Social Work Commons^™

Resisting Gentrification: The Theoretical And Practice Contributions Of Social Work, Amie Thurber, Amy Krings, Linda S. Martinez, Mary Ohmer

Social Work: School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Other Works

Summary

Gentrification is changing the landscape of many cities worldwide, exacerbating economic and racial inequality. Despite its relevance to social work, the field has been conspicuously absent from scholarship related to gentrification. This paper introduces the dominant view of gentrification (a political economic lens), highlighting its contributions and vulnerabilities, then introduces four case studies that illuminate the distinct contributions of social work to broaden the ways in which gentrification is theorized and responded to within communities.

Findings

When gentrification is analyzed exclusively through a political economy lens, researchers, policy makers, and practitioners are likely to focus on changes in land …

Policy Recommendations For Financial Capability And Asset Building By Increasing Access To Safe, Affordable Credit, Julie Birkenmaier, Mathieu R. Despard, Terri Friedline

Center for Social Development Research

Strong credit is a prerequisite for financial well-being, but many U.S. consumers lack access to safe and affordable credit options. This brief, released through the Grand Challenges for Social Work initiative’s network toBuild Financial Capability for All, identifies policies that would enable households to build and maintain credit and that would ensure access to credit products with adequate consumer protections.

Policy Recommendations For Helping U.S. Households Build Emergency Savings, Mathieu R. Despard, Terri Friedline, Julie Birkenmaier

Center for Social Development Research

In households without emergency savings, an unexpected expense or financial shock can heighten stress and threaten the ability to meet basic needs. This brief, released through the Grand Challenges for Social Work initiative’s network toBuild Financial Capability for All, identifies three types of policies to enable U.S. households to save for emergencies.

Faculty Perspectives On Financial Capability And Asset Building In Social Work Education: A Research Report, Margaret S. Sherraden, Jin Huang, Lissa Johnson, Peter Dore, Julie Birkenmaier, Vernon Loke, Sally Hageman

Center for Social Development Research

This report is based on a study conducted in collaboration with the Council on Social Work Education. The report presents findings from a national online survey of social work faculty. Results identify financial and economic (F&E) content taught in the current curriculum, gaps in coverage, and strategies for improving the academic preparation of social workers in these areas. Findings will inform financial capability and asset-building curriculum and improve the academic preparation of social workers.

Productive Engagement Early In Life: Civic And Volunteer Service As A Pathway To Development, Benjamin J. Lough, Margaret S. Sherraden, Amanda Moore Mcbride, Michael Sherraden, Suzanne Pritzer

Center for Social Development Research

Globalization and information-age technology have led to declines in labor market opportunity, especially for youth. In this paper, we suggest a robust emphasis on civic and volunteer service as one promising policy response. Service can promote civic engagement, meaningful roles in society, and work experience, while making substantial contributions to social and economic well-being. The classic historical example is the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) created by President Franklin Roosevelt during the Depression of the 1930s. The CCC was enormously productive and enjoyed strong bipartisan political support. In order to re-create this potential, policies for civic and volunteer service should be …

Home Delinquency Rates Are Lower Among Aca Marketplace Households: Evidence From A Natural Experiment, Emily A. Gallagher, Radhakrishnan Gopalon, Michal Grinstein-Weiss, Stephen P. Roll, Genevieve Davison

Center for Social Development Research

This brief uses administrative income tax data coupled with survey responses from roughly 5,000 households living near the poverty line to estimate how access to the Affordable Care Act’s health insurance Marketplaces have affected households’ experiences of extreme illiquidity, which is measured by delinquencies on home payments. To estimate this relationship, we exploit a natural experiment underway in states that did not expand Medicaid and created by the eligibility rules for Marketplace subsidies. Results suggest that insured households living near the poverty line are better able to make timely rent and mortgage payments compared with similar, uninsured households. Given housing …

International Child Development Accounts, Michael Sherraden, Li-Chen Cheng, Fred M. Ssewamala, Youngmi Kim, Vernon Loke, Li Zou, Gina Chowa, David Ansong, Lissa Johnson, Yung Soo Lee, Michal Grinstein-Weiss, Margaret M. Clancy, Jin Huang, Sondra G. Beverly, Yunju Nam, Chang-Keun Han

