Social Policy Tool Research Articles

To be heard or not to be heard: Precarity in the lives of Turkish musicians in Paris and Istanbul

This phenomenological study explores Turkish musicians’ precarity experiences in Paris and Istanbul. Based on in-depth interviews conducted with 11 professional musicians in each city, it focuses on participants’ lived experiences and interpretations to understand how the precarity varies in these cities with different social policy tools available to musicians. The themes resulting from the data analysis indicate similar challenges in both cities, namely insufficient and low income, employment uncertainty, and informal work relations. Nevertheless, these problems manifest differently in each case. Musicians in Istanbul endure more severe consequences of precarity, lacking fundamental social rights. Hence, the essence of their precarity experience is a sense of invisibility, marginalization, and an unassured future. On the contrary, social policy measures, particularly the “Intermittence du Spectacle” regime tailored for intermittent performance workers in France, provide a significant safety net to mitigate the effects of precarity in the Paris case.

Travel insurance behaviors of digital nomads

PurposeThis study aims to reveal the travel insurance behavior of digital nomads systematically. For this purpose, the habits and preferences of digital nomads for travel and health insurance were investigated based on the problems they experience during their travels.Design/methodology/approachWithin the scope of multimethod qualitative research, the insurance behaviors of digital nomads were investigated in depth by using both interview and content analysis techniques for social media comments. In the first stage of the study, the interview technique was used to describe the main factors underlying the insurance behaviors of digital nomads. In the second stage, the comments of digital nomads on social media platforms were evaluated by content analysis and themes regarding the insurance behaviors of digital nomads were reached.FindingsThe inadequacies of the current global system and national order determine the travel insurance behavior of digital nomads, who are generally opposed to the existing order and tend to escape from authority and routine. It was found that digital nomads care about the speed at which insurance companies meet their demands, the coverage of insurance policies (medical and travel-related components of insurance) and the cost of insurance behavior.Research limitations/implicationsThis study aims to provide a new perspective to the literature by conducting multimethod qualitative research within the scope of the risks experienced by digital nomads and their travel insurance behavior. The study shows that digital nomads cannot escape from national regulations. They have to take out insurance in countries with low cost of living due to problems with the health system and security, and in some countries, it is due to country regulations. In practice, the study provides conclusions and recommendations for current and potential digital nomads, insurance companies and governments regarding the insurance behavior of digital nomads. In particular, the study concludes with recommendations for insurance companies in terms of insurance product development and the use of social policy tools for governments.Originality/valueThis study offers a perspective on the key factors underlying the travel insurance behavior of digital nomads.

Lessons for a Fairer, More Transparent, and More Competitive Public Procurement in the European Union

Public procurement is one of the main instruments of State action and resource allocation and it is used in a wide range of public policies. It is a particularly vital tool for social, environmental and innovation policies. However, it entails many challenges, as public funds are expected to be used to obtain maximum profitability; and market development opportunities must be seized to strategically contribute to innovation, social inclusion, and financial and environmental sustainability of a country. This article, eminently macro-conceptual, discusses the topic of public procurement, characterizing it as a framework for boosting contracting activity in public bodies across Europe, and highlighting the evolution of this practice and its corresponding regulation. Attention will then turn to its main implementation instruments, considering the fundamental principles of public procurement and the EU law restrictions that underpin them. Draws lessons on issues of systematic monitoring of public procurement performance in various European countries, with a view to the concerted practice of public procurement, in compliance with the principles of fairer, more transparent, and more competitive Public Administration.

