Framing a welfare reform: the social benefits reform in Russia and Kazakhstan

This article addresses the question of why some non-democratic governments are more successful than others at reforming their welfare institutions. Using the example of the Russian and Kazakhstani social benefits reform, the author will illustrate that in modern non-democratic regimes the importance of framing and effective communication with the public for the purpose of effective policymaking and regime legitimization is equal to, if not greater than, in established democracies. The successful implementation of the Kazakhstani social benefits reform, as opposed to Russia’s protracted experience with reforming its social benefits system, was determined not only by the configuration of various institutional and political factors, but also the skilful actions of the Kazakhstani authorities, who used effective communication strategies and framing techniques that resonated with the public and generated broad support for reform. Based on extensive research conducted in Russia and Kazakhstan in 2006–2010 as part of the author's doctoral dissertation at the University of Toronto, this paper enhances our understanding of political and public policy processes in transitional and non-democratic contexts and adds important details to our understanding of how post-Soviet autocrats run their countries and what methods they use to stay in power, manage their state affairs, and avoid public dissatisfaction.     

Parental separation and well-being of youths: Evidence from Germany

This paper employs recent data for Germany and a new outcome variable to assess the consequences of parental separation on the well-being of youths. In particular, it is considered how subjective well-being, elicited from an ordinal 11-point general life satisfaction question, differs between youths living in intact and non-intact families, holding many other potential determinants of well-being constant using ordered probit regressions. The main finding of this study is that living in a non-intact family has not the hypothesised large negative effect on child well-being.     

Parental leave benefit in Austria. Stratified take-up in a conservative country

Since 2000, parental leave benefit legislation has shifted from an employment-related benefit to a nearly universal and then to a mixed system of five different benefit rates of income-related and flat-rate models with four different maximum lengths, and with a longer spell if two partners share childcare leave in Austria. The diversification leads to the questions: what determines parents' choice of a certain model, and what are the implications of such a diverse system for social and gender equality? The parents' choice depends on income, employment status, region, and relationship status and thus is restrained. The models further social and gendered stratification, as they still serve a conservative male breadwinner family as well as a modernised dual breadwinner one and, to a lesser degree, an adult worker. In contrast, low-income (single) parents receive more individualised treatment and have to engage in employment sooner than other groups.     

Parental constructions of masculinity at the transition to parenthood: the division of parental leave among Austrian couples

Men and masculinity are considered a key factor in changing gender inequality at the transition to parenthood. Prior research on gendered division of parental leave concentrated on fathers’ perspectives. This paper includes perspectives of fathers and mothers who make use of parental leave in different ways and asks how masculinity is jointly constructed, how these constructions are linked to the use of parental leave, and if and how they are oriented towards hegemonic masculinity. The analysis is based on 44 qualitative interviews with 11 Austrian couples before and after birth when decisions concerning parental leave were made. Our case reconstructions reveal that parents considered parental leave a central element of masculinity as long as it suited fathers’ needs and circumstances permitted. The decisions for sharing parental leave were father-centred as both partners valued father’s leave higher than mother’s.     

The politics of ideas in welfare state transformation: Christian Democracy and the reform of family policy in Germany

The expansion of employment-centered family policies of the Grand Coalition in Germany came with some surprise, as Christian Democrats have traditionally been strongly committed to the male breadwinner model and corresponding family policies. This article investigates why Christian Democrats (though with some inconsistencies) promoted “social-democratic” family policies guided by the adult worker rather than by the male breadwinner model. Illuminating the politics of recent family policy reforms, the electoral rationale for this modernization of family policy, the role of political entrepreneurship, and intraparty political conflicts over the new policy paradigm are discussed.     

