bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The hidden agenda of post-war immigration: barriers to women's equal rights
Authors: Knocke Wuokko
Published: January 2010

Economic and political realities in Europe are in a process of change from industrial mass production and growth to a pattern of jobs which require new skills in the shrinking industrial sector, in information technology and the expanding service sector. Politics at national level are declining in importance and are being replaced by politics decided at supranational level. Ongoing developments in EU member-states bear witness to the profound transformations in labour market conditions and job opportunities as a consequence of structural change and technological renewal. We can also see the changes in progress caused by the consolidation of the Single Market and the establishment of the European Union itself. While there is an awareness that these processes will affect many areas at national and European level, the consequences for the economy, for politics and not least for social conditions are still difficult to overlook. What will the Single Market imply for people and job opportunities? What will the changes mean for different groups or categories of people? What will, for example, the outcome be for the nearly 55 million women who are economically active, and for all those women who want to enter or reenter the labour market? Will all women be affected in the same way or will there be winners and losers? Is it at all correct to speak about women as a coherent category or will access to work and social rights depend on nationality, region, class, ethnic or racial categorisation? One of the most burning questions for immigrants and ethnic minorities today is whether EU-citizenship will define insiders and outsiders when it comes to equal rights and social protection.

In many respects, both women and men are affected by discrimination, segregation, and the powerlessness and lack of choice that is part of being an immigrant. This paper will, however, focus on the particular barriers and obstacles to equal rights and freedoms encountered by immigrant and minority women in Europe. In order to locate women in the dynamics of post-WW II worker immigration, I shall start out with a brief look at the history of post-war worker recruitment and detail its hidden agenda of discrimination.

Next, I shall discuss and analyse the adverse effects of immigration policies on women with regard to family reunion, residence rights, the right to work and to social protection, with examples from some major countries of immigration. Against this background, I shall argue that the situation and function of immigrant and ethnic minority women in European societies and labour markets have been largely determined by the receiving countries and their economic needs on the hand; and, on the other hand, by restrictions imposed on immigrant women's equal rights. I shall finally discuss current developments and future trends for women in the context of changing labour market needs.
Stressing a women's agenda. Women of three European sectors define their needs
Authors: Cockburn Cynthia
Published: January 2010

Women are inadequately represented in the decision-making structures of trade unions, in their European representative organisations and hence also in the European Social Dialogue. The article describes a series of innovatory workshops mounted in Brussels in the summer of 1995, bringing together women grassroots activists of the automobile components manufacturing sector, the railways, and industrial cleaning. The participants generated a comparison of the employment of women in different European member states and worked towards a women's collective bargaining and policy agenda for their different sectors. Practical steps towards gender democracy in the union structures were emphasised, for without them a women's agenda was unlikely to be effectively pursued.
EMU, employment and social cohesion
Authors: Foden David
Published: January 2010

This paper deals with the connections between European Economic and Monetary Union on the one hand, and the prospects for employment and social cohesion on the other. It describes the thinking of the ETUC on EMU and explains why the ETUC has been supportive of monetary integration, and the reservations which it has expressed. The paper criticises the Maastricht Treaty's almost exclusive focus on stability, and discusses the pros and cons of the convergence criteria. It reports on the discussion at national level in a number of countries about EMU and employment and social cohesion, considers the political motivations driving EMU and concludes by stressing the importance of progress on the ETUC's agenda of accompanying policies for EMU.
Environmental taxes and unemployment in Europe
Authors: de Mooij Ruud
Published: January 2010

A number of countries in the EU suffer from two major problems. First, the social and economic problems associated with high unemployment rates and, second, the degradation of natural environments. In the light of both of these problems, environmental tax reforms have been widely discussed in the EU. Indeed, some economists have argued that environmental tax reforms may contribute to reduce unemployment and, at the same time, improve the quality of the environment, thus yielding a so-called 'double dividend' . Other economists, however, have raised doubts on the double-dividend argument. In their view, such a tax reform is not likely to cut unemployment rates. This paper explains that this conflict among economists originates from the difference in methodology, namely, partial equilibrium vs. general equilibrium approaches. In particular, the double-dividend conclusion from the partial equilibrium approach may be misleading because, unlike the general equilibrium analysis, it ignores the interactions between markets.

