Widespread Social Changes Research Articles

Control of Atherosclerotic Risk Factors During the COVID-19 Pandemic in the U.S.

Public health response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic led to widespread social and economic changes and disruption of healthcare delivery. During the pandemic, there was a reduction in primary care visits with a higher proportion of telemedicine encounters.1 Telemedicine visits were associated with lower new medication prescriptions and less frequent assessments of blood pressure (BP) and cholesterol levels.2,3

Realism and Power in Mark Twain's

Realism and Power in Mark Twain's

Does Livelihood and Asset Diversification Contribute to Pastoralist Resilience?: the Case of Il Chamus, Baringo County, Kenya, 1980-2018

Abstract In studies of pastoralism, the concept of resilience has normally been applied to the analyses of post-shock recoveries ('bounce backs') within an ecological framework and and limited time and spatial perspectives. When temporal and spatial parameters are relaxed to span multiple decades and geographies with widespread social changes and numerous shocks and recovery periods, understanding what resilience for pastoralists should look like is exceedingly complex and challenging. This article examines livelihood and asset diversification among Il Chamus of Baringo County, Kenya over a 35+ year period (1980-2018) in the context of significant changes. It suggests that 'successful resilience' among pastoralists involves much more than the continuity of a pastoralist livelihood in a particular place. By addressing diversification trends among households both in towns and rural spaces, the study shows that both better-off and poor households pursue non-pastoral strategies and assets, and that livestock remains an important real and symbolic form of capital even for those who work in towns. Finally, the article concludes that studies of pastoralist resilience should consider long-term continuities and changes associated with market expansion and the strengthening of rural-town linkages, in order to understand how pastoral livelihoods evolve not just in response to short-term shocks but also to challenges and opportunities that wider socio-economic changes present.

Everyday Authoritarianism in North Korea

This article examines the political consequences of widespread social changes in North Korea to illuminate how, if at all, shifts in everyday life influence the power of an autocratic government. Our study is based on 23 interviews with North Korean defectors in 2017 and supplemented by interviews conducted in previous years. The main finding is that social practices associated with marketisation, flows of information, and increased corruption have not yet provided the foundation for collective challenges to the regime. It is, however, also clear that official norms, rules, and institutions have been significantly weakened to adapt to new social realities.

COVID-19 pandemic: insights into human behaviour

COVID-19 has placed an overwhelming burden on health care systems and authorities. In the absence of a vaccine or definitive treatment, widespread social and behavioral changes are critical in mitigating the impact. These are highly influenced by risk perception by the public, protective and preparedness behaviors, and effective communication. Here we have highlighted some of the commonly seen human behaviors during a pandemic crisis.

Exploring the link between personality traits and European attitudes towards refugees

Attitudes towards refugees are formed via complex interactions between socioeconomic factors, perceptions of cultural threat and personality traits. Yet despite the widespread social changes the European refugee situation has generated throughout the continent, no previous literature has adequately examined these interactions in that context. This study addressed that gap by testing the relationship between personality traits and European attitudes towards refugees in the context of the European refugee crisis by conducting an ordinal regression analysis of data obtained from online surveys that we distributed in four European countries (N = 6,000).Questions were aligned with descriptors used in the Five Factor model of personality traits and a proxy of the Honesty-Humility trait used in the HEXACO model. Our results indicate that Openness to Experience, Agreeableness, and Honesty-Humility are negatively associated with refugee prejudice. Findings about Neuroticism, Extraversion, and Conscientiousness are mixed. Moreover, our results revealed that intercultural contact has a positive impact on attitudes towards refugees and that the valence of this contact plays a more significant role than the frequency of contact. Given that attitudes towards refugees have been found to correlate with asylum policy preferences, these discoveries are of considerable value to people working in asylum policy settings, as they provide them with a more nuanced understanding of the factors influencing election results; especially during a period where refugee resettlement is a salient issue.

Examining High-Risk Behaviors and Behavioral Disorders in Adolescents with Addicted and Non-Addicted Fathers in Public School of Zabol in the Academic Year 2016–2017

Adolescence is considered an important period for the prevalence of risky behaviors due to adolescents’ self-centeredness and wrong understanding of their own behaviors. This period is followed by widespread physical, psychological, and social changes. The present study aims to examine high-risk behaviors and behavioral disorders in adolescents with addicted and non-addicted fathers at public school of Zabol in the academic year 2016–2017. The present study is a descriptive research that falls within the category of scientific comparative research. Iranian Adolescents Risk-taking Scale, Rutter Behavioral Disorder Questionnaire, and a demographic questionnaire were used for data collection purposes. The statistical data were analyzed using SPSS Version18. A total of 310 students were placed in two 155-participant groups, namely the case and control groups. The mean value of participants’ age equaled 15.48 years. The highest and lowest rates of risky behaviors pertained to smoking and sexual relations. The results of independent t-test indicated no significant difference between the two groups in terms of drug abuse, violence, and risky driving (P<0.005). The findings of this study suggest the need for the development of prevention programs and treatment interventions in children with addicted fathers. Hence, it is suggested that prevention programs be developed and implemented in order to prevent the incidence of behavioral disorders and highrisk behaviors.

