Le Modèle de Partenariat Humaniste en Santé : un modèle conceptuel de soins infirmiers pour mieux comprendre, accepter et accompagner la personne qui refuse une aide ou un soin

in Hesbeen, Walter (Ed.) Face au refus d’aide et de soins. Penser en équipe le positionnement éthique (in press)

Exploring the History of Digital History: Setting an Agenda

Presentation (2023, May 25)

Presentation for the ZZF PhD colloquium of my current (new) book project which explores the history and genealogies of digital history, set within the broader context of the ways in which technology has ... [more ▼]

Presentation for the ZZF PhD colloquium of my current (new) book project which explores the history and genealogies of digital history, set within the broader context of the ways in which technology has shaped historical research practices and knowledge production since the late 19th century. The aim is to investigate the intellectual underpinnings of the field we now call digital history by attending to the longue durée of the human-machine encounter in historical research. For over a century, historians have reflected upon the impact of various mechanical aids and computing on their discipline. Along the way, they have debated key epistemological and methodological questions that have resurfaced in our current era of ‘digital history’, yet this is often forgotten. If we accept, however, that historical research practices and knowledge production have always been affected by technology, then how can we qualify what is new in the current moment and what is not? In other words, how can we work towards a self-understanding of the field of digital history that is truly grounded in history? [less ▲]

Quel modèle de coopératives comme support des plateformes coopératives ?

Scientific Conference (2023, May 24)

The impact of cerebral visual impairment in school related competences in elementary school children

Scientific Conference (2023, May 22)

Cerebral vision impairment (CVI) refers to a disturbance in visual processing related to damage to the visual areas in the brain and/or visual pathways. It is often assumed that CVI underlies functional ... [more ▼]

Cerebral vision impairment (CVI) refers to a disturbance in visual processing related to damage to the visual areas in the brain and/or visual pathways. It is often assumed that CVI underlies functional vision difficulties. Previous research estimated that around 3% of mainstream educated elementary school children have CVI, potentially compromising these students’ school related performance. This study aimed to clarify how CVI impacts children’s performance in school competence tests. As part of the Luxembourgish school monitoring, the complete cohort of first graders (N = 5536) participated in three competence tests (mathematics, early literacy and listening comprehension) and student/parent questionnaires (background information). From this cohort, a representative sample (n = 1129) also participated individually in a visual competences’ screening (Evaluation of Visuo-Attentional Abilities battery, optometric measures). For this study, the sample was divided into children with CVI (n = 38) and children without CVI (n = 890) based on the clinical screening outcome. Children with other diagnoses were excluded from the sample (n = 201). Results from multiple regressions showed that CVI children obtained significantly lower scores than children without CVI for mathematics and early literacy but not for listening comprehension, when controlling for background characteristics (gender, socio-economic status, migration background, parental education, and home language). Listening comprehension was however a significant predictor for mathematics and early literacy for both groups when controlling for background measures. More specifically, the explained variance of these models was higher for CVI children suggesting that they highly rely on auditory compensation strategies to complete written achievement tests. The prevalence rate for CVI was 3% within the representative sample confirming internationally reported rates. These results show the impact of CVI on school related performances and the need for the implementation of a systematic early identification of children at risk. [less ▲]

A Just Transition in an Unjust World: Perspectives From the Global South

Speeches/Talks (2023)

Over the past few years, and in response to the climate emergency that we find ourselves in, significant momentum has built around the idea of a just transition. The ILO defines a just transition as ... [more ▼]

Over the past few years, and in response to the climate emergency that we find ourselves in, significant momentum has built around the idea of a just transition. The ILO defines a just transition as “greening the economy in a way that is as fair and inclusive as possible to everyone concerned, creating decent work opportunities, and leaving no one behind.” One significant development towards a just transition is the recent wave of mandatory Human Rights and Environmental Due Diligence Laws (mHREDD) that have taken Europe by storm in the recent past. Diverse countries such as France, Germany and Norway have enacted due diligence laws imposing mandatory obligations on in-scope companies. In addition, the EU is currently in the process of drafting a Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) that will likely catalyze legislative action in EU countries that are yet to enact due diligence laws, and even beyond the EU as a result of the “Brussels effect.” Arguably, an integral part of these mHREDD laws is the notion of a just transition, particularly through the “creation of decent work and quality jobs in the context of the implementation of climate change mitigation policies.” Yet, in this regard, legitimate concerns can and should be raised about how progress towards a just transition can be made, given the structural imbalances and power asymmetries that plague the global order, often pitting the interests of global South rightsholders against large and powerful global North Transnational Corporations (TNCs). This paper will interrogate the progress towards binding due diligence obligations in Europe in order to offer some tentative insights on whether such laws are capable of fulfilling their just transition targets, given the continuing disenfranchisement of global south rightsholders from the law making and implementation processes. In other words, the analysis will revolve around whether it is possible to contribute to a just transition (within the context of due diligence laws) given the unjust structure of the global legal order that continues to privilege TNCs at the expense of global south rightsholders. [less ▲]

Augmented Reality: an attractive way to teach languages for the new pre-service teachers’ generation?

