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Bieler particularly identifies the environmental movement and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) - presumably socio-political NGOs - as equally involved in the struggle, especially given 'capitalism's capacity to accumulate in the midst of the most blatant ecological destruction, [...]' (p. 20). As indicated by the nearly 30-page biography, Andreas Bieler's book is not the first to challenge privatization of water in Europe. [Extracted from the article]

The author discusses films "GoodFellas," "The Wolf of Wall Street" and "Casino" by director Martin Scorsese that implies similar narrative and stylistic structure on exploration on masculinity, greed and class aspiration. Topics discussed include attempt of GoodFellas to revalorize masculiity during multicultural 1990s, depiction of diverging forms of masculinity in Casino, and emphasis on social mobility advocating for working class.

South Asia, the home to around one-fourth of the world's total population, and the fastest-growing region of the world, achieved an annual average GDP growth rate of 6.6 percent in 2015-2019. During the same period, it also demonstrated a modest share of gross domestic savings and fixed capital formation to GDP. The region has also experienced a considerable success in improving its level of financial inclusion. Within a span of only six years, the number of adults having an account in a formal financial institution increased to 38 percentage points in 2017, though large heterogeneity across countries exists. Despite these economic and financial developments, around half of the world's multidimensionally poor people live in this region. The region is also relatively less inclusive than those of high-income countries, as it excluded 30 percent of its adult population from the formal financial system in 2017. To accelerate its ongoing economic development and poverty reduction, further improvement of the level of financial inclusion is a particular concern in South Asia. However, we know very little about factors influencing financial inclusion in this region. In this paper, we examine the determinants of financial inclusion in South Asia using the World Bank's Global Findex database for the year 2017. Our probit estimations show that being a male, richer, more educated, and older are associated with higher levels of formal account and formal saving. While age and education affect formal credit in a similar manner, we find no significant association between gender and income level with formal credit. We also investigate how individual characteristics are associated with the barriers to financial inclusion and find that women exclude themselves from financial inclusion because other family member might have an account. Documentation and having accounts by other family members are the main factors of financial exclusion of the younger people, while cost and religious reasons discourage older people from having a bank account. Finally, we compare the determinants of informal financial services with those of formal financial services. Our findings have certain policy implications to include financially excluded people, i.e. poor, less educated, youth, and women, into financial network vis-à-vis promoting financial inclusion in South Asia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a high fertility context, research on the relationship between parental investment, unwanted births and child nutritional outcomes is limited. The implications may be especially relevant for children coming from the most disadvantaged backgrounds and at increased risk of nutritional deprivation. This study assessed the association between maternal investment, unwanted births disaggregated into mistimed and unwanted children, and child nutritional outcomes in a poor population of Serbian Roma. Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys rounds 5 and 6 data for Serbian Roma settlements were used to account for the association between two measures of maternal investment: weight at birth and parity, and mistimed and unwanted children, and children height-for-age z-score (HAZ), weight-for-age z score (WAZ) and weight-for- height z-score (WHZ). The sample included 130 children aged 0-24 months. The child variables were age, gender, and birth order, while maternal independent variables included age, literacy and access to improved toilet facility as proxies for socioeconomic status. Children born with low birth weight (lower maternal investment in utero) face a significant deficit in terms of their nutritional