Although general equilibrium models have often been used to show that the double-dividend hypothesis may fail, they also provide insights that unemployment can fall due to an environmental tax reform. However, such a double dividend is typically associated with a shift in the income distribution from people outside the labor market towards the insiders. This change in the income distribution makes it very difficult politically to impose environmental taxes. Hence, concentration on the unemployment argument may frustrate the introduction of environmental taxes because the reduction in unemployment is typically associated with political tendencies due to a change in the income distribution. The best strategy to limit political obstacles seems to be one in which the income distribution is maintained. This can be achieved by using the revenues from environmental taxes to compensate people who bear the burden of the environmental taxes. Such a revenue-recycling strategy is generally different from one that concentrates on reducing unemployment.
Unemployment benefits between protection and promotion
Authors: Bosco Alessandra
Published: January 2010

The aim of the article is to explore the triangular relationship between social protection, flexibility and unemployment, the main focus lying on the third side of the triangle, that between social protection and unemployment. The author looks at this relationship from the viewpoint of unemployment benefits because this branch is at the heart of the current European debate on how to make social protection more employment-friendly, as demonstrated by the European employment strategy and the recent Communication from the European Commission on the future of social protection.

By exploring the questions of whether unemployment benefits contribute to unemployment or rather protect against and alleviate the problem of unemployment, the question is raised of the criteria which determine the effectiveness of an unemployment benefit system.
Europe says goodbye to "universal services" in telecommunications - and what comes next?
Authors: Esser Josef
Published: January 2010

This essay looks at the European communications infrastructure, against the background of the gradual erosion of the public interest-based universal service which has been taking place for several years in the area of telephony. The causes and progress of this erosion and of the national and European policies are presented in three stages: the social state compromise from the post war period until the 1970s, the opposition of two visions (service-based competition versus facility-based competition) in the 1980s and the economic predominance of facility-based competition in the 1990s. Finally, when considering the possible political structure of a politically controlled and public interest-oriented communications infrastructure for the "information society", it is argued that, owing to the already advanced liberalisation, deregulation and privatisation, this is already virtually impossible and has very little political support.
Trade unions, foreign direct investment and the restructuring of Polish state-owned enterprises
Authors: Rainnie Al , Hardy Jane
Published: January 2010

The article, based on extensive research by the authors in the form of numerous interviews conducted in the field since 1993, focuses on the dynamics of the transformation of the Kracow regional economy. After an initial account of the national-level restructuring context and the tension-ridden involvement of Solidarity in the political sphere, the main section of the article reports in some detail on two case studies of union organisation in the ZPT cigarette factory, bought by Philip Morris in 1996, and the HTS steel plant. The developments witnessed and described lead the authors to the conclusion that, in both instances, disillusion and discontent with both the process and outcomes of the restructuring process is beginning to emerge, pulling the trade unions, and particularly Solidarity, in opposite directions simultaneously insofar as, while having to protect their members from the increasingly adverse effects of transformation, they nonetheless remain at the forefront of the advocacy of change.
Trade unions in Romania
Authors: Ockenga Edzard
Published: January 2010

Of the trade union confederations founded after the overthrow of the Ceaucescu regime in December 1989, only the CNSLR-Fratia, Alfa Cartel, BNS and CSDR exert any significant influence on political developments in Romania. The legal framework governing collective bargaining imposes relatively tight constraints on trade union activities. The trade unions are protecting workers' interests in an economy which is still largely state-controlled and whose level of efficiency leaves little leeway for improving working and living conditions. Despite the difficult economic situation, the level of unionisation in state-owned companies is relatively high. The lack of alternative job opportunities and the existence of only insufficient unemployment benefits have hitherto constituted major barriers to the introduction of the social market economy which the trade unions would like to see.
The role of multi-employer collective agreements in regulating terms and conditions of employment in Hungary
Authors: Tóth András
Published: January 2010

The transition has opened up the space for trade unions to take up a different role and to adopt new strategies of interest representation. Multi-employer collective bargaining was reinstitutionalised in 1989 and this paper analyses the role of multi-employer collective agreements in shaping the new Hungarian industrial relations system and assesses the regulating force of such agreements. The conclusion is reached that multi-employer collective agreements have, in general, not proved to be an effective new mechanism for regulating terms and conditions of employment. After the wave of multi-employer agreements concluded in 1991 and 1992, their coverage decreased substantially. At the present time there appears to be no more than a rather small section of employers and trade unions who have adopted agreements of this type for the - partial - regulation of terms and conditions of employment. The paper argues that not enough frameworks and institutions have been set up to enable collective bargaining and joint regulation to gain real importance, that the unions have to adopt a more assertive role to this end and that there is a need for better organised employers' associations and a more deliberate and efficient role on the part of the state to promote industry-level bargaining to fill the gaps in legal regulation.
Institutional transfer and the transformation of labour relations in east(ern) Germany: lessons for central and eastern Europe?
Authors: Fichler Michael
Published: January 2010

