Добірка наукової літератури з теми "Social and environmental contract conditions"

Topicality. Market transformations in the country's economy caused the need to revise the labor relations institute from the economic development point of view. Particular importance was the theoretical reassessment labor relations institutional: the old labor law institutes, which corresponded to the administrative command system, must transform to new ones, that contain market needs. One of such labor relations institutes are contractual relations between the employer and the employee, which allow to personalize the labor relations as much as possible, consider the economic interest of both parties, and protect as far as possible the mutual interests and rights. Aim and tasks. The aim of the article is represented the main tendencies and realities of using an employment contract in Ukraine's companies, which is signed in the standard form. The current legislation gaps of the contract using are considered as a special employment contract form with the companies leaders and other employees categories, depending on the specifics enterprise's activity or belonging to the management sphere. The preconditions for the special legislation implementation are determined during the labor contracts conclusion with the Ukrainian's nature reserve fund enterprises heads. The personal responsibility for environmental protection legislation and violation conditions are considered. Proactive and experienced specialists are established an extensive system of allowances and one-time incentives. Research results. In this article we have reviewed the implementation preconditions during the labor contracts' conclusion with the enterprises' heads of the Ukrainian nature reserve fund. We have considered the responsibility personalization conditions for environmental legislation violations with the definition of socio-economic components. For example, the contract may also stipulate social and living conditions, such as the garden plot allocation, a car, living conditions improvement, the share sale at par value, the social pensions surcharges establishment, protection against inflation processes and so on. Also it may be envisaged an employee to move another area. Conclusions. A contract can give the chance to more people to realize their work abilities on the most favorable conditions, to build the civil society foundations and the legal capitalist state. Contract's application can detail the labor relations, the system of economic incentives and encouragement, protects the rights of both employee and employer, and also provides an opportunity to assess the mutual responsibility's degree.

The article is devoted to the problem of concluding a new social contract in the digitalage, taking into account the its peculiarities and the complex challenges in the field of business andhuman rights. The issues of the need to renegotiate such an agreement, the composition of the partiesand its basic conditions are considered. It is emphasized that the almost uncontrolled activities andgrowing power of companies are not the only, but one of the most important reasons for revisingthe contract.The article argues that the features of the digital age that affect the reasons for the conclusionand content of a new social contract are as follows: a significant part of all activities of entities takesplace in cyberspace or has an online component; digital tools are extremely common in both publicand private life; data become key to any economic, social, political activity; the amount of data ishuge, and the speed of their spread is incredibly high; the development of societies is uneven, andit is exacerbated by the digital divide; the power of business structures is growing, including theirability to modify the behavior of users of digital tools.The main threats to the existing social contract are a significant imbalance between the rights andobligations of the parties, the ineffectiveness of instruments to control its observance, the asymmetryof power, and the formation of a regulatory framework by companies against their role in the privatesector. Attempts to include business in the treaty, leaving human rights and justice at the center,including legitimacy and the negotiation of conditions with equal participation of individuals, civilsociety, companies and governments, are considered.The reasons for the potential loss of power of the existing social contract in the digital age are given,including the examples exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The article emphasizes the need toreconcile the responsibilities of participants, as well as to take into account the consequences of the

<p>Social justice warrior (SJW) is a pejorative term for individuals who fight for equality, environment, and gender. Because their progressive morals radically differ from the predominant values, the so-called social justice warriors spark controversies. This study aimed to describe netizens’ opinions about SJW and describe the dynamics of conflict or support in more detail. Text mining and opinion coding were used to elicit research data. The opinions that we gathered were analyzed in 2 stages: sentiment analysis and content analysis. The results of sentiment analysis are negative (445), neutral (86), and positive (90). Content analysis of the negative opinions showed the characteristics of sarcastic, rude, critical, and contemptuous (mocking/disrespecting). The style of positive sentiments (comments congruent with the phenomena) is divided into supportive, empathic, and motivational opinions. Negative opinions are more dominant because of netizens’ self-acceptance, the effects of informal social control in cyberspace, SJW’s presumed social non-compliance, and doubts of objectivity. Positive opinions can be explained by criticism of social contract theory, namely the demand to be more supportive of minority groups, sensitivity, and empathy (the ability to feel other groups' social conditions and environmental conditions).</p>

In the Americas, the palm oil sector has been gaining importance in the last 20 years. Although in 2018 the region only accounted for 7.1% of global palm oil production, it is one of the largest suitable areas for oil palm cultivation. We conducted a literature review on how the sector developed and how its development influenced private and public actors in their choice among three categories of arrangements between oil palm growers and palm oil extraction units. We grouped cases reported in the literature in three categories: corporate models, contract farming, and growers’ organizations. The two latter categories emerged in response to the call for better inclusion of growers in the value chain, for local development, and for sustainable production; they now represent almost 30% of production in the region. All the parties involved are pushing for more sustainable production. National governments intend to regulate production, and private companies are engaging in certification and fair partnerships with producers of fruit bunches. However, there are still many negative impacts on the environment, on local populations, and on biodiversity. Thus, although the Americas appear to be on the way to being leaders of sustainability in the palm oil sector, challenges remain.

The paper attempts to identify the relationship between trust viewed through private good, club good, private external effects and public good, and pension systems, presented in the form of vertical and horizontal social contracts. Guided by the typology of benefits in the analysis of trust, the author argues: trust in a horizontal pension contract develops in a network of transactions regarding the production of a pension good and is a combination of its various types. In a vertical contract, the possibilities of individuals' retirement planning and the position of private structures in the pension market are limited, that reduces the role of trust as a private and club good and strengthens the importance of trust in the form of a public good. The author shows that in a horizontal pension contract, trust is a basic prerequisite for all pension interactions. The effectiveness of a horizontal pension contract depends on the level of trust: low trust increases transaction costs and makes pension planning unviable. The author concludes that in conditions of low confidence, satisfaction of pension needs is easier to organize through a vertical type contract in which pension needs are satisfied centrally. At the same time, low trust of Russians to pension institutions is the result of a vertical pension contract.

