Societal Worth Research Articles

Trust v Want: Tracking Changes in Young People’s Desire to Study Journalism Against Their Trust in News

Studies into why young people choose to study journalism have often been informed by a belief in journalism’s inherent worthiness within civil society. However, as surveys show decreasing trust in journalism and increasing avoidance of news in many countries, this article asks whether young people are being put off studying journalism in part because of rising public cynicism around its societal worth. The research compares data sets across multiple countries to explore whether there is a statistical relationship between attitudes among 18- to 20-year-olds toward trust in news and interest in learning to produce it.

Are face transplant candidates choosing autonomously? A preliminary method to evaluate autonomous choosing in psychosocial and bioethical assessments.

This report proposes a framework for evaluating the validity of informed consent and autonomy in face transplant candidates, taking into account the risk of depression and non-compliance. Traditional factors like decisional capacity, disclosure, comprehension, voluntariness, and agreement are insufficient for assessing valid informed consent in individuals whose self-worth relies on public perception, potentially leading to self-harm if societal worth is undermined. Reliance on self-esteem, rather than inherent personal value, poses risks of depression, poor treatment adherence, and deferential vulnerability. We suggest a qualitative analysis of self-worth, self-esteem, self-trust, and self-respect to better assess the autonomy of face transplant candidates in their decision-making process.

Deepening our understanding of psychedelics by expanding psychedelic data collection in the United States National Survey on Drug Use and Health.

Amid a reappraisal of the medicinal and societal worth of psychedelics in many countries, regulatory and financial barriers to conducting clinical research with these compounds appear to be receding. Still, there remains a strong need for a clearer understanding of naturalistic psychedelic use and its associated epidemiology, since this type of psychedelic use, which is growing in many places, will almost certainly always exceed clinical use. Furthermore, psychedelics behave differently depending on the settings in which they are used, meaning many research findings on their effects may significantly differ depending on the contexts in which they are observed. Therefore, improving the collection of data on real-world psychedelic use should be of higher priority for the public health community. Expanding data collection on psychedelic use in the United States National Survey on Drug Use and Health, an already vital tool for researchers examining naturalistic psychedelic use, could address this important public health need, helping ensure the general public, the scientific community, and regulators have access to high-quality information as peoples across the world reevaluate what psychedelics' place in medicine and society should be.

Transforming Matters of Concern into Platform Worth

As platforms proliferate across industries, there is growing recognition that they have the potential to impact societal goals, not just economic ones. Using the concepts of matters of concern, perceived affordances and perceived worth, this study focuses on how platform owners construct the value of a digital platform by considering both economic and non-economic values during the initial phases of its conceptualization and development. The paper presents and discusses the findings from a qualitative study of an emerging agricultural data-sharing platform under development through a multi-actor collaboration in Sweden. It shows that by starting with matters of concern and matching those with potential data-based solutions, a number of perceived affordances could be articulated and transformed into potential worth of the platform from economic, environmental and social perspectives. The research proposes that viewing digital platforms beyond their economic potential during platform emergence is important for constructing platforms that go beyond single firm interests and include industrial and societal worth.

Worth Less?: Why Men (and Women) Devalue Care-Oriented Careers.

In the present research, we applied a goal-congruity perspective – the proposition that men and women seek out roles that afford their internalized values (Diekman et al., 2017) – to better understand the degree to which careers in healthcare, early education, and domestic roles (HEED; Croft et al., 2015) are devalued in society. Our first goal was to test the hypothesis that men, relative to women, are less interested in pursuing HEED careers in part because they are less likely than women to endorse communal values. A second, more novel goal was to extend goal congruity theory to examine whether gender differences in communal values also predict the belief that HEED careers add worth to society and are deserving of higher salaries. In three studies of undergraduate students (total N = 979), we tested the predictive role of communal values (i.e., a focus on caring for others), as distinct from agentic values (i.e., a focus on status, competition, and wealth; Bakan, 1966). Consistent with goal congruity theory, Studies 1 and 2 revealed that men’s lower interest in adopting HEED careers, such as nursing and elementary education, was partially mediated by men’s (compared to women’s) lower communal values. Extending the theory, all three studies also documented a general tendency to see HEED as having relatively lower worth to society compared to STEM careers. As expected, communal values predicted perceiving higher societal worth in HEED careers, as well as supporting increases in HEED salaries. Thus, gender differences in communal values accounted for men’s (compared to women’s) tendency to perceive HEED careers as having less societal worth and less deserving of salary increases. In turn, gender differences in perceived societal worth of HEED itself predicted men’s relatively lower interest in pursuing HEED careers. In no instance, did agentic values better explain the gender difference in HEED interest or perceived worth. These findings have important implications for how we understand the value that society places on occupations typically occupied by women versus men.

