (South Africa)

For the poor residents in Witsand, an informal settlement on the periphery of Cape Town, electricity access is an everyday struggle, where households circumvent Eskom's vouchers and prepaid meters to adapt electricity to their lived realities. In this paper, we argue that in a context where Eskom electricity provision is often exclusionary, residents deploy diverse strategies to challenge this form of infrastructure violence. Drawing on over twenty months of ethnographic work, complemented with participant observations and semi-structured interviews, we demonstrate how resident-made electricity connections prove a critical and implicit part of the electricity infrastructure system. Building from a sociotechnical approach to infrastructure, we use the notion of ‘precarious power’ to explore the mix of agency and precariousness that are entangled in the everyday practices of ordinary people making electricity connections. We highlight that in improvising electricity access, residents in Witsand exercised their agency to circumvent and appropriate Eskom electricity. This paper contributes to an understanding of urban residents' everyday infrastructural experiences through an analytical frame that is neither dismissive of their agency nor celebratory of their struggles.

The influence of natural factors on poverty in West Halmahera

Poverty remains one of the persistent social issues faced by governments in many regions, including coastal and small island communities. The poverty experienced in these areas is driven by a combination of natural, social, and economic factors. Dynamic environmental conditions, such as seasonal changes, extreme weather, wide geographic dispersion between sea and land, isolation due to limited accessibility, and vulnerability to natural disasters, often trap coastal populations in a cycle of poverty. Data from West Halmahera Regency indicates that poverty levels have shown little improvement up until 2023. This research focuses on a sample of 390 poor residents from the region, utilizing Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and Principal Component Regression Analysis (PCRA) to examine the factors affecting poverty. The findings reveal that within the Natural Capital variable (X1), the most significant indicators are the distance from the house to a clean water source (X4), with a coefficient of 0.894, the condition of the water source near the residence (X5), with a coefficient of 0.884, and accessibility to clean water sources (X3), with a coefficient of 0.89. West Halmahera, being a coastal and mountainous region, suffers from an unequal distribution of essential infrastructure, particularly in areas far from the district capital. Clean water infrastructure remains absent in many areas, and even in mountainous regions where water piping exists, geographic challenges hinder functionality. Addressing these issues requires collaboration between local governments, the private sector, universities, and the community. Solutions may include programs that incorporate local wisdom and focus on infrastructure development, sustainable water management, and environmentally friendly practices. Such initiatives could enhance access to clean water, improve the local economy, and ultimately reduce poverty in West Halmahera.

Reduction in perforated appendicitis incidence between rural and urban populations after introducing social health insurance in Vietnam: A population-based study.

Over the years, Vietnam has expanded its social health insurance (SHI) coverage to reduce health disparities. In this population-based study, we examined the differences in incidences of perforated appendix between rural and urban populations in Vietnam since the expansion of SHI coverage in 2015. We also identified risk factors for perforated appendix in these populations. The 2015-2019 SHI inpatient claims data from the Social Security Agency of Dong Thap Province were used to elaborate the final sample of 6863 patients aged 18years or above who underwent an appendectomy. Multivariable probit and logistic regression model were employed to obtain adjusted estimates. An overall rate of 22.9% for perforated appendix among adults in Dong Thap was revealed. After the expansion of SHI, rural residents consistently had lower rates of perforated appendix than urban residents, but the differences between rural and urban residents were small and decreased over time, that is from 4.4% in 2015 to 3.4% in 2019. Older, male, and poor residents were at a higher risk of perforated appendix in both urban and rural areas. In rural areas, patients with comorbidities, patients who resided in remote communes bordering Cambodia, and patients who had district hospitals or commune facilities as their primary assigned providers were significantly more likely to develop perforated appendix. Under the SHI in Vietnam, no significant difference was observed in perforated appendicitis incidence between urban and rural residents. Additional efforts are required to reduce poorer outcomes among other high-risk residents.

The Promises and Potential Pitfalls of Highway Reclamation for Population Health: A Research Framework.

