Defining Community Care: realities and myths

This article looks critically at the concept of community care and argues that it is unhelpful and redundant. It makes three main points: first, that many care settings have elements of institutional and so-called community care and that there is no clear dichotomy between the two. Second, it is argued that the real distinction is not between the institution and the community but is between the institution and home. Community care is not provided by anonymous, altruistic others but comes from specific individuals (usually women) in domiciliary settings. The concept and definition of “home” are briefly discussed and it is suggested that most care is delivered either in a home , from home or at home. The third argument is that careful individual assessment is required to ensure that dependent people are not offered housing or residential solutions when what they need (and want) is care and services.     

Public Attitudes Toward the Census: Influences and Trends*

Objective. This article considers the determinants of attitudes toward the census. Methods. Data from a survey of Connecticut residents are analyzed. Some of the questions replicate items from previous national surveys. Results. Conservatives and people with low trust in government have more negative views of the census, while interest in politics has no effect. Exposure to advertising has a positive effect on some attitudes. Conclusions. Despite the Census Bureau's efforts to maintain political neutrality, support of the census is influenced by general outlook on government and politics, suggesting that conflicts over the census are likely to continue.     

The state of the German social insurance state: Reform and resilience

At the core of the German system of welfare provision stand social insurance schemes whose central role contributes to Germany being labelled a social insurance state. In recent decades, Germany has been experiencing major social policy reforms that are often evaluated as paradigm changes. These changes have been reflected in analyses that sometimes even questioned common classifications of the German welfare state. The article sheds light on recent developments that have affected the German system of social insurance. It focuses on four aspects of social insurance: benefits, financing, governance, and coverage. Although confirming many earlier analyses of reforms in detail and sharing assessments of changes such as retrenchment and marketization, the article nevertheless stresses that social insurance remains structurally intact and that the work–welfare nexus underlying welfare provision has been reinterpreted but not surrendered.     

Cash for care and care employment: (Missing) debates and realities

The introduction of cash‐for‐care (CfC) schemes in different European countries over the last years has responded to a plurality of strategies aimed at attending the rising demand and increasing costs of the long‐term care needs of an ageing population. The specific system of care provision in each country shaped the response given to those challenges, as well as the room for manoeuvre for policymakers when trying to transform the domain of care into a sphere where markets may play a larger role, partly relieving families, and also the state, from these responsibilities. Policy debates and scholarly analyses largely overlooked the contribution of these schemes to the creation and shaping of employment. This article provides a comparative analysis of how CfC‐based policies entail—alongside the regulation of informal care—a(n implicit or explicit) connection with care employment and may contribute to structuring employment relations in this sector. It looks jointly at the specific features of CfC and at the institutional context—welfare regime—in which they are embedded in order to assess the extent to which these schemes contributed (generally unintendedly) to a transformation of the care employment size and features in seven European countries.     

Mexican Immigrant Self‐Employment Along the U.S.‐Mexico Border: An Analysis of 2000 Census Data*

Objective. This study explores the entrepreneurial tendencies of Mexican immigrants in metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) on the U.S. side of the Mexican border vis‐à‐vis the U.S. interior. Methods. Using 2000 Census data available in the 5% Integrated Public Use Microdata Series, we empirically analyze the self‐employment rates and earnings of Mexican immigrants residing in U.S. cities near Mexico versus those in nonborder MSAs. Results. Our findings indicate that Mexican immigrants in MSAs along the U.S.‐Mexico border have significantly higher self‐employment rates (but lower earnings) than their counterparts in the rest of the United States and non‐Hispanic whites in border cities. Explanations for these findings include the existence of trade opportunities in U.S. border cities as well as intense labor market competition that crowds a greater share of immigrants into self‐employment. Conclusion. Immigration reform that curtails the immigration flow from Mexico might hinder small business formation and economic development on the U.S. side of the Mexican border.     

The impact of tax rates, political partisanship and economic variables on the distribution of state and local tax burdens

This study finds that the effective state and local tax rate for the top 1% of income households as a percentage of the effective state and local tax rate for the bottom 20% of income households in 2002 is significantly influenced by whether a state has a multi-rate income tax, right-to-work laws, the liberalism of a state's electorate, the average tax burden in a state and past tax policy. Democratic Party strength in state government, Republican or Democratic Party institutional control of state government, change in real per capita income, a Democratic Governor and the change in the share of income going to the top 1% of income households are not significant predictors. The empirical results are identical for the top 2-5% of income households to the bottom 20% of income households.     

The Argentine welfare state: enduring and resisting change

Isuani EA. The Argentine welfare state: enduring and resisting change
Int J Soc Welfare 2010: 19: 104–114 © 2009 The Author(s), Journal compilation © 2009 Blackwell Publishing Ltd and the International Journal of Social Welfare. It is widely accepted that during the 1990s, the Argentine state experienced a general retrenchment. This article shows that, though this may have been true in the economic realm, this retrenchment did not take place in the diverse arenas of social policy. While privatisations and labour market flexibility dismantled the foundations of Keynesianism, the components of the welfare state experienced substantial growth. At the same time, the changes experienced by the welfare state in the past quarter century have not included a transformation of its basic principles, despite the profound changes experienced by Argentine society during this period.     

