Development Of Welfare Policies Research Articles

Research Before Policy: Identifying Gaps in Salmonid Welfare Research That Require Further Study to Inform Evidence-Based Aquaculture Guidelines in Canada.

Aquaculture is a growing industry worldwide and Canadian finfish culture is dominated by marine salmonid farming. In part due to increasing public and stakeholder concerns around fish welfare protection, the first-ever Canadian Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Farmed Salmonids was recently completed, following the National Farm Animal Care Council's (NFACC) rigorous Code development process. During this process, both the Scientific (responsible for reviewing existing literature and producing a peer-reviewed report that informs the Code) and Code Development (a diverse group of stakeholders including aquaculture producers, fish transporters, aquaculture veterinarians, animal welfare advocates, food retailers, government, and researchers) Committees identified research gaps in tandem, as they worked through the literature on salmonid physiology, health, husbandry, and welfare. When those lists are combined with the results of a public “top-of-mind” survey conducted by NFACC, they reveal several overlapping areas of scientific, stakeholder, and public concern where scientific evidence is currently lacking: (1) biodensity; (2) health monitoring and management, with a focus on sea lice infection prevention and management; (3) feed quality and management, particularly whether feed restriction or deprivation has consequences for welfare; (4) enclosure design, especially focused on environmental enrichment provision and lighting design; and (5) slaughter and euthanasia. For each of these five research areas, we provide a brief overview of current research on the topic and outline the specific research gaps present. The final section of this review identifies future research avenues that will help address these research gaps, including using existing paradigms developed by terrestrial animal welfare researchers, developing novel methods for assessing fish welfare, and the validation of new salmonid welfare indices. We conclude that there is no dearth of relevant research to be done in the realm of farmed salmonid welfare that can support crucial evidence-based fish welfare policy development.

Advancing the structure-in-evolution approach: the case of social policy development in Denmark

ABSTRACT The structure-in-evolution approach has been proposed as a unified model of change in policy and institutional systems but heretofore has not been applied empirically. This article provides a first such application through an empirical case study of social policy development in Denmark, a country often referenced as its model environment. The case is constructed around a historical account of the country’s employment and social policies and institutions, and a systematic analysis of sequences and regularities in their evolution. Evolutionary patterns representing the structure and dynamics of change were identified both in the broader context of welfare policy development and at lower levels of abstraction, adding further support to this unified analysis and providing a valuable alternative to the conventional understandings of change in policy.

Utilization of the Canadian Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect in First Nations Child Welfare Agencies in Ontario

The goals of this study are: to examine the awareness and utilization of the Canadian Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect (CIS) and the Ontario Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect (OIS) by First Nations child welfare decision-makers in the child welfare policy development process in the Province of Ontario and; to identify ways of making the CIS/OIS more useful to First Nations decision makers. No previous study has focused on assessing the influence and impact that the CIS/OIS data have on policy development with this specific population.

Whither American Social Work in Its Second Century?

This special issue of Social Service Review acknowledges the 100th anniversary of the inaugural meeting of the National Conference of Social Work in 1917 by inviting scholars to reflect on the state of scholarship, and the profession itself, in the core areas of social work—social welfare policy development and analysis; administration of social services; community organization; and direct practice with individuals, families, and groups. To frame that discussion, this introduction describes the symposium that initiated work on these articles, identifies themes emerging from the special issue, and highlights the need for additional research on the state of the profession.

복지패널자료를 이용한 삶의 만족도 분석과 복지정책 수립방안

복지패널자료를 이용한 삶의 만족도 분석과 복지정책 수립방안

What about the fathers? The presence and absence of the father in social work practice in England, Ireland, Norway, and Sweden—A comparative study

AbstractWithin Northern Europe, gendered roles and responsibilities within the family have been challenged through an emergence of different family forms, increasing cultural diversity, and progressive developments in welfare policies. To varying degrees, welfare policies in different countries support a dual‐earner model and encourage men to be more active as fathers by reinforcing statutory rights and responsibilities. In child welfare practice, there has traditionally been a strong emphasis on the mother as primary carer for the child; the father has been less visible. This paper explores, in four national welfare contexts, how child welfare social workers include fathers in practice decisions. Data were collected using focus group interviews with social workers from England, Ireland, Norway, and Sweden. Similarities and differences emerge in relation to services and the focus of social work assessments. However, overall, the research suggests that despite gains in policy and legislation that promote gender equality, fathers remain largely absent in child welfare practice decisions about the parenting of their children. From the research, we raise questions for social work practice and the development of welfare policies.

