Welfare state reform and in-work poverty in the Netherlands

This paper describes the development of in-work poverty in the Netherlands from 1996 until 2005 and examines whether in-work poverty is related to recent social security and welfare state reforms (a new ideology of an ‘activating welfare state’ and numerous policy measures to reduce the number of social benefit claimants and to promote work). Using large-scale administrative data (from the Dutch tax services) we found that the in-work poverty risk in the Netherlands was quite constant (fluctuating between 5.3 and 6.6 percent). We expected that because of the social security reforms more individuals with vulnerable labour market positions are pushed into the labour market but are nevertheless unable to escape from poverty. This would result in more working individuals below the poverty line. However, this is not the case. But even with a constant in-work poverty risk the number of working poor individuals increases over the years. As a result, there is a gradual shift within the Dutch poverty population from non-working to working poor. We conclude that in-work poverty – once the typical face of poverty in liberal welfare states such as the USA – also became a familiar phenomenon in the Netherlands. The majority of the Dutch working poor belongs to this category for only one year. However, a limited but significant number of individuals is working poor for three years or more. In-work poverty occurs relatively often after individuals experience a transition from social benefits (particularly social assistance) to work

The silent transformation of the Dutch welfare state and the rise of in-work poverty

INTRODUCTION - Until recently, scholars argued that different welfare state regimes create different kinds of poverty. The typical face of poverty in liberal welfare states such as the USA is that of the working poor. The relatively large number of working poor in the USA is a consequence of the central characteristics of a liberal welfare state (Esping-Andersen, 1990). The combination of marginal social protection and low minimum wages creates a situation in which vulnerable people are often forced to work but remain poor (Jencks, 2005; Neubeck, 2006). On the other hand, because of the low wage levels in the USA, there is ample low-skilled and low-paid work available for those people who depend on this segment of the labour market. Such jobs are often lacking in the more developed welfare states of the European continent. As a result, there are many US citizens who work but are nevertheless poor. Moreover, working poor individuals often have to combine several low-paid jobs in order to make ends meet – a situation that has been vividly described in ethnographic studies about the American working poor (Ehrenreich, 2002; Newman, 1999; Venkatesh, 2006)

Asielmigratie en criminaliteit

Het vraagstuk van asielmigratie staat al jaren hoog op de politiek-maatschappelijke agenda. De mate van betrokkenheid van asielzoekers bij criminaliteit is onderwerp van een beladen discussie die desondanks, of wellicht juist daardoor, een degelijke empirische onderbouwing mist. Dat betreft eerst en vooral een betrouwbaar cijfermatig inzicht in de betrokkenheid van asielzoekers bij criminaliteit. Dat kan vervolgens als opmaat dienen voor nader onderzoek naar achterliggende verklaringen, oorzaken en omstandigheden. Voor Politie en Wetenschap was het aanleiding voor een meeromvattend drieluik naar zowel de aard en omvang als de achtergronden van betrokkenheid bij criminaliteit van drie groepen asielzoekers: asielzoekers in procedure, (ex-)asielzoekers die een formele status hebben verworven en 'illegalen': asielzoekers wier asielaanvraag is afgewezen. Dit deel van het drieluik geeft een overzicht van de aard en omvang van de criminaliteit onder in Nederland verblijvende asielmigranten (waaronder afgewezen asielzoekers, toegelaten asielzoekers en asielzoekers in de procedure). De studie is gebaseerd op de registraties van de Immigratie- en Naturalisatiedienst en de politie voor de periode 1995-2004. De onderzoekers geven niet alleen een gedegen cijfermatige beschrijving van de aangetroffen criminaliteitspatronen, maar gaan ook in op de vraag in hoeverre de verblijfsstatus van invloed is op betrokkenheid bij misdaad

Integrated stratigraphical study of the Rhuddanian-Aeronian (Llandovery, Silurian) boundary succession in the Rheidol Gorge, Wales:A proposed Global Stratotype Section and Point for the base of the Aeronian Stage

The Rheidol Gorge section, approximately 17 km east of Aberystwyth, mid Wales, exposes a ca. 20 m-thick succession of Llandovery (Silurian) strata from the upper Rhuddanian Pernerograptus revolutus Biozone through the lower Aeronian Demirastrites triangulatus Biozone and basal Neodiplograptus magnus Biozone. The section records deposition under a range of bottom-water oxygenation states. The Rhuddanian-Aeronian boundary is located 0.8 m above an abrupt lithological change from predominantly organic-poor, bioturbated `oxic' mudrocks to an interval of black, richly graptolitic `anoxic' shales. The graptolite fauna through the boundary interval, including the local lowest occurrence of D. triangulatus, allows precise correlation with other parts of the world. Graptolite assemblages indicative of separate divisions in the underlying revolutus Biozone and of the lower and upper parts of the triangulatus Biozone are also present. Chitinozoans are relatively well preserved in the section and indicate the Spinachitina maennili Biozone throughout the boundary interval, as is widely the case. The results of carbon isotope analyses from organic matter indistinctly show the weak interval of positive shift in d13C org values through the Rhuddanian-Aeronian boundary interval, as observed globally, though local or regional processes appear largely to overprint the global signal. Overall, the excellent biostratigraphical record, well-documented local and regional stratigraphical context, historical significance, as well as easy access and assured longterm preservation, mean that the Rheidol Gorge section can be proposed as a strong candidate for a new Global Stratotype Section and Point for the base of the Aeronian Stage.. Silurian, Llandovery, Rhuddanian, Aeronian, Global Stratotype Section and Point, Graptolites, Chitinozoa, Carbon Isotope

