A Dynamic Latent Model for Poverty Measurement

The main purpose of this paper is the longitudinal analysis of the poverty phenomenon. By interpreting poverty as a latent variable, we are able to resort to the statistical methodology developed for latent structure analysis. In particular, we propose to use the mixture latent Markov model which allows us to achieve two goals: (i) a time-invariant classification of households into homogenous groups, representing different levels of poverty; (ii) the dynamic analysis of the poverty phenomenon which highlights the distinction between transitory and permanent poverty situations. Furthermore, we exploit the flexibility provided by the model in order to achieve the measurement of poverty in a multidisciplinary framework, using several socio-economic indicators as covariates and identifying the main relevant factors which influence permanent and transitory poverty. The analysis of the longitudinal data of the Survey on Households Income and Wealth of the Bank of Italy provides the identification of two groups of households which are characterized by different dynamic features. Moreover, the inclusion of socio-economic covariates such as level of education, employment status, geographical area and residence size of the household head shows a direct association with permanent poverty.     

Children with serious emotional disturbance: the impact of poverty and receipt of public assistance on behavior, functioning, and service use

The present study examines the associations between poverty status, receipt of public assistance, service use, and children's mental health. Using a sample of children with serious emotional disturbances, findings from logistic regressions indicated that although no significant associations were found between poverty status and emotional or behavioral problems, families living below the poverty threshold were more likely to receive fewer services, even after controlling for receipt of Medicaid or SSI. Significant associations were also found for child's age, race/ethnicity, caregiver education, Medicaid and TANF receipt, child and family mental-health-risk factors. Poor families were more likely to have older children, be non-white, have fewer years of education, receive public assistance, and have more family mental-health-risk factors, but less child mental-health-risk factors. While a higher percentage of nonpoor families received medication management and residential treatment services, more poor families received support services such as transportation and flexible funds. Implications for the findings are discussed.     

西部大开发与贫困地区农村经济的发展

西部大开发中发展贫困地区农村经济具有非常重要的现实意义,是实现第三步战略目标的关键。因此,在实施西部大开发中,一要从解决温饱的扶贫转向扶持发展生产增加收入;二要大力发展农业生产力,为农村经济发展的后劲打好基础;三要积极兴办乡镇企业,搞好搞活农村市场经济;四要在贫困地区实行保护农民利益减轻农民负担的休养生息政策。     

The Explosive Nature of the Culture of Poverty

ABSTRACT

This teaching case describes the contentious nature of discussions about the culture of poverty as reflected in a diversity training session in a social service organization. Due to the complex nature of poverty, the training session led to intense conflict between the trainer and a diverse group of participants. The fallout from the training session was so significant that special focus groups were formed to debrief the experience. The case concludes with a set of discussion questions.     

Poverty Reduction and Growth Interactions: What Can Be Learned from the Syrian Experience?

The aim of this article is to analyse in depth the interactions of growth and poverty in Syria, which undertook reforms to reduce the government's involvement in the economy. During the 1996–2004 period, growth was pro‐poor in ‘weak absolute’ terms but not in either relative or ‘strong absolute’ terms, owing to the increase in inequality. This can be explained partly by tax policies, but also by an unequal distribution of investment at the regional level. There was also a widening of the gap between urban and rural areas, mainly owing to a pattern of growth in which oil played an increasing role and agriculture a decreasing one. Agricultural and land‐policy reforms could have had a negative impact on poverty, despite their positive effect on productivity.     

Scamming the Poor

Abstract

Because of the difficulty in securing traditional forms of credit, the poor are often driven into the fringe economy for check cashing, bill paying and short-term loans. These services involve high user fees and exorbitant interest rates that rival or even exceed those for illegal loan sharking. Fringe lending businesses function as a legal and virtually unregulated form of predatory loan-sharking. They neither offer nor promote savings-based financial products that build assets and increase household wealth. The predictable outcome is the depletion of the income and assets of low-income families and communities. Because many poor clients are vulnerable to fringe market lenders, social workers need to understand this market to better assist the poor in finding and developing alternative forms of borrowing. This article will explore the rapidly growing fringe economy and examine strategies to help curb the drain of income and assets from low-income communities.     

Marrying,Unmarrying, and Poverty Dynamics among Mothers with Children Living at Home

Using the two-way transitions model and a sample of mothers with children living at home who experienced poverty, we examined how the changes in mothers’ marital status relate to the odds of exiting and reentering poverty. The data came from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 Cohort (1979–1998). This study found an asymmetric association between poverty dynamics and becoming unmarried. Becoming unmarried was associated with increased odds of both getting out of poverty and reentering poverty, where the magnitude of the latter is greater than that of the former, when family background, family characteristics, and human capital and employment factors are controlled.     

试论教育扶贫的社工介入机制：一种国际民间组织的分析视角

国际民间组织在我国开展教育扶贫活动,不仅对我国的扶贫工作是一个开创,而且对我国的社会发展也具有相当的进步意义,这些海外国际民间组织给我国贫困落后地区带来的不仅是资金和项目,而更重要的是其全新的理念和管理经验。据此,笔者认为,广大社会工作者应灵敏、及时地对这些活动情况予以研究,分析并提炼其作为贫困和扶贫领域的社会工作者,在教育扶贫过程中开展具体活动时所需建立的介入机制主要有三个相关层面:学校社工、农村社工和国际社工,从而为它们在更大、更多社会管理领域有序、合理地参与我国的教育扶贫行为做好政策和制度上的安排与准备。     

泥淖之上 科层之下:产业扶贫中乡土企业与基层政府的关系研究

在贫困地区乡村,具有不同行动逻辑的行动者及其编织的关系网构成了产业扶贫政策实施的民情基础。 返乡精英创办乡土企业参与产业扶贫后,在追求盈利、公益和认同的多目标过程中,因自身资源有限而采取拟亲性关系构建、人情馈赠等行为,使基层政府分配扶贫项目具有排他性;基层政府及官员则遵循扶贫政绩竞争、乡土社会网络和政治共同体信任的逻辑,将项目回馈给企业。 这种政企关系表明,在经济利益规则基础上,政企互动遵循伦理规则可较快对接国家与贫困小农,弥补基层政府自身的不足,但非正式的伦理规则削弱了作为正式规则的扶贫政策执行成效,增加了乡土企业的经营成本。 这种政企遵循多重规则的产业扶贫与西部乡村市场发育、社会基础和政府治理构成的宏观环境密切关联。     

产业扶贫为什么容易失败？——基于贫困户增能的结构性困境分析

当前对产业扶贫失败的原因分析主要从结构主义视角出发,侧重于分析外在因素对产业扶贫的影响和制约,而较少从建构主义角度考虑贫困户的主体性。从结构主义建构论出发,将贫困户的主体性因素和外在的结构性因素置于解释产业扶贫成败的理论框架,并借用阿玛蒂亚·森的“可行能力”作为贫困户主体性的核心内容,外在结构性因素包括产业的市场逻辑主导和政府的行政逻辑主导。研究结果认为：产业扶贫的核心目的是要培养贫困户的自我发展能力,产业的市场逻辑和政府的行政逻辑作为约束产业扶贫的外在结构性因素,不利于贫困户的自我发展能力提升,从而造成产业扶贫的效果偏离预期目标。