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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Flawed Assumptions Of Welfare Participation: A Comparative Analysis Of Ohio And North Carolina Counties, Kasey Ray Jan 2020

Flawed Assumptions Of Welfare Participation: A Comparative Analysis Of Ohio And North Carolina Counties, Kasey Ray

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Welfare participation has been a longstanding issue of public debate for 50 years but remains largely understudied in welfare literature. The purpose of this research is to challenge the flawed assumptions of welfare participation by examining the varying spatial inequalities that influence U.S. welfare participation rates among eligible poor. This comparative analysis uses spatial inequality theory to examine welfare-to-work participation rates in all North Carolina and Ohio counties. I find that Ohio county welfare-to-work participation rates are most affected by region, race and gender while North Carolina county rates are most affected by politics, industry and race.


Physical Activity In Two Low-Income Detroit Neighborhoods: Disentangling Human Agency From Social Structure, Daniel J. Rose Jan 2020

Physical Activity In Two Low-Income Detroit Neighborhoods: Disentangling Human Agency From Social Structure, Daniel J. Rose

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This article explores strategies developed by African American residents in response to barriers to physical activity in two low-income Detroit neighborhoods. Using 47 in-depth, qualitative interviews, a grounded theory approach allowed the analysis to be reframed around the ways in which structural factors conditioned, but did not determine the human agency of residents seeking physical activity. Interviews revealed numerous responses to structural barriers such as devising home routines, cognitive mapping to avoid perceived threats, and leaving the neighborhood to access resources. Differences in neighborhood contexts, along with unique individual concerns, showed that agency was neither a constant nor independent force, …


Social Ties, Social Support, And Collective Efficacy Among Families From Public Housing In Chicago And Baltimore, Rebecca Joyce Kissane, Susan Clampet-Lundquist Dec 2012

Social Ties, Social Support, And Collective Efficacy Among Families From Public Housing In Chicago And Baltimore, Rebecca Joyce Kissane, Susan Clampet-Lundquist

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This paper explores the social ties and capital of women relocating to low-poverty neighborhoods through the Moving to Opportunity program and a "regular mover" group who did not. Findings suggest the low-poverty movers seldom made close ties in their new neighborhoods; they also had fewer childhood friends and exchanged less support than the regular movers. Many, however, welcomed escaping the constant exchange that characterized their former neighborhoods and moved to areas higher in collective efficacy--experiencing neighborhoods rated high in child supervision, facing less conflictual relations with neighbors, and exhibiting greater trust in others-relative to the regular movers.


Racial Attitudes In The New Millennium: Cool Feelings In Hot Times, Sarah E. Cribbs Mar 2012

Racial Attitudes In The New Millennium: Cool Feelings In Hot Times, Sarah E. Cribbs

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

In The Declining Significance of Race, William Julius Wilson (1980) stated social class was more influential than race in determining social outcomes for Blacks. This thesis remains a controversial centerpiece among race scholars. This paper examines one part of the overall puzzle of American race relations: white racial attitudes since September 11, 2001. Using Wilson's declining significance of race thesis, I question if white racial attitudes toward Blacks declined significantly from 2002 to 2004. If social class exerts greater influence on social indicators than race in the coming years, will racial prejudice, particularly toward Blacks, also decline in significance? What …


"Waiting For The White Man To Fix Things:" Rebuilding Black Poverty In New Orleans, Robert L. Hawkins, Katherine Maurer Mar 2012

"Waiting For The White Man To Fix Things:" Rebuilding Black Poverty In New Orleans, Robert L. Hawkins, Katherine Maurer

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This paper revisits William Julius Wilson's thesis that class has surpassed race in significance of impact on African Americans. Our study uses qualitative data from a three-year ethnographic study of 40 largely low-income families in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina. We also include a review of the recent U.S. Census study assessing New Orleans's current economic state. Participants in our study viewed race and class as major factors in four areas: (1) immediately following the devastation; (2) during relocation to other communities; (3) during the rebuilding process; and (4) historically and structurally throughout New Orleans. Our analysis concludes that racism …


Rescuing Children And Punishing Poor Families: Housing Related Decisions, Corey Shdaimah Sep 2009