Social Policy and SCR Tools for Managing the Sustainable Development of Enterprises in the Corporate Sector

The research focuses on analyzing and reviewing of corporate social responsibility and social policy. The authors studied the works of domestic and foreign authors who were engaged in the analysis of these problems. The authors identified the factors that influence social policy, such as: political, demographic, medical, social, and others and categorized the typical descriptions of social policy research in the public and private sector. Special attention is paid to the authors’ interpretation of the concept of social and political involvement of the corporation. The authors determined the basic principles of development and implementation of social policy in accordance

Субсидування житлово-комунальних послуг і соціальна стабільність держави: теоретико-проблемні аспекти

The problems of subsidizing housing and communal services in the context of ensuring the social stability of the State are considered. It is substantiated that subsidizing housing and communal services is a key tool of social policy, which allows to ensure the availability of basic communal services for socially vulnerable strata of the population. This helps to reduce social inequality and improve the standard of living of citizens. The tasks of social policy in the context of ensuring a decent standard of living of the population are analyzed. It is also argued that subsidies are a significant burden on the State budget, so it is important to find a balance between social support and financial stability of the State, since an increase in the volume of payments to the population may cause inflationary pressure, which will reduce the purchasing power of citizens and the efficiency of subsidies. The key aspects of such subsidizing are studied, in particular its impact on economic inequalities, efficiency of public funds, financial and ecological sustainability. The mechanisms for the distribution of subsidies, the problems of targeting and transparency in their provision are considered. Both the State-based and regional programs are analyzed, which, together with subsidies, reduce the burden of households on paying for utilities and increase energy efficiency in the use of natural resources. A structural diagram of the mechanism of the program of «warm loans» within the framework of the program of cooperation with the State-owned banks has been formed. At the same time, the environmental consequences of subsidies can also lead to certain problems, since reducing energy costs can lead to an increase in resource consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. The positive aspects of the impact of subsidizing housing and communal services at the macro and micro levels, as well as the directions of the impact of subsidies on the social stability of the State, are allocated.

Can public opinion persuade the government to strengthen the use of environmental regulation policy tools? Evidence from policy texts

Haze pollution caused by particulate matter such as PM2.5 and PM10 significantly affects public health. Confronted with haze pollution, people have increasingly taken to expressing opinions online to demand restrictions on pollution discharge by enterprises to protect their health rights. However, are such public demands met by the government and incorporated into policy agenda relating to environmental regulation policies? To investigate this question, this study employed text content analysis to examine the role of public opinion as an intermediary in the relationship between haze pollution and the formulation of environmental regulation policies, using a dataset of 460 environmental regulation policy documents and over 800,000 public opinions on environmental issues spanning from January 2011 to December 2021. We found that public opinion exerted a significant intermediary effect by linking haze pollution and environmental regulation policy tools. Further analysis revealed heterogeneity in the influence of public opinion on environmental regulation policy tools. Public opinion exhibited the most substantial intermediary effect on command-control policy tools (with a 6.68% intermediary effect), followed by economic incentive policy tools (4.65%) and social autonomy policy tools (4.58%). Additionally, there was a notable time lag in the impact of public opinion on environmental regulation policy tools. It took approximately 7–10 months for the government to respond to the disseminated public opinions. This study may shed light on how the government can encourage public engagement, respond to, and guide public opinion.

Demographic Crisis in Japan against the Background of Attempts to Build Family-friendly Social Policy Tools

Albite Japan has been experiencing unfavourable demographic changes for socioeconomic development for at least half a century, it is only in recent years that we have noted measures there aimed at no longer preventing the demographic crisis itself, but at mitigating its effects. All available statistical data confirm the demographic trend observed in the country, characterised on the one hand by an increase in life expectancy (which in itself is inherently a positive trend), and on the other by a low fertility rate (which reflects negatively on both the sustainability of the social fabric and the development of the national economy). In other words, it eventually leads to an extremely rapid ageing process in Japanese society. This rapidness can be judged when we contrast Japan’s natural change rate of -2 in 2007 with an alarming-609 per thousand population in 2021.1 The purpose of the article is therefore, firstly, to identify the sources of the demographic crisis in Japan, and secondly, based on them, to carry out a comparative analysis of the case in question to determine factors which have a decisive influence on the problem and to detect whether their occurrence is characteristic only for the Land of the Cherry Blossoms. All this can be referred here to Japan’s current social policy and constitute answer the question of whether it is, or not, overdue in the context of the titular issue.

