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The use of active inclusion (AI) policies is steadily growing worldwide, especially among developed (OECD) countries. This concept is most consistently applied in EU countries, with some countries spending more than 1% of their GDP on the activation policies. This concept is also well-known in the countries of the American continent, where it stands as the basis of the workfare model. The concept of AI is linked to the promotion of social inclusion and participation in the labour market for people of working age experiencing poverty or social exclusion. This article is the second work of the authors analysing the concept of AI and its implementation in Lithuania. The article analyses the content of AI concept, placing more emphasis on the limitations of AI and criticism from the right-wing and the left-wing politicians. The article also examines the issue of social services and their place in the concept of AI. The empirical part of the article analyses different dimensions of social services in Lithuania during the period for 2009 to 2018(9). On the basis of the performed analysis, it is concluded that the availability of enabling services in Lithuania is insufficient, despite the fact that positive changes in the availability and coverage of the above-mentioned services have been observed since 2009

Social scientists identify two core functions of modern welfare states as redistribution across (a) socio-economic status groups (Robin Hood) and (b) 'the lifecycle' (the piggy bank). But what is the relative importance of these functions? The answer has been elusive, as the piggy bank is metaphorical. The intra-personal time-travel of resources it implies is based on non-quid-pro-quo transfers. In practice, 'lifecycle redistribution' must operate through inter-age-group resource reallocation in cross-section. Since at any time different birth cohorts live together, 'resource-productive' working-aged people are taxed to finance consumption of 'resource-dependent' younger and older people. In a novel decomposition analysis, we study the joint distribution of socio-economic status, age, and respectively (a) all cash and in-kind transfers ('benefits'), (b) financing contributions ('taxes'), and (c) resulting 'net benefits,' on a sample of over 400,000 Europeans from 22 EU countries. European welfare states, often maligned as ineffective Robin Hood vehicles riddled with Matthew effects, are better characterized as inter-age redistribution machines performing a more important second task rather well: lifecycle consumption smoothing. Social policies serve multiple goals in Europe, but empirically they are neither primarily nor solely responsible for poverty relief and inequality reduction.

Throughout the era of the apartheid, the provision and accessibility of infrastructure in South Africa was skewed, and while the minority had access, the majority was overlooked. Local economic development (LED) has rested on the premise that the availability of infrastructure is likely to spur socio-economic development and to lift millions of South Africans out of poverty. However, with South Africa's economy struggling to register consistent growth, there are difficulties accessing the much-needed finances needed to invest in infrastructure to spur LED. The study that this paper reflects upon used a qualitative research method and a systematic review of the literature relating to infrastructure provision and local economic development. It utilised thematic content analysis to deduce its findings with the hope of bringing in meaning to the overall content of the paper. The study revealed that indeed infrastructure provision is key to local economic development, that South Africa's infrastructure provision is still skewed as urban areas continue receiving priority over rural areas; that local economic development is key in reducing inequality and spurring economic growth and sustaining the livelihoods of rural dwellers. However, limited investments in infrastructure in rural areas hinder the realization of such benefits. It recommends that the government prioritise LED in rural areas among other suggestions.

Pakistan is currently facing severe challenges for sustainable development, including a lack of safety and governance, demographic issues, poverty, unemployment, food insecurity, gender violence and inequality, injustice, water shortage, energy crises, rapid increase in pollution and climate change. In addition, the country's progress towards development and adaptation strategies is quite slow. This study recognizes that journalism has a very crucial role in many aspects of sustainable development in Pakistan, ranging from facilitation of good governance to social cohesion, peace, public participation, empowerment and inclusion. For this purpose, journalists need freedom of expression and require unrestrained access to information. However, Pakistani journalists often confront legal and other restrictions to practicing these two rights, resulting in a lack of their ability to report on critical issues especially relevant to sustainable development. Therefore, drawing on the development communication theory, this study identifies the areas of sustainable development that are reported most by Pakistani journalists. It strives to find out whether Pakistani journalists receive training for development journalism. It also analyses the extent and the ways journalists' rights to freedom of expression and access to information are restrained when reporting on issues of sustainable development. The study uses thematic analysis to analyse the gathered data through a quantitative method of survey and a qualitative method of in-depth interviews.

