bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Separated Families and Child Support Policies in Times of Social Change: A Comparative Analysis
Authors: Skinner Christine , Hakovirta Mia 
Published: December 2020

AbstractChild support policies aim to ensure separated parents continue to pay for the upkeep of their children until they reach adulthood. This is a laudable aim, often related to alleviating poverty in single parent families following relationship breakdown. There is a long policy history of this in most Western countries, but the institutional and operational challenges are considerable as policies try to keep pace with changes in family relationships, household structures, and gendered patterns of employment and childcare. Tracking changes in parents’ earning and caring responsibilities therefore matter in determining child support liabilities. The question is, how well are child support systems doing in adapting to social changes and norms of gender equality? To answer that, this chapter presents an analysis of the latest data from a comparative study of 15 countries using national informants’ accounts of the key policy principles and operational features of their child support systems.
Dual-Earner Family Policies at Work for Single-Parent Families
Authors: Maldonado Laurie C. , Nieuwenhuis Rense 
Published: December 2020

AbstractThis chapter sets out to examine how family policies differently affect the poverty rate of single-parent families versus couples with children and also probes whether or not there is a premium—or penalty—for single parents. This is based on a literature review and analysis of a number of comparative family policy data infrastructures. Although single parents were found to benefit from child income support, parental leave, and ECEC, important differences were found. The evidence is strong that child income support as family benefits do in fact lower poverty for all families and especially for single-parent families. On the other hand, ECEC costs in many countries represent a larger share of their household budget compared to dual-earner couples. In countries with low replacement rates during parental leave, the income position of single parents on leave is substantially worse than among dual-earner parents in which one parent is on leave.
Parentalization of Same-Sex Couples: Family Formation and Leave Rights in Five Northern European Countries
Authors: Evertsson Marie , Jaspers Eva , Moberg Ylva 
Published: December 2020

AbstractThis chapter introduces the concept ofparentalization, defined as the ability to become parents and be recognized as such, both legally and via social policies. Applying the concept to same-sex couples, we examine how states may facilitate or hinder the transition to parenthood through laws and policies in five Northern European countries; Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, and the Netherlands. Trends in the number of children zero years of age in married/cohabiting same-sex couples suggest a link between parentalization and realized parenthood. As partly indicated by these trends, parentalization is a gendered concept, and parenthood is more readily available to some couples than to others. Perhaps most importantly, very few same-sex couples have been able to jointly adopt a child. The fact that married female couples face fewer barriers to parentalization than other non-traditional couples partly reflects dominant norms on gender and motherhood.
Family Policy in the United States: State-Level Variation in Policy and Poverty Outcomes from 1980 to 2015
Authors: Parolin Zachary , Daiger von Gleichen Rosa 
Published: December 2020

AbstractThis chapter investigates the diversity and divergence of three sets of family policy indicators across the 50 United States: money, services, and time. Our findings show that the 50 United States vary considerably in their family policy packages. States have become more dissimilar over time with respect to social assistance transfers and statutory minimum wages, but have become more similar in their subsidization of low-pay employment. Moreover, states vary greatly in their levels of support for early childhood education and healthcare. State-level variation in out-of-pocket medical spending has more than doubled from 1980 to 2015, in large part due to some states deciding to expand Medicaid access from 2009 onward. Despite large diversity and some divergence in states’ family policy packages, post-tax/transfer poverty rates have remained relatively stable over time. This is partially due to an increase in federally funded transfer programs mitigating the social consequences of state-level diversity.
Going Regional: Local Childcare Provision and Parental Work–Care Choices in Germany
Authors: Schober Pia S. 
Published: December 2020

AbstractThis chapter argues that analyzing regional and local institutional variations has great potential for generating new insights on the drivers of family policy reforms as well as on mechanisms how policies affect families’ choices and well-being. Drawing on the case of Germany and focusing on early childhood education and care (ECEC) services, this chapter first describes regional variations in ECEC provision and take-up. It then reviews theoretical perspectives and empirical evidence on drivers of regional policy variations. Next, the chapter proposes a framework for investigating socially stratified work–care choices of parents at subnational levels by connecting a macro–micro rational choice perspective with the capability approach and the accommodation model of childcare choices. After reviewing the evidence on the effects of regional ECEC variations on social inequalities in take-up, maternal employment, and work–family balance, the chapter concludes by pointing to research gaps and new frontiers of regional family policy analysis.
Managing Work-Life Tensions: The Challenges for Multinational Enterprises (MNEs)
Authors: Anne Bardoel E. 
Published: December 2020