The labour movement and welfare policy in Israel, 1948–1977

This article reviews the attitudes of the Israeli labour movement, particularly the position of Mapai, the dominant party in that movement, regarding the development of welfare policy in Israel from the establishment of the state in May 1948 until May 1977, when Labour lost power to the Likud party. The review and discussion focuses on the development of social security ‒ the national insurance system, the welfare services ‒ the provision of assistance to people in need, as well as the personal care services, which are primarily provided by social work professionals.

Striving for Sustainable Development and the Coordinating Role of the Central Government: Lessons from Swedish Housing Policy

Housing plays an important role in the development of welfare policies and also often in achieving sustainability goals. There exists, however, implementation gaps between policies and practices in urban development and housing. Here it should be possible to draw lessons from policy implementations in the past. In this article we explore the strategies of the Swedish central government in implementing a social housing policy in the mid-20th century. The policy was successfully implemented in that it resulted in the rapid expansion and modernisation of the Swedish apartment stock in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and acute housingshortages and poor housing standards were overcome. The main lesson learned from the Swedish case study is the critical role of the central government in implementation throughthe strategic coordination of policy aims, instruments, stakeholders and interests throughout the implementation process. Although the central government could have used hard, almost authoritarian policy instruments to force the realisation of the new policy, it mainly used soft policy tools and focused on coordination. In the contemporary networked governance setting, the central government, like no other player, still has the potential to guide and coordinate implementation processes for the realization of sustainable housing visions.

A law made by Italian mothers for Italian mothers? Women politicians and the 1950 law on maternity rights

The development of welfare policies aimed at mothers and children has been deeply influenced by women’s agency. This article explores the role played by Italian women politicians in the passing of the 1950 law on maternity rights. It examines the campaigns conducted by both left-wing and Catholic women,1 and discusses the arguments and strategies they used to ensure that this gendered issue was on the political agenda. Particular attention is given to the parliamentary history of this legislation. While the law was being debated antagonism between the parties was at its height, and competition between the opposing women’s organisations was fierce. Despite this, at a parliamentary level cross-party collaboration between women politicians was possible on this specific issue and was a crucial factor in the law being passed.

Drivers for animal welfare policies in Africa.

Livestock in Africa represent on average 30% of the agricultural gross domestic product (GDP) and about 10% of the national GDP. Up to 300 million people depend on livestock for their income and livelihood. Accordingly, livestock are considered to be important for the African continent. Despite this, little or no provision for animal welfare is made in the laws and regulations of most African countries. However, the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) Performance of Veterinary Services (PVS) Tool includes animal welfare as a critical competency in Veterinary Services, and most African countries have now conducted PVS appraisals. The development of a Regional Animal Welfare Strategy in Africa is also important because it will provide opportunities for full engagement by all relevant parties. Key elements in this process should include collaboration and coordination in information dissemination to all stakeholders, who should include all those in the value chain. The roles played by the OIE Member Delegates and Focal Points, and non-governmental organisations (NGOs), in driving animal welfare policy in most African countries are notable. Without a level of understanding of animal welfare that is sufficient to support clear animal welfare policy development and implementation, problems may appear in the near future which could jeopardise the attainment of increased animal productivity and product quality. This may have negative implications for economic growth and for national and international trade.

Workers and Welfare: Comparative Institutional Change in Twentieth-Century Mexico. By Michelle L. Dion. Pittsburgh, Pa.: University of Pittsburgh Press, 2010. Pp. xv, 310. Notes. References. Index. $27.95 paper.

