Social Welfare Commons^™

Ambivalence About Social Welfare : An Evaluation Of Measurement Approaches., Jason Gainous

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Research across disciplines, including political science, has embraced the idea that individuals often possess ambivalent attitudes, but there is considerable disagreement about how to measure ambivalence. Determining an effective way of capturing such phenomena is important to our understanding of politics and public opinion. The literature offers several meta-attitudinal and operative measures of ambivalence. I discuss strengths and weaknesses of each of these approaches and conduct a test of the relative construct validity of two meta-attitudinal and two operative measures of social welfare ambivalence using data from a statewide survey of Florida residents in 2004. The findings suggest that one …

Greg Shaw, Charlie Schlenker

Interviews for WGLT

Charlie Schlenker of WGLT interviews Professor of Political Science Greg Shaw about his book, The Welfare Debate. (requires RealPlayer)

Roosevelt, Franklin Delano, 1882-1945 (Sc 1313), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid and scan (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 1313. Letter written by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Washington, D.C., to clergyman H.F. McChesney, Bowling Green, Kentucky, commenting on the newly enacted Social Security Act and asking for data about his community's needs.

Review Of Jennifer Government, By Berry Max, David Banash

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

No abstract provided.

The Positive Political Theory Of Cost-Benefit Analysis: A Comment On Johnston, Matthew D. Adler

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Managing Landmine Casualty Data, Cisr Jmu

CISR Studies and Reports

The Mine Action Information Center (MAIC) at James Madison University implemented this project to develop a framework for the systematic collection and management of landmine casualty data. The project was premised on the lack of an adequate system for collecting and managing landmine casualty data on a global basis. Data on landmine and UXO casualties is being collected in a systematic manner in some countries, but worldwide, it is not being collected in a comprehensive or consistent manner that allows it to be compared cross-nationally and aggregated globally. The lack of an adequate system hampers the ability of mine action …

The National Domestic Workers Union And The War On Poverty, Elizabeth Beck

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This article explores values, strategies, and tensions found within the War on Poverty and examines a War on Poverty-supported initiative, the National Domestic Workers Union (NDWU). The article makes the argument that the NDWU is illustrative of the War on Poverty in that each held structurally based descriptions of poverty and individually based prescriptions. The article explores the relationship of domestic service to the institutions of racism, classism, and sexism and how the ND WU strategies of training, service, and, advocacy-like those of the War on Poverty-sought to address the needs of individual domestic workers while circumventing larger and more …

Family Values And Presidential Elections: The Use And Abuse Of The Family And Medical Leave Act In The 1992 And 1996 Campaigns, Steven K. Wisensale

New England Journal of Public Policy

This article explores how and why the debate on family leave policy became intertwined with the discussion of family values during the 1992 and 1996 presidential campaigns. It covers the emergence of family values in political debates in general and in election-year strategies in particular, the developmental history of family leave policy, including important benchmarks that occurred at both the state and federal levels. It also considers the role played by family values and family leave during the 1992 election and how the family leave bill and at least two other legislative proposals became important components of the discussions about …

Autonomy And Genetic Predisposition: The Relationship Between Original Organizational Configuration And The Tendency For Autonomy. An Analysis Of Three Drop-In Centres Servicing Street Youth, Heike Mertins

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This thesis is a comparative analysis of three non-profit service providers and the effect of particular development traits on their degree of autonomy. The three non-profit providers examined in this thesis are all drop-in centres for street youth. Recent government cuts have demonstrated the clear relationship between autonomy and organizational survival of non-profit agencies. For years many have argued that the practice of relying on government funding depoliticized these organizations. many of which perform social justice work. Hence, from a political perspective. organizational autonomy has become an increasingly important issue. This thesis addresses the question of why some non-profit service …

1996 Welfare Reform: Effects On Single-Parent Families In Rural Minnesota, Philip M. Kern

Honors Theses, 1963-2015

In 1996, historic legislation redirected and changed our national system of welfare, a structure that had been in place for over 60 years. Despite minor tinkering in various years since the 1960s, the distribution of welfare in this country for the most part has fallen under the same guidelines since its creation. However, the recent changes, at both the national and state levels, will have a profound impact on the lives of the most disadvantaged Americans. In this thesis, I will explain the 1996 national and state welfare reform laws and how they fail to provide the necessary solutions for …

Trends. Political Psychologies Of Welfare, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

The author discusses the pros and cons of government welfare programs.

