ABSTRACT
Unlike earlier pandemics, where a "politics of blame" was directed against those who spread infection, the COVID pandemic in the United States has created occasions for the deployment of a "politics of commendation" for performing acts of sacrifice. Frontline healthcare workers have been celebrated for sacrificing themselves in service to their patients, even as critics have charged their being hapless victims of "social murder" at the hands of irresponsible medical administrators. Governmental officials, notably in Texas, have also recommended the elderly to refuse COVID care, die and thus sacrifice themselves selflessly for the benefit of the younger generation. Lately, COVID vaccine-refusal has been seen as an act of noble political sacrifice-typically to further individual liberty against the coercive power of the Federal government's promotion or mandating of vaccination. Anti-vaxxers embracing the role of such political sacrifices, however, generally fail to realize this aspiration, insofar they are often just culpable of their own demise by neglecting public health advisories. Furthermore, the partisan politicization of their deaths militates against the normal recognition of their being sacrifices. Party political calculations have frequently demanded denial of the COVID origins of the anti-vaxxer deaths, and also effectively eliminated any normal attendant rites of reciprocation, memorialization or sacralization of the victims, typical of sacrifices, proper.
ABSTRACT
We situate the contemporary crisis of COVID‐19 deaths in seniors' care facilities within the restructuring and privatisation of this sector. Through an ethnographic comparison in a for‐profit and nonprofit facility, we explore what we identify as brutal and soft modes of privatisation within publicly subsidised long‐term seniors' care in Vancouver, British Columbia, and their influence on the material and relational conditions of work and care. Workers in both places are explicit that they deliver only bare‐bones care to seniors with increasingly complex care needs, and we document the distinct forms and extent to which these precarious workers give gifts of their time, labour and other resources to compensate for the gaps in care that result from state withdrawal and the extraction of profits within the sector. We nonetheless locate more humane and hopeful processes in the nonprofit facility, where a history of cooperative relations between workers, management and families suggest the possibility of re‐valuing the essential work of care. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Antipode is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)
ABSTRACT
Economic disruptions related to the COVID-19 pandemic left many households without the income necessary to meet basic needs. We describe an innovative, community-based partnership between a financial services company, philanthropic funders, and employers to provide financial assistance to hotel workers in New Orleans who lost jobs and income due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Results from a survey of 1,056 hotel workers show that workers experienced lower food insecurity and difficulty paying bills in the month after receiving assistance, while transaction data from the VISA gift cards used to disburse assistance showed that workers mostly used assistance on necessities. We discuss implications for employers who want to offer emergency assistance fund programs and for public policy changes to better support low-wage workers, especially those with children.
ABSTRACT
Development economists have often argued that South-South flows of capital and aid are devoid of the conditionalities and hierarchies that define North-South flows of the same. Maussians and neo-Maussians maintain that gifting-which allows for the ethos of reciprocity-leads to the formation of more equal international partnerships. This article focusses on India's development diplomacy. We unpack Indian cultural notions of 'gifting', which do not allow for imaginings of reciprocity, and show how 'the gift' has been strategically employed by Indian actors as a tool of state-making to forge relations of hierarchy and dependence globally.
