Risk Perception of Heavy Metal Soil Contamination and Attitudes toward Decontamination Strategies

Contaminated soils are a common environmental risk all over the world. One major source of risk is heavy metal soil contamination caused by industrial emissions. This quasiexperimental study investigated the perception of these risks by exposed and nonexposed people, their attitudes toward bioremediation methods using hyperaccumulating plants, and the influence of long-term aspects of sustainability on the acceptance of bioremediation methods. Major findings were that people living in a contaminated area perceived the risk of the heavy metal soil contamination as higher than the general risk of contamination. Second, a factor analysis showed that the factors dread, control, and catastrophic potential were relevant for the perception and valuation of low-dose environmental risks such as the contamination of the investigated area. In addition, a cluster analysis showed that the risk of heavy metal soil contamination was perceived as similar to that of oil contamination, ozone layer, preservatives and genetic technology. It was perceived indifferently with regard to dread. The uncontrollability of heavy metal soil contamination was estimated as medium, and its catastrophic potential as low. Third, exposed and nonexposed participants preferred bioremediation methods to classical methods (e.g., excavation and chemical treatment of the soil), because they perceived the environmental and esthetical performance of the bioremediation as important criteria. Sustainability or precautionary issues, such as the prevention of harm for future generations, were highly correlated with the acceptance of the use of bioremediation methods in people's residential areas.     

Adverse psychosocial working conditions and subjective health in freelance media workers

In recent years there has been a steady growth of non-standard work contracts in advanced societies. These contracts are characterized by increased flexibility of work arrangements and increased job instability, which holds particularly true for the media industry. This pilot study analyses associations of work stress with subjective health in a group of German freelancers (N = 290) working in the media industry. The measurement of work stress is based on the effort-reward imbalance model. Results of logistic regression analyses indicate significant effects of high effort in combination with low reward (money, esteem, promotion prospects, job security) on subjective health in men and women, with the effects being higher in men. Moreover, among men a critical pattern of coping with work stress enhanced the reported effect. In conclusion, the preliminary evidence from this study indicates an elevated risk of poor subjective health among freelance workers who are exposed to adverse psychosocial work conditions.     

Migration into big cities and small towns — an uneven process with limited need for multiculturalism

The following paper is based on preliminary research on the consequences of recent migration in Germany for the different administrative levels and especially for local governments. In the same way as there is no uniform immigration process on the one side, there is no single society or a single nation state in the sense of single actors on the other side who could relate to immigration as an integrated whole. Migration itself consists of heterogeneous migration strands moving on different lines into different cities and towns. And local governments are part of an internally highly differentiated political system. Modern welfare state organizations handle migration in the logic of their own processing. In order to understand the consequences of migration and the meaning of multiculturalism on the local level further research will have to take into account the position of local governments in this differentiated system.     

The perceived fair duration of unemployment benefits for older workers. The role of lifetime achievements in the labour market

The welfare state regulates social policies and reallocates scarce resources. For the social legitimacy of the welfare state, it is important that the public supports the principles underlying this reallocation. This article examines the impact of different activities during the life course on public deservingness perceptions of older unemployed people. In a factorial survey experiment conducted among a random sample of individuals drawn from German administrative employment records, we examine the maximum duration of benefit receipt which is perceived as fair for older unemployed persons with different biographies. The results indicate strong public support for a nexus between previous contributions and benefit entitlements. Besides financial contributions to unemployment insurance, parenting and further training are considered to be ‘lifetime achievements’ which justify longer unemployment benefit receipt. We interpret these findings as an expression of a generalised form of reciprocity which guides perceptions of deservingness regarding older unemployed persons.