AbstractManaging work-life issues presents a number of challenges for HR departments in multinational enterprises (MNEs) because of the complexity of implementing policies that require sensitivity to local issues such as cultural traditions and legislation. However, there has been limited discussion among researchers regarding the roles and responsibilities of HR managers in MNEs and even less attention given to work-life management in the global context. A tension-centered approach to analyzing these complexities in MNEs particularly focusing on work-life management and strategy development provide insight into constraints and challenges into organizations operating globally. There is evidence that tensions often exist in MNEs between corporate/global HR, local HR, and operational line managers involved in implementing work-life policies and practices. The promise of the tension-centered approach is that is provides insight into the ways these tensions are resolved in practice, and can point toward strategies to improve practices.
Beyond the National: How the EU, OECD, and World Bank Do Family Policy
Authors: Jenson Jane 
Published: December 2020

AbstractIn recent decades, numerous international organizations have adopted positions that use components of a policy frame familiar from family policy at the national level. They sought to advance one or more of three classic goals of that domain: stabilizing demography, ensuring income security, and supporting parents’ labor force participation. This chapter tracks the last several decades of policy action in three international organizations—the European Union, the OECD, and the World Bank. It documents the changing interventions of each organization that touch on these three goals, whether or not the organization claims to be committed to having family policy. The analysis focuses in particular on the expressed policy goal(s), the targets and policy instruments, and the policy frame used to justify each. The main finding is that despite different trajectories over time the three share processes leading to non-familialization via greater emphasis on individuals and often children.
What Does the UN Have to Say About Family Policy? Reflections on the ILO, UNICEF, and UN Women
Authors: Razavi Shahra 
Published: December 2020

AbstractThis chapter considers three UN entities with mandates that have particular relevance for family policy: the ILO, UNICEF, and UN Women. Each organization sees family policy through its own lens, shaped by its mandate and institutional culture. While this means path-dependency, there is also learning. While there is no ‘one UN’ approach to family policy, there is considerable cross-fertilization across agencies. The ILO has long engaged with family policy through its standard-setting work, most notably its conventions on maternity protection, which has tended to bypass men’s role in families. Driven by its child-centric mandate, UNICEF’s focus on children, has arguably left out the needs of working parents, especially mothers who are largely seen in their maternal roles. The youngest of the three, UN Women, has expanded the terrain of family policy by centering key feminist concerns, such as domestic violence, but its work on family policy has yet to find a strong programmatic footing. The growing global interest in the care economy, reinforced by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), alongside transformations in gender roles, may account for the recent turn to family policy.
Conceptual Approaches in Comparative Family Policy Research
Authors: Zagel Hannah , Lohmann Henning 
Published: December 2020

AbstractThis chapter provides a systematic overview of some of the most widely used concepts in comparative family policy research. We situate the conceptual approaches in their respective research tradition, define the concepts’ main characteristics, and highlight differences and similarities between concepts. All approaches we discuss are rooted in feminist and mainstream comparative welfare state research that considers nation-states as the main unit of analysis. To foreclose some of our conclusions, similarities between the concepts seem often stronger than the differences. However, we show that there are important nuances, which can be critical in drawing comparative conclusions about family policy and its expected outcomes. We argue that some of the conceptual nuances have been blurred over time and this takes its toll on the conceptual rigor in the research field. The chapter provides the basis for informed choices on using one rather than another concept in empirical comparative family policy research.
Early Childhood Care and Education Policies that Make a Difference
Authors: Vandenbroeck Michel 
Published: December 2020

AbstractIn split systems, where childcare has historically been separated from preschool, childcare has only recently been recognized for its educational potential. Paradoxically, now that its potential for children, parents, and communities is widely recognized, accessibility, affordability and quality are under pressure. Based on—mostly European—research, we analyse structural barriers that explain unequal take-up of childcare. We look, among others, at issues of lack of places, geographical disparities, and costs. We also look at educational process quality, especially for the youngest children. In so doing, we analyze how policies affect these issues and find that policies that consider childcare as an integral part of public early childhood care and education yield better results. In contrast, the commodification (privatisation) of childcare with its shift from supply side to demand-side funding risks to hinder accessibility and to lower quality.
The Early Rise of Social Security in China: Ideas and Reforms, 1911–1949
Authors: Hu Aiqun 
Published: December 2020

