Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Do We Know What We Think We Know About Payday Loan Borrowers? Evidence From The Survey Of Consumer Finances, Mary Caplan, Peter A. Kindle, Robert B. Nielsen

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The field of social work is becoming increasingly savvy regarding the financial lives of people, but despite seeming conclusive and resolved, knowledge about payday loan borrowing is still nascent. To understand it more thoroughly, this study employed descriptive and inferential multivariate quantitative methods using cross-sectional secondary data from the 2013 Survey of Consumer Finances (n = 6015). Results revealed that many of the simple differences found in descriptive analyses of demographic characteristics no longer predict differential payday loan borrowing when controlling for other characteristics. Contrary to prior research, results showed that payday loan borrowers are not more likely to be …

Habitus, Symbolic Violence, And Reflexivity: Applying Bourdieu’S Theories To Social Work, Wendy L. Wiegmann

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

During the mid- to late-twentieth century, Pierre Bourdieu crated a conceptual framework that describes how underclass status becomes embodied in individuals, and the ways that personal, professional, and political fields perpetuate this oppression. Bourdieu’s theories also outline the role of the “critical intellectual” in undermining oppression and fighting for social justice. Using key terms from Bourdieu’s explanatory framework, this article examines the power relations and symbolic violence built into the interactions between social workers and clients, and offers suggestions as to how reflexive and relational social work can help workers reduce this impact. This paper also explores the role of …

Who Defines Need?: Low-Income Individuals’ Interpretations Of Need And The Implications For Participation In Public Assistance Programs, Kerri Leyda Nicoll

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Existing research into participation and nonparticipation in U.S. public assistance programs is nearly all rooted in the assumption that people who meet a program’s eligibility criteria are in need of that program’s assistance. Based on in-depth interviews with members of 75 low-income households, this study argues that the failure to give low-income individuals a voice in defining their own need prevents researchers from understanding how and why these individuals choose to participate, or not participate, in public programs. The disconnect between individual interpretations of need and program eligibility standards pushes us to rethink the design of participation research and program …

A Right To Motherhood? Race, Class, And Reproductive Services In The Jim Crow South, Cynthia Edmonds-Cady

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This research examines birth control and sterilization practices aimed at low-income black women in the United States from 1939-1950, within the framework of specific race- and class-based constructions of motherhood in the Jim Crow South. How these social services aimed at reproductive health were grounded within differential ideals about family, childbirth, and motherhood for White versus African American women is explored. Evidence is presented from archival collections containing records for Planned Parenthood’s Negro Project, The Association for Voluntary Sterilization’s programs, and The American Social Health Association’s public health programs. Birth control services in the South were delivered within a framework …

Review Of Dream Hoarders: How The American Upper Middle Class Is Leaving Everyone Else In The Dust, Why That Is A Problem, And What To Do About It. Richard V. Reeves. Reviewed By Tara Bruno., Tara Bruno

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Review of:

Richard V. Reeves, Dream Hoarders: How the American Upper Middle Class Is Leaving Everyone Else in the Dust, Why That Is a Problem, and What to Do about It. Brookings Institution Press (2017). 186 pages, $24.00 (hardcover).

Review Of Fragile Families: Foster Care, Immigration, And Citizenship. Naomi Glenn-Levin Rodriguez. Reviewed By Molly Cook., Molly Cook

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Review of:

Naomi Glenn-Levin Rodriguez, Fragile Families: Foster Care, Immigration, and Citizenship. University of Pennsylvania Press (2017). 232 pages, $49.50 (hardcover).

Review Of Social Welfare For A Global Era: International Perspectives On Policy And Practice. James Midgley. Reviewed By Fei Sun., Fei Sun

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Review of:

James Midgley, Social Welfare for a Global Era: International Perspectives on Policy and Practice. Sage Publication (2017), 243 pages, $81.00 (paperback).