Division of labour (DoL) was recognized as a priority in EU development cooperation policy a decade ago, but has lost importance in recent years. Though the Union still promotes joint programming for better aid coordination, other EU interests took precedence. This reflects general trend of instrumentalisation of European development cooperation, which is less focused on traditional goals like poverty eradication or aid effectiveness but serves more political, security, and economic self-interests. This paper traces the evolution of the European approach to DoL and highlights the major reasons for its limited successes. It claims that among most important ones was the imprecise and inadequate description of the EU's own comparative advantage and added value. The main aim of this analysis is to propose the concept functional DoL in which the European institutions focus development assistance more on the regional level while leaving national programmes to the Member States. This would better utilise the Union's unique expertise and help in more strategic allocation of EU aid. Though such a radical shift seems improbable in the short term for reasons including vested interests and path dependency, the EU can already start refocusing on regional development-cooperation programmes. This would be in line with EU external policy goals and allow it to boost regional cooperation while competing with emerging donors like China.

ABSTRACT: Domestic violence is one of the most common crimes in Romania, with multiple causes ranging from poverty and alcohol consumption to social constraints and lack of education. The increased reporting of domestic violence has led decision-makers to identify effective legal measures for the protection of victims, in particular, limiting immediate risks to their physical and mental integrity. The present paper aims to present some legal instruments that the Romanian legislator makes available to the police to allow immediate protection of the person who has become a victim of domestic violence. The article is focused mainly on the analysis of the temporary protection order, which is a recent legal instrument introduced into domestic violence legislation. The temporary protection order is a measure to immediately safeguard the protection of victims of domestic violence, but in practice difficulties have been identified in its application. There is also controversy over its application and the potential violation of the legal rights of the alleged aggressors. We will examine the application of the temporary protection order in practice and its effects in relation to its purpose, with reference to its correlation to the other instruments already regulated and the possibilities for improving the legislation. KEYWORDS: domestic violence, abusive relationship, victim protection, temporary protection order

Volunteering in non-Western countries, such as South Africa, is subject to poor infrastructure, lack of resources, poverty-stricken conditions and often conducted by volunteers from lower socio-economic spheres of society. Sustaining the well-being of volunteers in this context is essential in ensuring their continued capacity to volunteer. To do so, it is important to understand the psychological resilience of these volunteers and the resistance resources they employ to positively adapt to their challenging work-life circumstances. The aim of this qualitative hermeneutic phenomenological study was to explore volunteers&rsquo ; psychological resilience from a salutogenic perspective. In-depth interviews were conducted with eight volunteers servicing government-run hospitals. Data were analysed through phenomenological hermeneutical analysis. Findings show a characteristic work-life orientation to be at the root of volunteers&rsquo ; resilience. Their work-life orientation is based on a distinct inner drive, an other-directedness and a &ldquo ; calling&rdquo ; work orientation. It is proposed that this work-life orientation enables volunteers in this study context, to cope with and positively adapt to challenging work-life circumstances and continue volunteering. The elements of their work-life orientation are presented as intrapersonal strength resources fundamental to their psychological resilience. It is suggested that organisations invest in developmental interventions that endorse and promote these intrapersonal strengths.

Summer is a stressful time of year for many parents as they struggle to meet household expenses and feed children. The aim of the present study is to determine if there is an association between summertime food insecurity (i.e., holiday hunger) and parental stress among a sample of UK parents with school age children living in North East England. A cross-sectional sample of (n = 252) parents are analyzed using holiday hunger as the independent variable and a subjective measure of stress that treats summer as a 'stressful event' as the dependent variable. Of the parents in the sample, 64.8% reported at least some level of holiday hunger. We find parents facing any holiday hunger scored substantively higher on the overall 75-point Impact of Event Scale (mean difference = 30.4, 95% confidence interval ((CI) 24.2–36.6), the 35-point intrusion subscale (13.7, 95% CI 10.8–16.5), and the 40-point avoidance subscale (16.7, 95% CI 13.3–20.2). These findings are replicated in a regression analysis. In addition, we find that holiday hunger partially mediates the association between economic hardship (i.e., unemployment and poverty) and parental stress. We conclude by suggesting that government policies addressing economic hardship are not only likely to reduce holiday hunger, but also improve mental wellbeing.

