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Editorial for the special issue How do Health Systems and Health contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals?
No full textMarket failure in a universal welfare state? Ownership, quality, and regulation in Danish social services
Get PDFLike many other countries, Denmark has recently seen a sharp increase in outsourced social service provision for children and adults. While quasi-market theory suggests that complex social services could be ill-suited to market provision, there has been little assessment of how ownership relates to service quality for welfare services due to fragmented data. This paper presents findings from a population-wide analysis of quality and inspection outcomes across public, non-profit, and for-profit providers in Denmark's social services for children and working-age adults with support needs, including children's homes and adult residential facilities (N = 2375, 2020–2024). First, we document a 44.1 % increase in for-profit providers over five years (2020–2024), while public and non-profit provision remained stable or declined. Second, for-profit providers were significantly more likely to receive regulatory sanctions, including intensified monitoring and forced closure compared to other ownership types. Third, non-profit providers received higher quality ratings, while newer for-profit entrants underperformed relative to both public and older for-profit providers. Fourth, quality and regulatory differences were most pronounced between for-profit and not-for-profit providers rather than between public and private providers, indicating that ownership form and the profit-motive within the private sector matters more than the public-private distinction. These findings support theoretical claims that welfare markets for complex social services are prone to market failure due to information asymmetries, user complexity, and incomplete contracts. Finally, the findings have policy implications for market regulation, procurement and pricing strategies in terms of how to sustain high-performing providers in an increasingly marketised social service landscape
Self-justified equilibria: existence and computation
No full textThis paper introduces the concept of self-justified equilibria as a tractable alternative to rational expectations equilibria in stochastic general equilibrium models with heterogeneous agents. A self-justified equilibrium is a temporary equilibrium where, in each period, agents trade assets and commodities to maximize the sum of their current utility and expected future utilities, which are forecasted based on current endogenous variables and the current exogenous shock. The agents’ forecasting functions are assumed to be mean-squared optimal forecasts within a given compact, finite-dimensional set of functions. We provide sufficient conditions for the existence of self-justified equilibria and develop a simulation-based computational method to approximate them. By leveraging active subspace methods, we reduce the dimensionality of the problem, lower computational complexity, and improve forecasting accuracy, thereby mitigating the curse of dimensionality. We apply our method to high-dimensional overlapping generations models with aggregate shocks, demonstrating that self-justified equilibria can be efficiently computed to analyze complex economic models
Global ethnographic comparison
Get PDFSociologists are increasingly using comparative ethnographic research to examine how the interplay of global and local forces shape an array of social phenomena. However, there has yet been little examination of the distinct logics, challenges, and advantages of engaging in global ethnographic comparison (GEC). This special issue remedies that lacuna by bringing together seven studies that not only take different approaches to GEC but also explicitly reflect on key methodological and practical questions arising from this kind of research. Our introductory essay frames these studies in three ways. First, we trace the roots of GEC in earlier approaches to global ethnography and macrohistorical comparison and delineate the field of global ethnographic comparison as it currently exists. Second, using the articles in this issue along with other recent examples, we develop a typology of GECs along two dimensions: the procedural order in which they are constructed, and the rationale for comparison that drives them. Finally, we consider how different approaches to GEC can shed light on key global processes in the 21st century, from the post-2008 dynamics of late neoliberalism to the current conjuncture marked by global pandemics, ecological crises, and ascendant right-wing populisms
Empire of the stars—Not yet? China as a ‘partial’ great power in space
Get PDFThe ‘rise of China’ is one of the most important developments in the field of space activities. In recent years, China has made considerable progress in advancing its space capabilities and now plays a pivotal role in the direction of space security matters and the global governance of space activities against the backdrop of global space challenges and a more complex space environment. This raises the question of whether China is a great power in space and whether it is able to convert its material capabilities into influence. This article addresses these questions by assessing China’s space power within the scope of a societal framework that treats space power not only as material, but also as social. It argues that China’s ability to provide leadership in space is constrained by its limited ability to attract and hold followers. At the same time, China’s ambitions to become a great power in space are hampered by recent U.S. efforts to reassert leadership. Consequently, although China has tried to play a stronger role in space through diplomacy, institution-building, and the provision of goods, especially in its engagement with the Global South, it remains a ‘partial’ great power in a U.S.-led space order
