Digital Commons Network^™

Examining The Relationship Between Community Residents' Economic Status And The Outcomes Of Community Development Programs, Christopher R. Larrison, Eric Hadley-Ives

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

In designing and implementing community development interventions the economic status of targeted participants is a demographic characteristic worth considering. The findings from this research indicate that even within the limited economies of rural Mexican villages there are variations in economic status that affect the ways in which the outcomes of community development programs are perceived. The poorest of the poor are likely to be less satisfied with development projects than those with average or better-off economic status. This is true whether a development project uses a bottomup approach or a top-down approach. The more participatory approach does not attenuate the …

Cleavage In American Attitudes Toward Social Welfare, William M. Epstein

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Opinion polls probing both the narrow and broad senses of social welfare among Americans indicate hardly any substantial differences over crucial social sentiments among a variety of groups with at least theoretically divergent interests: rich and poor, men and women, blacks and whites, a variety of ethnic groups, union and nonunion households. The items mainly concern the provision of welfare to the poor through AFDC, now TANF, and Food Stamps but also cover OASDHI. Consistently over more than sixty five years of systematic opinion polling, there is an astonishing consensus, so large in fact that it may undermine any effort …

Legislating The Family: Heterosexist Bias In Social Welfare Policy Frameworks, Amy Lind

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This article addresses the effects of heterosexist bias in social welfare policy frameworks on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) individuals and families in the United States. It discusses the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA), the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), federal definitions of family and household, and stereotypes about LGBT individuals. It argues that poor LGBT individuals and families lack full citizen rights and access to needed social services as a result of these explicit and implicit biases.

Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Vol. 31, No. 4 (December 2004)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• "CURIOUSLY UNINVOLVED": SOCIAL WORK AND PROTEST AGAINST THE WAR IN VIETNAM - Susan Kerr Chandler
• LEGISLATING THE FAMILY: HETEROSEXIST BIAS IN SOCIAL WELFARE POLICY FRAMEWORKS - Amy Lind
• EXAMINING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN COMMUNITY RESIDENTS' ECONOMIC STATUS AND THE OUTCOMES OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS - Christopher R. Larrison, Eric Hadley-Ives
• THE BENEFITS OF MARRIAGE RECONSIDERED - Barbara Wells, Maxine Baca Zinn
• MEASURING AND INDIGENIZING SOCIAL CAPITAL IN RELATION TO CHILDREN'S STREET WORK IN MEXICO: THE ROLE OF CULTURE IN SHAPING SOCIAL CAPITAL
• INDICATORS - Kristin M. Ferguson
• THE WELFARE MYTH: DISENTANGLING THE LONG-TERM EFFECTS OF POVERTY AND WELFARE …

The Benefits Of Marriage Reconsidered, Barbara Wells, Maxine Baca Zinn

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This paper suggests that analyses of marriage experience take into account both structures of inequality and context. Although marriage is widely viewed as producing economic well-being and family stability, this analysis of a sample of White rural families finds the likelihood of realizing these benefits to be closely related to social class position. Marriage failed to produce these benefits for many working class and poor families. Although gains in economic self-sufficiency are viewed as an explanation for White women's perceived retreat from marriage, the limited opportunity structure for women in this rural place provides a context in which women continue …

Review Of Western Welfare In Decline: Globalization And Women's Poverty. Catherine Kingfisher. Reviewed By Silvia Borzutsky., Silvia Borzutzky

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Catherine Kingfisher, Western Welfare in Decline: Globalization and Women's Poverty. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2003. $49.95 hardcover, $21.95 papercover.

Public Pensions: Gender And Civic Service In The States, 1850-1937. Susan M. Sterett., James Midgley

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book note for Susan M. Sterett, Public Pensions: Gender and Civic Service in the States, 1850-1937. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 2003. $ 39.95 papercover.

Self-Help Group Participation And Empowerment In Hong Kong, Bong-Ho Mok

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This paper reports on the first comprehensive study of self-help groups in Hong Kong. Initial findings from the quantative and qualitative data suggest that self-help group participation has an impact on intrapersonal, interpersonal and community/political empowerment. Based on existing data, this study has resulted in the development of a hypothetical model encompassing the interrelationships among self-help group participation, social support, social learning, leadership and empowerment, for testing in future research.

