How portable is social security for migrant workers? A review of the literature

This article reviews the recent literature on existing mechanisms that allow for the portability of social security entitlements for migrant workers and finds that North–North migrants have the best access to portability. There is limited coordination between origin and destination countries regarding the portability of social entitlements of South–North migrants. These migrants are dealing with discourses and policies that treat them as second class citizens, even as they are providing much‐needed labour to their host countries. South–South migrants are seeing new regional mechanisms addressing portability. However, many of the impacts of these mechanisms are not yet known. Other knowledge gaps on portability relate to internal and South–South migration, the role of gender and other social identities, migrants’ occupations as well as their legal immigration status.     

Social Situation of the Unemployed: A Noticeable Problem

The economic situation of the unemployed attracts much attention from the government, media and society, while their social situation is little thought of. Social situation includes the psychological health,     

How does family homelessness impact on children's development? A critical review of the literature

Family homelessness is a key social issue across many European countries and is associated with uncertainty, a lack of safety and increased risks for children which can trigger the involvement of child welfare services. Living in homeless accommodation during the early years of a child's life also has the potential to impact on a child in many ways, for example, academically, physically, emotionally and socially. In the current paper, the authors review existing literature regarding the impact of family homelessness on children's development in order to identify key messages for social work practitioners working with children and families experiencing homelessness, for example, in the field of child protection and welfare. Findings reveal that family homelessness impacts on various aspects of a child's world and ultimately on their development, as a result of reduced social networks, inappropriate space to facilitate play, increased school mobility and school-dropout rates and increased levels of behavioural challenges and mental health concerns. These findings are discussed with relevance to social work practice when working with children and families who experience homelessness and how social work professionals can address the developmental needs of children who experience homelessness. Implications regarding future research and the education and training of social workers are also explored.     

America’s policy thinking in the age of Trump

What is striking in Trumpian economics – supply-side economics too – is the omission of economic growth. There is no awareness that nations at the frontier need indigenous innovation to have ample growth. The take-offs into sustained growth in 19th century Britain and America were fueled by dynamism from the grassroots up. Moreover, this stunted economics has no room for the rewards from participating in the economy besides the market wage – for the satisfaction of succeeding at what one is doing, the sense of flourishing as one’s career unfolds, and the thrill of venturing into the unknown.     

Sources and Effects of Urbanites' Social Capital: A Social Network Approach

社会资本是涵义宽泛、内容不确定的学术概念。本文通过中国1999年五城市调查资料的分析,以社会资本的网络特征为视角,建构了关于社会资本构成、来源及作用的理论框架。借助"春节拜年网"的测量,作者发现: (1)城市居民的社会网络构成和社会资本总量存在显著的差异; (2)领导干部、企业经理、专业人员及其他白领阶层拥有优势的社会网络和较高的社会资本积累,小雇主和工人的社会资本处于相对劣势的地位; (3)社会资本的优势者,其个人和家庭收入较高,自我社会经济地位的评估亦高。     

China's Social Structure in the 21st Century:On the Transformation of the Social Structure

Chinesesocietyisnowintheprocessoftransitionfromtraditionaltomodern,fromagriculturaltoindustrial,fromruraltourban,andfromsemi-closedtoopen.Themiddleofthenextcenturywillwitnessthecompletionofsuchatransfor-mation,andtheemergenceofamodernyetstillChinesenation…     

Experiences of homelessness by people seeking asylum in Australia: A review of published and “grey” literature

This review examines the current published and “grey” literature relating to the experiences of homelessness by people seeking asylum within Australia. While many people seeking asylum have experienced homelessness during their flight, inadequate and unaffordable housing are a feature of the settlement experience for a large number of new arrivals to Australia, putting at risk their successful settlement. This study aims to explore the factors influencing access to stable housing. A systematic review of the academic literature and a search of the grey literature identified 11 articles and 20 documents related to homelessness and people seeking asylum in Australia. The academic literature included a variety of methods and approaches to the investigation of the experience of homelessness in Australia. The grey literature was more practice based, including evaluation and research reports, submissions, and newsletters. Findings suggest that experiences of homelessness are multifaceted and have a range of influences, including policy, financial stress, lack of access to education and employment, and a lack of affordable and suitable housing. Any solutions to address homelessness need to be similarly diverse. Discrimination from real estate agents and employers was also identified as a barrier to housing for many people seeking asylum, an issue that will need to be addressed at a systematic level. The lack of research published in the academic literature means that although there may be some programmes or solutions operating in the community, as demonstrated in the grey literature, this information is not being shared beyond organisation websites or subscriber lists, resulting in a lack of coherency or sharing of solutions. This review highlights the need for further attention to the factors influencing homelessness in asylum seekers, the experience of homelessness, and how these can be addressed by government and non-government led strategies and policy development.     

