Government Welfare Research Articles

Informal Cross-Border Trade in Africa: Operations, Policy, and Opportunities

Informal cross-border trade (ICBT) refers to the illegal activities of cross-border commerce conducted by unregistered small-scale traders. We seek to develop insights to understand the ICBT value chain and offer policy recommendations to successfully integrate it into the formal economy. Using a game-theoretic model, we analyze the operations and key market dynamics of ICBT. We analyze the policy implications of three representative UN directives: enhancing marginalized traders’ access to formal channels, reducing export tax rates for formal traders, and introducing an alternative simplified trade regime (STR) for informal traders. All three policies result in an increase in government proceeds when the inherent profitability of the formal or STR channels is sufficiently high. Furthermore, social welfare increases when the policies effectively balance wholesale price competition within the formal and informal channels. We apply our model to a case study based on Uganda’s agricultural exports over an 11-year horizon. The access enhancement policy is most effective in increasing government proceeds but least effective in improving the welfare of other participants. The tax reduction policy enhances traders’ profitability but sacrifices the welfare of farmers and government proceeds substantially. Finally, the STR acknowledgement policy results in the largest increase in profitability of marginalized traders and farmers but comes at the cost of government proceeds. This paper was accepted by Jay Swaminathan, operations management. Funding: This work was supported by the Institute of Management Research, College of Business Administration, Seoul National University. Supplemental Material: The data and online appendix are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2022.02479 .

The Fertility Intentions of Highly Educated Young People of Childbearing Age in China

Educational attainment has been recognized by a wide range of scholars as being significantly related to fertility intentions, which gradually decline as educational attainment rises. In this study, we analyzed the factors affecting the fertility intentions of 401 highly educated young people of childbearing age aged 22-30 with bachelor's degree or above in China through a questionnaire survey and interviews with a random sample of young people of childbearing age with bachelor's degree or above in China. The results show that: fertility intention is significantly correlated with all the factors in this study, and can show a certain upward trend influenced by the current economic conditions, the reduction of damage to childbearing, government welfare policies, partner's willingness and support, and the impact on life and career. The study shows that traditional attitudes and other people's willingness have a lower impact on the highly educated people. Improving the level of available medical technology, reducing the risk of fertility among highly educated young people of childbearing age, increasing partner approval and support, and strengthening the supporting measures for fertility packages are the keys to increasing fertility intentions.

Perceptions of the tribal population on grama Sachivalayam (Village secretariat) concept and its services in the tribal areas of Visakhapatnam: An empirical study

The Government of Andhra Pradesh historically brought a new administrative system in Andhra Pradesh on the occasion of the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi on 02-10-2029. The name of the system is grama sachivalayam in villages and ward sachivalayam in urban areas. A total of 11,158 village secretariats and 3,786 ward secretariats have been established across the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. The government of Andhra Pradesh recruited 1.26 lakhs various staff members and 2.8 lakh ward/village volunteers in Andhra Pradesh to run the ward/gram secretariat system. The main aim of the Grama/Ward Sachivalayam is to deliver the Navaratnalu and other state and central government welfare programmes/schemes to the poor and needy population of Andhra Pradesh. It is a new system established four years back. This is a descriptive study. The study applied a multistage sampling method and collected data from 136 tribal households through the structured interview schedule. The study found that the village secretariat system reached the grassroots levels, and agency areas and helped many tribal people living the below poverty line. The people in the tribal areas are fully satisfied with this village secretariat concept and village volunteer concept. They easily access the government welfare and development schemes at their doorsteps with the help of village volunteers. There is a lot of scope for professional social workers to develop a bridge between the government and villagers. Dealing the political pressure is a challenge to the sachivalayam staff in the selection and implementation of schemes.

Development of Pharmacovigilance System in India and Paradigm of Pharmacovigilance Research: An Overview.

