Predictive Algorithms in the Delivery of Public Employment Services

With the growing availability of digital administrative data and the recent advances in machine learning, the use of predictive algorithms in the delivery of labour market policy is becoming more prevalent. In public employment services (PES), predictive algorithms are used to support the classification of jobseekers based on their risk of long-term unem- ployment (profiling), the selection of beneficial active labour market programs (targeting), and the matching of jobseekers to suitable job opportunities (matching). In this chapter, we offer a conceptual introduction to the applications of predictive algorithms for the different functions PES have to fulfil and review the history of their use up to the current state of the practice. In addition, we discuss two issues that are inherent to the use of predictive algorithms: algorithmic fairness concerns and the importance of considering how caseworkers will interact with algorithmic systems and make decisions based on their predictions.

Giving Birth on a Beach Women's Experiences of Using Virtual Reality in Labour A Pragmatic Mixed Methods Approach

<p><b>Birth is a normal physiological process, and many women want a natural birth. However, there is worldwide concern over the increasing use of epidural analgesia and other pharmacological pain relief methods for women in labour. This tendency renders birth non-physiological by increasing the use of obstetric interventions with associated risks. Women use a range of non-pharmacological pain relief methods to reduce labour pain intensity, to help manage labour pain and to induce relaxation. The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of women using virtual reality (VR) as a non-pharmacological method of pain relief in labour and to determine whether there was an effect on labour pain intensity. Virtual reality has been shown to be an effective distraction technique in other acute pain settings and also reduces anxiety.</b></p> <p>This study used a pragmatic mixed method approach with a sequential exploratory design, combining in-depth antenatal and postnatal interviews with an intervention study in labour in a cross-over within-subjects trial. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the qualitative data.</p> <p>Twenty-six pregnant women were recruited to the study. Fourteen participants reported their pain and had their heart rate and blood pressure measured during active labour while using and not using VR. There were significantly lower reported pain scores (6.14 compared to 7.61, p =<.001) and maternal heart rate (79.86 beats per minute compared to 85.57, p = .033) and mean arterial pressure (88.78 mmHg compared to 92.61 mmHg, p = .022) were lower when using VR during active labour. These differences were all statistically significant. Findings from qualitative postnatal interviews indicated a positive response to the use of VR in labour. Several themes were identified in the data. The first theme, Impact of VR on Labour, described the impact of VR on labour in terms of distraction, relaxation, enjoyment and a positive birth experience. The second theme, Managing the Pain, describes how VR was used by the women to manage their labour pain using breathing techniques and gaining a sense of control. In the third theme, The Challenges and Surprises of Using VR in Labour, women’s narratives recounted the various challenges of using the VR technology. Despite these challenges, ninety-four percent of women reported that they would use VR in labour again and would recommend it to a pregnant friend.</p> <p>This study provides a unique and original contribution to the field of VR in labour and birth. It is consistent with other recent findings of reduced pain with the use of VR, and links decreased pain scales to heart rate and blood pressure, the physiological markers of pain. It also identifies VR as an acceptable and positive experience in the management of labour pain. Results from this study have the potential to inform design for future labour specific VR environments and expand its application in the field of biomedical technology.</p>

Giving Birth on a Beach Women's Experiences of Using Virtual Reality in Labour A Pragmatic Mixed Methods Approach

<p><b>Birth is a normal physiological process, and many women want a natural birth. However, there is worldwide concern over the increasing use of epidural analgesia and other pharmacological pain relief methods for women in labour. This tendency renders birth non-physiological by increasing the use of obstetric interventions with associated risks. Women use a range of non-pharmacological pain relief methods to reduce labour pain intensity, to help manage labour pain and to induce relaxation. The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of women using virtual reality (VR) as a non-pharmacological method of pain relief in labour and to determine whether there was an effect on labour pain intensity. Virtual reality has been shown to be an effective distraction technique in other acute pain settings and also reduces anxiety.</b></p> <p>This study used a pragmatic mixed method approach with a sequential exploratory design, combining in-depth antenatal and postnatal interviews with an intervention study in labour in a cross-over within-subjects trial. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the qualitative data.</p> <p>Twenty-six pregnant women were recruited to the study. Fourteen participants reported their pain and had their heart rate and blood pressure measured during active labour while using and not using VR. There were significantly lower reported pain scores (6.14 compared to 7.61, p =<.001) and maternal heart rate (79.86 beats per minute compared to 85.57, p = .033) and mean arterial pressure (88.78 mmHg compared to 92.61 mmHg, p = .022) were lower when using VR during active labour. These differences were all statistically significant. Findings from qualitative postnatal interviews indicated a positive response to the use of VR in labour. Several themes were identified in the data. The first theme, Impact of VR on Labour, described the impact of VR on labour in terms of distraction, relaxation, enjoyment and a positive birth experience. The second theme, Managing the Pain, describes how VR was used by the women to manage their labour pain using breathing techniques and gaining a sense of control. In the third theme, The Challenges and Surprises of Using VR in Labour, women’s narratives recounted the various challenges of using the VR technology. Despite these challenges, ninety-four percent of women reported that they would use VR in labour again and would recommend it to a pregnant friend.</p> <p>This study provides a unique and original contribution to the field of VR in labour and birth. It is consistent with other recent findings of reduced pain with the use of VR, and links decreased pain scales to heart rate and blood pressure, the physiological markers of pain. It also identifies VR as an acceptable and positive experience in the management of labour pain. Results from this study have the potential to inform design for future labour specific VR environments and expand its application in the field of biomedical technology.</p>