Innovation Awareness and Social Responsibility in Social Science Studies: A Survey of the Symposium on Social Sciences and Social Problems in Contemporary China

Since adopting a policy of reform and opening, Chinese society has seen tremendous changes. What opportunities does this social reality bring to social science? How may to social science serve it? Studying these     

Assessing the impact of liberalising the one-child policy on the sustainability of China’s pension system

This article examines the effects of the so-called two-child policy on the future demographic structure and on alleviating the pension payment pressures. To this end, we provide population projections based on the cohort-component method and simulate the total fertility rate in different social-demographic scenarios. Actuarial models for pension fund budgets are calibrated. We found that the economic effects of the new fertility policy involve a time lag, with the predicted system dependency ratio significantly declining after 2035. The overall sustainability of pension balance will be improved, however, with the occurrence of both current and accumulated deficits delayed.     

Reversing the Negative Experience of Unemployment: A Mediating Role for Social Policies?

This article examines why unemployment is often experienced in a profoundly negative way, and explores the potentially mediating role of social policies. Three dominant theories of unemployment are described, which are often treated as competing, mutually exclusive explanations of the deleterious effects of unemployment. Subsequently, and through drawing upon a qualitative study of unemployed people, it is argued that all three theories are of worth and can be synthesized into a broader explanation of the experience of unemployment as an overarching process of loss. Three forms of loss are identified: loss of agency; loss of the functions of paid work; and loss of social status. The article then explores how these forms of loss can be both ameliorated and intensified through social policy interventions. Concluding, it offers policy recommendations to increase the efficacy of social policies in reversing the negative experience of unemployment, with the conclusion that this will require significant reform of the UK welfare state.     

A Perspective on Genetic Modification: An Exploration from the Perspective of Social Anthropology

转基因技术既与人们的日常生活密切相关,又能从中透视社会制度、文化传统、全球化与地方化的演变过程与特性,理应成为社会人类学关注的对象。本文以转基因大豆为例,探讨了中国社会结构背景和主流话语下对转基因技术的本土反应和消费者处境。     

Reconstituting China''''s Social Security System——A Survey of the Seminaron Theory and Practice of Social Welfare

As China's market-oriented economic reforms deepen, an urgent task lying ahead of us is to develop, standardize and improve the system of social security. What, however, is meant by a unified, standardized and perfect social security system? How can we institute such a system? These questions remain urgently in need of study.This then was the setting of a national seminar on "The Theory and Practice of Social     

A Power Generation Explanation of the Mechanism of Social Stratification in Contemporary China

本文提出了用以解释当前中国社会阶层分化机制的“权力衍生论”。作者认为,在放权让利的改革和市场化过程中,社会经济制度安排发生了变化,新的制度安排不但为公共权力继续以再分配权力的形式在阶层分化中发挥作用提供了制度基础,还为公共权力衍生成权力精英的“寻租能力”并以与再分配权力不同的机制对阶层分化产生影响提供了条件;而随着市场机制的发育,市场能力也在阶层分化中起着重要作用。因此,当前中国市场经济的基本制度安排决定了再分配权力、寻租能力和市场能力共同构成了阶层分化的动力基础。基于此论的关于收入分配的研究假设,得到了2003年取自武汉的抽样调查资料的支持。研究结果表明,权力衍生论比“权力转移论”和“权力持续论”都能更好地解释当前中国社会的精英循环/再生现象。     

China's ‘Socializing Social Welfare’ policy: a study on service quality in society-run homes for the aged in Beijing

This study aims to examine service quality in the emergent society-run homes (SRH) in Beijing from the perspective of residents in the context of ‘Socializing Social Welfare’ policy reform. Quantitative and qualitative research methods were combined to provide a comprehensive approach. A novel instrument for measuring service quality was developed and validated. Nine dimensions and three domains of service quality were identified and explored. The measuring instrument reveals that service quality in the SRH is barely satisfactory. With the findings of this study and the corresponding recommendations, it is hoped that the quality of institutional care service for the elderly can be improved, the social capital of the SRH can be promoted, and an integrated system of diversified care services can be formed and serve the needs of the increasing population of aged people.     