Informal Care-Two-Tiered Care? The Work Of Family Members And Friends In Hospitals And Cancer Centres, Christina Sinding

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

In a qualitative study conducted in Ontario, Canada, family members and friends of ill people defined a normal territory in which care from health professionals could not be counted on to be timely, effective or empathic. Under these conditions relatives and friends took on considerable responsibility, both for providing care and for securing care from health professionals. Yet considerable variation was apparent in this study in the sense respondents had of their own capacities to provide and secure care. Findings from this study suggest that service tiers exist in the institutional care system, linked to the time, knowledge and resources …

What Mothers Want: Welfare Reform And Maternal Desire, Patricia K. Jennings

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

In this study I use participant observations,face-to-face interviews, and focus group interviews to examine how women on welfare read and negotiate culture-of-poverty discourse and the imagery that this discourse spawns. I spoke with two groups of young single mothers receiving welfare. The first group included young mothers between the ages of 18 and 23 who were attending high school in a community-based program that served women on welfare. The second group included mothers in their early to mid 20's who were attending either a local two-year college or research university. Education was a path of resistance for the women in …

Losing The "Eyes In The Back Of Our Heads": Social Service Skills, Lean Caring, And Violence, Donna Baines

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Violence in the social services work place in general, and the developmental services in particular,h as increased in the last several years. Findingsf rom an ethnographic study suggests that new, lean forms of work organization remove opportunities to use or learn many of the tacit or practice skills workers previously used to keep themselves and their clients safer in the work place. This article describes many of these skills and the new management schemes that remove the possibility to develop or transmit these praxis skills. The article concludes by analyzing the convergence between the new labour processes and the competency …

Economic Well-Being Of Single Mothers: Work First Or Postsecondary Education?, Min Zhan, Shanta Pandey

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This article investigates the relationship between single mothers' education and their economic well-being. Through the analysis of the 1993 Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) data, we examine the effect of education on a sample of White and African American single mothers. The results indicate that past work experience is a weak predictor of current economic well-being. Having education, particularly postsecondary education, on the other hand, significantly improves their economic status. The results challenge the "work-first" approach to alleviating poverty and provide more support for designing policies to develop human capital.

Review Of Men Who Believe In Feminism. Amanda Goldrick Jones. Reviewed By Cheryl A. Hyde., Cheryl A. Hyde

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Amanda Goldrick Jones, Men Who Believe in Feminism. Westport, CT: Praegar, 2003. $64.95 hardcover.

Review Of Social Identities Across The Life Course. Jenny Hockey And Alison James. Reviewed By Marvin D. Feit., Marvin D. Feit

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Jenny Hockey and Alison James, Social Identities across the Life Course. New York: Pagrave Macmillan, 2003. $75 hardcover, $24.95 papercover.

The Difference Disability Makes. Rod Michalko.

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book note for Rod Michalko, The Difference that Disability Makes. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2002, $ 19.95 paperback.

Aging In The New Millenium: A Global View. Terry Tirrito.

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book note for Terry Tirrito, Aging in the New Millennium: A Global View. Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina Press, 2003. $ 18.95 papercover.

Work-Based Welfare As A Ritual: Understanding Marginalization In Post-Independence Lithuania, Arunas Juska, Richard Pozzuto

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The paper analyzes the functioning of the newly created labor exchange in post-Soviet Lithuania. It is argued that the labor exchange in post-Soviet Lithuania operates under the conditions of a structural contradiction: welfare services are designed to reintegrate unemployed into the labor force under the conditions of (a) increasing competitiveness of the labor markets and (b) a rapid decline of employment within the Lithuanian economy. As a result, labor redundancy is produced which consists predominantly of low skill/education individuals. Because the economy is unable to generate employment, job searches for this segment of the population are transformed into a highly …

Making Tanf Work: Organizational Restructuring, Staff Buy-In, And Performance Monitoring In Local Implementation, Frank Ridzi

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

While research suggests that staff resistance to change and intentional subversion have hampered prior welfare reform efforts, this does not appear to be the case for the 1996 Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA). This paper draws on data from a study of East County, New York to explicate the mechanisms that have enabled the unprecedented transformation in local implementation practice in this case. Interviews, participant observation, and textual analysis of legislative and program documents identify new program creation, staff buy-in, and the environment created by stern performance measures as instrumental in bringing about the PRWORA's successful implementation …

Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Vol. 31, No. 2 (June 2004)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• WORK-BASED WELFARE AS RITUAL: UNDERSTANDING MARGINALIZATION IN POST-INDEPENDENCE-LITHUANIA - Arunas Juska & Richard Pozzuto
• MAKING TANF WORK: ORGANIZATIONAL RESTRUCTURING, STAFF BUY-IN, AND PERFORMANCE MONITORING IN LOCAL IMPLEMENTATION - Frank Ridzi
• LEGISLATIVE CASEWORK: WHERE POLICY AND PRACTICE MEET - Larry Ortiz, Cindy Wirz, Kelli Semion, & Ciro Rodriguez
• "WON'T BE WEIGHTED DOWN": RICHARD WRIGHT JR.'S CONTRIBUTIONS TO SOCIAL WORK AND SOCIAL WELFARE - Kevin Modesto
• DIGITAL DIVIDE IN COMPUTER ACCESS AND USE BETWEEN POOR AND NON-POOR YOUTH - Mary Keegan Eamon
• BATTERED AND ON WELFARE: THE EXPERIENCES OF WOMEN WITH THE FAMILY VIOLENCE OPTION - Judy L. Postmus …

