E-social work and at-risk populations: technology and robotics in social intervention with elders. The case of Spain

Information and communication technologies are increasingly relevant. Finding a sphere of activity that is isolated from technological advancement proves increasingly difficult, and social work is no exception. Therefore, given the socio-demographic and technological context for this sector in Spain, we must face and tackle new challenges. Focusing exclusively on the elderly, e-social work highlights new skills and abilities that can be developed by means of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), which are viewed as powerful tools that can guarantee egalitarian access to an improved life standard. Nevertheless, despite the digital divide growing smaller, its impact on people over 75 is still significant; hence, we need to use every tool at our disposal to reduce it to the bare minimum. With that purpose in mind, this article discusses usability, the causes of unequal access to ICTs, technological gerontological pedagogy and robotics as forward-looking technology. The aim is to technologically enable the senior population by adapting the necessary interfaces for an easier interaction; likewise, online intervention also aims for the utilization of alternative technologies. Technology has completely changed the world we live in pushing us to a new approach towards old age, fragility and chronicity. ICTs in social intervention must be a true source of opportunities to further social cohesion.     

Pension Schemes Comparison between EEC Countries*

Abstract. A lot of research has been made on macroeconomic spending on the financing of retirement, most of it taking into account demographic evolution. On the other hand, little research has gone into international comparisons that shed more light on the standards of living that are guaranteed after retirement, and on the flexibility and accessibility of public pension schemes. It is a study of this type that we have carried out for 11 member-states of the EEC (Greece having been left out because of its lack of statistics). In this article, we construct an index that reflects the levels of protection that are offered to the aged by the “first pillar” and under the most general conditions. On the basis of a series of important criteria (conditions for access, flexibility, intervention levels, etc.), we calculated an average of the scores for each criterion. These averages are then used to obtain a general score for each country, ranking them against each other relative to the quality of their respective pension schemes.     

Unemployment and the Composition of Labour Slack: An International Comparison

The present statistical apparatus allows us to construct a single indicator of the degree of non-utilisation of labour resources that mitigates the shortcomings of the traditional unemployment rate. This paper defines a method to measure aggregate labour slack, and applies it to post-1973 data for four countries: Canada, the Netherlands, Sweden and the U.S.A. The estimates take into account non-utilised labour resources due to unemployment, to changes in the number of hours actually worked and to changes in registered labour force participation. Since changes in and the manipulation of working time schedules on the one hand, and of labour supply on the other, have become more frequent over the last few decades, it is highly relevant to investigate international and intertemporal differences in the non-utilisation of labour resources by means of a ratio that accounts for these changes. Unemployment is ill-suited for this purpose, and therefore a labour slack estimate is constructed, which takes working time developments and changes in labour force participation into consideration. The estimate is cyclically more sensitive and more internationally comparable than the traditional unemployment rate.     

Parental education, children's performance and the transition to higher secondary education: trends in primary and secondary effects over five Dutch school cohorts (1965–99)

According to Boudon, social background affects educational transitions as a result of differences in children's academic performance (primary effects) and differences in transition probabilities given children's level of academic performance (secondary effects). This study addresses historical changes in both primary and secondary effects on the educational transition from primary school to higher secondary education in the Netherlands. In addition, it considers changes over time in the relative importance of these effects. The study compares five cohorts of Dutch pupils, specifically those enrolling in secondary education in 1965, 1977, 1989, 1993 and 1999, and it employs counterfactual analyses. The main findings are that secondary effects have been stable and primary effects have fluctuated to some extent. As a result, the proportion of the total effect of social background accounted for by primary effects has increased somewhat, from 53 per cent to 58 per cent.     

Midnight regulations and the Cinderella effect

Recent studies have shown preliminary evidence of a tendency for outgoing administrations to generate a flurry of last-minute regulatory activity. This so-called Cinderella effect is described as resulting from the combination of an administration being in power yet, because it is out-going, not being subject to political ramifications from its actions. In this paper, we look at monthly regulatory activity over the past 30 years and compare the baseline growth in regulations (measured using the proxy of pages in the Federal Register) to the growth immediately following a Presidential election when the sitting President is re-elected, not re-elected, and when the party in control of the White House changes. We find significant evidence supporting the existence of a Cinderella effect.     

日语动词体的表达方式

体是日语动词重要的语法法范畴之一。体表示动作或状态所具有的内在界限。日语动词体的表达方式有三种 :一是动词连用形后通过接续动词“て”,再接补助动词 ;二是动词连用形后直接接辅助动词 ;三是借助于一些惯用型来表达。关于体的分类 ,诸家提法不一。笔者从中国学生学习和理解的角度着眼 ,参照语法学派的一般观点 ,分成 8大类 :即将体 ,起始体 ,持续体 ,存续体 ,完成体 ,备放体 ,趋向体 ,试做体     

从人类中心主义到生态中心主义伦理观的转变——兼论道德共同体范围的扩展

人类中心主义伦理观是生态危机的价值根源。伴随着从人类中心论到生态中心论的伦理变革 ,人类道德共同体和权利主体的范围从人扩展至非人类存在物。这种生态伦理观的转变为当代生态法学提供了伦理学基础     

黄宗羲明文总集的编纂与流传——兼论清前期编选明代诗文总集的文化意义

作为著名的史学家 ,黄宗羲一生致力于保存有明一代文章 ,历时 2 7年 ,先后编选了《明文案》、《明文海》和《明文授读》等书 ,为后世留下了丰富的明代史料。清前期明代诗文总集的编纂 ,表现出借文存人、借文存史的文化意义 ,涵容着丰厚的历史意识和历史价值