Time Of Economic Austerity Research Articles

Migrants, refugees, invaders: responses to the Riace Model’s inclusive citizenship project

ABSTRACT In imagining a post-nationalistic and post-racialized future, the refugee hospitality and integration project implemented in Italy, known as the Modello Riace (Riace Model), sought to use state-funded, sustainable activities to encourage asylum seekers to mix with locals and settle in the economically depressed and depopulated areas of southern Italy. The project navigated legal frameworks and defied rampant ethno-nationalism to integrate refugees during the Mediterranean migrant crisis and to mitigate the associated climate of hostility towards them. The experiment prompted a political backlash and stirred paranoia about an imagined ethnic replacement of Italians. This paper introduces the Riace Model’s humanitarian vision and its interaction with the social solidarity economic sector in Italy after the 2008 financial crisis. It analyses interviews with the then-mayor of Riace, Domenico Lucano, and their reception on social media, to examine notions of humanitarianism and citizenship in Italy. Highlighting the contrast between Riace’s imagined future and hostile views of refugees as invaders and criminals, the study demonstrates the conflict that arose at a time of economic austerity. The study also illustrates how public figures became proxies for opposing factions, discusses the Model’s legacy, and highlights the challenges facing future integration schemes.

Risk and Uncertainty in Telecare

In recent decades, technologically mediated ‘telecare’ solutions have become popular for making the care of ageing populations more efficient, productive and targeted in times of economic austerity and care deficits. While telecare has been implemented in care work, caring has increasingly become a practice of managing risks. This paper draws on ethnographic research on the telecare solution ‘Elsi’ in a Finnish care home setting and examines telecare as a form of risk management. The ‘Elsi’ telecare system is based on information gathered from floor sensors and alarms caused by different events, such as falls. The argument is that telecare practices deal in many ways with ‘uncertainty work’ that produces uncertain knowledge, uncertain entities and uncertain values. Furthermore, these uncertainties produce additional work, which creates more duties for the care worker.

Profile of judicialization in access to antineoplastic drugs and their costs: a cross-sectional, descriptive study based on a set of all lawsuits filed between 2016 and 2018 in a state in the Northeast Region of Brazil.

BackgroundThe judicialization of the acquisition of medication for healthcare is not restricted to Brazil but can also be found in other Latin American countries, despite the existence of a universal health system in the case of Brazil, the Unified Health System (known as the SUS). Right-to-medicines litigation has existed ever since the emergence of a high demand for treatment of Acquired Immuno-deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) but the current focus is on cancer. Pharmaceutical Assistance (PA) is the area within the SUS that is responsible for ensuring access to medication and the aim of this article is thus to draw up a profile of litigation related to PA in one economically significant state in the Northeast Region of Brazil, in terms of the following characteristics of lawsuits: the plaintiff filing the lawsuit; medical and health information; the cost of acquiring the requested medications; and the proportion accounted for by spending on antineoplastic drugs.MethodsA cross-sectional, descriptive study was conducted of lawsuits filed between 2016 and 2018 at the Litigation Center of the State of Pernambuco Department of Health.ResultsA total of 2,947 lawsuits containing at least one requested medication were analyzed. The majority of the plaintiffs were male (51.7%); 49.8% of the requests originated in the Unified Health System (SUS), and plaintiffs were primarily patients in the Metropolitan region of the State capital, Recife. The most frequent cancers involved were those classified by the ICD as C61, C71 and C50. The median general expense on medications for the actions was U$1,734.94. Considering antineoplastic drugs alone, the cost exceeded U$7,500 per lawsuit over the three years, given that the median unit price for antineoplastic drugs is approximately US$65 compared to US$4 for non-antineoplastic drugs.ConclusionThe present study is of relevance to the field of public health and examines how a profile of such healthcare litigation can be used as a tool for managing and improving decision-making in times of economic austerity.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12889-022-14199-1.

