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The 2014 Scottish independence debate: questions of social welfare and social justice
- Authors:
- MOONEY Gerry, SCOTT Gill
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Poverty and Social Justice, 23(1), 2015, pp.5-16.
- Publisher:
- Policy Press
This paper aims to foreground some of the main ways in which issues of social welfare and social policy came to occupy centre stage in the Scottish independence debate during recent years, culminating in the September 2014 Scottish independence referendum. It considers how issues relating to social welfare and the future of the welfare state more generally were advanced by the pro-Scottish independence YES camp as key arguments in the overall case for independence. This then disputes suggestions to the contrary that the pro-YES movement was a campaign driven primarily by issues of Scottish nationalism and national identity. Instead issues of social welfare, social justice and the creation of a more equal Scotland dominated.
Activating lone parents: an evidence-based policy appraisal of welfare-to-work reform in Britain
- Author:
- HAUX Tina
- Journal article citation:
- Social Policy and Society, 11(1), January 2012, pp.1-14.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
The 2008 welfare reforms introduced by the previous Labour government require most lone parents with older children to be available for work. Activating lone parents is a key plank in the strategy to meet the child poverty target via an increased lone parent employment rate. This article examines the potential effect of this reform on the employment rate of lone parents and considers whether the age of the youngest child is a good indicator of ‘ability to work’. A secondary analysis of 2005 data from the Families and Children Study demonstrates that the reform will not lead to the desired increase of 70% of lone parents in employment as the target group is too small. In addition, the article argues that the levels of multiple disadvantages within the group suggest that a substantial proportion of lone parents have a high risk of not being able to move into employment. It concludes that ‘ability to work’ needs to be conceptualised more broadly if it is to mean ‘ability to get a job’.
“Are we doing fine?” the views on poverty reduction strategies among front-line workers in the field of social assistance in Turkey
- Authors:
- ÇOBAN Arzu İçağasıoğlu, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Social Service Research, 37(5), October 2011, pp.469-480.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
In Turkey, the Social Assistance and Solidarity Foundations (SASFs) provides means-tested benefits to satisfy basic needs for individuals and families who are in socioeconomic deprivation. This research was conducted to explore the views of front-line workers in SASFs regarding the strategies of poverty reduction and the effectiveness of the assistance given by SASFs. The data were gathered during interviews with 33 employees from the 8 SASF offices in Ankara, Turkey. The findings show that the majority of the participants agree with governmental efforts to create employment opportunities as the most important method to reduce poverty. Although the participants felt the services they provided were effective at the individual and family level, they thought these services were not sufficient in terms of poverty reduction on a macro scale. These findings are discussed within the framework of the changing nature of poverty and the recent agenda on poverty reduction in Turkey.
Welfare Reform Bill: February 2011: explanatory notes
- Author:
- GREAT BRITAIN. Parliament. House of Commons
- Publisher:
- Stationery Office
- Publication year:
- 2011
- Pagination:
- 107p.
- Place of publication:
- London
The Welfare Reform Bill, introduced in the House of Commons on 16 February 2011, sets out the Government's proposals for welfare reform. The reform aims to improve work incentives, simplify the benefits system and make it less costly to administer. These Explanatory Notes have been prepared to assist the reader of the Bill and help inform debate. The notes follow the seven parts of the Bill: Universal credit; Working age benefits; Other benefit changes; Personal Independence payment; Social security; Miscellaneous; and Final. The notes should be read in conjunction with the Bill.
Welfare Reform Bill: February 2011
- Author:
- GREAT BRITAIN. Parliament. House of Commons
- Publisher:
- Stationery Office
- Publication year:
- 2011
- Pagination:
- 165p.
- Place of publication:
- London
This Bill sets out the Government's proposals for welfare reform, which aim to improve work incentives, simplify the benefits system and make it less costly to administer. The bill introduces a new benefit, universal credit, which will replace existing in and out of work benefits. It also introduces personal independence payment, which will replace the existing disability living allowance. The Bill is in seven parts and includes: Universal credit; Working age benefits; Other benefit changes; Personal Independence payment; and Social security.
