Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Review Of Workfare: Why Good Ideas Go Bad. Maeve Quaid. Reviewed By Colita Nichols Fairfax., Colita Nichols Fairfax

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Maeve Quaid, Workfare: Why Good Ideas Go Bad. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2002. $60.00 hardcover, $24.95 papercover.

Review Of Faithful Angels: Portraits Of International Social Work Notables. James O. Billups, (Ed.). Reviewed By Lynne M. Healy., Lynne M. Healy

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of James O. Billups, (Ed.), Faithful Angels: Portraits of International Social Work Notables. Washington, DC: NASW Press, 2002. $34.99 paperback.

Review Of A Sealed And Sacred Kinship: The Culture Of Policies And Practices In American Adoption. Judith S. Modell. Reviewed By Dorinda N. Noble., Dorinda N. Noble

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Judith S. Modell, A Sealed and Sacred Kinship: The Culture of Policies and Practices in American Adoption. New York: Berghahn, 2002. $49.95 hardcover.

American Poverty As A Structural Failing: Evidence And Arguments, Mark R. Rank, Hong-Sik Yoon, Thomas A. Hirschl

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Empirical research on American poverty has largely focused on individual characteristicst o explain the occurrence and patternso f poverty. The argument in this article is that such an emphasis is misplaced. By focusing upon individual attributes as the cause of poverty, social scientists have largely missed the underlying dynamic of American impoverishment. Poverty researchers have in effect focused on who loses out at the economic game, rather than addressing the fact that the game produces losers in the first place. We provide three lines of evidence to suggest that U.S. poverty is ultimately the result of structural failings at the …

Shift Work And Negative Work-To-Family Spillover, Blanche Grosswald

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

A representative sample of the U.S. workforce from 1997 National Study of the Changing Workforce data (Families & Work Institute, 1999) was examined to study the relationship between shift work and negative workto- family spillover. Negative spillover was measured by Likert-scale frequency responses to questions concerning mood, energy, and time for family as functions of one's job. Statistical analyses comprised t-tests, ANOVAs, and multiple regressions. Among wage earners with families (n = 2,429), shift work showed a significant, strong, positive relationship to high negative work-to-family spillover when controlling for standard demographic characteristics as well as education and occupation. Distinctions among …

Because A Better World Is Possible: Women Casino Workers, Union Activism And The Creation Of A Just Workplace, Susan Chandler

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Based on a re-analysis of data from a qualitative study of the work experience of 36 women casino workers, this article examines the contributions and personal characteristics of the 13 women in the sample who described themselves as committed union activists. These women, all leaders in the Hotel Employees, Restaurant Employees Union, were proud that collectively they had improved wages, benefits, and the conditions of work in Nevada casinos, and had created an environment that reinforced pride in a job well-done, provided job security, and promoted strong families and communities. These women's workplace experience serves as a reminder to the …

Review Of Settlement Houses Under Siege: The Struggle To Sustain Community Organizations In New York City. Michael Fabricant And Robert Fisher. Reviewed By Bill Buffum., Bill Buffum

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Michael Fabricant and Robert Fisher, Settlement Houses Under Siege: The Struggle to Sustain Community Organizations in New York City. New York: Columbia University Press, 2002. $49.50 hardcover, $23.40 papercover.

Globalization And Human Welfare. Vic George & Paul Wilding.

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book note for Vic George and Paul Wilding, Globalization and Human Welfare. New York: Palgrave, 2002. $75.00 hardcover, $25.00 papercover.

Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Vol. 30, No. 4 (December 2003)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• AMERICAN POVERTY AS A STRUCTURAL FAILING: EVIDENCE AND ARGUMENTS - Mark R. Rank, Hong-Sik Yoon, & Thomas A. Hirschl
• SHIFT WORK AND NEGATIVE WORK-TO-FAMILY SPILLOVER - Blanche Grosswald
• BECAUSE A BETTER WORLD IS POSSIBLE: WOMEN CASINO WORKERS, UNION ACTIVISM AND THE CREATION OF A JUST WORKPLACE - Susan Chandler & Jill Jones
• RESILIENCY FACTORS RELATED TO SUBSTANCE USE/RESISTANCE: PERCEPTIONS OF NATIVE ADOLESCENTS OF THE SOUTHWEST - Margaret A. Waller, Scott K. Okamoto, Bart Miles, & Donna E. Hurdle
• A COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSIS OF SEX AND RACE INEQUITIES IN UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE BENEFITS - Melissa Latimer
• FINDING AND KEEPING AFFORDABLE …

Resiliency Factors Related To Substance Use/Resistance: Perceptions Of Native Adolescents Of The Southwest, Margaret A. Waller, Scott K. Okamoto, Bart Miles, Donna E. Hurdle

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This exploratory, qualitative study examined risk and protective factors influencing drug and alcohol use and/or resistance of Native youth in the Southwest. Thirty-two Native middle school students participated in 10 focus groups that explored their experiences with alcohol and drugs in their school and reservation communities. The findings indicate a complex interaction of both risk and protective factors related to substance use. Respondents' cousins and siblings, in particular, played a key role in their decisions to use or resist drugs. Implications for social work practice are discussed.

