Vulnerable Citizens Research Articles

“You’re dealing with the bottom here…” understanding reasons for reduced utilisation: a qualitative study on colorectal cancer screening among vulnerable men at a drop-in centre in Denmark

BackgroundColorectal cancer (CRC) screening can reduce both CRC incidence and mortality, and faecal immunochemical testing (FIT)-based screening programmes are therefore now being implemented in many countries. However, social inequality in FIT-based screening participation is well documented, and initiatives to address this challenge are understudied. We explored the perceptions of CRC screening and the perceived barriers and facilitators towards FIT-based CRC screening among men visiting a drop-in centre for people with severe social problems in Denmark.MethodsThe study was a qualitative interview study. Participants were sixteen men visiting a drop-in centre in Denmark. A local staff member provided supplementary information and assisted with the recruitment process. The interviews were transcribed verbatim, followed by an inductive content analysis.ResultsThe men were often dealing with health and social problems, and they often had low self-esteem. At first, they stated that they did not think much about cancer and their own risk of being diagnosed with it. They argued that they had little time, energy, and resources to participating in, for example, CRC screening programmes, and barriers to participating were facts of life such as comorbidity and cognitive difficulties. Further, they were not sure how to participate, and some misunderstood the concept of screening. However, during the interviews, the main part of the participants became very keen to participate, and they suggested that in the future, they could receive regular information about cancer screening in face-to-face interactions with someone who cared and was interested in helping them.ConclusionMen in a vulnerable position visiting a drop-in centre were interested in CRC screening. If we intervene in a way that meets the needs among these vulnerable citizens, it may contribute to reducing social inequality in FIT-based CRC screening programmes.

Ideology, financial circumstances, and attitudes toward public and private foreign aid

Does ideology influence voter preferences for foreign aid in the same way it does for domestic redistribution? Economically vulnerable left-leaning citizens, who are normatively strong proponents of government aid, may not be as committed to increasing actual spending. Such citizens may see themselves as competing with the foreign poor for domestic resources. Similarly, while affluent right-leaning citizens may oppose increasing foreign aid due to skepticism about government spending, this might not extend to private donations. Instead, they may view non-governmental organizations and charities as alternatives that leverage private expertise to assist poor countries. Using four years of public opinion data from 15 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development donor countries, I find support for the conditional effect of ideology and economic self-interest on both public and private aid attitudes. By focusing on three different measures—the morality of aid, public aid spending, and private donations—I further explore variations in aid attitudes.

Impact of the WELLBASED urban programs on health, well-being, and energy poverty

Abstract Background The WELLBASED project developed and implemented urban programs across six pilot sites to tackle energy poverty. This study aimed to evaluate these programs’ effectiveness on a broad range of health, well-being, and energy poverty indicators. Methods a controlled study was performed in six European pilot sites. Participants in the intervention condition receive the 12-month WELLBASED urban program. Participants were recruited via different methods and provided informed consent to participate in the 18-month study. Self-report questionnaires were completed at baseline, 6-, 12 and 18 months in both research conditions. In the intervention group, monthly health monitoring of e.g. heart rate and blood pressure, and continuous monitoring of indoor CO2, temperature and humidity were performed. Descriptive statistics and regression analyses are performed to assess the impact of the urban programs on health, well-being and energy poverty-indicators Results In the baseline sample (n = 1350; n = 661 intervention group, n = 689 control group) the mean age was 49 years (SD 16), 15.6% was >65 years, 65% were women, and 42% was married. At baseline people reported not feeling comfortable warm in winter (58%) or cool in summer (70%), 43% reported damp or leak. Preliminary findings at 6-month follow-up indicate changes in HR-QoL, subjective well-being and depression/anxiety differ strongly per pilot site location (p < 0.01). In summer 2024 all data will be available for analysis. Conclusions the comprehensive urban programs developed in the WELLBASED project may support public health to tackle energy and improve health and well-being of vulnerable citizens.