ABSTRACT
Based on digital network narratives, we analyzed various forms of solidarity actions negotiated by users of the mental health care network to deal with the problems arising from the Covid-19 pandemic in a context of ultra-neoliberal economy. If, on the one hand, the increase in psychosocial suffering was evident, on the other hand, the coping strategies organized by those people were astounding, many of them being developed and managed by themselves. Among these strategies, there is the activation and creation of social networks for specific purposes depending on the problem to be solved. Prioritizing the notion of "gift," these strategies updated the illusio of militancy of the users involved in them. However, the physical distance between the network members and the organization of dialogue in a virtual space make difficult the interaction dynamics in favor of the establishment of interpersonal bonds and conflict resolution. Copyright © 2023, Fundacao UNI Botucatu/UNESP. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
Based on digital network narratives, we analyzed various forms of solidarity actions negotiated by users of the mental health care network to deal with the problems arising from the Covid-19 pandemic in a context of ultra-neoliberal economy. If, on the one hand, the increase in psychosocial suffering was evident, on the other hand, the coping strategies organized by those people were astounding, many of them being developed and managed by themselves. Among these strategies, there is the activation and creation of social networks for specific purposes depending on the problem to be solved. Prioritizing the notion of "gift," these strategies updated the illusio of militancy of the users involved in them. However, the physical distance between the network members and the organization of dialogue in a virtual space make difficult the interaction dynamics in favor of the establishment of interpersonal bonds and conflict resolution. Copyright © 2023, Fundacao UNI Botucatu/UNESP. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
For a long time, gift packaging has been a means of conveying the sender’s feeling and message just as important as the gift itself. This has been a part of social communication mean for a long time especially in East Asian societies. Therefore, packaging used to be a form of cultural communication which carries much personal and social meaning by using all kinds of material. In the twenty-first century, under the social atmosphere of sustainability, such cultural communication is regarded as vain, and the use of recycled packaging materials or the omission of packaging itself is increasingly common. Also, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it is even more difficult to meet face-to-face and convey thankful and beloved feelings. The aim of this research is to study how non-material communication can contribute to people’s emotional satisfaction within the object exchange. The purpose is to develop a virtual packaging service using augmented reality (AR) technology, while reflecting people’s cultural and personal needs, as a sustainable user experience (UX) approach. This research analyzes user perceptions and attitudes towards virtual packaging through a quantitative study of 200 participants and evaluates users’ acceptability and cultural needs for immaterial packaging. Based on this, a new AR packaging service is developed which can bring psychological and spiritual satisfaction to people, unlike virtual messages and material packaging which have simple delivery purposes. This research will promote the use of AR technology as a cultural bridge between physical packaging and virtual communication delivering people’s hopes and cheerful minds, as well as a factor for sustainable development and the green economy. © 2022, Springer Nature Switzerland AG.
ABSTRACT
This paper explores the political debate on student loan forgiveness from a religious (Christian) ethical perspective. In so doing, I answer the three specific questions. First, what are the prospects and limits of different political approaches to the issue? Second, what are the structural or ideological backgrounds that have given birth to the student loan crisis, but are not fully addressed by the president’s executive ordering? Last, what is the Christian ethical response to the issue, and how could it be theologically justified? Answering these questions, I argue that it is time now for American society to reckon with the neoliberal economy of debt that has relentlessly undertaken every aspect of our social and political lives. I also contend that student debt should be regarded as a form of social gift offered by society to the future generation.
ABSTRACT
This chapter reflects on how I harnessed the opportunities afforded from the pandemic to advance on my own journey, rather than succumb as a victim. A key to transforming the crisis into opportunity for personal and professional growth was recognizing the gift of a Mentor-Mentee relationship and prioritizing the development through nurturing of this connection. Looking back, the pandemic paused a paralyzing challenge in a country like Germany, but also the unexpected opportunity to develop a special relationship with my Mentor, complete my PhD, develop our own inner selves, and start our new business together to serve and promote entrepreneurship. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.