The drugs are projected to cure, prevent and treat diseases; however, there are also chances of mild or severe adverse drug reactions (ADRs) in the patients. Pharmacovigilance (PV) enhances the approach to safe medicines and healthcare, but integration into public healthcare remains a challenge in many countries. The Pharmacovigilance Programme of India (PvPI) is a nationwide programme launched by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), Government of India, on 14 July 2010. It is currently run by the Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission (IPC). Presently, 567 ADR Monitoring Centres (AMC) are functioning under PvPI across India. The Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO), under the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), and the Ministry of Health, Family & Welfare (MoHFW) Government of India is the National Regulatory Authority (NRA) of India. This review aims to trace the development of PV in India and its status among the top ADR reporting countries, with a focus on the current status of the studied ADR in different regions in India. Among the top 20 countries enthusiastic about sending ICSR per million population between 2015 and 2020, India shares 2% of the total ICSRs in VigiBase. India is now being recognized as a hub of global clinical trials and clinical research studies. Hence, it is the need of the hour in India to have a dynamic PV network system with an efficient and prudent operation method. Nevertheless, in India, PV programs are at an early stage on par with other countries, and only because of underreporting of ADRs. However, in the future, PvPI may appear as a big dashboard for ADR reporting culture in India as it continuously works hard to improve patients and drug safety.

Digital exclusion and distance in the British welfare system

This article explores how the digitization of the UK’s benefits system has affected welfare service encounters and digitally-excluded citizens’ relationship with the state. Digitization is a key feature of Universal Credit – the Conservative government’s flagship welfare reform policy - that has been subject to limited critical enquiry to date. Drawing on ethnographic research conducted in third-sector welfare service centres before and during the rollout of Universal Credit, the analysis contrasts the way advice was given under the old ‘legacy system’ with the new online system.Drawing on an original ethnographic study, the article argues that digitization has profoundly changed the dynamics of welfare service encounters and welfare governance more broadly. It identifies a shift towards a more transactional mode of service encounter and the emergence of new forms of claimant passivity as established routines centred on physical documents were supplanted with less-accessible digital technologies. In making inefficient but relationally-demanding negotiations obsolete, the article details how digitization has worked to further disempower and distance digitally-excluded citizens from meaningful engagement with their benefits claims. Potential implications of the findings for the study of contemporary welfare governance and the state are discussed in the concluding sections.

How China Perceives European Strategic Autonomy: Asymmetric Expectations and Pragmatic Engagement

Abstract Intensified strategic competition between China and the US and the outbreak of the Russia–Ukraine conflict have polarised international attention on the promotion and prospects for European strategic autonomy (ESA). This change in the international and regional environment raises an important question: How does ESA affect China–EU relations? Answering it requires clarification of the main impacts of ESA promotion on China–EU relations. These include: the EU’s reduced dependence on key materials and technologies from certain countries, and the formulation and expression, in line with core EU interests, of an independent stance and policies on China; China’s adjustment of its European Strategy; and persistent external pressure from the United States. Starting from its particular interests, the EU has, to some extent, independently assessed and accordingly refined its relations with China, having pursued cooperation in global public welfare governance and other areas of similarly low ideological significance, and pragmatically explored ways of moderating competition and enhancing cooperation with China. Fields highly sensitive to geopolitical influence, or which involve key technologies and globally important supply chains, are those wherein China is treated as a competitor. Upon analysis, it can be concluded that the EU’s most consistent approach to its goals of strategic autonomy is that of maintaining an alliance with the United States while avoiding full dependence on it, and competing with China in key areas that allow leeway for practical cooperation.

School truancy and welfare receipt dynamics in early adulthood: A longitudinal study

School truancy is associated with many negative life outcomes, including violent, property, and drug offending, lower levels of education, and subsequently lower status and lower-paying jobs. These negative life outcomes are also related to future reliance on government welfare payments. This research sought to identify how high school truancy affects young people's welfare receipt dynamics in emerging adulthood. It uses longitudinal data from a nationally representative household panel survey (the Household Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia Survey) to estimate the effect of truancy on young people's likelihood of receiving government-paid cash transfers in emerging adulthood. We find that young people who are truant are over four times more likely to receive cash transfers than young people who are not truant. Findings also show that the extent of truancy does not impact the likelihood of welfare receipt, even when differentiating between infrequent and problem truants. We conclude with some comments on truancy's role in welfare dynamics.