Social welfare development in Hong Kong: changes and challenges in building a caring and harmonious society
- Author:
- NIP Patrick T. K.
- Journal article citation:
- Asia Pacific Journal of Social Work and Development, 20(1), June 2010, pp.65-81.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
The Social Welfare Department is the executive arm of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government, which is responsible for implementing the various social welfare policies and services. The department has spearheaded social welfare reform initiatives to meet the community’s changing needs, maximise utilisation of public funds, ensure sustainability of welfare services, and promote service diversity, choice and accessibility. The challenges arising from changing social and economic scenes include: ageing of the population; growing demand on social security support; weakened family solidarity; and the emergence of new and complicated social problems such as domestic violence, suicide and youth problems. The article discusses achievements in various programmes and services areas. These exemplify the government’s policy of building a caring and harmonious society. In the coming years, the department aims to strive for continuous improvement by forging partnership with the government, the welfare sector, the business sector, and the public at large to provide quality and sustainable services to meet life’s challenges.
Characterizing New Labour: the case of the Child Trust Fund
- Author:
- FINLAYSON Alan
- Journal article citation:
- Public Administration, 86(1), 2008, pp.95-110.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
The UK Child Trust Fund (CTF), which came into effect in January 2005, appears to be an exemplary instance of ‘asset-based welfare’, of the redistribution of wealth rather than simply income. However, this article shows that over the course of its development, and in its final implementation, CTF policy became ever more focused on generating a ‘savings culture’ and enhancing financial literacy. In explaining this outcome, it is argued that it may be characteristic of New Labour for which, it is further argued, welfare policy should seek to push individual aspirations and outlooks in certain directions. The article takes an interpretive approach to the study of policy and politics, arguing that we should look carefully at the processes of argument and selection by which ‘objects’ of policy are specified. This can help us characterize the approach of varying administrations, their ‘governmentality’.
The relationship between the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 and innovative welfare practices on a local level
- Authors:
- LARRISON Christopher R., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, 12(2/3), 2005, pp.205-219.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
Part of the intention of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA) in the United States was to encourage the development of innovative welfare programs on a state and local level. The Act removed stringent federal regulations regarding the design and implementation of cash welfare programs. The freer programmatic environment was to assist local offices in addressing the unique needs of their particular clients as they moved from welfare to work within a time limited setting. In an attempt to examine if this intended piece of the policy was implemented, qualitative data were collected from a statewide sample of local Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS) offices in Georgia. The findings indicate that a minority of local offices engaged in innovative behaviours that were significantly different from their pre-PRWORA behaviours. Implications for welfare policy implementation and program development are discussed. (Copies of this article are available from: Haworth Document Delivery Centre, Haworth Press Inc., 10 Alice Street, Binghamton, NY 13904-1580).
The era of meanness: welfare reform and barriers to a college degree
- Author:
- WEIKART Lynne A.
- Journal article citation:
- Affilia: Journal of Women and Social Work, 20(4), Winter 2005, pp.416-433.
- Publisher:
- Sage
In response to the passage of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 and the accompanying block grant, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, broad-based advocacy coalitions formed in many states to lobby for meaningful college programs for welfare recipients. State by state, these coalitions wrestled with creating programs that would allow welfare recipients to remain in 4-year colleges, but only a few states managed to develop such programs. This article compares the advocacy coalitions in two states, Maine and New York, where welfare advocates struggled to achieve progressive state welfare higher educational policies and, in some instances, succeeded in keeping welfare recipients in 4-year colleges.
No class act
- Author:
- POLOCK Laurence
- Journal article citation:
- Care and Health Guide, 14.08.02, 2002, pp.8-10.
- Publisher:
- Care and Health
Today the orphanages are closed, with the children's charitable guardians replaced by the corporate parenthood of elected councillors. The care itself is now firmly split between residential accommodation and foster care, both heavily regulated by statute. Whilst it may be comforting to think that we have moved on dramatically from the 'bad old days', the reality is not quite so rosy. The odd shooting star may burn bright, but for most of these youngsters, it is difficult hitting the usual benchmarks of childhood, in areas such as health, education and social integration.