Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Review Of Capital In The Twenty-First Century. Thomas Piketty. Reviewed By Charles Levenstein, Charles Levenstein

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Thomas Piketty, Capital in the Twenty-First Century. Harvard University Press (2014). Translated by Arthur Goldhammer. $39.95 (hardcover), 696 pages.

When Government Helped: Learning From The Successes And Failures Of The New Deal. Sheila D. Collins And Gertrude Schaffner Goldberg (Eds.). Reviewed By Robert D. Leighninger, Jr., Robert D. Leighninger Jr.

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Sheila D. Collins and Gertrude Schaffner Goldberg (Eds.), When Government Helped: Learning from the Successes and Failures of the New Deal. Oxford University Press (2014). $39.95 paperback, 360 pages.

Social Responsibility And Altruism In Smalland Medium-Sized Innovative Businesses, Nancy C. Jurik, Ramsi Bodine

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This study examines the interview narratives of owners of 73 small and medium-sized businesses from a large metropolitan area located in the southwestern U.S. Our analysis focuses on owner discussions of their motivations and goals for starting and running their own businesses. Our findings reveal three central motivational narrative themes: (1) traditional business-centered success outcomes—a category we refer to as “Business is Business”; (2) owners’ personal and family well-being and fulfillment, labeled as “Business is Personal”; and (3) social responsibility concerns directed toward the betterment of other people and society more generally that we labeled as “Business is Doing Good.” …

Goffman And The Infantilization Of Elderly Persons: A Theory In Development, Stephen M. Marson, Rasby M. Powell

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Infantilization is a behavioral pattern in which a person of authority interacts with, responds to, or treats an elderly person in a child-like manner. This paper uses Erving Goffman’s theories as a framework from which to analyze the reasons for and the results of infantilization of elderly residents in partial and total institutions (i.e., adult day care centers and nursing homes). First, we review the literature on infantilization. Next, we offer a brief summary of Goffman’s work and delineate his major theoretical assumptions. Then, we analyze the process of infantilization through Goffman’s theories. Finally, we offer suggestions for advancing research …

Exploring Factors Associated With Citizens’ Perception Of Their Political Environment: Evidence From Palestine, Najwa S. Safadi, Margaret Lombe

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This study explores factors associated with citizens’ perception of their political environment in Palestine (N = 1270). Understanding these factors in this context has potential to enhance knowledge in relation to features that may be associated with dissatisfaction and civil unrest. This knowledge may help inform development of policies with greater potential to improve welfare. Overall, results of this study suggested that gender, government anti-corruption initiatives, and the country’s economic condition are important in explaining appraisal of the political environment as stable or unstable. Implications for welfare and scholarship are discussed.

Pathologies Of The Poor: What Do The War On Drugs And Welfare Reform Have In Common?, Kalynn Amundson, Anna M. Zajicek, Valerie H. Hunt

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA) authorized drug testing of welfare recipients as a criterion for assistance eligibility. This raises the question of a possible confluence of War on Drugs and Welfare Reform policies, as indicated by continuity in policymakers’ rhetoric. We examine federal-level policymakers’ debates surrounding the authorization of drug testing welfare recipients. The analysis reveals that themes of social pathology were present in both policy areas. Crime, drug addiction, welfare dependency, and drug testing themes are comparable in both debates. Teen pregnancy, out-of-wedlock birth, and female-headed households themes were more prevalent in Welfare …

Review Of The Creation Of Inequality: How Our Prehistoric Ancestors Set The Stage For Monarchy, Slavery, And Empire. Kent Flannery And Joyce Marcus. Reviewed By Kelly Mckowen., Kelly Mckowen

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Review of:

Kent Flannery and Joyce Marcus, The Creation of Inequality: How Our Prehistoric Ancestors Set the Stage for Monarchy, Slavery, and Empire (2012). Harvard University Press. $39.95 (hardcover).

Review Of Coming Up Short: Working-Class Adulthood In An Age Of Uncertainty. Jennifer M. Silva. Reviewed By Marguerite G. Rosenthal., Marguerite Rosenthal

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Review of:

Jennifer M. Silva, Coming Up Short: Working-Class Adulthood in an Age of Uncertainty. Oxford University Press (2013). $29.95 (hardcover).

