Welfare Planning Research Articles

Mobile caringscapes. Walking as an infrastructure of care in disadvantaged neighbourhoods in Sweden

The welfare state planning of the Nordic countries can be said to have been carried out as political acts of state care and concern of (some of) their citizens, to tackle poverty and poor housing conditions, and provide more equal living conditions for the whole population. The Million Programme Housing Project (MP) was an ambitious project carried out to combat housing shortage in Sweden in the 1960s and 1970s, which also resulted in traffic separation, car-free courtyards and housing blocks, and recreational green infrastructure. By analysing accounts of walking in 47 interviews around the everyday mobilities of 31 families living in three disadvantaged MP areas in three cities in Sweden, we suggest that the walking practices can be regarded as ‘caringscapes’. The narratives of the participants illuminate how walking is both self-care, other-care, and neighbourhood-care. Taken together, these different facets of ‘caringscapes’ of walking are further discussed in relation to walking as an enacted and practiced infrastructure of care. This conceptual framework of care captures the different experiential facets of walking and highlights the embodied, interdependent, and relational aspects of walking.

Reducing nonprofit fiduciary liability: Mitigating your organization's risks

Nonprofit organizations and their leaders, as sponsors and fiduciaries of group health and welfare plans, operate within a fluid regulatory environment. They must generally adhere to the same federal, state and local laws as their for‐profit counterparts, but sometimes do so with less‐stringent governance. They often rely on well‐intentioned volunteer boards, streamlined human resource structures and a mission‐driven focus that can overshadow meticulous attention to regulatory details.

On a critical walk: The politicisation of pedestrian planning as a tension in participatory planning

This paper analyses urban walking during the early months of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 as an object of urban planning in Helsinki. The paper investigates planners' experiences of planning for temporary spatial solutions during a time of exceptionality in urban life. The paper is motivated by the wish to determine the influence of residents' environmental critique on official urban planning processes. Analysis is primarily based on walk-along interviews with urban planners and residents in the densest eastern downtown neighbourhoods of Helsinki. Supplemental data, including a survey, chat group discussions and planning documents, are used to deepen analysis. Results discuss the politicisation of planning and the delicate relationship between public planners and the political steering of planning in a Nordic welfare planning system. The paper discusses how the politicisation of planning imposes barriers to participatory planning by tying planners' time and attention to organisational tensions, but also by not being able to direct public attention to contentious planning topics. To analyse the role of planners in advocating for pedestrian planning and citizen participation, the study incorporates concepts from organisational communication and urban governance: tensions, rational ignorance and guerrilla governance.

Antecedents of Islamic welfare: productivity, education, and the financial aspect

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to analyse, firstly, whether education, financial inclusion, financial literacy and financial planning can be antecedents that affect Islamic welfare and, secondly, whether productivity can be a mediator to improve Islamic welfare.Design/methodology/approachThis study involved quantitative research using data obtained from a survey. The respondents were 538 Muslim families in East Java, Indonesia. Structural equation modelling was used for the analysis.FindingsThis study tested 13 hypotheses, of which 10 were accepted. The accepted hypotheses refer to the effects of financial literacy on productivity, financial inclusion on productivity, financial planning on productivity, financial planning on Islamic welfare, education on Islamic welfare, productivity on Islamic welfare, financial literacy and productivity on Islamic welfare, financial inclusion and productivity on Islamic welfare and financial planning and productivity on Islamic welfare, as well as the effects of financial inclusion on Islamic welfare. Meanwhile, three hypotheses were not accepted; they refer to the effects of financial literacy on Islamic welfare, the effect of education on productivity, as well as the impact of education and productivity on Islamic welfare.Research limitations/implicationsThe study was conducted only with respondents living in East Java, so the results depict the condition of Muslim families’ welfare in East Java.Originality/valueResearch into the antecedents of Islamic welfare has received little academic attention, so this study explores how education, financial inclusion, financial literacy, financial planning and productivity could affect Islamic welfare among Muslim families.

