The role of empathy in training social work students in motivational interviewing

Motivational interviewing (MI), an evidence-based approach with empathy as a key principle, effectively addresses client concerns found in the child welfare population. Training social workers in MI, and to be empathic, would increase the likelihood of better service delivery. Live supervision (LS) is a form of training that provides real-time feedback by clinical supervisors. This randomized comparison trial compared the effectiveness of LS or Teaching as Usual (TAU) on empathy in 54 MSW and BSW social work students. TAU involved students receiving online modules and assigned readings. Data were collected at baseline, after the interventions, and at five months follow-up. Differences in perceived empathy and empathic behaviors were measured by the Motivational Interviewing Treatment Integrity (MITI) and Toronto Empathy Questionnaire (TEQ). The study also assessed whether demographic variables or perceived empathy (TEQ) predicted empathic behaviors (MITI). Results indicate that, while both groups improved on empathy as measured by the MITI and TEQ, the LS group demonstrated more improvement. Demographic variables had no impact on empathy. The TEQ and MITI also did not demonstrate predictability suggesting the complexity of measuring empathy. The implications for social work education and future training are discussed.     

Domesticating insurance,financializing family lives: the case of private health insurance for children in Finland

This article explores the domestication of a financial instrument that is much used in contemporary Finland, but that most of its users do not primarily think about in terms of being a financial instrument: the private health insurance for children. In Finland, all children are covered by social insurance and are entitled to free public health service with very low costs, if any. Yet, some 40 percent of families want to supplement this service with private products. Many fear that the popularity of the private health insurance for children contributes to a vicious circle that ends up weakening the legitimacy of, and the service given by, the public health sector; inequality in the face of health risks threatens to be aggravated, as well. Therefore, this financial instrument has become an object of political controversy. The main question of the article is: how do economic, political and moral valuations become intertwined in the domestication of insurance? The concept of ‘domestication’ is found helpful for analysing the pragmatics of valuation and for appreciating the dynamics and the heterogeneity of forces at play when financialization influences everyday life. The study argues that when financial instruments are appropriated they are also transformed; thus, they should not be viewed as homogeneous tools that have similar effects in all contexts of use. The main empirical materials studied are interviews with families with and without private health insurance policies for their children.     

Disability and employment policy in the Israeli welfare state: between exclusion and inclusion

Based on the social model(s) of disability, this article seeks to analyse the historical development of Israeli employment policy toward disabled people during the first decade and a half of its existence (1948–1965). Findings from primary and secondary sources suggest that throughout this period disabled people, mainly immigrants, found themselves at the lowest echelons of Israeli society and the labour market. Furthermore, the Israeli welfare state offers an interesting case study of the gap between a welfare state’s stated adherence to social justice and the more limited, and even contradictory, outcomes of its policies. Our discussion suggests that a valuable way of reframing our findings can be found in the critique of de-commodification as an inadequate concept and in the use of related concepts such as re-commodification and quasi-commodification.     

发达国家和地区弱势群体福利照顾模式及其对我国的启示

在界定弱势群体福利照顾模式的基础上,归纳出发达国家和地区弱势群体福利照顾的四大特征:完善的社会保障制度是弱势群体福利供给的基础;社区照顾是弱势群体福利供给的依托;非营利组织是弱势群体福利照顾的主力;自助取向成为弱势群体福利供给的目标。与其相对比,目前我国弱势群体福利照顾体系社会保障制度尚不健全,社区服务和非营利组织参与刚刚起步,自助取向尚不明显,笔者据此提出相关建议。     

当前社会福利依赖与反福利依赖的社会工作介入研究

福利依赖一直是经济发达的西方福利国家面临并竭力解决的问题。然而在经济欠发达的中国大陆,城市最低生活保障制度已经成为一种福利依赖问题,并开始影响社会公平和效率。文章分析福利依赖的成因,论证社会工作介入反福利依赖的必要性和可能性,探讨和研究社会工作的发展及介入反福利依赖、帮助福利依赖者提高自助能力并回归主流社会的理论与微观手法,努力促进提高社会福利的使用效果,增进经济与社会和谐发展。     

论民生的经济法诉求

民生作为"人民的生计"直观表达,其本身已成为一种基本的法律价值,是法治应有之义。作为独立法律部门的经济法,产生自国家立法干预自由市场经济时对社会整体利益的考量,是近代法向现代法演进过程的产物,是法律社会化的表征。经济法作为关怀和保护经济行为中处于弱势地位的各种群体、实现社会整体利益的基本法律部门,其产生和发展与民生诉求之间存在天然的联系,民生的保障需要经济法理念的发展和经济法制度的支撑,民生对经济法提出诉求指引着经济法部门的发展和完善。     

论周作人儿童文学观的现代价值

五四时期,周作人倡导的以"儿童为本位"的儿童观,发现并强调了儿童作为生命主体的独特的心理世界和精神需求特征,为中国儿童文学的现代自觉提供了观念上的巨大推动力。新时期以来,当代中国儿童文学的中心任务是建设与发展,人们最为关心的是儿童文学在促进儿童生理、心理健康发展,推动儿童向理想人格健全发展等方面的作用,强调儿童文学的审美性与娱乐性价值,这与周作人的儿童文学观可谓是不谋而合,从而又凸显出周作人的儿童文学理论体系的独创性文化价值。     

外商直接投资、市场集中与福利效应分析——以我国零售产业为例

在全球经济一体化的背景下,产业资本的跨国流动呈现日益加速的趋势。实证研究显示:外商直接投资与发展中东道国目标产业市场集中度之间存在着明显的正相关关系。成本非对称的古诺竞争均衡表明:跨国公司的成本优势使其产量和市场份额相对较大,市场份额的扩大使其价格偏离帕累托最优水平的程度越大即市场势力增强,造成的社会福利损失也越大。以此为理论基础,对跨国公司进入下我国零售产业的市场集中效应进行了实证检验。     

农村非农产业群体的社会保障制度初探

目前我国农村非农产业群体规模庞大 ,随着我国城市化和工业化进程不断向纵深推进 ,迫切需要为这部分人建立相应的社会保障制度。本文分析了在我国当前构筑农村非农产业群体的社会保障制度的必要性 ,并提出相应的构想 :分类分层建立农村非农产业群体的社会保障制度 ;创造性地拓展资金渠道 ,解决社会保障资金乏力问题。