Individual and Collective Resources and Health in Morocco

The interaction between available individual and collective resources in the determination of health is largely ignored in the literature on the relationship between poverty and health in developing countries. We analyse the role public resources play in the perception that rural women in Morocco have of their health. These resources are taken to contribute directly and indirectly to the improvement of individual health by, on the one hand, providing a health-promoting environment and, on the other, improving the individual?s ability to produce health. The empirical results of multilevel models confirm the expected associations between socioeconomic status, individual vulnerability factors and health. Furthermore, the random part of the model suggests that variation in state of health is also associated with the presence of collective resources. However, the higher the level of women?s individual wealth, the less the characteristics of the community in which they live seem to be associated with their health, and the less the potential vulnerability factors seem to constrain their ability to maintain or improve health. Our results suggest that collective investments derived from various areas of activity will be more favourable to improving health, insofar as they are adapted to the initial capacity of women to benefit from them.health, poverty, rural, women, Morocco

Acoustic coupling between two air bubbles in water

The acoustic coupling between two air bubbles immersed in water is clearly demonstrated. The system is acoustically forced, and its response is detected. The experimental results confirm that both theoretically predicted eigenmodes, respectively symmetrical and antisymmetrical, do exist. Their frequencies, measured as a function of the bubbles spacing, follow theoretical estimations within a 10% accuracy.Comment: 14 pages, 6 figures, submitted to European Physical Journal E (2nd version

Comment identifier le rôle des associations familiales dans la définition de l’action publique en Europe ?

International audienceWho represents the interests of families in a democratic system? In a research conducted for the European Commission in five Member States of the European Union (Belgium, France, Germany, Portugal and the UK), Martin and Hassenteufel have analysed the role played by some of these organisations in social and family policy. The study focuses on family organisations in the five countries, highlighting two aspects: their ways and means of establishing links with the policy domain, and the degree of their involvement in the policy-making process. Special priority has been given to the role of counselling and lobbying, i.e. the interest group logic developed by some of these organisations.Qui représente les intérêts des familles dans un système démocratique? Dans une recherche conduite pour la Commission Européenne dans cinq Etayts membres (Belgique, France, Allemagne, Portugal et Royaume-Uni), Martin et Hassenteufel proposent d'analyser le rôle joué par certaines de ces organisations, les association familiales, dans la définition des politiques familiales et sociales. L'étude se concentre sur la manière dont agissent ces organisations au niveau des pouvoirs publics, et leur rôle dans le Policy-framing. Une priorité est donnée à deux modes d'action: le lobbying et le conseil ou l'expertise

What really is new under the spotlight? (Re)-discovering parents and parenting in France

As in many other European and non-European countries, an explicit parenting support policy made its way onto the French political agenda during the early 1990s: a ‘turn to parenting’ complete with its trail of new terms, instruments and institutions. In France, some decision-makers now consider this parenting support policy (politique de soutien à la parentalité) as a new, but still financially marginal, ‘pillar of French family policy’. It responds to a growing political demand for a solution capable of guaranteeing the success of the parental educational mission, or at the very least of helping avoid its failure, as well as the consequences of such a failure for the entire community. In this paper, we analyse the French case, in a bid to clarify this question. We argue that the slow policy process that led to current French parenting support policy is at once the consequence of a political desire to structure and manage a myriad of grassroots initiatives, and the outcome of an ideological battle (Martin, 2014). This battle brings into conflict fundamental alternatives pitting universalism against targeting, parental empowering against parental control, offering support to parents via services versus re-educating them through advice and behavioural training, and local and community actions versus national regulatory actions. A fiercely-fought battle of ideas around the parenting issue is taking place behind the scenes, mixing old and new ideas, reactivating norms and stereotypes that are deeply rooted in our social history concerning the private and public spheres respectively as well as the respective roles of mothers, fathers and public institutions. Although parenting support does indeed concern many European and non-European countries, following a mainstream of ideas, instruments and issues, we argue that the French configuration has certain specificities that need to be addressed, not only in order to estimate the commonalities but also to avoid making hasty generalisations. Our paper is organised in three steps: first, consideration of the hypothesis of an international turn to parenting; second, a presentation of the policy process and arguments in the French configuration; third, a return to a very longstanding tradition of policing family and, finally a conclusion on our main question: “What really is new?

Défendre les intérêts familiaux en Europe. Le rôle des associations familiales dans la définition de l’action publique

International audienceLes associations familiales demeurent encore largement aujourd'hui terra incognita. Dans certains pays comme la France, les associations familiales n'ont pas laissé la communauté scientifique totalement indifférente. Mais l'importance de la composante idéologique de l'action de ces associations fait qu'il semble difficile pour ceux qui les étudient d'éviter de donner l'impression qu'ils les soutiennent ou les récusent. A lire les données disponibles, il semble que l'on s'oriente le plus souvent soit vers des travaux d'inventaire et de description, soit vers des travaux à orientation normative. Mais, globalement, rares sont les perspectives qui permettent d'échapper à ce double écueil : la description ou la prescription. Pourtant, bien que de manière variable selon les pays, les associations familiales jouent un rôle non négligeable au moins sur deux plans : la prise de décision politique pour tout ce qui concerne la sphère familiale, d'une part, l'offre de services de soutien aux familles, d'autre part. En ce sens, elles constituent un objet légitime pour l'analyse de l'action publique. Dans une recherche pour la Commission européenne (Martin & Hassenteufel, 1997), nous avons cherché à dépasser ces écueils en nous centrant sur le rôle joué par certaines de ces associations dans la définition des politiques sociales ou familiales dans cinq pays de l'Union Européenne (France, Belgique, Angleterre, Allemagne et Portugal)

La politisation de la longévité : une configuration singulière ?

International audienceCette presentation au colloque international organisé pour le 30° anniversaire du CERMES 3 sur le thème: "savoirs, pratiques, politiques", Les sciences sociales et les transformations contemporaines des mondes de la santé", du 25 au 27 mai 2016 avait pour objectif de render compte de la manière dont la question de la longévité et de l'aging ont été construit comme problème public et politisé