Sustaining Compliance with Covid-19 Mitigation Measures? Understanding Distancing Behavior in the Netherlands during June 2020

In the month of June, the Netherlands had continued its singular trajectory in combating the COVID-19 pandemic. After the transition from the “intelligent lockdown” into the “1.5 meter society,” the month of June heralded further relaxations of the prior mitigation measures. Building on our previous surveys during the month of May, this paper reports the findings of two additional survey waves collected in June (between 8-11 and between 22-26) among nationally representative samples (N = 1041 and N = 1033). The results show that the processes that sustained compliance during the month of May continued to be influential, especially citizens’ intrinsic motivation to comply, their capacity to do so, their impulse control, and social norms that sustained compliance. Furthermore, there were some indications that extrinsic reasons, such as the likelihood of punishment and the fairness of enforcement, may have become more influential in shaping compliance. A comparison to the findings from May revealed, however, that compliance was gradually declining in the Netherlands, as were the resources that sustain it.

Maintaining Compliance when the Virus Returns: Understanding Adherence to Social Distancing Measures in the Netherlands in July 2020

After its relative lenient, “intelligent lockdown” approach to the COVID-19 coronavirus, the Netherlands has continued its singular trajectory in combating the pandemic. The month of July introduced further relaxations to prior mitigation measures, but also saw a resurgence of infections. This working paper examines how these developments are reflected in Dutch citizens’ compliance with safe-distance measures during this period. Building on our previous surveys during the months of May and June, we report the findings of two additional survey waves collected in early (7-10) and late (21-23) July among nationally representative samples (N = 1064 and N = 1023, respectively). The results show that the decline in compliance that was observed from May to June seems to have halted. At the same time, important predictors of compliance – such as citizens’ capacity to comply, perceptions of the threat of the virus, and support for mitigation measures – have ceased to decrease, or are increasing. Taken together, these findings suggest that Dutch citizens’ compliance with mitigation measures may be on the rise again. However, our findings also suggest that social norms for compliance continue to be eroding, which may continue to dampen citizens’ tendency to comply.

O itinerário místico de Ernesto Cardenal

Conhecido na América Latina e no Caribe como um poeta revolucionário, Ernesto Cardenal (1925-) produziu, ao longo de sua vida, obras em prosa e em verso que estão marcadas igualmente por significativa densidade mística. Há que buscar captar ao longo desse singular itinerário os traços dessa presença espiritual que talvez esteja na base da riqueza e expressividade de sua vida e produção teórica. O poeta nicaraguense vem hoje reconhecido por vários autores como um dos mais fecundos e originais poetas do século XX, e revela-se de fundamental importância desocultar as coordenadas contemplativas presentes na sua rica narrativa.Abstract: Known in Latin America and in the Caribbean as a revolutionary poet, Ernesto Cardenal (1925-) produced during his life works in prose and verse that are equally marked by a significant mystical density. It is now essential to try and capture along this singular trajectory the traits of this spiritual presence that most probably is at the base of the richness and expressivity of his life and theoretical production. The Nicaraguan poet is now recognized by various authors as one of the most productive and original poets of the 20th century and it is of paramount importance to unveil the contemplative coordinates present in his rich narrative.Keywords: Latin America. Literature. Mystical. Religion. Cardenal.

Eliot Freidson: progression and constraints in the biography of an intellectual

Eliot Freidson (1923-2005) is considered one of the founders of the sociology of medicine. Both his critics and admirers in the sociological and medical fields recognize his work as an international benchmark. This paper analyzes Freidson's intellectual biography without concentrating on his ideas or their transformation over the course of time. The emphasis is on the personal constraints that marked his intellectual career within a broader context, with the many different opportunities and choices. It establishes the intersection between the singular trajectory of an intellectual, and the structures, processes and events in which he was immersed and which he changed by his actions.

A New Result in Optimal Control by Elementary Methods

A new result in optimal control by elementary methods A partially singular trajectory for a linear system with scalar control is assumed to have a single junction point, the singular control depending explicitly only on the state vector. An analytical relationship is established between the junction time and end states.