ABSTRACT
In 2021, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission received over 5.7 million reports of fraud, identity theft, and other consumer protection issues, accounting for $5.9 billion in fraud losses.3 Of people ages 20-29 reporting fraud to the FTC, 41 percent lost money to the schemes perpetrated, compared to only 18 percent of those in the 70-79 age range reporting fraud.4 The most common types of fraud and their median losses vary by age group. The top categories for fraud losses for the 20-29-year-old category are $2,000 for fake check scams, $1,821 for job scams, and $1,000 for government imposter scams.5 For the 80 and over age group, the highest median losses are $7,650 for romance scams;$6,000 for prizes, sweepstakes, and lottery scams;and $4,975 for family and friend imposter scams.6 Scammers Understand Their Potential Targets There is little doubt that scammers target the unsuspecting, but be advised that scammers also target professionals, businesspeople, and other "sophisticated" groups. According to a psychology professor who has studied scams, scammers are amateur psychologists.7 They understand that people respond to social influences and authority figures. Once the therapist provided the fake deputy sheriff with the Visa card numbers and the PINs, the final step of the scam involved his advising the therapist that she should put the cards in an envelope with his name and badge number and deposit the envelope in a special mailbox (which was a regular, public
ABSTRACT
Net wealth taxes are one of the most controversial topics in taxation. Strained government finances due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the increasing inequality in the distribution of wealth are fuelling this debate (See, for example, Wealth Tax Commission, A Wealth Tax for the UK, Final Report (2020) that refers to the need to raise substantial revenue after the pandemic). While some countries (Especially France: The net wealth tax - referred to as the ISF (impot sur la fortune) - was abolished in 2017. See also the overview in Rainer Niemann & Caren Sureth-Sloane, Investment timing effects of wealth taxes under uncertainty and irreversibility, Journal of Business Economics 89, 385 (2019), 405) have abolished net wealth taxes, their (re)introduction is being considered in others (For example, Austria, Germany, and the United States (proposed by Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders), to specify just a few of them). Unfortunately, legal and economic arguments are rarely brought together in the public discussion, and the academic tax community has remained relatively quiet. Given the politically delicate nature of net wealth taxes, an interdisciplinary discussion seems necessary. This policy note focuses on the policy discussion on net wealth taxes from both economic and legal perspectives. It begins by identifying the characteristics of a net wealth tax compared to related taxes, such as property taxes and inheritance and gift taxes (Chapter I.). This is followed by an overview of the status quo of net wealth taxes and wealth-related taxes in the OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development) countries (Chapter II.). Building on this, the article deals with the main arguments proposed in the literature in favour of and against the (re)introduction of net wealth taxes (Chapter III.). Since a net wealth tax has far-reaching effects on economic decision-making and on taxpayer compliance, a purely legal analysis is necessarily incomplete and requires an economic counterpart. Likewise, economically motivated tax reform proposals require an analysis of their legitimacy. A comprehensive discussion therefore requires a simultaneous legal and economic analysis. Since net wealth taxes are predominantly justified with distributional reasons, this note also discusses whether an inheritance and gift tax represents a reasonable alternative to a net wealth tax (Chapter IV.). After all, an inheritance and gift tax could also counteract the inequality of wealth. The objective of this article is to provide an interdisciplinary basis for the tax policy debate on wealth-related taxes.
ABSTRACT
Net wealth taxes are one of the most controversial topics in taxation. Strained government finances due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the increasing inequality in the distribution of wealth are fuelling this debate. While some countries (especially France: The net wealth tax – referred to as the ISF (impôt sur la fortune) – was abolished in 2017) have abolished net wealth taxes, their (re)introduction is being considered in others (for example, Austria, Germany, and the United States). Unfortunately, legal and economic arguments are rarely brought together in the public discussion, and the academic tax community has remained relatively quiet. Given the politically delicate nature of net wealth taxes, an interdisciplinary discussion seems necessary. This policy note focuses on the policy discussion on net wealth taxes from both economic and legal perspectives. It begins by identifying the characteristics of a net wealth tax compared to related taxes, such as property taxes and inheritance and gift taxes (Chapter I.). This is followed by an overview of the status quo of net wealth taxes and wealth-related taxes in the OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development) countries (Chapter II.). Building on this, the article deals with the main arguments proposed in the literature in favour of and against the (re)introduction of net wealth taxes (Chapter III.). Since a net wealth tax has far-reaching effects on economic decision-making and on taxpayer compliance, a purely legal analysis is necessarily incomplete and requires an economic counterpart. Likewise, economically motivated tax reform proposals require an analysis of their legitimacy. A comprehensive discussion therefore requires a simultaneous legal and economic analysis. Since net wealth taxes are predominantly justified with distributional reasons, this note also discusses whether an inheritance and gift tax represents a reasonable alternative to a net wealth tax (Chapter IV.). After all, an inheritance and gift tax could also counteract the inequality of wealth. The objective of this article is to provide an interdisciplinary basis for the tax policy debate on wealth-related taxes.
