Social Work Commons^™

Review Of The Idealist: Jeffrey Sachs And The Quest To End Poverty. Nina Munk. Reviewed By Edward U. Murphy, Edward U. Murphy

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Nina Munk, The Idealist: Jeffrey Sachs and the Quest to End Poverty. Doubleday (2013). $15.95 (paperback).

Income Packaging Strategies Of Economically Disconnected Women And The Implications For Social Policy And Practice, Andrea Hetling, Jinwoo Kwon, Elizabeth Mahn

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Income packaging, or piecing together cash and non-cash resources from a variety of sources, is a common financial survival strategy among low-income women. This strategy is particularly important for economically disconnected women, who lack both employment income and public cash assistance receipt. Using data from the confidential Census Bureau versions of the Survey of Income and Program Participation, this study compares the use of public and private supports between disconnected and connected low-income women, controlling for differences in state welfare rules and county unemployment rates. Findings from bivariate comparisons and multilevel logistic regressions indicate that disconnected women utilize public non-cash …

The Consolidation Of The Secondary Financial Services Market, David Stoesz

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Stagnant income and persistent debt have induced low- and middle-income households to rely on alternative financial services (AFS): buy-here-pay-here auto loans, check-cashers, payday loans, auto title loans, rent-to-own furniture and appliances, and pawnshops. A secondary financial services market has evolved to serve the secondary labor market, replete with trade associations as well as state and federal regulators. Mainstream financial institutions have marketed innovations, such as reloadable debit cards, to appeal to low- and middle-income consumers. High fees and interest rates of AFS products have fueled a volatile debate about the future of the secondary financial services market, with options including …

The Impact Of Youth Debt On College Graduation, Min Zhan

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This study examines the associations between educational loans and credit card debt with the possibility of college graduation among a group of youth who enrolled in college. It further investigates whether the associations differ by levels of parental assets. Results indicate that, after parental assets and other variables are considered, educational loans are positively related to college graduation; however, there is evidence that educational loans above $10,000 reduce the probability of college graduation. Parental assets are positively linked to youth’s college graduation, and the relationship between educational loans and college graduation is stronger among youth whose families have lower levels …

Deputized Brokers: A Technique For A Case Study Of Conservative Think Tanks In 1990s Welfare Reform, Sergio Romero

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This study proposes a novel analytical technique in a case study of think tank brokerage. As brokers, think tanks structurally link foundations and media, yet they do so as representatives of a policy network consisting of corporate funders and affiliated think tanks. Print media sought their policy analysis regarding the welfare system and prescriptions for reform. Network and content methods are the bases for the presentation of the technique. The coupling of results from each of the technique’s components shows how resources tie actors, as well as how their conversion from one form to another is the basis for a …

Review Of Save Our Unions. Steve Early. Reviewed By Luke Elliott-Negri, Luke Elliott-Negri

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Steve Early, Save Our Unions. Monthly Review Press (2013). $19.95 (paperback), 344 pages.

Review Of The Fukushima Dai-Ichi Accident. Peter Bernard Ladkin, Christoph Goeker, And Bernd Sieker (Eds.). Reviewed By Richard York, Richard F. York

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Peter Bernard Ladkin, Christoph Goeker, and Bernd Sieker (Eds.), The Fukushima Dai-Ichi Accident. Lit Verlag (2013). $59.95 (paperback), 291 pages.

Review Of The Divide: American Injustice In The Age Of The Wealth Gap. Matt Taibbi. Reviewed By Marguerite Rosenthal, Marguerite Rosenthal

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Matt Taibbi, The Divide: American Injustice in the Age of the Wealth Gap. Spiegel & Grau (2014). $27 (hardcover), $17 (paperback), 416 pages.

Are Payday Loans Really Evil? Controversy, Regulation, And Innovation In The Secondary Financial Services Market, David Stoesz

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Stagnant income and persistent debt have induced low- and middle-income households to rely on alternative financial services (AFS): buy-here-pay-here auto loans, check-cashers, payday loans, auto title loans, rent-to-own furniture and appliances, and pawnshops. A secondary financial services market has evolved to serve the secondary labor market, replete with trade associations as well as state and federal regulators. Mainstream financial institutions have marketed innovations, such as reloadable debit cards, to appeal to low- and middle-income consumers. High fees and interest rates of AFS products have fueled a volatile debate about the future of the secondary financial services market, with options including …

The Relationship Between Empathy And Attitudes Toward Government Intervention, M. Alex Wagaman, Elizabeth A. Segal

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Throughout history, government policy and programs have played integral roles in shaping social services. This article reports the findings of a study that explored the relationship between interpersonal empathy and attitudes toward government intervention among college students. Findings suggest that increased levels of empathy are associated with more positive attitudes toward government intervention. This relationship is even stronger for participants from marginalized identity groups. Nurturing empathy among those engaged in social welfare policy-making may support government efforts that are in the best interest of communities they are intended to help.