The Role of Government in Social Welfare: A Bibliometric Analysis of Policy Development, Evaluation, and Social Impacts

The ecological stability of our world and human well-being are dependent on biodiversity, but in the age of climate change, biodiversity faces hitherto unheard-of difficulties. This study investigates the intricate interactions between the preservation of biodiversity and the effects of climate change in Indonesia's rural Sukabumi District. Using a mixed-methods approach that includes field observations, interviews, surveys, and secondary data analysis, the study looks into the drivers of biodiversity loss as well as the state of biodiversity now and the effects of climate change on regional ecosystems. The findings show the incredible biodiversity of Sukabumi District, including its healthy coral reefs and terrestrial rainforests, as well as the noticeable effects of climate change, such as altered species behavior and coastal erosion. Unsustainable land-use practices and climate-related variables are identified as major contributors to the decline of biodiversity. Community-led conservation efforts provide success stories, but to protect biodiversity and improve climate resilience, strong policy proposals are required. The suggested recommendations place a strong emphasis on multi-stakeholder collaboration, conservation education, climate resilience, sustainable land-use practices, and community engagement. Sukabumi District is highlighted in the report as a microcosm of the problems facing biodiversity conservation worldwide, and it calls for swift and coordinated action to save nature's final line of defense against climate disaster.

Automated Government Benefits and Welfare Surveillance

This article examines the “digital welfare state” historically, presently, and into the future, with a focus on what artificial intelligence means for welfare surveillance. Drawing on scholarship about the development of bureaucracy, the welfare state, and automation, as well as specific examples from the Netherlands, I argue that problems posed by artificial intelligence in public administration are often misplaced or misattributed and that the societal challenges we can expect to encounter in welfare surveillance are more likely to be historically familiar than technologically novel. New technologies do provide some new capabilities, which explains the uptake of algorithmic tools in welfare fraud investigation and the use of chatbots in assisting with welfare applications. Algorithmic systems are also increasingly subject to “audits” and regulations that mandate accountability. However, many of the key issues in the automation of the welfare state are the same as identified in scholarship that long precedes the current hype around artificial intelligence. These issues include a persistent suspicion of welfare recipients to justify surveillance as a form of fraud identification, opaque decision-making, and punitive measures directed against marginalized groups, enacting harm and reproducing inequalities.

Evaluasi Sistem Pengendalian Internal Pemerintah Dalam Pengeluaran Kas Pada Bagian Pemerintahan Dan Kesejahteraan Rakyat Kota Surabaya

This study aims to determine and evaluate the government's internal control system and cash expenditure procedures in the Government and People's Welfare Section of Surabaya City are in accordance with applicable regulations or not. This research was carried out at the Surabaya City Government and People's Welfare Office located in the Genteng Village government building, Genteng District, Surabaya City. The analytical method used in this study is the Descriptive Analysis Method. The data collection techniques used are observation, in-depth interviews, and documentation. Data analysis techniques include data reduction, data presentation, and drawing conclusions. The results showed that the Cash Expenditure System and Procedure implemented in the Government and People's Welfare Section of Surabaya City has been running well in accordance with Permendagri Number 13 of 2006 concerning Regional Financial Management Guidelines. The internal control system of cash expenditure in the Government and People's Welfare Section of Surabaya City has also been implemented well but has not been maximally marked by the lack of maximum implementation of policies on human resource development so that employees are still found who lack mastery related to cash expenditures and the constraints of the duties of the finance and accounting department.

Gentrification and the Changing Urban Form

The effects of gentrification on displacement are widespread in the United States today. Since 1960, the United States has provided low-income people with opportunities to live in cities and find better jobs. As a result, a large number of low-income people have flooded into cities, resulting in high-income groups being dissatisfied with the changes in the surrounding community environment and moving to the suburbs, forming a wave of counter-urbanization. Today, however, the United States is reversing this trend and reurbanizing. High-income people with knowledge and expertise are moving into big cities, while low-income people are being driven out of their original homes. This paper will analyze the causes of gentrification and its impact, and divide into four parts to answer these questions. Gentrification is a development trend, which should not be ignored but should be faced and better helped by government intervention, community assistance and welfare policies.

