Employment and basic needs: lessons of a mission to Portugal

The task of the International Labour Organization (ILO) mission that visited Portugal in 1977 differed in several respects from that of earlier missions undertaken in the framework of the World Employment Programme: 1) with a per capita consumption of U.S. $1000 a year, Portugal is far better off than the other countries to which ILO missions were sent; 2) following the Revolution of April 25, 1974, Portugal had already adopted many of the recommendations such as those concerning income redistribution and land reform contained in the reports of earlier ILO missions; and 3) as a consequence of the above, the ILO mission to Portugal was not asked to produce a report and make recommendations, but to participate directly in the drafting of the 1977-80 Plan through a joint Portuguese-ILO Working Group. The present article draws both on the report of the Working Group and on subsequent research. Open unemployment is a recent phenomenon in Portugal, and the objective of the Medium-Term Plan is to improve basic-needs satisfaction and reduce unemployment. It can be reasonably assumed that the increased activity of the agricultural sector, together with continued north-south migration, will absorb much of the existing underemployment. Concerning industry, the reorientation of industrial growth towards the requirements of a basic-needs strategy and more employment-intensive production represents a considerable change from past strategies and policies. Concerning the basic-needs approach as a development strategy, it is useful to show that such a strategy remains compatible with the pursuit of more traditional objectives, such as sustained growth, full employment, balance-of-payments equilibrium, equitable income distribution, and harmonious regional development.     

From needs to requirements for computer systems: the added value of ergonomics in needs analysis

It is widely recognised that ergonomists must contribute during needs analysis. However, few studies have investigated the specific contributions of ergonomists at this stage of the design process. In this study, this contribution is studied through the requirement document produced by the design team. For each requirement, the source (i.e. who formulated the requirement), justification (why the requirement is needed), type (functional, interaction, operational, physical, organizational), and scope (entire system or part thereof) were analysed. Results indicate that the various actors are complementary and work collectively to define the various dimensions of the system. With end-users, the ergonomist worked on the global aspects of the system: function, conditions of use and organizational dimension. Alone, he defined the global interaction of the system. The various functions derived from the global function were defined in collaboration with engineers. However, while engineers contributed to defining how these functions would work, as well as their technical conditions of use, the ergonomist focused on their purpose, and, with end-users, on their organizational aspects. Finally, results suggest that neither the ergonomist's specific knowledge in ergonomics, nor work analysis were sufficient to derive his requirements; both are mandatory.     

Window on the world. From modest rights to commodification in Canada's welfare state

This paper examines the rise and decline of Canada's welfare state from 1945 to the end of the century. The years to the mid-1960s were marked by the introduction of an array of social programmes that produced a system inferior to that of the major western European countries, but distinctly superior to that of the United States. These developments gave 'modest social rights' to Canada's residents, whilst not fundamentally challenging the market base of the society. The years since 1971 have been marked by retreat, influenced by three considerations: the world oil crisis of 1973, which imported significant inflation to Canada and resulted in large government deficits; the threat of separatism in Quebec, which resulted in a massive devolution of authority from the central government to the provinces; and the Free Trade Agreement with the United States (reflecting a more general rise in neo-conservatism), which further integrated the economies and societies of the two countries. The impact of these changes has been to increasingly commodify social benefits within a market context, so that Esping-Andersen's 1989 classification of Canada as a 'liberal' welfare state has undoubtedly proved accurate, though a decade later than he identified. The paper explores benefits for children and the right to food as case illustrations of these fundamental changes.     

From unconscious to conscious inclusion: meeting special education needs in West China

The authors map the route undertaken by the Project Management Office of the Gansu Basic Education Project (GBEP) in Gansu Province, China, in instituting measures to ensure good learning opportunities for children with special educational needs within the four poor counties benefiting from this DFID supported project. The main purpose of GBEP has been to increase enrolment and retention in these poor, minority areas so as to achieve universal basic education. As general enrolment increased so did that of pupils with special needs, the educational needs of which the schools began responding to in an unconscious way. However, at the start there was little understanding at the classroom and management levels of how to ensure access to learning as well as access to school. The authors map out the road to change and the methods undertaken to change practice at various management and classroom levels so as to enable schools to provide more adequately for these children. Experiences of and lessons from project implementation have been analysed so as to generate implications which might be beneficial to inclusive education initiatives in areas, in China and elsewhere, with similar conditions.     

From advocacy to service provision: state transformation and the disability rights movement in Taiwan

This research uses the development of the disability rights movement in Taiwan as a case study to analyze the impact of state transformation, in particular marketization of social welfare policy, on the disability rights movement. First, the institutionalization of the disability rights movement enabled it to expand its organizational structure and become involved in shaping policy. Secondly, when disability rights organizations started to undertake state-funded projects, their focus shifted from advocacy to service provision. Thirdly, competition for limited state-funding gave the organizations led by urban-middle class advocates a significant advantage over small, community-based NPOs and gathered significantly greater resources. Finally, this paper suggests that, in a context in which the state did not provide basic social services for its citizens with disabilities, the institutionalization of SMOs turned advocacy groups into service providers. Although the number of disability civic organizations increased, the voices of advocacy groups were weakened.     

