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Full-Text Articles in Public Policy

Pathologies Of The Poor: What Do The War On Drugs And Welfare Reform Have In Common?, Kalynn Amundson, Anna M. Zajicek, Valerie H. Hunt Jan 2014

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 …


Sweden's Parental Leave Insurance: A Policy Analysis Of Strategies To Increase Gender Equality, Juliana Carlson May 2013

Sweden's Parental Leave Insurance: A Policy Analysis Of Strategies To Increase Gender Equality, Juliana Carlson

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Sweden's parental leave insurance is recognized internationally as the premiere parental leave policy addressing gender equality. Since 1974, when the policy changed from maternal to parental leave, policy makers have employed a variety ofstrategies including inducements, rules, and rights, to increase more gender-equal leave taking. Using Stone's (2006) strategy conceptualization, together with the gender systems approach (Crompton, 1999) which frames the gendered and socially constructed nature of earner/caregiver, this analysis examines how each of Sweden's incremental reforms in parental leave policy moved toward the goal of gender equality, with particular attention to father participation in caregiving.


Explicating The Social Mechanisms Linking Alcohol Use Behaviors And Ecology To Child Maltreatment, Bridget Freisthler, Megan R. Holmes Dec 2012

Explicating The Social Mechanisms Linking Alcohol Use Behaviors And Ecology To Child Maltreatment, Bridget Freisthler, Megan R. Holmes

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This paper begins to describe and explicate the specific mechanisms by which alcohol use and the alcohol use environment contribute to specific types of child maltreatment. These mechanisms relating alcohol outlet densities to child maltreatment described here include effects on social disorganization, parent's drinking behaviors, and parental supervision. By investigating potential mechanisms, new information could be obtained on the importance and role of alcohol and its availability in the etiology of child maltreatment. This knowledge can be used to further tailor interventions to those conditions most likely to prevent and reduce maltreatment.


U.S. Immigration Policy And Immigrant Children's Well-Being: The Impact Of Policy Shifts, David K. Androff, Cecilia Ayon, David Becerra, Maria Gurrola, Lorraine Salas, Judy Krysik, Karen Gerdes, Elizabeth Segal Mar 2011

U.S. Immigration Policy And Immigrant Children's Well-Being: The Impact Of Policy Shifts, David K. Androff, Cecilia Ayon, David Becerra, Maria Gurrola, Lorraine Salas, Judy Krysik, Karen Gerdes, Elizabeth Segal

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

America is built upon a history of immigration; yet current immigration policy and anti-immigrant sentiment negatively affect the vulnerable population of immigrant families and children. Immigrant children face many problems, including economic insecurity, barriers to education, poor health outcomes, the arrest and deportation of family members, discrimination, and trauma and harm to their communities. These areas of immigrant children's economic and material well-being are examined in light of restrictive and punitive immigration policies at the federal and local level. Implications for social policy reform, such as decriminalization, are discussed.


Analyzing The Poverty Reduction Effectiveness Of The Canadian Provinces: Do Political Parties Matter?, Robert D. Weaver, Nazim Habivov, Lida Fan Mar 2011

Analyzing The Poverty Reduction Effectiveness Of The Canadian Provinces: Do Political Parties Matter?, Robert D. Weaver, Nazim Habivov, Lida Fan

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The implementation of the Canada Health and Social Transfer in 1996 marked a new era for the Canadian welfare state, as greater discretion in the area of social welfare policy and programming was granted to the provinces. In this study, the authors analyzed nationally representative data to determine if the governing provincial parties, characterized by distinct ideological and party platform positions, differed in regards to their poverty reduction effectiveness during 1996-2005. The authors' analysis yielded no differences between the governing provincial parties in terms of their poverty reduction effectiveness. The study's implications for future research, including research on subnational variation …


