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Research ethics and HIV clinical trials
12 November 2014
University of Sydney

Newson, A.J.

Investigations into the medical, epidemiological and social aspects of HIV give rise to difficult questions in research ethics. The number and location of many people affected with HIV, combined with a lack of access to basic health care and stigma associated with the disease have caused significant controversies, particularly for international collaborations. This article briefly surveys some of the significant ethical issues arising from biomedical research into HIV and highlights the regulatory mechanisms in place which aim to balance complex and conflicting rights and interests in this difficult field of research.
Joe Hockey’s medical research fund is nothing more than a distraction
10 June 2015
University of Sydney

Mayes, C;Kaldor, J;Carter, SM;Little, M;Kerridge, I

Health is a basic requirement for an individual to lead a good life. Without health you have nothing; when we are sick, it’s difficult to work, to care for others, to participate in the things we enjoy. We seek treatment so we can get back to our normal lives. Because health is so important to our wellbeing, there is widespread agreement— including among ethicists —that a fair and accessible healthcare system is something that we should pursue. And although the Australian healthcare system is far from perfect, it has provided universal access to healthcare for almost 40 years. A universal healthcare system – one that is open to everyone, whether or not they can afford to pay – is a basic feature of a good and just society. Tony Abbott and Joe Hockey want us to panic about a "budget emergency", including the idea that our current health system is unsustainable. Rising healthcare costs pose a challenge to governments everywhere. But this is not a new problem, and will not bring about economic or social catastrophe any time soon. This amplified threat is being used to justify measures that are now well known: introducing co-payments for GP fees; disestablishing Medicare Locals; transferring health agencies to the department of health with reduced funding; and stripping $80bn in funding from the states, particularly in health and education. This will not only force the states to increase their own goods and services taxes, but reduce the public services they can afford to provide. It will end universal access to health care, make Medicare a mere "safety net", overwhelm hospitals, and increase the inequities that are increasingly a feature of Australian society.
Knowledge, Beliefs, and Decisions of Pregnant Australian Women Concerning Donation and Storage of Umbilical Cord Blood: A Population‐Based Survey
17 May 2016
University of Sydney

Jordens, C;Kerridge, I;Stewart, C;O'Brien, T;Samuel, G;Porter, M;O'Connor, M;Nassar, N

Background: Many women giving birth in Australian hospitals can choose to donate their child’s umbilical cord blood to a public cord blood bank or pay to store it privately. We conducted a survey to determine the proportion and characteristics of pregnant women who are aware of umbilical cord blood (UCB) banking and who have considered and decided about this option. The survey also sought to ascertain information sources, knowledge and beliefs about UCB banking, and the effect of basic information about UCB on decisions. Methods: Researchers and/or hospital maternity staff distributed a survey with basic information about UCB banking to 1,873 women of at least 24 weeks gestation who were attending antenatal classes and hospital clinics in 14 Public and private maternity hospitals in New South Wales. Results: Most respondents (70.7%) were aware of UCB banking. Their main information sources were leaflets from hospital clinics, print media, antenatal classes, TV, radio, friends and relatives. Knowledge about UCB banking was patchy, and respondents overestimated the likelihood their child would need or benefit from UCB. Women who were undecided about UCB banking were younger, less educated or from ethnic or rural backgrounds. After providing basic information about UCB banking, the proportion of respondents who indicated they had decided whether or not to donate or store UCB more than doubled from 30.0% to 67.7%. Conclusions: Basic information for parents about UCB banking can affect planned decisions about UCB banking. Information should be accurate and balanced, should counter misconceptions, and should target specific groups. Keywords: Antenatal care; Health information; Blood banks; New South Wales, Australia
Random Regret Minimization and Random Utility Maximization in the Presence of Preference Heterogeneity: An Empirical Contrast
12 July 2016
University of Sydney

Hensher, David A.;Greene, WIlliam H;Ho, Chinh Q

Random regret minimisation (RRM) interpretations of discrete choices are growing in popularity as a complementary modelling paradigm to random utility maximisation (RUM). While behaviourally very appealing in the sense of accommodating the regret of not choosing the ‘best’ alternative, studies to date suggest that the differences in willingness to pay estimates, choice elasticities and choice probabilities compared to RUM are small. However, the evidence is largely based on a simple multinomial logit form of the RRM model. In this paper we revisit this behavioural contrast and move beyond the multinomial logit model to incorporate random parameters, revealing the presence of preference heterogeneity. The important contribution of this paper is to see if the extension of RRM‐MNL to RRM‐mixed logit in passenger mode choice widens the behavioural differences between RUM and RRM. The current paper has identified a statistically richer improvement in fit of mixed logit compared to multinomial logit under RRM (and RUM) but found small differences overall between the empirical outputs of RUM and RRM, with no basis of an improved model fit between these two non‐nested model forms. The inclusion of both model forms should continue to inform the likely range of behavioural outputs as we investigate a broader range of process heuristics designed to capture real world behavioural response.
Citizens, Consumers and Animals: What Role do Experts Assign to Public Values in Establishing Animal Welfare Standards?
05 September 2016
University of Sydney

Degeling, C;Johnson, J

The public can influence animal welfare law and regulation. However what constitutes ‘the public’ is not a straightforward matter. A variety of different publics have an interest in animal use and this has implications for the governance of animal welfare. This article presents an ethnographic content analysis of how the concept of a public is mobilized in animal welfare journals from 2003 to 2012. The study was undertaken to explore how experts in the discipline define and regard the role of the public in determining animal welfare standards. Analysis indicates that experts in animal welfare constitute different types of citizen and consumer publics around specific types of animal use, framed by different theories of value. These results suggest a need for greater clarity about the roles and responsibilities of experts and publics in animal welfare reform processes. Clearly citizens and consumers can both contribute to promoting higher welfare standards, but an over-reliance on market mechanisms and consumer behaviour to assign value is beset by moral hazards, foremost being the risk of disarticulating the concept of animal welfare from the public good.
Rural Carers of People with Disabilities: Making Choices to Move or to Stay
06 March 2017
University of Sydney

Dew, Angela;Happ, Vicki;Bulkeley, Kim;Bundy, Anita;Lincoln, Michelle;Gallego, Gisselle;Brentnall, Jennie;Veitch, Craig

When a child is born with, or an individual acquires, a disability in rural Australia, one of the decisions faced by the family is whether to remain living in a rural area or move to a larger metropolitan centre to access support services such as therapy. Understanding the factors that rural carers weigh up in making the decision to move or stay can inform the successful implementation of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) in rural areas. Seventy-eight rural carers were recruited to participate in individual interviews or focus groups to discuss access to therapy services. Data were analysed using modified grounded theory involving thematic analysis and constant comparison. Participants made decisions about whether to stay living in their rural community or to move to a larger centre to receive therapy services according to three interlinked factors: personal factors related to their other family caring responsibilities; social factors including their informal support networks of family, friends, and community; and economic factors including employment and the time and cost of travelling to access specialist services in larger centres. These factors need to be considered in the roll-out of the NDIS to ensure that rural service users enjoy the benefit of a real choice to live in a rural area without reducing their access to support services.
Explaining recent increases in calorie intake in rural india: The role of social policy strengthening
08 August 2019
University of Sydney

Pritchard, Bill;Lahiri-Dutt, Kuntala;Siddiqui, Md Zakaria

During the past decade, considerable research efforts have sought to explain India’s “calorie consumption paradox”, namely, the coexistence of a decline in average per capita calorie intake in rural India alongside increased material living standards. Evidence from the most recent (68th) round of the National Sample Survey (NSS), released in 2014, however, indicates increases in calorie intake, notably among poorer income quintiles. This paper argues that the turnaround in these data is linked to the improved performance of pro-poor social protection measures. Analysis of data suggests a close association between states that have made the greatest improvements in social policy delivery systems, and increased calorie intake for the poorest quintile of rural populations. This conclusion supports wider international evidence on the importance of social protection strengthening for nutrition-sensitive economic growth. © 2019 Taylor & Francis.
The feminization of agriculture or the feminization of agrarian distress? Tracking the trajectory of women in agriculture in India
21 August 2019
University of Sydney

Pattnaik, Itishree;Lahiri-Dutt, Kuntala;Lockie, Stewart;Pritchard, Bill

The rising share of farm work in India undertaken by women – a phenomenon commonly referred to as the feminization of agriculture – raises questions about the changing character of rural India, particularly with regards to women’s social and economic roles. Based on an analysis of four sets of occupational data drawn from the Indian Census (1981, 1991, 2001 and 2011), this paper demonstrates that, as a process driven largely by the outmigration of men from rural areas, the feminization of agriculture has no necessary relationship with wider INDICATORS of women’s social or economic empowerment. Instead, women’s growing participation in agriculture appears to be strongly related to several indicators of poverty. This paper concludes that women’s growing contribution of labour in agriculture adds to the already heavy work burdens of most rural women, thereby further undermining their well-being, and suggests that the feminization of agriculture may better be described as the feminization of agrarian distress.
Service Recommendation in Smart Grid: Vision, Technologies, and Applications
30 January 2020
University of Sydney

Luo, Fengji;Ranzi, Gianluca;Wang, Xibin;Dong, Zhao Yang

Driven by the energy crisis and global warming problem, smart grid was proposed in the early 21th century as a solution for the sustainable development of human society. With the two-way communication infrastructure available in smart grids, a current challenge is to interpret and gain knowledge from the collected grid big data to optimize grid operations. Service recommendation techniques provide promising tools to discover knowledge from the grid data, and recommend energy-aware products/services/suggestions to the smart grid participators. This paper is among the first to investigate the prospective of introducing service recommendation techniques into the smart grid demand side management (DSM). In the first part of the paper, the backgrounds of smart grid DSM and service recommendation techniques are reviewed, followed by the presentation and discussion of key technologies that can facilitate the development of smart grid recommender systems. An outline on potential application scenarios of smart grid recommender systems as well as future challenges are also provided.
Housing policy and the COVID-19 pandemic: the importance of housing research during this health emergency
27 May 2020
University of Sydney

Rogers, Dallas;Power, Emma

The COVID-19 pandemic is rapidly emerging as a housing emergency. In this moment of crisis, let us state our position on COVID-19 and the journal at the outset: Housing scholars, housing policy and our homes have a pivotal role in this health crisis. The COVID-19 pandemic incorporates a suite of health, economic and political challenges; housing is emerging as one of them. Housing scholars have an ethical responsibility to intervene in this evolving housing emergency both as experts and researchers. In the short term we can support rapid policy making that is done well. In the longer term we can bring perspective to the changes that are taking place across our housing systems and that are required to deal with this crisis. However, we acknowledge that new COVID-19 related personal and professional pressures are likely to significantly affect the capacity of many housing scholars to submit, revise and review articles or contribute to scholarship in other ways. Depending on housing, care and income circumstances different scholars will be affected in different ways. Our editorial response has been designed in an attempt to respond to this complex suite of issues.
Economic Consequences of the COVID-19 Outbreak: the Need for Epidemic Preparedness
18 June 2020
University of Sydney

Pak, Anton;Adegboye, Oyelola A.;Adekunle, Adeshina I.;Rahman, Kazi M.;McBryde, Emma S.;Eisen, Damon P.

