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This article discusses a scoping review of position papers aimed at enhancing the quality of life of people with intellectual disabilities. It describes the approach taken to conducting the scoping review and the position papers identified, and goes on to explore a range of issues that became apparent when carrying out the review. The authors argue that the people whose lives are most centrally impacted by position papers—people with intellectual disabilities and their families—should be included in the production and review of those papers. The article concludes by recommending a co-ordinated approach to the production and storage of position papers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers the author's perspective about what comes after postmodernism and how it affects educational philosophy and theory, focusing philosophy that is not of paper. Of particular interest is given to Buen Vivir, described as a diverse vision for living harmoniously and encourages people to live well and help others. The author believes that philosophies not of paper offer recovery from postmodernism and different ways of thinking and living.

This paper reviews the work of the Glasgow Quality of Life Group, a limited life project (1986–1990) within the Applied Population Research Unit of the then Department of Geography and Topographic Science at the University of Glasgow. It explores the contribution of Ronan Paddison, and the wider innovations and impact of the group's work. It argues that these innovations were methodological, strategic, and challenged the prevailing wisdom of the day that understood GB to riven by a simple north-south divide, in which the 'north' was perceived to be the poorer partner in every way. Although of a time and place, the work of the GQLG remains pertinent to contemporary challenges and concerns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of electronic data capture (EDC) to assess health-related quality of life (HRQOL) using validated questionnaires is increasing; however, it must be determined how data collected electronically correlate with the original mode of administration used in validation. Our objective was to compare paper and electronic administration of the standardized Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (AQLQ(S)), Pediatric Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (PAQLQ(S)), and Pediatric Asthma Caregiver's Quality of Life Questionnaire (PACQLQ). Using a crossover design, adults and children with asthma and caregivers of children with asthma were recruited from clinics. Subjects were asked to complete both forms of the appropriate HRQOL measures at enrollment and 24–48 hours later. In addition, 30 subjects from each group were asked to participate in a 1-week reproducibility assessment of the electronic versions of the three questionnaires. Psychometric properties were assessed for each of the EDC versions. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) and Pearson correlations were calculated to compare EDC and paper versions. A total of 51 adults (mean age 37, 73% females), 52 children (mean age 13, 38% females), and 51 caregivers (mean age 43, 92% females) were evaluated. Internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha) for the overall score of each questionnaire was: 0.96 for the AQLQ(S) and the PAQLQ(S), and 0.92 for the PACQLQ. Overall ICCs comparing paper with EDC were: 0.96 for the AQLQ(S), 0.91 for the PAQLQ(S), and 0.82 for the PACQLQ. Pearson's correlations were identical. One-week reproducibility (ICC) of the EDC versions was: 0.88 for the AQLQ(S), 0.78 for the PAQLQ(S), and 0.85 for the PACQLQ. When asked which method subjects preferred, the electronic version was chosen by 69% of adults, 77% of children, and 73% of caregivers. Additionally, 14% of adults, 14% of children, and 18% of caregivers reported no difference in preference. As in previous studies comparing electronic with paper questionnaires, this study revealed statistical evidence to support the use of EDC of the AQLQ(S), PAQLQ(S), and PACQLQ for populations with asthma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To compare data based on computerized and paper versions of health status questionnaires (HSQs) for sampling patient-reported outcomes (PROs) in patients with fibromyalgia (FM). In addition, to examine associations between patient characteristics (age, education, computer experience) and differences between versions. Finally, to evaluate the acceptability of computer-based questionnaires among patients with FM.Method: The study population comprised female patients diagnosed with FM. All patients completed six HSQs: the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ), the Major Depression Inventory (MDI), the 36-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36), the painDETECT questionnaire (PDQ), the Coping Strategies Questionnaire (CSQ), and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Self-Assessment Questionnaire (GAD-10), both on paper and using a touch screen. One HSQ was tested at a time in a repeated randomized cross-over design. The two versions were completed with a 5-min interval and between each HSQ the participants had a 5-min break. Means, mean differences with 95% confidence intervals (CIs), medians, median differences, and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) were calculated for all HSQs, including relevant subscales. Associations between patient characteristics and differences between versions were explored using Spearman's correlation coefficients.Results: Twenty women, mean age 48.4 years, participated in the study. Except for one item, ICCs between touch-screen and paper versions of the HSQs examined indicated acceptable agreement (ICC = 0.71-0.99). Overall, mean and median differences revealed no differences between versions. No significant associations were observed for patient characteristics. None of the participants preferred paper questionnaires over computerized versions.Conclusions: The computerized HSQs using a touch screen gave comparable results to answers given on paper and were generally preferred by the participants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM) is the most common cause of chronic, progressive spinal cord impairment worldwide. Patients experience substantial pain, functional neurological decline and disability. Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) appears to be particularly poor, even when compared to other chronic diseases. However, the determinants of HRQoL are poorly understood. The objective was to perform a systematic review of the determinants of quality of life of people with DCM. A systematic search was conducted in MEDLINE and Embase following PRISMA 2020 guidelines (PROSPERO CRD42018115675). Full-text papers in English, exclusively studying DCM, published before 26 March 2020 were eligible for inclusion and were assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale and the Cochrane Risk of Bias 2 (RoB 2) tool. Study sample characteristics, patient demographics, cohort type, HRQoL instrument utilised, HRQoL score, and relationships of HRQoL with other variables were qualitatively synthesised. A total of 1176 papers were identified; 77 papers and 13,572 patients were included in the final analysis. A total of 96% of papers studied surgical cohorts and 86% utilised the 36-Item Short Form Survey (SF-36) as a measure of HRQoL. HRQoL determinants were grouped into nine themes. The most common determinant to be assessed was surgical technique (38/77, 49%) and patient satisfaction and experience of pain (10/77, 13%). HRQoL appeared to improve after surgery. Pain was a negative predictor of HRQoL. Current data on the determinants of HRQoL in DCM are limited, contradictory and heterogeneous. Limitations of this systematic review include lack of distinction between DCM subtypes and heterogenous findings amongst the papers in which HRQoL is measured postoperatively or post-diagnosis. This highlights the need for greater standardisation in DCM research to allow further synthesis. Studies of greater precision are necessary to account for HRQoL being complex, multi-factorial and both time and context dependent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Assesses the validated outcome instrument quality of life in hip revision with impacted morselized allograft bone and cemented Exeter prosthesis compared to primary hip replacement in England. Outcomes of hip revision; Indication of the Nottingham Health Profile scores after revision; Duration of the primary cemented hip replacement.