Highway reclamation (i.e., the removal of highways or placing existing highways underground to create mixed-use urban areas) is being implemented around the United States, often touting co-benefits for population health. As part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act, the Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods grant program is a first-of-its-kind investment in launching even more highway reclamation projects. Depending on how the projects are implemented, these projects may create gentrification (i.e., the displacement of poor long-time residents by wealthier new people), thereby displacing the populations these projects are designed to protect. However, little work has systematically examined the extent to which highway reclamation projects provide the promised benefits for neighborhood environments (e.g., reduced air pollution), minimize gentrification, and improve health outcomes. This commentary proposes a framework by which the multidimensional impacts of highway reclamation can be evaluated, unlocking potential new structural pathways toward urban health equity.

Social Exclusion and Urbanization in Hanoi Focusing on Educational and Employment Opportunities for Poor Residents

This paper explores the relationship between social exclusion and urbanization in Hanoi, Vietnam, with a focus on the educational and employment opportunities for the city’s poorest residents. The rapid urbanization of Hanoi, driven by economic reforms and rural-to-urban migration, has resulted in significant economic growth. However, it has also exacerbated social inequalities, particularly for poor residents and migrants living in peripheral areas. The study examines the challenges of educational exclusion, such as limited access to quality education due to overcrowded schools, hidden costs, and disparities in resources between wealthy and poor areas. It also addresses employment barriers, including the concentration of poor residents in the informal sector, a lack of vocational training, and social discrimination. Government policies and social programs aimed at addressing these issues, such as scholarships, vocational training, and microfinance initiatives, are analyzed for their effectiveness. The findings suggest that while some progress has been made, significant gaps remain in ensuring equitable access to education and employment for marginalized communities. The paper concludes by emphasizing the need for comprehensive and inclusive policy interventions to mitigate social exclusion in Hanoi and ensure that all residents benefit from the city’s urbanization.

Equity considerations for the implementation of health insurance benefit package in Ethiopia: result of expert Delphi exercise

BackgroundEfficiency, equity and financial risk protection are key health systems objectives. Equitable distribution of health care is among the priority strategic initiative of the government of Ethiopia. However, data on the distribution of interventions benefits or on disease burden disaggregated by subpopulations to guide health care priority setting is not available in Ethiopia.MethodsAligned with policy documents, we identified the following groups to be the worse off in the Ethiopian context: under-five children, women of reproductive age, the poor, and rural residents. We used the Delphi technique by a panel of 28 experts to assign a score for 253 diseases/conditions over a period of two days, in phases. The expert panel represented different institutes and professional mix. Experts assigned a score 1 to 4; where 4 indicates disease/condition predominantly affecting the poor and rural residents and 1 indicates a condition more prevalent among the wealthy and urban residents. Subsequently, the average equity score was computed for each disease/condition.ResultsThe average scores ranged from 1.11 (for vitiligo) to 3.79 (for obstetric fistula). We standardized the scores to be bounded between 1 and 2; 1 the lowest equity score and 2 the highest equity score. The scores for each disease/condition were then assigned to their corresponding interventions. We used these equity scores to adjust the CEA values for each of the interventions. To adjust the CEA values for equity, we multiplied the health benefits (the denominator of the cost-effectiveness value) of each intervention by the corresponding equity scores, resulting in equity adjusted CEA values. The equity adjusted CEA was then used to rank the interventions using a league table.ConclusionsThe Delphi method can be useful in generating equity scores for prioritizing health interventions where disaggregated data on the distribution of diseases or access to interventions by subpopulation groups are not available.

Perlindungan Hukum Terhadap Hak Atas Pendidikan Anak Miskin Di Kabupaten Karangasem