Class Work: Vocational Schools and China’s Urban Youth, by T. E. Woronov. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2016. viii+185 pp. US$25.95 (paper).

<i>Class Work: Vocational Schools and China’s Urban Youth</i>, by T. E. Woronov. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2016. viii+185 pp. US$25.95 (paper).

Recognising Social Work: The Influence of the Politics of Recognition on Social Work

The politics of recognition is a common framework through which both individual and group demands are made today. Demands are made not only for individual distress to be validated, but also for cultural identities to be accorded positive recognition; in the acknowledgement of past trauma or abuse in the former, and in showing respect towards different lifestyles and beliefs in the latter. This paper discusses the politics of recognition in its historical specificity, in particular its interaction with the new social movements (NSMs) that came to the fore in the latter decades of the twentieth century. Such movements increasingly focused on cultural issues with a concomitant decline of a more materialist politics that emphasised economic redistribution. The forms that such demands for recognition can take are also highlighted. In addition, some implications for social policy and social work are discussed as whilst welfare recipients are often people requiring recognition, increasingly, welfare providers also articulate a desire for their professionalism and societal worth to also be accorded positive cultural recognition. In light of this, barriers to, and strategies for, the achievement of a form of ‘mutual recognition’ between professionals and social workers are also discussed.

The use of indigenous ecological resources for pest control in Africa

Reducing the losses from crop pests will help to increase food availability and boost economic growth in sub- Saharan Africa (SSA). However, the existing crop protection paradigm that relies on synthetic agrochemical pesticides has had only a marginal impact on the productivity of many poor smallholder farmers who constitute a major segment of agri- culture in SSA. This is primarily because many of them are not able to afford or access these imported chemicals. A solution to this crop protection problem may be to harness biologicalresourcesthatarelocallyavailable,suchasendemic insect natural enemies and indigenous pesticidal plant mate- rials. Two specific examples of this already under develop- ment in Africa are the use of the pesticidal plant, Tephrosia vogelii, and the harvesting of the endemic insect baculovirus, Spodoptera exempta nucleopolyhedrovirus (SpexNPV). Both of these can be produced locally and have shown promise in trials as inexpensive and effective tools for pest control in Africa and their use is currently being scaled up and evaluated by African networks of researchers. A focus on these systems illustrates the potential for using locally-available natural re- sources for improved crop protection in Africa. The consider- ation of these pesticidal plants and insect natural enemies in the wider context of natural capital that provide valuable ecosystem services (including pest control), will facilitate greater recognition of their true economic and societal worth. While both of these model systems show promise, there are also very significant challenges to be overcome in developing production, supply and marketing systems that are economi- cally viableand sustainable.Theregulatoryenvironment must also evolve to accommodate and facilitate the registration of new products and the establishment of appropriate supply chains that share the benefits of these resources equitably with the local communities from which they are harvested.

Cultural consumption, interactive sociality, and the museum

Within marketing and consumer behaviour research, museums have been generally conceptualised as public consumption spaces where visitors benefit from a variety of affective, recreational, and cognitive experiences. As such, the social context has been largely subordinated to enhancing visitors’ cultural consumption experience in the physical environment of the museum. Our study takes a reverse path by highlighting how the cultural consumption experience in the museum nourishes ‘interactive sociality’ both inside and outside the museum. The analysis of our qualitative data (interpretive individual and group interviews and non-participatory observations) on Kelvingrove Museum and Art Gallery in Glasgow, UK, imply that by leveraging interactive sociality, managers can enhance the museum’s value proposition and societal worth in contemporary society.The paper critiques museum studies’ over-reliance on (social) psychology theories and demonstrates the value of adopting alternative (sociocultural) approaches to the advancement of theory in the field. It provides evidence for the fact that cultural consumers’ interaction with(in) the organisation is not confined to the physical boundaries of a given context. People extend their varying experiences and sensibilities to other domains beyond the museum walls.