Digital Payments and e-RUPI for the New Age India: An Overview

This paper presents an overview of Digital Payment in India which refers to the electronic transactions conducted between individuals, businesses, and government entities using digital channels. It involves the transfer of money or payments through online platforms, mobile devices, or other digital means, eliminating the need for physical cash or checks. India has witnessed significant growth in digital payment systems in recent years, driven by various initiatives and advancements in technology. In a country that has historically relied heavily on cash transactions, the advent of digital payment systems has ushered in a new era of convenience, efficiency, and financial inclusion. Digital payment in India has transformed the way financial transactions are conducted, moving the country towards a more inclusive, transparent, and efficient economy. The advent of UPI, mobile wallets, Aadhaar-enabled payments, and other digital payment systems has empowered individuals, facilitated business transactions, and enabled the government to deliver benefits and subsidies directly to beneficiaries. As India continues to embrace the digital revolution, the landscape of digital payment systems is expected to evolve further, driving economic growth and financial empowerment for all. Along with that, e-RUPI is a digital payment solution introduced in India to facilitate contactless and voucher- based transactions. Launched by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) in collaboration with the Department of Financial Services, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, and various other stakeholders, e- RUPI aims to enhance the efficiency and transparency of government welfare schemes and targeted subsidies. Keywords: Digital Payment, E-Rupee, UPI, Cash Transactions, NPCI, Mobile wallet.

‘Show me you're trying, that's all…’: Exploring the discursive impact of punishments and incentives in theWelshhomelessness system as ‘controlled conditionalities’

AbstractDiscussion around sanctions within the welfare state has been largely framed within a Wacquantian understanding of punitive modes of governance, neglecting the discursive life of conditionality as a source of normative social control. I use a Critical Discourse Analysis of extended interviews with 98 actors within the Welsh homelessness system to propose that conditionality operates through sanctions to further an agenda of creating a context responsibilisation and empowerment. I draw upon Deleuze's Societies of Control approach, proposing the term ‘controlled conditionalities’ to account for the power of illusory freedom through opportunity, operating through tight control of choice. I show (1) that despite the changes to homelessness law in Wales, Wacquantian‐style punitive conditionality is perceived as largely irrelevant by those engaged in administering the system; (2) ‘controlled conditionalities’ operate through abandonment of welfare citizens (3) ‘controlled conditionalities’ operate primarily through curating a desire in applicants to be recognised as normative and compliant. The paper offers a nuanced counter to a prevailing understanding of punitivity as a dominant and effective form of welfare governance and advances theoretical approaches through the development of the concept of controlled conditionalities.

Street-level netocracy: rules, discretion and professionalism in a network-based intervention

PurposeThe paper aims to analyse the meaning and extension of discretionary power of social service professionals within network-based interventions.Design/methodology/approachEmpirically, the paper is based on a case study of a network-based policy involving private and public organisations in the Northeast of Italy (Province of Trento).FindingsThe paper identifies netocracy as a social policy logic distinct from bureaucracy and professionalism. What legitimises netocracy is neither authority nor expertise but cooperation, the activation of connections and involvement, considered “good” per se. In this framework, professionalism and discretion acquire new and problematic meanings compared to street-level bureaucracy processes.Research limitations/implicationsBased on a case study, the research results cannot be generalised but pave the way to further comparative investigations.Practical implicationsThe paper reveals that the position of professionals in netocracy is to some extent trickier than that in a bureaucracy because netocracy seems to have the power to encapsulate them and make it less likely for them to deviate from expected courses of action.Originality/valueCombining different literature streams – street level bureaucracy, professionalism, network organisations and welfare governance – and building on an original case study, the paper contribute to understanding professionalism in welfare contexts increasingly characterised by the combination of bureaucratic, professional and network logics.

