Socioeconomic Causes Research Articles

Land Use and Land Cover Change for Resilient Environment and Sustainable Development in the Ethiopian Rift Valley Region

Abstract Land use and land cover change (LULCC) are the result of different interacting socio-economic and environmental causes and consequences that have been known since the beginning of agriculture. The study intended to explore the implications and drivers of LULCC in the Ethiopian rift valley region of Gidabo river sub basin from 1986 to 2019. The researchers have triangulated the data from Landsat 5 (™), and Landsat 8 (OLI) with data obtained from key informants, focus groups and field observation, which is helpful to determine the interaction between the environment and the community. It is also important to mitigate environmental disaster (erosion, landslides, and climate change) and sustainable utilization of natural resources. The LULCC of the past 33 years implied that about 58.4 % of the area was changed to other Land use land cover (LULC) classes. This refers to the fact that about 14% of agroforestry, 2% of the settlement, 1.1% of the forest, and 1% of bare land were expanded at the expense of 10.3% of shrub/woodland, 6.3 % of grassland, and 1% of cropland classes. Therefore, as a result, the highest land cover (46.7%) was observed on the agroforestry system. Participants in group discussion and informant interviews attributed the expansion of agroforestry to the drivers, such as population density, cultural values (Songo, Babbo), traditional beliefs, land policy, and the insecurity resulting from climate change. Whereas, the drivers related to unproductive land, resettlement, urbanisation, and lack of agricultural inputs were considered as threats that will adversely affect the agroforestry system of the area. The study concluded that the high expansion of the agroforestry system has significant contribution to achieve a resilient environment and sustainable development, which integrates the socio-economic and environmental needs of the community. But greater attention should be given to the changes observed in shrub/woodland, grassland, and bare land to enhance environmental protection.

The Impact of Educational Policies in High Schools With a Sports Profile

The aim of this research is to identify and analyse the causes that have influenced the total number of student places and career paths of graduates of a sports-program high school. In this sociological research, the case study method was used, which had in the foreground the Sports Program Suceava High school, from Romania. The sampling comprised the high school grade students (XI-XII), registered from September 2015 to August 2019. The objectives of the study are to determine the main variables that have generated major changes in the total number of student places’ architecture and in graduate career choices. Socio-economic causes and educational policies justify the high flow of requests for transfer from this high school to other educational establishments, especially in the first year of training (IXth grade), but also to the school unit under consideration (frequent requests in the XIth grade). Unsustainable education policies, in relation to the requirements and exigencies of sport performance, but also the permissive legislation on operational transfer procedures, have a bearing on sporting performance, graduate career paths and, last but not least, on the ethical code (or it should have it) a sports-program high school. The psycho-intellectual development and psycho-behavioural development of sports students in an accessible school environment, tenderer and adapted to his own needs, can only be achieved through a continuous effort, in conjunction with a joint effort between school-parents-local authorities and institutions with legislative leverage.

Editorial: Trafficking in Minors: Confronting complex realities, structural inequalities, and agency

This Editorial introduces a Special Issue of the journal Anti-Trafficking Review of the topic of ‘Trafficking in Minors’. It argues that the urgency of the phenomena of child trafficking and related issues, such as child labour and child sexual exploitation, and the emotional responses they provoke, have often led to superficial and knee-jerk reactions that obscure the root causes of the problems and deflect attention and resources away from grounded, sustainable solutions. It presents a brief overview of the articles contained in the Special Issue and concludes that policy responses and practical interventions to address trafficking in minors need to have the best interest of the child in mind and address the underlying socio-economic and political root causes.

