Programme
1. The role of international authorities vis-à-vis states
in crisis
Various elements can lead to a situation where governments can no longer exercise
a part of their powers, where states become ungovernable, or even that state
power as such disappears. More and more frequently one hears calls for action
on the part of international authorities.
What role can the international authorities play vis-à-vis states in
crisis?
This research should be conducted in collaboration with foreign partners.
2.
Reconstruction of states emerging from a war situation
What role can other countries, international/supranational institutions and
NGOs play in the reconstruction of countries emerging from a war situation?
Legitimacy, effectiveness and efficiency can be studied in several areas
(humanitarian, economic, political).
For conducting this research, preference will be given to teams which collaborate
with foreign partners.
3. The future of social policy in a global and European
context
What role does Belgium play in the international governmental organisations
(IGOs)? What are the implications for national identity of participation
in European and world structures? How is the European integration influencing
the development of a common social policy, and what are its consequences
for Belgian policy? Is it desirable and possible to strive for a common
objective with regard to quality of life?
4. The democratic deficit problem in Europe: is real democracy possible at the European level, and can one get the civil society effectively involved in its development? On a global level, the EU interacts as a regional political bloc with other IGOs. The real impact of these organisations on internal social policy is not adequately known. What are the consequences of globalisation on sovereignty and democratic decision-making?
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1. In Belgium as well as in other European countries, the democratic system has long been based on “pillarisation”. However, these mechanisms have been weakened by recent developments. Social and cultural evolutions (multi-ethnic and multicultural society, differentiation in lifestyle, individualism, etc.) are leading to a more complex, flexible and fragmented population. What are the characteristics and consequences of this “depillarisation”?
2. Over the past decade, various initiatives were undertaken to improve the functioning of the federal government institutions and the relations between politics-government institutions-citizens and private companies. The most familiar recent initiative is the Copernicus project. What lessons can one draw from it for future initiatives? What are the success and failure factors of modernisation projects in the federal public service? What are the specific characteristics of the (federal) public service in this respect? To what extent does the public service still differ from a private-sector company? What does this mean for the identity of its personnel?
3. The government tries to channel social life
in the right direction via numerous measures and interventions. Often there
is no evaluation of the concrete consequences of these measures in the field.
What instruments can be developed to concretely verify whether and how government
measures actually achieve their intended goals?
The productivity of government expenditures requires further research. Is
it possible to quantify the costs and benefits of government measures? Research
concerning this problematic can be either generic (development of widely
applicable methodologies) or sectoral (research on financial costs/benefits
of government measures in clearly identified areas).
4. The quality of public
services cannot be measured solely using objective criteria.
The perception and expectations of the public are important for the level
of satisfaction and trust. What is the connection between the quality of
the government institutions, public satisfaction and trust in the government?
What is the connection with interactive decision-making?
5. Functioning of the ombudspersons
The functioning of ombudspersons for the liberalised sectors (e.g. telecom,
electricity, etc.) is a topic of research which must draw a comparison with
the functioning of these ombudspersons in other European countries.
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1. The justice policy in general and the connections between different levels of policymaking and implementation. Both the echeloning itself and the connections between the various policy levels (the European included) must be mapped out. The general organisation of the system is to be integrated in this problematic: territorial organisation, different jurisdictions, dual organisations, human resource management, etc. Points of special interest here include: modernisation of the system, improvement of performance, and the efficiency and speed with which modernisation takes place.
2. The reforms in the legal process throughout Europe in the past decade point
in the direction of a simplification and a deformalisation of procedures in
order to obtain a better cost/benefit ratio.
In this respect, questions arise about the methods for developing an evaluation
of the system and about the choice of the indicators to be selected. These
indicators should correctly inform about the results and effects of the policy
within the judicial system, and of the policy that will be implemented with
the assistance of this system. This research must be worked out by a multidisciplinary
team and distinguish between the cost of criminality and the cost of justice.
Have the results of similar research abroad contributed to the definition of
policy priorities?
