Exercising agency in a hostile environment: How do refused asylum seekers find work?

Ethnicities ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (6) ◽  
pp. 1049-1070
Author(s):  
Paul May
Keyword(s):  
Asylum Seekers ◽  
Structuration Theory ◽  
Legal Framework ◽  
Job Seekers ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Informal Labor ◽  
Anthony Giddens ◽  
Third Person ◽  
Informal Labor Market

Using Anthony Giddens’ structuration theory, this article analyzes the specific ways refused asylum seekers use agency to find employment, despite a legal framework that prevents them working. It is based on a total of 34 semi-structured interviews conducted in Paris. Three points are to be noted. Firstly, there is a hierarchy in the type of jobs available: the most popular jobs can be accessed by borrowing the identity of a third person with regular status, while people who cannot use this means are confined to jobs on the more precarious fringes of the job market. Secondly, our research highlights the existence of an informal labor market that asylum seekers can approach, sometimes even before their asylum application is filed. It is also a space for discussion, advice, and contact with other undocumented job seekers, accessible in specific locations or via the Internet. Thirdly, any long-term prospects are hindered by the precariousness of a person’s migration status: although French legislation officially makes regularization possible, under certain conditions, for people who can justify working without ID, our research reveals a series of obstacles on the ground that make this prospect unlikely. In addition to analyzing the current institutional situation, this research focuses on migrant agency, which is crucial to understanding the hidden aspects of migration.

“It’s so vital to learn Slovene”

2018 ◽  
Vol 42 (3) ◽  
pp. 288-307
Author(s):  
Nike K. Pokorn ◽  
Jaka Čibej
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Host Country ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Asylum Seeker ◽  
Asylum Seekers ◽  
Social Inclusion ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Dominant Language ◽  
Short Time

Abstract Short-time migrants, who stay in the host country from one to 12 months, use mediation strategies including lingua francas, public-service interpreting and translation, translation technologies, intercomprehension, and learning the host country’s dominant language. The choices made by asylum seekers in Slovenia, a country of transit for the majority of asylum seekers, are analyzed on the basis of questionnaires answered by 127 current and former residents of the Slovene asylum seeker centers in 2016, followed up by semi-structured interviews with a representative group of 34 asylum seekers. The results show that the majority of newly arrived migrants regard the use of lingua francas as a helpful but not desired long-term strategy. They define host-country language learning as the most desirable strategy for linguistic and social inclusion. Surprisingly, they are reluctant to use translation technologies and interpreters because they either doubt the accuracy of the transfer or they consider such mediation (interpreting in particular) a hindrance to their independence.

Integration of Digital Preservation Knowledge, Skills and Competencies in the Teaching Curricula of Library and Information Studies at the University of Botswana

Mousaion ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Thatayaone Segaetsho ◽  
Julie Moloi
Keyword(s):  
Digital Preservation ◽  
Records Management ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
University Of Botswana ◽  
Current Trends ◽  
Teaching Content ◽  
Library And Information Studies ◽  
Information Studies ◽  
The University

In the past few decades, digital technology has found a place in the acquisition, arrangement, description, preservation, and dissemination of information. However, heritage institutions are perturbed by the challenges of digital preservation strategies particularly for education. Despite continuous investment in digital preservation, there are limited skilled professionals to equip learners with the knowledge, skills and competencies required to drive digital preservation in Botswana. Therefore, this paper investigated the knowledge, skills and competencies related to digital preservation in the teaching curricula of the Department of Library and Information Studies (DLIS) at the University of Botswana. Data collection was done through intensive structured interviews with specific educators who teach courses on digital preservation in the archives and records management stream. The study revealed that despite the fact that the educators in preservation courses are aware of current trends in digital preservation, most of them have not obtained formal degree certification specific to digital preservation. The findings further revealed that minimal digital preservation competencies are observed in the teaching curricula. A significant number of challenges observed illustrated mainly a lack of resources and limited skills in terms of practical demonstrations by educators. The curricula mostly lacked clarity on long-term and short-term digital preservation. The study recommends that DLIS and other institutions should conduct surveys or curriculum auditing on digital preservation in order to improve the teaching content. A significant number of shortcomings regarding digital preservation that could motivate further studies are also discussed under the conclusion and recommendations section of this study.

scholarly journals Are asylum seekers more likely to work with more inclusive labor market access regulations?

