The topic of this paper is fiscal equalization among municipalities in the four Nordic countries: Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden. Fiscal equalization refers to transfers of financial resources to and between municipalities with the aim of mitigating regional differences in fiscal capacities and spending needs. More specifically, we ask the following research question: How does fiscal equalization impact spatial inequalities? We conduct a comparative empirical analysis of fiscal equalization policies in the Nordic countries. A main contribution is that we construct a granular dataset consisting of all municipalities in the four countries in 2020. We leverage this dataset to analyze inequalities before and after fiscal equalization. Our main finding is that equalization is strongest in Sweden and weakest in Norway, while Denmark and Finland are ranked in the middle.

This study assessed changes in complete pneumococcal vaccination coverage (CPVC) among Peruvian children <5 years before and after the COVID 19 pandemic and evaluated regional differences, associated sociodemographic factors and wealth-related inequality. 2018–2023 Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) was analyzed. CPVC was defined as receiving the full 2 + 1 schedule of the 13 valent pneumococcal vaccine. Children aged 13–60 months were included. Multivariable analysis used modified Poisson regression and wealth related inequality was assessed using the Concentration index and Erreygers’s corrected Concentration index at national and regional levels. Among 95,586 children, CPVC decreased from 71.9% in 2019 to 69.4% in 2020 (p = 0.003), then returned to pre Covid levels from 2021 onward (72.2% in 2023; p = 0.001), particularly in Lima Metropolitana. Puno (53.3–58.6%) and Madre de Dios (50.9–62.1%) consistently showed the lowest coverage. Nationally, wealth- or sociodemographic related inequalities were minimal; however, regional interactions indicated that the effect of wealth on CPVC varied by area. Depending on the region, factors such as age group, household members and mather’s education were associated with lower CPVC, whereas age at first pregnancy, institutional birth, antenatal care and access to information increased CPVC. Ucayali showed persistently higher CPVC among wealthier populations. Despite a temporary decline during the pandemic, CPVC in Peru rapidly recovered, although regional gaps persist.

The paper investigates processes and consequences of ‘philanthropic kinning’, that is the use of kinship and family idioms in constructing and maintaining personal relations between donors and recipients in philanthropy. Usual studies collapse the occurrence of kinship metaphors in philanthropy either as evidence of ‘prosociality’ (e.g. trust, care or love) or more frequently as evidence of ‘paternalism’ (power and domination of donors over recipients, and their objectification). This paper claims that introducing kinship and parenting studies into researching philanthropy would greatly refine our understanding of donor–recipient relations. In the framework of a qualitative case study of a philanthropic ‘godparenthood’ programme organised in Hungary supporting ethnic Hungarian communities in Romania, this paper looks at the roles, responsibilities and obligations various forms of philanthropic kinship offer for the participants; and relations of power unfolding in helping interactions. With such concerns, this paper complements earlier research on hybridisation of philanthropy, through its sectoral entanglements with kinship and family. Also, it contributes to research on inequalities in philanthropy, by showing how philanthropic kinning may recreate, modify or reshape donor–recipient power relations in diverse ways.

This lecture addresses the political impact of the Great Recession in a context of rising inequalities and retrenching welfare states. Do hard times fuel apathy or revolt, abstention or support for the extremes, and more particularly, in the European context, for thriving radical rights? To answer these questions, I shall take the case of France, in the 2012 presidential election, the first post-crisis one. I shall focus on the poor, the disadvantaged: those hardest hit by the recession.

The concept of precarity is increasingly being applied in social gerontology to understand risks and uncertainties faced by older adults. However, existing research has not captured precarity quantitatively nor has it modelled its effect on older adults’ health. We therefore develop a Later Life Precarity Index and model its association with frailty. Using longitudinal data on 15,733 older adults from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, we examine the association between frailty and risks across the domains of finances, pensions, employment, housing, relationship and unpaid care-giving. We then develop the Later Life Precarity Index and model its longitudinal association with a Frailty Index using hybrid panel regression. The results indicate that multiple social risks are strongly and independently associated with frailty, particularly around finances, housing, fuel poverty and food insecurity. In longitudinal models, the precarity index explains both between-individual differences and within-individual changes in frailty and performs substantially better than standard measures of socio-economic status (wealth and education). The strong longitudinal association of the precarity index with frailty suggests that social gerontology’s growing focus on precarity is a useful lens for understanding the diverse, changing and new forms of social risk that impact frailty. By developing, testing and sharing this novel measure of later life precarity, this study brings potential for new understandings of the evolving drivers of inequalities in the health of older adults.

