Weak Position Research Articles

Wage Bargaining Power of Internal Migrant Workers: Evidence from Urban Labor Market in China

This study analyses the wage bargaining power of employers and internal migrant workers in the urban labor market in China using a two-tiered SFA model. The findings indicate that bargaining power decreases the observed wage relative to the benchmark wage which is associated with worker’s actual productivity. The availability of migrant labor is identified to be a key variable in the wage bargaining process. This study reveals that the migrant workers who obtain jobs via informal job search methods stand in a weak bargaining position relative to those using formal search methods which is consistent with limited choices hypothesis. Additionally, the migrant workers in the manufacturing and construction industries or producing and processing occupations extract surplus nearly identical to other groups.

Methodological Approach to Comprehensive Assessment of Living Standards in Russian Regions

Introduction. Improving the living standards of the population is the most important task facing public authorities. However, its solution is impossible without a clear understanding of what is meant by this definition and how this indicator should be assessed. Despite the wide representation of studies on this issue, there is actually no unified position and, consequently, no generally accepted assessment. The use of private indicators gives contradictory results. In this regard, the aim of the study is to develop a methodology for the comprehensive assessment of living standards in Russian regions. Materials and Methods. The methods of grouping, dynamic and structural analysis, correlation analysis and others were applied in the framework of the task. The information base of the study was formed by the data of the Federal State Statistics Service of Russia, as well as the works of domestic and foreign scientists in the field under consideration. The research proposed an approach to the formation of an integral assessment of the standard of living of the population of Russian regions, based on a two-stage convolution of 22 private indicators divided into five groups, taking into account the weighting coefficients. Further the methodology was tested on the data on the regions of the Russian Federation. Results. According to the results of the approbation, the ratings of regions by standard of living for 2017‒2021 were formed, which allowed us to consider its dynamics. It was revealed that, in general, the positions of leaders and outsiders remain stable; the differentiation between regions does not decrease. At the same time, while outsiders have weak positions in the overwhelming number of indicators, leadership can be due to different components of the integral indicator. Discussion and Conclusion. The obtained results can be used by the authorities responsible for the development and implementation of state policy in the field of regional development, social security and other related areas. Forecast assessments allow us to identify threats to the realization of the task of improving living standards in Russian regions.

Реформування міжнародних фінансових організацій в контексті впливу на соціально-економічний розвиток України та Казахстану

The article presents the results of a study on current problems of reforming the international financial architecture under the expanding crisis phenomena of a financial nature and the vulnerability of financial markets and public finances to sharp economies political and geopolitical changes. The meta-statistics are aimed at identifying the main institutional fundamentals of the reform of international financial organizations in the context of the transformation of mutual relations with certain neighboring groups of countries and their impact on the socio-economic development in Ukraine and Kazakhstan. Systematized the main guidelines in the transformation of international financial architecture, such as: reform of certain international organizations; changes in the policy of cooperation between individual countries and international financial organizations, transformation of the latter’s influence; creation of a global institution based on international multilateral agreements; strengthening the regulatory mechanisms of international financial law and increasing the responsibilities of national regulators for the functioning of individual segments of financial markets; facilitating reforms of the global financial architecture to achieve the goals of global development and climate change; creation of new international financial institutions etc. The impact of the reforms of international financial organizations on the socio-economic development of Ukraine and Kazakhstan is manifested in the changes in the directions of Kazakhstan’s and Ukraine’s cooperation with modern international institutions, culminating in the updated policy frameworks and special programs for market reform, in ensuring the stability of the national currency, in the solution of socio-economic problems, in financing the deficit of the sovereign budget and in balancing the balance of payments. The allocation of financial resources of a credit and investment nature is accompanied by recommendations on the institutional development of market economy, reforms of the necessary legal framework, development of the private sector and the shaping of a corporate governance system. A comparative analysis of the effectiveness of Kazakhstan’s and Ukraine’s cooperation with international financial organizations allows us to recognize the vulnerability of both countries’ financial systems to crisis phenomena of a global nature, including through the growth of the foreign debt and their weak positions in terms of the EBRD Financial Market Development Index in 2020 compared to the European countries, which became EU members 2004.

