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Postmodern Welfare: Reconstructing An Emancipatory Project. Peter Leonard.

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Peter Leonard, Postmodern Welfare: Reconstructing an Emancipatory Project. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 1997. $23-95 papercover.

The New Temperance: The American Obsession With Sin And Vice. David Wagner.

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

David Wagner, The New Temperance: The American Obsession with Sin and Vice. Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 1997. $60 hardcover, $16.00 papercover.

Exposing And Reframing Welfare Dependency, Elizabeth Bartle

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Defining the phrase welfare dependency from a feminist perspective offers a way to understand how the rhetoric around the use of this phrase continues to legitimize current changes in Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) while simultaneously diverting the public's attention from the real issues of poverty of and discrimination against women. This article includes a detailed definition of welfare dependency, a brief history of its usage, and a reconceptualization of women's use of AFDC on a long-term basis. This reconceptualization expands on international dependency theory and reframes dependency as interdependency that builds on women's strengths, women's rights, and …

Poor Children "Know Their Place": Perceptions Of Poverty, Class, And Public Messages, Susan Weinger

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This qualitative study hears and clarifies some of the voices of children concerning how they feel their lives are circumscribed by living in poverty, by public messages about the poor, and by their views of their socioeconomic status. Twenty-four children between the ages of 5-12 years were interviewed using snapshots of different economic level homes in order to capture their uncensored responses. Findings reveal that the children view poverty as a deprivation, perceive societal messages as disparaging of the poor, and have some difficulty holding on to positive views of themselves. These children's thoughts about the realities of their lives …

Combating Child Abuse: International Perspectives And Trends. Neil Gilbert (Ed.).

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Neil Gilbert (Ed.), Combating Child Abuse: International Perspectives and Trends. New York: Oxford University Press, 1997. $45.00 hardcover.

Rethinking Selectivism And Selectivity By Means Test, Chack-Kie Wong

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This article casts doubt on conventional thinking about selectivism and its narrow focus on the selective process. It is argued that selectivity is fairly neutral; even universal access to welfare is not free from the attachment of social stigma to welfare beneficiaries. The increase in benefits standards, another common strategy advocated by egalitarians, may not produce the desirable de-stigmatized effect for beneficiaries. Our status ranking conception of social relations, reflecting the operation of the success ideology, holds the key to the transfer of social stigma in the social exchange of welfare benefits. In this regard, we need .to study the …

Review Of Who Will Care For Us: Aging And Long Term Care In Multicultural America. Ronald L. Angel And Jacqueline L. Angel. Reviewed By Martin Tracy, University Of Southern Illinois., Martin Tracy

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Ronald L. Angel and Jacqueline L. Angel, Who will Care for Us: Aging and Long-Term Care I Multicultural America. New York: New York University Press, 1997. $29.95 hardcover.

Escape From Poverty: What Makes A Difference For Children? P. Lindsay Chase-Lansdale And Jeanne Brooks-Gunn (Eds.).

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

P. Lindsay Chase-Lansdale and Jeanne Brooks-Gunn (Eds.), Escape from Poverty: What Makes a Difference for Children? Cambridge, MA: Cambridge University Press, 1997. $ 49.95 hardcover, $ 24.95 papercover.

Contested Workplace: The Case Of The Strike Of The United Food And Commercial Workers Union Versus Meijer, Barbara Thomas Coventry, Marietta Morrissey

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This paper examines the struggle between labor and management at four, newly-opened supermarket/discount stores, culminating in a strike. It considers workplace control as an issue in the strike and its resolution. Edwards' typology of workplace control is reviewed, along with other indirect forms of control explored in recent literature. Workers complained most stridently about direct control mechanisms. Workers' objections to technical and bureaucratic control played only a minor part in workers' decision to strike and the work stoppage's outcome. Indirect controls, including customer and gender-specific control mechanisms, were seldom questioned or acknowledged by workers. On the other hand, both the …

Women "Reading The World:" Challenging Welfare Reform In Wisconsin, Kristine B. Miranne, Alma H. Young

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The latest iteration of welfare reform, the 1996 Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA), endorses work requirements and time limits on benefits, while giving greater discretion to individual states in developing welfare programs. Linking personal responsibility with work indicates that policy makers believe that it only takes properg uidancea nd minimal trainingfo r welfare recipients( predominately women) to make the transition from welfare to work. We suggest, however, that focusing on incentive, sanction, or compulsion ignores the structural features of poverty, especially as they impact the multiplicities of poor women's lives. In order for the welfare system to …

Mental Health Policy And Practice Today. Ted R. Watkins And James W. Calicutt (Eds.).