Weather plays a crucial role in sport event management. Ignoring predicted weather conditions or not effectively communicating them may lead to unanticipated legal, financial, environmental, and social impacts. In 2018, the University of Akron and University of Nebraska football teams were forced to cancel their contest after severe lightning and rainstorms caused significant delays, thus creating a ripple effect that produced other potential risk management issues. This article examines the legal and risk management considerations of this situation, including the possible implications of a carelessly drafted game contract as well as potential strategies to mitigate legal exposure. The authors evaluated the potential application of contract ambiguity as well as contract impracticability and contract impossibility. To mitigate such issues from reoccurring, the authors suggest utilizing an enterprise risk management planning approach to create procedures as part of mitigating the risk of inclement weather in collegiate athletics event management.

The concept of social sustainability is gaining attention within the field of supply chain relationships and international business. There are conflicting arguments regarding the effectiveness of contract governance and collaboration in an interfirm relationship. Previous studies have investigated the effect of a national culture on contract governance and opportunism. This study examines the effects of contract governance on collaboration, incorporating the moderating influence of cultural intelligence. Survey data were collected from 239 export manufacturing firms in different industries. The current authors suggest that contract governance might be more effective under conditions of a greater level of firm cultural intelligence capabilities. Cultural intelligence plays an important role in the shaping and implementation of collaboration and is the key to manage cross-culture relationship management in a supply chain. Cultural intelligence constitutes one potential way for the export industry to manage intercultural differences and profitably achieve an increase in collaboration. Collaboration with a socially responsible partner brings about improved social performance. The social dimensions of sustainability, such as fair labor practices and decent worker conditions, health and safety, no child labor, and employee empowerment must be addressed to accomplish the most sustainable growth. Managers also need to take advantage of cultural intelligence to adapt, collaborate, and share cultural knowledge.

Tuberculosis (TB) transmission results from the interaction between infective sources and susceptible individuals within enabling socio-environmental conditions. As TB is an airborne pathogen, the transmission probability is determined by the volume of air inhaled from an infected source and the concentration of Mycobacterium tuberculosis containing respirable particles (doses) per volume of air. In this study, we model the contributions of infectious dose production, prevalence of infectious cases and daily rebreathed air volume (RAV) for defining the boundary conditions necessary to sustain endemic TB transmission at the population level. Results suggest that in areas with high RAV (range 300–1000 l d −1 ), such as prisons, TB transmission is contributed by both super-spreaders (exhaling ≥10 infectious doses hr −1 ) and lower infectivity individuals (exhaling less than 10 infectious doses hr −1 ). In settings with a low quantity of RAV (less than 100 l d −1 ), TB transmission occurs only from super-spreaders. Point-source epidemics occur in low rebreathed environments when super-spreaders infect a number of susceptibles but subsequent transmission is limited by the mean infectivity of secondary cases. By contrast, endemic TB occurs in poor socio-environmental conditions where mean infectivity cases are able to maintain a sufficiently high effective contact number.

- The paper begins from the consideration that the speech is a form of social action. The present study aims at showing as in all conversations is impossible to separate cognitive-representational aspects from social-relational aspects of the speech, because the relationship is very important to get into communication with people. In specific contexts, full of symbolic aspects, relational aspects are the basis of the contract communication, and represent the real ‘stake in game'. In a situation of political discussion, enlarged by the television mediation, the interaction is strategically oriented to persuasive and competitive purposed. In this study, the method of Conversations Analysis shows the most frequent strategies of the speech competitive use. In particular, the most frequent strategy consist of attacking the preparatory conditions and the sincerity conditions of speech acts accomplished by interlocutor, to attack his face and so to attack him as a person.

Social insects seem to have overcome the almost universal trade-off between fecundity and longevity as queens can be highly fecund and at the same time reach lifespans of decades. By contrast, their non-reproducing workers are often short-lived. One hypothesis to explain the long lifespan of queens is that they are better protected against stress than their workers. However, evidence is controversial and experimental studies are scarce. We aimed at manipulating environmental stress and ageing by exposing colonies of the less-socially complex termite Cryptotermes secundus to temperature regimes that differed in variance. In contrast with expectation, constant temperatures imposed more stress than variable temperatures. Survival of queens and workers as well as queens' fecundity were partly reduced under constant conditions and both castes showed signs of ageing in the transcriptome signature under constant conditions. There was a clear oxidative stress defence signal under constant conditions that was, surprisingly, stronger for workers than queens. We discuss how our results relate to social complexity. We argue that workers that are totipotent to become reproductives, like in C. secundus , should invest more in ‘anti-ageing' mechanisms than sterile workers because the former can still reproduce and have not reached maturity yet. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Ageing and sociality: why, when and how does sociality change ageing patterns?’

Organizational justice and citizenship behaviors are important components that contribute to an organization’s overall effectiveness. Additionally, when an employee enters into a new organization, they form psychological contracts with their employer that consists of elements such as fairness and consultation. This study aimed to integrate the literature on organizational justice, psychological contract, and organizational citizenship behaviors, as well as look at the possible effects uncertainty may play. Specifically, it was proposed that psychological contract would mediate the moderating effects of uncertainty and justice in predicting prosocial behavioral intentions. Results did not support the hypothesis. Interestingly, however, identification with the university seemed to play a role in the uncertainty by fairness interaction in predicting perceived contract fulfillment.