Precarious employment and mental health in the Belgian service voucher system: the role of working conditions and perceived financial strain.

Jobs in domestic cleaning are often conceived as 'precarious employment' (PE)-i.e. a multidimensional concept referring to accumulated adverse characteristics of employment due to workers' weak bargaining position. Against this background, the Belgian service voucher system (SVS) was implemented aimed at creating formal and stable, subsidized domestic services jobs. The current study assesses the relationship between PE and mental health (WHO5) in the Belgian SVS, accounting for the potential mediating role of working conditions and perceived financial strain at the household level. We analysed a cross-sectional sample of 1,115 Belgian SVS domestic cleaners, collected in 2019 through an online survey. A mediation model was estimated. The crude effect of PE on adverse mental health was strong (ß 0.545-S.E. 0.063). However, 50% of the association between PE and mental well-being was mediated by work task characteristics (quantitative demands, physical demands, task variation and autonomy) and 25% by household-level perceived financial strain. The remaining direct effect of PE on adverse mental well-being is ß 0.066 (S.E. 0.032-25% of the total effect). These findings are the first based on the Belgian Employment Precariousness Scale (EPRES-BE) and are consistent with earlier-made-but seldom simultaneously tested-assumptions on the mechanisms relating PE to adverse mental health-i.e. involving direct associations and indirect associations via adverse working conditions and material deprivation. Based on the results, we recommend more democratic and higher-quality management practices in the SVS, in addition to higher wages and working time reduction.

Is the Post-Reformation System of the Indonesian Government a Parliamentary Form?

Indonesia's democratic government system has experienced ups and downs based on history, where at the beginning of independence Indonesia used a presidential system, then changed to a parliamentary and then returned to a presidential system. The reformation period was a milestone in changing the government system where previously the president was elected by the MPR as the highest state institution to switch to direct presidential elections carried by a party or a coalition of parties - due to the existence of regulation on the threshold for nomination (parliamentary threshold) - but to maintain the implementation of the presidential campaign promise to establish a coalition of parties supporting the government which has an impact on the role of the People^s Representative Council only as a stamp of government interests. The problem in this study is how the presidential system exists in the post-reform Indonesian government system. The form of the research method used is normative juridical with a statutory approach and an analytical descriptive approach that examines primary and secondary legal materials, besides examining the synchronization and harmonization of law. The conclusion is that the current Indonesian government system tends to be parliamentary. This is due to the weak bargaining position of the DPR in supervising the running of government because the majority of DPR members are supporters of the government, while the opposition forces are unequal with the majority, which prioritizes the most voting system over consensus deliberation for the benefit of the people. so that checks and balances - separation of powers - turned into a division of powers - dividing power.

The Origins and Legacies of Unpredictability in Rebel-Incumbent Rule

ABSTRACT Many rebel groups ‘govern’, becoming increasingly institutionalised, accountable, and predictable. This is now well-accepted; however, less attention has been paid to another common observation: some rebel orders—and rebel-incumbent regimes—are more aptly characterised as unpredictable. We find that this is because they adopt vague mandates and delegate provisional authority. Our analysis shows that, in some cases, this (1) allows rebels to accommodate potentially incongruous pre-existing authorities and institutions, which can integrate unpredictability into early governance arrangements; (2) helps rebels cultivate social control from a comparatively weak position; and (3) has enduring legacies for rebel-incumbent rule. We illustrate this argument with Uganda’s National Resistance Movement (NRM) and explore broader relevance with the Afghan Taliban.

Examination of the structural components of the Abilitator-A self-report questionnaire on work ability and functioning aimed at the population in a weak labour market position.