The process of transformation in the former East Germany has in many ways been fundamentally different from the developments experienced by the other countries of eastern and central Europe after the dissolution of the Soviet bloc. The following article takes a look at the special character of the East German transformation process in the context of German unification, focusing on the role of institutional transfer in the field of labour relations. Of importance are the questions of how union membership has developed and what kind of relationship has evolved between the unions and enterprise-level representation of workers (works councils). On this basis, some thoughts are presented on the lessons to be learned from this exogenous transformation which may be generalised to apply to the transformation process in the countries of central and eastern Europe as well.
New union constituencies call for differentiated agendas and democratic participation
Authors: Leisink Peter
Published: January 2010

One element of the future of the trade unions is the recognition of the differentiation of the labour force and the need for differentiated bargaining agendas. However, putting new items on the agenda is not enough to attract categories of workers which are now generally underrepresented such as young workers, women and workers in the private service sectors. In addition, the form of collective agreements should facilitate a differentiated implementation through democratic participation and individual autonomy.for the workers involved. The article illustrates the need for this type of flexible unionism on the basis of empirical studies of white-collar workers and workers in the commercial service sectors. Since differentiation may be felt to call into question traditional union understandings of solidarity, this topic will be reflected on in the concluding section of this article.
Managerial strategies and trade unions in the company environment
Authors: Regalia Ida
Published: January 2010

Over the last ten to fifteen years the prospects for a trade union role and collective action in western European countries have been approached largely via a paradigm of crisis of representation and decline. This article argues that uncertainty is equally characteristic of managerial strategies and that, paradoxically enough, the exercise of the trade union function of representation of labour may prove to be particularly crucial in the management of the most innovative organisations, insofar as it can help build the social consensus which such organisations increasingly require. From this perspective, industrial relations at the workplace in the eighties and early nineties are re-interpreted as attempts to secure employee commitment through new uses of the traditional methods of collective bargaining. The more recent developments are then approached by discussing the quite unexpected role played by trade unions and works councils in the two fields - often seen as typical of managerial prerogatives - of the development of key human resources and of programmes for direct employee participation in organisational change. Finally, a new conceptual framework for analysis of the problems facing the labour movement is outlined.
From working time to city time : the case for a single approach to time policies
Authors: Boulin Jean-Yves
Published: January 2010

Changes in working time are calling into question the social organisation of time inherited from the industrial revolution. By social organisation of time we mean the way in which the various timetabling arrangements characteristic of life in society combine to form a single system. A number of economic, social and cultural developments serve to accentuate the trend towards reduction and above all diversification of working time observable since the beginning of the 1980s. And so it seems reasonable to argue that the desynchronisation which is such a central factor of the economic and social development of our societies will be at the heart of the transformation of urban time structures. To the extent that economic progress depends increasingly upon the development of service activities, particularly non-material services, desynchronisation of schedules is one means of improving accessibility to services and broadening opportunities for the use of time. The field of enquiry and experiment known as "times of the cities", as it is currently being developed in Italy and some German cities, thus appears as one major structural component of time policies, to be viewed in close conjunction with working time policies.
Consumers and the euro
Authors: Murray Jim
Published: January 2010

Focusing on the social and psychological aspects of introduction of the euro, the author describes its likely impact on consumers on a day-to-day basis during the run-up to and aftermath of 1 January 2002 when the new notes and coins will begin to be distributed in 11 out of 15 EU member states. While admitting that introduction of the euro is likely to be of ultimate direct (easier transactions) and indirect (lower inflation) benefit to consumers, he points out that the period of changeover will be experienced as traumatic by many who have no experience of any comparable change and who will be made to feel like strangers in their own countries. The Phase B - "optional" - period should thus be used to ease the transition by encouraging consumers to become familiar with the new currency pending its "compulsory" introduction in Phase C. A series of policy measures devised by the BEUC to foster consumer acceptance of the euro is described: it is recommended that legislation should be introduced to a) guarantee continuity of contract b) ensure that all conversion transactions are free of charge to the consumer, and c) make dual pricing compulsory for a given initial period.
Social policy in the EMU area: between a dream and a nightmare
Authors: Bouget Denis
Published: January 2010

