Social Assistance Recipients Research Articles

Risk factors of long-term social assistance recipiency among lone mothers. The case of Sweden

For decades, lone mothers have been vastly overrepresented among Swedish social assistance recipients. In Sweden, social assistance is administered in the personal social services. The study aims to explore and analyse factors associated with long-term recipiency among lone mothers. The empirical material consists of micro data on 875 randomly selected lone mothers receiving social assistance in any of the three major cities of Sweden in 2007. In the analysis, a distinction is made between household demographics (e.g. ethnicity) and individual factors (subdivided into individual impairments (e.g. psychosocial conditions) and financial vulnerability (e.g. unemployment)). The main findings are: (1) even though household demographics alone show low explanatory value for long-term social assistance recipiency, analysed factors remain significant when controlling for individual factors; (2) among individual factors, only variables indicating financial vulnerability are significant. A main conclusion in the study is that social workers should be attentative that subgroups within the larger population of lone mothers have higher risk of long-term recipiency (e.g. non-native origin). Furthermore, policy revisions should be considered for this group, since personal social services extensively address individual impairments whereas long-term recipiency is strongly associated with structural factors.

Unpaid work and social policy: Engaging research with mothers on social assistance

The interlocking issues of gender, unpaid work and multiple forms of representation or lived experiences with social policy are complex. The study ‘Who Benefits: Women, Unpaid Work and Social Policy’, supported by Status of Women Canada, and guided by an advisory group consisting of women’s and anti-poverty organizations was based in Saskatchewan, Canada. The study interrogated how mothers on social assistance (SA) defined and understood unpaid caregiving work with small children; and the impact of social welfare policy guidelines that pushed SA recipients to find paid employment. Using action research and original, creative methods to gather data, the research simultaneously created a non-threatening environment for discussion, information-sharing, support and knowledge creation among participants. Overall, findings in the study resonate with other published studies on low-income women and unpaid work. Unique to this study particularly, were the action research process and outcomes which provided ways to address the needs of the study participants and to catalyze participant-led actions. The study assisted the 28 participants in linking their unpaid work with social policy and finally, in taking socio-political action. Actions included meetings with government, press conferences, and an uptake of recommendations by advisory group organizations. Independent of the research, the participants continued to meet after the study concluded.

Lagging behind in good times: immigrants and the increased dependence on social assistance in Sweden

Mood C. Lagging behind in good times: immigrants and the increased dependence on social assistance in SwedenInt J Soc Welfare 2011: 20: 55–65 © 2009 The Author, Journal compilation © 2009 Blackwell Publishing Ltd and the International Journal of Social Welfare.After the 1990s recession in Sweden, social assistance (SA) recipiency decreased to levels that were clearly lower than before the recession. However, this decrease masked a strong polarisation: the number of short‐term recipients fell, but the number of long‐term recipients was higher than before the recession. This article shows how SA recipiency and dependence changed over a whole economic cycle in Sweden's largest city, Stockholm, and asks whether the increasing dependence can be explained by immigration. It is shown that the relative increase of long‐term SA is similar among immigrants and native‐born, but decomposition analysis reveals that the increase among native‐born is of minor importance for the overall increase. Nearly half the increase can be attributed instead to the increased representation of immigrants in the population, and another 38 per cent to increased dependence among immigrants. Only 15 per cent of the total increase in long‐term SA is a result of increased dependence among native‐born.

Living on social assistance with chronic illness: Buffering and undermining features to well-being

