Risk, Contingency and the Third Way: Evidence from the BHPS and Qualitative Studies

New Labour's "Third Way" in welfare derives its intellectual underpinning from "risk society" theory as developed in the UK by Anthony Giddens. The theory suggests that the crucial changes affecting citizens of modern societies are globalization, the post-traditional social order and social reflexivity. These changes lead people to question authority and to wish to take greater responsibility for meeting their needs. Applied to welfare, the analysis suggests a diminution in the role of government, greater proactivity by citizens and subsidiarity favouring community groups and also the private sector. It buttresses Third Way calls for "no rights without responsibility" and "equality of opportunity, not equality of outcome". This paper reports qualitative and quantitative research which indicates that the risks of modern social life are experienced differently by different social groups. Risk society theories assume value consensus. They understand social change to have a common impact across society, leading to a common response, and direct attention away from the particular needs and aspirations of more vulnerable groups. The risk society thesis is class ideology masquerading as social theory: it serves the interests of those already privileged in a more flexible society by obscuring the needs and aspirations of the more vulnerable, who already bear most of the burdens of social change.     

公民社会视角下社会工作的社会责任建构

综观中国当代社会工作的实践,社会责任始终是社会工作的重要议题,但在相关理论研究上,大多只谈到社会工作的哲学、使命、价值观等这些源于西方的意识形态方面,少有直接提及社会责任问题。本文认为,社会责任不仅是社会工作本土化的重要特征,也是公民社会的重要特征,因此,社会工作背景下的社会责任需要积极建构。因此,从公民社会的视角出发,以在海南开展的戒毒社会工作等社会实践为例,在理论基础、现实需求和实现途径这三个方面对建构本土化社会工作的社会责任问题进行了探讨。     

Social Welfare: Availability and Delivery of Services and Benefits for Children

It is contended that social welfare legislation is principally concerned with the allocation of resources of income, wealth, position and power. Australian legislation providing welfare services and benefits for children is assessed from this perspective. It is argued that the present legislation providing income support payments for young people accords excessive weight to the promotion of economic interests of the community such as the work ethic and fails to address the social and human needs of that population. It is also contended that the structure of the child welfare services legislation is overly concerned to cater to conservative forces in society who favour social control measures designed to protect their values and interests and who resist efforts to provide a network of non-coercive preventive services. Both areas of the law are criticized on the basis that they place excessive reliance on the notion that the family unit is capable of carrying the major responsibility for income support and service provision.     

社会管理的范围、价值与地位

虽然社会管理的任务已经从＂加强和改进＂上升到＂加强和创新＂,但是社会管理研究的基础性工作仍然是要认真探索社会管理的领域对象、核心价值和战略地位。弄清楚这一问题乃是发展社会管理理论和实践的基本前提。现代社会管理的领域是由民生社会、民间社会和公共事务社会所构成的,是一个处在发育中的人们生活的特定领域;当前社会管理的对象主要是民生社会、公民社会和公共事务社会中存在的问题、行为和利益。现代社会管理虽然与维持人类生活共同体的稳定和秩序密切相关,但是社会管理的核心价值取向应当是通过协调社会利益、规范社会行为、解决社会问题,以实现社会的公平和正义。在中国特殊的国情条件下,社会建设和社会管理已成为新的工作重心,已成为与经济建设同样重要的第一要务。     

新闻媒体的社会责任与文化品位

社会责任构成新闻传播活动的基础,提高新闻作品的文化品位是社会责任的题中应有之义。近年来,某些舆论导向出现偏差,使新闻作品呈现泛娱乐化、低俗化的倾向,都是着眼市场占有率、弱化社会责任所致。鉴于此,新闻工作者必须践行社会效益优先的原则,赋予新闻作品以深邃的思想内涵,培养受众健康向上的审美情趣,以促进大众文化品位的提升。     