FUNDAMENTAL PROBLEMS OF POPULATION INCOME DISTRIBUTION AND STATE REGULATION INSTRUMENTS

In the modern world, attempts are continuously being made to comprehensively assess and measure indicators related to the progress of the standard of living and well-being both globally and for individual groups of the population. Assessing and measuring the social condition is a complex process, because the concepts of "living standard of the population" and "quality of life" are multi-vector and difficult to calculate and evaluate. The assessment and measurement of the social progress of each state, individual social groups and territories (states, regions, etc.) with sufficient accuracy is an important factor in determining the indicators of population inequality. It should be the basis for implementing effective social policy through the principles and approaches of the state's social policy, individual groups of the population (especially socially vulnerable), effective management of the population's incomes and expenses. The basis for the formation of such a policy is the identification of social problems and the identification of ways to solve them. Socially oriented programs can be implemented both in the short term and in the long term. The formation of problems of population income distribution and state regulation and the search for tools to achieve it should become one of the key components of the policy implemented by the state. Taking into account the difficulties of social policy implementation and the use of appropriate tools during the development of that policy, the identification and characterization of the general trends in the formation and distribution of incomes of the population becomes a topical issue. As a first step, it is necessary to study the experience of countries with advanced free market relations and analyze the possibilities of their localization in Armenia for the selection and expansion of social policy tools. It is also necessary to evaluate the effectiveness of the tools used to fight against poverty and the implemented policies, comparing the relevant indicators of Armenia and neighboring countries.

«Homo disciplinatus» як об’єкт політики соціального контролю (до питання про симулякризацію національної політики запобігання катуванням у ХХІ столітті).

The problem presented in this article is related to the social phenomenon of torture, as well as the political prerequisites for the spread of this phenomenon in the 21st century. In the 21st century, torture became a category not so much of legal as of political science, shaping an important part of the modern political discourse on the relationship between government and society. Torture, formally prohibited by universal and regional human rights standards and the national legislation of all modern states, has become an important tool of social control policy. Despite the formal outlawing of torture, today torture exists precisely as a tool of social control policy and is widely used as a social practice. This informal policy has a negative connotation, which does not exclude its existence as an objective component of modern power relations even without formally declared subjects. Torture did not disappear as a social phenomenon even in the second half of the 20th century, as it is claimed within the framework of the classical approach. Torture by agents of the state and representatives of political elites was and remains the sphere of special management. Torture is currently widely used in power relations by various political actors based on the formula of the prohibition of torture – "absolute in principle but relative in application".The invisibility of torture in the 21st century does not mean the absence of such social practices. Any political regime tries to control the population, where torture can be considered a kind of "by-product" of mechanisms of panoptic social control or as a kind of "excess of the lower-level performers" in the process of "securing society". At the same time, the higher echelons, on the contrary, actively declare the search for new, more effective, and modern formal methods of combating torture. On the one hand, national criminal justice systems (including penitentiary systems) cannot cope with the formally declared tasks of dealing with deviants exclusively within the framework of formal procedures enshrined in national legislation against the background of an increase in classes, types, types and, as a result, the number of deviants.On the other hand, the citizens themselves, in exchange for their "freedom", demand even greater "security", where the ways and methods of achieving the appropriate concentration of security are no longer important for them. The practical possibility of using torture on a "terrorist" to obtain information about further terrorist acts or on a "dangerous murderer" to obtain his confession opens a "Pandora’s box", where a wide and at the same time extremely dangerous prospect of using torture against all "dangerous" people considered as "others". Moreover, registries of "dangerous others" is in danger of being expanded. A striking example of the extent to which the externally declared subject policy of the prevention of torture by nation states is intertwined with the policy of torture is the support of modern states for prison subcultures and informal hierarchies in their prison systems. The main thing here is the very declared opposition between the state power and the informal power, where the state, completely unashamed, signs a pact to provide it with "security guarantees" in a supposedly state penitentiary system in exchange for a "license to use torture" that is granted "informal leaders". Therefore, the problematic of this paper can be formulated with the following question, which seems to be rhetorical: if in the end, even in the 13th century, Robin Hood was tamed by the Sheriff of Nottingham, then why in the 21st century the modern state cannot tame "informal leaders", giving them a large share of state power and giving private actors a "license" to torture?

