scholarly journals Enhancing the Sustainability of Social Housing Policies through the Social Impact Approach: Innovative Perspectives form a “Paris Affordable Housing Challenge” Project in France

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (23) ◽  
pp. 9903
Author(s):  
Cristina Coscia ◽  
Subhash Mukerjee ◽  
Bianca Ludovica Palmieri ◽  
Chiara Quintanal Rivacoba
Keyword(s):  
Affordable Housing ◽  
Social Housing ◽  
Social Impact ◽  
Pilot Project ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Impact Investing ◽  
Social Challenges ◽  
Horizon 2020 ◽  
Europe 2020 ◽  
The Social

The environmental, economic and social challenges re-launched in the European Union Agendas (e.g., Horizon 2020 and Europe 2020–2030) have recently returned to being highly debated. In particular, policies and interventions in the field of social housing (SH) are still remaining crucial issues for urban regeneration. These interventions are aimed to combine sustainability criteria with architectural, urban and environmental quality. In this context, our goal in this article is to provide an innovative perspective on the topic highlighting the positive returns enabled by the logic of the social impact approach (SIA). A pilot project is proposed to be performed in the VI arrondissement of Paris. Starting from the French regulatory context and the requirements set by the “Paris Affordable Housing Challenge” competition, the levers of social finance for new social demands and the levers of incentives are applied to a real case. The research results show that the application of the emerging principles of social impact investing (SII) in areas difficult to access in the private market had positive returns. The final aim of the article is to outline guidelines that consider the quality, management and generation of the social impact requirements highlighted in the proposal to facilitate the application of the SIA to other interventions and contexts.

scholarly journals Delivering Social Housing: An Overview of the Housing Crisis in Dublin

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valesca Lima
Keyword(s):  
Affordable Housing ◽  
Social Housing ◽  
Homeless People ◽  
Rapid Decline ◽  
Housing Supply ◽  
Housing Crisis ◽  
Family Homelessness ◽  
Housing Policies ◽  
Direct Construction ◽  
The Social

This paper explores the responses to the housing crisis in Dublin, Ireland, by analysing recent housing policies promoted to prevent family homelessness. I argue that private rental market subsides have played an increasing role in the provision of social housing in Ireland. Instead of policies that facilitate the construction of affordable housing or the direct construction of social housing, current housing policies have addressed the social housing crisis by encouraging and relying excessively on the private market to deliver housing. The housing crisis has challenged governments to increase the social housing supply, but the implementation of a larger plan to deliver social housing has not been effective, as is evidenced by the rapid decline of both private and social housing supply and the increasing number of homeless people in Dublin.

scholarly journals A Framework for Assessing the Social and Economic Impact of Sustainable Investments

2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 79-86 ◽  
Author(s):  
Minna Räikkönen ◽  
Susanna Kunttu ◽  
Teuvo Uusitalo ◽  
Josu Takala ◽  
Shah Rukh Shakeel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Affordable Housing ◽  
Social Impact ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
The Social ◽  
New Construction ◽  
Long Term Impact ◽  
Sustainable Investments

Abstract Investments towards sustainable development are vital for the future and they must be carefully planned to deliver immediate and long-term benefits. Hence, the ability to communicate the forms of impact of sustainable investments to local societies, people, investors and other stakeholders can provide a competitive advantage. However, the assessments are often under pressure to demonstrate short-term effects rather than emphasise the long-term impact. In addition, indirect and intangible forms of impacts should not be measured solely in economic terms. This paper proposes an assessment framework to support the integrated economic and social impact assessment of sustainable investments aimed at improving physical and socio-economic wellbeing. The framework is demonstrated in two case studies: new construction and renovation investments in affordable housing and social impact investment in sustainable development. The investments in the case studies are evaluated, selected and prioritized not only in terms of money but also with regard to sustainability, social acceptability and their overall impact on society, as a whole. The results indicate that a systematic integrated assessment of monetary and non-monetary factors can be successfully combined with the sustainable development decisions.

