Climate Crisis and Social Protection - From Worker Protection to Post-growth Transformation?

The article discusses five literature strands’ approaches towards social protection systems in the context of climate crisis: Adaptive Social Protection, Just Transition, Green New Deal, Post-growth, and Eco-feminism. As we argue, these five strands are located on a spectrum between a green growth orientation and a green anti-capitalist orientation. Furthermore, they differ in terms of their problematisation of the climate crisis and have different perspectives on relevant actors, on world regions, and – most relevant in the context of social welfare – their conceptualisation of social protection. While Adaptive Social Protection emphasizes cash transfers and insurances, Green New Deal and Just Transition approaches focus more on redistribution and labour market policies, and Post-growth and Eco-feminist approaches more on universalist policies and systems. We argue that these literatures each have their weaknesses, but also offer urgent questions, concepts, and insights for further social policy research

Novel coronavirus 2019-nCoV (COVID-19): early estimation of epidemiological parameters and epidemic size estimates

Since it was first identified, the epidemic scale of the recently emerged novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) in Wuhan, China, has increased rapidly, with cases arising across China and other countries and regions. Using a transmission model, we estimate a basic reproductive number of 3.11 (95% CI, 2.39–4.13), indicating that 58–76% of transmissions must be prevented to stop increasing. We also estimate a case ascertainment rate in Wuhan of 5.0% (95% CI, 3.6–7.4). The true size of the epidemic may be significantly greater than the published case counts suggest, with our model estimating 21 022 (prediction interval, 11 090–33 490) total infections in Wuhan between 1 and 22 January. We discuss our findings in the light of more recent information. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Modelling that shaped the early COVID-19 pandemic response in the UK’

Schmallenberg virus pathogenesis, tropism and interaction with the innate immune system of the host

Schmallenberg virus (SBV) is an emerging orthobunyavirus of ruminants associated with outbreaks of congenital malformations in aborted and stillborn animals. Since its discovery in November 2011, SBV has spread very rapidly to many European countries. Here, we developed molecular and serological tools, and an experimental in vivo model as a platform to study SBV pathogenesis, tropism and virus-host cell interactions. Using a synthetic biology approach, we developed a reverse genetics system for the rapid rescue and genetic manipulation of SBV. We showed that SBV has a wide tropism in cell culture and “synthetic” SBV replicates in vitro as efficiently as wild type virus. We developed an experimental mouse model to study SBV infection and showed that this virus replicates abundantly in neurons where it causes cerebral malacia and vacuolation of the cerebral cortex. These virus-induced acute lesions are useful in understanding the progression from vacuolation to porencephaly and extensive tissue destruction, often observed in aborted lambs and calves in naturally occurring Schmallenberg cases. Indeed, we detected high levels of SBV antigens in the neurons of the gray matter of brain and spinal cord of naturally affected lambs and calves, suggesting that muscular hypoplasia observed in SBV-infected lambs is mostly secondary to central nervous system damage. Finally, we investigated the molecular determinants of SBV virulence. Interestingly, we found a biological SBV clone that after passage in cell culture displays increased virulence in mice. We also found that a SBV deletion mutant of the non-structural NSs protein (SBVΔNSs) is less virulent in mice than wild type SBV. Attenuation of SBV virulence depends on the inability of SBVΔNSs to block IFN synthesis in virus infected cells. In conclusion, this work provides a useful experimental framework to study the biology and pathogenesis of SBV

Austerity, ageing and the financialisation of pensions policy in the UK

This article offers a detailed analysis of the recent history of pensions policy in the United Kingdom, culminating in two apparent ‘revolutions’ in policy now underway: the introduction of ‘automatic enrolment’ into private pensions, and proposals for a new ‘single-tier’ state pension. These reforms are considered exemplary of the ‘financialisation’ of UK welfare provision – typified in pensions policy by the notion that individuals must take personal responsibility for their own long-term financial security, and engage intimately with the financial services industry to do so. As such, the reforms represent the continuation of pensions policy between the Labour and coalition governments, despite the coalition government’s novel rhetorical commitment to austerity. In fact, the pensions revolutions will actually cost the state significantly more than current arrangements, yet the importance of fears about population ageing means that the government is both able to marshal the imagery of austerity to justify financialisation, but is also required to partly conceal the increased expenditure this requires. The article shows therefore how the financialisation agenda in pensions policy was evident before the financial crisis, but has evolved to both take advantage, and mitigate the constraints, of a post-crisis political climate

Shareholders of the world united? Organized labour’s preferences on corporate governance under pension fund capitalism in the United States, United Kingdom and France

This article considers whether organized labour’s engagement with shareholder activism represents a shift in unions’ traditional stakeholder preferences on corporate governance under pension fund capitalism. It does so in light of recent critiques of the class power thesis of corporate governance which suggest greater fluidity and fragmentation in labour’s approach. Adopting a diverse case study strategy to compare organized labour’s actions in the United States, United Kingdom and France, the paper explains these activities as innovative strategies, similar to other revitalization initiatives, designed to advance traditional agendas by alternative means. The paper thus concludes that, while organized labour’s shareholder activism is unexpected under the class power thesis, its core preferences remain largely unchange

The climate crisis and taxation

Few commentators believe the UK government’s policy framework for achieving its target to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to net zero by 2050 is sufficient. There is a strong case for a carbon or energy tax, but from a social policy perspective such taxes raise distributive concerns. Yet, as this chapter shows, taxation of carbon already exists in the UK in a range of fiscal instruments that affect the cost/price of GHG emissions. These have emerged uncoordinated with little concerted analysis of their distributive impact or the adequacy of benefit payments that mitigate impact. The chapter shows existing UK carbon taxation to be highly regressive with mitigation efforts wholly insufficient, particularly with respect to the lowest-income decile households. What is required, it is suggested, is a re-consideration of domestic energy taxation encompassing the development of fully worked through compensatory mechanisms, including universal services delivering basic needs

Molecular and morphological characterization of new interspecific hybrids of alstroemeria originated from A. caryophylleae scented lines

Alstroemeria is a genus native to South America from which many varieties of ornamental plants have been developed and introduced into the market. Interspecific hybridization followed by embryo rescue has been one of the most common breeding techniques to obtain new varieties. This study was aimed at obtaining alstroemeria hybrids through interspecific crosses using novel scented parental lines and assessing these hybrids. A total of 3669 embryos were rescued, from which 18 flowering plants were morphologically evaluated. Flower stem length ranged from 25 (14E07) to 83 cm (14A11) and most of the flowers showed pink/white colors with stripes over the inner tepals. Only 3 hybrids were perceived as scented and one of them (14E08) was evaluated through GC-MS analysis, detecting 9 VOCs, all of them monoterpenes. Molecular analysis using RAPD markers clustered two main groups: (A) hybrids with A. pelegrina as parental line and (B) hybrids coming from the crossing UC05 × C3 and its reciprocal. Moreover through this analysis was possible to subcluster hybrids coming from different seasons. A protocol for obtaining alstroemeria hybrids was successfully developed for this species using molecular and phenotypic evaluation to provide information about their pedigree and to spot those traits which are attractive for the ornamental plant market