According to the Consensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement Instruments (COSMIN) panel, structural validity describes how well Patient-Reported Outcome Measures' (PROM) scores reflect the dimensions of the measured construct. The main purpose of this study was to examine the structural components of the Abilitator, a co-developed self-report questionnaire on work ability and functioning for the population in a weak labour market position. We examined to what extent the Abilitator has reflective and formative elements in its five summary scales: "C. Inclusion", "D. Mind", "E. Everyday life", "F. Skills", and "G. Body". The Abilitator data sample (n = 4555, men 51%, mean age 37 years) was collected in 2017-2022 by the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health in cooperation with the European Social Fund Priority 5 projects in which the participants have multiple challenges to gain employment. For the structural components and validity analysis we implemented both Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA). Based on the COSMIN criteria for structural validity, the Abilitator reached approximate model fit with CFA when we analysed the different concepts of the questionnaire separately rather than in one unified model. An exception was "E. Everyday life" which was a formative summary scale, and it did not reach approximate fit. EFA showed that the items in the Abilitator's summary scales loaded on ten factors. The Abilitator had both reflective and formative elements in its structure. It reached structural validity in those separate concepts that were based on a reflective model. This study revealed interesting connections between different aspects of the Abilitator and produced valuable information for further modification of the questionnaire.

Semantic differentiation in the linguistic examination of trademarks

INTRODUCTION. The controversial issues of trademark examination are considered. The analysis of the ways of comparing single-word and compound commercial designations is given. A universal method for identifying a strong element in a composite designation has not yet been developed. The purpose of the study is to identify the semantic potential of non-identical concepts: a strong element and the main word in the phrase of a trademark or commercial designation.MATERIALS AND METHODS. Using a specific example from the experience of conducting linguistic examinations (comparison of the WHITE AURORA and AVRORA designations), the methodology for identifying a strong element of a composite designation is illustrated and the origins of typical errors in determining a strong element are analyzed. When developing the mentioned methodology, it is proposed to be guided by the following considerations: the concept of a strong element of designation and the main word of the corresponding phrase are concepts that are not common; the method of identifying a strong element in a phrase differs from the method of identifying the main word in a phrase; the phenomenon of a strong element correlates with the linguistic idea of a strong and weak lexical position in the text; a strong element can be located both in the first and second place in a phrase, including a trademark or other commercial designation.RESULTS AND DISCUSSION. It is shown that due to the semantic potential of a strong element of a composite designation, it becomes possible to transfer to the consumer the necessary information about the object of nomination. That is why the definition of an element bearing the main disti nguishing features must be carried out in the context of a situation or a communicative task. Based on the material of a specific example of linguistic expertise, it is shown that the element white of the designation WHITE AURORA in the context of the provision of dental services and dental care services can be interpreted as a strong element. This becomes a serious factor preventing the appearance of confusingly similar designations for WHITE AURORA on the one hand, and AVRORA on the other.CONCLUSION. Semantic differentiation is the main criterion for distinguishing strong and weak elements in the linguistic examination of trademarks. The very concept of a “strong element” of a designation can be considered a relative concept; the definition of an element bearing the main semantic features must be carried out in the context of a situation or a communicative task.

Marketing Channel Analysis, Marketing Margins, and Farmer's Share Cinnamon Commodity in Sungai Penuh City, Jambi Province, Indonesia

