The Impact of the Earned Income Tax Credit on Economic Well-Being: A Comparison Across Household Types

Using survey data from Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) recipients in Madison County, New York, we evaluate the effectiveness of the EITC in improving the economic well-being of low-income households. In particular, we examine the impact of the EITC across household types. For tax years 2002 through 2004, we find that the EITC is responsible for significantly lowering the poverty rate of EITC recipients, from 57 to 49%. In fact, for households below the poverty line, the EITC fills 31% of the gap between their adjusted gross income and the poverty line. The EITC has the largest impact on single parent households, lowering their poverty rate by 11.2 percentage points and reducing their poverty gap by almost 35%. However, the EITC has negligible effects on the poorest households in the sample—childless singles. A majority (64%) of EITC recipients intends to use at least some of the refund on basic needs and almost half plan on using part of their refund for debt repayment. This suggests that the EITC helps the majority of recipients get by but does not increase their economic mobility. Somewhat surprisingly, single parent households in the sample are not that different from married parent households in terms of EITC amounts, poverty rates, use of credit, and participation in government programs, despite earning less.     

The market for construction wood in Mopti, Mali

This paper investigates the supply networks, the structure and operation of the markets and the increasing scarcity of good quality construction poles and hewn construction timber in Mopti, Mali. Using a variety of rapid appraisal methods the research identified separate groups of agents performing retailing, transporting and wood cutting functions within the supply network. A survey of the retail sector of the open or organised wood market in Mopti found the market to involve lower than expected volumes of timber and higher than expected mark-up variability across retailers and products. It was found that some users of construction wood do not buy their wood in the open market. The paper discusses one alternative method of obtaining wood involving the formation of a rural–urban solidarity network in which wood is ‘traded’ for various forms of help and assistance. The paper concludes that the re-empowerment of local communities so that they can manage and benefit from natural resources under their jurisdiction is probably a necessary condition for sustainable improvements in the supply of construction wood to Mopti. However, additional measures may be needed to replenish the stock of trees and human and institutional capital in the wood supply areas.     

BOOKS RECEIVED

McGoldrick, M., (Ed.). (1998). Re-visioning family therapy: Race, culture, and gender in clinical practice .
Minuchin, P., Colapinto, J., & Minuchin, S. (1998). Working with families of the poor .
Tasker. F. L., & Golombok, S. (1997). Grouping up in a lesbian family: Effects on child developement .
Marsh, D., & Magee, R. (1998). Etbical and legal issues in professional practice with families .
Freeman, J., Epston, D., & Lobovitz, D. (1997). Playful approaches to serious problems .     

Identifying as an evidence-based social worker: the influence of attitudes,access, confidence,and education

This study explored United States-based social workers’ (N = 152) attitudes toward, access to, and confidence in engaging in evidence-based practice (EBP), the extent to which social work education prepared them to engage in EBP, and the factors that contributed to their identification as an evidence-based practitioner. Findings indicated that although practitioners had a positive attitude toward engaging in EBP, they were only moderately confident in doing so, rarely accessed evidence, and were only moderately prepared through their education. Believing that EBP should be implemented, more educational preparation, and positive attitudes contributed to greater identification as an evidence-based practitioner, areas that social work and continuing education should further support to enhance social workers’ EBP skills.     

Modeling the Effects of Expressed Emotion,Psychiatric Symptomology,and Marital Quality Levels on Male and Female Verbal Aggression

Previous research has linked expressed emotion (EE) levels and psychiatric symptomology, whereas other empirical efforts have examined the relationship between EE and marital relationship variables. Still other research has linked psychological conditions with acts of aggression, and the impact of marital issues within this domain of inquiry also has been explored. The study presented here examined the combined effects of EE, marital quality, and psychiatric symptomology on displays of verbal aggression by both relationship partners. Both husbands' and wives' reports of marital quality were predictive of both husbands' and wives' verbal aggression levels; here, reports of lower marital quality were associated with higher levels of verbal aggression. Additionally, husbands' and wives' reports of psychological symptomology in self and partner were important paths to marital quality, as were husbands' and wives' reports of EE levels. Further, some evidence was generated that supports the mediating role of marital quality with regard to EE and psychological symptomology. However, the overall fit indices of the models tested in this empirical effort were modest. Limitations that concern the instruments utilized in the present study are discussed in this regard.     

Researching Disability Politics, Or, Some Problems with the Social Model in Practice

This article arises from a research project involving the disabled members' group in UNISON, and problematises the social model which explicitly undergirds the discourses and practices of this group. In abstract terms, there are dangers that the social model can be interpreted in a way which privileges some impaired identities over others, sanctions a separatist ghetto which cannot reach out to other groups of disabled and disadvantaged people, and weaves a tangled web around researchers who adhere to the emancipatory paradigm. In concrete terms, these dangers are explored with reference to the stories of impaired people who believe that they are excluded from the disabled members' group, the predicaments of ex-disabled and differently-disabled people in relation to the movement, and the culture of suspicion surrounding academics, particularly the 'non-disabled' researcher as would-be ally. It is argued that, whilst such identities and issues might appear to be 'marginal' ones in the sense of occurring at the boundary of disabled communities, disability politics and disability studies, they should not be 'marginalised' by disabled activists and academics, and indeed that they pose challenges to our collective identities, social movements, theoretical models and research paradigms which need to be addressed.     

Simulated Clients in a Group Practice Course: Engaging Facilitation and Embodying Diversity

Social work students need to develop practice skills with racially and ethnically diverse clients. Previous research has found benefits to using individual simulated clients, and working with a group would not only provide facilitation opportunities, it could also increase students’ exposure to diversity. This article presents a social work group practice class that used simulated clients and the evaluation of the pedagogy using a mixed-methods design. Students’ scores on the Diversity and Oppression Scale significantly improved from pretest to posttest. Focus groups clarified the impact. The results of this exploratory pilot study suggest that this approach allowed students to learn to manage emotional responses, promoted student insights, and provided opportunities to challenge student assumptions.     

Infants’ Lexical Processing Efficiency is Related to Vocabulary Size by One Year of Age

By 15–18 months, infants’ skill in interpreting familiar words, or lexical processing efficiency (LPE), improves substantially and is correlated with vocabulary size concurrently and several months later. Prior to this age LPE is quite poor, and to date there is little evidence that it is related to vocabulary size. If this relation only emerges once infants have relatively good LPE, and also know a substantial number of words, it could suggest that the processes that support the rapid growth in vocabulary commonly observed as infants approach age 2 may not yet be functional in the earlier stages of lexical development. However, using a modified LPE task we found that 12‐month‐olds with better LPE understood more words at that age and also produced more words several months later. These results suggest that meaningful individual differences in LPE are already emerging by 12 months and may support lexical development across the second year.