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Ted R. Watkins and James W. Calicutt (Eds.), Mental Health Policy and Practice Today. Thousand Oaks, Sage Publications, 1997. $ 58.00 hardcover, $ 27.95 papercover.

Careers In Social Work. Leon H. Ginsberg.

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Leon H. Ginsberg, Careers in Social Work. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn and Bacon, 1997. $ 16.50 papercover.

The Forgotten Many: A Study Of Poor Urban Whites, Reba L. Chaisson

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Being White in America is thought to ensure social and economic stability, but the lives of Whites who are poor run contrary to these assumptions. Members of this group, the focus group of this study, receive food stamps, public aid and general assistance payments on a monthly basis. And they rely on public health clinics and food pantries to get by-programs and services that are viewed by the larger society as being tapped only by Blacks. This paper examines the differences and similarities between the poverty experiences of Blacks and Whites. The research for this analysis consisted of participant observation …

Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Vol. 25, No. 2 (June 1998)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• CONTESTED WORKPLACE: THE CASE OF THE STRIKE OF THE UNITED FOOD AND COMMERCIAL WORKERS UNION VERSUS MEIJER - Barbara Thomas Coventry and Marietta Morrissey
• EXPOSING AND REFRAMING WELFARE DEPENDENCY - Elizabeth Bartle
• THE FORGOTTEN MANY: A STUDY OF POOR URBAN WHITES - Reba L. Chaisson
• ATTITUDINAL PREDICTORS OF PREFERRED POLICY OPTIONS: CONTRASTING AFDC WITH WORK PROGRAMS - Jill Littrell and Sahna Diwan
• POOR CHILDREN "KNOW THEIR PLACE:" PERCEPTIONS OF POVERTY, CLASS, AND PUBLIC MESSAGES - Susan Weinger
• RETHINKING SELECTIVISM AND SELECTIVITY BY MEANS TEST - Chack-kie Wong
• ESTIMATING HOMELESS POPULATIONS THROUGH STRUCTURAL EQUATION MODELING - Christopher G. …

Attitudinal Predictors Of Preferred Policy Options: Contrasting Afdc With Work Programs, Jill Littrell, Sahna Diwan

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Two studies were conducted in order to determine the attitudinal predictors of support for AFDC, work programs, and the option of the government playing no role in protecting the welfare of poor children whose families have no income. The first study evaluated this question in 362 students of Criminal Justice, Business, Urban Studies, and Public Administration at an urban university in Georgia. The second study evaluated the question in a telephone poll sample of 822 randomly sampled Georgians throughout the state. Majorities in both samples preferred work programs. In the student sample, all three choice groups were distinguishable on the …

Estimating Homeless Populations Through Structural Equation Modeling, Christopher G. Hudson

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This article overviews the results from a test of a model of homeless populations throughout the 3,141 counties of the United States. The data were extracted from the 1990 Census, a Census Bureau survey of its enumerators at completion of the census, and other governmental sources. The model was tested using the generally weighted least squares algorithm, as implemented under the Extended LISREL model. It was found that urbanization, servicetization, McKinney funding, and systematic error arising out of more vigilant enumeration efforts in urban areas, collectively explained 80% of the variation in rates of homelessness. The model was then used …

Review Of Adoption, Identity And Kinship: The Debate Over Sealed Birth Records. Katarina Wegar. Reviewed By Terri Combs-Orme, University Of Tennessee., Terri Combs-Orme

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Katarina Wegar, Adoption, Identity and Kinship: The Debate over Sealed Birth Records. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1997. $22.50

Review Of Children In The Urban Environment: Linking Social Policy And Clinical Practice. Norma K. Phillips And Shulamith L. A. Straussner. Reviewed By Dorinda Noble, Louisiana State University., Dorinda Noble

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Norma K. Phillips and Shulamith L.A. Straussner, Children in the Urban Environment: Linking Social Policy and Clinical Practice. Springfield, IL. $57.96 hardcover, $43.05 papercover.

Review Of Alternatives To Social Security: An International Inquiry. James Midgley And Michael Sherraden. Reviewed By Eric Kingson, Boston College., Eric Kingson

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

James Midgley and Michael Sherraden (Eds.), Alternatives to Social Security: An International Inquiry. Westport, CT: Auburn House, 1997. $49.95 hardcover.

Review Of The Impact Of Managed Care On The Practice Of Psychotherapy: Innovation, Implementation And Controversy. Richard M. Alperin And David G. Phillips. Reviewed By Steven Segal, University Of California, Berkeley., Steven Segal

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Richard M. Alperin and David G. Phillips, The Impact of Managed Care on the Practice of Psychotherapy: Innovation, Implementation and Controversy. New York: Brunner/Mazel, 1997. $31.95 hardcover.

