Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Development Of Palestinian Social Work In Israel: The Formative Years (1968–1982), Ibrahim Mahajne, Anwar Khatib, Arnon A. Bar-On

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Based on primary and secondary sources and interviews with Arab social workers employed in welfare bureaus during the time under review, the article describes the development of Palestinian social work in Israel in its formative years (1968–1982). The primary finding is that this development took place under a "policy of contempt" towards the Palestinian community's needs. The authorities acknowledged these needs but perpetuated a discriminatory allocation of resources in meeting them compared to Jewish Israelis and disregarded the society's narrative by maintaining a dual welfare system: one for the country's Jewish citizens and a lesser one for their …

Review Of Sex-Positive Social Work By S. J. Dodd, Melinda M. Mccormick

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

No abstract provided.

The Interlinkage Between Blood Plasma Donation And Poverty In The United States, Analidis Ochoa, H. Luke Shaefer, Andrew Grogan-Kaylor

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

In 2019, plasma centers in the United States received a record 53.5 million blood donations, roughly triple that collected during the Great Recession. Recent ethnographic research and journalistic accounts connect plasma sales and poverty, an association that would carry important public health implications given the vulnerability of disadvantaged populations. This study is the first to examine a range of socioeconomic characteristics of communities where commercial plasma centers situate. We geocode locations of all U.S. commercial plasma centers and merge with census tract demographic data from the American Community Survey. Findings indicate greater odds that plasma centers will locate in urban …

Journal Of Sociology And Social Welfare Vol. 48, No. 3

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

No abstract provided.

Bridging The Gaps: Literacy, Media Literacy Education, And Critical Digital Social Work, Gianna Cappello

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Drawing from literacy studies and research in media literacy education, this article contends that a series of conceptual gaps need to be bridged in order to have a better understanding of how these traditions can contribute to redefining the field of digital social work. The field of digital social work should move towards a more critical-oriented dimension so that digital media and the internet should not simply be considered (as it is often the case), as mere tools to improve the professionality of social workers, but rather as life environments and systems of representation shaping individuals’ identities and social relationships.

Social Work And Participation In The Digital Environment, Rafael Acebes Valentín

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

In this article, I present a set of communication strategies aimed at creating both online and offline communities based on an analysis of communication and participation in digital environments. These strategies seek to enhance convergence and congregation with the aim of achieving the best possible outcome from a thesis-antithesis-synthesis approach, a priority of digital social work.

Journal Of Sociology And Social Welfare Vol. 48, No. 4

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

No abstract provided.

Parental Financial Assistance To Young Adult Children And The Black-White Wealth Gap, Yunju Nam, Darrick Hamilton, Christopher Famighetti

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

We examine the roles of parental financial assistance to young adult children for college, homeownership, and “other reasons” in explaining the Black-White wealth gap. Using Panel Study of Income Dynamics data, we run Blinder-Oaxaca decompositions. Results show that the socioeconomic position of Black parents, not their proclivity to give, explains lower receipt of parental assistance for Black adult children—especially in the form of assistance for college and homeownership, which in turn, translates into the intergenerational reproduction of the racial wealth gap. Accordingly, policies should focus on equalizing resource endowments for adult children across racial lines. The findings support a structural/stratification …

“Growing Up Guerreándola”: On Adolescent Formations Of Conscientização In Colombia, Amy E. Ritterbusch, Melissa Arena Lucía Simbaqueba Gómez, Jhon Restrepo, Nancy Montes, Claudia Rentería, Yirley Velazco, Sandra García Jaramillo, Darío Maldonado

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

In this article, we argue that we have much to learn from the adolescent developmental experiences of social justice activists on the frontlines. Our team of authors includes the four youth social leaders at the center of the empirical work emerging from our qualitative research. We ground the Freirean concept of conscientização, roughly interpreted in English as critical consciousness building, in the lived experiences of these four youth social leaders in Colombia who have fought tirelessly for justice in their communities. The social justice stories of these young activists emerge from semi-structured interviews including visual methods designed by our …

Narratives In Sex Offender Management Laws: How Stories About A Label Shape Policymaking, Mauricio P. Yabar

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Serious scholarly inquiry regarding the role of social constructions and narratives in sex offender management laws is relatively a new undertaking. In the last two decades, a myriad of studies exploring the negative effects of Sex Offender Registration and Notification (SORN) policies were added to the literature, a trend that appears to be slowing down today. The purpose of this paper is to recommend the integration of the narrative policy framework (NPF) with Schneider and Ingram’s (1993) theory of social construction of target populations in the analysis of SORN policies. The author provides a critical review of SORN policies while …

Family Preservation Strategies: Regendering Labor In Mixed-Status Marriage After Co-Deportation, April M. Schueths, Nathan Palmer