Review Of Feeling Lonesome: The Philosophy And Psychology Of Loneliness. Ben Lazare Mijuskovic. Reviewed By Nancy Goldner., Nancy Goldner

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Ben Lazare Mijuskovic, Feeling Lonesome: The Philosophy and Psychology of Loneliness. Praeger (2015), 203 pages, $60 (hardcover).

Assessing Access To Social Services In Emerging Systems: A Conceptual Approach, Steven G. Anderson, Meirong Liu, Xiang Gao

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

There has been considerable concern about systemic factors that serve as access barriers for vulnerable groups in need of services, but conceptual and empirical work related to such issues have been limited. This article presents a new conceptual approach for considering and assessing access, which we call the “Funnel Framework”. The framework is explicated abstractly, and is illustrated with use of the U.S. child care subsidy system. We argue that the framework can usefully guide the analysis of access to any social benefit system, and can be helpful to administrators and program developers as they design and implement benefit systems.

Effects Of Native American Geographical Location And Marital Status On Poverty, Tess Collett, Gordon Limb, Kevin Shafer

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This study examined the association between geographic location (urban, rural, and tribal) and marital status on poverty among the Native American community. A sample of 5,110 Native Americans in the 2008-2010 American Community Survey were used for analyses. Results indicated that Native Americans were similar with the general population in their geographic location, marital status, and poverty. We found that the protective characteristics of marriage in the Native American community varied according to geographic location. We also discuss the impact this may have on the Native American community and what practitioners and policy makers should consider when working with the …

Engaging Employers As Partners In Subsidized Employment Programs, Sarah Taylor, Sarah Carnochan, Gina Pascual, M J. Austin

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The majority of studies of subsidized employment programs for public assistance recipients and low-income, unemployed individuals have focused on employment and earnings outcomes for participants. As employers are key stakeholders in a subsidized employment program, engaging them effectively is essential. This paper reports on interviews with 81 employers in four Northern California counties regarding their experiences in working with employees in a subsidized employment program. The findings focus on marketing, program structure, and suggestions for program improvement.

Review Of Inequality, What Can Be Done? Anthony B. Atkinson. Reviewed By James Midgley, James Midgley

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Anthony B. Atkinson, Inequality, What Can be Done? Harvard University Press (2015), 400 pages, $29.95, (hardcover).

Review Of $2.00 A Day: Living On Almost Nothing In America. Kathryn J. Edin & H. Luke Shaefer. Reviewed By Edward U. Murphy, Edward U. Murphy

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Kathryn J. Edin & H. Luke Shaefer. $2.00 a Day: Living On Almost Nothing in America. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, (2015), 240 pages, $28.00 (hardcover).

Review Of The Hero's Fight. Patricia Fernandez-Kelly. Reviewed By Katrina Bell Mcdonald, Katrina Bell Mcdonald

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Patricia Fernandez-Kelly, The Hero’s Fight. Princeton University Press (2015), 422 pages, $21.00 (hardcover).

The Construction Of A Class With A Sense Of Entitlement: A Case Study On Political Rhetoric As Symbolic Violence In Denmark, Klarissa Lueg, Andreas Jakobsen

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Taking a Bourdieusian perspective, this paper illustrates how one politically staged TV broadcast on a receiver of benefit payment has triggered political scapegoating in Denmark. The case has challenged the prevailing welfare state discourse and fostered the construction of a low class with a “sense of entitlement” by the media.

We show that the media adopted the notion of a “sense of entitlement” originally used by politicians. Welfare state critical phrases and proverbs experienced a revival.

We claim that this one-sided rhetoric abstracts from political responsibility and that power, agenda-building and rhetoric act as symbolic violence.

Social Support And Crime: A State-Level Analysis Of Social Support Policies, Jessica Brown

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

There is a growing theoretical and empirical tradition that examines the relationship between social support and crime. While academic research supports the idea that social support inhibits crime, public discourse and the popular media often assert that support, especially instrumental support to the poor, can increase crime. This article adds to the growing literature by including multiple forms of social support in an investigation of the relationship between social support and property crime and violent crime over a ten year period. Results indicate that while some forms of support have the expected negative relationship with crime, others displayed a significant …

Review Of Addicted. Pregnant. Poor. Kelly Ray Knight. Reviewed By Cara Kelly, Cara Kelly

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Kelly Ray Knight, addicted. pregnant. poor. Duke University Press (2015), 328 pages, $94.95 (hardcover), $24.95 (paperback).

Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Vol. 43, No. 3 (September 2016)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Title of Contents:

INTRODUCTION TO THE SYMPOSIUM - Richard K. Caputo and Michael Lewis

REIMAGINING EQUITY AND EGALITARIANISM: THE BASIC INCOME DEBATE IN AUSTRALIA - Jennifer Mays and Greg Marston

NEXT STEPS ON THE ROAD TO BASIC INCOME IN CANADA - James P. Mulvale and Sid Frankel

PROSPECTS FOR A UNIVERSAL BASIC INCOME IN NEW ZEALAND Keith Rankin

LESSONS FROM SWEDEN: SOLIDARITY, THE WELFARE STATE, AND BASIC INCOME - Almaz Zelleke

BASIC INCOME GUARANTEE: THE GENDER IMPACT WITHIN HOUSEHOLDS - Sara Cantillon and Caitlin McLean

SUSU: CAPITALIZING DEVELOPMENT FROM THE BOTTOM UP - David Stoesz, Isabella Gitau, Richard Rodriguez, and …

The Burden Of Colonial Debt And Indebtedness In Second Generation Filipino American Families, Maria J. Ferrera

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Second generation Filipino Americans (SGFAs) are more likely than other ethnic groups to be depressed and engage in risk behaviors. I discuss challenges SGFAs face with particular focus on the intersection of colonial mentality and intergenerational family conflict. In-depth interviews were conducted with thirty SGFAs. Narratives revealed evidence of both colonial debt, a form of colonial mentality or sense of gratitude for "civilizing" their indigenous culture, and family indebtedness to first generation parents. Combined with a strong inclination to assimilate, the weight of this indebtedness has had a detrimental effect on SGFAs emotional well being.

Review Of Black Male Violence In Perspective: Toward Afrocentric Intervention. P. Tony Jackson. Reviewed By Husain Lateef., Husain Lateef

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

P. Tony Jackson, Black Male Violence In Perspective: Toward Afrocentric Intervention. Lexington Books (2015), 171 pages, $80.00 (hardcover).

The Environment-Within-Person Perspective: Integrating A Mindfulness Framework Into Social Work Practice, Yvonne Unrau, Melinda Mccormick

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Over the last 25 years there has been increasing recognition of the role that traumatic stress plays in a wide range of health, mental health, and social problems affecting client populations served by social workers. Traumatic stress is generated by conditions in one's external environment, mediated by internal cognitive processes, and stored in the physical body. Generalist social work practitioners are trained to address conditions of the environment through a social justice lens and to help clients think through logical steps of a problem-solving or change process. However, social workers are not typically trained to understand or respond to trauma …

Introduction To The Special Issue: Mind-Body Interventions In Social Work Practice, Melinda Mccormick, Yvonne Unrau

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Introduction to the Special Issue

A Systematic Review Of Yoga Interventions In The Incarcerated Setting, Alexandra S. Wimberly, Jia Xue

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

While yoga interventions in the incarcerated setting are on the rise, little is known regarding their efficacy. The objective of this article is to assess the effects of yoga on the well-being of incarcerated populations. Two reviewers systematically searched PubMed, PsycInfo, EBSCO MegaFILE, Web of Science, Science Direct, AMED, and Google Scholar for yoga intervention studies in jails and prisons. The search yielded 54 results; ten papers met inclusion criteria. Evaluated outcomes included stress, cognitive performance, mental and physical well-being and re-incarceration rates. While the majority of yoga practiced was hatha, yoga interventions also included a focus on yogic philosophy …

Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Vol. 43, No. 4 (December 2016)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION TO THE SPECIAL ISSUE - Melinda McCormick and Yvonne A. Unrau