3. In recent decades, macro- and micro-sociological approaches have primarily focused on the functioning of institutions, the attitude of the population or the socio-political context within which new forms of punishment take place. By contrast, the analysis of the evolution of the behaviours labelled as «delinquent» has not been up to standard. The actors of the judicial system see it as a shortcoming that they do not have analytical schemes or evaluation methodologies for assessing the observed evolutions in the field and reacting to them more adequately. In other words, the social changes and their various components must be studied in order to be able to understand the evolutions within specific «delinquent» behaviours.
4. The past few decades have led to a change in society through the redistribution of responsibilities. How and to what extent should the civil society be involved in the maintenance of order and contribute to crime prevention and safety? Concepts such as community policing and community service as punishment, laws on money-laundering practices compelling the private sector to perform acts of verification and furnish information, indicate the various ways in which the civil society and the judicial system are becoming dependent on one another.
5. The problematic of justice must not be limited to criminal
justice. The image and the legitimacy of justice are also linked to the enforcement
of civil and administrative law.
The functioning of civil justice in particular, the underlying logic of its
organisation and administration, the possibly contradictory evolutions to
which it is subject (at one moment in accordance with formulas which expand
the power of the judge, then in accordance with others emphasising mediation),
and the way in which these various parameters influence the image and legitimacy
of justice must be examined.
6. It is possible that the question of “danger” and the appropriate response thereto will move to the centre of crime policy. How must we deal with offenders who are considered dangerous (e.g. guilty of sexual assault). Strategies for rendering them harmless, which are sometimes presented as a solution, have to be studied in the light of their real long-term impact and of possible side-effects. However, the problem of dangerousness will not be shaped only by criminals that are seen as dangerous, but above all by the image one forms of criminal networks and organisations and of terrorist organisations: which approaches which take into consideration the achievements of the last 25 years in the field of human rights, can be developed here?
7. In the present context, criminality is seen more as a violation of the law than as a cause of harm to one’s fellow man. The position of the victim in contemporary criminal law is extremely marginal. Although Belgium has taken many initiatives in recent years for a better recognition and a more efficient protection of victims, evaluative research into the effects of this regulation has still to be undertaken. Formal as well as more informal initiatives for restorative justice and mediation have emerged, generated by social-ethical considerations that perpetrators must receive an opportunity to contribute themselves to resolving the consequences of their offences. In Belgium, the sphere of application of restorative justice and mediation can still be widened. Research on restorative justice and mediation must include several elements: the relationship between these approaches and “conventional” criminal justice, the application of the modality, objectives and methods, a comparison with other countries, inclusion factors, effects (also in terms of rehabilitation and recidivism) and a cost-benefit analysis.
8. The phenomenon of prostitution is influenced by the policy approach taken with respect to it. One should investigate, within the framework of a comparative (legal) study, the extent to which legal and other regulations influence the phenomenon of prostitution. Within this research area, transversal links must be made with other themes of the programme, such as migration, criminality and the gender issue.
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1. Economic development and forward look: research on the manoeuvring
room for conducting an industrial and economic policy which aims at innovation
and competitiveness.
What is the competitive capacity of Belgium compared with other EU Member States?
What are Belgium's comparative advantages, what position should one adopt in
order to, from a forward looking perspective and within the framework of a
globalize economy, support the growth of a dynamic Belgian economy which is
capable of creating high-quality jobs?
Is it possible to identify the sectors which in the future will be able to
ensure jobs and productivity growth in Belgium?
In this connection one must study the interaction between budget policy and
economic growth, taking account of the consequences of the various aspects
of the budget policy on economic growth, not only those measures explicitly
designed to stimulate the economy.
Moreover, one should study ways to refine the methodologies for making predictions
about Belgium's economic growth. This research should lead to results which
can be used by institutions such as the National Bank of Belgium and the Federal
Planning Office.
2. The innovative company: companies must constantly adapt
to new developments in technology, regulations, internationalisation of markets,
but also in the composition and capacities of their personnel, their target
public, etc.
How can one move from an input-driven innovation process to a market-driven
innovation network?
What role does innovation play in liberalised sectors such as telecom, energy,
post?
Research in which cross-connections are established between changes in the
organisation of companies and other themes in this programme, such as the
problematic of innovation, multiculturality, gender, criminality, ageing,
quality of work, etc., would fit in well here.
