Institutional evolution and abrupt change: Reforming the administration of social assistance in Finland

Historical institutionalist studies have explained institutional change as resulting from critical junctures that interrupt long periods of stability or from endogenous, incremental evolution. Building on these theories, discursive institutionalists have focused on the roles of agency, ideas and discourse as explainers of change. Combining these approaches, this article analyses Finland’s decision in 2014 to transfer the administration of basic social assistance from municipalities to the central government. This study demonstrates that institutional change can be both abrupt and evolutionary. Due to sudden, exceptional political circumstances, the decision in question was made quickly and under pressure, circumventing possible veto players. However, it was possible only because of the incremental, endogenous change that had occurred in the way in which social assistance was administered at the municipal level. It enabled a change in political discourse, which eroded the credibility of the ideational frames that policy actors had previously utilised to reject the centralised model.     

The 2015 welfare reform of the National Basic Livelihood Security System in South Korea: Effects on economic outcomes

In July 2015, South Korea’s National Basic Livelihood Security System (NBLSS) was reformed for the purposes of eliminating welfare blind spots and reducing poverty. The reform is expected to affect the recipients’ economic behaviours and choices. In this study, we used changes in benefits and eligibility for the NBLSS under the customised benefit system to identify the effects of the change in the NBLSS on a proposed set of economic outcomes – income, labour supply, consumption, savings, poverty reduction. To estimate the effects, we used data from the 10th–12th waves of the Korea Welfare Panel Study and employed a difference‐in‐differences framework integrated with the propensity scores. We found that the NBLSS helps the poor to reduce financial and material hardships through income and consumption increments, but that it does not provide disincentives to the recipients from participating in the labour market or from saving.     

弱势群体公法保护视野下的社会帮扶问题

弱势群体保护问题是当今社会，尤其是公法学界所面临的严峻课题。为了有效应对这一问题，应采用比较研究、实证研究、文献研究的方法，在继续完善传统公法意义上的相关保障性制度的基础上，积极构建弱势群体的社会帮扶制度。弱势群体的社会帮扶制度一方面以服务行政理论为理论依据，要求弱势群体保护由当下的“政治负责”向“社会负责”过渡；另一方面，社会帮扶制度又以公共服务理论为理论支撑，要求政府由高权强制型向怀柔服务型转变。在实践中，弱势群体的社会帮扶制度应遵循政府与社会“两条腿走路”的基本逻辑，而该制度的构建应秉承若干基本思路：破除观念束缚，培育和构建公民社会；丰富社会主体形式，弥补行政保障不足；完善其他社会帮扶途径。     

诗与士人的精神世界:试以王维的生命史和编年诗为例的社会学探索

费孝通先生晚年倡导面向“精神世界”的社会学研究，不仅强调了社会学的人文性格，而且指明了回溯和整理传统思想资源以理解人心的意义。古代士人在仕隐之间的进退趋避是精神世界研究的重要课题，盛唐诗人王维可作为重要个案。本文运用“知人论世”的方法，以王维的生命史、编年诗及他与其他诗人的交往为线索，考察其如何在仕隐之间调适精神世界的矛盾冲突。王维通过人际和诗文往来形成的社会交游空间、自然山水空间和灵性佛理空间，构成一个融和自然与人文的“人生圜局”，以寻求精神世界在“入世有为”和“消极退避”之间的平衡，而其精神苦痛也可以从这个圜局的层级变动或缺失中探寻根源。本文认为，把握世风民情、生命史的再现以及理解和体会的功夫，是研究士人精神世界的重要门径。     

Determinants of social assistance caseloads for employable single adults without dependants in Canada

Government officials like the idea of just a small number of households in their respective jurisdiction receiving social assistance. A large number is seen as costly to the public treasury, and declining caseloads are generally viewed as a mark of success for both the economy and the government of the day. But what factors account for the size of a Canadian province's social assistance caseload? This article aims to shed light on this question, with a focus on single adults without dependants (and without serious disabilities) during the 1989–2017 period. One important finding is that when the value of social assistance benefit levels for this group increases by 1% in a province, the social assistance caseload for this demographic rises by 0.457%. Put differently, there is indeed an important behavior response associated with higher benefit levels. In response, we propose that provincial officials budget for higher take up levels when they increase benefit levels for this household group.     

Social work and pastoral counseling: Empowering each other

ABSTRACT

This article addresses the divergent outcomes which can result from counseling services offered pastorally versus clinically. As faith leaders often have greater direct access than social workers to supporting religious populations, it is important to explore the intersection between religious pastoral support and clinical social work. Presenting six scenarios from the author’s own experiences as both a rabbi and social worker, this article processes each scenario first through the pastoral lens of an Orthodox rabbi, followed by the clinical lens of a social worker or other mental health professional. The client outcomes which are produced from each modality are radically different. This contrast demonstrates the distinction between the goals, values, and training of each profession, and highlights importance for future work to be done in linking religious and pastoral training to mental health services, as well as broadening the scope of cultural competence for social workers and therapists who may engage with tight-knit religious populations.     

《了不起的盖茨比》中威尔逊形象的生态解读

自2007年起,从生态批评的角度对《了不起的盖茨比》进行分析,逐渐成为学者研究的一个热门方向,然而绝大多数学者将目光集中在主要人物上,忽略了另一位极具代表性的小人物——威尔逊。威尔逊这一人物形象具有诸多意义,仅从生态角度来说,他便折射出了“爵士时代”下人与自然、人与社会以及人与自身的关系。通过利用生态批评这一理论工具,从自然生态、社会生态和精神生态这三个角度出发,对威尔逊的人物形象进行分析探讨,以期能够透过对于威尔逊的解读,得到对“爵士时代”中的人与自然、社会以及自身关系的更全面和深刻的认识。     

索尔·贝娄的生态观--小说《院长的十二月》的启示

贝娄在其小说中发出了生态批评的声音,其作品呈现了他的和谐生态观以及他对人类生存环境所具有的强烈的忧患意识。小说《院长的十二月》就是一个极好的例证。小说不仅表现了人与自然关系的异化,而且表现了人在与自然的对抗中自我的深刻异化。贝娄在小说中呼唤通过建立一种人与自然的和谐关系,使得人与自然、人与社会关系走上良性发展的轨迹,实现人对自然的“浪漫式回归”、人与自然的美好相遇。     

民族法律援助的立法思考

2003年9月1日实施的《法律援助条例》关于民族法律援助的相关问题,由于民族地区的特殊性需要从立法到具体法律实践都应该给予足够的重视。     

城乡医疗救助制度之现状､问题与对策

城乡医疗救助制度对于缓解贫困群众就医难,实现病有所医具有重要意义。作为构建多层次医疗保障和卫生服务体系的重要组成部分,医疗救助制度在取得巨大成就的同时也存在政策导向偏差、救助对象覆盖不全面、资金筹集机制单一、起付线和救助上限的设置缺乏科学性等问题。医疗救助制度应该从取消各种不合理限制,拓宽筹资渠道,实现医疗救助管理独立化和加快医疗救助法制建设等方面加以改善。