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Harsh U.S. deportation policies disproportionately target Latin American immigrant working-class men and subsequently divide families. The unique experiences of co-deported mixed-status couples are missing from the deportation literature—that is, U.S. citizens, primarily women, who live outside of the United States with their deported Latin American immigrant spouses (what we call co-deportation) rather than living separately. Using hegemonic masculinity, this research qualitatively analyzes the experiences of eleven mixed-status couples internationally co-deported. Findings suggest couples' gender dynamics shift paid and unpaid labor to sustain family life living as co-deportees. Co-deported couples are a testament to how adaptable heterosexual gender dynamics can be, …

The Social Construction Of Happiness: A Mixed-Methods Research Study In Mexico, Oscar A. Martínez-Martínez, Margaret Lombe, Ana María Vázquez-Rodríguez, Javier Reyes-Martínez, Araceli Ramírez-López

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This study analyzes how happiness is built in Mexico in a context of concentrated poverty. The study uses a mixed-methods approach and incorporates two techniques of data analysis. The first analysis employs an ordinal logistic model with data from the Self-Report Well-being Survey (N=44,518), while the second draws upon semi-structured interviews in four Mexican states (N=247). The results show that six important categories influence the level of happiness in Mexico: (1) emotional life; (2) self-perception of health (the health status of family members and close friends); (3) religiosity and religious affiliation, or both; (4) having the freedom to decide and …

Journal Of Sociology And Social Welfare Vol. 48, No. 1

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Complete issue of Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare Volume 48, Number 1

Social Work And Diverse Models Of Public Safety: Advocating With And On Behalf Of African American Communities, David R. Hodge, Stephanie Clintonia Boddie

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

George Floyd’s death sparked an intense national debate about policing practices. In social work, the discussion has generally focused on whether the profession should partner with, or shun, law enforcement. While affirming the need for structural change, this paper suggests a different approach; that social workers should advocate with and on behalf of African American communities to implement a public safety model that reflects their preferences. After discussing how practitioners can facilitate structural reform in this arena, five alternative models of public safety are reviewed to familiarize readers with options that may have some degree of currency with African Americans: …

Journal Of Sociology And Social Welfare Vol. 48, No. 2

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Complete issue of Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare Volume 48, Number 2

Understanding How Recipients Of Means-Tested Government Assistance Make The Decision To Vote Or Not To Vote And How Social Workers Can Make A Difference?, Adelaide Sandler

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

When voter turnout of any one particular demographic or social group is significantly less than that of other groups, members of that group lose their power to protect their basic economic and social rights. Low voter turnout among recipients of means-tested government assistance is especially problematic because election outcomes impact the benefits on which they depend. This article presents results from a qualitative study to understand how recipients of means-tested government assistance decide to vote or not to vote. Four themes emerged related to the patterns of voting behaviors and described as: dedicated voter, voter, nonvoter, and dedicated nonvoter. Each …

Importance Of Education As A Coping Strategy To Sudanese Refugee Women: A Qualitative Study From Kakuma Refugee Camp, Kenya, Jessica Gladden, Allyson Dykstra

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Research shows the level of importance that education plays in refugee youths’ lives. However, most research is completed with refugees who have resettled to a developed nation and rarely examines the needs and desires of refugee women living in refugee camps. This sub-section of a study examines the importance of education, as well as a hope of education, in a population of young Sudanese women living in Kakuma Refugee Camp. This study shows that the younger refugee women’s primary goal was education, although most were not able to participate in formal education at the time of the study. A hope …

Review Of Reversals Of Fortune: Poverty And Shared Prosperity By World Bank, James Midgley

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Review of Reversals of Fortune: Poverty and Shared Prosperity

Reconceptionalizing The Knowledge Base Of Social Work: The Imperative For Critical Theories And Perspectives In Social Work Education, Kristie L. Seelman, Elizabeth L. Beck, Shane R. Brady, Karimah Dillard, William Lane

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

As the U.S. continues to grapple with the need for a racial reckoning, and with a growth of progressive voices and movements—especially those lead by Black, Indigenous, and People of Color—now is an important time to re-examine social work’s knowledge base. Students, researchers, and practitioners need the tools to challenge hegemony, inequity, injustice, and White supremacy from a structural position. Critical theory is an important tool for such work, yet it is not well integrated into social work textbooks, and many students still have limited exposure to it. In this paper, we explore critical theory’s roots and evolution and discuss …

Political Efficacy In Social Workers Before And After 2016, Shannon R. Lane, Katharine M. Hill, Kathryn S. Krase, Tanya Rhodes Smith

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Since 2016, members of communities traditionally prevented or discouraged from electoral politics have challenged barriers to political power. Social work’s current research base about political action reflects the pre- 2016 political landscape. Survey data collected between 2015 and 2019 examines ways social workers’ political engagement and efficacy reacted to this political environment. We examined political efficacy of social workers and students before and after 2016 to compare their internal efficacy (sense of one’s own power in the political system) and external efficacy (sense of the system’s responsiveness). Political engagement and individual measures of political efficacy increased among certain demographic groups; …