Center for Social Development Research

This Working Paper has been submitted for inclusion in the new online edition of theEncyclopedia of Social Work, which is published by Oxford University Press. The paper discusses efforts to implement Child Development Accounts in the United States and numerous other countries. Child Development Accounts (CDAs) are subsidized savings or investment accounts to help people accumulate assets for developmental purposes and life course needs. They are envisioned as universal (everyone participates), progressive (greater subsidies for the poor), and potentially lifelong national policy. These features distinguish CDAs from most existing asset-building policies and programs around the world, which are typically regressive, …

Asset Building: Toward Inclusive Policy, Michael Sherraden, Lissa Johnson, Margaret Clancy, Sondra G. Beverly, Margaret S. Sherraden, Mark Schreiner, William Elliott Iii, Trina Shanks William, Deborah Adams, Jami C. Curley, Jin Huang, Michal Grinstein-Weiss, Yunju Nam, Min Zhan, Chang-Kuen Han

Center for Social Development Research

This Working Paper has been submitted for inclusion in theEncyclopedia of Social Work's new online edition, which is published by Oxford University Press. Since 1991, a new policy discussion has arisen in the United States and other countries, focusing on building assets as a complement to traditional social policy based on income. In fact, asset-based policy already existed (and still exists) in the United States, with large public subsidies. But the policy is regressive, benefiting the rich far more than the poor. The goal should be a universal, progressive, and lifelong asset-based policy. One promising pathway may be Child Development …

Racial Inequality And The Implementation Of Emergency Management Laws In Economically Distressed Urban Areas, Shawna J. Lee, Amy Krings, Sara Rose, Krista Dover, Jessica Ayoub, Fatima Salman

Social Work: School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Other Works

This study examines the use of emergency management laws as a policy response to fiscal emergencies in urban areas. Focusing on one Midwestern Rust Belt state, we use a mixed methods approach – integrating chronology of legislative history, analysis of Census data, and an ethnographic case study – to examine the dynamics of emer- gency management laws from a social justice perspective. Analysis of Census data showed that emergency man- agement policies disproportionately affected African Americans and poor families. Analysis indicated that in one state, 51% of African American residents and 16.6% of Hispanic or Latinos residents had lived in …

Financial Outcomes In Seed For Oklahoma Kids, Margaret M. Clancy, Sondra G. Beverly, Michael Sherraden

Center for Social Development Research

The SEED for Oklahoma Kids (SEED OK) experiment is a large-scale policy test of universal, automatic, and progressive Child Development Accounts (CDAs). This fact sheet highlights selected SEED OK financial outcomes measured between 2007 and 2014. Because of SEED OK’s automatic account opening and initial deposits, the CDA has especially large impacts on OK 529 savings among disadvantaged children. Advantaged children are more likely than disadvantaged children to have individual savings in OK 529 accounts, and average individual savings are higher for advantaged children. But, the CDA increases the likelihood that disadvantaged children have OK 529 accounts opened by their …

Support For A Tax-Time Savings Policy: Interest In Deferring Tax Refunds With Matched Incentives, Dana C. Perantie, Jane E. Oliphant, Michal Grinstein-Weiss

Center for Social Development Research

Support for a Tax-Time Savings Policy: Interest in Deferring Tax Refunds With Matched Incentives

Gender Differences On The Interacting Effects Of Marital Status And Health Insurance On Long-Term Colon Cancer Survival In California, 1995-2014, Derek Campbell, Kevin M. Gorey, Isaac N. Luginaah, Guangyong Zou, Caroline Hamm, Eric J. Holowaty

Social Work Publications

Objectives. Long-term colon cancer survival is not well explained by main effects. We explored the interaction of age, gender, marital status, health insurance and poverty on 10-year colon cancer survival.

Methods. California registry data were analyzed for 5,776 people diagnosed from 1995 to 2000; followed until 2014. Census data classified neighborhood poverty. We tested interactions with regressions and described them with standardized rates and rate ratios (RR).

Results. The 5-way interaction was significant, suggesting larger 4-way disadvantages among non-Medicare-eligible people. A significant 4-way interaction was a 3-way interaction in non-high poverty neighborhoods only. Private insurance was protective for unmarried …

Working With Passion, Effecting Change In A Context Of Uncertainty, Sandra M. Moore

Center for Social Development Research

This CSD Perspective has been adapted from a commencement address given by Sandra M. Moore on May 14, 2015, before the Brown School of Social Work at Washington University.