A Comprehensive Analysis Of Sex And Race Inequities In Unemployment Insurance Benefits, Melissa Latimer

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This research makes a unique contribution to the growing body of literature on the welfare system by examining the relationship between sex, race, and social insurance benefits in a rural state. Using data from the West Virginia Unemployment Compensation Program, this research investigates sex and race differences in (1) monetary disqualifications for unemployment insurance (UI) benefits and (2) separation issue and nonseparation issue disqualifications of UI benefits. The analyses indicate that unemployed women, people of color, younger, and low income workers are the most likely to fail the monetary qualifications for UI benefits and to lose qualified weeks of UI …

Finding And Keeping Affordable Housing: Analyzing The Experiences Of Single-Mother Families In North Philadelphia, Susan Clampet-Lundquist

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The location, availability, and quality of housing shapes one's social networks, affects access to jobs, and impacts on social relations within the housing unit. However, access to affordable housing is limited for a significant portion of the population in the urban United States. In this study, I interviewed eighteen African-American and Puerto Rican single mothers in two low-income neighborhoods of Philadelphia about how they create and maintain their housing arrangements. Within the constraints of an affordable housing shortage, women told me how they struggle to share housing with others, rehab abandoned properties, live in substandard housing, and remain in unsafe …

Early Education Experiences & School-To-Work Program Participation, Richard K. Caputo

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This study assesses the effects of Head Start participation and demonstrated academic ability during elementary school on School-to-Work (STW) program participation. The study sample comes from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, 1997 Cohort and comprises 4,370 adolescents who reported grades they received while in the 8th grade and whether or not they ever repeated a grade in grammar school. Findings indicate that STW programs attract disproportionate numbers of students with histories of marginal demonstrated academic ability. This is so because STW programs are also more likely to attract Head Starters. Demonstrated academic ability varies by race/ethnicity and sex, with …

Participants' Perceptions Of The Childcare Subsidy System, Sue Pearlmutter, Elizabeth E. Bartle

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This paper presents a focus group study of perceptions of cash assistance participants in Cuyahoga County, Ohio and the San Fernando Valley in California regarding childcare subsidy use, choices of care, and perceptions of quality. TANF participants discuss experiences in the subsidy system and indicate needs and preferences for childcare. Advocates, policy makers, and parents recognize the need for suitable childcare so that TANF recipients can go to work. However, discussants' comments demonstrate one result of a changing, but not yet changed, social safety net. The authors explore strategies to address participants' concerns-childcare systems that neither function as promised, nor …

Organizational Factors Contributing To Worker Frustration: The Precursor To Burnout, Cathleen A. Lewandowski

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This study examined the organizationalf actors that contribute to workers' frustration with their work situation. The sample included 141 service professionals who attended workshops on burnout in 2001. The purpose of the workshops was to increase awareness regarding the organizational factors that could contribute to burnout. Findings indicate that factors most directly affecting clients were predictive of frustration, rather than factors that may indirectly support service quality or factors impacting workers' professional autonomy. A sense of powerlessness and isolation was also predictive of frustration, suggesting that participants viewed workplace problems as a private rather than an organizational concern. To address …

Review Of From Immigration Controls To Welfare Controls. Steve Cohen, Beth Humphries, & Ed Mynott (Eds.). Reviewed By Miriam Potocky-Tripodi., Miriam Potocky-Tripodi

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Steve Cohen, Beth Humphries and Ed Mynott (Eds.), From Immigration Controls to Welfare Controls. New York: Routledge, 2002. $90.00 hardcover, $28.95 papercover.

Review Of Working Parents And The Welfare State: Family Change And Policy Reform In Scandinavia. Arnlaug Leira. Inventing The Needy: Gender And The Politics Of Welfare In Hungary. Lynne Haney. Reviewed By Rebecca A. Van Voorhis., Rebecca A. Van Voorhis

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Arnlaug Leira, Working Parents and the Welfare State: Family Change and Policy Reform in Scandinavia. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2002. $65.00. & Lynne Haney, Inventing the Needy: Gender and the Politics of Welfare in Hungary. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2002. $24.95 papercover.

Single Mothers And The State: The Politics Of Care In Sweden And The United States. Cecilia Winkler.

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book note for Cecilia Winkler, Single Mothers and the State: The Politics of Care in Sweden and the United States. Lanham, MD: Rowan & Littlefield, 2002, $69.00 hardcover.

Life Support: The Environment And Human Health. Michael Mccally.

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book note for Michael McCally, Life Support: The Environment and Human Health. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2002. $19.95. papercover.

Poverty Knowledge: Social Science, Social Policy And The Poor In Twentieth Century U.S. History. Alice O'Connor.

