Institut für Höhere Studien - Institute for Advanced Studies
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The interface gaze: on the (sexual) objectification of domestic workers in the gig economy
Full text linkIn contemporary capitalist societies, domestic work is increasingly externalised and marketized, allowing profit-oriented gig-economy platforms to emerge as new actors in this field. Considering that such digital marketplaces shape the interactions and relationships between clients and workers, it is crucial to examine the experiences of household workers in relation to the norms, beliefs and ideas embedded in the functionalities and design of the platform. This is particularly relevant concerning the historically prevalent (sexual) objectification of domestic cleaners. Therefore, the present paper presents 15 problem-centred interviews with female domestic cleaners working in the gig-economy in Vienna. The results are complemented by applying the walkthrough method and discursive interface analysis on the website of Betreut.at, one of Austria’s largest platforms for domestic services. Our study shows that the interviewees’ experiences reflect the culturally embedded objectification of domestic workers. Recurrent themes identified include clients’ practices related to lookism and the prioritization of attractiveness, unwanted dating requests, and sexual harassment, all of which are, to some degree, shaped by the platform’s technological design. Additionally, the platform’s website interface lacks essential safety features, exacerbating the vulnerability of household cleaners, who are at high risk of sexual abuse
Meta-Studie zur Handelsabhängigkeit Europas und Österreichs von China
Full text linkDie Studie enthält eine Auswertung wirtschaftswissenschaftlicher Studien der vergangenen fünf Jahre zum Thema der Handelsabhängigkeit der EU und Österreichs von China. Ergänzt wird die Literaturanalyse durch die Auswertung internationaler Handelsdatenbanken.
Österreichs Importanteil aus China ist mit 8% deutlich unter dem Durchschnitt der EU (21%), der Wertschöpfungsanteil Chinas in Österreich liegt aber mit 1,9% nahe beim EU-Durchschnitt (2%).Die über Handelselastitzitäten ermittelte Abhängigkeit Österreichs von Produkten aus China entspricht den Werten der wichtigsten Handelspartner bzw. Mitbewerber Österreichs.
Bei 71 aus China importierten Gütern wurde von der Europäischen Kommission eine strategische Abhängigkeit Europas identifiziert. Eine Analyse für Österreich ergibt aus dieser Menge von Gütern eine vergleichsweise geringe strategische Abhängigkeit. Aktuell besteht jedoch eine kritische Abhängigkeit der EU von Rohstoffen für Technologien im Bereich der Dekarbonisierung. Dies betrifft vor allem seltene Erden. Es ist davon auszugehen, dass China folglich mittelfristig bei der Batterieproduktion eine dominante Rolle beibehalten wir
The forces behind social unrest: Evidence from the Covid-19 pandemic
Full text linkThe unprecedented consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic have raised concerns about the erosion of social cohesion and intensified social unrest, but evidence for such a link and the underlying channels is still lacking. We use a unique combination of nationally representative survey data, event data on social unrest, and data on Covid-19 fatalities and unemployment at a weekly resolution to investigate the forces behind social cohesion and unrest in the context of the strains on public health and the economy due to the pandemic in the USA. The results show that pandemic-related unemployment and Covid-19 fatalities intensified negative emotional stress and led to a deterioration of economic confidence among individuals. The prevalence of negative emotional stress, particularly in economically strained and politically polarized environments, was, in turn, associated with intensified social unrest as measured by political protests. No such link is found for economic perceptions
Creating a Trusting Environment in the Sharing Economy: Unpacking Mechanisms for Trust-building used by Peer-to-Peer Carpooling Platforms
Full text linkEstablishing trust is a crucial yet significant challenge for peer-to-peer (P2P) carpooling platforms. This mixed-method study of trust-building mechanisms in carpooling platforms makes two contributions to this topic. First, a qualitative comparison of trust-building mechanisms in four platforms shows similarities regarding their reliance on review systems and contact opportunities, but differences regarding the use of GPS-tracking, the holding of offline events, and key partners, all of which represent potential trust-building measures. Second, a laboratory experiment (N = 163) suggests that these trust-building mechanisms have different consequences for car owners vs. non car owners and for more vs. less experienced customers. These findings allow us to discuss nuances regarding the development of trust in carpooling platforms, especially the difference between online trust, implicit trust, and reason-based trust. These insights indicate avenues by which sharing models, associated with the potential for more sustainable production, consumption and transportation, can be strengthened
Management of hospital care during the COVID-19 pandemic: Lessons learnt from five European countries
Full text linkBackground
The COVID-19 pandemic required significant adjustments in hospital management across Europe. This article explores the challenges faced and lessons learnt in managing hospital care, aiming to improve future pandemic preparedness and resilience.