Physical Attractiveness,Halo Effects,and Social Joining

Objective: Scholarship in psychology on halo effects demonstrates the powerful effects attractiveness has on social interactions. Here, we consider the influence of physical attractiveness on the development of social capital through social joining. With the unavoidable nature of attractiveness biases, we argue that more physically attractive individuals should be increasingly likely to join social organizations, which have been shown to be important parts of broader social engagement and the growth of social capital. Methods: Utilizing the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study and an original survey experiment, we find that individuals who are rated as more attractive are consistently more likely to participate in organizations, particularly early in adult life. These effects persist when controlling for socioeconomic variables like income and education. Results: Our experimental results bolster these findings, showing that more attractive individuals are more likely to be invited to join both organizations and informal gatherings. Conclusions: These findings suggest a further mechanism through which the development of social capital differs between individuals in society.     

Social Empathy: A Model Built on Empathy,Contextual Understanding,and Social Responsibility That Promotes Social Justice

ABSTRACT

A model of social empathy is described where social empathy is defined as the ability to more deeply understand people by perceiving or experiencing their life situations and as a result gain insight into structural inequalities and disparities. The three components of the model—individual empathy, contextual understanding, and social responsibility—are explored and explained. Social empathy provides a framework for more effective social policies that address disparities and support social and economic justice for all people. Social workers are well positioned to enhance social empathy, and application and suggestions for further enhancement and research are provided.     

Business Social Responsibility: Perspectives of Businesses and Social Workers

ABSTRACT

This article compares the attitudes of social workers and business employees regarding the community involvement of businesses and the role of social workers in this involvement. The study, based on a structured questionnaire, was conducted in Israel and consisted of 316 participants from two cohorts: social workers and business employees. The principal findings show that social workers are more inclined than business employees to recommend that social workers increase their involvement in business social responsibility (BSR); business employees are more likely than social workers to advocate that the latter assume managerial functions; both groups support a low level of influence for social workers on decision-making processes and a role of exchange of knowledge rather than full partnership. The discussion addresses the implications of the findings for increasing social workers' involvement in BSR and cooperation with the business sector.     

试论和谐社会的伦理原则与运行机制

构建和谐社会离不开两大系统,也就是社会系统和自然系统。自然系统受三大自然法则的约定即“共生共灭、互生互灭、此生彼灭”。社会系统受四大法则的约定即“共生共灭、共生共利、互生互利、互竞互长”。依据四大法则而引申出了和谐社会的八大社会伦理原则,即公平正义、共生共利、互生互动、互生互利、互生互享、互生互责、公平竞争、和谐发展。依据社会伦理的八大原则引申出了和谐社会的八大运行机制,即公平正义的社会秩序保障机制、社会生存环境的维权机制、社会生存与发展的动力机制、社会利益协调机制、社会利益分享机制、社会责任分担机制、社会公平竞争机制、社会和谐发展机制。     

Social status, values, and support for reform in education

Using a survey of Ohio and Indiana residents, we analyze the extent to which public support for school vouchers and school finance reform is structured by the same socioeconomic interests and values (equality, humanitarianism, individualism, and limited government) as is public support for contentious welfare policies. Disadvantaged individuals and individuals who live in disadvantaged communities are more likely to support vouchers but social status has a more ambiguous influence on support for finance reform. Values cannot explain the effect of social status on support for these education policies, but they exert independent effects. We speculate that disadvantaged individuals are more likely to see vouchers as in their interests than are advantaged individuals because voucher advocates have allied themselves with social movements and organizations representing clear constituencies (religious conservatives, low-income urban parents). On the other hand, we suggest that finance reform is more of an abstract issue because its advocates have mostly concentrated on intragovernmental litigation, and thus cleavages based on social status tend to be more obscured.     