‘Fountain’, from Victorian necessity to modern inconvenience: Contesting the death of public toilets

Drawing on the politicised history of Public Conveniences in England since the 19th century, this paper traces the socio-political motives for their provision and for their gradual withdrawal in recent decades. It discusses the effects these developments have had on public mobility, and the socio-political complexity these infrastructures pose to city-making agendas. In particular, the essay highlights the notions of stigma associated with these spaces in relation to gender, body-politics and control, which led to a lack of political interest in their provision and a pattern of closures that began in the Thatcher era and has continued through later times of economic austerity. To unfold these arguments, the essay examines a series of initiatives put forward to reclaim for public use a derelict toilet in the centre of London: from the concept of an interactive site-specific intervention to raise awareness of its closure, to a campaign for its listing as an Asset of Community Value, to contest its privatisation. This case study is used to address the spatial stigma that public toilets carry as a contested locus of public sanitation and, furthermore, to highlight important questions surrounding their provision in the context of contemporary citizen-driven urban agendas. To articulate this argument, the case study exemplifies how critical spatial practices can operate as a form of pedagogical urban praxis for awareness-raising and citizen engagement, advancing a Lefebvrian ‘right to the city’ against hegemonic neoliberal agendas.

Accommodating the Anthropocene: the home as a site of ecological significance in climate fiction

ABSTRACT In its analysis of the home as a site of ecological significance in twenty-first-century climate fiction, this article focuses on three novels that explore the interstices of a changing climate, economic vulnerability, and the loss of the physical home. Using Andrew McGahan’s The White Earth, Jesmyn Ward’s Salvage the Bones, and Barbara Kingsolver’s Flight Behavior, the article explores the ways in which the domestic effects of climate change challenge both apathy and denial of the current climate emergency. The destruction of the home in all three novels raises questions surrounding precarity and perishability, and affords us an opportunity to explore what is meant by survival in light of climate change and the domestic and ecological effects of the Anthropocene. In doing so, we move beyond discussions of simply surviving in times of economic austerity and environmental uncertainty, and question whether seemingly bleak narratives also contain messages of hope and resilience.

From an economic crisis to a pandemic crisis: The need for accurate marine monitoring data to take informed management decisions.

It is axomatic that a system cannot be managed unless it is measured and that the measurements occur in a rigorous, defendable manner covering relevant spatial and temporal scales. Furthermore, it is not possible to predict the future direction of a system unless any predictive approach or model is supported by empirical evidence from monitoring. The marine system is no different from any other system in these regards. This review indicates the nature and topics of marine monitoring, its constraints in times of economic austerity, the sequence of topics subject to monitoring and the amount of monitoring of various topics carried out as indicated by the number of publications and researchers. We discuss the way in which the nature of monitoring is decided and we use examples to comment on the way monitoring leads to and responds to marine management and governance.

Re-defining a decade: Marc Jacobs, Tony Viramontes and the vocabulary of 1980s fashion

Historian James Laver described the cyclical nature of fashion as taking almost 50 years for a particular style or decade to be remembered as romantic. The 1980s are often overlooked by fashion historians as garish or vulgar, best left to the confines of history. During the global financial crisis of 2007–08, direct quotations from the 1980s and television show Dynasty (1981–89) appeared on the catwalks of major designers. An interest in the decade of greed and excess was revived in a time of economic austerity: were we dressing up to cover up our financial shortcomings? Fashion is yet again in the midst of a 1980s renaissance; however, in this time of sociopolitical uncertainty, the perspective has shifted as designers immerse themselves in the creativity and showmanship of the decade. One designer at the apex of this resurgence was Marc Jacobs in his Autumn/Winter 2018 catwalk presentation. Although not the first designer to hone in on the trend, Jacobs’ collection was a homage to 1980s popular culture and the showmanship of haute couture. One notable visual influence was the work of fashion illustrator Tony Viramontes (1956–88), whose genius captured the essence of the decade. Through analysis of the recent vogue for 1980s revivalism, alongside the ingenuity of the decade’s most energic fashion illustrator, Tony Viramontes, this article will attempt to decode Marc Jacobs’ collection for his eponymous label and consider the vocabulary of 1980s fashion as truly worthy of genuine artistic examination by fashion scholars and contemporary fashion designers.