COVID-19 is not only a global pandemic and public health crisis; it has also severely affected the global economy and financial markets. Significant reductions in income, a rise in unemployment, and disruptions in the transportation, service, and manufacturing industries are among the consequences of the disease mitigation measures that have been implemented in many countries. It has become clear that most governments in the world underestimated the risks of rapid COVID-19 spread and were mostly reactive in their crisis response. As disease outbreaks are not likely to disappear in the near future, proactive international actions are required to not only save lives but also protect economic prosperity.
The COVID-19 pandemic: Lessons on building more equal and sustainable societies
18 June 2020
University of Sydney

van Barneveld, Kristin;Quinlan, Michael;Kriesler, Peter;Junor, Anne;Baum, Fran;Chowdhury, Anis;Junankar, PN (Raja);Clibborn, Stephen;Flanagan, Frances;Wright, Chris F;Friel, Sharon;Halevi, Joseph;Rainnie, Al

This discussion paper by a group of scholars across the fields of health, economics and labour relations argues that COVID-19 is an unprecedented humanitarian crisis from which there can be no return to the ‘old normal’. The pandemic’s disastrous worldwide health impacts have been exacerbated by, and have compounded, the unsustainability of economic globalisation based on the neoliberal dismantling of state capabilities in favour of markets. Flow-on economic impacts have simultaneously created major supply and demand disruptions, and highlighted the growing within-country inequalities and precarity generated by neoliberal regimes of labour market regulation. Taking an Australian and international perspective, we examine these economic and labour market impacts, paying particular attention to differential impacts on First Nations people, developing countries, women, immigrants and young people. Evaluating policy responses in a political climate of national and international leadership very different from those in which major twentieth century crises were addressed, we argue the need for a national and international conversation to develop a new pathway out of crisis.
COVID-19: An Australian Perspective
09 July 2020
University of Sydney

Shakespeare-Finch, Jane;Bowen-Salter, Holly;Cashin, Miranda;Badawi, Amalia;Wells, Ruth;Rosenbaum, Simon;Steel, Zachary

Australia looks to be one of those lucky countries that adopted an early public health response limiting community transmission of COVID-19 and avoiding the levels of acute hospitalization and fatality seen in other settings. Yet the pandemic came on the back of the largest bushfire season the country had seen which itself followed a sequence of climatic disasters involving drought, cyclones and floods. The social and economic impact of the COVID-19 response has been substantial with widespread loss of employment, social dislocation and health fears sparked across the nation. Findings from risk modeling and population surveillance provide preliminary evidence of increased burden of psychological distress, morbidity and risk of suicide resulting from the current crisis. We also highlight the mental health risk that may arise from increased sedentary behavior with the introduction of lockdown and physical distancing measures. We also outline the potently valuable role of drawing on salutogenic models including resilience and posttraumatic growth research for individual and broader community level need.
Doing history in urgent times: forum introduction
09 July 2020
University of Sydney

Rees, Yves;Huf, Ben

As we enter the 2020s, our times are daily getting more urgent. The climate and ecological emergency, catastrophic Australian bushfires, and now the COVID-19 pandemic and associated economic meltdown have launched us into a new era of seemingly incessant crisis. Through it all, history remains omnipresent. In press conferences and Zoom meetings, in newspapers and Twitter feeds, history is invoked to bring sense and meaning to our disorienting present. As public commentary mythologises the past in order to manage a destabilised and unknown future, what should the response of professional historians be? What are our responsibilities in the face of cataclysmic change? In this forum on ‘History in Urgent Times’, we present three attempts to grapple with what it means to be a historian in this alarming historical moment, and ask how historians ought to respond.
Study Protocol for the COVID-19 Pandemic Adjustment Survey (CPAS): A Longitudinal Study of Australian Parents of a Child 0–18 Years
17 November 2020
University of Sydney

Westrupp, E.M.;Karantzas, G.;Macdonald, J.A.;Olive, L.;Youssef, G.;Greenwood, C.J.;Sciberras, E.;Fuller-Tyszkiewicz, M.;Evans, S.;Mikocka-Walus, A.;Ling, M.;Cummins, R.;Hutchinson, D.;Melvin, G.;Fernando, J.W.;Teague, S.;Wood, A.G.;Toumbourou, J.W.;Berkowitz, T.;Linardon, J.;Enticott, P.G.;Stokes, M.A.;McGillivray, J.;Olsson, C.A.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic presents significant risks to the mental health and wellbeing of Australian families. Employment and economic uncertainty, chronic stress, anxiety, and social isolation are likely to have negative impacts on parent mental health, couple and family relationships, as well as child health and development. Objective: This study aims to: (1) provide timely information on the mental health impacts of the emerging COVID-19 crisis in a close to representative sample of Australian parents and children (0–18 years), (2) identify adults and families most at risk of poor mental health outcomes, and (3) identify factors to target through clinical and public health intervention to reduce risk. Specifically, this study will investigate the extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic is associated with increased risk for parents’ mental health, lower well-being, loneliness, and alcohol use; parent-parent and parent-child relationships (both verbal and physical); and child and adolescent mental health problems. Methods: The study aims to recruit a close to representative sample of at least 2,000 adults aged 18 years and over living in Australia who are parents of a child 0–4 years (early childhood, N = 400), 5–12 years (primary school N = 800), and 13–18 years (secondary school, N = 800). The design will be a longitudinal cohort study using an online recruitment methodology. Participants will be invited to complete an online baseline self-report survey (20 min) followed by a series of shorter online surveys (10 min) scheduled every 2 weeks for the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic (i.e., estimated to be 14 surveys over 6 months). Results: The study will employ post stratification weights to address differences between the final sample and the national population in geographic communities across Australia. Associations will be analyzed using multilevel modeling with time-variant and time-invariant predictors of change in trajectory over the testing period. Conclusions: This study will provide timely information on the mental health impacts of the COVID-19 crisis on parents and children in Australia; identify communities, parents, families, and children most at risk of poor outcomes; and identify potential factors to address in clinical and public health interventions to reduce risk.
Australia's COVID-19 public budgeting response: the straitjacket of neoliberalism
17 November 2020
University of Sydney

Andrew, J.;Baker, M.;Guthrie, J.;Martin-Sardesai, A.

Purpose: This paper explores how neoliberalism restrains the ability of governments to respond to crises through budgetary action. It examines the immediate budgetary responses to the COVID-19 pandemic by the Australian government and explores how the conditions created by prior neoliberal policies have limited these responses. Design/methodology/approach: A review and examination of the prior literature on public budgeting and new public management are provided. The idea of a “neoliberal straitjacket” is used to frame the current budgetary and economic situation in Australia. Findings: The paper examines the chronology of Australia's budgetary responses to the economic and health crisis created by COVID-19. These responses have taken the form of tax breaks and a temporary payment scheme for individuals made unemployed by the pandemic. Practical implications: The insights gained from this paper may help with future policy developments and promote future research on similar crises. Originality/value: The analysis of Australia's policies in dealing with the pandemic may offer insights for other countries struggling to cope with the fiscal consequences of COVID-19.
Pathways of Disadvantage: Unpacking the Intergenerational Correlation in Welfare
21 December 2020
University of Sydney

Bubonya, Melisa;Cobb-Clark, Deborah A.

Our goal is to investigate the pathways that link welfare receipt across generations. We undertake a mediation analysis in which we not only calculate the intergenerational correlation in welfare, but also quantify the portion of that correlation that operates through key mechanisms. Our data come from administrative welfare records for young people (aged 23–26) and their parents over nearly two decades which have been linked to survey responses from young people at age 18. The mediators we consider jointly explain nearly a third (32.2 percent) of the intergenerational correlation in welfare receipt. The primary mechanism linking welfare receipt across generations is the failure to complete high school. Adolescents in welfare-reliant families experience more disruptions in their schooling (e.g., school changes and residential mobility, expulsions and suspensions) and receive less financial support from their families both of which impact on their chances of completing high school and avoiding the welfare roll. Young people’s risk-taking behavior (smoking, illicit drug use, delinquency and pregnancy) is also a key mechanism underpinning intergenerational welfare reliance. Physical and mental health, work-welfare attitudes and academic achievement, in contrast, have a more modest role in transmitting welfare receipt across generations.
Zoonotic tuberculosis — The changing landscape
06 April 2021
University of Sydney

Kock, Richard;Michel, Anita L;Yeboah-Manu, Dorothy;Azhar, Esam I;Torrelles, Jordi B;Cadmus, Simeon I;Brunton, Lucy;Chakaya, Jeremiah M;Marais, Ben;Mboera, Leonard;Rahim, Zeaur;Haider, Najmul;Zumla, Alimuddin

Despite slow reductions in the annual burden of active human tuberculosis (TB) cases, zoonotic TB (zTB) remains a poorly monitored and an important unaddressed global problem. There is a higher incidence in some regions and countries, especially where close association exists between growing numbers of cattle (the major source of Mycobacterium bovis) and people, many suffering from poverty, and where dairy products are consumed unpasteurised. More attention needs to be focused on possible increased zTB incidence resulting from growth in dairy production globally and increased demand in low income countries in particular. Evidence of new zoonotic mycobacterial strains in South Asia and Africa (e.g. M. orygis), warrants urgent assessment of prevalence, potential drivers and risk in order to develop appropriate interventions. Control of M. bovis infection in cattle through detect and cull policies remain the mainstay of reducing zTB risk, whilst in certain circumstances animal vaccination is proving beneficial. New point of care diagnostics will help to detect animal infections and human cases. Given the high burden of human tuberculosis (caused by M. tuberculosis) in endemic areas, animals are affected by reverse zoonosis, including multi-drug resistant strains. This, may create drug resistant reservoirs of infection in animals. Like COVID-19, zTB is evolving in an ever-changing global landscape.
Hospitality workers’ COVID-19 risk perception and depression: A contingent model based on transactional theory of stress model
02 June 2021
University of Sydney

Yan, Jiaqi;Kim, Sunghoon;Zhang, Stephen X.;Foo, Maw-Der;Alvarez-Risco, Aldo;Del-Aguila-Arcentales, Shyla;Yáñez, Jaime A.

The hospitality industry worldwide is suffering under the COVID-19 pandemic. Drawing on the transactional theory of stress and coping, this study aims to investigate when hospitality workers’ COVID-19 risk perception affects their likelihood of having depressive symptoms. Using data from 211 hospitality workers in 76 hotels in Peru, we examined the effects of perceived COVID-19 risk on the likelihood of experiencing depressive symptoms. We posited that this relationship is moderated by the workers’ environment at work (job satisfaction) and at home (the number of children). The results indicate that job satisfaction weakens the link between hospitality workers’ COVID-19 risk perception and their likelihood of depressive symptoms while the number of children exacerbates this link. We discuss the implications of our findings for research on COVID-19 risk perception and offer practical implications for hospitality workers under COVID-19 crisis.
Workplace reform: a new social contract for Australia
02 June 2021
University of Sydney

Lansbury, Russell D

The COVID-19 crisis impels us to think about the future of Australia in many dimensions and from different perspectives including our social, economic and governance structures. A new social contract at work in Australia should rest on three pillars: a full employment policy coupled with a strong safety net for those not able to find work; a comprehensive system of post-secondary and vocational training, and easy transition between them; industrial relations reforms to provide a stronger voice for workers in decisions affecting them in the workplace. These pillars should be based not only on the historical experience of Australia but also draw on successful examples from elsewhere. The Nordic countries, for example, have based their social and economic systems on a social partnership approach that relies on voluntary cooperation between interest groups rather than legislation.
COVID-19 and tourism in Pacific SIDS: lessons from Fiji, Vanuatu and Samoa?
02 June 2021
University of Sydney

Connell, John

Tourism was of critical economic importance in Pacific SIDS until COVID-19 border closures cut off international ties. The virus did not reach Vanuatu and Samoa, and few cases occurred in Fiji. The collapse of tourism, on land and from cruise ships, resulted in increased unemployment and the closure of hotels and tourism-oriented businesses with multiplier effects throughout the island economies. Many people returned to home islands, putting pressure on local land resources. Diverse local markets, exchange and bartering increased. Women were most affected in terms of lost jobs, more domestic burdens and a rise in domestic violence. This article argues that tourism is unlikely to restart in the immediate future, but may be initiated through small elite ventures. In response, regional metropolitan states – Australia and New Zealand – have increased aid to what is increasingly a strategically important region.
COVID-19, indigenous peoples, local communities and natural resource governance
02 June 2021
University of Sydney

Walters, G.;Broome, N.P.;Cracco, M.;Dash, T.;Dudley, N.;El�as, S.;Hymas, O.;Mangubhai, S.;Mohan, V.;Niederberger, T.;Kema, C.A.N.-K.;Lio, A.O.;Raveloson, N.;Rubis, J.;Toviehou, S.A.R.M.;Vliet, N.V.

We report on how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting Indigenous peoples and local communities (IPLCs), especially those who govern, manage and conserve their lands and waters. We explore the themes of access and use of natural resources, solidarity, decision-making, the role of governments and IPLCs in managing COVID-19, and the uptake of traditional medicine. These themes are explored through a global online survey in English, Spanish and French. We collected and analysed 133 surveys from 40 countries, using SenseMaker®, a software that enables analysis of micronarratives based on how respondents classify their own stories. We explore the themes further through case studies from Benin, Fiji, France, Gabon, Guyana, Guatemala, India and Madagascar, highlighting challenges and opportunities in how IPLCs responded to COVID-19. Our study underscores the importance of self-empowerment and recognition of IPLC rights, which allows them to use traditional medicines, meet subsistence requirements during lockdowns, help community members and neighbours to sustain livelihoods, and to govern, defend and conserve their territories. We propose key actions to support IPLCs navigate future pandemics while protecting their lands and waters.
Cognitive heuristics and risk evaluation in crisis fraud
10 June 2021
University of Sydney

Chang, J.;Chong, M.D.