The creation of Economic and Monetary Union is an essential stage in the construction of a European economic entity. Its introduction is inherent in a general rationale of the development of trade and markets but the economic growth which EMU sets out to guarantee is frustrated by the increase in unemployment in several European countries. The traditional boundary between the economic policy sphere and the political sphere is fading. One of the fundamental drawbacks of the creation of EMU is that virtually all possibility of economic adjustment becomes confined to the labour market and social protection. The benefits of social protection are regarded exclusively from the standpoint of costs which have to be reduced, no account being taken of the long-term economic and social effects of such a policy. Protection of the nation states (i.e. the principle of subsidiarity) and the international logic of the market block European political integration at a pre-federalist stage and curtail its social dimension. The shortcomings associated with such political choices have now become obvious and politically unacceptable, compelling governments to embark on new national and/or European employment polices and to reconsider the instruments currently used by the EU in the social policy field (subsidiarity principle, coordination of social security systems, convergence of targets).
Trade union responses to a changing environment
Authors: Rigby Mike , Smith Roger , Lawlor Teresa
Published: January 2010

The article reports a study of trade union strategies in four sectors (Electronics, Food Manufacturing, Banking, and Central Administration) in five countries (Denmark, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom). The data suggests a higher degree of convergence across sectors and countries than expected from a discussion of the literature. However, there are variations which are explained by reference to both sectoral and cultural variables. The union strategies identified are consistent with models identified in the literature in emphasising a more collaborative approach to employer relations, and a balance between industrial and political activities, but in other respects there are important differences.
The significance of consultation and delegation in the new forms of work organisation: the need for a re-appraisal?
Authors: Sisson Keith , Fröhlich Dieter
Published: January 2010

The European Foundation's EPOC survey results suggest there is a need to reappraise the relative significance of the two main forms of direct participation: consultation and delegation. Unexpectedly, in the light of the very different priority accorded to them in both the policy and scientific debates, not only does a majority of respondent managers regard the consultative forms of direct participation as more important than the delegative forms but the effects of the consultative forms on a range of indicators of performance are also considered to be at least equal to those of the delegative forms. Intriguingly, too, statistical analysis suggests the consultative forms are more likely to be associated with positive employment trends than delegation.
The extent of participation in Europe
Authors: Krieger Hubert , O'Kelly Kevin P.
Published: January 2010

Employee participation is an important element of the European Social Model and this paper focuses on the extent of the different forms of participation - representative participation; direct participation; and financial participation, as measured in the European Foundation's EPOC survey. The paper examines the findings on these different types of participation separately and finally compares the levels of participation by combining all three systems. By taking this approach, important differences were found across the ten countries surveyed, with Sweden showing the strongest implementation of all types of participation, while Portugal is the weakest, in particular in representation participation arrangements. The paper indicates that there is a wide gap between the desired objective of the European Social Model and the practice of participation in Europe.
Squaring the circle? Participation, innovation and employment- some results from the EPOC survey
Authors: Wickham James
Published: January 2010

Europe needs to create more jobs but, at the same time, it strives to preserve its social values and its commitment to social protection. This paper explores the thinking behind the European Commission's strategy, as set out in the Green Paper on Partnership for a New Organisation of Work, to protect and develop this social model while, at the same time, promoting workplace flexibility. It uses the EPOC survey results to examine the connections, if any, between organisational flexibility, innovation and employment. To establish the extent of innovation in European workplaces the paper draws on the survey to evaluate the link between participation and innovation and, finally, the relationship between participation, innovation and growth in employment. This analysis of the EPOC data shows that these relationships are, in reality, very complicated and an attempt is made to explain these complexities.
Board-level employee representation in Europe
Authors: Carley Mark
Published: January 2010

This article examines briefly the nature of employee representation on company boards, its extent in western Europe and the revival of the European Company Statute which has once again brought this form of indirect worker participation to the fore. The article goes on to outline some of the main findings of recent research by the author into board-level representation in five countries (Finland, Germany, Greece, Ireland and the Netherlands), highlighting areas of diversity and of convergence.
Local community services at the heart of a new type of development
Authors: Héritier Pierre , Grozelier Anne-Marie
Published: January 2010

There is a current tendency to confine the concept of community services within a reductionist framework that regards it as a mere employment policy tool. The time has come to restore an alternative perspective and return this concept to its rightful place in the centre of a more ambitious overall context, namely a completely new type of development.