From political opportunities to niche-openings: the dilemmas of mobilizing for immigrant rights in inhospitable environments

This article examines how undocumented immigrants mobilize for greater rights in inhospitable political and discursive environments. We would expect that such environments would dissuade this particularly vulnerable group of immigrants from mobilizing in high profile campaigns because such campaigns would carry high risks (deportation) and have little chance of success. However, we have witnessed many mobilizations by undocumented immigrants in both Europe and the United States over the past 20 years. This article uses the case of undocumented youths in the United States (DREAMers) to examine how a group of undocumented immigrants have overcome important barriers and become a powerful voice for immigrant rights in the country. The article suggests that while undocumented immigrants faced inhospitable contexts, cracks and “niche-openings” they continued to present themselves to groups with the right set of cultural, legal, and economic attributes. Immigrants in possession of these attributes (in this case, youth) could target a niche-opening and argue that they are particularly deserving of legalization. This article also highlights an important dilemma: In contexts characterized by general closure and hostility, narrow mobilizations targeting niche-openings provide the only path to legal status for some, but they can also differentiate (discursively and legally) between “deserving” and “undeserving” undocumented immigrants. Differentiation can contribute to stratifying the immigrant population, with those deemed more deserving facing greater rights and entitlements and those deemed less deserving facing greater restrictions and repression. This carries the risk of magnifying normative and legal inequalities between immigrant groups while introducing many points of conflict within the broader immigrant rights movement.     

From plan to action: Adapting evaluation to serve the developmental needs of a newly-funded multidisciplinary research center

The Southeastern Coastal Center for Agricultural Health and Safety (SCCAHS) is one of many newly-funded federal research centers, housing five multidisciplinary research projects and seven pilot projects, and serving a multi-state region. In the early stages of such a complex project, with multiple teams separated by geography and disciplines, the evaluation program has been integral in connecting internal and external stakeholders at the center and project levels. We used a developmental evaluation (DE) framework to respond to the complex political environment surrounding agricultural health and safety in the southeast; to engage external stakeholders in guiding the center’s research and outreach trajectories; to support center research teams in a co-creation process to develop logic models and tailored indicators; and to provide timely and feedback within the center to address communications gaps identified by the evaluation program. By using DE principles to shape monitoring and evaluation approaches, our evaluation program has adapted to the dynamic circumstances presented as our center’s progress has been translated from a plan in a grant proposal to implementation.     

Strategies for fostering basic psychological needs support in high quality youth leadership programs

Youth leadership programming has become an increasingly common context to foster basic psychological needs and promote youth development. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore strategies involved in fostering youth needs support within six leadership programs. Two leaders and 30 youth participated in semi-structured interviews to better understand the strategies used to foster needs support. Findings revealed that leaders were able to foster a sense of relatedness among youth through building trusting adult-youth relationships and nurturing an inclusive environment. Maximizing choice and negotiating youth voice helped to foster youth’s autonomy. Finally, creating a task-oriented climate and providing intentional opportunities for skill-building helped to foster youth’s competence. Findings suggest that training for leaders is critical in understanding what, and how strategies should be employed to help foster youth needs support in leadership programming. Limitations and future directions are outlined.     

Predictors of basic needs and supervisory neglect: Evidence from the Illinois Families Study

Approximately 80% of the over 3 million reports of child maltreatment each year are due to concerns of child neglect (United States Department of Health and Human Services [USDHHS], 2015). The literature is growing, but relatively little is known about the predictors of the subtypes of neglect. The current study uses data from the Illinois Families Study to run fixed effects logistic regression models to estimate the predictors of two distinct forms of neglect: basic needs (failure to provide adequate food, clothing, or shelter) and supervisory (failure to provide adequate supervision). Within individual mothers, welfare receipt was associated with increased odds for basic needs neglect. Having worsening health conditions, gaining more child care concerns, and moving from a safe neighborhood to an unsafe neighborhood were positively associated with supervisory neglect. Our findings suggested that policies and practices that enhance economic stability over a longer period would likely decrease basic needs neglect, while policies and practices that aim to support families in terms of providing flexible childcare options for working mothers, improving socioeconomic status, and promoting health and wellness would be more beneficial for reduction of supervisory neglect.     

Support for basic psychological needs in the context of HIV disclosure for older youth

Purpose

This study utilized Self-Determination Theory's sub-theory Basic Needs Theory (Deci & Ryan, 2000) to understand older youths' perceptions of support for their basic needs of autonomy, relatedness, and competence in the context of disclosing their HIV status.

Methods

Semi-structured interviews lasting 10–60 min each were conducted with nine youth aged 17–19 (4 women and 5 men) and two adult staff at a one-week residential program in a large southern city. Participant observations of disclosure-related conversations and experiences were conducted and recorded throughout the program. Reliability and validity assurances were met in multiple ways. Analysis of the content of interviews and observations indicated consistent themes that converged on the research questions.

