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This paper proposes an original assessment of sustainable water demand management policy in Tunisia over the last five decades. Using quarterly data from 1988 to 2015, describing six heterogeneous regions, we employ the novel and robust Quantile-on-Quantile (QQ) approach. We show that in Tunisia, the incentive water tariff used to ensure the sustainability of water management was unfair. Low-income water consumers are negatively affected by the nonlinear tariff more than high-income consumers. In addition, the QQ results show spatial variability and regional disparity characterizing the relationship between water price and consumption for different quantile levels. The paper argues for a decentralized water pricing system to achieve the goal of social equity and an alternative water management policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Automated banking services rely on the so-called fintech technologies. These technologies, however, represent an opportunity to enhance financial inclusion indicators among low-income customers. This paper aims to develop a new conceptual framework to analyse low-income consumers’ disposition to use automated banking services. The work consists of an omnibus study conducted in eight major cities of Colombia. A survey aiming to measure the disposition to use automated banking services as a function of technology disposition provided by bank firms was developed and validated with a sample of 483 Colombian low-income residents. An exploratory analysis was applied, estimating items variance and co-variance matrices. Sampling adequacy and assumption evaluation were evaluated through the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin test, Tau-equivalence test, and homogeneous items test. Robust parameters were estimated via Structural Equation Modelling following the standards of reproducible research. Statistical, robust, and significant relationships between technology disposition and use of automated banking services in low-income Colombian consumers were confirmed, suggesting the potential success of deploying these services as a means to boost financial inclusion in this segment. This study provides fresh conceptual insights on low-income customers’ disposition to adopt and use ever-changing technologies for the financial and banking sector. It is among the first empirical studies that provide empirical evidence that breaks the stereotype that low-income customers are reluctant to use new technologies in the financial sector.

Globally, especially in the large cities of each country, the generation of household solid waste represents an indicator of management to preserve the environment, this is due to the high volumes of waste that are generated daily. The objective was to evaluate municipal waste in the management of local development under the circular economy model using primary and secondary sources of information, the study was conducted in the northern area of the province of Los Rios, and the variables of responses according to the level of economic income, category of waste (organic, recoverable and non-recoverable). The results indicate that the high medium and low-income level generates 2.92, 2.49 and 2.21 kg/inhab*day, the organic waste category is the most representative in all strata and localities, followed by paper and cardboard, plastic, glass, and construction waste. Finally, the daily generation of solid waste is influenced by the income level of the population and tends to increase related to the economic income provided by households; the higher the income, the higher the consumption and therefore the greater the generation of waste. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon prices are the most cost-effective instrument to reduce CO |$_2$| emissions, but there is strong political opposition to raising them to the efficient level. Therefore, additional efforts of consumers, firms and local governments are required. We study how different regulatory regimes affect moral behaviour and show that a carbon tax complements voluntary efforts to reduce emissions, while cap and trade discourages them. The opportunity to invest in offsets increases welfare, while the option to buy and delete emission rights induces more emissions and reduces welfare. Furthermore, cap and trade shifts the burden of adjustment to poor consumers and has dysfunctional incentive effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We use a field experiment to study price discrimination in a market with price posting and negotiation. Motivated by concerns that low-income consumers do poorly in markets with privately negotiated prices, we built a call center staffed with actors armed with bargaining scripts to reveal negotiated prices and their determinants. Our actors implement sequential bargaining games under incomplete information in the field. By experimentally manipulating how information is revealed, we generate sequences of price offers that allow us to identify price discrimination in negotiations based on retailer perceptions of consumers' search and switching costs. We also document differences in price distributions between entrants and incumbents, reflecting differences in captivity of their respective consumer bases. Finally, we show that higher prices paid by lower-income subsidy recipients in our market is not due to discriminatory targeting; they can be explained by variation in consumer willingness and ability to search and bargain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The continued price increase in food commodities has long been a concern to academia and policymakers because of its substantial