outcomes, measured by HAZ and WAZ. The effect was aggravated for height if the child was unwanted while there was a positive relationship between access to improved toilet facility and WHZ. Unwanted children were of higher birth order, with older, higher parity mothers than mistimed children. Many of the Roma children may be at risk of undernutrition, however, Roma children who received lower maternal investment in utero, unwanted and living in poorest households may face additional risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The families referred to the Anni Bergman Parent Infant Program (ABPIP) Home-Visiting Project often face multiple, overwhelming stressors embedded within the market-oriented system of poverty and exploitation. These stressors compromise the quality of parental care, which in turn negatively impacts the infant's well-being. These financially vulnerable families are usually in an urgent crisis that needs immediate attention. The author describes the innovative model of this outreach program based on psychoanalytic infant observation that encourages interventions on multiple levels simultaneously. Another unique aspect of the program is its reshaping of the analytic frame. Considering the ever-changing nature of the physical settings, the analyst's internal setting becomes a vital, anchoring, and facilitating factor of therapeutic change. Through two detailed case examples, the author shows how these outreach analysts place themselves in between external and internal realities, recognizing the interdependent nature of both, while also maintaining a psychoanalytic attitude and frame that is primarily situated within the analyst. The author also reflects on her own precarious status as an international, temporary visa holder in the US and the ways this external reality entered into the playground of therapy that allowed the author to understand and help a child in a deeper, more personal way based on the dyad's shared preoccupation with the notion of home. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Multimorbidity frequently co-occurs with behavioral health concerns and leads to increased healthcare costs and reduced quality and quantity of life. Unplanned readmissions are a primary driver of high healthcare costs. Objective: We tested the effectiveness of a culturally appropriate care transitions program for Latino adults with multiple cardiometabolic conditions and behavioral health concerns in reducing hospital utilization and improving patient-reported outcomes. Design: Randomized, controlled, single-blind parallel-groups. Participants: Hispanic/Latino adults (N=536; 75% of those screened and eligible; M=62.3 years (SD=13.9); 48% women; 73% born in Mexico) with multiple chronic cardiometabolic conditions and at least one behavioral health concern (e.g., depression symptoms, alcohol misuse) hospitalized at a hospital that serves a large, mostly Hispanic/Latino, low-income population. Interventions: Usual care (UC) involved best-practice discharge processes (e.g., discharge instructions, assistance with appointments). Mi Puente ("My Bridge"; MP) was a culturally appropriate program of UC plus inpatient and telephone encounters with a behavioral health nurse and community mentor team who addressed participants' social, medical, and behavioral health needs. Main Measures: The primary outcome was 30- and 180-day readmissions (inpatient, emergency, and observation visits). Patient-reported outcomes (quality of life, patient activation) and healthcare use were also examined. Key Results: In intention-to-treat models, the MP group evidenced a higher rate of recurrent hospitalization (15.9%) versus UC (9.4%) (OR=1.91 (95% CI 1.09, 3.33)), and a greater number of recurrent hospitalizations (M=0.20 (SD=0.49) MP versus 0.12 (SD=0.45) UC; P=0.02) at 30 days. Similar trends were observed at 180 days. Both groups showed improved patient-reported outcomes, with no advantage in the Mi Puente group. Results were similar in per protocol analyses. Conclusions: In this at-risk population, the MP group experienced increased hospital utilization and did not demonstrate an advantage in improved patient-reported outcomes, relative to UC. Possible reasons for these unexpected findings are discussed. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02723019. Registered on 30 March 2016. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article describes a learning series for high school students on exploring the life and poetry of activist and educator Sonia Sanchez, one of the architects of the Black Arts Movement.

