Wider Socio-economic Context Research Articles

Teacher, Professional or Both? A Mixed Method Study of the Professional Identity of Vocational Teachers and Trainers in Hungary

Purpose: Vocational educators in many countries enter teaching as a second career and authentic occupational expertise is seen as essential to good quality VET. The changing contexts of VET and the growing diversity of its learning populations also demand the development of teaching expertise. This dual professionalism is related to a unique combination of an occupational and a teacher identity, however, prior, and mainly qualitative research from a limited number of VET contexts suggests that often one side of this duality prevails. Our study aimed to explore the professional identity of vocational educators in Hungary and to identify some of the factors that might influence its formation. Methods: We applied a mixed method design, conducting a teacher survey (N=138) and semi-structured interviews (N=12). The quantitative and qualitative strands followed a parallel design, exploring the same topics but identity views and the organisational context were studied more deeply in the interviews. In the survey, we measured professional identity through a direct question about its type as well as questions about the importance of specific goals and teacher competence areas in vocational teaching. We used statistical and thematic analyses to study our quantitative and qualitative data. Results: Most vocational educators in our study identified as both a teacher and a professional, though the type of identity varied by gender and length of occupational work experience. Perceptions about the main goals in teaching revealed vocation/outcome-focused and student/education-focused goal orientations influenced by gender, qualifications and work experience, while our qualitative data also showed the impact of school culture and the wider socio-economic context. The goal orientations identified in the survey were more balanced for those with a dual identity, and they correlated with perceptions about the importance of different teacher competence areas, which were most influenced by whether or not the educator had obtained a pedagogical qualification. Conclusion: Our findings showed that although most vocational educators also in Hungary claim to have a dual identity, they often prioritise the development of occupational expertise as they believe it is what gives them credibility that is seen as essential to "good VET". Considering the significant impact we have found of teacher education and continued work in the occupation on identity views, it seems of utmost importance that policy and schools recognise and support the development of both occupational and teacher expertise, to ensure a balanced dual identity that seems best suited for vocational teaching.

An Anthropology of Exploitation Techniques in the London Real Estate and Labor Market

AbstractThis study explores the life-mode of Hungarian migrants in their destination country, England, particularly London in the last decade, focusing on their housing conditions and working experiences. Relying on her participant observations and interviews, the author formulates a picture through the eyes of Hungarian migrant laborers regarding how both the real estate and labor market exploits them (micro level). She explains the motives of the main economic actors (entrepreneurs, real estate and employment agencies, employers) leading to exploitations (meso level) in addition to discussing how all of these fit into the wider socio-economic context (macro level).

Anti-austerity riots in late developing states: Evidence from the 1977 Egyptian Bread Intifada

In late developing states, labor markets are often segmented as a result of import substitution and political coalitions centered on the formally employed. Building on insider–outsider and moral economy frameworks from political economy, we theorize that in such contexts labor market insiders develop strong expectations about welfare provision and public transfers that make them more likely to riot against proposed austerity measures. We test our argument with the case of Egypt during the 1977 Bread Intifada, when the announcement of subsidy cuts sparked rioting across the country. To conduct our analysis, we match an original event catalog compiled from Arabic-language sources with disaggregated employment data. Spatial models, rich micro-level data, and the sudden and short-lived nature of the rioting help us to disentangle the importance of an area’s labor force from its location and wider socio-economic context. As we show, despite the diffuse impact of the subsidy cuts, rioting was especially concentrated in areas with labor market insiders – and this is after accounting for a range of plausible alternative explanations. The results suggest that moral economies arising from labor market segmentation can powerfully structure violent opposition to austerity.