2019 ◽  
Vol 155 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Michaela Slotwinski ◽  
Alois Stutzer ◽  
Roman Uhlig
Keyword(s):  
Labor Market ◽  
Asylum Seekers ◽  
Market Access ◽  
Initial Period ◽  
Early Integration ◽  
Labor Market Policies ◽  
The Face ◽  
Labor Market Access ◽  
The One

Abstract In the face of recent refugee migration, early integration of asylum seekers into the labor market has been proposed as an important mechanism for easing their economic and social lot in the short as well as in the long term. However, little is known about the policies that foster or hamper their participation in the labor market, in particular during the important initial period of their stay in the host country. In order to evaluate whether inclusive labor market policies increase the labor market participation of asylum seekers, we exploit the variation in asylum policies in Swiss cantons to which asylum seekers are as good as randomly allocated. During our study period from 2011 to 2014, the employment rate among asylum seekers varied between 0 and 30.2% across cantons. Our results indicate that labor market access regulations are responsible for a substantial proportion of these differences, in which an inclusive regime increases participation by 11 percentage points. The marginal effects are larger for asylum seekers who speak a language that is linguistically close to the one in their host canton. Summary Inclusive labor market access regulations substantially increase the employment chances of asylum seekers, in particular if the language distance is short.

scholarly journals “I’ve Heard of It, Yes, but I Can’t Remember What Exactly It Was”—A Qualitative Study on Awareness, Knowledge, and Use of the UV Index

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 1615
Author(s):  
Katharina Diehl ◽  
Tatiana Görig ◽  
Charlotte Jansen ◽  
Maike Carola Hruby ◽  
Annette B. Pfahlberg ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Qualitative Content Analysis ◽  
Sun Protection ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Protection Factor ◽  
Protection Measures ◽  
Uv Index ◽  
Correct Definition ◽  
Definition Of

Pharmacists and pharmaceutical technicians play an important role in counselling customers regarding sunscreen use and sun protection measures. A potentially helpful tool that can be used during counselling is the ultraviolet index (UVI), which informs individuals when and what sun protection measures are needed at a specific place and time. Our aim in this qualitative study was to explore awareness, knowledge, and use of the UVI during counselling in pharmacies. We used semi-structured interviews with pharmacists and pharmaceutical technicians (n = 20) to answer our research questions. Interviews were audiotaped, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using qualitative content analysis. During the interviews pharmacists and pharmaceutical technicians revealed a lot of uncertainty and lack of knowledge regarding the UVI. Eight professionals were able to give a correct definition of UVI. Amongst others, the UVI was confused with sun protection factor. Overall, the UVI was hardly used during the counselling of customers. The UVI was developed to provide guidance when which type of sun protection is required to avoid detrimental effects of ultraviolet radiation. For effective implementation, both the general population and health professionals (e.g., pharmacists) have to increase their knowledge about the UVI. This would strengthen its use during professional counselling in pharmacies and may help to reduce the incidence of skin cancer over the long term.

scholarly journals Which triggers could support timely identification of primary antibody deficiency? A qualitative study using the patient perspective

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisanne M. A. Janssen ◽  
Kim van den Akker ◽  
Mohamed A. Boussihmad ◽  
Esther de Vries
Keyword(s):  
Respiratory Infections ◽  
Diagnostic Delay ◽  
Signs And Symptoms ◽  
Negative Influence ◽  
Primary Antibody ◽  
Emotional Impact ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Timely Treatment ◽  
The Way