Purpose: The recent COVID-19 crisis has been followed by an epidemic of fraud. This study aims to evaluate cases of COVID-19-related fraud to identify cognitive heuristics that influence decision-making under the pressure of crisis conditions. Design/methodology/approach: An analysis of fraud advisories and cases relating to COVID-19 is conducted and matched against various types of cognitive heuristics to explain their influence on victims of crisis fraud. Findings: The affect, availability, cue-familiarity, representativeness and scarcity heuristics are identified and explained to have a substantial influence on risk evaluations of crisis fraud. Originality/value: The findings from this study can help individuals avoid fraud victimisation by helping them understand psychological vulnerabilities that they may be unaware of under the pressure of crisis conditions.
Psychological Consequences of the Flint Water Crisis: A Scoping Review
10 June 2021
University of Sydney

Brooks, S.K.;Patel, S.S.

Objective: To summarize existing literature on the mental health impact of the Flint Water Crisis. Methods: In March 2020, we searched 5 databases for literature exploring the psychological consequences of the crisis. Main findings were extracted. Results: 32 citations were screened and 11 included in the review. Results suggest a negative psychological effect caused by the water crisis, including anxiety and health worries, exacerbated by lowered trust in public health officials, uncertainty about the long-term impacts of the crisis, financial hardships, stigma, and difficulties seeking help. There was evidence that concerns about tap water continued even after the state of emergency was lifted. Conclusions: With a possible compound effect to residents of Flint with the recent COVID-19 pandemic, the results highlight the need for more resources for psychological health interventions in Flint as well as a need for local governments and health authorities to regain the trust of those affected by the Flint Water Crisis.
Increased risk-taking, not loss tolerance, drives adolescents’ propensity to choose risky prospects more often under peer observation
22 June 2021
University of Sydney

Tymula, Agnieszka;Wang, Xueting

Relative to adults, adolescents make more welfare-decreasing decisions, especially in the presence of peers. The consequences of these decisions result in substantial individual and societal losses in terms of lives lost, injury, hospitalization costs, and foregone opportunities. In this paper, we use laboratory within-subject and between-subject experiments with younger (12–17 years old) and older (18–24 years old) adolescents to identify which economic preference is affected by peer observation in adolescence — risk tolerance in gains, risk tolerance in losses, and/or loss aversion. We find that in our study, while observed by peers, 18–24-year-old adolescents became more risk-tolerant both in gains and in losses but more loss averse. We discuss the potential mechanisms driving the result and its policy implications.
Covid-19 And The Policy-Induced Vulnerabilities Of Temporary Migrant Workers In Australia
30 June 2021
University of Sydney

Clibborn, Stephen;Wright, Chris F.

The COVID-19 crisis has starkly exposed the existing economic vulnerability of temporary migrants in many countries. In Australia, many temporary migrants, who were already at risk of marginalisation due to policies restricting their bargaining power and agency (Wright and Clibborn 2020), have lost their jobs and have minimal financial support due to their exclusion from public welfare. We argue that the situation confronting temporary migrant workers is a direct consequence of dramatic and deliberate changes in immigration policy since the 1990s. These policy changes were engineered by the Australian state with the professed aim of increasing labour market efficiency, and led to the abandonment of previous policy arrangements that had successfully enabled social and economic inclusion of migrant workers. The next section examines the shift in Australian immigration selection and control to an exclusive focus on improving the short-term economic contribution of visa policy. The article then analyses how these policies have eroded temporary migrants’ rights and channelled temporary migrants into sectors that have poor quality employment practices. It concludes by outlining proposals to avoid marginalising migrants in the future through a greater focus on socially inclusionary measures.
A proposal to enhance national capability to manage epidemics: The critical importance of expert statistical input including official statistics
06 July 2021
University of Sydney

Fisher, Nicholas I.;Trewin, Dennis J.

Given the high level of global mobility, pandemics are likely to be more frequent, and with potentially devastating consequences for our way of life. With COVID-19, Australia is in relatively better shape than most other countries and is generally regarded as having managed the pandemic well. That said, we believe there is a critical need to start the process of learning from this pandemic to improve the quantitative information and related advice provided to policy makers. A dispassionate assessment of Australia’s health and economic response to the COVID-19 pandemic reveals some important inadequacies in the data, statistical analysis and interpretation used to guide Australia’s preparations and actions. For example, one key shortcoming has been the lack of data to obtain an early understanding of the extent of asymptomatic and mildly symptomatic cases or the differences across age groups, occupations or ethnic groups. Minimising the combined health, social and economic impacts of a novel virus depends critically on ongoing acquisition, integration, analysis, interpretation and presentation of a variety of data streams to inform the development, execution and monitoring of appropriate strategies. The article captures the essential quantitative components of such an approach for each of the four basic phases, from initial detection to post-pandemic. It also outlines the critical steps in each stage to enable policy makers to deal more efficiently and effectively with future such events, thus enhancing both the social and the economic welfare of its people. Although written in an Australian context, we believe most elements would apply to other countries as well.
Update on the management of multiple sclerosis during the COVID-19 pandemic and post pandemic: An international consensus statement. [Review]
22 July 2021
University of Sydney

Reyes, Saul;Cunningham, Anthony L;Kalincik, Tomas;Havrdova, Eva Kubala;Isobe, Noriko;Pakpoor, Julia;Airas, Laura;Bunyan, Reem F;van der Walt, Anneke;Oh, Jiwon;Mathews, Joela;Mateen, Farrah J;Giovannoni, Gavin

In this consensus statement, we provide updated recommendations on multiple sclerosis (MS) management during the COVID-19 crisis and the post-pandemic period applicable to neurology services around the world. Statements/recommendations were generated based on available literature and the experience of 13 MS expert panelists using a modified Delphi approach online. The statements/recommendations give advice regarding implementation of telemedicine; use of disease-modifying therapies and management of MS relapses; management of people with MS at highest risk from COVID-19; management of radiological monitoring; use of remote pharmacovigilance; impact on MS research; implications for lowest income settings, and other key issues.
Is gold a hedge or a safe-haven asset in the COVID-19 crisis?
03 August 2021
University of Sydney

Akhtaruzzaman, M.;Boubaker, S.;Lucey, B.M.;Sensoy, A.

This study examines the role of gold as a hedge or safe-haven asset in different phases of the COVID-19 pandemic crisis, corresponding to the timing of fiscal and monetary stimuli to support the weakened economy. Using high-frequency data, the results show that gold served as a safe-haven asset for stock markets during Phase I (December 31, 2019-March 16, 2020) of the pandemic. However, gold lost its safe-haven role during Phase II (March 17-April 24, 2020). The optimal weights of gold in S&P 500, Euro Stoxx 50, Nikkei 225, and WTI crude oil portfolios significantly increased during Phase II, suggesting that investors expanded investment in gold as a 'flight-to-safety asset' during the crisis. Further, hedging costs increased significantly during Phase II. These findings provide insight for individual and institutional investors and guidance to policymakers, regulators, and media on how gold evolved as a hedge and safe-haven asset in different phases of the pandemic.
Lives saved during economic downturns: Evidence from Australia
16 September 2021
University of Sydney

Atalay, Kadir;Edwards, Rebecca;Schurer, Stefanie;Ubilava, David

Worldwide, countries have been restricting work and social activities to counter the emerging public health crisis due to the coronavirus pandemic. These measures have caused dramatic increases in unemployment. Some commentators argue that the "draconian measures" will do more harm than good due to the economic contraction, despite a large literature that finds mortality rates decline during recessions. We estimate the relationship between unemployment, a proxy for economic climate, and mortality in Australia, a country with universal health care. Using administrative time-series data on mortality by state, age, sex, and cause of death for 1979-2017, we find no relationship between unemployment and mortality on average. However, we observe beneficial health effects in economic downturns for young men, associated with a reduction in transport accidents. Our estimates imply 431 fewer deaths in 2020 if unemployment rates double as forecast. For the early 1980s, we find a procyclical pattern in infant mortality rates. However, this pattern disappears starting from the mid-1980s, coincident with the 1984 implementation of universal health care. Our results suggest that universal health care may insulate individuals from the health effects of macroeconomic fluctuations.
Debt and financial market contagion
19 October 2021
University of Sydney

Hsiao, Cody Yu-Ling;Morley, James

We empirically investigate why financial crises spread from one country to another. For our analysis, we develop a new multiple-channel test of financial market contagion and construct indices of crisis severity in equity markets in order to examine how the transmission of shocks across countries can be related to direct linkages between countries or to common characteristics. Based on network analysis with our proposed multiple-channel test for crises between 2007 and 2021, we find that the Great Recession is the most pervasive across countries, followed by the European sovereign debt crisis and the recent COVID pandemic, with the subprime mortgage crisis being the least pervasive. Our main finding is that similar public, private and external debt characteristics are particularly helpful in explaining the transmission of financial shocks during crises. Fiscal deficits appear more important than current account deficits, while stage of economic development matters more than regional linkages, but none of these indicators is as important as debt.
Never Let a Crisis Go to Waste: Opportunities to Reduce Social Disadvantage from COVID_19
19 October 2021
University of Sydney

Baxter, Janeen;Cobb_Clark, Deborah;Cornish, Alexander;Ho, Tiffany;Kalb, Guyonne;Mazerolle, Lorraine;Parsell, Cameron;Pawson, Hal;Thorpe, Karen;De Silva, Lihini;Zubrick, Stephen R.

This article identifies and examines a range of policy reform opportunities in Australia arising from COVID_19. The authors demonstrate how COVID_19 presents unique opportunities for rethinking and redesigning long_standing rules and regulations covering how people live and work in Australia, with some opportunities arising coincidentally and others requiring purposeful policy and institutional redesign. They present a broad range of ideas to address entrenched disadvantage in health, labour markets, the tax and transfer system, gender equality, education, housing and criminal justice in Australia, in order to leverage the COVID_19 crisis to build a better society.
Understanding the mechanisms through which adverse childhood experiences affect lifetime economic outcomes
05 November 2021
University of Sydney

Schurer, Stefanie;Trajkovski, Kristian;Hariharan, Tara

Over the past two decades, researchers have shown a growing interest in the role of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) – children's confrontation with maltreatment and household dysfunction – in shaping health outcomes. This is the first study to quantify the economic penalties of ACEs and identify the mechanisms which produce the relationship. We source data from the National Child Development Study to construct an ACE index based on prospective childhood information. We estimate a robust earnings penalty of 9% for each additional ACE, a 25% higher probability of being welfare dependent, and a 27% higher probability of subjective poverty at age 55, over and above the influence of childhood socioeconomic disadvantage. The income penalty of ACEs is mainly produced by parental neglect, a component of the ACE index based on teacher assessments. It is observed for children from all socioeconomic backgrounds. Observed differences in later-life earnings between children with and without neglect exposure can be almost fully explained by observable differences in human capital accumulated by the beginning of mid-age. The productivity loss in an economy due to parental neglect is likely to be high. Our findings contribute to a wider discussion on the multidimensionality of childhood poverty.
Lifecycle patterns in the socioeconomic gradient of risk preferences
05 November 2021
University of Sydney

Schurer, Stefanie

We investigate which socioeconomic groups are most likely to change their risk preferences over the lifecourse using data from a nationally representative German survey and methods to separate age from cohort and period effects. Tolerance to risk drops by 0.5 SD across all socioeconomic groups from late adolescence up to age 45. From age 45 socioeconomic gradients emerge – risk tolerance continues to drop for the most disadvantaged and stabilizes for all other groups – and reach a maximum of 0.5 SD by age 65. These results matter because increased levels of risk aversion are associated with imprudent financial decisions in the event of crises.
Risk Factors Associated With Increased Ethically Challenging Situations Encountered by Veterinary Team Members During the COVID-19 Pandemic
26 November 2021
University of Sydney

Quain, Anne;Mullan, Siobhan;Ward, Michael P.

