Over-estimation of Covid-19 Risks to Healthy and Non-Elderly Predict Support for Continuing Restrictions Past Vaccinations

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maja Graso
Keyword(s):  
Political Ideology ◽  
Risk Mitigation ◽  
Accurate Information ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Wide Spread ◽  
New Normal ◽  
Real Possibility ◽  
Ethical Implications ◽  
Personal Concern ◽  
Vulnerable People

I test the possibility that people who provide higher estimates of negative consequences of Covid-19 (e.g., hospitalizations, deaths, and threats to children) will be more likely to support the ‘new normal’; continuation of restrictions for an undefined period of time starting with wide-spread access to vaccines and completed vaccinations of vulnerable people. Results based on N = 1,233 from April, 2021 suggested that people over-estimate Covid-19 risks, and those over-estimates were consistently related to stronger support for continuing restrictions. This relationship emerged in four different samples, using core and supplementary risk estimations, and persisted after controlling for Covid-19 denialism, political ideology, and personal concern of contracting Covid-19. People were also more likely to support continuing restrictions if they believed there is scientific consensus on Covid-19 matters, even on issues where there is none (e.g., wearing masks while driving alone). The study concludes with a discussion of the ethical implications of letting both over- and under-estimation of Covid-19 go uncorrected. Just as it is important to combat misinformation that leads people to disregard health mandates, it is crucial to examine the real possibility that people’s support for continuing risk mitigation practices may also not be based on accurate information.

Understanding Populism and Why It Matters

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul D. Kenny
Keyword(s):  
Quantitative Analysis ◽  
Liberal Democracy ◽  
Political Ideology ◽  
Party Systems ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Political Movement ◽  
Electoral Success ◽  
The Media ◽  
Or Organization ◽  
Populist Party

This chapter discusses the concept of populism in greater detail and also describes how party systems are measured and classified. Rather than conceive of populism as a type of thin political ideology, this book understands populism as a distinctively personalistic type of political movement or organization in which charismatic leaders look to directly mobilize mass constituencies through the media and other means. The chapter next distinguishes between programmatic, patronage, and populist party systems, based on which type of party is most common. Finally, the chapter provides a quantitative analysis of the consequences of populist electoral success for democracy across a number of indicators. It shows that populist rule has generally negative consequences for the functioning of liberal democracy, which makes the effort to understand populist electoral success all the more pressing.

scholarly journals Travel Demand Prediction during COVID-19 Pandemic: Educational and Working Trips at the University of Padova

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 6596
Author(s):  
Riccardo Ceccato ◽  
Riccardo Rossi ◽  
Massimiliano Gastaldi
Keyword(s):  
Travel Demand ◽  
Risk Mitigation ◽  
Great Part ◽  
Mitigation Measures ◽  
Sustainable Mobility ◽  
New Normal ◽  
Logistic Regression Models ◽  
Demand Prediction ◽  
Travel Decisions ◽  
The University

The diffusion of the COVID-19 pandemic has induced fundamental changes in travel habits. Although many previous authors have analysed factors affecting observed variations in travel demand, only a few works have focused on predictions of future new normal conditions when people will be allowed to decide whether to travel or not, although risk mitigation measures will still be enforced on vehicles, and innovative mobility services will be implemented. In addition, few authors have considered future mandatory trips of students that constitute a great part of everyday travels and are fundamental for the development of society. In this paper, logistic regression models were calibrated by using data from a revealed and stated-preferences mobility survey administered to students and employees at the University of Padova (Italy), to predict variables impacting on their decisions to perform educational and working trips in the new normal phase. Results highlighted that these factors are different between students and employees; furthermore, available travel alternatives and specific risk mitigation measures on vehicles were found to be significant. Moreover, the promotion of the use of bikes, as well as bike sharing, car pooling and micro mobility among students can effectively foster sustainable mobility habits. On the other hand, countermeasures on studying/working places resulted in a slight effect on travel decisions.

scholarly journals Revisiting currency swaps: hedging real estate investments in global city markets

2018 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 191-209
Author(s):  
Philipp Bejol ◽  
Nicola Livingstone
Keyword(s):  
Real Estate ◽  
Foreign Currency ◽  
Risk Mitigation ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Real Estate Market ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Net Worth ◽  
Individual Asset