Work histories and workers’ failure to satisfy pension contribution requirements: A comparison of Mexico and Uruguay

Comparing Mexico and Uruguay, this article examines the work history of workers and the challenges they face to satisfy the minimum contribution period for eligibility to receive a contributory old-age pension. Administrative data on work histories is used to formulate a survival model aimed at estimating hazard rates of entering and transitioning out of a given contribution status. This model is then used to perform a Monte Carlo simulation to forecast contribution histories. Results suggest that the hazard rate is negatively associated with the length of a worker’s spell in his or her current status and warn that, both in Mexico and Uruguay, a significant group of workers will find it difficult to gain entitlement to a contributory pension in old age. The manner in which each of these national systems has addressed the challenges associated with low contribution densities may explain the two countries’ very different coverage results.     

Neoliberalism and the reform of regulation policy in the Australian trucking sector: policy innovation or a repeat of known pitfalls?

This study explores the influences of neoliberalism on the design and operation of regulation policy in the Australian trucking sector. It examines the introduction of a programme of voluntary self-regulation and considers why despite known weaknesses, regulators persist with such policy reforms. The study draws on qualitative research involving representatives of policy and regulatory agencies as well as industry participants. The analysis examines the role of markets in directing truck operator interest towards public policy compliance objectives. This generates a diversity of responses from firms ranging from willing compliance to deceptive ritualism. The findings reveal how voluntary self-regulation appeals to some segments of industry and how in this case it also signals a shift in regulatory culture, facilitating a new and more engaging dialogue between industry and regulators around compliance and safety concerns. This study shows that advances in industry-regulator engagement help explain why neoliberal policy influences are often readily embraced by regulatory agencies. Here, we see how programmes of voluntary self-regulation present both symbolic and substantive value for key policy actors.     

Social Enterprise – A New Phenomenon in the Field of Economic and Social Welfare?

Drawing upon insights from historical institutionalism, this article critically examines the origins of social enterprise and its emergence into the mainstream policy arena. It begins by relating the social enterprise idea to major non‐state/non‐private institutional traditions, including the European social economy, US non‐profits and the UK charitable sector, and places it within the specific field of economic and social welfare. In so doing, the article contests the idea that social enterprise is a new phenomenon in the social welfare field and proposes instead that the supposed ‘novelty’ of social enterprise as an organizational form and a subject of public policy lies primarily in the nature of the socio‐political and economic context of the 1980s–1990s, during which time it became ‘en vogue’. The process of institutionalization of social enterprise and its ascension into the mainstream policy arena is examined in more detail in the case of England during the time New Labour was in office and beyond, and lessons are drawn from this experience concerning both the role that social enterprise plays or is expected to play as a vehicle to address economic and social needs, and how this is intertwined with both a dominant neo‐liberal discourse, as well as alternative perspectives that emphasize more equalitarian and sustainable development paths. The article concludes with some reflections in relation to the apparent consensus that seems to exist around social enterprise as a legitimate subject of public policy and the resulting social enterprization of public services which is currently taking place in England.     

Opting out of workers’ compensation: Non-subscription in Texas and its effects

Journal of Risk and Uncertainty - Texas is the only state that does not mandate that employers carry workers’ compensation (WC) insurance coverage. In place of traditional WC, companies can...     

Social care and migration policy in Australia: Emerging intersections?

Migrants are important both as providers and users of paid care services in Australia, yet migration has rarely featured in Australian strategies to grow and sustain the paid care workforce. Correspondingly, Australia is rarely mentioned in the international scholarship on care and migration that has burgeoned since the 1990s. This article shows the ways that service providers, consumer advocates, unions and scholars have begun to bring migration into debates about workforce growth in two of Australia's most significant areas of paid care: aged care and childcare. Drawing on submissions to national enquiries in both areas, we identify the actors who have sought to adjust Australia's migration settings to respond to growing demand for care, and explain the rationales – which differ between the sectors – underlying their advocacy for change.