Social Welfare Commons^™

Violent Youth Gangs In Portland: A Study Of The City's Response, Debra Lynn Lindberg

Dissertations and Theses

Youth gangs infiltrated Portland's illegal drug trade in the early 1980s. By the mid-1980s, entire neighborhoods in some parts of the city were affected. Residents expressed fear that their children would be drawn into gangs. Violence between rival gangs was frightening. Citizens, law enforcement and social services personnel organized to defend themselves and adjust programs to manage the problem. City officials denied a problem existed until a gang style shooting death forced recognition. The shooting death was catalytic in that it launched an effort to respond with a continuum of services. The House of Umoja was one of the services. …

Public Spending On Income-Tested Social Welfare Programs For Investment And Consumption Purposes, Martha N. Ozawa

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The Clinton administration contends that public spending for investment should be increased, but public spending for consumption should be decreased. This article reports findings from a study that investigated the trend in public spending from 1975 to 1992 for social welfare programs that are targeted to low-income families and individuals. The study found that public spending for social welfare programs for investment purposes declined generally during that period and public spending for consumption purposes increased primarily because of the increase in medical benefits.

Emergency Extensions Of Unemployment Insurance: A Critical Review And Some New Empirical Findings, Stephen A. Woodbury

Book Chapters

No abstract provided.

From Welfare State To Social Compacts: Welfare Transformation In Poland, David Stoesz, Mark W. Lusk

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Recent social, political, and economic development have strained the credibility of conventional constructs for organizing social welfare. In contrast to the "welfare state" construct that evolved during the industrial era, a "Social Compact" model is presented as more consonant with a postindustrial context. Features of the social compact are discussed, as well as its applicability to Poland.

Mutuality, Locality And Communitarianism, Roger A. Lohmann

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

What is the nature of the bonds among participants in nonprofit organizations and voluntary action, and between philanthropic givers and recipients, and how do these affect the behavior of third sector actors and those in other sectors? Mutuality accounts for the intermediary bulwark which offers a primary protection of the individual from the state. Except through Tocqueville, mutuality has had very little impact on American legal and political philosophy until quite recently. Mutuality is a principal concern of some communitarians, particularly Taylor, Sandel and Bell. Communitarianism is one of the few instances of focus on this important problem. This paper …

Focal Point, Volume 09 Number 02, Portland State University. Regional Research Institute

Research and Training Center - Focal Point

Men are increasingly discovering the many joys of active involvement in their children's lives. The special bond between father and child produces measurable, positive effects in regards to a child's self-esteem, gender identity, intellectual growth, curiosity and social skills. Current literature increasingly portrays dads as caretakers, supportive, sensitive and caring. However, this enhanced involvement can be sorely tested when a child has a disability or chronic illness. The dreams fathers have for their child's life, educational, athletic and vocational achievements are threatened.

Welfare To Work: Local Observations On A National Issue, Randall W. Eberts

Employment Research Newsletter

No abstract provided.

1995-1996 Home Energy Assistance Program (Heap) Rule, Maine State Housing Authority

Maine Collection

1995-1996 Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) Rule

State of Maine / Maine State Housing Authority / David Lakari, Director

Augusta, Maine, September 1995.

(Proposed Amendments to Home Energy Assistance Program Rule)

Chapter 24 - Home Energy Assistance Program Rule

Sections: 1. Definitions / 2. Eligibility / 3. Sub-Grantees / 4. Application / 5. Payment of Benefits / 6. Energy Crisis Intervention Program / 7. HEAP Weatherization and Central Heating Improvement Program (CHIP) / 8. Indian Tribes / 9. Administration of HEAP / 10. Monitoring / 11. Noncompliance / 12. Procurement / 13. Fair Hearings / 14. Additional Provisions

Elder Law: Practice Developments And 1995 Legislative Outcomes, Oregon Law Institute, Wesley D. Fitzwater, Charles E. Davis, Laurie P. Sitton, Sharon Gary Smith, Sally Ringholm, Mark M. Williams, Lisa N, Bertalan, Penny L. Davis, Rees C. Johnson

Oregon Law Institute, 1995

Course Materials from the July 28, 1995 Program in Portland

Nonprofit Community Service And The Hidden Cost Of Information Technology, Roger A. Lohmann, Nancy Lohmann

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Will the information superhighway – like its concrete counterpart, the interstate highway system – turn out to be a good idea but too expensive to maintain properly? This paper will explore issues associated with the initial and ongoing costs of adopting information technology for nonprofit community service organizations, with particular attention to access and use of the information superhighway. Several possible explanations for the lag in adoption of internet technology will be explored. One of these will be the "null hypothesis" that resources and services currently available over the internet may still be insufficient to justify the costs involved for …

Philanthropic Partnerships: The Theory Of The Commons, Roger A. Lohmann

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

In Anglo-American traditions, the concept of a commons has historically been most frequently attached to shared land in joint use by a village or community. The common theory of voluntary action presents organized collective action as consisting of shared purposes, shared resources and voluntary participation resulting in an evolving sense of mutuality, and moral order, consisting of shared norms of fairness and participation.