Health and wellbeing in urban South Africa: an overview

ABSTRACT The health and wellbeing of residents in South Africa’s towns and cities are currently threatened by the burden of disease, high incidences of crime/violence, and increasing economic, social, and environmental inequality. The impact of past and present spatial exclusion has exacerbated high levels of poverty and ill health, and the rapid rise in urbanization has put further pressure on already strained urban systems. While significant progress has been made, poor levels of service delivery, neglected infrastructure, and a lack of social amenities continue to pose a challenge. A further concern has been the prioritization in policy and literature on the ‘hard’ traditional elements of health over ‘softer’ dimensions (wellbeing aspects). The field of medical geography in South Africa has also remained relatively peripheral, with most geographical and human settlement research on health being driven by public-health scholars. This special issue brings together the voices of researchers working on health and wellbeing in South Africa’s urban spaces to address these and other concerns. Several key findings have emerged including the need for governance models that focus on overall wellbeing, the importance of interdisciplinary approaches, the role that wider socio-economic context and history play, and the importance of access to open space.

General health status of youth with autism with and without intellectual disabilities transitioning from special education, and its relationship to personal and family circumstances: longitudinal cohort study

Objective: Transition from school to early adulthood incurs many changes and may be associated with deterioration in general health in youth with autism. We aimed to investigate this. Method: The National Longitudinal Transitions Study-2 is a USA nationally representative sample of youth receiving special education services, aged 13–17 at wave 1, followed-up over 10 years in five data collection waves. We conducted random-effects ordered logistic regressions to determine the odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals of wave, age, sex, ethnicity/race, additional intellectual disabilities, parental/guardian relationship status, and household income being associated with general health status in youth with autism. Results: Across waves, only between 74.3%–69.6% had excellent/very good health (71.7%–58.8% in those with co-occurring intellectual disabilities), but wave was not associated with health status. Associations were with age OR = 1.18 (1.04, 1.33), co-occurring intellectual disabilities OR = 1.56 (1.00, 2.44), and household income OR = 0.61 (0.40, 0.94) at $30,001–$50,000, OR = 0.44 (0.27, 0.72) at $50,001–$70,000, and OR = 0.34 (0.20, 0.56) at $70,001+. Sex, ethnicity/race, and parental/guardian relationship status were not associated with health status. Conclusion: There was little change in general health status longitudinally across the transitional period, but the proportion with excellent/very good health was low at each wave. Transitional planning should consider co-occurring intellectual disabilities, and the wider socioeconomic context in which children/youth with autism are raised. Lack of other longitudinal studies indicates a need for replication.

An Investigation of Entrepreneurial Motivation: Boutique Hotels in Northern Thailand

Purpose – entrepreneurship scholars have argued extensively that the phenomenon of entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial motivation cannot be studied in isolation from their broader socioeconomic environment. This study addresses this gap by examining the entrepreneurial motivation of hotel entrepreneurs in Northern Thailand. The study also investigates how various mediating factors and motivations to start a business shape tourism entrepreneurs' behaviour in relation to growth strategies. Design/ Methodology/ Approach – qualitative research was conducted in Northern Thailand 2012 and the follow-up study in 2019. Purposive and snowball sampling strategies were used. The primary data collection method was semi-structured interviews. Findings – the study identifies the coexistence of both lifestyle and growth-oriented entrepreneurs. The results show that the entrepreneurial decision to enter the hotel industry was not solely determined by the entrepreneur's own actions, but significantly by the family. The role of family in business creation is directive and not facilitative. Business growth was a desirable strategy for both lifestyle and growth-oriented entrepreneurs. Originality of the research – study shows that entrepreneurial motivation cannot be properly understood if it is studied in isolation from the wider socio-economic context. Moreover, it challenges the prevailing classification of tourism entrepreneurs into lifestyle-oriented and growthoriented.

