Search

This paper addresses the positions of unions and employer associations towards the level of unemployment benefits and active labour market policy (ALMP). These are prominent examples of social compensation and social investment policies respectively. The new dataset 'Reform Monitor on Political Conflict' (ReMoPo) is based on expert interviews and a systematic text analysis of all relevant press releases. Over a time-span of 14 years (2000-2014) the data clearly shows conflict between social partners on the level of unemployment benefits whilst there is consensus towards ALMP. I show that, for unemployment benefits, different motivations do lead to different positions. However, for ALMP, different motivations combine with overlapping interests, resulting in a common positive stance. The main theoretical implications of these findings were two-fold: firstly, the type of organisation does not predict positioning on welfare state issues, whereas pragmatic considerations do. Secondly, I suspect that the divergence of motivational factors combined with a consensus towards particular measures is specific to the concept of social investment. This is because social investments (training and qualification measures in this case) were expected to have the most far-reaching and long-lasting positive effects on both individuals and companies and were therefore supported by unions and employer associations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on perceptions of deservingness has so far mainly focused on cash benefits. We correct this imbalance by studying public attitudes towards access to social investment services, specifically, subsidised childcare. Based on the well-established corpus of deservingness research and recent work on varieties of social investment, we expect the traditional deservingness criteria to matter and for results to vary across countries. To test our argument, we rely on an original survey experiment conducted in 2021 in six Western countries (Denmark, Sweden, Germany, Switzerland, the UK and the USA). We find that cross-national patterns of responses broadly reflect the categorisation of three types of social investments, that is, inclusive, stratified and targeted social investment. Further, we find that some of the well-known determinants of deservingness perceptions play an important role in the attribution of priorities of parents who need childcare: most clearly need and identity (operationalised with the parents’ nationality and their length of residency). This is true in all six countries covered. We conclude that patterns of deservingness perceptions to subsidised childcare services are determined by a mix of institutional factors (that differ across welfare regimes) and more fundamental attitudes towards helping those in need. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relationship between stability and change is a central paradox of administration that pervades all forms of organizing. Evaluation is not unfamiliar with paradoxical objectives and roles, which can result in tensions for evaluators and stakeholders. In this article, paradoxes between stability and change in the implementation of evaluation, and responses to them, are investigated through the case of social investment funds in Swedish local government. From interviews with staff, managers, and evaluators, findings show how responses to four main paradoxes give priority to top-down summative evaluation that produces instrumental knowledge on outcomes and costs for decision makers. The responses show that the concept of social investment fund evaluation is elastic to contain paradoxes and address different audiences. Also, paradoxes within the structure of the organization develop into paradoxes concerning the roles and goals of evaluation, raising the question of whether individual actors can deal with paradoxes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The extent to which governments provide socioeconomic supports has been highlighted by their spending during the COVID‐19 pandemic. This has implications for patterns of inequality, in particular on exacerbating unequal health and well‐being. Results: Inequity has expanded due to neoliberalism, a market‐based approach that has endured for more than four decades. Together with COVID‐19, it has developed and exposed many structural governance differences. Discussion: There are a number of examples presented of the effects of inequalities on health and well‐being. The role of general practice in addressing these is discussed and challenges are highlighted, especially those relating to payment systems and workforce constraints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Ciencia y Educación (2707-3378) is the property of Duanys Miguel Pena Lopez 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.)

