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The European Social Dialogue (ESD) has served as the platform for European social partners to negotiate parental leave policies at the European Union (EU) level since 1995. The partners' efforts to revise the regulations in 2015, in response to the European Commission's broader approach toward European work–life balance policies, failed, however, and the reasons for and implications of this failure remain insufficiently explored. Drawing on existing ESD literature and leveraging the regulator-intermediary-target (RIT) model, the authors develop a typology of policymaking outcomes based on the analysis of three parental leave directives from 1996 to 2019. The findings demonstrate that divergent preferences among European social partners, particularly when juxtaposed against the Commission's policy objectives and interests, reduced the probability of a successful ESD through which European social partners could generate a framework agreement. Instead of being rule-makers, these conditions relegated European social partners to the role of rule-takers. If this trend continues, it poses a significant challenge to the role and influence of European social partners in EU policymaking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the last few years, we have witnessed growing backlash against "wokeness" from numerous actors. Indeed, politicians, social commentators, corporate executives, and academics have all taken aim at the concept. In this Exchange article, we respond to the recent criticisms laid against "woke" diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) scholarship and practice from researchers in the field of management, focusing particularly on those claims that have been expressed recently in this journal. We find particularly troubling the potential for anti-woke academic rhetoric to function as intellectual scaffolding for ideological and political efforts that undermine the hard-earned legal and organizational advances in the area of DEI made over the last several decades. We contend that, while such work is ostensibly framed within a broader critique of "wokeness," the arguments put forward by its authors are, in actuality, directed toward challenging organizations as sites where the privileges attached to membership in socially dominant groups are normalized and reproduced. Our discussion addresses three foundational areas of concern: (a) the conflation of "woke" with DEI scholarship and practice, (b) the misrepresentation of organizational DEI efforts, and (c) the under-appreciation of the importance of organizational inclusion for stakeholders. We elaborate on the implications that emanate from this backlash against "woke" DEI scholarship and practice, including the undoing of progressive social policies and the concomitant legitimation of populist rhetoric. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Domestic violence is widely recognised as a global issue and a fundamental human rights violation. Internationally, it is often addressed through human rights frameworks that emphasise victim-centered interventions. In the United States, a distinct policy trajectory focused on criminalisation has developed. Drawing from untapped sources, including 1977–1978 congressional debates, this study reveals the emergence of an “epidemic discourse” on domestic violence. This discourse, guided by the epidemic metaphor, depicted domestic violence as a contagious social problem transmitted by children mimicking spousal violence. The metaphor gained traction in Congressional debates by aligning with statistics, magnifying the issue's scale. However, it inadvertently shifted attention from victim support to preventive and punitive strategies aimed at isolating perpetrators while maintaining, through the notion of risk factors, individual responsibility for a woman having become a victim. Notably, the U.S. has since exported many of its punitive policies globally, influencing other nations’ approaches to domestic violence. The findings underscore the subtle yet significant role metaphors can play in policymaking and in shaping public perceptions of emerging social problems. This analysis, with its focus on unsuccessful legislative bills and debates, enhances our understanding of discursive processes that shape social problem construction, leading to unforeseen dynamics within policymaking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With high incidences of poverty and a depressed economy as well as limited political will, it will be difficult to guarantee the socio-economic rights of children in Zimbabwe. Children struggle to get access to basic services such as health care, basic education, clean water and proper sanitation. This study critically reviews the implementation or lack thereof, of the key socio-economic rights as enunciated in the constitution and child-sensitive policies in Zimbabwe. Through document analysis, the study offers a nuanced examination of social policy implementation in the country. This paper advances the argument that poverty and inequality in Zimbabwe have worsened the lives of children who are subjected to inadequate food, lack access to proper heath facilities and proper shelter among other social amenities. Using a human security framework, the paper foregrounds the need for deliberate policies which respond to the needs of the underprivileged children. The paper concludes that a multifaceted and multi-stakeholder approach will ensure that no child is left behind as envisioned by the agenda of the sustainable development goals. It recommends that the government should implement various policies which guarantee the protection of children in need. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the provision of mental health support to the victims of the 2023 earthquake in Syria and Turkey by social workers. The recommendations are applicable to countries in which professional social work lacks recognition and have global implications for both policy and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article suggests that putting the enhancement of capability to aspire and capability for voice centre stage of the design and implementation of social policies would entail a deep-seated transformation of such policies. Based on the receiver-doer-judge framework we explore what conditions are to be fulfilled to implement such a transformation, emphasising how the expansion of objective opportunity and entitlement sets should go hand in hand with an increased subjective sense of opportunity and entitlement. We then turn to examine what such transformed institutions would imply in terms of enhancing individual aspirations and capabilities on the one hand and increasing capacity for collective action and social change on the other one, emphasising the key role of capability for voice in both respects. We show how institutions and policies transformed in such a way would differ from dominant approaches to social policies such as social investment, which endorse a more adaptive approach to social policy. It is also suggested how Freire, Dewey and Khader's ideas could be useful reference points towards the design and implementation of such transformed institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article complements literature on advisory councils, and in particular their involvement in the policymaking process. The author examines the AC roles by referring to the concept of the roles set. In addition to ACs conventional roles of providing opinions and advice, there are other roles, which are classified as roles prescription and roles performed. The first were identified from examining the legal basis of ACs, while the roles performed were discovered by empirical research that was carried out among members of 78 ACs established in 16 Polish cities. It was found that all the ACs that were studied had developed additional roles to the roles that they had been prescribed; and that the fewer roles are prescribed the more other roles the AC generates. It was also observed that the fewer roles ACs play on the basis of statutes, the more roles are transferred to them by local authorities, which shows the important regulatory role of the latter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Policy transformation is a classic theme in policy analysis. Policy models have emphasized the role of actors, coalitions, leadership, and ideas in agenda-setting, the circulation of policy frameworks and solutions, and different mechanisms of gradual institutional change that accumulate in policy trajectories. We sustain that oscillating and incremental policy trajectories also produce policy change during policy implementation, triggered by political competition and partisan politics, the embeddedness of policy communities, and multilevel effects. This theorizing is built from the recent trajectories of social assistance and housing policies in São Paulo. Both trajectories followed incremental processes of expansion and diversification, although with sectoral specificities. These cases show that cumulative positive public policy change may happen even in the face of institutional conditions that the literature considers far from ideal – an extremely fragmented party system, decentralized federalism, and weak bureaucracies and state capacities. Competitive partisan politics reinforced the creation and reanimation of policy innovations under multilevel regulation. Networks of bureaucrats and civil society activists within the relevant policy communities enabled policy replication and reanimation by entering and exiting local administrations depending on their ideological colors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As part of efforts to mass higher education, China introduced state-sponsored student loans around the turn of the century, a progressive social policy reflecting the country's move toward increased marketization and decentralization in delivering educational services. The loan scheme, open to low-income students, is a voluntary policy transfer that draws on lessons from abroad. Unexpectedly, it stalled soon after implementation. Subsequent local experimentation brought it back on track. This article uses the Dolowitz and Marsh policy transfer framework to identify and explain the unsuccessful transfer. It also uses Heilmann's model to examine the local experimentation that brought about institutional change nationwide. The article argues that policy transfer, in conjunction with policy experimentation, provides practical frameworks for capturing the subtleties of China's hierarchical governance and the different complications experienced throughout the policy process. The article thus contributes to the integration of policy transfer and experimentation as a broader toolbox for policy analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The first keyword, Welfare State, sets out to problematise the term itself. The welfare state is a national construct, a 'national social state' as Etienne Balibar calls it. Thus, transnational or global migration is often construed as a disruptive force, potentially destabilising the welfare state and the nation. This keyword entry critically examines common conceptions of what the welfare state should provide. It delineates some of the ways that migrants (and, more broadly foreign nationals who are not themselves necessarily migrants) are excluded or partially included, with a focus on contemporary EU social policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the role of social preferences and uncertainty for air travel demand, by linking experimentally validated measures of social preferences and uncertainty index to passenger data for 36 European countries from 2019 to 2022. The empirical analysis separates the effects of government restrictions from that of social preferences, while considering the impact of uncertainty surrounding the pandemic event. The results highlight the importance of accounting for the individuals' social preferences when implementing aviation-related policy measures. The findings also reveal that uncertainty can trigger unexpected behaviour from the passengers, resulting in the ineffectiveness of public policies during times of crisis. • The importance of social preferences and uncertainty for passenger demand is evaluated. • Focus on international flights within