A robust body of research has identified three primary life experiences that foster a lasting commitment to active care for the environment. These are: time spent enjoying nature, especially during childhood; a close, often familial, role model for nature appreciation; and participation in a nature or environment focused organization that offers direct learning opportunities. Family nature clubs (FNCs) bring groups of families together to explore nature on a regular basis – thus fulfilling all three of these experiences. This study used ecological psychology, attachment and family systems theories, and community psychology to create a framework for understanding how these experiences can come together in the form of FNCs to foster pro-environmental behavior as well as individual, familial, and community well-being. The methodologies of ethnography, case study and action research and the methods of direct observation, surveys, and most-significant change interviews were used. The study population was the leaders in and participants of FNCs, including Columbia Families in Nature, a FNC I founded. Study results incorporate data from 47 FNCs and over 350 participants. More than twenty distinct positive outcomes of FNC participation were identified in the areas of: greater knowledge of and sense of connection with nature; more time spent in nature; enhanced individual and familial well-being; stronger social connections; and greater environmental and social action. The youth nature experiences of the adult participants was found to be significantly related to their current sense of connection to nature (p < 0.001) and level of environmental action (p=0.03). Family time in nature was found to be significantly related to connection with nature (p=0.007), environmental action (p=0.02), and social action (p=0.03).

It has been proven that there is a connection between the physical environment and health outcomes. Low income and minority communities live in hazardous environments and bear a disproportionate burden of environmental health disparities. Environmental hazards imposed on low income and minority communities require the immediate attention of social workers. Social workers are in a unique position to ensure that the health and well being of oppressed groups is not compromised by environmental factors. This study examined the environmental health awareness of 90 licensed social workers. More specifically, this study assessed the following information from social workers: (1) familiarity with environmental hazards, (2) knowledge of environmental health problems, (3) knowledge of environmental legislation, (4) professional practice of screening clients for past and present exposure to environmental pollutants, (5) professional experiences with receiving environmental concerns from clients, (6) professional practice of advocating for the environmental health of clients, and (7) professional opinions about the need to train and educate social work students and professionals on environmental health. This study asserts that social workers can protect the environmental health of distressed communities across the micro-macro spectrum.

Moteur incontournable de l'économie publique, les marchés publics ont toujours fait l'objet de revendications diverses, voire opposées. L'efficacité de la gestion budgétaire et la transparence de la vie publique, s'agissant des ordres juridiques nationaux, la libre concurrence et le libre accès de tous les opérateurs économiques facilitant les échanges intracommunautaires, s'agissant du droit européen: tous ont tenté de monopoliser le droit de la commande publique, afin de se réaliser. Dans le même temps, la perspective de l'instrumentalisation de ce droit au service d'objectifs politiques qui ne lui sont pas directement attribués a suscité des intérêts très variés. Or, la question de la conciliation des politiques sociales et environnementales avec les prescriptions de nature principalement économique du droit des marchés publics s'inscrit dans une logique de valorisation de cet instrument juridique et financier. Ces politiques, répondant à la fois à des finalités d'intérêt général et à des objectifs prioritaires du droit communautaire, sont à la recherche de leur rôle et de leurs instruments en matière de marchés publics. Dans un contexte politique mouvant, la superposition des systèmes juridiques résultant des interventions réglementaires des États, en quête de leur pouvoir discrétionnaire dans la planification des leurs politiques, comme des interventions du droit communautaire dans le cadre de sa propre œuvre d'harmonisation des procédures de passation, vient redéfinir le rôle des politiques sociales et environnementales, tant au sein des objectifs endogènes du droit des marchés publics qu'en dehors de son cadre réglementaire, appelé dans ce cas à servir de levier.

Moteur incontournable de l’économie publique, les marchés publics ont toujours fait l’objet de revendications diverses, voire opposées. L’efficacité de la gestion budgétaire et la transparence de la vie publique, s’agissant des ordres juridiques nationaux, la libre concurrence et le libre accès de tous les opérateurs économiques facilitant les échanges intracommunautaires, s’agissant du droit européen : tous ont tenté de monopoliser le droit de la commande publique, afin de se réaliser. Dans le même temps, la perspective de l’instrumentalisation de ce droit au service d’objectifs politiques qui ne lui sont pas directement attribués a suscité des intérêts très variés. Or, la question de la conciliation des politiques sociales et environnementales avec les prescriptions de nature principalement économique du droit des marchés publics s’inscrit dans une logique de valorisation de cet instrument juridique et financier. Ces politiques, répondant à la fois à des finalités d’intérêt général et à des objectifs prioritaires du droit communautaire, sont à la recherche de leur rôle et de leurs instruments en matière de marchés publics. Dans un contexte politique mouvant, la superposition des systèmes juridiques résultant des interventions réglementaires des États, en quête de leur pouvoir discrétionnaire dans la planification des leurs politiques, comme des interventions du droit communautaire dans le cadre de sa propre œuvre d’harmonisation des procédures de passation, vient redéfinir le rôle des politiques sociales et environnementales, tant au sein des objectifs endogènes du droit des marchés publics qu’en dehors de son cadre réglementaire, appelé dans ce cas à servir de levier
As a fundamental driving force of public economy, public procurement has traditionally been an area of diverse and often competing interests. Such contradictory interests are the efficiency of budgetary management and transparency in public life within national legal systems, free competition and open access of financial stakeholders in award procedures within the European regulatory framework. At the same time, the instrumentalisation of public procurement in order to serve political goals not directly linked to it has triggered considerable debate. The attempt of conciliation of social and environmental considerations with the financial requirements of public procurement law aims at enhancing this legal and financial instrument. The role and the legal means for the integration of social and environmental considerations in public procurement, which serve general interest purposes and overriding European law objectives, have not yet been clarified. The regulatory interventions of the Member States, on the one hand, and the harmonization attempts of the European Union, on the other, create a constantly changing political climate. In that context, the role of social and environmental policies is redefined both within the framework of primary objectives of public procurement law, as well as outside this regulatory framework which is used as a policy tool in this context

