Social Policy Measures Research Articles

Empowerment or Intrusion? The Input and Output Legitimacy of Introductory Programs for Recent Immigrants

Recent changes in the social policy regimes of western European countries have raised questions about the normative legitimacy of policy measures. Welfare states may face difficult dilemmas when efficient social policy measures clash with principles of the liberal state, like equal treatment and individual autonomy. Is output legitimacy achieved at the expense of the input legitimacy dimensions of individual autonomy and human dignity? In this paper, a standard for evaluating the normative legitimacy of social policy interventions is proposed, and subsequently applied on the concrete example of the Norwegian introductory programs for immigrants. The paper concludes that activation measures in some of its implementations may actually represent fewer threats to input legitimacy than does the alternative regime of unconditional social assistance.

Demographic development and implementation of population policy measures in the Republic of Srpska

Republic of Srpska faces complex demographic problems that are manifested in a constant reduction in birth rates and negative population growth, reducing the number of pupils in primary schools, the process of depopulation, the disappearance of the villages, aging population, emigration of fertile and working-age population abroad. The components of natural movement of population in the period from 1996 to 2008 indicate problems in demographic development. The current rate of natural increase is negative and points to the disruption of vital structures of population with a range of negative consequences. At the level of the Republic of Srpska, family planning and social policy are under the strong influence of changes that occur in society. From the analysis of demographic determinants for the last ten years it is evident that in the Republic of Srpska, for a longer time, there has been active demographic recession initiated by an intensive reduction of fertility rates. In order to increase the fertility a broader social action is needed from which there should arise strategy for demographic development and family planning program that should take into account the number of children required for the replacement of generations. In accordance with the previous, it is needed to intensify activities on systematization of existing measures of population policy and to direct them primarily in pro-natal purposes, in order to distinguish measures of population and social policy. These activities should be developed at all levels, especially at the level of local government. .

Social Policy and Income Distribution: An Empirical Analysis for the Netherlands

In most OECD-countries income inequality has increased during the last two decades. In this paper, we investigate to what extent changes in the overall distribution of incomes can be attributed to social policy measures. The case for the Netherlands is particularly interesting, because the Dutch welfare state has been reformed rather fundamentally in recent years. The budget incidence analysis indicates that in the period 1981-1996 inequality of adjusted disposable household income increased sharply. The main force behind this phenomenon was a more unequal distribution of market incomes, but social transfers also explain a substantial large part of the rise in inequality. Social security reforms indeed seem to have made the income distribution less equal.The results of a more detailed analysis for 1996 on the redistributive impact of social policy and of specific social programs - using data from an unique income panel survey - can be summarised as follows:- The first five income deciles clearly gain from social security, while the higher deciles loose. Social security causes a reduction in inequality by 26 to 50 percent, depending on the indicator used.- The public old age program and the social assistance program explain by far the largest part of redistribution by the social system, while the disability and unemployment programs do not have strong redistributive effects.

Poverty and Social Justice in the Devolved Scotland: Neoliberalism Meets Social Democracy?

Drawing on current debates in social policy, this paper considers the extent to which social justice has and is informing social policy making in devolved Scotland. Relating to the work of social justice theorists Young, Fraser and Lister in particular, it critically examines some key Scottish social policy measures since 1999, considering some of the ways in which these have been constructed in terms of social justice and which make claims to the Scottish national. Through a focus on the issue of anti-poverty policies, the paper explores the ways in which the dominant policy approaches of the Scottish Government have reflected an uneven and tension-loaded balance between the enduring legacies of Scottish social democracy and the influences of neoliberal economics.

Zerstört der Sozialstaat die Familie?

: German Basic Law sees „marriage” and „family” as core elements of society – assuming that families are those units that by bearing and raising children provide a society's future and that marriages are fundamental for families. Accordingly, all social policy measures should support (or at least not disadvantage) marriages and families. This article shows that supporting marriages and supporting families are conflicting aims. It shows that measures which are intended to support families in raising children induce adaptive behaviour of (potential) parents that erodes marriage as an institution. In consequence, female incentives to bear children might be reduced by measures that were intended to augment them.

Continuity and Change in Social Policy Approaches toward Women

AbstractThis article discusses the development of social policy in Turkey from a gender perspective. Focusing on continuities and changes in the formal social security system and the labor market regulation, it aims to describe the place of women in social policy until today. I argue that social policy measures from the late Ottoman era to the single-party period laid the foundation for later gendered policy approaches through specific assumptions on women's roles and position. With the introduction of a modern social security system in the post-World War II period women have increasingly become integrated into the system, either as workers or as dependents of workers; however, assumptions about women's place in the family and the labor market did not change much. Familial dependency and traditional gender norms were assumed and reinforced through certain gender-differentiated policies, and women workers have been encouraged to go back home. Over the last two decades, however, the conceptualization of women in social policy formulations has shifted towards a policy that encourages female labor and equal treatment of genders.