This article examines the ways in which the urban poor in Argentina help one another in the arduous task of making ends meet when neither the formal labor market nor state welfare policies are able to secure their subsistence. Drawing on long-term ethnographic fieldwork, the article makes one substantive, one analytic, and one theoretical claim. Substantively, the article argues by way of empirical illustration that the urban poor are hardworking bricoleurs. Analytically, the article demonstrates the advantages of studying poor people's strategies in a simultaneously historic and ethnographic fashion through joint collaborative fieldwork. Theoretically, the article pushes toward replacing the notions of 'strategy of survival or subsistence' with the more encompassing notion of 'strategy of persistence'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A study was conducted during November–February of 2021–2022 and 2022–2023 at ICAR RC for NEH Region, Sikkim Centre, Gangtok, Sikkim, India for biochemical characterization, mineral and phytochemical contents of different buckwheat germplasm following standard analysis protocol. The results revealed that accession along with the variety were found to be superior for the desirable nutritional quality parameters in comparison with local variety Titey. The protein content was highest in Titey (11.2%) followed by Shimla B-1 (11.1%) and lowest in IC49671 and IC108510 (10.4%). Significant variation was estimated for tryptophan content for various genotypes ranges from 66.3 to 76.9 mg g-1 N. The crude fibre content showed the range of variation from 3.71 to 4.78% in dry mature grains of tartary buckwheat %. Maximum nitrogen free content was recorded in IC108518 (76.97%) followed by IC202268 (75.37%) and lowest was found in IC36805 (71.41%). Maximum Fe content was found in genotype IC108518 (3.50) followed by IC109549 (3.49) and lowest was recorded in genotype IC49671 (2.50 mg 100 g-1). Similarly, total phenol content ranged from 378.41 to 652.71 mg GAE 100 g-1 with an average content of 518.68 mg GAE 100 g-1. Therefore, development and utilization of such functional foods will not only improve the nutritional status of the poor people but also helps those suffering from degenerative diseases. Wide variations among genotypes for quality attributes have shown ample potential to be exploited for further improvement of desirable quality attributes and other properties. This is the first-time study for biochemical and phytochemical analysis of buckwheat in Sikkim condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rag picker, is a term for someone who makes a living by rummaging through refuse in the streets to collect material for salvage. Scraps of cloth and paper could be turned into cardboard, broken glass could be melted down and reused, and even dead cats and dogs could be skinned to make clothes. In India alone, there are approximately 4 million women in this profession. However, this huge number in no way implies that it is a comfortable profession in any way. Some common problems faced by the rag pickers are, Poor and marginalized, Unhealthy environment, Poor living condition and Victims of abuse. The main purpose of this paper is to find out the extent of population engaged in rag picking world wide and the nature of social, health problems they face. The paper also reflects on the interventions tried out to uplift the rag pickers in different parts of the world. This study aims to hold out a systematic scientific review of national and international literature reporting different skill and vocational training programmes and elucidate their effectiveness in improving the job opportunities and living conditions of various marginalized, vulnerable and underprivileged people group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rafael Cardoso's book, "Modernity in Black and White: Art and Image, Race and Identity in Brazil, 1890–1945," challenges the dominant narrative of Brazilian modernism centered around the 1922 Semana de Arte Moderna in São Paulo. The book explores the earlier expressions of modernity in Rio de Janeiro that have been overshadowed. It examines the role of artists, writers, and intellectuals in shaping Brazilian modernism, highlighting the contributions of Afro-descendant artists and the influence of international artistic movements. While there are disagreements with Cardoso's portrayal of the Paulista modernists, the book is still considered significant and influential in Brazilian cultural studies. [Extracted from the article]

The focus of the United Nations 'Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)' initiative since 2015 has been "Eradicating extreme poverty for all people everywhere by 2030," if not wholly, then at least reduce it to an ambitious 3% of the world's population. These concerns have been a reality in Africa, home to 34 of the world's 48 poorest countries, and about two-thirds of the world's developing countries are in Africa. Furthermore, of the 32 countries in the world with the lowest levels of human development, 24 are in Africa. Even in other continents, where poverty levels have declined dramatically over the past four decades, Africa's population of poor people has increased. Therefore, if poverty is to be reduced to 3% globally, Africa would be at the forefront of this movement. This paper seeks to contribute to this ongoing discourse through the description of the nature of African poverty, the comparison of African perceptions of poverty in the past as they relate to the present, the consideration