This paper investigated the effect of dance and exercise on the health promotion of adults with mental health disorders. As mental health is a social issue, the characteristics of physical movement through dance and exercise were reviewed to find ways to effectively approach mental health services and treatment. Based on existing papers, a systematic review was conducted using Web of Science, Google Scholar, and Scopus to comprehensively investigate and organise the correlation between physical movement and mental health, the characteristics of dance therapy, and psychotherapy of exercise. Studies have shown that dance and exercise therapy helps reduce side effects, relieve depression and anxiety from actual antipsychotics, and helps to recognise one's problems and increase the willingness to treat them. New therapy development according to the online era and limitations according to difficulty need to be addressed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The coordination of transportation and land use (also known as "smart growth") has been a long-standing goal for planning and engineering professionals, but to this day remains an elusive concept to realise. In response, this paper dialogues literature and practices related to transportation and land use coordination (TLC), as well as sustainability, livability, and equity (SLE), finding that a comprehensive approach is to focus on the equitable access people have to opportunities to improve their quality of life (namely jobs and housing) which, in turn, can provide a pathway to lower amounts of vehicle travel. The primary goals of this paper are to highlight institutional gaps between transport and land-use planning, evaluate existing frameworks, develop new frameworks, and discuss the development of a new tool. Specifically, this paper reviews various performance measure and place typology frameworks used by transportation agencies, with an aim to synthesise insights from various sources for application in professional practice and to frame the idea of a new tool, the Smart Mobility Calculator, to help agencies (MPOs, DOTs, and local land use authorities) coordinate and achieve a balance between transportation and land use. This paper concludes that effective planning and evaluation frameworks must: (1) help understand current conditions and future scenarios; (2) help create context-sensitive and inclusive processes; and (3) screen, prioritise, and mediate strategies in support of TLC in order to achieve sustainability, livability, and equity goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to describe the quality of life (QoL) in patients with substance use disorder (SUD) and investigate factors associated with general QoL among patients with SUD. Studies in English published before December 1st, 2021, were searched for on PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane, and Web of Science to identify primary studies on the factors associated with general QoL in patients with SUD. After reviewing for study duplicates, the full-texts of selected papers were assessed for eligibility using PECO criteria. After a detailed assessment of over 10,230 papers, a total of 20 studies met the eligibility criteria. The current research analyzed various relationships between sociodemographic features, clinical, the type of used drug, service use utilizations, and general QoL in patients with SUD. The odds of having a good general QoL were reduced among patients with common and severe mental disorders, alcohol use disorders (AUD), and receiving inpatient care; however, a better general QoL was observed among those receiving methadone maintenance treatment (MMT). Healthcare staff are recommended to pay high attention to the general QoL of patients with SUD seeking interventions. In addition, it is suggested that policymakers address substance use disorders when designing national guidelines and programs. QoL: Quality of life; SUD: Substance Use Disorder; AUD: Alcohol use disorders; PRISMA: Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses; PECO: Participants, Exposures, Comparison, Outcomes; ORs: Odds Ratios; NOS: Newcastle Ottawa scale; CI: Confidence intervals; MMT:Methadone maintenance treatment; DSM-IV: Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders-fourth edition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Persistent pain (PP) is a complex mechanism affecting 35% to 51.3% of adults in the United Kingdom and is associated with significant reductions in quality of life. Understanding of PP and how best to treat it has developed over the past 50 years, but there is still a vacuum of research to inform novel applications for self-management. Mindfulness techniques and nature exposure have separately been found to have beneficial effects on general well-being and health. The integration of the two could produce much needed self-management strategies, improving quality of life in this patient group. To determine if nature-based mindfulness (NBM) interventions improve pain and quality of life in adults with PP. Systematic literature review. Seven electronic databases were searched to identify quantitative papers investigating nature-based mindfulness and persistent pain. Included articles were appraised using the PEDro tool. A total of 362 studies were identified. Of these, three were included in the final review. All studies reported statistically significant improvements in self-reported scores for pain (p ≤ 0.001–0.006) and depression (p ≤ 0.001–0.000). Other outcomes, such as stress and fatigue produced mixed results. Despite showing statistical significance in multiple outcomes, the minimal clinically important difference was not reached across all measures. Heterogeneity of interventions and outcomes, as well as methodological issues of internal and external validity, preclude definitive conclusions. Further research is required, employing explicit mindfulness interventions and outcome measures with greater relevance and specificity, as well as further investigation of theoretical mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chronic pancreatitis is a common inflammatory disease that severely impairs patients' quality of life, mainly due to abdominal pain which is the most frequent symptom. Current guidelines suggest medical therapy as the first line intervention based on a stepwise use of analgesics (i.e. NSAIDs followed by weak opioids and later by strong oppioids), which is rarely effective in improving pain and often leads to opioid addiction. Interventional procedures are therefore frequently needed. Endoscopic therapy is suggested as the second line of intervention, aiming at decompressing the main pancreatic duct via structure dilatation and ductal stone removal. Endoscopic therapy is usually effective in reducing pain in the short term, but its effects frequently decrease with time and multiple procedures are often required. Surgery is usually reserved as a last resource when medical and endoscopic therapy have failed. Pancreatic surgery is burdened with non negligible morbidity and mortality but is effective in reducing pain and improving quality of life in chronic pancratitis with long lasting effects. Surgical treatment of chronic pancreatitis is based on resection of inflammatory head mass or decompression of the ductal system, alone or in combination, which can be performed using different techniques. In this paper we reviewed the current evidence on the long-term outcomes of this type of surgery in terms of pain relief, quality of life, exocrine end endocrine function, and long-term mortality. Quality of current evidence on this field is on average poor; a consensus to define clinically significant outcomes is needed in order to correctly design prospective studies that will enable gastroenterologists to understand which patients, and when, will benefit most from surgery and should therefore be referred to surgeons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This contribution seeks to understand the pervasive phenomenon of work compulsion among knowledge workers in our present network society. Knowledge workers not only have to work all the time from anywhere, but they also appear to want to. This study argues that this curious phenomenon may be attributed to the thumotic satisfaction that knowledge work generates. What is more, the neoliberal theory of human capital has found a way to harness thumotic satisfaction to the profit incentive, and has created arguably the most productive working subject to date. The argument is divided