3. Multi-level governance:
research into ways to regulate and to develop the economy within a context
of multi-level governance (international, European, federal, federated,
local). What methodology makes it possible to arrive at a single coherent set
of regulations across the multiple areas of authority?
Impact of the construction of Europe (treaties, regulations, standardisation,
etc.) on the long-term viability of the Belgian economy in terms of investments,
(de)localisation (above all of services), redistribution of wealth …
A concrete case of the problematic of multi-level governance could be a study
in the international context of the functioning in Belgium of telecom regulators
(BIPT): what do their functioning, powers, positioning within the state structure
look like?
4. Modernisation of control
The procedures to exercise control over companies must make possible a forward
looking policy, both at the level of the companies and of the government.
In this connection one must on the one hand examine the field of tension
between market information and prudential control, and on the other the
field of tension between prudential control and competition policy. How
can one promote a future-oriented approach to this problematic?
With regard to control, the cost and the impact of administrative burdens
on business must also be examined.
5. Social responsibility on the company level: because the social responsibility of companies can contribute to the strategic objectives of the Lisbon Summit , the following topics should be studied: the relationship between economic performance and social responsibility, the ways in which social responsibility is put into practice, the problematic of the acceptance of rules of social responsibility in the SMEs, the transparency of the instruments used to design, manage and describe the policy and practice of social responsibility.
6. The social economy and its place within the economy: long-term effects of the social economy in terms of employment - and the quality thereof -, the creation of wealth and the development of a forward look on the place of this sector in the national economy, public instruments which can be designed to support this vision; social costs and benefits of subsidised and unsubsidised social economy projects.
7. Competition law
The adaptation of competition law to the changing structures and to the ever-evolving
market structures is another research topic. More specifically, in studying
the aforementioned research areas, one could do transversal research on
how competition law can/must be modernised.
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1. New communication technologies broke up traditional patterns,
spaces and circuits of social interactions. Technologies can strengthen participation
and independence, but they can also lead to exclusion. How do these technologies
expand or reduce social inequality and the generation gap? How do they change
social security? How do they create new forms of participation, debate and
protest? How can they improve the relationship between citizen and government?
To what extent do the ´Public Access Points´ in public buildings
contribute, through public access to the internet, to the participation process?
2.
Social repercussions of new technologies.
The problematic of reproductive health is a case within the problematic of
the new technologies: a multidimensional (microsociology, public health,
law, etc.) study on the evolution of behaviours taking into account the
development of biomedical technologies and the new social problems would
fit in well here.
3. The new technologies, but also the new policy orientations, bring along new forms of related criminality (e.g. the new environmental legislation and the problem of controlling illegal waste streams). An appropriate Belgian legislation cannot be elaborated without taking clear account of the legislation in other countries and the initiatives being worked out at the European level.
4. The proliferation of new media and internet has created
parallel networks for the distribution and exchange of scientific, artistic
and cultural works. Research in genetics and biotechnology has led to new
relationships between the government and the private sector.
The new communication networks and the new partnerships in scientific research
are inducing dramatic changes in the equilibrium between market and state
and between intellectual property rights and the public domain.
The question of the new relations between government and the private sector
can be studied by using experiences from abroad on Public-Private Partnerships
applied to the field of Research and Development. What type of research is
indicated here? What is the best organisational form? How should property
rights be treated in Public-Private Partnerships?
5. Costs and benefits of
the science policy
The science policy has a direct (public contracts) and indirect (application
of scientific insights in management) impact on business in Belgium.
In this connection, a study of the costs and benefits of the science policy
is desirable. One is thinking in the first place of a research on the costs
and benefits in those sectors which use significant shares of the federal
budget for science policy, such as ESA and Airbus.
6. New communication
technologies and political mobilisation
How do the new communication technologies internationalise power networks,
social conflicts and protest movements? How do the more traditional political
institutions (government, parties, pressure groups, etc.) reorganise themselves
in this respect?
7. The new technologies offer opportunities for combating poverty and improving the quality of life in developing countries. Simply transferring technology is not enough. The developing countries must be able to build up their own capacities to assess these technologies from their own agenda, to develop or adapt them to fit their local conditions. How is the North-South co-operation taking place today? Are developing countries equal partners in international networks, or do they remain subordinated to the research agendas of the industrialised countries?
