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Review Of The Gender Impact Of Social Security Reform. Estelle James, Alejandra Cox Edwards And Rebecca Wong. Reviewed By Silvia Borzutsky., Silvia Borzutsky

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Estelle James, Alejandra Cox Edwards and Rebecca Wong, The Gender Impact of Social Security Reform. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2008. $35.00 hardcover

Western News, Nov. 5, 2009, Western Michigan University

Western News (1972-2018)

Story highlights: Trustees endorse medical school proposal; Online registration available for H1N1 vaccinations; Service anniversaries for November; On Campus with Mark Cummins.

When Personal Dreams Derail, Rural Cameroonian Women Aspire For Their Children, Akuri John, Susan Weinger, Barbara Barton

Social Work Faculty Publications

Data gathered from a convenience sample of 36 women who reside in rural villages lying on the outskirts of Buea, Cameroon is not consistent with the "culture of poverty" proposition which states that personal characteristics of the poor tie them to a life of poverty. These findings run counter to an assumed "culture of poverty" in which persons do not hold career aspirations and socialize their children with attitudes that assure the generational transmission of poverty. Respondents, as a case vignette illustrates, conveyed that besides marriage they had wanted a career in order to achieve a living wage. After their …

A Free And Undemocratic Press?, Stephen J. A. Ward

Center for the Study of Ethics in Society Papers

Papers presented for the Center for the Study of Ethics in Society Western Michigan University.

Emeriti News, Fall 2009, Emeriti Council

Emeriti News

Contents from Volume X1V, Number 3:

• Wednesday II for Fall/Spring 2009-2010
• Members of the Council
• Summary of Activities Since the Last Newsletter
• Emeriti Medallion Scholarships
• Textbook Scholarships
• Reminders

Prism #41, October 2009, Office Of The Provost

Prism: Western Michigan University's Newsletter for Academic Affairs

No abstract provided.

The Socializer - Fall 2009, Department Of Sociology

The Socializer

No abstract provided.

Insider Vol. 10 No. 2 Fall 2009, College Of Arts & Sciences

College of Arts and Sciences news

College of Arts & Sciences Alumni Newsletter

Western News, Sept. 10, 2009 , Western Michigan University

Western News (1972-2018)

Story highlights: Convocation features State of University address, campuswide awards; WMU named one of 'Great Colleges to Work For'; Service anniversaries for August; On Campus with Stephan Macomber.

Institutions And Savings In Low-Income Households, Jami Curley, Fred Ssewamala, Michael Sherraden

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This paper examines the influence of structured savings program arrangements on the saving performance of low-income households in individual development accounts (IDAs). Data are drawn from the American Dream Demonstration (1997-2004), which looked at the saving performance of low-income households in matched savings accounts across the United States. Hierarchical multivariate regression is used to identify which specific structural program arrangements are important in influencing the saving performance of low-income families. Findings suggest that overall, structured program arrangements, including financial education, peer mentoring groups and saving targets are important in influencing people's saving performance-including low-income families.

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 …

A Mixed Methods Analysis Of Social Capital Of Liberian Refugee Women In Ghana, Alice Boateng

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This article reports on a mixed methods study of Liberian refugee women at the Buduburam refugee camp in Ghana. The study examined the role and impact of social capital on the women's well-being. Three types of social capital - bonding, bridging, and linking - were examined. The study's findings revealed that although the women had some bonding social capital, they possessed very little bridging social capital, and linking social capital was non-existent. These findings suggest that the refugee women may benefit from national and internationalp olicies andp rograms that seek to both strengthen existing and create new sources of social …

Ethics With Character: Virtues And The Ethical Social Worker, Paul Adams

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This article explores the relevance to social work of those aspects of applied ethics that are not primarily about identifying and resolving dilemmas. It examines the potential of the ethical tradition rooted in the virtues and character of the practitioner-from Aristotle and Hippocrates to contemporary virtue-based ethics in medicine-to guide and enrich our understanding of the social work profession and the dispositions or qualities of character its practice requires and develops.