Social Policy Change in Countries without Mature Welfare States: The Case of Turkey

AbstractAs part of the institutional changes in Turkey since the 1980s that laid down the foundations of a market economy, the transformation of the social security system has recently come on the agenda. This article discusses the possible outcome of this transformation by situating the case of Turkey in the context of the contemporary international social policy environment shaped by neo-liberal globalization.It is possible to suggest that throughout the world a new system of welfare governance has recently emerged, which is characterized, first, by a novel emphasis on workfare as opposed to welfare. It modifies, second, redistributive action by the state through diverse partnerships between the state, private sector and voluntary initiatives in the provision of social care and public services. The impact of this new system of welfare governance on social policy is especially important in less developed countries where the role of the state in welfare provision is recently being taken more seriously. With the new emphasis on workfare accompanied by the increasing role of non-state actors, the newly introduced social policy measures might not necessarily consolidate the basis of citizenship rights but they might mainly serve to keep under control the socio-economic insecurity aggravated by the expansion of market relations. This observation is of particular significance for the analysis of the contemporary social policy environment in Turkey that this article presents.

Introduction Themed Section Care or Control? Gypsies, Travellers and the State

The history of the state, in relation to its ‘dealings’ with Gypsies and Travellers in Britain and Ireland, has not been one worthy of endorsement, praise or special prizes (Hawes and Perez, 1986; Mayall, 1995). Since the emergence of written records detailing the presence of such groups on these Islands (around the fifteenth Century, according to Fraser, 1995: 111–120) a familiar series of tensions has tended to take shape, tensions that are explored by the articles within this themed section and that we might today discuss in terms of core dichotomies, such as ‘integration and assimilation’, ‘inclusion and exclusion’ and, with a social policy focus, ‘care and control’. Indeed, where objective academic analysis has been conducted of the state's enactment of social policy measures in relation to both nomadic and sedentary communities of Gypsies and Travellers a brightly coloured picture reveals itself, illustrating, on the one hand, a desire to ‘help’ (care) for their well-being, safety and security (Parry et al., 2004; Cemlyn, 2006; Mason et al., 2006) whilst, on the other hand, there is also a strong tendency to monitor, classify and regulate (control) their movement, accommodation, work practices and cultural identity (Clark and Greenfields, 2006; Richardson, 2006; James, 2007, forthcoming). No matter what specific area of interest the researcher might have, whether it is accommodation, education or health, the states’ activities regarding the care and control of its Gypsy and Traveller citizens often appears to be confused, shifting between the punitive and restrictive as well as being ill-informed and lacking any kind of joined-up coherent strategy. As we will see, through the articles within this themed section, the tensions between the state and Gypsies and Travellers show little signs of being resolved, although in the last few years there have been (policy) signs and (practice) signals that all parties recognise the fact that current entrenched positions are damaging and unsustainable.

New Social Risks and Social Exclusion as a Challenge to Czech Social Policy

Current demographic and social changes in (post)modern societies present new challenges to social policy in the form of a new and deepening social and economic imbalance – they are sometimes referred to as ‘new social risks’ – and among the direct consequences of these new risks is the phenomenon of social exclusion. In response to these challenges, European agendas for employment and for social inclusion, are being implemented. These guidelines are set out in programme documents such as National Action Plans for Employment (since 2005 National Reform Programmes) and National Action Plans for Social Inclusion. Given that the Method of Open Coordination is a rather ‘soft instrument’, specific implementation of these agendas in European countries is dependent on many aspects of the national context. In this article, we aim to describe the specifics of the Czech Republic's approach to the problems of social exclusion. We will first explore the emphasis laid on the new risks in Czech social policy measures and attempt to draw comparisons with other EU countries. Next, we will also pay attention to the Czech approach to the agenda for social inclusion, which is among the key agendas in this area.

Zeit und Geld im Lebensverlauf – Empirische Evidenz und sozialpolitischer Handlungsbedarf aus der Geschlechterperspektive

The article analyses the distribution of time and money from a life-course perspective, focussing on differences between women and men. Using different available data-sources, characteristic patterns of female and male life courses and their changes over time are being discussed. The article also compares the German patterns with patterns from other European countries. In the second part, social policy measures and company strategies that could contribute to a gender-sensitive life-course approach in social protection are developed and discussed.