Europe from 2019 to 2022. • A unique dataset merging passenger data with experimentally validated measures is used. • The effectiveness of air travel-related policies depends on the social traits of the populations. • Uncertainty triggers unexpected effects on air travel demand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increased private provision of publicly funded health and social care over the last 75 years has been one of the most contentious topics in UK public policy. In the last decades, health and social care policies in England have consistently promoted the outsourcing of public services to private for‐profit and non‐profit companies with the assumption that private sector involvement will reduce costs and improve service quality and access. However, it is not clear why outsourcing often fails to improve quality of care, and which of the underlying assumptions behind marketising care are not supported by research. This article provides an analysis of key policy and regulatory documents preceding or accompanying outsourcing policies in England (e.g., policy document relating to the 2012 and 2022 Health and Social Care Acts and the 2014 Care Act), and peer‐reviewed research on the impact of outsourcing within the NHS, adult's social care, and children's social care. We find that more regulation and market oversight appear to be associated with less poor outcomes and slower growth of for‐profit provision. However, evidence on the NHS suggests that marketisation does not seem to achieve the intended objectives of outsourcing, even when accompanied with heavy regulation and oversight. Our analysis suggests that there is little evidence to show that the profit motive can be successfully tamed by public commissioners. This article concludes with how policymakers should address, or readdress, the underlying assumptions behind the outsourcing of care services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While there have been some studies of counterfactual analysis in history and other academic disciplines, there are very few studies in social policy and health policy. This paper explores a major critical juncture and counterfactual in the creation of the NHS. In particular, it explores the critical juncture of the discussion in the Labour Cabinet involving Bevan's proposal for nationalising the hospitals and Morrison's alternative proposal based on local government, and the counterfactual of Prime Minister Attlee summing up in favour of Morrison. It reviews the literature on the criteria for counterfactuals, and justifies the focus on the Cabinet Discussion, as this was a considered option which, with minimum change, might have led to significantly different outcomes. We consider how such an event could have come about, how credible that alternative was, and what its implications might have been. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What is the relationship between social policy reforms and issue salience in public opinion? Extensive research analyses policy feedbacks on policy preferences and the influence of policy preferences on policy change. Scant research, however, considers the link between reforms and issue salience – i.e., the perception of importance citizens attach to a topic. We address this gap in the literature through the comparative study of the salience of the 'pension issue'. Drawing on a novel dataset covering 2010–2020 and 28 European countries, we argue that the passage of pension reforms shapes pension salience. Multilevel fixed effects models indicate that pension reforms that include either contracting or expansionary provisions are positively related to pension salience. In contrast, expansionary and contracting reforms, by themselves, are not robustly associated with pension salience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the initiatives and policies implemented in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to protect Children of Determination (COD) from abuse and neglect. Despite global efforts to address child abuse, children with disabilities, referred to here as children of determination, remain particularly vulnerable. This paper explores the social framework, legal protections, prevention strategies, challenges, and necessary measures to ensure that such children are safe and empowered to protect themselves from abuse. The paper also explores approaches to enhancing the efficacy of the caregivers engaged with these children so that they can predict, prevent, and deal with incidents of abuse. Drawing upon qualitative research and data analysis, the study assesses the effectiveness of existing programmes and proposes a model for a child advocacy centre that promotes and implements best practices. The study adopts a qualitative approach to collect the views of ten social workers and parents of children of determination through in-depth interviews, and to analyse data, legislation, and initiatives related to the target population in the UAE. In particular, this study highlights the critical importance of protecting girl children from abuse, given that international research indicates that girls are more vulnerable to abuse than boys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the role of place in the local development of a circular economy and the potential for consequent social redistribution. Based on a case study of public, private and third-sector approaches to a circular economy in Hull, an industrial city in the northeast of England, it offers a critical analysis of the geographic distribution of socio-economic benefits from local circular economy developments. Policy goals of inclusivity (or a 'just transition') are not accomplished. However, attachment to place provides opportunities to bridge sectoral and jurisdictional boundaries and potentially generate more socially inclusive territorial-distributional outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Forschungsjournal Soziale Bewegungen is the property of De Gruyter and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The debate on universalism and targeting approach in distribution policy leads to intergroup conflict and social categorization. This article proposed a theoretical framework considering the beneficiaries' demands as a critical part of mitigating intergroup conflict and introduced a new approach – conjoint analysis with a bidding game to help the government better understand citizens' policy preferences. The effects of six attributes on Taipei's aging policy preference were investigated using data from 400 elders in Taipei's heterogeneous administrative districts. The results revealed that, due to their lack of understanding, the elderly perceived the policy change as benefiting advantaged groups, which made them oppose the policy changed and created social conflict. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main question of this paper is how people may agree in their interpersonal comparisons of wellbeing. These comparisons are important in social ethics and for policy purposes. The paper firstly examines grounds for convergence in easy cases. Then comes a more difficult case of low convergence in order to explore a way to increase it. For this, concepts from the empirical subjective well-being literature are used: life satisfaction and vignettes. Ideas of John Harsanyi and Serge Kolm thereby receive a new look. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This article focuses on the continuity and changes in the Productive Welfare Regimes and investigates how the COVID-19 pandemic and population ageing can influence the established systems in Hong Kong, South Korea, Singapore and Taiwan. Design/methodology/approach: Our research is based on document review, investigating intricate situations with numerous aspects and providing an excellent opportunity for innovation and examining theoretical presumptions in welfare regime theory, as well as exploring the complicated policy trajectories that varies among cases. Findings: Our findings reveal that social policy responses to COVID-19 have been characterized by adopting the market-conforming role of social policy for the elderly. This is shown by many policy measures focusing on self-sufficiency and an active labour market, signalling that the COVID-19 pandemic and population ageing pressure here are viewed as an economic issue over social rights. The economic-first was adopted to maintain their proximity to the global economy as key sources of their social policy development. We can conclude by emphasizing that the responses to COVID-19 have exposed deficiencies in certain existing social policies. Yet, they have not been sufficient to catalyse substantial policy changes across domains where such change had not already been initiated, thus allowing welfare regimes to remain within productivist boundaries. Originality/value: This study responds to the current debate on the welfare regime continuity and adaptation in East Asia and suggests a new perspective of policy process in the times of insecurity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractRecognizing the negative effects of concentrated poverty on access to quality housing and neighborhood investment, governments have pursued poverty deconcentration policies such as mixed-income housing, which promotes neighborhood social mix to improve housing and neighborhood conditions. This study evaluated the effects of HOPE VI, an influential mixed-income housing policy in the U.S., on the housing context of surrounding neighborhoods using quasi-experimental methods and geocoded indicators from 1990–2016. We matched HOPE VI and control census tracts, then used a flexible conditional difference-in-differences method to estimate average treatment effects on the treated, accounting for differing treatment start dates and durations. Results demonstrate that HOPE VI increased housing values and rents, decreased vacancy rates, and decreased the age of housing relative to control tracts. There were no significant effects on homeownership rates. Impacts were strongest in neighborhoods that were high poverty, high vacancy, and predominantly Black prior to grant receipt. Results suggest that HOPE VI changed broader neighborhood housing contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recent literature on platform work and the welfare state has stressed that, despite being affected by high‐income insecurity, platform workers cannot easily access social protection. However, it is unclear why platform workers encounter such barriers. This article offers an inductive and empirically based theoretical framework to investigate the obstacles faced by platform workers. It shows that the barriers experienced by platform workers depend on the eligibility criteria, the assessment criteria and the trade‐off between taxation and social protection. The article substantiates these claims by offering both a policy analysis of formal arrangements and a qualitative analysis of the lived experiences of welfare of 101 platform workers in Italy, Sweden and the UK during COVID‐19. The research found that, while many platform workers attempted to access social protection during COVID‐19, platform workers' access to social protection was affected by their positionality as outsiders, which clashes with the eligibility criteria (in Sweden and Italy); by the irregular nature of platform work, which contrasts with the rigidity of the assessment criteria (in the UK, Italy and Sweden); and by the implicit trade‐off experienced by platform workers between minimising taxation and accessing to social protection (in the UK and Italy). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Charitable giving is often seen as a flexible and efficient way to address societal issues. However, it has also been criticised for having the potential to undermine governmental responsibility for providing public services and leading to concentrations of power. Across three studies, we investigated whether high social class is linked to viewing charitable giving favourably and as fulfilling an important function in society. We found correlational (Studies 1 and 2; United Kingdom and Netherlands; N = 1613) and experimental (Study 3; United Kingdom; N = 400) evidence that high social class is linked to more favourable views of charitable giving. Social class, however, was not associated with preferences for policies aimed at promoting charitable giving over systemic policies when targeting specific social issues. These findings suggest that social class influences general attitudes towards philanthropy but does not consistently guide preferences for specific policies addressing social issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the association between school-level achievement and the relative health of the social environment in which children are embedded, to gain a more comprehensive understanding of how behavioural, social, physical, and socio-emotional contexts may holistically impact learning. While research has recognised how specific aspects of a child’s environment can impact learning, what is less understood is how multiple facets of socioecological conditions may holistically contribute to learning advantages or disadvantages. To address this, we combine seven years and over 9,000 observations of school-level achievement scores from the U.S. state of Alabama with a comprehensive scale of “socioecological health” – a measure that includes multiple indicators such as nutrition access, housing quality, neighbourhood violence, social supports, income inequality, and mental health access. We then employ a three-level hierarchical linear modelling approach to assess the association between socioecological health and school achievement. Results suggest that (1) higher levels of socioecological health are associated with higher levels of school achievement; (2) effects are strongest for older students and rural students; and (3) healthy behaviours, social supports, and positive physical environment correspond with higher school achievement. These results highlight the breadth to which social and environmental determinants may influence learning opportunities and underscores the need for a more holistic and inclusive approach to educational leadership and social policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to social policy literature, people utilize five criteria – Control, Attitude, Reciprocity, Identity, Need – to distinguish the deserving from the undeserving. Most studies rely on proxy variables rather than measuring deservingness criteria directly. We propose and validate a new instrument – the Migrant Deservingness Scale – that captures these criteria. We analyze data from an online survey in seven European countries, the U.S., and Colombia (N = 13,645) to test the scale's dimensionality and validity. Findings indicate that all criteria can be captured with the scale, and that they are linked with host nationals' sociodemographic characteristics and anti-migrant attitudes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social policy relates to a variety of social phenomena. Over recent decades, it has attracted the interest of scholars from a variety of academic disciplines as well as that of national and international organizations. This study applied the bibliometric approach to identify and analyse articles present in the Web of Science database, published in the English language, containing the term social policy in the title, abstract, or author keywords. Bibliometric networks and analyses were conducted using bibliometrix and VOSviewer software. The results show that the publication trend of articles on social policy varied over time and in association with social phenomena; for instance, an increase in publications occurred in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis. COVID-19, environmental issues, migration, and austerity were the main social policy topics being addressed in more recent investigations. This paper advances our knowledge about the research trends on the topic of social policy. This analysis included all articles published until the end of 2023 and can thus be considered to be up to date at the time of publication. It highlights the latest topics social policy has become interested in and the range of research disciplines it is associated with. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A vast scholarship shows that social movements can play pivotal roles in bringing about policies that benefit marginalized groups. However, the role of social movements in entrenching those policies--ensuring they take root--remains insufficiently studied. We set a research agenda for the study of how social movements shape policy entrenchment by calling attention to three commonly used strategies--occupying state bureaucracies, engaging in pressure and persuasion tactics, and building alliances with political parties--and analyzing the relationships among them. We illustrate these strategies through short case studies of social movements that achieved significant change benefitting marginalized groups in Latin America: the health movement in Brazil, the unemployed workers' movements in Argentina, and peasant and indigenous movements in Bolivia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The United States government has implemented various social policies (e.g., Medicare) to support children and families (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2023). An emerging body of research seems to indicate that many of these programs are being underutilized by Latinx families even though they are sorely needed. Latinx families are often framed as undeserving, taking advantage of social policies, and as a criminal threat to the United States (Baranauskas & Stowell, 2022). Drawing on cultural stress theory (Salas-Wright & Schwartz, 2019), the present study explores how the deficit framing of Latinx families influences how they navigate social policies. Method: This study draws on data from four qualitative projects across Oregon and California that explored the experiences of Latinx families accessing services to support their families. Results: Findings indicate that Latinx families experience multiple stressors when navigating social policies or programs (e.g., shame/fear and racism) for their families. These stressors discourage Latinx families from accessing social programs, which exacerbates disparities in the health, development, and learning of Latinx children and families. Conclusions: Findings from this study can further inform advocacy efforts to create meaningful