Occupational Benefits Research Articles

Project Labour Movement and the Welfare State: Work in Progress

In August 1982 we started out on a comparative research project entitled 'Labour Movement and the Welfare State labour movements, occupational safety regulations, unemployment insurance and pension schemes in four West European countries since 1945'. The project is being carried out at the Sociological Institute of the University of Copenhagen, and is being partly financed by the Danish Social Science Research Council for a period of two years. The theme is the study of the reciprocal relations between distinct characteristics of various national labour movements and different national routes of development in shaping three areas of welfare policies crucial to wage labour: occupational safety, unemployment insurance, and pension benefits. The project can be specified by the following themes:

Regressive Welfare. Distribution Effects of Occupational Welfare Benefits

In recent years sociologists have upset the idea that the various redistribution and equalization systems of the welfare state help to realize objectives of social and economic equalization. Even if we exclude the private welfare sector, the public sector has established various distribution systems which are apparently uncoordinated and which perhaps directly counteract each other. The aim of this research essay is to point out a few apparently conflicting traits in the existing distribution systems, using data from a survey of occupational welfare benefits.

White Gains from Black Subordination in 1960 and 1970

To explore change over time in the basis for realistic racial conflict, Glenn's (1966) analysis of white gains from black subordination in 1960 is replicated with 1970 Census data. Although there are minor differences in the two sets of data, a substantive comparison is possible for occupational and economic benefits. In general, the conclusions point to continued tangible gains to the dominant group from the subordination of blacks in 1970, particularly in the South, and among employers, white managerial and sales workers, and higher income families. These findings are consistent with a number of other studies which have assessed recent changes in American race relations, which tend to show much less change in black-white social and economic inequality than had been assumed. It appears that racial conflict in the U.S. will remain for some time in the future a realistic struggle over unequally distributed goods and resources.

Two by Four

Many four-year institutions are offering associate degree programs, a number which is increasing as pressure growsfrom communities demanding more occupationally-oriented programs. Most institutions do not establish separate standards, nor do they experience much negative faculty reaction once the associate programs are made part of the college's offerings, reflecting specific community or clientele needs. Many older students appreciate the two-year degrees not only for the occupational benefits, but also because of their self-fulfilling goals, which appear obtainable where the four-year objectives seem remote.

Occupational Benefits to Whites From the Subordination of Negroes

Occupational Benefits to Whites From the Subordination of Negroes