Neoliberalism as language policy

AbstractThis article explores how an economic ideology—neoliberalism—serves as a covert language policy mechanism pushing the global spread of English. Our analysis builds on a case study of the spread of English as a medium of instruction (MoI) in South Korean higher education. The Asian financial crisis of 1997/98 was the catalyst for a set of socioeconomic transformations that led to the imposition of “competitiveness” as a core value. Competition is heavily structured through a host of testing, assessment, and ranking mechanisms, many of which explicitly privilege English as a terrain where individual and societal worth are established. University rankings are one such mechanism structuring competition and constituting a covert form of language policy. One ranking criterion—internationalization—is particularly easy to manipulate and strongly favors English MoI. We conclude by reflecting on the social costs of elevating competitiveness to a core value enacted on the terrain of language choice. (English as a global language, globalization, higher education, medium of instruction (MoI), neoliberalism, South Korea, university rankings)*

A Benefit-Cost Analysis of Private and Semi-Private Hospital Rooms

The design of new hospital inpatient rooms is moving towards private (single occupancy) rooms. These rooms are generally preferred by patients and they may improve patient care, but they are more expensive to build and to staff than semi-private rooms. The question of their societal worth is important because hospitals are expensive, long-term investments and, once built, are prohibitively expensive to change. This paper presents a benefit-cost analysis of private rooms versus semi-private rooms in a proposed new hospital. We estimate that the net social benefit of a bed in a private room is about $70,000 more than a bed in a semi-private room.

Generational Differences in Work Values: Leisure and Extrinsic Values Increasing, Social and Intrinsic Values Decreasing

Organizations are currently facing the retirement of many older workers and the challenge of recruiting and retaining young talent. However, few studies have empirically substantiated generational differences in work values. This study examines the work values of a nationally representative sample of U.S. high school seniors in 1976, 1991, and 2006 (N = 16,507) representing Baby Boomers, Generation X (GenX), and Generation Me (GenMe, also known as GenY, or Millennials). With data collected across time, these analyses isolate generational differences from age differences, unlike one-time studies, which cannot separate the two. Leisure values increased steadily over the generations (d comparing Boomers and GenMe = .57), and work centrality declined. Extrinsic values (e.g., status, money) peaked with GenX but were still higher among GenMe than among Boomers (d = .26). Contrary to popular press reports, GenMe does not favor altruistic work values (e.g., helping, societal worth) more than previous generations. Social values (e.g., making friends) and intrinsic values (e.g., an interesting, results-oriented job) were rated lower by GenMe than by Boomers. These findings have practical implications for the recruitment and management of the emerging workforce.

The 1939–1940 New York World's Fair and the transformation of the American science extracurriculum

AbstractAt the 1939–1940 New York World's Fair, several thousand boys and girls, all members of a growing national network of high school science and engineering clubs, displayed their science fair projects and conducted live experiments to more than 10 million visitors. Housed in the building sponsored by the Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company, their exhibits depicted a wide range of scientific phenomena. They also represented the conflicting values of science educators and industrialists about the societal worth of science education. In some instances, students' projects and laboratory activities prized hands‐on learning and aimed to abet widespread rational thinking for democratic citizenship, which reflected the civic priorities of Progressive science educators. In other cases, science was presented as a magical spectacle with consumer applications intended to entertain and inspire the public's confidence in American industry and scientific experts. Ultimately, the corporate sponsorship of the high school science extracurriculum at the World's Fair marked a turning point when the Progressive purposes of science education began to give way to “manpower” and “professionalist” ends that aligned with the nation's economic and military imperatives. This historical episode also anticipated recent proposals to reform science education in the United States and ideas about scientific learning in museum settings. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Sci Ed 93:892–914, 2009

Comparison of subtransmission system reliability worth for diverse systems by including health considerations

The fundamental concepts associated with quantitative reliability assessment of electric power systems are reasonably well established and accepted by the power industry. The evaluation of the costs and benefits of competing investments has now become a standard practice in power system planning. In order to make a consistent appraisal of economics and reliability, it is imperative to compare the investment cost needed to attain a specified level of reliability with the reliability worth or benefits derived by the society at that level of system reliability. Customer interruption costs, which serve as surrogates for the perceived worth of supply reliability, have been determined for several jurisdictions, areas, provinces, and countries as diverse as Canada, United Kingdom, Nepal, and Thailand, among others. This paper extends the well-being framework to include the societal worth of electric service reliability in subtransmission systems associated with the above four countries/systems. Systems well-being is defined in terms of the three system states of healthy, marginal, and at risk, thus combining the deterministic and probabilistic approaches into a single framework. The main objective of the paper is to present results of reliability worth indices of expected cost of interruptions (ECOST) and interrupted energy assessment rate (IEAR), for both the healthy and at risk states in the well-being framework. The concepts associated with extending the well-being framework to include reliability worth parameters are illustrated by application to a small reliability test system designated RBTS. Customer interruption data from the four countries are used in conjunction with the RBTS subtransmission system in order to obtain the reliability worth indices.

