Provision Of Social Assistance Research Articles

Пожилые в российской негосударственной социальной работе

Зарэтхан Хаджи-Мурзаевна Саралиева – д. и.н., доцент, зав. кафедрой отраслевой и прикладной социологии и социальной работы Национального исследовательского Нижегородского государственного университета им. Н. И. Лобачевского, Нижний Новгород, Россия. Электронная почта: zara@fsn.unn.ru
 Ирина Эдуардовна Петрова – к. с.н., доцент кафедры общей социологии и социальной работы Национального исследовательского Нижегородского государственного университета им. Н. И. Лобачевского, Нижний Новгород, Россия. Электронная почта: irinapetrova@mail.ru
 Анализируются изменения социальной политики и социальной работы в отношении граждан старшего возраста. Анализ сфокусирован на трансформации социальной работы с пожилыми в последние четыре года в связи с актуализацией договорных отношений в социальном обслуживании и участии социально ориентированных некоммерческих организаций в конкурсе на государственные субсидии. Изучение негосударственной социальной работы в отношении пожилых проведено с помощью комплекса исследований, включая контент-анализ экспертных интервью представителей религиозных организаций об оказании ими социальных услуг (N=59) с 2008–2013 гг.; анкетирование населения Нижнего Новгорода по квотной выборке (N=1976) в 2013–2014 гг.; обобщение бесед об учете религиозных потребностей клиентов в оказании социальных услуг в государственных социальных учреждениях (N=53) в 2015–2016 гг., наблюдения авторов за оказанием социальной помощи пожилым религиозными организациями Нижнего Новгорода, Москвы, Украины и Германии последние 20 лет. По данным исследования, ожидания пожилых в отношении социальных услуг государственных учреждений и религиозных организаций ориентированы на пассивное получение помощи. Эксперты религиозных организаций конструируют пожилых клиентов в терминах получателей помощи, игнорируя их ресурсность и возможность активизации. Отмечено неравномерное отставание идеологии социальной работы от ориентиров социальной политики. Основной вид деятельности государственных учреждений – формирование регистра получателей и осуществление социальных услуг. Некоммерческие светские социальные организации демонстрируют гораздо больший ассортимент социальных услуг и готовы к внедрению инноваций. Религиозные организации традиционно относят пожилых к клиентам социальной работы и ориентируют их на пассивное получение помощи.

Assessing retention in care after 12\xa0months of the Pediatric Development Clinic implementation in rural Rwanda: a retrospective cohort study

BackgroundIn Africa, a high proportion of children are at risk for developmental delay. Early interventions are known to improve outcomes, but they are not routinely available. The Rwandan Ministry of Health with Partners In Health/Inshuti Mu Buzima created the Pediatric Development Clinic (PDC) model for providing interdisciplinary developmental care for high-risk infants in rural settings. As retention for chronic care has proven challenging in many settings, this study assesses factors related to retention to care after 12 months of clinic enrollment.MethodsThis study describes a retrospective cohort of children enrolled for 12 months in the PDC program in Southern Kayonza district between April 2014–March 2015. We reviewed routinely collected data from electronic medical records and patient charts. We described patient characteristics and the proportion of patients retained, died, transferred out or lost to follow up (LTFU) at 12 months. We used Fisher’s exact test and multivariable logistic regression to identify factors associated with retention in care.Results228 children enrolled in PDC from 1 April 2014–31 March 2015, with prematurity/low birth weight (62.2%) and hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (34.5%) as the most frequent referral diagnoses. 64.5% of children were retained in care and 32.5% were LTFU after 12 months. In the unadjusted analysis, we found male sex (p = 0.189), having more children at home (p = 0.027), health facility of first visit (p = 0.006), having a PDC in the nearest health facility (p = 0.136), referral in second six months of PDC operation (p = 0.006), and social support to be associated (100%, p < 0.001) with retention after 12 months. In adjusted analysis, referral in second six months of PDC operation (Odds Ratio (OR) 2.56, 95% CI 1.36, 4.80) was associated with increased retention, and being diagnosed with more complex conditions (trisomy 21, cleft lip/palate, hydrocephalus, other developmental delay) was associated with LTFU (OR 0.34, 95% CI 0.15, 0.76). As 100% of those receiving social support were retained in care, this was not able to be assessed in adjusted analysis.ConclusionsPDC retention in care is encouraging. Provision of social assistance and decentralization of the program are major components of the delivery of services related to retention in care.

