Gender, Policy, Politics, and Work: Feminist Comparative and Transnational Research

This article reviews feminist comparative and transnational research on workplace policy, politics and the state. The first section examines a range of theoretical approaches to the topic. We then present a variety of methodologies for conducting comparative and transnational research on policy developments. Informed by a number of case studies included in the symposium, we explore the dynamics and determinants, both national and supranational, of policy formation and its impacts. Finally, we tease out the implicit and explicit notions of gender equity for future policy analysis.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/75182/1/1541-1338.d01-2.pd

Animal welfare deserts: human and nonhuman animal inequities

Residents of distressed areas of inner cities have less access to many of life’s necessities and amenities than their more well-off counterparts. Geographic proximity has been identified as a primary barrier to accessing care for pets potentially creating animal welfare deserts. This project addresses three questions: Are there visible animal welfare deserts in distressed urban centers?; What human inequities are most strongly related to animal welfare deserts?; and What might be done to address these inequities? Using business location and census data in the city of Detroit, this research identifies distinct animal welfare deserts finding that more prosperous areas have more pet support resources and that the need for services is not related to the location of pet stores and veterinary offices. The study concludes that the overlap between human economic distress and pet resource deserts presents a threat to the goals of One Health. Potential policy solutions are proposed to address inequities in the distribution of animal welfare resources

The Carrier deal: Trump has won a battle, but is losing the war

Last week, President-elect Donald Trump announced that a deal had been struck for the Carrier Corporation to keep about 1,000 manufacturing jobs in the US rather than move them to Mexico. Laura A. Reese and Gary Sands write that the subsidy deal – despite the positive reaction – should not become a model for the Trump administration’s jobs policies. Rather than choosing winners or losers, they argue, Trump should pursue greater investment in education, research, public services, and other policies which will drive long-term economic development

Detroit’s bankruptcy settlement will not solve the city’s problems

In December, a federal judge ruled that the city of Detroit’s bankruptcy proceedings could continue, and it is now likely to take years for the city to settle its creditors’ claims. Gary Sands, Laura A. Reese, and Mark Skidmore look at Detroit’s recent history which has been characterized by deindustrialization and depopulation, and public mismanagement and corruption. They argue that even after the city’s bankruptcy is concluded, Detroit’s underlying fundamental structural weaknesses mean that its problems are unlikely to go away

Techs and the Cities: A New Economic Development Paradigm?

Large technology firms pose new challenges for local economic development in the 21st century. They are attractive targets for local economic developers because they have the potential of providing permanent, well-paying jobs. This article examines two mega-economic development deals. Amazon’s proposed second headquarters in Queens and Sidewalk Labs’ Quayside proposal for the Toronto waterfront pit large and prosperous Big Tech firms against local governments with healthy economies. Amazon abandoned the New York City site it had chosen, rather than open new negotiations with local officials and citizens. Sidewalk Labs withdrew from the Quayside proposal after two and a half years of negotiation focusing mostly on the size of the proposed development. Although the potential benefits may be substantial, incentivizing Big Tech’s location decisions may be well beyond the means of most cities, especially those with distressed economies

Animal welfare deserts: human and nonhuman animal inequities

Residents of distressed areas of inner cities have less access to many of life’s necessities and amenities than their more well-off counterparts. Geographic proximity has been identified as a primary barrier to accessing care for pets potentially creating animal welfare deserts. This project addresses three questions: Are there visible animal welfare deserts in distressed urban centers?; What human inequities are most strongly related to animal welfare deserts?; and What might be done to address these inequities? Using business location and census data in the city of Detroit, this research identifies distinct animal welfare deserts finding that more prosperous areas have more pet support resources and that the need for services is not related to the location of pet stores and veterinary offices. The study concludes that the overlap between human economic distress and pet resource deserts presents a threat to the goals of One Health. Potential policy solutions are proposed to address inequities in the distribution of animal welfare resources

An Exploratory Model of Shared Decision-Making in Women\u27s Reproductive Health in Indiana: A Cross-Sectional Study

