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Gender, Social Networks, And Microenterprise: Differences In Network Effects On Business Performance, Seon Mi Kim

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This article aims to find if female micro-entrepreneurs have different social networks that affect their business performance from males. This article uses the longitudinal Panel Study of Entrepreneurial Dynamic (PSED) II data set (2005-2011) in the U.S. The key finding is that even in cases where female micro-entrepreneurs gained the same number of weak ties and resources from their networks as their male counterparts, their weak ties and gained resources did not help them to improve their business performance unlike their male counterparts. Implications for Microenterprise Development Programs and future studies are informed.

Are U.S. Congregations Patching The Social Safety Net? Trends From 1998 To 2012, Emily Warren, Melody Waring, Dan Meyer

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

As social services become increasingly privatized amid a federal policy environment that provides a means-tested, temporary social safety net, there is potential for a larger contribution by congregations as social service providers. Using data from a nationally representative sample of religious congregations collected in 1998, 2006, and 2012, we examine whether congregations have increased service activity over time, and whether provision varies by the congregation’s community-level context. We find that post-Great Recession, congregations are more likely to engage in broad social services and in “core” services that address basic economic needs. Congregations in high-poverty neighborhoods were less likely to provide …

Journal Of Sociology And Social Welfare Vol. 46 No. 3

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

No abstract provided.

Women's Education And Child Stunting Reduction In India, Vijayan K. Pillai, Arati Maleku

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Aim: In spite of India's healthy economic growth during the last two decades, about 40 percent of all children in India today are stunted. Though the problem has received widespread attention in the public health literature on stunting in India, very few studies have attempted to explicitly account for the progressive stages of stunting among children. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects women’s education on various levels of stunting among Indian children. The study attempted to assess the effects of women’s characteristics such as age at motherhood on four levels of stunting, no stunting, and mild, …

It’S Like I Have An Advantage In All This: Experiences Of Advocacy By Parents Of Children With Disabilities From Professional Backgrounds, Sarah Taylor, Amy Conley Wright, Holly Pothier, Chellsee Hill, Meredith Rosenberg

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Supports and services for children with disabilities are not distributed equitably. There are disparities in access to and quality of services for children with disabilities from low-income and ethnic minority groups. There are likely many contributors to these disparities, but one factor may be barriers to access that require parents to advocate to obtain services for their children. This qualitative study explores advocacy experiences of parents of children with disabilities (n=40) who have a high level of education and/or professional achievement. Parents described relying heavily on their professional and educational backgrounds in advocacy, and some commented upon the “advantage” they …

Review Of A Century Of Wealth In America. Edward N. Wolff, John Tropman

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Edward N. Wolff, A Century of Wealth in America. Harvard University Press (2017), 865 pages, $39.95 (hardcover).

Review Of A Very Short Introduction. Philip N. Jefferson, Yan Shen

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Philip N. Jefferson, Poverty: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford University Press (2018), 176 pages. $10.73 (paperback).

Financial Literacy Research In China: The Progress And The Role Of Social Work, Minchao Jin, Yiqing Yuan

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Growing income disparity, expanding financial markets, and diversifying financial products have pushed economically vulnerable groups in China into greater disadvantage in recent decades, resulting in a call for financial literacy. Compared with the research in developed countries, studying financial literacy is relatively new in China. Based on a literature review of studies on financial literacy in China, this paper presents the current progress and the gaps in both theory and methods. To address the gaps, social work can and should contribute to this area.

Review Of Sanctuary Cities, Communities, And Organizations. Melvin Delgado, Esther A. Ayers

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Melvin Delgado, Sanctuary Cities, Communities, and Organizations. Oxford University Press (2018), 282 pages, $22.41 (hardcover).

Review Of Social Work Practice With Survivors Of Sex Trafficking And Commercial Sexual Exploitation. Amanda J. Nichols, Tonya Edmond, And Erin C. Heil (Eds.), Fei Wang

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Amanda. J. Nichols, Tonya Edmond, & Erin C. Heil (Eds.), Social Work Practice with Survivors of Sex Trafficking and Commercial Sexual Exploitation. Columbia University (2018), 448 pages, $50.00 (hardcover).

Introduction To The Special Issue On Structural Competency, Tina Sacks, Leah Jacobs

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

No abstract provided.

Journal Of Sociology And Social Welfare Vol. 46 No. 4

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

No abstract provided.

Structurally Competent Social Work Research: Considering Research Methods And Approaches That Account For A Recursive Relationship Between Individuals And Structures, Jaime Booth

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Structural competence, recently introduced in the medical literature, has always been present in social work’s approach to addressing social problems. To achieve structural competence, in medicine and in social work, an evidence base for the structural determinants of social problems and interventions is needed. Social work researchers have made some strides in developing an evidence base to inform a structurally competent practice by employing structurally competent research methods in the investigation of social problems. This paper argues that Anthony Giddens’ structuration theory adds to the medical literature’s understanding of structural competence and discusses several research methods and/or approaches that have …

Structural Competency In Child Welfare: Opportunities And Applications For Addressing Disparities And Stigma, Jaclyn Chambers, G. Allen Ratliff

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

No abstract provided.