The dualisation of unemployment compensation in emerging economies: Brazil, China and Russia

AbstractThis article examines the development of a ‘dualised’ welfare regime –generous earnings-related unemployment compensation for ‘insiders’ andresidualneeds-based social assistance provision for ‘outsiders’ – in China and Brazil, which experienced impressive economic development in recent decades. It argues that such a welfare outcome can partly be accounted for by the ongoing influence of ‘insiders’, which was conditional upon the pace and nature of economic liberalisation reforms and their representation in institutional channels of social policy-making. It also demonstrates that the new social/unemployment assistance schemes for ‘outsiders’ emerged due to both governments’ fear of losing their power in politics; yet, these schemes were designed in a residual way since ‘outsiders’ did not possess the same political resources as ‘insiders’ did. The paper, moreover, draws from the Russian experience (a negative case) to demonstrate that such a dualised welfare outcome did not take place because the ‘insiders’ were weak, owing to a radical and orthodox liberalisation and they did not have access to institutional venues to influence social policy-making process.

The Politics of Scaling Up Social Protection in Kenya

This paper discusses the role of Kenya’s political settlement in the adoption and promotion of social protection, which has expanded significantly since 2003. Analysis focuses on the interplay between the domestic political settlement and external factors in shaping the social protection discourse and policy and provisioning outcomes. Successive regimes in Kenya since 2003 supported social protection as part of their framing of the development discourse. There has been significant progress in developing the legislative and policy structures to support cash transfer provision, including a commitment in the 2010 constitution, together with an increasing fiscal commitment, largely donor supported, and a rapid expansion of cash transfer coverage. However, where the realisation of constitutional or legislative commitments would have a cost to the political settlement, disturbing clientelist relationships, less progress has taken place, as illustrated by the failure of the proposed National Social Health Insurance Fund. Implementation of social protection policy and provision has been managed in such a way that the clientelism at the centre of the political settlement is not disturbed. The extent to which the political settlement ultimately shapes social protection outcomes is also a function of the preferences and incentives of the donor community and it is the convergence of the requirements of the political settlement with donor interests that has driven the successful provision of social assistance, whereas the lack of convergence has hindered the development of social health insurance. Initially a donor-led agenda, cash transfer provision has become increasingly popular politically, as politicians have realised its potential as an additional constituency-level patronage resource, which they have successfully co-opted in recent years, resulting in the paradox that improved, and largely externally financed, social protection performance is intrinsically linked to the entrenchment of the existing political settlement. The paper concludes that the social protection agenda in Kenya is defined by the extent of accommodation between the underlying clientelist interests of political actors and the aspirations of external actors.

Volunteering for a Cause: Gender, Faith, and Charity in Mexico from the Reform to the Revolution

