@article{OttoKernHauptetal.2021, author = {Otto, Antje and Kern, Kristine and Haupt, Wolfgang and Eckersley, Peter and Thieken, Annegret}, title = {Ranking local climate policy}, series = {Climatic change : an interdisciplinary, international journal devoted to the description, causes and implications of climatic change}, volume = {167}, journal = {Climatic change : an interdisciplinary, international journal devoted to the description, causes and implications of climatic change}, number = {1-2}, publisher = {Springer}, address = {Dordrecht}, issn = {0165-0009}, doi = {10.1007/s10584-021-03142-9}, pages = {23}, year = {2021}, abstract = {Climate mitigation and climate adaptation are crucial tasks for urban areas and can involve synergies as well as trade-offs. However, few studies have examined how mitigation and adaptation efforts relate to each other in a large number of differently sized cities, and therefore we know little about whether forerunners in mitigation are also leading in adaptation or if cities tend to focus on just one policy field. This article develops an internationally applicable approach to rank cities on climate policy that incorporates multiple indicators related to (1) local commitments on mitigation and adaptation, (2) urban mitigation and adaptation plans and (3) climate adaptation and mitigation ambitions. We apply this method to rank 104 differently sized German cities and identify six clusters: climate policy leaders, climate adaptation leaders, climate mitigation leaders, climate policy followers, climate policy latecomers and climate policy laggards. The article seeks explanations for particular cities' positions and shows that coping with climate change in a balanced way on a high level depends on structural factors, in particular city size, the pathways of local climate policies since the 1990s and funding programmes for both climate mitigation and adaptation.}, language = {en} } @article{OttoGoepfertThieken2021, author = {Otto, Antje and G{\"o}pfert, Christian and Thieken, Annegret}, title = {Are cities prepared for climate change?}, series = {Mitigation and adaptation strategies for global change : an international journal devoted to scientific, engineering, socio-economic and policy responses to environmental change}, volume = {26}, journal = {Mitigation and adaptation strategies for global change : an international journal devoted to scientific, engineering, socio-economic and policy responses to environmental change}, number = {8}, publisher = {Springer}, address = {Dordrecht}, issn = {1381-2386}, doi = {10.1007/s11027-021-09971-4}, pages = {25}, year = {2021}, abstract = {Cities can be severely affected by climate change. Hence, many of them have started to develop climate adaptation strategies or implement measures to help prepare for the challenges it will present. This study aims to provide an overview of climate adaptation in 104 German cities. While existing studies on adaptation tracking rely heavily on self-reported data or the mere existence of adaptation plans, we applied the broader concept of adaptation readiness, considering five factors and a total of twelve different indicators, when making our assessments. We clustered the cities depending on the contribution of these factors to the overall adaptation readiness index and grouped them according to their total score and cluster affiliations. This resulted in us identifying four groups of cities. First, a pioneering group comprises twelve (mainly big) cities with more than 500,000 inhabitants, which showed high scores for all five factors of adaptation readiness. Second, a set of 36 active cities, which follow different strategies on how to deal with climate adaptation. Third, a group of 28 cities showed considerably less activity toward climate adaptation, while a fourth set of 28 mostly small cities (with between 50,000 and 99,999 inhabitants) scored the lowest. We consider this final group to be pursuing a 'wait-and-see' approach. Since the city size correlates with the adaptation readiness index, we recommend policymakers introduce funding schemes that focus on supporting small cities, to help them prepare for the impact of a changing climate.}, language = {en} } @article{NathoThieken2018, author = {Natho, Stephanie and Thieken, Annegret}, title = {Implementation and adaptation of a macro-scale method to assess and monitor direct economic losses caused by natural hazards}, series = {International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction}, volume = {28}, journal = {International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Amsterdam}, issn = {2212-4209}, doi = {10.1016/j.ijdrr.2018.03.008}, pages = {191 -- 205}, year = {2018}, abstract = {As one of the 195 member countries of the United Nations, Germany signed the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 (SFDRR). Among other targets, the SFDRR aims at reducing direct economic losses caused by natural hazards by 2030. The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) has hence proposed a methodology