Ethically challenging situations (ECS) are commonly encountered in veterinary settings. The number of ECS encountered by some veterinary team members may increase during a crisis, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to determine the risk factors for experiencing an increase in the frequency of ECS in the months following the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, utilizing data from a global survey of veterinarians, veterinary nurses and animal health technicians collected from May to July 2020. In this study, descriptive analyses were performed to characterize veterinary team members who responded to the survey (n = 540). Binomial logistic regression analyses were performed to determine factors associated with an increase in ECS encountered since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Being a veterinary nurse or animal health technician, working with companion animals, working in the USA or Canada, and being not confident or underconfident in dealing with ECS in the workplace were factors associated with an increase in ECS encountered since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Results suggest a need to explore the ECS encountered by veterinary team members, particularly veterinary nurses and animal health technicians working in companion animal practice, in depth. Identification of risk factors may facilitate better preparation of veterinary team members for managing ECS, and minimizing the negative impact of ECS on the well-being of those who care for animals.
COVID-19 restrictions should only be lifted when it is safe to do so for Aboriginal communities
26 November 2021
University of Sydney

Komesaroff, Paul A.;Chee, Donna Ah;Boffa, John;Kerridge, Ian;Tilton, Edward

The NSW Government has proposed a blanket lifting of COVID-19 restrictions when the proportion of fully vaccinated people rate reaches 70% of the adult population. If implemented, this would have devastating effects on Aboriginal populations. At the present time, vaccination rates in Aboriginal communities remain low. Once restrictions are lifted, unvaccinated people will be at high risk of infection. The risks of serious illness and death among Aboriginal people from a variety of medical conditions are significantly greater than for the wider population. This is also the case with COVID-19 in First Nations populations around the world. The vulnerability of Aboriginal people is an enduring consequence of colonialism and is exacerbated by the fact that many live in overcrowded and poorly maintained houses in communities with under-resourced health services. A current workforce crisis and the demographic structure of the population have further hindered the effectiveness of vaccination programmes. Aboriginal organisations have called on state and federal governments to delay any substantial easing of restrictions until full vaccination rates among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations aged 16_years and older reach 90-95%. They have also called for additional support in the form of supply of vaccines, enhancement of workforce capacity and appropriate incentives to address hesitancy. Australia remains burdened by the legacy of centuries of harm and damage to its First Nations people. Urgent steps must be taken to avoid a renewed assault on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health.
The 2021 report of the MJA–Lancet Countdown on health and climate change: Australia increasingly out on a limb
26 November 2021
University of Sydney

Beggs, Paul J;Zhang, Ying;McGushin, Alice;Trueck, Stefan;Linnenluecke, Martina K;Bambrick, Hilary;Berry, Helen L;Jay, Ollie;Rychetnik, Lucie;Hanigan, Ivan C;Morgan, Geoffrey G;Guo, Yuming;Malik, Arunima;Stevenson, Mark;Green, Donna;Johnston, Fay H;McMichael, Celia;Hamilton, Ian;Capon, Anthony G

The MJA-Lancet Countdown on health and climate change in Australia was established in 2017, and produced its first national assessment in 2018, its first annual update in 2019, and its second annual update in 2020. It examines indicators across five broad domains: climate change impacts, exposures and vulnerability; adaptation, planning and resilience for health; mitigation actions and health co-benefits; economics and finance; and public and political engagement. Our special report in 2020 focused on the unprecedented and catastrophic 2019-20 Australian bushfire season, highlighting indicators that explore the relationships between health, climate change and bushfires. For 2021, we return to reporting on the full suite of indicators across each of the five domains and have added some new indicators. We find that Australians are increasingly exposed to and vulnerable to excess heat and that this is already limiting our way of life, increasing the risk of heat stress during outdoor sports, and decreasing work productivity across a range of sectors. Other weather extremes are also on the rise, resulting in escalating social, economic and health impacts. Climate change disproportionately threatens Indigenous Australians' wellbeing in multiple and complex ways. In response to these threats, we find positive action at the individual, local, state and territory levels, with growing uptake of rooftop solar and electric vehicles, and the beginnings of appropriate adaptation planning. However, this is severely undermined by national policies and actions that are contrary and increasingly place Australia out on a limb. Australia has responded well to the COVID-19 public health crisis (while still emerging from the bushfire crisis that preceded it) and it now needs to respond to and prepare for the health crises resulting from climate change.
Coping with COVID-19: The sociomaterial dimensions of living with pre-existing mental illness during the early stages of the coronavirus crisis
26 November 2021
University of Sydney

Lupton, Deborah;Lewis, Sophie

In this article, we use the case study method to detail the experiences of five participants who reported living with pre-existing mental illness during COVID-19. We adopted a sociomaterial analytical approach, seeking to identify how human and nonhuman agents came together to generate states of wellbeing or distress during this challenging period. As the case studies show, feelings of anxiety, fear and risk were generated from the following sociomaterial conditions: loss of face-to-face contact with friends and family members; concerns about hygiene and infecting others; financial stress; loss of regular paid employment or volunteering work; public spaces; and the behaviour of unknown others in public spaces. The agents and practices that emerged as most important for opening capacities for coping and maintaining wellness during lockdown included: the space of the home; contact with a small number of intimate others; online therapeutic care; practising self-care skills learnt from previous difficult times; helping and supporting others; engaging in leisure activities; and the companionship of pets. Contributing to an affirmative approach to more-than-human assemblages of health, distress and recovery, these findings demonstrate what bodies can do in times of crisis and the agents and practices that can generate capacities for coping.
Nowcasting the output gap
17 January 2022
University of Sydney

Berger, Tino;Morley, James;Wong, Benjamin

We propose a way to directly nowcast the output gap using the Beveridge–Nelson decomposition based on a mixed-frequency Bayesian VAR. The mixed-frequency approach produces similar but more timely estimates of the U.S. output gap compared to those based on a quarterly model, the CBO measure of potential, or the HP filter. We find that within-quarter nowcasts for the output gap are more reliable than for output growth, with monthly indicators for a credit risk spread, consumer sentiment, and the unemployment rate providing particularly useful new information about the final estimate of the output gap. An out-of-sample analysis of the COVID-19 crisis anticipates the exceptionally large negative output gap of -8.3% in 2020Q2 before the release of real GDP data for the quarter, with both conditional and scenario nowcasts tracking a dramatic decline in the output gap given the April data.
Estimating household consumption insurance
24 March 2022
University of Sydney

Chatterjee, Arpita;Morley, James;Singh, Aarti

Blundell, Pistaferri, and Preston (American Economic Review, 2008, 98(5), 1887–1921) report an estimate of household consumption insurance with respect to permanent income shocks of 36%. In replicating findings for their model and data, we find that this estimate is distorted by a code error and is not robust to weighting scheme for generalized method of moments (GMM) or consideration of quasi maximum likelihood estimation (QMLE), which produces a significantly higher estimate of consumption insurance at 55%. For sub-groups by age and education, the differences between estimates across methods are even more pronounced, and QMLE provides new insights into heterogeneity across households compared to the original study. Monte Carlo experiments using non-normal shocks suggest that consumption insurance estimates for the model are more accurate for QMLE than GMM, including when correcting for bias and especially given a smaller sample such as is only available when looking at sub-groups.
Poverty and food insecurity during COVID-19: Phone-survey evidence from rural and urban Myanmar in 2020
28 April 2022
University of Sydney

Headey, Derek;Goudet, Sophie;Lambrecht, Isabel;Maffioli, Elisa Maria;Oo, Than Zaw;Russell, Toth

Myanmar first experienced the COVID-19 crisis as a relatively brief economic shock in early 2020, before the economy was later engulfed by a prolonged surge in COVID-19 cases from September 2020 onwards. To analyze poverty and food security in Myanmar during 2020 we surveyed over 2000 households per month from June-December in urban Yangon and the rural dry zone. By June, households had suffered dramatic increases in poverty, but even steeper increases accompanied the rise in COVID-19 cases from September onwards. Increases in poverty were much larger in urban areas, although poverty was always more prevalent in the rural sample. However, urban households were twice as likely to report food insecurity experiences, suggesting rural populations felt less food insecure throughout the crisis.
Rethinking Financial Contagion: Information Transmission Mechanism During the COVID-19 Pandemic
04 July 2022
University of Sydney

Yarovaya, Larisa;Brzeszczyński, Janusz;Goodell, John W.;Lucey, Brian;Lau, Chi Keung Marco

Rapidly growing numbers of empirical papers assessing the financial effects of COVID-19 pandemic triggered an urgent need for a study summarising the existing knowledge of contagion phenomenon. This paper provides a review of conceptual approaches to studying financial contagion at four levels of information transmission: (i) Catalyst of contagion; (ii) Media Attention; (iii) Spillover effect at financial markets; (iv) Macroeconomic fundamentals. We discuss the unique characteristics of COVID-19 crisis and demonstrate how this shock differs from previous crises and to what extent the COVID-19 pandemic can be considered a ‘black swan’ event. We also review the main concepts, definitions and methodologies that are frequently, but inconsistently, used in contagion literature to unveil the existing problems and ambiguities in this popular area of research. This paper will help researchers to conduct coherent and methodologically rigorous research on the impact of COVID-19 on financial markets during the pandemic and its aftermath.
Comparative moral economies of crisis
04 July 2022
University of Sydney

Manning, Benjamin;Browne, Craig

At times of crisis, existing institutional arrangements of societies are thrown into question. Crises that occur in multiple societies simultaneously present rare opportunities for comparative empirical analysis. Social theory can reveal the framing conditions of the responses to crises and the sources of variations between them. This paper compares the immediate responses of the Australian, UK and US governments to the global COVID-19 pandemic, particularly with regard to financing lockdowns, and points out significant differences between the three approaches. Drawing on Polanyi’s method of institutional analysis, we compare the responses of these same national groups to an earlier crisis, the Japanese prisoner of war camps during the Second World War, to show similar patterns of integration recurring eight decades apart. This analysis shows that aspects of moral economies that are not usually apparent can become pronounced during crises, and points to the importance of enduring social imaginaries.
Intergenerational disadvantage: Learning about equal opportunity from social assistance receipt
10 October 2022
University of Sydney

Cobb-Clark, Deborah A;Dahmann, Sarah C;Salamanca, Nicolas;Zhu, Anna

We use variation in the intergenerational persistence across social assistance benefits over 18 years to study the drivers of intergenerational disadvantage. Young people are more likely to receive social assistance if their parents received disability, caring, or single parent benefits, and less likely if they received unemployment benefits. Disparity in intergenerational persistence across benefit types suggests that parental bad luck has broader consequences for youth disadvantage than do their personal choices. Using the intensive margin and timing of parental social assistance to account for unobserved heterogeneity indicates that intergenerational disadvantage is more likely driven by poverty traps than welfare cultures.
The Game Changer: Regulatory Reform and Multiple Credit Ratings
20 December 2022
University of Sydney

Huang, He;Svec, Jiri;Wu, Eliza

This paper examines the change in the regulatory use of multiple credit ratings after the Dodd-Frank Act (Dodd-Frank). We find that post Dodd-Frank reform, firms are less likely to demand a third rating (typically from Fitch) for ratings near the high yield (HY) - investment grade (IG) boundary to support their new corporate bond issues. Third ratings also become less informative post Dodd-Frank, with a much weaker market impact on credit spreads for firms with S&P and Moody’s ratings on opposite sides of the HY-IG rating boundary. We provide new evidence on the effect of Dodd-Frank in curbing corporate borrowers’ strategic use of multiple credit ratings near this boundary.
Mind the Sovereign Ceiling on Corporate Performance
20 December 2022
University of Sydney

To, Thomas;Wu, Eliza;Zhang, Lambert

We find direct evidence that sovereign default risk has a negative impact on corporate performance via a rating spillover channel. Difference-in-differences tests exploiting the heterogeneity in corporate credit ratings following sovereign rating downgrades reveal that firm performance deteriorates predominantly for sovereign bound firms with higher information asymmetry, limited financial flexibility, and those operating in countries with less developed banking systems and lower investor protection.
Not for the Faint of Heart: Fiscal Management of Publicly Funded Law Libraries in a Time of Economic Crisis
01 January 2002
University of Pennsylvania

Hinckley, Steven D.

The author examines the challenges faced by administrators of publicly funded law libraries in trying to gain sufficient financial support for their institutions at a time of fiscal crisis and during a era of increasing reluctance of state governments to fund libraries and other educational programs.
In Good Times and in Debt: The Evolution of Marital Agency and the Meaning of Marriage
01 January 2008
University of Pennsylvania

Reilly, Marie T.

