Increasing longevity, while welcome, has far-reaching implications for the social contract between generations. These include eye-watering costs for health and social care…
Abstract
Purpose
Increasing longevity, while welcome, has far-reaching implications for the social contract between generations. These include eye-watering costs for health and social care, intense pressure on the old-age dependency ratio, changing power relations in politics and voting, and increasing pressure on in-work families. In a period of austerity, policy makers have chosen to protect older generations’ benefits and paid for this by slashing benefits for the young, in spite of growing evidence that wealth distribution has changed with older generations becoming wealthier than once thought. The paper concludes that age alone can no longer be used as a proxy for need. The paper aims to discuss these issues.
Design/methodology/approach
This discussion paper uses original quantitative research and analysis undertaken by the Intergenerational Foundation (IF) (www.if.org.uk) which includes Freedom of Information requests to government departments. It brings together the think tank's research into demographics, ageing, policy, government debt and liabilities, benefit reform and spending patters in order to investigate the changing distribution of wealth across the generations.
Findings
It is clear that with changing distributions of wealth that age alone can no longer be used as a proxy for need. While older generations are becoming wealthier younger generations are becoming increasingly burdened by debt, with poorer prospects and being asked to maintain the current status quo.
Originality/value
The paper contains original research conducted by the IF (www.if.org.uk) into spending patterns across the generations and annual public sector pensions.
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The purpose of this paper is to expand upon the Intergenerational Foundation (IF) presentation given at the “Portraying of Ageing” conference, which was organised by the British…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to expand upon the Intergenerational Foundation (IF) presentation given at the “Portraying of Ageing” conference, which was organised by the British Library and held in London in April 2014.
Design/methodology/approach
Changing demographics, wealth distribution, government debt and voting patterns are examined in order to question whether current government policy should continue to protect older generations at the expense of younger and future generations.
Findings
IF provides statistically robust evidence that, in spite of increasing wealth, older generations continue to be protected by government policy while younger generations are targeted for cuts from liabilities built up, but not paid for, by previous generations.
Social implications
Government policy may have tipped too far in favour of older wealthier cohorts, many of whom receive automatic benefits based on reaching a certain age. Governments should consider replacing age as a proxy for need with means-testing in order to rebalance benefits more fairly across the generations.
Originality/value
There have been limited research studies comparing the incidence of wealth amongst older generations and the scale of liabilities being passed on to younger and future generations. This paper will be of value to policy-makers interested in rebalancing the interests of all generations more equitably.
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Claire Starry and Nick W. McGaughey
Updates previous studies, in which growth industries were examinedin order to understand patterns of growth and identify ways to predictfuture growth industries. Evaluates the…
Abstract
Updates previous studies, in which growth industries were examined in order to understand patterns of growth and identify ways to predict future growth industries. Evaluates the fastest growing industries of the late 1980s and early 1990s and analyzes the ways that economic, technological, and international factors will affect these and other growth industries through the remainder of the 1990s. Business marketers can use this information to understand better their customers′ prospects and the outlook for their customers′ customers.
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Tackling social exclusion, which can lead to social isolation and loneliness, is an important current issue. People with a learning disability have a right to be full members of…
Abstract
Purpose
Tackling social exclusion, which can lead to social isolation and loneliness, is an important current issue. People with a learning disability have a right to be full members of their communities, yet often experience social exclusion. Community connections play a key role in people developing reciprocal relationships. It is therefore important to know the barriers to full inclusion. The paper aims to discuss this issue.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper builds on an inclusive research project exploring these issues (Mooney et al., 2019) and aims to place that study’s main findings in a broader academic, policy and practice context.
Findings
Whilst there is a wide range of literature about social exclusion, lack of friendships and loneliness experienced by people with a learning disability, there is a gap in knowledge regarding some of the specific social barriers that prevent wider social inclusion, and therefore opportunities to make and keep friends.
Originality/value
This paper relates the findings of an inclusive research project to the current literature. It identifies the social barriers that limit community involvement and draws on the experience of people with a learning disability to find possible ways forward.
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Andrew Nocon, Liz Sayce and Zenobia Nadirshaw
It is well documented that the health of people with learning disabilities is worse in many ways than that of the rest of the population, and their lives are shorter. The article…
Abstract
It is well documented that the health of people with learning disabilities is worse in many ways than that of the rest of the population, and their lives are shorter. The article reports on the results of a wide and diverse research programme, including reviews of the relevant literature, consultation, area studies and an inquiry panel, designed to gather the most complete picture possible of these health inequalities and the aspects of health services that permit them. The areas covered are morbidity, access to services, diagnosis, health problems, health promotion, health checks and services for people from black and minority ethnic populations. Inequalities are found in all these areas, some arising from professional prejudice, some from inadequate responses to characteristics shown by learning‐disabled people and some from unidentified causes. The article concludes with a summary of the measures needed to rectify the situation.