for estimating direct economic losses per event and country, based on experiences from developing countries. Since its usability in industrialized countries is unknown, this study presents the first implementation and validation of this approach in Germany. The methodology was tested for the three costliest natural hazard types in Germany, i.e. floods, wind and hail storms, considering 12 case studies between 1984 and 2016. Although the event-specific input data requirements are restricted to the number of damaged or destroyed units per sector, incomplete event documentations did not allow a full validation of all sectors necessary to describe the total direct economic loss. New modules (cars, forestry, paved roads, housing contents and overall costs of urban infrastructure) were developed to better adapt this methodology to German conditions. Whereas the original UNISDR methodology both over-and underestimates the losses of the tested events by a wide margin, the adapted methodology is able to calculate losses accounting well for all event types except for flash floods. Hence, this approach serves as a good starting point for macro-scale loss estimations. By implementing this approach into damage and event documentation and reporting standards, a consistent monitoring of the SFDRR could be achieved.}, language = {en} } @article{Maerz2019, author = {M{\"a}rz, Moses Alexander}, title = {Imagining a politics of relation}, series = {Tydskrif vir letterkunde}, volume = {56}, journal = {Tydskrif vir letterkunde}, number = {1}, publisher = {University of Pretoria}, address = {Pretoria}, issn = {0041-476X}, doi = {10.17159/2309-9070/tvl.v.56i1.6271}, pages = {49 -- 61}, year = {2019}, abstract = {This study explores the theoretical and political potentials of {\´E}douard Glissant's philosophy of relation and its approach to the issues of borders, migration, and the setup of political communities as proposed by his pens{\´e}e nouvelle de la fronti{\`e}re (new border thought), against the background of the German migration crisis of 2015. The main argument of this article is that Glissant's work offers an alternative epistemological and normative framework through which the contemporary political issues arising around the phenomenon of repressive border regimes can be studied. To demonstrate this point, this article works with Glissant's border thought as an analytical lens and proposes a pathway for studying the contemporary German border regime. Particular emphasis is placed on the identification of potential areas where a Glissantian politics of relation could intervene with the goal of transforming borders from impermeable walls into points of passage. By exploring the political implications of his border thought, as well as the larger philosophical context from which it emerges, while using a transdisciplinary approach that borrows from literary and political studies, this work contributes to ongoing debates in postcolonial studies on borders and borderlessness, as well as Glissant's political legacy in the twenty-first century.}, language = {en} } @article{MorandiKailToedteretal.2017, author = {Morandi, Bertrand and Kail, Jochem and T{\"o}dter, Anne and Wolter, Christian and Piegay, Herve}, title = {Diverse Approaches to Implement and Monitor River Restoration}, series = {Environmental Management}, volume = {60}, journal = {Environmental Management}, publisher = {Springer}, address = {New York}, issn = {0364-152X}, doi = {10.1007/s00267-017-0923-3}, pages = {931 -- 946}, year = {2017}, abstract = {River restoration is a main emphasis of river management in European countries. Cross-national comparisons of its implementation are still rare in scientific literature. Based on French and German national censuses, this study compares river restoration practices and monitoring by analysing 102 French and 270 German projects. This comparison aims to draw a spatial and temporal framework of restoration practices in both countries to identify potential drivers of cross-national similarities and differences. The results underline four major trends: (1) a lag of almost 15 years in river restoration implementation between France and Germany, with a consequently higher share of projects in Germany than in France, (2) substantial similarities in restored reach characteristics, short reach length, small rivers, and in "agricultural" areas, (3) good correspondences between stressors identified and restoration measures implemented. Morphological alterations were the most important highlighted stressors. River morphology enhancement, especially instream enhancements, were the most frequently implemented restoration measures. Some differences exist in specific restoration practices, as river continuity restoration were most frequently implemented in French projects, while large wood introduction or channel re-braiding were most frequently implemented in German projects, and (4) some quantitative and qualitative differences in monitoring practices and a significant lack of project monitoring, especially in Germany compared to France. These similarities and differences between Germany and France in restoration application and monitoring possibly result from a complex set of drivers that might be difficult to untangle (e.g., environmental, technical, political, cultural).