impact on poor consumers. Existing literature has concentrated on the cost of micronutrient-dense and starchy staple foods and the price rise in different commodities. Yet, the long-term price growth of micronutrient-dense and starchy staple foods and the price growth gap between micronutrient-dense foods and starchy staple foods have not been given much attention. The paper aimed to estimate the long-term trends in prices and volatility of micronutrient-dense and starchy staples and identify factors that have sustained the growth in prices of food commodities in developing countries. We have used the autoregressive and panel autoregressive distributed lag models to analyse the trends in relative prices and the effects of income growth. The results showed that micronutrient-dense food prices in real terms grew on average by 0.03% per month more than starchy staple food prices, with the expectation of a 12% growth gap in the next 30 years. The volatility of micronutrient-dense food items exceeds starchy staple foods in most domestic markets. Also, the prices of micronutrient-dense foods were more volatile in international markets than in most developing countries. Income growth in developing countries was one of the factors that contributed to the declining relative price of micronutrient-dense food commodities. Other factors, such as the high production of staple foods and their price stabilization policies, may have caused price trends to persist. Policies that enhance price stabilization for micronutrient-dense foods, supplementation, fortification, dietary diversity, and nutrition-sensitive interventions such as biofortification may be adopted in developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bacterial pathogens in the domestic environment present a risk to residents, particularly among susceptible populations. However, the impact of consumer demographic characteristics and food handling methods on kitchen microbiomes is not fully understood. The domestic kitchen bacterial communities of ten predominantly low-income families in Houston, TX, were assessed in conjunction with a cross-sectional food safety survey to evaluate differences in household and surface-specific microbiomes and bacterial foodborne pathogen presence. Three kitchen surfaces within each household, including the sink drain, the refrigerator handle, and the counter, were environmentally sampled and metataxonomically evaluated via targeted 16S rRNA sequencing. Disposable dish sponges were also acquired and examined. Results indicated that alpha diversity did not vary by the households, sampling locations, or demographic characteristics evaluated. Significant differences in beta diversity were observed among the bacterial communities of five pairs of households and between refrigerator handle and disposable dish sponge microbiomes. A total of 89 unique bacterial foodborne pathogens were identified across surface types. Each household contained at least one contaminated surface, and the most common bacterial foodborne pathogens identified were Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Klebsiella pneumoniae. All parents reported washing their hands before meal preparation, washing fresh fruits and vegetables, and washing cutting boards with soap after use to prepare raw animal proteins. Gaps in food safety behaviors identified included a lack of serious concern for food contamination with germs and inappropriate handwashing, food handling, and cleaning behaviors. The number of unique bacterial foodborne pathogens identified within households was significantly higher among households whose respondent parent reported that they did not consider food contamination with germs to be a serious food safety problem (median: 41.0 species) compared to households whose respondent parent did consider food contamination to be a serious food safety problem (median: 3.0 species; p value=0.0218). These results demonstrate that domestic kitchen taxonomic abundance profiles vary according to household and surface type. Data suggest that low-income consumers may be at risk of foodborne pathogen exposure from contaminated home kitchen surfaces, and that food safety attitudes may directly contribute to this hazard. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Milk is one of the good sources for bacterial growth. Poor consumer handling may result in temperature abuse of milk and aid the growth of bacteria. Klebsiella pneumoniae is one of the predominant bacteria present in milk that can cause foodborne diseases. The main objective of this study was to determine the adaptation and survival curves of K. pneumoniae ATCC 13883 shifted from 37°C to various stress temperatures in fresh raw coconut milk, pasteurised cow's milk, and Ultra-High Temperature (UHT) coconut milk. Methods: The first part of the study was aimed to determine the microbiological quality of milks and constitutes using Tryptone Soy Agar (TSA) and Eosin Methylene Blue (EMB) Agar. Secondly, the growth curve for K. pneumonia at 37°C in Tryptone Soy Broth (TSB) was established. In the third part of study, a stationary phase culture of K. pneumoniae was grown in TSB for 24 hours before shifting to coconut milk, pasteurised cow milk and UHT milk at different temperatures: 7°C, 27°C, 55°C and 65°C. Results: K. pneumoniae shifted from 37°C to 7°C showed bacteriostatic effects, while shifting K. pneumoniae from 37°C to at 27°C did not affect the growth potential in any of the samples. By contrast, K. pneumoniae shifted to 55°C only exhibited thermotolerance in fresh raw coconut milk, while survival curves of K. pneumoniae exhibited straight-line death kinetics when shifted to 65°C in all kinds of