Review Of To The End Of June: The Intimate Life Of American Foster Care. Cris Beam. From Pariahs To Partners: How Parents And Their Allies Changed New York City’S Child Welfare System. David Tobis. Reviewed By Julie Cooper Altman., Julie Cooper Altman

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Review of:

Cris Beam, To the End of June: The Intimate Life of American Foster Care. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (2013). $27.00 (hardcover). David Tobis, From Pariahs to Partners: How Parents and Their Allies Changed New York City’s Child Welfare System. Oxford University Press (2013). $29.95 (hardcover).

Austerity Versus Stimulus: An Introduction To The Special Issue, James Midgley, Howard Karger, Subas Risal

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

No abstract provided.

Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Vol. 41, No. 2 (June 2014)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION TO THE SPECIAL ISSUE - Howard Karger, James Midgley, and Subas Risal

AUSTERITY VERSUS STIMULUS: THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES AND POLICY PRESCRIPTIONS - James Midgley

THE BITTER PILL: AUSTERITY, DEBT, AND THE ATTACK ON EUROPE'S WELFARE STATES - Howard Karger

BETWEEN RETRENCHMENT AND RECALIBRATION: THE IMPACT OF AUSTERITY ON THE IRISH SOCIAL PROTECTION SYSTEM - Fiona Dukelow and Mairéad Considine

ITALIAN WELFARE IN THE AFTERMATH OF ECONOMIC CRISIS: NEOLIBERAL REFORMS AND LIMITS TO THE PATH DEPENDENCY APPROACH - Ijin Hong

DEFICIT-DRIVEN AUSTERITY POLICIES: EFFECTS ON LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND SOCIAL WELFARE IN THE UNITED STATES - David Miller and …

Austerity Versus Stimulus: Theoretical Perspectives And Policy Implications, James Midgley

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Attempts to respond to the negative social and economic effects of the Great Recession have been cast in terms of the austerity versus stimulus debate. Although oversimplified, this debate reflects wider theoretical analyses of market economies and normative prescriptions for enhancing their functioning. Referencing the historical evolution of economic thought, these theories and their policy implications for responding to recessions are summarized and their relevance for social welfare is examined in the light of recent events.

The Bitter Pill: Austerity, Debt, And The Attack On Europe's Welfare States, Howard Karger

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

There is a general belief among may European policymakers that the current debt problem in some Eurozone countries is caused by the unsustainable levels of governmental spending required to maintain overly generous welfare state programs, a bloated public sector, overly generous pension levels, state subsidies, and low user fees for services. Their proposed solution lies in implementing stringent austerity measures designed to discipline debt-ridden governments by cutting public budgets, reducing the number of public sector workers, curbing social benefits, and sharply narrowing the scope of the welfare state. Based on a belief in ‘expansionary austerity,’ this approach repudiates a key …

Between Retrenchment And Recalibration: The Impact Of Austerity On The Irish Social Protection System, Fiona Dukelow, Mairead Considine

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This article analyzes the impact of austerity on the Irish social protection system. The analysis is situated in Ireland’s wider financial and economic crisis and its status as an ‘early adopter’ of an austerity response which has continued under European Union/International Monetary Fund intervention. We focus on how the crisis instigated a political narrative about the cost and design of the social protection system, leading to a programme of retrenchment and reform which has blended a politics of blame avoidance with credit claiming. Three core elements in this narrative— generosity, sustainability and suitability— are identified, and against this background, a …

Italian Welfare In The Aftermath Of The Economic Crisis: Neoliberal Reforms And Limits To The Path Dependency Approach, Ijin Hong

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The 2008 world economic crisis provided a plausible rationale for policy makers in Italy to push forward long needed welfare cuts, resulting in the neoliberal austerity trend fostered by the Monti government (2011-2012). This paper seeks to understand the logic behind the welfare reforms in Italy after the 2008 economic crisis by describing implemented measures and reviewing available theoretical approaches in literature that could account for the reforms’ neoliberal shift from a path-dependent theoretical approach. It is argued that external forces, that is the economic crisis and EU pressures, represented the main trigger, and that political elites marginalized the role …