Exploring the relationship between energy poverty and mental wellbeing: a qualitative study

Abstract Background Rising rates of energy poverty in Europe, affecting 11% of households, are a serious public health concern. The inability to meet energy needs impacts mental wellbeing, preventing people from productively engaging in society. Our objective was to explore this relationship within the context of three European cities, each characterized by distinct climatic conditions, cultural and societal characteristics and governance arrangements. This work is part of the European funded research project WELLBASED, grant no. 945097. Methods Semi-structured interviews (n = 34) were conducted with people experiencing energy poverty in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Spain. Purposive sampling ensured the representation of a diverse range of family and household types, gender and experiences with energy poverty. Thematic analysis was conducted using MaxQDA software. Preliminary results The analysis resulted in six themes: (1) worries and fear (2) stress (3) value of the home and neighborhood, (4) caring for others, (5) engaging with daily life and (6) autonomy in managing the situation and seeking for and receiving support. Participants were worried and stressed about the rising energy bills, the thermal discomfort, and health impacts of their poor housing conditions. In relation to caring responsibilities, participants were especially concerned about the impact on their children and prioritized children’s needs. Participants also expressed a strong will for independence and having control over their lives, but at the same time valued being seen and supported. Conclusions The persistent worries, fear and stress highlight implications of failure to meet energy needs for mental wellbeing. Caring responsibilities, engaging with daily life and autonomy proved important for mental wellbeing among people living in energy poverty. Our findings call for addressing energy poverty challenges in public health programs to improve mental wellbeing of vulnerable citizens. Key messages • People experiencing energy poverty in the United Kingdom, Spain and the Netherlands recognize the impact of their energy poverty situation on their mental wellbeing. • The public health community needs to be informed and engaged about the impact of energy poverty on mental wellbeing in order to take action.

Zakat and Waqf Model in Reducing Poverty among Vulnerable Groups During the Pandemic in Nigeria

The crisis of COVID-19 pandemic has already crushed and affected almost everyone in the world. In terms of economy, the vulnerable group was the most affected group in the society as many of them lose their jobs and thus poverty rate rose. Poverty is a worldwide spread problem that results pains and loss of confidence to many people in the world where vulnerable citizens of Bauchi state-Nigeria are not excluded. The menace of poverty during COVID-19 pandemic can be alleviated through proper Zakat and Waqf administrations. This study explores the possible uses of Zakat and Waqf as financing tools for poverty alleviation during COVID-19 pandemic on the vulnerable in the society. The qualitative approach is adopted which includes review of related literatures and interview with relevant bodies and individuals. The findings of the study reveals that Zakat and Waqf as an Islamic finance models have relevant potential to fight any contemporary crisis and pandemic in respect of geographical location, era, people or religion. Zakat and Waqf if properly organized, maintained, collected, well managed and truthfully distributed to the people concerned can help in fighting the adverse effect of COVID-19 pandemic and alleviate poverty among the vulnerable in Bauchi state Nigeria.

Association Between Food Insecurity and Developmental Delay and Behavioral Problems in US Children 2 to 5 Years of Age.

To investigate the relationship between food insecurity and developmental delay and/or behavior problems (DD/PB) in US children aged 2 to 5 years before the COVID-19 pandemic. Data from 14,464 children aged 2 to 5 years from the National Survey of Children's Health from 2016 to 2017 were analyzed. Children with food insecurity came from families reporting they sometimes or often could not afford nutritious meals. Diagnosis of DD/PB by a professional was obtained through a caregiver report. A quarter of children aged 2 to 5 years lived in food insecure homes, and 9% were diagnosed with DD/PB. Children in food insecure households were more likely to be from minoritized populations publicly insured, with single parents, without high school education, living =< 130% Federal poverty line, and receiving supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP) benefits (all p < 0.001). Adjusting for age, sex, race, ethnicity, poverty, family structure, and parent education, children in food insecure households had 1.57 times the odds of being diagnosed with DD/PB compared with children in food secure households. In similarly adjusted models excluding poverty and stratified by SNAP use, homes not receiving SNAP maintained this association between food insecurity and diagnosis of DD/PB, whereas in homes receiving SNAP, the association was not significant. In this population-based study, US children aged 2 to 5 years in food insecure households were more likely to be diagnosed with DD/PB compared with those in food secure households. When stratified, there was no association between food insecurity and DD/PB among those receiving SNAP; the association remained for those not receiving SNAP. The potential long-term impact of this safety net program on our most vulnerable citizens must be considered as policymakers contemplate federal spending priorities.