The Limits Of Paternalism: A Case Study Of Welfare Reform In Wisconsin, Thomas S. Moore, Swarnjit S. Arora

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This paper uses a pooled sample constructed from the Food Stamp Quality Control data for the fiscal years 1993 to 2006 to assess the effects of welfare reform upon the employment, earnings, income, and poverty trends among poor, single-mother families, both in Wisconsin and nationwide. It finds that the employment and earnings gains of the Wisconsin families exceed those of comparable families nationwide. However, there has been no significant change in the average income of the Wisconsin families, and the number of extremely poor families has increased more rapidly in Wisconsin than in the country as a whole. These findings …

Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Vol. 36, No. 3 (September 2009)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• INSTITUTIONS AND SAVINGS IN LOW INCOME HOUSEHOLDS - Jami Curley, Fred Ssewamala and Michael Sherraden
• RESCUING CHILDREN AND PUNISHING POOR FAMILIES: HOUSING-RELATED DECISIONS - Corey Shdaimah
• A MIXED METHODS ANALYSIS OF SOCIAL CAPITAL OF LIBERIAN REFUGEE WOMEN IN GHANA - Alice Boateng
• ETHICS WITH CHARACTER: VIRTUES AND THE ETHICAL SOCIAL WORKER - Paul Adams
• THE LIMITS OF PATERNALISM: A CASE STUDY OF WELFARE REFORM IN WISCONSIN - Thomas S. Moore and Swarnjit S. Arora
• PREGNANT AND POOR IN THE SUBURB: THE EXPERIENCES OF ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED WOMEN OF COLOR WITH PRENATAL SERVICES IN A WEALTHY SUBURBAN COUNTY - …

Pregnant And Poor In The Suburb: The Experiences Of Economically Disadvantaged Women Of Color With Prenatal Services In A Wealthy Suburban County, Linda E. Francis, Candyce S. Berger, Marianne Giardini, Carolyn Steinman, Karina Kim

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This study explores the perinatal care experiences of disadvantaged women of color in a wealthy U.S. suburb. The women were asked to discuss the availability of health and social services during pregnancy, continuity of provider and/or treatment, communication issues with their providers, and the amount and type ofsupport and resources available. Many of the questions covered in literature on urban poverty emerged as well in this suburban sample, including economic and psychosocial barriers, and continuity and communication issues between low-income/minority women and providers of health and social services. Additional barriers in the suburbs were also discussed, including problems of access …

Factors Predicting Residential Mobility Among The Recipients Of The Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program, Barbra Teater

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program is the largest low-income federal housing program in the Unites States and has a policy goal of promoting mobility or "choice." This study explored the factors that predict residential mobility among the recipients of the HCV program in Columbus, Ohio by including variables found to predict mobility among the general population and two new variables that are specific to the HCV program: total tenant payment (TTP); and fair market rent (FMR). Although the findings revealed that race, gender, age and number in family were significant in predicting residential mobility, the variables affected …

The Development Of An Unequal Social Safety Net: A Case Study Of The Employer-Based Health Insurance (Non) System, H. Luke Shaefer, Elizabeth D. Sammons

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The U.S. social safety net exacerbates labor market inequalities rather than ameliorating them. This paper traces this theme within an important historical case study: the emergence of the employer-based health insurance system. Employers became the dominant and tax-preferred provider of health insurance in the United States without any federal legislative action. Understanding how this happened may inform current reform efforts. This case study highlights two important factors. The first is path dependency, discussed by Skocpol (1992) and Pierson (2000). They argue that the ambiguous divisions of power and a pluralistic governance framework favor incremental processes of social policy formation in …

Review Of People At Work: Life, Power, And Social Inclusion In The New Economy. Marjorie L. Devault, Editor. Reviewed By James Midgley., James Midgley

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Marjorie L. DeVault (Ed.), People at Work: Life, Power, and Social Inclusion in the New Economy. New York: New York University Press, 2008. $25.00 papercover.