ABSTRACT
This essay investigates the gift that on March 24, 2020, the pornographic site Pornhub offers users as entertainment during the confinement due to the Coronavirus. It investigates the public reasons motivating the gift, and the increase in porn consumption caused by the boredom generated by the quarantine. It proposes that while Pornhub may intend to help protect consumers from COVID-19, the reciprocity its gift obliges us with is not symmetrical. © Moderna språk 2021:3.
ABSTRACT
Opioid use remains a significant public health crisis. However, few quantitative or qualitative data exist on the prevalence of opioid use and associated mental health conditions in agricultural industries and how it affects the industries themselves. Data on opioid use and associated consequences were collected among agricultural business owners and workers using both quantitative (n = 129) and qualitative assessment (n = 7). The prevalence of opioid use, pain, stress, and depressive symptoms as well as associated hazards were characterized among individuals who work in horticulture (nursery and landscape) and those who work in food production (livestock and crops). Qualitative interviews were also conducted to better understand individual experiences with opioid use. Opioid use was significantly higher among horticultural industries compared to food production. Pain and depressive scores were higher among those who had used opioids although stress did not differ. Importantly, substantial percentages of participants who reported opioid use also reported consequences associated with their use, including missing work, being injured at work while using, and having difficulty in completing daily tasks. These results provide initial evidence that opioid use is substantially affecting agricultural industries in terms of mental health, personal health, labor availability, and productivity.
ABSTRACT
The Coalition Federal Government led by Scott Morrison has raised tuition fees for humanities and social sciences (Campbell and Johnson 2020) and changed the law three times to ensure that the financial support called "Job Keeper" would not be given to public universities, while at the same time millions of dollars have been given to private universities (Price 2021). [...]these issues of public concern have not been reported nearly as much as they should have been. According to university statutes the key function of the university is: 'the promotion, advancement and transmission of knowledge and research' (Sydney University Act 1989). There is a deep communal logic that is inherent to the gift economy, which is in fact the opposition to the logic of the market economy: 'It is the cardinal difference between gift and commodity exchange that a gift establishes a feeling-bond between two people, while the sale of a commodity leaves no necessary connection' (Hyde 2007: 58).
ABSTRACT
More than any event in recent memory, the COVID pandemic compelled people worldwide to confront how decisions made at the top levels of institutions led to devastating consequences and exacerbated inequalities. People who typically experience a great deal of societal privilege were forced to reckon that the systematic failure of structure could impact them directly in previously unimagined ways. This article explores how COVID was both a gift and a curse for those who live at the intersection of invisible disabilities and other social identities. For individuals with class privilege and invisible disabilities, COVID required employers to accommodate work-fromhome and flexible scheduling options on a scale previously unavailable to most workers. While this may have supported productivity for some individuals, those gains were not available to all. Given that we do not yet know how many survivors of COVID will experience long-term side effects, societies will continue to wrestle with supporting large numbers of workers who find themselves in the disabled category for the first time. This article examines how invisible disability intersects with existing social statuses in a way that holds up a mirror to society more broadly, forcing it to confront its able-bodied privilege.
