ABSTRACT
Background: In response to the limitations on fieldwork imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, we describe and assess a remote method for documenting plant-related knowledge, using smartphones that requires no in-person interaction between an on-site Indigenous community and off-site researchers. Methods: The on-site team identified the Indigenous taxa, created equivalents of photo vouchers, and recorded their names and uses as voice messages using a smartphone, thereby learning about plants from one another. They then sent the data using WhatsApp messages to the off-site team, who identified the botanical names of the taxa, and analyzed the plant-related knowledge. Results: We assess the remote, collaborative, and transdisciplinary quality of the method, factoring in communication, audiovisual documentation, species identification, knowledge exchange, logistics, and ethics. Despite the problems we experienced with identifying taxa growing in high forest and translation issues that complicated the documentation of plant uses, the method was on the whole a success. It allowed the on-site team to activate their passive knowledge of their language and share their knowledge with their relatives. The off-site team identified 57% of the recorded 54 taxa to species level and documented their names and uses as primary audio data, which keep on enhancing the quality of the documentation. Conclusions: Smartphones can be used as research tools during periods of restricted physical access, but also to extend research beyond the fleeting field visits and to elevate the empirical standard of ethnobotany when it comes to language data. We see such remote research solutions not as replacements for in-person collaborations, but as valid and dynamically evolving research methods in their own right. © 2023, Ilia State University, Institute of Botany, Department of Ethnobotany. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
The federal government allocated an unprecedented level of funding to develop emergency rental assistance programs to help vulnerable low-income renter households remain housed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using panel data from two waves of applicant surveys joined with administrative data, this article analyzes the impact of Phase 1 of the City of Philadelphia's COVID-19 Emergency Rental Assistance Program and asks how emergency rental assistance affected households in their rent arrears, rent-related debt, and mental health. Analysis shows that receiving emergency rental assistance was associated with lower arrears, a lower probability of rent-related debt, and a lower probability of experiencing frequent debilitating anxiety. The findings suggest that the initial rent relief provided crucial support for households in terms of financial and mental well-being but also underscore that housing affordability challenges that predated the pandemic cannot be addressed by an emergency rental assistance program created in response to a pandemic.
ABSTRACT
In 2020, the world started a fight against a pandemic that has severely disrupted commercial and humanitarian supply chains. Humanitarian organizations (HOs), like the World Food Programme (WFP), adjusted their programs in order to manage this pandemic. One such program is cash and voucher assistance (CVA), which is used to bolster beneficiaries' freedom of choice regarding their consumption. In this vein, WFP supports local retailers to provide CVA to beneficiaries who do not have access to a functioning market. However, the operations of these stores can suffer from a very high transmission risk of COVID‐19 unless preventive measures are put in place to reduce it. This paper discusses strategies that retailers and HOs can enact to maximize their service and dignity levels while minimizing transmission risk under a CVA program during a pandemic. We argue that HOs providing CVA programs can improve their assistance during a pandemic by implementing strategies that impact the retailing operations of their retailers.