Association of social determinants on well-being of rural construction workers of Central India: A cross-sectional study

Background: Social determinants of the health (SDH) arise from the social and economic condition in which they are living and their interaction produces direct impact on the health. Wider socioeconomic context, social exclusion, poverty, etc. are considered as the SDH. Objectives: This study was conducted to assess sociodemographic profile, job characteristics, and the association of the social determinants on the well-being of rural construction workers. Materials and Methods: It was cross-sectional study carried out among the rural construction workers employed at one of the medical institutes in Central India. Results: About more than half of the study participants belonged to the lower class of socioeconomic status by Modified B. G. Prasad classification 2017. Sixty-three percent participants were laborers, followed by 32% in assistance services. Musculoskeletal pain was the most common self-reported health issue, whereas near about 3/4th of study participants were found to have low or no risk on Kesseler's Distress Scale. The association between education and socioeconomic condition with well-being of rural construction workers was not found to be statistically significant. While, the association between Kesseler's Distress Scale and the presence of addiction was found to be statistically significant. Conclusion: Maximum study participants belonged to lower socioeconomic class, and musculoskeletal pain was the most common self-reported illness. The association between well-being and Kesseler's Distress Score and addiction was found to be statistically significant.

Funding resilient and fragile social housing systems in Ireland and Denmark

This article explores the impact of social housing financing arrangements for the fragility and resilience of this tenure as evidenced by its propensity to shrink or expand over the long-run. To do so, it examines the cases of Ireland and Denmark and employs and develops the concept of ‘financial circuits’. This concept refers to dynamic flows of capital and revenue which move through the built environment in ways which are structured by the different funding streams which make them up, and by their interaction with the wider socio-economic context. The key insight offered here is that the cyclicality, permeability and breadth of financial circuits are key to understanding finance’s impact on the size and trajectory of the social housing tenure. The Danish social housing sector has doubled in size since the 1960s partially because it draws on broad financial circuits which consist of many different types of finance, including government, non-profit and financialised private sources. This insulates the sector from reductions in funding from any single source and avoids the boom/bust investment cycles common in Ireland where the sector relies almost entirely on government grants for funding.

Impoverished economics? A critical assessment of the new gold standard

Abstract This article situates the 2019 Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel in the history of thought on development, tracing how the focus, theory and methods have shifted in the field. The article evaluates theoretical and methodological critiques of the way randomized control trials (RCTs) are employed by the laureates, as well as attempts to overcome these challenges. In terms of theory, the article demonstrates what gets lost when experiments are guided by methodological individualism and assumptions of individual utility-maximizing behavior. In terms of methodology, the article unpacks the limits of RCTs related to their causal model, and their lack of attention to human agency and wider socio-economic context. Finally, the article discusses the experimental approach’s relevance for research and policy-making and cautions against any approach becoming a “gold standard,” due to the importance of pluralism for maintaining an open debate about development.

THE ROLE OF URBAN DESIGN IN TOKYO’S SHRINKING PERIPHERAL AREAS: THE CASE OF TAMA NEW TOWN

The aging of Japanese society will inevitably restructure Tokyo’s spatial organization in the coming decades. Population loss will manifest itself unevenly, being most dramatic in peripheral areas—where ca. 87% of Greater Tokyo Area’s population lives—triggering a gradual spatial restructuring. Several scholars have tackled this issue from a geographical and planning perspective. From an architect’s viewpoint, such researches build a theoretical foundation upon which a more concrete investigation should be done, since the question of how liveability at the architectural and urban design scale could be tackled remains an open one. This paper focuses on one representative case study: Tama New Town, some 30km west of Tokyo Station. The emphasis is on four liveability factors relating to urban morphology, embedded in a wider socio-economic context: density/compactness, diversity of uses, walkability and green/water space. The significance of the research is threefold. On a theoretical level, we have assessed how urban design physical factors impact liveability in Tokyo’s peripheral areas. On a methodological level, we have tested workable methods that can be used by architects and urban designers to analyze neighborhood liveability in both quantitative and qualitative terms. On a practical level, we have provided new data and information about Tama New Town for the use of local municipalities and groups, suggesting strategies to address existing problems and highlighting potentials to be exploited.