In Palantir we trust? Regulation of data analysis platforms in public security

Organizations increasingly rely on digital technologies to perform tasks. To do so, they have to integrate data banks to make the data usable. We argue that there is a growing, academically underexplored market consisting of data integration and analysis platforms. We explain that, especially in the public sector, the regulatory implications of data integration and analysis must be studied because they affect vulnerable citizens and because it is not just a matter of state agencies overseeing technology companies but also of the state overseeing itself. We propose a platform-theory-based conceptual approach that directs our attention towards the specific characteristics of platforms—such as datafication, modularity, and multilaterality and the associated regulatory challenges. Due to a scarcity of empirical analyses about how public sector platforms are regulated, we undertake an in-depth case study of a data integration and analysis platform operated by Palantir Technologies in the German federal state of Hesse. Our analysis of the regulatory activities and conflicts uncovers many obstacles to effective platform regulation. Drawing on recent initiatives to improve intermediary liability, we ultimately point to additional paths for regulating public sector platforms. Our findings also highlight the importance of political factors in platform regulation-as-a-practice. We conclude that platform regulation in the public sector is not only about technology-specific regulation but also about general mechanisms of democratic control, such as the separation of power, public transparency, and civil rights.

Ordinary Ottomans: post-World War I settlements and experiences of the end of empire

ABSTRACT In the introduction to this special issue, we address the concepts of ordinariness and Ottomanness, and how they intersect within the general context of the disintegration of the Ottoman Empire. 1 Given the already existing scholarship on ordinary groups or individuals in the history of the Middle East, we first position ordinariness as context-specific; that is, we understand it as subjected to various forms of exclusion from the elite. Second, within the framework of the major political changes that characterise the end of Empire we explore ordinariness and how it is embedded in everyday life and practices. We interrogate the capacities of individuals to maintain regularity through ordinary practices, after or despite a disruptive episode. We argue that persisting with everyday life practices despite crisis can serve as a strategy to reclaim spaces of autonomy from power structures. However, we also demonstrate that ordinary individuals, being vulnerable subjects or citizens, are also subject to change. These questions eventually lead us to rethink the debate on ‘continuities and ruptures’ within the post-Ottoman context. We suggest that framing Ottomanness as a time-marker, rather than as an identity-marker (Ottoman-era), allows us to focus on how groups and individuals coped with these changes, rather than attempting to define them.

Vulnerability and Policing: Rethinking the Role and Limits of the Police

AbstractPolice are increasingly called upon to manage a host of social ills and vulnerable people, often filling gaps left by the withdrawal of other public and third sector services. Yet, there remains a distinct lack of critical assessment of what problems the police are expected to solve and whether they are the most appropriate agency to do so. This article highlights the need to rethink policing through multilateral networks that explicitly locate police within broader tasks of public safety and the protection of vulnerable citizens. It argues for a whole‐system response that harnesses the roles of diverse public, private and voluntary organisations and clarifies the parameters of police within that system. It explores the opportunities and challenges that attend to delimiting the police role through recent developments and debates concerning responses to mental health‐related problems and the ‘Right Care, Right Person’ agreement. It concludes with some thoughts on how we might recast, through the lens of vulnerability, a decentred role for police within a wider system of public safety.