ABSTRACT
The Covid-19 pandemic has taken its toll on air transport, forcing many airlines to cancel flights as a result of the restrictive measures adopted by the authorities or due to other reasons related to the emergency. The remedies, stemming from EU law, of ticket refunds and compensation for damages may expose carriers to serious liquidity crises and bankruptcy. The aim of this article is to discuss the opportunity to provide for compulsory vouchers in lieu of immediate reimbursement, which passengers could not refuse on condition that they have a reasonable content, with a view to enhancing competition in the European air transport market. © 2022 Ibero-American Law Institute. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
La declaración del estado de alarma derivada de la pandemia del covid-19 ha supuesto, en el ámbito del contrato de viaje combinado, una sustancial alteración de los elementos del contrato: el objeto del mismo ha devenido imposible y la voluntad de las partes contratantes ha sido revocada, pues un gran número de viajeros no desean proseguir con la ejecución del viaje. A través del presente trabajo reflejaré cuáles son las situaciones ante las que se encuentra el viajero que ha visto frustrada la ejecución de su viaje combinado, así como las herramientas jurídicas y los derechos que le asisten. En este sentido, se describirán las consecuencias jurídicas que derivan del ejercicio del desistimiento, de la declaración de fuerza mayor y la pérdida de interés en el cumplimiento del contrato, los efectos de la imposibilidad sobrevenida y, por último, las concretas medidas adoptadas en virtud de los reales decretos leyes por los que se adoptan medidas complementarias para hacer frente al covid-19.Alternate :The announcement of the state of alert resulted by the covid-19 pandemic implied, inside the scope of package travel agreements, a significant alteration to the contract elements: its object has become imposible to fulfil and the will of the parties has been revoked due to a massive number of travellers who are not interested on continuing with the travel execution. By means of the present essay I will reveal which are the situations the traveller, whose package travel agreement has been frustrated, must face;as well as the legal tools and the rights that belong to the traveller. In this respect, legal consequences derived from the exercise of the right of withdrawal, the declaration of force majeure and loss of interest and, finally, the concrete measures adopted under the royal decree-laws concerning complementary measures to address covid-19 pandemic.
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This research brief is one of a series of six briefs, which provide an overview of available evidence shown in the Campbell-UNICEF Mega-Map of the effectiveness of interventions to improve child wellbeing in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Five of the six briefs summarize evidence as mapped against the five Goal Areas of UNICEF's Strategic Plan 2018-2021, although it is anticipated that they will also be useful for others working in the child well-being space. The sixth brief maps the COVID-19-relevant studies. This brief provides an overview of the available evidence related to education. The purpose of the research brief is to: (1) Make potential users aware of the map and its contents, (2) Identify areas in which there is ample evidence to guide policy and practice, and so encourage policymakers and practitioners to use the map as a way to access rigorous studies of effectiveness,and (3) Identify gaps in the evidence base, and so encourage research commissioners to commission studies to fill these evidence gaps. [This brief is an update of the 2020 version. It was written with assistance from Yashika Kanojia.]
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In this pilot study, we examine the realities of differential funding structures across the US, which disproportionately disadvantage historically marginalized communities (Black and Brown students) and students living in poverty, contributing to an intractable opportunity gap. Prior research indicates that equitable funding can, in fact, decrease the opportunity gap between dominant and non-dominant-culture students. We use the new funding structure in Illinois as a case study in funding equity that should be applied nationally. We critique the current funding structure of public schools in general, which has defamed the public sector in favor of school choice, vouchers, and charter schools--all with less oversight than public schools and structured to profit from public monies. Finally, we address the impact of COVID19 on existing funding inequities.
ABSTRACT
Small and medium-sized service enterprises were particularly vulnerable during COVID-19. To help them survive the pandemic, local government introduced series of support scheme, such as the vouchers jointly granted by government and small and medium-sized service enterprises. This paper constructs a tripartite evolutionary game model involving local government, small and medium-sized service enterprises,and consumers, to study the influencing factors of paid subsidies, government credibility, and voucher deduction amount on the strategies of each stakeholder.The results show that the low subsidy and the paid characteristic of consumer vouchers have a great impact on the government credibility, which will prompt government to choose paid support for enterprises;the enterprises are inclined to choose positive self-help strategy due to higher paid subsidies and less deduction for consumption vouchers;that the vouchers hardly influence the actual consumption amount, and the more deductions of consumption vouchers by enterprises of positive self-help strategy, will motivate consumers to choose voucher consumption.Ít can be concluded that a differentiated support scheme combined with precise delivery of consumption vouchers can promote economic recovery.