The Failures Of American Poverty Measures, Stephen Pimpare Mar 2009

The Failures Of American Poverty Measures, Stephen Pimpare

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

How we think about need or deprivation-how we judge its severity, its causes and effects, and the progress we have made (or not made) over time in reducing it-has much to do with how we define and then measure it. And, we measure it poorly. The insufficiencies of official data on American poverty are reasonably well known, yet they continue, nonetheless, to be the principal means by which we gauge need in the United States. After a review of such official measures, this article discusses alternative means of evaluating need in the United States, highlighting the benefits of examining poverty …


Child Care And Development Fund: A Policy Analysis, Colleen K. Vesely, Elaine A. Anderson Mar 2009

Child Care And Development Fund: A Policy Analysis, Colleen K. Vesely, Elaine A. Anderson

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Legislated as part of welfare reform, the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) is the main source of child care government funding earmarked for low-income families. As a block grant, with broad federal guidelines, states have significant freedom in implementing this legislation to meet the needs of their citizens. This diverse implementation has challenged legislators and scholars trying to assess the success of CCDF across the United States. In considering the evaluation research of CCDF, as well as the original goals of this legislation, several major themes related to the diverse state implementation emerged, including access, equity, and stability. This …


A Decent Home For Every Family? Housing Policy Initiatives Since The 1980s, Sondra J. Fogel, Marc T. Smith, Anne R. Williamson Mar 2008

A Decent Home For Every Family? Housing Policy Initiatives Since The 1980s, Sondra J. Fogel, Marc T. Smith, Anne R. Williamson

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

A fundamental economic and social principle embedded in the American psyche remains the value of shelter. However, housing policy is the result of a complex exchange among economic, political, and social agendas competing for attention within the multiple levels of local, state, and federal governments. This article intends to capture what we consider afea of the significant initiatives since 1980 that reflect these tensions and comprise our current housing policies and directions. Furthermore, we suggest additional housing issues that may need to be addressed by the next presidential administration.


Social Work And Human Rights: A Foundation For Policy And Practice. Elizabeth Reichert. Reviewed By Mel Gray., Mel Gray Sep 2004

Social Work And Human Rights: A Foundation For Policy And Practice. Elizabeth Reichert. Reviewed By Mel Gray., Mel Gray

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Elisabeth Reichert, Social Work and Human Rights: A Foundation for Policy and Practice. New York: Columbia University Press, 2003. $49.50 hardcover, $24.50 papercover.


Legislative Casework: Where Policy And Practice Intersect, Larry Ortiz, Cindy Wirz, Kelli Semion, Ciro Rodriguez Jun 2004

Legislative Casework: Where Policy And Practice Intersect, Larry Ortiz, Cindy Wirz, Kelli Semion, Ciro Rodriguez

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Legislative casework is an ongoing activity in many state and federal legislative offices. Although the activity carries the implication of being a social work activity, there is little evidence from the literature, or in the field, that social workers are more than marginally employed in these positions. Reasons for the lack of professionally educated social workers in this important area of practice and politics are not clear. This paper explores the field of practice known as legislative casework, its history and purpose, and presents generalist social work examples from a Congressional district office wherein which professional social workers are employed. …


Review Of Social Policy And Policymaking By The Branches Of Government And The Public-At-Large. Theodore J. Stein. Review By Diana M. Dinitto., Diana M. Dinitto Jun 2002

Review Of Social Policy And Policymaking By The Branches Of Government And The Public-At-Large. Theodore J. Stein. Review By Diana M. Dinitto., Diana M. Dinitto

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Theodore J. Stein, Social Policy and Policymaking by the Branches of Government and the Public-at-Large. New York: Columbia University Press, 2001. $49.50 hardcover.


Review Of Social Security And Medicare: Individual Vs. Collective Risk And Responsibility. Sheila Burke, Eric Kingson And Uwe Reinhart (Eds.). Review By Rick Hoefer, Rick Hoefer Mar 2002

Review Of Social Security And Medicare: Individual Vs. Collective Risk And Responsibility. Sheila Burke, Eric Kingson And Uwe Reinhart (Eds.). Review By Rick Hoefer, Rick Hoefer

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Sheila Burke, Eric Kingson and Uwe Reinhart (Eds.), Social Security and Medicare: Individual vs. Collective Risk and Responsibility. Washington, DC: Brookings Institution Press and National academy of Social Insurance, 2000. $20.95 papercover.


