Browsing by Subject "Welfare"

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    Critical Juncture of Unification – Window of (missed) opportunity for the German Welfare State?
    (University of Duisburg-Essen, 2013) Walk, Marlene
    [Excerpt] This analysis focuses on the role of free welfare associations (FWAs) in the unification process, which was mainly characterized as an institution transfer from the west to the east. FWAs are a major force in the German nonprofit sector and the main provider of social services and health care in the country (Zimmer, 1999). Moreover, they play a special role in the German welfare state under the principle of subsidiarity. This principle allows them to act on behalf of the government in the provision of social services and health care (Zimmer, et al., 2004). Incorporating FWAs in the process of institution transfer after unification was essential for the German government, due to the valuable political knowledge of East Germany that the FWAs held (Angerhausen, Backhaus-Maul, Offe, Olk, & Schiebel, 1998). This paper draws on the concepts of path dependency, critical juncture, and window of opportunity (Hacker, 2002; Ebbinghaus, 2005; Marcussen et al., 1999) and analyzes to what extent the process of German unification was a successful or a missed opportunity for the unified welfare state, with particular consideration to the role of FWAs.
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    The Future Is Not Bright: Evaluation of Rat Preferences for Color and Intensity of Light
    (MDPI, 2024-07-12) Swan, Melissa; Horvath, Aidan; Pritchett, Rebecca K.; Barabas, Amanda J.; Hickman, Debra; Gaskill, Brianna N.; Laboratory Animal Resource Center, School of Medicine
    Light is a key factor influencing the welfare of laboratory rodents, but little is known about their optimal lighting condition. It i common knowledge that rats prefer dim light, so bright light is mitigated with red-tinted shelters or cages, which alter both the color and intensity of light. Because both aspects are altered, the contribution of each feature to rodent preference is unknown. Further, it is unknown if this preference is influenced by previous experience. We hypothesized that rats would prefer lower light intensity and that their preferences would be influenced by their housing environment. Breeder pairs of rats were randomly separated into four treatments groups: red 200 lux, red 25 lux, clear 200 lux, and clear 25 lux. The breeders' offspring were tested three times in an apparatus that offered access to each environment, and their preferences were analyzed. Generally, the rats preferred the lower-lux environments and showed no color preference. However, the rats from the clear, 200 lux cages, preferred clear caging and only showed a preference for 25 lux conditions during the second and third preference tests. These results suggest that the light intensity, more than color, should be considered when designing rodent housing and testing facilities.