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Background and Aim of Study: A regular and organized physical activity performed in the leisure time of school children plays an important role in terms of their health and prevention. Health condition is reflected in the physical capability, viewed through children's general physical performance, which involves physical abilities. A partial outcome of the study shows the effect of goal-directed athletic activities, implemented by means of the Intervention Movement Programs run in leisure time as extracurricular physical education, designed to change the level of selected physical abilities of children of early school age. Material and Methods: The group consisted of Z128 pupils (n=67 boys, n=61 girls) in age between 7 and 11 years. The Intervention Movement Programs involved assorted sets of basic, fitness, rhythmic gymnastics and dance, practiced for a period of 19 weeks, 2 times a week in a 60-minute class of extracurricular physical education, while at the same time the pupils took part 2 times a week in 2x 60 min. classes of standard PE, which also involved physical activities. The data was collected by means of standardized PE tests, focusing on the particular monitored factors of physical abilities. Results: Using the statistical evaluation, we were able to validate the effect of goal-directed physical activities on significant changes (p < 0.05) in the level of the following monitored locomotive abilities by implementing the movement programs: In the group of seven-year-old boys: explosive strength capacity in the lower limbs;dynamic muscular strength and endurance of abdominal lumbar and thigh muscles;acceleration speed;joint mobility and running endurance. In the group of seven-year-old girls: explosive strength capacity in the lower limbs;dynamic muscular strength and endurance of abdominal lumbar and thigh muscles;acceleration speed and joint mobility. In the group of eight-year-old boys and girls: explosive strength capacity in the lower limbs;explosive strength capacity in the upper limbs and upper-body;dynamic muscular strength and endurance of abdominal lumbar and thigh muscles;acceleration speed;joint mobility and running endurance. In the group of 10-11-year-old boys and girls: explosive strength capacity in the lower limbs;strength and endurance of abdominal lumbar and thigh muscles, joint mobility and running endurance. Conclusions: Regular and organized locomotive activity performed by children in their leisure time at school takes a significant share in development of physical abilities of the pupils in the monitored group. They form the basis of physical capability as a sign of health and building of healthy lifestyle in adult hood.
ABSTRACT
Women with low household income and from racial/ethnic minority groups are at elevated risk of food insecurity. Food insecurity during pregnancy is associated with overall less healthy diets, lower intake of the pregnancy-supportive nutrients iron and folate, and significant variations in diet across the course of a month. The goal of this study was to explore the impact of an ongoing $40/month supplement for fruits and vegetables (F&Vs) provided to pregnant people enrolled in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women and Children (WIC). Our primary outcome was food insecurity using the USDA 6-item survey, and our secondary outcome was dietary intake of F&Vs based on the 10-item Dietary Screener Questionnaire. Participants in intervention and comparison counties completed surveys at enrollment and approximately three months later (n = 609). Mean ± SD food insecurity at baseline was 3.67 ± 2.79 and 3.47 ± 2.73 in the intervention and comparison groups, respectively, and the adjusted between-group change from baseline to follow-up in food insecurity was 0.05 [95% CI: -0.35, 0.44] (p > 0.05). F&V intake (in cup equivalents) was 2.56 ± 0.95 and 2.51 ± 0.89 at baseline in the two groups, and the adjusted mean between-group difference in changes from baseline was -0.06 [-0.23, 0.11] (p > 0.05). Recruitment and data collection for this study coincided with the most intensive of America's COVID relief efforts. Our results may indicate that small increases in highly targeted food resources make less of a difference in the context of larger, more general resources being provided to individuals and households in need.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Food Assistance , Child , Diet , Ethnicity , Female , Food Security , Food Supply , Fruit , Humans , Minority Groups , Pregnancy , VegetablesABSTRACT
The COVID-19 outbreak had a dramatic impact on the hospitality and air transport industries. After an international lockdown and mass flight cancellations in March 2020, airlines were required to issue full refunds to their customers or offer alternative options like credit vouchers for future flights. Aegean Airlines is one of the airlines that suspended any refund option and only offered vouchers to its customers. The purpose of this case study is to examine the likely impacts of an airline's crisis response during the COVID-19 pandemic on its customers' future decisions to use the same airline again, or to revisit their destination. A survey was created and disseminated online during the height of the crisis and the data were analysed through logistic regression models and qualitative, textual analyses. The findings of this exploratory study suggest that an airline's cancellation policy, combined with poor customer service communications and transparency, negatively influence passengers' re-purchase intentions, as well as their willingness to revisit the airline's host country in the future.