This dissertation consists of three separate, but inter-related, studies overarching a common theme labeled "the role played by social and environmental accounting disclosures using different methodologies and framed within legitimacy theory." The first study investigates the use of different language techniques in social and environmental disclosures (SED) and tests whether the impression management hypothesis holds when disclosures are measured as such. The second study extends the "legitimacy on the Internet" arguments of Patten and Crampton (2004) by examining the content and presentation of corporate website environmental disclosure in relation to firm environmental performance of four size-matched sample groups constructed based on industry environmental sensitivity and America's Toxic 100 membership (the top 100 polluters in the US). The third study investigates whether and how Total, one of the world's largest integrated oil and gas companies headquartered in France, utilized legitimation strategies such as social and environmental disclosures, to respond to two significant environmental incidents. Taken together, these three studies build upon prior theoretical and empirical work to substantiate and advance social and environmental accounting research using various methodological lenses and perspectives.
Ph.D.
School of Accounting
Business Administration
Business Administration: Ph.D.

This thesis is concerned with strategic (economic) organisation, as applied to the long-term care system in England. This work adopts a transaction cost perspective. The main hypotheses are: first, that the transaction costs generated by (public sector) hierarchies in social care are lower than those generated in quasi-markets. Second, that production costs in hierarchies are greater than in markets. Third, that contingent contract use is associated with comparatively higher prices and mark-up rates, and greater net transaction costs. The motivation for this work is first to address perceived limitations of the theory in a comparative public sector application. Second, to inform the empirical and policy debate on social care reform. Following an account of the historical policy and institutional context, a multi-period, comparative theoretical model was developed, building on the contract theory literature. It underpins a systematic empirical analysis of care home services - at local authority and care home level - for older people in 1998 and 1999. Various estimation techniques addressed the skewed nature of the data and the panel design. The estimation results supported the theoretical hypotheses. Point estimates of marginal and average transaction costs were £6 and £21 per place per week respectively for hierarchies and £41 and £56 for placements under the market governance archetype, statistically significant differences. For production costs, a significant difference was found in the other direction: £89 for hierarchy and £55 for markets at the margin. Overall, the total (production + transaction) costs were not significantly different. Contingent contract use was associated with higher prices relative to average variable costs of 8% of average price compared with non-contingent contracts. The analysis pointed to low profitability rates and that providers are not solely motivated by profit (only taking 55% of potential profit). Policy implications were explored for both the markets-hierarchies and contracts analyses.

This thesis investigates volunteering and place-belonging amongst historical and environmental interest groups in The National Forest. With the main focus on the nature of environmental and local historical interest groups, the volunteers who are involved with these groups and their senses of belonging and relationships with place. Based on a review of 59 environmental and historical interest groups, 41 interviews, seven ethnographic participations and consideration of various group documents this study investigates the composition of these environmental groups, the volunteers who choose to be involved with these groups and their senses of belonging and relationships with the changing places they are active within. The geographical study area focuses on a specific place which has recently undergone significant landscape changes in relation to the designation of the area as The National Forest. Within The National Forest there are a number of voluntary environmental and historical interest groups operating, which have, through the nature of their interests, developed particular relationships with places. This thesis is based within the wider context of environmental and historical interest volunteering. The groups considered are centred round often interrelated local historical and environmental interests, involving active volunteering in and around the area designated as The National Forest. The scene is set for this research with a critical review of literature relating to volunteering, relationships with place and the development of voluntary environmental and historical interests.

AbstractA range of artificial lighting characteristics have been found to influence our visual and cognitive capabilities, mood, motivation and/or (social) behaviour—all affecting how we (academically) perform. One such influential characteristic is spatial contrast, or the way light is distributed in space causing a pattern of light and darkness. This study looks at if and how spatial contrast influences pupil behaviour, and specifically their ability to concentrate. We first explored whether variances in pupil noise, physical activity and mood, which have been found to affect concentration, occur when exposed to either a high or a low spatial contrast in their learning environment. Preliminary data from field experiments in a primary school indicates towards decreased noise levels and improved environmental satisfaction when a high spatial contrast condition is present. This implies improved environmental circumstances to concentrate. Further research to confirm this assumption will be undertaken.

AbstractThe nature of the social, environmental, and economic problems we face today requires a new social contract, a Natural Social Contract. A Natural Social Contract does justice to a human being’s natural state (human life is group life) and to the natural position of humankind and society within a larger ecosystem, that of planet Earth. The Natural Social Contract regards society as a social-ecological system, focusing on people as members of a community and as part of a natural ecosystem. It emphasizes long-term sustainability and general welfare by combining human and nature, and recalibrating our unfettered approach to unlimited economic growth, overconsumption, and over-individualization. The end result, I argue, is for the benefit of ourselves, our planet, and future generations.If you are concerned about our society and our planet, and keeping both healthy for future generations, then this book is written for you. And if you have an interest in the systemic changes required to fundamentally shift our social, economic, ecological, and institutional perspectives, this book is for you too. Together, we can promote a sustainable, healthy, and just society and achieve change on the ground. This book offers a way forward.

