Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Occupational Aspiration Among African-Americans: A Case For Affirmative Action, Ronald E. Hall

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The recent attack upon Affirmative Action in the workplace demands that merit be the sole criterion of employment. Policies designed to eliminate discriminatory practices are in themselves discriminatory and suggest minorities are inferior. Such suggestions are archaic and simplistic. Each assumes that the workplace operates in a social vacuum when in fact a complex system of cultural norms precedes the influence of merit. For African-Americans color is a predcedent of merit. The present study was undertaken to determine the implications of color in the workplace by analyzing it vis a vis occupational aspiration. Using a sample of African- American college …

Services Provided By A Homeless Intervention: Policy And Planning Implications, Carol T. Mowbray, Deborah Bybee

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Despite the acknowledged need for effective programs to serve persons who are homeless and mentally ill, few evaluations of these programs provide quantitative details on service provision. Such information can be useful to planners for replication and also for public policy concerning the need to mandate services most in demand. This report on a successful outreach intervention reports information on service amounts, duration, and types, as well as identifying predictors of service use. The overall amount of service provided to eligible participants varied substantially. While the median duration was only three months, repeat service episodes were common. For most clients, …

Review Of The Poverty Of Welfare Reform. Joel F. Handler. Reviewed By Howard Karger, University Of Houston., Howard Karger

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Joel F. Handler, The Poverty of Welfare Reform. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1995. $25.00 hardcover, $12.00 papercover.

Reconceptualizing Women's Work: A Focus On The Domestic And Eligibility Work Of Women On Welfare, Alice Abel Kemp, Pam Jenkins, Molly Biehl

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The types of work performed by women receiving public assistance are examined. Research on women's work often neglects the labor of poor women, reinforcing the view that women receiving welfare do not work. This perspective is challenged with focus group and interview data from welfare recipients in New Orleans, Louisiana. We conclude that within the restrictions of public assistance, poor women are engaging in three types of work: domestic work for their families, economic work for cash-both legal and illegal work, and eligibility work. Eligibility work is defined as the labor necessary to obtain and maintain public assistance.

Determinants Of The Timing Of Social Policy Adoption, Chulsoo Kim

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This study presents a macro-sociological analysis of welfare state development, particularly focusing on the timing of adoption of social legislation, by examining the dynamic relations between the historical constellation of social and political forces and the rationalities of three key social actors in the development of social policy. After a critical analysis of current theories, the variables are tested concerning the effects of different historical sequencing and the accompanying bargaining power of the social actors on the timing of social policy adoption in the western European countries from 1871 to 1976 using event-history analysis. Such variables as the level of …

Review Of The Civil Rights Of Homeless People: Law, Social Policy And Social Work Practice. Madeleine R. Stoner. Reviewed By Larry W. Kreuger, University Of Missouri-Columbia., Larry W. Kreuger

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Madeline R. Stoner, The Civil Rights of Homeless People: Law, Social Policy, and Social Work Practice. New York: Aldine DrGruyter, 1995. $38.95 hardcover, $19.95 papercover.

Reasonable Efforts, Unreasonable Effects: A Retrospective Analysis Of The 'Reasonable Efforts' Clause In The Adoption Assistance And Child Welfare Act Of 1980, Wendy Whiting Blome

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Hidden in the Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act of 1980 are two words that came to summarize the expectations of the law, typify its vagueness, and predict its controversy-"reasonable efforts." This article explores five factors to clarify the policy implications of the reasonable efforts phrase: " the disproportionately large effects of the requirement for "reasonable efforts;"

• the unanticipated consequences of the clause;
• the shift in the locus of control from social service agencies to court authorities;
• the reduction in discretion for direct and administrative social work personnel; and
• the social, political, and economic realities that framed the reasonable efforts …

Real Welfare Reform Requires Jobs: Lessons From A Progressive Welfare Agency, Robert J. Sheak, Warren Haydon

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This article discusses evidence from a local progressive welfare agency that has, along with other achievements, created innovate work programs within the framework of Job Opportunities and Basic Skills (JOBS). We discuss the institutional and bureaucratic limits of what such agencies can accomplish and that there has been some room for innovation for agencies that are so inclined. We then focus on two work-related innovations within the local JOBS program that demonstrate that there are many welfare clients ready and able to work in useful jobs. We take the position that government job creation is necessary to fill the employment …

Welfare To Work: What Are The Obstacles?, Maureen O. Marcenko, Jay Fagan

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

U.S. welfare reform initiatives are based on the assumption that the primary barriers to economic independence are individual deficits. However, the policy does not adequately account for situational and personal factors necessary for a successful transition from welfare to work. Without greater attention to these barriers, the policy is likely to fail or be implemented at high personal cost to recipients and their families. This paper uses a personin- environment social systems framework to examine the personal and family resources available to a group of women who were receiving AFDC and participating in an urban Head Start program. Structured interviews …

British Social Welfare: Past Present And Future. David Gladstone (Ed.).

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

David Gladstone (Ed.), British Social Welfare: Past Present and Future. Bristol, PA: Taylor and Francis, 1995. $24.95 papercover.

Purchase Of Service Contracting Versus Government Service Delivery: The Views Of State Human Service Administrators, Peter M. Kettner, Lawrence L. Martin

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Purchase of service contracting (POSC) as a mode of human service delivery is based largely on untested normative grounds. This article presents the results of a national study comparing the views of state human service administrators on the relative merits of POSC versus government service delivery in four issue areas: (1) service costs, (2) service quality, (3) bureaucracy and red tape, and (4) effect on government employees. The study results provide some support for POSC in three of the four issues areas. The study finds that geography plays no role in the views of state human service administrators, but that …

Managed Computer System Conceptualization: Knowing When To Say No, Menachmen Monnickendam

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Computer systems in human services are often abandoned after significant investments have already been made. A case study of preventing the utilization of a wrong computer system for a child development center illustrates how managed system conceptualization minimized damage. Critical consciousness and adherence to specific computer implementation technology created an environment which supported recurrent system efficacy evaluation. When the system, as initially conceptualized, could not meet practitioners' needs, early project abandonment was achieved. Some considerations for successful system development in human service are presented.

New Themes In International Social Welfare: Introduction, James Midgley

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This introductory article provides a brief overview of developments in international social welfare paying particular attention to the major themes which have characterized the field. It summarizes the new themes reflected in the contributions to the special issue, noting that they are indicative of future directions for international social welfare investigation.

The Marginalization Of Social Welfare In Developing Countries: The Relevance Of Theories Of Social Policy Development, Kwong-Leung Tang

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Social welfare development has been marginalized in many developing countries. This study examines the social policies of developing countries and refers to four major theories of social policy development (social conscience, modernization, dependency and diffusion) to see if they offer an explanation of the phenomenon. It is argued that dependency theory and diffusion theory provide better interpretations than the other two theories. The paper shows how theories of social policy have international relevance in explaining current trends in social welfare.

Toward A Developmental Model Of Social Policy: Relevance Of The Third World Experience, James Midgley

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Growing dissatisfaction with conventional social policy approaches, as embodied in the residual and institutional models, has fostered a search for new ideas. The developmental social policy model offers a viable alternative but it is relatively unknown in the industrial nations. Drawing on the experience of Third World countries, this paper describes the developmental model and examines its implications for social policy in the West.

Refugee Resettlement In The United States: Implications For International Social Welfare, Miriam Potocky

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

An analysis of U.S. refugee resettlement policy reveals approaches that do not address several root causes of resettlement difficulties: cultural differences, post-traumatic stress disorder, and discrimination by the host culture. Several recommendations are made for policy improvements, and suggestions for the future of international social welfare are presented.