Determinants of inorganic fertilizer use by smallholder farmers in South Wollo and Oromia special administrative zones, Ethiopia

The study investigated the determinants of fertilizer use by smallholder farmers. Data were drawn from 207 smallholder farmers, experts, and respective office heads using structured and semi-structured interview schedules, Key informant interviews and focus group discussions. Data were analysed using percentage, mean and standard deviation and linear regression model. About 94% of the farmers had the willingness to apply inorganic fertilizer on their farmland. An increasing price of inorganic fertilizer (96%), poor demand estimation (82%), delay in distribution (78%), lack of attention for the irrigation production system (65%), and unfair distribution/nepotism (61%) are the top-ranked challenges affecting inorganic fertilizer use. The existence of more active labour forces in the family (dy/dx = 20.4, t = 2.49), farmsize (dy/dx = 14.53, t = 3.82), ownership (dy/dx = 75 .13, t = 10.64), total income (dy/dx = 0.00024, t = 2.24), use of credit service (dy/dx = 31.11, t = 1.94), and frequency of extension contact (dy/dx = 24.60, t = 2.07), were found significantly promoting the amount of fertilizer use by smallholder farmers. Actions such as real demand estimation, arranging agricultural implements, and fertilizer subsidy for resource-poor farmers should be implemented to ensure food self-sufficiency.

Organised by transitions: the self-organisation of next-generation welfare professionals in Slovenia

Much is known about innovative union strategies to organise young workers, but little is known about how and why they self-organise outside of unions. Based on field research in Slovenia, we examine ‘next-generation welfare professionals’, a diverse group of students, unemployed graduates and precarious workers attempting to enter state-regulated, and relatively well unionised education and social protection professions. We argue that their self-organisation is a direct consequence of their precarious education-to-work transitions and consequent disembeddedness from the workplace and professional community. Their grievances stem from a mismatch between strict professional entry requirements and scarce paid internships, which lead to long unemployment spells, unsupportive active labour market schemes, and a fear of social exclusion. Their initial tactic was to establish communities from which a collective sense of injustices and self-organising emerged and they targeted policymakers with demands for sustainable government funded internships. Although their relations with established trade unions are not close, they do receive organisational support from the Trade Union Youth Plus that organises students, the unemployed and precarious graduates stuck in a transitional stage of ‘waithood’. Our findings show the need for unions to become more present within transitional zones that, are shaped by state policies.

Do Disadvantaged Young Adults Benefit Less from Social Investment? Studying Matthew Effects in Activation Measures

In Germany, social investment can be crucial for disadvantaged young adults, as intergenerational mobility is low and credentials are decisive for employment. However, the literature on policy implementation calls attention to ‘Matthew effects’, by which the most disadvantaged often have the least access to social investment. We contribute to ongoing research on Matthew effects by examining whether the worst-off among young German welfare recipients are assigned to active labour market policy measures that are more advantageous or less advantageous. Findings for a register sample of 20–22 year olds in 2014 support hypotheses that those with the lowest education and employment experience participate less often in the most advantageous measures; particularly in firm-based upskilling and employment assistance, and more often in measures that proved to be not as beneficial, such as workfare programmes. On a positive note, welfare experience during adolescence as an indicator of low socio-economic status in the family of origin does not additionally affect access to social investment policy measures.

Swimming against the tide? Street-level bureaucrats and the limits to inclusive active labour market programmes in the UK

Through a dynamic analysis of the interplay between structure and agency, this article explores the factors shaping an inclusive approach to labour market activation for clients who experience multiple barriers to work. While previous studies argue that ‘street-level bureaucrats’ (SLBs), such as advisers and job coaches, have minimal agency to shape the services they deliver, the pilot programme that is the focus of this article allowed SLBs greater discretion to support clients and to use their entrepreneurial skills to build relationships with local employers. However, the unresolved tension between personalisation and swift labour market insertion meant that SLBs often reverted to engrained employability interventions that simply prepare clients to compete for low-wage entry-level jobs. We argue that the ‘policy closure’ around a work-first model of activation in the UK constrains social innovation among SLBs, and limits the freedoms of citizens to navigate their own transitions into paid work.