Addressing The Needs Of African American Grandparents: An Intersectionality Perspective, Dorothy Smith-Ruiz, Kendra Jason

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This study seeks to demonstrate the intersecting structural and compounding challenges African American custodial grandparents experience collectively, rather than as separate non-competing factors, which has been modeled in prior studies. Using a mixed-method research design, the study explored the challenges faced by African American and white custodial grandparents. These challenges included difficulties attaining different types of support, respite care, and programs for teens and special needs grandchildren. Results showed that caregiving challenges among African Americans were more pervasive than their White counterparts. These findings have significant implications for the development of intervention programs for custodial African American grandmothers and their …

Preparation And Response To Covid-19: An Exploratory Analysis Of Policy Response Spending And Health Expenditures In 20 Oecd Countries, Anis Ben Brik, Neil Gilbert

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This article examines the comparative impact of COVID-19 in terms of the number of cases per capita and the per capita mortality rate and analyzes the relationships between these impact estimates and three policy measures in 20 OECD countries, controlling for the population over age 65. The policy measures involve public and private health expenditures prior to the pandemic onset and per capita fiscal expenditures devoted to policies designed to address the pandemic, which are identified in the International Monetary Fund’s policy tracker. The findings show no relationship between the policy measures and COVID-19 when controlling for the population over …

Review Of South Bronx Battles: Stories Of Resistance, Resilience, And Renewal. By Carolyn Mclaughlin, Sarah Taylor

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

No abstract provided.

Impact Of 9/11-Induced Adverse Experiences On The Mental Health Of Latino Americans And The Role Of Religious Service Attendance, Soyoung Kwon, Yongsok Kim, Jiyoung Moon Dr.

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Much research has documented the mental health consequences of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001; however, little is known about how the 9/11 attacks affect the mental health of Latino Americans. This study uses a nationally representative sample of Latino Americans (N = 2,346) from the National Latino and Asian American Study (NLAAS) to examine the relationships between 9/11-induced negative life experiences and mental disorders. The former includes losing a job, reducing family income, feeling less safe and secure, discrimination, loss of optimism, and inability to cope with things. For the latter, mental disorders may exhibit as psychological distress, …

Review Of Caste: The Origins Of Our Discontents By Isabel Wilkerson, Edward U. Murphy

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

No abstract provided.

Etiology Of Poverty: A Critical Evaluation Of Two Major Theories, Stephen W. Stoeffler, Rigaud Joseph

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The purpose of this article is to appraise two competing frameworks related to poverty attribution: individualistic theories and structural theories. Using the Theory Evaluation Scale (TES)—an empirically validated nine-criterion measure—this paper scrutinizes the aforementioned theories for coherence, conceptual clarity, philosophical assumptions, connection with previous research, testability, empiricism, limitations, client context, and human agency. Results revealed that, at the scale level, both perspectives are of excellent quality. However, at the item-level, the structural perspective was found to be significantly stronger than the individual perspective. Therefore, the structural perspective is an epistemologically sounder framework for informing antipoverty interventions.

Deconstructing The Racialized Cannabis User: Cannabis Criminalization And Intersections With The Social Work Profession, Amar Ghelani

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Cannabis users have been historically stigmatized and criminalized for non-violent behaviors such as consuming, producing, and distributing cannabis. Racialized cannabis users in particular have been constructed as fundamentally different, dangerous, and mentally unstable, while state actors have benefited from the subjugation of this group. The following article reviews the history of cannabis prohibition with an emphasis on the social construction of racialized cannabis users and role of social workers in the treatment of this group. As laws liberalizing cannabis use and trade are passed across North America, an emergent legal framework is maintaining racial divides and marginalizing non- White cannabis …

Review Of Jesus And John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted A Faith And Fractured A Nation. By Kristin Kobes Du Mez, Daniel Liechty

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Review of Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation.

A Legal Analysis: The Transgender Bathroom Debate, Josselyn Sheer

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This article examines the current legal battles over transgender bathroom, locker room, and employment rights. In the recent years, there has been a major uproar surrounding the rights of transgender individuals; concurrently, our country is witnessing a shift in the ways in which individuals understand their gender outside of the binary male and female classification. While the word transgender can serve as an “umbrella term encompassing a wide array of identifies,” transgender rights have steadily grown across numerous areas (Buck, 2016, p. 465). However, there have been contentious legal issues that have put transgender individuals rights in the spotlight.

The …

No One Cares About Crazy People: The Chaos And Heartbreak Of Mental Health In America, By Ron Powers, Christopher Giesfield

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Ron Powers, No One Cares About Crazy People: The Chaos and Heartbreak of Mental Health in America. Hachette Book Group (2018), 384 pages, $16.99 (paperback).