Reviewed by: Workers and Welfare: Comparative Institutional Change in Twentieth-Century Mexico by Michelle L. Dion Thomas Rath Workers and Welfare: Comparative Institutional Change in Twentieth-Century Mexico. By Michelle L. Dion. Pittsburgh, Pa.: University of Pittsburgh Press, 2010. Pp. xv, 310. Notes. References. Index. $27.95 paper. This book analyzes the development of welfare policy in Mexico from the 1920s to the present. Until the 1970s, traditional social insurance dominated, as workers, businesses, and the state contributed to workplace pensions, healthcare, and compensation. Social insurance arrived for government workers in the 1920s, but did not reach the private sector until 1943. Afterward, insurance benefits gradually expanded in scale and geographical reach, although the division between private and public sectors persisted. After 1982, the government retrenched social insurance, privatized pensions, and outsourced health care, while noncontributory antipoverty programs of social assistance expanded. The central argument—simple but convincing—is that domestic politics and social conflict best explain these changes: workers demanded social insurance, business opposed it, the government mediated between them, and their strategies were shaped by prior experience of welfare institutions. The book also connects the Mexican case to the theoretical literature on welfare, and concludes with some useful regional comparisons. For all of twentieth-century Mexico’s peculiarities—for example, a massive social revolution and the 71-year rule of the Revolutionary Party—the political dynamics shaping welfare were not so vastly different from other places. [End Page 586] Dion opens a useful window on Mexican politics. While conservative in many respects, Manuel Ávila Camacho carried through plans for private sector social insurance that had earlier been stymied by business opposition. Throughout what is usually seen as the heyday of regime control in the 1950s and 1960s, Dion shows, urban and rural workers did not simply contest or negotiate welfare policy but initiated it. Institutions themselves shaped political conflict. In the 1950s, doctors opposed incorporation into a federal health care system, but later became its staunch defenders. After the debt crisis, politics changed: social insurance institutions faced bankruptcy, while courts, dissident parties, World Bank experts, and public relations advisors entered into the drama. However, the balance of class forces remained decisive. Neoliberal reform weakened organized labor and strengthened the hand of business, although unions in nontradable sectors (health and government) were better able to resist retrenchment and privatization than others. Growing poverty and informality created new constituencies that Mexico’s parties courted with social assistance. While the government sometimes sought advice from foreigners—the International Labor Organization before 1982, the World Bank afterward—implementation depended on domestic forces. The analysis is wide-ranging, but much stronger on the origins of policy than its implementation, coverage, and reception in the workplace and home. Some of the theoretical contributions claimed are a bit underwhelming, and include the insight that “periods of stability may involve significant institutional change” (p. 40). Historians may also find the treatment of gender cursory. Dion argues that feminism rarely affected welfare, but does not address changes in women’s involvement in labor organizing, or recent historical research. It is odd, for example, that Jocelyn Olcott’s work on women’s organizing is not cited. Indeed, while the theoretical framework is elaborated exhaustively, the historical method remains opaque. Alongside a great many secondary sources, the author at various points draws usefully on interviews, congressional debates, official publications, and labor petitions, but it is unclear how Dion sifted through 90 years’ worth of primary documentation. One wonders what factors the selection might have missed (women, the labor rank-and-file, independent unions). Although the book sometimes suffers from a leaden and repetitive style, the writing is clear and (with the exception of the statistical analysis in chapter 7) free of jargon. This is by far the most comprehensive account of Mexico’s welfare state, and provides researchers with an essential historical perspective on contemporary debates. It will also be useful for historians of Mexican politics and state-building, who will appreciate its original emphasis on working-class and business pressures, and the connections across periods usually studied separately. [End Page 587] Thomas Rath University College London London, U.K. Copyright © 2014 Academy of American Franciscan History