BackgroundIn Sweden, the social security and sickness insurance systems are comprehensive and aim to provide people whose illness prevents them from earning their own living, with either sickness benefits or disability pension. Some, however, are not entitled to these benefits or receive social insurance benefits at a level too low for subsistence, and are referred to social assistance. The purpose of this study was to explore in depth how social assistance recipients with chronic illness perceive and respond to the experience of living on social assistance.MethodsSeventeen in-depth interviews were carried out with chronically ill people who had received social assistance for several years. Grounded theory informed the design of the study.ResultsThe study showed that different strategies (living one day at a time, taking steps forwards and backwards and making attempts to find ways out of the situation) were employed by social assistance recipients to maintain or improve their well-being. Contextual features like the prevailing welfare system, public services and the local neighbourhood could buffer or undermine these strategies and their overall well-being. These features together influenced how interviewees perceived their situation, the possible ways out of the situation and the consequences for their well-being.ConclusionFrom this study it is evident that the way in which individuals on social assistance interact with services and how they are treated by professionals plays an important role in their well-being, in combination with what kind of help and support is available for recipients through the welfare system. In this respect, persons living on social assistance with chronic illness are particularly vulnerable. This study suggests that more effort should be made to find long term solutions concerning income support, rehabilitation and other services provided to this group.

Professionals without a profession? Redesigning case management in Dutch local welfare agencies

This article explores the new roles of frontline workers in Dutch local welfare agencies against the background of recent active welfare state reforms, with a specific focus on frontline workers involved in activating social assistance recipients. The results presented in the article come from case studies in four local welfare agencies. The article investigates how active welfare state reforms have influenced the room for discretion of frontline workers, how discretion is managed in local welfare agencies, and how frontline workers cope with discretion. The article argues that the discretion of activation by frontline workers has increased significantly. The research results show a clear though not unambiguous shift from a bureaucratic towards a more professional treatment of frontline workers, combined with attempts to introduce a more performance oriented style of management. However, given the low level of institutionalisation of the profession of activation work, activation frontline workers still seem to be professionals without a profession. This not only makes activation work a rather individual project, it also entails risks for clients for whom activation services may become unpredictable and lacking in transparency.

Does Active Labour Market Policy have an Impact on Social Marginalization?

AbstractCountless evaluations of active labour market policy (ALMP) have been conducted in the last decade. The common denominator for most of these evaluations is a focus on employment (self‐sufficiency) as the dependent variable, where the success of ALMP is measured in terms of the number of unemployed finding ordinary employment after (or immediately before) participating in an activation programme. The main argument in this article is that this focus is inadequate. For many long‐term unemployed people, it would be an understatement to describe the road to employment as merely ‘bumpy’. Research must take this into consideration. This article therefore deals with the Danish activation policy from a new perspective by analyzing the impact on different aspects of social marginalization, focusing on long‐term social assistance recipients. Using data from a comprehensive, representative quantitative survey of Danish unemployed conducted in 2007, the first analysis convincingly reveals that we fail to find any systematic correlation between participation in ALMP and any of the social marginalization indicators. The second analysis presents a more mixed picture of the participant's own assessment of the impact of ALMP on their self‐esteem; some are quite positive, while others are more neutral or even rather negative. Taking the existing research into account, these results leave us with conceptual and methodological questions for further research.

Is social capital associated with coping, self-esteem, health and quality of life in long-term social assistance recipients?

Being a long-term social assistant recipient may in the long run have an impact on the individual's perception of health and quality of life, which in turn may become barriers to the return to work. The purpose of this article is to explore the relationships between social capital, coping, self-esteem, health and quality of life in a sample of people receiving social assistance, living in various municipalities in Norway. The present study has a cross-sectional, questionnaire and survey design, including a sample of 451 long-term social assistance recipients from 14 municipalities in Norway (response rate 53%). Different self-reported measures assessing social capital, coping, self-esteem, health and quality of life were used. To evaluate multivariate relationships, multiple linear hierarchical regression analyses were performed. The majority of the sample was men (58%), had education up to secondary school level (43%), and were married or registered partner (23%), with a mean age of 34 (SD 10.9; range 18-60). Demographic and social factors explain 7% of the variance in social capital. In the bivariate analysis, higher levels of social capital are significantly related to higher levels of coping (r = 0.30), self-esteem (r = 0.20), mental health (r = 0.30) and quality of life (r = -0.21). In the final regression model, with quality of life as the dependent variable, only coping, self-esteem and mental health are significantly related to quality of life. This model explains 40% of the variance in quality of life. This study indicates that social capital is associated with health and quality of life through coping and self-esteem in a sample of long-term social assistance recipients.