Prior to colonisation, Māori had a well-developed holistic health system based on maintaining balance between people, place and spirit. The colonial imposition of British economic, religious, educational, legal, health and governance, through warfare, immigration, legislation and social coercion had a devastating effect on Māori health outcomes. With the release of the WAI 2575 Waitangi Tribunal report exposing the failings of our health system in relation to Māori health, the need to decolonise our health system becomes more pressing. A key difficulty in this work is the poverty of transformative language, concepts and frameworks in our workforce. This paper is the product of an anti-racism think tank that occurred in April 2019. While working through a system change analysis on our colonial health system, Māori and Tauiwi activists and scholars created an allegory—from gorse to ngahere. The allegory depicts the ongoing impact of the colonial health system as represented by gorse, and the possibilities of a decolonised health system represented by ngahere—a self-sustaining and flourishing native forest. Racism has a geographic specificity. The allegory we developed is a mechanism for conceptualising decolonisation for the context of Aotearoa. It serves to reinforce the di erent roles and responsibilities of the descendants of the colonisers and the colonised in the pursuit of decolonisation.

Many migrant groups, particularly those that are politically and economically marginalised, such as asylum seekers and refugees (ASRs), face inequities in access to health care as well as poorer physical and mental health outcomes. The role of post-arrival experiences in contributing to these inequities is increasingly being explored, and it is suggested that being a migrant is itself a determinant of health outcomes. Drawing on the theoretical concept of structural vulnerability, this paper explores ASRs' experiences of health, wellbeing, and health practices in the context of their lived realities in Scotland. 24 semi-structured interviews were conducted with ASRs from Sub-Saharan Africa between January and December 2015. Data were explored using thematic analysis. Experience of the UK asylum system, both alone and in conjunction with other sources of vulnerability including racism, poverty, and language barriers had a negative and ongoing impact on the physical and mental health of ASRs. These impacts continued, even once refugee status was obtained. Efforts to engage ASRs in preventive health programmes and practices must take into account the ways in which the asylum system acts as a determinant of health, affecting both what it means to be healthy and what capacity individuals have to engage with their health. Political choices in how the asylum process is enacted have far-reaching implications for individual and population health.

Summer is a stressful time of year for many parents as they struggle to meet household expenses and feed children. The aim of the present study is to determine if there is an association between summertime food insecurity (i.e., holiday hunger) and parental stress among a sample of UK parents with school age children living in North East England. A cross-sectional sample of (n = 252) parents are analyzed using holiday hunger as the independent variable and a subjective measure of stress that treats summer as a &lsquo ; stressful event&rsquo ; as the dependent variable. Of the parents in the sample, 64.8% reported at least some level of holiday hunger. We find parents facing any holiday hunger scored substantively higher on the overall 75-point Impact of Event Scale (mean difference = 30.4, 95% confidence interval ((CI) 24.2&ndash ; 36.6), the 35-point intrusion subscale (13.7, 95% CI 10.8&ndash ; 16.5), and the 40-point avoidance subscale (16.7, 95% CI 13.3&ndash ; 20.2). These findings are replicated in a regression analysis. In addition, we find that holiday hunger partially mediates the association between economic hardship (i.e., unemployment and poverty) and parental stress. We conclude by suggesting that government policies addressing economic hardship are not only likely to reduce holiday hunger, but also improve mental wellbeing.