}, language = {en} } @article{MellJacobFuhretal.2017, author = {Mell, Thomas and Jacob, Louis and Fuhr, Ida and Dick, Sandra and Rapp, Michael A. and Kostev, Karel}, title = {Patterns of benzodiazepine prescribing by neuropsychiatrists and general practitioners for elderly patients in Germany in 2014}, series = {International journal of clinical pharmacology and therapeutics}, volume = {55}, journal = {International journal of clinical pharmacology and therapeutics}, publisher = {Dustri-Verlag Dr. Karl Feistle}, address = {Deisenhofen-M{\"u}nchen}, issn = {0946-1965}, doi = {10.5414/CP202904}, pages = {466 -- 471}, year = {2017}, abstract = {Background: The patterns of benzodiazepine prescriptions in older adults are of general and scientific interest as they are not yet well understood. The aim of this study was to compare the prescription patterns of benzodiazepines in elderly people in Germany to determine the share or proportion treated by general practitioners (GP) and neuropsychiatrists (NP). Methods: This study included 31,268 and 6,603 patients between the ages of 65 and 100 with at least one benzodiazepine prescription in 2014 from GP and NP, respectively. Demographic data included age, gender, and type of health insurance coverage. The share of elderly people with benzodiazepine prescriptions was estimated in different age and disease groups for both GP and NP patients. The share of the six most commonly prescribed drugs was also calculated for each type of practice. Results: The share of people taking benzodiazepines prescribed by GP increased from 3.2\% in patients aged between 65 and 69 years to 8.6\% in patients aged between 90 and 100 years, whereas this share increased from 5.4\% to 7.1\% in those seen by NP. Benzodiazepines were frequently used by patients suffering from sleep disorders (GP: 33.9\%; NP: 5.5\%), depression (GP: 17.9\%; NP: 29.8\%), and anxiety disorders (GP: 14.5\%; NP: 22.8\%). Lorazepam (30.3\%), oxazepam (24.7\%), and bromazepam (24.3\%) were the three most commonly prescribed drugs for GP patients. In contrast, lorazepam (60.4\%), diazepam (14.8\%), and oxazepam (11.2\%) were those more frequently prescribed to NP patients. Conclusion: Prescription patterns of benzodiazepine in the elderly varied widely between GP and NP.}, language = {en} } @article{MarchewkaTomaszewskaSchusteretal.2022, author = {Marchewka, Juliette and Tomaszewska, Paulina and Schuster, Isabell and Krah{\´e}, Barbara}, title = {Unacknowledged and missed cases of sexual victimization}, series = {Aggressive behavior : a multidisciplinary journal devoted to the experimental and observational analysis of conflict in humans and animals}, volume = {48}, journal = {Aggressive behavior : a multidisciplinary journal devoted to the experimental and observational analysis of conflict in humans and animals}, number = {6}, publisher = {Wiley-Liss}, address = {New York}, issn = {0096-140X}, doi = {10.1002/ab.22043}, pages = {573 -- 582}, year = {2022}, abstract = {From the beginning of systematic research on sexual victimization, it has been recognized that a substantial proportion of women report nonconsensual sexual experiences meeting the defining criteria of rape in response to behaviorally specific items, but do not acknowledge their experience as rape in response to broad questions about whether they have ever been raped. Recent studies suggest that rates of unacknowledged rape may be as high or even higher among men than among women. This study examined rates of unacknowledged female and male victims of rape and sexual assault by comparing responses to behaviorally specific items of the Sexual Aggression and Victimization Scale (SAV-S) with responses to broad questions using the labels of sexual assault and rape (SARA) in 593 participants (303 women) in Germany. As predicted, more women and men were classified as rape victims based on behaviorally specific items than on the basis of the broad rape item. The rates of unacknowledged rape were about 60\% for women and 75\% for men. The gender difference was not significant. Against our prediction, no significant differences in acknowledgement of sexual assault were found in relation to coercive strategy and victim-perpetrator relationship. Few cases of rape and sexual assault identified by the SARA items were missed by the behaviorally specific questions. The implications for establishing prevalence rates of rape and sexual assault and for comparing victims and nonvictims in terms of vulnerability factors and outcomes of sexual victimization are discussed.