Review Of Social Policy, Welfare State, And Civil Society In Sweden, Vol. Ii: The Lost World Of Social Democracy, 1988-2015 (3rd Enlarged Edition). Sven E. O. Hort. Reviewed By Marguerite G. Rosenthal, Marguerite G. Rosenthal

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

No abstract provided.

Review Of Caring For Our Own: Why There Is No Political Demand For New American Social Welfare Rights. Sandra R. Levitsky. Reviewed By Helen Glikman, Helen Glikman

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Sandra R. Levitsky, Caring For Our Own: Why There Is No Political Demand for New American Social Welfare Rights.Oxford University Press (2014). 224 pages, $24.95 (paperback).

Analyzing Health Education Training Of Human Services Students, Christine W. Thorpe

Publications and Research

Human services programs across the country are charged with training students to address social problems of individuals and families through delivering services that enhance the standard of living of all people. The coursework generally offered in accredited human services programs are within the framework of mental health and social work, yet human services workers play a critical role in health care delivery and need to convey good health practices to the clients they serve. Hence the need for human services students to have coursework in health education to develop their skills in addressing client health behavior. The purpose of this …

Food For Thought: Thoughts On Food, Grace Mayer

A with Honors Projects

For this Parkland College A with Honors project, the student reflects on a group project to create a video on volunteering with the Wesley Food Pantry.

Wesley Food Pantry Project, Jalyn Smith

A with Honors Projects

For this Parkland College A with Honors project, the student reflects on a group project to create a video on volunteering with the Wesley Food Pantry.

Indicator Analysis For Unpacking Poverty In New York City, Jochen Albrecht, Mimi Abramovitz

Publications and Research

This article presents work that is part of a larger and ongoing research agenda exploring the persistence of health and social problems in some parts of New York City. To this end, the authors have developed a GIS framework that translates a highly diverse set of variables into neighborhood indicators that can help local residents as well as decision makers to understand the relationship between “place” and individual behavior. Using the example of two new indices, Community Loss and Neighborhood Risks, the readers will learn how data can be transformed to emphasize the communal nature of phenomena that is typically …

Review Of 'How We Die Now: Intimacy And The Work Of Dying,' By Karla Erickson, Jennifer Davis-Berman

Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work Faculty Publications

How We Die Now: Intimacy and the Work of Dying takes the reader on an engaging journey through the terrain of aging in America, with an emphasis on how our ideas about aging itself have changed the way we view death in the United States and even the way we actually die. This book has an authenticity to it, as Erickson admits that her own experience with aging and death compelled her to enter this world and study from the perspective of insiders, those who care for older adults and the actual elders themselves. Based on hundreds of hours of …

The Influence Of Domestic Living Arrangement And Neighborhood Identity On Mental Health Among Urban Chinese Elders, Minzhi Ye, Yiwei Chen

School of Social Work Faculty Publications

Objectives: The primary purposes of the present study were (1) to assess the living arrangements among urban Chinese elders, (2) to examine the relationship between household living arrangement and elders’ mental health, and (3) to investigate how individuals’ neighborhood identity affects their mental health.

Method: The random sample was collected in 2011, including 939 respondents aged 60 and above who lived in the Jing’an district of Shanghai, China. The study examined well-being and depression of elders. The domestic living arrangements were assessed by a single item with five options: ‘With whom are you living together?’ The neighborhood identity was measured …

A Qualitative Study Analyzing Cps Social Workers: Creating Meaning Through Communication And Hidden Internal Biases, Heather A. Parker

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

The goal of this study is to determine how social workers create meaning through communication with their clients and if internalized oppression influences their communication behaviors. The literature review and research reveal a number of subareas that need to be addressed in order to understand why dialogue takes a primary role in the positive outcome of a Child Protective Service (CPS) case. A review of educational material and scholarly literature was combined with an ethnographic study which included individual interviews and focus groups. It explored the societal dilemma of racism and internalized biases; along with the dynamics of communication between …

Infusion Of Gerontological Competencies In Social Work, Jessica Marie Rawls

LSU Master's Theses

This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the Graduate Certificate in Gerontology Program (GCGP) at Louisiana State University School of Social Work (LSUSSW). Thirty advanced year students participating in the GCGP in the 2012-2013 academic year participated in the study. All of the participants were female, and the majority (n=25) identified as Caucasian. The mean age of the participants was twenty-seven years. The study utilized a pre-experimental, one group pretest-posttest design. Participants were surveyed pre-certificate program and upon completion of the program using a two-part, self-report survey which utilized the Geriatric Social Work Competency Scale II. Participants reported their …