Assessing the effectiveness of the implications of selected social policy instruments in the management of the electromobility development process in Poland

Purpose: The aim of the article is to try to answer the question which of the social policy instruments can convince the society to adopt transport solutions based on the concept of electromobility to the greatest extent. Design/methodology/approach: The considerations are social research, a research experiment in the form of a method (CAWI) was used, which was used to verify the role of selected instruments in the process of the announced transformation of social mobility. In the research area, the focus was on the assessment of possible changes in shopping preferences and transport mobility in terms of selected social policy instruments. Economic, legal and informational instruments were analysed. Findings: The author indicates that the process of managing the development of electromobility should be implemented with the help of properly selected social policy instruments and go hand in hand with the changes taking place within an increasingly aware society. Research limitations/implications: The presented survey research was carried out on a specific research sample of approximately 1,000 respondents. Certainly, in the near future there will be a need for much broader analyzes and research, in particular with regard to changes in the income of citizens, planned reforms of social programs and projected increases in the prices of energy resources. Practical implications: The research results are the first approach to indicate to the government administration which social policy tools have the greatest impact on the process of managing the development of electromobility in Poland. Social implications: Research shows that there are links between economic, social and environmental issues in the management of the electromobility development process in Poland. Originality/value: The experimental research approach may be helpful in assessing the effectiveness of the implications of selected social policy instruments in the management of the electromobility development process in Poland. Keywords: management, instruments, social policy, electromobility, development, market research. Category of the paper: Research paper.

Charity as a Social Practice in Modern Russia

The article examines charity as a social phenomenon and social practice in modern Russia. In Russian history, charity has been a widespread phenomenon and a phenomenon of public life. Charitable activities cover a wide range of social problems and represent an interinstitutional sphere of life. It does not have strict regulations, which is its advantage and provides significant flexibility, mobility, and the opportunity to increase the range of recipients of social assistance and support. Charity does not stand still and forms new forms of its implementation, and this helps it to remain an effective tool of social policy and social work. It comes from an inner awareness of belonging and empathy for another person in need of support. The social significance of charitable activities is to ensure public interests in the distribution of benefits to those in need and mutual assistance. In modern Russia, charity is a significant and important institution that continues the social policy of the state. The authors present the current state, the main causes, forms and types of charity. An innovative and promising form of modern charitable activity is volunteering and volunteerism, which are developing dynamically. Various online platforms for making donations are becoming common types of charitable activities. As the results of the author's sociological research have shown, charity is quite popular among the population: 89,5 % of the surveyed Russians have ever engaged in it. In general, the surveyed citizens have a positive image of charity in Russia. The majority of respondents, one way or another, have ever participated in charity and noted the possibility of participating in the future.

Education as a tool of social equality?

Do political parties approach education with different social policy aims? We argue that while parties have adopted a common language of equality as an aim of education, they draw on different conceptions of it linked to diverging social projects. To make this argument, we first normatively distinguish education as a tool for creating equal opportunity, equal outcomes, and representational diversity. We then draw on an original dataset coding the educational content in the political manifestos of the largest center-left and center-right party across 19 Western democracies from 1950 to present. The analysis shows that left parties emphasise more equality of outcome than rightwing parties and pay less attention to equality of opportunity, and that they associate equality-related aims more extensively with promises of resources. These findings suggest that there remain critical differences in parties' understanding of education as a tool of social policy.