Perceived plasticity of climate-relevant behaviors and policy support among high- and lower-income individuals
Get PDFWidespread behavior change is essential for mitigating climate change. This study explores how country and income differences are associated with the perceived likelihood of changing climate-relevant behaviors (referred to as perceived behavioral plasticity) and support for climate policies. Using an online survey (n = 4,003) from Denmark, India, Nigeria, and the United States – with 50 % of participants from the top 10 % income bracket – we reveal marked heterogeneity in the perceived plasticity of climate-friendly investment behaviors (e.g., purchasing an electric vehicle) and curtailment behaviors (e.g., reducing red meat consumption). Perceived behavioral plasticity was generally higher in India and Nigeria, though these differences should be interpreted cautiously, as response tendencies might have influenced perceptions and reporting of plasticity. While high-income participants reported greater perceived plasticity of certain investment behaviors and eating less red meat, the relationship between income and perceived plasticity differed substantially across behaviors and countries. We also found that higher perceived behavioral plasticity was related to greater support for domain-matched climate policies, and this relationship was stronger among high-income participants. Taken together, the results reveal substantial income- and country-level differences in perceived behavioral plasticity and show that individuals who perceive greater potential for change also express stronger support for corresponding climate policies. These findings underscore the interdependence between individual behavior and policy support and highlight both socioeconomic and psychological levers for designing more targeted and publicly supported climate initiatives
Fairing the energy transition: a policy framework for integrating stakeholder concerns in solar energy development
No full textEnsuring that the energy transition actively accounts for stakeholders' concerns is critical to both addressing and redressing (in)justices. From an energy justice perspective, key aspects – including distributive, procedural, recognitional, and restorative justice – must be duly inscribed across the lifecycles of new renewable energy infrastructures. This article aims to identify the salient stakeholder concerns and propose corresponding policy actions that embed justice principles in the energy transition. It particularly emphasizes on the implications for affected stakeholders groups, namely workers, suppliers, communities, and consumers. Drawing on evidence from ethnographic field observations and semi-structured interviews (n = 47) in solar photovoltaic energy projects in Brazil and Portugal, this Perspective article proposes a framework of structural and practical policy actions that centre the affected stakeholders' concerns, which can be adapted across global geographies. This work contributes to the just energy transitions global agenda by providing practical recommendations for integrating justice into energy policies
Proposer of the vote of thanks to Whiteley et al. and contribution to the Discussion of ‘Statistical exploration of the Manifold Hypothesis’
No full textWhiteley et al. revisit one of the most influential ideas in modern statistical learning: the manifold hypothesis. While the hypothesis is routinely invoked to justify the success of high-dimensional data analysis, it is rarely given a probabilistic explanation. The central contribution of this paper is to show how low-dimensional geometric structure can emerge naturally from statistical dependence among random coordinate functions, rather than being imposed a priori. The proposed Latent Metric Model (LMM) provides a mathematically coherent framework linking latent structure, kernel geometry, and observed data geometry. In this sense, the paper offers not merely a reformulation of the manifold hypothesis, but a principled explanation for why manifold-like data structures may arise in practice
Adult Social Care Outcomes Toolkit and ICEpop Capability Measure in decision making: a review of NICE social care and public health guidelines
Get PDFOBJECTIVES: When the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) assesses whether interventions in health and social care offer value for money, where possible, it considers health effects expressed in quality-adjusted life-years. NICE's preferred measure of health-related quality of life is EQ-5D. For nonhealth effects, NICE cites Adult Social Care Outcomes Toolkit (ASCOT) and ICEpop Capability Measure (ICECAP) as possible outcomes. To date, to our knowledge, their use in NICE guidelines has not been reviewed. The objectives of this study were to (1) review how ASCOT and ICECAP have been used in NICE social care and public health guideliens and (2) contextualize the review via expert interviews. METHODS: NICE social care and public health guidelines published before August 26, 2025 were reviewed, and information on the use of ASCOT and ICECAP was extracted. Five experts were interviewed to contextualize the review findings. RESULTS: Of the eligible guidelines, ASCOT appeared as an outcome in 4% and ICECAP in 1%. Neither measure significantly affected committee's decision making. Interview findings were grouped into 2 themes: (1) reasons behind the limited use of these measures (with 3 subthemes: conceptual, system-wide issues, and implementation challenges) and (2) ongoing developments and future opportunities. CONCLUSIONS: ASCOT and ICECAP appeared infrequently in the NICE guidelines reviewed, and when used, their impact on committee decision making was limited-either because of trial-specific limitations or reliance on other forms of evidence. Experts suggested several barriers to the use of these measures, and although these barriers are not insurmountable, it is unclear whether such measures may appear more in future NICE social care and public health guidelines