Towards a performative understanding of deservingness: Merit,gender and the BBC pay dispute

Drawing largely on a high‐profile case of unequal pay at the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) as an illustrative example, this conceptual article considers differences and interrelationships between merit and deservingness, where the latter captures how, through appropriate performances, merit is given recognition and value. We propose a performative understanding of deservingness that highlights its gendered and embodied dimensions. Informed by Judith Butler's account of gender performativity, we show that, while merit is conventionally conceptualized as a relatively fixed set of attributes (qualifications, skill) 'attached' to the individual, deservingness captures how, in gendered terms, value and recognition are both claimed and conferred. As we argue, a gendered, deserving subject does not pre‐exist but is performatively constituted through embodied practices and performances of what is seen as worthy in a particular time and place.     

Effective elements of care-physical activity initiatives for adults with a low socioeconomic status: A concept mapping study with health promotion experts

In care-physical activity (care-PA) initiatives, primary care and sports are combined to stimulate PA among adults at risk of lifestyle related diseases. Preliminary results from Dutch care-PA initiatives for adults with a low socioeconomic status (SES) indicate a decrease in participants’ body weight and an improved quality of life, however, the elements that make these initiatives successful are yet to be identified. In total, 19 Dutch health promotion experts participated in our concept mapping (CM) of the effective elements of care-PA initiatives for adults with a low SES. The experts identified 111 effective elements of these initiatives, which were grouped into 11 clusters, focusing on: 1) approaching participants within the care-PA initiative, 2) barriers experienced throughout the initiative, 3) long-term implementation, 4) customizing the care-PA initiative to the target population, 5) social support, 6) structure and guidance, 7) the professionals within the care-PA initiative, 8) the accessibility of the care-PA initiative, 9) targeted behaviour and progression, 10) recruitment and administration, and 11) intersectoral collaboration. CM was useful for creating a valuable overview of these effective elements. Our results could be used to improve the development and implementation of future care-PA initiatives for adults with a low SES.     

SROI in the pay for success context: Are they at odds?

The Pay For Success (PFS) and Social Impact Bond (SIB) movements to date have focused heavily on shorter-term outcomes that can be monetized and show clear savings to government entities. In part, this focus derives from the need to specify contract payments based on a narrow set of well measured outcomes (e.g., avoided days in jail and foster care, decreased use of behavioral health services). Meanwhile efforts to measure the social return on investment (SROI) of interventions have sought to expand the view of relevant outcomes to include domains that lend themselves less clearly to monetization. This paper explores the intersection between these two movements with illustrations from a SIB initiative underway focused on homeless families with children in foster care. Challenges and potential for SROI in a third-party payor environment will be discussed as well as opportunities to better leverage the strengths of both types of initiative.     

Collective Bargaining and the Gender Pay Gap in the Printing Industry

This paper considers the effect of collective bargaining on the gender pay gap in the printing industry. This sector was subject to multi‐employer bargaining for around 90 years, until 2010. The article analyses gendered collective bargaining processes through the mechanism of symbolic power, that is, the power of interpretation and definition, and utilizes Walton and McKersie's seminal work on bargaining behaviour to understand the processes that have prevented the closing of the pay gap. It finds that symbolic power operates within the sub‐processes of attitudinal structuring and intra‐organizational bargaining to de‐legitimize women's role in equal pay bargaining, alongside distributive bargaining tactics that preclude equal pay bargaining, thereby creating the impression that women are irrelevant to bargaining processes and ensuring relative invisibility for issues of importance to equality bargaining.     

城乡居民对耕地资源外部性支付意愿的差异分析

基于CVM调查方法,运用实地调研数据,采用Pearson相关系数法和多元回归模型对城乡居民对耕地资源外部性支付意愿的差异问题展开研究。结果表明,城镇居民的家庭年收入和受教育程度对其支付意愿呈显著正相关;农村居民的性别、受教育程度、家庭年收入和年农业收入呈显著正相关,而其年龄和承包耕地面积与其支付意愿值呈显著负相关。另外,在支付方式上,城镇居民选择捐钱、捐物的比例高于农村居民,而农村居民选择参加义务劳动的比例高于城镇居民。     

The Extent of Economic Vulnerability in the Canadian Labour Market and Federal Jurisdiction: Is There a Role for Labour Standards?

This paper characterizes vulnerable workers in Canada and the federal jurisdiction, based upon characteristics such as employment status, demographic characteristics, and job characteristics, and identifies areas in which labour standards may have a role. Based on this analysis, the paper evaluates the potential for labour standards to address economic vulnerability, focusing on labour standards policies aimed at wages and benefits, hours, and employment arrangements. In addition, the analysis considers the extent to which labour standards are likely to reach vulnerable workers. The results suggest several potential roles for labour standards and highlights policy implications.

Gender,Pay and Work Satisfaction at a UK University

This article examines a modern, former polytechnic granted the status of university in 1992, to illustrate the state gender pay gap in the UK and suggests that to talk of the state pay gap is too simplistic as it does not take into account variations in the size of the pay gap in different job grades. The article also examines satisfaction levels with pay for two groups of staff, administrative and academic and shows how satisfaction with pay, promotion and conditions also varies between the grades. Previous research that concluded that women are more satisfied with their pay than men is, again, too simplistic as it does not consider the affect of staff grade. The article argues that there is a link between the size of the pay gap, staff grade, occupational gender segregation and expressing dissatisfaction.     

企业薪酬管理公平性对员工工作绩效的影响

作者对广东省7家饭店的员工与他们的主管进行了两次问卷调查,通过纵断数据分析,探讨员工感知的企业薪酬管理公平性对员工的薪酬满意感、情感性归属感、工作积极性和工作绩效的影响。数据分析结果表明,企业薪酬管理公平性与企业守法程度是影响员工薪酬满意感的重要因素;企业薪酬管理公平性通过员工的薪酬满意感和归属感,间接影响他们的工作积极性和工作绩效。     

城市景观河流生态修复的产出研究及有效性可靠性检验——基于上海城市内河水质改善价值评估的实证分析

意愿价值评估法(CVM)为具有显著外部性的生态环境服务的价值评估提供可能,但只有经过有效性和可靠性检验的CVM成果才能应用于环境公共政策与治理。本文以CVM评价上海市城市景观内河——漕河泾港的生态恢复的产出,在国内经常采用的线形对数模型基础上,加入二值响应的Logit概率模型对受访者社会经济变量进行回归分析,验证本次CVM应用的理论有效性。回归中首次引入反映我国特殊社会结构的户籍变量、收入差距变量两者的交互项,并纳入间接反映环境问题历史成因的居民沿河居住期变量,以验证调查结果与一般经济理论的相容性和与我国特殊社会构成、经济态势以及环境历史成因的吻合性。以预调查和正式调查为试验—复试样本验证了研究结果的可靠性。结果表明:平均支付意愿是160元/(a.户),改善漕河泾水环境的年经济效益至少在6.1×106元。     

Stochastic Bounds with a Low Rank Decomposition

We investigate how we can bound a discrete time Markov chain (DTMC) by a stochastic matrix with a low rank decomposition. In the first part of the article, we show the links with previous results for matrices with a decomposition of size 1 or 2. Then we show how the complexity of the analysis for steady-state and transient distributions can be simplified when we take into account the decomposition. Finally, we show how we can obtain a monotone stochastic upper bound with a low rank decomposition.