The New Social Policy Tool of the Transforming State: Social Assistance and Solidarity Foundation

Bu araştırmanın amacı devletin rolündeki dönüşümle birlikte ortaya çıkan yeni sosyal politika uygulamalarının aracı olarak sosyal yardımlaşma ve dayanışma vakıflarının incelenmesidir. Araştırmada ilgili mevzuat, alan yazını ve istatistikler doğrultusunda metin incelemesi yapılarak eleştirel bir bakış açısıyla değerlendirmelerde bulunulmuştur.Yeniden yapılanma sürecinde düzenleyici devlet ortaya çıkmıştır. Düzenleyici devlet, neoliberal politikaların olumsuz etkileriyle ortaya çıkan yoksulluk ve bununla bağlantılı toplumsal sorunların, sosyal yardımlar aracılığı ile büyük krizlere yol açmasını önlemeyi amaçlamaktadır. Bu doğrultuda sosyal politika alanında sosyal yardımlar önem kazanmıştır. Muhtaçlık odaklı yapılan sosyal yardımlar, insan yaşamının devamını sağlayacak temel ihtiyaçların karşılanmasını hedeflemektedir. Fakat araştırmada bu politikaların insanları yoksulluktan tamamen kurtarmaktan uzak olduğu sonucuna ulaşılmıştır. Devletteki dönüşümün sosyal yardım politikası üzerindeki etkileri sosyal yardımlaşma ve dayanışma vakıfları üzerinden incelenmiştir. Diğer sosyal yardım kurumları araştırmanın dışında kalmaktadır.Sosyal yardımlaşma ve dayanışma vakıfları hakkında sosyal politika alanında birçok çalışma vardır. Bununla birlikte politika uygulayıcısı olarak devletteki dönüşümün sosyal yardımlarla ilişkisi noktasında sosyal yardımlaşma ve dayanışma vakıflarını inceleyen yeterli çalışma yoktur. Bunun yanında çalışma sosyal yardımlaşma ve dayanışma vakıflarının örgütsel işleyişinin değerlendirilmesi bakımından da önem taşımaktadır.

Alapjövedelem

Current and future evolutions in labour markets may be blurring lines between traditionalemployment and new types of atypical employment, making it harder to reliably assess whethersomeone is receiving any benefits at all. The basic income should be seen as a serious option inthe future, given the changing labor market and the findings from existing cash transfer schemes.BI is not means-tested, so the amount received does not depend on individual or family income orassets and does not require any work performance, or the willingness to accept a job if offered.In this study I examine the created image by the media through the method of contentanalysis, in relation to basic income. Furthermore, it is analyzed to what extent this effect createsa negative image of basic income among the students of the University of Debrecen, strengtheningthe fear towards this social policy tool. Particular attention is paid to the value choices of youngpeople focusing on their individualization, motivation of working and willingness to take risks.

Migracionnaya politika Murmanskoj oblasti: sostoyanie, problemy, mekhanizmy realizacii

The article is dedicated to a study of migration policy management in Murmansk Oblast, providing general statistical data on migration in the region and describing social policy issues and tools for stimulating migration in the challenging Arctic conditions.

Regimes and industrialization

• Autocratic leaders are more likely to adopt an economic model of development centered on heavy industry. • Three factors distinguish democratic and autocratic regimes: social base, security concerns, and policy tools. • We test this hypothesis using a dataset spanning 200 years and over 150 countries. • Industrialization stands out as one of the few areas where autocracies may enjoy a significant advantage over democracies. A large literature addresses the impact of regimes on domestic policies and outcomes, e.g., education, health, inequality, redistribution, public spending, wages, infrastructure, volatility, productivity, and economic growth. This study focuses on another vital outcome – industrialization – that has yet to be systematically explored using cross-country data. We argue that autocratic leaders are more likely to adopt an economic model of development centered on heavy industry because of three factors that distinguish democratic and autocratic regimes: different social bases , different security concerns , and different policy tools . Accordingly, autocracies have stronger incentives and better capabilities to pursue a rapid and comprehensive course of industrialization. We test this hypothesis using different measures of industrialization in a dataset spanning 200 years and most countries of the world. After a comprehensive series of tests, we conclude that industrialization stands out as one of the few areas where autocracies may enjoy a significant advantage over democracies.