Civic stratification and crime. A comparison of Asylum Migration With Different Legal Statuses

Contrary to natural born citizens, migrants can have a variety of legal statuses depending on how they are classified by immigration law. Together, such legal or ‘civic’ statuses constitute a system of civic stratification, from high (privileged) to low (restricted). Recent scholarship highlights the relevance of immigration law for understanding crime patterns. We analytically synthesize this literature and extend it empirically by examining its usefulness in explaining the relationship between asylum migrants’ civic statuses in The Netherlands and their chances of being registered as a crime suspect. Logistic regression analyses were conducted using a unique dataset in which comprehensive administrative data from various governmental sources were combined. Four civic status groups were compared: naturalized citizens, residence permit holders, asylum seekers in the procedure, and former asylum seekers whose stay in the country had become unauthorized. The results suggest that strain theory and more constructionist stances are required in order to understand the complex relationship between civic stratification and crime. We discuss implications for other countries

Driving pressure during general anesthesia for open abdominal surgery (DESIGNATION) : study protocol of a randomized clinical trial

Background Intraoperative driving pressure (Delta P) is associated with development of postoperative pulmonary complications (PPC). When tidal volume (V-T) is kept constant, Delta P may change according to positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP)-induced changes in lung aeration. Delta P may decrease if PEEP leads to a recruitment of collapsed lung tissue but will increase if PEEP mainly causes pulmonary overdistension. This study tests the hypothesis that individualized high PEEP, when compared to fixed low PEEP, protects against PPC in patients undergoing open abdominal surgery. Methods The "Driving prESsure durIng GeNeral AnesThesIa for Open abdomiNal surgery trial" (DESIGNATION) is an international, multicenter, two-group, double-blind randomized clinical superiority trial. A total of 1468 patients will be randomly assigned to one of the two intraoperative ventilation strategies. Investigators screen patients aged >= 18 years and with a body mass index <= 40 kg/m(2), scheduled for open abdominal surgery and at risk for PPC. Patients either receive an intraoperative ventilation strategy with individualized high PEEP with recruitment maneuvers (RM) ("individualized high PEEP") or one in which PEEP of 5 cm H2O without RM is used ("low PEEP"). In the "individualized high PEEP" group, PEEP is set at the level at which Delta P is lowest. In both groups of the trial, V-T is kept at 8 mL/kg predicted body weight. The primary endpoint is the occurrence of PPC, recorded as a collapsed composite of adverse pulmonary events. Discussion DESIGNATION will be the first randomized clinical trial that is adequately powered to compare the effects of individualized high PEEP with RM versus fixed low PEEP without RM on the occurrence of PPC after open abdominal surgery. The results of DESIGNATION will support anesthesiologists in their decisions regarding PEEP settings during open abdominal surgery

Sequence-based prediction for vaccine strain selection and identification of antigenic variability in foot-and-mouth disease virus

Identifying when past exposure to an infectious disease will protect against newly emerging strains is central to understanding the spread and the severity of epidemics, but the prediction of viral cross-protection remains an important unsolved problem. For foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) research in particular, improved methods for predicting this cross-protection are critical for predicting the severity of outbreaks within endemic settings where multiple serotypes and subtypes commonly co-circulate, as well as for deciding whether appropriate vaccine(s) exist and how much they could mitigate the effects of any outbreak. To identify antigenic relationships and their predictors, we used linear mixed effects models to account for variation in pairwise cross-neutralization titres using only viral sequences and structural data. We identified those substitutions in surface-exposed structural proteins that are correlates of loss of cross-reactivity. These allowed prediction of both the best vaccine match for any single virus and the breadth of coverage of new vaccine candidates from their capsid sequences as effectively as or better than serology. Sub-sequences chosen by the model-building process all contained sites that are known epitopes on other serotypes. Furthermore, for the SAT1 serotype, for which epitopes have never previously been identified, we provide strong evidence - by controlling for phylogenetic structure - for the presence of three epitopes across a panel of viruses and quantify the relative significance of some individual residues in determining cross-neutralization. Identifying and quantifying the importance of sites that predict viral strain cross-reactivity not just for single viruses but across entire serotypes can help in the design of vaccines with better targeting and broader coverage. These techniques can be generalized to any infectious agents where cross-reactivity assays have been carried out. As the parameterization uses pre-existing datasets, this approach quickly and cheaply increases both our understanding of antigenic relationships and our power to control disease