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to re-examine currency swaps as an effective hedging technique for individual asset performance in today’s global real estate market, by considering hypothetical prime office investments across six different cities and five currency pairs. The perspective of a risk-averse, high net worth, non-institutional, smaller-scale Swiss investor is paired with investors from five additional national markets. Design/methodology/approach The study examines currency swaps in key office markets across three continents (Frankfurt, London, New York, Sydney, Warsaw and Zurich) and extends previous work on the topic by adopting both Monte Carlo (MC) and Latin Hypercube (LH) techniques to create stochastic samples for individual asset performance analyses. This is the first paper to apply LH sampling to currency swaps with underlying real estate assets, and the validity of this method is compared with that of MC. Four models are presented: the experience of the domestic investor (no exchange rate (ER) fluctuations); an unhedged direct foreign investment; hedging rental income and initial purchase price via a currency swap; and hedging rental income and anticipated terminal value. Findings The efficacy of a swap depends on the historical framework of the ERs. If the foreign currency depreciates against the domestic one, hedging the repatriated cash flow of a property investment proved superior to the unhedged strategy (EUR, GBP, PLN and USD to the CHF). An investor would benefit from exposure to an appreciating foreign currency (CHF to the EUR, GBP, PLN and USD), with an unhedged strategy clearly outperforming the currency swap as well as the domestic investor’s performance, while a historically sideways fluctuating ER (AUD to the CHF) also favours an unhedged approach. In all scenarios, unexpected economic or market shocks could cause negative consequences on the repatriated proceeds. Practical implications This research is of interest to small-scale, non-institutional investors aiming to develop strategies for currency risk mitigation in international investments for individual assets; however, tax-optimising strategies and the implications on a larger portfolio have not been taken into account. Originality/value There is no recent academic work on the efficacy of currency swaps in today’s global office market, nor has the position of smaller-scale high net worth investors received much academic attention. This research revisits the discussion on their validity, providing contemporary insight into the performance of six markets using LH as an alternative and original sampling technique.

scholarly journals Coexisting with sharks: a novel, socially acceptable and non-lethal shark mitigation approach

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kye R. Adams ◽  
Leah Gibbs ◽  
Nathan A. Knott ◽  
Allison Broad ◽  
Martin Hing ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Acceptance ◽  
Risk Mitigation ◽  
Shark Species ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Aerial Surveillance ◽  
Potential Threat ◽  
Social Surveys ◽  
The Social ◽  
Detection Probabilities ◽  
Large Predators

Abstract Conflict between humans and large predators is a longstanding challenge that can present negative consequences for humans and wildlife. Sharks have a global distribution and are considered to pose a potential threat to humans; concurrently many shark species are themselves threatened. Developing strategies for coexistence between humans and this keystone group is imperative. We assess blimp surveillance as a technique to simply and effectively reduce shark encounters at ocean beaches and determine the social acceptance of this technique as compared to an established mitigation strategy—shark meshing. We demonstrate the suitability of blimps for risk mitigation, with detection probabilities of shark analogues by professional lifeguards of 0.93 in ideal swimming conditions. Social surveys indicate strong social acceptance of blimps and preference for non-lethal shark mitigation. We show that continuous aerial surveillance can provide a measurable reduction in risk from sharks, improving beach safety and facilitating coexistence between people and wildlife.

scholarly journals Factoring ethics in management algorithms for municipal information-analytical systems

AI and Ethics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kamolov Sergei ◽  
Kriebitz Alexander ◽  
Eliseeva Polina ◽  
Aleksandrov Nikita
Keyword(s):  
Artificial Intelligence ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Public Administration ◽  
Management Approach ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Ethical Perspective ◽  
Ethical Implications ◽  
Digital Governance ◽  
Management Algorithms

AbstractThe discourse on the ethics of artificial intelligence (AI) has generated a plethora of different conventions, principles and guidelines outlining an ethical perspective on the use and research of AI. However, when it comes to breaking down general implications to specific use cases, existent frameworks have been remaining vague. The following paper aims to fill this gap by examining the ethical implications of the use of information analytical systems through a management approach for filtering the content in social media and preventing information thrusts with negative consequences for human beings and public administration. The ethical dimensions of AI technologies are revealed through deduction of general challenges of digital governance to applied level management technics.

Consistencies and discrepancies in corporate social responsibility reporting in the pharmaceutical industry

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 333-364 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mert Demir ◽  
Maung Min
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Pharmaceutical Industry ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Accurate Information ◽  
Pharmaceutical Companies ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Reporting Practices ◽  
Csr Reporting ◽  
Corporate Social

