Digital Commons Network^™

Review Of Survival Of The Knitted: Immigrant Social Networks In A Stratified World. Vilna Francine Bashi. Reviewed By Qingwen Xu., Qingwen Xu

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Vilna Francine Bashi, Survival of the Knitted: Immigrant Social Networks in a Stratified World. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2007. $21.95 papercover.

Review Of The Lost Promise Of Civil Rights. Risa L. Goluboff. Reviewed By Wilma Peebles-Wilkins., Wilma Peebles-Wilkins

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Risa L. Goluboff, The Lost Promise of Civil Rights. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2007. $35.00 hardcover.

Review Of Citizen Lobbyists: Local Efforts To Influence Public Policy. Brian Adams. Reviewed By Michael Woodford., Michael Woodford

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Brian Adams, Citizen Lobbyists: Local Efforts to Influence Public Policy. Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press, 2007. $71.50 hardcover, $25.95 papercover.

Review Of Wives Without Husbands: Marriage, Desertion And Welfare In New York, 1900-1935. Anna R. Igra. Reviewed By Laura Curran., Laura Curran

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Anna R. Igra, Wives without Husbands: Marriage, Desertion, and Welfare in New York, 1900-1935. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press, 2007. $19.95 papercover.

Contested Lands: Israel-Palestine, Kashmir, Bosnia, Cyprus And Sri Lanka. Sumantra Bose., James Midgley

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book note for Sumantra Bose, Contested Lands: Israel-Palestine,Kashmir, Bosnia, Cyprus and Sri Lanka. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2007. $27.95 hardcover.

Revitalising Communities In A Globalising World. Lena Dominelli, Editor., Kristine Frerer

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book note for Lena Dominelli (Ed.), Revitalising Communities in a Globalising World. Burlington, VT: Ashgate Publishing, 2007. $114.95 hardcover.

Dynamics Of Social Welfare Policy: Right Versus Left. Gardenia Harris, Bernard Ivan Tamas, And Nancy S. Lind, James Midgley

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book note for Gardenia Harris, Bernard Ivan Tamas and Nancy S. Lind, Dynamics of Social Welfare Policy: Right versus Left. Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield, 2007. $80.00 hardcover; $39.95 papercover.

Social Security In Ireland, 1939-1952: The Limits To Solidarity. Sophia Carey., James Midgley

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book note for Sophia Carey, Social Security in Ireland, 1939-1952: The Limits to Solidarity. Dublin: Irish Academic Press, 2007. $34.95 papercover.

Opting Out? Why Women Really Quit Careers And Head Home. Pamela Stone., Cara Ellis Pohle

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book note for Pamela Stone, Opting Out? Why Women Really Quit Careers and Head Home. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 2007. $45.00 hardcover, $16.95 papercover.

The Politics, Economics, And Culture Of Mexican-Us Migration: Both Sides Of The Border. Edward Ashbee, Helene Balsev Clausen, And Carl Pedersen, Editors., James Midgley

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book note for Edward Ashbee, Helene Balsev Clausen and Carl Pedersen (Eds.), The Politics, Economics, and Culture of Mexican-US Migration: Both Sides of the Border. New York: Palgrave, 2007. $79.95.

First-Generation, Income-Eligible Peer Mentor Study, Charlotte L. Giscombe

Dissertations

This study was designed to determine how mentoring affects the peer mentor. Despite the proliferation of peer mentoring programs, little research has been conducted to consider how mentoring affects the peer mentor's attitudes, leadership ability, and academic accomplishments when engaging in a mentoring relationship.

The focus of this study is on the at-risk peer mentors who are part of the federally funded Student Support Services (SSS) located on a midwestern university campus, and seeks to ascertain whether their grade point average, retention, graduation rates, self-confidence, self-esteem, self-worth, and leadership abilities are changed by serving in a mentoring relationship. Since these …

Effective Intervention Approaches For Increased Student Achievement With At-Risk Middle School Students: Voices From Parents, Susan J. Peets

Dissertations

Parent involvement is closely linked to student achievement. Research suggests that students, families, and schools benefit from active participation by families in the process of educating children. Many parents provide a broad range of support to their children, although, currently no common agreement on the most effective forms of parent support exists.

This study focused on the gap in the literature as to the needs of middle school at-risk students' parents. Qualitative methods were used to explore how parents of twelve at-risk middle school students (identified by low academic achievement scores of reading at least one year below grade level …

Racial Diversity And Social Capital: Equality And Community In America. Rodney E. Hero., Jaehee Yi

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book note for Rodney E. Hero, Racial Diversity and Social Capital: Equality and Community in America. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2007. $58.00 hardcover; $19.95 papercover.

Prism #34, November 2008, Office Of The Provost

Prism: Western Michigan University's Newsletter for Academic Affairs

No abstract provided.

Western News, Oct. 16, 2008, Western Michigan University

Western News (1972-2018)

Story highlights: Service, emerging scholar award recipients named; Academic Convocation set; 25 Year Club to induct new members; On Campus with Cris Obreiter.

Western News, Sept. 4, 2008, Western Michigan University

Western News (1972-2018)

Story highlights: Powell and Litynski named deans; Bus service free to faculty and staff; Service anniversaries for July and August; On Campus with Jen Bailey.

Prism #32, September 2008, Office Of The Provost

Prism: Western Michigan University's Newsletter for Academic Affairs

No abstract provided.