into four parts: First, the paper analyses the government(- ality) of control operative in the network society by defining "neoliberalism". It then focuses on Foucault's examinations of German and American neoliberalism in the 20th century, treating them as instances of governmentality. The aim is to assess whether employing a governmentality lens is a valid approach for critically analysing present-day neoliberalism. If it proves justifiable, which I argue it does, the study explores the potential valuable insights gained from examining contemporary neoliberalism through this particular analytical framework. Second, the study turns to the "spiritedness" of knowledge workers under the conditions of stealth control that typify the neoliberal network society. Curiously, these highly engaged workers have reportedly experienced increased overall well-being. However, their overinvestment in work appears to be disproportionate to absolute necessity, increased earnings or improved overall quality of life. This paper contends that work compulsion generates and is in turn fuelled by thumotic satisfaction. Third, the study tries to ascertain the connection between neoliberal governmentality and thumos. Neoliberal governmentality appears to have found a way to appropriate thumotic satisfaction to produce and sustain the competitive entrepreneurial spirit. The fourth part of the study considers how the knowledge worker might resist the compulsion to work incessantly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

WHO recommends integrating rehabilitation into palliative care when providing services for people with life-threatening conditions. Recently, there has been increasing interest in exploring how rehabilitation and palliative care approaches could be combined. The aim of this study was to map and discuss the goals of intervention programmes that combine rehabilitation and palliative care. A scoping review was performed. The electronic databases MEDLINE, EMBASE, and CINAHL were searched for papers published between January 2014 and September 2022. Papers were considered eligible if the participants in question had a life-threatening disease and if interventions included both rehabilitation and palliative care. All study types were included. Ten papers describing five interventions were included. Qualitative goals were narratively described, and quantitative goals were analysed according to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health, and the Total Pain framework. Findings showed an overall focus on functioning and quality of life. Further analysis indicated an emphasis on physical and psychological dimensions. Social participation, and the social and spiritual dimensions were rarely evaluated. This review indicates that goals relative to social participation, the social and spiritual dimensions, and the patient's own goals may well be overlooked as points of orientation for interventions. There is an increasing interest in combining palliative care and rehabilitation approaches in clinical work. When rehabilitation and palliative care are combined, goals may be overlooked, and the patient's own goals can be used as a point of orientation for interventions. Future practice should pay special attention to subjective goals, social participation, and the social and spiritual dimensions when combining rehabilitation and palliative care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In diagnostic systems (e.g., DSM-5, ICD-10), depression is defined categorically. However, the concept of subthreshold depression (SD) has gained increasing interest in recent years. The purpose of the present paper was to review, based on a scoping review, the relevant papers in this field published between October 2011 and September 2020. Of the 1,160 papers identified, 64 records could be included in further analysis. The scoping review was conducted using both electronic and manual methods. The main result of the analysis is that the operationalisation criteria used are highly heterogeneous, which also leads to very heterogenous epidemiological data. Clear conclusions are not possible scrutinising the reported results. Most definitions seem to be arbitrary, with considerable overlap (e.g., between SD and minor depression). The review also revealed that the impact of SD on quality of life and related parameters appear to be in the range of the respective impact of major depression (MD) and therapeutic approaches might be helpful for SD and also for the prevention of conversion from SD to MD. Keeping the presented difficulties in mind, a proposal for the definition of SD is made in the present paper in order to facilitate the discussion leading to more homogeneous criteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the call for papers of "Journal of Public Child Welfare" for their advocacy and public relations issue. The journal is inviting articles which focus on advocacy and public relations as means of improving the lives of the children, youth and their families who are at risks to join their publication. The scheme aims to discover evidence of endeavors which will change the public image for social services and agency policies. Details for the submission of entries are also given.

Like other countries with large ports, the Netherlands developed a policy narrative to acquire a key position in global value chains starting in the 1980s, through the spatial development of its hinterland logistics complex. The negative environmental effects of logistics, such as landscape transformation and congestion, have increasingly come to be seen as spatial policy problems. The literature on policy narratives emphasizes the importance of balanced trade-offs and learning from alternative views. In this paper, we discuss why the 'Gateway to Europe' narrative has remained in place. This paper systematically reviews spatial planning documents, advisory reports and academic papers between 1980 and 2020 to develop a chronology of logistics planning concepts pertaining to economic and technological milestones. It also maps policy influences, aiming to identify underlying causal policy theories on logistics development and its spatial-environmental effects. We determine that critical reports have been structurally ignored, challenges have been outsourced and advocacy coalitions have been unbalanced, increasing path dependency and risking a spatial-economic lock-in. Looking at the 'Gateway to Europe', we point to pitfalls in the policy narrative and the policy-learning process, enabling policymakers to avoid them in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article traces the origin, sustenance and implications of a persistent rumour that is responsible for low measles mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccination uptake in the Somali diaspora in a number of countries across the globe. The rumour stipulates that the MMR vaccine – the silent shot – causes autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Although the association between MMR and ASD is non-causal, and various public health initiatives have promoted health information campaigns, the rumour continues to circulate in the Somali diaspora in many countries, including Sweden. This paper shows that there are valid reasons for this. The findings from this paper draw on a systematic scoping review and qualitative interview data from Sweden. The results show that the Somali community experiences higher than average rates of ASD compared to the general population. Moreover, ASD does not exist in the Somali language or their home country, is considered a Western disease that only affects Somali children in the diaspora, and is a highly stigmatised disease. Also, the Somali diaspora has had negative experiences with ASD diagnosis and care. The rumour has been sustained by the absence of an answer to their ASD fear and through active diaspora networks on social media. The network that surrounds the rumour has arguably further helped to create an epistemic community for a community whose concerns have been silenced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper seeks to bring into the light of academic debate the position and experiences of disabled animals within leisure, to encourage academics, the leisure industry, and society in general to consider these animals and their needs from their perspective. It is based on the recognition of animals as sentient beings and that disabled individuals may have distinct needs regarding leisure and access to the leisure environment. To