International Perspectives on the Micropolitics of the Superintendency

The rise of globalization compelled national governments to examine how they would adapt widespread social, economic, and political changes to advance their nation’s future wellbeing. Most recognized the pivotal role of education in facilitating adaptation to changes unfolding in society and expressed concern about the quality of their education systems and student academic performance. During the last three decades, nations engaged in what is generally regarded as one of the most intense and protracted attempts at educational reform in recent history. National educational reform initiatives initiated in the Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden) and in the United States of America. In many instances, shifts in national education policy altered how school districts were organized, managed, and governed which in turn reconfigured superintendents’ roles. An examination of findings from recent nationwide studies on superintendents suggests that decentralization and devolution of decision-making authority to municipal governments, local schools, and parents may have heightened the importance their micropolitical roles in the provision of education.

Can government policies reverse undesirable declines in fertility?

Since 1989 fertility and family formation have declined sharply in Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. Fertility rates are converging on—and sometimes falling below—rates in Western Europe, most of which are below replacement levels. Concerned about a shrinking and aging population and strains on pension systems, governments are using incentives to encourage people to have more children. These policies seem only modestly effective in countering the impacts of widespread social changes, including new work opportunities for women and stronger incentives to invest in education.

Levels and determinants of psychological distress in eight countries of the former Soviet Union

Although it is well recognised that the collapse of the Soviet Union and the subsequent widespread social and economic changes impacted on the levels and distribution of physical health, there is very limited evidence on the social patterning of mental health in the countries that emerged. The aim of this paper is to assess levels of psychological distress and describe its demographic, social and economic correlates in eight former Soviet countries.Cross‐sectional surveys using multi‐stage random sampling were conducted in Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia and Ukraine. A standardised questionnaire was used for all countries, including the main outcome for this study of psychological distress, which consisted of 12 items on symptoms of psychological distress. Respondents who repor ted 10‐12 of the symptoms were considered to have a high psychological distress score. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was then used to investigate how demographic, social and economic factors were associated with a high psychological distress score.High psychological distress in seven of the eight countries ranges from 3.8% in Kazakhstan to 10% in Ukraine but was substantially higher (21.7%) in Armenia. Factors associated with psychological distress in the multivariate analysis included: being female; increasing age; incomplete secondary education; being disabled; experiencing two or more stressful events in the past year; lack of trust in people; lack of personal suppor t in crisis; being unemployed; and poor household economic situation.The study contributes evidence on the association of impoverishment and social isolation on psychological distress in countries of the former Soviet Union and highlights the impor tance of exploring ways of improving mental health by addressing its social determinants.

Historical dictionary of modern Japanese literature and theater

With the Meiji Restoration in 1868, Japan opened its doors to the West and underwent remarkable changes as it sought to become a modern nation. Accompanying the political changes that Western trade ushered in were widespread social and cultural changes. Newspapers, novels, poems, and plays from the Western world were soon adapted and translated into Japanese. The combination of the rich storytelling tradition of Japan with the realism and modernism of the West produced some of the greatest literature of the modern age. Historical Dictionary of Modern Japanese Literature and Theater presents a broad perspective on the development and history of literature-narrative, poetry, and drama-in modern Japan. This book offers a chronology, introduction, bibliography, and over 400 cross-referenced dictionary entries on authors, literary and historical developments, trends, genres, and concepts that played a central role in the evolution of modern Japanese literature.