Social Policy In The Arab World, Jacqueline S. Ismael, Tareq Y. Ismael

Faculty Books

Social policy may be broadly identified as a category of policies explicitly and specifically designed to deal with the manifold problems of poverty, inequality, and inequity. How a state "deals" with these issues has relied on the perception of social policy as primarily a function of economic variables. An alternative view, however, has seen social policy as primarily a function of ideological variables. While there has been substantial examination of social policy development in advanced industrial states, little is known or systematically studied about social policy determinants in the developing world. Nonetheless, it is starkly evident that patterns of poverty, …

Using Performance Indicators To Improve The Effectiveness Of Welfare-To-Work Programs, Timothy J. Bartik

Upjohn Institute Working Papers

This paper argues that it is feasible to develop good indicators of the performance of a particular welfare-to-work program, office, or contractor. Performance indicators can motivate local offices, contractors, and staff to be more effective in achieving the program's goals. Performance indicators can provide information on what program strategies lead to the greatest long-run success. To be most useful, performance indicators must be simple and timely and control for factors other than the program's effectiveness that influence whether welfare recipients "succeed."

A Case Study Of The Development Of Oregon's 1985 Public Policy In Youth Substance Abuse, Sonja Carol Grove

Dissertations and Theses

Youth substance abuse in Oregon reached epidemic proportions in the early 1980s. A response to this social issue from the Governor's Office, the state legislature, and the Office of Alcohol and Drug Programs during 1983-1985 is the foundation of this case study. Oregon, a small state of three million, was faced with a growing problem of youth and adult substance abuse. Legislative leaders, agency staff, and Governor Atiyeh recognized an opportunity to create public policy to solve problems of substance abuse including crime. The focus on substance abuse included streamlining several budgets with substance abuse monies in various state agencies. …

State Welfare Reforms: Typology And Analysis, Malinda B. Orlin

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Recent state initiatives to change the AFDC program are usually described as a unified welfare reform movement with the single goal of decreasing welfare usage. However, analysis of state waiver applications submitted to HHS finds no single purpose in the reforms. Additionally, the net effect of the state experiments would be to increase usage by expanding eligibility.

New Opportunities, New Responsibilities: Welfare Reform In Wyoming, Mark W. Lusk, Joseph D. Nies

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Early experiments with welfare-to-work programs and other welfare reform initiatives had disappointing results, but successful state trial programs since the Family Support Act of 1988 are changing the prevailing wisdom. With evidence that reform can enhance self-sufficiency, many states are embarking on a redefinition of public assistance. Wyoming, a conservative frontier state, is implementing a welfare reform plan that incorporates components shown to be successful elsewhere. In addition to enhanced child support enforcement and workfare, Wyoming welfare reform stresses job preparation, education, and training up to the university level. Degree programs utilize the state's video network and are adapted to …

The Role Of Child Care Assistance In Welfare Reform, Jean Kimmel

Employment Research Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Public Child Welfare Professionals - Those Who Stay, Rhonda Reagh

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Public child welfare workers-especially those working in the "trenches" -are the life blood of child protection. Yet, the ever present challenge is keeping committed and talented professionals in the field. This article is based on a 1990 study which examined the phenomena of staying in the field through the eyes of the professionals who have done so. The study investigated the life histories and work experiences of 18 selected child welfare workers in a mid-western state through data gathered from in-depth written and oral life histories. Findings provide insight into the world of the child welfare worker.

Commodification, The Welfare State And Israeli Kibbutz, John Gal

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The notion of commodification refers to the degree to which the individual is dependent upon the market for the satisfaction of his economic and social needs. The welfare state has been described as having a decommodifying influence in that it provides the individual with the means to maintain a reasonable standard of living while not working. An examination of the Israeli Kibbutz is undertaken in order to understand the workings of an extreme case of decommodification. In Kibbutzim, there exists a very highly developed system of welfare services that arc determined by individual needs and not by individual earning power. …

Focal Point, Volume 08 Number 02, Portland State University. Regional Research Institute

Research and Training Center - Focal Point

There is an increasing awareness of the role culture plays in the delivery of health and human services (10, 30, 32). One recent response in the area of children's mental health has been the emergence of the Child and Adolescent Service Program's (CASSP's) cultural competence model.