8.
Internet
The social importance of the “internet” phenomenon calls for
reinforced expertise in terms of research in the area of the human sciences.
One must elucidate the impact of the internet on the full range of human
activities, and in so doing decode the specific and differentiated ways in
which the internet adapts and forms itself via these various activities.
The following themes are listed by way of illustration:
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1.
Post-modern urban development and post-Fordist production processes have
to be studied in order to gain greater insight into the mechanisms of urban
sprawl and fragmentation.
Are there certain types of employment which correspond better to the needs
and characteristics of the urban population? How do social inequalities evolve
in spatial inequalities: is being unemployed in a region with high employment
different from being unemployed in one with low employment, are poor people
in wealthy areas better off or worse off than those in poor areas?
2. Government policy has an intentional or unintentional impact on spatial diversity in society. Research should examine the degree to which government policy - alone or in consultation or confrontation with other actors (e.g. ²civil society, business world) - can have an impact on certain developments, in particular on their spatial aspect. In this connection, priority will be given to research that generates insights into the government´s manoeuvring room and the relationships between the government and other actors in policy areas relating to economic development, promotion of employment and combating poverty.
3. Costs and benefits of international institutions
Given the presence in Belgium of the headquarters of various international
institutions and companies, a study of the costs and benefits of the presence
of these institutions in Belgium is indicated. The objective would be to
draw as fine a spatial picture as possible, so as to generate not only
overall figures, but also an image of the "winners" and "losers" at
the local level.
4. Cities were the nodal points of cultural and political innovation. Because of the fanning out of urban areas and thanks to modern communication technologies, however, many virtual networks have emerged. To what extent do spatial diversity (as an expression of historical developments), the differentiated emergence of virtual networks or the different meanings of spatial proximity play a role in the development of political ideas and forms of organisation, interculturality and democratic practices?
5.
Spatial diversity and everyday life.
Urban society is divided into a number of social groups with different lifestyles
and diverging notions about how and where they want to live and with different
expectations and possibilities for participating in economic life. Research
should be carried out on the interaction between individual and/or family
preferences concerning place to live, work, school, etc. and the development
of the spatial fabric. In this research, attention must be paid to the
individual and family living environment.
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1. The role of the labour market in inclusion or exclusion, the role of informal economies as alternatives for the regular labour market and mechanisms outside of the labour market which could lead to the exclusion or inclusion of persons or social groups and which strengthen or weaken the role of the labour market. Here the role of the state in the redistribution of wealth and the reduction of social inequality should also be taken into account.
2. The role of social capital and social solidarity in preventing social exclusion and in supporting persons and social/ethnic groups to climb the social ladder and integrate themselves into society. This research must also take account of the ageing of the population and the multi-ethnic composition of the society.
3. What defines the "trajectories" in the individual lifetime of persons who struggle with social exclusion: long or brief periods of poverty, transition from precarious to less precarious work situations, from "black" to the regular labour circuit and vice versa? Do inequality and social exclusion have an impact on crime figures, deviant behaviour and other social problems?
4. From a methodological perspective, it is desirable to develop instruments which can measure the quality of life and expectations about "welfare" in the modern or post-modern societies. This must go beyond the classical measures such as life expectancy, health indicators, income, etc.
5. In society, images are formed about individuals, groups, peoples and countries. Research is needed about the impact of image formation on policy and on attitudes and practices of discrimination and exclusion, and further on the impact of image formation on the extent to which the involved individuals and groups confirm their own identities or retreat into themselves, and the consequences of this on individual functioning, group formation, collective action, contributions to or dangers for social cohesion.
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1. Differences in wages between men and women
Research is needed on: the education/employment relation and the composition
of the nuclear and extended family, work/private life balance and its differential
impact on the material security of men and women (e.g. income, pension rights,
alimony); the career and the labour market position of women, gender and
distribution of privileges and power positions, glass ceiling . The identification
of the causes of these phenomena and of best practices is necessary.