The right to education for poor children is one of the rights that must be protected by a state to achieve the broadest possible welfare of the people without discrimination. Karangasem Regency is one of the districts in Bali Province with the highest number of poor people, which has an impact on the large number of children dropping out of school and resulting in poor children's right to education in Karangasem Regency not being properly obtained. The aim of this research is to determine and analyze legal protection for the right to education of poor children in Karangasem Regency. The type of research used in compiling this research is empirical legal research. This research is descriptive-qualitative in nature with data collection techniques, namely through observation, interviews and documentation. The results of this research indicate that legal protection for the right to education of poor children in Karangasem Regency has not been fully implemented properly. This can be seen from the dissemination of policies issued by the government to help the education of poor children in Karangasem Regency which is still not evenly distributed, and the amount of assistance provided by the government to help with the costs of educating poor children in Karangasem Regency is still limited. The obstacles faced in providing legal protection for poor children's right to education in Karangasem Regency originate from 3 factors, the first is from community factors, namely regarding community motivation in continuing education which is still low. The two factors are facilities and infrastructure, namely the number of educational facilities in the form of the number of schools, the ratio of students and teachers is still not optimal. Lastly, there is the government factor, where the validity of data on poor residents or children in Karangasem Regency is not yet optimal, which results in the legal protection being provided not being optimal.

Doing urban research on ‘hard-to-reach’ populations during the COVID-19 pandemic: advantages and ethical dilemmas using digital ethnography as a new alternative

This paper presents insights on conducting urban research amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, emphasizing the adoption of digital ethnography as an innovative and flexible approach. Drawing from an expanding body of literature on fieldwork among 'hard-to-reach' populations during crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic, we share our experiences from a study on the socio-economic impacts of mandatory lockdowns on poor urban residents in Harare, Zimbabwe. Our research highlighted several methodological benefits of digital ethnography, including its non-intrusive and non-intimidating nature, cost and time efficiency, ability to increase participant diversity, assurance of respondent safety, research flexibility, and the generation of impactful data. Unlike traditional immersive ethnography, digital ethnography proved adept at navigating the complexities of the 'global', 'local', and 'trans-local' dimensions of contemporary urban research subjects. However, this approach also presents several ethical challenges. These challenges include obtaining informed consent, ensuring confidentiality and anonymity, participants' potential misunderstanding of the research context, the risk of exacerbating stress during crises, and respecting privacy in digital spaces. Urban researchers must carefully consider these ethical issues before undertaking their studies. In conclusion, virtual environments have become integral to modern life and represent essential avenues for urban researchers, particularly during periods of limited physical interaction and when studying populations that are difficult to reach in person but more accessible online. Further, the adoption of digital ethnography, extends beyond the necessity imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. It reflects an ongoing evolution in ethnographic practices, adapting to the realities of a digitally connected world. We suggest that urban researchers should think of digital ethnographic ethics from the point of view of reciprocal and mutual collaboration with participants. With this thinking, urban research subjects become co-participants and co-researchers rather than subjects of exploitation in the expanding and complex digital space.

Comparison of Aedes aegypti arbovirus transmission thresholds in two communities with differing water supply infrastructure

BackgroundTo assess whether the ‘economic boom’ in the tropical seaport city of Barranquilla improved tapped water supplies to socio-economically poor neighbourhoods resulting in: (1) their reduced use for domestic water-storage in large (> 1,000-litre) custom-made cement tanks which are their principal Aedes aegypti breeding sites and (2) their pupae/person index (PPI) values to below their established 0.5–1.5 PPI arbovirus transmission-threshold value, compared to matched neighbourhoods in the: (a) pre-economic boom (2004) period in Barranquilla and (b) economically-neglected seaport city of Buenaventura.MethodsThe simple, accurate and robust water surface sweep-net/calibration factor or total count methods were used to determine the total Ae. aegypti pupae numbers in greater or less than 20-litre water-holding container types located ‘inside’ or ‘outside’ these neighbourhood premises. The women residents also participated in questionnaire-based responses about their domestic water supplies, water-storage and maintenance and mosquito life stages and disease transmission knowledge, to subsequently plan appropriate resident education programmes. Microsoft Excel 8.0 with OpenEpi was used to determine the samples sizes and the statistical values.ResultsTapped water supplies to the three poor Barranquilla neighbourhoods were dramatically increased from 2004 to 2023 resulting in their residents significantly reducing their: (a) large cement water-storage tanks from 1 per 6.9 (2004) to 1 per 31.2 (2020) premises (z = 10.5: p = 0) and (b) PPI values to 0.16, 0.19 and 0.53 (mean: 0.29: 95% CI ± 0.4) in each study neighbourhood. In contrast, tapped water supplies remained inadequate in the Buenaventura neighborhoods, thereby resulting in their continued use of many large (> 1,000-litre) water-storage containers (Barranquilla: 1 per 31.2 and Buenaventura: 1 per 1.5 premises: z = − 9.26: p = 0), with unacceptably high 0.81, 0.88 and 0.99 PPI values in each study neighbourhood (mean 0.89: 95% CI ± 0.12).ConclusionsImproved tapped water supplies resulted in reduced numbers of large custom-made stoneware water-containers, as are employed by poor residents throughout the world, as well as their Ae. aegypti PPI transmission threshold values which, together with appropriate residents’ education programmes, are also urgently to reduce to prevent/reduce Ae. aegypti transmitted human diseases globally.