Center-left parties in Western Europe and Japan have experienced a persistent decline in voter turnout. This study examines the factors contributing to this weakening support. Using data from the 2016 European Social Survey across 13 countries and the 2017–2018 Japanese General Social Surveys, we tested three hypotheses: labor market dualization between insiders and outsiders; divergence in policy preferences between social investment and social compensation; and a cultural divide between liberalism and authoritarianism. Our findings provide little support for the labor market dualization and policy preference divergence hypotheses in both Western Europe and Japan. The third hypothesis, concerning a cultural divide in attitudes toward immigration, is supported only in Western Europe. Conversely, Japan is an anomaly because of the absence of a substantial left-liberal constituency. The scarcity of liberal values among Japan's sociocultural professionals suggests that center-left parties have underdeveloped core constituencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several states have adopted recreational marijuana legislation (RML). While the public favors RML, open questions remain concerning the specific implementation of legalization. Specifically, how do Americans feel the revenue from such sales should be spent? Relatedly, what justice reforms should be considered? Not least, what proportion of the public remains uncertain about these facets of regulation and how does this uncertainty impact policy preferences for investment and reform? These are important questions to examine given the public's influence in the emergence of RML. Drawing on a 2022 national poll (N = 1,003), this study examines public attitudes toward investment strategies (e.g., public schools) and justice system responses due to legalization (e.g., expungement). Results suggest that most of the public approves of these measures. However, divides in favoring specific initiatives are evident. Implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Villages require innovative Social Investment (SI) to improve human resource competencies and social capital to promote long-term community welfare. A festival can be a potential tool for SI. A Collaborative Village Festival (CVF), despite the occurrence of problems and challenges of common festivals and the limited available literature in the area, can be a potential variant of SI programs. This research aims to analyze the implementation of CVF and its success factors and identify the benefits of CVF as a tool for SI, especially for developing Human Capital (HuCap) and Social Capital (SoCap). Based on the results of a single case study, CVF, characterized as a multi-program and multi-stakeholder, has a role in developing HuCap and activating SoCap in several aspects. CVF also serves as a tool for multi-investment, which, in this case, is an eco-sociocultural investment. Several factors should be considered in designing and executing CVF to obtain greater benefits. The multi-stakeholder collaboration created through CVF forms a unique hexa-helix pattern, leading to a new variation of the helix model. This research provides practical contributions concerning festival management to optimize the SI-related benefits, which can encourage rural development. Plain language summary: This research aims to analyze the process and the determinant factors of a collaborative village festival (CVF) and to identify the benefits as a tool for social investment (SI). Applying a single case study by utilizing secondary data and primary data obtained from interviews, this research applied thematic and discourse network analysis. The results show that CVF, characterized as a semi-top-down multi-program and multi-stakeholder, of which the collaboration forms a unique hexa-helix pattern, has a role in developing human capital and activating social capital in several aspects. Therefore, it may become an alternative innovation of social policy programs, either as a stand-alone or a complementing one. CVF also serves as a tool for multi-investment, which, in this case, is an eco-sociocultural investment that potentially supports the "SDGs Desa" in Indonesia and, with necessary adaptation, can also be analogized to support the United Nations' SDGs. Since CVF's benefits depend on festival quality (FQ), created through a process consisting of three main stages: initiation, preparation and planning, and execution, several factors should be well-understood and considered in designing and executing CVF to obtain greater benefits. The factors include leadership, managerial skills and capacity, networking skills, partners' characteristics, characteristics of the village as the festival venue, situations/conditions faced, and the existence of connecting actors. Given the limitations of this research, it is necessary to evaluate the FQ and the benefits based on each program/activity category. More case studies of similar festivals are necessary to provide generalization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Country comparisons, often suffering from unobserved heterogeneity and obscuring subnational variation, dominate the social policy literature. However, the subnational level is better suited to reduce the omitted variable bias. This article distinguishes between social consumption and social investment policies and investigates their determinants at the subnational level. Following the literature across countries, we test the role of incumbent parties' ideology, but for within-country variation in social policy. Austria is a case in point because states have discretion in social policy (e.g., regarding public childcare and social assistance). Panel regressions covering all nine states in Austria for the years 1991 to 2019 reveal that the cabinet share of Social-Democrats increases social investment spending, while the Christian-Democratic party decreases it, and the populist radical right party reduces expenses for social consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Taiwan promotes social enterprises with the Social Enterprise Action Plan and Social Innovation Action Plan, focusing on solving social problems and achieving sustainable development goals. This study aims to clarify the impetus for the above policies and determines whether the relevant policy tools can achieve the established policy goals. Design/methodology/approach: This study adopts the in-depth interview method and uses the "social impact investment framework" constructed by OEDC and Dunn's definition of public policy stakeholders to select 22 respondents, who were divided into three groups. Findings: Taiwan's decision-making in social enterprise policy is mainly driven by the pressure of youth unemployment and the 318-student movement. Intrinsic motivation strategies popularized the concept of social enterprise. Various strategies are used to break the limitations and diversify the organization, trigger more diverse social investments, broaden the goals of investment and complete the social enterprise ecosystem through these. Taiwan's social enterprise policies are consistent with the global trend of "replacing subsidies with investment." Originality/value: This study shows that social enterprises generate mutual benefits between investors and social enterprises, that is, achieve free matching through external mechanisms. This study fills the gaps in Oliver's "behavioral cube" framework of policy instruments. A "behavioral four-dimensional matrix" composed of nudge, shove, budge and reciprocity is proposed to complete the framework for social enterprise policy analysis tools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Pasos: Revista de Turismo y Patrimonio Cultural is the property of Universidad de La Laguna, Instituto Universitario de Ciencias Politicas y Sociales 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.)