date, disabled animals represent an under-studied population, both in and beyond the leisure experience. This lack of attention parallels the discrimination disabled people have long experienced. The paper highlights how even data on the number of disabled animals and the range of disabilities they face is lacking. It further considers how disabled animals are marginalised, both by society and academics in relation to the leisure experience and why this is the case. The potential of overturning this marginalisation for the benefit of both animals and humans is considered before the paper turns to address future research related to disabled animals and leisure. In doing so, the paper notes the need to engage with the animal 'other' in a critical animal-centric approach to understand their needs, wants, and experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many elements associated with aphasia, its assessment and treatment, and its effects on individuals living with this disorder have been examined. However, the implications for people with aphasia of living alone has not been a focus. Factors such as living alone, ageing, aphasia, gender, depression (and suicide), comorbid physical impairments and mortality converge and intersect with each other to have a profound effect on those individuals with aphasia who live alone. This study aimed to explore the research relating to people with aphasia living alone (PWALA), as well as to identify knowledge gaps and the key characteristics related to this topic. The PRISMA scoping review methodology was selected to search the current literature. Online databases (Google Scholar and five electronic journal databases) were used to identify relevant papers, predominantly published since the year 2000. From 1201 papers initially identified, 115 relating to the topic were imported into NVivo Qualitative Research Software and analysed into themes. From the 74 papers directly relating to the topic, seven themes emerged: emotional status, communication, identity, independence, family relationships, friends/visitors and daily activities. It was unclear how the experiences of PWALA compared to those not living alone from these papers as the information provided mainly reflected the studies' research questions, not specifically the fact that the person concerned was living alone. There is an obvious and urgent need to investigate the lived experience of PWALA. However, two key areas require immediate attention. PWALA require early and ongoing assessment, monitoring and intervention for depression, and also the implementation of strategies and programs to decrease loneliness and social isolation. This scoping review relating to PWALA revealed that insufficient attention has been paid to the specific issues and implications of aphasia for this sub-population. An urgent investigation of a diverse sample of PWALA using in-depth supportive interviewing techniques is needed to explore the personal experiences and perceptions of living alone. Based on this, strategies and programs can be developed or adapted to address and ameliorate the specific exigencies of PWALA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines differences in the life satisfaction (LS) of Spanish Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community as a function of sexual and gender identities, health and sociodemographic variables. A cross-sectional study was conducted (1,451 LGBT adults) and non-parametric analyses were performed. LG presented higher LS than bisexuals and non-cisgender participants had lower LS than cisgender. LS was lower among obese persons than overweight and normal range groups. Those participants who accomplished the WHO's physical activity recommendations reported higher LS than those who did not meet them. The oldest persons and those with higher incomes reported higher LS than other corresponding groups by age and SES. This group of sexual, gender, health and sociodemographic correlates of LS among LGBT people provides additional information that may be useful for social policies aimed at improving the quality of life of this community, especially in the economic and health crises due to COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The suffix "washing" refers to the practice of portraying controversial actions in a positive light by leveraging progressive principles, often used by economic corporations, organizations, political parties, or governments. This paper introduces and develops the term "studentwashing" to define the deliberate effort to present Israeli territorial development as an attractive, youthful, and unique experience. This portrayal aims to engage larger segments of society in the national geopolitical project while normalizing its settler-colonial aspects as a means to ensure its continuation. While the constant development of new territorial settlements is dependent either on the right-wing religious sector or on the "quality-of-life" settlers, studentwashing is reserved for areas that are not ideological enough for the first nor sufficiently attractive to the latter. Analyzing "student villages" in the Negev, this paper depicts a new territorial strategy meant to enhance the state's spatial control over the predominantly Arab periphery inside official Israeli borders. Accordingly, this paper offers a new perspective on Israel's territorial strategies and enhances the general study of geopolitical and geo-economic spatial development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Gender, Place & Culture journal has announced the winners of the Annual Award for New and Emerging Scholars. This year, the award was shared between Maria Teresa Braga Bizarria and Alexandra Lamiña. Maria Teresa's paper explores affective atmospheres of care in gender studies, focusing on urban gardens in New Zealand and the intersectional power dynamics and practices of care within them. Alexandra's paper examines the experiences of Kichwa women in Ecuadorian Amazonia and their enactment of Indigeneity in urban settings, challenging settler-mestizx urban notions. Both scholars will use the award to present their papers at upcoming conferences. [Extracted from the article]

Telepractice for people with aphasia (PWA) is gaining importance, not least because of the current SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Many PWA are affected by a reduction of quality of life (QoL). Experts recommend focussing on psychosocial impacts more consistently, but the transfer to telepractice has been investigated in a limited number of studies so far. The aim of this paper is to examine the impact of different telepractice approaches on QoL in PWA. The evidence was identified through a broad literature research in five databases and other sources such as Google Scholar and referring papers or was searched by hand. In total, twelve studies met the eligibility criteria. Focus of the analysis was the association between therapeutic approaches and their effects on QoL. Half (n = 6) of the included studies clearly indicated positive effects of the applied methods on QoL. Further analysis showed no definable link between the therapeutic approaches and their impact on QoL. Nevertheless, decisive assumptions about QoL-enhancing telepractice can be derived from the literature. Telepractice in aphasia therapy can improve the patients' QoL. Benefits for QoL do not only depend on the utilised approach. Several factors (e.g., enhancing of communicative confidence) are significant in their impact on QoL and should be examined in future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As we see in the papers in this collection, the same pattern continues into the twenty-first century, and in particular, the 2008 financial crash and its aftermath stimulated further planning reforms as part of neoliberal policy responses and "austerity urbanism" (Peck, [20]). As retrofitting becomes a way to battle climate breakdown, and reusing and recycling the existing building stock becomes the norm (European Commission, [6]), understanding the role of the historic built environment in regeneration policy and practice is key. Norway's case study demonstrates a policy outlook very much comparable to the other European case studies, seemingly following the "austerity urbanism" trend in urban policy, even though the 2008 financial crisis affected Norway much less directly. [Extracted from the article]

