Income Maintenance Policies Research Articles

Five worlds of social reproduction after the new millennium: placing transitional China in a three-dimensional model of social reproduction

Since the late 2000s, China has accelerated reconstruction of the welfare state against the backdrop of the second transition. Following a typological approach, this study proposes an analytical framework for assessing varieties of social reproduction before delving into a comparative look at China’s national institutional framework, in which China is regarded as a transitional economy and a late bloomer. As represented in three dimensions, countries have production regimes that diverge in the degree of coordination, welfare regimes that differ in the degree of decommodification, and labor reproduction regimes that vary in the degree of depatriarchalization. We investigate the convergence and divergence of advanced economies, transitional economies, and the emerging economies of East Asian countries. Hierarchical cluster analysis and a three-dimensional map illustrate the varieties of regimes at the intersections of production, welfare, and reproduction. With the help of institutional complementarities, five worlds of social reproduction are distinguished: the late blooming, the liberal, the catch-up/transitional, the conservative, and the social democratic. China’s production regime converges with that of continental Europe and Post-Socialist societies based on institutional arrangements of nonmarket coordination; however, limited income maintenance and redistribution policies, the absence of family-friendly policies, and the regendering of the division of labor make China’s institutional mix appear more compatible with East Asian societies than Western ones. The institutional complementarities between the welfare and labor reproduction regimes reveal a social reproduction scenario that is less than purely late blooming.

Experiences of women in prenatal, childbirth, and postpartum care during the COVID-19 pandemic in selected cities in Brazil: The resignification of the experience of pregnancy and giving birth.

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted public and private health systems around the world, impairing good practices in women's health care. However, little is known about the experiences, knowledge, and feelings of Brazilian women in this period. The objective was to analyze the experiences of women, seen at maternity hospitals accredited by the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS, acronym in Portuguese), regarding health care during pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum periods, their interpersonal relationships, and perceptions and feelings about the pandemic. This was a qualitative, exploratory research, carried out in three Brazilian municipalities with women hospitalized in 2020, during pregnancy, childbirth, or postpartum period, with COVID-19 or not. For data collection, semi-structured individual interviews (in person, by telephone, or by digital platform) were conducted, recorded and transcribed. The content analysis of thematic modalities was displayed as per the following axes: i) Knowledge about the disease; ii) Search for health care in prenatal, childbirth, and postpartum periods; iii) Experience of suffering from COVID-19; iv) Income and work; and v) Family dynamics and social support network. A total of 46 women were interviewed in São Luís-MA, Pelotas-RS, and Niterói-RJ. Use of media was important to convey information and fight fake news. The pandemic negatively impacted access to health care in the prenatal, childbirth, and postpartum periods, contributing to worsening of the population's social and economic vulnerabilities. Women experienced diverse manifestations of the disease, and psychic disorders were very frequent. Social isolation during the pandemic disrupted the support network of these women, who found social support strategies in communication technologies. Women-centered care-including qualified listening and mental health support-can reduce the severity of COVID-19 cases in pregnant, parturient, and postpartum women. Sustainable employment and income maintenance policies are essential to mitigate social vulnerabilities and reduce risks for these women.

“If the Work Requirement is Strong”: The Business Response to Basic Income Proposals in Canada and the US

Historical accounts of the business response to basic income proposals imply that employer attitudes have been mixed. In the 1970s and 1980s, when an array of basic income schemes was proposed, some groups were supportive and others were opposed. This paper shows that, in a number of high-profile proposals in Canada and the US, behind the apparent dissensus among business groups lays a consensus stance against universalistic and unconditional guaranteed income schemes. The disagreement among business groups comes down to either (1) a basic misunderstanding of proposal details, or (2) the fact that the policy itself can take on a wide range of concrete forms. To the extent that business has exhibited support for guaranteed income policies, the actual policies in question tended to be “two-tiered” rather than unitary, selective rather than universal, and miserly rather than generous. The income maintenance policies that garnered some support among business groups would all include explicit or implicit work requirements for “able-bodied” adults. By contrast, generous, unconditional guaranteed income policies that reduce workers’ market dependence—namely, those that basic income advocates find desirable—found no audience in business circles. I close by exploring the mechanisms underlying the impact of basic income on bargaining relationships in the labour market and comment on the promises and pitfalls of a social policy that continues to be highly malleable.