Despite long-standing criticisms of the paradigm, New Public Management (NPM) retains a strong influence over organizations in public administration. Social Impact Bonds (SIB) are an outcomes-oriented investment entity which has emerged from NPM with grand promises of social change. Building on a longitudinal case study of a health-based SIB, this paper identifies how key actors move away from NPM by resisting such management principles and shift toward Public Value Management (PVM). The paper finds that this is possible when the public interest and performance objectives are designed with a public value orientation whilst other NPM principles shift over time through resistance and negotiation. The paper provides insight into how key actors re-organize to embed public value in a financing and public service delivery structure that is often regarded as flawed and inefficient. The paper offers several contributions to public value literature, including the role of the state, as well as the emerging literature on SIBs and outcomes-based contracts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study how welfare states regimes influence the effect of episodes of fiscal consolidations on the four main components of the welfare state: social investment, pensions, healthcare and labour market insurance. Welfare state regimes are associated with distinct social policy legacies that feedback into political competition by shaping the size and influence of different coalitions of constituents. Using data from 1980 to 2014 in 16 OECD countries, we find that labour market insurance is more vulnerable to consolidations in Liberal regimes, while social investments are more resistant to consolidations in Nordic regimes. In the Continental regime, which overlaps with Social Health Insurance systems, healthcare is more resistant to consolidations. Finally, pensions are more resistant to consolidations in the Southern regime. These findings contribute to the study of the comparative political economy of welfare state retrenchment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was conducted to analyze the impact of a social investment made by PT Bank Central Asia, Tbk on the improvement of tourist villages by calculating the costbenefit analysis & the rate of return on social investment, the contribution of the program to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals, as well as the analysis of the creation of Corporate Social Innovation in the tourist village improvement program. The results of this study prove that the cost-benefit analysis and the rate of return on social investment show positive numbers, which means that the positive benefits created are greater than the costs/investments incurred for the improvement of tourist villages. In addition, the tourism village improvement program contributes to the 6 points of the Sustainable Development Goals, as well as corporate social innovation created from the dimensions of accessibility, amenity, and attractions including the addition of new tour packages and increasing visitors' awareness of waste. The HR, Community, and Industry dimensions, include innovation in improving services, as well as creating a memorable experience for visitors. The Branding, Advertising & Selling dimension includes increasing creativity in promotion on social media. The managerial implication of this research is that the tourism village development program creates long-term changes for beneficiaries, such as increasing income, increasing the skills and knowledge of local communities, creating economic independence, encouraging the use of technology in the tourism village operation business, and creating social innovation in developing the attraction aspect of a tourism village. These changes in impact create a good relationship between the company and program stakeholders, where social investment programs directly provide business benefits for the company, and support the company's commitment to achieving ESG, especially in social aspects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the poverty risks of non‐standard employment have been explored extensively, this study focuses on the role of activation‐oriented social policy in alleviating material deprivation for persons with non‐standard employment histories. Using EU‐SILC data, individuals over a four‐year period were analysed. I focused on substantial earners and distinguished between six non‐standard employment histories expected to benefit from activation measures. Multi‐level models revealed that compared to standard employment histories, all non‐standard employment histories had higher material deprivation risks but to substantially different extents. At the macro level, participation in activation measures, expenditures in formal childcare and minimum income protection reduced material deprivation. Participation in training can be interpreted as an equaliser, as the deprivation gap between standard and most non‐standard employment history types diminished. As expenditure‐ and participation‐based measures differed significantly, evaluating the success of activation strategies in reducing inequalities and alleviating poverty highly depends on the measurement of activation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Technological change has squeezed the demand for middle-skill jobs, which typically involve routine-intense tasks. This squeeze has coincided with an increase in the number of part-time working individuals who wish to work more hours. We argue that these two trends are linked. Due to the decline of middle-skill employment, medium-educated workers shift into low-skill employment, increasing the supply of labour for jobs in this segment of the labour market. This pushes those dependent on these jobs to accept part-time jobs, even if these involve fewer hours than they prefer. To empirically assess this claim, we analyse involuntary part-time employment across 16 European countries between 1999 and 2010. Our analysis confirms that a decline in middle-skill employment is associated with an increase in involuntary part-time employment at the bottom end of the labour market. This finding implies that the automation of routine-intense labour worsens employment possibilities in this segment of the labour market. However, we show that training and job creation schemes mitigate this effect. These programmes cushion competition either by providing medium-educated workers with the necessary skills to shift into high-skill jobs or by increasing employment possibilities. Thus, governments have the tools to support workers facing challenges in the knowledge economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Venezolana de Gerencia (RVG) is the property of Revista de Filosofia-Universidad del Zulia 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.)