‘Water for all’: The unlikely confluence of divergent interests (in resisting neoliberalism and promoting human rights) in Mumbai’s slums

Despite pressure from international donors and the national government, neoliberal policies have not had a transformational impact on the way water is provided in Mumbai. Some modest reforms were introduced but these have not led to major change. Moreover, in 2022 the city introduced a policy of ‘Water for All’ to extend water access to slum areas. At first sight this system might seem to be a socially progressive approach to water management, which might be surprising given the right-wing orientation of Shiv Sena, the political party which has been in power since the 1990s. But this paper shows that policy has been shaped by an unlikely alignment of diverse interests. Campaigners have been resisting neoliberal policies and demanding fair water rights for slum dwellers for years. But these demands gained policy traction when they overlapped with the interests of the engineers who manage the complex water system, as well as the political regime. For decades, slum households have been scapegoated and water access was deemed illegal for millions of the city’s poorest residents. But the political climate has recently shifted such that it now suits the ruling party to expand water access, although restrictions remain. This paper shows how global paradigms intersect with embedded structures, politics and institutions to create contextually specific outcomes. Drawing on Brenner and Theodore (2002), we argue that the same context that generated Mumbai’s form of ‘actually existing’ neoliberalism has also created a distinctive, ‘actually existing’, interpretation of the human right to water.

Evaluating Environmental Justice and Public Housing in a Data-Rich Era

We examined the spatial concentration of public housing, demographic indicators of low socioeconomic status, and environmental locally unwanted land uses (LULUs) in eight populous U.S. cities. Using the updated EJScreen database and its geographic information systems capabilities, we, as expected, found subsidized housing to be disproportionately colocated in areas with poor and underserved residents. Underground storage tanks and high traffic density were consistently associated with the location of public housing, whereas Superfund sites were located near public housing in only half of the cities in the study. Increasing our understanding of the variables typically used to measure environmental and social justice is important to expand the discussion around a broader set of environmental measures that might be more relevant to the communities that live near them without ignoring the traditional ones that have marked the early legacy of the environmental justice movement.

Role of Socioeconomic Status in National Health Insurance Ownership in Indonesia's Rural Areas.

National Health Insurance (NHI) is one of the Indonesian Government's policies to increase public access to health services. The study analyzed the role of socioeconomic status in NHI ownership in rural Indonesia. Study Design: A cross-sectional study. The study population included residents of rural Indonesia. The study examined secondary data from the survey entitled "Abilities and Willingness to Pay, Fee, and Participant Satisfaction in Implementing National Health Insurance in Indonesia in 2019", involving 33225 respondents representing Indonesia's rural areas. The study was conducted from March to December 2019. The variables analyzed included NHI, socioeconomic level, age group, gender, education level, employment status, and marital status. In the final step, the study employed binary logistic regression to explain the relationship between socioeconomic status and NHI ownership. The results show that 63.8% of the population in rural Indonesia participated in the NHI. The poorer residents were 1.235 times more likely to have NHI than the most impoverished population (AOR 1.235; 95% CI 1.234-1.237). People with middle wealth status were 1.086 times more likely to have NHI than the poorest (AOR 1.086; 95% CI 1.085-1.087). The richer residents were 1.134 times more likely to have NHI than the poorest (AOR 1.134; 95% CI 1.133-1.136). The richest residents were 1.078 times more likely to have NHI than the poorest residents (AOR 1.078; 95% CI 1.077-1.079). The study concluded that socioeconomic status is related to NHI ownership in rural Indonesia. The analysis indicated that all socioeconomic categories were more likely to become NHI participants than the poorest in Indonesia.