A married person sometimes acts solely for herself and at other times on behalf of her spouse. If she incurs debt solely for herself, then only she is liable to the creditor. If, however, she incurs debt both for herself and on behalf of her spouse, both are liable – the debtor directly and the spouse indirectly by imputed liability. Before married women’s property reform, imputed marital liability followed from marital status. As marriage changed to recognize the legal individuality of both spouses, so too did the scope of a spouse’s imputed liability for the debts of the other spouse. Today, the scope of a spouse’s imputed liability for the debts of an insolvent spouse defines an important and largely unexamined aspect of what it means to be married. Despite change in the terms of marriage between the parties, courts continue to view imputed marital liability with sensitivity to the historical privilege of marital investment and the unique social value of trust and dependency within marriage.
A Female Disease: The Unintentional Gendering of Fibromyalgia Social Security Claims
01 January 2012
University of Pennsylvania

Purvis, Dara

Social Security disability claims are not supposed to be decided based on the gender of the applicant. Reliance on the apparently neutral mechanism of clinical medical evidence, however, has a disproportionate impact on women bringing disability claims based on fibromyalgia. Recognizing and identifying disability has been delegated by Congress and the Social Security Administration almost entirely to physicians, based upon a misguided and mistaken belief that clinical medical evidence evaluated by a trained physician will answer with certainty whether an individual claimant is capable of working. Fibromyalgia, a diffuse syndrome characterized by excess pain that is overwhelmingly diagnosed in women rather than men, is not easily shown with clinical evidence. The disabling aspect of fibromyalgia is widespread and prolonged pain, supported only by a patient’s subjective reports, and even the diagnosis is made on the basis of whether a patient describes pain at specific points on her body. Fibromyalgia claims thus provide a case study for evaluating the effectiveness and objectivity of the disability evaluation process. This article explains why the Social Security Administration relies so heavily on clinical medical evidence, traces the history of excess pain claims and why they are so difficult to evaluate, and explains why the current standards disproportionately disadvantage female fibromyalgia claimants.
Location, Location, Location: Using Cost of Living to Achieve Tax Equity
01 January 2012
University of Pennsylvania

Puckett, James M.

All other things being equal, the federal income tax ignores whether the taxpayer lives in a relatively affordable or expensive location. This approach can lead to unfairness; moreover, special deductions for the taxpayer’s actual living expenses, such as home mortgage interest and state and local taxes, do not solve the problem. Tax law scholars have generally been quick to dismiss the equity issues based on assumptions about taxpayer mobility. The existing literature would tax comparable workers equally, regardless of salary and living costs. This approach would unfairly equate differently situated workers. This Article questions the assumption of taxpayer mobility, considers the equity issues associated with failure to index the tax system properly, and assesses potential solutions.
Promoting the General Welfare: Legal Reform to Lift Women and Children in the United States Out of Poverty
01 January 2013
University of Pennsylvania

Engle, Jill C.

American women and children have been poor in exponentially greater numbers than men for decades. The problem has historic, institutional roots which provide a backdrop for this article’s introduction. English and early U.S. legal systems mandated a lesser economic status for women. Despite numerous legal changes aimed at combating the financial disadvantage of American women and children, the problem is worsening. American female workers, many in low-paying job sectors, earn roughly twenty percent less than their male counterparts. Nearly forty percent of single mothers and their children subsist below the poverty level. The recession exacerbated this problem, mostly because unemployment rates skyrocketed and then stagnated for years. Sadly, though, many women with jobs still find themselves living in poverty in modern America. Social trends loom large in the constellation of factors impacting poverty as well, and this article examines the twin phenomena of women and children 1) ending up poorer after divorce than men, and 2) living in poverty as single-headed-households much more often than men. I also stress the deleterious effects of domestic violence and its link to the perpetuation of women and children in poverty. I argue our legal system is equipped to build the scaffolding to facilitate our collective climb up and out. I advocate changes to government policies, and family law reform. Recent changes to federal benefits programs have exacerbated the problem of women and children living in poverty. Welfare reform and “domestic violence” provide a natural segue between the article’s two main sections. Modern family law developments such as no-fault divorce and the attendant decline of alimony are also analyzed. I propose specific federal legislative and policy reforms. Public perception is woefully misinformed, both on federal spending for benefits, and the extent of female/child poverty. Certain relatively inexpensive spending reforms could significantly reduce poverty. Some programs need increased funding or a restoration to pre-recession funding; some (i.e., minimum wage and welfare reform) are policy questions. Public awareness must be shifted, by politicians and advocates. My proposed reform is a set of nationalized alimony standards, ending the unpredictable nature of alimony among the states. State legislatures can be lobbied to implement these changes, but the federal government can and should step in to set policy and promote uniformity as it has for child support and for custody jurisdictional matters. With feminine poverty at historic proportions despite a progressive administration ensconced in the White House, legal activists must recognize this moment as ripe for reform and take action.
Land is Not the New Oil: What the Nigerian Oil Experience Can Teach South Sudan About Balancing the Risks and Benefits of Large Scale Land Acquisition
11 February 2015
University of Pennsylvania

Stedjan, Scott P.

Recent global food price volatility combined with the growing use of agricultural land to produce biofuels has sparked a global scramble for land, with Sub-Saharan African countries serving as the main targets for investors. Derided as “land-grabbing” by those opposed to the practice, the phenomenon of large-scale acquisition of farmland by governments and private investors sparked a global debate since the global food crisis of 2008. Although international investment in agriculture plays a vital role in development and poverty reduction, large scale international investment poses some serious risks to both communities and international investors. Because there are no signs of this trend abating, governments and investors must take steps to mitigate risk and ensure investment will be beneficial to local communities, governments, and investors. As the era of international agricultural investment continues to evolve and grow, investors and governments should draw upon lessons from the scramble for oil and gas in Africa during the twentieth century. The story of oil and gas discovery in Africa has been, for the most part, a tragic one. Governments of oil producing countries proved unwilling or unable to protect their citizens from the negative consequences of foreign investment and many investors involved in the oil industry simply ignored the damage caused to communities and the environment. This article draws out lessons from the experience of foreign investment in the Nigerian oil sector in the later part of the twentieth century and applies the lessons to the current situation of large-scale land investment in South Sudan. The risks posed by large-scale land investment in South Sudan are enormous to both communities and investors. Yet, this article argues these risks are not insurmountable. In order to meet the challenges, the Government of South Sudan should slow international investment to ensure the rights of landholders are secured, the challenge of corruption is addressed, and that land investment is integrated into its national development and food security strategies. Investors must likewise take efforts to secure their investment against the risk of indirect expropriation, engage in meaningful consultations with communities, ensure investments contribute to food security, and practice corporate responsible practices.
Human rights: in the real world
18 June 2008
University of Edinburgh

Brown, Abbe

An analysis of the relevance of human rights to litigation and exploitation of intellectual property rights in the UK. The paper considers the impact of the Human Rights Act 1998, and other human rights instruments, materials and case law. The paper concludes that while human rights are now firmly located in the IP landscape, only in limited cases will they necessarily be effective to prevail over IP, or reshape it. The paper suggests a more pervasive role for human rights in statutory interpretation, which may alter the underlying balance of interests.
Understanding co-habitation: A critical study of the living Together as Husband and Wife Rule in UK Social Security Law
12 May 2009
University of Edinburgh

Kelly, Sue

Increasing numbers of couples live together and have children without being married. Those who argue for greater protection for financially vulnerable cohabitants invoke evidence that suggests that modern cohabitations are often just like marriages and should be treated as such by law. In social security legislation, the cohabitation or living together as husband and wife rule treats cohabiting couples who claim means-tested benefits as if they are married. However, this may not provide protection for financially vulnerable cohabitants who are not necessarily in the same circumstances as married couples. Drawing on research with men and women who have had relevant personal experience of ‘the cohabitation rule’, this briefing identifies problems with its underlying assumptions about unmarried couples’ relationships and their financial support obligations to each other.
Childbearing on hold: delayed childbearing and childlessness in Britain
21 May 2009
University of Edinburgh

Simpson, Roona

Described as ‘one of the most remarkable changes in social behaviour in the twentieth century1, declining fertility is related to wider changes in families and relationships occurring in recent decades such as later marriage, increased cohabitation, and increased divorce and cohabitation breakdown. Declining fertility combined with low rates of mortality results in population ageing and potentially population decline2. These have implications for areas such as social security provision and labour supply, as well as the provision of unpaid care. It has been suggested that one important factor explaining declining fertility is higher levels of delayed childbearing and increased childlessness. This research investigates some of the factors associated with later childbearing and childlessness amongst men and women in Britain and whether these have changed over time. Through analysing data from large-scale cohort studies, the 1958 National Child Development Study (NCDS) and the 1970 British Cohort Study (BCS), this ESRC funded project compared fertility patterns of those born in 1958 and 1970.
Fertility variations in Scotland: geographical influences
21 May 2009
University of Edinburgh

Boyle, Paul;Graham, Elspeth;Feng, Zhiqiang

Scotland experiences relatively low fertility rates compared to the other countries in the UK. The rates also vary significantly within Scotland, with the highest fertility in 2003 being recorded in the Shetland Islands and the lowest in Edinburgh. Understanding why fertility varies geographically is important for both academic and policy-related reasons. Low fertility has implications for population ageing, labour supply and the costs of sustaining health and welfare services. Understanding more about the processes underpinning fertility variation is an important step in broadening our understanding of such population dynamics. This Briefing is the second based on findings from a recently completed research project that investigated the attitudes to fertility of men and women of child-bearing age in Scotland. A module was added to the 2005 Scottish Social Attitudes Survey in order to collect information on, among other things, fertility attitudes and how they relate to peer networks and the local context in which the respondents live. Here we provide some initial results which demonstrate the importance of local contexts to fertility decision-making
Life in low income families in Scotland: research report
15 June 2009
University of Edinburgh

McKendrick, John H;Cunningham-Burley, Sarah;Backett-Milburn, Kathryn

Living on a low income is a problem that the Scottish Executive and UK Parliament want to tackle. Previous work has focused on measuring the number of people living on a low income. This research was commissioned to understand better what life is like for people living in low income families with children in Scotland. It also investigated what people living on a low income think about poverty. The research involved a literature review and 18 focus group interviews with adults, young people and children.
A Response to the Government's "Measuring child poverty: A consultation on better measures of child poverty" from the Centre for Research on Families and Relationships (CRFR) at The University of Edinburgh
19 February 2013
University of Edinburgh

Treanor, Morag

A response to the Government’s ‘Measuring child poverty: A consultation on better measures of child poverty’ from the Centre for Research on Families and Relationships (CRFR) at the University of Edinburgh www.crfr.ac.uk
A 'pockets' approach to addressing financial vulnerability
16 March 2016
University of Edinburgh

Treanor, Morag

This briefing paper outlines recent evidence on financial vulnerability among families in Scotland, and draws on the Healthier, Wealthier Children case study as an example of action that could help families both at risk of, and experiencing, poverty.
Setting the standard for research excellence
04 August 2016
University of Edinburgh

Tate, Dominic;Green, Rob

Feature article in CILIP Update about the Jisc pathfinder project LOCH (Lessons in Open Access Compliance)
Community development workers programme: mentoring for social transformation in the public service in post-apartheid South Africa
15 April 2011
University of the Witwatersrand

Geber, Hilary;Mothlake, Bona

The new public sector community development workers (CDWs) programme was established in 2004 following ineffective service delivery through chronic under-spending on annual budgets in post-apartheid South Africa. CDWs receive training in learnerships within the National Skills Development Strategy to ensure access to and spending of local government poverty alleviation funding allocated for housing, childcare grants, and pensions and other services. As learnership mentors are mandatory, this research investigates the formal mentoring of CDWs after learnership programmes. CDWs and their mentors from two large municipalities participated. The main findings show inadequate formal mentoring of CDWs despite legislative requirements. Crucial mentoring for career development and psychosocial support is patchy and uneven. Social transformation of communities and access to government services and grants is likely to take longer than anticipated if CDWs are not adequately mentored during their training and in workplace learning.
Challenges Facing People-Driven Development in the Context of a Strong, Delivery-Oriented State: Joe Slovo Village, Port Elizabeth
28 August 2012
University of the Witwatersrand