Chih Sin, Rob Francis and Chloe Cook
Despite laudable intentions and evidence of progress, significant barriers remain in relation to the access to and experiences of child and adolescent mental health services…
Abstract
Despite laudable intentions and evidence of progress, significant barriers remain in relation to the access to and experiences of child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS). This article draws on the findings of a literature review and reports a number of barriers and their impact on children and young people with learning disabilities. Children and young people with learning disabilities are at a disproportionate risk of experiencing mental health problems yet access and experience of CAMHS can be highly uneven. Families are often unclear about how to access mental health services and what services are available. Such information and knowledge‐related barriers are particularly significant for certain minority ethnic groups. Barriers related to the CAMHS workforce mix, skills and staff attitudes can also mean that skills required for working with people with both mental health conditions and learning disabilities can be lacking. At a macro level, systems‐related barriers include a lack of joint commissioning and planning, unclear care pathways, the lack of a single point of referral, difficult transition to adult mental health services and a lack of inappropriate services.
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Tendai Chitewere and Dorceta E. Taylor
Purpose – Ecological cohousing communities, or ecovillages, are emerging as contemporary housing models that attempt to recreate a sense of community and encourage an…
Abstract
Purpose – Ecological cohousing communities, or ecovillages, are emerging as contemporary housing models that attempt to recreate a sense of community and encourage an environmentally sustainable lifestyle. This chapter analyzes a rural ecovillage (Ecovillage at Ithaca – EVI) to find out how the community conceptualizes and practices sustainability. The chapter also examines whether and how the community incorporates issues of equity and social justice into its activities.
Design/methodology/approach – The chapter uses a multi-method approach. It is a case study; however, participant observation was conducted at the site. In addition, interviews with residents were conducted and archival materials from the community's newsletters as well city government documents were also used.
Findings – As practiced at EVI, the green lifestyle emphasizes comfortable living that is both esthetically appealing and good for the environment. In making the decision to focus on building a community for the middle class, residents have limited their engagement with social justice issues and have struggled with incorporating minorities and the poor into their community.
Originality/value – This is one of the first papers to analyze the ecovillages from an environmental justice perspective. It shows where there are overlaps between the ecovillage and environmental justice movements. The chapter also fits into a growing body of scholarship that examines the concept of sustainability from a social justice perspective also.
While the right to life, ‘personhood’, and the educability of people with profound and multiple learning disabilities are still under‐debated, service providers and research…
Abstract
While the right to life, ‘personhood’, and the educability of people with profound and multiple learning disabilities are still under‐debated, service providers and research workers continue to extend the boundaries of expectation with respect to what such people can achieve. In this paper the messages of recent research are summarised and key references for fuller information suggested. The need to bring together such specialised knowledge in the framework of an ordinary life aimed at enhancing competence and quality of life is urged.
Mike Thelwall, Eleanor-Rose Papas, Zena Nyakoojo, Liz Allen and Verena Weigert
Peer reviewer evaluations of academic papers are known to be variable in content and overall judgements but are important academic publishing safeguards. This article introduces a…
Abstract
Purpose
Peer reviewer evaluations of academic papers are known to be variable in content and overall judgements but are important academic publishing safeguards. This article introduces a sentiment analysis program, PeerJudge, to detect praise and criticism in peer evaluations. It is designed to support editorial management decisions and reviewers in the scholarly publishing process and for grant funding decision workflows. The initial version of PeerJudge is tailored for reviews from F1000Research's open peer review publishing platform.
Design/methodology/approach
PeerJudge uses a lexical sentiment analysis approach with a human-coded initial sentiment lexicon and machine learning adjustments and additions. It was built with an F1000Research development corpus and evaluated on a different F1000Research test corpus using reviewer ratings.
Findings
PeerJudge can predict F1000Research judgements from negative evaluations in reviewers' comments more accurately than baseline approaches, although not from positive reviewer comments, which seem to be largely unrelated to reviewer decisions. Within the F1000Research mode of post-publication peer review, the absence of any detected negative comments is a reliable indicator that an article will be ‘approved’, but the presence of moderately negative comments could lead to either an approved or approved with reservations decision.
Originality/value
PeerJudge is the first transparent AI approach to peer review sentiment detection. It may be used to identify anomalous reviews with text potentially not matching judgements for individual checks or systematic bias assessments.
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This chapter examines the everyday experiences of short women, focusing on the problems they face and the coping strategies used to navigate being short in a heightist society…
Abstract
Purpose
This chapter examines the everyday experiences of short women, focusing on the problems they face and the coping strategies used to navigate being short in a heightist society. Further, this chapter views height as a stigmatized identity, which both negatively and positively impacts short women.
Methodology
Sixteen qualitative interviews were conducted with women 5′2″ and under.
Findings
Using the literature on stress, and coping models laid out by social psychologists, this chapter elucidates the unique place of short women in American society.
Originality
While there has been a wealth of literature on how short stature impacts men, research on how short stature impacts women has been scant.