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book note for Alice O'Connor, Poverty Knowledge: Social Science, Social Policy and the Poor in Twentieth Century U. S. History. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2002. paper cover $22.50.

Financialization Of Daily Life. Randy Martin.

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book note for Randy Martin, Financialization of Daily Life. Philadelpia, PA: Temple University Press, 2002. $59.50 hardcover, $19.95 papercover.

Review Of The Making Of The Chinese Industrial Workplace: State, Revolution And Labor Management. Mark W. Frazier. Reviewed By M. K. Lee., M. K. Lee

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Mark W. Frazier, The Making of the Chinese Industrial Workplace: State, Revolution and Labor Management. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2002. $60.00 hardcover.

Review Of Tramps, Unfit Mothers And Neglected Children: Negotiating The Family In Late Nineteenth Century Philadelphia. Sherri Broder. Reviewed By Leslie Leighninger., Leslie Leighninger

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Sherri Broder, Tramps, Unfit Mothers and Neglected Children: Negotiating the Family in Late Nineteenth Century Philadelphia. Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2002. $39.95 hardcover.

Review Of Emotionally Involved: The Impact Of Researching Rape. Rebecca Campbell. Reviewed By Laura S. Abrams., Laura S. Abrams

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Rebecca Campbell, Emotionally Involved: The Impact of Researching Rape. New York: Routledge, 2002. $21.95 papercover.

Generational Equity, Generational Interdependence, And The Framing Of The Debate Over Social Security Reform, John B. Williamson, Tay K. Mcnamara, Stephanie A. Howling

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This article analyzes the differences between the generational equity and generational interdependence conceptual packages used to frame arguments in the debate over policies such as Social Security reform. It begins with a history of the generational equity debate. This is followed by an analysis of the assumptions, values, and beliefs that inform each of these two ideological frames. It presents an analysis of why the generational equity frame has dominated the debate and highlights some of the limitations of this perspective.

The Social Problem Of Depression: A Multi-Theoretical Analysis, Rich Furman, Kimberly Bender

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the social problem of depression from a multi-theoretical perspective. It explores depression through the lens of two psychologically based theories of human behavior, existential theory and cognitive theory, as well as through the vehicle of two sociological theories, Marxist theory and the theory of oppression. By understanding how each of these theories explains depression, social workers may be helped to see the complexity of treating the problem. It is the belief of the authors that social work literature, which is often dominated by reductionist, quantitativelybased research studies, has increasingly ignored theoretical explorations …

Indicators For Safe Family Reunification: How Professionals Differ, Brad R. Karoll, John Poertner

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Many professionals who work with substance-affected families consider the time limits prescribed by the Adoption and Safe Families Act (1997) to be unrealistically short. The high prevalence of substance use in child welfare cases requires professionals to quickly determine when it is safe to reunify children placed because of abuse or neglect in concert with this serious family problem. This exploratory study identified similarities and differences on different indicators of safe reunification between judges who hear juvenile cases, private agency child welfare caseworkers, and substance abuse counselors. The study examined these professionals' rating of the importance of each indicator. Judges, …

Review Of Sociology Of Religion: Contemporary Developments. Kevin J. Christiano, William H. Swatos Jr. And Peter Kivisto. Reviewed By Ram A. Cnaan., Ram A. Cnaan

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Kevin J. Christiano, William H. Swatos Jr. and Peter Kivisto, Sociology of Religion: Contemporary Developments. Lanham, MD: AltaMira Press, 2002. $44.95 papercover.

The Culture Of Race, Class, And Poverty: The Emergence Of A Cultural Discourse In Early Cold War Social Work (1946-1963), Laura Curran

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Through a primary source historical analysis, this article discusses the emergence of a cultural discourse in the early cold war (1946-1963) social work literature. It traces the evolution of social work's cultural narrative in relation to social scientific perspectives, changing race relations, and increasing welfare caseloads. Social work scholars originally employed their cultural discourse to account for racial and ethnic difference and eventually came to examine class and poverty from this viewpoint as well. This cultural framework wrestled with internal contradictions. It simultaneously celebrated and problematized cultural difference and foreshadowed both latter twentieth century multiculturalism as well as neo-conservative thought.

The Lived Experience Of Welfare Reform In Drug-Using Welfare-Needy Households In Inner-City New York, Eloise Dunlap, Andrew Golub, Bruce D. Johnson

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Welfare reform has transformed a needs-based family income support into temporary assistance for persons entering the workforce. This paper uses observations from an ethnographic study covering the period from 1995- 2001 to examine the impact on drug-using welfare-needy households in inner-city New York. The analysis suggests that studies may underestimate the extent to which substance use is associated with welfare problems. Nearly all of these already distressed households lost their AFDC/TANF benefits, had difficulty with work programs, and were having more difficulty covering expenses. The conclusion highlights ways to better study this population and policy initiatives that could help them …