The Persons Case: The Origins and Legacy of the Fight for Legal Personhood (review)

Reviewed by: The Persons Case: The Origins and Legacy of the Fight for Legal Personhood Catherine Cavanaugh The Persons Case: The Origins and Legacy of the Fight for Legal Personhood. Robert J. Sharpe and Patricia I. McMahon. Osgoode Society for Canadian Legal History. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2007. Pp. 272, $50.00 cloth, $27.95 paper The broad outline of the Persons Case is familiar to anyone with even a passing knowledge of Canadian women's history. The 1929 decision of [End Page 177] Britain's Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, determined that women were 'persons' and eligible for appointment to the Senate. At issue was section 24 of the British North America Act that allowed the governor general to appoint 'qualified Persons' to the Senate. The reference case, brought by the federal government at the request of five women from Alberta, asked if the word persons included women. At the time the act was passed in 1867, women were excluded from the vote and denied the right to hold public office. A narrow, technical construction that adhered to the framers' original intent would hold that women were not included under section 24 and were therefore ineligible for Senate appointment. This was the view taken by the Canadian Supreme Court in 1928. It was left to Britain's Lord Chancellor, John Sankey, and his fellow law lords to give Canadian constitutional law a broader and more liberal interpretation. Likening the constitution to a 'living tree,' Sankey found that, rather than being stuck in the past, it should reflect contemporary attitudes and values. As Sharpe and McMahon point out in their introduction, 'The Famous Five . . . sought to transform the Senate and ended up changing the fundamental tenets of Canadian constitutional interpretation' (15). Sharpe (a justice of the Ontario Court of Appeal) and McMahon (a practising lawyer) provide a lively account of the key personalities associated with the case while presenting a clear, easy-to-read account of events surrounding the case and the legal arguments advanced by both sides. They also clear up several long-standing misperceptions. For example, the oft-repeated suggestion that Murphy uncovered an obscure provision in the Supreme Court Act that allowed any five interested citizens to petition the court for an interpretation of the constitution is not correct. Also, under the terms of the act it is the government, not an individual, who can request an interpretation from the Supreme Court. Once the government (on the advice of the Department of Justice) determined to allow a reference case, the court decided who should be notified and heard (106). This context is important for understanding Prime Minister Mackenzie King's role in the case. The authors provide compelling evidence to support their conclusion that, rather than championing the women's cause, King acted out of political expediency when his government referred the case rather than seeking a political solution. But, as Sharpe and McMahon point out, reference to the Court did not place the question beyond politics. The authors offer plenty of evidence of the blatant sexism of most of the politicians, policy makers, lawyers, and judges involved in the case without critically assessing the persistence of these attitudes in the [End Page 178] immediate post-suffrage period. Indeed, the achievement of suffrage enlivened the debate over the role of women in Canada's public life and, far from being a spent force, the women's movement continued to press for and win important legal rights during the 1920s. The Great War of 1914–18 had ushered in widespread social changes, and women had gained a foothold in new occupations, including the law. Anglophone editorial opinion generally supported Murphy (francophone Quebec, of course, did not include women in that province's franchise until 1940) and, with one woman already sitting in the Lower Chamber, some saw the persistence of women's exclusion from the Upper Chamber as a curious anomaly. The authors fail to adequately explain why the question of women's access to the Senate, first raised in 1919, took such a long and protracted route to resolution. Why were most Canadian politicians so reluctant to extend full citizenship rights to most women? Did...

Sex, art and sophistication: the meanings of ‘Continental’ cinema

From the late 1930s until the early 1970s, foreign language films were commonly categorised by Australian film exhibitors and distributors as ‘Continental’. Continental films were earmarked for exhibition to audiences described as ‘discerning’ and ‘sophisticated’, epithets which distinguished their more ‘discriminating’ taste from the popular preferences of mainstream cinema audiences. But ‘Continental’ had ambiguous connotations. Foreign language cinemas exploited the association of ‘Continental’ with high culture, for example, by appropriating French icons, but ‘Continental’ could also mean scurrilous and sordid. It was the Continental cinema audience's apparent transcendence of these moral ambiguities, its seemingly effortless appreciation of ‘art’, and its cosmopolitan approval of select aspects of foreign ‘culture’ that demonstrated its sophistication and cultural distinction. In its attitudes towards sex, art and ethnic diversity, the Continental cinema audience anticipated the more widespread social and cultural changes that would transform Australian society in the 1960s and 1970s.

Librarianship in the 21st Century–Crisis or Transformation?

The author argues that the profession of librarianship is in crisis. She seeks to identify the characteristics and analyse the qualities of this phenomenon in order to draw conclusions about future trends and directions for the profession. It is argued that this crisis is an outward sign of a deeper transformation which is taking place and which affects the discipline as a whole including education and practice. The recent evolution of the profession is traced against the background of the broader transition from the modern to the postmodern era. The object is to reveal how the widespread social, cultural and technological changes of the 21st century are impacting on the library, the librarian, the customer or client and the fundamental nature of information itself.

