scholarly journals Effects of Pandemic on Feelings of Depression in Italy: The Role of Age, Gender, and Individual Experiences During the First Lockdown

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruno Arpino ◽  
Marta Pasqualini
Keyword(s):  
Original Data ◽  
Sociodemographic Factors ◽  
Life Course Perspective ◽  
Italian Population ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Depressive Feelings ◽  
Great Heterogeneity ◽  
Quota Sampling

The restrictions to physical contacts that have been imposed in different countries to deal with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic may have contributed to an increase in feelings of depression on top of other negative consequences of the pandemic. This study examines the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on feelings of depression using original data collected in Italy between April 14 and 24, 2020. Quota sampling (N = 3,026) was performed to target the population of 18+ and, together with post-stratification weights, permitted obtaining a representative sample of the Italian population with respect to key sociodemographic factors. We find that 47% of the respondents have increased depressive feelings during the Covid-19 lockdown. Adopting a life-course perspective, we revealed great heterogeneity in feelings of depression consequences by age, gender, and difficulties experienced during the first national lockdown. Identifying groups of population at higher risk of suffering from feelings of depression as a result of COVID-19 is crucial to limit indirect long-term consequences of the pandemic.

Funerals of mafia victims, 1963-2012: the construction of a new civil religion

Modern Italy ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 253-267
Author(s):  
Diego Gavini
Keyword(s):  
Local Community ◽  
Civil Religion ◽  
Italian Population ◽  
Italian History ◽  
Criminal Violence ◽  
First Republic ◽  
The Dead ◽  
Mass Murders

Political and criminal violence are an integral part of recent Italian history. Killings and mass murders have moulded everyday life and the collective memory of the Italian people, changing the shape of public life. Veneration of the dead has taken on a symbolic function and become part of a new ‘civil religion’, which has redefined Italy’s national identity. Scholars are currently examining the role of mafia victims in this phenomenon, concentrating in particular on the bombings that took place in 1992. Following the crisis that marked the end of the First Republic, symbolic ties to figures like Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino became an essential aspect of redefining democratic mobilisation. Nevertheless, when examined from a long-term perspective, the relationship between the Italian population and the celebration of mafia victims is more complex than it may at first appear. This article aims to analyse the contradictions inherent in the issue, focusing on the funerals of mafia victims in order to examine the relationships between political and institutional bodies, the Italian population as a whole, and the local community, in the celebration of the dead. Through this analysis, it seeks to consider both the achievements and failures in the construction of this new ‘civil religion’ in a contemporary society.

scholarly journals The Unemployed Workers’ Perceptions of Stress and Employment Prospects in Macedonia: The Role of Alternative Adjustment Mechanisms

2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 68-79
Author(s):  
Dimitar Nikoloski ◽  
Ljupcho Pechijareski
Keyword(s):  
Labour Market ◽  
Subjective Experience ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Macroeconomic Shocks ◽  
Clear Cut ◽  
The Unemployed ◽  
Adjustment Mechanisms ◽  
Persistent Unemployment

AbstractDepressed labour market conditions in Macedonia manifested by high and persistent unemployment rate, strong segmentation and prevailing long-term unemployment is considered as a heritage of more than two decades long period of transition. Unemployment has a number of negative consequences such a decreased income which is assumed to influence the subjective experience of unemployment. The negative macroeconomic shocks in Macedonia have been mitigated due to the strengthened role of alternative labour market adjustment mechanisms such as: employment in the informal sector, emigration and inactivity. However, their impact on the unemployed workers’ perceptions of stress and future labour market prospects is less clear-cut. In this paper we use results from a survey carried out on a sample of unemployed workers in Macedonia in order to identify the psychological implications of unemployment by assessing the perceived stress and employment prospects with particular reference to the role of alternative labour market adjustment mechanisms.

scholarly journals Selective approaches to regulation of long-term migration in the Russian Federation

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 (4) ◽  
pp. 188-197
Author(s):  
Svetlana Lampadova
Keyword(s):  
Work Experience ◽  
Professional Competence ◽  
Migration Policy ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Effective System ◽  
The Russian Federation ◽  
Economic Needs ◽  
Different Levels