This article argues that the aging population significantly affects the welfare state. Social investment strategies could respond to a changed economic and social order by enhancing active aging. While the social investment perspective has been a topic of discussion for decades, certain aspects remain underexplored. This study, therefore, aims to assess the impact of social investments on active aging. The study, based on the social investment approach and active aging model, analyzes quantitative data from Wave 8 of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE). The Lithuania sample included 1437 participants. In the analytical phase, Principal Component Analysis and Cluster Analysis were utilized (SPSS ver. 26). The findings unveil four active aging profiles (low activity, moderate activity, balanced activity, and high activity). The two groups are distinguished by aging conditions, such as poor health, lack of social investment, and high reliance on social benefits. The positive impact of social investment is underscored by the improved aging conditions outlined in the last two profiles. This study enriches the social investment research domain by providing valuable insights into the influence of social investment policies on the lives of older individuals and their potential to age actively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There have been significant changes in what economists include in the category of investment over the last six decades. The US government agency that compiles national income date, the Bureau of Economic Analysis, has tried to keep up with these changes, but it has not succeeded. The resulting tension between economic theory and official data can be overcome by adopting a different theoretical lens. Work on social reproduction and social investment suggests a more coherent definition of investment than that offered by mainstream economists. The paper then contrasts the measurement of investment in the government data with a calculation of investment derived from this new approach. The results show that business investment is dwarfed by the combined investment made by government and households. This finding suggests that business investment is not the key engine that powers the economy. This has significant implications for economic and social policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Zeitschrift für Sozialreform 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.)

Copyright of Egyptian Journal of Social Work (EJSW) - English Journal is the property of Helwan University, Faculty of Social Work 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.)

Copyright of Egyptian Journal of Social Work (EJSW) - English Journal is the property of Helwan University, Faculty of Social Work 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.)