Results

When participants perceived more support for their basic psychological needs for autonomy, relatedness, and competence, they reported more self-determined motivation to disclose their status and better satisfaction with their decisions. The results of this study indicate that Basic Needs Theory is useful for understanding how the basic psychological needs of autonomy, relatedness, and competence are satisfied or thwarted in the context of HIV disclosure for older youth.

Conclusions

Programs and people working with older youth with HIV/AIDS can use BNT to help youth identify, create, and adapt contexts to be supportive of their basic needs for autonomy, relatedness, and competence, and provide guidance and support accordingly. Providers can utilize this information to support youth in strategizing about their disclosure decisions and goals for their well-being.     

Equal rights to trade and mediate

Consider any exchange economy with a fixed finite set of traders whose preference orderings and feasible sets of net trades satisfy standard convexity and continuity assumptions. Suppose these traders are granted equal rights to choose net trade vectors within a common convex cone. This property, when combined with Pareto efficiency, characterizes Walrasian equilibrium without lump-sum transfers in two special cases: when there are only two goods; or when at least one trader has unique supporting prices. In general, even without imposing Pareto efficiency explicitly, conferring an additional right to mediate mutually beneficial transactions with other traders will characterize Walrasian equilibrium.An early version was presented to the Conference on Axiomatic Resource Allocation Theory in Namur, July 1999, in honour of Louis Gevers, with whom I have had many enjoyable and fruitful exchanges since we first met in 1971. A later version was presented at the conference of the Society for Social Choice and Welfare in Alicante, June/July 2000. It is a pleasant duty to acknowledge helpful discussions at these conferences with Marc Fleurbaey, François Maniquet, and Yves Sprumont, as well as subsequently with Karl Vind. Further very helpful suggestions came from two anonymous referees, as well as François Maniquet acting in an editorial role. Finally, my gratitute to the Institute of Economic Research at Hitotsubashi University, to the Japanese Ministry of Education, and to my host Kotaro Suzumura, for making possible a visit in Autumn 1998 during which preliminary research for this paper was conducted.     

From assessing needs to designing and evaluating programs: Case study of a family support program in Portugal

In the last years, researchers have been emphasizing the importance of promoting needs-led, context-specific, user-centered services in the context of child protection. However, policy-makers and service planners around the world largely depend on US-based research evidence of what is effective in the domain of family support. This work presents, in two studies, the process of design and evaluation of a targeted family support intervention that was developed and implemented in Portugal.Following the Common Language Approach to needs assessment (Dartington Social Research Unit, 2001), in study 1 we screened 100 children and their families attending a generalist child care service for risk and protective factors. Four different clusters of needs were identified. One cluster was selected as target-group for the design of a service to match their needs. Results indicated that families in this cluster had socioeconomical disadvantages, a challenging family environment and inadequate parenting practices. Children were showing signs of problematic social behaviors.In study 2 we describe the theoretical process model and the logic model for the intervention, and experimentally evaluate the program's efficacy. Results from pre–post assessments indicate improvements in the intervention group (N = 20) in several areas of parental empowerment and family relations, comparing with the control group (N = 20).This approach to need-service matching seems to be a viable pathway to design needs-led, context-specific, and user-centered services, and to assess their efficacy, thereby informing policy makers and service planners.     

中国需要发展大城市

当今世界经济发展的一个基本特征,就是全球城市化的高速推进,而大城市的迅速发展,大城市在一个地区或国家的经济中取得支配性的地位是城市化推进的主要表现.     

Fostering families' and children's rights to family connections

Recent federal legislation strengthens children's and families' rights to family-centered practice by increasing the responsibility of child welfare agencies to identify and engage extended family members in providing care and support to children placed out of the home. Preliminary results from an experimental study of a federally funded family finding project found greater involvement of family, kin, and informal supports and a higher likelihood of reunification or relative placement compared with standard child welfare services.     

The optimal treatment approach to needs assessment

This paper describes a needs assessment technique which has not been considered in previous discussions. Basically the Optimal Treatment approach to needs assessment consists of comparing the most desirable set of services for a client with the services actually recommended or received. Discrepancies due to unavailable resources are noted and aggregated across clients. Systematic shortcomings may be taken to represent service needs.The advantages and disadvantages of this and other procedures are considered, especially with respect to political factors and the utility of data for planning and decision making in the local agency context.     

The hierarchy of needs to inclusive design

This paper focuses Design importance in the development of effectively inclusive products based on Design Emotional approach, allowing children with disabilities to experience playing in the childhood as an instrument for social integration. The methodology used to develop this study was based on literature review, considering the following themes: emotional design, accessibility and inclusion, emotion and development of children. As a result, we propose a new level of need to model the hierarchy of needs, of Jordan ("usability", "functionality" and "pleasure"), level with the inclusion of "dignity."