Teen Mothers And The Revolving Welfare Door. Kathleen Mullan Harris

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Kathleen Mullan Harris, Teen Mothers and the Revolving Welfare Door. Philadelphia, Temple University Press, 1997. $ 39.95 hardcover.

Interfacing African American Churches With Agencies And Institutions: An Expanding Continuum Of Care With Partial Answers To Welfare Reform, Barbara W. Rogers, Douglas Ronsheim

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

It is unrealistic to presume that churches and other private charities can fill the void resulting from welfare reform (Sider,1995; Conniff, 1997); yet there are ways to structure an effective church- and community-based continuum of care that will help to do so. In this article African-American churches are viewed as major players. An explanation of the systems theory of isomorphic replication provides a key to understanding the success of this collaborative model, which addresses issues facing communities while building on their strengths and assets and reckoning with the challenges of working collaboratively. Recurring issues of race, culture, trust, and control …

Improving The Quality Of Child Care In The Rural South, Margaret E. Griffin, R. Dwight Hare, Patrica A. Baggerly, Melinda M. Leftwich, Sue Standifer, Susan A. Elkins

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

A collaborative of six social service agencies and a state university determined that the single most pressing need of families in a 14-county, rural area was child care. The Training Resource Center, developed through a W K. Kellogg Foundation grant, worked with day care licensing and early childhood professional groups to develop a plan to address the systemic nature of the problem of how to improve the quality of child care. Programs developed included training, mentoring, NAEYC accreditation, and a resource library. After 15 months, some programs show the possibility of sustainability.

Review Of Modern Housing For America: Policy Struggles In The New Deal Era. Gail Radford. Reviewed By Robert Leighninger, Louisiana State University., Robert Leighninger

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Gail Radford, Modern Housing for America: Policy Struggles in the New Deal Era. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1996. $ 45.00 hardcover, $ 17.95 papercover

Review Of Letters To Christina: Reflections On My Life And Work. Paulo Freire. Reviewed By Arline Prigoff, California State University, Sacramento., Arline Prigoff

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Paolo Freire, Letters to Christina: Reflections on my Life and Work. London: Routledge, 1996. $ 16.95 paperback.

Social Policy In Britain: Themes And Issues. Pete Alcock.

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Pete Alock, Social Policy in Britain: Themes and Issues. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1997. $ 49.95 hardcover.

Why Foster Parents Continue And Cease To Foster, Nolan Rindfleisch, Gerald Bean, Ramona Denby

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This study addressed the following question: What factors thought likely to influence the license status of foster family homes predict to continuing and what predict to ceasing to foster? This study was conducted in eight urban counties in a large Midwestern state. Using logistic regression, a 13 variable model was developed. The factors with odds ratios that predicted greater likelihood of closed license status were: when the foster mother is white, respondent wanting to adopt but being unable to do so, concern about agency red tape, disagreement with the statement that social workers reached out to foster parentsand respondents not …

Clientilism And Clientification: Impediments To Strengths Based Social Work Practice, Charles D. Cowger

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

A strengths-based practice perspective is, at best, weak and, perhaps, irrelevant in social service structures that are powered by social control values, driven by the market economy, and protected by professional self interests. This paper proposes that the relationship between the patron and the client, as expressed by the metaphor "clientelism" in the development literature, and "clientification", as described by Habermas, are informative as significant obstacles to the implementation of strengthsbased social work practice and social service delivery. The paper argues that for strengths-based practice to be viable, it and its advocates must confront more fundamental change by becoming more …

When Do Single Mothers Work? An Analysis Of The 1990 Census Data, Marta Elliott, John F. Packham

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This study analyzes the relative effect of the amount of public assistance income received one year on the probability that a single mother is employed the following year compared to a variety of other determinants of employment status. The analysis is based on a national sample which was drawn from the Public Use Micro data 5 percent Sample (PUMS) of the 1990 U.S. Census. It consists of the 275,744female householders who were divorced, separated, widowed or never married, and living with their own children age 18 and under. Logistic regression was utilized to calculate the probability of being employed in …

Partnerships For Vitalizing Communities And Neighborhoods: Celebrating A "Return"!, Linwood H. Cousins

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

In 1994, ten community and university partnerships joined the W. K. Kellogg Foundation to develop training strategies that would improve social systems and better serve families and neighborhoods. The partnerships and training strategies were to be based on what the Foundation refers to as the "assets model"- or seeing the strengths and assets of families and neighborhoods, rather than their deficits, as the primary building block for social systems (Parsons, 1997). Called the "W. K. Kellogg Foundation Families and Neighborhoods Initiative, Community/ University Partnerships," according to Beverly Parsons, a program evaluator, "Funding is provided for sites to demonstrate that partnerships …