Bridging The Divide: The Casework Policy Link, Peggy Pittman-Munke Jun 1999

Bridging The Divide: The Casework Policy Link, Peggy Pittman-Munke

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The professional history of social work in the United States of America is entering its second century. From this vantage point, it is possible to draw on. the past to develop ideas that will work for the future. Contemporary social workers often view the profession as dichotomized between those who deal with individual issues through counseling and private practice and those who are concerned with social change through policy reform. Mary Richmond, pioneer in the professionalization of social casework, offers a tightly integrated model which demonstrates how social casework and social reform can serve to reinforce and support one another …


Review Of Modern Housing For America: Policy Struggles In The New Deal Era. Gail Radford. Reviewed By Robert Leighninger, Louisiana State University., Robert Leighninger Mar 1998

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


Time Series Analysis Of The Implementation Of Child Support Enforcement Policies In Federal Region V States, Susan Gaffney, Sumati Dubey Dec 1997

Time Series Analysis Of The Implementation Of Child Support Enforcement Policies In Federal Region V States, Susan Gaffney, Sumati Dubey

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This study examines the impact legislation, such as the Family Support Act of 1988, Child Support Recovery Act of 1992 and Ted Weiss Child Support Enforcement Act of 1992 had on child support enforcement in Federal Region V states (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin). These pieces of legislation authorize coercive means to force noncustodial parents to meet their child support obligations. Child support is the money noncustodial parents are obligated to pay for the support of their children on a monthly basis. Child support laws have been enacted to increase the number of noncustodial parents located, paternities established, …


Welfare To Work: What Are The Obstacles?, Maureen O. Marcenko, Jay Fagan Sep 1996

Welfare To Work: What Are The Obstacles?, Maureen O. Marcenko, Jay Fagan

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

U.S. welfare reform initiatives are based on the assumption that the primary barriers to economic independence are individual deficits. However, the policy does not adequately account for situational and personal factors necessary for a successful transition from welfare to work. Without greater attention to these barriers, the policy is likely to fail or be implemented at high personal cost to recipients and their families. This paper uses a personin- environment social systems framework to examine the personal and family resources available to a group of women who were receiving AFDC and participating in an urban Head Start program. Structured interviews …


Conservative Welfare Reform Proposals And The Reality Of Subemployment, Robert Sheak, David D. Dabelko Mar 1991

Conservative Welfare Reform Proposals And The Reality Of Subemployment, Robert Sheak, David D. Dabelko

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This article analyzes and critiques conservative welfare proposals and their assumptions. The concept of subemployment is introduced along with relevant data to identify the nature of the job problem in the U.S. since the early 1970s. Particular emphasis is placed upon the magnitude of employment difficulties during the 1980s. The article concludes that without a major job creation component, conservative welfare reforms intensify rather than ameliorate the subsistence living conditions of the poor.


Discourse Management: Key To Policy Development, Joseph R. Steiner Sep 1977

Discourse Management: Key To Policy Development, Joseph R. Steiner

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Skills in discourse management are necessary in order for democratic policy development groups to be productive. These skills, like other skills, are developed by practicing their utilization. A general cognitive framework, however, can assist one in this development. This paper develops and then describes the use of such a general framework.


Social Policies And Social Development - A Humanistic-Egalitarian Perspective, David G. Gil Jan 1976

Social Policies And Social Development - A Humanistic-Egalitarian Perspective, David G. Gil

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This essay explores the relationship of social policies and of policy-relevant societal values to social development. Its thesis is that the scope, direction, and quality of the social development process are largely shaped by the social policies and the dominant value positions of societies.