Weather inference and daily demand for emergency ambulance services

AimTo examine weather effects on the daily demand for ambulance services in Hong Kong.MethodsOver 6 million cases of emergency attendance from May 2006 through April 2009 (3 years) were obtained...

Social Assistance Recipients and Tenancy Conditions in the Private Rental Market

The proportion of public housing is very low in Norway. Low-income groups must therefore enter the private rental market in order to rent a dwelling. This paper focuses on tenancy conditions in the private rental market in two cities, Oslo and Trondheim, for recipients of social assistance. The analysis offers valuable insight into overall differences between social assistance recipients and other tenants. In particular, it is demonstrated that recipients of social assistance are predominantly found in the most expensive segment of the private rental market. However, within this segment the analysis is not conclusive with respect to differences in rental fees. Furthermore, in Oslo the tenancy conditions of social assistance recipients differ somewhat from the general rental market in that short-term contracts are used more often while this is not the case in Trondheim. In Oslo private landlords generally have information that the tenants receive social assistance, while they generally do not have such information in Trondheim.

Prevalence and Characteristics of Chronic Pain Among Long-term Social Assistance Recipients Compared to the General Population in Norway

Long-term social assistance recipients (LTRs) struggle with numerous health issues. However, no data are available on the prevalence of chronic pain in these individuals. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence and characteristics of chronic pain (ie, pain >3 mo) among LTRs in Norway compared to the general population (GP). In this cross-sectional study, which is part of a larger study that evaluated the health and functional abilities of LTRs in Norway, 405 LTRs of which 178 had chronic pain, were compared to a similar aged group (n=1455) from the general population. The LTRs were recruited from 14 of 433 municipalities. The LTRs were significantly younger (P<0.001), more likely to be male (P<0.001), and had less education (P<0.001) than the GP. The prevalence of chronic pain was significantly higher in the LTR sample (44.0%) compared to the GP sample (23.9%; P<0.001). A higher percentage of LTRs compared to the GP reported accidents (P=0.002) as the cause of their pain. The fact that 44.0% of the LTRs reported chronic pain, compared to only 23.9% of the GP suggests that chronic pain is a significant problem for LTRs in Norway. Additional research is warranted to determine the exact etiologies for and the impact of chronic pain on LTRs.

At risk of what? Possibilities over probabilities in the study of young lives

This paper draws on a series of 45 interviews with recipients of social assistance between the ages of 16 and 24 to offer a critical assessment of the language of ‘risk’ and ‘resilience.’ After briefly tracing the development of this vocabulary and approach in youth research, this paper argues in line with existing critiques (Kelly 2000, te Riele 2006, France 2007) that neither risk nor resilience is an appropriate way of coming to understand young people's past, present, or future lives. Moreover, the authors argue that the language of risk and resilience commits a form of ‘symbolic violence’ (Bourdieu 1999, Frank 2002, Zizek 2008) against young people whose lives are presumably captured and finalized by this conceptual language. Instead, the authors propose that, when dealing with young people and the future, a focus on narrative and the ‘desirable futures’ interviewees envision for themselves is a more humane, and in many respects a more fruitful way of approaching the study of young lives.

The relationship between chronic pain and health-related quality of life in long-term social assistance recipients in Norway.

PurposeThe purposes of this study were to compare the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of long-term social assistance recipients (LTRs) with and without chronic pain and determine the effect of select demographic, social, pain, alcohol, and illicit drug use characteristics on the physical and mental components of their HRQOL.MethodsIn this cross-sectional study, which is part of a larger study that evaluated the health and functional abilities of LTRs in Norway, 405 LTRs of which 178 had chronic pain were recruited from 14 of 433 municipalities.ResultsLTRs with chronic pain were older (P < .001), more often married (P = .002), feeling more lonely, (P = .048), and had more problems with alcohol (P = .035). The final regression model explained 41.2% (P < .001) of the variance in PCS scores and 32.2% (P < .001) of the variance in MCS scores. Being in chronic pain (29.7%), being older (4.7%), and never married (2%) predicted worse PCS scores. Feeling lonely (11.9%), having problems with illicit drug use (5.9%), and being in chronic pain (2.9%) predicted worse MCS scores.ConclusionLTRs with chronic pain rated both the physical and mental components of HRQOL lower than LTRs without chronic pain. The MCS score in both groups was negatively effected.