Including higher order outages and well-being considerations in subtransmission system reliability worth assessment

Abstract This paper presents a method to evaluate the subtransmission system health (well-being) indices under a security-constrained well-being framework. The well-being framework is extended to include the societal worth of electric service reliability in subtransmission systems. System well-being is defined in terms of the three system states of healthy, marginal, and at risk, thus combining the deterministic and probabilistic approaches into a single framework. The paper discusses the determination of reliability worth indices of expected energy not supplied (EENS), expected cost of interruptions (ECOST), and interrupted energy assessment rate (IEAR), for both the healthy and at risk states in the well-being framework. Component outages of up to the third order with overlapping permanent, maintenance, and temporary failures, are included to arrive at more realisitic reliability worth indices. The concepts associated with extending the well-being framework to include higher order component outages and reliability worth parameters are illustrated by application to a small reliability test system designated RBTS.

Extending health considerations in subtransmission systems to include reliability worth

The basic concepts associated with quantitative reliability assessment of electric power systems are reasonably well established, and well accepted within the power industry. The evaluation of the costs and benefits of competing investments is now becoming a standard practice in power-system planning. To justify the use of new facilities and system modification specific reference to reliability has normally been included, and one approach that has received considerable attention is the evaluation of the societal worth (benefit) of system reliability, or conversely the costs incurred by consumers due to power supply interruptions. To make a consistent appraisal of economics and reliability, it is necessary to compare investment cost needed to attain a specified level of reliability with the reliability worth or benefits derived by the society at that level of system reliability. The well-being framework is extended to include the societal worth of electric service reliability in subtransmission systems. System well-being is defined in terms of three system states: (i) healthy, (ii) marginal and (iii) at risk, thus combining the deterministic and probabilistic approaches into a single framework. The determination of reliability worth indices of expected energy not supplied (EENS), expected cost of interruptions (ECOST) and interrupted energy assessment rate (IEAR) are discussed, for both the healthy and at risk states in the well-being framework. The concepts associated with extending the well-being framework to include reliability worth parameters are illustrated by application to a small reliability test system designated RBTS.

Power system reliability cost/benefit assessment and application in perspective

The basic concepts associated with quantitative reliability assessment of electric power systems are reasonably well established and well accepted by the power industry. The evaluation of the costs and benefits of competing investments is now becoming a standard practice in power system planning. The justification of new facilities and system modifications now normally includes specific reference to reliability and one approach that is receiving considerable attention is the evaluation of the societal worth (benefit) of system reliability, or conversely the costs incurred by consumers due to power supply interruptions. In order to make a consistent appraisal of economics and reliability, it is imperative to compare the investment cost needed to attain a specified level of reliability with the reliability worth or benefits derived by the society at that level of system reliability. This paper discusses the developments made in existing techniques in the area of power system reliability cost/benefit evaluation and application. Reliability worth data presently used in cost/worth evaluation are presented, and their applications in conjunction with the system reliability indices are also presented in this paper.

Impacts of pertinent factors on reliability worth indices in an electric power system

The justification of new facilities and system modifications now normally includes specific reference to reliability and one approach which is receiving considerable attention is the assessment of the societal worth or benefit associated with power system reliability, and conversely the costs to consumers of power supply interruptions. This paper presents the system customer load point reliability worth factors designated interrupted energy assessment rates (IEAR) at the overall system level, i.e. considering failures in generation, transmission and the associated subtransmission and distribution systems. The IEAR can be used as customer related indices in making decisions regarding load curtailment philosophies and tariff settings. The basic objective of the paper is to assess the impacts on the IEAR of the pertinent factors such as load curtailment philosophy, contingency level, additional generation and/or transmission facilities and/or distribution system reinforcements, etc. The concepts associated with overall electric power system reliability worth assessment are illustrated by application to a practical reliability test system.

Prediction of customer load point service reliability worth estimates in an electric power system

The basic concepts associated with quantitative reliability evaluation are reasonably well accepted in the electric power industry. The justification of new facilities and system modifications now normally includes specific reference to reliability and one approach that is receiving considerable attention is the assessment of the societal worth or benefit associated with power system reliability, and conversely the costs to consumers of power supply interruptions. The paper presents three different methods for evaluating system customer load point reliability worth factors designated interrupted energy assessment rates (IEAR). These factors consider the influence of outages in all parts of the electric power system. The developed IEAR can be used with the available adequacy indices to assess the severity associated with unsupplied energy owing to supply interruptions. The IEAR can be used as customer related indices in making decisions regarding load curtailment philosophies and reliability related rate setting. The concepts of using a customer damage function in association with customer reliability indices are presented and illustrated using a reliability test system.