AbstractThe Qur’anic portrayal of marriage involves some tender imagery even as it establishes it as a social contract—seven centuries before it became so in Europe and 12 centuries before divorce terms were included in the latter. Monogamy is very much the norm as well as the ideal in the Qur’an, with polygyny only sanctioned in specific circumstances and under certain conditions. Muhammad’s personal story gives life to Qur’anic values in this regard, with 25 years of a monogamous marriage to his first wife followed by 12 years of polygyny after her death involving a total of 11 other women. Ten out of the 12 women he married over time were widows, unsurprising given the Qur’anic rationale for polygyny. Meanwhile, interfaith marriage is blessed in the Qur’an, i.e. without the non-Muslim party having to convert to Islam.

The need for widespread introduction of renewable energy sources requires giving attention to all his components as follows energetic, environmental, operational, economic and social efficiency. Today, a more promising way is the use of solar energy to obtain liquid and gaseous fuels in detail to produce liquid and gaseous fuels [1, 10, 11]. In contrast to wind turbines and photovoltaic power stations, the cost of introducing biogas plants pays back from 5 to 26 months, that depend on the volume of reactors [12]. With the introduction of biogas technologies, the following goals can be achieved: cheap production of heat and electric energy (individual and state level), increasing crop yields through the using of effluent (individual and state level); improving the quality of agricultural products - the production of ecologically safe products; improving the social conditions of the rural population by creating a closed energy-saving production (individual and state level); preservation of forest plantations and reduction of soil erosion (mainly at the state level); savings due to lower energy costs and fertilizers (state level); reduction of internal migration from rural areas (state level).

This work discusses the importance of the site in the morphological structuring of urban centres. Studies on the implantation of the city of Belo Horizonte, located in the state of Minas Gerais Brazil, show that the occupation of the city occurred initially in the valleys. This was due to the favourable conditions of the topography, which allowed an orthogonal layout in the central area. In spite of this, since the city’s foundation, the most rugged areas have been occupied by favelas, whose layout differed from the dominant pattern. As flat areas became scarce, the hilly regions, possessing long strips of land, were also subdivided and exploited due to their substantially lower land prices. Although the favelas sprung up spontaneously and the new settlements were planned, both had similarities in the layout of the streets which were adjusted to the steep contours and the geological conditions of the terrain. At the same time, the plot defined another configuration in the subdivisions, in which the building was occupied by only a single family and, in most cases, the building was separated from the street by high walls. As a consequence, the relationship between public and private space became severely compromised. In the case of the favelas, the formal inexistence of the plot is demonstrated in the juxtaposition of the dwellings, in which each residence is constructed above another in extremely confined space. The relationship with the street also differs in these places, since the first floor often freely connects to the street, integrating the dwelling with the public space and thus contributing to the social life of the community. This is furthermore in contrast to the previously noted walled environments characterising planned areas. The analysis of these parameters could profitably be utilised in new designs that appropriate some of the popular solutions better suited to the environment, and in turn, integrate them into public policy.References: FERREIRA, M. G.(1997) O sítio e a formação da paisagem urbana: um estudo do município de Belo Horizonte. 1997. Dissertação (Mestrado em Geografia). Instituto de Geociências, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais. MASUO, K. (2015). An organic method of village rehabilitation through a reconstruction archetype based on vernacular architecture. International Seminar on Urban Form, ISUF 2015, Rome. McHARG, Ian L. (1992). Design with nature. John Wiley &amp;amp; Sons, Inc. Washington.

The establishment of the state of the massif by a diagnosis on different forest plots is part of a project of monitoring and silvicultural management. The purpose of this study is to assess the health status of the Ouled Bechih forest. The methodology used was the visual assessment of the tree crown of the dominant species (i.e. Quercus suber and Quercus canariensis) according to the protocols DEPEFEU, DEPERIS and ICP Forests. These protocols were selected for adoption based on field observations and their applicability in record time. The results obtained indicate that the health status of the trees within the studied plots is declining. The DEPEFEU value index shows an average of 1.75 for Quercus suber and 2.6 for Quercus canariensis while the DEPERIS has an average level of 2.36 Q. suber in and 3.37 in Q. canariensis. ICP Forests has also contributed to providing clearer information on the consequences of this health situation by deducting an average visibility rate of 1.20 and 2.63; social status of 1.17 and 3.11 and competition of 1.11 and 2.49 for Q. suber and Q. canariensis respectively. In general, the health status of the tree crown is average and almost adapted to the environmental conditions. In contrast, the carrying capacity of biodiversity is low and needs to be improved.