The number of foreign citizens that a country can admit without negative consequences for its economy in general and its labor market in particular, as well as for the socio-political situation, is limited and individual for each country. In this regard, states legislations in addition to the existing conditions set quotas. The purpose of the quota is to quantitatively limit the influx of foreign nationals into a country based on its socio-economic needs and capabilities in a given period. The quota is spent in order of priority without any differentiation and is a restrictive rather than a selection mechanism for ensuring a state’s migration policy. Most often, the selection approach is mentioned in the legislations regulating labor and, in the first place, skilled migration. Only in the context of this subspecies of migration, it is possible to talk of the inequality of candidates based on the different levels of their professional competence and capacity for adaptation to the host country social environment. In the context of skilled labor migration, the role of education, work experience and the ability to communicate freely in the host state language increase significantly. This type of migration is voluntary and aims at mutual satisfaction of the needs of a state in strengthening its economy with highly professional labor force and the needs of foreign citizens in getting the best conditions for realizing their potential. The laws of the market economy shape it. A state possessing the «demand» must, in order to best ensure its own socio-economic needs, build an effective system of evaluation of the «supply» by foreign citizens.

scholarly journals Hygiene practices in children and adolescents to prevent COVID-19 transmission (Literature review)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
VP Krylov
Keyword(s):  
Children And Adolescents ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Way Of Life ◽  
Hygiene Practices ◽  
Hygienic Measures ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
Remote Learning

Socio-economic outcome of long-term SARS-CoV-2 pandemic poses a major health risk to children. A high number of neurological disturbances and nutrition-associated problems are reported. Hygiene is one of the most important measures to avoid the novel coronavirus infection. Children and adolescents commonly constitute a special population, as disease severity in this group significantly differs from that in middle-aged and senior groups. Lockdown and transition to remote learning result in numerous reasons for emotional stress such as a dramatically altered way of life and education, and an important reduction of physical activity. The basic hygienic measures for children and adolescents included lockdown and transition to remote learning. An altered way of life caused strong emotions and poor academic achievements. As time passes, based on numerous statistical data, we can conclude that the role of children in the infection transmission and spread is insignificant. In spite of doubtful effectiveness of transition to online learning and an abundance of negative consequences for children’s mental health, some authors report that closure of schools resulted in a reduced number of those affected and decreased mortality rate. Hand hygiene is a very important way to prevent the spread of infections. Hygiene promotion aimed at children and adolescents is lacking during the pandemic, as explanatory talks are mainly given by parents.

scholarly journals Developments in Drug Addiction During COVID-19—An Austrian Perspective Based on a Clinical Sample

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isabella Fuchs-Leitner ◽  
Kurosch Yazdi ◽  
Nikolas W. Gerstgrasser ◽  
Jan Rosenleitner
Keyword(s):  
Drug Use ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Clinical Sample ◽  
Original Data ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Opioid Substitution Treatment ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Drug Use Disorder

Concerns about the negative consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on people with substance use disorder (SUD) were raised by experts in the field around the world. Here we provide an Austrian perspective, discussing the impact of the pandemic on help-seeking patient with drug use disorder during the initial stage of the pandemic. Our perspectives are based on the situation as perceived at our clinical facility, and supported by original data collected from a small clinical sample of patients with drug use disorder (N = 32). The viewpoints and related descriptive data include the perceived individual impact of COVID-19, as well as various aspects of drug use behavior and the Austrian drug market before and after the onset of the pandemic. The consequences for a subgroup of patients in opioid substitution treatment (N = 24) are discussed. Surprisingly and in contrast to anticipated developments, we had the impression of a rather stable situation in Austria, at least at this early stage of the pandemic. The immediate impact of COVID-19 on these help-seeking patients with high levels of drug dependency seemed less severe than anticipated so far. Importantly, this observation might be a short-term effect for this already fragile group and careful monitoring of further developments as well as preparation of long-term strategies are advised. In general, problematic drug use is associated with many health risk factors and finding appropriate long-term health care strategies has to remain a top priority facing the pandemic. Our perspectives are restricted to observations from help-seeking patients at our clinic, and no conclusions for the general population can be directly drawn.

scholarly journals Quality of research as source and signal: revisiting the valorization process beyond substitution vs complementarity

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Bonaccorsi ◽  
Brigida Blasi ◽  
Carmela Anna Nappi ◽  
Sandra Romagnosi
Keyword(s):  
Research Funding ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Original Data ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Research Quality ◽  
Public Research ◽  
Academic Quality ◽  
Research Activities

AbstractIn recent years, the growing interest of universities in valorization of research activities (tipically through technology transfer—patenting and licensing—and academic entrepreneurship) has generated a debate on its impact on scientific knowledge production. There have been controversies on the potentially negative effect of university research valorization on public research, in terms of quality, long term vs short term orientation, and accessibility. The debate has been traditionally framed in terms of substitution vs complementarity between public research and valorization. In this paper we argue that the key to understand the relation between public research and valorization lies in the role of research funding, particularly: (a) competitive public research funding; (b) third party commercial funding. If the funding system (both public and private) takes the value of academic research as signal of quality, then high quality researchers are able to attract extra-funds beyond ordinary endowment. In turn, these additional funds can be used as a source to organize an effective and long-term division of labor in laboratories in order to support inventions and licensing (patents) and entrepreneurial activities (spin-off companies). In this case academic quality and commercialization are strong complement and positive feedback loops are generated. This interpretation on the role of funding is strongly supported by original data from the Italian Evaluation of Research Quality VQR 2011–2014 dataset. The paper is based on a unique and novel dataset, that integrates data on valorization of research activities at individual and institutional level on all the Italian universities and microdata on research quality on 32,616 researchers in STEM disciplines.