Human rights and biometric data. Social credit system

2020 ◽  
pp. 36-50
Author(s):  
Olga O. Bazina
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Data Protection ◽  
Personal Data ◽  
Pilot Project ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Credit System ◽  
Biometric Data ◽  
General Data Protection Regulation ◽  
Social Credit ◽  
The Social

Biometrics, as a field of science, analyzes the physical and behavioral characteristics of people in order to identify their personality. A huge amount of technology in the field of biometric data collection is developed by IT giants like Google, Facebook, or Alibaba. The European Union (EU) took an important step towards biometric data confidentiality by developing a unified law on the protection of personal data (General Data Protection Regulation, GDPR). The main goal of this action is to return control over personal data to European citizens and at the same time simplify the regulatory legal basis for companies. While European countries and organisations are introducing the GDPR into force, China since 2016 has launched a social credit system as a pilot project. The Social Credit Score (SCS) is based on collecting the maximum amount of data about citizens and assessing the reliability of residents based on their financial, social and online behavior. Only critical opinions can be read about the social credit system in European literature, although the opinions of persons being under this system – Chinese citizens – are quite positive. In this context, we should not forget about the big difference in the mentality of Asians and Europeans. The aim of this article is to compare EU law and the legislation of the People's Republic of China regarding the use and storage of biometric data. On the basis of statistical data and materials analysed, key conclusions will be formulated, that will allow to indicate differences in the positions of state institutions and the attitude of citizens to the issue of personal data protection in China and the European Union.

Some Considerations Regarding the Social Responsibility of Entrepreneurs in the European Union

2013 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 26-35
Author(s):  
Mirela Matei ◽  
Marian Catalin Voica
Keyword(s):  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Impact ◽  
Social Programs ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
The Social ◽  
Transnational Companies ◽  
The One ◽  
Corporate Social ◽  
The Impact

The concept of corporate social responsibility is in constant development. It passes from the sphere of large transnational companies to the smaller sized companies, in the field of SMEs. Although SMEs don’t have the impact of great corporations, they have a duty to carry out social responsibility programs. An SME, as a singular unit, does not have the social impact of transnational corporations, but the large number of SMEs creates a social impact comparable to the one generated by large corporations. Due to competitive pressures, large transnational companies have outsourced some activities. SMEs that have taken over these activities have taken over responsibility for social programs to offset the negative effects arising

scholarly journals Housing systems in the Global South: The relevance of the ‘social housing’ approach in meeting housing needs

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alireza Vaziri Zadeh ◽  
Frank Moulaert ◽  
Stuart Cameron
Keyword(s):  
Affordable Housing ◽  
Social Housing ◽  
Decisive Role ◽  
Global South ◽  
Housing Systems ◽  
The Social ◽  
Housing Rights ◽  
Global North ◽  
Housing Needs

This paper addresses the problem of accessing decent and affordable housing in the Global South, where the housing need is, in general, more problematic than in the Global North. The paper first identifies five distinctive characteristics of housing systems in the Global South as compared to those in the Global North. These include: (a) the diverse facets of global financialization; (b) the role of the developmentalist state; (c) the importance of informality; (d) the decisive role of the family; and (e) the rudimentary welfare systems. Given these features, the paper reflects on the concept and practices of social housing, particularly their appropriateness to deal with the housing problem in the Global South. The paper then addresses the question of whether the social housing approach is relevant for solving the contemporary housing needs in the Global South. It argues that social housing, redefined to better encompass the distinctive characteristics of housing systems in the Global South, is indeed a useful policy approach and can play a decisive role in satisfying unmet housing needs. Such an approach needs to take into account the great role of informality and family support systems and develop appropriate funding instruments and modes of institutionalization protecting housing rights and the quality of life.

scholarly journals Społeczne budownictwo czynszowe jako usługa w ogólnym interesie gospodarczym

2018 ◽  
pp. 93-119
Author(s):  
Jędrzej Bujny ◽  
Mikołaj Maśliński
Keyword(s):  
Social Housing ◽  
Rental Housing ◽  
State Aid ◽  
Economic Interest ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Housing Program ◽  
Commission Decision ◽  
The Social ◽  
Competition Rules ◽  
General Economic Interest