Suicide prevention in Bangladesh: The current state and the way forward

Despite the World Health Organization's (WHO) call to adopt a national action plan on suicide, Bangladesh is yet to respond proactively to prevent this serious public health problem. The existing government and non‐government prevention interventions are very limited, segmented and almost invisible. Suicide (including attempted suicide) is currently a criminal offense under the Bangladeshi legal framework. The aim of this paper is to propose a framing toward a national suicide prevention action plan in Bangladesh based on a situational analysis of local existing suicide prevention interventions. International policy documents, empirical and review works, and legal documents that speak to suicide interventions were reviewed. Critical analysis of these interventions suggests that Bangladesh should prioritize the adoption of a multi‐sectoral suicide prevention action plan. The issue of decriminalization suicide should be carefully considered and policies harmonized before adopting the plan. Obtaining commitment from the policymakers to launch such intervention may be challenging. Considering the seriousness of the problem, Bangladeshi policymakers should be proactive in adopting a suicide prevention action plan. Neighboring countries provide useful lessons of the implementation measures that may assist with developing a suicide prevention action plan.     

Determinants of state long-term debt: The political market framework

Because it focuses on the moderating role of political institutions – which emphasize equilibrium policy outcomes under different institutional arrangements derived from the interaction of policy supply and demand – the political market framework provides useful insights for analyzing the determinants of state long-term debt. Thus, different types of state political institutions should affect the degree of long-term debt in terms of specific demands and supply. Despite the numerous studies that have either applied the political market approach to local governments in policy areas or have analyzed the determinants of long-term debt from only a financial management perspective, few studies have applied the political market framework to state governments. Thus, adopting a state financial management perspective and conducting a panel data analysis using state data from 1980 to 2014, this study identifies the reasons why state governments act on long-term obligations in terms of the political market framework. This study also aims to expand the application of the political market framework to state governments and to integrate determinants of state long-term indebtedness.     

Capitalism's global financial crisis: The role of the state

The bankruptcy and merger of three major American investment banks: Bear Stearns, Lehmann Brothers and Merrill Lynch in 2008 have shocked the United States government to undertake dramatic market intervention by the state, and a $700 billion U.S. dollar bailout, that resembles “industrial policy” in many other countries. Critics of market intervention, often called industrial policy in many countries, point out to two potential weaknesses: governments may have less knowledge than markets on how to pick winners and industrial policy creates possibilities of corruption and rent seeking. This research note's contribution analyzes the global financial crisis of 2008 and 2009, through the importance of, institutional infrastructures, and how industrial policy can help create the institutional infrastructures that can expand economic wealth and stability for all countries in the 21st century.     

Balancing work and welfare: activation and flexicurity policies in The Netherlands, 1980–2000

As a result of the flexibilisation of labour and the trend towards the 'activating welfare state', social policies show an increasing interconnection of work and welfare issues. The Netherlands is no exception. It is generally believed that the Dutch welfare state is successfully activating its unemployed labour potential (often referred to as the 'Dutch Miracle'), and that flexible and part-time work is protected by adequate 'flexicurity'. This article critically reviews Dutch activation and flexicurity policies. It concludes that there is still more unemployment than the miracle-story suggests; that important target groups of activation policies have not profited from 'the miracle'; that part-time workers have sufficient social protection but that social security for flex-workers still needs major improvements, despite favourable adjustments of labour law.     

Whispers in the library: a response to Liz Trinder's article on the state of social work research

In this journal, Liz Trinder (1996) helpfully describes three types of social work research. Using examples from studies undertaken by the Dartington Social Research Unit over a 30-year period, this reply explores the overlap and complimentarity between types of research and suggests ways in which several sources of evidence will lead to a common conceptual framework in UK children's services.     

Banking and inequality: US state evidence

The question of how financial development affects economic inequality is a subject of much debate. This paper adds to this literature by examining whether banking deregulation affects income inequality using state-level data from the United States from the late 20th century. Specifically, we test the hypothesis that the deregulation of interstate branch-banking restrictions had an effect on income inequality as measured by the Gini Coefficient and Thiel Index. We conduct our tests using fixed-effects OLS models and System GMM dynamic panel analysis. Our results suggest that branching deregulation has resulted in increased income inequality in the United States.     

The evolution of the welfare state: Shifting rights and responsibilities for the old

This paper juxtaposes discussion of pressures impinging on the contemporary welfare state with material highlighting remarkable changes taking place in the condition of aged populations in industrial nations. Toward acknowledging both the pressures and the new exigencies facing many who are now old, I suggest a means for reassessing how we weigh and address different risks facing the old. Universalism and adequacy are taken as bedrock concerns, but how and where those principles are applied is opened to new exploration.     

Social work in the making: The state and social work development in China

The instrumental role of government in the development of social work in China has led to questions about its political function. So far, little has been reported on how the government has “made” social work in China. To fill this gap, we first provide a brief chronological review of major policies and activities of the Chinese government in its making of social work in China. The state's intervention has indeed been massive and crucial although, politically, it may limit the mandate of social work in China. Yet, we argue that the development of the social work profession in China is generating institutional space for the emerging civil society to take a more active role in welfare service delivery. Situated and mediating between the state and the emerging civil society, the social work profession in China will need to constantly negotiate its mandate to meet the needs of both sides.