In Volunteering for a Cause, Silvia Arrom unveils the history of the Mexican Society of Saint Vincent de Paul and reassesses the religious history of Mexico from 1844 to 1913. By tracing the foundation and development of this charitable society Arrom presents a history of Catholics that has been overlooked by traditional historiography, which has focused on the efforts of the liberal governments to undermine the power of the Catholic Church and deprive it of its assets.This book explains how Catholics as a community survived, adjusted to the changing times, and prospered. The author argues that Mexican Catholicism is complex and should be analyzed with this in mind, as well as the fact “that Catholicism is not necessarily an obstacle to progress” (p. 8). Challenging the thesis, held by most studies, that religion and charity were feminized, Silvia Arrom shows how both men and women were active in the society and in charitable activities, but there were important gender differences. Men practiced a different variant of charity that was complementary to women's activities. Men and women were equally devoted, and they both “contributed to the Catholic restoration and to the provision of social assistance, albeit in different ways” (p. 9). In the course of shedding light on these activities, Arrom sensibly explains how, despite the efforts of the Reforma, militant Catholicism reemerged toward the end of the nineteenth century and how, as the Mexican Revolution approached, it was possible to rapidly and efficiently fund the National Catholic Party.The Vincentian lay groups left a weak paper trail because they were not a central part of the national narrative and because, at different times during the period covered in this book, it was in their best interest to keep a low profile. Silvia Arrom embarked on something like a detective mission to obtain the sources to write this book. She uses both published and unpublished records from different national, local, and parochial archives in Paris, Mexico City, Guadalajara, and Culiacán. The memorias, noticias, boletines, rapports, and informes that the author was able to examine were incomplete, with many issues lost. The sources also have the disadvantage of emphasizing the activities of the conferences rather than the people involved. Unfortunately, the names of the recipients of charity were also not listed. Still, the author is able to reconstruct the history despite the incomplete sources by drawing on her profound knowledge of the topic and the time period.The book is organized into six chapters that follow a chronological and thematic order. The first two chapters cover the birth of the Mexican chapter of the society and its expansion. They also show how the men's branch of the society expanded until 1870 and then retreated while the women's branch thrived. Additionally, these two chapters show how despite the anticlerical position of Liberal leaders, they still valued the place of Catholic organizations in providing social welfare. Chapters 3 and 4 examine the gender differences within the society. Arrom presents the emergence, scope, and relevance of the activities of the Ladies of Charity by focusing on the energy and labor of women. She also compares the activities of male and female volunteers and shows how their joint collaboration was meant to achieve the mission of the society as a whole. Chapter 5 presents the case study of Jalisco, a key state both for the Vincentian society (because of their large presence there) and for the entire nation (due to its political and economic importance). The concluding chapter summarizes the contributions of the Vincentian society.This book brilliantly explains the complicated relationship between gender, faith, and charity in Mexico from the Reforma to the revolution. Silvia Arrom is able to reconstruct the history of the Vincentian volunteers by bringing together different strands of evidence. The task is not an easy one because she is writing the history of a constituency more interested in achieving its mission than in leaving evidence for posterity. The members of this society had to organize in order to work efficiently and effectively, but the ultimate authority to which they had to give an account was not of this world. Arrom does a masterful job at making history count; she rebuilds the statistics and puts them in context with prodigious skill. She uses the numbers to tell the story and brings the members of the Vincentian society to life. This book is a perfect combination of solid research and analysis with historical imagination. Volunteering for a Cause is an invitation both to rethink the history of Mexican Catholicism from a broader perspective and within a transnational context, and to reconceptualize women's history beyond the traditional assumptions of a linear progression in women's participation in public life.

A comparative study of social assistance systems in Macao and Hong Kong

This article compares social assistance systems in Macao and Hong Kong. It finds that Macao delivers a higher level of social assistance benefits, whereas Hong Kong has a larger group of social assistance beneficiaries. The Hong Kong Government spends a larger amount on social assistance provision and imposes tougher controls on the recipients, compared to Macao. The results of the comparison indicate that Macao and Hong Kong differ markedly in the type of productivist welfare regime they belong and challenge the assertion that the two welfare systems form a distinct welfare model.

Looking for an emergency door

Purpose – The paper investigates the role of information asymmetries and sensegiving processes of citizens claiming for social services. The purpose of this paper is to highlight the relevance of applicants’ agency, since it has been generally neglected in the analysis of social services provision. On the contrary, the paper proposes an alternative view, considering applicants as actors who are able to develop dialectic strategies for claiming specific forms of social assistance. Design/methodology/approach – The paper is based on a qualitative research, conducted following an inductive approach. The data have been collected in three different Italian municipalities, where the researcher has been the opportunity to perform a period of observation of the interviews between the social workers of the local social services department and the citizens applying for social assistance. Findings – The findings of the research point out that informational asymmetries play an ambivalent role in the definition of applicant’s strategies, since they represent an ambivalent and dynamic factor, rather than a mere source of disadvantage for the user. From this viewpoint, the citizens’ possibilities to access to social assistance are shaped by both institutional and dialectic factors: on the one hand, access to social assistance relies on specific criteria of eligibility (institutionally defined), but on the other hand the access is the outcome of situated sensegiving processes, performed by both the applicants and the gatekeepers of social services during their encounters. Research limitations/implications – The research is based on the analysis of a small number of cases, within a context that is characterized by a high level of organizational and professional discretion in the regulation of the provision of social assistance. Practical implications – The findings of the research urge policy maker to re-consider applicants as strategic actors and opens the space for the development of new options of regulation of the delivery of social services. Social implications – The paper suggests to consider the applicants for social services as people who, although in a condition of need, are capable to identify specific forms of assistance. From this point of view, informational asymmetries are not be considered as a stigmatic issue, but as a space which calls for further and less superficial investigation. Originality/value – The paper challenges some of the most taken-for-granted theoretical assumptions in the analysis of the regulation of the access to social assistance. First, it proposes a dynamic interpretation of the notion of informational asymmetries, considering them as a space for action, rather than a binding factor; second, it emphasizes the relevance of user’s agency in the access to welfare services, that is generally neglected since most analyses focus on professional discretion disregarding the hypothesis of the user as a strategic actor.