scholarly journals The Role of the Foreign Trade in the Development of Contemporary Supernational Structures in the Age of Globalization 4.0

2021 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 186-196
Author(s):  
Maria Balashova ◽  
Irina Tsvigun
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Trade ◽  
International Organizations ◽  
Information Technologies ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Basic Principles ◽  
The World ◽  
Complex Forms

In the age of globalization 4.0, the problem of insufficient preparation of supranational structures for leveling the negative consequences of the integration of information technologies into all spheres of human activity is becoming more acute, which puts on the agenda the question of the real effectiveness of their activities. There is no alternative to establishing and deepening the information type of society in both the medium and long term. International organizations and companies, as well as integration associations, should take into account the relevant changes taking place in the world economy in the organization of their activities. The purpose of the study is to identify the role of foreign trade in the development of modern supranational structures and to identify among them those which can really cope with the challenges of globalization 4.0. The research methodology was based on the basic principles of synthesis and analysis of data on 35 countries of the world from different continents and with different levels of economic development, which either have maintained stable positions in the level and quality of life of the population over the past decades, or those that have managed to make the transition from a country with a developing economy to a developed one. The authors tried to identify the influence of the foreign trade activities of the member states of supranational structures on the success of their development. The result of the study was the identification of stronger positions of international companies and integration associations that have achieved complex forms of cooperation over international organizations. It is shown that the main way to achieve the appropriate leadership is the activity of their member countries in foreign trade processes in general, and most importantly — in the export of information technologies, in particular. The latter gives the relevant supranational structures unique unlimited benefits, and their participants the opportunity to preserve their so­vereignty and guarantee national security.

Features of interaction of the state and transnational companies

2020 ◽  
pp. 56-63
Author(s):  
Poradenko Оlena
Keyword(s):  
Global Economy ◽  
System Analysis ◽  
Legal Regulation ◽  
The State ◽  
High Tech ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Transnational Companies ◽  
Expert Assessments

The purpose of the article is to assess the global experience of TNCs in stateinvestment processes. The instruments of state influence on the activities of TNCsare characterized. It is shown that the legal regulation of the activities of TNCsis impossible without resorting to international legal sources of regulation offoreign direct investment. the research methodology consists in using a combinationof methods: expert assessments, comparative and system analysis. The indicatedmethodological approach made it possible to analyze the strengths and weaknessesof the interaction between the state and TNCs and, through them, justify the useof a specific strategy. the scientific novelty of the results obtained is to determinethe role of TNCs in the world economy and countries’ politics, given in particularthe positive and negative consequences of their activities and the fact that theemergence of such international corporations is a logical step in the developmentof the international economy and is a necessary stage in the modern reorganizationand development of the country’s economy. conclusion. In the current stage ofeconomic development, government influence is necessary to maintain andredistribute investment flows to high-tech sectors related to the development ofindustries, which will increase the long-term international competitiveness of TNCsin the markets of global economy sectors.

scholarly journals ROLE OF CHINA IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF SOUTHERN AFRICA: EXAMPLE OF ZIMBABWE

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. 33-43
Author(s):  
Кирилл Андреевич Алешин
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Political Life ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Foreseeable Future ◽  
Medium Term ◽  
Bilateral Cooperation ◽  
Restrictive Measures ◽  
The Eu

Purpose: the role of China in Zimbabwe, that has been under long-term sanctions implemented by EU and US, and also experiencing serious economic difficulties. Discussion: the author analyzed the development of relations between Zimbabwe and China. The priorities of Beijing, the main trends and key areas of bilateral cooperation are shown. Results: while in isolation and in terms of Western sanctions, the leadership of Zimbabwe found a reliable ally – China, which became its one of the leading trade and economic partners and political allies, helped to overcome the negative consequences of a large-scale economic crisis. The author predicts that in the medium term, it is possible to expect a decrease in the role Beijing is playing in the economic and political life of Zimbabwe, which is due to a number of circumstances, including the removal of most of the EU sanctions, the possible abolition of US restrictive measures, the activation of Russia, India, as well as other developing countries in the Zimbabwe. However, the link between Zimbabwe and China, which emerged in the last century, the achieved level of influence on the Zimbabwean elites will allow Beijing in the foreseeable future to remain a key player in this country.

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