Methods
Hospital management during the pandemic in Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary and Italy was investigated using a qualitative case study approach based on document analysis and 57 semi-structured interviews with senior hospital staff conducted in the spring and summer of 2022. The country case studies were subjected to an overarching analysis focusing on successes and failures in hospital pandemic management.
Results
Hospitals faced an overwhelming surge of patients, leading to the conversion of regular wards into COVID-19 units and the postponement of elective surgery, affecting the care of chronically ill and non-urgent patients. Telemedicine was crucial but faced challenges in terms of acceptance by elderly patients and physicians. Staff shortages and high workloads affected patient care and staff wellbeing. In addition, shortages of medical supplies led to a re-evaluation of logistics and warehousing. Many hospitals found existing policies and pandemic plans inadequate, leading to the formation of internal task forces.
Conclusion
The pandemic highlighted gaps in hospital preparedness and the need for improved resilience. Strategies to improve pandemic resilience, such as better working conditions and collaboration with primary care, would also improve health system performance in "normal times". Pandemic-specific measures, such as postponing elective surgery, are necessary but need to be carefully managed to minimise the negative impact on overall patient care
Erstellung von ärztlichen Leistungs- und Honorarkatalogen im internationalen Vergleich
Full text linkEffects from treating moderate- to high-risk obesity patients with anti-obesity medication from a societal perspective
Full text linkObesity is a global health concern with new medication treatment options. So far, research on how programs with newer anti-obesity medication (AOM) for the moderate- to high-risk population can mitigate the prevalence of obesity and reduce the economic burden of society is limited. We aimed to assess such impacts of AOM and lifestyle intervention with the GLP-1 receptor agonist semaglutide on patients with different obesity classes, i.e. risks (and no diabetes), based on clinical trial data. We estimated the treatment effect on prevalence, medical and indirect costs using the population-attributable fraction approach and various data sources. We modified prevalence data from the Austrian Health Interview Survey 2019 (n = 15,461) using data about proportional weight reductions after the treatment with semaglutide as an adjunct to lifestyle intervention. In a life-cycle model, we compared the costs of obesity classes. Treating 50% of patients with obesity class II and III (excl. diabetes patients, including patients not responding to the treatment) over 68 weeks, reduced the prevalence from 4% to 2.74% (95% CI 2.739–2.743) and from 1.45% to 0.97% (95% CI 0.969–0.997), respectively. This resulted in a reduction of 12.9% (€ − 108.7 million) of expenses related to obesity class II and III per year. Over the life cycle, a reduction in obesity class reduced costs by about 40% per patient. The newer AOM can aid in reducing moderate- and high-risk obesity rates and bring economic and health benefits to society, given that AOM are available and affordable for the respective populations
Fairness in Algorithmic Profiling: The AMAS Case
Full text linkWe study a controversial application of algorithmic profiling in the public sector, the Austrian AMAS system. AMAS was supposed to help caseworkers at the Public Employment Service (PES) Austria to allocate support measures to job seekers based on their predicted chance of (re-)integration into the labor market. Shortly after its release, AMAS was criticized for its apparent unequal treatment of job seekers based on gender and citizenship. We systematically investigate the AMAS model using a novel real-world dataset of young job seekers from Vienna, which allows us to provide the first empirical evaluation of the AMAS model with a focus on fairness measures. We further apply bias mitigation strategies to study their effectiveness in our real-world setting. Our findings indicate that the prediction performance of the AMAS model is insufficient for use in practice, as more than 30% of job seekers would be misclassified in our use case. Further, our results confirm that the original model is biased with respect to gender as it tends to (incorrectly) assign women to the group with high chances of re-employment, which is not prioritized in the PES’ allocation of support measures. However, most bias mitigation strategies were able to improve fairness without compromising performance and thus may form an important building block in revising profiling schemes in the present context
