The redistributive effect of public and private social programmes: A cross‐country empirical analysis

A function of many national social protection systems is to substantially redistribute income. However, the size and nature of social protection programmes are changing. In a number of countries there has been a shift from public towards private social protection arrangements, with the latter substituting for, or complementing, public programmes. Developing earlier work, this present article analyses the redistributive impact on income of public versus private social protection programmes. Using recent data from the Organisation for Economic Co‐operation and Development, we find a strong positive relationship between public social expenditures and income redistribution across countries. For private social expenditures, we find a weak, but statistically significant, negative relationship with the level of redistribution. In countries where a larger share of total social expenditure is accorded to private arrangements there is less income redistribution. We conclude that the choice between the relative weight of public and private provision of social protection affects the redistributive impact of the welfare state.     

Essential Partnership: Child Welfare Officers’ Perceptions of Cooperation With Rabbis in the Ultra-Orthodox Jewish Community in Israel

ABSTRACT

This article describes collaborations between child welfare officers and rabbis in an ultra-Orthodox Jewish community in Israel. The study is based on interviews with 10 child welfare officers who intervene in ultra-Orthodox communities. The analysis of the interviews showed that cooperation with the rabbis was essential for reducing the community's hostile resistance to interventions by the child welfare officers, who were perceived as threatening to community values. On the other hand, the child welfare officers had to cope with conflicts between religious values, the law, and professional perceptions. The discussion of the findings highlights the need for understanding the cooperation in terms of boundaries and power. Future research is needed to explore further the issues raised from the perspectives of the rabbis and the families involved.     

Innovative Organizing Practices

ABSTRACT

The work requirements in the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) set the stage for unprecedented expansion of workfare programs across the nation. Shortly after the PRWORA passed, the Los Angeles chapter of the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) began a union-style organizing drive of the 25,000 General Relief (GR) recipients in Los Angeles County's workfare program. Over the past four years the de facto union, in coalition with over 75 allied community, labor, and clergy organizations, won numerous substantive progressive policy changes in the workfare program. In a case study format, this paper describes the following innovative organizing practices and how they contributed to the workfare policy changes: (a) combining labor and community organizing strategies, (b) combining conflict tactics with direct service, and (c) developing leadership from the General Relief constituency.     

公益性捐赠税收筹划研究

从事慈善活动是中华民族的一项传统美德,历史悠久。国家为了鼓励捐赠事业的发展,运用税收政策给予了支持和引导。纳税人在从事慈善活动的过程中,由于税收筹划效应的存在,有时反而会取得税后收入的增加。进行税收筹划,可从选择合理的捐赠方式,确定合适的捐赠金额,设立公益基金会等方面进行。     

Moving Toward Collaboration

Summary

Traditionally, organizations serving children and families have focused service delivery by available funding stream criteria. Federal funding streams supported fragmented services by tightly channeling monies to specific programs for specific needs. The intensity of providing and improving the delivery of services has overshadowed building connectedness across organizations and systems. Service has been the major goal and intense effort has gone into maximizing opportunities and measuring effects through service frequency. Over the past several years, new funding incentives have provided the opportunity for new collaboratives. This article describes an innovative collaboration between the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare (IDHW) and Eastern Washington University (EWU) and the unique directions and support that a university/agency partnership can provide for both organizations. Key features of this collaboration include shifts in funding and staffing strategies that contributed to more flexible services and increased levels of collaboration between IDHW, EWU and other community and state organizations and institutions. This article describes how funding can be viewed as a tool to increase the level of collaboration between systems, thus potentially leading to a breakdown of the traditional service delivery system. Finally, this article describes how an agency/higher education partnership played a key role in documenting the success of a school based program in meeting the emergency assistance needs of children and families, and how program evaluation, like funding requirements, can provide a supportive role in building collaborative relationships.     