“Don't fuss at our staff”: A moral economy of volunteerism in South Carolina safety net clinics

In South Carolina, a state that has foregone Medicaid expansion, working poor residents often rely on safety net clinics for medical care. This care often occurs far from major hospitals, in different, inferior, spaces where limited services are provided in lesser circumstances. The temporary and conditional aid provided in these clinics is meant as a last resort, but often serves as the only source of care for many working poor patients, who must manage the effects of sustained precarity and protracted immiseration with conditional aid provided by volunteers. Here I explore the function that volunteering plays in regulating patients' utilization, and ability to contest, the quality of safety net care. Using ethnographic examples and interview data I show how the needs of patients—referred to in the clinics as “clients”—are managed and contained by a moral economy of volunteer care. These reciprocal obligations of debt and duty preclude working poor patients from making demands of, or lodging complaints against, the free clinics' staff, due to their capacity as volunteers, and leaves the state's safety net effectively unassailable to accusations of inefficacy or neglect. Consequently, patients must defer care, ignore episodes of maltreatment, and ration and share prescription medications, lest they be considered recusant or deemed not sufficiently appreciative of the volunteer staff dedicating their time to them. As a result of this moral economy, the plight of the state's uninsured working poor residents goes under-recognized as the safety net absorbs their cases, hiding the attritional nature of the ostensibly free care they receive and ration.

Synthesis and Evaluation of Boronated 4‐Arm Polyethylene Glycol for Application in Transmucosal Drug Delivery

AbstractPolyethylene glycol (PEG) exhibits poor residence on mucosal membranes in the presence of biological fluid, and the influence of PEG boronation on its properties has never been investigated. This project aimed to synthesise boronated 4‐arm PEG and evaluate their pH stability, thermal properties and mucoadhesiveness for potential transmucosal applications. Two types of boronated 4‐armed PEG (B4PEG1 & B4PEG2) and a boronated linear PEG (BLPEG) were synthesized. The degree of boronation, mucoadhesiveness, thermal and pH stability of the polymers were assessed using 1H NMR spectroscopy, viscometry, thermogravimetric analysis and UV–visible spectroscopy, respectively. Gel Permeation Chromatography was employed to confirm PEG boronation. The respective degrees of boronation for B4PEG1 and B4PEG2 were 32.8 % and 46.2 %. The molecular architecture and degree of PEG boronation had a remarkable influence on mucoadhesiveness, pH, and thermal stability. B4PEG2, with a branched architecture and the greatest degree of boronation, exhibited superior mucoadhesiveness and colloidal stability at pH 4 to 8, relative to B4PEG1 and BLPEG. Boronation improved the thermal stability of 4‐arm PEG. This study is the first to demonstrate that PEG boronation could enhance the pH‐sensitivity, thermal stability and mucoadhesiveness of 4‐arm PEG. Boronated 4‐arm PEGs could serve as mucoadhesive polymeric excipients for transmucosal drug delivery.

Inequalities in urban air pollution in sub-Saharan Africa: an empirical modeling of ambient NO and NO2 concentrations in Accra, Ghana.