Value orientations of social welfare policy structures

Substantial literature exists around the variation of welfare policy development in liberal democracies. The contrast of the American welfare state to those in Europe has sparked significant analytical literature about which factors are most significant in the variation. The literature extensively examines many of these factors but has neglected the significance of social values. This article discusses values and policy development as a foundation for further studies linking specific values to policy and institutional development. First, I discuss theorists who have identified value orientation as significant to welfare state variation; second, I review the major comparative welfare state literature. Finally, I discuss the major variation categories through the lens of social values by identifying the significant value orientation of sample policy structures. Comparative welfare state literature benefits from elucidating the values orientation of welfare policies that define the welfare state typological categories. Including the role of social values in welfare state comparisons promotes greater understanding of the origins and trajectory of current policy.Key Practitioner Message: ● Increase understanding of welfare state variation factors; ● Frame questions about social values reflected in social policy.

Welfare Policy Expansion in Botswana and Mauritius

How come two developing countries with similar economic, institutional, and democratic attributes have developed vastly different welfare regimes? Drawing inspiration from the welfare regime literature, the author subjects Botswana and Mauritius to a comparative historical analysis that explores the economic and political trajectories of their welfare policy development. The findings offer both support and modifications to the established and mostly Western-oriented literature. First, politics affect welfare policy development. In developing countries, the rural population can promote welfare policy expansion, but it is middle-class interests that shape the direction of policy development. Second, given the importance of politics, conceptualizations of welfare policies need to include both the spending and the financing side. Finally, the causes of different welfare regime paths need to be examined with attention to the particular economic contexts of developing countries and how welfare and economic policies are interrelated and to some extent path dependent.

Mark W. Frazier: Socialist Insecurity: Pensions and the Politics of Uneven Development in China

Mark Frazier offers a great example of how to do comparative political science well with this book on the development of the pension system in China. He analyzes the development of the pension system in China in light of the existing literatures on institutional change and the welfare state, and also uses his analysis of China to add to our understanding of welfare policy development especially in other large, uneven developers. In addition to this explicitly comparative approach, Frazier uses both process tracing and household surveys to provide evidence of how existing institutions helped shape the nature of the pension system. He argues that historical institutionalism is the appropriate lens through which to understand why pension reform after the collapse of the danwei system took the path it did despite other available options. Specifically, for local state officials facing the loss of state-owned enterprise revenues, using the fiscal decentralization inherent in the governing structure to design a fragmented and localized pension system allowed for the retention of a taxation mechanism and the use of pensions to avoid unrest caused by the privatization of local SOEs. While the institutions of fiscal decentralization shaped local officials’ choices for a new pension system, Frazier finds through household surveys that both the former danwei system and the experience of privatization helped influence workers’ perceptions of responsibility for pensions. Overwhelmingly, different types of laborers all expect the state to provide for retired workers. Frazier makes a very strong case about how institutions shape preferences for pensions, and also highlights the dangers of the way the system has developed. These pension benefits now account for the single largest source of spending for local governments, and many of the taxes taken from employers and employees to fund these accounts have been misappropriated by local Social Insurance Agencies (SIAs) for development or other corrupt purposes. These missing funds create the danger of unrest and loss of trust in the government in the event that retiring workers cannot be paid the funds that were taken from their salaries throughout their working lives. As J OF CHIN POLIT SCI (2012) 17:337–338 DOI 10.1007/s11366-012-9207-1

Explaining the introduction of automatic pension indexation provisions in 17 OECD countries, 1945–2000

Previous quantitative research regarding the long expansionary era of public pension generosity has relied mainly on aggregate expenditure data, which capture many pension policy dimensions. Yet, the overall level of national pension generosity may differ from the generosity of each important dimension. To improve our understanding of public pension reforms that increase generosity levels, this study examines the introduction of automatic indexation clauses between 1945 and 2000. The paper tests predictions of welfare policy development and policy diffusion theories. Using event history methods, we argue that the inflation rate and the incumbency of Christian democratic parties are the main determinants of these policy reforms. Countries with higher inflation rates and more entrenched Christian democratic parties are more likely to link pensions in payment or past wages considered for initial calculation purposes to an economic index. This suggests that political parties differ in their support for each measure that improves pension generosity depending on its expected redistributive impact.