Rescuing Children And Punishing Poor Families: Housing Related Decisions, Corey Shdaimah

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Child welfare policy is not self implementing; an understanding of child welfare policy must therefore include the decision making practices by those whom Michael Lipsky (1980) has called "streetlevel bureaucrats." This article reports data from a qualitative study exploring perceptions of child welfare professionals about housing-related child welfare decisions. Interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of 18 child welfare lawyers, judges, and masters level social workers from a large city in the mid-Atlantic U.S. All agreed that there is insufficient affordable adequate housing. They held conflicting views, however, on: 1) the standard for adequate housing in the absence of …


Welcome To The Neighborhood: Does Where You Live Affect The Use Of Nutrition, Health, And Welfare Programs?, Molly De Marco, Allison C. De Marco Mar 2009

Welcome To The Neighborhood: Does Where You Live Affect The Use Of Nutrition, Health, And Welfare Programs?, Molly De Marco, Allison C. De Marco

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Despite the recent upsurge in neighborhood effects research, few studies have examined the impact of neighborhood characteristics on the use of nutrition, health, and welfare programs. To explore these issues, this study used data from Welfare, Children, and Families: A Three-City Study, a longitudinal dataset comprised of low-income neighborhoods in Boston, San Antonio, and Chicago (n=1,712). Using hierarchical linear models, the results indicated that both individual (education, employment, and marriage) and perceived neighborhood disorder factors were related to social service use.


Community Development Corporations And Public Participation: Lessons From A Case Study In The Arkansas Delta, Valerie H. Hunt Sep 2007

Community Development Corporations And Public Participation: Lessons From A Case Study In The Arkansas Delta, Valerie H. Hunt

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

In this paper, I focus on the role of community development corporations (CDCs) in fostering public participation in the local political process. Using survey and interview data gathered from CDCs operating in the Mississippi Delta region of Arkansas, I show that the CDC is an important intermediary between the citizens and the local political arena. While, according to this study's findings, the CDCs' long-term goal is to develop a lasting sense of efficacy among CDC participants, leading to direct political participation by citizens, the nature of CDC funding does not fully support these efforts. As a result, these critical activities …


The Politics Of Indigenization: A Case Study Of Development Of Social Work In China, Miu Chung Yan, Kwok Wah Cheung May 2006

The Politics Of Indigenization: A Case Study Of Development Of Social Work In China, Miu Chung Yan, Kwok Wah Cheung

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Internationalization and indigenization are dialectical processes of knowledge transfer. However, social work literature has paid scant attention to the process of indigenization, which can best be understood as one of recontextualization. This paper introduces Basil Bernstein's theory, which contends that recontextualization is a political process, as an analytical tool for us to understand the politics of indigenization. To demonstrate the usefulness of this tool, this paper analyzes how, in China, the Ministry of Civil Affairs and social work academics interactively compete for this control.


Review Of School Violence In Context: Culture, Neighborhood, Family, School And Gender. Rami Benbenishty And Ron Avu Astor. Reviewed By Susan Stone., Susan Stone May 2006

Review Of School Violence In Context: Culture, Neighborhood, Family, School And Gender. Rami Benbenishty And Ron Avu Astor. Reviewed By Susan Stone., Susan Stone

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Rami Benbenishty and Ron Avi Astor, School Violence in Context: Culture, Neighborhood, Family, School and Gender. New York: Oxford University Press, 2005. $39.95 hardcover.


Review Of One Nation, Underprivileged: Why American Poverty Affects Us All. Mark Robert Rank. Reviewed By Joel Blau., Joel Blau Dec 2005

Review Of One Nation, Underprivileged: Why American Poverty Affects Us All. Mark Robert Rank. Reviewed By Joel Blau., Joel Blau

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Mark Robert Rank, One Nation Underprivileged: Why American Poverty Affects Us All. New York: Oxford University Press, 2004. $29.95 hardcover.