AbstractApplying the editor’s “onion skin model” of social policy ideas, this chapter analyses the early rise of social security ideas and policies in Republican China (1911–1949). Facing imperialism, Chinese elites turned to Western social ideas to “save the nation”. They accepted organic concepts of society, leading to a concern for societal stability and harmony. The Guomindang (GMD) state reinforced this trend in the 1930s when the party-state incorporated Confucianism into its ideology. The GMD state, thus, adopted collectivist notions of social policy, emphasising class harmonisation and productivism. During the Sino-Japanese war, Chinese elites were attracted to the idea of universal social security, which led to an intense development of social security policies. In the entire process, however, Chinese elites emphasised China’s special situation.
The Anatomy of the Social Question and the Evolution of the Brazilian Social Security System, 1919–2020
Authors: Lavinas Lena 
Published: December 2020

AbstractThis chapter traces the evolution of the Brazilian social security system since the beginning of the twentieth century, by examining to what extent it mirrors the changing facets of the social question throughout this long period of time. We seek to demonstrate that, in the span of just over a century, the social question took on a variety of forms, but was repeatedly marked by the struggle for recognition and the fight for inclusion—a strong indication that the process of constructing social citizenship in Brazil has been a permanent effort to break down boundaries. Only in 1988 did Brazilians ultimately achieve the implementation of a comprehensive social security system, but its scope and effectiveness are constantly at stake.
Improving Human Nutrition: A Critical Objective for Potassium Recommendations for Agricultural Crops
Authors: Stone Michael , Weaver Connie 
Published: December 2020

AbstractPotassium (K) is the most abundant cation in intracellular fluid where it plays a key role in maintaining cell function. The majority of K consumed (60–100 mmol day−1) is lost in the urine, with the remaining excreted in the stool, and a very small amount lost in sweat. Little is known about the bioavailability of K, especially from dietary sources. Less is understood on how bioavailability may affect health outcomes. Potassium is an essential nutrient that has been labeled a shortfall nutrient by recent Dietary Guidelines for Americans Advisory Committees. Increases in K intake have been linked to improvements in cardiovascular and other metabolic health outcomes. There is growing evidence for the association between K intake and blood pressure (BP) reduction in adults; hypertension (HTN) is the leading cause of the cardiovascular disease (CVD) and a major financial burden (US$53.2 billion) to the US public health system and has a significant impact on all-cause morbidity and mortality worldwide. Evidence is also accumulating for the protective effect of adequate dietary K on age-related bone loss and glucose control. Understanding the benefit of K intake from various sources may help to reveal how specific compounds and tissues influence K movement within the body, and further the understanding of its role in health.
Inputs: Potassium Sources for Agricultural Systems
Authors: Mikkelsen Robert L. , Roberts Terry L. 
Published: December 2020

AbstractIn the potassium (K) cycle, inputs encompass all K sources that move into a given volume of soil. These inputs may include atmospheric deposition, irrigation water, runoff, erosion, as well as seeds, cuttings, and transplants. Accounting for all inputs is seldom routinely done on the farm. Many K inputs have variable concentrations, making estimations difficult. Estimates for added K are provided in some planning documents and can be used where testing of on-farm inputs is not feasible, although testing is preferred. Standard commercial fertilizers have known concentrations of K and are concentrated enough to be economical to transport long distances. The global reserves for their production have an estimated lifetime of thousands of years. This chapter emphasizes considerations for using various commercial fertilizer sources.
Rhizosphere Processes and Root Traits Determining the Acquisition of Soil Potassium
Authors: Hinsinger Philippe , Bell Michael J. , Kovar John L. , White Philip J. 
Published: December 2020

AbstractPlants acquire K+ ions from the soil solution, and this small and dynamic pool needs to be quickly replenished via desorption of surface-adsorbed K from clay minerals and organic matter, by release of interlayer K from micaceous clay minerals and micas, or structural K from feldspars. Because of these chemical interactions with soil solid phases, solution K+ concentration is kept low and its mobility is restricted. In response, plants have evolved efficient strategies of root foraging. Root traits related to root system architecture (root angle and branching), root length and growth, together with root hairs and mycorrhiza-related traits help to determine the capacity of plants to cope with the poor mobility of soil K. Rooting depth is also important, given the potentially significant contribution of subsoil K in many soils. Root-induced depletion of K+ shifts the exchange equilibria, enhancing desorption of K, as well as the release of nonexchangeable, interlayer K from minerals in the rhizosphere. Both these pools can be bioavailable if plant roots can take up significant amounts of K at low concentrations in the soil solution (in the micromolar range). In addition, roots can significantly acidify their environment or release large amounts of organic compounds (exudates). These two processes ultimately promote the dissolution of micas and feldspars in the rhizosphere, contributing to the mining strategy evolved by plants. There are thus several root or rhizosphere-related traits (morphological, physiological, or biochemical) that determine the acquisition of K by crop species and genotypes.
Potassium Use Efficiency of Plants
Authors: White Philip J. , Bell Michael J. , Djalovic Ivica , Hinsinger Philippe , Rengel Zed 
Published: December 2020