The purpose of this article is thus to restore to this concept its full dimension and to show that it is not a question of using public subsidies to develop a few domestic-type jobs but to open up the way to another form of growth better able to meet the essential social needs which can be satisfied neither by the market consumer society nor by public funding. It turns out to be the case, moreover, that this new type of development, geared to a considerable extent to services, is actually richer in terms of job creation, and we speak, naturally, of permanent and skilled jobs.

It is a question - no more no less - of prompting the emergence of a completely different approach to the economy, and this is a challenge for trade unionists who must find ways of reconciling two essential and apparently contradictory imperatives : the guarantee of quality services to the consumer and of a decent employment contract to employees.

We are faced with major challenges requiring a political approach if they are to be developed on the appropriate scale.
Macro-economic evaluations of the potential offered by extending community services : a brief summary
Authors: Cette Gilbert
Published: January 2010

The few existing macro-economic estimates of the potential of an extension of local services provide a convergent message : the development of local services by means of public subsidies can lead to positive effects on employment. A positive assessment is obtained via two different channels. First of all via the traditional effects of financial transfers to households or the creation of public sector jobs. Assuming, however, as is only realistic, no change in the public sector balance, these positive effects disappear. Secondly the effects of changes in the structure of household consumption, which is enriched by the provision of local services, which then provide employment benefits.

But it must be stressed that these macro-economic estimates are inevitably based upon a large number of prescriptive hypotheses which cannot but make them rather fragile in quantitative terms.
Balancing ideological commitment and political reality for local job creation- a Swedish dilemma
Authors: von Otter Casten , Blomqvist Paula
Published: January 2010

Public social services in Sweden are in a highly transitional phase, reflecting new economic constraints and a change of policy regime. Transformations of the public social services sector have included market-oriented methods of management such as separation of purchaser and provider functions, contracting and intra public sector competition. The objective of the reforms has been to enhance economic efficiency at the micro-level of production. In addition, substantial cutbacks have been made in the funding of social services. One of the results of these changes is a reduction of jobs in the social services sector, a development which runs contrary to stated government objectives with respect to employment. To maintain local employment levels, a number of programmes have been initiated, both at local and central level. The situation can thus be described as one where local governments are forced to lay off regular workers within the social services sector, only to rehire them later in conjuction with job creation programmes.

The paper provides an overview of this slightly paradoxical process, brought about by the clash of political objectives in one policy area (public social services) with those of another (employment). In Sweden, moreover, welfare policy goals with respect to equity, manifested in a commitment to public provision of social goods, prevent this paradox (and resulting excess demand for social services) from being solved by the expansion of a private market for social services. The net result is a loss of regular jobs and a growing gap between demand for and supply of social services. In addition, job creation programmes have generally failed to meet the expectations of trade unions and workers for "real jobs" with fair and equal rights, a failure that may bring about the establishment of a dual labour market also within the public service sector.
Working time policy and paid leave arrangements : the Danish experience in the 1990s
Authors: Madsen Per Kongshøj
Published: January 2010

With regard to the long-run increase in unemployment, trends in Denmark differ little from those in other European and OECD countries. In the last three to four years, however, Denmark has seen a very clear drop in unemployment from a peak of 12.4 per cent in 1994 to 7.7 per cent in 1997. The factors influencing this development have included stronger economic growth, a labour market reform conducted in 1994 and the increasing popularity of a range of programmes for early retirement or paid-leave arrangements. In this contribution, the author outlines the most important steps in working time developments in Denmark, concentrating above all on a description of the paid-leave arrangements which may be regarded as the most innovative component of Danish labour market policy in the 1990s. Paid-leave arrangements are programmes offering financial incentives to workers to take career breaks for purposes of childcare, further training or sabbaticals, etc. They are intended to encourage both employees and unemployed workers to leave the labour market for good or to take a career break. They are linked with the fixed-term recruitment of unemployed workers to the posts vacated. The article contains empirical findings concerning the assessment, take-up rates and employment effects of such paid-leave arrangements.
Working time reduction in Finland
Authors: Peltola Pekka
Published: January 2010

The chronically high levels of unemployment in Finland have led to an increased search for ways of reducing working time. This contribution presents various models of working time reduction including forms of voluntary working time reduction, job rotation models, sabbaticals, etc. Of particular interest also are experiments with the two-shift 6-hour model which combine shorter individual working hours with longer periods of plant operation. Such experiments have in some cases received public subsidies.
Putting EMU to work
Authors: Janssen Ronald
Published: January 2010

With EMU, price stability has gained in importance over other policy goals such as growth and employment. The leading idea has become to fight and to control inflation in the hope that growth and investment will automatically follow. The first part of the paper discusses the potential benefits but also the costs of taking low inflation and price stability as an overriding policy objective. It argues that the benefits of reaching very low inflation are overrated, while the costs are underestimated.