Designing animal welfare policies and monitoring progress

AbstractA single solution to promote higher animal welfare across the whole EU is unlikely due to significant regional differences and because what is most appropriate for each region depends on many factors. Based on analyses of eight member and candidate EU countries, this paper provides a conceptual framework, an ‘animal welfare roadmap’, which can be used to assess the stage of maturity of a country in farm animal welfare policy development and identify appropriate policy instruments and indicators to monitor progress towards higher animal welfare. The ‘roadmap’ consists of five sequential stages: increasing compliance with legislation; raising awareness; product development; mainstreaming; and integration of animal welfare with other issues. For each stage, specific policy instruments are identified alongside the category of stakeholders most likely to be influential in the implementation of each instrument. The policy instruments used to achieve these stages are those used by government departments/agencies, private enterprises, academic bodies or non-governmental organisations who formulate standards for animal welfare. These are supported by indicators best suited to document their effectiveness. Although we have emphasised how different situations and contexts within the EU mean that there is no single optimal policy instrument for the EU as a whole, but rather appropriate policy instruments should be selected according to the stage of development of a country or sector, we do propose a harmonised choice of indicators to allow benchmarking of changes at the EU level with regard to progress towards animal welfare.

Up for Grabs: A Critical Analysis of the Distortion of Social Entrepreneurship Discourse in the United Kingdom

This paper explores how political institutions use language in social policy to control and naturalise understanding of key social issues and practices. Specifically, I address the impact of blurred discourses and the exploitation of a cultivated ambiguity surrounding social entrepreneurship (SE). In so doing, it contributes to knowledge by empirically analysing the theorised antagonistic relationship between discourse participants in the public sphere. Rather than align with a strictly Habermasian view of public discourses, my analysis is more sympathetic to post-Marxist analysis (i.e. Laclau and Mouffe 2001) by positioning SE-state relations in terms of asymmetrical power and on-going struggle towards hegemony and ultimately, resistance. This latter outcome is especially prescient, since it shows that ideology and meaning cannot be asserted by hegemony-seeking actors where SE meaning is contested in monological rather than dialogical terms (Dey and Steyaert 2010). This opportunity arises because of the persistent debate over the meaning of SE – which creates a discursive space involving academics, practitioners, and political organisations. Similar to the view that SE operates in blurred boundaries between state, private and third sectors, key SE discourse thus also occurs in a blurred space. This arena is created by the discordant ideological views that persist between state, private and third sector interpretations of SE. Furthermore, based on the work of Steinberg (1994), I explain how this discursive space is necessary to pursuing a consensual but contested and on-going struggle for hegemony. To explore the origins of how such ambiguities arise and how and why they are maintained in discourse, I use the example of social enterprise policy and strategy in the United Kingdom. Specifically, I refer to the third way ideology closely associated with the Labour Government (1997-2010), and their social enterprise policies produced between 2002 and 2008. Using a critical discourse analysis (CDA) methodology, I explore the problems faced by organisations that exist within ‘blurred boundaries’ by performing a quantitative semantic-meaning (Wmatrix) and an interpretive policy language analysis (Leitch and Motion 2010). Having focused on the use of language and its power effects on discourse, I examine the statistical support for high frequencies of business/SE semantic tag collocations, based on a corpus containing three SE policy texts from the period and all available Government ministerial speeches between 2002-2008. This corpus was compared against a more general third sector corpus and a baseline corpora. This stage found a high concentration of semantic tags, as distinguished from the other two corpora, principally: ‘business (general)’; ‘social (states and processes)’; and ‘cheap’. Furthermore, I support this by examining the contextuality and intertextuality of SE policies during the defined period, finding that as well as a high level of consonance with SE rhetoric, other discourse participants rejected this forced marriage between third way and SE ideologies. Once both analytical stages were collated and compared, the major finding is empirical support for previous discourse research such as Steinberg (1994), as well as current critical SE research streams (such as Curtis 2008, Steyaert and Day 2010) which call for moves away from the perennial debate on SE definitions. Furthermore, my research shows that in SE-related discursive spaces, an on-going dialogical (rather than monological) process is in fact closer to reality than some researchers suggest, and this is enacted through resistance and counter discourse. Importantly, the paper contributes to SE understanding beyond the contextual confines of the UK SE sector. To this end, I suggest that internationally, SE/state relations might be more progressive, although still contested, if political actors understand the needs of practitioners more clearly and pursue an agenda of dialogical and deliberative, social welfare policy development.

