Social Work Commons^™

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

Prospects For A Universal Basic Income In New Zealand, Keith Rankin

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

New Zealand is a small liberal capitalist country with a history of egalitarian values and political reform—including the early introduction of universal welfare benefits—and with an uncomplicated relatively flat income tax structure. As such, it has sometimes been seen as a "social laboratory," a theme of writing about New Zealand and of New Zealand social historians. It therefore has all of the elements in place that could make New Zealand a candidate to become a world leader in integrating income tax and social welfare regimes into a form of universal basic income. Nevertheless, through a combination of intellectual inertia, media …

Next Steps On The Road To Basic Income In Canada, James Mulvale, Sid Frankel

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Canada has had recurring debates about guaranteed or basic income over several decades. This article outlines reasons for implementing basic income in the Canadian context—reducing poverty and inequality, addressing precarious employment, and building an ecologically sustainable economy. Recently there has been a strong renewal of interest in basic income in Canada. Expressions of interest have come from the Liberal federal government elected in 2015, from provincial governments, from political parties not in power, and from municipal governments. Support for basic income also is found in a growing range of prominent individuals and organizations. While basic income advocates are encouraged by …

Basic Income Guarantee: The Gender Impact Within Households, Sara Cantillon, Caitlin Mclean

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The potential of a Basic Income Guarantee (BIG) to contribute to gender equality is a contested issue amongst feminist scholars. This article focuses on the nature of BIG as an individually- based payment to explore its potential for reducing gender equality, specifically intra-household inequalities in material or financial welfare; economic autonomy; psychological well-being; and time allocation, especially leisure time and time spent in household and care work. We employ a gender analysis of existing BIG pilots/schemes as well as close substitutes (e.g., universal child benefits) to assess some of the key claims about the effects of a basic income (BI) …

Friends Or Foes: The Impact Of Political Ideology And Immigrant Friends On Anti-Immigrant Sentiment, Elizabeth Kiehne, Cecilia Ayón

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

In recent years, an increase in anti-immigrant sentiment has been witnessed in the United States, particularly from politically conservative groups. According to intergroup contact theory, increased contact between in-group and out-group members, especially cross-group friendships, has been found to reduce intergroup prejudice. This study analyzed nationally representative U.S.-based data (n = 1,000) from the Transatlantic Trends Survey, 2013 to examine if having immigrant friends interacted with political ideology, such that having immigrant friends weakened the association between conservative ideology and anti-immigrant sentiment. Findings revealed that immigrant friends and political ideology each had a significant but opposite main effect on …

Review Of Prisoners Of Reason: Game Theory And Neoliberal Political Economy. S. M. Amadae. Reviewed By James Midgley, James Midgley

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

S. M. Amadae, Prisoners of Reason: Game Theory and Neoliberal Political Economy. Cambridge University Press (2016), 360 pages, $34.99 (paperback).

Review Of Queer Excursions: Retheorizing Binaries In Language, Gender And Sexuality. Lal Zimman, Jenny Davis And Joshua Raclaw (Eds.). Reviewed By Sherri Shimansky, Sherri Shimansky

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Lal Zimman, Jenny Davis, and Joshua Raclaw (Eds.), Queer Excursions: Retheorizing Binaries in Language, Gender and Sexuality. Oxford University Press (2014), 231 pages, $23.70 (paperback).

Review Of Life In And Against The Odds: Debts Of Freedom And The Speculative Roots Of U.S. Culture. Heidi Hoechst. Reviewed By Cindy Vang, Cindy Vang

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Heidi Hoechst, Life In and Against the Odds: Debts of Freedom and the Speculative Roots of U.S. Culture. Temple University Press (2015), 312 pages, $30.00 (paperback).

Review Of The Dynamic Welfare State. David Stoesz. Review By Daniel Liechty, Daniel Liechty

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

David Stoesz, The Dynamic Welfare State. Oxford University Press (2016), 282 pages, $35.00 (hardcover).

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

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Eating disorders disproportionately afflict women and they are one of the most lethal mental health conditions that practitioners in the field of social work and related mental health fields encounter. Equally alarming is the fact that Anorexia Nervosa is the deadliest of all eating disorders, yet, we are struggling to find an efficacious means of successfully intervening in the treatment and recovery maintenance of anorexia. Drawing from past empirical and theoretical literature, this study explored the potential that the mind body practice of yoga might hold as a complementary therapeutic tool for women struggling to recover from anorexia. The findings …

An Environmental Scan Of Mindfulness-Based Interventions On University And College Campuses: A Research Note, Kaley J. Cieslak, Lehanna E. Hardy, Natalie S. Kyles, Erika L. Miller, Becky L. Mullins, Katelyn M. Root, Christina M. Smith

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The purpose of this research note is to provide readers with an understanding of the diverse types of student mental health interventions that are being offered on North American universities/ colleges broken down into two types of interventions: (1) traditional, or non-mindfulness-based interventions, and (2) mindfulness-based interventions.

Data were collected, organized, and synthesized during the first 5 months of 2016 (via a simple Google searches) for all North American universities/colleges that offered their students mental health interventions on their campuses.

Traditional, or non-mindfulness-based interventions remain widely in use on university/college campuses and include: prevention and outreach, support groups and workshops, …

How Are Social Problems Viewed And Analyzed In Social Work Policy Textbooks?, Marietta A. Barretti

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This article reviews seven of the most frequently used policy textbooks in social work and examines how social problems are viewed in the narrative, and then analyzed in policy analysis frameworks. Questions include: (1) how the authors define social problems; (2) who they say "gets" to define problems in policy analysis; (3) how problems should be analyzed; and (4) whether contextual influences on the problem are considered. Findings include that most authors argue that social problems are constructions in their narratives, but do not transfer that perspective into their policy analysis frameworks. Implications for education and policy practice are explored.

Tribute To Marguerite Rosenthal

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Tribute to Marguerite Rosenthal

Review Of Shared Prosperity In America's Communities. Susan M. Wachter And Lei Ding. Reviewed By Cynthia Edmonds-Cady., Cynthia Edmonds-Cady

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Susan M. Wachter and Lei Ding (Eds.), Shared Prosperity in America's Communities. University of Pennsylvania Press (2016), 274 pages, $53.99 (hardcover).

Review Of Cultural-Existential Psychology: The Role Of Culture In Suffering And Threat. Daniel Sullivan. Reviewed By Daniel Liechty., Daniel Liechty

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Daniel Sullivan, Cultural-Existential Psychology: The Role of Culture in Suffering and Threat. Cambridge University Press (2016), 295 pages, $110 (hardcover).

Review Of Invisible In Austin: Life And Labor In An American City. Javier Auyero. Reviewed By Danielle Docka-Filipek, Danielle Docka-Filipek

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Javier Auyero (Ed.), Invisible in Austin: Life and Labor in an American City. University of Texas Press (2015), 280 pages, $24.95 (paperback).

Review Of Evicted: Poverty And Profit In The American City. Mathew Desmond. Reviewed By Yeqing Yuan., Yeqing Yuan

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Mathew Desmond, Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City. Crown Publishers (2016), 432 pages, $28.00 (hardcover).