systemic changes that reduce inequities and call out discrimination/racism within our policy system. Public Significance Statement: The demonization and stigmatization of Latinx communities impact access to social service programs that have a positive impact on children's learning and development and families' well-being. This is due not to a lack of need but to the fear, shame, and stress that comes along with this demonization and stigmatization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review essay takes stock of the recent literature about the role of ideas in social policy, with a particular focus on a key issue in social policy research: the changing interactions between states and markets over time. Specifically, our aim is to examine how the ideational literature discusses and explains prominent contemporary social policy evolutions: the rise of social investment and the financialization and technocratization of the welfare state. This is done based on the scholarship on state/market interactions and the role of ideas in social policy, and by utilizing key insights of scholars of ideational influences on state/market interactions. The article ends with a short agenda for future research on ideas and discourses as a crucial factor in the evolution of the welfare state as a key space in which states and markets interact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Comparative social policy research continues to face considerable methodological challenges. Scholars particularly struggle to capture sub-national policy variation in comparatively reliable ways, including subjective perceptions of local policies. Local-level variation increases the need for conceptual and methodological attention to comparability across differing national, cultural, and linguistic settings. The article outlines a conceptually grounded approach relying on the 3MC (multinational, multicultural, multiregional) method to measure and compare individual perceptions of local policies cross-nationally. Often applied in cross-national survey research, a 3MC approach can help address methodological challenges inherent in comparative policy research and improve cross-national studies of local policy differences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Growing care dependencies among the elderly due to population ageing in Europe challenge the labour-market participation of informal caregivers. While familiarized care regimes incentivize family caregiving by providing many cash-for-care-benefits, resulting in reduced labour supply, defamiliarized care regimes allocate more public spending to care infrastructure, alleviating the care responsibilities placed on family members. At the same time, care provision on the micro-level is distributed unequally across gender, age, and socioeconomic status. The question then emerges: Does the labour-market participation of informal caregivers vary between and within countries depending on the social-expenditure policy of welfare states? To answer this research question, a multilevel design was used, employing SHARE data and macro-indicators from OECD and Eurostat databases. The results reveal higher probabilities of labour-market participation for informal caregivers in general when social expenditures on formal care infrastructure are higher. However, labour-market participation was observed as being unequally distributed among the heterogeneous group of persons with and without caregiving duties. Women and individuals of lower socioeconomic status did not benefit from social expenditures in the same way as their counterparts, leading to lower levels of labour-market participation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Zimbabwe's 'new' dispensation, young people's agency pertaining to the precarious informal sector and livelihoods has so far received limited attention in youth research, youth literature and social policy of the Global South. This article seeks to reduce lacunae in this regard by exploring their lived experiences, situated meanings and agency, basing on Harare City as the heuristic case study. Against prolonged socioeconomic and political crises, spiralling unemployment and poverty, enduring generational divides and accumulating waithood, the 'new' dispensation is yet to deliver on developmental transformation for the benefit of young people. Detached from the general view of young people as passive victims of socioeconomic problems, the article advances them as agentive actors in pursuing livelihood pathways and improving individual and household wellbeing. Improving young people lives should be based on empirical evidence of their diverse situations and agency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study reports on the outcomes of internationalising a course on Nutrition for medical students. Two interventions towards internationalised learning experience included: 1) introducing new readings and activities that invited students to consider geographical and cultural factors of dietary recommendations and 2) asking students to suggest an intervention for a hypothetical patient with a nutritional problem through discussing the assigned case in purposefully mixed groups. Changes were made both in the group that predominantly consisted of home students (N = 18) and the group of international students (N = 21). The interventions encouraged an increase in student awareness of the cultural and geographical contexts of nutrition. Students learnt through sharing diverse knowledge and experience and recognised peer learning experience as useful and enjoyable. The innovation achieved more impact in the group of international students than in the group of home students, in which diversity and previous experience from learning in multicultural groups was low. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

If policies make politics, can they also make politicians? We argue that being a bureaucrat with discretion over policy benefits can catalyze political ambitions and boost electoral success. As agents of the state rather than parties or interest groups, such bureaucrats wield a broadly accepted political currency. We examine the political careers of Brazilian bureaucrats who issue DAPs, a document granting benefits to small farmers. Leveraging a panel analysis from 2004 to 2020, we show that as bureaucrats issue more DAPs, they are more likely to become candidates, gain votes, and win election. DAP issuers run for office at higher rates than other public-facing bureaucrats with less control over policy benefits, suggesting that discretion is the key political currency, not social status or public contact. Our analysis underscores how the adoption of means-tested social policies can create new sources of political capital and brokerage in areas long dominated by traditional elites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies of public opinion on welfare policies implement increasingly concrete and complex survey measures that frequently assume relative preferences on the part of respondents. Yet, we lack evidence on whether voters hold such structured attitudes toward welfare policies. We rely on novel survey data from eight West European countries to study horizontal attitudinal constraint in welfare policy preferences. Addressing both logical and relational consistency, we find that most respondents hold structured welfare belief systems and relative preferences about where reform is more important, even when confronted with complex questions and explicit trade-offs. Moreover, by addressing individual-level heterogeneity, we show that differences related to sociodemographic factors and political attitudes are rather minor. Consistent welfare preferences are not exclusive to highly sophisticated individuals. These results have important implications for survey research implementing increasingly complex measures of preferences, such as explicit trade-offs or rating tasks, in social policy as well as in other policy areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Dados - Revista de Ciências Sociais is the property of DADOS and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Objective: The goal of this research was to map and identify service and social policy needs, gaps, barriers, and enablers for Western Australian custodial grandparent carers. Background: Grandparents are increasingly providing custodial kinship care for their grandchildren, yet there is substantial inconsistency in policy frameworks, systems, and services that offer support to grandfamilies across Australia. Method: This mixed‐methods research project synthesized micro‐ to macro‐level data, including grandparent carer respondents to an online survey, qualitative interviews with stakeholder organization representatives, focus groups with key agency frontline staff, and service, social policy, and legislative mapping. Findings: Current focused and generic services do not meet the complex needs of many grandparent carers and their families, particularly informal grandparent carers and those with diverse, intersectional needs. Conclusion: Grandparent carers are an often hidden and marginalized population, with many struggling within a complex policy and service delivery framework that may encompass multiple sectors. There are service, policy, and legislative gaps, particularly for informal grandparent carers and those who may already be experiencing intersectional disadvantage. Implications: Holistic, culturally competent, individualized, and flexible service and social policy responses need to be developed to support grandfamilies, as well as further funding, support and legislative recognition for informal grandparent carers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Çalışma ve Toplum is the property of Calisma ve Toplum and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The use of preference or discriminatory auctions, where one class of bidders is offered favored treatment over another class, has received mixed attention in the literature. Research has shown there is often an economic benefit of such policies in procurement auctions thanks to lower costs for buyers as incentives are offered to disadvantaged sellers. In this paper, we study one type of preferential procurement auction: the subsidy. Using a set of controlled experiments, we compare actual bidder behavior to what is predicted in equilibrium and find consistent (but overly aggressive) patterns overall. By testing a common bid strategy assumption, we also identify a behavioral framing bias that may trap sellers in these suboptimal strategies. Finally, we compare subsidies to another common discriminatory mechanism—the price preference—and find evidence that buyers interested in increasing the welfare of disadvantaged sellers should use subsidies instead of price preference auctions, thanks to a surprising difference in outcomes between preference types. Due to the wide use of bid preference auctions to support both policy and social aims, our findings have both financial and societal implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marriage at a young age remains a significant social issue requiring special attention, particularly in Indonesia. This study aims to analyze the implementation of the Child Marriage Prevention Policy in Majalengka Regency, as regulated by Regent Regulation Number 54 of 2021, which focuses on the prevention of child marriages. The research employs a qualitative descriptive method, utilizing primary and secondary data sources through observation, interviews, and documentation. The findings reveal that the rate of child marriages in Majalengka Regency is still increasing, despite the government's efforts to implement preventive measures, including socialization strategies aimed at reducing the incidence of child marriages. One of the main challenges in effectively preventing child marriages is the limited human resources available for implementing the program. This research highlights the need for strengthened resources and better coordination among stakeholders to effectively reduce the prevalence of child marriages in the region. The study also suggests that additional interventions, such as enhanced education and community involvement, are essential to complement the ongoing efforts and address this persistent issue comprehensively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]