Profiles of School Readiness of Preschool Children in Greece as Assessed by the Early Development Instrument

ABSTRACT This study explores the utility of the Early Development Instrument (EDI) as a population-based measure of school readiness in Crete, Greece, during times of economic austerity. It is unique in that no similar investigation examining school readiness for grade one has been conducted in this country. More specifically, it identifies kindergarten children who are vulnerable (fail to meet age-appropriate developmental expectations), at risk (not in the vulnerable range, but still score lower than expected for their age), and on track (all others) for success in grade one. It also investigates demographic factors associated with children’s higher odds of vulnerability. Participants include 954 children (mean: 5.7 years) from 63 kindergarten schools. Results demonstrate that 26.4% of the sample are developmentally vulnerable, 27.5% are at risk, and 46.1% are on track. Additionally, children with special needs vs. those without, males vs. females, younger vs. older cohorts, and those in rural vs. urban areas are associated with higher odds of developmental vulnerability. This study shows that the EDI can be an effective tool to help guide Greek policy development in early childhood education and care, inform key programming decisions, and introduce timely interventions that will help improve vulnerable children’s chances for school success.

Dismantling the social safety net: social security reforms, disability and mental health conditions.

This article examines the effects of UK welfare reform since 2008 on people with mental health conditions and disabilities. The results have been profound, particularly during a time of economic austerity, damaging the social safety net and pushing many vulnerable people into poverty and hardship. It has perpetuated inequalities and increased the social exclusion of disabled groups. The holes in the safety net require repair, alongside extensive social policy reform to both protect and empower people with disabilities and long-term conditions.

The restructuring of New Zealand's Regional Tourism Organisations

Abstract This Regional Spotlight focuses on the recent change in the structure of Regional Tourism Organisations (RTO) in New Zealand. Many of these destination marketing organisations (DMO) have recently been subsumed into broader Economic Development Agencies (EDA). The current shift represents the third stage in the evolution of destination marketing for New Zealand's tourism regions. The current developments in New Zealand have potential implications for destination marketers in other parts of the world. In a relatively rare practitioner/academic collaboration, the authors warn of the potential negative consequences of destination marketing being subsumed into a broader economic development mandate driven by the convergence of external forces. The primary driving force has been government austerity measures and rationalisation in an era of economic uncertainty and escalating costs of essential services provision. The contribution of this analysis is to add to the prosaic of accounts of tourism destination governance changes during times of economic austerity. While more research is required about modelling DMO governance effectiveness, the changes in New Zealand reflect one piece of this complex puzzle.

Defining IT “Business Value” Under Conditions of Economic Uncertainty

Investment in Information Technology (IT) has typically been justified as playing a crucial role in assisting business and other Organisations in conducting their business in a more efficient and effective way. The implied “value” that results from such investments is known as “IT business value” and its definition and measurement under conditions of economic austerity and uncertainty is the main subject of this paper. The question is why, under such conditions, many Organisations fail to realize the positive impacts expected from IT investment, which by itself is then rather scarce and difficult to attain. To answer this question we concentrate in this paper on the issues of IT business value measurement and more specifically we attempt to answer the research question of how best to define the “business value” of IT and what factors may affect it. The paper first puts forward the main definitions used for both “IT” and “Business value” in the literature. It then goes on to present and critically examine the most prominent of the existing methodologies for measuring “IT Business value” again by resorting to a relevant literature search. Then, we examine the special influencing factors that are at work in times of economic austerity and uncertainty and puts forward a framework for analyzing IT Business value under conditions of economic austerity. This framework is presented in terms of its elements and a description of their main characteristics and measures (metrics). Finally, before the conclusions, a list of the critical success factors for IT investment is presented which is based on a previous published work of the author.

