Assistance Policy Research Articles

Social workers in the management of the Social Assistance Policy in Pará: from gender to genesis

Resumo: Nas práticas de gestoras de secretarias municipais da Política de Assistência Social com formação em Serviço Social, observam-se dimensões de sexo, profissão e Política Social. O artigo objetiva analisar ações dessas secretarias no estado do Pará, considerando experiências de assistentes sociais gestoras no período de 1997-2020. Apesar das mudanças nessa Política e nas diretrizes formativas do Serviço Social, a atuação profissional permanece calcada nas contradições da Seguridade Social Brasileira.

Who is most at risk of losing out from low-carbon transition in the food and transport sectors in Sweden? Equity considerations from a consumption perspective

The low-carbon transition requires policies and behaviour changes that affect people's consumption habits. However, the impacts of the transition are likely to be experienced unevenly by consumers. Failing to account for these differences puts at risk the prospects of a just transition. This paper investigates the demand-side aspects of a just low-carbon transition, with a focus on the transport and food sectors in Sweden. It combines footprint analysis and sociodemographic and geographic analysis with an assessment of the distributional impacts of low-carbon transition policies from the perspectives of wealth, access, and health. The study finds variations in carbon footprint categories between those with higher or lower income and living in higher or lower density areas. It also finds varying degrees of ability to cope with the required shifts in the food and transport sectors. About 40 % of the Swedish population appears to be at higher risk from the adverse impacts on wealth and access related to policies aiming at low-carbon transition, because this cohort depends heavily on cars and is less able to cope with the increased price of carbon-intensive goods that these policies are expected to entail. The study also finds that, collectively, those most at risk of losing are responsible for 41 % of consumption-based emissions. The paper goes on to discuss implications for low-carbon transition policy measures and transitional assistance policy. Overall, it highlights the need for targeted, well-planned policies for emissions reductions and transitional assistance to support a fair low-carbon transition for all.

El desafío de la permanencia estudiantil en el contexto de la acción afirmativa: el caso de la Universidad Federal de Bahía

This article analyzes student permanence in the context of affirmative action in higher education, based on the case of Federal University of Bahia. The permanence of students in higher education is an absent theme in the field of research on affirmative action in Brazil. Permanence policy, regarding to student assistance, gained relevance in parallel to the establishment of affirmative action policies in public universities and, in particular, after the enactment of Law 12.711 (BRASIL, 2012). The research was based on documental analysis of actions and programs of the federal government of the national policy of student assistance and UFBA’s institutional documents. Starting with a brief contextualization of affirmative action in Brazil and the emergence of student assistance policies, the research is dedicated to analyzing the case of the Federal University of Bahia, highlighting the institution's affirmative action program and student assistance policies, as well as the students’ socioeconomic profiles. Among the research results, the dimensioning of the impacts of the permanence policy stands out in order to measure the impacts of the permanence policy, therefore contributing to the debate about the importance of student permanence for promotion of social justice.

The feelings of living in poverty and depending on social assistance: An exploratory study on gender differences in Dibao families in China

Little is known about the differences in feelings of poverty and social assistance receipt among the different genders of heads of Chinese Dibao families. This article makes a preliminary analysis of the feelings of Chinese female heads of Dibao families about living in poverty and depending on social assistance and compares them with those of male heads. It finds that there are gender differences in the experiences between the female and male heads of Dibao families in China. The article argues that social assistance policies should be constructed or correspondingly adjusted in a targeted manner to become gender-sensitive.

A feminist climate policy? Examining Canada’s climate commitments

ABSTRACT The Canadian government recently oriented its foreign policy in a ‘feminist’ direction, including the launch of Canada’s Feminist International Assistance Policy (FIAP). At the same time, the Trudeau government has also reoriented Canada’s efforts to address climate change, ratifying the Paris Agreement in 2016. This article reviews Canada’s Paris Agreement commitments, formalized in Canada’s Nationally Determined Contributions and National Communications, through the lens of feminist analysis. While Canada has made significant efforts to mainstream gender into its climate commitments, these commitments emphasize a focus on women in the Global South and the reinforcement of common assumptions about women, climate change and development. In doing so, Canada’s efforts to integrate gender into its global climate commitments overlook the realities of gender and climate change in the Global North, as well as areas in which feminist analysis is needed, specifically in technological development and strategies to mitigate climate change.

The impact of COVID-19 on the employment status and psychological expectations of college graduates: Empirical evidence from the survey data of Chinese recruitment websites.