ABSTRACT
In parallel, pressing questions for public health advocates, policymakers, and community members seeking to end homelessness will include determining which populations to prioritize for intervention and what interventions will yield the most benefit to intervene on this critical driver of health inequity. [...]there are sufficient resources to end homelessness in the United States, communities will struggle with howto allocate limited homeless services. [...]begins the editorial by Shinn and Richard in this issue of AJPH (p. 378), describing, in the absence of necessary resources, which metrics communities can consider employing to determine how homeless services ought to be allocated. Rather, a comprehensive federal housing policy that provides multilevel solutions to ensure long-term housing support is necessary to narrow the racial and sociostructural inequities in homelessness.3 Long-term and sustainable change requires overhauling local eviction laws in states that have highly punitive eviction policies, enacting rent control in urban neighborhoods where housing prices have increased dramatically and far outpaced low- and middleincome wages and increased tenant protections, and significantly expanding housing vouchers as well as greater investment in affordable housing stock to make housing available for individuals and families.
ABSTRACT
In 2020, the world started a fight against a pandemic that has severely disrupted commercial and humanitarian supply chains. Humanitarian organizations (HOs), like the World Food Programme (WFP), adjusted their programs in order to manage this pandemic. One such program is cash and voucher assistance (CVA), which is used to bolster beneficiaries' freedom of choice regarding their consumption. In this vein, WFP supports local retailers to provide CVA to beneficiaries who do not have access to a functioning market. However, the operations of these stores can suffer from a very high transmission risk of COVID-19 unless preventive measures are put in place to reduce it. This paper discusses strategies that retailers and HOs can enact to maximize their service and dignity levels while minimizing transmission risk under a CVA program during a pandemic. We argue that HOs providing CVA programs can improve their assistance during a pandemic by implementing strategies that impact the retailing operations of their retailers. © 2022 The Authors.
ABSTRACT
Purpose China is the only major economy in the world that has achieved positive gross domestic product (GDP) growth in 2020. The paper aims to explore the effect of China's public policy restarting supply and consumption after coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19). Design/methodology/approach Affected by the epidemic, global economic growth slowed down. Using the stock price data of Chinese A-share listed company, combining natural experiment and event study method, the paper examines the policy effects of work resumption and consumer vouchers. Findings Compared with demand capacity, the work resumption has a more significant role in promoting the supply industry. Issuing consumer vouchers can effectively promote local demand recovery, and the effect is mainly concentrated in the industries involved in consumption vouchers. At the same time, public management capacity and the income level of residents play an important role in restarting supply and demand. Practical implications Understanding China's public policies and effects are of positive significance to the restoration of economic development in other countries. Originality/value The study contributes to knowledge by empirically examining the effect of China's public policies against the COVID-19 pandemic. The paper also expands the scope of policy-oriented research based on the perspective of supply and demand capacity building.
ABSTRACT
Prior research shows that housing vouchers have varying price effects on different parts of the rental housing market, leading to ambiguity in their overall effect on the general housing market. Excessive crowding in homes, dubbed overcrowding, is one measure of quality of life because overcrowding can lead to adverse outcomes such as stunted child development, adverse mental health, and an increased risk in spreading infectious diseases such as COVID-19. This paper makes use of an exogenous increase in the supply of Section 8 housing vouchers in a panel setting to ascertain the effectiveness of a program provided at the federal level in tackling housing overcrowding throughout the nation. Estimation of a linear probability model shows that vouchers reduce the incidence of overcrowding: a 10% increase in the supply of vouchers reduces the likelihood a housing unit is overcrowded by 0.081 percentage points. The mechanism behind the effect is also shown to correspond to anecdotes about overcrowding: households experiencing misfortune, financial difficulties, or similar circumstances double-up with more established households, so that a voucher enables the troubled household to move into more suitable living arrangements.