Digital Divide In Computer Access And Use Between Poor And Non-Poor Youth, Mary Keegan Eamon

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The main objectives of this study were to examine the "digital divide" in home computer ownership and to evaluate differences in academic and non-academic computer use between poor and non-poor youth. Data from a national sample of 1,029, 10- through 14-year-old young adolescents were analyzed. Results show that poor youth were .36 times as likely to own a home computer, but equally as likely to use their home computer for academic purposes as were non-poor youth. Poor youth did not differ from non-poor youth in how often they used any computer for academic purposes, but were less likely to use …

Battered And On Welfare: The Experiences Of Women With The Family Violence Option, Judy L. Postmus

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Noting the incidence of battered women on welfare, lawmakers passed the Family Violence Option (FVO), which allows states to offer waivers from welfare program requirements. Assumptions were made that many women would seek relief under the FVO. However, reports indicate that less than 5 percent of welfare recipients are receiving waivers. This paper presents the findings from a qualitative study that sought to explore the experiences of 29 battered women with the welfare system and the FVO in New York State. Their experiences suggest that changes in FVO screening process are necessary to fully implement the program in the way …

Review Of Handbook Of Drug Abuse Prevention: Theory Science And Practice. Zili Sloboda & William J. Bukowski (Eds). Reviewed By Sean R. Hogan., Sean R. Hogan

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Zili Sloboda and William J. Bukoski (Eds.), Handbook of Drug Abuse Prevention: Theory, Science, and Practice. New York: Kluwer Academic Publishers, 2003. $150.00 hardcover.

Review Of The Origins Of Justice: The Evolution Of Morality, Human Rights, And Law. John O' Manique. Reviewed By Dorothy Van Soest., Dorothy Van Soest

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of John O' Manique. The Origins of Justice: The Evolution of Morality, Human Rights and Law. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2003. $36.50 hardover, $26.00 papercover.

Making Men Into Fathers. Men Masculinities, And The Social Policies Of Fatherhood. Barbara Hobson (Ed.).

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book note for Hobson, B. (Ed.), Making Men into Fathers: Men, Masculinities, and the Social Policies of Fatherhood New York: Cambridge Univer- sity Press, 2002. $60.00 hardcover, $22.00 papercover.

Reaching Higher: The Power Of Expectations In Schooling. Rhona Weinstein.

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book note for Rhona Weinstein, Reaching Higher: The Power of Expectations in Schooling. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2002. $39.95 hardcover.

Review Of Engendering International Health: The Challenge Of Equity. Gita Sen, Asha George And Piroska Osltin (Eds.). Reviewed By Deborah Schild Wilkinson., Deborah Schild Wilkinson

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Gita Sen, Asha George and Piroska Osltin (Eds.) Engendering International Health: The Challenge of Equity. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2002 $24.95 papercover.

Review Of Controversial Issues In Social Policy. Howard Jacob Karger, James Midgley, & C Brene Brown (Eds.). Reviewed By Mizanur R. Miah., Mizanur R. Miah

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Howard Jacob Karger, James Midgley and C. Brene Brown (Eds.), Controversial Issues in Social Policy. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 2003. $ 24.67 papercover.

Achieving Justice In Child Protection, Rob Neff

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

As formal systems for the protection of children have evolved in this country, certain barriers to achieving justice within the child protection system have emerged concomitantly. Specifically, these barriers involve ambiguous definitions of abuse and the appearance of social inequality and bias within the child protection system. One means of surmounting these barriers to justice is family group conferencing (FGC). Support for this assertion comes from the integration of the restorative justice model and procedural justice theory. When applied to the practice of FGCs in child protection, the integration of these theoretical perspectives provides a strong rationale for the use …

Moving Beyond The Criminal Justice Paradigm: A Radical Restorative Justice Approach To Intimate Abuse, Peggy Grauwiler, Linda G. Mills

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This article traces the history of the development of the treatment of domestic violence as a crime in the United States and the conceptual and practical limitations of this approach in addressing this important social issue. An extensive body of research on restorative justice practice suggests that restorative approaches may contribute to reducing and preventing family violence. Drawing on restorative justice principles, an alternative or supplement to criminal justice approaches is outlined for working with all parties involved in abusive relationships.

Review Of Addiction Treatment: A Strengths Perspective. Katherine Van Wormer & Diane Rae Davis. Reviewed By Mike Gorman., Mike Gorman

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Van Wormer, Katherine and Davis, Diane Rae, Addiction Treatment A Strength's Perspective, Pacific Grove, CA: Thomson Brooks Cole, 2003. $ 51.92 papercover.