Fax: May 4, 1996, The White House, Office Of The Press Secretary

Saffy Collection - All Textual Materials

A fax sent to Dr. Edna L. Saffy: Radio Address by The President to the Nation. The press release is about American jobs, families and the economy.

The Role Of Human Rights Organizations Case Study: Chiapas, Heidi Muller

Honors Theses, 1963-2015

No abstract provided.

What About The Rural Poor?, Melissa J. Petrangelo

Honors Theses, 1963-2015

The American public generally perceives poverty as an urban problem. However, the incidence of poverty is actually higher in rural areas. Current, AFDC and food stamp legislation reflects the American public's perception. What is overlooked in AFDC and food stamp legislation is the distinguishing characteristics of the rural poor. AFDC and food stamp legislation are less effective in reducing poverty in rural areas. Where you are poor makes a difference. Recognition of the diversity of poverty populations is crucial for the design of effective policies and programs.

"New" Directions In The Welfare Reform Debate: The Problems Of Federalism, W. Joseph Heffernan

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This paper reviews the problem of federalism and welfare and presents statistical data about the relative welfare practices among the states over the last 25 years. The relevance of these problems and practices to the current hopes for welfare reform and policy conflicts within Congress are discussed.

Policy Gambit: Conservative Think Tanks Take On The Welfare State, David Stoesz

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Conservative policy institutes have reevaluated their position regarding welfare and begun to present proposals to change social welfare policy. Instrumental in this development are the American Enterprise Institute and the Heritage Foundation, conservative think tanks which have developed projects for the purpose of making social policy more consonant with conservative philosophy. If progressive organizations are to reassert their role in the policy process, they will have to use some of the aggressive techniques pioneered by the conservative think tanks.

The Failure Of The Destitute Mother's Bill: The Use Of Political Power In Social Welfare, Eve P. Smith

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Although social and economic conditions and prevailing popular philosophies may affect the success or failure of an attempt at change in social welfare policy and practice, the relative strengths and weaknesses of the political forces for and against the change may be more important. In 1897, fourteen years before the passage of the first U.S. Mothers' Pension law in Illinois, New York State Senator John Ahearn attempted such a law in New York. Although the bill was passed unanimously by both houses of the State Legislature, it was never signed into law. The reason was that the children's institutions and …

An Australian Test Of Economic And Political Models Of Welfare State Expenditures: 1945 - 1979, Gordon W. Ternowetsky, Maurreen P. Clissold

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This paper tests 'political' and 'economic' models of welfare expenditure with post-World War II Australian data. The major antecedents of welfare spending for the overall time period (1945-1979) appeared to be economic growth as mediated by the age of the population and program incrementalism. It was shown, however, that this view misleads rather than clarifies the influence of different factors during specific periods within the overall time series. A periodization of welfare spending was found to be more useful. The periodization analysis showed that the influence of politics on welfare spending is important. Right political strength was found to have …

Welfare Legislation And American Poverty Traps: Ironies And Characteristics, Theresa Villanueva, Richard J. Caston

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

We argue that legislative attempts to establish bureaucratic programs to eradicate American poverty will invariably result in ironic inconsistencies that will doom such programs to only limited or partial success. As an illustration, we examine the ironic history of the AFDC program as it has been legislated to deal with American poverty. Three sociological accounts for the ironies of welfare programming are then drawn together. One account suggests that undue concern over the work ethic has overridden more direct concern for the deprecating living conditions of the Door. A second account suggests that poverty is so functionally beneficial to a …

Will Carter's Welfare Reform Plan Reform Welfare?: Evidence From Empirical Research, Mary Bryna Sanger

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This paper introduces the central dimensions which have emerged in the current welfare reform debate. They include adaquacy, work incentives, family stability and cost. The last legislative session introduced a new group of "welfare reform" proposals, each attempting to address these critiques of the current welfare system. Considering four major bills including Carter's Comprehensive Program for Better Jobs and Income on the basis of recent research findings, results in a tentative preference for Carter's plan. It addresses the major reform dimensions better than the others and would result in modest improvements. Nevertheless, true reform is unlikely to be achieved by …