Why Do People Continue to Live Near Polluted Sites? Empirical Evidence from Southwestern Europe

Poverty is a major determinant for pollution exposure, according to the US location choice literature. In this paper, we assess the impact of socio-economic status on location choices in the European context. Our analysis relies on an original dataset of 1194 households living in polluted and non-polluted areas in three European countries: Spain, Portugal, and France. We use instrumental variables strategies to identify the socioeconomic causes of location choices. We show that low education, wealth, and income are main reasons for living in polluted areas. We provide several robustness checks testing for the exogeneity of selected instruments. We observe that unobserved heterogeneity tends to understate the impact of socioeconomic status on residence location. Interestingly, we highlight that an important proportion of intermediate social groups (especially young couples) are living in polluted areas, probably because of place attachment and affordable housing facilities. Similarly, we show that middle-income households have lower move-out intentions than other income groups. These latter results contrast the linear vision of environmental inequalities found in the USA.

Peacebuilding, Structural Violence and Spatial Reparations in Post-Colonial South Africa

ABSTRACT Peacebuilding approaches have placed emphasis on the restoration of political relationships and symbolic notions of community reconciliation, paying limited attention to the material causes of violence. In South Africa, the historical structural economic violence has been maintained, and after the formal end of apartheid, a lack of equitable distribution of resources is ongoing. This article conceptually and empirically argues that distributive justice measures are a way of compensating those affected by structural economic violence and addressing structural inequalities. Spatial reparations, we argue, could support readjustment of the socio-economic causes and consequences of violence in conjunction with promoting social justice.

Socio-Economic Determinants of Infant Mortality Rate in Turkey

Turkey is one of the rare countries which have significantly reduced infant mortality in recent years while it still lacks behind when compared to some countries. Thus, in this study, it was aimed to determine the socio-economic causes of infant mortality in Turkey. In this context, the percentage of women with university degrees, the percentage of health expenditure in household expenditures, the GINI coefficient, the poverty rate, the fertility rate, and the urban population percentage were considered as independent variables that could possibly affect infant mortality. Data used in panel regression analyses covers the period of 2014-2018. In the results of the study, it was determined that education level had a statistically significant and negative effect, while the fertility rate had significant and positive effect (p

Measuring of the socio-economic causes of infant mortality in Macedonia, Turkey and Albania

This study aimed to investigate the contribution of socioeconomic causes of infant mortality in three countries: Macedonia, Turkey and Albania. The infant mortality rate in Macedonia, Turkey and Albania still ranks near the top of the European scale. We used macro aggregate level time series data at the annual level from United Nations and World Bank databases for the period 1991–2017. Infant mortality rate per 1000 live births was used as a dependent variable, and gender parity index for enrollment in secondary school, gross national income per capita, total unemployment rate and employment in agriculture of females in % were used as regressor variables. After controlling for the pool cross-section fixed-effects method and confirmation of a joint significance of the variables with the F test, a more advanced estimation was made with the seemingly unrelated regression (SUR) method. It was found that the infant mortality rates dropped dramatically in all three countries over the period 1991–2017, and a significant negative effect of these socioeconomic causes on infant mortality rate was also found. There was an SUR effect in our system of equations. The results seem to be consistent with many of the other studies in the economics and public health literature measuring the socioeconomic effects on infant mortality rate. The macroeconomic variables influence infant mortality in these three countries in different ways.

Institutional changes drive land use transitions on rangelands: The case of grazing on public lands in the American West

Livestock grazing on natural rangeland vegetation is one of the most extensive land uses on the earth, with important implications for livelihoods, food security and the environment. Factors such as population growth and urban development, a shift from resource-based to service-based economies, and intensification in the livestock industry change the extent and practice of grazing worldwide. We investigated how and why livestock grazing on public lands changed since 1940 in the High Divide region of the Northern Rocky Mountains through a detailed analysis of United States Forest Service (USFS) rangeland management records. Based on a 90-year land use history, we process-traced the proximate causes of changes in grazing, identified the decision-makers, and statistically tested which underlying factors were associated with changes in grazing. The forage annually consumed by livestock in our study area declined by 62% since 1940, the equivalent of about 33,000 fewer cows grazing on public lands for a three-month summer period. Livestock grazing was closed on 21% of the total allotment area. The reductions in grazing were mainly caused by land management and policy factors: evaluations of range condition (27%), carrying capacity estimates (21%) and legal and administrative requirements (14%) derived from the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA). The socio-economic causes of ranch economics (14%) and amenity migration (8%) were comparatively small. Overlap with wilderness and proximity to amenity towns were significant spatial predictors of reductions in grazing. The fate of publicly-owned but privately-used rangelands largely depends on institutions that are able to reconcile the competing values and demands that influence how they are managed.