The cinnamon commodity is quite significant in the economy of Sungai Penuh City, but farmers have not felt its role in improving welfare. The fundamental problems faced by cinnamon farmers in Sungai Penuh City are the weak bargaining position of farmers in the pricing process due to lack of access to price information, the attachment of farmers to collecting traders, and the limited ability of farmers to develop processed cinnamon products allegedly resulting in farmers only getting a small profit from sales. Traders, collectors, and exporters process more to meet domestic and foreign market demand. For this reason, an analysis of the existing condition of marketing margins and farmers' share of cinnamon commodities in Sungai Penuh City is needed. The purpose of this study is to analyze cinnamon marketing margins between farmers, collecting traders and exporters in each marketing channel in Sungai Penuh City, analyze the amount of farmers share obtained by farmers in each cinnamon marketing channel in Sungai Penuh City, and analyze cinnamon marketing functions in the form of physical functions, exchange functions and facility functions between farmers, Collecting traders and exporters in Sungai Penuh City. To answer the study's objectives, the author uses marketing margin analysis methods, profit margin analysis, farmer's share analysis, and marketing function approaches in physical, exchange, and facility functions. This research method uses a qualitative descriptive approach, and the informants in this study are determined by purposive sampling. The results showed that as many as 60 percent of cinnamon farmers in Sungai Penuh City chose and 40 percent chose the two-actor marketing channel. In contrast, the cinnamon marketing channel involving three marketing actors showed that the marketing system was inefficient. In contrast, the cinnamon marketing channel involving two marketing actors showed that the cinnamon marketing system in Sungai Penuh City was efficient.

Tanggungjawab Pelaku Usaha Bagi Konsumen Terhadap Keamanan Pangan Dalam Prespektif Hukum Perlindungan Konsumen

Food safety in Indonesia is still far from safe, we often see food poisoning incidents that occur a lot nowadays. In general, this often results in consumers being in a weak and disadvantaged position, so there is a need for regulations that can bridge the interests of business actors and the interests of consumers without harming either party. Forms of responsibility of a business actor towards consumers in the legal order in Indonesia Civil liability based on legal events can be divided into two, namely: liability based on fault, namely liability that can arise due to breaches of contract or unlawful acts, whether caused by careless actions or intentional actions. Responsibility based on risk is the responsibility that must be borne by a business actor for his business activities which cause losses to consumers.

Phonological impairments in Hindi aphasics: Error analyses and cross-linguistic comparisons

ABSTRACT We assessed phonological and apraxic impairments in Hindi persons with aphasia (PwA) and compared them to Italian PwA reported in previous studies. Overall, we found strong similarities. Phonological errors were present across production tasks (repetition, reading and naming), most errors were non-lexical and, among those, a majority involved individual phonemes. There were significant effects of length, but not frequency. Hindi PwA, like the Italian PwA, showed strong effects of syllabic structure, with most errors occurring on consonants and weak syllabic positions, preserving syllable structure and simplifying phonemes or syllabic templates. These similarities were modulated by some language-specific patterns. Vowel insertions were more common in Hindi, possibly due to the presence of a central vowel, and segmental simplifications concentrated on marked aspiration and retroflection features. We hope our study will encourage further research in Hindi and other Indian languages. This will improve clinical diagnosis and our understanding of cross-linguistic differences.

Джибути в геополитической стратегии Турецкой Республики (2012–2020 гг.)

The presented article provides comprehensive analysis of bilateral relations between Turkey and Djibouti for the period of 2012–2020. The author has identified Ankara’s economic and geopolitical interests in Djibouti, taking into account Turkey’s foreign policy strategy in Somalia. Particular attention is paid to the humanitarian component of bilateral relations with Djibouti. For the purpose of comparison, the article also examines the policies of other regional players, such as China, Japan, the USA, as well as the EU and Middle East countries. Conclusion dwells upon the fact that Ankara’s economic and humanitarian projects in Djibouti have been car-ried out over the 2012–2020 period, with the main geostrategic objective being to strengthen its position near the Gulf of Aden-Bab el-Mandeb Strait strategic logistics hub. Due to the presence of foreign bases of other countries in Djibouti, Ankara is inferior to its competitors in military-political terms. Despite the weak economic position due to the presence of Chinese projects, the economic and humanitarian direction of bilateral relations between Turkey and Djibouti showed positive dynamics.

Syncopation as structure bootstrapping: the role of asymmetry in rhythm and language.