Closing The Racial Wealth Gap: Innovative Solutions For Change, Southern Regional Asset Building Coalition

Center for Social Development Research

Closing the Racial Wealth Gap: Innovative Solutions for Change

Ending Poverty In Mongolia: From Socialism To Social Development, Richard J. Smith

Social Work Faculty Publications

While recent literature on social welfare has included Asian countries, less is known about low-income and former socialist countries in Central Asia. This article combines a documentary-historical method with a value-critical approach to analyze Mongolia’s social policy response to poverty. Mongolia is unique in Asia because it transformed from nomadic pastoralism to socialism without a phase of capitalist industrial development. The case study found that Mongolia lost social welfare when it transitioned from socialism, a statist model, to market liberalism and multiparty democracy. In the 21st century, Mongolia has been aspiring to promote social development by redirecting mining revenues to …

Economic Intervention And Parenting: A Randomized Experiment Of Statewide Child Development Accounts, Yunju Nam, Nora Wikoff, Michael Sherraden

Center for Social Development Research

Objective: We examine the effects of Child Development Accounts (CDAs) on parenting stress and practices. Methods: We use data from the SEED for Oklahoma Kids (SEED OK) experiment. SEED OK selected caregivers of infants from Oklahoma birth certificates using a probability sampling method, randomly assigned caregivers to the treatment (n = 1,32) or control group (n = 1,098), and provided college savings incentives only to the treatment group. We run regression analyses on a parenting stress scale and six continuous measures of parenting practices. Results: There were no significant differences in parenting outcomes between treatment and control groups, with the …

The Early Good News About Child Development Accounts, Sondra G. Beverly, Margaret Clancy, Michael Sherraden

Center for Social Development Research

This brief summary of early research findings from the SEED for Oklahoma Kids experiment may help Child Development Account (CDA) proponents communicate the value of such accounts to policymakers, educators and others.

Social Challenges And Policy Innovations By Social Workers In Australia, Manohar Pawar

Center for Social Development Research

By summarizing the social challenges in the contemporary Australian context, this article aims to discuss policy innovations by Australian social workers. Acknowledging that the concept of policy innovation is broad and sometimes ambiguous, it looks at four examples by social workers. Drawing on secondary data analysis, it discusses how social workers played an important role in introducing legislative changes/amendments to protect children in difficult circumstances, resisted a refugee policy that incarcerates innocent children, challenged and changed procedures and policies within an organization, and influenced policymakers to revert budgetary decisions to enhance access to services. These examples show the social workers’ …

Conceptualizing Age-Friendly Community Characteristics In A Sample Of Urban Elders: An Exploratory Factor Analysis, Richard J. Smith, Amanda J. Lehning, Ruth E. Dunkle

Social Work Faculty Publications

Accurate conceptualization and measurement of age-friendly community characteristics would help to reduce barriers to documenting the effects on elders of interventions to create such communities. This article contributes to the measurement of age-friendly communities through an exploratory factor analysis of items reflecting an existing U.S. Environmental Protection Agency policy framework. From a sample of urban elders (n =1,376), we identified six factors associated with demographic and health characteristics: Access to Business and Leisure, Social Interaction, Access to Health Care, Neighborhood Problems, Social Support, and Community Engagement. Future research should explore the effects of …

Interviews With Mothers Of Young Children In The Seed For Oklahoma Kids College Savings Experiment, Karen Gray, Margaret Clancy, Margaret S. Sherraden, Kristen Wagner, Julie Miller-Cribbs

Center for Social Development Research

Interviews With Mothers of Young Children in the SEED for Oklahoma Kids College Savings Experiment

Perceived Job Readiness Among The Previously Incarcerated, Amy Audet

Honors Projects

This study aims to determine the primary factor in employment readiness for previously incarcerated individuals. Ex offenders were were surveyed for job readiness using a scale developed in the studies' literature review. This scale emcompasses factors such as skills, knowledge, confidence and goals. Surveys were also done according to age, age of first incarceration, incarceration history and job training history. Because this population is marginalized, this study may bring new awareness about the effects of employer discrimination and the need for future programs to increase job readiness among the previously incarcerated individuals.