The Trans Person Is Not The Problem: Brave Spaces And Structural Competence As Educative Tools For Trans Justice In Social Work, Jama Shelton, Kel Kroehle, Maria Monica Andia

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Social work students must be equipped to confront injustice and oppression. Effectively challenging oppression necessitates attention to the ideological origins and subsequent systematic marginalization of oppressed populations. This article critically examines social work education as it relates to trans people and communities. We propose two interconnected pedagogical shifts for consideration: moving from the social work classroom as “safe space” to the social work classroom as “brave space,” and broadening the commonly used educative method of cultural competence to structural competence. We argue that these pedagogical shifts will better prepare social work students to disrupt cisgenderism and dismantle the gender binary, …

Constructing The Structurally Competent Classroom, Leah A. Jacobs, Hanna Mark

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Social work seeks to address social problems through interventions that span micro and macro systems. As such, all social workers are obligated to understand the interplay between individual realities and structural forces. Yet prior models of structural social work play a marginal role in social work education, leaving social work educators without the means to meet these obligations. This structural gap in social work classrooms risks deemphasizing macro practice and failing to prepare micro practitioners to account for structural forces that impact client wellbeing and client-social worker interactions. This paper examines the framework of structural competence as a potential solution …

Review Of Just Medicine: A Cure For Racial Inequality In American Health Care By Dayna Bowen Matthew,, Karen Flint Stipp, Trista Smith

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Review of:Dayna Bowen Matthew, Just Medicine: A Cure for Racial Inequality in American Health Care. New York University Press (2018), 288 pages, $18.00 (paperback).

Review Of The Future Of Capitalism: Facing The New Anxieties By Paul Collier, Edward U. Murphy

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of: Paul Collier, The Future of Capitalism: Facing the New Anxieties. HarperCollins (2018), 256 pages,

Review Of Social Work And Social Justice: Concepts, Challenges, And Strategies By Michael Reisch And Charles D. Garvin., Jennifer K. Allen

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Michael Reisch and Charles D. Garvin, Social Work and Social Justice: Concepts, Challenges, and Strategies. Oxford University Press (2016). 448 pages,

Review Of Pressure Cooker: Why Home Cooking Won’T Solve Our Problems And What To Do About It By Sarah Bowen, Joslyn Brenton And Sinikka Elliott, John Tropman

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Review of Sarah Bowen, Joslyn Brenton and Sinikka Elliott, Pressure Cooker: Why Home Cooking Won’t Solve Our Problems and What to do About It. Oxford University Press (2019), 337 pages,

Review Of The Politics Of Compassion: The Challenge To Care For The Stranger By Edward U. Murphy, Daniel Liechty

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Review of Edward U. Murphy, The Politics of Compassion: The Challenge to Care for the Stranger. Rowan & Littlefield (2019), 224 pages,

Review Of Addictions Counseling: A Competency-Based Approach By Cynthia A. Faulkner & Samuel S. Faulkner, Shena Leverett Brown

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Cynthia A. Faulkner & Samuel S. Faulkner, Addictions Counseling: A Competency-Based Approach. Oxford University Press (2019), 237 pgs.

Wmu Board Of Trustees Formal Session December 12, 2018, Wmu Board Of Trustees

WMU Board of Trustees Meetings

• Acceptance of the Agenda
• Approval of the Minutes
• Remarks by the Chair
• Remarks by the President
• Comments by the Faculty Senate President
• Comments by the Western Student Association President
• Comments by the Graduate Student Association President
• Retention Success
• Public Comments Regarding Action Items
• President Montgomery's Performance Evaluation
• WMU Apartment Rates 2019-2020
• Emeritus Status for Trustee Kenneth V. Miller
• Consent Items
• General Public Comments

Connections 12/2018, College Of Health And Human Services

College of Health and Human Services Newsletter

• A Holiday Message from Dean Cisler
• PA students participated at fall conference
• Alumnus named Social Worker of the Year
• SIHP faculty present research at conference
• Make your nomination for 2018-19 faculty and staff awards
• HHS on Social Media
• In other news

Globally Engaged December 17, 2018, Haenicke Institute

Global News

Global Engagement Opportunities for Monday, December 17th to Sunday, December 23rd, 2018.

25 Year Club: 37th Year Annual Gala, Western Michigan University

25 Year Club

25 Year Club: 37th Year Annual Gala

Tuesday, November 27, 2018

• Reception
• Welcome
• Dinner Buffet
• Recognition of Employee with 50 Years of WMU Service
• 1993 in Review
• Remarks
• Induction of New Club Members

Connections 11/2018, College Of Health And Human Services

College of Health and Human Services Newsletter

• College all-hands meeting raises money for United Way
• Faculty receive inaugural award for study abroad curriculum
• CHHS offers Bronco Brain Break before finals: December 5
• Faculty elected vice chair of state committee
• Disrupting Disparities: continuum of care in Michigan
• AHEC fall 2018 newsletter
• HHS on Social Media
• In other news

November 2018 Cehd Newsletter, College Of Education And Human Development

College of Education and Human Development News

• CEHD Opens New Student Success Center
• "Keep Smiling!" Apparel
• Two Faculty Receive Awards
• CEHD Professor Emeritus Passes
• Student Services Suite Named
• Upcoming Events

Western News, October 11, 2018, Western Michigan University

Western News (1972-2018)

Story highlights: WMU’s economic impact exceeds $1 billion; Esports initiative garnering widespread interest; Unified Clinics receives $1.5M state appropriation; Richmond product design, innovation center officially opens; On Campus with Amy Dominguez.

Problems Facing The Working Poor: Implications For Counseling, Tristan D. Mcbain

The Hilltop Review

The most recent reports from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics indicate that 8.6 million people in the United States are among the working poor, a population whose formal employment does not provide sufficient income to remain above the poverty threshold. The problems facing the working poor are examined in this article. Labor market issues, job stress, mental health concerns, stigma, and barriers to appropriate treatment were all identified as problems facing this disadvantaged population. Implications for counselors and counseling practice are discussed including considerations for the working poor population and counselor education training programs.