Long-Term Tanf Participants And Barriers To Employment: A Qualitative Study In Maine, Sandra S. Butler, Janine Corbett, Crystal Bond, Chris Hastedt

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Although welfare rolls have declined dramatically since the passage of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) in 1996, many of those parents still receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) face multiple barriers to employment. In response to a proposed state bill increasing work requirements and imposing stricter time limits, the authors conducted focus groups and interviews in order to learn about the experiences of long-term recipients of TANF in Maine. Domestic violence, children's disabilities, and health issues for the mother emerged as key obstacles to meeting TANF work requirements for the 28 women participating in the …

Welfare And Family Economic Security: Toward A Place-Based Poverty Knowledge, Deborah A. Harris, Domenico Parisi

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) of 1996 is viewed by many as a resounding success. Its success, however, is predicated primarily on caseload reduction rather than improvement of family well-being. In addition, provisions in the act ignore the importance of place in shaping one's life chances. Using Alice O'Connor's influential book, Poverty Knowledge, as a framework, we discuss findings from a qualitative study that examines how low-income families plan for a life without welfare in places with different opportunities and structural constraints. We find that returns to TANF are common among welfare leavers and that place …

Review Of Civic Engagement: Social Science And Progressive Era Reform In New York City. John Louis Recchiuti. Reviewed By John M. Herrick., John M. Herrick

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review for John Louis Recchiuti. Civic Engagement: Social Science and Progressive Era Reform in New York City. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2007. $59.95 hardcover.

The Promise Of Welfare Reform. Keith M. Kilty And Elizabeth Segal.

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book note for Keith M. Kilty & Elizabeth Segal, The Promise of Welfare Reform. Binghampton, NY: Haworth Press, 2006. $34.96 papercover.

Understanding Social Inequality. Tim Butler And Paul Watt.

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book note for Tim Butler & Paul Watt. Understanding Social Inequality. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 2007. $39.95 papercover.

Review Of Citizenship And Those Who Leave: The Politics Of Emigration And Expatriation. Nancy L. Green And Francois Weil, Editors. Reviewed By Miriam Potocky., Miriam Potocky

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Nancy L. Green & Francois Weil (Eds.). Citizenship and Those Who Leave: The Politics of Emigration and Expatriation. Champagne, IL: University of Illinois Press, 2007. $60.00 hardcover, $25.00 papercover.

Review Of Ask & Tell: Gay & Lesbian Veterans Speak Out. Steve Estes. Reviewed By John F. Longres., John F. Longres

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Steve Estes. Ask & Tell: Gay & Lesbian Veterans Speak Out. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press, 2007. $29.95 hardcover.

Blame Welfare, Ignore Poverty And Inequality. Joel F. Handler And Yeheskel Hasenfeld.

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book note for Joel F. Handler & Yeheskel Hasenfeld. Blame Welfare, Ignore Poverty and Inequality. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2007. $80.00 hardcover, $29.99 papercover.

Introduction To The Special Issue, Mary Gatta, Luisa S. Deprez

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare has hosted a number of special editions since President Clinton "ended welfare as we know it." Special topics such as Evaluation of TANF in 2001, Coping with Poverty in 2006, Globalization and Social Justice in 2007 and Contemporary Social Welfare History earlier this year brought attention to issues of critical concern within the field. All have focused on human well-being in the wake of a society that appears less caring for those who are most vulnerable: the poor, immigrants, people of color, and single mothers on welfare. Additionally, each special edition framed the …

Women's Lives And Poverty: Developing A Framework Of Real Reform For Welfare, Mary Gatta, Luisa S. Deprez

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The historic 1996 welfare reform is typically regarded as a successful public policy. Using the limited success metric of "reducing welfare rolls," welfare evaluations and analysis have obscured the lived experiences of recipients, particularly among women, who are disproportionally represented among welfare recipients. While it is true that welfare numbers are down, those women who have been forced off or left behind are not doing well. In this paper we seek to explore and critically evaluate the lived experiences of women, to challenge mainstream understandings of women's "success" post-welfare, and propose a theoretical and methodological framework, based on an intersectional …

Dropped From The Rolls: Mexican Immigrants, Race, And Rights In The Era Of Welfare Reform, Alejandra Marchevsky, Jeanne Theoharis

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Welfare reform transferred considerable discretion over eligibility standards and benefits to individual caseworkers, contributing to a highly diffuse, yet system-wide, practice of discrimination against nonwhite and foreign-born families within the new TANF program. Based on a two-year ethnographic study of welfare reform's impact on Mexican immigrants in Los Angeles County, this article documents a pattern of heightened anti-immigrant sentiment and disentitlement within L.A. County's welfare system following the passage of PRWORA. The vast majority of eligible immigrant families in our study lost some or all of their cash and food stamp benefits, and were systematically denied access to the work …

The Untold Story Of Welfare Fraud, Richelle S. Swan, Linda L. Shaw, Sharon Cullity, Joni Halpern, Juliana Humphrey, Wendy M. Limbert, Mary Roche

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The experiences of women who have been charged with welfare fraud in the years following the passage of the 1996 Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act cast a shadow over the claim that welfare reform has been an unequivocal success. This article addresses this under-explored issue by considering the face of welfare fraud in San Diego, California after the change to federal welfare law. After a brief discussion of the socio-historical context of welfare fraud prosecution and a summary of the scholarly findings related to welfare fraud post-PRWORA, the aiticle details a new "poverty knowledge" about welfare fraud drawn …

Lost In Appalachia: The Unexpected Impact Of Welfare Reform On Older Women In Rural Communities, Debra A. Henderson, Ann R. Tickamyer

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

A primary goal of welfare reform was to overcome welfare dependency through the promotion of work and the setting of lifetime limits. While atf irst blush thisg oal may have appearedr easonablef or young recipients, it does not address the needs of older recipients, particularly women. Based on in-depth interviews with welfare recipients in four impoverished rural Appalachian counties over a four year time span (1999-2001; 2004), this paper evaluates the experiences of older women as they confront the changes brought on by welfare reform legislation. Findings suggest that impoverished older women in isolated rural communities experience multiple crises as …