Towards an encompassing concept of remittance in the digital era: Assessing the role of formal banking and mobile money accounting in its spatial flow

Drawing from capital mobility theory, this article adopts an encompassing view on remittance that covers both domestic and international financial transfers, to retrospectively explore and evaluate the relative influences of formal banking (FB) and mobile money accounting (MMA) on the extensive supply of remittances from individuals living within the economic community of the West African states (ECOWAS), during the COVID-19 pandemic. To that end, the study uses random utility maximization to model ECOWAS level data extracted from the 2021 Global Findex Survey. The results show that FB and MMA had respectively 12.2% and 54.5% positive impacts on the marginal utilities (MUs) individuals derive from supplying remittances. The comparative evaluation of the two remittance channels suggested that FB and MMA were neither substitutes, nor complements into the individual’s extensive supply function of remittances within ECOWAS. However, MMA was found to be 4.47 times more effective than FB, at driving outbound remittance behavior. Additionally, the findings revealed a significant income gradient in outbound remittance behavior; as well as highlighting a 22.4% gender based gradient in remittance sending in favor of females; and a 6.4% regional gradient favoring urban residents. Moreover, the econometric findings suggested that expending financial inclusion through easing access to key financial products and services; as well as government welfare programs, and employment income, significantly increased the likelihood of remittance sending within the ECOWAS bloc. Hence, important implications for endogenous regional growth and future research are discussed.

Designing the Pathology Model of Public Welfare Governance in Iran

Introduction: Policymakers' inability to identify and analyze public issues to formulate necessary policies, the weaknesses of agents and executives in implementing the procedures, and the lack of optimal use of existing resources are among the most prominent disadvantages of public welfare governance in various societies. The purpose of this research is to provide a model to understand the inefficiency of public welfare governance in Iran. Method: The present research is a mixed-method type (quantitative-qualitative) of research. In order to identify the concepts, dimensions and indicators of the model, theme analysis (qualitative) was used, and structural equation modeling (quantitative) was employed to fit the conceptual model of the research. 26 experts, professors and experts in the field of policy and public welfare have been selected for the socio-statistics of the qualitative part. The statistical population of the quantitative part consists of 240 experts, managers and senior managers in the field of policy and social welfare. 148 people participated considering Cochran's formula. Findings: In the qualitative part; 50 initial indicators were identified and after coding, 45 indicators were confirmed by theme analysis. Six dimensions (management and decision-making; public finance of the government; planning; internal environment; external environment and sectoral governance), and four components of causal, contextual, strategy, and consequence factors were confirmed. In the quantitative part, the dimensions of management and decision-making and public finance of the government were found to have an effect on the dimensions of the internal and external environment as well as on the dimension of planning, and the dimension of planning also affects the governance of a sector. The dimension of management and decision-making was ranked first with an average of 6.54, and the dimension of governance was ranked last with an average of 5.14. Discussion: A comprehensive model for identifying public issues enables the country to determine and implement priorities and strategies. The design requirements for the pattern of public welfare pathology in Iran will be six dimensions and 45 indicators extracted in this model.

PCA-based approach for mapping social vulnerability to hazards in the Chennai metropolitan area, east coast of India

ABSTRACT Social vulnerability shows the lack of capacities of a person or groups across space and time to prepare for, respond to, and recover from the impact of natural hazards. It involves a combination of socioeconomic and demographic factors that determine the degree to which a (human) system is susceptible to, or unable to cope with, the adverse effects of a disastrous event. Social Vulnerability Index (SoVI) is an effective tool to measure the social vulnerability of an area. Though SoVI has successfully applied in many different contexts and places for socioeconomic development and disaster risk reduction, most societies still lack awareness of how social differences within their population play a role during disastrous events. To address this gap, the present study aims to map the social vulnerability and identify the locations of a socially vulnerable community in the Chennai Metropolitan Area (CMA) through an inductive approach (e.g. factor analysis) using demographic and built-environment data in ArcGIS and SPSS environment. We analysed twenty-three individual variables from five different vulnerability components, such as population, housing, economics, healthcare service, and exposed elements using Principal Component Analysis, that reduced to a smaller set of multidimensional components that explained 71.2% of the total variance and calculated the final SoVI score by adding all five-factor scores. The resultant SoVI map identifies the most vulnerable areas in the highly populated and tightly packed residential areas of Chennai city and the least vulnerable areas on the outskirts of Chennai city. The constructed SoVI could assist planners and policymakers at the national, state, and local government level in making appropriate decisions at all phases of the disaster management cycle and help prioritize the implementation of Government welfare schemes.