Social rental housing is one of the possible instruments which are applied to ensure the satisfaction of housing needs. However, public funds which are transferred to entities that operate within this area should be usually classified as State aid. The analysis presented in this paper concerns the following question: is it possible to consider the operation of a social rental housing program as services of general economic interest. This question seems to be a topical issue because of a new legislative initiative aiming at establishing a governmental housing program that was implemented by the Act of 10 September 2015 which amended the Act on certain forms of supporting housing construction. The aforementioned program stipulates the legal frames for refundable and preferential financing that may be granted to specific entities in order to realise investments in social rental housing. The governmental housing program complements earlier local housing policies in force. What is significant is that the Polish legislator decided to qualify support granted as services of general economic interest, as referred to in Commission Decision 2012/21/UE of 20 December 2011 on the Application of Article 106(2) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union to State aid in the form of public service compensation granted to certain undertakings entrusted with the operation of services of general economic interest. Applying Commission Decision 2012/21/UE to this situation raises some doubts as to the lack of clarity of a term “social housing”. Due to a certain controversy over the abovementioned issue, the authors have attempted to examine whether the application of preferential provisions of Commission Decision 2012/21/UE to the social housing program is in accordance with the relevant provisions of EU competition rules.

scholarly journals Assessing Social Impacts in Current and Future Electricity Production in the European Union

2021 ◽  
pp. 257-273
Author(s):  
Nils Brown ◽  
David Lindén
Keyword(s):  
Social Impact ◽  
Social Performance ◽  
Social Impacts ◽  
Electricity Production ◽  
Future Scenarios ◽  
Impact Categories ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Life Cycle Perspective ◽  
The Social ◽  
Gas Supply

AbstractIn this chapter social impacts of European electricity production are compared between the current situation and the REFLEX scenarios for 2050 from a life cycle perspective using the SOCA tool. The analyses indicate that for a limited number of social impact categories the SOCA add-on tool can identify geographic locations where improvement in social performance may non-negligibly improve the social impacts for future energy systems. Results show that gas supply from Russia is a major cause of social impact for all future scenarios in the subcategory “fair salary” due to the fact that the minimum wage is below the living wage in the country. The specific process for electricity generation in Europe contributes to social impacts in the same category to a lesser extent.

Impact Investing: Relying on Social Return on Investment to Address Epilepsy in Africa

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hossein Varamini ◽  
Anastassiya Sayenko
Keyword(s):  
Financial Market ◽  
Capital Market ◽  
Return On Investment ◽  
Impact Investing ◽  
Social Challenges ◽  
Market Participants ◽  
Social Return On Investment ◽  
The Social ◽  
Care Project ◽  
Private Investors

The growth of impact investing as a method of addressing some of the global social challenges is creating opportunities for the capital market participants to engage in investment with financial, social, and environmental returns. This paper analyzes the Social Return on Investment (SROI) study of a health care project in Kenya to highlight SROI as one of the measures of a social return and to demonstrate the need for expansion of impact investing. It also proposes the need for the global financial market to create additional financial instruments to attract more private investors to finance social and environmental challenges.

Effects of the Measures Undertaken by the European Mediator Regarding the Protection of Human Rights

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 549
Author(s):  
Claudiu IGNAT
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Human Rights ◽  
Social Impact ◽  
European Union Member State ◽  
Main Function ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Human Rights Protection ◽  
Rights Protection ◽  
The Social ◽  
Protection Of Human Rights

The research performs an accurate radiography regarding the measures the European Mediator unfolds in the Human Rights protection but also with regard to the social impact upon the European citizen. The European Mediator is a complement to the ombudsmen existing in each State. However, its competence is limited only to the European Union authorities, as it does not involve the ones of the Member States. Any possible reports between the European Mediator and the equivalent institutions from the European Union Member State can only be mutually supported as long as every ombudsman aims the fulfilment of the same main function, namely that of administration control and citizen protection.

Efficiency and Social Impact of Public Policies and Third Sector Practices in Bulgaria

2012 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 125-140
Author(s):  
Darina Zaimova ◽  
Evgeni Genchev ◽  
Hristo Momchilov
Keyword(s):  
Social Services ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Social Impact ◽  
Third Sector ◽  
Policy Framework ◽  
Social Programs ◽  
The European Union ◽  
The Public ◽  
New Member States ◽  
The Social

Abstract: The consequent enlargement of the European Union in 2004 and 2007 gave the new-member-states an access to programs and financial sources with significant capacity and impact. The present paper aims to analyze the influence of the social policy framework over the public service delivery in Bulgaria. The first part of the paper is devoted to the general categorization of social services’ suppliers and the already established mechanism of their functioning. In the second part the focus on the conceptual framework introduces the main dimensions of the policy, institutional regulations and operational programs. The third part provides empirical results from the efficiency analysis of the social programs implementation and discussion on their impact.

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