Development and Limitation of Income Maintenance Policy after the Financial Crisis

Development and Limitation of Income Maintenance Policy after the Financial Crisis

Social Mobility and Mental Disorders at 30 Years of Age in Participants of the 1982 Cohort, Pelotas, Rio Grande Do Sul - RS.

This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between mental disorders at 30 years of age and social mobility by formally testing three hypotheses: Risk Accumulation; Critical Period; and Social Mobility. The study was performed using data from the 30-year follow-up of the Pelotas Birth Cohort Study, conducted in 1982, and data from previous follow-ups. The tool used to evaluate mental health was the Self Report Questionnaire (SRQ-20). For the statistical analysis, the chi-square test with the Yates correction was used to estimate the prevalence of mental disorder, and the Poisson regression with robust variance was used to formally test the hypotheses according to the Risk Accumulation, Critical Period and Social Mobility Models. The analyses were stratified by gender. The prevalence of Common Mental Disorders (CMDs) was 24.3% (95% CI 22.9–25.7) when the whole sample was considered. The highest prevalence, 27.1% (95% CI 25.1–29.2), was found in women, and the difference between genders was significant (p < 0.001). CMDs were more frequent in participants who remained “poor” in the three follow-ups. In both men and women, the best fit was obtained with the Risk Accumulation Model, with p = 0.6348 and p = 0.2105, respectively. The results indicate the need to rethink public income maintenance policies. Finally, we suggest further studies to investigate the role of different public policies in decreasing the prevalence of mental disorders and thus contribute proposals of new policies that may contribute to the prevention of these disorders.

The effect of social protection and income maintenance policies on health and health inequalities

Background As a starting point we review the existing evidence on welfare states, health and health inequalities, from 2005 onwards. Three different approaches emerge in these previous studies – the welfare regime approach, the welfare institutions approach and the social spending approach. While no clear picture emerges for the welfare regime approach, summarising findings regarding the institutional …

The Politics of Unconditional Basic Income: Bringing Bureaucracy Back In

We challenge the view, typically assumed by advocates of unconditional basic income (UBI), that its administration is uncontroversial. We identify three essential tasks which, from the point of view of the administrative cybernetics literature, any income maintenance policy must accomplish: defining criteria of eligibility, determining who meets such criteria and disbursing payments to those found to be eligible. Building on the work of Christopher Hood, we contrast two alternative ways in which the design of a UBI might apply the principle of ‘using bureaucracy sparingly’ to the performance of each of these three tasks. Relating these alternative designs to the politics of basic income, we show a correspondence between contrasting senses of using bureaucracy sparingly and ‘redistributive’ and ‘aggregative’ UBI models.

No one written off? Welfare, work and problem drug use

The welfare ‘reform’ Green Paper, No one written off, outlined a range of proposals related to getting problem drug users into treatment as a first step to getting such people into paid work. This article outlines and critically engages with the contents of No one written off, particularly those aspects associated with the proposed introduction of a new social security benefit–a treatment allowance–for problem drug users. The article locates the proposed changes to income maintenance policy for problem drug users in Labour's concern with the behaviour of those people it defines as deviant and/or irresponsible. The article argues that because of the level of coercion proposed in the changes, they have the potential to impoverish further problem users. This, along with the pathologizing of problem drug users, means the proposals are likely to have little effect in getting problem users into either drug treatment programmes or paid work.

Abolishing the 10p tax band: some observations

In his last Budget as the UK's Chancellor of the Exchequer in 2007, Gordon Brown abolished the 10p starting rate of income tax. This was to prove to be a controversial move and one that was of significance for income maintenance policy. This article focuses on this significance by examining the competing economic, political and social objectives that framed the abolition of the 10p tax band, the messages that its abolition sent to low paid childless workers and the impacts of its abolition.

A Study on Determinants of Financial Preparation for Later Life Among the Elderly Who are Residing in the City Area

The purpose of the study was to examine the determinants of financial preparation for later life among the elderly. The respondents were 2,000 elderly residing in the city. The data were analyzed by statistical methods as frequency, chi-square test, and logistic regression analysis.<BR> The results of this study were as follows.<BR> 1. 38.0% of the elderly responded that adult children were responsible for caring the old parents.<BR> 2. 45.4% of the elderly wanted to live with their adult children.<BR> 3. 53.6% of the elderly prepared financial resources for their later life.<BR> 4. Gender, education, presence of adult children, income, subjective economic level, and chronic diseases were significant predictors of financial preparation for later life.<BR> Implications of the findings were discussed and the recommendations for the income maintenance policy for the elderly were presented.