A second part of the paper turns to the current situation and policy discussion. EMU and the European Central Bank become operational in an environment of extremely low inflation, while at the same time external conditions (the global financial turmoil) are triggering a slowdown in economic growth. In this context, monetary policy has a heavy responsibility in ‘stabilising’ the business cycle and maintaining satisfactory investment rates. We argue that central banks in Europe in the past did not take up this responsibility, not even in the context of low inflation and tight fiscal policies. The essential question therefore is whether EMU represents a structural change in policy regime.

A final section formulates a number of practical proposals that can increase the probability of such a shift in the policy regime of EMU so that EMU is effectively rebuilt as an instrument for price stability and employment.
Resources of the European Works Council — empirical knowledge and prospects
Authors: Lecher Wolfgang
Published: January 2010

There typical EWC development paths can he singled out. To a certain extent these paths already exist. They can also he described as development stages of individual EWCs: the EWC with an exclusively national frame of reference: the EWC which is taking on an international quality, but focusses on the industrial relations within the parent company's country: the EWC deliberately working to develop a supranational collective identity with a European underpinning amongst members tending towards equality.

Four dimensions can be analytically distinguished in this regard: time, money, information and power. The better the EWC can equip itself in terms of these four “claims”, the greater is the chance of developing a European identity and ability to act effectively. Naturally, the reverse is also true. The four claims are here differentiated in relation to EWCs, based on empirical knowledge mainly derived from two projects in which the author was or is a participant. As examples, the cases of Hoechst (chemical industry), Schmalbach-Lubeca (metalworking industry), AXA/UAP (insurance) and Kredietbank (baiting) are succinctly described. The evaluation looks selectively at a few other relevant empirical project results without detailed substantiation. The results are generalised in terms of a “good EWC practice”. The final part deals with the main subjects of the forthcoming revision of the EWC Directive, which focuses on improvement of the four main claims of EWCs' resource situation.
Five years after: a look forward to the revision of the EWC Directive
Authors: Buschak Willy
Published: January 2010

We now have well over 500 agreements on European Works Councils. There is already plenty of practical experience. All loo often, the chance for dialogue with workers' representatives is not used by company management. If the European Works Council is to play its role, to participate in managing change, then it needs information that is given regularly and m a written form. Consultation must take place before decision-making, so that the opinion of employees' representatives can still be considered during planning. Preconditions important for the proper functioning of any European Works Council are missing from the Directive, for example, the right to training. EWC representatives must be given the means to meet local representatives, to keep them up-to-date with the information and consultation within the EWC. Companies in the media sector (Tendenzunternehmen) should not be exempt from information and consultation obligations that ultimately are beneficial to the management itself.

The threshold of 1000 employees fails to see the needs in undertakings. With the trend towards splitting up companies, “smaller” transnational companies are becoming mare important. Any company that fails to comply with the obligations regarding information and consultation should be excluded from financial support for which it could be eligible in the context of European, national or regional measures.
Equal opportunities policies for women and men : a critical analysis of the 1998-1999 Employment Action Plans
Authors: Lemière Séverine , Silvera Rachel
Published: January 2010

Equal opportunities for men and women are one of the express objectives of the employment guidelines. Apart from measures to combat sexual discrimination in employment (unemployment, earnings, occupational segregation, etc.), it is now a declared objective to introduce an integrated approach through mainstreaming, making equality cut across all the employment pillars. This article seeks to highlight the innovative measures taken in this field and the advances as compared to 1998, but also to show where ground has been lost and where the various European plans are silent.

The article falls into two main parts. We begin by looking at Guidelines 20 and 21, which are characterised by the importance they give to reconciling work and family life through specific new measures affecting the labour market. We then describe in detail the different approaches developed by the European countries to the concept of mainstreaming and draw up a typology of them, which will be something original since it does not entirely follow the traditional divides (between northern and southern countries, etc.).
Fathers: Locating Smoking and Masculinity in the Postpartum
Authors: Oliffe John L. , Bottorff Joan L. , Johnson Joy L. , Kelly Mary T. , LeBeau Karen
Published: January 2010

