Beneficiary Work: The Hidden Labor of Medicaid Users Pursuing Cross-State Moves

For users of Medicaid personal care assistance (PCA) services and their families, interstate variation in eligibility and service availability act as structural barriers to cross-state movement. However, program users desire and pursue cross-state moves. In this article, we provide a grounded theory analysis of 18 interviews with Medicaid PCA users with physical disabilities who expressed desire for or pursued cross-state moves. Our analysis identified six forms of previously unnamed and unrecognized work. As PCA users plan or pursue cross-state moves, they are also (1) assessing service ecosystems, (2) finding the right door, (3) persisting through the bureaucratic gauntlet, (4) advocating for systems cooperation, (5) reestablishing networks of support, and (6) responding to service gaps/lapses. Collectively, we describe this hidden labor as beneficiary work, the unremunerated work that program users must do in order to retain access to benefits for which they qualify. Beneficiary work, while hidden, is not optional; it is necessary for continued access to community and broadly, for survival. Identifying and describing beneficiary work expands on Feminist and interactionist perspectives on disability, poverty, and work, and highlights the need for changes to Medicaid policy that address PCA users as mobile citizens.     

Alcohol control and foster care

Parental alcohol consumption is often associated with an increased likelihood of child abuse. As consumption is related to price, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the propensity for increases in the full price of alcohol to influence entry rates and the length of time spent in foster care. Using alcoholic beverage prices and a measure of availability in combination with data on foster care cases, we find that higher alcohol prices are not effective in reducing foster care entry rates; however, once in foster care, the duration of stay may be shortened by higher prices and reduced availability.     

Exploring the care effects of multiple factors on the educational achievement of children looked after at home and away from home: an investigation of two Scottish local authorities

This paper reports the findings of a research project which explored the care factors that influence the educational achievement of looked‐after children. The project was innovative because it focused on children looked after at home and away from home. A mixed‐methods strategy was adopted to analyse data from two large Scottish local authorities. The project developed, what is to date, the largest dataset which includes variables for one‐fifth of children discharged from care in Scotland over a 5‐year period. The qualitative element of the project collected in‐depth data on the care and education experiences of looked‐after children and care leavers. The overall finding was that looked‐after children perform less well academically than their counterparts in the general school population. The empirical data indicated that factors such as placement type, reason for becoming looked after and age on becoming looked after were significant in determining educational achievement. Empirical results further indicated that looked‐after children suffered from discrimination and social exclusion in many areas of their lives, including school and where they lived.     

Beth Breeze: The New Fundraisers: Who Organises Charitable Giving in Contemporary Society?

VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations -     

The value of administrative data for longitudinal social research: a case study investigating income support receipt and relationship separation in Australia

ABSTRACT

In recent years, the Australian government has encouraged open access to administrative data, providing new opportunities for examining life course pathways and evaluating social policies. This paper demonstrates the importance of establishing partnerships in the use of administrative data for social research. In collaboration with the data custodian, we used administrative welfare data to investigate a policy-relevant topic: the association between income support receipt and relationship separation. Our results provided greater statistical power for detecting associations for minority groups than is possible with panel survey data, highlighting the benefits of administrative data for understanding the outcomes of population groups that are not well represented in surveys. The collaboration between university researchers and data custodians was critical to enable appropriate sharing of data for research and for accurate interpretation of the data and outcomes for relevance to policy.     

Multivariate process capability using principal component analysis in the presence of measurement errors

Various different definitions of multivariate process capability indices have been proposed in the literature. Most of the research works related to multivariate process capability indices assume no gauge measurement errors. However, in industrial applications, despite the use of highly advanced measuring instruments, account needs to be taken of gauge imprecision. In this paper we are going to examine the effects of measurement errors on multivariate process capability indices computed using the principal components analysis. We show that measurement errors alter the results of a multivariate process capability analysis, resulting in either a decrease or an increase in the capability of the process. In order to achieve accurate process capability assessments, we propose a method useful for overcoming the effects of gauge measurement errors.     

Identity,impairment and disablement: exploring the social processes impacting identity change in adults living with acquired neurological impairments

The social model of disability acknowledges the impact of impairments but argues that disablement is socially constructed. Taking a theoretical perspective, underpinned by the social model of disability and elements of social identity theory, we investigated the relationship between impairment, disablement and identity change in adults living with an acquired neurological impairment. Through the thematic analysis, three themes emerged: changing self described the personal factors for identity change in people acquiring impairment; changing communities explored the contextual factors creating both socially constructed disablement and identity change; and influencing identity change considered strategies adopted by individuals to both counter socially constructed disablement and promote exploration of identity. A systemic change towards acknowledgement and valuing a disabled identity may counter socially constructed disablement and support enablement and social inclusivity.