This report builds on prior work to provide a new, comprehensive, and balanced view of water security in Pakistan, stressing the importance of the diverse social, environmental, and economic outcomes from water. The report highlights the complex water issues that Pakistan must tackle to improve water security and sheds new light on conventional assumptions around water. It seeks to elevate water security as an issue critical for national development. The report assesses current water security and identifies important water-related challenges that may hinder progress in economic and human development. It identifies unmitigated water-related risks, as well as opportunities where water can contribute to economic growth and poverty reduction. The report analyzes how the performance and architecture of the water sector are related to broader economic, social, and environmental outcomes. It models alternative economic trajectories to identify where intervention can lead to a more water-secure future. A consideration of water sector architecture and performance and how these determine outcome leads to recommendations for improving aspects of sector performance and adjusting sector architecture for better outcomes. The sector performance analysis considers (a) management of the water resource, (b) delivery of water services, and (c) mitigation of water-related risks. The description of sector architecture considers water governance, infrastructure, and financing.

The progress of healthcare expenses is a striking issue for emerging nations. This is because an uncontrolled increase in healthcare expenses can push the nations to extreme poverty. The study examined the association between public health costs and macro-economic indicators within the emerging economies. Data for the study is extracted from the World Bank World Development Indicators for twenty-one (21) emerging countries spanning from 2000 to 2018. The generalized method of moments (GMM) and the Dumitrescu-Hurlin panel causality test are employed in the analysis of the study. The main findings of the study demonstrate that tax revenue and labor force participation increase public health expenses and inflation, on the other hand, showed a declining relationship. The study further reveals a u-shaped association between public health expenditure and economic growth. The interactive term between research and development and mortality rate of non-communicable diseases, reveal an increasing relationship. The study establishes that, among all the three models estimated, tax revenue, labor force participation and GDP per capita have positive effects on public health costs. Based on the findings, the study recommends governments to embark on policies that improve economic growth and tax revenue as well as stabilizing inflation. These strategic policies could boost public healthcare expenditure since it has a strong association with macroeconomic indicators.

During the second half of the twentieth century, there were no spectacular events in Mexico—civil wars, military dictatorships, or revolutions—capable of fracturing the social, political, or cultural structures of the country. The absence of these culturally traumatic events positioned Mexican protest songs in the periphery of the affective narrative of the nation. The story of modern Mexican troubadours was, nevertheless, a story of resistance whose heroes—the singers, songwriters, and performers—spent the decades between 1960 and 1990 denouncing poverty and corruption, condemning governmental violence, marching side by side with students, activists, women, workers, and peasants, supporting civil rights and grassroots movements both nationally and internationally with their songs. The story of these musicians has remained unknown for too long. This article attempts to reignite academic interest in this story with the goal of encouraging future critical and theoretical studies regarding socially-engaged Mexican singers and songwriters from the 1960s through the 1990s. It focuses on the life and work of one of the main exponents of the Mexican protest song, singer-songwriter Gabino Palomares (b. 1950). It offers a brief historical analysis of the Mexican Canto Nuevo movement and establishes a much-needed chronology of Palomares's work, essential to our understanding of the contemporary cultural history of Mexico.

Background Giving children the best start in life is critical for their future health and wellbeing. Political devolution in the UK provides a natural experiment to explore how public health systems contribute to children's early developmental outcomes across four countries. Method A systematic literature review and input from a stakeholder group was used to develop a public health systems framework. This framework then informed analysis of public health policy approaches to early child development. Results A total of 118 studies met the inclusion criteria. All national policies championed a 'prevention approach' to early child development. Political factors shaped divergence, with variation in national conceptualizations of child development ('preparing for life' versus 'preparing for school') and pre-school provision ('universal entitlement' or 'earned benefit'). Poverty and resourcing were identified as key system factors that influenced outcomes. Scotland and Wales have enacted distinctive legislation focusing on wider determinants. However, this is limited by the extent of devolved powers. Conclusion The systems framework clarifies policy complexity relating to early child development. The divergence of child development policies in the four countries and, particularly, the explicit recognition in Scottish and Welsh policy of wider determinants, creates scope for this topic to be a tracer area to compare UK public health systems longer term.