Socio-economic causes of female crime in Russia

Socio-economic causes of female crime in Russia

«Цветные революции» на постсоветском пространстве: социально-экономические предпосылки и последствия

Relevance. The "color revolutions" that literally filled the entire post-Soviet space in the early 2000s are based not only on political roots, but to a large extent on a socio-economic basis, which manifested itself in the miserable existence of citizens of the post-Soviet space who saw the reason for their economic difficulties in power, in its inability to govern the state at this stage. The purpose is to reveal the influence of socio-economic factors on the process of the "color" revolutions on the example of such countries as Georgia, Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan. Methods. Objectives: consider the dynamics of the main macroeconomic indicators of the EU and the US from 2015 to 2020; to study and visualize the dynamics of GDP growth, GDP in PPP per capita, inflation in the EU member states for 2016–2020; investigate the dynamics of the total US government debt for 2015-2020. Metodology: the method of statistical and critical analysis of data from world agencies (Solidarity center, Center for International Private Enterprise CIPE, International Republican Institute, National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, National Security Council); the method of comparative analysis was used to compare the socio-economic causes and consequences of the “color revolutions” in Georgia, Kyrgyzstan and Ukraine. Results. "Color revolutions" in the post-Soviet space were developed according to the same technologies developed in the West and tested in the countries of the Near and Middle East during the period of "velvet" revolutions. The only basis for their course, which ensured their success, was the worse state of the country's economy, the poverty of the bulk of the population and the presence of youth groups financed from the West to incite protest and sometimes nationalist sentiments. Conclusions. After the events in Georgia and Ukraine in Russia, at the level of high-ranking government officials, decision-makers gradually formed a point of view according to which "revolutionary events" in the CIS republics are causing real damage to Russian national interests in the post-Soviet space. Key words: Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan, Georgia, post-Soviet space, "color revolutions".

Changes in Neighborhood-Level Socioeconomic Disadvantage and Older Americans’ Cognitive Functioning

Most studies of later life cognitive functioning have focused on individual-level variables. While some studies have examined neighborhood-level variables as influences upon older adults’ cognitive functioning, this scholarship has neglected to consider neighborhoods in a dynamic context. The present study helps fill this research gap by considering how changing extents of neighborhood-level socioeconomic disadvantage cause changes in older residents’ cognitive functioning. We employ waves 2 (2010-2011) and 3 (2015-2016) of the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (NSHAP) as our source of individual-level variables and the American Community Survey as our source of neighborhood-level variables. Our analytical sample includes 1,989 respondents who participated in both waves and were 50 to 90 years in age at wave 2 of the NSHAP. Through structural equation modelling, we find that rising neighborhood-level socioeconomic disadvantage significantly decreases older residents’ cognitive functioning, both without and after controlling for baseline neighborhood-level socioeconomic disadvantage and cognitive functioning. Furthermore, approximately 7.2% of this effect is mediated through decreases in the sizes of networks of close confidants, and roughly 8.5% of this effect occurs through increased depressive symptoms. Our findings suggest that older adults’ cognitive decline can be slowed down or prevented through improvements in their living environments. In particular, policies and programs that improve living spaces while also facilitating older residents’ development of close and supportive confidant ties are likely to be particularly effective. Our study encourages further research on how neighborhood dynamics affect older persons’ cognitive functioning.

Identifying causes of the 2015 Hopa flash flood in NE Turkey and mitigation strategies.

