The inequality effect in the well-being of European OECD countries: a new perspective on data addressing the multidimensionality of the concepts

Social inequality refers to the uneven distribution of resources in a society that can lead to systematically and unfair advantages/disadvantages in peoples’ life circumstances and opportunities. In populations all over the world, people with fewer resources have worse chances in life, health and well-being. Additionally, inequality hinders not only the people on the bottom of the social rank, but also the general population: in more unequal societies there is a higher incidence of a wide range of health and social problems such as criminality and poverty, fewer chances of economic growth, and higher unbalances in political representation, that can seriously undermine the fairness of political and economic institutions. Despite the consistence of its implications, social inequality is not a one-dimensional construct. Addressing social inequalities, implies not only addressing the degree of concentration or dispersion of valued goods, but also the correlation among these valuable features, and their plural implications in peoples' life circumstances – a multidimensional approach of social inequality is therefore advised. We explore the well-being inequalities in Europe building upon the OECD Framework For Measuring Well-Being And Progress. In this scope, well-being is understood as a multidimensional concept, framed by material conditions, quality of life and sustainability, and expressed by eleven well-being dimensions – income and wealth, jobs and earnings, housing, health, education, work-life balance, environment, social connections, civic engagement, safety and subjective well-being. Taking European Social Survey as the main empirical source, the interplay between key distributional (education, income) and categorical (gender, social class) dimensions of social inequalities in well-being and well-being profiles was studied, under two levels of analysis of the OECD European social space – transnational (across individuals) and national (across countries). Social inequalities on well-being scores and well-being profiles were identified. Higher education, higher income, and belonging to a more privileged social class positively influence well-being; men tend to present higher well-being than women. The four well-being profiles identified among Europeans were shown to be clearly structured by social inequalities, opposing higher- and lower- qualified socio-occupations, and males and females' life circumstances (Low-wage earners well-being profile, Elite well-being profile, Female well-being profile, Male well-being profile). At a country level, profiles are mostly defined in terms of volume of well-being, expressing regional affiliations (with a exception of one profile) and asymmetries of income, education, and class structures (Nordic high-rank well-being profile; Central Europe medium-rank well-being profile; Southern Europe medium-rank well-being profile; Eastern Europe low-rank well-being profile; Social disengagement low-rank well-being profile). The developed analysis confirms the existence of multidimensional intersections between well-being and categorical and distributive social structuring variables.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The left and right hands of the Portuguese state: Welfare retrenchment of public employment

This article focuses on welfare retrenchment in Portugal by analysing the evolution of public sector employment up until 2013. A multidimensional analysis of the structure of public employment in the Portuguese state was developed, theoretically guided by the ‘hands of the state’ model proposed by Bourdieu, which divides the main functions of contemporary states between its left hand (more redistributive) and its right hand (more rational economic-oriented). Bourdieu’s approach is especially useful in addressing the transformations of the Portuguese public employment between 1979 and 2013, characterized by specific economic, social and political changes. In 2013 – a year in which the adjustment measures agreed by the Portuguese government, the European Central Bank, the European Commission and the International Monetary Fund during the global crisis were especially intense – we observed the tendency towards the disqualification of public employment and the shrinking of the left hand of the Portuguese state. Public policy orientations in the areas of education and science were particularly troubling, considering the structural backwardness the country faces in these fields in the context of the European Union.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Descrição de uma abordagem participada com vista ao redesenvolvimento da mina de São Domingos, Alentejo, Portugal

A recuperação de áreas industriais abandonadas tem crescido de importância na Europa. Por um lado, são áreas com problemas ambientais, agravados ou não por problemas económicos e sociais nas comunidades adjacentes. Por outro lado, estas áreas surgem como uma oportunidade para o (re)desenvolvimento local. Este artigo descreve e analisa sucintamente o processo de participação pública implementado no projeto rehmine que, entre outros aspetos, pretendeu contribuir para o planeamento estratégico do redesenvolvimento da Mina de São Domingos. O planeamento espacial estratégico é aqui entendido como uma experiência de aprendizagem social, ambos conceitos úteis na análise crítica das escolhas metodológicas aplicadas.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Behavioural change box? Applying the COM-B model to understand behavioural triggers that support consumption of fruits and vegetable among subscribers of a fruit and vegetable box scheme