Forms of inconspicuous consumption

Inconspicuous consumption – whereby brand signals are subtle, or not easily visible, to most consumers and the overt display of social status is sidestepped – is on the rise, even in China, which has typically favoured conspicuous brand signalling. Research on luxury brands tends to focus on conspicuous consumption, and few studies have explored the ways in which Chinese consumers use Chinese luxury brands in inconspicuous ways. This study examines how Chinese luxury consumers are redefining their identity projects, as well as their conceptions of luxury, in relation to inconspicuous consumption. We suggest that inconspicuous consumption encompasses consuming luxury products without overtly displaying wealth and social status. Thus, certain luxury brands enable inconspicuous consumption. Turning to a group of Chinese luxury brands offers insights into how luxury brands may fill this role for newly emerging forms of inconspicuous consumption. We distinguish four forms of inconspicuous consumption, illustrated by consumers (1) with wished-for identities or fantasy lifestyles, (2) who appreciate aesthetics and function, (3) who are wealthy and prefer not to provoke envy and/or anger in times of economic austerity and (4) who desire to differentiate themselves and employ subtle signals that are only observable to people with the requisite knowledge to decode their meaning. These forms of inconspicuous consumption facilitate the construction and display of one’s reflective identities, including privately fantasized identity, privately held identity and partially public reflective identities. Thus, we contribute to identity construction theory by explicating aspects of reflective identity and linking them to forms of inconspicuous consumption. Finally, we expand upon recent research on inconspicuous consumption by demonstrating how inconspicuous consumption is manifested in China – the largest luxury market. The results help redefine constructs in the paradoxical situation of inconspicuous consumption of luxury brands, adding a layer of complexity to the inconspicuous consumption concept.

Eliciting the Monetary Value of a Quality-Adjusted Life Year in a Greek Outpatient Department in Times of Economic Austerity.

Background and objectiveContingent valuation is widely used to determine individuals’ willingness to pay (WTP) for a health gain. Our study aimed to elicit an empirical estimate of the monetary value of a quality-adjusted life year (QALY) in a Greek outpatient setting in times of economic austerity and assess the impact of patients’ characteristics on their valuations.MethodsWe used a questionnaire as a survey tool to determine the maximum WTP for a health gain of a hypothetical therapy and to evaluate patients’ health-related quality of life (EuroQoL-5D-3L) and demographic and socioeconomic characteristics. EuroQoL tariffs were used to estimate health utilities. Mean WTP values were computed and ordinary least squares regressions performed on transformed Box-Cox and logarithmic dependent WTP per QALY variables to remedy observed skewness problems.ResultsAnalyses were performed for 167 patients with utility values less than unity. Mean WTP per QALY reported was similar for both payment vehicles examined: payments made out-of-pocket (€2629) and payments made through new tax imposition (€2407). Regression results showed that higher net monthly family income was associated with higher WTP per QALY for both payment vehicles. Moreover, the presence of a chronic condition and higher level of education were associated with higher out-of-pocket WTP per QALY and WTP per QALY through taxes, respectively.ConclusionThe very low WTP per QALY estimates could be explained by the recent severe economic depression and austerity in Greece. In fact, family income was found to be a significant predictor of WTP per QALY. Since these estimates deviate significantly from the cost-effectiveness thresholds still employed in economic evaluations in this country, research should be undertaken promptly to further examine this important issue using a nationwide representative sample of the general population along with WTP and other methodologies.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s41669-017-0033-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

The professionalisation of family day care in Flanders, France and Germany

ABSTRACTIn several countries, childminders grew in times of economic austerity and growing awareness of the economic function of childcare, as they were legitimised by a ‘home as heaven’ ideology and low costs. As a result, childminders have long been regarded as the ‘Cinderellas’ of childcare. Three decades later, scholars and policymakers agree on the importance of the educational function of childcare and thus on the importance of professional qualifications during the same time that these countries face the attrition of an entire generation of childminders. This gives rise to both quantitative and qualitative changes and raises the need to reconceptualise family day care (FDC). However, literature on this topic is scarce and information on non-English speaking countries is even more so. We explored productive policies and practices of onthaalouders (Flanders), assistantes maternelles (France) and Tagesmütter (Germany) in order to contribute to the small but increasing body of research in this field. This study shows that while the need for childcare workers is increasing, attrition of childminders might hamper the ambition to realise childcare and thus the attractiveness of the childminding profession requires an upgrade. New and hybrid forms of conjunction of centre-based and FDC challenge stereotypes about substitute mothering and offer possibilities to reconceptualise the childcare profession. However, they do not necessarily change the subordinate position of childminders in the early childhood education and care (ECEC) field.