Residues of veterinary antibiotics in manures from pig and chicken farms in a context of antimicrobial use reduction by implementation of health and welfare plans

The use of antibiotics in food-producing animals can induce the presence of residual substances in manure, which are then released into the environment and may contribute to soil and groundwater contamination. During the on-farm implementation of strategies to improve animal health and welfare in chicken and pig farms, the consequences of antibiotic use were evaluated in terms of the occurrence and levels of antibiotic residues in manure.A set of 35 broiler farms from Cyprus, Greece, the Netherlands and 40 pig farms from France and Italy provided a total of 350 manure samples. The primary objective was to develop a specific LC/MS/MS method capable of quantifying antibiotic residues in both types of manure. The method was able to detect fifteen antibiotics belonging to nine classes, with validated limits of quantification of 10–20 μg/kg, and accuracies ranging from 81% to 138%.With the exception of amoxicillin, which was never detected in any manure, all antibiotics used were detected in manure from treated animals with typical concentrations ranging from 10 to 99198 μg/kg for both chickens and pigs. The occurrence of residual antibiotics was higher in chicken than in pig manure, especially for fluoroquinolones and doxycycline which were detected in 89% and 100% of the chicken manure, respectively, and in 28% of the pig manure. The impact of the health plans on the antibiotic load manure was assessed by measuring for each farm the ratio of the sum of all antibiotic concentrations measured after and before the implementation of the plan. The results showed that, in addition to the frequency of treatments, the class of antibiotic used is an important factor to consider as it strongly influences the stability/instability of the compounds, i.e. their ability to persist in the manure of food-producing animals.

Acoustic Monitoring of Professionally Managed Marine Mammals for Health and Welfare Insights.

Research evaluating marine mammal welfare and opportunities for advancements in the care of species housed in a professional facility have rapidly increased in the past decade. While topics, such as comfortable housing, adequate social opportunities, stimulating enrichment, and a high standard of medical care, have continued to receive attention from managers and scientists, there is a lack of established acoustic consideration for monitoring the welfare of these animals. Marine mammals rely on sound production and reception for navigation and communication. Regulations governing anthropogenic sound production in our oceans have been put in place by many countries around the world, largely based on the results of research with managed and trained animals, due to the potential negative impacts that unrestricted noise can have on marine mammals. However, there has not been an established best practice for the acoustic welfare monitoring of marine mammals in professional care. By monitoring animal hearing and vocal behavior, a more holistic view of animal welfare can be achieved through the early detection of anthropogenic sound sources, the acoustic behavior of the animals, and even the features of the calls. In this review, the practice of monitoring cetacean acoustic welfare through behavioral hearing tests and auditory evoked potentials (AEPs), passive acoustic monitoring, such as the Welfare Acoustic Monitoring System (WAMS), as well as ideas for using advanced technologies for utilizing vocal biomarkers of health are introduced and reviewed as opportunities for integration into marine mammal welfare plans.

Harold B. Lee: Life and Thought

Harold B. Lee: Life and Thought

The Law of the Gospel: Shifting Interpretations of a Temple Covenant throughout Latter-day Saint History

The Law of the Gospel: Shifting Interpretations of a Temple Covenant throughout Latter-day Saint History

Happiness in Parents of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Qualitative Study

<i>Literature reports the challenges of parenting a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and its impacts on emotional and psychosocial wellbeing, both generally and specifically in the Hong Kong context. Positive parenting experiences are less well defined; however, research and theory in the positive psychology field suggests that people living with adversity can find and create meaning, positivity and happiness. This study aimed to investigate Hong Kong parents’ experiences and perceptions of happiness and well-being in raising their children with ASD. Eight parents (2 fathers; 6 mothers) were interviewed in-depth about their parenting-related perceptions and experiences of happiness and well-being. A thematic analysis generated four themes: A Growth Mindset, Connectedness, Self-Care, and A Better Me, each comprising several related sub-themes. Findings indicated that</i><i> </i><i>happiness was crucial for these parents, despite the challenges of raising a child with ASD in Hong Kong, and that they actively sought out activities to enhance their happiness, satisfaction and meaning. Results are in keeping with positive psychology theory, add specific detail relating to this group and could be extended with further research. Findings could also inform policy makers and support services in the development of welfare plans, educational resources and social support for this group of vulnerable families in future. </i>

Free Agency, Hard Work, and the Justification of Economic Inequality in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Free Agency, Hard Work, and the Justification of Economic Inequality in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

The Role of Reward Satisfaction on Employee’s Turnover Intention: A Study of Banking Sector of Pakistan

Considering the prior research on the importance of financial reward satisfaction, the study highlighted the value of material and psychological rewards in this study. It is hypothesized that these two rewards also have the same effect on employees’ attitudes and behavior. For this purpose, the study collected data from 22 banks in Punjab through a questionnaire from a sample consisting of 336 banking sector employees and applied regression analysis. ANOVA test shows that employees having a salary above 41000 are more satisfied with their financial and material rewards, and this satisfaction with both rewards creates positive behavior in employees, and this positive behavior will cause low turnover intention. Moreover, the turnover intention is significantly higher in those respondents who have Bachelor and Master degrees as compared to Intermediate. It means more educated employees are more conscious about the reward system. So the manager should make reward policies according to the requirement of the employees. Managers can use the results of our study for taking decisions and also regarding employee welfare and human resource planning.