Social Polics And Social Welfare Administration, Bernard Neugeboren

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Effective administration of social welfare programs requires the integration of knowledge of social policy with the understanding of the theory and practice of management and administrative decision making. This integration of substantive knowledge of social policy with administrative practice is needed to avoid overemphasis on means to the detriment of the goals of social programs. This paper discusses a policy analysis framework in relationship to a model of decisionmaking which includes rational and non-rational elements. Principles of policy formulation (major system change) is applied to specific issues in social welfare, i.e. should social services be directed at changing the individual …

Social Control Or Social Wage: On The Political Economy Of The "Welfare State", Paul Adams

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Discussion between liberal apologists for the "welfare state" and their radical critics has tended in recent years to focus on the question of "social control." In this area the corporate liberals and social democrats (the "welfare statists") are weak. They talk of the "welfare state" as if, at least in principle, it represented the collective assumption by society of responsibility for the basic needs and dependencies of its members. Insofar as "social control" is relevant for them, it has to do with society's exercise of restraint over the selfish pursuit of private profit.1 Radical critics of the "welfare state," on …

A Political Economy Critique Of The American Welfare State, Gerben Dejong

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Despite its rapid expansion over the last decade, the American welfare state appears unable to remedy many of the social problems it has been designated to solve. In many instances, the welfare state has become as much a part of the problem as the solution. Unfortunately, most proposals to reform the welfare state do not go beyond the liberalconservative conception of the welfare state as a backup to the capitalist market system. This conception of the welfare state is part of a larger comitment to a free market-pluralist ideology that singles out certain social phenomena as problematic and limits the …

The Conservative Program For The Welfare-Warfare State: The Response To The Korean, Algerian, And Vietnamese Wars, Clarence Y.H. Lo

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This paper explains why the leaders of conservative political parties were so successful in the aftermith of limited wars. Conservative parties are those parties whose constituency is large and small business, managers, upper income professionals, and some white collar workers and farmers, exemplified by the Republican Party in the United States, the Gaullist Party in France, the Christian Democrats in Germany and Italy, and the Conservative Party in England. Conservative political leaders rose to power because they addressed the problems intensified by limited wars-- budget deficits, political stalemate, and inter-imperialist rivalries-- and, to some extent, enacted short term solutions--budget cuts, …

The Politics Of Funding: Human Needs And Social Welfare, Robert F. Kronick

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Sociological theory has provided two models that attempt to explain social power and decision making in America, the elite model (Mills) and the pluralist model. Mills saw power in America like particles dispersed in a triangle--with more and more power at the top, but more people at the base of the triangle. For Mills there was a powerful elite that ruled almost like a monarchy and decision making on all fronts was vested in them. Rebellion as utilized in Merton's paradigm would turn this triangle upside down in setting up new goals and new means, as well as distributing power …

National Income Insurance: Some Implications For Political And Economic Inequality, John B. Williamson

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Several co-workers and I have recently completed an evaluation of sixty-three anti-poverty programs and proposals (Williamson, et. al., 1973, 1974). This paper briefly describes the study and some of our findings by way of introduction to the presentation and defense of a national income insurance proposal, This proposal is a synthesis of three highly rated anti-poverty strategies. It would within a few years have a substantial impact on the extent of the economic inequality in the United States.

Communist Party Speech On Humboldt County, Mad River Project, Communist Party

Ina and Noel Harris Collection

Pamphlet that reads as a campaign speech for a unnamed candidate representing the Communist Party of Humboldt County. Details plans for reform including Mad River Project.

The History And Enforcement Of The Federal Food, Drug, And Cosmetic Act Since 1938, William Ebert Morrissey

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

In the undertaking a recent history of such a fundamental law as one that deals with food, drugs and cosmetics in its relationship to the human race, we should realize that such a field has a history possibly as old as man himself. There have always been individuals in the good and welfare of others, and there have always been individuals interested in taking advantage of their fellow man for personal gain, frequently in an exceedingly unscrupulous manner.

The Solicitor General of the United States, in a recent paper read at the commemoration the the fortieth anniversary of the original …

The Social Security Act, William C. Streek

Bachelors’ Theses

This dissertation is closely confined to a study of the Social Security Act, the provisions made by the Federal Government in aiding the states and the plans used by the various states. Data which have been incorporated into this thesis are the latest available at the time of writing. During 1935 the Congress of the United States passed a law, introduced and sponsored by Senator Robert F. Wagner of New York, called the "Social Security Act." The vote in the House of Representatives was 372 to 33; in the Senate 77 to 6. President Roosevelt signed the Act on August …