Inquiry, Innovation, & Impact: Report To The Community, Center For Social Development

Center for Social Development Research

Inquiry, Innovation, & Impact: Report to the Community

Predicting India’S Future: Does It Justify The Exportation Of Us Social Work Education?, Shweta Singh, Edward Gumz, Brenda Crawley

Social Work: School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Other Works

Current social work education in India reflects globalization priorities and tendencies of neo-colonialism that emulate curriculum priorities and duplicate content developed in countries like the USA. Social work education as implemented by countries like the USA, has limited success in transnational training of social workers and their ability to address emerging social problems and deep rooted structural imbalances within non-USA social contexts. Yet, the concept of the world being an emerging global village is used to justify and reaffirm the colonial goals of universal education and pedagogies within social work and its application to starkly different contexts, such as India. …

Productive Aging Conference Report, Nancy Morrow-Howell, Gao Jianguo, Li Zou, Xie Yuxi

Center for Social Development Research

Productive Aging Conference Report

Building Assets From Birth: A Global Comparison Of Child Development Account Policies, Vernon Loke, Michael Sherraden

Center for Social Development Research

Asset building is a growing theme in public policy, and building assets from birth in the form of Child Development Accounts is now occurring in several countries. This paper provides an overview of the Child Development Account policies in Singapore, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Korea, and the proposed policy in the United States. The key elements of inclusiveness, progressivity, coherence and integration, and development are explicated and discussed.

Building Assets From Birth: A Comparison Of The Policies And Proposals On Children Savings Accounts In Singapore, The United Kingdom, Canada, Korea, And The United States, Vernon Loke, Michael Sherraden

Center for Social Development Research

Holding assets is increasingly acknowledged as yielding positive effects and enhancing opportunities. In Assets and the Poor, Sherraden proposed that Individual Development Accounts (IDAs) should be opened for every person from birth in order to provide them with the lifetime potential to accumulate assets and to experience the effects of assets from a young age. a few countries have recently implemented or are proposing policies that build assets for every child starting from birth. Among these countries are Singapore, the United Kingdom, Canada, Korea, and the United States. The purposes and strategies adopted by each country are distinctive. This paper …

Fostering Social Development Through Civic And Political Engagement: How Confidence In Institutions And Agency Matter, Gautam N. Yadama, Natasha Menon

Center for Social Development Research

Traditional approaches in social development have neglected the role of politics, civic engagement, and processes of democratization. This paper empirically tests the extent to which civic engagement and political action are shaped by confidence in state and non-state institutions and political and personal agency. The results underscore the importance of enabling social development through inclusive governance and democratization.

Acknowledging The Crisis In Social Liberalism: A Call For A New Approach To Teaching Social Policy, Roger A. Lohmann

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

A graduate social policy course at West Virginia University has been redesigned by a senior faculty member and lead instructor to recognize advances in political philosophy and to confront the decline of the social liberal welfare state and the rise of populist radicalism, through civic engagement by citizen-professionals.

Home Mortgage Lending In St. Louis City: An Analysis Of 1992 And 1994 Home Mortgage Disclosure Act Data, Edward Scanlon, Shirley Emerson

Center for Social Development Research

This report examines home mortgage lending data in St. Louis City in 1992 and 1994. Our primary purpose is to determine how race, income level and neighborhood location relate to home mortgage loan application denial rates. Overall, it is demonstrated that race, income level and negative neighborhood conditions are predictive of loan denial in St. Louis City. The study begins with an overview of related literature. The second section describes our study, and provides information regarding the data set, our variables and research procedures. Part three is a report of our findings. The final section draws conclusions and suggests implications …

Human Capital And Social Work, Sondra Beverly, Michael Sherraden

Center for Social Development Research

This article is an update and continuation of Theodore Schultz’s seminal, but largely unheeded, 1959 article on human capital. Like Schultz, we suggest that building human capital should be a key development strategy for social workers. Empirical research demonstrates that human capital has important positive outcomes. However, opportunities for human capital development are not equally accessible to all. By facilitating human capital development among disadvantaged groups, social workers can help individuals obtain skills that will enable them to compete in post-industrial labor markets. This emphasis on investment and development is particularly relevant today since, in the current political climate, there …