Syncopation - the occurrence of a musical event on a metrically weak position preceding a rest on a metrically strong position - represents an important challenge in the study of the mapping between rhythm and meter. In this contribution, we present the hypothesis that syncopation is an effective strategy to elicit the bootstrapping of a multi-layered, hierarchically organized metric structure from a linear rhythmic surface. The hypothesis is inspired by a parallel with the problem of linearization in natural language syntax, which is the problem of how hierarchically organized phrase-structure markers are mapped onto linear sequences of words. The hypothesis has important consequences for the role of meter in music perception and cognition and, more particularly, for its role in the relationship between rhythm and bodily entrainment.

Introducing the inverted Icarus paradox in business history – Evidence from David and Goliath in the Swedish telecommunications industry 1981–1990

Previous research in business and management history has identified the Icarus paradox, which describes how organisations may fall due to overconfidence and hubris. We build upon previous research on paradoxes in business history and introduce the notion of an inverted Icarus paradox. Using rich archival sources coded in a relational database, we show how an entrant firm, Comvik, outmanoeuvred an established government monopoly in the non-market domain from 1980 to 1990, despite inferior resources and a weak market position. The government monopoly Televerket faced an inverted Icarus paradox; it could not leverage its strengths and political connections as they were stuck in a David versus Goliath narrative where public opinion was more sympathetic to the entrant firm Comvik.

The ANC’s precarious majority ahead of South Africa’s national elections

The African National Congress has entered a national-election season in a historically weak position and risks losing its majority for the first time in South Africa’s post-apartheid history. The party’s decline may open the way to political realignment and potentially a more vibrant democracy, but it is not an immediate panacea for all of the country’s ills.

Strength Analysis and Research of Composite Material Bridge Deck

The strength of each layer of composite bridge deck under different load conditions is analyzed and studied by Tsai-Wu tensor theory. The results indicate that, the characteristic strength values calculated in the predetermined reinforcement fabric are significantly smaller than those in the E-glass fiber layer, and the damage will first occur in E-glass fiber layer. Under various operating conditions, the characteristic strength values in each layer of FRP bridge panel are smaller than 1, and have a certain safety factor. The weak positions of each layer are related to the configuration of bridge panel. Tsai-Wu tensor theory can accurately evaluate the status of each layer, and supervise the design work of GFRP bridge panel.

By-passing the National Level? Municipalities as Legal Actors in Multi-Level Governance in Norway and Sweden

This article aims at illuminating the role of Swedish and Norwegian municipalities as legal actors in multi-level governance. The research question is threefold: What is the role of Swedish and Norwegian municipalities as legal actors in relation to the European level? How do these roles affect local autonomy at the national level? What is the impact of the different affiliations at the European level, Sweden's full membership, and Norway only being a party to the EEA Agreement on these questions? Previous research has shown that municipalities have been able to magnify their influence, both externally and internally, through the intermediary of the European Union. The ability to magnify their influence will depend on the national constitutional framework and the formal affiliation to the European level, among other things. In this study, the role of the municipalities in Norway and Sweden is described by analysing the constitutional position of municipalities at the national level, the municipal influence on the drafting of EU legislation, the Nordic municipalities as actors before the ECJ and the EFTA Court and the municipal implementation of EU/EEA law. On a general level, the study found that the constitutional structures are mainly monolithic, although there are polycentric features. The ability of Norwegian and Swedish municipalities to by-pass national authorities is visible but cannot be described as strong. The role of the municipalities in acting at the European level is noteworthy, but the legal framework does not allow for a significant increase in local autonomy. The EEA affiliation of Norway implies that the municipalities have a weaker position at the European level.