社会合理性与社会合情性——对人性化社会何以可能的一种思考

社会合理性植根于市场经济的规律性、社会分层的功能性和社会分工的必然性;植根于具有自利性的人性需求。社会合情性则立足于人道主义、反对社会歧视以及要求平等利益等理由;反映的是人性的“利他”感情。合情性的社会是人类历史进步的产物。在构建合情性社会中,政府行使第二次分配资源的职责,扮演“法律父爱主义”的角色;非政府组织则成为新的生力军。只有社会合理性与社会合情性的良性运行,才能使人性化的社会发展成为可能。     

是“关系”，还是社会资本

社会资本概念引入华人学界以来,其影响力使许多学者把它作为研究和解释中国人关系的路径,但在这种将“社会资本”与“关系”概念合并的趋势中有许多问题被遮蔽了。本文通过对社会资本与关系的各自抽象度、对应性和社会形态等的辨析,指出关系的研究基础是家庭本位的社会,而社会资本的研究基础是公民社会,它们在个体选择性、成员资格、公私利益、参与性和做人等方面都有差异。本文还探讨了关系及社会资本各自可能延伸出的研究方向。     

The Hopes and Fears of Older Australians: for Self,Family, and Society

This study refutes negative ageist stereotypes of how older people view themselves and society by reporting on their freely expressed main hope and main fear for the future. Data were collected through a population based cross‐sectional telephone interview survey conducted in NSW in 1999/2000. Participants (n=8,881) were randomly selected community dwelling older Australians (65+). Analyses revealed that participants were more likely to express a hope than a fear, and that a sizeable proportion of their hopes and fears were focused outwardly to family, or more broadly to social and environmental issues both locally and globally. These latter hopes and fears indicate awareness, interest and concern on a wide range of issues outside self and family. Some differences by gender and age were identified but views varied considerably among individuals. These findings provide evidence to dispel the negative image of older people as a self interested undifferentiated group whose members become progressively fearful as they age, by revealing an altruistic and outwardly focused dimension.     

社会责任与公司捐赠

追求股东利益最大化是公司的首要目标,承担社会责任是公司的次要目标。公司的捐赠行为是公司社会责任的一个方面,是具有一定道义特质的公司社会责任的表现形式。我国应参照西方发达国家的经验,确立以"合理性标准"为核心,股东利益优先并兼顾社会利益的公司捐赠体系。对此,我们主张,应对公司捐赠的目的、资金来源和数额、公司捐赠程序、公司股东和债权人的权利救济机制、公司捐赠的法律激励机制等方面,作出明确的法律规制。     

Chinese seniors’ attitudes towards government responsibility for social welfare: Self‐interest,collectivism orientation and regional disparities

Government responsibility for social welfare remains a significant issue in the field of social welfare. Public welfare attitudes not only refer to the social needs of members of society, but also are viewed as the basis for government responsibility for social welfare. Data used in this study came from the Moderate Universalist Social Welfare Survey with a final sample of 1,166 seniors from four Chinese cities in 2012. This study examined seniors’ attitudes towards government responsibility for providing specific welfare and mixed welfare. It concluded that seniors’ welfare attitudes share the traits of self‐interest in general. Seniors’ perception of social rights and cities of residence were two important factors associated with welfare attitudes in both aspects of specific and mixed welfare. The stronger seniors’ social rights perception was the more favourable were the attitudes they held towards government responsibility for social welfare, indicating the collectivism orientation of their welfare attitudes.     

中国本土企业社会工作面临的机遇与挑战

新世纪以来中国社会转型由权力社会进入民意社会,温饱问题解决后人民更关心社会公平与正义,利益分化导致各类社会问题集中的突显出来。由此引发了中共中央对于化解社会矛盾与问题的社会工作专业予以前所未有的重视。而企业社工因为关系到企业这一社会最重要的经济基础的稳定与发展,关系到企业社会责任的落实,关系到数亿劳动者与企业主的和谐共处,并因此而直接影响到社会的和谐与安宁,故得到了学界与政府的高度重视。中国本土企业社会工作面临着前所未有的发展机遇。但企业社工在中国是一个全新的领域,无论是理论上还是实践上,社工专业同仁与社会各界还未做好充分的准备,随着机遇而来的是巨大的挑战。其中最为突出的挑战是如何做好新生代农民工的城市融入与职业依归。     