Distributive effects of benefits and taxes

In light of the growing federal deficit, pressure is mounting to cut federal spending. If the budget for social security programs is cut, who will suffer? This article presents the results of a study that investigated the degree to which taxes and public income transfers change the level of income, the degree of inequality in income distribution, and the poverty rates of various demographic groups. Major findings are that public income transfers are more powerful than taxes in equalizing the income distribution and that poverty reduction through non-means-tested transfer programs is more effective among elderly people, white people, and people in married-couple families, whereas poverty reduction through means-tested transfer programs is more effective among nonelderly people, black people, and people in female-headed families. Implications for social work practice are discussed.     

Intergenerational effects of further vocational training in Germany

ABSTRACT

This article analyses the influence of unemployed parents’ further vocational training on their children’s future apprenticeship and employment opportunities. We focus on households receiving means-tested benefits in Germany and investigate whether parents’ further vocational training helps avoid an intergenerational transmission of unemployment. Parents’ further vocational training can affect children’s future apprenticeship and employment opportunities directly, for instance by raising the value attributed to education and training within the family. Indirect effects via parents’ improved employment opportunities are possible as well. The sample consists of adolescents who were 14–17 years old when their parents participated in a further vocational training programme. We evaluate apprenticeship and employment outcomes for the young adults at ages 17–23 using entropy balancing methods on the basis of rich large-scale register data. Our findings indicate significantly positive effects of parents’ further vocational training on children’s apprenticeship enrolment but non-significant or negative effects on children’s regular employment at young ages. Moreover, mediation analysis gives evidence that these effects are partly mediated via an increase in parents’ own employment opportunities. Overall, our analyses indicate that parents’ further vocational training improves the qualifications of the next generation as well.     

Measuring policy entitlements at the micro-level: maternity and parental leave in Europe

Comparative social policy analysis has been shaped by the measurement of policy as a macro phenomenon. However, social policy theories have consistently asserted that policy entitlements vary across class, gender, ethnicity and the life-course. This paper synthesises a number of innovations to produce an approach which allows researchers to explore the policy heterogeneity within populations, across populations and over time. Using the example of maternity and parental leave, policy entitlements are identified through the calculation of financial support an individual would receive if they were to have a child, using a combination of legislative rules with representative survey sample. The results reveal far greater heterogeneity in policy entitlements than existing indicators suggest, with considerable implications for research on maternity and parental leave. This approach is not limited to maternity and parental leave benefits and demonstrates a way to explore comparative social policy in greater depth and detail.     

Setting time aside for the father: Father's leave in Scandinavia

This paper looks at the perspectives of a particular 'stakeholder' in the care/work sharing construction, namely the father, and how his rights to leave are secured in paternity and parental leave legislation in Scandinavia. The paper claims that the ideology and social constructions of the role of the mother and father differ in Norway, Sweden and Denmark. Fatherhood and the modern father are important in Sweden, whereas the emphasis is on parenthood in Denmark, and motherhood is a central feature of Norwegian leave policies. Éste articulo considera las perspectivas de un interesado en la construcción social de cuidar/trabajar--concretamente el padre--y como sus derechos de permiso laboral están asegurados en la legislación sobre la paternidad y la baja por paternidad en los países escandinavos. El articulo afirma que la ideologé a y las construcciones sociales del papel de la madre el del padre son diferentes en Noruega, Suecia, y Dinamarca. Paternidad y el padre moderno son importantes en Suecia, mientras se enfatiza paternidad (ambas partes) en Dinamarca, y maternidad es una característica clave de la política de permiso en Noruega.     

Communication and Supervision of Alcohol in the Family: Parental Perspectives

It is now well acknowledged that parents can have a central role in supporting sensible alcohol use and reducing alcohol misuse amongst young people. However, little research has considered how communication and supervision in relation to alcohol actually takes place within the family. Drawing upon interviews with the parents of young people aged 13–17 years (n = 40), this article describes the strategies that many parents use in communicating, monitoring, and supervising alcohol use within the family. The findings revealed that many parents lack the guidance needed to convey ‘sensible drinking’ messages to young people, and wish for greater information and support about young people and alcohol.     

