Social welfare aims to support financially vulnerable households by protecting them from financial shocks and providing them with a basic standard of living. Many eligible households, however, do... Show moreSocial welfare aims to support financially vulnerable households by protecting them from financial shocks and providing them with a basic standard of living. Many eligible households, however, do not take up social welfare. We present the results of in-depth interviews with 31 members of financially vulnerable households in two large Dutch cities about their experiences with welfare. We examined the role of money in their lives, what inhibited them from taking up social welfare, and how they sought support. For many interviewed households, money was a source of stress. The fear of reclaims and mistrust of government institutions were the main inhibitors to participating in welfare programs. Whereas the experience of shame and stigma were substantial inhibitors for claiming local welfare benefits, they were not for participating in national welfare programs. Formal and informal help promoted welfare participation, but many participants lacked access to both. We discuss policies that could decrease the perceived uncertainty of benefits receipt and give directions for future research. Show less
This chapter provides the volume's general conceptual framework. It begins by addressing why new approaches to accountability are needed, arguing that accountability literature has reached a... Show moreThis chapter provides the volume's general conceptual framework. It begins by addressing why new approaches to accountability are needed, arguing that accountability literature has reached a stalemate as a result of an impasse between deductive and inductive approaches to accountability in the EU. It then argues that overcoming the stalemate requires developing a generalised framework of what accountability is for, deriving four accountability goods to be used in subsequent chapters. The chapter argues that each of the goods can be delivered in procedural or substantive ways, focusing either on the process by which decisions are made or the substantive worth of decisions themselves. The chapter concludes by discussing the strengths and weaknesses of both varieties of accountability before mapping out how the concepts will be applied across policy fields and institutions in subsequent chapters. Show less
Tajioui, I.; Neerven, T. van; Tol, M.J. van; Bas, J. M.; Veltman, D.; Wee, N.J.A. van der; Leeuw, M. de 2023
Over the past decade innovative technologies such as Virtual Reality (VR) and smartphone applications (apps) have demonstrated their potential for increasing well-being in various fields, such as ... Show moreOver the past decade innovative technologies such as Virtual Reality (VR) and smartphone applications (apps) have demonstrated their potential for increasing well-being in various fields, such as (mental) health care and education. Although still in its infancy, the application of such technologies for treatment purposes in the forensic context and criminal justice practice is nascent. This chapter reviews the literature and describes the state of the art of VR and apps in the forensic domain to explore the shared and unique possibilities for risk assessment, offender rehabilitation, and reintegration. In total, 18 VR applications and 18 smartphone apps were located in scientific databases and through web search. Aside from a review, we present a prospective vision of the unique treatment potential of VR and apps, as well as their complementary use. We conclude with limitations and ethical considerations. Show less
Hagenbeek, F.; Hubers, N.; Dongen, J. van; Pool, R.; Roetman, P.; Harms, A.C.; ... ; Boomsma, D. 2022
Risk assessment of chemical substances is always a challenging process. It can be supported by using the potential of the in silico methods such as the read-across approach. Several frameworks and... Show moreRisk assessment of chemical substances is always a challenging process. It can be supported by using the potential of the in silico methods such as the read-across approach. Several frameworks and methodologies can be found, e.g. the Read-across Assessment Framework (RAAF) developed by ECHA, which describes how the analysis is carried out using the read-across approach. However, they are focused on classical chemical substances, not nanomaterials. Thus, our goal was to evaluate publicly available read-across frameworks in the context of ENM. Especially, in view of the recent update of the REACH regulations (Annex VI), which introduced the concept of “nanoform” of the substance. We examined the possibilities as well as the challenges for nanomaterials when applying available frameworks by carrying out readacross case studies for selected nanoforms of nano-SiO2. Structural properties of five ENMs and data related to their ecotoxicity were extracted from the JRC Repository characterization dossier on nanoSiO2 amorphous materials and the corresponding NanoReg2 H2020 project deliverable. From all endpoints available, toxicity results towards the Carp leucocyte cell line were considered as the most appropriate. For the purposes of the case study, we decided to treat one of the nano-SiO2 as a target (NM200) and the four others (NM 201- 204) as source analogues. The analysis consisted of several steps: i) identification and characterization of all nanoforms; ii) development of grouping hypothesis; iii) assignment to groups; iv) data gathering; v) applicability assessment; vi) filling data gaps. After passing through all the stages we were able to estimate the toxicity of target ENM. The formulated hypothesis of the read-across approach for the assessment of ecotoxicity was as follows: SiO2 nanoforms can be separated into two distinct groups based on how the following properties influenced cytotoxicity in fish cells: i) surface area, ii) coating mass, iii) size distribution in stock and media solutions, iv) polydispersity in stock and media solutions. This leads to the follow-up hypothesis of novel SiO2 ENMs with similar physicochemical/structural parameters inducing similar toxicological activities in fish cells. Subsequently, we employed similarity analysis in the space of the mentioned properties. Based on the calculated Euclidean distances, the target nanoform (NM200), has been placed within the group of toxic source analogues (NM201 and 204). Therefore, according to the worst-case approach, one can assume that the target nanoform will be highly toxic to fish cells. The results and lessons learned from this exercise will be discussed further in the context of the work carried out in the PATROLS project. Show less