THE ENVIRONMENT-WITHIN-PERSON PERSPECTIVE: INTEGRATING A MINDFULNESS FRAMEWORK INTO SOCIAL WORK PRACTICE - Yvonne A. Unrau and Melinda McCormick

EVOLVING FROM AN ILLUSIONARY AND SELF DESTRUCTIVE QUEST FOR POWER TO A STATE OF EMPOWERMENT: THE CURATIVE POTENTIAL YOGA MAY HOLD AS A VEHICLE TO RECLAIMING BODILY EMPOWERMENT FOR WOMEN WITH ANOREXIA - Heather C. Pizzanello

BEING ON THE MAT: A PROCESS EVALUATION OF TRAUMA-INFORMED YOGA FOR WOMEN WITH SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS - Amy B. Smoyer

A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF YOGA INTERVENTIONS IN THE INCARCERATED SETTING - …

Being On The Mat: A Process Evaluation Of Trauma-Informed Yoga For Women With Substance Use Disorders, Amy B. Smoyer

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Yoga practice is associated with positive health outcomes, including benefits related to managing substance use disorders and trauma symptomology. However, low-income vulnerable communities have limited access to yoga. This process evaluation of a trauma-informed yoga program for women with substance use disorders demonstrates the feasibility and utility of using noncertified yoga instructors to offer a basic yoga in community-based agencies. Participants describe outcomes related to relaxation, mindfulness, and movement that are well-aligned with their recovery needs. Study findings suggest the utilization of instructors with minimal training has the potential to expand research about and access to yoga among marginalized communities.

Review Of Dreams And Nightmares: Immigration Policy, Youth, And Families. Marjorie S. Zatz And Nancy Rodriguez. Reviewed By Xiafei Wang., Xiafei Wang

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Marjorie S. Zatz and Nancy Rodriguez, Dreams and Nightmares: Immigration Policy, Youth, and Families. University of California Press (2015), 202 pages, $85.00 (hardcover), $39.95 (paperback).

Reimagining Equity And Egalitarianism: The Basic Income Debate In Australia, Jennifer M. Mays, Gregory Marston

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Reimagining equity and egalitarianism calls for rethinking traditional welfare responses to poverty and economic security in Australia. Similar to other advanced Western democracies, Australia has pursued policies underpinned by neoliberal economics in an effort to curtail perceived excesses in public expenditure over the past three decades. In response to these policy settings, commentators and policy activists have increased their attention to the potential of a universal and unconditional basic income scheme to address economic insecurity. This paper positions basic income within the context of Australia's welfare state arrangements and explores the potential of the scheme to respond to economic insecurity, …

Lessons From Sweden: Solidarity, The Welfare State, And Basic Income, Almaz Zelleke

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Progressive critics of a universal basic income argue that most nations face a budgetary choice between a full basic income and investment in public goods, including universal health care, free and well-funded education, and universal pensions, and have prioritized a robust welfare state, or the "Swedish Model," over basic income. But examination of Swedish economic policy reveals that the welfare state is only one of the ingredients of the Swedish Model, and that another is an interventionist labor market policy unlikely to be expandable to larger states without Sweden's cultural and demographic characteristics. Indeed, evidence suggests that Sweden's own recent …

Susu: Capitalizing Development From The Bottom Up, David Stoesz, Isabella Gitau, Richard Rodriguez, Frank Thompson

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Susu, a common way of saving money in the majority of developing countries, has migrated to developed nations. Originating in the 18th century in Ghana and Nigeria, susu is an indigenous method of microfinance, benefiting poor and minority groups. Significantly, susu relies on social capital as collateral, enhancing solidarity and building community. When American public assistance programs deny benefits to immigrants, susu becomes an important source of savings. The differentiation of susu from other savings strategies in the United States is explored.

Introduction To The Symposium On The Basic Income Guarantee, Richard K. Caputo Ph.D., Michael A. Lewis

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Introduction to the special issue, Symposium on The Basic Income Guarantee