Persistent calls for social investment-oriented social policy suggest that existing social policies are unsustainable and need radical rethinking. Instead, this paper argues that we need to better understand how long-standing policies have enabled society's adaptation to socioeconomic changes and forestalled experiences of marginalization, poverty, and acute vulnerability. Inspired by the historical success of Nordic-style social policies, I reconsider the relation between development studies and welfare state studies, synthesize ideas from both, elaborate on the inclusive strand of welfare developmentalism, and introduce a conceptual framework for explaining why existing social policies may be simultaneously protective and productive. Applying social developmentalist ideas from the Global South to the traditional welfare state literature of the Global North, this paper advances a theoretical explanation for why what I term "developmental welfare state policies" defy standard economic assumptions through preventive investments that inhere in existing policy variants. It cautions against promoting separate social investment policies or characterizing policies as exclusively passive or activating. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is devoted to the study of the implementation of the principles of sustainable development in the activities of companies and the concept of corporate social responsibility. From the perspective of companies, investment is seen not only as a prerequisite for expansion, development and capital increase, but also as a tool for solving social problems, increasing human capital and mitigating environmental threats. The social focus of investments is being strengthened in order to create a positive social effect and social well-being. It has been proven that in the conditions of economic instability, social entrepreneurship becomes an effective mechanism for supporting vulnerable groups of the population and strengthening the potential of the country as a whole. The authors of this study have made an attempt. The article tries to answer the question: how does social investment affect the development of the strategy of corporate social responsibility? The analysis of the definition of "social investment" has been carried out and it has been established that it has a different meaning for different representatives of the society, depending on which sector they belong to: resources used to achieve specific social goals, financial support of the social sector, investments that provide financial benefit and positive social effect, investments, specific groups of financial instruments that are designed to contribute to the formation of a positive image of the company and are part of its business strategy, etc. It has been established that the main idea of impact investing is that the investments can be at the same time profitable and useful for the society. This distinguishes it from traditional philanthropy, where financial return is not the goal, and from traditional investing, which focuses solely on maximizing profits. The directions of impact investments have been outlined. Social investment is the highest form of both corporate social responsibility and investment activity. The company's implementation of social investments testifies to its high economic development, advanced management, high organizational culture and reliable prospects in the future. In other words, enterprises can obtain significant long-term profits, gain the support of the state and the society, and also significantly improve their corporate image. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since all policies address problems, they necessarily include implicit or explicit constructions of these problems. This paper explores how child maltreatment has been constructed in New Zealand's child protection policies. It questions the underlying assumptions of this problem construction and seeks to shed light on what has been omitted. Utilizing a qualitative content analysis of eight key policy documents, this study reveals the construction of child maltreatment has been dominated primarily by a child-centric, risk-focused approach. This approach assigns blame and shifts responsibilities onto parents and families. In addition, the vulnerability discourse and social investment approach underpinning this perspective have allowed important structural factors, such as poverty and inequality, to remain unaddressed. This paper also highlights the one-dimensional focus on the lower social class to control future liabilities. We suggest that the harm inflicted by corporations on children's well-being is another form of child exploitation currently omitted from the problem construction. We suggest that child abuse should be defined and understood in policy as harm to children's well-being and argue that the state should prevent and mitigate harm by addressing structural forces of the problem as well as protecting children against corporate harms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the evolution towards more service-intensive social investment welfare states across Europe, research on the institutional capacities of subnational welfare provision is increasingly relevant. Based on a comparative case analysis of three post-industrial municipalities in Europe, this article harbors a two-pronged objective: first, empirically, to show how regional and local governance capabilities are crucial to effective SI policy delivery; second, more positively, to bring out the proficiency of vertical coordination between national administration and subnational layers, alongside the critical role of horizontal policy discretion at the local level to align social benefits and capacitating services for the success of SI delivery; and, by implication, the overall responsiveness of national welfare systems to the changing nature of 21st century socioeconomic risks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under the background of China's "double carbon" policy, determining how to use the carbon emission reduction effect of green finance is an important starting point for China to achieve stable economic development and sustainable ecological development. By integrating provincial data from the CEADS, EPS, CSMAR, and CNRDS databases from 2003 to 2021, the two-way fixed-effect models are used to empirically test how green finance can exert a carbon emission reduction effect. This study finds that green finance can significantly reduce carbon emission intensity. A mechanism analysis shows that green finance can promote green technology innovation, induce social investment, and promote the disclosure of the social responsibility information of listed companies to reduce carbon emissions, which is still valid after a series of robustness tests. A heterogeneity analysis finds that the government's environmental attention and the scale of financial industry development have heterogeneous effects on the carbon emission reduction mechanism of green finance. Both the government's environmental attention and the scale of financial industry development can induce social investment, but the government's environmental attention cannot promote the growth of green technology innovation, and the scale of financial industry development cannot promote the disclosure of the social responsibility information of listed companies. This paper broadens the research perspective of green finance to reduce carbon emissions and provides some empirical evidence and a theoretical reference to further promote the green transformation of the "two high and one surplus" industry and the sustainable development of the financial industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Research in Developmental Social Work is the property of Beni Suef University 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.)