Based on the big data and survey data of online recruitment platform, this paper empirically tests the impact of COVID-19 on the employment status and psychological expectations of college graduates. The results show that: under the impact of COVID-19 epidemic, both supply and demand sides of college graduates' employment market are affected, such as the decline of recruitment demand, the rise of the employment supply, and the obvious decrease of employment market prosperity. The impacts of COVID-19 epidemic on college graduates' employment status and psychological expectation in different cities are heterogeneous. In the short term, the epidemic has a negative impact on the employment of graduates, but the employment situation is gradually improving with the support of national policies. Under the influence of COVID-19 epidemic, graduates will change their employment location and expected salary, and they tend to choose "temporary non-employment," and their proportions of getting offers and signing contracts are significantly reduced. This paper suggests: Firstly, we should continue to push forward the action plan of "expanding jobs in graduation season to promote employment," and strengthen the persistence and permanence of employment promotion policies for college graduates; Secondly, encourage college students to change their employment concept and rationally adjust their employment expectations; Thirdly, to promote the development of flexible employment of college graduates, it is necessary to strengthen the propaganda of flexible employment, so that students can understand relevant policies; Fourthly, strengthen employment guidance services for graduates from poor families to ensure the continuity and stability of employment assistance policies.

Analysis of the benefits of social assistance policy for victims of natural disasters

Indonesia, which consists of a group of islands, has a very high potential for natural disasters and has an impact on victims, even causing fatalities. The social assistance program is aimed at victims of natural disasters at the stage of prevention and control as well as post-disaster recovery. This study aims to (1) examine the effectiveness of social assistance for victims of natural disasters in terms of timeliness, targets, and handling, and (2) examine factors that support and hinder social assistance for victims of natural disasters. This research used mixed methods and was conducted in 10 disaster-prone locations, namely in Karo, Pidie Jaya, Karang Asem, North Lombok, Kapuas, Pacitan, Pandeglang, Palu, Garut, and Banjarnegara districts. Each location involved 60 respondents who were determined by cluster random sampling technique. Data collection techniques used questionnaires, interviews, FGDs, and documentation studies. Quantitatively the data were analyzed using Wilcoxon Sign Ranks and qualitatively using SWOT. The results showed that social assistance for disaster victims was on time, on target, and appropriate in handling and use. Recommendations for the elderly and people with disabilities to pay more attention, especially at the stage of disaster evacuation.

The UK's Free School Meals policy during the pandemic: a thematic content analysis of policy documents and debates

BackgroundA Free School Meals (FSM) policy is a well recognised intervention for tackling food insecurity among children (up to the age 18 years) whose parents receive state benefits. National school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the need to rapidly adapt the delivery of FSM to protect the most disadvantaged children in the UK from increased food insecurity. A range of food assistance policies were implemented, but whether they were evidence-based is unclear. The aim of study was to establish the transparency of evidence use behind FSM policy decisions in the UK during the COVID-19 pandemic and to identify other factors influencing decision making. MethodsWe used thematic content analysis to analyse publicly available policy documents and parliamentary debate transcripts relating to FSM published in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK (March, 2020, to March, 2021). This period covered the first national school closures (March, 2020, to July, 2020), all school holidays, and the second national school closures (January, 2021, to March, 2021). The evidence transparency framework was used to evaluate transparency of evidence-use in policy decisions. FindingsWe analysed 50 documents and debates. Overall transparency of evidence-use was low, but more evident for the Holiday Activities and Food programme than for the FSM programme. Replacing FSM with food parcels was favoured by the UK Government over more agentic modes of food assistance, such as cash vouchers. This preference seemingly aligned with politicians' ideological views on the welfare state, influenced by social media, as assessed from the analysis of available policy documents and parliamentary debate transcripts. Other influences on decision making included policy delivery and responding to increased public attention. InterpretationEvidence use behind the deployment of FSM was not transparent. Overall, value-based reasoning took precedent over evidence and was polarised by social media. A comprehensive review of the FSM policy in this period could increase understanding and the likelihood that future food assistance policy is evidence-based. The lessons must be incorporated into a future pandemic plan that prioritises protecting low-income families from food insecurity. FundingNewton's Apple (registered charity number 1121719). The authors are funded by the UK National Institute for Health and Care Research's School for Public Health Research. The views expressed herein are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the National Institute for Health and Care Research or the UK Department of Health and Social Care.