Many fathers mitigate the harm of their smoking by physically separating their smoking from their children and child care activities.The aim of this study was to empirically locate smoking and masculinities by detailing the highly gendered nature of the everyday places where fathers smoke. A masculinities framework was used to interpret interview and photovoice data drawn from an ethnographic study of fathers who smoke. Twenty participants completed individual interviews and contributed a total of 308 photographs to illustrate smoking through the eyes of fathers. The data were analyzed to describe the locations and contexts that facilitate and restrict participants’ smoking. Three thematic findings—smoking on the job, the bifurcated domestic sphere, and solitary confinement—were drawn from the analyses to provide insights about when and where smoking does and does not occur, and offer direction for father-centered tobacco reduction interventions.
Working With Children to Develop Dimensions for a Preference-Based, Generic, Pediatric, Health-Related Quality-of-Life Measure
Authors: Stevens Katherine J.
Published: January 2010

Use of preference-based measures (PBM) of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is increasing. PBMs allow the calculation of quality-adjusted life years, which can be used in decision making. Research in the field of pediatric PBMs is lacking. This work is the first stage in the development of a new generic, pediatric PBM of HRQoL. Seventy-four qualitative interviews were undertaken with children to find out how health affects their lives. Sampling was purposive, balancing primarily for health within age, with gender and ethnicity as secondary criteria. Interviews covered a wide range of health conditions, and children were successfully able to articulate how their health affected their lives. Eleven dimensions of HRQoL were identified, covering social, emotional, and physical aspects, in common with other generic pediatric HRQoL measures, but differ by including feeling jeal'ous and feeling tired/weak and not including dimensions related to parental, family, or behavioral issues.
Improving Chronic Illness Care: Findings From a National Study of Care Management Processes in Large Physician Practices
Authors: Rittenhouse Diane R. , Shortell Stephen M. , Gillies Robin R. , Casalino Lawrence P. , Robinson James C. , McCurdy Rodney K. , Siddique Juned
Published: January 2010

The use of evidence-based care management processes (CMPs) in physician practice is an important component of delivery-system reform.The authors used data from a 2006-2007 national study of large physician organizations—medical groups and independent practice associations (IPAs) to determine the extent to which organizations use CMPs, and to identify external (market) influences and organizational capabilities associated with CMP use. The study found that physician organizations use about half of recommended CMPs, most commonly disease registries, specially trained patient educators, and performance feedback to physicians. Physician organizations that reported participating in quality improvement programs, having a patient-centered focus, and being owned by a hospital or health maintenance organization used more CMPs. IPAs and very large medical groups used more CMPs than smaller groups. Organizations externally evaluated on quality measures used more CMPs than other organizations. These findings can inform efforts to stimulate the adoption of best practices for chronic illness care.
Hospital Executives’ Perspectives on Pay-for-Performance and Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Care
Authors: Weinick Robin M. , Chien Alyna T. , Rosenthal Meredith B. , Bristol Steffanie J. , Salamon Jessica
Published: January 2010

With increasing attention paid to reducing racial/ethnic disparities in care and the growth of pay-for-performance programs, policy makers and payers are considering the use of such incentive mechanisms to target disparities reduction. This article describes the results of qualitative interviews with hospital executives to assess the potential impact that such programs would have on hospitals and their minority patients. The authors find that executives have significant concerns regarding funding mechanisms and implementation costs, financial risks for safety net hospitals, and resource constraints, as well as how such programs can be used to create incentives to care for minority patients. The findings suggest that payers should be hesitant to use pay-for-performance as a mechanism for reducing disparities until a wide variety of concerns about the design of such programs can be addressed.
Task-Oriented Biofeedback to Improve Gait in Individuals With Chronic Stroke: Motor Learning Approach
Authors: Jonsdottir Johanna , Cattaneo Davide , Recalcati Mauro , Regola Alberto , Rabuffetti Marco , Ferrarin Maurizio , Casiraghi Anna
Published: January 2010