ENHANCEMENT IN-GROUP COHESIVENESS – NEW ASPECT IN THE TAXONOMY OF IDENTITY MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES (THE CASE OF PEOPLE LIVING IN POVERTY)

The main aim of the current study is to present the negative social identity management strategies used by the poor group of people living in Georgia. The qualitative and quantitative research was conducted with the participation of socially vulnerable citizens in order to explore the social identity theory in the targeted group. As a result of the research, the negative social identity management strategies, such as social creativity, individual/social mobility and enhancement in-group cohesiveness were identified. There was also adapted the scale of measuring negative social identity management strategies, which is related to Social Vulnerability Status. A novelty of the study is considering the enhancement in-group cohesiveness as a negative social identity management strategy. The study gives interesting potential to other researchers to continue studying new taxonomy of negative social identity management strategies withing other vulnerable groups. In addition, our findings help us understand identity management strategies better, revealing important insights for efforts to reduce poverty and support community development.

Insights into the development of a landslide early warning system prototype in an informal settlement: the case of Bello Oriente in Medellín, Colombia

Abstract. The global number of vulnerable citizens in areas of landslide risk is expected to increase due to the twin forces of climate change and growing urbanization. Self-constructed or informal settlements are frequently built in hazardous terrain such as on landslide-prone slopes. They are characterized by high dynamics of growth, simple construction methods and strong social dynamics and are exposed to unsteady political approaches. Landslide early warning systems (LEWSs) can contribute to decreasing their vulnerability, but precise, affordable and culturally integrated LEWSs need to be further developed. In this paper, we present a 4-year living-lab research project called Inform@Risk that aimed to develop a LEWS prototype in the neighborhood of Bello Oriente, located on the urban–rural border of Medellín, Colombia. Its research team is composed of landscape architects, geo-engineers, and remote sensing and geo-informatics experts. The research team collaborated with a multitude of stakeholders: civil society, private enterprises, non-governmental agencies and various branches of government. A preliminary LEWS with the last functionalities still to be developed has been designed, implemented and handed over to the government. It has entered a test and calibration phase (i.e., warning-threshold development, procedures for warning and alert dissemination through the sensor system), which is on hold due to legal constraints. Our first findings indicate that the integrative development of technical aspects of a LEWS in informal settlements can be challenging, albeit manageable, whereas the level of social and political support is beyond the control of the designer. Steady political will is needed to increase technical capacities and funding of the operation and maintenance of an increased amount of monitoring equipment. Social outreach has to be continuous in order to inform, train, maintain the trust and increase the self-help capacities of the often rapidly changing population of an informal settlement. Legal requirements for a transfer of academic research projects to municipal authorities have to be clear from the start. Satisfying replacement housing options for the case of evacuation have to be in place in order to not lose the overall acceptance of the LEWS. As political will and municipal budgets can vary, a resilient LEWS for informal settlements has to achieve sufficient social and technical redundancy to maintain basic functionality even in a reduced-governmental-support scenario.

Realizing NetZero in social housing: strategic public procurement and internal stakeholder engagement

ABSTRACT Energy costs and fuel poverty are major concerns for social housing tenants, many of whom are vulnerable citizens. To meet challenging NetZero targets, public organizations have used strategic public procurement (SPP) in decarbonizing social housing stock and to make it more energy efficient. Drawing on SPP and stakeholder engagement, we theoretically argue that public organizations’ diverse set of internal stakeholders are integral to SPP. Empirically, we provide evidence of a disconnect between organization-facing and customer-facing stakeholder groups which must be considered and addressed if NetZero targets, and organizational responsibility are to be achieved when implementing SPP.

COVID-19, Internal Transitions and Vulnerable Citizens: Narratives of the Migrant Crisis in India during the Pandemic

This article illustrates how the state’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic led to an internal migrant crisis in India, making the country realise the presence of physical borders within itself. Through a narrative analysis of the chronicles of internal migrant workers and the migrant crisis published in print media during the first wave of COVID-19, this article elucidates how internal borders within a country became impermeable, affecting the rights and well-being of vulnerable citizens, who were labelled ‘disease carriers’. The discrimination and othering faced by migrants aggravated during this period, making them more prone to fall through the cracks of the crisis. Although mobility restrictions were important public health tools to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 infections, they undoubtedly exacerbated the pre-existing socio-economic inequities and vulnerabilities. Problematising these aspects of the migrant crisis during the pandemic, this article proposes migration policies and governance through effective public communication, inclusive decisions and human rights as a way forward.

