Work incentives at the bottom of the income distribution and for model families in Lithuania

The aim of this paper is to evaluate the impact of cash social benefits on work incentives at the bottom of the income distribution and among selected model family types in Lithuania. The analysis of the work incentives in Lithuania is carried out for the period of 2005-2013 based on a combination of measures estimated using tax-benefit microsimulation model EUROMOD and official OECD/EC indicators. The analysis revealed high disincentives to work at the bottom of the Lithuanian income distribution, dominated by the effect of cash social benefits compared to taxes or social insurance contributions. A strong trade-off between benefit adequacy and work incentives is built into the design of the Lithuanian cash benefit system, that of social assistance in particular. The challenge for policy design is thus to encourage and promote active labour market participation among low earners without eroding the minimum income protection floor

Frequent down-regulation of ABC transporter genes in prostate cancer

Background: ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters are transmembrane proteins responsible for the efflux of a wide variety of substrates, including steroid metabolites, through the cellular membranes. For better characterization of the role of ABC transporters in prostate cancer (PCa) development, the profile of ABC transporter gene expression was analyzed in PCa and noncancerous prostate tissues (NPT). Methods: TaqMan Low Density Array (TLDA) human ABC transporter plates were used for the gene expression profiling in 10 PCa and 6 NPT specimens. ABCB1 transcript level was evaluated in a larger set of PCa cases (N = 78) and NPT (N = 15) by real-time PCR, the same PCa cases were assessed for the gene promoter hypermethylation by methylation-specific PCR. Results: Expression of eight ABC transporter genes (ABCA8, ABCB1, ABCC6, ABCC9, ABCC10, ABCD2, ABCG2, and ABCG4) was significantly down-regulated in PCa as compared to NPT, and only two genes (ABCC4 and ABCG1) were up-regulated. Down-regulation of ABC transporter genes was prevalent in the TMPRSS2-ERG-negative cases. A detailed analysis of ABCB1 expression confirmed TLDA results: a reduced level of the transcript was identified in PCa in comparison to NPT (p = 0.048). Moreover, the TMPRSS2-ERG-negative PCa cases showed significantly lower expression of ABCB1 in comparison to NPT (p = 0.003) or the fusion-positive tumors (p = 0.002). Promoter methylation of ABCB1 predominantly occurred in PCa and was rarely detected in NPT (p < 0.001). Conclusions: The study suggests frequent down-regulation of the ABC transporter genes in PCa, especially in the TMPRSS2-ERG-negative tumors

Knygos „A European Health Union“ (Europos sveikatos sąjunga) recenzija

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Redistribution of income through social benefits over the life course in the Baltic States

Vertical redistribution refers to the transfer of income from those who have more than they need to those who are in need and is related to the levelling of income inequality and poverty. Vertical redistribution over the life course is indicative of the capacity of the welfare state to protect against social risks over the life course. Studies that explore such redistribution often rely on the life-course perspective and use secondary cross-sectional rather than primary data.The goal of the current study is to analyse the impact of social benefits on income inequality and poverty over the life course in the Baltic States. The paper focuses on the three Baltic countries commonly characterised by successful economic performance, low income redistribution and high income inequality. With this aim, analyses of micro-level data of EU-SILC of 2015 was conducted. To evaluate inequality changes across the life course, the study used a decomposition of the Gini index. Evaluation of poverty of different cohorts rested on the gap of the poverty rate between different groups and the average poverty rate in the country. The findings of our study suggest that the impact of social benefits on the reduction of income inequality is modest. Highest poverty rates are linked with the periods of childhood, working age when unemployed and old age. Overall, the context laden with high inequality and poverty cannot ensure adequate protection against social risks over the life course and create a "buffer" for the development of human capital

Social investment in the Baltic states: Benefits against poverty and distribution of social risks over the life course

Prevention against social risks through investment in human capital serves as the main focus of social investment. The social investment perspective suggests that social protection benefits should ensure adequate income maintenance over the life course. The goal of the current study is twofold: to analyze the role of social benefits that protect against poverty and to examine the distribution of social risks over the life course with a focus on social investment in the Baltic States, drawing on microdata from EU-SILC 2015. In addition, the study uses Eurostat data to explore spending on social protection and investment in human capital, classified as “Old” and “New” risks, during 2005-2014. The findings of the study suggest that low spending on social welfare in the Baltic States cannot adequately guarantee income for the population at risk, or reduce dependency on welfare state benefits

Socialinis teisingumas ir socialinių-ekonominių grupių reprezentavimas skirtingo prestižo studijų programose Lietuvoje

In this article, access to higher education is presented from several perspectives of social justice. It is shown that the Lithuanian higher education policy is based on the utilitarian and meritocratic principles noted in the Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania.As higher education becomes universal, the researchers should differentiate between research of social justice at different prestige universities and study programs. The results of a survey in which students of two Lithuanian universities were questioned show that young people from the lower economic and educational layers are less represented in the most prestigious study programs in Lithuania and more often study in low-prestige study programs.The state provides financial support to students (in the form of study vouchers and scholarships) depending on their academic achievements. That is why children from wealthier families more often receive this support. The survey has also revealed that the well-being of students who are studying in the most popular and prestigious study programs is much higher than of their colleagues who are less successful in the academic aspect. The living conditions, income and the need to work during their studies are very different between those two groups of students.It may seem paradoxical that the students’ division by the prestigious and low-prestige study programs on the socio-economic background and the state-provided financial assistance which depends on the academic achievements of students themselves are not considered negative. A large number of students face the problem of evaluating the higher education system in terms of social justice, while the devotion criteria of study vouchers and scholarships are considered to be fair.Profesorius socialinių mokslųdaktaras (ekonomika)Vilniaus universitetoSocialinio darbo katedraUniversiteto g. 9/1, LT-01513 VilniusEl. paštas: [email protected]. 8 614 53248Socialinio darbo magistrėVilniaus universitetoSocialinio darbo katedraUniversiteto g. 9/1, LT-01513 VilniusEl. paštas: dovilė[email protected]. 268 7191Straipsnyje parodoma socialinio teisingumo sampratos svarba tiriant studijų prieinamumą. Jis straipsnio autorių tiriamas socialinių sluoksnių atstovavimo skirtingo prestižo studijų programose aspektu. Parodyta, kad Lietuvoje studijos pagal prestižines programas daug mažiau prieinamos ekonominiu ir išsilavinimo požiūriu silpnesnių šeimų vaikams. Jie dažniau studijuoja neprestižines programas ir rečiau gauna finansinę valstybės pagalbą. Tai rodo, kad studijų politika Lietuvoje labiau remiasi meritokratiniu socialinio teisingumo principu