}, language = {en} } @article{LiedlFritschSamperMejiaetal.2023, author = {Liedl, Bernd and Fritsch, Nina-Sophie and Samper Mejia, Cristina and Verwiebe, Roland}, title = {Risk perceptions of individuals living in single-parent households during the COVID-19 crisis}, series = {Frontiers in sociology}, volume = {8}, journal = {Frontiers in sociology}, publisher = {Frontiers Media}, address = {Lausanne}, issn = {2297-7775}, doi = {10.3389/fsoc.2023.1265302}, pages = {13}, year = {2023}, abstract = {The COVID-19 crisis had severe social and economic impact on the life of most citizens around the globe. Individuals living in single-parent households were particularly at risk, revealing detrimental labour market outcomes and assessments of future perspectives marked by worries. As it has not been investigated yet, in this paper we study, how their perception about the future and their outlook on how the pandemic will affect them is related to their objective economic resources. Against this background, we examine the subjective risk perception of worsening living standards of individuals living in single-parent households compared to other household types, their objective economic situation based on the logarithmised equivalised disposable household incomes and analyse the relationship between those indicators. Using the German SOEP, including the SOEP-CoV survey from 2020, our findings based on regression modelling reveal that individuals living in single-parent households have been worse off during the pandemic, facing high economic insecurity. Path and interaction models support our assumption that the association between those indicators may not be that straightforward, as there are underlying mechanisms-such as mediation and moderation-of income affecting its direction and strength. With respect to our central hypotheses, our empirical findings point toward (1) a mediation effect, by demonstrating that the subjective risk perception of single-parent households can be partly explained by economic conditions. (2) The moderating effect suggests that the concrete position at the income distribution of households matters as well. While at the lower end of the income distribution, single-parent households reveal particularly worse risk perceptions during the pandemic, at the high end of the income spectrum, risk perceptions are similar for all household types. Thus, individuals living in single-parent households do not perceive higher risks of worsening living standards due to their household situation per se, but rather because they are worse off in terms of their economic situation compared to individuals living in other household types.}, language = {en} } @article{LiBuenningKaiseretal.2022, author = {Li, Jianghong and B{\"u}nning, Mareike and Kaiser, Till and Hipp, Lena}, title = {Who suffered most?}, series = {Journal of family research}, volume = {34}, journal = {Journal of family research}, number = {1}, publisher = {University of Bamberg Press}, address = {Bamberg}, issn = {2699-2337}, doi = {10.20377/jfr-704}, pages = {281 -- 309}, year = {2022}, abstract = {Objective: This study examines gender and socioeconomic inequalities in parental psychological wellbeing (parenting stress and psychological distress) during the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany. Background: The dramatic shift of childcare and schooling responsibility from formal institutions to private households during the pandemic has put families under enormous stress and raised concerns about caregivers' health and wellbeing. Despite the overwhelming media attention to families' wellbeing, to date limited research has examined parenting stress and parental psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly in Germany. Method: We analyzed four waves of panel data (N= 1,771) from an opt-in online survey, which was conducted between March 2020 and April 2021. Multivariable OLS regressions were used to estimate variations in the pandemic's effects on parenting stress and psychological distress by various demographic and socioeconomic characteristics. Results: Overall, levels of parenting stress and psychological distress increased during the pandemic. During the first and third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, mothers, parents with children younger than 11 years, parents with two or more children, parents working from home as well as parents with financial insecurity experienced higher parenting stress than other sociodemographic groups. Moreover, women, respondents with lower incomes, single parents, and parents with younger children experienced higher levels of psychological distress than other groups. Conclusion: Gender and socioeconomic inequalities in parents' psychological wellbeing increased among the study participants during the pandemic.}, language = {en} } @article{Leung2016, author = {Leung, Ray C. H.}, title = {A corpus-based analysis of textbooks used in the orientation course for immigrants in Germany: Ideological and pedagogic implications}, series = {Journal of Language and Cultural Education}, volume = {4}, journal = {Journal of Language and Cultural Education}, publisher = {De Gruyter}, address = {Berlin}, issn = {1339-4045}, doi = {10.1515/jolace-2016-0030}, pages = {154 -- 177}, year = {2016}, language = {en} }