Environmental ethics for social work: Social work's responsibility to the non‐human world

Gray M, Coates J. Environmental ethics for social work: Social work's responsibility to the non‐human world This lead article in this Special Issue begins discussion on an environmental ethics for social work and raises arguments as to whether and, if so, why social workers have duties, obligations, responsibilities and commitments to the non‐human world. It provides an overview of the field of environmental ethics in searching for a moral stance to affirm an environmental social work. To what extent should social workers engage in fundamental geopolitical issues concerned with climate change, global warming, environmental degradation, pollution, chemical contamination, sustainable agriculture, disaster management, pet therapy, wilderness protection and so on and, if so, why and how? Are these issues incidental and peripheral and only of concern when they impact upon humans or do social workers have a responsibility beyond human interests? What is the significance of the ‘non‐human’ for social work? The article explores the terrain of the burgeoning field of environmental ethics to determine whether convincing ethical grounds for environmental social work might be found beyond hortatory claims of what the profession ought to be doing to address environmental concerns.     

Trends of Income Inequality Among the Elderly in Korea

This study investigates the overall trend of inequality among the elderly in Korea and to examine what the most influential factor is for these changes. Although inequality among the elderly is far greater than it is for any other group, little attention has been given to how inequality changes over time. Used are data from the Urban Household Survey with five‐year intervals from 1986 to 2006. The results show that inequality within a cohort increases over time and that earnings and benefits from occupational retirement plans are the most influential factors on overall inequality changes. In addition, the impact of public transfers has gradually increased during the past twenty years. The results imply that our society needs to enact a social policy for lessening earnings inequality in the labor market and to increase public transfers for the elderly.     

中美循环经济法治化环境政策因素比较与借鉴

中国循环经济促进法的实施,是循环经济法治化的关键.但其政策法的特点,亦为其有效实施带来困境.因此,需要相关环境政策扶持体系的建立与完善.循环经济集资源节约、环境保护及经济可持续发展于一体,遵循"减量化、再利用、资源化"的原则,故而,决定其政策扶持体系具有决策风险、综合考量、技术基础、利益权衡等特点.特别是在金融危机背景下,借鉴美国<蓝色天空--奥巴马政府新思路>的间接模式与"美国加州零废弃物计划"的直接模式,进一步完善资源价值计量政策、排污收费政策、价格政策、技术政策、消费政策等循环经济法治化的政策体系.     

环境公益诉讼的规则要点与制度衔接

环境公益具有易受损性,其利益代表模糊,救济机制残缺。确立环境公益诉讼制度,是弥补相关法律制度缺陷、推动公众参与环境保护和维护社会公益的要求。本文认为:在环境公益诉讼制度的构建中,应明确诉讼类型定位、起诉主体资格、起诉案件范围、举证责任承担、诉讼费用负担、损害赔偿金归属等方面的特殊规则,防范滥诉现象发生,禁止反诉和以牺牲公益为代价的和解调解,并应协调环境公益诉讼与受害人的诉讼、检察机关的公诉和抗诉、环境行政执法以及诉讼支持之间的关系。     

The potential power of social policy programmes: income redistribution,economic resources and health

Lundberg O, Fritzell J, Åberg Yngwe M, Kölegård ML. The potential power of social policy programmes: income redistribution, economic resources and health Int J Soc Welfare 2010: ??: ??–??© 2010 The Author(s), Journal compilation © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd and International Journal of Social Welfare. This Supplement includes a number of articles dealing with the role of social policy schemes for public health across the life course. As a key social determinant of health, poverty and its consequences have historically been at the forefront of the public health discussion. But also in rich countries today, economic resources are likely to be important for health and survival, both on an individual and an aggregate level. This introductory article serves as a background for the more specific analyses that follow. The focus is on why income and income inequality could have an effect on individual and population health. We discuss relationships between the individual and population levels and between income and health, and some of the possible mechanisms involved. We also present arguments for why welfare state institutions may matter.     