2. Violence
within couples
What is the situation of violence within couples in Belgium? What are the
repercussions of violence within the family (especially on children)? An
evaluation of existing tools for prevention and repression of violence
within couples is necessary, as well as research into victims of this violence.
3.
New forms and new dynamics of family life.
What is the impact of new family forms on care for children and aged
parents? What are the consequences of the multiple commitments in the
middle of life on health and wage (including pension)? It would also
be interesting to study the family as the nodal point of relations between
generations, as well as the consequences of the geographic scattering
of family members, the relationship between work and family life (including
the role of the employer for the balance between the two worlds) and
the possible link between migration and changes in family relations.
Sexual freedom and reproductive health: a multidimensional (microsociology,
public health, law, etc.) study on the evolution of behaviours taking into
account the development of biomedical technologies and the new social problems
would fit in well here. Medically assisted reproduction becomes more accessible
and wide-spread. What is its impact on the health of women and on the creation
of the image of the couple and the body?
4. Withdrawal from the labour market
and the incomes of pensioners
The problematic of exiting the labour market lies at the intersection
of individual expectations and possibilities - which in general lead
to an early retirement - and the policy objectives of increasing the
level of activity, including for employees over the age of 50. Relevant
research topics are the activity of pensioners (paid and volunteer work,
care for family members needing help, participation in associations,
etc.) and the income situation of current and future pensioners (taking
into account the increasing life expectancy and the welfare erosion of
pensions, as well as the incomes from the second and third pension pillar).
5.
Restructuring of the last years of life
Maintaining self-reliance (and the possible role that can be played
by new technologies in achieving this), solidarity within and between
generations, the mistreatment of aged persons and the quality of life
of the most elderly are all subjects requiring study. Special attention
must be devoted to the differences within the older population and
to the consequences thereof in terms of income, self-reliance, family
ties, need for institutionalised assistance, etc. In this connection,
better knowledge of the practices within the families and the needs
of the aged of foreign origin is necessary.
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1. The multicultural society
Integration, defined as full participation in all sectors of society (social,
economic, cultural and political), is central for a multicultural society.
It would be useful to set up a large-scale national survey to monitor the
socio-economic situation and the socio-political behaviour of the most important
immigrant groups, in comparison with the majority population. The objective
is to make an inventory of the situation and to assess the political effectiveness
of integration.
2. Multiculturality and male/female equality
The situation of migrant women and women of foreign origin is insufficiently
known. It would be useful to remedy this by a thorough investigation into
specific problematics concerning these women in different sectors of life
(women's rights, judicial status, labour market, health, family dynamics,
etc.)
3. New migrations
It is important to know the composition of the waves of migration and their
profile, identify and study the processes of image formation in the countries
of origin, analyse the social and economic repercussions of the migrations
on the "host countries" and the countries of origin and understand
the reasons for and scope of illegal immigration (including the intermediaries
and networks).
We have no clear view of the lives led by illegal immigrants in Belgium,
or of the policy which would make it possible to prevent this type of immigration
while successfully integrating those who have established themselves in Belgium.
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1. Tendencies in, structures of the Belgian labour market: differences and similarities with the EU countries; impact of flexibility and deregulation; boundary between paid and unpaid activity, legal and black work (e.g. research on the services cheques and on the number and quality of the jobs created); tax burden on labour and consequences for employment.
2. Evaluation of the employment
policies: the employment policies must be evaluated from the perspective
of effectiveness (deadweight, substitution, etc.) and of the principles on
which they rest. Are these policies neutral from the perspectives male/female,
young/elderly, native/foreigner, handicaped/non-handicaped and does it contribute
to a sustainable integration of the target publics on the labour market?
The repercussions on the labour market of the enlargement of the EU must
be studied, as well as the place of employees of foreign origin with regard
to black work, the position of asylum-seekers and illegal immigrants on the
labour market, the practices of people of foreign origin on "the" labour
markets (are there professional careers which alternate periods of activity
on the black labour market with regular work?) as well as public and private
initiatives of "positive discrimination".