of factors militating against African growth, and the presentation of a Biblical framework for developing a new Africa. Through the historical-critical method, the paper revealed that African history demands that a new generation of African leaders detach themselves from the failed cultures and policies of the past and engage in the global struggle to eradicate poverty. Only when Africa becomes a model for prosperity and dignity can it be acknowledged that a new Africa has emerged to take her place at the forefront of global progress and development. Finally, the paper recommends that Africa accept, recognise and identify her challenges and seek solutions from within; leadership development has to be prioritised; trustworthy, visionary, and God-fearing leaders be given opportunities; the need for electoral processes to be open and accommodating for everyone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Corruption, a universal concept with deep historical roots, permeates societies and has varying implications on the economies. This study reviews the existing literature on corruption, with a particular focus on how corruption shapes income inequality, using an analogy of sand-versus grease-the-wheels hypotheses to explore the positive and negative aspects of corruption. Our aim is to contribute to the corruption literature by presenting theoretical and empirical insights in a clear and traceable manner. Previous studies on the relationship between corruption and income inequality have produced mixed results, which can be attributed to variations in data and methodologies. Some studies show positive associations between corruption and income inequality, while others show negative associations, echoing the controversy surrounding the sandand grease-the-wheels hypotheses. However, there is also scant research suggesting a non-linear relationship between corruption and income inequality, characterized by an inverted U-shaped pattern. All of these diverse findings have important implications for policymakers, emphasizing the need for comprehensive reforms that address corruption and simultaneously tackle the immediate challenges faced by low-income individuals during the transitional period. In conclusion, this study systematically discusses the implications of these findings for policymakers and researchers, highlighting the relevance of this research for shaping effective policies and further investigations in this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The current study used the family stress model to test the mechanisms by which economic insecurity contributes to mothers' and fathers' mental health and couples' relationship functioning. Background: Although low household income has been a focus of poverty research, material hardship—defined as everyday challenges related to making ends meet including difficulties paying for housing, utilities, food, or medical care—is common among American families. Methods: Participants were from the Building Strong Families project. Couples were racially diverse (43.52% Black; 28.88% Latinx; 17.29% White; 10.31% Other) and living with low income (N = 2794). Economic insecurity included income poverty and material hardship. Bayesian mediation analysis was employed, taking advantage of the prior evidence base of the family stress model. Results: Material hardship, but not income poverty, predicted higher levels of both maternal and paternal depressive symptoms. Only paternal depressive symptoms were linked with higher levels of destructive interparental conflict (i.e., moderate verbal aggression couples use that could be harmful to the partner relationship). Mediation analysis confirmed that material hardship operated primarily through paternal depressive symptoms in its association with destructive interparental conflict. Conclusion: The economic stress of meeting the daily material needs of the family sets the stage for parental mental health problems that carry over to destructive interparental conflict, especially through paternal depressive symptoms. Implications: Family‐strengthening programs may want to consider interventions to address material hardship (e.g., comprehensive needs assessments, connections to community‐based resources, parents' employment training) as part of their efforts to address parental mental health and couples' destructive conflict behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Good though this book is, an even better case could be made for the Church of England as a diverse I People's Church. i So far as any religious body is a "people's Church" it is the Church of England, with its continuing local strength sadly disregarded, as Dr Morris notes by those tempted by a "powerful centralised polity". Old church ways were rapidly reinstated after 1660 along with the king and bishops, and the lay, elected, House of Commons strictly enforced conformity, firmly excluding those unwilling to accept it, so establishing a dissenting tradition apart from the Church. The sharp decline in church attendance after 1960 is noted, but these statistics are a blunt instrument for registering religious allegiance and the Church's penetration of public life and charitable activities. [Extracted from the article]