Philosophical and religious influences on social welfare policy in the United States: The ongoing effect of Reformed theology and social Darwinism on attitudes toward the poor and social welfare policy and practice

• Summary: This article explores the historical and contemporary philosophical and religious influences of social welfare policy and programs in the United States. A discussion of Weber's critique of Calvin's Reformed theology and the profound influence of Calvin's Reformed theology, including the concept of predestination and the Protestant work ethic, as well as the influence of Spencer's social Darwinism on US social policy. Elements of early ideological bias that reflected the moral failure of the poor are discussed with regard to early poor care and the Charity Organization Society movement, and are contrasted with the more pragmatic and compassionate approach of Jane Addams's Settlement House movement. • Findings: An argument is made that a resurgence of social Darwinism and secularized Reformed theology is currently reflected in contemporary political and economic movements, including welfare reform measures in PRWORA of 1996, and the related TANF program, which has had a devastating effect on the economically disadvantaged populations in the United States. • Application: Since social workers are on the front lines of social welfare policy development and practice, implication for social work education and practice are discussed emphasizing the importance of increased awareness of such damaging ideologies. Such awareness will lead to increased political discourse and advocacy for social welfare policy development and practice congruent with social work values.

Re-empowering social workers through the online community: The experience of SWForum in Hong Kong

This paper focuses on the new form of social participation created by information and communication technologies (ICTs), as experienced by an online professional community, SWForum, in Hong Kong. The group has expressed resistance and contributed to social welfare policy development since 1997, when frontline social workers were disempowered and lost their previously influential status. From this experience, we argue that the online community has created an arena for alternative discourse on social policy and it shows that the technology can be harnessed to create a more equitable participation in policy making in a society.

Devolution as a Policy Crucible: The Case of Universal Free School Meals

AbstractThe election of the Scottish government, in May 2007, raised expectations that devolution may at last give rise to a sea change in the development of welfare policy. Certainly, in the areas of education and health the newly elected Scottish National Party (SNP) Scottish government, despite its minority control of the parliament, lost no time in announcing significant changes to previous policies in the areas of hospital closures and primary school class sizes. The proposals to introduce universal free school meals in all primary schools for school children in years one to three from 2010, following a pilot in selected local authorities, was one of these changes. This policy shift is of significance for three reasons. First, the previous executive had explicitly rejected proposals for universal free school meals on two previous occasions. Second, it represented a movement towards universality and away from the strategy of targeting and means‐testing welfare adhered to by both the Westminster UK government and the previous Scottish Executive. As such, therefore, the introduction of universal free school meals marks a significant victory for the campaigning groups behind the move. Finally, and perhaps of still greater significance, the introduction of a pilot scheme for universal provision in England, announced by the Westminster government in September 2008, further highlights one other goal of devolution: that of a potential for policy experimentation and divergence. Universal free school provision may be the first example of devolution providing a crucible for welfare policy for the wider United Kingdom. This paper assesses the extent to which an extension of the entitlement to free school meals is likely to improve the access of free school meals to children from the poorest of households and the extent to which changes in free school meal provision leads to a regionally specific impact on child poverty due to variations of household composition within the English regions and Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. In doing so we suggest that evidence for the advantages of universal provision provides a positive example of devolution's potential for acting as a welfare policy crucible.