Religion, politics and social assistance in Turkey: The rise of religiously motivated associations

Religiously motivated welfare provisioning has played an increasingly important role in the Turkish social welfare arena over the previous two decades. This paper investigates the society-specific mechanisms behind the contemporary proliferation of religiously motivated associations (RMAs) in Turkey. The historical analysis of the development of the Turkish welfare regime demonstrates that the spread of RMAs cannot be attributed to retrenchments within the welfare state. In fact, the provision of social assistance by central and local state institutions has expanded over the same time period. The paper claims that the rise of RMAs is not only a response to increasing liberalization and economic deregulation, but also an outcome of the rise of religion as a principle line of cleavage within the political sphere.

Social Protection and Disability: A Call for Action

This article reviews the relationship between social protection and disability in theory and practice. Persons with disabilities and their families may be considered among the most worthy recipients of social protection due to their vulnerability to chronic poverty and social exclusion. A review of cash transfer programmes for persons with disabilities reveals positive economic, social and service access outcomes. However, coverage and benefit levels remain low. This article calls for the state to play a greater role in the provision of social assistance for persons with disabilities in developing countries. Policies and programmes which protect economic security should be combined with those which promote an enabling environment in which people can achieve security of livelihood.

Sharing International Responsibility for Poor Migrants?

This article analyses possible legal bases for the establishment of extra-territorial socio-economic human rights obligations on the part of wealthier European ‘Destination Countries' vis-à-vis poor migrants. In particular, it considers whether obligations of international cooperation and assistance under the International Covenant on Economic Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) might provide a basis for addressing socio-economic deprivation in Countries of Origin and lead to the provision of social assistance. The article also analyses the socio-economic case-law under Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) in respect of expulsion of migrants (e.g. MSS v Belgium and Greece, Sufi and Elmi v the UK, and SHH v the UK). The analysis of these documents supports the claim that wealthy states can attract responsibilities for providing protection against living in poverty for persons in other countries. At the same time, although language and semantics relating to extra-territorial socio-economic protection are converging under the ICESCR and ECHR, there are a number of pertinent questions that remain in the sphere of concrete burden sharing. These relate primarily to the allocation to wealthy European states of concrete burdens of responsibility for the elimination/prevention of poverty in other countries and raise the question of how far the responsibility stretches.

Women's Associations and the Emergence of a Social State: Protection for Mothers and Children in Buenos Aires, 1920–1940

AbstractThis paper examines the women's association movement in Buenos Aires between 1920 and 1940, and its connection with the emergence of a social state. Subsidised by the state, associations led by upper-class women provided a significant number of social assistance services to mothers, working women and children, and had a notable impact on the design of social policy. While historiography concurs that by 1930 the significance of this charitably oriented women's movement had started to decline, being replaced by public welfare services, this paper seeks to question such a conclusion by analysing three of the most important women's social welfare associations in the period and showing how, having become the maternal face of the state, they retained a central role in the provision of social assistance until well into the 1930s, thus helping to prevent the state from becoming a ‘colossal bureaucratic machine’.