While economic inequality continues to rise within countries, efforts to address it have been largely ineffective, particularly those involving behavioral approaches. It is often implied but not tested that choice patterns among low-income individuals may be a factor impeding behavioral interventions aimed at improving upward economic mobility. To test this, we assessed rates of ten cognitive biases across nearly 5000 participants from 27 countries. Our analyses were primarily focused on 1458 individuals that were either low-income adults or individuals who grew up in disadvantaged households but had above-average financial well-being as adults, known as positive deviants. Using discrete and complex models, we find evidence of no differences within or between groups or countries. We therefore conclude that choices impeded by cognitive biases alone cannot explain why some individuals do not experience upward economic mobility. Policies must combine both behavioral and structural interventions to improve financial well-being across populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Inequality in postnatal care (PNC) has remained a challenge in many low- and middle-income countries, like Bangladesh and Pakistan. The study examines within-country and between-country inequality in utilizing PNC services for Bangladesh and Pakistan. Methods: The study used the latest Demographic and Health Survey (DHS, 2017–2018) datasets of Bangladesh and Pakistan for women aged 15–49 years who had given at least one live birth in the three years preceding the survey. As outcome variables, three PNC service indicators were considered: PNC check of women, PNC check of newborns, and adequate PNC content of newborns. Concentration curves and equiplots were constructed to visually demonstrate inequality in PNC services. For ordered equity strata with more than two categories, the relative concentration index (RCI), absolute concentration index (ACI), and slope index of inequality (SII) were calculated to measure inequalities in the utilization of PNC services. For two categories equity strata, rate ratio (RR) and rate difference (RD) were calculated. Results: In Bangladesh, the level of inequality was high and almost the same for the PNC check of women and newborns based on women's education (PNC women- RCI: 0.404, ACI: 0.403, SII: 0.624; and PNC newborn- RCI: 0.402, ACI: 0.402, SII: 0.622), wealth (PNC women- RCI: 0.448, ACI: 0.448, SII: 0.643; and PNC newborn- 0.441, ACI: 0.441, SII: 0.633), and number of ANC visits (PNC women- RCI: 0.329, ACI: 0.329, SII: 0.595; and PNC newborn- RCI: 0.329, ACI: 0.329, SII: 0.594). In Pakistan, the level of inequality was higher for the PNC check of women among all PNC services based on women's education (ACI: 0.388 and SII: 0.676) and wealth (ACI: 0.397 and SII: 0.598). For Bangladesh and Pakistan, RR values (2.114 and 3.873, respectively) indicated greater media exposure-related inequality in adequate PNC content of newborns. Inequality in facility delivery was highest for PNC checks of women and newborns in Bangladesh (PNC women- RD: 0.905, PNC newborn- RD: 0.900) and Pakistan (PNC women- RD: 0.726, PNC newborn-RD: 0.743). Conclusion: Inequality was higher in Bangladesh than in Pakistan for PNC checks of women and newborns based on wealth, media exposure, and mode of delivery. For adequate PNC content of newborns, inequality was greater in Pakistan than in Bangladesh. Country-specific customized policies would better minimize the gap between the privileged and underprivileged groups and reduce inequality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Does Latin American liberation theology, with its option for the poor, still have something to contribute in a global scenario marked by neoliberal globalization and the discussion of identity politics? Based on the practices of Father Júlio Lancelotti against aporophobia (phobia against the poor) and the hostile architecture in Brazil, this article discusses the notion of the priority of orthopraxis over orthodoxy, the process of reordering the place of the poor in society and in the state budgets, and the notion of liberation practices and criticizes the process of dehumanization in neoliberal culture, in which personal identity and belonging to a community are marked by the pattern of consumption and wealth. Finally, it shows how the practices of recognizing the humanity of the poorest can been seen as a resurrection from social death, as a form of liberation within history, and as the affirmation of faith in a God who does not distinguish between human beings, while the idol demands sacrifices of life from the poor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Keywords: history of evaluation; early childhood education; cultural responsiveness; evaluation pioneers EN history of evaluation early childhood education cultural responsiveness evaluation pioneers 175 189 15 05/30/23 20230601 NES 230601 Introduction Since 2003, the Oral History Project Team has conducted interviews with individuals who have made substantial contributions to evaluation theory and practice. Dr. Gordon: My mother said God made Edmund and threw the pattern away. In the early days of President Lyndon B. Johnson's "War on Poverty", Dr. Gordon was appointed by the president to serve as chief of the Head Start Research Office and to participate in the design and evaluation of the Head Start program. Acknowledgments We gratefully acknowledge the assistance of Cassandra Edwards in scheduling the interviews with Dr. Gordon and related matters, the transcription services of Jaleah Rutledge, and the work of Eric Tucker and other members of Dr. Gordon's team in a review of a previous version of the manuscript. [Extracted from the article]