milk. Conclusion: The growth and survival of K. pneumoniae depend on the temperature stress conditions and types of media used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increasing demand for raw milk cannot be met with the current inefficient production and marketing systems; designing a sustainable dairy value chain has the potential to increase the availability and affordability of milk for poor consumers and reduce poverty. Therefore, this study aimed to characterize the downstream dairy value chain and evaluate the relationship among the chain actors and their share of profit margin in Ziway-Hawassa milk shed areas of Ethiopia. The downstream chain has several links and is operated by a number of actors. In this study, the upstream part of the chain includes the input supply and production of raw milk at the farm level, and the rest parts of the chain are considered. Producers, collectors, and consumers channel was reported as the dominant milk route in the Ziway-Hawassa milk shed. The results showed that the downstream chain was controlled and monopolized by a few large-scale collectors and processors. Milk collectors took the highest gross margin in fresh milk, but the value share was higher for producers. In general, milk collectors and processors sourced milk directly from producers. Unlike the gross margin, the value share for collectors on fresh milk was less than the share of producers which implies that chain sustainability is under question. Therefore, fair value addition and share must be maintained across each actor of the chain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In dealing with the challenges associated with water supply in urban low-income areas, water utilities are increasingly adopting service differentiation, which revolves around servicing different customer groups with different supply modalities. This article examines how such differentiation through the use of water kiosks and yard taps satisfies the water needs of consumers in low-income areas in three Kenyan cities. Based on an analysis of the reliability, affordability and accessibility of the water supplied, we conclude that while service differentiation has led to some improvements in access to piped connections in low-income areas, it also risks reinforcing the inequalities in access to water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research examines food security using actual prices paid by a large panel of U.S. households of consumer-packed goods across seven store formats (e.g., grocery stores, drug stores, and convenience stores). Adjusted for household size and income, the percent of budget spent by three affluency groups (lower, moderate, and higher) found similar spending ratios at the two largest store formats, grocery and mass discounters. Low-income households paid significantly less overall and paid significantly lower prices in three of the four most shopped store formats. The findings suggest poorer consumers are more food secure than previously believed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines how the Government of India (GOI) used macrosocial marketing (MSM) to address the issues of clean cooking fuel accessibility and affordability and structural inequalities in subsidy redistribution. It highlights a novel MSM application to address chrematistics in marketing systems. Two initiatives established by the GOI are examined. "Give It Up" encourages wealthier households to surrender liquid petroleum gas (LPG) subsidies, leaving these to poorer families, and Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) installs LPG connections for poor, rural women. The research explores how the GOI has addressed economic inefficiencies and structural inequalities, focusing on institutional norms and affordability, accessibility, awareness, and acceptability (the "4As"). The research expands the theoretical boundaries of MSM in relation to poverty and identifies its capacity to affect individual and systemic change through formal and informal institutional changes. Although new institutional norms were adopted, PMUY could not address the ongoing affordability of LPG, despite the changes to LPG subsidies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Mental health challenges are a pressing concern in Australia, which account for a significant portion of the disease burden and economic costs, yet a substantial number of those affected do not utilise necessary professional support. This study evaluates distance decay effect on adults’ community mental health services in North Metropolitan Western Australia and explores factors influencing service use.Data were extracted from the Mental Health Information Data Collections including the records of consumers receiving face-to-face services from the Community Mental Health Clinics in the North Metro Health Service during March 2022 to March 2023. Additionally, socio-demographic information for each suburb and population data were obtained from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The distance between residential suburbs and clinic locations was calculated. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the characteristics of the study population. A hierarchical linear regression analysis was used to explore whether the distance of suburb to the nearest community clinic was related to service utilisation.A total of 3,453 consumers received direct services across the North Metro Health Service Community Mental Health Clinics. Findings highlighted the impact of proximity to clinics on service utilisation, with suburbs closer to clinics exhibiting higher visit rates (p = 0.004). The data also showed a strong positive correlation between gender (percentage of females in the suburb) and living in socially and economically disadvantaged areas with consumer visits per thousand residents.These findings underscore the importance of addressing accessibility barriers and tailoring mental health services to meet the diverse needs of the community.Methods: Mental health challenges are a pressing concern in Australia, which account for a significant portion of the disease burden and economic costs, yet a substantial number of those affected do not utilise necessary professional support. This study evaluates distance decay effect on adults’ community mental health services in North Metropolitan Western Australia and explores factors influencing service use.Data were extracted from the Mental Health Information Data Collections including the records of consumers receiving face-to-face services from the Community Mental Health Clinics in the North Metro Health Service during March 2022 to March 2023. Additionally, socio-demographic information for each suburb and population data were obtained from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The distance between residential suburbs and clinic locations was calculated. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the characteristics of the study population. A hierarchical linear regression analysis was used to explore whether the distance of suburb to the nearest community clinic was related to service utilisation.A total of 3,453 consumers received direct services across the North Metro Health Service Community Mental Health Clinics. Findings highlighted the impact of proximity to clinics on service utilisation, with suburbs closer to clinics exhibiting higher visit rates (p = 0.004). The data also showed a strong positive correlation between gender (percentage of females in the suburb) and living in socially and economically disadvantaged areas with consumer visits per thousand residents.These findings underscore the importance of addressing accessibility barriers and tailoring mental health services to meet the diverse needs of the community.Results: Mental health challenges are a pressing concern in Australia, which account for a significant portion of the disease burden and economic costs, yet a substantial number of those affected do not utilise necessary professional support. This study evaluates distance decay effect on adults’ community mental health services in North Metropolitan Western Australia and explores factors influencing service use.Data were extracted from the Mental Health Information Data Collections including the records of consumers receiving face-to-face services from the Community Mental Health Clinics in the North Metro Health Service during March 2022 to March 2023. Additionally, socio-demographic information for each suburb and population data were obtained from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The distance between residential suburbs and clinic locations was calculated. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the characteristics of the study population. A hierarchical linear regression analysis was used to explore whether the distance of suburb to the nearest community clinic was related to service utilisation.A total of 3,453 consumers received direct services across the North Metro Health Service Community Mental Health Clinics. Findings highlighted the impact of proximity to clinics on service utilisation, with suburbs closer to clinics exhibiting higher visit rates (p = 0.004). The data also showed a strong positive correlation between gender (percentage of females in the suburb) and living in socially and economically disadvantaged areas with consumer visits per thousand residents.These findings underscore the importance of addressing accessibility barriers and tailoring mental health services to meet the diverse needs of the community.Conclusions: Mental health challenges are a pressing concern in Australia, which account for a significant portion of the disease burden and economic costs, yet a substantial number of those affected do not utilise necessary professional support. This study evaluates distance decay effect on adults’ community mental health services in North Metropolitan Western Australia and explores factors influencing service use.Data were extracted from the Mental Health Information Data Collections including the records of consumers receiving face-to-face services from the Community Mental Health Clinics in the North Metro Health Service during March 2022 to March 2023. Additionally, socio-demographic information for each suburb and population data were obtained from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The distance between residential suburbs and clinic locations was calculated. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the characteristics of the study population. A hierarchical linear regression analysis was used to explore whether the distance of suburb to the nearest community clinic was related to service utilisation.A total of 3,453 consumers received direct services across the North Metro Health Service Community Mental Health Clinics. Findings highlighted the impact of proximity to clinics on service utilisation, with suburbs closer to clinics exhibiting higher visit rates (p = 0.004). The data also showed a strong positive correlation between gender (percentage of females in the suburb) and living in socially and economically disadvantaged areas with consumer visits per thousand residents.These findings underscore the importance of addressing accessibility barriers and tailoring mental health services to meet the diverse needs of the community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]