Road traffic has become the leading source of air pollution in fast-growing sub-Saharan African cities. Yet, there is a dearth of robust city-wide data for understanding space-time variations and inequalities in combustion related emissions and exposures. We combined nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and nitric oxide (NO) measurement data from 134 locations in the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area (GAMA), with geographical, meteorological, and population factors in spatio-temporal mixed effects models to predict NO2 and NO concentrations at fine spatial (50 m) and temporal (weekly) resolution over the entire GAMA. Model performance was evaluated with 10-fold cross-validation (CV), and predictions were summarized as annual and seasonal (dusty [Harmattan] and rainy [non-Harmattan]) mean concentrations. The predictions were used to examine population distributions of, and socioeconomic inequalities in, exposure at the census enumeration area (EA) level. The models explained 88% and 79% of the spatiotemporal variability in NO2 and NO concentrations, respectively. The mean predicted annual, non-Harmattan and Harmattan NO2 levels were 37 (range: 1-189), 28 (range: 1-170) and 50 (range: 1-195) µg m-3, respectively. Unlike NO2, NO concentrations were highest in the non-Harmattan season (41 [range: 31-521] µg m-3). Road traffic was the dominant factor for both pollutants, but NO2 had higher spatial heterogeneity than NO. For both pollutants, the levels were substantially higher in the city core, where the entire population (100%) was exposed to annual NO2 levels exceeding the World Health Organization (WHO) guideline of 10 µg m-3. Significant disparities in NO2 concentrations existed across socioeconomic gradients, with residents in the poorest communities exposed to levels about 15 µg m-3 higher compared with the wealthiest (p < 0.001). The results showed the important role of road traffic emissions in air pollution concentrations in the GAMA, which has major implications for the health of the city's poorest residents. These data could support climate and health impact assessments as well as policy evaluations in the city.

Revolutionizing cancer treatment: the power of bi- and tri-specific T-cell engagers in oncolytic virotherapy.

Bi- or tri-specific T cell engagers (BiTE or TriTE) are recombinant bispecific proteins designed to stimulate T-cell immunity directly, bypassing antigen presentation by antigen-presenting cells (APCs). However, these molecules suffer from limitations such as short biological half-life and poor residence time in the tumor microenvironment (TME). Fortunately, these challenges can be overcome when combined with OVs. Various strategies have been developed, such as encoding secretory BiTEs within OV vectors, resulting in improved targeting and activation of T cells, secretion of key cytokines, and bystander killing of tumor cells. Additionally, oncolytic viruses armed with BiTEs have shown promising outcomes in enhancing major histocompatibility complex I antigen (MHC-I) presentation, T-cell proliferation, activation, and cytotoxicity against tumor cells. These combined approaches address tumor heterogeneity, drug delivery, and T-cell infiltration, offering a comprehensive and effective solution. This review article aims to provide a comprehensive overview of Bi- or TriTEs and OVs as promising therapeutic approaches in the field of cancer treatment. We summarize the cutting-edge advancements in oncolytic virotherapy immune-related genetic engineering, focusing on the innovative combination of BiTE or TriTE with OVs.

KEGIATAN SOSIALISASI TUKANG KEGIATAN REHABILITASI RUMAH TIDAK LAYAK HUNI KECAMATAN BALARAJA KABUPATEN TANGERANG

The construction of the Gebrak Pakumis House is part of the commitment of the Tangerang Regency Government which is managed by the Tangerang Regency Housing and Settlement Service in the renovation program for uninhabitable houses belonging to poor residents. Balaraja District, Tangerang Regency, which borders directly with DKI Jakarta Province, is one of the many destinations for migrants outside the residential areas of residents who work around the area. Residential land is getting narrower day by day because most of the area is used as residential areas, causing slum settlements to form. The Uninhabitable House Rehabilitation Activity involves builders who will carry out house construction activities. The builders still have high hopes that this Uninhabitable House Rehabilitation Activity can fully assist in renovating uninhabitable houses into habitable houses that meet the requirements. Location of outreach activities Providing information to builders about the implementation of Rehabilitation construction for Uninhabitable Houses. Preparation method, coordination, identification and verification of residents' houses included in the list of potential aid recipients (CPB), making planning drawings, socializing craftsmen, discussions. In socialization activities, more time is needed because many craftsmen still have minimal understanding of construction, although some craftsmen already have quite a lot of experience. As a result of this socialization, craftsmen understand more about implementation drawings, which in previous activities relied on experience. With the results obtained from this socialization, craftsmen need technical guidance to increase the knowledge and competence of craftsmen to ensure the implementation of Regulation of the Minister of Public Works and Public Housing of the Republic of Indonesia Number 1 of 2023