Review Of Research For Action: Cross-National Perspectives On Connecting Knowledge, Policy, And Practice For Children. Robert Chaskin And Jona M. Rosenfeld, Editors. Reviewed By Ann Reyes Robbins., Ann Reyes Robbins

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Robert Chaskin and Jona M. Rosenfeld (Eds.), Research for Action: Cross-National Perspectives on Connecting Knowledge, Policy, and Practice for Children. New York: Oxford University Press, 2007. $42.95 hardcover.

Review Of The Revival Of Labor Liberalism. Andrew Battista. Reviewed By Larry Nackerud., Larry Nackerud

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Andrew Battista, The Revival of Labor Liberalism. Champaign, IL: University of Illinois Press, 2008. $45.00 hardcover.

Review Of The Activation Dilemma: Reconciling The Fairness And Effectiveness Of Minimum Income Schemes In Europe. Amilcar Moreira. Reviewed By James Midgley., James Midgley

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Amilcar Moreira, The Activation Dilemma: Reconciling the Fairness and Effectiveness of Minimum Income Schemes in Europe. Bristol: Policy Press, 2008. $110.00 hardcover.

Review Of On The Frontier Of Adulthood: Theory, Research, And Public Policy. Richard A. Settersten, Frank Furstenberg Jr. And Ruben G. Rumbaut. Reviewed By Sarah Taylor., Sarah Taylor

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Richard A Settersten, Frank F Furstenberg Jr. and Ruben G. Rumbaut, On the Frontier of Adulthood: Theory, Research, and Public Policy. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 2008. $29.00 papercover.

Review Of The Dismal Science: How Thinking Like An Economist Undermines Community. Stephen A. Margin. Reviewed By Christopher R. Larrison., Christopher R. Larrison

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Stephen A. Marglin, The Dismal Science: How Thinking Like an Economist Undermines Community. Cambridge, MA and London, England: Harvard University Press, 2008. $35.00, hardcover.

Review Of Seven Rules For Social Research. Glenn Firebaugh. Reviewed By Yasuki Motoyoma., Yasuyuki Motoyama

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Glenn Firebaugh, Seven Rules for Social Research. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2008. $24.95 papercover.

Review Of Diversity, Oppression And Change. Flavio Francisco Marsiglia And Stephen Kulis. Reviewed By Qiaobing Wu., Qiaobing Wu

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Flavio Francisco Marsiglia and Stephen Kulis, Diversity, Oppression and Change: Culturally Grounded Social Work. Chicago, IL: Lyceum, 2008. $49.95 paper cover.

Review Of A People's History Of Poverty In America. Stephen Pimpare. Reviewed By James Midgley., James Midgley

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Stephen Pimpare, A People's History of Poverty in America. New York: The New Press, 2008. $27.95 hardcover.

Review Of A Mother's Work: How Feminism, The Market And Policy Shape Family Life. Neil Gilbert. Reviewed By Cheryl Hyde., Cheryl A. Hyde

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Neil Gilbert, A Mother's Work: How Feminism, the Market and Policy Shape Family Life. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2008. $26.00 hardcover

Review Of For The People: American Popular Movements From The Revolution To The 1850s. Ronald P. Formisano. Reviewed By James Midgley., James Midgley

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Ronald P. Formisano, For the People: American Popular Movements from the Revolution to the 1850s. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press, 2007. $35.00 hardcover.

Exploring The Relationship Between Religious Faith, Mental Health Help Seeking Attitudes, And Preferences For Counselor Characteristics Among Black American Churchgoers, Darryl P. Plunkett

Dissertations

Empirical data has shown that Black American churchgoers have generally higher baseline rates of religious involvement than the general U.S. population, as well as higher rates of religious involvement than most Black Americans (Chatters, Taylor & Lincoln. 1999). Researchers have noted the influence of religion on the help seeking attitudes of Black Americans (Abernethy, Houston, Mimms, & Boyd-Franklin, 2006) and have also identified counselor characteristics preferred by Black Americans when seeking help for mental health problems (Atkinson, Furlong, & Poston, 1986). However, Black American churchgoers are rarely identified as the target population in empirical studies and little is known about …