Understanding the Institutional Logics of China’s Community-Based Intervention for Older People

ABSTRACT Community-based policies have gained global popularity, signaling a paradigm shift from individual responsibility for healthy aging to an approach involving community-based intervention. Learning from Western experience, China has also experimented with this form of intervention. It has policy interventions aimed at providing community-based facilities and services that enable older people to age in place. However, the institutional foundations of Chinese communities differ greatly from those in Western countries. Implementing a critical realist case study focusing on a community-based program in Beijing, this study aims to examine the institutional logics that contribute toward a contextually appropriate community-based policy intervention in China. We identified three institutional logics. First, the Confucian moral obligation of benevolence requires authorities to provide social welfare for vulnerable citizens. Second, China’s community-based interventions are state-led territorialized provisions prioritizing communities rather than individuals. Third, community-based social policies are subordinate to economic growth objectives. This study contributes to the understanding of contextually appropriate community-based policy interventions in China.

Реформация банковского сектора в интересах обеспечения защиты социально незащищенных слоев населения

Today, in the context of unprecedented aggressive sanctions pressure, the need to change the existing paradigm of providing banking services to the socially unprotected population is more urgent than ever before. Taking into account the unstable military-political situation, various measures should be developed to support socially vulnerable citizens for whom the availability of existing benefits is insufficient to meet basic needs. The banking sector in the vast majority of cases pursues private interests — obtaining maximum benefits from the provision of banking services while minimizing possible risks. In this regard, the use of a socially oriented approach is often not actively used in the banking sector. For example, many preferential lending programs for low-income citizens carry a high degree of risk, so banks have little interest in issuing loans and providing any benefits. That is why the state, as the main regulator of economic processes, must find parity between the interests of banks and ensuring the financial well-being of these categories of citizens. In a crisis, such a policy is of decisive importance for the whole society and the development of all sectors of the economy in the state. This article suggests some directions of possible reformations of the Russian banking sector in order to ensure the protection of socially vulnerable segments of the population.

Violation of the Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War by the Russian Federation in relation to certain categories of socially vulnerable groups of the population (on the example of Chernihiv region)

The article is devoted to the analysis of violations by the Russian Federation of the provisions of the Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War in relation to certain categories of socially vulnerable groups of the population in the context of a full-scale invasion (on the example of Chernihiv region). It is emphasized that Ukraine is currently a socially oriented state, its activities are aimed at providing life support and support to socially vulnerable citizens, creating conditions for their decent existence in society. One of the elements of the national state policy in the field of social protection of the population is a well-developed system of state social and medical institutions for persons with mental disorders, the elderly, persons with disabilities, patients, etc. A significant number of people living in these institutions are unable to take care of themselves and need constant care and attention. Chernihiv region, which borders the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus in the north of Ukraine, is one of the ten regions most affected by the aggression of the above-mentioned states. During the period of occupation of Chernihiv region by the military of the Russian Federation, from February 24, 2022 to April 3, 2022, a number of episodes of violations of the laws and customs of warfare were documented - shelling of civilians and evacuation routes with prohibited weapons, executions, looting, rape, etc.&#x0D; Numerous cases of shelling of social welfare institutions and medical facilities where socially vulnerable groups of the population were permanently or temporarily residing were emphasized, which is a gross violation of Articles 16, 18, 20, 28 of the Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War. The documented war crimes committed by Russian military personnel against civilians from among socially vulnerable citizens need to be studied, made public and condemned by the international community.

Exploring Interactions in the Co-Production of Social Care Services with Vulnerable Citizens

ABSTRACT ‘This study examines the interactions that occur among researchers, service providers and vulnerable citizens during the co-production of social care services, which is where value is co-created. An in-depth study of co-design and co-assessment workshops with vulnerable citizens revealed that co-production could be reached only at some points of the overall group discussion. Results highlight that vulnerable citizens need time to share and compare their personal experiences and need to be guided in the process by expert facilitators. This study also provides four innovative communicative strategies for supporting the facilitators in involving vulnerable citizens during the co-production of social care services.