Abstract Background Patients with predominantly (primary) antibody deficiencies (PADs) commonly develop recurrent respiratory infections which can lead to bronchiectasis, long-term morbidity and increased mortality. Recognizing symptoms and making a diagnosis is vital to enable timely treatment. Studies on disease presentation have mainly been conducted using medical files rather than direct contact with PAD patients. Our study aims to analyze how patients appraised their symptoms and which factors were involved in a decision to seek medical care. Methods 14 PAD-patients (11 women; median 44, range 16-68 years) were analyzed using semi-structured interviews until saturation of key emergent themes was achieved. Results Being always ill featured in all participant stories. Often from childhood onwards periods of illness were felt to be too numerous, too bad, too long-lasting, or antibiotics were always needed to get better. Recurrent or persistent respiratory infections were the main triggers for patients to seek care. All participants developed an extreme fatigue, described as a feeling of physical and mental exhaustion and thus an extreme burden on daily life that was not solved by taking rest. Despite this, participants tended to normalize their symptoms and carry on with usual activities. Non-immunologists, as well as patients, misattributed the presenting signs and symptoms to common, self-limiting illnesses or other ‘innocent’ explanations. Participants in a way understood the long diagnostic delay. They know that the disease is rare and that doctors have to cover a broad medical area. But they were more critical about the way the doctors communicate with them. They feel that doctors often don’t listen very well to their patients. The participants’ symptoms as well as the interpretation of these symptoms by their social environment and doctors had a major emotional impact on the participants and a negative influence on their future perspectives. Conclusions To timely identify PAD, ‘pattern recognition’ should not only focus on the medical ‘red flags’, but also on less differentiating symptoms, such as ‘being always ill’ and ‘worn out’ and the way patients cope with these problems. And, most important, making time to really listen to the patient remains the key.

scholarly journals “We Are Doing These Things So That People Will Not Laugh at Us”: Caregivers’ Attitudes About Dementia and Caregiving in Nigeria

2021 ◽  
pp. 104973232110041
Author(s):  
Candidus C. Nwakasi ◽  
Kate de Medeiros ◽  
Foluke S. Bosun-Arije
Keyword(s):  
The United States ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Dementia Caregivers ◽  
Term Care ◽  
Awareness Campaigns ◽  
Knowledge Deficit ◽  
People With Dementia ◽  
Qualitative Descriptive ◽  
The Impact

Some Nigerians, in their effort to make sense of dementia symptoms, use descriptions that may stigmatize people with dementia and their families. This qualitative descriptive study focused on the everyday understanding of dementia and the impact of stigma on the caregiving experiences of informal female Nigerian dementia caregivers. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of 12 adult informal female caregivers in Nigeria and analyzed for themes. Afterward, results were presented to focus groups of 21 adult Nigerians residing in the United States for more contextual insight on the findings. The three major themes were misconceptions about dementia symptoms, caregiving protects against stigmatization, and stigma affects caregiving support. Overall, we argue that knowledge deficit, poor awareness, and traditional spiritual beliefs combine to drive dementia-related stigmatization in Nigeria. Strategies such as culturally appropriate dementia awareness campaigns and formal long-term care policies are urgently needed to help strengthen informal dementia caregiving in Nigeria.

scholarly journals Evaluating the integration of palliative care in national health systems: an indicator rating process with EAPC task force members to measure advanced palliative care development

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Natalia Arias-Casais ◽  
Eduardo Garralda ◽  
Miguel Antonio Sánchez-Cárdenas ◽  
John Y. Rhee ◽  
Carlos Centeno
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Palliative Care ◽  
Long Term Care ◽  
Task Force ◽  
National Level ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Term Care ◽  
Care Facilities ◽  
Rating Process

Abstract Background Palliative care (PC) development cannot only be assessed from a specialized provision perspective. Recently, PC integration into other health systems has been identified as a component of specialized development. Yet, there is a lack of indicators to assess PC integration for pediatrics, long-term care facilities, primary care, volunteering and cardiology. Aim To identify and design indicators capable of exploring national-level integration of PC into the areas mentioned above. Methods A process composed of a desk literature review, consultation and semi-structured interviews with EAPC task force members and a rating process was performed to create a list of indicators for the assessment of PC integration into pediatrics, long-term care facilities, primary care, cardiology, and volunteering. The new indicators were mapped onto the four domains of the WHO Public Health Strategy. Results The literature review identified experts with whom 11 semi-structured interviews were conducted. A total of 34 new indicators were identified for national-level monitoring of palliative care integration. Ten were for pediatrics, five for primary care, six for long-term care facilities, seven for volunteering, and six for cardiology. All indicators mapped onto the WHO domains of policy and education while only pediatrics had an indicator that mapped onto the domain of services. No indicators mapped onto the domain of use of medicines. Conclusion Meaningful contributions are being made in Europe towards the integration of PC into the explored fields. These efforts should be assessed in future regional mapping studies using indicators to deliver a more complete picture of PC development.

