Minimum Essential Standards of Living research in Ireland

2020 ◽  
pp. 39-54
Author(s):  
Bernadette Mac Mahon ◽  
Robert Thornton
Keyword(s):  
United Nations ◽  
Social Welfare ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Social Consensus ◽  
Minimum Income ◽  
Goods And Services ◽  
Policy Debates ◽  
Standards Of Living ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Budget Standards

This chapter focuses on the history and development of budget standards research in Ireland, from the Low Cost but Acceptable approach that was used to assess adequacy to the more recent adoptions of the Minimum Income Standards methodology. It talks about the Minimum Essential Standards of Living (MESL), which is rooted in social consensus about the goods and services that everyone in Ireland should be able to afford. It also discusses the United Nations' definition of a “minimum acceptable standard of living.” The chapter analyzes the most recent MESL results that are discussed in the context of social welfare adequacy. It also points out how the MESL research has had an impact in policy debates around adequacy in Ireland.

An introduction to minimum income standards and reference budgets: international and comparative policy perspectives

2020 ◽  
pp. 3-24
Author(s):  
Christopher Deeming
Keyword(s):  
Social Protection ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Minimum Income ◽  
Goods And Services ◽  
Policy Debates ◽  
Accessible Information ◽  
Protection Systems ◽  
Social Protection Systems ◽  
Budget Standards ◽  
Reference Budgets

This chapter gives an overview of the research in developing “minimum income standards” and “family budget standards,” “indicative budgets” and “standard budgets.” It analyzes goods and services that are considered necessary to reach a minimum standard of living for an individual or household within a given country context, region, or city. It also brings together up-to-date and accessible information and analysis in an effort to raise the profile and understanding of reference budget research. The chapter places minimum income standards at the heart of global social policy debates that focus on strengthening social protection systems. It also discusses reference budgets and minimum income standards research, covering different methodologies and approaches in relation to the implementation of policy and practice.

From normative budget standards to consensual minimum income standards in the UK

2020 ◽  
pp. 27-38
Author(s):  
Jonathan Bradshaw
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Health Determinants ◽  
Theoretical Frameworks ◽  
International Human Rights ◽  
Minimum Income ◽  
The Family ◽  
International Human ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Budget Standards

This chapter describes the revival of the fading tradition of minimum income standards for healthy living. It talks about the emerging theoretical frameworks of “basic needs” and “capabilities.” It also draws attention to the growing knowledge about health determinants and international human rights instruments, which helps guide the development of minimum income standards in a more systematic fashion. The chapter reflects on Jonathan Bradshaw's longstanding research career, in which he pioneered budget standards research in the UK, such as promoting the Family Budget Unit and developing the Low Cost but Acceptable and Modest but Adequate standards. It also describes the development of the Minimum Income Standards approach and its subsequent applications in the UK.

scholarly journals 21st-Century Political Economies: Beyond Information Abundance

2009 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
pp. 52-62
Author(s):  
Roberto Verzola
Keyword(s):  
21St Century ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Major Goal ◽  
Social Scientists ◽  
Goods And Services ◽  
Political Economies ◽  
The Commons ◽  
Digital Reproduction ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Point Of Departure

As a result of the relatively low cost of digital reproduction, a global transformation is occurring in the nature of products and processes and in types of goods and services. Arising from information abundance, this global transformation is making the phenomenon of abundance a major field of study, not only for economists but also for other social scientists and physical scientists as well. This essay proposes an economic definition of abundance and a typology of sources of abundance. It argues that real economic abundance can come about only when the demand for a good is finite and the plentiful supply makes the abundant good affordable enough to all members of society. It lists an abundance-nurturing ethic as a major goal of abundance management, and encourages economists to make abundance together with scarcity their conceptual point of departure. Finally it links the phenomenon of abundance to the concept of the commons.

ECOLOGICAL AND ECONOMIC EFFECTIVENESS OF USE LAND IN CONDITIONS OF INFRINGEMENT OF INSTITUTIONAL TRANSFORMATIONS

2018 ◽  
pp. 58-61
Author(s):  
Oksana Sakal
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Social Welfare ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Economic Value ◽  
Economic Effectiveness ◽  
Land User ◽  
Total Economic Value ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Welfare Theory

The article is devoted doctrinal issues of environmental and economic effectiveness of use land in conditions of infringement of institutional transformations. The modern approaches to the definition of content of ecological and economic effectiveness of land use are analyzed. It is established that the overwhelming majority of domestic researchers interpret this notion regarding the use of agricultural land or farm land. It is proved that such an approach is justified, taking into account the structure of the land fund of Ukraine. However, this reduces other goals of the land user and functions of the land. It is proposed to investigate the category of ecological and economic effectiveness of land use in accordance with the provisions of the ecological economics, social welfare theory, and concept of total economic value. Based on the classification of land functions, the criteria of selection material content and social form of ecological and economic effectiveness of land use are determined.

Low-Cost Technology for Water Pollution Control in Developing Countries

1982 ◽  
Vol 14 (9-11) ◽  
pp. 1337-1352 ◽  
Author(s):  
G G Cillié
Keyword(s):  
Water Pollution ◽  
Developing Countries ◽  
United Nations ◽  
Pollution Control ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Water Pollution Control ◽  
Local Labour ◽  
International Water ◽  
Design And Methods ◽  
Local Materials

An estimated 80 % of all illnesses in developing countries is in one way or another related to water. In order to alleviate this most serious condition, the united Nations has initiated the “International Water Decade”, for which the estimated costs are $600 000 million, a sum which is far beyond any available means. By application of “low-cost technology” this sum could be reduced to $100 000 million which brings the objective within the reach of possibility. Details are given of the design and methods of construction of units which are best suited to the specific requirements and which would be simple, reliable and economical to operate. These can be constructed largely from local materials and by local labour. The need for appropriate training of both operators and the user population is stressed.