The Sesquicentennial, So What? An Assessment a Quarter Century Afterward

The Sesquicentennial, So What? An Assessment a Quarter Century Afterward

The psychosocial experiences of girls with visual impairment about the ideal spouse and marriage

Mate choice is one of the biggest psychological, social, and emotional changes in the life of every human being. This issue is associated with challenges and problems for people especially blind and visual impairment (VI) people. Although marriage leads to many changes and transformations in the life of blind and VI people, it is essential for meeting psychological, social, emotional, and sexual needs. Accordingly, this study aimed to analyze the psychosocial experiences of VI girls about the ideal husband and marriage. This qualitative study was conducted with a descriptive phenomenological approach. The data were collected through targeted interviews with 20 single girls with VI who were members of the White Cane Society of Tehran in 2021. The collected data were analyzed using Colaizzi’s seven-step method. Four main themes were extracted from the participants’ experiences, including “experience of love and freedom,” “criteria for selecting an ideal spouse,” “fear and worry about the marriage,” and “stigma and strict public judgments.” Following the findings of the study, it can be argued that paying attention to the experience of girls with VI can shed light on their criteria for mate choice and marriage and clarify their needs and demands. This perspective helps mental health professionals and rehabilitation counseling experts to meet their needs through social welfare planning and family awareness programs.

Farm animal welfare: A survey of the opinion of farmers and consumers in Sardinia

Animal welfare in the European Union is strictly regulated and has the highest standards in the field. It is also present in the CAP in both the first and second pillars. In Sardinia, animal welfare has taken on greater importance since it was introduced via the Rural Development Plan (RDP) in 2005. The context in which the animal welfare programme was initiated was that of a rural setting that had never before followed such projects and to which even the word welfare aimed at animals was alien. The welfare plan was geared hygiene in milking and housing, and the fight against foot problems and stress for primiparous ewes during the first week of milking. After 15 years of implementing animal welfare support interventions from public funds, this work aimed to investigate the perception of animal welfare among both beneficiary farmers and citizen-consumers. The data were collected in a linked survey on both farmers and consumers who are involved in the profound social and economic implications for the Island. On the one hand, 98% of breeders consider animal welfare to be important for the health and productivity of their animals, even though 59% also claim to have changed little or nothing in their farm management following the introduction of RDP measures, partially because the animal welfare measures were already being practised. On the other hand, public respondents’ willingness to pay more when it comes to purchase decisions can be considered as interesting evidence of a possible collective understanding which deserves further investigation. The results highlight the fact that animal welfare is undoubtedly a well-known and topical issue which has gained widespread attention and a broad agreement on its relevance and priority. Nonetheless, a shared vision on the meaning of welfare is lacking, even within regional policies that appear to be strongly segmented.

Complementary support in later life: investigating the gender disparities in patterns and determinants among older adults in South-Western Nigeria

Old-age needs are multifaceted and require multiple support sources, yet caregiving roles for older Nigerians are largely shifted to adult children. However, the children also declining capacity to respond. The extent to which older adults access support from other sources remains under-researched. This study investigates the patterns and determinants of access to complementary supports among older adults in South-Western Nigeria, taking Oyo State as the case study. The study is cross-sectional and utilized primary data of 827 older adults aged ≥ 65 years selected using a multi-stage sampling design. Box plot was used to determine the patterns while multiple ordinary least square regression was used to predict the determinants of access to complementary support. Expressed in percentage, the median complementary support score of older adults in Oyo State was 30 (interquartile range [IQR] = 24) with a slightly higher score for men (median = 32, IQR = 24) compared to women (median = 28, IQR = 20). Access to complementary support was lower for the widow(er)s, the lower socioeconomic group and self-dependent older adults across genders, and for urban women with secondary/higher education compared to the otherwise groups. Increased access to complementary support was significantly associated with primary/no education (β = 4.365; p < 0.01 95% C.I. = 1.511–7.218), affiliation to Islamic/Traditional religion (β = 5.100; p < 0.001; 95% C.I. = 3.000–7.200), rich wealth status (β = 3.315; p < 0.05; 95% C.I. = 0.667–5.963) and depending on both self and children/family for income (β = 5.510; p < 0.05; 95% C.I. = 1.710–9.309) with some gender disparities. However, reduced complementary support was associated with ages 80 years or over (β = -3.649; p < 0.05; 95% C.I. = -6.460 – -0.838) and widowhood (β = -6.285; p < 0.001; 95% C.I. = -8.556 – -4.015). The study suggests the need for welfare plans among professional, social, and religious groups, institutionalised social support systems, and community engagement to escalate welfare support for older adults. It also recommends intensified attention on the more vulnerable groups, especially the widows, childless and lower socioeconomic groups.