The role of a credit trap on paths to homelessness in the Czech Republic

This briefing paper aims to show the most common paths to homelessness in a post-socialist state: the Czech Republic. Homelessness in the Czech Republic is worthy of examination because the generous provision of social assistance and tenure security in this country has provided a more secure safety net against homelessness than many other EU member states: yet homelessness has still arisen. The theoretical approach applied in this paper attempts to move beyond the structure–agency debate in the homelessness literature by focusing on the characteristics that most homeless people share on their paths to homelessness. Simple associations among factors associated with homelessness cannot provide a definitive account of the causes of homeless; such data can, however, provide invaluable insights into the constellation of factors that are associated with the phenomenon of homelessness. This briefing paper reveals that the pervasiveness of consumer credit has often been a critical juncture on the pathway to homelessness in the Czech Republic, despite the assistance available from a strong welfare state.

A Community Based Study on the Prevalence of Disability and Rehabilitative Services Provided to the Disabled Person in the Rural Area of Tamil Nadu

Background: In the past three decades, the concept of disability has shifted from individual impairment to a more social phenomenon. Thus disability became a complex phenomenon. It is social problem where the disabled population become a liability to the society. Interventions usually included medical rehabilitation and the provision of social assistance. Poverty can cause disability with its associated malnutrition, poor health services, improper sanitation, unsafe living and working conditions. Objective: 1. To assesses the socio demographic distribution of disability. 2. To study the pattern and extent of rehabilitative services provided to the disabled persons in rural area of Tamil Nadu. Materials and Method: A community based cross-sectional study was conducted between August 2010-and December 2011 in randomly selected 19 villages of Lalgudi Taluk of Trichy district Tamil Nadu state, India. Method: The age group of population between 5- 70 years were included. The minimum sample size was 15600. After adding the non response error of 5% another 780 people were added and total studied population was 16,404 at the field practice area of Valadi a Rural Health Training Centre (RHTC), of Chennai Medical College Hospital and Research Centre, Trichy. Data were analysed by means, proportions and Chi-Square test. Results: In the study area it was noticed that overall disability rate was 0.85%, and both male and female disability rate was almost same (0.8%). The studied population comprised of Hindu (82.4%), Christians (12.8%) and Muslims (2.8%). The community status of studied population majority 86 (61.4%) were belonging to Backward category (BC). The physical status of disability showed the majority of them were locomotor type (44.2%) followed by mental disorder (27.8%), Deaf & Dumb (13.5%), and Visual (10.0%). Majority of the disabilities were due to the congenital causes 85 (60.7%), second most common cause was accident 29 (20.7%). Out of 140 disabled, only 61 (43.5%) were assisted with financial support, and remaining 79 (56.5%) were not supported by any type of assistance. Conclusion and Recommendation: Disability has emerged as an important public health problem in our study area. There is a large gap found between the felt need of the disabled and service provided to them by the government and other organizations. There is a need for community assistance and community based rehabilitation (CBR).

Economic Preconditions and Consequences of Contraband

&#x0D; The phenomenon of perpetually existing con­traband draws attention of both the public and au­thorities. This is part of black economy, while black economy itself is a phenomenon that is neither new nor characteristic of a certain economic system. The nature of black economy is destructive as its existence&#x0D; contradicts to public order and interests. Black econo­my avoids state taxes; therefore, the State – in order to collect funds required for national needs – is forced to increase taxes imposed on those who do pay them. Hence, since some avoid paying taxes, while others assume a heavier tax burden, this results in unequal economic conditions for legal and illegal business and distorts conditions for fair competition.&#x0D; The theoretical study of the problem of contra­band is linked to the problem of tax evasion; it reveals stimuli for making a decision not to pay taxes. The decision of each individual to pay or not to pay taxes determines the scope of tax evasion. Adopting a deci­sion not to pay taxes, one faces uncertainty; any indi­vidual knows that tax evasion is illegal and subject to punishment in case this comes to light. Therefore, the economics of crime gives initial knowledge about the process of making such decisions.&#x0D; The major part of contraband is comprised of goods subject to excise duties – alcohol, tobacco, and fuel. One of the factors influencing contraband is great difference in prices in Lithuania and neighbour­ing countries from which contraband comes. For ex­ample, contraband cigarettes on the domestic market are approximately three times cheaper than those sold legally. The largest part of these contraband goods comes from neighbouring states – the Russian Federation and Belarus.&#x0D; The main negative consequences of contra­band are as follows: a relative reduction in annual government revenue; a general deterioration in eco­nomic subordination, which reduces the ability of the government to adopt rational solutions and predict their consequences; insufficient accuracy of provision of social assistance since even those who earn large income from illegal activity may receive it; natural and legal persons tend not to observe existing rules, and the failure to observe the rules may become a norm.&#x0D;