Purpose This paper aims to examine the consistencies and discrepancies in corporate social responsibility (CSR) reporting by analyzing the CSR reports of pharmaceutical companies. Despite the major role pharmaceutical companies play in the CSR field, our knowledge of the extent to which their disclosures provide comprehensive, material, credible and accurate information on their actual performances is limited because of a lack of sufficient literature on the CSR reporting practices of pharmaceutical companies. Design/methodology/approach The authors present a literature review that serves as the basis to develop the two key research questions: Do pharmaceutical companies publish comprehensive CSR reports? Are company reports that cover more material issues more comprehensive? Using the information on material CSR topics provided by the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) and CSR reporting quality scores by the CSR-Sustainability Monitor®, the authors analyzed the CSR reports of the world’s 15 leading pharmaceutical companies. A total of 11 material topics from SASB were mapped onto the corresponding contextual elements in the CSR-Sustainability Monitor. The Monitor evaluates CSR reports published by the world’s largest companies in terms of the degree of transparency and external verification of reporting. Findings The analyses revealed that while the pharmaceutical industry outperforms other industries in terms of the overall comprehensiveness of reporting, certain discrepancies exist among these companies in the content of their disclosures. Specifically, pharmaceutical companies beat the averages on multiple key CSR topics. However, while disclosures on mature areas such as environment and labor relations show some level of standardization, those focusing particularly on sensitive areas such as human rights and supply chain are far from being standardized. The authors also find that CSR reports that do not include all of SASB’s material topics are just as comprehensive as those that do. A detailed analysis of US and non-US companies separately further revealed that this result is valid for both groups of companies. Research limitations/implications Considering the voluntary nature of CSR reporting, pharmaceutical companies still resort to selective disclosure techniques to highlight their achievements in areas where they feel more confident while leaving out others that can have potential negative consequences on the company. These results underscore the evolving nature of CSR reporting in the pharmaceutical industry and call for more attention and further investigation from managers and researchers alike. Originality/value The originality and value of the research show that despite its rapid growth and wide recognition by different segments of society and business as an effective and promising concept, CSR reporting has not yet reached a point where its expected benefits are realized. Focusing on the disclosure side of the story, this paper tries to identify the extent to which the pharmaceutical industry appropriately addresses increasing societal demand for enhanced transparency on its sustainable business policies and practices.

Ethics, Legal and Privacy Concerns for the Next Generation of Insurance Policies

Tékhne ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-38
Author(s):  
Klaus-Georg Deck ◽  
Reinhard Riedl ◽  
Adamantios Koumpis
Keyword(s):  
Prediction Models ◽  
Risk Mitigation ◽  
Personal Information ◽  
Insurance Companies ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Risk Prediction Models ◽  
Privacy Concerns ◽  
Individual Health ◽  
Heart Infarct

Abstract We present a set of hypothetical scenarios and cases where the need for access, sharing and processing of sensitive personal information increases the transparency of the customer to buyer relationship, although it may irreversibly damage the customer’s sphere of privacy. Highly personalised early risk prediction models for use by insurance companies to estimate the probability that a specific event (heart infarct) or a disease (diabetes) occurs in a given individual over a predefined time can enable earlier and better intervention, prevent negative consequences on a person’s quality of life and thus result in improved individual health outcomes. The challenge is to design, develop and validate new generations of comprehensive models that will be the result of a consensual process with the customers and will be based on artificial intelligence and other state-of-the-art technologies using multiple available data resources and will integrate them in personalised insurance policy pathways that empower the customers to actively contribute to their own individual health-risk mitigation and prevention.

scholarly journals The 'Underclass' Debate – A Discourse that Maligns People Living in Poverty

2013 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-57 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hans-Peter Michels
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Social Science ◽  
The United States ◽  
Poor People ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Wide Spread ◽  
Safety Nets ◽  
Science Discourse ◽  
Deep Cuts ◽  
Social Safety Nets

Abstract The concept of an ‘underclass’ originates in the United States and is wide-spread in political and social science discourse today. Its power is most visible in discussions about deep cuts to social safety nets. The foundation of this discourse is the assigning of negative character traits and behaviours to poor people. This promotes the claim that they have brought negative consequences upon themselves and furthers the idea that poor people are personally responsible for their poverty. Discussion about an ‘underclass’ must be understood in the larger context of a comprehensive neoliberal ideological transformation, or ‘Newspeak’. Newspeak is implicitly based on the schema of a game in which everyone has the same chances, but which inevitably results in winners and losers.

scholarly journals Active Viewership and Ethical Representation: Responsible Spectatorship in Alfredo Jaar’s “Real Pictures” and Gil Courtemanche’s Un dimanche à la piscine à Kigali

2016 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 205-223
Author(s):  
Angela Ritter
Keyword(s):  
Political Context ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Rwandan Genocide ◽  
Ethical Implications ◽  
Violent Events

In its discussion of Gil Courtemanche’s Un dimanche à la piscine à Kigali and Alfredo Jaar’s installation of “Real Pictures,” both of which are representations of the Rwandan Genocide, this analysis contributes to a larger discussion on ethical representations of violence. Generally the discussion of the ethics of representation analyzes the ways in which the author or artist portrays the violent events. It focuses on the importance of the historical and political context when describing the events, as well as on the ways in which the author or artist avoids the potential objectifying or dehumanizing effects of representations on the victims, as well as, the perpetrators. This article highlights another important element to be considered in the study of ethical representations- that of how the reader is engaged in the representation and as a result may or may not contribute to stereotypes, objectification, and other negative consequences possible when representing violence. Those who represent violence must not only consider ethical implications with their own interactions with the event and text or image, but also how they encourage their audience to interact with them.   

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document