Rural livelihoods, large-scale mining and agrarian change in Mapela, Limpopo, South Africa

This paper forms part of the growing body of scholarly research that seeks to understand the impacts of extractive activities on local and indigenous communities. The paper examines the socio-economic impacts of large-scale mining activity on rural livelihoods in four villages (Armoede, Ga-Chaba Ga-Molekana and Skeming) in the Mapela traditional authority area where Anglo Platinum’s Mogalakwena mine is operating. Of these four villages, only Armoede residents were relocated while the other three villages remain within the proximity of the mine. As a result of co-habitation and proximity to production, the three villages also highlight another important dimension of mining-induced displacement and resettlement whereby mining activities encroach on the livelihoods of surrounding villages. Rural households in the Mapela area have traditionally relied on both agricultural and non-agricultural sources of income, often straddling urban and rural locales, in highly diversified livelihood systems for both survival and accumulation purposes. The establishment of large-scale mining investments in peripheral localities may be seen as constituting part of the mediating processes between the households and the wider socio-economic context which may enhance or diminish their livelihood assets or endowments. Findings from this research reveal that mining-related land dispossessions have had adverse impacts on land-based and agrarian livelihood activities namely, homestead garden cultivation, ploughing in large fields and livestock rearing. This happens within the context of limited non-farm livelihood opportunities, especially wage employment, both locally and in the wider economy. In this sense, large-scale mining investment disrupts the local livelihood system, intensifying the crisis of social reproduction amongst local rural households and limiting their ability to accumulate, especially from agriculture. This raises critical questions about the role and place of agricultural forms of livelihood in the contemporary capitalist world where the historical role of industrial growth as a means of eradicating poverty has also become highly uncertain.

The cost of cooking a meal. The case of Nyeri County, Kenya

Energy for cooking is considered essential in achieving modern energy access. Despite this, almost three billion people worldwide still use solid fuels to meet their cooking needs. To better support practitioners and policy-makers, this paper presents a new model for comparing cooking solutions and its key output metric: the ‘levelized cost of cooking a meal’ (LCCM). The model is applied to compare several cooking solutions in the case study area of Nyeri County in Kenya. The cooking access targets are connected to the International Workshop Agreement and Global Tracking Framework’s tiers of cooking energy access. Results show how an increased energy access with improved firewood and charcoal cookstoves could reduce both household’s LCCMs and the total costs compared to traditional firewood cooking over the modelling period. On the other hand, switching to cleaner cooking solutions, such as LPG- and electricity, would result in higher costs for the end-user highlighting that this transition is not straightforward. The paper also contextualizes the results into the wider socio-economic context. It finds that a tradeoff is present between minimizing costs for households and meeting household priorities, thus maximizing the potential benefits of clean cooking without dismissing the use of biomass altogether.

Can we halt health workforce deterioration in failed states? Insights from Guinea-Bissau on the nature, persistence and evolution of its HRH crisis

BackgroundGuinea-Bissau is one of the world’s poorest and least developed countries. Amid poverty, political turmoil and state withdrawal, its health workforce (HW) has been swamped for the last four decades in a deepening crisis of under-resourcing, poor performance and laissez-faire.MethodsThe present study aimed at analysing the human resources for health (HRH) situation in Guinea-Bissau in light of the recent literature on distressed health systems, with the objective of contributing to understanding the ways health workers react to protracted turmoil, the resulting distortions and the counter-measures that might be considered. Through document analysis, focus group discussions, 14 semi-structured and 5 in-depth interviews, we explored patterns as they became visible on the ground.ResultsSince independence, Guinea-Bissau experienced political events that have reflected on the healthcare arena and on the evolution of its health workforce, such as different coup attempts, waves of diaspora and shifting external assistance. The chronic scarcity of funds and a ‘stable political instability’ have lead to the commercialisation of public health services and to flawed mechanisms for training and deploying health personnel. In absence of any form of governance, health workers have come to own and run the health system. We show that the HRH crisis in Guinea-Bissau can only be understood by looking at its historical evolution and at the wider socio-economic context. There are no quick fixes for the deterioration of HRH in undergoverned states; however, the recognition of the ingrained distortions and an understanding of the forces determining the behaviour of key actors are essential premises for the identification of solutions.ConclusionsGuinea-Bissau’s case study suggests that any policy that does not factor in the limited clout of health authorities over a effectively privatised healthcare arena is doomed from the start. Improving health system governance and quality of training should take precedence over expanding HRH. A bloated and ineffective workforce must be managed through incentives rather than administrative orders, in order to improve skills and productivity against higher remuneration and better working conditions. Donor support might be crucial to trigger positive changes, through realistic and sustained investments.