Shadow economy–financial sustainability nexus: the case of Palestine

PurposeThe present research aims at identifying the latent factors that are driving the rise of the shadow economy in Palestine, assesses its magnitude from 1998 to 2021 and investigates the influence that its size has on the financial sustainability of Palestine's public budget.Design/methodology/approachThe researchers employed the multi-indicator multi-causes (MIMIC) model to estimate the size of the shadow economy and investigate its effect on the financial sustainability of the public budget. Economic factors such as direct taxes, indirect taxes, government welfare, government spending and unemployment were considered causal variables, while indicators of financial sustainability included budget deficit, public debt and gross domestic product (GDP). The shadow economy served as an intermediary variable.FindingsBased on the findings, the researchers recommend regulating and formalizing legitimate activities within the shadow economy. Additionally, they suggest promoting investment projects to reduce unemployment rates, lowering taxes on essential goods and consumer items and providing support to local producers in Palestine. These measures aim at addressing the challenges posed by the shadow economy and fostering economic stability.Originality/valueThe study reveals that the average size of the shadow economy in Palestine between 1998 and 2021 was 43.80%, fluctuating within the range of 39.92%–46.30%. It further establishes that an increase in direct and indirect taxes as well as unemployment contributes to the expansion of the shadow economy. Conversely, government welfare and spending exert a diminishing effect. Moreover, the study finds that the rise of the shadow economy correlates with an increase in public debt, budget deficit and GDP, indicating a negative impact on the financial sustainability of the public budget.

Factors Associated with Juvenile Delinquency: A Case of Arusha Juvenile Remand Home in Arusha City-Tanzania

The assessment of factors related to juvenile delinquency was conducted at Arusha Remand Home in Arusha City. This study adopted a cross-sectional design and gathered both quantitative and qualitative data from various primary and secondary sources. A sample of 103 respondents was selected using a simple random sampling technique. Structured interviews using researcher-administered questionnaires were employed to collect primary data from the participants. In-depth interviews were conducted with selected juveniles to obtain insights into the delinquency in the city. Descriptive statistics and the Likelihood Ratio Chi-Square test were employed for quantitative data analysis, utilising IBM SPSS Statistics version 20. The findings indicated that theft offences accounted for a significant proportion of juvenile delinquency (45.6%), followed by abuse (29.1%) and vandalism (25.2%). The primary causes of delinquent behaviours were identified as poverty (67%), peer influence (28.2%), and family dysfunction (4.9%). Additionally, the study identified gender, household size, parenting style, and the causes of committing crimes as factors associated with juvenile delinquency. Based on these findings, it is recommended that the Arusha City Council, in collaboration with other stakeholders, develop targeted interventions and initiatives to address the specific challenges faced by juveniles. Government welfare officers in Arusha City should design educational programmes aimed at equipping families with the necessary knowledge and skills to create a nurturing environment for their children, thereby guiding juveniles onto a positive path. Implementing these recommendations aims to prevent and reduce juvenile delinquency and promote the overall well-being and positive development of young individuals in Arusha City

Do pension subsidies reduce household education expenditure inequality? Evidence from China

This study focuses on the effect of pension subsidies on inequality in household education expenditures using data from the China Family Panel Studies for 2010, 2012 and 2014. Estimates from fixed effects (FE) models and instrumental variables (IV) methods show that New Rural Pension Scheme (NRPS) subsidies significantly reduce inequality in education expenditures among rural households. Further evidence suggests that pension subsidies significantly increase education expenditures of rural low- and middle-income households. Our study suggests that pension subsidies play an important role in reducing inequality in household education expenditures. Especially for low- and middle-income households, government welfare policies targeting the elderly may have longer-term benefits than expected.