Spatial Analysis of The Human Development Index in Indonesia Before and During The Covid-19 Pandemic

In 2020 Indonesia’s HDI reached 71.94 or in a very high category, it is in 107th place out of 189. The HDI in every province in Indonesia shows varying numbers and has increased every year, but there has been a slowdown increase from 2019 to 2020, which caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. This study aims to analyze the variables which affect HDI in Indonesia before and during the Covid-19 pandemic, it also to analyze Covid-19 pandemic affect HDI in Indonesia. This research uses a quantitative method with descriptive analysis and inferential analysis by spatial regression using geoda software. The HDI before the Covid-19 pandemic is significantly affected by the percentage of poor residents and the university gross enrollment rate, while the during Covid-19 pandemic, HDI is also significantly affected by Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP) per capita and ratio of the number of hospital beds to 1.000 residents. Based on the spatial dependency test, it is known that there is a spatial dependency for HDI in Indoncovid-10esia during Covid-19 pandemic period. From these results, it is necessary to have a policy that is oriented to reducing poverty, increasing the scope of education services, improving macroeconomic conditions in a region and also ensure a sufficient number of hospital beds, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Зеленые” против бедных: противоречия левого энвайронментализма

The article examines the prospects of an alliance between the ideology of environmentalism and left-wing ideological trends aimed at solving the problems of the poor and socially vulnerable. It is noted that although the “greens” have often been criticized for their focus on the interests of the middle class and ignoring the material problems of the social “grassroots”, modern left-wing theorists increasingly associate the solution to the problem of global warming with the struggle for the material interests of the “exploited and oppressed” (representatives of the working class, precarious workers, poor residents of developing countries, minorities, etc.). It is assumed that the richest, not the poor, should pay for the energy transition; many jobs will be needed for such a transition; serious material climate damage will be prevented; residents of the poorest countries will benefit from the fight against global warming, because they are most vulnerable to droughts, floods and other potential catastrophic events. Today, it is also increasingly noted that “green” energy has already become competitive, and the main problem is in the selfish interests of capitalists. Nevertheless, as the author shows, despite the attempts of the “greens” to get closer to the “reds”, objective realities indicate a fundamental difference between the interests of environmentalists and those who today need basic material goods at present. “Green” energy has not become cheaper than fossil fuels, and attempts to radically accelerate the energy transition can lead to an economic, not a climatic, catastrophe. Moreover, it is impossible to solve all the problems at once: a choice is inevitable between urgent investments in the energy transition and the achievement of other socially significant goals: affordable education, free and high-quality medicine, housing construction for all those in need, and much more.

Unconscionability and Poverty

Matthew Desmond made the claim in Evicted, his powerful work on housing insecurity, that those concerned with alleviating poverty should focus not merely on ensuring that poor people have higher disposable incomes, but on countering the exploitative price gouging that depresses the value of whatever income they have. This suggests the possibility that it might be a worthwhile anti-poverty strategy for courts to use the unconscionability doctrine to regulate exploitative contracts. Three main issues follow from considering this possibility: (1) Do the poor actually pay more for goods of the same quality? (2) If they indeed pay more, do they do so because prices are exploitative? How should we define an exploitative price, and how can we identify that any particular group of buyers is indeed exploited? (3) Could courts seeking to make use of the unconscionability doctrine realistically identify cases in which poor people generally are overcharged, or will courts successfully invoke the doctrine to challenge unwarranted prices only when the price a particular seller charges exceeds some benchmark (e.g., the price charged before an emergency or the price charged to other buyers in highly similar transactions)? While there is (reasonably) good evidence that the poor pay more for equal quality goods and it is possible (but very hard to determine) that exploitative pricing is a genuine issue as well, efforts to use the unconscionability doctrine to solve the problem of exploitative contracts are quite unlikely to succeed. Doctrinal and practical constraints make this solution a bad fit. If we worry, for example, that small stores in urban areas with high concentrations of poor residents overcharge, we should probably look to establishing and sustaining less exploitative suppliers, not to using common law courts to police price gouging.