The Basic Principles and Value Dimensions of Achieving Distributive Justice through Social Institutions

人类社会需要借助社会制度的合理设计和安排实现分配正义的价值目标。以实现分配正义为价值目标的社会制度建设应该遵循机会平等原则、利益与责任同等分配原则、分配标准与程序合理原则、纠正不公原则等四个分配正义原则。在这些原则基础上建构的社会制度具有内在公正性，能够保证社会资源的分配达到公正。以社会制度建设保障分配正义具有重要的现实意义，有助于一个社会将个人追求分配正义的个体意向性整合为集体意向性，形成审视分配正义问题的社会视角，树立平等主义分配正义观，更有效地保护伸张分配正义的行为和惩罚破坏分配正义的行为，并维护和增进强势群体和弱势群体的分配利益。     

The therapeutic misconception,beneficence, and respect

In order to provide benefits to society, human medical trials must place subjects at risk of harm. This activity is thought to be justified in part by the consent of the subjects involved. But, studies have shown that most such consents are based on a therapeutic misconception (TM); the false belief of subjects that their researchers will act as their personal physicians (seeking their benefit and protecting them from harm), rather than placing them at risk of harm for the good of others. Toleration by researchers of the TM in their subjects is a form of “informational manipulation”; that renders consent procedures disrespectful to subject autonomy. Consent obtained from subjects who labor under a TM is neither voluntary nor informed; as long as they have not been disabused of the TM, the action they take in enrolling in a trial is not the one they intend nor is it autonomously chosen. Changes in consent procedures should be adopted to ensure that all subjects are aware inter alia that (a) the health interests of future patients (as well as the researchers’ and their sponsors’ financial interests) may be more important to researchers than the interest of a subject in his or her health, and (b) normal subjects neither understand nor believe this when told. Close attention to the response of prospective subjects to this information should allow for the exclusion of all but the truly altruistic. However, the result of conscientious implementation of such policies would likely be that human medical research could no longer be conducted on more than a minimal level.     

The therapeutic misconception,beneficence, and respect

In order to provide benefits to society, human medical trials must place subjects at risk of harm. This activity is thought to be justified in part by the consent of the subjects involved. But, studies have shown that most such consents are based on a therapeutic misconception (TM); the false belief of subjects that their researchers will act as their personal physicians (seeking their benefit and protecting them from harm), rather than placing them at risk of harm for the good of others. Toleration by researchers of the TM in their subjects is a form of "informational manipulation" that renders consent procedures disrespectful to subject autonomy. Consent obtained from subjects who labor under a TM is neither voluntary nor informed; as long as they have not been disabused of the TM, the action they take in enrolling in a trial is not the one they intend nor is it autonomously chosen. Changes in consent procedures should be adopted to ensure that all subjects are aware inter alia that (a) the health interests of future patients (as well as the researchers' and their sponsors' financial interests) may be more important to researchers than the interest of a subject in his or her health, and (b) normal subjects neither understand nor believe this when told. Close attention to the response of prospective subjects to this information should allow for the exclusion of all but the truly altruistic. However, the result of conscientious implementation of such policies would likely be that human medical research could no longer be conducted on more than a minimal level.     

Social Action,the Group and Society

There is a longstanding commitment to social action in Group Work. This can be traced back to the work of Jane Addams and Grace Coyle and many others with whom they worked and shared ideas. However, as we follow the history of Group Work we find a shift in the meaning of social action. The role of groups in society has changed from that of instrument for social change to that of training ground for democracy. The more recent writing of Lee, Breton, Lewis and others suggests the possibility of restoring the centrality of groups to social action in the context of new social realities and contemporary thinking about society and the state.