Chavdar Tzochev. The Athenian Agora Volume XXXVII. Amphora Stamps from Thasos.

Chavdar Tzochev’s Amphora Stamps from Thasos is an excellent addition to the Athenian Agora Series and an exhaustive study of an important material category, so abundantly attested at the Agora. T’s book not only consists of a detailed discussion of the typology and chronology of Thasian amphora stamps but also is an attempt to interpret the distribution of the stamps within a wider socio-economic context. Clearly laid out and expertly presented, the book equally serves as an excellent introduction to amphora stamps from Thasos more generally. The book as such is not only of interest to the amphora stamp specialist but would also appeal to a more general audience interested in the wider socio-economic importance of Thasian amphorae and the practices associated with stamping. T., therefore, succeeds marvellously in presenting and discussing a highly specialist data-set in such a way as to be of interest to specialists and more general readers alike.

Men and health promotion in the United Kingdom: 20 years further forward?

Despite overall improvements in life expectancy, rates of premature male mortality, particularly for men in areas of socioeconomic deprivation, remain an important issue of concern in the United Kingdom. Interventions to engage men and promote their health and wellbeing have developed, albeit sporadically, over recent decades in response to this health inequity. This paper provides a 10-year update on the state of men’s health promotion in the United Kingdom. It begins by highlighting changes in male life expectancy and possible explanations for these shifts, including a relative failure to address mental health promotion and male suicide, before providing detail about how practice approaches to men’s health promotion have evolved over the period 2005–2016. Such changes are not removed from the wider socioeconomic context. This paper therefore, then, considers movements in the policy context and possible influences of this before exploring the challenges that remain for men’s health promotion. We suggest that despite certain improvements in the practice of men’s health promotion and in men’s health outcomes, issues remain in terms of premature mortality, particularly for certain groups of men. We further suggest that many of the difficulties in improving and promoting the health of men further lie with a market-driven neoliberal policy context that engenders inequality through the inequitable distribution of and access to material resources and through individualistic approaches to health promotion that serve men from economically and socially disadvantaged locations least well.

Maja Miše. Gnathia and Related Hellenistic Ware on the East Adriatic Coast

Maja Miše’s book Gnahia and Related Ware on the East Adriatic Coast is a timely addition to the field of Hellenistic pottery studies and an excellent overview of the regional occurrence of this well-known ware. M. presents in her book a thorough examination of the occurrence of Gnathia pottery in the East Adriatic and particularly focusses on defining the local Issaean production of this ware. The occurrence of Gnathia pottery in the East Adriatic is contrasted by M. with the production of the Ware in Southern Italy (the Ware’s area of inception), for which she devises a typological and developmental framework, sheds new light not only on the development of Gnathia pottery in Southern Italy but also across the Adriatic. M’s book is therefore an excellent overview of Gnathia pottery, its origin and development, distribution in southern Italy and in the Adriatic and attempts to view the occurrence of this important ware within a wider socio-economic context.