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a controversial treatment. Research has predominantly focused on clinician assessment of short-term efficacy and, occasionally, on participant experiences of the treatment itself. While service user accounts of the long-term impacts of ECT are reported, they are dispersed throughout the literature and typically tangential to studie's main foci. The aim of this study was to synthesise service-user accounts, within peer-reviewed literature, of long-term impacts of ECT in their daily lives. A qualitative meta-synthesis was conducted. A systematic literature search identified qualitative articles meeting the inclusion criteria. Results sections of eligible papers were analysed thematically. From 16 eligible papers, the review identified 11 long-term impacts, four social influences and five strategies that people employed to navigate these long-term impacts. Limited research has examined long-term experiences of ECT from service-user perspectives. These lived experience perspectives are required to facilitate peer-to-peer learning and assist future service delivery to align with needs of people living with long-term ECT impacts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patient access to their own electronic health records (EHRs) is likely to become an integral part of healthcare systems worldwide. It has the potential to decrease the healthcare provision costs, improve access to healthcare data, self-care, quality of care, and health and patient-centered outcomes. This systematic literature review is aimed at identifying the impact in terms of benefits and issues that have so far been demonstrated by providing patients access to their own EHRs, via providers' secure patient portals from primary healthcare centers and hospitals. Searches were conducted in PubMed, MEDLINE, CINHAL, and Google scholar. Over 2000 papers were screened and were filtered based on duplicates, then by reading the titles and finally based on their abstracts or full text. In total, 74 papers were retained, analyzed, and summarized. Papers were included if providing patient access to their own EHRs was the primary intervention used in the study and its impact or outcome was evaluated. The search technique used to identify relevant literature for this paper involved input from five experts. While findings from 54 of the 74 papers showed positive outcome or benefits of patient access to their EHRs via patient portals, 10 papers have highlighted concerns, 8 papers have highlighted both and 2 have highlighted absence of negative outcomes. The benefits range from re-assurance, reduced anxiety, positive impact on consultations, better doctor-patient relationship, increased awareness and adherence to medication, and improved patient outcomes (e.g., improving blood pressure and glycemic control in a range of study populations). In addition, patient access to their health information was found to improve self-reported levels of engagement or activation related to self-management, enhanced knowledge, and improve recovery scores, and organizational efficiencies in a tertiary level mental health care facility. However, three studies did not find any statistically significant effect of patient portals on health outcomes. The main concerns have been around security, privacy and confidentiality of the health records, and the anxiety it may cause amongst patients. This literature review identified some benefits, concerns, and attitudes demonstrated by providing patients' access to their own EHRs. This access is often part of government strategies when developing patient-centric self-management elements of a sustainable healthcare system. The findings of this review will give healthcare providers a framework to analyze the benefits offered by promoting patient access to EHRs and decide on the best approach for their own specialties and clinical setup. A robust cost-benefit evaluation of such initiatives along with its impact on major stakeholders within the healthcare system would be essential in understanding the overall impact of such initiatives. Implementation of patient access to their EHRs could help governments to appropriately prioritize the development or adoption of national standards, whilst taking care of local variations and fulfilling the healthcare needs of the population, e.g., UK Government is aiming to make full primary care records available online to every patient. Ultimately, increasing transparency and promoting personal responsibility are key elements of a sustainable healthcare system for future generations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper sets out the Collaborative Service Design Playbook, to guide planning, design, and implementation of co-created health services. Successful health service development and implementation is best guided by theoretically informed approaches; however, organisations often lack design and implementation know-how and have difficulty applying it. This study seeks to improve health service design and potential for scale-up by proposing a tool to guide an end-to-end process, drawing together service design, co-design, and implementation science; and exploring the tool's feasibility to establish a sustainable service solution developed with participants and experts that is scalable and sustainable. The Collaborative Service Design Playbook phases include, (1) Define the opportunity and initiatives, (2) Design the concept and prototype, (3) Deliver to scale and evaluate; and (4) Optimise to transform and sustain. This paper has implications for health marketing through providing an end-to-end approach with phased guidance for health service development, implementation, and scale up. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Residents represent one of the main stakeholders in a tourism destination. They have the power to influence the planning and development of tourism destinations in many ways. They can contribute to destination development directly, via local initiatives and communities, or indirectly in local government elections. This paper focuses on the indirect method of influencing tourism development. It deals with the relationship among residents' perception of tourism impact, economic, and socio-demographic profile, and their political preferences in local elections. This paper proposes an integrative model and uses the Generalized Linear Model (GLM) for testing this relationship in Český Krumlov, Czechia. The results confirm the relationships between the perception of tourism benefits and costs and residents' political preferences in local elections. The main factors affecting residents' voting decisions were identified as increasing quality of life, additional tax revenue, rising value of residents' real estate, and overcrowding and disruption of everyday life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Chronic tinnitus during childhood/adolescence can be associated with impaired quality of life. Guidelines for managing paediatric tinnitus recommend assessment and interventions are often based upon the experiences and opinions of guideline committee members. Objective: To examine patient response tools used for the assessment and management of childhood tinnitus and how interventions had been evaluated. Design: A structured scoping review (i) identifying and critically appraising patient response measures (PRMs) assessing tinnitus in children/adolescents, and (ii) critically appraising evidence supporting reported interventions. Original papers written in English, involving paediatric participants ≤19 years, reporting (i) application of established PRMs to assess the experience of chronic tinnitus or (ii) application and evaluation of tinnitus interventions were included. Study sample: Papers written in English, identifying, or assessing the experience of chronic tinnitus (>3 months) as a primary complaint during childhood/adolescence in participants ≤19 years of age using a PRM and studies evaluating the application of non-pharmaceutical interventions for tinnitus in children/adolescents. Results: Six studies involving the assessment of tinnitus during childhood/adolescence using a PRM were identified and evaluated. Three established (previously named, described, and published) PRMs were applied of which none were developed specifically for children/adolescents. Three behavioural tinnitus interventions and three combination intervention strategies (coupling of psychological intervention with sound enrichment) had been applied to and evaluated within paediatric populations. Conclusions: Although clinicians are seeing children/adolescents with tinnitus, they are evaluating