When economic theory meets policy: Barbara Wootton and the creation of the British welfare state

This article investigates Barbara Wootton’s contributions to the discussion and implementation of a welfare system in Britain. It draws both from her theoretical work and her engagement in the public debate, including her interactions with William Beveridge and his welfare plan for post-war Britain. An assessment of Wootton’s published and unpublished works allows for correlating her views on economic theory and policy with the role of the state. We claim that Wootton’s critique of economic theory and her understanding of reality provided a sound foundation for her policy-making prescriptions, which contributed to a more interventionist perspective of Britain’s welfare state.

Revisiting the green geographies of welfare planning: an introduction

ABSTRACT The history and legacy of green planning of the welfare era have largely been overlooked within research, or critiqued due to its limited urban qualities and poor design. This omission has left its role in the development of the Welfare society largely unexplored. Therefore, this special issue revisits the green geographies of welfare planning, to reveal its importance as a matter of welfare and as a set of geographies that goes beyond the contemporary norm of the compact city. The revisits take two forms: historical studies to elucidate the original ideas and geographies of the planning, and revisits to sites currently challenged by new urban or planning ideals. This introduction presents the papers, reflects on previous research, and concludes with a few comments on the need for further studies on green planning and the landscape legacy of the welfare era.

Relationship Between Work-Life Balance and Quality of Life in Dormitory and Non-Dormitory Students of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences

Background and Aims Work-life balance refers to a person’s ability to effectively manage multiple responsibilities at work. Quality of life (QOL) is a person’s satisfaction with values in which they live. This study aims to investigate the relationship between work-life balance and QOL in dormitory and non-dormitory students Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted on 230 students (dormitory and non-dormitory) of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran, who were selected by a simple random sampling method. They completed the Life Balance Inventory and short form health survey (SF-36) questionnaire. The collected data were analyzed in SPSS v.18 software. Results The work-life imbalance in dormitory students (34.2%) was higher than in non-dormitory students (20.4%). The mean scores of physical health and mental health summary measures in non-dormitory students were higher than in dormitory students. There was a significant correlation between some domains of work-life balance and QOL (P&lt;0.05). Conclusion Work-life balance, physical health, and mental health of non-dormitory students are higher than dormitory students. Given the relationship between work-life balance and QOL, educational and welfare planning should be made in universities to help improve the QOL of students.

Changes In Catastrophic Health Expenditures For Major Diseases After A 2013 Health Insurance Expansion In South Korea

The South Korean National Health Insurance scheme has lacked sufficient coverage scope (services covered) and depth (costs covered) since it achieved national coverage in 1989. The government implemented two separate welfare plans (2004-08 and 2009-12) to improve the financial protection of National Health Insurance by mainly focusing on costs covered. The third plan (initiated in 2013) was the most comprehensive, addressing both scope and depth. We evaluated the impact of this benefit expansion policy for four categories of major disease (cancer, cardiac disease, cerebrovascular disease, and rare diseases) on catastrophic health expenditures, impoverishment, and unmet need. Using 2012-17 Korean Health Panel Survey data, we performed difference-in-differences analyses and triple-difference analyses to examine the differential impact of policy across income groups. The policy reduced catastrophic health expenditures among beneficiary households across almost all postpolicy years. However, there was no average effect on reducing household impoverishment or unmet need. The policy had mixed effects by income but did not generally favor low-income households. To provide stronger financial protection, the policy must address issues beyond expanding coverage, such as provider payment structure. In addition, special policy measures for low-income households need to be adopted.

Business and Religion: The Intersection of Faith and Finance

Business and Religion: The Intersection of Faith and Finance