Therapist pregnancy and maternity leave: Maintaining and furthering therapeutic gains in the interim

A therapist's pregnancy and maternity leave is a time of multiple transitions for both patient and therapist. This article reviews the literature on therapist pregnancy and its therapeutic implications. It discusses the treatment planning choices of: trial termination, therapeutic hiatus, and temporary transfer. The article further addresses the clinical and administrative issues of planning the maternity leave as well as the issues of time-limited treatment with the interim therapist. It included illustrative case examples based on the author's experience as an interim therapist during a six month maternity leave.This paper in its original form was presented as part of the requirement for The Hunter College School of Social Work: Post Masters Program in advanced Clinical Social Work.     

Medicalized mothering: experiences with breastfeeding in Canada and Norway

This paper explores infant feeding practices and experiences of mothers in Canada and Norway, two countries where breastfeeding rates are relatively high. Based on interviews with 33 Canadian mothers and 27 Norwegian mothers, we also examine how mothers feel, think and talk about their infant feeding decisions and experiences, and examine similarities and divergences across their stories. Our findings reveal that infant feeding is very much organized according to the logic of the broader medical discourse, a finding which lends support to arguments that contemporary parenthood is characterized by a process of increasing medicalization. Our findings also reveal the existence of a broader culture of pressure, competition, judgement and surveillance regarding breastfeeding, suggesting that the high breastfeeding rates in these two countries are not merely a result of favourable structural conditions, but also of strong cultural expectations towards breastfeeding. We discuss our findings in connection with the broader argument that medical discourses and health professionals are becoming the primary authorities and moral gatekeepers of contemporary parenthood.     

On the sharing of temporary parental leave: the case of Sweden

This paper views temporary parental leave (leave from work to take care of a sick child) as a household public good, produced with time inputs of the parents as the only input. Assuming equal productivities in the production of temporary parental leave and equal utility functions of the spouses, different household decision-making processes are applied to develop theoretical hypotheses on sharing that are thereafter tested empirically. The empirical estimations show that the decision-making process of the spouses can be explained by a Stackelberg model with male dominance. A stronger threat-point of the female is found to push the intra household allocation of temporary parental leave towards greater sharing between the spouses. In addition, an increase in the insurance ceiling will further sharing of temporary parental leave in some families, while reducing it in others.

Reframing the benefits and beneficiaries of public benefits programs

This article uses current research to demonstrate that in addition to the direct benefits received by recipients of four main types of public benefit programs—cash assistance, public health insurance, food assistance, and public housing—non-recipients receive a variety of indirect economic and noneconomic benefits. Non-recipients include individuals, families, organizations, businesses, neighborhoods, and the general public. The review indicates that public benefits programs can indirectly benefit non-recipients economically by increasing economic security; stimulating local, state, and national economies; increasing employment and other measures of economic well-being; generating tax revenues; and providing cost savings. In addition, we determined two main types of indirect noneconomic benefits: enhancing neighborhood quality and the intrinsic rewards gained from fulfilling humanitarian and related values. We then summarize the results of these studies and make suggestions for future research. Finally, based on the reviewed research, we identify methods to reframe negative perceptions of government spending on public benefits programs. By reframing the benefits and beneficiaries of these programs, social workers, professional organizations, lobbyists, politicians, and elected officials can increase societal and political support for public benefits programs.     

Energy conservation by private households in the Federal Republic of Germany: The efficacy and distributional effects of energy policy

In this study, the pattern of household energy consumption in the FRG, in the period after the oil crisis and the impact of government policies on household behavior is analyzed. The conclusions are that (1) energy conservation as a consequence of the price rises of 1979–1980 came about mainly through various types of investment, (2) the energy conservation achieved is still relatively small, (3) the policy concerning energy conservation neglected the supply side, and (4) the efficacy of demand-oriented policies is doubtful because distributional effects were not taken into account.