Guaranteed Minimum Income in Greece: Main Characteristics, Implementation and Policy Proposals

The Guaranteed Minimum Income has been implemented in Greece since 2017, although the attempts to its implementation go back to 1998. It is currently a popular social policy tool, as many Greek citizens benefit from it. However, its results need to be further analyzed so that unshakable conclusions are available about its effectiveness and proposals can be drawn up for its further improvement. This article presents the initiatives of the governments to set up a Guaranteed Minimum Income in Greece and investigates its main characteristics and preconditions. The pivot of the survey turns around the impacts of the Social Solidarity Income in Greece, the pros and cons of the policy, as well as policy proposals for more effective implementation.

Support for Informal Carers: Has the New Benefit Improved Their Ability to Care?

The purpose of this article is to evaluate the subjective impact of provided care on the quality of life of informal carers, to assess the institution of long-term carer's allowances from the viewpoint of informal carers, and to identify additional social policy tools that could, in carers' opinion, improve the provision of care. Our research shows that provision of care leads to a reduced quality of life for a significant number of respondents. It is confirmed that respondents' welfare is negatively influenced by a lack of funding and weak development of social services. It is not proven that the long-term carer's allowance is a comprehensible benefit increasing the carers' quality of life providing enough motivation to care. This sickness insurance benefit is intended primarily for a temporary lack of self-sufficiency, with the prospect of future improvement. Long-term or permanent lack of self-sufficiency and the related care must be secured by social support and assistance mechanisms, including respite care, and ought to be funded outside the framework of sickness insurance.

The Role of Administrative Law and Economics in Tempering Discretion and Balancing Conflicting Objectives in Public Procurement Decision Making

The mandate of government is characterised by significant interdependence, complementarity and overlap between economic and social policy objectives. The pursuit of both economic and social objectives, therefore, is often necessary and inevitable in any system of public procurement regulation. The coexistence of economic and social objectives in a system of public procurement regulation, however, often results in conflicts and dilemmas. The conflicts and dilemmas occur when government bureaucrats make economically efficient but socially undesirable decisions or socially desirable but economically inefficient decisions. Moreover, public procurement laws often give government bureaucrats discretion to decide whether, the extent and the ends for which they can use procurement as a tool of economic or social policy. Although discretion is inevitable in any system of public procurement regulation, and public administration in general, it is also highly amenable to abuse. The disciplines of administrative law and economics offer useful conceptual tools that could be used to achieve an optimal balance or resolve conflicts between economic and social objectives in public procurement decision making. The disciplines of administrative law and economics offer useful conceptual tools for resolving the problem of discretion and its correlation with the incidence of corruption, favouritism and other forms of malfeasance in public procurement decision making. The two disciplines espouse a rule-based approach to public procurement regulation and decision making, characterised by circumscribed discretion and commitment to the values of competition, transparency and accountability

Social support for the family that brings up the disabled child is the tool of social policy of Ukraine

In the article it has been considered that social support for the family that brings up the disabled child is the tool of social policy of Ukraine. The attention has been focused on the standard and legal base that creates social and economic, legal, medical, psychological and pedagogical conditions for the solution of social problems of the designated category of families. The conclusion is that one of the conditions of the improvement of the situation of the families that bring up the disabled child is the realization of social support of such category of the families as the priority instrument of social policy of Ukraine that is directed to the solution of a wide range of actions of complex character (medical, legal, economic, psychological and pedagogical).