Feminist International Assistance Policy Kanada: Studi Kasus Bantuan CFLI untuk Jakarta Feminist 2017–2021

This article aims to analyze the assistance provided by the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives to the Jakarta Feminist in the 2017-2021 period as one of the proofs that Canada's Feminist International Assistance Policy has so far been running smoothly. In addition, this article also aims to correct the misunderstandings of foreign policy observers regarding FIAP as a feminist foreign policy. FIAP has so far only used elements of Liberal Feminism as a lens of observation to focus on their foreign aid agenda to achieve a safe, inclusive, and prosperous world development. Therefore, this article argues that FIAP does contain elements of Feminism but focuses more on assisting non-profit organizations in developing countries, one of which is Indonesia. By using a descriptive qualitative research method that processes primary and secondary data from personal interviews and literature review, this article finds that CFLI, under the auspices of FIAP, has been successful in assisting the Jakarta Feminist in 2017-2021 and has also managed to reveal that FIAP is not a feminist foreign policy. FIAP oversees several foreign aid programs initiated by Canada for developing countries, one of which is CFLI.

이동 보조기기를 이용하는 신체장애인의 삶의 만족도에 미치는 영향 : 심리적 요인과 환경적 요인을 중심으로

Objective : This study aims to analyze the effects of psychological and environmental factors on the use of mobility assistive devices on life satisfaction for the physically disabled. Methods : The general characteristics of the physically disabled people were cross-analyzed with descriptive statistics, and an independent sample t-test was performed for comparison between groups according to whether or not the physically disabled people used mobility assistive devices. Pearson correlation analysis was conducted to analyze the correlation between life satisfaction and disability acceptance, depression, self-esteem, activity restriction, residential environment, and dependence on daily life of physically disabled people. Multiple regression analysis was performed to analyze the factors affecting the life satisfaction of physically disabled people using mobility assistive devices. In addition, the percentage of satisfaction with the mobility assistive devices currently in use is presented as a graph. Results : Significant differences were confirmed in psychological factors, environmental factors, and life satisfaction in the comparison of the two groups according to the use of mobility assistive devices. Life satisfaction of the physically disabled people was positively correlated with disability acceptance, self-esteem, and residential environment(p<.01), and negatively correlated with depression, activity restriction, and dependence on daily life(p<.01). Factors affecting the life satisfaction of the physically disabled people using mobility assistive devices were age(ß=-.122, p<.001), disability acceptance(ß=.263, p<.001), and depression(ß=-.288, p<.001), activity restriction(ß=-.181, p<.001), and residential environment(ß=.102, p<.01) were analyzed. Conclusions : In order to increase the life satisfaction of people with low physical function who use mobility assistive devices, policy support and assistive technology services for psychological and environmental factors should be provided.

Does student aid make a degree more likely? Evidence of the permanence scholarship program from survival models

The Permanence Scholarship Program (PSP) is one of the main Brazilian student assistance policies, aiming to prevent low-income students from dropping out of higher education, by providing them with financial aid. This article analyzes the effects of PSP for students from private higher education institutions on the time of completion and rate of degree obtention. Survival analysis associated with propensity score matching was used, based on data from the higher education census between 2010 and 2017. Students included in the program, from the 4th year onwards, are at lower risk of evasion, have greater probability of graduation, and complete the studies in less time than those not in the program, even if it does not happen within the regulatory deadline. Academic scholarship holders, older and female students are more likely to complete the course. Therefore, the PSP fulfills its role in reducing dropout and time to graduation.

Kebijakan Luar Negeri Indonesia Era Presiden Jokowi Dalam Penyelesaian Krisis Kemanusiaan Di Rohingya Tahun 2014-2019

This thesis aims to analyze Indonesia's foreign policy in the era of President Jokowi in resolving the humanitarian crisis in the Rohingya from 2014 to 2019. This research is based on the ethnic conflict that occurred in Myanmar, namely between the Rohingya ethnicity who is predominantly Muslim and the Rakhine ethnic Buddhist. does not recognize the population of the Rohingya minority living in Rakhine as citizens of Myanmar because they do not have a clear identity and are considered refugees. This problem has been going on for years because the problem is very complex. This research was written using qualitative descriptive writing techniques, and the data obtained were not directly from the object of the field research. Researchers get data from existing literature such as books, journals, articles, news. By using the perspective of Kegley and Wittkopf that in making foreign policy using the rational choice model, there are four steps that must be followed by policy makers, namely Problem Recognition and Definition, Goal Selection, Identification of Alternatives, and Choice. The result of this research is that the Government of Indonesia takes a decision which considers the costs and benefits of the national interest. In the end, Indonesia adopted a policy of providing humanitarian assistance, a policy of assistance to refugees, a policy of carrying out Indonesia's bilateral diplomacy towards Myanmar.