This article consists of a scoping review completed to describe the impacts of refurbished hearing aids (HAs) for people with hearing loss, and to identify existing HA refurbishing programs around the world. In this review, JBI methodological guidance for scoping reviews was followed. All types of sources of evidence were considered. Thirty-six sources of evidence were included, 11 articles and 25 web pages. Results suggest that refurbished HAs may improve communication and social participation for individuals with hearing loss and provide monetary savings to them and to governmental agencies. Twenty-five HA refurbishing programs were identified, all based in developed countries and distributing refurbished HAs mostly locally, but also in developing countries. Issues related to refurbished HAs were highlighted, such as potential cross-contamination, quick obsolescence, and repairing problems. Some facilitators for the success of this intervention are to offer accessible and affordable follow-up services, repairs, and batteries, and to ensure awareness and participation of hearing healthcare professionals and citizens with hearing loss. In conclusion, the use of refurbished HAs appears to be a valuable option for low-income people with hearing loss, but it should be included in a more global intervention program to ensure its sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite considerable focus on predictors of attitudes towards economic inequality, there is less psychological research into attitudes towards other unequal outcomes between the rich and poor, including differences in health and life expectancy. Two studies examine whether causal attributions for these socioeconomic health inequalities predict attitudes towards them. A cross‐sectional study of 332 UK and US respondents showed that most respondents indicate a preference for some degree of income inequality but no life expectancy inequality between the richest and poorest in society. These preferences for equal life expectancy for the rich and poor were significantly less likely for respondents who viewed health inequalities to be caused by dispositional factors (e.g., self‐control, ability or effort). In a second pre‐registered cross‐sectional study (n = 602), dispositional attributions negatively predicted self‐reported concern about health inequality, whilst endorsing situational attributions (e.g., discrimination and prejudice, wages) was positively associated with concerns on this issue. Moreover, situational attributions positively predicted support for six policy proposals for reducing health inequality, while dispositional attributions were associated with increased support for some of these interventions and decreased support for others. Despite very distinct distribution preferences for income and life expectancy outcomes, causal attributions continue to predict attitudes towards health inequality and associated policy interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of poverty-stricken Israeli nonresidential fathers raising their children in a disadvantaged neighborhood characterized by poverty and hardship. Using a case study design, in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 nonresidential fathers living in poverty. The interviews were recorded, transcribed, and thematically analyzed, and two themes emerged. The first focuses on the challenges and barriers to the fathers' involvement in their children's lives. The second focuses on the elements that create support networks in the neighborhood context. Our findings suggest the importance of adopting an intersectional perspective on manhood and fatherhood. This could facilitate a better understanding of the complex experience of nonresidential fathers living in poverty by exploring issues of power relations and oppression while remaining sensitive to differences both within and among social groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Hearing loss (HL) is prevalent and relates to social health in old age. This study aims to examine the association between functional HL and social well-being (SWB) in older adults and to investigate whether psychological resilience mediates this association. Method: The analytical sample of 4,531 older adults aged ≥ 60 years was from the Sample Survey on Vulnerable Populations from Poor Families in Urban/ Rural China (2018). SWB was measured by social networks and social engagement using the Lubben Social Network Scale and Index of Social Engagement Scale, respectively. Functional hearing impairment was defined by a dichotomized measure of self-perceived hearing difficulty. Psychological resilience was assessed by a 25-item Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale. Structural equation modeling was performed to determine associations of HL with SWB and the mediating roles of psychological resilience. Results: Functional HL was associated with reduced SWB among older adults living in low-income households. Hearing-impaired individuals were more likely to be socially isolated and less socially engaged compared to those with normal hearing. The association persisted in gender subsamples and in non–lowincome households but not in older adults aged ≥ 70 years. Psychological resilience partially mediated the association of hearing impairment with SWB, accounting for 50.9% of the variance in the change of SWB. Conclusions: Functional hearing impairment may be a modifiable risk factor for social restrictions and downstream older adults’ health. Promotion of hearing health care and accessibility to coping resources including psychological support may improve social wellness among the older adults and benefit healthy aging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]