scholarly journals What do New Zealanders think about welfare?

2011 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Louise Humpage

‘Welfare’ is always a controversial topic, with considerable debate about the causes of need and thus who is responsible for ensuring well-being. In its final report the Welfare Working Group (WWG) (2011) acknowledges this, noting that structural factors, such as the recent recession, shape welfare outcomes alongside individual behaviours and problems within welfare institutions. However, the WWG was established specifically to examine ways to reduce longterm benefit dependency in New Zealand amongst people of working age. Its recommendations thus place a particular focus on the individual behaviours of the unemployed. The proposed introduction of Jobseeker Support, a new single work-focused welfare payment to replace all existing categories of benefit, suggests that the circumstances behind working-age benefit receipt are similar and that it is therefore appropriate to extend new reciprocal obligations to a wider range of benefit recipients.

1998 ◽  
Vol 39 (2) ◽  
pp. 248-280 ◽  
Author(s):  
Duncan Gallie ◽  
Helen Russell

The paper addresses the issue of the nature and determinants of variations between countries in the severity of the implications of unemployment for psychological well-being. It focuses on ten countries in the European Union over the period 1983 to 1994. It establishes that there are consistent differences between countries over time. It then examines a number of potential explanations, in particular relating to the level of unemployment, the social composition of unemployment, the strength of the work ethic in the society and the characteristics of welfare institutions. It concludes that such differences cannot be accounted for in terms of the level of unemployment or its composition in terms of age and sex. They are also unrelated to measures of employment commitment. Rather the severity of the impact of unemployment has to be understood in terms of the interaction between the characteristics of the welfare regime and the composition of the unemployed with respect to household position.


2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 113-134
Author(s):  
Sigrún Harðardóttir ◽  
Sigrún Júlíusdóttir

The article focuses on public school policy in Iceland, in a historical perspective, the teacher´s role and contemporary challenges in the school system. Attention is paid to the increased complexity of teachers´ role as educators and that of guarding the welfare and well-being of the individual schoolchild. The ongoing changes in teachers´ role are related to changed social and family conditions coinciding with development in society and (human service) welfare institutions. This may especially regard school children when confronted by crises in their parents´ lives or other unexpected, harmful situations in their personal life. Results from Icelandic research on current socio-educational conditions of schoolchildren and their families are presented. Increasing cooperation between school, health and social system with an interdisciplinary approach is advocated. Referring to present knowledge and call for revised legislation and policy issues some ideas of renewal of service are presented and discussed.


2003 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 202-207
Author(s):  
Ruqayya Ṭā Hā Jābir al-cUlwānī

An engaged and perceptive contemplation of the Qur'an forms one of the most important bases for the cultural and social advancement of Muslims in all walks of life, and the absence of such study is one of the reasons behind the general cultural attenuation in the modern world. Reflection is one of the means of the construction and formation of a civilised society. The applied faculty of intellect creates an environment which allows reflective and considered thought to be developed from a functional perspective for the general well-being of society. Meanwhile the effective neglect of such study leads to the proliferation of superstition, dissent and social conflict. Indeed it can even be argued that it diminishes the significance of the laws and conventions which serve as the backbone of society. This paper reveals a number of factors which can impede the achievement of such an engaged study of the text: thus, for instance, thoughtless obedience to societal conventions; shortcomings in educational systems and syllabi; and a failure to encompass the significance of the Arabic language. Furthermore this paper presents several effective suggestions for nurturing students' potential, encouraging an environment which allows freedom of thought, and its refinement.


Author(s):  
Maria S. Bryleva

Introduction. One of the priority socio-economic and medical-demographic problems in Russia is the high mortality. The study aim is to identify the most significant factors that determine the mortality on the example of two single-industry towns. Materials and methods. Mortality in two single-industry towns specializing in copper-nickel production, differenced in climate, environmental, and socio-economic indicators, was studied using age-standardized indicators averaged over 8 years (2010-2017). Results. In Monchegorsk, compared to Russia, with similar non-production characteristics, working-age mortality from cardiovascular diseases (CVD) was higher by 49.0%, from malignant neoplasms (MN) by 34.7%, from diseases of the digestive system by 35.5%, which confirms the negative impact of occupational factors on the mortality of the population of a single-industry city. In Norilsk city, with the worst characteristics of the environment and climate, compared to Monchegorsk, mortality from CVD was lower in working age by 40.6%, in post-working age by 41.4%; from MN - in working age lower by 37.2% that shows the compensating influence of socio-economic factors on mortality. Conclusion. Risk factors for increased mortality rates in single-industry towns with copper-nickel enterprises are the influence of harmful occupational factors, as well as environmental pollution. Along with primary prevention, an effective mechanism for reducing mortality is to improve socio-economic well-being, and the quality of medical care.


2018 ◽  
Vol 69 (8) ◽  
pp. 2306-2310
Author(s):  
Aureliana Caraiane ◽  
Razvan Leata ◽  
Veronica Toba ◽  
Doina Vesa ◽  
Luana Andreea Macovei ◽  
...  

