Econchange : State’s changing role in regard to the economy in turbulent times

Economic systems around the world are facing pressure to change from multiple directions. The COVID-19 pandemic as well as Russia's invasion of Ukraine and its aftermath have required states' active involvement to ensure the sustainability of their economies and societies. In addition to short-term shocks, the economy is facing a number of long-term challenges:, the need to tackle climate change and rapidly transition to a fossil-free energy system, the strengthening of geopolitical blocs and tensions, an ageing population and the effects of technological development on employment. These changes challenge the established premises of fiscal, trade, labour, industrial and innovation policies in Finland and call for the state to take a more active orchestration role in the economy. This more active role in economic policy requires new capabilities from the state. The state must be able to maintain an up-to-date overall understanding of the complex and constantly changing operational environment, steer societal resources towards implementing politically-decided strategic goals, and more strongly coordinate different actors and sectors of society amidst the changing economy. Strengthening these capabilities requires adequate resources in public administration and training for civil servants.This publication is part of the implementation of the Government Plan for Analysis, Assessment and Research (tietokayttoon.fi). The content is the responsibility of the producers of the information and does not necessarily represent the view of the Government

Variation in population levels of sedentary time in European children and adolescents according to cross-European studies: a systematic literature review within DEDIPAC

peer-reviewedBackground: A high amount of sedentary time has been proposed as a risk factor for various health outcomes in adults. While the evidence is less clear in children and adolescents, monitoring sedentary time is important to understand the prevalence rates and how this behaviour varies over time and by place. This systematic literature review aims to provide an overview of existing cross-European studies on sedentary time in children (0-12y) and adolescents (13-18y), to describe the variation in population levels of sedentary time, and to discuss the impact of assessment methods. Methods: Six literature databases were searched (PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, SportDiscus and OpenGrey), followed by backward- and forward tracking and searching authors’ and experts’ literature databases. Included articles were observational studies reporting on levels of sedentary time in the general population of children and/or adolescents in at least two European countries. Population levels were reported separately for children and adolescents. Data were reviewed, extracted and assessed by two researchers, with disagreements being resolved by a third researcher. The review protocol is published under registration number CRD42014013379 in the PROSPERO database. Forty-two eligible articles were identified, most were cross-sectional (n = 38). The number of included European countries per article ranged from 2 to 36. Levels of sedentary time were observed to be higher in East-European countries compared to the rest of Europe. There was a large variation in assessment methods and reported outcome variables. The majority of articles used a child-specific questionnaire (60 %). Other methods included accelerometers, parental questionnaires or interviews and ecological momentary assessment tools. Television time was reported as outcome variable in 57 % of included articles (ranging from a mean value of 1 h to 2.7 h in children and 1.3 h to 4.4 h in adolescents), total sedentary time in 24 % (ranging from a mean value of 192 min to 552 min in children and from 268 min to 506 min in adolescents). A substantial number of published studies report on levels of sedentary time in children and adolescents across European countries, but there was a large variation in assessment methods. Questionnaires (child specific) were used most often, but they mostly measured specific screen-based activities and did not assess total sedentary time. There is a need for harmonisation and standardisation of objective and subjective methods to assess sedentary time in children and adolescents to enable comparison across countries

Emissions from a modern log wood masonry heater and wood pellet boiler : Composition and biological impact on air-liquid interface exposed human lung cancer cells

The consumption of wood fuel is markedly increasing in developing and industrialized countries. Known side effects of wood smoke inhalation manifest in proinflammatory signaling, oxidative stress, DNA damage and hence increased cancer risk. In this study, the composition and acute biological impact of emissions of state-of-the-art wood combustion compliances: masonry heater (MH) and pellet boiler (PB) were investigated. Therefore A549 cells were exposed to emission aerosols in an automated air-liquid interface exposure station followed by cytotoxicity, transcriptome and proteome analyses. In parallel, aerosols were subjected to a chemical and physical haracterization. Compared to PB, the MH combustion at the same dilution ratio resulted in a 3-fold higher particle mass concentration (PM2.5) and deposited dose (PB: 27 $\pm$ 2 ng/cm2, MH; 73 $\pm$ 12 ng/cm2). Additionally, the MH aerosol displayed a substantially larger concentration of aldehydes, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) or oxidized PAH. Gene ontology analysis of transcriptome of A549 cells exposed to MH emissions revealed the activation of proinflammatory response and key signaling cascades MAP kinase and JAK-STAT. Furthermore, CYP1A1, an essential enzyme in PAH metabolism, was induced. PB combustion aerosol activated the proinflammatory marker IL6 and different transport processes. The proteomics data uncovered induction of DNA damage-associated proteins in response to PB and DNA doublestrand break processing proteins in response to MH emissions. Taking together, the MH produces emissions with a higher particle dose and more toxic compounds while causing only mild biological responses. This finding points to a significant mitigating effect of antioxidative compounds in MH wood smoke

The Spirit of Philanthrocapitalism : Philanthrocapitalism in the nexus of development and capitalism

The study explores, what is philanthrocapitalism and its spirit, and maps some of its historical continuities and discontinuities when the phenomenon is positioned in the juxtaposition of capitalism and development. Philanthrocapitalism is philanthropic giving by the wealthy new elites, that conflates business and social goals through corporatist practices. The study is based on a critical hermeneutic interpretation of key philanthropic texts written to clarify the phenomena and form its cultural basis. Theoretically the study is informed by a Weberian lineage of studying the culture of capitalism, and the rationalities and subjectivities of capitalism. The study demonstrates, how philanthrocapitalism ushers in a specific type of subjectivity and spirit based on a hacker-subject, and engrained in a market-driven, technology-focused rationality inclined towards taking risks. Philanthrocapitalism’s value hierarchy is rationalized through an informational network similar to that of soft capitalism, which ultimately leads to the conflating philanthrocapitalism with soft capitalism. Further, the phenomenon has a distinct culture with specific rules, logiques, and ways of rearticulating value, which opens up different ways of historicizing it. Philanthrocapitalism is seen as a vehicle for a newly-established global elite to invoke moral legitimation and social stability for their accumulated wealth. Simultaneously the phenomenon enables the marketization of development, which marginalizes other forms of knowledge and subjectivity embedded in discourses of development. Philanthrocapitalism can, therefore, be interpreted as a new formation of the continuing renegotiation of the nexus of capitalism and development