3. Institutions of the labour market, behaviours of the individuals: what is the repercussion of unemployment insurance on society, or how can one assess the risk of questioning the legitimacy of unemployment insurance in Belgium? What are the living conditions of unemployed? What are the relationships between the institutions which regulate the labour market (legal provisions, social dialogue, etc.) and social protection on the one hand, and the level of unemployment and the individual behaviours with regard to labour supply, on the other? The problem of the working poor and the policy to make work pay must also be examined here.
4. Labour market and workers over 50: Belgium is characterised
by the lowest level of employment among those over 50 in the EU. Among the
topics which must be studied one can mention: the end-of-career problematic
of employees in the public and private sectors (natural or forced retreatment,
disability or redundancy) as well as the measures workers take to ensure
themselves an income alongside the pension, the quality of the work of this
category of workers, their employability and the training which is needed to
improve it, the measures to allow to work after retirement age or to leave
the labour market before this, the problems and needs of the companies which
are confronted with an ageing population and the measures they take to solve
the problems.
The consequences of the ageing population on the productivity of the Belgian
economy must also be studied. What are the elements of this problematic?
How is it expressed at the company level and for the economy as a whole?
How do the employers and employees react? What role can the government play?
5.
Legitimacy of the unemployment insurance system
Within the unemployment insurance system, the National Employment Office
offers certain services (replacement income, adaptation of working hours,
and assistance in re-entering the job market). In order get a better understanding
of the system´s legitimacy, a study is needed on indicators of the socio-economic
impact of the system, the positions of the social partners (expectations,
anticipated evolutions, expected risks, proposed reforms), as well as research
on the perception of, expectations on and confidence in unemployment insurance
by the population.
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1. Longitudinal research over the entire lifespan should make it possible to study how the general social (e.g. income differences) and specific (of one social group e.g. the elderly, women) influences, from conception to death, affect inequality in health, thus how health risks are structured by the social (socio-economic change) and personal course of time (e.g. periods with a lot of stress at work, problems in the balance between work and private life, provision of care). If certain risk moments can be recognised for specific social groups, this can serve as a basis for a targeted health policy. Research on this subject must take into account the availability of reliable and policy-relevant data.
2. Health-affecting behaviour, such as physical exercise, diet, smoking and alcohol use, is socially defined and contributes to the social differences in health. Research is needed on the interaction of structural factors and the individual influence on health behaviour and the best way to organise an effective and well-targeted health promotion campaign within a Belgian context. One can concentrate on specific areas, such as the link between specific consumption or living habits and various types of cancer.
3. In Belgium,
the consumption of health care is largely demand-driven. There is a concern
that this can lead to a dependency culture, waste (e.g. unnecessary "shopping" for
health care), over-consumption and too little interest for evidence-based
health care among doctors.
Research is needed to explore whether there is over-use (and, if so, under
which circumstances this occurs); to better understand the consumption behaviour
(including the perception of symptoms and the decision-making process for
access to services, including social facilities, for oneself and others);
to analyse the problematic of the preferences and competences of patients
with regard to medical consumption.
This must include an evaluation of possible injustices (based on age, ethnic
origin, sex, domicile, etc.) in consumption and possibly socially defined
over- and under-use. One must consider whether changes such as higher contributions
(both direct and indirect own contributions) will aggravate any existing
unfairness.
4. The division of labour in health care is becoming ever more complex. Under certain circumstances, the blurring of the boundaries between professions (such as medicine and nursing) and teamwork can improve the efficiency and quality of thehealth care, for example in order to meet the needs of excluded or hard-to-reach groups. However, efforts to restructure the prevailing work habits can run into resistance in the professional world, where it is feared that working conditions and circumstances will be threatened. Research is needed on new inter-professional networks, forms of co-operation in inter-organisational forms of collaboration (e.g. networks between organisations and care providers), co-operation between professionals and volunteers in areas of non-institutional care (e.g. of the chronically-ill or aged) and the supervision of patients who assume responsibility for their own care.
5. In Lisbon (March
2000), the European Union committed itself to creating more and better jobs.
Health and safety are essential elements of high-quality work.
The research must analyse the new or emerging risks, focusing on all those
related to the general work environment (ergonomic, psychological and social),
such as stress, violence at work, psychosocial diseases, musculoskeletal
problems, mobbing, etc.
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