Ecological approaches to shared decision-making (SDM) are underexplored in women’s reproductive health. The purpose was to identify ecological factors important to women in contraceptive and prenatal care SDM. In this cross-sectional study, women (18-45 years) living in Indiana who had sought reproductive healthcare completed an online survey (N=432). Multiple linear regression was utilized to identify predictors of SDM. Furthermore, exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, and structural equation modeling were conducted to explore ecological factors associated with SDM in contraception and prenatal care. Healthcare professional type was associated with decreased contraceptive SDM scores, but not prenatal care SDM scores. Access, social support, and patient-healthcare professional relationship demonstrated good global fit in confirmatory factor analysis. Path coefficients suggested significant relationships between these ecological factors and contraceptive and prenatal care SDM scores. Additionally, the ecological factors demonstrated good global fit for contraceptive and prenatal care SDM. Social support had a significant, strong, and inverse relationship with both contraceptive and prenatal care SDM in the models. Findings further SDM work by moving beyond option discussion and toward increased attention to women’s contexts and relationships. Taking a holistic approach to SDM and the patient experience ensures that women’s multi-faceted needs, influences, and preferences are met across healthcare settings

Multi-institution analysis of racial disparity among African- American men eligible for prostate cancer active surveillance

There is a significant controversy on whether race should be a factor in considering active surveillance for low-risk prostate cancer. To address this question, we analyzed a multi-institution database to assess racial disparity between African-American and White-American men with low risk prostate cancer who were eligible for active surveillance but underwent radical prostatectomy. A retrospective analysis of prospectively collected clinical, pathologic and oncologic outcomes of men with low-risk prostate cancer from seven tertiary care institutions that underwent radical prostatectomy from 2003–2014 were used to assess potential racial disparity. Of the 333 (14.8%) African-American and 1923 (85.2%) White-American men meeting active surveillance criteria, African-American men were found to be slightly younger (57.5 vs 58.5 years old; p = 0.01) and have higher BMI (29.3 v 27.9; p \u3c 0.01), pre-op PSA (5.2 v 4.7; p \u3c 0.01), and maximum percentage cancer on biopsy (15.1% v 13.6%; p \u3c 0.01) compared to White-American men. Univariate and multivariate analysis demonstrated similar rates of upgrading, upstaging, positive surgical margin, and biochemical recurrence between races. These results suggest that single institution studies recommending more stringent AS enrollment criteria for AA men with a low-risk prostate cancer may not capture the complete oncologic landscape due to institutional variability in cancer outcomes. Since all seven institutions demonstrated no significant racial disparity, current active surveillance eligibility should not be modified based upon race until a prospective study has been completed. © Dinizo et al

Checklist of bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) from small diversified vegetable farms in south-western Montana

Background Over three years (2013-2015), we sampled bees using nets and bowl traps on four diversified vegetable farms in Gallatin County, Montana, USA, as part of a study evaluating the use of wildflower strips for supporting wild bees and crop pollination services on farmlands (Delphia et al. In prep). We document 202 species and morphospecies from 32 genera within five families, of which 25 species represent the first published state records for Montana. This study increases our overall understanding of the distribution of wild bee species associated with agroecosystems of the northern US Rockies, which is important for efforts aimed at conserving bee biodiversity and supporting sustainable crop pollination systems on farmlands. New information We provide a species list of wild bees associated with diversified farmlands in Montana and increase the number of published bee species records in the state from 374 to at least 399. The list includes new distributional records for 25 wild bee species, including two species that represent considerable expansions of their known ranges, Lasioglossum (Dialictus) clematisellum (Cockerell 1904) with previously published records from New Mexico, Arizona, California and Utah and Melissodes (Eumelissodes) niveus Robertson 1895 which was reported to range from New York to Minnesota and Kansas, south to North Carolina, Alabama and Mississippi

A Qualitative Investigation of Individual, Interpersonal, and Institutional Contributions to Postpartum Work-Family Balance

Managing personal and professional responsibilities may be challenging during the postpartum period, as employees navigate new roles, responsibilities, and family dynamics. The purpose of this paper was to understand the work/life balance experiences of diverse stakeholders and identify opportunities to improve the work environment. We conducted a series of in-depth focus groups with faculty, staff, and graduate students (n = 22), and in-depth interviews with administrators (n = 10) at a research-intensive university in the United States. A six-phase thematic analysis approach was used to examine the experiences and perspectives of individuals with different roles. Three themes with subsequent subthemes emerged: 1) employee role shapes perspectives on campus policies and practices; 2) confusion about policies exacerbates return-to-work issues; and 3) coworkers and supervisors are the primary sources of postpartum support in this workplace. Employees in our study expressed strong desires for clear, consistent institutional policies to ensure employees’ postpartum return-to-work experiences were not dependent on informal arrangements with coworkers and supervisors. Faculty, staff, and graduate student postpartum needs are shaped by individual, interpersonal, and community factors. Clear communication between individuals who make policy decisions and those who are subject to the policies may reduce employee issues during the postpartum period