This paper studies the determinants of support for future generations, using novel survey data for the case of Germany. I find significant, but not overwhelming support for prioritizing the needs of future generations vs. the acute needs of present-day citizens. Moreover, individual-level and contextual factors matter too. High-income and highly educated citizens are on average more supportive of the needs of future generations, the elderly and women less so. Left-wing supporters are equally more supportive of future generations, especially supporters of the Greens and those subscribing to 'green-alternative-liberal' values. Supporters of the right-wing populist AfD are most strongly opposed. General political trust boosts support for future generations, and economically thriving local economies are associated with higher levels of support for future generations as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The modern microfinance industry was built on the idea that lenders could (and should) profit while serving poor and excluded customers. This idea—that lenders could 'win' while customers would also 'win'—inspired the broader field of social enterprise and opened possibilities for business-driven responses to social problems. However, in hindsight it is possible to see that not only was the idea flawed—important claims underpinning the core idea have failed to find empirical support—but the lingering belief that 'win–win' was right continues to handicap not only financial inclusion and consumer protection policies, but the social investment and finance industry as a whole. The win–win formulation was driven by the assertion that customers would be indifferent to the level of interest rates on loans and that it was simply access to finance that mattered most to customers. The argument was used to justify charging the highest interest rates to the most operationally expensive customers, who turned out to not coincidentally be the poorest customers. However, studies show that customers are indeed sensitive to interest rates and that high interest rates discourage borrowers. Moreover, despite charging high rates, financial data show that most lenders failed to earn profit after fully accounting for the subsidies received from donors and social investors. Microfinance and the social investment industry it helped spawn remain important tools for addressing poverty and inequality, but both sectors are overdue for a transparent reckoning of the roles of subsidy (including its benefits) and greater recognition of the potential for exclusion caused by high prices and the drive for profitability or 'sustainability'. Muddled thinking on subsidy and prices handicapped the past but does not need to handicap the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revue d'Économie Régionale & urbaine is the property of Librairie Armand Colin 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.)

Researchers in economic geography have recently turned to examine the rental sector, particularly how institutional investors have begun to reshape the provision of housing. Following the politics of financialization, the built environment and social relations surrounding residential accommodation have been reconfigured to maximize opportunities for capital accumulation. While scholars have further developed their interest in rental markets, by directing their attention to the financialization of social housing, this burgeoning area remains comparatively understudied, particularly concerning the metrics that are crucial in facilitating assetization. In our article, we seek to provide new insight into the financialization of UK housing associations, to advance understanding of how metrics extend the reach of the financialization into the sector, but how these metrics have also been used to both tactically marginalize and reveal social value for different types of financial actors. First, drawing upon research that has studied the creation of assemblages that are critical to assetization, we seek to explore how different financial stakeholders develop new, competing metrics and frameworks that best meet their own needs. Second, we uncover how new metrics are central in reasserting the role of nonfinancial politics in financialization, through the reprioritization of social value in housing association bonds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social investment has gained increasing prominence in family policy reform. It has also been widely criticised from a feminist and social justice perspective. This article examines how the meaning of the family changes when it is seen as a site of investment. Using a discourse-analytical approach and focusing on agenda setting policy documents of Germany's 'sustainable family policy' this is explored in four dimensions: the extension and simultaneous narrowing of the meaning of family; the articulation of new gendered subjectivities; a redefinition of the boundaries between the family and the state; and new modes of differentiation between families according to their ability to 'produce' human capital. I argue that the traditional family loses its role as a normative reference point and is increasingly framed as a production site of human capital. Hence, more critical engagement with social and racialized inequalities, which are implied in these discourses, is necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article studies individual-level attitudes towards long-term investment policies using novel survey data for the case of Germany. Building on a budding literature on the relationship between environmental and social policy attitudes, our first contribution to research is to show that citizens, when prompted to think about their support for long-term investment policies, support welfare state related policies such as investments in education and pensions to a greater degree than non-welfare state issues such as public infrastructure investment or renewable energy. Citizens are most supportive of using present-day redistributive policies – in our case: increasing income taxes on the rich – in order to finance long-term investment. We also find evidence that political trust is positively associated with support for long-term investment policies, but in particular investments in education and renewables. Furthermore, our analysis reveals the importance of individual political ideology. These findings have implications for public demand for tackling the long-term issues faced by society today. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When industrialization began in 1930, in line with the world economic recession, there were massive protests from the public demanding company transparency in their operational activities. The term Corporate Social Responsibility or CSR emerged among companies, which was soon followed by legal authority that regulated mandatory CSR for companies and in the 2000s in Indonesia, the term CSR began to be known intensively in social investment through the concept of development. public. The approach used in this research is qualitative with descriptive methods. Through observations and interviews conducted, the research results showed that the social investment carried out by PT. PLN Indonesia Power inventories the community around the company with social service activities, environmental service and other assistance activities through community service and community relations programs and empowers them in various aspects through several programs, such as plasma farmers, Climate Villages, Waste Banks and MSMEs. These three programs are interrelated in maintaining harmony and public trust. So that through these programs, sustainability can be achieved for the company. Key words: social investment, community development, CSR

Abstract This study aims at examining the fertility impact of early childhood education and care (ECEC) services for children under three in Italy. ECEC is a social investment-oriented family policy that might have more beneficial effects on fertility than passive support in terms of transfers. We first present a systematic review of studies regarding the impact of ECEC on fertility in high-income countries and then provide an empirical analysis for Italy, a country with lowest-low fertility rates and a welfare system that has traditionally provided limited support to families, especially through ECEC. We combine micro-level data from the Labour Force Survey for Italy from years 2003–2020 with information on regional indicators of public childcare and private childcare. The study employs within-region variation in ECEC over time to assess its effects on the transition to parenthood and parity progression for different groups of women and men. The present contribution indicates that both public and private childcare services have limited but positive short-term effects on fertility behaviour in Italy, contingent on specific socio-demographic groups. We discuss the possible reasons for the constrained effect of childcare on fertility and emphasise the necessity for more substantial and concerted interventions in Italy’s family policies if the aim is to invert demographic trends of lowest fertility and population-ageing.

This article conducts an analysis of the factors hindering the effective and efficient administration of state resources and proposes a new paradigm for public management. Multiple obstacles prevent achieving the well-being of the diverse citizenry, necessitating their elimination and a redefinition of public management with a shift in policy priorities to promote inclusive growth. The inclusion vector requires significant investments in human capital, including education, health, and technology, to enhance well-being and quality of life, as well as in physical infrastructure to boost productivity and absorb technological progress. Priorities include formal and productive employment, healthcare sector reform, education, and socially integrated investments. Seven lessons from macroeconomic policy are outlined as applicable to the new public management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Bait Al-Mashura Journal is the property of Bait Al-Mashura Journal 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.)

Copyright of Sociedade e Estado is the property of Sociedade e Estado 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.)

Social investment as a complement to social expenditure focuses on specific social needs, specifies its goals and outlines its expected outcome(s). Government around the world have found the need to complement social expenditures with social investment drives in other to achieve some socioeconomic outcomes in the area of health, employment, education and income. In 2016, government of Nigeria adopted the home grown school feeding program which to be implemented in the public primary schools across the country. Amongst others, the main goal of the program is to increase the number of primary school enrolment and retention rates, as well as improve child nutrition. Guided by the social return on investment concept and model, this study sought to examine the relationship between the enrolment and completion rates for male and female public primary school pupils and the expendpenditure on school feeding. A panel dataset of six states from the six geographical regions of Nigeria where the school feeding program has been implemented from 2017 -2021 was developed. We employ the generalized least squares (GLS) for random effects as determined by the Hausman test for analysis. Our major findings is that on the one hand, school feeding has had more significant effect on primary school completion rate for male than female pupils. On the other hand, it has had a better significance on female primary school enrolment rate. We therefore recommend periodic evaluation, health incentives for the pupils and economic incentives for the parents [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims at examining the fertility impact of early childhood education and care (ECEC) services for children under three in Italy. ECEC is a social investment-oriented family policy that might have more beneficial effects on fertility than passive support in terms of transfers. We first present a systematic review of studies regarding the impact of ECEC on fertility in high-income countries and then provide an empirical analysis for Italy, a country with lowest-low fertility rates and a welfare system that has traditionally provided limited support to families, especially through ECEC. We combine micro-level data from the Labour Force Survey for Italy from years 2003–2020 with information on regional indicators of public childcare and private childcare. The study