Cycling Off and On Welfare in Canada

AbstractInternationally, traditional approaches to social assistance (welfare) have increasingly been replaced with ‘active’ labour market policies. Alongside other industrialised countries, Canada embraced this shift, with its emphasis on the ‘shortest route’ to paid employment.There has been little research on the outcomes of these dramatic changes in Canada, especially longer term. This article explores the post-welfare labour market experiences of people who were on social assistance in Canada in 1996. It uses the longitudinal micro-data files of the Survey of Labour and Income Dynamics (SLID) from Statistics Canada, which tracks a panel of recipients over five years. We examine the mixing of work and welfare, the transition from welfare to work, and selected labour market indicators – primarily hours of work and wages – that those in receipt of social assistance face in assuming paid work.Those leaving welfare for work face precarious employment opportunities. Leavers earn lower wages, work fewer hours and consequently have lower annual earnings than non-recipients. Over time the gap narrows but remains significant, even after six years. Returns to welfare are frequent. Overall, even after six years most social assistance recipients remained marginalised in the periphery of the labour market.

The social capital and mental health of long-term social assistance recipients in Norway

Previous findings have generally demonstrated the positive mental health benefits of social capital. However, the mental health benefits of social capital for social assistance recipients have not been fully demonstrated. This study analyses the mental health benefits of individual-level bonding and individual-level bridging social capital for 551 Norwegian longer-term social assistance recipients. The findings demonstrate that bonding social capital, i.e. contacts with friends and access to social resources, are positively associated with mental health. Of the variables in the study that relate to bridging social capital, social trust and trust towards the social worker particularly show significant associations for mental health. Consequently, it is important that the mental health benefits of various forms of bonding and bridging social capital are acknowledged within social work practices and that social work practitioners actively aim to increase social trust in longer-term social assistance recipients.

Controlled and dependent: experiences of living on social assistance in Sweden

Marttila A, Whitehead M, Canvin K, Burström B. Controlled and dependent: experiences of living on social assistance in Sweden Int J Soc Welfare 2010: 19: 142–151 © 2009 The Author(s), Journal compilation © 2009 Blackwell Publishing Ltd and the International Journal of Social Welfare.This study explored experiences of people receiving social assistance in 21st‐century Sweden, based on 33 in‐depth interviews conducted in 2005 and 2006. Two overarching themes emerged from the accounts, encompassing both a material and a psychosocial dimension of living on social assistance. Recipients reported that social assistance was generally sufficient for their basic material needs but allowed for no extras. It was possible to live on social assistance for a short time, but became difficult in the longer term. Perceptions of powerlessness, hopelessness and dependency were common and had the most damaging consequences for the recipients' perceived wellbeing. Some recipients believed that society at large had negative perceptions of people living on social assistance; it was something to be ashamed of but, at the same time, it was the recipients' only possible source of income. Findings of this study are partly similar to previous studies conducted in Sweden, suggesting that improvement in services should take into account the experiences of social assistance recipients.

Wage Subsidies, Work Incentives, and the Reform of the Austrian Welfare System

We analyze the labor supply and income effects of a needs-based minimum benefit system ('Bedarfsorientierte Mindestsicherung') to be introduced in Austria by the end of this/beginning of next year. The aim of this reform is to reduce poverty as well as increasing employment rates of recipients of social assistance. On the basis of a behavioral microsimulation model we show that this new system will slightly increase incomes for the poorest households and slightly reduce labor supply due to the generous allowances for marginal employment under the current and the planned regulations of unemployment assistance. As an alternative, we analyze a reform proposal which reduces financial incentives for marginal employment not covered by social security, and rewards working longer hours by a wage subsidy. Although this alternative reform would yield modest positive labor supply effects, a relatively large number of households would suffer income losses.