The paper gives an overview of the research project SBC (contract n° GIRD-CT-2000-03007), aimed at the environment protection and rehabilitation, by means of an innovative robotic equipment, purposely developed with active interaction between academia and industries, showing joint issues as for scientific, technological, economic, social and cultural aspects, along the challenging track to eco-consistency. The falls-off bring forth:- a new technology: the sub-bottom wire cutting; - a reliably tailored set-up: the robotic platform; - a low-impact duty-scheme: the dig-and-saw process; - a safe work-cycle: the remote monitoring and control. The Sub Bottom Cutter, SBC, approach grants highly conservative decommissioning operations of dismissed submerged offshore structures. Due to surrounding hostility (pressure, temperature, pollution, ...), the robot is remotely controlled from the surface, where a human operator monitors the task advance intervening if any snag occurs. The equipment uses the diamond wire technology (DWT) to cut the pile foundations beneath the sea bottom. The result is the full removal of the structure, which may be made by steel, concrete or a combination of the two, and the consequent restoration of the underwater environment, according to the enacted laws and regulations. The project originality relies on combining and improving known and co-operating technologies, namely: diamond wire cutting and sub-bottom operation; robot-based tools and remote monitoring and control. This leads to the never attempted task of shearing below sea bottom in a hostile environment by a low-impact duty-scheme (dig-and-saw), through reliable and safe process (unmanned work-cycles). The prospected technique allows the environmentally safe disposal of offshore installations (wellheads, platforms, terminals and sea-lines), as well as marine and harbour structures, limiting the volume of the seabed excavation to less than 10 m3 per each access to the structure to be cut, like, jacket piles or wellheads, etc.. The excavated volume of the solid materials per single dig is estimated to be 100–150 times less than the one removed by conventional dredge systems. Moreover, sub-bottom diamond wire cutting leaves mainly unaltered the surroundings, with most of metal discharges trapped at the operation site. The project was successfully fulfilled, and a prototypal equipment has been tested during July 2003, within a marine surroundings, properly accomplishing the cutting sequence. The paper presents an overall discussion of the technical background required by the case peculiarities, and summarises the main design incumbents faced for the ideation and the construction of the robotic platform. Emphasis equally focuses on the structural checks and on the work-cycle performance, with due account of the task specification, the prototype definition, the conditioning computational and experimental checks and the basic monitoring and overseeing environment asuuring reliable remote govern. The key benefits of the finally achieved prototype show the very relevant outcomes of the solution, such as: the use of a clean process, not interfering with the equilibrium of the marine habitat; the integrated design of mechanics, hydraulics and the underwater functional components; the unmanned operation, ruled by an intelligent remote control/drive station on surface; the guarantee of the completion of the cutting task, provided by remote monitoring; the previous assessment of life-cycle performance, by digital prototyping and virtual testing; the optimisation in terms of environmental impact, overall efficiency and system reliability for the use underwater, and the low energy consumption in relation to the total power applied (250/300 kW); the unaltered overall efficiency of removed structures and materials characteristics involved in the cutting process, thus allowing the re-use for the same or different work-scopes; the noteworthy efficiency of the dig-and-saw process, and the comparative low over-all costs. The presentation offers a noteworthy example where the integrated desing grants the successful merging of technologies, to efficiently and reliably fulfill demanding duties. The demand to restore uncontaminated conditions of marine sites modified by men activity and the global spreading of off-shore reclamation tasks require international concern, as, today, proper technologies are missing as for human and for environment safety. The urgency follows, in view of the European sustainability programmes and the North Sea case. In such a context, the prospected development could be winning reference.

Abstract This paper aims to detail key success factors in understanding the effective principles of managing the health and well-being of the contractor workforce during and post pandemics, specifically for organizations in the oil, gas and energy industry. Furthermore, it shall provide insights and guidance on how to maintain and enhance contractor workforce experience, particularly during and post the COVID-19 pandemic; detailing the benefits of having well-established health management programs designed specifically for the contractor workforce. The social determinants of health (SDH) can be defined as the social and economic conditions in which people are born, grow, live, learn, work and age. They are nonmedical factors that influence a vast range of health conditions; affecting individuals' overall quality-of-life. Economic policies, social norms and political systems are all examples of forces and factors that shape daily life conditions and affect human health (ODPHP, n.d.; WHO, n.d.a). SDH also encompasses education, employment, socioeconomic status, access to health care, social support as well as neighborhood and physical environment (Artiga and Hinton, 2018). SDH have a crucial influence on health disparities and inequities – "the unfair and avoidable differences in health status seen within and between countries" (CDC, 2020). A well-known key factor in the emergence and perpetuation of health disparities is housing. Several researchers from a diverse array of disciplines explored the various aspects of the association between housing, health and well-being. They endeavored to comprehensively elucidate the major pathways through which housing conditions can negatively impact health equity, with a focus on the broad spectrum of hazardous exposures, their accumulated impact and their historical production. As reported by Rolfe et al. (2020), there is compelling evidence of poor physical health consequences of toxins within homes, damp and mold, cold indoor temperatures, overcrowding, and safety factors. Beyond the aforementioned impacts of physical aspects of housing on physical health, poor housing conditions have also been linked with high risks of poor mental health and well-being (Pevalin et al., 2017).

Environmental justice (EJ) activists have long worked with abolitionists in their communities, critiquing the ways policing, prisons, and pollution are entangled and racially constituted (Braz and Gilmore 2006). Yet, much EJ scholarship reflects a liberal Western focus on a more equal distribution of harms, rather than challenging the underlying systems of exploitation these harms rest upon (Álvarez and Coolsaet 2020). This article argues that policing facilitates environmentally unjust developments that are inherently harmful to nature and society. Policing helps enforce a social order rooted in the ‘securing’ of property, hierarchy, and human-nature exploitation. Examining the colonial continuities of policing, we argue that EJ must challenge the assumed necessity of policing, overcome the mythology of the state as ‘arbiter of justice’, and work to create social conditions in which policing is unnecessary. This will help open space to question other related harmful hegemonic principles. Policing drives environmental injustice, so EJ must embrace abolition.

It has often been recognised that the average height of a population is influencedby the economic, social and environmental conditions in which it finds itself, andthis insight has inspired a generation of historians to use anthropometric data toinvestigate the health and wellbeing of past populations. This paper reviews someof the main developments in the field, and assesses the extent to which heightremains a viable measure of historical wellbeing. It explores a number of differentissues, including the nature of human growth; the impact of variations in diet andexposure to disease; the role of ethnicity; the relationships between height, mortalityand labour productivity; and the “social value” of human stature. It concludes that,despite certain caveats, height has retained its capacity to act as a “mirror” of theconditions of past societies, and of the wellbeing of their members.