Social Assistance and Dependency in South Africa: An Analysis of Attitudes to Paid Work and Social Grants

AbstractDespite the absence of an unemployment grant in South Africa, there is growing concern that other social assistance provision might nevertheless weaken work motivation and create a ‘dependency culture’. This study explores attitudes about the relationship between grant receipt and paid employment in South Africa. Using both quantitative and qualitative data, it examines whether there is evidence of a ‘dependency culture’, the nature and strength of labour market attachment among grant recipients, and the opportunities and barriers to employment they face.We found that both those in and out of work placed a high value on paid employment. Joblessness had not become ‘normalised’, and all categories of the workless were extremely motivated to get work. Grant recipients did not subscribe to a distinctive culture but to mainstream values and aspirations. While some benefit claimants subscribed to popularly promoted prejudices about other social assistance claimants, our findings appear to counter recent concerns about potential unintended effects of the current grant system. The key factors in reducing people's chances of finding employment seem linked to the structural conditions of the labour market and the wider economy rather than the motivational characteristics of the unemployed and the arrangements of the grant system.

Anthropological Approaches to Self in Contemporary ChinaRenqing shehui: Renji guanxi yu ziwoguande jiangou (Society of Favours: Interpersonal Relationships and the Structure of Self). Li JingThe Otherness of Self: A Genealogy of the Self in Contemporary China. Liu Xin

Previous articleNext article No AccessReview EssaysAnthropological Approaches to Self in Contemporary China . Li Jing Renqing shehui: Renji guanxi yu ziwoguande jiangou (Society of Favours: Interpersonal Relationships and the Structure of Self). Li Jing The Otherness of Self: A Genealogy of the Self in Contemporary China. Liu Xin Andrew KipnisAndrew Kipnis Search for more articles by this author PDFPDF PLUS Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail SectionsMoreDetailsFiguresReferencesCited by The China Journal Volume 50Jul., 2003 Published on behalf of the Australian Centre on China in the World at the Australian National University Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.2307/3182250 Views: 40Total views on this site Citations: 3Citations are reported from Crossref Copyright 2003 The China JournalPDF download Crossref reports the following articles citing this article:Chunman Zhang, Jianjun Fu Non-institutional Factors in Shaping Rural Elections and Governance in China: a Pragmatist Perspective, Journal of Chinese Political Science 26, no.44 (Apr 2021): 631–649.https://doi.org/10.1007/s11366-021-09737-4Lichao Yang, Robert Walker, Jian Xie Shame, Face and Social Relations in Northern China: Ramifications for Social Assistance Provision, The China Quarterly 243 (Oct 2019): 655–675.https://doi.org/10.1017/S0305741019001255LICHAO YANG, ROBERT WALKER Poverty, Shame and Ethics in Contemporary China, Journal of Social Policy 49, no.33 (Aug 2019): 564–581.https://doi.org/10.1017/S0047279419000667

China's Changing Urban Governance in the Transition Towards a More Market-oriented Economy

China's changing urban development processes and urban landscapes in the transition towards a more market-oriented economy have received extensive research attention in recent years. Relatively, the governing of Chinese cities is still underresearched. This article aims to analyse the forces released both inside and outside the formal socialist state system and the impacts on phenomenal restructuring of urban governance, especially at local levels. Marketisation has created new elements beyond the reach of state work-units that represent the state's 'hierarchical' control. The pillars of the socialist governing structure-the party-state, the work-units system and household registration-are shaken by these forces. The changes in the organisation of people, capital, production materials, infrastructure and space fundamentally demand new urban governance. Territorial organisations such as the municipality, urban districts, Street Office and Residents' Committees are reinvented and consolidated to restore a governable society. The devolution towards the base level and the reinvention of local communities reflect the state's attempt to reconsolidate its power to create a governable society as well as to cope with practical pressures such as the provision of social assistance to poor and aged residents, re-employment of laid-off workers and the management of 'floating' immigrants. The combination of new market elements and decentralised state apparatus has given rise to the entrepreneurial endeavour of China's governance. This research highlights the micro-foundation of the new urban governance in addition to the `globalisation-capital mobility—city competitiveness' thesis.