Measuring The Effectiveness of Private Electronic System Organizers Regulations In Developing Social Media Equilibrium

Technological developments, especially social media, potentially have a negative impact that pretend to social disintegration and instability. To prevent and create a healthy and conducive digital space, the Government issued the Minister of Communication and Information Regulation No.5/2020 concerning Private ESOs. This regulation gives the government authority to supervise Private ESOs and protect social media content. This research aims to examine ministerial regulation effectiveness in realizing social media equilibrium and its impact on digital democracy in Indonesia. This is a sociolegal research. The data was obtained from observation, expert interviews, and literature studies which were analyzed qualitatively. Normatively, restrictions and supervision to the right to use social media through private ESOs can be carried out to be in line with Pancasila’s Spirit. However, there are fundamental errors in ministerial regulation: (1) multiple interpretations norm; (2) unclear parameters of supervision; and (3) weak legal position of ministerial regulations in law enforcement. Sociologically, the presence of ministerial regulations is weak and ineffective because they are: (1) rejected by stakeholders; (2) easy to change; and (3) slowly responded in socialization process and community compliance. More comprehensive implementation regulation is required with, supervision through an electronic system approach to increase the role and participation of community.

A Wide-Band Magnetoelectric Sensor Based on a Negative-Feedback Compensated Readout Circuit.

Magnetoelectric (ME) sensors cannot effectively detect broadband magnetic field signals due to their narrow bandwidth, and existing readout circuits are unable to vary the bandwidth of the sensors. To expand the bandwidth, this paper introduces a negative-feedback readout circuit, fabricated by introducing a negative-feedback compensation circuit based on the direct readout circuit of the ME sensor. The negative-feedback compensation circuit contains a current amplifier, a feedback resistor, and a feedback coil. For this purpose, a Metglas/PVDF/Metglas ME sensor was prepared. Experimental measurements show that there is a six-fold difference between the maximum and minimum values of the ME voltage coefficients in the 6-39 kHz frequency band for the ME sensor without the negative-feedback compensation circuit when the sensor operates at the optimal bias magnetic field. However, the ME voltage coefficient in this band remains stable, at 900 V/T, after the charge amplification of the direct-reading circuit and the negative-feedback circuit. In addition, experimental results show that this negative-feedback readout circuit does not increase the equivalent magnetic noise of the sensor, with a noise level of 240 pT/√Hz in the frequency band lower than 25 kHz, 63 pT/√Hz around the resonance frequency of 30 kHz, and 620 pT/√Hz at 39 kHz. This paper proposes a negative-feedback readout circuit based on the direct readout circuit, which greatly increases the bandwidth of ME sensors and promotes the widespread application of ME sensors in the fields of broadband weak magnetic signal detection and DBS electrode positioning.

Ecological Virtuous Selves: Towards a Non-Anthropocentric Environmental Virtue Ethic?

Existing predominant approaches within virtue ethics (VE) assume humans as the typical agent and virtues as dispositions that pertain primarily to human–human interpersonal relationships. Similarly, the main accounts in the more specific area of environmental virtue ethics (EVE) tend to support weak anthropocentric positions, in which virtues are understood as excellent dispositions of human agents. In addition, however, several EVE authors have also considered virtues that benefit non-human beings and entities (e.g., environmental or ecological virtues). The latter correspond to excellent character dispositions that would extend moral consideration and care for the benefit of non-human beings, entities, or entire ecosystems. In this direction, a few authors have argued that EVE could be considered non-anthropocentric insofar as it could: (a) promote non-human ends, well-being, and the flourishing of non-human beings and entities; (b) involve significant relations to non-humans. Drawing from different traditions, including ecofeminism and care ethics, we argue for a broader notion of self and a decentered notion of virtues. The broader notion of selfhood corresponds to the “ecological self”, one that can be enacted by both human and non-human beings, is embedded in a network of relations, and recognizes the more-than-human world as fundamental and yet indispensable otherness. We suggest that this broader notion of agency allows for an expansive understanding of virtues that includes a-moral functional ecological virtues, which can be exercised not only by humans but also by certain non-human beings. This alternative understanding of selfhood and ecological virtues within EVE could have several theoretical and practical implications, some of which may enable different types of agencies and transform collective action.