The Productivity of Unemployment and the Temporality of Employment-to-Come: Older Disadvantaged Job Seekers

2021 ◽  
pp. 136078042110095
Author(s):  
Jessica Gerrard ◽  
Juliet Watson
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Education And Training ◽  
Job Seekers ◽  
Voluntary Work ◽  
To Come ◽  
And Training

This article demonstrates how unemployment is made productive through workfare activities for older disadvantaged job seekers. We suggest that the requirement to look for work, engage in education and training, and participate in voluntary work blurs the boundaries between employment and unemployment. Drawing on in-depth qualitative research with older disadvantaged job seekers, we demonstrate how this obligatory productivity is lived and felt, characterised by shame and frustration and framed by the temporality of waiting and searching for work. We suggest that this experience of ‘productive’ unemployment can be described as a dissonant state of ‘transitional stasis’, whereby job seekers are expected to transition out of unemployment and poverty while experiencing the long-term and ongoing effects of immobility.

scholarly journals A Mixed-Methods Investigation into Barriers for Sharing Geospatial and Resilience Flood Data in the UK

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 1235
Author(s):  
Luke Waterman ◽  
Mónica Rivas Casado ◽  
Emma Bergin ◽  
Gary McInally
Keyword(s):  
Data Sharing ◽  
Local Politics ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Third Sector ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Average Temperature ◽  
Third Sector Organisations ◽  
Data Points ◽  
The Uk

With increases in average temperature and rainfall predicted, more households are expected to be at risk of flooding in the UK by 2050. Data and technologies are increasingly playing a critical role across public-, private- and third-sector organisations. However, barriers and constraints exist across organisations and industries that limit the sharing of data. We examine the international context for data sharing and variations between data-rich and data-sparse countries. We find that local politics and organisational structures influence data sharing. We focus on the case study of the UK, and on geospatial and flood resilience data in particular. We use a series of semi-structured interviews to evaluate data sharing limitations, with particular reference to geospatial and flood resilience data. We identify barriers and constraints when sharing data between organisations. We find technological, security, privacy, cultural and commercial barriers across different use cases and data points. Finally, we provide three long-term recommendations to improve the overall accessibility to flood data and enhance outcomes for organisations and communities.

scholarly journals Introduction and feeding practices of solid food in preterm infants born in Salzburg!

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Edda Hofstätter ◽  
Verena Köttstorfer ◽  
Patricia Stroicz ◽  
Sebastian Schütz ◽  
Lorenz Auer-Hackenberg ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Celiac Disease ◽  
Preterm Infants ◽  
Complementary Feeding ◽  
Study Group ◽  
Early Weaning ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Term Infants ◽  
The Mean ◽  
The Difference

Abstract Background It is shown that meeting the increased nutritional demand of preterm infants from birth is not only important for survival but essentially contributes to the infants` overall development and long-term health. While there are established guidelines for weaning term infants, evidence regarding preterm infants is scarce and less precise. The aim of this study was to identify the current practices on introducing solids to preterm infants amongst caregivers in Salzburg and determine potential reasons for early weaning. Methods Altogether 68 infants born between 24 0/7 and 36 6/7 weeks were recruited and detailed structured interviews with the caregivers were conducted at 17 weeks corrected age. Weight, height and head circumference were collected. Results 52% of the study group received solids before the recommended 17 weeks corrected age. For this group the mean age being 13.77 ± 1.11 weeks corrected age. Premature introduction of solids significantly correlates with exclusively and early formula-feeding. 34% were weaned due to recommendation by their paediatrician. 23% of the preterm infants even received solids before 12 weeks corrected age, putting them at risks for developing obesity, celiac disease and diabetes. Conclusions This study shows the necessity for clear guidelines regarding the introduction of complementary feeding in preterm infants as well as the importance of their implementation. Caregivers should receive information on this topic early enough and they should fully understand the difference between chronological and corrected age.

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