Effects of social assistance on self-rated health.

Based on the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) data in 2018, medical assistance and life assistance have significant negative influences on self-rated health, found via an empirical analysis based on the Oprobit model. Such negative influences are robust based on the substitution of explained variables and propensity score matching. It can be found from a heterogeneity analysis that the negative influences of medical assistance on self-rated health are more significant in urban residents and residents in Central China and East China. Meanwhile, negative influences of life assistance on self-rated health are more significant in urban residents, and residents in Central China, East China, and Northeast China. This study provides empirical evidence to improve the health of residents by using medical assistance and life assistance accurately and offers important policy enlightenments to formulate appropriate social assistance policies.

The Official Development Assistance Policy of the European Union in the Post-Soviet Space: Geopolitical Factors

The structure, priorities, conceptual framework, methods, and resources of EU policies in the Official Development Assistance (ODA) program are considered. Research shows that the EU funding of ODA programs for the post-Soviet space hiked fourfold between 2010 and 2020. The share of funding for Central Asian states decreased substantially compared to the Western part of the post-Soviet space against the background of confrontation with Russia, as well as due to presidential elections in Belarus. This paper argues that this redistribution is caused by geopolitical factors of EU policy. A conclusion is drawn that the recent declarations by the EU leadership about strengthening the “hard” power and the “geopolitical” agenda are not new and reflect long-term trends in EU foreign policy. Thus, a significant share of ODA funds is traditionally allocated to “social infrastructure,” strengthening Brussels’ control over the sociopolitical sphere in target countries of the periphery, aiming to bring them under EU influence in the economy, governance, goal setting, and ideology. This policy serves the interests of the EU, entrenching asymmetrical “metropole–periphery” relations between the EU and target counties.

Sustainable Livelihoods of Boarding House (Indekos) Entrepreneurs in Sleman Regency During the Covid-19 Pandemic

Sleman Regency, known as the Student City, is greatly affected by the mobility restriction policy which results in a gradual emptying process of boarding houses, so there is an urgency for regional studies regarding the impact of the pandemic on the livelihoods of boarding house business actors in Sleman Regency. In addition, there is no latest policy from the regency government to overcome the said impact other than the policy of implementing health protocols. Hence, the study focuses on the living conditions and livelihood strategies of boarding house entrepreneurs who are heavily affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. The paper aimed to look at two points of view, namely the bottom-up approach to see the affected objects related to changes in the livelihood strategies of boarding house entrepreneurs during the Covid-19 pandemic and the response of business actors in dealing with shock due to the pandemic; and the top-down approach to see the parties who have legal authority by conducting a critical study of the policies at the regency level related to boarding house business actors before and during the Covid-19 pandemic. This research found that there were changes in the assets and livelihood strategies of entrepreneurs which varied following the capacity of the boarding house entrepreneur. Whereas based on a top-down point of view; despite the change in social assistance policies in terms of the type of assistance, targets, and the amount of assistance provided before and during the Covid-19 pandemic; there is no social assistance that is directed specifically to boarding house business actors.

Signposts Signify Troubled Waters Ahead for Taiwan-U.S. Relations

The issue of Taiwan's independence and protection is reminiscent of Poland’s position in the late 1930s, facing unbridled aggression from Nazi Germany. Great Britain and France promised to declare war if Germany attacked Poland. However, after Germany attacked Poland on September 1, 1939, neither Great Britain nor France deployed troops to Polish soil to rebuff the attack and restore Poland’s sovereignty. The promise of assistance was an empty promise that the Polish people paid dearly. History teaches us that an ambiguous assistance policy will not stop naked aggression. A firmer stance and a more transparent approach are warranted from a diplomatic standpoint. This article is an essay that sets forth and supports the premise that the United States should clarify and strengthen its position of support for Taiwanese independence.&#x0D; &#x0D; Preprint (November 18, 2021). Available at SSRN: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3939120

Policy feedback via economic behavior: A model and experimental analysis of consumption behavior

AbstractThis article examines policy feedback via economic behavior in the mass public, with a focus on consumption behavior. Do public policies affect the consumption behavior of mass publics and subsequent policymaking processes and outcomes? If so, how? I introduce a policy feedback model of consumption behavior in the mass public. Within this model, I advance a theoretical argument on the consequences of targeted cash assistance policies (TCAPs) for consumer spending behavior and government provision of basic utilities in developing countries. Using a randomized field experiment in Mexico and pre–post analysis, I find that TCAPs boost consumer spending on private access to basic utilities in the short term and reduce government provision of basic utilities in the medium term. The study pushes policy feedback theorists to think beyond the arena of mass politics, and the findings have important implications for social policy and human development in developing countries.