A severe thunderstorm occurred in the Sundura watershed, located in Hopa district in North Eastern Turkey on August 24, 2015. The thunderstorm generated torrents, floods, and landslides and caused the loss of eight lives as well as extensive damage to property. Hydrometeorological, physiographic, hydraulic, and socioeconomic causes of the Hopa catastrophe were investigated in the study. Precipitation records were checked by weather satellite images. The frequency of this thunderstorm was estimated to be close to 100 years. Due to morphometric parameters and land misuse by tea cultivation in the steep upper watershed, the Sundura Creek has a high flood generating potential. The part of the Sundura Creek passing through the urban area has been channeled, but the channel capacity was not sufficient for a 100-year flow, and therefore some parts of the city were inundated. Another reason for flooding is clogging of inadequate culvert sections at conjunction points of the creek or Black Sea, by debris. Some tributaries could not join the Sundura Creek or the sea due to clogged culverts or the elevated Black Sea highway and Hopa-Artvin highway road embankments. In order to control torrents and floods in the Sundura watershed, afforestation is needed for non-productive forest and tea cultivation areas in the upper watershed. In the lower part of the watershed, the main channel should be redesigned according to the Q500 years flow. Some debris trapping structures should be constructed to prevent clogging of culverts and bridges. Unnecessary road constructions on the slopes should be prevented, and buildings below the Q100flood level should be encouraged to relocate to safer/higher elevations.

Infant mortality among Arabic-speakers in Quebec, Canada, 1989-2017.

We assessed trends in infant mortality for Arabic-speakers in Quebec, Canada between 1981 and 2017. We computed infant mortality rates for Arabic versus French and English-speakers in Quebec over time. We used adjusted risk ratios (aRR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) to investigate trends among Arabic-speakers according to socioeconomic status, age, and cause of death. Infant mortality rates were 3.0 for Arabic-speakers and 5.1 for French and English-speakers per 1,000 live births. Infant mortality increased for Arabic-speakers between 1989-1995 and 2010-2017 (aRR 2.07; 95% CI, 1.04-4.12), but decreased for French and English-speakers (aRR 0.77; 95% CI, 0.73-0.81). The increase in infant mortality was greater for socioeconomically advantaged Arabic-speakers (aRR 2.52; 95% CI, 1.20-5.28) and early neonatal mortality (aRR 1.64; 95% CI, 0.98-2.76). Arabic-speakers in Quebec have a lower risk of infant mortality than French and English-speakers, but increasing infant mortality among Arabic-speakers is narrowing the gap.

Adicción y metabolismo digital. Una mirada desde la filosofía de la tecnología

Propósito/Contexto. Este artículo tiene como propósito analizar los fenómenos de adicción digital en el contexto contemporáneo, que se caracteriza por transformaciones tecnológicas en continua expansión.
 Metodología/Enfoque. El análisis se lleva a cabo desde el punto de vista de la filosofía de la tecnología y siguiendo la perspectiva farmacológica que formula el filósofo Bernard Stiegler en el marco de los estudios digitales, esto es, una visión de la tecnología, siempre y al mismo tiempo, como veneno y remedio para el ser humano.
 Resultados/Hallazgos. El artículo arroja luz sobre los orígenes y las consecuencias de semejante situación adictogénica, enfocándose en las causas socioeconómicas y en las posibilidades de escape que la tecnología misma nos proporciona; el problema ético se pone en relación con los estilos de vida de los usuarios y la pregunta es si las tecnologías actuales dejan lugar para un mejoramiento de las condiciones cotidianas o si solo amplifican el malestar que la vida contemporánea crea.
 Discusión/Conclusiones/Contribuciones. Finalmente, se proporcionan algunos ejemplos enfocados en la reeducación y la comprensión del farmakon, para devolver autonomía y capacidad de toma de decisiones a los adictos, desarrollando en ellos un “saber consumir” que alivia los efectos tóxicos de la relación con los dispositivos y los dota de una capacidad de inventar nuevas posibilidades para encontrar una forma distinta de relación en y con la sociedad.