CHILD POVERTY, EMPLOYMENT AND ETHNICITY IN THE UK: THE ROLE AND LIMITATIONS OF POLICY

ABSTRACT In 1999, the British Government stated its resolve to end child poverty within a generation. In doing so it recognised both the extent of child poverty in the UK and the moral imperative to do something about it. At around the same time, a government study of ethnic minority employment was undertaken, which was to lead to the establishment of the cross-departmental ethnic minority employment task force (EMETF) and a Public Services Agreement target for the Department for Work and Pensions on closing the ethnic minority employment gap. Despite apparent overlaps between these two agendas, given that many minority ethnic group families have children, and worklessness is one of the main causes of child poverty (though by no means the sole one), they were not really integrated. Nor has integration between them been seen – or encouraged – in European reporting processes covering topics linked to social inclusion and exclusion. In 2006, however, a link was made when the EMETF asked for a paper on child poverty to form the background to its work. This article builds on that initial link, discussing the intersection between child poverty and ethnic minority unemployment policy by illustrating the extent of child poverty as ethnically differentiated and exploring the ways in which it is related to aspects of employment. It goes on to consider the policy implications for both employment policy and income maintenance policy more generally, before examining the obstacles to an integrated approach both in terms of knowledge/understanding and the ways in which the two policy areas are conceived.

Income maintenance policies in post-materialist Europe: Implications for pre-capitalist societies

Ronald Ingelhart's contention that post-materialist values arising from increases in GDP per capita ensue from greater affluence and economic security in industrialized countries is examined here. Using the Euro-Barometer dataset, this paper tests variations across eight European countries to determine if post-materialist values: (a) actually shaped citizens' attitudes toward social welfare policies hence its increases; (b) influenced ideological partisanship preferences and dominance of leftist parties; and (c) led to increases in transfer payments when left-of-centre parties are in control. The results of a pooled cross-sectional time series analysis indicate that economic development is negatively associated with social security expansion, but bears a positive relationship to post-materialist values. It also shows that post-materialist values exert only moderate, rather than ‘strong’ influences on ideological political preferences.

The Intersection of Economics and Family Status in Late Life: xImplications for the Future

The factors that influence economic status in late life are examined with particular attention to economic trends, public and private income maintenance policies, and marital and family relations. While the impact of these factors on today's retirees has been mostly positive, current trends are identified that may result in a retreat from the strong economic gains made by the elderly over the past 50 years. An examination of how changes in family structure and composition may affect the economic status of Baby Boomers in retirement is highlighted.

Optimal Income Maintenance and the “Unemployable”

AbstractThis paper examines optimal income maintenance policy with asymmetric information about individuals' abilities. A minimum skill level is required for employment. The unemployable are those (low) ability types who find this minimum investment too costly. To guarantee some minimum income level, the government chooses between welfare, workfare, earnings subsidies, and training. Results show that the optimal scheme entails training. Moreover, though complex separating mechanisms are both feasible and encourage investments in skills, the least‐cost income maintenance scheme is quite simple: the government offers training at the lowest level consistent worth employment to all who want it.

Ending Public Assistance: The Transformation of US Public Assistance Policy into Labour Policy

A convincing argument can be made that US income maintenance policy would be better housed under the Secretary of Labour than with the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Begun almost 30 years ago, the transformation of public assistance policy into labour policy reached fruition with the passage of the groundbreaking Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA), a bill that would dramatically transform the face of the American welfare state. Despite the inclusion of important welfare policies, the PRWORA was essentially labour policy clothed in welfare terminology. This article examines the metamorphosis of public assistance policy into labour policy and proposes alternatives to promote durable labour force attachment as well as ways to ease former recipients into the workforce through equity-based labour policies.

European Anti-Poverty Policies in the 1990s: Toward a Common Safety Net?