Huchzermeyer, Marie

The Joe Slovo settlement process on the outskirts of Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape was, in the first instance, about securing land and housing for a large number of desperate people, living in intolerable conditions that are now internationally referred to as ‘slums’ (see UN-Habitat, 2003) (Figure 1). In the international context of the Millennium Development Goal 7 Task 11 to significantly improve the lives of 100 million ‘slum’ dwellers by 2020 (United Nations, 2000), and the South African response through a new human settlement plan (Department of Housing, 2004), the Joe Slovo case gives important insight into the complex interface between organised low-income households, in this case members of the Homeless People’s Federation, actively engaging in mproving their living conditions, and government’s housing delivery and urban governance machinery.
From ‘‘contravention of laws’’ to ‘‘lack of rights’’: redefining the problem of informal settlements in South Africa
28 August 2012
University of the Witwatersrand

Huchzermeyer, Marie

Informal urban land occupation in South Africa is treated in a technocratic manner, consistent with the policy of orderly urbanisation introduced in the 1980s. This approach focusses on the contravention of laws governing property and land use, and accordingly results in most cases in evictions and relocations. A new mandate of the national Department of Housing is to eradicate the phenomenon of urban informal settlements in the next 15 years. This mandate gives new justification to the deterministic approach of eviction and relocation within the government’s standardised capital subsidy programme for housing delivery. Legislation has been tightened to enable the repression of new informal land occupations. The recent housing strategy proposal for Johannesburg, which advocates a zero tolerance approach to informal land occupations, remains largely undisputed. However, the media has often sided with the urban poor in recent cases of forceful eviction. This paper argues for a new paradigm, based on the recognition of the infringement of constitutional rights that is enabled by informality. Far from seeing informal settlements as a solution to the housing problem, it draws attention to the multiple levels of exploitation that are common to residents of informal land occupations. A socially compatible approachto intervention is suggested. This starts with mechanisms to protect residents against the infringement of their constitutional rights, rather than acting on their contravention of property laws.
Urban insight: A high level of undiagnosed need reflect limited access to and availability of eye care services in South Africa
04 June 2015
University of the Witwatersrand

Mathee, A;de la Rey, A;Swart, A;Plagerson, S;Naicker, N

Findings from an urban community optometry clinic in a poor area of Johannesburg, South Africa (SA), highlighted a high level of undiagnosed need, raising questions concerning access to and availability of eye-care services in SA. It is imperative that we understand vision as a requisite for poverty alleviation, and the need for a public health approach to service deliver
The Online Visibility of South African Knowledge: Searching for Poverty Alleviation
17 January 2016
University of the Witwatersrand

Czerniewicz, Laura;Wiens, Kelsey

This paper reports on an investigation into the online visibility of work undertaken in South Africa in the field of poverty alleviation. An experiment with Google searches was undertaken, motivated by concerns about the visibility of South African research and development work, particularly in a context where social inequality is extreme and poverty such a critical issue. Aware that much attention – through research and the practice of development work – is being paid to poverty alleviation 1 , the authors set out to examine whether that work could be found easily, and what the nature of the search results would be. Significant sums of public money are invested in research, which should result in the production and dissemination of locally generated knowledge as a public good grounded in local realities. A great deal of national and international funding is also spent. Thus, research published online should inform and reflect on national and regional development practice, while contributing perspectives from the South to the global corpus of poverty research. Research to understand poverty and inform the design and targeting of poverty alleviation programmes needs to be freely available and actively shared in order for it to accumulate value. In this regard it is argued that there are exponentially beneficial linkages between research, scholarly publication and social development, which originate with local knowledge production and are amplified by the availability and discoverability of that research. Availability and discoverability add breadth and depth to the potential use, value and impact of the knowledge produced.
The Use of Information and Communication Technologies for Rural Development and Poverty Alleviation in Developing Countries: An Investigation of Gender Specific Agricultural Development
28 February 2016
University of the Witwatersrand

Pade, Caroline;Mallinson, Brenda;Lannon, John

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) have become a priority among developing nations, and play a significant role in supporting rural development. A core aspect associated with rural development is gender specific agriculture, which focuses on elevating women's contributions towards economic and social enhancement through agriculture. An investigation into the use of ICTs by rural women farmers reveals the constraints they face when it comes to taking advantage of such technologies. Studies within Africa and other developing countries illustrate that these constraints are particularly associated with the social and cultural limitations that women encounter in the traditional environments that characterise most developing countries. Local communities, Government and non-governmental organisations should collaborate to devise policies and initiatives that can support the effective implementation and sustainability of ICT projects, and hence start to remove the barriers that limit the potential use of ICTs by rural women.
Telecom Reform and Poverty Alleviation in Kenya
28 February 2016
University of the Witwatersrand

Kane, Sean

Eradicating poverty is perhaps the single most important global development challenge. As rural areas are typically home to the majority of the poor in developing countries, the success of poverty alleviation interventions in rural areas will be important in determining if this challenge is met. This paper examines the relationship between telecom reform and poverty alleviation in Kenya, documenting how investments in poverty alleviation are made significantly more effective if basic telecom network services are available. It demonstrates that ICTs have the potential to maximize the multiplier effect of rural poverty interventions by empowering disadvantaged individuals and improving their immediate economic environment. In this context the national telecommunications policy framework and its impacts on the accessibility and affordability of ICTs in rural areas is increasingly important to poverty alleviation institutions. As a case study, the reform of the telecommunications sector in Kenya and its implications for that country’s rural poor are assessed. It is concluded that the current policy and the market structure it has created is resulting in a bypassing of rural areas in terms of access to ICTs and suggests some remedies for this situation. Finally, it is recommended that, given the importance of ICTs to their work, poverty alleviation institutions should consider making low cost investments in ICT infrastructure when appropriate while using their leverage as possessors of development assistance funds to lobby for changes in telecommunications sector policy regimes that hinder access to ICTs in rural areas.
Strategies for managing complex social-ecological systems in the face of uncertainty: Examples from South Africa and beyond.
31 May 2016
University of the Witwatersrand

Biggs, R.O.;Rhode, C.;Archibald, S.;Ocholla, P.O.;Phadima, L.J.;Kunene, L.M.;Mutanga, S.S.;Nkuna, N.

Improving our ability to manage complex, rapidly changing social-ecological systems is one of the defining challenges of the 21st century. This is particularly crucial if large-scale poverty alleviation is to be secured without undermining the capacity of the environment to support future generations. To address this challenge, strategies that enable judicious management of socialecological systems in the face of substantive uncertainty are needed. Several such strategies are emerging from the developing body of work on complexity and resilience. We identify and discuss four strategies, providing practical examples of how each strategy has been applied in innovative ways to manage turbulent social-ecological change in South Africa and the broader region: (1) employ adaptive management or comanagement, (2) engage and integrate different perspectives, (3) facilitate self-organization, and (4) set safe boundaries to avoid system thresholds. Through these examples we aim to contribute a basis for further theoretical development, new teaching examples, and inspiration for developing innovative new management strategies in other regions that can help address the considerable sustainability challenges facing society globally.
Analysis of binary multivariate longitudinal data via 2-dimensional orbits: An application to the Agincourt Health and Socio-Demographic Surveillance System in South Africa.
26 July 2016
University of the Witwatersrand

Visaya, M.V.;Sherwell, D.;Sartorius, B.;Cromieres, F.

We analyse demographic longitudinal survey data of South African (SA) and Mozambican (MOZ) rural households from the Agincourt Health and Socio-Demographic Surveillance System in South Africa. In particular, we determine whether absolute poverty status (APS) is associated with selected household variables pertaining to socio-economic determination, namely household head age, household size, cumulative death, adults to minor ratio, and influx. For comparative purposes, households are classified according to household head nationality (SA or MOZ) and APS (rich or poor). The longitudinal data of each of the four subpopulations (SA rich, SA poor, MOZ rich, and MOZ poor) is a five-dimensional space defined by binary variables (questions), subjects, and time. We use the orbit method to represent binary multivariate longitudinal data (BMLD) of each household as a two-dimensional orbit and to visualise dynamics and behaviour of the population. At each time step, a point (x, y) from the orbit of a household corresponds to the observation of the household, where x is a binary sequence of responses and y is an ordering of variables. The ordering of variables is dynamically rearranged such that clusters and holes associated to least and frequently changing variables in the state space respectively, are exposed. Analysis of orbits reveals information of change at both individual- and population-level, change patterns in the data, capacity of states in the state space, and density of state transitions in the orbits. Analysis of household orbits of the four subpopulations show association between (i) households headed by older adults and rich households, (ii) large household size and poor households, and (iii) households with more minors than adults and poor households. Our results are compared to other methods of BMLD analysis.
Opportunities for Universal Telecommunication Access in Rural Communities: A Case Study of 15 Rural Villages in Nigeria’s Kwara State
16 January 2017
University of the Witwatersrand

Bello, Olayiwola Wasiu;Opadiji, Jayeola Femi;Faruk, Nasir;Adediran, Yinusa Ademola

The goal of universal telecommunication access is to make telecommunication infrastructure available to everyone irrespective of their geographical location, income level, age, gender or other discriminatory parameters. Despite substantial efforts to close the digital divide, developing countries still encounter daunting challenges in making access truly universal. In this article, the authors report on an exploratory field survey of 15 rural communities in Nigeria’s Kwara State to document their perception of the effects of rural telecoms access on their livelihoods. Results revealed mostly positive effects in respect of economic growth, poverty alleviation, health education, primary healthcare delivery, and reporting of epidemic outbreaks such as the recent Ebola crisis. However, little impact on quality of government service was recorded, as awareness of participation in governance and socio-political issues was found to be very low. The article discusses some areas in which universal telecommunications access can be expected, going forward, to address the needs of communities in rural and remote communities.
Potential Contribution of Drones to Reliability of Kenya’s Land Information System
14 December 2017
University of the Witwatersrand

Kameri-Mbote, Patricia;Muriungi, Muriuki

Kenya has sought in recent years to digitise its land information system in order to increase reliability and accessibility, both of which are critical to securing land rights, minimising land disputes, and increasing investment in the sector. This thematic report argues for deployment of drone technology in order to increase the reliability of Kenya’s digital land records.
Challenges, Benefits, and Adoption Dynamics of Mobile Banking at the Base of the Pyramid (BOP) in Africa: A Systematic Review
22 November 2018
University of the Witwatersrand

Pankomera, Richard;Van Greunen, Darelle

Increased mobile penetration in Africa offers great potential to accelerate financial inclusion through increased adoption of mobile banking by people at the base of the pyramid (BOP) on the continent. This article provides results from a systematic review of existing research findings on the challenges, benefits and adoption dynamics of mobile banking at the BOP in Africa. The systematic review, which followed PRISMA (preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses) guidelines, identifies the following key challenges for mobile banking diffusion at the BOP on the continent: poor mobile connectivity; lack of awareness of mobile banking services; illiteracy; poverty; lack of trust due to perceived security risks; legal and regulatory frameworks; and cultural factors. Based on analysis of these challenges, and of the benefits and adoption dynamics also identified, the article provides recommendations for how mobile banking services can be more sustainably implemented for the benefit of people at the BOP in Africa.
White Italian Masculinity through the Frame of Visual and Performance art
08 July 2020
University of the Witwatersrand

Genovese, Nicola

The main goal of this research is to develop a visual, performative language through sculpture and performance that might advance critical perspectives on issues linked to non-hegemonic forms of masculinities. This means dissecting the complexity of the white male privilege trope and investigating the dynamics of the so-called “masculinity in crisis.” Specifically, the research aims to analyse the red line that links national rhetoric, new populism, and masculinity in crisis in the Italian context in the frame of the economic changes and new immigration wave of the last decade.
Survival analysis of bank loans in the presence of long-term survivors
14 July 2020
University of the Witwatersrand

Marimo, M;Chimedza, C

In this paper we model competing risks, default and early settlement events, in the presence of long term survivors and compare survival and logistic methodologies. Cause specific Cox regression models were fitted and adjustments were made to accommodate a proportion of long term survivors. Methodologies were compared using ROC curves and area under the curves. The results show that survival methods perform better than logistic regression methods when modelling lifetime data in the presence of competing risks and in the presence of long term survivors.
Subjective well-being impact of old age pension in South Africa: A difference in difference analysis across the gender divide
27 July 2020
University of the Witwatersrand