VIOLENCE IN THE NAME OF GOD; Understanding the causes of Boko Haram

Whereas much scholarly work has been done on attempting to provide a solution to the insurgency, little has been covered in critically unpacking the different causes and implications of the insurgency. This paper therefore comes to abridge a gap that exist in the literature on Boko Haram with regards to the causes. The paper proves that Boko Haram cannot be explained by a single factor. On the contrary, Boko Haram came as a result of an inter-play of several factors. Specifically, the paper will examine the following research questions; • What are the main causes of Boko Haram violence? • How are these causes explained by different actors ? The paper has four sections. Section I explains and situates Islamic religious violence in Nigeria while highlighting Boko Haram as its latest manifestation. Section II is the literature review while section III constitutes the crux of the paper. It examines the politico – religious and socio economic causes of the insurgency and unpacked them individually to unravel the different strata of causes and how they have impacted and fuelled the insurgency . Section IV is the conclusion and recommendations.

Determinants of adherence to antihypertensive treatment among patients attending a primary care clinic with limited medical armamentarium in Delhi, India: A qualitative study.

To determine perspectives on reasons for non-adherence to antihypertensive therapy and its socioeconomic determinants among patients attending a primary care center in a low-income area in Delhi, India. We conducted in-depth interviews with a total of 30 patients having hypertension at a primary care facility located in a low-income urban area in Delhi. All the participants were aware that hypertension was a serious illness, and medication intake was necessary throughout life to prevent uncontrolled hypertension. All participants in varying quantities practiced salt restriction, but the consumption of fresh fruit and vegetables was low primarily due to economic reasons. The participants were unable to differentiate the concept of exercise from physical activity. Medication adherence was suboptimal, and significant reasons for non-adherence were forgetfulness, carelessness and running out of drug stocks. Blood pressure control was also suboptimal in a majority of the participants, but combination therapy was restricted due to limited medical armamentarium at the clinic. Laboratory investigations for monitoring target end-organ damage were either delayed or not conducted in most participants. Hypertensive patients undergoing treatment at primary care facilities often report suboptimal medical adherence and treatment outcomes, with socioeconomic causes being a major driver of non-adherence.

Treatment patterns, risk for hospitalization and mortality in older patients with triple negative breast cancer

ObjectivesTo study the treatment patterns, potential risk factors for hospitalization within one year from diagnosis, and causes of death in older patients with triple negative breast cancer (TNBC). Materials and MethodsWe performed a registry-based cohort study using the BCBaSe database which links cases of breast cancer from three Swedish healthcare regions with socioeconomic factors, hospitalizations and causes of death. Women ≥70 years old with non-metastatic TNBC, between 1/12007 and 31/122012 were included (n = 413). ResultsIn total, 168 patients (40.7%) received chemotherapy after surgery and 123 patients (30.0%) in the whole cohort had at least one hospitalization within one year from diagnosis. The risk of hospitalization overall was increased in the group receiving chemotherapy (Odds Ratio 2.35, 95% Confidence Intervall: 1.30–4.26) mainly due to toxicities. Cumulative incidence of breast cancer mortality was comparable among different age groups (70–74 vs. 75–79 vs. ≥ 80 years old) whereas non-breast cancer mortality was higher in patients ≥80 years old. Stage at diagnosis and comorbidities were independently associated with both breast cancer-specific- and overall mortality whereas age was only associated with overall mortality. ConclusionsThe use of chemotherapy in older patients with TNBC was associated with age, tumor stage, and comorbidities. Chemotherapy use was also associated with increased risk for hospitalization within one year from diagnosis. Although the impact of chemotherapy on mortality was analyzed in a multivariate manner showing neither increased or decreased mortality, no firm conclusion can be drawn due to unmeasured confounders.