Background. Electromyographic biofeedback (EMG-BFB) has shown equivocal benefits on gait retraining after stroke. Objective. The authors evaluated the efficacy of EMG-BFB applied in a task-oriented approach based on principles of motor learning to increase peak ankle power of the affected leg and gait velocity in patients with chronic mild to moderate hemiparesis. Methods. They assigned 20 participants randomly to the EMG-BFB group or a control group that received conventional therapy for the same duration. Quantitative gait analysis was performed before and after treatment. The EMG-BFB involved the triceps surae during functional gait activities. Treatment was administered with a fading frequency of BFB application and an increasing variability in gait activities. Both groups had 20 treatment sessions of 45 minutes each, including at least 15 minutes of walking-related therapy for the control group. Follow-up (FU) gait analysis was obtained 6 weeks after training. Results. BFB treatment led to significant increases ( P < .01) in peak ankle power at push-off (from 0.63 W/kg to 1.04 W/kg) in conjunction with significant increases in velocity (from 28.3 %h/s—normalized to percentage height per second—to 39.6 %h/s) and stride length (from 44.5 %h—normalized to percentage height—to 57.6 %h). Increases remained significant at FU. There were no changes in any gait variable in the control group. Conclusion. A task-oriented BFB treatment was effective in increasing peak ankle power, gait velocity, and stride length in a population with hemiparesis. Further studies should compare the combination intervention with either of its components in more impaired patients.
The HDAC inhibitors trichostatin A and suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid exhibit multiple modalities of benefit for the vascular pathobiology of sickle transgenic mice
Authors: Hebbel Robert P. , Vercellotti Gregory M. , Pace Betty S. , Solovey Anna N. , Kollander Rahn , Abanonu Chine F. , Nguyen Julia , Vineyard Julie V. , Belcher John D. , Abdulla Fuad , Osifuye Shadé , Eaton John W. , Kelm Robert J. , Slungaard Arne
Published: January 2010

The vascular pathobiology of sickle cell anemia involves inflammation, coagulation, vascular stasis, reperfusion injury, iron-based oxidative biochemistry, deficient nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability, and red cell sickling. These disparate pathobiologies intersect and overlap, so it is probable that multimodality therapy will be necessary for this disease. We have, therefore, tested a histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor, trichostatin A (TSA), for efficacy in reducing endothelial activation. We found that pulmonary vascular endothelial VCAM-1 and tissue factor (TF) expression (both are indicators of endothelial activation) are powerfully and significantly inhibited by TSA. This is seen both with pretreatment before the inducing stress of hypoxia/reoxygenation (NY1DD sickle transgenic mouse), and upon longer-term therapy after endothelial activation has already occurred (hBERK1 sickle mouse at ambient air). In addition, TSA prevented vascular stasis in sickle mice, it exhibited activity as an iron chelator, and it induced expression of the antisickling hemoglobin, hemoglobin F. Notably, the TSA analog SAHA (suberoylanilide hydroxaminc acid) that is already approved for human clinical use exhibits the same spectrum of biologic effects as TSA. We suggest that SAHA possibly could provide true, multimodality, salubrious effects for prevention and treatment of the chronic vasculopathy of sickle cell anemia.
15(S)-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid–induced angiogenesis requires Src-mediated Egr-1–dependent rapid induction of FGF-2 expression
Authors: Kundumani-Sridharan Venkatesh , Niu Jixiao , Wang Dong , Van Quyen Dong , Zhang Qiuhua , Singh Nikhlesh K. , Subramani Jaganathan , Karri Saradasri , Rao Gadiparthi N.
Published: January 2010

To understand the mechanisms underlying 15(S)-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid [15(S)-HETE]–induced angiogenesis, we studied the role of Egr-1. 15(S)-HETE induced Egr-1 expression in a time-dependent manner in human dermal microvascular endothelial cells (HDMVECs). Blockade of Egr-1 via forced expression of its dominant-negative mutant attenuated 15(S)-HETE–induced HDMVEC migration and tube formation as well as Matrigel plug angiogenesis. 15(S)-HETE–induced Egr-1 expression requires Src activation. In addition, adenovirus-mediated expression of dominant-negative mutant of Src blocked 15(S)-HETE's effects on migration and tube formation of HDMVECs and Matrigel plug angiogenesis. 15(S)-HETE induced fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2) expression rapidly via Src-mediated production of Egr-1. Cloning and mutational analysis of FGF-2 promoter revealed that Egr-1 binding site proximal to transcription start site is required for 15(S)-HETE–induced FGF-2 expression. Neutralizing antibody-mediated suppression of FGF-2 function also attenuated the effects of 15(S)-HETE on HDMVEC migration and tube formation as well as Matrigel plug angiogenesis. Furthermore, in contrast to wild-type mice, 12/15-LOX−/− mice exhibited decreased Matrigel plug angiogenesis in response to AA, which was rescued by 15(S)-HETE. On the basis of these observations, we conclude that 15(S)-HETE–induced angiogenesis requires Src-mediated Egr-1–dependent rapid induction of FGF-2. These findings may suggest that 15(S)-HETE could be a potential endogenous regulator of pathologic angiogenesis associated with atherosclerosis and restenosis.