The long and winding road: Pathways from basic research to implementation and evaluation.

In this article, we celebrate Dante Cicchetti's extensive contributions to the discipline of developmental psychopathology. In his seminal article, he articulated why developmental psychopathology was imperative to create research portfolios that could inform the causes, consequences, and trajectories for adults often initiated by early lived experiences (Cicchetti, 1984). In this three-part article, we share our transdisciplinary efforts to use developmental psychopathology as a foundational theory from which to develop, implement, and evaluate interventions for populations who experienced early adversity or who were at risk for child abuse and neglect. After describing interventions conducted at Mt. Hope Family Center that spanned over three decades, we highlight the criticality of disseminating results and address policy implications of this work. We conclude by discussing future directions to facilitate work in developmental psychopathology. Currently, one of three national National Institute of Child Health and Human Development-funded child abuse and neglect centers, we look forward to continuing to build upon Dante's efforts to disseminate this important work to improve society for our children, our nation's often most vulnerable and forgotten citizens.

Spatial Injustice and the Informal Housing Market in the United States: How Predatory Practices Impact upon Geographies

A large share of the African American population in the U.S. lives in poor areas characterized by high unemployment, low housing quality, and unhealthy living conditions, thus making low socioeconomic status a critical risk factor. Consequently, the higher Covid-19 death toll paid by Black Americans has been linked to the Redlining policies introduced by the Home Owners Loan Corporation in the 1930s. These policies are believed to have contributed to the development of segregated neighborhoods and ghettoization. Nowadays, we implicitly support a new form of Redlining, which comes in the different shape of the formal/informal market divide in housing. In fact, two pathways to homeownership have always existed in this legal framework. On the one hand, there is a well-established legal regime that provides families with a secure and marketable title to their homes. On the other hand, an informal regime is applied where the most vulnerable citizens (such as Blacks, Latinos, immigrants, and the poor) buy ‘on contract’. This is similar to an installment land contract whereby the seller can easily repossess the house since they are entitled to evict the would-be owner even when a single monthly payment is missed. Indeed, such contracts grew in number particularly in the aftermath of the 2007 subprime mortgage crisis, when the lack of equal access to credit for homeownership led many people to buy houses ‘on contract’. The article aims to show how these predatory lending practices, by fostering ghettoization, favored inequalities and jeopardized the spatial allocation of justice in the U.S.

Urban demand for cooking fuels in two major African cities and implications for policy

Nearly 2.3 billion people lack access to clean cooking fuels and technologies worldwide, representing a critical failure to achieve SDG7’s cooking energy access goal. In Sub-Saharan Africa, dependence on polluting cooking fuels is particularly high, resulting in considerable environmental, health, and time-related costs. Progress in the region has been greatest in urban areas, partly because incomes are higher and alternative fuels more widely available than in rural areas, but understanding of the dynamics of urban cooking energy transitions remains limited, and reasons for the divergent paths of different cities are unclear. Our primary objective is, therefore, to understand differences in the demand for several fuels among low-income households in two contrasting cities–Nairobi, where the transition is well advanced (N = 354), and Dar es Salaam, where progress has been slower (N = 1,100). We conducted a double-bounded, dichotomous choice contingent valuation experiment to elucidate how urban households would respond to changes in cooking fuels’ prices. Our analysis shows that fuel price responses vary across the income distribution and across these cities. Willingness to pay for the most commonly used cooking fuel in Nairobi–liquefied petroleum gas–is nearly twice that in Dar es Salaam, where more households prefer charcoal. In Dar es Salaam, low-income charcoal users appear especially entrenched in their cooking fuel choice. Our results have important implications for the effectiveness of different policy tools (e.g., bans, taxes, or clean fuel subsidies), since responses to pricing policies will depend on these varying price sensitivities, as well as targeting and the readiness of the supply chain (including policy enablers of supply) to meet increased demand. In conclusion, though policies are commonly designed at the national-level, policy-makers need to understand nuances in the local demand context very well when choosing instruments that best support energy transition among their most vulnerable citizens.