ABSTRACT
Yearnings, anxieties and fears are similar for every one of us and for every pandemic. In spite of the improvement in the social conditions in the last one hundred years, the human condition and the challenge to face adversity with resilience has remained the same. The present essay brings reflections on the era of Covid-19, using the book The Gift: Forms and Functions of Exchange in Archaic Societies, written by Marcel Mauss, and the concept of Praxeology, introduced by the economist Ludwig Von Mises. It starts by defining the concept of 'Gift' in Society, in order to parallel the collective human action with the individual human action. Then, it is discussed the anguish caused by the loss of freedom in exchange for the safety of the collective caused by the pandemic, via an analysis of the irrevocability of individual choices. Where answers can be found for resignation and critical thinking, needed in order to survive very difficult times?
ABSTRACT
This research examines a case of poverty alleviation through industrialization in east rural China to explore the identity transformation of returning elites when they engage in rural field. The study employs field research and applies the theory of elite circulation in which gift exchange is regarded as an enabling medium to accelerate circulation. The results reveal that a diversified, flexible, and dynamic gift-driven action strategy that is shaped by different types of gifts helps promote the cross-domain identity transformation of elites and facilitates circulation between those with different social statuses and the old and new elites. The highlighted findings are as follows. (1) The knowledge and social capital that elites have accumulated through urban experiences are regarded as a gift for their returning village. (2) Poverty alleviation through industrialization is perceived as a gift that transforms the elites from urban cultural elites to village economic elites. (3) Voluntary helping actions are perceived as gifts that facilitate the continuous transformation of village economic elites into village societal elites. (4) The emergence of the large-scale public crisis of COVID-19 has brought opportunities for strategic actions. The returning elites have carried out a series of gift-like disaster relief operations, which have brought diversified identity transformations and strategic disaster relief operations. (5) Returning elites have empowered skilled farmers with symbolic gifts, which provide these farmers with opportunities to enter the elite hierarchy;however, these new entries could be rapidly displaced by newer empowered farmers, because of the strength of inertial thinking and the weakness of assuming professional roles. This study further explores the dynamic pattern of rural governance and the logic of poverty alleviation under the reconstruction of rural areas that are a product of the identity transformation of rural elites and circulation between hierarchies, which are subsequently shaped by the poverty-alleviating effect of industrialization in rural areas. © 2021 National Chengchi University. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
Exogeneous disruptions in labor demand have become more frequent in recent times. The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in millions of workers being repeatedly laid off and rehired according to local public health conditions. This may be bad news for market efficiency. Typical employment relations-which resemble non-enforceable (implicit) contracts-rely on reciprocity (Brown et al. in Econometrica 72:747-780, 2004), and hence could be harmed when workers' efforts no longer guarantee reemployment in the next period. In this paper we extend the BFF paradigm to include a per-period probability (0%, 10%, 50%) of publicly observable "shutdown", where a specific firm cannot contract with any workers for several periods. A Perfect Bayesian Equilibrium exists in which these shutdowns destabilize relationships, but do not harm efficiency. Our experiment shows that, remarkably, market efficiency can be maintained even with very frequent stochastic shutdowns. However, the dynamic of relational contracts changes from one where a worker finds stable employment to one where she juggles multiple employers, laying the burden of maintaining productivity upon workers and worsening worker-side inequality. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at (10.1007/s10683-020-09697-1).
ABSTRACT
What role does social media play for interprofessional education in a pandemic? This is the first pandemic to occur in a world filled with social media, where digital communication is ubiquitous and a high percentage of those affected are digitally literate. This paper situated within a United Kingdom (UK) context explores this new phenomenon, discussing the ways in which digital gift giving toward health and social care professionals has developed on a variety of social media platforms. This discussion proposes a theoretical understanding of digital gift giving and raises the importance of digital resilience for interprofessional learning and working. Reflections are made on the expected and imagined reciprocity of digital gift giving and the talismanic nature of employing symbols digitally to ward off COVID-19. This paper employs an ethnographic lens to unpack the issue of digital gift giving and recommends preparing students for the onslaught of digital gifts they may be exposed to upon entering the workplace. Academics are called on as the mediators of these recommendations, and suggestions are made as to how students can be best prepared for a digitally saturated interprofessional practice.