Despite volunteering being a feature of community life in the UK, differences as to who volunteers are evident. Reporting on a rapid review of the evidence on volunteering and inequalities, the aim of this paper is to provide an overview of the breadth and interconnectedness of barriers to volunteering for potentially disadvantaged groups. Sixty-seven articles were identified, to produce a map of factors affecting volunteer participation. Findings suggest that whilst different demographic groups experience specific barriers to volunteering, there are areas of commonality. Analysis shifts the onus of volunteering away from the level of individual choice (a dominant emphasis in policy and practical discussions around promoting volunteering) and towards the influence of structural factors related to broader exclusionary processes. Those who potentially have the most to gain from volunteering are the least likely to participate. Whilst the benefits of volunteering are increasingly documented by research and championed by policy, there are questions about the success of this approach given that the underlying social inequalities present substantive barriers to volunteering and must be addressed to promote greater access.

Vegetable consumption in many countries is less than recommended and even lower in low-income households. This study explored the determinants of current vegetable food choice in households with limited food budgets to inform the implementation of a national vegetable promotion programme. Five focus groups and one individual interview were conducted with twenty-nine parents who self-identified as ‘shopping on a budget’ in an area of multiple deprivation in the southeast of England. Transcripts of audio recordings were coded in NVivo and analysed using inductive thematic analysis. Four main themes which shaped the range of vegetables brought into the home were identified: (1) attributes of vegetables, (2) attributes of parents including their vegetable norms, knowledge and skills (veg-literacy), and interest and opportunity to invest time and effort in vegetables, (3) family food dynamics, and (4) influence of retailers. Overarching this was parents’ capacity to absorb the risk of wasting food, money, time, and effort on vegetables and damaging trust in the parent–child food relationship. The data suggest there is a common set of ‘core vegetables’, which are routinely bought. When money is tight, parents only buy vegetables they know their children will eat and are generally not persuaded to buy ‘off-list’ in response to price discounts or promotions. Cost is not always the main barrier to increased vegetable purchase. To avoid unintentionally widening dietary inequalities, supply-side interventions to promote vegetable consumption need to be designed alongside targeted actions that enhance the capacity of low-income households to respond.

In the field of American state politics, the tension between majoritarian institutions and equality has largely been ignored. Do state institutions that empower majority preferences exacerbate disparities in social outcomes? Under what conditions do majoritarian institutions exacerbate inequalities in the American states? Our argument is that equality is most likely to be threatened under majoritarian institutions when (1) there are systemic participatory biases and/or (2) there are widespread prejudices about particular groups in society. We find that more majoritarian institutions are associated with larger disparities between White and Black life expectancy and poverty rates across the American states, but not differences in educational attainment. We also find that this effect is moderated by racial context, with majoritarian institutions being associated with greater disparities for states with diverse racial contexts and smaller disparities in more homogenous states. These findings suggest that majoritarian institutions operate to the benefit of the White majority, while coming at the cost of minority population outcomes when a racial threat is perceived, and presumably, public opinion is biased.

Nozick’s ‘utility monster’ is often regarded as impossible, because one life cannot be better than a large number of other lives. Against that view, I propose a purely marginalist account of utility monster defining the monster by a higher sensitivity of well-being to resources (instead of a larger total well-being), and I introduce the concept of collective utility monster to account for resource predation by a group. Since longevity strengthens the sensitivity of well-being to resources, large groups of long-lived persons may, if their longevity advantage is sufficiently strong, fall under the concept of collective utility monster, against moral intuition.

Reducing inequalities in preconception health and care is critical to improving the health and life chances of current and future generations. A hybrid workshop was held at the 2023 UK Preconception Early and Mid-Career Researchers (EMCR) Network conference to co-develop recommendations on ways to address inequalities in preconception health and care. The workshop engaged multi-disciplinary professionals across diverse career stages and people with lived experience (total n = 69). Interactive discussions explored barriers to achieving optimal preconception health, driving influences of inequalities and recommendations. The Socio-Ecological Model framed the identified themes, with recommendations structured at interpersonal (e.g. community engagement), institutional (e.g. integration of preconception care within existing services) and environmental/societal levels (e.g. education in schools). The co-developed recommendations provide a framework for addressing inequalities in preconception health, emphasising the importance of a whole-systems approach. Further research and evidence-based interventions are now needed to advance the advocacy and implementation of our recommendations.