Appointment Choice and Outcome at a Supported Employment Agency

A 3-month study of 94 clients at a supported employment agency in London, Ontario, examined the significance of appointment choice in successful job placement. Clients who had been in conflict with the law were least likely to be appointment compliant, while social assistance recipients mandated to attend were the most likely to put off their initial agency visit and also most likely to terminate contact with the employment support service within 60 days. Younger clients were given more choice selecting a meeting time in the study than were older clients. Likewise, clients with a developmental delay or learning disability had more choice in selecting an initial appointment than did those with no disability, a physical challenge, or a mental health issue. It was observed that clients who were given a choice of meeting dates who selected an earlier rather than a later initial appointment did not have greater success in finding employment compared to those who opted for a later meeting date.

All-cause and cause-specific mortality of social assistance recipients in Norway: A register-based follow-up study

To investigate the mortality among social assistance recipients, who are among the most marginalized people in Norway. Cause-specific mortality was analysed in an attempt to explain the excess mortality. Previous research has suggested that social disadvantage leads to higher mortality from all causes, whereas others have found substantial variation when studying separate causes. The impact of the various causes will influence policy recommendations. Data were compiled through linking between Norwegian administrative records. The entire population born between 1935 and 1974 (2,297,621 people) was followed with respect to social assistance and death from 1993 to 2003. Cause-specific, age-standardized mortality rates for social assistance recipients and the rest of the population were calculated, and both the absolute (rate difference) and relative (rate ratio) rates were measured. The rate ratio for total mortality was 3.1 for men and 2.5 for women for the comparison between social assistance recipients and the general population. The mortality among social assistance recipients was higher for all causes, but the magnitude differed considerably, depending on the cause. The rate ratio for men ranged from 1.2 for non-smoking-related cancer to 18.8 for alcohol- and drug-related causes. Alcohol-and drug-related and violent causes together contributed to half of the excess mortality for men and one-third for women. The mortality of this socially disadvantaged group was considerably higher than that of the general population, and this difference reflected mainly drug-related causes.

Arbetslöshet som en icke önskvärd konsekvens av socialbidrag

Unemployment as an unintended consequence of social assistance recipiency: results from a time-series analysis of aggregated population dataDoes the frequency of unemployment have a tendency to increase the number of social assistance recipients, or does the relationship work the other way around? This article utilizes Swedish annual data on aggregated unemployment and means-tested social assistance recipiency in the period 1946–1990 and proposes a multiple time-series approach based on vector error-correction modelling to establish the direction of influence. First, we show that rates of unemployment and receipt of social assistance is co-integrated. Second, we demonstrate that adjustments to the long-run equilibrium are made through adjustments of the unemployment. This indicates that the level of unemployment reacts to changes in rates of social assistance recipiency rather than vice versa. It is also shown that lagged changes in the level of unemployment do not predict changes in rates of social assistance recipients in short-term. Together these findings demonstrate that the number of social assistance recipients does increase the number of unemployed in a period characterized by low unemployment and high employment.

Do welfare-to-work initiatives work? Evidence from an activation programme targeted at social assistance recipients in Norway

The emphasis on welfare-to-work policies across Europe has led to increased interest in active labour market programmes. A recent trend in some countries is a tighter collaboration between different welfare agencies and the inclusion of very disadvantaged groups. Few studies have evaluated such broad programmes. In this article we evaluate a Norwegian initiative to combat poverty, which is mainly directed at social assistance recipients, and which involves a close cooperation between the Employment Service and the Social Welfare System. We illuminate short-term effects, taking a dual approach: First, we analyse transitions to work among programme participants and study the determinants of this process by means of survival analysis. Second, we address the question of programme effects using propensity score matching. We find that the mean programme effect is positive, but varying across target groups. For immigrants and single mothers there is no impact. For youth the effect may even be negative. The only significant effect in the desired direction is found among long-term social assistance recipients, and this effect is fairly large.