Umakrishnan, K;Mfongeh, N. E

Background: South Africa provides old age pension (OAP), a non-contributory means-tested income transfer to persons aged 60 and above. More than two-thirds of the elderly population report receiving the OAP. Women have historically had a lower pension eligibility age of 60, while the eligibility of men decreased from 65 to 60 between 2008 and 2010. Aim: This study analyses the impact of the OAP on the subjective well-being of the elderly in South Africa. The study aims at understanding the differential impact on the subjective wellbeing of male and female recipients. Methods: The study adopts the difference in difference (DiD) impact evaluation framework to establish the impact of OAP using a sub-sample of data for elderly persons aged between 55 and 64, collected from the first four waves of the National Income Dynamics study. Linear and non-linear DiD models are estimated as robustness checks given the ordinal nature of the dependent variable. Results: The OAP variable consistently produced positive and significant estimates for the sample as a whole. Further, anticipatory effect of OAP was not found to exist. A gender specific analysis indicates that female recipients have a positive and significant change in well-being as a result of OAP, while male recipients did not. Conclusion: The difference in the well-being impact of OAP between male and female recipients can be attributed to the gender difference in the use and meaning of pensions. Our findings question the uniform criteria introduced for male and female recipients for OAP in South Africa.
Land matters: 2008(1)
28 August 2009
North West University

Du Plessis, Willemien;Pienaar, Juanita;Olivier, Nic

According to the Minister of Land Affairs 95% of all land claims were finalised by February 2008 (Snyman 'Grondoordrag by reservaat in Pilanesberg afgehandel' Beeld (2008-02-26) 2). The Legal Resources Centre, however, indicated that land restitution will still take a long time to finalise as only 150 community claims were dealt with to date. It is uncertain how many of the remaining 5 083 land claims are community claims. Some of the claims are quite complicated, as 48% of Mondi's forested land, large sugar plantations and 70% of the Limpopo Province are subject to claims (Bruce Words and Deeds (2008-02-22); Khuzwayo 'Claimants "should take land, not payouts"' Sunday Independent (2007-09-23) 1; Jacks 'Forestry firms face big land claims' Star (2008-01-14) 15).
The inclusivity of communal land tenure: a redefinition of ownership in Canada and South Africa?
01 September 2009
North West University

Pienaar, Gerrit

The nature of land tenure rights is defined in many different ways in different jurisdictions. One of the basic differences lies in the extent of exclusivity or inclusivity of land tenure, or what is called a "discourse of exclusion". Another lies in the distinction between the "idea of property", premised by individualism, and the "institution of property", preoccupied with compromise, relationality and the tension between individual and community. The purpose of this article is to compare the inclusivity or exclusivity of property in South Africa, where the law is predominantly civilian in nature, with Canada, a predominantly common law jurisdiction. In both jurisdictions communal land tenure has been incorporated in their property systems of predominantly civil law and common law respectively. Canada was chosen for this comparison because of the remarkable similarity that, in both jurisdictions, it required three different decisions by three different courts before the matter was finally settled, namely the Delgamuukw decisions in Canada and the Richtersveld cases in South Africa.
Nuwe wyn in ou sakke? Hoe die morele grondslag van volhoubare ontwikkeling geskuif het : research article
21 May 2010
North West University

Du Pisani, Jacobus Adriaan

This article traces the shift in the moral arguments in the sustainable development discourse, which occurred between 1972 and 2002. In the early 1970s ecological considerations were dominant and the zero-growth option had strong support. By the end of the 1980s the influential report of the Brundtland Commission recommended that the balance between the ecological, economic and social aspects of sustainable development ought to be maintained. From the 1990s there was a shift to poverty alleviation as the main focus of the sustainable development discourse. Representatives of the developing countries started making valuable contributions to the evolution of the concept of sustainable development and succeeded in merging the sustainable development discourse into the wider North-South debates. A decrease in wealth rather than a decrease in poverty would be the correct approach to the achievement of sustainable development. However, such a radical change of course would only be possible once considerable progress has been made towards redressing the imbalances in the current global dispensation.
Local service delivery enhancement – attitudes: a case study of the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality
06 August 2010
North West University

Tsatsire, I;Taylor, J D;Raga, K

In this article, the new developmental mandate assigned to local government is reviewed using the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality (hereafter referred to as the NMBM) as a case study. The concept of developmental local government is of cardinal importance as it imposes additional specific obligations on municipal councils. In addition, the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 (hereafter referred to as the Constitution) requires local government to render quality, affordable and sustainable basic services. Therefore, councillors are now required to meet specific Constitutional and other developmental legislative prescriptions pertaining to their communities and areas of jurisdiction. An empirical survey was conducted at the NMBM to test selected senior officials and councillors’ attitudinal responses to service delivery and the new developmental mandate assigned to local government. The survey intended to establish whether there was institutional capacity to enhance basic service delivery. These findings are elaborated upon in this article.
The phenomenology of experiencing poverty – an exploration
07 January 2011
North West University

Van der Merwe, Karen

There is a plethora of research on poverty. Definitions of poverty are provided from various perspectives, reasons and causes for poverty are analysed, and descriptions are provided of the impact of poverty on adults and children. This article, however, tries to provide a unique view on the phenomenon of poverty: The focus is on a specific class of poor people, namely newly-impoverished people. It also provides a description and analysis of the very personal, subjective experience of poverty by this group of Afrikaans-speaking people. Various character strengths that may provide a sound foundation for psychosocial intervention programmes to re-launch newly impoverished people into economic independence are identified
Rural development within the context of development, sustainability and rural issues – some constitutional, policy and implementation perspectives
29 March 2011
North West University

Olivier, N J J;Van Zyl, C;Williams, C

This article provides an overview of some developments, internationally, regionally and in the SADC, in relation to development, that may be expected to influence the South African government’s response to the development needs of the people in the country. An overview is provided of the somewhat haphazard way in which the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 refers to the need for and objective of development (including rural development) in the country. Through their explanatory outline of three distinct phases in South African rural development law and policy: 1994–2000 (the Reconstruction and Development Programme and related documents and their implementation); 2000–April 2009 (the Integrated Sustainable Rural Development Strategy and its implementation) and April 2009+ (the Comprehensive Rural Development Programme and related documents), the authors review some of the historical strengths and future prospects related to rural development in South Africa. Based on an assessment of historical trends, a number of recommendations are made for government’s way forward in the implementation of the constitutional objectives, law and policy relevant to rural development in the country.
Parallel planning mechanisms as a "Recipe for disaster"
30 March 2011
North West University

Van Wyk, J

This note offers a critical reflection of the recent landmark decision in City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality v Gauteng Development Tribunal which lay to rest the negative consequences of employing the DFA procedures of the Development Facilitation Act 67 of 1995 (DFA) alongside those of the provincial Ordinances to establish townships (or to use DFA parlance, “land development areas”). The welcome and timely decision in City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality v Gauteng Development Tribunal has declared invalid chapters V and VI of the DFA. Moreover, it has formalised planning terminology in South Africa, delineated the boundaries of “municipal planning” and “urban planning and development” as listed in Schedules 4 and 5 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 and, in the process, clarified the structure of planning law. This note examines the decision of the SCA and focus on the role it will clearly have in reforming some of the law relating to planning. It considers the facts of the case, uncertainties around terminology, the structure of planning in South Africa, the content of municipal planning, the role of the DFA and the consequences of the declaration of invalidity by the SCA.
The impact of HIV/AIDS regarding informal social security: Issues and perspectives from a South African context
31 March 2011
North West University

Tshoose, Clarence Itumeleng

The purpose of the article is to examine the right to social assistance for households living with HIV/AIDS in South Africa. In particular, the article focuses on the impact of this pandemic on households' access to social assistance benefits in the wake of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, which has wrought untold sorrow and suffering to the overwhelming majority of households in South Africa. The article analyses the consequences of HIV/AIDS in relation to households' support systems, care and dependency burdens, and the extent to which the household members either acknowledge the illness (enabling them to better engage with treatment options) or alternatively, deny its existence. The article commences by reviewing the literature concerning the effects and social impact of HIV/AIDS on the livelihoods of households and their families. The social reciprocity that underpins households' livelihoods is briefly recapitulated. The article concludes that, while recent policy developments are to be welcomed, the current South African legal system of social security does not provide adequate cover for both people living with HIV/AIDS and their families. More remains to be done in order to provide a more comprehensive social security system for the excluded and marginalised people who are living with HIV/AIDS and their families.
The Dutch crisis and Recovery Act: Economic recovery and legal crisis?
01 April 2011
North West University

Verschuuren, Jonathan

In the Netherlands, the 2010 Crisis and Recovery Act aims at speeding up decisionmaking on a wide variety of activities, hoping that after the financial and economic crisis has passed, development projects can immediately be carried out without any delay caused by legal procedures in court or elsewhere. The Act meets great criticism for many reasons: it allegedly curtails citizen's procedural rights because it focuses almost exclusively on environmental standards as "obstructing" standards that need to be removed, and it infringes international and European Union law. In this note, the legal critique on the Act is analysed. The conclusion is that the sense of urgency surrounding the design of legal measures to address the economic crisis enables the legislature to implement innovations and long-time pending amendments to existing legislation. Most issues have however not been fully or properly considered. Many legal questions will arise when implementing the Act, which will retard rather than expedite projects. It is difficult to predict whether the positive effects of the Crisis and Recovery Act would outweigh the negative aspects. Much depends on the manner in which the authorities will actually apply the Act. Should they implement the Act to its full potential, the effect of the Act in sum will be negative. In that case, the Act may help the economy to recover, but it will bring about a crisis in the legal system. It will, in all probability, also not contribute to sustainable development.
Tharfield - the story of an Eastern Cape farm and its inhabitants (1822 - 1977)
10 January 2012
North West University

Thorpe, C

• Opsomming: Die verhaal van die plaas Tharfield is ineengevleg met die geskiedenis van die families Bowker en Webb. As een van die mooiste en mees ongeskonde plase in Setlaarstreek is dit meer as net ŉ skatkamer van die Setlaargeskiedenis: die habitatverskeidenheid wat dit vir voël- en dierelewe bied, maak dit van belang vir die natuurbewaarder en die ekoloog, terwyl ŉ studie van die boerderymetodes wat toegepas is vandat die plaas in 1822 aan die eerste eienaar toegeken is, vir die landboukundige van groot betekenis kan wees. Tharfield was vir meer as 'n eeu in die Bowkers se besit toe dit in 1925 die eiendom van Thomas Webb geword het. Vandat die huidige eienaar van Tharfie1d die plaas oorgeneem het, het hy hom toegelê op die produksie van slagbeeste. Hy het ook die Webb-tradisie, naamlik die verbetering van die weiding deur die aanplant van smaakliker grassoorte, voortgesit. Terwyl hy die plaas verbeter het, het die eienaar dit in gedagte gehou dat die individuele boer ook 'n bydrae tot natuurbewaring kan maak. Gevolglik is 'n gedeelte van Tharfield in 1973 vir 'n natuurreservaat opsy gesit.
The Natal interior.
11 January 2012
North West University

Christopher, A J

• Opsomming: Die Natalse Binneland, tradisioneel 'n landelike streek, het volgehoue groei, ook op stedelike gebied, ondervind. Dit het meegebring dat die Natalse landskap van die verlede vinniger verander het as in die meeste ander dele van Suid-Afrika. Ten spyte van hierdie veranderinge bied die streek steeds 'n interessante en soms indrukwekkende natuurlandskap aan die belangstellende. Die eerste Blanke inwoners van die Natalse Binneland het uit die Kaapkolonie gekom en met hulle 'n eie kulturele karakter en tradisie van veeboerdery saamgebring. Die oorwegende karakter van die bevolking het egter Brits geword soos weerspieël deur die argitektuur wat hoofsaaklik die algemene strominge in Engeland nagevolg het. Dorpe is aanvanklik aangelê om in die administratiewe en ekonomiese behoeftes van die landelike gemeenskap te voorsien, maar die ontginning van steenkool in hierdie streek het die patroon verander deurdat verskeie selfstandige steenkoolgemeenskappe ontstaan het.
Micro credit and the transforming of uncertainty since 1976: international lessons for South Africa.
13 January 2012
North West University

Mashigo, Polly;Schoeman, Christie

• Summary: The formal banking system plays a pivotal role in the delivery of financial services, particularly credit. However, the delivery of credit to poor households in South Africa by the formal banking system is hampered by the existence of irreducible uncertainty. The article analyses a sample of successful practices in different countries to determine the genotype structure in these cases that support specific social technology and the minimalist solidarity group lending method, to transform financial uncertainty that cannot be solved by the market mechanism and even brokerage institutions like banks. Based on the findings, this article recommends that existing social technology can be developed in an environment created and conditioned by a proposed system of constituents or principles, to give the poor access to low-cost credit in South Africa.
Non-profit organisations and government's pro-poor spending: the case of health and development in Gauteng
19 January 2012
North West University

Mzini, L.B.