Scientific Conference (2023, May 15)

Asymptotic covariances for functionals of weakly stationary random fields

E-print/Working paper (2023)

Rethinking the Regulation of Financial Influencers

in Goanta, Catalina (Ed.) Social Media Contracts – The Quest for Fairness and the Need for Reform (2023)

The growth of social media has led to an unprecedented rise in financial influencers, so- called finfluencers, who share investment ideas and opinions with a global audience. Finfluencers have various ... [more ▼]

The growth of social media has led to an unprecedented rise in financial influencers, so- called finfluencers, who share investment ideas and opinions with a global audience. Finfluencers have various business models, from endorsing products to advertising their mutual funds. Retail investors are particularly vulnerable to the risks posed by financial influencers because most lack financial literacy, according to a UK Financial Conduct Authority study from 2021. Additionally, the power dynamic inherent in the influencer- follower relationship can also increase consumers’ susceptibility, particularly through one- sided parasocial relationships. Parasocial relationships are one-sided relationships where one person extends emotional energy and interest towards the financial influencer, who may be completely unaware of the follower’s existence. Such relationships can lead to a higher level of trust, credibility, and reliance on the advice and recommendations of financial influencers, even if they are not qualified or licensed to provide financial advice. This can be particularly dangerous for retail investors with low levels of financial literacy, who may be more vulnerable to the risks posed by finfluencers. Thus, the current regulatory framework may not be adequate to protect consumers from the potential harms of financial influencers. This Article starts by briefly examining the current regulatory framework for financial influencers (based on Pflücke 2020 and 2022), including how the EU and five platforms govern it. It then proceeds by critically analysing and proposing targeted and actionable policy considerations to increase fairness and transparency on social media platforms. The Article argues that the current approach is neither evidence-based nor tailored to the activities and potential harms of financial influencers, requiring radical reforms to protect consumers and capital markets. [less ▲]

Three Essays on the General Equilibrium Effects of Human Interactions

Doctoral thesis (2023)

The overarching theme of this PhD thesis is human mobility and its externalities, particularly in the context of labour and health economics. Through rigorous modelling and analysis, the three chapters of ... [more ▼]

The overarching theme of this PhD thesis is human mobility and its externalities, particularly in the context of labour and health economics. Through rigorous modelling and analysis, the three chapters of the thesis demonstrate the potential benefits of policies that regulate human mobility. In the first chapter of my PhD, I examine how language training can improve the functioning of the labour market, with a particular focus on immigrants with high skills who face language barriers. I argue that fully funding the cost of language acquisition for migrants can bring significant benefits to the economy and migrants, but may marginally worsen the labour market performance of low-skilled natives. Using a search and matching framework with two-dimensional skill heterogeneity, I model the effects of a language acquisition subsidy on migrants' labour market integration and its impact on natives' labour market performance. My study finds that subsidizing language acquisition costs may increase the GDP of the German economy by approximately ten billion dollars by decreasing the aggregate unemployment rate and skill mismatch rate and increasing the share of job vacancies requiring high generic skills. The second chapter of my PhD explores the challenges involved in devising social contact limitation policies as a means of controlling infectious disease transmission. Using an economic-epidemiological model of COVID-19 transmission, I evaluate the effectiveness of different intervention strategies and their consequences on public health, social welfare and economic outcomes. The findings emphasize the importance of responsiveness in implementing social contact limitations, rather than solely focusing on their stringency, and suggest that early interventions lead to the lowest losses in economy and mental well-being for a given number of life losses. The study has broader implications for managing the societal impact of infectious diseases and highlights the need to continue refining our understanding of these trade-offs and developing adaptable models and policy tools to safeguard public health while minimizing social and economic consequences. Overall, the study offers a robust and versatile framework for understanding and navigating the challenges posed by public health crises and pandemics. The third chapter of my PhD builds on the economic-epidemiological model developed in Chapter 2 to analyze the multifaceted effects of vaccine hesitancy in controlling the spread of infectious diseases, with a particular focus on the COVID-19 pandemic in Belgium. The study utilizes actual vaccination rates by age group until June 2021 and simulates the following months by incorporating realistic properties such as temporary immunity, age-specific vaccination hesitancy rates, daily vaccination capacity, and vaccine efficacy rate. The baseline scenario with an overall 27.1$\%$ vaccine hesitancy rate indicates that current vaccination rates in Belgium are sufficient to control the spread of COVID-19 without imposing social contact limitations. However, hypothetical scenarios with higher disease transmission rates demonstrate the high costs of vaccine hesitancy, resulting in significant losses in labour supply, mental well-being, and life losses. Throughout this thesis, I have described the costs and benefits induced by mobility, and shown that mobility policies make winners and losers. In Chapter 1, subsidizing the cost of language acquisition for migrants can bring significant benefits to the economy and migrants, but may marginally worsen the labour market performance of low-skilled natives. In Chapter 2, stringent policies alleviate health losses, but they impact economic activity and mental health. In Chapter 3, the health externalities generated by human interactions impose a potential tradeoff between values, namely the freedom to move and the freedom to choose to get vaccinated. In each of these chapters, I quantify these tradeoffs. Another important insight from this thesis is the need to incorporate behavioural aspects into macro models evaluating the consequences of policies related to human mobility. In the thesis, these aspects include individual investments in language training, decision-making on infection avoidance, social contacts, labour supply, and vaccination decisions. can lead to more effective policies that balance the interests of various stakeholders. Overall, this thesis contributes to the literature on human mobility by highlighting the potential benefits and challenges associated with it, and the need for nuanced and responsive policymaking that takes into account behavioural aspects and externalities. The insights gained from this thesis can be relevant for future research in economics on topics related to human mobility, public health, and labour market integration. [less ▲]

Möglichkeiten, Herausforderungen und Grenzen von Mixed-Methods-Designs: Erfahrungen aus einer empirischen Jugendstudie

Presentation (2023, April 20)