and managing children’s distress without appropriate PRMs, and little evidence exists to support clinical interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In contemporary society people constantly are facing situations that influence appearance of serious diseases. For the development of intelligent decision support systems and services in medical and health domains, it is necessary to collect huge amount of patients' complex data. Patient's multimodal data must be properly prepared for intelligent processing and obtained results should be presented in a friendly way to the physicians/caregivers to recommend tailored actions that will improve patients' quality of life. Advanced artificial intelligence approaches like machine/deep learning, federated learning, explainable artificial intelligence open new paths for more quality use of medical and health data in future. In this paper, we will focus on presentation of a part of a novel Open AI Architecture for cancer patients that is devoted to intelligent medical data management. Essential activities are data collection, proper design and preparation of data to be used for training machine learning predictive models. Another key aspect is oriented towards intelligent interpretation and visualisation of results about patient's quality of life obtained from machine learning models. The Architecture has been developed as a part of complex project in which 15 institutions from 8 European countries have been participated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rise of cyber-attacks coming up with the increased use of mobile devices and web services has initiated the growth of interest to understand the impact of Perception of Security (PoS) on Quality of Experience (QoE) in mobile web context and which factors impact PoS. This paper aims to investigate the relations among QoE, PoS, and multiple influence factors in different mobile web contexts. The obtained results have shown that PoS differently impacts QoE in considered mobile web contexts (banking, commerce, browsing, mail, and health). Also, the analyzed factors (risk, reliability and availability, 3rd party seals, privacy, security, grammar quality, aesthetics, reputation, brand name, and usability) have been assigned different weights of influence in terms of PoS in mobile web contexts. These findings open a wide range of potential research that could lead to the increase and improvement of users' Quality of Life (QoL). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As many as 70% of Australian patients report they would prefer to die at home, yet only 14% achieve this goal and this hospitalization adds to overall healthcare expenditure. Providing caregivers with practical means for managing symptoms at home facilitates home deaths for palliative care patients and reduces the financial healthcare burden. The aim of this paper is to understand the experience of caregivers administering subcutaneous medications at home to palliative care patients. An integrative review search of the literature revealed five common themes: positive caregiver experiences and caregiver concerns, symptom management, specialist palliative care support needs, educational requirements, and supporting patients to remain at home. Evidence strongly suggests that with support and education from a palliative care team, caregivers find their experience is empowering and positive. Without support and education, patients are more likely to present to hospital leading to admission and subsequent death not in their place of preference. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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As the crisis of global pandemic continues to unfold and alter the everyday workings of public life, early trends in the impact on mental healthcare treatment at a safety-net hospital illuminate implications for clinical work in the public sector under unprecedented conditions and beyond. While there are many important areas to consider and research to come, the current paper will explore the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on attendance of psychotherapy sessions. The authors point to early evidence from their caseloads in an outpatient psychodynamic psychotherapy training program showing a statistically significant decrease in missed appointments upon switching, in crisis, to a telehealth model. In this paper we explore possible reasons for this decrease in missed appointments, including psychological reasons (such as increased need for connection) and logistical reasons (such as eliminating barriers to attendance). Finally, we point to considerations and implications for practice during and after the crisis of the pandemic has subsided, and consider ways in which the changing approach may, in effect, increase access and remove barriers to care that pre-date our current crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease affecting approximately 1% of the population. The patient journey through the German health care system leads to high disease burden and substantial treatment costs. The EsmAiL study showed that an innovative, interprofessional, multimodal care-concept reduces disease activity and burden of HS compared to standard care. This paper examines the costs of treating HS in Germany and compares them with those of the innovative care concept implemented in EsmAiL. EsmAiL was a two-arm, multicenter, prospective randomized controlled trial including 553 adults with HS. The study was registered in the German Clinical Trials Registry (DRKS00022135). The control group (CG) remained in standard care, whereas the intervention group (IG) was referred to specialized so-called 'acne-inversa-centres (AiZ)' where patients were treated with a structured, interdisciplinary approach. The present paper analyses the treatment costs for a subpopulation based on health insurance cost data from the two largest German health insurers. Quality-Adjusted Life Years (QALY) was assessed based on Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI). Total annual treatment costs per patient were €3,966.07 in standard care (n = 89) and €3,974.37 in the innovative care (n = 93). The costs per additional QALY amounted to €12,698.72 in the IG. Given the conventional and established threshold of €22,600 to €33,900 per QALY, the innovative treatment in AiZ proved to be cost-effective. Treatment costs of HS are substantial and increase with disease severity. The new form of care is cost-effective and is expected to decrease costs in the long run. A structured, multimodal form of care reduces costs in the treatment of Hidradenitis suppurativa compared to standard care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Speech-language pathology graduates are not only expected to be proficient in their area of expertise but to have developed skills that contribute to society as a whole. The purpose of this paper is to illuminate the relationship between the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular, good health and well-being (SDG 3), quality education (SDG 4), reduced inequalities (SDG 10), sustainable cities and communities (SDG 11), and partnerships for the goals (SDG 17) through the involvement of experts-by-experience in the classroom on a pre-registration speech-language pathology course. An innovative approach to student-centred learning involved Tom, a person with autism, his family, and his speech-language pathologist (SLP). This commentary is co-written with Tom's mother and advocate, his SLP, and a university educator. Tom's mother's writing was not changed in anyway as agreed in the writing contract. Co-teaching with experts-by-experience (a parent, and a person with a communication disability) has the potential to strengthen the bonds between communities and universities. Involvement by experts-by-experience promotes equality in teaching and sees the person and the ability behind the disability. SLPs and university educators must collaborate to make this a reality. This commentary paper focusses on SDG 17 to illuminate the relationship between SDG 3, SDG 4, SDG 10, and SDG 11. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research aims to develop mitigation techniques for the implications that affect the city planning sectors in Egypt during COVID-19, which will guide urban planners and policymakers to enhance Egyptian citizen life during pandemics. A statistical thematic methodology was adopted by the research. The research method divided into three phases. The first phase considers the attitude of Egyptian citizens toward the global pandemic through conducting surveys. These surveys discuss the global effects of the pandemic and if these effects are felt in the Egyptian context or not. The second phase targets the citizen that disagree with the global effects as a result of the phase one survey through structured interviews. These interviews concluded the reasons behind the disagreement of the surveys in phase one as well as the effects that they personally suffer from during the pandemic. The third phase targets the policymakers and planners inside Egypt and their perspectives on the suitable mitigation techniques that can be implemented in the Egyptian context. This will finally lead to suggesting a set of mitigation techniques suitable for Egyptian cities. The research paper identified through a review of literature the mostly affected city planning sectors during COVID-19 which were 6 sectors. In addition, 25 global mitigation measures were identified through the literature. Results of the Surveys and structured interviews confirmed that the most affected sectors are transport & land use, housing, and ICT respectively. Findings of data analysis showed that 10 extra mitigation measures were encountered to better enhance the Egyptian cities. These findings help planners and policy makers to plan cities that can cope with future pandemics. This research presents mitigation techniques for the implications that affect the city planning sectors in Egypt during COVID-19. It was based on research from case studies, a literature review, and a survey questionnaire. The mitigation techniques developed in a practical procedure where the goals of the research; required activities; techniques, and tools; elaborated the citizen needs and outputs. The mitigation techniques was authenticated by 24 of the Egyptian professionals' planners and policy makers to ensure its viability and practicability for implementation. The research categorized and examined the global effects that changed the quality of life during pandemics. Moreover, real life case study authenticated the global effects and explored the most successful mitigation countermeasures that suites the Egyptian context. The study focused on a subject that has recently attracted interest on a global scale. In addition, this paper developed 10 extra mitigation measures to better enhance the Egyptian cities and other developing countries of similar context. It represents a novel contribution that planners and policy makers can employ in similar context to the Egyptian cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The majority of expectant mothers report sleep alterations during pregnancy and almost 40% report poor sleep quality. There is growing evidence that sleep quality (SQ) during pregnancy influences maternal health. This review focuses on how SQ during pregnancy relates to maternal health-related quality of life (HRQoL). The review also aims to identify whether this relation varies between pregnancy trimesters, and for different subdomains of HRQoL. A systematic review was performed according to PRISMA guidelines and registered on Prospero in August 2021 with ID no: CRD42021264707. Pubmed, Psychinfo, Embase, Cochrane, and trial registries were searched up to June 2021. Studies with any design that investigated the relation between SQ and quality of life/HRQoL in pregnant women, published in English, and peer-reviewed, were included. Two independent reviewers screened titles, abstracts, and full texts, and extracted data from the included papers. The quality of the studies was evaluated using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Three hundred and thirteen papers were identified in the initial search, of which 10 met the inclusion criteria. Data included 7330 participants from six different countries. The studies had longitudinal (n = 1) or cross-sectional designs (n = 9). In nine studies SQ was reported subjectively by self-report questionnaires. Actigraphic data was available from two studies. HRQoL was assessed by validated questionnaires in all studies. Due to high levels of clinical and methodological heterogeneity in included studies, a narrative synthesis was employed. Nine studies found that poor sleep quality was related to a lower overall HRQoL during pregnancy. Effect sizes were low to medium. This relation was reported most during the third trimester. Especially sleep disturbances and subjective low SQ seemed to be related consistently to lower HRQoL. Furthermore, an indication was found that SQ might have a relation with the mental and physical domain of HRQoL. The social and environmental domain may also be associated with overall SQ. Despite the scarcity of studies available, this systematic review found evidence that low SQ is related to low HRQoL during pregnancy. An indication was found that the relationship between SQ and HRQoL during the second trimester might be less prominent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Excellent marketing has always emanated from a deep understanding of consumer needs and expectations, combined with their right to be informed, protected and their right to quality of life. Evidence for this fundamental bedrock of marketing is provided. The problem is that in 2009 "marketing" just doesn't mean "good marketing", or even "honest marketing" and is widely seen as "mismarketing" in practice, largely the result of marketing's demotion to promotion and puffery. Evidence is provided for this view. The paper then makes some suggestions about possible new initiatives/directions for the discipline. These are: • the name marketing itself • making the discipline truly professional • making marketing fully accountable for its expenditure The accountability issue, however, is, in the author's view, the principal way to rescue the discipline from demise, so the bulk of the paper concerns this issue and sets out an agenda for research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A systematic review with meta-analysis was conducted to establish the impact of menopause health education on quality of life (QoL) among menopausal women. Research suggests that specific educational programs can support and enable women during the physical and emotional transition through menopause. The CINAHL, Medline, APA, Embase and Google Scholar databases were searched between 30 November 2021 and 9 January 2022 using the PRISMA guidelines. The Cochrane risk of bias tool was used to critically evaluate the included studies. Review Manager software was used to conduct the meta-analysis of suitable studies. Eight papers were eligible for this review. The participants were aged between 40 and 60 years, with diagnosis of menopause stemming from changes in the menstrual cycle to a last menstrual period of 7 years. Follow-up data were collected between 1 and 4 months post education. Meta-analysis of both the primary outcome (QoL) and secondary outcome (symptom control) demonstrated statistically significant improvements post intervention. Papers not suitable for meta-analysis were reviewed narratively; two papers assessing the primary outcome (QoL) demonstrated an improvement, but only one to a statistically significant level. Secondary outcomes revealed improvements, with all bar one paper doing so to statistical significance. Menopause health education demonstrated an improvement in both QoL and symptom control in menopausal women; however, given some weaknesses in the included studies, further research is justified. Limitations include participants' level of education, geographical location, risk of bias, that only half of the papers addressed participant use of hormone replacement therapy and length of follow-up. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For years, transportation and land use integration has been identified as important approaches for planners, engineers, and designers, but to understand more research is needed to understand how it affects people who live around stations. In response, this research builds on a multi-year analysis quantitative and qualitative study of 2323 transit stations in over 350 corridors throughout the U.S. – one of the largest federally funded studies on livability related to transportation. This effort yielded empirical links to transportation and land use integration and quality of life outcomes. This paper concludes that the intersection between successful transportation and land use integration (TLI) depends on people's ability to equitably access opportunities to improve and/or maintain their desired quality of life. Along these lines this paper (a) identifies important characteristics (metrics) of TLI in 2323 transit station areas in the United States, (b) applies these metrics toward the development of a typology of station types (TOD), and then (c) validates these metrics by geo-locating a variety of quality of life outcomes for station area residents. Put simply, this paper finds that opportunity access can be an organising principle for guiding transportation and land use integration strategies. In turn, providing individuals with equitable access to opportunities measurably shows significant potential for achieving many societal and individual quality of life benefits such as lowering auto-dependency, household budget burdens, greenhouse gas emissions, and even poverty and obesity rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: A laryngectomy impacts communication, swallowing and breathing. It is disfiguring and can disrupt quality of life, one's sense of identity, and relationships. It can increase dependence on others, trigger social stigma, avoidant coping and suicidal risk. Qualitative research has the potential to enable greater understanding of these consequences. However, almost nothing has been written about the specific ethical issues that can arise when carrying out research with people with laryngectomy (PWL). This paper builds on the experiences of the authors in the field and seeks to examine and explain these research ethics considerations and how they impact research design, data collection, data analysis and dissemination. Method: Using a framework based on the values underpinning the Australian National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research, respect, merit and integrity, justice and beneficence, we have highlighted key issues relevant to this particular population. Main contribution: Different practical approaches are provided to address the ethical concerns that arise when conducting research with PWL. These include access to participants and ensuring diverse representation; balancing harm and benefit; achieving accurate interpretation, analysis and representation of the data generated through the research; research as a partnership that is respectful, empowering and fosters collaboration. Conclusion: This paper breaks new ground in discussing the ethical considerations and practical challenges relevant to researching the experiences of PWL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Labour exploitation has long been considered from two opposing perspectives, either as an omnipresent feature in the employment market or as an extreme occurrence in labour relationships. Recent studies, however, claim that exploitation can be better understood as a continuum of heterogeneous practices. Our paper contributes to this debate by focusing on the case of migrant workers in Spain. The main objective is to access and bring to the surface the 'hidden voices' of migrant workers employed in four sectors: agriculture, construction, domestic service and hospitality. Using in-depth interviews and focus groups has allowed us to go beyond the dominant narratives on the phenomenon by embracing the privileged perspective of migrant workers on labour exploitation. This paper shows that labour exploitation cannot be fully understood without considering the relation that exists between two factors: the first operates at the structural level and relates to the extent to which discrimination, harm and exploitation of specific groups are intrinsic in the legitimate legal-economic system; whilst, the second factor revolves around migrant workers' wilful agentive capacity for being recruited into exploitative situations and simultaneously their capacity for coping with exploitative practices and for working towards solutions aimed at improving their quality of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nail psoriasis is an inflammatory disorder without a potential scarring outcome, but the nail signs, even the milder ones, can cause discomfort to patients and severely affect their quality of life. Nail psoriasis may be associated with psoriatic arthritis and when it starts during infancy, it may be a predictor of a more severe disease course in adulthood. All these issues contribute to the high economic burden of psoriasis. Nail psoriasis is notoriously difficult to treat, even though new treatments are in continuous development. This paper provides an update on new treatments and address the current gaps in care of nail psoriasis. A better understanding of the disease pathogenesis and more 'real-life' studies will definitely be helpful to improve treatment results. A lower level of heterogeneity should be advisable among trials when evaluating nail psoriasis. Moreover, the relationship between nail psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis should be the focus of unbiased studies in order to better define the real risk that nail psoriasis patients have to develop arthritis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Systematically review the current literature for evidence on the "real-life" benefits of hearing preservation cochlear implantation (HPCI) for children and adults. Systematic search of Pubmed, MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINHAL and Cochrane Library for MesH terms hearing¸ preservation and cochlear implantation. Inclusion criteria were the "real-life" benefit of HPCI i.e. other than pre- and post-operative pure tone thresholds. Exclusion criteria were non-English language, conference abstracts, reviews and animal and cadaveric studies. Risk of bias was assessed using the Evidence Project Tool. 37 studies that matched criteria for review with 8/37 including children and 29/37 including adults. HPCI was associated with better speech perception in noise in 18/26 papers and better music perception in 4/5 papers. There was no significant benefit reported in speech perception in quiet (14/20 papers) or binaural cues (3/4 papers), nor was there convincing evidence of HPCI outperforming bimodal users (5/7 papers). QoL scores were high amongst HPCI patients (2/2 papers). Interpretation of findings was hindered by small study groups and significant heterogeneity in various parameters. Current literature on the "real-life" benefit of HPCI, although limited, supports the existence of meaningful benefit, especially in speech perception in noise and music perception. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dramatic differences in the quality of human life are a prominent feature of today's world. Poverty and inequality mutilate the life chances of millions around the globe, notwithstanding otherwise impressive economic achievements. To offset the challenges posed by the persistence and production of poverty and inequality, many governments and international development agencies have begun to formulate and implement agendas for social protection. Nevertheless, even as governments institute social protection programmes to ameliorate human misery, the outcomes of such initiatives remain vastly varied. Understanding the factors for such variations assumes urgent relevance. What explains such variations? In this paper, I contribute to the growing body of scholarship that seeks to reignite interest in class politics as shaping the implementation of social protections. I build on and develop a discussion of politics that takes seriously class politics, especially the ensemble of collaborations and competitions between classes. I nuance existing perspectives on class politics by emphasising the importance of both collaboration as well as conflict between social classes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the aspirations and strategies of self-builders of owner-occupied homes in a facilitated self-build scheme. It draws on a qualitative case-study of the Homeruskwartier in Almere, the Netherlands, one the largest assisted self-build schemes in present-day Europe, which caters to lower- and middle-income households. The study problematizes the notion that self-building necessarily leads to the pursuit of use values over exchange values. This questions the positive benefits attributed to self-building. The aspirations of self-builders are not only framed by social and material conditions, but are also being reframed in the action process. The paper stresses the contingent nature of aspirations and strategies and emphasizes the experimental nature of the self-building process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]