A Spatial and Morphological Analysis of Monastic Sites in the Northern Limestone Massif, Syria

Although the monuments of the Syrian Limestone Massif have long been a focus of study, comparatively little attention has been given to the region's monastic complexes, aside from Qal'at Sim'an. Consequently, monasteries have been largely excluded from discussions of the widespread social and economic changes of Late Antiquity. Yet a recent landscape research project in the northern Limestone Massif has examined the layout and juxtaposition of monastic sites in comparison to settlements and topography. The morphology of sites has been examined and the specific activities undertaken by early monastic communities suggested. It is argued that monastic centres, thus far regarded as marginal in both spatial and social terms, may in fact have played a significant role in the processing and control of agricultural resources in the region.

RECENT CHANGES IN CROP PATTERNS IN THE KILIMANJARO REGION OF TANZANIA: THE DECLINE OF COFFEE AND THE RISE OF MAIZE AND RICE

Peasant households in Tanzania have a variety of income sources. However, establishing a crop in the peasant farming culture requires much investment, and the decline of a crop that is a source of livelihood can cause much misery. Widespread social and economic changes in the peasant society and in the regional society as a whole have led to a decline in coffee crops in Kilimanjaro since the 1970s, despite the fact that coffee is its principal cash crop. This paper explores the decline of coffee and the ascendancy of rice and maize as major crops in the Kilimanjaro region. The driving forces behind these changes in crop culture are considered. The argument is made that wider institutional changes, in addition to internal changes in peasant households, have contributed to the decline of coffee and the rise of maize and rice as the principal crops.

South African Debates on the Basic Income Grant: Wage Labour and the Post-Apartheid Social Policy*

The 2002 report of the Taylor Committee of Inquiry into a Comprehensive Social Security System for South Africa recommended widespread social policy changes. A key suggestion in the report was the phased introduction of a Basic Income Grant (BIG) on a universal, non-means tested basis. In this way, the report addressed widespread demands by labour and civil society organisations for a form of income to be provided independently from individual employment conditions. The BIG concept recognises that existing social security programmes are related to stable waged employment and therefore exclude increasing numbers of long-term unemployed and contingent workers. This article argues that current shifts in the country's policy discourse question earlier social policies, which saw social inclusion as primarily depending on labour market participation. At the same time, however, the extremely cautious approach to the BIG contained in the Taylor report reflects a government approach that continuously praises work ethics and wage labour discipline while stigmatising welfare ‘dependency’.

Librarianship in the 21st century—crisis or transformation?

The author argues that the profession of librarianship is in crisis. She seeks to identify the characteristics and analyse the qualities of this phenomenon in order to draw conclusions about future trends and directions for the profession. It is argued that this crisis is an outward sign of a deeper transformation which is taking place and which affects the discipline as a whole including education and practice. The recent evolution of the profession is traced against the background of the broader transition from the modern to the postmodern era. The object is to reveal how the widespread social, cultural and technological changes of the 21st century are impacting on the library, the librarian, the customer or client and the fundamental nature of information itself.

Developing inclusive school communities: voices of parents of children with disabilities

Inclusive Education as outlined in the Education White Paper 6 is a response to the widespread social, economic and political changes in South Africa, as well as a means of establishing a caring, humane and egalitarian society. The introduction of this policy will, however, require extensive changes in education, as the focus shifts from learners' adjustment to the demands of the system, to the system's capability to accommodate all learners' needs as inclusively as possible. This means that the collaborative effort of every role-player in developing the new system is critical. For the effective implementation of inclusive education, education legislation and policy stress the role and responsibility of parents, viewing them as integral partners in developing a more inclusive system, where decision-making and the responsibility for outcomes are shared. Parent-school partnerships that allow parents to become active collaborators rather than passive observers of their children's education should therefore b...

The Changing Living Arrangements of Children, 1946–2001⋆

Widespread social changes over the last half century have been reflected in changes in family forms. These changes have resulted in increased family diversity which, in turn, is reflected in the more diverse living arrangements experienced by children as they grow up. This paper is the first to provide reliable national estimates of the extent to which the living arrangements of Australian children have changed. Using relationship and fertility histories from the nationally representative Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia household panel survey (HILDA), the analysis describes the changing patterns of living arrangements of 12,441 children between 1946–2001. Its methodology allows the examination of the different living arrangements experienced by children during the first 15 years of life and avoids the static analysis that relies on point-in-time estimates. Furthermore, unlike analysis that relies on official birth and divorce statistics, the present analysis is able to identify family changes experienced by children as a result of parental separation. Thus, it takes into account transitions related to parental cohabitation as well as marriage.