OBJECTIVE: To understand the key mechanisms that support healthy dietary habits promoted by fruit and vegetable (F&V) box schemes, testing relevant behaviour change triggers identified under the COM-B model in an evaluation research study of a Portuguese F&V box scheme (PROVE). DESIGN: Correlation study with a post-test-only non-equivalent group design based on survey data. The mechanisms underpinning the differences between subscribers and non-subscribers are operationalised as mediation effects. Data availability, theoretical relevance and empirical validation supported the selection and testing of four potential mediators for the effects of subscribing to the box scheme on F&V consumption. These estimations derive from the coefficients of a structural equation model combined with the product coefficient approach and Sobel test. SETTING: The study is part of a wider evaluation study on the impact of the PROVE box scheme on sustainability, health and equity. PARTICIPANTS: A sample of PROVE box subscribers (n 294) was compared with a matched subsample of non-subscribers (n 571) in a nationally representative survey. RESULTS: Subscribing to the PROVE box correlates with an increased probability of eating at least five portions of F&V, irrespective of differences in age, education and perceived economic difficulties. Diet quality perceptions, and more robustly, the strength of meal habits and household availability were identified as relevant mediators. CONCLUSIONS: The subscription to an F&V box scheme is connected with proximal context that enables the consumption of F&V by ensuring more readily available F&V and better situational conditions associated with healthier meal habits

Back to replacement migration: a new European perspective applying the prospective-age concept

Background: The UN Replacement Migration report (2000) had a significant impact in academic and civil society. Its approach consisted of estimating the migration volumes required to mitigate the effects of population decline and ageing. The volume of migrants required to prevent population decline and sustain the working-age population was not particularly high, but the vast number of migrants needed to maintain the potential support ratio was highlighted as an unrealistic goal. Objective: In this paper the UN exercise is revisited and updated by deploying the concept of prospective age to overcome a strict chronological definition of the working-age population. The replacement migration approach is developed from a new European perspective, the temporal series is extended for an additional decade, and alternative operative age-group definitions are compared by projecting replacement migration estimations according to both classic (conventional) and dynamic (prospective) age limits. Conclusions: The key conclusions of the original UN publication are reasserted. In many countries the replacement migration volumes needed to sustain the decline in total population and working-age population are of an order of magnitude similar to recent observed migration. However, even under the prospective-age approach the halt of the ageing process – expressed as the maintenance of the current potential support ratio – remains an unrealistic target. Contribution: We propose the deployment of the prospective-age concept to define dynamic age limits in the definition of working-age population. Because the prospective-age concept is flexible it will be possible to explore other dimensions from this perspective in the future, increasing the analytical potential of replacement migration estimations as a valuable contribution to the demographic ageing debate.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Participação da comunidade educativa na gestão escolar

This text discusses the modes of participation of the education community in school management, examining a dimension that has long been present in the Portuguese political agenda. It centers on the analysis of the organizational dimension of 297 Portuguese schools, based on information made available in the external assessment reports for the academic years of 2006/2007, 2007/2008 and 2008/2009. The corpus analyzed made it possible to fulfill two of the central axes of the participation processes: the mode of integration of the community involved in school life, and the processes and limitations inherent to the participation of two groups of agents – those in charge of education and the pupils. Despite the fact that the various images of school organization present in the external assessment reports are similar, the differentiating aspects are significant. The participation processes are not equally consolidated across the different school organizations and their respective territories, and we witness the growing importance of the presence of the various agents in the tasks of school management. This involvement implies a knowledge that has to be increasingly deeper about the processes of construction of cultural learning that permeate the schools. It is possible to detect the presence of different agents in the schools investigated, which follows a change of conception of educative community encompassing pupils, teachers, those in charge of education, and the surrounding community in which schools are inserted

A avaliação externa das escolas como processo social

O artigo propõe uma análise crítica sobre os relatórios de avaliação externa como instrumentos com uma papel activo na (re)construção social das escolas. Tem como base empírica uma investigação sobre os contextos institucionais das escolas do ensino básico e secundário em Portugal que aborda a relação entre as políticas educativas, os modelos de organização, os perfis de liderança e o sucesso escolar e versa sobre dois grandes eixos analíticos: uma reflexão sobre uma das dimensões dos relatórios de avaliação externa das escolas – a participação dos vários agentes na vida das escolas; a percepção dos dirigentes das escolas sobre a avaliação externa. A investigação tem por base uma análise de conteúdo dos relatórios da avaliação externa das escolas realizada pela Inspecção-Geral da Educação nos anos de 2007, 2008 e 2009 das regiões de Lisboa e Vale do Tejo, Alentejo e Algarve e um conjunto de entrevistas semidirectivas aos directores e aos presidentes dos conselhos gerais de 20 escolas