Rolling Downhill: Effects Of Austerity On Local Government Social Services In The United States, David B. Miller, Terry Hokenstad

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Austerity policies have been instituted in countries around the world attempting to address the fallout from the global economic crisis beginning in 2008 and still lingering through today. While the literature debates the economic impact of these policies, limited attention has been given to the effects of austerity at the local governmental level. It is posited that at the local government level, the effects of austerity policies are most noticeable and detrimental. States and local municipalities are “switching roles” with the federal government (Davidson, 2013, p. 1). They are providing jobs and social welfare services in the gap left by …

Review Of The Origins Of Active Social Policy: Labour Market And Childcare Policies In A Comparative Perspective. Giuliano Bonoli. Reviewed By James Midgley, James Midgley

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Giuliano Bonoli, The Origins of Active Social Policy: Labour Market and Childcare Policies in a Comparative Perspective. Oxford University Press (2013). $ 99.00 (hardcover).

Review Of Mental Health And Social Policy. Beyond Managed Care (6th Ed.). David Mechanic, Donna D. Mcalpine, And David A. Rochefort. Reviewed By Christopher G. Hudson, Christopher G. Hudson

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

David Mechanic, Donna D. McAlpine, and David A. Rochefort, Mental Health and Social Policy: Beyond Managed Care (6th ed.). Pearson (2014). $120.47 (paperback).

Review Of The Globalization Of Supermax Prisons. Jeffrey Ian Ross (Ed.). Reviewed By Ann Marie Rocheleau., Ann Marie K. Rocheleau

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Jeffrey Ian Ross (Ed.), The Globalization of Supermax Prisons. Rutgers University Press (2013). $28.95 (paperback), $72.00 (hardcover).

Review Of The Idealist: Jeffrey Sachs And The Quest To End Poverty. Nina Munk. Reviewed By Edward U. Murphy, Edward U. Murphy

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Nina Munk, The Idealist: Jeffrey Sachs and the Quest to End Poverty. Doubleday (2013). $15.95 (paperback).

Review Of Ethics. Sarah Banks (Ed.). Reviewed By Jennifer R. Zelnick, Jennifer R. Zelnick

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Sarah Banks (Ed.), Ethics. (Critical and Radical Debates in Social Work, I. Ferguson & M. Lavalette, series editors). Policy Press (2014). $15.00 (paperback).

Latino Migration To Protestantism: A Historical, Socio-Cultural, Ecclesiastical Analysis, Larry Ortiz

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The “browning of America” in the 21st century has brought about many social changes within the heterogeneous group known as Latinos and among the general U.S. population and its other ethnic groups. One notable change is religious preferences among recent immigrants and second and third generation Latinos in favor of Protestantism. Although Latinos have for many years had a limited presence among Protestant groups, over the last decade or two there has occurred a significant defection from the Roman Catholic Church to evangelicalism in particular. The implications of this are quite unknown to social workers and social scientists but are …

Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Vol. 41, No. 3 (September 2014)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Table of Contents

RESIDENT PERCEPTIONS OF REDEVELOPMENT AND GENTRIFICATION IN THE HEARTSIDE NEIGHBORHOOD: LESSONS FOR THE SOCIAL WORK PROFESSION - Mackenzi Huyser and Judi Ravenhorst Meerman

LATINO MIGRATION TO PROTESTANTISM: A HISTORICAL, SOCIO-CULTURAL, ECCLESIASTICAL ANALYSIS - Larry Ortiz

THE IMPACT OF GENDER AND SOCIAL NETWORKS ON MICROENTERPRISE BUSINESS PERFORMANCE - Seon Mi Kim and Margaret Sherraden

SOCIAL POLICY AND STATE CAPACITY IN IRAN: HEALTH AND EDUCATION POLICY FROM 1981-2009 - Masoumeh Qarakhani

INCOME PACKAGING STRATEGIES OF ECONOMICALLY DISCONNECTED WOMEN AND THE IMPLICATIONS FOR SOCIAL POLICY AND PRACTICE - Andrea Hetling, Jinwoo Kwon, and Elizabeth Mahn

THE CONSOLIDATION OF THE SECONDARY …

Social Policy And State Capacity In Iran: Health And Education Policy From 1981-2009, Masoumeh Qarakhani