Using the notion of the poverty regime as a heuristic device, this paper examines the safety nets of several members of the European Union and three candidate countries: Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland. It addresses two board issues: 1) Has there been a convergence in the safety nets of these member countries of the European Union during the 1990s? 2) What are the implications of enlargement of the European Union for the creation of a common safety net? Initially several dimensions of the poverty regime are employed to compare the safety nets. Subsequently we analyse the incidence of poverty and poverty reduction for the entire population and vulnerable groups - the unemployed, solo mothers and large families, and the elderly - in the countries using data from the Luxembourg Income Study. In analysing poverty reduction effectiveness we utilise both relative and absolute measures to gauge the impact of income maintenance policies, distinguishing between the safety net and other transfers. The analysis reveals that during the 1990s the poverty rate increased in most countries and in many instances for vulnerable groups; an exception was the elderly. Means tested benefits assumed growing importance in alleviating poverty, but reforms also produced diversity in the safety nets across Europe. Contrary to earlier theorising that means tested benefits are marginalized in the social democratic welfare state regime, we find that the safety nets in these countries often equalled or surpassed that of the UK in reducing poverty. Finally, apart from impressive poverty reduction, the policies of the three candidate countries did not form a distinctive poverty regime. Instead they tended to cluster with other member countries.

Poverty in Europe in the mid-1990s: the effectiveness of means-tested benefits

This article examines the income maintenance policies of several members of the European Union and three candidate countries: the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland. It addresses the issue of the effectiveness of these policies and especially means-tested safety nets in alleviating poverty. To assess the effectiveness of the policies, we use data from the Luxembourg Income Study. We analyse the incidence of poverty based on the EU poverty line and poverty reduction for the entire population and vulnerable groups - the unemployed, solo mothers, large families, and the elderly. During the 1990s the poverty rates increased in most countries and for most vulnerable groups. Means-tested benefits assumed growing importance in alleviating poverty, and several countries have improved their schemes to guarantee a minimum income. At the same time reforms have produced diversity in the safety nets across Europe.

Rethinking Work and Income Maintenance Policy: Promoting Gender Equality Through a Citizens' Basic Income

A citizens' basic income scheme is based on the principles of individuality, universality, and unconditionality; when combined with the notion of meeting "basic needs" it would serve to provide a minimum income guarantee for all adult members of society. However, implementation would entail radical reform of existing patterns of welfare delivery and would bring into question the institutionalized relationship between work and welfare, a basic premise of modern welfare states. To date, the debate over a citizens' basic income has emphasized its effects on labor markets, thereby displaying an androcentric bias. Although the role of women in society is central to social policy reform, the existing basic income literature is disturbingly void of any comprehensive treatment of women. No genuine discussion has taken place about the nature of women's lives and work and how these should be valued. Social policy reform should take account of all gender inequalities and not just those relating to the traditional labor market. This paper argues that the citizens' basic income model can be a tool for promoting gender-neutral social citizenship rights, but that any future marriage of justice and efficiency must first divorce work from income.

Income Transfers to the Elderly in Korea and Taiwan

This article analyses income transfers to elderly households in Korea and Taiwan in order to find out to what extent income maintenance policy contributes to the income of elderly households in these countries. It also examines private transfers to those households since we need to see the outcome of public policy in the broad picture of welfare mix. The article argues that private transfers play a bigger role than public transfers for elderly households. The poorer households are more dependent on private transfers. Nevertheless, private transfers failed to help the elderly escape poverty. It shows that elderly households in general and single- and couple-only households in particular are far more prone to poverty that the general population. Although state pensions are expected to play a bigger role in the future after coming into full operation, public policy has so far failed to improve the living standard of the elderly. This outcome of the research calls for urgent policy intervention to protect the elderly in the wake of the economic crisis in Korea and the massive earthquake in Taiwan.

Eastern European welfare states: the impact of the politics of globalization

This article is divided into four parts. First there is a summary of the social policy of the old state-socialist regimes, some description of the legacy of social problems which they bequeathed to those making the transition to capitalism and a brief summary of the major social costs of the early years of the transition process. Second, the broad social-policy strategies of the new governments of Eastern Europe and the former USSR are reviewed as they have attempted to manage both the legacy of social problems from the past and the new social costs of transition. Third, in more detail developments in five specific fields are described: levels of public expenditure on social welfare; income maintenance policy; health and medical care; housing; and education. The article concludes by attempting to explain these changes, asking whether the policy changes have been motivated by a perceived need to reduce social provision, with a view to becoming more competitive within the global economy.