Globally, there is growing recognition of participatory public expenditure management(PPEM). PPEM is seen as the process whereby citizens and civil society organisations participate in the management of public expenditures. The adoption of PPEM is aimed at ensuring greater transparency, better targeting and tracking of resources, and increased overall responsiveness. The Gauteng Department of Health and Social Development (GDHSD) is committed to co-operative governance; this includes working with different spheres of government and civil society or non-profit organisations (NPOs). NPOs are required to have a governing committee to manage funds allocated by GDHSD. The committee has the capacity to hold the NPO management accountable for the resources (financial and material) entrusted to it by the GDHSD. The effectiveness of NPOs is challenged by poor attendance of board members at meetings, poor understanding of the board's mandate and responsibilities and lack of experience amongst members. The paradigm of PPEM is still faced with challenges to ensure that significant flows of revenue are accounted for and used effectively for growth and poverty reduction. This study is divided into three components. The first section focuses on the background, the introduction and the conceptual framework. The second part focuses on the empirical study for deriving a benchmark for the South African NPO sector. The third section highlights good practices as well as governance-related challenges. Finally, for further consideration by the GDHSD, a series of recommendations is provided, focusing on how key domestic stakeholders can better contribute to successful participatory budgeting programmes.
Historical relevance?: ten sketches of women illegally enslaved at the Cape, 1823 to 1830.
20 January 2012
North West University

Rugarli, Anna Maria;Shell, Robert C H

Die artikel handel oor die verhale van slawevroue wat deel was van die slawehandelsproses teen die einde van die 18e eeu. Hulle is na die Kaap de Goede Hoop gebring as vry slawe of - soos hul eienaars gemeen het - as “geskenke”. Hierdie mini biografieë vertel die verhale van vroue wie se lot was dié van vervreemding van hul geboorteland, en slawerny in ‘n nuwe vreemde land. Slawevroue het protesteer en hul situasie by die owerhede aangemeld om sodoende hul vryheid terug te win toe dit moontlik was in die 1820s. Persoonlike getuienisse is beskikbaar van sulke vroue soos opgeteken in die Boek van Klagtes deur die Guardian of Slaves gedurende die opskudding van die 1820s. In die artikel word hierdie getuienisse kortliks bespreek, waarop elk se historiese relevansie vervolgens bepaal word.
The death of trooper Alexander Aberline, F squadron, NSW Imperial Bushmen at Lichtenburg 2 October 1900.
23 January 2012
North West University

Bottomley, John

Much of the history of the Anglo-Boer War is dour and brutal, as is to be expected of a three year struggle which many believed was genocidal in purpose. This war saw so many nationalities fighting against each other, and was at the same time a civil war involving Afrikaner against Afrikaner, and South African English-speakers, as well as many black combatants, fighting and dying on both sides. Yet, there was an emotional dimension to the war, although this level has so often been lost in the 'grand overview'. This paper relates the story of one Australian combatant and his journey towards death in a foreign land. Trooper Aberline's sacrifice was to have an impact on the Boers and his legacy went far beyond his rusting cross in the Lichtenburg cemetery which lies close to that of Edith Mathews who was buried nearby.
The role played by women in the Uitlander refugee crisis, 1899 - 1902, a case-study of the East London humanitarian effort.
26 January 2012
North West University

Tankard, Keith

• Opsomming: Voor die uitbreek van die Suid-Afrikaanse Oorlog in Oktober 1899, het baie Uitlander-vlugtelinge hoofsaaklik in die kusdorpe toevlug gesoek. Vlugtelingondersteuningskomitees, soos die "Mansion House Fund" het vinnig tot stand gekom om hulle by te staan. Veral mans het tot nou toe erkenning vir die filantropiese werk gekry, maar in baie gevalle was dit vroue wat die leiding geneem het. Hierdie artikel bespreek een so 'n groep: "The Ladies Relief Committie" van Oos-Londen.
F.J. Bezuidenhout's Doornfontein: a case study in white farmland alienation on the 19th century Witwatersrand.
26 January 2012
North West University

Allen, G R

• Opsomming: Hierdie artikel handel oor aspekte van die vestiging en vervreemding van die Witwatersrandse plaas "Doornfontein" (nr 323) tydens die 19e eeu. Die narratief word ontwikkel teen die agtergrond van die demografiese, wetlike en besigheidstrukture wat destyds in Transvaal tot stand gekom het. Klem val op die handelinge van twee prominente figure, F.J. Bezuidenhout (snr) en Veldkornet J.P. Meyer, wat hierdie strukture benut het in pogings om hulle persoonlike oogmerke te bevorder.
Capital, coal and conflict: the genesis and planning of a company town at Indwe.
31 January 2012
North West University

Mabin, Alan

• Opsomming: Die artikel handel oor die oorsprong van Indwe, 'n maatskappydorp wat in die noordoostelike Kaap geleë is. In die ontwikkeling van die gebied tussen 1880 en 1896 het botsings oor land, instroming van kapitaal, en steenkoolmynbou almal 'n rol gespeel. Die dorp self was in 1896 deur E. Gilbert Hall vir die Indwe Railway, Collieries and Land Company opgemeet. Daling in steenkoolmynbou het van Indwe 'n klein dorpie gemaak, maar sy geskiedenis belig 'n hele aantal temas wat van belang is in die geskiedenis van stadsbeplanning in Suid-Afrika.
Early history of the Victoria West branch of the Standard Bank of South Africa.
06 February 2012
North West University

Immelman, Elbie

• Opsomming: Die Standard Bank van Suid-Afrika se tweede tak is op 15 April 1863 op Victoria-Wes geopen. Die Bank wat in verskeie geboue gehuisves was voordat die huidige moderne gebou betrek is, deel reeds vir meer as 'n eeu in die wel en wee van die plaaslike gemeenskap. Die Bank se inspeksieverslae is 'n waardevolle bron van inligting oor plaaslike ekonomiese omstandighede, soos die uitwerking wat droogtes en oorstromings op die boerderybedryf het, die uitbuiting van die boere deur handelaars, die veranderde boerderymetodes en die bydrae wat die streek tot die land se totale produksie maak. Die Bank was nooit 'n onverskillige toeskouer nie en het gedurende moeilike tye soms self noustrop getrek.
Incorporating human rights into the teaching of History: teaching materials.
17 February 2012
North West University

Siebörger, Rob

The Institute for Justice and Reconciliation has commissioned the publication of a series of books intended for FET teachers under the title Turning Points in Human Rights (forthcoming 2008). They are individually, The Struggle for Constitutional Rights, The Struggled for Land Rights, The Struggle for Workers' Rights, The Struggle for Gender Rights and The Struggle for Youth Rights in South Africa. I was asked to write the Teacher's Guide to the series. Although the series and guide were not written exclusively for history teachers, History is the subject that pays, arguably, the most attention to human rights. This article, which has its origins in a workshop at the 2007 conference of the South African Society for History Teaching, discusses some of the issues raised in this work and the classroom materials and approaches used.
Caledon and the Overberg: placid centre of a geographic microcosm?
30 March 2012
North West University

Wilson, J E

• Opsomming: Die skerp styging in wolproduksie gedurende die 1850's het grootliks tot 'n kortstondige opbloeifase in die Overbergse dorp Caledon bygedra. In teenstelling met sommige ander Suid-Afrikaanse dorpe wat weens die ontdekking van minerale skouspelagtig gegroei het, is Caledon nie deur volgehoue groei en verstedeliking gekenmerk nie. Hierdie bydrae behandel die vestiging van die eerste Blankes in die Overberg, dorpstigting in 1811 en sosiaal-ekonomiese vooruitgang tot omstreeks 1875. Daar word ook aangetoon waarom Caledon, wat grootliks afgesny was van verbindingsweë tussen kushawens en die mineraalvelde, in genoemde tydperk 'n klein dorp in 'n vooruitstrewende landelike gebied gebly het.
The collapse of the Graaff-Reinet board of executors during the great depression (1929 - 1934)
13 April 2012
North West University

Minnaar, A de V

• Opsomming: Die wêreldwye ekonomiese depressie van die jare twintig en dertig het ook kleindorpse finansiële instellings nadelig getref; 'n voorbeeld hiervan was die Graaff-Reinetse Boedelkamer wat in 1856 gestig is en die Midland Agency and Trust Company wat insgelyks op die dorp bestaan het. Toe Groot-Brittanje op 21 September 1931 van die goudstandaard afstap, het genoemde instansies se voortbestaan ernstig in die gedrang gekom. Terwyl die Midland Agency die krisis oorleef het, het die Boedelkamer finansieel in duie gestort - die eerste geval van hierdie aard gedurende die depressie in Suid-Afrika. Die Boedelkamer is op 20 Oktober 1931 gesluit en onder geregtelike bestuur geplaas. ' n Uitvloeisel van hierdie ineenstorting was dat dr. K. Bremer, LV vir Graaff-Reinet, tydens die parlementsitting van 1932 die wysigingswetsontwerp op die Maatskappyewet ingedien het.
Dynasty building, family networks and social capital: alcohol pachters and the development of a colonial elite at the Cape of Good Hope, c. 1760-1790.
11 June 2012
North West University

Groenewald, Gerald

A hallmark of colonisation was extensive social reconfiguration, leading to the development of local elites which differed from the metropolitan and indigenous patterns. Historians of the Cape of Good Hope during the VOC era have identified the development of a local elite during the eighteenth century. The Cape gentry, consisting of grain and wine farmers in the hinterland of Cape Town, consolidated their power and influence over several generations through capital accumulation in the form of land and slaves, and through contracting endogamous marriages. This article contributes to this scholarship by adding a missing dimension: urban entrepreneurs in the form of the alcohol pachters (lease-holders). It traces how kinship, entrepreneurship and social capital were used by these people to gain economic advancement, and how the use of these factors changed over time. The article argues that the 1770s present a change-over from an earlier era when alcohol entrepreneurs were largely immigrant-based and used their cultural identities to their advantage, to a system where the urban and rural elites increasingly contracted business and social alliances. As such this study argues that the foundations of the Cape gentry lay in more than the accumulation of land and slaves. The entrepreneurial activities of alcohol pachters in Cape Town and their increasing alliances with the rural elite played an important role in creating an intricate network of wealthy and influential elite families at the Cape of Good Hope by the end of the eighteenth century.
Taking stock of land reform in Namibia from 1990 to 2005.
11 June 2012
North West University

Ingle, Mark

The land reform debate in Namibia has been predicated on a number of questionable assumptions and is atypical of the scenarios presented by other SADC countries. The one point of similarity is that the progress of Namibian land reform has been very slow. The evidence suggests that land reform has served as an expedient rhetorical device which the ruling party resorts to as and when it suits its political agenda. It has also served as a means by which high-ranking officials have enriched themselves at the expense of the peasantry. Namibia’s financial commitment to land reform was negligible when considered alongside some of its ruler’s more grandiose personal projects. This article contends that land reform in Namibia has been a minor issue and was always unlikely to compromise the political stability that has led to Namibia’s robust performance as a tourism mecca.
The effectiveness of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) as global paradigm shift for poverty eradication in sub-Saharan Africa
14 August 2012
North West University

Van der Elst, H.J.

Despite isolated progress there seems to be no clear-cut guideline or solution to the collective eradication of extreme poverty in sub-Saharan Africa. In an attempt to overcome the above reality, the objective of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) is short term poverty relief to the poorest of the poor by 2015. This is to be achieved through the realisation of eight pro-poor objectives. Since 2000 there has been notable progress. Developmental organisations such as the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Freedom House Index project that global poverty will have been reduced to below fifteen per cent by 2015. The MDGs can, however, currently only be perceived as partially effective because poverty relief remains restricted to mainly Latin America and South and South East Asia. This partial success is substantiated by the reality that the majority of states in sub-Saharan Africa remains subjected to a cycle of extreme poverty, which seems impossible to overcome. There is consensus amongst many researchers that none of the MDGs will be achieved in this region by 2015. This article aims to critically analyse the nature, objectives and progress of the MDGs as a global developmental paradigm shift. In order to explore future trends and identify potential solutions, an emphasis is, however, placed on the possible reasons for the slow progress of the MDGs, specifically in sub-Saharan Africa.

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