A View From The Inside Out: Recipients' Perceptions Of Welfare, Mark R. Rank

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Welfare use is a highly stigmatized behavior in American society. The word itself conjures up various images of disdain in the minds of most Americans. Yet how do the recipients of welfare discern and react to being on public assistance? The focus of this paper is on understanding the manner in which recipients view their own situation, how they perceive the general public's attitudes toward themselves, and their views on fellow welfare recipients. Also examined are how such attitudes influence recipients' behavior towards welfare. These perceptions and behaviors are explored in detail through the use of in-depth, open-ended qualitative interviews …

The Effects Of Utilitarianism On Performance Appraisal And Selected Output Measures In A Weberian Bureaucracy, Donald Wayne Wright

Dissertations

The research explored whether or not a relationship existed between the performance appraisal criteria used by the Social Security Administration and actual performance between 1984 and 1990. The issue was whether or not either of the diverse sets of performance appraisal criteria was more effective in improving performance than the other and whether or not base pay should be tied to the results of the performance appraisal system.

The methodology for this study was both quantitative and qualitative. The qualitative technique of content analysis was done on the sets of performance appraisal criteria to assess the extent to which each …

Survey Associates: Support Group For A Successful Nonprofit Journalistic Enterprise, 1912-1952, Roger A. Lohmann

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

More than a century before the current wave of popularity of nonprofit journalism, a group associated with the emerging social work profession developed a successful journalistic support organization in the years before World War I. It continued to provide support and funding for The Survey, a national social work newspaper for the next fifty years.

Focal Point, Volume 08 Number 01, Portland State University. Regional Research Institute

Research and Training Center - Focal Point

The 103rd Congress has set itself an ambitious agenda. Between now and October, five Congressional committees are to report out their versions of health care reform legislation, from which a single piece of legislation must be written and forwarded to President Clinton for his signature.

Securing Health Or Just Health Care? The Effect Of The Health Care System On The Health Of America, Lawrence O. Gostin

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

The author first analyzes why the prevention of illness and promotion of health provide the leading justification for the government to act for the welfare of the population. His analysis focuses principally on the foundational importance of health for human happiness, the exercise of rights and privileges, and the formation of family and social relationships. He explains why health care, although critically important; is not the only, nor even the most important, determinant of health. Most morbidity and mortality in the United States is attributable to environmental conditions, pathogens, and human behavior, which are all more responsive to population-based interventions …

Encouraging A Paradigm Shift In Services For People With Disabilities, Errol Cocks

Research outputs pre 2011

No abstract provided.

The Internet As Commons: A Tale Of Enclosure, Roger A. Lohmann

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

The original model of the internet developed as an electronic commons for scientists and academics. It will be only a matter of time before the same rich and powerful information barons who already control such "fourth estate" communication industries as newspaper, magazine and book publishing, television networks and movie production facilities establish their toll-booths on the information superhighway as well. Fortunately, within this electronic ocean of corporate and proprietary feudalism, there may also be room for an archipelago of freistaaten; "free citystates" functioning as autonomous and self-governing islands for the arts, sciences, humanities, social service and community.

Suggested Revisions To The Polish Social Welfare Law, Christopher J. O'Leary, W.E. Upjohn Institute For Employment Research

Reports

No abstract provided.

An Assessment Of Court-Mandated Treatment Of Batterers In Kentucky, Ron Clatos

Morehead State Theses and Dissertations

A thesis presented to the faculty of the College of Education and Behavioral Sciences at Morehead State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in Sociology by Ron Clatos in May of 1993.

Child Care Needs Of Welfare Recipients In Maryland's Welfare Reform Program, Barbara H. Vann, Todd W. Rofuth

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Legislation mandating participation of welfare recipient parents in education and employment and training programs has created increased demand for provision of child care. Providing the most appropriate care for this unique population depends, ideally, on its needs and preferences. This study examines child care needs and preferences of a sample of participants in Maryland's welfare reform employment and training programs. Although care by a relative is most widely used by these respondents, it is not clear that this is the type of care preferred by the majority of respondents. This has important implications for policy decisions regarding child care funding.