AbstractThere are many terms used to define aspects of potassium (K) use efficiency of plants. The terms used most frequently in an agricultural context are (1) agronomic K use efficiency (KUE), which is defined as yield per unit K available to a crop and is numerically equal to the product of (2) the K uptake efficiency (KUpE) of the crop, which is defined as crop K content per unit K available and (3) its K utilization efficiency (KUtE), which is defined as yield per unit crop K content. There is considerable genetic variation between and within plant species in KUE, KUpE, and KUtE. Root systems of genotypes with greatest KUpE often have an ability (1) to exploit the soil volume effectively, (2) to manipulate the rhizosphere to release nonexchangeable K from soil, and (3) to take up K at low rhizosphere K concentrations. Genotypes with greatest KUtE have the ability (1) to redistribute K from older to younger tissues to maintain growth and photosynthesis and (2) to reduce vacuolar K concentration, while maintaining an appropriate K concentration in metabolically active subcellular compartments, either by anatomical adaptation or by greater substitution of K with other solutes in the vacuole. Genetic variation in traits related to KUpE and KUtE might be exploited in breeding crop genotypes that require less K fertilizer. This could reduce fertilizer costs, protect the environment, and slow the exhaustion of nonrenewable resources.
Patient Safety in Internal Medicine
Authors: Regina Micaela La , Vecchié Alessandra , Bonaventura Aldo , Prisco Domenico 
Published: December 2020

AbstractHospital Internal Medicine (IM) is the branch of medicine that deals with the diagnosis and non-surgical treatment of diseases, providing the comprehensive care in the office and in the hospital, managing both common and complex illnesses of adolescents, adults, and the elderly. IM is a key ward for Health National Services. In Italy, for example, about 17.3% of acute patients are discharged from the IM departments. After the epidemiological transition to chronic/degenerative diseases, patients admitted to hospital are often poly-pathological and so requiring a global approach as in IM. As such transition was not associated—with rare exceptions—to hospital re-organization of beds and workforce, IM wards are often overcrowded, burdened by off-wards patients and subjected to high turnover and discharge pressure. All these factors contribute to amplify some traditional clinical risks for patients and health operators. The aim of our review is to describe several potential errors and their prevention strategies, which should be implemented by physicians, nurses, and other healthcare professionals working in IM wards.
Measuring Clinical Workflow to Improve Quality and Safety
Authors: Tanzini Michela , Westbrook Johanna I. , Guidi Stefano , Sunderland Neroli , Prgomet Mirela 
Published: December 2020

AbstractThis chapter aims to illustrate the methodologies of time and motion research, the observation of clinical care activities in the field and its limits, strengths and opportunities. We discuss how such studies can be used to address questions related to the quality of care and to examine the relationships between clinical workflow and safety. Further, the chapter provides specific examples of the application of time and motion studies, the practical challenges and results obtained.
The Blind Spot
Authors: Müller Francis 
Published: December 2020

AbstractIn our everyday world, we operate within a reality that we experience as “normal,” and which we do not question further, although it is actually man-made and designed. In design ethnography, however, we need to define this reality not simply as given, but as constructed and contingent. We need to make blind spots visible and decompose the reality that we classify on the basis of received knowledge in a phenomenological way, which is epistemologically relevant. We must deliberately alienate ourselves from the familiar in order to seek new connections of meaning in it.
Judicial Independence and Perceptions of Judicial Independence
Authors: van Dijk Frans 
Published: December 2020

AbstractThe three key concepts of this study are: perceived judicial independence, respect for judicial independence and trust in the judiciary. To provide the basis for the empirical chapters that follow, theoretical considerations are explored. Due to the subjective nature of independence, perceptions matter. According to European case law, the appearance of independence needs to be taken into account when the independence of a court is evaluated. The perceptions held by parties, lawyers, media, general public and judges are not homogeneous, and depend on different sets of factors. In the literature, it is widely believed that the judiciary needs a positive perception of independence to gain the trust of society. This trust in turn bolsters the legitimacy of the judiciary. Trust and legitimacy are many-faceted concepts. In this study trust is used in the sense of diffuse institutional trust. Respect for independence is used as an expression of the legitimacy of the judiciary. These concepts apply to the national courts and to the courts at the EU/European level. To understand judicial independence in Europe, both levels need to be examined in conjunction.