The effect of paid maternity leave on low-income families' welfare use in the US

Despite the critical role that paid maternity leave can assume in the economic lives of low-income families, research to date has paid insufficient attention to whether paid maternity leave reduces welfare use for low-income families. Using the Current Population Survey (CPS) March Supplement 2007–2014 with the difference-in-difference (DiD) technique, this study finds a significant policy effect of paid maternity leave on reducing the probability of using Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), TANF benefit amounts and TANF participation length. This study confirms that paid maternity leave is likely to prevent low-income families from using welfare during job interruptions stemming from the birth of a child. Given that TANF is often associated with negative political and social connotations, paid maternity leave can be used as an important social policy to improve economic security as well as offer empowerment in overall social standing for low-income mothers. The discussion focuses on the implications of the findings in a broader context of American welfare states.     

Determinants of social assistance caseloads for employable single adults without dependants in Canada

Government officials like the idea of just a small number of households in their respective jurisdiction receiving social assistance. A large number is seen as costly to the public treasury, and declining caseloads are generally viewed as a mark of success for both the economy and the government of the day. But what factors account for the size of a Canadian province's social assistance caseload? This article aims to shed light on this question, with a focus on single adults without dependants (and without serious disabilities) during the 1989–2017 period. One important finding is that when the value of social assistance benefit levels for this group increases by 1% in a province, the social assistance caseload for this demographic rises by 0.457%. Put differently, there is indeed an important behavior response associated with higher benefit levels. In response, we propose that provincial officials budget for higher take up levels when they increase benefit levels for this household group.     

The 2015 welfare reform of the National Basic Livelihood Security System in South Korea: Effects on economic outcomes

In July 2015, South Korea’s National Basic Livelihood Security System (NBLSS) was reformed for the purposes of eliminating welfare blind spots and reducing poverty. The reform is expected to affect the recipients’ economic behaviours and choices. In this study, we used changes in benefits and eligibility for the NBLSS under the customised benefit system to identify the effects of the change in the NBLSS on a proposed set of economic outcomes – income, labour supply, consumption, savings, poverty reduction. To estimate the effects, we used data from the 10th–12th waves of the Korea Welfare Panel Study and employed a difference‐in‐differences framework integrated with the propensity scores. We found that the NBLSS helps the poor to reduce financial and material hardships through income and consumption increments, but that it does not provide disincentives to the recipients from participating in the labour market or from saving.     

民事诉讼代理视野下的“草根律师”制度——以成都地区为例

民事诉讼代理制度作为现代民事诉讼制度中的一项重要制度,是法律面前人人平等原则的重要体现和保障。但是在我国农村劳动力向城镇转移、劳动纠纷增多的时代背景下,我国民事诉讼代理制度日益暴露出一系列的问题。课题组通过大量的实证调研,拟从民事诉讼代理制度的基础理论出发,结合我国目前农民工维权的实际,在理论上初步构建“来自于农民工,服务于农民工”的“草根律师”制度,解决有关农民工劳动纠纷案件中的诉讼代理难的相关问题。     

“资助”与“育人”：助学指导工作的必然选择

笔者针对目前高校资助工作中的“依赖现象”、“信用缺失问题”、“贫困生的心理问题”等,分析了高校对贫困生“资助”与“育人”相结合的必要性,结合助学指导工作实践提出了四点措施：（1）国家助学贷款工作与信用教育相结合;（2）无偿资助与感恩教育、回报社会活动相结合;（3）勤工助学与能力培养相结合;（4）针对性活动与心理教育、思想教育相结合。     

引入“发展”维度 完善农村社会救助——基于资产建设的视角

当前农村减贫效果有限,原因之一在于农村社会救助以收入维持为主要目标,缺乏"发展"维度。救助对象局限在绝对贫困人口,未能满足边缘贫困人群和有劳动力贫困人口的"发展"需求。资产社会政策主张减贫策略并非简单地直接增加穷人的收入,而是要帮助穷人进行资产积累与投资。通过资产建设,可为穷人提供可持续生计,提升其人力资本和社会资本,降低其脆弱性,增强抵御风险和发展的能力。因此,帮助穷人建立、积累个人资产和社区资产,可促进个人、家庭和社区发展,推动农村社会救助的完善。     

特殊情况下弱势群体住房问题的法律救失与出入机制

特殊情况是弱势群体的特殊情况,弱势群体是特殊情况的弱势群体,这两个概念之间往往难解难分,"结伴"而行。住房问题既是弱势群体非常现实而重要的问题,也是构建社会主义和谐社会的题中应有之意。鉴于此,本文在对弱势群体的住房问题成因分析的基础上,拟从法律救失,尤其是出入机制及其相关法律法规和政策的建立与完善的方面予以探讨。     

弱势群体公法保护视野下的社会帮扶问题

弱势群体保护问题是当今社会,尤其是公法学界所面临的严峻课题。为了有效应对这一问题,应采用比较研究、实证研究、文献研究的方法,在继续完善传统公法意义上的相关保障性制度的基础上,积极构建弱势群体的社会帮扶制度。弱势群体的社会帮扶制度一方面以服务行政理论为理论依据,要求弱势群体保护由当下的“政治负责”向“社会负责”过渡;另一方面,社会帮扶制度又以公共服务理论为理论支撑,要求政府由高权强制型向怀柔服务型转变。在实践中,弱势群体的社会帮扶制度应遵循政府与社会“两条腿走路”的基本逻辑,而该制度的构建应秉承若干基本思路：破除观念束缚,培育和构建公民社会;丰富社会主体形式,弥补行政保障不足;完善其他社会帮扶途径。     

The potential of a couples approach to employment assistance: results of a nonexperimental evaluation

We present findings from a nonexperimental evaluation of an employment program in which both partners in young, low-income, primarily African-American couples simultaneously participated. Mothers participating in the couples program had larger immediate gains in employment and earnings and decreases in TANF receipt following their exit from the program relative to mothers who received employment assistance as individuals. Fathers showed similar although weaker results. These immediate benefits appeared to be driven by higher rates of program completion among couples’ participants. Couples in which both partners completed the program experienced the largest quarterly earnings gains, and couples with greater earnings’ gains were more likely to still be together one year after the program ended. Mothers’ earnings gains eroded in the two years following program completion and many reported new pregnancies and problems with child care. We suggest directions for future programs and encourage future studies to consider the range of mechanisms associated with a couples focus, including potential motivational benefits and unintended consequences.

中国传统社会救济与城市贫困人口社会救助理念建设

中国传统社会救济是现代社会救助不可回避的历史基础 ,其救济思想源于道义性。城市居民社会救助制度是对传统社会救济的根本性改革 ,其基本原则与传统社会救济截然不同 ,即强调社会救助中政府的法定责任、公民的法定权利和对应义务的统一。然而 ,传统社会救济思想以其强大的惯性力量影响着现代社会救助理念建设 ,使其表现出一定的滞后性 ,主要为 :对政府责任和公民权利强调不够 ;对民众社会救助义务宣传不力。理念建设的滞后使部分民众和工作人员对社会救助认识模糊、混乱 ,阻碍了社会救助制度健康发展。