Patchworks of Purpose: The Development of Provincial Social Assistance Regimes in Canada

In this text, the author asserts that Canada does not have one social assistance system but rather ten variants that reflect the particular policy goals of each province. He argues that provincial assistance regimes have followed significantly distinct paths in their historical development even though they have been funded under the same federal cost-sharing arrangments. To examine patterns of social assistance provision specific to particular provinces, the author develops a five-fold typology consisting of residual, market/family enforcement, market performance, conservative, and redistributive models. He uses this typology to compare development of assistance of provision in the provinces, provincial responses to federal initiatives and trajectories of assistance regimes. He concludes by surveying some of the broader implications of his findings for issues such as the development of national standards and the impact of globalization on social assistance provision in Canada.

Resemblance and Relief: National Clustering and Social Assistance Provision—A Subnational Comparison

Social assistance--cash and in-kind benefits provided to those deemed to be without the means for an adequate level of subsistence--has been a point of constant comparison between the United States and Canada. These comparisons have generally tended to point to Canada's generosity in contrast to the meager levels of assistance provided in the United States.(1) Not only is Canada's social safety net widely accepted as more generous than that found in the U.S., but Canadians are also generally thought to be more favorable toward social welfare per se than Americans.(2) Without debating the accuracy of such generalizations qua generalizations, they overlook important variations both among states and among provinces. In doing so, they also overstate the differences between the American states as a group and the Canadian provinces as a group. Broadly stated, Canadian provinces are far stronger political actors than are the American states. However, both states and provinces exercise important responsibilities in the provision of social assistance. In policy areas where states and provinces are significant actors, it is logically necessary, prior to making generalizations about national differences, to examine whether there is in fact some significant level of national clustering--whether policies in the various states tend to look more like policy in other states than in the Canadian provinces and vice versa. In the absence of strong consistent national clustering among subnational jurisdictions, differences in public policies across provinces and states cannot be meaningfully explained by reference to national or system-level characteristics.(3) An examination of social assistance provision in the states and provinces reveals that rather than one country being consistently more generous than the other, an alternative characterization emphasizes the continuing lack of strong national clustering. This paper, therefore, illustrates the need for considerable caution in overemphasizing national-level differences between social assistance provision in the two countries. Central Government Programs for Social Assistance Provision of social assistance by states and provinces has taken place within each country's respective federal framework and the differences in these frameworks have been significant. However, distinctive federal arrangements do not constitute presumptive evidence of national clustering among states and provinces in terms of how social assistance is actually provided. Under both federal systems, states and provinces continue to retain considerable latitude to provide assistance in the manner they see fit. This flexibility contributes to making careful consideration of national clustering among states and provinces necessary. In both the United States and Canada, jurisdiction over the provision of last resort aid to the needy is granted to the states and provinces. Provinces have jurisdiction over social assistance by virtue of the constitutional provision granting them exclusive jurisdiction over hospitals, asylums, charities and eleemosynary institutions [S.97, 7] which was buttressed by powers over `all matters of a merely local or private nature' (S.92, 16).(4) In the U.S., social assistance falls under the range of activities not expressly assigned to the federal government by the constitution and thus remains the prerogative of the states. Despite these similarities, there are significant differences between the jurisdictional frameworks in the two countries as they have evolved. While the federal governments in both countries have asserted their constitutional capacity to provide income-tested benefits directly to individuals by virtue of the federal spending power, the two countries differ regarding means-tested (income and asset-tested) benefits. Direct federal provision of means-tested benefits existing in the U.S. (for example, Supplemental Security Income for the aged, blind, and disabled) would not be constitutionally legal in Canada. …