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The fact that states operate under different structures and capacities in order to provide welfare and social justice for their citizens has been the subject of various studies. Since the capacity of states differs at various times and in different situations, their capabilities for welfare provision vary as well. The present paper draws upon the state-centered framework, applying quantitative methods and secondary data to study the relationship between state capacity and two aspects of social policy, education and health in Iran from 1981 to 2009. The findings reveal that there is no statistically significant relationship between state capacity and education …

Income Packaging Strategies Of Economically Disconnected Women And The Implications For Social Policy And Practice, Andrea Hetling, Jinwoo Kwon, Elizabeth Mahn

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Income packaging, or piecing together cash and non-cash resources from a variety of sources, is a common financial survival strategy among low-income women. This strategy is particularly important for economically disconnected women, who lack both employment income and public cash assistance receipt. Using data from the confidential Census Bureau versions of the Survey of Income and Program Participation, this study compares the use of public and private supports between disconnected and connected low-income women, controlling for differences in state welfare rules and county unemployment rates. Findings from bivariate comparisons and multilevel logistic regressions indicate that disconnected women utilize public non-cash …

The Consolidation Of The Secondary Financial Services Market, David Stoesz

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Stagnant income and persistent debt have induced low- and middle-income households to rely on alternative financial services (AFS): buy-here-pay-here auto loans, check-cashers, payday loans, auto title loans, rent-to-own furniture and appliances, and pawnshops. A secondary financial services market has evolved to serve the secondary labor market, replete with trade associations as well as state and federal regulators. Mainstream financial institutions have marketed innovations, such as reloadable debit cards, to appeal to low- and middle-income consumers. High fees and interest rates of AFS products have fueled a volatile debate about the future of the secondary financial services market, with options including …

The Impact Of Youth Debt On College Graduation, Min Zhan

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This study examines the associations between educational loans and credit card debt with the possibility of college graduation among a group of youth who enrolled in college. It further investigates whether the associations differ by levels of parental assets. Results indicate that, after parental assets and other variables are considered, educational loans are positively related to college graduation; however, there is evidence that educational loans above $10,000 reduce the probability of college graduation. Parental assets are positively linked to youth’s college graduation, and the relationship between educational loans and college graduation is stronger among youth whose families have lower levels …

Are Payday Loans Really Evil? Controversy, Regulation, And Innovation In The Secondary Financial Services Market, David Stoesz

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Stagnant income and persistent debt have induced low- and middle-income households to rely on alternative financial services (AFS): buy-here-pay-here auto loans, check-cashers, payday loans, auto title loans, rent-to-own furniture and appliances, and pawnshops. A secondary financial services market has evolved to serve the secondary labor market, replete with trade associations as well as state and federal regulators. Mainstream financial institutions have marketed innovations, such as reloadable debit cards, to appeal to low- and middle-income consumers. High fees and interest rates of AFS products have fueled a volatile debate about the future of the secondary financial services market, with options including …

Individual And Country-Level Institutional Trust And Public Attitude To Welfare Expenditures In 24 Transitional Countries, Nazim Habibov

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Does institutional trust on the individual and on the country level influence public attitudes to state social welfare expenditures in transitional countries of Central and Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia? To answer this question, this study draws on a comparative survey conducted in 24 countries. Multilevel binomial logit regression was used to allow for the simultaneous inclusion of variables at the individual- and country-levels of analysis. Institutional trust is associated with positive attitudes to welfare expenditures on the individual level, but not on the country level. Women, older individuals, those who are less educated, and those of low-income …

Correlates Of Job Burnout Among Human Services Workers: Implications For Workforce Retention, Madhavappallil Thomas, Vandana Kohli, Jong Choi

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Job burnout has impacted workers and negatively transformed the social agency and its clients. This study examined the correlates of job burnout among human service workers in a non-urban setting in Central California. Using a convenience sample, researchers collected responses from 288 participants on a 13 item burnout scale. Findings indicated that workers experienced moderate to high levels of job burnout. Several scale items, including caseload size, age, gender, education, and experience, were significantly correlated with burnout. In addition, regression analyses revealed that caseload size was the most significant predictor of job burnout among human service workers. Implications for workforce …