IMPLEMENTASI KEBIJAKAN BANTUAN PANGAN NON-TUNAI (BPNT) DI DESA RANTAU JAYA UDIK KECAMATAN SUKADANA KABUPATEN LAMPUNG TIMUR

Since now, the handling of poverty in Indonesia is still being pursued with various strategies for handling it. One of them is the issuance of the Non-Cash Food Assistance (BPNT) policy which is based on the Presidential Regulation of the Republic of Indonesia Number 63 of 2017 concerning the Distribution of Non-Cash Aid. However, in its implementation, there are still many problems such as recipients of aid who are not on target, such as the case that occurred in Rantau Jaya Udik Village, Sukadana District. From a total of 221 Beneficiary Families (KPM), there are 39 data that are not on target. The purpose of this study was to analyze how the implementation of BPNT distribution in Rantau Jaya Udik Village, Sukadana District, East Lampung Regency. This study uses a descriptive method with a qualitative approach. The results of this study indicate that the implementation of BPNT distribution in Rantau Jaya Udik Village has not run well, this can be seen from the characteristics of the problem, it can be seen that there are invalid beneficiary data obtained from the Integrated Data on Social Welfare of the Ministry of Social Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia, namely 39 Beneficiary Families. In implementing this policy, the contents of this policy are clearly contained in the Regulation of the Minister of Social Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia Number 20 of 2019 concerning the Distribution of Non-Cash Food Aid and support from the implementers and the community for this program. In terms of the environment, social, community economy and the level of technological progress of the community, it is quite low as seen from many KPMs who still do not understand in using the Prosperous Family Card.

Evidence use in the UK’s COVID-19 free school meals policy: a thematic content analysis

Free school meals (FSM) are a well-recognized intervention for tackling food insecurity among school children. National school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic meant that there was a need to rapidly adapt the delivery of FSM. A range of food-assistance policies were implemented, but it is not clear if they were evidence-based. This study aimed to determine the transparency of evidence use and identify other competing influences in the UK’s FSM policy decisions. Thematic content analysis was used to review 50 publicly available policy documents and debate transcripts on FSM policy published between March 2020 and 2021. This period covered the first national school closures (March 2020–July 2020), school holidays, and the second national school closures (January 2021–March 2021). The Evidence Transparency Framework (ETF) was used to assess the transparency of evidence use in policy documents. We found that overall transparency of evidence use was poor but was better for the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) program. The Government showed preference for replacing FSM with food parcels, rather than more agentic modes of food assistance, such as cash-vouchers. This preference appeared to be closely aligned with ideological views on the welfare state. With an absence of evidence, value-based reasoning took precedent and was polarized by social media. This article highlights the need for a formal review into FSM, one which includes a comparison of low and high agentic food assistance policies. Such a review would address the evidence gap, improve food assistance policy, and aid policymakers in future periods of uncertainty.

Health Inequalities in the Elderly with Different Socioeconomic Status in China

This study aims to examine socioeconomic inequalities in health status and health service of the elderly in China to provide basis for health promotion. The data of China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHRLS) in the year 2015 was used. Adults aged 60 and over (n=8001) were included in the analytic sample. Socioeconomic status (SES) of the elderly was assessed by annual per capita consumption expenditure, education, and regional and rural/ urban status. Health status was measured by self-rated health, activities of daily living (ADL), the prevalence rate of chronic diseases and the 1-month prevalence rate; while health service was measured by the utilization of both outpatient service and inpatient service. Overall, the elderly with higher economic level had better health status and higher ADL disability rate, but lower prevalence rate of chronic diseases, 1-month outpatient visit rate and annual hospitalization rate. The elderly with lower education level had higher self-rated "poor" health, ADL disability rate, 1-month prevalence rate and 1-month non-visit rate. The elderly in eastern region or urban areas had better health status than those in central and western regions or rural areas. However, for health service utilization, the elderly in western region used both outpatient and inpatient services more frequently. The rural elderly had higher 1-month outpatient visit rate, while the urban elderly had higher annual hospitalization rate. Socioeconomic inequalities in health existed in Chinese elderly. To promote health equity among the elderly, the government should improve health insurance and medical assistance policies, optimize health resources allocation, and narrow economic gaps between western and eastern regions, and between rural and urban areas.