Family Services: A Proposed Model for Coordinating Spouse Abuse Services

ABSTRACT

This article presents a proposed model to organize spouse abuse services within communities. It proposes that family service agencies take the lead in organizing and implementing the model program. The community team would consist of representatives from agencies and disciplines that serve spouse abuse families. The community would benefit from the coordination of both the direct services to affected families and the prevention and education activities designed to eliminate spouse abuse.     

The Effectiveness of Faith-Based Welfare-to-Work Programs

Abstract

This essay first highlights three major challenges of measuring program effectiveness. It concludes effectiveness can best be conceptualized in terms of program outcomes and that such outcomes-while difficult to measure-can be measured with sufficient accuracy to justify the effort. These considerations are then illustrated by data gathered from 17 Los Angeles welfare-to-work programs and their clients in order to assess the comparative effectiveness of faith-based and secular programs. The essay concludes that no one type of welfare-to-work program was more effective across the board than any other type of program. Instead, the different types of programs seemed to be especially effective in certain specialized areas. The faith-based programs were especially effective in providing welfare recipients with emotional support and a sense of having a sympathetic, understanding base of support. The for-profit providers were especially effective in providing needed training in marketable job skills and help in finding employment. The essay concludes by discussing two public policy implications that flow from this type of program specialization.     

Children's experiences and needs in relation to domestic and family violence: Findings from a meta‐synthesis

Domestic and family violence is a significant issue experienced by many children that can have severe detrimental impacts to their health, development, and well‐being. Despite the significance of this issue, it is only recently that children have been included in research that seeks to understand the impacts that domestic and family violence may have on their lives. This paper reports on the findings of a meta‐synthesis, which explored qualitative research about children's experiences of domestic and family violence. Thirty‐two studies, including from the United Kingdom, North America, and Australia were included for review. The meta‐synthesis found that children describe domestic violence as being a complex, isolating, and enduring experience that often results in disruption, losses, and challenges to their significant relationships. Children's common feelings of fear, worry, powerlessness, and sadness were also uncovered, in addition to the strategies they employed to try and facilitate the safety and emotional well‐being of themselves and their family. Children's wants and needs are also highlighted. The findings demonstrate that despite the increasing interest in children's experiences of domestic and family violence, qualitative research remains limited, with many gaps evident. Implications for research, policy, and practice are considered.     

The effect of information system utilization and education and training on organizational innovation in public social welfare officers: Focused on the moderating effect of organizational trust

The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of information system utilization and education and training on organizational innovation for public social welfare officers in Seoul and verify whether organizational trust plays a role as a moderator variable in these relationships. First, information system utilization and education and training have positive effects on organizational innovation. Second, as a result of investigating the moderating effects of organizational trust, organizational trust has a positive effect on the relationship between information system utilization and organizational innovation, as well as education and training and organizational innovation. Therefore, it is found that information system utilization and education and training are important for innovation of public welfare service. The stronger relationship we have, the higher organizational trust we acquire. Therefore, in order to innovate the organization, it is necessary to strengthen the education training that can utilize the network and the expertise to share information and communicate. It is also necessary to focus on enhancing organizational trust such as mutual consideration, information sharing, and assistance within an organization.     

Exploring the experiences and dynamics of an unconditional cash transfer for low-income mothers: A mixed-methods study

ABSTRACT

Little is understood about how an unconditional cash transfer might operate and affect behavior among low-income parents of infants in the United States. We investigate these questions using data from a random-assignment pilot study (N?=?30) in which unconditional cash transfers were distributed monthly on debit cards to two groups of low-income parents in New York City during the first 12 months of their newborns’ lives. Mothers were randomized to receive either $100 per month or $20 per month. Mothers distinguished spending the cash transfer on essentials vs. extras, such as going out to dinner with family. The monthly cash transfer “tided them over,” even at the lower amount of $20, especially when income from other sources ran short at the end of the month. Some mothers reported saving money for unexpected expenses.