Twelve Tips to implement Curriculum Changes in times of Economic Austerity.

This article was migrated. The article was marked as recommended. Curriculum change is a recurring challenge facing most educational teams. Economic austerity has an impact on these processes in that clinical workloads increase and additional funds to drive curriculum change are lacking. We faced significant challenges having to implement substantial changes to the Year 3 and 4 undergraduate curricula in a large teaching hospital in the United Kingdom. The changes are now implemented successfully and we have taken the opportunity to identify factors that allowed us to drive change and achieve our aims. Much has been written about curriculum change as an academic challenge but comparatively little is known about how to drive such change on the ground and strategies to drive curriculum change during times of ongoing financial austerity are lacking. Here, we reflect on our experience and provide tips for educational teams on how to turn change into an opportunity, despite economic austerity and ever-increasing clinical workload.

Sustainable Demand Responsive Transportation systems in a context of austerity: The case of a Portuguese city

In a time of economic austerity, more pressure is being put on the existing transport systems to be more sustainable and, at the same time, more equitable and socially inclusive. Regular public road transportation traditionally uses fixed routes and schedules, which can be extremely expensive in rural areas and certain periods of the day in urban areas due to low and unpredictable demand. Demand Responsive Transportation systems are a kind of hybrid transportation approach between a taxi and a bus that try to address these problems with routes and frequencies that may vary according to the actual observed demand. Demand Responsive Transportation seems to have potential to answer the sustainability and social inclusion challenges in a context of austerity. However, DRT projects may fail: it is not only important to solve the underlying model in an efficient way, but also to understand how different ways of operating the service affect customers and operators. To help design DRT services, we developed an innovative approach integrating simulation and optimization. Using this simulator, we compared a real night-time bus service in the city of Porto, Portugal, with a hypothetical flexible DRT service for the same scenario.

Practices of Participation and Voluntarism among Older People in Rural Wales: Choice, Obligation and Constraints to Active Ageing

AbstractRural ageing is a significant issue for policy makers and academics, with the increasing proportion of older residents in rural areas placing heightened demands on service provision at a time of economic austerity. In this context, participation and volunteering in older age has been drawn into policy focus. Alongside broader discourses of social capital and active citizenship, the prospect of active ageing has emerged as a key component in the delivery of community‐based services under neoliberal welfare agendas. However, moves to formalise participation among the elderly are at risk of undermining everyday practices of voluntarism. Furthermore, the diversity of the older population means that the willingness and capacity of rural communities and individuals to undertake forms of voluntarism will vary considerably. These issues arise in rural Wales, where notions of participation have become intertwined with Welsh Government initiatives for community regeneration. Through empirical research, this article considers the different motivations of older people for engaging in forms of community participation, as well as constraints to these activities. In concluding, we reflect on the implications for local civil society in Wales.

Cardiac echo-lab productivity in times of economic austerity.

The present study attempts to offer insight into the volume, cost, and productivity of the operation of a cardiac echocardiographic laboratory (echo-lab) in a major public hospital of Greece and thus to contribute, on a practical level, to the widening of knowledge in the strategic field of secondary and tertiary healthcare management. The conducted research includes the basic step of the deployment of a primary data registry in the echo-lab and unfolds in three levels, i.e. the variability measurement of the quantity and cost of medical services provided to different patient populations, the assessment of operating costs and the development of productivity indexes. The results show that the mean costs of provision do change among distinct patient populations. The most important, from a financial standpoint, population cluster appears to be the one corresponding to outpatients. Productivity indices presented in this analysis constitute an essential piece of information which the public healthcare system is currently largely lacking, and which, combined with the pricing and the diagnosis-related group coding system of hospitals, can be used to improve efficiency in the management of secondary and tertiary care.