Constraining the time of construction of the irrigation system of Tell Hujayrat al-Ghuzlan near Aqaba, Jordan, using high-resolution optically stimulated luminescence (HR-OSL) dating

Tell Hujayrat al-Ghuzlan, situated at the northern periphery of modern Aqaba in southern Jordan, is one of the most important sites in Levantine archeology spanning the transitional period from late Chalcolithic to Early Bronze Age times. Numerous stone structures spread out in the surrounding area of the prehistoric settlement were interpreted as the remains of a complex hydro-technical system constructed for water supply of the settlement, agriculture, and craft production. Although construction of the water management system in prehistoric times seems likely, this hypothesis could not be proofed, as archeological evidence is missing and direct dating of the structures is not possible with established dating techniques. But the chronological placement of the irrigation system is essential to evaluate the settlement site appropriately within a wider socioeconomic context. Therefore, here, a feasibility study was carried out to test whether it is possible to date the last exposure of the stone surfaces of the irrigation system to daylight, as expected to occur during construction or repair works. For age determination, the high-resolution optically stimulated luminescence (HR-OSL) dating technique was applied. Five samples were dated, three of them from different hydro-technical components. The HR-OSL ages represent likely man-made as well as non-intentional or natural events. In summary, the results indicate that the water management system was in use in Early Bronze Age times, thus providing a minimum age for the time of construction.

Doping and anti-doping: the excesses of enterprise and the tyranny of transparency

Building on Foucault’s theory of the ‘enterprise society’, this article situates the use of performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) in sport in the wider socio-economic context, where generalised competition has become a strategic game of innovation and enterprise. Professional and elite sport is shaped through innovation as athletes and teams look for ways to gain a competitive edge over rivals, while the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) resorts to intrusive controls in the name of ‘playing true’ and protecting the ‘spirit of sport’. The central argument is that the problem of drugs in sport is framed as though it amounts to exceptional and excessive – thus governable – behaviour, but this overlooks the extent to which the enterprise society is itself a game of excess. Moreover, examined as a contest between competition and control, the sporting arena provides evidence of how the game of excess intensifies, and also how this institutes a tyrannical mode of governance.

Why do costs act as a barrier in maternity care for some, but not all women? A qualitative study in rural Nepal

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyse cost as a barrier to the uptake of antenatal care (ANC) in rural Nepal amidst a variety of barriers and facilitators. Design/methodology/approach – A qualitative study with face-to-face interviews were conducted with 50 ANC users and non-users participants. The setting is rural Nepal, some 20 kilometres outside the capital Kathmandu. Interviews were audiotaped, transcribed and translated into English and results were presented thematically. Findings – Cost was sometimes a barrier to seeking ANC for poor rural women. It included transport costs, opportunity costs of not being able to work in the household and service-related costs (such as blood or urine tests). The effect of cost as a barrier varied between women of different socio-economic status. Cost was a barrier to accessing ANC partly due to the women's lack of control over household resources. Social implications – It is important to consider cost in the wider socio-economic context of rural people's lives as financial costs alone do not explain the level of uptake of ANC. Originality/value – This study provides an original insight of women's experiences on financial issues relating to the use of ANC services in Nepal. Another important aspect of this study was approached with the multiple respondents (i.e. women, their husbands and their mothers-in-law) regarding the use of ANC and financial impact in the use of services. The findings of this study have important implications in health policy formation by providing clear picture of women's financial situation in access to ANC.

Circular economy in China – the environmental dimension of the harmonious society

This paper discusses China’s policy of developing an ecologically based circular economy (CE). In this paper, CE is understood as the environmental dimension of the wider vision of China as a ‘harmonious society’, formulated by the 16th Party Congress in 2002 in response to the social and environmental problems following in the wake of the unfettered economic growth policy of China after Mao Zedong’s death in 1976. The 18th Party Congress of CCP in 2012 further strengthened the official resolve to develop China as an ‘ecological civilization’ characterized by harmony between man and nature under the epitome ‘Beautiful China’. The paper discusses CE in this wider context. It is based on a review of literature on CE available in English. The aim is to present a more comprehensive understanding and critique of the Chinese version of CE as part of a wider policy for socioeconomic transformation and development of an ecologically based society, than has so far been done. The paper concludes by discussing bottlenecks and challenges confronting the implementation of CE in this wider socioeconomic context. The main problems are claimed to be the challenge of implementing CE as a top-down social engineering process and the lack of civil society involvement.