employs within-region variation in ECEC over time to assess its effects on the transition to parenthood and parity progression for different groups of women and men. The present contribution indicates that both public and private childcare services have limited but positive short-term effects on fertility behaviour in Italy, contingent on specific socio-demographic groups. We discuss the possible reasons for the constrained effect of childcare on fertility and emphasise the necessity for more substantial and concerted interventions in Italy's family policies if the aim is to invert demographic trends of lowest fertility and population-ageing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ireland used to be a laggard in implementing modern fatherhood policies compared to its European neighbours. In 2016, it was one of the last EU countries to introduce paid paternity leave and three years later parental leave. These reforms indicate that Ireland is moving away from the US model of fatherhood to a social investment state closer to the Swedish model of shared parenthood. With the introduction of Paternity Benefit the Irish government aimed to achieve a take-up of about 46–61%, which is used as a yardstick to evaluate its success. First, this article assesses paternity leave take-up comprehensively through four different rates based on administrative and aggregate data. Overall, take-up had been increasing initially, but levelled already after four years at the lower government target. This is puzzling as countries with similar reforms reported a constant increase and higher take-up over time. Second, drivers for the low take-up are discussed. Specifically, occupational and class inequalities are key factors as only 55 percent of the male workforce have access to occupational top-ups in addition to the relatively low statutory benefit. Without increasing benefit generosity, take-up will stabilize at the rather modest levels in comparison to other European welfare states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the importance of sustainable financial behavior in the context of social and environmental investment. In the era of globalization and technological advancement, the pressing social and environmental challenges require innovative and sustainable approaches in the financial sector. The article outlines the definition of sustainable financial behavior, the importance of financial behavior supporting sustainability, the objectives of the writing, the impact of social and environmental investments, and strategies to enhance sustainable financial behavior. The significance of financial behavior supporting sustainability includes responsible investment, wise financial management, and consideration of the long-term impact of financial decisions on the environment, society, and other sustainable factors. Social and environmental investments have long-term positive impacts on the environment, society, and the businesses themselves. These positive impacts include contributions to climate change mitigation, the development of more prosperous communities, better financial performance, and long-term cash flow stability. Case studies of social and environmental investments provide real examples of successful investments that have a positive impact on the surrounding community and environment. Additionally, the article provides recommendations to improve sustainable financial behavior, including increasing financial literacy, educating about sustainable investments, government and financial institution policy support, and collaboration among various stakeholders. Thus, the article provides in-depth insights into the importance of sustainable financial behavior in the context of social and environmental investment, as well as guidance and recommendations for stakeholders to implement financial practices that support sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the role of SI Stock, Flow and Buffer policies by shedding light on their relationships with active labour market participation and public debt sustainability for a panel of 22 European countries from 1997 to 2018. We find SI Stock, Flow and Buffer to be positively correlated with labour market participation and more sustainable public debt. When disaggregating the components of SI, we detect a small degree of heterogeneity, with Active Labour Market Policies (ALMPs) negatively associated with the activity rate and positively associated with the employment rate. This result is coherent with the idea that ALMPs make a significant contribution to increasing opportunities for those already in the labour market rather than creating new jobs for those excluded from the labour market, that is, inactive individuals. In this case, our findings indicate that measures to fight social exclusion and out‐of‐work expenditure (Buffer), as well as in‐kind family benefits, are significantly associated with employability for those excluded from the labour market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recent enactment of the European Pillar of Social Rights (EPSR) has significantly strengthened the social dimension of the European Union (EU), including the social investment (SI) elements of that social dimension. What is not known, however, to what extent the priorization of SI is supported by the broader public. To address this research gap, we investigate public opinion on 15 different policy areas from the EPSR using Eurobarometer data from 2020 across all EU countries, asking whether the public rather prefers these policies to be delivered at EU or national level. A principal finding is that the public indeed supports more SI than CP policies with respect to EU-level social policy, and more CP than SI policies with respect to national-level social policy. We also investigate whether socioeconomic status (SES) and welfare state effort can explain this phenomenon. We find that higher socio-economic status and more generous welfare states are associated with more support for SI policies on both EU and national levels and vice versa. The findings emphasize the importance of what policies are provided versus who provides them but also pose a puzzle for trade-offs in multilevel governance settings. Hence, the article has important implications for future research on public opinion and Social Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]