Education remains crucial for socioeconomic development and is linked to improved quality of life. In Nigeria, basic education has remained poor and is characterised by unhealthy attributes, including low quality infrastructure and a lack of effective management of primary and secondary schools. Access to education is a massive issue—according to the United Nations, there are currently about 10.5 million out of school children in Nigeria, and 1 in every 5 of the world’s out-of-school-children lives in Nigeria despite the fact that primary education in Nigeria is free. A considerable divide exists between the northern and southern regions of Nigeria, with the southern region performing better across most education metrics. That said, many children in southern Nigeria also do not go to school. In Nigeria’s South West Zone, 2016 data from the Nigerian Federal Ministry of Education reveals that Lagos State has the highest number of out of school children with more than 560,000 children aged 6-11 not going to school. In the South South Zone, Rivers State has the highest number of out-of-school children; more than 900,000 children aged 6-11 are not able to access education in this state. In Enugu State in the South East Zone, there are more than 340,000 children who do not have access to schooling (2016 is the most recent year high-quality data is available—these numbers have likely increased due to the impacts of COVID-19). As part of its political economy research project, the RISE Nigeria team conducted surveys of education stakeholders in Enugu State including teachers, parents, school administrators, youth leaders, religious leaders, and others in December 2020. The team also visited 10 schools in Nkanu West Local Government Area (LGA), Nsukka LGA, and Udi LGA to speak to administrators and teachers, and assess conditions. It then held three RISE Education Summits, in which RISE team members facilitated dialogues between stakeholders and political leaders about improving education policies and outcomes in Enugu. These types of interactions are rare in Nigeria and have the potential to impact the education sector by increasing local demand for quality education and government accountability in providing it. Inputs from the surveys in the LGAs determined the education sector issues included in the agenda for the meeting, which political leaders were able to see in advance. The Summits culminated with the presentation of a social contract, which the team hopes will aid stakeholders in the education sector in monitoring the government’s progress on education priorities. This article draws on stakeholder surveys and conversations, insights from the Education Summits, school visits, and secondary data to provide an overview of educational challenges in Enugu State with a focus on basic education. It then seeks to highlight potential solutions to these problems based on local stakeholders’ insights from the surveys and the outcomes of the Education Summits.