Private Food Assistance In The Deep South: Assessing Agency Directors' Knowledge Of Charitable Choice, Suzie T. Cashwell, John P. Bartkowski, Patricia Duffy, Vanessa Casanova, Joseph Molnar, Marina Irima-Vladu Jun 2004

Private Food Assistance In The Deep South: Assessing Agency Directors' Knowledge Of Charitable Choice, Suzie T. Cashwell, John P. Bartkowski, Patricia Duffy, Vanessa Casanova, Joseph Molnar, Marina Irima-Vladu

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

In recent years,food banking has emerged as an important tool in America's fight against hunger and malnutrition. At the same time, the charitable choice provision of 1996 welfare reform law has significantly expanded the opportunity for public-private partnerships in the provision of social services. Given the new opportunities ushered in by this legislation, this study examines the knowledge that food pantry directors in Alabama and Mississippi possess about charitable choice. Our study reveals that food pantry directors are generally lacking in knowledge about key charitable choice provisions, thereby limiting the potential for this initiative to be utilized fully in this …


Digital Divide In Computer Access And Use Between Poor And Non-Poor Youth, Mary Keegan Eamon Jun 2004

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 …


Not In My Social World: A Cultural Analysis Of Media Representations, Contested Spaces, And Sympathy For The Homeless, James A. Forte Dec 2002

Not In My Social World: A Cultural Analysis Of Media Representations, Contested Spaces, And Sympathy For The Homeless, James A. Forte

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The social constructionist approach offers conceptual tools that may augment social workers' persuasive powers and problem solving capacities. In this case study, I examine a newspaper campaign to cast the homeless in negative terms and justify the closing of a shelter. Findings are presented as seven themes used by competing claims-makers. Each constructs a different depiction of the homeless, of homelessness, and of preferred solutions. Linkages between community memberships and favored problem definitions are identified. I conclude with suggestions for how "intelligent social reconstruction" might help social workers function as sympathy brokers for the vulnerable. (Key words: homelessness, NIMBY, mass …


Assets And Neighboring: An Exploration Into Household Assets And Efforts To Be A Good Neighbor, Tim Reutebuch Dec 2002

Assets And Neighboring: An Exploration Into Household Assets And Efforts To Be A Good Neighbor, Tim Reutebuch

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

A non-random, cross-sectional sampling procedure was utilized in this study to explore the relationship between the level of household assets and their corresponding level of neighboring. Surveys from 111 households were collected from September 1997, to April 1999, in seven Ohio counties to elucidate the relationship between the level of assets in working poor households and selected household demographic variables, and their propensity to provide various forms of community assistance over the previous month from the time of survey. Findings revealed that households 1) with more than one adult and 2) with lower levels of monthly earned income were more …


The Warfare-Welfare Tradeoff: Health, Public Aid And Housing, Kathleen Peroff Mar 1977

The Warfare-Welfare Tradeoff: Health, Public Aid And Housing, Kathleen Peroff

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

It is a truism that resources devoted to defense are unavailable for nondefense purposes. Investment in defense takes place partly by reducing civilian spending on consumer and capital goods through tax rates that are higher than they would otherwise be and partly by reducing government spending on non-defense programs. The purpose of this paper is to test for the existence and magnitude of the latter tradeoff over the years 1929-1971 in the United States. In particular, the analysis concerns the tradeoff between defense and three social welfare policies: health, public aid and housing. In addition, the analysis examines whether these …


Integrated Cooperation Within A Grass-Roots Movement’S The Class Emphasis, John C. Leggett, Frances V. Mouldner Nov 1976

Integrated Cooperation Within A Grass-Roots Movement’S The Class Emphasis, John C. Leggett, Frances V. Mouldner

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Under what conditions is it possible for members of different racial groups to cooperate in an integrated sense to build a successful, working class, community based, mutual benefits association -- one with the long-term intent of organizing workplaces where mutual-benefits association members happen to work? Can this inter-racial cooperation occur at all levels of the organization? Given this long term possibility of unionization, an end product not too different from an association-union recently achieved by Caesar Chavez's "NFWA-UFVOC", what are the initial organizational prerequisites for successfully bringing together blacks, whites, Chicanos, Puerto Ricans and others within these local associations?