What’s in, what’s out? Towards a rigorous definition of the boundaries of benefit-cost analysis

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-17
Author(s):  
Daniel Acland
Keyword(s):  
Cost Analysis ◽  
Willingness To Pay ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Consumer Sovereignty ◽  
Benefit Cost Analysis ◽  
Rigorous Definition ◽  
Pareto Criterion ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Benefit Cost

Abstract Benefit-cost analysis (BCA) is typically defined as an implementation of the potential Pareto criterion, which requires inclusion of any impact for which individuals have willingness to pay (WTP). This definition is incompatible with the exclusion of impacts such as rights and distributional concerns, for which individuals do have WTP. I propose a new definition: BCA should include only impacts for which consumer sovereignty should govern. This is because WTP implicitly preserves consumer sovereignty, and is thus only appropriate for ‘sovereignty-warranting’ impacts. I compare the high cost of including non-sovereignty-warranting impacts to the relatively low cost of excluding sovereignty-warranting impacts.

scholarly journals An Agent-Based Crop Model Framework for Heterogeneous Soils

Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 85
Author(s):  
Jorge Lopez-Jimenez ◽  
Nicanor Quijano ◽  
Alain Vande Wouwer
Keyword(s):  
Growth Models ◽  
Control Strategies ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Soil Heterogeneity ◽  
Crop Growth ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Model Framework ◽  
Agent Based ◽  
Crop Growth Models ◽  
Definition Of

Climate change and the efficient use of freshwater for irrigation pose a challenge for sustainable agriculture. Traditionally, the prediction of agricultural production is carried out through crop-growth models and historical records of the climatic variables. However, one of the main flaws of these models is that they do not consider the variability of the soil throughout the cultivation area. In addition, with the availability of new information sources (i.e., aerial or satellite images) and low-cost meteorological stations, it is convenient that the models incorporate prediction capabilities to enhance the representation of production scenarios. In this work, an agent-based model (ABM) that considers the soil heterogeneity and water exchanges is proposed. Soil heterogeneity is associated to the combination of individual behaviours of uniform portions of land (agents), while water fluxes are related to the topography. Each agent is characterized by an individual dynamic model, which describes the local crop growth. Moreover, this model considers positive and negative effects of water level, i.e., drought and waterlogging, on the biomass production. The development of the global ABM is oriented to the future use of control strategies and optimal irrigation policies. The model is built bottom-up starting with the definition of agents, and the Python environment Mesa is chosen for the implementation. The validation is carried out using three topographic scenarios in Colombia. Results of potential production cases are discussed, and some practical recommendations on the implementation are presented.

The Humdrum Use of Ultimate Authority: Defining and Analysing Chapter VII Resolutions

2009 ◽  
Vol 78 (3) ◽  
pp. 309-342 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrik Johansson
Keyword(s):  
Cold War ◽  
United Nations ◽  
Security Council ◽  
Security Council Resolution ◽  
Post Cold War ◽  
Standard Definition ◽  
The Status ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
The Cold War ◽  
Business As Usual

AbstractUnder Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations, the Security Council has the unique authority to make decisions that are binding on member states. However, the lack of a standard definition of what makes a Security Council resolution "a Chapter VII resolution" has caused disagreement regarding the status of several resolutions. This is unfortunate as the international community should never have to doubt whether a Security Council resolution is in fact adopted under Chapter VII or not. It is also unnecessary. This article addresses this problem by proposing a definition of Chapter VII resolutions, based on two criteria referred to as "Article 39 determinations" and "Chapter VII decisions". On the basis of the proposed definition, the article describes and analyses a dramatic increase in the use of Chapter VII during the post-Cold War era. It concludes that as Chapter VII has come to constitute the majority of Security Council resolutions in recent years, the resort to Chapter VII no longer signifies exceptional determination and resolve, which it did during the Cold War; instead Chapter VII today implies business as usual. An appendix lists all Chapter VII resolutions from 1946–2008.

Separation or Synthesis: A Holistic Approach to Therapeutics

1996 ◽  
Vol 17 (8) ◽  
pp. 279-283
Author(s):  
Kathi J. Kemper
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Nurse Practitioners ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Self Regulation ◽  
Holistic Approach ◽  
Medical Settings ◽  
The Public ◽  
Specialized Health Care ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Spiritual Healers

Over the past 50 years, health care has grown more complex and specialized. Health-care institutions now are staffed with an array of specialist physicians, social workers, psychologists, therapists, and nutritionists as well as general practitioners and nurses. The types of providers outside of the hospital are even more numerous and diverse: physicians; nurses; nurse practitioners; chiropractors; counselors; acupuncturists; herbalists; spiritual healers; and purveyors of nutritional supplements, aromatherapy, crystals, and more. Intent on distinguishing their "products," providers focus on differences, polarizing into distinct camps such as "mainstream or traditional" versus "alternative or unconventional." Although these dichotomies are simple, they also can mislead. The definition of "alternative" is very dependent on the definition "mainstream"; acupuncture may be an alternative in one setting, but it clearly is traditional within Asian communities. Therapies that once were considered unconventional, such as hypnosis and meditation, have moved into many mainstream medical settings. (See Sugarman article "Hypnosis: Teaching Children Self-regulation" in the January 1996 issue of Pediatrics in Review.) The public wants health care that is low-cost, safe, effective, and personalized. Practitioners of "natural" therapies often are viewed as more humanistic and less technological than busy physicians. According to one study, in 1990, alternative medical therapies were used by nearly one third of Americans.1

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