生态公民与一个生态世界的格局

生态公民是生态主义之环境哲学的践行者。生态公民是着眼于创建更加公正合理的生态社会制度的主流人群,是维护人与自然和谐相处的可持续经济发展模式的有序力量。从环境伦理观的意义上分析,生态公民主张作为道德共识产物的环境人权。环境人权是以集体权利为主体的第三代人权的体现。生态公民的价值立场,是建基于对生态与公民这两个概念的准确理解。从生态的层面而言,生态公民所秉持的价值立场是基于人与自然的和谐关系及对自然的冷静观察而成就的,它是立足于生态安全之上的生态美好。从公民的层面而言,生态公民的价值立场继承了公民意识的优良传统,也体现为对生态公民资格理念的深入挖掘。在生态与公民融合的层面上,生态公民的价值立场既是现代社会公民意识与自然意识的契合,又是以主客交融的方式达到人与天地万物的和谐并存。在民族国家的界域内,在立足于本国环境现状的基础上,生态公民是本国生态安全的重要行动者;面对一个生态世界格局的生态公民其外在表现为具有生态创意、生态乐趣与生态活力的积极影响社会的人群。在全球化的趋势下,生态公民是地球环境治理的主体,是追求生态世界一致性的公民。     

Identification and Estimation of Triangular Simultaneous Equations Models Without Additivity

This paper uses control variables to identify and estimate models with nonseparable, multidimensional disturbances. Triangular simultaneous equations models are considered, with instruments and disturbances that are independent and a reduced form that is strictly monotonic in a scalar disturbance. Here it is shown that the conditional cumulative distribution function of the endogenous variable given the instruments is a control variable. Also, for any control variable, identification results are given for quantile, average, and policy effects. Bounds are given when a common support assumption is not satisfied. Estimators of identified objects and bounds are provided, and a demand analysis empirical example is given.     

Contextualizing case reviews: A methodology for developing systemic safeguarding practices

This paper introduces a systemic methodology for reviewing professional responses to abuse between young people. The approach, “contextual case reviewing,” draws upon constructivist structuralism to assess the extent to which safeguarding practices engage with the social and public contexts of abuse. The paper conceptually compares the methodologies of contextual case review and other serious case review methods before drawing upon findings from 2 studies, which used the contextual case review methodology to explore the extrafamilial nature of peer‐on‐peer abuse and the ability of child protection practices to engage with this dynamic. Thematic findings from these studies regarding the practical interpretation of “significant harm” and “capacity to safeguard,” as well as their use within child protection assessments, are used to challenge conclusions of other case reviews, which imply that child protection procedures are sufficient for safeguarding young people. Contextual case reviews suggest that safeguarding practices, and the legislation that underpins them, are culturally, procedurally, and organisationally wedded to the context of the home, whereas insufficiently engaged with extrafamilial contexts of significant harm. The application of these issues require interrogation if social work systems are to provide sufficient mechanisms for safeguarding young people and families at risk of significant harm.     

旱灾对粮食生产影响的非线性动态效应评估

自然灾害严重威胁粮食安全,因此科学地理解和认识自然灾害与粮食产量之间的关系至为重要。基于时变Copula函数方法的实证研究结果表明,水稻、小麦、玉米在低产时和旱灾的尾部相关系数分别为0.52、0.15、0.58,但是水稻、玉米在高产时和旱灾比率的尾部相关系数近似为0,小麦在高产时和旱灾的尾部相关系数仅为0？06,这意味着粮食单产与旱灾的关联性表现出非对称性。旱灾对粮食产量影响的时变性也因不同作物而异。对于水稻而言,随着技术水平的提高,旱灾与水稻单产的关联性存在显著的下降趋势;但是,旱灾与小麦、玉米单产的关联性并没有表现出随时间推移而下降的趋势。     

大部制视域下中国环境管理体制分析

中国的环境管理体制在20世纪70、80年代形成。随着改革深入,机构重复过多、职能交叉严重、管理关系不明、立法规定矛盾、职权行使混乱等问题日渐暴露。环境管理大部制改革并未突破传统的环境管理体制。从定性结合定量分析看,大部制改革后的环境管理绩效并不理想。完善环境管理大部制,必须重视宪法环境权问题、效率和利益平衡问题以及理性官僚制问题。