Curdled milk for the masses: The Paradise, Mr Selfridge and the seductive spectacle of the department store

Abstract In 2010 the BBC commissioned an ambitious adaptation of Émile Zola’s Au Bonheur des Dames/The Ladies’ Paradise ([1883] 2012) by established dramatist Bill Gallagher. Transposing Zola’s story to Victorian England, Gallagher hoped that its topicality, set during a time of great social change, would resonate with a contemporary audience familiar with a dying high street and endless online shopping. The BBC targeted the global interest in British, quality period drama following the phenomenal success of Downton Abbey (2010). The Paradise aired in September 2012 but would run for only two series before being summarily decommissioned. Brutal market forces occasioned this dramatic change in fortunes. ITV had launched their own rival department store series about an American entrepreneur and his ambitious wife, Mr Selfridge (2012), capturing the audience desired by the BBC. This article contextualizes both productions and their audience appeal. At a time of economic austerity, with ‘make do and mend’ regarded as a virtue, and the high street struggling to survive as online shopping expands, what are we to make of the nostalgia for the traditional department store and its pleasures? Why did The Paradise fail to resonate with the domestic where Mr Selfridge succeeded?

Forking Paths: War After Afghanistan

Abstract: For defense departments and professional militaries of advanced liberal democracies, judgments concerning future armed conflict are necessary guide force preparation, personnel readiness, and equipment procurement. When such judgments are made in times of economic austerity and geopolitical uncertainty, need for clarity of thought on future of war becomes imperative in determining priorities. ********** It is not primarily in present, nor in past that we live. Our life is an activity directed towards what is come. The significance of present and past only becomes clear afterwards in relation future. Jose Ortega y Gassett While all advanced military establishments engage in intellectual examinations about future of armed conflict, it is often unclear which intellectual methods actually represent best futures practice. In any Western officer corps one can find contending advocates for best interpret future of war. Some argue that lens of human experience--filtered through a Clausewitzian-style of military history as Kritik--is most sensible way forward; others prefer geometrical tradition of Jomini and seek gain better understanding through science in form of operations research and technical experimentation; still others prefer look interdisciplinary subject of strategic studies as a means of revealing holistic insights on armed conflict. Further diversity in professional outlook is often imposed by imperatives of service affiliation and specialized training for separate domains of land, sea, and aerospace warfare. Speculation on future of war may also be affected by demands of hierarchical military culture ranging from idiosyncratic command preferences imposition of short-term strategic and operational goals. Not surprisingly, ad hoc intellectual endeavors can easily dominate military institutions--driven as much by interaction of budgets, personalities, and internal compromises--as by objective mental rigor. Such pressures led American philosopher Lewis Mumford conclude that military establishments represent the refuge of third-rate minds in which institutional thinking can be conformist, sometimes dogmatic, and frequently anti-intellectual. (1) This article probes generic intellectual requirements involved in preparing consider problems of future war. Two caveats are immediately required. First, author makes no claims having uncovered any magic formulae for predictive accuracy about future conflicts. Second, this essay is not a meditation on full sweep of potential future military operations from computers through cyberwarfare climate change. Rather, it is a reflection on conceptual demands of dealing with future armed conflict--what Peter Paret calls cognitive challenge of war--the how think dimension which is most serious problem facing any military organization. (2) The author believes that, for armed forces establishments, futures studies, if properly conceived and conducted, are likely be particularly valuable over next decade. When militaries are faced with an end a long period of hostilities--as is case with United States and its allies in 2014--they must embark on rigorous contemplation of shape of future war. The task is to look ahead, not into distant future, but beyond vision of operating officers caught in smoke and crises of current battle; far enough ahead see emerging form of things come and outline what should be done meet or anticipate them. (3) With these issues in mind, three areas are analyzed. First, provide philosophical and methodological context, development of modern futures studies is explored and its intellectual connections field of strategic studies are highlighted. In second section, role history can play in military futures studies is explored. …