Epidemiology of Zoonoses Geared by Domestication with Reference to COVID-19 during Anthropocene; India

COV-19, HIV/AIDS, Flu H1N1 and many other zoonotic diseases are emergent during Anthropocene epoch due to climatic anomalies. Bacteria’s, viruses, pathogens are associated with human cause zoonoses mainly resulting from domestication. Minimum 61% of human pathogens are zoonotic comprising 75% of all emerging apocalyptic pathogens in 21st century. The scope of present study is investigating the domestication in time scale and finding the causes and consequences the virulent invasion of the present 21st century zoonotic diseases due to the climatic, biologic, socio-economic causes and the governing laws during the Anthropocene. The Holocene hominids were strong enough to adapt the harsh, frigid climate to sustain life during extreme conditions. Later the food habits, sedentary life and the changing agro-climate made then incapable to sustain with the bacterial, viral and microbial attacks for lack of immunity and adaptability by invoking domestication. The National Health Profile, India; has reported fall in rate of communicable diseases that has out broken from 61% to 33% from 1990 to 2016 resulting from health education, care and vaccines but the pandemicCOVID-19 has challenged the scenario. Demand of one health practices and stringent laws is essential to overcome the risk. Present pandemic COVID-19 has forced the globe away for sustenance of life and livelihood for want of vaccine, it is essential to practice five ‘T’ (Test, Trace, treat, train and trade) to restore the normal life.

Decomposing socioeconomic inequality in dental caries in Iran: cross-sectional results from the PERSIAN cohort study

BackgroundThe current study aimed to measure and decompose socioeconomic-related inequalities in DMFT (decayed, missing, and filled teeth) index among adults in Iran.MethodsThe study data were extracted from the adult component of Prospective Epidemiological Research Studies in IrAN (PERSIAN) from 17 centers in 14 different provinces of Iran. DMFT score was used as a measure of dental caries among adults in Iran. The concentration curve and relative concentration index (RC) was used to quantify and decompose socioeconomic-related inequalities in DMFT.ResultsA total of 128,813 adults aged 35 and older were included in the study. The mean (Standard Deviation [SD]) score of D, M, F and DMFT of the adults was 3.3 (4.6), 12.6 (10.5), 2.1 (3.4) and 18.0 (9.5), respectively. The findings suggested that DMFT was mainly concentrated among the socioeconomically disadvantaged adults (RC = − 0.064; 95% confidence interval [CI), − 0.066 to − 0.063). Socioeconomic status, being male, older age and being a widow or divorced were identified as the main factors contributing to the concentration of DMFT among the worse-off adults.ConclusionsIt is recommended to focus on the dental caries status of socioeconomically disadvantaged groups in order to reduce socioeconomic-related inequality in oral health among Iranian adults. Reducing socioeconomic-related inequalities in dental caries should be accompanied by appropriate health promotion policies that focus actions on the fundamental socioeconomic causes of dental disease.

The mortality rate from self-harm in Iran

BackgroundSelf-harm–related death is one of the most unfortunate, tragic, and regrettable types of death owing to injuries with a variety of socio-economic and cultural causes. The study aimed to determine the trend in the mortality of self-harm by sex and age at national and provincial levels in Iran over a period of 26 years. MethodsThe Iran Death Registration System (DRS), cemetery databanks in Tehran and Esfahan, and the national population and housing censuses of Iran were used for this study. Using a growth model, the population was estimated in the age groups. Incompleteness, misalignment, and misclassification in the DRS were all considered and addressed accordingly. We used a spatio-temporal and Gaussian process regression model to estimate mortality rates in children and adults. ResultsOver the study period, 67,670 deaths were estimated owing to self-harm across the country. The overall age-standardized mortality rate decreased from 4.32 per 100,000 (95% unit interface (UI): 3.25–5.75) to 2.78 (2.15–3.59) per 100,000 between 1990 and 2015, a reduction of approximately 35.65%. The M/F ratio was 2.03:1 with an annual percent change of −2.38% and −1.37% for women and men, respectively. The annual self-harm mortality rate was higher among individuals aged 15–24 years, as well as it was more in men during the study period. ConclusionMortality from self-harm has declined over the study period in Iran. Higher rates in men and in population aged 15–24 years, with considerable variation by province, were the distinguishing features of self-harm. Iran needs to improve monitoring through a comprehensive multisectoral strategy; and most importantly, provide timely, effective and low-cost preventive interventions.