Block Clubs And Social Action: A Case Study In Community Conflict, Mohan L. Kaul Mar 1976

Block Clubs And Social Action: A Case Study In Community Conflict, Mohan L. Kaul

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

A "Block Club" may be defined as a group of citizens in a neighborhood who get together and work together to improve their neighborhood. Kahn defines "block organizing as a highly manageable technique, usually "an urban technique" (1970:36). In this context, "organizing may be viewed as a means of achieving and guiding local control over problems that orginate elsewhere in society" (Ecklein & Lauffer 1972:11). shereas services focus on individual needs, organizing focuses on the location of common problems and joint efforts aimed at their solution. Community organizers have generally used a natural leader-informal association approach to organizing Block Clubs …


Residential Alienation, Home Ownership And The Limits Of Shelter Policy, Peter Marcuse Nov 1975

Residential Alienation, Home Ownership And The Limits Of Shelter Policy, Peter Marcuse

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

There is greater public confusion over housing policy today than there has been in any comparable period in the last thirty years. The Nixon-Ford administration's wholesale program terminations and budget slashes only cloak the problem temporarily. Everyone agrees that the ostrich ought to get his head out of the sand, but few agree where he should go once he doel so. Housing allowances, at this point, seem to many the best answei; at least they haven't been proven wanting yet. But others disagree, and certainly there is reason to be wary.


The Impact Of Urban Removal From A Child's Point Of View, L. K. Northwood Nov 1975

The Impact Of Urban Removal From A Child's Point Of View, L. K. Northwood

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

It is the premise of this paper that forced urban resettlement has more devastating consequences for children and their families than the usual voluntary moving process. The moving process, whether forced or voluntary, involves the following phases: a decision to change the place of residence, an exploration of housing opportunities in various areas, the final selection of one of these, activities associated with making the move, and activities associated with getting settled in the new house and neighborhood.


Relocation Of Vancouver's Chinatown Residents Under Urban Renewal, Richard Nann Nov 1975

Relocation Of Vancouver's Chinatown Residents Under Urban Renewal, Richard Nann

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Introduction. This is a study of the relocation patterns of Chinese-Canadian residents in an area undergoing urban renewal in Vancouver in the late 1960's. The study shows the inadequacies of simplistic social planning. The study indicates the need to understand the variety of responses to forced relocation, based on social class, the stage in the family life cycle and ethnicity. The study points out the different ways various families view the old neighborhood and the Chinese community as a whole, and, as part of this, how they view urban renewal. The study shows how housing and residential preferences relate to …


Environmental Influences On Decisions Regarding Structure And Function Of Homes For The Aged, Jordan I. Kosberg Nov 1975

Environmental Influences On Decisions Regarding Structure And Function Of Homes For The Aged, Jordan I. Kosberg

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Many of the stereotypes of homes for the aged* are carryovers from the past. By and large, these homes had rather limited objectives which revolved around the notion that homes should be custodial institutions. It can be said that these institutions had been extensions of the poor farm, giving shelter (and little more) to the aged who had nowhere else to go. In the past, social norms required grown children to care and provide for their aged parents, and the three-generation family under one roof was common-place. The nature of American society during these years (before urbanization and large-scale industrialization) …


Social Service And Urban-Renewal: A Case Illustration, Brian J. Langdon, Norman N. Goroff Nov 1975

Social Service And Urban-Renewal: A Case Illustration, Brian J. Langdon, Norman N. Goroff

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The city of Stamford, Connecticut has an Urban Renewal project as have most Urban centers. The Family Relocation Divison of Stamford's Urban Redevelopment Commission (URC) entered into a contract with the Family and Children's Services (FCS) to provide one day a week consultation to the Relocation staff and client services to the families in the renewal area. This consultation involved in-service training programs geared toward helping the relocation staff increase their skills in identifying problems within families and in assisting families to obtain help. As a result of this consultation, the relocation workers frequently would discuss the problems of the …


Social Work Practice And The Social Context, Jeffry Galper Jul 1974

Social Work Practice And The Social Context, Jeffry Galper

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Any effort to define appropriate tasks and directions for social work practice must necessarily come to grips with some analysis of the particular social-political-historical situation within which that practice is being formulated. Too often it seems as though we attempt to define practice abstracted from the particular period in which that practice takes place. It is true, on the one hand, that it is important to develop generic principles of practice. Similarly, it is true that the definition of the social work task is not a matter left solely to the discretion of the profession. In fact, the profession may …