Poverty, Social Exclusion and Social Policy in the Czech Republic

AbstractThis article analyses the pattern of poverty and social exclusion in the Czech Republic and the impact of social policy on this pattern. The analysis is mostly based on data from the Czech Survey on Social Conditions of Households (2001; 27,000 respondents); Eurostat data provide a benchmark for making international comparisons. The poverty rate in the Czech Republic is among the lowest in Europe. On the other hand, material deprivation, as well as concentration of poverty within specific population groups, is high, with the unemployed facing the highest risk of poverty. Social policy measures in effect reinforce this pattern: while the benefit system is highly redistributive and effectively eliminates income poverty among households of employed persons and among pensioners, incomes of persons outside paid employment are protected less effectively. Labour market policy measures are insufficient in scope and inadequate in targeting groups which are facing the highest risk of labour market exclusion and poverty. We argue that although this practice is effective at present, it is not sustainable in the long term.

Approaches of the Austrian School to the Soziale Frage before World War I – Wieser and Böhm‐Bawerk

PurposeThe paper aims to provide an overview of the Austrian School's approaches to the social question before World War I.Design/methodology/approachThe paper takes the form of a comparative study.FindingsIn his contributions Friedrich von Wieser supported co‐operative associations as an organizational form of big enterprise to be used as instruments to ameliorate the social condition of workers; and who dealt with issues such as private ownership of the means of production and economic inequality, impact of collective bargaining on wage formation, and public economy, where he discussed the contribution of public sector production to social value. Further reports on Böhm‐Bawerk's essay on disadvantageous consequences of free competition where he came to the conclusion that free competition in reality does not maximize national economic welfare, without, however, drawing concrete policy consequences from his findings. As Austria's finance minister he introduced a modestly progressive income tax early in the twentieth century. Later, in his essay “Control or economic law” he took a more reserved position with respect to the possibilities of correcting ore modifying outcomes of the market process.Practical implicationsThe paper illustrates that redistribution can enhance economic welfare.Originality/valueCalls back to memory that opinions of the first generation of the Austrian School (Wieser, Böhm‐Bawerk) were different from Ludwig Mises' positions expressed in Die Gemeinwirtschaft that all measures of social policy are aimed at the destruction of the free market economy, which later came to be considered as the dominant position of the Austrian School towards the social question.

The Social Composition of Homicide in Finland, 1960–2000

This article examines the social composition of homicide offenders and victims in Finland between 1960 and 2000. While many prior analyses have been based on victim-based cause-of-death statistics or aggregated rates of geographical units, the present data allowed the analysis of offender and victim populations at individual level. Both the rates and patterns of homicidal behaviour were analysed from the point of view of participants’ social characteristics. It was discovered that the social anchoring of homicide remained stable in the relative sense that the typical victims and offenders were males from the lowest stratum. However, the absolute societal position of the lowest stratum male transformed as he was made economically redundant, a change that was reflected in homicide populations. The article concludes with a discussion of the paradox between the rise of the welfare state and the expected but unrealized pacification of the lowest stratum male. Four suppressing mechanisms are suggested: alcohol availability, social selection effects, cultural factors and the unintended consequences of social policy measures. The last category refers to changes in social patterns of homicide, which made the reduction of homicide rates more difficult, meaning that the present homicide situation is particularly resistant to efforts of situational crime prevention.

Kinder und Jugendliche: Ungleiche Lebensbedingungen, ungleiche Gesundheitschancen

Today, children and young people represent the age group that is most frequently threatened by poverty in Germany. Poverty during childhood means a bad start to life and often has long-term effects on an adolescent's social and health development. Health problems are more frequent among preschool-age children from socially disadvantaged families. They are also more often affected by accidents and dental problems. In adolescence, links can be established between the social situation and psychosocial well-being, pain incidence and health behaviour. However, poverty does not inevitably go hand-in-hand with health problems. A stable and supporting social environment -- particularly in families, peer groups and schools -- promotes the development of a positive self-image and social skills, thus empowering the child to deal with demanding living conditions. Measures of social and health policy aimed at lessening the effects of poverty on health must start here.