Innovative concrete-filled cold-formed steel (CF-CFS) built-up columns

This paper presents an innovative type of concrete-filled cold-formed steel (CF-CFS) built-up composite column. Twenty- four innovative specimens of four CF-CFS cross-section configurations were used to investigate their behavior at ambient and elevated temperatures. First, the axial load-bearing capacity of the innovative CF-CFS was obtained using a series of experimental tests under pure compression. Then their fire resistance was evaluated using another series of experimental tests subjected to elevated temperatures. Moreover, finite element modeling approaches were developed to further explore the behavior of the CF-CFS composite columns. The applicability of the available design codes, including EN 1994-1-1 and EN 1994-1-2 for the CF-CFS composite column, was discussed. The results showed that the design codes could conservatively predict the CF-CFS composite columns when the effective cross-sectional area was used to determine the Class 4 CFS components. In contrast, unconservative results were obtained using the gross cross-sectional area. Enhanced design methodologies were developed, tackling the specificities associated with the use of built-up tubular steel sections. Therefore, a modification was introduced for the innovative CF-CFS columns to predict buckling and fire resistance with a good agreement. Reliability analysis was also performed to reliability index for each methodology.This work is financed by national funds throughthe Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), under grant agreement 2021.06528.BD attributed to the 1st author and under the grant agreement 2020.03588. CEECIND attributed to the 2nd author. The authors gratefully acknowledge the Portuguese Foundation for Science and T echnology (FCT) for its support under the framework of the research project PTDC/ECI-EGC/31858/2017 - INNOCFSCONC - Innovative hybrid structural solutions using cold-formed steel and lightweight concrete ", financed by FEDER funds through the Competitivity Factors Operational Programme- COMPETE and by national funds through FCT , and PCIF/AGT/0062/2018 – INTERFACESEGURA – Segurança e Resiliência ao Fogo das Zonas e Interface Urbana-Florestal, financed by FCT through National funds. This work was partly financed by FCT/MCTES through national funds (PIDDAC) under the R&D Unit Institute for Sustainability and Innovation in Structural Engineering (ISISE), under reference UIDB/04029/2020

Design of cold-formed steel battened built-up columns

When individual profiles cannot withstand the acting forces, cold-formed steel (CFS) battened built-up columns may be used to provide a suitable load-bearing capacity. A suitable load-bearing capacity can be achieved when the individual profiles present a high composite action. The ideal configuration for battened CFS columns to enable composite action between two lipped-channels CFS profiles is shown in this research. Various column lengths and different spacing between lipped channels were considered. A calibrated finite element modeling approach evaluated the influence of the number of fasteners per batten panel and the distance between the batten panels. Furthermore, the appropriate number of fasteners per batten panel was discussed. After identifying the optimal details for the battened column, a parametric study was done. The maximum axial loads of a series of finite element models were compared to analytical predictions from different design methodologies according to EN1993-1-1 and AISI S100. The results recommended the use of three rows of fasteners per batten panel. Furthermore, a new analytical procedure was proposed by adopting the modified slenderness ratio in AISI S100-16 in the formulation provided in EN1993-1-1. The reliability of the available methodologies was assessed by comparing the reliability index for the analytical methods.This work is financed by national funds throughthe Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under grant agreement 2021.06528.BD attributed to the 1st author and under the grant agreement 2020.03588. CEECIND attributed to the 2nd author. The authors gratefully acknowledge the Portuguese Foundation for Science and T echnology (FCT) for its support under the framework of the research project PTDC/ECI-EGC/31858/2017 - INNOCFSCONC - Innovative hybrid structural solutions using cold-formed steel and lightweight concrete ", financed by FEDER funds through the Competitivity Factors Operational Programme-COMPETE and by national funds through FCT

How to achieve a healthier and more sustainable europe by 2040 according to the public? Results of a five-country questionnaire survey

The aim of this paper is to understand public preferences for several future scenarios of achieving a healthier, more equitable and sustainable Europe, which differ in the way the society is organized (individualistically vs. collectively) and in the driving sector (public vs. private). To achieve this aim, we conducted a questionnaire survey using representative samples for five European countries in 2018. About three thousand respondents chose among the four scenarios presented within four different contexts (green spaces, active mobility, energy-efficient housing, food consumption) or none of them. A majority of people in the five European countries were ready to accept one of the scenarios. We found significant differences in preferences according to socioeconomic backgrounds and values of respondents. People above 35 years old, those who were less educated, and those in the lowest household income tertile were less supportive of all scenarios. The heterogeneity in preferences associated with differences in socioeconomic backgrounds was larger for the scenario in which society is organized individualistically and driven by the private sector. Smaller distinctions were found in case of the scenario in which society is organized collectively and is driven by the public sector. Departing from social psychological theories, we examine the role of altruistic, biospheric, egoistic, hedonic, and security values. People with stronger biospheric values were more likely to accept scenarios, particularly those which are driven by the public sector and where there is more collective organisation. Those with a more egoistic value orientation were more likely to have higher preferences for scenarios where the private sector had a dominant role. The policy implications, in terms of the selection and framing of policy measures to enhance public support, are discussed.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio