Hybridization in China's elder care service provision

Although the party‐state has embarked on a mission to increase elder care services, evaluating this development according to different sectors demonstrates certain challenges. Official statistics do not include sector‐specific information, and while provider websites suggest that elder care services are largely in public hands, Chinese experts argue that they are mostly “civilian‐run.” How can we explain these discrepancies in data on Chinese elder care? Drawing on the concept of hybridization and triangulating quantitative and qualitative data, I argue that the party‐state's efforts to “socialize” elder care provision has resulted in hybridization within the industry which blurs the line between care providers and obfuscates the stark role of the state in elder care service provision. During the implementation of state‐initiated hybridization, providers misclassify their ownership type to benefit from financial incentives or circumvent political control, resulting in even greater hybridization and fragmentation on the ground.     

Judging parental competence: A cross‐country analysis of judicial decision makers' written assessment of mothers' parenting capacities in newborn removal cases

This paper examines the discretionary reasoning of the judiciary in three jurisdictions, England, Germany and Norway, in cases deciding whether a newborn child is safe with her parents or intervention is necessary. Our analysis focuses on one specific dimension of decision makers' exercise of discretion, namely, if and how the strengths and weaknesses of the mother are considered. The data material consists of all decisions concerning care orders of newborns from one large city in Germany from 2015 to 2017 (n = 27) and 2016 in Norway (n = 76) and all publicly available newborn removal decisions in England for 2015–2017 (n = 14). The findings reveal a high number of risk factors in the cases and less focus on risk‐reducing factors. The situation of the newborn is considered to be harmful, as most cases result in a care order. Judicial discretion differs by how much information, and what types of factors, are included in the justification for the decision. A learning point for decision makers and policymakers would be to actively undertake a balancing act between risk‐increasing and risk‐reducing factors.     

Negotiating deficiency: Exploring ethnic minority parents' narratives about encountering child welfare services in Norway

Evaluating the participatory opportunities for service users within social welfare institutions is a pressing issue. In this article, we explore a group of ethnic minority parents' experiences with child welfare services (CWS) in Norway. A strong narrative theme was deficiency positioning—how lacking a Norwegian normative set of knowledge and skills challenged the parents' opportunities to participate. We analysed how deficiency positioning was perceived, negotiated, and contested in the parents' accounts, and 4 themes emerged: (a) learning to parent, (b) contesting expert knowledge, (c) learning to be a client, and (d) constructing CWS deficiency. Nancy Fraser's concept of “participatory parity” was applied to explore how current institutional structures may enable and limit parents' participation. The analysis provides insight into agencies and informants' sense‐making processes as well as the diverse resources and strategies that parents draw upon in the CWS encounter. Furthermore, we argue that an interplay between a strong focus on “parenting skills” and bureaucratic and economic structures positions ethnic minority parents as deficient, thus providing powerful mechanisms for marginalization. Implications for case work and institutional levels are discussed.     

Improving outcomes for children in out‐of‐home care: the role of therapeutic foster care

How best to support children and young people in foster care remains a challenge for child welfare. There has been little Australian research on the outcomes for children and young people placed in therapeutic foster care (TFC). This article aims to address this knowledge gap, presenting the evaluation of a state‐wide model of TFC known as the Circle Program operating in Victoria, Australia. Data sources for the study were case assessment analysis; surveys of foster carers, program workers and other stakeholders in the sector; and both focus groups and individual interviews with foster care workers. The evaluation found that the Circle Program lessened the number of unplanned exits of children from foster placements compared with generalist foster care. Another important finding was that the Circle Program positively influenced foster carers' decisions to stay in the carer role. Key components perceived as contributing to outcomes of the Circle Program included enhanced training of foster carers, intensive carer support, specialist therapeutic support to the child and carer, therapeutic service to family members and a network of services to provide support to the child.     

Parents at‐risk and their children: intersections of gender role attitudes and parenting practices

Existing research demonstrates that parent and child gender may influence important aspects of family relationships; however, most research in this area has been conducted with non‐clinical samples. As clinicians, it is important to consider how gender impacts family relationships, particularly among vulnerable families. This study examined the intersections of gender role attitudes and parenting practices among 34 parents involved with the child welfare system and referred for clinical intervention. Using a mixed methods design, themes regarding gender role beliefs and parenting practices were found through qualitative interviews with parents. Findings suggested that fathers felt responsible for financially providing for their families and expressed challenges in communicating with mothers, and mothers described challenges they face because of a lack of father involvement. Parents also discussed a perceived need to monitor daughters closely while fostering the independence of their sons. Results of the qualitative analyses were supported by quantitative findings indicating significant differences in harsh and inconsistent discipline practices and clear expectations for girls compared to boys. The discussion addresses implications for clinicians, including how a feminist family therapy perspective may help promote client influence over traditional gender norms by questioning gender role attitudes and exploring alternate narratives that may impact family dynamics.     

全球治理运动下的社会保障制度改革

本文以治理理论作为分析框架,从福利国家的改革人手,重点分析了福利国家改革过程中对治理理论的运用,在此基础上,本文结合我国实际情况,提出中国社会保障制度改革应以责任多元为取向,同时为此还进一步梳理了有关政策思路.     

发展与困局：清代律例规制下的孤贫老人福利研究

清代通过律例规定了孤贫老人的福利保障范围,福利的供给方可分为官府衙门、家庭、官方主导的福利组织和民间福利组织四种类型,以＂官—绅—民＂型和＂官—绅＂型两种主要运作方式来保障福利政策的贯彻落实。＂收养孤老＂律例对孤贫老人福利供给有积极影响,但该律例在实施中也面临着理解偏差和执行难的问题,其实施效果不能盲目夸大。     

农民工社会保障问题研究

建立健全农民工社会保障体系关系到我国和谐社会构建的成败。但目前我国农民工社会保障的法制建设落后,社会保险、社会救助和社会福利缺失。要加快农民工社会保障法律制度建设,降低农民工缴纳社会保险费的标准,建立与农民工收入水平联动的缴费标准机制,构建科学的农民工社会保险关系转移制度,加大国家对农民工社会保障建设的资金投入力度。     

《聊斋志异》动物引识仙草母题的佛经文化溯源

某种动物的特殊习性,早引起古人注意。因动物行为启发而得疗病仙草,今存载录当起自刘敬叔《异苑》。而与蒲松龄生活的淄川并不遥远的北方蒙古族地区,约15世纪定型的史诗《江格尔》中也有仙草救助英雄母题。蒲松龄先祖一说就是蒙古族,或许这种仙草崇拜情结还受到蒙古族民间史诗陶铸。母题源头当在西域和印度,佛经"感恩动物、神草可生子、草药精灵母题"和"一切药草树木尽有神"观念,对母题有决定性影响。     

从汇率谜团到汇率决定的社会福利平价

汇率及汇率制度之争的根本在于真实汇率的确定,而众多的汇率理论及实证模型得出的结论难以统一,有的甚至背道而驰。汇率及汇率制度理论发展至今,仍然存在诸多谜团。总结汇率理论及理论、实证汇率模型的根本假设在于购买力平价、利率平价和生产力差异。从汇率形成原理和人类经济发展角度以及东西方文明的最高诉求而言,以其作为汇率及汇率制度理论的基本假设,都不甚合理。社会福利平价是我们提出的一个有关汇率及汇率制度的新的基本假设,在此基础上,可以从一个侧面更好地揭示汇率及汇率制度选择的本质,特别是关于新兴市场经济国家汇率确定及汇率制度选择的依据问题。