Simulatiemodellen: instrumenten voor sociaal-economisch onderzoek en beleid

In recent years simulation models are increasingly used in research on socio-economic policy, particularly in studies of taxes and social benefits. In this article we present two types of simulation models: the standard simulation model and the micro simulation model. Both models are micro models, meaning that they assess the structure and impact of social and economic policy measures for an individual decision unit (individuals, households and enterprises). We discuss the particularities of both models, point out that they are fully complementary and illustrate them with analyses of Belgian taxation and social contributions.

5 The Prospect of Financial Instability of Social Security System and Policy Measures in the Republic of Korea(From the Sub-sessions)

5 The Prospect of Financial Instability of Social Security System and Policy Measures in the Republic of Korea(From the Sub-sessions)

Social and behavioural science perspectives on out-of-home mobility in later life: findings from the European project MOBILATE.

Out-of-home mobility is a crucial prerequisite for autonomy and well-being. The European research project entitled Enhancing Mobility in Later Life: Personal Coping, Environmental Resources, and Technical Support (MOBILATE), funded within the European Commission's Fifth Framework Programme, focused on older adults' day-to-day mobility and the complex interplay between their personal resources and resources of their physical and social environments. A survey conducted in 2000 in urban and rural areas of five European countries (Finland, The Netherlands, Germany, Hungary and Italy) with various geographical, structural, and cultural conditions enabled us to compare patterns of older men's and women's actual mobility in different regional settings. The sample included n=3,950 randomly selected persons aged 55years or older, stratified according to gender and age. Standardised questionnaires and a diary were used to assess the persons' socio-structural, health-related, psychological and social resources as well as features of the community that may affect their options of realising outdoor oriented needs. The findings confirm that a person's physical, economic, social and technical resources as well as the structural resources prevailing in the area in which he or she lives in are decisive preconditions of out-of-home mobility. Older persons living singly, women, persons with impaired health and low economic resources, and the rural elderly tend to be particularly at risk of losing their abilities to move about. We conclude that further support and stimulation for enhancing out-of-home mobility in later life must focus as much on transport policy measures as on appropriate social policy measures.

Fatherless Costa Rica: Child Acknowledgment and Support Among Lone Mothers

Much debate is going on in Costa Rica about the increase of out-of-wedlock births and unestablished paternity in particular with regard to the elaboration of social policy measures. No systematic empirical data on the issue has been available to date, leaving the various discourses in public without foundation. Our work contributes to this gap in knowledge. Data and methodology: Using representative data sets we outline the national situation. A qualitative study based on 140 qualitative in-depth interviews with lone mothers in various cultural settings within Costa Rica offers a “grass-roots” view of the issue. Results: A macro-level analysis of official data shows 49% of births in 1998 were non-marital ones and that the proportion of births with unestablished paternity accounts for more than one quarter (28%) of the children. The rise in births with unestablished paternity results from a rise in the number of non-married women and a change in the population structure of Nicaraguan immigrants. Strong regional differences exist. Among individual factors are nationality, age, birth order, and social and marital status. Information from the qualitative study shows that the majority of women relate unestablished paternity to desertion or abandonment of responsibilities by the father of their child. Other reasons are interference by parents or in-laws and not wanting legal acknowledgement. Only one quarter of the women receive official child support and one third receive voluntary contributions. The women’s assessment of their situation in the different cultural contexts is varied and enables identifying areas worthy of reflection for efficient national social policy measures, presented as the conclusions of the paper.

“equality” for women, child rearing, and the state in the former german democratic republic

This article explores some of the complexities of the concept of “equality” (Gleichberechtigung) for women in the former German Democratic Republic (GDR) before and after unification through the analysis of in-depth interviews with eight women in East Berlin and some relevant state documents. According to the constitution (Verfassung der DDR, 1968. Berlin: Staatsverlag), women in the GDR had equal rights including the “right and duty” to be in paid employment. The state developed comprehensive social policy measures to enable women to combine motherhood and workforce participation. Because a high number of women were in paid employment, state representatives claimed that women were able to practice their equality. However, the present study showed that while laws and social policy measures gave women some social power in the form of financial independence of an individual partner and self-confidence through paid work, these measures were not enough to facilitate the realization of “equality” in both the work and the family spheres.

Will a Basic Income Do Justice to Women?

Abstract This article addresses the question whether a basic income will be a just social policy for women. The implementation of a basic income will have different effects for different groups of women, some of them clearly positive, some of them negative. The real issues that concern feminist critics of a basic income are the gender-related constraints on choices and the current gender division of labour, which are arguably both playing at the disadvantage of women. It is argued that those issues are not adequately addressed by a basic income proposal alone, and therefore basic income has to be part of a larger packet of social policy measures if it wants to maximise real freedom for all.