The chosen socio-economic problems of protecting valuable agricultural land in Natura 2000 areas in Poland

Purpose: Intensive development of agriculture has led to the loss of many valuable ecosystems and thus to a significant impoverishment of biodiversity in rural areas. In the context of the analysed research problem, i.e. the functioning of agriculture in N2000 areas, Poland is a special country where there are semi-natural unique habitats disappearing in the European landscape. The aim of the study was to assess the effectiveness of conservation measures financed under the EU CAP on agricultural land located on N2000 areas. Design/Methodology/Approach: The analytical material consisted of the results of surveys using a standardized questionnaire which carried out among 292 farmers (152 organic farmers and 140 conventional farmers) from the the area of N2000 "Biebrza Valley" PLH200008. The assumptions were verified based on the Kruskal-Wallis ANOVA analysis and gamma rank correlation. The analytical material also consisted of EUROSTAT data on the area of the N2000 network and the area of agricultural land covered by this form of protection in EU countries. These data were subject to horizontal and vertical (years 2009-2017) comparative analysis. Findings: Polish experience regarding the implementation of conservation measures on naturally valuable agricultural land (N2000) allows to state that environmental policy should be based on the idea of socially sustainable agriculture, including ecological sustainability (proper delimitation of areas predestined for protection, their environmental valorisation, development of conservation measures and their implementation, a bonus system for the sustainability of agri-environmental commitments), economic sustainability (the system of agricultural subsidies and/or other solutions to meet the basic living needs of farmers and their families), social sustainability (effective inclusion of local communities in information, education and decision-making processes at the stages of development, deployment and implementation of protection programs). Practical Implications: The recommendations resulting from the conducted research and analyses may be adopted by the institutions responsible for the creation of an environmental protection policy which can improve the effectiveness of active forms of protection in valuable natural habitats that are used for agriculture. Originality/Value: The article indicates the recommendations based on building a lasting relationship between farmers and the protection of the environment.peer-reviewe

Fertility in times of discontinuous societal change: the case of Central and Eastern Europe

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Minding the aesthetic: The place of the literary in education and research.

The article discusses the significance of aesthetic as a mode of cognition and means of social cohesion. It notes the relation of aesthetic knowledge with the perception or intuition, the emergence of such awareness into something durable and the response to the embodiment. It describes the evolution of aesthetic delight in the human species, the sense of sense of beauty arising on one's realization of the formal qualities of something, through the poem presented by the author on achievement

Households’ saving and debt in Italy

We review savings trends in Italy, summarizing available empirical evidence on Italians’ motives to save, relying on macroeconomic indicators as well as on data drawn from the Bank of Italy’s Survey of Household Income and Wealth from 1984 to 2004. The macroeconomic data indicate that households’ saving has dropped significantly, although Italy continues to rank above most other countries in terms of saving. We then examine with microeconomic data four indicators of household financial conditions: the propensity to save, the proportion of households with negative savings, the proportion of households with debt, and the proportion of households that lack access to formal credit markets. By international comparison, the level of debt of Italian households and default risk are relatively low. But in light of the deep changes undergone by the Italian pension system, the fall in saving is a concern, particularly for individuals who entered the labor market after the 1995 reform and who have experienced the largest decline in pension wealth. JEL Classification: D9

Catastrophic Health Expenditures And Impoverishment In Kenya

Background: Out-of-pocket health expenditures leave households exposed to the risk of financial catastrophe and poverty whenever they entail significant dissaving or the sale of key household assets. Even relatively small expenditures on health can be financially disastrous for poor households and similarly, large health care expenditures can lead to financial catastrophe and bankruptcy for rich households. Objective: There is increasing evidence that out-of-pocket expenditures act as a financial barrier to accessing health care, and are a source of catastrophic expenditures and impoverishment. This paper estimates the burden of out-of-pocket payments in Kenya; the incidence and intensity of catastrophic health care expenditure and impoverishment in Kenya. Methods: Using Kenya Household Health Expenditures and Utilization Survey data of 2007, the study uses both descriptive and econometric analysis to investigate the incidence and intensity of catastrophic health expenditures and impoverishment as well as the determinants of catastrophic health expenditures. To estimate the incidence and intensity of catastrophic expenditures and impoverishment, the study used both Wagstaff and van Doorslaer, (2002) and Xu et al. (2005) and applied various thresholds to demonstrate the sensitivity of catastrophic measures. For determinants of catastrophic health expenditures, a logit model was employed. Findings: Among those who utilized health care, 11.7 percent experienced catastrophic expenditures and 4 percent were impoverished by health care payments. In addition, approximately 2.5 million individuals were pushed into poverty as a result of paying for health care. The poor experienced the highest incidence of catastrophic expenditures. Conclusion: The paper recommends that the government should establish avenues for reducing the burden of out-of-pocket expenditures borne by households. This could be through a legal requirement for everyone to belong to a health insurance and targeting the poor, the elderly and chronically ill through the devolved system of the government and devolved funds

The [Not So] Hidden Curriculum of the Legalist State in the Book of Lord Shang and the Han-Fei-Zi

This paper loosely draws some parallels between the experience of a subject in a so-called “Legalist” state with that of a contemporary student in Western schooling today. I explore how governance in the Book of Lord Shang and the Hanfeizi can be interpreted as pedagogy. Defining pedagogy in a relatively broad sense, I investigate the rationalizations for the existence of the state, the application of state mechanisms, and even the concentration of the ruler’s power all teach subjects habits, attitudes, and sensibilities in a similar fashion to what Philip Jackson called the “hidden curriculum”. Through his framework of “crowds, praise, and power” this paper will explore how governance teaches and what those subjected to it learn. This study also attempts to provide some insight into the usefulness of approaching “Legalist” texts with a positive sociological lens