Macroeconomic summary Several factors contributed to an increase in projected inflation on the forecast horizon, keeping it above the target rate. These included inflation in December that surpassed expectations (5.62%), indexation to higher inflation rates for various baskets in the consumer price index (CPI), a significant real increase in the legal minimum wage, persistent external and domestic inflationary supply shocks, and heightened exchange rate pressures. The CPI for foods was affected by the persistence of external and domestic supply shocks and was the most significant contributor to unexpectedly high inflation in the fourth quarter. Price adjustments for fuels and certain utilities can explain the acceleration in inflation for regulated items, which was more significant than anticipated. Prices in the CPI for goods excluding food and regulated items also rose more than expected. This was partly due to a smaller effect on prices from the national government’s VAT-free day than anticipated by the technical staff and more persistent external pressures, including via peso depreciation. By contrast, the CPI for services excluding food and regulated items accelerated less than expected, partly reflecting strong competition in the communications sector. This was the only major CPI basket for which prices increased below the target inflation rate. The technical staff revised its inflation forecast upward in response to certain external shocks (prices, costs, and depreciation) and domestic shocks (e.g., on meat products) that were stronger and more persistent than anticipated in the previous report. Observed inflation and a real increase in the legal minimum wage also exceeded expectations, which would boost inflation by affecting price indexation, labor costs, and inflation expectations. The technical staff now expects year-end headline inflation of 4.3% in 2022 and 3.4% in 2023; core inflation is projected to be 4.5% and 3.6%, respectively. These forecasts consider the lapse of certain price relief measures associated with the COVID-19 health emergency, which would contribute to temporarily keeping inflation above the target on the forecast horizon. It is important to note that these estimates continue to contain a significant degree of uncertainty, mainly related to the development of external and domestic supply shocks and their ultimate effects on prices. Other contributing factors include high price volatility and measurement uncertainty related to the extension of Colombia’s health emergency and tax relief measures (such as the VAT-free days) associated with the Social Investment Law (Ley de Inversión Social). The as-yet uncertain magnitude of the effects of a recent real increase in the legal minimum wage (that was high by historical standards) and high observed and expected inflation, are additional factors weighing on the overall uncertainty of the estimates in this report. The size of excess productive capacity remaining in the economy and the degree to which it is closing are also uncertain, as the evolution of the pandemic continues to represent a significant forecast risk. margin, could be less dynamic than expected. And the normalization of monetary policy in the United States could come more quickly than projected in this report, which could negatively affect international financing costs. Finally, there remains a significant degree of uncertainty related to the duration of supply chocks and the degree to which macroeconomic and political conditions could negatively affect the recovery in investment. The technical staff revised its GDP growth projection for 2022 from 4.7% to 4.3% (Graph 1.3). This revision accounts for the likelihood that a larger portion of the recent positive dynamic in private consumption would be transitory than previously expected. This estimate also contemplates less dynamic investment behavior than forecast in the previous report amid less favorable financial conditions and a highly uncertain investment environment. Third-quarter GDP growth (12.9%), which was similar to projections from the October report, and the fourth-quarter growth forecast (8.7%) reflect a positive consumption trend, which has been revised upward. This dynamic has been driven by both public and private spending. Investment growth, meanwhile, has been weaker than forecast. Available fourth-quarter data suggest that consumption spending for the period would have exceeded estimates from October, thanks to three consecutive months that included VAT-free days, a relatively low COVID-19 caseload, and mobility indicators similar to their pre-pandemic levels. By contrast, the most recently available figures on new housing developments and machinery and equipment imports suggest that investment, while continuing to rise, is growing at a slower rate than anticipated in the previous report. The trade deficit is expected to have widened, as imports would have grown at a high level and outpaced exports. Given the above, the technical staff now expects fourth-quarter economic growth of 8.7%, with overall growth for 2021 of 9.9%. Several factors should continue to contribute to output recovery in 2022, though some of these may be less significant than previously forecast. International financial conditions are expected to be less favorable, though external demand should continue to recover and terms of trade continue to increase amid higher projected oil prices. Lower unemployment rates and subsequent positive effects on household income, despite increased inflation, would also boost output recovery, as would progress in the national vaccination campaign. The technical staff expects that the conditions that have favored recent high levels of consumption would be, in large part, transitory. Consumption spending is expected to grow at a slower rate in 2022. Gross fixed capital formation (GFCF) would continue to recover, approaching its pre-pandemic level, though at a slower rate than anticipated in the previous report. This would be due to lower observed GFCF levels and the potential impact of political and fiscal uncertainty. Meanwhile, the policy interest rate would be less expansionary as the process of monetary policy normalization continues. Given the above, growth in 2022 is forecast to decelerate to 4.3% (previously 4.7%). In 2023, that figure (3.1%) is projected to converge to levels closer to the potential growth rate. In this case, excess productive capacity would be expected to tighten at a similar rate as projected in the previous report. The trade deficit would tighten more than previously projected on the forecast horizon, due to expectations of an improved export dynamic and moderation in imports. The growth forecast for 2022 considers a low basis of comparison from the first half of 2021. However, there remain significant downside risks to this forecast. The current projection does not, for example, account for any additional effects on economic activity resulting from further waves of COVID-19. High private consumption levels, which have already surpassed pre-pandemic levels by a large margin, could be less dynamic than expected. And the normalization of monetary policy in the United States could come more quickly than projected in this report, which could negatively affect international financing costs. Finally, there remains a significant degree of uncertainty related to the duration of supply chocks and the degree to which macroeconomic and political conditions could negatively affect the recovery in investment. External demand for Colombian goods and services should continue to recover amid significant global inflation pressures, high oil prices, and less favorable international financial conditions than those estimated in October. Economic activity among Colombia’s major trade partners recovered in 2021 amid countries reopening and ample international liquidity. However, that growth has been somewhat restricted by global supply chain disruptions and new outbreaks of COVID-19. The technical staff has revised its growth forecast for Colombia’s main trade partners from 6.3% to 6.9% for 2021, and from 3.4% to 3.3% for 2022; trade partner economies are expected to grow 2.6% in 2023. Colombia’s annual terms of trade increased in 2021, largely on higher oil, coffee, and coal prices. This improvement came despite increased prices for goods and services imports. The expected oil price trajectory has been revised upward, partly to supply restrictions and lagging investment in the sector that would offset reduced growth forecasts in some major economies. Elevated freight and raw materials costs and supply chain disruptions continue to affect global goods production, and have led to increases in global prices. Coupled with the recovery in global demand, this has put upward pressure on external inflation. Several emerging market economies have continued to normalize monetary policy in this context. Meanwhile, in the United States, the Federal Reserve has anticipated an end to its asset buying program. U.S. inflation in December (7.0%) was again surprisingly high and market average inflation forecasts for 2022 have increased. The Fed is expected to increase its policy rate during the first quarter of 2022, with quarterly increases anticipated over the rest of the year. For its part, Colombia’s sovereign risk premium has increased and is forecast to remain on a higher path, to levels above the 15-year-average, on the forecast horizon. This would be partly due to the effects of a less expansionary monetary policy in the United States and the accumulation of macroeconomic imbalances in Colombia. Given the above, international financial conditions are projected to be less favorable than anticipated in the October report. The increase in Colombia’s external financing costs could be more significant if upward pressures on inflation in the United States persist and monetary policy is normalized more quickly than contemplated in this report. As detailed in Section 2.3, uncertainty surrounding international financial conditions continues to be unusually high. Along with other considerations, recent concerns over the potential effects of new COVID-19 variants, the persistence of global supply chain disruptions, energy crises in certain countries, growing geopolitical tensions, and a more significant deceleration in China are all factors underlying this uncertainty. The changing macroeconomic environment toward greater inflation and unanchoring risks on inflation expectations imply a reduction in the space available for monetary policy stimulus. Recovery in domestic demand and a reduction in excess productive capacity have come in line with the technical staff’s expectations from the October report. Some upside risks to inflation have materialized, while medium-term inflation expectations have increased and are above the 3% target. Monetary policy remains expansionary. Significant global inflationary pressures and the unexpected increase in the CPI in December point to more persistent effects from recent supply shocks. Core inflation is trending upward, but remains below the 3% target. Headline and core inflation projections have increased on the forecast horizon and are above the target rate through the end of 2023. Meanwhile, the expected dynamism of domestic demand would be in line with low levels of excess productive capacity. An accumulation of macroeconomic imbalances in Colombia and the increased likelihood of a faster normalization of monetary policy in the United States would put upward pressure on sovereign risk perceptions in a more persistent manner, with implications for the exchange rate and the natural rate of interest. Persistent disruptions to international supply chains, a high real increase in the legal minimum wage, and the indexation of various baskets in the CPI to higher inflation rates could affect price expectations and push inflation above the target more persistently. These factors suggest that the space to maintain monetary stimulus has continued to diminish, though monetary policy remains expansionary. 1.2 Monetary policy decision Banco de la República’s board of directors (BDBR) in its meetings in December 2021 and January 2022 voted to continue normalizing monetary policy. The BDBR voted by a majority in these two meetings to increase the benchmark interest rate by 50 and 100 basis points, respectively, bringing the policy rate to 4.0%.