The progress made in dentistry during the latest decades is due, conceptually, to the new, systemic vision of man, which has also taken place in this field of medicine. In this context, the link between organic and psychic is indestructible. Thus illness is understood as a drama in which the somatic process has a psychic value, and the mental one has a body value. It is known that the morphological and functional integrity of the dental system, health and vigorousness, gives the individual a state of well-being that affects his somatic and psychic health, as any disturbance at this level entails repercussions in psychological and social behavior. Such a disruption is the total edification that seriously alters not only the dental system but the whole organism, putting various biological and psychosocial problems to the practitioner. The total expression represents not only a physical disability but also a psychological one. A special importance in studying psychological changes at total edentulous presents the psychological aspects of senile involution. This is not only a theoretical but also a practical importance due to the increase in the number of elderly people. Through the researches of the present paper we intend to present the reality of the psychological manifestations in the total edentation, which is objectified on different methods of psychodiagnosis in the first part, in order for the second part to be addressed to problems of prosthetic psychotherapy.The study comprises a group of 43 patients, of whom 24 were men and 19 women with total uni or bimaxilar edentation. Total edentation can be and is responsible for somatopsychic alterations, along with other pathogens, general, local, social, which sometimes can take a dramatic form, converting, where the area is also favorable, a pure somatic disease, for those who are not in psychopathy or even psychosis, although these latter cases are extremely rare and especially in youngsters, which would disrupt not only the person�s behavior as an individual, but also their status, function and social integrity. The treatment of dental and psychological complex is mandatory for any patient, but especially for the elderly, where recovery is more difficult, with disease-specific disorders adding to those of senescence.


Author(s):  
Marii Paskov ◽  
Joan E. Madia ◽  
Tim Goedemé

This chapter complements the income-based measures of living standards on which earlier chapters have focused by incorporating non-income dimensions of economic well-being into its analysis, including indicators of material deprivation, economic burdens, and financial stress. It analyses how working-age households around and below the middle of the income distribution fared in European countries in the years before, during, and after the Great Recession. Harmonized household-level data across the members of the EU are analysed to see whether the evolution of these various non-income measures present a similar or different picture to household incomes over time. To probe what lies behind the patterns this reveals, four quite different countries are then examined in greater depth. Finally, the chapter also explores the relationship between material deprivation for households around and below the middle and overall income inequality.


Author(s):  
Abbie J. Shipp

Temporal focus is the individual tendency to characteristically think more or less about the past, present, and future. Although originally rooted in early work from psychology, research on temporal focus has been steadily growing in a number of research areas, particularly since Zimbardo and Boyd’s (1999) influential article on the topic. This chapter will review temporal focus research from the past to the present, including how temporal focus has been conceptualized and measured, and which correlates and outcomes have been tested in terms of well-being and behavior. Based on this review, an agenda for research is created to direct temporal focus research in the future.


2021 ◽  
pp. 002076402198973
Author(s):  
Kathleen Ford ◽  
Aree Jampaklay ◽  
Aphichat Chamatrithirong

Aim: The objective of this paper is to examine the level of psychiatric symptoms and associated factors among Thai migrants from the southernmost Thai provinces of Pattani, Yala, and Narithiwat who are working in Malaysia. Comparisons will be made with the sending population in the southernmost provinces of Thailand. Methods: Data are drawn from survey and in-depth interviews with Thai migrants who are working in Malaysia. Comparisons are made with a probability sample of working age adults in Thailand. The twenty item Self Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ) was the measure of mental health. Results: The study found that the migrants, on average, have normal levels of psychiatric symptoms. However, although about 24% of migrants reported more eight or more symptoms that may indicate a need for evaluation. There are many stressors in their lives including distance from families, reduced social support, legal matters surrounding immigration, and discrimination/exploitation of migrant groups. Conclusion: The study highlights the need for policy makers and non-governmental organizations to give attention to migrants’ mental health, well-being and sustainable livelihoods.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-75
Author(s):  
Alex Bertrams ◽  
Thomas H. Dyllick ◽  
Chris Englert ◽  
Ann Krispenz

AbstractSubjective vitality is a positive feeling of aliveness and energy, and it is a crucial aspect of well-being. The Subjective Vitality Scales (SVS) have been developed to measure subjective vitality both at the individual difference level and the state level in English-speaking samples. We translated the SVS into German (the SVS-G) and examined their psychometric properties. In Study 1 (N=260), we found that two correlated factors (Factor 1: individual difference level; Factor 2: state level) with five items each constituted a useful structure for the SVS-G. Moreover, the scores on the individual difference scale were more stable than the scores on the state scale. We also found partial evidence for the measurement invariance over a period of three weeks. Conforming to our expectations, Study 2 (N=296) revealed that the SVS-G scores were related to positive and negative affect but could still be distinguished from the affect variables. In line with previous findings, Study 3 (N=203) showed that SVS-G scores are related to well-being variables (happiness and joviality) and the perceived capacity to actively perform effortful tasks (attentiveness and capacity for self-control). Across all the studies, the SVS-G showed satisfying inner consistency, and the two consideration levels (individual differences vs. state) could be differentiated. The initial evidence suggests that overall, the SVS-G have good psychometric properties.


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