Evaluating social investment in disability policy

Disability policy in European countries is displaying a shift towards social investment: increasing human capital and access to the labour market. The reasoning that underlies this transition is that disabled persons would benefit from mainstream employment, but are impeded in traditional policy by deficiencies in labour supply and demand. However, the shift towards more activating policies in many countries is accompanied by a decline in social protection. It is unclear whether social investment may effectively promote the employment chances of disabled persons within this context. The present research examines this question through a quantitative, cross-sectional, multilevel analysis on microdata from 22 EU countries. Our findings suggest greater activation to predict lower employment chances, while reducing passive support shows mixed effects. Conversely, measures for facilitation in daily life predict greater employment chances, as do measures for sheltered work. These findings raise questions over the value of social investment for disabled persons—and underline the need to overcome broader barriers in the labour market and in society.     

Determinants of social assistance caseloads for employable single adults without dependants in Canada

Government officials like the idea of just a small number of households in their respective jurisdiction receiving social assistance. A large number is seen as costly to the public treasury, and declining caseloads are generally viewed as a mark of success for both the economy and the government of the day. But what factors account for the size of a Canadian province's social assistance caseload? This article aims to shed light on this question, with a focus on single adults without dependants (and without serious disabilities) during the 1989–2017 period. One important finding is that when the value of social assistance benefit levels for this group increases by 1% in a province, the social assistance caseload for this demographic rises by 0.457%. Put differently, there is indeed an important behavior response associated with higher benefit levels. In response, we propose that provincial officials budget for higher take up levels when they increase benefit levels for this household group.     

Does the Euro–Mediterranean Partnership contribute to regional integration?

The paper investigates whether Southern Mediterranean and Middle Eastern markets under the Euro–Mediterranean Partnership (Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco, Malta, and Turkey) have become more financially integrated with the European stock market over time. The findings suggest that the Turkish equity market is moderately integrated with the European market, while the other economies exhibit weak financial integration with Europe, supporting the idea that the partnership appears to have no effect on enhancing inter-market linkages for these economies. Therefore, these markets would be good destinations for international investors seeking attractive investment opportunities to diversify their equity portfolios. Structural changes in the cross-market integration do exist, which may be considered as a guide for international equity portfolio diversification over different subperiods. In addition, there is evidence of an increasing trend in conditional correlations for Egypt and Turkey, to varying degrees, over time, notably during the post global financial crisis of 2007–2008, thus revealing herding behavior during this period. Overall, investors should be wary of the variation of equity market integration over time before engaging in an investment at the level of portfolio management and diversification. Policymakers must be aware of the remoteness of the current achievements of the Euro–Mediterranean Partnership from the targets set in terms of financial development and economic growth.     

Supplemental home care and topping‐up: A shift from service universalism towards a new and privatised public service model?

How does a public service model based on service universalism react to the introduction of market principles of topping up? In a recent so‐called Free Municipality Scheme (an experimental scheme that allowed for greater operational autonomy locally in an effort to reduce state bureaucracy), a number of Danish municipalities were for the first time ever allowed to compete with for‐profit providers of home care in selling supplemental home care services paid entirely by the user. The take‐home message from this experience is that the introduction of supplemental home care entails challenges and eventually wider implications for the public service model, on an economic, organisational and cultural level. Supplemental services represent a new and potentially powerful combination of market and state logics that eventually redirects away from the universalist welfare state and towards a new and increasingly privatised public service model – a model where the service level is determined by the user's capacity to purchase and pay for services. The introduction of such services therefore implies a change of the potential of the Nordic welfare state to ensure equal access regardless of class and income.     

明清以来的市镇:中国城镇化发展的历史因缘

本文致力于厘清关于市镇研究的理论传统,对明清以来市镇的演变在经济、社会和政治等多个层面进行考察。从经济层面看,市镇是连接地方性市场和世界体系的节点,并越来越具有超层级、跨区域和金融化的特点;从社会层面看,市镇是有层级、有组织的,并具有很强的包容性;从政治层面看,它是地方自治化和国家政权建设的着力点。在社会结构中的中间性质是市镇的本质特征。社会学对于市镇的研究必须将其看作一种总体性的社会事实,在对生命体验、生活智慧、伦理道德、乡风民俗等民情因素进行调查研究的前提下,考察其与具体制度和社会结构之间的关联。     

论中国早期电影的自由精神

中国早期电影突破传统模式、打破封建牢笼,善于吸收西方先进文化中所体现的自由价值取向.从电影的选题、创作、以至宣传发行都是独立自由、勇于创新的.早期电影深受多元文化的影响,直接倡导自由精神,鞭笞落后反动的旧式习俗思潮,这一切为早期中国电影的发展注入了无限活力,对整个社会也产生了深远的影响.     

大数据驱动下的影视文本创作 和生产模式变革

大数据正以其对规律和趋势的分析预测功能,对人们生活和影视内容生产产生日益深刻的影响。数据化思维是贯穿当下影视生产创作的重要思维形态,延承的正是传统数据化思维的基本认知过程。大数据驱动下的互动参与生产模式主要体现在,借助于受众行为数据分析,可以对导演、故事、表演、影像、剪辑和声音等影视元素进行选择,并在此基础上进行生产或再生产。这些将推动影视内容生产在技术和观念上不断变革。     

入境旅游市场需要引导消费——以嵩山少林寺为例

从“旅游消费心理”和“旅游环境”两个方面分析旅游消费者的决策心理和郑州市旅游业的资源条件及发展现状。依据知觉、动机、决策等心理学理论,对入境旅游市场的吸引力和少林禅宗文化的影响力进行分析,提出以嵩山少林寺为重点,突出专题旅游资源,抓住龙头打造中原旅游精品,引导旅游消费的基本对策。     

城市停车产业化的投资激励机制探索

城市停车难已经成为制约城市治理的重要问题,停车产业化是解决城市停车难题的重要路径。停车产业化应明确界定政府、市场和社会之间的边界,加强城市停车供给侧结构性改革。增加停车供给可以通过政府机制或市场机制来实现,但市场机制具有天然的优势。当前,要积极发挥市场机制在资源配置中的决定性作用,积极推进停车资源的市场化供给;根据停车资源产业化、民营化和专业化的基本要求,积极营造良好的停车市场投资环境,鼓励民间资本的市场化经营;以民间资本的投资经营利润为激励机制,构建有利于停车资源时空配置的合理价格体系。     

政府补贴对企业真实创新绩效的影响——基于中国A股上市公司数据的实证分析

在分析政府补贴政策的特征及其影响企业真实创新绩效的理论机制的基础上,运用A股上市公司数据,检验了政府补贴对企业真实创新绩效的直接和传导效应。研究发现：政府补贴对企业真实创新绩效具有激励效应,且国有企业较非国有企业的创新效应更强;研发资本要素市场扭曲能够强化政府补贴激励企业真实创新绩效的调节作用,并与产权性质联合调节政府创新补贴效果;创新投入与融资约束在政府补贴对企业真实创新绩效的影响中起部分中介效应;政府补贴对企业创新持续性具有负向抑制效应,政府补贴效果受到研发资本要素市场扭曲和产权性质明显的负向调节作用,且创新投入与融资约束在政府补贴对企业持续性创新的影响中起部分中介效应。